Diva Tonight with Carlene Humphrey

A lot of us don’t realize we’re depressed until someone gives us the words. That’s where our conversation with author and educator Cathelina Duvert begins—at the moment a lifelong “low” gets named, and a path forward takes shape. We trace her journey from silent suffering to open storytelling, and the five daily anchors that keep her steady: writing, exercise, meditation, affirmations, and a dose...

This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Don't delay seeking care from a health professional for any medical condition. If you're having a medical emergency, call 911.

We talk with Jenny C. Cohen about dancing through chemotherapy, rebuilding safety in the body, and the tools midlife women need to protect their hormones, bones, and boundaries. This candid conversation covers survivor...

Originally aired this episode in July, 2025. I hope you enjoy this conversation and learn something new about yourself and the person you want to be at 40. 

We explore the liberating experience of being a woman in your 40s with Jennifer Kowalyshen, discussing everything from the freedom of singlehood to late-diagnosed ADHD and challenging societal expectations.

• Finding freedom from caring about others' opinions after t...

Work boundaries sound simple until you’re the one biting your tongue in a tense meeting, taking on extra tasks “just for now,” and realizing you’re doing two jobs while trying not to look difficult. We get real about that pressure and why so many women default to people pleasing at work even when it costs us time, energy, and confidence.

I’m joined by attorney Cara Tuttle, who works in higher ed...

TIFF doesn’t just show movies, it changes how they land. After some time away, I’m back in the studio with fellow movie lover Kaysen Ward to wrap up the Toronto International Film Festival and talk honestly about what makes a TIFF screening feel so different from a normal night at the theater. If you’ve ever wondered whether film festivals are worth the time, the lines, and the planning, this conversation puts the...

Living apart together sounds like a breakup to some people, but what if it is actually a smarter way to stay close? We sit down with Dr. Julie Fam to unpack LAT relationships, how they work in real life, and why “we love each other” does not automatically translate to “we should share a home”. If you crave independence and intimacy at the same time, this conversation gives you language, structure, and permis...

You can’t outsource your household and hope it all works out. Carlene sits down with Dr. Shelly Jones Holt, a former teacher turned superintendent and leadership speaker, to get painfully clear about what families are responsible for and what schools can realistically do. The conversation starts with a truth most of us feel but rarely name: your home culture walks into the classroom with your kids, whether you mean it to or n...

A single friendship can hold your secrets, your history, and your sense of who you are and it can still fall apart over one moment of betrayal. We sit down with author and journalist Susan Shapiro Barash to talk about the real life dynamics that shape female friendship: the trust we expect, the loyalty we assume, and the quiet ways a close friend can stop feeling safe. From the awkward misunderstandings that spark drama to the pain...

This episode originally aired in August of 2025

Motherhood can be the best thing you do and still be the hardest job you’ve ever had, especially when the systems around parenting make everything heavier than it needs to be. We sit down with Nicole and Marie for a real conversation about what happens before and after the baby arrives: postpartum complications, medical trauma, the fourth trimester that nobody treats like it matt...

The Best of Diva Tonight ♥️ 

Original air date April 2025

Turning 40 doesn’t magically change who you are, but it can change what you’re willing to tolerate. Carlene sits down with her friend Kimone for a real conversation about the mental switch that happens when you step into your 40s and start asking better questions: Who am I now? What do I actually want? What expectations am I ready to drop?

Camone shares...

Certainty can feel safe, but it can also make you blind. Tonight, I’m joined by coach and speaker Keren Eldad to talk about the moments that flip your story, from a TED Talk lesson on assumptions to the real-world truths of love, abuse, and starting over.

We get into the Tina Turner documentary and what it means to survive an emotionally abusive and physically abusive relationship, especially when people around you &ld...

A tiny island can create a huge moment, and Kirani James is living proof. We talk with the first Olympic gold medalist for Grenada about the real story behind the medals: a childhood in Gouyave, the fishing town routines that shaped him, and the early trips abroad where he realized he could line up with the best in Caribbean athletics and win. 

We get into the part most fans wonder about but rarely hear explained clearl...

She got sent to trapeze school at three years old, and somehow that makes perfect sense once you meet Mari Riesberg. Mari is a creativity cultivator, licensed professional counselor, and the host of the Sustaining Creativity Podcast, and our conversation turns “being creative” from a vague idea into something you can actually use on a hard day.

We talk about what it’s like to grow up performing, what the &l...

Your childhood “village” does not just raise you, it trains you for every relationship you will ever try to build. Carlene sits down with Michael T. Brown, LPC, a licensed counselor and leadership consultant based in Virginia, to talk about how faith communities, family influence, and early belonging shape identity, purpose, and the way we connect with partners, friends, and coworkers.

We get real about technolog...

Comedy isn’t reserved for the loudest person at the party, and it’s definitely not something you have to “be born with.” We sit down with Lynn Harris, creator of Gold Comedy and a longtime journalist, to break down what being professionally funny really takes and why so many capable people talk themselves out of trying it. The big takeaway: comedy is learnable, and the work is often less about forcing jokes ...

Carnival can look like pure chaos from the outside, but once you know the story, everything snaps into focus. Kerron Schullere and I talk Spice Mas, Grenada Carnival, with a real Grenadian and Trinidadian lens and all the details people skip when they treat mas like “just a party.” From the first minutes, we get into why this season pulls so many travelers back home and why 2024 feels especially significant with Grenada...

Your life can look “fine” on the outside while your inner world runs on panic, people-pleasing, and old survival scripts. We talk with healing coach and mentor Birgita Visser about what self-love actually means when you’re triggered, exhausted, and tired of repeating the same relationship patterns with new faces.

We dig into mindset and energy in a practical way: how negative self-talk becomes a loop, why a...

You can love your family, respect your culture, and still choose a different life. Carlene Humphrey sits down with her aunt, Liliana Guadagnoli, for a deeply personal conversation about what it takes to grow through change rather than simply endure it. Liliana shares her roots, from being born in Rome to building a life in Canada, and how those early chapters shaped her grit, her values, and her view of relationships.

We dig...

A nurse sits beside an IV chair, a patient says “tell me a story,” and a brand-new fantasy world snaps into focus. We’re joined by author Danielle Orsino, who walks us through the surprising true spark behind A Fool’s Journey, part of her Legacies of Light and Dark series. What starts as a casual conversation turns into a high-stakes urban fantasy premise: a CIA operative called Agent Graham goes undercover,...