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Episode 0014 | Faith, Frameworks & Finding Your Voice
16 Plays2 days ago
What happens when you finally stop shrinking and start speaking?
In this episode of The GR8TNESS Router, Dr. Davia Crutchfield joins us for a deeply honest, spiritually grounded conversation on clarity, calling, and becoming. She opens up about how language, identity, and obedience intersect—and why your voice might be the very thing God is waiting on.
📖 From the power of journaling to the pain of playing small, Dr. Davia shares what it means to honor your truth—and how faith, fear, and frameworks are all part of the journey.
🎧 Tap in and step forward—your next chapter may be waiting on your “yes.”
🔍 Search “The GR8TNESS Router” wherever you get your podcasts.
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Connect with Dr. Davia J. Crutchfield on LinkedIn, Instagram or learn more about BL&CK at visitandblack.com
Scandinavia House | A Celebration of Doug Crutchfield
National Nordic Museum | A Celebration of Dancer Doug Crutchfield
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:08
Speaker
This is the Greatness Router, where we connect purpose to process one conversation at a time.
00:00:24
Speaker
Welcome back to another beautiful episode of The Greatness Router.
Introducing Dr. Davia J. Crutchfield
00:00:29
Speaker
I'm your host, Zena C., and I have a whole new guest for you today.
00:00:35
Speaker
Today's guest is a powerhouse in storytelling, culture, and community building. Dr. Davia J. Crutchfield is a creative strategist, writer, and cultural researcher with over a decade of experience amplifying Black narratives in both academic and non-traditional spaces.
00:00:56
Speaker
She holds degrees from The Ohio State University and Howard University, where she earned her Master's and PhD in Communication, Culture, and Media Studies.
Dr. Crutchfield's Background and Achievements
00:01:08
Speaker
She's the creator and co-founder of Anne Black, but it's spelled B-L, the ampersand C-K, so Anne Black, um which is a community-driven organization that merges arts, entertainment, history, and culture.
00:01:22
Speaker
Because for her, storytelling isn't just a profession, it's a mission. Dr. Crutchfield is also dedicated to preserving the legacy of her great uncle, Doug Crutchfield, a pioneer in jazz ballet.
00:01:36
Speaker
She co-produced a commemorative documentary on his life, which has been featured in exhibitions like The Nordic Utopia, African-Americans in the 20th Century, which is set to debut at the National Nordic Museum in March 2025.
00:01:52
Speaker
She, along with her colleagues, is actively contributing to the ongoing research and storytelling surrounding his impact. She's got the knowledge, the passion, and the vision. And I cannot wait to dive into this conversation.
00:02:08
Speaker
Dr. Davia Crutchfield, welcome to the show. how are you doing? wonderful. Thank you so much for the invitation. you. No, absolutely. This was high key, a no brainer. Like when this concept came to be, came to fruition, I already had like a list of like 15 doctors that I needed to touch base. And your name was like on the top of
Audience Engagement and Show Atmosphere
00:02:32
Speaker
the list. I'm so grateful.
00:02:34
Speaker
Thank you, baby. Thank you. No, absolutely. So did I miss anything with your, did I miss anything? Did I misquote? Did I... Did I do you some justice with this bio? Let me tell you, that bio was superb. Like, I need a copy of that. Because at this point, that's what's getting circulated around.
00:02:49
Speaker
I'm going to send it to you and make sure, you know, that the inflections are proper when they yeah when they deliver it. Darn right.
00:02:59
Speaker
Okay, so I like to warm up the audience as well as you so that we all can get to know each other on a, I'm not going to say personal basis, but more in a a friendly and human manner.
00:03:10
Speaker
um Because right now we are sharing an audience. You're growing yours, I'm growing mine, and we are all growing
Inspirations and Influences
00:03:16
Speaker
together. So to the audience, thank you so much for joining in. Y'all are truly in for some some crystallized gems that Dr. Crutchfield is going to share.
00:03:27
Speaker
going to drop on us and I'm really excited for y'all I'm excited for myself because it's my homie but I'm excited for y'all because baby she got the stories for the stories for the stories um okay so here is i have two questions for you and I'm deviating a little bit from my other um questions it's still on the same lines but it's like customized ah for you okay So since you're all about blending history, art, and storytelling, if you could have dinner with any Black cultural icon, past or present, who's at the table and what's the first thing you're asking them?
00:04:02
Speaker
Oh, ah ah that is so hard to answer. Really? But the same time, so easy. Because I already have a list in my head, right? um Honestly, the first person I'd want to meet with is my great uncle Doug.
00:04:16
Speaker
Aw. doing the work on his life, um researching what his journey was from the States to Copenhagen, what kept him in the Nordic region for over 20 years, you know, in the 20th century at that.
00:04:32
Speaker
Right. My questions would be less about What led him to go and more about what kept him there? oh You know, I think it's it's easy to kind of like take on an adventure with the expectation that it's a very short time window.
00:04:49
Speaker
Like, I'm going to do this real quick and I might come back home or I'll do this and I'll see where the road takes me next. He solidified himself in the space of community in Copenhagen. And he was so instrumental, not just in the area of jazz, ballet, dance, but in dance therapy before dance therapy was a thing.
00:05:07
Speaker
I love it. You know, and in spiritual healing and touching and affirmation before we had, I think, like definitions for a lot of things. He was the embodiment of his gifting.
00:05:19
Speaker
And so my question would be, what kept him there? What was so special about that particular place that it became another nucleus for him? Because he was still very involved with his family in Cincinnati.
00:05:31
Speaker
He still would travel home to Cincinnati on occasion. okay But there was an aspect of life and living that he discovered while being in Scandinavia that allowed him to I think, experience a different version of himself.
00:05:46
Speaker
that he wasn't able to fully experience in the States, let alone in Cincinnati, let alone in College Hill.
Impact of Maya Angelou and College Memories
00:05:52
Speaker
And so I'd be really interested in knowing exactly what that thing was for him.
00:05:57
Speaker
I love that. i i would love to be a fly on the wall with that conversation and with that dinner. I want to know what y'all eating, but I feel you like- Because he could cook. Okay. One thing the Crutchfields can do is throw down.
00:06:09
Speaker
Look, I'm here for it. Y'all y'all go ahead and pass me a plate, you know? Okay. I respect it. And um I feel like I knew that was coming, but let's hop into the next one. Okay.
00:06:21
Speaker
What is the first piece of art, whether it's a book or a song or a movie, that truly moved you as a child or as a kid?
00:06:31
Speaker
And do you think it shaped the work that you're doing now? undoubtedly yes and it was the complete collected works of Maya Angelou o grandmother would take me to the bookstore first of all she kept us out okay they really being didn i just to hang around like a nature conservative conservatory uh-huh kept us out the streets right but we would go to bookstores and just meander around and I was so enthralled with Angelou complete collected works and I was in elementary school
00:07:05
Speaker
But she went ahead and purchased that for me and I still have it to this day. That was my ah true, real, in the gruff poetry book. And it really did shape the way in which I think I developed as a writer and as a communicator because it was just so raw.
00:07:20
Speaker
And it was so different than anything that I experienced in the space of conversation. That's what's up. that That is a great person to study. her Her gift with words, her her cadence, her her choices, her delivery. I think that that's beautiful. and And knowing you, y'all, just ah just a little tidbit.
00:07:43
Speaker
ah Dr. Davia and I went to grad school together at Howard University. And we are pretty much like family at this point. Like when you when you go to school with somebody, you grow up together. You grow up as a person together. And Dr. Davia is one of those people that I was blessed to have on the squad and vice versa, growing and and going. So seeing and knowing the version of you that i am I've been privy to, I can see the influences. And I had no idea that that was the influence, but I can see it and I respect it That's what's up.
00:08:16
Speaker
Zena, that is so sweet. it's It's real. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you. Absolutely. Look, you know, I'm all about giving folks they flowers, you know, gratitude. Look, my, I had a coworker that told me that appreciation appreciates appreciation. So that will multiply out. I'm going give you the love till you are sick of me. Do y'all hear me? Like I'm going to share the love until y'all are absolutely sick of me. I know y'all every time you'll be talking and I'll be like,
00:08:45
Speaker
I love you I love it. And if y'all get tired of me, I'm sorry, you can turn it off, but you don't want to because love it. And we need some of that. Look.
Purpose and Storytelling Journey
00:08:55
Speaker
All right.
00:08:56
Speaker
So let's hop in. You feeling warmed up? Yo, absolutely. Okay. all right. Audience, y'all feeling warmed up? Good. All right. Let's go. The purpose behind your work.
00:09:07
Speaker
If you had to pinpoint the moment that you knew that what you're doing right now was your calling, what would that moment be? Mm-hmm. There were a couple. Um, you ever have an experience where something just won't leave you? Won't leave you? Yeah.
00:09:25
Speaker
Like whether it was an idea, um a concept for a thing, there have been moments, especially during my grad journey where certain things would not leave me.
00:09:36
Speaker
The idea for Anne Black wouldn't leave me even when I didn't have a full definition for it.
Dissertation on Kendrick Lamar's Cultural Impact
00:09:42
Speaker
Um, work on my great uncle wouldn't leave me leave leave me uh i would do occasional like research pit stops throughout grad school and it seemed like the more i would search the more that would find me and so i knew that that was poignant and i knew that that was going to be something necessary for my life and with my dissertation ay absolutely went through a transformation writing that dissertation because it required a level of
00:10:12
Speaker
self-reliance and reassurance that didn't come from an outside source. It was internal. Okay. And that was different. I knew I was good as an academician. I knew I was good as a researcher. I knew I was good as a writer, but to take my space of creativity, creating of making something that was more than just a paper, that was more than just a study,
00:10:35
Speaker
I knew it was going to have cultural and spiritual significance. Okay. And to actually exercise a voice of authority and writing something like that required a transformation.
00:10:48
Speaker
And there were many moments when I was ready to ab abandon in it. Like, forget it. Lord, if you go ahead, open the door that I can leave here and I feel bad about it. Not today. heart Like, let me go. i'm cool. Let me go. But there were moments that after my breakdown,
00:11:02
Speaker
It would be a moment of rest and then I have to get back up because the idea of somebody else picking it up and carrying it where I refuse to go. now that I couldn't get there, but me refusing to go was unacceptable to me.
00:11:16
Speaker
And I knew that that was something i would have to do. I am here for that on so many levels. I told y'all she was going to dropping gems. I told y'all that. Wait, so what was your actual dissertation o one or title or So I built it off of Kendrick Lamar's solo body of work.
00:11:34
Speaker
But instead of just doing like a textual analysis of his lyrics, I specifically looked at themes of black masculine identity. I looked at themes of Christianity um and I looked at specifically Westernized Christianity.
00:11:48
Speaker
okay And looked to see if his narrative shared insights to ideas of Black liberation theology. Are we moving into a new wave, a new era of Black liberation theology? And if so, how can his music speak to this idea of there being like urban theologians that are outside of these traditional spaces of ministry that we've been accustomed to?
00:12:11
Speaker
like right And so there was some conflict in that, especially with one of my committee members, because I remember him saying, His upbringing in a very strict religious Baptist environment.
00:12:24
Speaker
My research provided a space of static for his understanding until it got to, I think, my defense and something opened up for him in a way that literally left the table silent.
00:12:40
Speaker
Like it he was no longer asking questions at that point. It was just all about expression. And that's when I knew for certain that the work was beyond what I had to contribute. It was transforming the lives of other people too.
00:12:53
Speaker
That is so beautiful. So what's your take on the the most recent ah a halftime show? Girl, I thought I was brilliant. um my first My first, mind you, I had the flu that weekend. So I was in the bed. I got out of the bed just to get in front of the TV for halftime show. And I got right back in the bed. I'm not mad at you. Look, but it was an entire event. Do you know I'm saying? Literally like countdown me.
00:13:18
Speaker
Is it time for me to get out? Okay, now I'm coming. Is it time for the Kendrick Lamar concert?
Career Transitions and Challenges
00:13:22
Speaker
Because that's what we're here for. That's literally what we're here for. But when I watched it, I was so hyped. It was so...
00:13:31
Speaker
feeling like I could feel the energy of all of the preparation that they executed in that moment it was one of the liveest performances I have ever seen yeah and I'm not even like a concert junkie live performance head type person but that oh I want to watch it again because it was just so it was so deep and it was so beautifully orchestrated it was literally a piece of art and so I remember telling Mike like this is probably the best performance of our generation of performance.
00:14:03
Speaker
Wow. I loved i loved it. absolutely loved it. I feel like you should totally do a professional take on it. oh I feel like you should as as a, I feel like follow-up is the wrong word, but i feel like as an update or as a, ha, told you so. type of of compliment, like a complimentary project, side project for your dissertation, for your research.
00:14:29
Speaker
I feel like this is another like level of analyzation that you can do from a fun standpoint instead of from, you know, dissertation and, and, and what is the, and crew keeps coming to mind, but that's not what your committee and and, and going in front of your committee. I think that that would be coming from you. That would be very powerful.
00:14:49
Speaker
I would love to do it. And especially now that there's been some room from the performance, from the barrage of social commentary, from all of the critiques that have come through. Now that there's been a rest period, I take that.
00:15:05
Speaker
I'll take that. I'll get to work. Look, this is the greatness router. Okay. yeah This is the greatness router. We're all about taking your ideas and and sending them in the proper direction. So yes, this take that, take that baton and run with it. Okay. Thank you, darling.
00:15:18
Speaker
And when we go to Callie to meet him, you just let me know like when that, ah that connect is. Okay. Her. Cause I'm like, at this point we family. i said Somebody put me on the top dog, a rotary. You know what mean? Call me up. There you go.
00:15:32
Speaker
Look, it's straight like that. Okay, cool. I love it. I don't think I even was privy to what your dissertation was about. But again, me knowing you, the version of you that I have been privy to and in hearing this, it does not surprise me, but I'm so excited because I know you let them have it. And I'm so grateful for it. So I'm excited about this update.
00:15:54
Speaker
Thank you. Okay. Let's talk about your pivot points. Mm-hmm. Um, was there ever a time, and I know you just talked about your dissertation, but even beyond that, was there ever a time when you almost chose a different path than what you were doing right now?
00:16:08
Speaker
Oh yeah. Uh, fresh out of graduation. And I was ready to enter into the workforce, but I knew I did not want to stay in academia. I was tapped out. And so my plan, because my plans, right?
00:16:20
Speaker
My plan was to go into corporate America and do about a good five years because I said, I need a return on my investment. yes All of the money I paid towards grad school, all of the energy I invested towards grad school.
00:16:31
Speaker
And mind you, I went to grad school initially, not because I had this well thought out plan about how school was going to transition into a a career path for me, i knew I had to get out of Cincinnati.
00:16:46
Speaker
Okay. I was too accessible to people I didn't want to be accessible to anymore. And I knew I needed something fresh and new for my life. And at that moment, and I also knew that my bachelor's degree was not opening the kind of doors that I thought it would open.
00:17:01
Speaker
So with knowing I needed to go to grad school, I'm like, well, look, I'm out. Okay. So I get to DC on a faith walk. I stay in DC on a faith walk. I graduate from Howard but on a faith walk.
00:17:15
Speaker
At that point, I'm like, I need financing. Thank you guys for faith. I need financing. I'm going into into corporate. Only to have an outstanding interview and then an awful work experience.
00:17:29
Speaker
Ah. And so the type of energy i received during my interview process at this company is not at all the type of reception i received being in that professional environment.
00:17:42
Speaker
And while I was there for five years, I knew i knew i didn't want to be there. i was still looking for other avenues of escape. okay But I was still, i think, committed to try to make it work up until the point when I knew.
00:17:58
Speaker
I can't tolerate it anymore. I was becoming a version of myself. I didn't like being. And so at that point I told Mike, I got to go. And at that point he was already transitioning to a new job and he said, well, go ahead and go, baby.
00:18:13
Speaker
Go ahead and go. Look. Okay. So I got to interrupt you. I got interrupt Dr. Dobie for a moment. We are going to reference Mike. Mike is her, her, her, her handsome and beloved husband. Okay.
00:18:24
Speaker
Mike, shout out to you. We are so grateful for you. Thank you for loving my friend the way she deserves to be loved. I'm so grateful for you, but I needed to let them know. Cause we are name dropping and y'all have no idea who we're talking about. So yeah.
00:18:37
Speaker
Who is Mike? Who is All the kids' favorite uncle. We just gave you a full 45 seconds. Okay, baby. All the kids' favorite uncle. All the kids' favorite. Straight like that. Straight like that. I respect it. I respect it. and So I think that was my pivot point. And what was so significant about that wasn't just the support.
00:18:55
Speaker
of my spouse, it was also the fact that I did not have a plan. I just knew I needed to go. and and so unlike the grad school experience where I feel like I had a direct out, this for me was new territory.
Burnout and Recovery
00:19:10
Speaker
I knew I needed to get out of there because I could feel myself dying in a particular way. And I was unwilling to surrender that part of me. And so the transformation that had to come taking that kind of faith walk I think, ooh, contributed to this version of the Phoenix people see now. Okay.
00:19:33
Speaker
Okay. I respect it. Look, it's not always going to be peaches and cream. I know that we live in a time of instant gratification, but sweat equity is real. Yes, ma'am.
00:19:45
Speaker
You know, faith, from my point of view, is real. um So I completely empathize and I understand where you are coming from. i am glad that you trusted the source and you trusted the process and you kept pushing through. And more importantly, you listened to yourself. Because I don't think we listen to ourselves enough.
00:20:09
Speaker
And you feeling the uneasiness and and knowing that it was time to make moves, And listening and actually like make moves. that's the i but That's what's up.
00:20:21
Speaker
The other part that was so unexpected, i thought i would recuperate in maybe a month or two. ah i did not realize the effect that burnout.
00:20:33
Speaker
Yep. And being in a toxic environment for a prolonged period of time, I had no idea the amount of damage yes I was doing to my soul, my mind, and my spirit yes until I got out of it and had to go through like essentially ah ah physical therapy, emotional therapy, a spiritual therapy. That's real though. That that's real. Whenever you subject yourself to an environment where you should not be. Yeah. I agree.
00:21:00
Speaker
i totally agree. Um, thank you for sharing that. I appreciate you sharing your truth with us. Um, let's talk about the resilience and your process because it's all a process y'all.
00:21:11
Speaker
it's It's all a process. Um, what keeps you in the game when things are are not moving smoothly? oh Hope. And to be honest, hope is heavy.
00:21:23
Speaker
I didn't realize how heavy hope was until i had to rely on it. ah
00:21:31
Speaker
That's real. And I am dogged, determined to see what's on the other side. See what's on the other side of this moment. what's on the other side of this season.
00:21:43
Speaker
i also didn't anticipate certain seasons being as long as they were. Mm-hmm. her At the same time, I have to trust and believe that my presence and being in my right mind suggests that there's more for me.
00:21:58
Speaker
There's more for me to experience. There's more for me to do. There's more for me to contribute. There's more for me to learn. And that willingness to stay in the game, per se, i think really shows really allows me to see the progress that's being made.
00:22:15
Speaker
Okay. So when I'm looking straight ahead, and I don't know how much further I have to walk. It's hard for me to really believe that I'm making progress and I'm not lost. ah This past, it was the day after Valentine's day And I started sharing with people about, um,
00:22:35
Speaker
The talk over in Scandinavia. Okay. Over in Scandinavia. Girl. Okay, profit. I mean, go ahead. Go ahead. At the Scandinavian Museum
Faith and Personal Growth
00:22:44
Speaker
in New York, I started telling people about the screening that was coming up that I would be speaking at afterwards.
00:22:49
Speaker
Yes. And the feedback I received, especially from you, Zina, because you knew... the work that I was doing and you knew the commitment that I had in sharing my great uncle's story.
00:23:04
Speaker
When I tell you your support, my godmother's support, it was like certain messages I got that were reinforcements. You're on the right track. Girl, when I tell you I'm getting dressed for dinner, Mike's getting ready for dinner, and was going through my instagram my Instagram highlights and I didn't realize that there was a song on one of the things that I had posted And I heard a snippet of it and I haven't heard this song in years.
00:23:29
Speaker
It was Shegaina Glory's Yes, the live version. Okay. And so my so my spirit was led to play it. By the time mike got out of the shower, girl, when I tell you, I was in shambles. Makeup all running down my face.
00:23:41
Speaker
What happened? That's literally him walking up to me like, what's wrong?
00:23:49
Speaker
And it was like, I think it all just started to come together for me that If I would have known what I was going to experience eight years after graduation, did I graduate? 2016. Yeah. Eight to nine years after graduation. If I knew what I would experience, if God was to say, Davia, you're going to get everything that you asked me for, but you got to walk through this first.
00:24:12
Speaker
Knowing how fatigued I was at the end of that doctoral process, knowing how stripped down I felt and vulnerable I felt. I'm like, nah, answer would have been no. Absolutely not. No.
00:24:25
Speaker
But it was in the reverse, being able to stand there in that moment and look back and realize how much progress has been made.
00:24:35
Speaker
Nothing is wasted. That's what encourages me to continue onward because now can see it. I love that. I love that. Look, the career to be working on. Like i know we have listeners that, that are not believers and you know, everybody has their journey and they process. I am not in the business of judging, so I'm gonna let you be great.
00:24:57
Speaker
But my journey and my walk does not give, does not privy me to that angle of, of, of existence. So I know great and well that, you know, there, where there is a will, there is a way. Yeah.
00:25:14
Speaker
And, and I am, I commend you again for like sticking to it and pushing through. And like you said, wanting to see what's on the other side. Yeah.
00:25:26
Speaker
you, babe. um This guy at a bus stop I used to ride, used to ride this bus. I remember him saying, when it comes to sharing aspects about his faith, he said, I can't explain it to you. I can only express it to you.
00:25:38
Speaker
there you And that right there gave me such liberty in being able to share aspects of my narrative without feeling like I have to give people a scientific breakdown. The only thing I can do is just express it to you.
00:25:49
Speaker
There you go. Take it or leave it. Right. It's all salt. Look, his's all it's all salt. Some people got high blood pressure and I'm leave it at that, you know, but it's all salt.
00:26:00
Speaker
Okay. All right. So we've discussed the router moment, like how you have have pivoted and how you have you have found your your constant and resilience. Let's talk about the application.
00:26:13
Speaker
and in this, right, we're going with lessons for others. So lessons for our our audience right now. What is one mindset shift or practice that has helped you succeed?
00:26:26
Speaker
That's really good. That's a really good question. what is a mindset shift or practice that has helped me succeed? Well, while you're thinking, I'm going to look, Dr. Davia used to stay with a playlist, baby.
00:26:38
Speaker
Word. I know she still does, but she used to stay with a playlist or a song. Like she would probably bust out with a a song lyric or a song that you needed to go listen to if you started talking about some subject. So I know that from me, but I, you know, I'm buying you time to think. So let what's that one mindset shift?
00:27:00
Speaker
I think it's okay to not know. ah And that has given me liberty to explore and discover. I remember telling my cousin, I wish I would have known, like I know it now on this side of 40, but I wish growing up, I would have known that all of the adults in our lives didn't have all the answers, that they were just figuring it out and winging it.
00:27:23
Speaker
But to us, it looked like they knew exactly what they were doing. huh huh And now that I'm on this side of 40 and I'm like, I feel like I'm in the space of experimentation.
00:27:33
Speaker
And then I recognize we all are in this space of experimentation. that's okay. That's what we've all been doing. That's what my parents are still doing. That's what my grandparents are still doing. You know, we have some some grounding and we have some anchoring, but the rest of the rest of the living experience is the learning and the growing. And it's a continuation of learning and growing.
00:27:54
Speaker
So knowing that I have the freedom to not know and I have permission to figure out and explore That was a game changer.
00:28:06
Speaker
I love it. Game changer. Okay. yeah Y'all y heard the dot. Y'all heard her. All right. So that being said, how do you feel as though your thinking has evolved as you've advanced?
00:28:21
Speaker
Because recognizing like, you know what? I don't have to have all the answers, but how has that given you the breadth of space? You know? That's a great question. These are really great questions. Thank you.
00:28:36
Speaker
Look, I'm all about, you know, being cerebral for the people. It's a really great question. So run that one back to me. I want to give it some some room to breathe.
00:28:46
Speaker
How has your thinking evolved as you've advanced? Because the Davia, again, you you brought up the Davia you are now, the Phoenix rising that that we all see now is not the same that came out of grad school. It's not the same that met when we were in grad school together. right.
00:29:03
Speaker
It's not the same that was at um at Ohio State when you were there.
Honoring Truth and Future Plans
00:29:09
Speaker
It's not the same seven-year-old little girl that's, you know, reading Maya Angelou. Like, it's it's just not. So how has that progression evolved for you?
00:29:22
Speaker
Oh. um
00:29:26
Speaker
I'm just going to say the fact that you think before you speak. Heard. You know, that that's big. I received that. I received that. And thank you.
00:29:37
Speaker
No, absolutely. I think that that's big. And I only say that because y'all aren't privy to the visual, but I can actually see Dr. Davia right now. And I see her wanting to like pinpoint. is It's more pinpointing a specific example because she does this like the back of her hand.
00:29:53
Speaker
But wanting to pinpoint a specific example just to answer me. And I'm looking at it like, y'all, she is literally like thinking. she How does my dad put it? My dad used to say, i reserve my right to think before I respond.
00:30:08
Speaker
Oh, mantra. Right there, damn. you know That's a forever one. That's a forever quote. I would have to say, honoring my truth, honoring my present, honoring mine.
00:30:23
Speaker
my desires, my feelings, my wants, without necessarily succumbing to the sadness of what has yet to be revealed or actualized. I think that's really it.
00:30:35
Speaker
I think I am. I'm emotive by nature. i think I am empathetic by design. When I tell you I feel things, i feel them deeply, like I have an oceanic depth of my soul.
00:30:48
Speaker
Part of my work has been not in denying the existence of those things. but recognizing them and not allowing them to hold me down in the space of permanence.
00:31:00
Speaker
Understanding what's temporary, honoring this present moment, documenting what needs to be documented, and then allow myself to ascend.
00:31:11
Speaker
Allow myself to ascend.
00:31:16
Speaker
I love, love, love, love that response. And that was very deep like the ocean.
00:31:25
Speaker
That was very deep. It was very mindful. I told you she is reserving her right to to think before she speaks. and And I am glad that we waited because baby, he she is like the goldmine right now. Okay. I received that. And there there are several gems even interlaced within that that statement. So thank you for sharing that. Thank you for the question.
00:31:48
Speaker
No facts. Look, I'm all about, ah again, thinking before we speak, making the getting cerebral and really asking those questions so that people, the the underlining, one of the underlining tones for this podcast, but more specifically this season, because this season I'm interviewing all black doctors, which are just doctors to me, but I have to add the black in order to add that descriptor so that y'all know, like, um my network is full of these. Yeah.
00:32:17
Speaker
But I want to be able to show the human side to doctors, to people who have these titles, who busted balls to get to where they are, who are breaking barriers and who are are claiming their their they are ah their their stature.
00:32:36
Speaker
You know I'm saying? Like because you put in some serious work. you right To stand in front of committees To get turned down, get your feelings hurt Be told that what you had was not enough And still stand strong to to come through That's a lot That a lot of people aren't even built for um They can be But they feel as though they're not built for So, you know, like I said I'm giving flowers left, right and sideways Thank you, babe Absolutely So, all that being said What's next for you? Because I brought up And Black.
00:33:07
Speaker
You haven't talked about and Black, but we've discussed some projects you you have coming up. But what is what is coming up for you? like How can people support you? like What do you have on the docket coming down the pipeline?
00:33:21
Speaker
I'm so excited to answer this question. yeah and me too. I'm so excited to answer it because I think it's unfolding. Okay. It's unfolding. What's next for And Black is definitely a redesign.
00:33:33
Speaker
And not in a bad way, not where I feel like I have to strip everything down and start again from the ground level. But I think as I am evolve, so does Anne Black. Yes.
00:33:44
Speaker
And that has been the the tone and the tempo that I'm starting to recognize and appreciate instead of feeling pressured to stuff it into like a business model per se.
00:33:55
Speaker
So I accept that Anne Black is not a business, it's a community. And I have to treat it with the respect of a community. Uh-huh. And that's where I am in the space of its redesign.
00:34:06
Speaker
Now, I also understand that Dr. Davia as an entity helps to funnel and fuel and Black. And through that work, I'm really looking to expand more in the space of strategic consulting. I'm doing that work now for a hip hop cultural arts center here in Cincinnati. I love Oh, that's been so good. That's been so, so good. Working with elements, working with Damian Hoskins, who is the executive director of Elements.
00:34:34
Speaker
It's been fantastic. um So I'm doing that work. I'm also looking for more opportunities to share my share Uncle Doug's story, yeah share my work with Uncle Doug or on Uncle Doug.
00:34:46
Speaker
And I'm really excited to see how that takes me to Scandinavia. So I'm still looking to do the art exhibit. I still want to take this archive of all of his newspaper clippings and photographs and things that tell his story visually. Yes.
00:35:01
Speaker
And really have an honored space to showcase that. And I'm looking at some some ways to, even if I can't do it physically right now, what's an iteration that I can do? So I'm looking at what are my can-dos.
00:35:14
Speaker
Absolutely. I do think that the speaking engagements during the screening of both his 1971 documentary, Dancing Prophet, and the one that I co-produced of An Encomium for Doug Crutchfield, I think directed by Amir George, shout out to Amir.
00:35:30
Speaker
I think continuing to have those conversations generates more of a buzz and generates more interest. I'd share that it's been difficult to kind of get a footing here in Cincinnati, ironically enough, but I also understand that Cincinnati is not the end of the world. Yeah. So there's other opportunities elsewhere. And with advances in technology, i.e.
00:35:52
Speaker
like what you're doing right now. yeah Yes. Y'all heard her. Right. The possibilities are endless. So I'm looking to see what's next in that particular area. But if people are interested in supporting, oh, my goodness, I would love it. If if you're in New York, Nordic Utopia is currently on display at Scandinavia House until March of 2025, until March of this year.
00:36:14
Speaker
I don't know where it's going to go next. I believe this is the end of that particular tour stop. Wow. But that doesn't mean it's the end of the story. That's true. So touch base with Ethelene Whitmire. She is on Instagram. She is the researcher and co-curator for that exhibit how who did phenomenal research on just African-American artists who made that trek over to Scandinavia and established and built their lives and careers over in Scandinavia.
00:36:39
Speaker
So when I tell you the story is just budding because so many people took that expat path huh I think that this is really the season to get some real grounding and footing on sharing just how magnificent Doug Crutchfield really was and still is.
00:36:53
Speaker
That is so amazing. I love that you are just picking up this torch and, and running with it. Like I do want to back up just a smidge. Um, because i gave a little snippet of who your uncle was. And by snippet, I literally mean like a blink of an eye compared to the magnitude of, um, impressions and influence that he had, uh, and has, but what is his influence to you?
00:37:23
Speaker
Oh, let's talk about him because i I think the conversation has to start somewhere. You need, you need those sound bites somewhere to put it on the docket. Like my uncle was a boss and here is why.
00:37:38
Speaker
And I just, I want to hear it. Like I've read it in text messages. I want to hear it. Like, tell me, tell me about uncle Doug. When I think about him, I smile from the inside out.
00:37:48
Speaker
And it's so interesting that he transitioned when I was about four or five and I had zero, zero memories of having any person to person interaction with him.
00:38:00
Speaker
My earliest memory of him was actually viewing his obituary. Wow. And it was so weird to me that my grandfather had a brother that wasn't there because of how close our families are.
00:38:13
Speaker
ah My grandmother's close to all of her siblings. My grandfather was close to all his siblings. And I mean, like, call on phone, fuss, talk every day, come over, paint a house. Like, it like we really are enmeshed in each other's lives, right? um And so as a kid growing up, knowing that I had a great uncle,
00:38:31
Speaker
was a ballet dancer, moved to Copenhagen, had a dance school, moved home and passed away. That was this truncated story that I grew up with for the majority of my life.
00:38:42
Speaker
And it wasn't until ah really got to Howard where my space of exploration continued to expand. wow And it wasn't a lot of information at first, but something would keep pulling me to keep searching.
00:38:55
Speaker
And every now and again, something else would open up. And I'd go down another rabbit hole and I'd find another resource. And all of a sudden, it seemed like there was this explosion. and around 2021, there was this explosion of information and stories and narratives. But what pulled me to him, what keeps me so connected and grounded to him, I think was the fact that he had a conviction for his gifting.
00:39:21
Speaker
He had a dream for his life. And he was a willing to leave everything behind. Right.
00:39:30
Speaker
that to me especially with again how close my family was and is but like close in proximity So to know that he left not just College Hill, but he left Cincinnati.
00:39:43
Speaker
He didn't just leave Cincinnati. He left all of Ohio. He left all of Ohio. He left the United States. He left the country. Go. You know what I'm saying? And stayed. You hear what I'm saying? like his his His soul was so massive in the space of like what was meant for him was so outside of what other people wanted him to do.
00:40:04
Speaker
And he had a courage, a courage in going to explore it. And so what I think he has delivered, and I shared this recently in the screening discussion, that whatever it is that your passion is, whether it is in the space of your most intimate community, whether you feel like life is calling you outside of of ah of your family dynamics, outside of your outside of your country your country frame, whatever,
00:40:30
Speaker
I really believe that the message that Doug gives is you have to know who you are and you have to know what you're about. And those two things will carry you through. And so that for me, I think it's just what keeps me connected to him. Like all of my creative projects were always done in his honor.
00:40:48
Speaker
I felt like I just had this, this connection to him of seeking. You shall find like, don't be scared seeking. You shall find. yeah, that's who he is to me, a giant to the masses. You know, he's the, the, the, the guy who was featured in Ebony magazine. He was ah the guy the Franciscans did a whole documentary on because of the way he embodied ministry outside of what was traditionally seen as. Right.
00:41:15
Speaker
So while the world looks at him in this grandiose space, I also have like this very intimate understanding of that familial courage and passion and personal conviction.
Legacy of Doug Crutchfield
00:41:25
Speaker
And that,
00:41:26
Speaker
That's what keeps me connected. I love that on so many levels. I told you i was just going to be like, I love, I love, I love. Oh my gosh. Like I, this is amazing. Y'all please go, go do a a deep dive in your, in your Googles, maybe even chat GPT, see what they got going for you.
00:41:48
Speaker
Go see what when what Doug Crutchfield has for you because this is amazing. I'm really excited to see what you how you bring his legacy to the forefront.
00:41:59
Speaker
Thank We have discussed this throughout the years and the action that you're doing is so beautiful and I'm just very proud. Thank Happy to watch. Let me know when the gala is because want to be all up and through the building, okay? hear my excitement, y'all? Because I'm really stoked.
00:42:17
Speaker
like yes I'm just so proud. I love my friends, y'all.
Dr. Crutchfield's Personality and Gratitude
00:42:21
Speaker
My friends are doing great things and I'm grateful that they take the time to come out of their busy schedules and come join us because, I mean, you don't know what you don't know.
00:42:31
Speaker
one Plain and simple. you if If no one ever told you that there was Black woman black Ballet dancer, jazz ballet dancer that came out of Cincinnati, Ohio and went to Copenhagen, Scandinavia. Y'all, I think it's really cold there, like just up and left the States and went across the world to start an entirely new, impactful life, living the version of them that they felt greatest. Like that is just a beautiful story. yeah
00:43:04
Speaker
and it's in in its entirety. so y'all um Y'all better come through with the the the come through. Come through with the greatness router. Look, we we are all about your greatness here. and put me up with what you find. Hit me up and tell me how it is. that any Any research you've done on him, anything about his story that resonates with you, please feel free to hit me up and just tell me about it. It really does. Just help me feel the work.
00:43:26
Speaker
And if you're in Copenhagen, reach out. like Send some pictures. like Give us a reason to come visit. right
00:43:35
Speaker
Give us a reason to come visit. Okay. All right. So I have thoroughly burned through y'all's ears. I hope that y'all have picked up on several gems because I have, I've learned so much about my dear friend and I'm just grateful and I'm elated to, to share this space with you, but I do have one more question. Okay.
00:43:54
Speaker
What is one thing that people, one public facing thing, let me be very clear. What is one public facing thing that people don't know about you that you would like to share? Oh, I think people assume that I am serious all the time.
00:44:10
Speaker
She's my friend. Okay. Let's be real. but I am. I am probably one of the silliest, most playful human beings on the planet. um I live in a space of joy. i live in a space of joy and fun.
00:44:28
Speaker
And so just as much as my emotional depth can go to the space of oceanic, so can my humor. And I just, I i love to be in good, just in good company.
00:44:39
Speaker
Big facts. We have had some beautiful, beautiful times just being ourselves. And I love that. blast. Yeah. A blast for every memory. Y'all get y'all some friends.
00:44:51
Speaker
Okay. y'all some friends that you can just be yourself with and they love you for that. And they encourage you to be the best version of yourself. Like, I really do wish that for everybody. Like, I wish that everyone can find...
00:45:06
Speaker
their niche, their groupings, their place where they feel most comfortable being themselves. And then they are also surrounded by people who are just like, you know what?
00:45:16
Speaker
I rock with you the long way. yeah I love your quirks and your kinks. I'm here for it. Like, let let me just let you be great. I love it. I love it. And yes, y'all, she has her her moments. Don't play with her.
00:45:30
Speaker
Don't play with her. You come, you come correct. I play fool, but I is very, very, very, very yeah what we do here straight like that okay so um i am definitely going to put your information in the um like your contact information awesome you're probably facing contact information in the uh in the in not in the chat that sounds weird in the description for this yeah but i want you to be able to have your soundbites so sure how can we find you I am on Instagram and threads at Dr. Davia, D-R-D as in Delta, A-V-I-A.
00:46:04
Speaker
If you're looking for me on Instagram, you can find me there.
Conclusion and Listener Appreciation
00:46:07
Speaker
I'm oftentimes in threads, conversations about all things um housewives and anything that's culturally relevant. I love it.
00:46:15
Speaker
I love it. I'm all the way here for it. I am all the way here for it. Is there anything that I did not cover that we need to put on the docket of this conversation for the people? The only thing else I have to share is my gratitude for you,
00:46:28
Speaker
You are a mainstay in my heart and my life. And I am just so very appreciative to you. I am very appreciative for you. ah celebrate all of your endeavors. I'm so proud.
00:46:40
Speaker
of the person you are and just the way in which you operate in a space of positivity and persistence. I think that is a beautiful, beautiful combination. And I'm just, I'm grateful.
00:46:52
Speaker
I'm grateful to know you and be loved by you. Teardrop. Thank you. love you so much. Thank you again for spending the afternoon with us or the morning or breakfast or coffee or tea, whatever this may be for our listeners. But thank you for spending this time with us. And thank you to the listeners. like Thank you for for hanging with us and for listening. And I hope your notebook is full. And if not, run this back and and grab your notebook and take those notes that you need to take. I am truly grateful for your attention because that is one of the greatest gifts that you can share with someone ah else next to love. Let's be very clear.
00:47:28
Speaker
um So I'm very appreciative you of you, Dr. Davia. Thank you so much for your time. I am grateful um abundantly for you as well. And to our listeners, I hope you have a beautiful day.
00:47:40
Speaker
This has been another episode of the Greatness Router. I'm your host, Zena C, and we are out. Take care.
00:47:49
Speaker
And that's a wrap on this episode of The Greatness Router. If you found some value in today's conversation, be sure to subscribe, rate, and definitely share. It helps more people connect to the journey of greatness.
00:48:02
Speaker
Until next time, keep moving with purpose.