ABWilson's Heart of the Matter

S3 Ep21. Art, Advocacy, and the Power of Purpose: A Divine Calling with Dr. Richmond S. Otolorin-Garrick

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2315926/fan_mail/new] In this moving conversation on ABWilson’s Heart of the Matter, Dr. Richmond Stanley Otolorin-Garrick shares a story shaped by courage, devotion, artistry and deep gratitude. He reflects on his journey from Sierra Leone to the United States, the sacrifices his parents made and the values that shaped him as a husband, father, educator and fine artist.  His story is one of perseverance through loss, reinvention and the steady belief that education and art can transform lives. Dr. Garrick speaks warmly about his marriage of nearly three decades and the joy of raising his three children, while emphasizing the importance of discipline, education and opportunity in their upbringing. He describes teaching as more than a profession, saying he is not there simply to give grades but to change stories. That spirit carries through every part of the conversation, from his classroom work to his commitment to advocating for students and helping them feel seen, trusted and supported. As a divine fine artist, Dr. Garrick opens up about how art became a calling and a form of healing. His work reflects the dignity and struggle of humanity, especially the trauma of Sierra Leone’s civil war, the pain of displacement and the resilience of those who survive it.  He shares how his canvases and portraits became a way to process grief, tell the truth and honor history, including iconic portraits of African Americans that now live at Middlesex County College. The episode also offers a beautiful glimpse into the sources of his strength, including quiet reflection, faith, mentors, family and the inspiration he draws from Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. and other artistic and cultural icons.  He closes with a powerful reminder that excellence is a form of purpose and that he hopes to be remembered as someone who discovered his divine talent and practiced it with integrity, care and conviction. https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com [https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com] https://abwilsonphotography.com [https://abwilsonphotography.com]

S3 Ep20. Making Space for Joy in Justice with Dina Chaerani

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2315926/fan_mail/new] This week’s guest on ABWilson's Heart of the Matter podcast is Dina Chaerani, a bold and joyful sexuality educator, storyteller and youth advocate from Indonesia whose work lives at the intersection of advocacy, digital media and care.  Dina shares how her own lived experience shaped her commitment to helping young people understand consent, boundaries, pleasure and safety in ways that feel accessible, honest, and human. Dina Chaerani brings a rare combination of honesty, warmth and courage to this conversation. As a sexuality educator and youth advocate, she shares how her work began with her own experience of sexual violence at age 13 and grew into a lifelong commitment to making accurate, accessible sexual and reproductive health information available to young people.  She speaks candidly about the gaps in education, the taboos that still shape conversations about bodies and consent and why she built platforms like Sex Dugram and her SRHR Barbie persona to reach young audiences where they already are. Throughout the episode, Dina reflects on the emotional labor of public advocacy and the costs of being visible in online spaces, including harassment and doxing. Still, she remains grounded in empathy, persistence and a strong sense of purpose.  She describes self-care as something joyful and active, from dancing and Zumba to humor, music, walking and leaning on a supportive inner circle. Her story is  deeply personal and widely resonant, reminding us that resilience is powerful, but so is care and that young people deserve truth, dignity and the freedom to ask questions without shame. https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com [https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com] https://abwilsonphotography.com [https://abwilsonphotography.com]

S3 Ep19. Business Ballerina: Dancing Through Life with Joyce Hayward

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2315926/fan_mail/new] In this episode of AB.Wilson’s Heart of the Matter, Joyce Hayward brings a vibrant mix of energy, wisdom and heart to a conversation about purpose, growth and living intentionally. Joyce describes herself as energetic, joyful and thoughtful and throughout the interview she shows exactly what those words mean in practice, from finding the silver lining in hard moments to making time for the people and priorities that matter most. Joyce shares her journey from a childhood in rural Maryland, where she learned responsibility and resilience, to a life in Bermuda shaped by creativity, faith, family and service. She talks about being a business ballerina, blending her lifelong love of dance with her work as an accountant and advisor who helps clients move through business with confidence, imagination and grace.  Her story is rooted in helping others, whether she is supporting a business owner with a dream, teaching, developing content or creating tools like her new invoicing app designed to help tradespeople get paid quickly and easily. A major theme in the conversation is balance, especially the way Joyce learned to stop treating family as an interruption to work and instead build a life where both can thrive. She speaks openly about setting boundaries, protecting Fridays as Sabbath and making space for rest, joy, travel, swimming and the simple pleasures that refill her spirit.  Joyce also reflects on legacy, storytelling and the importance of sharing life lessons with family and community so that wisdom is not lost and others can benefit from what we have learned. This episode is full of encouragement for anyone learning how to lead with joy, stay open to change and live with purpose. Joyce reminds us that life is precious, time is valuable and the best way to honor both is to be intentional, thoughtful and willing to dance through life with faith and courage. https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com [https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com] https://abwilsonphotography.com [https://abwilsonphotography.com]

S3 Ep18. Climb Higher, Give More: Darlene Repollet on Leadership and Legacy

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2315926/fan_mail/new] In this episode of ABWilson's Heart of the Matter, host Aderonke Bademosi Wilson sits down with Darlene Repollet, a woman who embodies the art of purposeful living through service, community and intentional growth. Darlene describes herself as a supporter, a Peloton enthusiast and a community servant, and over the course of this rich conversation, she brings each of those descriptors to life in deeply meaningful ways. Darlene opens up about her love of Peloton, not just as a fitness tool, but as a lifestyle anchor that keeps her grounded through cycling, strength training, yoga and meditation. She then speaks with great warmth and clarity about her role as First Lady of Kean University in New Jersey, where her husband Dr. Lamont Repollet serves as president. Her identity as a supporter, she explains, was shaped by 25 years as a human resources executive, a career that taught her that the heart of HR is service to people. The conversation takes a joyful turn when Aderonke reveals that Kean University is her own alma mater, creating a moment of shared pride and nostalgia between the two women as they reflect on how much the campus has grown and transformed over the decades. Darlene shares three surprising things about herself: that she is retired yet busier than ever, that she grew up traveling the country with her family in an RV and motorhome during summers and that she is an introvert who has learned to function as an extrovert. Each of these reveals a layer of depth, from her entrepreneurial ventures in real estate investment to the quiet recharging that keeps her going behind the scenes. One of the most moving parts of the episode is Darlene's story of introducing Gratitude Fridays to her HR team during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a simple practice of sharing one thing to be grateful for at the start of weekly team meetings became a lifeline for a group of colleagues navigating extraordinary stress and isolation. Over time, the practice deepened into genuine vulnerability and connection and team members later told Darlene how much it had meant to them. It is a story about leadership, humanity, and the quiet power of showing up with intention. https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com [https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com] https://abwilsonphotography.com [https://abwilsonphotography.com]

S3 Ep17. Nurturing Self and Others: An Inspiring Life with Renee Rampersadsingh

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2315926/fan_mail/new] Renee Rampersadsingh joins ABWilson's Heart of the Matter podcast, sharing her warm journey as a yoga educator, devoted caregiver and joyful creator in Trinidad and Tobago. With roots in a family of teachers and a lifelong spiritual practice sparked by meeting her guru at age 10, Renee inspires through her reading club, retreats and vegetarian lifestyle shaped by ethics and yoga.  Her stories highlight community building, self-care, and finding joy in bird song, dark chocolate and strategic gaming. Renee opens up about her multifaceted life, describing herself as an educator who teaches yoga to all ages, plans retreats and events and empowers people to manage their well-being through breath, movement and mindset shifts.  She reflects on her role as a carer, having supported her mother through 17 years of stage four breast cancer from age 13, which deepened her empathy and commitment to nurturing relationships. As a creator, Renee celebrates everyone's innate creativity, from hosting silent reading clubs that foster third spaces for connection to crafting origami, embroidery and co-leading photography-yoga retreats on perspective with her partner. She shares surprises like her lifelong vegetarianism rooted in family ethics, her love for strategy games and a casual spiritual foundation that sustained her family.  Proud of her year-old reading club partnering with the Bocas Lit Fest and recent joint retreat successes, Renee discusses making differences through adaptive yoga for seniors, injury recovery and palliative care, relying on empathy, patience and extensive training.  Overcoming her MBA amid caregiving taught her perseverance, willpower and self-care like pranayama for energy awareness, strategic napping and graceful aging. She envisions ripples of positivity from grounded self-awareness, upcoming events like World Labyrinth Day and International Yoga Day and her memoir on co-surviving her mother's cancer journey.  Simple joys like morning bird song, flowers, family and guiding transformations light her path. https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com [https://www.abwilsonconsulting.com] https://abwilsonphotography.com [https://abwilsonphotography.com]