Stories That Stay

Season One Finale: Reflections, Hope, and the Stories That Shape Us

In this season finale of Stories That Stay, hosts Dwight Dunston and Shamm Petros pause to reflect on the stories, insights, and moments of healing that shaped Season One. Rather than introducing a new guest, Dwight and Shamm turn toward one another—processing what they’ve learned, what surprised them, and what continues to give them hope. Throughout the conversation, they revisit key themes that emerged across the season: racial stress, identity, memory, resilience, and the power of storytelling as a tool for healing. They reflect on how stories can cause us to expand or contract—and how paying attention to those responses offers valuable information about ourselves. The hosts reflect on powerful moments from conversations with guests, including Dr. Darryl Ford, Mona Norfleet, Merrill Garbus, Osahon Tongo, Inua Ellams, and Lisa Nelson-Hayes, exploring how each story contributed a distinct thread to the season’s larger tapestry. From early memories of difference to creative survival, generational legacy, grief, belonging, and accountability, these stories collectively demonstrate how meaning-making can foster agency and hope. This episode also highlights the practices at the heart of Lion’s Story’s work—slowing down, breathing, naming emotions, and observing internal responses without judgment. Dwight and Shamm discuss how storytelling, whether through conversation, music, poetry, or memory, helps people fall in love with their stories—or at least begin to understand them more fully. As the season comes to a close, the hosts express gratitude for the guests, the listeners, and the shared courage it takes to tell stories honestly. They close with an invitation: to keep listening, keep learning, and keep telling the stories that stay. Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story [https://www.thelionsstory.org?utm_source=chatgpt.com], a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being. For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano [https://petersontoscano.com]. Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]. Music by Epidemic Sound [https://www.epidemicsound.com]. Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net [https://www.thelionsstory.org/podcast]  Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]

Claiming Worth: Dr. Darryl J. Ford on Race, Resilience, and a Generational Legacy of Education

In this episode, co-hosts Shamm H. Petros and Dwight Dunston sit down with longtime educator and Quaker school leader Dr. Darryl J. Ford for an intimate reflection on early memories of race, difference, family legacy, and the practices that helped him navigate childhood and leadership. Dr. Ford traces the deep educational roots in his family—from a grandmother sent to a private girls’ school in the early 1900s, to elders like “Mama Irma” who shaped his understanding of service, to his own formative experiences in progressive and Quaker schools. He describes what it felt like to be “other” on his block in Cobbs Creek, how books and historical heroes became sustaining companions, and how self-talk helped him prepare for conflict and claim his worth long before such practices had a name. Through guided mindfulness questions, Shamm and Dwight invite Dr. Ford to explore the emotions, images, and narratives that live inside his early experiences. Together they uncover themes of pride, survival, excitement, and a generational commitment to service that continues to guide Dr. Ford’s work today. About Our Guest: Dr. Darryl J. Ford Dr. Darryl J. Ford is Vice President of Education Leadership Services at Carney, Sandoe & Associates, where he leads executive searches, mentors aspiring leaders, and supports educational organizations through transitions and strategic initiatives. He previously served as Head of School at William Penn Charter School [https://www.penncharter.com/] in Philadelphia from 2007–2023. A graduate of Friends Select School [https://www.friends-select.org/], Dr. Ford holds degrees from Villanova University and the University of Chicago. He lives outside Philadelphia with his wife, Dr. Gail Sullivan, their dog Nova, and Alvin, their youngest son’s horse. Quotes from the Episode Dr. Darryl J. Ford:  “Breathing, settling in, finding something in silence is really, I think, central to much of who I am and much of my work and experiences in this life. And so I want to thank you, Shamm, for that exercise of having us center for this conversation.” Shamm H. Petros:  “This story is one that holds a lot of both-and emotions—pride and sadness, excitement and survival. And as you reflect on these memories, particularly the moment realizing ‘I'm different,’ did you then or now have any self-talk?” Dr. Darryl J. Ford:  “We have strategies. We have self-talk as a concept, and we have practice as a concept of how you confront the bully. All of this helps.” Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story [https://www.thelionsstory.org?utm_source=chatgpt.com], a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being. For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano [https://petersontoscano.com]. Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]. Music by Epidemic Sound [https://www.epidemicsound.com]. Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net [https://www.thelionsstory.org/podcast]  Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]

Brian Caselli Jordan: Holding Love and Accountability in Our First Stories of Race

In this powerful episode, educator, musician, and longtime Lion’s Story trainer Brian Caselli Jordan takes us deep into one of his earliest memories of racial difference. What begins as a tender portrait of his Italian American grandfather expands into a layered exploration of inheritance, identity, silence, and the emotional weight of witnessing racism from someone you adore. Together with co-hosts Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston, Brian traces how this childhood moment shaped his understanding of race, family loyalty, grief, anger, and repair. He reflects on the contradictions in his lineage—his grandfather’s generosity and creativity alongside the anti-Black racism he absorbed from his environment—and how becoming a father has opened new paths toward healing. Listeners are invited to slow down, breathe, and notice what arises as Brian moves through the emotions in real time. The episode models Lion’s Story’s racial literacy practices: naming feelings, locating them in the body, holding multiple truths, and moving toward transformation rather than avoidance. Key Themes * The earliest memory of racial difference * Intergenerational inheritance: gifts and harms living side by side * Silence, complicity, and the longing for protection * How racial stress imprints on the body * Grief, anger, gratitude, and complexity as data for healing * Parenting as a site of repair and rewriting the story Compelling Quotes * “There’s no throwing out your beloved grandfather. And also I’m not comfortable excusing it away.” * “We’re going to be healed this time.” * “Telling the truth is how you honor someone you love.” About Our Guest: Brian Caselli Jordan is an educator, singer-songwriter, and facilitator who jokingly aspires to be “a 2025 Mr. Rogers.” For 17 years, he has taught young children, with over a decade in kindergarten and preschool classrooms. He holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Temple University. Brian co-founded City Love [https://www.muchcitylove.com/bio] in 2014, leading music-driven school assemblies and workshops on race, equity, and belonging for tens of thousands of students and educators nationwide. Since 2012, he has taught first and second grade at The Philadelphia School, and he is a proud father. He has been a Lion’s Story trainer since 2019, helping individuals and institutions build racial literacy skills rooted in healing, accountability, and community.  Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story [https://www.thelionsstory.org?utm_source=chatgpt.com], a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being. For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano [https://petersontoscano.com]. Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]. Music by Epidemic Sound [https://www.epidemicsound.com]. Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net [https://www.thelionsstory.org/podcast]  Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]

Growing Up Biracial: Mona Norfleet on Healing and Belonging

In this episode of Stories That Stay, hosts Shamm H. Petros and Dwight Dunston talk with Mona Norfleet—equity advocate, writer, and community builder—about growing up biracial and finding belonging across cultures. Mona reflects on her biracial upbringing as the daughter of Mary Norfleet, an Italian American from the Bronx, and Tom Norfleet, a Black man from rural Alabama.  Through tender reflection, Mona revisits her earliest memories of racial difference: her father’s warm brown hands and a painful moment of exclusion that reshaped her sense of self. With openness and courage, she explores how storytelling helps transform shame into pride and memory into healing. “I remember looking at my father’s hands—they were the color of sweet chocolate milk and mahogany wood.”  “When that boy said what he said, it felt like someone slapped me in the face. I was furious—and ashamed for the first time.”  “Just thinking of my parents showing up for me—I don’t feel the tightness in my chest anymore.” What you’ll hear • Grounding breath and mindful arrival • Early memories of race and belonging • Naming and scaling emotions • Reimagining moments of racial stress • Healing through story and ancestral connection About Mona Norfleet Mona Norfleet is a human-services student, racial-equity advocate, and membership director at her local YMCA. She cultivates belonging across generations and cultures, centering dignity, cultural humility, and lived experience. Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story [https://www.thelionsstory.org?utm_source=chatgpt.com], a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being. For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano [https://petersontoscano.com]. Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]. Music by Epidemic Sound [https://www.epidemicsound.com]. Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net [https://www.thelionsstory.org/podcast]  Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]

The Weight of Difference: Inua Ellams on Identity, Abandonment, and Creative Survival

In this episode of Stories That Stay, hosts Shamm H. Petros and Dwight Dunston sit down with Inua Ellams—poet, playwright, performer, and creative force—to explore the first edges of difference and the lifelong echoes of separation. At age four, Inua and his twin sister were placed in different classrooms. What began as a child’s tantrum became an early lesson in loss, identity, and independence. Through mindful reflection and somatic awareness, Inua revisits that moment and traces how it shaped his art, his sense of belonging, and his navigation of a world marked by migration and disconnection. Together, they explore masculinity, vulnerability, and the tension between feeling and intellect. Inua speaks candidly about the cost of noticing, the burden of creation, and the fear that our hyper-connected world is losing touch with emotion itself. “Sometimes I wonder if being a poet helps or hinders the process.”  “The memory prepared me for the journeys I had to take—to become an immigrant, to survive.” What you’ll hear • Grounding breath and mindful arrival • Earliest memories of difference • Naming and scaling emotions • Connection between trauma and creativity • Closing reflections on fear, faith, and artistic survival About Inua Ellams Born in Jos, Nigeria, and raised in the UK and Ireland, Inua Ellams is a poet, playwright, screenwriter, and graphic artist. His acclaimed works include Barbershop Chronicles, Three Sisters, and The Half-God of Rainfall. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and recipient of an MBE for services to the arts, Inua continues to create across disciplines, blending cultures, mythologies, and modern identities. https://www.inuaellams.com Mentioned resources • The Half-God of Rainfall – play and publication info: https://wilmatheater.org/blog/dramaturgy-the-half-god-of-rainfall/  • Barbershop Chronicles – National Theatre live recording and script: https://shop.nationaltheatre.org.uk/products/barbershop-chronicles • My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay – a memoir of identity and belonging referenced in Inua’s work. Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story [https://www.thelionsstory.org?utm_source=chatgpt.com], a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being. For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano [https://petersontoscano.com]. Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]. Music by Epidemic Sound [https://www.epidemicsound.com]. Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net [https://www.thelionsstory.org/podcast]  Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston [https://sterlingduns.com]