REWRITING YOUR STORY PREMADONNA BRADDICK

Tim Landes, Kyra Bruce, Morgan Phillips | Sep 16, 2020 | Updated Dec 1, 2020

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I’m your host Tim Landes. My guest on this episode hasn’t let anything slow her down. Not even a pandemic. Premadonna Braddick is the founder and director of Soaring Eagle’s Youth and Family Services, which engages, educates and empowers at-risk youth families. Premadonna is a mentor to several young women through her Girls Teen Summit. She’s an actress and an ordained minister. A life coach. And she’s a radio show host on KBOB 89.9 FM.  

Premadonna is among the 12 Tulsa women leaders who shared lessons they’ve learned in our September cover story. Two things to know about her: she’s faced tremendous challenges in her life and overcome them all to not only become successful, but to pass on the lessons learned to several girls, who have grown up to attend Ivy League Schools. 

Second thing is she’s a reluctant Tulsan, who is still getting used to being here after more than a decade living here. (But she loves it here.) 

Premadonna shares her story that starts in East Oakland, California, where she was raised in the foster care system from two to 18. She was a victim of abuse, had a severe speech impediment and a learning disability. At 15 she started working long shifts in fast food restaurants to save money to go to college. As a teenager she also attended church alone. Not only did she find a church home, but she became close with her pastor, Bishop Ernestine Cleveland Reems, who also served on the board of Oral Roberts University. 

Premadonna has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication with a Minor in Theatre of Arts from San Jose State University. She is also an alumna of Oral Roberts University, where she earned two Masters of Arts Degrees in Marriage/Family Therapy and Christian Counseling. 

She discusses her life and the incredible things she’s been able to accomplish in this conversation we recorded on September 8th. 

I really enjoyed getting to know her and learn from her. Even if she still questions why she’s in Tulsa sometimes, you’ll hear in this conversation the many reasons why she’s stayed and how important it is for her to continue to her work here. 

Following that conversation, Voice digital editor and music writer Kyra Bruce shares Jacob Tovar’s cover of the Cliff Beasley classic “I’m Gonna Get to Tulsa,” which is featured on the new Horton Records compilation, “Back to Paradise: A Tulsa Tribute to Okie Music.” More on that later. 

OK, let’s get this going. 

This is Tulsa Talks.