Dreams In Drive

People thought her idea was outlandish. They thought she couldn't pull it off. They laughed at her audacity. She didn't care. What do you get when you combine hustle, graciousness, & patience? On this episode author & professor of entrepreneurship at FIT , Emily Blumenthal, a.k.a, “Handbag Fairy Godmother” talks how she wasn't going to take NO for an answer on her quest to do what no one else had done before - build the Independent Handbag Designer Awards. Emily shares how she stumbled upon this passion and the many successes and challenges she faced building the awards show from scratch. She also talks how she was able to nurture and sustain relationships & partnerships that include brands such as InStyle Magazine, Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, Bloomingdale's, Guess, Timberland, Singer Sewing Company, Swarovski, vitaminwater, Patron and more.  ON THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: - Why you can’t always pay attention to the roadmap laid out for you - How Emily launched herself the world of handbag d

Have you ever questioned WHY you've been dealt the cards you have? How do you cope with life-changing news? Will you make lemonade out of lemons or allow yourself to fall into a downward spiral? What does that process of self-discovery look like? Meet Ariel Lawrence. Ariel has lived with Type 1 diabetes for 12 years. She's the creator of Just a Little Suga’, a personal blog with an expansive focus, seeking to shed light on the experiences of individuals of color and marginalized communities affected by diabetes. By sharing her story, and highlighting other folks of color coping with and tackling diabetes, she's building community focused on living well. Ultimately, her goal is to motivate herself and others to be resilient in the face of diabetes AND enlighten the friends/families of diabetes so they can better support them. Whether you know someone who is affected by diabetes or not - Ariel's transparency and vulnerability about her story and why she is so committed to embracing her calling and building comm

Need help figuring out the road to sustainability? Benoni Tagoe of Issa Rae Productions and The Bizz Plan shares the secrets to building a brand that lasts.  Benoni launched his career as assistant to the Jonas Brothers, and quickly became a part of the band’s day-to-day management team, developing a keen sense of entrepreneurship. Since then, Tagoe has produced content for both TV and New Media on platforms that have collectively garnered over 20 million views. Currently, Tagoeis the head of business development for Issa Rae Productions (The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girland HBO’s ‘Insecure’). Additionally, Tagoe founded management & consulting company, The Bizz Plan, which works with various media brands, including Uninterrupted (LeBron James’ sports platform), beauty entrepreneur Peakmill, and financial expert Tonya Rapley. ON THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: - What inspired Benoni as a child - Benoni's fascination with "not being forgotten" - Why Benoni dropped out of college - The connection betwe

Have you ever been curious about your family history? Where are you from? What's the story of your people? How does this all affect who you are today?  In 2003, Dr. Gina Paige co-founded African Ancestry, Inc. and in doing so, pioneered a new way of tracing African lineages using genetics, and a new marketplace for people of African descent looking to more accurately and reliably trace their roots. Gina talks about the origins of the company and why this work is so important. We dive into the challenges her and co-founder Dr. Rick Kittles faced when first launching (they self-funded with only $1200!), dealing with criticism, and lessons she has for other entrepreneurs seeking success.  Now, Gina travels the world helping people demystify where they’re from and informing on identities so that they may better understand who they are. Dr. Paige holds a degree in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from the University Of Michigan Ross School Of Business. YOU WILL LEARN:- What inspired Gina as a child -

Earlier in June  - Host Rana Campbell had the chance to sit down with the cast of POWER (Lela Loren, Omari Hardwick, Joseph Sikora, Nature Naughton, & Rotimi) and talk life lessons that we can take away from Season 5 of the show as Dream Drivers. She also shares some personal life updates and reflections and why  LEVELING UP is the theme for the rest of the year. Join in on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and remember to use the hashtag #dreamsindrive.   *SHOP OUR MASSIVE DREAMS IN DRIVE GEAR SALE: www.dreamsindrive.com/shop *ENTER TO WIN OUR GIVEAWAY OF THE WEEK: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/win *SHOW NOTES: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/episode-159 *SUBSCRIBE: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/join *JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/join *FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/free *Follow Dreams In Drive on Social: *http://twitter.com/dreamsindrive *http://instagram.com/dreamsindrive *Follow Rana on Social: *http://instagram.com/rainshineluv *http://twitte

At just 10 years old, Jessica Spaulding began making chocolates. Little did she imagine - as an adult - that passion that would later inspire her to open her craft chocolate business, Harlem Chocolate Factory - which produces bars, bark and brownies inspired by the rich ethnic heritage of her native Harlem community. Jessica's goal? To make high end chocolate accessible to the average person's palette. On this episode - Jessica takes us along her #dreamdriving journey to getting Harlem Chocolate Factory off the ground. The story centers around the steps she took to firmly solidify her entrepreneurial plan and create the life and business she knew she deserved and could successfully lead. Despite the challenges she encountered, Jessica shares how she was able to hustle strategically, build a team of business advisors in her industry, and leverage every opportunity that came her way. WE DISCUSS:- What inspired Jessica as a child - Where Jessica's love for chocolate came from - Jessica's early entrepreneurial hu

On this THROWBACK episode - we take it back to EP 6 and our chat with Sakita Holley - the founder and CEO of NY-based beauty and lifestyle PR firm House of Success PR. She is also the editor of HashtagsandStilettos.com,a business lifestyle blog and hosts a podcast of the same name that you can find on Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud. Sakita shares tips and advice from her own experience growing House of Success PR. You'll learn more about what you have to do to find clients, close deals, and start monetizing your service-based or lifestyle business. IN THIS PODCAST YOU'LL LEARN: 1. How to figure out when you need to leave your job and pursue something new 2. How she overcame having BUSINESS CAPITAL & CREDIBILITY and launched her own PR firm 3. The biggest mistakes Sakita made when she first offered services to clients 4. Why CLIENT EDUCATION is super important 5. The questions you need to ask to figure out your target market 6. When it's okay to do work for FREE 7. Why walking away from a deal can be good m

What does it take to make it in the media and entertainment industry? We chat with - Kristen V. Carter - content creator, entrepreneur, and inspirational speaker from Newark, New Jersey.  SOME OF THE THINGS WE DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE: - How Kristen's boarding school experience shaped her - The strength of a mother's love - The moment Kristen realized she had potential to thrive - What Kristen's first jobs in media taught her - The benefits of being a freelancer in the entertainment industry - Building strong relationships - Why you have to study television credits - How to stand out in whatever job you're in - How to stay encouraged - Creating a yearly action plan - The keys to telling a good story - Launching Trust Your Magic - Combatting the "starving artist"... and more! Kristen has produced for a variety of television’s top series including NBC's The Voice and Black Girls Rock.  Kristen's professional experience spans across a number of formats including documentary, competition, live events, digital cont

What you put in - is what you put out. Are you making a way with what you have? Are you letting adversity make you feel like there is no hope for things turning around? We chat with Starr Dawkins - entrepreneur, entertainer, and CEO of Sweet Cookies Wash - an all natural feminine wash and vaginal product line - about how she learned to create opportunities, keep going despite hurdles she faced and why she stopped holding herself back and started living fearlessly. She talks her journey from launching a sex blog in college to collaborating with a local comedian on projects that helped her grow her audience to then diving into entrepreneurship and launching her own product line. Recently, her strategically created Nicki Minaj impersonation video was even reposted by Nicki Minaj herself - serving as a catalyst for more opportunities. Starr is the definition of a hustler - a dream driver who sees the world as possibility and is willing to do what it takes to succeed - even if there are naysayers who may not agree

Everyone wants to grow their audience - but no one's asking the question "Why?" Is there a different approach we should be using when thinking about our relationship with our community and brands. YES! We chat with writer Alex Wolf - who you may know as the lady entrepreneur who built a cult following of over half a million millennials for her first brand (Boss Babe) in less than a year. Nobody understands why she left it all to become a writer either. Alex shares what we can do as Dream Drivers to truly resonate with our audiences and build brands that matter and stand out in our new modern digital reality. Alex also talks about her new book RESONATE - her informative and occasionally hilarious look at the intersection of human nature, technology, and how understanding both can help anyone creative build a following of their own. SOME OF THE THINGS YOU'LL LEARN:- Why Alex wanted to be famous when she was younger - Our relationship with technology - How Boss Babe came to be - How to resonate with your audienc

Are you trying to make BIG CAREER MOVES this year?!? I know I am. But what do we have to do to make sure those moves we are making are successful? Meet - Lauren McGoodwin, CEO and founder of Career Contessa. She founded the company in 2013 after working in recruiting for a tech company and experiencing the gap in career development resources available for women who were job searching, soul searching, leading and managing, or trying to find new ways to advance within their careers. The site is completely dedicated to women and takes into the account the unique challenges women in the workplace experience including the wage gap, career breaks and minority representation in leadership positions. Lauren takes us on the journey of how she founded the data-driven career resource and the super helpful and valuable career hacks she's researched and helped her community navigate over the years.  SOME OF THE THINGS YOU'LL LEARN:- What inspired Lauren as a child - How to figure out what kind of career is for you - How t

REFLECTION TIME! In this minisode, host Rana Campbell shares with DREAM DRIVERS an experience she had on Instagram that reminded her of why giving up isn't an option, her advice for her now  27 year old self, why you can always DREAM BIGGER, and the power of practicing naive possibility at some point along the #dreamdriving journey.  Join in on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and use the hashtag #dreamsidrive! *SHOP OUR MASSIVE DREAMS IN DRIVE GEAR SALE: www.dreamsindrive.com/shop *ENTER TO WIN OUR GIVEAWAY OF THE WEEK: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/win *TAKE OUR LISTENER SURVEY: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/survey *SHOW NOTES: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/episode-152 *SUBSCRIBE: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/join *JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/join *FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/free *Follow Dreams In Drive on Social: *http://twitter.com/dreamsindrive *http://instagram.com/dreamsindrive *Follow Rana on Social: *http://instagram.com/rainshineluv

We chat with seven-time Emmy-nominated TV host, media personality & producer, Kéla Walker. Kéla goes deep on what it takes to put your dreams IN ACTION and get the results you want without sacrificing who you are and your personal truth. It is possible to get PAID doing what you love, but you have to be willing to put in the work and walk the talk! Kéla takes us along her journey to media stardom - including a strategic move early in her career that set her on the path to hosting red carpets for events such as the Tony Awards, the Met Gala and the BET Awards. SOME OF THE THINGS WE TALK ABOUT INCLUDE: - How Kéla's dreams evolved as she grew older - The catalyst opportunity that set Kéla on her path to success - The skillsets Kéla had to learn when she entered the working world - How Kéla built her personal brand - What to do right now to create a space for yourself & your dreams - Why authenticity trumps everything! - Working through comparison - Hustling forward - How to align yourself for what's next

BLACK DENTISTS EXIST! In the United States, the underrepresentation for Black dentists is extraordinary. What do you do when your dream may leave you as the minority in most  professional spaces throughout your career? We chat with Dr. Bristol Williams ("Dr. B"), DDS, MDS - a Periodontist/Dental Implant Surgeon, entrepreneur and speaker about her road to being a leader in a field largely unrepresented by African-American women. She shows us how through grit, perseverance, and an uncompromising belief in herself and her ability to succeed - she was launch her own multi-practice speciality office and help communities in need of innovative dental care and resources.  SOME OF THE TOPICS WE DISCUSS: - Growing up as the child of a dentist - Lessons learned during life as a dental student - Launching her career and opening up her own multi-practice speciality office in New Orleans - Advice for working with borrowed money and budgeting smartly - Pricing innovation - Expanding into new target/niche demographics - Find

Do you feel stuck in PARK and would do anything to get and STAY in DRIVE? What if I told you the key to making that shift has nothing to do with external factors - but rather - the key is INTERNAL...it's all YOU and your mindset?! On this episode we chat with Felicia Leatherwood - one of Hollywood's favorite natural hair hairstylists. Her styles have been featured on stars such as Ava Duvernay, Issa Rae, Will Smith, Jill Scott, Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Nicole Ari Parker, Kim Coles Kimberly Elise...and more!  Felicia takes us through the early days of her career from transitioning from corporate to entreprenuership and building her stylist career. She talks how she got the courage to JUMP and go after her desire to be successful and see where her talents and hard work could take her. Felicia also shares the challenges she faced along her journey and how she was able to overcome and navigate past them. If you're currently finding it hard to believe in the dream or need some insight and motivation on h

Do you believe that you can have extraordinary love? Extraordinary relationships? We chat with Nate Bagley - a podcaster, entrepreneur, writer, TEDx speaker, teacher, and guy who loves his wife a lot and tries really hard to be the best husband in the world. He spends nearly every waking hour of his life trying to rid the world of mediocre love. He loves helping people create amazing relationships and is excited to share some of what he's learned with you! Whether you're in a romantic relationship or not - Nate's teaching, experience, and tips can be applied in almost any type of relationship. As a Dream Driver learning, studying, and practicing the core fundamentals of communication, trust, respect, and understanding will take you far along your journey.  Join in on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and make sure to use the hashtag #dreamsindrive. Enjoy!Nate ON THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: - What inspired Nate as a child - Why Nate quit his job to pursue his dreams - Getting over fear and doing it anyw

Feeling like giving up is part of the #dreamdriving journey. There are going to be times when you want to quit...but how do you fight those feelings? On this episode, we talk through 11 things you can do INSTEAD of giving up... because as a DREAM DRIVER, quitting is not an option. Join in on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and use the hashtag #dreamsindrive. *SHOP #DREAMSINDRIVE MERCHANDISE: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/shop *ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY OF THE WEEK: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/win *SHOW NOTES: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/episode-147 *SUBSCRIBE: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/join *JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/facebook *FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/free *Follow Dreams In Drive on Social: *http://twitter.com/dreamsindrive *http://instagram.com/dreamsindrive *Follow Rana on Social: *http://instagram.com/rainshineluv *http://twitter.com/rainshineluv *http://www.ranacampbell.com

Don't ever let anyone put you in a box that you think you can't get out of. We chat with designer, model, and blogger Nadia Aboulhosn. Back in 2010, Nadia started a fashion blog. Now, eight years later, she still blogs, has her own self-titled clothing line, and is a signed model at Wilhelmina. But how did she get there? Nadia opens up about her #dreamdriving journey, lessons she's learned along the way about standing out, celebrating her wins, and not sacrificing who she is just to get ahead. She also shares tips for others looking to get ahead in lifestyle-related careers, how to work with brands successfully, and some of the challenges she's currently working through. With all that she does, Nadia hopes to continue inspiring and pushing forward the fashion industry.  Join in on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and make sure to use the hashtag #dreamsindrive. Enjoy! ON THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: - What inspired Nadia as a child - Becoming confident in your thoughts - Figuring out life-post college

Ask yourself this question: Who are you? We chat with the LEGENDARY actressJenifer Lewis as she shares her #dreamdriving journey and why nothing was going to kill her dream! Jenifer talks her struggles with mental illness, getting herself "unfrozen."/seeking help, writing her book The Mother of Black Hollywood, and the importance of self care. She also  opens up about what being HAPPY means to her now and how we as dream drivers can find our own definitions of success despite what has happened to us. In Jenifer's own words, "Love yourself so that love will not be a stranger when it comes." This episode is one for the books! One you have to share with a friend and tell them to keep paying forward! Thank you Jenifer for blessing us with your GEMS! Join in on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and make sure to use the hashtag #dreamsindrive. Enjoy! ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF "THE MOTHER OF BLACK HOLLYWOOD": www.dreamsindrive.com/win ON THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS- The childhood memory that Jenifer will never fo

The conversation on self care, personal growth, and taking care of ourselves is never going to get old. We chat with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford - a Licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia and the host of the popular mental health podcast, Therapy for Black Girls. Her clinical focus is helping women recover from breakups and she is passionate about creating experiences and holding space for Black women to become the best possible versions of themselves. Her work has been featured in Bustle, Women’s Health, BuzzFeed, Teen Vogue, Essence, and O, The Oprah Magazine and she was named in Huffington Post as one of “10 Black Female Therapists You Should Know.” Join in on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and make sure to use the hashtag #dreamsindrive. Enjoy! ON THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: - How Dr. Joy landed in the mental health field - Finding her first private practice clients - Anxiety, depression, and relationships - Managing negative self- talk, fear & doubt - Navigating the fear of success - Steppin