What if the distance between you and your goal is not the goal, but the way you see it?

Dr. Emily Balcetis, Associate Professor of Psychology at NYU and TEDx speaker viewed by millions, studies how perception shapes performance. Her research has been featured in Forbes, Time, and Scientific American.

In this Ask JBH episode, she reveals why focus is about perspective, how to turn fear into fuel, and when to look back versus look ahead to stay motivated.

On this episode of Ask JBH, Arian Simone shares a fearless journey shaped by faith, grit, and purpose. From early lessons in entrepreneurship at Florida A&M University to rebuilding her life after homelessness in Los Angeles, she reflects on the moments that clarified her calling.

Those experiences led her to found the Fearless Fund, the first venture capital fund built by women of color for women of color, reframing access to capital not as charity, but as strategy. The conversation explores sisterhood, resilience, venture readiness, and what it takes to stay grounded when leadership is tested in both public and private ways.

This episode is for anyone figuring out how to keep going when the path forward feels unclear.

Jensine Larsen, award-winning digital entrepreneur, international journalist, and the former founder of World Pulse, recognized the internet's potential as a lifeline long before social platforms were seen as mere tools for influence or profit. She saw it as a space where women without access to traditional power could still be seen, heard, and connected.

This episode explores how digital empowerment, citizen journalism, and collaborative leadership can accelerate gender justice when technology is built with intention. We take a closer look at who gets amplified, how inequitable data shapes outcomes, and what responsibility looks like when voices finally have a platform.

This conversation dives into the concepts of power, voice, and the quiet revolution that unfolds when people are trusted to speak for themselves. Discover the transformative impact of Jensine's work and the untapped potential of technology to create a more just and inclusive world.

Shaka Senghor joins Ask JBH for a thoughtful exchange about freedom, accountability, and the inner work required to change the direction of your life. A bestselling author and resilience expert, Shaka’s perspective is shaped by lived experience, including a childhood marked by instability and 19 years of incarceration.

Author of How to Be Free and Writing My Wrongs, Shaka shares how literacy, journaling, and self-examination helped him rebuild his life from the inside out. Together, the discussion explores the unseen prisons many people live in, including fear, anger, shame, and unresolved pain that quietly shape decisions long after circumstances change.

It is a reminder that freedom is an inside job and that every prison has a door.

Pastor Greg Ford, Lead Pastor of One Church, joins Ask JBH for a thoughtful conversation on faith, leadership, and building community in a divided world.

From planting a church while working five jobs to leading with humility and courage, Pastor Greg shares how presence, love, and listening shape meaningful leadership. Together, we explore how faith shows up in work, culture, and moments of uncertainty without fear, judgment, or division.

This episode challenges us to rethink how faith is lived, not just spoken, in everyday life.

Born in Pondicherry and shaped by a life that spans India, France, and Silicon Valley, Navi Radjou brings a worldview that blends humanistic coaching, ecological thinking, and deep cultural intelligence. A longtime advisor to global leaders and co-author of acclaimed books like Jugaad Innovation, From Smart to Wise, and The Frugal Economy, his work has placed him on the Thinkers50 list of the world’s most influential management thinkers every year since 2021.

Our conversation moves through the ideas that define his work: the power of jugaad and resourceful innovation, the rise of the frugal economy, leading wisely in a changing world, and seeing constraints as catalysts rather than limits. Navi shares how his multicultural upbringing shaped his lens on creativity, why optimism is an active practice, and the mindset shifts that help us work, live, and lead with more clarity and compassion.

Kelley Cornish’s journey is one of purpose, faith, and service. From her roots in Aiken, South Carolina, where family and faith shaped her early values, to her role now as President and CEO of the T.D. Jakes Foundation, Kelley has carried a through line of integrity and impact.

We talk about how her foundation’s mission of financial inclusion, education, and community transformation guides her work, and how the lessons of education, exposure, and experience continue to shape her leadership. Kelley also shares what it means to make history as the first woman to serve as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at Wiley University, and how she is helping others build legacies of their own.

This episode is a reminder that true leadership begins with knowing who you are and serving from that place. Learn more about the Foundation’s work at TDJFoundation.org.

Comedian, actress, writer, and disability advocate Maysoon Zayid brings laughter, honesty, and heart to every stage she steps on. From co-founding the New York Arab American Comedy Festival to delivering one of the most-viewed TED Talks of all time, Maysoon has built a career on turning challenge into charm and advocacy into art.

In this conversation, she shares how humor became her superpower, the lessons her parents taught her about joy and grit, and why she created Shiny Misfits, a graphic novel that gives kids a hero who looks and lives like them. With her trademark wit, Maysoon reminds us that inclusion isn’t charity, it’s common sense.

Watch to hear how this unstoppable force proves her mantra true: If I can can, you can can.

Sarah Kunst has never been afraid to take a leap. From building her career at Apple and Chanel to stepping boldly into venture capital when very few women of color were in the room, she’s been rewriting the playbook for what leadership and ownership look like. Today, as Managing Director at Cleo Capital and a trusted voice in business media, Sarah is investing in the next generation of founders while using her platform to open doors for others.

In this Ask JBH episode, the focus is on money: earning it, negotiating for it, and making it work for you. Sarah shares the lessons learned early on, the instincts that led her into Bitcoin before most of the world knew its name, and what she looks for when deciding who and what to bet on. There’s also honesty about risk, resilience, and the courage it takes to speak truth in an industry that doesn’t always welcome it.

This episode offers more than investing tips. It’s about agency, ownership, and the kind of vision that makes change possible.

Dr. Sandro Galea is one of the world’s leading voices on public health. As the founding dean of the new School of Public Health at Washington University, he’s shaping how we think about health not just as individual wellness, but as the conditions we create together.

A physician, scientist, and author of more than 20 books, Dr. Galea’s work reminds us that health is deeply connected to justice, equity, and hope. In this conversation, we talk about the shift from treating illness to addressing root causes, building trust in a world of skepticism, and what it takes to create healthier communities for the next generation.