Village Talks Ep. 9 — Devord Allen on Awakening the Dreamer Within Our Communities

Got it 👍 — here is the corrected blog post, with the guest’s name updated everywhere to Devord.

Village Talks Ep. 9: Awakening the Dreamer Within Our Communities

Some conversations don’t start with credentials or titles.
They start with real talk.

When I first met Devord, we didn’t exchange résumés. We didn’t lead with organizations or accolades. What we did instead was connect immediately around honesty, vulnerability, and a shared concern for the state of our communities—especially the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of our people.

That’s the spirit of Village Talks.

This space exists so caregivers, mentors, leaders, and community builders can come together not for surface-level inspiration—but for truth, accountability, and transformation. Episode 9 is exactly that.

Wearing Many Hats — Without Losing Your Why

Early in the conversation, I shared something personal: the tension of wearing multiple hats. Nonprofit leader. EdTech founder. Community advocate. Partner to national initiatives like My Brother’s Keeper.

Like many purpose-driven leaders, I sometimes wrestle with whether that complexity makes my work harder to understand—or harder to sustain.

Devord didn’t hesitate with his response.

He reminded us that clarity doesn’t come from titles—it comes from purpose.

When you are deeply rooted in why you do what you do, your work aligns naturally. Burnout often isn’t about doing too much—it’s about doing things disconnected from purpose. When your “why” is clear, your energy follows.

Mental Health, Identity, and the Cost of Looking “Good”

One of the most powerful through-lines of this episode is the connection between mental health and identity.

Devord speaks candidly about how many of us—particularly in Black communities—are taught to be resilient without being well. We’ve mastered survival aesthetics while neglecting what’s happening under the hood.

He offers a striking metaphor:

“We look good—but are we good?”

Just like a car with a fresh paint job and a failing engine, our communities often celebrate external strength while ignoring internal damage. Trauma goes unaddressed. Stigma keeps people silent. And generations carry pain they never chose—but are still responsible for healing.

Why the Village Still Matters

The concept of village isn’t nostalgia—it’s necessity.

Devord challenges the way we’ve replaced community with territory. When “the hood” replaces shared responsibility, when aunties and elders disappear, when guidance is replaced by survival culture, young people lose the ecosystem required to grow.

Growth is environmental.

He shares an analogy that lingers long after the episode ends:

A shark placed in a tank only grows so much.
Placed back in the ocean, it grows to its full potential.

Our youth are no different.

The Magic Wand Question

Every Village Talks guest receives the “magic wand” question: If you could change one thing to strengthen the village, what would it be?

Devord’s answer is direct and uncompromising:

• Break the stigma around mental health

• Normalize vulnerability as strength

• Restore access to resources within communities

• Teach people how to talk about what hurt them

• Rebuild identity before expecting transformation

Healing, he reminds us, isn’t weakness. It’s leadership.

Activate: Awakening the Dreamer Within

The episode closes with Devord sharing his newest work, Activate: Awakening the Dreamer Within.

At its core, Activate asks a simple but haunting question:
What happened to your dream?

Somewhere inside every person was a vision—a calling—that faded under pressure, trauma, or survival. Activate is about reclaiming that dream, reconnecting to identity, and choosing accountability over resignation.

The book launches mid-January and will be available on all major platforms, including Kindle.

Final Reflection

Episode 9 isn’t comfortable—and it’s not meant to be.

It’s honest.
It’s challenging.
And it’s necessary.

If we want thriving communities, we must be willing to look beneath the surface, confront what’s broken, and rebuild—together.

That’s the work of the village.