Being interviewed by Loren Larosa.
When I started podcasting almost ten years ago, it wasn’t with the idea that someone would pay me for it. There was no paycheck in sight. No partnerships lined up, and no monetization strategy even in my thinking. What I wanted was to feature Black success stories in tech because nobody else was doing it. It’s hard to be what you can’t see, and at that time, the major platforms (like Techcrunch, Techmeme, etc) weren’t featuring Black people in conversations about success related to business, innovation, or technology.
Before Black Tech Green Money, before the partnerships and platforms, it was just me, a microphone, and a mission, shared via a different podcast I’d started, Of10Podcast. I started podcasting because I wanted to tell the stories of Black innovators and entrepreneurs. I wanted us to see ourselves reflected in tech, in ownership, and in wealth.
Today, that same voice that started in Toledo, Ohio is being heard around the world through two of the biggest platforms in media: AfroTech x Blavity, and The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeart. That reach means the stories I care so much about, as well as the lessons, are reaching people who might have never seen themselves in this space before.
Charlamagne Tha God (center left) alongside Black Effect staff and podcasters.
This week, we’re celebrating 5 years of The Black Effect Podcast Network, and I was in NYC celebrating with Charlamagne Tha God and other podcasters on the platform, as well as Black Effect and iHeart staff. Earlier in the day, I shared the stage with CTG for an event at Blackweek. A highlight of my day, however, was being interviewed by Loren Larosa, a new co-host on The Breakfast Club, and a rising talent and star herself. It was an honor to be interviewed by her.
But the real win isn’t that I’m on major platforms (which I’m super grateful for, by the way). It’s that somebody out there listening can be inspired to go after their greatness, learn a concept that isn’t taught in a classroom, or learn a story of achievement that otherwise would be lost to time.
I think a lot about the fact that I’m doing all this from Toledo, Ohio, not New York city, not LA, not Atlanta. I’m building from a city most people wouldn’t expect national stories to come out of. And, that matters to me. There are more of us who don’t live in those cities than that do. I’m proof that you can build world-class things from anywhere.
You don’t have to wait for the perfect place or perfect moment. You just have to start, stay consistent, and believe your voice matters.