Coline Witt welcomes entrepreneur Malik Muhammad, owner of Malik Books, for a powerful conversation about building a Black-owned bookstore rooted in culture, community, and “knowledge of self.”

Malik shares his broke meal: poor man’s potato salad (potatoes, mayonnaise, celery seed, salt, and pepper) with turkey hot dogs, then takes us through his journey from Washington, DC to Los Angeles, running track at USC, competing in the 1984 Olympics, and ultimately launching a Black-curated bookstore in 1990.

He breaks down the real lessons behind entrepreneurship—learning business through mistakes, investing equity and losing a home, growing sales through festivals and community events, and expanding Malik Books to key locations including Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall and Westfield Culver City during the pandemic. Malik also highlights the community support behind malikbooks.com, the National Association of Black Book Stores, and his vision for a bookmobile for schools.

Plus: Malik’s recommended reads include Powernomics, Who Moved My Cheese?, and Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice.

If you care about Black entrepreneurship, independent bookstores, Black literature, LA small business, and building a legacy this episode is for you.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coline Witt welcomes entrepreneur and celebrity stylist 'Fiskani', who reflects on being “broke and elegant,” moving to Atlanta for school, 'dropping out', and getting 'cut off by her parents'.

After discovering styling on a music video set, she pushed through low-paying jobs and learned how to hustle—traveling to the 'MAGIC' trade show in Las Vegas with just '$50', modeling furs, and eventually being trusted with '$250,000' worth of inventory to sell in Atlanta.

A major breakthrough came when 'Keith Sweat' bought furs and connected her to key contacts, which helped open the door to 'Akon' hiring her as his stylist and rapidly expanding her client list.

She also shares hard-earned advice for entrepreneurs: protect your vision, keep tunnel focus, and don’t let distractions pull you off your path.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Coline Witt welcomes comedian and actor Lou Young, a former NFL cornerback turned content creator with 3M+ followers. Lou’s work includes Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone, brand collaborations with the NFL, ESPN, and Nike, and a Sundance-featured pilot, Freelance.

Over tequila and a nostalgic “lunch meat nacho supreme” (Doritos, deli turkey, bologna, cheese, Old Bay, peppers, and ketchup), Lou opens up about growing up in a single-dad household, babysitting siblings at eight years old, and learning to cook through improvisation and budget-friendly meals.

Lou also breaks down the business side of the NFL getting cut often, how little money is guaranteed as an undrafted rookie, and why he started social media while injured. He shares the rise (and limits) of his “Shleve Harvey” character, shifting into more personal storytelling, and building a podcast largely out of pocket. by reinvesting in production while balancing fatherhood, family routines, and his daughter’s gymnastics success.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.