Verbally Effective

Originally from Indianola Mississippi, Marcus T. Turner is the agency owner of Marcus T. Turner and Associates. He attended Alabama A&M for a short period until he got the itch for the insurance game. In 2011, he founded Marcus T. Turner and Associates, a firm that specializes in financial services as well as personal lines of property, casualty and business insurance. Due to his rapid success and over 2 decades of experience in the financial services and insurance industry Marcus started his own consultant firm, Turn Key Enterprises LLC, to assist other financial service and insurance agencies on how to grow, manage and develop teams with strong leadership skills. He advises that insurance is based on socioeconomic factors and is indeed a "love thing." Although covid hit many of us hard, the insurance business increased for Marcus as many potential clients have been working from home with more availability at his reach. Learn about his deep spirituality, his close relationship with his mother and why his recent nuptials has him feeling whole.

The name Crumpy’s has been synonymous with hot wings for the last 30 years. Miss Crumpy’s is a second-generation company that promotes healthy eating, cooking, community development, and family togetherness. Miss Crumpy’s is led by founder Freda Crump. Freda has more than 25 years of cooking experience and it all started at home. Freda’s father opened his first Soul Food restaurant in Memphis, TN back in 1991 and the restaurants are still thriving today. Freda has successfully taken the experiences learned from working in her father’s restaurant to implementing them into Miss Crumpy’s by expanding from brick and mortar to a full product line and product development company. Freda has ensured that the brand is not only there to profit but also to give back. Take a listen as Freda shares her journey of expanding her family’s legacy, the misogyny involved with having a small business and the art of product development.

Making the leap from a very rewarding corporate job to becoming an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. However, our guest for episode 142 did just that. Memphis native Diamond S. Taylor is a creative entrepreneur, marketing consultant, and philanthropist. She is the founder and creative director of Friends + Co., a strategic marketing firm to help entrepreneurs & "sidepreneurs" streamline their start-up processes. Take a listen as Diamond walks us through her journey of excelling at FedEx as a sales executive and realizing she wasn't fulfilled. Many of you entrepreneurs will be able to empathize with Diamond's decision to leave the wonderful benefits, traveling and 401K behind to ultimately pursue your dreams.

Singer, songwriter and producer Porcelan joins us for Ep. 141. Her Westwood roots shined bright as she conquered choir, theatre and even volleyball at Sheffield High School. But Porcelan knew music was her first love as she pursued her dreams after her having her child at 18. Porcelan shares with us how she started in the music business with a group of hungry creatives figuring everything out. Fast forward to now with MIME Records founded by David Porter, she is releasing her new album "Mood Ring" on October 30th. Take a listen as Porcelan speaks on having a voice as a woman in the industry in addition to becoming more creative in the areas of content, engagement and writing while in this pandemic.

Making the case for causes he believes in and collaborating with other people fuels Marvin Stockwell's passion for his hometown of Memphis. He’s at his best when he’s developing creative solutions and shaping public opinion using the full suite of modern tools – media relations, marketing, public speaking, branding, event development, social media and grassroots advocacy.

Marvin has worked at all points along the nonprofit spectrum from small to large. He co-founded two grassroots nonprofits – Coliseum Coalition and Friends of the Fairgrounds – and serves as spokesman for the wider movement to reactivate the Mid-South Coliseum and make the city’s Fairgrounds all it can be. Take a listen as Marvin discusses how his passion for civic engagement actually started while on tour with his punk rock band Pezz. His passion for saving the Coliseum led him to starting his podcast "Champions of the Lost Causes" for which he is currently writing a book. You'll also hear Marvin's views on the importance of voting in the upcoming November election.

Curtis Braden is the CEO of Braden, Braden & Braden LLC and has been in the commercial real estate industry for over twenty years closing well over five hundred investment transactions. Known as the guy who carried his briefcase at Trezevant High School, Curtis has always been infatuated with numbers. Take a listen as Curtis walks us through his journey which led him to a very monopolized commercial real estate space. He speaks of the many challenges in this game with over 600 agents in the Memphis area and only about 5% African American representation. Curtis has always surrounded himself with a solid circle of individuals from different backgrounds known to many as the Rat Pack. Enjoy!

North Memphis native Laquita Tate is an educator, interior stylist and content creator for her brand, Laquita Tate Interior Styling & Design. This October she is celebrating her one-year anniversary in the design space turning blank canvases into beautiful works of art. It all started on Chelsea and Lambert growing up in a huge, loving blended family. Laquita became a teen mother at the age of seventeen following in the footsteps of both her mother and grandmother. However, Laquita worked extremely hard to dispel statistics by graduating from college, receiving her doctorate in education and pledging Delta Sigma Theta while attending University of Memphis. Although Laquita is currently serving as a principal, she's learned the perfect balance of incorporating interior design into her world. She is one of four winners for the "Art by Design" contest and is currently attending the New York Institute of Art and Design virtually. Take a listen as Dr. Tate talks about her strong support system, designing spaces and leading a new school as principal during this pandemic.

My Pisces brother J. Buck is my guest for episode 137. This singer-songwriter who coins himself as "The King of Nostalgic Soul" describes music as an inside/outside process for him with elements of funk, soul and rock. Although he's from Memphis, his family has strong Mississippi roots.

Take a listen as J. Buck walks us through his life growing up in Whitehaven and diving into music seriously while attending MTSU. While in college, he took a spiritual journey filled with meditation, sweat lodges and self discovery in which he credits for strengthening his musical ability. J. Buck feels that God is present in every thing that he does therefore communicating love through his singing and songwriting. Find out why he has struggled with getting on the virtual train when it comes to covid19 in addition to his thoughts on the Breonna Taylor case and upcoming election. You definitely don't want to miss this one!

Pastor DeAndre Brown is the Founder and Executive Director of LIFEline to Success, a reentry program for ex-offenders that equips them with the necessary tools to reenter society. This vision was made possible as a result of DeAndre spending 25 months in state and federal prison finding it extremely challenging to have a normal life again.

DeAndre's roots reach back to South Memphis and the segregated south of Arkansas. Raised by his mom, grandmother and great aunt, DeAndre struggled with the dichotomy of racism as he navigated through school. He proved to be a very popular scholar as he attained his studies and unfortunately went from nerd to dope boy. That's where DeAndre's trouble with the law began and ultimately led him into 25 months in state and federal prison.

Take a listen as DeAndre walks us through his time while incarcerated and the turning point that changed his life. He along with this wife Vinessa have been operating LIFEline to Success for about thirteen years now gaining contracts with the city, state and currently working with the US level. Find out how LIFEline to Success teaches ex-offenders about a life absent of crime and despair filled with opportunities to turn their lives around.

Jessica Benson is the host for the Memphis Grizzlies and co-host on the Rise and Grind show with Grind City Media. This Highland Ranch, CO native stepped away from her five-year television broadcast career to transition into the digital space with the NBA. This shift from traditional media came with many perks and freedoms. Not only did Jessica and her team start a show from scratch, but they have the bandwidth to tackle topics other than sports such as social justice and pop culture. Take a listen as Jessica shares her journey on being a woman in the sports industry, her transition to Memphis and the outlook for the world of sports in a pandemic.