On this episode of the Cultural Development Podcast, Rome sits down with David Smith, a police lieutenant with 15 years of law enforcement experience, former SWAT team member, and Head Coach with Apogee Responders.

We get into what leadership really looks like when you stop focusing on changing everybody else and start with the person in the mirror.

David breaks down self-leadership, personal responsibility, resilience, first responder wellness, organizational culture, and building an identity beyond the badge. We also discuss why too many first responders sacrifice their health, relationships, and identity for the profession—and how intentional leadership can create healthier people, families, teams, and organizations.

The conversation goes beyond law enforcement. It’s about becoming a stronger leader, spouse, parent, teammate, and person.

Culture doesn’t change just because policies change. Culture changes when people change. And leadership starts with you.

🎙️ Cultural Development Podcast Hosted by Rome the Rula

In this episode of the Cultural Development Podcast, Jerome Scurry Jr. sits down with Janet Byrnes for a real conversation about community, public safety, leadership, and service.

Janet Byrnes is a retired law enforcement officer and candidate for Virginia Beach City Council District 4. Her platform highlights safe neighborhoods, strong schools, responsible economic growth, housing affordability, and listening to the needs of the community.

This conversation goes beyond politics. Jerome and Janet talk about what it means to serve, how communities can build trust, and why public safety has to include both accountability and real connection with the people being served.

They also discuss the importance of leadership, youth, families, schools, and creating a stronger future for Virginia Beach.

Cultural Development Podcast is about real conversations that challenge people to think deeper about culture, community, and responsibility. This episode is for anyone who cares about where our city is headed and what it takes to lead with purpose.

Teenage Takeover: Crime or Culture? | Cultural Development Podcast Episode 7

In this episode of the Cultural Development Podcast, Rome the Rula and Nick “The Social Introvert” have an honest conversation about today’s youth, teenage violence, social media, broken family structures, and the systems that helped shape the culture we see today.

Are teenagers simply committing crimes, or are they products of a trickle-down effect that started generations ago?

We discuss how parents were shaped by government systems, family separation, mass incarceration, and the school-to-prison pipeline—and how those experiences continue to affect their children today. We also examine how social media amplifies violence, rewards negative attention, and pushes young people to do everything “for the gram.”

This conversation is not about excusing bad behavior. It is about understanding where it comes from so families, mentors, schools, law enforcement, and communities can create real solutions.

Watch the full episode and join the conversation:

Is the teenage takeover a crime problem, a culture problem, or both?

Like, comment, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who cares about the future of our youth.

Lead. Teach. Inspire.

#CulturalDevelopmentPodcast #TeenageTakeover #YouthViolence #Mentorship #RomeTheRula

.In this episode of the Cultural Development Podcast, Jerome Scurry Jr. sits down with guest co-host Nick Franklin as the duo gets back on the mic together for the first time in a while.

Rome and Nick catch up on what LTI Network has been building, what has been happening in the community, and the current events shaping the culture. As usual, the conversation is funny, real, and unfiltered, but it also gets serious when they talk about something many parents may not fully understand: the secret social media life of teenagers.

From finsta accounts to hidden online behavior, this episode breaks down why parents need to pay closer attention to what their kids are doing online, who they are talking to, and how social media is shaping their identity, confidence, decisions, and safety.

This is a real conversation for parents, mentors, educators, and anyone trying to understand today’s youth culture.

Rome and Nick are back — and they did not miss a beat.

In this powerful episode of the Cultural Development Podcast, we sit down with Jyron Pinckney, a survivor connected to one of the darkest moments in modern American history — the 2015 mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Jyron shares his story from inside the church, the weight of surviving, the impact of racial hatred, and how a moment meant to destroy a community became a testimony of strength, faith, survival, and purpose.

This conversation is not just about tragedy. It is about memory, healing, truth, and what our communities must learn from the pain people carry in silence.

On Cultural Development Podcast, we believe real stories create real understanding. This episode gives space to a survivor’s voice, honors those who lost their lives, and challenges us to think deeper about hate, forgiveness, trauma, faith, and the responsibility we all have to build better communities.

Watch, listen, reflect, and share this conversation with someone who needs to hear it.

Guest: Jyron Pinckney Host: Jerome Scurry Jr. / Rome the Rula Podcast: Cultural Development Podcast

#CulturalDevelopmentPodcast #JyronPinckney #MotherEmanuel #CharlestonStrong #RealConversations

A stronger YouTube title could be: Surviving the Charleston Church Shooting: Jyron Pinckney Tells His Story.

Rome the Rula sits down with Attorney Dante Wright for a powerful conversation about adversity, mentorship, and transformation.

Growing up in poverty and instability while spending part of his childhood in foster care, Dante faced challenges that could have easily defined his future. Instead, through resilience, guidance, and determination, he changed the trajectory of his life and became a respected attorney.

This episode explores leadership, masculinity, discipline, second chances, personal growth, and what it truly takes to overcome your environment and build a meaningful life.

Presented by Cultural Development Podcast.

In this episode of the Cultural Development Podcast, Jerome Scurry Jr. aka Rome the Rula sits down with former Navy rescue swimmer, undercover narcotics officer, author, and speaker Matthew Griffin for a raw conversation about trauma, masculinity, mental health, and life after the badge.

Matthew opens up about the realities of law enforcement, the pressure men face to suffer in silence, his personal battles with trauma, and his journey toward healing and purpose. From undercover work and PTSD to leadership, identity, and growth, this episode dives into conversations many men avoid but desperately need.

This is more than a police conversation — it’s about culture, survival, healing, and becoming the man you were meant to be.

🎙️ Cultural Development Podcast Hosted by Jerome Scurry Jr. aka Rome the Rula

Follow LTI: 📲 IG: @leadteachinspirenetwork

Follow Rome the Rula: 📲 IG: @rometherula

Guest: Matthew Griffin 📘 Author of The Journey to Midnight 🌐 Matthew Griffin Official Website

🎙️ A Retired Black Navy Diver’s Journey

In this episode, we sit down with a retired Black Navy diver to break down his path into the United States Navy and what it really took to earn that title. From the beginning stages of his journey, he shares the challenges he faced—including the stigma surrounding Black men and swimming—and how he pushed through to succeed in one of the most demanding fields in the military.

We also dive into his transition out of the Navy and into civilian life, where he took on new roles and responsibilities, including becoming a police officer. In a full-circle moment, he reflects on his time in the academy—where Rome the Rula served as his instructor—and how those experiences continued to shape his mindset, discipline, and leadership.

This episode is about resilience, breaking barriers, and evolving through every stage of life while wearing many hats and staying grounded in purpose.