In the Black community, reunions and gatherings are sacred spaces where we can breathe, feel free, and be ourselves without apology. In that spirit, on this episode, Dr. Tasha invited past guests, friends, and fam to share in good company, good food, fond memories, and laughter: Black joy. This montage captures that energy. It’s an opportunity to look back on conversations and moments that shaped the show. Whether you’ve been here from the beginning or you’re just catching up, enjoy this reflection from the BLACK in One Piece™ 2024–25 Family Reunion.

This episode of BLACK in One Piece™ sees us back at the Advanced Learning Library for part three of the Amplify 365 Series, a community conversation on Black entrepreneurship, legacy, and wellness filmed during National Black Business Month. While filmed during Black Business Month, also known as Black August, it’s only right we’re releasing the episode during November in recognition of National Entrepreneurship Month.Dr. Tasha sits with Wichita business leaders Tasha Hayes (The Blackprint ICT), Toni Jones (The Bizy Shop), and Kori DaCosta (Biio, Sun and Prairie Studios) to talk about what it really takes to build something that lasts.From challenges like lack of funding, visibility, and burnout to what it means to be Black-owned, not Black-only, and how they’re reimagining wellbeing, sustainability, legacy, and leadership in Wichita’s business ecosystem, you don’t want to miss this episode.

This episode of BLACK in One Piece™ sees us back at the Advanced Learning Library for part three of the Amplify 365 Series, a community conversation on Black entrepreneurship, legacy, and wellness filmed during National Black Business Month. While filmed during Black Business Month, also known as Black August, it’s only right we’re releasing the episode during November in recognition of National Entrepreneurship Month.

Dr. Tasha sits with Wichita business leaders Tasha Hayes (The Blackprint ICT), Toni Jones (The Bizy Shop), and Kori DaCosta (Biio, Sun and Prairie Studios) to talk about what it really takes to build something that lasts.

From challenges like lack of funding, visibility, and burnout to what it means to be Black-owned, not Black-only, and how these entrepreneurs are reimagining wellbeing, sustainability, legacy, and leadership in Wichita’s business ecosystem, you don’t want to miss this episode.

#BLACKinOnePiece #TMBPMedia #Amplify365 #BlackBusinessMonth #BlackAugust #BlackEntrepreneurs #LeftOnRead #TheMillennialBlackProfessor #WichitaBlackBusiness #NationalEntrepreneurshipMonth

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month recently came to a close, and Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct 5–11) and World Mental Health Day (Oct 10) are around the corner. With this in mind, our latest episode of BLACK in One Piece™ features a powerful conversation with Shawnta Smith, LMSW, QMHP, recorded at the Advanced Learning Library as part of the AMPLIFY 365™ series. Shawnta, founder of The ART Project and owner of Be Kind Therapy, reflects on turning personal loss into community advocacy while we discuss Black identity, therapy, parenting, boundaries, and breaking the stigma around mental health.

Click here to learn more about The A.R.T. Project and Be Kind Therapy.

Dr. Tasha: “What helps you feel confident and proud of who you are?”

Sherrye: “Just me being me.”

We’re closing out our celebration of Black Business Month with a conversation featuring Sherrye McDowell, Left on Read’s very first part-time employee through The Way to Work program.

In June, you met Sherrye on her first day of work. 10 weeks later, on her last day of work, she joined Dr. Tasha to reflect on the experience, what she learned, and what being BLACK in One Piece™ means to her as she begins high school.

Book References

Great Black Hope, by Rob Franklin

Historically Black Phrases, by jarrett hill and Tre'vell Anderson

The Black Joy Project, by Kleaver Cruz

To find these and more, visit https://bookshop.org/shop/leftonread for physical and e-books and https://libro.fm/leftonreadbooks/ for audiobooks.

Interested in The Way to Work? Visit https://www.wichita.gov/339/The-Way-to-Work-TWTW.

Dr. Tasha: “How would you define Blackness?”


Collette: “Seasoned.”

In this episode of BLACK in One Piece™, Collette Atkinson reflects on what it means to live, parent, and show up as a Black woman in public, professional, and social spaces that expect peak performance but mid protection, if any.

We move through corporate code-switching, Black parenting decisions, emotional labor, and the quiet tension of having to explain what’s unfair when the world refuses to see it.

This conversation offers a layered look at identity, presence, and what it means to try to stay whole when the world wants you in pieces.

In the one-year anniversary episode of BLACK in One Piece™, Dr. Tasha shares her Amplify 365™ keynote address, originally delivered live at the Wichita Public Library as part of a year-long series honoring Black history, life, and culture—all year long, not just in February.

From historical erasure to cultural reclamation, this episode names what gets left out, what we’re reclaiming, and why amplification without accountability is just noise.

Tune in as Dr. Tasha calls it out, calls us in, and reminds us—as always—to stay BLACK in One Piece™.

References: http://bit.ly/408BhOU

Episode 11 of Black in One Piece™ features Terry Terrell, LMSW, in a powerful conversation for Mental Health Awareness Month.

In this episode, Dr. Tasha sits down with Terry Terrell to talk through what it means to do the work—internally and in community. From colorism and cultural identity to entrepreneurship and emotional labor, Terry shares his journey with honesty and purpose. He opens up about the importance of safe spaces for Black men, the weight of unaddressed generational trauma, and the ways we can reimagine healing beyond surface-level self-care.

This episode is an invitation to rethink how we support one another, how we show up for ourselves, and how we begin the work of healing in real time.

Topics include:

• Mental health access for Black men
• Childhood wounds and identity
• Faith, entrepreneurship, and cultural clarity
• The impact of colorism and implicit bias
• Redefining self-care beyond consumerism

For more information on how to work with Terry, visit https://odysseycandc.com/ and https://linktr.ee/theblackmenslocker.