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From Houston’s Fifth Ward to CEO in Africa: Yachtze Luchin on Building United Oil & Gas International

On the Black Bridge Mindset Podcast, hosts Mike, Ken, and CJ welcome Yachtze Luchin, Houston-based president and CEO of United Oil and Gas International, to discuss his journey from growing up in inner-city Houston to leading energy projects across Africa. Luchin shares how determination and family lessons pushed him through engineering school despite gaps in preparation, how an early job inspecting sewers motivated him to pursue oil and gas, and how mentors helped him break into Texaco. He explains why he left corporate roles after broad technical and business experience to build UNITE, starting with consulting and services while working toward becoming a producer. He emphasizes building a vision-driven leadership team, “educate before you participate,” adapting to local business culture in Africa, and leading with purpose beyond profit.

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:35 Atlanta Weekend Recap

02:33 Meet the CEO Guest

04:40 Inner City Roots

06:02 College Catch Up Grind

08:38 Dad’s Secret Sauce Lesson

11:40 Audacity and Action

14:10 Breaking Into Oil and Gas

15:53 From Sewers to Texaco

20:38 Leaving Corporate for Purpose

26:30 Launching United Oil and Gas

30:16 Consulting Services and Production

33:16 Why Africa Called Him Back

36:52 Building a Winning Leadership Team

40:45 Purpose Beyond Profit

45:32 Advice for Aspiring Oil Entrepreneurs

48:19 Africa Culture and Business Reality Check

55:01 Legacy Inspiration and Loving the Vision

01:01:20 Where to Find Unite Online

01:02:05 Wakanda Peace Pause Farewell

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On the Black Bridge Mindset Podcast, hosts Mike, Ken, and CJ welcome luxury portrait and event photographer Jahan Daughtry of Jahan Photography, celebrating 17 years in business. Jahan shares her path from corporate roles at Verizon and Nationwide to full-time entrepreneurship after layoffs, explaining how she built her business while working, self-funded gear upgrades, and learned to track finances properly. She discusses the costs of equipment and studios, why she has moved through six studio spaces, and how accessibility and client experience drove those decisions. Jahan explains how CRM tools like HoneyBook help manage contracts, scheduling, and revenue tracking, and emphasizes separating business finances and working with an accountant. She details how networking, social media consistency, and “connectors” grew her client base, how DEI rollbacks reduced corporate work, and why pivoting and renewed networking matter.

00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:35 Weather and Catch Up
01:47 Meet Jahan Daughtry
03:27 Creative Roots and Photography Start
04:36 Corporate Life and Early Hustle
08:35 Breaking Point and Workplace Tea
12:12 Building Clients While Working
14:04 Why Portrait Photography
15:54 CRMs and Business Systems
18:30 Pricing and Separating Finances
23:19 Networking and Social Media Growth
25:02 Connectors and Studio Moves
26:43 First Studio Reality Check
28:40 Sharing Space Growing Pains
29:46 Bright Studio Stair Struggles
31:10 Dreaming of Creative Hub
32:05 Bootstrapping Early Challenges
33:43 Renting Gear and Resources
34:17 Signature Client Experience
35:33 Corporate Gigs Word of Mouth
36:30 Crafting Unique Portraits
38:55 Industry Shifts and DEI Impact
42:54 Where to Find Jahan
43:50 Advice Shadow and Learn
45:31 Guest Question and Legacy
47:47 Wrap Up Travel and Balance

Facebook: @jehaninc
Instagram: @jehanllc
Website: https://www.jehanllc.com

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On the Black Bridge Mindset Podcast, hosts Mike, Ken, and CJ welcome Columbus-based fashion designer and master tailor Corey Winborn, CEO of Designs by Winborn, who shares how he became self-taught by thrifting and deconstructing garments as a teen and turned that passion into a 37-year career in custom clothing, alterations, and fine jewelry. Corey explains how style and presentation build confidence and opportunity, why he chose not to pursue college, and what it took to leave traditional jobs to bet on his craft. He offers practical business advice for aspiring designers: study fashion, become your own brand, focus on what sells (not just social media image), and build a client base before taking on a brick-and-mortar. He shares his appointment-only shop details and leaves a question for the next guest about living the life they want.

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:35 August Vibes and Market Days

02:41 Meet Corey Winborn

04:33 Self Taught Tailoring Origins

07:39 Style Confidence and Presentation

11:20 No College Needed

12:46 Turning Craft Into Business

18:04 Entrepreneurship Mindset Shift

25:04 Business 101 for Designers

29:52 Study Trends and Sell Work

30:45 Be Your Own Brand

31:36 Creating What’s Next

33:22 Naming DBW and N4

33:59 Born to Win Philosophy

36:23 Why Every Man Needs Custom

38:23 Custom Suits Through History

39:47 Favorite Clients and Moments

41:36 Dressing Women Too

42:56 Opening the Brick and Mortar

47:30 Entrepreneur Advice and Wrap

48:37 Where to Find Corey

50:26 Final Questions and Goodbye

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The Black Bridge Mindset Podcast returns after a brief break as host Mike shares he started a new role at Zipline and the hosts recap meeting in Chicago during Canadian wildfire smoke. Ken introduces guest Sonia Aline, a communications strategist, editor, author, and host of the Business First podcast, known for interviewing leaders like Oprah Winfrey and Ursula Burns and co-authoring a NAACP Image Award–nominated book on unwritten rules for minority professionals. Sonia explains her background from Birmingham, England to Brooklyn, her accidental entry into publishing, and her career lessons from decades of interviews. She discusses storytelling as an ancient tool that builds emotional connection, drives brand loyalty, and helps entrepreneurs differentiate, emphasizing listening, intuition, alignment over “grind,” and practical ways her Storytelling Business Journal helps people craft and distribute their brand story.

00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:35 Hosts Catch Up
02:56 Meet Sonia Aleene
05:04 Curiosity And Identity
06:37 Roots From England
10:42 Breaking Into Media
15:09 Career Lessons And Yes
17:27 Why Storytelling Works
22:21 Brand Stories In Business
26:30 Storytelling Journal Framework
29:18 Learning From Icon Interviews
31:15 Synchronicity in Motion
32:18 Alignment Over Hustle
35:53 Protect Your Nervous System
37:48 Breaks Spark Breakthroughs
41:09 Storytelling Starts Listening
46:24 Make Customers Feel Seen
47:44 Business First Podcast
50:46 Closing Ritual and Gratitude

Podcast - Business First w Sonia Alleyne

Instagram - Sonia Alleyne

Instagram - Book ~ Storyteller Magic 

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From Court Reporter to 3 Childcare Centers: Tysie Milliken-Benjamin on Faith, Perseverance, and Building Agape Love

On the Black Bridge Mindset Podcast, hosts Mike, Ken, and CJ welcome Tysie Milliken-Benjamin, a woman of faith and entrepreneur who owns three 24-hour childcare centers in Paducah—Agape Love Childcare, Ruth’s Childcare, and Agape Love Bugs Childcare—plus nonprofits Safe Place and Safety Nest. Tysie shares how she transitioned from cosmetology to court reporting, opened her own court reporting business, then followed what she describes as God’s calling into childcare in 2017. She explains learning through volunteering, training, and mentorship, overcoming a failed first center, clearing her record, navigating state regulations, funding challenges, and opening additional centers through perseverance. Tysie details her mission to serve working and low-income families, teach life skills and culture, support staff development, and enforce structure, while emphasizing her sacrifices, community impact, and her guiding question for entrepreneurs: “What is your why?”

00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:35 Hosts Catch Up
00:57 Cleaning Lady Story
02:15 Meet Tysie Millican
03:45 Tysie Introduces Herself
04:30 From Court Reporting
05:36 Called To Childcare
07:48 Agape Name Meaning
09:04 Overwhelmed First Steps
10:18 Rules And Mentors
12:34 Legal Steps And Funding
15:25 Persevering Through Setbacks
18:24 Opening Second Center
20:42 Third Center Challenges
23:09 What Sets Her Apart
27:11 How Centers Are Structured
28:13 Why 24 Hour Childcare
28:53 Feeding Kids Right
29:49 Covering Essentials
30:23 Making It Sustainable
32:18 Steps To Open Center
35:10 Training Staff Growth
37:11 Strict Parent Boundaries
39:23 Pricing And Waitlist
40:37 Lessons For Younger Self
41:42 Proudest Love Bug Story
44:30 Contact And Giving Back
45:32 Hidden Sacrifices
47:03 Find Your Why
50:33 Sign Off And Collage
51:40 Paducah Podcast Invite
52:29 Final Thanks Goodbye

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Creativity, Grief, and Purpose: Dr. Maria Houston Beck on Mental Health, Mentorship, and Beck Boards

On the Black Bridge Mindset Podcast, hosts Mike, Ken, and CJ welcome Columbus-based licensed clinical psychologist and entrepreneur Dr. Maria Houston Beck, founder of Houston Wellness Solutions and Beck Boards. Beck shares how a high school psychology class and learning about mental illness and suicide in her family inspired her to pursue clinical psychology, with a career spanning trauma, mood disorders, grief, and work with incarcerated youth, including at Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. She explains training paths (PsyD vs PhD), building a private practice brick by brick, and early business lessons like pricing, policies, and payment procedures. Beck also расскаunts how personal grief and hosting family holidays led her to create Beck Boards, offering charcuterie boards, grazing tables, a mobile cart, and workshops that blend food styling with therapeutic topics. She previews her participation in Columbus’ Color of Summer event and shares where to find and book her services.

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:35 Weekend Catch Up

02:35 Summer Plans and Festivals

03:39 Soccer Tangent

05:16 Meet Maria Houston Beck

08:20 Why She Chose Psychology

13:07 Clinical Focus and Juvenile Work

17:31 Mentors and Giving Back

20:24 Breaking Mental Health Stigma

23:52 Becoming a Psychologist

27:39 Starting Private Practice

29:03 Starting Private Practice

30:26 Brick by Brick Systems

31:39 Learning as You Go

32:52 Pricing and Policies Mistakes

35:55 Grief Sparks Creativity

40:15 Therapy Through Charcuterie

44:44 Events and Color of Summer

49:13 Where to Find and Book

52:39 Sacrifice and Self Care

55:29 Wakanda Peace Paws Finale

Instagram: @beckboards

Facebook: @BeckBoardsLLC

Morning Star Counseling

https://www.instagram.com/houstonwellness_solutionsllc/ 

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On the Black Bridge Mindset Podcast, hosts Mike, Ken, and CJ welcome Chef J.C. Pinckney, CEO of The Bougie Palate, a Tampa-based luxury catering and private chef brand inspired by her Barbados roots and love of Louisiana Creole cuisine. J.C. shares how she started cooking for friends during COVID, formalized the business in 2022, and learned entrepreneurship through free one-on-one support from the SBDC, including financial literacy, pricing strategy, and post-event “autopsies.” She explains why she avoids opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, how she prices luxury catering (including retainers and paid tastings), and what customers often misunderstand about catering costs. J.C. discusses staffing, project management systems, marketing through social media and word of mouth, catering events up to 700+ people, and her goals to open a commissary/ghost kitchen, expand revenue streams, and create a cookbook and cooking classes.

Website: https://thebougiepalate.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebougiepalate

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On this episode of the Black Bridge Mindset Podcast, hosts introduce Erica Hughes, founder of Morningstar Counseling Services in Louisville, Kentucky, a practice supporting teens and adults through depression, anxiety, trauma, and major life transitions with a gentle, empowering approach. 

Erica shares her path from sociology and criminology studies to Child Protective Services, then earning a master’s in mental health counseling and opening her private practice in 2018 without a formal business plan. She discusses learning business essentials like finding mentors, hiring support, getting an accountant, managing taxes, insurance, networking, and social media, and balancing therapy work with leadership, motherhood, and boundaries. 

The conversation covers increased openness to therapy post-COVID, especially among Black clients and men, how to suggest therapy sensitively, and ways to reduce stigma. Erica also highlights her children’s book, “The Courage Within,” and her goals to expand into hospitals and corporate mental health education.

Instagram: @mstar_counseling

Website: Morning Star Counseling 

00:00 Podcast Cold Open

00:27 Madrid Jet Lag Banter

01:40 Meet Erica Hughes

03:17 Louisville vs Chicago Check In

04:19 Morningstar Services Team

05:23 From CPS to Counseling

09:01 Launching the Practice

11:19 Moving Through Fear

14:15 Therapy in Black Communities

18:00 Entrepreneur Lessons Learned

21:10 Creating a Safe Space

22:24 Therapist Self Care Boundaries

23:28 Minority Hurdles Ahead

23:54 Breaking Into Louisville

25:06 Building Without A Plan

27:08 Mentors And Mistakes

28:17 Boundaries And Self Care

30:39 Friends As Employees

32:37 Finding The Right Therapist

35:02 Proud Of Morningstar

36:18 Bigger Vision Ahead

37:38 Talking About Therapy

39:33 Dispelling Black Stigma

42:22 Children's Book Journey

44:16 Where To Find Erica

45:22 Culture And Closing

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This week on the Blackbridge Mindset Podcast, the hosts discuss Midwest weather and long TSA lines at Atlanta’s airport before welcoming Chicago-based people and talent leader Deshawn Barrett, Director of Talent Development at SpotHero, with 15+ years in HR and talent roles at ADP, PowerReviews, Victoria’s Secret/PINK, and more. Deshawn explains HR as a broad system beyond hiring and firing, covering benefits, fair pay, growth and development, compliance (including I-9s), policies, and balancing business needs with employee support. He shares guidance for entrepreneurs on when to use fractional HR or hybrid office manager roles, what to look for in a first HR hire, how culture is built through behaviors and feedback (not perks), and how leaders set the tone. He also advises addressing toxic high performers quickly, and emphasizes knowing your business and desired culture before hiring.

00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:27 Spring Weather Banter
01:41 ATL Airport TSA Chaos
04:01 Meet Deshawn Barrett
06:24 Deshawn Origin Story
10:18 What HR Really Does
15:06 When to Hire HR
15:51 Quick Like and Follow
16:27 Fractional HR Options
19:47 Hiring Your First HR
33:01 Culture vs Perks
35:27 Feedback Without Negativity
36:48 Accountability and Listening
38:54 Culture of Fear Warning
40:07 Lead by Example
41:12 Recognition and Rewards
43:17 Preparing to Hire HR
45:49 Templates and Shortcuts
47:21 Like and Follow Break
47:57 Retaining Your HR Leader
53:08 Toxic High Performers
57:17 Advice Before First Hire
01:00:05 Contact and Closing Ritual

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Kevin Tyler on Building Bay & BNE, Fractional Marketing, and Storytelling That Moves People

The Blackbridge Mindset Podcast hosts catch up and introduce guest Kevin Tyler, a marketing strategist and founder of Bay & BNE, a Santa Monica boutique consultancy named after Bay and Bicknell streets and the nearby historic “Inkwell” beach space. Kevin explains how the company’s name reflects lineage, identity, and the importance of storytelling in modern branding, emphasizing that businesses should practice the same storytelling they sell. He shares his path from varied agency and higher-ed roles to entrepreneurship after leaving a toxic DC agency on December 18, 2024, using 2025 to validate his concept before forming an LLC and scaling with freelancers. Kevin defines fractional marketing, discusses pricing evolution, vetting and rejecting misaligned clients, and advises entrepreneurs to invest in clear messaging and strategy to reach audiences where they already are.

00:00 Welcome to Blackbridge
00:27 Catching Up and Travel Plans
01:40 Airport Chaos Talk
02:37 Meet Kevin Tyler
04:15 Bay and BNE Origin Story
06:11 Storytelling as Strategy
07:18 Why He Went Solo
10:34 Launching the Consultancy
13:03 Cutting the Golden Handcuffs
15:39 What Fractional Marketing Means
17:42 Favorite Brand Projects
22:14 Marketing That Moves People
24:41 Pricing and Value
27:06 DIY Branding on a Budget
29:38 Marketing Yourself Through Community
31:46 Client Fit and Red Flags
34:05 1000 Dollars Marketing Plan
35:24 Marketing Truths and Shortcuts
36:52 Creativity as Fuel
38:18 Where to Find Kevin
38:48 Podcast and Book Shoutouts
40:34 Food Favorites and Travel
41:41 Referrals and Closing Ritual

Insta: @bayandbicknell

Website: www.bayandbicknell.com

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