Not All Hood (NAH) with Malcolm-Jamal Warner & Candace Kelley

Season 2, Episode 6 – September 4, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features an intimate, candid conversation between co-hosts Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Candace Kelley (Candy), exploring personal growth, the evolving nature of identity, and the subtleties of Black experience in America. Instead of a guest or panel, the episode showcases their dynamic as friends and colleagues—reflecting on lessons from podcasting, technology's impact (specifically AI), cross-promotion, and the joy and necessity of embracing whimsy and lightness in Black life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflections on Podcasting and Vulnerability

• Malcolm admits initial discomfort with podcasting and public feedback.
  • “I was having some, some. But I think, I think I even talked about it though...having a podcast and posting segments...will still invite comments that aren't necessarily...positive.” (02:42)
• Both hosts underline the personal growth they've experienced through open discussion and learning to let go of “the need to be right.”
• Candy emphasizes the value in new perspectives:
  • “Even just our most recent recording—just opening up my eyes at this age, just thinking about things in a new way. And that's hard to do. Change is hard. Cuz guess what? We do like to be right in our own right.” (03:49)

2. Male–Female Perspectives and Relationship Dynamics

• Candy describes how working with Malcolm and the mostly male production team exposed her to new ways of seeing gender and relationships.
  • “Men and women are different...It really made a difference...in how men and women get down in 2024, 2025. It really does.” (05:34)
• She notes the importance of learning “the language” of sports and other male-centric topics for more effective communication in mixed-gender contexts.

3. AI and Writing: The Classroom and Beyond

• As a professor, Candy discusses how she discerns student writing from AI—citing lack of “emotion” and authenticity in AI-generated essays.
  • “AI—it doesn’t have emotion...the comparisons and the extent to which it writes is very limited.” (08:16)
• Malcolm:
  • “AI is not going to take your jobs. The people who know how to use AI. Yeah, that’s our job.” (10:29)
• Both agree technology is a tool, not a substitute for critical thinking, and express concern over its misuse—citing stories about students and even lawyers whose overreliance on AI led to embarrassing mistakes.
• Candy shares a story of a student who used AI tools to graduate but remained functionally illiterate, highlighting both the power and peril of assistive technology (13:24).

4. Practicing Self-Promotion & Multifaceted Black Identities

• Malcolm realizes he rarely self-promotes his musician, poet, or transformational coaching work on the podcast.
  • “It’s almost like I have tunnel vision as a podcast host...I don’t often talk about the other things that I do.” (18:28)
  • Shoutout: Biological Misfits, monthly jam session at Buteco, Atlanta (17:33)

5. Mental Health Tool: Smiling and Gratitude

• Both hosts circle back to a powerful, simple tool for shifting out of a low mood—smiling.
  • Notable Quote:
    • Malcolm (repeated at both beginning and later):
      • “You can’t feel bad and smile at the same time.” (01:35, 21:52)
  • Malcolm describes a technique learned from mentor Joseph:
    • “The uber quick way of getting out of any of those lower vibrational feelings is a trick...just the smile.” (21:07)
  • Candy connects smiling to learned happiness and physiological response:
    • "We have trained ourselves that we are happy when we smile, so that maybe the smile often triggers something." (21:57)
  • Malcolm brings in acting: breaking from emotional scenes requires a physiological reset, likening it to the power of smiling (23:24).

6. Embracing Whimsy: Challenging "Seriousness" in Black Life

• Candy chooses the character Tracey from "Chewing Gum" (by Michaela Coel) as her ideal fictional life swap—not for power or drama, but for “whimsy.”
  • “There are so many Black women who...would like to be outside picking dandelions today...But that’s never the story or the narrative that anybody has...In Chewing Gum, she has it—just so light and airy.” (30:14)
• Discussion around lack of whimsical Black representations in American media and the consequences of always being depicted as burdened.
• Malcolm and Candy encourage listeners (especially Black men) to intentionally practice whimsy—eat a cupcake in the park, blow bubbles, etc.
  • "We’re going to invite men, men of all nationalities to [be] whimsical. Go get yourself a cupcake and allow yourself space to be whimsical.” (35:32)

7. Real-Life Commitment to Change

• Malcolm pledges to get a cupcake, sit in the park, and record himself being whimsical for social media cross-promotion.
  • “I will go somewhere, get a cupcake...and be whimsical. I’m going to take a video of it and send it to you.” (36:10–36:23)

Memorable Quotes

• Malcolm: “You can’t feel bad and smile at the same time.” (01:35, repeated at 21:52)
• Candy: “We have trained ourselves that we are happy when we smile, so that maybe the smile often triggers something.” (21:57)
• Malcolm: “AI is not going to take your jobs. The people who know how to use AI. Yeah, that’s our job.” (10:29)
• Candy: “There are so many Black women who...would like to be outside picking dandelions today...But that’s never the story or the narrative that anybody has.” (30:14)
• Malcolm: “We’re going to invite men, men of all nationalities to deep whimsical. Go get yourself a cupcake and allow yourself space to be whimsical.” (35:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:35] The power of smiling: Malcolm’s quick self-help approach
• [02:36–05:34] Honest reflections on starting the podcast and navigating vulnerability/public feedback
• [07:34–14:24] AI, student writing, and the challenges/future of technology in education
• [17:33–19:32] Malcolm’s artistic identities, jam sessions, and thoughts on self-promotion
• [21:07–24:27] Practical ways to break out of negative moods (smiling, gratitude, acting techniques)
• [27:02–33:03] The value of whimsy, TV characters, and media representation
• [33:46–36:09] Playful challenge to Black men (and all men) to practice lightness, with Malcolm accepting the cupcake-in-the-park ritual

Overall Tone & Character

• Warm, honest, and filled with playful banter.
• Malcolm and Candy weave humor and depth—never shying away from vulnerability or cultural critique, but always pushing for growth, joy, and new narratives.
• The episode embodies the show's mission: reimagining Blackness with nuance, power, and exuberance.

For Listeners

If you missed the episode, these themes and moments highlight why Not All Hood stands out: real talk on modern Black life, laughter in unexpected places, and reminders that no matter the struggle, moments of whimsy (and a simple smile) are both valid and revolutionary.