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Some stories aren’t meant to be told once; they’re meant to be lived, spoken, and reshaped until the truth inside them finally lands. That’s where we go with poet Tony B, whose book Runaway Home charts a fierce, tender path through grief, reinvention, and the power of choosing your own voice. We start with the line that won’t leave her alone—“I write because I don’t know what else to do”—and follow it from midwestern roots to a thousand-mile drive toward the Atlantic with nothing but a car, $4,000, and conviction.

Tony opens up about losing her husband and father, pouring love into a restaurant that ultimately failed, and rediscovering her craft during the stillness of COVID. She explains how writing helps her process what she’s learned, while performance functions like confession, turning poems into actions. Together we unpack the structure of Runaway Home—family, relationships, grief, and the title section—threaded with acceptance, forgiveness, healing, and love. We talk about the difference between happiness and joy, why the ocean became a place to be rather than do, and how she learned to cancel old “subscriptions” to beliefs that didn’t honor her life.

This conversation is raw, grounded, and filled with lines you’ll carry. You’ll hear how agency grows when we own our choices without denying what’s been done to us, how a voice becomes clearer when it’s spoken aloud, and why place matters when it resets your rhythm. If you’ve ever felt the pull to start over, to reframe your story, or to find home inside yourself, Tony’s journey will meet you where you are. Stream now, share it with someone who needs courage for a leap, and if it resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what belief are you canceling next?

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What happens when culture becomes the bridge instead of the barrier? We sit with Rita Addico Cohen, executive director of the Tidewater African Cultural Alliance, to explore a life that stretched from Accra to Hampton Roads and a mission that now spans classrooms, libraries, and community stages. Rita shares how TACA’s African Cultural Education (ACE) program brings one country at a time into schools through language, storytelling, and dance—turning curiosity into confidence and delivering measurable gains in knowledge, relationships, and social-emotional skills.

We dig into the design: six- to eight-week modules, vocabulary from major African languages, and a storytelling practice adapted from Ghanaian tradition that helps students name morals and navigate behavior with empathy. Thanks to a partnership with curriculum experts at Old Dominion University, ACE is built to scale. Rita’s own path—polyglot, federal interpreter, Manhattan School of Music alum, theater artist—powers a teaching style that makes heritage feel alive. Beyond classrooms, TACA convenes joyful public events: a gala featuring 20+ countries, country-focused showcases with local diasporas, and the return of Afrobeats Fest with youth workshops, college connections, and cultural scholarships.

We also face the hard history. Rita unpacks the transatlantic slave trade’s reach, the endurance of African design and polyrhythms across global music and fashion, and why attempts to erase culture ultimately fail. Mental health sits alongside celebration, with monthly conversations led by clinicians to help communities of African descent process trauma and strengthen resilience. If you believe culture should be accessible, accurate, and shared, this conversation offers a roadmap—and an invitation.

Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of culture, education, and community. Share this episode with a friend, and tell us which country you’d like to see ACE bring to your local school next.

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Do us a favor and like, comment, share, and subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. To see the full video on YouTube go to Listen Up with Host Al Neely

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Fashion doesn’t just live in New York or Paris. It thrives wherever creators take the risk to build a stage. We sit down with Ann Ward Lester and Jennifer Lester of Splash Entertainment Group to trace how a model management experiment became Virginia Fashion Week, why they aligned this year’s showcase with Timbaland Way, and what it takes to turn a local runway into a real creative economy in Hampton Roads.

Ann opens up about the early vision shared with stylist Ron Cook and the late, beloved Cookie Dabney, and how that collaboration set a professional standard for fittings, lineups, and show flow. Jennifer reveals the moving parts you don’t see: model calls, designer coordination, communications, and the 48‑hour scramble before lights up. Together, they map a pipeline where first collections evolve into paid work in New York, Paris, and Dubai—and how those alumni circle back to teach, mentor, and vend, keeping the ecosystem alive. We talk candidly about sponsor realities in a military‑leaning market, the rising tide from Pharrell’s Something in the Water, and why honoring local music on the runway turns a fashion show into a cultural salute.

You’ll also hear beauty and skincare wisdom from Ann’s channel, Fabulous Life 101—practical routines for midlife skin health that complement the runway’s artistry. From vendor curation that favors actual makers to collaborations with Team Lamb, the episode offers a grounded blueprint for building a scene: focus on craft, elevate community, and let fashion, music, and film amplify each other. Join us, grab tickets via VAFashionWeek.com, and help push Hampton Roads further onto the creative map. If the episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to support the artists shaping our city’s future.

Support the show

Do us a favor and like, comment, share, and subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. To see the full video on YouTube go to Listen Up with Host Al Neely

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Email: Info@listenup.biz
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Facebook: Let's Talk About It - Listen Up
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Website: listenup.biz

YouTube: Listen Up with Host Al Neely