Black History Month might end on Feb 28th, but we don't believe that's a reason to stop celebrating black history. In fact, we have celebrated our everyday black trailblazers each and every week for the past year. We have explored and highlighted these amazing individuals and how they are helping shape modern history. Join us on this special podcast episode to celebrate our podcast's one year anniversary and the best lessons we have captured from these first 53 bold, black and blazing profession...
Feb 28, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 58
In today's special feature episode of the Trailblazers podcast, we engaged in a panel conversation with three Spelman College alumnae: Dr. Monica F. Cox, Dr. Carlotta Berry and Dr. Rochelle Williams. They discussed being among some of today's most accomplished hidden figures, how to build a supportive community for black women and ways to start being #VisibleFigures in STEM. 05:31 Provide an overview of the movie and share what Hidden Figures was about. 06:17 Which character did each of you iden...
Feb 27, 2017•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 57
Tonya Rapley is a nationally recognized millennial money expert and founder of the award-winning site, My Fab Finance. She was deemed the "New Face of Wealth Building" by Black Enterprise magazine and was selected as a Modern History Maker by TV One. Her mission is to help millennial women break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck and look fabulous while doing it. Episode Outline 03:10 What are you most grateful for right now? 03:30 What got you interested in Finance? 04:15 What was the bac...
Feb 20, 2017•38 min•Ep. 56
Devin Robinson (known to many as Professor Devin) talks with us today about the plight of black-owned businesses and shares why he believes that the knowledge and resources needed to succeed are different for black entrepreneurs than for others. Devin is a business and economics professor and author of eight self-help books. Devin's Episode Outline 02:16 What are you most grateful for right now? 03:32 What ignited the desire to become an entrepreneur? 08:00 Talk about Entrepreneurship being the ...
Feb 13, 2017•41 min•Ep. 55
Wesley Lowery is a Pulitzer Prize–winning national reporter for the Washington Post who covers law enforcement and justice. He was the paper’s lead reporter in Ferguson, Missouri, covering the Black Lives Matter protest movement, and was a member of the team awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for coverage of police shootings. His reporting has previously appeared in the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Wesley's Episode Outline: 05:06 Did growi...
Feb 06, 2017•33 min•Ep. 54
Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is a large carnivore ecologist with the American Museum of Natural History. She is a pioneer among black women who have attained a Ph.D in her field, where she studies the American black bear, African lions in rural Kenya and Tanzania, and grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Dr. Wynn-Grant has attained 3 degrees, including a Masters degree from Yale University and a Ph.D from Columbia University. Don't miss this inspiring story from this extraordinary trailblaz...
Jan 30, 2017•40 min•Ep. 53
Dre Baldwin teaches Mental Toughness, Self-Confidence and Self-Discipline to athletes, entrepreneurs and business professionals. On YouTube since 2006, Dre's content has been viewed overover 39 million times by 120,000 subscribers. A Penn State alum, Dre coaches, speaks, blogs has a daily podcast, is writing several new books and programs, and still published to YouTube. Dre has appeared on 3 TED stages and written 11 top-selling books. Dre's Episode Outline: What are you most grateful for in yo...
Jan 23, 2017•40 min•Ep. 52
Dr. Tiffany Stewart is national speaker, professional coach and mentor, trained licensed therapist and tenured associate professor of counseling. She works with individuals, teaching them step-by-step, how to create the life they want and desire. Her passion is to help individuals who may be stuck in some area of life, to tap into their power and give themselves permission to step into their purpose and create the create life they want to live. -- All Black stories on this podcast are made avail...
Jan 16, 2017•36 min•Ep. 51
Cheree Warrick writes business plans and creates financial forecasts for companies seeking funding from banks and angel investors. Cheree’s goal is to help 1,000 companies receive over $1 Billion in financing. She has helped clients from various industries (including dog daycare, restaurant, driving school, and catering company) raise the capital they need for growth. She has also coached or written business plans for close to 100 entrepreneurs. Cheree’s Episode Outline: - What are you most grat...
Jan 09, 2017•32 min•Ep. 50
For over 20 years, Chef Bryce Fluellen has utilized his culinary skills to make a significant impact in the community. As Director of Operations for Magic Johnson Enterprises where he was responsible for the company’s growth in under-served, urban areas all across the country to present day as the first Chef hired by American Heart Association to run Kids/Teens Cook with Heart, a healthy cooking and nutrition program that has positively impacted over 1,000 children and adults throughout Los Ange...
Jan 02, 2017•53 min•Ep. 49
Grace Tartaglia was one of Canada's beauty gurus, with a regular presence in millions of homes through her longstanding guest expert position on City TVs City Line. Grace was known for her ability to create a women's best self by allowing her natural beauty to shine through. Grace was nominated for numerous prestigious awards within her profession, and she was honored as a spokes person for the Princess Margaret hospital #NoHairSelfie campaign that raised the largest amount ever for one haircut ...
Dec 26, 2016•39 min•Ep. 48
Lucinda Cross is a Master Coach, best-selling author, award winning speaker, TV personality, spokesperson and energetic teacher of personal and professional development. Lucinda is the creator and founder of the popular brands Activate!™ and Activate Your Life Today!™ and is the President of Activate WorldWide Inc. In today's episode we talk about creating and taking action on your vision and goals, using vision boards. Lucinda's Episode Outline: What will it take for us to be able to rebuild, r...
Dec 19, 2016•32 min•Ep. 47
Marisa Renee Lee is a leader dedicated to engaging the private sector to help solve public problems. Lee serves as the Managing Director of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance), a nonprofit born out of President Obama's call to action to address the barriers to success that boys and young men of color (BYMOC) disproportionately face along the life path. Through her work with MBK Alliance, Lee leads a collaborative, cross-sectoral movement that unites business, philanthropy, nonprofit,...
Dec 12, 2016•41 min•Ep. 46
Kevin Turpin II is the President of National Journal. Kevin is one of D.C.'s up and coming trailblazers that's helping lead one of Washington's most established and trusted media brands that serves government and business leaders in the nation's capital. In his various roles with National Journal, he's had exposure to product development, strategy research, digital and marketing. In today's conversation, we unpack some of his tips and wisdom around hiring and leading people. And we also discuss ...
Dec 05, 2016•49 min•Ep. 45
Today we welcome 2 time Grammy, Emmy and Dove award-winning producer Shannon Sanders. He's a talented producer, a profound songwriter and an amazing musician and knock-your-socks-right-on-off singer. He’s currently President of the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy. Shannon's Episode Outline: How did you get your start producing and writing music for others most notably John Legend, Heather Headley and your Grammy Award winning work with India Arie? What have been one of those biggest l...
Nov 28, 2016•27 min•Ep. 44
At the time of this episode going live, we're days away from Thanksgiving 2016 here in the United States. It's usually a time that allows us to reflect on all the many things we are grateful for. I think now more than any time in our past, it's a holiday that is so necessary. It seems that more and more noise and news enters and exits our minds daily, and even this week, the media and corporations would want your thoughts on football and Black Friday promotions, but I want to get away from the m...
Nov 21, 2016•16 min•Ep. 43
Although he was previously homeless in two different cities (LA and NY), he has shared the stage with the likes of everyone from Faith Hill and Big & Rich to John Legend. He’s even a part of a country music group The Farm (along with doing solo work too). When he’s not on the road as an artist, he’s working alongside The Salvation Army and Boys & Girls Club to share his story of being one of 12 children, the first to graduate from high school and avoiding being a victim of the streets. O...
Nov 14, 2016•42 min•Ep. 42
Rana Campbell is a marketing strategist, freelance writer, content creator, and podcast host who helps creatives and lifestyle entrepreneurs. She is the host of the Dreams In Drive podcast that was launched in January 2016. Rana is a native of Orange, NJ and is a recent graduate of Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Rana's work has been featured on MadameNoire, Blavity, Huffington Post, and Princeton Alumni Weekly. Rana's Episode Outline: Why did you decide to study Socio...
Nov 07, 2016•49 min•Ep. 41
Candice Cook Simmons is the Managing Partner at The Cook Law Group, PLLC and the Founder of the media company Namaskar Media. She is an attorney, published writer, filmmaker, noted philanthropist, and business strategist in the technology, entertainment, and corporate sectors. Candice's Episode Outline: What you are most grateful for in your life right now? What was the problem you experienced that fueled your vision to create your businesses? What are some of the biggest mistakes you made putti...
Oct 31, 2016•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 40
Kwame Christian is a business lawyer and founder of the American Negotiation Institute. He is passionate about teaching entrepreneurs and business professionals the art of negotiation so they can get better deals and advance their careers. He is regularly invited to give negotiation seminars and consults with individuals and companies to create and implement powerful negotiation strategies. He also hosts a podcast called Negotiation for Entrepreneurs where he interviews successful entrepreneurs ...
Oct 24, 2016•41 min•Ep. 39
Miko Branch is the co-founder and CEO of Miss Jessie’s LLC, the company behind the premium hair care product line, Miss Jessie’s, that exclusively caters to the diverse spectrum of all curly hair types. Miko founded the company with her sister, Titi, and they named it after their beloved and fiercely independent “do-it-for-yourself,” and “tell-it-like-it-is” paternal grandmother – Jessie Mae Branch. As the visionary behind the Miss Jessie’s brand, Miko revolutionized the hair care industry and b...
Oct 17, 2016•44 min•Ep. 38
Ike Anderson has been a “serial entrepreneur” since age nine, when he enlisted the ‘power of duplication’ with several other boys, creating a direct sales candy company that grew into an international business with an evolutionary distribution model, before he was 15. In the same spirit, Ike is now the CEO and founder of UpStart Internet™ , a niche Internet Marketing and Digital Advertising Agency that serves clients in creating their vision with laser-focused accuracy by maximizing online user ...
Oct 10, 2016•36 min•Ep. 37
Tiffany F. Southerland is a lawyer by training and change agent at heart. She attained 3 degrees from 2 different Ivy League universities, before starting her career as an attorney at an AMLaw 100 law firm in Philadelphia. She transitioned from practicing law to a career in higher education as Associate Director of Admissions, Diversity and Inclusion at a law school and later returned to the law firm where her career began as Manager of Professional Recruitment. Tiffany's Episode Outline Did you...
Oct 03, 2016•32 min•Ep. 36
Rahfeal Gordon has come a long way from his hardships of being homeless in the streets of Newark, New Jersey – U.S.A. He is recognized as one of the top international speakers and advisors for world leaders and entrepreneurs who are impacting the world. For over a decade, Rahfeal has been leveraging the core fundamentals that promote productivity and impact. He provides in-depth strategies and key insight into the environmental and physical circumstances that impact an individual's personal and ...
Sep 26, 2016•34 min•Ep. 35
Nicole McClaren Campbell is an educator, entrepreneur and professional speaker. Driven by a passion for empowerment, she represented Jamaica at MIT’s Junior Summit and was selected to address then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at just 13 years old. She was subsequently featured in local and international media, including CNN and Nickelodeon and was chosen as one of "20 Teens Who Will Change the World" by Teen People Magazine. She is a graduate of the St. Andrew High School for Girls, and compl...
Sep 19, 2016•40 min•Ep. 34
Rescuing small businesses is all the rage on television. Whether it's Jon Taffer with Bar Rescue, or Tabitha Coffey's Salon Takeover. Despite the fact that none of them do it, these TV shows are fueling interest in a new trend. Move over Real Estate Flippers, Ace Chapman is building a nationwide group of business flippers. Ace Chapman bought his first business at 19 with some savings from a summer job and caught the business buying bug. He leveraged $3,000 he saved working the summer before coll...
Sep 12, 2016•37 min•Ep. 33
Alvin is the Founder of Reading Holiday Project, Inc. and Chief Reading Inspirer at Barbershop Books Barbershop Books is a community-based literacy program that creates child-friendly reading spaces in barbershops for boys ages 4-8. Alvin and the Barbershop Books brand look to leverage the cultural significance of barbershops in Black communities to help black boys identify as readers. This innovative approach connects black men and families to black boys Alvin Irby, an elementary teacher turned...
Sep 05, 2016•47 min•Ep. 32
Representative Edwin “Ed” Narain is a dedicated member of the Tampa Bay community and has served in various civic leadership roles for more than two decades. I've known him personally for almost 20 years from our time working together in Student Government at the University of South Florida (USF). In November 2014, Ed was elected to the Florida House of Representatives as the State Representative for District 61 and he is presently running for the Florida State Senate District 19 race, with hope...
Aug 29, 2016•34 min•Ep. 31
Cornell Thomas is the perfect example of turning a loss into a win. Two weeks away from playing professional basketball in Europe, Cornell suffered a career ending injury that derailed his dream. Growing up with adversity his whole life allowed Cornell to get past “Why Me” and focus on “What Now”. In this episode, I asked Cornell: What happened during the years between 2003 and 2010? What was that valley like between basketball and coaching? What has been the most amazing thing that's happened s...
Aug 22, 2016•46 min•Ep. 30
Phaon Spurlock is the Founder of Luxurious PROTOTYPE Online Men’s Lifestyle Magazine and Owner of BKLYN LEAGUE Men’s Apparel, Accessories and Home Goods. Episode Outline What was your dream as a child? What have been the biggest lessons you've learned about yourself while working in your corporate marketing gigs, that carried over and helped you create the magazine and your new brand, BKLYN LEAGUE? What was the big opportunity you saw most other fashion entrepreneurs missing, that sparked the id...
Aug 15, 2016•46 min•Ep. 29
