Friends & Family with Aurora James

In this special episode, recorded live from the 15th Street Block Party in LA, Sloane Stephens shares her journey from Tennis pro to founder and business owner with content creator and DEI leader Jodie Taylor.  

In this special episode, recorded live from the 15th Street Block Party in LA, we hear from a fresh group of Black beauty founders about the ups, downs, and in betweens of running and growing a successful business. Featuring Denis Asamoah of FORVR MOOD, Kadi Lee of Highbrow Hippie, Maya Smith of The Doux, and Denise Vasi of MAED (and our 2026 Sephora Beauty Grant Recipient!).   

In this special episode, recorded live from the 15th Street Block Party in LA, we hear the unique perspectives of Black leaders in the climate space, and explore the intersectionality of racial justice and climate justice. Moderated by Kayalin Akens-Irby, this conversation features Benjamin Z. Bronfman, Nelson Zépequeno, and Taj Ahmad Eldridge.  

In this special episode, recorded live from the 15th Street Block Party in LA, Brooke DeVard hosts an intimate conversation about the experience of founding a beauty business as a Black woman. Featuring longtime friends of the Pledge Shani Darden of Shani Darden Skin Care, Hannah Diop of Sienna Naturals, and Janell Stephens of Camille Rose.   

In this episode, host Aurora James speaks with renowned chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson about his unique journey from being adopted in Ethiopia, growing up in Sweden, and ultimately establishing himself as a culinary leader in New York City. Marcus shares how his cultural identity and family background influenced his perspective on food, recalls pivotal moments in his career, including bei...

This episode of Friends & Family hosted by Aurora James, explores the inspiring journey of Maya Smith, the multi-hyphenate CEO and Co-Founder of the popular haircare brand, The Doux. Maya shares her earliest experiences working in her mother’s salon and how they translate into a lifelong passion for haircare. Maya reflects on her years working for celebrity stylists and later for women in the mili...

This episode of Friends & Family hosted by Aurora James, delves into the inspiring journey of interior designer Brigette Romanek. Brigette shares the childhood design experiences that helped spark her passion for design. Brigette shares the colorful careers she pursued - from working in furniture stores, to singing on main stages, to designing handbags - before realizing that she wanted to be the...

In this episode of Friends & Family, host Aurora James and Danessa Myricks of Danessa Myricks Beauty sit down to catch up in front of a live audience. Danessa shares how she began her entrepreneurial journey as a 30 year old single mom of two after losing her desk job. She knew she loved creating safe spaces for herself and others around makeup and beauty but she had no idea how to turn that passi...

In this episode of Friends & Family, host Aurora James invites Brandon Blackwood, one of American fashion’s pre-eminent designers, into her world to discuss the decade of hard work he put into his brand before his big break, when he was labeled an “overnight success.” Brandon recounts his early years studying neuroscience before he found his love for fashion, much to his family’s frustration. He d...

In this inspiring episode of Friends & Family, host Aurora James sits down with acclaimed fashion designer Sergio Hudson for an intimate conversation at her LA home. Sergio shares his journey from South Carolina to becoming one of fashion's brightest stars, recounting pivotal moments that shaped his career—including the life-changing experience of dressing Michelle Obama for the 2021 presidential...

In this episode, recorded live from the 15th Street Block Party in LA, Aurora talks with activist, musician, entrepreneur and personal friend John Legend. John voices his unequivocal support for diversity, equity, and inclusion, offers insights from his business background, and discusses his skincare brand Loved01.

Maurice Harris is the founder of Bloom and Plume , a bespoke floral design studio in Los Angeles that has partnered with big name brands like Louis Vuitton, The Row, Goop, and more. He also previously ran the coffee shop Blume and Plume Coffee that was known locally as a safe haven and community space for LGBTQ+ folks. Maurice is known for his charisma and no-nonsense talk about all things busines...

Hannah Diop is creating her own lane in the hair care industry. As the founder of Sienna Naturals , Hannah has not only created a new hair care brand for natural and textured hair, she’s broken into the prestige beauty category. Sienna Naturals has grown in recent years thanks to Hannah’s business expertise and the support of co-founder Issa Rae , the writer, actor and producer, who also happens t...

In this episode we hear from Bethann Hardison , the woman who paved the way for Black creatives in the fashion industry and beyond. Her prolific career has spanned decades: from starting out as one of just a handful of Black models in the late 1960s, to creating her own modeling agency and helping launch the careers of some of the biggest supermodels of the century. Each step of the way, Bethann h...

About Our Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Citi , which is committed to advancing financial inclusion through initiatives like Citi Financial Pathways , which has resources to help you meet your goals, regardless of where you are in your financial journey. About Our Show:  Friends & Family is a podcast by Fifteen Percent Pledge in partnership with Alkemie Sound Lab . Our Executive Producer an...

Justina Blakeney is a creative powerhouse. She is an interior designer, artist, author and the creative director of Jungalow , a lifestyle brand and design studio with a vast catalog of household goods featuring her signature colorful, nature-inspired design. As the quintessential modern bohème, Justina’s approach to business is less hustle and bustle and more focused on achieving a sense of “enou...

In this episode, we chat with the serial entrepreneur Julia Collins , whom you may know as the very first Black female “unicorn” founder. Most recently, Julia founded Planet FWD , a company with a platform working with climate-friendly businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. To date, Julia has raised more than $550 million across multiple businesses and rounds. Tune in to hear everything you...

We’re cooking up a storm with the inimitable Jon Gray , CEO and co-founder of Ghetto Gastro . Alongside chefs Pierre Serrao and Lester Walker, Jon founded the food collective with a mission to build "community through cuisine." Hear how Jon channeled his passion for food into a business that has catered dinners for clients like Microsoft, published a bestselling recipe book, and launched a line of...

On our very first episode of Friends & Family we welcome Emma Grede , serial entrepreneur, CEO, investor and chair of the Fifteen Percent Pledge . Tune in to hear how Emma got her first clients, how she approaches business partnerships, plus her advice for all aspiring entrepreneurs! Then, it’s time to phone-a-friend for advice. For this episode, Aurora calls Eva Chen , head of fashion partnership...

Have you ever heard of entrepreneurs powering their fundraising with a "friends and family round" before seeking out loans or investment? Well the truth is, most founders don’t have access to a network of deep-pocketed friends and family, or to resources to find alternative funding. This brand new podcast is here to help. Whether you're fundraising or bootstrapping your business, join Aurora James...