Frankly Speaking with Tyra G Tyra Garlington - Tyra G

Iyanla Vanzant, Life Coach, and Author offers the following in her 2000 book Until Today.



"Shhhh! Don't tell that story again. Do not talk about how so many bad people wronged you. Please do not talk about him, her, or them unless it will make you feel better right now. Hush! Don't utter another syllable about the pain and losses that have left you broken unless you are ready to recover right now. Stop! Dragging yourself back there, reminding yourself about how bad it was for you then unless it is relevant to what you are doing right now. Each time you think about talk about, or remember then, you put that energy squarely in the middle of your life right now.



"You must acknowledge how you feel about everything you have experienced. However, it would be best not to tell the story in a manner that makes you feel bad right now. Tell me what you learned! Tell me how you have healed! If you look at your story, there is probably a great deal you can use right now to move forward.



Join me and Dr. Bernadette Anderson as we look behind and beyond these words into a path of Healing, Health, and Happiness. You may learn something new about something old.



Take a listen. Be inspired, and share.

“America is an idea. It is a culture of tolerance. All different colors and religions can live in coexistence. All can contribute positively. This idea must be a leader in the world. This idea must be preserved. If anything happened to this idea, it would be very bad for the rest of the world.”—Zaheer Iqbal, immigrant from Pakistan



Author Margery Leveen Sher sets the stage for our conversation in the following words. “This book tells some of the continuing stories of immigrants to our country. The American Dream is not dead, and it is certainly not a myth. It is a vision that millions of people work toward every day. It is a vision that gives hope to people around the world who are suffering persecution. The American Dream vision is not something to be cynical about: it is a vision for which to fight and push for everyone who is starting anew as an American immigrant, as well as those who have suffered persistent poverty in this country.”



Meet a few determined, undefeatable, and amazing immigrants through their personal stories. Be inspired! I certainty was.

Click below

We continue discussing with Michelle Petties., her book, and the mentoring program about Leaving Large.



"Life will work for me when I accept … The labels placed on me don’t always fit.



With its structures, expectations, and divisions, society has fostered certain ideas about women that are not always flattering. Many people believe that strong women are not feminine and that assertive women cannot be trusted. My all-time favorite is that women who exhibit any degree of clarity about who they are and what they want are dangerous. Do not forget that a bossy woman is domineering, making her the B word. We won’t bother to mention the myths that women are not as smart as men or that they cannot handle money as well. The point is some people believe these things about women, and some of these are women!



Labels define. Often, labels set up expectations. Labels prescribe how much, how little, and sometimes how long a thing can be used. Labels are descriptive. Labels are protective, and labels can be removed. It just may be that the time has come to take the labels off women. It is probably more accurate to say it is time for women to take the labels off themselves.



For a woman to realize that she is more than a mother, more than a wife, more than what she earns or what she does to earn a living, she must know her worth. This means she must test herself and her limits. A woman must learn to describe herself and establish her expectations for herself. She must encourage herself, support and nurture herself, be willing to be disliked, and violate the descriptions and confines imposed on her. 



My guest is doing the work today, paying the dues, and gracefully managing the rewards.



The first inscription in her new book is a quote from Maya Angelou: “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”



My guest personifies a butterfly and has come this week to share her journey. Her story will amaze, encourage, and excite anyone who has ever felt left out, left behind, or left over.



Listen, be inspired, and share.

I quote



"Life will work for me when I accept … The labels placed on me don’t always fit.



With its structures, expectations, and divisions, society has fostered certain ideas about women that are not always flattering. Many people believe that strong women are not feminine and that assertive women cannot be trusted. My all-time favorite is that women who exhibit any degree of clarity about who they are and what they want are dangerous. Do not forget that a bossy woman is domineering, making her the B word. We won’t bother to mention the myths that women are not as smart as men or that they cannot handle money as well. The point is some people believe these things about women, and some of these are women!



Labels define. Often, labels set up expectations. Labels prescribe how much, how little, and sometimes how long a thing can be used. Labels are descriptive. Labels are protective, and labels can be removed. It just may be that the time has come to take the labels off women. It is probably more accurate to say it is time for women to take the labels off themselves". --Iyanya Vanzant, Until Today 2000



My guest is doing the work today, paying the dues, and gracefully managing the rewards. The first inscription in her new book is a quote from Maya Angelou: “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has undergone to achieve that beauty.”



My guest personifies a butterfly and has come this week to share her journey. Her story will amaze, encourage, and excite anyone who has ever felt left out, left behind, or left over.



Be inspired and share.

In her own words,



“We had music growing up, 78RPM’s that evolved into 45RPM’s and, always, the radio.  The radio in my day, Black and white, played everything.  Gospel Spirituals, even some opera when Leontyne Price came along.  You could listen to R & B late at night or you could go to the other station and listen to popular music.  There was also jazz if the wind was right.  I feel so sorry for the kids who only hear one kind of music.  Where do your dreams come from?



My dream was not to publish or to even be a writer:  my dream was to discover something no one else had thought of.  I guess that’s why I’m a poet.  We put things together in ways no one else does.”



She did not go unappreciated as revealed in a few recognitions below.



Seven NAACP Image Awards: for Love Poems; Blues: For All the Changes; Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea; Acolytes; Hip Hop Speaks to Children; 100 Best African American Poems; Bicycles.

Named one of Oprah Winfrey’s 25 Living Legends

Phi Beta Kappa

State Historical markers in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Lincoln Heights, Ohio

The Tennessee Governor's Award in the Arts

Tennessee Governor's Award In the Humanities

Virginia Governor's Award for the Arts

Woman of the Year, Ebony Magazine

Woman of the Year, Ladies Home Journal

Woman of the Year, Mademoiselle Magazine



This show is a replay of an NPR On Being with Krista Tippett Nikki Giovanni interview. You will love her authenticity, her humor, and her resolve.  Grab your favorite beverage, put your feet up, and exhale. Then, click below.

It’s March, National Women’s History Month when we intentionally recognize the ongoing great contributions women have made to our nation.



Frankly Speaking with Tyra G is celebrating this month with a twist. We are looking at phenomenal women and how we embrace and manage our universal experiences, our rainbows and clouds, and our courage and resolve.



We are a journey, not a destination; a process, not an event. Even when we are still, we are motion; loving, serving, nurturing, encouraging, and empowering. We are love and love does. But sometimes, sometimes we get stuck between our no longer the familiar, the habits and our not yet, who we were created to be,  and we may ask the question: “Am I enough?”   



By the way, the right answer is a resounding YES!



Our theme this month is: You are more than who you’ve become.



Across generations, three women of color celebrate Michele Obama and her bestseller, Becoming. Join Emma Allen, Denise Fayne, and Jamella Smith in an authentic and vulnerable discussion about how self-compassion, self-improvement, and self-worthiness, are critical to becoming the person you were created to be.



Listen, be inspired, and share.