Meet Frankie Armenta, founder and designer of Own The Day, a lifestyle brand out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. In part two of this interview, Frankie shares about some of the challenge's he's faced and the future of the brand.   You can find the brand at www.owntheday47.com or @OwnTheDay47

Meet Frankie Armenta, founder and designer of Own The Day, a lifestyle brand out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. In part one of this interview, Frankie shares about how he got started, some of the wins he's had, and boundaries he's set.   You can find the brand at www.owntheday47.com or @OwnTheDay47

Listen to part 1: https://anchor.fm/ella-mccann/episodes/Keisha-Howard-talks-about-building-Sugargamers--being-in-tech-and-solar-punk--Part-12-e13dvld 

Meet Keisha Howard, Founder of Sugar Gamers - www.sugargamers.com  Infectiously passionate about the worlds of video games and geek culture, Keisha Howard is a leader who has created a compelling and engaging vision and inspires others around it. An entrepreneur, futurist, and two-time TEDx Speaker, Keisha is able to foresee what lies beyond the horizon for the video game and e-sports industries. She regards gaming as more than entertainment, but a system of ideas and processes that can move and inspire people to action. Video games and the tools to make them are changing the future, and Keisha wants to make sure we can all be a part of that conversation.  Personal Website - www.gokeisha.com Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keishahowardsg/ Check out her article for Juneteenth from 2020 that includes more details of the awesome work she does!  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/celebrating-victories-happy-juneteenth-keisha-howard/

Meet Keisha Howard, Founder of Sugar Gamers - www.sugargamers.com  Infectiously passionate about the worlds of video games and geek culture, Keisha Howard is a leader who has created a compelling and engaging vision and inspires others around it. An entrepreneur, futurist, and two-time TEDx Speaker, Keisha is able to foresee what lies beyond the horizon for the video game and e-sports industries. She regards gaming as more than entertainment, but a system of ideas and processes that can move and inspire people to action. Video games and the tools to make them are changing the future, and Keisha wants to make sure we can all be a part of that conversation.  Personal Website - www.gokeisha.com Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keishahowardsg/ Check out her article for Juneteenth from 2020 that includes more details of the awesome work she does!  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/celebrating-victories-happy-juneteenth-keisha-howard/

How You Feel Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty29E...  All Our Lives Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH5y_... Biography: Rexy currently serves as the Vice President of Operations and General Counsel at Western Air, the largest privately-owned airline in the Bahamas and one of the most successful black- owned airlines in the world. Rexy has worked with her parents in aviation since she was just 12 years old and in recent years has made waves in the industry by helping to expand the family’s airline business. Rexy's parents Rex and Shandrice Rolle helped to foster her love for aviation & business, her Dad began his career as a private pilot & flight instructor, and her mom, began as a newly- graduated international business major when the couple founded Western Air in 2001. From placing baggage tags on passenger luggage after school, to picking out aircraft paint schemes, traveling to observe airplane inspections, to sitting on aircraft tires & GPUs in their living room, Rexy is most grateful to her parents for involving her in the business at an early age and instilling an unapologetic, tough work ethic. In 2015, Rexy spearheaded the opening of a private passenger terminal, inclusive of its own airport security screening department & full service maintenance facility in Freeport, Grand Bahama. As an Aviation & Business Lawyer by trade, Rexy orchestrated the acquisition of two additional Saab 340A aircrafts and four Embraer 145LR Jets thus far. Rexy oversees the day-to-day operations of the busy airline and all legal affairs; her stern leadership is credited for reinvigorating Western Air’s trademark performance which resulted in market share growth. Rexy has been featured in Essence, BET News, Miami Times, Travel Noire, Rolling Out, TV One, Brand Eins and other popular media outlets around the world. She received her BS at the University of Ottawa with Joint Honors in Political Science & Communications and her MA at Lynn University in Mass Media & Communications, summa cum laude. Rexy obtained her Juris Doctorate at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. She further harnessed her aviation and business expertise by working on various multi-million-dollar transactions at one of the largest business firms in southern California. Outside of business, Rexy can be found working on her other passions, music, dance, fashion and philanthropy. Rexy recognizes GOD as the foundation of her success and is vocal about her faith and love for Jesus. Hashtag Blessed. One thing is certain, this multi-talented, jet- setter has taken off and doesn't appear to be losing altitude any time soon. Stay tuned!

In the final installment of our interview, Paper Pat and I both discuss our encounters with police in Japan, how we dealt with it, and what's next for him (hint hint, it includes merch that you all will want to buy!)

In part 2 of our interview, Patrick talks about how he started using his platform to discuss social justice issues affecting black people in Japan and the US.

Meet Patrick Smith, also known as #PaperPat. You may recognize him from TikTok or Instagram for his hilarious videos on life living and teaching abroad in Japan. In part one of this interview, Patrick details how he ended up teaching English abroad (in China & Japan).

Justin Lyons, best known as GuitarSlayer, is a Dallas-based guitarist and producer, who has dedicated the greater part of the last three decades to harnessing the healing power of music. He draws inspiration from a lineage of tradition and love, and while allowing God to be his guiding force.  Intrigued by his father’s infatuation with the guitar, and his mother’s molding and direction of how to approach the guitar, Justin Lyons would follow in their footsteps. With his roots firmly planted in the Gospel and Blues scenes for the longest time, today, Justin has branched out into #RnB, #Jazz, #HipHop and even #K-Pop. The sum of his influences continues to grow along with his notoriety as an accomplished musician.  Above all, Justin seeks to create a vibe that evokes introspective feelings of self-expression, emancipation from mental slavery, self awareness and self love. Everything he creates comes from a place with pure intention, and his music serves as a vehicle through which he can express his stories, his travels, all while spreading the word of God and love.  He has built up a formidable reputation as a producer and musician for his attention to detail, and his hybrid format of creating and arranging. For Justin, story precedes everything. It’s the fundamental pillar from which the spirit of a song can exist, and with this ethos he adapts a production and composition style that strives to serve the raw, honest message of each track.  Justin has toured and produced for artists  #Chrisette Michele, #Toni Braxton, #Mindless Behavior, Tank, Tamela Mann, Vivian Green, Norman Brown, Lil Wayne, JoiStaRR, Bobby Brown, New Edition and Lecrae. In the K-Pop world, he has also worked with #BlackPink, #GDragon, and #BigBang to name just a few.  Outside of music, Justin has collaborated with notorious designer and contemporary footwear brand, Andrew Kayla. He also has TV & Film in the works with staging to begin, Soring of 2020.  Justin has a solo album titled ‘Lost’, which was released in 2017 independently and met with positive reviews. His last production project under JRJM was in 2018 in collaboration with David Mann Jr and Jevon Hill, a single titled ‘Us Against The World’. Today, he is preparing a brand new single for MyBlock Inc’s Artist , JoiStarr, produced by his production team JRJMusiq. It will include production partner RJ Simpson Jr., under the umbrella of GuitarSlayer Entertainment. This single is set for release October 2019.  Going forward, Justin is also prepping the subsequent two installments of his three-part album titled ‘And’ / ‘Found’, which will be out for release in 2020.

KC, known as @SoundsbyKC or @KCthewriter made some time (a play off his single, 'Make Some Time') to speak with me about how he got into songwriting and music, why he left a minute at the end of his single and how things have changed since getting into writing for #KPOP. Check out his work on the #NCT new album.  Make Some Time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Oie...BOOM by NCT Dream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-iJZ...  Trauma by EXO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO84N...