Just Black Talking

Tab Wolod | Grabbing Ourselves by the Bootstraps and Getting Us Out of the Mud

We have a special guest for today's episode during the National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Tabitha Wolod. Tab is the CEO of Ideas Equal Income, a creative agency built to help individuals, just as its name indicates, transform their ideas into income. She is also a Queer person of color, currently dealing with some mental health issues, and a huge advocate for mental health awareness. Throughout our conversation, we navigate Tab's childhood traumas, her relationship with her pa...

Amber Fields | The Audacious CEO Who Disrupted Tech and is Changing the Face of UX

Only %7 of tech talent is Black. If we look at UX (User Experience) talent, that number goes down to 3%. Still, those numbers become harder to accept once we learn that those percentages haven't changed in the last 50 years.  Considering tech's explosive growth in the last decades, the lack of change in the industry's representation can't be fortuitous. The way our guest, Amber Fields, knew about this data was rather accidental. Still, the ideas she developed and her actions to defy the st...

The Structural Issues America's Formula Shortage Uncovered with Heather Cabral

The bacteria contamination detected last February at the Abbot Corporation, one of the four major formula producers in the country, forced the plant to shut down. This had a massive impact on the supply chain that directly affected the parents dependent on formula to feed their babies.  Still, the current formula shortage America is going through is just the tip of the iceberg. The issue revealed significant failures in our healthcare system, like defective parental leave politics and the G...

The Recipe for Success with Sheenee Cotton

Growing up in a single-parent, low-income household, Sheenee Cotton experienced first-hand the struggles and sacrifices her mother would make to provide for her and her brother. Compelled by the urge to relieve her mother's burden, Sheenee made a snowball stand one summer and used the money raised to buy school supplies and back-to-school clothes.  Fast forward some years, seeing her grandfather struggle with health issues and watching a disturbing documentary about what's in the food we ea...

Having a Solution-Based Mindset with Aaron Maybin

A successful Black professional NFL player, who has never been a character issue nor was never involved in any kind of trouble, is definitely an inspiring story for Black youth. It is a positive representation; it's showing them, Black kids, that people who look alike are capable, deserving, and creators of their own success against all the odds. However, if we think of legacy and true impact, that is not enough. At least, that's how our guest, Aaron Maybin, sees things. Aaron Maybin is a ...

Protecting Those Who Protect Us with Jonathan Tate

The demands of firefighting go way beyond the physical element; firefighters on duty barely stop to rest for longer than a few minutes. They run several calls per hour, have their adrenaline constantly fluctuating leading to demands on the heart akin to a never ending interval training. This strenuous job's primary victim is firefighters' hearts; greater than 44%, the leading cause, of all firefighter line-of-duty deaths are from a heart attack. In 2015, Lieutenant Kevin McRae was the 100th...

Meeting the Georgetown Butcher, Wendell Allsbrook

In the heart of Georgetown, a city with a complex history with African Americans, a small business stands out not only for being one of the few Black-owned businesses in the area but because of the moment it was founded and the uniqueness of its owner, Wendell Allsbrook.  Wendell Allsbrook grew up in a rough environment, surrounded by the wrong crowd, which led him to make dumb decisions during his teenage years, like dropping out of school. However, thanks to his ambitious mindset, the cer...

Learning A Proper Way to Exercise Our Second Amendment Rights

Although we are used to experiencing the same tension in the air during every presidential election where one side of the political spectrum feels they need guns, that changed in the 2020 elections. During the last election, the tension and the interest in owning guns was a common concern on both sides and particularly, in the Black community.  Joining me today is Kris Walcott, Owner and Lead Instructor of Prolific Operations Training Group. At Pro Ops, Kris and his team's mission is to pro...

The Place Where Passion, Knowledge, and Happiness Meet to Enjoy a Glass of Wine

Although she felt like a small fish in a big pond when she moved from Nashville, Tennessee, to study at the University of Pennsylvania, Jai Jai did pretty well. She delivered the class commencement speech at graduation, and she was the recipient of the Althea K. Hottel award, the highest honor given to a female graduate.  After graduating in Economics and while she was doing her Master's in Business at Northwestern University, Jai Jai started an internship at Goldman Sachs. Later on, she wo...

A Celebration of Coaching, Cocktails & Conversations Podcast with Lolita Walker

Today's episode is a celebration of my dear friend Lolita Walker's podcast's first anniversary. I enjoyed joining the other three gentlemen, Mervin Bourne, Lamar Robinson, and Allan Boomer. We had a vulnerable, open, and sincere conversation about parenting, connections, and friendship.  Lolita E. Walker is a Keynote Speaker, Certified Life, Leadership & Executive Coach. She helps women & teams to shift to action. Lolita is also the Host of "Coaching, Cocktails, & Conversations Podcast." Sh...

A Second Chance to Authenticity

Hope is the last thing you lose, they say. When we depend on a miracle or expect something implausible to happen, we shake with fear and make bold promises to the gods if they have mercy on us. We pray for a second chance. Most of the time, we do it for banal things, like sports or passing on a test. But there are other times when much more is at stake, like walking again, for example, or getting our health back. And those calls are rarely attended; that is why they are more associated with ...

DMV Pizza Wars Part I with Mike Davis and Chef Declan Horgan

Neapolitan people are known for being receptive and curious about other countries' culinary preferences. They like to learn, absorb and incorporate new ingredients and create new dishes. Margherita - the first pizza to ever walk the earth - is a clear example of this. Pita in Arabic means bread, which is the origin of the name and the dough. The cheese used was buffalo mozzarella. These animals were brought to Naples from India to work on farms. The tomatoes weren't available before the colo...

Unveiling the Secrets of Land Ownership with Marc Dosik and Mike Davis

The housing bubble of the early 2000s, where house prices peaked in early 2006 then started decreasing dramatically. By December 2008 we experienced the most significant price drop in history, prolonging the crisis until 2012. Through that time a lot of myths surged around whether or not it was a good idea to invest in a house. Regardless of what is false and accurate, the crisis showed us that many ordinary citizens had limited knowledge about real estate. When we look at the Black communit...

The Kind of Green Food We All Enjoy with Chef Declan Horgan

There's no doubt food is one of humanity's most significant connectors. It can be a bridge to get us close to our ancestors, to people from different regions, countries, and cultures. Food, and especially cooking, is about sharing, exchanging flavors and sensations. We gather to eat and celebrate, and we cook for those who are down, trying to lift their mood with a homemade meal. Someone said that food is like a tree; the roots are grounded and attached to our past and ancestors. The trunk i...

Dare to Make Your Life Magnificent with Joseph McClendon III

Some minorities seem unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID, and there are countless myths and conspiracy theories that might be the cause people want to see results in others before agreeing to take the vaccine. However, there is one more factor that could contribute to this reluctance. Studies in epigenetics suggest that fears and beliefs can be handed down, generation to generation, through our DNA - and we very well know that Black people have been conditioned for centuries not to tru...

A Legacy of Community Activism: Busting Myths and Bringing Hope

From their creation in the 1900s until the 1950s, when they were desegregated, public swimming pools wouldn't allow Black people. For a long time, Black Americans grew up without generational access to swimming pools nor generational swimming skills. After the desegregation, white men did not want white women in bathing suits around Black men, and stories were created about Black people polluting the water with their presence. These facts led, among other things, to the construction of swimm...

Ethical Commercialization of Black Culture and Economic Equity with Tommy Johnson

The next step in Black culture's maturity, going from fighting the power to being in power requires economic expansion, and to achieve this goal, we first need to address the economic inequity that reinforces systemic racism. As corporations are interested in restoring equity in a sustainable way and being more inclusive and diverse, this is the right moment for Black communities to raise consciousness about the need for equity in the global economy.  In this episode, I chat with Tommy Joh...

Vodka Tasting: Navigating The Flavors of The Tofu of Liquors

Vodka is the top selling liquor sold in the US and is one of the world's most sold spirits. The reasons behind this are as many as its different styles and brands.  The US Government defines vodka as 'neutral spirits lacking distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color'. Vodka is not aged, it is crafted, and it can be made out of potatoes, rye, corn, wheat, grapes, and nearly any grain, fruit or vegetable. So what is the secret behind this spirits drink's success? In this episode, we blin...

When's The Last Time You Heard A Funky Dialectic?

Just Black Talking welcomes guests Mervin Bourne and Allan Boomer to discuss the recent political theater of entertainment icon Ice Cube and his pre-election collaboration with Donald Trump.  Listen to the conversation as the debate addresses whether Ice Cube proves to be a friend or foe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Negus: Beer Fit For A King

In this episode, we speak with Mike Alemu, one of the co-founders of Negus Brewing Company, an Ethiopian owned Beer company headquartered in Manassas, Virginia.  Mike tells us about starting the company, its current success, and plans for the future.  In many ways, the development of Negus Brewing Co. has been in the works for thousands of years. Listen to information about ancient agriculture, and modern-day legal battles over agricultural patents. Find more info at https://www.justblacktal...

Canelé de Bordeaux

Each time we eat, listen to music, or even put on clothing, we have a chance to explore the origins, culture, and history involved with whatever we are enjoying at that moment. Let's talk about Canelé de Bordeaux, the curious-looking, fanciful, and delicious official cake of the city of Bordeaux France. Perhaps it’s one of your favorite pastries, or maybe this is your first time hearing about it. We will talk about its controversial history, traditional status, and recent resurgence. So pack ...

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.