She didn’t wait for access. She created it.

On this episode of Leaders & Learners, I’m joined by Kelsey Nicole Nelson, award-winning sports journalist, professor, founder, and full-on table builder. From launching Listen In With KNN to leading internship pipelines and founding Books Breaking Borders, KNN is proof that legacy beats labels every time.

We talk:
• Building power in sports media as a Black woman
• Creating opportunity when the gatekeepers stall
• Balancing academia, entrepreneurship, and brand
• Why being humble is different than being humbled

If you’re in sports, media, leadership, or trying to bet on yourself louder this year, this one is for you.

🎧 Watch now on YouTube
🎙️ Listen on Spotify
💬 Drop a comment: Are you waiting for a seat, or building the table?

#CTRLtheNarrative #WomenInSports #BlackWomenInMedia

Everyone says they’re evolving.
Few actually are.

I’m sitting down with Steve Goldstein, author of Blogosphere Five: Evolver and LA's Graveside Companion: Where the V.I.P.s R.I.P..

He’s not just an author, he’s a respected business owner and was named Man of the Year in Redondo Beach. That’s community and credibility.

We’re talking evolution in business, staying relevant, and why some leaders adapt while others get stuck telling stories about “back when.”

Here’s the question:

Are you building for what’s next, or protecting what used to work?

Watch. Subscribe. Then tell me in the comments where you really stand.

Her father was murdered in 1999. Most people would grieve quietly. Khadijah Butler built an institution.

As Founder and President of the Craig D. Butler Scholarship Foundation, she turned personal loss into policy-level impact, attacking the school-to-prison pipeline with scholarships, data, and strategy.

In Philly, only 14 percent of college degrees go to Black students compared to 53 percent for white students. That is not a “bad neighborhood” problem. That is a systems problem. And she is calling it out brick by brick.

We talk about:
• Education as violence interruption
• Why prevention gets less funding than punishment
• The nonprofit industrial complex and who it really serves
• Reclaiming power as an Around-the-Way girl with a plan

She is not here for sympathy. She is here for structural change.

She is also an author, Laying the Foundation Brick by Brick

Tap in. Subscribe. Share it with someone who believes education is the real revolution.

I’m sitting down with Matthew Melvin, author of Bullied Behind Bars.He committed a crime. He did the time.He’s gay, Christian, a Trump supporter, and says prison punished him far beyond the sentence.This conversation is about accountability, identity, prison culture, and where the system flat-out fails people it doesn’t know what to do with.👇 Drop your questions in the comments📩 Subscribe to CTRL The Narrative newsletterhttps://substack.com/@tonyamckenziepr📺 Subscribe to my YouTube channel to catch the full interviewIf you don't control the narrative, the streets will, and it won't be in your favor. www.SandAndShores.com | TonyaMcKenzie.comFollow us on Twitter & Instagram @SandAndShoresFollow Tonya on Twitter & Instagram @TonyaMcKenziePR

College doesn’t fail students.The system does.One missed form. One quiet deadline. One assumption that “someone told you already” and graduation gets pushed back a year… or never happens.In this episode, Dr. James L Henry, author of Application to Graduation, longtime CSUN leader, and Alpha Phi Alpha man, breaks down the real game of higher education. Not the glossy brochure version, the paperwork, the politics, and the playbook nobody gives first-gen and Black students.This is about access vs. completion.About brotherhood as accountability.About legacy, not titles.🎓 If you’ve ever been “one class away,” this episode is for you.👇🏾 Drop your questions in the comments👍🏾 Like, subscribe, and share with someone who needs this📚 Control the narrative, or the system will do it for youSubscribe to the CTRL the Narrative Newsletter: https://tonyamckenziepr.substack.com

I sat down with stunning Rhona Bennett, formerly of En Vogue and the Disney family. She is also my Sorority Sister of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated... if you didn’t know, now you know 💙🤍.Rhona Bennett is a Grammy-nominated R&B singer whose journey reflects the realities many artists face, navigating fame, contracts, identity, and life and out of the spotlight. Today, she stands as a voice for authenticity, resilience, and reclaiming narrative power in an industry that often writes your story for you. This is how you #CTRLtheNarrative.This is not a fluff interview.This is music, business, womanhood, legacy, and truth. 👉🏽 Check out what she has going on, her coaching, and new music: https://www.rhonabennett.com/👉🏽 Subscribe to the YouTube channel👉🏽 Do NOT miss this conversationGet in the comments. www.SandAndShores.com Follow Tonya on Twitter & Instagram @TonyaMcKenziePR

Education is not broken; it’s just been leaving too many people out.In this episode of Leaders & Learners, I sit down with Matthew Hale, Founder of We Gonna Learn Today Inc., a Tampa-based nonprofit that turns culture into curriculum and closes gaps that schools often discuss but rarely address.From Black history and financial literacy to music-driven learning and tech-powered education, Matthew breaks down how WGLT has impacted 1,500+ students in just two years and why culturally responsive education is not optional, it’s essential.We talk ownership, storytelling, scale, and what it really takes to build an education model that works for our kids and our communities.🎯 Watch. Learn. Share.📌 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders who are actually doing the work.💬 Drop a comment, what subject do you think schools are still getting wrong?#LeadersAndLearners #CTRLtheNarrative #EducationMattersSubscribe to the CTRL the Narrative Newsletter: https://tonyamckenziepr.substack.com🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5164451187916800

Joe Sperle built an entire professional baseball league from scratch, developed overlooked talent into MLB draft picks, survived a near-fatal accident, and now has a movie in the works about his life. If you want a masterclass in resilience, vision, and turning “no” into a whole pro league, this episode is it. Tap in as we break down the business of baseball, athlete development, and what it really takes to come back swinging when life throws curveballs that should have taken you out.

You can check him out at https://joesperleprojects.org/Subscribe to the CTRL the Narrative Newsletter: https://tonyamckenziepr.substack.com