Adventures of A Wallflower

S2E10 - From Cat to Lion (Part 2): Resilience, Reinvention & the Realities of Leadership

In "From Cat to Lion, Part 2," Nicola Sybliss-MCleod shares her journey of becoming a confident leader through mentorship, resilience, and quiet courage. She reflects on spotting potential in others, balancing roles as a mother, wife, student, and leader, and how life’s challenges—like career transitions and COVID—shaped her outlook. Listeners hear practical lessons about nurturing talent, saying no to protect your energy, and embracing purpose as many facets of life. The episode closes with Nicola’s message of perseverance, community service, and the legacy she hopes to leave as an overcomer who brings others along.

S2E9 - From Cat to Lion (Part 1): Nicola Sybliss-McLeod on Confidence & Calling

Join us this week as J.D. Morgan sat down with Nicola Sybliss-McLeod, Human Resource and Administrative Manager at Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, a mother, wife, and leader who believes in honest work, hard work, and serving people. In this episode, she shares how a winding career path, faith, and family shaped her compassion, confidence, and commitment to transformational leadership. Through candid stories about growth, challenges in HR and NGO work, and the value of people-focused service, Nicola reveals a vision of purpose, resilience, and lifting others as she rises.

S2E8 - The Miraculous in the Mundane: Jamaican Stories Through Film

In this episode of Adventures of a Wallflower, J.D. Morgan and filmmaker Sasha Gay‑Lewis explore how everyday Jamaican stories — especially the School’s Challenge quiz culture — shaped her voice, healed her inner child, and revealed the complicated mix of belonging, pressure, and hope that fuels young competitors. They discuss representation, community, mentorship, and Sasha’s mission to bring these stories to a global audience, including her fundraiser and ways to support her work. The conversation celebrates resilience, creativity, and the power of storytelling to transform lives.

S2E7 - Stories That Save: The Journey of Sasha-Gay Lewis

Host J.D. Morgan sits with filmmaker Sasha-Gay Lewis as she explores the projects that called to her: The Incursion in Tivoli Gardens, the Schools Challenge Quiz, and the documentary Surviving Suicide. They discuss why context matters, how fear and power shape lives and policy, and the creative process that turns personal urgency into films that give voice to the voiceless and open difficult conversations about trauma, justice, and mental health.

S2E6 - Where The Bush Meets The Lens with Sasha Gay Lewis

Every filmmaker has an origin story, and Sasha's began not with a camera, but with bush, books and her grandmother's contradictions. Today, we'll walk with her through those beginnings, the fire of her purpose, and the stories she tells to make sense of the world. Sasha Gay Lewis is a Jamaican filmmaker, director, and producer living in the U.S., whose work explores memory, trauma, and the power of storytelling to heal. In this episode, she reflects on the bush, radio, dance, family, and faith as the threads that shaped her art and mission.