I am just amazed at the progress of this podcast. Um, it is so sleek. It's good. The topics are really just, you know, I've recommended this podcast to everyone that is navigating corporate America, especially people of color and people who are not of color for that matter, because I need to get them the idea of the perspective of many voices as opposed to just my own. So I'm just very. Proud of what has been achieved here. The accomplishments, uh, it just keeps getting better. Every time

we'll discuss race and how it plays a factor and how we didn't even talk about this topic because we were afraid.

A black executive perspective,

welcome to a black executive perspective, podcast, a safe space where we discuss all matters related to race, especially race in corporate America. I'm your host, Tony.

And I'm your cohost, Chris P. Reed.

And we are live at WNHU 88. 7 on that Richter dial that's shaking up and down the University of New Haven podcast studio. Again, we thank the University of New Haven allowing a Black Executive Perspective podcast to record here. Students are back. We're hoping they have a very exciting semester. Go Chargers.

We also want to take this moment to thank our partners at CodeM Magazine. CodeM Magazine, where the mission is saving the black family by first saving the black man. That is CodeM Magazine, 2Ms. com, CodeM Magazine, check them out.

Yeah, definitely check them out. And check out today, because today is a special day. Back in September 19th of 2023, was the first recording of a black executive perspective. Podcast. It's been a year that this podcast has been out in the stratosphere. And you know, when we put this podcast together, where we are today and where we started, it seems like light years. Our goal was to have open and honest discussions. about race. It was about being authentic and making people that have these uncomfortable conversations and really make people feel comfortable so we could all come together. And our goal, one of our other goals was to make this a platform that was for everyone, that everybody could come on, share their story, share their success, be authentic, And talk about the things that we typically don't talk about when it comes to corporate America and all other things. So today we are very proud. And with me today, I have the whole crew who on September 19th, help kick this podcast off first. I have the legendary Les Frye. All right. Who was the original co host? She's here. To share and talk about the last year of a black executive perspective podcast. I have my man who was always, you know, pulling the strings and making stuff happen. And it was always real smooth Double A. Our producer, Adrian Alvarado here to reflect and talk about podcast started as a tadpole. And ended up becoming, I don't want to say a frog, but ended up becoming a beautiful butterfly. And as well, the co host with the most, my man, Chris P. Reed. So I'm very excited. For having you guys all to come and talk about what we've accomplished over the last year. So Les, let me hear from you, my friend.

Well, I tell you, I am just amazed at the progress of this podcast. Um, it is so. Sleek. It's good. The topics are really just, you know, I've recommended this podcast to everyone that is navigating corporate America, especially people of color and people who are not of color for that matter, because I need to get them the idea of the perspective of many voices as opposed to just my own. So I'm just very proud of what has been achieved here. The accomplishments, uh, it just keeps getting better every time.

That well, number one, that's a lot because of you and we want, we're going to dive in deeper, um, of all those things that the black executive perspective podcast Double A, buddy. Let's hear from you, my man.

What's happening, everybody. Nice to see everyone. This is so, so fantastic. Hi, Les. How are you? My man, Chris P. Reed. Uh, no, it's great. It's, I mean, it's been a journey, um, and life's all about journeys. Um, and it's been a great one, you know, Uh, it's been, you know, all those things, you know, like the stock market's a bumpy, it's been a bear market, it's been a bull market, you know, and we've navigated those, those, uh, those roads. And, uh, I've learned so much. I mean, I've just, you know, it's just transformed me this whole podcast. So I'm just going to say that.

That's awesome. That's all. And buddy, again, you were there right there. Right. And, and talking about transfer transformative. Yeah. That's something that we've all been able to, you know, start off and really take it to the next level. Chris P. Reed.

Oh, I mean, this is easy to back clean up when you got people up front, you know, doing what they supposed to do and get on base. So it was, I think my journey was a little different than theirs. And the fact that they were in the conception meetings and, and all that. And, you know, by the time I got wind and, and got my feet set, it was already smooth sailing. So the bumps had already been kind of, you know, ironed out. I remember watching that first episode with her. We'll get to that. But, and I was like, Oh, this is more of a, a tale, almost like a fable, you know, type situation where you guys talked about your, your growth into blackness and things of that nature. And, uh, I remember coming away more of a fan. It was almost for me. It was really a fan experience, right? It's like you get invited to. Uh, to, uh, go to camp with the Cubs or some junk like that, right? So it was just, it's just been fun for me more than anything else. No pressure. No, nothing is just show up and and be able to, you know, be amongst your heroes.

Well, thank you, my friend. And let's talk about that evolution, right? Because, you know, at the end of the day, and I'll go to less on this. At the end of the day, this all came out of what we were doing at work, right? The open conversation on race. In which we would get together on a weekly basis at work and have these open and honest discussions about race, which was the first time that we actually did that at work. Right? And so that was groundbreaking. So speak a little bit about that Les because that's how you and I met, you know, and actually, that's how I met Chris P. Reed as well is because of what we started doing. But you and I, we started doing this over, you know, in our early years of Xandr.

Yes. Um, so let's, let's set this, the, the tone here because unfortunately this conversation would not have been fortunately and unfortunately this conversation would not have been had if it hadn't been for what happened with George Floyd and the crisis that we were facing in America at that time, race related crises, Mike Brown, all of these things, um, both Tony and I are from the Midwest. Uh, I happen to have grown up on the border of Florissant and Ferguson and I just, I wanted the world to see a different perspective here. People were hurting, people couldn't understand what was going on. And I, you know, I want to say that it took Tony to say, listen, we have an issue here and this is not the world that I grew up in. This is not the world that we fought to have, you know, if we were children of the sixties and so we need to have a conversation. And so. You know, at a time where people were really hurting and they were confused about what was going on in America. Cause let's, let's be clear here, you know, from the civil rights movement in 1962 to what we have now, a lot of our children, and that's most of the young people that we were working with at that time, that generation had not experienced the racism that we experienced,

right?

You know, we have pretty much paved the way for them not to experience it. And if they did experience, it was a little isolated situation. But to this magnitude, they had never experienced anything like that. And now with social media, actually seeing someone's life being taken, you know, on, you know, right in front of you, you know, through, uh, you know, you could Instagram or whatever you're watching this, but they were horrified. So we recognize that, or at least Tony recognized that people were in pain. And so he started this conversation, you know, and I just kind of partnered with Tony, um, In the place that we work in as not too many black people in tech. And we just saw each other like, you know, two black people usually do on the street and, you know, you give each other the nod, but you just know, you know, you just say, Hey, and we sort of have this conversation and it was groundbreaking. It was groundbreaking. What we did is we set the tone and saying, this is a safe space, a judgment free, don't ask what you want to ask and nobody's going to judge you. This is for educational purposes so that you can walk away from this. Feeling better about who you are, who the world is, everything. And that's where it began. We started taking subjects and we started speaking to it. Little known things about black culture, Asian culture, um, you know, white culture, um, you know, the, the bad bird of the indigenous cultures, the, the bad bird of, of, of white privilege, you know, which a lot of people, you know, You know, seem to feel very guilt laden about it. And we were basically saying, Hey, we understand that this is not you, but this is a generation of things that you, you know, We're exposed to that has set up the circumstances that we're living in today. It was a base of knowledge. And I'm telling you what I knew when it was a success, when people kept coming back and there were more people coming back. And then there were executives dialing in and, you know, having these conversations, it just, it was just, uh, wow, that's all I can say is just, it was explosive. What happened there? No,

it was, it was a great thing. Double A, man. Talk about it a little bit of the evolution, right? Because, you know, the thing was, is that we wanted to scale this out. Um, to be able to reach more people than we were at work. We saw the, um, the impact as Les was just talking about, that impact, but talk a little bit in terms of, you know, the evolution and how we got to where we are today.

Well, yeah, I mean, speaking of the, the origins, um, I remember that, that first, the first meeting that you had, you know, it was in, uh, you know, of all places to start this, this podcast of diversity and racial, uh, creating the safe space was in Darien Connecticut, right? I mean, the first, the first, that was the first broadcast conversation,

open conversation on race.

Um, you know, I mean, think about that. Uh, and, uh, and then it was during COVID. They were parade. There were people marching right outside the street. Um, and you know, we were talking in masks. I mean, it was just this thing, but we were creating something. We were like, you know what? We're going to fight through this. We're going to fight through these masks. We're going to fight through this virus and just, you know, it's like you stand out the window is like, I'm not going to take it anymore. We got to talk about this. Um, so that's how I felt at the moment. And I knew it was important. And I just, I says, Hey, I'm going to use. All my, all my skills, all my tools to just say, Hey, let's, let's get these voices out there. Um, and then just once we got together after that, it just evolved. You actually did it for a while. And then we got, we linked up again. Uh, I don't know, about a year or so later, we kept talking about it. And I said, you know, I'm gonna start a podcast on this. And I'm like, okay. Let's go. And it started just like anything else. You get some paper and pen and you start getting together. You put the microphone on and you put the lights on and say, what do you want to talk about? I'm not going to tell you. I'm not going to tell you the first things, Tony.

No, yeah, the first things was and I thought they were, you know, a masterpiece and we can't use those words today. But So where we where we came from that first taping to where we are today is just I mean, light years and, and it's amazing. Chris P. Reed, you were part of those conversations that we're having at work. My brother, talk about that a little bit. Cause you came in towards, I remember when you first came on, I didn't know you came in and then you started talking about, uh, you know, corporate, you started talking about how black execs, you know, um, have a hard time moving up. So speak a little bit about, but speak a little bit about that. But if

you talk a little earlier, my journey was. You know, a little different. Like I said, I usually draft off other people's creations. Um, I'm like B. A. S. F. I just make the things, you know, a little different, a little better. Uh, but, uh, I came in. So right around time when you guys were doing that, when you said about the George Floyd, we had the same, you know, similar situation. AT&t. With. They were people calling black folks say, Are you okay? And you know, white folks are doing all this. And so I was having a conversation and when the executive said, first of all, I knew everybody and they were like, you know, people gravitate towards you. Why don't you get in with your industrial psychology stuff and just have these conversations? And so it was just kind of small conversations, but it wasn't necessarily on race, particularly. It was on a myriad of things. And then, um, It turned into really leadership and fitting in and connecting as people. And then, you know, fast forward a year later, two years later, I get approached by the company and they say, we want to create this thing. We got a guy, his name is Tony and he's doing a conversational race and we want to do these connected conversations. Yours is a little adjacent and the idea that you're doing a broad spectrum of things, blah, blah, blah. And we'd love for you to kind of check it out. So they invited me to your call and I come to your call and you spend like your call was so intense, right? It was mine was so lighthearted because I am really a, you know, I grew up in the Midwest too, but I'm really a mind your business. That ain't got nothing to do with me. You know, I don't know nothing about nothing when the police show up and you were like, nope, this is what I see. This is what's going on. I'm tired of this. And let me, let me give you all the game behind the game. And you got slides and you know, your stuff is eight slides and you just indoctrinate these folks and you know, pulling off the lid. Right. And my stuff is one slide. We just have a conversation. It was really easy. So it was so, but it was cool because then when getting a chance to see you do your thing and see your platform, see the people that you were affecting, not only people that were in the company, you had people calling in. From other companies. Like you had a following, you had graded, created a groundswell. And so that was really inspirational and it was exciting. And, um, I would come when I could. And if there was something to be said, you know, that I had a perspective on, I would provide that perspective. You know, I still was trying to feel my way. My calls were in a situation where I would just kind of, you know, start, start the conversation and step back and let them do it. Right. And it's still the same way. I just kind of let them go. I just gotta, you know, poke the bear and then let all the strap note come from that. Um, but ultimately with you creating this platform, as I stated, I saw that first episode with Les than she was talking about in Alton and in, in, uh, in STL and I, you know, I've been in those areas coming from Peoria. Um, and when she talked about her sister and all, it was just so intimate and I was like, oh, this is on a different level. I had seen uncomfortable conversations with a black man and I thought based off. Some things that you had done in the past. It was going to be an extension of that from four years ago or whatever it could be, but it was so much more interpersonal. It was so much more emotional to me. And I was like, oh, this is really cool. It's really cool. And then you contacted me. It was like, Hey, I need you to jump on. I'm doing like tidbit and friends and it's like, I don't know if you want that, bro. And he was like, no, trust me. You know, everybody know, Tony, no, you'll be great. You'll be great. It's going to be great. Everything's great. And I was like, no, Hey, I carve out some time and get on there. And then I got bit like they say in show business, I got bit. And, uh, you know, it was, it was, uh, it was, but I think what attracted me initially, uh, Was you guys were very easy going, you know, Double A was real relaxed. Hey, hey, do this. Put your camera here, dude No, he was he was easy to hey, and it was just like because I didn't know like I said I'm a kid showing up you you know, it's just comic con to me, right? I'm showing up all the heroes are assembled and i'm just talking on a microphone And so I got my act together and then you know fast forward It just seems like a week or two ago to me But once again, i'm on the shoulders of giants in this regard. So pretty easy

Buddy, I can't believe it does seem like a week ago. It's just amazing that we've been here a year. Let's talk about, we, we recorded a lot of stuff. We covered a lot of different topics. We've had a lot of guests come on here. So let's go, let's talk about some of those, some of your favorites. What's some of the most memorable moments and favorites that you guys have on, you know, working and being on a black executive perspective podcast, Double A buddy. You is behind the glass. You, you know, met everyone. You were there. Let's hear some of the things that you really like,

uh, the episode of assimilation, um, with Himalaya. I mean, it just really opened my eyes and gave me ammunition. I mean, you know, one of the things that I learned about a black executive perspective is like, first and foremost, I want to say that, you know, black women have a superpower. I mean, you know, because, you know, the majority of our guests, you know, in the beginning were, you know, uh, you know, black women. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, and, and I just thought it just every episode just getting more and more fascinated about first of all, how Intel beyond like intelligent, you know, you are right where, you know, you have, cause I mean, I come in from Hollywood, you know, Hollywood likes to paint pictures of everybody, you know what I mean? They paint pictures of me too, you know, but not that I, I had those pictures, but like when you really start engaging in these conversations. And that episode of assimilation just gave me this ammunition because I found myself in those conversations where it's like, well, I grew up poor too. And yeah, yeah, my parents are divorced too and, and this and this and that, and it will come from people that I'm like, yeah, but it's different. I don't know, but I couldn't defend myself. So that episode, um, really, really sort of, even after all these years, just gave me so much perspective. on how to say, Hey, wait, we're not, you know, I understand, but we're not the same. Right. And it related to the conversation about poverty and whiteness, right? Yeah. It's like, okay, well, poverty, you know, it's, it's bad in itself, but you know, but being white, it's also, it's, it's, it's just, it just exponentially more beneficial being poor. You can be

poor and be white, but work your way out of

that conversation right there. Just sort of like, really like, Oh, wow. Wait, what? Yeah, I mean because you can fake other stuff you can fake being poor you can fake like she said you can fake being you Know your sexuality you think being married you fake all kinds of things. You can't fake being white You know, I mean I was like, oh wow, so if you know how to play the game You know what? You'll be just fine. That's awesome buddy. Don't compare yourself to I'm not gonna let anybody else compare themselves to me, you know, I mean, especially when they haven't lived a moment in my shoes, which is right, right,

right. That's awesome, buddy. Less. What about you? Memorable moments, memorable episodes, memorable, you know, what do you think?

Um, well, definitely the first episode that we did where we were having a candid conversation about our childhood, um, and letting our audience, um, look into our lives and peer into our lives and having that intimate moment. And as Chris said, You know, about the things that we experienced. I think as someone of African American heritage. And somebody who grew up in the Midwest. These are stories that are not often disclosed. I mean, we just pretty much live our lives as you know, this is normal to us. But when you start speaking about this stories, you start talking to people about it, you start realizing how really messed up that is, you know, and so getting a glimpse of that lets people know that who we were in our past is a product of who we are today. And why we are so fierce about telling these stories and making people aware of things that are little known histories about people of African American heritage here in America. I'm going to segue then that to our indigenous peoples day, you know, here in America, race is a construct and that we have to fit into 1 of those races. But as of someone, most of us here of color. We are people of mixed heritage, and we are often told that we have to deny that side of ourselves because we have to fit into the construct of America or the caste system of America by color. So, just giving insight on indigenous people, who is indigenous, uh, every one of us here on this. Panel is of indigenous heritage, you know, and nobody would know that because there's a defining line in America that says you can't claim that about yourself because of how you look yet. Still, you have to deny. Your ancestry, the people who made you who you are today in order to fit in. So just speaking a little bit about that, giving a little bit of history about indigenous people in America, the struggles that they face, uh, people of black and indigenous heritage for that matter. Um, and embracing that side of yourself because it is a part of you. And then lastly, I think the thing that really stuck out to me more than anything now that we're thinking about it. Is we have Mayka Little on here considering what is going on in our country today. We have a black woman running for president. It was a surprise to me to see this young black woman speaking about being in politics and how important it was for you to vote in primaries, you know, because your, yeah, your local primaries, because that even determines how your areas police, how your areas educated the funds that go into your area. So now that I look at that, that conversation with her, I think that I. And more in awe of what she's about to, what she was doing in politics and now the potential of her becoming even more greater in politics based on how our situation is here today, that we have a female, a black female of mixed heritage running for presidency.

Good stuff. Excellent stuff. Chris, what about you, buddy? Memorable moments.

Um, you know, I think that Up until recently I was thinking that the servant protect. Um, episode that we did, uh, was really impactful and, and really, I enjoyed doing it, the history of policing in America and, and as a person, you know, uh, having a, you know, as a historian having a degree in history, it was, it was right up my alley and this and that, but I'm gonna tell you what shattered everything for me. Um, and got me outside of worrying about what I had specific education in or specific experience in was the Abdul Muhammad episode like that is, is by far my funnest episode, my, my, my happiest episode because he. Took me to understand that we aren't all in of one diaspora. We're not all of one monolithic, right? We're not monolithic as people. And when he started talking about, he grew up in a Muslim kid in New York, went to New Mexico or whatever, and then joined a Jewish fraternity. And it was getting a full academic ride to the University of Florida. I was like, this dude, a younger me would have said, Oh, this brother don't know who he is. But an older man knew he knew exactly who he was and wasn't going to be denied. And he was saying how he's gotten so much support economically and, and, uh, from a business perspective from his fraternity brothers, getting connected with other people, uh, of, you know, the other Jewish people that the dudes was connecting him with. And it's all business is good business. And it was right. His whole get down was so cool to me, you know, we had a Double A knows this. He produced the hell out of the episode because we have some, some audio difficulties. So he had to kind of get behind, you know, he had to get behind the turntables and make it happen, but

he's like, I'm gonna do it from right here,

and it worked out handsomely. But I think his story for whatever reason, grace of God or whatever you want to call it resonated with me. That is so much bigger than what we think it is. And if you so desire it, if you go for it, if you want it and you believe in yourself and he said, you know, his uncle's teased him and all this other stuff, but he was so cool with him that it made it a cool episode, a cool situation. And it kind of says we can do anything we want to on here. Like before that I was thinking, I got to stay in my wheelhouse. I can only write down notes and stuff I know about blah, blah. But then after that, I can say whatever I want.

Yeah, no, he was, he was fantastic. And to be honest, We didn't because of the wifi issues. We didn't hear half the stuff he was saying until we put it together. And it was one, to be honest, to your point, that was a very popular episode. Right. And we didn't know what we had and the Double A's like, I don't know what we got. But at the end of the day, it was a very popular episode. So he was awesome I totally, that was a good one. Mayka Little was great. Obviously the indigenous that we did in a Double A, read a pair, a passage from, um, uh, a Columbus book,

right.

And, uh, so that was great. That was, I think that was our, we did a bonus episode then. Let me ask you guys this, you know, one of our goals was to educate people, right. And, and make sure. That not only that we were being authentic, but we were providing facts. We're providing education on issues that. People may not be aware of, right? Because at the end of the day, our goal here is to talk about things that people haven't talked about and educate them, hoping that that will, you know, bring people together because one of the major things that we deal with is ignorance, right? Um, because our leaders, our political figures, are trying to divide people, right? And they use, they tell lies and misnomers and use stereotypes, dog whistles, all those type things to divide people. Okay. So I want to ask you this Double A spoke a little bit and it was intersectionality where you were talking about with, with, with, with, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, Himalaya. Um, and he talked about what he learned from them, but I love to hear from you guys. What some of the things that you've learned by listening Listening to our guests, even stuff that we talk about as we do amongst ourselves, what's some of the things that you got out of this podcast?

You may, I'm telling you the biggest lesson that resonated with me and Double A kind of hit on this as far as black women, um, the trials, as far as balancing your life as a female. As a mother and as a professional, I never have had those candid conversations or those opportunities to really, uh, most women in corporate America that I've, you know, sat next to, or been in rooms with were not vulnerable. They were making sure they played the part of the strong, knowledgeable, rock steady person professionally. And so getting a chance to see some of the guests that we have here. And they unveil that it was tough for me to leave my young son to go on a business trip and, and just, you know, climbing the ladder simultaneously with being a good parent and being a wife and, and all of these different hats. I hadn't seen it from that perspective before, or hadn't had that type of vulnerability or that type of understanding provided to me from women that were so successful. You just thought they, they made all these sacrifices and they did make a lot of sacrifices, but we thought that they. themselves of other things of the totality of being a woman. And so kind of like what they were saying, it's amazing all the things that women can absorb and embrace and, and secure in this world, despite the world being for it, you know, despite the world being so misogynistic and so, you know, one sided, it is amazing. So even now with the presidency pending, it's amazing. That all these things can be done simultaneously. And I think that's the biggest lesson I learned from some of the great guests that we've had on here. Uh, Tony,

that's awesome, buddy. Awesome. What about you Double A? Oh,

another thing I learned from, um, Malik, I believe our guest, it was about, uh, historical trauma, just these little, little nuances that That reveal things about me, you know, that I don't understand or didn't deeply understand. And that just sort of adds more perspective to it. You know, just having guests like him, hearing his story. I mean, just everyone. I mean, I mean, you know, being involved in it and just being involved in every conversation, uh, from behind the scenes and producing it. It's just been amazing. And I mean, my, my sister wrote a syllabus, I mean, uh, a thesis about it. You know, about historical trauma and about Puerto Ricans and Hispanics. And it was way before our episode came out. So it was just a synchronicity that was happening. And I'm like, yeah, we're supposed to be having these conversations right now. So, um, it's just all been amazing for me. So I'm just, I'm just really grateful.

That's awesome, buddy. Les?

Um, I do have to piggyback off of Chris and say, you know, that I feel seen. Because I think that no, seriously, no, I'm agreeing with you and you know, I think too, I think a lot of black women judge themselves and say, okay, I'm, I'm either doing too much or I'm crazy or people are going to look at me differently and stuff like that. It's just the drive that was instilled in us by our mothers. And how we had to overcompensate for a lot of things, and I don't want to get into the deep dive territory of it. But what you're seeing right now is who we have traditionally always been. I'm reminded of something that I just recently saw that Gwyneth Paltrow was talking about, um, amongst her successful black friends and her successful white friends. And she was saying that white women feel they have to compete with one another. So you're going to see a lot of backbiting in the corporate scene between white women. But she said, if we could learn from my black friends. And she said, because black women lift each other up. It's like we always are rooting that person on, and we don't feel that because I have a lesser role, I feel more diminished than you are when one of when you succeed, we all succeed, and it's just something that we learn. We were the pillars of our communities, and it's something that we continued in the corporate lifestyle. In addition to taking care of everything that we've taken care of. You know, it wasn't because of lack. It was just because it was the way that we are built and designed, you know, and our circumstances dictated who we have become here in the U. S. or worldwide for that matter. I feel like I learned a lot from this podcast. Um, I'm constantly amazed. I'm constantly amazed, but more than anything, when I look at the world and the world seems sometimes so Disappointing to me to know that there are people that feel the same way that we do. They feel the same way and care about diversity. They care about the success of their people. They care about educating people about things that they don't know, despite all the noise and craziness that we're seeing. And so this, what I appreciate about the show is that we don't go out there. We like really are going through the woods and the weeds, looking for people and stuff, people really come to us because we have a platform and they want to speak on what they're saying. They found us and they want people to know that this podcast amplifies their voice.

There's no question. Number one, thank you all for that. You know, if you think about it, uh, September 19, 2023, Uh, the inaugural episode that Les and I did, that was episode number one. Um, we've done, including bonus episodes, um, including, um, we've probably done 70, 80 different episodes. Right? We created a partnership with CodeM Magazine, who's our partner. You know, Dr. Nsenga Burton. Mm hmm. Has a weekly segment each week called need to know all those things came out from September 19, 2023. So just think about it from, from what Double AA said earlier about, you know, the first recording where I'm saying MFs. All right. And thinking that's going to be, you know, our first recording to where we are today. So let's all take a look and let's play. I, we, I put together, we put together a video, uh, uh, montage, a collage of, All the different guests, all the different episodes that a black executive perspective podcast has put together over the last year, all the different topics that we talked about. So let's all take a look. And then after we take a look, I love to hear just your thoughts on what you've just seen, what you've guys been a part of for the last year. Are you guys ready for

this? Listen to this podcast. Ask us questions, things that we may not even talk about on this podcast. We're going to give you an authentic, honest response.

Find out they were Cuban till 16. I was like, That is white privilege. You basically hid as a different race for 16 years. Like, there's no way, Tony, that you would find out you were black when you were 16. You know what I

mean? Or business environment, where you're expected to sort of stiff up or lip your way through everything. And

I have never forgotten that. Because it really pissed me off. I was so angry because basically what I was told is I had to work harder than everybody else in the room, right? There was no, no letting down. Don't give her a down, down time. Keep her working. Keep her working.

Intro and guy raises his hand and says, how does it feel to be a diversity hire? You're thinking on my diversity hire. Cause I'm black. I'm a diversity hire because you need something on this team from leadership that you didn't have before I got here. Yeah.

We have to hold people accountable if we're going to hold ourselves as a society accountable. And I think that for us on this platform and this podcast, we as black people are overarched in the accountability factor. Like we are, we have to be, it's the black taxes, all this other

action that elevates that person's name or experience and opportunity and spaces and places that they don't have visibility or they're not in the room.

I own a thing called the black wolf app. He goes, well, what is that? I said, You know what Uber and Lyft is? He goes, yeah, well, mine's the same thing as the ride share, but the difference is we have armed drivers. When I said that, he said, dude, we're going to become famous.

I get to spend time with other Black women in the space. Something that I wanted when I was a child. And that's one of the main reasons why I do this, because I want to be what I needed as a child.

The white advertising agencies Would be skeptic if it would be a long shot for them to hire you as I would

very long shot

They don't hold them accountable for doing the things that they said they were going to do And so the only way your vote can really matter is if you stay engaged and see it through

It's three phases to a career. The first stage is survive The second stage is to thrive. The last stage is to create where you get to a point where you so up there that you can put other people on, or you can guide people at that point in time. And that's the holy grail.

We also, we want to be. Very honest about where we are as a people

Like

the line from the movie passenger 57 Wesley Snipes said always bet on black. It's also

the felicity of the falseness Of falsehoods of enslavement. You've conditioned people into believing that they were less than human. You don't want those facts in the textbooks.

Remember to incorporate L E S S less. The L is for learn. Educate yourself on racial nuances and cultural aspects. and make sure that you learn as much as you can, wherever you can.

She was the darkest girl in her family. And she said that she was told from the time she was young, you better marry someone European or someone white. Like, that's your only chance for a good life.

As a black male myself, I've been the token. I've been in spaces where literally I walked in the office and I saw people's faces claim it because they were afraid they saw me and they were like, Oh my God, who is this? Does he belong here?

I became very hypersensitive to every little thing that I thought was some sort of racial slight. And so I became like, I know this is cliche, but like the angry white guy, right? Like I became the guy who was like, everything was racial and I wanted to talk about it and I wanted to fight everybody. I want to fight the world and get angry about it, but my wife just didn't want to talk about it.

We talk about managing diversity. I need to understand that those folks are going to bring different complexities to my management style. If I use the concept of I'm going to manage everybody the same way, I am a poor manager.

What I want people to do is understand that philanthropy, in its true sense, is the love of humanity. I need you to find, where's your love button? Where's your passion word?

I really work with my children on educating them about their history first. And then also want to instill a confidence in them that they can carry themselves in this world with their head held high.

Fortune 500 CEOs. The number is 0. 8 percent of fortune 500 black CEOs, just to be clear here. All right. And when we say 0. 8%, we're talking eight individuals. Tactics that haven't worked the last five, 10, 15 years. What tactics are you talking about?

I'm talking about these. These myths or these symbolic gestures.

Back in the day, you know, you can't even say this anymore, but it was cowboys and Indians, right? So you either were a cowboy or you were an Indian. And I always chose to be an Indian because, you know, that's what I thought I was.

And choosing powerfully who you want to be. Versus who you've been told to be, who you've been conditioned to be, who society is trying to make you.

Stop asking middle aged white men that have been in their positions for the last 20 years to be the decision makers on how to cultivate. And empower their high achieving black women or women of color.

Exactly. And then after you learn is E, E is empathy. Okay. Now you should be more empathetic to your friends and colleagues about the situations that they go through.

I understand that it's a system of advantages and disadvantages based on race. So as much as there's the disadvantage piece of it, there's the advantage piece of it, which is what I experienced as a white person.

What did your parents tell you about the police?

Give them no reason. Make sure you don't give him no reason to make you not come home.

It sort of eats away at your, your soul because you almost sometimes feel like you're betraying your mother or your sister because there's this connotation that if you days outside of your race, you don't love. Black women the same as you do other women because you've been brainwashed to like certain types of hair or certain types of complexions.

We didn't hire those diverse vendors because they were black.

They were diverse.

We hired those vendors because we intentionally, we looked for people that could give us the services and products that we needed.

Soon as she walked in, they told her that she couldn't afford it. They told her that this wasn't the right environment for her or the child. And she came home upset, and she knew at this time, this is a racial issue.

The only exposure to anything other than themselves is what they have as popular media.

Jordan from Lakeland, Florida. No, I did not swim here. I'm Cuban and Arabic. And anytime I tell somebody that, they ask me if I'm a terrorist, or if I swam here, especially since I live in Florida.

Systemic racism. Structural racism. Right, it's all of these things that are baked into our everyday lives, such that we, they become normal. They appear normal, but they're not.

Our brothers and sisters who don't go vote.

We got big names coming. We have everyone from DL Hughley, Sherry Shepherd, Ken Whitley. We have a comedy legend, Marshall Warfield, and so many others. And it's always hosted by my best. One of my best friends, my dear friend, uh, comedian Damon Williams.

And then the first, that is for share. Share the things that you learned. Don't hide it, divide it. Make sure that those around you understand what you've just gained and understood.

We don't hear how we made this country wealthy. We don't hear how things were stolen from us.

You gained a lot of hate for the gay community. Why was that?

It took me until I was about 17 to realize that I'm actually gay.

And I told her I was Puerto Rican. And she's like, Oh, and you're successful.

They would call me white girl occasionally. It was just very much, I was different from them and they wanted me to know I was different from them. Last year, I had a friend who would call me half breed as a joke, and I didn't know how to tell him it wasn't funny.

So that's what it is about. It's about inclusion, right? Not about unqualified people getting jobs they don't deserve and running the country into the ground. That's

Deeply insecure people, right? Who've been told their entire life, you're not supposed to be here. We're going to make it so hard to get here. And then when they get into these positions of power, it, it becomes their undoing in a way.

So floored that this woman had to have this conversation with, with her children, white people would never have to have that conversation with their kids. There could be a possibility that I could go out wearing a hoodie and a hat and, and get shot at. Like I would never even thought that would never even cross the minds of anybody in, in my space.

Guess what? We were asleep, but now we will stay woke. Let's hear. Some of these DEI dog whistles.

DEI, which stands for didn't earn it. We're gonna have doctors who don't know how to perform heart surgery, and we're gonna have planes that are falling out of the sky. I'm sorry, if I see a black pilot, I'm gonna be like, boy, I hope he's qualified.

Ryan from Coota, Oklahoma says anti racist is a code for anti white. Bobby from Baltimore, Maryland says pro black doesn't mean anti white.

It's very uncomfortable to talk about race. Um, it's not something, it's not something I do.

I don't want to say anything that would offend anyone.

It's a very touchy subject. It's still difficult, even if you feel like you're on the right side of it.

Don't wear that hoodie at night. I have three sons. I tell them this stuff can get you killed, right? Um, that's trauma. That's my trauma speaking out. I'm scared. I'm scared for my child.

You can't be the company that, you know, puts the black square up after George Floyd and then hires a bunch of black executives who are now gone in 2023. You're going to slowly disappear into the night and then everyone's going to go away and you think that people aren't going to notice that you got rid of all of the brown folks you hired three years ago.

People will say like, you're not even black. That's just weird to me because like, I am black and I am white. Sometimes I just don't know like how to respond to that because it's just like, why?

But we would be black, white and brown people together to dialogue and get to know each other. Cause when you get to know each other,

And then the final S is stop. We want to stop discrimination as it walks in our path. So if grandma says something at Thanksgiving table that's inappropriate, you say, grandma, we don't say that. We don't believe that. You stop it right then.

Um, stereotypes, like, you know, we're stereotyped to be one dimensional, um, not intellectual, not capable of anything else outside of our sport.

When I went to Juilliard, that was sort of the beginning of it. I was in the American Opera Theater there, right up to Harvard. That was my first time having to confront that I really didn't have the emotional maturity and what it meant to be a young black person on the streets of New York. I had nothing to prepare me for that.

You grew up in a predominantly white community. Where you don't see diversity, where you're not being educated about diversity. How are you supposed to know, like, these things? And like, when you say something, you might not mean it with malintent, but the way that someone perceives it and, like, receives that, it can be hurtful and you just don't know.

If a person looks exactly like you, comes from your same culture, because of intersectionality, They might have so many other factors that impede them from achieving that same goal, even if they work just as hard as you.

The African American is so unique in his experience. 400 years! What the Black community have is continuous stress.

Basically, you know, all of us, I don't care who you are, but especially people of color, we wear masks in the work environment, in a corporate environment, in any work environment. In other words, we come in, we assimilate, or we don't, they say, bring your authentic self, but yeah, y'all couldn't handle

it. To define what it is, or to define what woke is.

I'll tell you my personal experience as a first generation Mexican American, the many instances of racism that I've experienced from not being weighted at or, you know, people thinking I can't afford a certain thing.

Black and white people lived nicely together until black people. Started rising, right? IE home ownership, business ownership, kill

people, and then install their own government, and then rewrite history books, okay? To come out as heroes and then hide it. I mean, I mean, that's the most heinous thing that you could do. If everybody can incorporate LESS, L E S S, we'll create a more understanding world, and more important, we'll see the change that we want to see, because LESS will become more. Wow. Can you believe that? All of that came out of an idea. And the first episode, September 13th. I mean, what's your thoughts on that? Chris, let me hear from you, buddy.

You know what? I think it surprises me that diversity on the screen, because it's not just, it's a black executive perspective, but that's a misnomer. And the idea of it's a perspective of all executives, all people that are enterprising, all people that are forward thinking. And so when you're looking at it and you're going through it, you're like, okay, white dude okay. Okay. Like, it is just a cornucopia of different people that have come together with the same agenda. And you had said something in your original, um, think about allyship, right? About allies. And so I think that's what resonated with me more than anything else was, Oh, wow. We got a lot of allies out there. We got a lot of allies, smiling faces. And it's not, you know, it's not a, a contentious type of situation. We deal with serious stuff. We deal with, Things that need to be said, but we do it in a way that's inviting and embracing and easy to digest. And if you don't rock with us, it's because you absolutely just don't want to rock with us. It's not because of anything else. And so, uh, I think that's what resonated with me kind of seeing that.

Double A, what's your thoughts? Buddy, you were there. A lot of them was funny, you know, it's just amazing and some of the stuff, um, you know, um, so I love to hear your thoughts.

Well, my perspective, you know, we, you know, it's, it's, uh, it's a black executive perspective. It's all about perspectives. Um, as a producer, you know, it's a different perspective for me, you know, because, you know, you're thinking about all these things, you know, and there's all these things that happening, you know, whether it's wifi, whether it's, you know, it's the lighting or it's, it's, it's all these things. So, you know, beyond all that, that I was feeling and like, oh my God, what's going on, we're really doing this. This is a lot. I mean, I felt, you know, I, I, I heard a quote recently that pressure is an honor. Right. From an athlete. Uh, you know, Oh, how do you feel about, you know, being, you know, favorite or whatever, you know, it's like, Oh, it was Caleb Williams or something, maybe someone he's like, pressure is an honor. And I'm like, wow, I never heard it that way. And I felt a lot of pressure, you know, because it's really important and, and I wanted to do right by it, you know? Um, so it was just a lot of emotions and just seeing it all come together now. I mean, this is so satisfying. and gratifying and to know that, you know, this is what we're here for to just, you know, uh, add, add to the narrative, you know, expand our voices and, you know, change people's lives. And hey, we're here to talk about it. I've always been here to talk about it, you know, so, hey, you don't know something, it's okay. This is why we're here to do and that, that's what got me through. So it was. frustrating. It was exhilarating. It was gratifying. It was all of these emotions, which is what life is all about. So I'm very grateful.

Yeah, buddy. Yes. Les. What's your thoughts? If you saw what over the last year of all the guests and all the, you know, people that were on

very emotional, uh, namely because, you know, knowing where this started. How the conversation started, it was lightning in a bottle and now seeing it, you know, so that everybody can have these conversations, hear other people's perspectives. Uh, 'cause I know how much effort we used to put into those conversations. Yes,

yes, yes.

Um, and we were dedicated to that too. Like if you had to go out on a business trip, you know, you always like, I'm a call for people to come in and do. You know, do a presentation and the people that's that, I mean, it didn't, they had various backgrounds. People would step up to the plate and do some content that was just life changing. So seeing that and knowing where we are today. Made me very emotional.

Yeah.

You know, it, it makes you believe that anything you put your mind to, you can create it. And that's what you did. You were so passionate about it. Tony, you were so like, you're like, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm not a podcast. I don't have the right, you know, but look at you now, look at this now, you know, so I'd say that was very emotional. I'm well done.

Yeah, definitely. You know, listen, it's, it's, uh, number one, it's, uh, um, you should all be proud. Okay. To be honest, when I look at that, I'm proud because at the end of the day, um, we may, we turn nothing into something and we had people come on and was willing to share their stories and talk about uncomfortable conversations to educate. And these wasn't just people we found off the street. These were guests. I mean, people that were CEOs and entrepreneurs and SVPs and EVPs from all all around the country. Okay. And they came on a black executive perspective because they believed in our mission and what we were looking to do. And they wanted to be part of the solution. And they was, and, you know, as we move forward into 2025, you know, we're going to continue to push the envelope. We're going to have new partners. We're going to have other people that do different type of segments. We're going to tackle, you know, uncomfortable conversations because they need to be talked about. Okay. We're going to have people, you know, share their stories. We're going to continue to share our stories. We're going to continue to be vulnerable because I never thought for somebody who never talked about race at all in corporate America. And then since George Floyd, Started having a forum and sharing my stories and stuff that I always, I kept buried inside, right? But to do that so that we could all feel comfortable and try to finally tackle this big gorilla that's called race and racism and discrimination. Okay. So that's our goal. We're going to continue to push the envelope. We're going to continue to bring on and have debates and have, as Double A said, talk from different perspectives. Because that's what this platform is about. It's the people's platform. And I'm so proud that we created that. So, real quickly, I'd love to get final thoughts from everyone. Les, final thoughts. Final

thoughts? Just keep going up. Keep going up. Uh, greater things. Thanks. And that's what we need to shoot for, um, more education. I'd like to see this podcast be something that. You know, it's spoken about as a reference. You know, there are a lot of people that out there that are soothsayers, people who, you know, people follow that are, uh, you know, activists like that. This is what I want to see at this podcast. I wanted to see bigger and greater things and more difficult conversations and us working through it as a people.

Absolutely. Double A.

Well, you know, thank you. I just want to thank you again. I want to thank you first of all, for inviting me to join you in this podcast. It's been an honor. I want to thank our audience for having me on a black executive perspective to, uh, opening stories to you. These conversations has been such an honor to engage in this crucial conversation about race and corporate America. Um, you know, just as someone whose journey began, you know, here as a producer, I've learned firsthand how vital it is to have these diverse voices and conversations, and I truly value that, um, and Hey, in flipping my script Which it's coming up. I'm going to put a shameless plug. I share my story. I'm pushing past barriers and taking control of my path And I hope it encourages others to do the same especially when the system is built To not support us Absolutely. We all deserve a seat at the table and more importantly we deserve to be feel empowered to change the conversation when necessary So thank you again for this platform and for creating a space where we can have these real raw conversations So let's continue to push forward Flipping our scripts and making room for everyone in America and beyond.

Absolutely. And Double A has a book coming out called flipping, flipping the script.

Oh, flipping my script,

flipping my script. So definitely check it out. He'll be out. We'll have some info on it where you can check it out and be able to buy it. Chris P. Reed, you get the final thought, my brother.

Uh, well, I mean, the final thought, but definitely not the best, um, is that this becomes easier. As you expand your expectation in your mind. And as a parent, I see inspiration for stories every time I talk to my daughters about different things. And now I'm starting to see it everywhere, right? I'm seeing opportunity and inspiration because I've opened myself up to it. You know, a person that was really kind of, like I said, minding my own business a lot. You've infected me now. And I'm seeing, I'm sending you stuff, you know, 12 o'clock at night. Like, man, we should talk about this. We should talk about that. And the thing that, that excites me the most. Is that Tony, you know, this Double A, you know, this and Noel behind the camera now knows this. We get so many people after we say cut at the end that says that was wonderful. That was so cool. I feel so it's almost like therapy for these folks to get on here and get it off. And that feeling resonates outside of just these, this taping. But when people listen to it, I have people calling me and it was like, man, y'all was on with buddy. And that was so cool. And do seem so like, was he like that for real? Like how many takes or how many, and they're like, no, that's all, you know, that's all coming off the dome. So it's a good situation. It's a great platform. And I think that what resonates more than anything else is the guest gravitating. We've had so many important people say, I want to come back. And he was like, I thought you said everything you said, like, why would you hold him back? And they like, no, because as life continues, I want to keep coming back to let you know, this is what is required of us to make sure that we're guiding us. Down this path that is life. And so on this journey, I'm just happy to be with you, you folks. And, uh, it's, it's like I said, it's a privilege just to be, be around.

Well, that is awesome. And I want to thank each and every one of you guys. You guys have been instrumental in building this platform, as Double A said, and I agree. I want to thank our audience who took a chance on tuning into a Black Executive Perspective podcast. Not knowing what we're about, how are we going to be around. You guys have given us really great comments. You've, you've, you've subscribed and followed and, and, And you, you, uh, you know, engage in our social, uh, uh, marketing. So really, really ask you to continue to share our podcast with everyone else. If you haven't, if you're listening and watching this. Please subscribe. Follow us because as you heard from Double A and crispy read and the legendary Les Frye, um, we want to continue to grow, reach more people, touch lives, and more importantly, we want to change and I'm going to use Double As, a title to his book. We want to flip the script. Okay. So want to thank you. So now I think it's time for Tony's Tony's

tip. So the tidbit today, all

good.

So

the tidbit today is from the first S episode to now, a black executive perspective podcast has been a beacon of insight for the executive world. Happy first anniversary. May our conversate conversations continue to inspire and challenge, and that was the tidbit today.

So we, amen. We definitely don't want to get outta here without reminding you guys to tune in to need to know with Nsenga. You know, you don't wanna miss this week or any weeks Need to know with Dr. Nsenga Burton. A Black Executive Perspective podcast is where Dr. Burton dives into timely and crucial topics that shape and motivate and motivate. Are the world around us. So please tune in and gain those unique insights. You definitely don't want to miss it.

Now. You don't want to miss her every Thursday, check her out. So I think it's now time for our call to action. And obviously the whole crew is going to, uh, participate in BEP's call to action. And our goal. Is to decrease racism. Okay. To decrease all forms of discrimination. So our call to action is called less L E S S kick us off.

Chris P. Reed. So the L is for learn. You always want to educate yourself in order to advocate for. Uh, your space on this earth and you want to make sure that you are bringing in as much information as you can to make the right decision at all time, not only for you or your family, but your community and the world as a whole. And

for me, the letter is E and that's develop empathy to understand diverse perspectives. Remember, there are not races. There's only one race and it's called the human race.

And for me, the letter is S, share. So share your insights to enlighten others. All right. So doing this will help build a fairer, more understanding world. Start your journey, start your journey today and be the change you want to see.

Yeah. And then the final S is stop. We want to stop all discrimination. So if you see grandma at the grant, at the Thanksgiving table, and grandma says something inappropriate, you say, grandma, we don't believe in that. We don't say that. And you stop it right there. Right? So if everyone can incorporate less L E S S, this is something in your control. If we all do that as double waste, Double A said, we'll build a more fair and understanding world. And we'll get, see everyone be able to see the change that they want to see because less will become more.

First of all, I want to make sure that you guys continue to tune in because we're just hitting our stride. You know, it was a lot that has happened, you know, went by so fast, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. It's so many things that we're going to, you know, survey over and bring you into as we move forward with everything that we have in our power, but we want to make sure that you review us. Subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast. Make sure that you, uh, go to the website, sign up for the newsletter. Tell us what you need from us and we'll try to provide it wherever we can.

Absolutely. And you can follow a black executive perspective podcast, wherever you get your podcast and you can follow us on our socials at tick tock X, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook at ablackexec for the fabulous crew, the legendary Les Frye Double A. Chris P. Reed and the lady behind the glass, Noel Miller. Guess what? We talked about it. We've been a year about it. All right. And we can continue a few more years about it. All right. So we love you. And guess what? We're out.

A black executive perspective.