We have heard guest after guest, talk about the importance of getting outside your comfort zone and taking immediate action.  

This August (2017), I forced myself to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, so that I could put a check mark next to some big goals I had for this year, including delivering my first public talk at Podcast Movement.

In today's conversation, I share three practical steps that helped me [and can help you too if you apply them] to organize my thoughts, deliver a confident and fun talk, that impacted my audience and has been generating tons of positive engagement almost 3 weeks after.

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

What's the best advice for young Black politicians looking to establish themselves?

Michael Alexander Blake is a young and rising politician. He currently serves as both a New York Assemblyman from the 79th district and a Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee.

In today's conversation, we discussed the biggest changes in political campaigning, why he's serving in the DNC today and he shares some mission fuel for what the democratic community and other young politicians should begin doing today.

Some of the questions I asked:

• When did you first discover that politics was what you were meant to do with your life?
• How'd you go about sculpting yourself into someone that Barack Obama would later want as part of his administration?
• What are the biggest differences in political campaigning now from when you started your career?
• Why were you inspired to serve in the Democratic National Committee at this stage in your career?
• What are you hearing from the democratic community that is most challenging to put in place?
• What's your best advice to young politicians looking to establish themselves?

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

What are some daily actions you can take to build your confidence and remind you to push ahead?

Dr. Clarence M Lee Jr. is a nationally celebrated author, international speaker, and business owner of a personal development brand that conducts seminars on high performance and mental conditioning for teams, organizations and students.

He holds degrees in medicine (MD) and business (MBA). A decorated war veteran, Dr. Lee served in the USAF for 10 years with several assignments, his last being a flight surgeon treating aviators and flying the T-38 and U-2 airframes at Beale AFB, CA. 

Dr. Lee is the author of “PERSIST - How to Beat the Things That Make Us Quit” to be release fall of 2017.

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

Why is it so important to empower and uplift others around you?

Today's featured guest, Terra Winston, is the ringleader of inTerractions and Principal of inTerract Consulting.

Terra has dedicated her life to helping her clients unleash the potential of each employee. She is a leadership consultant and executive coach with 20 years of internal and external business consulting experience. Terra has a flexible style that has driven results in boardrooms and on plant floors, for Fortune 100 companies and small start-ups, alike.

In today's conversation, we discussed the common mistakes that derail good people from reaching their full trailblazer potential.

 
Some of the questions I asked:

• How do you cultivate gratitude in your life?
• What drives you today in the work you're doing?
• What's the most challenging experience you've had in your walk as a consultant/coach and what did you learn about yourself through that experience?
• One of your favorite sayings is “Good people do great things”. Terra, what exactly does that mean to you?
• But why is it so important to empower and uplift others around you?
• What are common mistakes that derail good people from reaching their full “Trailblazer potential”?
• What are some keys to getting started for our aspiring trailblazers?
• What does black girl magic mean to you?

Connect with Terra:

• Twitter: @TerraWinston
• Instagram: @Terra.Winston 
• Website: www.interractions.com

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

What's the biggest challenge female entrepreneurs, especially black women entrepreneurs are facing right now?

Natasha Nurse is an Adjunct Professor at Nassau Community College, the owner and founder of Dressing Room 8 and also the Lifestyle Editor for Plus Model Magazine.

She's a lawyer, business owner, and public speaker, and today she introduced us to her coaching philosophy and discussed what success means and how to develop a mindset for it.

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

What are some of the foundation pieces new entrepreneurs need to put in place to have a successful startup?

Ericka Dotson, Indique Hair co-founder and creative director, was inspired by clients to fill the void in the hair extension industry with a premium, knowledgeable and customer orientated business.

In this conversation, Ericka and I discuss how she got into the hair extension business. She shares how she went counter to the advice of her instructors and went straight into startup mode right out of cosmetology school. We talk about her morning rituals and her approach to attract, nurture and empower new talent. She shares how she gets her team on board with her vision and her crazy creative campaigns. Lastly, she gives some wisdom to all our new entrepreneurs on what we can do to help us succeed with our startups.

Some of the questions I asked Ericka:

• 04:55 What got you into the hair extension business?
• 29:00 What's one of the most challenging experiences you faced in business and what did you learn from that experience?
• 32:40 What are some of your consistent morning rituals that set you up to win everyday?
• 33:50 How are you able to attract, nurture and empower new talent within your company?
• 35:20 As Creative Director, how do you get your team on board with your crazy vision and campaigns?
• 37:20 What are some of the foundation pieces new entrepreneurs need to put in place to have a successful startup?

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

Why Black Enterprise created the BE Modern Man initiative?

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Alfred Edmond Jr. is SVP & Executive Editor-at-Large of Black Enterprise.

Alfred spoke about his 30+ years at Black Enterprise, he shares some lessons in leadership, the legacy of Black Enterprise and the genesis story behind how the BE Modern Man initiative got going.

We talked about the inaugural Black Men XCEL Summit (#BMXCEL), coming this Labor Day weekend to West Palm Beach, Florida to Celebrate the Excellence and Leadership of Black Men. And he shares a special discount code that gets you $100 off registration, so listen out for that and get registered today!

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Some of the questions I asked Alfred:

• 08:10 What's been your biggest challenge as a leader at Black Enterprise as it relates to the transition to digital?
• 11:15 What advice would you give to young aspiring editors and journalists wanting to step into the space?
• 16:15 Why Black Enterprise created the BE Modern Man initiative?
• 26:15 What is the Black Men XCEL Summit and who is it for?
• 42:00 What is the biggest thing you see missing in relationships?

Get registered TODAY for the Black Men XCEL Summit #BMXCEL:

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

Discover the problem that lead Sarah Ribner and her life long friend and partner, creating their product. 

In this conversation, we discuss what went into them building their pitch and the research required to not only get featured but negotiate a winning outcome with one of the sharks. Sarah shares how they went from doing 500 units prior to the airing, and experienced an almost immediate back order of over 120,000 units. You've got to hear about the challenges they faced and what they did to help calm the customer service headaches that developed as a result.

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Business partners since their lemonade stand in elementary school, Sarah Ribner co-founded PiperWai Natural Deodorant with her childhood friend, Jess Edelstein. Sarah began her journey with wellness almost a decade ago, as a solution to her skin sensitives, allergies and general lethargy. She transformed her health through clean eating, nontoxic personal care products and dedication to an active fitness regimen. Until three years ago, an effective natural deodorant was the missing piece in her quest to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Sarah is a recent graduate of Columbia Business School, and a certified aromatherapist. She currently resides in NYC.  

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

What are some of the biggest mistakes people are making when pitching?

Squeaky Moore is an independent content creator, producer, director, writer, and actress. As a mompreneur, she freelances as a development and pitching consultant and strategist. As a writer, director and producer, Squeaky’s mission is to enlighten, uplift, and inspire.

She recently authored a book for content creators after journeying to pitch her film and television projects 100 times. The book, #100Pitches: Mistakes, I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To, is a film and television pitching guide geared towards independent content creators and about her pitching journey, the do’s and don’ts of pitching television and film projects.

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

How do you approach creating and negotiating a win-win situation in large media deals?

Mentor, Entrepreneur, and Television Host, Paul Carrick Brunson (@PaulCBrunson) is recognized as one of the most influential small business leaders in the world. The former Investment Banker founded PCBA in 2009, an award-winning matchmaking agency that was acquired in 2016. Appearing as the co-host on Oprah Winfrey Network’s Lovetown, Oprah Winfrey notes, “Paul is much more than a matchmaker!” Debuting in 2017, Paul is hosting and executive producing a primetime docu-series on ABC. Paul also hosts Our World by Black Enterprise, a weekly syndicated network and cable TV show where he interviews today's top newsmakers and business leaders.

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Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to make significant changes that have generational impact for many others, both now and well into the future. 

Blazer Nation, join our community at iamblacksuccess.com 

And connect with host Stephen A. Hart at Twitter and LinkedIn 

#BlackExcellence #BlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackWomen #BlackEntrepreneur #BlackLeader #BlackPodcast

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com