Leaders and Learners, a Sand and Shores Production

A 10th-round pick flew to Tokyo to get noticed. A first-time author flew that story all the way to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This one is about the outsider road. Aaron Fischman is an award-winning sports writer and the author of A Baseball Gaijin: Chasing a Dream to Japan and Back , the true story of pitcher Tony Barnette's six years in Japan's NPB and his MLB debut at 32. The bo...

He was one step from the Major Leagues. Triple-A. The doorstep. Then he got cut. No backup plan. Negative net worth. Identity shattered. Most people don’t talk about what happens when the dream dies. Jac Oujo did. In this episode, the founder of Oujo Wealth Strategies and author of Too Smart to Be an Umpire breaks down: ⚾ The brutal reality of professional sports careers 💰 Why hard work alone do...

Eight Candidates. Two Debates. California Governor's Race Roundtable. California's gubernatorial race has all the ingredients of a political drama. A billionaire self-funding at $132 million. A Fox News host leading in a blue state. A scandal that reshuffled the entire field. And 26% of voters still undecided with the primary weeks away. Host Tonya McKenzie sits down with scholar and actor...

They opened the first urban day spa in California in 1984, convinced an entire culture that rest was medicine, and built a skincare line that has touched over 5 millionfaces.  Bill & Theresa Armour are the Co-Foundersof Burke Williams and the people behind H2V, and in this episode of Leaders and Learners we get into everything: the early days of building an industry from a parking garage, the...

In this episode of Leaders and Learners, host Tonya McKenzie sits down with award-winning actor, director, producer, and author Blair Underwood to talk about his new book A Soldier's Wife: My Mother, the Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood (April 14, 2026). Marilyn Ann Scales Underwood was the first Black female executive at Barmon Brothers Company, a trained fashion designer, a military wife...

She grew up under the Duvalier regime. She survived an earthquake that shook an entire nation. She uncovered a family secret that changed everything she thought she knew about herself. And then she wrote the book. Monique Clesca's memoir Silence and Resistance: A Girlhood in Haiti is about growing up where fear, silence, and family secrets shaped everything (Busboys and Poets ) and then decidi...

Black women have always led. The question is, who benefits from our leadership? The authors of The Next Little Black Book of Success break down the new rules of power, strategy, and sustainability in a climate that feels increasingly hostile to progress. Kudos to the authors: Elaine Meryl Brown Marsha Haygood Rhonda Joy McLean If you are ambitious, exhausted, brilliant, and ready to stop shrinking...

They won a conference championship. They graduated. And then the sport they gave everything to had nowhere for them to go. Getting On Base is a documentary that follows the Cal State Fullerton Titans through their championship season and asks the question women's softball has been waiting for someone to ask out loud: why doesn't elite talent have a professional destination? I sat down with...

She didn’t wait for access. She created it. On this episode of Leaders & Learners , I’m joined by Kelsey Nicole Nelson, award-winning sports journalist, professor, founder, and full-on table builder. From launching Listen In With KNN to leading internship pipelines and founding Books Breaking Borders , KNN is proof that legacy beats labels every time. We talk: • Building power in sports media...

Everyone says they’re evolving. Few actually are. I’m sitting down with  Steve Goldstein , author of  B logosphere Five: Evolver  and  LA's Graveside Companion: Where the V.I.P.s R.I.P. . He’s not just an author, he’s a respected business owner and was named Man of the Year in  Redondo Beach . That’s community and credibility. We’re talking evolution in business, staying relevant, and why some...

Her father was murdered in 1999. Most people would grieve quietly.  Khadijah Butler  built an institution. As Founder and President of the  Craig D. Butler Scholarship Foundation , she turned personal loss into policy-level impact, attacking the school-to-prison pipeline with scholarships, data, and strategy. In Philly, only 14 percent of college degrees go to Black students compared to 53 percent...

I’m sitting down with Matthew Melvin, author of Bullied Behind Bars .He committed a crime. He did the time. He’s gay, Christian, a Trump supporter, and says prison punished him far beyond the sentence. This conversation is about accountability, identity, prison culture, and where the system flat-out fails people it doesn’t know what to do with.👇 Drop your questions in the comments📩 Subscribe to...

College doesn’t fail students. The system does. One missed form. One quiet deadline. One assumption that “someone told you already” and graduation gets pushed back a year… or never happens. In this episode, Dr. James L Henry, author of Application to Graduation , longtime CSUN leader, and Alpha Phi Alpha man, breaks down the real game of higher education. Not the glossy brochure version, the paper...

I sat down with stunning Rhona Bennett, formerly of En Vogue and the Disney family. She is also my Sorority Sister of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated... if you didn’t know, now you know 💙🤍.Rhona Bennett is a Grammy-nominated R&B singer whose journey reflects the realities many artists face, navigating fame, contracts, identity, and life and out of the spotlight. Today, she stands as a v...

Education is not broken; it’s just been leaving too many people out. In this episode of Leaders & Learners, I sit down with Matthew Hale, Founder of We Gonna Learn Today Inc., a Tampa-based nonprofit that turns culture into curriculum and closes gaps that schools often discuss but rarely address. From Black history and financial literacy to music-driven learning and tech-powered education, Mat...

Joe Sperle built an entire professional baseball league from scratch, developed overlooked talent into MLB draft picks, survived a near-fatal accident, and now has a movie in the works about his life. If you want a masterclass in resilience, vision, and turning “no” into a whole pro league, this episode is it. Tap in as we break down the business of baseball, athlete development, and what it reall...

🧠 AI Is Making People Lose Their Minds — Literally. In this special episode of Leaders & Learners , host Tonya McKenzie sits down with award-winning filmmaker Sean King O’Grady ( The Mill, Our American Family ) to unpack his chilling new docuseries SUSPICIOUS MINDS, an urgent look at how artificial intelligence is triggering real-world delusions . From chatbots to surveillance fears, people a...

Everybody wants the spotlight, but few can handle the work that comes with it. Syracuse linebacker Trey Dudley sits down with me to talk about what it really takes to earn that D1 jersey, the early mornings, the missed moments, the family that keeps him grounded, and the faith that keeps him going. We talk about sacrifice, pressure, and the price of chasing greatness when the cameras aren’t rollin...

What if exploring the world could transform who you are? In this inspiring Leaders & Learners Podcast episode, I sit down with Dr. Stacey L. Ford-Edwards , founder of Integrity Elite Travel , to explore how travel changes your life — especially for Black women in travel who are rewriting their stories through freedom, empowerment, and cultural exploration. Dr. Ford-Edwards shares how travel in...

She Built the Brand Before the Buzz Francheska “Fancy” Felder turned cultural storytelling into a powerful media platform with Swagher Magazine . From the roots of Black excellence to the mechanics of PR, journalism, and unapologetic visibility, this conversation dives into how she’s reshaping media on her terms—while keeping her community front and center. Subscribe to the CTRL the Narrative News...

Black media has always been the heartbeat of our culture, and the first target when truth gets uncomfortable. In this episode, we speak with Truth Talks , Sarah Fontenot and Demetri Wiley , unapologetic truth tellers. They join me to unpack the ongoing attack on Black media, why cultural ownership matters, and how we reclaim our narratives. This conversation is about power, protection, and the fut...

What happens when your calling collides with controversy—and the world is watching? Pastor Sam Collier knows that story all too well. From his departure from Hillsong to the collapse of Story Church, his journey has been marked by painful headlines, personal challenges, and the kind of public scrutiny most leaders never face. Now stepping into a new season as Lead Pastor of Christian Cultural Cent...

LaTisha and Marsau Scott aren’t just reality TV stars, they’re a power couple redefining what Black love, legacy, and leadership look like in real time. On this episode of Leaders & Learners, host and LA County Commissioner Tonya McKenzie sits down with the Love & Marriage: Huntsville stars to unpack life beyond the cameras. From building multi-million-dollar businesses and raising strong...

She’s not your typical politician. Councilwoman Paige Kaluderovic went from coaching AYSO and supporting new moms to leading Redondo Beach’s District 3 with bold plans for mental health response, housing, and youth civic engagement. On this episode of Leaders & Learners – South Bay Edition, we get real about what's going on in Redondo Beach, the real status of the South Bay Galleria, getti...

Kevin Jordan isn’t just selling performance—he’s building a movement. As the founder of Maxxx Performance, he’s turned science-backed supplements into a trusted brand for athletes, fitness warriors, and everyday folks who want more from their health. But behind the muscle is a masterclass in branding, marketing, and storytelling. In this episode, we talk about what it takes to launch a wellness br...