Trials To Triumphs

Trials to Triumphs host Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins is joined by her close friends Nia Jervier, Courtney Sauls, Tiffany Johnson and Yaani King Mondschein for a kiki about new motherhood, dating, changing careers and learning to enjoy each season of their lives. Ashley’s self-described “Destiny Advocates” share the moments they realized they could be themselves with each other and how they lea...

Adventurer and author Zim Flores went from living on a shoestring budget to building multiple successful niche businesses. In her conversation with Ashley, Zim confesses that even as children, she and her brother were like “little grown adult kids.” She kept cultivating an independent spirit as she explored many career paths. From the university biology lab where she cloned a gene, to her experien...

Before creating Now with Natalie and Beyond the Surface, Natalie Manuel Lee shed her former identity as a woman of faith who stayed in her comfort zone. The HIllsong Channel star tells Ashley she gained a new understanding of “death” as she recounts leaving her brother’s leading fashion label, Fear of God, to discover her own purpose as a vessel for fearless conversations. Natalie describes her “c...

The author, professor and public speaker describes how tackling fears and accepting failures has changed her life—in the best possible way. But Ashley cringes at the word failure, so Luvvie offers a new perspective on how shortcomings can create “a better version of you” in the long run, opening up opportunities for growth. Luvvie and Ashley get into why one of the best cures for self doubt is aff...

Trials to Triumphs host Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins always knew she was destined to inspire others. In this special live episode, Jennifer Pauline, founder of With Creators, interviews ABFJ about how evolving her career helped fulfill that destiny.  Ashley recalls her agent’s cautionary words when she first moved to LA: the road to success is “an uphill battle.” Over the years, that wisdom pr...

In this episode of the Real Good podcast, host Faith Salie sits down with Center for Economic Inclusion Founder and CEO Tawanna Black to talk about how anti-racist action on a local and regional scale incites widespread change, and why diversity and inclusion is good economics. If you like what you hear, listen and subscribe to Real good wherever you get your podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

The mother of two and CURLBOX founder underscores how looking at things differently has allowed her to achieve her dreams and approach motherhood with grace and intention. Myleik talks with Ashley about learning to “sit with that discomfort” of rejection and allowing herself to be bold to create opportunities for herself. Myleik stresses the importance of playing the long game and embracing career...

Television and podcast host Kamie Crawford has been in the spotlight her entire adult life. And though it has meant praise and success, fame hasn’t been easy. In her conversation with Ashley, the former Miss Teen USA relishes being a role model for her younger sisters and other Black girls, an honor she feels destined for. Kamie talks about the difficulties of being perceived as not being ‘Black e...

Best-selling author Alex Elle is the first to acknowledge that learning to love and be loved has been a lifelong effort for her. The renowned speaker tells Ashley that her mother-in-law was “the first woman to make me feel worthy of love.” She recounts her earliest memories of receiving that unconditional love, and admits that she didn't think she was capable of loving others before she met her hu...

Navigating risks and uncertainty has been a major theme in CNN Anchor and Senior Political Correspondent Abby Phillip’s career. Often the only Black woman in the room, Abby confides in Ashley how she overcame imposter syndrome and gained the confidence to show up and shine in spaces that have not always welcomed her. Abby celebrates her parents, immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago, who took big ri...

Actress Niecy Nash tells Ashley she knew at a young age that she wanted to be “Black, fabulous and on TV.” She spoke her destiny into being before she even knew what acting was. Growing up, Niecy’s family pushed her to find success in traditional professions like nursing or teaching, but she never gave up on becoming an actress. The tragic loss of her 17-year-old brother the day before she turned...

Actor and activist Kendrick Sampson ( Insecure) is learning to dream without limiting himself. Kendrick and Ashley revisit who they were as audacious young adults when they first met at the American Black Film Festival in 2008. The Houston native says growing up he wasn’t taught to embrace his Southern culture, and that having a Black father and white mother often left him feeling like he lived in...

Certified sex and relationship expert Shan Boodram has mastered the art of navigating private spaces publicly. The veteran intimacy educator walks Ashley through her humble beginnings on Youtube and gets into the challenges of spreading her powerful message in “an industry of silence.” Shan explains that, for her, conversations on sex and intimacy have always gone far beyond the physical. With ove...

HBO star Yvonne Orji (Insecure) has decided to retire from perfectionism. In this insightful conversation, the Emmy-nominated actress explains to Ashley how growing personally and professionally required new tools, like welcoming more collaborators into her creative process. Yvonne’s bold faith and relentless pursuit of excellence led to  career highs. But now, instead of striving for a perfect fi...

How to Get Away with Murder  actress Aja Naomi King is a self-proclaimed eternal optimist. Today, Aja confides in Ashley about how that optimism has sometimes hurt more than it has helped. Aja explains how shedding harmful superstitions and embracing vulnerability helped her receive the support she needed after experiencing two devastating miscarriages. Aja also discusses what both motherhood and...

YouTube star and creative producer Maya Washington, popularly known as ‘Shameless Maya,’ has never said no to a challenge. Maya describes how growing up in Canada offered her a supportive environment of both diversity and exploring the arts. Once Maya moved to New York City, she says she finally found the courage to fully express herself because to make it in NYC, you had to be “shameless.” Maya a...

Before landing her dream role as the first Black lesbian superhero in The CW’s  Black Lightning , Nafessa Williams prayed for the endurance to persevere in Hollywood. In this enlightening conversation, Ashley and Nafessa discuss taking leaps of faith. In Nafessa’s case, that was trading in the safety of her district-attorney job to pursue acting. Inspired by Sidney Poitier’s famous quote: “The rew...

With over 40 years in the entertainment industry,  Abbott Elementary  star Sheryl Lee Ralph has a trove of  both trials and triumphs to her credit. The Tony Award-nominated multi-hyphenate takes Ashley back to the beginning of her career and describes who she was before landing her breakthrough role as Deena Jones in the seminal Broadway musical  Dreamgirls . Sheryl underscores key lessons she lea...

Ten years after releasing a concept trailer that would go viral and propel his career, Dear White People creator Justin Simien is learning to take a step back and celebrate his wins. Already close friends, Justin and Ashley reflect on their personal and professional growth since the show ended and revisit the risks that led to their success. The fearless visionary unpacks the pressures of breaking...

Insecure (HBO) & Twenties (BET) actress Christina Elmore has always had a game plan for her career, but now she’s learning how to let the cards fall where they may. Ashley and Christina, who’s also one of her very best friends, dig deep into what it means to let go of unrealistic expectations and allow your most authentic self to emerge. Like most black and brown women, Christina has faced pressur...

A recognized leader in the DEI field and Ashley’s mother, Cynthia Featherson has always been the backbone of her family. However, she has rarely asked for what she needs in return. As she gets older, Cynthia realizes that keeping her world small and her feelings bottled up does not serve her. She attributes this new-found awareness to Ashley. Throughout the years, Ashley has encouraged her mom to...

Jurassic World: Dominion actress DeWanda Wise is allowing herself to take risks and give God the steering wheel.  DeWanda says because she and her family didn’t have a lot growing up, she “was always a person who questioned, naturally, the status quo.” She shares how her intuition, even at a young age, has shaped the stories she gets to tell in her work. DeWanda explains how she has come to realiz...

Originally aired by NPR's The Limits with Jay Williams on 7/19/22. Emmy-nominated actor Colman Domingo discusses the power of intentional art, his recent projects, and coping with loss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, actress and author Michelle Williams has been perfecting the art of manifestation. Michelle tells us what happens when she speaks about her greatest dreams and fears out loud and says that you must “put voice” to your ambitions for them to happen. She tells Ashley about her battle with depression, acknowledging that even at times when “we think we’re unscathed ph...

This week, Ashley welcomes Dear White People costar Griffin Matthews to dig into the promises made over the course of their lives. Griffin details his upbringing in the suburbs of Pittsburgh from experiencing racism in his youth to finding community in college and healing from those past hurts at Carnegie Mellon. He discloses how the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on gay marriage empowered him...