What happens when a software engineer gets tired of not being able to see the finish line of paying off debt?

He builds the solution himself.

In this episode of the BIT Voices Podcast, we sit down with Senior Software Engineer, independent builder, and Toffee creator Terry Threatt to discuss building products that solve real problems.

What began as a personal debt-payoff journey ultimately became a fintech application designed to help people understand how their financial decisions impact their debt-free future.

But this conversation goes far beyond personal finance.

Terry shares his unconventional path into software engineering, building products while working full-time, leveraging AI as an independent developer, mentoring the next generation of technologists, and why strong engineering fundamentals still matter in the age of AI-assisted development.

If you're a software engineer, founder, indie hacker, or aspiring builder, this episode is packed with insights on solving problems you actually understand and using technology to create meaningful solutions.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Building Toffee and solving a problem born from personal experience

• Why seeing your debt-free date changes financial behavior

• Building products while working a full-time engineering career

• Using AI to become a more effective software engineer and independent builder

• Why AI should accelerate learning—not replace technical fundamentals

• The future of software engineering in the age of coding agents

• Transitioning into tech without a traditional computer science background

• Mentorship, imposter syndrome, and lifelong learning

• Why problem-solving matters more than being loyal to a programming language

• Teaching the next generation how to think like builders

Terry reminds us that some of the best products don't begin with a business plan—they begin with a problem worth solving.

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ABOUT BIT VOICES PODCAST

BIT Voices Podcast amplifies Black excellence in technology by creating space for Black builders, founders, engineers, and innovators to share their stories, expertise, and vision for the future of technology.

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CONNECT WITH TERRY THREATT

Website:

https://www.terrythreatt.com

Instagram & Threads:

@manwittaplan

Toffee:

Available on iOS and Android

Book:

How to Get Into Tech Without Spending a Ton on a Degree

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EXPLORE THE ECOSYSTEM

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https://bdonaldharris.com

https://bitvoices.network

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#BlackBuilders #BlackInTech #SoftwareEngineering #FinTech #AIEngineering #BITVoicesPodcast

Tony Jefferson joins BIT Voices Podcast to talk about Traveling Session, a traveler-first social platform built around Personalized Travel Discovery.

Most travel platforms point everyone toward the same popular destinations, attractions, and tourist traps. Tony is building something different: a platform that helps people discover places based on how they actually travel, what they value, and who they trust.

In this conversation, Tony shares how his 21 years of U.S. Air Force, IT, and cybersecurity experience shaped the way he thinks about travel, community, and building technology. After spending more than a decade stationed overseas in Japan, Germany, and South Korea, he saw the gap between generic recommendations and authentic local experiences.

We talk about travel styles, overtourism, algorithmic bias, hidden gems, foodie travel, Black travelers seeing more of the world, and what it takes to bootstrap a custom-coded platform from the ground up.

Tony also breaks down why Traveling Session is focused on the traveler, not just the destination — and why real perspectives from real travelers matter more than another generic top-ten list.

Connect with Tony and Traveling Session: Website: https://travelingsession.com/travel-feed/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-jefferson-traveling-session/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelingsession/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TravelingSession

Learn more about the BIT Voices ecosystem: https://bitvoices.network

Michael Brown joins the BIT Voices Podcast for a conversation about technology, entrepreneurship, AI, community, and building with purpose.

Michael is a technology executive and entrepreneur with three decades of experience across finance, healthcare, retail, enterprise software, and AI development. In this episode, he shares how an early love for programming grew into a career in software, why curiosity and humility still matter in tech, and how the rise of AI agents is changing the way engineering teams think about security, governance, and observability.

We also talk about Arachne, the AI development platform Michael is building through Synaptic Weave, Inc. Arachne is designed to simplify the software development lifecycle for AI systems by helping teams package, deploy, observe, and govern AI agents with more confidence.

Michael also shares the story behind the Juneteenth Conference, which began during the pandemic and has grown into a space dedicated to celebrating and supporting Black excellence in technology. This year’s Juneteenth Conference will take place in Chicago on June 19 and 20, with traditional conference sessions on Friday and a hackathon on Saturday.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Michael’s early start in programming with a Tandy computer
• Why software still feels like “magic”
• The shift from prompt engineering to context and harness engineering
• The security risks of AI agents and vibe-coded applications
• Building Arachne and the future of AI development infrastructure
• The founding story of the Juneteenth Conference
• Why Black tech spaces still matter
• What it means to build companies with community, trust, and long-term impact

Register for the Juneteenth Conference: https://juneteenthconf.com

Check out Arachne and sign up for the beta: https://arachne-ai.com

Learn more about Synaptic Weave: https://synapticweave.com

Listen, subscribe, and join the movement as we continue amplifying Black builders, founders, technologists, and innovators shaping the future.

BIT Voices Network

Built By Builders. For Builders.

https://bitvoices.network

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https://www.instagram.com/nowthatsmajor4real

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#BlackInTech #BITVoices #JuneteenthConference #AI #AIAgents #SoftwareDevelopment #TechLeadership #BlackExcellence #Entrepreneurship #ArachneAI #SynapticWeave #TechCommunity

In this episode of the BIT Voices Podcast, B Donald Harris and Major Phillips sit down with Ian Bruce, founder of Justice Quest, a justice-centered legal operations company built at the intersection of software engineering, AI, legal workflows, and access to justice.

Ian spent nearly a decade as a software engineer building web applications across multiple industries. But after finding himself navigating federal court and realizing how difficult the legal system can be for everyday people, he did what builders do: he started engineering a solution.

This conversation explores Ian’s journey from coding web applications to developing systems that help manufacture legal intelligence, organize case files, speed up legal workflows, and support attorneys and individuals fighting complex legal battles. Ian shares how he began treating legal cases like structured repositories, how AI agents can support legal strategy when used responsibly, and why empathy, human judgment, and justice must remain central as technology enters the legal space.

We also talk about the deeper mission behind Justice Quest: helping civil rights, wrongful conviction, and justice-oriented law firms fight more efficiently with better tools, stronger workflows, and strategic support. Ian makes it clear that his goal is not simply to build legal tech for anyone, but to empower the people and firms already doing justice-centered work.

If you know a civil rights firm, wrongful conviction organization, justice-oriented attorney, or legal advocate who could benefit from Ian’s work, connect with him and Justice Quest.

Connect with Ian Bruce: Website: https://justicequest.pro Instagram: @dadgod_LB Business Instagram: @justicequest.pro

Watch, subscribe, and join the movement as we continue amplifying Black builders, founders, technologists, and innovators shaping the future.

BIT Voices Network Built By Builders. For Builders. https://bitvoices.network

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#BITVoicesPodcast #BlackTech #LegalTech #AI #JusticeQuest #BlackFounders #TechForGood #CivilRights #WrongfulConviction #SoftwareEngineering #BlackBuilders #ArtificialIntelligence #AccessToJustice

In this episode of the Notable & Black in Tech Podcast, B Donald Harris, Major Phillips, and Randall Phillips sit down with LaMont Wheat, Executive AI Integration Architect, Founder of UHMUM Learning, and creator of the PhaseLock™ framework.

LaMont brings a powerful perspective on what it really means to lead in the agentic AI era. This conversation moves beyond the hype of AI tools and automation into something deeper: clarity, authorship, governance, human agency, and leadership under pressure.

We talk about why organizations often struggle with AI adoption, how AI can accelerate friction when teams are not properly oriented, and why leaders must understand that AI does not replace leadership — it reveals it. LaMont also breaks down his work as a Harmonic Architect, helping leaders and organizations move from fragmented AI usage to aligned execution.

This episode is for founders, executives, technologists, builders, and anyone trying to understand how to use AI without losing control of the human systems behind it.

Topics we cover:

* What it means to be a Harmonic Architect

* Why AI orientation matters before adoption

* The danger of moving too fast without structure

* How AI exposes leadership gaps

* Human-in-the-loop governance

* Why “living governance” matters in the agentic era

* How leaders can maintain authorship, clarity, and control

* The PhaseLock™ framework

* AI, identity, resistance, and organizational change

Connect with LaMont Wheat

UHMUM Learning: https://uhmum.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamontwheat

Executive AI Orientation Reset: https://stan.store/lamontwheat/p/ai-orientation-reset

Email: [email protected]

Guest:

LaMont Wheat

Harmonic Architect | Executive AI Stabilization & Governance Advisor

Founder, PhaseLock™ — Human-in-the-Loop Coherence for the Agentic Era

Hosted by:

B Donald Harris - https://www.instagram.com/notablebit/

Major Phillips - https://www.instagram.com/bi.leader/

Randall Phillips - https://www.instagram.com/randall.c.phillips/

https://bitvoices.network

Subscribe for more conversations with the Notable & Black in Tech.

#NotableBIT #BlackInTech #BitVoices #ArtificialIntelligence #AILeadership #AIGovernance #AgenticAI #BlackTech #TechPodcast #LeadershipAndAI

In this episode of the Notable & Black in Tech Podcast, B Donald Harris, Major Phillips, and Randall Phillips sit down with Yousef Bin Ageil, founder of The Soil Institute and creator of StoreHouse, a next-generation micro-grocery model designed to fight food deserts, support local farmers, and build community-owned food systems. Yousef shares the powerful story behind his mission, from being impacted as a child by the realities of hunger and human suffering, to building early businesses, traveling to Indonesia at 21, working around innovation and government leadership, and living among farmers across the region. Those experiences shaped his belief that essential systems like food, water, shelter, health, and belonging should serve people, protect dignity, and remain in the hands of communities. The conversation explores how broken systems often leave both farmers and communities without power, why middlemen can distort access and ownership, and how StoreHouse is being designed to connect farmers directly with communities that need fresh food. Yousef also discusses the launch of The Soil Institute, the evolution of StoreHouse, the importance of truth and ownership in founder-led work, and his vision for Year Zero: The Human Rebirth, a documentary project exploring humanity, AI, sustainable systems, and the future of human-centered innovation. This is a conversation about purpose, faith, technology, food justice, human dignity, community ownership, and what it means to build systems that serve people instead of replacing them. Connect with Yousef Bin Ageil:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yousefbinageil/ Instagram: @Iamyabaa The Soil Institute: @ThesoilInstitute Website: The Soil Institute StoreHouse Project: StoreHouse Initiative Email: [email protected] Topics covered: Community-owned systems, food deserts, StoreHouse, The Soil Institute, farmers, AI, human dignity, future of work, sustainable systems, Black builders, entrepreneurship, purpose, ownership, and Year Zero: The Human Rebirth.

https://www.instagram.com/notablebit/

https://www.instagram.com/bi.leader/

https://www.instagram.com/randall.c.phillips/

In this episode of The Notable & Black in Tech Podcast, we sit down with DeNisha Malone — widely known as the Power BI Queen — to talk about her journey in data, her work in AI, and how she’s helping create real pathways into tech for the next generation. From Power BI and Microsoft Copilot to mentorship, entrepreneurship, and purpose-driven work, this conversation is full of insight for anyone trying to grow in today’s tech landscape. We also talk about Thinkers & Doers, DeNisha’s initiative focused on helping students bridge the gap between learning and real-world application through mentorship, project-based experience, and exposure to real opportunities in data and AI. She shares why practical experience matters, how AI is changing the way we work, and why people need to adapt, learn, and stay ready as the industry continues to evolve.

This episode touches on: Power BI and Microsoft Fabric AI in the modern workflow Mentorship and workforce readiness Creating real opportunities for students * Entrepreneurship, purpose, and building beyond tech titles

Connect with DeNisha Malone LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denishamalone Thinkers & Doers: https://thinkersdoers.org

God's Farmacy: https://www.denisham.com/

Call to Action Apply to the Thinkers & Doers mentorship program as a student, or partner with the organization to bring data and AI solutions to your company or community.

Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations amplifying Black voices in tech.

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https://bitvoices.network

In this episode, we sit down with JC Smiley, Founder of Tech Scene Media, to talk about building community, navigating tech, and creating access where it doesn’t exist.

JC shares his journey—from stepping away from tech for nearly 20 years to teaching himself again and building a platform that connects Memphis’ growing tech ecosystem.

We also dive into:

• How AI is changing how developers work
• Why community is the real advantage in tech
• The importance of visibility and access
• Lessons from building without a roadmap
• Why it’s never too late to get back into tech

This conversation is for builders, creators, and anyone trying to find their place in tech.

🎯 Key Takeaway:

Tech isn’t just about skills—it’s about community, access, and showing people they belong.

🔗 Connect with JC Smiley:

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcsmileyjr/

https://memphistechscene.beehiiv.com/

🚀 Join the movement:

BIT Voices is building a new kind of tech community—where builders connect, collaborate, and grow.

https://bitvoices.network

In this episode of the Notable & Black in Tech Podcast, B Donald, Major, and Randall sit down with Carol Ray-Holmes—technology educator, Microsoft Certified Trainer, community mentor, and founder of Lady Ray Computer Services LLC.Carol shares her remarkable journey through nearly 40 years in tech, from teaching Microsoft tools and earning dozens of certifications to building an AI-powered platform designed to help people become more competitive in today’s job market.

This conversation dives into:

• Carol’s journey into technology

• What AI means for Black professionals and communities

• Why ethics, equity, and ownership matter in tech

• How her app helps users identify skill gaps, prepare for jobs, and grow in AI

• The power of mentorship, exposure, and opening doors for the next generation

This is a powerful episode about resilience, reinvention, and making sure Black talent is not left behind in the future of technology.

Guest: Carol Ray-Holmes

Host: B Donald Harris

Co-Hosts: Major Phillips, Randall Phillips

Connect with Carol Ray-Holmes:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladyraycomputer-b621769/https://ai-career-launchpad-8c543d2b.base44.appConnect

with NotableBIT / BIT Voices:https://notablebit.comhttps://bitvoices.networkSubscribe for more conversations highlighting Black technologists, founders, and builders shaping the future.

#BlackInTech #AI #WomenInTech #TechCareers #NotableBIT #ArtificialIntelligence #CareerDevelopment #BlackWomenInTech #TechPodcast #DigitalEquity

Notable, Black & in Tech is where real tech conversations happen—from seasoned software engineers to hardware wizards, we're pulling back the curtain on what it's like being Black in tech. In this episode, we welcome back Randall Phillips for a deep dive into the current AI buzz. Is it really coming for our jobs, or is it just hype?

Tune in as we chop it up about:

• AI’s real impact on tech careers
• Misconceptions fueled by social media and Hollywood
• Classic developer stories from legacy code rewrites to TI-83 hacks
• The dream (and danger) of robot DJs powered by AI

🎧 Follow, subscribe, and stay connected with us at https://www.notablebit.com. And don’t forget to find us on Instagram at @NotableBit.

We’re Notable. We’re Black. We’re in Tech. And today—we might be DJing too.