The Charleston Chicks

Music, Motherhood, and Doing Love Differently Pt.2 | The Charleston Chicks ft. Jonathan "Mookie" Morant

If Part 1 was the highlight reel, Part 2 is where we get to the heart of it. We dig into Mookie's concept of "heartlosophy",  the idea that love isn't just a feeling, it's an action, and what happens when you build your whole life around that. He reflects on his lowest lows and highest highs and why having nothing sometimes feels like everything looking back. Then we get into his late mother Linda, a classically trained cellist and child prodigy who walked away from wealth and privilege to love on her own terms. She's the soul behind his brand new #1 book A Mother's Love, and honestly, the reason so much of who Mookie is just makes sense. This one will make you think, make you laugh, and maybe make you call your mom. 📚 A Mother's Love is available NOW

Music, Motherhood, and Doing Love Different | The Charleston Chicks ft. Jonathan "Mookie" Morant

In this episode of The Charleston Chicks, we sit down with Jonathan "Mookie" Morant- Charleston musician, songwriter, producer, and now five time author, on the day his newest book hits #1. Mookie takes us behind the scenes of a remarkable life: from crashing Maurice Starr's birthday party (and somehow still landing his first music industry break), to working alongside the Backstreet Boys and Will Smith, to coming home to Charleston and building something even more meaningful. In this episode, we discuss: * How a chance encounter with Maurice Starr's accountant launched Mookie's career, and why that $500 changed everything * What fatherhood, including raising his son Roman who is on the autism spectrum, taught him about communicating beyond words * His brand new book A Mother's Love, a tribute to his late mother releasing just in time for Mother's Day Whether you're a music lover, a parent, or just someone who needs a reminder that heart beats hustle, this conversation will stay with you. His book, A Mother's Love is available now.

Building the Community You Needed | The Charleston Chicks ft. Megan Manigault

In this powerful episode of The Charleston Chicks, we sit down with Megan Manigault, a 2026 TEDx Charleston speaker, survivor leader, and Executive Director of I AM Voices, a local nonprofit providing housing and long-term support services to survivors of sexual violence and trafficking in the tri-county area. Megan opens up about her deeply personal journey from survivor to systems builder, sharing how becoming a mother sparked a mission she never expected, one that started with honest conversations around her kitchen table and grew into two safe houses and a community that continues long after survivors graduate the program. In this episode, we discuss: * What Megan's TEDx talk is about and why survivor voices are missing from the data * Practical ways YOU can show up, from believing someone's story, to trauma informed training, to volunteering your skills Whether you're a survivor, know someone who is, or simply want to be a better ally in your community, this conversation will move you to action. Support I AM Voices: iamvoices.org Catch Megan live at TEDx Charleston on April 29th

Hardships or Preparation? | The Charleston Chicks ft. Kelvin Waites

What if your hardest moments weren't punishment - but preparation? In this episode of The Charleston Chicks, we sit down with Kevin Waits: retired police chief, FBI National Academy graduate, author of Favorite: From Last to First, and TEDx Charleston speaker. Kevin grew up climbing 14 flights of stairs in a Harlem housing project with chronic asthma and metal leg braces, and went on to lead a police department and train with law enforcement executives from around the world. He shares the heartbreaking loss that finally pushed him to the TEDx stage, the mindset shift that changed everything, and why he spent decades playing life not to lose instead of playing to win. A conversation you won't want to miss. 🎙️ Subscribe and join us at TEDx Charleston!

Is Our Body the Cure? | The Charleston Chicks ft. Leonardo Ferreira

What if your body could heal itself, not with drugs, but with its own cells? In this fascinating conversation, we sit down with Dr. Leonardo Ferreira, immunologist and assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina's Hollings Cancer Center, ahead of his 2026 TEDx Charleston talk. Originally from Portugal, Dr. Ferreira earned his PhD at Harvard, completed a postdoctoral fellowship in San Francisco, and has spent the last five years in Charleston pioneering a potential cure for Type 1 diabetes, one that uses stem-cell-derived beta cells and genetically engineered immune "bodyguard" cells to protect them. Think of it as a molecular handshake between the cells that make insulin and the cells that keep them safe. In this episode, we cover: * How Dr. Ferreira's childhood curiosity about wound healing led to a career in immunology * The groundbreaking science of using cells as living drugs * His goal to reach clinical trials before 2030 🗓️ Catch him live at TEDx Charleston on April 29th