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Episodes

May 9, 2023

Confections, community, and cotton candy | An infectious brand loyalt…

Confections, community, and a little bit of fairy dust make up the incredible sugary profiles made sensational by Wonderpuff. Jackie Marin and her husband discovered their interested in creating custom confections for events,...

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May 2, 2023

Raleigh's First Black-owned Children's Book Store Seeks to Empower Yo…

Liberation Station is a children's book store that was created on the belief that youth need a safe space for discovery. A space centered in humanity, joy, and curiosity. A physical space located in downtown Raleigh in view o...

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April 25, 2023

How to be a better boss when you're an entrepreneur | Lifelong learni…

Durham's first sweet hub has landed in historic East Durham. Stacey Ramos is the founder of Bull City Sweet Shoppe, and the lead curator of the confections that are featured in her shop form herself and other businesses in th...

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April 18, 2023

The Pocket PhD Shares How to Use Your Voice as a Subject Matter Expert

What is your superpower? Whether you're a creator, entrepreneur, or nonprofit founder there's likely something that makes you and what you do unique. When it comes to identifying and showcasing your unique perspective as a th...

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April 11, 2023

From Power Poses to Powdered Noses, Level Up Your Presentation Skills

From power poses to powdered noses, Valonda Calloway is no stranger to the spotlight. With a career in television and media, she's learned and adapted how to show up on screen, learnings she practices herself and teaches to h...

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April 4, 2023

This Business Owner is Creating Healthy Products From the (Ginger) Ro…

Being in a family of entrepreneurs can be a great way to learn how to successfully start your own business. However, it may take a few tries to build the right one. Charles Freeman is the founder of Black Cap …

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March 28, 2023

Make a Positive Social Impact with your Business | Brewing Up Good Tr…

Why would a brewery care about eliminating local bus fares, decreasing gun violence, or any social issues? When you build businesses to create positive social in your community change like David Meeker, you're bound to get in...

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March 21, 2023

How to make a Career as an Interior Designer (even if you can't draw!)

Accepting that debt could benefit his business is a financial mindset shift that Chi Yiu made during his journey in entrepreneurship. Being afraid of failure and not wanting to be in a position to be fired from a job are …

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March 14, 2023

Farm to Table or Nose to Tail? Bringing Innovation to Meat Farming

Jennifer and Tina have come a long way from their “sausage wagon” days, but their goal has remained the same: supporting local farmers in getting their meat on your kitchen table. Jennifer Curtis, the co-founder of Firsthand ...

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March 7, 2023

Meet the Trio Growing a Just Food System by Paying Black Farmers

Black farmers are losing land at an alarming rate in the United States. Hearing the struggles of Black farmers in North Carolina during the pandemic prompted the founders of Tall Grass Food Box to ask themselves, “ What is ou...

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Feb. 28, 2023

Increase eCommerce Brand Loyalty Through a Personalized Experience

Lie + Loft is a brand at the intersection of golf, interior design, and art. The founder, Luke Davis, makes this multi-passionate venture look as easy as enjoying being a homebody on a chilly, winter day. However, pushing thr...

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Feb. 21, 2023

Reducing Waste in a Circular Economy Through Reusable Products

Sometimes, the best thing to do is start something bananas with other crazy people who believe it can work. Crystal Driesbach is the founder and executive director of Don’t Waste Durham and Green To Go, a nonprofit and subsid...

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Feb. 14, 2023

Incorporating Black Joy and Community in Table Top Game Designs

Using language that’s accessible and inviting to anyone, Omari Akil of Colorway Game Labs has successfully been able to highlight aspects of Black culture through board games. A graphic designer and creative by trade, Omari b...

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Feb. 7, 2023

Gain the Confidence to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking at Work

A majority of the general population fears public speaking. Where does the trauma of public speaking stem from? Kenia Thompson has made it her mission to demystify public speaking to help people gain confidence in sharing the...

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Jan. 31, 2023

Where Can You Find Local Healthy Food? Where Soul Music Meets Soul Fo…

How can you learn if you're hungry?" Margo Newkirk, one half of the dynamic duo that is Blend of Soul, asked this during our conversation. Margo Newkirk and Kiera Gardner set out to make healthy smoothies accessible to unders...

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Jan. 24, 2023

Will $10K/ Month Make You Happy? How to Define Your Revenue Goals

What do you truly want your life to look like? This important question is the driving force behind how to define your sales goals based on the life you want to lead. Elyse Archer is a sales coach, speaker, and …

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Jan. 17, 2023

Can Venture Capital Bridge the Wealth Gap?

With over 70 years of collective living experience in the Triangle, Tom and Keith have developed a lot of relationships in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. I sat down with the founders of Resilient Ventures to talk about ...

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Jan. 10, 2023

From PhD in a STEM Field to PBS | Building a Media Business

Dr. Nehemiah Mabry began STEMedia while pursuing his PhD in engineering. During his transition from full-time engineer to full-time digital agency owner, he talks about the mental and emotional parts of the job being the hard...

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Jan. 3, 2023

More than an Athlete | How to Build a Business through Mental Toughne…

Wells Thompson began his journey to co-founding Soccer Resilience after a 9 year career as a professional athlete. Making the transition from athlete to business leader was a hard and necessary change, and luckily, Wells didn...

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Oct. 18, 2022

DEI Consultant Helps You Improve Your Company Culture

What should a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion executive add to company culture? I asked Carolyn Rhodes while sitting at the Durham Bottling Co. to give me her opinion on the matter. With career experience in human resources,...

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Oct. 11, 2022

Serial Entrepreneur Shares Empowering Advice for Women Leaders

I sat down with Joye Speight at American Underground to talk about all things event planning. When you build a business around making others feel special it can be hard to remember to make time for yourself. Entrepreneurship ...

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Oct. 4, 2022

Growing the Vibrant Community You Want to See

What's your favorite local business in Durham? Think about how many unique places you could discover by asking this question. Sheila Amir started The Bulls of Durham out of complete curiosity. We talked about her perspective ...

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Aug. 9, 2022

Divest, Invest, and Mutual Aid | Affordable Housing Development

I sat down with Topher Thomas, the founder of Coram Houses, at the Durham Bottling Co. to talk about his venture into building affordable housing units in his community (and backyard!). What started as an itch to his curiosit...

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Aug. 2, 2022

How Nonprofit Organizations can Scale Impact through Transparency

I sat down with the founder of we are, Dr. Ronda Taylor-Bullock, at the Durham Bottling Co. As the executive director of a nonprofit, she has her own definition of what it means to "scale" or grow a nonprofit. We …

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