Poetic Interlude - Jasmine Vallejo-Love reading “My Response When the Instructor Prompted Us to Craft a Poem About Flowers at a Time Like This”

Poetic Interlude - Remica Bingham-Risher reading "In My Best Dreams They Are On the Water"

How do you let stillness into your body as we live in an infinitely difficult world? In this Poetic Interlude, Remica Bingham-Risher shares her poem "In My Best Dreams They Are On The Water" (from her latest poetry collection, Room Swept Home). Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest. Settle into the work of Remica Bingham-Risher and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest. ABOUT REMICA BINGHAM RISHER REMICA BINGHAM-RISHER is a Cave Canem fellow and faculty member, an Affrilachian Poet, and a member of the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective. She is the author of Conversion, What We Ask of Flesh, and Starlight & Error. Her memoir, Soul Culture: Black Poets, Books and Questions That Grew Me Up, was published by Beacon Press.  Her newest book, Room Swept Home, was chosen as an Honor Poetry Book by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and won the L.A. Times Book Prize. She is the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence and Engagement at Old Dominion University. New Book Announcement: In April, Remica announced her forthcoming book DEVOTION: Toni Morrison’s Black Dreaming and Our Infinite Love (Beacon Press [https://www.beacon.org/cw_contributorinfo.aspx?ContribID=11841&Name=Remica+Bingham-Risher]), a hybrid essay collection. Visit Remica at remicabinghamrisher.com [https://www.remicabinghamrisher.com/].  Order Room Swept Home [https://www.weslpress.org/9780819500984/room-swept-home/]. Say “hello” to Remica on Instagram @remicawriter [https://www.instagram.com/remicawriter/]. You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com [http://therestofuspodcast.com/] to read Remica's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community. PODCAST TEAM Host, Dana Tenille Weekes Producer, Annabelle Oh Editor, Sagheer Muhammad Content Manager, Annabelle Oh If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.  🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.  ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)  Until next time, rest, my friends. Connect with Us Website: * www.therestofuspodcast.com [https://therestofuspodcast.com/]   Instagram: * @therestofus.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/therestofus.podcast?igsh=ZGd2cXJkZXFhbGti] * @danatenilleweekes [https://www.instagram.com/danatenilleweekes/] Substack: * @therestofuspodcast [https://therestofuspodcast.substack.com/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6p1t9m] LinkedIn: * Dana Tenille Weekes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-tenille-weekes/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app]

Poetic Interlude - Mai-Linh Hong reading "Harvest Moon with Wildfire"

How do you deeply care for the land to ground your living self within the collective of all living things? In this Poetic Interlude, Mai-Linh Hong shares her poem "Harvest Moon with Wildfire" (from her forthcoming debut collection, Continental Drift). Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest. Settle into the work of Mai-Linh Hong and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest. ABOUT MAI-LINH HONG MAI-LINH HONG is a Vietnamese American refugee poet and literary scholar. Her debut collection, Continental Drift, won the Trio Award and will be published by Trio House Press in 2026. Poems appear or are forthcoming in Ploughshares, Copper Nickel, ANMLY, Wildness, Waxwing, and elsewhere, and her writing has been supported by Voices of Our Nation, Tin House, and the Vermont Studio Center.  She is coauthor and coeditor of The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice (U. of California Press, 2021). Raised in Virginia, she now lives in California’s Central Valley and teaches literature at U. of California-Merced. Pre-order [https://triohousepress.myshopify.com/products/pre-order-continental-drift-by-mai-linh-hong] Mai-Linh's debut poetry collection, Continental Drift (TRIO HOUSE PRESS, July 2026). Visit Mai-Linh at mai-linhhong.com [https://www.mai-linhhong.com].  Say “hello” to Mai-Linh on Instagram @continentaldrift_poems [https://www.instagram.com/continentaldrift_poems/]. You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com [http://therestofuspodcast.com/] to read Mai-Linh's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community. Note: "Harvest Moon with Wildfire" was first published in Waxwing Issue 34, Fall 2025 [https://waxwingmag.org/items/issue34/31_Hong-Harvest-Moon-with-Wildfire.php]. PODCAST TEAM Host, Dana Tenille Weekes Producer, Annabelle Oh Editor, Sagheer Muhammad Content Manager, Annabelle Oh If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.  🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.  ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)  Until next time, rest, my friends. Connect with Us Website: * www.therestofuspodcast.com [https://therestofuspodcast.com/]   Instagram: * @therestofus.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/therestofus.podcast?igsh=ZGd2cXJkZXFhbGti] * @danatenilleweekes [https://www.instagram.com/danatenilleweekes/] Substack: * @therestofuspodcast [https://therestofuspodcast.substack.com/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6p1t9m] LinkedIn: * Dana Tenille Weekes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-tenille-weekes/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app]

Ep. 28: Calling All Leaders: Yes, It's You. You're Causing Your Team (and You) Unrest

In this episode, "Calling All Leaders: Yes, It's You. You're Causing Your Team (and You) Unrest," host Dana Tenille Weekes talks about how work environments are breeding grounds for burnout and performative practices. Dana calls in (not out) leaders to assess how they show up and the impact they make by walking through five approaches leaders take that cause unrest within their teams (and within themselves). What You'll Settle Into * Five approaches leaders adopt that cause unrest: (1) You do not model the standards you demand; (2) You recognize people's strengths, but fail to recognize their inherent value; (3) You say "yes" without understanding or recognizing the skills and competencies, time, resources, and cognitive load of your team; (4) You share with your team, but fail to communicate with them; and (5) You act as if your title is magical. Key Quotes / Insights * "Honestly, for my non-profit leaders out there ... too many of you claim you're fighting for the people, when you're actually shadow boxing. This is due to the normalization of performative culture that sacrifices the communities we are supposed to serve." * When leaders' behaviors are inconsistent or contradictory, the line drawn is not one of respect and accountability but of likability (or worse, an us vs. them culture), because team members get to choose what to gravitate toward. And, often, people gravitate toward what they like, what is familiar, what makes them comfortable. * "I would say the number one sign that your team is at the brink of burnout or beyond is when they believe leadership does not recognize their inherent value."  * When most of your team continuously lacks skills and competencies, there are no true standards to meet. And, when standards are absent, what often fills the void is a patchwork mindset, rather than a problem-solving or creation mindset. * A team is destined for burnout when they are stuck in crisis mode, but the crisis never needed to exist. In doing so, leaders create a reactive culture, which means team members will eventually be reactive toward your leadership as well. * "Too many leaders either want to be seen or work toward a brand because they have advanced into leadership based more on relationships, association, and popularity. They've relied on others to achieve real results and often claim credit or exaggerate their role." WANT TO INVEST IN ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH? Visit Thrive Architects [https://thethrivearch.com/] to connect with us. PODCAST TEAM Host, Dana Tenille Weekes Editor, Sagheer Muhammad If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about res If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.  🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.  ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)  Until next time, rest, my friends. Connect with Us Website: * www.therestofuspodcast.com [https://therestofuspodcast.com/]   Instagram: * @therestofus.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/therestofus.podcast?igsh=ZGd2cXJkZXFhbGti] * @danatenilleweekes [https://www.instagram.com/danatenilleweekes/] Substack: * @therestofuspodcast [https://therestofuspodcast.substack.com/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6p1t9m] LinkedIn: * Dana Tenille Weekes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-tenille-weekes/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app]

Poetic Interlude - Kira Tucker reading "Off on Holiday"

What happens when our rest is tied up in someone else’s oppression? In this Poetic Interlude, Kira Tucker shares her poem “Off on Holiday” and a reflection prompt on rest.  Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.  Settle into the work of Kira Tucker and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest. ABOUT KIRA TUCKER KIRA TUCKER is a Memphis, Tennessee native and winner of the 2025 National Poetry Series, selected by Siwar Masannat. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in English from Northwestern University, where she was the 2024-2025 Artist in Residence.  Her work has been published by Poetry, The Academy of American Poets, The Iowa Review, and more. A former managing editor of TriQuarterly, Kira was a finalist for a 2024 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship.  Pre-order [https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/wildest/] Kira's debut poetry collection, WILDEST (Akashic Books, 2026). Visit Kira at lnk.bio/kiratucker [https://lnk.bio/kiratucker].  Say “hello” to Kira on Instagram @_shedreamsin_technicolor [https://www.instagram.com/_shedreamsin_technicolor?igsh=OGVxY2djaDQyY2p6]. You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com [http://therestofuspodcast.com/] to read Kira's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community. Note: "Off on Holiday" was first published in Poetry [https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/kira-alexis-tucker]. PODCAST TEAM Host, Dana Tenille Weekes Producer, Annabelle Oh Editor, Sagheer Muhammad Content Manager, Annabelle Oh If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.  🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.  ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)  Until next time, rest, my friends. Connect with Us Website: * www.therestofuspodcast.com [https://therestofuspodcast.com/]   Instagram: * @therestofus.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/therestofus.podcast?igsh=ZGd2cXJkZXFhbGti] * @danatenilleweekes [https://www.instagram.com/danatenilleweekes/] Substack: * @therestofuspodcast [https://therestofuspodcast.substack.com/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6p1t9m] LinkedIn: * Dana Tenille Weekes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-tenille-weekes/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app]

Poetic Interlude - Jasmine Vallejo-Love reading “My Response When the Instructor Prompted Us to Craft a Poem About Flowers at a Time Like This”

How has your lineage influenced how you rest? In this Poetic Interlude, Jasmine Vallejo-Love shares her poem “My Response When the Instructor Prompted Us to Craft a Poem About Flowers at a Time Like This” and a reflection prompt on rest.  Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.  Settle into the work of Jasmine Vallejo-Love and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest. ABOUT JASMINE VALLEJO-LOVE JASMINE VALLEJO-LOVE is a disabled Afro-Puerto Rican American poet and writer raised in the Bronx and living in Los Angeles. Her work explores familial healing, love, and self-discovery, and engages with social issues such as mental illness, domestic violence, addiction, and sexual assault.  Jasmine is a Diana Woods Memorial Award finalist, 2025 Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ Voices Fellow, and was selected for workshops with PEN America’s Emerging Voices, VONA, and McCormack. Her work has been anthologized and appears or is forthcoming in journals such as Pinch, Lunch Ticket, and Cholla Needles. Jasmine’s work has also been selected for a Quippy Choice Award. Visit Jasmine at vallejolovelife.com [https://vallejolovelife.com].  Say “hello” to Jasmine on Instagram @CafecitowithJas [https://www.instagram.com/cafecitowithjas/?hl=en ]. You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com [http://therestofuspodcast.com/] to read Jasmine's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community. Note: “My Response When the Instructor Prompted Us to Craft a Poem About Flowers at a Time Like This” was first published in Pinch [https://www.pinchjournal.com/]. PODCAST TEAM Host, Dana Tenille Weekes Producer, Annabelle Oh Editor, Sagheer Muhammad Content Manager, Annabelle Oh If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.  🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.  ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)  Until next time, rest, my friends. Connect with Us Website: * www.therestofuspodcast.com [https://therestofuspodcast.com/]   Instagram: * @therestofus.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/therestofus.podcast?igsh=ZGd2cXJkZXFhbGti] * @danatenilleweekes [https://www.instagram.com/danatenilleweekes/] Substack: * @therestofuspodcast [https://therestofuspodcast.substack.com/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6p1t9m] LinkedIn: * Dana Tenille Weekes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-tenille-weekes/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app]