Behind The Brilliance

Actress, writer, and producer Brandi Ford stops by to talk about her HBO award-winning film, Muted. We covered the inspiration behind Muted, dealing with a creative identity crisis, work/life balance as a working mom and wife, and what happens when a West Coast girl discovers the virtues of the South.

In this episode, I share the necessity and urgency of seeing The Wire, a few thoughts on friendships and hand written notes, and the simplest, most effective way to be a game changer.

In this episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on the importance of decluttering and streamlining your life. She also shares like a gazillion books, her favorite TED talk and and the 5 areas you should declutter before year end.

In this episode, Lisa follows up episode 21 with Benoni Tagoe with a discussion on setbacks. She shares her thoughts and experiences with setbacks and how she's overcome them. She also offers book recommendations (surprise, surprise) and shares her thoughts on failure and why ambitious people have to make peace with it.  

Creative entrepreneur Benoni Tagoe stops by to pull back the curtain on his success as the creator of The Bizz Plan, the head of business development for Issa Rae Productions and a music industry thought leader. We chat about his work in music, digital entertainment, and business as well as depression, Fifty Shades of Grey, and why there's no future in frontin.  

In this episode, entrepreneur, journalist, and author Shane Snow stops by to discuss his body of work, how his company was born, and what he learned while writing Smartcuts. The book analyzes the lives of people and companies that do incredible things in implausibly short time. Shane and I cover why hard copy books are better than e-readers, what we want to add to our bucket lists, and the virtues of being an independent thinker. It was awesome.

In this episode, Lisa shares her best advice on time management and passes on great insight from high profile achievers on how to get more done in less time. She also recommends strategies for feeling less stressed while setting and pursuing big goals.

In this episode, Lisa shares her advice on dealing with writer's block and creative dilemmas. Based on her experience and that of successful creatives and entrepreneurs she knows, she offers five ways to deal with feelings creatively stuck.

Award winning filmmaker and digital media maven Wadooah Wali stops by to talk about her film, Gaze of the Beholder, and give Lisa the scoop on what it took to get the film made. She also talks about her career in PR with companies like Demand Media and Full Screen and also shares her thoughts on the realities of modern storytelling.

Lisa shares her reflections on the Cindy Gallop episode and the #LisaLikes pick, Psychocybernetics. She also shares why victory boards are just as important as vision boards and shares a random story from high school. She also gets all Iyanla towards the end with an inspiring rant about keeping yourself motivated.

Creative entrepreneur Cindy Gallop stops by to share her thoughts on porn, startups, and the importance of taking consistent positive action. We cover her startups - Make Love Not Porn and If We Ran The World along with her philosophy on being a woman over 50 and her advice to other entrepreneurs.

Lisa shares her unique perspective on risk vs regret and offers a framework for making risky decisions. She touches on the consequence of not making strategic decisions, the reason other people's opinions don't matter, and the most important reason to take risks.

Sex trafficking survivor Rebecca Bender tells the story of how she went from girl next door to sex worker in a matter of months. Between pimps, drugs, and alcohol, Rebecca manages to escape, reinvent herself, and enjoy a new life as a wife and mother. Building on her remarkable resilience, she's now traveling as a speaker and author who is raising awareness about sex trafficking and reshaping what it means to be a modern Christian.

The talented and adventurous Laura Wise is this week's guest who shares her story of spending 18 months in the Phillippines as a missionary. We cover cutlure, the international effects of American media, and the current paradox of black women in entertainment.  

Filmmaker + entrepreneur Pete Chatmon is the director/producer of multiple films starring top talent including Kerry Washington, Zoe Saldana, and Dorian Missick. After succesfully producing and directing his first feature film, he went on to create a multimedia company where he works on a wide range of creative projects. In this episode, he shares his thoughts on his journey into making movies, his thoughts on the new digital landscape, and the most important traits creative people need to be successful.

New York Times bestselling author Heidi Durrow shares her story of growing up Danish and African American and sorting out her identity. We also talk about how she landed on the New York Times list after 48 rejections from publishers. Her inspiring story of persistence and commitment to craft offers insight on the resilience necessary to thrive as a creative.

In this abbreviated episode, I share my reflections on the past year of my life and my hard-earned wisdom on taking risks, achievements, and the awkwardness of making friends as an adult.

Author, humorist, and amazing woman Bunmi Laditan graces Lisa's virtual couch to talk about her journey as a writer and entrepreneur. She shares hard won insight on perserverance, reinventing yourself, and surviving parenthood.

Kiel Berry, EVP of Machine Shop, the creative studio of Linkin Park, stops by to share his story as a dynamic thinker using his business acumen on creative endeavors. We explore his journey to building a career he loves, his book Stunt, and his first exposure to ratchet Southern hip hop.

Bestselling author, speaker, and coach Pam Slim stops by to share her story of going from nonprofit consultant to successful thought leader. We cover a range of topics including parenthood, authenticity, and figuring out your purpose in life.