BMP 74: Going From a BYU Student to a Drag Queen

Ellie Coates is the Chief Marketing Officer of Brand One Media in Salt Lake City. She has managed over $250 million USD in marketing projects and has worked with brands like Fabletics, Russell Brunson, Kris Krohn, PB Fit, and Potbelly Foods. In this episode, Ellie shares her experiences as a mother, businesswoman, and a woman of color in the professional world.

In this episode Nate & Rachel interview Meredith, also known as Ms. Meredith (stage name). They discuss Merdieth's jounrey of growing up LDS in Provo, Utah to eventually identiying as gay, and recently coming out as a trans woman. Meredith shares the diffuclties of understanding her sexuality & gender idenity, and how being introduced to drag helped her fully accept herself as a trans woman. In this interview Meredith shares very vulnerable parts of her story and goes in depth to the complexities of understanding her gender identity.

In this interview, Rachel and Nate interviewed Cedric Adja. They discussed his experience immigrating to the United States from Ivory Coast to Washington DC, how he ended up in Utah, and his journey to becoming more politically aware. This has led to him being a co-founder of a new app that helps everyday citizens learn about their local politicians and the laws being passed in their local government. The app hasn't officially launched yet, but you can download the beta version with this link: CivUp.ai.

In this episode, Nate interviews Melodie Jackson, Johnisha Williams, and Andra Johnson about their BYU experiences and the activism they were a part of during their time there. When these four get together they are not liable for anything you might hear! Enjoy this unfiltered, and possibly unhinged episode!

In this interview Rachel and Nate interview Greg Noel, who is a  first-generation Haitian-American Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT). Greg enjoys the privilege of working with a diverse population of clients who identify as being Black, Indigenous, Latine, Pacific-Islander, Asian, White, gender-queer, heterosexual, neurotypical, neurodivergent, religious, non-religious, able-bodied, disabled, documented, undocumented, low socioeconomic status, and other marginalized identities. In his interview, they discuss Greg's journey with understanding his mental health since becoming a husband and father. While also discussing the issues the Black and Brown community experience as a whole when it comes to mental health.

In this episode, Nate and Rachel interview State Representative Sandra Hollins about her work representing District 21 in the state House of Representatives. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Representative Hollins was elected in 2014 and has served as a representative since then. Her background in social work has aided her in her work as an advocate not only for the constituents in District 21, but as a beacon for Women, Black Americans, and BIPOC people all over the state of Utah. Enjoy our interview with the Peoples' Representative!

In this episode, Nate and Rachel discuss current events surrounding politics and DEI in Utah and answer questions that YOU, our loyal audience asked us! We'll post future chances to ask questions on our IG stories!

IN this episode, Nate and Rachel interview Bryson Alejandro, Colombian-American and Utah native. Bryson is a Latinx film producer and actor. He strives to elevate diverse voices in art and film, believing that there should not only be more stories told about people of color, but there should be more stories with people of color, regardless of culture or subject matter. As part of this mission, Bryson co-founded Época, a non-profit seeking to increase the visibility and representation of BIPOC actors and storytellers in Utah. 

Happy New Year! The Black Menace Podcast is back for 2024 and we're kicking this year off with an interview with Kaleb Ford (she/they). In this episode, Nate and Rachel interview Kaleb about their experience growing up with pro-Black foster parents living with a White family and attending a predominantly White private school in their high school years. Kaleb shares their journey of understanding their gender identity to joining the LDs church and eventually moving to Utah. Follow on IG: @Kaleb_FormerlyKnownAs Originally hailing from Los Angeles, California, Kaleb has recently made the transition to SLC from Columbus, Ohio, accompanied by their dog, Dr. Dibbs. In their free time, they enjoy diving into captivating books, exploring the city, and taking leisurely strolls with Dibbs by their side. Their interests are wide-ranging, spanning from exploring spirituality within the Diaspora to delving into the intricate politics of Black Womanhood. Kaleb's academic journey has taken them through Oberlin College for undergrad and The Ohio State University for a Masters in Black Studies. They firmly believe that the power of Black women's art and fiction is as influential in shaping discourse as traditional academic texts. Some of the brilliant minds that inspire them include N.K. Jemisin, Ntozake Shange, and Audre Lorde. For those intrigued by the dynamic relationship between language and oppressive structures in nonwhite communities, they wholeheartedly recommend M. Nourbese Philips' "Discourse on the Logic of Language." After spending over five years in the nonprofit world as an educator, they are now the Black Student Engagement Coordinator at the University of Utah.

In this episode, Nate and Sebastian interview Max Coca, a son of Mexican immigrants and a native of Provo, UT. Max shares the amazing journey of how he has fought to claim his Mexican identity and his sense of self and self worth while growing up in a predominantly white community. You will most certainly be inspired by this episode, because we were!