In episode 177, Erik and Kerel talk with Cynthia Morgan Jenkins, Head of Supplier Diversity and Managing Partner at GroupM, the world's leading media investment company. Cynthia was born and raised in Long Island by two parents who grew up in the Deep South of North Carolina. She was a dancer through and through until one day she got injured and her mom pushed her to do something that wouldn’t be affected by an injury like that. This was her start into media and advertising.

Cynthia started her career as an intern in radio, then went into sales at the radio stations, getting her first job out of college working with Howard Stern, leading her to help start the first hip hop radio station in the country, eventually moving to BET where she stayed for ten years, and now at Group M. Cynthia also shares what her AKA sorority means to her, keys to great leadership, what gets her excited, advice she would give herself first starting out in her career, ways she’s still growing and learning as a person and professional, and so much more.

Timestamps

0:29 : Cynthia Morgan Jenkins, Head of Supplier Diversity and Managing Partner at GroupM shares exactly what her role is, her responsibilities and how the role came available

2:10 : Cynthia was raised in Long Island, a place she is so proud of, but feels a certain way about, she shares her family’s heritage from the Deep South of North Carolina all the way to Long Island

5:26 : The next place Cynthia would like to explore and to find connections to her culture

6:54 : What Cynthia was pursuing before getting into media and advertising, the trials and tribulations she faced, including going against her mom’s wishes, and how what she does now fulfills her in the same way

8:58 : Self-proclaimed risk taker, Cynthia, shares the many other roles she’s been in which were created for her to step into, getting into radio out of college, and launching the nation’s first hip hop radio station

11:24 : Cynthia’s professional and personal learning experience at BET, where she worked for 10 years, the motto she kept there, and how that was the place she found her voice

14:03 : Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated is Cynthia’s, her mother’s, and now her daughter’s sorority and she shares why that bond of sistership is so important and how she brings that to every part of her life and who she is

15:44 : Cynthia’s keys to leadership, knowing your why, being worthy of being followed, the ability to receive feedback and self-awareness

18:09 : The types of stories that get Cynthia excited, her favorite color and what it means to her, and truly feeling a piece of art even if you don’t understand it 100%

19:38 : Advice Cynthia would give to herself today, which coincidentally is the mantra she has for herself right now, and how she deals with anxiety and overthinking

21:03 : The one thing Cynthia wishes she were better at, how she discovered where her real opportunities came from, and how it’s more about groups than parties nowadays

22:48 : Music in Cynthia’s rotation at the moment, including a song from West Side Boogie that reminds her of her mom, of motherhood, and hits close to home

26:33 : How to connect with Cynthia on LinkedIn and Instagram

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