Started from the Bottom

Ready-to-wear designer Busayo Olupona talks about what it was like to leave her six-figure salaried job as a corporate attorney to pursue her dream of starting a fashion brand. From going broke to seeing her Made In Nigeria labeled clothing in Neiman Marcus, Busayo learned a lot along the way. If you're into entrepreneurship and/or fashion, here are some books Busayo recommends: The Fashion Designer Survival Guide by Mary GellerThe Purple Cow by Seth GodinThe Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael SingerLiving an Examined Life: Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey by James HollisNotes of a Native Son by James BaldwinNative Son by Richard WrightSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keith Corbin never thought cooking could be his way out of the hood. After a stint in prison, Keith needed a change from a life of hustling, and a series of chance encounters led him into the culinary world. Now a celebrated restaurateur, Keith has made a name for himself through his restaurant Alta Adams and his interpretation of soul food - West African style meets California ingredients. You can find Keith's book California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival wherever books are sold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Freddie Wong is a YouTube OG. As YouTube transformed from a backwater website to a behemoth media platform, Freddie's career as an indie filmmaker grew with it, logging nearly 2 billion views and over 9 million subscribers on his channel "freddiew." In this episode, Freddie Wong talks about building an online video channel into a real production company, his love for action comedy, and how artists in the digital age can be creative when it comes to making a living. To watch Freddie's videos, check out Freddie's YouTube channel! For one of our personal favorites try this one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FLY BY JING founder Jing Gao never intended to make hot sauce for a living. But after living in China her pallet was awakened to Asian flavors that drove her to become a foodie. Jing decided to make the scary leap from her traditional tech job to a full-time career in food. In this episode, Jing talks about her diaspora experience growing up in the West, the many pitfalls she faced as a food entrepreneur, and how overnight, viral success changes a business.  To get your own Fly By Jing hot sauce, check out flybyjing.com  And if you cook with chili crisp, send us a picture! You can email us at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 19, Jessica O. Matthews invented the SOCCKET, a soccer ball that stores kinetic energy, and then converts that power into light. Jessica’s invention took her from the Harvard classroom to audiences with U.S. Presidents, and it jump-started her journey into the power and infrastructure industry. In this episode, the founder and CEO of Uncharted Power talks about what kind of thinking it takes to invent something, and how witnessing the energy crisis of her native Nigeria inspired her to invent a power-storing soccer ball.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.