Richard Thurmond | A Story of Discovery - Ep. 100
On Life and Meaning
Richard Thurmond is a community and economic development executive for a place-making organization. In this episode we explore basketball, editing and publishing a city magazine, staying and leaving, and the values of curiosity and humility.
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Claude Alexander, Jr.| The Park Church - Ep. 99
On Life and Meaning
Claude Alexander, Jr. is bishop and senior pastor of a Baptist church. In this episode we explore the mission of the church, racism, misogyny and homophobia, segregation on Sunday mornings, the death of a brother, a crisis of faith, living with mystery, and the love of God.
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Jess George | Hope and Optimism - Ep. 98
On Life and Meaning
Jess George is a government and community affairs manager for a fiber optic company. In this episode we explore the digital divide, confronting bullies, being an ally to immigrants, and dropping keys to beautiful rowdy prisoners.
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Sonya Pfeiffer | A Life in Full - Ep. 97
On Life and Meaning
Sonya Pfeiffer is an art gallery owner and criminal defense attorney. In this episode we explore story-telling, standing up to the power of the state, unconventional paths, the Owl theory, the practice of Ahimsa, and the one chance we have in this life.
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Beatriz Friedmann | Conscious Evolution - Ep. 96
On Life and Meaning
Beatriz Friedmann is a school counselor and information technology consultant. In this episode we explore emigrating from Brazil to North America, a corporate career, a summer of loss and pain, finding new purpose, and becoming present one step at a time.
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Ken Lambla | Interdisciplinary Design - Ep. 95
On Life and Meaning
Ken Lambla is founding dean of a college of arts + architecture. In this episode we explore returning from Patagonia, merging fields of study, interdisciplinary design, stewardship, community, and how arts inform a life
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Clarence Armbrister | A Nurturing Place - Ep. 94
On Life and Meaning
Clarence ‘Clay’ Armbrister is president of a historically black college and university. In this episode we explore strategic goals, the benefits and challenges of HBCUs, a family story of defiance, the power of education, public service, and the value of relationships.
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Liz Clasen-Kelly | The Sacredness of Human Life - Ep. 93
On Life and Meaning
Liz Clasen-Kelly leads an agency serving men experiencing homelessness. In this episode we explore helping people needing shelter, working to end homelessness, abundant love, and encountering Christ in the in-between.
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Natalie Frazier Allen | Art Empowered - Ep. 92
On Life and Meaning
Natalie Frazier Allen leads an organization that connects youth to the arts. In this episode we explore adverse childhood experiences, the power of the arts to heal trauma, telling the truth, Spelman College, and reflections on career, family and faith.
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Tom Warshauer | Neighborhood Development - Ep. 91
On Life and Meaning
Tom Warshauer leads a municipal community engagement team. In this episode we explore neighborhood development, Wilmington and New Orleans, home restoration, planting ideas, and enjoying diverse and authentic lives.
info_outlineDon Taylor is an assistant professor of sociology at Johnson & Wales University. He has worked in various human services positions, including the fields of mental health, child welfare, couples and families, and domestic and sexual violence. He has written a group treatment curriculum entitled S.E.E.D.: Self-Esteem and Expression Development for African-American Adolescents, which is used by several programs targeting adolescents who attend Alcoholics Anonymous. Don is author of the novel Buggin: A Brother’s Tale and an accomplished jazz saxophonist. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Cheyney State College and a master’s degree in social administration from Case Western University.
This episode is perfect for anyone interested in sociology, turning a journal into a novel, playing the saxophone, and a career in human services and education.
IN THIS EPISODE
- Don talks about sociology and the classes he teaches.
- He addresses the challenge of having personal agency as we operate within institutional forces.
- He describes what people would see if they saw him teach.
- He answers why he is drawn to sociology as a field of study.
- Don shares what he wants his students to learn.
- He explains what his novel Buggin: A Brother’s Tale is about.
- He reveals how he feels playing the saxophone.
- He identifies the music he would want to listen to as the final light in his life went out.
- Don remembers his childhood in Charles Town, West Virginia.
- He explains why he plays ‘Amazing Grace’ every time he plays the saxophone.
- He shares what changed his life in college.
- He remembers greeting Minister Farrakhan at Cheyney State College.
- Don tells a story about changing his name to ‘Donald X.’
- He shares what led him to earn a masters degree at Case Western University.
- He discusses his career in human services and his focus on ‘manhood’ issues.
- He describes facilitating therapeutic group work with men.
- Don recalls participating in racial reconciliation work in Charlotte.
- He answers what matters most to him and what the poem ‘Invictus’ has to do with it.
plus Mark's Personal Word Essay: Becoming X
To learn more, visit On Life and Meaning