The end of 2025 was not an easy time for me.
Between the holidays, work responsibilities, and the emotional weight of closing out the official last year of my 30s, I felt overwhelmed in a way I didn’t fully recognize at first. There’s something about that stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s that forces reflection. You’re wrapping gifts, wrapping projects, wrapping goals — and at the same time you’re wrapping up a chapter of your life.
I found myself thinking a lot about what I had accomplished — and what I hadn’t. About what I started. About what I finished. About what I let fall to the side. And somewhere in that swirl of expectations, comparison, gratitude, exhaustion, and quiet pressure, my motivation for the podcast slowly faded.
Not because I stopped caring.
But because I was tired.
So in a short TikTok, I said I was taking a break. No long explanation. No dramatic announcement. Just honesty. I needed to pause.
During that time off, I did something I hadn’t done in a while — I rested. I thought. I journaled. I processed. And somewhere in that stillness, I also realized something else: I hadn’t posted anything to the blog in months.
That realization wasn’t shameful. It was clarifying.
The podcast has always been about documenting Black life in Iowa — in real time. And I had been so focused on recording and producing that I hadn’t taken the time to reflect and archive the stories properly.
Now, with a renewed sense of purpose — and a little more grace for myself — I’m back. Back to editing. Back to recording. Back to sharing the stories of Black Iowans. Including my own.
But before I jump back in fully, I want to pause and highlight the last seven episodes of 2025. Those were some truly important and inspirational conversations — the kind that remind me why I started this in the first place.
If you haven’t caught up yet, I hope you will.
Because those episodes matter.
Episode 9: Rock It With Confidence: The Creative Journey of Nekia Whitfield of NYX Star Designs
Purpose of this episode:
To explore entrepreneurship, body inclusivity in fashion, and what it means to build a brand rooted in confidence — especially as a Black woman in Iowa.
“The fashion industry excludes a lot of people… so I built something that doesn’t.”
Nekia’s journey begins in Chicago — bold, cultural, stylish — and leads her to Iowa State University to study fashion in a place most wouldn’t expect. But that contrast is what makes her story powerful.
She talked about how the fashion industry is structurally exclusive — from European-based sizing standards to the lack of representation for curvier bodies. Instead of waiting for the industry to change, she created her own lane.
NYX Star Designs is about more than gowns. It’s about transformation. It’s about watching a young woman stand taller in a custom prom dress. It’s about dignity, beauty, and confidence stitched into every seam.
Nekia doesn’t just design clothing. She designs affirmation.
Episode 10: Books, Booze, and Belonging with Ashley Kofoed, Owner of The Black Rose Bookstore
Purpose of this episode:
To highlight the power of creating intentional third spaces where literacy, joy, and belonging can coexist — especially in small-town Iowa.
“It’s not just a bookstore — it’s a space where people feel seen.”
Ashley built The Black Rose — a cozy, boozy bookstore rooted in community. In a small town. In Iowa. As a Black woman.
We unpacked what it means to be “less noticed but still Black” — visible, yet not always centered. That nuance matters.
The Black Rose is more than curated shelves and cocktails. It’s conversation. It’s connection. It’s reclaiming joy. It’s choosing to build belonging instead of waiting for it.
And that is revolutionary in its own quiet way.
Episode 11: Black. Girl. Reading.
Purpose of this episode:
To connect literacy, mental health, and political resistance — and to affirm that reading is not passive. It is power.
“Reading is political. Period.”
This solo episode was deeply personal. I talked about writing a letter to my 13-year-old self and recognizing my own mental health struggles in hindsight.
Then I zoomed out.
From anti-literacy laws during slavery to Reconstruction-era education movements, literacy has always been a threat to oppression. Reading has always been tied to survival and freedom for Black Americans.
This episode was about rest.
About resistance.
About rediscovery.
And about choosing to stay.
Episode 12: Between the Pages: Black Women, Romance and Real Life with Author Denise Williams
Purpose of this episode:
To explore storytelling as healing, to center Midwest Black women in romance narratives, and to challenge who gets to be the romantic lead.
“I wanted to see myself on the page.”
Denise returned to fiction as a creative outlet — writing first for joy, not for publication. That joy became a career.
Her characters are professors, writers, Midwestern women navigating real emotions in real cities like Des Moines. They’re quirky. They’re flawed. They’re brilliant. They fall in love.
Romance isn’t fluff when it centers Black women. It’s radical softness. It’s narrative correction. It’s saying: we deserve joy, too.
And that matters.
Episode 13: Say Yes to the Journey: Motherhood, Advocacy and Leadership with Tiara Mays-Sims
Purpose of this episode:
To examine how motherhood fuels civic engagement and what it means to raise Black children in predominantly white suburban spaces.
“How do I prepare my children for the world without making them feel small in it?”
Tiara’s story is layered — Detroit roots, Iowa upbringing, motherhood, and a run for Iowa House.
We talked about protection and preparation. About raising confident Black children while navigating predominantly white environments. About modeling civic leadership at the kitchen table.
Her campaign wasn’t just about winning a seat. It was about showing her children that their voices matter.
Advocacy begins at home. Leadership begins with intention.
Episode 14: Slaying in Her Lane: Purpose, Balance and Reporting with Jodi Long, KCCI 8 Anchor
Purpose of this episode:
To explore identity in media, newsroom leadership, and the quiet power of representation.
“It’s not about me — it’s about bringing their voice to the table.”
Jodi anchors the news in the community that raised her. Adopted and raised in predominantly white spaces, her perspective is nuanced.
We talked about bringing diversity of thought into the newsroom, about challenging language choices, about integrity in storytelling.
Representation in media is about more than who sits at the desk. It’s about how stories are framed. Whose voices are centered. What questions are asked.
Jodi doesn’t just report the news. She shapes narrative.
Episode 15: Rooted in Service: Leadership, Legacy and Community with Councilwoman Anita Rollins
Purpose of this episode:
To discuss public service through an intergenerational lens and redefine what representation in local government looks like.
“How can we make the table longer and add more chairs?”
Councilwoman Anita Rollins grew up during the Black Power movement in Des Moines anita-emili. That era shaped her confidence and leadership lens.
As the first Black woman on the Ames City Council, she focuses not on symbolism but on structure — access, mentorship, inclusion.
Her leadership is about stewardship. About ensuring she is not the last.
The break was needed.
At the time, it felt uncomfortable. It felt like I was falling behind. Like I was losing momentum. Like I was dropping something that mattered.
But looking back on these episodes has been one of the greatest sources of inspiration for me.
As I mentioned in my most recent solo episode, I spent the majority of 2025 in a fog. Not a dramatic fog. Not a crisis-level fog. Just a quiet, persistent haze where I was moving, producing, showing up — but not always fully present. Not always fully connected to why I was doing it.
Reviewing the final episode of the year reminded me of the purpose I feel with this podcast.
This podcast is meant for me to share the stories of Black people living, working, and thriving in Iowa.
It’s meant to document our joy.
Our leadership. Our creativity. Our softness. Our resilience.
These stories are the fabric of our community. They are the proof that we are here. They give shape and meaning to the need for representation. They create connection where isolation might otherwise grow.
And they matter.
These stories matter. Our voices matter. My story matters.
Somewhere in the overwhelm of 2025, I lost sight of that. But I’m grateful for the time I took to center myself, to breathe, to reflect, and to return to the original purpose of this podcast.
Not performance. Not pressure. Purpose.
So — stay tuned for the second half of the season.
More stories.
More experiences.
More Iowa.
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