In this episode, Karl Anthony revisits “We Are Young” by Fun, a song that feels like an anthem of unity and youth.

The melody is powerful. The hook is unforgettable.

But when he listens closer to the lyrics, the story shifts. What sounds inspiring on the surface carries themes of regret, substance use, and harm. It raises a bigger question: What are we really singing along to?

Karl reflects on how music shapes emotion before we process meaning and why influence matters, especially for the next generation.

The episode also includes a candid conversation with a Brooklyn native about faith, legacy, hard work, and learning to be present before it’s too late.

Not every jelly bean is sweet.

Some require you to slow down and taste carefully.

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In this episode, Karl Anthony reflects on two songs that pull in opposite directions, “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke and “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel.

One declares that change is inevitable. The other pleads for things to stay the same.

Through personal reflection, memories of church mothers, and lessons learned after a health scare, Karl explores the tension between growth and preservation. We change. The world changes. Technology changes. But memories don’t. Legacy doesn’t.

The episode includes a powerful sidewalk conversation with an 81-year-old mother who shares wisdom on faith, survival, health, gratitude, sharecropping, and preparing for uncertain times. Her words are steady, practical, and rooted in experience.

To top it off, woven into the episode is a harmonica tribute to honor the mothers who shaped us, performed by @mo.yella.p on Instagram.

Change will come. The question is how we prepare for it and what we choose to carry with us.

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What happens when a song you have known your whole life suddenly sounds different?

After surviving a brain bleed and emergency surgery, Karl Anthony revisits John Lennon’s “Imagine” — and hears it through a different lens.

The melody is still beautiful. The lyrics feel heavier.

In this episode, he reflects on perspective, culture, faith, unity, and how lived experience can reshape the way we interpret ideas we once accepted without question.

As always, the episode includes anonymous conversations with everyday people about health, discipline, legacy, and the choices that shape our future.

Some lessons are sweet.

Some are black jellybeans.

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