Studio 78: Ignite Your Passion, Amplify Productivity, Achieve Success

Welcome to Season 2 of the Studio 78 Podcast!  Yetunde Rodriguez is a graphic designer and textile artist based in Ohio who creates authentic African-inspired prints for wearable fashion and home decor. Although there was pressure to follow convention and pursue a job in the medical field,  Yetunde's entrepreneurial spirit  and desire for challenge has always navigated her career choices. She dabb...

Wrapping up the season on a healthy note with guest Les Alfred of The Balanced Berry. Les is a fitness trainer and nutrition coach who believes all women should embrace their beauty and have confidence in exactly who they are. Les's passion for wellness was birthed out of her first experience in the corporate world. After spending eight hours in a cubicle and noticing how depleted she felt afterwa...

Toni Purry thrived as a public relations (PR) executive for many years, but always wondered about starting a business of her own. After receiving a proposition from friend, she decided to throw caution to the wind and start her business. She describes herself as a calculated risk taker who views obstacles as merely hurdles to overcome. During our discussion, Toni opens up about how taking a step b...

What would you do after a five-year relationship ends? For my guest this week, Lauren Taylor, the breakup sparked a period of self discovery and was the catalyst to launch her passion project. Lauren is the founder and editor-in-chief of the tri-annual publication, The Letter, a magazine that seeks to inspire subscribers to pursue their dreams, live their best lives, and stand in the fullness of t...

Xiomara is the co-creater of Unoeth (pronounced: ooh-no-eth), a leather goods brand that imports custom leather products from artisans in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Although Xiomara hales from a long lineage of entrepreneurs, her business was birthed on a whim. She discusses how a one-of-kind gift from her dad triggered her entrepreneurial inhibitions, what the future holds for Unoeth, and how's she a...

Hey folks! Do you have an idea that you've been considering taking action on for awhile? Do you have several ideas and are struggling to decide which one to focus on? Or are you looking to create an online signature program but unsure how to start. Well, this episode is for you. My guest Maya Gaddie specializes in teaching people how to leverage their existing business models and processes to prov...

Tiko Davis answered the call to fulfill a higher calling for her life by becoming a life and business coach after working as a civil engineer for 8 years. She started out focusing on helping women find their life purpose and now mainly focuses on business coaching. As a business coach and soulpreneur, Tiko loves "supporting other light workers" by providing guidance on the structural and systemati...

In this episode, Paulette Sanderlin discusses how she pursued her dreams of becoming a physical therapist, why she's always been a confident plus-sized women, what she's doing to get out of debt, and why being a mother and wife makes her so happy. Although juggling it all can be stressful at times, she manages to keep it all together. Her journey to choosing her career and how she dispels stereoty...

Monday's back and that means it's time for a new episode. This week's featured guest is yours truly, as I will be sharing information on how to start an online side hustle without quitting your day job. As a self-proclaimed "master of side hustles," I believe I'm more than qualified to speak on this topic. I've literally had either a side hustle or part-time job for more than decade. In this episo...

Taffi Ayodele, the co-founder of Thandos (pronounced tohn-dos, the "h" is silent) Shoes, joins me this week to discuss her thriving business and her path to entrepreneurship. I met Taffi at a Tall Society event , where she was selling her unique Ankara-print foldable flats, and once I saw these shoes, I had to have a pair. As an owner of a pair of these flats, I can attest not only to the comfort...

This week Aja Yasir discusses the inception, conception, and actualization of her business, Simple Beauty Naturals. Aja dreamed of entrepreneurship as a child and even credits her youth experience as a swimmer with helping her develop a risk-taking approach to entrepreneurship. One risk in particular, selling a franchised business in Chicago and moving to Venezuela, sparked the idea to start her b...

This week's episode is dedicated to all those who may be struggling to get started with pursuing their passion because of naysayers or those who were ever discouraged by others who didn't believe in their pursuit. Studio 78's guest this week, Ciara LeRoy, tells her story of about how she overcame familial expectations and academic discouragement to walk in her truth and pursue her lifelong passion...

She's back! With a little trickery, I convinced my good friend Astral Riles to join me for this week's episode to discuss Facebook groups. Astral is well-versed in social media forums and also serves as the administrator for our Let's Talk About Fashion Trucks Facebook group so she's the perfect guest for this topic. Continuing with my goal of increasing my networking this year, we discuss how Fac...

Kendra Dandy is a well-known illustrator and artist whose poppy, modern-day vintage artwork has garnered her editorial features and merchandising opportunities with popular retails stores such as Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. Her notoriety did not happen overnight, as she struggled to find her niche through her studies in fashion merchandising, explorations in graphic design, and work in the...

I'm thrilled to introduce The Career Experiment creator and collaboration consultant, Baily Hancock. Baily is an entrepreneur and self-professed "multi-passionate" who had a quarter-life crisis and "pressed the explode button" on her traditional life in Florida and moved across the country to California to explore her curiosities and experiment with different career possibilities. During her year...

In this episode, Lorraine Sanders discusses public relations (PR) strategy tips for small business and why she created her new PR membership site, Press Dope .  Lorraine is the host of the Spirit of 608 podcast that's all about fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability and tech. She affectionately calls it F.E.S.T! After being a journalist for a decade, she now helps socially responsible fashion b...

In this episode, I talk about focusing on 10 areas of your life to keep you happy, healthy and stress free. Sometimes doing the simple things we are reminded to do by doctors, parents and elders are all we need in order to gain clarity, happiness and enlightenment. Know that by making incremental improvements you can start seeing changes this month. As someone who's dug herself out debt, gotten or...

In this episode, Nia shares how she discovered her son, Jerry, is autistic. We discuss the signs of autism, the importance of early detection, the challenges and the wins. We also discuss insurance, tips for families who are just discovering their child has autism and planning the future for Jerry and her neurotypical daughter, Joy. April is National Autism Awareness Month and I want to give a hug...

In this episode, Astral and I talk about the struggles of getting support from friends and family. We chat about our expectations, how it makes us feel when we don't get support and how to work through disappointment. ASTRAL RILES Web:  AstralRiles.com Instagram:  @astralriles Twitter:  @astralriles Facebook:  Astral Riles WHERE'S NACHE' Website:  nachesnow.com Instagram:  @nachesnow Twitter:  @na...

Alison McNeil discusses how she hopes to increase accessibility to the arts and culture through her company McNeil Creative Enterprises, LLC (MCE). In this episode, we talk about how her start with dance and her focus in research, evaluation and assessment while in school lead into her becoming a champion for the arts. We also discusses the power of connection, creating strategic goals, working wi...

Sade Bolarinwa shares her journey to getting healthy and how that led her into female bodybuilding competitions. She discusses the benefits of eating for a purpose and the dangers of not getting enough nutrients when competing or working out. For those looking to get a trainer/coach she provides advice for choosing the right person for you. We wrap up the episode outlining her goals for 2017, whic...

Strategist and coach, Amanda Miller Littlejohn, talks about her journey to success and what she's learned along the way. She walks us through how she discovered her story and also her passion for helping others discover and share theirs. In this interview, she discusses the power of connection, mentors, and community. She also provides practical strategies for determining your services and prices....

Cassandra Clarke-Williams, mental health therapist, used her 16 years of school system and coaching experience to create multiple products to help others. In this episode, she talks about diving into speaking, writing and creating an academy. Her story illustrates that with discipline and time management you can accomplish just about anything. Cassandra Clarke-Williams Facebook:  CoachingWithClark...

While on the phone with Astral Riles we began discussing why content matters when choosing a website theme. This episode captures the meat of that conversation and clarifies how the two have a direct correlation with each other. ASTRAL RILES Web:  AstralRiles.com Instagram:  @astralriles Twitter:  @astralriles Facebook:  Astral Riles WHERE'S NACHE' Website:  nachesnow.com Instagram:  @nachesnow Tw...

Bree Wijnaar created the Tall Society to put a spotlight on women of height. She discusses balancing a full-time job while also building an online community and hosting events. By building a purposeful business, which includes the The Tall Society and Tall Brunches, she has been able to create a safe environment for tall women and help create lasting friendships. We also discuss the challenges of ...