Lighthouse Lab family, have you ever heard a conversation and thought, “I have something to say about this”? That happened to me this week. It inspired the Season 10 finale of The Interludes Podcast, “Black Americans Aren’t Lazy: My Response to Da’Vinchi.” The experience reminded me that our perspective is part of what makes our podcasts meaningful. Our lived experiences, values, and relationships shape the questions we ask and the stories we tell. When a topic is sensitive or controversial, pause before hitting record and consider: 💜 What specifically am I responding to? Listen to the full conversation when possible. Check the context and distinguish what was said from how you interpreted it. 💜 Why does this matter to me—and my audience? A personal connection can help listeners understand why you’re addressing the subject. 💜 What can I speak to from experience? Share your perspective clearly. Check factual claims and acknowledge what you don’t know. 💜 What do I want listeners to take away? Give the conversation a purpose, whether that’s reflection, understanding, accountability, or a thoughtful next step. For my episode, my parents’ experiences helped me explain why the conversation affected me so deeply. That personal connection gave me a clear place to begin. Next week, I’m hoping we can explore this in our upcoming coworking sessions: choosing an angle, organizing your thoughts, and addressing a difficult topic in a way that fits your podcast and serves your audience. What topic have you wanted to address on your podcast, but hesitated because you weren’t sure how to approach it? Share below. 👇🏾

I CAN TRACE PART OF MY COLLEGE STORY BACK TO A DIFFERENT WORLD. 🎓❤️ And that's why tonight's Talk on Tuesdays hits a little differently for me. I was a high-school student watching A Different World when it first came on NBC. I didn't ultimately attend an HBCU—I attended North Central College—but watching young people pursuing higher education on television helped influence my decision to go to college. That's impact. The original A Different World was also a bona fide television hit. During its first season, it finished No. 2 in the national ratings, right behind The Cosby Show. But all these years later, I'm much more interested in what happened beyond those numbers. We watched these characters go to class, fall in love, pledge fraternities and sororities, make mistakes, debate real issues, graduate and figure out who they wanted to become. And now we're meeting the next generation. I'm especially happy that Debbie Allen remained connected to the vision and that Felicia Pride was entrusted with creating and running this new sequel series, taking us back to Hillman while allowing these younger actors and characters to tell their stories rather than simply recreating ours. Tonight, Coach Tony Thompson and I are putting on our reviewer hats. 😂 Is the new A Different World worth watching? We're talking about the original cast, the new class, our favorite episodes, legacy characters, HBCU life, Greek life, NIL and athletics—and what it feels like for two Gen Xers who watched the original to return to Hillman almost 40 years later. https://www.youtube.com/live/Xlq-0sxTDww?is=rguDxaCgHdO8BMs3 Plus, we're sharing some of the shows we're looking forward to watching this fall. 📺 Join Coach Tony and me LIVE tonight 🕗 8 PM CT | 9 PM ET 🎙️ Interludes Extra Presents: Talk on Tuesdays 📍 Pure Lighthouse Media on YouTube And I'm curious: Did A Different World influence your college dreams, too? Because I know I'm not the only one. 👓🎓

Ladies and gentlemen, September is outta here! October is here and ready for you to produce your great podcast... Now. What days and times work best for you? Please vote and let's see which co-working day will win, starting the week of October 111th (Sunday). All times are CENTRAL TIME ZONE.

Excited that more folks are joining the Lighthouse Lab. Please post in the "Intros Please" and we will take it from there...

Lighthouse Lab family, a successful livestream begins long before anyone presses the “Go Live” button. As I prepare to produce another episode of The Pull Up Podcast Show, I’m thinking about everything that must happen behind the scenes before a guest enters the StreamYard studio. One lesson was recently reinforced for me: whenever possible, complete your technical check a full day before your broadcast. There are three areas I always want to test: 1. THE LINK AND DEVICE Can the guest open the StreamYard link and enter the studio successfully? Find out which device they plan to use—a computer, tablet or cellphone. Make sure they understand how to give StreamYard permission to access their microphone and camera. You don’t want your guest opening the link for the first time five minutes before the broadcast. That is not the kind of suspense we need! 😂 2. THE AUDIO AND VIDEO Can you clearly hear your guest? Is the correct microphone selected? Is their sound muted somewhere outside of StreamYard? Is the camera working? Are they properly positioned, and is there enough light on their face? A guest can enter the studio and still have no sound because of one small setting on a cellphone or computer. That tiny setting can delay an entire show. Ask the guest to use headphones when appropriate, silence notifications, close unnecessary programs and test the exact equipment they plan to use during the broadcast. 3. THE INTERNET AND PLATFORM COMPATIBILITY Is the internet connection strong enough to support a livestream? Does the guest’s equipment work properly with the streaming platform and the technology available at their location? This became especially important during my recent production at Tennessee State University. I arrived on Sunday evening so we could test everything before Monday’s live broadcast. During that preparation, we discovered that my PC laptop worked better with TSU’s core technology setup than my MacBook—even though I use my MacBook for practically everything.