The Elijah Winfrey Show

Elijah gets you caught up on his past week, & answers your email questions. Be sure to tune in!

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. I am excited to
be with you today. We have a great show lined
up for you today, and we're going to get back
to answering some of your amazing email questions. First and foremost,
I hope that your weekend is I hope it's been productive.

(00:56):
That's what I'm trying to say. I hope that it's
gotten off to a good start. And wherever you are
in your weekend, whether you're winding down, I know for
some of us the weekend is just starting. I hope
that you have planned something for yourself pertaining to self care,
and I hope it's working out for you. Myself, my

(01:19):
weekend has been pretty decent, you know. I'm what I'm
what I'm starting to do now as part of my
ongoing wellness plan, and that I continue to tweak every
now and then. I am trying to limit my my

(01:40):
cell phone time, you know, texting and and and you
know social media, you know, things like that. I'm trying
to limit that on the weekends now and really focus
more on my mindset and getting ready for the week ahead.
You know, it's it's hit and miss sometimes. But this
weekend I and say it's been pretty productive. So that's

(02:05):
where I am at with that. I am I'm feeling okay.
You know, I still got a lot of work to do.
I saw the doctor this past week, and you know,
there are some things that I still have to clean
up from a health standpoint, and you know, we have
a plan and we're going to work on that. Regarding sleep,

(02:27):
it's the same old thing. You know, it's a struggle.
But I'm going to continue to fight. And you know,
I know I'm going to see I'm gonna see the light,
right so I know I'm going to come out the
other side. So I'm going to continue to fight hard
on that front. But I got a lot of things
done this past week. My children's book, my fifth book

(02:52):
that will be out in January, finally pushed through production
and now we are in the print phase and we
are going to be interacting with distributors around the country,
you know, so be on the lookout for for that

(03:13):
announcement that will come most likely December sixth. And you know,
we are gearing up now for this whole big push
to get this book seen and read by kids and
teachers and and and and every everyone. So I'm excited

(03:38):
about that process. I was really excited that, you know,
we we finally are able to start this process, so
that was good. We are still feeding families as far
as Team Winfrey goes. You know, we're going to do
some things, you know, for those who celebrate Thanksgiving, and

(03:59):
and we know that the government shut down, it's still
in full effect unfortunately, so you know, I encourage you
all as I encourage myself, to continue to reach out
in the community and help where you can. If you can,
you know, spare a meal or grab a couple of

(04:20):
grocery gift cards to help for needy families, I encourage
you to do that. We're going to do that this
upcoming week, and we're going to try to deliver these
gift cards no later than November twenty first, so families
can get in and out of those grocery stores and
get the food items that they need. So make sure

(04:40):
you're checking in on your people and you're doing your
best to help those that you know and maybe help
someone that you see struggling that you don't know. It's
a lot of folks out there that are they've really
been hit hard, and it's on all of us who
have a little bit extra to help them out. So

(05:04):
let's do that. Family's doing well. I don't have I
really never have any complaints. I just start rambling about,
you know, myself and my family. But we're doing well
and we're excited for the week ahead. All right, all right,

(05:24):
that's that. All right, let's pivot into the show. Before
we get started with these questions, I want to thank
you all for sending in some very kind emails this
past week. Also last week's show, we singled out a
loyal listener and she had some amazing questions that we

(05:46):
were able to answer on the air. And you know,
I am just amazed and thankful and grateful for the
responses that you all send me every week. Rather it's
before the show, after the show. It really means a lot.
So that show was received well and some of you

(06:07):
were calling for more of that, and we're going to
do our best to give you that. All right, continue
to send your questions into me at Elijah dot Winfrey
at gmail dot com and my amazing producer Greg Nice
and I would do our very best to get your
questions on the show and answer. All right. Okay, let's
get started today. We have some questions sent in from

(06:32):
folks around the country, and this first question is from
Maya and the atl Atlanta, Georgia. I get a lot
of first off, before I get to this question, I
get a lot of email from the atl who supports
the show. Right. I know some of you know I
was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia. You know, YadA, YadA, YadA.

(06:54):
But I appreciate the love from my hometown. It really
means a lot. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Okay,
Maya asked Elijah Para. Professionals do so many different things
in education. What's your personal style and how would you
describe the way you connect with your students. Ooh, that's

(07:17):
a good question, Maya. I would probably say my style
is relational, you know what I mean. I try. I
try my best to lead with empathy and with patients
like you gotta have that. Like this job as a

(07:40):
para professional or para educator, it's difficult. It's not a
walk in the park, nor should it be right. And
you have to really be patient a lot of the
time because you're not going to see that result right away.
And you got to have empathy. And I do think

(08:04):
that I have those things. And I think what what
being a parent educator has done for me. It's enhanced
my patience and empathy, and it's allowed me to grow
in that department as well. I do my best to
try to meet students where they are because I think

(08:27):
that's important, and I try to help them build confidence
in their own abilities, not mine, And to me, that's
the connection. I try to come down to their level
as much as I can, while also providing them a

(08:49):
few tools to navigate things. And I think, I listen,
I think for me, connection always before correction, right, I
have to be able to connect before I can get
in and and and discipline in a way that's loving

(09:09):
or or correct in a way that's not intrusive or offensive.
That makes sense. That's a great question. Great question. Next
question is from James and Tacoma, Washington. James writes, Elijah,
how do you balance being supportive while helping students build independents?

(09:34):
I think it's a fine line, James, You know what
I mean. I I th I think I guide rather
than I get. And again, we all have our different styles.
I've been around you know, these amazing pair of educators,
and each one of us have different styles and skill

(09:56):
sets that work, and I think we feed off of
each other. And you know, my goal is to teach
tools that students can use without me standing beside them.
I don't think anybody wants someone hovering over them as
they're trying to do their work and trying to really

(10:17):
focus and think about something. And so I try to
stay in the background as much as I can. Right
there's some students you have to sit beside and you
have to be able, you know, to work with them
that way, and so you know, I can do both.

(10:39):
But my goal is to go in and see what
you have to see what I'm working with, and then
build from there. And when you watch them grow into
that independence, it's so rewarding when you see it, when
they get it and they start moving forward, It's an
amazing thing to see. And you can see the excitement

(11:01):
in their body language, in their tone of voice once
they get it and they figure it out. So I
my style, I like to guide like I like to
you know, kind of turn you in this direction, and
you know, as I'm connecting, we're moving forward. It may
not be at a fast pace as some others, but

(11:22):
you know, I think every little step it helps, it
works so that I hope that answers your question. But
it is a fine line, make no mistake about it.
Fine line. Next question is from Maria in Chicago, Illinois.
Maria rights Elijah, what's the most rewarding part of your
day working education?

Speaker 3 (11:45):
Ah?

Speaker 2 (11:49):
I think all of it, honestly, Maria. Like it's the
small winds. Sometimes it's the big wins. It's seeing a
students smile, you know, after overcome me a challenge or whatnot.
You know, you watch them show kindness to other classmates.
I think that's that's a big deal, you know. I
think all those moments make it worthwhile.

Speaker 3 (12:12):
You know.

Speaker 2 (12:12):
I I've said this before, and I say this quite often.
I'm happy on my way to happy. You know, when
I when I'm starting my day and I'm heading to
the building, I'm excited to see the staff. I'm excited
to see the principal and the vice principal. I'm excited
to see that the teachers. I'm excited to see the nurse.

(12:33):
I'm excited to see the kids. You know, so I'm
happy on my way to happy. I never I never
get up with the mindset of thinking, you know, I'm
not happy today, but when I get to school, I'm
going to be happy. I think you have to be
happy on your way to happy. Don't think you're gonna
get there and be happy. I have to remember that.

(12:54):
I carry myself with me. So I'm excited when I
wake up in the morning because I get to see
my people, right, And that's exciting, that's moving for me.
You know, those are some of the and that's the
that's the rewarding part watching them win and succeed and

(13:17):
being anxious to see them every day. It's everything. It's everything.
Next question is from Derek and Phoenix, Arizona. Derek writes, Hi, Elijah,
how's your health these days? That's okay, Thanks for asking Derek.

(13:40):
I I would say I'm doing I'm doing okay. I
would say I'm doing well. You know, I think you
had I posted something a couple of days ago, you know,
being thankful that you know I'm able to wake up
every day and how much of a blessing it is.

(14:02):
And you know, I have the opportunity to work out
and get my body to a place mentally and physically
where I can attack today, attack the week, attack the month.
So I you know, I'm grateful. I do have my struggles,
just like everybody else. You know, I don't think there's

(14:25):
a person who can say that, you know, they don't
have little tweaks here and there in their bodies or
they're thinking about something mentally that they need to work on.
So I would say I'm doing well. You know, I'm
trying to eat all the right things in moderation, right,
but I still, you know, like to be you know,

(14:46):
loose and free with what I'm eating. But I try
to be intentional about the balance that I'm setting for myself. Right,
I'm fifty two, and I know, you know, as I
continue to evolve and get older, you know, I'm going
to have to continue to really focus on, you know,
my health, both physically and mentally. So you know, each

(15:10):
day I think I'm learning how to slow down and
listen to my body. And that's something that I think
as we're when we're younger, we're not thinking about that, right.
We think we can conquer everything. We don't get tired,
we don't feel the aches and pains, right, and it's
not until you get older that those things come back.
But you know, I've done a better job of listening
to my body and shutting things down when I need

(15:34):
to shut things down. And you know, I think that
will only get better and I just have to continue
to be smart about it. It's a great question. Next
question comes from Carla in New York City. Carla writes, ELI,

(15:55):
have your sleeping habits improved or are you still working
on that perfect routine? I you know, Carlo, it's not
a I don't think there is a perfect routine. You know,
I have a routine that I feel like it has
been consistent, like it has worked. You know, sleep is

(16:18):
still a work in progress, though you know I do.
I do a really good job at settling down. You know,
I can come home and work in my home office,
like that's the luxury of having my own business. Right,
I can work anywhere, but I choose to work at home.
I have this office that we've built here and well

(16:40):
at home, of course, but I have that, and you know,
I can work there. I can work from the bedroom,
which I sort of do. It's like fifty to fifty,
but I I get to the bedroom if I'm in there,
for instance, and I'm in there with the hopes of
falling asleep. Now, I don't put any pressure on myself

(17:02):
because I used to do that and it would be
disastrous trying to force myself to lay down and sleep.
So you know, I can say that while it's a
work in progress, I'm still fighting hard.

Speaker 3 (17:15):
You know.

Speaker 2 (17:15):
I have days where I feel like I have a
little more energy than the previous day, and then I
have days where I feel like, you know, I'm really
running on fumes and I really need to pace myself.
So I have a routine that works for me, and
I just think I have to continue to prioritize it
and make sure rest is at the forefront, right. It

(17:35):
can't be at the end. It's got to be somewhere
in the middle. And I think I'm trending in that direction,
but thanks for asking. Next question is from Devon in Seattle.
Devon rights, Elijah, what's something you do to recharge after
a long week? Absolutely positively nothing. I like to do nothing,

(17:58):
I'm telling you I am. I consider myself a very
boring guy. I do. My wife might differ or she
might agree, But I like to sit at home. I
like to watch Andrew Griffith. I like to watch classic

(18:20):
horror movies.

Speaker 3 (18:21):
You know.

Speaker 2 (18:22):
I like to cook. I love to clean. You know,
those things help me recharge. And I like to just
lay around and think, you know about you know, my
life and where I am and where I want to
go and how much time I have to do all
of that. So I like peace, you know. You know,

(18:47):
as I said at the top of the show, I'm
working on less phone time, so you know, no phone,
no noise, just peace, sitting still, taking a walk and
admiring like the fall colors, or just simply meditating. So

(19:10):
I know, I just said a lot there, but you know,
a lot of that stuff is done in the confines
of my home, and it's worked for me. You know,
I've been out in the crowds. You know that wasn't
It's not as fun as as you may think it is.
It isn't, at least for me. So I like to
be home. You know, I'm able to find my balance.

(19:32):
I'm able to you know, think about which direction I
want to go to start the follow the upcoming week.
But you know, I like doing simple things, which can
sometimes be very boring. Next question is from Angela in Dallas.

(19:54):
Angela Rights Elijah. You've been advocating for autism awareness and
helping lower income family families for years. What changes have
you seen in the community. HM hmm. That's a wonderful question, Angela.
I've seen I guess I've seen more awareness in places

(20:16):
that I may have I haven't seen it before. But
I also know we need more of that, you know.
I think a lot of families that I work with, HM,
they want understanding, not pity, and you know, they're craving,

(20:44):
like you know, consistent support and not just during Autism
Awareness Month. I speak about this all the time, Like
we we focus a lot on Autism Awareness Month, which
is great, which is absolutely great, but I think we
have to all of us, me included, we have to
do a better job of raising awareness and acceptance every day.

(21:12):
It's about doing it all year, not just one month.
And I think we're making strides in that direction. You know,
like most things, that's gonna take time, and it's gonna
take more of us to truly understand and educate ourselves
regarding autism. You know, there are a lot of opinionaires

(21:33):
in the world, you know. I think at some point
we have to sit down all of us at a
table and really talk about autism, how we see it,
find common ground, and proceed to help as many families
as we can. And there are organizations doing that. We
just need more. But that's a good question. Next question

(21:55):
is from Marcus and Detroit. Marcus writes, Elijah, do you
think at nineteen still plays a role in how hard
families are struggling? Absolutely? I think the effects of COVID
I think it still ripples through communities and it set

(22:18):
a lot of families back, especially the families who live
in paycheck to paycheck and they're trying to navigate autism
care and responsibility. You know, if you've been on a
weight list, if you were on a weight list during
the pandemic, oh my goodness, like that that it was.
It was already pretty long before the pandemic, and once

(22:41):
COVID hit, it just seems like things just shattered and
we lost a lot of crucial resources. And I don't
think we fully recovered, right because you have to rebuild
those resources now and that takes time. So I absolutely

(23:05):
think COVID played a huge part in the community for
these families, a huge part. Next question is from Stephanie
and Portland, Oregon. Stephanie writes, Hi, Elijah, I really really
love your show. What keeps you motivated to keep doing

(23:25):
this work year after year? Stephanie, I would say it's
all about love. I love what I do. Love keeps
me going. You know, I don't really see it as
work because I'm really passionate about it and I think
it's it's my purpose. I have a lot of love

(23:47):
for the kids, for the families, uh and you know,
and and for the idea that we can continue to
lift each other up. You know, all it takes is
one person sometimes to see you shining your light. Then
they flash their light and then it just spreads. I

(24:12):
try to I do my best to try to share
my work on social media. It's never been about bragging
to me, it's never been about ego to me. Again.
We're a small nonprofit, so I'm not out. I'm not
on social media, you know, talking about the work we're
doing for CLAP. I don't do that. It's a no no,

(24:35):
you know. I share my work with the hopes of
it opening doors for other folks who are interested in
being advocates or starting their own business or interacting with
their communities more. I don't have a degree. You don't
have to have a degree. You don't. You just have
to do the best you can. If you do that,

(24:58):
it works. So it's it's worked for me. Next question
is from Brian in Miami, Florida. Brian says Brian asked, Elijah,

(25:18):
this is a funny question, Elijah. You're modeling athletic where
now what's it like being a model at this stage
in your life? Humbling? It's an incredible experience, I will say,
I am. I'm very thankful, you know. I think a

(25:41):
lot of this stuff, you know, at least the modeling
has come from my work in the community. Right. I
think people have seen my work, they've been inspired to
do their own thing, or they want me to be
a part of what they're doing, which is positive and
it's all about leading with love, and so I enjoy it.

(26:05):
Modeling was never something that I imagine not doing that
fifty two. But I'm thanking. I'm thankful to be working,
you know, and interacting with these companies. You know, I
am an ambassador for a couple of companies that I
really like that have greater parel and I'm honored that

(26:31):
they they sought me out and wanted to add me
to their team. So it's been empowering in a lot
of ways to represent men my age, you know what
I mean. And I have that confidence to say, look,
this is what I'm wearing, this is what I'm comfortable in,

(26:51):
this is me. And a lot of this started with
Peloton too. You know, I think Peloton opened that door
and you know, I walked through reluctantly, but I walked
through and I came out the other side a better

(27:13):
person and got some pretty neat apparel as well. So
you know, I I say, you know, live out your dreams,
you know, and you'd be surprised at what other doors
open up as you're you know, on your journey, right
some of those doors will lead you to places that

(27:33):
that are amazing, But you got to be willing to
take that risk. Next question, it's from Lauren in Sacramento, California.
Lauren writes, Elijah, how Elijah, has modeling changed how you
view yourself? That's a good question. I don't know if

(28:00):
it's I don't know if it's changed how I view myself.
I think I'm a pretty decent looking guy. I think
I'm a decent guy. I'm not a you know, I'm
not a I think I'm striving to be a great guy.
I think modeling has helped me embrace every part of myself,
you know, the gray beard, you know that I need

(28:23):
to trim up from time to time, the scars, the journey.
You know, it's allowed me to really look at myself
in totality and and embrace what's in the mirror. You know,
sometimes we try to mask certain things, you know. I
you know, when I was growing up, you know, I've

(28:44):
always had skinny legs. You know, my legs have never
been like big or muscular. But the running joke in
in my family growing up and with my friends was
I had table and legs, which is still pretty funny.

(29:04):
And you know, when you hear it a lot, you
start to become shy about wearing shorts and and things
like that. You know, I was. I was. Fortunately for me,
I was never like that because I really embraced it,
and you know, I was able to laugh it off.
And and you know, I think I love my I

(29:25):
love myself for who I look like and who I
was physically from the from the very beginning. You know.
But I think as you model and you go to
these these photo shoots or whatever, you you start to
really accept who you really are, and you're you're proud

(29:45):
of the scars that you have right that people can see.
You know, I'm proud of my gray beard or and
my lack of hair on top of my head. You know,
I'm proud of my my my skinny legs. So I
you know, it's taught me. I think it's taught me
that authenticity matters. It's better than perfection. It's better than

(30:12):
perfection ever could be. So I love my flaws. I
embrace them. I let people see them. I don't care.
You know, you know, I try my best to live,
so I would say, that's what. So I to answer
your question, Lauren to a degree, Yes, to a degree, No,

(30:34):
I know who I am. All right, one more question.
This is our final question today as we get ready
to close down the show. This question is from Tommy
and Nashville, Tennessee. Tommy writes, Elijah, what message do you
hope people take away from seeing you model athletic where
and live healthy look I I would hope that they

(31:03):
would think that we say age is just a number,
and it is to some degree, although you feel it
as you get older, it's never too I guess I
would say it's never too late to reinvent yourself. Take
care of your body, take care of your mind, take
care of your spirit, nurture it, and don't be afraid

(31:29):
to step into new chapters with confidence. I think a
lot of us lack that confidence to step into new
chapters or to take the risk necessary to be successful.
But I have the courage to do that. I'm thankful

(31:50):
many times over for the things that have happened to
me because of me taking the risk. Not all good
things were good, were pleasant, some were hard, some were tough.
I failed a lot of times. But those are the
lessons that I need to learn, and you learn those

(32:12):
lessons by taking the risk. You got to get it
wrong to get it right. Remember that you have to
get it wrong to get it right. We all fall
down at certain points in life. I've never met a
person who's told me that they've never made a mistake
or they've never fallen. We all do, so just take

(32:35):
the risks. You'd be surprised, all right. I want to
thank everyone who's sent in questions this week. They were amazing.
As I always say, keep them coming. Your voices matter,
and I try my best to make sure that I
get them on the show. So thank you, thank you,

(32:57):
Thank you. Do 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.
Thank you for supporting this show. It really means a

(33:18):
lot to us. Thank you to the live listeners. Thank
you to everyone who downloads the show throughout the week.
I really appreciate it. I'm sending as much love and
like to you right now until next week. Take care,
God bless Thank you for listening to The Elijah Winfrey Show.

(33:40):
Please be sure to download this show wherever you download
your favorite podcast.

Speaker 3 (33:45):
Take care, Papa.

Speaker 1 (34:12):
The