Listener Advisory: This episodes contains conversation around Hurricane Katrina, including death, trauma and crisis. Please listen with caution and take care of yourself.

Ms. Ebonee Craighead, Tasia Stewart, Jane Helire, Shelita Lomax, Wyatt Hines, Gioia Barconey discuss Hurricane Katrina and its long lasting impacts from youth to adults. Sharing memories from 2005 that seem like they happened yesterday, the group engages in a vulnerable conversation on the enduring effects of Hurricane Katrina.

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Gioia Barconey bio: Gioia Barconey is a born and raised New Orleans native and ambitious business woman. In 2017 she stepped out on faith and started what we know today as Greezy NOLA Catering.

Growing up in uptown, New Orleans, Gioia was raised by her mother and grandfather. From ages 14-17, she had a tenuous relationship with her mother which led to difficult life challenges such as fighting, substance use, and criminal records. Not wanting to be a statistic of stereotypes of young, Black girls, Gioia opted to change her narrative and better her outcome.

In 2013 Gioia had her first child. In 2014 she gave birth to her second child. Having two small children back-to-back, Gioia was working endlessly to make sure that their needs were always met, but her living situation were tumultuous. In 2016 Gioia found herself homeless. Using all resources at her disposal, Gioia and her two babies made their way to Covenant House, where she learned a lot about herself and how to better cope with life as a parent.

In 2017 she gave birth to her third and final child. She contemplated daily what purpose she had in life and how to fulfill it. Gioia realized her passion for cooking, so Greezy NOLA Catering was born. Everything from marketing to building websites, Gioia is branding her business and continually working to market herself.

In 2023 Gioia began hosting the Red Bean Baby Podcast, speaking to people about issues that young people face, including homelessness and parenting. Helping people was always the plan and Gioia didn’t know it until her team of counselors at Covenant House encouraged her to see and utilize her natural skillset. Gioia has gone on to finish school in 2023 and is awaiting graduation. Her future plans include college, where she will receive a degree in communications and social work, furthering her help to be a voice for so many more young people. Her resilience and determination are what keeps her humbly on top of the game, and Gioia states that she’s not only playing for herself, but her children as well.

Today this thriving young woman is making a difference one person at a time.

Red Bean Baby talks about a lot of difficult, potentially triggering things. Take care of yourself and your mental health. Learn about more resources here on our website (https://www.covenanthousenola.org/issues/mental-health-wellness/).

Dr. Corine Brown, or Dr. C’Ma, a social worker and friend of Covenant House, can help you access more resources. Meet Dr. C’Ma here: https://themindbodyservicecollective.com/

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