83-year-old Florence Nash is a poet and a storyteller with a melodic voice that I could listen to all day. She’s also an accomplished musician and a believer that the arts make all our lives more joyful. Raised near the banks of the Tar River in tiny Tarboro, North Carolina, Florence eventually spread her wings. They took her all over the world to live in many places including California and Europe. Out west, she found herself in the middle of the counterculture revolution. Like most women of her generation, she was told her main purpose in life was to get married, have children, and be a good wife and mother. She did all that, but she wanted more. This sent her on a lifelong journey to figure out where she fit in, and if she had other skills to contribute to her community and the world. You will love her continual path of exploration and self-discovery which has led her in so many different directions. Florence is guided by the principal that if something gives you joy and is useful to others, you have found your purpose.

B.J. Council came by her career the old-fashioned way, hard work. She came from a farming family, an educator mother, and a foundation of community service. B.J. tried college, and it wasn’t for her. So, after working multiple jobs to pay the bills and sleeping on friends’ floors, she decided to go to the Durham Public Safety Academy. She graduated as a firefighter and a police officer. She spent her career developing programs to support the community and to help them foster stronger relationships with police. B.J. retired amid a scandal regarding overtime payments to officers in 2009, and while it almost broke her, it didn’t keep her from her core mission. In 2015, B.J. started “You and Five-0” to help bridge the often-troubled relationships between the Black community and police. She believes we are all put on this planet to do something good. You will be inspired by her quiet, calm demeanor and her passion for helping others.

To learn more about B.J.:

https://www.youandfive-o.com/

https://www.instagram.com/youandfiveo/

https://www.facebook.com/youandfiveo/

https://twitter.com/youandfiveo

(22) Beverly Council | LinkedIn

Her name sounds a lot like the name of a character in a movie. And in a way, Tina Tart’s life is like a movie. She’s a country girl from a small town in North Carolina who came to the big city of Raleigh to attend college and begin her professional life. But something was always getting in the way…that something was bipolar II disorder. After many years of struggling, Tina was finally diagnosed and properly treated in her forties. A few years later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and suffered for years with complications after six surgeries. Frankly, it all sounds pretty insurmountable. But Tina refused to give up. With the help of family, friends, and medical professionals, Tina chose survival. In this raw and emotional interview, Tina goes where few of my guests have ever gone before. She shares her pain and her journey out of the darkness. She tells me she’s not sure she’s worthy of being a guest on my podcast which is exactly why she is…

To follow Tina:

https://www.facebook.com/tina.tart1

https://www.instagram.com/tina.tart1/

https://twitter.com/teenertart

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetinatart/