365 Brothers - Listening to Black Men

Corey Ponder enjoyed policy and politics as a subject, but when terrorist bombs went off near his London classroom while studying abroad, he formally switched majors and left his pre-med courses and M.D. plans behind. He hasn't looked back.  After holding multiple positions as a Security Analyst with the CIA, including as a quantitative methodologist and Liaison Officer, he left government service...

Wendell Jordan has the kind of work ethic that produces results. As a young twenty-something he hustled in the New York hip hop music scene, signing acts and booking legit gigs. Now in his thirties, he manages his own marketing biz, Jordan Marketing Consultants. Favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption. Favorite word: "Fantastic." The always answer to "How are you?" You can find Wendell on Linke...

Several years back, a recently fired Jarrett Thomas was given an opportunity to go into sales. He had zero experience, but needed the money. As the others in the room introduced themselves as graduates of various Ivy League universities, Jarrett introduced himself as from the Bronx, named his high school instead of a college and added "I'll be the number one sales person here!" Yep! He did that! T...

In 1967, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia that interracial couples could not be denied the right to marry one another. Also in 1967, Kevin Hofmann's White mother was married to a White man and pregnant by her Black lover during the year of the Detroit Riots. She had the baby, agreeing to put the child up for adoption to maintain her marriage. Kevin Hoffman was quickly ad...

One day Jesse Ross decided to apply his ample skills at fundraising for nonprofit and other organizations to a few projects of his own choosing. He set no maximum goal, no limit. The result was $200,000 and counting going toward the community projects he chose to support. No surprise that among the causes he supports is relief for the unhoused/homeless. Jesse spent a year of his youth homeless and...

Karee Everett is an entertainer making it in New York. The key to making it in New York was not only being an actor, dancer and producer, it was adding "whatever you need" to his hustle. Even babysitter and dog walker to stay in the city that never sleeps. Like the rest of us, he had imperfect parents. There were periods his parents battled addiction and he spent a brief time in foster care. He id...

Sam Williams admits to being more interested in athletics than his studies in high school. Fortunately for Sam, Coach Jim Newman helped him adjust his priorities. The result was that Sam attended and graduated from Arizona State University (ASU) before being drafted into the NBA in the early 80s. By the way, while at ASU, he was starting five with the likes of Alton Lister, Lafayette Fat Lever and...

When Lee Ardoin moved from his small hometown of Port Arthur, Texas to Houston in eighth grade, a new world of possibilities opened up. He found himself getting rules for life from his basketball coach. His teammates invited him into their well-appointed homes. Lee started asking questions. "What do your parents do?" And that lead him to the realization that he didn't need athleticism to make it b...

Although raised primarily in the Bronx where he currently resides, Sean Atkinson spent his teen years in Los Angeles during the 1990s. His firsthand account of the strategic process used by some community residents during the riots following the Rodney King verdict sheds light on his commitment to diversifying both the Marketing and Branding industry and the small to medium business community. At...

Research suggests that some fifteen percent of the population are genetically predisposed to being particularly sensitive to their environments and situations. While being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) makes Darryl Webster great at his job as a clinical social worker and likely contributed to his being honored as a National Father of the Year, it also lead to anxiety, panic attacks and depressio...

Through his participation in a Landmark Education course in the 1990s, it became abundantly clear to Terrence McClain that there was nothing in the way of doing whatever he wanted in life--except limiting thoughts. Unleashed, he set about to create a space where others could likewise unleash their creativity. He opened, Cafe Futures, one of the first internet cafes in the Los Angeles Area. Like so...

Originally from Placentia, California, William Adams went from the Barrio to Microsoft. He's funny, unstoppable and committed to equity in tech. He co-founded Microsoft's LEAP Apprenticeship program, increasing the percentage of women and people of color in tech. Just don't try to put him in narrow categories. Raised in a Chicano community, married to an East Indian and a practicing Muslim. What b...

If you live in Southern California, chances are Civil engineer Steve Henderson has helped you get around town. As the Engineer on Record or Project Manager for highways, trains and transportation infrastructure for renewable energy projects, he's made our lives easier. Not that he always had it easy. Henderson shares how he overcame some of the obstacles that others attempted to place between him...

Eric Curtis' mother worked two jobs to ensure her children had a better life. Widowed while Eric was still young, she made sure they attended a school that would get them somewhere. Decades later, Eric Curtis is now Vice President of Engineering and Technology at an aerospace company and sought after as an expert on composite materials. It wasn't just his mother who made a lasting impression on Cu...

The 365 Brothers podcast hits pause through September. Returning to regular in-person instruction in these irregular times while simultaneously returning to a slew of in-person half-marathons requires are just a couple of the happenings putting podcast production on pause. The 365 Brothers podcast returns with more amazing Brothers on October 4th. The first week of October we'll publish Brothers 9...

Currently, Steven Neal is President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners , THE organization responsible for setting policy for the 2nd largest port in the United States. Among his many roles serving others, Steve rose from Union Steward to Labor Activist to Long Beach City Councilman and Pastor. He shares how a union rep intervened to save his job during the eighties. The difference tha...

You can hear in the background that the loss of his mother on Christmas Day when he was 16-years-old altered the course of his life. Call it serendipity or fate, but a book found in jail on chakras not only saved him, it became the impetus for a life change, a vegan lifestyle and a mission to promote self-healing. Rance Dunbar is now known as the Chakra Doctor. Our conversation goes so many places...

It's not only everyday that you come across a hip hop artist who's also an Ivy League professor. Brown University psychology professor Malik Boykin, has a new song, Dancing for Freedom, on Spotify and other platforms under his artist name, Malik Starx.  Like his father, Malik is a trailblazer. His father, A. Ward Boykin was the first Professor of Psychology of African descent at Cornell University...

His mother brought the concept of Neighborhood Watch to Central Islip in Long Island, New York before it was piloted around the United States. In fact, Gahrey Ovalle's watched his mom bring Community Policing to her community. The real kind where police officers live within the community, attend local games and high-five the kids. No surprise, Gahrey is now a community activist in his own right in...

Jevon Wooden and I get into the Rules of Engagement--in war and on the street. Like many a 365 Brothers guest, Jevon has some credentials. He has an MBA and a Masters degree in cyber security. In fact, he still works professionally as a cyber security architect while growing his Growth Mindset Coaching business . Originally from Rochester, New York, Jevon currently resides in Houston, Texas. Favor...

Baltimore's Wordsmith bridges all kinds of gaps. As part of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Strategic Expansion Team , he is building a bridge between the city's classical music icon and Baltimore's majority Black Community. He bridges cultural gaps by partnering with the United States Department of State to expand his global music tours into far flung places that wouldn't otherwise have access...

Ronad Mitchell rejoices in the triumphs over life's disappointments. Minister, poet, husband and father--today he's living a joy-filled life. He candidly shares about the impact of the loss of his father and the loss of his plans for abstinence until marriage. Favorite movie is Coming to America . Favorite words are from Henry Ward Beecher: "One's best success comes after their greatest disappoint...

While attending University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Royce Massengill traded a sensible degree in business administration for one closer to his literal and figurative dreams. Armed with a degree in Mass Communications he's built up a media business that produces film, music videos and other productions. Definitely check out his current project, the Royce's Rant podcast. Oh, and you can get flash...

Chalmer Williams shared one of my favorite Mom stories. Let's just say she evened the Super Soaker score by going for the water hose. As an author, screenwriter and comedian, I shouldn't be surprised he tells a good story. He's also a graduate of HBCU, Tuskegee University and host of the podcast Fatherhood Fridays .Originally from Denver, Colorado, he's part of the Return of the Migration, now res...

Dr. J. L. Gray understands the important role family members play as caregivers to relatives dealing with serious health issues. He was there for his father and for his grandparents. As it happened, it was while finishing his Ph. D. in Systems Engineering from USC. Now that he's a management consultant with serious credentials, he's helping transform the healthcare industry for the benefit of the...