Can you love New Orleans deeply and still challenge the city to do better?New Orleans native, author, educator and literary critic Khefa Nosakhere says not only can you but sometimes you have to.In this episode of the Leverage YOU Podcast, Casey Ferrand McGee sits down with Khefa to discuss his provocative third nonfiction book, No Fat Tuesday! The Trouble with New Orleans.The conversation begins with the moment that inspired the book, which was seeing someone camped out to secure a prime Mardi Gras parade spot and contrasting that enthusiasm with experiences Khefa had as an educator and his concerns about civic participation.From there, the conversation goes much deeper.Khefa and Casey explore the tension between celebration and progress, whether the people responsible for creating New Orleans' world-renowned culture are benefiting economically from it, the limitations of an economy heavily dependent on tourism, and why Khefa believes New Orleans must think bigger about attracting new industries and opportunities.They also tackle education, including Khefa's argument for bringing back the junior high school model, what young people need from adults and mentors, and why simply telling young people to "work hard" isn't enough.And ultimately, Khefa explains why No Fat Tuesday! isn't about tearing New Orleans down. It's about believing the city can do better, and being willing to start the difficult conversations necessary to get there.In this episode:The story behind No Fat Tuesday!Celebration vs. progress in New OrleansCulture as an economic engineTourism, wages and economic opportunityK-12 education and the junior high school debateVoter apathy and civic engagementMentorship for young peopleWhy your perspective has value — even when people don't agree with itWhat Khefa hopes his legacy will beYour story is your strategy. Your perspective has value. And sometimes leveraging your voice means having the courage to say what others won't.Subscribe to the Leverage YOU Podcast for more conversations about turning your experiences, expertise and perspective into impact.