Texas has inspired many a singer-songwriter. So if you’re traveling across the state, you might consider listening to what others have seen on those wide-open roads. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Archives for December 2019
Foxtales: “Can’t Escape”
Let’s face it. Break ups are tough. And sometimes they’re so tough that you can end up writing a couple hundred rough tracks about it…or, at least that’s the case with Austin’s Jonathan Fox, who’s just dumped a ton of creative energy into his new indie pop project Foxtales. After years playing with his eponymous Jonathan Fox Band, Fox’s overcoming of personal turmoil has turned out to be a perfect companion to his dance-friendly psych-centric tastes, further smoothed out by his impressive multi-instrumental talents and thorough understanding of genre formulas.
With the help of Studio 601 producers Eric Harrison and Michael Ingber, Foxtales has shared their debut four-song EP Crossfade alongside the promise of more tunes and tour dates in the near future. Crossfade‘s release show was last night at Stubb’s but you can still get your tail bushy with the solid groove on “Can’t Escape”!
Winter Wasteland
It’s a frightening sight / They’re gleeful tonight / Walking through a Winter Wasteland
Sound twisted? Good, good. Leave it to Big Bill to shake up the holiday season with much-needed absurdity. The Austin-based irreverent punk purveyors are presenting an unhinged seasonal affair: Big Bill’s Winter Wasteland, a big bash of sorts that unleashes all the holly-jolly tomorrow night at The Electric Church, 5018 E. Cesar Chavez.
Joining the celebration are Strokes cover band Post Modern Girls, garage punks FOOLS, and (not to be confused with one of KUTX’s previous Artists of the Month who use a different spelling) San Marcos outfit Flora & Fauna, who start the night out at 10:15 p.m. Doors open at 10 p.m.
Get into the spirit – the Big Bill way. So recommended.
-Photography by Martin do Nascimento for KUTX.
Texas Standard: December 12, 2019
Blocked at the border: a judge in El Paso puts the brakes again on part of the president’s border wall project, although parts of the wall are still going up. We’ll have more on the latest legal challenge to the president’s effort to fulfill his campaign promise of a border wall from the Gulf to the Pacific. Also, a battle in the Texas Capitol City over changes to the code may be the shape of things to come for the rest of Texas, we’ll hear why. And 2019, a good year for cyber security? Our tech expert Omar Gallaga gets us up to speed and more today on the Texas Standard:
This Song: Introducing The Song Confessional Podcast!
This week we have a special treat for you! A full episode of the new Song Confessional Podcast! The Song Confessional project began when Austin artists Walker Lukens and Zac Cantanzaro outfitted a trailer like a Catholic confessional and asked people to come in, and tell anonymous “confessions.” Then they took their favorite stories and gave them to musicians, who wrote and recorded songs based on the tales. In the podcast you hear it all, the confessional, the song, and an interview with the songwriter.
In this episode you’ll hear a tale of family, weed and secrets, the song it inspired written by Brooklyn based Vlad Holiday, and an interview with Holiday about his boozy creative process.
Cowboy Diplomacy: “May Day”
What do you get when you cross RHCP, Pearl Jam, a bit of Zeppelin and Cash, some James Brown and a pinch of Freddie King? Well, other than a potpourri of eclectic music, you end up with the blues-imbued southern alternative rock quartet Cowboy Diplomacy. These rustic-leaning rockers only dropped their debut single in 2017 but have already made a decidedly rugged mark on the Austin music scene.
Cowboy Diplomacy is about to release their first ever full-length Burn Down The Road, and before you mosey on down to Empire Control Room for the release show tomorrow night get that western wick lit with “May Day”!
The Most Likes
So, before you make that next pouty duck face and edit like hell, you need to check out The Blowies. Your Austin Music Minute maven appreciates the band’s jabs at the ridiculousness of existence and everything about it. Take, for example, their shot at the absurdity of “selfie” culture, – all its narcissistic tendencies, its (almost hysterically so) false impression of reality – on their new single, “Selfie F***s” (which, for radio broadcast purposes, your AMM host referred to as “Selfie Love”). How many filters, emojis, hastags or “likes” will ever truly define the real story behind the images on one’s social media profile, or highly stylized/overly-edited Instagram story? The Blowies nail it with melodic, sweet punk savagery.
Join The Blowies at their single release show tonight at Hotel Vegas, 1502 E. 6th St. The bill includes sets by Fair City Fire and Dream Eater. Doors at 9 p.m. So recommended. And don’t forget to click to subscribe and receive notifications! Or perhaps not…
-Photo courtesy of the artist.
Texas Standard: December 11, 2019
The house moves closer to impeachment, but any closer to the removal of the commander in chief? We’ll do a breakdown of the next steps in the process. As members of the house prepare to vote on the removal of a president, they also hand him a political victory on trade. One that will have a real impact on the Lone Star State. Plus the eyes of Texas might be upon you more than you think. We’ll take a closer look at the state’s network of surveillance centers. And a surprising shift in the incarceration of minorities. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
The Man Who Led The Battle Against Yellow Fever
By W. F. Strong
I’m walking on the veranda of the Gorgas Building at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville. It’s named for the famous Army physician, William Gorgas, who was sent here to Fort Brown in 1882. This building was already here when he was. It was the hospital he ran. What he would learn here, and what would happen to him, would change the world.
Gorgas was just 27 years old when arrived at Fort Brown. There was a full-blown yellow fever epidemic raging at the time. It was so named because it turned eyes and skin yellow. About half the people who came down with it, died. Yellow fever was not only deadly, it was quick. You could feel fine on Wednesday morning, have symptoms kick-in that afternoon, and be dead by Saturday.
Gorgas fought yellow fever head on. He didn’t yet know that mosquitoes spread it, but he did know that good sanitation and quarantining patients was useful. He launched public health measures that helped cut short the epidemic. Perhaps the best thing that happened to him during this time, and it will seem a strange thing to say, is that he came down with yellow fever himself, but it gave him life long immunity. He vowed to make fighting the disease his life’s work.
His next significant posting in his war on yellow fever was to Cuba. It was there that the research of the Cuban doctor, Carlos Finlay, had laid out a convincing case for mosquitoes being responsible for transmitting the illness. Walter Reed, a name you likely recognize, tested Finlay’s theories and proved without a doubt that mosquitoes were responsible. Then Gorgas put the knowledge to practical use with fumigation, screening, and outlawing open cisterns and standing water. Astoundingly, those efforts virtually wiped out yellow fever in Havana in a couple of years, reducing cases from thousands a year to fewer than 20.
Then Dr. Gorgas made his big leap onto the world stage. You will remember the French had tried to dig the Panama Canal but failed miserably because they lost thousands of workers to yellow fever. Disease drove them out and silenced the steam shovels. The Americans, in a cannot-fail bid to do what the French couldn’t, resumed the dig. But in the first years, yellow fever and malaria threatened to drive the Americans out, too. Some said it would have taken 50 years and 80 thousand lives to finish the canal under those conditions.
Gorgas was brought in to solve the problem. But the political leaders in charge didn’t want to hear anything about his mosquito theory. They told him to keep that crazy theory to himself because “everyone knew that those tropical illnesses came from miasma, bad air.” Hell, the word Malaria itself came from Italian, translating verbatim “mal” “aria” – bad air. Gorgas learned as Galileo did that getting the world, even scientists, to ditch a centuries old belief system in favor of a new one, has always been unfathomably difficult.
Gorgas wanted to take what he had learned in Brownsville and Cuba and put it to work on a grand scale in Panama. He applied for a million dollars to protect Panama. The U.S. gave him 50 thousand. But with such poor funding, hundreds of workers were dying each month and the Americans risked being embarrassed by failure, just like the French. Teddy Roosevelt himself intervened and more or less said “give Gorgas what he wants.”
So it was then that Gorgas screened all the houses, buildings and particularly the hospitals in the Canal Zone. This was essential because a patient could only get yellow fever from a mosquito that had bitten someone with yellow fever. Gorgas also had an army of fumigators at work across the isthmus every day.
As he had in Cuba, Gorgas got rid of standing water and required covers on cisterns. He also drained swamps and treated undrainable waters with oil to keep larvae from forming. Within two years yellow fever had been completely eradicated from Panama.
Gorgas was considered the medical hero of the canal because, without his work, the engineers and diggers and construction workers could never have done their work. Gorgas without question, made the canal a reality.
After Panama, Gorgas eventually became Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and was knighted by the King of England for his work in tropical diseases, from which the British greatly benefited.
So here I sit on the veranda of his old hospital at Fort Brown in Texas. The building still bears Gorgas’ name. I also admire the fact that his name has a place of honor 8 thousand miles away on the side of the London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Here at Texas Southmost College, funded from this very building, are many fine programs in nursing and health professions active today. I think Gorgas would be pleased.
Harry Edohoukwa: “Road to Damascus”
If you’re a die hard fan of The Breaks then you’re also no stranger to the name Harry Edohoukwa…even if you still have trouble pronouncing it (“Eed-Oh-Kwah”, by the way). Born in Dallas to Nigerian parents, this first generation American was brought up on Caribbean sounds before falling in love with the outspoken lyricism of hip hop heavyweights like Frank Ocean, Kanye West, and Kid Cudi. Since then Edohoukwa’s overcome quite a few painful bumps in the road to become one of Austin rap’s most confident and expressive stage steppers.
And though Harry’s already on top of his game, today he’s finally shared his debut full-length, Fire on the Mountain, marking an ascension to the mainstream with meshes of reggae and alternative rock entering the mix on this earnest, introspective offering. Fire on the Mountain‘s release show kicks off 9PM this Saturday at Cloud Tree Studios, where Edohoukwa plans on playing the full album top to bottom. But before you check out this recent Studio 1A guest live, lace up your boots with “Road to Damascus”!
AMVF 2019
When the Austin Music Video Festival made its debut in 2015, founders Jeremy Roye, Samantha Gallion and Anthony Erickson knew it had to make one hell of an entrance. It had to be an extraordinary celebration, not just some video retrospective. Now in its fifth year, the festival continues championing cutting edge visual creativity by local artists, featured alongside nationally and internationally-recognized names in the music industry. This year’s celebration includes five days of music video premieres and screenings, all kinds of parties and panels, and the AMVF Award Show at the Austin School of Film as the grand finale.
This year’s AMVF kicks off tonight with a performance by Me Nd Adam (featured on today’s Austin Music Minute), and a DJ set by songwriter and KUTX’s Song Confessional host Walker Lukens at The Parish, 214 E. 6th St. Doors at 9 p.m. You can check out the AMVF’s website for the full schedule and ticket information.
-Photo of Me Nd Adam courtesy of the artist.
The Psychology of Happiness
Many people chase after goals that seem to them important and promising—getting into the right college, getting the dream job, moving to a big house. But what do you really need to be happy? To have a sense of fulfillment and joy? And why is it important?
Listen back to KUT’s Views and Brews recorded live at The Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas as Rebecca McInroy, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, of Two Guys on Your Head, ask: What characterizes well-being?
Texas Standard: December 10, 2019
Deadline for getting on the ballot in Texas comes and goes. We’ll take a look at what the list of candidates may or may not tell us about an evolution in Texas politics. Also, years ago alarm bells sounded over a high rate of maternal mortality in Texas. Then the data was found to be problematic. A new investigation suggests it was right to be concerned after all. And a booming business in craft distilling in Texas. But spirits are low over a coming change. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Wajatta: “Don’t Let Get You Down”
You’ve seen Reggie Watts on The Late Late Show with James Corden and heard John Tejada remix and produce acts from across the globe, but you may not’ve known that the two have been collaborating under the portmanteau Wajatta. And while a comedian/beat-boxer/live loop singer might not be the most likely complement to a melodic DJ/composer/producer, in addition to both being Americans born in German-speaking countries, Tejada and Watts also have a shared, burning passion for retro-inspired urban electronic music.
The duo’s back-and-forth, in-person, and never-remote approach to working together has lent itself to Wajatta’s unified style (in light of Watts’ and Tejada’s outspoken individual personalities), and in the wake of their debut Casual High Technology, these two are set to return on the upcoming LP Don’t Let Get You Down. The eleven pulsating, pop-influenced tracks on Don’t Let Get You Down are going to make for a perfect wrap up on the winter blues when it drops in late February, but let’s get the fun started right now with the record’s title track!
The Green New Deal in Texas: Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez
Explore the future of the Green New Deal and what it means for Texas with Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez. Tzintzún is challenging John Cornyn for the 2020 US Senate seat for the State of Texas. She is the Co-founder of the Workers Defense Project and Jolt, and she talked with The Secret Ingredient team–Raj Patel, Tom Philpott, and Rebecca McInroy, about what a GND could mean for oil and agricultural workers in Texas, what running for Senate means to her as a woman of color, and much more.
Happy Birthday Jay-Z
This week on The Breaks:
- Confucius and Fresh give listeners little known facts about Jay-Z for his 50th birthday & explore the connection between Hov and the late Pimp C.
- The guys discuss whether there’s some underlining tension between Toronto stars The Weeknd and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
- Austin based Harry Edohoukwa comes in for an interview and performance live in Studio 1A.
- Fresh explains that while Hip Hop culture is indeed Black culture, but that doesn’t mean that only Black people can appreciate and participate the genre, for his Unpopular Opinion.
- Confucius talks about the between admiration and idolization, while naming some of his idols on his Confucius Says segment.
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The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.
You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.
Self-Belief
It’s a tale of two mixtapes. Really, “mixtape” is the appropriate description. These are tracks crafted with heart and soul, nothing less. It’s music that must be heard.
Richmond, VA-based artist McKinley Dixon made his debut with the release Who Taught You To Hate Yourself (2016), followed by The Importance of Self Belief (2018). The contributions and collaborations on the latter are many (“Got so much family on here, you’d think it’s a reunion”), but all lead toward a singular, powerful voice, chronicling of the depth, the intensities – the realities – of the American Black experience. Dixon’s latest work features two tracks (“Anansi, Anansi,” featured on today’s AMM, and “Wit These”) reveling in the art of storytelling as an act of revolution, on a 7-inch release from label Saddle Creek’s Document series.
McKinley Dixon will be in Austin for a show tomorrow night at Cheer Up Charlie’s, 901 Red River, sharing the bill with Ama, Tasi and Daphne Tunes. Doors at 8 p.m. Recommended.
-Photography by Alec Gary.
Texas Standard: December 9, 2019
The Texas General Land Office has a question for many towns and cities: after Harvey, how would you spend 4 billion dollars? The mayor of Rockport weighs in today on the Texas Standard. Also, the eyes of many Texans on the impeachment drama on Capitol Hill. Not all Texas lawmakers singing the same tune on that score, we’ll have details. And the headlines say in the Permian Basin the pumpjacks are pumpin and all’s well for oil wells. But a closer look finds subtle signs of a downturn. Also the potential return of a Texas political dynasty? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Niia: “Whatever You Got”
Pain is all part of the human condition, and if there’s one artist in Los Angeles who can appreciate the beauty in that, it’s Niia. Niia’s got a strong foundation in both the traditional Italian and classical jazz vocal styles and with the help of Rhye producer and frequent collaborator Robin Hannibal, she brings it all together on trickling, groove-heavy trip-hop that’s not without its own ’80s R&B/Quiet Storm influences.
Niia’s just announced her sophomore album II: La Bella Vita for the appropriate release date of Valentine’s Day, so before you soak up this baker’s dozen of Sade-esque songs, be sure to enjoy “Whatever You Got”!
Dr. Idopise Umana
This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with Dr. Idopise Umana, a board-certified internal medicine physician who specializes in managing patients with acute and chronic illnesses and founder of The Wellness Institute, located in Suwanee, Georgia.
Intro music [00:00:07] The In Black America theme music, an instrumental by Kyle Turner.
Announcer [00:00:15] From the University of Texas at Austin, KUT Radio, this is In Black America.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:00:23] Once I got back and I started taking the classes, I thought I might do medicine, but I wasn’t sure. So education was another route. And what was good about applied biology is you got the best of both worlds. So there was a track for medicine if you chose to go into medicine. But there was also a track if I wanted to do microbiology and biochemistry was just a lot of different options within that track.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:00:46] Dr. Idopise Umana, a board certified internal medicine physician who specializes in managing patients with acute and chronic illnesses, and founder of the Wellness Institute, located in Suwanee, Georgia. Dr. Umana earned a B.S. degree and applied biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and then pursued a passion for medicine and earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University in 2005. She completed her internal medicine residency from Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville and a one year Achieve residency fellowship at Mayo Clinic. In June 2018, the CDC released an alarming report that stated In this country suicide had risen 25% over the past 15 years. Also, the report revealed that in 2016, nearly 45,000 people died by suicide. And while some therefore attribute to mental health disorders, many appear to be related to individuals succumbing to the pressures of life. To that end, Dr. Umana, The Wellness Institute. I’m John L. Hanson Jr., and welcome to another edition of In Black America. On this week’s program, the Wellness Institute with Dr. Idopise Umana, M.D., In Black America.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:02:04] My experience over the past decade and then just my experience with individuals, whether through church or I like I said, I’m a people person. I like to talk to people, like to listen. And one of the biggest things you learn as a physician is just to watch individuals. Sometimes I’m just watching how people walk into the office, but as I was taking care of patients and just interacting, whether with friends, people and just the environment. One of the things that just kept coming back to me is a lot of things that we deal with health wise can be tied back to something that’s causing a stress. And then when you look at it, it ties back to how are we processing it mentally. And so outside of this, my other fun activity is working with my nonprofit and I just wanted to do something where we could train individuals to refocus their thought process and to get the tools that they need to live a better positive effect of life.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:03:01] In 2018, Dr. Idopise Umana founded the Wellness Institute, a gym for the mind located in Swansea, Georgia. The Institute offers onsite and online health and wellness empowerment sessions for individuals and also customized programs for workplace wellness. The focus is on six areas of wellness, mental health, financial, physical, lifestyle, social and personal professional wellness. Born in Nigeria but raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia, with her two younger brothers document her parents recognize her love for humanity and nurture that love by involving their children in community and nonprofit organization activities for 14 years now. Dr. Umana has been a board certified internal medicine physician who specializes in managing patients with acute and chronic illnesses. Inspired by the women in her immediate circle, document is on a mission to train individuals to live their best life by improving their mindset. Recently, she spoke withIn Black America.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:04:08] I had a great family. It was me and my two brothers, two younger brothers and my mom and dad. So very close family, very interactive. One of my brothers played baseball, so we were constantly at baseball games. The other one was a musician, so we were constantly a concert for him. But I mean, it was good.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:04:24] And what were some of your favorite subjects while you were in school?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:04:27] Math and science. I had to love math because my dad’s background is in math, and science came naturally. My mother was a nurse, so I was already part of the family.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:04:36] And you did your undergraduate Where?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:04:38] At Georgia Tech.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:04:40] And why? Georgia Tech is not far from home.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:04:43] Not far from home. That wasn’t my big reason. I think at the time I thought I wanted to do engineer like my father. But when I got to Georgia Tech and I started doing science classes, I realized I like science better than going into engineering.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:04:58] Tell our audience about earning a B.S. in applied biology.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:05:02] So one, I once I got to tech and I started taking the classes, I thought I might do medicine, but I wasn’t sure. So education was another route. And what was good about applied biology is you got. The best of both worlds. So there was a track for medicine if you chose to go into medicine. But there was also a track if you wanted to do microbiology. Biochemistry was just a lot of different options within that track.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:05:27] So what sparked that interest in medicine?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:05:30] A lot of individuals in my family are physicians, like Hancock was a physician, my mother was a nurse. So it was part of my life growing up, and I was just trying to figure out which one made more sense. And I love the sciences.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:05:43] And what drew you to internal medicine?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:05:46] So when you’re in medical school, you get the opportunity to do a lot of different fields. And one of the things I liked the most was the people connection with internal medicine, particularly primary care. Because as a primary care provider, I would follow these patients basically their entire life. And I’m a very big people person. So I thought, I think I’ll go this route. And so internal medicine drew me because you use your mind a lot. Mm hmm. And also the interpersonal relationships.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:06:13] So were the other people of color while you were in medical school?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:06:17] Yeah, there was. It was a minority, of course, but there was. And I’m still connect with some of them to this day. And I went to medical school some years ago.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:06:25] So how grueling is the subject matter.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:06:28] For medical school? It’s a lot of reading, a lot of retention. If you’re passionate about what you’re doing, it motivates you. So I cannot say it’s easy, but it’s well worth it. And anyone who decides to go into it just has to make up their mind that this is what they want to do. It’s just like any feel.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:06:45] Now, everyone has heard of the Mayo Clinic and you did your residency at the Jacksonville facility. How was that?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:06:52] I loved it. Now, you remember Mr. Hanson. I was just saying, I don’t do cold weather. So Mayo Clinic has a few campuses. They have Arizona, they have Florida, and then their major campus, which is in Rochester. Right. So automatically Rochester is out. It was out. Arizona was too far from home because I am very close to my parents. And I said, okay, I can leave and go to Jacksonville. And one of my uncles again, trained at Mayo, Rochester, some motivating force.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:07:19] And you did your medical training at Northeastern Georgia Physicians Group. Tell us about that.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:07:25] Well, I did my medical training at Mayo, so I went to college at Georgia Tech. And then after that, I went to medical school at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Then after you finish with medical school, you do residency. So I did three years of general internal medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, a one year, and did a fellowship year where I got to teach my fellow residents who were first, second and third years At this time. I was a fourth year. Then after I was finished, I joined a practice up in Gainesville, which was Northeast Georgia Physicians Group.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:07:59] Was there a life outside of medicine during that period?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:08:03] Oh, I created a life. But honestly, during medical school it was mostly medicine. Residency was a little bit better. My life happened a lot more after all of that was done.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:08:14] And once you completed all that, you went into a practice.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:08:18] Yes, I joined a hospital system that has a group with that Northeast Georgia physicians group, and I’ve been working in the same place for the past decade.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:08:27] And then what are you responsible for?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:08:31] So there I have my own practice of patients within the physician’s group. I recently became one of the associate program directors for our internal medicine residency program. And then I also have the role as a medical director for six of the clinics within our Northeast Georgia Physicians Group.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:08:51] And Dr.. Umana, I understand that you specialize in managing patients with acute and chronic illnesses? Yes. Why so?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:08:59] Because that’s what primary care is. So think about when you go see your primary doctor. My patient population starts at age 18, though I have a few that are minors. The majority are 18 to the end of life. And so on any given day, I see almost everything. I can have a patient come in and their only complaint is a sore throat. Then I can have one come in who’s having chest pain and you’re concerned about having an actual heart attack in the office and of course manage chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, people who had strokes, heart attacks. So a wide array of everything.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:09:34] Now you’re there in the southeast, in the state of Georgia. Are there any acute medical concerns you have about the population there?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:09:43] Oh, yes. Diabetes is huge. For clarification, when you say acute, are you talking about things that are happening every day or cause I see all of it done. I mean, literally, I have patients.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:09:56] Well, things that concern you that that needs to be addressed.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:10:00] Yes. Yes. Outside of just the chronic medical conditions. Mm hmm. One of the things that led me towards this wellness institute is the mind, the state of individuals and how they deal with stress, whether it be financial stress stressors that. Home stressors at work. But it does affect them. And so it’s anxiety, depression. Then it can also manifest into chronic medical condition documented.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:10:26] What led you to open up the Wellness Institute?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:10:29] My experience over the past decade and then just my experience with individuals, whether through church or I like I said, I’m a people person, like to talk to people, like to listen. And one of the biggest things you learn as a physician is just to watch individuals. Sometimes I’m just watching how people walk into the office, but as I was taking care of patients and just interacting, whether with friends, people and just the environment. One of the things that just kept coming back to me is a lot of things that we deal with health wise can be tied back to something that’s causing a stress. And then when you look at it, it ties back to how are we processing it mentally. And so outside of this, my other fun activity is working with my nonprofit and I just wanted to do something where we could train individuals to refocus their thought process and to get the tools that they need to live a better positive effect of life. So I tell patients all the time, go work out. And when I say go work out to improve whether their blood pressure or their blood sugar or their weight, I’m telling them to go to the gym, a physical gym, long exercise. So the mind gym is the same thing, except now I want to work out their mind.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:11:43] Why is it so difficult for us to understand that the mental health is also a part of our physical wellbeing?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:11:54] I think there’s unfortunately still a taboo about talking about mental health. When you say the word mental health, individuals automatically clam up. They think they’re going to be judged. Everyone has this feeling that you’re calling them, quote unquote crazy, which is not the case. And so because it’s not as popular to say, hey, I’m being treated or I’m getting counseling as it is to say I’m working out, it’s a conversation that’s not being had and it needs to be had.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:12:27] Let’s go through some of the I think you said six areas of wellness. Let’s talk a little bit about physical wellness.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:12:34] Okay. So that one comes extremely easy for me to talk about because we encourage people to go and exercise. So when I think of physical wellness, I’m thinking of one of the things you’re doing to help improve your overall physical health. You know, when you’re born, you have this one body, and this body is a machine. And how you take care of that machine is how you’re going to function now. And unfortunately, some things can happen that you have no control of. But a lot of things we have control of like what are we eating that can affect us and that could affect our physical health? Are we exercising? Are we sleeping well? Are we taking our medications? All of that affects our physical health. I’ve dealt with a lot of people who have chronic back problems, and some of it is just because of the posture while they’re at work. And so with physical wellness, we have certified trainers who talk about past, you know, proper posture types of exercises to strengthen your core. They train us, train individuals to really focus on their physical health and improve their life in that regard. And then I, being a physician, also encourage and try to get nurse practitioners, other physicians to focus on the disease of the mom. Like if it’s breast cancer awareness or Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s give everyone the tools necessary to improve their health.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:13:57] Are you a good example for others? Wellness?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:14:01] I would say so. I am trying to do exactly what I preaching. I workout, eat right, sleep well. But the biggest thing, John, is when I notice there is a stress or a trigger, I identify it and then I do something. So sometimes people may not be where they need to be, but as long as they’re able to identify it and once they identify it, then get the tools. And that’s what the gym is about.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:14:24] Talk to us about those stresses and triggers. How does one identify those?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:14:30] So, you know, one of the things that I noticed a lot is a lot of it has to do with work. You know, there’s a lot of people who are in jobs that either they’re not happy because they don’t understand what they’re doing or maybe they do understand what they’re doing, but because there’s something happening at home, they’re bringing it to work. And one of the stressors could be something financial, like they don’t know how to manage their their finances or they’re overwhelmed in debt and they don’t know where to go. One of the things I think about is earlier in the year with the government shutdown and how many people were affected. So once that occurred, what tools do they have to then try to ensure that, God forbid, something like that happens again? They would have the resources or the funds necessary to be able to function. So identifying the stressors are. I’m. Something’s happening in my life. It has to do with money. Let me now do something about it or it’s a relational issue. Let me talk to somebody about it or I’m not sleeping well. What could be causing it? Or. Or I’m not able to work effectively at work. Let me now find the tools that will help me.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:15:42] Understand how does that interact with the personal professional wellness that you’re speaking of?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:15:49] Yeah. So what I did was I tried to go through like, what is it that we deal with on a day to day basis, month to month basis? So we talked about physical, but then there’s that emotional part. I’m stressed, I’m anxious, and some people have a challenging time figuring out what that trigger is. That’s where going to the gym to work out that part would help. Then lifestyle, wellness. And that’s where we have a certified health coach. And so you get in talks about if you’re not sleeping well, what is the evidence behind good sleep? Why do we always say, hey, you need to get 6 to 8 hours of sleep? And why is that important? Food. We can tell people to eat healthy. Cooking at home sometimes is a challenge for people. So giving them tools when they do go out and eat, you know, budgeting so they can afford the healthier foods and making the foods taste good. Because some kids will say, you know, broccoli doesn’t taste good as French fries. We try to do things and give them tools to improve social. Social interaction is extremely important in this day and age of social media. So many people don’t have conversations anymore. Right. They hide behind their screen. So also being able to interact in a social environment or get out and still do the face to face with friends, colleagues, etc.. Of course, we know financial wellness is important. There is a lot of individuals, as our baby boomer population grows, that, you know, debt, retirement, all of that. Those are things that they think about. Do they have the tools? I even think about when I was young and I was in college. I grew up in a very stable family, but I remember being in college and getting my first credit card and using that credit card and not realizing the proper use. And there’s so many students that if we target them at a young age and create, you know, programs that could help them financially, that would also decrease some of these other stressors. And then like we’ve talked about professional wellness, you know, interview etiquette, that’s important, how to hold a job or how to find a job. So trying to really create a culture of workplace wellness where employers have the opportunity to enhance the lives of their employees and their families by addressing these health issues through their benefit programs, policies and just overall, well, workplace culture. Having that conversation.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:18:11] Documented, how do we navigate the this food oasis, so to speak? Was it not to eat, eat in certain portions, eat and certain things at certain times of the day? How do we make sense of all this?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:18:27] That’s why individuals have to come to the Wellness Institute, because it is a process and sometimes it has to do with your medical history. So I can’t necessarily say that one size fits all. So if there’s a workplace and there’s individuals who are struggling with that whole question that you just asked, this is where if their employers are saying, hey, we’ve got a program that can help you navigate that because this patient is a diabetic, so their carbohydrate intake is going to be different that someone who’s not a diabetic. And then if this person has chronic kidney disease, we can create a plan to help support that. So to answer that question, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do help individuals, help workplaces, cultivate an environment where it’s okay to have the conversation and there’s resources available to train their mind so they know what to do.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:19:22] Are there two different guys of measurement? One for corporate and one for personal?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:19:28] Yes. Our big focus is on workplace. Well, that’s our target market. However, we do have one on one for individuals and we do have classes at the Wellness Institute in Swansea for anyone who wants to sign up. But we do offer both for everyone.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:19:46] Now you’re in Georgia. How does one participate in the Wellness Institute? They’re located in another state.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:19:52] So we have an online platform. So what we’ve created is let’s say there’s a company that’s a small or medium sized company and they want access to what we’re doing. They would send us an email request, we do a consultation, and then we create a package to tailor what their needs are and our instructors have created online. Video content. So we have a catalog, a library of content that’s available, but then we can also specify what they need and create additional content. So there’s the ability for them to watch online. Then now with the age of technology, we can actually do live classes if need be, and they could participate that way. So we’re very accessible and we’re even open to traveling, just depending on the need, the number of employees, and we’re able to customize the packages depending on the need of the the customer.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:20:46] And doing the research for this interview. I read an article which was written about you the CDC, released in 2018. I’m talking about a 25% rise in the last 15 years of suicides in this country.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:21:00] Yeah, we looked at that article a couple of years ago, and this is one of the things that really impacted me, touched me. And then I’ve I’ve experienced that with, you know, patients or something that’s happened where I’m noticing it’s happening a lot in younger age kids all over. So to see that number and unfortunately is growing. It was a cry. I said, you know, we need to really talk about how people are processing and you can’t just look at the external because someone can look like everything’s okay. But deep down inside they’re going through so much, but really want to create that culture in the workplace where it’s okay to say, Hey, I need additional help in this area and it’s not taboo. This is already there, then let’s do it.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:21:45] And this thing besides getting our mind right, I also understand that you have another nonprofit living real.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:21:53] Yes, sir.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:21:54] Tell us about that.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:21:55] So this is another passion. As we stated, I was born in Nigeria, came to the States when I was young and have had the ability, the support to pursue my passion in my career. And one of the biggest things I realized is, you know, it’s not the I got this quote from Corrie ten boom, the activist is not the duration of your life, it’s the donation. And so I wanted to do something to give back. So what living world does? We have three main areas. Our major focus is rebuilding a school in Nigeria. So trying to give those students tools and rebuilding the entire school and giving them a science lab, etc. to help their career and their goals. But then we also do a program here in the States called the Real Empowerment Program, and we target juniors and seniors in high school, mostly underserved students. And we mentor, we do monthly mentorships, quarterly mentorships, give them a scholarship and help them figure out what they want to do in life type, really create a plan. And then lastly, we partner with other nonprofits and give our time or resources to the nonprofits.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:23:08] Obviously, you can’t do all this alone. Who are the other individuals that make up your team?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:23:14] So for the Wellness Institute, I have an amazing team. I have a marketing director and chief operating officer, and they do a lot of work. And then we have a manager that is the day to day individual and a financial team. So they keep it running within my workplace, you know, I work and then of course have a team within the hospital system and then the nonprofit has a board and they all know who they are and they all know they mean the world to me. And then, of course, God, my mom and dad, you know, I could go down the whole line of people who just support me.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:23:48] Documenting everyone or people listening to this program. I think that you got to where you are today real simple and easy. It wasn’t any obstacles that you had to overcome, but obviously there probably worse. Can you explain what they were?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:24:05] Yes. Like I said, I was born in a third world country, so my parents were by no ways wealthy. And my dad came to the States and he worked hard and he tried to implement an institute, that same work ethic in me and my brother. But growing up, things weren’t handed to us. So I learned the importance of hard work and then being a minority going to institutions that we were the minority. You had to really prove yourself and and work hard and be able to take I call it constructive criticism. Sometimes it may not have came out that way and just have a lot of self confidence in yourself and have a lot of emotional support. And then just working in the field of medicine is challenging, is constantly changing. There’s a lot of expectations, so it’s not been easy. But anytime you have a passion to help, a passion to make a difference in your life, it’s well worth it.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:25:01] Now you’re located in and around Atlanta, Georgia. Being in that location with a large African-American presence. Has what you’re doing been really accepted.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:25:13] I think, within the circle? All that I have been able to expose myself to. Yes. And what I’m trying to do is really expand my borders and help as many people as I can. But to answer your question, yes.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:25:27] Do you have an opportunity to go out and many young people.
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:25:30] All the time. We do it through our the nonprofit The Living Room, Inc.. So one of the things we’ve done is we’ve partnered with some of the local high schools. So I went back to the high school that I went to read in high school, and then we’ve partnered with high schools in other counties, and we’ve asked the counselors to select individuals that they feel would be beneficial to the program. That’s one of the biggest ways we’ve partnered. And then any time I get an opportunity to work with another nonprofit that’s focusing like there’s one that I’ve worked with called I Am Beautiful with Young Girls and Self-esteem and empowering Young Women. So any opportunity I get, I’m constantly doing that.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:26:09] Obviously, the mind gym one size does not fit all. What are the length of the processes?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:26:16] So again, it’s so customizable. The content depends on what the client needs. So what we’d like to do for specifically workplace wellness, which is our main target audience companies who are interested, we create a whole library of content. So the physical could be courses on again, if it’s a job where it’s a lot of heavy lifting, proper lifting, things to do to strengthen your core, etc. Emotional wellness is a lot of content and that just because there’s a lot of individuals that deal with anxiety, stress, depression and we’re giving them tools to improve it, to identify it. And the same thing with lifestyle, social, financial, like there’s a lot, of course, content behind it based on what the consumer needs.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:27:03] Obviously, you have to whittle down, you know, what is being offered. So how long did it take you to come up with the concept and to come up with the coursework?
Dr. Idopise Umana [00:27:13] This idea was, in my mind, probably around 2014 15. It was an idea in my head. Then, as I continued to experience life, talk to individuals, it just continued to formulate itself. And then you get around individuals like my executive team as well as just the operational team and the marketing team, and they further helps with the past year and a half. We’ve done a lot of work to really understand and then a lot of research behind it.
John L. Hanson Jr. [00:27:41] Dr. Idopise Umana, a board certified internal medicine physician and founder of the Wellness Institute located in Suwannee, Georgia. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, ask Your Future In Black America programs. Email us at In Black America at kut.org. Also, let us know what radio station you heard is over. Remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. The views and opinions expressed on this program are not necessarily those of the station or of the University of Texas at Austin. You can hear previous programs online at KUT dot org. Until we have the opportunity again for technical director David Alvarez, I’m John L. Hanson Jr. Thank you for joining us today. Please join us again next week.
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