The Black Perspective: July 27, 2025

This week on the Black Perspective, BIN Anchor Tammy Estwick returns with part two of her important conversation on heart health in the Black community, featuring Dr. Anthony M. Fletcher, President of the Association of Black Cardiologists.

Alexandria Ikomoni continues her discussion with George Acheampong and Carter Cofield, co-founders of the nationally recognized financial education platform Melanin Money, as they dive deeper into wealth-building strategies and financial literacy for Black communities.

BIN Anchor Morgyn Wood talks to iHeartRadio’s DJ Scream about his upcoming 5th Annual FreshFest Back-to-School event in Atlanta on August 2nd. She also sits down with TLynn — a mental health advocate and wellness entrepreneur — for an honest conversation about healing and holistic health.

Plus, we bring you another powerful installment of A Shade Deeper with Esther Dillard.

Listen now!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, this is Tammy Eswick with the Black Information Network.
Every year, during and shortly after pregnancy, at a time
that should be filled with some of life's most rewarding
and joyous experiences, hundreds of black women die. Join the
Black Information Network as we take a look at the
issue and explore answers to the problem in our special
public awareness campaign, Saving Black Moms a Maternal health Crisis,

(00:24):
because every mom and every life is worth saving. Learn
more at bionnews dot com.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
It's Sunday, July twenty seven, and on today's show, bin
News anchor Tammy Stwick is back with part two of
a conversation about heart doctors and heart failure in the
Black community. President of the Association of Black Cardiologists, doctor
Anthony M. Fletcher, is here. Black millionaires and co founders

(00:50):
of Melanin Money, a nationally recognized financial education platform, sit
down with Alexandria Icamoni about financial literacy and more. In
part two of their conversation, BION anchor Morgan Wood talks
to iHeartRadio's DJ Scream about his fifth annual fresh Fest
back to School event coming up in Atlanta August second,

(01:13):
and she also speaks to Tielan, a mom, mental health
advocate and wellness entrepreneur. And we have another segment of
a Shade Deeper from Esther Dillard. These stories and more
are coming your way on today's program. Welcome to the
Black Perspective. I'm your host, Mike Stevens filling in from
Mike Island this.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
Week Welcome to the Black Perspective, a weekly community affairs
program on the Black Information Network featuring interviews and discussions
on issues important to the Black community.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Good Sunday, everyone, and Welcome to the Black Perspective. Men's
Health Monk is in June. But here at the Bin,
we know this is a year long issue and we're
focusing on two problems. Only three percent of the heart
doctors in America are black. What's even more troubling is
that black men have a seventy percent higher risk of

(02:02):
developing heart failure than white men. We spoke to the
president of the Association of Black Cardiologists, doctor Anthony M. Fletcher,
who diagnosed the problem and offered a solution.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Doctor Anthony Fletcher is the President of the Association of
Black Cardiologists.

Speaker 4 (02:19):
Is from a numbers perspective, but the fact that we
know that a large percentage of African Americans in general,
Blacks in general have heart failure. Black men can certainly
have in the numbers that you talked about. You know,
those numbers are related to the fact that we have
more hypertension, and of course we have corney or disease also,

(02:40):
and so the fact that we have so many people
inflicted with congestive heart failure and that don't necessarily see
black physicians. You know, we do know from the data
that African Americans are blacks are less likely to be
referred to specialists for the treatment of the heart failure.

(03:01):
We do also know from the literature that people who
are referred to cardiologists when we're likely to be treated
more aggressively and to go so again, that certainly helps
us understand the gap in terms of why we have
concerns about black people who have heart failure, and specifically,

(03:21):
since we're talking about males who have heart failure, that
we need more specialists available in general or see those patients.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Doctor Garland Green is a Baton Rouge based heart doctor
with almost two decades of experience. We caught up with
him during the New Cardiovascular Horizons convention at the Roosevelt
Hotel in New Orleans.

Speaker 3 (03:41):
Does a study of publisher a few years ago, I know,
maybe a couple of years ago. Now that's basically said
African Americans who were treated by African American doctors did
better health wise, a whole lot of detail. Today African

(04:02):
Americans that were treated by African Americans live longer and
did better. And you say, why is that, Well, there
are a lot of reasons. There's a cultural aspect to
I understand the language.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
So we get that we need more black doctors helping
black patients, but statistics show there's a huge lack of
black heart doctors.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
Currently, the African American population is three percent in terms
of the cardiologists, and maybe on a good day we
might be four percent, but certainly it as not raised
to match the population. We're about thirteen to fourteen percent
of the population of the United States, and so certainly
our numbers are not in line with that.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
And it's that line that healthcare professionals say they are
working to move. Doctor Green hails from bell Rose, Louisiana.
He says he had big plans to be a Supreme
Court justice. Then his dad got sick and on a
trip to the hospital, he got his first look at
the medical field.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
That was going to be the next Urgan Marshall in
my mind. But when I got to high school, I
realized that I was much more in love with the
biological sciences than it was the grammatical sciences.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
That love turned into an almost two decade long career
so far in scrubs saving lives. Doctor Green, a Mahari
Medical College HBCU graduate, believes when young people see professionals
that look like them, they set up and pay attention.
It helps them to dream big.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
One of the things that we have to do is
show them the ones that do exist, be out there,
be visible, participate in programs like mentorships.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
Doctor Fletcher agrees.

Speaker 4 (05:49):
You know there's mentorship available in many cities. You know,
we're working in our local high schools and colleges to
work with young students in rested in medicine. So a
lot of the ABC members around the country are heavily
involved in that in regards to working with young students,
and just the fact that we're here, the fact that

(06:10):
people can look and see that, hey, here's a black
cryologist took care of a family member of mine. I
can I can do this. I see that this is possible.

Speaker 5 (06:20):
I'm on the heart transplant. Listen.

Speaker 6 (06:23):
There's nothing I can do, you know, for just sitting
and be patient and live my life.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
I met Randy at the gym at three am. He
says he's taking things one day at a time, but
his health is a priority for him.

Speaker 6 (06:36):
I don't want another man think my wife, mother, man
brings him my children. I don't want to buy driving
my cars and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 (06:45):
He's still an advocate, ready to talk to whoever will listen,
and some who might not want to.

Speaker 6 (06:50):
I keep telling people, especially like in the NFL, because
people I realize that a lot of professional athletes have
heart failure heart disease, and I keep telling them that
echogram and blood work will dictate and tell you have
heart disease. But as black men, we are so stubborn

(07:13):
in that we don't listen.

Speaker 5 (07:15):
And I try to tell.

Speaker 6 (07:16):
Everybody I will come in contact with its prevention is
the best thing in the world. But for some strange reason,
and I used to be one of those guys. For
some strange reason, black men just don't want to go
to the doctors and take examination.

Speaker 1 (07:32):
Randy's final word We got.

Speaker 6 (07:34):
To stop being so stubborn and start listening and start
taking care of our bodies because our family needs us.

Speaker 1 (07:41):
Randy says, the black women in these men's lives can help.
He says a lot of women tell their men to
go to the hospital, but he says, the key to
getting them there schedule the appointment and put him in
the car and go. Tammy Swick bi.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
In thanks Tamming and doctor Fletcher, black millionaires and co
found is of melanem Money, a nationally recognized financial education platform,
share a gems now to achieve wealth and talk about
ways to close the wealth gap in the black community.
Ei In News anchor Alexandria Ikimona You sat down with
the two of them and has part two of their conversation.

Speaker 7 (08:18):
The biggest advice I have to give people is to
help them give the clarity of what their biggest tax is.

Speaker 4 (08:24):
Right.

Speaker 7 (08:25):
The most expensive tax that most people pay is not
federal tax, which there's been a lot of money focusing on.
It's not state tax because they big it's expensive. It's
not property tax, which in Texas is really expensive. The
most expensive tax is none of those. Most expensive tax
that most of us pay is what I call the
ignorance tax the tax for not knowing how to legally
avoid paying taxes.

Speaker 8 (08:44):
Right.

Speaker 7 (08:44):
Donald Trump just passed a massive tax bill, and unfortunately
a lot of people are ignorant of how to take
advantage of that tax bill. They're more focused on political
policy than how do they take advantage of something that's
already here.

Speaker 9 (08:58):
Right.

Speaker 7 (08:58):
So I think getting the education and learning about how
do I reduce my number one expense, which is that
ignorant tax? And how do I buy down the time
to learn it?

Speaker 9 (09:08):
Right?

Speaker 7 (09:08):
You learn it yourself, well, you can hire an expert
that already knows it, because every tax strategy should work
for you for free. If I'm not saving you more
than I cost you, then that's a problem. Yeah, right,
And I think that if more people knew that, they would,
uh say, hire a tax strategist or at least learn
about taxes and say they can say this start saving money.

Speaker 5 (09:27):
So that's a business lesson.

Speaker 10 (09:28):
In general, you have clients like how can you what
the value you provide right surpass what it cost them
to be Then you're never selling anything at that point.
It's a disproportionate value exchange. And that's and that's why
our clients choose us.

Speaker 11 (09:39):
I love it.

Speaker 12 (09:40):
I am happy though, Carter, you talked and touched on
that big, beautiful bill, because I do want to get
your opinion on the biggest I guess piece of information
that people are missing that can be beneficial to them
from this bill. Actually, both of you, guys, what would
you think people might be ignorant to from your perspective
on what's happening in that bill that can really benefit somebody.

Speaker 7 (10:02):
This bill is made to help entrepreneurs win at a
higher level. And the reason I say that is number one,
because it's true. And number two, most of the tax
changes are trying to increase spending. And the way that
you help people increase spending is you give those people
tax deductions. Right, So one of the biggest changes was

(10:22):
the return of one hundred percent bonus appreciation.

Speaker 5 (10:25):
What is that going to do.

Speaker 7 (10:25):
That's gonna make business owners go buy more equipment, go
buy more vehicles, and go buy more commercial real estate
to build offices. So then therefore they're going to increase suspending,
hopefully to reduce what could be a recession. So the
tax call was made to benefit entrepreneurs and business owners.
The question is, are you on the right team to
even benefit on these tax strategies. Right, So, if you

(10:46):
haven't started business or found a way to make money
outside of your job, I think now is the best
time you do.

Speaker 13 (10:51):
So.

Speaker 10 (10:52):
Yeah, I mean Carter is the resident tax expert for
our company. Obvious, I'm the investment experts. I think he
hit the nail on the head. But I think the
derivative of that reason why relationship work so well is
the more money you stay on taxes, the more money
you have to invest. And when you really plan the
game at the highest level, you can say money on
taxes why you're investing. Yeah, right, So thinking about bonus
appreciation and different tax strategies that you can take advantage of.

(11:13):
It doesn't mean you just have to spend money. These
things can be investments as well. And so I think
understanding that domino is what's going to make everybody build
more wealth by taking advantage of this bill.

Speaker 12 (11:23):
Absolutely, And I'm happy you're mentioning like you're the investment
guy because I really want to ask, really both of
you guys, if you guys can go back and do
it all again with limited funds, what would be your
first investment to really make a life changing situation for
you and your family.

Speaker 11 (11:40):
What would that be if you can do it again.

Speaker 10 (11:42):
I hate to be a cliche, but I would find
the person who was the most successful at the thing
that I wanted to do.

Speaker 5 (11:47):
So, in this case, let's say a world class.

Speaker 10 (11:49):
Investor right who had the receipts, and I would ask
and I would pay that person him or her to
collapse the time so that I wouldn't have to get
I would get the lesson without the car. I guess
it's the concise want to say it right, And the
only way to do that is to go find somebod
who's already gotten all those cars and then get the
lesson from that. I would invest at the highest level.
I would borrow money to pay someone who already went

(12:12):
through it and already got the results.

Speaker 5 (12:13):
That's what I would do first.

Speaker 10 (12:13):
Because anything else, you're just playing a guessing game and
you're learning through experience, which I don't believe is life's
highest teacher. I think it's like the most painful one,
the one you remember the most you touched theself. Oh,
I'll never get I got that experience, but it's not
the best, the best one that you know. I think
that's level three. Level two is the buying relationships, right,
people that you've been fortunate enough to be connected to
who can tell you, hey, don't do that. And the

(12:35):
number one, of course is getting a direct download from
God himself, right. And so the only thing I can
do to hack that is a course, continue to be
a man of God and get as close as I
can and or see somebody who has done at the
highest level and be willing to vote with my dollars
that I actually want to achieve the thing.

Speaker 5 (12:50):
Yeah, yeah, what I would do.

Speaker 11 (12:51):
That's really good, really good.

Speaker 5 (12:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (12:52):
And I'll actually harble on that point because the question
is how do you find that person to pay to
invest in And for me would be getting in rooms earlier, right,
because you might not know the best investor to even
pay to turn those skills. So I'll remember I was
and my business was stuck at ten thousand dollars a
month for a very long time. Well, this was long

(13:13):
for me, and I wanted to break that ceiling.

Speaker 5 (13:16):
I just couldn't, And I went.

Speaker 7 (13:17):
I went to a conference and I never forget out
sid at a round table like this, and everybody at
that table was making at least one hundred thousand dollars
a month, and nobody at that table gave me any
advice outside of why do you think ten thousand dollars
a month is a lot of money? And so the
moment that I stopped thinking that ten thousand dollars a
month was a lot of money, I got home from
that conference. Again no piece of advice was given from

(13:40):
those people. But I crossed it the next month because
my standard for a lot of money had changed. My
standard for a lot of money was now one hundred
and so I breezed past ten without a thought.

Speaker 12 (13:51):
I'm curious because actually, Carter saw this on your Instagram.
You said, I'm not going to put your flight costs
out there, but you said, if my flight costs this
amount of money and I make this amount of money
on the flight, was that you or yeah, I would
say then got that it's free, like basically free. So
I need some more guy math gems, like what else
would you say from each of you guys? If you
do this and you make this, then it's basically free.

Speaker 5 (14:12):
Yeah, here's here's one one that I like.

Speaker 10 (14:14):
So, for example, I'm renovating decorating.

Speaker 5 (14:17):
My definitely more than renovating. Yeah, yeah, kind of having
event at some point at the crib.

Speaker 10 (14:25):
But so my my math is, I mean, we always
hear this quote like you can't buy it twice, don't
buy it right?

Speaker 5 (14:30):
What does that really mean?

Speaker 9 (14:31):
You could?

Speaker 10 (14:31):
Would you literally buy everything by the thing twice? No,
you probably wouldn't. To me what that means. As long
as I invest this exact same dollar amount in an
asset that I'm about to spend on a liability or
something that maybe isn't producing me income, It's impossible for
me to go broke, right because I'm still investing at
the same rate that I'm spending, right, and it's never
and I'm never letting the spending out pace. Whenever I
buy something that's a non essential item, I look at

(14:52):
how much mone I'm supposed to invest for the month,
and as long as.

Speaker 5 (14:54):
It exceeds that, I feel okay about it.

Speaker 10 (14:56):
You can't say that I'm not in best telling, right,
and so just make sure that you are prioritizing BI
wealth at the same time.

Speaker 5 (15:01):
That's my guy bath to never going broke.

Speaker 11 (15:03):
I love it.

Speaker 12 (15:04):
I love it all right, card I need one more
since you already gave us one on the plane.

Speaker 7 (15:07):
Okay, Yeah, that's how I look at flights because I
love to travel. Mine is not looking at debt as debt,
is looking at debt as arbitrage. So if I can borrow,
let's say, say I can borrow ten thousand dollars at
ten percent interest rate. If I know I can make
twenty percent off that money, I'm borrowing it seven days
a week and twice on Sunday.

Speaker 5 (15:25):
Right, Because you can get.

Speaker 7 (15:28):
Wealthy by using your own money, but you can get
super wealthy can use somebody else's money. Because the wealthy
people understand the purpose of debt is to use debt
to buy income or assets, to use the money from
the asset to pay off the debt. So the moment
I stopped looking at borrowing money as debt and started
looking at it as arbitrage as long as I know
that I can beat that interest rate, and key knowing
that you can beat the interest rate.

Speaker 5 (15:49):
If you can't leave it alone.

Speaker 7 (15:51):
Of course, if I know I can beat that interest rate,
I'm going to take that that debt seven days a
week and twice on Sunday. So what I do is
I know I get a huge, huge return on skill set,
So I will borrow money to buy a new skill
and less call that marketing, to learn how to be
a better marketer. I know I'm gonna make ten x
on that investment, so I'll borrow whatever money it takes

(16:12):
to get there. So I think if more people look
at debt as leverage and arbitrage, they wouldn't be as
scared to borrow money. But I think most people use
debt to buy liability, so they should to be scared
to borrow.

Speaker 5 (16:23):
Money, right, yeah, liabilities and lifestyle.

Speaker 12 (16:25):
Most people use it for Yes, by any last words
or jams you want to leave with the people before
we get out of.

Speaker 10 (16:29):
Here, I would just say that bet on yourself because
it's the best investments you could ever make. That's all
we did, right, were no different than anybody else. Like
that's when people always like connect with us in person.
It's like, oh, yeah, that is just cool. Y'all are chill, Yeah,
it's regularly be like. Only thing we did is we
just bet on ourselves and we chose something that was

(16:49):
bigger than us at the same time, So better yourself,
but choose something that's bigger than you and you can't lose.
And that's that's what we did, and we're excited to
keep running towards that mission.

Speaker 2 (16:59):
Thanks Alexandria and the guys from Melanin. Money Bin News
anchor Morgan Woods spoke to Atlanta's own Djscream about Freshfest
twenty twenty five is an annual well back to school event
that's coming up this Saturday, August second.

Speaker 11 (17:14):
Joining me now on the Black Information Network.

Speaker 14 (17:16):
It's Atlanta's own Djscream, the founder of Hood Rich Entertainment
and DJ Collective. He's no stranger to the entertainment industry
after working with major artists like Outcast, Future Migos, Two Chains,
the late Young Dolph, and the list goes on. But
this coming Saturday on August Second, Scream is partying for

(17:37):
a purpose at Freshfest twenty five in Atlanta. It's a
back to school event featuring all kinds of free giveaways
like clothes, shoes, backpacks, school supplies. I mean, the flyer
just goes off and it's happening at the Andrew and
Walter Young Family YMCA twenty two to twenty Campbelton Road, Southwest, Atlanta, Georgia.

(17:58):
First and foremost, Djscream, thank you for joining us. Tell
me a little bit more about what people can expect
from a fresh Fest twenty five.

Speaker 15 (18:07):
Firs All, thank you for having me honor to be
speaking with you. You know, Fresh Fress twenty twenty five.
This is our fifth annual and it's an initiative that
that the Screen Foundation just set out to execute because
you know, we have to pour into our youth. You
know what I'm saying, We have to pour into our community.
It's very important, you know what I'm saying. We're all hustlers.
You know, we all come from different walks of life

(18:29):
and have different gifts, whether it be and being athletes
or entertainers or business people.

Speaker 9 (18:33):
And it's great.

Speaker 15 (18:34):
Like I always say, to build up the community in
the sense of flipping houses and building a real estate,
but if we're not pouring into the people that live
in those communities, then essentially we're kind of feeling. So
this event is just about empowering the youth and letting
them come and just feel a sense of rejuvenation and
a sense of excitement for going into the school year,

(18:55):
because as you know, we were kids once and it's like, oh,
the first day of school.

Speaker 9 (19:00):
I want to go to school. I want to play
video games, and I don't want.

Speaker 15 (19:04):
This allows the kids to come out, touch that stage, perform.
If you're an artist, you know what I'm saying, get
that opportunity. Backpacks courtesy of my brother Ferrari, My brothers Ferrari,
Simmons and BT so plenty of stuff backpacks with all
your school essentials in those backpacks. DJ LOUISVI Soda Sol
event giving out hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pairs

(19:27):
of sneakers like fly sneakers too, like not the leftovers
like fly fly sneakers.

Speaker 9 (19:31):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 15 (19:33):
Jojo and Manny Supreme giving out toilet trees, all your essentials,
your hand sanitized, your toothbrushes and neat and I can
go on and on. Free haircuts for the kids. We
got a lot tician this year. We got food, we
got a bouncy house, we got face paint. I don't
want to take up all your time, so I'm just
letting you know it's going down all this second and
the biggest way and we will run into our youth

(19:53):
in our community.

Speaker 11 (19:54):
Definitely. No, actually take up some time. Let's talk about it.

Speaker 14 (19:58):
How do you feel like fresh As helps bridge that
gap between music culture and social impact.

Speaker 15 (20:07):
So I think that the most important thing is you know,
as I walk around and talk to when to go
to different schools and talk to kids, you know, these
kids want to know that someone cares. You know, they
all have different situations. Some of them have family situations
that are not so ideal. So just to know that
someone else in the community cares, that just means everything.
So whether it's me, which I'm always attending the Fresh

(20:30):
Frest of course as the creator and founder of it,
but whether it's me or one of my industry friends
coming through just to have a conversation with the kids
or influencer or whatever the case may be, I think
it's good for the kids just to see the people
they may live on social media and or other outlets
face to face in real life, like, oh, this person

(20:51):
is actually here, Like this person cares. This person handed
me my backpack, or this person took a picture with
me and told me, hey, whatever your dream is, keep
going like this. Small things, the small seeds that we
plant means so much.

Speaker 9 (21:03):
And that's what the fresh Frest is really about.

Speaker 15 (21:05):
Outside of an event for kids to come, like I said,
feel rejuvenated, it's also an event where you know, kids
can come in like network. You know what I'm saying,
Like some kids who do music meet producers, meet other
kids and do music with them.

Speaker 9 (21:18):
Like it's just a it's just a nope event.

Speaker 11 (21:21):
That's amazing.

Speaker 14 (21:21):
Yeah, it's definitely important for artists and public figures to
show up in spaces like that, not just about entertainment,
but like you are pretty much stating to your point
about empowerment.

Speaker 11 (21:31):
That that's dope. That's dope, all right.

Speaker 14 (21:33):
Looking beyond Fresh Fest twenty twenty five, what kind of
legacy do you hope to leave, not just as a DJ, producer,
even you know, entertainer, celebrity, but someone who's shaped the
culture and poured into the community.

Speaker 9 (21:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (21:48):
The most important thing, you know, when I think about
legacy and my accomplishments, is just making sure that there's
balance within my legacy. Like of course it's listen, I
love him hip hop music. I've been a part of
hip hop music since the early nineties. You know what
I'm saying, that's my love, that's my passion, and I've
been blessed to have hip hop music exposed me to

(22:09):
the world.

Speaker 9 (22:09):
Hip hop music take me everywhere.

Speaker 15 (22:11):
Around the world that I might not have got a
chance to go just on my own, just to keep
it real, but just to have balance and know that. Hey, listen,
I am a person that has brought you many mixed tapes,
so many you know, much classic music.

Speaker 9 (22:24):
But in the same respect, I want my legacy to
be balanced.

Speaker 15 (22:26):
I want Fresh Feest to be just as big as
my biggest mix tape.

Speaker 9 (22:30):
You understand what to say it like.

Speaker 15 (22:31):
I want my community endeavors and what I do for
my heart and when I give back to the people
to be just as big as how I serve the
people within the hip hop culture.

Speaker 14 (22:41):
All Right, we're speaking with Atlanta's own DJ screen this
Saturday on August second. He is, you know, pretty much
doing a whole fresh Fest thing in Atlanta and to
give back or back to school event, excuse me, with
all kinds of giveaways shoes, back packs, school supplies, our
haircut and so much more. Now, talk to me about

(23:02):
what kind of advice you hope to give young people
who look up to you that want to either break
into the music industry entertainment, but also serve their communities
and give back.

Speaker 11 (23:14):
Where do they begin?

Speaker 8 (23:17):
Man?

Speaker 9 (23:17):
You know, I think it begins with purpose.

Speaker 15 (23:19):
Understand your purpose, even when you touch that Michael, you
touch that beat machine, or you touch that turntable or
whatever the case is. I tell everybody, what's your purpose
for doing this?

Speaker 9 (23:27):
Your purpose?

Speaker 15 (23:28):
We know we got to pay our bills, we know
you got to feed our families, but your purpose has
to be bigger than that, right because if.

Speaker 9 (23:34):
Dad gets shaky, which sometimes Dad gets shaky, you know.

Speaker 15 (23:37):
I always say this to people, are like, you're crazy.
But before I made a dollar to DJA, I was
doing it for free. I just love DJing. I just
want to be there to dj This is my love,
this is my passion. I've been blessed to turn it
into a career and feed my family and pay my bills.
And the question that someone asked me before, like where
if you had to go back to doing it the free,

(23:57):
would you do it?

Speaker 13 (23:58):
Well?

Speaker 15 (23:59):
Listen to keep it letely real. I gotta have some turntables.
I gotta dj, I got a ruck. I gotta to
make people happy, like I'm gonna figure it out. I
need an outlet to exercise my gift. You understand what
we're saying. So, of course, on a business perspective, we,
like I said, we want to feed our families, But
you know, have a purpose for what you do and
make sure that you're enjoying it and a lot of

(24:21):
times just to keep it real, like, hey, it is
the days when you are doing it for free, when
you enjoyed the much. There's no politics involved, there's no
craziness involved. You're just doing what you love from your heart,
giving the world your gifts. So have a purpose, you
know best first and foremost.

Speaker 14 (24:35):
Yeah, and speaking of purpose, what would you say your
why is behind fresh Fest twenty five?

Speaker 15 (24:43):
You know, like I said, fresh Fest is I come
from in Atlanta where we had like Nike Pavilion run
and shoot so many different skatering rings and so forth
and so forth. And then talking to the youth, you know,
a lot of them was saying, like you know, in
some of these trouble kids or delaybel there's trouble kids,
and like a lot of times we.

Speaker 9 (25:02):
Get into mischief because we're just bored.

Speaker 15 (25:04):
Now, that's not a valid excuse to go get into mischief,
but I'm just like, listen. We do two major events
in year. One which is fresh Fest, which is the.

Speaker 9 (25:14):
Back to school and.

Speaker 15 (25:14):
We also do tons of toys for like the younger kids,
to get them toys during the holidays as a reward
for if you've been doing this good at school. So
I said, all I can do is just maybe put
on a few events each year to give the kids
something to do.

Speaker 9 (25:28):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 15 (25:29):
It's not that I can fill up the calendar one
hundred and sixty five days, but let me just do
my part. And I think it's beautiful because it's not
a competition.

Speaker 9 (25:36):
Like I have close.

Speaker 15 (25:36):
Friends that are doing back to school drives. I'm supporting
their is they're supporting mind getting the word out. If
they're on the one side of town and we're on
another side of town, Like hey, if you're closer, go there.

Speaker 9 (25:45):
Or I tell people back to.

Speaker 15 (25:46):
School, how if you need all them book bags and stuff,
go to five six different event get all of it.
Get your students applies for next year, right, rack up,
rack up, rack up.

Speaker 9 (25:56):
While it's out there.

Speaker 15 (25:57):
You know what I'm saying, it's a gift of the lessons.
So that's the day for fresh fest Man. I gotta
I gotta always salute the Screen Foundation everybody that's a
part of it. We have an amazing foundation with a
lot of people that you know what I'm saying is
really pour it into It's a lot of planning that
comes with it, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 9 (26:13):
It's a lot of that comes with it.

Speaker 15 (26:15):
Obviously, the Andrew and Walter Young YMCA on Camelton Road,
the very historical YMCA, they open the doors and allow
us to do this fresh fest each and every year,
and of course ninety six point one to be our
heart radio. The whole team and the staff over there,
these are my partners in and all the sponsors and
everybody just just pour it back the is We gotta

(26:36):
we can't just point the finger at our kids and say.

Speaker 9 (26:39):
Bad kid, bad kid, bad kid.

Speaker 15 (26:41):
We gotta actually get out there putting into there and
try to make.

Speaker 14 (26:44):
A difference, that's right, and shout out our own very
I very own iHeart.

Speaker 11 (26:47):
Zone Louis DJ Louis V. Yeah, just a little plug
what up?

Speaker 2 (26:54):
That's right?

Speaker 11 (26:55):
All right?

Speaker 14 (26:56):
So how can people continue to follow what you're doing?
Please share your social media, website and all the other
things that you know, we and the people need to know.

Speaker 9 (27:05):
Absolutely.

Speaker 15 (27:06):
You know it's at Djscream, Djscream, that's my social media
all platforms, and of course give us a follow at
the Scream Foundational as well on all social media platforms,
and anytime something that's coming up, you know we're gonna
all put the information there first.

Speaker 14 (27:21):
And one more thing that I always like to ask
people just before they go, is there anything you want
to share that I didn't touch on or I didn't
ask you about.

Speaker 15 (27:32):
I mean, honestly, you know, for the people out there,
you know, moving purpose. I say that again, moving purpose,
moving resilience.

Speaker 9 (27:40):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 15 (27:40):
So you know it's going to be some uptimes, it's
going to be some some downtimes in between the moving
resilience and keep God first.

Speaker 11 (27:47):
That's the best I can tell you message.

Speaker 14 (27:50):
All right, Djscream, thank you again for the time, and
if you're in the Atlanta area, pull up to support
fresh Fest twenty twenty five this Saturday, August second, Andrew
and Walter Young Family, YMCA twenty two to twenty Campbelton
Road at Southwest Atlanta, Georgia, three zero three one one.
I'm Morgan Would with the Black Information Network.

Speaker 2 (28:11):
Thanks Morgan and DJ Scream. Now don't forget the fresh
Fest twenty twenty five is going down Saturday, August second
at the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA in Atlanta
at twenty two to twenty Campbelton Road Southwest from twelve
to four pm. Award winning author Kennedy Ryan is known

(28:32):
for her emotional, rich love stories that center Black women
and real life issues. In her latest novel, Can't Get Enough,
she brings us a romance that's layered raw and surprisingly healing.
Black Information networks Esther Dillard sat down with Kennedy Ryan
to talk about the inspiration behind her bold new characters

(28:53):
and why softness can be revolutionary.

Speaker 16 (28:57):
My grandmother when she passed away, and recognize really any
of us in the room, but she was asking for
her mother, and she was asking for her siblings, and
she was asking you know, she was asking for friends.
So for me, it was like there felt like it
was such a moment of mercy.

Speaker 17 (29:15):
What happens when a love story dares to talk about
Alzheimer's bodily autonomy and building legacy Today? On the Color
Between the Lines, best selling author Kennedy Ryan takes us
deep into the emotional and political heart of her newest novel,
Can't Get Enough. She's here to talk about friendship, feminism, softness,
after success, and why telling the truth in fiction still matters.

Speaker 11 (29:37):
Let's dive in.

Speaker 17 (29:39):
For those who are new to the Skyland series, like
I am, can you give us a quick glimpse into
what this world is really all about.

Speaker 16 (29:47):
Yeah, it's three women and kind of in a fictional
neighborhood and in town neighborhood in Atlanta.

Speaker 8 (29:53):
Intown community called Skyland.

Speaker 16 (29:56):
And I lived in Atlanta for twenty years, so I
love Atlanta.

Speaker 8 (29:59):
That's how it ended up being there.

Speaker 16 (30:01):
But it's these three women who are making they're really
like making very different choices.

Speaker 8 (30:06):
And one of the things, it's three friends and.

Speaker 16 (30:08):
Basically we're following, yes, all three of them, in their
romantic journeys, but romance, and it is in a romance novel.
But we're really exploring in this series all kinds of love.
We're exploring familial love, we're exploring self love a lot,
and we're exploring with their relationship, their friendship. They think

(30:28):
of themselves as platonic soulmates, so we're exploring all these
different types of love. So there definitely is a love story,
but their love story, like their story as friends, is
just as powerful as the romantic partnerships that evolved throughout
this series. And so it's basically just them navigating their lives.
In the first book, which is Before I Let Go,

(30:49):
and we're looking at Yasmin, and this is a woman
who had a late term pregnancy loss as navigate and
then they lost a mother figure who was a huge
part of their lives, and she ends up really going
through a huge depression and like so many those things
affect a marriage. And so when we start this romance novel,

(31:09):
which is unusual, they're divorced, you know, So you're like,
you're starting this romance nob with with the couple divorce,
and it's really you know, that whole book is dealing
a lot with therapy as she pulls herself out of depression.
But part of the reason they divorced is because he
was someone who was resistant to therapy. And as he
gets into therapy, we're looking at how do people heal

(31:30):
and their second chance can't happen without them healing. And
the second book, we're dealing with a woman who has
been married for you know, a long time to this
amazing man. She thought he was an amazing man, but
she's a stay at home mom and she thought that
they were partners, and then he betrays her and she realizes, wow,

(31:50):
I have to start from scratch. And he didn't see
me as a partner. He saw me as subservient, you know.
And it's really about her rebuilding her life when she
has depended on him all these years, and you know,
she was like, I stay home and I take care
of these things, and you go to work and you
take care of these things. But we're partners, and that
wasn't what was happening. So it is really about self actualization.

(32:14):
It's about evolving as a woman. It's about reclaiming your
power and in the process finding love. And then, of
course you've read Can't Get Enough, which is you know,
Hendrix's story, and she is.

Speaker 11 (32:26):
She's a very distinct character.

Speaker 16 (32:28):
You know, these are two friends who are the other
two friends have? You know, these amazing families and kids.
She's childless by choice, you know, and a big kind
of one of the themes that I was very I've
been very intentional about and hope that people would take
from this is respecting choice. The essence of feminism is choice,

(32:48):
and so often culture pits us as women against each
other because of our choices, like you stay home, so
you're lazy I go to work, so I'm neglecting my kids.

Speaker 8 (32:56):
I do this.

Speaker 16 (32:57):
This is about three women who love each other and
their choices, which are very distinct and divergent, coexist, and
they coexist because they respect each other, and that like
the stay at home mom, I wanted her journey to
be considered just as vocationally valid as someone like Hendrix,
you know, who's an entrepreneur and running a venture capital fund.

(33:18):
The essences we are women. We should get to make choices,
even Hendricks's choice to not have kids. That's about bodily autonomy,
you know. That's about you know, knowing what you want
in life and being given the autonomy and the agency
to do it. So I don't know if that's a
good summary of the series, but that's kind of like

(33:39):
an overall.

Speaker 17 (33:40):
I think you really pegged it with them and can't
get enough about Hendrix and her ability to be this
really powerful figure as a you know, a career woman.
But she still wants softness, yes, one of those things
that you bring.

Speaker 11 (33:55):
Out in this.

Speaker 17 (33:55):
But before we get to that, let me just please
ask because I know at the beginning of the story,
before the story begins, you kind of explained that this
story was partially inspired by your own personal life and
a journey with Alzheimer's.

Speaker 11 (34:10):
Can you talk a little bit about.

Speaker 8 (34:11):
That, yeah, Hendrick. So, for people who have read the
first two books, we know from the.

Speaker 16 (34:17):
Beginning of the series that Hendrix's mom, she talks about it,
even in the first book before I let Go, that
her mom is dealing with some form of dementia, and
then we get a little bit of a bigger glimpse
of that in the second book, and in the third
book we find out it's Alzheimer's. And I was having
my own personal experience with that because my grandmother had dementia.

(34:39):
She actually passed away the week after I turned this
book in, and so I saw my mom and my
aunt become her caregivers, and I knew what that looked like.
It is a kind of an ongoing grieving, you know,
and a lot people are living longer and more people
are being diagnosed with these general conditions. So I knew

(35:01):
there are a lot of people who are having to
become caregivers for their parents, and I wanted there to
be a certain resonance in the story for people like that.
And it was difficult because I wasn't my grandmother's primary caregiver.

Speaker 8 (35:16):
My mom and my aunt were.

Speaker 16 (35:17):
But I was in the room when she passed away,
and I talk a little bit about this and can't
get enough how the human mind is just so amazing,
you know, about like, for example, just the different lobes
of the brain that are responsible for different things. You
can have someone you know with Alzheimer's or Parkins and

(35:38):
there's some degenerative condition who cannot speak to you, and
yet they could sing a full song, you know, and
not miss any.

Speaker 8 (35:46):
Of the lyrics. So just the miracles of the human mind.

Speaker 16 (35:49):
So in keeping with that, my grandmother when she passed away,
she didn't recognize really any of us in the room,
but she was asking for her mother, and she was
asking for her siblings, and she was asking you know,
she was asking for friends. So for me, it was
like there felt like it was such a moment of
mercy to me, and such a moment of hope in

(36:11):
a situation that has felt hopeless to hear her looking
you know, looking ahead, and even though this world she
was very much dissociated from, there was some kind of
hope for her going ahead. So yeah, so I I
it was an emotional situation for me. And I actually
I read on the audiobook. I read the author's note

(36:34):
in the beginning, and then there's an after note like
at the very end.

Speaker 8 (36:38):
I read both of those and it was emotional, you
know that.

Speaker 16 (36:41):
When I was doing the audiobook, I was like, Okay,
give me a second.

Speaker 14 (36:44):
You know.

Speaker 17 (36:46):
Yeah, I would imagine that this was difficult to write
those parts. Were you worried about making it too ultra
dramatic and maybe not resonating with people? And I guess
what kind of response have you gotten from people who
have already read it as far? Yeah, and that moment
right there, that's just the beginning to hear the rest
of that powerful conversation with Kennedy Ryan, including how she

(37:08):
weaves personal experiences with Alzheimer's into her latest novel, Can't
Get Enough. Head over to my podcast The Color Between
the Lines. You can find it on iHeartRadio, YouTube, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 11 (37:20):
I'm mister Dillard.

Speaker 2 (37:21):
Thanks so much, Esther and Kennedy well bi in newsacher
Morgan what is back? As she speaks to Teelan, a mom,
mental health advocate and wellness entrepreneur, She was days away
from closing the doors to pure Green PHL, Philadelphia's black
woman owned juice bar, when a viral moment and community

(37:41):
saved her business.

Speaker 14 (37:42):
And joining me now on the Black Information Network is
t Lynn, a mom, mental health advocate and the owner
of pure Green, PHL, the first black woman owned juice
bar in Philadelphia.

Speaker 11 (37:55):
Thank you for joining me today.

Speaker 8 (37:57):
Hey, I'm happy to be here.

Speaker 14 (37:59):
Absolutely so talk to me about how you got into
advocating for mental health.

Speaker 11 (38:04):
How did that happen?

Speaker 8 (38:06):
Yeah?

Speaker 13 (38:06):
Sure, So I actually have mental health in my family,
my grandmother. Actually, as a child, I witnessed my grandmother's
struggle with delusions just because mental health in her day.

Speaker 8 (38:21):
She actually was in mental.

Speaker 13 (38:24):
Institution called Bobberry here in Philadelphia that was shut down
for wrong.

Speaker 8 (38:29):
Treatment or my treatment of patience.

Speaker 13 (38:33):
For me witnessing that as a young child, seeing her
go in and out of you know, being lucid and
very aware to just not herself at all, it really
impacted my life and really wanting to know, like when
they say someone loses their mind, where does it go?
I've always you know, had that question, and just seeing

(38:56):
all of the great people over the years that I've
encountered struggling with schizophrenia or I even define mental health differently.

Speaker 8 (39:06):
Now being in the field for so long.

Speaker 13 (39:09):
Seeing people just struggle with lack of self love, I
view that as a severe form or if not the
first symptom of losing your mind. That's been really impactful
for me, and so that started me on my journey
as a young kid.

Speaker 14 (39:28):
Absolutely, I can imagine the mere thought of, you know,
seeing your grandmother like that. And I also know that
you're a business owner and you had some challenges with
your business. I can imagine that. You know, being an
entrepreneur and dealing with challenges around your business can also
take a toll on you mentally. But with the help
of social media influencers, you were also able to save

(39:50):
your business. Can you tell me more about that viral story?

Speaker 13 (39:54):
Yeah, totally, I'm glad to So where to start, I
would say, just to speak on the mental health component,
even if.

Speaker 8 (40:05):
You weren't in my situation where you know you.

Speaker 13 (40:09):
Were about to lose it all, because it was the
hardest season for me in my business. It's such a
struggle for entrepreneurs in general always to have to wonder
and worry about how am I going to pay the bills?
And just having all of the weight on your shoulders. Now,

(40:29):
I would say being an entrepreneur, a black woman entrepreneur,
because this isn't my first business, it's my first food business,
I often.

Speaker 8 (40:38):
Feel that.

Speaker 13 (40:43):
There's no safe place and there aren't really any allies.

Speaker 8 (40:48):
And I thought, in.

Speaker 13 (40:49):
This situation, you know, because this is a franchise, I'm
just the first here in Philadelphia that people really even
know the brand. I'm thinking, well, we all have incentives
to see me prosper. Right, They're going to teach me
this business and what you learn without me saying too

(41:12):
much and getting myself in trouble legally, what you learn
is in business nowadays, having a good business deal is
when you take your partner for everything. Not when you
come up or you profit and they profit, but when you.

Speaker 8 (41:29):
Take someone for everything.

Speaker 13 (41:31):
And I found myself in that situation where people who
I thought were partners actually benefited more with me losing
right and me having all of the liability. And I
found myself in a situation where I'm thinking, Okay, the
people who who I look to for support, they're going

(41:53):
to help, right. People got to help, you know, because
I've been there for people with other businesses and other things.

Speaker 8 (42:00):
They're going to show up.

Speaker 13 (42:01):
They're going to outreach to so many social media people
who had who I had been in you know, connection
with prior to you know, my slowest months of the season,
and nobody responded.

Speaker 8 (42:15):
And so in my.

Speaker 13 (42:20):
In my mind, trying to keep the peace, trying to
keep my mental health. I'm going to work every day.
I'm talking to God like God was happening here, and
I'm seeing everything like the bills just piling up, and
I'm just I'm working around the clock, uh, you know,
to keep the labor load, to keep the business open.

Speaker 8 (42:40):
And just one.

Speaker 13 (42:42):
Day and I'm headed to eviction court in like a
week or two. I couldn't keep the smile on my
face anymore. And I chat GBT what can I do?
What are the final things? And chat g T said,
go fund me And I'm like, you know what, I
have nothing else to lose At this point. I have

(43:06):
to believe God that God didn't just get me here
because this had been i mean a year of struggle.
Even to open up a business here in Philly is
so much red tape.

Speaker 8 (43:17):
I said, God, you didn't get me here.

Speaker 13 (43:18):
So I put it up on GoFundMe and of course
the influencer who really was really impactful in my story.
His name is Bran Flakes. I don't know him. I
had never heard of him before. I just remember putting

(43:39):
going to the juice bar that morning and knowing I
had to close early the day before and I didn't
even have the strength right and I'm having I'm having
a meldale, quite honestly, and people I'm telling people that
it's bad, but you know, I'm not going to be

(43:59):
ugly crying tell him how bad. And it got to
a point where I just needed to release, and I
felt so bad. And I used to work in the
suicide crisis division, like in management for the government before
I got here, and I remember I felt like I
was one of the people on the other.

Speaker 8 (44:20):
Line who it's easier to.

Speaker 13 (44:22):
Talk to a stranger because you feel so ashamed to
talk to people, you know.

Speaker 8 (44:30):
And that's why I turned really to social media.

Speaker 13 (44:32):
I just needed to release, I needed to say something.

Speaker 17 (44:37):
And.

Speaker 8 (44:39):
I felt so a shame.

Speaker 11 (44:40):
Yeah I'm sorry, No, no, I was saying, so you vented,
I've vented.

Speaker 13 (44:45):
I've vented because I'm normally I mean, and I'm normally
like not the one to you know, be crying. But
God knew, knew like it was getting to a point
where I just I was going to lose it. I
really was going to lose it mentally because I had
been crying day.

Speaker 8 (45:01):
In, day out and having to fake being in front
of people.

Speaker 13 (45:05):
And so it just reminds me when I was talking
talking to people in suicide Line and they're saying, nobody knows.
I don't want to be a burden. They're talking about
the shame, you know, the disbelief that they're in, this
situation that they're in. And I could see that for
all of the things that I had worked for or
built for years, it was going to be gone in

(45:27):
less than in months. And people I trusted, you know,
thinking that I would just say, Brian Flake shows up
in my juice bar on that the day, the day
after I had to melt down, and I literally just
shut it down.

Speaker 8 (45:44):
Shut down the juice bar, and I said, Tierry, you
gotta go. He shows up.

Speaker 13 (45:50):
I'm scrambling to get things done, but I still didn't
realize that God had just answered the prayer.

Speaker 8 (45:56):
I had no idea.

Speaker 13 (45:58):
He shows up, he says, he's an sir, I'm not
the type of person, and I'm starting to realize maybe
I need to work on my trust because I'm.

Speaker 8 (46:05):
Just like, who's gonna lie about that?

Speaker 13 (46:07):
That's just so crazy. So he says he's an influencer.
He says he wants to help. I'm like, okay, God,
I'm still listening to you. I ask her what does
he want? I make him anything he asks for. We
talk about life. I feel good because I'm like his
energy was amazing. He then drops three K on my

(46:28):
goalfundmeate wow, and right there in my mind that was
just enough to get me through the day, to rekindle
my faith. I'm like, God, just still hearing me. I
lie to you not I went to sleep. He sent
me the video first, and I'm like, oh, the video

(46:49):
is so cute. I still morgan. I still didn't look
this man up. Isn't that insane? I had that whole day.
He drops the three K. I say thank you. He
didn't have to do any thing else for me, because
that was just enough.

Speaker 8 (47:02):
Oholic.

Speaker 13 (47:04):
Next thing I know, I wake up to how God
knows how many followers on TikTok.

Speaker 8 (47:14):
To over thirty thousand at that point, and.

Speaker 13 (47:20):
This was right before a Black Friday, a blackout the
twenty eighth of February.

Speaker 8 (47:28):
I found myself at my juice bar and I had more.

Speaker 13 (47:34):
People lined up and filling that juice bar that I
could even.

Speaker 8 (47:41):
Like, wait on, I just.

Speaker 13 (47:45):
Literally cried, that's on the floor. People were so loving,
so kind, so patient. I had to call in family
members because at that time, you know, I didn't have
the staff, and the staff that I did have, they
weren't prepared to come in. So family jumped in at

(48:07):
that moment.

Speaker 9 (48:08):
And.

Speaker 13 (48:10):
I was just holding back tears and in disbelief for weeks.

Speaker 8 (48:15):
Honestly for weeks. And that led to a billboard in
North Carolin, n YC.

Speaker 13 (48:25):
And Toms Square. It led to so many people out
pouring and sharing their story. It led to so much,
so much love really that the community really stepped up.
And so for me, now, I keep saying to myself,

(48:47):
because you know, I'm not out the clear, because I'm
still in business with those people, right, So not out
the clear, but I keep saying, still, God didn't get
me this far.

Speaker 8 (49:01):
Just to get me this far.

Speaker 14 (49:02):
Absolutely, I was gonna say, we've heard that one before. Yeah, No,
that's an amazing That's an amazing story. And I'm so
happy for you that you know it came, the support
came for you, came to you in such an untraditional way,
And that is.

Speaker 8 (49:21):
Isn't that godlike though? Isn't it? How God does you
know what?

Speaker 11 (49:25):
Yes?

Speaker 8 (49:26):
And better?

Speaker 13 (49:26):
Because you know I had literally I left the government
that I had been there. You know, my whole pension
had just dropped that in the business, nothing left, and
I'm and I'm like, I'm going to get I'm going
to get investors. I'm going to give them part of
the business. Like in all of these ways that I
was trying to figure it out, it would have still

(49:48):
left me, left me not in control of the business
which ultimately got me here. It would have still put
me in debt to other people with all of the liability.
The way that God does things always will be better.

Speaker 8 (50:06):
It just will not be fathomable.

Speaker 11 (50:08):
That's the issue, right, That is you just.

Speaker 13 (50:12):
Won't know, like you just won't know anything to change anything.

Speaker 8 (50:17):
Yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 14 (50:19):
Talk to me more about your business. You're it's a
woman owned juice bar. And you know the old adage
says you are what you eat, So are there any
juice combinations? That can possibly boost mental health overall.

Speaker 11 (50:35):
Health, or is there anything that you are.

Speaker 14 (50:41):
Excuse me sorry, let me have reset that that you
know the geez I mean we say hello, talk to
me more about your juice bar. It is the first
black owned woman juice bar in Philadelphia. And the old
adage does say you are what you eat. So can
you tell me more about some of your juice combinations

(51:02):
and health benefits they offer.

Speaker 11 (51:04):
Maybe share one.

Speaker 14 (51:05):
Of those DIY recipes with us that you know could
possibly boost mental health or maybe overall health.

Speaker 11 (51:11):
What do you think?

Speaker 13 (51:13):
Yeah, totally, all right, So here's what I would say
in terms of juicing and in terms of what we
have we call cleanses. Now when I talk about mental health,
and I talk about food in general because when people
ask me, you know, when people think about drugs, they

(51:36):
just think about you.

Speaker 8 (51:37):
Know, K two fit and know all of these things.

Speaker 13 (51:40):
But I feel the most abused drug and all I
can speak on is the United States.

Speaker 8 (51:46):
Is food a drug by.

Speaker 13 (51:49):
Definition, is anything that changes your molecular structure chemically. So
the minute we eat food, that's changing our body. Because
food is supposed to be fuel for the body, right,
And so I always like to start here. First, if
I told people there's this new drug out that you

(52:09):
eat it, it can give you cancer, it can stop
your mobility, shut you down completely, you can't well, you.

Speaker 8 (52:16):
Won't be able to walk, and you know it can.

Speaker 13 (52:18):
Change your mood quickly, they would be like, what is
this drug?

Speaker 8 (52:24):
And then I say food.

Speaker 13 (52:26):
So, when we talk about Maslow's hierarchy and needs, at
the very base of what every human needs to even
get to self actualization, to get to your best self,
you have to have food. You have to have loving relationships.
You also have to have physical connection. So food is
at the very basis of our survival. And so for me,

(52:51):
when you're talking about mental health, you can't disconnect that
from food because I can't site here and ask.

Speaker 8 (52:57):
You what you want to be in life and you
are starving.

Speaker 13 (53:01):
So that's the first thing I feel like when I'm providing,
isn't something that's like a luxury is actually necessary. The
second thing is, uh, all of our juices, if we're
just going to talk about juices, all of our juices
have been based upon nutritional performance, So perform performance nutritionalists

(53:26):
have actually sat down and come up with these recipes.
Now there are a lot of things. Uh, And we
do have a lot of superfoods here at my juice bar,
so you'll see in our juices we'll have things like
blue sperrolino, which is an algae that helps with gut
health and probiotics that way.

Speaker 8 (53:45):
Uh.

Speaker 13 (53:45):
We also deal with a lot of ginger, and we
also deal with a lot of cayenne. These are superfoods
because they help cleanse your I like to say your
pipes when we talk about the blood. They help to
cleanse your blood, can take out the cholesterol and all
of these things. Ginger is a very powerful, a very
powerful superfood. In fact, doctor Sadie will say certain things

(54:09):
like don't even do ginger because it could take away
your cellular wall. But I think everything imbalance because if
you're someone who's already out of wack and really needing
to get back to like that your homeostatus homeostasis.

Speaker 8 (54:24):
That would be a great thing for you.

Speaker 13 (54:26):
So we have green juices, and all of our green
juices are comparative to like eating five pounds of fruits
and vegetables. So when I'm telling people, hey, come on,
get this cleans, I'm always throwing our green juices there
because that's going to be their meal supplement. After the
green juices, we have several other juices that have carrots

(54:47):
for your eyes.

Speaker 8 (54:49):
We have beat juices that's going to help.

Speaker 13 (54:51):
Your blood circulation, also help with mobility, and it's just
a variety we When people come into the juice bar,
I said, this is a health bar first that again
serves food as medicine, because that's what food is. It
is fuel for your body. So when we come down
and people want to talk to me, because I'm actually

(55:12):
going to be allowing people to like book me for
like consultations if they want, because I've been in this
mental health actually just health in general feel for quite
some time now. I'm really really passionate about it. I
pick juices tailored for the individual and where they're going.
And so I would just say, as a blanketed statement,

(55:36):
food starts with mental health because you have to love
yourself enough to say, what, how am I fueling my body?
And how am I treating it the way it is
it needs to be treated. How am I showing up
for myself? Literally? Then you have to say what foods
do want so that I can perform at the highest

(55:58):
level possible. So I think we need to get back
to looking at food not just as a socializing tool,
not just as a tool of pleasure, but also as a.

Speaker 8 (56:10):
Tool for fueling.

Speaker 14 (56:11):
Absolutely, I hope I answered that question absolutely. No, you
definitely answered the question in depth and I appreciate your insights.
Is there anything else that you want to share in
regards to entrepreneurship, mental health, or even.

Speaker 11 (56:27):
Being juicing?

Speaker 13 (56:30):
I think overall with the takeaway lesson is I want
people to come down to the Jeuwice Bar not just
to fuel their body, but to build community, to get educated,
and to really bring awareness that black people do like
to eat healthy. Because people told me, you know, they're
not your target audience. This isn't your avatar. Your avatar

(56:53):
is not these people. And if anything, this is why
I open the juice Bar because I have a vision
of reaching people who they say they won't like this.
And I know that makes no sense because everybody is like,
go after the people who already are into you. But
I feel like for me, I'm a social worker still
licensed then behavioral health for years, I have to go

(57:16):
for the people that needed the most. And I know
that doesn't make most sense in business, but I think
Ultimately it makes the most sense and love, which is
the universal law. So in closing, I just want people
to come down to the Juice Bar. It's located at
eleven twenty four Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I want them

(57:38):
to ask questions about what they could use to get.

Speaker 8 (57:42):
Their body going.

Speaker 13 (57:44):
If they want to get a consultation with me, we'll
be having They can reach me at our Instagram page
Pure Grand PHL.

Speaker 8 (57:53):
And just ask.

Speaker 13 (57:54):
I'll be having a website up hopefully by the end
of this month where people can book a consultation with
me and just talk about their mental health journey and
their overall wellness journey. Because I really want to be
a part of better in the community, because I feel
like love and our bestselves really needed, especially at this time.

Speaker 14 (58:18):
Telan, a mom, mental health advocate and the owner of
Pure Green PHL, the first black woman owned juice bar
in Philadelphia, Thank you so much for joining me on
the Black Information Network, sharing your story, providing insights, and
just being an overall good vibe.

Speaker 2 (58:34):
Well thanks Morgan and Tieling, and you can check out
Pure Green Philly at eleven twenty four Walnut Street in Philadelphia.
Well that's our program for this week. For more on
these stories, listen to the Black Information Network called the
iHeartRadio app or log onto binnews dot com for all
of the latest news impacting the black community. Also, be

(58:57):
sure to follow us on social media at Black Information
Network and on x at Black Info Net. Hi, Mike Stevens,
wishing everyone a great Sunday. Be sure to tune in
next week at this time for another edition of the
Black Perspective right here on the Black Information Network.

Speaker 14 (59:16):
Hi, this is Morgan would with the Black Information Network.
Every year, thousands of Black families face the unbearable sorrow
of losing a mom during pregnancy or after childbirth. Learn
how you can support them in bion's special public awareness campaign,
Saving Black Moms a Maternal Health Crisis.

Speaker 11 (59:33):
Black maternal health is a community issue.

Speaker 14 (59:37):
Learn more on our social media platforms and at binnews
dot com.