After a long day, look no further than ‘Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley’: talking growth and thriving as a Black American
Soon to be back with its third season after a year long hiatus, “Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley” examines what it means to grow and thrive as a Black person in America. Mosley’s slew of guests are some of the greatest thinkers of our time, providing us with factual and cultural information – from the lessons taught to us by Bruce Lee and Frida Kahlo, to fatphobia, racism, motherhood, being enough, and so much more.
With 28 episodes recorded over the course of two seasons, “Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley” has been going strong since 2019. After a hiatus throughout 2021, we are so excited that Mosley is back for more in 2022. Episodes are typically 35 minutes long.
From her conversations with journalist Farai Chideya about the fate of America lying in the hands of Black women (and the Democratic Party often relying on their Black women leaders to save the day, e.g. Stacey Abrams), to her discussion about trauma and how racism contributes to it with specialist and author Resmaa Menakem, Mosley always finds the most thought-provoking topics.
Her episodes like “Holding on to Joy,” which revisits Mosley’s first episode about finding joy when it feels like the world is crumbling, and “Fight Like Chadwick” about late actor Chadwick Boseman and the disparities Black people face in the healthcare system, are true stand outs. “Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley” is all about navigating the world as a person of color. With her guests, Mosley discuss the Black and POC experience while being intensely vulnerable and engaging, leaving you yearning for more. With a focus on healing and finding joy, “Truth Be Told” is like free podcast therapy.
While all of her episodes are equally engrossing, Mosley’s episodes follow two different norms. Some discuss overarching topics like being alone, the mental health crisis plaguing Black men, and healing Black America (all very important subjects) in which she and guests start big and get smaller in details. Some start small and expand outwards, like “Pain and Purpose: Lessons From Bruce Lee and Frida Kahlo.” Mosley sits down with Shannon Lee and Arianna Davis to talk about the icons that were Bruce and Frida and the lessons that we can still learn decades after their deaths.
It’s a fascinating conversation with two women who feel entwined with these two legends. Shannon Lee is actually the only living child of Bruce Lee and the younger sister of the late Brandon Lee. Her book, Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee, is dedicated to passing on the wisdom of her father. Davis is the author of What Would Frida Do?: A Guide to Living Boldly. With Mosley, she discusses not only Kahlo’s artistic prowess that (during her lifetime) was overshadowed by her husband Diego Rivera, but her open queerness in a time and place that was not always welcoming.
A melting pot of personal narratives, historical backgrounds, cultural wisdom, and insightful topics, “Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley” will be coming back in February 2022. After such a difficult year, we are ready to hear what she has to say.
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