OFF THE CUFF SHOW

Excited to kick off Episode 3 of Season 6 with storyteller, host, content creator @astoldbynneoma covering a range of topics such as lifestyle, beauty, and fashion. She is inspiring the world by showing up as her true authentic self in every video, skit, and message on all her platforms. 

With aspirations of being on TV since the age of 11, she manifested her acting debut on @yvonneorji Yvonne Oriji: A Whole Me comedy special on HBO.  Nneoma and I discussed the pureness of her story and who she is. We tapped in the behind the scenes to her success and how she lives her life everyday. We discussed the blueprint of the “Delusional Mindset” and how to solely focus on the present and what it takes to truly live in the now.  

Through the challenges faced along the way, Nneoma speaks on how she was able to find her purpose and live in gratitude everyday. Nneoma is empowering the next generation to tell their stories and put their dreams first, and not on hold. Anything is possible and Nneoma is a living testament of it. 

This is a conversation you don’t want to miss! 🔥 

#inspiration #gratitude #share

Excited to kick off episode 2 of Season 6 with filmmaker, Founder and Curator of Nuevayorkinos, a digital archival project documenting New York City Latino and Caribbean culture and their history through family photos and stories. Since the launch on February 14, 2019 it has evolved so much capturing these amazing stories from the people all over New York City.    

Djali and I talked about the foundation and the reason behind the creation of Nuevayorkinos. We explored her early upbringings and coming from a household that celebrated creativity and encouraged her to carve out her own path. Djali's work centers on conversations about the shift in Latino identity and the groups within this population that have gone underserved.   

She takes us on her own personal experiences and how it contribute to her success today. Djali continues to use Nuevayorkinos to amplify the stories of our community through powerful storytelling and the experiences of our people.   

Djali is not documenting history, but she is creating it. An episode you don't want to miss!  #newyork #inspiration #community

Excited to kick off Season 6 with Founder & CEO of AfroFuture (formerly Afrochella)  - a festival designed to elevate, celebrate and highlight the essence of African talent across the continent. It is the most anticipated and culturally align festival bringing the Disapora together through music, art, fashion, food, and so much more. AfroFuture has been featured in numerous publications such as CNN, BBC, Vogue, GQ, Essence, you name it — it is an experience you do not want to miss.   

We talked about Abdul's early upbringing's and how it shaped who he is today. Abdul walked us through the birth of Afrochella, the lessons he needed to learn to get it off the ground, and how he continues to pitch his business to brands in an authentic and meaningful way. Abdul gives us the behind the scenes on how it evolve overtime and the impact it has made in Ghana. In 2019, AfroFuture was responsible for 16% of Ghana's Tourism and it has increased every since.   AfroFuture is making history and has turned into a cultural phenomenon changing the narrative of Africa. 

This is an episode you don’t want to miss! 💐

Season Finale with my brother @jveloz - a self-taught photographer whose bold, authentic approach is closely tied to his Dominican heritage. Juan became known for photographs capturing the authentic identity and personality of his subjects — initially people from his local community.   

Since those early days in New York, Veloz has moved to LA and collaborated with some of the most prominent names in fashion, music, and arts: from Vogue to Dior, Netflix to Nike. In his work, Veloz is committed to equality, representing the voices and narratives that often missing in the contemporary media landscape. It is this commitment that shapes Veloz’s visual language, where honest cultural identity and authenticity take center stage. Juan keeps the root of his culture and identity at the forefront sharing some incredible untold stories in the most organic and genuine way.   

We talked about breakthrough moments from quitting his job at 21, having faith and embracing family through the process. Juan keeps the realness of his identity to show up as his true-self and hopes to inspire the next generation of photographers.   

This is an episode you don’t want to miss! 💐  

#photography #purpose #love

Excited to kick off episode 3 with Rikki Mendias, Executive Director and Founder of Hav A Sole, a nonprofit organization, where their mission is to provide at risk youth and homeless people with quality footwear to encourage happiness, confidence, and health. They have touched thousands of lives across the country by providing over 40,000 pairs of sneakers to those in need.   

As a young boy, Rikki, spent over five years in a shelter so he knows what’s it feels like to go without. His mother, who was struggling to make ends meet, couldn’t afford to buy him a pair of much needed shoes. One day, a former resident spoke at the shelter and afterwards, offered to buy him two pairs of new Vans. Rikki never forgot that women’s kindness or the confidence that came from having a fresh pair of sneakers to where to school. Rikki turned that moment into his life-long mission and now pay its forward by touching thousands of lives across the country providing shoes to those in need and has given over 40,000 pairs of sneakers.   

Rikki has appeared on the Ellen Show, has been featured in numerous publications, collaborated with Nike, the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Mavs, and so much more.   

This is an episode you don’t want to miss!   

#sneakerlover #community #payitforward

Excited to kick off Episode 2 with Daniel Buezo, Community Leader, CEO & Founder of Kids of Immigrants — a Los Angeles based streetwear brand inspired by their roots, environments and life experiences. Their mission statement is simple — DO THE BEST WE CAN WITH WHAT WE HAVE. Daniel speaks on his upbringings, embracing culture and community, and how the brand has evolved over the years to serve as a medium to spread love and empower our people. As a first-generation Honduran-American his community, culture, and history serves as the vessel to keep going. We take a deeper dive into discovering the creation of some of their biggest ideas, manifestation, and his journey towards healing and self love.

Kids of Immigrants has had collaborations with VANs, Hey Arnold, Nike, Hasan Minhaj, Awake, Buchanans, and many more. Tune in! 

Excited to kick off Episode 1 of Season 5 with @alyciadelsol. She is an Actress, model, activist, and a podcast host of her new show @darewesay. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Alycia to learn more about her career and the behind the scenes that contribute to her success. 

Alycia started her entertainment career at the age of three where she began modeling for brands such as Neiman Marcus, JC Penny, Belks, and became the face of Hearts for Hearts Dolls. After much success in the modeling industry, she began commercial work for Telemundo, Univision, and later experienced her television debut in NBC's "Chase" and Gregory Allen Howard's "The Plug”.  

In 2020, Alycia was casted as Aisha Garcia in the Saved by the Bell reboot for two full seasons. Although her character was not originally an Afro-Latina character, it was re-written to be one after she was overheard speaking Spanish on set. Alycia has also starred in other films such as The Neighborhood and Moxie.  She is a proud Afro-Latina and continues to advocate for Latinx representation in film. We spoke on so many breakthrough moments — Alycia getting her two biggest roles in a one month timespan from the last 12 years of acting and taking the leap of faith to walk in your purpose. Alycia takes us through her upbringings, early life principles by her mother, and speaking her truth and standing firmly in it.  

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel. This is an episode you do not want to miss!

Excited to kick off the season finale with Kat Lazo, Director, #Producer, Content creator, and host of The Get up, Spotify's newest morning. Kat developed and hosted #TheKatCall series, where she debunked taboos and misconceptions about the #LatinxCommunity. Within 3 seasons the series has garnered over 15 million views. I had the pleasure of speaking with Kat on her upbringings of growing up in Queens and the importance of embracing identity and culture. We spoke on her early inspirations of acting, transitioning into media and the importance of representation within the industry. Kat continues to advocate for the Latinx community in her everyday work by challenging the media and questioning social norms. She speaks on the value of saying "no" to opportunities, social media breaks, self-affirmations, and creating space for community. She gives us a behind the scenes look into her story and the things we don't see that contribute to her success. Tune in!   

To Support & Follow Kat Lazo:  Instagram: http://instagram.com/itskatlazo   

Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/offthecuff  Website: https://offthecuff.co/ 

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Time Stamps:   0:00 - Intro  1:35 - Growing Up in Queens & Community  4:10 - Embracing Identity + Finally Fitting In  5:15 - The Road to Media & Early Inspirations  8:29 - Career Conversations in an Immigrant Household  11:45 - The Inspiration behind “The Kat Call”  15:34 - Debunk the Misconceptions  16:58 - Being the Only Woman in The Room  20:32 - Words to the Decision Makers  24:02 - The Value of saying “NO”  26:59 - Creating Space for Community  30:27 - What We Don’t See  31:53 - Give People Their Flowers  33:38 - Hidden Gems

Excited to kick off episode 4 with Josef Adamu, Creative Director, Visual Storyteller, Photographer, and Founder of Sunday School, a creative agency that started in the basement of his Toronto home. Sunday School focuses on telling narratives from a Black perspective, and integrating art and education at its core. We had the pleasure of sitting down wit Josef Adamu to discuss his numerous projects and the importance of shining light on the untold stories of mental health, the black hair experience, sports all within the black community. He speaks on the early moments of when Sunday School was just an idea and he was self-funding his projects after the rejections he was receiving. Josef focuses on the youth and empowers them by incorporating them into projects across the globe to feel and be seen. He is serving as a mentor to inspire the next generation of leaders. Josef reshapes the narrative of visual storytelling and educational institutions through authenticity, intention, and collaboration among others and brands such as Nike, Converse, Spotify, Facebook, and the list goes on. He gives us the behind the scenes look into his creative outlets, inspiration, self-affirmations, and the importance of investing in yourself mentality, spiritually, physically to achieve your highest version.  

To Support & Follow Josef Adamu:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josefadamu/ 

Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/offthecuff  Website: https://offthecuff.co/ 

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Time Stamps:   0:00 - Intro  1:51 - Early Inspirations + Cultural Moments  3:29 - Details Matter + Presentation is Key  6:06 - Bridging the Gaps through History & Culture  7:32 - The Birth of Sunday School 9:14 - Empowering the next generation through storytelling  10:51 - Untold Stories within the Black Community  13:33 - Mind Matters: Importance on Mental Health  18:25 - Seeking Clarity & Self-Reflection  22:52 - With Community Nothing Is Impossible  27:07 - Collaboration Is Everything   29:48 - The Creative Process  32:30 - Legacy is Forever  35:22 - NFTs, Animations, & Film  37:37 - Give People Their Flowers  40:54 - Hidden Gems

Nick Creegan, #Actor, Producer, Journalist, Model, and Motivational Speaker starring in some incredible films such as David's Makes Man, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Michael B. Jordan, NBC's hit Law and Order spin-off, Organized Crime, and now starring in Batwoman as the First Black Joker. We had the pleasure of connecting with Nick on so many different topics he has never shared before. We discussed his breakthrough moments of becoming an Actor, the will to keep going even when adversity piled up for two years, the power of #Manifestation, and how he continues to live with #Purpose and grace. Nick gives us a behind the scenes on what it took to fulfill his dream, meeting Oprah Winfrey, his ongoing inspirations, and advice to the next generation of creatives. He speaks on the power of mentorship, creating circles that help you build, and the lessons he learned from some of his lowest moments in life. Nick reminds himself that he is exactly where he is suppose to be and the marathon continues. This episode is filled with so many gems, wisdom, and #Inspiration. I promise you, this is a conversation you do not want to miss.   

To Support & Follow Nick Creegan: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickcreegan/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/offthecuff  Website: https://offthecuff.co/ 

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Time Stamps: (31:15-34:18 - Disclaimer: Please do your own research)  

0:00 - Intro 3:17 - The Newspaper Moment  5:31 -  Grandma's Legacy Lives On — Never Give Up   10:30 - Journalism days w/ Stephen A Smith & Derek Jeter 15:51 - Always Rooted for the Underdog  17:09 - Teachers Wrote Me Off In High School  17:55 - How Becoming an Actor All Started + Leap of Faith  22:22 - The Nick Mindset & Power of Manifestation 24:21 - Meeting Oprah Winfrey  26:47 - The Big Breakthrough Moment + God's Timing  31:15 - Ayahuasca Experience  34:20 - Advice for Actors, Journalists, & Creators 37:10 - Law & Order: Organized Crime Day-to-Day  40:44 - Mentors + Legends in The Industry  42:06 - Fulfilling One of My Mother's Dreams 44:50 - Batwoman: The First Ever Black Joker   47:36 - Lessons Learned: Be Your Biggest Fan  49:12 - Create Your Own Opportunities  51:52 - Give People Their Flowers  54:50 - Hidden Gems