THE LIBRARY
Every conversation.
Every lesson.
Sevetri Wilson Taylor and Sheena Allen in conversation with each other — and the founders, operators, and experts who've built real things — and the rich lessons learned along the way.
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SEASON 3
Top Episodes | Season 3
Former NBA Star Tyrus Thomas on NIL, Youth Sports & Life Beyond Basketball
Former NBA star Tyrus Thomas unpacks the business of sports, the rise of NIL, and what life looks like after the league.
The Muse Twins on Building a 7-Figure Med Spa, GLP-1 Truths, and the Beauty Industry
Twin sisters Kiara and Kristi Muse, board-certified nurse practitioners and founders of Muse Medical Aesthetics & Laser, to talk about beauty, confidence, and building a million-dollar med spa from the ground up.
In this episode, Dr. Isfahan Chambers Harris, scientist-turned-entrepreneur and founder of Alodia Hair Care, a science-backed, natural hair care brand created for Black women and designed to restore healthy hair and scalp.
The Science Versus Myths of Black Hair Care with Dr. Isfahan of Alodia
All Episodes | Season 3
Hot Takes & Highlights: Essence Fest, Rich Lessons Dinner, and Concert Debates
From Essence Fest drama to Beyoncé's "in the air" scare, we're breaking down the summer's biggest cultural moments. In this episode of Rich Lessons, we recap our first-ever Rich Lessons Dinner Experience during Essence Fest 2025, from curating a powerhouse guest list to the behind-the-scenes work that made it all happen.
From Big Brother to Big Brands: Jasmine Monroe’s Guide to Winning in Content Creation
How do you turn social media posts into six-figure brand deals, and keep your authenticity? Jasmine Monroe, Atlanta-based content creator, TV personality, and Big Brother alum, reveals the real playbook for building a lasting career in the creator economy.
Alencia Johnson, founder of 1063 West Broad, political advisor to Obama, Warren, Biden, and Kamala Harris, and author of the national bestseller "Flip the Tables," shares her journey from Planned Parenthood's Stand with Black Women campaign to her breaking point sitting in a beautiful apartment with everything the world calls success—and crying because she wasn't happy.
Obama & Biden Advisor: I Had Everything & Was Miserable! Here's What I Did Next - Alencia Johnson
The Next Course: Dook Chase IV on Family, Food, and Building a Lasting Legacy
Chef Edgar “Dook” Chase IV—grandson of legendary Leah Chase and co-host of Food Network’s Family Recipes Showdown—shares how he’s carrying forward one of New Orleans’ most iconic Black-owned restaurants, Dooky Chase’s and what it takes to honor tradition while innovating for the next generation.
What does it take to turn a local food idea into a million-dollar festival? Cleveland Spears III, founder of Spears Group and producer of New Orleans’ iconic Fried Chicken Festival, takes us behind the curtain of scaling cultural events into major businesses.
Million-Dollar Festivals: The Business Behind Fried Chicken Fest
Marty shares the raw reality of scaling overnight: going from a 10,000-unit assumption to a 130,000-unit purchase order, scrambling to find $350,000+ in financing, and learning about purchase order (PO) financing, shark loan terms, and the chicken-and-egg problem Black women founders often face.
From Target Shelves to Licensing Deals: Marty McDonald’s Playbook
From founders who waste months protecting ideas nobody wants to steal, to entrepreneurs who say "everyone" is their target market, Sevetri and Sheena break down the validation framework that separates successful founders from people stuck in idea stage forever.
We've Invested In and Built Startups. Here's Why Your Idea Will Fail.
The Science Versus Myths of Black Hair Care with Dr. Isfahan of Alodia
In this episode, Dr. Isfahan Chambers Harris, scientist-turned-entrepreneur and founder of Alodia Hair Care, a science-backed, natural hair care brand created for Black women and designed to restore healthy hair and scalp.
STEM, Equity & Entrepreneurship: The Blueprint from Dr. Calvin Mackie
Dr. Calvin Mackie—engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of STEM NOLA—reveals his blueprint for scaling impact. From his garage in New Orleans to reaching over 200,000 students worldwide, he breaks down how equity, education, and entrepreneurship must intersect to truly change lives.
Are Lifestyle Businesses the Future? Plus AI, Universal Income & Vibe Coding
Sevetri Wilson Taylor (Instagram.com/sevetriwilson) and Sheena Allen (Instagram.com/whoisSheena) tackle the future of work in an AI-driven economy. From the rise of lifestyle businesses to the disappearance of entry-level jobs, they dig into the hard truths shaping how we’ll work, earn, and live in the years ahead.
Civil rights advocate Gary Chambers Jr. unpacks power, policy, and the path to building Black wealth across the South. From his upbringing in North Baton Rouge to national advocacy after Alton Sterling’s killing, Gary traces how economics, culture, and politics collide, and why the South still holds the keys to lasting change.
Gary Chambers Jr.: Why the South Still Holds the Key to Black Liberation
Former NBA Star Tyrus Thomas on NIL, Youth Sports & Life Beyond Basketball
Former NBA star Tyrus Thomas unpacks the business of sports, the rise of NIL, and what life looks like after the league. From his journey at LSU to becoming the No. 4 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Tyrus shares how basketball took him from South Baton Rouge to global arenas and how purpose, mentorship, and mental health became his new game plan.
The Muse Twins on Building a 7-Figure Med Spa, GLP-1 Truths, and the Beauty Industry
Twin sisters Kiara and Kristi Muse, board-certified nurse practitioners and founders of Muse Medical Aesthetics & Laser, to talk about beauty, confidence, and building a million-dollar med spa from the ground up.
The Real Story Behind Netflix #1 Film, The Perfect Neighbor, w/ Executive Producer, Takema Robinson
Takema Robinson, executive producer of Netflix’s top-streaming documentary The Perfect Neighbor, talks about justice, storytelling, and the movement behind one of the most powerful films of the year.
Former Mayor and Attorney General on America's Broken Promise to the Middle Class
Karen Freeman-Wilson, former Indiana Attorney General, the first Black woman mayor of Gary, Indiana, and now President & CEO of the Chicago Urban League, opens up about growing up in Gary’s industrial heyday, witnessing its economic collapse, and leading through a $26 million budget loss on her first day as mayor. She breaks down the realities of running a predominantly Black city, confronting systemic bias, and rebuilding trust between citizens and government.
His first real estate deal paid him $800. Now he closes $30 million transactions. Chris Ross breaks down exactly how commercial real estate wealth is built.
In this episode, Chris breaks down the real mechanics of commercial real estate: how to leverage equity without millions in cash, how to spot opportunity in distressed assets, how AI is changing the business, and why relationships are still the most valuable asset in any deal.
From $800 to $30 Million Deals: Chris Ross on Building Wealth Through Commercial Real Estate
From Illegal Graffiti to 35,000 Sq Ft: BMike on Building a Cultural Empire Slowly
Brandon "BMike" Odums spent ten years getting no’s from the likes of BET and Comedy Central. He painted illegally in abandoned New Orleans housing projects—not to build a career, but to find stillness. What emerged was Exhibit Be, a phenomenon that brought celebrities and thousands of visitors with no marketing and no master plan.
Is Your Ambition Killing Your Love Life? Successful Women on Career and Marriage
Women are outpacing men in education, marrying later than ever, and navigating a dating pool that hasn't caught up with their ambition.
Sheena Allen and Sevetri Wilson Taylor get into all of it — the ego dynamics of out-earning a partner, the generational expectations that still haunt high-achieving women, and the honest question of whether success and love are harder to find simultaneously than anyone admits.
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