Trailblazers.FM

Michael Alexander Blake is a young and rising politician. He currently serves as both a New York Assemblyman from the 79th district and a Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee. In today's conversation, we discussed the biggest changes in political campaigning, why he's serving in the DNC today and he shares some mission fuel for what the democratic community and other young politicians should begin doing today.

Discover some of the top excuses that make people quit, and hear what we must begin to do to create a mindset to persist. Today's featured guest is Dr. Clarence M. Lee Jr. Dr. Lee is a nationally celebrated author, international speaker, and CEO of CMLEEJR Companies. LLC, a personal development brand that conducts seminars on high performance and mental conditioning for teams, organizations and students.    

Why is it so important to empower and uplift others around you? Today's featured guest is Terra Winston is the ringleader of inTerractions and Principal of inTerract Consulting. Terra has dedicated her life to helping her clients unleash the potential of each employee. She is a leadership consultant and executive coach with 20 years of internal and external business consulting experience.

Natasha Nurse is an Adjunct Professor at Nassau Community College, the owner and founder of Dressing Room 8 and also the Lifestyle Editor for Plus Model Magazine.   She's a lawyer, business owner, and public speaker, and today she introduced us to her coaching philosophy and discussed what success means and how to develop a mindset for it.    

Ericka Dotson, Indique Hair co-founder and creative director, was inspired by clients to fill the void in the hair extension industry with a premium, knowledgeable and customer orientated business. In this conversation, Ericka and I discuss how she went counter to the advice of her instructors and went straight into startup mode right out of cosmetology school. We talk about her morning rituals and her approach to attract, nurture and empower new talent.

Alfred Edmond Jr. is SVP & Executive Editor-at-Large of Black Enterprise. Alfred spoke about his 30+ years at Black Enterprise, he shares some lessons in leadership, the legacy of Black Enterprise and the genesis story behind how the BE Modern Man initiative got going.

Discover the problem that lead Sarah Ribner and her life long friend and partner, creating their product.  We discuss what went into them building their pitch and the research required to not only get featured but negotiate a winning outcome with one of the sharks. Sarah shares how they went from doing 500 units prior to the airing, and experienced an almost immediate back order of over 120,000 units.

Squeaky Moore is an independent content creator, producer, director, writer, and actress. As a mompreneur, she freelances as a development and pitching consultant and strategist. She recently authored a book, #100Pitches: Mistakes, I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To, is a film and television pitching guide geared towards independent content creators and about her pitching journey, the do’s and don’ts of pitching television and film projects.

How do you approach creating and negotiating a win-win situation in large media deals? Mentor, Entrepreneur, and Television Host, Paul Carrick Brunson (@PaulCBrunson) is recognized as one of the most influential small business leaders in the world. The former Investment Banker founded PCBA in 2009, an award-winning matchmaking agency that was acquired in 2016. Appearing as the co-host on Oprah Winfrey Network’s Lovetown, Oprah Winfrey notes, “Paul is much more than a matchmaker!” 

Jennefer Witter is the CEO/Founder of The Boreland Group Inc. (www.theborelandgroup.com), a New York City-based  public relations firm that specializes in corporate and executive visibility. TheStreet.com recognized the agency as one of five black-owned businesses nationwide “making a buzz.”

Willie Jackson is an inclusion strategist who empowers thoughtful organizations and the leaders who run them. He is the founder and publisher of Abernathy, President and CEO of Equity Impact Group, and a frequent writer and speaker on the topics of workplace equity, global diversity, and multicultural millennial leadership. Willie currently serves as Technical Lead of Seth Godin’s altMBA program, a 4-week online workshop for high-performing individuals who want to level up and lead.

QOTD: How did you come about learning the essential skills needed to become a successful entrepreneur yourself?

What makes women great leaders? Dorinda Walker (Vice President of Consumer Strategy and Key Initiatives within Multicultural Marketing for Prudential’s U.S. Businesses) opens up about her difficult childhood and what fueled her passion to help and lead others. She shares wisdom on the skills and attributes that make women great leaders and gave advice to help women build their self confidence and self worth. This is an absolute must listen episode for all.

Don't miss our conversation about the mindset around finances and budgeting. Learn how Dr. Novellus gets past the fear of starting new initiatives and business ventures. We also talk about her podcast and her new business conference and the mission behind these new platforms.

Dr Rosemarie Ingleton is often referred to as the dermatologist to the stars. She is featured regularly on television shows such as Good Morning America, Dr. Oz, The Today Show and The Doctors, and in magazines such as Glamour, Vogue, Essence, Town and Country and Real Simple.  We discussed her journey from her early years growing up in Jamaica, through her migration to the United States and how she lived out an impossible dream of becoming a dermatologist and business owner in Manhattan.