Your Attention Please

Jennifer King has been passionate about sports since her schoolyard days, when she knew she had an edge over all the guys around her. And she’s turned that passion into a career as the first Black woman to be a full-time coach in the National Football League. As a running backs coach for the Washington Football Team, Jennifer works long hours to keep her players prepared and focused on whatever comes next. But in order to get to the NFL, she had to make some tough choices and sacrifices along the way. On this week’s episode, host Kimberly Drew talks with Jennifer about her journey to the NFL, how the women in the league support each other, and her surprise connection to NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson. 

For more information about Carolina United Flag Football, visit www.cuflag.org.

For transcriptions, please visit pineapple.fm/your-attention-please.

Kicking off our second season of Your Attention Please: The Podcast, Screen Actors Guild Award-winning stunt actor Jazzy Ellis joins host Kimberly Drew to talk about the value of learning to fall. Jazzy got started stunting nearly ten years ago in Louisiana, and has since starred in major Hollywood blockbusters and advocated for stunt actors of color. Throughout her time in the industry, she’s learned the importance of representation, safety, and having a crew. On our season debut, we dive into how experimentation has given Jazzy her community and led her to purpose.

For more information about GirlTrek, visit www.girltrek.org. 

For transcriptions, please visit pineapple.fm/your-attention-please.

You asked for more Black Excellence. Say less. Join us for season two as host Kimberly Drew takes a seat at the table with 12 abundant Black innovators who are creating worlds where expanded Black narratives can flourish.

Before Coco and Breezy started designing eyewear, they didn't know much about the industry they were diving into headfirst. But they did have a love for sunglasses and a lifelong ambition to become entrepreneurs. Now, the twins are DJs, producers, and co-founders of a community called The Lorca in addition to being owners of a trailblazing eyewear company. Kimberly, Coco, and Breezy close out the series with a candid conversation on the importance of building community, the power in creating something out of nothing, and where the twins find joy. 

In 2019, Tomi Adeyemi followed up her best-selling debut novel, Children of Blood and Bone, with another installment in the Legacy of Orïsha series, Children of Virtue and Vengeance. Readers have fallen in love with Adeyemi's stories, which are magical and transporting but also so resonant in today's world. In this episode, Kimberly chats with Tomi about believing your dreams are possible, having the right people on your team, and bad spinoffs. And, naturally, Tomi has all the best metaphors for life.

Plant stylist and artist Hilton Carter is all about making homes feel cozy and vibrant – including his own home, where he has hundreds of plants. But he also stresses that plants are living things that must be tended to with care, not treated as props. Kimberly – a self-professed “proud plant mom” – talks with Hilton about bonding with plants, stereotypes about plant people, and how plants can teach us to be more nurturing in our relationships.

Ibtihaj Muhammad made headlines in 2016 when she became the first woman to represent the U.S. at the Olympics wearing a hijab. Even though she’s no longer a competitive fencer, she’s still collecting wins left and right. She’s an athlete, author, and activist with her own Barbie. And, as Kimberly puts it, Ibtihaj is “an example for so many of us who see an imperfect world and want to do something about it.” The two of them sit down to have a conversation about putting faith before fear, inclusive fashion, and being the leader in your own life.

When Nicole LaPointe Jameson became the CEO of the esports organization Evil Geniuses in 2019, she took the helm of a brand that had a well-established presence in the gaming world. But it was also floundering. Nicole quickly brought in new talent and made other changes to energize the company at a time when the entire industry was dealing with growing pains. 

Kimberly and Nicole sit down to talk about the wellness of players, misconceptions around gamers, and whether Nicole makes time for play outside of her profession. By the end of their conversation, Kimberly is (mostly) sold on getting back into gaming.

Phillip Youmans was thrown into the spotlight when his film “Burning Cane” won big at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and was picked up by Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY. Even when he’s not behind the camera or on set, he has a vision that’s so singular and clear that it’s impossible not to be inspired by him. Kimberly sits down with Phillip to talk about the confidence it takes to sell your art, the pain and promise of constructive criticism, and trusting your instinct.

Iddris Sandu is an architectural technologist, which means that he’s a real-life wizard with code, constantly building something out of nothing. And his particular brand of magic is his ability to create meaningful connections between the worlds of technology, hip-hop, and design. He's literally constructing our future.  

In this episode, Iddris and Kimberly chop it up about always being prepared, being particular with your time, and building brand new platforms rather than amending broken systems.