When Magic Happens

Friendships are beautiful and complex, and sometimes we treat them like automated subscriptions. We keep friendships in our lives when they’ve reached their expiration date. This week, we discuss the art of hiring and firing friends, how to do a friendship audit, how to recognize shifts in friends, and how to make and maintain friendships with people that are aligned with your growth.

When it comes to our goals, we’ve always heard that the journey is more important than the destination, and the process is important, but how many of us actually want to meet those end goals, too? Ain’t no shame in your game! This week, we invited Dr. Grace Johnson, principal of SwellCrest Solutions. Design thinking and community and business curation is her area of expertise. She’s also cousin to Jennifer and creator of their weekly exercise that helps put actionable steps in the goal setting process, the Growth Hour. Now, they’ve invited us all along for the ride. What are our goals and how are we going to expand them exponentially? We’ve got t-minus one hour to start making moves. Are you ready for the challenge?

What’s your sign? Pisces? Gemini? Capricorn? We’re talking all things zodiac signs. What’s your sign and what does it say about you? Do we believe zodiac signs are helpful or just hype?

Sweet dreams are made of this–from recurring dreams, to nightmares, to the prophetic and the risqué, dreams can tell us a lot about ourselves and our subconscious. This week, we share some of the dreams that our brains conjure up for us and share our interpretations of our dreams. Does dreaming of fish mean we’re having a baby? Does dreaming of a well-built man mean our handsome hunk is coming? And what could a dinosaur chasing us through the yard mean? Let’s find out.

Welcome to our first documentary club! We at WMH love a good documentary, and this week, we watched Netflix’s The Greatest Night in Pop. It’s a documentary about the making of the hit song “We Are the World,” where legendary musical artists came together to raise money for U.S.A. for Africa. The song was an immediate hit and the night that it took to rally together the biggest stars of the 80s for one song, was nothing short of monumental. We get into all the details of the film in this first iteration of our documentary club, so join us, and watch along.

Black women have been pioneers and trailblazers in so many work environments, enduring, surviving, and thriving despite adversity. But surviving the workplace has been no crystal stair. We’ve fought against every “-ism” under the sun, put in thrice the effort to stay on top, all while trying to do it with a smile. This week, we dive into the stories of our first big girl jobs, the challenges thereof, and share some helpful tips for any Black woman trying to thrive and be treated with respect in the workplace. Donna Summer once said, “She works hard for the money.” So what, y’all? You better treat her right! Happy Women’s History Month.

Ring, ring, ring! It’s us, When Magic Happens. Do y’all remember rotary phones, calling your voicemail, or what about the invention of caller ID? When cell phones became a thing, what was in your pocket, and could the phone even fit? This week, we talk about phones and the revolution they’ve brought to life as we know it, the things we used to do on them back in the day (*66, or was it *69?) We’re giving the 411 on all our cell phone memories, and we’re reviving the phrase “411.”

It’s Women’s History Month, and this month is all about us! As we transition out of Black History Month and into Women’s History Month, it’s giving “this is an us season.” As Black women, we experience a lot, joy and triumph, pain and perseverance, and this week, we get into the ups and downs and how we can champion ourselves and each other.

Happy anniversary to the whole When Magic Happens family! It’s our first anniversary, and we are reflecting on the joy, the laughter and the magic that has blossomed from this podcast over the last year and from our greater When Magic Happens community. Raise a glass, y’all!

It’s the season of love, and we’ve got 525,600 reasons why we not only love our friends, families, and partners, but ourselves. This week, from the bottom of our hearts, we pour out how and why we love ourselves and we share our ultimate me-dates.

Happy Black History Month, again! This week, we pass the mic to our friends over at the Rundown Podcast. Erin Allen sits down with Arionne Nettles, who is a lecturer and the Director of Audio Journalism Programming at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Together, they reflect on our living legends, interrogate the term “Black excellence,” and they bring some nerdy flavor to the topic of Black futures in Chicago.

Happy Black History Month! We observe this time by looking back on the trailblazers, the peacemakers, and the folks that got in some “good trouble” as well as the Black folks who are making history now and carrying on traditions. Black history is expansive. It is relevant. Black history is now.

It’s Cheryle’s birthday, she’s 50-fine, and she’s ready to talk about aging with us and the WMH family. What’s the big deal about getting older, and why are we so obsessed with youth? Plus, we have two guest hosts in the building, a crowd favorite, Erin Allen of WBEZ’s The Rundown, and our magical producer Briana Garrett.

Tell us something, where your boss at? Calling all divas to the stage! We need to know what are the makings of a diva? Is it about the opulence and execution, is it about the talent and/or the ‘tude? And is the “diva” dying, or has the word taken on a whole new meaning?

It’s the Battle of the TV Shows, choose your fighter! What type of TV-watcher are you? True crime? Documentary? Reality TV? The hosts have their own picks and they’re convinced they can get you to join them in watching their favorite series.’

New year, who this? 2023? We’ve never heard of her. We’re making room for all that 2024 will bring, and that means new adventures, new discoveries, new hobbies, new peace, love, and positivity. Turn to your neighbor and tell them, “the dreamers are back, new boldness is on the way!” Get ready, WMH family, because we’re only going up from here!

When the dog barks, when the bee stings, when we’re feeling bad, we simply remember our favorite things of 2023! 2023 has been full of ups and downs, and we’re here to talk about the good, the bad, and the many cute moments of our year. We’re wrapping this year strong, y’all!

We're ending the year with one of our favorite episodes from the show! Calling all nerds to the front of the line! We're talking about nerd and geek culture in this week's episode. Taylor, Cheryle and Jennifer share their nerdy hobbies and interests, and we discuss why some alternative hobbies challenge traditional notions of Blackness. Then, we are joined by author and entrepreneur Jacque Aye, who is unapologetically black, nerdy and neurodivergent.

A head nod, a pat on the back, an encouraging smile–these are some of the many ways we can communicate the phrase “I see you.” What does it mean to be seen or to see someone for who they are? It can make a world of a difference, and this week, Cheryle, Jennifer, and Taylor recount moments that made them feel seen in this world and the joy of truly seeing others as they are.

It’s the holiday season, and we are in high spirits and hoping to pour some too! It’s a season to get cozy with loved ones, to share in merriment, reflect, and spread good energy. What makes your holiday season special? Is it the music, the food, the gifts, the people? It’s a When Magic Happens holiday, so let’s pop some champagne, bump some Nat King Cole, and queue up some holiday fun, WMH-style.