Johanne Penney is the Founder & CEO of Amp Up Your Voice, a progressive anti-racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion consultancy that partners with modern and progressive brands and businesses who are on their journey to authentically diversify their business and who want to be true advocates. Working up to and mainly at C-Suite level Johanne helps drive real change and elevates brands by ensuring Inclusion and belonging and to authentically be part of the Racial Equity change movement. She does this through a range of media: providing expert DEI consultancy services, devising long-term DEI strategies and delivering high energy, unique, educational engagement sessions. She is also a public speaker and mentors’ organisations that want to change and proactively champion DEI. Johanne also coaches individuals who need support around DEI, to navigate and grow their careers and those who are affected by systemic barriers to success. She prides herself on being a positive disruptor and is also a culture writer and author of the eBook ‘The Road Map to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ - a guide on how to take positive action and drive inspirational change. In this episode Jo and Alicia discuss: The upbringing within the Jehovah's Witness communityHer journey discovering Caribbean cultureOvercoming discouragement from pursuing higher educationExperiencing extreme overt racial discrimination and its role in launching her businessThe mission of Amp Up Your Voice in assisting organisations www.ampupyourvoice.com or download the eBook: https://lnkd.in/e92iAYGB  IG: @ampupyourvoice LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanne-penney-2114511a/

Crosby Enninful is the founder of Egbenn Accountancy Services and a Chartered Accountant. He is 32 years old and has over 12 years experience in finance and accounting. He has been running is own firm for 5 years and works with small and medium size businesses dealing with all areas of accounting. In this episode, Alicia and Crosby delve into: The shift from managing contracts to managing a businessOvercoming and emerging from periods of depressionExploring the significance of faith in Crosby's personal and professional journeyStrategies for optimising time management to achieve personal and professional goalsPrioritising relationships over professional pursuits   You can connect with him on: Email: info@egbenn.co.uk Instagram: @egbennaccountancy LinkedIn: Crosby Enninful (FCCA) Website: www.egbenn.co.uk

Arsema is an experienced specialist tech recruiter and founder of an independent recruitment agency, hire|py. As a champion to see a more inclusive tech scene, this passion also led to Arsema launching the Black Recruiters Network, a community network to champion Black excellence within Recruitment & Talent Acquisition.    In this episode, Alicia and Arsema delve into a range of intriguing topics, including: Arsema's transition from the field of Chemical Engineering to a successful career in recruitmentThe profound influence her parents had on her entrepreneurial journeyThe incredible opportunities that have opened up since Alicia started BRNExpert tips for optimizing your LinkedIn profile and crafting an impressive CVThe fascinating story behind the inception of BRN and what exciting prospects lie aheadThe immense power and impact of building a strong and supportive team Please see more about Arsema here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arsema-fessehazion/    Book in a Linked In / CV service here -  https://www.linkedin.com/company/mylinkedincv/about/    See more about Black Recruiters network here - https://www.linkedin.com/company/black-recruiters-network/

Bukola Akinfaderin, Engineering Manager at Carvana, has accumulated over 20 years experience working in Information Technology. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Wesleyan University, CT and a Master’s of Science in Information Systems from New Jersey Institute of Technology.   Bukola has most notably been recognised for the creation of apps that focus on underrepresented groups. Her first project was Jandus Radio, a mobile application/social network that aggregated over 250 radio stations, a forum/peer to peer chat with a focus on African content. Jandus Radio accumulated over 500,000 registered users.  She also launched Afrocast, a podcast aggregator for underrepresented content providers, Khin, a white label social community platform, and MyComplex, a community app for apartment residents.  Her most recent project is glowup app, a goal setting app for women that allows you to achieve your self-care goals with the support of a community. Bukola was named as Developer of the Month by Microsoft Africa in 2013. She has been featured on several tech publications including TechCabal, Otekbits, TechMoran, PulseTV Nigeria, Voice of America: Beyond the Unicorns of Silicon Valley, World Bank for their Female Tech Entrepreneurs initiative (infodev). She also won 2nd place in the Microsoft 9ja Apps, a competition which focused on rewarding innovative mobile apps focused on the Nigerian market. In this Episode, Alicia & Bukola discuss: Creating the first app to introduce Afrobeats to the US.Exploring the real process involved in app building.Discussing how trialing entrepreneurship can positively impact career trajectory.Understanding different code platforms and their purposesEmphasising the importance of being confident in one's idea.Examining the challenges faced by Black women in accessing investment opportunities.The true benefits of using the glow up app See more about Bukola here: http://www.techcabal.com/girls-who-code-bukola-akinfaderin/ https://projects.voanews.com/beyond-the-unicorn/

Coodie Simmons is an American film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and producer. Coodie started directing from his music video fo Kanye West, entitled "Through the Wire", which was nominated for a MTV Viewers Choice Award, and won a Source Award for Best Music Video of the Year. Coodie has continued his music video success directing "Two Words" and the third version of "Jesus Walks" off Kanye West's The College Dropout album, Pitbull's "Culo" video, Mos Def's "Ghetto Rock" video, Erykah Badu's controversial video "Window Seat" and most recently Lupe Fiasco's "Old School Love" video.  Coodie received acclaim for their ESPN 30-for-30 film, Benji (2012), a film about a high school basketball player who was tragically killed. In 2013 they directed Good Morning, a short film for American Family Insurance. Good Morning debuted at the 2013 American Black Film Festival. In 2022 Coodie released the documentary series jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, Act 1 of which premiered on Netflix on February 16, 2022. In this episode, Alicia and Coodie delve into a variety of fascinating topics, including: Their experiences as tourists in Ghana and the cultural insights gained from the trip The artistry, story, and profound impact of Ernie Barnes Reflecting on their upbringing in Chicago and the harsh realities they faced The motivation behind Coodie's meticulous documentation of life moments The journey of losing everything and finding the strength to start anew The deep passion and purpose driving their Jeen-yuhs documentary project. Connect with Coodie here - https://www.instagram.com/coodierock/?hl=en

Michelle De Leon is the founder and CEO of World Afro Day®, 15th September. A global day of celebration and liberation of Afro Hair and Identity, with an estimated reach of 1.5 billion. Michelle successfully combines her broadcasting career of 20+ years at ITV Good Morning Britain with leading World Afro Day CIC. She has overcome her own struggles with Afro hair and was inspired by her 8 year old daughter to set up the day of celebration. Since 2017, her work has influenced the UN, UK government, global brands, international media and major celebrities. Key highlights are the Workplace Hair Acceptance report 2023; contributing to the EHRC guidelines to prevent hair discrimination in schools 2022 and a speech at the United Nations in Geneva 2018. In this episode Alicia and Michelle discuss: The significance of recognising and healing from past traumasThe inspiration behind Michelle's establishment of World Afro DayThe journey involved in creating and growing the movementThe importance of black women embracing their natural hair and the empowerment it bringsPredictions and aspirations for the future of World Afro Day and its impact on society. Learn more about World Afro Hair - https://www.worldafroday.com/ Connect with Michelle here

Sandra Adu is a design director, multidisciplinary design educator and cultural policy researcher, who has harnessed her myriad design talents over the sprawling decade of her illustrious design career. She has always associated herself with branding and design initiatives that have effectively fostered positive organisational growth and behavioural changes. She is the founder of Black Girls in Design and has over the years played a crucial role in helping agencies to deliver exceptional creative projects for a diverse and exciting client base across multiple platforms. Her journey as a designer began with a mission to help small businesses to fight their corner. Her notable clients have been Hsbc, Net-A-Porter, REN, L'Artisan Parfumeur, META, JP Morgan, and Puma.   In this episode Alicia and Sandra Discuss: The challenge raising a daughter as a single mum and attending uniThe importance of stripping back culture habits to succeed Why Leaders need to be coached The value in design and career opportunities How black girls in design will work with the education curriculum  Connect with Sandra here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-a-3a845237/

Jamelia Donaldson is the founder and CEO of TreasureTress — a monthly product subscription service for girls and women with kinky-curly hair and also the co-creator of The Teen Experience, a monthly workshop series which offers young black women to attend a series of personal development workshops, network with other like-minded individuals and be inspired by mature and successful women. Workshops to date have included creating vision boards and discussions about self-care.   Since launching in 2015, with a huge online community, and an active and thriving offline presence, Treasure Tress has proven that natural hair and black sisterhood can truly go hand in hand.    As a solution to the beauty industry’s difficulty connecting to their Black, female consumer in the UK, Jamelia added a consultancy arm to  TreasureTress as a way to guide brands in the US on the unique experience of the Black, UK natural hair consumer. Providing them with strategy, social, digital and influencer marketing.   Jamelia has been featured in Forbes, Buzzfeed, Good Housekeeping and Pride Magazine just to name a few.   In this episode Alicia and Jamelia discuss: Her experience as an intern in NYC Studying 7 subjects at A level Why she started Treasure Tress How Treasure Tress can save black women 100s a year Overcoming challenges; building a product based business at home Winning over 100k work of TV ads & Billboard space  Learn more about Treasure Tress here - https://www.treasuretress.co.uk/    Connect with Jamelia Here - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jamelia-donaldson-73952237

Tevin is the founder of 1000 Voices, a production company with a vision to eradicate all racial inequalities and inspire a generation of black British changemakers. He has a background in social entrepreneurship and currently works as a financial sales professional as well. Driven by his desire for a more equitable society for all, the 1000 Voices podcast is his first step towards realising his vision. Tevin is the founder and host of 1000 Voices, a podcast that interviews black British changemakers and aims to empower a generation of black British changemakers. With a background in social entrepreneurship and a current career as a financial sales professional, Tevin is driven by a desire to create a more equitable society for all. Through the 1000 Voices podcast, Tevin is working towards his long-term vision of eradicating racial inequalities and inspiring others to make a positive impact in their own communities and beyond.  In this episode Tevin and Alicia discuss:  Career Transitioning in a short time frame Tevins near death health experience and his new view on lifeWealth in sustainable fashion The power on generational story telling Connect with Tevin here: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tevinkittoe

Vanessa Lyall is a bubble tea enthusiast of Ghanaian-Scottish heritage, born in America and raised in London. When she’s not working as a Senior Account Manager at Coolr, she’s creating something including TikTok content, poetry and Zara wishlists. She is an advocate for good mental health and the proud president of the ‘every person should get therapy’ club.   In this episode Alicia and Vanessa discuss: Life in DC - Childhood & Changes Being Young Free and Fearless Creative vs Professional - finding the perfect mixThe realties of being an Influencer account manager What makes Coolr an enjoyable place to work Tips on applying for a job with Coolr Connect with Vanessa here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-lyall/  Apply for jobs at Coolr here - https://joinus.wearecoolr.com/jobs

Sayce Holmes-Lewis is an entrepreneur, sports coach, mentor and activist providing strategic counsel and cultural insight within the public & private sectors, whilst also delivering aspirational keynotes on the importance of community, racial equity, personal growth & resilience. Sayce is the founder & CEO of Mentivity, an award-winning mentoring organisation, and alternative education provision that provides aspirational support for young people, schools, parents, and carers across London, Brighton, Barbados, Kenya and Uganda. Founded in 2016, Mentivity has touched the lives of thousands of young people with their adaptable, holistic approach and proven record of expertise in coaching, mentoring, and support. Sayce feels extremely fortunate to be doing work that he truly loves, using his platform and vast network within business, sport, education, and government to advocate for diverse and underserved communities. In this episode Alicia and Sayce discuss: Sayce's experience of being discovered as a talented football player in his neighborhoodOvercoming life-threatening health struggles and achieving a successful recoveryThe obstacles faced by black male teachers and how to navigate themThe inspiring story of how Mentivity was born and how the new hub will positively impact his community. Learn more about Sayce and Mentivity here: https://sayceholmeslewis.com/my-story  https://www.mentivity.com/

Meet Haydn, a highly experienced Social and Digital Marketing Consultant focusing on Arts and Non-Profit Organisations. With over 15 years of experience in social media and digital marketing, Haydn has worked with a range of brands, including Coca-Cola, Unilever, Campari Group, Kickers, and more. His work on award-winning experiential, social, and digital marketing campaigns is highly regarded. Haydn has worked in the Arts and Culture sector for the last seven years. He was a part of the team that established the Digital Culture Network as a Tech Champion for the Arts Council England. His work with Bloomberg Philanthropies as a tech fellow for the UK arts and culture organisation The Yard helped them implement new digital platforms and tools. Haydn has collaborated with over 300+ organisations from England and internationally. Some of these include The ICA, Horniman Museum and Gardens, The Southbank Centre, The Brooklyn Museum, and more. Thanks to his Digital Marketing and Social Media expertise, Haydn has been invited to speak and create workshops for The Roundhouse, The Dots, The Barbican, Today at Apple, and Trinity Laban. He has also been a guest lecturer for the Executive Master's programme at the Royal Academy of Arts. In addition to his work within the arts, Haydn is also a founding partner of We Are Stripes. The organisation works to increase opportunities for people from diverse ethnic backgrounds in the creative industries. Working with Disney, Microsoft, The National Gallery, The London Stock Exchange, and more, providing opportunities for diverse work and voices.    In this episode Alicia and Haydn discuss:  - Haydn on Tour - creating and playing in a successful band - Starting a career in advertising late  - The power of a mentor and Sponsor - Marketing Consulting & Different approaches to effective digital marketing - Is the advertising industry for black people? - Being apart of wearestripes and the impact they've had - Next step in the USA 2024    Connect with Haydn here - https://www.haydncorrodus.com/

Andy Ayim MBE is renowned for his deep expertise and experience coaching founders strategically towards achieving product/ market fit. He is a go-to expert on angel investing. He has become a leading voice across Europe for training the next generation of angel investors and supporting startups with scaling responsibly. His angel training programmes have empowered over 400+ new angels including the Black Angel Group spun out of Google's Black Network which has invested over $3.5m in over 28 startups. He consults through organisations such as Psalt and Elixirr to advise organisations on executive coaching and creating high-performing agile teams. His expertise in designing inclusive early-stage investment vehicles has seen him consult in the creation of startup accelerator programmes for organisations such as Backstage Capital, Black Equity Organisation and Impact X among others. Andy was recognised in 2021 with a Queen's Honours MBE medal in recognition of his contribution to diversity and technology in the UK.   In this Episode Alicia and Andy Discuss: - Andy's global adventures in wild life and character building activities  - The importance of being in new environments  - The impact of travelling and building international relationships - Insights and opportunities from working internationally  - The reason he started Angel Investing School  - How people can become investors with small amounts of capital    Learn more about Andy here: https://andyayim.com/

Bejay Mulenga, a multi-award-winning serial social entrepreneur, with over 10 years of business-building experience, having trained over 10,000 entrepreneurs as part of his work. He is the youngest award winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion in the UK. Passionate about teaching entrepreneurs the skills they need to take their business to the next level, Bejay is the founder of Supa Network, the Business Building Club, and more ventures dedicated to this ultimate goal. Bejay has worked with brands such as Barclays, River Island, BBC, The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, Sony, and more.   In this episode, Alicia and Bejay discuss: How Bejay started investing into businesses The realities of being an entrepreneur His entrepreneur journey starting from schoolCreative ideas to scale companies The challenge Black entrepreneurs' may face with investment accessInvesting into smart people Blocks 2 Blacks & SupaNetwork Learn more about Bejay & his work via the following links  https://www.bejaymulenga.com/  https://www.blocks2bags.com/

Kelliesha White is an esteemed Marketer who is the Senior Brand and cultural Impact manager at tech platform Depop. She is at the core of youth culture, bringing insights into the wider business and is constantly challenging the business to ask ‘ Why should our communities care?’. Kelliesha has delivered talks at Loreal group, London College of Fashion, Youth Marketing Strategy, BIMA, Samsung, Performance Marketing world Unlocked & more – exploring topics such as Gen Z,  Culture and Community Marketing and creating access to the creative industry. Outside of her work Kelliesha mentors Fashion university students and is on the Advisory board for Youth Violence Charity Power The Fight.    About Depop Depop is a peer-to-peer social shopping app1. It is an online marketplace where people can buy and sell clothes2. Depop was founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Simon Beckerman at man on man, an Italian technological incubator and business start-up centre1. Its headquarters moved to London in 2012   To Apply for jobs at Depop visit - https://blackcreateconnect.co.uk/job-board/  Follow the BCC Depop Content Creators https://www.instagram.com/bamikuteyi/  https://www.instagram.com/mabel.tech/  https://www.tiktok.com/@cyberdaniella

This is a Christmas special with Alicia and 1 of her sisters Simone. They discuss:   - The importance of mending broken relationships with loved ones - How to mend broken relationships  - How God proves himself time and time again - The Richardson menu on Christmas Day  - Christmas games suggestions section    To connect with Black Create Connect on all platforms follow @blackcreateconnect

Lee Chambers is a British psychologist, entrepreneur, male ally and speaker. He is the founder of PhenomGames and Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing. Chambers was inducted as a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in 2023. He has been interviewed by Vogue, The Guardian and Newsweek, and is known for analyzing the psychological aspects of the workplaces, wellbeing and intersectionality. He is one of the UK’s leading voices on male allyship and gender equity. He was named as a Marie Claire Future Shaper 2022, alongside Harry Styles and Tom Daley, and was inducted into the Black Cultural Archives in 2022 for services to Business and Health. He is trusted by publications such as Medical News Today, the BBC and Healthline, and recently featured as an expert in IKEA’s docuseries, “It won’t feel like home, ‘til it feels like you.” Lee won the Professional Service Startup of the Year at the National Startup Awards, and has also been awarded the Service Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. He was named as an Exceptional Entrepreneur by the Startups 100 Index and a Man for Gender Balance at the Rising Star Awards. Based in the North West, and working globally, he is passionate about conscious leadership, equality of health opportunity and menopause awareness.   In this episode Alicia and Lee discuss: How he founded, built and sold a business before 30 Life challenges and successes as a autistic adult Understanding the strengths of autismThe idea that everyone is on the spectrum The reality of having an autistic black sonLate Neurodiverse diagnosis - the importance of being diagnosed What motivated him to be a wellbeing consultant  See more about Lee here - https://leechambers.org/

Bisi Alimi is the founder and the Executive Director of the Bisi Alimi Foundation, an organisation working to accelerate social acceptance of LGBT people in Nigeria. Alimi has a BA in Theatre Arts (2004) from the University of Lagos Nigeria and MSc in Global Governance and Public Policy (2011) from Birkbeck College University of London. Alimi is a multitalented storyteller, actor, activist and angelic troublemaker. He has over 15 years experience working on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Africa. Before starting Bisi Alimi Foundation, he was a lecturer at the Humboldt University in Berlin teaching “Pre and Post Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Africa”. In his spare time, he loves to read, watch television and cook. He lives in London with his husband and his two dogs.   In this episode Alicia and Bisi discuss:  Battling his sexuality and religionWhy Bisi is The Angelic Troublemaker Why he came out at Gay on Nigerian National TV Near death experiences based on homophobic behaviors The experience of seeking asylum in the UKWhy he became a HIV activist How he has achieved his credibility and success during his career  See more more about Bisi here https://bisialimi.com/  https://www.bisialimifoundation.org/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CvuTYFHtO3w/?hl=en

Ryan Gonsalves, Born in England, started his career as a Professional football (soccer) player at Huddersfield Town, before moving on to play semi-professional around Europe and coaching in the US.  That team ethic and the need for a single, cohesive, passionate strategy has underpinned his work in global giants General Electric and HSBC, in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and now Australia. Ryan is now the founder of 2ndwind, which inspires high-performing individuals to discover a lifestyle and career they love. In this Episode Alicia and Ryan discuss: His reality as a black Footballer Having a champion mindset and sharing race-related challenges Travelling the world, experiencing living in multiple countries What life looks like as a retired athletePractical steps to transforming into a corporate career The importance of having support whilst transitioning between careers  Connect here & Listen to his podcast - https://www.2ndwind.io/ Contact - letschat@2ndwind.io

BCC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Remember to subscribe to our newsletter so you do not to miss any updates on events here. Our end-of-year event will be Dec 2024 - https://blackcreateconnect.co.uk/  Subscribe to us on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWBjnCLoSUHe6Xpg_-I7mKg  Grab your TED x Live Ticket here. USE CODE 'ALICIA5' FOR £5 OFF - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxshoreditch-women-2023-tickets-749853099807?aff=oddtdtcreator   Fill in our end of year Survey here, we NEED your feedback to help us help YOU https://blackcreateconnect.wispform.com/0cd4110d Sign up to the career crafting course here - https://alicialatoyarichardson.com/cashhoutcourse  Remember to follow us on all socials - @blackcreateconnect Enquires - hello@blackcreateconnect.co.uk