The Elijah Winfrey Show

Elijah gets you caught up on his past week, & answers your email questions.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
You're listening to The Elijah Winfrey Show, a space for inspiration, impact,
and community connection. Each week, Elijah shares the latest on
his work in the community, answers listener questions, and reflects
on the week that was, from acts of kindness to
real conversations that matter. This is where purpose meets positivity.

(00:22):
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Here's your host,
Elijah Winfrey.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hello, folks, and welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. I
am indeed your host, Elijah Winfrey, and as always, I
am extremely grateful that you've tuned in to spend some
time with me this morning. It is a rainy morning
here in the Pacific Northwest. I dare I say we
need the rain, at least a little bit of it.

(00:54):
It's not gonna last. We're gonna get a good stretch
of weather starting Monday. So a little cloudy, drizzly day,
it's fine. I'm not going to complain about it. I
want to, but I won't do it. We have a
great show lined up for you today, folks. We're going

(01:15):
to get back to your listener questions. My amazing producer
Greg Nice, as he always does, he reaches into the
email bag and he pulls out some great questions for
me to answer. Last week, we didn't answer questions, and
we try to switch things up from time to time

(01:38):
just to keep you guessing just a little bit. But
today I am happy to be back at answering your
questions on autism, my radio show, the work that I
do in the community. So sit back, relax, and grab
a cup of coffee, and let's enjoy the moment before

(02:01):
we get into questions my past week. I want to
get you caught up in my past week. There are
a lot of things that are beginning to happen for
my nonprofit. You know, last week we received a couple
of grants, which I'm extremely grateful for. The team is
extremely grateful for. You know, I write the grants for

(02:22):
the nonprofit, and it is a really, really hard process.
You know, I am not I have a little experience,
but I'm not very experienced in writing grants, you know.
But you know, I'm willing to take those risks to
see if we can help more families in the community.

(02:44):
And we got lucky to receive a couple of grants
to make sure these families in the community keep food
on the table. Maybe we can help with a bill
or two, but we're going to be able to reach
a little bit more. And that's something that we strive
to do each year that we're in service, right you know,

(03:07):
it's to grow a little bit. You know, we're not
trying to take a giant step. So we're grateful to
receive the funds. And what we like to do when
we get the funds, we like to take these funds
right away. And because we interact with families, we try
to identify, you know, those families and let them know

(03:28):
that we will be in contact with them, you know,
regarding their needs and ways that we can help, you know,
help them. So excited on that front, Team Win Free.
This is that time of year where we start to
pick up steam because the holidays will be here before

(03:48):
you know it. And I know what you're going to say.
You're going to say, Elijah, we are we are in
September and you're talking about November and December. Uh and
and I hear you. But the holidays come fast, and
we like to stay a couple of months of ahead

(04:10):
of the fray, you know, because we know it gets
busy and you know, we we'd like to have things
set up and in place to make our jobs easier
in identifying families or adopting families this holiday season. So
we are on our marks and we're just getting ready

(04:33):
to come out of the gates here starting in October.
My role as a pair of professional is going well.
I'm settling in. As always, I shout out my amazing
team and the teachers and staff that I interact with

(04:55):
on a daily basis. These are some incredible people. I
am still growing in a lot of areas pertaining to
uh my my work as a preyer professional. But it's fun,
you know. I think you you find a groove and
you you you start building from there. And I think

(05:17):
that at least the beginning of this year I am.
I'm well on my way, and that's thanks to the
team around me. So all is well on that front
from a physical and mental standpoint. I'm still struggling with
sleep really badly, folks. The good news is I did

(05:37):
talk to my sleep doctor and we're going to get
on it, hopefully as early as next week. You know,
I've talked about this on the show in the past.
You know, I sleep on average maybe three maybe four hours.
I know that's not sustainable. You know, I did a
recent sleep study and and it wasn't very good. You know,

(06:03):
we get the results back and I got a lot
of work to do to ensure that. You know, I'm
gonna I'm gonna be all right. I know I'm going
to get there because I do work hard at trying
to get sleep and trying to get rest. You know,
I've done a lot of things on my end to

(06:24):
make sure that my body is recovering. You know, I've
I've lightened my my workload a bit and kind of
space things out, which has really helped. But I do
want to nail this sleep thing down because I getting
to a point where it is it is pretty dangerous
for me. And you know, I don't talk about it

(06:47):
much because again I don't want I don't want anybody's pity,
you know, I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me.
Just know that I'm working hard on it and I'm
going to get there. I promise you that. But I'm
able to work out, you know, and I and i'd
like to think that my body's recovering well, you know,

(07:08):
and and maybe it is. Uh, you know, I feel
good most days right now. I think my biggest struggle
is being extremely tired. Even on the days where it
feels like I have a lot of energy. I don't
know if that's a good thing or a bad thing,
but I'm hanging in there. So peloton Is is still

(07:30):
good to us. So I definitely been meditating quite a bit.
I will get the green light to start working out,
you know, with weights, on Tuesday, so I'm excited about
getting back on the mat and and building this old
body back up. Family's doing well. You know, my son

(07:55):
is loving middle school, and I'm happy that he's in
knowing you know, the moments right now. He loves algebra.
I am not a math a math person by any means,
but he's loving school. He's loving making new friends. Lisa

(08:15):
is doing what she does best. She's working extremely hard.
She's an HR manager and she puts in the work
and it's exciting to see. So we're all good on
this front. Minus a few hiccups, We're fine. I can

(08:36):
go on and on about myself and bore you, but
let's get into the show today and some of these
amazing questions that you've sent in each week. I tell
you to send questions into me, or I ask you
to send questions into me at Elijah dot Winfrey at
gmail dot com, and my producer and I we do
our very best to get these questions on and get

(08:59):
them answered. Some of the questions that you send in
or that you send in are sometimes the same questions
from another listener. We still put it on the show
anyway because the respect you show me by tuning in
and downloading the show means a lot. So thank you
think you think. This first question is from Vanessa and

(09:20):
Charlotte North Carolina. Vanessa writes, Elijah, what do you think
are the biggest misconceptions people still have about autism today?
That's a great question, Vanessa. You know, I think one
of the biggest misconceptions that I see today that I

(09:41):
still see is that people say autism are some people,
not all. Some people say autism looks the same for everyone,
and that's not the case at all. Autism it is
a spectrum, and no two individuals have the same exp experience, right,

(10:02):
They're not the same. My niece and nephew, who are
both on the autism spectrum, are completely different people. And
it's something that I've had to learn, and I think
when you understand that, it helps you build more compassion

(10:24):
and inclusion, right, Like for those of you who think
that it is the same for everyone, I would really
encourage you to really study and dig deeper into autism
and what it is and how the spectrum is so
broad because it is. It is a wide ranging spectrum.

(10:47):
And you know, I've had to learn that, and I'm
still learning that as an advocate. I'm still learning that.
I think another misconception is eye contact. You know, my
former co host, when Bouchet and I, we would discuss
eye contact a lot on air and off air. You know,

(11:08):
I think as long as the individuals looking at you
and and picking up what you're saying, but not looking
at you, it's okay. It's okay. So there there are
there are a few misconceptions of Vanessa. But I think,

(11:29):
you know, these two that I just spoke about, you know,
they're pretty big. Next question is from Anthony in Cleveland, Ohio.
Anthony Rights, Hi, Elijah. My question is how does your
nonprofit support families with children on the spectrum and practical

(11:51):
everyday way. Oh that's a good question, h Anthony. I
think we focus on the basics, right. I try to
do that with every thing that I do you know,
you know, whether that be helping with groceries, connecting families
with other resources, because here's the thing, maybe Team Winfrey.

(12:14):
You know, we're not the organization to help the family,
but that doesn't mean that we can't reach out to
other organizations in the community. I do have contacts and
there are a lot of amazing organizations that are really
really good with working with families who have kids on
the spectrum. For us, we really try to focus on

(12:36):
the basics, you know, and sometimes it's about showing up consistently,
right like just being there for those families who need
it most. Just listening, you know, I think that's important.
You know, I try to mentor when I can, right,

(12:57):
I think as long as you doing the basic things,
you're able to have the impact that you want and
that the families are needing in that moment, because sometimes
you know, you have to you have a child or
maybe a couple of children on the spectrum. You can't
get out to the grocery store, you can't go to

(13:18):
the Marlco shopping right away. And so we try to
provide these families with the services to be able to
do that, and we've been successful for the last how
many ever years. We started this in twenty thirteen, so

(13:40):
we've been doing this for a long time. And I've
been an advocate since two thousand and seven eight, so
I've been around it for a long time, a long time.
It's a great question. Next question is from Carla and Tampa, Florida.

(14:04):
Carla Wrights excuse me, Carla Wrights, Elijah, what advice would
you give to parents who are just beginning their autism
journey with their child? This is the question I get often.
Whether I am in the community or speaking at an event,

(14:26):
I get this question quite a bit. I would say, Carla,
give yourself grace. That's the first thing, because the journey,
like the journey for you and we've never met, but
the journey for you can can feel overwhelming at times.
I've seen that personally from experience. But I always say,

(14:57):
your child will show you some amazing things and you
have to trust that process. But give yourself grace and
build build a network, a support network, lean into your community.

(15:26):
You know, sometimes talking about it, you'd be surprised at
how many people would be willing to help. And sometimes
you don't know what's going on. So have the courage
to lean into the community, and when your child is
is successful at something, celebrate. It doesn't matter how big

(15:51):
or how small it is. Celebrate those victories. They're big deals.
It's part of their growth. But make sure you're there
for yourself. Be patient with yourself. That would be my

(16:12):
advice to you. You're gonna have great days and you're
gonna have days where it's tough. Try to stay as
positive as you can and enjoy those moments and grow.

(16:33):
That'd be my advice. Next question is from Stephen in Richmond, Virginia.
Stephen Wrights, Elijah, can you share a sneak peek into
your new Little East story? Steven, I could. Here's what

(16:57):
I'll do, all right, without giving away too much right
away the book. It'll be released in January. I will
say that it's about responsibility. Little E makes a mistake,
but he learns the importance of owning it and caring
for others. That's all I can say. That's all I'm

(17:20):
gonna say. It's a lesson I think both kids and
adults can relate to. And I'm gonna leave it at that.
And I'm normally not good at surprises. I would tell
my friends if there's a surprise going on. Don't tell
me because I'll tell everybody. But that's all I can

(17:47):
give you right now. I can say that I feel
as though this is one of one of the best
jobs I've done thus far in writing books. And I'm
having a lot of fun, a lot of fun using
my imagination. It's like it's like my it's like I'm

(18:11):
recalling my ten year old self again, and I have
so much information that I am writing down and to
put it in the books. It's been great, been great,
So stay tuned, Stephen. Next question is from Maria and Albuquerque,
New Mexico. Maria writes, Elijah, what inspired the plot in

(18:37):
this latest book in the series. I think I wanted
kids to understand that mistakes don't define us, right. What

(18:58):
matters is how you respond and how do you respond
to those mistakes? You know, I make mistakes every single day.
I think we all do, if we're honest with ourselves.
It's how we respond in the moments when nobody's looking
or when people are looking at you. How do you respond?

(19:25):
So I think about that as I'm writing, and again,
you know, all my work is centered around core values
and life skills. I'm not saying I'm a perfect person.
I don't believe in that, but I am evolving. I
was brought up on core values and life skills, and

(19:45):
I'm just sharing my gifts at this point. So I'm
hoping that this book will will will get kids to
understand that mistakes, they don't define us. It's what matters
is how we respond. That's a great question. Next question

(20:10):
is from Cheryl in San Diego, California. Cheryl writes, when
can readers expect the official release and will there be
a book tour or readings. There's going to be a
book tour. There's going to be readings, for sure. I
haven't set up any of that yet. I think as
I get closer to let's say, mid November, early December,

(20:34):
i'll start talking about it and there'll be an official
release and things like that. But I love reading the kids.
I've enjoyed the book tours. You know, maybe you'll see
me at Barnes and Noble again. Maybe I'll be at
some other place, but stay tuned on that front. But

(21:00):
the release will be in January the date. We're still
working that out. It will be early January. I can
I can say that with confidence. So it's a great question, Cheryl,
I am. I'm excited. I think this is some of
my best work yet and I can't wait to share
it with all of you. Next question is from Jordan

(21:25):
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jordan Rights, what's the latest project your
nonprofit is working on right now? Jordan, I would say,
we're focused on, you know, expanding support for families, you know,
like and we're trying to grow that.

Speaker 1 (21:43):
You know.

Speaker 2 (21:44):
We every year we've been able to help an additional
amount of families, and it seems like it grows from
one or two families that we can help more, you know,
adding to that five or ten list that we have,
and so we are. We're doing that. We're going to
be giving out grocery gift cards beginning next week until

(22:06):
mid October. We're excited about that. So we are. We're
really focused on continuing to build consistent impact in the
community with families, and I think as long as we
continue to do that and operate that way, we're going

(22:27):
to be successful. Right. We grow a little bit each
year at a time. We're not a big nonprofit, but
I feel that because we're so grassroots based, we're able
to have a deeper impact in our communities. So I'd say,
right now, we're focusing on expanding the number of families

(22:49):
that we can support and making sure they keep food
on the table. Right the world is expensive, you know,
it seems like the cost of living continues to go up,
and you know a lot of these families are one
paycheck away from not being able to provide. So we
want to do all we can to make sure that
you know, they stay as they stay far enough ahead

(23:17):
of the process that when the hiccup does come, they're
not in a really bad state, if that makes sense.
Next question is from Kendra in Dallas, Texas. Kindra Rights, Elijah,
can you share a story of a family your nonprofit

(23:40):
has recently impacted? So this is where it gets tricky.
I can right we were working with a family right now,
and I loved I like to get consent before releasing
any names, you know, out of respect and privacy, but

(24:00):
I can say that we are We've been working with
a specific family here for a while and they've they've
really been struggling, and I am in contact with the
mom quite a bit via text. We do meet in person,
you know, we we help with grocery gift cards, We

(24:22):
help with Walmart gift cards, we help with Target gift cards.
We we try to do the things necessary to help
this family succeed and be successful. You know, we we
definitely sit down and talk about their needs and it's
helped us grow. And you know, this family is pretty

(24:50):
special to me. I met them. I met them all
at less Shy Elementary in Seattle. It's an elementary school.
And and after having some really deep conversations with the mom,
you know, you you you tend to connect and you

(25:10):
see a lot of similarities in your life, at least
for me, I did. And you know, I wanted to
be able to provide her with the twols necessary to
make sure that you know, she was going to be okay.
And you know, we we we have a friendship. You know,
we we stay connected as best as we can. And

(25:32):
you know, I am going to check on that family
next week to make sure that they're good. But they're
they're great. They're great people. Her kids are fantastic, and
we're doing all we can to make sure that they're
going to be good. So I can share I can.
You know that that's something that you know, I'm willing

(25:53):
to share with the listener. Next question is from Andre
and Denver, Colorado. Andre writes, what's your long term vision
for Team Winfrey in the next five years? Wow? Okay, Andre?
I So I used to say, or I used to

(26:17):
think like this that I'd love for Team Winfrey to
expand nationwide and have chapters in different cities, you know,
helping more families around the country and creating greater autism awareness. Right.
That's that's been the dream. We're just simply not really

(26:40):
big enough to branch off like that, and so I've
had to kind of alter it a little bit. And
I'm not gonna say that that's never gonna happen. I
would love for that to happen. But you know, my
long term goal in the next five years is to
continue to to build the rapport families that we currently

(27:00):
have and maybe add more families, you know, in the
coming years. And eventually I would love to turn my
nonprofit over to someone on the autism spectrum to run
and to see their vision and to see where they

(27:20):
would like to take it. Right, maybe it's something that
they could do with the nonprofit that I am currently
not doing. I'd love to see that. But I think
if as long as we're staying on the track that
we're on. In the next five years, we're going to
be pretty successful. Right We're going to be better off.

(27:44):
We're going to be better off than we are right now.
And that's always the goal in anything. Having a small
business is been a blessing. Growing it has been a blessing,
and you know, if we are around for the next
five years, I would be extremely thankful. You know, it
is it is extremely hard running a nonprofit. You know,

(28:07):
from the grant writing to reaching out the families, to
coming up with agendas to to to help the community.
It is a lot of hard work. But I love
hard work. I am in it. I'm proud to say
I am a black man with a small business. I

(28:27):
love the support that I get. I'm always open to
other ideas as to how we can expand Team Winfree.
So who knows, Andre, stay tuned. Maybe maybe that chapter
thing will take shape at some point. We shall see.

(28:48):
Next question is from Natasha and Portland, Maine. Natasha writes, Elijah,
what inspired you to start your radio show in the
first place, Well, when I when I started to become
an autism advocate. I use golf as my platform and

(29:09):
I still do. Even though I don't play golf anymore. Really,
you know, I still go to the range from time
to time. I will play around it two every now
and then. You know. But I've been so focused on
my my nonprofit. But with my radio show, I'm always

(29:32):
looking for other avenues to share my voice and to
share the voice of the listeners or guests that I
have on the show about the work that they're doing
in the community, whether it's autism related or not. If
they're making a difference, I want them on the show
or I want to share their story. Right, So I

(29:52):
really started the show to give a voice to the
community heroes. Right. It's not just Elijah that you hear
and see or that I talk about, Right, I don't
just talk about myself. There are a lot of people
who put me in position to succeed. There are a
lot of community advocates who are doing the work, whether

(30:13):
it be from a cancer perspective or autism perspective or
Parkinson's disease. Like, there are a lot of people who
are heroes that are really doing the work, and you know,
I want to highlight that. And I also wanted to
create a platform with kindness and service are front and center.

(30:35):
You know, I'm trying to leave with love. I'm trying
to be positive. And that's not to say that I
don't see the world, because I promise you I see
the world. I know what's going on. Just because I
don't yell about it or scream about it doesn't mean
I don't know what's going on. I've seen it, but
I've seen it my whole life. So a lot of
things that are happening, a lot of things that are
being said, I've heard those things my whole life, So

(31:01):
I know what's happening in the world. But this show,
I wanted it to be a show about kindness and
love and empathy and compassion and talking about people who
are doing great things right. I wanted to celebrate on
this show, and we've been able to do that. When

(31:25):
I started this show, I've told this story before. I
have a really good friend and he is a great
friend to this day. Great friend. He was brutally honest
about my first show that I did. He told me
how bad it was. He told me how my voice
wasn't a radio voice. He told me that I should

(31:47):
stick to golf and use golf as the vehicle. He
told me in his words, and I quote, this ain't it.
And had I listened to that, I wouldn't be three
hundred plus shows in I wouldn't be successful. I wouldn't
be listened to from from from all of you from
around the world. You know, I have people who listen

(32:08):
to the show that live in Canada, who live in
the UK, who live in Australia, UH and here in
the States. I'm extremely grateful all of you that are
live right now. The number is mind blowing. So I'm
extremely grateful for the opportunity to share my voice to listeners.
You know, I consider myself a leader. I don't. I'm

(32:31):
not a follower, So you know, I try to do
things that make me happy. I take the risks, and
if I fall on my face, I fall on my face.
You know, I don't mind the critique. I don't mind
people saying things that they feel true to them. Right,

(32:51):
if it's true to you, you to say it. You know,
if it stings me, it stinks me. But I keep
moving forward. You know I don't. I won't say I
understand because I've done it to people. So I love
the show. I'm hoping that it helps people. I feel
like it does, and based on the numbers that we

(33:13):
get every week, you know, you're telling me that I
shouldn't stop, and I won't stop. The next question is
from Sean and Milwaukee. Sean writes, Elijah, who has been
one of your most memorable guests? And why I've had
so many incredible guests on the show. Sean, I think

(33:39):
those some of the stories that of resilience always stand out.
There's not really one that I can pinpoint because I
consider all the guests great. All of them are willing
to come on the show and talk about what they're
doing in the community, of what's not happening in the community.
They're always leading with kindness and getting with love. So

(34:01):
it's not just it's not one incredible guest that I
could I could talk to you about. They're all incredible
and I'm very thankful that they take time out of
their mornings to be on the show. It really means
a lot to me. All Right, let's take one more
question before we close the show today. This last question

(34:23):
is from gabriel excuse me, Gabrielle and Anchorage, Alaska. Gabrielle writes,
are there any exciting upcoming episodes or guests you can
tease for us. Ah, sure, I listen. My goal is

(34:45):
to have guests on the show. Unfortunately, you know, life
gets in a way. You know, people are busy. I
do promise I am gonna have guests on the show.
I know I've said that quite a bit. We're gonna
get back to that, but yeah, I would say, you know,
I have some powerful guests lined up, you know. I

(35:07):
think now we just have to make sure that you know,
their schedule syncs up with the show schedule, and if
it does, great, If it doesn't, you know, well we'll
figure it out. You know. I can't share all the
details just yet, but trusts me, you don't want to
miss those conversations. They're always good, They're always insightful, and

(35:30):
I'm always a better person for it. Right. It helps
me evolve. So stay tuned, Gabrielle's stay tuned. All right.
That's it for questions, folks. I really enjoy answering them.
Continue to send those in to me at Elijah dot
Winfrey at gmail dot com and my amazing producer and

(35:50):
I will do our best to get them on and
get them answered. Listen as we wrap up the show.
I as always, I want to thank all of you
for your thoughtful questions, one from across the country right
and your support. It means a lot. As I host

(36:15):
this show every week, I love talking about my work
and and sharing things with you that are positive and
you know, talking about the hard things. We can do
the hard things. I really appreciate your feedback, everybody that
has sent me emails. They've always been kind, they've always

(36:37):
been supportive, and you know, this show isn't nearly as
successful without you. Always remember that. So shout out to
all of the listeners live and all of the listeners
that will download this show later. Thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you. I'm very grateful, we are very grateful.

(36:59):
Do me a favor this week, this upcoming week, get
out in your communities and check in on your family
and friends. 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 whatever

(37:21):
you download your favorite podcast Till next week. Take care,
God blessed about