Karen Millsap, also known as, The Grief Consultant, began her career in human resources and talent acquisition where she lead countless training, new process, and change initiatives. At a young age, she suddenly became a widow when her husband tragically died which completely changed the trajectory of her life. After experiencing a domino effect of other losses, she became acutely aware of the overall lack of support in our society for grieving people. We are all connected through our struggles,...
May 07, 2018•33 min•Ep. 118
If you trust the process, you can accomplish anything. That’s the takeaway from this episode and our featured guest Henry Keculah. Henry is the founder and CEO of 4.0 Growth Productivity Accountability (4.0 GPA). Henry is a first-generation American, who's parents immigrated to the U.S from Liberia. Henry mom was unfamiliar with the college readiness process which prevented Henry from taking advantage of opportunities that could have provided him with full rides. Thankfully, Henry was able to tu...
Apr 30, 2018•29 min•Ep. 117
Business growth strategist Quiana Murray has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs learn how to acquire sponsorship for their businesses, events, products and services. Having left her comfy corporate job to launch her first business (only to watch it all fall flat), she knows the importance of being able to create a business that you not only love, but one that allows you to thrive! Now Quiana uses her experiences and expertise to help entrepreneurs be smart, make more money, increase their influenc...
Apr 23, 2018•44 min•Ep. 116
Allow me to introduce Major Kenneth Reyes. Ken is our very first Latino man and active duty military featured guest on Trailblazers.FM. Ken has served our country for more than 20 years. He’s deployed to support the NATO led Stabilization Force in Bosnia and has also volunteered to fight in Afghanistan as a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. Ken has taught as an Assistant Professor of Military Science for the United States Army Cadet Command at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Stets...
Apr 16, 2018•35 min•Ep. 115
There is a ton of opportunity that can come out of our prison cells; but only if we help create a culture of second chances. Marcus Bullock is an entrepreneur, justice reform advocate, and public speaker. Following his 2004 release from prison, he launched a painting business and is now CEO of construction firm Perspectives Premier Contractors, which employs other returning citizens. Bullock is also founder and CEO of mobile app Flikshop, a free app that enables incarcerated people the ability t...
Apr 09, 2018•35 min•Ep. 114
Whether on the stage, in the classroom, in the community, or as a father, Marcus Johnson leaves a mark wherever he lands. Musician, Entrepreneur, Professor, Author, Motivational Speaker, he is the consummate dreamer-doer. He believes that investing in the community and in one’s self is the best way to solve some of life’s most pressing questions: Why are we here? What is our purpose? In answering these questions for himself, Marcus has successfully navigated the realms of music, business, educat...
Apr 02, 2018•39 min•Ep. 113
Maxine Reyes is a super charged woman that wears multiple hats. When she’s not speaking at schools and mentoring teens, she is leading women’s groups teaching self care and resilience, and inspiring with her platform “Women leading their lives with courage and grace”. She can also be found hosting couples retreats with her husband of 20 years, or volunteering at her daughter’s school. Did we mention that she recently retired in December 2017, after nearly 22 years of honorable service in the Air...
Mar 26, 2018•56 min•Ep. 112
Yendi Phillipps is doing it all! She blazed her trail by winning two national pageant titles for the island of Jamaica, but her accolades didn't stop there. Since then she's become an ambassador, mother, social media influencer, model and is also a creative entrepreneur who has found a way to live a life of purpose, while still monetizing her creative passions. In this conversation, Yendi talks about how the experiences of being a beauty pageant contestant impacted her as a business woman, creat...
Mar 19, 2018•45 min•Ep. 111
What holds most people back from sharing their story? In today's conversation, Cheryl Wood and I discuss what holds people back from sharing their story. Cheryl shares what aspiring speakers need to know to get started and shares the four types of speaking engagements. Cheryl Wood is an international motivational speaker, author, and master speaker development coach for women. She is committed to empowering women globally to courageously share their unique voice, story, and perspective. She equi...
Mar 12, 2018•40 min•Ep. 110
"When building your network or social following, focus on quality not quantity" - Cameka Smith In today's conversation, Cameka and I discuss the power of networking and building relationships. She shares why she launched her business, and how she developed a business strategy to monetize her brand and grow her business. Speaker, trainer and award-winning entrepreneur - these are just a few words that describe Cameka Smith, Founder of The BOSS Network, a community of professional and entrepreneur...
Mar 05, 2018•32 min•Ep. 109
Every day is black history. Every day, we are writing black history. As I think about how podcasting has allowed me to have an impact on black history in the making, I wanted to share some of my vibranium with you (Black Panther reference here - if you haven't watched it yet, you better get to a theatre near you right now). I'm going to share with you, my top 7 tips that will absolutely help you to blaze your trail and write your own black history. -- If you're posting to social, please tag @tbp...
Feb 26, 2018•27 min•Ep. 108
We celebrate athletes, civil rights leaders and others during Black History Month, but there is often very little conversation about black legacy in business. Our guest today is Alfred A. Edmond Jr., Senior Vice President and Executive Editor-at-Large of BLACK ENTERPRISE, responsible for providing brand, marketing and content leadership as a member of the multimedia company’s senior management team. In today's conversation, Alfred and I discuss a few of the black business legends who paved the p...
Feb 19, 2018•44 min•Ep. 107
"If you would stop making it all about money, all the money you want will come." Known as America's Money Maven, Patrice Washington is a nationally recognized best-selling author, transformational speaker, and a leading authority on personal finance, entrepreneurship and success for women and youth. Patrice’s wisdom on money matters has been tapped as a recurring voice by national brands such as NBC, FOX News, Black Enterprise, The Huffington Post, Essence Magazine and more. She’s most known as ...
Feb 12, 2018•52 min•Ep. 106
"By 2053... black median families will own zero wealth if current trends continue." Dr. George C. Fraser is the Chairman and CEO of FraserNet, Inc., a company he founded some 30 years ago, to lead a global networking movement for people of African descent. He spent 20 years in leadership positions with Procter & Gamble, United Way and Ford Motor Company before starting his own business in 1987. Dr. Fraser is the author of 6 best-selling books. He has been named as one of the best speakers in...
Feb 05, 2018•47 min•Ep. 105
Why is legacy wealth important to the black community? Dr. Pamela Jolly is the Founder and CEO of Torch Enterprises. She's helped 1000s of entrepreneurs, national non-profits, trade organizations, the Federal Government, foundations and financial institutions. She's a smart and committed woman who's developing data-driven strategies that will help lead us to wealth as a legacy in the African American Community. In today's conversation, we talked about her meaning of the term legacy wealth and wh...
Jan 29, 2018•38 min•Ep. 104
An Estate Plan determines how your assets will be dealt with when you die. Do you have one? Art Steele is an estate planning and intellectual property attorney who has been practicing law for nearly 10 years. She left corporate America to launch her own law firm in 2014 and recently founded ArtSteele.co - an online resource that provides simple legal solutions. In this conversation, Art shares why estate planning is for everyone, especially people of color. And you will be moved by Art's explana...
Jan 22, 2018•56 min•Ep. 103
"Start with the mind. We need to change how we think and feel about money!" Dr. Cozette M. White is an acclaimed bestselling author, nationally recognized finance and tax strategist, international speaker and philanthropist. In this conversation, Dr. White shares an exercise we can begin over the next 14-21 days to help us undergo a permanent financial mind shift. -- If you're posting to social, please tag @tbpod and use the hashtag #missionfuel #iamblacksuccess Please help us by SHARING this po...
Jan 15, 2018•39 min•Ep. 102
Of the 525 US Stock Mutual Funds that existed 30 years ago, only 223 are still operating today & only six are run by the same manager. One of those six remaining managers is our guest today, Mr. John Rogers Jr . John W. Rogers, Jr. is Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Ariel Investments , which is the largest minority lead mutual fund in the country. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm offers six no-load mutual funds for individual investors and defined...
Jan 08, 2018•39 min•Ep. 101
Today, we celebrate an amazing milestone on the Trailblazers.FM podcast, it's our 100th episode! It's been 100 consecutive Monday mornings, going back to February 1, 2016 that I've been publishing a brand new episode at 5 a.m. In today's conversation, we reflected on these 100 amazing reasons to be inspired, motivated, encouraged, and we are reminded of the mission fuel that's now in the library of past conversations, ready to assist others seeking to rise above and go way beyond in blazing thei...
Dec 18, 2017•56 min•Ep. 100
How do you walk boldly in your faith to be able to experience your true purpose and success in life? Our guest today is Tiffany F. Southerland, known across social media as @TiffSouth . In today's conversation, Tiffany and I talk about the importance of us knowing our story, and how that often leads to the discovery of our strengths. -- If you're posting to social, please tag @tbpod and use the hashtag #missionfuel #iamblacksuccess Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe t...
Dec 11, 2017•34 min•Ep. 99
Named to Fast Company's League of Extraordinary Women, Tiffany Dufu is today the Chief Leadership Officer to Levo, which is the fastest growing millennial professional network. She's been featured in the New York Times, Essence, O, The Oprah Magazine and she's a sought after speaker on women's leadership. A good friend said Stephen, you've absolutely got to read Tiffany's book. And that's what I did. Tiffany Dufu has authored a book titled Drop The Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less . Hands down...
Dec 04, 2017•37 min•Ep. 98
Explore our panel discussion with the Campaign for Black Male Achievement's 2017 Building Beloved Communities Leadership Fellows. Our featured guests on the panel include Ashanti Branch, Ronda Alexander and Brandyn Bailey. -- If you're posting to social, please tag @tbpod and use the hashtag #missionfuel #iamblacksuccess Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have g...
Nov 27, 2017•57 min•Ep. 97
Prince Daniels Jr. is an author, motivational speaker, inspirational fitness trainer and an expert in the areas of fitness, meditation and holistic health. We talk about several things, including the biggest lessons he learned playing football in the N.F.L. and what stuck with him most that helped to mold him into the man he’s become today. We discussed his pivot from football to where he is today with mindfulness and meditation; and he shares some all around great gems to help us get our minds ...
Nov 20, 2017•38 min•Ep. 96
Dr. Diana Burley: Diana is an Executive Director and Chair of the Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection and also a full Professor of Human and Organizational Learning at the George Washington University. She is a globally recognized cybersecurity expert and has written nearly 80 publications on cybersecurity, information sharing and IT-enabled change. In this episode, Diana and I talk about what cybersecurity really is and we talked about who is susceptible to cyber crime and how w...
Nov 13, 2017•25 min•Ep. 95
Sheri Riley is a wife, mother, daughter, and entrepreneur. She's a trendsetter in the entertainment industry, and has spent 20 years creating innovative marketing strategies for some of the world’s biggest celebrities and corporations. Her list of clients includes Usher, TLC, Toni Braxton, Converse, NBA, TNT, and many more. In addition, she's an Empowerment Speaker, Life Strategist, and Author, and Sheri helps all around busy individuals, like us, to make choices that lead to less stress, better...
Nov 06, 2017•36 min•Ep. 94
Brandon Frame is a renaissance man with a social conscience and a global perspective. Brandon founded The Black Man Can, a non-profit dedicated to celebrating, education and inspiring boys and men of color. "Once you make an observation, you have an obligation.” MK Asante Boys and men of color need to see positive images of themselves and have their stories told. Define yourself, redefine the world: The Guided Journal for Boys and Men of Color with empowering words, motivating experiences and in...
Oct 30, 2017•37 min•Ep. 93
Chanel launched Hampton Consulting with a vision of specifically catering to mission-driven clientele. Hampton Consulting’s client roster ranges from the Campaign for Black Male Achievement and President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance to the Michigan Department of Education, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, the University of Michigan’s Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, The Skillman Foundation, the White House’s Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans and...
Oct 23, 2017•52 min•Ep. 92
If you can't talk about something, it is out of control. Dr. Michael A. Lindsey is the Director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research and McSilver Professor of Poverty Studies at NYU Silver School of Social Work in September 2016. Dr. Lindsey was previously an Associate Professor at NYU Silver. Prior to joining NYU Silver in 2014, Dr. Lindsey was an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and concurrently a Faculty Affiliate at the University o...
Oct 16, 2017•42 min•Ep. 91
What are the critical steps to move forward toward a goal of full-time entrepreneurship? Nicole Walters explains what inspired her to quit her six figure job in front of 10,000 people on Periscope, then go on to earn a million dollars in revenue within 18 months. She explains her motivation and drive behind the work she's doing today. Best part is she shares some nuggets of wisdom on the 3 steps we must engage to move towards that desire of full-time entrepreneurship. Nicole Walters is a powerho...
Oct 09, 2017•33 min•Ep. 90
What does "for profit for good" mean? Our featured guest today is Tynesia Boyea-Robinson. Tynesia Boyea-Robinson is the President and CEO of Reliance Methods. She exemplifies cross-sector leadership. In her book, Just Change: How To Collaborate For Lasting Impact , Tynesia shares her experience investing in cities and leaders across the country. The goal of Just Change is to help readers understand what’s working, what’s not working and why, in order to improve their own communities. Tynesia’s e...
Oct 02, 2017•27 min•Ep. 89
