Grit For The Day

Naches - Yiddish for familial joy or pride. Professor Vera J. Katz shares a riveting story of enduring firings, isolation from peers, persecution from students, busted car windows, slashed car tires and other indignities on her path to become a tenured professor at Howard University and one of the most celebrated acting coaches and experts to teach THE Black Panther Chadwick Boseman, Taraji P. Henson, Debbie Allen, Anthony Anderson, Phylicia Rashad and Corey Hawkins. Hear her coping skills for enduring isolation, persecution, unjust accusations and using the legal system to overcome institutional resistance to new ideas. Professor Katz demonstrates her Grit For Generational Naches, her life purpose, to bring joy and pride to generations of marginalized people, both Jews and African-Americans alike. Hear private, intimate moments about the late Chadwick Boseman, long before his fame. Hear an episode filled with gems of conversation!

Accredited Investor and Executive Director of the National Science Foundation Innovation Corporation [https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/i-corps/about-i-corps] Mr. Bob Smith travels the U.S., Japan, Europe and elsewhere teaching his unique brand of innovation and pragmatism to young entrepreneurs. Bob's lessons are especially prescient as the 2023 global economy heads into a potential downturn, He encourages entrepreneurs to find opportunities to innovate now. Place small bets on big ideas now. And, as he says, "Never, ever, ever quit."

Lamman Rucker shares the heart rending story of the early days and months of his sons life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unite (NICU)and Thomas Lee Johnson shares the story of the miraculous birth of his son Ephraim William Johnson. Sometimes overcomers of adversity come in 3 pound, 13 ounce sized packages and teach us lessons we are ill prepared to learn.

Main Street Alliance Executive Director Chanda Causer shares hard fought lessons and wisdom from her successful career as a leader in the non-profit and for profit worlds.

200% YOY growth for three years and counting, VP Alex DerHovhannessian of GCOM Qlarion shares intimate details of overcoming tragedies to build a lasting legacy in his family and his companies.

Nate shares deep, intimate truths from his adolescent years and how humble beginnings shaped his self-worth as he scaled billion dollar companies.

Fordham University Professor Nick Tampio shares his intellectual framework based on some primal pieces of the human psyche and why he teaches fearlessness. Dr. Tampio is a CNN contributor, author of 5 books, peer reviewed scholar and a marvelous example of a modern political philosopher.

SVP Brad Knox endured false accusations from supervisors and employees that prompted months long investigation from his HR Department. In the midst of one of the most challenging times of his career, he maintained his resolve and the warm-hearted smile he is known for. Through the process, he became a stronger, more empathetic leader. Today we learn, "Grit With A Smile."

Orthodox Jew Jonathan Feldstein lives a life of Rare Grit: he builds bridges between Jews and Christians with his Genesis123.co - Genesis123 Foundation. He builds relationships with integrity and authenticity...sometimes to the chagrin of his very own Isreali Jewish friends and acquaintances. Today he shares adventures he has been on behind the Iron Curtain of the USSR and elsewhere in the world. In this time of rising antisemitism it is refreshing to hear an outlook so inspirational from Mr. Feldstein!

Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu's mentee Yohannes Mezgebe shares true stories of intimidation, jail and a jail break all for his stance for peace between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Tigray.

Bill Jackson was born in Havelock, North Carolina and took a circuitous route to building his current $400M deal flow. After early career success, he hit soul crushing obstacles...bankruptcy, partnership dissolution, divorce and losing the one thing he never thought he could lose. Yet, against all odds, he rebounded. Bill shares his agony, his triumphs and some of his secret sauce...join us!