Business is War Podcast

Mark Raymond Jr. came to Business Is War, delivered a masterclass in resilience, and showed what it means to turn tragedy into purpose.

After a devastating spinal cord injury on July 4, 2016, Mark had to fight for more than recovery, and he had to rediscover the desire to live.

That desire became something even greater, a mission bigger than himself, and a movement built to serve others living with paralysis and mobility challenges.

Through The Split Second Foundation, Mark has turned pain into advocacy, survival into leadership, and personal tragedy into community impact.

This conversation is about grief, discipline, purpose, access, adaptive fitness, mental health, leadership, and the responsibility that comes with surviving what could have destroyed you.

Because in business, in life, and in war, the mission does not end when you get knocked down.

Sometimes, that is exactly where the real mission begins.

JJ Simmons brings the scoop, literally with a spoon, on this episode of Business Is War.

Elliott Forman sits down with the voice behind New Orleans on Fire to talk media, money, faith, entrepreneurship, branding and the power of owning the narrative.

JJ shares how he built a community driven media platform rooted in real stories, local visibility, and purpose.

This conversation is about the business of attention, the responsibility of influence, and why entrepreneurs must learn to control their own story.

Gary Chambers Jr. has never waited for permission to speak truth to power.In this powerful episode of the **Business Is WAR Podcast**, Elliott Forman sits down with the Baton Rouge native, civil rights advocate, entrepreneur, speaker, and political strategist whose fearless voice has made an impact throughout Louisiana and across the country.Gary has brought a new level of urgency to conversations surrounding justice, equality, Black political power, and community responsibility. His journey is a testament to what can happen when conviction becomes stronger than fear and self belief becomes the foundation for action.This conversation explores the courage required to challenge broken systems, the responsibility of advocating for your people, and the personal discipline needed to keep fighting when the odds are stacked against you.Gary reminds us that leadership is not about holding a title. It is about standing firmly in your principles, using your platform with purpose, and refusing to remain silent when people are being overlooked, mistreated, or denied justice.This is a conversation about politics, race, courage, identity, community, and the uncompromising belief that ordinary people can create extraordinary change.*Do good. Seek justice. Believe in yourself.*Because politics is war.Civil rights are war.And *Business Is WAR.*Subscribe to the Business Is WAR Podcast for intelligent conversations with business leaders, advocates, entrepreneurs, athletes, and changemakers who understand what it means to fight for something greater.*Hosted by Elliott Forman*Founder and President of Bonita PaymentsAuthor of Business Is WARProduced by Hunter BaxleyProduced by Aaron HendersonProduced by Jovan Hernandez#BusinessIsWar #GaryChambersJr #ElliottForman #CivilRights #SocialJustice #BlackLeadership #BlackPolitics #BatonRouge #LouisianaPolitics #PoliticalLeadership #CommunityAdvocacy #SelfBelief #DoGoodSeekJustice #BusinessIsWarPodcast

Melika Honore enters the Business Is War studio, brings the hammer with a powerful history lesson, and breaks down the financial foundation every entrepreneur needs.

From taxes and credit to real estate and employees, this conversation examines small business survival and scalability, while connecting every decision to family and legacy.

Melika explains how business owners can strengthen their structure, improve financial readiness and use credit as leverage, then build with discipline instead of operating from survival.

Listen now, share the lesson that challenged you most, and follow Business Is War for more direct conversations with serious builders.

#BusinessIsWar #MelikaHonore #CreditQueen #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #FinancialLiteracy #BusinessCredit #RealEstate #Taxes #Legacy

This isn’t just a restaurant story… this is WAR.

Before the awards, before the fame, before being named America’s Best Fried Chicken… she was grinding—working as a beautician, taxi driver, and cleaner just to survive.

What started as a small bar in New Orleans turned into one of the most iconic food brands in the country—Willie Mae’s Scotch House.

In this episode, we break down:

• The REAL story behind a multi-generational empire
• How Hurricane Katrina nearly wiped it all out—and how they came back stronger
• Why most restaurants fail at consistency (and how they mastered it)
• The secret ingredient that NO ONE can replicate: love + discipline

This is more than food.
This is legacy.
This is what happens when you refuse to quit.

Business is WAR. And this is how you survive it.

What happens when the dream you chased your whole life changes in an instant?In this episode of Business Is WAR, Elliott Forman sits down with Malachi Dupre — former #1 high school football player in America at his position, LSU standout, NFL draft pick, and now a New Orleans entrepreneur building businesses on his own terms.Malachi’s story is bigger than football.He talks about:growing up in a two-parent household and finding discipline earlywhy school structure works for some kids and fails othersarriving at LSU and being moved straight to the front of the linethe pressure of SEC football and what it really feels like to have a target on your backgetting drafted by the Green Bay Packers later than expectedwaking up in an ambulance after his first NFL gamerealizing there is no next level after the NFLpreparing for life after sports before the game was overbuilding income outside football through merchant services and constructionwalking away from pro football on his own termsopening a sushi restaurant with zero restaurant experiencewhy hospitality, humility, and constant improvement matter in businessThis conversation is about more than sports.It’s about identity.It’s about getting humbled.It’s about learning that talent can open doors — but character, awareness, and discipline are what keep you alive once you get through them.Malachi went from:elite recruitto LSU starto NFL realityto entrepreneur with multiple businessesIf you’re an athlete, entrepreneur, or anyone trying to figure out what comes after one chapter closes, this episode is for you.Because business is war.And the people who survive are the ones who keep learning, keep adapting, and keep moving forward.Like, comment, subscribe, and share.#BusinessIsWar #MalachiDupre #LSUFootball #NFL #Entrepreneurship #NewOrleansBusiness #Hospitality #Mindset #Success #FootballToBusiness

What happens when you leave corporate America to build something completely your own… and the world shuts down?

In this episode of the Business Is WAR Podcast, Elliott Forman sits down with Johnny Liss, founder of JamNOLA, the immersive art experience celebrating the culture, music, and creativity of New Orleans.

What started as an idea inspired by immersive museums quickly turned into a massive entrepreneurial risk. Just weeks after signing dozens of artists and preparing to launch, COVID shut down the world — and tourism disappeared overnight.

Instead of quitting, Johnny doubled down.

Working with 100+ local artists, rebuilding an abandoned bakery, and creating 30 immersive installations, JamNOLA became one of the most unique cultural attractions in the country and helped support the local art community during one of the toughest times in modern history.

Liss Multi

In this conversation we break down:

• The moment that sparked the JamNOLA idea
• Why he walked away from a successful corporate career
• Building a business when the economy collapses
• How immersive experiences are changing tourism
• Supporting local artists and culture through entrepreneurship
• The realities of financing and surviving a startup

This episode is about risk, creativity, resilience, and building something bigger than yourself.

If you’re an entrepreneur, creator, or someone chasing a big idea — this conversation will hit home.

🎙 Business Is WAR Podcast
Real stories from entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders fighting on the front lines of business.

Subscribe for more episodes.

#BusinessIsWar #Entrepreneurship #JamNOLA #NewOrleans #StartupStories #CreativeBusiness #ImmersiveExperience #Podcast

Cancer isn’t always a diagnosis… sometimes it’s people.
But for Tancharelle (Sherrill) Washington, cancer attacked her body — and forced a complete reset on life, purpose, and relationships.

In this episode of Business Is WAR, we talk about the real side of breast cancer that too many people ignore:

• Black women face a different reality — and are dying at a 41% higher rate

• Diagnoses are happening younger and younger (she met a 19-year-old who needed a double mastectomy)

• What it actually feels like to hear the diagnosis

• How cancer exposes relationships — who stays, who disappears, and why

• The mental battle: choosing faith, focus, and forward motion

• How she turned the fight into Courage Over Cancer, supporting thousands of women with resources, care packages, and community

• Why awareness isn’t enough — we need action, education, and support systems that don’t fail women in treatment

This conversation is raw, necessary, and built to spark real change.

If you’ve ever fought cancer, supported someone who has, or want to understand what it takes to survive — this episode is for you.

✅ Subscribe for more real stories that matter.
💬 Drop a comment: What’s one way we can better support women in treatment?

#BusinessIsWar #CourageOverCancer #BreastCancerAwareness #BlackWomenHealth #HealthEquity #CancerSurvivor #PurposeDriven #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #RealTalk

He applied to 34 news stations.
Got rejected.
Told he “wasn’t cut out” for news.

Took a $25,000 job in a small Alabama town anyway.

Three weeks later?

He’s interviewing Oprah.

Years later?

Covering Kobe Bryant’s death.
Reporting during the George Floyd protests.
Standing at the White House.
Correspondent for CNN.

This is the story of Darryl Forges — Emmy Award-winning journalist, Louisiana native, and proof that success isn’t microwave… it’s reps, rejection, and relentless belief.

In this episode of Business Is WAR, we break down:

• Why rejection built him
• What small markets teach you about greatness
• The truth about working at CNN
• Sacrificing fatherhood for career dreams
• Why humility is the ultimate weapon
• Inspiring the next generation of Black boys

If you’ve ever doubted your path…
If you’ve ever been told “you’re not good enough”…
If you’re grinding in a small market dreaming of the big leagues…

This episode is for you.

💥 Stop waiting on perfect conditions.
💥 Stop comparing your chapter 1 to someone’s chapter 20.
💥 Put in the reps.

Because Business is WAR.

—

🎙 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders, builders, and game changers.
📲 Follow Darryl Forges on social media.
⚔️ Protect yourself at all times.

#BusinessIsWar #DarrylForges #SuccessStory #CNN #EntrepreneurMindset #BlackExcellence #PutInTheReps #Journalism #Leadership

Ameer Baraka’s life changed the moment he realized something powerful:

👉 No one was coming to save him.

Growing up unable to read, pushed toward the streets, and later facing years in prison, Ameer hit a turning point. What followed was a transformation through discipline, faith, education, and radical personal responsibility.

Today he’s an actor, author, and advocate fighting the literacy crisis and teaching others how to escape what he calls self-imposed incarceration.

In this episode we break down:

    •    How undiagnosed dyslexia shapes identity

    •    Why language is currency

    •    The mentors who changed his trajectory

    •    Prison as a wake-up call

    •    The mindset shift from victim to owner

    •    Building success without compromising your values

This conversation is raw, challenging, and necessary.

If you believe your past doesn’t have to define your future, press play.

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