Truth Be Told
American Public Media
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We’re the friend you call after a long day. The one who gets it. Through soul-nourishing conversations, host Tonya Mosley explores Black liberation with some of the greatest thinkers of our time. Season 5 explores what the latest psychedelic renaissance means for the Black diaspora. Truth Be Told is a TMI Production in association with American Public Media. We are @DearTruthBeTold on Twitter and @deartbt on Instagram. Reach out to us using the hashtag #DearTBT.
Available episodes
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Sep 14, 2023
TBT Live Part 2
A live conversation in Pasadena, California at the LAist’s Crawford Theatre. Wise One: Casey Gerald, author of There Will Be No Miracles Here. Following the discussion, all five guests from the live event return to the stage to answer questions from the audience.
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Sep 14, 2023
TBT Live Part 1
A live conversation in Pasadena, California at the LAist’s Crawford Theatre. Wise Ones: Jamilah Lemeiux, writer; Nancy Redd, award winning author and podcast host; Steven Canals, screenwriter, producer of FX’s Pose; Ayize Jama Everett, author & documentary filmmaker “A Table of Our Own.”
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Jul 10, 2023
Season 5 - BONUS: Madison McFerrin
Happy Summer! We're stepping into your feed to share a conversation Tonya recently had with singer, songwriter, and producer Madison McFerrin. Madison has been on her own liberation journey the last few years, and it’s evident with her new album “I Hope You Can Forgive Me." Tonya had her music on loop while writing Season 5 of Truth Be Told about using psychedelics to heal racial trauma, so you know we had to have her on the show!
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May 25, 2023
Season 5 - EP 7: Home
We’ve explored the psychedelic renaissance with Black scientists, therapists and everyday people in search of healing. In this season closer, host Tonya Mosley finds her own path towards healing.
Also, some parting words from our Wise Ones: Ernestine Mosley, Dr. Monnica Williams, Nicolas Powers, Undrea Wright, Camille Barton, Ayize Jama Everett.
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May 18, 2023
Season 5 - EP 6: A New World
The public's perception of drugs and drug use is changing. And with it, the decrim movement is in full swing. Soon the FDA is expected to approve psychedelic-assisted therapy.
But are these steps enough for Black people in America? Enough to keep us safe in a world of racial bias and over-policing?
There’s the potential for liberation but also for oppression.
Episode 6 explores what could happen if psychedelics become legal. Wise Ones: Dr. Carl Hart, Neuroscientist; Natalie Ginsberg, Global Impact Officer, MAPS. We want to hear what you think about Truth Be Told! You can help us out by filling out a short audience survey at deartbt.com/survey.
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May 11, 2023
Season 5 - Slowdown 1: Q & A
We’re taking a break from our series to answer your questions about psychedelic-assisted therapy and the use of psychedelics to help alleviate depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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May 4, 2023
Season 5 - EP 4: The Ancestors
We explore the magic in magic mushrooms and the ancestral and Indigenous origins of using them to heal. What does ancestral knowledge mean for Black people disconnected from our lineage? Wise Ones: adrienne maree brown: author, activist.
Undrea Wright, The Ancestor Project.
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Apr 27, 2023
Season 5 - EP 3: Self-Made
Decades after Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs, our evolved understanding of drug addiction has ushered in a new understanding of mental health and the flaws of the criminal justice system, and with it, a resurgence of an age-old medicine, once criminalized — now used as a form of healing.
In Episode 3, we meet the children of the drug war and discover how they’re navigating this newfound exploration of psychedelics to find personal healing.
Wise Ones: Ayize Jama Everett, Educator; Mary Pryor, Detroiter, Entrepreneur.
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Apr 20, 2023
Season 5 - EP 2: Letting Go
Psychedelics work by allowing us to have an experience with ourselves — To face our biggest traumas without being retraumatized.
This episode explores what that experience is like. But first, Black people (rightfully skeptical of altered states) must trust enough to let go.
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Apr 13, 2023
Season 5 - EP 1: How To Get Free
Tonya Mosley is on a journey to experience the depths of freedom and liberation and discovers new research that shows psychedelics as a promising treatment for all forms of PTSD, including racial trauma.
Tonya sets out to try magic mushrooms and discovers the psychedelic renaissance is overwhelmingly white despite its Indigenous and African roots. Episode 1 kicks off this 6 part journey led by Tonya which explores the latest science, the push for FDA approval, and the movement to get Black and Brown therapists trained in psychedelic therapy.
Wise Ones: Monnica Williams, Researcher; Sara Reed, Licensed Family Therapist; Jazmin Hupp, Psychedelic Guide. Website: deartbt.com Instagram: deartbt TikTok: tonyatalks
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Mar 30, 2023
Overture
If freedom is a birthright, host Tonya Mosley is on a journey to experience the depths of it. Season 5 explores emerging science that shows psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin mushrooms can help to heal racial trauma, whether it’s diagnosed PTSD or the kind of trauma that comes from the pain of living as a Black person in a racist world. Join us on the journey, beginning April 13th.
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Feb 1, 2023
TBT Rewind: The Womb
Hey fam, Truth Be Told will be back for a new season this spring! In the meantime, enjoy this timely encore conversation about body autonomy with journalist and abortion activist Anoa Changa. If you haven't listened to seasons 3 and 4, get on it! Season 5 of Truth Be Told is coming in April.
LINKS:
deartbt.com
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
TikTok: tonyatbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Jul 3, 2022
PREVIEW: History Is US
We want to turn you on to a new show that you should consider adding to your podcast queue: History is US. It’s a 6-part documentary podcast from C13-Originals Studios and Jon Meacham — the team behind the 2021 Webby Award-Winning Best Podcast Series “It Was Said.“
It’s written and narrated by Dr. Eddie Glaude, who is a friend of Truth Be Told. You might remember him as a Wise One from Season 2. Eddie is an award-winning author and professor of African American Studies at Princeton University – and he’s such a deeply reflective and generous thinker.
It’s a limited series that aims to help us understand how we got here, and how we can all use history to clarify the choices before us.
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Jun 16, 2022
How Good Can It Get?
Bad habits, toxic relationships, soul-sucking jobs — our inner voices tell us the truth, but are we listening? A moment of nakedness in the vastness of the ocean helped restaurant owner Kristi Brown slow down enough to hear what her inner voice was telling her. On this episode of Truth Be Told, we explore how listening to ourselves can lead us to joy and our ultimate purpose.
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Jun 9, 2022
Renewal
#MeToo founder Tarana Burke is known as a truth-teller. In this episode of Truth Be Told she goes even deeper, revealing for the first time the depths of despair she’s felt over the last few months, and the ways during these dark times she’s chasing joy and renewal.
And grab your notebook! Mental health counselor Rian Roberson steps in to give us our own mini-therapy session.
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Jun 2, 2022
Numb
What are the words - when there are no words?
In the face of so much violence, death, and heartbreak, minister and writer Danté Stewart joins us to talk about what he calls “little experiments of liberation.”
GUESTS:
Danté Stewart, minister, writer and author of Shoutin’ Into The Fire: An American Epistle.
TW: @stewartdantec
LINKS:
deartbt.com
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
TikTok: tonyatbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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May 26, 2022
Phat / Fat
Our nation’s obsession with thinness refuses to acknowledge that the ideal, at its core, is racist. How do we get beyond the belief that bigger Black bodies are a problem? And instead, allow ourselves, no matter what size, to take up space?
GUESTS:
Sabring Strings, Ph.D., scholar, and author of Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
Carvell Wallace, author, and memoirist
Mozell Ward, trainer at Radically Fit
LINKS:
deartbt.com
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
TikTok: tonyatbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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May 19, 2022
The Source
As Black Americans, we’ve had to fight to get grocery stores into our neighborhoods, while fast-food chains were encouraged to thrive thereby federal policy. It feels like the opposite of a fully liberated life...one where access to nourishing food would be easier than the smoothest drive-thru. How can we build a future where we're closer to the source of our food? We digest that history and envision a future of liberation and nourishment with @DrMChatelain and @feedoursoul founder Adrienne Wilson.
GUESTS:
Dr. Marcia Chatelain, scholar, and author of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America
Adrienne Wilson, founder, of Feed Our Soul
LINKS:
deartbt.com
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
TikTok: tonyatbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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May 12, 2022
The Womb
What do body autonomy and reproductive health look like in a post Roe vs. Wade world? The stress of racism and barriers to care–including abortion care–are part of a downward spiral in reproductive justice. Too often, those stressors play out in our wombs as fibroids and cancers. We talk about seeking justice and liberation with our guests.
GUESTS:
Anoa Changa, journalist and writer of “What’s Next for Roe v. Wade?”
Dr. Ashley Davis, Gynecologic Specialist at the Fibroid and Pelvic Wellness Center of Georgia
Omisade Burney-Scott, healer and host of Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause
LINKS:
deartbt.com
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
TikTok: tonyatbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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May 5, 2022
The Body
How do we move out of survival mode and into a place where our bodies are strong? Trauma therapist Resmaa Menakem kicks off Season 4 exploring what nourishment means outside of white notions of what our Black bodies should be.
GUESTS:
Chef Kristi Brown, co-owner of Communion
Resmaa Menakem, somatic therapist, author of the new book The Quaking of America
LINKS:
deartbt.com
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
TikTok: tonyatbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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May 1, 2022
The Black Body
In season four, we explore what nourishment means for us outside of diet culture and white notions of what our Black bodies should be.
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Apr 21, 2022
BONUS EPISODE: KevOnStage
Bonus Episode: Comedian Kevin Fredericks aka KevOnStage joins Tonya to talk about family, faith, and what liberation truly looks like in the midst of social media fame.
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Apr 14, 2022
BONUS EPISODE: Danyel Smith
Bonus Episode: This week, we talk to acclaimed journalist and host of the Black Girl Songbook podcast, Danyel Smith about her new book Shine Bright: A Personal History of Black Women in Pop, including the wise words of Rihanna and the lasting power of Donna Summer.
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Apr 7, 2022
BONUS EPISODE: Anthony Hamilton
Bonus Episode: This week, we talk to musician Anthony Hamilton about his new tour, Black love, and what he learned from the pandemic.
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Mar 31, 2022
Victory
We’ve heard of burnout and “zoom fatigue,” but what are practices we can take to let ourselves pause and not be made to feel guilty about it? This week we talk to the founder of the Nap Ministry, Tricia Hersey about how to treat our bodies, not as hustle machines, but as living, divine beings that need rest. And what does that even look like?
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Mar 24, 2022
Honesty
They say honesty is the best policy, but what does it really take to be radically honest with ourselves for the benefit of our relationships? This week we’re joined by sex educator Ericka Hart and her partner and manager Ebony P. Donnley, as they share how a relationship founded on honesty can be a pathway to our collective liberation. From open relationships to body image, nothing is off the table in this conversation!
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Mar 17, 2022
Sex
What does sexual freedom really look like? This week we interrogate the messages we’ve internalized about sex and we ask ourselves: Can we decolonize our sex lives to aid in the larger quest towards liberation for us all?
To help us unpack some of the layers we called on Ev’Yan Whitney – a sexuality doula, author, and sensualist – who helps people better understand their core desires, needs, and how to put into action what they feel.
The hosts of the Inner Hoe Uprising podcast also help us explore this topic by providing a few burning questions they’ve been sitting with. Author, essayist, and digital activist Sherronda J. Brown rounds out our convo by bringing deep clarity to the identity of asexuality and pushes back on the idea that the act of sex is what makes us human.
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Mar 10, 2022
Protection
How do we raise Black children who feel free? One way, according to conscious parenting coach Yolanda Williams, is for caregivers to first deal with their own childhood trauma. Williams sat down with Tonya to offer some actionable tips on how to raise “free-thinking Black children” - and stop the tradition of spanking as a form of discipline. We gained so much insight from Yolanda in this episode and you will too. Click here to access Yolanda’s “Be Intentional Checklist.”
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Mar 3, 2022
Perseverance
In our society, Black parents may breathe a bit easier at night knowing their children are safe and accounted for. But when a tragedy takes that breath away, how do you persevere? What does it take to keep going after a painful loss?
Perseverance is defined as the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. This week, Tonya travels to Seattle to speak with Ayanna Brown, a mother who has done just that. In 2010, Ayanna and her family endured the heart-wrenching loss of her son, Alajawan Brown, who was murdered by gun violence in a case of mistaken identity.
In this intimate and thought-provoking conversation, Ayanna takes us through how she converts hate into love, reveals that anger once fueled her, and shares a vulnerable truth –– that she is just now learning who she is. The ways in which Ayanna propels herself forward each day can inspire us all to persevere.
We wrap up this powerful episode with the author of “Grief is Love: Li…
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Feb 24, 2022
Obligation
Black men have it hard in America.
And by and large, Black women have felt an obligation to show up, love, and support them. Is it too much to ask that they show up for us?
That’s the topic we’re taking on this week with writer and cultural critic Jamilah Lemieux. She recently wrote a piece for Vanity Fair where she coined the term “the Black Ass Lie,” pointing out the harm that comes from the ongoing narrative that straight Black men have it the worst in our society. She believes this lie is to the detriment of Black women, queer and trans people.
In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Jamilah unpacks the layers of obligation Black women have to Black men with writer and professor Kiese Laymon. We explore the use of the b-word used to rhetorically destroy Black women — and what holding Black cishet men accountable actually looks like.
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Feb 17, 2022
Unwavering Love
For many of us, the church is a place of refuge. It’s where we first experience community and an understanding of love. But real talk: what do you do as a non binary person if the place that made you, doesn’t exactly accept who you are?
That’s the dilemma from our very own editor James T. Green, who explores their identity and faith with renowned writer and poet, Nikki Giovanni. In this conversation, Nikki shares some of her most intimate truths with James, including her own challenges with the institution of the Black church.
2022 WEBBY WINNER: BEST ADVICE PODCAST
Twitter: deartruthbetold
Instagram: deartbt
Email: tonya@deartbt.com
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Feb 10, 2022
Season 3 Trailer: Liberation
It’s 2022 and we’re taking on two of the most urgent questions of our time: What does liberation look like for Black Americans? And what does it mean to be free?
Season 3, which premieres on February 17th, offers a compelling sonic exploration into what liberation looks, sounds, and feels like for Black Americans with some of the greatest thinkers of our time. Host Tonya Mosley takes us on a deeply personal exploration — peeling back the layers of how Black Americans are liberating ourselves from the expectations of a colonized existence to help us live richer, fuller, more free lives.
Meet our production team and take a sneak peek listen!
New episodes drop every Thursday beginning February 17, 2022.
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Jan 5, 2022
I See You, Sis
It’s been a long time. We shouldn’t have left you, but Truth Be Told is back!
To ground you for the premiere of season three, our host, Tonya Mosley is popping in to share a personal reflection of two near-drowning experiences, once at 8-years old and the other on the day of the insurrection; January 6, 2021.
Through wisdom from the greatest thinkers of our time, Truth Be Told explores what it means to grow and thrive as a Black person in America.
We’re the friend you call after a long day, the one who gets it.
New episodes drop February 2022.
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Nov 19, 2020
Pain and Purpose: Lessons From Bruce Lee and Frida Kahlo
The days are shorter, colder and 2020 isn’t over. Like you, we’re looking for inspiration to sustain us, so we turned to Shannon Lee and Arianna Davis who are passing on the teachings of great icons Bruce Lee and Frida Kahlo — timeless figures that we continually learn from decades after their deaths.
Episode transcript here: shorturl.at/ryzAR
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Nov 5, 2020
Hey Young World, The World Is Yours
What’s the world you’re fighting for? We posed this question to some of the most dynamic young voices of our time, including musician Alex Aiono and Good Call NYC founder Jelani Anglin who joined Tonya Mosley to talk about fighting for social justice in the midst of a pandemic and an election year unlike any other.
Episode transcript here: shorturl.at/erzE4
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Oct 22, 2020
If I Ruled The World
What happens when two badass Black journalists get together to talk about the stakes of this presidential election? Real talk, that’s what happens. On this episode of Truth Be Told, Tonya Mosley checks in with veteran journalist Farai Chideya who believes the fate of this nation depends on women of color -- all it needs is for everyone else to get out of the way.
Episode transcript here: shorturl.at/fjuI1
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Oct 8, 2020
No More Shame
Here’s a truth: All of us know someone with mental illness, or experience it ourselves. So why are we ashamed to talk about it? Why is there a stigma about it in many communities of color? Author Bassey Ikpi is tired of the secrets and silence. And now more than ever, she says it’s time for us to get real with each other, for the sake of our collective healing.
Episode transcript here: shorturl.at/awKMZ
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Sep 24, 2020
Our Lives Matter, Too
How do you educate loved ones about your disability without making them feel like you’re shoving information down their throats? That is this week's question, answered by Alice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility Project. Alice underscores the connection between disability justice and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Episode transcript here: shorturl.at/abxEP
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Sep 8, 2020
Fight Like Chadwick
Chadwick Boseman’s death has raised awareness of colon cancer, but for the men behind TRAPMedicine, Jahmil Lacey and Dr. Italo Brown, it illustrates the healthcare disparities Black people face.
Transcript link here: shorturl.at/QSUW3
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Sep 3, 2020
Bonus: TBT & California Love's Walter Thompson-Hernández on IG Live
At Truth Be Told, we’re all about honoring the wisdom of our peoples, and so is Walter Thompson-Hernández. He's the host of a new podcast, “California Love," a New York Times alum and author of “The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heartland.” This bonus episode is from TBT’s Instagram Live where he joined Tonya to discuss new projects, his dedication to telling honest stories about Black and brown people and to answer your questions.
Episode transcript here: https://rb.gy/yudnsp
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Aug 27, 2020
It Is Not In Your Head
Trauma, racism, and our bodies — that is what we’re talking about this week. Healer, trauma specialists and author Resmaa Menakem breaks down what is trauma, what it feels like and how racism contributes.
Visit our website for more reading and listening, episode transcript and to submit your question: shorturl.at/iHUZ1
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Aug 13, 2020
Under One Roof: Doing The Best We Can
There's no right way to parent during the pandemic. Everyone's situation is unique, which is why we asked two Wise Ones to join us this week to answer your questions about parenting during this tricky time. Nancy Redd, author and mother, and Wajahat Ali, New York Times contributor and father join Tonya Mosley in answering listener questions from parents. Spoiler: No, you’re not failing, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
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Jul 30, 2020
Together Apart: Redefining Home
How do we fight an enemy like COVID-19 without the power of physical connection - the very force that has bolstered us through tough times in the past? That is the question we are unpacking in this week's episode, prompted by our very own host, Tonya Mosley. She talks with two friends from her hometown Detroit about the heartache of being away from home during the pandemic. And, author Sarah M. Broom joins as a Wise One to share her experience with displacement, healing, and distance.
Episode transcript here: shorturl.at/fguHZ
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Jul 16, 2020
Friendship: The Other Love of Your Life
This week we’re talking about friendships - how to make them better, if it's okay to take breaks and when emotional labor becomes too much. Tonya Mosley is joined by ‘Call Your Girlfriend’ hosts Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman. They share what it was like to write a co-memoir called, “Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close” and offer advice to questions from our listeners.
Episode transcript here: shorturl.at/rzKN7
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Jul 2, 2020
Holding on to Joy
We're revisiting the first episode of Truth Be Told to take on one of the biggest questions of our time: How can I feel joy when the world is burning?
We've witnessed uprisings demand justice for Black lives; we're still living in the grips of a pandemic that is disproportionately hurting communities of color, and every industry is being held accountable for racial justice. It feels like the world is unraveling – and yet we still want to laugh, dance, and love. Truth Be Told’s host Tonya Mosley travels to her hometown of Detroit to talk with her grandmother, Ernestine Mosley and New York Times best-selling author adrienne maree brown. The three women share captivating conversations and life lessons on how we all can and should cultivate joy.
Episode transcript: https://rb.gy/e1ik4k
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Jun 23, 2020
Bonus: TBT Presents NPR's It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders
We’ve got a special bonus in your Truth Be Told feed this week--it’s from our friends at NPR’s It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders. In this episode, Sam talks with author James McBride. McBride is the National Award-winning author of The Good Lord Bird and the best-selling memoir, The Color of Water. His latest book is Deacon King Kong, which is set against the backdrop of 1960s Brooklyn and tells the story of how one man’s decision upended an entire neighborhood. Sam talks to McBride about race, religion and community, the parallels he sees to the world we are living in today, and why he’s still optimistic, despite protests and a pandemic.
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Jun 18, 2020
Coming Out While Staying In: Dealing With Homophobia At Home
How do you maintain a relationship with your homophobic family when you're financially dependent on them? How do you manage these relationships while sheltering-in-place? We talk to a queer college student who's out at school but feels unaccepted at home. Wise One Steven Canals, co-creator of FX's Pose joins us to discuss growing up gay in the Bronx, what character in the show is most like his mother and ways to find community apart from your family.
Episode transcript here: https://rb.gy/lmtyrg
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Jun 4, 2020
Protesting For The Soul of America: The New Civil Rights Movement
Millions have taken to the streets to protest the police killing of George Floyd and systemic racism that black people are subjected to everyday. Wise One Dr. Eddie Glaude says we are seeing the accumulation of grief, disregard and contempt for black lives. He is the chair of Princeton's African American Studies Department and joins Tonya this week to parse out nationwide actions and to recenter black joy and resilience.
Episode transcript here: shorturl.at/lpEF6
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May 21, 2020
You’re OK, I’m Not: Black Men & Therapy
We’re making space for something we don’t talk a lot about - the mental health burdens of black men. In this week’s episode, we have three Wise Ones - Bakari Sellers, author and CNN commentator, Karamo Brown from “Queer Eye” and Ron Finley, the Gangsta Gardener. They offer wisdom on meeting the needs of their heart and minds as black men in white America.
Episode Transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qlnHaSaoseLFFtcn2Afxkv-fuzxnVmd0/view
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May 7, 2020
Mom, We Need A Break
This Mother’s Day we tackle the complicated relationship some women of color have with their mothers. This episode’s Wise One is Kulap Vilaysack who shares lessons from her experience in mending her relationship with her Lao refugee mother.
Episode transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ub7UippPt6uu1BMTKZGu1Y6hdesnjrDR/view
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Apr 23, 2020
Deportation Wounds
Before physical distancing, seeing loved ones through a screen was already “normal” for our producer Isabeth Mendoza. Her dad was deported 11 years ago. Since then, her family was doing their best to cope , but they have not healed. Now, Isabeth wants to work towards a future that she’s always imagined — one where her family is thriving regardless of borders. Wise One and Latinx Therapy founder Adriana Alejandre, LMFT offers some advice.
Episode Transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F8Y99rx0vbRap7CrZom_SZyv7Tk13lBM/view
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Apr 9, 2020
White World, Black Body
Wise Ones Virgie Tovar and Chloe Hilliard move in this world as big women. They’ve faced covert fatphobia from doctors and co-workers and even experienced it on dates. Being a fat person of color means confronting the intersection of being unseen and taking up too much space. You don’t have to stand there.
Episode transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/114T70aCd17yvEMxL8mMSABwWcrb6uIV7/view
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Mar 26, 2020
‘Rona and Racism: A Survival Guide
Public health emergencies hit differently for people of color. Historical trauma and lack of systemic trust all contribute to deep angst. As both a medical doctor and journalist, Dr. Seema Yasmin answers your questions about living in the time of COVID-19 as a person of color, and offers some validation - “We have the right to feel whatever we feel.”
Episode transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ustlU9tFXWl2bzoItEJoYhbb8kkM4mud/view
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Mar 12, 2020
Healing for Black America
"How are Black Americans expected to overcome and thrive in this country without the necessary mechanisms of healing?" Tonya called on the help of two Wise Ones for this question. Ibram X. Kendi gives helpful framing on how to even start thinking about this and Kiese Laymon offers a dive deep into Black healing in America.
Episode transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zf9nr4xXdA1BpIVXY7ZaK7Wh13Qlx309/view
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Feb 20, 2020
We're Back!
We all experience life in our unique bodies and skin. And yet, we’re alone in surviving, growing, and thriving. The world we live in gaslights us into thinking anything to do with identity is in our imagination. Well, Truth Be Told is here to tell you it’s not. You are not the only one, you are not alone, and guess what? There’s a podcast for that. Us. We're that podcast.
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Aug 16, 2019
Community Live Show
Truth be Told is all about building community and connecting people of color to find collective wisdom and joy in these dangerous and difficult times. We are also a podcast proudly made in the Bay Area, so we knew from the start that we HAD to do a live show and get our people together. On June 13th in downtown Oakland, over a hundred people gathered to share the love and seek advice from wise ones Ashara Ekundayo and Bari Williams, in conversation with TBT’s Tonya Mosley. (Slight problem? It was the same night as the Warriors final game. But people still came out y’all — to laugh, cry, and listen). Take a listen to our live, bonus episode. It’s what community sounds like! Why the Three of Cups tarot Card? The Three of Cups tarot card signifies the joy of community, sisterhood, and collaboration. We couldn’t think of a better card to represent our live show, which brought so many people from all over the Bay Area to heal, talk, and connect with one another.
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Jun 20, 2019
Family Ties
We’ve all had that one big question in our lives that looms over us and keeps us up at night.
Maybe you are making a life altering decision about a relationship; whether to get into one, get out of one — or stay in one. Maybe you’re one step away from leaving a job, or taking a new one. Or maybe, like our host Tonya Mosley, you are trying to figure out if you should start a relationship with your estranged father’s family.
What should you do when faced with a big “what do I do” moment?
In this final episode of Truth Be Told, we get personal with author Casey Gerald who teaches us that no matter the question, the answer can be found by asking yourself: “What would I do if I weren’t afraid?”
Why the Death tarot Card?
If you are new to tarot the Death card can seem really scary, but fear not – it’s actually not a bad omen. The Death card signifies rebirth, transformation, and the ability to leave behind that which is not serving you. These changes won’t be easy or…
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Jun 13, 2019
Motherhood
Before we even know who we are and what we want out of life, women are expected to mother, to ultimately be mothers. And for women of color? There are added financial and cultural pressures as well as legacies of historical trauma and present-day racism that we are often up against.
How do all these forces impact the choice to be a mother? And how might we reimagine what it even means to be a mother? In this episode of Truth Be Told, we talk with Audrey Galo, founder of AG Voiced, Tanya Menendez, entrepreneur, and Jennifer Devere Brody, scholar– all women at various stages of life– about the choice to have children.
Why The World tarot card?
The World card signifies the feeling of success and achievement after working hard to create something. This sense of celebratory completion can manifest in the birth of a child, a major career achievement or creative project– it isn’t prescriptive, it’s just joyous. Since this episode on motherhood explores the different ways we can choo…
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Jun 6, 2019
Well-Meaning White Folks
Allies are necessary to our collective pursuit of racial equity and antiracism, but sometimes talking across and through differences can be messy, hurtful, and downright exhausting. As people of color we ALL have had our fair share of those “unintentionally” painful encounters.
In this episode of Truth be Told, Tonya and Code Switch host Gene Demby tackle two questions from people struggling with how to deal with well-meaning white folks, at home and at work.
Why the The Tower Tarot Card?
The Tower card is rarely a welcome sight because it signifies chaos, destruction and turmoil. However, the Tower can also signify transformation and the building of new systems and modes of being. The Tower card represents this episode of Truth Be Told because it speaks to both the systemic pain “well-meaning” white folks can inflict on people of color as well as our power to overcome the limiting structures that make that possible.
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May 30, 2019
Enough
Have you ever been made to feel like you aren’t enough? Not black enough, not queer enough, not Asian enough, not enough?
In this episode of Truth Be Told, we explore how we can move beyond the question of “enough” and ask ourselves if we are doing enough, for our communities with Locatora Radio hosts Mala Muñoz and Diosa Femme.
Tonya also talks with author Jeff Chang, co-founder of CultureStr/ke and ColorLines, about the complicated history behind the term “people of color” and how we need to reclaim intersectionality to strengthen our solidarities.
Why the Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card?
When you pull the Wheel of Fortune card, it’s the universe telling you to get ready because big changes are coming. Just like life, our identities and how we identify are very much in flux, more of a journey than a destination. For this episode about what it means to be Latina, or a person of color, there’s no tarot card more apt than the Wheel of Fortune.
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May 23, 2019
Colonized Desire
Do you have “a type?” What if you’re a person of color, and you only have crushes on white folks? There’s a lot of mystery about what gets our hearts pumping, but one thing is for sure, our attractions aren’t simply just our own.
From romantic movies to commercials, we are inundated with messages about what sex and love should look like. As people of color, we rarely get to see ourselves in those narratives and this can have some real consequences.
In this episode of Truth Be Told, we talk with Dr. Amy Sueyoshi about love, interracial dating, and how an interrogation of our desires can lead to healthier relationships with ourselves and each other.
Why The Lovers Tarot Card?
The Lovers card in tarot signifies the possibilities of soul-connecting love. It can also suggest our attempts to figure out personal values, beliefs and attractions. For this episode all about colonized desire and how we can all interrogate the complexities of who we love and desire – The Lovers card ju…
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May 16, 2019
Joy
Our first episode of Truth Be Told is finally here and we’re going in deep to take on one of the biggest questions of our time: How can I feel joy, when the world is burning?
Families are being separated at the border, drugs are ravaging our communities, the wealth gap between the rich and the poor is widening, and parts of California are literally being consumed by flames. It feels like the end of days – and yet we still want to laugh, dance, and love.
In this inaugural episode of Truth Be Told, host Tonya Mosley travels to her hometown of Detroit to talk with her grandmother, Ernestine Mosley, and New York Times best-selling author, adrienne maree brown. The three share captivating conversation and life lessons on how we all can and should cultivate joy.
Why the Strength Tarot Card?
The Strength card in tarot is a reminder that we have the power to overcome any obstacle. As we learn from our Wise Ones in this episode, it is our inner strength and our willingness to work through o…
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May 8, 2019
Introducing Truth Be Told, Hosted by Tonya Mosley
KQED’s Truth Be Told is a brand-new advice show made by and for people of color. If Miss Manners tells you how to behave, Truth Be Told explores how you can be you in a world that doesn’t always want you to…just be.
Through unfiltered advice, host Tonya Mosley takes on listener questions, digging into what it means to not just survive, but thrive, as a person of color in our country.
Our first episode drops May 16, 2019 with new episodes every Thursday. You can hear the trailer right now and subscribe to Truth Be Told for free on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Don’t miss a minute.
We see you, we feel you, we hear you.
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