Minda Harts — blogger, best-selling author, and the 2020 Linkedin Top Voice For Equity In The Workplace — recently published her third book You Are More Than Magic: The Black and Brown Girls Guide to Finding Your Voice. In this episode, she explains what it means to ‘take one’s space,’ explains why she feels that Black and Brown girls especially need to hear this message. She shares her writing process, and how she finally came to see herself as an artist.

From cloning a gene to becoming the youngest precinct judge for the state of North Carolina to founding a massively successful travel company, Zim Flores (nee Ugochukwu) is a force to be reckoned with! We dive into the challenge of separating yourself from your business as an entrepreneur, and the breakthrough that she had when she sold her business.

It may sometimes feel that in order to 'make it' in a certain field, we have to get very serious and lose some of the fun along the way. Ato Essandoh — actor, writer, producer, director — is here to remind us that play and maintaining a novice's wonder and innocence are some of the most important parts of the creative craft.

Not many people have the guts to say that one plus one can equal 11, but for Brandon Middleton, the world has always looked a little different. Brandon is a true multi-hyphenate; -thinker, -leader, -father, -developer, -bassist, -rapper, -advocate, and -investor are some of the ways you might describe him. We talk about bringing all of these areas of life into synergy and using what Brandon calls intentional congruence to get to that next level in whatever you do.

Trier Bryant is CEO of Just Work, equipping leaders with the tools to address workplace injustice. As an experienced leader in the military, finance, and technology industries, Trier brings a wealth of wisdom to this conversation. Among other highlights, she blows our minds with tactics to cultivate “good followership.”

Aishetu Fatima Dozie is Founder and CEO of Bossy Cosmetics Inc. After 20 years in investment banking, Aishe directed her focus toward discovering her purpose. Thus, “the mission-driven women's empowerment company masquerading as a beauty brand,” Bossy Cosmetics, was born.

Aishe dazzles us with how Bossy uses language to connect with and empower their customers. We touch on the crucial topic of inspiration and how Aishe defends the time she needs to fill her cup.

Find out which Bossy Cosmetics products are Oprah Winfrey’s personal favorites!

There’s a sense of freedom and fresh perspective when traveling between countries. But travel is also filled with lost-in-translation moments, not to mention imposter syndrome lingering longer than we might like… Who better to learn about this from than Julian Jordan: a polyglot, design enthusiast, and adventurer who has lived on three different continents, and who consistently explores the question, “What does it mean to be black, here?”

Julian gives us tips for immersing, becoming truly “fluent,” and auditing one’s friend group for gaps in knowledge and perspective.

The majority of the world’s coffee is made in areas inhabited by people with black and brown skin. However, coffee culture has cropped this out. Aaron Fender, co-founder and CEO of Portrait Coffee, wants to pour a new narrative. Tap in to discover why entrepreneurship was the only way he could imagine.

JR Kanu is the founder and CEO of REACH, a Nigerian tech company that leverages mobile tech, content creation, market research and events to promote financial literacy and career capacity building for young people in Africa.

JR shares the deeply personal story of how he turned his back on a great opportunity in America to build a legacy in Nigeria and what he’s learned about himself, entrepreneurship, and tech, over the course of his journey.

Gavin Guidry is a content creator turned Creative Director currently lending his talents to R/GA, a creative agency committed to designing businesses & brands for a more human future. His experience crafting content for lifestyle publications like Hypebeast and Complex allows him to bring cultural and community relevant campaigns to some of the world’s biggest brands.

Mustafa Abdul-Hamid never set out to become an entrepreneur, he just wanted to make a really big impact. He followed his love of basketball and policy, as well as his unique ability to connect the dots, into the business world, and now he is the co-founder of My90 and the founder of Boost.

In this episode, he speaks candidly about life in multiple startups: ruthless prioritization, knowing when to pivot, and knowing when to sell. He shares multiple levels of insights from his life as a serial founder, from the professional, all the way to the deeply personal.

Derrick Miles, Founder and CEO of CourMed, not only provides door-to-door healthcare services but does so while putting encouragement at the center of the patient experience!

In this conversation, he talks us through the turning point that drew him to leave a six-figure salary to start this venture and critical inflection points that have allowed them to keep growing. We dive into his intentionality in creating generational wealth for his sons, and his personal philosophy of remembering the value of real relationships.

Derrick shares innovative tactics for securing world-class talent, and what it takes to bring a board of directors' strategic vision to create value in the market.

Jonathan Azu, Founder and CEO of artist management company Culture Collective, on meeting Chuck D. and President Obama. In this fascinating conversation, Jonathan reflects on how his career has come full circle, from his first success in organizing a George Clinton concert while a college sophomore, to opening doors for other BIPOC in artist management as an industry-leading executive.

After being one of three executives of color in a room at a prestigious event — none of whom owned their own businesses — led him to start his own management company, the events of the last two years have placed him in the epicenter of the conversation around diversity in the industry.

To hear about Jonathan’s belief in the concept of the high-performance zone which exists right between danger and comfort, and his advice on risk-taking, tune in today!

Ise is the CEO of Lyfe Productives, a product development company dedicated to making health and education provocative for hard-to-reach audiences. In this episode, he explains what it means to institutionalize emotional intelligence in a company, how he creates a loving work environment that accommodates factors beyond his control, and the importance of creating a margin for error to help employees feel secure. Tune in to discover Ise’s management tips for how to cultivate an environment where people want to show up to work, resources that he recommends, and the power of pro-tips in the workplace. Tap in!

Kelly Garrett Zeigler has two decades of experience in consumer insights, across organizations such as Mattel, Vans, Vanity Fair Corporation, and now Pearson. Kelly shares her passion for getting surprised, and explains that the best insights come from “messy humans.” She also talks about questions to drive consumer understanding, the importance of empathy, and the delightful sensation that accompanies a true consumer discovery. For tips on how to construct a diverse constellation of collaborators, things you can do to establish an insights culture in your team, and some of Kelly’s favorite go-to tactics to stimulate fresh thinking, tap in!

Wes Pendleton is a Philadelphia-based media specialist and entrepreneur, with over 15 years of experience in business development and strategy, with a primary focus on voice and storytelling. After exiting his former company Soul Surplus is March of 2020, Wes launched Blue Collar Exec in September of 2021. Blue Collar Exec was created to share insights on the core tenets in business development and brand building.

Whitney is a designer, scientist, former Stanford softball star, and all-around incredible creative. She’s in a unique position to share key insights on the nature of experimentation, and specifically, what designers can learn from scientists. We discuss the importance of finding time to create meaning and allow creative ideas to develop, and the tension of doing this while also working towards deadlines.

Ashanti Branch started the Ever Forward Club in 2004 to provide support for African American and Latino males who were not achieving their potential. Since then, Ever Forward has helped all its more than 150 members graduate from high school, and 93 percent of them have gone to attend two- or four- year colleges, military, or trade school. He’s also the founder of the Million Mask Movement, which has helped over 50,000 (and counting) individuals remove the emotional masks they wear.