The Create Your Life Series is for Self-starters looking to live life on their own terms. Join award winning entrepreneur, author and speaker Kevin Y. Brown as he shares the Strategies Behind the Successes of today’s Trailblazers by uncovering experiences, daily habits and defining moments of high achievers from around the world. Learn more at cylseries.com
Episodes
Friday Jul 13, 2018
Friday Jul 13, 2018
Episode Summary
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Kevin! He shares what’s new from giving an empowering speech to middle schoolers to planning for a professional development training he will be leading for a corporation. Kevin fields questions from our listeners including describing the best day of his life, what he is most excited about for his trip to Africa, and what happens after he finishes recording an episode of CYLS. Todd Wahnish of Clever Era joins Kevin to dissect the path to becoming an entrepreneur.
Insight from this episode:
- Secrets to shaping your goals from the two essential definitions of entrepreneurship.
- The four must know tools needed to create your life.
- The key mindset all entrepreneurs must have to become successful.
- Secrets to keynote speech preparation.
- Strategies for discovering a viable business idea.
Quotes from the show:
“I’m excited to see who I’m going to be, the person that I’m going to be on the other end of this. And that really has me excited and thirsty for knowledge. But most of all, knowledge of life, because I feel like you can learn so much from people and their ways of being.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 126
“Because at the end of the day, you know, doing a presentation is really, it’s a performance, especially if it’s a keynote. And you need to perform well, but the only way for you to perform well is to actually engage your audience. And, in order for you to engage your audience, then you really, really have to have them involved and make sure that your presentation is about them.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 126
“It’s only by confronting those hard things and then attacking them head on that we can actually move ourselves to the next level and get our, you know, and really create our lives in the way that we want to create them.” - Todd Wahnish, Episode 126
“An entrepreneur is somebody that takes personal responsibility for somebody else’s problem. And what that means is that it’s not about you. It’s about your customer, it’s about your client. It’s about everybody else. Not you.” - Todd Wahlish, Episode 126
“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” - Anonymous, quoted by Kevin Y. Brown Episode 126
“Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.” - Rene Auberjonois, quoted by Kevin Y. Brown Episode 126
Resources Mentioned:
- 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself: Change Your Life Forever - Steve Chandler
Stay Connected:
Create Your Life Series:
https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/
https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/
Kevin:
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher and Spotify.
Friday Jul 06, 2018
Friday Jul 06, 2018
About our Guest:
Selena Hill is an award-winning entrepreneur-journalist with a passion for social justice and women empowerment. She currently works as the Digital Editor for Black Enterprise Magazine and she is a host of Let Your Voice Be Heard (https://lyvbh.com/), an award-winning radio program on 90.3FM, the Voice of Harlem. Her resume includes previously working at NV Magazine, being a TV Correspondent Assistant Producer for What’s Eating Harlem, serving as a Special Elections Reporter covering the 2012 U.S. Election, reporting current events for Russell Simmons’ globalgrind.com, and freelancing for New York Amsterdam News. In 2016 and 2017, Selena was honored with New York Association of Black Journalists Award for Best Blog Commentary Critic.
Episode Summary
Selena found her path as a journalist when she visited New Orleans in 2006 and 2007 after Hurricane Katrina. Seeing the conditions of the Lower Ninth Ward, she wanted to become a “voice for the voiceless.” She describes having to work long, grueling hours as an intern and what she took away from the situation. She relays failing a job interview with CNN, and then going back years later and acing the interview. Selena pinpoints the defining moments in her life that helped her throughout her career. In remembering past interviews with guests on Let Your Voice Be Heard, Selena describes one experience in which she learned a valuable lesson about being a radio host and another experience that resulted in the radio program winning an award.
Insight from this episode:
- Strategies for becoming an award-winning journalist.
- Secrets to selling yourself and continuing to move forward and upward in life.
- How to balance life obligations.
- How to stay motivated.
- Strategies for goal-setting and ensuring personal growth each year.
- Strategies for standing out from others, particularly for women and people of color.
- How to handle “nay-sayers.”
Quotes from the show:
“If you don’t sell yourself, especially in our social media era that we live in, it’s basically like you don’t exist.” – Selena Hill, Episode 125
“Visibility means so much. And not only is it, you know, self-serving, but you can really impact and influence and inspire other people’s lives. Like by being transparent and vulnerable and talking about your own struggle and your own journey.” – Selena Hill, Episode 125
“I think it’s important to be very cognizant and strategic about how you are branding yourself online. Because if you’re going to exist online, but you’re not putting any thought behind it, then you’re probably doing yourself a disservice by just putting up anything that you happen to be thinking.“ – Selena Hill, Episode 125
“Every struggle comes with a purpose. Like, there’s purpose in pain.” – Selena Hill, Episode 125
“Find a way or make one.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 125
“It’s your responsibility to continue to move forward. And at the end of the day, you have to create your life.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 125
Resources Mentioned:
- TweetDeck – Selena Hill
- Hootsuite – Selena Hill
- Google Docs – Selena Hill
- Facebook Live – Selena Hill
Favorite Book:
- The Bible
Favorite Quote:
- “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” – The Bible
3 keys to Create Your Best Life:
- Identify your authenticity and be your real self.
- Stay true to who you are and don’t let anyone push you off it.
- Be patient and humble.
Stay Connected:
Create Your Life Series:
https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/
https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/
Kevin:
Selena Hill:
www.instagram.com/msselenahill
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher and Spotify.
Have your podcast edited, mixed and mastered by the experts: www.podcastlaundry.com
Friday Jun 29, 2018
Friday Jun 29, 2018
About our Guests:
Janeya Griffin
At the age of 16 years, Janeya Griffin faced significant hardship when her parents were incarcerated and she raised herself and her 6 year old brother. Since that time, she has dedicated herself and her career towards entrepreneurship, advocating for technology and social justice, and examining generational wealth, specifically within underserved communities. Having gained experience serving as a contractor for federal labs and organizations across the country, including the National Aeronautic Space Agency (NASA), Janeya recently founded a consulting start-up called The Commercializer, a strategic firm that actualizes independent inventors, intellectual assets, and monetizes entrepreneurs’ ideas. In addition, she co-founded the creative agency ConCre8tes which focuses on helping men, women, and children behind bars and beyond by changing how society views people with criminal histories.
Vincent Bragg
Vincent Bragg, co-founder of ConCre8tes, spent 121 months in federal prison. During that time, he studied law, wrote books, and organized think-tanks. The difficulties he experienced working in prison, including the low pay and forced labor, highlighted the need for a fair method to help incarcerated people.
Episode Summary
Janeya recounts her childhood and its impact on her personal development. She offers valuable insight, describing the importance of understanding one’s past and how it influences your life. Having taken an introspective look at herself, Janeya explains how she took advantage of opportunities that motivated her. Vincent, her co-founder of ConCre8tes, discusses the origins of ConCre8tes. He explains how the agency empowers incarcerated and formally incarcerated people return to work.
Insight from this episode:
- Strategies for using your passion to find your purpose.
- How intentionality helped Janeya identify her career path.
- How to move forward and use the lessons encountered along the way.
- Why personal branding is important.
- Keys to turning adversity into an opportunity for growth and finding your direction.
- Vincent’s experience while incarcerated helped him discover a way to help others who were previously or are currently incarcerated.
- The importance of ownership of ideas and property rights.
Quotes from the show:
“Until I started, like, questioning, ‘Like, okay. Why am I the way that I am? Good and bad?’ Right? ‘Um, what makes me tick? What instances or situations have happened in my life that have, kind of transformed, like my journey and things like that, and brought me to this place that I’m at right now?’” – Janeya Griffin, Episode 124
“I decided that I wanted to go into my 30s with forgiveness and healing.” - Janeya Griffin, Episode 124
“So, to me, you know, you remind me of the ladies from ‘Hidden Figures.’ You know what I mean? Who were doing their thing? Just the importance and the representation, I think is just so dynamic.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 124
“Being humble enough to ask for help. And then being wise enough to listen when people are talking to you and helping you find your way.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 124
“I’ve learned to listen in the midst of chaos.” - Janeya Griffin, Episode 124
“When you allow this many people to be intentional about an outcome of something, we’re able to manifest that.” – Vincent Bragg, Episode 124
Resources Mentioned:
Favorite Book:
- The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach – Janeya Griffin
- The Process of “I” by Emily Maroutian – Vincent Bragg
Favorite Quote:
Janeya Griffin:
- “There are no problems, only solutions.” – John Lennon
- “Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you.“ – Byron Katie
Vincent Bragg:
- "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." - Frederick Douglass
3 keys to Create Your Best Life:
Janeya Griffin:
- Invest in ourselves and our communities.
- Giving with the intent to grow.
- Collaboration over competition.
Vincent Bragg:
- Self-realization.
- Authenticity.
- To live your best life, find something that you can’t live without.
Stay Connected:
Create Your Life Series:
https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/
https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/
Kevin:
Janeya Griffin:
www.instagram.com/janeyagriffin/?hl=en
www.facebook.com/JaneyaGriffin/
Vincent Bragg:
www.instagram.com/iamvincentbragg/
twitter.com/IAmVincentBragg?lang=en
ConCre8tes:
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher and Spotify.
Friday Jun 22, 2018
Friday Jun 22, 2018
In this episode Kevin gives his top strategies for making the most of conferences and networking opportunities. He gives his hacks and secrets to walking away with business and how to measure whether you should attend an event.
Friday Jun 15, 2018
Friday Jun 15, 2018
In this episode Caroline shares her secrets and roadmap to revitalizing a pre- digital industry. Taking the floral industry by storm, she and her sister have managed to raise funding, pivot and garner amazing partnerships that have pushed them to over 300 subscribers and counting.
Friday Jun 08, 2018
Friday Jun 08, 2018
In this episode Latesha speaks about the power of interning for Source Magazine at the age of 14, Convincing Lebron James to take on social media, uncle Jay-Z and how relationships have helped her to scale a seven figure business.
Friday Jun 01, 2018
Friday Jun 01, 2018
About our Guest:
Evan:
When it comes to being AWESOME, Evan Griffin is truly the definition of it. Carefully crafted his Professional, Entertainment, and Musical career, Evan has worked for some of the top Retail and Manufacturing companies in world, still finding time to Executive Produce 3 Podcast, write & record music, as well as being a loving Father. Passionate about what he does, Evan prides himself on Achievement, Education, Motivation, and Family.
Candice:
Candice Davis is a 10 year veteran in the entertainment business. She found her love for entertainment while attending college. There she had a top ranked radio show and interned at an concert arena. That is how he journey began. Candice is now taking her own personal experiences and sharing them with the world.
Candice is the host of The Little Miss Entertainment Show podcast. in her shows she shares her party planning secrets, style on a budget tips, relationship advice and much more. The show also has a ton of guests stop by to share their thoughts as well.
Candice goes by the name Little Miss Entertainment because that is exactly what she is. In a recent interview Candice explains "It gives me such joy to be able to do things to put a smile on peoples faces. I love everything from throwing surprise birthday parties for my family members to making my friends favorite meals. These are the things that are the most important to me."
Episode Summary
In this episode, Evan and Candice discuss finding love through the tinder app, growing their podcast audiences, making a relationship work by understanding what they have in common, the HBCU vs. PWI experience and 8 secrets to happiness.
Insight from this episode:
- The truth about the HBCU vs. PWI experience
- Tips to make mindset breakthroughs as a female in corporate America
- Tips to re-create your brand at work
- Secrets to co-working with your significant other
- 8 secrets to happiness
- The power of the tinder app and real love
- Setting boundaries to maintain a successful private but public relationship
- Strategies to grow your podcast audience
- Tips to host a successful live event
Quotes from the show:
“I went through a relationship before…. and I allowed myself to go through the healing process and didn’t start dating until I was ready and serious about dating” - Evan Griffin Episode #120
“I was legitimately talking to her, trying to get to know her and see what we have in common so we could grow as a couple” Evan Griffin Episode #120
on his first tinder date
“You know that you’re in love, when you’re being loved properly” - Candice Davis Episode #120
“Showing up and showing out is half the battle” - Candice Davis Episode #120
“When Evan’s in the spotlight I’m his biggest fan, when I’m in the spotlight He’s my biggest fan there’s no competition within this relationship it’s 100% support.” - Candice Davis Episode #120
Resources Mentioned:
- youtube.com
Favorite Book:
Candice: Who Moved My Cheese
Evan: The Happiness Project
Favorite Quote:
- Candice: “Turn your wounds into wisdom” - Oprah
- Evan: “Dream them dreams then man-up and live them dreams, because a life without dreams is black and white, and the universe flows in technicolor and surround-sound. - Combat Jack
3 keys to Create Your Best Life:
Candice:
- Never give up,
- Stay focused
- Be supportive - support those who support you
Evan:
- Let it Go - (let go of residual feelings)
- Do it Now
- Believe in yourself
- Enjoy the process
Stay Connected:
Create Your Life Series:
https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/
https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/
Kevin:
Evan:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7L2hB3P7sqjQ9sO48EArCjwww.Instagram.com/
https://www.instagram.com/awesome_nobody/
https://twitter.com/awesomenobdy
Candice:
https://www.candicedavisonline.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lilmissent
http://www.twitter.com/lilmissent
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher and Spotify.
Friday May 25, 2018
Friday May 25, 2018
About the Guests:
Eric Fondren is the CEO of Itell.io, a company that provides a digital advertising platform for ATM owners to digitally advertise to their customers.
Todd Wahnish is the Founder of Clever Era. Clever Era helps bootstrapped Entrepreneurs build businesses...even if you have no idea, no capital, and no technical ability. He is also an award winning artist, animator, and product designer with a portfolio that includes Marvel Entertainment, Cartoon Network, and artist Jeff Koons.
Episode Summary
In this episode Todd, Kevin and Eric discuss the ups and downs of presales for Eric’s business, CEO experience truth’s about failing and re-starting up a business. Strategies to figuring out where your client is now and where they want to go. They also cover strategies to deciphering between good and unimportant advice.
Insight from this episode:
ABC = Always be conversing
- Strategies to narrowing down your end user vs. customer
- Secrets to avoid the top two reasons startups fail
- The ups and downs of pre- sales for Eric’s business,
- CEO experience truth’s about failing and re-starting up
- Strategies to figuring out where your client is now and where they want to go.
- strategies to deciphering between good and unimportant advice.
- Strategies to presale your product before launch
- Methods to deciphering between an opinion vs. sound advice
Quotes from the show:
“Start with a date to start, a day to complete and a go to Idea to plan to product” - Eric Fondren episode #119
“Your business always gets better if you expose it to the world around you” - Eric Fondren episode #119
“For anyone looking to start off or bootstrap their business, the conversation is the first thing you need to master because that’s how you invent word of mouth” - Todd Wahnish episode #119
“Whether its advice or not its still an opinion. Its whether or not its informed and contextual and relevant” - Eric Fondren episode #119
“What I learned very quickly was to trust and verify” - Todd Wahnish episode #119
“A lot of times there can be truth in the advice but its up to you to know who you are and what you don’t want to be” - Todd Wahnish episode #119
“If you are worried about someone stealing your idea, then you don’t have a strong enough idea…and your not doing enough competitive research” - Eric Fondren episode #119
“Ideas are not businesses, ideas are thoughts that don’t have any physical form” - Todd Wahnish episode #119
“The money valuates the building of the product” - Todd Wahnish episode #119
“The ups are never as good as they feel and the downs are never as bad as they feel” - Eric Fondren episode #119
“Stay strong, make moves, work hard, take breaks” - Todd Wahnish episode #119
Stay Connected:
Create Your Life Series:
https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/
https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/
Kevin:
Eric:
https://twitter.com/ericnfondren
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericnfondren
Todd:
https://www.instagram.com/wahnish
https://www.facebook.com/todd.wahnish
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher and Spotify.
Friday May 18, 2018
Friday May 18, 2018
In this episode Jacobi shares his insight into the new 57 billion dollar industry of cannabis, his experience of going from ground floor to CEO, affects cannabis has had on his family and his reasoning for getting into the startup tech world.
Friday May 11, 2018
Friday May 11, 2018
About our Guest:
- Thomas Teel is an Ad tech professional from Jamaica New York who is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, startup aficionado, technologist, entrepreneur and all around gentlemen. Thomas has worked with top companies such as Indeed Inc as well as the largest advertising agencies on the planet. Working with NewME Accelerator Thomas has helped to consult incredible minority entrepreneur's that have raised millions of dollars and also consulted small businesses as they enter the digital age.
Episode Summary
- In this episode Thomas discusses the power of attending an HBCU, remaining authentic while black in the corporate space and transistioning from corporate to entrepreneur and back to corporate. He also shares his strategies to getting out of his own way and setting himself up for success through taking initiative.
Insight from this episode:
- How being from a tough neighborhood has helped Thomas endure the ups and
downs of his career
- Secrets to a how a village can help shape the trajectory of your life
- The advantages of having early access to technology and
- Secrets to the importance of the HBCU experience
- Eye opening experiences and networking of HBCU’s
- The power of initiative and things coming full circle
- Tools to set yourself up for success
- Insight into the power of ad tech
- Secrets to navigating marriage and choosing the right partner
- Secrets to getting out of your own way
#1 Understand where you want to be and that nothing should stand between you and where you want to be
#2 Thomas is super competitive
#3 Be Authentic
Quotes from the show:
“I’m really comfortable shaking the ceo’s hand because I’ve met much tougher guys in the streets” - Thomas Teel Episode #117
“I think the most important thing for me to do as a black professional… is to let someone else know you can be Cool, Black and Succeed” - Thomas Teel Episode #117
“When you’re looking to work in tech you need that credibility in saying that you started something on your own A. to really fit in the culture because everyone else has done that and B. so that you can have a proper conversation about something that you don’t know how to do” - Thomas Teel Episode #117
Goal Setting Methods/ Measurements
- Watching his bank account on a quarterly and weekly basis
“You can literally create the life that you want if you are willing to put the work in” - Kevin Y. Brown episode #117
Resources Mentioned:
- http://www.Evernote.com
- http://enfluencemedia.com/
- https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/abstract-square-podcast/id1363807675?mt=2
Favorite Book:
7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey
Favorite Quote:
“Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose ourresponse. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” - Viktor E. Frankl
3 keys to Create Your Best Life:
- be your authentic self
- reflect and look back
- find someone that you can confide in as an entrepreneur
Stay Connected:
Create Your Life Series:
https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/
https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/
Kevin:
Guest Name:
www.enfluencemedia.com
www.Instagram.com/twteel
www.twitter.com/twteel
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher and Spotify.