Brandy Was Here the Podcast

On this episode of the podcast I am joined by Auzerais Bellamy founder of Blondery, the modern dessert brand that earned national attention for its cult-favorite blondies and luxury-leaning approach to digital food culture. After formal pastry training, an internship in France, and years at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, CA, Auzerais moved to Brooklyn and built Blondery into a beloved online bakery with partnerships ranging from Bloomingdale’s to Chase.

Though the brick-and-mortar location has since closed, her work now extends far beyond dessert: her content and commentary focus on recovering from burnout, self-improvement, and accessible business insights for small business owners across all industries. Known for her candor, depth, and ability to blend storytelling with strategy, she’s shaping conversations at the intersection of entrepreneurship, creativity, and personal reinvention.

This conversation is the one so many entrepreneurs need to hear: if your business didn’t make it, or is barely making it, it might not be you. We get into what it actually takes to fund and scale a business, why the “just get a grant, get a mentor” advice falls short for Black women, and why walking away from something you built isn’t failure.

In this episode:

* Growing up what watching Black women run restaurants taught her

* From 500 orders out of a Brooklyn apartment to a nationally shipping bakery

* Grants, mentorship programs, and investor meetings and why it still wasn’t enough

* Is the average entrepreneur even a capitalist? Auzerais says no

* Small and successful vs. scale at all costs and the retirement question nobody asks entrepreneurs

* Closing the bakery, choosing a sabbatical, and moving to Mexico

* How to be bold, advocate for yourself, and never let anyone talk you out of your destiny

Connect with Auzerais:Substack | YouTube | Instagram

This episode of Brandy Was Here the Podcast is brought to you in part by:

Riverside.fm. For the podcaster or content creator who values quality, Riverside.fm makes the process from hitting record to publish seamless.

The “Pie” app (People I Enjoy) is a social networking platform designed to help people make new friends and discover real-life events, run clubs, and dinner groups in their local cities. Start connecting with all the cool kids in your city.

Brand Worthy Solutions, where the goal is to help you feel seen, heard and worthy.

Support the podcast by living into the journey — grab your merch and more at BrandyWasHere.com.

Be sure to like, subscribe and comment below. For the full Brandy Was Here experience, become a subscriber on Substack.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of the podcast I am joined by Deryle A. Daniels, Jr. husband, father, podcaster, fundraiser, storyteller, and founder of Dollars & Stories, where he helps small-to-midsized nonprofits raise money through fundraising and storytelling strategy. Born and raised in North Carolina and a proud UNC Greensboro alum, Deryle spent over a decade in development, marketing, and communications with universities, community organizations, and independent schools. He now lives in Mexico City with his wife and son, leaning into his joys which are travel, photography, exercising, and exploring global cuisine.

Deryle believes fundraising works best when it’s done through story and in this conversation, he breaks down exactly how to tell stories that make people want to be part of them. We talk about growing up between Durham and Chapel Hill, building a career by saying yes before he felt ready, and what happened when the job ended and he chose freedom over the scramble. How a new country, a slower pace, and having space to dream without external pressures is fueling his passion to create and help organizations tell better stories.

In this episode:

* Why your donor isn’t the hero of the story but the guide

* Impact reports vs. annual reports: what actually moves people to give

* Why the elevator pitch is shorter than you think

* Realizing every story isn’t yours to tell

* Why Deryle and his family left the U.S. for Mexico City and how they invest in their new community

* Making the case for being bored

Connect with Deryle:Dollars & Stories

This episode of Brandy Was Here the Podcast is brought to you in part by:

Riverside.fm. For the podcaster or content creator who values quality, Riverside.fm makes the process from hitting record to publish seamless.

The “Pie” app (People I Enjoy) is a social networking platform designed to help people make new friends and discover real-life events, run clubs, and dinner groups in their local cities. Start connecting with all the cool kids in your city.

Brand Worthy Solutions, where the goal is to help you feel seen, heard and worthy.

Support the podcast by living into the journey — grab your merch and more at BrandyWasHere.com.

Be sure to like, subscribe and comment below. For the full Brandy Was Here experience, become a subscriber on Substack.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe

On this solo episode, I’m talking about something I’ve been noticing everywhere: the interest deficit. Simply put why aren’t people more interesting? In this episode, I break down the reasons so many of us blend into the background, and I reveal exactly what you need to make yourself more interesting.

Why does this matter? Interesting people don’t just capture our attention they’re memorable. No matter what you’re building — an audience, a business, a personal brand you need to be able to do more than catch people’s attention. You need to hold it.

In this episode:

* The interest deficit: what it is and why it’s growing

* The real reasons people aren’t interesting

* What you actually need to become more interesting

* Why being memorable matters for your audience, business, and personal brand

* How to hold attention, not just catch it

I’m curious to know what you think so drop me a comment below.

This episode of Brandy Was Here the Podcast is brought to you in part by:

Riverside.fm. For the podcaster or content creator who values quality, Riverside.fm makes the process from hitting record to publish seamless.

The “Pie” app (People I Enjoy) is a social networking platform designed to help people make new friends and discover real-life events, run clubs, and dinner groups in their local cities. Start connecting with all the cool kids in your city.

Brand Worthy Solutions, where the goal is to help you feel seen, heard and worthy.

Support the podcast by living into the journey — grab your merch and more at BrandyWasHere.com.

Be sure to like, subscribe and comment below. For the full Brandy Was Here experience, become a subscriber on Substack.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe

I'm BACK. After nearly three years away, I'm kicking off season five with the topic at the heart of it all: mastering your personal brand during the pivot. When life gets messy, most people go ghost disappearing until they can reemerge as a shiny "new" version of themselves. In this episode, I break down why that's the biggest branding mistake you can make, and how pivoting in public actually builds trust and community.

In this episode:

Why going ghost during hard times hurts your brand — and what to do instead

My own story of rebuilding in public after my divorce

Why your reputation IS your personal brand (yes, you have one)

The difference between real vulnerability and oversharing

The mindset and planning moves that keep you steady mid-pivot

This episode of Brandy Was Here the Podcast is brough to you in part by

Riverside.fm. For the podcaster or content creator who values quality Riverside..fm makes the process from hitting record to publish seamless.

The "Pie" app (People I Enjoy) is a social networking platform designed to help people make new friends and discover real-life events, run clubs, and dinner groups in their local cities. Start connecting with all the cool kids in your city.

Brand Worthy Solutions, where the goal is to help you feel seen, heard and worthy.

Be sure to like, subscribe and comment below. For the full, Brandy Was Here experience become a subscriber on Substack.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe

On today’s episode of the podcast I’m joined by Ali J. Taylor, business consultant, TEDx speaker, and founder of Wisdom+Wayfinder, LLC. Brilliant but overextended founders hire Ali when the success they’ve worked so hard to create starts producing more fatigue than freedom. Through The Liberation Lab™, he helps entrepreneurs build the systems, decision frameworks, and accountability their business has been missing so they can shift from being their company’s hardest working employee to operating as a true CEO.

Ali knows there’s a next level you’re trying to unlock and in this conversation, he breaks down exactly why the way you’re working isn’t getting you there. We talk business, but we also go deep discussing grief, resilience, boundaries, and deciding who you are before the world decides for you.

In this episode:

* Why you’re solving business problems with marketing solutions (and how to stop)

* The systems and processes that unlock your next level

* Why the guru playbook doesn’t work for your real life

* How to build for your worst day to set the standard that keeps you consistent

* Boundaries and accountability

* Deciding who you are and making the world deal with it

* Stepping out on Substack and sharing your lived experience

Connect with Ali:Wisdom+Wayfinder | AliJTaylor.com | LinkedIn | Instagram

This episode of Brandy Was Here the Podcast is brought to you in part by:

Riverside.fm. For the podcaster or content creator who values quality, Riverside.fm makes the process from hitting record to publish seamless.

The “Pie” app (People I Enjoy) is a social networking platform designed to help people make new friends and discover real-life events, run clubs, and dinner groups in their local cities. Start connecting with all the cool kids in your city.

Brand Worthy Solutions, where the goal is to help you feel seen, heard and worthy.

Support the podcast by living into the journey — grab your merch and more at BrandyWasHere.com.

Be sure to like, subscribe and comment below. For the full Brandy Was Here experience, become a subscriber on Substack.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of Brandy Was Here the Podcast I am joined by Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins better known as DoctorJonPaul award-winning educator, national speaker, freelance journalist, and media critic whose work has been featured in Essence, Ebony, Complex, Out Magazine, BET, and Entertainment Weekly. A TEDx, SXSW, and Coachella featured speaker, they're the creator and host of the Webby-honored, Shorty Award-winning Black Fat Femme podcast and author of Black Fat Femme: Revealing the Power of Visibly Queer Voices in Media and How to Love Yourself, out now.

In this episode:

We get into what it really takes to show up authentically online (yes, even on LinkedIn), why playing respectability politics won’t save you, and how to protect your peace while telling the truth out loud.

* Why getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to their brand

* Respectability politics: why playing the game still won’t save you

* Speaking up on LinkedIn when everyone says “that doesn’t belong here”

* Authenticity vs. access and setting boundaries when people overstep

* Networking as real connection, not collecting contacts for favors

* The voice in your head that isn’t yours and how to talk back to it

* Cuss ‘em out today so you can sleep better tonight 😌

Make sure you support my guest. For all things Doctor Jon Paul please visit www.DoctorJonPaul.com

This episode of Brandy Was Here the Podcast is brought to you in part by:

Riverside.fm. For the podcaster or content creator who values quality, Riverside.fm makes the process from hitting record to publish seamless.

The “Pie” app (People I Enjoy) is a social networking platform designed to help people make new friends and discover real-life events, run clubs, and dinner groups in their local cities. Start connecting with all the cool kids in your city.

Brand Worthy Solutions, where the goal is to help you feel seen, heard and worthy.

Be sure to like, subscribe and comment below. Grab Dr. Jon Paul’s book and follow them everywhere — all links in the show notes. For the full Brandy Was Here experience, become a subscriber on Substack.

Support the podcast by living into the journey grab your merch and more at BrandyWasHere.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is supported by the generosity of listeners like you.

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So after 2 years of ignoring my mic, I decided before we move forward it might be worth taking a step back. If you are new here, you probably missed my glow up so let’s revisit it together.

Interlude 01 is all about beginnings. I explain why I started my podcast and the biggest mistake I’ve made to date! Ahhh, press play.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe

As a church kids I have just a few thoughts on faith and religion in 2025.

Talk to me. What are your thoughts.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I reintroduce myself and catch you up on my journey. From navigating life’s unexpected twists to discovering new passions, I’ll share the experiences that have shaped me during my time away. Join me as we explore the power of stepping back, reflecting, and returning stronger than ever.

Join my community: www.brandywashere.substack.com
Purchase TBM Skincare: www.tbmskin.com
Sip with me and Sipology: https://www.sipology.com/en-us/order/?sort=displayName

Get full access to Brandy Was Here at brandywashere.substack.com/subscribe