The Youth Are Brilliant

get back. I can get married, but it's gonna had now was mad Now I want to go to If it can't be like Porsche's wedding, I'm gonna go to the Justice to piece and have me a nice reception afterwards, and then that's that I want the husband. She married the King of Zamunda. You know she had the King of Wunda wedding. She had two weddings. You know, we didn't make it to the first one, but the African traditional wedding and then the when that we went to

was just dope managed. I just wanted to say shout out to push her in something you know, or should be having a good time all the time. I love that he allows her to be her sister queen and asta how I was saying that yesterday, like he allows her to just be her I didn't even know because I left from from the from the you know, wherever I went, who knows um. And by the time I came back, she was out there performing with Drew Hill.

I didn't even know that that happened. I saw it online. Uh. It was a beautiful occasion of families coming together, of friends coming together, and it was just done so well. And what I appreciate that people don't understand or no, or maybe they do know and they just hate nastrolls, is that, yes, Simon is very well off, and you can tell that he loves taking care of Portion. But Portion got her own stuff, She got her own money,

she got her own businesses. She has plenty of things going on, from a hair company to clothe and she's got the Amazon deal. She's involved in all it was a thing, So I'm sure she also was part of her own experience. And you know, I was talking to bridesmaids, obviously Andy was one of the bridesmaids, and they just said the way that they would treat it, it was so nice and kind and sweet and just a lot of you know, love and positivity, and you could see

that illuminating in their marriage. And you know, in in their in their union, and of course the families and whatnot. It was and that's what I mean. I know I'm being funny when I say let's do it. You know it has to be big like this and the third. But what I mean is that the cultural aspect because that was still president even in the American wedding, that it was still present. The fact that the actual wedding ceremony,

the music was the best gospel music ever. Every song it was church, the sermon that the pastor gave and the words that they used to encourage them. It just was so many positive things. And of course the two of them look like money. The money they're getting couple of dollars man, you know, I just you know, um, people say, you know, marriage just love and this and that, and it is, you love people, But when you look at that the kind of money that, man, that's a

different kind of money. But I'm just trying to be honest, like I but I really, but you could tell that they love each other being around them from kind of like the people know what I'm saying, so seeing it and just being in in the clubs with them, just being around just just there's an energy of when you just enjoy somebody, you know, and they enjoy each other.

She he's he's a lot more laid back than she is, but he enjoys her and she includes him, and they include each other and everything like there's communication that they have that's just dope. You don't look like, oh, this dude is with somebody and he just here. Now he's enjoying this. She's having a good time. She knows he's enjoying hoodie enjoying each other. So there's there's this level

of chemistry in the bond. If they got man, so I'm demistry is the word, yes, and they got they got a yang and yang thing that things are going on. So you know, I was I was blessed to be in the building. So I appreciate being able to witness that. Man our sister would listen. You know, people try to say, oh, you know, she showed up. I'm gonna mak me a T shirt that say I'm a cloud chaser because you know, I remember a long time ago, my old boss, they

used to say he's an ambulance chaser. Ambulance chasing. He used to say, call me whatever you want, ambulance chasing. But actually I'm the ambulance, right and and and and and I don't know how I'm gonna make it spin, but it doesn't fuck you saying that this one is a cloud chaser and that my son is a cloud chaser.

Like so even it's a beautiful thing because what happens is when when you take the time to think that somebody is chasing cloud you you and you don't even understand the dynamics is that there's a level of work and its level of respect that goes into you being able to be in certain places and love that you have.

You know, there's a level of dedication that you have to what you do that people see, you know, and and it can be misconstrued by some not even misconstrued because it's intentional hate, you know what I'm saying, Because when you don't even know somebody that you're calling them out their name and you you decide that they cloud chase it, that's all you Listen, Call me what you want.

But I want to put an explanation to it, right because I would imagine that when people say you're a cloud chaser, that means you're doing it for lights, You're doing it for attention, right, you're trying to get people to pay attention to you and and that, and that is actually true because it leads to the next topic.

Shank Wala Robinson right now said that. So I'm not I'm not trying to but I'm sure there was a hater that didn't write it because they might have felt like this is inappropriate time, but they thought it in the back of their mind that me getting involved Tiffany loft In myself and then of course bringing everybody you and others into the situation that we're doing it for cloud. Right. They might I'm sure they said that, but people did not disrespect UM the space and bring all of that

negativity to it. And I gotta say that because I don't want to UM misrepresent But there are people who feel like Brianna Tall and other things. We yeah, their family wanted good cloud chases. If that's what you call us, that's fine because what we know is that the State Department wrote on their report that there was no evidence of foul play on Chanquella Robinson and they was going on about their business. Body a body was got back to the body was claimed and sent back to the US,

and uh, you know, they paid. The family had to pay six thousand dollars to get the body back and to get her remains. There was gonna be a service and those people was gonna be on about their business. Why because first of all, and this is I'm not even and I could give you all kinds of reasons in terms of, like, you know, the conspiracies in my mind around these government agencies and the federal government and all of that, but just on a very basic level,

it's so much sh happening across this world. There's so many things you're talking about, the State Department, the United States Department, Okay, do you know all of the things. You got the Department of Justice over there, you got the FBI, you got all of this stuff. There's crime happening, there's people missing, there's wars going on. They got so

much going on. A black woman who was on vacation with her friends that died, and the Mexican government said, you know, it was nothing but alcohol, or they didn't even say it was alcohol poisoning. But they didn't really say, hey, hey, hey, hey, there's something that happened over here, and we need to put some people in the hot seat for it, right They didn't say that they're going on about their business.

When has this country ever stopped everything, stopped the cylinders and and and said a black woman has been harm or a black person, but especially a black woman has been hard and we didn't do a full investigation. It doesn't work like that. So what happens is the cloud chases come right the people. Because when I spoke to Chanquilla's mama and daddy, they was like, we're just trying

to figure out what happened to our daughter. We know that the story they're telling us is not right, but we don't have the means right they was Her father was was pushing the FBI. He told me the story of how he circled back. He was talking to Attorney Crump and out on the phone and he said, as he was at the cemetery looking for a plot for his daughter, the video clip that we now have all seen it was released, and he turned around and drove to the FBI's office to get them to do something

for his daughter with this new evidence. So it was all of that that went into it. And of course on social media, we were out there pushing and demanding that there be some real attention paid to this, but not just on social media. People was making real phone calls, sending real emails and really going after and and and pressuring the FBI and the State Department. That ship works. It works, so if you and you know what. There was one comment someone said, oh, um, they and then

it doesn't always work, but it does work. At least it will get you. You know what they say, the squeaky will gets the oil right. Um. But there was this one comment when a person when I wrote, I thanked all the people who donated, you know, especially the highest numbers above five hundred. I think them all. I talked about the people on that list and kind from Kyrie Irving to excuse me, to Stormy Wellington to uh Kimba Walker uh to all these people grant cardone. Uh

there were so many people. Uh, Courtneyada, yel A um uh, Comedian little rail. You know. I I talked about it and I said, together we did this. And so this person wrote, um, I know you don't think you raised all of this money by yourself this as well. First of all, unfortunately, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't even bring it up. It doesn't matter. But since people don't understand how things work. You have to. You gotta get the

record straight. As a Claire Hubs Claire Hunstable, you talk about getting the record straight all the time, and whenever she would say that, everybody in the house knew, oh my god, So let's get the record straight. First of all, there was no go fund me until we got involved. Our team in Mill Washington worked with the family to create the go fund me and advise them on how

to put all the pieces in place. And because of the nature of how fast to go fund me travel, it kept getting shut down because you know, people try to steal. Then other go fund me is popped up whether or not these are is this the official page or not. We, through Michael Blake, who was our brother former assembly men from New York, worked with go fund Me to work out all the kinks on the platform so that they could raise the type of resources they need for all the things that are to come around

getting justice for their daughter. Then our friends, people we work closely with, were the first people to come forward with enough of the the with big enough numbers in terms of what they donated and how they got their friends together to donate. And that is how the go fund me dropped from I mean, excuse me, it grew from great numbers to astronomical in just amazing in terms of what people came together to do. So no, it doesn't mean we did it all by ourselves. That's why

we said we did it together. But you will not take from us. You will not take from us what we do every single day out here and how we try to work with families and others to help them through their grief and through the trauma that their experience. So if that makes us cloud chases, and it being a cloud chase, it means that you're trying to get the most attention possible and that attention helps to bring justice or a little bit of peace to someone, a family,

or something to our communities, then damn it. Signed me up, Sign me up, you said a mouthful. I ain't even gotta sitting there after that, man, because the work somebody got to do, the work that you ain't willing to do. So keep call us whatever you want to call us, but we know at the end of the day, these families appreciate it. You know, we we we get whatever

we can. We try to stand with them, We try to you know, advise them about things that we know, and we also try to get them the resources that they need along this process. You know, it's nothing can give you back your family. Remember, nothing's gonna give them back to you. But but we understand that when when it's time to pay for those were trying to pay for the you know, the the going home services, those

things need to be paid for. When it's time to get investigators and all of these people, that's going to be to find out all the things and pay for how to find these people that are hiding like there. It's really things going on. So if you're not really pretty pretty much about to do anything, don't worry about us. You don't even need to write that. When we heard you say that cloud, we heard it over. You ain't got to keep righting the same thing as well. They

I'm gonna get me a shirt because I'm with it. Anyway, Uh, speaking of cloud chasing or whatever, I guess we're now going to take that and I'm gonna use that term in a more positive way. But I will say that posted something today and I saw it right before we started doing the show that you were talking about the issue of um the internet and how the internet is you know, the Internet is a dangerous dangerously if it

is not used properly. Right, um I'm My hashtag on my post today was that the Internet is killing us, and I hope it didn't go over people's heads because the way that the Internet is used sometimes first of all, too often as a means to um escalate tensions among all kinds of people. It's not just beef between you know, two rappers or certain communities. It's a lot of issues that once it gets to the Internet, it can get exploited in a way that it's very dangerous. You have people,

young kids out here that are dying by suicide. You've got trans people that are are dying also because one their issues are never really talked about in major platforms, but also because of the way that other people feel in terms of shame and things of that sort. There's a lot of stuff going on that this Internet increases. And also just looking at the way that um uh that the way that the Internet makes the black man look so dangerous, a murderer, you know whatever, just robber

or whatever. It's so dangerous the way that we are depicted and the way the Internet exposes it and escalates it that it really literally puts our lives in danger every single day. Yes, the Internet can be used for some good things. Yes we can get together and help Shanquella Robinson's family, but we also have to be very mindful of what we are invested in. And we are so um I was gonna say schizophrenic, but it's disrespectful to use that term because they are people who suffer

with that. We're so confused. We're so confused that we will help people die or help them kill themselves and or one another, and then on the other hand be so m so I hate that this happened to this person, and we're so sad about it. We gotta like figure this out, you know what I mean? We got The thing is, there are people invested in what you're talking about, right, so they're not trying to figure They have figured it out.

They figured out that the more that I agitate and I instigate and I promote negativity, it brings views to these channels. And the more that I get views that's content, and the more that I get paid for advertisement and these companies assigned me don't matter what it is, and if it's negative or whatever, I don't care they're invested in that. So it's very dangerous because when you look at the post that I posted, and you know, even though the conflict happened, that the headlines that they post

they create violent. They create a violent atmosphere. Right, So if me and you were arguing, and me and you were just arguing on our page and only the people that know us know it cool, it's still a lot of people. But the minute that other blogs sites and other you know, sites that have five ten million, five six million start taking the worst part of that argument, right when I said I'm gonna hit you in the face. All the other times I might be like, y'all don't

got no beef with you, bro. This ship is this ship is stupid. And they don't promote that part. That's not what they're looking for. They're looking for the part where, oh, he said he's gonna punch him in the face, and that's how they what they do. So somebody who was told that they're gonna get punched in the face right forgets that we actually spoils to be. They just see that this part is being promoting it wrong, and now

I feel my ego. It's like then the world is seeing you punk me, so what I need to get? I need some get back or our friends who love or seeing me get or thinking that I'm getting so they want to retally against you or your friends when they see you, or just fans of minds who love me that don't really care for you. It creates an atmosphere for them don't want to do something to you, you know, and people and they know this happens because

there's a track record. They see it keep happening. They keep these kids just dying over internet beef and they know that. But they've made a conscious decision that they don't have a responsibility and the only thing they're responsible to do is to make money and get headlines that people want to pay attention, you know. And that's what it is. So until there's a reckoning, a real reckon into where the culture is, like now, we're not even

letting you feel comfortable in this right now. They're the people who do what they are comfortable, and they want to do the interview and they want to get some some cloud from it. They want to get somebody body record if it's coming out, so they'll sitting down with these I don't even know what to call them them more. But they sit down with them and they utilized them

for content, you know, and they talk about that. And then as soon as they get into a beef, they create, they create the atmosphere for it to turn into death prison so or prison. And that's the other means. We're dying in more ways than one. Um. And you know, I just I woke up this morning. Last night, while traveling back from Georgia, I noticed that it was brewing. I saw it. I saw several blogs posting about beef between two rappers, and then by the morning it was everywhere.

And I said, I feel compelled, you know, And I couldn't even just call out one blog. It would have been wonderful if I could have just said, oh, this one posted or that one posted it, but it was so many places, and at that point it doesn't even matter anymore. Now I feel like we gotta sometimes. I don't think people understand how we all play a ro.

When I speak to students, I always say to them, be careful about sharing negative content between your friends when they get into it, right like, you don't gotta amp it by putting it on the internet, because once you do that, you're helping to create. As you said, ego ego gets involved. I was one of our friends, Erica Ford out in um in Queens that does very important

anti violence work at Life Can. She talks about the fact that and for the you know, again, I'm trying not to save people's names because we're not trying to promote the same stuff ourselves. But she talks about two camps in Queens that was beef in years ago. Both of the individuals who are major artists have moved away, lived completely different lies, and there are kids still dying today over me on way back then. They're still dying

over that beef. Same thing. You go to Chicago right now and try to find out what's the issue between what is it Carini Green and some other housing projects. What's the problem? This is great grandfather ship that's been going on for thirty years, forty years in this in these communities, and it's still carrying on over something that probably was not even the people who had the beef

in the first place. It ain't even that serious. So we have to think about that when you're sharing it and you're promoting this information, What is the what is the goal? What are we trying to do because guess what, and I'll say this and be done with it. We even though I started out by saying it's a lot of conflict between a lot of people, a lot of communities, and the Internet exploits it all. Guess what. We're the ones dying. Our kids are the ones that are dying

on a daily basis. So other communities might be going through their ship too, But ain't nobody dying like black people are dying, and like young black people are dying. So when do we all take a responsibility and get you know, get in the game. Responsibility? Responsibility my thought of the day. I know, folks don't say I don't want to vote, I don't care about voting this and that,

and that's fine. I'm trying to convince you. I'm talking to the ones who understand there is an agenda in this country, my son, Linen, and the agenda right, the agenda is very detrimental and dangerous to us as people of color, as black folks, and particularly marginalized communities. All you gotta do is listen to herschel Walker talk and listen to the people that support him and the people he supports. That's all you gotta do. You don't gotta take to make Malory's word for it. Just go do

your own research. Listen to the man speak, and I'm not talking about his lack of uh, you know, the right words to say or to the ship, because sometimes some of the ship the way he said, my family members talk that way. I hear white folks talking that way. I hear a lot of people that speak that way, especially when you're somebody that's from the South. And this is just how you communicate. That's not the issue, because to narrow it down to that, we're actually missing the

real point. I don't give a ship people. Yeah, I don't give you slang country talk, southern boy saying some ships to your You gotter listen to what the man is saying, the people who support him and the people who he's talking about supporting, And this is what you gotta listen to. I am not sitting here telling you that Raphael Warnot is perfect or even listen. When I watched ever by the way, I know Raphael were not

very well. Rafael Warknock I considered to be a friend, right, but when I saw the white woman speaking to him about her issue, and then I wasn't there, so I can't tell you all the things that happened. I'm doing some my on face value. Then a black man walks up to him and asked him about reparations, and he rushed him off, didn't want to talk about that issue. And I know they'll say, well, no, it was because the way the man approached him, and it was this,

and it was that. Okay, I wasn't there, so I can't say no. But I know exactly. I know how the Democrats do around the issue of reparations and how they run from and don't want to discuss it, and they used it. They say it's a hot button, it's a it's a hot rail, it's your third rail issue, and they don't want to talk about it. So it makes sense that you would brush off a black man who wanted to speak to you about something. Raphael were

not actually knows better. Reverend Warnock knows better. Okay, Dr or Knock knows that a Senator war Knock knows better. But it is the way that Democrats have boxed themselves in and and and and I guess a lot of ways which we talked about some black folks sea the Republican party doing something else, and they like with ship. I like that. I like what they're doing, just saying whatever the hell they need to say, and and and

and standing ten toes down on their position. The only thing is we want the position to be morally on code. That's the only difference, right. All I'm saying is that December six is the last state of vote. It's not. It's not the beginning. It is the end. And between now and then, early voting is happening. Ask yourself why Georgia, the State of Georgia, would go to court to try to stop people from voting on Saturday. Why would why would the State of Georgia try to stop That's my

thought of the day today. Why would the state of Georgia want to cancel early voting on Saturday, which is a day when most black folks would go and do their last minute voting. Why would they want to tamper with early voting if they thought that, whether it be if they wanted a fair election. Senator Walker or i mean Senator Arnot or herschel Walker, they're trying to rig the system so that the agenda that they have decided on putting judges in the courts, conservative judges in the courts.

We've already talked on this show and many times about things that's happening in the courts around this country. Okay, abortion rights, which is your right to choose, locking people up, more mass incarceration, all of those things, and then and the list goes on and on. That's their agenda, and hers Walker is gonna be one of those to help uphold it. So do what you think you should, and by the way, stand on your square. If you want to vote for him, you go and you do that

so that history can record where you stood. But to stay home and do nothing is to me asinine makes no sense. Man. Like I said, I'm definitely I'm not. But I'm not. No, I'm nonpartisan. You're not nonpartisan. That is a lie, You're not. I just don't like the people like I just it's just I can't see me voting for for Hersheel Walker. I just I'm just like what am I I was sitting there looking at these

people like am I in the Twilight though. Sometimes I really just sit there and I'm like, Wow, this is this right here is who they've got running for. This is the man right here, They're running for the place man afric America supports these people. And it's just like when you sit there and you think about that, you say, wow, you got to think about the mind state of the individual that's gonna vote for hershel Walker. That's how I've been just like you gotta sit there like what are

you actually thinking? Like what is it that you invested in? What are you putting your vote? Like what do you see happening? You understand? Like what is it exactly that you are doing? And it's just like I just and so am I moving on that. So we've got a good guest on today. We're trying to close this year our strong nice with these good old financial experts, health experts, all about our empowerment man, and this story is so inspiring.

Of course, we love Steve Harvey and have had the opportunity to spend time with him in a social setting. And even in the social setting, he's still educating and mentoring and and teaching and working on personal development with folks around him and especially us as people who are younger than him. Um, and just to see what the team looks like of all these people who come together every day to work on his empire, UM and those

that he empowers. It's really, really, really such a just a brilliant story and so inspiring and a young man that we have joined in us today, UH is no less inspiring even on his own. A super brilliant businessman, business development expert and UM who works really closely with Steve Harvey. So let's introduce this young man. His name is to Beatie Stevens. He is the chief Strategy Officer and international Business Development Officer for UH excuse me, business

Development director for Steve Harvey Global. He also runs UM all of Steve Harvey's Middle Eastern work and things that he's doing in Africa. UH. He owns the rights to help Steve to acquire the rights to UH Family Feud Africa. So there's so much going on and the story of how they come together so powerful. So let's get to be the on with us to talk about his life with Steve Harvey. Well, welcome to bet Man. I just want to say we're happy to have you man, thank

you for having me UM. Like I said, UH off camera, you all have a big platform, so aware of the show and just love what you're all really doing for the community. Like just spotlighting and you all say a lot of real things. So I just appreciate John, you know, and I'm actually excited. So you know, well, I just want to thank you, and I just want to know, like, how old are you because when I'm listening to this bio, it sounds like we're talking about like a fifty six

c old man. Yeah, so I just turned thirty, um in July, so I'm I'm getting up there. Wow, thirty years old. Well, I just want to say we appreciate you. The all work that you had to do to reach these levels, man is crazy. So as a black man, I just want to salute you. Man, thank you so much. I appreciate it. But we just can't start. Yeah. So so this story that I've heard on the internet so many times and I was really inspired by it is one of the reasons why we wanted to have you

to come up here. Um, It's the story for me means so many different things. You are best friends with Steve Harvey's son. He was best man I think at your wedding, and he's going to be best man. It's gonna be best man, okay. See, and um he was

asked by his dad to work with him. So Steve tried to recruit his son to come and work with him, looking for that young, fresh energy, and his son said, no, actually, Dad, you need to sit down and work with to beat the Stevens my friend, right, he knew you already obvious sleep, but he was trying to give his son an opportunity. And his son and this is what I mean by how layered it is this young man instead of just trying to figure it out on his own, maybe doing

a good job, maybe not. He said, no, I know my homeboy is more a fit for this position, and he's someone you need to work with. People don't pass along opportunities like that number one And to you know, for Steve to take his advice and then trust you, that's also pretty powerful. How did that feel and how did that experience unfold? Um? So the answer how it felt?

I mean it felt unreal, right, I mean I never in a million years, you know, you don't become friends with somebody because for their parents are at least I don't you know, Um, he's my best friend now because he's Steve abby Son, because I know, you know, we met our first day at school at Morehouse. Um, and I know that. You know, I've seen him break his hand helping me not get beat up, and you know he really that's my back, right, So I judged him

on the character. Um, and that's probably why he recommended me for the position. But Brodrick and I met at more House, so we became friends. At more House, I had a shoe company called Steps by Stevens, so for every pair of shoes that I sold, will provide meals to women and children's shelters nationwide. And Roderick used to help me with my creative direction for that, so we

did really well. I did that all throughout school. Um. And Mr Harvey has his mentorship camp, so Stephen Margue Harvey Foundation, they go a mentorship camp where they foster um, you know, just trying to teach father's voice, manhood. You know, the most at risk. You just show him opportunity in a way out. And I think sophomore junior Yeard went to the camp with Roderick and I thought we were just gonna be having fun. But Roderick end up working.

And you know, if your best friends working, you spend in the United his house. I'm not about to play basketball. I'm gonna help you work, so we can you know, have fun. Well, what that end up turning into was like a recurring role. You know. I built a reputation for myself there as a hard worker. Um. And for me, I just saw this an opportunity to meet fortune CEO. So Mr Harvey's put these at risk youths around, just motivational characters. So it might be the CEO of under

Arm or CEO of the United Airlines. So I just saw it as an opportunity to kind of network and meet, you know, new people. Um. And then from there, uh, Mr Harvey called me one day and I was like, hey, I love the work that you're doing, Like keep coming to my foundation. You don't want to talk to you more? I see something that you sound really special. I was like, all right, thank you, Miss Harvey. I appreciate it. So we started just kind of working on small deals, you know.

I started working with a research and development and we were tasked one day with finding a franchise. So of course, me being who I was, we took it a step further and end up doing an extremely good deal that I later found out structurally why it was the best deal to come through the company at the time I was two and brodert with twenty three. So after that meeting, Mr Harvey, being very pleased with the deal and how

it looked, he approached Roderick. I was like, hey, son, like, you know, I really need you to come help me on this road to a billion dollars. I want you to help me come learn the family business. Like I love all the works that you did in the deal.

And I really commend broder because I wasn't even in the room and it's just like just a testament to his character because he was like, hey day, I'm not a lot to you, Like I was there representing your brand, but to be the executed all the work and like, I know you want to give me this job opportunity, but if you really want to make it like you should hire to be. Um. So yeah, that's I try to some eyes a short, but yeah, that's really not way and that that's real friendship. Man. So so what

what what is your task? Like what exactly do you do in my role right now? Yes? So, like you said, I'm chief strategy officer, so um, Mr Harvey, which a lot of people don't know, and I'll probably get in trouble after this interview. But he's like a very sophisticated businessman, so he has an extremely sophisticated portfolio with a lot

of subsidiaries and minor companies underneath it. But he's also the world's number one TV host, right so he's on TV and radio probably twelve hours a day, twelve or fourteen hours a day. Yet we still have to run these businesses. So UM, myself along with our Brandon Williams, is our general counsel and our CEO, and still Stay which is like our chief development officer. Between the three of us, we basically all managed sectors of the business,

right um. And we all work with him because him being on stage all the time, we are the people who actually run the day to day of all the businesses. So I think I might I can't even name how

many projects I have under my field right now. Um, And we build our teams, but my main responsibility and role of strategy of course, so UM, I spend probably the most time with Mr Harvey than anybody, so I have a clear understanding of everything and objectives that he wants to receive and what that he wants to do, and then of course I'll implement that so managing corporate relationship with our partners, or whether it's that being me ABC UM, our producer shows, whether that's UM going over

financials UM with our CFO or any of our products in our businesses. Because with his life being so big, there are a lot of different things that we have to get, you know, look over right, So I can working on the TV show, I could be working on an international business deal. Also managed his investment port portfolios like all our in house investments, to all these opportunities.

Anything that Steve Harvey has invested in, it probably comes across my My best brand is that's what crystalsess UM and if one of us are not on, it's probably not a real a real deal or a real opportunity. So I mean it's strategy, UM, operations, organization, UM, investment. I mean it's it's extremely diversified. And I think it's that way because I came from a chief of staff role originally UM, so I was always already working like every sector so UM, I mean it's kind of makeshift.

You know. It's not like I'm market at a Nike where it's like, hey, I'm a marketing person. Not only do marketing, I work for a big fortune brand who was a person. So he is Nike. So I might be doing a marketing deal with our marketing partners. I might be going over a PR report. I might be h looking at a gold mine in Africa. Um, you know, so it's extremely But how often do you bring him deals that he's unaware of or maybe not necessarily interested in, where you've got to try to help him see how

lucrative it can be all the time? Um. I was one thing I'll say if I'm Mr Harvey that I commend him on is uh he doesn't. He always says, you have to surmride yourself people smartly. Right. And with that being said, he might not necessarily understand exactly what I'm doing if it's a crypto deal or is um it can be last mail delivery, or he might not actually understand, you know, how to read a p chart or understand how we're doing the stock and investment. So um,

usually we take we sit down and we'll go over it. Right. So Mr Harvey, we all have the ability to walk it up to the finish line. But one thing is the Harvey is he's very hands on with all his deals. So he signs every he's not signed until he understands. So I'll say seventy percent of the time is usually explaining really ninety because he wants to be able to explain it to a child. He needs, he needs to be able to explain to anybody who's working with and

it's his money. So you know, there must be a very crazy dynamic that you're working for your best friend's father. Is it weird? Is it fun? Like? How how is it? It's really crazy because like you know, in our culture, right, Like the first thing my father said was, hey, man, don't mess up that man's money. Right, And he's giving it to Harvey like physical permission to beat you, right. And I'm probably the only employee outside of his sons that you know that he can actually put his hands on.

And I won't say anything, but it's amazing. It's literally like working with my second family. Um. The Harveys are really like family to be Um. I feel like it's a different level of loyalty, you know, like I know, no matter what I have is back because at the end of the day, is my best friend, right, So he has so many levels of respect for me. You have my best friend's father you're older male, you're my boss, um,

your mentor you know. So it's a crazy dynamic definitely. Um. But what I will say and that I come and Mr Harvey on it's life. He really put me in a position to to you know, when and if I mess up, you give you the role to hang yourself right. So um, he really let's talk about that. Let's talk about that. Has there been a time you said crypto and I know Crypto is losing a lot of money right now, So has there been a time when you did when things didn't go so well? And how did

that play out? Because one of the things that we learned after spending some time with Stephen and by the way, Steve is very supportive of us. He's very supportive of me, um, you know, always encouraging, very kind, and he is funny as hell even when he's upset. So even when he's explaining something to you that is like you know, f this ship man, he still is making you crack up laughing and he's not laughing at all. So um. So to answer the question about messing up, I'm not gonna

say I'm perfect. No one's a perfect investor, but we were. We do rarely lose money. So you know, if you want to win, come with Steve Harvey and you can win with us. But um, nevertheless, that happened instance where we're taking losses right um. Stark Market Crypto is an example right now, Blocked I just announced they're insulting, right so that's two major firms. Is probably about to be crazy wild wild west. But also, um, you know, for every loss, you just I just try to have more wins,

right um. And for me, I take it very personal. You know, when I lose, I don't like to lose. I'm like, I'm a competitive guy, and my boss is also very competitive. But what I will say, he's super supporter and he also knows, like the best part of bou working for Steve Harvey. I tell people all the time is I work in a hundred seven like atmosphere of positivity, motivation. Losses happen like that that now you see on the internet. That's really him all the time.

Like I probably am a walking Steve Arby, you know, voice recorder or memo machine, right because that's the type of environment we're in. So um, and the times that we're taking losses even right now in crypto what I will say. Yes, we've taken a loss in crypto, however, we have positioned ourselves and hedged our bets to where he's not taking a you know loss. Right, we positioned it where you're gonna you know, your stop losses ten percent, right, seven percent, So it's a lot of money, but it's

also recoverable. So whenever I take a loss, Um, he's not the best person to talk to, you know, he's not the easiest and like, yeah, y'all know comedian Steve Harvey, but don't forget it. He still has that other side y'all remember the Kings of comedy, And uh, he's not the best person to tell something something bad too, but he always takes it on the chat. And he was a guy who was homeless and lived in his car, right, so he always sees the positive thought on it. So

he'll be mad at me for a little bit. But then he also understands his business and nothing, nothing in business happens without risks, right now, That's that's that's real. You know what I wanted to know. So what what exactly do you do in Africs? I know that you do like Middle use in Africa? Like, what's over there, that you're doing over there, that you are focused on where you are. Were you on the trip when he went to Ghana for the first time, Yeah, yeah, that

was That's why I wanted to go. I started encouraging our team, like, let's go to Ghana. Uh and we did everything we had to do to get there, which it wasn't it's not it doesn't have to be expensive, but the way we wanted to go. We put up a pretty yeah exactly, we put up a pretty pretty penny. But I wanted to Steve Harvey experience. When I saw him cry in those dungeons, I said, this is something that I have to do, and we did it in Fro this year and it was so so, so so powerful.

So there, yes, yeah, so yeah, I was there with them. Um so yes, out there with them. Yes, I do recommend um. One of my co workers, Brandon Williams, actually see oh well. He he told me something that I really commended him on. He's from Atlanta, Southwest, you know, southwest side of the you know, normal and a guy right, super fluent, super smart. But he promised he's been making money a long time and he was like, you know, I've never been to Europe. I was like, well, why

haven't you been to year? Like you go to places I've never even knew existed, Like, why haven't you been to Europe? And he told me I promised myself I would never go to Europe before me to Africa. Mm hmm. And it was like that was like a how moment for me. I was like I don't get you know, we're always so fascinated with you know, European country and cultures is that we don't even need to go to place from So that's just a little tip and like

highly recommend everyone to go to Africa. UM. But yeah, so while we're in Africa. So Mr Harvey went to Africa for the first um all it ten twelve years ago and he said when he got off the airplane, it was like him uh coming home to a place he's never been and that was just so um emotional and touching towards him. So uh, that was his first caase in Africa. About is so crazy how it happens because I don't even think we've ever even told this story, but we got news that this talk show was being

canceled by NBC. UM, and you know that's the talk show. They actually end up winning the ownership, like buying the ownership of his show, brought himself out of the contract, bought the ownership, and then sold the show back to NBC. So that's you know, NBC really didn't like that because they said it was the first time they lost the talent to an agent and not another network. Right, So they end up saying they were going to cancel our show Seen and Um. Like a Harvey lesson that I learned.

It's like, always have options, like he never just have one stream and UM because that's too close to zero. If they turn off that stream income, you hurt. So that's why Mrs Harry always has the radio show, multiple talk shows, books, because he always has optionality. So they said they were canceling the show, and you know, instead of sitting in self doubt and pity and everyone in Hollywood, I was saying, he's over, he's done, he's canceled. He was like, he's sat down, And we got an email

from the Boxwana Diamond Council. So I don't know if you guys know, the majority of the world's commons come from Boswana in Africa. The Bears has a headquarters there, it's like ninety or eighties. So othern percent of the world diamonds come from Boswana, right, you would never know. I didn't even know where a Botswana was. So we end up going to the Boxwana Diamond Council meeting in seventeen and from that meeting, I mean the amount of opportunities.

Mr Harvey met the President of Botswana at the time and he ended up calling Brandon Williams. When I was in the room with him, was like, hey Brandon, it was like yes, sir. And one thing Mr Harvey, he doesn't he said stuff and just expects it to happen. So he said, I want to do TV and Africa hung up. So Brandon calls me is like, did he just said he wants to do Family Feuden? After that, I said, yeah, man so, and I actually commend Brandon.

Brandon actually led all the all the actual legal negotiations and stuff for the license, like that was actually his deal. I was, you know, there with them, but that was actually my first big international deal. So Brandon really lad all that work. So I have to make sure he gets his credit. What credit is doing that? Um? But after Mr Harvey said that, he kind of just got off the phone and never before had it been done.

You know, I don't know if you guys know this, but TV licensing how it works is you can have a hit show called it Family Few. They can either sell you the American version that's on TV now, but a lot of places don't speak English, right, so they'll do their own version of the show Family Few, China, you know, any India in their own languages. So that's called license. So you have to buy those licensing rights

that you pay freemantament to the parent company. Well, we're Brandon with the freemantam and told them they want to do TV and out for that and what all commend them more like their amazing partners nous and they were like, you know, we don't think it's gonna work. We don't know this want to do it, but here you go. If you want to buy it, you can buy it.

So it got the rights and Brandon and myself spent a hundred and twenty five days in Africa, and that's we were taking I think six seven meetings a day because one that had never been done too. We were trying to create a new will Um and from Family Few to Africa end up by being a year later it was the number one show in South Africa, number one showing Ghana. UM. That's my first executive doucer TV credits. So UM we did multiple years and if it wasn't

for COVID, we'll still be running out. So we're actually looking back, you know, how to get back. But the thought was not just do entertainment, but the thought Mr Harvey wants to do business on the continent. His man goes to bridge the gap between African and African Americans. But how can they do that? The easiest thing for us to do with TV. But once we got on the continent and started doing TV and then all the other business opportunities started coming. We started meeting with real

business people because there so much. So starting in TV now melt Africa, which is the name of the company. UM, we're in everything from you know, austore, oil and gas, last amount delivery. We're investing. UM, We're working about working and looking to get agriculture and infrastructure UM. And of course like the same Harvey's ventures, how we invest in technology over here, we're going on that side. So UM

currently doing business in South Africa, Botswana, Ghana. UM. We're looking at the proper way to do it in Nigeria, Uganda, Congo, and we also do business in Egypt right now, so that's just on the African continent, and that's either in UM A lot of it's not really even to entertainment, to take the truth, but Entertainment UM investing doing our venture capital office, UM strategic partnerships. So yeah, we do.

We're in everything and UM the main goes start figure out how to do business and then we can go and go to a cabin or go to a Chris Rock or go to a Lebron and be like, hey, guys, like we figl a out this infrastructure. Now let's share the buprint and y'all can go do it too. I got a couple of hours, man, you know I'm gonna give them to you. Man. See if you we we're gonna give to be the other money man, listen, money on to be the I'm actually mesmerized listening to you.

Sometimes we talk to people and we're like OK, cap, but just listening to you, I was like captivated by how easily you explain these things the big words. Because I used to have this problem with my son and I first started working together. I used to be like, I don't want to speak at those places because I don't know how to use all these big words, you know.

And it's not that we don't know them, but sometimes you just don't even feel comfortable being in these rooms with these people who are talking all this stuff, and you just like speak no, you know, not normal, but just right on your level whatever that means. And he said to me one day, it's like, yo, people don't be knowing what you're talking about anyway when you too these words like you just need to speak like Tomka. Don't worry about trying to speak like the hard regret

to speak like Tomka is fine. And I realized that my message began to resonate more so as I'm listening to you, I know, you know what you're talking about. You're actually doing this stuff, and you're not just like repeating some ship from a book that you read somewhere, but actually it's lived the experience. I would give money to throw it in the air to go to Africa for a hundred and twenty five days. I would love to do that, you know, but my life is just

not set up that way. But I would love that because the time that we were there, it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough. As we got to the end, we went to Egypt, Ghana and then Kenya, and as we got to the end, the business opportunity started to come. Um. The people started wanting to know more about who we were, what we were there for, and what happ you. So it's very clear that you have to become one with the land and one with the people in order to get from it the benefits you know of being there.

So anyway, it's powerful. I didn't have a question. I

just wanted to say thank you, man. I appreciate it, Like I really promiself, Like I never really know expected to speak or even get highlighted for the stuff I do because I really just like it's always been who I am, right, Like I've always been a person, like I'll help anyone start their business or grow their business because I want to get more practice and helping business and like I just believe, like I get out what I was, like, I'm gonna receive two times more than

when I put out. So I tell people all the time, like if anything, they're like, oh, what's your nickname? Bed? It's like, man, I feel like I'm a hope. And the reason I say that is because, like I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, I'm the most normal person public schools. I used to walk, you know, two and a half miles to the bus to rough out a forty minute of bus throughout a

thirty minute train. You know what I'm saying, Like I was selling candy, I played sports class clown, Like I'm only one of my friends in high school to go to college. Right, So for me, it's like, yes, I can talk and we can use big words, but at the end of the day, the message doesn't matter if it's not being received. So like to be able to talk to people. And like just because you don't know what equivocation means or how to use it and sit

and it doesn't make you dumb. It just means that you And a lot of times it's just in our it's not inno vernacular because the people around us aren't using right, So while we're going to use the word that people around us aren't using it. If you're not trying to get hired education, probably really not going to

use it. So for me, I just like to be able to talk like I do a lot of high school speaking like I told you, I'm the only one of my friends to go to college, so out of high school, you know, so I like to make sure how many how many hours do you work a day? Seven? Like like my fiance and she gets me. Now, I mean, so can I tell you what it really is? Uh?

At one point in my career, see why I got the job between twenty three and I just kept geting promotions right like every three months, four months, you know, And I started like he brought me in. It was like working your way up from an assistant, all right, but for me, it was just like the opportunity class. But you know, at one point in time, I was twenty six and Mr Hard sixty two, so he was literally my age the other way around. And he he

was the hardest workingman in Hollywood. He had that name before I even started working for him. Right at one point when I started, we had seven TV shows, radio show, we had a book, and we were trapping. So for me, I'll literally I'll tell people the time, like if Steve Harvey has a school of success, this is like the Steve Harvey business school. So people who've been around would really listen the lies of the world, the Kevin Harts, like you really take this blueprint that gives you. They're

all uber successful. So I felt like when I first started working for we were living in Chicago. Radio starts at five o'clock. We will be a working at four thirty every day. And then after he does radio, he started taking his team. You meet him, so he does radio from the TV station, will be see from four thirty to temp m. And he would do that every day. And he's sixty too, So there's no way like me being y am all right, boom, you're working for thirty

four twenty seven. I'm sneaking in like I don't care if it's a minute, I'm gonna try to beat you. And I'm I follessly m gonna try to stay up and like stay after you. So I think he just is still the work ethic. And I see him, you know, I'll see him hustling, and he has way more money

to me. So if he's still with hustling, it's a I don't have the time or the opportunity, right, It's like monkey see, monkey do, And it's like I'm working like Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, you name your great you know, so I would not emulate. So I mean, I'm pretty sure it's not help you. Like we take breaks. I take breaks, but probably my first call, depending my first call could be at three am and then you know, I don't know, I'll take my last one like eight nine.

But it depends. Like I work on a world close, I'm my house calling and I might also be on the set and have a few hours or you know, we work for sure. Well, so what what do you want your legacy to be? Like you're already thirty. You you creating such a a bar for yourself, So what what do you ultimately want your legacy to be? When it's all setting there? He helped the people? Mm hmmm,

however that happens? I um, like I really at the end of the day, like the reason I do business the one because I wanted to be a gangster rich. You know, I'm one sixty five so wet, so I can't you know what I'm saying. You got another This is another level. This is the real gangster right here. Now. Tell people like, because that's what I'm doing, coming from the streets and being in the streets, being involved in

the street activity, prison, all these things. And as I grew, you know, this level of power, in this level of matigs mode and stuff that we glorified. He never competed with these rooms and these billionaires and millionaires. And when you start to realize, like that's what the real gangsters. The gangster got his family, he taking kids, mom, and he moved like this is what gangsters. So you right now you're one of the biggest gangs that I've ever met. Man.

I appreciate it. Man, I like, honestly like cats like you, while I really love your story, like that was you know, when you're a smart kid, like you know, you're be smart and funny that everybody like beaty man, like get

out of here, you know. And I really attest that, like a lot of people I know, like yeah, all the folks I know, the people doing it and those my guys, right, but I also appreciate them because they would be like hate bet, like you don't really need to beat like come on, bro, like you got you got scholarships college, bro, Like get out of here. That's what we've gotta do, you know. So and that was and that's what it was about. But I just want

to say I'm inspired I'm motivated. I'm putting my couple of little coins together, see if we could double triple them. You know, just keep doing what you're doing. Man, I salute you, thank you, and then I want to make sure I get your contact too, because I mean, you know, I don't want to about about the interview years old.

So we're gonna get you weaken the weekend this information. Look, you're sitting there making a bilious We can get some funny when you When are you gonna start having children? My girl wants so we're getting married next June and Lake Como. I thought it was gonna be Atlanta, but so she's doing that. So she said she want to start on honeymoon. But I'm the oldest of four, so I got I got kids in high school. My little brother just texts me this morning, like, in seven am,

how many squares of cologned I'll put on? And where I'm like, Okay, who are you trying to impress? An? Ain't up wrong with that? No, I think it's just it's really empowering to know that you are have been empowered by Steve Harvey, but then you're not because some of our people are empowered and they don't show up, right, they don't. It's just the truth. They don't. They don't show up, they don't do the thing they need to do to be the guy or the gal in the room. Right.

And I hear you talking about the work ethic. So many of our young people believe that it's supposed to just be turnkey. It just happens, turn on the phone, boom, million dollars. And it is not like I don't know anyone that me and I know there are people out here that they have TikTok and different things and they just made money off of something quick and easy. But

that's not the story generally, it's not, you know. And and I I worry about our generation of young people that's coming behind because they, you know, they the stress level, the anxiety that is happening as a result of folks who really don't want to work that much or work that hard. And I get it. White supremacy has created a situation where working yourself to death is actually making us more successful, but it's physically killing us. So I

don't know the balance. I really don't know the best because we work all the time to we live each sleep our work. But it's it's not healthy. But yet I don't know any other way to become successful without doing it. Yeah, I think, well, one, if you love what you do, y'all aren't really working. And like, when you really ask me that question, I don't ever feel like I'm working. Like I gotta spreadsheep behind you right now, and I'm gonna be reading this year, you know, like

because I really love what I do. Um, So I think like that's the first thing. Um. And then secondly I feel that people do like I think it's easy, right, um, but it's the sacrifice man. Like I speak at a lot of high schools, and you know, first and foremost, let's get this point clear. A million dollars, it's a lot of money. And it's so hard to ask anybody who's ever made a million dollars. It is so hard

to make a million dollars. But guess what's harder keeping? Yeah, because as soon as you spend one dollar, you're no longer a millionaires. Right, So it's super hard to make a lot of money. And Mr Harvey's favorite line is it takes a long time to make a lot of money. I'm telling you all these hardy gyms on the drop is gonna be good ones, right, But he uses this analogy, said, man, look at the first class of airplane. People on first class of airplane got great here or nowhere because you

gotta work to get up there. It costs unless someone's paying it, like it costs to get up there, and it takes a long time no matter what the way you do it. Now, I do believe in work as smart, um and not hard and trying to become more efficient, you know, with how I use my time and you lose my efforts, but you still have to work hard. I mean, it's not easy like people all the time. It's not easy, Like you don't understand. I've missed so

many homecome and I've missed so many birthdays, life events. Um. And it's sacrifices like um, me and my fiance we end up breaking up when I first took the job because I was just doing so much I didn't have the time to give to my relationship. Right. So it's a lot of sacrifices. But for me, it's de lay

gratification versus instant gratification. Right. So my instant gratification is I can come spend money to go to every party and miss these meetings and you know, instant gratifications going to the club on the section of things that would instantly make me happy. But what's delay gratification? Delay gratifications understanding that the sacrifice that I'm paying is later on pay dividends. So no, I'm not gonna spend this money, or yes, I'm gonna work these extra hours, or I'm

gonna stay around just to see who I might need. Right, So I think I think this generation, I think we're gonna be cool because I think my generation honestly was you know, we thought we were failures if we don't have a millionars at eight team, right, because they made it, made it that simple. Um or that's how it seemed social, like social tech, the tech bobble like that's when we

grew up. So um, I don't think the tick, I know, the TikTok makes it seem easy because now everybody's an edge retainer and everyone's teaching you how to make a hundred thousand. They're telling you the faster, but they're just doing that because these guys aren't really making money off that. Whatever they're selling you, they're making money off they're following. So they need you to follow them. They need to

look like they're getting money. Nine percent these guys aren't making money off of it, and that they were, they would tell you that it takes time to make money. You will get some hits. But like those people on TikTok, how many Elon Musk are there? How many Steve Harpy are they? Right? Like people, it's this book called The Millionaire next Door. You know, like ninety nine percent of millionaires are normal working people m and they became millionaires

not from having a big hit idea. It's come from saving and investing and looking below their means. Yeah, I highly recommend that book to anybody period, The Millionaire next Door, and it's gonna teach you the habits of a normal millionaire. The typical millionaire has been living in their house twenty five or thirty years. The typical millionaires, it's usually you know, have not leasing cars to own their cars. They have hed time, and they have a normal die so hard work.

You gotta you gotta work hard, and you gotta sacrifice faith kind kind of you can kind of answer my last question because I was gonna ask you, young boy, young black boy coming from the hood, comes up to you and you want some advice, and you know, he says, how did you become sexual? Give me some advice? What would you tell with him? Like right there and in one minute sixty it's hard. First piece of ice is hard,

but don't quit. And anybody under eighteen, the first thing I tell them, for real, for real is all your friends is stupid and you are probably stupid too, Like, let's just be real. I started to shoot company when out seventeen, and I used to always tell people. Everyone used to ask me why, why do you want us our shoes? Why do you want to start shoot? But now they ask me how because they don't have that ability in their head to see what you want. So

I'm gonna say, hard work, keep working hard, networking. Networking is the most important thing. Fund a mentor. Listen, you might not find someone in your exact feel but a

mentor is a mentor. You can find someone who's an accounting who can help you and teach you accounting, and then that could be the next interception, right Like a mentors impartant um can be humble man like, it's somewhere bigger, richer, stronger, look better, like just be humble and treat people the way you want to be treated because at the end of the day, like don't be a Dirk through like this,

Like how you treat people will get you. So for the reason that I got the opportunity to see part of you because how I treat I later found out was because how I was treating people at the camp and like, be willing to do what others aren't. Man, right, seriously, be willing to do what others aren't. Great advice. You know. Well, I want to thank you, you know, for coming up here dropping this with MS. We're gonna give you a call. We're gonna give you some money. You know what I'm saying.

We're gonna get this going. You know what. I appreciate you, man. You you got a very strong head on your shoulders, beautiful personality. Man, keep doing what you're doing. In congratulations or if you know you and your wife and you know to wife to be wife to be, she would say, wife, you gotta man her first. Yeah, she tells me that. Okay, now she's amazing. Seriously, thank you so much to be. We appreciate you for being on with us today. Is

sharing so many gems. You teach courses, man, teach courses. You know, I'm thinking about that, but I don't want to charge to people, right you know, well, but you know that I see a lot of people nineties seven dollars because I know, Um, one of your big supporters or one of Steve's big supporters for the foundation is coach Stormy Um. Actually we met Stormy willing to and at the golf event where we learned that she was like one of the highest donors to the foundation from

just as a single person not a corporation. UM, and I learned so much about your intellectual property and how you don't have to charge people two thousand dollars, but that nineties seven dollars, that hundred and nineties seven dollars. It makes the person honest, like this is something I really want when I go online and log on and pay this a little bit of money to be in

a community where I can learn. I have because because one of the challenges I see with some of the folks that are doing great things trying to educate people on Instagram, it doesn't a lot of people can't catch it in those seconds. So that's why those classrooms settings are important, because you need to be able to ask questions. You don't need trolling and other people with their thoughts. You really need to be focused and so I hear education coming from you. You know, so we I want

you to keep doing that. Thank you all for having me. I hope to be back next year. I hope I didn't get banned. Um. I know the producers don't have their cameras on, so I hope they're not shaking their head. But I love to come back and help and then um also, like I said, I just want to help you all, um in any way that I can, like honestly, like that's really what I love to do. Is just like I like making the play like John Stock, you know listen, I like I like to get the ellie.

You throw it, I'm gonna catch it. Thank you all for having me, and I look forward to our new founding relationship. Man, I really want to help you out. You want to have friends, now, that's our that's our friends. When y'all come to the A JR. Cricket is on me. Yeah, we're gonna lock in. I'm see you. I'm gonna see you guys something I know. Sure, So before you go, though, tell us where we can find you. And also if you have any new ventures, let us know about it

so folks can support you. My website is the Stephen Group dot co, so you can always hit me on one of those platforms if you want to work. And I actually do have a new venture off the Leash media. I'm wearing the merchandise right now. And it's basically a platform think of ESPN or Bleacher Reports, but for like

French bulldogs and breeders. So we're connecting the community. Um if you want to learn, if you're a breeder you want to learn how to breed, or you're interested you want to looking for some places to buy a dog or meet new people in that community. That's come check us out all positive information and uh yeah, I don't know if you guys know, but apparently dog breeding is a really big industry that yeah, to get a lot of money. Man, I'm coming off the leash, man. Make

sure y'all go support my brother the leash. That's so you've got good ideas off the leaf, thank you. Man. That's what partnerships coming to play. Man, Like you're you have the partner with people who are a plus plus and um, I do the business, So I didn't think of any of the marketing. But that's why, you know, partnerships and relationships are so important. So I'm them forward to building a relationship with you guys, And honestly, we probably do need to book you guys for a dog

show that we have coming up off listen. I'm scared of dogs. I'm scared of dogs, but if it could get me closer to my billionaire status, I'll be there. Scared than Yeah, Chase for joining us the beating see this is this is this gives me hope. Not to say that I think that like most of the young people are like, you know, I don't know, not something I don't even have the right word to describe it.

It's just like I do notice that when I'm trying to work with some of the younger people, it's kind of difficult to get like a good strong work product and people interested in like hustle hard like it just seems it's difficult, but um to be he said something

that I think is so powerful. He's into working smarter, right, So I think in many ways they also as younger people have found out that we don't have to go to uh nine to five job every day and just do whatever we're told, but actually we can actually create and you know, and be strategists even at a young age.

And I think that if he that trajectory that he's on, if there are more young people, I'm glad to hear that he's in high schools because if more young people follow in not just his footsteps, but really sort of model what they are doing around this idea of being strategists and not just workers, then we might be all right.

But it's it's still work though, you know what I'm saying, And I think he said he said, you've got a work hard and and the work hard doesn't mean that you exhaust yourself when you you know, you run around and a chicken. It means that you are intentional a

about being successful. Right that whatever you whatever it is that you know it's gonna take to acquire that success, you have to do that, and you gotta do it constantly, because there's somebody else out there that's working hard that even if they're just sitting in their bed and they're on the computer, whatever it is that they're doing to get to that level they have, it has to be done. And I think that's what I see a lot of youth, You know that I see a lot of them. Have

they the dreams? They're like, y'all want to get this. I want this. They motivated in their mind. But the actions that it takes to actually get to what you're trying to go, they don't. I don't. I don't see. I just don't see the energy. It's a level of energy and passion that you gotta have. And and I tell I tell my own kids this all the time. I would love to give you anything, right, but I want to see you have to make me believe that

that's what you want. Can just say you know I want this, and that I'm investing in you what you invest in you, I'll double what you invest in you if I see that you invest in you. So, you know, listening to to be the he understands that mind sick. He understands, like he says, this is a billionaire who who's got way more money than me, and he's moving and you know, on the trajectory success, and I can't

work less than him. You know, there's no way, there's no way I should be working less than him when he got way more than I want. You know, I than I than I have. So I understand exactly what you're saying about trying to be smarter, work smarter, But it's still that energy gotta be there, gotta be that

passion and that energy. Man and his personality is so you know, just he was just I don't want to say so sweet, because I don't know if that was it, but what he was to me was so authentic and just kind, And that takes you a long way when you have skills. You know, first of all, didn't working for someone like Steve Harvey. You're not going to get to impress him get the job done just because your

social media page is copping. You gotta be able to speak to someone and convince people in person that your product, whatever you're selling, or whatever you need from them or

whatever deal you have is beneficial. That takes into personal skills, And oftentimes when I'm talking to some young people, I have to say, speak up, you know, speak up, project your voice, stop mumbling, you know which maybe that huhnfidence, Yeah, And maybe that mumbling thing is also a part of the whole mumble rapping, like what they listened to entertainment. I don't know, but I I find myself saying to some of the young people, even young people around me,

what like speak up? Now, I'm as I'm getting older, and I'm not even joking, like I'm serious. As I'm getting older, my hearing is not so great. In on my left side, it's not so great. So I realized that sometimes I just don't really even here. But even after I'm like, huh, like what say the words? Speak up? Because where I come from, as a professional who's been out here for almost thirty years, you had to project yourself to explain your position, to speak with clarity, and

to really capture a room, an audience, another individual. So that's the way that I learned, and I don't and I think the Internet is sort of dumbing that down and we just gotta find a way to have balance. So I think to be the he needs to be out here really helping to educate our youth on what it takes to be successful. So I love them, I appreciate it to be. Then that brings me into my idem getting, you know, being a young black entrepreneur like himself. Shout out to my my boy Mark with his Bear

Witness clothing be Witness Underscore, hovering on Instagram. He gave me this. I actually, I know I've been supporting all black businesses, especially clothing around this time. You know, my boycott a Nike. And you know last week I made a couple of videos of me throwing away my Nikes, you know, and there was the outrage. You know, the people made the page why are you throwing away Nike? You know what's going on? People could use that, you know, I'm not didn't make a page. People made all types

of posts. There was a post here, Mice did this. It was all over the inter then Mike, so I'm doing this, what do you think? And then people that, oh, I'm not throwing this away? And I said to myself, and that's your that's your prerogative right if you if you pay your money for something, whatever it is that you choose to use. If you by one thousand other coat and you decide you wonder to buy because you wanted to burn the coat, that is your coat. It

is your money. It is your prerogative to do whatever it is you want with your money. When I made my boycott against Nike, right, it wasn't because I didn't like nikee I was I wanted to sacrifice something right. When I looked at how the CEO spoke about Kyrie, and pretty much, you know, devalued him as a man. And I know he was speaking about a black man who I know is a good character, a good individual.

And I watched him grow up in the industry under the spotlights and trying to do things to be, you know, be a beacon of light, as he says, and try to do positive things and always talking about positivity in our community and invest in our community and giving you know, money to the poor, and giving money to those who

have tragedies, always doing things like that. And when I heard this this white man sit up there and speak to him and said he crossed the line and he could just sever a partnership that he was doing with him, it made me feel away. It made me feel like I was watching a slave massive tell a tell a boy, like they used to say, boy, if you cross that line, we're gonna do this to you. And it just didn't it didn't sit well with me, you know. And it

wasn't about Kyrie. You know, people oh Kyrie. Still, it wasn't so much a Kyrie was the condoit of what it was. His situation made me reflect about my personal opinion about it as a as a whole. So I didn't do it because Kyrie was boy kott Nake. Kyrie had his own situation. But when I looked at it, the the man himself, the person who was benefiting off me spending my money, I didn't think he should benefit

off it anymore. So I made a conscious decision that I wanted the same way he said that we cut ties, I wanted to cut ties with NIKEE. So I invested thousands of dollars of my money and Nike and a lot of times, you know, people people protest differently. My protests wasn't to go give it to the Salvation, You'll give it to this. I've I've given clothes, I've given food. I donate all the time. There's a bunch of things people you can't you don't get to talk to me

about donate. And I know they're people hungry and and and just like tomorrow, I might go, I got a bunch of clothes and I'm cleaning out here. I'm gonna go give those to the homeless people. I give money to the homeless. I do all types of things. I feed the community, So you don't get to tell me about donat and I know what that looks like. But my protest with these nikes and throwing them into my sinerator was to let you know that I was willing

to not have right. I was willing to It's pretty much like I'm willing to burn it and give it up to show you that it doesn't value and me giving it to somebody, that's that's self fulfilling. That's a fulfillment. I'm doing something nice, I'm doing something kind. Somebody else is gonna carry on those shoes. I don't care if they're homeless. Somebody might look at me like, damn, I like those. Where you get these Jordan's from? I want

those Jordans. It's still advertising to me. You might not think it's some people think, oh if I see it on the bum I don't want to know if I see, I'm sorry, a homeless person. If I see five dollar sneakers on a homeless person that I know, of course fil knowledge. When I'm a connoisseur, it's gonna still make me say, oh, where do you get those? Let me look up those and go get it. So that mindset that you have didn't fit me. So some of you might want to invest and you want to donate your

cloth that I didn't want to donate my Nikes. I wanted to throw minds in incinerator, right, And I didn't understand why so many people were so angry about my personal protests with my personal shoes that I spent my personal money with. If you didn't see understand the mind state, I said, and I gave you know the analogy if if you have spoiled foods a bunch of people that's hungry anywhere. But when I look at my refrigerator and the food is spoiled, I'm not gonna go say, yo,

I don't want this. I think it's spoil I'm gonna give it to a homeless person. No, because I don't even think it's worth eating. So that's how I felt about the Nakes. I don't think that they're even worth wearing. I don't think that we should be continue I meet personally. I think we should just completely cold Turkey. When when Nike looks around and they're like, yo, nobody in the world is where Nike, not even the homeless people. Then we got to start figuring out what how do we

change and we deal with black communities differently. But the crazy part about it was what I found out. So when I was leaving my building after I threw about sneakers into the incinerator, when the building managers comes to me, he says, hey, he said, you know, I heard about the protest you were doing Nike, and let me give you a story. So he's telling me. He says, he's a young boy. He's in college in this building, you know, and he goes to the church all the time. He's

been very you know, he's going back to school. He doesn't have much of anything, you know, and last weekend he had put twenty dollars into the collection plate, you know, praying just to pray. That was probably his last twenty dollars. And you know, we're trying to help him through school, and he did. He was telling me how he was in some real bad times and he said he came he was working in the cinerator in the building and all of a sudden he opens these boxes and see

these sneakers. He said, he prayed so hard, he he he he believed in God so much after seeing those sneakers. And I said to myself that wasn't my attention. But God had his own intention. God thought that man should get those sneakers, so I donated them to the cinerator, and the cinerator donated to that man. So people's blessings come in different ways, you know, my my, my, my mind state was never to give in to anyone, but God saw it fit that that man would get those sneakers.

So I just try to tell you everybody's protests and everybody's blessings and everybody's situation is different, So don't get you don't get to tell me what to do with mis God wanted that man to have those sneakers that I do away, you know, So that's that's how that happens.

I heard you say more than one time burn using the word burn, So I don't encourage it anyone burn because we do have an environment to protect, and burning rubber and burning shoes and materials and all of that is actually not healthy for us and in our society, so we don't want to burn things. UM. I know the history of you know, see the Loris Tucker rolling

over CDs on the ground. Um, which is different because at least we could say that I forget the artist that she was some some um I forgot, I know the story. Sometimes it's a Tupac. Are you sure? I believe so because I remember Tupac spoke about hmm, I don't know anyway, So you know, because she was protesting certain lyrics and but that would be a a black artist and a black woman, and so there was some conflict there. I think over time more people have begun

to recognize the point she was making. Right, So even if we still would say, well, you know, we don't have to attack our own, but we do understand more now that some of the content in our music, in the music industry from back then, she was trying to say, it's harmful to our people. I don't know yet how to reconcile those two things, because I just, like I said,

we're all walking contradictions. I can sit and listen to drop down and get your ego on and all kinds of music that I know is degrading towards women and still talk about empowerment and still understand that those lyrics

are not helpful to our young people. So we all have these contradictions of what we deal with as humans, which is off topic, but it's just my thought process of what I go through when trying to reconcile the brand, the people behind the brand, the the you know, the the the the white folks who are inside of these companies that have literally zero respect for Black people outside

of wanting us to spend our money. So there's so many elements working altogether, because even when I think about the music industry side, there is somebody that profits from us degrading ourselves and the lyrics that we use, um sometimes in our community that can escalate situations, UM that keeps us sort of dumbed down, or that really in some ways glorifies a lifestyle that we want to try to move our people away from. There are people that benefit from that. So you know, you know that the

two things might not be exactly the same. But that's one of the things that I've really been wrestling with. When I saw you with your protests, and then thinking back to the history of c C the Lord's Tucker, what I will say is that I when we had the boycott against Gucci Gucci, I packed up every piece of Gucci that I had, all the way down to you know, I had gloves, I had little air rings,

I had several shoes, multiple bags. Gucci was the first perse that I received, like when I was a young girl, and that somebody seven I don't know who it was. I was seventeen years old. Might have been my mom, I don't know, but somebody brought me a cute little Gucci purse. I still had that purse and put it in the rotation, and you know, whenever I bring it back out, because you know, the classics are always um,

they're always good. And I packed up every single thing and put it away, and it's been packed up because I refused to one where it ever again. I've not purchased anything from Gucci since the black face sweater and is people don't know why we decided to boycott gruci um, you know, because of the black face sweater that they put out, which you can go look it up. I packed it up, haven't used it, haven't purchased not one item, you know, no matter how cute this stuff looks. Like

you said, it's a personal sacrifice. What I think is what I'm challenged by three points in this. The first thing is that there are people who want to try to uh, well, let me say this. There's three pieces three points on this that I wrestle with. The First thing is that my boycott doesn't mean yours. Right, We're

not dumb. We know that in order to call a national international boycott against some major corporation, it requires more than my son throwing out some sneakers to making my son getting on the internet saying we're done with the brand. It takes more than that, right, It takes lots of folks to get involved. You gotta get the message out beyond social media, because sometimes we live in the bubble of social media and think that all of our people are seeing in hearing it, and they're not. They just

don't know, they don't know about what's going on. They're not necessarily following each person the The mainstream media is not gonna cover it, so it takes more than that. But there is a community of people who do share your ideals and beliefs. They might not throw everything away in the incinerator, but they still have decided during this holiday season and maybe for the rest of my life, I'm not purchasing Mike Nike anymore because I don't like

what I heard come out of Phil Knight's mouth. Right, they have a right to that. We have a right to that, and all you gotta do is you don't gotta take the time to go on somebody's page and tell them about how I ain't boycotting Nike. I'm not. You don't have to do that. You could just keep moving and let the community that's building that has made

that decision do what they are doing. So this because because because guess what, all of these corporations, if you really want to talk about it, every single one of them, I would say, except Ben and Jerry's because they really try to do a good job of being an advocate and ally and an accomplice in the community. But other than that, I don't know many corporations that people shouldn't and can't say I'm done with it for whatever reason.

It's it's a million reasons. Amazon workers right. If you ask Ben Cronk right now, he's gonna tell you about all the people that he's suing for different things that has happened, Johnson and Johnson and the cancer products with the powder over here over it's something so protecting brands

at this point, we don't have to do that. Somebody could just wake up in the morning and say, you know what, I decided I don't support such as to no more, and I bet you we can find reasons to back up why what that person is saying about these white leg corporations, Right, So I deal with that. The next thing is, I saw people on my page when I posted feel nice, and this is it might take me a little second to explain it, but it's important.

I saw people on my page when I posted feel nice statements saying, why are you supporting anti semitism by saying, you know, by supporting Kyrie and boycotting Nike and that that, and and some of the people who said it. I looked at some profiles, some of them were white folks, and it really pissed me off. Because what people do is they understand the ability to walk and chew bubble

come at the same time. In their own community. They can say, well, we can challenge or individual for doing something that is harmful or wrong or whatever, and then still maybe, you know, let them come back to work. As we saw Kyrie is gonna make money for the NBA for for the nets. He could go back to work. So they can reconcile that two things can happen at the same time. They can reconcile in their own communities.

How they can support. Uh, Some people can support the relationship that the US has with Israel Palestine, but then also say that they want to see the conflict in and the people of Palestine be made hold so they can they can reconcile those two things. Why is it so difficult for people to see and understand that from our perspective, Kyrie apologize for what he did. You and I have been very clear and explaining that a denial of the Holocaust and anything that makes a people, the

white Jews evil, that's something we don't support. Kyrie also said that he apologized. We talked. They said, well, it took him too long. Listen, we are human, we are human right, and so he found he got to the point where he understood it. He said, he was defensive, he understood it. He apologized, He did what he had to do. We can say, Kyrie, and we can say, by the way, Nike has the right not to do business with him anymore. They got right to do that.

What we're talking about, just like we have learned about anti Jewish tropes, so saying things like when you know they control everything, those are things that is harmful to the Jewish community because of the history of how them being in control of everything makes them look and the fact that there are people who literally want to harm

them for that statement. Right, we can understand that why is it so hard for people to understand that saying a black man stepped over the line from a white man at his age that comes from a certain era, that that is also though that is an anti black trope. I don't get it. I don't understand why that's not clear that I can challenge the film. I can also ask the question of why Amazon still has it up.

I can also appreciate Kyrie standing up like a man and saying that he apologized, and I cannot like the way that Phil Knights spoke about a black name. Is that hard? It's hard when you don't want it, when you don't want to understand what's going on, when you just want to focus on something because you want to deflect and you don't want to deal with the whole

situation and totality. Of course, it's hard. It's it's it's almost impossible for somebody that doesn't want to listen to reason or be able to have or want you to have proper discernment, right, they want you to focus. It's on something. When we're talking about there's a whole pot and able to look a little burnt piece right there, You're like, yeah, but it's a whole piehead, and I'm gonna talk about the whole pot. We see the birth piece, we're gonna say it's burn We're gonna talk about the

whole pie. So you know it's it's actually deflection, and it's it's gaslight, and well, right, because we've learned a lot about gaslighting over the last several years. My last point is that, as I said, everybody does things differently.

I'm not gonna go take every pair of Nike. By the way, I probably wouldn't even have any sweatsuits to wear other than until Freedom if I gathered up all my Nike sweatsuits, because that's pretty much all I have been there, even though I'm more than likely not gonna be wearing them. But nonetheless, I probably won't throw it all in the incinerator. I probably will never it's two pair of Nikes that I have that I'm telling y'all right now, I'm probably still gonna wear. But the rest

of it, it's not that serious to me. I'm not that caught up in I have to have any of it. When I understand that the level of disrespect that I felt or the way that I felt, I don't want to feel that way. I don't want to hear a white man use certain language because it triggers me. And then when I put on his brand, I'm walking around with that on me. I don't want that, right, So I'm probably never going to put it on again and if but I do recognize that there may come a

day when there's a new man that heads Nike. Right, there's a new spirit that comes into Nike that makes us feel better and we feel like, Okay, this brand is back in our good graces, and I might pull it back out that's my choice. But I can't be mad at you because you choose to say you're never

wearing it again. That's what this freedom of choice is supposed, and that's what it is is for me to say, I've come to a conclusion in my life that's certain that, especially as black people, we control by certain things, right, Because even the anxiety of me saying, damn, I ain't gonna be able with my sneakers, I'm getting rid of my sneakers, and I'm like, good, this ship is just sneakers, Like what what? What is it about these sneakers that

make me feel some level of pain or frustration? Why do I feel attached to some ship that don't define me, has never done nothing for me. It's actually the people who actually own this or would do things to harm me and probably have invested in things that harm me. So why do I need to be connected that I don't have any problems with somebody else? But I just think what happens is when you have a level of

strength empower, when you self empower, it bothers people. I realized that I'm very I'm very um passionate about things that I do. I'm very bottom line. Is when I get to my mind that some ship is bottom line, it just is what it is for me, And I noticed that it bothers people who don't have that right. It bothers people who just want to be status quo and want to peacefully coexist. I can coexist with somebody

who loves Nike. It's a lot of a lot of the artists and I love And I'm gonna seat though, and I'm not gonna I don't feel a way that you love Nankee, but you shouldn't feel a way that I don't give a funk about it. You understand I'm saying. So that's what it is when you, when you, when you don't have a level of power and you don't have strength to do certain ship, you envy it in somebody else. And I think that's where a lot of it comes from because I keep acting people. What does

my sneakers do the harm you? Whether I throw them away or not, Why does it make you feel a way? Does it? Are you you work for Nike? Are you getting a you know in my doing something to take away from your reality. I don't speak about things unless I feel like they negatively affect something that I actually stand on. Um I represent you know that I benefit

from organizations that I'm connected to. Usually when you hear me, it's talking about violence, it's talking about negativity, it's talking about things that affecting these kids in a negative way. I speak. If I speak about somebody that does you know that that contribute to those things? That's what my you know, that's what the gripe is for my personal Sneakers should never be a gripe with nobody. There should never be a grape what I do because if I

want to told you, you want to know. And I did it because I know there's some people that want to unplug from the ship. It's people that want to be like, yo, this ship don't define me and they don't know they don't see nobody else that they respect, or see nobody that they have a level of respect or understanding for take that type of stand. So I wanted to make it seem like, Yo, you ain't the only one that don't care about none of this ship. If you want to separate and get out this, makee this,

then it's it's some of us that's doing it. And it was a representation of it. Man, I was actually advertising us separating ourselves from some ship that don't mean us no good. So and I don't know about Cloud Chase, and I've never been a negative Chase Cloud. I don't even know what that is that somebody else, but I understand we live in the Internet error and everybody she's advertising their way of life and advertising their mentality, and

a lot of that ship is rubbing off negatively. So I wanted to give my advertisement of what I stand on and get the people that want to follow that and believe that that's something to stand on, something that you know, somebody that's a representative to say, fucking I

want to do that as well. Yeah, I mean that's it, And you know what I think There's the last point is that in Janice on our production team, she she made a very good point earlier today that we are so connected to these brands that we would rather buy from the brand no matter how much is killing our pockets or whatever. Then we will support our own and that's something that all of us have fallen victim to. I personally buy from anybody like I could buy from

whatever community. I went to Africa and you saw me. I went crazy buying everything that I could. You know, there's my parents instilled that at me from a young age because the Mark one first of all Mark one five that I wish they could, you know, for any someday, please bring it back if there's anybody out there listening to. Mark one was the most special place in Harlem because it was right on a hundred twenty street and it was a big open mark that had all black people

selling jury coats. I mean, there was a few non blacks, but it was black people heavy. The even the food and the food court, all of that was cultural people doing nails. I used to do nails in the mark Can you believe that I was in like a nail person at the time. I wasn't that great. It lasted about two weeks, but nonetheless, so I went there then. You know, we used to have all the vendors outside. I've always found cool things with vendors that I can

add to my look. You know. Also the Mark One, I mean the Mark one sixteen street which is now and for anybody who's in Harlem who's listening to this, you could go to a hundred and sixteen street in Harlem right now to day and there are the African community is there. They can make anything you want them to make in terms of dresses, putting fabric on suits. So I've always been into that. And I buy stuff from brands. Absolutely, I buy from brands. I buy from friends.

I'm one of those people. Sometimes I get messages from boutiques online right because one of the things I gotta do better is that I actually purchased things in my own name. That's probably something I need to change. But if I see something I like on Instagram, I clicked the people the people's page purchase their little dresses and different things. I'm not that good with putting it on and showing it, but I do that. My book tour, I had a bunch of black brands that the stylust

pulled from me and or purchased items for me. But I get messages from boutique so all the time like wow, or they'll put little notes in my box when the things come and say thank you so much for supporting us. And it's a direct purchase. And again I buy brands, So I do all of that. We give black people a lot of money around this country when we go. If it's a bus company for a tour, if it's food,

shout out to Quita, our chef in Kentucky. Instead of us going into a city and eating food from folks that we're protesting against that know us and we don't know who's cooking in the kitchen, we hired a black woman who cooked for us every day, two times a day. I mean, we the security team, the car services, everything that we do, we try to employ. If it's not black, it's brown, it's our people. And even if it is white folks, it's white folks that's conscious about the issues.

And so we just all we're saying is like you said, if we feel it and it feels disrespectful, we don't need you that bad anyway, just don't. So it's it's it's that quick. It can just be over without a problem. And there it is. And with that said, brings us

to the end another dope episode. Shoutouts to BEDC two bet two Beat Stevens and with that said, brings us to the end of another great episode of the number one podcast and the world Street Politicians Shout out to to Beat Stevens for his masterclass that he gave us today and shout out to y'all for supporting us. Man, keep on tuning in, let us know what you like, let us know what you don't like, what you want to hear. Follow us at Street Politicians pot on Instagram.

D M must give us your feedback when we appreciate y'all. Once again, I'm not gonna always be right, Tamika d Mallory is not gonna always be wrong, but we were both always and I mean always be authentic. Listen to Street Politicians on the Black Effect Network on I Heart Radio and catch us every single Wednesday for the video version of Street Politicians or I Women Dot TV on it