Paint & Pipette: The Art & Science of Innovation

Temporary fixes are one thing; solutions are another altogether. Today, we are joined by a particularly inspiring guest, Demi Samande, to discuss the manufacturing problem in Nigeria and her goal to solve it. In this episode, we learn about Nigeria’s fascinating manufacturing history, what can be attributed to the import-production imbalance in the country, and the undeniable raw talent and entrep...

Today’s guest believes strongly that we can't just survive anymore, we've got to thrive. In this episode, we are joined by Minda Harts, blogger, best-selling author, and the 2020 Linkedin Top Voice For Equity In The Workplace. Minda recently published her third book You Are More Than Magic: The Black and Brown Girls Guide to Finding Your Voice and explains what it means to ‘take one’s sp...

From cloning a gene to investigate cardiovascular genetic disorders to becoming the youngest precinct judge for the state of North Carolina to founding a massively successful boutique travel company, Zim Flores (nee Ugochukwu) is a force to be reckoned with! Join us today as we dive into Zim’s past, present and future. We start the discussion with the achievement that she feels most proud of (the...

It may sometimes feel that in order to 'make it' in a certain field, we have to get very serious and lose some of the fun along the way. Our guest on the show today, is here to remind us why play and maintaining a novice's wonder and innocence, are some of the most important parts of creativity and craft. Ato Essandoh is someone who has carved out an exciting and varied life in crea...

Not many people have the guts to say that one plus one can equal 11, but for Brandon Middleton, the world has always looked a little different. Brandon has an amazing story, which he shares on today's show and we are truly lucky to be able to bring you this inspiring conversation with such a powerful individual. In our chat, we chart the history of Brandon's ascent, looking back at his w...

There are countless books and resources to help people develop good leadership skills, but not many people or institutions seem to focus on developing good followership. The military is one exception. Today on the show, we are joined by Trier Bryant, CEO and Co-Founder of Just Work who shares insight from her career leading teams in the Air Force, at Goldman Sachs, and at Twitter. Trier co-founded...

Today, we are joined by Founder and CEO of Bossy Cosmetics Inc., Aishetu Fatima Dozie. After 20 years in investment banking, Aishe took a sharp turn and directed her focus toward discovering her purpose and her passion. Thus, the mission-driven women's empowerment company masquerading as a beauty brand, Bossy Cosmetics, was born. In this episode, we hear about Aishe’s inspiring journey and wh...

There’s a sense of freedom and a chance of learning a new perspective when traveling between, or living in different countries. Who better to learn about this than from Julian Jordan: polyglot, design enthusiast, and adventurer who has lived on three different continents! Today, we find out what Julian means when he talks about the “spidey sense” he feels when moving somewhere new, and how he defi...

The majority of the world’s coffee is made in areas inhabited by people with black and brown skin. However, coffee culture globally has cropped this out. Addressing this issue through pouring a new narrative in the coffee industry is today's guest, co-founder, and CEO of Portrait Coffee, Aaron Fender. Aaron is driving the conversation around the origins of coffee through his unique brand, whe...

The COVID-19 pandemic was devastating for a huge swath of the global population. This is especially true for families and individuals living from paycheck to paycheck. One major component that can make a difference in how people grow their wealth and manage their money, is financial literacy. This week on the show we sit down with JR Kanu, Founder and CEO of REACH, a technology company based in La...

While many brands spend lots of time and money trying to present themselves in a way that is culturally relevant, today’s guest Gavin Guidry learned a powerful lesson while working as a content creator. He suggests that the best way for a brand to get its message across is not through cultural relevance but actually through community relevance. Despite being a Black man who never went to portfolio...

Today’s guest never set out to become an entrepreneur, he just wanted to make a really big impact. He followed his love of basketball and policy, as well as his unique ability to connect the dots, into the business world. Now Mustafa Abdul-Hamid is the co-founder of My90 and the founder of Boost. In this episode, he shares his journey with us in an amazingly inspiring conversation. Tuning in you’l...

The mark of a successful entrepreneur is the ability to identify and serve a need in the marketplace and, with the rise of the pandemic, the need for door-to-door healthcare delivery became critical. Today we're talking to Derrick Miles, Founder and CEO of CourMed, who not only provides such deliveries and services to your door but are revolutionizing healthcare by putting encouragement at th...

Jonathan Azu is an inspirational individual who has always followed his passion and taken risks, and it has paid off in many ways, even driving positive change in greater society. Today, the Founder and CEO of Culture Collective joins us to reflect on how his life has come full circle in a number of ways throughout his career. He describes how his first success in organizing a George Clinton conce...

Today’s guest, Ise Lyfe, believes that emotional intelligence goes hand-in-hand with the success of a company. Ise is the CEO of Lyfe Productives, a product development company dedicated to making health and education provocative for hard-to-reach audiences. He is known for creating many positive impacts on society through his business and is most proud of one particular deal where he partnered wi...

While companies often approach consumer insights with a certain direction in mind, today’s guest believes strongly in the power of surprises. In this episode, we are joined by Kelly Garrett Zeigler who has two decades of experience in consumer insights, in a career that has spanned across organizations such as Mattel, Vans, Vanity Fair Corporation, and now Pearson. Kelly shares where this intentio...

When music producer and entrepreneur Wes Pendleton lost a sixty-thousand dollar deal over a licensing dispute that should have been easy to solve, he asked himself whether anyone else had experienced this infuriating problem. Fast forward to the founding of Soul Surplus, a full-service production company that creates original music compositions and digital media for music producers, filmmakers, co...

When it comes to the intersection of design, biology, and engineering, today’s guest has a few ideas about what people in these fields can learn from each other! Whitney Burks is a designer, scientist, Stanford softball player, and all-around incredible creative. In this episode, she sheds light on her creative strengths and how they manifest themselves in other aspects of her work.  She explains...

Raised in a community where men weren’t allowed to show their feelings, together with an unhealthy concept of what being a man was all about, Ashanti Branch stuffed his feelings, ate emotionally, and had panic attacks. When he became a high school teacher, however, he wanted better for his students. What started as a meeting with some students to figure out how he could become a better teacher evo...

Throughout her life, Vivian Shen always wanted to do the thing that would help her learn the fastest. Eventually, she realized that the best way to do this would be by defying how her peers defined success and starting a business herself. Vivian channeled her passion for education into Juni Learning, an online platform that offers STEAM courses in real-world subjects we all wish we could have lear...

If there’s one thing that today’s guest, Phoebe Yao, learned from the pandemic it's that innovation comes from lucky chance encounters. Phoebe is the founder and CEO of Pareto, a software company that automates mundane tasks for business founders. With a company that operates in eight different time zones, Phoebe joins us today to explain the importance of creating space for serendipity and c...

This week we get together with Amy Yin, CEO and Founder of Office Together, a company that delivers manager empowerment and scheduling tools to achieve the full potential of a flexible workplace. We talk with Amy about her unique life experience and how it influenced her mindset and career. She describes how her parents raised her to have a CEO mindset and be comfortable with risk and how this dif...

Sabrina Kappe Ramos guest did not receive her ADHD diagnosis until college. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence, with ADHD in women being routinely dismissed, misdiagnosed, and treated inadequately. Kim Schreiber has spent most of her life navigating service providers alongside her younger brother, Stephen, who is autistic, and recognized the challenges that he was beginning to face as a ne...

The combination of an idea’s woman and a get-stuff-done woman makes for a powerful duo which is shaking things up in the design space. Their creation, The Landing 2.0., is a social design platform that allows everyone to create together. When Ellie and Miri met at the GSB, their connection was almost instant, and since that day, their relationship, and their business has grown from strength to str...