Business is War Podcast

In this episode of Business Is War, we sit down with Grammy Award–winning musician and cultural leader Irvin Mayfield for a deep, honest conversation about discipline, mastery, and the realities of evolution—in music, business, and life.

Irvin breaks down why most people quit before they ever reach excellence, why motivation fades but discipline must remain, and how obsession with the craft is what carries people through the hardest moments. Drawing parallels between music, boxing, business, and art, this episode reveals the universal laws of mastery that apply to anything worth pursuing.

We talk about:

    •    Why discipline matters more than motivation

    •    The real reason people abandon music and creative pursuits

    •    How mastery is built through repetition and patience

    •    What artists and entrepreneurs must understand about evolution

    •    Digital disruption, AI, and adapting to a changing economy

    •    Why now is always the best time to build and create

This is a conversation about staying in the fight, embracing discomfort, and evolving instead of complaining about change.

Because whether it’s music, business, or life—

mastery belongs to those who refuse to quit.

After 21 years of incarceration, Fox and Rob sit down with Business is WAR for one of the most powerful conversations we’ve ever recorded.This isn’t just a love story — it’s a story of redemption, resilience, and rebuilding life from the ground up. We talk about what it really takes to come home, stay solid, and build a future when the past tried to break you.In this episode, we cover:

• Life before and during incarceration
• The mental battle of surviving prison
• Love, loyalty, and marriage through adversity
• Trauma, healing, and personal transformation
• Reentry, rebuilding, and becoming unstoppable

If you’ve ever felt counted out… this episode is for you.📍Recorded in New Orleans🎙️ Hosted by Elliott FormanSubscribe to Business is WAR for more real conversations with real people who overcame real battles.

#BusinessIsWAR #Redemption #Marriage #Incarceration #SecondChances #NewOrleans #LoveStory #TraumaToTriumph #foxandrob

Welcome back to Business is War. Elliot Foreman sits down with financial professional Wil Ballard for a real conversation about financial intelligence—earning, protecting what you make, and building a future with discipline. They unpack why many families distrust financial institutions, the history behind that distrust (including Freedman’s Bank), and how life insurance, investing, wills, and trusts can work together to secure generational wealth. If you’re 40 or 50 and financial stability still isn’t part of your core operating procedure, this episode is your wake-up call.

Business is War — protect yourself at all times

Every executive understands this truth: success is never a straight line—it’s a contested battlefield. Our guest today operates with that reality as standard operating procedure. Calvin Mills Jr. has spent more than two decades navigating complex environments.

In this episode of Business is War, Elliott Forman sits down with Christopher Prasad, widely known as the “Hospitality King of New Orleans.” Christopher breaks down the trade secrets behind building a hospitality empire in less than a decade—how he identified winning concepts, secured premium locations, and scaled operations in the most competitive real estate corridors across the New Orleans metro.

From launching a recycling business to becoming a hospitality juggernaut, Christopher walks through the mindset shifts, deal structures, hiring standards, and execution systems that powered his rise—plus the mistakes he’d avoid if he were starting again today. If you want the real playbook on growth, location strategy, and operational discipline in hospitality, this is the one.

Produced by: Hunter Baxley and Aaron Henderson

Mental health has been treated like a taboo topic for decades. We whisper about it, hide it, downplay it, and hope nobody notices when we’re carrying more than we can hold. But the world has changed. Life has accelerated, business has intensified, and the weight on every one of us has grown heavier.The problem?Our internal bandwidth hasn’t evolved at the same pace.We’re operating at a crisis level—quietly, collectively, and dangerously.This video is a call to action.It’s time to make mental health a household word.Not something to hide. Not something to fear. Not something to carry alone.Real courage isn’t “toughing it out.”Real courage is speaking up before you break down.Real leadership is acknowledging the pressure before it becomes damage.In this conversation, we break down:• Why mental health has been underestimated for so long• How modern life is outpacing our emotional capacity• What real strength looks like in today’s world• Why addressing mental health is essential for how we live, lead, and perform• How to rebuild yourself without shame, guilt, or silenceThis isn’t weakness.This is awareness.This is survival.This is strength.If this message resonates, subscribe and share it with someone who needs it.The right conversation at the right time can save a life.

Co-Produced by Hunter Baxley & Aaron Henderson

In this episode of Business is WAR, former New Orleans City Councilmember Cyndi Nguyen sits down with Elliott Forman to talk about the realities of public service — from budget deficits and community rebuilding to the lessons learned from her first term and what she plans to do differently if elected again.A focused, no-nonsense conversation about leadership, accountability, and the fight to move New Orleans forward.#BusinessIsWar #CyndiNguyen #NewOrleans #Leadership #DistrictE #PublicService

Produced by Hunter Baxley

CoProduced by Aaron Henderson

**Triumph isn’t luck—it’s discipline.**

In this episode, **Stricen Carter (@sweetthangsnola)** shows how a young hustler turned an ice chest, a sidewalk, and a city’s heat into a real business. **Secondlines. Sold-out coolers. Designer Snoballs.** From pop-up to profit, she built systems, not excuses.**What you’ll learn*** How to **pivot** when plans change—and how to own the new path* Turning **street demand** into a repeatable operation (pricing, margins, logistics)* Building a **brand ladder** (originals → editions/products → mixers) that compounds over time.* Protecting your **IP & Partnerships** without losing creative control;* The role of **Faith, Grit, and Standards** when the pressure hits⚜ Why this story is a blueprint!⚜ The pivot—plans change, winners adjust!⚜ Pop-up economics: price, cost, margin!⚜ From hustle to **system**: events, secondlines, logistics!⚜ Brand & partnerships—how to structure the deal!⚜ Product ladder & scale: from the bar to the bottles!⚜ Legacy moves: the hill she’ll die on and leaving her mark!If this episode pushed you, **like, subscribe, and share** it with a builder who needs a win.Follow **Stricen Carter** and support **Sweet Thangs NOLA**.Also available on **Spotify** and **Apple Podcasts**.**#BusinessIsWAR #SweetThangsNOLA #StricenCarter #NewOrleans #Entrepreneurship #Triumph #SnoballBar #Hustle #Discipline**Produced by Hunter BaxleyCo-produced by Aaron Henderson

Chief Murphy J. Paul, Jr. (Ret.) visits the Business is WAR Podcast – War Room to break down what authentic leadership looks like when the stakes are public safety, trust, and results.

A former Deputy Superintendent of the Louisiana State Police and Chief of Police in Baton Rouge, Paul led reform during a hard season—expanding transparency, modernizing tech (including a Real-Time Crime Center), and building direct community dialogue.

He brings 33+ years of experience, advanced leadership training (FBI National Academy and FBI National Executive Institute), and national influence (IACP Board of Directors) to this conversation about accountability, data-driven strategy, and making change that lasts.

Chief Paul’s core belief—“crime isn’t just a police issue, it’s a community issue.”

In this episode, we cover:

Leadership under pressure: standards, discipline, and owning outcomes. Evidence-based policing vs. politics and noise. Transparency, body-worn tech, and the Real-Time Crime Center playbook. Community engagement that rebuilds trust—and reduces violent crime. Recruiting for character, training for excellence, and enforcing accountability. How leaders create culture—without excuses.

Produced by Hunter Baxley

Co-produced by Aaron Henderson

Politics meets private practice and entrepreneurship. In this Business is WAR episode, Elliott Forman enters the ring with Oliver M. Thomas—New Orleans City Councilmember (District E) and mayoral candidate—to talk candidly about finances, mechanics (systems & infrastructure), and the spirit of a city built to fight and win.We discuss:Finances: Attracting investment, growing small & minority-owned businesses, and building a citywide “war chest.”Mechanics: Fixing permitting, public works, and public safety—what actually drove a 10-year low in crime in New Orleans East, and how to scale that playbook citywide.Spirituality: Rebuilding trust, protecting culture, and leading with accountability.Guest linksWebsite: otforus.comSocial: @otforusSubscribe for more battlefield-tested conversations with founders, leaders, and policymakers.Business isn’t a game. Business is WAR.#BusinessIsWar #OliverThomas #NewOrleans #Leadership #Politics #EntrepreneurshipProduced by Hunter BaxleyCo-Produced by Aaron Henderson