Sunday Reflections

This month's Sunday Reflection features Dennis Williams, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Corporate Social Responsibility at Warner Brothers Discovery. In a time where all reproductive rights are in jeopardy, and the rights of LGBTQ+ people are now in question, Dennis - a single, black, gay man - details the moment he held his son for the first time. A beautiful child he conceived through the miracle of surrogacy. The deeply emotional meeting he describes moves us from the marvels of science into the wonders and mysteries of the human heart. In that spectacular convening of love in the birthing room, his mother prayed for God's blessing over his son, and as he watched his surrogate deliver his child, he knew he owed her a debt he could not repay. They were a divine trinity, brought together by life, love and circumstance, to bring and welcome new and longed for life into the world.

This month's Sunday Reflection features Gamal J. Palmer, the Founder and Principal of Conscious Builders. In a time when there is so much dividing us in the world from our views on politics and religion, to our beliefs about gun control and abortion, Gamal's thoughtful and heartfelt words remind us that at the end of the day, we all want to belong. We all want to feel the freedom to pursue what we dream about and accomplish what we set out to do. Not only a reflection, his words are a prayer for a world, for a community that may not exist today, but with compassion and hope, a world that we can aspire to build in the future.

This Sunday Reflection from Regina Bain, Executive Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum and Archives, is jam-packed with wisdom. We delve into the moment of Regina saying the “yes” to her life that shifted the trajectory of her future to Yale University. This momentous recalibration was not only a function of Regina saying “yes” to attending the university as an undergrad, but the support system of her mother and sister saying “yes” with her. Those two loving women said “yes,” even though its consequence was Regina going away, far away from home. This highlights that even the moments of great happiness and advance can often be coupled with the complexity of loss that accompanies growth and change. But we must, nevertheless, lean forward into the future with our hearts, intuition and belief in what is right lighting our way.

This Sunday Reflection from Keiko Anderson Esquire, is perfect for this Mother's Day Weekend. Her biggest leap of faith was becoming a mother when she was young, unemployed and proud. This one choice, became THE choice of her life. It brought her a beautiful, lovely daughter. It also brought her out of the closet of shame and perfectionism into a life of living her fully expressed self. And living a life of vulnerability, freedom and transparency. What a beautiful Mother's Day gift.

Sunday Reflections are monthly, inspirational thoughts from our “At the Podium” guests. They are quick, uplifting jewels of wisdom designed to make you pause, if only for a moment, and meditate on the good, the beautiful, and the profound wonders of our lives.

This week's Sunday Reflection features the formidable Marsha-Ann Donaldson. She speaks openly with us about the challenges she has overcome in her life. Being bullied into silence as a child. The ending of her marriage during Covid. And becoming a self-described Lupus Warrior when she felt the chronic illness would take her life. So when she says that our lives are not dress rehearsals, she means it. She understands it from within her bones and her soul. Her message is simple yet profound. Identify what is holding you back, address it and let it go. This life is too short and too precious to settle for less than you deserve and less than you want. Freedom is embracing the beauty and the wholeness that already lives within you.

Jimmy T. Martin lost his first wife Linmarie to cancer. She was only 29. Her passing left him heartbroken and lost. What remained of their young love was his commitment to the dream of a business called Brrrn Slide Board. She said of his entrepreneurial endeavor as it was unfolding in the last months of her life that it was the proudest thing that he created that she wouldn’t live to see. And not soon after that statement, she was gone. It was with the help of his family, his friends, therapy, and his sense of humor, that Jimmy was slowly able to rebuild a life for himself, and with his business partner Johnny Adamic find a way to bring the dream of Brrrn to life. A dream that Jimmy says required him to have the humility to face his own imposter syndrome. A dream that was born of 300 investors saying “no,” before he and Adam received their first “yes” that would change everything. Since then, Brrrn has been featured on the "Today Show," "Live with Kelly and Ryan," and "Good Morning America." Jimmy’s life and business are a testament to resilience and perseverance. They teach us valuable lessons: never give up on yourself, stay humble, and dream big, even if you feel small.

The last decade has been one of tremendous upheaval. The social compacts that many of us thought were sacrosanct have been ripped apart. World Wars. Cultural Wars. Pandemics. In the midst of the hurly burly, it is easy to give in to hopelessness. But as Delia McLinden says in this week’s Sunday Reflection, getting engaged and fighting for what you believe in is the price of admission to living on the planet. We don’t have the luxury of getting tired. Instead, we get engaged, and we take action. Delia speaks from her lived experience. She has started Archangel Animal Network to rescue dogs from shelters who are in danger of being euthanized. She has rescued 5,000 lives so far. And she has consciously changed her relationship with alcohol so that she can live her best, healthy life. An action taken, no matter how small, if only by one person, can have ripple effects that impact lives. For the better if we choose to make it so.

This Easter Sunday Reflection features Marsha-Ann Donaldson-Brown, who is a tourism executive for Sandals Resorts International and the host of her own talk show - Real Talk with Marsha-Ann. While Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ, it is also the official beginning of Spring. A season of rising to new life, rebirth, and renewal. In her moving message to us, Marsha-Ann encourages us all is to rise to a new life and understanding of who we are. To find our voice and boldly speak our truth. To leave behind the great sorrows of the past imposed on us by others and sometimes by ourselves, and step into the peace, love and unspeakable joy of living today.

This Sunday Reflection featuring author and journalist, Nora Zelevansky, takes an uplifting view of what it means to move past old habits and old ways of being in your life. Using examples from her own lived experiences, the "Competitive Grieving" author encourages us to find and action the belief in ourselves to make the big changes that life often requires of us. That ability, to leave behind the old ideas that you have outgrown, allowed Nora to spark her creative prowess and write successful novels. Nora's thoughtful words remind us that every life has seasons, and that we must know when to move forward into a new awareness of who we are and who we can be.

This Sunday Reflection featuring My Alive Church’s Campus Pastor Joshua Baker comes at a solemn time in the world. Today we remember the lives lost and the heroism of September 11, 2001, and the passing of the Queen of England. Josh’s words to us seem a fitting tribute to today and the sadness and reflection many people may be experiencing. The road of life is tough, circumstances can be harsh, but our faith and belief cannot be tied strictly to happy outcomes. Our faith must be tied to as Josh says, “our belief in God no matter the outcome.” Powerful and revolutionary words.

This week’s Sunday Reflection featuring keynote speaker, author and entrepreneur Dr. Bryan Williams, is a note of gratitude that we all must share. No success in your life comes without the support of people in your life. At some point on your journey, someone believed in you, someone gave you a chance, someone held a supportive thought for you when maybe you didn’t believe in yourself. If you have achieved anything in life, look around, name them and thank the people who supported you and stood by your side along the way. They are the angels dropped in your path to light your way.

This Sunday Reflection features Attica Locke - NY Times bestselling author and screenwriter of such hits as "Little Fires Everywhere," "When They See Us," and "From Scratch." Despite her glittering successes in the literary and television worlds, Attica gives us an understated recipe for a life of meaning - Kindness. Kindness. Kindness. With a dash of recognizing the humanity in other people. Her message is a timely and necessary balm as the world we occupy is now in a season of division. As we enter into this time of reflection and Thanksgiving, perhaps Attica's voice can penetrate through the noise of life, and find a home in the hearts and minds of us all. And become the clarion call to a time of peace, renewal and wholeness.

Gennean Scott, The Broadway League’s Chief Diversity Officer, comes to us with the final Sunday Reflection of 2022. Her stirring message is an affirming life lesson of hope and belief. That no one will love you more than you love yourself. And knowing that, you must be and expect nothing but the best from yourself and those around you. And when the moments of doubt and the unknown and even broken dreams show up, you must still trust and bet on who you are because you are worthy and deserving of all good things. What a beautiful way to end what has been such an inspiring year of reflections, and to set the stage for what lessons we will learn in 2023 in our Sunday Reflections.

This first Sunday Reflection of 2023 features Charlie Davies, who is a host for the new CBS Sports Golazo series "Morning Footy." He is also a broadcast analyst for CBS Sports and a former MLS soccer player. While he has had a storied life and career competing at the highest levels of the game his dad taught him to play and love, it has not been an easy journey for Charlie. Here he details how, even in the midst of turmoil, trouble and disappointment, there is still room for gratitude and the ability to see what good has come from the setbacks. Even when those setbacks came from his father. The relationship between the two is complex and it is real, as most of our closest relationships can be. And yet, despite the complexities, their remains an enduring thankfulness to the man who gave him life, a work ethic and a passion for a sport that changed his life.