Originally from Pelham, AL, Amy Speropoulos has graced our televisions in Memphis since 1999. This award-winning journalist entered our homes and our hearts delivering compelling content on all 4 TV stations in Memphis including WREG, WMC-TV, ABC 24, and WHBQ, Fox 13. Take a listen as Amy shares quite a few peaks and valleys working in news television. From constantly being reminded of her southern accent, receiving low compensation and constant in-fighting, Amy has experienced it all. You'll al...
Nov 15, 2021•33 min
On EP 187, we welcome Whitehaven, TN native Kier C. Thomas. He is currently the Executive Director at Western Tennessee A&M School of Engineering and Design. Kier's colorful background includes working for the Shelby County Government Law Enforcement and the Shelby County School System. He shares his experience on having the epiphany to become an entrepreneur starting his very own school. Kier understood that there were many alternatives to higher education that were not being normalized. As...
Nov 09, 2021•52 min
Whitehaven native, Marvin Todd, has an extensive skillset in the areas of marketing, project management and strategic planning and implementation. Marvin currently serves as a Marketing Manager at FedEx corporate after mastering numerous roles during his eighteen-year tenure. He’s the Board Chair for Vision Prep Charter School, Board Member of Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change and is a mentor for youth via recreational sports programs at the Kroc Center. Marvin is also an entrepreneu...
Nov 01, 2021•41 min
Blues bloodlines don’t come any stronger or run any truer than those of Rodd Bland. As the son of immortal singer Bobby “Blue” Bland, Rodd was destined to follow in his father’s footsteps—though not from behind a microphone. Instead, Rodd regally sits behind a drum kit, supplying a propulsive beat that powers so many bands in and around Memphis. Rodd began playing with his father at the age of five years old. His new EP, Live on Beale Street: A Tribute to Bobby "Blue" Bland, is giving Rodd a cha...
Oct 25, 2021•33 min
Jeff “Trot” Trotter is an Atlanta native that has been living and serving in the city of Memphis for over 12 years. Deeply rooted in faith and family, Jeff has carved out a lane in Memphis that has helped him stay hungry. He currently serves as the Special Projects Assistant to the Senior Pastor at Hope Church Memphis; which is the largest Presbyterian church in America. He is developing a business apprenticeship program entitled Prolifix as well as building his own athletic apparel line Bend Dx...
Oct 18, 2021•49 min
Westwood native, Arriell Gipson, loves people and even more to make powerful impact on lives. Whether it is on the job, in the community, or within her family, Arriell leads by serving. Arriell has worked in four diverse career fields, from non-profit to small business and government, enhancing her skillsets to impact positive change vigorously. Arriell is also a candidate for Shelby County Clerk, 2022. Arriell currently serves as the Public Health Coordinator under the Population Bureau with Th...
Oct 11, 2021•43 min
Germantown native, AyeshiA Smith, is both CEO and Fashion Designer of the next big global brand, AyeshiA, an all-inclusive luxury women’s wear brand designed for women who appreciate timeless custom made pieces that creates confidence. AyeshiA's passion for fashion started at the age of five when she would often frequent Hancock Fabrics with her mom. At the age of thriteen she started sewing and repurposing denim jeans into designer handbags and selling them at her high school. Since then, she l...
Oct 04, 2021•32 min
Holly Springs, MS native, Bianca Richmond, manifested her very first publication into a hit stage play. She started writing this book after a divorce which led to the creation of "Married to a Cheater, In Love with a Husband." Take a listen as Bianca walks us through growing up in Holly Springs where her creativity was developed and nurtured. Fast forward to today, Bianca is an entrepreneur owning numerous businesses while leading the charge of executing and marketing her new stage play in Memph...
Sep 27, 2021•25 min
South Memphis native, Ashley Dortch, is bridging the gap between millennials and the masses. She was so bothered by the negative connotations associated with being a millennial in the workplace that she wanted to make a change. In 2018, she leaned on both her marketing and therapy skills to create Millennial Consulting to help organizations and companies understand how to work with millennials to increase employee retention. As you can imagine, business is booming with the onset of the pandemic ...
Sep 20, 2021•25 min
Born in New Orleans and based in Memphis, Preauxx mines musical inspiration from both cities even as his lyrics take listeners far beyond his humble Southern roots. Preauxx recently dropped his new project entitled "Slide" that is accompanied with a nice two-step dance. Take a listen to Preauxx's story stemming from a military family filled with religion and discipline. You'll discover that music has always been at the cornerstone of his life as he navigated through a plethora of situations. Fas...
Sep 13, 2021•43 min
Trinica Goods is a professional dancer born and raised in Memphis, Tn. Since she was a young girl she always had a strong passion for dance. Trinica began her dance training at the age of 11 at Colonial Middle School. She attended multiple performing arts school(s) for the next four years. After graduating high school, she went on to continue her dance training at The University of Memphis. There at The University of Memphis, she was trained intensively in modern, contemporary, and ballet. In Ma...
Aug 16, 2021•28 min
Senator Katrina Robinson was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly November 6, 2018. With no political background but a fire for a good fight on behalf of the underserved, Sen. Robinson launched an aggressive campaign for office, ultimately unseating a 12-year incumbent in a 2 to 1 victory. Sen. Robinson is Founder and CEO of The Healthcare Institute Inc. - one of Memphis’ leading postsecondary healthcare career colleges and training consulting company. This very business has been the center...
Aug 09, 2021•27 min
White Haven native Ashley Ave. has her hands in quite a few bags. Not only is she a singer-songwriter, but Ashley is also the mastermind behind the creative content for Memphis' first Women's Semi-Pro Basketball League, She Got Game. She refers to her upbringing as "High Class Hood Culture" stemming from both worlds of Tennessee and Mississippi. However, it wasn't until the age of twenty-three when Ashley pressed the gas on her music career. She is an alum of the Consortium MMT Emerging Stars an...
Aug 02, 2021•20 min
New Orleans, LA native Damieon Henry aka "Boss Spook" has made Memphis his home while he builds his empire. He is the CEO of Connected and Respected clothing line where his merch is housed at the Lyfestile Clothing Shop and Tattoo Shop in Whitehaven, TN. With over six hundred tattoos and known affectionately as Spook, he and I go way back meeting in 1999 when he stepped on the lawn of LeMoyne Owen College with an athletic scholarship for basketball under the tutelage of Coach Jerry Johnson. Afte...
Jul 26, 2021•28 min
Made In Memphis Entertainment recording artist, Brandon Lewis, is comfortable in the lane he has carved out for himself and he's doing what he loves-creating music. Being the youngest of seven, he was the only one to develop such a strong interest in and passion for music. Brandon has literally pulled himself up by the bootstraps in this music game by taking the initiative to learn every aspect of the business. David Porter has been an instrumental mentor along the way. Brandon is now the Direct...
Jul 19, 2021•40 min
South Memphis native, Donald Walker Jr., is the Pastor of LimitBreaker Church. Donald followed in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather continuing a devout legacy in preaching the word. It is indeed amazing to listen to his journey as he shares accepting his "calling" at the age of twelve. Take a listen as Donald walks us through his road to leading his very own Church and the many challenges and truths that were revealed. Through his experience with being a minister, he learned how t...
Jul 12, 2021•37 min
White Haven, TN native Candace Spicer joins me for EP 172 of the Verbally Effective Podcast. She's an author, model, actress and creator of the new Memphis based reality show Bluff City Bellas. Tune in as Candace walks us through her journey dealing with insecurities, her thoughts on the evolution of the modeling industry and why she developed an online reality show in the Bluff City.
Jun 28, 2021•18 min
East Memphis native, Mille Manny is waking up the industry with his Hip-Hop immersed R&B vocals. He just happens to be the youngest ever guest on the Verbally Effective Podcast. Millie found his passion for music at the age of fourteen and has had two songs featured on NBA2K21 in addition to making his television debut in the Lifetime reality TV show, Ms. T’s Music Factory. This young crooner has his eyes on the prize as he gears up to attend HBCU Tennessee State University on a full academi...
Jun 21, 2021•32 min
Whitehaven, TN native Deric "Sleezy" Evans began his love for comedy at a very young age. This actor, comedian and radio personality earned a Bachelors degree in Human Performance Sports Science from Tennessee State, and secured a coveted membership in the world famous Aristocrat of Bands. Deric discusses very humble beginnings in the comedy game once he graduated college. However he continued to persevere which resulted in a comedy career gracing both local and national stages. You can also fin...
Jun 14, 2021•38 min
Tune in to South Memphis Legend IBN Young AKA Playa Fly as he gets Verbally Effective with Ena Esco on Ep 169. Playa Fly is an artist, writer, musician, and entertainer who became a certified hood celebrity at the age of 21. Many of us still to this day recite verbatim Memphis anthems such as “Gettin It On,” “Crownin Me,” and “Nobody Needs Nobody.” He talks of his close relationship with his grandmother Minnie Mae who he refers to as being a "safe haven" during his formative years. In addition, ...
Jun 07, 2021•49 min
West Memphis, AR native Carmeon Hamilton is HGTV's most recent and only African American Design Star: Next Gen Winner. Carmeon exists in a space where there are eighty percent Whites and two percent Blacks often being one of very few in her profession. Her love for design flourished when she was in college as a RA and rearranged her space with a hot pink and zebra theme. She immediately changed here major from physical therapy to design and received her first design job offer a semester before g...
May 24, 2021•48 min
Frayser native Dr. Bobby White is the Founder and CEO of Frayser Community Schools - a Charter Management Organization designed with the intent of positively transforming schools with the support of the community to build Family Centered Schools in Frayser// and Memphis Communities as a whole. Take a listen as Dr. White walks us through his journey of becoming a single parent to a child with a disability and battling homelessness. During that time, he was attending what was then Shelby State Com...
May 17, 2021•56 min
Jason “Jay” Anderson hails from City of Smiles - Grenada Mississippi. At a young age Jay had an affinity for science, music, and business. After becoming a hall of fame graduate of Grenada High School, he jumped headfirst into corporate America as the youngest African American human resource representative for Lennox International Incorporated. Jason thrived in this arena fast tracking into fields of Production Management, Purchasing, Accounting, Safety, and Operations; eventually becoming the Q...
May 10, 2021•39 min
It's all about balance for episode's 161 guest Meridith Miller Rucker. Having a strong support system has aided this South Memphis native in accomplishing a plethora of goals. Meridith is currently the Director of Program Development for Bridges, yoga instructor, writer, wife, and mother. She discusses navigating through private institutions during her formative years that was very rewarding academically yet challenging socially. Meridith powered through graduating from HBCU Tennessee State Univ...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Meet Whitehaven, TN native and fashion designer Prep Curry. When he arrived in Los Angeles, California with only $6 to his name to work on his dream of becoming an accomplished fashion designer, he had no idea where his journey would lead. Five years later, history has been made as Prep Curry has grown his craft from creating bowties and pocket squares to become the first African American designer to partner with Banana Republic to release a collection. Take a listen to Prep's amazing journey wh...
Apr 26, 2021•32 min
Finance professional and podcaster, Willams D. Brack, is originally from the Delta of Greenwood, MS. Growing up he faced much adversity moving to Chicago, IL for a few years and coming back to the midsouth with family in Memphis, TN at the age of thirteen. He learned a plethora of life skills at a very early age and excelled in academics and sports graduating summa cum laude from Carver High School. Brack's next chapter consisted of a few school endeavors in which he ultimately graduated from Mo...
Apr 19, 2021•57 min
Mike Ware, Jr. is an entrepreneur who is part owner of Chuckles Comedy House and the Cockeyed Rooster. He was born and raised in Whitehaven, TN and graduated from Overton High School in 1998. Mike received a chorus scholarship to the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff and majored in Communications. Upon graduation, he began working in radio sales at WRBO where he gained his confidence in building relationships that would soon be important in future business endeavors. In 2014, he along with his f...
Apr 12, 2021•41 min
South Memphis native, Larry Dodson, has experienced a total reset since the pandemic. From writing a book, to becoming a spokesperson for Guidance Whiskey, Larry has created many opportunities for himself. It all began in South Memphis at Carver High School when he started a group called the Temprees. Once he graduated, he joined the Bar-Kays and began his entertainment journey. On this episode you'll hear Larry discuss his time selling millions of legendary masterpieces, however, you'll also di...
Apr 05, 2021•42 min
White Haven native, Jimmy Stokes II, is ready to wake up the city of Horn Lake, MS. He is currently the City Planning Commissioner for Ward 5 and Pastor at Northeast Side Church of Christ. Her grew up as a preacher's kid and always knew he would one day become a pastor. He proposed to the love of his life his senior year in college and officially started his ministry after graduation. These days Jimmy has his sights set on being the first black mayor of Horn Lake, MS which is a city consisting o...
Mar 30, 2021•47 min
East Memphis native, Nia Dorsey, is a model, actress, writer and entrepreneur. 2021 has started with a bang being featured in British Vogue, Vanity Fair and the recent season of VH1's Basketball Wives. Take a listen as Nia walks us through her formative years playing sports in high school, attending University of Memphis and how she started taking her role in the modeling and the entertainment industry more seriously in 2015. Like many of us, the pandemic has affected Nia personally when her fat...
Mar 22, 2021•41 min
