Best of The Steve Harvey Morning Show

Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

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Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily.  I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur.  Keep winning!

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Lavar Thomas.

Motivational speaker, author, Peace Corps alumnus, leadership coach, and founder of Empower for Greatness. Lavar’s mission is to help people transform “from the inside out” so they can live with greater intention and purpose.

The conversation explores Lavar’s upbringing in Brownsville, Brooklyn; his life-changing Peace Corps service in Rwanda; his understanding of faith, purpose, failure, and leadership; and how he built international development programs such as Leaders of the Free World, which exposes young Black men to global travel and leadership experiences.

He discusses how stepping outside his comfort zone—from traveling abroad for the first time to navigating Rwanda after only knowing it through “Hotel Rwanda”—opened his worldview, deepened his empathy, and developed his leadership style.

Lavar explains how a major project failure in the Peace Corps forced him to redefine success beyond titles, money, or recognition. This experience ultimately inspired his book, The Other Side of Letting Go. He also shares how he balances a federal government job with building his speaking and training company.

The interview concludes with a powerful discussion on purpose, reinvention, leadership, and the role travel plays in expanding one’s mindset—especially for communities that are historically underrepresented in global spaces.

PURPOSE OF THE INTERVIEW 1. To highlight Lavar’s transformative journey from Brooklyn to global leadership.

Rushion showcases how Lavar’s experiences shaped his philosophy and mission.

2. To educate listeners about purpose‑driven living and leadership

Lavar explains why purpose—not money—is the “real currency,” and how aligning with purpose drives impact.

3. To inspire people to step beyond their comfort zones

The interview emphasizes how discomfort and uncertainty can spark growth.

4. To reveal the value of international exposure for Black men

Through Leaders of the Free World, Lavar advocates for global experiences that shift identity and opportunity.

5. To discuss resilience, reinvention, and personal development

From project failures to the death of his father, Lavar shows how adversity can reshape purpose and leadership.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 1. Faith requires action

Lavar describes faith as taking steps without knowing the outcome—“believing in the future before it becomes reality.”

2. Growth happens outside the comfort zone

Comfort zones feel safe, but they also create limits; stepping beyond them leads to self‑awareness and transformation.

3. The Peace Corps experience was life‑changing

Rwanda taught him service, humility, language, cultural understanding, and the power of community trust.

4. Failure can be an important redirection

When his library project collapsed, Lavar learned to detach from ego and redefine success through impact, not image.

5. Purpose is the real currency

Operating in purpose helps you add value, understand your worth, and ultimately generate income more meaningfully.

6. Leadership includes being willing to pivot

He shifted from a failed library project to impactful malnutrition programs, partnering with USAID to train families.

7. Personal setbacks can sharpen identity and mission

His father’s death led him to pause graduate school, attend therapy, and rebuild himself—learning leadership through vulnerability.

8. Global exposure changes lives

Leaders of the Free World gives young Black men access to international travel, allowing them to reimagine their potential.

NOTABLE QUOTES On faith

• “Faith is taking steps without even knowing the outcome… believing in the future I see in my mind before I see it in reality.”

On stepping outside comfort zones

• “Every time I step beyond that line, I grew… I realized new possibilities for myself.”

On failure

• “Failure is life redirecting you.” (Recalling Oprah’s teaching).

On purpose

• “Purpose is the real currency.”

On redefining success

• “I had to learn how to redefine success for myself—not in the glamor of a project, but the impact I was having.”

On reinvention after loss

• “I had to step away and rebuild LaVar… focusing on my family taught me so much about leadership.”

On travel and identity

• “Something shifts in them when they return. They see their lives differently and their community differently.”

#STRAW #BEST #SHMS

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Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily.  I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur.  Keep winning!

Felecia Hatcher

CEO of Black Ambition, the national entrepreneurial initiative founded by Grammy-winning artist Pharrell Williams. Black Ambition provides capital, mentorship, mental wellness support, and a nationally competitive platform for Black and Hispanic founders, particularly those from HBCUs and underserved communities.

Throughout the conversation, Hatcher breaks down the mission of Black Ambition, how its competition works, success stories, the mentorship pipeline, and her personal entrepreneurial journey from being a self‑described “C student” to running a major national innovation fund.

Purpose of the Interview 1. Introduce Black Ambition’s Mission and Impact

To explain how Black Ambition funds, mentors, and accelerates Black and Hispanic founders, awarding millions in capital and building pathways to long-term entrepreneurial success.

2. Educate Entrepreneurs on How to Compete Successfully

Hatcher breaks down the application process, common mistakes, and how to stand out in one of the nation’s most competitive entrepreneurial prize competitions.

3. Inspire Through Transparency and Personal Storytelling

Her journey—from a C student to tech entrepreneur, to CEO working directly with Pharrell—models what perseverance and creativity can achieve.

4. Spread Awareness of Black Ambition Resources & Events

She highlights opportunities like Demo Day, masterclasses, mentorship cohorts, and the Fundable Founders Forum.

Key Takeaways 1. Black Ambition Creates “Unprecedented Access” for Black & Brown Founders

Hatcher emphasizes the organization’s mission of closing opportunity gaps caused by misaligned mentorship and unequal access to funding.
Black Ambition invests capital, provides structured mentorship, and connects entrepreneurs to world-class partners (e.g., Louis Vuitton).

2. Highly Competitive National Competition

• 2,500–3,000 applications annually
• Only 250 semifinalists
• Semifinalists enter a three‑month cohort with elite mentorship
• Top teams advance to Demo Day for capital awards and follow-on support
• Categories include HBCU, National Finalists, Top Prize, and People’s Choice..

Hatcher stresses: Success leaves clues.
Many past winners share insights, host office hours, and guide new applicants.

3. The Process Itself Makes Founders Stronger

Hatcher says repeated applications build clarity, sharpen pitches, and transform entrepreneurs—even if they don’t win the first time.

She cites an example: Lawrence Phillips, founder of Green Book Global, who succeeded on his third try.

4. Holistic Approach: Mental Health & Wellness

Along with capital and mentorship, Black Ambition offers mental-wellness support because entrepreneurship is emotionally taxing.
Founders are encountering proximity to wealth and power for the first time, and need guidance on transparency, investor expectations, and emotional resilience.

5. Black Women Are Fastest-Growing Entrepreneurs—But Need Teams

Hatcher notes that Black women lead in entrepreneurship but often operate without teams.
Black Ambition does not invest in solopreneurs; founders must demonstrate team-building capacity to create economic multiplier effects in communities.

6. Pharrell’s Why: Opening Doors He Once Needed

Pharrell invests in Black Ambition because:

• He once needed others to “believe in him until he could believe in himself.”
• He wants to dismantle gatekeeping in industries where Black talent exists but opportunity does not.
• He believes “talent is not equally distributed by zip code, but opportunity can be.”

7. Felecia Hatcher’s Personal Origin Story

Her credibility comes from lived experience:

• A “C student” told she’d never make it to college
• College dropout
• Built multiple tech companies
• Founded Black Tech Week and the Center for Black Innovation
• Comes from a family of Jamaican farmers and Georgia builders who were “entrepreneurs before the word was used.”.

Her takeaway: Creativity builds pathways to success that traditional systems overlook.

8. The Event is Public – and Transformational

Black Ambition’s Demo Day is open to the public, creating visibility, inspiration, and networking opportunities for founders and supporters.

Notable Quotes (All from the Transcript) On Black Ambition’s Mission

• “We’ve been building a rocket ship to create unprecedented access to opportunities and resources.”.
• “People are too comfortable wasting the time of Black entrepreneurs with misaligned resources and low-vibrational mentorship.”.

On the Competition

• “Success leaves clues.”
• “Apply again… every time I applied, I became a different entrepreneur.”

On Holistic Support

• “Entrepreneurship can swallow you whole.”.

On Team Building

• “We don’t invest in solopreneurs… You need a team mindset.”

On Pharrell’s Motivation

• “He borrowed someone else’s belief in him until that became his own.”
• “Talent is not equally distributed by zip code, but opportunity can be.”

On Personal Journey

• “I’m a C student and a college dropout… I never let those things define me.”.
• “There is more than one pathway to success if you get creative.”.

On Why Founders Should Join

• “Do you want to be in the same position this time next year? If the answer is no, then say yes to the process.”

#SHMS #STRAW #BEST

Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.