Innovation City

"I believe I can always do something better than the way I am doing it." – Brooke Meek

Today's guest is Brooke Meek, Founder of PLNK Fitness. Her love of fitness and "Big Hairy Audacious Goals" inspired her to turn an innovative design into a full-fledged business. Her studio focuses on a piece of workout equipment called the Megaformer. A need to nurture her mental and physical health combined with a love of learning and a good opportunity was her catalyst for becoming the successful female founder she is today. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Brooke to learn about how she made her vision a reality, how she approaches building great teams, her focus on maintaining a well defined brand, and much more!

"Sometimes what you feel in your gut is what you ignore all the time. You just go from what you've learned and what you've had programmed in your mind...rather than "what is my heart saying?"" – Pascal Beauboeuf

Today's guest is Pascal Beauboeuf, Executive Producer and Host of The Pascal Show. Beauboeuf has always had a passion for conversation. Perfecting the art form has helped him discover his authenticity and voice. He believes the most meaningful conversations are heart centered and based on genuine feeling. His "heart over head" approach to people has helped him to amass nearly 100,000 followers on social media. In this episode Tyler and Leigh-Ann turn the tables, putting the host in the guest seat to find out what his idea of good dialogue is, the need for more public discourse on social justice, his process for scoring interviews, and much more!

"It's a matter of bringing out the best of who our clients are and putting the right words around it." – Mich Hancock

Today's guest is Mich Hancock, Founder & CEO of 100th Monkey. Mich started 100th Monkey when she recognized a real need to help older internet users and business owners get acquainted with social media platforms. She was inspired by the opportunity to provide a safe bridgeway to help her clients make social media work for them. A long period of personal hardship was the catalyst that sparked Mich into action. Also the Co-founder at TEDx Gateway Arch, Mich understands the power of stories. She uses her marketing savvy and warm demeanor to empower clients to create compelling and authentic ways of connecting digitally. In this episode, Mich joins Tyler and Leigh-Ann to talk about how personal triumph can lead to breakthroughs, how building more inclusive online spaces sparks new ways of thinking, crafting messages that bring out the best in clients, and much more!

"Venture capital and funding is definitely a game of relationships." — Austin Woods

Today's guest is Austin Woods, Analyst at Lewis and Clark Ventures. Early into his career, Austin knew he wanted to leave behind academia to pursue a less conventional life as a venture analyst. He made the segue with a desire to build business models that would help improve educational and social outcomes. The possibilities for better economic approaches in different social systems is what inspires his work. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Austin to explore his approach to "getting the boots on the ground" when it comes to solving problems, finding more interesting ways to meet the needs of ventures, producing quality publications, and much more!

"Come with an idea! Come with a collaborative spirit! Come with a bias for action!" - Yvena Atkins

Today's guest is Yvena Atkins, Strategy Manager for Accenture. Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations. Yvena is the kind of thinker that can and will break barriers. She understands how to make connections to solve hard problems and drive innovation. She works toward meaningful solutions with insight, empathy, and a purpose grounded in personal and professional experience. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann lean in and listen to Yvena talk about what it really takes to infuse innovation to help companies and communities grow, how intelligent technologies are going to change the way we live and work, the challenges of making a collective impact, and much more!

"If you are curious about things, you are going to learn more, dig more, and figure out ways to make things better" - Tricia Zimmer Ferguson

Today's guest is Tricia Zimmer Ferguson, owner of Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company. Coming from a third generation entrepreneurial family, Tricia says running a business is in her DNA. Ferguson says she didn't expect to land herself in the coffee business, but rather stumbled happily upon it. For her, coffee is an experience that brings people together and that is what fuels her passion. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Tricia to get the grind on her drive to create the perfect cup of coffee, her passion for making an impact, how she makes and sustains global connections, and much more!

"I feel most alive when I'm solving problems." - David Lekach

Today's guest is serial entrepreneur, David Lekach. Lekach inherited the entrepreneurial spirit from his father who is the founder of the well known fragrance company Perfumania. Lekach lives to solve problems and create businesses admitting he has few interests outside the world of start-ups. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann have a lively talk with David about how Dream Water was conceived, the importance of making connections and being resourceful, how product placement is everything, why experience is the best teacher, and much more!

"My purpose is to be a better person every day that I wake up." - Kenneth "ToJo Bigg Dawg" Gibson

Today's guest is Kenneth "ToJo Bigg Dawg" Gibson, CEO of Bigg Dawg Entertainment. Gibson is from St. Louis and his hometown connections helped him see the opportunities needed to start his business. He built his business plans while serving an 8 year incarceration. He says he used his time in prison as "training for manhood" skipping card games and hang outs to spend time in the library, taking cues from mentors and learning about accountability and spirituality. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann invite the "Bigg Dawg" to take the stage on entrepreneurship, lessons learned from the school of life, finding purpose and much more!

"What matters is how we can help each other." - Alexandra Fuente

Today's guest is Alexandra Fuente, Founder and CEO at Woxer. Woxer is an apparel company that designs boxer briefs for women. The company is still in its infancy and has already enjoyed rapid growth and expansion. Fuente is driven to make a superior product that is sensible and sustainable. She aspires to become a venture capitalist and support other women who want to build businesses. While she has always dreamed of being a CEO her greater motivation is what she can give back to the world. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Alexandra to investigate the seams of her startup, her experiences as a minority business owner, the importance of taking the right risks, hiring the right people, going with your gut and much more!

"Digital inclusion and access to devices or wireless, at this point, is a necessity." - Giovanni Castro

Today's guest is Giovanni Castro, State and Local Government Manager at Verizon. Verizon is working to improve digital inclusion in Miami and South Florida by working in collaboration with local government and nonprofits to provide improved wireless accessibility. As a Cuban American, Giovanni has experienced first hand the impact that inequality has on lives and communities. He knows how difficult it is to make progress without needed resources. His understanding of the "pulse" of the communities he serves puts him in a unique position to make an impact and gives him a real shot at closing the digital divide. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Giovanni to explore his multifaceted career, the passions that drive him to make a difference, the realities of inequality, how the 5G revolution is making things better, bigger, and faster, and much more!