The Best | Worst Thing

Nena Gilreath was joins me on this episode to explore her remarkable journey as a dancer, arts leader, and educator. Nena is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Ballethnic, based in Atlanta, GA. From performing with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Atlanta Ballet, to building a groundbreaking institution, she shares her insights on leadership, legacy, and expanding art access.  You can f...

Strength and Kindness:  Another solo episode. Sneaking one in before 2025 wraps up and this was on my mind. Enjoy! https://www.instagram.com/bestworstthingpodcast/ @bestworstthingpodcast

Back to Basics - solo episode. Join me on a commitment to refocusing on some important areas of life as we move into 2025...hope you enjoy the listen!  If you'd like to give to my Mom's scholarship, you can use the link below or call 877-215-2727 and ask to give to the Esther J Rwakijuma Practicum Award.  https://giving.wustl.edu/EstherJR https://www.instagram.com/bestworstthingpodcast/...

Jason Sweet is an Atlanta based artist who pivoted a career as a college professor to the television and film industry.  With an established career as a set dresser, you may have seen some of his work in shows like Ozark, Genius Season 2, and he just wrapped up work for Peacemaker Season 2.  Jason shares about his path to this work, his artist motivation origins, and some really important revelati...

April Hernandez Castillo made a big splash in her portrayal as Eva Benitez in the hit move Freedom Writers alongside Hillary Swank. She's starred in television shows such as; Law & Order: SVU, The Following, Person of Interest, and Elementary and more . April garnered a recurring role on Showtime’s  Dexter which she was nominated for a SAG nomination for Best Ensemble cast.  She opens up...

Jen Ellis became internet famous overnight after gifting a pair of mittens to Senator Bernie Sanders, resulting in memes circling the globe! Since then, she has partnered with Vermont Teddy Bear company to make her product available to everyone. I sit down with Jen to discuss her book "Bernie's Mitten Maker." There are so many takeaways from our conversation! Make sure to listen to...

Andrew Maraniss  is an award winning author of four books, including his most recent release “Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First U.S. Women’s Olympic basketball team.” His story follows the growth of a passion for writing, sports, and telling stories of some of the world's greatest social issues. His books focus on sports, history, and social issues. Along with his work as an auth...

Lisa Nichols is the CEO and co-founder of Technology Partners, a company started 28 years ago. She has won countless awards for her leadership and work through entrepreneurship, including the St. Louis most Influential Business Women in 2020.  Lisa is also the host of an incredible podcast titled – SOMETHING EXTRA - covering variety of topics to improve your personal and professional life with som...

Cole Powelson is a  Professional Race Car Driver based out of Salt Lake City, Utah and the Founder of LYFE Motorsports. He and his team created the SIERRA car which now pushes motorsports feats to a whole new level.     With a background as a factory trained Porsche mechanic and racing instructor, his interest in cars began in his teens and has taken him down an nontraditional path towards success...

Dr. Christie Poteet is the Associate Dean for University of North Carolina at Pembroke. In this episode, we discuss her role in higher education, her mother's distinct influence on her career path, and making big decisions in your life at any age.  You can find her on LinkedIn and Facebook and connect with her at cpoteet@uncp.edu and poteetc@gmail.com.  https://www.instagram.com/bestworstthin...

Solo Episode - Lessons from Queen Esther: Esther Joan Rwakijuma was an incredible person. She was my mother. And, she left some great lessons that I hope help those who need them.  https://www.instagram.com/bestworstthingpodcast/ @bestworstthingpodcast

Ben Poremba is the Chef-Owner of Bengelina Hospitality Group.     With some amazing dining and retail experiences offered by The Commissary, Olio, Nixta, and the Benevolent King to name a few, he’s amassed an amazing business career.    Ben shares how he's background, experiences, and most importantly failures have shaped him as an entrepreneur and a great all around human being. You can lear...

Aaron Bockman is an Investment Advisor and Financial Planner with Synergy wealth solutions (licensed in 26 states), with over 20 years in the financial investment industry. He has an incredible approach to supporting his clients. But, he's so much more!  He brings some great stories with some important takeaways, including "the goal is the goal." You can find him on LinkedIn https:/...

Chris Bolyard opened up Bolyard’s Meat and Provisions with his wife after 10 years of experience and great mentorship as a chef. His take on the food and culinary industry has allowed him to garner some national attention and a creative approach to providing the food experience for his customers. All this on top of a very active ultra running lifestyle! His opens up about his path to success, pers...

Jim Liaw is the  General Manager of Performance Racing Industry and the Co-Founder and Board Member for Formula Drift.     He was able to take what was an unknown motorsport called drifting and introduce it to the world. In 2003, he co-founded Formula Drift in Long Beach, California, which is now the premiere drifting championship in the world. You can follow him @jimliaw on Instagram https://www....

Solo Episode! A message on giving as we had into a season of gratitude. Enjoy! @bestworstthingpodcast on Instagram and Facebook and @walehwa on Twitter.  https://www.instagram.com/bestworstthingpodcast/ @bestworstthingpodcast

Lisa Caprelli is a speaker, songwriter and an award-winning author of the unicorn book series, Unicorn Jazz. ™  She is an author of 17 books , and is the producer and director of Unicorn Jazz Presents The Thing I Do - a family show on Amazon TV . With over 10 years in creating radio show programming and podcasts combined with a 26 years marketing, her creativity and skills have encompassed her ama...

Mike Manoske is a career coach, recruiter, and the coauthor of the book The Job Search Manifesto. He brings decades of leadership roles as a Talent Acquisition Leader in Silicone Valley and currently assists with the Wharton Executive MBA program in San Francisco and Philadelphia. He's helped countless people through career pivots and successful transitions within and outside of their industr...

Dr. Parker J. Palmer joined me for an amazing conversation. He is an author, educator, activist, and so much more. In this interview, we cover so many topics - from identifying your vocation, the writing (or rewriting process), to dealing with our dark parts of our human nature and many things in between. There's a bit of something for everyone here.  You can follow him on Twitter and Faceboo...

Sarry Ibrahim is financial planner and m the founder of Financial Asset Protection. He helps real estate investors, business owners, and full time employees grow safe and predictable wealth regardless of market conditions using a financial strategy that has been around for over 160 years. He passion for helping people has many roots, including experiences that acted as a catalyst towards taking on...

Captain Joses Walehwa has spent over 17 years in law enforcement, with the majority of his work serving with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. He's held many roles covering the streets, jails, S.W.A.T., and more.  He's also my twin brother. In this episode, he shares his insights on leadership, life, struggle, and some honest dialogue about our upbringing. This is the first ti...

Wendy Rose Berry and Eugenia Marshall are LA based “employed entrepreneurs,” and the co-founders of conditionHER. Their chemistry is amazing, yet their path to creating this incredible product is full of serendipitous moments. Their stories our funny, touching, and inspiring!  You can find more about their company at www.conditionher.com and use code "BESTWORST" to get 15% off of their p...

Rachel Renata is an awarding winning philanthropist, inspirational speaker, and therapist. At the age of 25, she founded Project Compassion, NFP.   Since then, they have gone on to assist well over 70,000 homeless, disadvantaged, and low income men, women, and children.   Her words are very powerful! You can learn more about her work at https://projectcompassionnfp.org/.  You can also follow Rache...

Rachel D'Souza Siebert is  the founder of Gladiator Consulting, a boutique consultancy with a holistic approach to nonprofit organizational development. She shares her amazing transition to this work along with her approach of helping better others with a commitment to integrity and equity. Rachel's story of encountering a significant (understatement) medical crisis is sobering, groundin...

Musings and ramblings. A brief solo episode of some things on my heart and mind. I considered not releasing this, but we're putting it out there for those who need it. Please excuse the sound quality. Recorded in out of town without my regular equipment. I hope you enjoy.  https://www.instagram.com/bestworstthingpodcast/ @bestworstthingpodcast