Nothing To Lose But Yourself

My guest on the podcast this week is actor Jonathan Burke. He can be seen on Seasons 1, 2, and the upcoming Season 3 of Prime Video’s hit comedy series, “Harlem,” in the recurring role of ‘Eric.  Jonathan and I chat about his childhood and start in acting in Baltimore, the arc of his career to date and the blessing of having loving family, strong/wise Black women who poured into him early in life...

My guest on the season 5 premiere of the podcast is Dr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey. Dr. Nii is a political journalist, Pepperdine University professor and prominent convener in the fields of dialogue and social change. He is the author of Kamala, The Motherland and Me, his story of the Vice-President's trip to Africa and his experience of both the continent and Madame Vice President.  In our wide...

My guest on the podcast this week is Darnell L. Moore. Darnell is a media maker, educator, writer and thought leader and the author of the 2019 Lambda Literary Award winning memoir, No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black & Free in America, which was listed among the New York Times 100 Notable Books and was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers' pick. He is currently Vice Pres...

My guest on the podcast this week is Marija Abney. Marija is a South Carolina native who moved to NY to pursue an arts education at The AIley School at Fordham University and went on to earn her MA in performance studies from NYU.  Marija is an actress and dancer who has appeared as a Dora Milaje in "Black Panther" and "Wakanda Forever" as well as "Avengers Inifinity War&q...

My guest on the podcast today is singer-songwriter-producer and recording artist Gordon Chambers. Gordon is a success story in the music industry. His solo albums have been nominated for Independent Soul Album of the Year by Soultracks.com. His #1 hits as a lyricist include: Anita Baker’s Grammy- winning hit “I Apologize”, Brownstone’s Grammy-nominated “If You Love Me”, Angie Stone’s “No More Rain...

My guests on the podcast this week are the historic and dynamic country music group O.N.E. the Duo. These talented ladies are the first Black mother/daughter duo in country music history and they drop their debut album this summer. In our wide ranging and insightful conversation, I speak to the ladies about the pros and cons of working together, the relationship between mother and daughter, how th...

My guest on the podcast this week is Dr. Michael A. Lindsey. Dr. Lindsey is a noted scholar in the fields of child and adolescent mental health, as well as a leader in the search for knowledge and solutions to generational poverty and inequality. He is the Dean and Paulette Goddard Professor of Social Work at NYU Silver School of Social Work, and an Aspen Health Innovators Fellow. In our wide rang...

My guest on the podcast this week is the dynamic, engaging, and successful journalist and storyteller Naimah Jabali-Nash.  Naimah collaborated with acclaimed director, Stanley Nelson,as a producer on Netflix’s Crack: Cocaine, Corruption, Conspiracy, and her work on the sports journalism series, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel earned her five Emmy Awards and two PeabodyAwards. Most recently Naimah s...

My guest on the podcast this week is Raheim Johnson. Raheim is a native of Philadelphia, PA and a son to a single mother of four who at an early age developed a strong desire to travel and see the world. He took his first international trip in the summer 2013 to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and from there it was history.  Fast forward 6 years later and I’ve been to over 50+ countries across 5 c...

My guest on the podcast today is NaTasha Yvette Williams. Natasha is one of the few African American women to consistently star in major roles on Broadway such: Mama Morton in the  critically acclaimed Broadway hit Chicago with Brandy, Ms Sophia in The Color Purple with Fantasia, A Night with  Janis Joplin as Aretha Franklin, and currently as Sweet Sue in Some Like it Hot which has garnered her a...

My guest this week is author, attorney, media personality, and journalist Eboni K. Williams. Eboni is the host and executive producer of Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams in addition to hosting The Grio with Eboni K. Williams, which airs on The Grio cable television network owned by Mr. Byron Allen. In our wide ranging conversation, Eboni and I chat about her latest book Bet on Black: The Good...

My guest this week is author, attorney, media personality, and journalist Eboni K. Williams. Eboni is the host and executive producer of Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams in addition to hosting The Grio with Eboni K. Williams, which airs on The Grio cable television network owned by Mr. Byron Allen. In our wide ranging conversation, Eboni and I chat about her latest book Bet on Black: The Good...

My guest on the podcast this week has been called the most famous astrophysicist of our time. Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and the author of the #1 bestselling Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, among other books. He is the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, where he has served since 1996. He is also the two-time host of the beloved TV series...

My guest on this 4th Season Premiere episode of the podcast is Sanya Richards-Ross. Sanya is long-ranked the world’s best 400m runner, a 4-time Olympic Gold medal winner, a two time  IAAF Athlete of the Year, and Track & Field News’ Athlete of the Decade. This talented black woman is also a NBC Track and Field commentator , the founder of Mommi Nation, a loving wife, devoted mother and a cast...

My guest on the podcast this week is a recording artist who has spent the last 21 years making amazing music and making his way in the music industry, Eric Roberson. Eric has worked with some of the biggest names in the music business, been nominated for two Grammy Awards and a BET Award, taught at the Berkley School of music, performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and released some o...

My guest on the podcast is Alisha L. Gordon. Alisha is an awarded teacher, faith leader, and social strategist whose work intersects social advocacy and culture. She is the founder and Executive Director of The Current Project , a nonprofit organization, committed to closing the social and economic gaps for Black single mothers, utilizing the intersection of strategic programming and policy to len...

My guest on the podcast this week is a dynamic storyteller and beautiful soul, lauded portrait and editorial photographer Cheriss May. In our wide-ranging conversation, Cheriss and I speak about her transition from graphic design to photography as a profession, the role of her midwestern upbringing to her ethos as an artist, her experiences as a black female photo-journalist, her harrowing experie...

My guest on the podcast this week is Keith Boykin. Keith and I chat about his new book "Quitting." In our conversation Keith and I discuss how a desire for freedom and the space to live and enjoy life has lead him and so many of us to "quit" the traditional model of working and to find the courage to chart our own unique path through life. We talk about preparing for change, le...

My guests on the podcast this week are Kurt Williamson and Warren Oliver, the creative entrepreneurs behind the reboot of Yo! MTV Raps for Viacom. In our conversation we chat about their journey to entrepreneurship, the power of positive partnerships in life and in business, paying dues in Hollywood and so much more. They also offer tips for new creatives trying to break in to the business.  Suppo...

My guests on the podcast this week are cultural producer, curator and current Ph. D Candidate at the University of Texas at Austin Ja’nell Ajani and legendary documentary, fashion, and street photographer Jamel Shabazz . In our wide ranging conversation we chat about ' Peace to the Queen, ' the four-decades career retrospective of Mr. Shabazz' work at the Carver Museum in Austin, Te...

My guest on the podcast this week is Ty Hunter. Ty is a designer, fashion stylist, and first time author of the new book " Makeover From Within ."  Ty rose to fashion icon status as the stylist for Destiny’s Child and then for the legendary Beyoncé and has also styled Solange, Kelly Rowland, and Billy Porter to name a few. Ty has also dedicated himself to motivating others via speaking e...

My guest this week is Shawn A. Ginwright PhD.  Dr Ginwright is a leading innovator, provocateur and thought leader on African American youth, youth activism and youth development. He is  the founder and chief executive officer of Flourish Agenda, Inc., a research lab and consulting firm whose mission is to design strategies that unlock the power of healing and engage youth of color and adult allie...

My guest on the podcast this week is mixed media artist Deborah Roberts. In our wide-ranging conversation Deborah and I talk about her amazing work which challenges the notion of ideal beauty and humanizes black children, her own childhood in East Austin, Texas, and how she takes dehumanizing tropes and images of black people and repurposing them as power symbols to inspire self-love in black and...

My guest today is playwright, composer, lyricist of the 11 time Tony nominated musical A Strange Loop ,  Michael R. Jackson. In our conversation, Michael and I chat about his upbringing in a religious family in Detroit, Michigan, his move to New York to pursue his dreams of becoming a writer for soap operas and the journey to finding himself via many trials and more than a few errors. The centerpi...

My guest today is Nigerian-American actor, musician, and producer Olly Sholotan. Olly currently stars as ‘Carlton Banks’ in Peacock and Westbrook’s Bel-Air, the reboot of the classic hit series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In our conversation, Olly and I chat about living his childhood in Nigeria and Houston, Texas, his role as Carlton Banks on Bel-Air, and his passion for writing, producing, and...