Issue Zero

Lonnie Haley joins Issue Zero for a candid conversation about identity, community, economic power, accountability, and what it means to show up for one another in a deeply divided moment. Growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Lonnie learned the meaning of family and community around his grandmother’s table. He shares his journey of coming into his identity, leaving home to build a life of his own, an...

Dorian Webb joins Issue Zero for a conversation about fine jewelry, design, entrepreneurship, identity, legacy, and what it means to build something meant to last. As the founder of Dorian Webb Jewelry, Dorian shares how her background in architecture shaped the way she approaches form, proportion, materials, and the relationship between an object and the person who wears it. From studying archite...

Before we talk about borders, we have to talk about movement, not just where people go, but what they carry with them. In this episode of Issue Zero, Trystanne Cunningham and Seneca Connor sit down with photographer, visual artist, and creative entrepreneur Brandon Ruffin , ahead of his cover feature for TrooRa Magazine’s Border Issue . From discovering photography through his grandmother’s family...

The Power of the Purse continues with a deeper question: What happens when we understand the power of our dollar and decide to use it differently? In Part 2, Trystanne Cunningham and Seneca Connor move from awareness to action, examining the difference between buying power and wealth, the history of economic protest, and what it could look like to intentionally redirect spending toward Black-owned...

The Power of the Purse begins with a simple question: What if every purchase was more than a transaction? In this first part of a two-part conversation, Trystanne Cunningham and Seneca Connor examine the relationship between spending, visibility, and economic power. Together, they explore how everyday financial decisions shape businesses, communities, and culture, and why understanding where our m...

April Vaughn Shabazz joins Issue Zero for a conversation about holistic wellness, entrepreneurship, stewardship, sustainability, and what it means to build a business rooted in purpose. As the owner and lead formulator of Earth Tu Face, April shares how her personal healing journey, decades of experience in holistic health and education, and passion for herbalism led her to acquire and lead a plan...

Dr. Akilah Cadet joins Issue Zero for a conversation about leadership, systems of power, entrepreneurship, disability, storytelling, and what it means to create change from the inside out. As the founder and CEO of Change Cadet, author of White Supremacy Is All Around Us , and co-owner of the Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul Sports Club, Dr. Cadet shares how personal experience shaped her work, and...

Every great business begins with someone asking a simple question: "There has to be a better way." In this episode of Issue Zero , Trystanne Cunningham and Seneca Connor sit down with entrepreneur Carla Truitt, founder of Eight Royale, to explore the story behind building a luxury brand from the ground up. From sketching her first ideas between board meetings and red carpets to navigating manufact...

Some of the most meaningful things we create begin with one simple decision: to start. In Episode 1 of Issue Zero, Trystanne Cunningham and Seneca Connor are joined by Tony and Emmy-nominated comedian, writer, producer, and bestselling author Amber Ruffin for an honest conversation on creativity, visibility, resilience, and the audacity required to build without waiting for permission. After graci...

Every meaningful platform starts long before anyone is watching. In the very first episode of Issue Zero, creator Trystanne Cunningham and co-host Seneca Connor sit down for an honest conversation about the experiences that shaped them long before entrepreneurship entered the picture. From immigration and identity to grief, resilience, motherhood, creativity, and building businesses from the groun...