What's Your Story?

Ashley Stewart, Executive Coach and Racial Consciousness Consultant, wanted to be an architect when he was growing up. He saw it as a way to build a community where all the people he loved (and those that loved him) could live together. He didn't officially become that architect but he has found his gift(s) that enable him to build human experiences that enable others to live more full and ab...

Beverly Anderson, President and CEO of BECU, recalls being surrounded by love as she grew up which nurtured her ability to develop as a leader from a very young age. Her story is filled with examples of focusing on being your authentic self as a leader to generate results and community. She also provides many tips and advice based on her diverse experiences for those aspiring to be a CEO. You will...

If you haven't had a chance to listen to all of the amazing stories from this season of What's Your Story? podcast, Matt Story shares the 5 themes he took away in the season 3 finale.  Be on the lookout for season 4 coming in January 2023. Follow the pod: IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory Twitter - https://twitter.com/Pod...

Anitra Marsh, Chief Communications Officer P&G Beauty, has always been on the talkative and chatty side. She told her grandfather that she would one day make money from that skillset. You could say she delivered on that and more. Her story is filled with great examples of going after new experiences and the capabilities that you unlock along the journey. Listen to her story to hear how she use...

Tyrona Heath, leading B2B marketer, speaker, author, athlete and community builder, is passionate about building with other people. She is a great example of what happens when we are able to navigate the world as our full human self. As the Beyonce of B2B marketing, she believes B2B marketing can step into creative greatness by betting on contrarian ideas. All of this is enabled through her superp...

Patrice Ford Lyn, CEO and Founder of Catapult Change, has always been a coach for most of her life and it just took knowing that coaching was a profession for her to monetize it. Many are lucky that she made that realization as she has helped them transform their lives and organizations. She credits her impressive journey and accomplishments to her family as their shared values were deeply entrenc...

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, an award winning researcher, entrepreneur and writer, is old enough to know who Lauryn Hill is but didn't grow up with her. This tells you a lot about who Anna is but our conversation uncovers so much more about the impact she is making on inequalities in our world. As a Zillennial, she seeks to reach forward and back to build connections across generations to ideas,...

Brenda Harrington, Certified Executive Coach and founder of Adaptive Leadership Strategies LLC, didn't have a specific profession she aspired to when she was growing up. However, she did recognize very early on that she wanted to have freedom and more specifically the freedom to create. She initially achieved this through fashion and design before having the opportunity to begin her corporate...

Rachel Felix, Chief Marketing Officer at Boston Medical Center Health System, has been on a journey to align her career path with her own mission. The combination of a move and the pandemic allowed her to find the right opportunity to reach that alignment of mission. While she has collected a significant amount of marketing experience and skillsets, it is her superpower of connecting with all kind...

Zenica Chatman, speaker, personal and executive coach, has spent most of her life disrupting systems and structures. She credits her family who encouraged her to always be curious, resourceful and courageous to make a difference. During 2020, she made a pivot following the realization that she had encountered workplace bullying. She'd later go on to discover that 30% of American workers have...

Jor-El Washington, CEO of Out the Trunk Films and Co-founder of All Love No Beef , has always felt encouraged to be himself and to follow his creativity and interest. He journey hasn't always stayed on that path but his superpower of optimism has helped him to connect with people in a unique way to reach their collective dreams. He's admits that he still has a lot to do but I can say as...

Dr. Crystal Menzies, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer of EmancipatED , recalls spending a lot of time in the library while growing up. She had her world changed when she finished a book on ancient Egypt. From that point on, she knew she wanted to pursue a career that allowed her to be curious about the world. As she learned more about the world and more specifically Black history, she wanted...

Simidele Adeagbo has a long list of achievements and accolades that include: First Nigerian to compete in Winter Olympics, First African and Black woman to compete in the skeleton at the Winter Olympics, 4x NCAA All American, Inaugural Obama Foundation Africa leader, TedX speaker, Yale World Fellow, Author, Entrepreneur, Brand Ambassador. All of that comes together to make her a world class change...

Rickkay King, Co-Founder and Director at Phoenix International School of the Arts, knew that he would see what else is out there beyond his neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago. He didn't know that education would be his key to unlocking many of those experiences traveling the world. His journey is one filled with entering new environments that enabled him to develop new "muscles&quo...

Davianne Harris, Chief Client Officer & Head of Equitable Futures Practice at sparks & honey, has always been a bit strong-willed. This comes in handy as she often sits with leading C-suite executives to ask the tough questions that help them achieve their DEI commitments. She credits her family for showing her how to find and then follow your passion and purpose in your work. Listen to he...

Dante Simpson, CEO ESPAT TV, believes that not all of us find our path at an early age but if you keep walking you'll eventually find it. With a journey that includes initially wanting to be a minister to playing football at The Ohio State university to working at Gucci and Sony Music group, Dante has focused on the journey and moments with his teammates in place of the accolades. He's n...

Chef Daryl Shular pulled inspiration from the work ethic of his mother to set out and achieve the highest honor within the culinary industry, Certified Master Chef. As the first Black or minority to reach this designation,  he recognizes the importance of blazing a new path and leaving the crumb trail for those that seek to follow in his foot steps. Throughout his journey, he has used his superpow...

Curtis May, creator and owner of Practical Wealth Advisors (PWA) and host of The Practical Wealth Show Podcast , sees himself as a conduit to financial information that many people who look like him don't receive. Coming from a family of business owners/entrepreneurs, he has spent most of his life studying the habits of wealthy people to tap into their strategies for reaching financial freedo...

Erin Chin, Chief Marketing Officer at Logitech For Creators , began her journey into advertising and marketing thanks to seeing someone that looked like her doing it in the movie Boomerang . With that inspiration, she'd go on to seek (and complete) challenges academically and professionally that aligned with her passions of media and entertainment.  She credits her success to her superpower o...

Cora Miller, Co-Founder and CEO of Young King Hair Care , has always understood that it is ok to move on to your next interest. Her journey has benefited from this understanding as she's collected valuable lived experiences that pair nicely with her superpower of being a hustler. From working in a school wearing multiple hats to navigating the corporate world of healthcare, she's been a...

Lizette Williams, Global Head of Vertical Solutions Marketing at Facebook, has built her highly awarded career driving the convergence of brands, culture and digital. Her secret to success was unlocked early in her career when she decided to be a really great version of the Afro-Latina girl from the Bronx. When many spend their time trying to replicate what they think a leader should be, she has s...

Fahad Khawaja, Founder & CEO of Hue , has cultivated his superpower of connecting with people to find common interests with those from all different types of backgrounds. He credits this ability to being raised in a third culture environment. His journey is filled with great experiences from his start leveraging his creative talents in the advertising agency industry to focusing on human behav...

Antonia Dean, Director of Startup Pipeline Diversity at Comcast, has always had the perspective that things are going to work out. This is likely thanks to her superpower of finding more than one way to get things done. For example, she made the decision to skip the 6 figure plus corporate law jobs after graduating from Harvard Law school to take a non-paid internship learning marketing at a skin...

Matt Scott, Paralympic Gold Medalist and Global Brand Ambassador, is everything you could ask for in a teammate. He has the ideal mixture of confidence and humility that have enabled him to remain driven throughout his inspiring journey. From his introduction on the courts of Detroit wanting to have a cross over and jump shot to playing professionally in multiple countries when not winning gold me...

Melissa Dawn Simkins, CEO & Founder of Velvet Suite, has always known that she was meant to be in a position that was meaningful and would make an impact. Even though she wasn't sure what that would look like early in her career, she was willing to make sacrifices to ensure she met that end goal. The First Lady of Personal Branding is on the path to help other find their mission, purpose...