In nearly six decades of work, she has mentored hundreds of authors, poets and women globally. Her poetry has appeared in African American Review, Essence Magazine, Ms. Magazine... and dozens of literary journals and lifestyle magazines. In 2003, she was the recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature (the highest award the state can bestow for significant contributions in science, literature, fine arts, and public service). She was selected for the Forbes distinguished 2022 list, 50 Over 50, in the Lifestyle category. She is an activist and a humanist, expertly versed in the power of words to lift the spirit, and she excels at the magic of her being. She is passionate about "helping women, children, immigrants and newly literate citizens."

She is the first African American and third woman to be appointed as the North Carolina Poet Laureate. When he appointed her in 2018, Governor Cooper stated that “(She) brings a deep appreciation of our state’s diverse communities to her role as an ambassador of North Carolina literature.” Her mission is to "promote and expand appreciation of the literary arts" and "help ensure a high quality of life for all North Carolinians." And that's why Here's to Life is proud to welcome, Jaki Shelton Green, poet laureate of the people.

"Poetry is about so much more - it is about the work we do here on the planet. It is about crafting quality work and saving lives, elevating lives. It’s about the spirit. The serious writer who wants to work with an editor, the serious artist who wishes to workshop her work. My measurement of success is creating someone who is serious about the writing process. This is editing. This is refinement and curation of the spirit.” - Jaki Shelton Green

"we are the messengers/new messengers/arriving as mutations of ourselves/
we are these messengers/blue breath/red hands/singing a tree into dance"
From her poem "who will be the messengers of this land."

CREDITS:
Guest: Jacqueline Shelton Green
Host and Producer: Tori Reid
Executive Producer: Patrick A. Howell
Co-Executive Producer: Tori Reid
Writer: Patrick A. Howell
Post Production: We Edit Podcasts
Post Production Assistant: Alana Coleman
Voiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake Moore
Premier Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water Systems
Advertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden West
Ad Voiceover Artist: Ginger Levert
Logo Photography: Bobby Holland / MPTV Images
Photo credit for Jacqueline Shelton Green: Duke University

Music:
"Sry" by Twelwe
"Soft Speak" by Siarate
"Febrero" by Vendla
"Less Than Endless" by At The End of Times, Nothing

a Victory & Noble production
@ 2023 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved.

Find out more about Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green here:
Jaki Shelton Green books
Jaki Shelton Green at Duke University

Dubbed a “national treasure” and nicknamed the “Mother of Black Hollywood,” she’s starred in over 400 episodic TV shows, 68 movies, and four Broadway shows. During her prolific screen career, she’s most notably known as Zelma Bullock in Tina Turner biopic "What's Love Got to Do With It" and as Ruby Johnson in the socially-conscious sitcom "Black-ish." She’s an award-winning actress who steals every scene she’s in, and yet her “real work” is off stage and off camera as an activist and a mental health advocate. She’s a whirlwind of energy who has no time to waste. Her latest book and riveting work, “Walking in My Joy: In These Streets” touches the soul, makes you laugh out loud, while imparting ways on how to love yourself and keep negative energy at bay, while being beautifully transparent about her epic journey. She is a lover of life who is larger than life. Buckle up!! In this fiery conversation, they talk about the importance of loving yourself, her road to her authentic joy, making self-care a priority, how you can be in your joy, her latest book, and so much more. Here’s to the one and only, Jenifer Lewis.

CREDITS:
Guest: Jenifer Lewis
Host and Producer: Tori Reid
Executive Producer: Patrick A. Howell
Executive Producer: Tori Reid
Writer: Tori Reid
Post Production: We Edit Podcasts
Add’l Post Production: Brian K. Jackson at Maven Soundz
Add'l Editing: Cutting Edge Editing
Post Production Assistant: Alana Coleman
Music Supervision: Another Place in Time Music
Voiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake Moore
Premier Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water Systems
Advertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden West
Ad Voiceover Artist: Ginger Levert
Logo Photography: Bobby Holland / MPTV Images
Photo credit for Jenifer Lewis: Unknown

Very special thanks to Terry Marsh, Ph.D.

Music:
"Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 - I, Moderato" (Rachmaninoff) by Skidmore College Orchestra

a Victory & Noble production
@ 2023 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved.

Connect with the Guest:
Jenifer Lewis on Instagram
Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

Part II: Tori returns in delight with one of her favorite spirits, a true comedian's comedian and one of the world’s most groundbreaking, well-respected, and beloved entertainers. A true pioneer and legend in the entertainment industry with 52 years of comedy, relationships, stories, and wisdom to share. He has made over 500 national TV appearances as a stand-up comedian, including more than 60 appearances on The Tonight Show, and was a favorite guest of David Letterman. For fourteen years, he was the opening act for Frank Sinatra, and performed countless times with artists like Smokey Robinson, Liza Minnelli, Natalie Cole, and Sammy Davis, Jr. He is currently appearing to rave reviews around the country in his one-man show “An Evening Of Laughter and Memories of Sinatra.” In this spirited Part 2 conversation, they talk about the inner workings of show business, how to have balance in life, your ego vs spirit, what brings him pure joy, and so much more! Here's to the man who made Sinatra laugh, and Tori's beloved "Uncle Tom" ... Tom Dreesen.

“The day I met him, my life forever changed. The day he passed away, I knew my life would never be the same.” - Tom Dreesen (on his relationship with Frank Sinatra)

CREDITS:
Guest: Tom Dreesen
Host and Producer: Tori Reid
Executive Producer: Patrick A. Howell
Executive Producer: Tori Reid
Writers: Tori Reid and Patrick A. Howell
Post Production: We Edit Podcasts
Add'l Editing: Cutting Edge Editing
Post Production Assistant: Sydney Rhone
Music Supervision: Another Place in Time Music
Voiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake Moore
Premier Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water Systems
Advertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden West
Ad Voiceover Artist: Ginger Levert
Logo Photography: Bobby Holland / MPTV Images
Photo credit for Tom Dreesen: James Devaney

Music:
"Jazz Intimate 6" by Magnus Ringblom
“A Warm Welcome” by Martin Landstrom
“Ready for New York” by Tiki Tiki
“Tropic Swing” by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist
Vivreau Ad Music - "That's What Left Us Behind" by Christian Anderson

a Victory & Noble production
@ 2022 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved.

Connect with the Guest:
Tom Dreesen Official Website
Still Standing: My Journey From Streets and Saloons, to the Stage and Sinatra

She is so much more than a costume designer or expert storyteller. She is a trailblazer. A pioneer. A leader. Think Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther. Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, Do The Right Thing or 12 other Spike Lee joints. Ava DuVernay’s Selma. Lee Daniels' The Butler. Steven Spielberg’s Amistad. Coming 2 America… and so much more. But who is the woman behind the accolades? What makes her tick? What gives her life? And what drove her to become the first African American to win an Academy Award in Costume Design? And furthermore, how has it changed her?

Here's to diving deeper into the life and mind of the modern iconoclast… Ruth E. Carter.

CREDITS:

Guest: Ruth E. Carter
Host and Producer: Tori Reid
Executive Producer: Patrick A. Howell
Executive Producer: Tori Reid
Associate Producer: Sterfon Demings
Writer: Tori Reid
Post Production: Cutting Edge Editing
Additional Post Production: Stereo Mixtrumental
Post Production Assistant: Sydney Rhone
Music Supervision: Another Place in Time Music
Voiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake Moore
Premier Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water Systems
Advertising Sponsor: Hampton University
Advertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden West
Ad Voiceover Artist: Ginger Levert
Logo Photography: Bobby Holland / MPTV Images
Photo credit for Ruth E. Carter: Jeff Lipsky

Music:
“Glow” by Stereo Mixtrumental
“Burning Up” by Chi Vaughn
"Act I Fluvial" by Jo Wandrini
Outro - Produced by Stereo Mixtrumental
Vivreau Ad Music - "Soft Speak" by Siarate

a Victory & Noble production
@ 2022 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved.

Connect with the Guest:
Ruth E. Carter Official Website
Ruth E. Carter Afrofuturism in Costume Design Exhibit
Visit Hampton University: The Standard of Excellence

Tori returns to her beloved alma mater, Hampton University, reflects and has a very special homecoming with the singular President Dr. William R. Harvey. Known for more than 40 years of legendary leadership, he transformed the university from a small Black college to a world-class leader within higher education. Whether it’s his powerful presence, establishing the largest free-standing proton beam cancer center in the world, increasing the endowment from $29 million to over $400 million dollars, erecting 29 new buildings and the initiation of 92 new academic degrees… or simply his passion and unwavering commitment behind it all, he is a highly respected titan among men. Tori delights in her "Hampton Experience" and love for the prestigious HBCU. In the center of the Hampton University Museum, the oldest African American museum in the nation, they discuss the power of dreaming, what makes Hampton University singular, the importance of character, what he's most proud of, the key to being unshakeable under pressure, his wish for the future of Hampton University, and so much more! Here's to the titan visionary leader, Dr. William R. Harvey.

CREDITS:

Guest: Dr. William R. Harvey
Host and Producer: Tori Reid
Executive Producer: Patrick A. Howell
Executive Producer: Tori Reid
Co-Producer: James Parker
Writers: Tori Reid and Patrick A. Howell
Audio Recording: Franklin Fitzgerald
Post Production: We Edit Podcasts
Additional Post Production: Stereo Mixtrumental
Music Supervision: Another Place in Time Music
Voiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake Moore
Premier Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water Systems
Advertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden West
Ad Voiceover Artist: Ginger Levert
Logo Photography: Bobby Holland / MPTV Images
Photo credit for Dr. William R. Harvey: J.D. Scott

A special thank you to Vanessa D. Thaxton-Ward and the staff at the Hampton University Museum.

Music:
"Afternoon in Washington Square Park” by Jerry McHoy
"Act I Fluvial" by Jo Wandrini
"Act II Hygro" by Jo Wandrini
“King’s Chamber” by Cercles Nouvelles
Vivreau Ad Music - "Soft Speak" by Siarate

a Victory & Noble production
@ 2022 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved.

She is so much more than a costume designer. She is a national treasure and global visionary. She was nominated twice for an Oscar for her timeless work on Spike Lee’s Malcolm X and Steven Spielberg’s Amistad. She became the first African American to win an Academy Award in Costume Design for her exquisite designs on Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther. The proud Hampton University graduate has designed an impressive filmography of over 60 diverse film and television projects. She has worked artfully with Spike Lee on 14 films including Do The Right Thing, and has designed for other directors including Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, and John Singleton in American iconographic films such as Selma and The Butler. In this impassioned conversation, Tori uncovers Ruth's magical journey, her all-time storytelling heroes, her serendipitous first meeting with Ryan Coogler, and more! Here's to our beloved Afrofuturistic shero… Ruth E. Carter.

CREDITS:

Guest: Ruth E. Carter
Host and Producer: Tori Reid
Executive Producer: Patrick A. Howell
Executive Producer: Tori Reid
Associate Producer: Sterfon Demings
Writer: Patrick A. Howell
Post Production: We Edit Podcasts
Additional Post Production: Stereo Mixtrumental
Post Production Assistant: Sydney Rhone
Voiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake Moore
Premier Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water Systems
Advertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden West
Ad Voiceover Artist: Ginger Levert
Logo Photography: Bobby Holland / MPTV Images
Photo credit for Ruth E. Carter: Unknown

Music:
“Sweeping The Savannah” by Sight of Wonders
“Things I Love” by LVLY
Vivreau Ad Music - "Soft Speak" by Siarate

a Victory & Noble production
@ 2022 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved.

Connect with the Guest:
Ruth E. Carter Official Website

Tori delights in talking to one of her favorite spirits, a true comedian's comedian and one of the world’s most groundbreaking, well-respected, and beloved entertainers. He has made over 500 national TV appearances as a stand-up comedian, including more than 60 appearances on The Tonight Show, and was a favorite guest of David Letterman. For fourteen years he was the opening act for Frank Sinatra, and performed countless times with artists like Smokey Robinson, Liza Minnelli, Natalie Cole, and Sammy Davis, Jr. For the first six years of his career, he shared the stage with Tim Reid as America’s first—and only—black and white comedy team. In this spirited conversation, they talk about his magical journey with Frank Sinatra, wisdom gained and what he misses most, his book "Still Standing", the power of laughter, the future of comedy, and so much more! Here's to the man who made Sinatra laugh, and Tori's beloved "Uncle Tom" ... Tom Dreesen.

CREDITS:
Guest: Tom Dreesen
Host and Producer: Tori Reid
Executive Producer: Patrick A. Howell
Executive Producer: Tori Reid
Writer: Patrick A. Howell
Post Production: We Edit Podcasts
Post Production Assistant: Sydney Rhone
Voiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake Moore
Premier Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water Systems
Advertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden West
Ad Voiceover Artist: Ginger Levert
Logo Photography: Bobby Holland / MPTV Images
Photo credit for Tom Dreesen: Unknown

Music:
"Jazz Intimate 6" by Magnus Ringblom
Vivreau Ad Music - "That's What Left Us Behind" by Christian Anderson
Outro - Produced by Stereo Mixtrumental

a Victory & Noble production
@ 2022 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved.

Connect with the Guest:
Tom Dreesen Official Website
Still Standing: My Journey From Streets and Saloons, to the Stage and Sinatra

Just who is the woman behind our latest "Aunt Viv?" Let's get the Inside track, and we use that word "inside" knowingly, on this powerful, every woman. Get ready for joy. Fresh out of NYU's Tisch Graduate Acting Program, she fulfilled her dream of working with both Denzel Washington, as his wife, and Spike Lee, in the hit film, "Inside Man". How? You may wonder. By being herself. And she's been on the inside of culture with successful shows as Luke Cage, Atlanta, and The Last O.G., and in films as Chris Rock's "I Think I Love My Wife" and more recently playing Mama Durant (Kevin Durant's mother) in "The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story". But she's best known for her current role on the hit show and remake, BEL-AIR as Vivian Banks aka "Aunt Viv" on Peacock. She's a lifelong dreamer and more importantly a manifestor, whose self-proclaimed purpose in life is to help people find their joy. And she's doing just that as she's fiercely reinventing the role of matriarch, a la Clair Huxtable or Aunt Viv 3.0, renewed for the 21st century... coloring her with some extra spice and that West Philly attitude in her own special way.

"Here's to Life" welcomes the vivacious, refreshing, and joy-filled talent, who some call "Aunt Viv"... the beautiful Cassandra Freeman.

This episode on "Here's To Life":

• How she's made the role "Aunt Viv" her own and reinventing the matriarch
• What the show BEL-AIR means to her and their power of storytelling
• How African American Art came to play such a centric role in BEL AIR
• The mother and daughter dynamic in this new age
• Her respect and admiration for the original “Aunt Vivs” Daphne Maxwell Reid and Janet Hubert
• The serendipitous story of how she landed her first film role working with Denzel Washington and Spike Lee
• What her 3 year old is teaching her and how her unique parenting style informs her day-to-day life in the possibilities, potential and probabilities present in all of our lives
• What makes her feel the most alive
• Tori highlights Cassandra's powers and Cassandra returns with a clairvoyant revelation about Tori, and how each one of us has a blessed gift

CREDITS:

Guest: Cassandra Freeman
Host and Producer: Tori Reid
Executive Producer: Patrick A. Howell
Executive Producer: Tori Reid
Writers: Patrick A. Howell and Tori Reid
Post Production: We Edit Podcasts
Add'l Editing: Cutting Edge Editing
Add’l Post Production: Brian K. Jackson at Maven Soundz
Post Production Assistant: Sydney Rhone
Show Intern Affiliation: Howard University
Music Supervision: Patrick A. Howell
Voiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake Moore
Premier Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water Systems
Advertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden West
Ad Voiceover Artist: Ginger Levert
Social Media Marketing and Graphics by Octavia Johnson
Photo credit for Cassandra Freeman: Emily Assiran

Very special thank you to Daphne Maxwell Reid and Team Jill Fritzo PR.

Music:
Intro and Outro - "Love Hop" by Stereo Mixtrumental
Commentaries - "In My Room" by Christophe Gorman
Vivreau Ad Music - "That's What Left Us Behind" by Christian Anderson

a Victory & Noble production
@ 2022 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved.

Connect with the Guest:
Cassandra Freeman on Instagram