Hella Inspired Show

You grow up in Nashville with a business mind and a creative pull you don’t fully understand yet. You get to Morehouse and you’re surrounded by talent everywhere, but you also see the pressure. People telling creatives to be “realistic.” To choose traditional routes. You see how many people have vision, but not the network, resources, or support to build.You’re holding important roles on campus, moving fast, and then life forces a reset. You go back home, have a real conversation with your mother, and everything shifts. You grind long hours, rebuild your mindset, and build the Ordinary Odds business model from scratch.You return ready to lead in a new lane creating a platform that makes “odds” feel ordinary. Clothing. Sneakers. Events. And paid opportunities that bring other creatives along with you. You are Ian Jackson. Founder and CEO of Ordinary Odds.

HELLA INSPIRED.

You grow up in Atlanta with big dreams and a blueprint. By high school, you’re leading organizations, running your own company, and rewriting what’s possible for young Black girls.

You study success like it’s strategy. You get accepted to 54 schools, earn $1.3 million in scholarships, and choose Duke. Your story makes headlines everywhere from Good Morning America to The Washington Post to Black Enterprise but you stay grounded, focused, and hungry for more.

You build Elom & Co. to give young creators a voice. You write, direct, perform and every word is intentional. You’ve seen how stories shape the world. So you tell them. Authentically. Unapologetically.

You are Daya Brown. A voice for the next generation.

HELLA INSPIRED.

You grow up in Atlanta, watching your parents build a $100 million company. You see the sacrifices. You learn early what it means to create something bigger than yourself.At Georgetown, you meet TK, your future business partner. Law school looks like the path but deep down, you know you’re called to build something different.You get told no 97 times. You don’t stop.You and TK launch The Gathering Spot a private club built on culture, connection, and community. You open in Atlanta in 2016, survive a pandemic, and expand to D.C., L.A., and beyond.You keep innovating. You keep leading. And through it all, you stay rooted in purpose building spaces where people don’t just gather — they belong.You are Ryan Wilson. CEO and Co-Founder of The Gathering Spot.HELLA INSPIRED.

You win a college basketball championship. You chase the dream overseas and play professionally. You come home with a new vision. At a time when vintage isn’t trending, you open your first store in Kennesaw. You get broken into. You get sued. Most people would’ve stopped. You don’t.

You start over in Marietta Square. COVID-19 hits. You keep the doors open. You keep showing up. Years later, your store is more than just racks of vintage it’s a cultural staple.

You get married. You become a father. And through it all, you stay locked in—still building, still pushing, still creating something that lasts.

You are Sean Tate. Founder of Collected ATL.

HELLA INSPIRED.

Tap in and meet Jehron Petty & Rami Abdou from ColorStack.Jehron isn’t just talking the talk — he’s leading by example in making the tech space more equitable and diverse. After graduating from Cornell in Computer Science, he turned down a job offer from Google to create ColorStack, a non profit dedicated to supporting Black and Latinx students in computer science. Through mentorship and innovative community resources, Jehron is building pathways to success for underrepresented students.Rami Abdou, who also turned down a full-time offer to pursue entrepreneurship, joined as Head of Engineering, bringing a new dimension to ColorStack’s mission. An entrepreneur and software engineer, Rami is setting up ColorStack’s in-house engineering, creating an open-source environment for members to gain real coding experience.With a shared vision of inclusivity, mentorship, and innovation, Jehron and Rami are driving ColorStack’s mission forward, one student at a time.HELLA INSPIRED.

Tap in and meet Carlos Barksdale, Founder of Glory by us , a game-changing grooming brand. Carlos shares his journey from discovering an online community of wavers to building a brand that fills the gap for healthy, high-quality hair products. His inspiration? His mom, Vickie, who taught him how to stay fly and the value of dedication.

Glory by Us isn’t just a grooming line it’s a lifestyle. From addressing diverse hair needs to incorporating clean, high-performance ingredients, Carlos’s story is about innovation, commitment, and swag.

HELLA INSPIRED.

Tap in and meet Nyla Choates award-Winning Activist, Author, Spelman College student, and McDonald’s Change Leader, featured on BET, Essence Magazine, and Revolt TV. Nyla shares her journey as Founder of My Roots Are Rich, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting systemic racism in education and empowering children through meaningful representation.My Roots Are Rich isn’t just a nonprofit, it’s a movement. They’re on a mission to educate, inspire, and uplift the next generation.HELLA INSPIRED.

Tap in and meet Meet Scooter Taylor, a Memphis native who went from being a high school YouTuber with 20k subscribers to launching a startup backed by Y Combinator, Comcast Ventures, and Morgan Stanley.
Though the startup eventually closed, In the first weekend of the 2020 pandemic, Scooter organized a virtual event that drew 5,000 attendees, uniting creatives, professionals, and entrepreneurs.
This unexpected success laid the foundation for him and his team to produce over 500+ more virtual events, surpassing $1 million in revenue within the first 12 months. Clients include Nike, AT&T, and Harvard Business School, and he's even shared his expertise in Frankfurt, Germany.

HELLA INSPIRED.

Tap in and meet Earl and Olajuwon from Eastside Golf. They share their journey from winning a National Golf Championship at Morehouse to starting a business together and partnering with Michael Jordan. Eastside Golf isn’t just a fashion brand, it’s a lifestyle. Acknowledging the existence of economic barriers, they’re on a mission to shatter those walls and redefine the game.HELLA INSPIRED.