Today we’d like to introduce you to Chantel Randle.
Hi Chantel , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am originally from Saint Paul, Minnesota, born and raised. I started Poetry in theater when I was 13, but always took breaks from it. Actually, when I left Minnesota in 2024 I had no real desire of doing Poetry outside and just being for fun. I had stopped doing Poetry for about two years so much so that when I eventually came back to Poetry, my dad was like, I thought you were retired? I said, so did I. But funny enough, I used to always feel a strong sensation when I watch Poetry, I guess I can nudge. I moved to Houston two years ago, with my mom and my son who is 14 now. Mind you, I came to help my dad with my grandpa, because we don’t have a lot of relatives that live down here. I was going to work doing therapy and growing my business TellaWorks, where I do Healing Circles. And I would go to Poetry shows a little here a little there, but I didn’t start taking a seriously until March 2025. And now I do Poetry consistently, I even have my first headline show coming up October 11 who would’ve thought this decision was turned into this.. but everything is coming full circle. It feels like I’ve lived in a timeline but but now I’m at a different version. I used to host and perform at my own show called “Speaking Volumes”. They were poetry/music open mics and showcases from 2018 to 2021… plus I have my own production company called Tella productions. Long story short, after 20 years of going back-and-forth with my gift, I’m finally surrendering to the fact that art is going to elevate me to the next level and is, as we’re speaking now.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
oh no, extremely difficult, but lots of Happy and prosperous moments. First and foremost I have my son at 19, he was a premature baby. I actually have a poem about that, called “Mother”. I was married by 22, I really wanted to do the more traditional life. I got 2 degrees in social work, and I just wanted to live a regular regular life, I just wanted to be a normal person. Which I am, don’t get me wrong but this life that I’m living is far from normal. I always felt like I was not where I was supposed to be, and please know I’m thankful for my schooling for finishing college for having something that can carry me as I’m moving towards my dreams. However, the hardest part about my journey is that I thought I wasn’t supposed to be doing something like this. Even though my family encouraged us to engage in art, art was never supposed to be a career. Art was always a hobby. But I felt this strong urge that I knew I had more to bring to life, but I didn’t know my voice literally give me a thing that pays me. And my art is helping me to start believing how true that statement really is.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
So interesting enough, one of the things I love on my story is because I went the traditional route into the artist route. My education, my background, my degrees, actually influence my art. I use my own personal experiences, and experiences of others whom I’ve helped throughout my practice and put them into Poetry, and into production, it into music. It’s like I’m able to transmute not only my energy but the energy of others. Like for example I have a poem called “Boogeyman”. It talks about suicide, and I speak heavily to suicidal ideation and where in may stem from. Honestly though, I’ve never experienced real suicidal ideation or thoughts, nor have I ever had a suicide attempt. In the same breath, I have held space for so many people who didn’t go through with their plan, or who did and are still living, I channel their story. It was so divine, cause when I was writing I couldn’t even figure out who I was writing about! It was so dark, but that’s because it’s so true to people’s real life stories! I never tell their stories, I just use the knowledge I’ve gained and help them heal artistically. Plus, I’m also very terrified of horror Movies, so I know it’s channeled. But one of the things that my art does, I feel like helps me to stand out is because of my mental health and social work background. I’m not only speaking to an experience. I’m speaking to what it does to your mental, how it impacts your body, how your neurological system reacts to the trauma etc. I an teaching my healing and therapeutic knowledge through a poem while also being a vessel for those who don’t get their stories told often.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
My industry, I feel like Poetry is being recognized more. I currently have been dabbling in music, but I love Poetry so much, it literally is the thing that has freed me. So now I have a segment of art that I’m playing around in called “two sides of a Gemini”. On one side of the video I do a poem on the other side I do a song, so for example I might be using a instrumental and I’m rapping over it and then it goes into a poem. I say that also because sometimes Poetry doesn’t get the same respect as music, even though they’re in the same boat. but especially since the Grammys even has a best Poetry album option now, that’s amazing. We’re definitely moving in the right direction.
Pricing:
- $175 per event
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tellatalk.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesoftella
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@poetichealer
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tellathehealer
