How I Crushed It

Christina Brooks is the Founder and CEO of Ruebik, a leading talent attraction agency which has partnered with organisations such as BT, BBC Studios, KPMG and Dr Martens. In 2023 she won the Rising Star category at the Black Talent Awards for her work in promoting inclusivity.   Ruebik Elevated Conversations Footsteps Key4life _______________________________________________________________________...

Femi Oguns is founder and CEO of both Identity School of Acting and Identity Agency Group and he has become one of the most influential people in the British Film and TV industry. He has been named on the Powerlist top 100 most influential figures of African/Caribbean descent in the UK and in 2014 he was appointed MBE for services to the acting industry.   Talent Agency Drama School Instagram ____...

To celebrate the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, we thought we'd have an Olympic Special featuring guests that have come onto the podcast. Each guest describes how they have been impacted by the Olympics in their own way.   Featuring clips from (click the link below to listen to the full episode):   Tunji Akintokun Kike Oniwinde Agoro Maggie Alphonsi Jordan Jarrett-Bryan ________________...

Jordan Pitt is an actor, filmmaker and founder of One Umbrella Productions and has 30 years experience in the industry. His most recent piece of work is the Sky documentary ‘Untold Stories: Hair On Set’ which features insights from notable figures including Naomie Harris, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Afua Hirsch and can currently be viewed on Now TV or on Sky TV.   Website Untold Stories: Hair On Set __...

Jamilia Grier is founder & CEO of Bytebao and a lawyer with over 15 years of experience in the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East. She is also the host of the Barely Legal in Web3 podcast.   Website Podcast  ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch: Twitter: @howicrushedit Instagram: @howicrushedit Email us at howicrushedit@gmail...

Sonita Alleyne OBE is Master of Jesus College at Cambridge University and when appointed in 2019 she became the first black person to lead an Oxbridge college and first woman to lead Jesus College in its history.  Previous to this she co-founded and led Somethin' Else, the award winning production company that creates hit podcasts and radio shows.   Website LinkedIn  ______________________________...

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE was a child prodigy and aged 11 she was the youngest girl ever to pass A-level Computing in the UK. She has carried this gift through to adult life and in 2013 she co-founded Stemettes, an award-winning social initiative dedicated to inspiring and promoting the next generation of young women in the STEM & STEAM sectors. Anne-Marie was the temporary Arithmetician for...

Naomi Sesay is the Head of Creative Diversity at Channel 4. She started her career at MTV and has over 20 years’ experience in television and media. She is also a powerful keynote speaker, property investor and is building a Smart City in Sierra Leone!   Website LinkedIn   ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch: Twitter: @howicr...

Sarah Akinterinwa is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer. She started her current career during the pandemic by creating the comic Oyin and Kojo, which now features in the iconic American magazine, the New Yorker. Her work explores dating, relationships, identity, politics, and navigating adult life as a young woman of colour and has featured in the likes of the Guardian, the LA Times and for Ro...

Jumoke Abdullahi is a speaker, writer and one half of the duo behind The Triple Cripples, a platform created to increase visibility & highlight the lack of representation and discrimination faced by Black and non-Black women, femmes and non-binary people of colour, living with disabilities.   The Triple Cripples Instagram Ted X talk   ___________________________________________________________...

Danny Sapani is one of the most accomplished actors in the UK. His work spans film, TV and theatre and over the course of his career he has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters such Black Panther and Star Wars, TV such as Killing Eve, and Netflix's The Crown, and he can currently be seen on stage playing the lead role of King Lear at the Almeida Theatre in London.   Danny Sapani King Lear  _________...

Kojo Samuel is one of the most sought after music directors in the UK which has led him to working with the likes of Jessie Ware, Rita Ora, Dave and Stormzy. He's also been a prolific music producer and has played keyboards for the Sugababes.   Kojo's website  ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch: Twitter: @howicrushedit Insta...

Elesha Paul Moses is an actress, singer songwriter and, at the time of recording, is playing Tina Turner in the West End hit musical, The Tina Turner Musical. She has been mentored by Matthew Knowles, appeared on the X Factor and has also been mentored by Will. I.Am and Tom Jones while appearing on The Voice.   Elesha Paul Moses  ____________________________________________________________________...

Elizabeth Solaru is probably best known for setting up and running the multi-award-winning luxury cake business, Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium where she has made some of the most amazing cakes for some of the most exclusive clients across the globe. In January 2024 she launched the Diversity in Luxury Awards. She is also an internationally renowned speaker, author and considered to be a leading expert...

Jendella Benson is a British-Nigerian writer and editor. She is Head of Editorial at Black Ballad – the award-winning digital media platform and online community for black women. Her debut novel Hope and Glory was first published in April 2022 and she has written for The Sunday Times, The Independent and The Telegraph and most recently The Guardian.   Jendella's novel: Hope and Glory Jendella's Te...

Sanmi Adegoke is one of the leading specialist property developers in the UK and is CEO of Rehoboth Property Group. Some of his recent awards are:   Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 – Property Awards Real Estate Developer of the Year 2020 – Trusted Land,  Property Developer of the Year 2022 – Property Investors Awards   Website: Rehoboth Property Group   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanmi.ade...

We look back on the favourite bits of the podcast from across the year including interviews with (listen to the podcasts below):    Michael Akadiri: Here Emmanuel Asuquo: Here Dr Tijion Esho: Here Kike Oniwinde Ogoro: Here Keisha Thompson: Here Kyle Walker: Here Tayo Oguntonade: Here Matilda Egere Cooper: Here Stephanie Boyce: Here Maggie Alphonsi: Here Tunji Akintokun: Here Claudine Adeyemi: Here...

Jordan Jarrett-Bryan is a former Wheelchair Basketball athlete turned broadcaster and is now working as the Sports Correspondent for Channel 4 News, a presenter on talkSPORT, The Guardian Football Weekly and has his own Youtube channel, Blakademik. Website: https://blakademik.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanjarrettbryan/ South London Talent Factory documentary _____________________...

Edwin Appiah is an investor and Venture Capitalist and General Partner of Cornerstone VC, the largest black led, diverse-focused investment fund. He is also a former International Banker to the rich and famous at Coutts Bank    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinappiah   Website: https://www.cornerstonevc.co/    ______________________________________________________________________________...

Emmanuel Asuquo is a Financial Adviser, author, and motivational speaker. He is also a popular TV personality who you may recognise from BBC 1 show We Are England, Channel 4 show Secret Spenders and Save Well Spend Better.   Emmanuel's book: Get Your Money Right   Twitter: @TheEmaneffectUK   Instagram: @theemaneffectuk   Website: www.emmanuelasuquo.com    __________________________________________...

Maggie Alphonsi is a rugby World Cup winner. She won 74 caps and scored 28 tries playing for the England national team and in 2012 was awarded an MBE for services to rugby. A columnist for the Daily Telegraph, she has been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2016 and since then has become the first former female player to be part of a TV broadcast team for a men’s Rugby World Cup and is...

Tayo Oguntonade is a successful property investor, mortgage advisor and also a popular TV presenter. He can currently be seen on the BAFTA award-winning Great House Giveaway on Channel 4. He's also been featured on Channel 4 show Steph’s Packed Lunch, Rip Off Britain and Morning Live and is fast making a name for himself as a trusted property and consumer advice expert. He and his wife have also c...

Stephanie Boyce is a solicitor and from March 2021 to October 2022, she was President of the Law Society where she made history by becoming the sixth female, and the first person of colour to become president of the professional body. A passionate diversity champion, she has also been involved with the HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy taskforce to boost s...

Jessica Hope is an award winning PR expert and the founder and managing director of Wimbart, a London based boutique PR agency. Wimbart specializes in the African tech startup sector, with a focus on Sub Saharan Africa and the MENA region. She is a regular speaker, panelist, and mentor on Tech in Africa and has been recognised both in the UK PRWeek Powerbook 2019-23 and in the Provoke EMEA “Innova...

Shannon Bono is an artist and also an Associate Lecturer currently living and working in London. As well as her works being exhibited across the world, Shannon is also currently one of ten leading artists from the UK commissioned by King Charles to create portraits of ten pioneering members of the Windrush Generation.   Instagram: @bonosart_ Website: www.bono-art.com BBC Documentary - Windrush: Po...