WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500 Hey y 'all, welcome to Questions You Didn't Ask. 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:07.179 Did you know that this very spot could be showcasing 00:00:07.179 --> 00:00:10.320 your business or event? Whether it's an audio 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:14.460 ad on our podcast, or a visual ad on our new 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:18.100 YouTube station, or even both, we've got the 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.620 space for you. Nyesha Frey Consulting is reaching 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:24.420 a growing audience of over a thousand leaders 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:27.839 who are passionate about health equity, social 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:32.070 justice, and civil rights activism. These are 00:00:32.070 --> 00:00:35.329 professionals just like you working across higher 00:00:35.329 --> 00:00:40.409 education, research, healthcare, nonprofit, government, 00:00:40.590 --> 00:00:44.030 and even public health sectors. If you're ready 00:00:44.030 --> 00:00:46.630 to get your message in front of a dedicated and 00:00:46.630 --> 00:00:52.469 engaged audience, send me an email at naishafrayconsultingllc 00:00:52.469 --> 00:00:57.149 at gmail .com. Let's talk about how we can help 00:00:57.149 --> 00:00:59.710 you connect with the people who need to hear 00:00:59.710 --> 00:01:02.829 about your services and products that advance 00:01:02.829 --> 00:01:06.969 health equity and wellness. Don't miss out. Get 00:01:06.969 --> 00:01:09.269 in the mix and let's make an impact together. 00:01:19.489 --> 00:01:22.549 Welcome back to Questions You Didn't Ask. I'm 00:01:22.549 --> 00:01:25.430 Nyisha Frey, joined again by wellness entrepreneur, 00:01:25.790 --> 00:01:28.590 Charles Chambers, as we continue our series, 00:01:28.849 --> 00:01:33.010 Trippin', Black Men, Land, and Liberation. Let's 00:01:33.010 --> 00:01:35.609 pick up where we left off. Yes, so the role that 00:01:35.609 --> 00:01:38.650 our loved ones, those who truly love us, right, 00:01:38.810 --> 00:01:41.810 or who are at least attempting to love us, being 00:01:41.810 --> 00:01:47.629 able to keep it real with us about how our alcohol 00:01:47.629 --> 00:01:51.870 use. is affecting us and how it's affecting other 00:01:51.870 --> 00:01:56.010 people around us is important for the person 00:01:56.010 --> 00:02:00.670 that is in the addiction. Right. Absolutely. 00:02:00.790 --> 00:02:06.129 It's everything. And so again, that, oh, he's 00:02:06.129 --> 00:02:08.870 a functioning alcoholic that just embraces this 00:02:08.870 --> 00:02:13.289 toxic behavior and almost cosigns for it. Well, 00:02:13.310 --> 00:02:16.629 everybody else. So like, even in the middle of 00:02:16.629 --> 00:02:19.379 my addiction, we have to start. pointing things 00:02:19.379 --> 00:02:24.939 out when we see them. Yeah. And also, I think 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:27.319 that that functional alcoholism, you know, if 00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:31.219 I can go there, kind of plays into our values 00:02:31.219 --> 00:02:35.060 as a capitalist society, which says that as long 00:02:35.060 --> 00:02:37.259 as you are able to get yourself up in the morning, 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:41.460 go to work, whatever kind of work that is, make 00:02:41.460 --> 00:02:45.860 some sort of money, pay some sort of bill, you 00:02:45.860 --> 00:02:52.219 know, and not tear up too bad, it's okay, right? 00:02:52.979 --> 00:02:57.159 But the functionality is usually centered around, 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:00.419 does that person still hold a job? Does that 00:03:00.419 --> 00:03:03.539 person still make money or contribute to the 00:03:03.539 --> 00:03:06.680 economy in some way outside of just the ABC store? 00:03:06.819 --> 00:03:09.340 That's what we call it in North Carolina is Aunt 00:03:09.340 --> 00:03:12.860 Betty's Closet, ABC, right? The liquor store, 00:03:13.139 --> 00:03:16.259 okay? The corner store, you know, are you contributing 00:03:16.259 --> 00:03:20.719 to? the economy? Are you at least at your kids' 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:23.219 function, regardless of whether or not you're 00:03:23.219 --> 00:03:27.080 high or drunk while you're there? If you're sitting 00:03:27.080 --> 00:03:28.819 there high or drunk, do you at least keep it 00:03:28.819 --> 00:03:31.580 to yourself? And, you know, it's not reeking 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:34.680 through your pores, but just you sitting there 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:38.599 behaving. Are you functioning? Right? And so 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:41.979 to me, that kind of speaks into our values of 00:03:41.979 --> 00:03:47.439 capitalism over and to seem Rather than to be 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:50.860 right. Do you at least seem healthy? Do you at 00:03:50.860 --> 00:03:54.939 least seem OK and functional rather than are 00:03:54.939 --> 00:03:59.460 you actually are you being healthy? So that's 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:01.840 kind of what I'm getting from what you're sharing 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:04.919 and also just reflecting on my experiences, whether 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:09.860 it's professional experiences or how substance 00:04:09.860 --> 00:04:15.620 use has impacted my loved ones. So. To keep the 00:04:15.620 --> 00:04:20.180 conversation moving, how do you define mindfulness? 00:04:21.939 --> 00:04:24.620 Mindfulness. Yeah. And how does it influence 00:04:24.620 --> 00:04:26.980 your approach to healing and entrepreneurship? 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:30.600 So I hear you talking about keeping it real with 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:32.180 yourself, you know, as far as this functional 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:35.439 alcoholism is concerned. And then I also hear 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:39.639 you talking about how you are in nature and you're 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:42.720 checking in on yourself. So where does mindfulness 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:46.240 fit into that? And and also in terms of how you 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:49.060 facilitate healing and these adventures with 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:51.579 the other folks that you invite into this space. 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:56.060 So that's like five different. I know. Right. 00:04:56.139 --> 00:05:02.699 I'm terrible. Yes. Mindfulness. When you say 00:05:02.699 --> 00:05:05.899 mindfulness, that's being present. That's everything. 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:11.110 Being present. What I mean is. And it's much 00:05:11.110 --> 00:05:14.829 like for this interview, me showing up. It's 00:05:14.829 --> 00:05:18.129 me having my head right for the situation, not 00:05:18.129 --> 00:05:21.970 just dragging into it, to being present in my 00:05:21.970 --> 00:05:25.829 mind, heart, body, and soul, being present in 00:05:25.829 --> 00:05:28.529 moments when I'm dealing with my kids or my loved 00:05:28.529 --> 00:05:32.769 ones, when at work, showing up and being present 00:05:32.769 --> 00:05:36.670 in the situation of whatever it is, taking the 00:05:36.670 --> 00:05:40.560 time to do that. I use the golf analogy to describe 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.519 it. It's like practicing mindfulness is like 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:48.060 playing 18 holes in golf. So like after, no matter 00:05:48.060 --> 00:05:51.259 what happened on your previous swing, you have 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:54.439 to clear all that out of your head and recenter, 00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:58.439 refocus and have that attitude. Like say you 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:01.420 duff the first shot, duff, make a mistake on 00:06:01.420 --> 00:06:05.699 that first shot. You got to let that go and clear 00:06:05.699 --> 00:06:08.379 your head. and say, hey, I'm getting ready to 00:06:08.379 --> 00:06:11.980 blast this out into the universe and quiet all 00:06:11.980 --> 00:06:15.980 that negative noise out and just be present in 00:06:15.980 --> 00:06:18.259 the moment and just say, hey, I'm going to do 00:06:18.259 --> 00:06:21.680 this without any noise from what has happened 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:24.519 just minutes before. You've got to approach this 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:28.399 next scenario with a clear head and an open mind 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:32.420 to have it do what it do. So doing that, practicing 00:06:32.420 --> 00:06:36.389 no matter what happened in the past, that's to 00:06:36.389 --> 00:06:41.930 approach your next step with all the optimism 00:06:41.930 --> 00:06:46.810 of the universe that everything's possible. And 00:06:46.810 --> 00:06:50.550 so in traveling, that's what I practice, showing 00:06:50.550 --> 00:06:54.870 up. And no matter what happens in the past, there's 00:06:54.870 --> 00:06:58.949 opportunities. This is a whole blank slate full 00:06:58.949 --> 00:07:02.930 of opportunities. For whatever. If I'm clinging 00:07:02.930 --> 00:07:05.629 to the past, there could be all sorts of voices 00:07:05.629 --> 00:07:12.269 that sort of mute whatever options or possibilities. 00:07:12.490 --> 00:07:15.509 It cancels them out because, you know, the negative 00:07:15.509 --> 00:07:18.569 talk inside my head would say, oh, well, that'll 00:07:18.569 --> 00:07:22.110 never work. Forget about doing that. By being 00:07:22.110 --> 00:07:24.850 present in the moment, it's quieting all that 00:07:24.850 --> 00:07:29.170 and stepping into today right now with. clean 00:07:29.170 --> 00:07:34.629 slate ready to receive. That carries into my 00:07:34.629 --> 00:07:39.750 work and everything that I do today. I think 00:07:39.750 --> 00:07:42.310 I practiced some of that before I quit drinking. 00:07:42.529 --> 00:07:45.389 And once I sobered up, I sort of learned the 00:07:45.389 --> 00:07:51.050 words for it in terms of focusing my efforts 00:07:51.050 --> 00:07:55.689 and being present, showing up. How do you help 00:07:55.689 --> 00:07:58.769 facilitate that mindfulness when people join 00:07:58.769 --> 00:08:03.250 you on your set trips? So for me personally, 00:08:03.370 --> 00:08:06.610 I share my experience of what I do, but also 00:08:06.610 --> 00:08:09.589 with our trips, we have a therapist involved 00:08:09.589 --> 00:08:14.329 and she helps walk people through certain experiences. 00:08:14.389 --> 00:08:17.870 We encourage the people to journal. We hand out 00:08:17.870 --> 00:08:20.269 journal books and then she'll walk the group 00:08:20.269 --> 00:08:24.079 through with different prompts. It's throughout 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:26.399 the experience, we'll make sure that there's 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:29.959 plenty of time for people to journal and to reflect 00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:34.480 back on their lives. Because that's really the 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:39.399 tripping experiences. I always want to include 00:08:39.399 --> 00:08:42.019 not just the outdoor activities, but the mental 00:08:42.019 --> 00:08:45.389 part of that experience. I believe that each 00:08:45.389 --> 00:08:49.330 of these events, these hurdles that are in front 00:08:49.330 --> 00:08:51.669 of a group of people like climbing a mountain 00:08:51.669 --> 00:08:56.350 or whitewater rafting, there's transformative 00:08:56.350 --> 00:09:00.190 opportunities in these experiences, in these 00:09:00.190 --> 00:09:05.570 events. And we try and set up the atmosphere 00:09:05.570 --> 00:09:10.980 for that to happen. So we've been dabbling in 00:09:10.980 --> 00:09:13.740 this, you know, understanding of what set tripping 00:09:13.740 --> 00:09:16.580 is. But why don't you give my audience and me 00:09:16.580 --> 00:09:21.460 some insight into how these trips come together 00:09:21.460 --> 00:09:25.220 and what usually happens? I know that you have 00:09:25.220 --> 00:09:28.000 it's not just yourself. You mentioned a therapist. 00:09:28.220 --> 00:09:30.139 I know that there's some other people involved. 00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:32.820 So why don't you just give my audience a full 00:09:32.820 --> 00:09:38.059 picture of the soup to nuts of a set trip? Started 00:09:38.059 --> 00:09:41.620 the business last year. And this was something 00:09:41.620 --> 00:09:44.039 that I had been thinking about for years. And 00:09:44.039 --> 00:09:46.700 last year I was determined to make it happen. 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:50.840 And so there's a team of eight of us. It's the 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:56.100 team consists of three of us, our guides. And 00:09:56.100 --> 00:09:59.600 then we have a therapist, a wellness coach. She 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:02.840 makes sure that the way that we're going about 00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:06.509 what we're doing. cover certain values in terms 00:10:06.509 --> 00:10:10.090 of the wellness cycle. We drink alkaline water 00:10:10.090 --> 00:10:14.730 as opposed to tap. The food that we eat, the 00:10:14.730 --> 00:10:19.690 menus, she'll make sure that we're eating healthy 00:10:19.690 --> 00:10:26.110 food. So her responsibility is overall maintaining 00:10:26.110 --> 00:10:30.970 the quality of our programming, that it's there. 00:10:32.039 --> 00:10:35.039 And present. So there's that. There's the therapist. 00:10:35.340 --> 00:10:38.960 There's then I have a salesperson and a tech 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:42.460 person. And that consists of eight people. And 00:10:42.460 --> 00:10:46.419 the business, again, we last year was my first 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:48.940 year. So the business is evolving as I speak. 00:10:49.220 --> 00:10:52.639 And right now I'm in the middle of planning for 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:56.779 the rest of this year and beyond. And it's growing 00:10:56.779 --> 00:11:02.419 even in terms of location. talking with your 00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:06.600 friend of yours about North Carolina. And I find 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:09.080 it inspiring because when I talk to people about 00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:12.620 what I do, there's always interest and encouragement 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:16.919 about these type of events. You know, often I 00:11:16.919 --> 00:11:20.139 hear the thing that Black people don't camp or... 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:23.240 Right. That's another thing that I don't think 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:25.960 is true. I think there's a lot of us out there 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:29.559 that are... into the outdoors but there's no 00:11:29.559 --> 00:11:32.120 place where no single place where you can go 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:35.139 and get information about it or to go with other 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:37.799 people what i often hear from women is that they 00:11:37.799 --> 00:11:40.000 don't feel safe going out there by themselves 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:43.100 and so they don't that they're very much interested 00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:45.720 in it but they don't know anyone else that's 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:50.179 into it and so what's up tripping is what i'm 00:11:50.539 --> 00:11:53.500 doing a shining a spotlight for those like -minded 00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:56.179 folks that are into the outdoors to say, hey, 00:11:56.240 --> 00:12:02.440 we're over here. Right, right, right. So go ahead 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:04.200 and share with our audience, how would they be 00:12:04.200 --> 00:12:06.259 able to connect with you if they're interested 00:12:06.259 --> 00:12:08.820 in learning more or potentially signing up for 00:12:08.820 --> 00:12:11.700 a set trip? So there's a mailing list on the 00:12:11.700 --> 00:12:15.159 website to definitely join that. And that's at 00:12:15.159 --> 00:12:21.000 set -tripping .com. That's S -C -T dash. T -R 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:27.740 -I -P -P -I -N, that's no G, and .com. And there, 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:30.340 definitely sign up on the mailing list. But that'll 00:12:30.340 --> 00:12:32.100 give you, if you go there, it'll give you some 00:12:32.100 --> 00:12:35.720 insight to what we do. And again, that's involving. 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:40.600 As things come online, that's where you'll find 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:43.399 them. Yeah, tell us some of the places that you 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:46.299 visited and maybe even some of your favorite 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:50.990 moments on a set trip. So we went to the Allegheny 00:12:50.990 --> 00:12:54.129 Mountains last year. There was a group of nine 00:12:54.129 --> 00:12:58.509 participants in the Allegheny Mountains in the 00:12:58.509 --> 00:13:02.009 middle of Pennsylvania. And there we went on 00:13:02.009 --> 00:13:06.830 a six -mile trek to an overlook. And that was 00:13:06.830 --> 00:13:10.129 the culminating experience. So it was a three 00:13:10.129 --> 00:13:14.870 -day trip where we camped out in October in Pennsylvania. 00:13:17.580 --> 00:13:22.940 It was exposure to the forest. We were teaching 00:13:22.940 --> 00:13:28.159 people the basics of camping, shelter building, 00:13:28.740 --> 00:13:33.480 how to start fires, do's and don'ts on trail. 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:37.279 Basically, everything that has to do with the 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:41.860 basics with camping. In addition to that, so 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:49.409 the way that we... that the hike was the last 00:13:49.409 --> 00:13:51.450 thing, not the last thing that they did, but 00:13:51.450 --> 00:13:55.850 everything that we had in place led to that hike. 00:13:57.049 --> 00:14:01.889 And after the hike, that's when, as a group, 00:14:01.970 --> 00:14:06.950 we went through this group discussion. It turned 00:14:06.950 --> 00:14:09.269 into this transformative experience for people 00:14:09.269 --> 00:14:12.029 where people were sharing. After you go through 00:14:12.029 --> 00:14:14.230 something with a group of people, it automatically 00:14:14.230 --> 00:14:18.970 bonds you with them. And this group that climbed 00:14:18.970 --> 00:14:21.970 the mountain together, and also let me say that 00:14:21.970 --> 00:14:24.289 in order to get to the top of the mountain, it 00:14:24.289 --> 00:14:27.809 takes everyone working together to get it done. 00:14:27.950 --> 00:14:30.789 It is dangerous out there. Things can happen. 00:14:31.129 --> 00:14:36.059 And so it's a practice of certain. safety things 00:14:36.059 --> 00:14:39.299 and then us looking out for each other the group 00:14:39.299 --> 00:14:44.299 started as eight individuals and now to this 00:14:44.299 --> 00:14:47.799 day we're all on a text thread that where we 00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:50.700 communicate routinely about everything almost 00:14:50.700 --> 00:14:54.659 like family and so by going through this experience 00:14:54.659 --> 00:14:59.879 together we're all bounded by that event and 00:14:59.879 --> 00:15:02.379 it's a thing that happens with every group going 00:15:02.379 --> 00:15:06.159 through Something like that. If you're enjoying 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:09.340 the show as much as we love creating it, consider 00:15:09.340 --> 00:15:12.740 showing your support by buying us a cup of coffee. 00:15:12.980 --> 00:15:18.659 Visit buymeacoffee .com slash Nyesha Frey O. 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:26.080 That's buymeacoffee .com forward slash Nyesha 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:31.389 Frey O. All one word. Each cup is just $5 and 00:15:31.389 --> 00:15:34.610 every single one helps us continue to produce, 00:15:34.929 --> 00:15:38.149 develop, and sustain the high quality content 00:15:38.149 --> 00:15:41.250 you've come to expect from questions you didn't 00:15:41.250 --> 00:15:44.490 ask. Thank you for your continued support and 00:15:44.490 --> 00:15:47.389 let's keep the conversation going. So it's a 00:15:47.389 --> 00:15:50.230 great way to create and solidify a community 00:15:50.230 --> 00:15:55.269 as well as building your own strength, right? 00:15:55.350 --> 00:15:59.730 And awareness. I appreciate so much that you 00:15:59.730 --> 00:16:01.529 share that, you know, there are three guides 00:16:01.529 --> 00:16:05.409 that the truth is, is that it can be dangerous. 00:16:05.549 --> 00:16:09.029 And so people's, you know, natural fear of going 00:16:09.029 --> 00:16:12.830 out there alone, untrained with no backup could 00:16:12.830 --> 00:16:16.169 be dangerous. So a group trip might be one of 00:16:16.169 --> 00:16:18.289 the best ways to go about it, especially when 00:16:18.289 --> 00:16:21.750 you have skilled guides to go with you and to 00:16:21.750 --> 00:16:24.029 teach you along the way. And the fact that people 00:16:24.029 --> 00:16:27.669 don't have to. come there knowing how to camp 00:16:27.669 --> 00:16:30.509 or knowing how to create a fire, that you guys 00:16:30.509 --> 00:16:33.490 upskill them and train them on these things in 00:16:33.490 --> 00:16:36.950 real time. Quite enriching. And that's the thing. 00:16:36.990 --> 00:16:39.190 It could be miserable out there without the right 00:16:39.190 --> 00:16:43.289 equipment or knowledge. The difference could 00:16:43.289 --> 00:16:50.129 be 180 degrees. Yes. I love this. And I want 00:16:50.129 --> 00:16:53.789 people to lean into what it is that you're sharing 00:16:53.789 --> 00:16:57.169 about. how being out in nature can be such a 00:16:57.169 --> 00:17:00.330 facilitator of health and well -being. As you 00:17:00.330 --> 00:17:03.470 know, my background is in public health and psychology. 00:17:03.769 --> 00:17:06.549 So that's one of the reasons why I was so interested 00:17:06.549 --> 00:17:09.930 in having you on the show. And so now I want 00:17:09.930 --> 00:17:13.329 to dig into some more of like how our spaces 00:17:13.329 --> 00:17:17.430 intersect by diving into this concept of the 00:17:17.430 --> 00:17:20.410 social determinants of health. And in my world, 00:17:20.450 --> 00:17:22.430 the social determinants of health are conditions 00:17:22.430 --> 00:17:26.579 in the environment. where people are born, live, 00:17:27.019 --> 00:17:33.259 learn, work, play, worship, and age. So all these 00:17:33.259 --> 00:17:36.819 places, all these environments, right? How have 00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:40.480 factors like employment, we talked a little bit 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:43.400 about that, access to nature, economic stability, 00:17:43.779 --> 00:17:46.599 these types of social determinants of health 00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:50.519 influence health and wellness journeys from your 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:54.269 perspective? For me, it's a huge impact on it. 00:17:54.349 --> 00:17:56.769 And certainly I can say for myself, I grew up 00:17:56.769 --> 00:18:00.250 in the projects in Cleveland and there in the 00:18:00.250 --> 00:18:04.170 projects, it was a ton of concrete. And in fact, 00:18:04.170 --> 00:18:07.230 I can remember that they would have this patch. 00:18:07.430 --> 00:18:10.289 It would be a square patch for a tree coming 00:18:10.289 --> 00:18:14.410 out of it. So it'd be concrete over 90 % of the 00:18:14.410 --> 00:18:17.630 space where I live. And then there would be this, 00:18:17.710 --> 00:18:21.789 a few patches. sprinkled around the community 00:18:21.789 --> 00:18:24.589 where there would be one tree growing out of 00:18:24.589 --> 00:18:28.130 this concrete with a dirt patch. And I just thought 00:18:28.130 --> 00:18:32.529 that was absurd. Even as a kid, I knew that that 00:18:32.529 --> 00:18:36.250 wasn't right. Like, this is horrible. When I 00:18:36.250 --> 00:18:39.789 was in ninth grade, we moved from the projects 00:18:39.789 --> 00:18:47.160 to the suburbs border of Shaker Heights. Totally 00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:50.980 different experience, totally wooded area, and 00:18:50.980 --> 00:18:54.779 it was just gorgeous. When we moved there, that 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:58.420 felt more normal than where we were in the projects. 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:03.160 It's living in, one, a dense population of people 00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:07.660 that are just packed full of folks with this 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:10.839 concrete everywhere. To me, it just was unnatural. 00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:14.420 It never did sit well with me, and it's no way 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:18.690 to live. The projects, if you notice, they're 00:19:18.690 --> 00:19:21.609 often near some sort of factory that's got this 00:19:21.609 --> 00:19:26.009 stuff blown out of it. I have asthma. And I'm 00:19:26.009 --> 00:19:29.630 certain that it came from, you could see the 00:19:29.630 --> 00:19:33.930 stacks from where I used to live. And inhaling 00:19:33.930 --> 00:19:37.190 that as a kid in its developmental years had 00:19:37.190 --> 00:19:40.549 to contribute to something. But so, yes, our 00:19:40.549 --> 00:19:45.619 environment plays a big part in our lives. Another 00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:48.140 thing about the things that are in our environment, 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:51.839 I used to volunteer at a youth center in King 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:56.640 Kennedy in Cleveland. And at night, I would drive 00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:59.819 home, which is out in the suburbs, and sit out 00:19:59.819 --> 00:20:05.259 on the patio and relax. And I felt guilty after 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:09.220 I left the youth center that I worked at. It 00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:12.059 was in the projects, and it was right in the 00:20:12.059 --> 00:20:16.740 heart of it. Being there, you could feel, I could 00:20:16.740 --> 00:20:21.099 feel the, there's this level of anxiety that's 00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:24.940 just right there. It's a constant thing, you 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:28.319 know, your heightened awareness, you know, it's, 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:31.359 you could feel the tension in the air in this 00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:33.740 community center. The kids would come in with 00:20:33.740 --> 00:20:37.460 that. Well, I think they would come in to get 00:20:37.460 --> 00:20:42.640 away from that stuff that's out there. When I 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:45.519 would lock up the space and go home, I would 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:47.940 be leaving that environment. But often what I 00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:49.960 would think about is that the kids are still 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:53.359 in that environment. And being in that state, 00:20:53.480 --> 00:20:56.539 that state of heightened awareness and dealing 00:20:56.539 --> 00:20:59.960 with all this stuff, I think it ages us. It's 00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:03.539 not helping us grow. So it's got to be hurting. 00:21:03.539 --> 00:21:06.039 If you can imagine kids that are in their developmental 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:11.420 years, growing up in that environment is... is 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:16.140 not good for us. Right. No, 100%. And one of 00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:17.960 the words that was coming to my mind when you 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:22.000 were talking about it is the concept of hypervigilance. 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:27.859 That is a survival strategy when you're in highly 00:21:27.859 --> 00:21:31.960 stressful and potentially dangerous environments 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:35.960 where you always have to do what a lot of people 00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:40.369 call keeping your head on a swivel. Right. So 00:21:40.369 --> 00:21:42.609 in other words, for those folks who are not familiar 00:21:42.609 --> 00:21:45.190 with that term, basically always looking around, 00:21:45.390 --> 00:21:48.029 watching your back, watching your sides. In some 00:21:48.029 --> 00:21:50.250 ways, I would imagine, Charles, and you correct 00:21:50.250 --> 00:21:52.930 me if I'm wrong, it's almost like being in training 00:21:52.930 --> 00:21:56.849 or actual a soldier. Right. Some of the things 00:21:56.849 --> 00:21:59.650 that I'm sure you probably learned or were trained 00:21:59.650 --> 00:22:03.089 in in the military may have even been similar 00:22:03.089 --> 00:22:05.109 to some of the things that you knew about how 00:22:05.109 --> 00:22:10.599 to survive in those highly stressful. environment. 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:12.960 So, and then it's even interesting to think about, 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:15.299 and I tend to go down these rabbit holes and 00:22:15.299 --> 00:22:17.920 connections and things like that, but you know 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:20.259 how a lot of times, you know, our kids in the 00:22:20.259 --> 00:22:25.019 hood are targeted by the military to join as 00:22:25.019 --> 00:22:27.799 a, as a means to get out. Right. But it's to 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:30.339 get out and go into what, right. So you talk 00:22:30.339 --> 00:22:34.480 a little bit about some of the statistics and, 00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:37.920 and culture and, and opportunities or lack thereof. 00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:41.059 that are present in the military and how they 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:43.779 can feed into some of our, you know, unhealthy 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:46.740 behaviors that we might've shown up there with 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:50.880 trying to escape, but you kind of go in deeper. 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:54.720 So that's escaping one environment and going 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:58.779 into another environment as opposed to, you know, 00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:01.640 the challenge that you felt, which was you were 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:05.039 at a point in your life where this was a job 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:09.880 of service. but a paying job, you know, and you 00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:13.339 were able to leave and go somewhere else to find 00:23:13.339 --> 00:23:18.259 your peace. And your peace was a big part of 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:21.400 that had to do with your access to nature, that 00:23:21.400 --> 00:23:24.900 you knew these young, innocent children, which 00:23:24.900 --> 00:23:27.460 I think a lot of people forget that even though 00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:31.819 these kids are required to age faster, to grow 00:23:31.819 --> 00:23:34.559 up faster, but that they're actually children, 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:38.400 you know. you felt a sense of guilt about that. 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:42.960 Right. That's tough. I can relate to that. At 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:46.119 a point in my career, I wanted to be, for the 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:48.079 longest time, I wanted to be a children and family 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:51.059 psychologist. And when I had the opportunity 00:23:51.059 --> 00:23:55.200 to serve children and families, I found myself 00:23:55.200 --> 00:24:03.000 especially attached to the children and very 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:08.599 much wanting to save them from the environment 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:11.779 that they were in, but recognizing that there 00:24:11.779 --> 00:24:15.680 was still so little that I could do and that 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:19.079 their agency as children was so limited in terms 00:24:19.079 --> 00:24:21.980 of what they could do. And so thinking even about 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:26.579 the air quality that they breathe and the homes 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:30.559 that they live in and recognizing my own privilege, 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:34.240 you know, we talk a lot in health equity and 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:36.980 in the work of social justice about, you know, 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:40.720 white privilege. But even as Black people, different 00:24:40.720 --> 00:24:44.660 ones of us, you know, experience and have and 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:47.759 hold certain privilege. And so in this case, 00:24:47.819 --> 00:24:51.500 the privilege was I can lead. Or I can leave 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:54.460 and go into nature. I can leave and sit on my 00:24:54.460 --> 00:24:57.119 front porch and not worry about who's coming 00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:01.700 down the sidewalk or who's driving by or what's 00:25:01.700 --> 00:25:04.740 going on in the house behind me as I sit on this 00:25:04.740 --> 00:25:07.839 front porch and who might be rushing out or rushing 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:11.779 in, you know, but that we can find peace at some 00:25:11.779 --> 00:25:15.420 point in our day, especially attached to our 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:20.910 homes. Yes. That's deep. And very important. 00:25:21.490 --> 00:25:25.289 So when I think about, you know, some of my walk 00:25:25.289 --> 00:25:27.970 and journey, I had the good fortune to do some 00:25:27.970 --> 00:25:31.269 research and get acquainted with and learn more 00:25:31.269 --> 00:25:33.950 about the environmental justice movement. And 00:25:33.950 --> 00:25:36.250 what I learned was that it actually began in 00:25:36.250 --> 00:25:39.329 Warren County, North Carolina, back in 1982. 00:25:40.089 --> 00:25:43.750 And it was it was. Found it because Black residents 00:25:43.750 --> 00:25:46.910 protested against toxic waste dumping in their 00:25:46.910 --> 00:25:49.230 community. You know, you talked about the smokestacks 00:25:49.230 --> 00:25:51.630 and the hood, you know, but this was a rural 00:25:51.630 --> 00:25:54.450 community. You know, so we think about nature. 00:25:54.630 --> 00:25:57.509 We oftentimes think about, oh, where there are 00:25:57.509 --> 00:26:01.369 large, you know, expanses of forest or land. 00:26:01.490 --> 00:26:04.109 And what we don't realize is that even in those 00:26:04.109 --> 00:26:07.690 spaces, those rural spaces, that there can be 00:26:07.690 --> 00:26:11.859 environmental factors. that negatively impact 00:26:11.859 --> 00:26:14.279 the health of those people, especially when you're 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:17.339 talking about Black people or non -white people. 00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:21.559 Have you come into contact with this movement 00:26:21.559 --> 00:26:25.279 of environmental justice? And if so, how does 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:27.859 this history inform your work and perspective 00:26:27.859 --> 00:26:32.279 on what you do today, especially with set tripping? 00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:35.720 That's an area that I'm starting to look closer 00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:38.710 at. And it's so important, especially even now 00:26:38.710 --> 00:26:41.150 today, that especially what this administration 00:26:41.150 --> 00:26:44.769 is doing right now, like I'm wondering what is 00:26:44.769 --> 00:26:47.230 next year going to look like in terms of camping? 00:26:48.250 --> 00:26:51.009 After all the effects of what we're doing this 00:26:51.009 --> 00:26:53.809 year, what they're doing this year with the parks, 00:26:53.970 --> 00:26:56.230 with the metro parks, that's like everything. 00:26:56.869 --> 00:26:59.529 We're talking about the 47th Executive Administration. 00:27:00.700 --> 00:27:04.880 And the types of executive orders and changes 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.480 that are coming down and how that's impacting 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:12.240 our park system and our environment. So, yes, 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:16.380 Charles, how is that affecting set tripping and 00:27:16.380 --> 00:27:20.279 even your own, you know, I like to say nomad 00:27:20.279 --> 00:27:22.619 discovery experience, you know, as it relates 00:27:22.619 --> 00:27:27.779 to January through June of each year? Our environment. 00:27:28.650 --> 00:27:32.450 it's it's limiting possibilities or opportunities 00:27:32.450 --> 00:27:37.029 by this our green space is dwindling down to 00:27:37.029 --> 00:27:40.410 nothing we um there's certain states that have 00:27:40.410 --> 00:27:46.849 some gorgeous uh parks and spaces and i am alarmed 00:27:46.849 --> 00:27:50.009 for what that's going to look like in years to 00:27:50.009 --> 00:27:54.049 come because it's a thing like the effects of 00:27:54.049 --> 00:27:57.690 today will hit later on down the road we'll hit 00:27:59.650 --> 00:28:05.210 larger next year and a year after. And so it's 00:28:05.210 --> 00:28:08.890 disappointing that here we took the time to build 00:28:08.890 --> 00:28:11.390 these spaces and now they're pretty sensitive 00:28:11.390 --> 00:28:15.190 in terms of sustaining them. And having this 00:28:15.190 --> 00:28:19.349 type of interruption could hurt a lot of these 00:28:19.349 --> 00:28:23.130 spaces that we have available to us. And it's 00:28:23.130 --> 00:28:26.269 terrible. And what it does is limit opportunities 00:28:26.269 --> 00:28:30.500 with where we can go. Yeah. And find those healing 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:34.339 spaces. You know, the fact that in this conversation, 00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:38.160 we were talking about nature, being in nature, 00:28:38.220 --> 00:28:42.000 access to nature, green spaces, and how that 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:44.980 those spaces, those environments and the health 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:48.779 and well -being of the environment facilitates 00:28:48.779 --> 00:28:52.519 our own health and well -being. You know, I don't 00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:55.000 think that a lot of people consider that, you 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:58.420 know, and for those of us who do. It's definitely 00:28:58.420 --> 00:29:02.779 a time for us to think about how can we preserve 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:06.339 what we have, preserve and protect what we have, 00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:10.220 whether that is, you know, our own acquisition 00:29:10.220 --> 00:29:15.220 of green space, natural space, or whether that 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:18.579 has to do with our own political activism, social 00:29:18.579 --> 00:29:21.759 activism, you know, campaigning and awareness. 00:29:22.809 --> 00:29:26.130 But I think one of the pieces for me even is 00:29:26.130 --> 00:29:29.609 just to be aware of the fact that environmental 00:29:29.609 --> 00:29:34.750 justice movement organizing, sounding the alarm, 00:29:34.950 --> 00:29:38.450 is a part of our Black history, our Black American 00:29:38.450 --> 00:29:42.359 history, and that it's not just relevant. for 00:29:42.359 --> 00:29:46.359 our rural environments but also for our urban 00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:50.099 environments for for the hood you know our thoughtfulness 00:29:50.099 --> 00:29:53.880 around you know the built environments uh and 00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:58.000 what is that even city planning role have to 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:01.559 have to play in that facilitation of health and 00:30:01.559 --> 00:30:03.519 well -being of the communities and populations 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:07.759 that live near there do we need to continue to 00:30:07.759 --> 00:30:11.039 build up up up and out out how is real estate 00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:17.500 being overutilized? And what does that look like? 00:30:17.700 --> 00:30:21.700 I know I've been privileged to have family in 00:30:21.700 --> 00:30:26.500 Cleveland, Ohio and visit there and be there 00:30:26.500 --> 00:30:30.680 for all my life. And then also to grow up in 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:35.440 North Carolina myself and recognizing that people 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:40.319 have come to North Carolina and recognize that 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:42.880 even when you're flying into RDU for those of 00:30:42.880 --> 00:30:47.099 you to visit that way by flight, you notice that 00:30:47.099 --> 00:30:50.839 it's like mostly green. It's very, very green. 00:30:51.140 --> 00:30:53.599 It's one of the things that I love about growing 00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:57.440 up in this part of North Carolina is that it's 00:30:57.440 --> 00:31:01.259 very green. It's very lush. There's even a lot 00:31:01.259 --> 00:31:04.480 of planned planting. But that's not the case 00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:06.940 for everybody that lives here. And some of that 00:31:06.940 --> 00:31:11.319 is a facade for a certain population and others 00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:15.019 don't, you know, always benefit from that. So 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:18.220 I just really like to call out that type of awareness 00:31:18.220 --> 00:31:21.700 and even, you know, like we were saying, you 00:31:21.700 --> 00:31:24.359 know, how are the actions that are happening 00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:28.759 now from an executive federal perspective going 00:31:28.759 --> 00:31:33.400 to impact us tomorrow, next year, five years 00:31:33.400 --> 00:31:36.809 from now, 10 years from now? Right, parks closing, 00:31:37.230 --> 00:31:41.490 those spaces will dwindle. And worse, the ones 00:31:41.490 --> 00:31:45.730 that are open won't have the support that they 00:31:45.730 --> 00:31:49.210 need. And so things will fall by the wayside. 00:31:49.269 --> 00:31:52.029 It takes time to get these spaces to where they 00:31:52.029 --> 00:31:57.910 are now. And to start going in reverse or killing 00:31:57.910 --> 00:32:00.890 off these spaces is just terrible. That's a wrap 00:32:00.890 --> 00:32:03.170 on this episode of Questions You Didn't Ask. 00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:06.059 I'm Naisha Frey, and it's been a privilege to 00:32:06.059 --> 00:32:09.140 speak with Charles Chambers, founder of Set Trippin' 00:32:09.140 --> 00:32:12.099 Outdoor Adventures. His reflections on freedom, 00:32:12.299 --> 00:32:15.460 recovery, and reclaiming space set the stage 00:32:15.460 --> 00:32:18.660 for what's ahead. Join me next time as Trippin' 00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:21.859 Black Men, Land, and Liberation continues.