DREAMLEAPERS® with Harriette Cole

Sue Hitzmann is an exercise physiologist, manual therapist, and the founder of the MELT Method®, a self-treatment technique designed to help people reduce chronic pain, improve mobility, and restore balance in the body. She is the CEO of Longevity Fitness, Inc., and an internationally recognized educator who teaches individuals and health professionals how to care for their connective tissue and overall well-being.

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Join Harriette Cole on DREAMLEAPERS® with guest Akeshi Akinseye, global luxury event planner and author.

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Tamika D. Mallory is a bestselling author, award-winning social justice leader, and movement strategist. A powerful organizer, she has led major justice movements, from fighting voter suppression to advocating for Breonna Taylor. As the youngest-ever Executive Director of the National Action Network, she helped create New York City’s $100 million Crisis Management System for gun violence prevention. She also made history as a national co-chair of the 2017 Women’s March, the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history.

In 2020, Tamika’s viral speech during the George Floyd protests resonated with millions worldwide and became the foundation for her bestselling book, STATE OF EMERGENCY: How We Win in the Country We Built. In early 2025, she released I LIVED TO TELL THE STORY, a coming-of-age memoir reflecting on her journey from a curious young girl in Harlem, NY to an internationally recognized activist. As co-founder of Until Freedom, she continues to advocate for marginalized communities and co-hosts the TMI Podcast (Tamika & Mysonne’s Information) on iHeart Radio’s Black Effect Network.

Named one of Time 100’s Most Influential People and featured on Fortune’s World’s Greatest Leaders, Tamika has received numerous honors, including the Phoenix Award from the Congressional Black Caucus. She remains relentless in her fight for justice while embracing her most cherished roles as a mother and grandmother.

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Eric Easter is a producer, writer and media executive and CEO of BlackBoxDigital Studios, which produces non-fiction multi-platform programming. The former CEO of streaming channel Black Heritage Network, he advises content-based media startups including streaming channel Kweli TV.

A strong advocate for public media, he is the chairman of WHUT TV (Howard University Television) and a trustee of America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) and its lobbying arm, APTS Action. A former chairman of Black Public Media, he also served on the board of the Public Media Platform, a joint effort to build a global digital resource of public media content.

The former chief digital officer for Johnson Publishing, he launched and served as founding editor-in-chief of EbonyJet.com (now Ebony.com). As head of its entertainment unit, he spearheaded the company’s push into documentaries, online radio and short-form video. The partnership he established with Google led to the digitization of the archives of Ebony, Jet, Negro Digest/Black World and Ebony Jr.

Prior to joining JPC, he directed communications outreach for Washington Post Newsweek Interactive (washingtonpost.com, newsweek.com, Slate) and served as executive director of Lawyers for the Arts, where he worked with content and music creators to navigate the impact of digital technology on intellectual property.

He founded and published the DC-based cultural magazine, ONE, and co-published the scholarly quarterly, Black Film Review.

He is a creator and co-author of the bestselling book Songs of My People (Little Brown 1992), a historic book and international photo exhibition on the lives of African Americans. In collaboration with actor Edward James Olmos and journalist Manny Monterrey, he produced AMERICANOS: Latino Life in the United States (Little Brown, 1990), a book, exhibition and award-winning HBO documentary which launched HBO Latino.

A political veteran, he served as a media advisor to the campaigns of Howard Dean, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Governor Doug Wilder (VA), and as press secretary to the Rev. Jesse Jackson for the National Rainbow Coalition.

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Join Harriette Cole for a powerful conversation with award-winning filmmaker and media executive Keith Michael Brown, Executive Vice President of Content at Firelight Films. They discuss his directorial debut, A New Day Begun: The Black National Anthem, and explore the power of storytelling, truth-telling, and centering voices that shape culture, history, and social change.

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Susan L. Taylor is a legendary voice in media, widely known for her profound impact as former Editor-in-Chief of Essence magazine. For decades, she has shaped generations of Black women through storytelling rooted in empowerment, healing, and truth. She is also a longtime author, speaker, and advocate for personal and community transformation.

Stephen Powell is a nationally respected leader in youth development and mentorship, with decades of experience building programs that uplift Black boys and young men through accountability, love, and community. His work is grounded in the unwavering belief that mentorship saves lives.

Together, Susan and Stephen co-founded the National CARES Mentoring Movement, an organization dedicated to healing, empowering, and guiding Black children through culturally responsive mentorship. National CARES works to disrupt cycles of trauma by surrounding young people with consistent, caring adults who believe in their greatness.

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Charlie Lewis Jr. is a real estate professional, author, and lifestyle visionary focused on intentional living and personal alignment. Based in New York City, his work encourages people to think beyond success as a title and instead consider how they truly live their lives.

His newly released book, No Apologies: Love the Way You Live, at Any Age, explores authenticity, self-acceptance, wellness, and living with purpose—offering reflection and practical insight for every season of life.

A proud graduate of Howard University and the University of Texas at Austin, Charlie remains committed to leadership, mentorship, and community impact.

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Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman is an award-winning Ghanaian-American researcher and writer. She is a postgraduate student at Harvard Kennedy School studying public policy and economics. She is the youngest recipient of a CEDAW Women’s Rights Award from the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Her first book received widespread coverage from outlets including NPR, ESSENCE, Telemundo, and The New York Times.

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Jeanni L. Johnson, a board-certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Minnesota and New York, brings a wealth of expertise as a psychotherapist based in Westchester, NY. Holding a Master of Science in Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice from Columbia University, Jeanni’s passion for destigmatizing mental health shines through her role as the CEO and founder of For Love & Psych, LLC.

With a decade of focused experience in mental health and addictive disorders, Jeanni’s dedication to equity is exemplified through her collaborative research projects at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. Her work providing behavioral mental health and substance abuse services underscores her commitment to supporting individuals on their healing journey.

Grounded in the belief that healing is a collaborative process rooted in compassion and judgment-free care, Jeanni employs a multi-methodological and integrative approach to therapy. Through her guidance, clients are encouraged to introspectively address barriers hindering personal growth with clarity and self-compassion.

Jeanni L. Johnson is a beacon of empathy and expertise, guiding individuals toward self-discovery and empowerment in their mental health and overall well-being.

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