Doug interviews Allison Kluger, a Stanford Graduate School of Business professor who teaches courses on reputation management, strategic communication, personal branding, and strategic pivoting. Kluger shares her AIM framework (audience, intent, message), discusses how Google and LinkedIn shape first impressions, and distinguishes visibility from credibility by emphasizing trust and front facing acts of service. She highlights the outsized impact of first impressions and outlines the “trust radar” for crisis recovery, using Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars incident as an example. Allison and Doug also discuss career pivots through transferable skills, the risks of AI-amplified misinformation, and using personal "feedback surveys" to identify the traits people most associate with you.

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Doug Melville interviews Angelique Chamberlain, an LA Times Magazine travel contributor and telecom executive who has visited 108 countries, ALL seven continents, and the wonders of the world. She talks about how family travel, (and a UCLA gap year) sparked her passion, and how travel inspires - from luxury trips and experiences from Kenya’s Giraffe Manor to Bhutan. Angelique and Doug discuss the growth of solo travel, why she prefers it, and shares solo travel safety tips. She also describes her “Passport University” alternative education concept, and her ultimate goal of inspiring broader travel.

Doug's Forbes Article on Angelique

More of Angelique:

@YourTravelSensei

Los Angeles Times

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In the second Cannes interview, Doug Melville talks with Flavor Flav about his music and touring connections, then focuses on Flav’s pivot into supporting athletes and women’s sports. Flav talks about how he began sponsoring the U.S. Olympic women’s water polo team, after reading captain Maggie Steffens’ story, then expanded support to the full U.S. Olympic water polo program, men and women. (He also tried water polo himself!) Flav talks trying to bobsled and skeleton in Park City, and even aiming to possibly compete in 2030. Flav details S.H.E. Weekend—Sports, Hospitality and Entertainment—created after the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team didn’t receive the same White House recognition as the men, including a Las Vegas parade route from Bellagio to T-Mobile Arena, performances by Sheila E., Chuck D, Montel Jordan, and others, and celebrations for women gold medalists and Paralympians.

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Doug Melville interviews seven-time Grammy winner and founder of the Black Eyed Peas Will.i.am at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativit in France. The discussion is about implementing AI for creativity and problem-solving. Will.i.am shares his history in the tech space over the past 20 year and his pivot from music into hardware, recounting early work with music executive and entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine, building of an AI watch with contextual voice capabilities, and being an early investor in companies like Tesla, Twitter, Lovable, Anthropic, and others. He explains his platform, FYI.ai, and its value proposition as a secure, collaborative messenger for large files and IP protection. Will.i.am argues it’s too early to fear AI and compares it to a life “cheat code” people should learn. 

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Doug Melville sits down with the owner/operator of Destination Smokehouse Nick Yepremian, in an exclusive interview. His Southern California restaurant was where “Tendernism” was born. But after the success of generating hundreds of millions of views on social, Walter ‘Unc’ Johnson and Nick separated. Nick explains how “Tendernism” originated, discusses the trademark controversy, the equity conversation, the Keith Lee visit, and looks to clear up and address misconceptions about Walter’s role, while outlining plans to refocus locally and expand to other cities.

Destination Smokehouse in Murrieta, California

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Doug Melville hosts Sarah Davis and Ben Hemminger, founder and co-founder of Fashionphile, now CEO and COO of the largest ultra-luxury handbag and accessory retailer in the U.S. They trace their roots from selling on eBay in 1999 and bootstrapping the business, including a strategic early base in Beverly Hills to build trust and credibility through authentication guides and strong feedback. They discuss partnering after an earlier startup, leaving stable career paths, and finding product-market fit in luxury resale. Fashionphile has grown to hundreds of millions in revenue, 400+ employees, 14 locations and major flagships in San Diego, LA, and New York, plus London and Tokyo offices. They cover supply-vs-demand dynamics, the “pay her fast and fair” seller strategy, brand relationships, pricing trends, and evolving authentication tools and anti-fraud efforts, and close with advice to start quickly and obsess over customers.

Fashionphile.com

Fashionphile on Instagram

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Doug Melville sits down with Rob Schwartz, former TBWA\Chiat\Day CEO and now a certified performance and leadership coach to talk about what he’s hearing most from clients right now: anxiety and uncertainty about what to do next, from seasoned executives to early-career talent, especially with AI and layoffs reshaping work. Rob shares how he starts coaching sessions with simple humanity and deep listening, then helps clients clarify goals using the GROW framework (goal, reality, opportunity, will). Rob and Doug discuss why AI can be helpful but can’t replace a coach’s ability to read body language and create real breakthroughs, plus Rob’s own pivot into coaching during COVID. 

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Doug Melville welcomes in Lanny Smith to discuss his pivot from basketball to entrepreneurship as the founder of athleisure brand Actively Black. Lanny recounts playing college basketball, and signing as an undrafted free agent with the Sacramento Kings shortly before a knee injury ended his NBA career after 33 days, triggering an identity crisis. He explains how faith helped him launch his first brand, Active Faith, which Steph Curry later partnered in, and how experiences with racism and the 2020 social climate led him to launch Actively Black. Lanny discusses the brand’s “This is Not a Fashion Show” New York Fashion Week event featuring figures such as Ruby Bridges, and the daughters of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. As always, Doug closes with asking his guest for the best advice they've received, and Lanny tells us about rejecting fear.

For more of Lanny Smith:

Lanny's Instagram

www.ActivelyBlack.com

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Interviewed in this inaugural episode by Maisha Dyson, Doug Melville recounts some of the highlights of his astonishing career working with titans like Quincy Jones, Tommy Hilfiger, and Magic Johnson. Having been to over 40 countries, Doug shares how his experiences and lessons he learned, along with the uniquely positioned guests he'll bring on, can help you make your next career move your best career move.

For more of Maisha Dyson:

MaishaStudios.com

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DM Me with Doug Melville is a direct, practical self-help podcast in which Doug Melville answers real questions with clear guidance to help listeners grow and take action on their careers, reputation, culture and life.

Doug Melville is a seasoned executive, bestselling author, and Forbes contributor with 25 years of leadership experience. His career spans the music industry in Los Angeles, top advertising agencies

on Madison Avenue, and senior roles in the global luxury sector in Geneva. He has traveled to 77

countries and all 50 U.S. states, gaining rare insight into culture, business, and human behavior.

Recognized as a trusted voice, Doug advises professionals at every stage of their careers—from

Stanford University to Davos —helping them navigate change and chart meaningful new paths. Equal parts historian and guide, he brings depth, clarity, and perspective to audiences seeking personal and professional growth.

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