The Day SiriusXM’s Heart & Soul Host, Michelle Wright, Sold Me a Pound of BS at Essence Festival
Bourbon Street is more than a stretch of road; it’s a living, breathing experience. It’s where the rhythm of music intertwines with the pulse of life, and for me, it’s where ambition and opportunity once converged. On one sweltering July 4th weekend during the Essence Festival, it was my stage—the corner of Bourbon and Canal, where I sold books for years, signed autographs, and built connections with strangers who would become part of my story.
Then Michel Wright walked into that narrative.
Michel, the smooth-voiced host of SiriusXM’s Heart & Soul channel, welcomed her way thru the small crowd. Of course I knew her from NY radio, since back in the day I produced a music-related TV show that always found me on the scene, in the clubs and at live radio events. So when Michel approached me with a proposition, I was grateful. Amid the bustling festival crowd, she reintroduced herself, praised my work, and invited me to her live broadcast a lil ways down Bourbon Street. Her words dripped with promise: an interview, exposure, a chance to showcase my brand to her audience. Trusting her professional allure, I left my team to hold the fort and ran through the humid, chaotic streets to meet her.
When I arrived, dripping with sweat and clutching my books, the excitement still clung to me. But it was soon replaced by confusion. I was ushered to a waiting area with other guests and waited. And waited. Michel’s presence evaporated as quickly as her promises. A co-producer confronted me with suspicion, questioning who I was and why I was there. My answers didn’t suffice. Moments later, I was asked to leave the restaurant—dismissed like an uninvited guest crashing a party.
Michel disappeared, her promises hollow, her intentions a mystery. I walked back to Bourbon and Canal—a perspiring, disheartened mess. Feeling defeated. It’s bad enough authors must fight to ear readers, but then to be smacked in the face like this during Essence? The books I carried felt heavier than ever. Her whimsical invitation had stolen my momentum, my crowd, and a slice of my optimism.
But if there’s one thing I’ve inherited, it’s resilience. My father, a man who lost a leg at age 17, yet went on to get a prosthesis, to play again for his baseball team, to coach kids in sports, to work for the post office, then to become a business owner and a leader and a father to 6 children… Dad’s resilience taught me that adversity isn’t the end; it’s the beginning of a new chapter. Michel’s actions are memorable whenever I hear “Bourbon Street,” sure. I’ll admit she bruised my pride–but she didn’t break my soul. That day, standing back on the corner of Bourbon and Canal, I realized that setbacks are just setups for a stronger comeback.
Life is full of Michel Wrights—people who interrupt, undermine, or disappoint. Life is also full of vultures like Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the attacker from New Years Eve/Day 2025. But they don’t define us. The massacres of potential and optimism that we endure should never stop us from living fully, from maintaining relationships, or from pursuing dreams with relentless determination.\
The tragic loss of 14 lives in a more recent Bourbon Street massacre reminds us how fragile and precious life is. It’s a stark contrast to my own memory, but it underscores the same lesson: life’s blows, whether delivered by people or circumstances, must not rob us of our resolve to keep moving forward.
Bourbon Street will never be the same for me. It’s a place of profound memories—of triumphs, setbacks, and lessons. And while Michel’s betrayal stings, it’s just one sour note in a symphony of experiences that have made me tougher, wiser, and more committed to my purpose. For every setback, there’s a comeback brewing. My lemonade stand is always open, and I’ll keep serving success one story, one relationship, one corner at a time.
