In this final episode of Season 1, Jen talks with Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin, a sociologist of race and place teaching at the University of Tennessee. Enkeshi is the founder of The Bottom, a community event space that includes a Black book shop, a community podcast studio, and Sew It Sell It, a program that teaches sewing and entrepreneurial skills to children between the ages of 12 and 16. Enkeshi is also the co-host and producer of the Black in Appalachia podcast. Originally from Guyana, Enkeshi talks about her journey from South America to Atlanta to New York and what brought her to Tennessee. She shares about how her experiences of feeling out of place in Knoxville combined with her doctoral research inspired her to create The Bottom. Most history classes in mainstream, public education teach a white-washed version of history, which leaves out the experiences and perspectives of marginalized people groups. Enkeshi talks about learning this white version of American history growing up in Atlanta and then learning another version, centered in Black experience, in college and grad school. She shares her hope that the Black in Appalachia podcast can provide some of this education to young Black folks in our region. Also a mom to an almost three-year-old, Enkeshi describes the ways her husband and her community have supported her in her endeavors and how that sense of community is essential to finding ways to thrive despite the systemic racism that plagues our country. Support The Bottom. Buy Books at The Bottom. Learn more and connect at insisterhoodpod.com. Become a Patron and join the conversation! Support Insisterhood at patreon.com/insisterhood.

Jade Adams is the owner of Oglewood Ave, a modern houseplant boutique which combines the art of interior design with the science of plants. As the owner of Jade Adams Photography, she specializes in capturing milestones and experiences as a wedding photographer. Since weddings and events got cancelled, postponed, or scaled back due to COVID, Jade found herself selling some of her houseplants and Oglewood Ave was born. Jade talks about the tragic accident that inspired her to shoot for her dreams, how her Instagram account exploded with nearly 8,000 followers in just five months, preparing for her shop’s grand opening, and what it’s like being plant mom to 300 houseplants. A self-described wild child who just can’t sit still, Jade shares how taking care of her plants actually helps her take care of herself. Oglewood Ave is located at 3524 North Broadway in Knoxville. Learn more and connect at insisterhoodpod.com. Become a Patron and join the conversation! Support Insisterhood at patreon.com/insisterhood.

Ashley Dawn Addair is a visual artist with a deep well of questions and a hunger for clarity. She describes her work as a “primal coping response” and her process of creating as an embodied improvisation. After her first art show sold out, she abandoned her pragmatic goal of becoming a teacher to travel with her partner and turn her hobby of painting into a source of income. In this conversation, Ashley explores the cognitive dissonance she holds between freedom and groundedness and between owning a business and wondering if we really need any more stuff in this world. She also talks about homeschooling her three young kids, being a partner, and applying for grad school. She shares about her struggles with imposter syndrome and how she’s working to set clear boundaries while dismantling those that are outmoded or not useful. Ashley knows it’s time to reimagine our world and she shares what really matters—love and relationships.

Insisterhood Season 1 is winding down. Only two more episodes left before we press pause until 2021. Learn more and connect at insisterhoodpod.com.

Rhea Carmon is a poet, a math teacher, a mother, a wife, and so much more. As Knoxville’s Poet Laureate, Rhea is using her platform to share the power of story (and the power of telling your own story) with school children. Rhea talks about her reality web series, Beyond the Spark, and her role as a coach to other poets. She also shares the story behind her spoken word collective, The 5th Woman, and how her realization that speaking our stories out loud can bring healing. Rhea believes that our stories reveal that women share many of the same experiences and emotions, regardless of race, class, and other dividing lines. Rhea shares her story and talks about the effect poetry has had on her life, her battle with MS, revising her body, and her journey of motherhood. Learn more and connect at insisterhoodpod.com. Become a Patron and join the conversation! Support Insisterhood at patreon.com/insisterhood.

Tammy Kaousias is the owner of Kaousias Law and Inner Space Yoga Supplies, a manufacturing business that makes yoga props and meditation cushions. She was also the second owner of Glowing Body Yoga Studio and that’s where Jen and Tammy’s paths intersected. Tammy and Jen reflect on their boss/employee relationship and discuss leadership, group dynamics, and interpenetrating mandalas (or something like that). A long time meditator, Tammy talks about how contemplative practices and yoga were essential to helping her manage the stresses of the legal profession and of caretaking for her elderly parents. Tammy serves on the Knox County Election Commission and she shares the “why” behind her passion for ensuring citizens’ voting rights. Tammy and Jen also discuss toxic positivity, the power of listening, developing a sense of self apart from external factors, balancing leisure time with productivity, and the key ways that Snap ’n Pops can be used as tools of insistence. Learn more and connect at insisterhoodpod.com. Become a Patron and join the conversation! Support Insisterhood at patreon.com/insisterhood.

Amy Gibson is the owner and producer of Wide Lens Media and the creator of the Every Woman Vote project. Amy’s business allows her to combine her passion for public policy and the arts and, because she’s the boss, she chooses to work with mission-driven organizations that share her values. Amy shares the story behind Every Woman Vote, the ways women vote everyday (not just Election Day), and the powerful connection that develops when a woman tells a story. Amy shares her “voting story” and the ways politics showed up in her family (hint: listen for her “Give ‘em hell, Ronnie” story). Amy describes herself as a “lame triathlete” and discusses how competing in the 50+ group revealed a kind of “aging in” to community over competition. Pre-order your Insister Swag by Sept 30th. Learn more and connect at insisterhoodpod.com. Become a Patron and join the conversation! Support Insisterhood at patreon.com/insisterhood.

Kim Lomonaco is the co-owner of Glowing Body Yoga & Healing Arts, where she also leads the yoga teacher training, teaches three classes per week, and offers Thai Yoga Massage. When she’s not at the yoga studio, she’s either working as a Speech Language Pathologist in an acute care setting or co-parenting her young son. Kim tells the story of her long history with Glowing Body, how she came to be co-owner, and why having a business partner is like having another marriage. Kim talks about transitioning to online platforms as a result of COVID and how she negotiated her own experiences with perfectionism and anxiety during the pivot. She also shares about the toll motherhood took on her body, the uncertainty that comes with being “healthy” but feeling like something’s still not right, and what it was like to advocate for her own health and well-being. Learn more and connect at insisterhoodpod.com. Become a Patron and join the conversation! Support Insisterhood at patreon.com/insisterhood.

Callie Konane Rickards is the sparkle sorceress (aka maker, designer, and owner) of Konane Wildcraft, which offers handmade reflective festival fashion for radical self-expression. Callie talks about her history in the industry, claiming her place in the Knoxville fashion scene, and designing a powerful, last-minute look for the final night of Knoxville’s Fashion Week. After schooling Jen in some Burning Man lingo, Callie shares about her first time at the festival and how she found her medium (sequins!). Callie also talks about her Hawaiian ancestry, the meaning of her name “Konane,” and how presenting as white in a plus size body has driven her to prioritize representing bodies of all shapes, sizes, and colors in her work. COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the festival community and in turn, Konane Wildcraft. Callie shares about her side gig as an employee, why she felt called to support healthcare workers by making masks, and how she expresses herself through the art of living. Learn more and connect at insisterhoodpod.com. Become a Patron and join the conversation! Support Insisterhood at patreon.com/insisterhood.