Episodios

  • Why My 24-Hour Bus Ride Shocked My Friends

    Why My 24-Hour Bus Ride Shocked My Friends
    Dec 8 2025
    In this episode, I dive into a powerful reminder that what’s normal for you isn’t always normal for everyone else.

    A recent conversation with a friend sparked this reflection on how people often become fascinated—or even stunned—when they witness the sacrifices you’ve made to reach a goal they can’t relate to. And for many of us who grew up Black Gen X, first-generation, or navigating worlds not built with us in mind, those sacrifices weren’t extraordinary… they were just our norm.

    I share the story of taking two of my college friends with me from Tampa, Florida to Pine Bluff, Arkansas on a 24-hour Greyhound bus ride—a journey filled with transfers, long stretches of silence, heavy luggage, and the determination of someone paying his own way through an affluent PWI.

    My friends were used to flying. They were used to comfort, ease, and speed.But for the first time, they saw what my reality looked like.They saw the cost of my dream.And they realized that my “normal” was something they had never even imagined.

    This episode is about travel—but it’s also about class, race, adaptation, resilience, and the invisible work so many of us put in to make our goals possible.
    If you’ve ever had to do whatever it took—even when others couldn’t understand why—you’ll feel this one.
    📣 Call to Action
    If this story resonated with you, share your own “different norm” moment. And don’t forget to follow the show for more reflections, life lessons, and Gen X storytelling.

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    15 m
  • First Generation in Affluent Spaces: The Untold Black Gen X Experience

    First Generation in Affluent Spaces: The Untold Black Gen X Experience
    Dec 1 2025
    What does it really mean to be first generation?Not the version we celebrate on paper — but the hidden reality behind stepping into a world your family has never seen.

    In this episode, I share my personal journey entering an affluent private PWI in 1987 as a Black Gen Xer.

    From culture shock and resource gaps to the weight of being “the only one,” this story goes deeper than the milestone itself. It’s about navigating spaces without a blueprint, confronting imposter syndrome, and discovering how our generation became the blueprint for those who followed.
    If you’ve ever been the first to walk a path no one prepared you for, this episode is for you.

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    21 m
  • I Bet On Myself: The Day I Walked Away From Everything Safe.

    I Bet On Myself: The Day I Walked Away From Everything Safe.
    Nov 21 2025
    WHat does it really feel like to walk away from everything safe?In this episode, I share one of the most pivotal moments of my life — the day I resigned my commission in the U.S. Navy, packed my entire world into a car, and drove toward a future I couldn’t predict.
    Most people call transitions like this “starting over,” but that’s not the truth.You’re not starting over — you’re starting fresh in unfamiliar territory, carrying all the lessons, scars, discipline, and wisdom from every chapter you’ve survived.

    In 1998, I left a stable military career, a strong professional network, and a solid identity to take a risk on myself and attend Florida State University College of Law. What followed was a battle between comfort and calling, between fear and purpose, and between the life I knew and the future I hoped for.
    This episode walks through:
    • Why safety can become a cage
    • How imposter syndrome tries to talk you out of your dreams
    • The quiet, unglamorous reality of major life transitions
    • The emotional turmoil of driving toward the unknown
    • The unexpected blessing that confirmed I was on the right path
    • Why starting fresh doesn’t erase your past — it elevates it

    If you’ve ever stood at a crossroads — knowing that comfort is killing your growth, but fear is holding you back — this episode is for you.
    Your next chapter won’t wait on your comfort.Sometimes the strongest thing you can do… is bet on you.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.
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    19 m
  • When the Club No Longer Fits — Becoming a Young Black Professional and Finding Your Space

    When the Club No Longer Fits — Becoming a Young Black Professional and Finding Your Space
    Nov 18 2025
    When you turn 21, the club feels like arrival. It’s the symbol of adulthood, freedom, identity, and validation. But at some point, the music, the crowd, and the performance stop aligning with who you’re becoming — and that’s where the real journey starts.

    In this episode, Anthony Reeves, Esq. breaks down the unspoken transition many young Black professionals experience: evolving beyond nightlife culture, entering academic and professional environments, searching for culturally aligned peers, and finally discovering authentic community.
    From the club scene… to graduate school… to exploring exclusive spaces… and ultimately finding real belonging through a military network — this story offers a blueprint for what professional growth looks like behind the scenes, not just online or on paper.

    THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF: • You’re in your 20s or 30s and feel like you’ve outgrown old spaces • You’re educated, ambitious, or career-driven but unsure where you belong • You want connection with peers who share culture, vision, and values • You feel like you’re evolving — but don’t know where it’s leading • You’re searching for community that feels natural, not performative

    KEY THEMES: • Why clubs feel like the starting point of adulthood • The moment nightlife stops matching professional growth • How graduate school shifts identity and expectations • The illusion of exclusivity in upscale social spaces • The frustration of trying to locate “your people” • How aligned spaces are found — not advertised • Community as a growth catalyst, not a social activity

    QUOTE TO REMEMBER:
    “You don’t evolve to impress new rooms — you evolve to recognize the rooms that were already meant for you.”


    CALL TO ACTION

    If this message speaks to your spirit, share it with someone who’s evolving, searching, or feeling disconnected. Rate the show, leave a review, and join the mission of building spaces where young Black professionals don’t just enter the room… they belong in it.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.
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    27 m
  • The confusing part of Racism for Black Gen X: Navigating a New World with Old Landmines

    The confusing part of Racism for Black Gen X: Navigating a New World with Old Landmines
    Nov 14 2025
    In this episode, I break down one of the most overlooked realities of growing up Black as a member of Generation X — the confusing part of racism. Not because racism itself is confusing, but because the presentation of racism changed between our parents’ world and ours.

    Our parents and grandparents grew up with laws, signs, institutions, and culture that made second-class citizenship undeniable. They didn’t have to guess if racism was present — it announced itself.
    But Black Gen X came of age in a world where the signs were gone, the laws had changed, and the country insisted that things were different.

    Except the people who enforced those old systems?They were still here.And their attitudes didn’t change just because the laws did.

    This episode explores:
    • What it meant to grow up between two racial realities
    • How Black Gen X entered integrated spaces without the survival guide our parents had
    • The cafeteria moment when someone asked, “Why are you all segregating yourselves?”
    • The professional moment where I was told, “I’m surprised you’d think that way as an educated Black man”
    • Why microaggressions became emotional landmines
    • The generational disconnect between “We’ve moved forward” and “Be careful out there”
    • And why moments like George Floyd’s death revealed how long America ignored Black voices

    For Black Gen X, racism wasn’t predictable anymore. It wasn’t a sign on the door or a slur shouted from a porch. It was a question. A comment. A moment that made you pause and ask, “Did that just happen?”

    This is the story of growing up in that space — of learning how to navigate a world that promised equality but still carried hidden dangers.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.
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    18 m
  • NOW YOU KNOW: The Untold Burden of Gen X — Racism, Family, and the “Sign of the Times

    NOW YOU KNOW: The Untold Burden of Gen X — Racism, Family, and the “Sign of the Times
    Nov 11 2025
    This 20-minute audio reflection pulls back the curtain on my IN THE KNOW video “Sign of the Times.” I share personal insights about the realities Gen X faced growing up between parents divided by the Jim Crow experience. For many White Gen Xers, that meant dealing with relatives whose biases still lingered. For Black Gen Xers, it meant hearing stories of survival and injustice at the dinner table. In this behind-the-scenes conversation, I talk about how those family histories shaped our generation’s silence, empathy, and evolution.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.
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    23 m
  • Sign of the Times: What Black and White Gen X Learned from Our Parents

    Sign of the Times: What Black and White Gen X Learned from Our Parents
    Nov 10 2025
    In this episode, I take a hard look at what we mean when we say something was just a “sign of the times.” For generations, that phrase has been used to excuse racism, discrimination, and hate — as if time alone could justify injustice.

    As a member of Black Generation X, I reflect on growing up surrounded by family members who lived through segregation, the Klan, and systemic racism — yet often stayed silent about it. But there’s another side to this story: many White Gen Xers were raised by people who benefitted from or defended those same systems, sometimes passing down their biases and beliefs to their children.

    This isn’t about blame — it’s about truth. Because if “Jim Crow had kids,” then Generation X inherited the responsibility to confront what our parents taught us, challenge what they couldn’t see, and choose what we carry forward.

    Let’s talk about what it really means to break the cycle and stop using “sign of the times” as a free pass for prejudice.

    Call to Action

    💬 What did your parents or grandparents teach you — directly or indirectly — about race and difference? 🎧 Listen, reflect, and share your thoughts using #SignOfTheTimes and #GenXVoices. 📢 Don’t forget to follow for more real conversations about culture, legacy, and truth.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.
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    14 m
  • The First Time I heard the N-word: A Black Gen X Reality Check

    The First Time I heard the N-word: A Black Gen X Reality Check
    Nov 7 2025
    For many of us in the Black Gen X generation, the N-word wasn’t something we were supposed to hear anymore. We were told that the world had changed—that the battles of our parents and grandparents had been fought and won. But all it took was one word to remind us that the past was never really gone.

    In this episode, I share a deeply personal story—the first time I heard the N-word directed at me and my mother—and what that moment revealed about the illusion of equality so many of us were raised to believe in. From the quiet lessons of our parents’ generation to the silent shock of our own, this reflection explores how one word carries the weight of centuries.

    This is more than a story about language. It’s about awareness, identity, and the difficult moment when innocence gives way to truth.

    🎧 Tune in to hear how the echoes of history still shape how we see ourselves and the world around us.Listen • Reflect • Share.#BlackGenX #LivingBlackHistory #TheNWord #BlackExperience #CulturalAwakening #GenXVoices #GrowingUpBlack #InTheKnowWithTonyReeves #LivingWhileBlack

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.
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    11 m