Verbally Effective

Whitehaven native and real estate finance guru Al Pickett is my guest for episode 103. Currently residing in Houston, TX, Al continues to attract clients and build a trustworthy company brand recognized throughout the community via interruptive marketing and advertising campaigns. Since a youth, Al was fascinated with numbers and discovered it made perfect sense to bet on himself. At the age of twenty-four, he purchased his first company in a strategic buyout and “quintupled” the revenue in the first year. Nowadays, you can find Al operating a private investment firm with an emphasis on trading currency trends. His Inaugural book, The Blackprint, delivers readers the new rules for winning in a brave new world predominantly by trading the financial markets. The Blackprint also includes one-on-one coaching and has helped hundreds learn how to navigate and profit from the financial markets regardless of economic conditions. Take a listen as Al Pickett gives you a peak into his life. A life that is filled with an emphasis on wellness, freedom, decentralization and numbers.

As a real estate agent, tax professional, and credit counselor, Crystell Oliver is more than a successful serial entrepreneur. Her passion for entrepreneurship and others is part of what can be attributed to her success and the growth of Dream Team Solutions, LLC.

The road to entrepreneurship was not easy, as it took many failures and lessons for Crystell to realize her calling. On episode 202 Crystell talks about dealing with the duality of being an entrepreneur, toxic relationships, and a DUI that was the turning point in her life. Crystell is on top of her game and wants to share her calling with others.

Born to sharecroppers in Batesville, MS, my radio colleague Bobby O'Jay walks us through his 47 years in the radio industry. After seeing his cousin Melvin Jones come home in a fancy ride in 1965 after sharing he was on the radio, Bobby immediately began practicing his radio voice. His first chance was presented in 1972 at the age of 18 when he received a phone call for his first gig in Montgomery, AL. From that moment, Bobby's voice was heard in numerous markets such as Milwaukee, Houston, Dallas, Chicago and most currently Memphis. He tells plenty of stories of his experiences in those cities including encounters with colorful decision makers, being hired and fired, and ultimately making a plethora of good and bad decisions. One of the most pivotal moments Mr. O'Jay shared was when he finally landed in Memphis at WDIA and made the choice to enter a 30 day program at St. Joseph's for rehab in 1985. He never used drugs or drank since. He's received countless accolades over the years for his contribution to the radio industry and states that many of his opportunities were a "Calling from God." Bobby also shares the devastation of losing his wife Sharon and the advice she gave him before transitioning in regards to dating. What I found very intriguing about Bobby is that he maintains his great health mainly due to a very special plant based diet that he practices religiously. Bobby also offers advice to those interested in the radio business and where he sees his career going forward. Enjoy.

Here we are at episode 100!!! Ena Esco shares with her producer SunAh some of the pivotal moments that brought her to Memphis, to radio and to podcasting. 

Memphis has been very good to Beaumont, TX native Ena Esco. Upon graduating from Millington-Central High School, Ena attended LeMoyne-Owen College where she was a Dubois Scholar and president of her sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Beta Tau chapter. In 2000, she was crowned Miss LeMoyne-Owen College and graduated cum laude with a degree in Business Administration the following year.

Ena Esco has been in the radio business for almost two decades and has worked in various roles such as producer, voice-over talent, morning show co-host, mid-day and weekend talent. Ena holds her MBA and has worked in Corporate America in planning, procurement and marketing. She is also married with children.

Currently, you can catch Ena Esco every Sunday from 10a-3p on iHeartMedia’s V101.1FM. In January of 2018 she started the “Verbally Effective Podcast” which is a topical interview-style podcast that intersects art, culture, politics and entertainment. Each week Ena is joined by a featured artist, entertainer, elected official or young professional with roots in Memphis. Verbally Effective delves into each guest’s personal journey to uncover the incredible stories fueling their purpose, the highs and lows of their pursuits and how through their passion they are moving the culture forward.

Brandon Adams aka DJ B.A. #nogenre has become one of Memphis’ most respected turntablist in the city. Born in Raleigh NC and raised in Youngsville NC, the United States Navy brought Brandon to Memphis by way of Millington on his 5th deployment two years ago. He began djing in 2010 while stationed in Jacksonville, FL and quickly put those controllers to use. After receiving orders overseas in late 2010, he found his way forward being immersed in a melting pot of cultures in Manama Bahrain. It was here where DJ B.A. was exposed to the international music scene and became a staple in Bahrain's nightlife. Take a listen as DJ B.A. tells his story of how he injected himself into the Memphis music culture in addition to his love for the skate community and photography.

Kontji Anthony is an award-winning news broadcaster who is currently the evening anchor for WMC Action News 5. She has literally lived in every time zone including Iowa, California, North Carolina and Tennessee. Having Caribbean roots, Kontji grew up in New York outside of Manhattan where she received an amazing dose of culture attending Broadway plays, radio city music hall, statue of liberty and the likes. Kontji eventually moved to Washington, DC where she took up communications at Howard University. On this episode you will discover how Kontji entered into news broadcasting, the challenges she faces as a woman, and some of the interesting ways she receives some of her best leads on stories.

You can find my guest for episode 97 hosting trivia and bingo throughout the city of Memphis every week. Kevin Cerrito is the owner of Cerrito Entertainment and host of Cerrito Live and Wrestling Time on Sports 56 every Saturday from 10a-12p. After graduating from Houston High School, Kevin attended University of Memphis as a Communications major and wrote a weekly column for the Daily Helmsman. He later became a writer for Memphis Sport and entered the radio business with a focus on wrestling. Kevin's love for wrestling started at a young age attending matches where Jerry Lawler was considered The King. Not only does Kevin break down the territories of wrestling for me, but he also explains that wrestling was Memphis' very first professional sport. During the pod you will also hear Kevin's thoughts on social media with data sharing and having a digital footprint. He also walks me through how he developed a trivia company and how he has been blessed to carve his own niche in the areas of trivia, bingo and wrestling.

North Memphis native Andrea Fenise is a lifestyle designer and creative entrepreneur. Born to teenage parents, Andrea lived with her grandmother for some time and had a creative knack for thrifting at an early age. Always labeled "Best Dressed" amongst her peers, Andrea graduated from Craigmont and later MTSU. She entered pharmacy school but found out quickly that she wanted to be an entrepreneur and pursue her interests in fashion. Andrea began blogging in 2007 and opened Style Junkie in 2008. Througout the podcast you'll discover that Andrea has always been a creative and needed to feed that energy. She is very transparent about relationships along her journey that have impacted the woman she is today. Andrea shares with us the reason why she started her apothecary business In Search of Our Garden which came about after reading an essay from Alice Walker. You'll soon discover the reasons she's on a quest to heal others while simultaneously healing herself.

Whitehaven native, Milton Howery III a.k.a. Milton Memphis, has spent the last 13 years working in the entertainment and tourism industry. Milton began his career in 2005 working in radio as the morning show producer for the Mike and Mandy Morning Show on WRVR The River 104.5FM and hosted a weekly show on U92-FM "The Jazz Lover." After graduating from two separate colleges on the same weekend in 2011, Milton was named the Top Marketing Representative intern with Black Entertainment Television. Immediately following he landed roles with the Memphis Cook Convention Center and later with the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid.

With such a solid foundation in entertainment and tourism, it was no surprise when Milton founded Milton Memphis Entertainment (MME), a business that is now focused on connecting people from music-related events to the extremely popular networking event The Link Up Memphis. He was recently named one of the Top 40 Under 40 Professionals by the Memphis Business Journal in 2019.

As you listen to episode 95, Milton is very upfront and honest about living his truth. He shares the moments when he came out about his sexuality to his family and friends and how they responded. Milton is also very vocal about his current role as the Director of Public Relations Manager for Memphis Tourism expressing some of the biggest selling points that Memphis has to offer. As the incoming Vice President for the Memphis chapter of PRSA and President Elect for 2021, Milton breaks down his role and describes the outlook for generating positive media exposure for Memphis both domestically and globally.

Ever since a young girl, Carlissa Shaw always knew she would become a lawyer. With North Memphis running through her veins, Carlissa's family supported her wholeheartedly with this end goal in mind. After completing Snowden, she entered Central High School and was very active in sports and student activities. However, it was her love for track that led her to MTSU as an athlete and political science major with a concentration in Pre-Law. Upon graduation, Carlissa returned home and attended the University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphrey Law School where she graduated in 2012. She has worked in a variety of practices including non-profit, trial law and the county government. Carlissa has always been an advocate for empowering people hence her very first book entitled "Twenty Something: Lessons, Reflections, and Survival Tips for Your 20's and Beyond." On episode 94, you will find out the motivation behind Carlissa’s book including some additional lessons she has learned along the way. We also touch on James Wiseman and the NCAA, Colin Kaepernick vs. the NFL and lastly the "LIKE" button disappearing soon on Instagram.