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Democracy feels abstract until it shows up in your therapy office, your workplace, or your child’s school. We sit down with Jessica Sanchez, an author, advocate, and founder of Daughters Of Both Suns, to talk about what it really takes to support Black and Latina women with culturally responsive therapy, resource navigation, and community-based healing. Jessica explains why “mental health is health care” only becomes true when people can actually access care that fits their language, culture, and lived experience, especially in rural areas where hospitals close, providers are scarce, and internet access can decide whether telehealth is even possible.

From there, we trace how fear and instability spread through communities. Jessica shares what she’s seeing around immigration enforcement, ICE raids, and family separation, including the economic fallout when workers stay home and the psychological toll when a spouse is detained or deported. We also talk about domestic violence dynamics, why victims often hesitate to speak, and what trauma-informed support should look like when safety and trust have been broken.

We widen the lens to the post-2024 election environment, where misinformation, repetition, and propaganda fuel division and “vote for me” thinking. We discuss protest energy, the needs of veterans facing long wait times and funding cuts, and why pluralism depends on education, civic engagement, and rejecting white Christian nationalism while respecting freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. If you care about mental health equity, democracy, and real community support, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation.

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A storm knocks down a cedar limb, and most people see yard waste. We see a whole philosophy. We’re joined by Nathan Elliott, a third-generation woodturner and woodcarver with roots connected to the Nansemond, Nottoway, and Saponi tribes in Eastern Virginia, and he walks us through how a spinning block of wood on a lathe becomes a bowl that carries memory, place, and purpose.

From there, we follow the sound. Nathan explains the Native American flute, why he records real nature audio to build calm into his music, and how an Iroquois-style water drum actually uses water to soften and tune the drum head. We talk about making art that’s functional, not wasteful, and how traditional practices like brain tanning and using every part of a material connect to today’s conversations about sustainability, mindfulness, and stress relief.

We also go deeper into faith and spirituality, what it means to speak of the Creator, and why respect for creation remains foundational. Nathan shares what it meant to perform at the Kennedy Center, then shifts into wampum jewelry, clamshell value, and the craft and discipline of silversmithing. We close with Indigenous history in Virginia that many people never hear, including how Native influence still shows up in language and ideas across the United States.

Subscribe for more conversations like this, share this with a friend who loves art and history, and leave a review to help more listeners find Listen Up. What part of the conversation made you see “value” differently?

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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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He’s built for the stage, obsessed with style, and still chasing that feeling hip hop gave him the first time he saw Run DMC. We sit down with Sunny Black, a Paterson, New Jersey rapper now active in the Virginia hip hop scene, and get the kind of story you only hear from someone who’s lived multiple eras of the culture. From cardboard breakdancing at home to sharpening his pen around the golden era sound, Sonny explains how the roots shaped his voice, presence, and the way he moves through music.

We get into the artists and mentors that set the bar, including KRS-One, plus the legends he’s shared stages with. Sunny also breaks down the origin of his name, why he values craft over clout, and how he stays independent by doing the footwork himself. If you care about lyrical hip hop, performance mindset, and what it takes to build a real local following, there’s a lot here to steal for your own path.

Then we zoom out to the modern rap game: why change is inevitable, what worries him about violence-as-content, and how AI in music could reshape everything from production to creativity. He also shares why he keeps his music clean while still delivering hardcore energy, which lets him perform anywhere and turn every set into a show, roses included.

Tap in, stream Sunny Black’s music, and let us know what you think about where hip hop is headed. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the conversation.

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

Reach out to us on our socials and hit us up with any questions!

Email: Info@listenup.biz
Instagram: ListenUp4U
Facebook: Let's Talk About It - Listen Up
Twitter: ListenUp@Listenup4U
Website: listenup.biz

YouTube: Listen Up with Host Al Neely