Latest / The Steve Harvey Morning Show / Rushion Interviews Visionary Educator Artesius Miller and Sports and Entertainment Financial Analyst, Sonia Fears

Transcript

Rushion Interviews Visionary Educator Artesius Miller and Sports and Entertainment Financial Analyst, Sonia Fears · The Steve Harvey Morning Show

0:05
Speaker 1: Welcome to Money Making Conversations. It's the show that she
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Speaker 1: Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I will know he's giving me
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Speaker 1: we go. Welcome and I'm here Rashan McDonald. Life is
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0:39
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0:41
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0:44
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0:47
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0:51
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0:53
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0:56
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1:01
Speaker 1: their dreams in public and share them with you. Guys,
1:04
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1:07
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1:10
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1:15
Speaker 1: and spiritually. I think that is always important. Now they're
1:18
Speaker 1: welcome to Money Making Conversations Masterclass. I am your host,
1:22
Speaker 1: Rashan McDonald. I want to hear from you today, like
1:24
Speaker 1: I do every week. I recognize that we all have
1:26
Speaker 1: different definitions of success. For you, it may be the
1:29
Speaker 1: size of your paycheck mind is inspiring you to accomplish
1:32
Speaker 1: your goals and live your very best life. It's time
1:35
Speaker 1: to stop reading other people's success stories and start writing
1:38
Speaker 1: your own. People always talk about their purpose or gifts.
1:41
Speaker 1: You read about that a lot, especially in social media.
1:44
Speaker 1: If you have a gift, leave with your gifts and
1:46
Speaker 1: don't let your friends, family, or co workers stop you
1:49
Speaker 1: from planning or living your dreams. We will be discussing
1:52
Speaker 1: today how to overcome to ours in life, like we
1:55
Speaker 1: do every week. My guests on the show today represent
1:57
Speaker 1: people who are making a difference in the community. My
2:00
Speaker 1: first guest is doctor Artcus Miller. He is the founder
2:04
Speaker 1: and CEO of the Utopian Academy for the Arts charter
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Speaker 1: school network. Miller is recognized as a visionary leader in
2:11
Speaker 1: K through twelve education who founded Georgia's first state approved
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Speaker 1: Chargers Charter school following recreation of the State Charter Schools Commission.
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Speaker 1: Miller has a bachelor's degree and age economics from more
2:23
Speaker 1: House College, at master's degree in Education Leadership from Columbia University,
2:27
Speaker 1: and a doctorate degree in Educational administration and Policy from
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Speaker 1: the University of Georgia. Go Dogs. This interview is about
2:34
Speaker 1: education and opportunities. Please working the money making conversations masterclass,
2:38
Speaker 1: Doctor Artcus Miller. How do you know what I'm sir,
2:41
Speaker 1: I'm doing excellent from man. Well, you know there's a
2:47
Speaker 1: lot man. You know, first of all, when you give
2:49
Speaker 1: all credits out like that, you know we respect a
2:52
Speaker 1: nostalgy uh. You know, a brainy a brainy act guy.
2:56
Speaker 1: You know, you know, you know, you know economics and
2:59
Speaker 1: more House. I swear to you in college, I tell
3:01
Speaker 1: you to take economics. I dropped it. I dropped it.
3:03
Speaker 1: I couldn't deal with it. Then you go get a
3:05
Speaker 1: master's degree in Education leadership from Colombia US Diversity. Then
3:09
Speaker 1: you go get a doctorate and educational Administration and Policy
3:13
Speaker 1: from University of Georgia. Tell us about that journey, man,
3:16
Speaker 1: because before we get into the utopian school, which is
3:19
Speaker 1: why we brought you on the show. But your story
3:22
Speaker 1: is a testament to many layers of overcoming the arts,
3:28
Speaker 1: many layers of people telling you what you should do,
3:31
Speaker 1: run into you in different airports over the years, and
3:34
Speaker 1: sitting down and share meals with you over the years,
3:36
Speaker 1: with your family. I've seen a person who was focused. Man,
3:39
Speaker 1: talk to us a little bit about who doctor RTC.
3:42
Speaker 1: As Miller is. Rashan. I want to thank you, man,
3:46
Speaker 1: and I'll tell you that I was given an opportunity,
3:49
Speaker 1: and I knew that at a young age when I
3:51
Speaker 1: was given that opportunity, that I had to make the
3:53
Speaker 1: best of it. So coming out of high school, I
3:55
Speaker 1: was really fortunate to have a scholarship that would give
3:58
Speaker 1: me up to ten years of funding if I so desire.
4:02
Speaker 1: And I said, you know, it's very rare that someone
4:04
Speaker 1: will invest in your education where they would give you
4:06
Speaker 1: ten years worth of funding. And that scholarship was through
4:10
Speaker 1: the Billa Melinda Gates Foundation, and it gave me the
4:12
Speaker 1: opportunity to go to every single school as long as
4:15
Speaker 1: I was accepted an opportunity to have my cost of
4:18
Speaker 1: attendance fully fully funded, and because I felt like if
4:22
Speaker 1: someone was invested that much financially in my future, it
4:26
Speaker 1: was up to me to do everything within my means
4:28
Speaker 1: possible to pursue every opportunity that came my way. And
4:33
Speaker 1: so that meant that I was not only going to
4:35
Speaker 1: complete my bachelor's I'm gonna diversify myself to be the
4:38
Speaker 1: first of my family, my media family, to even pursue
4:41
Speaker 1: a master's degree and let along even a PhD. So
4:45
Speaker 1: it was very difficult because you're talking about, you know,
4:48
Speaker 1: being the first and coming along as being the first
4:51
Speaker 1: has its own set of territories. There's no one that
4:54
Speaker 1: has a track record that you can follow. But but
4:57
Speaker 1: I was determined to do this, not only for myself
5:00
Speaker 1: or for my family, and then eventually my goal is
5:03
Speaker 1: to be able to inspire others in this realm of
5:06
Speaker 1: education by showing that it could be done even at
5:09
Speaker 1: an early age. Now you chose the path of HBCU first.
5:12
Speaker 1: Why yes, So my goal coming out of high school,
5:16
Speaker 1: because I went to a pretty diverse high school, I said,
5:18
Speaker 1: you know, I wanted to have that authentic HBCU experience.
5:21
Speaker 1: And I also knew and maybe this was not maybe
5:24
Speaker 1: the best party, but I kind of had this feeling
5:26
Speaker 1: that I wanted to pledge, and I didn't know really
5:28
Speaker 1: what pledge was all about, but I said, you know what,
5:30
Speaker 1: I feel like those that go to these HBCUs There's
5:33
Speaker 1: there's something about that experience, that motional experience, that academic
5:37
Speaker 1: experience that's nurturing that you don't really get outside of
5:40
Speaker 1: those type of settings. And I felt like for me,
5:44
Speaker 1: because I wanted to become known as a more House man,
5:46
Speaker 1: I wanted to have that level of credibility behind myself
5:50
Speaker 1: and I could only do that once, as more House
5:53
Speaker 1: is only an undergraduate institution. But I felt like the history,
5:57
Speaker 1: the legacy of what HBCUs have offered or generations, I
6:01
Speaker 1: wanted to be a part of that legacy, and I
6:03
Speaker 1: wanted to have that experience that I've heard about for
6:07
Speaker 1: myself that waymote this opportunity for us awesome And it's
6:12
Speaker 1: uh And when you see the uplifting, the recognition finally
6:17
Speaker 1: of HBCUs, how does that make you feel? You know,
6:19
Speaker 1: because you went there, you know, you went there for
6:22
Speaker 1: a degree opportunity for a lifestyle opportunity. And now you
6:25
Speaker 1: see the popularity that explode. This is twenty twenty. The
6:29
Speaker 1: recognition of the black excellence that has always come out
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Speaker 1: of HBCUs. Does that make you proud of make you
6:35
Speaker 1: a little annoyed they is not getting their attention that
6:38
Speaker 1: is rightfully deserved a long time ago. You know, it
6:42
Speaker 1: makes me proud and I appreciate those even folks like
6:46
Speaker 1: yourself that invest in paving the way with being able
6:50
Speaker 1: to to to promote HBCUs as a as a very
6:53
Speaker 1: strong and valuable option by investing and and some of
6:56
Speaker 1: our youth to be able to go to these schools
6:59
Speaker 1: because you understand and you know what what what they
7:01
Speaker 1: what they offer. And I'm glad to have the pride
7:06
Speaker 1: of seeing the celebrity promotion of HBCS, so that way
7:10
Speaker 1: those that have not historically known about you know the
7:14
Speaker 1: significance that these communities offer traditionally students of color like
7:18
Speaker 1: being able to see that it's impacting its value and
7:21
Speaker 1: so whether it's the large endowments making large contributions, or
7:25
Speaker 1: even being able to say I'm going to invest by
7:28
Speaker 1: providing a bus scholarship, I'm going to offer, you know,
7:31
Speaker 1: tuition for students to be able to attend, because I
7:33
Speaker 1: know that this is what you need at this particular
7:37
Speaker 1: point or in trajectory in your life. And so I'm
7:40
Speaker 1: glad to see people wrapping their arms around the HBCU.
7:43
Speaker 1: Whether it's the involvement at athletics like we have, you know,
7:46
Speaker 1: with with with Prime Time, or whether that's you know,
7:49
Speaker 1: from an endowmentt perspective, like a Robert Smith giving back
7:51
Speaker 1: to to a more House forty four plus million. It's
7:54
Speaker 1: just really good to see that engagement because we need
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Speaker 1: it and we've been deserving of quite some time. But
8:01
Speaker 1: our students need to see the out porn as well,
8:05
Speaker 1: and so that gives us the motivation to be able
8:08
Speaker 1: to reinvest back in the places to help us in
8:10
Speaker 1: the layout foundations. And I love to use the word
8:13
Speaker 1: reinvest because when I read about you at more House,
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Speaker 1: youngest member of the faculty at more House College, teaching
8:20
Speaker 1: for the last five years, co founder of the more
8:23
Speaker 1: House College Center for Excellence and Education. First of all,
8:27
Speaker 1: let's talk about you know, you've always been a bridge
8:30
Speaker 1: builder and a groundbreaker. You know people people talk about
8:33
Speaker 1: the Dion Sanders and all these high profile. You know,
8:37
Speaker 1: million social media follows, social media and media giants, but
8:41
Speaker 1: the giants really come down to the academic excellence that
8:44
Speaker 1: people like you are bringing to this institution. Talk about
8:48
Speaker 1: coming to the More House, being the youngest member and
8:51
Speaker 1: then teaching the last five years on top of the
8:54
Speaker 1: fact that you still had your private charter school. Let's talk, yes, sir,
8:59
Speaker 1: your sir. So my goal once I completed my PhD
9:03
Speaker 1: back in twenty sixteen, I said, you know what, I
9:05
Speaker 1: gotta give back. I gotta I gotta give back. So
9:07
Speaker 1: we're gonna use the term that we want to share,
9:10
Speaker 1: the reinvestment. I gotta make sure that for those students
9:15
Speaker 1: that are liking our tsis and those that may just
9:17
Speaker 1: be looking to find their way, you know, as they
9:20
Speaker 1: as they want to make their impact towards society, I
9:23
Speaker 1: gotta make sure that I'm doing my part to give
9:26
Speaker 1: back and pay it forward, to make sure that they
9:28
Speaker 1: understand what opportunities are available to them. And so I
9:32
Speaker 1: wanted to go back to where it all began for me,
9:34
Speaker 1: understanding that the work that I do right now full
9:37
Speaker 1: time is in education. I wanted to help the college
9:41
Speaker 1: recognize that we have to prioritize making sure that we
9:45
Speaker 1: see and we create a pipeline as the leading institution
9:51
Speaker 1: in this country for producing blackmail graduates. What are we
9:55
Speaker 1: doing as as an initiative to increase the aware in
10:00
Speaker 1: this and the direct professional pipeline for those men going
10:04
Speaker 1: into this education field, because that's really where it all began.
10:07
Speaker 1: It starts with teaching and learner. And so my goal
10:10
Speaker 1: was to step into the classroom to inspire other young
10:15
Speaker 1: men from the college that there are careers that are
10:18
Speaker 1: not traditional that an education, not just being a school teacher,
10:21
Speaker 1: but you can become a policymaker. You can you can
10:24
Speaker 1: develop and design your own prototype of the school, you
10:26
Speaker 1: can go in educational law. I want you to see
10:29
Speaker 1: what is possible, because if you don't know what's developble,
10:33
Speaker 1: then then how can you pursue it as an option?
10:36
Speaker 1: And then more or directly, I wanted to help create
10:39
Speaker 1: that framework with this Center for Excellence in Education by
10:44
Speaker 1: designing an opportunity for the college to have any the
10:50
Speaker 1: larger standpoint in a state state in the field. So
10:54
Speaker 1: whether that's research, whether that's you know, credentialing young men
10:57
Speaker 1: that are graduating to become teachers, whether that you know,
11:00
Speaker 1: giving them direct access to the different organizations that have
11:04
Speaker 1: existed for quite some time, but the college just hasn't
11:06
Speaker 1: had a relationship with So that was my goal. Cool
11:10
Speaker 1: talking to doctor r. Tcs Miller ar TCUs Um. You know,
11:14
Speaker 1: this show broadcast on well over twenty different HBCU campuses
11:18
Speaker 1: anywhere from FAMU to Texas other university Jackson Stay, Betune
11:22
Speaker 1: Cookman or he's Alwindy State. Uh. It's the blessing of
11:27
Speaker 1: this conversation is that I'm just trying to do my
11:30
Speaker 1: part and just tell the story the narrative that people
11:34
Speaker 1: people sending the myths, you know, they it almost seems
11:37
Speaker 1: like when you're talking to HBCUs or the possibilities of
11:40
Speaker 1: what HBC's do, like it's like hbcs are giving a handout.
11:44
Speaker 1: And that's the annoying part that I get because they
11:47
Speaker 1: don't do that with predominantly white institutions. You know, they
11:49
Speaker 1: don't talk about that about Harvard, Harvard or Brown University
11:53
Speaker 1: or even Georgia Tech here locally in the Atlanta are
11:57
Speaker 1: But what can we do? You know, you're an administration,
12:01
Speaker 1: you've got your degree in economics or mahouse, you've been
12:03
Speaker 1: in this culture of HBCUs. What can I do, but
12:08
Speaker 1: people listening to do to do to make sure that
12:10
Speaker 1: we can teach the ground squire of popularity and recognition
12:14
Speaker 1: of HBCUs. I think, you know that's a that's a
12:17
Speaker 1: pretty prowerful question, And what I would encourage the listeners
12:21
Speaker 1: to do is to find a way we each have
12:25
Speaker 1: a gift and a talent in an industry in which
12:27
Speaker 1: we were operating, whether that's whether that's radio, whether that's education,
12:32
Speaker 1: whether that's filming, television, fashion design, whether it's scholarly research,
12:37
Speaker 1: we find the opportunities that exist with these schools. Because
12:41
Speaker 1: one of the beautiful things about HBCU since we've been
12:44
Speaker 1: around coming out of post slavery, is that we've been
12:46
Speaker 1: very intentional about creating professional opportunities in every single area
12:52
Speaker 1: that exists in society. So using areas that are least
12:56
Speaker 1: effort for us as professionals, as celebrities, as folks, just
13:00
Speaker 1: want to find a way to give back align yourselves
13:03
Speaker 1: with those opportunities at these institutions. We also been very blessed,
13:08
Speaker 1: as you expressed, you know, we have about twenty plus
13:11
Speaker 1: HBCUs that have this direct outlet of money making conversations
13:15
Speaker 1: every single Tuesday on their campuses. Let's identify those areas
13:20
Speaker 1: in which we're also located with those campuses in our
13:23
Speaker 1: cities or in our towns, and let's come out of visit.
13:26
Speaker 1: Maybe that's a simple as a master class visit. Maybe
13:30
Speaker 1: that's an opportunity for me to produce opportunities for in
13:34
Speaker 1: turns and apprenticeships, or maybe there are some job opportunities
13:37
Speaker 1: that may be available full time. Let's find a way
13:41
Speaker 1: to take the students that are so hungry for opportunities
13:44
Speaker 1: and let's give them that access. Let's give them that
13:47
Speaker 1: opportunity and let's see what they do with it. Because
13:49
Speaker 1: some quite so often do we see because of the
13:52
Speaker 1: brand recognition of some of the pwis in the IVY
13:56
Speaker 1: leagues that because their names are so sexy and they
13:58
Speaker 1: sound so good, and because they have these brands behind them,
14:02
Speaker 1: it's so easy for people to say, I want to
14:04
Speaker 1: get involved, but what about those schools and those students
14:07
Speaker 1: that are at these HBCUs to say, you know what,
14:10
Speaker 1: what about my opportunity? And this is where I would say,
14:14
Speaker 1: because it's minimal effort acts of you, let's touch faces
14:18
Speaker 1: with those schools or have those schools if they are listening,
14:21
Speaker 1: because they are, Let's reach out to these folks. So
14:23
Speaker 1: let's get in touch with their their pr contacts and say, hey,
14:27
Speaker 1: we have this available. Can you solicit you know, some
14:30
Speaker 1: time for us to get involved. And I think that
14:32
Speaker 1: will be a really great outlet because it's it's mutually
14:35
Speaker 1: beneficial for the area of interest, that passion is aligned.
14:39
Speaker 1: But it also gives you that that same opportunity to
14:42
Speaker 1: be able to say, hey, look, this is somebody that's
14:44
Speaker 1: interested in what I'm already doing. I'm not trying to
14:46
Speaker 1: do anything different. This is what I've been doing for
14:47
Speaker 1: quite some time. But it gives them that that food
14:51
Speaker 1: than the door. Love it. We're talking to the founder
14:53
Speaker 1: of the Utopian Academy for the Arts is a free,
14:56
Speaker 1: high performing public charter school network that serves elementary, middle
15:00
Speaker 1: school and high school students in the Clayton County area,
15:03
Speaker 1: which is right outside of Atlanta, Georgia. When we'll be
15:06
Speaker 1: right back, we're gonna hear that story, the journey, the
15:08
Speaker 1: dream to build this multi tiered academic facility and some
15:13
Speaker 1: of the setbacks that because when you have a dreaming,
15:15
Speaker 1: it doesn't always go like you want, But guess what
15:17
Speaker 1: you don't have to stop dreaming, just playing a lot
15:19
Speaker 1: better and work a lot harder. To be right back
15:21
Speaker 1: with Doctor r tcs Miller on Money Making Conversation Masterclass.
15:30
Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass
15:34
Speaker 1: with Rushan McDonald. You are now tuned into the Money
15:39
Speaker 1: Making Conversations Minute of Inspiration with Rashaan McDonald. Hi, I
15:43
Speaker 1: am Rashaan McDonald for Money Making Conversation with your daily
15:46
Speaker 1: Minute of Inspiration. This week I sat there with Toshley Hamilton,
15:50
Speaker 1: author and celebrity intuitive life coach. We discussed taking a
15:54
Speaker 1: leap of faith and not letting the fear of your
15:56
Speaker 1: own talents paralyze you. Yeah. I think it's a crimbination
15:59
Speaker 1: of many things. You know, often terms people are afraid
16:02
Speaker 1: of their own talents. They're afraid of taking the leap
16:04
Speaker 1: of faith. I was one of them, right. It's the
16:06
Speaker 1: matter of putting in the work to make those things happen.
16:09
Speaker 1: It may be easier to pick up the basketball as
16:11
Speaker 1: opposed to starting a business. Yeah, so most people want
16:14
Speaker 1: to take the easy route. They want to say, I'd
16:16
Speaker 1: rather just played safe and play the basketball, Even though
16:18
Speaker 1: this is my talent and I think about this every day.
16:21
Speaker 1: I would rather play safe because success is not an
16:25
Speaker 1: easy route. You have to work so your success and
16:27
Speaker 1: people don't want to put in the work for Sean.
16:30
Speaker 1: If you want to listen to this full interview with
16:32
Speaker 1: Toashley Hamilton, it's available on Moneymaking Conversations dot com. We
16:36
Speaker 1: have a call in right now, Thomas from Atlanta. You're
16:39
Speaker 1: online with the RuSHA McDonald the host and doctor or
16:42
Speaker 1: Tesus Miller. What is your question, Thomas, I just wanted
16:44
Speaker 1: to call on and commend you both. You for the
16:47
Speaker 1: platform that you do weekend and week out, and it's
16:50
Speaker 1: for people to do doctor Miller that you have on
16:52
Speaker 1: the night. I just commend you both kudos and him
16:56
Speaker 1: all his pass success that you've had being just reading
17:00
Speaker 1: his bold us now he's a product. Aps to the mind.
17:03
Speaker 1: I awsome a trick relator the morehouse. Congratulations to him both.
17:06
Speaker 1: I would love the opportunity to popers to speak to
17:08
Speaker 1: him in the future to see where we can possibly
17:10
Speaker 1: connect with with some of the things he's doing over
17:13
Speaker 1: at the school. I love everything he's doing. Just keep
17:15
Speaker 1: up the great work. Thank you both. Congratulations, appreciate for
17:18
Speaker 1: calling on that. With that question in hand, how can
17:21
Speaker 1: we reach out? How can they touch your contact you,
17:24
Speaker 1: doctor arts Miller, thank you so much to my contact.
17:27
Speaker 1: I'll start with social media. It's artist my first name
17:30
Speaker 1: or a arts us dot m My email addresses artisies
17:35
Speaker 1: dot Miller at Utopian Academy dot com. And I'm very
17:38
Speaker 1: visible for both social media and emails. You can catch
17:42
Speaker 1: me both ways. And our website for the school is
17:44
Speaker 1: www dot Utopian Academy dot com. Now you know you
17:49
Speaker 1: said that really quick, doctor Miller. Can you just slew
17:52
Speaker 1: it down a little bit so everybody can right down.
17:55
Speaker 1: They might be driving or something like that. You know
17:57
Speaker 1: we don't drive time, you know, give it out a
18:00
Speaker 1: little bit more than serve because you know you are
18:03
Speaker 1: inspiring man. I've seen your growth, I've seen your maturity
18:06
Speaker 1: over the years in these different projects and the dream.
18:08
Speaker 1: But just one more time, give out the contact information
18:11
Speaker 1: and I'm getting just answer some more questions because Thomas
18:13
Speaker 1: Wells great to call in and just compliment us based
18:16
Speaker 1: on the conversation we had. Okay, yes, yes, yes, Thomason again,
18:20
Speaker 1: I thank you for that proud product of aps ar
18:24
Speaker 1: Teesiest is my first name and that's where you can
18:26
Speaker 1: get me on Instagram, and that is a r T
18:29
Speaker 1: E s i us dot m as A Miller. That's
18:33
Speaker 1: my hand on Instagram and my email address. It's also
18:36
Speaker 1: my first dot last name ar Teesis A r T
18:40
Speaker 1: E si us dot Miller at Utopian Academy dot com.
18:46
Speaker 1: And lastly, our website is Utopian Academy dot com. Thank
18:51
Speaker 1: you for that for sean cool, no problem. Utopian Academy
18:53
Speaker 1: for the Art, what is that? Utopian Academy for the
18:56
Speaker 1: Art is a grounding place, excuse me, a breeding ground
19:00
Speaker 1: where creativity exists and magical things happen. Utopian was designed
19:05
Speaker 1: to give students, initially in Clayton County, the fifth largest
19:09
Speaker 1: school district in the state of Georgia, access to high
19:12
Speaker 1: quality programming and options, and experience unparallel to any other
19:17
Speaker 1: school within the county that eventually became an unparalleled experience
19:22
Speaker 1: to any other school in the state of Georgia. Utopian
19:25
Speaker 1: began with a free public middle school that was initially
19:29
Speaker 1: designed to give students accesses to classes non traditional classes
19:33
Speaker 1: within the art, film and television, broadcasts of video production, animation, gaming,
19:39
Speaker 1: design and development, PANO cores theater all of the things
19:43
Speaker 1: that you could think of that didn't exist within traditional
19:45
Speaker 1: public education, but taught by industry professionals. Because as a
19:50
Speaker 1: charter school, we have broad flexibility from a lot of
19:54
Speaker 1: state laws where we can employ individuals that are highly
19:58
Speaker 1: qualified but maybe not certified in the content area of
20:02
Speaker 1: their choice. And for us, we want all of our
20:04
Speaker 1: court teachers to be certified with those industry professionals. If
20:08
Speaker 1: you have ten plus years of experience, there's something organic
20:12
Speaker 1: and what you're bringing to the table for our students.
20:14
Speaker 1: And by doing so, we're creating this direct pipeline for
20:19
Speaker 1: an industry that's here in our state, here in our city,
20:22
Speaker 1: that is going untapped, that usually having the outsource out
20:26
Speaker 1: from Los Angeles and New York. We want to create
20:29
Speaker 1: that breeding ground for talent development right here in our
20:33
Speaker 1: in our school. Now, this was an idea. You know
20:37
Speaker 1: everything you know you're at how just right down the name,
20:40
Speaker 1: just getting the name, and this is what I want
20:42
Speaker 1: to be. And then you start telling people what you
20:44
Speaker 1: want to do. And then you go find the area.
20:46
Speaker 1: It's abandoned school when you look at it, and then
20:49
Speaker 1: you know the grass looks ugly though you're going there
20:52
Speaker 1: and you walk down the hallway, they look like, Okay,
20:54
Speaker 1: this school didn't work. How are you gonna make it work?
20:56
Speaker 1: So tell us about finding the area, location and the
21:00
Speaker 1: dream killers that you had to overcome. O Tis absolutely
21:04
Speaker 1: and Rash. You know, this is very much so as
21:06
Speaker 1: a visionary. Sometimes, as someone who can cast a wide
21:10
Speaker 1: net of a vision, you can see things that others
21:13
Speaker 1: may not even be able to be able to visually
21:17
Speaker 1: or esthetically articulate. And so it was a process with
21:22
Speaker 1: starting a school that is completely designing a blueprint from
21:27
Speaker 1: brown zero, from identifying the facility in which your school
21:31
Speaker 1: and your students will be educated, to identifying where you're
21:34
Speaker 1: going to recruit your students, recruit your staff, to all
21:38
Speaker 1: of the operational frameworks that schools have to have that
21:41
Speaker 1: we sometimes don't think about. That was the entire process
21:45
Speaker 1: war for Utopian for three years before we were eventually approved,
21:49
Speaker 1: and we were very fortunate although there were several roadblocks
21:53
Speaker 1: that we cannot imagine that would be put in our way.
21:56
Speaker 1: There were several role blocks and obstacles that were established
21:59
Speaker 1: to prevent this new school from coming into fruition. Because
22:02
Speaker 1: if we have a new school that has this incredible idea,
22:07
Speaker 1: or platform, and what it's going to offer students. That
22:10
Speaker 1: means that the status quoted what we've been providing to
22:13
Speaker 1: students every day in some schools that may not be
22:18
Speaker 1: meeting the standard, that means that people are going to
22:22
Speaker 1: be attracted to the school. And so for us, there
22:26
Speaker 1: were folks that stood in our way. And when I
22:28
Speaker 1: say folks, I mean entities like we had our city
22:32
Speaker 1: in which we were located outside of the city of Atlanta,
22:35
Speaker 1: but on the south side we had the local board
22:37
Speaker 1: of Education. We had in some aspects government county officials
22:42
Speaker 1: that were blocking this school from just trying to open
22:46
Speaker 1: its doors. It was so bad, ladies and gentlemen, that
22:49
Speaker 1: in our first year, when we opened our doors, we
22:52
Speaker 1: had to receive intervention from the highest ranking official in
22:57
Speaker 1: the state of Georgia, the governor had to get involved,
23:00
Speaker 1: as for a total of two weeks, our students were
23:03
Speaker 1: blocked from being able to walk through the doors. If
23:06
Speaker 1: you imagine, for those of us that are old enough
23:08
Speaker 1: to remember the movie Lean on Me, if we remember
23:11
Speaker 1: how Joe Clark had to do all that he could
23:14
Speaker 1: for the students. East Side High paralleled that to twenty fourteen,
23:18
Speaker 1: just approximately nine years almost ten years later, you had
23:23
Speaker 1: three different entities of city, a school board, and accounting
23:26
Speaker 1: blocking students black kids from being able to walk in
23:30
Speaker 1: a door because we didn't want to see this school
23:32
Speaker 1: take place. And Brashana, I gotta tell you this, I
23:36
Speaker 1: was at the youngest in my career in a most
23:39
Speaker 1: critical year of our trajectory. This was our very first year.
23:43
Speaker 1: I was twenty six years old and a leadership role
23:47
Speaker 1: that I was just starting, and I had every single
23:51
Speaker 1: person from within our organization, from our school looking to
23:55
Speaker 1: me for answers. And I would tell you when we
23:57
Speaker 1: were such an a low place, the only person I
24:01
Speaker 1: could lean on was God because I can understand how
24:04
Speaker 1: all of this is happening. And everyone sees that everything
24:08
Speaker 1: that's taken place is not it's not right, it's not legal,
24:11
Speaker 1: but how are we going to get through this? And
24:13
Speaker 1: thank God, you know, we had those those those you
24:15
Speaker 1: know steps with you know, having a governor and some
24:18
Speaker 1: other folks get involved. But it was my faith in
24:21
Speaker 1: God that that really got me through it, which got
24:24
Speaker 1: us through it, which brought us through it. Because there
24:27
Speaker 1: were things that took place, and I can give examples
24:29
Speaker 1: if you want me to, but there was a place
24:31
Speaker 1: that we just you know, the thing about it is
24:35
Speaker 1: that I wanted you to share that moment of frustration,
24:38
Speaker 1: that moment of fear, in that moment of turn back.
24:42
Speaker 1: You know that you that that comes into everybody's dream
24:45
Speaker 1: and I've had it. I remember when I was being
24:47
Speaker 1: a stand up on the road and I left my
24:49
Speaker 1: job at IBM, and i'm I looked around and or
24:52
Speaker 1: just driving and not knowing knowing I couldn't go to
24:54
Speaker 1: sleep because I had to go to the next gig.
24:56
Speaker 1: So I had tears in my eyes because I didn't
24:57
Speaker 1: go to sleep, lose the next gig, and then people.
25:00
Speaker 1: I remember when I was doing stand up early in
25:02
Speaker 1: my career. You know, I left the stage as a standardization.
25:05
Speaker 1: This guy looked at me. You know, you could be
25:06
Speaker 1: funnier if you were just a little clearer, just a
25:09
Speaker 1: little clearer, you could be funny here. So people are
25:12
Speaker 1: always ready to step into your dreams, have the statements
25:15
Speaker 1: about your dreams. But the key in all this is
25:18
Speaker 1: that it had to be a group of people around
25:21
Speaker 1: you that pushed you forward, that supported you. Let people
25:25
Speaker 1: know about those people. As we wrap up this interview,
25:28
Speaker 1: absolutely so I got to give a shout out to
25:31
Speaker 1: my mother, who was the foundation that just kept me
25:34
Speaker 1: grounded throughout it all. I had a founding team of incorporators.
25:39
Speaker 1: One is actually listening right now, Anthony Anthony Bryant, who's
25:43
Speaker 1: a more House graduate. He was my right hand side.
25:45
Speaker 1: Jacqueline herd Fields, Linda Stevenson. These were people prashan that
25:50
Speaker 1: kept me grounded and kept the mission envision of why
25:53
Speaker 1: this school was so important to start and because of
25:57
Speaker 1: the hard work, the blood, sweating tears that it poured
26:00
Speaker 1: into this design project. I couldn't give up. We couldn't
26:03
Speaker 1: give up because these students and Clayton County were depending
26:06
Speaker 1: on us. And if I could just share just the
26:08
Speaker 1: power of having this vision for something that you know
26:14
Speaker 1: was to be the fact, was to be the case,
26:18
Speaker 1: I would tell you ten years later. Despite going through
26:21
Speaker 1: that dark storm in the first couple of weeks of school,
26:23
Speaker 1: which led into the first three years, Utopian Academy for
26:27
Speaker 1: the Art is now ten years strong. We have drawn
26:30
Speaker 1: from being a single site school to having three schools
26:33
Speaker 1: and operation opening up our fourth school this fall in
26:37
Speaker 1: direct partnership with the second largest film and television studios
26:42
Speaker 1: in the country. We are truly blossoming and giving more kids,
26:46
Speaker 1: more students, not just in Clayton County, but across the
26:49
Speaker 1: state of Georgia, access to high quality programming and then
26:53
Speaker 1: a high quality education, so that ladies and gentlemen, despite
26:57
Speaker 1: the difficult, dark moments we go through it, it's there
27:01
Speaker 1: to make us stronger, to give us a testimony to
27:04
Speaker 1: let people know that, guess what, just because things get
27:07
Speaker 1: hard doesn't mean that you give up. And we didn't
27:10
Speaker 1: give up, because if we did, we wouldn't be having
27:12
Speaker 1: this conversation today to talk about how lives have been
27:15
Speaker 1: changed for the better in our young people. And for that,
27:18
Speaker 1: I'm just extremely grateful for Sean. You know something, doctor
27:21
Speaker 1: TuS Miller. You know, I love the fact that you know,
27:23
Speaker 1: elementary you're changing lives and impacting middle school, You're changing
27:27
Speaker 1: lives and impacting high school. You're changing lives and impacting
27:31
Speaker 1: college level, university level. You're changing lives and impacting. And
27:36
Speaker 1: we always hear people if I'd call them in elementary,
27:38
Speaker 1: they'd be right for middle school. I called him in
27:40
Speaker 1: middle school, they'd be right for high school. If I
27:41
Speaker 1: called him in high school, they'd be going to college.
27:44
Speaker 1: You're hitting him at all four different levels. Man, congratulations,
27:47
Speaker 1: First of all you coming back on the show. You
27:52
Speaker 1: my friend, this is thirty minutes. We have to sit
27:54
Speaker 1: down for an hour. Next show, an hour just me
27:56
Speaker 1: and you take these phone calls, change the lives in
28:00
Speaker 1: this country because you are a young leader whose voice
28:04
Speaker 1: resonates and tells a story that we all need to hear. Again.
28:07
Speaker 1: Thank you doctor R. Tcs Miller for coming on my show,
28:10
Speaker 1: Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Thank you so much for Sean.
28:14
Speaker 1: We talk soon, good sir, Thank you. You know, when
28:18
Speaker 1: we have guests like this, um, it allows me to
28:22
Speaker 1: understand everybody's role. We all have roles in life. You
28:25
Speaker 1: know your role as a listener, and then your role
28:27
Speaker 1: as a listener is to take what you hear and
28:30
Speaker 1: see if you can do anything with It's like that
28:32
Speaker 1: young man who says Thomas who called in and say, hey,
28:35
Speaker 1: how can I reach out to you? How can I?
28:37
Speaker 1: What can I? What can I do to find out?
28:39
Speaker 1: Get involved? That's all we're asking, get involved. We're not
28:42
Speaker 1: always asking for money. Time. Time is money, Time is effort,
28:47
Speaker 1: Time can create change, Time can make a big difference
28:50
Speaker 1: in a young person's life and gets what when you
28:53
Speaker 1: changing other people's lives, you will change your life. And
28:57
Speaker 1: that's all we're asking on Money Making Conversations Masterclass and
29:00
Speaker 1: another tremendous guest coming up sign your Fears of the
29:02
Speaker 1: Fields group at Morgan Stanley talking about stocks, retirement, financial planning,
29:07
Speaker 1: some big events that she has scheduled up to empower
29:10
Speaker 1: black women. Be right back, Money Making Conversation Masterclass. You're
29:13
Speaker 1: talking to Rashaan McDonald the host. You are now tuned
29:19
Speaker 1: into the Moneymaking Conversations Minute of Inspiration with Rashaan McDonald's
29:24
Speaker 1: high I am Rashan McDonald for Moneymaking Conversation with your
29:26
Speaker 1: daily Minute of Inspiration. This week I sat down with
29:29
Speaker 1: the host of First Take, stephen A's World, and the
29:32
Speaker 1: new co host of ESPN NBA Countdown, stephen A Smith.
29:36
Speaker 1: Stephen A emphasizes the importance of not letting self doubt
29:39
Speaker 1: halt your opportunities towards achieving your dreams. I was actually
29:43
Speaker 1: reluctant and hesitant to write my home book for a
29:46
Speaker 1: very very long time. I literally said, although I had
29:48
Speaker 1: a national television show that's been number one in the
29:51
Speaker 1: morning for nine years in counting, I literally was saying,
29:55
Speaker 1: why would anybody want to read a book from me,
29:57
Speaker 1: and so many people came forward, like, what the hell
29:59
Speaker 1: are you talking about? Wrong with you? Everybody needs to
30:01
Speaker 1: hear your story. Everybody needs to hear what you endured,
30:04
Speaker 1: what you had to experience, what you had to go
30:06
Speaker 1: through to get to this place that you're here now.
30:10
Speaker 1: If you were to listen to this four interview with
30:12
Speaker 1: Stephen A. Smith's available on Moneymaking Conversations dot com, I
30:17
Speaker 1: could start this secretary without with that famous OJ song
30:20
Speaker 1: money money, money, money, money, money, money, money money. We
30:25
Speaker 1: live for it, we want it, we get it, we
30:28
Speaker 1: spend it. Sometimes we don't hold on to it. When
30:30
Speaker 1: we hold on to it as if no mom. You
30:33
Speaker 1: know Bruno Mars has that famous line in that song,
30:36
Speaker 1: I'm a dangerous man with money in my pocket. Well
30:39
Speaker 1: guess what my guests will help you do something with
30:43
Speaker 1: that money that makes you dangerous, As Bruno Mars says,
30:46
Speaker 1: she has Son Your Fears of the Fears Group at
30:48
Speaker 1: Morgan Stanley. Son Your Fears is the first Vice president
30:51
Speaker 1: of Financial Advisor, Senior Portfolio manager of Global Sports and
30:55
Speaker 1: Entertainment Director. So your team's works with families to understand
30:59
Speaker 1: how their money can be used to accomplish their goals
31:02
Speaker 1: and help them plan for their future so they can
31:05
Speaker 1: enjoy all their lives that all that life has to offer.
31:09
Speaker 1: This interview is about stocks, retirement and financial planning, and
31:12
Speaker 1: more importantly, empowerment, especially women. Empowerment. Please work might be
31:16
Speaker 1: making conversations master class again Sun your fears? How are
31:19
Speaker 1: you going to sign you good afternoon? Rachean? How are
31:24
Speaker 1: you fantastic? Happy New Year? First of all, let's get
31:27
Speaker 1: that out of the way. You know, it was absolutely
31:29
Speaker 1: happy New Year. You know this, You know, the top
31:32
Speaker 1: of the year can always you know, like maybe what
31:35
Speaker 1: a couple of years ago is the stocks were booming
31:36
Speaker 1: and everything was the coming out of the pandemic and
31:40
Speaker 1: was flying high, and then all of a sudden the
31:42
Speaker 1: word recession comes in, and then the bar comes in.
31:46
Speaker 1: And how do people value your your your information when
31:51
Speaker 1: you have markets like this Sounya in terms of information,
31:57
Speaker 1: So we know that they're talking about the financial markets
32:03
Speaker 1: every CNN, CNBC, but even online there's so much information
32:11
Speaker 1: about what's going on, perspectives on the market, and people
32:16
Speaker 1: really literally just need to log online, go on Google
32:21
Speaker 1: perspectives on the market, on the financial markets, and information
32:25
Speaker 1: is provided so or if you know of a financial advisor,
32:31
Speaker 1: the Fears Group is here, call us, talk to us,
32:35
Speaker 1: tell us your concerns. Let us give you our perspectives
32:38
Speaker 1: on the market and what's going on. Times like this
32:42
Speaker 1: are nothing to be scared of, and it's really a
32:45
Speaker 1: time to sit back and reflect. You know, when I
32:50
Speaker 1: when I when I always have you on the show
32:52
Speaker 1: to talk about them these types of matters. Furst of
32:55
Speaker 1: all African American, and that has to be say it
32:58
Speaker 1: because there's not many of you, especially female. When you
33:01
Speaker 1: becoming a pioneer or trailblazer. Personal inspires because two of
33:06
Speaker 1: your daughters are involved in this financial global perspective called
33:11
Speaker 1: the financial markets. When they decided to be a part
33:16
Speaker 1: of your world, what advice did you give them? And
33:19
Speaker 1: then what did you learn from them coming into your world?
33:24
Speaker 1: Excellent question, Thank you Bashan for that and and really
33:29
Speaker 1: I would love to even have one of them to
33:34
Speaker 1: speak up. But in terms of giving them advice coming
33:37
Speaker 1: into this into this world or into this arena, I
33:43
Speaker 1: think the advice applies to many many other arenas to
33:48
Speaker 1: be successful, especially being not only a minority but a
33:53
Speaker 1: minority in this industry. Very few women, very few blacks,
33:58
Speaker 1: very few black women in industry. You have to work
34:02
Speaker 1: very hard. You have to show up early, you have
34:05
Speaker 1: to leave late, you have to study your craft. You
34:09
Speaker 1: have to be better than almost anybody else you see
34:13
Speaker 1: around you. And and really that's that's what we've been taught, right,
34:18
Speaker 1: and it applies for every industry. You have to put
34:23
Speaker 1: your heart into it. You have to walk um to
34:26
Speaker 1: stay here and to learn and be a part of
34:29
Speaker 1: this industry. And so that's the advice I gave them
34:32
Speaker 1: in terms of what they gave me. Oh my goodness, Um,
34:36
Speaker 1: the perspectives that they gave me. Um, just the these millennials,
34:43
Speaker 1: they take charge, they ownership. They show you that they
34:49
Speaker 1: can do it. They can be thorough, their detail oriented.
34:54
Speaker 1: They take on the task and don't let it go.
34:57
Speaker 1: It's it's been refreshing, it's been energizing. And the ability
35:03
Speaker 1: out to reach out in social media, to reach out
35:07
Speaker 1: to markets and engage their peoples. It's I wouldn't be
35:11
Speaker 1: able to do it like they do at all. Well,
35:14
Speaker 1: you know, you were the leader of the pack, so
35:17
Speaker 1: they only following down if they said, you know, you
35:20
Speaker 1: have to they following your footsteps. No matter which side
35:22
Speaker 1: your shoe, they had to step in it. And that
35:24
Speaker 1: allows them to be able to realize it's possible because
35:28
Speaker 1: you didn't have it. You know, you walked in the room,
35:31
Speaker 1: you didn't look around seeing anybody to look like you.
35:33
Speaker 1: If it looked like you. They're fighting for their love,
35:34
Speaker 1: pieces of the territory and to be able to have
35:37
Speaker 1: a leader, a fearless leader like you, and no pun
35:41
Speaker 1: intended to tie to your last name, fears. It's the
35:43
Speaker 1: whole thing is that that approach means something and it's inspiring.
35:46
Speaker 1: It's not only inspiring to have you on my show,
35:49
Speaker 1: but it's also inspiring to them to see their mom
35:53
Speaker 1: and they were there doing the seeing the times of
35:56
Speaker 1: you know when sometimes you don't want to bring work home,
35:58
Speaker 1: but it comes home and then but then you have
36:00
Speaker 1: to disguise it and let them know everything's all right.
36:03
Speaker 1: Those moments still stay on you and also allowed you
36:07
Speaker 1: to build your brand withinside. Morgan Stanley correct. Absolutely, absolutely
36:13
Speaker 1: the the the work. You know, we say success is
36:20
Speaker 1: when opportunity and being prepared and luck meets you know,
36:26
Speaker 1: so we need a little bit of luck in anything
36:30
Speaker 1: we do. It's that one big break that makes most
36:35
Speaker 1: people hugely successful. But to get that one brief break,
36:40
Speaker 1: you have to be prepared. You know. For from most athletes,
36:45
Speaker 1: they say they have to put in ten thousand hours
36:48
Speaker 1: of practice good. The same thing with us, we have
36:53
Speaker 1: to put in ten thousand hours. We have to be
36:56
Speaker 1: prepared so when that opportunity presents it else we can
37:01
Speaker 1: take food advantage. We can show what we're made of.
37:04
Speaker 1: We can show that we have the knowledge, we have
37:07
Speaker 1: the ability, and we can perform and there you have it,
37:11
Speaker 1: that success. Wow. Talking to a Sudden your Fears of
37:15
Speaker 1: the Fears Group, Morgan Stanley based UM. If you want
37:19
Speaker 1: to speak to or four zero four eight eight zero
37:21
Speaker 1: nine two five four zero four eight eight zero nine
37:24
Speaker 1: two five fives as we talk about upcoming events this quarter,
37:28
Speaker 1: I want to talk about the two the twenty twenty
37:30
Speaker 1: three Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit that's coming up.
37:34
Speaker 1: That's something that you wanted to definitely talk about in
37:37
Speaker 1: your interview today. Please give us some background on it
37:40
Speaker 1: and why it's important for us to get that out
37:42
Speaker 1: into the public world. The twenty twenty three Black Unipowest
37:47
Speaker 1: Women Are Power Summit UM this year, this is the
37:50
Speaker 1: seventeenth annual Summit. It's a three day executive leadership conference.
37:56
Speaker 1: It's being held in Las Vegas this year at the
38:00
Speaker 1: Bellagio Hotel that the dates are March ninth through the eleven,
38:06
Speaker 1: And it's really a conference that offers the opportunity for
38:09
Speaker 1: women to connect, to be inspired by the most influential
38:16
Speaker 1: leaders in our country to today, and really to be
38:22
Speaker 1: exposed to information and individuals that look and able them
38:26
Speaker 1: to reach their full potential. It's a summit that I've
38:29
Speaker 1: attended many years, even when when before I started Morgan Stanley,
38:36
Speaker 1: I've been in this business for sixteen years and I've
38:39
Speaker 1: probably been to at six or seven of these summits,
38:44
Speaker 1: and every single one that I've been to, I walk
38:48
Speaker 1: away thinking that was the most amazing experience. The people
38:52
Speaker 1: that unique, the success that they've had, the trials and
38:58
Speaker 1: tribulations that they've gone route just to be able to
39:01
Speaker 1: get to where they are. It's empowering, it's exciting, it's inspiring.
39:07
Speaker 1: It's um I highly recommended for for any woman out there. Now,
39:13
Speaker 1: you have something called the Senior Bowl, you know, the
39:15
Speaker 1: Senior Bowl. The view into sports always ties itself to
39:18
Speaker 1: an amazing January football classic where these college seniors come
39:24
Speaker 1: there and show their words for the NFL and hopefully
39:26
Speaker 1: get drafted. Now your global sports entertainment group have the opportunity,
39:30
Speaker 1: as Morgan Stanley, the hostess financial something that's coming up
39:34
Speaker 1: really soon, like really soon next week tell us about
39:37
Speaker 1: the Senior Bowl. So for for the Senior Bowl, and
39:42
Speaker 1: we participated, Morgan Stanley. Un So this year we have
39:48
Speaker 1: a financial educational panel in which we want and we
39:54
Speaker 1: have to start early. We want to talk about what's
39:58
Speaker 1: financial planning needs. You know a lot of these youngsters,
40:03
Speaker 1: one of them or many of them will make it
40:06
Speaker 1: big one day. Right even now these days with name,
40:11
Speaker 1: image and likeness, these high school students are getting opportunity
40:17
Speaker 1: to earn money off of their talents early, and so
40:22
Speaker 1: they're exposed being exposed to well at a very young age,
40:27
Speaker 1: but understanding. So you know, we know that they're good athletically,
40:31
Speaker 1: and we know that they have the intellect. But if
40:35
Speaker 1: anyone teaching them or getting to them now to tell
40:39
Speaker 1: them this is to the time learning about money. How
40:44
Speaker 1: do you manage it? How do you use it to
40:46
Speaker 1: plan for not just the next two or three years,
40:50
Speaker 1: but have this money last for ten or twenty years.
40:54
Speaker 1: How do you let that money work for you versus
40:57
Speaker 1: you working for that money. It's the time to start
41:01
Speaker 1: talking about it. And once you plant that seat in
41:03
Speaker 1: their head, you know it can be nurtured. It just
41:07
Speaker 1: needs to be ordered. It needs some dirt and it
41:10
Speaker 1: can grow to something that and that's what we want.
41:15
Speaker 1: We want to plant that seat from now so they
41:18
Speaker 1: have it in their minds that I need to get more,
41:22
Speaker 1: I need this to grow. I need to be able
41:25
Speaker 1: to be wealthy, wanted and sustain my wealth. And that's
41:29
Speaker 1: what we're trying to do. How do we teach these
41:32
Speaker 1: youngsters that financial literacy today is what makes you successful
41:38
Speaker 1: and wealthy tomorrow. Wow. You know when I talk about
41:42
Speaker 1: every time I have it on the show, it is
41:44
Speaker 1: always inspiring. It more importantly, when we come back, we
41:46
Speaker 1: were talking about closing the black wealth gap. That's a
41:49
Speaker 1: question that is always asked to me and I'll shoos
41:53
Speaker 1: the question is always asked to you the Fears group.
41:56
Speaker 1: We can come back. You have that quick answered live
41:58
Speaker 1: on this show, Money Make Conversation Masterclass. Be right back
42:01
Speaker 1: your host, Rushan McDonald. We'll be right back with more
42:10
Speaker 1: Money Making Conversations Masterclass. With Rushan McDonald. You are now
42:16
Speaker 1: tuned into the Money Making Conversations Minute of Inspiration with
42:20
Speaker 1: Rushan McDonald. Hi, I'm Rushan McDonald for Money Making Conversation
42:24
Speaker 1: Masterclass with your daily minute of Inspiration. During a conversation
42:27
Speaker 1: with producer and founder of the American Black Film Festival
42:30
Speaker 1: Jeff Friday, he shared how important it is for those
42:32
Speaker 1: who make it in Hollywood to open doors for others.
42:35
Speaker 1: So metaphorically, Hollywood to the club, and when we get
42:39
Speaker 1: in the club, we got to go back to the
42:41
Speaker 1: door say yo, I'm not going in that my boy
42:42
Speaker 1: can't come up. And that's what people like like Ava
42:45
Speaker 1: duvan I have done. And that's what's you know, Ryan,
42:48
Speaker 1: when you look at a movie, it might be three
42:50
Speaker 1: hundred people who get a check. There's only only ten
42:53
Speaker 1: or in front of the camera. What about the other
42:55
Speaker 1: two hundred and ninety people who you don't know, who
42:58
Speaker 1: have families, who have families. If you're going to be
43:01
Speaker 1: at the forefront of this fight, you gotta bring You
43:03
Speaker 1: gotta go back to the front door, and you gotta
43:05
Speaker 1: let your boys, you know, or go open the back door,
43:07
Speaker 1: let them me. Whatever door you go to, you can
43:10
Speaker 1: listen to This full interview with Jeff Friday is available
43:12
Speaker 1: on Moneymaking Conversations dot com. How can people get in
43:15
Speaker 1: touch with you that question? So you can email me
43:23
Speaker 1: at Sonya s O n I A dot Fears s
43:30
Speaker 1: as in Frank E. A. R. S at Morgan Stanley
43:34
Speaker 1: dot com and certainly unavailable via phone four seven zero
43:42
Speaker 1: four four nine zero eight one two, or you can
43:47
Speaker 1: go on the Morgan Stanley website and look up Sonya
43:51
Speaker 1: Sears or the Fears group. We are here unavailable. Awesome
43:58
Speaker 1: the black wealth gap, you know, like uh, Stephen A.
44:02
Speaker 1: Smith as a as a statement, he said, when black people,
44:05
Speaker 1: when everybody catches the cold, White people catch cold, Black
44:09
Speaker 1: people we catch the flute pneumonia. It's always worse for us.
44:13
Speaker 1: We cannot ever experience equality, whether it's in UM, social
44:19
Speaker 1: social standing, housing is UH salary. So how do we
44:26
Speaker 1: close the black welcome? And I'm not saying that, I'm
44:28
Speaker 1: not holding you to it, but you in that game.
44:31
Speaker 1: What can we do? And the biggest and I've always
44:36
Speaker 1: said that UM to increase the black dollar and wealth
44:41
Speaker 1: in the black community, the biggest component is education, right,
44:46
Speaker 1: and so we're not just talking about financial literacy, but
44:52
Speaker 1: we're talking education to understand that it takes discipline, right,
45:01
Speaker 1: it takes transparency. We need people who've attained success to
45:08
Speaker 1: talk about themselves, to even talk about when they were
45:13
Speaker 1: not successful, what the discipline took for them to get
45:18
Speaker 1: successful Again. Understanding what is your net worth? Right? So
45:25
Speaker 1: network is assets minus liabilities. And when you have more
45:31
Speaker 1: assets and you have one hundred dollars in assets and
45:35
Speaker 1: the debt is dollars, so your net worth is twenty dollars,
45:41
Speaker 1: it's positive. So when your network is positive, that's where
45:46
Speaker 1: you can start building wealth. Now, if you have a
45:51
Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars, right, that's that's the cash you have
45:56
Speaker 1: out there, but you have five hundred thousand dollars in debt,
46:01
Speaker 1: that's not a positive network. You're negative four hundred thousand.
46:06
Speaker 1: So how are you going to build build wealth? To
46:09
Speaker 1: understanding having a positive network, you don't spend more than
46:15
Speaker 1: you have that that's one thing you know to have
46:20
Speaker 1: the discipline to know that just because you have a
46:24
Speaker 1: credit card and just because you have some money in
46:28
Speaker 1: the bank does not mean that you go out and
46:30
Speaker 1: buy that bag for a thousand dollars because you still
46:34
Speaker 1: have to pay your rent and you still want to
46:37
Speaker 1: have after paying rent and paying all your bills, you
46:41
Speaker 1: still want to put fifty dollars in that savings account
46:44
Speaker 1: or one hundred dollars is that investment account. The discipline
46:49
Speaker 1: that it takes to start saving and understanding of what
46:55
Speaker 1: it means to build wealth. Why need to start talking
46:58
Speaker 1: to each other. Know, we need to start talking to
47:02
Speaker 1: that middle school age child. We need to start talking
47:07
Speaker 1: to that high school child about the discipline and the
47:11
Speaker 1: financial literacy. You know, it's really interesting, as you know,
47:14
Speaker 1: as you get older, there has to be a stronger
47:17
Speaker 1: commitment to a financial saving Like you said, fifty dollars,
47:20
Speaker 1: fifty dollars really, you know, twenties, I remember I was.
47:23
Speaker 1: There's always remembers the guy who's telling Michelle, you need
47:26
Speaker 1: to start saving fifty dollars a week when I was
47:28
Speaker 1: in my twenties, when we'll find fifty dollars. You know,
47:30
Speaker 1: I couldn't my mind wrap my head around finding fifty
47:34
Speaker 1: dollars because I didn't have the discipline of the clear
47:37
Speaker 1: understanding of financial literacy. If you don't understand financial literacy,
47:41
Speaker 1: and you know that you put this in and the
47:43
Speaker 1: compounds and over the years, you know what, maybe six
47:46
Speaker 1: hundred dollars here becomes two thousand dollars maybe in a
47:49
Speaker 1: couple of years, and that two thousand dollars may become
47:51
Speaker 1: ten thousand dollars, and five years that ten thousand dollars
47:54
Speaker 1: may become a hundred thousand dollars. That's what financial literacy
47:58
Speaker 1: is all about. And it can't becomes simple mad, But
48:01
Speaker 1: you have to stay committed to it. You have to
48:04
Speaker 1: have a plan saying this is what I'm gonna do.
48:06
Speaker 1: I'm gonna set aside this amount of money and then
48:08
Speaker 1: invest in yourself. I couldn't see that, and I will
48:12
Speaker 1: tell people I couldn't see that. I didn't understand it.
48:15
Speaker 1: I didn't understand how this money was going to grow
48:17
Speaker 1: like that? How can a person like me who understands
48:21
Speaker 1: it now, why couldn't I see it? Back then? Son,
48:24
Speaker 1: your fears if you thank you, thank you for that question.
48:31
Speaker 1: And we say this all the time, right, if you see,
48:36
Speaker 1: if you speak it, if you if it's put out
48:41
Speaker 1: there in the atmosphere, you see it, you will believe it.
48:46
Speaker 1: But if we're not talking about it, you that understands
48:51
Speaker 1: it now at your age. If you're not talking about
48:56
Speaker 1: to a fifteen year old that doesn't really see it
49:00
Speaker 1: and get it now. They won't have that concept in
49:04
Speaker 1: their heads if you're not showing them um and on
49:09
Speaker 1: a chart to say, hey, I just want you to
49:12
Speaker 1: look at it. I want you to see that if
49:15
Speaker 1: someone puts fifty dollars into the bank account every month,
49:20
Speaker 1: what this is gonna look like in twenty years. You know,
49:25
Speaker 1: once they get that visual in their mind, once they're
49:28
Speaker 1: told that, once they see it on paper. When you you,
49:34
Speaker 1: you you because you understand it, because you see it
49:39
Speaker 1: and you can visualize it. I mean, that's the reason
49:45
Speaker 1: why if you have a fifteen year old out there
49:49
Speaker 1: that when they talk to adults, you're talking adults are
49:53
Speaker 1: talking to them about gaming, and adults are talking to
49:59
Speaker 1: them about playing forwards or not those things. Not that
50:05
Speaker 1: those things are negative, but you want adults to start
50:09
Speaker 1: talking to them about money and what money can do
50:13
Speaker 1: and what it takes for money to start working for
50:17
Speaker 1: you versus you just working for the money. You need
50:21
Speaker 1: to have those conversations. You need adults to paint that picture.
50:25
Speaker 1: We are all visual people. Let's paint the picture. Let's
50:29
Speaker 1: let's understand what compounding interests is and just literally put
50:34
Speaker 1: it on a piece of paper and just like you
50:36
Speaker 1: just said it, you know what how ten dollars will
50:40
Speaker 1: turn into I did not see it on your fears.
50:44
Speaker 1: I did not see it. I didn't make any math
50:47
Speaker 1: system in just like what, okay, you know, a nightclub
50:52
Speaker 1: versus ten dollars? Just ten dollars? How just ten dollars
50:55
Speaker 1: going to make a difference in my life if I
50:57
Speaker 1: put it over here. And that's the problem that we
51:00
Speaker 1: can we can't see that versus a subway stand where
51:03
Speaker 1: you don't see that that value of a subway standwhich
51:07
Speaker 1: can change your life in five years if you're invested
51:09
Speaker 1: in the right situation. You know. And that's just an
51:12
Speaker 1: example of anything that we do socially, a purchase or
51:16
Speaker 1: things like that. If you can make a commitment to
51:18
Speaker 1: paying rent, if you make a commitment pan mortgage, make
51:21
Speaker 1: a commitment to paying a card note, you can make
51:24
Speaker 1: that same commitment in your mind. Because that's why they
51:27
Speaker 1: give you contracts and say you got to pay us
51:30
Speaker 1: this about the money on this house. Note. You have
51:32
Speaker 1: to create that same discipline in your own personal life.
51:35
Speaker 1: When it comes to financial literacy, you have to create
51:37
Speaker 1: a contract that you create self discipline saying you know something,
51:41
Speaker 1: I'm gonna invest five fifty dollars a month because I've
51:44
Speaker 1: signed a contract with myself mentally and emotionally that I
51:49
Speaker 1: owe myself a three year plan. I'm gonna pay myself
51:53
Speaker 1: if it's five thousand dollars. You committed. That's the same
51:56
Speaker 1: life contract that you got to put into your own mindset.
52:00
Speaker 1: And that's how I had to do it. I had
52:01
Speaker 1: to create a contract mentally with myself. And when I
52:05
Speaker 1: created that contract mentally with myself, the same way they
52:08
Speaker 1: do when I buy a card, the same way they
52:10
Speaker 1: do when I have to pay back of my credit card,
52:12
Speaker 1: the same way they do me when I had to
52:13
Speaker 1: buy a house. They contractedly tell you, you owe us money.
52:18
Speaker 1: You should do the same thing with yourself emotionally and
52:21
Speaker 1: you will win. Does that make sense? It makes absolute sense.
52:25
Speaker 1: You know what I think about that? Young people do
52:31
Speaker 1: so well that I never did. They have a discipline
52:35
Speaker 1: these days about exercising and fitness that I didn't see
52:41
Speaker 1: when I was their age. Right, they are, they're going
52:44
Speaker 1: to the gym, they're doing them first, they're committed, and
52:48
Speaker 1: then they see the results. It pays off. That's the
52:52
Speaker 1: type of discipline I would like to see our young
52:55
Speaker 1: people have about money. Do you first, Okay, just like
53:00
Speaker 1: you go to the gym and you put that work
53:02
Speaker 1: in and after you do it for a week, a month,
53:05
Speaker 1: three months, you start seeing the results. It's the same
53:08
Speaker 1: exact love look it is. That's the discipline. Cool as
53:13
Speaker 1: we call it out the show. Let's give you contact
53:15
Speaker 1: information one more time because I definitely you know you're
53:18
Speaker 1: coming back. You know you know you're far to the family,
53:20
Speaker 1: you hip out the community, you support us, you give
53:23
Speaker 1: us information and did you give us your time? As
53:26
Speaker 1: we close out the show, if you give your contact
53:27
Speaker 1: information one more time. The Fears Group, Morgan Stanley son
53:31
Speaker 1: your Fears, It floors yours four souven zero four four
53:36
Speaker 1: nine zero eight one two numbered to reach me, to
53:41
Speaker 1: reach our team, and it's Sonja dot Fears at Morgan
53:47
Speaker 1: Stanley dot com. Sonja s so n I A dot
53:52
Speaker 1: s is in Frank Ea r s at Morgan Stanley
53:57
Speaker 1: dot com and where the Fears Group and we would
54:00
Speaker 1: love to talk to you for planning and do some
54:05
Speaker 1: financial literacy education with you. Would love to appreciate you,
54:11
Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you, Happy New year and everybody. We'll
54:15
Speaker 1: be back Nay weekend. I want to thank everybody for
54:17
Speaker 1: listening and thinking, everybody who called into the show. At
54:20
Speaker 1: Thirdgod Marshall College Fund, we believe where you're born shouldn't
54:23
Speaker 1: decide who you become. That's why we carried forth the
54:26
Speaker 1: legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall, providing an HBCU and PBR
54:30
Speaker 1: students with access and opportunity through scholarship, talent sourcing, upskilling programs,
54:36
Speaker 1: capacity building and advocacy. The Third Good Marshall College Fund
54:39
Speaker 1: is committed to changing the world, one leader at a time.
54:42
Speaker 1: Who's Next Learn more Who's Next dot TMCF dot org.
54:48
Speaker 1: You are now tuned into the Money Making Conversations Minute
54:51
Speaker 1: of Inspiration with Rashaan McDonald. Hi, I'm Rashan McDonald for
54:55
Speaker 1: Money Making Conversation Masterclass with your daily Minute of Inspiration.
54:59
Speaker 1: My guest today, actor, educator, activists and entrepreneur Laman Rutger.
55:04
Speaker 1: He addresses how being authentic can benefit and lead the
55:07
Speaker 1: youth of today. It's your value, at your understanding of
55:12
Speaker 1: your responsibility to serve, you know, to serve young people's.
55:15
Speaker 1: You and I serve one another. We love and support
55:18
Speaker 1: and encourage and empowering, uplift each other. The branding is
55:22
Speaker 1: completely secondary. I believe if you're doing what you're supposed
55:25
Speaker 1: to be doing, if you're being who you're supposed to be,
55:28
Speaker 1: if you're walking and living and your love and your
55:30
Speaker 1: life on a regular basis, your brand will be shaped
55:33
Speaker 1: around you, not you having to try to be something
55:37
Speaker 1: you're not, just because so I do my best to
55:39
Speaker 1: work from the inside out, not the outside is. Listen
55:42
Speaker 1: to this full interview with Lamar Rutger. It's available on
55:45
Speaker 1: Moneymaking Conversations dot com. You can stay up to date
55:47
Speaker 1: with all new and exclusive Money Making Conversations Masterclass interviews
55:52
Speaker 1: by liking and following on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Our Heart Radio,
55:56
Speaker 1: or Audible