CLASSY Gayle Danley

In this episode of Classy, Gayle speaks to School Counselor and Administrator Yolanda Smith. She shares how her personal journey of feeling like an outsider prepared her for a life as a school counselor, how the kids she works with responded differently to the uncertainty of the pandemic, and the student who helped her realized this was the work she would do for the rest of her life. “Kids come to that school building from all kinds of situations,” Yolanda says. “The best thing you can do is really, truly meet people where they are.”


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In this special holiday edition of Classy, Gayle Danley goes solo, gifting us with part poetry reading, part sermon and part workshop, helping you turn the broken ground under your feet into your own, unique brand of art. Truly, an opportunity to hear a spoken word master in her element, this riveting episode will renew your faith in the human spirit and the healing power of self-expression.



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This is a special episode because instead of featuring one teacher, we’re featuring several. This thanksgiving we wanted to spotlight the teachers who have made a difference in our lives and say THANK YOU. So we’ve invited some teacher friends to talk about their most important teachers… the teachers who changed the trajectory of their lives..and often inspired them to become teachers. This is a celebration of gratitude for these patient, multi-tasking, multi-talented heros who touch every aspect of society and shape future generations. Featuring Anton Davis, Ayanna Gallant, Lisa Gelzer, Geoff Godfrey and Joan Weber. Classy is brought to you by Lessons in Poetry. Learn more at lessonsinpoetry.com


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In this episode, Gayle invites her producer Walker Vreeland to have a sit down conversation about the inevitable highs and lows that come with living your dream. They talk about the importance of loving what you do, the trap of expectations, trusting yourself, and finding purpose while weathering the personal and professional setbacks that threaten to derail us. Classy is brought to you by Lessons in Poetry. Learn more at lessonsinpoetry.com


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In this episode, Gayle talks to Restorative Justice warrior Cyn Jones, who will soon be taking on the role of Climate Manager in a Kensington elementary and middle school in the school district of Philadelphia. In this conversation, Cyn talks to Gayle about their passion for community building and racial equity work, what they consider “home,” and how they try to be the empathic listener they would have wanted as a kid. Classy is brought to you by Lessons in Poetry: Empowerment Through Words. Find out more at lessonsinpoetry.com


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In this revealing interview, Academy Award winner Milton Justice talks about his full life: from growing up white in the segregated south, in a family where no one showed emotion…to getting his start in Hollywood… to Broadway… to his career as a documentary film producer and celebrated acting teacher. Despite being a gay man at a time when it was widely unacceptable, there were the life-changing lessons he learned along the way: never say no to a new opportunity, pick yourself up and go back to work after a major loss, look to the untethered spirit of Aretha Franklin to help you ‘let yourself go’. Their differences notwithstanding, Gayle and Milton find much common ground in this intimate conversation, as teachers, and students of art and life. “It’s scary and exciting to me that when it comes to something I’ve been doing for 35 years— teaching acting—that I don’t have all the answers. I’m 74 and I’m so pleased that I ended up with a life that constantly allows me to grow and not have it yet. I think that’s cool.”


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