What's Next Gen X Y Z

The 2020 (moved to 2021 due to Covid-19) Summer Olympics are now over, but the accomplishments and accolades live on. With all the buzz about the Olympics, we were honored to have the chance to interview former Olympic swimmer AJ Barbar about his path and what he’s doing now. AJ started out with a love of sports. He loved baseball and basketball and just knew he was going to be a basketball star....

Rachael’s journey has been extremely interesting and varied. She by no means took a straight path to where she is today but for many her story is very familiar. Eunice however always knew what she wanted to do. Numbers have always called to her and from a young age she knew she wanted to be in accounting.  While she took other jobs on her road to becoming an accountant, she had already determined...

After interviewing several amazing professionals and entrepreneurs who’ve shared their path to where they are today, we realized we haven’t shared our own stories. Listen in to part I as Rachael shares more about what she does and how she got there. Then tune in next week as Eunice shares her journey.  Rachael left high school not really thinking about what was next. She got an amazing scholarship...

When you hear the word “security” what do you think of? Personal bodyguards? Mall cops? In reality all types of businesses need security and joining us to share all about the profession is Kelly Michel. Listen as he shares what kinds of security exist and what you should know if you are looking to become a security officer.  He never really intended to go into security. His first thought was going...

Crime scene investigations are not like what you see in the TV shows. Cammie Alston is a crime scene investigator in Baltimore, Maryland and she joins to share her journey. Listen as she shares what it takes to become a crime scene investigator, the qualities and skills you should have, and her advice for making the most of your early years.  Cammie describes herself as always being different. She...

Trigger Warning: While this episode is in no way graphic, we do discuss abuse, sexual abuse and homelessness. Please note that if these topics are in any way triggering for you, listen with caution.  We are back for Part II of our conversation with Naida Rutherford, Richland County Coroner in South Carolina. This time we are digging deeper into her role as a coroner and her experiences from her ti...

Trigger Warning: While this episode is in no way graphic, we do discuss abuse, sexual abuse and homelessness. Please note that if these topics are in any way triggering for you, listen with caution.  We are diving straight into this discussion with Naida Rutherford. Naida is the new Richland County Coroner. Richland County is in South Carolina and not only is she the first person of color to have...

We’re going to jail! That’s right. It’s time to get the perspective of someone who works directly with the people who have either been convicted or are awaiting a determination of their case. Listen as we chat with Corrections Officer Marc Eugene all about being locked up. Marc did not start his career journey off with corrections anywhere in sight. In fact, when he was younger he wanted to go int...

The law is definitely not static. Once you’re in it, there are many paths you can take. This is exactly what Darleen Cantelo found as she found herself entering law school. Now she’s taken many different twists and turns and is sharing her experience from the classroom to the courtroom.  Darlene’s mother was also an attorney and pushed all throughout her childhood for her to take a different path,...

Finding your purpose isn’t always a straight path. Judge William L. Dawson didn’t wake up one day thinking, I want to go into law. No, he was happy to simply graduate high school and keep his mom off his back. Listen as he shares his story and why he is so passionate about his role today. When Judge Dawson was a kid, he was doing things that likely would have landed him in jail had he been caught....

We’re back!!  We are kicking off Season 2 of the podcast and this time we’re focusing on all things Justice. Our goal is to show the other side of various industries, so we are chatting with everyone from coroners to judges to attorneys. This is going to be an amazing season! This isn’t going to be a controversial season. We just want to share the experiences of people within the justice system an...

This season has been so much fun! We’ve been on a roller coaster ride of learning and growing but in the midst of it all, we’ve succeeded in our goal. We want to bring you the stories and experiences from people in different industries with varying backgrounds and levels of education.  Because it’s okay if you don’t think college is right for you! Welcome to our Season 1 Look Back. We’re taking a...

Creating multiple streams of income is the key to building generational wealth. This has been proven time and time again by those who have the most wealth. Which is why we were so excited to speak with a mom and daughter team who are building a legacy and a mission.  Tonia and Kyndall are the founders and creative spirit behind The Factory 10, our show sponsor for this season. Tonia has been a ser...

Carlos Sainte has always been an artist. Anyone who has known him from the early years to present would agree that he was always drawing as a kid. But he was always told that art was a hobby, not a career. Listen as he shares more about his background and why he’s glad he’s made his way back to art.  After high school, Carlos knew he didn’t want to go straight to school. Instead he enlisted in the...

What do you do when you’re super shy and looking to break out of your shell? Start modeling of course! That may not be true of everyone but for teen model E’Naiya  Carrion , it seemed like the perfect choice. She’s sharing her story of starting in modeling and where she plans to take her future.  E’Naiya was really shy growing up but she didn’t want it to hold her back. She instead got into modeli...

For some, going to college is a necessary experience. While Camille Elizabeth went to college unsure of what she wanted to do, she learned so much about who she was and what she didn’t want to do that it was absolutely worth it. After studying philosophy at the University of Virginia she took an internship in Washington D.C. and immediately noticed a lack of fashion and style. She spent time on he...

When your dreams don’t intersect with the path you’ve laid out for yourself, what do you do? That’s exactly what happened for Clarence Williams. After pursuing his Bachelor’s then going on to receive his master’s and spending years working for the government and Adidas, he realized that his true passion was photography.  Instead of sleeping, he has spent the last several years building his photogr...

Are you ready for part II? We’re diving even deeper into how we met, why we clicked, and what pushed us to create PGD Innovations. Listen to find out who Pretty Ricky is, where the best taco spot is, and why we were in the basement. It all started with a mutual friend's birthday get together. She was going to be making the trip to south Florida and Eunice wanted to be sure she had a good time...

PGD Innovations and What’s Next Gen XYZ all started with a dream and a book, but it is so much more than that. Listen as Rachael and Eunice share their personal origin stories and why their collaboration is so important to them.  Rachael IS our audience. Despite growing up in a military family with their goals and dreams on track, she never felt any level of mentorship from teachers and bosses unt...

What's Next Gen XYZ is the go to podcast for young people who are trying to figure out the age old question, what do I want to be when I grow up? You'll travel on a journey learning about traditional and non-traditional careers that exist in the world today. Your guides on this journey and the hosts of the show Eunice Pierre-Louis and Rachael Kaufman have been on both sides of the journe...