In this episode, we sit down with Dr LaNail Plummer, a creative force and changemaker whose work bridges innovation and impact. With a focus on empowerment and sustainable growth, she shares insights on building with purpose, navigating challenges with grace, and creating opportunities that extend beyond personal success. 

This conversation is a reminder that leadership is not just about achievement; it is about legacy.

Still We Rise, Still We Lead honors leaders who turn passion into platforms that inspire and empower others.

In this episode, we welcome Suzanne Horton MA, NCC, LMHC, a visionary committed to creating meaningful change through leadership and community engagement. Her work reflects a deep belief in collaboration, access, and building systems that uplift rather than exclude. 

This conversation highlights resilience, intentional leadership, and the impact of showing up consistently for the communities we serve.

Still We Rise, Still We Lead continues with a spotlight on leaders who are transforming spaces through service and strategy.

Still We Rise, Still We Lead is a Black History Month radio series highlighting voices who are shaping culture, community, and impact in powerful ways.

In this episode, we are joined by Radiance, a dynamic leader whose work centers empowerment, authenticity, and purpose driven influence. Through her platform and presence, Radiance challenges others to embrace their voice, own their narrative, and move boldly in their calling.

This conversation explores identity, confidence, and the responsibility that comes with visibility in today’s world.

In this episode, we are joined by Shonda Scott, entrepreneur, ecosystem builder, and founder of 360 Total Concept. A champion for small businesses and underserved founders, Shonda has dedicated her career to helping entrepreneurs move from vision to viability. Through business development support, access to capital connections, and strategic guidance, she works to close opportunity gaps that too often prevent innovative ideas from becoming sustainable enterprises. This conversation explores economic empowerment, the power of ownership, and what it takes to build structures that allow others to thrive.

Still We Rise, Still We Lead is a Black History Month radio series highlighting Black leaders whose work is transforming communities, industries, and the narratives we carry about success.

In this episode, we are joined by Michael Pugh, President and CEO of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, one of the nation’s leading community development financial institutions. Growing up in Detroit in a single-parent household, Michael’s journey from bank teller to national financial leader reflects a deep commitment to strengthening the economic health of underserved communities. With more than three decades in community lending and development, including leadership at Carver Federal Savings Bank, he now leads LISC’s work investing billions of dollars into affordable housing, small businesses, and neighborhood revitalization across the country.

This conversation explores financial equity, generational wealth, and how lived experience can shape a vision for transformative community impact.

Still We Rise, Still We Lead is a Black History Month radio series highlighting Black leaders, creatives, and changemakers whose work spans justice, community development, mental health, and service. Through thoughtful conversation, the series explores how leadership is formed, sustained, and carried forward in real life.

In this episode, we are joined by Tiffany Obeng, attorney, literacy advocate, social impact author, and founder of Sugar Cookie Books. Tiffany shares how her experience navigating legal systems and serving as an Equal Opportunity Director shaped her commitment to fairness, access, and belonging. When she realized she had not met a real-life lawyer until the eleventh grade, she understood how limited exposure can shape possibility. That realization led her to create children’s books that introduce young readers, especially Black children, to careers and everyday joy in spaces where they have historically been absent. This conversation explores representation, early access, and how storytelling can expand what children believe is possible for their futures.

Still We Rise, Still We Lead is a Black History Month radio series highlighting Black leaders, creatives, and changemakers whose work spans justice, community development, mental health, and service. Through thoughtful conversation, the series explores how leadership is formed, sustained, and carried forward in real life.

In this episode, we are joined by Alexandra Aileru, Founder of Confident Career Switch. A former high school teacher who transitioned into corporate project management, Alexandra understands firsthand how career changers, especially Black women, are often overlooked not because they lack ability, but because their experience is undervalued. She shares how learning to translate her skills, advocate for her growth, and lead through uncertainty became the foundation for the company she built to help professionals reinvent their careers without starting over. This conversation explores confidence, reinvention, and the power of creating pathways when traditional ones fall short.

Still We Rise, Still We Lead is a Black History Month radio series highlighting Black leaders, creatives, and changemakers whose work spans justice, community development, mental health, and service. Through thoughtful conversation, the series explores how leadership is formed, sustained, and carried forward in real life.

In this episode, we are joined by Cheryl W. Thompson, an award-winning investigative correspondent for National Public Radio and an associate professor of journalism at George Washington University. With more than two decades of reporting at The Washington Post, multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning team contributions, and over 40 journalism honors to her name, Cheryl brings a rare depth of insight into truth-telling, accountability, and resilience.

As the daughter of a Tuskegee Airman, her work is also deeply personal. We discuss her forthcoming book, FORGOTTEN SOULS: The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen, the responsibility of preserving untold histories, the power of mentorship across generations, and why patience, connection, and integrity remain essential leadership tools in moments of cultural uncertainty.

Still We Rise, Still We Lead is a Black History Month radio series highlighting Black leaders, creatives, and changemakers whose work spans justice, community development, mental health, and service. Through thoughtful conversation, the series explores how leadership is formed, sustained, and carried forward in real life.

In this episode, we sit down with Charise Beckett, leadership strategist, transformational speaker, and author of P.O.I.S.E.™: The Blueprint for Escaping Burnout, Redefining Success, and Creating Your New Reality. With more than two decades of experience working with women executives, CEOs, and high-performing leaders, Charise shares how burnout has become a defining leadership challenge and why a new model of success is required. We explore her P.O.I.S.E.™ Leadership Framework, the shift toward conscious leadership, and how women can lead with clarity, build influence without exhaustion, and balance ambition with well-being without sacrificing excellence. This conversation centers on sustainability, self-trust, and redefining what powerful leadership looks like in this season.

Still We Rise, Still We Lead is a Black History Month radio series highlighting Black leaders, creatives, and changemakers whose work spans justice, community development, mental health, and service. Through thoughtful conversation, the series explores how leadership is formed, sustained, and carried forward in real life.

In this episode, we are joined by Quinae G. Jackson, Senior Director of Learning and Development at Wayfinder and founder of Overflow.Innovate.Lead. LLC. Quinae leads national training strategies that support tens of thousands of educators in creating learning environments rooted in belonging, agency, and purpose.

We explore her approach to leading with integrity inside complex systems, how she responded when strong outcomes were mischaracterized by forces outside her control, and why belonging is not a soft skill but a strategic leadership practice. This conversation offers grounded insight on resilience, values-aligned leadership, and how leaders can continue to move forward with clarity and intention, especially in seasons of change.