🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 11: A Boy and His Battlefield My biggest bully looked just like me. Same face. Same fear. Now I hold up a mirror for students — so they can see what I finally learned: “You are enough.” Replace the lies by speaking life to your reflection.

🎤 Friday Replay: Be Someone’s All-Star
 My niece gave me an “All-Star Uncle” trophy when I didn’t feel like one. 🏆 It reminded me — someone still sees the best in you, even when you forget it. Everyone is an All-Star to someone. 🎥 Watch the clip — and go be that person.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 12: Thank You Doctors said I wouldn’t walk. Teachers counted me out. A professor told me to give up writing. Thank you. Not because you were right,
But because you fueled the fire that proved you wrong. The world doesn’t choose your destiny.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 13: Spread Your Wings When I stretch my arms wide, I’m reminding students of something I once forgot: You were born to fly. I used to be scared. But you don’t learn to fly by staying grounded. You learn by lifting your arms and believing.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 14: The Gift Imagine a wrapped gift full of potential, waiting to be opened. 
That’s every student I meet. The greatest gift I ever received wasn’t material. 
It was people helping me discover and develop my purpose. Now I get to do the same.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 15: Who Will Cry for the Boy Becoming a Man? The scene in Antwone Fisher where he reads “Who will cry for the little boy?” stays with me — because I meet that little boy in today’s young men.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 16: The Weight of Wisdom Your voice doesn’t carry weight because it’s loud. 
It carries weight because of the environment you create. Wisdom invites. Wisdom listens. Wisdom makes space before it speaks. 💡 Lead with wisdom — and words follow.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me
🎤 Week 17: The Call That Changed Everything In 2007, a phone call redirected my path. It led me from writing stories about student-athletes to helping young people write their own. The call reminded me to become the person I needed in high school.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 18: “Don’t Jump Offside” In football, jumping offside costs five yards. In life, it can cost everything. Many boys aren’t reckless—they’re under coached. Discipline shouldn’t end when the uniform comes off. 💡 Coach beyond the game.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 19: Never Called the N-word in third grade. That moment taught me what the world thought of me. My life became the work of proving it would never define me.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 20: Graduation Was Never Just a Date When I earned my Bachelor Degree in 2005 from Bowling Green State University, I learned this: Graduation isn’t a destination. It’s a daily commitment to keep going— especially when others doubt you.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 21: Your Voice Matters In loud, divided times, young people don’t need louder voices. They need steadier ones. If you work with youth, remember: your words can either add to the chaos or become a refuge from it. Choose wisely.

🎤 Friday Replay: It’s Time to REP Your Dream 
That dream inside you isn’t an accident. REP it: 
Realize it’s yours.
Engage with it daily.
Pursue it boldly. The dream won’t chase you — but it’s waiting on you to chase it. 🎥 Watch the clip — and start REP’ing your dream.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 22: When Black History Became Our Story Black History Month isn’t about memorizing names. It’s about understanding intersections. If you love sports, music, entertainment, or food—you’re already part of the story. History has the power to heal.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 23: Permission to Fight Permission to fight. Not each other — that’s too easy. Fight the frustration. 
Fight the loneliness. 
Fight the doubt. The strongest battles are won within. 💪

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 24: The Masks We Don’t See Teens don’t wear masks to deceive us but to protect something. M.A.S.K.
➡️Misunderstood emotions, Armor for insecurity, Silence about struggle, Keeping it together Before correcting behavior, ask what it’s covering.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 25: The Room Full of Girls I stood before hundreds of girls and said nothing. For 30 seconds, I just looked. 
And reminded them: There’s a history-maker in every one of you. Empowering girls isn’t a trend. 
It’s a responsibility.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 26: The Room Full of Girls I stepped back. Handed her the mic. 
The room shifted. For too long, girls have been interrupted, dismissed, told to shrink. So I make space. When she speaks, she isn’t just answering — she’s reclaiming her voice.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 27: Built for the Bounce Back Fifteen students labeled “dropout risks.” We met twice a month. Purpose. Planning. Permission. Every one of them graduated. Students aren’t defined by setbacks. They’re built for the bounce back.

🎤 Between the Mic & Me 🎤 Week 28: I See You The scoreboard read 45–0. Fifth winless season. But the biggest loss wasn’t on the field. It was a belief. So I told the students three words: I see you. Sometimes recognition is the first step to redemption.