How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield

Description

Counseling psychologist Dr. T.M. Robinson-Mosley shares how she went from growing up in a home where psychology and sports were inseparable to founding The Playbook, an award-winning mental health performance platform trusted by the NBA, NCAA, NWSL, and the U.S. Air Force. Dr. Mosley talks about her mother and twin aunt being among the only Black psychologists in Alabama, her uncle catching the last out of the 1969 World Series, boxing and rugby as an athlete, building a consulting practice she never planned, and scaling 36 providers across pro sports during COVID. This episode covers the mental health crisis in elite sports, quantifying wellness the way a Fitbit tracks physical health, building winning team cultures, and why ready is not a feeling but a decision. 

Key Takeaways

Ready is not a feeling, it is a decision. Waiting to feel ready may mean never starting.

More than 50% of elite athletes report depression and anxiety severe enough to affect their ability to function. The crisis is now.

You cannot fight tall. Lean into your actual strengths, even the ones that feel like weaknesses.

Building a winning team culture is everybody's everyday work.

Seeing people who looked like her doing the work gave Dr. Mosley the belief that nothing was unattainable.

Who Should Listen

Women building at the intersection of multiple industries. Founders moving from consulting to scalable tech. Sports professionals and clinicians exploring athlete mental health. Anyone who has waited to feel ready before making a move.

Learn more about Dr. Mosley and The Playbook at playbookperformance.co

Host: Dreena Whitfield, WhitPR 

Executive Producer, Writer, and Creative Director: Keena Williams

Music: Kinita G, "How I Got Here (Official Podcast Theme)"

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Amber Guyton left corporate financial services, built Blessed Little Bungalow into a full-service design brand, and learned that pricing your worth and protecting your peace are the real work. Today she's one of only 2% of interior designers who are Black, with licensing partnerships at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Mitchell Black, celebrity clients, and a design philosophy rooted in soulful maximalism.

Key Takeaways:

• You do not have to scale to be successful; a boutique business built on alignment, creative freedom, and strong values is a powerful model.
• Only 2% of the interior design industry is Black, and showing up authentically in that space is both representation and strategy.
• Pricing your worth starts with tracking your time; undercharging does not just hurt you, it affects the entire industry.
• An ADHD diagnosis, anxiety, and depression do not disqualify you from building something meaningful; they just mean some days the building looks different.

In this conversation with Dreena Whitfield, Amber opens up about the leap from corporate to creative entrepreneurship, the imposter syndrome that comes without formal design training, and how soulful maximalism became her signature. She talks about what happened when a hobby started feeling like work, why she chose a boutique model over empire-building, and the invisible battles of entrepreneurship, including a recent ADHD diagnosis.

This episode covers: decorating her first home in a single week, growing from $250 e-design mood boards to thousands, how licensing partnerships found her before she went looking, navigating an industry where representation barely exists, the heartbreak of a client relationship gone wrong, choosing creative freedom over brand scripts, designing spaces for first-generation wealth builders, and the legacy she hopes to leave behind.

If you're a woman navigating the leap from corporate to creative entrepreneurship, a designer wrestling with imposter syndrome or pricing, an entrepreneur building while managing mental health, or a first-generation wealth builder who wants spaces that reflect your identity, this episode is for you.

About Amber Guyton: Designer, creative director, and founder of Blessed Little Bungalow. University of Georgia MBA. Former corporate marketing executive. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, HGTV Magazine, and Forbes. Licensing partnerships with Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Mitchell Black, with a bedding line on the way. Speaker at High Point Market.

Follow Amber Guyton at @blessedlittlebungalow

Watch the full video episode on Substack: howigotherewdreenaw.substack.com Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@howigotherewdreenaw

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• (00:00) - Meet Amber Guyton: The Interior Designer Building Blessed Little Bungalow With Soul

Mary Pat Hector started organizing at 12, advised President Obama at 18, and ran for office at 19 — losing by just 22 votes. That loss reshaped her entire path. Today she's CEO of Rise, a national organization fighting for free college and student basic needs across 10+ states, and the founder of Equity for All, a platform helping young people of color in the South gain political power.

Key Takeaways:

• She advised President Obama on criminal justice reform at 18 and has since helped mobilize over 4 million voters through Rise.
• When a Black woman takes over from a white male founder, the funding dynamics shift overnight.
• The most impactful skill a young leader can learn is fundraising — without it, you'll always work for someone else.
• Progressive organizations are facing a post-2024 crisis as foundations pull back out of fear of political retaliation.

In this conversation with Dreena Whitfield, Mary Pat opens up about the real cost of being the youngest, the first, and the only in the room. She shares what happened when she stepped into the CEO role after a white male founder — and how fundraising, dynamics, and expectations shifted overnight. She talks about building sisterhood as a leadership survival tool, balancing being a new mom and CEO, and what she's hearing from young people who are losing faith in democracy.

This episode covers: growing up in a service-driven household in Atlanta, what it was like in the Oval Office at 18, the emotional toll of running for office as a teenager, founding Equity for All after her election loss, leading a hunger strike at Spelman, her path to leading Rise, navigating progressive fundraising after 2024, the personal sacrifices young leaders make, and the legacy she hopes to leave behind.

If you're a young person figuring out how to lead, an organizer navigating burnout, or someone who wants to understand what it actually takes to build civic power — this episode is for you.

About Mary Pat Hector: CEO of Rise, Founder of Equity for All. Spelman College and Georgia State University graduate. Rise has mobilized over 4 million voters nationwide. She helped register over 500,000 Georgia voters through Black Youth Vote. Led hunger strikes that gained 75,000+ meals for HBCU students. Youngest board member of Headcount.org. Featured on MSNBC, CNN, NYT, Hulu's 1619 Project, Forbes, and more.

Subscribe to How I Got Here for more conversations on purpose, leadership, and reinvention.

Host: Dreena Whitfield / WhitPR
Executive Producer, Writer & Creative Director: Keena Williams

Dreena sits down with Aniesia Williams, a brand strategist, venture architect, and ecosystem builder who understands how power actually moves.

In this conversation, Aniesia reflects on navigating leadership spaces where high-performing Black women are often brought in to fix broken systems without real authority or protection. She shares what it cost her to speak up, the psychological toll of being pushed out, and the lessons she learned building and exiting a service-based business.

Together, Dreena and Aniesia explore integrity, ownership, and what it looks like to build systems that truly protect the people inside them. This episode is a powerful reminder that success without alignment still comes at a price.

Laila Brock joins Dreena Whitfield for a powerful conversation about leadership, representation, and learning who you are beyond the job.

From her early days as a college track captain to shaping some of the biggest stages in sports, Laila reflects on what it means to lead in rooms that were never designed for you. She shares lessons from mentors who poured into her, the responsibility of opening doors for others, and the moment she realized success without rest is not sustainable.

This is Laila Brock. And this is how she got here.

This episode is a thoughtful reflection on identity, boundaries, burnout, and redefining purpose beyond titles.

Listen and follow How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield for more stories of purpose, resilience, and the moments that shape who we become.

How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield

Guest: Kim Roxie, Founder of LAMIK Beauty

In this episode, Dreena sits down with Kim Roxie, the founder of LAMIK Beauty, to talk about what it means to build with purpose when the path forward is uncertain. Kim shares how opening her first brow and makeup shop with just $500 taught her the importance of perseverance, faith, and learning the business from the inside out.

She opens up about navigating foreclosure, living with alopecia, and making the difficult decision to shut down her brick-and-mortar store before rebuilding LAMIK as a clean beauty brand. From Houston to Ulta, Nordstrom, and JCPenney, this conversation reveals the quiet strength behind building something with soul.

This is Kim Roxie. And this is how she got here.

Episode Chapters

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How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield
Guest: Aamira Garba, Founder of LoveLee Wines

In this episode, Dreena sits down with Aamira Garba, the New Jersey–born founder of LoveLee Wines. They talk about the moment on a New Jersey Transit train that sparked a major life shift, the courage to enter an industry with so few Black women, and the discipline she pours into every bottle.

Aamira shares how she blended her first wines without a license, built slowly while raising two daughters, and learned the business from the inside out. From her earliest blends to landing on VinePair’s Top 25 Pinot Noirs in the World, this conversation highlights purpose, persistence, and building a legacy with intention.

This is Aamira Garba, and this is how she got here.

Episode Chapters

Listen and follow How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield for more stories of purpose, resilience, and the moments that shape who we become.

How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield

Guest: Nagela Duperval, Founder of OU LA Restaurant

In this episode, Dreena sits down with Nagela Duperval, the Haitian-born entrepreneur behind OU LA — the stunning Caribbean restaurant in Carteret, New Jersey that’s redefining what it means to build something from faith and fire.

With no restaurant experience, Nagela spent three years building a $3-million space from the ground up while juggling a full-time job and family. She opens up about betting everything on herself, trusting God through the struggle, and finding her footing in an industry she had to teach herself in real time.

From real estate flips to restaurant ownership, from burnout to breakthroughs, this conversation is a story of courage, culture, and conviction — a reminder that even when the path gets hard, purpose always finds a way.

This is Nagela Duperval, and this is how she got here.

⏱️ Episode Chapters

[00:00] Introduction – Dreena welcomes Nagela Duperval and sets up her journey from real estate to restaurants. [01:26] From Port-au-Prince to New Jersey – Carrying Haitian language, culture, and community into a new life. [03:11] The Birth of OU LA – Partnering with Chef Duke and creating a space that celebrates Caribbean flavors. [05:28] The Opportunity – Finding the perfect location and learning commercial real estate the hard way. [06:47] The Financing Battle – Building a $3-million restaurant without investors or SBA loans. [10:06] Faith in the Struggle – How prayer, persistence, and strangers’ belief kept her going. [12:31] Lessons from Real Estate – Partnership, ownership, and being a Black woman in business. [15:00] The Highs and Lows of Flipping – From first wins to costly mistakes that became lessons. [17:47] Risk and Reward – Selling everything to make the dream real. [18:50] Life Inside OU LA – Managing 30 employees, long hours, and weekly payroll pressure [20:11] Food and Story – Haitian dishes, black rice, and how heritage shows up on the plate. [22:06] The Cost of the Dream – Burnout, balance, and learning to trust new leadership. [24:07] Black Women in Food – Speaking at the summit and finding strength through sisterhood. [26:15] Why She Can’t Quit – Faith, debt, and a promise to finish what she started. [27:21] The Impact Moments – When other Black women walk in and say, “Sis, we’re proud of you.” [28:19] Building Legacy – Hopes for her family, future OU LA locations, and believing it will turn around [29:30] Quick Fire – Red snapper, morning flow, and the song that takes her home.

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• (00:00) - Meet Nagela and Oula

How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield

Guest: Tahira Joy Wright, Founder of The Cut Life

In this episode, Dreena sits down with Tahira Joy Wright, the visionary founder of The Cut Life — the digital beauty community celebrating short hair, self-expression, and the women redefining what it means to show up boldly.

From her early days in entertainment PR to building one of the most beloved beauty platforms online, Tahira shares how burnout led to breakthrough — and how a one-week idea grew into a cultural movement rooted in authenticity, community, and faith.

This conversation is a story of faith, flow, and finding purpose in the pivot — a reminder that sometimes, the detour is the destination.

⏱️ Episode Chapters

[00:00] Introduction – Dreena welcomes Tahira Joy Wright and sets up her journey from PR to purpose. [01:20] The Birth of The Cut Life – How burnout from PR led to an Instagram page that became a movement. [03:30] When Passion Meets Purpose – Realizing The Cut Life was more than a hobby — it was a calling. [06:00] From PR Girl to Founder – Lessons from Atlanta’s entertainment industry that shaped Tahira’s business mindset. [11:00] Making the Leap – Leaving the hustle behind to embrace peace, alignment, and entrepreneurship. [14:00] Community Over Algorithms – Why genuine connection, not metrics, fuels longevity. [20:20] Navigating Partnerships and Authenticity – Redefining what brand alignment really looks like. [23:30] Hair, AI, and Human Touch – Tahira on using tech like ChatGPT and Mailchimp AI while keeping her authentic voice. [27:00] Building a Platform for Black Beauty – Centering Black women, culture, and community unapologetically. [31:20] The New Hype Hair – Carrying the spirit of Hype Hair and Black Hair Sophisticates into the digital era. [38:00] What’s Next for The Cut Life – Media projects, stylist directory relaunch, and expanding into TV and film. [42:00] Lessons, Blessings, and Longevity – The power of patience, saving, and sustainable growth. [47:00] Faith and Flow – Tahira’s mantra for staying grounded and trusting the process.

Listen and follow How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield for more stories of purpose, resilience, and the pivots that shape who we become.

• (00:00) - ‌

How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield

Guest: Chantel Powell, Founder & CEO of Play Pits

In this episode, Dreena sits down with Chantel Powell, founder and CEO of Play Pits, to talk about what it takes to build something from the ground up and keep going when everything falls apart.

From styling wardrobes at Tyler Perry Studios to creating one of the most beloved natural deodorant brands in the country, Chantel shares how motherhood sparked her purpose, how faith carried her through loss and a warehouse fire, and how she continues to rise like the phoenix she is.

This conversation is a story of resilience, faith, and legacy — a reminder that the hardest seasons often shape the strongest leaders.

⏱️ Episode Chapters

[00:00] Introduction – Dreena welcomes Chantel Powell and sets up her journey from film to entrepreneurship.[03:10] The Moment That Sparked Play Pits – Her son’s “funk” leads to a kitchen experiment that changes everything.[06:00] From Kitchen Experiments to a Formula That Worked – Testing, feedback, and finding a natural chemist.[11:45] Laid Off and Launching Play Pits – Turning a layoff into a backyard launch moment.[15:10] First Big Break – Unique Jones’ “Because of Them We Can” feature sends sales soaring.[24:00] The Target Journey – The missed meeting that led to an undeniable retail moment.[35:30] The Warehouse Fire – Losing it all, surrendering, and rebuilding through faith.[46:00] Rising from the Ashes – Chantel’s phoenix moment and what legacy means now.[50:45] What’s Next for Play Pits – New products, family inspiration, and faith leading the way.

Listen and follow How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield for more stories of purpose, resilience, and the pivots that shape who we become.

• (00:00) - Welcome and Teaser