February 7, 2023 • 31 mins
Michelle is checking in with her listeners about what she did during Grammy weekend. She reflects on her time in LA and how important it is to be aligned with your passion. Being surrounded by music also had Michelle thinking about the impact music has on our mental health, so she did some research and will be sharing some gems with us! CHECK IN to learn different ways to manage emotions with music.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
My Heart Radio and The Black Effect. Hello everybody, welcome
(00:20):
to another episode of Checking In. I'm so excited. I'm
about season three again. You guys helped me to get
here with the downloads and sharing and telling everybody about
my podcast. I was at church the other week and
I'm an older woman walks up to me and tells
(00:43):
me about an episode that she was listening to regarding
my podcast, the one with Ian Levenzant, and that just
warmed my my entire soul. And from that episode, she said,
that's when she became acquainted with my podcast and how
she's been listening ever since. So shout out to you,
(01:04):
my change Church Atlanta, buddy. She's so dope. She's amazing, amazing, amazing.
So I'm so thankful for that if it makes me
feel good, you know, because people don't have to listen,
you know. You you literally you go on the apps,
you know, and and you choose Checking In to listen to.
And again, I could not have had a season three
(01:25):
if it was not for you. So let's get right
to it. I want to talk about Grammys and mental health.
So we saw the Grammys on Sunday, and congratulations to
all of the winners. We had some big ones. We
had some big ones. Let's see, you had Album of
(01:45):
the Year, which you know you every year there's some
controversy about who should get Album of the Year, and
there were some huge contenders. Now I am a voting
member of the Grammys, all right, so we'll get to that.
(02:08):
But these were some O my gosh, Record of the Year,
Song of the Year. Each song that was in Song
of the Year. You heard these songs everywhere. So it
is in certain categories it's not hard for me to vote.
Then in other categories it is hard. But man, mm hmmmmmmm.
(02:35):
Congratulations to Beyonce for making history with her Grammy wins.
And I thought it was quite hilarious that she was
a teach late to the show, and so I thought
that was hilarious. So I'll tell y'all about my time
in l A. I had an amazing meeting. I am
(02:59):
rep to buy U T A and I'm Cultural Collective
Jonathan A Zoo and U T A for Film TV
branding all of that stuff, right, So that was a
great meeting. That night, um, we did a Grammy jam
um that my management company, Culture Collective, and Corey Henry,
who was wrapped by we have the same manager. He
(03:21):
had a Grammy Jam. Listen y'all the musicians and other
singers that were in the building. If you don't go
to the actual Grammy ceremony, I think y'all should actually
go to l A and just participate, sit in and
go to the jam sessions that happened every single night.
So from Corey Henry Adam Blackstone, the Roots has their
(03:44):
Grammy Jam every year and it's all ways incredible. So
Grammy Jam Wednesday Thursday, I had kind of a day off. Oh,
I took my dog, I took Biggie. Biggie traveled with
me to l A. He was so well be caved,
didn't make a peep on the plane going or coming,
and he is amazing. Everybody loves them. I'm proud of
(04:07):
him in his travels. I wish that he could get
some frequent Flyer because those are some long tracks from
l A to Atlanta back and forth and when and
from when we flew from Idaho where he was born. Yes,
I flew to Boise, Idaho to pick him up. So
any going back, um to the Grammys, so that was awesome. Friday,
(04:27):
I did Primary Wave in Whitney Houston Estate personally reached
out to ask me to be a part of a
Whitney Houston tribute that they were having. Whitney Houston turns
sixty years old. This year, Whitney Houston would have been
sixty years old, I should say. So. It was an
amazing tribute, and I hope that they do something for
(04:51):
her when it's closer to her birthday, which I believe
is in August. Yes, she was born August night. I
know I she was born August nine. She was born
August nine, so I couldn't believe it. I was trying
to hold back so many emotions during the performance. Listen,
(05:12):
I know that there is only one Whitney Houston, and
you should not try to be with Houston. Not be
but if you're gonna sing some of her songs, put
your own stamp on it, but be as true to
it as possible. So I just knew. I said, I
just want you all to know, I know I'm not
with Houston, and I just but it was an honor
(05:34):
and it was a joy. I love singing with Houston
songs and I have watched Whitney Houston all of my life.
Her album I'm Your Baby Tonight was the very very
very very very first piece of music that I bought
with my own money. Okay, so yes, I can say that.
So it was really a joy Saturday Rock Nation brunchy
(06:00):
rock Nation brunch, how do I put it? We got there,
little late U got their little laid. I did enter
with my good sister Beyonce, and we are always prepared.
I've always prepared. Anybody that goes to the Rock Nation brunch,
you know that it's gonna be packed. Okay. I am
(06:23):
grateful for every invitation, every text, every phone call that's like, girl,
come hang out, let's go to the brunch, let's go
to dinner, come to the house. Whatever. It's a given
that when I am in Los Angeles, I am going
to see my girls and the kids and family. It
is what it is, right, So I have to remember
(06:45):
when we go to public things like the Rock Nation brunch,
we're not in the privacy of somebody's home. And so
it's amazing we observe how people act. And I'm gonna
say this for those that attend the Rock Nation Brunch
(07:06):
act like you're supposed to be there. Okay, Now I
don't know if you if it be the people's plus ones,
some of y'all get you get out of hand, You
get out of hand, you get out of hand. Yeah. Yeah,
(07:31):
So I'm I'm gonna just I'm gonna just could you
imagine if you bring somebody somewhere and they just like
don't know boundaries and you're like, oh my gosh, why
did I bring you here? That's the way some folks
was acting. Even Yeah, I'll just say that, I'm gonna
(07:53):
just say that. Well we'll leave it there, all right,
but next time some of y'all act like you're supposed
to be there, old thing, all right. Other than that,
it's a joy. You get to see so many people
and hug faces and meet some amazing listen brilliant new
(08:17):
artists that are out and about. It was so good too.
And then some of the new artists we're walking up
to me. Oh my gosh, I just love y'all so much.
I listened to you ever since I was a child,
and I'm like, how old are you now? They're like
(08:38):
twenty three, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm forty three.
Stopping because you're actually telling the telling the truth. Y'all
are babies, y'all were babies, or because it really it
was your parents probably that that. You know, I was
listening to Destiny's Child and you were a toddler just
(08:59):
so in the music at the time that's playing at
your house. So I'm just like, oh my gosh, I
cannot believe that. You know, they were, like, you know,
Michelle was such a huge fans And I'm like, but
it's so good because you know you I get to
love on them and encourage them and tell them to
(09:21):
stay focused and never forget their why. You know, why
did you become a professional singer? You know, some it
is to change the world, to make impact. I want
to make impact, but also I want to make sure
that you know my family has taken care of whatever
(09:42):
that is. Keep focused on the why, stay focused on
the why. And I got to literally I like to
check on people for real. I like to say, how
are you doing? For real? How you doing in real life?
And one person in particular, um that I spoke to,
(10:05):
my heart just went out to them, and I think
it just made my mission in the area of mental
health more clear. People go through a lot behind closed doors. Now,
what you might know of the person might be public,
(10:26):
but there are some things that they're fighting and battling
as well behind closed doors. So you might hear of
a person in a scandal, You might hear of someone
a public figure who say, lost a loved one and
they're battling grief. They're battling loss behind closed doors. Really,
(10:52):
like all of y'all listening, someone listening is battling with
something behind closed door? Or is that you feel like
you can't share and maybe you don't have the resources?
And I asked this person, you know, I hope you're
not walking through this alone, and they said I am.
(11:14):
And I was like, so no one has, like, you know,
giving you any resources or anything like that. And I
don't know if it's just because this person doesn't know
what to ask or who to ask, but they shouldn't
have to ask. This particular person should not have to ask.
There should be someone The first one of the first
(11:36):
things that I think, how should I say this? Like
when my manager knows that I'm going through something? You know?
They were quick to be like, do you have a therapist?
Do you have a doctor? Do you would it? Whatever? Whatever, right.
But like I said, that is just because there are
a lot of executives who are well versed in the
(11:58):
area of medicine or or mental health. So they all
notice say, hey, do you need a doctor, do you
need a therapist, Do you need a councilor do you
need an advisor? Do you need an accountant? What do
you need? Let me give you the resource or the connection.
And so my heart was just going on to this person,
and so I made sure to get their contact appropriately
(12:22):
and make sure that this person gets the help that
they need. It just I don't know. I don't know.
So I think my charge to you guys is too,
you know, take some time out and check on people
and see how they're really doing. And if you don't
(12:45):
know a resource, I'll give you the resource. Tell them
to go to Psychology Today dot com. You've got mental
Health America. You've got the Mental Wealth Alliance. Um are good, brother.
I'm sure the Maine founder of the Black Effect has
a mental health organization called Mental Wealth Alliance. There's NAMI,
(13:07):
there's so many Oh my gosh. I yeah. I can't
knowingly let someone suffer in silent. So I'm glad that
I was able to talk to this person because I'm
the type of person I can see a musical peer
and I don't want to bother them. I don't want
to be the corny person asking for the pictures and
(13:29):
phone them. No no, no. But there's a way to
maybe organically let it happen. But I had to make sure.
I have to make sure folks are okay. I'm just
in a different season in life. You know. When I
attend those events, especially if I'm going with Beyonce or Kelly,
They'll tell you, Michelle, don't care nothing about the actual
(13:50):
like event, I don't. I care about the well being
of people in the event. Yes, should we go to
events and how fun? Absolutely, But I don't get caught
up in who's there. There are people be acting like
the characters in the movies they play or and it's
(14:10):
like stop, stop, we at brunch, we're at dinner, we're chilling. Stop.
So I care about the well being, the well being
of people and the pressure to perform. That's what it is,
(14:33):
the pressure to perform when you are off stage or
when you're not actually on camera in a particular character.
The pressure to perform in public, the pressure to be something,
and you better be who people want you to be,
you know, versus you know, just you be able to
(14:55):
walk through a crowd and chill. And it's like people
actually have to put on extra layers of vibe, extra
layers of character, extra and it's and it's tiring. It's
absolutely exhausting. I've gotten to a place where I don't
even know if Michelle walks in the room. I really
(15:17):
believe it's Tantra. Temitra is my first name, because at
this point, I don't care about I don't care about um.
I respect people's accomplishments and their success because it takes
a lot of hard work. I respect the hard work.
I respect the person's work ethic. That's what I respect,
and and congratulate them on the fruit that they get from,
(15:41):
you know, their hard work. I admire a person's discipline.
I don't want to know about the car you just
bought or the designer back you just got. I'd be
asking questions like, Okay, what's your morning routine, like when
you go to bed, how long you sleep? You know,
or what books are you reading? What podcasts are you
listening to? I care about that, but I care mostly
(16:04):
about the well being, I asked someone, um too, I said,
how are you doing in real life? And their answer
just made me smile because you can feel it. And
this person said, I am so blessed, I am so blessed,
and I knew it was a genuine answer, and I
(16:26):
could look at their life, I could look at the
people around them, and I knew they were telling the truth.
They said, I am so blessed. And I believe this person.
I know for they have boundaries, they have things intact
and in order. Again, the past few episodes of checking in,
(16:46):
I think I've been talking about boundaries, and boundaries is
literally a line you set for yourself and others. But
that boundary is set so that people don't said, and
then you nicely correct them when they do, and then
so people like, oh man, it got fine. I'm telling
you boundaries. When you set boundaries, I promise you, peace
(17:11):
is what follows. So I was genuinely so happy for
this person when they said I am so blessed. Just
they little like, I can't believe it, I'm so blessed,
I'm so blessed. And so you have to have boundaries,
and I think that that had that helps so that
(17:33):
you don't have the pressure to perform. You don't have
the pressure to perform. So yes, definitely tell me in
the d m s you know how you're feeling so
far about everything, and just know that when I'm out
and about now, it's I don't even know. We took
some pictures, but I didn't even I wasn't even trying
to be in the pictures. I just I don't know.
(17:55):
I'm I'm I'm mother goose when it comes to people,
and uh, I just want to know that our friends
are okay, all right. So again I'm just checking on
my checking in family, and at this point, I just
want everybody to be okay. So going back, let's see Sunday.
You know the Grammy. It's Grammy Day. You know, you
(18:17):
watch the Grammys and you just um get so excited
about people that are genuinely shocked that they are winning.
You know, because when you know you in order for
you to be in that category, you're like doing well
when you make By the time you make that final ballot,
(18:39):
you're like man. And the people's names that are called
amongst your name. The young lady Samara Joy who want
a Grammy just she was just so shocked. She was
so shocked, twenty three years old wins a Grammy and
she's sitting there like and I'm like, yeah, you go, girl,
(19:01):
you definitely deserved that Grammy. And you you kind of
sitting there like when your name is called along with
maybe people you grew up listening to or people that
you admired. When you think of Lizzo, and I remember
the Breakfast Club interview that she did when she said
she skipped school to come to either a Destiny's Child
(19:22):
concert or a Destiny's Child signing something. And now she
is in the same category as Beyonce, who we all
know that do I know who got her start in
Destiny's Child? And it was so endearing to hear Lizzo's
speech about being in the category with people that you
(19:44):
listened to and you admire. So that was pretty cool.
Can y'all imagine one day you're in the same freaking
category as someone you grew up listening to, or if
saying some of y'all that aren't in amusing, maybe you're
in medicine, and maybe one day you look up and
(20:06):
you're sitting at one of the conference tables, the medical
conference table, with someone that you admire you're getting honored,
and maybe they're getting honored in an area of science
or medicine and both, and you're like, oh my gosh,
Dr so and So. I grew up admiring you have
studied your work. Can you imagine that? M I think
(20:28):
it's amazing and watching the Grammys it inspired me to
maybe do something musically, but it also inspired me to
keep going in the area that I'm passionate about. And
I think you will always win in the area that
you're passionate about. I think you'll do your best work
(20:49):
when you're working in an area that you're passionate about.
You'll get your best fruit. You get your best results
when it's something daily that you that you get excited
about doing instead of waking up dreading the day or
the people you have to work with. So I pray
that everybody gets to eventually do something they love with
(21:11):
the people they love, entrepreneurs, that you get to do
what you love, that you get to do what you love.
The other day I posted and this is the truth.
Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do
is happiness. I like what I do, I love what
I do. I am so glad that I still get
(21:35):
to dip my feet a little bit in music and
you know, I get to dip my feet, you know,
and acting. Um, but the passion and calling it is
definitely in the area of healing and mental health and
making sure that everybody has an amazing quality of life. Yeah,
so I'm glad. I just wanted to share that weekend
(21:57):
with y'all and to check in. And this episode was
supposed to be something else, but I was like, I
think some of y'all want to know about my grammy
weekend and the whole experience. UM. Also being in l A.
It maybe want to move back there, you know, because
(22:20):
all my loved ones. Of course it's my except for
my like my immediate family, everybody's in l A. So
I kind of missed being out there. I missed the weather.
I know, before I didn't really necessarily like l A
because I felt like, we gotta take a meeting while here.
You gotta do this, you gotta do people know you
(22:40):
here about and I felt like I would. I would
put myself up like I'm here, I'm here, I'm here,
don't forget about me. And it's like, so since being
in Atlanta, UM the past four years. Quietly. It has
been a joy. It has been absolutely amazing. So we'll see,
(23:00):
guys if I want to do l A again, hit
me up in my damns if you think I should
go to l A or do you think I should
stay behind parts in Atlanta, Georgia. Tell me what you
think now. The only thing I did not like was
that my allergies flared up big time in l A.
(23:22):
I did not like that. Mmmm. I did not like
that at all. And um, the humidity was really low. Um.
I like being in an area that has some that's
got some humidity, all right, So I'm glad we got
to talk about that. And um, I'm excited because I
(23:45):
also felt like, Um, I got to talk to some
people about, you know, music and mental health. And I'm
reading an article now from the Jet Foundation, and it's
talking about how music can improve your mental health. According
to Casey Clark, they said it sounds cliche, but music
(24:09):
actually serves as an escape in those moments when the
flashbacks are so intense. So this person has PTSD and
she was saying how when the symptoms flare, she lenses.
She listens to a Michael Boublet album because it was
the last present she gave her grandfather, and they shared
many happy memories listening to it together. Music can be
(24:31):
a great way to take care of your mental health. Okay,
get can lower stress? It really can lower stress, I'm
According to a study done in twenty nineteen found that
college students who listened to classical music every day for
two months lowered their levels of anxiety significantly. Significantly. Many
(24:54):
studies have shown that listening to music and lower your
blood pressure and your heart rate, and even lower stress
hormones in your body. Mm hmm, it says Bethany Cook,
a psychologist and music therapist in Chicago, says, when you
want music to give you a break from what you're
going through, pick songs that have a storyline different from
(25:19):
the challenges you're facing. This contemporarily transport you elsewhere and
give you a short break from your concerns, just like
when you read a good book. Now listen, Bethany, I
like that. Pick songs that have a storyline different from
the challenges you're facing. I love that because why do
(25:39):
people they'll listen to like heartbreak music? When you went
through a breakup? I don't need no reminders of it.
M m mmm, no, so I'll put on Oh I
love putting on some afro beats. I love putting on
some good worship music. Um, but you saw right, Bethany.
(25:59):
I don't want nothing now. Some people just say no
because you want to get a good cry. New music
is too much. Music does so much for me that
I don't want to listen to anything music wise that's
gonna make me more depressed. M m m m m
m m mmmm. Do do? She says? Listening to music
(26:21):
that does not have lyrics attached to it, let's the
listener project their personal feelings and their personal struggle into
the music. Okay, And some research has found that even
listening to sad music can make you feel some pleasant
emotions which might lessen the pain you are feeling. Now,
I don't do that for me. Mm hmm. Now, music
(26:45):
can make it easier to talk about what's troubling you.
That's true. There are certain songs that can help you.
You know. Music can help up. It can help you
figure out who you are. Music builds community, Music builds
your brains capacity and connections. Music can be a quick
mood booster. Music can also benefit people who are deaf
(27:09):
or have hearing loss. That's so good. That's so good
mood booster. Let's go back to that music can be
a quick mood booster. This is probably one of those
things you don't need research to prove, but scientific research
has found that listening to upbeat music with an intention
of getting in a better mood actually works. This is
(27:32):
something you can also research yourself on the daily. So
I think I'm going to close with that my experience
at the Grammys and having certain conversations checking in with
people and their mental health, and I'm checking in with
people who are a part of changing culture in music right.
(27:55):
So to the creators of music, take care of you.
Take care of you. If you hear nothing else, I'd say,
take care of you and um, hopefully you get some
reprieve and some solace in um and still in the
music that you make, that you can get some joy
(28:15):
out of music being therapeutic for you. To those that
are listening, you know who, You're not in the music industry,
but you're listening, like, yeah, Michelle, I understand what you're saying.
Music does help my mood. I'm telling you, Um, You're
gonna live by J. J. Harrison every morning for me.
(28:36):
It's a fifteen minute song. It gets me going. Charles Butler,
He's got a whole praise break. It's called the Blood
that gets Me going. That gets me going. Um, I
love really any afrobeat playlist. Honey is gonna get me
going music also with prayers and scriptures that are very soothing,
(28:57):
that are really really really really helpful. So I'm glad
you guys talked to me. We've got some amazing guests
coming up for checking in, so, um, I like to
sprinkle some solo episodes in there. I know you'll got
a couple of solo episodes in a row. But apparently
y'all be yes, y'all be y'all be liking the solo episodes,
(29:18):
so we're gonna do a lot more. And again, thank you,
so so, so, so so so much, and remember your loved.
There's nothing you can do about it. M Checking In
(30:48):
with Michelle Williams is a production of I Heart Radio
and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio,
visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite IT shows.
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
My Heart Radio and The Black Effect. Hello everybody, welcome
(00:20):
to another episode of Checking In. I'm so excited. I'm
about season three again. You guys helped me to get
here with the downloads and sharing and telling everybody about
my podcast. I was at church the other week and
I'm an older woman walks up to me and tells
(00:43):
me about an episode that she was listening to regarding
my podcast, the one with Ian Levenzant, and that just
warmed my my entire soul. And from that episode, she said,
that's when she became acquainted with my podcast and how
she's been listening ever since. So shout out to you,
(01:04):
my change Church Atlanta, buddy. She's so dope. She's amazing, amazing, amazing.
So I'm so thankful for that if it makes me
feel good, you know, because people don't have to listen,
you know. You you literally you go on the apps,
you know, and and you choose Checking In to listen to.
And again, I could not have had a season three
(01:25):
if it was not for you. So let's get right
to it. I want to talk about Grammys and mental health.
So we saw the Grammys on Sunday, and congratulations to
all of the winners. We had some big ones. We
had some big ones. Let's see, you had Album of
(01:45):
the Year, which you know you every year there's some
controversy about who should get Album of the Year, and
there were some huge contenders. Now I am a voting
member of the Grammys, all right, so we'll get to that.
(02:08):
But these were some O my gosh, Record of the Year,
Song of the Year. Each song that was in Song
of the Year. You heard these songs everywhere. So it
is in certain categories it's not hard for me to vote.
Then in other categories it is hard. But man, mm hmmmmmmm.
(02:35):
Congratulations to Beyonce for making history with her Grammy wins.
And I thought it was quite hilarious that she was
a teach late to the show, and so I thought
that was hilarious. So I'll tell y'all about my time
in l A. I had an amazing meeting. I am
(02:59):
rep to buy U T A and I'm Cultural Collective
Jonathan A Zoo and U T A for Film TV
branding all of that stuff, right, So that was a
great meeting. That night, um, we did a Grammy jam
um that my management company, Culture Collective, and Corey Henry,
who was wrapped by we have the same manager. He
(03:21):
had a Grammy Jam. Listen y'all the musicians and other
singers that were in the building. If you don't go
to the actual Grammy ceremony, I think y'all should actually
go to l A and just participate, sit in and
go to the jam sessions that happened every single night.
So from Corey Henry Adam Blackstone, the Roots has their
(03:44):
Grammy Jam every year and it's all ways incredible. So
Grammy Jam Wednesday Thursday, I had kind of a day off. Oh,
I took my dog, I took Biggie. Biggie traveled with
me to l A. He was so well be caved,
didn't make a peep on the plane going or coming,
and he is amazing. Everybody loves them. I'm proud of
(04:07):
him in his travels. I wish that he could get
some frequent Flyer because those are some long tracks from
l A to Atlanta back and forth and when and
from when we flew from Idaho where he was born. Yes,
I flew to Boise, Idaho to pick him up. So
any going back, um to the Grammys, so that was awesome. Friday,
(04:27):
I did Primary Wave in Whitney Houston Estate personally reached
out to ask me to be a part of a
Whitney Houston tribute that they were having. Whitney Houston turns
sixty years old. This year, Whitney Houston would have been
sixty years old, I should say. So. It was an
amazing tribute, and I hope that they do something for
(04:51):
her when it's closer to her birthday, which I believe
is in August. Yes, she was born August night. I
know I she was born August nine. She was born
August nine, so I couldn't believe it. I was trying
to hold back so many emotions during the performance. Listen,
(05:12):
I know that there is only one Whitney Houston, and
you should not try to be with Houston. Not be
but if you're gonna sing some of her songs, put
your own stamp on it, but be as true to
it as possible. So I just knew. I said, I
just want you all to know, I know I'm not
with Houston, and I just but it was an honor
(05:34):
and it was a joy. I love singing with Houston
songs and I have watched Whitney Houston all of my life.
Her album I'm Your Baby Tonight was the very very
very very very first piece of music that I bought
with my own money. Okay, so yes, I can say that.
So it was really a joy Saturday Rock Nation brunchy
(06:00):
rock Nation brunch, how do I put it? We got there,
little late U got their little laid. I did enter
with my good sister Beyonce, and we are always prepared.
I've always prepared. Anybody that goes to the Rock Nation brunch,
you know that it's gonna be packed. Okay. I am
(06:23):
grateful for every invitation, every text, every phone call that's like, girl,
come hang out, let's go to the brunch, let's go
to dinner, come to the house. Whatever. It's a given
that when I am in Los Angeles, I am going
to see my girls and the kids and family. It
is what it is, right, So I have to remember
(06:45):
when we go to public things like the Rock Nation brunch,
we're not in the privacy of somebody's home. And so
it's amazing we observe how people act. And I'm gonna
say this for those that attend the Rock Nation Brunch
(07:06):
act like you're supposed to be there. Okay, Now I
don't know if you if it be the people's plus ones,
some of y'all get you get out of hand, You
get out of hand, you get out of hand. Yeah. Yeah,
(07:31):
So I'm I'm gonna just I'm gonna just could you
imagine if you bring somebody somewhere and they just like
don't know boundaries and you're like, oh my gosh, why
did I bring you here? That's the way some folks
was acting. Even Yeah, I'll just say that, I'm gonna
(07:53):
just say that. Well we'll leave it there, all right,
but next time some of y'all act like you're supposed
to be there, old thing, all right. Other than that,
it's a joy. You get to see so many people
and hug faces and meet some amazing listen brilliant new
(08:17):
artists that are out and about. It was so good too.
And then some of the new artists we're walking up
to me. Oh my gosh, I just love y'all so much.
I listened to you ever since I was a child,
and I'm like, how old are you now? They're like
(08:38):
twenty three, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm forty three.
Stopping because you're actually telling the telling the truth. Y'all
are babies, y'all were babies, or because it really it
was your parents probably that that. You know, I was
listening to Destiny's Child and you were a toddler just
(08:59):
so in the music at the time that's playing at
your house. So I'm just like, oh my gosh, I
cannot believe that. You know, they were, like, you know,
Michelle was such a huge fans And I'm like, but
it's so good because you know you I get to
love on them and encourage them and tell them to
(09:21):
stay focused and never forget their why. You know, why
did you become a professional singer? You know, some it
is to change the world, to make impact. I want
to make impact, but also I want to make sure
that you know my family has taken care of whatever
(09:42):
that is. Keep focused on the why, stay focused on
the why. And I got to literally I like to
check on people for real. I like to say, how
are you doing? For real? How you doing in real life?
And one person in particular, um that I spoke to,
(10:05):
my heart just went out to them, and I think
it just made my mission in the area of mental
health more clear. People go through a lot behind closed doors. Now,
what you might know of the person might be public,
(10:26):
but there are some things that they're fighting and battling
as well behind closed doors. So you might hear of
a person in a scandal, You might hear of someone
a public figure who say, lost a loved one and
they're battling grief. They're battling loss behind closed doors. Really,
(10:52):
like all of y'all listening, someone listening is battling with
something behind closed door? Or is that you feel like
you can't share and maybe you don't have the resources?
And I asked this person, you know, I hope you're
not walking through this alone, and they said I am.
(11:14):
And I was like, so no one has, like, you know,
giving you any resources or anything like that. And I
don't know if it's just because this person doesn't know
what to ask or who to ask, but they shouldn't
have to ask. This particular person should not have to ask.
There should be someone The first one of the first
(11:36):
things that I think, how should I say this? Like
when my manager knows that I'm going through something? You know?
They were quick to be like, do you have a therapist?
Do you have a doctor? Do you would it? Whatever? Whatever, right.
But like I said, that is just because there are
a lot of executives who are well versed in the
(11:58):
area of medicine or or mental health. So they all
notice say, hey, do you need a doctor, do you
need a therapist, Do you need a councilor do you
need an advisor? Do you need an accountant? What do
you need? Let me give you the resource or the connection.
And so my heart was just going on to this person,
and so I made sure to get their contact appropriately
(12:22):
and make sure that this person gets the help that
they need. It just I don't know. I don't know.
So I think my charge to you guys is too,
you know, take some time out and check on people
and see how they're really doing. And if you don't
(12:45):
know a resource, I'll give you the resource. Tell them
to go to Psychology Today dot com. You've got mental
Health America. You've got the Mental Wealth Alliance. Um are good, brother.
I'm sure the Maine founder of the Black Effect has
a mental health organization called Mental Wealth Alliance. There's NAMI,
(13:07):
there's so many Oh my gosh. I yeah. I can't
knowingly let someone suffer in silent. So I'm glad that
I was able to talk to this person because I'm
the type of person I can see a musical peer
and I don't want to bother them. I don't want
to be the corny person asking for the pictures and
(13:29):
phone them. No no, no. But there's a way to
maybe organically let it happen. But I had to make sure.
I have to make sure folks are okay. I'm just
in a different season in life. You know. When I
attend those events, especially if I'm going with Beyonce or Kelly,
They'll tell you, Michelle, don't care nothing about the actual
(13:50):
like event, I don't. I care about the well being
of people in the event. Yes, should we go to
events and how fun? Absolutely, But I don't get caught
up in who's there. There are people be acting like
the characters in the movies they play or and it's
(14:10):
like stop, stop, we at brunch, we're at dinner, we're chilling. Stop.
So I care about the well being, the well being
of people and the pressure to perform. That's what it is,
(14:33):
the pressure to perform when you are off stage or
when you're not actually on camera in a particular character.
The pressure to perform in public, the pressure to be something,
and you better be who people want you to be,
you know, versus you know, just you be able to
(14:55):
walk through a crowd and chill. And it's like people
actually have to put on extra layers of vibe, extra
layers of character, extra and it's and it's tiring. It's
absolutely exhausting. I've gotten to a place where I don't
even know if Michelle walks in the room. I really
(15:17):
believe it's Tantra. Temitra is my first name, because at
this point, I don't care about I don't care about um.
I respect people's accomplishments and their success because it takes
a lot of hard work. I respect the hard work.
I respect the person's work ethic. That's what I respect,
and and congratulate them on the fruit that they get from,
(15:41):
you know, their hard work. I admire a person's discipline.
I don't want to know about the car you just
bought or the designer back you just got. I'd be
asking questions like, Okay, what's your morning routine, like when
you go to bed, how long you sleep? You know,
or what books are you reading? What podcasts are you
listening to? I care about that, but I care mostly
(16:04):
about the well being, I asked someone, um too, I said,
how are you doing in real life? And their answer
just made me smile because you can feel it. And
this person said, I am so blessed, I am so blessed,
and I knew it was a genuine answer, and I
(16:26):
could look at their life, I could look at the
people around them, and I knew they were telling the truth.
They said, I am so blessed. And I believe this person.
I know for they have boundaries, they have things intact
and in order. Again, the past few episodes of checking in,
(16:46):
I think I've been talking about boundaries, and boundaries is
literally a line you set for yourself and others. But
that boundary is set so that people don't said, and
then you nicely correct them when they do, and then
so people like, oh man, it got fine. I'm telling
you boundaries. When you set boundaries, I promise you, peace
(17:11):
is what follows. So I was genuinely so happy for
this person when they said I am so blessed. Just
they little like, I can't believe it, I'm so blessed,
I'm so blessed. And so you have to have boundaries,
and I think that that had that helps so that
(17:33):
you don't have the pressure to perform. You don't have
the pressure to perform. So yes, definitely tell me in
the d m s you know how you're feeling so
far about everything, and just know that when I'm out
and about now, it's I don't even know. We took
some pictures, but I didn't even I wasn't even trying
to be in the pictures. I just I don't know.
(17:55):
I'm I'm I'm mother goose when it comes to people,
and uh, I just want to know that our friends
are okay, all right. So again I'm just checking on
my checking in family, and at this point, I just
want everybody to be okay. So going back, let's see Sunday.
You know the Grammy. It's Grammy Day. You know, you
(18:17):
watch the Grammys and you just um get so excited
about people that are genuinely shocked that they are winning.
You know, because when you know you in order for
you to be in that category, you're like doing well
when you make By the time you make that final ballot,
(18:39):
you're like man. And the people's names that are called
amongst your name. The young lady Samara Joy who want
a Grammy just she was just so shocked. She was
so shocked, twenty three years old wins a Grammy and
she's sitting there like and I'm like, yeah, you go, girl,
(19:01):
you definitely deserved that Grammy. And you you kind of
sitting there like when your name is called along with
maybe people you grew up listening to or people that
you admired. When you think of Lizzo, and I remember
the Breakfast Club interview that she did when she said
she skipped school to come to either a Destiny's Child
(19:22):
concert or a Destiny's Child signing something. And now she
is in the same category as Beyonce, who we all
know that do I know who got her start in
Destiny's Child? And it was so endearing to hear Lizzo's
speech about being in the category with people that you
(19:44):
listened to and you admire. So that was pretty cool.
Can y'all imagine one day you're in the same freaking
category as someone you grew up listening to, or if
saying some of y'all that aren't in amusing, maybe you're
in medicine, and maybe one day you look up and
(20:06):
you're sitting at one of the conference tables, the medical
conference table, with someone that you admire you're getting honored,
and maybe they're getting honored in an area of science
or medicine and both, and you're like, oh my gosh,
Dr so and So. I grew up admiring you have
studied your work. Can you imagine that? M I think
(20:28):
it's amazing and watching the Grammys it inspired me to
maybe do something musically, but it also inspired me to
keep going in the area that I'm passionate about. And
I think you will always win in the area that
you're passionate about. I think you'll do your best work
(20:49):
when you're working in an area that you're passionate about.
You'll get your best fruit. You get your best results
when it's something daily that you that you get excited
about doing instead of waking up dreading the day or
the people you have to work with. So I pray
that everybody gets to eventually do something they love with
(21:11):
the people they love, entrepreneurs, that you get to do
what you love, that you get to do what you love.
The other day I posted and this is the truth.
Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do
is happiness. I like what I do, I love what
I do. I am so glad that I still get
(21:35):
to dip my feet a little bit in music and
you know, I get to dip my feet, you know,
and acting. Um, but the passion and calling it is
definitely in the area of healing and mental health and
making sure that everybody has an amazing quality of life. Yeah,
so I'm glad. I just wanted to share that weekend
(21:57):
with y'all and to check in. And this episode was
supposed to be something else, but I was like, I
think some of y'all want to know about my grammy
weekend and the whole experience. UM. Also being in l A.
It maybe want to move back there, you know, because
(22:20):
all my loved ones. Of course it's my except for
my like my immediate family, everybody's in l A. So
I kind of missed being out there. I missed the weather.
I know, before I didn't really necessarily like l A
because I felt like, we gotta take a meeting while here.
You gotta do this, you gotta do people know you
(22:40):
here about and I felt like I would. I would
put myself up like I'm here, I'm here, I'm here,
don't forget about me. And it's like, so since being
in Atlanta, UM the past four years. Quietly. It has
been a joy. It has been absolutely amazing. So we'll see,
(23:00):
guys if I want to do l A again, hit
me up in my damns if you think I should
go to l A or do you think I should
stay behind parts in Atlanta, Georgia. Tell me what you
think now. The only thing I did not like was
that my allergies flared up big time in l A.
(23:22):
I did not like that. Mmmm. I did not like
that at all. And um, the humidity was really low. Um.
I like being in an area that has some that's
got some humidity, all right, So I'm glad we got
to talk about that. And um, I'm excited because I
(23:45):
also felt like, Um, I got to talk to some
people about, you know, music and mental health. And I'm
reading an article now from the Jet Foundation, and it's
talking about how music can improve your mental health. According
to Casey Clark, they said it sounds cliche, but music
(24:09):
actually serves as an escape in those moments when the
flashbacks are so intense. So this person has PTSD and
she was saying how when the symptoms flare, she lenses.
She listens to a Michael Boublet album because it was
the last present she gave her grandfather, and they shared
many happy memories listening to it together. Music can be
(24:31):
a great way to take care of your mental health. Okay,
get can lower stress? It really can lower stress, I'm
According to a study done in twenty nineteen found that
college students who listened to classical music every day for
two months lowered their levels of anxiety significantly. Significantly. Many
(24:54):
studies have shown that listening to music and lower your
blood pressure and your heart rate, and even lower stress
hormones in your body. Mm hmm, it says Bethany Cook,
a psychologist and music therapist in Chicago, says, when you
want music to give you a break from what you're
going through, pick songs that have a storyline different from
(25:19):
the challenges you're facing. This contemporarily transport you elsewhere and
give you a short break from your concerns, just like
when you read a good book. Now listen, Bethany, I
like that. Pick songs that have a storyline different from
the challenges you're facing. I love that because why do
(25:39):
people they'll listen to like heartbreak music? When you went
through a breakup? I don't need no reminders of it.
M m mmm, no, so I'll put on Oh I
love putting on some afro beats. I love putting on
some good worship music. Um, but you saw right, Bethany.
(25:59):
I don't want nothing now. Some people just say no
because you want to get a good cry. New music
is too much. Music does so much for me that
I don't want to listen to anything music wise that's
gonna make me more depressed. M m m m m
m m mmmm. Do do? She says? Listening to music
(26:21):
that does not have lyrics attached to it, let's the
listener project their personal feelings and their personal struggle into
the music. Okay, And some research has found that even
listening to sad music can make you feel some pleasant
emotions which might lessen the pain you are feeling. Now,
I don't do that for me. Mm hmm. Now, music
(26:45):
can make it easier to talk about what's troubling you.
That's true. There are certain songs that can help you.
You know. Music can help up. It can help you
figure out who you are. Music builds community, Music builds
your brains capacity and connections. Music can be a quick
mood booster. Music can also benefit people who are deaf
(27:09):
or have hearing loss. That's so good. That's so good
mood booster. Let's go back to that music can be
a quick mood booster. This is probably one of those
things you don't need research to prove, but scientific research
has found that listening to upbeat music with an intention
of getting in a better mood actually works. This is
(27:32):
something you can also research yourself on the daily. So
I think I'm going to close with that my experience
at the Grammys and having certain conversations checking in with
people and their mental health, and I'm checking in with
people who are a part of changing culture in music right.
(27:55):
So to the creators of music, take care of you.
Take care of you. If you hear nothing else, I'd say,
take care of you and um, hopefully you get some
reprieve and some solace in um and still in the
music that you make, that you can get some joy
(28:15):
out of music being therapeutic for you. To those that
are listening, you know who, You're not in the music industry,
but you're listening, like, yeah, Michelle, I understand what you're saying.
Music does help my mood. I'm telling you, Um, You're
gonna live by J. J. Harrison every morning for me.
(28:36):
It's a fifteen minute song. It gets me going. Charles Butler,
He's got a whole praise break. It's called the Blood
that gets Me going. That gets me going. Um, I
love really any afrobeat playlist. Honey is gonna get me
going music also with prayers and scriptures that are very soothing,
(28:57):
that are really really really really helpful. So I'm glad
you guys talked to me. We've got some amazing guests
coming up for checking in, so, um, I like to
sprinkle some solo episodes in there. I know you'll got
a couple of solo episodes in a row. But apparently
y'all be yes, y'all be y'all be liking the solo episodes,
(29:18):
so we're gonna do a lot more. And again, thank you,
so so, so, so so so much, and remember your loved.
There's nothing you can do about it. M Checking In
(30:48):
with Michelle Williams is a production of I Heart Radio
and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio,
visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite IT shows.
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