In 2023, Genevive "Gigi" Walker (CLA ’97) reunited with a former high school friend to start a podcast that not only brought them closer together, but gave her an outlet to converse and listen, using all the knowledge and skills she had gained since graduation. All while she started her own business at the same time.

Genevive “Gigi” Walker, CLA ’97, didn’t originally imagine herself in the podcasting space, but in the decades since graduating from Temple, she has amassed a resume vital to the conversations she and Latef Roberts have on their show, Jazzy Conversations with Teef & Gigi. The show launched in February 2023, and they’ve already garnered more than 40,000 views with over 11,000 subscribers.   

At Temple, Gigi majored in urban studies, graduating in 1997. She then moved to New York to work and subsequently attended Columbia University. She graduated with a master’s degree in elementary education and returned to her hometown, New Haven, Connecticut, where she has lived since. After teaching in the public school system, she left to make a deeper impact on the nonprofit world. She eventually worked her way up to CEO and president of the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology, as workforce development was a strong passion of hers. She says her experiences at Temple were consequential, using much of what she learned in the areas of urban politics and places, and the complexity of social issues, in her line of work. In 2023 she also started her own company, Increase Consulting, working with nonprofit organizations and educational institutions.   

Thinking back to her Temple days, she fondly remembers her advisor in the Geography and Urban Studies Department, Professor Bartelt. She remembers sociology, world urban patterns and urban policy analysis being some of the courses that whetted her appetite for social change through advocacy and policy work. She credits her foundational learning in this area to her early experiences at Temple. She was also a member of the Temple University Gospel Choir during her time as a student, able to travel all over the city with her fellow classmates. She remembers the madness ensuing on Broad Street when Temple basketball made it into March Madness, and working at the SAC during the summer, helping lead new student orientation. Gigi’s funniest memory? Living in the now defunct Peabody Hall, where there were constant fire alarms at 3 a.m., “on some of the coldest Philadelphia nights you can imagine!”  

So what were the origins of Jazzy Conversations with Teef & Gigi? Latef and Genevive go back all the way to high school, where the two were voted Mr. and Miss Senior. Gigi attributes their ability to “engage richly with a diverse population on an intimate level” to their gelling so well. They reconnected after years of not seeing each other, with Latef bringing the idea of the podcast to Genevive. “He reached out and was like, ‘I wanna do something fun. Something that doesn’t place me in a position where I’m hiring or making an assessment of someone. Just engaging with people.’ He wanted to use the online platform to let people tell their stories.”   

And the rest was history. From the show’s official premiere in February 2023, the two already have nearly 30 episodes. They pride themselves on being a broad show that anyone can relate to, with guests ranging from national celebrities to local community organizers in Connecticut. Gigi says it’s for those at home washing dishes, or even just driving in their car, hoping to resonate with all different types of people.  

For anyone interested in getting into Jazzy Conversations with Teef and Gigi, Genevive picked out a few of her favorite episodes to get started with. These episodes include guests like Kid ’n Play’s Christopher “Kid” Reid, actress and writer Ericka Ringor, TV personality and court show bailiff Petri Byrd, and producer Billy Moss. Check out the videos below.

Temple alumni bravely pursue their biggest ideas and transform them into Temple Made businesses that defy expectations and shake up the rules of the game. To learn more about Temple Made businesses or list your own business, visit the Alumni Owned Business Directory today!