True Thirty with Joey Dumont

Eric Litchfield is a retired captain from the Santa Rosa Police Department in northern California. During his tenure, he managed divisions and programs that included patrol, traffic, tactical teams, incident management, detectives, professional standards and training, recruiting, and promotion assessments.Captain Litchfield has extensive experience in personnel investigations, policy development, recruiting, crowd control tactics, and managing large scale critical incidents.He is also a graduate of the POST Command College Strategic Foresight program, and a former fellow with the Institute for American Policing Reform.During our time together, we discussed the specific training differences between the men and women who serve as peace officers vs. the training of ICE and Border Patrol agents today in the Trump administration.We talked at length about the tone, tenor, and screening of ICE officers and how their specific training is not focused on working with the public, and why this has proven to be deleterious to the institution of ICE, its agents on the ground, and to American citizens writ large.We also discussed the leadership of J.D. Vance, Kristi Noem, and Steven Miller…specifically…how they have publicly declared “Immunity” for their federal officers, vs. the Qualified Immunity standard they will be held to in a court of law.Captain Litchfield helped me better understand the importance of training, screening, and governance of both state and federal officers and agents. I hope you find this helpful as well.*Note that this episode was recorded before the killing of Alex Pretti on January 24, 2026.*Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Today, I am joined by two of my oldest friends and colleagues from the advertising business. Jimmy is our resident Oxford scholar and proud libertarian, and Kevin is a former media executive, and very vocal Trump supporter.As shared during our interview, the three of us have been jarring about politics on a private thread for over a decade now…and please note that we argue like brothers (without the fisticuffs), while eventually hugging it out.During our chat, we walked through the November 4th elections, specifically the Governors races with Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia respectively. We then dove into Zohran Mamdani’s decisive win as New York City’s new mayor, and his many lofty promises and remedies to NYC’s myriad problems on affordability.Our next areas of debate included why ICE is failing in its duty, how blowing up boats in the Caribbean is probably not a good idea, why Congress is failing for our least fortunate on SNAP, and why Trump’s tariffs are not working as planned.We all had a blast…and I hope you learn something (other than Kevin is wrong most of the time) :-)Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s episode, I sat down with three conservative people I’ve never met before named Bill, Mary, and Stephen, to talk about all things Trump. And I wanted to host such a show to highlight that we (Left and Right) are not as divided and hateful to one another when we sit down and talk like adults. And… this episode proved just that.Bill was the resident MAGA representative during our debate. I encountered Bill due to his daily arguments with my friend Terry on Facebook. To say it nicely, Bill likes to stir up shit as a proud member of MAGA, and is a very vocal fan of President Trump.I’ve watched Bill interact online for the better half of a year, and decided to debate him on a subject about a week or so ago… which he refused to do, while offering up whataboutisms as a repeated response to my many questions. So… knowing that I wasn’t getting anywhere with our online interaction, I asked Bill to join me on the show so we could debate in person… and he graciously accepted. He then asked “Do you mind if I bring my friends Mary and Steve?”Well… how could I say no?Both Mary and Steve agreed to do this interview as long as I did not publish our Zoom interview on my YouTube channel…so this interview is in audio only.We began our chat by discussing the tragedy of the Charlie Kirk assassination…which quickly moved to our discussions on Erika Kirk’s heartfelt speech about her husband at his recent memorial/rally in Arizona.We discussed the recent drama about the “indefinite suspension” of Jimmy Kimmel and Brandon Carr’s overreach and public comments as the head of the FCC.When then free-formed a bit around topics like our federal government becoming the largest shareholder in Intel, and why that may be a conflict worth analyzing - which quickly jumped to the Trump tariffs and how these specific actions are affecting our farmers here in America.We closed our debate by discussing the many constitutional violations of ICE, and why the J6’ers deserved a blanket clemency by President Trump (yes, many folks believe this level of nonsense).The good news…we held a very spirited and sometimes contentious debate…without any name calling, or ad hominems of any kind. And as you will soon hear, it wasn’t because we agreed on everything (we did not).I hope you learn as much as I did from our debate. And please leave your comments…I will respond in kind. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Rich Klein is the Managing Partner of McLarty Media…a repeat guest…and someone I now consider a friend.Rich was part of the 1992 Clinton/Gore presidential campaign, helping to craft policy and messaging on emerging global issues… and was subsequently appointed by President Clinton to head the speechwriting staff and be part of the policy planning office at the Department of Commerce.I invited Rich back on the program to talk about his recent piece on his own Subtack called, “The Wisdom of David Gergen”. I was so touched by the piece that I wanted to share it with our listeners.During our chat, we talked about Mr. Gergen’s decency, his acumen in bipartisan politics…and Rich shared a few personal stories about their friendship along the way.I hope you enjoy your time with Rich as much as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Fay Johnson is an expert in the field of Trust & Safety. Johnson’s tenure combines deep expertise in behavioral science with hands-on experience in product development, content moderation, and online safety at leading technology companies including Meta, Twitter, and Nextdoor.Johnson has designed and implemented systems that promote respectful interactions, fairness, and community trust, shaping how billions of people engage online. While at Meta, Fay was the product lead on designing and building the Oversight Board, and its integration into the broader Facebook ecosystem.She is currently a fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Institute for Internet and Society where she is doing applied research and product development focused on depolarization and increasing civility in online discourse.During our chat, we discussed Meta’s decision to cut back on Fact Checking, which includes both long-term and short-term consequences.We also dove into the roles of platforms like Meta, Twitter, and Nextdoor – specifically, if they have any moral or ethical responsibility with their Tenants and Conditions.We then talked specifically about some of the lessons she learned while running her product teams, and what the future may hold for these platforms with technology and systems like AI and Community Notes as possible remedies for what ails our online communities.I hope you learn as much as I did from Fay.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Tobias Rose-Stockwell is a writer, technologist and media researcher who explores the effects of social media on society and democracy. His work has been featured in major outlets such as FastCompany, Quartz, Medium, NPR, the BBC and many others. As a media researcher, he has advised the directors of Gannett, one of the largest news organizations in America, as well as local news outlets in the US, on digital strategy. Tobias was previously a guest lecturer at Stanford University on the topic of social enterprise design and technology ventures. He is currently a strategic advisor to Jonathan Haidt's organization, OpenMind, which focuses on depolarizing communities online.During our chat, we talked at length about his new book: Outrage Machine: How Tech Amplifies Discontent, Disrupts Democracy―And What We Can Do About It.The topics discussed include all of the usual suspects: Are our phones hurting our children? Has social media retrained our brains? Have algorithms remapped our chosen content? How is technology changing the industry of journalism and our democracy at large?I had a wonderful time learning from Tobias, and I hope you also enjoy hearing about his story…and his decades-long focus on how technology is changing our world.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Joe Hack spent 12 years as a senior advisor in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, including more than six years as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (NE).Prior to that, he worked for Senate Whip Jon Kyl as Communications Director and chief spokesman. Joe is also a veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as Press Secretary and Legislative Assistant for Rep. J. Randy Forbes (VA-04). He began his career in the office of Senator George Voinovich (OH)During this episode of Joey Squared, we talk about The Alphabet People, our beloved LGBTQ+ community, and why they are not a monolith, nor should they be treated as one.We then talked at length about one of my favorite journalists, Nellie Bowles and her new book, Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History - and why it was such a romping good read.Nellie’s collections of stories proved to be a wickedly funny treatise about the ideological capture of her former colleagues and editors at The New York Times. And Joey and I use her witty and engaging stories as a cursor to our discussions about the fringe left of my party, and how their narratives and messaging are being widely rejected by the majority of Americans today.I hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Nick Quested is a British filmmaker and producer of documentary films, music videos, and TV commercials. He is the executive director and owner of Goldcrest Films. Quested has produced over 40 films, including several war documentaries directed by Sebastian Junger. Prior to producing, he was an award-winning music video director. Quested directed more than 100 music videos and commercials, working with artists including Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Sting. Nick has won two Emmys and a DuPont-Columbia Award, and has been nominated for an Oscar and a PGA Award. His company, Goldcrest Films, has won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice.Leading up to and during the 2021 United States Capitol Attack, Nick had been embedded with the Proud Boys, a far-right organization involved in the attack. In June of 2022 Nick testified – under subpoena on live television – to the US House of Representatives January 6 committee. As part of his testimony, Nick revealed that his crew had filmed a garage meeting between Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder and leader Stewart Rhodes on January 5, 2021, the night before the attack.During our chat, we talked about why Nick chose to live his life behind a camera, how he pivoted from shooting hip hop music videos to war documentaries, where he literally put his life on the line. We then discussed how he found his way into the inner sanctum of The Proud Boys – and how and why Enrique Tarrio allowed him to film the illegal activity of his Boys, and how this footage in his new film, 64 Days, helped put many of these Jan 6th rioters behind bars.I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.Watch Episode:Check out 64 Days:Website: www.64daysfilm.com IG: @64daysfilmStream the film: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/64days This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Brad Berens wears a few different hats: he's a strategic advisor and senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg, Principal at Big Digital Idea Consulting, serves on a variety of boards, and has spent many years working in digital media. He's also a science fiction novelist and writes a weekly newsletter, The Brad Berens Weekly Dispatch on Substack, and also on LinkedIn. He has a Ph.D. in Shakespeare studies from U.C. Berkeley, where he was an award-winning teacher.Brad joined me to discuss Dr. Jonathan Haidt’s newest book, The Anxious Generation, How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Brad is a longtime friend and colleague from my time in the world of advertising. And over the years, he has made it clear that he is “Less than impressed” with Dr. Haidt’s many books and conclusions in the field of social psychology. In today’s chat, Brad quickly points out that Dr. Haidt’s title alone is flawed - because there is no “Epidemic of Mental Illness” nor is there any causal data to back up this very controversial claim. During our time together, I admit my biases… and do my best to defend my years-long intellectual crush on Dr. Haidt…in spite of Brad’s cogent and valid concerns about the book’s lack of unidirectional causality, specific to its title and theoretical positioning in the field of social psychology. As usual with my time with Brad, I had a blast, and learned a ton. I hope you enjoy this episode, too.  Brad Berens’ Socials:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradberens/And The Brad Berens Weekly Dispatch: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Joe Hack spent 12 years as a senior advisor in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, including more than six years as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (NE). He was recognized by The Hill as a Top Lobbyist in 2022 and 2023. He is also a 2022 Maverick PAC Future40 Awardee.And Joe (one of my favorite all time Republicans) was recognized by The Hill as a Top Lobbyist in 2022 and 2023. Today on Joey Squared, we talked about Dana Bash’s CNN interview with Vice President Harris and Governor Walz and why our politicians refuse to answer questions. We then discussed the wave of excitement around the Harris/Walz campaign since Papa Joe stepped aside: whether or not Kamala has EVER been a Moderate or not, how and why progressive ideology derailed her Presidential campaign in 2020. And we ended our chat by discussing the choice of JD Vance and Tim Walz as our VP candidates in 2024.I hope you enjoy this episode of Joey Squared! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Yumi Wilson is a longtime San Francisco State University professor and a guest lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She is a former reporter and editor for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Associated Press in Los Angeles, where she helped cover the aftermath of the Rodney King beating by LAPD officers.In addition to teaching, she has taken on numerous side gigs, mainly to stay current in her ever-changing field. In 2012, she was hired by Linkedin, where she learned how to show journalists and other communicators the tips and tricks necessary to get their LinkedIn profiles to “all-star” status.  She has since written a book called Social Media Journalism.This summer, Wilson taught two courses in the Journalism Minor program.When she’s not teaching or working at one of her side gigs, Wilson loves to write fiction, travel to faraway places, and watch Paw Patrol toy videos with her four-year-old grandson.During our chat, we talked about why she chose journalism as her career; why she chose to stay in California, and why she is now enjoying teaching her craft to future generations.We then talked about the realism and possibilities of Objectivity in journalism today – is it possible - or was it ever possible? We opined about the New York Times poor handling of an op-ed from Senator Tom Cotton, and why that was a watershed moment for this august publisher. We also discussed the business model of journalism, and why audience capture is influencing what stories get published and when – and how this is only exacerbating the divide between fellow Americans.We ended our chat by talking about the future of AI and Social Media in the realm of journalism.Yumi is a treasure to the industry of journalism, and I hope you learn as much as I did from her. Check out Yumi’s podcast here: https://yumiwilson.me/podcast/Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Tom Morris holds a double Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University. Morris is a former professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is a founder of the Morris Institute for Human Values, and author of over 30 books. He is also a business and motivational speaker, applying philosophical themes and concepts to business and professional life.During our chat we discussed his newest book, Stoicism for Dummies, and why it is such an important book for our politically divided culture.We talked about the founding fathers and their love and understanding of philosophy; the beauty, simplicity and reasons that philosophy matters today more than ever.I was thrilled to have Professor Morris back on the program to share his decades of wisdom and experience. I hope you learn as much as I did from our time together.Watch Episode:Check out some of Tom’s books:The Everyday PatriotStoicism for DummiesThe Art of Achievement Silver Anniversary Edition This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Joe Hack is a government relations specialist, political consultant, and former U.S. Senate Chief of Staff with more than 16 years on Capitol Hill.As Senior Vice President of The Daschle Group, Joe is known for his expertise in Senate politics and procedures. Notably, Joe served as a lead Republican consultant in securing passage of The Respect for Marriage Act and played a key role in shepherding The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act following the January 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.Previously, Joe spent 12 years as a senior advisor in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, including more than six years as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (NE).Prior to that, he worked for Senate Whip Jon Kyl as Communications Director and chief spokesman. Joe is also a veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as Press Secretary and Legislative Assistant for Rep. J. Randy Forbes (VA-04). He began his career in the office of Senator George Voinovich (OH)Joe was recognized by The Hill as a Top Lobbyist in 2022 and 2023. He is also a 2022 Maverick PAC Future40 Awardee. In 2017, Joe was named by POLITICO as a top Senate operative in the “New Guard” Power List, a guide described as “crucial to understanding the players who are breaking through in the all-consuming era of Donald Trump.”Joe is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown University and the George Washington University School of Law.Joe and I talked at length about the origins of the TikTok bill, and the legislation drafted to ban the Chinese-owned app for over 170M Americans. We talked about the young man named Bijan Koomariaie. Joe then shared a story about how he met and interviewed a young lawyer named Bijan Koomaraie, who he introduced to Congresswoman Cathy MacMorris Rodgers of Washington State – a top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce committee – to be her legal counsel. Shortly thereafter Steve Scalise, House Majority Leader – based on Bijan’s acumen as counsel – poached Bijan to be HIS technology counsel overseeing all that’s going through the house Republican conference. This same TikTok bill was passed by the House and the Senate, and signed by President Biden on April 24th of 2024. We then moved on to talk a bit about RFK and his ascendancy as an Independent candidate – a candidate who pledges to be on the ballot in all 50 states before the November election – and how and why RFK is making some real waves for both parties in 2024. We ended our talk by discussing the possibilities of Mr. Trump’s growing stable of VP candidates – and which ones we believe have a chance – and those we deemed unworthy of future discussions.This was my first interview with Joe Hack, but we had so much fun (both on and off camera) that we are going to continue our conversation under the heading of Joey Squared moving forward.I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Rich Klein is the Managing Partner of McLarty Media. He was part of the 1992 Clinton/Gore presidential campaign, helping to craft policy and messaging on emerging global issues. Rich was subsequently appointed by President Clinton to head the speechwriting staff and be part of the policy planning office at the Department of Commerce, reporting directly to Secretaries Ron Brown, Mickey Kantor and Bill Daley successfully. From the Commerce Department, Rich was appointed by President Clinton to serve as Special Assistant for International Affairs at the Department of State, the bureau charged with monitoring and enforcing international economic sanctions. During our chat, we talked about Rich’s purview of geopolitics as a former member of the State Department, the hot wars in Russia and Israel/Palestine, past administrations foreign policy - both good and bad - why NATO matters more than ever - and the continuing dysfunction of our current Congress.It was my honor to have Rich join me on the program and I truly enjoyed every minute of his storied history, tenure, and storytelling of all things Washington D.C. Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Thom Shanker is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He is also the director of the Project for Media and National Security at George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs.Prior to his time at these academic institutions, Shanker was a longtime Pentagon correspondent and editor for the New York Times. His tenure with the Times included thirteen years covering the US Department of Defense, overseas combat operations, and national-security policymaking. Shanker conducted dozens of reporting trips to Afghanistan and Iraq and was embedded in the field with units from the squad and company level through battalion, brigade, division, and corps. He has chronicled a historic series of defense secretaries, including Donald H. Rumsfeld, Robert M. Gates, Leon E. Panetta, and Chuck Hagel. More recently, Shanker served as deputy Washington editor of diplomacy, military, and veterans affairs. Before joining the Times in 1997, Shanker spent five years as the Tribune’s Moscow correspondent, covering from the start of the Gorbachev era to the death of the Soviet Union and the communist empire in Eastern Europe. Shanker is an author, with Eric Schmitt, of Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda, published in August 201. The book became a New York Times best seller. During our chat, we talked at length about his newest book, Age of Danger that he co-authored with Andrew Hoehne. Their book was published in May of 2023 to much acclaim by both military experts and politicians alike.During our chat, we discussed the history of our “warning and action systems” specific to our military readiness, and how these systems have been altered and improved over the decades to protect Americans and our national security. We also discussed the many new challenges presented by climate change, pandemics, AI, and our ever increasing involvement with two hot wars in the middle east and Russian. It was a fascinating conversation with a true legend in the world of investigative journalism, and it was my honor to have Thom join me on the program. I hope you learn as much as I did from this chat.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Mitra Kalita is a storied journalist and media executive, author of two books, and a former Senior Vice President for News, Opinion and Programming at CNN Digital, where she oversaw a team of 200 employees. Mitra has also taught her craft at Columbia, UMass Amherst, CUNY Graduate School, and St. John’s. And in November of 2020 she was asked to join the board of The Philadelphia Inquirer.During our chat, we talked about her tenure as a journalist and media executive, why she started a company called Epicenter NYC during Covid, how and why she co-founded her company URL Media, and why she believes that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are so important in today’s news rooms.I was honored to have Mitra join me on the program, and I hope you learn as much from her as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Dax-Devlon Ross is the author of six books, including the acclaimed Letters to My White Male Friends. His journalism has been featured in Time Magazine, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post Magazine and many other national publications. He won the National Association of Black Journalists’ Investigative Reporting Award for his coverage of jury exclusion in North Carolina courts and is currently a Puffin Writing Fellow at Type Media Center.Dax is now a principal at the social impact consultancies, Dax-Dev and Third Settlements, both of which focus on designing strategies to generate equity in workplaces and educational spaces alike.. During our time together, we talked about the conflicts of oppositional black intellectuals like Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, and we did so through the lens of one of his own books authored in 2008, The Nightmare and the Dream: Nas, Jay-Z and the History of Conflict in African-American Culture.Dax then shared his reasons for using Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie and Tupac to frame a centuries long discussion on what it means to be black in America. We talked about the poetic rhyme and reason of these iconic hip-hop artists and why their song and story is so important to black culture.We also talked about the recent Supreme Court ruling: Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard University and its landmark decision about how college admission programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment.And we closed our time together by discussing Roland Fryer's recent article in The New York Times called – Build Feeder Schools And Make Yale and Harvard Fund Them – an article that talked at length about why affirmative action needs to start well before the admissions process into our universities.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Tom Morris was born and raised in North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar, and holds a double Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University. UNC has honored him with the "Distinguished Young Alumnus Award".Morris is an American philosopher - and former professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is a founder of the Morris Institute for Human Values, and author of over 30 books. He is also a business and motivational speaker, applying philosophical themes and concepts to business and professional life.Morris' books include Francis Schaeffer's Apologetics: A Critique, Understanding Identity Statements, Philosophy for Dummies, Plato’s Lemonade Stand, True Success, The Art of Achievement, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, The Stoic Art of Living, Stoicism for Dummies, Superheroes and Philosophy, and, If Harry Potter Ran General Electric.During our chat we discussed his newest book, The Everyday Patriot: How to be a Great American Now, and why it is such an important book for our politically divided culture.We talked about the founding fathers and their love and understanding of philosophy; the beauty, simplicity, and importance of The Declaration of Independence, why patriotism matters today more than ever, and some very prescriptive things we can all do as citizens to assist our democracy in 2023 and beyond.I was thrilled to have Professor Morris back on the program to share his decades of wisdom and experience. I hope you learn as much as I did from our time together.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Show business is in Sharon’s blood. Born into a family of entertainers, this busy woman prides herself on being an event project executive, influencer, and author of four books, including her latest, Skin In the Game, Black Buying Power in Sports & Entertainment. In addition to her work in professional sports, Braxton is the CEO of Inclusive Marketing Group, which works on projects in the wine & spirits business, gaming, exotic cars, food & beverage, and the consumer goods industry.Braxton started her career as an on-air personality and later became a music director at WRBB in Boston. She then moved to Atlanta to work in media relations with the Atlanta Hawks before heading back to New York where she worked in marketing with acts like Cher, Madonna, Missy Elliot, Yolanda Adams, En Vogue and Busta Rhymes - to mention a few. Braxton is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, MA with her Bachelor of Science in Speech and Communication with a concentration in radio and television. During our time together, we talked about her new book and why the industry of sports needs more black representation. We discussed the importance of Deon Sanders, both as a player and a coach. And we finished up by discussing the recent supreme court ruling that recalibrates how universities like Harvard and University of North Carolina will treat race as a factor in their admission policies moving forward.I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

In our effort to better understand the plight of California’s foster care system, and those that serve our children in need, I sat down with GaKnew Roxwel, a senior social work investigator for The Children’s Law Center of California. Prior to his sixteen years at the Center, he volunteered with various community organizations, and even worked closely with Leila Steinberg, an artist mentor to Tupac Shakur, in developing an after school arts program. The combination of GaKnew’s chosen career, mixed with his love of music and education, birthed his socially therapeutic book, Under the Influence: When Hip Hop meets Psychology.During our chat, we talked about his upbringing in South Central Los Angeles, the tragedy of losing family and friends to senseless violence, his reasons for choosing social work as a career, his time teaching in Los Angeles Unified School District, and why he believes that intervention in the lives of troubled youth needs to begin early. To quote him directly “If you wait until they’re teenagers [to show them love and care], you’re not really going to get the buy-in, because they’re already focused on the cool… and cool wins. But if you get the kids before the cool, you actually get to the core of who they are.” Words of a poet, indeed.GaKnew taught me a ton during our hour together, and I hope you enjoy his wisdom and insight as much as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe