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Notable Minds

@notableminds

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Notable Minds, an emerging collaborative journal and publication.
Founded by Jonathan Kennedy and Righteous Keitt, alumni of Duke and UNC Chapel Hill.

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Founded by childhood friends Jonathan Kennedy and Righteous Keitt, alumni of Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Notable Minds is an emerging collaborative journal and publication.

Dedicated to fostering thoughtful engagement with complex ideas through essays, interviews, and reflections, our mission is to empower readers to navigate an intricate world with greater clarity and conviction.

Though the first voices you will hear are ours, Notable Minds is designed to grow into a collective of writers committed to depth, integrity, and impactful discourse.

Whether you are seeking clarity, curiosity, or simply a moment to pause and reflect, you will find a welcome home here at Notable Minds.

You’ll hear from us monthly, at minimum, and we’ll always aim to make it worth your time. by @notableminds

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a year ago

Every chance you get, stop talking.”

A piece of advice that originated with my grandfather, was passed down to my mother, and was given to me several years ago. The core message is simple: When you have nothing to say, listen; when you have something to say, listen harder.

What I’ve found the most interesting about sharing this advice is that, from my experience, the response it garners from person to person is completely dependent on their age. People much older than me slowly nod their heads in agreement and compliment my grandfather’s wisdom. People around my age, on the other hand, are often completely opposed to the advice, and though I believe that opposition is misguided, I think I understand why it exists.

I was a late teenager when I first heard this advice, and I completely rejected it. I thought the quote was about silencing yourself. At that time, I was an active community advocate for school safety and the reduction of police brutality. After years of organizing protests and being rewarded for sharing my opinions, I discarded the advice as nothing more than a relic of the Jim Crow era. I thought it was a survival tactic, something that we needed to unlearn.

But I was wrong.

“Every chance you get, stop talking” doesn’t mean to “speak less and smile more.” His advice wasn’t a lesson on suppressing your voice; it was about discernment. You see, my grandfather’s advice is the kind that can only be fully understood when you’ve put its words into action or suffered the consequences of ignoring it.

I chose the latter. So often during my years in undergrad, I felt the need to express every thought and to confront every issue. I let impulse and emotion cloud my better judgment. I said things that ended friendships, ruined opportunities, and genuinely made me dislike myself. I found myself isolated and depressed. It was while on a phone call with my mother that she reminded me of Grandaddy’s advice: “Every chance you get, stop talking.”

After years of discarding that advice, I finally decided to give it a try. I spoke less and listened more. Eventually, I began to learn a lot more about myself and those around me. I noticed how often I overshared and h taken in Charlotte, North Carolina by @notableminds

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4 months ago

“I was wrong about law school” By @righteouskeitt by @notableminds

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a year ago

The Loneliest Equation By @jonathan.kennedy22 by @notableminds

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a year ago

Has TikTok Ruined the Third Person Narrator? By @jonathan.kennedy22 by @notableminds

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a year ago

There is no shortage of think pieces or headlines about what is wrong with young men. Depending on who you ask, young men are either lazy, emotionally distant, or dangerously isolated.

As a 24-year-old man myself, while researching for this article, I’ve found that what often gets left out of the conversation is how many of us are simply overwhelmed.

This essay is a snapshot of a larger crisis that many young men are living through and a reflection on where we might go from here. by @notableminds

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a year ago

“How do we find peace, or even a quiet corner for our thoughts, when the world outside and the anxieties within feel like persistent storms?”

Out Now! Read “Cultivating Inner Sanctuaries” by @jonathan.kennedy22 by @notableminds

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a year ago

A few years ago, I would have proudly said that sentence aloud. I considered being "my greatest critic" a form of self-reflection.

I chose to believe that constantly criticizing myself and my actions somehow made me "self-aware."

Afraid of being “too easy on myself,” I often gave myself intangible expectations and impossible deadlines. Then, when I inevitably failed to meet those expectations, I ridiculed myself for never being good enough. Even on the days of my greatest successes, with enough time, I would find a failure….Read “I am my greatest critic” by Righteous Keitt using the link in our bio! by @notableminds

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a year ago

There’s a low, persistent hum that often underscores the quiet passages of our lives, a subtle litany frequently commencing with the word "should."

It’s an elusive pressure—at times internal, at others external, often an intricate fusion of both—quietly dictating how we ought to be, what we ought to aspire to, even the very emotions we ought to feel.

For me, this hum amplified considerably in environments where expectation seemed to be the very atmosphere.

Stepping onto the Duke campus, for instance, felt akin to receiving an unspoken script: you are here, therefore you should ascend to remarkable success…. Read “Unlearning ‘Should’” by Jonathan Kennedy using the links in our bio! by @notableminds

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a year ago

“Righteous,” he said, in a tone much more serious than the jovial one I’d become accustomed to. He paused, taking in another deep breath.

In that silence, my mind raced. Had I said something wrong? Was I about to be warned, or worse, dismissed? I felt like a deer on pavement, frozen at the edge of discovering what’s on the other side of the bright lights coming down the road. I sat there waiting for his next words.

“You are a real man.”

The entire table fell silent…. Read “A Real Man” by Righteous Keitt using the links in our bio! by @notableminds

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a year ago

Last Month, I had the chance to briefly speak at a global health conference hosted by the wonderful Brianna Clarke-Schwelm at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

I went in expecting the usual things: to talk about research, perhaps stumble my way through a few networking conversations, and try to look like someone who knew exactly what he was doing. But that’s not what I found, or at least, not what stayed with me.… Read “The Human Heart of Global Health” by using the links in our bio! by @notableminds

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a year ago

As co-founder of Notable Minds, my goal is to create a space for myself and others to tell our stories, share advice, and challenge ourselves to grow. I’m a Pogue Scholar and UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus. Having started my career in non-profit at the age of 15, I’ve dedicated the last decade to the fundraising and programmatic operations of grassroots organizations. Beginning in the fall of 2025, I’ll be pursuing my JD at the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University in Bloomington.

My essays will explore the various lessons that I’ve learned and many stories that I’ve gathered in my relatively short time here on this planet. My writings will also touch on the policy issues I find most pressing, the stories of people whose work I think deserves more attention, and the many questions in life I’m still trying to answer.

My hope is that readers leave my page feeling inspired to do more and equipped with the resources to do so.

In my free time, I love to write, read comic books, play Dungeons & Dragons, play video games, and go to the gym.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me! If you’d like to support Notable Minds in our journey, our page is filled with a lot of amazing stories; find a story that sticks with you and share it!

With your help, we’ll create a community where stories are shared, lessons are passed down, and solutions are created. by @notableminds

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a year ago