Valarie's roots run deep in Oxford, North Carolina, where both her parents were born and raised. Her parents were young, hip visionaries who decided to leave everything they knew in the South and move north during the 1950s migration. Her maternal grandparents moved to Jersey first, setting the groundwork, and her parents followed, settling in Harlem before eventually moving to the Bronx where Valarie was born in the 1960s. After two years in the Bronx, the family moved to Queens, where Valarie ...

Layne Eskridge grew up in Shakers Height, Ohio attending an all-girls private school, from preschool through 12th grade. She learned to navigate spaces where she was often the only one who looked like her. She didn't realize how much that shaped her until she moved to Los Angeles. Growing up as an only child with parents who met at The Ohio State University, Layne learned early on the power of independence, imagination, and community. In this episode, Layne shares what it was like starting...

Carl Weber’s story begins between worlds. Born in Jamaica and raised in Queens and Long Island, his early years were marked by constant shifts between cultures, expectations, and environments. Growing up, he often found himself navigating the tension of being the “smart kid” in the room while also facing the realities of racism and identity. Everything began to change when he discovered sports. Football, swimming, and track gave him a sense of direction and discipline, eventually leading him to ...

Trey's story begins in Arlington, Texas, an only child raised by parents who were high school sweethearts. His father became a criminal defense attorney, his mother worked in sales, and Trey grew up with deep Texas roots and big dreams. He attended Lamar High School, played the trombone, taught himself keyboards, and knew early on that entertainment was his calling. When it came time for college, Morehouse felt like destiny. He had the stickers on his car, the shirts, the vision. But Morehouse w...

Kevin loves Stockton, California, but deep in his heart he knew he had to leave if he wanted more. Raised in a middle-class home until his parents divorced when he was eight, Kevin watched friends get pulled into gang life while his mother made sure he had a different path. Through Jack and Jill, an organization for African American families, Kevin was exposed to HBCUs, life beyond Stockton, and the possibility of something greater. When Morehouse College offered him a full ride scholarship, his...

Dr. Jamila Young’s story begins on the south side of Chicago in an area known as the low end, raised by a single mother until age four when the man who would become her father entered their lives. With no memory of her biological father except a faded photograph from age three, Jamila grew up in a working-class home that valued education above all else. Her parents made sure she attended the best magnet schools Chicago had to offer, even when that meant traveling miles across the city from the w...

Mia Bankston-Young’s voice was her ticket to the world: first to the bright lights of the stage, and then to a thriving career behind the mic. But it was the quiet, deafening silence of a Christmas Eve loss and a lonely pandemic apartment that taught her what she truly wanted to use her voice for: to build a home. Born in Detroit to a musical father whose own career was cut short by illness, Mia’s journey is a profound study in resilience, legacy, and listening to the quiet call of your he...

Franklin Henderson's story begins in Miami, Florida in 1929, just as the Great Depression took hold. When his father passed away at age four, his mother was left to raise four children alone with only a seventh-grade education, surviving on government relief food and navigating the brutal realities of segregation. In this episode, Franklin shares what it meant to grow up Black in segregated Miami, where every bus ride was a reminder of his place in society and every opportunity required fi...

Mica’s story begins in the Midwest, growing up in Iowa in a college town where she often felt out of place, but deeply shaped by education, movement, and strong family ties. Raised between two homes, with football Sundays spent alongside her father and a steady foundation from both parents, she learned early how identity, belonging, and perception are shaped by place. From graphic design and photography to graduate school in Minnesota, her path was never linear, but it was always driven by curio...

Dr. William Syms’ story is rooted in community, movement, and responsibility. Raised in Altadena by parents who modeled service and openness, his early life was shaped by unconventional education and deep cultural exposure. From homeschooling and early community college to Clark Atlanta University and eventually USC, his path was never about speed, but preparation. In this episode, Dr. Syms reflects on the mentors, systems, and hard truths that shaped his leadership. He shares how his year...

Bryce Savoy's path was scored by the rhythms of Oakland and the legacy of Howard. His true purpose, however, would be composed in the silence of loss and the steady beat of a son's resilient heart. From the streets of East Oakland to the basketball courts of Howard, and from founding the community-driven The Black Neighborhood to a cross-country journey to reconnect with his father, Bryce's path has been a masterclass in adapting to life’s rhythm. In this deeply moving episode, he shares t...

Scean Ellis was raised by an adventurous mother who taught her to move through life’s changes with grace. That lesson would become her anchor decades later, when the role of a lifetime asked her to be the steady, loving voice for her husband through a devastating diagnosis. From a childhood that moved from Rochester’s snow to the sunny sands of St. Thomas, and finally to Los Angeles, Scean learned early that family is the one constant you build through every season. In this heartfelt conve...

Growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana, Gabrielle had big dreams of how her life would go. From yelling “Aggie Pride” at North Carolina A&T to pursuing acting in the Big Apple, what she thought she wanted, never came to fruition. God had other plans for her. When life got difficult, Gabrielle took to YouTube as her creative outlet, sharing her natural hair journey as a hobby. Safe to say, the rest is history. Today, Gabrielle is a proud graduate of Tennessee State University. She and her family are...

Born in Germany to military parents, restlessness was something Conrad Cooper was born into. He inherited that same spirit of traveling the world, wandering from city to city, and letting the waves of life direct him. But it wasn’t until one day his niece was getting swimming lessons in his backyard that everything changed. Now, 28 years later, Conrad is teaching 2nd generation students at his swim school, Swim to Me, changing how adults and children feel about the water and providing a sa...

Coming from humble beginnings, former NFL player, Alvin Scioneaux Jr, understood if he wanted something it was up to him to make it happen. Born in Laplace, Louisiana, and one of eight children, Alvin knew he needed to leave his small town for someplace new in order to grow and become the person he was meant to be. He left for South Carolina to play football and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers right after college. But after a major injury, he was forced to find a new path, his ...

Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and raised in Woodruff, South Carolina, Sandra Clark Byrd is the fourth child to Ulius and Mary Gilliam. But at only 7-weeks-old, tragedy hit after her father lost his life in a devastating car accident, leaving her mother to raise 4 children under the age of seven. Growing up, life was hard but Sandra (a.k.a. Aunt Cookie) never let it get the best of her. She later discovered her love of education and shortly after, met the love of her life. But after ...

Born in Sumter, South Carolina, Yoyo Lander remembers her earliest exposures to art with her mom making art crafts and watching her Uncle Curtis create beautiful pictures with hot ink on wood in his garage. Now, a graduate of Howard University, Yoyo is an LA-based artist whose work has been showcased all over the world, but most currently in the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. Yoyo paints people of all shapes and sizes in their truest form, both i...

She’s doing the Lord’s work. As an Oncologist, Dr. Angelique Richardson discovered her calling through tragedy. A close family member... diagnosed with breast cancer. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Angelique has always walked to her own beat. After graduating from Oakwood University with a degree in Biology, she decided to continue her education at Loma Linda University wanting to become a medical doctor, and received her PhD. Angelique understands the assignment that God has given her...

Jay Styles had big dreams of pursuing his radio and acting career under the Hollywood lights. From Atlanta to the City of Angels, it didn’t take long for Jay to realize the world of auditions wasn’t for him. It wasn’t the spotlight, but behind the scenes, where he discovered his true purpose - helping others navigate the hardships of life. He created the docu-series, Become Inspired which shared the raw and real stories of people finding inspiration in their darkest times. The series...

John Rivers is a former member of the 1955 Cannon Street All Stars Baseball Team. A team that was denied the opportunity to play in the Little League World Series because of segregation. This powerful story is finally getting the recognition it deserves as Mr. Rivers shares the impact of the oppressive Jim Crow laws during a time when he and his teammates had nothing but a burning desire to play ball. Rivers graduated in 1965 from Hampton Institute with a degree in Art and went on to...

A Chicago native, the young and fearless Britt Matt charged the walls of Hollywood at an early age determined to become a writer for television. Britt had a love for the arts and knew at an early age she was no actress, but maybe becoming a journalist or a writer would work out for her. While she was in high school, the door of opportunity swung open for her when she took matters into her own hands, calling several LA studios and asking to speak to their writers in hopes of landing her fir...

Growing up in Montgomery, Alabama in the 50s & 60s as a 2nd grader, Fred Patterson remembered seeing white-only and colored water signs. It was an environment of change with protests, riots, and violence against African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. was just on the rise and a change was coming. Fred’s dream to become a pilot seemed far-fetched with little mention of black pilots in the industry at that time. It would be a few years down the road while attending Tuskegee University that...

Charles Galbreath had it all planned out. Travel the world and become an entertainer. But God had different plans for him. One night, in a dream, Charles had a vision of him attending Tennessee State University. The same school his older sister and four other family members had attended. It wasn’t the path he wanted for himself until one day, his sister shared that she also had the same dream. It was then he knew he must go. Charles talks about his thriving career today, how he continues t...

Being an interior designer you learn how to start over, rip off the old paint, strip down the walls, and replace broken ceilings to provide a safe space and create new memories. This takes on a deeper meaning for Tauksa Trusaun-Kennedy. At an early age, she discovered art was an escape for her. As a young girl, Tauska lived with her grandmother who worked as a famous cook for a prominent and wealthy family. The wife of that family loved to redesign her house often and would hire an interio...