In The Know with Tony Reeves

Anthony Reeves

Hosted by former attorney and Judge Tony Reeves, this podcast delivers sharp insights, commentary, and real talk on law, leadership, public service, and the Black Gen X experience. Whether you’re navigating bureaucracy, seeking inspiration, or craving honest reflections from someone who’s lived it, ‘In The Know with Tony Reeves’ offers the wisdom and wit to keep you informed—and empower Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

  1. 1d ago

    Starting Over Isn’t the End—It’s Where You Find Yourself | Reflections on The Fall of 1988

    In this companion podcast to my YouTube video, “The Fall of 1988: When I Had to Rebuild My Life Without My Friends,” I reflect on one of the biggest lessons I learned from returning to college after nearly everyone in my support system had disappeared. When I came back to the University of Tampa as a Resident Assistant, I expected to continue building on the friendships I’d made during my freshman year. Instead, I found myself almost completely alone. My closest friends had transferred or chosen not to return, leaving me to rebuild my life from the ground up. In this episode, I go beyond the story and explore what that season taught me:Why we sometimes build our identity around the people closest to us.How losing your support system can force you to discover who you really are.Why starting over is often more frightening than it is dangerous.How unexpected relationships can expand your world in ways you never imagined.Why the greatest periods of personal growth often begin with uncertainty rather than confidence.Looking back, I realize that what felt like one of the loneliest moments of my young adulthood became one of the most transformative. Sometimes the relationships we lose make room for the relationships—and the person—we were always meant to become. 🎥 Watch the original YouTube video: The Fall of 1988: When I Had to Rebuild My Life Without My Friends https://youtu.be/cd2lFns1usQ Call to Action Have you ever had to rebuild your life after losing the people or circumstances you depended on? I’d love to hear your story. Leave a comment on the YouTube video or connect with me on social media and share what your “starting over” season taught you. If you enjoy these reflections on resilience, personal growth, and the lessons life teaches us, please subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who’s facing a new beginning. Every new chapter carries possibilities we often can’t see until we’re living them. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

  2. 3d ago

    The Terrifying Beginning of My Sophomore Year: Starting Over Without My Friends

    Returning to the University of Tampa for my sophomore year should have felt familiar—but almost everyone I had depended on was gone. My best friend and roommate did not return. Other friendships I had begun building disappeared as well. I arrived back on campus after a 24-hour Greyhound bus ride, carrying a military duffel bag on my back and a footlocker on my head, knowing that I would have to figure out this new chapter largely on my own. At the same time, I was stepping into new responsibilities as a resident assistant, continuing ROTC, beginning more challenging science courses, and working through college work-study. Beneath all of that was a deeper fear: I was a poor Black student from Arkansas surrounded by people I believed came from very different backgrounds, and I questioned whether I had anything valuable to offer them.  In this episode, I reflect on what it felt like to return to college terrified, uncertain, and alone—and how that frightening reset became one of the most important adult-shaping experiences of my life.  Sometimes starting over is not proof that everything has fallen apart. Sometimes it is the beginning of discovering who you are capable of becoming.  Call to Action Have you ever returned to a familiar place only to discover that everything had changed? Share your own experience with starting over, and follow the podcast for more stories about growth, resilience, college life, and the experiences that shaped the person I became. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

  3. 6d ago

    Sometimes Your Support System Finds You Before You Find It

    We often assume we’re alone when life changes. That’s exactly how I felt when I returned to college in the fall of 1988. My closest friends were gone, and I believed I was beginning the year without a support system. What I didn’t know was that others had already stepped into that role. In this episode, I share how my best friend’s family continued to watch over me, how an unexpected friendship introduced me to an entirely different culture, and why one conversation changed the way I think about being approachable. This episode is about the quiet ways people invest in us before we even realize they care. Sometimes grace arrives long before we recognize it. Call to Action: If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need the reminder that they aren’t as alone as they think they are. To explore more stories, books, podcasts, and resources, visit AnthonyReeves.com.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

  4. Jul 22

    When Life Forces You to Reset: Lessons from the Summer of 1988

    There comes a point in almost everyone’s life when the original plan no longer works. In this episode, I reflect on one of the first major personal resets I experienced during the summer of 1988. What began as a simple return home after my freshman year of college quickly turned into a season of unexpected change. My support system disappeared, my transportation plans fell apart, and I had to decide whether I still believed in the future I had chosen. More importantly, I explore what that experience taught me about resilience, independence, and making better decisions when life gives you better information. If you’re navigating a career transition, recovering from a setback, or simply trying to figure out your next move, this conversation is a reminder that a reset isn’t always the end of the story. Sometimes it’s the beginning of a better one.  If this episode encouraged you, please consider following the podcast and sharing it with someone who may be going through a season of change. Your support helps these conversations reach people who need them most. I’d also love to hear from you. What has been the biggest personal or professional reset of your life, and what did it teach you? Leave a comment, send me a message, or join the conversation through AnthonyReeves.com. Until next time, remember: sometimes the best version of your future begins the moment your original plans fall apart. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

  5. Jul 20

    The Truth About Being a Black Resident Assistant at a Predominantly White College

    What was it really like to become one of the few Black Resident Assistants at a predominantly white university in the late 1980s? In this episode of IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves, I share the story behind my unexpected journey from a freshman who never believed he would be hired to becoming a Resident Assistant—and eventually training future RAs on diversity, culture, and leadership. This isn’t just a story about college housing. It’s about learning to navigate unfamiliar spaces, leading with authenticity, confronting racial realities with honesty, and discovering that your greatest challenges often become your greatest qualifications to lead. For members of Black Generation X, these weren’t theoretical conversations—they were lived experiences that shaped how we learned to succeed in integrated America. If you’ve ever questioned whether you belonged, this conversation is for you. If this episode resonated with you, please follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who has ever wondered what it meant to navigate college, leadership, and race during the 1980s. And if you enjoy these stories about Black Generation X, be sure to explore the rest of The Anthony Reeves Experience, where history, life lessons, and personal experiences come together to help us better understand where we’ve been—and where we’re going. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

  6. Jul 15

    The Haircut That Taught Me About Perception vs. Reality

    Sometimes the smallest experiences become the biggest teachers. As a freshman at the University of Tampa in 1987, all I wanted was a haircut before ROTC. Instead, I encountered racial assumptions, unexpected kindness, and a lesson about perception versus reality that has stayed with me for decades.  In this companion episode, I reflect on how one ordinary afternoon helped shape my understanding of race, community, and judging people based on firsthand experience instead of fear or stereotypes. This is another chapter in my ongoing Black Generation X journey. Call to Action If this episode resonated with you, please follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it with someone who appreciates honest conversations about history, race, and personal growth. I’d also love to hear about a time when your own experience challenged what you had always been told.  #BlackGenerationX #Storytelling #PersonalGrowth #GenerationX #Podcast Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

  7. Jul 13

    Was I Being Profiled? A Black Generation X College Experience

    As a freshman at the University of Tampa, I experienced something that would repeat itself every single year: university police stopping me while I walked across campus at night to ask for my student ID. Were they simply doing their jobs? Or was I being singled out because I was one of the few Black students on campus? The truth is, I still don’t know.  In this episode, I explore one of the defining experiences of Black Generation X—living in a world where discrimination wasn’t always obvious, but where many of us constantly questioned whether race played a role in how we were treated. Sometimes the hardest part wasn’t proving discrimination. It was never knowing for sure. If you’re part of Generation X—or if you’ve ever questioned whether an experience was about who you were rather than what you did—this conversation may resonate with you. Have you ever experienced a situation where you couldn’t tell whether you were being treated differently—or whether there was another explanation? Share your story in the comments. I’d love to hear your perspective, especially from fellow Generation X listeners. For more conversations about Black Generation X, professional life, and the experiences that shaped us, visit The Anthony Reeves Experience and subscribe so you never miss a new episode.   #BlackGenerationX #GenerationX #CollegeLife #RacialProfiling #TheAnthonyReevesExperience Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

  8. Jul 8

    I Deserved to Be There: When Being the Only One Makes You Question Your Place

    What happens when you enter a space knowing that you earned the opportunity—but still feel that you must prove you deserve it? In this companion episode of IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves, I share the personal story behind my micro-book, I Deserve to Be There. I grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, surrounded by Black educators, professionals, church members and family friends who were committed to nurturing my success. Then I entered the University of Tampa, an overwhelmingly white institution where I suddenly found myself searching for people who understood my experience. My college journey included isolation, financial hardship, conflict with roommates, cultural misunderstandings and moments when I seriously questioned whether I belonged. It also included mentorship, Black student community, ROTC, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, leadership opportunities and recognition that showed me how deeply I had become part of the university community. This episode explores the pressure many Black Gen X students carried into newly accessible spaces: the belief that we had to work harder, perform better and continually demonstrate that we deserved opportunities we had already earned. Ultimately, I discovered that belonging was not something another person could grant me. I deserved to be there from the moment I arrived. Listen, reflect and share this episode with someone who has ever been the first, the only or one of very few in a professional, educational or social space. Visit anthonyreeves.com to explore more content from The Anthony Reeves Experience and learn more about the Black Generation X Starter Kit. Podcast Call to Action After listening, share this episode with someone who may be questioning whether they belong in the room. Then visit anthonyreeves.com to explore I Deserve to Be There and the other stories in the Black Generation X Starter Kit. Podcast Hashtags #INTheKnowWithTonyReeves #IDeserveToBeThere #BlackGenX #BlackGenerationX #Belonging #ImposterSyndrome #BlackStories #CollegeExperience Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

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About

Hosted by former attorney and Judge Tony Reeves, this podcast delivers sharp insights, commentary, and real talk on law, leadership, public service, and the Black Gen X experience. Whether you’re navigating bureaucracy, seeking inspiration, or craving honest reflections from someone who’s lived it, ‘In The Know with Tony Reeves’ offers the wisdom and wit to keep you informed—and empower Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

Information

  • Creator
    Anthony Reeves
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    391
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Anthony Reeves
  • Show Website
    In The Know with Tony Reeves