In this intimate and illuminating episode of Lifted, Tembi Locke welcomes death doula, attorney, and bestselling author Alua Arthur (Briefly Perfectly Human) for a transformative conversation on embracing the end of life—not as a tragedy, but as a portal to deeper connection, clarity, and purpose. Alua shares her unexpected journey to becoming a death doula, and together, she and Tembi explore what it means to truly live in the presence of death. They discuss the shame that often surrounds grief...
Jul 03, 2025•35 min
In this heartfelt episode of Lifted, Tembi Locke is joined by actress, dancer, author, and television host Amanda Kloots for an honest conversation about surviving loss, choosing joy, and redefining what it means to move forward with grief. Amanda opens up about the devastating loss of her husband, Broadway actor Nick Cordero, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic – a time marked by uncertainty, heartbreak, and visibility in the public eye. She reflects on how she leaned into movement, ...
Jun 26, 2025•49 min
What does it take to turn discipline into joy and inner clarity into impact? This week on Lifted, host Tembi Locke sits down with therapist, entrepreneur, and mental wellness advocate Nina Westbrook for a powerful conversation about identity, ambition, and the long game of self-trust. Nina, founder of the online wellness platform Bene by Nina, creator of the Do Tell card game, and host of The Relationship Chronicles podcast, opens up about how her upbringing, athletic background, and clinical tr...
Jun 19, 2025•45 min
Tembi Locke is joined by creative force and entrepreneur Pia Baroncini – founder of fashion label LPA, co-founder of Baroncini Import & Co., podcast host, and mother – for a heartfelt conversation about culture, loss, identity, and building a life that holds it all. Pia opens up about how her Italian-American heritage, her early years in New York’s downtown art scene, and her deep connection to family shaped her creative path and business philosophy. Together, she and Tembi explore what it m...
Jun 12, 2025•33 min
In our Season 3 premiere, Tembi Locke welcomes bestselling author and literary powerhouse Cheryl Strayed (Wild, Tiny Beautiful Things, Dear Sugar) for a heartfelt conversation on the transformative power of travel, writing, and grief. Together, they explore how travel - across landscapes, emotions, and memory - serves as a catalyst for healing and self-discovery. Cheryl opens up about her earliest travel memories, her creative process, and how walking the Pacific Crest Trail became a metaphor fo...
Jun 05, 2025•44 min
Hi friends, it’s Tembi. I’m so excited to share that my new audiobook memoir, Someday, Now, is coming this fall—September 30th. An immersive, ride-along audio experience, Someday, Now invites you into a turning point in my life—our family’s life—as we reimagined what it means to hold on while also letting go. Set in Sicily, it takes place during the summer before my daughter left for college—a season of anticipation, reflection, and emotional reckoning. As a blended family, we traveled to reclai...
Jun 04, 2025•1 min
Join us for a captivating conversation with Chef Jenny Dorsey, a professional chef, author, speaker, and recent graduate of Harvard University's Master’s Program in Education. As the co-founder of Studio ATAO, an award-winning 501(c)3 nonprofit think tank, Jenny is at the forefront of defining more equitable standards for the food, beverage, and hospitality industry. In this episode, she sits down with Tembi to discuss: Her mission to use culinary arts as a platform for introspection, empathy, a...
Mar 21, 2024•48 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Join us in a delightful conversation with Amelia Rampe, Senior Editor at Food & Wine, as we uncover the multifaceted world of food and travel. As a food and travel writer, recipe developer, video host, and food stylist, Amelia delves into the intricacies of the Filipinx kitchen and shares how she skillfully brings Filipinx food stories to life. In this conversation, we tackle: The intricacies of the Filipinx kitchen, and why it cannot be defined by just one word. Amelia's mid-life transition...
Mar 07, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Join us for a compelling conversation with Yasmin Khan, the British cookbook author and former human rights campaigner. Known for titles like "Zaitoun" and "The Saffron Tales," Yasmin shares her remarkable journey from social justice advocacy to cookbook writing, emphasizing the power of food as a universal connector in highlighting our shared humanity. We explore: Yasmin's career shift from human rights advocacy to cookbook writing, driven by burnout and a desire to foster connections through c...
Feb 29, 2024•35 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Join us for an enlightening conversation with Dawn Davis, a renowned food editor and publishing powerhouse, who, in 2020, ascended to the role of editor-in-chief at Bon Appétit. In this episode, we delve into Dawn's remarkable journey and her insightful perspectives on the dynamic world of food and publishing. Highlights of our conversation include: A recount of a chance meeting on a plane to Nigeria in 1990, which became the catalyst for her illustrious career in publishing, a testament to the ...
Feb 22, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Join us in this delectable episode as we sit down with Klancy Miller, a distinguished pastry chef, culinary educator, and the celebrated author of "Cooking Solo" and "For The Culture." From her journey at Le Cordon Bleu to her endeavors in highlighting remarkable Black women and femmes in the culinary industry, Klancy shares her insights and passion for blending cultural influences with the artistry of desserts. We explore: How Klancy’s sweet tooth turned into a passion for pastry making. Her po...
Feb 15, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Join us for a gastronomic adventure with Katie Parla, the Rome-based New York Times bestselling cookbook author of “Food of The Italian Islands”, “Food of the Italian South”, and “Tasting Rome”, among others. Katie is also an Emmy-nominated television host, co-host of Gola Podcast, and expert in all things Italian cuisine. In a captivating conversation, we delve into: Her incredible food tours in Rome, where she not only leads people to delectable bites but also serves up a generous helping of c...
Feb 08, 2024•42 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Join us in this episode as we sit down with the incredible Candace Nelson, founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes, Pizzana, and CN2 Ventures. From her pioneering work in the cupcake industry to her current role on Shark Tank, Candace shares her entrepreneurial journey and insights into the world of venture investing. We discuss: The origins of Sprinkles Cupcakes and the early days of transforming a startup into a nationwide success. (Plus, the story behind the creation of the first cupcake ATM!) The qual...
Feb 01, 2024•39 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In the second part of this special two-part episode, we explore empowerment and collaboration with The McBride Sisters and Jess Druey, the dynamic force behind Whiny Baby wines. From the McBride Sisters' She Can Fund, to the viral success of Whiny Baby wines, we dive into how these women are shaping the future of the wine industry. We discuss: The story behind the creation of Whiny Baby wines and how Jess Druey's idea to create a wine that fostered connection between Gen-Z drinkers became an ins...
Jan 25, 2024•38 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Join us in this episode as we uncork the fascinating story of Robin and Andréa McBride, the visionary minds behind the acclaimed McBride Sisters Wine Company. From an unexpected familial reunion to the creation of Black Girl Magic wines, their journey is nothing short of extraordinary. We discuss: Robin and Andréa's incredible origin story of discovering each other's existence in their mid-twenties and the emotional journey of uniting as sisters after their shared father's passing. How their exp...
Jan 25, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Introducing Season Two! In Season One, "Lifted" delved into the lives of artists who shaped the series "From Scratch." Now, in Season Two, we shift our focus to the heart of our homes – the kitchen. We invite you to join Tembi Locke as she sits down for candid conversations with top chefs, restaurateurs, nutritionists, entrepreneurs, and change-agents in the food equity movement to explore the transformative power of the table. From tales of resilience in the face of adversity to stories of inno...
Jan 24, 2024•3 min
Over the first season of Lifted, I have had the pleasure of talking to the dynamic creators of From Scratch. Through these conversations, I've thought deeply about creativity in general, creativity in my own life, and how creativity can be used to find our way back to ourselves. I thought it might be nice to talk to an expert in this field so that she can unpack and demystify this thing called creativity, and inspire all of us, but particularly caregivers, to use it in times of strife, challenge...
Feb 16, 2023•52 min
This might be my most personal conversation to date. In this episode, I sit down with Attica Locke. In case you don't know, she is the author of five books; her latest novel, Heaven, My Home, is the sequel to her Edgar Award-Winning Bluebird, Bluebird, and it is also a New York Times Bestseller. Her novel Pleasantville was a winner of the Harper Lee prize for Legal Ficton, her second book, The Cutting Season, was the winner of the Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and Black Water Risi...
Jan 19, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 8
After working as an actress on and off Broadway, in regional theater, and in TV and film, Marguerite MacIntyre turned her focus to writing, adapting Liz Tigelaar's novel Pretty Tough for Tornante/Hulu. Since then, she has written/produced for genre hits The Originals and Legacies, the limited drama series Containment, and Hulu's Golden Globe nominated comedy, Casual. Most recently she was Co-Executive Producer on limited series From Scratch for Hello Sunshine/Netflix, and Co-Creator/Showrunner w...
Jan 12, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Shannon Baker Davis is an award-winning television and film editor. For the first 10 years of her career, she worked on unscripted and reality projects, including Emmy-winning shows like Top Chef and Project Runway. Later, she parlayed her skills into the scripted world, working on acclaimed television shows and films like The Photograph, Impeachment: American Crime Story, Insecure, Grown-ish, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson, and Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar. Most recently, she joined the editorial ...
Jan 05, 2023•41 min•Ep. 6
Laura Fox is an Emmy-nominated production designer with over 25 years of experience in film, television, music videos, and commercial work. Her projects include The White Lotus, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and (500) Days of Summer. I got to see her magnificent work first hand on From Scratch, as she created a beautiful, rich, 360-degree world for Amy and Lino to inhabit. I also came to know her as a truly genuine, deeply creative person with a very large heart. This conversation was my way of better...
Dec 15, 2022•36 min•Ep. 5
Allegra Jones is a half Italian, half African-American multidisciplinary artist who lives in Los Angeles. As a multimedia visual artist, Allegra creates art pieces that speak to her interest in psychology, buried histories, Black studies, and her own experience growing up bi-racial in America. As a multi-instrumentalist, Allegra has performed in spaces such as Carnegie Hall, and has experience performing with accomplished musicians such as Rodrigo Amarante. Allegra holds a BFA in Experimental An...
Dec 08, 2022•36 min•Ep. 4
Amanda Riley is a costume designer with nearly two decades of experience working on television shows and films of all genres, from sitcoms, to sci-fi, to blockbuster action movies. You’ve seen her work on projects like Supergirl, Westworld, Spider Man: No Way Home, and most recently From Scratch. I had the pleasure of working with Amanda up close, talking with her about texture, color, the way fabric moves, as she interpreted the scenes and characters of From Scratch from the inside out. But als...
Dec 01, 2022•39 min•Ep. 3
Danielle Deadwyler is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, actor, and filmmaker. As an actor, she is unforgettable in Station 11, Watchmen, Atlanta, and The Harder They Fall. As a filmmaker and producer, Danielle’s work has been screened at the Creative Loafing Atlanta, New Orleans Film Festival, Oxford Film Fest, and more. As a performance artist, her work has been included in the Atlanta Contemporary Museum among others. She is a graduate of Spelman College and holds a masters in American Studi...
Nov 17, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Nzingha Stewart is an NAACP Image Award-nominated director. A graduate of NYU, she started her career in music videos, shooting for artists like Common, Eve, Jay-Z, and 50 Cent, before going on to a successful career as a commercial director. Then transitioned to film and television where her work includes the Emmy-Nominated limited series Inventing Anna, Maid, and Little Fires Everywhere as well as Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Netflix’s Tall Girl. She is the produci...
Nov 10, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Here, we set the table for what’s to come. I see this podcast as an auditory dinner party of sorts. Each week, a new guest will arrive, and we’ll sit around the table for a conversation about the big questions that we all face: what it means to be creative, how to pull ourselves forward even in life’s most unexpected times, where we seek (and find) inspiration, what it looks like to begin again, and how we expand. We’ll explore how being lifted allows us to meet the world more fully, wholly, and...
Nov 10, 2022•3 min
Welcome to Lifted: A multi-season series in which Tembi Locke interviews exceptional female creators, writers, entrepreneurs, artists, and thought leaders about their work, inspirations, and the stumbling blocks that became launch pads for resilience. Stay in Touch: IG: @liftedpod @tembilocke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 03, 2022•4 min•Season 1Ep. 1
