The Think Alpha Project - Empowering Minority Millennials to Break Barriers

In today’s episode, Danielle King from LA Urban League of Young Professionals (LAULYP) joins is to discuss growth, moving past challenges and listening to your intuition to live your best life. Danielle was a member of the Phoenix chapter while she lived in Arizona, but didn’t find opportunities to move up within the organization. After moving to Los Angeles, she finally saw the chance to grow, applying for the Community Service Chair and ultimately running for, and winning, President of the Los Angeles Chapter.   Scroll to the bottom for the video!     The LA Urban League of Young Professionals is an auxiliary of the LA Urban League. It was established for young professionals to display a commitment to corporate, social, and community contributions. They work to enhance the African-American business climate in Los Angeles and provide entertainment, community service, networking opportunities, and events.       Key Topics   Consistent Growth Danielle has seen a rise in individual attendance at their monthly meetings over the course of her presidency. She attributes this to strategizing with her Vice President, Brandon, to come up with a way to get members involved. They made sure that they were out networking and were consistently planning monthly events. The recently held LAULYP Presents: Cashmere and Cocktails Holiday Party which had great success.   Learning How to Lead Danielle has learned that to be a leader, she needs to be flexible. Typically, Danielle is a homebody. However, since becoming president she has committed to stepping outside her comfort zone and going to new events. She recalls one event where she had to reserve a fire pit on the beach by actually going in person, at 6 am, and waiting until the event started at 7 pm. By 8 pm, her energy was depleted, but she realized she couldn’t look the way she...

Makiah Green, the co-founder of Black Book LA, joins us in today’s episode to discuss how a blog post idea transformed into a thriving community for Black millennials in Los Angeles. Makiah is a double graduate from the University of Southern California with a Master’s degree in Professional Writing. She runs her fast-growing ‘side-hustles’ while also working at a multicultural production company assisting in the creative development of projects.   Scroll to the bottom for the video!       Makiah comes from a family of women that are extremely hard workers. Growing up, she saw the women in her family giving everything to everyone else and being undervalued in the process. Makiah has learned throughout her journey that starting before you’re ready can push you into success and knowing who you are is incredibly valuable to building a business. Taking care of yourself should always be a priority – especially when you’re ultra-busy. You can help more people when you are able to give from the right place.       Key Topics   Building From an Idea Black Book LA started as an idea to create a list of weekly events featuring black businesses. Around the time the Black Friday boycotts were happening, Makiah felt it was important to support black owned businesses and wrote blogs about the 50 black business to support on Black Friday. They now reach over 20,000 people and Makiah is working to create more Black Book LA events. She credits her success to consistency – they would not have been able to build the family and network that they’ve created without being consistent.   Just Start! Makiah has never had to pay for ads on social platforms and grew the network primarily through word of mouth. Because of consistency, Black Book LA has become a reliable and trustworthy platform. They only promote events, businesses, or places that they truly believe in. Makiah went to a panel Ava DuVernay

What would you do in an emergency situation in a different country? When traveling, we don’t usually consider what to do if the unexpected happens. Val and his brother Vince had to face this difficult and terrifying reality recently while traveling to Dubai. On the last night of their stay, there was a Gala – they were dressed to the nines and ready for a night of fun. Scroll to the bottom for the video!       All of a sudden, their night took a turn for the worse. Vince grabbed Val and said he was having a hard time breathing. They thought it was an asthma attack and his symptoms worsened. Don’t miss this episode as Val and Vince share their story, how they overcame this struggle, got Vince help, and eventually pulled through.       Key Topics   Remaining calm Once Val realized that his brother was in trouble, he went into nurse mode and started running through questions relating to Asthma attacks. Soon after, everyone realized that this is an allergic reaction and they head to the closest ER. Vince is steadily getting worse and mentions at one point only taking 5 breaths a minute, but they try to stay calm. To make matters worse, the cab they were in was not taking them to the ER, they were getting turned around and taking up valuable time. They finally get to the emergency room and start running tests on Vince.   Pulling through They were able to give Vince a steroid shot and a breathing treatment which helped the symptoms subside. Once Val saw his that his brother was doing better, he was finally able to relax and breakdown for a minute. He knew the time was over where he needed to be strong for his brother. Through this difficult time, they were able to remain calm and get Vince the...

In this episode, Kiola Raines joins us to discuss the struggles and successes that come with being a dreamer and a business owner. Kiola is one of the visionaries behind Kinetic Studio, which grew from an idea into a 4,000 square foot space. She faced challenges along the way, from how to fund her project to who would teach the classes and so much more. Scroll to the bottom for the video!   Kiola quickly learned that she would need to place distance between herself and people who were unsupportive, even those who were closest to her. She had to accept that her family and friends were not going to be the ones who would build her business and it was on her to make this a reality. She found that it would be a long process – being a business owner can be much more than a 40 hour per week job – but Kiola, along with her business partner (shown in the image below!) were resilient. She shares her journey and inspires us to set meaningful goals to make our dreams come true.     Key Topics   The Difference in Reaching Your Goals Write down your positive thoughts and goals so you can cast them out into the universe. When you write, you have to be present and in the moment, which aids in the creative process. Set your intentions for daily, weekly, monthly and yearly accomplishments. Create a contract for yourself and sign it to hold yourself accountable. It works!   The Goals of Kinetic Studio When clients sign up with Kinetic Studio, they receive a packet with a full questionnaire. They then must write down their physical, lifestyle and financial goals. Clients also have to keep a food diary. This ties into the power of writing things down – clients become more aware of what they’re actually doing and how they are doing it. span...

In this episode, Ms. Marisha joins us to discuss how we can redefine what happiness and success look like – in love, work and life. Throughout her career, she noticed an awareness gap with people not understanding what they were bringing to the experiences they were having. These behaviors can majorly impact the relationships in your life. Deepening your understanding – and having someone on your side to help you to do so – can shift your narrative to living the life you’ve always wanted. Scroll to the bottom for the video! Ms. Marisha is a RelationSHIFT™ Coach who helps people to rethink what’s possible for them in their lives. She is a gifted counselor, educator, matchmaker and coach and works with busy professionals nationwide. Through mindfulness and writing, Marisha was able to find her voice, which allowed her to build her mental and physical health and follow her passion of guiding others. She now helps people to live their version of happily ever after in life, work and love. Key Topics Influence and Happiness Marisha started RelationSHIFT™ about 6 months after she started matchmaking. What started out as a one-on-one coaching practice expanded into helping companies improve how their teams live. She believes when people live by their definition of happiness, they are the most fulfilled. We tend to live in the shadows of other people’s expectations. Amazing things can happen when you have a coach to sit on the sideline, assessing what your doing in the game of love and life and tell you where you could perform a little bit better. Our thoughts influence how we show up and perform – when you think a little bit differently, you can behave a bit differently and ultimately, get the results you are looking for. The Role of ‘Soulmates’ When you become clear in what you want and the path you are on, it creates confidence. When you’re confident, you can walk into any area of life and know what you want can be yours. Next, develop your skills and then you can connect. The best way to develop any skill is to go out and experience it – the good and the bad. Our souls mate with whoever they are supposed to – not just one person but we can all learn from everyone. When you cross paths with someone, it’s because you needed to learn something – you can become a different...

Mario Jovan Shaw and Jason Terrell discuss Profound Gentlemen, the movement they created to help build and retain communities of male educators of color. Shockingly, 40% of all early career teachers will leave the field, but for men of color, that number is 25% higher. Mario and Jason are working to develop black male school teachers to positively impact the graduation rates, self-esteem and lifelong success of boys of color. Mario and Jason are both the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Profound Gentlemen. Mario taught seventh grade and also created a program called the BrotherHood, which addresses the needs of young black males in the classroom. Jason spent three years as a teacher and served as a mentor, athletic coach, and tutor for students. Don’t miss this episode in its entirety – it’s too good to skip! Key Topics The Start of Profound Gentlemen Mario and Jason met through Teach For America. Teach for America places recently graduated students into places where teachers are needed. They train you for 6 weeks, and during that training, Jason and Mario were roommates – they talked a lot about what type of educators they wanted to be. Mario was selected to be followed by Teach for America to show what he was doing in his classroom. He decided to use this platform as a way to talk about why we need more black male teachers. The story was picked up and Mario and Jason then decided to apply for Teach for America’s recruitment team. They didn’t receive the job, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise because they then decided to start Profound Gentlemen. span...

  In this episode, Valentine shares his speech at the 2018 LA Nurse Expo and discusses why he never wanted to depend on a single income, employer, job, or a boss to determine how he lives his life. Everybody should be an entrepreneur of some sort, but that doesn’t mean that you have to start a business. Be involved in something that is bigger than you. From your pain comes your purpose, let your wounds be your work. Scroll to the bottom for the Video!   Key Topics Val’s Background Val went to Cal State and received a bachelor’s degree in nursing. After graduating, he got his dream job working at a top hospital in the ICU. 6 months in, he was fired from that job. He was called into a back office and told that he was a really good nurse, has great integrity, and is smart, but wasn’t a good fit for this unit. This experience taught him that jobs are not safe, and he never wanted to be in that position again. It’s risky to depend on a single income, a job, and a boss to determine how you live your life. Taking Charge of Your Life Val started looking into business – when you run your own business it can not be taken away from you. You are responsible for your own success. While working 50 hours a week nursing, Val still built his business with no excuses. It took a year and half to grow the business to reach his first million. Everyone has a purpose, inside and outside of nursing. Val owned a gym for 3 years and felt like he was living someone else’s narrative. He closed down the gym and took a huge risk by taking a pay cut. He was so willing to make it

In today’s episode, Monti Washington discusses what it really takes to overcome adversity and find success, despite a tough upbringing. He personally found his way out of negative situations and now is on a mission to share what he has learned through his experiences. When you believe in YOU, anything is possible. Monti teaches us how to take that one step forward to a better life and set achievable goals. If you connect with his story, you can even learn more with his book, From The Streets To The Stage: 20 Ways Make It From The Streets Of Your Fears To The Stage Of Your Dreams. Scroll to the bottom for the video! Monti is a motivational speaker, author, actor and an award winning poet. Known as “America’s Adversity Coach”, because of his ability to show students how to turn any adversity into real life success, Monti has positively impacted the lives of thousands of students nationwide. He strives to provide students with learning experiences that can truly help in real life situations. In his own life, Monti overcame adversity and obtained two college degrees, become a state basketball champion, award winning poet and much more.   Key Topics Greater Than Your Story Monti had a rough background – his mother was a crack addict, he never met his father, he bounced around in foster homes where he was physically and mentally abused, slept in parks for months and more. Growing up, he was told that he was stupid and started to believe the negative names he was called. He even tried to commit suicide twice. In his last foster home, he finally found a positive male role model and started his journey to healing. He went from being in special ed classes to being on the honor roll every year in high school. He worked hard, graduated, went on to college where he graduated with two degrees and then wrote his book. You Are The Shit! To move forward in life, we have to stop saying things like “try” and “wish” – you have to do something about it and do more to get more. While in therapy, Monti’s therapist helped him see that we can’t change what has happened to us, but we can change our...

    In this episode, Vynce and Jade discuss how we can all benefit one another on this planet, the power of community, the influence of family and the importance of finding a positive environment to excel. Vynce and Jade bring incredible insight and knowledge into living your dream and finding the tools that you need to create your greatest possibilities in life.   Scroll to the bottom for the video!     Vynce is the CEO .US, which is an acronym with many different meanings, including Universal Subculture and Usual Suspects. Jade works alongside Vynce at the world’s first social experience company. They work to bring creatives and entrepreneurs together and unite them, connecting and amplifying humanity. .US is influenced by imagery, film, art, and culture based movements and gives legitimacy to our purpose to create a new culture.   Key Topics   Learning From Failures   Vynce lived in Atlanta after high school and saw people who looked like him excelling. He made an effort to talk to anyone that was doing something positive. He continued to talk to people and develop for the next two years. When Vynce moved to California, he “failed” because he didn’t know that he had a community there that he could tap into. This made him feel that he didn’t have the tools he needed to activate his potential. After a while, Vynce started meeting important people and making connections that would open the floodgates to meeting young people like himself that were doing positive things in CA. He learned from his failures by not giving up and continuing to search for the right place to start his business.   Finding Support   Vynce wanted to have the support from his family, but didn’t feel like he got it. It was disheartening to feel that reality and feel unsupported, but he was lucky enough to get pointed in the right direction by others. span...

In this episode, the ‘Unconventional Millennials’, Elijah Bankole and Heron Abegaze, discuss how they turned their finances around – wiping out $162,000 of debt in under three years! The couple shares their journey to becoming debt free and how they also became mentally and emotionally stronger by deciding to work on their goals through using Dave Ramsey’s methods. There is nothing that you can’t achieve with your partner when you’re working towards a common goal with honesty and openness. Elijah and Heron came together to make a plan for their future, and it ended up changing their life forever. There will always be setbacks in life, and being prepared is a huge factor in how we overcome issues in our lives. Elijah and Heron are on a mission to help others to feel prepared by inspiring them to reach their own debt-free dreams. Key Topics The Journey to Debt Free A few years ago, Heron was finishing up grad school and Elijah was working a full-time job. They were making their minimum payments and weren’t struggling, but weren’t getting anywhere either. Heron looked at her student loans specifically and looked into how much interest she would be paying over ten years, and felt overwhelmed. She then started to research how people pay off their debt and found Dave Ramsey, as well as other inspiring stories of getting out of debt, and was motivated to begin her journey to becoming debt free. How They Started Heron was initially excited about becoming debt free, but it took It took a couple of months for Elijah to come around. Once Elijah was convinced, they started Dave Ramsey’s program – first, just starting with a budget. span...

Scroll to the bottom for the video! In this episode, Funmilola (Lola) Fagbamila discusses our duty to be a positive reflection of our era. Individually, we should all build a greater intellectual and emotional maturity to connect with the world in a new light, showing more emotion and having more compassion for others. Through her work, Lola has learned what it takes to eliminate draining tasks and use energy to manifest your vision. She also reminds us that you don’t have to choose between helping people and being successful, it’s possible to have it all. Funmilola is a Nigerian American scholar, activist, playwright and artist. She is the Arts and Culture director for the BLM Los Angeles chapter and a professor of Pan African Studies at California State University. She is an original member of the Black Lives Matter Movement. She frequently speaks on the topics such as critical race theory, criminal justice, health and wellness, black arts and intersectional pan-africanism. Her latest project, “The Intersection”, is a stage play on the complexities of black political identity. Key Topics Connection and Judgement Lola works for humans to be able to engage each other with greater compassion and with greater intellectual and emotional maturity. We’ve been thought that feels are a sign of weakness, but vulnerability makes you stronger. If you refuse to show how you feel, you’re preventing yourself from experiencing real connection. It’s possible to train our minds to not be so judgemental of ourselves. People don’t need to be so hypercritical of themselves and should understand that no one can compare to who you are. The Intersection Lola started conceptualizing the idea for the play 3 years ago. span...

Scroll to the bottom for the video! In this episode, we discuss finding security within yourself, the impacts of colorism, and the positive outlooks that can come from seeing role models that look like yourself. Chika Okoro became inspired in an unlikely place – a Straight Outta Compton casting call with standards of beauty, skin color and size that labeled her a “D Girl”. Chika’s personal experience with colorism pushed her to make a change and inform others on not only the issues that she faced, but also her hope for the future. This future would include people being good to other human beings – regardless of accomplishments, wealth, or skin color, and having more balance in the role models and powerful people that our society looks up to. Chika’s mission is to help people to love themselves more, for who they truly are, and remember that it’s okay for us to look and be different than each other – actually, it’s completely normal and should be fully accepted. Chika is a Southern California native who attended Harvard and earned her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. She now works in brand management and consumer marketing. She is the Head of Consumer Insights Marketing at FabFitFun, where she helped to grow the business from under 300,000 subscribers to an impressive 800,000. She also is a public speaker, focusing on uplifting and empowering young women of color. Key Topics Someone Like Me We are beginning to see more role models today in TV and Film that can inspire our youth. Lupita Nyong’o in Black Panther was the love interest and Viola Davis revealed her natural hair in How to Get Away with Murder! It’s okay to put on your wig and go to work, but it’s also okay to be take it off and be comfortable with your natural self. Surrounding children with positive black role models can make a huge difference in our society. We need to be intentional and take an active role in how our children see themselves and those around them. Finding Comfort in YOU Chika was at Harvard trying to fit in as a black woman who was not wealthy, and just felt that...

Scroll to the bottom for the video!  In this episode, Angela Styles shares the tips that she has learned on her journey to embracing her natural hair. She tells us why she celebrates natural hair and we talk all things acceptance and self-love. When you truly understand and love who you are, anything is possible. Angela is a professional celebrity hair stylist and the author of her children’s book, Hair, which chronicles a young African American girl’s hair journey and highlights the beauty of Black hair. She works at The Talk on CBS and has a salon in West Hollywood, where she spends her weekends. Angela is on a journey to inspire and educate women and men to embrace their natural beauty all over the world.     Key Topics Angela’s Journey Angela grew up in a supportive home – her mother always encouraged and supported her. She was told she was talented and loved, and this gave her confidence from an early age to believe in herself and the things she wanted to do. While attending college, Angela decided she wanted to be a hairstylist. With her mother’s blessing, she quickly shifted her focus. Loving Your Natural Self Learn to love the hair you’re born with! To find out who you are, strip away all the extras. Once Angela cut off her hair, she began to understand the natural hair journey. After that, she found she needed less and less to feel confident. Once you strip away all the extras, see who is still around and sticks by your side. Keeping the Confidence Loving yourself is an ongoing process. Understand and accept your identity from the start – Don’t wait until your 30 or 40 to love...

In this episode, Monique Doughty a.k.a. “Nurse Mo” shares her tips for self-love, living life to the fullest, earning what you’re worth, and so much more. Monique truly defines the word ‘Resilient’: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Her life was far from easy, and she’s failed, but her persistence and determination kept her from giving up. From growing up in a bad neighborhood, to working for $2 per hour plus tips with a very expensive degree, Monique never let obstacles stand in her way. Now, she is paying it forward and helping young women to live their dream life, both professionally and mentally. Monique is a Critical Care Traveling Registered Nurse. She grew up in South Philadelphia and quickly realized that she didn’t like what was going on around her. She wanted to make a better life for herself and going back was not an option. She attended Hampton University in 2006, and since has been living a nomad lifestyle and traveling the world as a nurse and influencer to young women through her booming brand, The Resilient Nurse. Key Topics Living For You Women are always waiting – for the perfect relationship, for friends to get on board with what they’re doing, etc. Monique lives for experiences in life – she has traveled to several countries solo, just because she just wanted to go. If you spend your life waiting for other people to join you, you may be waiting forever and missing out on a lot of opportunities. Anything could happen to you anywhere, so you can’t put your life on hold because your afraid of what could happen. The Resilient Nurse Monique started her brand in 2014 when she began travel nursing, she had a small following online and built it over 4 years into a larger community. There were no resources for her to learn what it may be like for her as a young woman

Monique Doughty truly defines the word ‘Resilient’: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Her life was far from easy The post How to Be Resilient with Nurse Mo – 020 appeared first on The Think Alpha Project.

In this episode, Cortez discusses breaking through the barriers of living a “comfortable” life, and going after the life that is calling you. Find that drive to succeed by making that your only option, and do all that you can to make it. Just don’t forget to help others along the way! Cortez West is an optimist who believes that your goals should not simply be amazing thoughts of what your life could be. Your passions should be followed and your life can be all that you see for yourself. Cortez is a Radio/TV Personality who found an interest in the entertainment industry after starting in modeling. He moved to Hollywood in 2013, where he grew his career further, stepping into the role of a Video Producer and Assistant Director. He helps others as an advocate for health and fitness, along with using his career as a platform to reach out to kids who are being bullied. He acts as a role model, helping children to build self-confidence. Scroll to the bottom for the video!  Key Topics Making a Move Cortez from Germany but moved to the United States – he got comfortable with his life in Atlanta after 6 1/2 years of living there and working in sales and marketing. He had a constant feeling that he was missing something, while he continued to get up and go to a job that he didn’t feel truly fulfilled in. He started feeling worried and stressed after he decided to move, but he had to make a change, he just couldn’t go back to his job. That week, he was on a one-way flight to Los Angeles to change his life. When you don’t have a choice but to succeed, your drive is sky-high and you have to make the decision to put yourself out there to reach your goals. Finding Your Confidence Even if you aren’t at the top of your game, you have to feel confident and act like you’ve made it. When starting out, you may be working for less than what you would expect … but if you are learning a lot, that’s okay! You put in the work to become what you want to be – don’t wait for things to be handed to you, be persistent. li...

In this episode, Cortez discusses breaking through the barriers of living a “comfortable” life, and going after the life that is calling you. Find that drive to succeed by making that your only option, and do all that you can to make it. Just don’t forget to help others along the way! Cortez West is… The post Making the Move to Follow Your Passion with Cortez West – 019 appeared first on The Think Alpha Project.

Jeremy Vasquez joins us for a special episode in Black History Month, discussing the power that uplifting and empowering our communities can have on creating real change for the future. There is a huge need within our communities for more understanding, more support, more involvement, and a sense of helping others. He speaks honestly about the struggles that he sees within our youth and our homeless population, and motivates us to confront our fears to become our best selves, and serve others to help more people within our cities to thrive. Jeremy is an artist, author, activist, and educator living in San Francisco. He performs at community events, speaks at conferences and universities, and teaches youth to overcome systemic racism through through unconventional methods, such as music or chanting. He also volunteers and regularly participates in community service projects. He founded the non-profit organization Vasileia, which strives to uplift and empower others by giving young artists in San Francisco a platform to use their unique voices and experiences to fight for social justice and change in their communities. Scroll to the bottom for the video!  Key Topics Jeremy’s Background Jeremy has been a writer his whole life. When his father passed away, he didn’t feel connected to the death. It wasn’t resonating with him that this was really happening because his dad didn’t play an active role in his life. Someone at the funeral told Jeremy that his dad did want to be in his life, but he felt that Jeremy would have a better life if he wasn’t around and he didn’t want Jeremy to end up like him. Jeremy realized it was time to do something – he came to terms with what happened in his life, and dedicated his

Jeremy Vasquez joins us for a special episode in Black History Month, discussing the power that uplifting and empowering our communities . The post Unshackled and Being a Change Agent with Jeremy Vasquez – 018 appeared first on The Think Alpha Project.

    In this episode, Jazzmine discusses the importance of loving yourself and being true to who you are. For her, that meant overcoming industry standards as a model and finding success as a plus-sized woman, but she quickly realized that body positivity and confidence could take her far in her career. When we do what we love without a concern for how everyone else feels about us, we will find the people who are inspired by and see the beauty within our journey. Jazzmine is a plus-sized model, television personality, recently selected on the cast of Season 16 of the TV series “Project Runway” (Lifetime, Bravo), and advocate for people being authentically themselves. She believes that no matter who you are, you should love and believe in your true self. Key Topics Body Positivity Jazzmine’s biggest “failure” was losing weight, she was a size 8-10 and is now a size 14-16. She was trying to get down to a size 2 or 4 to pursue modeling, which was her lifelong dream, but she was giving up because of her weight. She realized that her body was not meant to be a size 2 and she didn’t have to fit into a cookie-cutter model standard, and she is now comfortable where she is at. It’s beautiful when you let go of what others expect of you and be who you truly are. Finding Your Focus Jazzmine has always continued to love herself no matter what her size was. You don’t have to have too many expectations, even when you have big goals – if you don’t get something that you want, there will always be another opportunity. With social media, people see this “show” or fantasy life, but that’s not reality. Focus on your own journey and don’t get too caught up on what everyone else is doing. Investing in Yourself People give you advice based on their own failures, but you have to live and learn for yourself. Miss J from America’s Next Top Model told Jazzmine honestly that there is nothing wrong with the her size and encouraged size diversity. span...