May 18, 2025 • 31 mins
Elijah gets you caught up on his past week, & answers your email questions. Be sure to tune in!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. Each week, Elijah gets
you caught up on his work in the community, talks
with guests about issues and causes that are important to them,
while also answering your email questions. So sit back, relax,
and enjoy the show. Here's your host, Elijah Winfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hello, folks, and welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. I
am Indeja host Elijah Winfrey. I am excited to be
with you this week. We have a great show lined
up for you today.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Folks.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I'm going to be talking about my new book, which
will be out this.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Tuesday, May twentieth.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
The title of the book of my children's book is
Little E Celebrates Juneteenth. We have a list of questions
today from you that I am excited to to answer.
And as always, I want to shout out my amazing
producer Greg Nice for putting this show in positions to succeed.
(01:11):
We have been successful because of the work that he
does and making sure this show is heard around the world.
And thank you to all of you for tuning in
each and every week. First and foremost, I hope that
your weekend as it winds down is never long enough, right.
(01:33):
I hope that you accomplished a lot and you got
some things done and you've been able to kind of
self reflect. You know, I try to take the weekend
to recharge as I'm working, right. I know that sounds
(01:54):
counterproductive to some, but I try to definitely recharge. Like today, Sunday,
it's really a day for me to kind of sit back, relax,
clean up around the house, start preparing for the week ahead,
but doing so in a way where it doesn't feel
(02:18):
like I'm doing much. So I really try to take
advantage of my Sundays as best I can. I do
have some exciting things coming up that we will get
too shortly in questions, But yeah, I hope that your
weekend has gotten off to a good start. As it
winds down, I hope you're taking unnecessary steps to prepare
(02:42):
for the week ahead. I hope you spend time with
family and friends. Yesterday I had the pleasure and opportunity
to spend some time with an incredible person. She's a
teacher at Sunset Elementary. Her name is Kira Brunson and
(03:03):
her birthday we celebrated her birthday. She's a big Taylor
Swift fan, and look, I'm a swifty too. I'm just
put that out there. But we were we were able
to celebrate her day and kind of surprise her with
this birthday party and shout out to her family. You know,
I got to meet her family for the first time
and they are extremely nice.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Very lovable.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
What a what a treat it was for my wife
and I and other teachers and friends to be there,
you know, to witness her surprise. I don't want to
say shocked. I don't think she was in shock, but
I think she was definitely surprised.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
With the.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
With her birthday celebration. She handled it really well. She's
a she's a tremendous person, super talented. She's definitely going
places in this world. She's a leader, great friend, and
she's definitely someone who is making an impact in this world.
(04:13):
She's made an impact on being So it's great to
celebrate her and to catch up with some of the
teachers that were there and to interact with her family
a bit. That was fun. My past week, as always,
is pretty busy. You know, there are some things that
are coming up this upcoming week that I'm super excited
(04:34):
about and you know, preparing for like events, at least
for me. I try to. I try to approach it
as I the same as I would do anything right, Like,
I try to rehearse it a lot, so when it happens,
it's not as stressful in the moment, you know, I
(04:56):
still get nervous, but I'm I'm able to process things
much like the show.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
It takes a few minutes a few seconds, but once
I get my feet up under me, I'm good to go.
So spent my past week getting ready for those events.
Family's doing really well. I you know, we attended Jordan's
(05:23):
track meet and it was pretty rainy, and I don't
really do I don't know many people who like the
rain and the clouds, you know, I just don't know
many people who who liked that. But I'm a big
complainer and whiner when it happens. And so we're sitting
(05:44):
watching him run and we could tell he was very cold.
He didn't want to get his jacket out of his bag.
You know, he had his spikes on, and he didn't
want to come across the track up into the stands
with his spikes because it was pretty wet, so he wanted.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
To tough it out. He did.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
He did really well. Their their their school team did
really well, and it reminds me of my days as
a kid. I didn't run track. I was fast enough
to run track, but I didn't, you know. But it
reminds me sometimes that I wish I would have taken
(06:23):
advantage of those opportunities. But Jordan's doing it. I'm living it.
I'm living through his eyes. He's having a blast. And
what's cool about attending his track meets is I get
to watch him interact with his friends and the closeness
and the bonds that he's creating. It makes me feel
really good that he's making friends and it's it's all
(06:51):
about love, right like it's it's watching him laugh and
crack jokes, not acknowledging his parents, which is look which
is part of it, because I don't think I would.
I don't think I acknowledged my mom when I played
Little League baseball much so it doesn't bother us. But
(07:14):
to see him out there competing, being a great friend
and teammate, his sportsmanship is.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It's off the charts. You know.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
He gets frustrated at times, but at the end of
it all, he's always high fiving, he's always uplifting his peers.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
And so it was.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
It's always good to see that because I always wonder
about that because I know how I was. I wasn't
a bad sportsmanship type of kid, but you know, I
needed to talking too at times, you know, like most
of us do when we're going through, you know, our competitiveness.
(07:58):
And he's done really well. I haven't really had to
talk to him much, and neither has Lisa, So that
was fun. I don't know if I talked about this
last week on the show, but I went down to
Chambers Bay. Maybe I did, and and and worked on
(08:18):
my game as I get ready for the Chambers based Solstice,
and I I was extremely sore the next day and
the next day after that and the next day after that.
You know, getting in golf shape, and there is a thing, folks.
(08:39):
You know, golf is a sport. So getting in golf
shape and swinging the club as many times as you
need to swing it to play it takes a lot
of time and patience, and sometimes you forget.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
You know, when you're putting in the reps.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
You know, you forget about the days after when you're
gonna When you're back and your your hips and your
feet are pretty sore, so I finally recovered from that,
and I'm excited about heading back down on the thirty
first of May of this month. So that's that I
(09:22):
want to get into some of these questions that you
all send in each week we have you send in
questions and my producer puts him up on the board.
We're gonna dive into some questions from you and all
of you have been reaching out about my upcoming week,
(09:44):
my busy week in the past, you know, my my
book release, my speaking events. So we're gonna we're gonna
jump into that with the first question here from Paula
in Seattle. Paula writes, Hi, Elijah, love your show. How's
your past week been? Any highlights? You want to share?
(10:04):
What's been the most fulfilling moments for you this week
personally and professionally. A great question, Paula. As I say
at the top of the show, my past week, every
week for me is busy. I'm always brainstorming and trying
to create things to better my community. There aren't many
(10:31):
I don't I don't want. How can I answer this?
There's always highlights, but they're not highlights in the form
of things really really standing out right.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
I think.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I think the work that I'm doing every week kind
of speaks for itself. It stands out when it needs
to stand out.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
You know, I don't. I try not to force it.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
I share my work on my social media pages from
time to time, hoping that it inspires people. I will
say one of the highlights this past week and leading
into the weekend was my four mile walk with Gerald
Donaldson aka mister D. You know, we talked, we caught
up on some things. We brainstormed, you know about the
(11:23):
boys group that he's mentoring, you know, our work in
the school districts. You know, he's in the Seattle school district.
Well basically he can work all over the district, right
so he's not really confined at Seattle, but he's just
there a lot. So that was one of the highlights,
you know, to get to brainstorm with him about what
he's been up to, what I've been up to, and
(11:45):
how can we continue to create together to make it
make it better for for students and families that are
in need. As far as the most fulfilling moment this week,
I think I think it happened yesterday. I think it's
(12:06):
family time. You know, Lisa and I haven't spent much
time together this past week. She's been extremely busy. I've
been extremely busy, and so we've been like two ships
in the night.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
It is.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
It is a well known fact that I don't sleep well,
so a lot of times when she's coming to bed
around midnight or one or two in the morning, I
am waking up from a nightmare, which I won't go into.
But you know, we you know, we kind of cross paths.
We always make sure that our kiddo is is put
(12:46):
in the best position possible to be successful. So we
definitely have that at the top of our list. That
is priority. But we are extremely busy individuals. So yesterday
was great to kind of catch up and to laugh
and to kick it a bit, you know. So that
(13:06):
was probably from a personal standpoint, you know, one of
the most fulfilling things from a from a professional standpoint.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
I think.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Everything this past week has been fulfilling from a professional
standpoint standpoint.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
I am.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
I.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
I love the work that I am doing.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
At my elementary school, and you know, I've written a
few grants for my nonprofit, and I'm always trying to
make or I'm always trying to partner with people collaborate
with people. So I've had great conversations from a professional
standpoint this week and that those have been fulfilling. So
(14:08):
that's a that's a great question, great question. Next question
is from Kate in Australia. Kate writes, hi, Eli, I
heard you've got a book coming out in May. Can
you tell us more. I'm a new reader and I'm
definitely interested. I would like to know what inspired your
(14:30):
Little East series and do you have any more upcoming titles?
How does these new books reflect where you are in
your life right now?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Yes, I have.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I have a new book coming out Tuesday, May tweenth,
Little E Celebrates June teenth. It's a story about Little
E's mom telling him the story and the importance of
June teenth and why we have to continue to keep
it alive. And it's an important story. It's something that
(15:07):
I really took my time writing. And again, it's for classrooms, libraries,
it's for kids. It's a I'd like to call it
a a soft conversation, if you will, to students who
(15:31):
may not know about June teams, or who may know
and kind of want to understand a little bit more
of how that came about.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
So it was. It was fun.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Writing it, it was it was emotional writing it. And again,
I think, I think it's important that we all read
about these stories and we continue to learn about our
history and not try to erase it. Right, It's it's
(16:04):
never going away, right, regardless of how many folks would
like that to happen, it's not going away. As far
as where they reflect where I am in my life
right now.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Uh, you know, I.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Think it's it's reflecting on where I am from a
creativity standpoint. I never I never thought i'd be writing books.
That was that was not on the agenda. It wasn't
(16:50):
much like being a paraprofessional. That wasn't on my agenda.
Someone thought I'd be really good in the school system,
and I was appreciative of that. I was hesitant, but
I was appreciative or appreciative of that, and gave it
a shot writing books. My son pushed me to give
(17:14):
it a shot. And in doing that, you know, I
just I continue to write. You know, I have a
journal here that I write in. I have there's an
app on my phone that I write things down, Like
I have a thought that I want to put into
a book or I thought that I want to share,
I write it down. So again, I think it's a gift.
(17:35):
So I'm trying to share the gift that I have
to the world. One of the ways you can support it, Kate,
is to go out and buy the book and.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Shared it with your kids.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
If you have kids, shared with schools, shared with libraries,
that would mean a lot to me. But I think
right now in my life it's just it's showing me
or revealing more of my creative side, right, And I
think that's where I am in my life as I reflect, right,
(18:12):
I didn't realize how much creativity.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
I had or I have.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
And I'm already working on the next story, which is
another powerful piece in my mind, I think. So stay
tuned on that front. But Little E drops Tuesday, May twentieth,
and I do hope to do a book signing on Juneteenth.
I'm still working on that. I think I'm very close.
(18:41):
I've had conversations with a local bookstore and you know,
my fingers across that we're gonna make something happen. So
stay tuned on that great great question, all right, next
question comes from Alex in Canada. Alex writes, Elijah, I
love your show. Everybody leads with that.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
What's the focus of your workshop? Tuesday? Sounds powerful? How
do you prepare mentally and emotionally for events like this?
And is this part of a largest series of workshops
or something new you're launching, Alex. The focus of the workshop,
it's a it's a It's called Black and Brown Excellence Summit.
(19:29):
It is the first of I hope many that was
created by students, high school students in my local school district.
And I was asked if I would, you know, be
willing to participate, and I said yes. Now again, I'm
(19:51):
not a professional speaker, but I do not mind sharing
my message about service, talking about how it impacts me.
So the focus is going to be on service for
me in my part. Right, there are going to be
(20:11):
a list of speakers there, and you know, everybody's going
to have their own topic to discuss. You know, I'm
more I think my topic is uplifting those voices in
the room, and you know, I'm really excited to do that.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Is it powerful? You know?
Speaker 2 (20:32):
I hope So, I hope it's more impactful than anything, right.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
I hope that.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
The students come away from you know, my my speech,
thinking about ways to use their gifts and making the
world a better place, and preparing for that Listen again,
I try to treat it like like a normal day,
(21:01):
you know. I try not to put too much pressure
on myself to deliver like this perfect speech. You know,
I want to be me and I'm gonna be me,
so I won't. I won't script anything I will have
in my in my head. I've written down things that
I want to mention, but I've always felt that for me,
(21:26):
at least, if I write down a speech, I'm gonna deviate, right,
I'm not gonna really read it word for word, and
so I'd rather speak from the heart and you know,
make the make the mistakes that I would normally make
(21:47):
if I'm speaking to someone in a casual conversation. I
think for me, it comes across better. I think it's
more genuine, you know, when I do it that way,
and I'm able to think and process on the fly
really well, so I'm able to make those adjustments. So
I that's how I mentally prepare. And I tell myself,
(22:07):
you know, the first thirty seconds, just get you know,
just do the best you can get to the thirty
second Mark and then you know it'll it'll click in.
So I am excited and I am prepared for the event.
As far as it being, is it a larger part
of a series of workshops? I don't think so. This
(22:32):
is definitely it's not new, right. I mentor kids and adults,
and a couple of months ago, I gave a speech
to a group of adults that I've mentored for a
while and it went over really well, And this is
going to be similar, right. It's kind of it's kind
(22:54):
of like I equated to making peace with yourself, right,
this is another step for me to continue to make
peace with things and to share things. So I'm not
going to I wouldn't say it's something new that that's
in the works or it's a larger a larger part
(23:15):
of more workshops. Right, it could be, but.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I highly doubt that. Great question.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Next question is from Vicky and Erie Pennsylvania. She writes, Elijah,
how's the preparation going with the Chambers based Solstice big event?
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Huh?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
What does playing in this tournament mean to you? As
a veteran mentor and coach?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Ah? She must have seen my golf.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Back with everything going on, how do you stay sharp
on the golf course. Any personal goals for you for
the Solstice or are you just are you just out
to enjoy the day and represent. So I am out
to joy enjoy the day and represent that's it. And
(24:04):
and and raise money for the First t of Seattle
who's hosting this event.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Preparation is is, it's.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
It's gone. I've only had two sessions of practice and
again my body. I have to be really careful because
because my body just won't allow me to really get
after it like I once did. And that's okay, you know.
(24:37):
I just want to be sharp enough to where it's
not a embarrassment, you know, and it won't be again
there there's not I don't think we're gonna keep score.
I think it's more about, you know, walking as many
holes as you can and playing in a way that
(24:58):
is not competitive.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Right.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
So it's gonna be fun for me. It'll be good
to see some of the new coaches and to interact
with the director, Evan Johnson, who I know. But playing
in it means it means a lot, and it's something
It's been on my radar for a long time. I
just haven't had the opportunity in my schedule to make
(25:23):
it happen. But this summer we were able to, you know,
to make that happen, and I am so grateful for that,
I really am. So I'm looking forward to it and
I don't have any personal goals other than make it
to get to thirty six holes.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Just walk thirty six holes. You know.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
That is something that I haven't done in a long time,
years and it's going to be a challenge because Chambers
Bay is a tough course to walk, and you really
have to be prepared. It's a beautiful course, but you
have to be prepared to walk Chamber Span and I
(26:05):
will be.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
I will be.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
All right, Let's take one more question here before we
wind down the show. This next question is from Sean
in New Mexico. Sean writes, Eli, with so much on
your plate books speaking, mentoring and golf, how do you
stay grounded? What's been your biggest source a motivation?
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Lady?
Speaker 2 (26:33):
There's a lot on my plate by choice. If I
didn't love what I what I did, and what I do,
I wouldn't do any of it.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
So it's.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
It's work, but it's not really work, you know. I
think when you love what you do it's not work.
It's fun. It's it's impactful, it's meaningful, it's motivating, and
so I I I enjoy it. And you know, one
(27:09):
of the ways I stay grounded is I really I
don't go out a lot. I do have time where
I do happy hours with my with my friends and
co workers. But outside of that, and outside of you know,
being in the studio, I'm home. I like to sit
(27:31):
and watch NASCAR and golf and you know, kind of
kick back and spend spend time with family and watch
Andy Griffith. So you know, I I find ways to
stay grounded. And I think that that is why I'm
I'm I'm pretty successful, I would say, and the things
(27:54):
that I do, and I know it's a lot, but
I'm able to to break things down and and make
sure that I don't burn out. My biggest source of motivation,
(28:16):
my my biggest source of motivation is watching how my
work impacts people in a positive way. When I see
the result, that's the motivation, right. It's not so much
(28:39):
it's not so much to thank you, it's when you
see your work, you know, have an impact on the community.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
It's huge for.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Me because that's all I want to do. I just
want to serve the community. I just want to give back.
I want to make sure or that I'm doing all
the things necessary to help someone As sin, I don't
(29:14):
want to sit back on on my gifts and not
and not use them to impact people. So my biggest
motivation is is is when I share my work and
I see the result, it makes me feel so good.
It is so gratifying. It is so gratifying. And some
(29:34):
of the stories I can't tell right, like for privacy reasons,
some of the stories I can, but seeing how the
work impacts people, Oh, it is, it is. It's the
biggest motivation ever for me to keep going.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
That drives me.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
It sparks more creativity, and I'm very grateful to be
in that position and to have that opportunity to do
it and to take the risk right And with that,
that's it for questions this week, and we've come to
(30:20):
the end of the show.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Listen.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I want you all to know that these questions mean
the world to me, so keep them coming.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
I love.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Connecting with all of you this way, I really do.
This is what the show is all about, you know.
I know we've we've we've.
Speaker 3 (30:52):
Kind of.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Pivoted a little bit in regards to the show, but
we still talk about autism, low income families, and I
will always share my work with you, So continue to
send these questions in. You all are very appreciated. Do
(31:15):
me a favor this week. Get out in your communities
and check in on your family and friends. All right,
put a smile on someone's face. Remember it doesn't take
a lot of energy to do that at all. I
want to thank you for listening to The Elijah Winfrey Show.
Please be sure to download this show wherever you download
(31:38):
your favorite podcast. Till next week, Take care, God bless
Bye bye
Welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. Each week, Elijah gets
you caught up on his work in the community, talks
with guests about issues and causes that are important to them,
while also answering your email questions. So sit back, relax,
and enjoy the show. Here's your host, Elijah Winfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hello, folks, and welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. I
am Indeja host Elijah Winfrey. I am excited to be
with you this week. We have a great show lined
up for you today.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Folks.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I'm going to be talking about my new book, which
will be out this.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Tuesday, May twentieth.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
The title of the book of my children's book is
Little E Celebrates Juneteenth. We have a list of questions
today from you that I am excited to to answer.
And as always, I want to shout out my amazing
producer Greg Nice for putting this show in positions to succeed.
(01:11):
We have been successful because of the work that he
does and making sure this show is heard around the world.
And thank you to all of you for tuning in
each and every week. First and foremost, I hope that
your weekend as it winds down is never long enough, right.
(01:33):
I hope that you accomplished a lot and you got
some things done and you've been able to kind of
self reflect. You know, I try to take the weekend
to recharge as I'm working, right. I know that sounds
(01:54):
counterproductive to some, but I try to definitely recharge. Like today, Sunday,
it's really a day for me to kind of sit back, relax,
clean up around the house, start preparing for the week ahead,
but doing so in a way where it doesn't feel
(02:18):
like I'm doing much. So I really try to take
advantage of my Sundays as best I can. I do
have some exciting things coming up that we will get
too shortly in questions, But yeah, I hope that your
weekend has gotten off to a good start. As it
winds down, I hope you're taking unnecessary steps to prepare
(02:42):
for the week ahead. I hope you spend time with
family and friends. Yesterday I had the pleasure and opportunity
to spend some time with an incredible person. She's a
teacher at Sunset Elementary. Her name is Kira Brunson and
(03:03):
her birthday we celebrated her birthday. She's a big Taylor
Swift fan, and look, I'm a swifty too. I'm just
put that out there. But we were we were able
to celebrate her day and kind of surprise her with
this birthday party and shout out to her family. You know,
I got to meet her family for the first time
and they are extremely nice.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Very lovable.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
What a what a treat it was for my wife
and I and other teachers and friends to be there,
you know, to witness her surprise. I don't want to
say shocked. I don't think she was in shock, but
I think she was definitely surprised.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
With the.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
With her birthday celebration. She handled it really well. She's
a she's a tremendous person, super talented. She's definitely going
places in this world. She's a leader, great friend, and
she's definitely someone who is making an impact in this world.
(04:13):
She's made an impact on being So it's great to
celebrate her and to catch up with some of the
teachers that were there and to interact with her family
a bit. That was fun. My past week, as always,
is pretty busy. You know, there are some things that
are coming up this upcoming week that I'm super excited
(04:34):
about and you know, preparing for like events, at least
for me. I try to. I try to approach it
as I the same as I would do anything right, Like,
I try to rehearse it a lot, so when it happens,
it's not as stressful in the moment, you know, I
(04:56):
still get nervous, but I'm I'm able to process things
much like the show.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
It takes a few minutes a few seconds, but once
I get my feet up under me, I'm good to go.
So spent my past week getting ready for those events.
Family's doing really well. I you know, we attended Jordan's
(05:23):
track meet and it was pretty rainy, and I don't
really do I don't know many people who like the
rain and the clouds, you know, I just don't know
many people who who liked that. But I'm a big
complainer and whiner when it happens. And so we're sitting
(05:44):
watching him run and we could tell he was very cold.
He didn't want to get his jacket out of his bag.
You know, he had his spikes on, and he didn't
want to come across the track up into the stands
with his spikes because it was pretty wet, so he wanted.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
To tough it out. He did.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
He did really well. Their their their school team did
really well, and it reminds me of my days as
a kid. I didn't run track. I was fast enough
to run track, but I didn't, you know. But it
reminds me sometimes that I wish I would have taken
(06:23):
advantage of those opportunities. But Jordan's doing it. I'm living it.
I'm living through his eyes. He's having a blast. And
what's cool about attending his track meets is I get
to watch him interact with his friends and the closeness
and the bonds that he's creating. It makes me feel
really good that he's making friends and it's it's all
(06:51):
about love, right like it's it's watching him laugh and
crack jokes, not acknowledging his parents, which is look which
is part of it, because I don't think I would.
I don't think I acknowledged my mom when I played
Little League baseball much so it doesn't bother us. But
(07:14):
to see him out there competing, being a great friend
and teammate, his sportsmanship is.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It's off the charts. You know.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
He gets frustrated at times, but at the end of
it all, he's always high fiving, he's always uplifting his peers.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
And so it was.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
It's always good to see that because I always wonder
about that because I know how I was. I wasn't
a bad sportsmanship type of kid, but you know, I
needed to talking too at times, you know, like most
of us do when we're going through, you know, our competitiveness.
(07:58):
And he's done really well. I haven't really had to
talk to him much, and neither has Lisa, So that
was fun. I don't know if I talked about this
last week on the show, but I went down to
Chambers Bay. Maybe I did, and and and worked on
(08:18):
my game as I get ready for the Chambers based Solstice,
and I I was extremely sore the next day and
the next day after that and the next day after that.
You know, getting in golf shape, and there is a thing, folks.
(08:39):
You know, golf is a sport. So getting in golf
shape and swinging the club as many times as you
need to swing it to play it takes a lot
of time and patience, and sometimes you forget.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
You know, when you're putting in the reps.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
You know, you forget about the days after when you're
gonna When you're back and your your hips and your
feet are pretty sore, so I finally recovered from that,
and I'm excited about heading back down on the thirty
first of May of this month. So that's that I
(09:22):
want to get into some of these questions that you
all send in each week we have you send in
questions and my producer puts him up on the board.
We're gonna dive into some questions from you and all
of you have been reaching out about my upcoming week,
(09:44):
my busy week in the past, you know, my my
book release, my speaking events. So we're gonna we're gonna
jump into that with the first question here from Paula
in Seattle. Paula writes, Hi, Elijah, love your show. How's
your past week been? Any highlights? You want to share?
(10:04):
What's been the most fulfilling moments for you this week
personally and professionally. A great question, Paula. As I say
at the top of the show, my past week, every
week for me is busy. I'm always brainstorming and trying
to create things to better my community. There aren't many
(10:31):
I don't I don't want. How can I answer this?
There's always highlights, but they're not highlights in the form
of things really really standing out right.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
I think.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I think the work that I'm doing every week kind
of speaks for itself. It stands out when it needs
to stand out.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
You know, I don't. I try not to force it.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
I share my work on my social media pages from
time to time, hoping that it inspires people. I will
say one of the highlights this past week and leading
into the weekend was my four mile walk with Gerald
Donaldson aka mister D. You know, we talked, we caught
up on some things. We brainstormed, you know about the
(11:23):
boys group that he's mentoring, you know, our work in
the school districts. You know, he's in the Seattle school district.
Well basically he can work all over the district, right
so he's not really confined at Seattle, but he's just
there a lot. So that was one of the highlights,
you know, to get to brainstorm with him about what
he's been up to, what I've been up to, and
(11:45):
how can we continue to create together to make it
make it better for for students and families that are
in need. As far as the most fulfilling moment this week,
I think I think it happened yesterday. I think it's
(12:06):
family time. You know, Lisa and I haven't spent much
time together this past week. She's been extremely busy. I've
been extremely busy, and so we've been like two ships
in the night.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
It is.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
It is a well known fact that I don't sleep well,
so a lot of times when she's coming to bed
around midnight or one or two in the morning, I
am waking up from a nightmare, which I won't go into.
But you know, we you know, we kind of cross paths.
We always make sure that our kiddo is is put
(12:46):
in the best position possible to be successful. So we
definitely have that at the top of our list. That
is priority. But we are extremely busy individuals. So yesterday
was great to kind of catch up and to laugh
and to kick it a bit, you know. So that
(13:06):
was probably from a personal standpoint, you know, one of
the most fulfilling things from a from a professional standpoint.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
I think.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Everything this past week has been fulfilling from a professional
standpoint standpoint.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
I am.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
I.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
I love the work that I am doing.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
At my elementary school, and you know, I've written a
few grants for my nonprofit, and I'm always trying to
make or I'm always trying to partner with people collaborate
with people. So I've had great conversations from a professional
standpoint this week and that those have been fulfilling. So
(14:08):
that's a that's a great question, great question. Next question
is from Kate in Australia. Kate writes, hi, Eli, I
heard you've got a book coming out in May. Can
you tell us more. I'm a new reader and I'm
definitely interested. I would like to know what inspired your
(14:30):
Little East series and do you have any more upcoming titles?
How does these new books reflect where you are in
your life right now?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Yes, I have.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I have a new book coming out Tuesday, May tweenth,
Little E Celebrates June teenth. It's a story about Little
E's mom telling him the story and the importance of
June teenth and why we have to continue to keep
it alive. And it's an important story. It's something that
(15:07):
I really took my time writing. And again, it's for classrooms, libraries,
it's for kids. It's a I'd like to call it
a a soft conversation, if you will, to students who
(15:31):
may not know about June teams, or who may know
and kind of want to understand a little bit more
of how that came about.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
So it was. It was fun.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Writing it, it was it was emotional writing it. And again,
I think, I think it's important that we all read
about these stories and we continue to learn about our
history and not try to erase it. Right, It's it's
(16:04):
never going away, right, regardless of how many folks would
like that to happen, it's not going away. As far
as where they reflect where I am in my life
right now.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Uh, you know, I.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Think it's it's reflecting on where I am from a
creativity standpoint. I never I never thought i'd be writing books.
That was that was not on the agenda. It wasn't
(16:50):
much like being a paraprofessional. That wasn't on my agenda.
Someone thought I'd be really good in the school system,
and I was appreciative of that. I was hesitant, but
I was appreciative or appreciative of that, and gave it
a shot writing books. My son pushed me to give
(17:14):
it a shot. And in doing that, you know, I
just I continue to write. You know, I have a
journal here that I write in. I have there's an
app on my phone that I write things down, Like
I have a thought that I want to put into
a book or I thought that I want to share,
I write it down. So again, I think it's a gift.
(17:35):
So I'm trying to share the gift that I have
to the world. One of the ways you can support it, Kate,
is to go out and buy the book and.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Shared it with your kids.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
If you have kids, shared with schools, shared with libraries,
that would mean a lot to me. But I think
right now in my life it's just it's showing me
or revealing more of my creative side, right, And I
think that's where I am in my life as I reflect, right,
(18:12):
I didn't realize how much creativity.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
I had or I have.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
And I'm already working on the next story, which is
another powerful piece in my mind, I think. So stay
tuned on that front. But Little E drops Tuesday, May twentieth,
and I do hope to do a book signing on Juneteenth.
I'm still working on that. I think I'm very close.
(18:41):
I've had conversations with a local bookstore and you know,
my fingers across that we're gonna make something happen. So
stay tuned on that great great question, all right, next
question comes from Alex in Canada. Alex writes, Elijah, I
love your show. Everybody leads with that.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
What's the focus of your workshop? Tuesday? Sounds powerful? How
do you prepare mentally and emotionally for events like this?
And is this part of a largest series of workshops
or something new you're launching, Alex. The focus of the workshop,
it's a it's a It's called Black and Brown Excellence Summit.
(19:29):
It is the first of I hope many that was
created by students, high school students in my local school district.
And I was asked if I would, you know, be
willing to participate, and I said yes. Now again, I'm
(19:51):
not a professional speaker, but I do not mind sharing
my message about service, talking about how it impacts me.
So the focus is going to be on service for
me in my part. Right, there are going to be
(20:11):
a list of speakers there, and you know, everybody's going
to have their own topic to discuss. You know, I'm
more I think my topic is uplifting those voices in
the room, and you know, I'm really excited to do that.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Is it powerful? You know?
Speaker 2 (20:32):
I hope So, I hope it's more impactful than anything, right.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
I hope that.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
The students come away from you know, my my speech,
thinking about ways to use their gifts and making the
world a better place, and preparing for that Listen again,
I try to treat it like like a normal day,
(21:01):
you know. I try not to put too much pressure
on myself to deliver like this perfect speech. You know,
I want to be me and I'm gonna be me,
so I won't. I won't script anything I will have
in my in my head. I've written down things that
I want to mention, but I've always felt that for me,
(21:26):
at least, if I write down a speech, I'm gonna deviate, right,
I'm not gonna really read it word for word, and
so I'd rather speak from the heart and you know,
make the make the mistakes that I would normally make
(21:47):
if I'm speaking to someone in a casual conversation. I
think for me, it comes across better. I think it's
more genuine, you know, when I do it that way,
and I'm able to think and process on the fly
really well, so I'm able to make those adjustments. So
I that's how I mentally prepare. And I tell myself,
(22:07):
you know, the first thirty seconds, just get you know,
just do the best you can get to the thirty
second Mark and then you know it'll it'll click in.
So I am excited and I am prepared for the event.
As far as it being, is it a larger part
of a series of workshops? I don't think so. This
(22:32):
is definitely it's not new, right. I mentor kids and adults,
and a couple of months ago, I gave a speech
to a group of adults that I've mentored for a
while and it went over really well, And this is
going to be similar, right. It's kind of it's kind
(22:54):
of like I equated to making peace with yourself, right,
this is another step for me to continue to make
peace with things and to share things. So I'm not
going to I wouldn't say it's something new that that's
in the works or it's a larger a larger part
(23:15):
of more workshops. Right, it could be, but.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I highly doubt that. Great question.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Next question is from Vicky and Erie Pennsylvania. She writes, Elijah,
how's the preparation going with the Chambers based Solstice big event?
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Huh?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
What does playing in this tournament mean to you? As
a veteran mentor and coach?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Ah? She must have seen my golf.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Back with everything going on, how do you stay sharp
on the golf course. Any personal goals for you for
the Solstice or are you just are you just out
to enjoy the day and represent. So I am out
to joy enjoy the day and represent that's it. And
(24:04):
and and raise money for the First t of Seattle
who's hosting this event.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Preparation is is, it's.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
It's gone. I've only had two sessions of practice and
again my body. I have to be really careful because
because my body just won't allow me to really get
after it like I once did. And that's okay, you know.
(24:37):
I just want to be sharp enough to where it's
not a embarrassment, you know, and it won't be again
there there's not I don't think we're gonna keep score.
I think it's more about, you know, walking as many
holes as you can and playing in a way that
(24:58):
is not competitive.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Right.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
So it's gonna be fun for me. It'll be good
to see some of the new coaches and to interact
with the director, Evan Johnson, who I know. But playing
in it means it means a lot, and it's something
It's been on my radar for a long time. I
just haven't had the opportunity in my schedule to make
(25:23):
it happen. But this summer we were able to, you know,
to make that happen, and I am so grateful for that,
I really am. So I'm looking forward to it and
I don't have any personal goals other than make it
to get to thirty six holes.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Just walk thirty six holes. You know.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
That is something that I haven't done in a long time,
years and it's going to be a challenge because Chambers
Bay is a tough course to walk, and you really
have to be prepared. It's a beautiful course, but you
have to be prepared to walk Chamber Span and I
(26:05):
will be.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
I will be.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
All right, Let's take one more question here before we
wind down the show. This next question is from Sean
in New Mexico. Sean writes, Eli, with so much on
your plate books speaking, mentoring and golf, how do you
stay grounded? What's been your biggest source a motivation?
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Lady?
Speaker 2 (26:33):
There's a lot on my plate by choice. If I
didn't love what I what I did, and what I do,
I wouldn't do any of it.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
So it's.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
It's work, but it's not really work, you know. I
think when you love what you do it's not work.
It's fun. It's it's impactful, it's meaningful, it's motivating, and
so I I I enjoy it. And you know, one
(27:09):
of the ways I stay grounded is I really I
don't go out a lot. I do have time where
I do happy hours with my with my friends and
co workers. But outside of that, and outside of you know,
being in the studio, I'm home. I like to sit
(27:31):
and watch NASCAR and golf and you know, kind of
kick back and spend spend time with family and watch
Andy Griffith. So you know, I I find ways to
stay grounded. And I think that that is why I'm
I'm I'm pretty successful, I would say, and the things
(27:54):
that I do, and I know it's a lot, but
I'm able to to break things down and and make
sure that I don't burn out. My biggest source of motivation,
(28:16):
my my biggest source of motivation is watching how my
work impacts people in a positive way. When I see
the result, that's the motivation, right. It's not so much
(28:39):
it's not so much to thank you, it's when you
see your work, you know, have an impact on the community.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
It's huge for.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Me because that's all I want to do. I just
want to serve the community. I just want to give back.
I want to make sure or that I'm doing all
the things necessary to help someone As sin, I don't
(29:14):
want to sit back on on my gifts and not
and not use them to impact people. So my biggest
motivation is is is when I share my work and
I see the result, it makes me feel so good.
It is so gratifying. It is so gratifying. And some
(29:34):
of the stories I can't tell right, like for privacy reasons,
some of the stories I can, but seeing how the
work impacts people, Oh, it is, it is. It's the
biggest motivation ever for me to keep going.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
That drives me.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
It sparks more creativity, and I'm very grateful to be
in that position and to have that opportunity to do
it and to take the risk right And with that,
that's it for questions this week, and we've come to
(30:20):
the end of the show.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Listen.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I want you all to know that these questions mean
the world to me, so keep them coming.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
I love.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Connecting with all of you this way, I really do.
This is what the show is all about, you know.
I know we've we've we've.
Speaker 3 (30:52):
Kind of.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Pivoted a little bit in regards to the show, but
we still talk about autism, low income families, and I
will always share my work with you, So continue to
send these questions in. You all are very appreciated. Do
(31:15):
me a favor this week. Get out in your communities
and check in on your family and friends. All right,
put a smile on someone's face. Remember it doesn't take
a lot of energy to do that at all. I
want to thank you for listening to The Elijah Winfrey Show.
Please be sure to download this show wherever you download
(31:38):
your favorite podcast. Till next week, Take care, God bless
Bye bye
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