Stephen A. Smith is on the podcast this week talking all about the difficulty in navigating his complicated family dynamics growing up, what it was like losing a scholarship, his reaction when a mentor told him he was quitting on himself, the importance of learning the value of your word and not wasting someone’s time, working for ESPN, and so much more!

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Yara Shahidi joins the podcast this week and shares all about her journey from growing up in Minnesota to attending Harvard—a dream she never initially envisioned. She reflects on the life-changing experience of starring in Black-ish, the profound impact the show had on society, and her passion for driving change in her community and beyond. Yara also discusses the lasting influence of Prince on her life, the unwavering support of her family, and the lessons she's learned along the way. Plus, she chats about her new podcast “The Optimist Project."

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Leslie Odom Jr. joins the podcast this week! He talks all about how he was only 17 when he was offered a professional job on Broadway, moving from NYC to LA, working with legends like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Kingsley Ben-Adir, what success for his children looks like for him today, how Hamilton shaped not only his career but him as a person, memories from One Night in Miami, his passion for music and writing, and so much more!

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This week on the podcast, the talented Aldis Hodge joins us! He talks about what it was like being raised in New York, the support he always got from his mother, starting in the industry at a young age alongside his brother, being proud of his identity, how actors like The Rock and Kevin Bacon shaped him, his time working on Friday Night Lights, his entrepreneurial spirit, and so much more!

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La La Anthony joins the podcast this week! She talks all about her journey from radio to film and TV, being told she was at the peak of her career as a young adult working for MTV, her favorite character she’s ever played, her book and soon to be TV series, The Love Playbook: Rules for Love, Sex, and Happiness, what makes her feel wealthy (and it’s not money!), her non-profit organization ThreeSixty’s work rehabilitating young men who are incarcerated at Rikers Island, and so much more!

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This week, Gabby Thomas joins the podcast to share her journey—from moving to an all-white town in Massachusetts as a young girl to attending Harvard, where her coach had a game-changing heart-to-heart with her about running track. She talks about being named Ivy League Most Outstanding Track Performer two years in a row, turning Pro with New Balance, winning medals at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, training in Austin, TX, and so much more!

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Jemele Hill joins the podcast to talk all about her tumultuous childhood growing up in Detroit, the “Why not me?” moment she had becoming the only black female sports columnist at a daily newspaper in North America, getting her own show, her new podcast Spolitics, and so much more!

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D-Nice joins the podcast this week to talk about growing up in New York, encountering fame at a young age and how that shaped him, the support system he had in the entertainment idustry, producing the famous song” Self-Destruction" for the Stop the Violence Movement, what made him start Club Quarantine in 2020, how he continues to evolve as a creative individual and so much more!

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Quincy Isaiah joins the podcast this week to talk about booking the role of Magic Johnson in the HBO series Winning Time, what life was like post-filming, if Magic Johnson signed off on the TV series, understanding the producing process and his interest in directing, valuing therapy and taking care of your mental health, and so much more!

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EMMY-nominated writer, actor, and show runner Diallo Riddle joins the podcast this week. He talks all about the struggle of figuring out how to pay for your life while you’re pursuing your art, the confidence of your 20’s you can use to your advantage, having faith in your dreams, what it’s really like developing a TV show, his excitement for Sherman’s Showcase live in Los Angeles, and so much more!

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