Verbally Effective

Last year I had the opportunity to interview Memphis Mayor-Elect Paul Young twice on the Verbally Effective Podcast. The first sitting was prior to Young's announcement of running for Mayor and the second was months later after the declaration. I thought it would be fitting to run back the original episode which is filled with Paul's personality and some interesting facts about our new Mayor-Elect...

Anasa Troutman is a cultural strategist, producer, writer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. As CEO & Founder of The BIG We and BIG We Foundation, Anasa works to build & execute stories & strategies that are aligned with her vision world where all communities can experience safety, abundance, creativity, and joy. Best known for her 20 year partnership as strategic advisor & executive producer for...

Outreach Specialist Adrianne Vestal and Sigma Pi Phi Delta Boule Social Action Chairman Melvin Burgess stopped by the podcast to discuss the The Parity Project. Currently, the fraternity has an initiative to dismantle disparities locally and nationally through the Parity Project, a national call to action to achieve economic parity for Black America by 2030. The Parity Project focuses on moving th...

Kevin Whitted is a Player Development Coach, former NBA player, Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Famer, and McDonald’s All-American. He is also the founder of Kevin Whitted Basketball Services (KWBS), a year-round player development curriculum-based training program that services youth, collegiate, and professional basketball players throughout the Mid-South region. Through KWBS, Kevin spends his...

Did you know that up to 40% of the food supply in the U.S. is wasted, and up to 21% of Tennessee landfills are made up of wasted food. Locally, restaurants are second only to households in their generation of food waste in Memphis. As a program of Clean Memphis, Project Green Fork (PGF) contributes to a more sustainable Mid-South by helping local restaurants reduce their environmental impact. Ali...

South Memphis native Carol Coletta is president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership and named of the 100 most influential urban planning experts. She is leading the relaunch of a nonprofit to develop, manage and program six miles of riverfront and five park districts along the Mississippi River. Carol has been living in downtown Memphis since 1977 and is extremely passionate about the c...

North Memphis native Chef Eli Townsend sat down with Ena Esco for a live Verbally Effective podcast at the historic Cossitt Library in downtown Memphis last week. Chef Eli shared the intricate details of his upbringing including how his love for cooking began and opening a restraunt. Not only is Eli the owner of Dos Hermanos Cafe, he is also the President of the Downtown Neighborhood Association a...

From Aretha Franklin, Al Green and Isaac Hayes to Three 6 Mafia, 8Ball & MJG and Yo Gotti, Memphis has always been fertile soil for producing music superstars. Entering that arena with all the aspirations of a young Al Green is rising singer/songwriter and Memphis native, Kendrick P. Like so many before him, Kendrick P. began singing in his grandfather’s church, learning to play piano and drums al...

The annual Southern Heritage Classic Cultural Celebration is amongst us and I thought it would be fitting to have the founder, Fred Jones Jr. sit down with me for a live podcast at the historic Cossitt Library. Growing up in the Cleaborn Homes housing community in the Memphis area, Fred attended Booker T. Washington High School active in baseball, basketball, track and band. A severe football inju...

Kontji Anthony is the CEO and co-founder of Youdle. Before Kontji became a technologist, she was the main co-anchor at WMC-TV in Memphis where she worked for 17 years. Kontji sits down with Ena Esco for a live podcast recording at the historic Cossitt Library. She shares that her goal is to scale the tech industry and make Memphis a destination for all things tech. With only 3% of AA in this indus...

Take a listen to the live podcast with actor and social entrepreneur, Bertram Williams Jr. recorded live at Cossitt Library on June 29th. We discussed his passion for food justice coupled with his "Big Farma" persona that he's using as a tool to reach the youth. We also hit on the intricacies of the SAF/AFTRA writer's strike and how it has affected his work with P Valley. Esco's Pop Talk entered t...

A proud North Memphis native, Tikeila Rucker is a mother of three. She is a dedicated educator, social, and civil rights activist, and a catalyst for change. With a passion for justice and equality, she has been actively involved in shaping her community for over a decade. Having served as the former President of the United Education Association of Shelby County (UEA), the local teachers' union, T...

Memphis native Darryl Sanford has been playing music all of his life. From playing the drums at the age of two and later matriculating to the piano, Darryl developed an ear for music. Darryl teaches music theory and is also a member of the legendary Bar-Kays. Darryl first started playing for churches as a teenager and has been playing for churches and choirs in the city of Memphis ever since. By t...

Event promoter and Manager of the PC Band, Jeromy "Pep" Thomas, joined me for a live interview on WYXR for Black Music Month. Hailing from West Memphis, AR, Pep's gift for music began in the church. He developed the PC Band ten years ago with four additional members consisting of singers and musicians. The letters "PC" stands for Perfect Combination which describes the PC Band's diverse style rang...

New York native and Sustainable Funding Coach, Stormi Banks joins me for Ep 260!!! Stormi is the founder of Pink Print, a digital consulting firm helping women entrepreneurs gain access to funding to start or scale their business. PInk Print has helped more than 10K women entrepreneurs gain access to over $5M in business funding. Take a listen as Ena and Stormi discuss how she established the Pink...

We are ushering in Black Music Month with an AMAZING talent! With over a decade of experience in the entertainment field; Keia Johnson has made a name for herself as the multifaceted Artist that attacks each opportunity with gusto and her signature smile. Known for her bigger than life laugh and sultry voice Keia is no stranger to the Entertainment business. Officially starting her singing career...

South Memphis native, Laquita Jones, is a Carver High School Graduate, Author and Serial Entrepreneur is one Memphis' most impressive and vibrant faces in the entertainment and business arena. For over 10 years, Xclusive Memphis has assisted with marketing and promotions for countless celebrities; as well as educating, empowering and equipping aspiring and new entrepreneurs who need help with bran...

Holly Springs, Ms native, Cj Nevels, is an actor and entrepreneur with three years of experience on the stage and aspires to take on the film industry. His journey began at New Direction Church where he was featured in a Christmas play. What started as an act of service for the church, led to an aspiration for a career. Take a listen as Ena and CJ discuss the acting scene in Memphis, facing fears...

I recently had the opportunity to interview the student who helped Tom Shadyac with finding Memphis Rox in 2018, Chris Dean along with Executive Director, Zach Rogers and PR, Alex Williams. Listening to Chris tell his story about growing up in South Memphis and finding a strong connection with rock climbing was definitely insightful. Find out how Memphis Rox is enriching the community and travelin...

On episode 255 we sit down with Flip My Life founders Marybeth Conley and Rick Woodall. You may remember Marybeth Conley gracing your television screens weekday mornings for Live at 9 on WREG news. Although MBC never wanted to be in broadcasting, her career spans over forty years with a start at a CBS affiliate in sales. Within three months, she quickly began her on-air journey known for asking th...

Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs began her tenure as the 13th president of LeMoyne-Owen College on January 5, 2021. Dr. Bennett-Fairs is the second woman chosen to lead the only historically black college in Memphis, TN. Dr. Bennett-Fairs’ career spans 26 years in higher education. She is a trained vocalist and orator who has served as an associate professor and college administrator. However, her most c...

I had the pleasure of chopping it up with sports journalist, writer and podcaster Parish Sharkey and artist, producer and radio personality Nicole Covington today on WYXR for Verbally Effective Live. We talked all things Memphis including Grizzlies, Tigers, WWE, Music and Culture. WYXR is in the midst of the Spring Pledge Drive and we happily raised over $200 during the show. Tune in now to check...

Jamal Whitlow joins Ena for a second time around live on WYXR for Verbally Effective. Jamal is the founder of Privileged brand in addition to being the creator of LOL Music Festival. Take a listen as Jamal and Ena tackles Memphis culture and politics in the beginning and ends with deets on LOL Music Festival.

Eureka McAfee is a South Memphis native who is currently the Principal at Alcy Elementary School. She is a graduate of LeMoyne Owen College and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Eureka begins the podcast with how the two of us first met when she and Coach Nedra Brown came to Millington, TN on a volleyball recruitment visit. McAFee talks about growing up in South Memphis being very active...

Christie Taylor was born in Washington D.C., and in the early 1970’s moved with family to West Tennessee. Her early years fostered in her a strong affinity for music performance and radio. Her love of “all things artsy” led to her pursuit of a Communication Degree with concentration in Radio, TV, and Film; and later graduated with a Bachelor in Drama TV and Film Performance from Oral Roberts Unive...