Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily.  I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur.  Keep winning!

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Latabia Woodward.  

A visionary founder and CEO of Who's Got Next Music Inc., joins Money Making Conversations Masterclass to discuss her music tech startup and its mission to amplify emerging talent through technology-driven competitions. She also serves as chairman of the Ann Cephus Family Fund, advocating for STEM education in underserved communities.

🔑 Key Themes & Highlights

1. Background & Journey into Music Tech

   • Latasha, a graduate of East Carolina University, built a successful career in business and technology before venturing into the music industry.
   • She was introduced to the business side of music when her son, Offset of Migos, asked for help managing his affairs while touring globally.
   • After navigating the complexities of artist management, record labels, and industry contracts, she recognized gaps in music business education for young creatives.

2. Who's Got Next Music App & Platform

   • Who's Got Next Music is an artist amplification platform that leverages genre-based music competitions to discover and promote emerging talent.
   • Competitions occur in three rounds—two in-app voting rounds followed by an in-person event for finalists.
   • The global accessibility of the platform allows artists from North America and Canada to showcase their work while fans worldwide participate in voting.

3. Music Business Education & Fair Competition

   • Many young artists lack business knowledge, leading to unfair deals or lost opportunities.
   • The app provides a structured way for artists to engage with fans, gain visibility, and retain full rights to their music.
   • Producers contribute cleared, non-sampled beats to the platform, ensuring artists avoid legal complications.

4. Upcoming Launch & Events

   • Beta version is currently available on Apple & Google Play stores, with an official launch planned for June.
   • A February event will introduce the app to the music community, featuring panel discussions with entertainment attorneys, sync licensing experts, and emerging artists.
   • Hip-hop will be the first competition genre, followed by expansions into R&B, gospel, and other categories.

5. Artist & Fan Participation Model

   • Artists pay a $199 contest entry fee, gaining access to premium beats and promotional exposure.
   • Fan voting is real-time and transparent, directly influencing competition results.
   • Winners receive $5,000, legal services from McKinley Law Firm, and additional business support.

6. Ann Cephus Family Fund & STEM Advocacy

   • Latasha founded the Ann Cephus Family Fund in honor of her mother, advocating for technology education among young creatives.
   • The Sound Pathways program provides high school students in Atlanta with music business education using AI-powered songwriting tools.
   • Students learn music production, business strategy, and transferable skills for various industries.

📘 Resources & Contact Information
Latasha Woodward’s initiatives are accessible through:
🔗 Music App: Who's Got Next Music
🔗 Foundation: https://anncephusff.org
🔗 Social Media: @WhosGotNextMusic

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviews Ashley M. Fox.   She is a former Wall Street analyst, a Howard University grad, and now an expert in her field as a Financial Education Specialist. After helping manage money for both millionaires and billionaires during her career on Wall Street, Ashley felt that it was her God-given purpose to financially empower the 99% that does not benefit from Wall Street. This passion led her to quit and start her own company, EMPIFY.

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed, John Hope Bryant.

The visionary founder of Operation HOPE, discusses the path to financial empowerment and entrepreneurship. Bryant shares his inspiring journey from the streets of Crenshaw to creating a $110 million real estate portfolio, offering listeners invaluable insights on mindset, wealth-building, and the importance of black-owned businesses. Whether you're looking to break barriers or build generational wealth, this episode will equip you with the tools and motivation to achieve your dreams. A must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs and change-makers! In 1992, in the wake of the L.A. riots, Bryant founded Operation Hope, a nonprofit that provides financial literacy and economic empowerment at the community level. Today, it provides no-cost financial counseling and coaching in 300 offices serving more than 1,000 locations, and is the only nonprofit allowed by federal regulators inside bank branches, with much of its programming funded through the private sector. In 2020, it also launched an initiative alongside Shopify to provide Black entrepreneurs with the tools to build a business; the goal is to create one million Black businesses by 2030. “It could be that financial freedom is the only real freedom,” says Bryant, now 57. “Every other freedom can be taken away.”

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Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily.  I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur.  Keep winning!

In 2017, two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald launched his podcast, Money Making Conversations Master Class.

In the fifth episode of the Keep Winning Information series. Entrepreneur Jackson Dunbar. Dunbar shares his journey of overcoming chronic pain, financial struggles, and systemic challenges while building a successful life.

🔑 Key Themes & Highlights

1. Overcoming Chronic Pain

   • Dunbar discusses his experience as a chronic pain patient following a car accident in 2015.
   • He explains how he shifted his mindset from focusing on what he lost to what he could still achieve.

2. Mental Health & Therapy

   • He shares how therapy helped him navigate the emotional toll of chronic pain.
   • He emphasizes the importance of mental health support, particularly for Black men, and the stigma surrounding therapy.

3. Financial Recovery & Investing

   • Dunbar details how he rebuilt his financial stability through strategic investing.
   • He explains how he leveraged his analytical skills to succeed in stock market investments.

4. Systemic Challenges in Healthcare

   • He discusses racial biases in pain management and the difficulties Black patients face in receiving proper treatment.
   • He highlights the disparities in opioid prescription practices and the stereotypes affecting Black patients.

5. Lessons in Resilience & Purpose

   • Dunbar shares how he transformed personal hardships into motivation to educate and inspire others.
   • He encourages listeners to focus on what they can control and maximize their opportunities.

📘 About His Book
Dunbar’s book, Race Matters in Pain Medicine: How I Made Money, Lost 90 Pounds, and Thrived in Chronic Pain, provides a firsthand account of his journey through financial and health challenges, offering insights on resilience and success.

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Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily.  I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur.  Keep winning!

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Christina Dukes Brown.

The Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic, Chief Executive Officer.  As a leader with a vision for prioritizing collaboration and inclusivity in all her endeavors, Dr. Brown has dedicated her career to nurturing growth and fostering community well-being. Her extensive experience in educational leadership spans over two decades, marked by ascending roles and broadening responsibilities across several prestigious institutions. Under her outcome-focused and thoughtful direction, organizations have flourished, consistently achieving enhanced educational outcomes and broader community impact. Her accomplished background fully prepares her to lead the Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic into its next chapter and to advance its mission of inspiring and enabling all young people to reach their full potential.

Company Description *
The Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic currently serves more than 1,400 children and teens per day in both Paterson and Passaic through academic, athletic, and artistic programming both after school and during summer camp. The Club is grounded in our students' academic and interpersonal success, ages 5-18. Every day, at two Clubhouses and eleven satellite locations, every child completes their homework before accessing enrichment programs that range from STEM to Nutrition to Aquatics, creating a broad spectrum of learning opportunities. In addition, each day, a nutritious snack and meal are served to our Club Kids to ensure that they receive the “fuel” to keep them striving and thriving.

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Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed J Hackett.

Proving that it’s not how you start it’s how you end, J Hackett is the founder and board chair of Black Wall Street AVL, the owner of GRIND - Asheville’s first Black-owned coffee shop, #1 fastest growing startup in WNC, and the #3 best coffee shop in the state of NC -, and a formerly incarcerated convict. He galvanizes his experiences as both an African American man and an ex-con to empower both the community and budding African American entrepreneurs alike in and around the Asheville area. He also provides advice for ex-cons on how to successfully integrate back into society, so if you or anyone you know is looking to exit the prison system, then this is the episode for you. Curious? Then tune in today for another educational episode of Money Making Conversations Master Class! 

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Melody Vaughn.

She discusses her expertise in kitchen and bathroom renovations, her role as a business development manager at Floor & Decor, and the importance of thoughtful design in creating functional and beautiful spaces.

🔑 Key Themes & Highlights

1. Transition to Floor & Decor

   • Vaughn explains her role in bringing high-end luxury clients into the design studio.
   • She works with builders, developers, and residential clients to create customized spaces.

2. Understanding Floor & Decor’s Offerings

   • The company provides hard surfaces like tile, marble, and hardwood flooring.
   • Expanding into vanities, light fixtures, countertops, and kitchen cabinetry.

3. Common Renovation Mistakes

   • Many homeowners fail to set a budget or have a clear design vision.
   • Vaughn emphasizes the importance of working with a designer to avoid costly errors.

4. The Psychology of Design

   • She discusses how personal preferences, lifestyle, and travel experiences influence design choices.
   • Encourages clients to think about how they want to feel in their space.

5. Trends in Kitchen & Bathroom Design

   • Bathrooms are evolving into spa-like retreats with multiple showerheads and seating areas.
   • Kitchens are becoming multifunctional spaces with mixed countertop materials and open shelving.

📘 About Melody Vaughn
Melody Vaughn is an experienced interior designer specializing in kitchen and bathroom renovations. As a business development manager at Floor & Decor, she helps clients create stylish and functional spaces tailored to their needs.

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