Episode 12 - Blood Sweat & Gears (An Interview With Teddy Mack)

The PVO Podcast is back People! To kick off the Second Season of the Podcast, The PVO Bro's are joined by the amazing President & COO, (RED) Jennifer Lotito. Listen in as she shares with us (RED)'s 15-year ongoing mission: To eradicate AIDS globally while simultaneously taking on the threat of COVID-19 and the many systematic issues that such a behemoth task entails. 

In this episode, the PVO bros. are joined by the amazing and inspirational Tassika Lloyd, as she shares the story of her personal experience with breast cancer. She emphasizes the importance of how consistently self-examining, having a strong village and faith, got her through her darkest hour. We also delve into the need for women, and especially black women, to advocate for themselves as the health care system, unfortunately, doesn’t support them as it should. In this episode, we also draw upon the frightening parallels between the fears felt by black women at the hands of the American health care system and how its comparable to that of the black man’s plight at the hands of excessive policing from within the American law enforcement system. As men, we also have a part to play in supporting and protecting black women in their fight against breast cancer, and as a matter of fact, we are also susceptible to breast cancer {NEWS FLASH.}  We also spend some good amount of time discussing the tragic current state of Nigeria. With police brutality reaching an all-time high and the rise of the #ENDSARS movement. However, we never take a turn to ungrateful town, there is still a ton of black boy/girl joy in this world to be mined. It’s always Positive Vibes Only on this side. Our beautiful guest Tassika is also an author too! Be sure to check out her first novel She’s Your Daughter Too. Available at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon!

On this episode, the PVO bros. “grinds gears” with Blood Sweat and Gears (BSG) bike club co-founder Teddy Mack. Teddy is a true leader and visionary, and a dear brother and friend of PVO. Over some fine wine, we joyfully talk about his bike club - BSG. Founded in the midst of a pandemic, they put the pedal to the metal and have created a huge community of enthusiastic bikers, riding for fun, fitness, and purpose. We make strong connections between biking and mental health while dropping numerous life gems ( get your notepads out! ). This episode is full of hearty laughter and energy. We also spill some tea, but never spilling our wine. We thank BSG for the huge impact they have had on our community. We ride” #TilTheWheelsFallOff and give our #BloodSweatandGears “
Positive Vibes Only. 

You can connect with Teddy on IG @theodoremack_ and BSG @bloodsweatandgearsbikeclub

In this episode, the PVO Bros. keep it in-house with their very own Dayo Okeniyi as he chronicles his journey of landing and carrying the leading role of Shields Green in the true-life epic movie EMPEROR. A film that charts the emotional and harrowing journey of ex-slave runaway Shields "Emperor" Green from Charleston, South Carolina to freedom In Rochester, New York. Shields later runs into, and partners with the famous abolitionist John Brown as well as the distinguished Frederick Douglass. The film climaxes with Shields participation in John Brown's inspiring yet unfortunately unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry, an attempt to overtake the arsenal and arm all the slaves in the surrounding area to spark a revolution. Along with the physical and psychological preparation that Okeniyi went through in the making of the film, he also opens up about the unfortunate effects that the current COVID pandemic crisis had on the film's release and reception as well as the amazing plethora of life long lessons and gifts that he has received not just from going through this experience but from every role he has played in his career to date. As always here on the PVO podcast, we never forget to keep things Positive Vibes Only. So tune in and Enjoy!   

The PVO Bros. are joined by Genisha Metcalf, (Founder of Creating Our Own Legacy C.O.O.L Kids) a nonprofit organization that engages youth and young adults of color in community service. She is also an innovative strategist and leadership development consultant specializing in fundraising, building institutional partnerships, developing social impact, and D&I strategies especially geared towards education equity and youth development initiatives. In this episode, she offers a lot of insight into the prejudicial nature of the American Educational System and how the current state of race relations, as well as the COVID pandemic crisis, has helped uproot and highlight long ignored skeletons in the institution's closet. We discuss how loopholes in the system have allowed the rich to wrangel and benefit from the public schooling system at the expense of the disenfranchised and the marginalized population who need those resources the most. We dive deep on the myth of, equal for all public schooling and how systematic racism over our communities has manipulated which schools get the best funding, and as a result, produce the best students. We also discuss the negative effects that this structure has had on urban inner-city youth and the rates of recidivism. It's a vicious cycle that lies therein. Never the less, we always aim to extract all the positive silver linings that lay at the heart of such a serious and growing problem within the heart of our nation.

In this episode, the PVO Bros. discuss every facet of the return of the NBA and the new normal of playing in the Bubble. From the exhibition of games with no fans in the stands, Black Lives Matter proudly printed on the hardwood courts, Social Justice messages printed on the backs of players jerseys, to the Mental Health effects on the players currently engaged in nothing but basketball 24/7. We discuss Anthony Davis, T.J. Warren, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, Carmelo Anthony & Luka Dončić who are all playing the best basketball of their respective careers as well as Lou Williams and his unfortunate entanglement over wings outside the bubble in Magic City. Are the rules of living in the bubble too strict? Who wins the Chip? Does Lebron James' legacy hang In the balance if he doesn't put this one-off? Should there even be an NBA season this year?? With all the ongoing discussions of social injustice in the streets, the ever-present dark cloud of the infamous Coronavirus, and the looming National Election fast approaching, is basketball necessary therapy? Or, an unwelcomed ostentatious distraction? With the help of our good friend Antoinette Henry from the Around The Way Curls Podcast, we dive in! And, no matter how ratchet we get, we always keep it Positive Vibes Only.

In this episode of the podcast, The PVO Bros. are joined with an incredible trio of first-line responders to the now infamous and ubiquitous COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of (Registered Nurse) RN Sabine Mesias, (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) CRNA Deji Babalola and (Emergency Medicine Physician) Dr. Adebanke, we sit down to discuss how the coronavirus has reshaped the world in every way, especially from the vantage point of those fighting on the front lines. They give us an in-depth perspective on what it's like to deal with patients that have tested positive on a daily bases, the chaotic anxiety that was the initial outbreak, the current state of affairs, and the new normals that the whole world will have to adapt to going forward. Along with giving us new information on the virus, they share newly discovered symptoms that can aid in early detection and help debunk widely accepted myths about the novel virus. They also share with us tips and advice on how they dealt with the onslaught of ever-rising cases and managed to stay physically and mentally healthy through it all. As always here at PVO we strive to seek out the silver lining through all of life's circumstances.      

In this episode, The PVO Bros. welcome the amazing Beverly Naya to the show and not only does she share intimate stories about her personal journey as an Actress & Entrepreneur but, she also opens up and reveals to us all the inspirations that led to the making of her breakout documentary “SKIN” which is currently streaming right now on Netflix worldwide. The PVO Bros. embark on a deep dive into this subject matter and discuss the social-economical and psychological impact that colorism has had, particularly on dark skin folks throughout history. Beverly shares with us, insights, and pathways on how we could all do better to stop the traumatic cycles that perpetuate the narrative that dark skin is anything less than magical. So sit back listen, enjoy, learn, and please beware, Black Boy Joy & Black Girl Magic is in full effect this episode. Positive Vibes Only.

     In this episode, the PVO Bros. tackle the question of Equity Vs Equality. How does America atone for its past sins and the stunted growth of the African American legacy? Is it too late to atone? Is equality a lost cause? Does leveling the playing field even begin to scratch the surface of the mountain that black people have to climb to catch up with our white counterparts? Is equity instead, a better resolve? Is equity in the form of reparations too radical, impossible, or ludicrous an Idea? Have we gone too far beyond the conversation of Reparations?

What can we learn from other nations, i.e. Germany (The Holocaust) who have dealt with similar traumas and seem to have not just fully owned their gross history, but made peace with it by not shying away from it, but instead aggressively seeking justice and atonement by every means possible? Yes, keeping in mind that the systemic extermination of Jews in Europe was nowhere near as long as the centuries and generations of black enslavement and oppression in America. But hey, We have to start somewhere right?

Its been 400 years since the inception of Slavery, 148 years since the end of slavery at the commencement of The Civil War, 150 years since the enforcement of the Jim Crow Laws that carved very deep divides in the American psychological, social and economical landscape, 60 years since The Civil Rights Movement which brought the institution of Jim Crow to an end, even though its spirit still lingers till today, and is at the heart of the fight against institutionalized racism which perseveres in every fiber of the fabric that makes up the American tapestry. Yes, progress has definitely been made, but not fast enough. How does America begin to right its ship that has gone so far off course? As always, the PVO Bros. dive into this minefield of a topic, never forgetting to search and excavate for the silver linings that may lay buried deep underneath it all. 

What is inspiration? Where does it come from? Who and/or What inspires the PVO Bros.? In this episode, we do a deep dive into the subject of inspiration and the power it possesses. Often times, vision and imagination take all the glory for the manifestation of dreams. However, even the most visionary inventors, athletes, actors, artists, musicians, business moguls, and scientists, no matter how wildly talented and creative they are, can always trace back their radical concepts, obsessive researching, and diligence to something outside of themselves. Said inspiration, can be as big as a wave that knocks them sideway or as little as a kernel of a mustard seed wedged between two teeth. An inciting incident otherwise known as A Flash Of Genius Moment. 

Inspiration: It can come at any time, from anywhere or anyone. Vigilance rewards the man who seeks inspiration and doesn't store it away but plants it in his imagination and waters it daily so It can grow into reality. And just like any healthy tree that bears fruit, inspiration, if nurtured well can produce even more inspirational fruit and in unbelievable exponential numbers. Creating a beautiful chain reaction; A pandemic of Inspiration.