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© Copyright 2025 Jalen Layfield
Description
Jay’s Conversations is a fun, thought-provoking podcast that explores the intersection of community, culture, and intellectual thought. Each week we’ll invite listeners to reflect on what it means to belong to a community, how we share & understand ideas, and how our experiences both, past and present, inform the way we live and interact with the world. So, tune in every Wednesday with Jalen Layfield, an aspiring anthropologist, and together we’ll engage with scholars, artists, and everyday people to bridge the gap between scholarship and real-world experiences. It’s not just a podcast, it’s your way to join in on the conversation.
13 Episodes
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Consumer - a person who buys goods or services for their own useThis week, we’ll discuss what it means to be a consumer, how humans’ relationship to consumption has evolved, and how influencer culture has stimulated a new wave of consumerism. Lastly, we’ll discuss the environmental impacts of overconsumption and explore ways you can examine your relationship with consumption.
Commodity - an economic good; something useful or valuedThis week we’ll define what a commodity is, the ‘purpose’ of them and how the term has adapted its meaning over time. We’ll also discuss what it means to commodify non-physical goods and the implications it has on the overall health of our society.
Unserious - not serious; lightheartedThis week we’ll explore what it means to be unserious, examine some potential reasons why an entire generation has adopted this mindset and possible pitfalls with engaging in this behavior a little too much.
Mutual Aid - a practice where community members come together to support each other’s needs. Often in times when the state fails to provide adequate support.This week we’ll explore the who, what, when, where and how, as it relates to mutual aid. Also, take a brief look at its history and some examples. Lastly, we’ll discuss some of the criticism surrounding mutual aid and some paths forward.
Fiction - a genre essential to freedom and intellectualism (in my opinion), is the basis of this week’s conversation.We’ll use 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury to: identify and analyze elements of authoritarianism & totalitarianism, examine character behavior to understand how they respond to their conditions, and discuss what contributes to the thriving of these two-isms. To wrap up these FUN topics, we’ll close out with the rise of dystopian novels and the overall importance of fiction in our society.
Community — something that is vital to the health of society, is the focus of this week’s conversation. We’ll define community (in some manner), analyze its language & how its used, discuss the importance of being actively engaged in it and ultimately the power it holds.
This week, you're going to hear from Dr. Arianna Deans, a Sound Healer, Managing Director, and Student Affairs Professional. We'll talk through her unique & diverse background as well as the practice of sound healing and how you could include it in your wellness practice!
In this episode, you're going to hear from Brandon Blue, a black queer poet. We'll journey through his debut chapbook, Snap.Shot (Finishing Line Press, 2023), different ways you can approach poetry, and you just might hear a poem written by me :). This is certainly an episode you don't wanna miss!
This week, you're going to hear from Brianna Mays, avid traveler and food enthusiast. We'll walk through her motivations for traveling, the experiences she looks for and what it means to be a tourist!
This week, you're going to hear from Alyse Marie, Singer/Songwriter & Producer. We'll walk through how she created her debut EP, Quarter Life Crisis , and how she used creating music as a way to express herself as well as find resolutions for this period in her life. If you are a lover of music and looking to hear from an artist that speaks to the heart - look no further because this is an episode you won't want to miss!
This week, you're going to hear from Aqua Richards, Founder of Pages & Prosecco. We'll talk through our thoughts about Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner as well as the themes presented throughout the book. For such a potent story, this is definitely an episode you won't want to miss!
In this episode, we’re going to hear from Wabwila Mugala, a visual artist who specializes in printmaking. We’ll journey through the life experiences that help inform her art, the imaginative space she engages with, and how we can continue to nourish our artistic practices. As a series premiere, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!
In this short episode you'll learn about what you can expect listening to Conversations: With Wine in Hand :)
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