A native New Yorker by way of Panama, Jamaica, and Virginia, Tai’s life story is filled with a history of progressive stands. From his mother’s family being among those that contributed to the suit that integrated schools across the United States—Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka to his father’s influential network of academics and thought leaders, his craft was in the making for his entire upbringing—without him necessarily knowing it. #Listenandlearn more!

Where to find Tai?
https://taiallen.com/
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube
On Soundcloud

Other topics of interest:
About Yonkers, New York
Perspective on Jamaican Migration to Panama
About Colón and Panama City in Panama
About Saint Ann and Saint Elizabeth Jamaica
The Maroons of Jamaica
How Scots became a presence in Jamaica…
Flyght Tyme, the band
About Tai’s connection to Roots Author, Alex Palmer Haley and Palmer Family Ancestry
The Five Cases that lead to Brown v. Board
About recently shuttered community hotspot, The Brooklyn Moon Cafe and Michael Thompson
What was Real Player?
The Last Poets
Amiri Baraka
Yosef Ben-Jochannan “Dr. Ben”
About Leonard Jeffries
Who is Chi Ossé?
Revisit Anna Malaika Tubbs on Glocal Citizens
CBC - Congressional Black Caucus
What’s happening in policy in Utah?
A timeline of policing, law enforcement and resistance in the US

Special Guest: Tai Allen.

A native New Yorker by way of Panama, Jamaica, and Virginia, Tai’s life story is filled with a history of progressive stands. From his mother’s family being among those that contributed to the suit that integrated schools across the United States—Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka to his father’s influential network of academics and thought leaders, his craft was in the making for his entire upbringing—without him necessarily knowing it. #Listenandlearn more!

Where to find Tai?
https://taiallen.com/
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube
On Soundcloud

Other topics of interest:
About Yonkers, New York
Perspective on Jamaican Migration to Panama
About Colón and Panama City in Panama
About Saint Ann and Saint Elizabeth Jamaica
The Maroons of Jamaica
How Scots became a presence in Jamaica…
Flyght Tyme, the band
About Tai’s connection to Roots Author, Alex Palmer Haley and Palmer Family Ancestry
The Five Cases that lead to Brown v. Board
About recently shuttered community hotspot, The Brooklyn Moon Cafe and Michael Thompson
What was Real Player?
The Last Poets
Amiri Baraka
Yosef Ben-Jochannan “Dr. Ben”
About Leonard Jeffries
Who is Chi Ossé?
Revisit Anna Malaika Tubbs on Glocal Citizens
CBC - Congressional Black Caucus
What’s happening in policy in Utah?
A timeline of policing, law enforcement and resistance in the US

Special Guest: Tai Allen.

As part of my thought gathering and as five years of storytelling with dynamic diasporans becomes six, this week's compilation is a reflection on visionary entrepreneurs doing essential work improving food systems, as stewards of earth’s abundant resources, and by building and delivering value to communities. Each of these guests - Luther Lawoyin, founder and CEO of Pricepally in Nigeria; Nana Opoku Ageyman-Prempeh, CEO of Grow For Me in Ghana; Wellington Baiden, CEO of Portal Forest Estates also in Ghana; and Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, founder of the One Love Community Fridge Project in the US, engages daily with the realities of the global challenges we are all facing - the availability and access to affordable, quality food; improving the livelihoods of those that deliver that food; and planning the land for the long haul.

The great thing about each of their entgerprises is that they are all growing and going strong with mission critical works, AND you can help ensure their continued success with your time, investment and/or donations.

Revist the full episodes with links to how to engage with each guest here:
A Revolution of Solutions with Luther Lawoyin
Crowdfunding African Agribusiness with Nana Opoku Ageyman-Prempeh
Portal into Agro-Forestry with Wellington Baiden
Connecting Communities with Asmeret Berhe-Lumax

Special Guests: Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, Luther Lawoyin, Nana Opuku Agyeman-Prempeh, and Wellington Baiden.

This week’s conversation dovetails themes that have become very present in my perspectives in the past year. Our conversation takes place in one of my locals, which happens to be a new-ish local for my guest--Brooklyn, New York. My guest, Ambassador Martin Kimani is a native of a soon-to-be local for me--Kenya. And we are both decidedly on a #PanAfricaProgress mission. Getting to this point, Ambassabor Kimani has spent his career operating at the intersection of diplomacy, security, and political legitimacy, working across national, regional, and multilateral systems to resolve conflict, build institutions, and negotiate power.

As Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN, he served as president of the Security Council and the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNOPS. His Security Council address of February 2022, delivered on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and viewed by millions, affirmed a core element of his leadership: the ability to bring moral clarity and strategic grounding to moments of international rupture. Earlier, in his career, he directed Kenya’s National Counter Terrorism Centre and served as the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism advising three presidents through national and regional crises, from emergency evacuations to constitutional brinkmanship.

This year he stepped into a new role as President and CEO of The Africa Center in New York marking a new phase in his work where diplomacy, strategy, and narrative converge. At the same time his Pan-African portfolio, alongside his continued engagement with the United Nations, positions him as the current President of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

Where to find Martin?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Martin reading?
A Wreath for Udomo by Peter Abrahams

Other topics of interest:
About Mombasa, Kenya
Nyeri, Kenya
Kiambu, Kenya
About the Kikuyu People
Ambassador Kimani’s Security Council Speech
The First Pan-African Congress in London
The Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester
Who was George Padmore?
Necropolitics by Achille Mbembe
African Nationalism

Special Guest: Martin Kimani.

We’re talking about the business of teaching and learning from a design thinking perspective with my guest, fellow Stanford University alum, visionary educational leader and the founder and CEO of Roundtrip Ticket Home, an organization dedicated to helping educators reimagine school systems through design thinking, Kalimah Fergus Ayele. With almost 30 years of experience in education, her journey began as a Peace Corps Volunteer, teaching Chemistry in East Africa. Her career has spanned five countries, enriching her global perspective on learning, and bringing a deep understanding of urban educational landscapes to her transformative work.

Most recently, she served as the Head of NYC Campus for The Winchendon School where she led an innovative educational oasis in Manhattan, guiding high school students through real-world learning and a unique city-wide field study program designed to connect them with their passions. In this conversation we truly experience the roundtrip journey of a little girl growing up in Brooklyn and St. Croix, building on Pan-African rooting from an early age, who manifested her new and now as a global citizen ready for her next adventure.

Where to find Kalimah?
@roundtrip Ticket Home
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook

What’s Kalimah reading?
All the Way to the River by Eizabeth Gilbert

What’s Kalimah watching?
aka Charlie Sheen on Netflix
Orgasm Inc: The Story of One Taste on Netflix

Other topics of Interest:
About St. Croix
Sleepy Hollow, New York
About the United States Peace Corps
About Brooklyn’s African Street Fair and International African Arts Festival
Courageous Conversation + Glenn Singleton
About the American University in Cairo
On Montessori Education
On Friends or Quaker Schools

Special Guest: Kalimah Fergus Ayele.

I met this week’s guest in Accra at a Women Wellness Africa breakfast early this year and was happy to be able sync our travel schedules to reconnect in one of the places she calls home, London. Marielle Legair is a speaker, certified NLP and hypnotherapy Coach, LinkedIn Top Voice, and LinkedIn Learning Instructor. She's leading career empowerment through cutting-edge neurological research and behavioural science. Her expertise goes beyond coaching, focusing on arming audiences with the tools to break barriers, overcome limiting beliefs, and thrive in their careers. With a background in corporate storytelling, executive visibility, and entrepreneurship, Marielle offers unmatched guidance to individuals and companies seeking to excel and leave a lasting impact. Global giants like Amazon, BP, Diageo, EY, LinkedIn, Macquarie, Microsoft, and Yale University have sought her for inspiring talks and workshops that drive transformative change.

Before founding her company, Marielle honed her skills on both sides of the Atlantic, spearheading impactful C-suite publicity campaigns in London and New York for corporate giants such as Deloitte Global, Grant Thornton, Experian, and Golin. Her strategic acumen in elevating CEOs and senior leaders has earned acclaim in top-tier media outlets like the BBC, CNBC, Forbes, Financial Times, and Glamour.

As you’ll hear, Marielle’s roots are in St. Vincent and the Grenadines which was hard hit by Hurricane Beryl last summer. Follow the links below to connect with Marielle about continuing efforts to support those impacted.

Where to fine Marielle?
marielelegair.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On YouTube

What’s Marielle reading?
Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Dr. Joe Dispenza
Steal the Show: From Speeches to Job Interviews to Deal-Closing Pitches, How to Guarantee a Standing Ovation for All the Performances in Your Life by Micheal Port

Other topics of interest:
About Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
About Nottingham, home of Robin Hood
Historic Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
30 Rock aka 30 Rockerfeller Plaza
Toastmasters
About Neuro-Linguistic Programming
Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé

Special Guest: Marielle Legair.

This week Haiti, the recent Democratic National Convention (DNC), living in the now and ideas that challenge mindset boundaries are hot topic with my guest, Haitian-American, Jodine Dorcé. Jodine has been discovering, branding and promoting arts, music and culture for over a decade. Behind the scenes, she had an impressive career as an award-winning event marketer in the arts, entertainment and consumer product industries. Her achievements include developing and promoting products for Disney Consumer Electronics; leading sponsorship integrations for CurlFest and ONE Musicfest; producing the 2015 ESSENCE Festival and being responsible for the branding of Red Bull as a staple in the Atlanta cultural scene. Currently she is the VP of Live Events at WaitWhat, a media invention company, recognized for the highest quality, most genre-defining content today.
In front of an audience, Jodine has a fearless passion for hosting and being an on-air personality. From her former radio days at WBCX 89.1FM in Atlanta, GA, she was also the host of the world-renowned Apollo Theater’s Music Cafe in Harlem that spotlights emerging music artists. She now serves as a host for Capital Jazz TV while producing and assist in the programming for the Capital Jazz Fest & Supercruise. You can also find her guest hosting various events throughout the country that showcase music, empower women and bring awareness to her beloved home country, Haiti. Join us in the vibe!

Where to find Jodine?
https://www.jodinedorce.com/
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On X
On YouTube

What’s Jodine listening to?
Stout
Keyon Harrold on NPR’s Tiny Desk

Other topics of interest:
Tabarre, Haiti
On Haiti’s Revolution
Perspectives on Haiti in 2024
East Flatbush and Little Haiti in Brooklyn
Some Bedford-Stuyvesant History
On [Sapiens](lin https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiens-2/)
Masters of Scale Podcast
Reid Hoffman
About DNC (Democratic Nationional Convention) Producer, Ricky Kirshner
LFG!
List of Elections in 2024
[Kat Cole](lin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kat_Cole) and the Hot Shot Rule
[Jason Orr on FunkJazz Kafe](lin https://funkatopia.com/funk-news/interview-with-funkjazz-kafe-jason-orr/)

Special Guest: Jodine Dorcé.

This week’s episode and herstory really hit close to home. We recorded this interview on Ghana’s Independence Day, March 6th--or 6th March as we say in Ghana. And while days like this are meant to be celebrations of freedom and recognition of the work and struggles that went into the founding of the republic, my enthusiasm was half-hearted. If Africa, Africans and all people of the African Diaspora are honest with ourselves we have to accept that decolonization is an unfinished job. There is work to do. I, like my guest this week accept it and for me, I am reminded and empowered to ramp up the why of Glocal Citizens and my passion for manifesting a new world. My guest, Brooklyn sistren, and neighbor, Valerie White is as committed and has shown this commitment in a 30+ year career dedicated to economic and social empowerment across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Valerie is currently Senior Executive Director of LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) NY where she is responsible for leading the expansion strategy promoting LISC's statewide efforts to create an economic and community development ecosystem addressing deep-rooted systemic inequities. She is also broadening her scope of impact knowledge sharing with groups such as United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa).

Where to find Valerie?
On Linkedin
On Facebook
On YouTube

How is Valeries unwinding?
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Visit Going Dark the Guggenheim Museum

Other topics of interest:
About Fishkill, NY
About the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Steiner Studios
Brooklyn's Hip Hop Closet
About Shirley Chisolm
Laura Blackburn Speaks
A litlle bit about the saying Ride or Die
Life Wellness Center in Brooklyn
On the Buffalo Shooting then and now
Micron Chip Project
On Malik Yoba
Professor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o
What is BRIC?

Special Guest: Valerie White.

I’m back in Accra and it’s HOT and HUMID, but thankfully not so dusty--I’ve successfully evaded the Harmattan! A significant contrast to the environs for my guest this week who dials in from her hometown of London, England. Raised between London and Brooklyn with roots in Jamaica, Aruba and Donimica, Marlea Edwards was drawn to the creative arts from theatre to photography, storytelling, mythology and anthropology from an early age. She is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary creative artist and creative consultant with a key focus on visual storytelling and connecting to audiences. She is CEO and founder of Me + You Films, a boutique production company. As a global, independent professional creative director, producer, director, writer, filmmaker, and edit producer, her early career and work includes working on award-winning BBC shows like Top Gear, Strictly Come Dancing and Eastenders 25 Live, to the London 2012 Olympic Games, London and New York Fashion week and Lenny Kravitz’s Strut Tour. Other Brands and Clients include Endemol, BBC, Tom Ford and Tom Ford Beauty, Gucci, DVF, Kohl’s, FarFetch, Lush Cosmetics, Preen and ITN Productions. Her latest project, Garms: Black Culture's Influence on British Fashion, a one-off documentary deep dive into the world of Black British fashion and culture premiers this week on Wednesday, February 21st.
Currently writing and freelancing for award-winning brands and production companies, her own and others, when she’s not working with commercial clients she creates artwork with an African spiritualist theme focused on the female form.

Where to find Marlea?
marleaedwards.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Vimeo
On Twitter
On [IMDb](= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4237999/?ref_=nmbio_ov )

What’s Marlea listening to?
André 3000
Cleo Sol
Sampha

What’s Marlea watching?
One Day on Netflix
Champion on Netflix
Dreaming Whilst Black

Other topics of interest:
About Queens Park, London
About Wembley, UK
About Prospect Park, Brooklyn
About Miss Lou, Jamaican poet laureate
the london stage school
Who are Key Workers in the UK?
BET UK’s Cicela Deane
London Fashion Week
About Bianca Saunders
About Martine Rose
About Tolu Coker
About Labrum
About Althea McNish
Liberty London
About Nicholas Daley
Priya Ahluwalia
Cortez Streetwear
Windrush then and now
4 -7 - 8 Breathing

Special Guest: Marlea Edwards.

This week I’m joined by a longtime friend as we both were about to hit the road for weekend adventures fitting our global missions. Photographer, Dante Bowen Hendricks found his calling as a young boy in Guyana when his uncle gifted him a rotating globe that sparked Dante's fascination with world cultures. After immigrating to Brooklyn as a teen, Dante set aside his passion for photography to work in his family's shipping business. But a trip back home reignited his love for the art.

Dante dove into developing his skills, studying at the International Center of Photography. Though he does commercial work digitally, Dante prefers shooting personal projects on film. He's exhibited in New York as well as Baltimore and is new local, New Orleans. He is also a co-contributor along with fellow Brooklyn-bred photographer, Phillip Moi-Thuk-Shung to Inferno, a forthcoming book of photo essays. Dance and spiritual traditions are among Dante's favorite subjects. His distinct style retains a sense of childlike wonder, conveying cultures with sensitivity and nuance. Listen as Dante shares his globetrotting journey of discovering both himself and the world through his lens.

Where to find Dante?
On Instgram
On Threads
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s Dante reading?
Unreasonable Behavior: An Autobiography by Don McCullin
Slightly Out of Focus by Robert Capa
Ceasar: Life of a Colossus by Adrian Goldsworthy
Napolean: A Life by Andrew Roberts

Other topics of interest:
Geography of Guyana
About Flatbed Trucking
Talk like a Trucker
Guyanese Metemgee
About Seawall Sundays
Fuji GW690 Cameras
Lika Cameras
Kodak Potra
Knotting Hill Carnival
Ndyuka People
Chevalier Film

Special Guest: Dante Bowen Hendricks.

If you like the idea of being bold, you’ll love the idea of “Beaming Bold”after listening in on thes conversation with my guest, Aurda Gordon. Audra’s journey began in the beautiful islands of St.Vincent and the Grenadines where she was born and Brooklyn, New York where she was raised. She is now now an expat living in Hong Kong for almost 12 years.

As a Wealth Management and Business Development Professional with extensive experience in retail banking and retail fashion, she is a self-starter who has excelled in senior roles in customer experience, relationship management, and strategy consulting in Hong Kong, New York, and Ghana. She has a proven track record of spearheading initiatives that strengthen the mission, brand, and financial position of enterprises; including those which were self-founded.  A serial entrepreneur, she is the founder of Beam Bold – a vibrant resort wear brand focused on size inclusion and reducing textile waste. She is also founder of Global Identity Partners – a coaching and retail business consultancy.

Another stamped and sealed Glocal Citizen, her passion for travel has taken her to 76 countries across six continents. Although she enjoys seeing much of the world, she has a strong connection to the African continent having visited 26 countries and frequently travels there. As she puts it, on her Audraverse platform, this probably explains why her ideal meal would be; jollof rice wrapped in a roti with some dim sum on the side.

Where to find Audra?
audraverse.com
beambold.com
On LinkedIn
On [Instagram]([https://www.instagram.com/audraverse/?hl=en)
On Facebook
On X
On YouTube

What’s Audra reading?
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listenby Donald Miller

Other topics of interest:
About the Wan Chai neighborhood
Causeway Bay in Hong Kong
Sham Shui Po Garment District
Fashion Connect Africa

Special Guest: Audra Gordon.

Where to find Tiambi?
www.tiambi.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What's Tiambi reading?
Will by Will Smith (Author), Mark Manson
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

What's Tiambi listening to?
The Science of Getting Rich Podcast
Dissect Podcast

Other topics of interest:
On Water Management in the Netherlands
EIT Climate-KIC ClimateLanuchpad
Mfoum, Central Region, Ghana
On Matrilineal Societies
On Design Thinking

Special Guest: Tiambi Simms.

Listen in to find out more about how Asmeret is manifesting a new world view on food, beauty and civic engagement.

Where to find Asmeret?
www.onelovecommunityfridge.com](https://www.onelovecommunityfridge.org)
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What's Asmeret reading?
The New York Times
The New Yorker
The Atlantic

Other topics of interest:
Fort Greene Park
Flashback to Glocal Citizen Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo's Episodes
The Campaign Against Hunger
Ami Cole
54 Thrones
Rosen Skincare
Nike Air Pegasus History

Special Guest: Asmeret Berhe-Lumax.

In response the tragic murder of George Floyd and national upheaval that followed, Jon found himself wanting to do more than simply protest. He wanted to do something that would directly impact and improve Black lives. Targeting Black businesses in particular, Jon recently ticked a new box on his resume becoming a tech CEO, with the launch of the Blapp app.
Blapp connects is communities to local Black businesses across an array of sectors--bars and restaurants, boutiques and markets, professional services and much, much more. With nearly 20,000 downloads since launching in October 2021, Blapp is well on it's way to becoming a game changer in both the brick and mortar and online shopping spaces!

Where to find Jon?
Blapp App
Comedy Cellar
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On Twitter
On YouTube

What's Jon watching?
Valley of the Damned on Discovery ID
Disney+'s Mandalorian

Other topics of interest:
Former CSU President, Albert C. Yates
About Leslie Jones
One Bedroom Film
About Margot Merrill Fernandez
Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Venmo co-founder

Special Guest: Jon Laster.