Cocktails, Culture, and Conversations

This episode of the C3 podcast ChangeAgent Phillip Cooper stops by the pod to talk about his passion for helping citizens re enter the world after incarceration. We talk about the services his organization offers to those coming home, and why he is so passionate about making sure they have someone there to help them. 
 
Meet Change Agent Cooper
Philip Cooper is a Western North Carolina native that fell in love with the streets at a young age. While growing up in poverty, he identified the drug dealers as role models, as they were the ones that appeared to run a more lucrative business. While in the streets, he started using hard drugs which contradicted his career as a drug dealer and landed him years in prison for high level offenses. While in prison he completed self-help courses, rededicated his life to Christ, and was mentored by a man who had been in prison over 10 years. He is known for his statement, “prison saved my life.”
 
Upon release from prison, Philip immediately connected with the recovery community, which is where he found his love for counseling and peer mentoring. He became a peer mentor and worked as a case manager for 3 years before he transitioned into reentry services, serving as an advocate for returning citizens. Since then he has become a regional organizer and advocate for policy change. Philip has over 10 years of experience working with those that have barriers to employment and has committed his life to helping others “level up.” Philip says that he continues to reach back and help others because the only way to keep what he has is by giving it away.

First live podcast of the season! Three subjects I wanted to cover in this podcast, and spark some conversation. The cocktails are back, grab your glass, take some sips, and lets talk. 00:00 Intro and Conversation About Ebony Ascent 05:42 Open Door Conversations Podcast 13:42 New Feature Coming to Ebony Ascent 16:00 Conversation about race 19:10 Story time with Dave. 33:50 The Horror movie that is corporate america 40:00 The New Normal

Chimere Brown stops by the podcast and talks about her journey from being a career in chemical engineering to a career in tech. The ups the downs, and all the twist and turns in the middle. We also chat about the power of networking and Chimere shares her story of how a strong network lead her current place of work. And FINALLY we bring back the cocktails….kind of.. We’ve got wine, which I would argue is just as good! 
 
Meet Chimere:
Chimere S. Brown, PMP, MBA is a Senior Sales Programs Manager that hails from the “Windy City” of Chicago, IL. Chimere’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA in Marketing and Operations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign. Her professional career spans nearly a decade in both the technology and pharmaceutical industries
where she’s held a variety of roles such as Validation Specialist, Pre - sales Solutions Architect, Project Manager, and Sales Programs Manager. Additionally, she has worked for a number of Fortune 500
companies such as Abbott Laboratories, Oracle, CareerBuilder, and now Salesforce. Her most recent accomplishment was sp
earheading the sales programs business for Public Sector- EMEA
(Europe, the Middle East and Africa- Region) at Salesforce. She served the global team by producing
award-winning customer stories and sales support content that included films, presentations, social media, print, and digital case studies. Chimere’s work garnered recognition within Salesforce for being the Biggest Content Build FY22 Q2. Currently, she is applying the same innovation and creativity to the Public Sector-Federal/Civilian line of business.
In her spare time she serves as tutor at Erie House-Chicago READs Program. The literacy intervention program provides extra layers of after- school support to ensure that the children (1st - 3rd grade) develop
the reading skills that are critical to their success in the classroom and in life. Chimere is also an international traveler that has been to 20+ countries and counting.

This episode I welcome Jon Logan to the podcast and we dive into the details around finance. Monetary policy, banking deserts, and bitcoin are just a few topics we jump into as we both share a passion for finance and how it affects the black community. 
 
Meet Jon:
Jonathan D. Logan wants the economic system here in the USA and globally to be inclusive. The mission aimed at leveling the economic playing field so that all humanity can engage equitably is no easy task.Jonathan is a local civic leader in Queens NY where he works to make local government policy and
procedure to serve all its members more equitably. Jonathan has dedicated his professional life to protecting life and property in NYC with over 20 years in the Fire service. For Jonathan, BankBlackUSA and The COWRIE initiative (Cooperative Wealth Reinvestment And Empowerment Initiative) are a labor
of love and peace. The work he does within the organization is a natural extension of his personal and professional endeavors. The mission starts and is sustained wi
th education and truth telling. BankBlackUSA and the COWRIE
Initiative are laser beamed focused on providing resources, tools, education and data that narrate the story of how the legacy and current economic systems have explicitly worked to disenfranchise certain groups and empower others.
 
Resources: 
https://bankblackusa.org/
http://cowrieinitiative.org/
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fractionalreservebanking.asp
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/economics/fiat-money-currency/
https://bitcoin.org/en/bitcoin-paper

This episode I sit down with Julian Mocine-McQueen and talk about the art of storytelling. We discuss the importance and impact of a person’s story and how it’s Julian’s passion to help people tap into that with his organization the Million Person Project. From running around the streets of Oakland, to traveling the world helping people find their voice and tell their stories. 
 
Meet Julian:
Julian Mocine McQueen is an Oakland Ca. native raised in rural Northern California.He brings years of organizing, facilitation and training experience to his role as the co-founder, Training Director and Lead Facilitator for the Million Person Project. The Million Person Project exists to support leaders to harness the power of personal narrative to serve the most important movements of our time.Since 2011 they have worked with over 3,000 leaders from across the US and 71 different countries. The Million Person Project team has formed partnerships, coached leaders and facilitated trainings in Vietnam, South Africa, Uganda, Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands,
Turkey, and Brazil. In addition to his work with the Million Person Project
,Julian utilizes story to help organizations explore their relationship and commitment to justice and equity so that they may ensure their structures, norms, practices and culture are inclusive,safe and generative for all people.
Prior to the Million Person Project Julian was a founding team member of Van Jone’s nationally renowned  green  economy  organization  Green  For  All.  His  career  is fueled  by  a  strong belief  in authentic  movements  that  are  powered  by  people. To  this  end, he co- created Green For All’s College  Ambassador  program,  which  cultivates  environmental  leaders  at  Historically  Black Colleges and Universities. And launched Green For All’s Fellowship program, working to weave together and support the leadership of 135 seasoned organizers from all over the United States. In  2015,  Julian was  recognized by  Huffington  Post  as  one of  “10  Leaders  reshaping the Environmental Movement.” He and  his  Partner  Heather  Box  were  recognized as  one  of  16 projects  to  watch in 2016 by Grist, and Julian was a member of the inaugural “Grist 50” environmental  change  makers  list.  In  2019, he co- wrote the book, “How Your Story Set You Free,” published by Chronicle Books. He is the father to Roman, who is now walking...watch out!

This episode I have the pleasure of sitting down with one of my first mentors, and good friend Mr. Reggie Gibbs. I first met Reggie when I was in college through a mutual friend. Since then we’ve formed a friendship and he has been an inspiration to me and many others. We talk about how that connection with people has fueled Reggie in his endeavors and the importance of networking.

This episode I sit down with CEO and Co-Founder of SailPoint Technologies Mark McClain. Now I wouldn't necessarily say that Mark and are besties, ( Although he does have a t-shirt with my face on it…kidding..or am I?)  but over the course of my career at SailPoint I was fortunate enough to forge a relationship with him that led to many conversations, jokes, and just all around good time. He’s a genuine person, and loves to laugh and along the way drop an occasional gem or two. We catch up and talk about his path as an entrepreneur and the principles behind his success. Of course we talk about his venture into being an author, and his favorite Navigate moments. ( Navigate is the SailPoint annual conference). All in all a good conversation, with some notable gems dropped. Enjoy!
 
3:45 - The Entrepreneurship start
9:38 - The ups and downs of entrepreneurship
22:40 - Values then vision
33:33 - Best piece of advice
30:55 - Favorite Navigate moment.

This week I sit down with Shana Baylis ( The best realtor in Atlanta!) and we talk about success in real estate and what it takes to build a successful business.  Tips for potential homebuyers, and what’s next for the Baylis group. 
 
Meet Shana:
Shana, a Chicago native turned Atlanta peach, is the oldest of five girls and a twin! She received her undergraduate degree in Human Services Management from Northern Illinois University. Shana began her real estate career in Chicago managing multimillion dollar commercial and multi-family residential properties. With over ten years of real estate experience, today, Shana is a powerhouse in the Atlanta real estate market. 
Shana is on the leadership board in her office and leads her own team. In less than one year Shana’s team, The Baylis Group, has sold millions of dollars in real estate and is part of the top 10% in an office that sold $1 billion in real estate in 2021 alone.
 In addition to being a leader of her team and in her office, Shana loves educating buyers and sellers by helping them build a foundation for their future through real estate. 
She founded the organization "The Mom Start Up" which partners with moms to birth their business. Shana is also writing a book titled “Before You Buy” which educates those who want to purchase their first home, but aren’t sure where to start. “Before You Buy” will be available Fall 2022. 
This year, Shana will be celebrating 14 years of marriage with her husband Andre. They have four amazing children, two boys and two girls, ranging in age from 8 to 14.
Shana’s family drives her passion for her education and empowerment. Shana is determined to impact her community through the education of Black Americans on the power of home ownership and how to leverage it to build wealth for their future. Shana believes that everything you want is already yours; all you have to do is claim it and go after it.

This episode I Welcome Ty Wilson to the podcast as we talk about his journey in the Cybersecurity space, mentorship, our connection through Black Tech Twitter, and of course legacy.
1:06 Black Tech Twitter
8:36 Ty’s Background
15:05 The Cybersecurity Grind
25:00 Mentorship
34:30 Looking for Love
 
Meet Ty Wilson
Mr. Tyrone E. Wilson
is a passionate information security professional with 25
years of experience in information technology. Wilson also has extensive knowledge
in computer network defense, vulnerability assessments, cyber threat analysis, and
incident response. Currently, Wilson is the Founder and President of
Cover6
Solutions, LLC; which teaches companies and professionals various aspects of
information security, penetration testing, and IPv6. Wilson is also the organizer
of
The D.C. Cyber Security Professionals. With over 8,500 members, it is the
largest #Cybersecurity meetup group in the United States. In addition, Wilson is
also on the Review Board of BSides NoVA, Howard University, and Hacker Halted and
has presented and/or taught classes at many of the major tech conferences.

SEASON THREE!! We are back! Kicking season three with Special Guest Serge Ngatta. In this conversation we talk about Serge's journey into the world of Identity and Access Management, Chick-Fil-A and their awesomeness, and financial literacy within the black community. A wide ranging conversation, with some laughs thrown as always. 
 
Meet Serge
My name is Serge Ngatta, I'm a global product leader with Equifax Identity Fraud and Compliance business, focusing on digital-identity-as-a-service products and services. We recently launched our Digital Identity Trust product in theUS.I'm fully aligned with EFX values to "help people live their financial best". Also I'm passionate about financial literacy/inclusion in underserved communities, and a firm believer in servant leadership and lifelong learning. I'm originally from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in West Africa, so I'm fluent in French.I'm also a devoted husband and a loving father of 3 girls, who currently reside in Atlanta north east suburbs.In my spare time, I like to play basketball. I love to listen to music (hip hop andRnB) live and/or recorded. I enjoy going to concerts with my spouse, or to the park with my kids, or to the beach for family vacation.