Not All Hood (NAH): The Weekly Drop - Doc Fallout + Netflix x Warner Bros Explained

Podcast: Not All Hood (NAH)
Hosts: Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Candace Kelley, Lane
Featured Guest: Kim Fields
Release Date: December 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and deeply engaging episode, Not All Hood brings together host Malcolm-Jamal Warner, co-host Candace Kelley, and special guest Kim Fields for an intimate roundtable addressing the lived experiences of Black educators, generational legacy, grief, loss, and the power of community. Rather than focusing on industry news, the majority of the episode unfolds as a vulnerable conversation about education, personal journeys, and how to find purpose and healing through service and gratitude.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Malcolm’s Journey: Purpose, Teaching, & Authenticity

[00:28]

• Malcolm shares his upbringing in a militant, socially active household, tracing his activism from the Rodney King protests to Black Lives Matter in 2020.
• He highlights the exhaustion of perpetual struggle and the shift to "living and centering in love," which brought him both peace and greater impact.
  • Quote: “Fighting all the time is exhausting, and it doesn’t necessarily bear fruit. So I made a conscious decision to just live and center and love. And I think when I took that approach, I found peace and impact.” – Malcolm [01:15]

The Importance of Black Male Teachers and Representation

[02:26]

• Malcolm describes a viral video of himself and Black male colleagues, emphasizing that, while nationally Black men make up less than 1.8% of teachers, at his Atlanta school it’s nearly 40%.
  • Quote: “To see that high concentration of Black male teachers is impactful because there’s a lot of people who go their entire K-12 never having a Black male teacher.” – Malcolm [04:13]
• Discusses authenticity at work and the power of students seeing diverse role models—not just for Black kids but also White kids.
  • Quote (Kim Fields): “It is vital that these Black children see a Black man in power...It’s also good for White kids to see it, to diversify their outlook.” [04:29]
• Malcolm’s community of Black male educators is informally connected nationally via social media, though not a formal coalition.

Systemic Challenges in Education

[06:36]

• Discusses why there are so few Black male educators: undervaluing and underpaying teachers, which Malcolm attributes to the field being female-dominated.
• Trains students for entrepreneurship, emphasizing the need to “unlearn” traditional narratives about success and learning.
  • Quote: “I coach my young people to be entrepreneurs. The facts are, if I was not an entrepreneur, I couldn’t afford to be a teacher.” – Malcolm [09:41]
• Explores the necessity of side businesses to survive as educators—but also the imperative that teaching be fairly compensated.
  • Quote: “We still deserve to make a dignified wage from our one job.” – Malcolm [10:02]

Teaching Ethos, Curriculum, & Legacy

[12:15]

• Key lessons Malcolm centers for students:
  • Seek joy, not fleeting happiness
  • Purpose over passion
  • Money isn’t “real,” bank systems, and entrepreneurship as essential financial literacy
  • The most valuable gift: access to his network

[15:59]

• Teaches ethnic studies, economics, and personal finance; believes in ministry through education.
• Describes a family legacy of education and his own non-traditional path via music and politics before entering teaching.

Generational Reflections and Relationships

[17:00]

• Shares about learning from his father, also a teacher, and mixed feelings about teaching's financial challenges
• Opens up about a complex and sometimes strained father-son dynamic, the journey to healing, and a milestone joint interview for Ed Week.
  • Quote: “Not hearing that, not getting that affirmation from your father causes you to never feel satisfied by the things you achieve and causes you to work without rest.” – Malcolm [22:27]

Grief, Loss, and Service: Sharing Personal Tragedies

Malcolm on Losing His Son

[28:26]

• Malcolm recalls the tragic loss of his 16-year-old son Bryce Brooks, who drowned saving three children caught in a riptide. A family friend Chuck also lost his life attempting the rescue.
  • Quote: “My son lost his life in service to others and not to mention strangers…The kids he saved happen to be APS kids where I serve.” – Malcolm [41:09]
• The episode chronicles his grief journey, coinciding with his legislative fight and run for the Atlanta School Board.

Navigating Public Grief

[32:44]

• Malcolm and Kim discuss the complex reality of grieving publicly, emotional labor, and the challenge of being the object of others' grief.
  • Quote (Kim Fields): “People bring you their grief and they want to lay that at your feet, and it’s out of love…But you’re in the midst of your grieving.” [34:02]
• They share that others were helped by seeing their openness and different ways of processing loss.

Approaches to Healing

[38:09], [39:25]

• Both Kim and Malcolm conclude that therapy wasn’t their main path to healing; instead, the support of invested friends and purposeful work (e.g., starting foundations in their children’s names) gave them support.
  • Quote: “We would need less therapists, if we just had better friends.” – Malcolm [38:33]

The Power of Legacy: Parenting, Mentorship & Foundations

Shaping and Maintaining Legacy

[49:05]

• Kim explains her perspective that parenting evolves and passes into legacy and friendship as children grow into adulthood. She’s thoughtful and methodical about building a foundation to honor her son’s legacy.

[56:20]

• Both discuss the importance of financial literacy, transparency with children about money, and the benefits of preparing young people to be entrepreneurs.
  • Quote (Kim Fields): “I wanted him to be versed. I wanted him to know. And he did.” [56:20]

Signs, Dreams & Presence

[58:32]

• Both share how their children haven’t appeared in dreams but manifest in other ways—like Malcolm’s hummingbird sightings after Bryce’s passing.
  • Quote: “It became a thing to ask for him to show up as a hummingbird... and like, hummingbirds will fly up to me…” – Malcolm [58:43]

Goodbye Conversations

[61:02]

• Kim recounts moving “goodbye” conversations with her son, emphasizing love, safety, and friendship.
  • Quote: “You feeling safe with me as a child meant more to me than all of the love and respect that I know you have for me.” – Kim Fields [62:37]
• Malcolm shares a final faith-centered conversation with his son and a prophetic discussion about legacy that led to a campaign to name a street for Bryce.

Gratitude, Faith, and Moving Forward

Living with Intention and Acceptance

[71:55], [74:44]

• Both articulate that the way forward is living in gratitude, accepting what cannot be changed, and choosing not to dwell in “why.”
  • Quote (Kim Fields): “When I step into the light of gratitude…that calms it down for me.” [74:12]
  • Quote (Malcolm): “Not all things are for our knowing…being focused on what. What am I supposed to do now?” [75:49]
• There is an emphasis on “living and being present, being intentional and being focused” as the ultimate takeaway.

Legacy of Community

[79:06]

• The episode closes with a celebration of Black community, the village, and the power of connection in collective healing.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Education & Impact

• “We have more to unlearn than we have to learn.” – Malcolm [02:00]
• “If the majority of my colleagues looked like me across the profession, we would be much better compensated.” – Malcolm [07:10]

On Grief & Legacy

• “My depression was always the heaviest when I centered myself the most. And I always found the most healing when I served others.” – Malcolm [31:45]
• “You feeling safe with me as a child meant more to me than all of the love and respect that I know you have for me.” – Kim Fields [62:37]

On Navigating Life After Loss

• “I have more peace than I ever have.” – Malcolm [78:32]
• “What’s good is living and being present, being intentional and being focused.” – Kim Fields [79:23]

On Intention & Faith

• “Not all things are for our knowing. In fact, most things are not for our knowing.” – Malcolm [75:49]

Important Timestamps

• Malcolm’s Early Story, Activism & Teaching Philosophy — [00:28] to [05:15]
• The Impact of Black Male Educators & Systemic Barriers — [05:18] to [09:47]
• Entrepreneurship & Teaching as ‘Side Hustle’ — [10:02] to [11:55]
• Legacy Building in the Classroom & Network Access — [12:15] to [15:59]
• Navigating Grief: The Loss of Bryce & Public Mourning — [28:26] to [41:36]
• Therapy vs. Friendship and Tactical Grieving — [38:09] to [42:12]
• Reflections on Parenting & Legacy Work — [49:05] to [51:01]
• Signs from Loved Ones After Loss — [58:32] to [59:41]
• Goodbye Conversations — [61:02] to [70:45]
• Intentional Living, Faith, and Moving Forward — [74:44] to end

Conclusion: What’s Good? Final Reflections

Final segment - “What’s Good?”
[79:15]

• Kim, Malcolm, and Lane close with a meditation on the “good” in their lives: living with intention, being grateful, focusing on legacy and community, and cherishing the presence and strength of their village.

For Listeners:

This episode is an essential listen for anyone navigating loss, working in education, or seeking wisdom about authentic living, Black legacy, and the transformative power of healing within community.