The Marissa Mitchell Show: July 13, 2026

That's what little warmer tomorrow and then play all hot again Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Sorry. Uh, here comes another heat dome with a lot of oppressive hot air Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. So enjoy today. It should be beauty. Absolutely. I will be going for a nice long walk today. Good day for it. All right, let's send it over to Marissa or maybe a ride on Metro. If you recognize to me here, you probably have seen her on social media. You're the one blowing the air kisses on the New York City subway. You did some of that here in D. C. Metro actually. And I was there for it. Yes, I'm so happy to be here. D. C. I'm happy to have you both kisses. Welcome on into the Marissa Mitchell show and we are coming in hot this week. I'm literally still on a high after taking the Metro with one of the most popular social media stars out there. And some of you have already hit me up about it. Well, she's in town and she is here. We're gonna also shine the on some up and coming talent portraying some of music's biggest stars. Now I've done Metro, but never with someone who blows kisses at passenger strangers. You may have seen to me a Jones viral videos on New York City subway. Well, she's done collaborations with celebrities, even New York Mayor Mamdani. Now she's here in D. C. Spreading joy. I'm gonna tell you all about our little trip to Union Station and how the district reacted. First, so scan the QR code to send to me a comment or question. Already we have dozens of messages coming and she is going to read some of those throughout the show. That song is about 30 years old and everybody's dancing in studio. Recently I spoke with members of TLC. Now I'm chatting with the women who portray the iconic girl group in a musical at arena stage. Hear how they made the transformation and usher or your baby and Chris Brown took over the DMV still doing so. I ran into so many of you as well at their concert over the weekend. They have their third and final show tonight at Northwest Stadium and maybe I'll have some confessions in just about 15 minutes. So let's do it. You're recognized my first guest from our viral videos viewed hundreds of millions of times. They're all about spreading joy and positivity in New York City. Touch me like you do, touch me like you do. Top star Tamiya Jones. Window knocks are so popular. She's letting D. C. In on the fun. See if you recognize who received some of that love at Union Station. That's your girl. That's me. We were having some fun there. I just had to see what it felt like. You know, producer Victoria and I, we had a blast with Tamiya over the weekend. So I just want to bring her in right now. If you will, you are hugely popular. I mean, she was like, I thought I was walking with Michael Jackson Union Station. So many people recognize you love you and they're like, I wish I was on the train to get one of your kisses or you know your hearts before we get started here. We got so much to get to. Please scan the QR code to send to me a question or a comment. She's gonna read those live over the air. How did it feel to watch some of those play back? I was gonna cry. I'm so proud. It makes me feel so good to make other smiles. Gosh, how did you first come up with the idea or did it just happen? Well, after high school, I always knew that I wanted to be a content creator. So I tried different things walking around Times Square with the sign that said looking for a husband. I used to do prank calls and uplifting and encouraging people to stay strong even when they have no one. Gosh, now when you did the first one on the subway, when was that? And how did it take off? November 16 2024. I went viral in two weeks of staying consistent. The New York Post reached out to me. I mean, New York Post. I mean, you've been on all of the major content has been on all of the major networks. But I understand this is actually your first television interview. You did it with me. Thank you for coming to D. C. I know you made the trip specifically. We were out there just yesterday, and it was so good to see people smiling and, you know, making positive gestures. And I have some people write me go, you know, she would come on the weekend. I need her during the week going to work. So do people come up to you just when you're out minding your business? You're not at the subway. And if so, what do they say? They say, Oh, my God, you're the girl who blows. Can I get a picture? Can I get a quick picture? It makes me feel so good. So this is a video we're looking at now from yesterday. We were walking through, and I have to say, though, 90% of the reactions were positive. Yes, you did get some side eyes. You got some eye rolls. You got some people pretending like they didn't see you. What's the worst reaction you've gotten? Would you say I've gotten the middle finger? Really? Yes. Why? I don't know. Miserable people. But I still continue because the positive reactions keep me going. I get so many positive, though. Negative ones don't even matter to me. Gosh, it's just so it's really the way you live. It's not just about the content. I sense that from you. That is just who you are. And you also have done a lot of homeless outreach. Tell me about that. Yes, I give homeless people underwears. I hope them get placed into safe havens and shelters. I give them toothbrushes. We do coat drives for them and just help them. Where did that come from? That heart for service to me? I would just say 2023. I started doing the homeless outreach, and I just was like I'm for the people. I just wanted to help people and just spread love and help homeless people. Yeah, well, when I first met you, we've been talking for weeks, but yesterday I come to you at Union Station. You go. I've just been connecting with Queen Latifah. So many celebrities. I just talked about New York's mayor that you just did a collaboration with. Yes. What? What are they saying in your DMS? How are they making this interaction with you? They just usually comment and like the video like Ava DuVernay says it has like videos. Queen Latifah had just recently followed me. Angie Martinez. Who do you want? I want to collab with Queen Latifah and Kendrick Lamar because I use his song in like every video. That'd be dope. Yeah. Now, do you have some people who I guess you do not blow kisses to? Like say there's a couple. Do you kind of steer clear from that or does it matter? I try to just spread love to everyone. Relationship, older people, women, men, just children. Yeah. Yeah. What about your personal safety? Because I saw how popular you are for myself. How do you make sure that you're safe amid it all? Nobody really has done anything to get me. Like they just always every time they see me they're just like, oh my God, can I get a picture? I haven't really had nobody try to jump at me or anything like that. Yeah. All right. Well, we created a little rapid fire game with you. It's called kiss or diss. Okay. Since you're known for blowing kisses, the air kisses and also you're an influencer clearly. So let's start with a few of these here. Up first, stealing content creators, videos and pictures. Kiss or diss? Diss. Diss. You've dealt with this. Yes. They usually steal my videos and they earn off of my videos. They'll steal my videos and a lot of people think that that's me and it's not me. Like, oh, I thought you had two, three pages and I just have one page. Oh, so they just take your content, put it on their pages and they pretend to be you. Yes. Impersonate me. Wow. And this is your sole income source. Yes. Doing what you're doing. So it matters. Big time. I'm viral on all platforms. TikTok, Facebook, YouTube. I just received my YouTube plaque. Okay. Yes. Using selfie sticks in public. Kiss or diss? Kiss. Kiss. Selfie sticks are cool. Still cool. Yeah. All right. Fans approaching you on the street. I think you're going to say kiss or diss. All right. Sliding into someone's DMs. Kiss or diss? Diss. Why? Me sliding into someone's DMs. Or both. People sliding into yours, you sliding into others. Okay, I'm gonna have to switch that over to kiss. Okay, if they're doing it to you. Yeah. Because you have the control. Because I get a lot of fan love too. Yes, you do. You're a New Yorker. Folding pizza. Kiss or diss? Kiss. That was easy. D.C.'s metro system. Be careful. Kiss or diss? Kiss. D.C. showed me a lot of love. I'm honored and I'm grateful. All right, now you got a lot of people asking me, can you do it again? I missed you all yesterday. Finally, I want to get to the heart of this. You've helped people who are battling depression, just getting out of the hospital. I've read some of the comments on the page. Can you think of one that really hits home and interaction with someone whose day was made better because of you? Well, someone recently DM me and told me that they're about to lose their life and my videos really make them have hope and they lost their mom or they lost like a relative and they haven't smiled in weeks and they see my video and they smile. So that makes me feel so good and inspires me to keep going. Yeah, Tamia, we have one right here. Someone said they had a heart failure, a heart condition. They were in the ICU at the hospital and your kisses gave them hope so they can now see what kindness looks like. Yes. We need more kind people in the world. You're doing that each and every day. You're gonna hang around to have some more fun with us for the hot sheet. Tamia, I'm so glad you're here. We got to give you some trending topics, some celebrity topics, a whole panel, but scan the QR code to send her a question or a comment. We're gonna get as many as we can because we have dozens already. I'm sure you're uber popular. We're gonna do as many as we can in a few minutes. All right, well, we just talked about this is R and B singer Brandi saw all of the online hate and body shaming comments that people have directed at her. We're going to break down her classy clap back ahead of the hot sheet. Plus the actresses and the hit musical based on TLC is playing now at D. C. S. Arena stage here from the rising stars in 20 minutes. I told you you were in for a good show. I'm going to keep turning up for today's fitness flex. Learn some dances to celebrate Caribbean carnival culture. Do you dance a little something? Okay, I feel like I need sheets with kisses on them today. Mia Jones here, the viral superstar known for blowing kisses, those air kisses on New York City subway. And you did it here in D. C. We had so much fun with it yesterday. That was amazing. Jojo Cruz, media personnel got your podcast poppin. Thank you. The principle of culture podcast. You guys go check it out. New episodes drop every Thursday. Follow us on instagram and you can view all the episodes on Spotify. I heart everywhere. Imagine the orange flame. You know, it's a little peep for Georgia peach. You know, you overstood the assignment. Well, listen, I'm still in good spirits. Happy that I had a chance to see usher baby and chris brown over the weekend. You were there at the same show. We were at Northwest Stadium away from each other. Yeah, I'm a little salty though. Jojo, I'm a little salty because I was not one of the people they called on stage. This is just some of the footage. I got video of usher to, you know, you can't play one and not the other. Uh, at the concert, it was a blast. I've seen usher four times now. That was my first time seeing breezy and he was fantastic. I also saw so many of you are in squad, our viewers, you all showed up, showed out one of the best parts of going to the concert if you ask me. So the R. N. B. Tour, hot or not? Absolutely fire. You know, let it burn. Yeah, she was my very first concert. You and I share that with Jackson and I've seen every single tour since then, I think with the exception of one and he just elevates every single time. I've also seen chris about 45 times. It's literally like having Michael and prince on the stage together. They're just like so iconic. It was, oh, shout out to the security outside. When we walked up the security guard goes, oh my gosh, she stops directing traffic and screams. I love you on Fox five. I see you all the time. You're one of my faves like shadow me. I was like, what? Like this is like maybe the third time this has happened in the past couple of weeks. So shout out to the Northwest security guard. She was like made a whole scene. I was like, okay, thank you. They go so hard for us here at Capital One Arena. We have such a, she's like, tell Marissa and then I said hi, they love, they love you. So shout out to the Northwest security guard. It was an amazing show like and I posted this thing on my instagram, Marissa Mitchell on instagram of this, this meme of this guy like just flipping back and forth in bed looking at pictures from a concert. That was me. It was a blast and I agree. I mean you felt like you were seeing two of the greatest on stage together and I'm glad that even though the fans try to tear them apart or pit them against each other, they said, you know what? We're putting that to bed. We're gonna get this money. I'm glad they didn't do a versus. This is what we need. We didn't need a person. Here we go. And they did a couple of songs together. It was, it rained a little bit, but the rain, we put our ponchos on, we were having a good time. Party. No, no, no, no. Have you seen them to me yet? I haven't seen them live, but I would definitely do. God, okay. Usher, chris brown. You like them both equally. Yeah. And also I love how they both paid, paid homage to Michael Jackson. I saw that as well because I was like, look at his sons on stage together. I wore my microchip just for that reason. That's her daddy. He birthed them. It was excellent. If you're going to the show tonight, let me know. You can scan the QR code for that too. I had to get us some tickets for the night too. It was that good. I let's go producer Antonio. He's been checking that the price has been dropping. So you're still in town. It may be something to go to. Hey, take metro. Yes, there we go. Let's check this out too. This is a story I'm not happy to share, but I'm so glad she clapped back. You know, we just talked about R and B singer brandy just hit back at some body shaming comments about her weight. Uh, in this instagram post, the 47 year old said, quote, remember you were looking at someone's child before you speak about someone's body. She added that it takes a moment to form an opinion about someone's appearance and a lifetime to understand what they've lived through. That's a whole word. She didn't urge everybody to be more gentle with each other. Brandy's post hot or not. You know, I'm the biggest brandy fan. I have my boy is mine brunch last year. Like I am a diehard brandy fan. I was so happy to see her do this. She just been honored in her hometown of Mississippi. She just did essence festival. She was honored at the women in music in essence, Hollywood Walk of Fame. She's having such a moment and there's always gonna be somebody who's trying to take away from that. I'm glad that she clapped back and you never know what people are going through. And I went to somebody's comments. I was like, don't you gotta start this. We're not gonna do this. Like I cut it out. Brandy was sitting up in her room and she had time that day and I'm glad she said something because when I saw the story trending and saw her pictures before she said something, I immediately thought of chatting with those and how people were talking about him before we knew what he was battling. And that's what she was not to say that she's battling the same thing, but you don't know. She also know in her book, I went to go see her for her book story in New York a couple months ago and she talked about some traumatic incident that she went through within the past couple of years. She wouldn't go into death with Angie Martinez, but she said people don't realize that basically essentially she almost took her life is what it sounded like. So it's like, please stop bullying people. Leave people alone. You don't know what they're dealing with. You're either not or hot that she said something, but do you ever deal with the comments? Because I saw some of the comments leave these people alone. You but I still keep spreading my love, even in the midst at all. I don't let nothing stop me from pushing the message. Gotta be built for for sure. Being a public comment figure. Yeah, I can get you every time, but I'm quick with the blocking. Okay, I don't know what to think about. I'll just block you. This take on a study that revealed the personality traits that you have to have to be a successful influencer. We have an influencer here, so they say agreeableness is the most influential trait for all content creators. But follower count determines what you need. Influencers with less than 100,000 followers. You need focus. You got to be relatable, emotionally expressive with people like you with huge following. You got to be polished and trustworthy. That's from the University of Alabama. Do you agree that people like you have to come off polished and trustworthy to be successful? Yes. Would you add more to that? I have a lot of eyes on me, so I have to watch what I say to people, because even though they try to tear me down in the comments, you have to still be positive. And they're like, I know that's not the girl who was going off on somebody in an Uber. Yeah, you have to watch what you say to people. Still be positive. Just block them. Don't say nothing at all. I used to argue back and forth, but I stopped. You know, be positive, but then always be authentic. And I can testify. She's really like this in real life. So the same same person. And Tucker, he's the same in real life. Very clear. I have 2000 followers on Tiktok, and I have none of those traits. Now I know why. Yeah, you're authentic. That's why. Mine's a private club. I don't want. I don't want too many people only. Here we go. Red carpet only. Yeah. Yeah. So you can. You can apply if you're interested. I remember we used to have 90. Well, thank you. Yeah, you might have more interstate weather. It looks good out there. Thank you. It looks beautiful out there. Maybe I will get more after today. Yeah, mid eighties later this afternoon. Looks great. Another dome of heat. You will run for the hills here near 100 by Wednesday and Thursday. Oh, my. Well, enjoy today. All right. Thanks so much to me. You're gonna hang around and around. We also have a workout that feels like a party that's coming up. D. C. Soca tribe. They're warming up for today's fitness flex, bringing you dance moves with the joy of the Caribbean carnival culture. I hope I'm ready for that. Scan the QR code. Let us know how you're excited about it. Also to send to me a question or comment. I'm gonna read those right after the break. Jojo. Thank you. I have a social media mega star here today to me. A Jones taking your questions and comments. Charlie from Bully. She is beautiful. Is Miss to me a single? He said he's not asking for. He's asking for himself. Are you single? Yes, I am. Really single by choice. Clearly, because it's a lot of men. Men are asking me about to me. Let's see what else we have. Charles. He did his best. The road in here from D. C. I love you. Your videos always make me smile. You ever get nervous walking up to the window. When I first started, I used my heart used to race, but I've been doing it for, like, 23 years now. So to me, what did I tell you when we were together before we started that I was for you? And I'm just standing there and I was nervous, but it was a lot of fun after we got through. Maybe the first three people I loosened up a bit. All right, next up. You're great being so involved today. Barbara says. Good morning, Fox five family. Mr Mia Jones. I think what you're doing is a blessing to millions of people. Whether you know it or not, you are saving millions of lives with the kindness of love. That is beautiful. She's praying more blessings over you out of Capitol Heights. One more. Thank you, Barbara. We appreciate that. Char. What's been your favorite moment doing this? I love you from Fairfax. I love when I knock and blow the kiss, and then they go like this and touch their hearts. So, you know, they received it. That's my favorite gesture, and there's still more to come. So tell me about your website and some D. C. Merch. Yes, I just launched some merch. D. C. Inspired. So train inspired so you guys can check out my website to me and jones dot com. I'm sure you all will love it. That's me. And to me, I had a blast with you. I'm so happy you did. We did it on a Sunday. We didn't plan it that way, but it was just a refresher. Yeah, that I need for a new work week. Yes. Love you more. And that's where you all can stay your breath. All right to me. Let me guess. How are you getting home? Metro the you might catch her. Thanks for stopping by here first. It's 11 27. The stars of crazy, sexy, cool. The T. L. C. Musicals stopped by our show as well. Here are conversation about the production at D. C.'s arena stage next. I want no scrub scrub because I gotta can't get no love from me hanging out the passenger side of his best friend's ride trying to holler at me. Well, we had a TV exclusive conversation last week with members of T. L. C. T. Boz in Chile. It was all about the musical based on their lives. Crazy, sexy, cool. That's playing right now at arena stage in D. C. I also sat down with the actresses who portrayed the legendary group. What was your relationship to her story and how are you able to tap in with her not physically being here? Um, that is I love that question, first of all, because that was a really big thing mentally when I first approached this role because I was like, oh, she's not here. I don't, you know, how am I gonna tap into her story? But then I just decided to search for Lisa and not left eye. And when I did that, it made everything so much clear because I was able to tap into the human of who she was instead of trying to recreate the icon of who she was. You know what I mean? Because you I always say you can't recreate a moment. You can't recreate an icon. You can't recreate a legend. And so I'm trying to figure out who Lisa was and understanding who Lisa was because she wanted to be understood. She explained herself very clearly. The good, the bad, the ugly and the great. Um, and so I just sat down and just listened to whatever she had to say without any bias, without any recollection of headlines or just listen to Lisa. And with that, she gave me a beautiful story to tell. Wow. Our viewers know that I'm a very spiritual person. So I have to ask you this question. Do you feel at any point left eye visited you maybe during rehearsals or in one of the show? No, I was very clear about how I wanted to approach this and I myself and I'm also very spiritual. I believe that the God that created her is the God that knew her best. And so I asked him to help me tell this story because that's his baby. He knows her. He created her. And what better than to get the truth from the creator than you know what I mean? Then from someone who is trying to figure out the words themselves. So I did it that way. And um, that that led me to where I needed to be. Wow. Okay. So T-Boz and Chili, they're at rehearsal. They're watching you guys. What kind of feedback did they give you? Do it like do it like you're battling boys. T-Boz was really the choreographer. And so she's all, I thought she's very matter of fact and she's very helpful. And she, one of the big things that they really wanted to make sure we got right from the last workshop because they saw us before was that we had a lot of masculine energy. We were tomboys and like y'all, we were tomboys, especially early in their careers. She grew up battling boys like that line in the show is they do like you're battling the boys. That's real. She would go to like the skating rink and she would dance with the boys. And so yeah, that was one of their biggest things that they wanted to make sure that we portrayed. Well, um, lyrics. Yeah. Cause you know, the songs that are like so popular you're singing and you're like, I actually don't know what the real words are. It's just what I'm always saying. It's like, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Their music, it rings true today. But any of you hear them on the radio all the time anyway, it's still so relevant. You have a favorite TLC song that you sing or not. Just one that really speaks to you. I stand by fan mail. Fan mail is really, I don't know what it is. It's just, it's just, oh, digging, digging on you. Like you ride in your car and just rock out to it. I've always enjoyed I'm pretty. I have a lot of favorite songs, but the one that moves me, I'd say I'm pretty is so beautiful. And sometimes doing it in the show, people will sing along. Sometimes you can just tell that that song meant a lot to a lot of people. And you can feel that in the room when we do that song, they were always talking about stuff, but in serious societal issues before they became in vogue or on trend, they were the trend setters in that way, if you will. So for people who have not seen the show and you've got to see the show, you tell us and we can start with you, Stoney, come down the line, the moment, your favorite moment in the production or line, what have you that really rings true for me and my character. I think it's when it's an act to when chili has a moment where she wrestles with God. Um, that's one of the things that pulled me and interested me in the show is that I get to portray an icon who, who reached a certain level of success, but was still unafraid to talk about her relationship with God. And I know a lot of people who reach a certain level don't really do that. And so me as a woman of faith, I took joy in being able to portray someone who loves God and knows that he was a significant part of their journey as he was mine. So I think that's one of the most exciting parts for me where I get to talk to my savior and say, I need help because that's a real moment for, I think a lot of people in the world, whether you're chili or just an audience member, Jay, who I would say my last few lines in the show to my sisters and it is, um, I never left you. I'm always with you and TLC forever. I think that is the full scope of the show. Um, I think that is the full scope of our relationship and the relationship that Tion, the real Tion and Chili have with Lisa, um, because they will forever be TLC. You can't replace Left Eye, which is why they haven't tried. You know what I mean? Which is why, because her place is always just cemented in time. And so I think that speaks and rings true to the story that we're telling in the show. And, uh, I think, I think that's probably my favorite. That's probably my favorite. Oh, okay. Mine is, uh, towards the end of act two when Tion battles with yet another sickness, which I'm not going to say because it seems to be a big, like, plot twist to a lot of people. There's always a big, um, but after that scene, uh, the manager comes in and he says, sickle cell didn't bring you down. Left Eye's dying didn't bring you down. And if you know anything about Tion, if you read her poetry book, um, she lost her grandma, um, to cancer. And she writes about how watching her grandma fight through encouraged her to continue to fight through. She's like, Oh, my sickness is nothing compared to what you're going through. And I think about the amount of pain that she's experienced in her life and how she didn't even want to share that with the world because she didn't want to be seen as weak, but how powerful she's actually seen as. And we get to tell a story of resilience. And so once I get through all of those health battles that I've been through and I have, I have beautiful moment with Lisa where she helps me come out of it. And yeah, that's just my favorite moment in the show. I think it's just such a beautiful, inspirational story of resilience. It's a love letter. I feel to them and their legacy, right? And then hopefully it's still being written because a lot of people want to see you all on Broadway show. What do you think about that prospect? Great white way. It's crazy. Cool. The TLC musical on Broadway. I think that's great. I mean, I'm a Broadway baby. Legacy deserves that, you know, their story deserves to be told. Um, I think they deserve to get their flowers. Crazy, sexy, cool. The TLC musical runs now through august 9th at arena stage in southwest D. C. I've seen it. I would see it two or three times. It's that good. Just use the link on your screen to find dates and tickets. Mitchell Joe is our fitness flex today. You are invited to dance with me. So the tribe here in D. C. They're gonna teach me some moves. I'm ready to learn. Ladies, we'll be right back. Well, if you couldn't tell from that video today's fitness flag is a party and guess what? You are on the guest list. In fact, you're V. I. P. D. C. Soca tribe shares the joy of Caribbean carnival culture and they are here to show us some here live in studio. Ladies, take it away. I've never been to a natural carnival. Start with a chip. There we go. This is how we move around. Now we're gonna start with our waistline. Pick around. Hey, those knees early. Listen, I use this round show on how you do that part. That's over. That's a lot harder. No, we got it though. She is ready now. I'm not so cute, grateful, beautiful spirit, beautiful energy. Thank you. Right in there. It is. We always say to people, the reason that carnival is the greatest show on earth because it's a participatory sport. So it's not about us giving it to them. It is about us creating a vibe together and it's everywhere for everybody, everywhere for everybody and everybody is a carnival body. Oh, I like that. Director Giselle Hunt. And then we also have dr Shauna regard. Thank you so much for coming. You all aren't even out of breath. How? Someone said when you're thinking about carnival, what's the first thing you should prepare? And I said your stamina. I'm gonna say costumes, stamina, stamina, stamina, stamina, everything else you can purchase or somebody will help you figure it out. But your stamina has got to come from in here. Yes. And from the core. I mean, you're really, you're really working all of the things, all of the things, all of the time in a fun way, in a fun way. And so when it comes to silica tribe here in D. C. People get to feel that they're telling me about some of the classes that you offer programs. So we have our flagship class, which is kind of like carnival in a class. It is. If you were a fitness professional, you would classify it as a high intensity interval training. We also have stretch and wine. So for those who are not as much about the cardio, but really want to get in touch with their grounding in their body, improve their flexibility. We've got stretch and wine for our grown. So you're like stretching and one and one. A lot about how you move your waistline. Okay. It's about flexibility, mobility and also strength. And so working through those things and how they come together in whining and we teach different techniques because there are different ways to whine. Okay, so we break them down. Really? Like different speeds, speeds, forms. Notice I'm doing three different things, but they're all part of my head. Someone were back involved. You use your knees more for others. Are you grounded in the center? Is it driven from your knees that driven from your hips? I'm like bones in there. You're just like moving. Thank you. You want to be in flow? Yeah, I want to get on one of your class. Yes, we would love to have you. And it's beyond even just the physicality of it all. You are teaching culture. It is for us. That is the driver. That is what keeps us coming back. Because you can take a class anywhere. But I like to say when you come to soak a tribe class, you feel the spirit of carnival. Like we make sure we break down our class so that when people attendees leave, they understand. I was on the road. There was a competition. This is the mass band. All of those things that make carnival great and they feel different. Yeah, this community aspect is really we. Um, I mean, it's been 11 years. So I was reading your story. I was like more than a decade. But yes, 11 years and that's nothing to sneeze at. Thank you, Mika. That's that's huge. Thank you. And I thank the community. I thank the community because without it again, it's what brings us back. We would say we are a gateway community to the carnival culture, right? Because everybody does not have the budget, the initial bravery because I know people who would have never stepped outside and now they are front and center in you want to take up the space. The thing about carnival is within the costuming, people find the strength and the power to be their full self. And it's a global tradition. We talk about the Caribbean, but it's everywhere. It is everywhere and it's not. It's different styles of carnival and then carnival. We we focus on turn out because that's where my parents. Yes, beautiful people, beautiful people. Yes. And it's it's been transported elsewhere because again, this feeling this energy like it has the story of carnival really has we see the feathers in the fun, but it's really deeply seated in the spirit of resistance. There's the retention that came across the ocean with us. We partied in this way when they said that we couldn't because they want to break. We're gonna enjoy ourselves. Wow. Tell the story. It tells a story and that identify ladies. I'm curious to know what brought you to soak a tribe and dancing and smiling and being here today. What was it about it? I love that. Well, I can start. So I am actually originally from Boston. My parents are West Indian coming from Barbados and Haiti. Um, and I moved out to the DMV to do my bachelor, my doctoral degree at George Mason University. Yes, yes, yes. And a friend of mine who actually I did my undergraduate with was involved with soak a tribe and she called me up and she was like, Girl, you in the DMV now? Like, let's do this. I was like, Okay, as soon as I get myself ready, like sort myself out and I came to audition for the convoy and I've been a member of so the tribe convoy since 2017. Wait a minute. So there are auditions there. There are levels. There are levels. There are levels. So we started as just a gen's fitness class. But for those who had a little appetite for a little more because I told you, I don't want to tip the toe. See, I'm doing ready. Yeah. And here's the thing. There's no skill level. It's a community based group, right? And so the videos you saw, those were actually our community based performers. That was that funk parade back when it was a big funk parade on you street. So we got together people who wanted a little bit more than just a little tip ins for class. We worked on that and because carnival is for the people. Yes. Okay. Now, Giselle, are you? Yes. So I started honestly, as a journalist, I was covering Soca tribe. Now you better come over here. Accident. I was writing. I was writing a column at the time and it was about ways to stay fit in D. C. And I happened upon. It's a longer, really fun story. But I happened upon Soca tribe and I said, Oh yeah, I'm gonna cover them. And I just never left. That was in 2016. Um, in 2017, I became one of the first instructors under Shanika in 2019. I became the director and the community really is what keeps me personally. Like I am. I grew up in a Caribbean household as well. And there's a sense of home and a sense of home is something that everyone can relate to, right? But I could get Soca anywhere. I know where to find Soca. I know where to find my food. I know where to find my parties. She's plugged in. However, being able to be in community with people who are not only interested in doing those things, but really care about each other. We do all sorts of things outside of, you know, carnival culture together because we genuinely like each other. It's a community. Yes. And people, you know, new people come in people, you know, their lives take them elsewhere, but they're always, they always have a thread back to. So now do you all travel to carnival together? Because I'm trying to get on the next. Yes. Yes. So funny. Since Barbados is coming up, we'll start there. Okay. Yes. Barbados one. Barbados. Crop over is actually happening towards the, um, actually happening now. But when most people come is the end of July. Our our parade, which is called Condiment Day, is actually always the first Monday in August. And so we do travel to crop over. Um, there is, I actually own a concierge called Mayhem 246. So when we go to Barbados, that's what we want to come. Exactly. And then Soca Tribe also travels to Trinidad and some other carnivals. So, you know, we organize and we go, okay, y'all gonna add me to the group. You gotta come out. I will. I will come out and learn some moves first. Jamaica, where can people go to get connected to Soca Tribe? Maybe join, tap in and learn more. All things Soca Tribe across all social media. So Soca Tribe dot com is our hub for all things. You can find information on our classes. You can find about our bookings. We can find out. So we do corporate booking and throw that in there. Okay. Um, you can, uh, classes, bookings, trips, information, convoy. If you want to be an instructor, Soca Tribe dot com. We also have social media handles. So Instagram, the thread, you're everywhere. We are everywhere we need to be. Listen, clearly, let's drop some beats. There we go. All right, so we're gonna get this wave with the hits. You want one? Yep. Okay. Okay. Now we're gonna take it down. Oh, now I have a dress on. All right. I'm gonna give you the cute line. Hello. Hand on the knees. See? Listen, we have to adjust, okay? And your baggage, you're very welcome. Shawna, Soca Tribe. But out here on the dance floor, I feel so free. For today's Burst of Joy, Madonna Madge just proved she's that girl. No matter the decade. By setting a new record, she earned her 10th number one album on the Billboard 200 chart with Confessions to it marked her first number one album of the 2020. She's now the first person to have a Billboard 200 chart topper in the 2020s and in three other decades. Put some respect on her name. Madonna's new album is a sequel to the 2005 Confessions on a dance floor. We love Madonna around here, the Queen Bee and also a very, very good music executive. I feel like she doesn't get the credit for that as well, but we'll have much more, including a peek into a very special show that's planned for tomorrow. We do the M notes after this. Had a wonderful time with Tamia, the viral influencer who blows the kisses on New York City subway. She did it on D. C. S. Metro over the weekend. Isaiah, thank you for writing in. My sister continued to spread love. We need more of you around. God bless you. Hugs and kisses. Well, you're invited to relax and unwind with me on a very special day of rest show. That's tomorrow at 11 a.m. We're gonna be in our jammies when I have some co host here, Reverend Dr Xena Jack. She's gonna also join us live to teach us how to take a sacred pause.