NOTE: This episode contains a strategic "f-bomb" or two...hence the "explicit language" tag. Forgive me in advance and ENJOY! — ZC

How many brilliant ideas are sitting in drafts right now?

In this installment of The Gr8tness Router, host Zena C. sits down with Shirley Sampson, Founder of Fathom & Flourish, Business Strategist, and Accountability Coach…for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, purpose, faith, and the courage required to act on what you already know you're meant to do.

From growing up around generations of entrepreneurial women to navigating corporate leadership, caregiving, grief, and business ownership, Shirley shares the experiences that shaped her belief that most people don't need more information…they need accountability, reflection, and the confidence to trust themselves.

Together, they explore joy versus safety, the power of community, overcoming perfectionism, and why greatness often emerges when someone is willing to hold up a mirror and remind us who we are. At its core, this conversation is about choosing purpose over fear and refusing to let your gifts remain hidden.

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Connect with Shirley on LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads or by visiting her website fathomandflourish.com. If you’re interested in learning more about F*uck That. The Unfiltered Summit click here.

What if the greatest leadership lesson isn't found in a title…but in the lives you've helped transform?

In this episode of The GR8TNESS Router, Zena C. welcomes one of the people most responsible for shaping her academic and professional journey: Dr. Kandace L. Harris. An educator, media scholar, administrator, mentor, and advocate, Dr. Harris has spent her career helping students recognize the greatness already within them while creating pathways for them to thrive.

Their conversation explores the transformative power of HBCUs, the importance of representation in education, and why teaching is far more than delivering information…it’s about cultivating lives. Dr. Harris reflects on her upbringing in Oakland, her Howard University experience, the lessons she learned as a young professor at Johnson C. Smith University, and the moment she realized that every word spoken to a student carries lasting weight.

The discussion also dives into purpose, career pivots, lifelong learning, faith, accountability, and the importance of extending grace to yourself while pursuing excellence. Whether you're an educator, entrepreneur, student, or leader, this episode is a reminder that influence isn't measured by titles…it’s measured by the people who become greater because you showed up.

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Connect with Dr. Harris on LinkedIn and Instagram

What if the thing you're building isn't just a business…but a space for restoration?

In this episode of The GR8TNESS Router, host Zena C. sits down with Sherry Waters, founder of Pauline Tea-Bar Apothecary, community chaplain, spiritual director, and stewardship coach. Through a conversation rooted in service, healing, and community care, Sherry shares how a simple green chair became the catalyst for creating one of Charlotte's most beloved spaces for reflection and connection.

From her early career in television news to decades serving nonprofit organizations, Sherry reveals the breadcrumbs that led her toward social entrepreneurship and the creation of a tea lounge designed to help people slow down, reconnect, and be restored.

Together, they explore stewardship, resilience, meaningful connection, spiritual discernment, and the courage required to honor a vision that doesn't look like anyone else's. At its heart, this conversation is about creating space…for yourself, for others, and for the healing work we're all called to do.

Find Sherry online at http://www.ienate.com/ or the tea bar at http://www.thepaulineteabar.com/

In this episode of The GR8TNESS Router, host Zena C. sits down with Dr. Erica N. Hilton, a Strategic Communications + Media Scholar and Assistant Professor of Strategic Communications at Hampton University, for a conversation that bridges scholarship, strategy, and soul.

With a career spanning higher education, national nonprofits, and digital activism, Dr. Hilton shares how her journey from aspiring publicist to award-winning educator revealed a deeper calling: to teach, to advocate, and to communicate for good.

Together, they explore what it means to take the pause in a world that demands instant responses, the lessons learned from moments of redirection, and how passion can guide us toward a purpose-filled life.

This episode is about resilience, discernment, and the power of aligning personal truth with professional calling.

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Connect with Dr. Erica Hilton on LinkedIn or Instagram

What does it mean to keep creating when everything around you feels like it’s collapsing?

In this episode of The GR8TNESS Router, host Zena C. is joined by Dr. Ashley Gaddy Robbins, Equity, Liberation + Authenticity Scholar and Founder of Ashley Gaddy Enterprises, for a candid conversation on resilience, authenticity, and the storms that shape us.

From her early lessons in social justice to navigating systems not designed with her in mind, Dr. Gaddy Robbins reflects on what it takes to stand firm, speak truth, and center humanity even in the most turbulent seasons.

This is not just a conversation about leadership. It’s about finding joy, protection, and power when the storm refuses to let up.

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Connect with Dr. Ashley Gaddy Robbins on LinkedIn, Instagram or by visiting her at ashleygaddyenterprises.com

In this illuminating chapter of The GR8TNESS Router, host Zena C. sits down with scholar, author, and trailblazing university president Dr. Brian L. Johnson. From his roots in Durham, North Carolina, to becoming the first minority president in Warner Pacific University’s history, Dr. Johnson shares the lessons, pivots, and defining moments that shaped his purpose-driven path.

With honesty and depth, he opens up about:

• The faith and encounters that clarified his calling
• The pivotal rejection that redirected him from law school to academia
• The resilience built by remembering where he came from
• How mentorship, integrity, and preparation remain cornerstones of leadership

Dr. Johnson reminds us that purpose isn’t static — it evolves, it pivots, and it proves itself through resilience. This is a conversation for anyone navigating their own calling and searching for the courage to keep pressing forward.

Because the greatest story you’ll ever live is the one where you remember the good, so it can prepare you for the greater.

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Connect with Dr. Brian Johnson on LinkedIn, Twitter or visit intersectionoffaithandlearning.com

In this episode of The GR8TNESS Router, host Zena C. reconnects with her graduate school roommate turned powerhouse scholar, entrepreneur, and global speaker — Dr. Cierra M. Robinson.

A proud St. Louis native and three-time HBCU alumna, Dr. Robinson shares her journey from winning fifth-grade oratorical contests to shaping the future of higher education and entrepreneurship. With honesty and humor, she opens up about faith as foundation, family as fuel, and resilience as a non-negotiable.

Together, Zena and Dr. Robinson explore the role of authenticity in leadership, the hustle born from legacy, and the calling to lift as we climb. This is more than a conversation — it’s a masterclass in purpose, perseverance, and planting seeds for generational impact.

💫 Whether you’re an entrepreneur, student, or leader-in-the-making, this episode will remind you that knowing who you are and whose you are is the true blueprint for success.

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Connect with Dr. Cierra Robinson on LinkedIn

Visit LaidOffLemonade.com to learn more about Zena C's book

In this soul-nourishing chapter of The GR8TNESS Router, host Zena C. welcomes her cousin and guiding light, Dr. Deborah Threadgill Egerton, for a rich conversation on what it means to become.

From the sacred stillness of a back porch prayer to building a global brand rooted in healing, Dr. E unpacks the real work behind purpose: trusting the call before the path is clear. Together, they explore the intersections of divine timing, identity, obedience, and the quiet power of being well-loved.

Whether you’re navigating a pivot or waiting on a promise, this episode will remind you that transformation isn’t a destination—it’s an unfolding.

💫 Listen closely. The business of becoming is already in motion.

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Connect with Dr. Deborah Egerton on LinkedIn, Instagram, or learn more about her work at DeborahEgerton.com

What happens when you finally stop shrinking and start speaking?

In this episode of The GR8TNESS Router, Dr. Davia Crutchfield joins us for a deeply honest, spiritually grounded conversation on clarity, calling, and becoming. She opens up about how language, identity, and obedience intersect—and why your voice might be the very thing God is waiting on.

📖 From the power of journaling to the pain of playing small, Dr. Davia shares what it means to honor your truth—and how faith, fear, and frameworks are all part of the journey.

🎧 Tap in and step forward—your next chapter may be waiting on your “yes.”
🔍 Search “The GR8TNESS Router” wherever you get your podcasts.

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Connect with Dr. Davia J. Crutchfield on LinkedIn, Instagram or learn more about BL&CK at visitandblack.com

Scandinavia House | A Celebration of Doug Crutchfield

National Nordic Museum | A Celebration of Dancer Doug Crutchfield

There’s a particular kind of grief that comes from being left behind not because you did something wrong—but because you were finally being real.

In this episode of The GR8TNESS Router, Zena C. holds space for the quiet ache of being cut off, edited out, or misunderstood for choosing authenticity. Anchored by Langston Hughes’ iconic poem Mother to Son, this reflection invites listeners to consider what it costs to shrink, and what it could mean to stop.

From middle school memories to grown-folks clarity, this episode is a reminder that not all disconnection is loss—and that sometimes, the most radical thing you can do is let people go… and stay true to yourself anyway.

If you’ve ever traded a piece of yourself to belong—or felt discarded for simply being—this one is for you.