Larger Than Yourself

Ron Shapiro is the kind of man who has spent a lifetime turning influence into impact. In this deeply personal conversation, Ron reflects on the long arc of a life built around people — from the relationship with his father that quietly shaped everything, to the organizations and nonprofits he helped bring into the world, to what it means now to look back as a father and grandfather. We explore th...

Min Kim is the kind of human who turns a simple croissant into an act of care. In this deeply moving conversation, Min shares the long, winding road that led him from immigrating to the United States, to sleeping in his car as a teenager, to building one of Baltimore's most beloved hospitality spaces. We explore the heart behind Café Dear Leon—the small but mighty café that has become a cornerston...

Quentin Vennie is the kind of human who turns a simple cup of matcha into a sacred act. In this deeply moving conversation, Quinten shares the long, winding road that led him from trauma, addiction, loss, and self-erasure to radical authenticity, purpose, and love. We explore the heart behind Equitea, the matcha studio that has quietly become one of Baltimore's most magnetic community spaces, and...

Kory Bailey is one of those rare humans who makes you feel like the most important person in the world the moment you're with him. A master connector and a living example of pure consciousness, Kory shares about his upbringing in North Carolina, his early awareness of what made him different, and his pursuit of playing professional football in the NFL. The conversation explores the highs and lows...

Lola Manekin, my wife, my oracle, and one of the most powerful healers I know, joins me to share her experience of a multi-day dark room retreat—a modern vision quest spent in complete darkness. In this conversation, we explore what happens when all distraction, identity, and productivity are stripped away, forcing a direct encounter with worth, fear, and the body's deeper wisdom. Lola reflects on...

Ben Nichols is a third generation marine who epitomizes the concept of a humble servant leader. Whether leading troops in Afghanistan or running Harkins Builders here in America, Ben is committed to giving everyone a platform, a voice, and a seat at the table. At a time where building consensus and getting people on the same page can seem overwhelming, Ben helps us see that not only is it possible...

Sekwan Merritt is magic. His smile, his beautiful heart, and his hope are just a few of the things that separate him from the rest of us. Sekwan never let a 25 year prison sentence slow him down. If anything, it motivated him to dig deeper, find his freedom, and answer the calling to change the world for him and for everyone around him.

Victoria Thompson spent years hustling in the squeegee business, which has been one of the most polarizing topics that we've faced in Baltimore in a long time. Her recent leadership in the Squeegee Collaborative, where a group of Baltimore leaders and squeegee workers came together to listen to each other and map out a path forward that would be in the best interest of all those involved, has chan...

My friend Shelonda Stokes is the glue that is helping all of Baltimore stick. Her life's quest to blaze an equal trail for women and people of color has led her to a point in her career where the social capital that she possesses, used correctly, just might be the tipping point that Baltimore needs to thrive together.

Luke Cooper is on a quest to level the playing field for entrepreneurs of color. Raised surrounded by drugs and violence, as a young boy he watched his father get sentenced to 20 years in prison. If it wasn't for a strong mom, a short ride in a Cessna airplane, and a science fair he won at 12 years old, Luke's life would have looked a lot different. As he says, he probably would be dead. Luke's st...

Alicia Wilson is the mightiest person I know. Her ability to navigate community, and life, in a way that is transparent, humble, and compassionate have landed her in some of the most important conversations in Baltimore, throughout the country, and now around the globe. Alicia's courage to take on world-changing challenges without ever forgetting how she got there, or who she really represents, ar...

Charlotte James and Undrea Wright believe deeply in the healing powers of plant medicine. Our conversation explored how their personal journeys with psychedelics led them to create The Ancestor Project, which uses these sacred medicines to co-create a collective liberation.

At 16 years old, Artie Gonzales was already deep in the gang world when he took the life of another man, was tried as an adult, and caught a life sentence in the California prison system. 21 years later, through hard personal work, Artie was released as a model prisoner and has since become a leader in his community, an advocate for legislative reforms, and a member of several social justice organ...

Ashley Williams is on a quest to make sure that the youth of this world, our future generation, have the emotional intelligence needed to thrive in these incredibly challenging times. It's as important to her as math, English and science, and it can no longer be overlooked. Her edu-tech company, Clymb, is reimagining what's possible by not accepting the status quo. 

Dr. John Brothers is the glue that is quietly and humbly holding Baltimore city together. Our conversation covered everything from his growing up in deep poverty, to his ability to see the beauty in even the most challenging places, to his unique approach to leading the T. Rowe Price Foundation's quest to reimagine the role of philanthropy within communities. 

Monique Smith was abducted as a baby and raised by an abusive woman who claimed to be her mother. It wasn't until she was in her 30s that Monique began to put the pieces together. Today, Monique is on a quest to discover her true identity and to create a movement to support families of missing children.

Kondwani Fidel is a Baltimore legend. Known for his ability to use words to stir an awakening and deep emotion, Kondwani's poetry, lyrics and books are both asking and answering our toughest questions. Kondwani's ability to be real and vulnerable have propelled him forward onto a national stage where he's using his platform to inspire critical change.

Lola Manekin is my wife, my oracle and one of the most powerful healers that I've ever met. In this conversation, which was rooted in creation, we dove deep into marriage, children, birthing ideas, the universes' wisdom, and trusting ourselves to find our paths.

In 2017, Ethan Lipsitz was diagnosed with brain cancer. Rather than giving up, this challenged him to face his mortality and reorient his priorities around health and love. From that period onwards Ethan founded the Love Extremist project, a platform that empowers people to become activists for love. Today he works with companies, schools, communities and organizations to facilitate important conv...

Sheela Murthy has lived an incredible life. Born and raised in India, Sheela's parents instilled a work ethic in her that propelled her onto a global stage. Armed with a law degree from Harvard, and based on her own poor experience in optioning a green card, Sheela set out to reimagine immigration law as we know it through the Murthy Law Firm.

Tara Ryan is the founder of the Heal the Healers Project, a powerful nonprofit that provides emotional support for nurses on the front lines. Driven to serve based on life threatening burns Tara experienced when she was only nine months old, and the trauma that came with it, Tara has committed her life's work to taking care of others.

Joe Jones is the founder and CEO of the Center for Urban Families. Addicted to heroin, selling drugs, and arrested before he was legally able to drive, Joe decided he had a larger purpose in life. He set out on a journey to create an organization that would dismantle poverty, and he's systematically chipping away at that every single day.

Brandon Scott is the 52nd mayor of Baltimore City and he's on a mission. As 37 years old, he's the youngest mayor Baltimore has had in over a hundred years. In this episode Brandon talks about his lifelong passion to serve his city, his commitment to reimagining what it means to be an elected official, why he is challenging the status quo, and the hard questions he's asking that will eventually mo...

Watkins is a New York Times bestselling author, world renowned speaker, editor and teacher. In this inspiring conversation, D. and I talk about being a new dad, about him being a product of the crack era and living to be able to tell that story, about the racism and crime that are crippling our country, about the importance of building community and more importantly, protecting that community once...

Aaron Henkin is an award-winning radio journalist and podcaster. In this episode, we dive deep into understanding how his radical agenda to show up with no agenda led to the creation of the hit series, Out of the Blocks, and how it grew into a movement that reimagines radio as we know it.