A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine

A former beauty and fashion magazine editor of O, The Oprah Magazine, Seventeen, andInStyle, Tai is also an established serial entrepreneur and TV host who has hosted her ownshows on TLC and GSN. Last summer, Tai hosted and produced Lens of Culture, a travel showcreated for millennials of color on CleoTV. She is also a regular contributor to network and cableTV including ABC, NBC, E!, BET, TVOne,...

Kimbrough is a writer and an award-winning producer who started her advertising career as a Creative Secretary in 1974 with Burrell Communications Group.   Kimbrough won first place at the Orlando Urban Film Festival for the short film, Raggedy Man , that she produced with longtime industry friends.   Most recently, she served as Co-Producer on a documentary entitled Burrell:  ...

Ivellisse "Ivi" is an award-winning entrepreneur who brings a decade of experience in using marketing as a force for good—for brands of all sizes. From inside major creative agencies like IDEO and Ogilvy and beyond, Ivi has sharpened her creative skillset in public relations, media, design, marketing and communications all in the spirit for positive change. She's a speaker, poet and writer who’s b...

Angelina Darrisaw is the founder and CEO of C-Suite Coach, a firm that offers expertly designed professional development and coaching programs for working professionals and small business leaders. C-Suite Coach has staffed coaches and provided training programs for Google, Major League Baseball, NYU's Veteran Lab Accelerator, Zendesk, Oscar Health, Year Up, Omnicom, SEO, THowardF, and many others....

Veronica Appleton is a scholar, practitioner and children’s author. Currently, she serves as a scholar-practitioner holding professional roles within the corporate sector and in academia. Dr. Appleton works as lecturer for DePaul University College of Communication, facilitator for Northwestern University Weinberg School of Arts & Sciences Executive Education Program in Racial Equity in Busine...

About Vanessa: Culturally inclusive ecosystems are at the heart of what drives this Chicago native. Vanessa has an uncanny ability to enter a room, any room, and come away with new relationships. Learning and teaching are in her DNA and that openness in an ever-evolving world fuels her ability to articulate culture and business. About Tia : Tia Hopkins has spent more than two decades in the IT and...

Alexandria Butler (aka Lexi B) is a self-proclaimed Freedom Fighter and leader in building executive leadership and workplace equity in the tech industry. After several years working at some of the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley such as Airbnb, Facebook and Twitter, Butler founded Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech, initially as a way to meet another Black woman in tech to be mentored, as...

"My name is Michelle Olomojobi and I am a multifaceted designer, creative and innovator. My biggest influence comes from God, the greatest creator of all time. I find immense joy in exploring unique ways to display the continent of Africa through my brand, LLULO."

Selena Davant: Selena is a creative entrepreneur currently invested in building Made in Color – a creative agency based in Oakland, CA, that provides a nurturing environment for creatives of color to produce mind-blowing work for organizations like McKinsey & Co, Clubhouse, BLCK VC, and many others. With a passion for unlocking innovative solutions and amplif...

Mimo is a mission-led professional that has worked in social impact, public health, and nonprofit engagement for the past 10 years. She has had the opportunity to manage various efforts that lead to social change ranging from violence prevention in Oakland, HIV Research/Prevention in West/Central Africa, and homelessness prevention in Santa Clara county. She is the co-founder of Coco Coalitio...

Noemie Marguerite is a Congolese Photographer and Filmmaker focused on work that helps people accept their grey area. In the words of Savannah Saint Juste, Noémie is a revolutionary artist with the grand ability to grasp the raw emotions and beauty of everything that she captures, whether it is in the form of photos or videos. It is almost as if Noémie’s eyes are capable of visualizing what’s...

Angela Brown is currently a Director of Marketing at RCA Records under Sony Music Entertainment where she uses cultural and strategic thinking to create relationships with Artists, Managers and internal RCA teams to manage and lead rollouts and campaigns for projects for emerging and established music artists across the RCA roster. In her previous ad agency life, she was behind breaking the intern...

Eno Oduok might be somewhere between a virtual architect and a digital alchemist but overall she’s human. She’s a dream chaser, your favorite hustler, a typical Aquarius, passionate storyteller & writer, social entrepreneur, community advocate, and an award-winning multidisciplinary creative who is passionate about amplifying the voices and stories of people in the community, especially overlo...

Ashley has 12+ years of experience in digital marketing, brand and product growth, and product management at top tier CPG companies, Google, CapitalG, and Amazon Music. In her new role at Amazon Music, she is responsible for global engagement and retention for the Amazon Music app and platform. Prior to Amazon, Ashley worked at CapitalG, Google’s growth stage venture capital firm where she support...

Chavonne Hodges is an award-winning wellness entrepreneur and mental health advocate who is passionate about learning, meditation, and creativity. In 2016, she launched GrillzandGranola, a company that curates and creates fitness experiences for underrepresented women, starting with their signature TrapAerobics class. Through her entrepreneurial endeavors, she has garnered various features fr...

Neisha is an award-winning creative marketer, people manager, and DEI advocate with a protagonist spirit and optimism at her core. She got her start as a creative director at various ad agencies and is now Global Head of Inclusive Content & Experiences at Meta where she works with brands to reinvent what inclusive creativity looks like from mobile to the metaverse. Her experience across the past f...

Marketer. Black Woman in tech. Entrepreneur. Danielle Skeen wears many hats and wears  them well. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, this Island lady has always had an innate desire to  and ability to connect with people. Her passion for diversity and inclusion coupled with  her creative, strategic thinking and love of storytelling, has led her to be a powerful  influence on corporate...

Alencia Johnson leads at the intersection of social impact & culture change, cultivating over 15 years of experience marrying cultural cornerstones -- advocacy, politics, corporate & entertainment -- to disrupt for good. As Founder of 1063 West Broad, she connects brands, organizations & people to mission driven solutions. She has worked for the presidential campaigns of Pres. Obama, S...

Liv Lewis is an award-winning communications strategist, integrated marketing expert, and culture savant. With over a decade of agency and entrepreneurial experience, she has worked on some of the world’s most compelling brands. Her experience spans over various consumer categories such as beauty (both prestige and mass), CPG, corporate communication, DE&I, entertainment, and lifestyle. She ha...

Kai Deveraux Lawson, uses her lifelong passion for culture, and nearly a decade of experience in advertising, to tell honest stories that shed light on the need for Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace. Her experience led her to launch the culturally focused platforms, Mixed Company Podcast and her blog, Mylifeofkai.com . On these platforms, she shares her first hand experiences in life, tra...

Creative, traveler, culturist, and friendly provocateur. Shannon Washington is a busy woman. Currently, Shannon serves as the US Chief Creative Officer, Connected Communications for R/GA US, the network’s largest and flagship region  with a sharp focus on reshaping the region’s creative vision, fidelity and culture for a post-pandemic world. Since joining R/GA in 2020, her intersectional and...

About Aaron:   Recognized as a trailblazer and thought leader, Aaron Walton’s focus on innovation and cultural engagement has transformed traditional marketing and advertising strategies. As the CEO / co-founder of Walton Isaacson (WI), a full-service advertising agency, with offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and New York, Aaron’s focus is squarely on identifying unseen opportuniti...

Aubrey Walker III  was trained at the Portfolio Center, School for Creative Communication Arts in Atlanta, GA. In his first year of the two-year program, Aubrey was recruited as a Copywriter with MATLOCK, working on Publix, BellSouth and BMW. In 2000, Aubrey joined CHWA in Oakland, California as a Copywriter, working directly under Carol H. Williams, the only African American woman in the Adv...

As Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Droga5, Tiffany Edwards is a change agent and an unshakable advocate for diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the creative industry. Since joining Droga5 in 2016 as its first diversity leader, Tiffany has played a pivotal role in the agency’s journey. Her tenacity and focus on ensuring Droga5 upholds its commitment to diversity permeates every aspect of...

[Season 4: EP 59] Simeon Coker (Twitter) Creative Development Manager & Dorado Quick (The Springhill Company) Creative Director, Writer - Guest Co-Host Kendra D. Croft (Ten35) Associate Creative Director Simeon is an award-winning Creative Director, 21st Century People Manager, and DEI accomplice working to change how brands and marketers create and engage with consumers. He started his career...