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Ep 44: Pre-primary Classroom – Yolita’s Home
Yolita Ray has spent decades shaping little minds in the pre-primary classroom at the Ancona School in Chicago. With warmth, patience, and deep purpose, she helps children build the emotional, social and academic foundations that will carry them through life. Her love for early childhood education shines as she shares what makes this age so…
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Ep 43: Story time – Graffiti treks abroad
If you’ve listened to the podcast before, or have met me in person for more than 10 mins, you probably know i enjoy all forms of hip hop culture. Lately, i’ve been doing work at grafnmodels.com, where i pose people with graffiti all over the world. However, I used to just document the art everyehwere…
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Ep 42: The Barber Shop – Rico’s home
In this episode, I catch up with Rico, aka BBoy Reksick, who I’ve known from the scene for many years. He’s the owner of Calaveras Barber Shop and SMP in Chicago. After a random airport run-in recently, we sat down for a powerful conversation about how barbering is more than a craft for him—it’s a…
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Ep 41: Story time – Mexico City lessons
In 2016, I told a story about a trip i took to Mexico City in 2007. I clearly travel a lot nowadays, but back then I was a bit more of a novice. We used to just go to resorts and lounge around. THis was one of the frist trips I took where I really…
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Ep 40: The Mayor’s Office – Phil’s Home
Mayor Phil Jones returned to his hometown of Newport News as the city’s youngest mayor—and just days into the role, he faced a heartbreaking tragedy that drew national attention. Thrust into the spotlight, he relied on his values, humility, and lived experience to guide his leadership. In this episode, we talk about his path to…
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Ep 39: Story – Lion Park
Back in 2012, I took my first trip to Africa. I told this story when we got back. This is a recording from 2018, the second time i told it at Grown Folks Stories. I’m not sure why I told it again, but I ‘m sharing it here because it makes me chuckle everytime i…
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Ep 38: In visual effects – Greg’s Home
Greg Anderson went from studying architecture in college to becoming a powerhouse in the world of visual effects—and it’s been so fun to watch that evolution. In this episode, we dive into how he blends creativity and technical precision on an industrywide scale, and what keeps him inspired in such a demanding, ever-changing field. We…
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Ep 37: Story Time – Outside my bubbles (my IG Feeds)
Before I split it into multiple accounts, my Instagram feed was a mix of all the different communities that I photograph. As a member of those communities, I have met some amazing people and captured some awesome moments. However, my passion for documenting subcultures created an IG feed that had the kind of range that…
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Ep 36: Silent Meditation – Modupe’s Home
Tenured professor, stress expert, and longtime friend Modupe Akinola joins the podcast for a deeply grounding conversation. With all her accomplishments, you might not expect “silent meditation” to be her home—but that’s exactly where she finds balance. We talk about stress, centeredness, and the power of stillness in a chaotic world (and why she worked…
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Ep 35: Story time – Traveling with a purpose
This month’s storytime is about a powerful pilgrimage trip to Charleston, South Carolina with our church, where we explored the deep African American history rooted in that city. The experience felt like the second half of a story — meaningful, emotional, and eye-opening — which made us realize we needed to take another trip to…
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Ep 34: Community-building Ventures – Eric’s home
Eric Williams is the creative force behind The Silver Room and a driving presence behind some of Chicago’s most beloved cultural events. In this episode, we talk about how he got his start, what keeps him going, and why community is always at the heart of everything he builds. Whether it’s a storefront, a block…
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Ep 33: Story Time – A Secret Weight Room
Back in the day, when the gym was life and bad decisions felt like good ideas, I learned a lesson the hard way. It’s one I I should have passed down before my son caught the gym bug. In this story time episode, I shares a crazy (and slightly painful) memory from over 30 years…
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Ep 32: On Horseback – Murdock’s Home
You don’t expect to see horses trotting through the streets of Chicago—but Murdock (the man with no first name), the founder of the Broken Arrow Horseback Riding Club, is changing that. With a whole lot of passion, Murdock shares how he got into riding, built a tight-knit Black cowboy community, and turned heads all over…
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Ep 31: Story Time – Grand Theft Auto?
Ever been out-negotiated by your own kid? In this Father’s Day-inspired solo episode, Keith shares a hilarious and heartwarming story from over a decade ago, when his oldest son used corporate-style tactics to plead for a new video game. What started as a funny parenting moment turned out to be a glimpse of a budding…
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Ep 30: The Wall – Statik’s Home
This week, I’m talking with Rahamaan Statik—an artist whose work I’ve admired long before we ever met. Though we’ve only crossed paths in person a couple times, he welcomed me into his world to talk about a home that’s anything but traditional: the Wall. From classical fine art training to projects that cover massive graffiti…
“My Home is Special” is a Photo/ Podcast project that explores different “homes” and what makes them special.
