Cynthia Clark Book Club Radio Show

I always wondered why the black communities where I grew up, were not as nice as many other communities.  I found out why through studying black history around the world.  I found the solution by studying Metaphysics.  Yes, I think this shit is mental. I'm choosing to talk with people that care about the black community as a whole and want to see it reach it's fullest potential. There's no better person to have this conversation with than who I affectionately call DB! One thing I know about Dabney is that he is unapologetically black.  He's not anti-white, but the brother is most definitely unapologetically black and I love it. Listen in as he helps me to get my mind right about my endeavor.

I always wondered why the black communities I lived in weren't as nice as other communities.  I found the answer by studying Black History.  I found the solution by studying Metaphysics.  Join me as I chat with Talk Show Host and Author Philippe Matthews about my mission of building Beautiful Thriving Black Communities. Philippe has interviewed tons of thought leaders and change agents.  Listen in as I sit on Philippe's proverbial couch while he walks me through some processes I can take to manifest my vision.

Kellye Howard is serious about her hustle.  Everytime you turn around, you see manifestations of her hard work paying off. From consistent bookings at comedy clubs to television spots to viral comedy rap videos, Kellye is doing what it takes to get the exposure she needs to take things to the next level. Although it may look like a cake walk, anyone that's travelled the road she's on knows it take a lot of focus and effort to make the moves she's making.  Let's chat with this Jazzy Chick to get a better understanding of the Nature of Her Hustle.

I met Kel back in September of 2014 and it didn't take me long to realize that he was gifted.  My sister and I met him on the same day and she noticed it too.  He had a mellow, old soul type demeanor, but he's only 19 years old. One of the reasons I call myself Wonder Woman, is because I'm always wondering about things.  So, I wondered what Kel's story was.  So, I asked him.  In fact, we chopped it up on the very first episode of my radio show.  Well, Kel is an entertainer and the last time we talked on the show, he gave us a little bit of his background and told us about an album he recently published on itunes. He's taken things to the next level and started his own music label.  It's called the Chicago Renaissance Music Group.  I freakin' love that name!!!  Let's see what Kel is up to these days.

I met Stacy about 5 years ago at a Master Mind group that met weekly at DePaul University.  She and I became facebook friends and now we follow each other's projects.  Stacy is a multi-talented individual.  She's one of those folks that can do multiple things in an excellent way. I have followed her as she posts inspiring youtube videos about life, as she photographs amazing people, places and things and last but not least I see her instructing individuals about the soul healing practice of yoga. Let's chat with Stacy and find out what she's up to these days and what it's taking her to build her brand.

Knowing what you want to do at a young age is awesome!  You get to sharpen your skills, you get to hone your skills early on and that's an advantage in life today.  Ocean Smith has a vision and he's working to realize it.  Not only does he know what he wants to accomplish, he has an amazing way of rubbing shoulders with people in his chosen field that have achieved greatness. Not long ago he had an opportunity to get advice directly from LL Cool J.  If you look at the photos I put in the slideshow, you'll see a picture of him with J Cole in downtown Chicago.  He just ran into him at the AT&T store.  You'll see a photo of him with Alicia Keys backstage at at age 11 he was able to interview the real Chris Gardner who the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" was based on. And trust me, the list goes on. Not only is he already in the mix of his industry with his own company, he's currently studying Production and Engineering at Columbia College Chicago.  Let's Chat with 19 year old Ocean Smith owner of Immortal Music Group about what it's taking him to build his brand as a Music Producer and his Vision for the future.

Knowing what you want to do at a young age is awesome!  You get to sharpen your skills, you get to hone your skills early on and that's an advantage in life today.  Ocean Smith has a vision and he's working to realize it.  Not only does he know what he wants to accomplish, he has an amazing way of rubbing shoulders with people in his chosen field that have achieved greatness. Not long ago he had an opportunity to get advice directly from LL Cool J.  If you look at the photos I put in the slideshow, you'll see a picture of him with J Cole in downtown Chicago.  He just ran into him at the AT&T store.  You'll see a photo of him with Alicia Keys backstage at at age 11 he was able to interview the real Chris Gardner who the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" was based on. And trust me, the list goes on. Not only is he already in the mix of his industry with his own company, he's currently studying Production and Engineering at Columbia College Chicago.  Let's Chat with 19 year old Ocean Smith owner of Immortal Music Group about what it's taking him to build his brand as a Music Producer and his Vision for the future.

I met Philippe over a year ago while I was working on my book.  He encouraged me through the process and invited me on his online talk show to chat about it once it was published.  Well along the way, I followed Philippe on all the Social Media outlets I could find.  I was intrigued with him because I dig Metaphysics and some of the many books he has written, touched on this subject. Not only that, I was impressed with Philippe because he is a talk show host.  He started his talk show in Chicago and interviewed some of the coolest people like Robert Kiyosaki the author of the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" book series.  He has also interviewed the likes of Barbara Corcoran, the Fiesty Real Estate Mogul from the hit TV Show "Shark Tank" and many more. Not only that, Philippe works on non profit projects that resonate with me.  Hey, let's see what he has to share with us about what it's taking him to Build His Brand and find out what cool projects he's working on now.

I met Mack on Facebook last year in 2014.  In fact it's been less than a year, but I knew immediately by some comments he made on a mutual friend's post, that he was a thinking man.  I actually remember what the post was about.  It involved a very famous person and I won't say the person's name because the mere mention of this celebrity's name polarizes an entire audience.  Well anyway, the consensus of the comments in this particular post was that the celebrity was just an arrogant S.O.B. Then comes a comment from Mack.  He spoke to the celebrity's genius and damn near psychoanalyzed the subject in a couple of short precise sentences.  It's like he knew or understood the plight of this young person's situation of being blessed by the masses for his genius and cursed by the masses for some of the ways he expressed his genuis.  I immediately sent Mack a friend request.  Well, it turns out that Mack was a Motivational Speaker and I'm not talking about the shallow kind, this Brother is insightful!!! Not only is he a Motivational Speaker, he's an Author and the Dean of One of the Most Progressive High Schools in the Chicagoland area.  Boy did I hit the jackpot with this facebook friend.  I work with a youth group and the organizer of the group is in her early 20's.  She has Big Goals and Aspirations and I thought to myself. "How cool would it be to get Speaker Mack D. McGhee to talk to her for just a few minutes on the phone".  Well guess what?  As busy as he was and is, he did it.  And he did it big.  The advice he gave myself and this young lady about building an organization will stay with us forever.  He certainly has a heart for the Youth. Ok, ENOUGH of all that, let's chat with Mack about what it takes to Build a Motivational Speaking Brand.

I love coffee shops.  I like to sit with a cup of tea, my laptop and my thoughts.  Back in the day, I found a cool coffee house in the Heart of Bronzeville on 43rd street in Chicago. Yes, 43rd street.  When I walked in this joint, the environment just grabbed me.  I was hooked before my very first sip.  The Bronzeville Coffee House became my home away from home. The guys that owned the joint were some cool dudes too and they created a place in my opinion,  that felt like the old show Cheers; a place where everybody knew your name at some point.  Only thing was, they weren't serving up beers, they were serving up a different kinda brew, coffee with a smile. That enterprise has evolved since it's establishment in December 2005, there are more locations and many business lessons were learned along the way.  I'm honored to have the opportunity to pick the brain of the man behind the metamorphosis. Let's see what we can learn from Trez Pugh III's transition to the world of entrepreneurship and his growing Sip & Savor brand. SipandSavorChicago.com Facebook.com/Sip-and-Savor

As many of you know, I love facebook.  I am a proud facebook addict.  I just love to share content and I love to see what my facebook friends have to share with me.  Well, I started noticing one of my facebook friends in particular.  Her name is Shanya Smith.  The reason I noticed her is because she's always traveling.  Not only that, when she travels, she takes a lot of photos and shares them with us.  Not only that, when she travels, she takes this little sock monkey with her that happens to shows up in a lot of her travel photos.  In fact, I started feeling like I knew Sock Monkey personally because of all the photos. Lol! Anyway, let's just say that Shanya lives well.  So, it turns out that Shanya is a Photoghrapher and not just any photographer.  Shanya is an award winning photographer.  I could go on and on about her many accomplishments, like her being a winner of a contest sponsored by Nokia and National Geographic, or the fact that her work has been published in Capture My Chicago and Chicago Focus,  but why do that when I get to talk to her live on blogtalkradio. AynahsPhotography.com Like her Facebook Page... Facebook.com/AynahsPhotography

One of my facebook friends posted a photo of a watch she purchased as a Christmas gift for her Dad.  It was a beautiful timepiece and the packaging was just as beautiful and classy.  Not only did she post the photo, she gave a little narrative about the watch.  You see my friend was purposefully purchasing from black owned businesses that year.   She was practicing Ujamaa, one of the 7 principles of Kwanzaa.  Ujamaa is all about cooperative economics.  It's about the art of building and maintaining our own stores, shops, and other businesses. So, it turns out that the Founder and President of this awesome watch company is a young black man.  I was geeked to say the least.  I started researching this Dude online.  His name is Randy Williams and he lives in Virginia.  Let me tell you that the story behind the inception of his company is just as rich as the brand he has built and continues to cultivate. Randy successfully funded his first large manufacturing run through a program called Kickstarter.  When you get a chance, check out is website www.TalleyandTwine.com and check out the video in his successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $29,000 Talley&Twine Kickstarter campaign  . Happy listening as Randy tells us a little bit about himself and his motivation for launching this wonderful brand.

One of my facebook friends posted a photo of a watch she purchased as a Christmas gift for her Dad.  It was a beautiful timepiece and the packaging was just as beautiful and classy.  Not only did she post the photo, she gave a little narrative about the watch.  You see my friend was purposefully purchasing from black owned businesses that year.   She was practicing Ujamaa, one of the 7 principles of Kwanzaa.  Ujamaa is all about cooperative economics.  It's about the art of building and maintaining our own stores, shops, and other businesses. So, it turns out that the Founder and President of this awesome watch company is a young black man.  I was geeked to say the least.  I started researching this Dude online.  His name is Randy Williams and he lives in Virginia.  Let me tell you that the story behind the inception of his company is just as rich as the brand he has built and continues to cultivate. Randy successfully funded his first large manufacturing run through a program called Kickstarter.  When you get a chance, check out is website www.TalleyandTwine.com and check out the video in his successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $29,000 Talley&Twine Kickstarter campaign  . Happy listening as Randy tells us a little bit about himself and his motivation for launching this wonderful brand.

I love talking to idealistic young people.  Why?  Because I'm an idealist myself and because these young folks got energy, drive and vision.  I'm talking to 21 year old Erik Adams because one of the his peers, that happens to be a Youth Organizer, thought that I should. I'm glad she made the introduction because after talking to Erik, I realized that he has a perspective and experience that many of us can learn from.  Erik used to live on the South Side of Chicago in a Community called Roseland as a child. Then, his family moved to a Suburb of Chicago called South Holland.  Let's talk to Erik about some of the things he noticed as he made the transition.  I think it's eye opening!!!   To contact Cynthia after the show call 312-715-8834.  Visit www.CynthiaClarkBookClub.com

I feel inspired to get back into a book.  Let's read Chapter 11 of "The Science of Getting Rich" by Wallace D. Wattles.  The name of the chapter is "Acting in The Certain Way". If you need a copy of this public domain book, you can cllick the following link to my website, scroll down on the home page and click on the image of the book.  It will load a free pdf. www.CynthiaClarkBookClub.com

I know John from High School Accounting class. In my opinion, he is a Manifester! He speaks things into existence. I remember him telling us back then, in high school that is, what University he was attending and what Fraternity he was joining, before he even registered for one class at DePaul University. Looks like the Brother is still manifesting.  His business AGBinvestigative.com is in 3 states now which include, IL, IA and TX.  Not only that, it has an international reach. Who knew that this Brother from the infamous Englewood neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago would bring such a business to life?!?! I'm glad he's taking my interview.  He is definitely someone I want the young people I work with to hear from.  By the way, the acronym AGB stands for "Always Giving Back".

Follow along as Cynt reads from the ebooklet "How Money Works:  A Common Sense Guide to Financial Success". Contact Cynt at 312-715-8834 or cynthiaclarkbookclub@gmail.com to get a free copy of the ebooklet.  Also visit Cynt's website and subscribe to receive occasional updates at http://www.CynthiaClarkBookClub.com

I want to do my best to make sure my little girl has a good start in life.  I also want to make sure that beyond being good in school, she has a good head on her shoulders.  I want to make sure I do what I can to prepare her for life. So hey, why not start teaching her about the basics of money?!?!  I brought the idea of doing a blog radio series of she and I reading from this cool ebook entitled "How Money Works for Kids: A Parent's Guide" and she was down for the experience.   In fact, she immediately went to her money bank and counted her cheese after we looked at one of the budgets in the book.  This is going to be so much fun and educational for both of us.  Hey, why don't you guys read along with us? Call me, message me or email me to get your free copy of the ebook so you can go on this learning journey with Najah and I. I can be reached at 312-715-8834 or cynthiaclarkbookclub@gmail.com.  Also feel free to take a look at my website to see other projects that I'm working on http://cynthiaclarkbookclub.com

Hey Carletta and I are reading this awesome ebook called "How Money Works".  I think it's an ebook that should be read at least on a yearly basis just to keep us on our toes about why we work all these hours every week. Hey, why don't you read along with us?!?!  This is the Cynthia Clark Book Club Radio Show for crying out loud.  I want to make sure that all of you have a free copy of the ebook.  So, email me or call me to get your FREE copy today.  My email address is cynthiaclarkbookclub@gmail.com and my phone number is 312-715-8834.  Carletta can be reached at 312-545-0757. We would love to have you join us on our learning journey.

I'm in Geek mode again.  Join me in the reading of Chapter 10 of "The Science of Getting Rich" by Wallace D. Wattles. This chapter is entitled "Further Use of the Will".   You can get a free pdf of this public domain book on my website at http://cynthiaclarkbookclub.com.  Just scroll down on the home page and click on the image of the book. Make comments in facebook if you like.  It's simple!