DL Power Couple Podcast

The DL Power Couple discuss how prevalent art has become and will continue to be during quarantine. A lot of Ms. Latrice's artistic engagements have become zoom calls. She has still been able to engage in the arts everyday through her freelance business. Ms. Latrice has also been able to engage in the arts by participating in virtual events with the Indiana Writers Center, Indiana Playwrights Circle, and Playback Theatre through Small Change Interactive. She has definitely remained artistically busy and emphasizes that art engages all five senses. Dominique shares that he's been writing more often and that it's very therapeutic for him. He suggests that people use art as a form of active meditation during times of stress and uncertainty. Quarantine will likely lead to a recession, and recessions make people feel insecure about their current situations. Both Dominique and Ms. Latrice want you to know that you are amazing and that you are enough. 

The DL Power Couple describes how the COVID-19 quarantine has impacted their lives. Ms. Latrice had paid performances cancelled and she even had to cancel a staged reading of her own play. Dominique was supposed to be part of an exchange program between Germany and the United States. Both Dominique and Ms. Latrice have made necessary adjustments and have adapted to "Stay Home" instruction. Both pay attention to their mental diets by avoiding the continuous onslaught of negative news broadcasting. They also focus on health consciousness and getting good sleep. The craziness surrounding COVID-19 will definitely lead to short and long term changes, but that does not mean these changes will be bad. 

Dominique & Ms. Latrice converse about being casted in a play towards the end of college where Dominique played Ms. Latrice's son. They talk about how enjoyable this experience was and how well the play was received. Ms. Latrice goes on to talk about the power of art and explains that art can change lives. Dominique emphasizes that both he and Ms. Latrice have tapped into the local art scene and that it's provided them a breath of fresh air. This has also allowed Ms. Latrice to become familiar with the auditioning process. The most important part about all of this is Dominique and Ms. Latrice engage in art together. 

Dominique and Ms. Latrice discuss how prevalent art has been in their lives. The arts actually brought them together and they have been supporting each other's artistic endeavors ever since. After meeting through a spoken word ensemble called Haraka Writers, Ms. Latrice and Dominique performed together in many shows. Most of these shows were organized by Purdue University's Black Cultural Center. Through the Black Cultural Center, both Dominique and Ms. Latrice attended research tours. These tours provided enough information for the Black Cultural Center to put on said shows. A huge highlight was the opportunity to join a group called Purdue Express. This group educated Middle and High School aged students on the possibilities of college (mostly Purdue) through singing, dancing, acting, and reciting. This episode is funny if you don't know the couple and funnier if you do! 

The DL Power Couple Podcast had its first guest! India! India and Ms. Latrice met during the summer before their freshman years of college and India was nice enough to share her knowledge and wisdom with the DL Power Couple Podcast. Ms. Latrice interviewed India about being engaged, same sex marriage, blending two families as part of the marital process, and other interesting topics. India kept it extremely real as she candidly answered questions and provided powerful examples to support those answers. Dominique chimed in when necessary. India mentions that she had no idea that family would play such a big part in her relationship with her fiancé. This was a very important topic because many people will not understand how family intersects with their relationship until they get married. 

Dominique & Ms. Latrice talk about making decisions without overthinking. Constant overthinking can make life stagnant. It also provides an opportunity to think about who we actually are and why we do the things we do. Ms. Latrice emphasizes that nothing is guaranteed and that anyone who knows what they want should go get it without hesitation. Dominique references Nikola Tesla's quote on thinking clearly verses deeply, stating that one can be insane and think deeply, but one has to be sane to think clearly. Both emphasize that children do not overthink things and that's part of why they learn so fast. There are many ideas shared and gems dropped.  

Dominique & Ms. Latrice discuss the concept of generational wealth and wealth in general. The focus on generational wealth comes from one of their listeners who wanted them to discuss the topic and share how they both are finding ways to build generational wealth as a couple. She also wanted them to discuss how they personally combat generational curses. Ms. Latrice highlights all of this and more while conveying that the time to start investing is now. Dominique makes sure to mention that one does not have to be rich to be wealthy. Both emphasize that one's mindset will greatly determine whether wealth is achievable in his or her lifetime.

Ms. Latrice lightly interviews Dominique on how her experiencing post concussion Syndrome has affected his life. Dominique gives a detailed and very-real account of what the experience was like at first, and what it is like currently. Dominique experienced a priority switch once Ms. Latrice suffered her injury. Ms. Latrice made sure to ask Dominique questions about both: what he would say to partners  suffering from a condition, and what he would say to the partners of those suffering from a condition. Those who know Dominique and Ms. Latrice will find humor in the exchanges. 

Dominique and Ms. Latrice discuss their top five strengths according to CliftonStrengths. They both took the strengths finder assessment in College and have been utilizing the results in a productive and effective manner. Those who know this power couple would not be surprised to hear that Dominique's first strength is adaptability and Ms. Latrice's first strength is achiever.  Dominique and Ms. Latrice both believe that once you know your strengths, you can point yourself in the right direction and take flight. Join them as they keep it real, raw, truthful, and informational. 

Dominique lightly interviews Ms. Latrice on her experiences as she has had Post Concussion Syndrome for over 2 years. Ms. Latrice mentions treatments she has tried, how her life has changed, struggles of the job search, her entrepreneurial ventures, how she feels mentally, how she is doing physically, etc. This episode differs greatly from the first because Ms. Latrice is able to focus on her current life. This experience has taught her that her mind and body needed a break. She also got to experience, first-hand, that the body is connected and trauma in one area greatly affects other areas. Through it all, she has no complaints and is thankful for the opportunity to live on and prosper. 

Ms. Latrice lightly interviews Dominique regarding his experiences with ADHD in School and in life. While there are many rumors and opinions floating around about ADHD, with some questioning whether or not it actually exists, Dominique gives his personal account of how it has affected his life. Dominique prepped for this interview by collecting early information from his mom so that his story would be more complete. This particular episode contains a respectable amount of humor and impactful life advice. Listen as you wish, and at your own risk. 

Ms. Latrice suffered a serious head injury in her junior year of college while in a dance class. The instructor said to pick up the speed and while Ms. Latrice was over another dancer, that dancer lifted her head right into Ms. Latrice's chin. Here starts a long road of many symptoms, emotions, and challenges. Ms. Latrice is an extremely strong individual and continued to live her activity intense lifestyle which she later found out worsened her symptoms. If you ever wonder what happens when life as you know it changes, give this episode a listen and ask yourself the hard questions. What would you do if you could no longer do today what you could do yesterday?

Ms. Latrice interviews Dominique about his experience with Adderall. Dominique was prescribed Adderall in his youth and took it up through college. Long story short, he was on Adderall for 10 years of his life. Dominique wants to let people know about the effects that Adderall has on the body and mind. He also warns against the misuse of the drug as it can completely change the trajectory of one's life. Ms. Latrice provides best practices for those in relationships with partners who have ADD or ADHD. 

In part 2, Dominique & Ms. Latrice discuss how vulnerability can be used in leadership roles, relationships, and for the sake of learning. Both Dominique & Ms. Latrice think of vulnerability differently now than they did before. They understand that in the right situations, willingness to be vulnerable can be the difference between success and failure.

Communication has made a huge difference in the dynamic relationship between Dominique and Ms. Latrice. They have been on quite the journey and have survived many ups and downs through keeping lines of communication open no matter the circumstance. Good communication takes work, practice, and persistence. You may have to ask uncomfortable questions and listen to uncomfortable answers to better understand your partner. 

Part 1 of a series pertaining to vulnerability and how our perception on the topic changed as we grew older and wiser. Dominique grew up in a military family and played sports, so vulnerability was never promoted as a positive. He explains how the idea of vulnerability being a weakness was drilled into his head while growing into a man. Ms. Latrice describes how the concept of vulnerability intersects with womanhood, art, and other facets of life. She also talks about how being vulnerable is, in many ways, congruent to being free. Both Dominique and Ms. Latrice explain that being vulnerable makes you relatable and allows you to better connect with others. 

A simple conversation about friends and how we internalize the word. We discuss the differences between our mindsets when it comes to friendship and expectations. What qualifies someone as a friend, best friend, true friend, etc? Ms. Latrice remembers unpleasant situations that made her realize that she could not follow the status quo any longer and that she had to be extrememely intentional about her relationships with other people. Dominique uses the word "friend" rather loosely, but combats this by interacting with different friends on different levels. 

In a fast-paced society where social media has become a part of life, we have to practice being thankful for our lives and what we have. Social media provides many people a way to compare themselves to unrealistic expectations and "Dope posts." Happiness is essential for success, and being happy will make it easier for you to attract what you want in life. Happiness will not magically materialize upon reaching your goals or getting rich. You have to venture beneath the surface and find out what happiness means to you. After this, you will be able to live a fulfilling life.  

Honor and respect your off days no matter how fast-paced society becomes. We are taught that "Time is money and money is time," which can be detrimental to a mentally healthy environment. Power Couple Dominique and Ms. Latrice discuss how they handle off days and why they should still be considered productive.