Hella Inspired Podcast

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You grew up avoiding your natural curly hair, started documenting your journey online, and woke up one day to millions of views on a 60-second video. You took that platform, built it to over 300k followers, graduated summa cum laude from UNC Chapel Hill, cheered for the Hawks, and somewhere in between watched your grandmother use a plant identification app and thought, what if that existed for hai...

Fayetteville raised you and your parents showed you what it looks like to show up every day and still make an impact. You took that to Morehouse, walked straight into Google, and never forgot home. You built The Two-Six Project from the ground up, brought Nike, Dreamville, Bank of America, and the NBPA to the table, and turned a building sitting vacant since 1956 into a innovation hub for the next...

Atlanta raised you with a real support system and you carried that confidence into the work. You’ve always had the eye. You started with that VHS feel, made it your signature, and it took you from passion projects to celebrities. But you remember the grind too walking the BeltLine in the cold with your resume, getting humbled, still believing. You quit the hotel job and bet on yourself. Now you’re...

You grow up in Virginia, already carrying a storyteller’s brain even before you know what to call it. In elementary school you write The Adventures of Tiny Mekhi and it ends up in a citywide contest. Then the move happens. You leave Virginia for Atlanta for better opportunities, and everything speeds up. New environment, new expectations, new pressure. Atlanta doesn’t let you stay the same it forc...

You grow up in South Memphis, where the days shape you early and you learn how to move with hunger, focus, and resilience. Sports becomes your first language, and when you move to Georgia and step into Wheeler, the adjustment is real, but you embrace it and keep rising. That drive takes you to Shawnee Community College and then to Clark Atlanta, where you help bring home the 2016–2017 SIAC Champio...

You grow up in Stockbridge, Georgia, and early on you learn leadership is not about a title. It is about standards. You are paying attention to what most people ignore. Who shows up, who gets overlooked, and what happens when nobody is held accountable. You step into rooms where you are the youngest, but you move like you belong because you do. You do not wait to be chosen. You put the work in and...

You grow up in Ohio, and style is never just about clothes it is how you show confidence before you even say a word. Early on you are paying attention to the small things, how a fit sits, what feels clean, what feels forced, what actually feels like you. As you get older your taste gets sharper, and you start realizing most people are just wearing what is popular, but you want to wear something th...

You grow up in Nashville with a business mind and a creative pull you don’t fully understand yet. You get to Morehouse and you’re surrounded by talent everywhere, but you also see the pressure. People telling creatives to be “realistic.” To choose traditional routes. You see how many people have vision, but not the network, resources, or support to build. You’re holding important roles on campus,...

You grow up in Atlanta with big dreams and a blueprint. By high school, you’re leading organizations, running your own company, and rewriting what’s possible for young Black girls. You study success like it’s strategy. You get accepted to 54 schools, earn $1.3 million in scholarships, and choose Duke. Your story makes headlines everywhere from Good Morning America to The Washington Post to Black E...

You grow up in Atlanta, watching your parents build a $100 million company. You see the sacrifices. You learn early what it means to create something bigger than yourself. At Georgetown, you meet TK, your future business partner. Law school looks like the path but deep down, you know you’re called to build something different. You get told no 97 times. You don’t stop. You and TK launch The Gatheri...

You win a college basketball championship. You chase the dream overseas and play professionally. You come home with a new vision. At a time when vintage isn’t trending, you open your first store in Kennesaw. You get broken into. You get sued. Most people would’ve stopped. You don’t. You start over in Marietta Square. COVID-19 hits. You keep the doors open. You keep showing up. Years later, your st...

Tap in and meet Jehron Petty & Rami Abdou from ColorStack. Jehron isn’t just talking the talk — he’s leading by example in making the tech space more equitable and diverse. After graduating from Cornell in Computer Science, he turned down a job offer from Google to create ColorStack, a non profit dedicated to supporting Black and Latinx students in computer science. Through mentorship and inno...

Tap in and meet Carlos Barksdale, Founder of Glory by us , a game-changing grooming brand. Carlos shares his journey from discovering an online community of wavers to building a brand that fills the gap for healthy, high-quality hair products. His inspiration? His mom, Vickie, who taught him how to stay fly and the value of dedication. Glory by Us isn’t just a grooming line it’s a lifestyle. From...

Tap in and meet Nyla Choates award-Winning Activist, Author, Spelman College student, and McDonald’s Change Leader, featured on BET, Essence Magazine, and Revolt TV. Nyla shares her journey as Founder of My Roots Are Rich, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting systemic racism in education and empowering children through meaningful representation. My Roots Are Rich isn’t just a nonprofit, it’s a moveme...

Tap in and meet Meet Scooter Taylor, a Memphis native who went from being a high school YouTuber with 20k subscribers to launching a startup backed by Y Combinator, Comcast Ventures, and Morgan Stanley. Though the startup eventually closed, In the first weekend of the 2020 pandemic, Scooter organized a virtual event that drew 5,000 attendees, uniting creatives, professionals, and entrepreneurs. Th...

Tap in and meet Delvin Moore from Hampton, VA. Learn about his transition from being on the block, taking away from his community, to arguably becoming one of the best chefs in the state of Virginia and giving back to the community in a major way. He is the owner of Savor of Elegance, a catering and private chef experience and the Annual Holiday 249 Ninja & Friends Toy Drive. He embodies the p...

Tap in and meet Earl and Olajuwon from Eastside Golf. They share their journey from winning a National Golf Championship at Morehouse to starting a business together and partnering with Michael Jordan. Eastside Golf isn’t just a fashion brand, it’s a lifestyle. Acknowledging the existence of economic barriers, they’re on a mission to shatter those walls and redefine the game. HELLA INSPIRED.

Tap in and meet Ronnie Dunston from New Jersey. Growing up in a military family took him to places like Germany. With a background as a counselor, professor, trainer, and successful business owner, Ronnie’s passion lies in building a travel network and assisting others in achieving their travel ambitions. After a successful business venture, Ronnie and his wife set a personal goal to travel to 100...