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Rev. Jesse Jackson spent decades fighting for civil rights and economic justice. As a child watching him on television, I didn't understand policy. I understood his voice. After news of his death on February 17, 2026, I found myself revisiting what his work meant, not just the speeches or the presidential campaigns, but the deeper question at the center of it all: who gets access, who gets dignity, and who gets to eat. In this episode of Better Said Than Written, I reflect on the roots of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the link between school lunch and economic justice, and what hunger teaches you when survival is not theoretical. This episode is personal. It's about what I didn't understand as a child, and what I understand now. What's your fondest memory of Rev. Jesse Jackson? Feel free to send your thoughts through the link below. https://www.tamikacody.com/contact

This episode is for anyone navigating visibility, relevance, and self-worth in the workplace as time moves forward. Maybe you’ve noticed the subtle shifts. The comments that land differently. The unspoken expectations about how you should look, sound, or show up. Maybe you’ve questioned whether experience still counts the way it used to, or whether aging has quietly become something you’re expected to manage, conceal, or apologize for. This episode features a powerful Social Media Essay by performance coach Melanie Cheeseman, who writes candidly about gray hair, gendered double standards, and what women are told to surrender as they grow older. At the center of it all is this reminder: “Wisdom. Experience. Confidence. These are things we gain, not lose, with time.” If the world has ever made you feel otherwise, I hope this episode offers a pause and a reframing. If you’re holding on to your grey or covering it up, if you’re negotiating what aging looks like in your work life, or if you’re simply sitting with these questions, you’re not alone. Want to connect? Want to share a Social Media Essay that deserves to be heard? -> tamikacody.com/contact

This episode is for anyone feeling overwhelmed by wellness culture, conflicting health advice, or the constant pressure to optimize their body. Maybe you’ve tried the supplements. Maybe you’ve followed the trends. Maybe you’re doing everything “right” and still not feeling well. In this episode of Better Said Than Written, I share a Social Media Essay written by Dr. Pamela Buchanan, whose words cut through the noise and ask a simple but confronting question: what if the answer isn’t more but less? At the center of this reflection is a reminder many of our grandmothers already understood: “Your body doesn’t need a hack. It needs food.” We explore ancestral wisdom, modern burnout, and what it means to return to nourishment as care, especially while navigating midlife, perimenopause, and changing relationships with our bodies. If this episode stirred something for you about food, wellness, aging, or the lessons passed down through generations, take a moment to sit with it. You don’t have to fix anything today. Want to connect? Want to share a Social Media Essay that deserves to be heard? -> tamikacody.com/contact

In this episode of Better Said Than Written, host Tamika Cody reflects on a single line that stopped her in her tracks: “There are two sources of goals: goals created out of inspiration and goals created out of desperation.” The quote comes from chapter nine of Don't Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen, a book that gained widespread attention in 2024. What begins as a quiet reflection turns personal. Tamika revisits a vulnerable journal entry she once shared publicly, recorded just weeks before losing her dream job. In hindsight, she recognizes how desperation shaped the goals she was holding onto and how clarity arrived not through achievement, but through release. This episode invites you to pause and answer the following question honestly: Are the goals you’re chasing rooted in inspiration, or in fear? Feel free to reach out with your answers. https://www.tamikacody.com/contact

This episode is for anyone sitting in the middle of their journey, not at the beginning, not at the finish line, but somewhere in between. Maybe you’ve taken breaks you didn’t plan. Maybe your progress hasn’t looked linear. Maybe you’ve been carrying quiet doubt while still showing up when you can. In this episode of Better Said Than Written, I reflect on a Social Media Essay inspired by Doechii and written by Kasey Brown, a reminder that impact doesn’t always come from polished success, but from the courage to be seen while becoming. At the center of this reflection is one line that stayed with me: “Your biggest impact might not be in your success… but in showing others how you got there.” If you’ve been afraid to share your process, your pauses, or your unfinished chapters, let this episode be permission, not to rush, but to continue. Want to connect? Want to share a Social Media Essay that deserves to be heard https://www.tamikacody.com/contact

In the previous episode; Not Grieving, Just Noticing, Tamika shared the complicated story of her father, SD, and what it means to hold space for someone who was never really there. But two weeks later, while watching his funeral streamed from Dominica, something shifted. As she studied the faces of family in the front pews, Tamika couldn’t see herself in them, and an instinct told her to search deeper. Against her siblings’ advice, she ordered a DNA test. What she found cracked her story wide open: the truth of her real father, hidden for decades by a single misread letter. This episode traces the journey from a funeral livestream to a DNA match that changed everything, guided by the words of James Baldwin: “Know from whence you came. If you know whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.” SHOW NOTES Share Your Thoughts: If this episode resonated with you: You can share your thoughts here → www.tamikacody.com/contact Or leave a voice message or send a text to 2O2.57O.4554 Follow or tag Tamika on Substack via https://thejournalistwhocooks.substack.com You can also find her on Twitter: @tamikacody

What would you do if someone from your past, someone you never really knew, landed in the hospital, and you suddenly found yourself feeling... something? In this deeply personal solo episode, I unpack a message from my sister that stirred up more than just a laugh. It’s a short story about complicated family ties, unexpected emotions, and the weight of what’s left unsaid. Guided by a quote from Hunter S. Thompson, this episode explores the quiet ache of longing, the edges of forgiveness, and the surprising power of naming what never was. “You can’t miss what you never had.” Show Notes Share Your Thoughts: If this episode resonated with you: You can share your thoughts here → https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Or leave a voice message or send a text to 2O2.57O.4554 Follow or tag Tamika on Twitter: @tamikacody

How do you feel about second chances? How do you feel about starting over? Maybe you had a dream to become a veterinarian. Or a goal to start a nonprofit. Maybe you have always wanted to travel outside of the country. I’m sure there’s something that once made your heart race just thinking about it. But just like everyone else, life happened. Doubt crept in. And that dream was placed on the back burner, got buried under the weight of “what-ifs” and “maybe laters,” or worse…you threw your dreams away because someone said they were unrealistic. If that sounds like you, I want you to write down this following quote from George Eliot: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” – Want to connect? Want to be a guest on the show? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to [email protected] Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

This episode is for those who are struggling with life. Maybe you’re feeling lost. Maybe your soul is weighed down and it feels like an elephant is sitting on your chest. Maybe you’ve been battling depression, feeling like the darkness is just too much. Desmond Tutu once said: “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” You might be saying to yourself, “I don’t see any light right now.” And that’s cool…I don’t expect you to ignore the darkness. But I do expect you to know that even if you can’t see the light yet, it is there. Want to connect? Want to be a guest on the show? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to [email protected] Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

Every once in a while, I come across a speech that inspires me to take action. The other day, while scrolling on TikTok, I stumbled on a speech by Rolonda Watts. For those of you who don’t know, Rolonda had her own talk show back in the mid 1990s. The syndicated show ran from 1994 until 1997. Now I must admit, at first glance I didn’t recognize the face but the voice, I definitely knew. After consulting with Google, I quickly paired the voice to the face I finally remembered. This entire discovery is actually quite ironic because in her speech, Rolonda briefly shared that she herself has gone through several reinventions. But the part that got me in my feelings is when she gave this simple advice, “if you don’t like something change it.” – Want to connect? Want to be a guest on the show? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to [email protected] Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

January 31, 2025 It’s hard to believe we are only one month into 2025. With all of the “current events, and non-stop breaking news” it feels like we’re in the month of June, despite frigid temperatures sweeping through the U.S. this winter. Remember that life changing goal you set for yourself at the start of the new year? It’s not happening is it? You told yourself this year would be different, but here you are, feeling stuck, maybe even a little disappointed in yourself. First, let me say this: You are not alone. And second, I want you to take note of the following quote by T.S. Eliot: “Every moment is a fresh beginning.” Not just at the top of a New Year or the first day of the month. Every moment. That means right now. – Want to connect? Want to be a guest on the show? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to [email protected] Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

For this episode, I’d like to share an excerpt from a sermon. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sermon as a “religious discourse delivered in public usually by a member of the clergy as a part of a worship service.” Usually, sermons are paired with a life lesson and a passage from religious scriptures from books like the Holy Bible, the Quran, the Torah, etc. Now depending on where you are in life, when you hear or read that pairing of a life lesson and religious scripture, it seems like that sermon was meant specifically for you. The title of the sermon I recently heard, the one that inspired me to hop on the mic and press record for this episode – Know your role. — Want to connect? Want to be a guest on the show? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to [email protected] Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

This episode I’m doing something a little different. There is no excerpt from a book, poem, essay or quote. Instead, I just want to talk about TikTok and its coming and going. The on again off again situationship of TikTok between the U.S. government and China, gave me enough time to flip the switch to pursue my goals before I downloaded the app and got sucked into the doom scroll portal club. I have no regrets about the time I wasted on the app. The app taught me so much including: * How to use a rice cooker for other things besides cooking rice * How to kick my fashion up a notch without breaking the bank * How to make a prime rib roast * How to take what resonates from the tarot card readers * The best financial institutions to open a High Yield Savings Account * How to wear a bold red lip with confidence * Perimenopause symptoms ←this helped me not to go crazy * How to deal with toxic situations in the workplace The app also gave me breaking news before the other news outlets: * The collapse of the bridge in Baltimore * All things taking place in Gaza * Kendrick Lamar’s GNX Album * Kendrick vs Drake ← The commentary from TikTokers were deep * 2025 L.A. Fires * Food recalls * P Diddy’s arrest * TikTok going dark in the U.S. Despite everything I’ve learned, the short blackout of TikTok allowed me just enough time to hit the reset button and get back to what I was doing before I downloaded the app. — Want to connect? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to [email protected]. Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

This episode is for those who’ve stopped pursuing a dream. Or maybe you never had the courage or support to dream. Or maybe fear is holding you back from imagining what’s possible. Langston Hughes once said, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” A broken-winged bird that cannot fly. They are stuck. Grounded. Wishing they could soar. That’s a pretty vivid analogy of a person who lost the hope to dream. Here’s what I know…you can dream again. And for those who never ‘dreamed’ it’s never too late to start. So, why do we stop dreaming? For some of us, it’s fear. Fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of the unknown. For others, it’s disappointment. Maybe you chased a dream once, and it didn’t work out. You got hurt, and now you think, “What’s the point?” — Want to connect? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to [email protected]. Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

In this episode, I’m opening up the window to my one of the hardest things I ever had to do in life, and I bet some of you listening also had or have a tough time with: letting go. I want to start with a line from the poet Rumi. He wrote, “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” The question I have for you is, how do we let ourselves be pulled forward when we’re weighed down by pain, loss, or trauma? When people advise to let “it” go it sounds simple, but it’s not. It could be a loss of a job, a relationship that ended, or a dream that feels out of reach, letting go can feel like giving up. Like you’re losing a part of yourself. But what if letting go isn’t about losing? What if it’s about making space? — Want to connect? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to [email protected]. Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072