Shows
HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lS4E2 - Elections, Hope, and the Role of StillnessIn episode 2, TMLG dives into the nuanced role of hope in Black communities, especially during political turbulence. She reflects on how hope has been a tool for survival and resilience but challenges the notion that it owes us anything beyond sustaining our spirits. Perhaps, she suggests, we haven’t fully understood hope as a self-sustaining force rather than a promise. TMLG also addresses the trap of finding our worth solely in “doing the work,” sharing how embracing stillness serves as a vital reminder of inherent value beyond action. Join this conversation on rethinking hope and embracing the sacred pause for re...
2024-11-0734 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lS4E1 - What Does "Black Contemplative" Even Mean?In the Season 4 opener of HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’l, TMLG explores her journey into contemplative and mindfulness practices as a Black woman whose life and foundation has been informed by the necessity of movement and activism. She unpacks the tension between stillness and action, the cultural nuances of Black joy and faith, and how silence and quietude can serve as a tool for both healing and clarity in the same way sound and expression can.
With reflections on her faith journey and the influence of the late Dr. Barbara Holmes and Howard Thurman, Tracey invites listeners to...
2024-10-2740 min
Hope & Hard PillsThe One About Black JoyAs a writer and thought-leader, Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts offers those who read her work and hear her speak an authentic experience; an opportunity to explore the intersection of culture, identity and faith/spirituality at the deepest levels. She is the host of the podcast, HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’l, and founder of HeARTspace, a healing community created to serve those who have experienced trauma of any kind through the use of storytelling and the arts.As a writer, Tracey has published 23 books including several collaborations with numerous high-profile authors. Calling herself a “literary midwife,” Tracey is a highly...
2024-02-2628 min
Free Library PodcastKwame Alexander | Why Fathers Cry at Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Recipes, Letters, and RemembrancesIn conversation with Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts
Kwame Alexander is the author of The Crossover, a ''beautifully measured novel'' (The New York Times Book Review) that follows twin brother basketball stars coming to terms with the world. Winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal and the 2015 Coretta Scott King Honor Award, it was recently adapted for Disney+ into a television series. Also a poet, educator, and activist, Alexander is the author of 36 other bestselling books, including Rebound, The Undefeated, and The Door of No Return. He is also a regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, co-founder of a health clinic and literacy program in Ghana...
2023-06-0857 min
From Armor to EaseRisking Joy with Tracey Michae'l Lewis-GiggettsIn this episode, Chichi Agorom interviews Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts, author of the NAACP award-winning book "Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration." They discuss:Healing, identity, and Black joy.Tracey’s shift from performing for love to realizing that she is enough.The fear of losing your armor and part of your identityTracey’s definition of Black joyAbout Tracey: As a writer and thought-leader, Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts offers those who read her work and hear her speak an authentic experience; an opportunity to explore the intersection of culture, identity and faith/spirituality at the dee...
2023-03-2258 min
Be the Bridge Podcast with Latasha Morrison263 - Women’s History Month: Guarding Your Joy and Working Toward Healing with Author and Thought Leader Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts
The NAACP Image Award-winning author, Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts joins Be the Bridge founder and podcast host, Latasha Morrison, for a profound conversation this Women’s History Month. Listeners get the honor of hearing Tracey talk about the sacred relationship of Black women and the women who have personally impacted her. There is beauty and depth, wisdom and vulnerability in Tracey’s story and words. Latasha and Tracey discuss what it looks like to work faithfully without recognition and the words of Jesus in John 5 about being made well as it relates to racial trauma. You’ll be challenged to find...
2023-03-211h 12HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy When We Surrender OutcomesIn this season finale episode, TMLG shares how observing her favorite animal taught her the power of surrendering control and releasing the need to manufacture outcomes in her life. She also helps a caller think through how to release a friendship that’s no longer serving them well.
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey
FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
2022-12-3027 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy as Radical Sacrifice and PracticeTMLG unpacks the power of surrender as a way to shift and pivot in one’s life as well as the importance of viewing joy, freedom, and healing as a practice as opposed to a destination. She also answers a caller’s question about finding joy on the job.
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey
FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
2022-12-3025 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy as the Freedom to Use Our VoicesTMLG shares how she released herself from a culture of silence and the need to be in control at all times—in order to experience the freedom that comes with telling her stories and giving her voice air. She also helps a caller deal with the complicated feelings that come up while co-parenting a “forever child.”
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey
FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
2022-12-2920 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy as Aligning What We Believe with What We DoTMLG challenges us to consider how what we believe about ourselves and our lives shows up in what we actually do; our practices. She also invites a caller to accept that grief and joy CAN coexist.
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey
FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
2022-12-2915 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy as Letting the Old Stuff GoTMLG discusses the process of letting go of people, places, and things as we grow and evolve on our healing journeys. Sometimes the old stories, thoughts, and beliefs will rear their head because we haven’t thanked them for their service and put them in their proper place. She also helps a caller navigate the “loss” of joy in their marriage.
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey
FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
2022-12-2921 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy as a Testimony of HealingTMLG explores how living the life of a healing person is the best testimony and witness we can have to others. She also answers a caller’s question regarding protecting the joy of Black children when they are the “only one” in certain spaces.
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey
FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
2022-12-2821 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy as Contentment and GratitudeTMLG explores the power of contentment and acceptance as both a pathway to AND a manifestation of Black Joy.
Visit TMLG and HeARTtalk online at:
IG - @hearttalkwithtracey & @tmlgwriter
FB- https://www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
Get your copy of Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration wherever books are sold! Including Black bookstores Click HERE to buy.
2022-09-0730 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy as Radical AmazementHoward Thurman, citing Abraham Heschel, wrote about this concept of "radical amazement" in his book, The Inward Journey, and TMLG unpacks it in relationship to Black Joy. She also invites a caller who is concerned about not being able to express the fullness of his emotions as a Black man, to consider the lies he's been told.
Visit TMLG and HeARTtalk online at:
IG - @hearttalkwithtracey & @tmlgwriter
FB- https://www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
Get your copy of Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration wherever books are sold! In...
2022-08-1634 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lSpecial Guest - Deesha Philyaw on Wielding Joy as Black women and writersTMLG chats with prolific author, Deesha Philyaw, about the various ways we wield joy as Black women and writers. The two explore how Black joy shows up in the creation of characters as well as how creatives, in particular, live and work.
Visit Deesha at: www.deeshaphilyaw.com
Visit TMLG and HeARTtalk online at:
IG - @hearttalkwithtracey & @tmlgwriter
FB- https://www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
Get your copy of Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration wherever books are sold! Including Black bookstores Click HERE to buy.
2022-08-0144 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy when the Body is SpeakingTMLG talks more about the physical body being a portal to joy, especially for Black and Brown folks.
Our caller fam also wants to know how we can sustain joy over time.
Visit TMLG and HeARTtalk online at:
IG - @hearttalkwithtracey & @tmlgwriter
FB- https://www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
Get your copy of Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration wherever books are sold! Including Black bookstores Click HERE to buy.
2022-07-1827 min
Love Period with Rev. Dr. Jacqui LewisCurating Bold Black Joy with Tracey Michae'l-Lewis GiggettsWhat does your sanctuary look like? What does it feel like? On this episode, Rev. Jacqui invites author and educator Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts to the table to discuss the nature of joy—how to recognize it, feel it, and invite it into our lives. Through this stimulating conversation, explore how claiming a space of sanctuary can energize your journey of awakening. As a writer and thought-leader, Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts offers those who read her work and hear her speak an authentic experience; an opportunity to explore the intersection of culture, identity and faith/spirituality at the deep...
2022-07-1341 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Joy when the World is on FireTMLG is back and Season 3 is all about BLACK JOY!
In this episode...
What does it look like to hold on to our joy, to be intentional about creating moments of joy, when fear and rage and grief is ever present and the world is a dumpster fire?
With the new call-in format and special guest episodes, Tracey will unpack this and so much more this season.
Visit TMLG and HeARTtalk online at:
IG - @hearttalkwithtracey & @tmlgwriter
FB- https://www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
Get your c...
2022-07-0425 minFree Library PodcastTracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts | Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and RestorationIn conversation with Bernice McFadden
The author and co-author of 15 books that explore topics such as faith, race, social justice, and motherhood, Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts is a professor of English and Black Studies at the Community College of Philadelphia, hosts the podcast HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae'l, and is the founder of HeARTspace, a healing community for those who have experienced trauma. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Essence, The Guardian, and Ebony, among other publications. In her new essay collection, Lewis-Giggetts celebrates the reaffirming power of Black joy as a means of restoration, resilience, and resistance.
Bernice McFadden won the...
2022-02-0257 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lKanye, Covid, & Jesus: Loving and Creating as an Artist Living with Mental IllnessIn the season finale episode, Tracey Michae’l talks with author, visual artist, and teacher, Claudia Love Mair, about the intersection of the arts with mental health and specifically about her own journey with Bipolar Disorder. This candid conversation covers the problematic view of racism as mental illness, Claudia's spiritual evolution and winding journey in publishing, and the beauty in having a different kind of brain.
Visit Claudia on IG: @claudialovemair
HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www...
2020-08-261h 05HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lThe Ups and Downs of Being Married to an Artist/CreatorIn S2E9 of HeARTtalk, TMLG talks with her partner/husband William Giggetts about the challenges and upsides of living with an artist/creative. The couple talks about the day-to-day frustrations, the ever-elusive notion of balance, and parenting pressures during the pandemic.
HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey
FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey
2020-07-2932 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lA WAY TO HEAR: Using the Gift of Theater to HealIn S2E8 of HeARTtalk, TMLG talks with actor/playwright, Teresa Miller, about the power of the arts to help us "hear" ourselves so that, in turn, we can love well and heal. The response to grief, for some, is to run as far away from it as possible. And that’s understandable. It hurts. It overwhelms. But Teresa shares with us the hope found in sitting in our grief. Examining it.
HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www.instagram.com/he...
2020-07-0141 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lPivoting on Purpose: Leaving Safe BehindIn S2E7, TMLG speaks with writer, cinematographer, and producer, Stephanie Malson, about her pivot from corporate security to full-time creative work. The conversation is an intimate and candid look at the ebbs and flows that come with making such a huge transition and the significance of knowing your “why.”
Check out Stephanie’s cinematography reel: https://vimeo.com/223023758
Visit her on instagram: @slminspired
HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story
Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
IG: www.instagram...
2020-06-171h 16HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’l"Moving" Toward Wholeness: How Dance Can Help Us HealSo much of what we call illness and disease can be linked to how much personal and trans-generational trauma we hold in our bodies. That’s why it is critical in this movement for Black lives that we #fightANDheal. Learning how to return to our bodies can be transformative and one of the ways we can do that is through movement. In S2E6 of HeARTtalk, TMLG speaks with Randall Rosenberg, a NOLA-based dancer and choreographer, about how movement and dance can be a healing force if we can embrace the freedom found in it.
Visit Randall on...
2020-06-1036 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lRAGE & GRIEF: Gardening as a tool for HealingWhile we—Black people—are fighting, we must also try to heal. We must. In S2E5, Tracey Michae’l talks about choosing to embrace her rage as righteous and the importance of finding subversive ways to heal from the trauma of racism and racial micro-aggressions. One of those tools for healing is gardening and in this episode she chats with Natasha Nicholes of We Sow We Grow and HousefulofNicholes.com about urban homesteading and how gardening/farming has served her own grief journey.
HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story
Visit TMLG and the show o...
2020-06-0347 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lThe Power in Sharing Your Personal StoryIn S2E4 of HeARTtalk, Tracey Michae'l speaks with author, journalist, and public intellectual, Lori Tharps, about the power of telling our personal stories for personal and collective healing. It’s inevitable that when sharing our personal stories--whether via memoir, essays, or oral storytelling--there will be a myriad of questions that come up. What part of the story should I tell? How much of it should I tell? Who am I "speaking" to and why? Do I need to give the other people in my story a "heads up"? HeARTtalk takes a deep dive into what it means to be...
2020-05-2758 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lProcessing GriefThe timeline for grief is not standardized. We all journey through it in our own ways. In this episode, TMLG talks with Neysa Taylor, an author and leader in the communications field who recently lost her husband of 17 years, Chris, after his long battle with cancer. The two talked about the ways grief has shown up for Taylor and how she has chosen to help herself and her children navigate it. They also explore how grief shapes us as we try to prepare for a world that’s different from the one we knew before our loss.
Vi...
2020-05-2033 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lParticipating in Your Own Healing: What does wellness really mean to the entrepreneur/creative?In this episode of HeARTtalk, Tracey Michae’l talks with entrepreneur/influencer/speaker and all around dope woman, Dawn Fitch, Founder and President of Pooka Pure and Simple, a handmade bath and body products company based out of New Jersey. The conversation deep dives into the power of persistence and what it means to advocate for your own wellness. Dawn talks about her journey from graphic designer to entrepreneur/wellness guide to thousands of women, and how she transformed a devastating MS diagnosis into her life’s passion and work.
Visit Dawn online at: IG: @pookalita, Facebook: @theb...
2020-05-1351 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lLEAVING CORPORATE: Finding Peace in the PivotIn our SEASON TWO opener, Tracey Michae’l talks with Michelle Richard about what it means to find peace after leaving her lucrative corporate career. As an attorney and former C-suite corporate executive for a billion dollar company, the list of Michelle’s accolades is long. But what happens when the concessions and compromises one has to make to reach that level of power and success become too much? Well…you pivot. And you do so with fierceness and grace. That’s what Michelle did and HeARTtalk is grateful that she shares a bit of her sojourn with us.
H...
2020-05-061h 02HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBONUS - “Catching” Your Breath in the COVID Crisis: A MeditationThere’s so much going on right now. So much uncertainty. Sorrow and frustration is seeping into our souls. As we sit with these emotions, we must remember to breathe. Breathing is how we live through it. COVID-19 is trying to steal our breath…physically for some, emotionally and spiritually for others. Let’s reclaim it. Our stories are not finished.
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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
FB: www.facebo...
2020-03-2309 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBlack Women Professors Creating Space in AcademiaThe final episode of season 1 of HeARTtalk is a dynamic one! Tracey Michae’l facilitates a roundtable discussion with Black women professors who share their stories on what it means to create space and be authentic in Academia. The conversation covered a myriad of topics including how and why being unapologetically black can be a struggle. How being an advocate for the marginalized in a way that isn’t denigrating to those groups is too often challenged in a way that doesn’t make sense. And of course, the ever-present bureaucracy that shows up in so many large organizations. It can...
2020-02-261h 22HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lCreating Creatively: When the Vision is Bigger Than Your BudgetIn episode 9 of HeARTtalk, Tracey Michae’l chats with writer, director, and producer, Christina Faith. Christina is a dynamic filmmaker and educator who, along with her spouse, photographer Allen Johnson, owns Creative Thought Media, a Philadelphia-based independent production company and artist collective. TMLG and Christina discuss the challenges of being a Christian filmmaker who doesn’t tell “corny” stories; the role that a creator’s own personal healing journey can have on their work; and how to manage grind culture. Christina goes IN on the false validation that too many artists seek instead of investing in the development of their craf...
2020-02-1953 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lSex and the Church Girl: Has the Church Misinformed Women on Sex and Sexuality?In this episode, TMLG speaks with four of the 11 contributors to the Sex and the Church Girl essay collection published in 2019. The conversation is a no holds barred, candid talk about the ways in which the Christian Church—particularly the Black Church—navigates the subject of sex and sexuality. (Please note that because of the room where this taped, there are some minor tech issues with sound--apologies!)
Participants include: author, speaker, and minister, Candace Wilkins, scholar Dr. Felecia Commodore, writer Rainah Chambliss, and artist and family/behavioral health therapist, Cyndi Swinton-Jackson. The conversation that took place was a can...
2020-02-121h 32HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lReturning to the Body: Living Through Racial Trauma and Violence (with Meditation)In her commentary, Tracey Michae’l discusses the impact of racial trauma and violence on the physical bodies of Black and Brown people. She candidly shares her own story of learning to return to her body through EMDR and bodywork. This episode closes with a meditation for Black people navigating a world often bent on their dehumanization.
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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
2020-02-0521 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lFrom Story to Story: Unraveling Truth from the Narrative (Pivot Series #1)In this episode, Tracey Michae’l talks with writer, producer, and artistic theologian, Alexus Rhone, about the power of holding true to the enormity of our dreams and being willing to pivot in the name of writing a better story for our lives. Telling the stories of our heart—whether its a novel, a memoir, a poem, or a chat with a friend—is a revolutionary act and part of finding our authentic voices is understanding that one of the ways we heal is by removing the masks we’ve crafted. First though, we must trust ourselves enough to “lean into t...
2020-01-2943 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lThe Creation of Better Humans (Parenting) and the Stories That Help Us Do It...or NotIn this episode, TMLG talks with Angela Johnson Ayers about how parenting, and motherhood specifically, can be an act of creation, and how too often our own narratives impact the effectiveness of that important work.
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Angela Johnson Ayers is a wife, mother, author and consultant. With a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Gannon University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Penn State University, she has over 20 years’ experience working in the Political, Corporate, and Education arena as a Policy Analyst, Program Supervisor and Middle School Principal to nam...
2020-01-2258 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lBONUS: A Meditation for All the New ThangsBONUS CONTENT: Tracey Michae'l leads our HeARTtalk community through a New Year/New Decade Meditation
Music: Lee Rosevere
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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit TMLG at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
2020-01-1707 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lLeaps of Faith: A Ghanadelphian ReflectionIn this episode, Tracey Michae’l talks with scholar, professor, and writer, Dr. Marcella McCoy-Deh, who recently took a giant leap of faith by accepting a year-long Fulbright Teaching Fellowship at the University of Ghana. Dr. McCoy-Deh shares her observations on how African American culture and West African culture intersect in the realm of art and storytelling, as well as, where Black people on both sides of the Atlantic have the opportunity to gain more understanding of the other’s lived realities.
This is one you don’t want to miss!
Dr. Marcella McCoy-Deh has enjoyed...
2020-01-1544 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lWhat You Don’t Know CAN Hurt YouIn this episode, Tracey Michae’l talks with speaker and holistic health educator, Adrienne Carwheel, about what it means to be equipped with the knowledge (generational info or otherwise) necessary for living authentically and creating our best work. The conversation examines the pervasiveness of resistance, shame, and guilt in preventing us from being open to our own paths to wellness. She shares her personal story about learning of her adoption and how that has been a kind of fuel for the work she does today.
Visit Adrienne at www.adriennecarwheel.com
On IG at @adriennecarwheel
2020-01-081h 05HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lAre You Finished or Are You Done? Finishing What You Start in 2020In a timely New Year’s Day episode, Tracey Michae’l talks with author and speaker Candace Wilkins about her book “Letters to the Finishers (who struggle to finish).” They chat about some of the obstacles that can impede a person’s ability to finish what they start, including perfectionism and fear.
Visit Candace Wilkins at http://www.candacewilkins.com
Link to purchase her book: https://amzn.to/2Ext64u
Through interviews and riveting commentary, HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’l takes a deep dive into the intersection of art and story. The show explores the w...
2020-01-0130 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lArt and Storytelling as a Way to Heal TraumaThrough interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. In this inaugural episode, TMLG talks with Annette Deigh, a licensed social worker, clinical supervisor and mental health therapist, about the power of art and storytelling to support individuals living through trauma or traumatic experiences.
More information on Annette Deigh can be found at www.boundaryspan.org
Visit us at www.hearttalkpodcast.com
2019-12-2525 minHeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’lTRAILER for HeARTtalk - The PodcastThrough interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk will deep dive into the intersection of art and story. The show will explore the ways in which creators of all kinds experience healing themselves or how they’ve observed healing occur as a result of their work. Visit TMLG online at http://www.hearttalkpodcast.com
2019-12-1200 min