Hustle, Heart, and Black Girl Magic with Miss Wanda

From club nights in New York to award-winning production, Wanda’s story is a living, breathing blueprint for grit, reinvention, and Black Girl Magic. This episode is equal parts hustle, healing, and hilariously honest storytelling, the kind that stays with you long after the tea cools.

Summary

In this candid and magnetic conversation, Siobhan sits down with her longtime friend Wanda Reynolds, Chief Content Officer and Executive Producer at ABF Creative, former educator, and all-around creative force. Together they trace Wanda’s evolution from a community-driven educator on the East Coast to a bicoastal creative leader deeply rooted in California’s storytelling and educational ecosystem.

Wanda opens up about the joy and grind of building ABF Creative into a nationally recognized audio powerhouse, producing 25+ shows, and helping launch “Charm Words” and the groundbreaking “Mini Pods” initiative, which replaces school bells with children’s affirmations now heard in more than 150 schools nationwide.

But this episode goes way deeper than career wins.
Wanda shares her experience navigating chronic illness (scleroderma), the loneliness of starting over in California without family support, and the survival-mode chapter where she taught full-time by day while building a company by night. Siobhan meets her vulnerability with her own: chronic pain, reinvention after divorce, and the quiet ache of rebuilding a life alone.

What unfolds is a fiercely honest, beautifully layered conversation about resilience, identity, chosen family, and redefining success at any age. If you need inspiration, laughter, or a reminder that you can rewrite your story on your own terms, this one’s for you.

Wanda Reynolds

Wanda Reynolds is the Chief Content Officer and Executive Producer at ABF Creative, one of the leading Black-owned audio and video production companies in the country. A visionary storyteller and operational powerhouse, Wanda has produced more than 25 original and branded podcasts and spearheaded award-winning children’s audio programming, including Charm Words and the innovative Mini Pods initiative now implemented in 150+ schools nationwide.

A proud bicoastal creative, Wanda is deeply rooted in California’s educational and creative communities, collaborating with schools, local leaders, and mission-driven organizations to develop content that inspires, affirms, and uplifts. Known for her grounded leadership, cultural insight, and heart-centered approach to storytelling, Wanda is the go-to partner for impactful audio and projects with purpose. If you’re building something meaningful in California, she’s someone you want on your team.

Resources & Mentions

💡 Key Takeaways

"Starting over is scary, but staying stuck was scarier. California forced me to grow in ways I didn’t know I needed.”

~ Wanda

  • Resilience isn’t optional it’s a muscle.

  • Storytelling can heal, educate, and transform communities.

  • Black Girl Magic is a practice, not a phrase.

  • Chronic illness requires advocacy, community, and self-compassion.

  • Creative freedom isn’t given — it’s built, protected, and constantly redefined.

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