As the coach of many athletes that have gone on to play Division I basketball or even professional basketball, Howard Thomas Jr. knows what it takes to help players prepare for and reach the next level.

Thomas is the director of the Hillcrest Prep basketball program in Phoenix, Arizona, where he has coached numerous top-tier players, including DeAndre Ayton, who went on to play at the University of Arizona before becoming the number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

With an extensive background in AAU basketball as well, Thomas shared his insight on paying collegiate athletes, how social media influences recruiting, and his goals as a coach in this episode of the QWorld Podcast.

Dr. Prasad Gunasekaran, an interventional cardiologist at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, is among the many healthcare professionals in the field today who have seen firsthand how COVID-19 is influencing so many aspects of the field.

He sat down with QContrive CEO Marlin Blakeney to expand on this, as well as talk about the importance of digital marketing in healthcare, why he chose his profession and how COVID-19 is affecting everyone in the healthcare industry, from students to patients.

Ericka Lassiter is a woman of many talents and interests. As a realtor, philanthropist and president of the official National Football Players Wives Association, Off the Field Players' Wives Association, she does it all!

QContrive Marketing CEO Marlin Blakeney sat down with Ericka to talk about how she has found business success in real estate, dealt with death, and raised a family around football.

As a three-time All-Star and two-time champion, Tamecka Dixon was part of the legendary inaugural class of WNBA draft picks to kick off her 20-plus-year career in the league.

In this episode of the QWorld Podcast, Tamecka talked with QContrive Marketing CEO Marlin Blakeney about advice for women pursuing collegiate and professional sports, challenges she has faced, the drive it takes to get to the next level, and even how she was hand-picked by Michael Jordan to represent the first line of women's sneakers for his brand.

Over the course of 40 years, Mark Dantonio has established himself as one of the top coaches in college football. As the coach at Michigan State University Football from 2007-2019, he became the winningest coach in program history with a nearly 70% winning record.

Marlin caught up with Dantonio (who coached him KU Football) to hear about his storied history in coaching.

From a young age, Jackie Stiles was influenced by sports and diligence. With her dad as a high school basketball coach and mom as a nurse who would work multiple jobs in order to send her to basketball camps and clinics, Stiles had always had her heart set on working hard to become the best to ever play the game.

Today, Stiles is one of the most decorated female basketball players of all time and continues to exercise her love of basketball as an assistant coach for OU Women's Basketball.

As a former NFL player himself, Don Davis knows the challenges professional athletes face in trying to balance their lives with the demand of the job.

As the chaplain for the Patriots — with whom he won two Super Bowls — he offered encouragement, counseling and religious guidance to current players. Today, Davis serves as the Senior Director of Player Affairs for the NFLPA and is responsible for advancing and overseeing the management of varying aspects of player labor issues.

Robin Trotman, a doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at CoxHealth in Springfield, Missouri, faced quite the uphill battle in his journey to become a doctor.

As he entered his undergraduate at the University of Texas, he quickly learned what it would take to succeed amongst people who were willing to work just as hard, or even harder than him, to reach their goals.

Despite the challenges he faced, Trotman knew what he wanted to do and kept toward his North Star — but the key he says, was remaining flexible along the way.

Trotman, who has now specialized in infectious diseases for over 15 years, virtually sat down with Marlin Blakeney to talk about how he ended up where he is in medicine, how his path to get there has shaped him into who he is today, and the current state of medicine during COVID-19.

David Bauer has been a household name in Springfield, Missouri. As the man behind Coyote’s Adobe Cafe since 1992 and Harbell’s Grill & Sports Bar since 2018, he knows good food, good beer and good company.

From his childhood, when he was first exposed to the restaurant industry by his mom, who was a short order cook, to now owning two sports bars, Bauer knows the secret to business success is more than just money, it’s caring for your people.

Bauer caught up with QWorld creator Marlin Blakeney to talk about his experience in the restaurant industry as well as how he is navigating the COVID-19 crisis as a business owner.

Darrin Simmons started out in small-town Kansas and now works in one of the biggest sport organizations in the world. As the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, Simmons credits his work ethic to this day to his experience growing up on a farm.

In this virtual episode of the QWorld podcast, Marlin Blakeney talks with Simmons about how his football career developed into what it is today and how he is facing the challenges of NFL Draft preparations through COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.