The American Griot Jomil Bell, Keith Marcel

In honor of our Freedom Day aka Jubilee Day, Juneteenth, we have a fun bonus episode to share! We sat down with Hillary Vee: Co-founder of the Green Book of Tampa Bay, host of Podcast Pedagogy, Diversity & Inclusion practitioner, and a volunteer leader for Outdoor Afro. Join us for some good laughs and a lot of Black joy!


Subscribe & Review

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss an episode. Now if you’re feeling extra loving, we’d be really grateful if you left us a review over on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!


Get in Touch

> You can always find us at http://www.thegriotspodcast.com/

> Ready for a reboot? As a Whole Wellness Coach, Jomil can help you get unstuck and find your path to whole health. Our listeners are invited to receive a complimentary coaching session by going to http://www.jomilbell.com/

> Do you want to turn your passion into profit? Keith consults with startup founders to design and deploy experiences that engage and convert. Connect with him on https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithmarcelwoods/.

It’s so easy to focus on what went wrong, but today we’re focusing on everything that went right with 2020! In our Season II Finale, we take time to reflect, recharge, and find a whole lot of good so that we can walk into 2021 with gratitude and abundance!

If you want to join the conversation, head over to @theamericangriot now and send us an IM. Thanks everyone! Let’s dive in.


Subscribe & Review

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss an episode. Now if you’re feeling extra loving, we’d be really grateful if you left us a review over on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!


Links mentioned in this episode:

> You can always find us at http://www.thegriotspodcast.com/

> Ready for a reboot? As a Whole Wellness Coach, Jomil can help you get unstuck and find your path to whole health. Our listeners are invited to receive a complimentary coaching session by going to http://www.jomilbell.com/

> Do you want to turn your passion into profit? Keith consults with startup founders to design and deploy experiences that engage and convert. Learn how he can help your business at https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/869a2bbd-d2da-4d8b-b16b-7503628b4c4c/shows/fb4718ba-95d7-40e7-94d5-a28a0516b5a6/episodes/0508db14-2b32-4a6d-8ae3-3278b6364152/www.culpergroup.co or connect with him on https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithmarcelwoods/.

Hey Tribe! So many of you gave a lot of really great feedback on 5R! @meisha.b.1101 said “Gurley girl...I have to apologize for not following sooner! Because baby listen, episode 10 got me ready to shout at work!!! THANK YOU!!”

No, @meisha.b.1101, thank YOU!! We heard you loud and clear. So this episode is dedicated to our tribe. The 5R Method gave you all something to think about, offering new perspectives and practical tools to build the successful lives you’re working so hard for. It also caused many of you to reflect and come up with more questions you want answered. So, in this episode, we’ll be responding to some of the comments questions from the American Griot tribe!

If you want to join the conversation, head over to @theamericangriot now and send us a DM. Thanks everyone! Let’s dive in.


Subscribe & Review

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss an episode. Now if you’re feeling extra loving, we’d be really grateful if you left us a review over on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!


Links mentioned in this episode:

> American Griot Wale, ft. Kelly Price in “Sue Me”, said what we all are thinking right now, “Sue me; I’m rooting for everybody that’s Black!” We all should be rooting for each other. But know this, Keith and I are always rooting for you even if it feels like no one else is! Oh, and if you haven’t already seen the https://youtu.be/BfRqtM9_pc0 you HAVE to check it out!

> American Griot Rapsody, winner of BET’s Lyricist of the Year Award, is the coldest female rapper of this generation! #YeaISaidIt. In addition to https://youtu.be/858cnwAV-lU her catalog is too long and too dope to ignore. If you don’t know her already, do like Radio Rahiem said and “Wake-Up!” 

> Our Black American stories have been told through our American Griot musicians for generations. We are so grateful for the ones who’ve come before us, like Hip Hop legend, Notorious B.I.G. who influenced the culture and made the world listen to Black stories. As American Griots, we pass on these stories to our next generation. So, to our young griots in training, we remind them that “https://youtu.be/d3vOeCkeCNA!

> We mentioned that “happiness” comes with false promises, bought and sold like a commodity. This https://theconversation.com/amp/so-many-in-the-west-are-depressed-because-theyre-expected-not-to-be-79672 why western societies like America may be doing more harm than good when it comes to avoiding negative emotion.

> No matter what trauma we go through, it offers something we can grow through. I love how https://www.jazminerussell.com/blog/trauma-happiness?format=amp tells her story and how healing from her trauma helped her to redefine happiness and see it in a more meaningful way! 

> What’s the 5R Method? This is the proven approach we’ve used to redefine success, release the burden of trauma, and execute in ways that are inspired and on purpose.

Step 1: Ready - Be Read

In the last episode, we challenged the ideas we hold about what it means to be successful. And we really encouraged you to get curious about whether your definition still serves you. In this episode, we break down our 5R Method. It’s the process we’ve used personally and with our clients to redefine success for ourselves. This is the step by step guide that helps us to move beyond our limitations and manifest success in ways that are meaningful and fulfilling.


Subscribe & Review

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss an episode. Now if you’re feeling extra loving, we’d be really grateful if you left us a review over on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!


Links mentioned in this episode:

> Drake and Trey said it best when they said, “I just wanna be successful” in their https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5DySYu5Bfw. I feel like this is the goal everyone is reaching for. The key is learning how to define it for yourself so you don’t get caught in the trap. The 5R Method we share tells you exactly how to do that!

> Aaliyah and Timberlake’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEF_-IcnQC4reminds us that it’s not about getting it right on the first try, but it’s about dusting yourself off and never giving up on the pursuit. 

> What’s the 5R Method? This is the proven approach we’ve used to redefine success, release the burden of trauma, and execute in ways that are inspired and on purpose.

Step 1: Ready - Be Ready to See the Truth

Step 2: Reframe - Reframe the Way You Harness Emotion

Step 3: Reflect - Get 100% Real with Honest Self-Reflection

Step 4: Remove - Remove Things and Thoughts That No Longer Serve You  

Step 5: Reprogram - Reprogram Your Mind 

>Many people are often hijacked by the rigidity of their minds. And when our perception becomes too limiting, we get stuck, unable to flow in a way that brings balance and peace into our lives. I mentioned this Taoism video called https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUjPFCosmNA&list=PLOmluFDA_W3wTTpldjx2y6-fwb-KPqHWc&index=29 in the episode because it gives some great insight to the way we could benefit from seeing success differently.

> You can always find us at http://www.thegriotspodcast.com

> Ready for a reboot? As a Whole Wellness Coach, Jomil can help you get unstuck and find your path to whole health. Our listeners are invited to receive a complimentary coaching session by going to http://www.jomilbell.com/

> Do you want to turn your passion into profit? Keith consults with startup founders to design and deploy experiences that engage and convert. Learn how he can help your business at www.culpergroup.co or connect with him on https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithmarcelwoods/

Have you ever felt like you were in a race with no finish line? Running as fast as you can, in what feels like circles, grasping to reach a constantly moving goal? And the more you grow, the more you convince yourself that you still need to go further? Have you ever stopped to consider whether your definition of success really serves you? We’ve all been there. Many of us are there right now. That’s what we’re talking about today. What does it mean to be successful in America and as Black People? What’s the price and how much are we willing to pay?


Subscribe & Review

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss an episode. Now if you’re feeling extra loving, we’d be really grateful if you left us a review over on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843 to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!


Links mentioned in this episode:

> Dave Chappelle is one of the most prolific American Griots of our time. He’s not just a comedian, but he uses his art and his platform to tell stories that make us laugh, think, and grow. Check out his full length interview on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOge9F60yp0 and an amazing collage of thoughtful moments here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ClkRA2XQrY&feature=youtu.be&t=140&&. 

> After Skool is a super dope YouTube channel that has all kinds of videos that make you reflect and consider life from a different vantage point. We mentioned the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvzZ56ZbWy8 in this episode, so we’d highly recommend checking out the full clip.

> This https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-are-there-still-so-few-black-ceos-11601302601 talks about why, decades after the civil-rights movement, Black people still seem to be hitting a ceiling on their rise to success. Only 1% of the CEOs running America’s top companies are Black. Keith and I share some of our thoughts about this, but we encourage you to read it for yourself. 

> As we endeavor to tell a more full story of our history, we often cross-reference many resources, but here are a few. We hope that something we said about the creation of Race sparks your curiosity and inspires you to dive deeper into researching more of our collective history.


https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/indentured-servants-in-the-us/
https://www.facinghistory.org/holocaust-and-human-behavior/chapter-2/inventing-black-and-white
https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/first-slaves-arrive-in-massachusetts.html
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-african-slave-ship-arrives-jamestown-colony

Why do we vote? Does our vote really count? Is voter suppression really still a thing? These are all questions we’ve heard over the last few months. During a time like this, when we are less than 30 days out from a historic and critical election, we dedicate this episode to answering them and many more. We break down an easy to understand timeline of the Black voting experience, pitfalls to look out for as you prepare to vote this November, and we help to clear up a lot of confusion that can leave voters feeling stuck or unsure of how to protect their vote. We're going to share a ton of resources to help you navigate the mess and make sure you are able to make your sacred vote count!


Subscribe & Review

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss an episode. Now if you’re feeling extra loving, we’d be really grateful if you left us a review over on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-griots-podcast/id1493355843 to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!


Links mentioned in this episode:

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAIzJEBcGzM&feature=youtu.be was a Veteran Georgia Congressman who was a dedicated career pioneer in the Civil Rights in Movement in America. He tells his first hand experience at the 2012 Democratic Convention. Our stories have a lot to teach us because they remind us of what to look for as we continue on our journey for growth and innovating. 

> https://www.ballotready.org/ec/?load=1 is a one stop shop voting resource that allows you to check your registration, request your ballot, and research the candidates and amendments on your ballot. If you plan to early vote, but want to confirm your early voting dates and polling location, go here → https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/

> https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/riot-on-the-set-how-public-enemy-crafted-the-anthem-fight-the-power-244152/ interviewed Spike Lee, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmo3HFa2vjg and Branford Marsalis as they reflected on the relevance and impact that ‘Do The Right Thing’ still has 25 years later.

> Nurture Your Divine Spirit with 12 Spiritual Tools and Practice https://www.unity.org/resources/practices. This week we reflected on the therapeutic and impactful nature of the spiritual tool, Social Action. It looks different for everyone, but we all have a voice that matters. We invite you to explore your most authentic and meaningful ways to keep showing up. 

> The Running Anthropologist is a podcast dedicated to exploring the culture of running and movement as therapy and is hosted by our good friends, Mark & Meghan Lane-Holbert. They are showing up for the practice of social action by dedicating a “5k A Day” run to the lives of those who we’ve lost in 2020. Each day during the month of October, they will be requesting names and dedicating a day of running to meditate on the lives of those loved ones as a way to reflect on h