The UpNUp Podcast

In this episode of 'The UpNUp Podcast', Founder of emerging and fast growing Outdoors/Adventuring experience/service 'Miles Hike Club'(@mileshikeclub), James "Booby" Miles, takes us along his journey of transforming his joy of hiking/nature into a platform/movement that has been reconnecting so many with magic that is nature.

As a black-owned business in the great-outdoors space, it was a vision for him to take up space while undoing the creations of stigmas and narratives regarding his culture and their lack of engagement with the great-outdoors. Whether it's the amount of benefits from a health/wellness perspective his platform has provided for so many or just carving a path that will lay the foundation for the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, this story is definitely one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp.

In this episode of 'The UpNUp Podcast', Founder of 'The Peace Bus' humanitarian aid organization, Kwabi Amoah-Forson, takes along his long journey to not only find his purpose of peace, but his mission to change the world through teaching us how to actively practice peace.

From his early upbringing he was always a voice that spoke when he felt something needed to be said, he started out speaking to local folks in parks about the importance of peace, which eventually transitioned the passion into a tangible and impactful organization known as 'The Peace Bus'(@thepeacebus) which now is leading campaigns for peace both nationally and internationally. From his hometown of Tacoma all the way to countries such as England, Ireland and much more, it's his consistent work in feeding the hungry, educating our youth or driving his mission across the world that makes this story definitely one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp.

In this episode of 'The UpNUp Podcast', CEO/Owner of fast-growing 'Black Coffee NW' (@blackcoffeenw), Darnesha Weary, takes us along the journey of true integrity and ownership of building up her community through her dream business.

From the past work of racial equity and activism along with her family, she envisioned a space in the world of Coffee that could integrate excellent service, not just through amazing coffee, but an amazing shop where customers can experience the true brilliance that is black culture. Whether it's the internship/development programs they provide for our community's youth, the collaborative events w/ fellow black business owners or the expansion of their brand in opening multiple locations, this story is definitely one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp

In this episode of 'The UpNUp Podcast', Real Estate Investor and Entrepreneur, Lucas Pinto(@luke_is_winning), takes us along his journey of building generational wealth while uplifting the next generation to find their own versions of financial freedom.

From his early years of feeling unfulfilled in the success he attained at various jobs, he knew he wanted take matters into his own hands and completely bet on his-self in the exciting world of Real Estate and Investing. Although the path started with many lessons and humbling challenges, he set himself on a path to become one of his industries top performers, with over $250-million in sales to date, being named as a member of the 'Forbes' Real-Estate Council, and much more innovative projects on the horizon, this story is definitely one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp

In this episode of 'The UpNUp Podcast', award winning and world-renowned Photographer/Photojournalist, Meron Menghistab(@meron_photo) takes us on a journey of true patience and dedication to build a lane to call his own. From discovering a passion for photography early in his teen years and pouring into that passion consistently year after year, he took is ambitions and talents to the "Big Apple" and didn't look back. Whether it was finding ways to earn his stripes early on, winning an 'American Photography' award, or preserving the visual legacies of greats such as Nipsey Hussle and many others, this episode is definitely one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp.

In this episode of 'The UpNUp Podcast', visionary, entrepreneur and Owner of industry leading Sneaker Resell company/store 'Sheikhs Closet'(@sheikhscloset) and Co-Owner of brand new storefront 'The Mecca'(@themeccanw), Ahmed Sheikh(@sheikh6side), brings us into what was truly a journey of making it through the fire. From an upbringing of navigating the first-gen immigrant experience while trying to carve his own lane, though there were many obstacles he was able to exceed the expectations. Whether it was trail blazing in the "corporate America" arena at a very young age, leaving his job to bet on his self and launching his sneaker resell business or doing exclusive deals with legendary brands such as 'Jordan', this story is definitely one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp

In this episode of ‘The UpNUp Podcast’, Washington State Senator and current candidate for King County Executive Office, Joe Nguyen(@senjoenguyen), brings us into his hard fought journey to truly empower the community and people that’ve helped shape him. From navigating early life as a first-gen immigrant who relied on his community, hard work and determination to go against the status quo, he was eventually able to be elected as the first ever Vietnamese American to serve as a Senator for Washington State, fueled by adding more representation into a system that has historically lacked diversity.

The work continues as he’s currently running for the King County Executive Office position, with a focus and emphasis of putting the PEOPLE over Politics. This story is truly one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp

In this episode of 'The UpNUp Podcast', Founder/CEO of growing digital media company 'ExecuTalks' and host of the 'ExecuTalks Podcast', Ash Faraj, takes us along his journey of finding true freedom in pursuing his passion of telling the stories of some of worlds greatest business leaders. Although having early success in the companies he worked for was gratifying, he knew he wanted more, and wanted to bridge the gap between young professionals the worlds top CEO's, Executives and leaders. Now 'ExecuTalks' serves as the home of the true success stories from CEO's and Executives for companies such as Starbucks, Zillow, Robinhood, Buzz Feed, just to name a few, and there's no shortage in sight. The story of this build up is one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp

In this episode of 'The UpNUp Podcast', Senior Product Manager for Amazon, Corporate Diversity Consultant, and Entrepreneur, Angelina Howard(@angelinahoward.x), takes on a journey through learning how to take up space to make the rest of us feel seen. From her early years of navigating the Product-Management space for one of the biggest tech/product companies in the world, she has been relentlessly carving a lane of increasing the knowledge and representation of people of color in Product-Management/Tech. Whether it's about how she helped build the 'Black Employee Network' for Amazon(B.E.N) or consulting other professionals/companies on how to build more inclusive/diverse networks for the underrepresented to feel empowered at work, this story is definitely one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp.

In this episode of ‘The UpNUp Podcast’, professional home loan consultant and community builder, Gary Barquet lll (@garythegr3at) takes us along his journey of pushing future generations toward home ownership and wealth building through focused understanding, education and service. As someone who entered the industry with a clear focus on bringing the knowledge back to his community, the lack of representation that exists in the home loan consulting space was instantly evident for him. His work of not only educating but elevating his community through home ownership education, will continue to change the lives of families and generations to come. This story is definitely one to keep us all on #TheUpNUp