This week on Brown Ambition, Mandi sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, author, and MSNBC contributor Trymaine Lee to discuss his powerful new book, A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America.

From reporting on Trayvon Martin and Ferguson to confronting his own family’s legacy of gun violence, Trymaine opens up about what happens when decades of unprocessed trauma take a physical toll. After surviving a near-fatal heart attack, he was forced to reckon with the emotional weight of his work — and the generational pain carried by so many Black families.

Together, Mandi and Trymaine unpack what it means to be a storyteller, a parent, and a survivor in a world that often normalizes Black pain. They also explore the economic ripple effects of gun violence, the healing power of vulnerability, and how mindfulness, breathwork, and community have helped Trymaine reclaim peace.

📚 Resources Mentioned

• A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America — by Trymaine Lee
• Hope in High Water: A People’s Recovery 20 Years After Hurricane Katrina — streaming now on Peacock
• Trymaine’s podcast: Into America (MSNBC)
• bookshop.org — to support Black and independent bookstores