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What if the rhythm that shaped your childhood could also guide your future? We sit down with Miami-born, Cuban American artist and photographer Ashie Kaon to trace a bold journey from Little Havana to Virginia Beach—through Chicago snow, COVID pivots, and a creative awakening that turned fear into fuel. Ashie brings the sound of la clave, the stories of exile, and a grounded philosophy of faith and balance to a conversation about identity, trauma, and the power of local art communities.

Ashie opens up about growing up in Miami’s saturated color and music, where Celia Cruz and Willie Chirino score family histories marked by loss and grit. She unpacks how generational trauma shapes political stances in Latino communities, why labels like socialist and communist often blur under fear, and how stepping back from the outrage cycle helped her find clarity in spirituality. Influenced by Catholic roots and Yoruba traditions, and sparked by Alan Watts’ ideas on duality, she reframed belief through the lens of photography: there’s no image without light.

We also dig into her creative evolution—darkroom beginnings, graphic design studies, and the moment art became a voice after a rough childhood. In Virginia Beach, Ashie envisions murals beyond a single district, a city where artists, teachers, and photographers lift each other and color every block. She shares how strategic networking led to roles with the Virginia Beach Public Arts Committee and the MoCA advisory group, and why telling fuller histories—including the often-overlooked support from the Ladies of Havana—matters. Grounded in service, she champions veteran support and honest talk about PTSD, connecting healing at home with healing in the arts.

This is a story about rhythm, resilience, and community. Hit play to explore Cuban heritage, diaspora music, philosophy, and the blueprint for growing an inclusive arts scene in Hampton Roads. If the conversation moves you, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a friend who loves art with heart.

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Fascia tells the truth your words skip. We sit down with SB Cuts—fasciologist, integrative wellness coach, and founder of Fascia Fusion Wellness—to map how trauma, surgery, and everyday stress shape the body’s connective web and how hands-on work can help you rewrite that story. From 18 years of gymnastics to 27 surgeries and a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, SB brings rare clarity to hypermobility, scar tissue, and why pain so often echoes through old injuries.

We unpack fascia in plain language and then go deeper: neurosomatics to move fear through the nervous system, fascia remodeling to give the body a new baseline, and her Nine Realms of Wellness to replace quick fixes with whole-human change. SB shares how becoming a mother sparked a shift toward conscious parenting—trading dominance for safety, teaching kids to name feelings, and inviting men to show softness without losing strength. If you’ve ever wondered why your back hurts when your heart is heavy, or why patterns repeat even after talk therapy, this conversation brings the missing links.

Beyond the clinic, we challenge the culture that profits from fear and desensitization. SB makes a case for inputs as nutrition—media, food, relationships—and for using technology, including AI, to scale empathy instead of greed. You’ll also hear about the Fulcrum alliance: monthly cross-disciplinary panels on chronic pain and trauma, a Trauma Anonymous hotline that connects people to vetted healers, and retreats designed to settle the nervous system. Practical takeaways span infant massage for colic and cranial nerve activation, hydration and stretching for healthier fascia, and a step-by-step path to set goals across physical, emotional, financial, and environmental wellness.

If the body keeps the score, this episode hands you the playbook to change it—gently, honestly, and together. Subscribe now, share this with someone who needs a safer way to heal, and leave a review to help more people find whole-body, whole-heart care.

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Do us a favor and like, comment, share, and subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. To see the full video on YouTube go to Listen Up with Host Al Neely

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A colorblind muralist who sees more clearly than most. That’s Trevor Lucas—founder of Anomaly Art Studio—whose life spans rural Louisiana, a military move to Virginia, and a bold career painting community stories on brick and concrete. We dive into faith as a daily practice, not a slogan, and how a solid moral compass reshapes conflict, marriage, fatherhood, and creative decisions. Trevor’s lens is simple: judge by fruit, love with courage, and let the work serve people first.

We explore the winter grind behind his Sentara “Community Care” murals in Newport News—paint that had to dodge rain and freezing temps—and the history embedded in the design: Black physicians, a community hospital, Smith Pharmacy, and a 1930s Black-owned funeral home. Then we head to Busch Gardens for his “I Am Virginian” piece, built for everyone to see themselves in it: Black, Hispanic, Asian, Indigenous, European, all centered in belonging. Along the way we tackle culture wars and NFL expansion with a clear take on representation: growth demands wider circles, not tighter gates.

Trevor opens up about trauma—abuse, addiction, and a near-fatal burglary at 15—then the boys’ home detox, the Navy, and the first ship murals that told him his gift mattered. He reflects on forgiveness, reconciling with his father and stepfather, and why unresolved childhood wounds often drive adult rage and hypermasculinity. We talk responsibility, too: microphones and paintbrushes shape behavior; leaders owe their audience honesty, empathy, and accountability.

We close with War Paint, Trevor’s group art therapy that pairs guided images—like breaking shackles—with raw conversation about recovery and identity. It’s visual activism with heart: give people something to look at and they’ll see new options for who they can be. Want more of Trevor’s work or to bring War Paint to your community? Visit anomalyartstudio.com and follow along. If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories.

Support the show

Do us a favor and like, comment, share, and subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. To see the full video on YouTube go to Listen Up with Host Al Neely

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Website: listenup.biz

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