Listen Up with Host Al Neely

Al Neely
  • 4.3 (6)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Hi, I'm Al Neely. I've spent most of my life asking, " Why do people behave a certain way?  Why don't people understand that most everyone wants basically the same thing? Most everyone wants their fundamental need for peace of mind, nourishment, shelter and safety." What I have learned is that because of an unwillingness to open one's mind to see that some of the people you come in contact with may have those same desires as you do.  We prejudge, isolate ourselves, and can be hesitant to interact, and sometimes we can be belligerent towards one another.  This is caused by learned behavior that may have  repeated itself for generations in our families.  What I hope to do with this podcast is to introduce as many people with as many various cultures, backgrounds, and practices as possible.  The thought is that I can help to bring  different perspectives by discussing various views from my guests that are willing to talk about their personal experiences.Hopefully we all will learn something new. We may even learn that most of us share the same desire for our fundamental needs. We may just simply try to obtain it differently.Sit back, learn, and enjoy! 

  1. 2D AGO

    A Working Mom And Army Veteran Explains Why Accountability Beats Party Loyalty

    Send us Fan Mail Congress doesn’t just make laws, it sets the moral temperature for the whole country. When that temperature feels off, people notice, and they stop trusting everything downstream. We sit down with Haley Dollar, a mother of four, Army veteran, author, and Libertarian candidate running for Congress in Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District, to talk about what she thinks voters are sensing right now and why she refuses to squeeze her views into the usual Democrat vs Republican box. Haley lays out what “libertarian values” mean in practice: constitutional limits, personal freedom, and a neighbor-first culture that doesn’t need party permission to do the right thing. From her perspective inside federal agencies and as a veteran, she describes how corruption and lack of accountability can show up in everyday workplaces, not just in headlines. We also get into why political outsiders struggle with funding and access, and why she believes transparency and directness scare the system more than any polished talking point. Some of the most intense moments come when we discuss congressional workplace misconduct, secrecy, and the public cost of protecting powerful people. From there we shift into real-life policy that hits families now: homelessness and criminalisation, healthcare affordability, food safety, rising taxes, and the broader cost-of-living squeeze. Haley also shares her unconventional campaign approach, including a May 29 charity fundraiser in Norfolk that blends civic work with performance and community building. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s fed up with politics as usual, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. What’s the first accountability change you want to see from your elected officials? 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

    33 min

  2. APR 27

    How Clover Stokes Built A Modern Classic Rock Band

    Send us Fan Mail You can look fearless under stage lights and still be shaking inside. That’s the truth Clover Stokes shares with us, and it’s exactly why her story hits. Clover is the frontwoman of Monarch, a Virginia Beach local band making waves across the 757 with classic rock covers, a growing original catalog, and a live show that pulls people in fast. We talk about the real work behind becoming “larger than life” and what it costs and gives back when you choose a public creative life.  Clover takes us from karaoke nights and choir days to discovering Stevie Nicks performances on YouTube and realizing she needed the stage. We dig into her influences, from Fleetwood Mac and Heart to Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, and Linda Ronstadt, plus the Dominican and Latin music that shaped her ear early. Along the way, she explains how Monarch starts as a duo, learns the three-hour set challenge, books shows across Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, and beyond, and navigates the hardest part of band life: finding people who want to build something that lasts.  We also get honest about stage presence and confidence. Clover describes exposure therapy, the nights the nerves don’t go away, and the freedom of being celebrated for being loud, expressive, and fully herself. We talk songwriting, why Monarch refuses to be “background music,” and what it means to hear a crowd respond to an unreleased original like “Lord Only Knows (God Bless Rock And Roll)” as recording begins. Plus: fan moments that trigger imposter syndrome, the weekday day-job reality, and the playlist range that keeps her creativity sharp.  If you care about live music, building confidence, the Virginia Beach music scene, or turning influences into a real career path, you’ll take something practical from this conversation. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a push, and leave us a review with the most unforgettable concert you’ve ever seen. 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

    34 min

  3. APR 20

    Who's Controlling the Narrative | Community Advocate Jessica Sanchez - ListenUp Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail 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. 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

    59 min

  4. APR 13

    A Third-Generation Woodturner Explains How Craft Keeps Culture Alive

    Send us Fan Mail 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? 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

    46 min

  5. MAR 23

    What Makes a Real MC? | Musician & Rapper Sunny Black - ListenUp Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail 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

    41 min

  6. MAR 9

    From Fear to Art: Rhythm, Identity & Photography | Ashley Cayon - ListenUp Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail What if the rhythm that shaped your childhood could also guide your future? We sit down with Miami-born, Cuban American artist and photographer Ashie Kaon to trace a bold journey from Little Havana to Virginia Beach—through Chicago snow, COVID pivots, and a creative awakening that turned fear into fuel. Ashie brings the sound of la clave, the stories of exile, and a grounded philosophy of faith and balance to a conversation about identity, trauma, and the power of local art communities. Ashie opens up about growing up in Miami’s saturated color and music, where Celia Cruz and Willie Chirino score family histories marked by loss and grit. She unpacks how generational trauma shapes political stances in Latino communities, why labels like socialist and communist often blur under fear, and how stepping back from the outrage cycle helped her find clarity in spirituality. Influenced by Catholic roots and Yoruba traditions, and sparked by Alan Watts’ ideas on duality, she reframed belief through the lens of photography: there’s no image without light. We also dig into her creative evolution—darkroom beginnings, graphic design studies, and the moment art became a voice after a rough childhood. In Virginia Beach, Ashie envisions murals beyond a single district, a city where artists, teachers, and photographers lift each other and color every block. She shares how strategic networking led to roles with the Virginia Beach Public Arts Committee and the MoCA advisory group, and why telling fuller histories—including the often-overlooked support from the Ladies of Havana—matters. Grounded in service, she champions veteran support and honest talk about PTSD, connecting healing at home with healing in the arts. This is a story about rhythm, resilience, and community. Hit play to explore Cuban heritage, diaspora music, philosophy, and the blueprint for growing an inclusive arts scene in Hampton Roads. If the conversation moves you, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a friend who loves art with heart. 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

    47 min

  7. MAR 2

    The Body Holds the Truth | SB Cutts on Fascia & Trauma – ListenUp Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail Fascia tells the truth your words skip. We sit down with SB Cuts—fasciologist, integrative wellness coach, and founder of Fascia Fusion Wellness—to map how trauma, surgery, and everyday stress shape the body’s connective web and how hands-on work can help you rewrite that story. From 18 years of gymnastics to 27 surgeries and a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, SB brings rare clarity to hypermobility, scar tissue, and why pain so often echoes through old injuries. We unpack fascia in plain language and then go deeper: neurosomatics to move fear through the nervous system, fascia remodeling to give the body a new baseline, and her Nine Realms of Wellness to replace quick fixes with whole-human change. SB shares how becoming a mother sparked a shift toward conscious parenting—trading dominance for safety, teaching kids to name feelings, and inviting men to show softness without losing strength. If you’ve ever wondered why your back hurts when your heart is heavy, or why patterns repeat even after talk therapy, this conversation brings the missing links. Beyond the clinic, we challenge the culture that profits from fear and desensitization. SB makes a case for inputs as nutrition—media, food, relationships—and for using technology, including AI, to scale empathy instead of greed. You’ll also hear about the Fulcrum alliance: monthly cross-disciplinary panels on chronic pain and trauma, a Trauma Anonymous hotline that connects people to vetted healers, and retreats designed to settle the nervous system. Practical takeaways span infant massage for colic and cranial nerve activation, hydration and stretching for healthier fascia, and a step-by-step path to set goals across physical, emotional, financial, and environmental wellness. If the body keeps the score, this episode hands you the playbook to change it—gently, honestly, and together. Subscribe now, share this with someone who needs a safer way to heal, and leave a review to help more people find whole-body, whole-heart care. 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

    55 min

  8. FEB 18

    Art that Restores | Artist Trevor Lucas - ListenUp Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail A colorblind muralist who sees more clearly than most. That’s Trevor Lucas—founder of Anomaly Art Studio—whose life spans rural Louisiana, a military move to Virginia, and a bold career painting community stories on brick and concrete. We dive into faith as a daily practice, not a slogan, and how a solid moral compass reshapes conflict, marriage, fatherhood, and creative decisions. Trevor’s lens is simple: judge by fruit, love with courage, and let the work serve people first. We explore the winter grind behind his Sentara “Community Care” murals in Newport News—paint that had to dodge rain and freezing temps—and the history embedded in the design: Black physicians, a community hospital, Smith Pharmacy, and a 1930s Black-owned funeral home. Then we head to Busch Gardens for his “I Am Virginian” piece, built for everyone to see themselves in it: Black, Hispanic, Asian, Indigenous, European, all centered in belonging. Along the way we tackle culture wars and NFL expansion with a clear take on representation: growth demands wider circles, not tighter gates. Trevor opens up about trauma—abuse, addiction, and a near-fatal burglary at 15—then the boys’ home detox, the Navy, and the first ship murals that told him his gift mattered. He reflects on forgiveness, reconciling with his father and stepfather, and why unresolved childhood wounds often drive adult rage and hypermasculinity. We talk responsibility, too: microphones and paintbrushes shape behavior; leaders owe their audience honesty, empathy, and accountability. We close with War Paint, Trevor’s group art therapy that pairs guided images—like breaking shackles—with raw conversation about recovery and identity. It’s visual activism with heart: give people something to look at and they’ll see new options for who they can be. Want more of Trevor’s work or to bring War Paint to your community? Visit anomalyartstudio.com and follow along. If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. 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

    52 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Hi, I'm Al Neely. I've spent most of my life asking, " Why do people behave a certain way?  Why don't people understand that most everyone wants basically the same thing? Most everyone wants their fundamental need for peace of mind, nourishment, shelter and safety." What I have learned is that because of an unwillingness to open one's mind to see that some of the people you come in contact with may have those same desires as you do.  We prejudge, isolate ourselves, and can be hesitant to interact, and sometimes we can be belligerent towards one another.  This is caused by learned behavior that may have  repeated itself for generations in our families.  What I hope to do with this podcast is to introduce as many people with as many various cultures, backgrounds, and practices as possible.  The thought is that I can help to bring  different perspectives by discussing various views from my guests that are willing to talk about their personal experiences.Hopefully we all will learn something new. We may even learn that most of us share the same desire for our fundamental needs. We may just simply try to obtain it differently.Sit back, learn, and enjoy! 

Information

  • Creator
    Al Neely
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    94
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Listen Up with Host Al Neely
  • Show Website
    Listen Up with Host Al Neely