I Am Black Success®

  Marisa Renee Lee is a leader dedicated to engaging the private sector to help solve public problems. Lee serves as the Managing Director of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance), a nonprofit born out of President Obama's call to action to address the barriers to success that boys and young men of color (BYMOC) disproportionately face along the life path. Through her work with MBK...

Kevin Turpin II is the President of National Journal. Kevin is one of D.C.'s up and coming trailblazers that's helping lead one of Washington's most established and trusted media brands that serves government and business leaders in the nation's capital.  In his various roles with National Journal, he's had exposure to product development, strategy research, digital and ma...

Today we welcome 2 time Grammy, Emmy and Dove award-winning producer Shannon Sanders. He's a talented producer, a profound songwriter and an amazing musician and knock-your-socks-right-on-off singer. He’s currently President of the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy. Shannon's Episode Outline: How did you get your start producing and writing music for others most notably John Leg...

At the time of this episode going live, we're days away from Thanksgiving 2016 here in the United States.  It's usually a time that allows us to reflect on all the many things we are grateful for.   I think now more than any time in our past, it's a holiday that is so necessary. It seems that more and more noise and news enters and exits our minds daily, and even this week, the medi...

Although he was previously homeless in two different cities (LA and NY), he has shared the stage with the likes of everyone from Faith Hill and Big & Rich to John Legend. He’s even a part of a country music group The Farm (along with doing solo work too). When he’s not on the road as an artist, he’s working alongside The Salvation Army and Boys & Girls Club to share his story of being one...

Rana Campbell is a marketing strategist, freelance writer, content creator, and podcast host who helps creatives and lifestyle entrepreneurs. She is the host of the Dreams In Drive podcast that was launched in January 2016.  Rana is a native of Orange, NJ and is a recent graduate of Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Rana's work has been featured on MadameNoire, Blavit...

Candice Cook Simmons is the Managing Partner at The Cook Law Group, PLLC and the Founder of the media company Namaskar Media.  She is an attorney, published writer, filmmaker, noted philanthropist, and business strategist in the technology, entertainment, and corporate sectors. Candice's Episode Outline: What you are most grateful for in your life right now? What was the problem you experienc...

Kwame Christian is a business lawyer and founder of the American Negotiation Institute. He is passionate about teaching entrepreneurs and business professionals the art of negotiation so they can get better deals and advance their careers. He is regularly invited to give negotiation seminars and consults with individuals and companies to create and implement powerful negotiation strategies. He als...

Miko Branch is the co-founder and CEO of Miss Jessie’s LLC, the company behind the premium hair care product line, Miss Jessie’s, that exclusively caters to the diverse spectrum of all curly hair types. Miko founded the company with her sister, Titi, and they named it after their beloved and fiercely independent “do-it-for-yourself,” and “tell-it-like-it-is” paternal grandmother – Jessie Mae Branc...

Ike Anderson has been a “serial entrepreneur” since age nine, when he enlisted the ‘power of duplication’ with several other boys, creating a direct sales candy company that grew into an international business with an evolutionary distribution model, before he was 15. In the same spirit, Ike is now the CEO and founder of UpStart Internet™ , a niche Internet Marketing and Digital Advertising Agency...

Tiffany F. Southerland is a lawyer by training and change agent at heart. She attained 3 degrees from 2 different Ivy League universities, before starting her career as an attorney at an AMLaw 100 law firm in Philadelphia. She transitioned from practicing law to a career in higher education as Associate Director of Admissions, Diversity and Inclusion at a law school and later returned to the law f...

Rahfeal Gordon has come a long way from his hardships of being homeless in the streets of Newark, New Jersey – U.S.A. He is recognized as one of the top international speakers and advisors for world leaders and entrepreneurs who are impacting the world. For over a decade, Rahfeal has been leveraging the core fundamentals that promote productivity and impact. He provides in-depth strategies and key...

Nicole McClaren Campbell is an educator, entrepreneur and professional speaker. Driven by a passion for empowerment, she represented Jamaica at MIT’s Junior Summit and was selected to address then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at just 13 years old.  She was subsequently featured in local and international media, including CNN and Nickelodeon and was chosen as one of "20 Teens Who Will Chang...

Rescuing small businesses is all the rage on television. Whether it's Jon Taffer with Bar Rescue, or Tabitha Coffey's Salon Takeover. Despite the fact that none of them do it, these TV shows are fueling interest in a new trend. Move over Real Estate Flippers, Ace Chapman is building a nationwide group of business flippers. Ace Chapman bought his first business at 19 with some savings fro...

Alvin is the Founder of Reading Holiday Project, Inc. and Chief Reading Inspirer at Barbershop Books Barbershop Books is a community-based literacy program that creates child-friendly reading spaces in barbershops for boys ages 4-8. Alvin and the Barbershop Books brand look to leverage the cultural significance of barbershops in Black communities to help black boys identify as readers. This innova...

Representative Edwin “Ed” Narain is a dedicated member of the Tampa Bay community and has served in various civic leadership roles for more than two decades. I've known him personally for almost 20 years from our time working together in Student Government at the University of South Florida (USF).  In November 2014, Ed was elected to the Florida House of Representatives as the State Represent...

Cornell Thomas is the perfect example of turning a loss into a win. Two weeks away from playing professional basketball in Europe, Cornell suffered a career ending injury that derailed his dream. Growing up with adversity his whole life allowed Cornell to get past “Why Me” and focus on “What Now”.  In this episode, I asked Cornell:  What happened during the years between 2003 and 2010? What was th...

Phaon Spurlock is the Founder of Luxurious PROTOTYPE Online Men’s Lifestyle Magazine and Owner of BKLYN LEAGUE Men’s Apparel, Accessories and Home Goods. Episode Outline What was your dream as a child?   What have been the biggest lessons you've learned about yourself while working in your corporate marketing gigs, that carried over and helped you create the magazine and your new brand, BKLYN...

Maurice Cherry is the founder and principal at Lunch, a multidisciplinary studio in Atlanta, GA that helps creative brands craft messages and tell stories for their targeted audiences, including fostering relationships with underrepresented communities. Past clients and collaborators include Vox Media, NIKE, Mediabistro, Site5, SitePoint, and The City of Atlanta.  In this episode, we discussed a l...

Tameka Montgomery was appointed by President Obama to lead the Office of Entrepreneurial Development at the U.S. Small Business Administration.  In her capacity as Associate Administrator, she was charged with driving programs and policies that support national entrepreneurial training and education programs such as Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, Regional Innovation...

Dr. Christi Hay, MD MPH is a board certified general pediatrician.  She attended Stanford University for undergrad and University of Virginia for medical school.  She's worked in academia as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics for The George Washington University, and also worked in private practice for several years.  A few years ago she left a busy practice to begin Palisades Pediatrics, a...

Melissa Carter is the founder of IGNITE WITH MELISSA, LLC. She holds an MBA and is a former music industry corporate executive turned Life Empowerment and Strategy Coach. After years of morbid obesity preventing her from tying her own shoes, depression, failed relationships, and a core belief system of not being "good enough," Melissa embarked on a 150-pound weight loss journey that insp...

Koki Adasi is a motivated and dedicated real estate agent. In 2008, Koki was recognized by REALTOR Magazine as one of the thirty most talented, up-and-coming realtors in the U.S. In 2009 he provided real estate expertise on CNN's The Situation Room and NPR, and in 2010 he appeared on an episode of HGTV's television show House Hunters. Since that time Koki has lent his expertise to severa...

Dr. Marquita M. Qualls has over 25 years of leadership experience in consulting, coaching, and motivating people who want to produce order out of their chaos. Though a scientist by training, she commands a masterful understanding of the human aspects needed to thrive in today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment.  She founded Entropia Consulting, a small management consulting firm tha...

Lorine Pendleton is a seasoned business development executive with extensive experience in the legal, internet/new media and entertainment industries. She is the US Director of Business Development for the largest global law firm in the world.  She is also an active angel investor who invests and advises women and minority-led companies.   In this episode, I asked Lorine these questions:  What was...