Founder of “Da Hood Talks Podcast,” Shavanna Spratt, uses a digital space to fill an existing gap in St. Louis: not having enough community voices being heard. Her podcast gives everyday people most impacted by community issues the opportunity to listen, educate, empower, and provide access to information and resources. While she focuses on uplifting the voices of the average person, she does not exclude experts, elected officials, or organizations from the conversation, as they too impact the community. The podcast aims to create a welcoming and supportive space to explore a variety of topics affecting the community.
A series called “OMG DAT BIRTH” was made possible through funding from FLOURISH. The segments included topics such as birthing, education around doulas, midwifery care, motherhood, community health workers, and more. Shavanna is passionate about Black maternal health, eliminating racial disparities, and educating, empowering, and listening to the stories of our Black moms.
Though running a podcast is not easy and requires a lot of time and effort, Shavanna’s passion for the work is rooted in community. She says, “I am community. I am an everyday person that just took an opportunity to go and make this happen so I’m still learning a lot of things myself.” She finds the hardest things are having to be the producer, finding guests for the show, getting the information to the people, and connecting with community, all which can be time-consuming, especially while being a mom of a 4-year-old and 2-year-old. Despite these challenges, the recognition she receives when someone out in the community says, “Oh you’re Da Hood Talks Podcast girl!” makes it all worth it. This shows her that the community is listening, progress is being made, people are connecting to the work, and participating in the hard conversations that need to happen.
You can support Da Hood Talks Podcast by sharing via social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and spreading the word about how to tune in. You can watch or listen to the podcast on various platforms such as YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic and more. You can also show support by donating or becoming a monthly supporter. Be sure to visit www.dahoodtalks.com for more information and check out the influential conversations happening in the St. Louis community!
Read more about Da Hood Talks Podcast’s FLOURISH grant-funded project
