The Voices

Scholar / Author / Bioethicist / Advocate

Dr. Wylin D. Wilson is a nationally respected scholar, author, theologian, and bioethicist whose groundbreaking work challenges us to reconsider what it truly means to care for one another—particularly Black women whose voices, experiences, and health concerns have too often been overlooked. An Associate Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School, Dr. Wilson works at the powerful intersection of religion, gender, bioethics, Black Church studies, rural health, spirituality, and social justice. Her scholarship asks difficult but essential questions about whose experiences are valued within healthcare, whose pain is believed, and how our institutions and communities can create environments in which every person has the opportunity not merely to survive, but to flourish. She is the author of the acclaimed Womanist Bioethics: Social Justice, Spirituality, and Black Women’s Health, a groundbreaking work that centers Black women’s lived experiences in conversations about healthcare ethics and calls upon hospitals, churches, healthcare professionals, and communities to rethink how they respond to the health and wellbeing of Black women. Published by NYU Press in 2025, the book was named a finalist for the 2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in Health. Dr. Wilson’s remarkable academic journey reflects the interdisciplinary nature of her work. She earned a B.S. in Agricultural Business from Florida A&M University, an M.S. in Agricultural, Resource, and Managerial Economics from Cornell University, a Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center, and a Ph.D. in Religious Social Ethics from Emory University. Before joining Duke, she served on the teaching faculty of the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, was a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School, and previously served as Associate Director of Education at the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care. Her professional journey has allowed her to bridge worlds that are too often separated—medicine and faith, scholarship and community, ethics and lived experience. Her commitment to care also extends beyond the classroom. As a trained death doula, Dr. Wilson has explored the profound importance of presence, listening, grief, and accompanying people through some of life's most difficult moments—work she has connected to longstanding traditions of care within the Black Church. At the heart of Dr. Wilson’s work is a powerful challenge: What would our healthcare systems, churches, families, and communities look like if Black women were not simply included in conversations about wellbeing—but genuinely heard, believed, protected, and centered? Through her scholarship, teaching, writing, and advocacy, Dr. Wylin D. Wilson is helping build a new vision of care—one rooted in dignity, justice, spirituality, community, and the belief that Black women deserve far more than survival. They deserve the opportunity to be well, whole, and to flourish.

Author / Filmmaker / Cultural Critic

Dr. Melanie Penny-Harrison is a scholar, author, filmmaker, actress, cultural critic, and creative artist whose work explores the complex intersections of Black womanhood, beauty, identity, race, gender, representation, and personal transformation. Her academic research has examined the portrayal of Black women in American film and the complicated relationship between increased visibility and genuine progress in media representation. Through her scholarship and creative work, Dr. Harrison challenges audiences to look beyond surface-level ideas of inclusion and examine the cultural messages that shape how Black women are seen—and how they learn to see themselves. Her work is also deeply personal. Having navigated worlds ranging from academia and filmmaking to acting, modeling, performance, and entertainment, Dr. Harrison brings a rare perspective to conversations about identity, contradiction, judgment, self-expression, and the freedom to become more than one version of yourself. She is the author of Ugly Philosophy: Beauty, Absurdity & the Black Feminine Paradox, a provocative exploration of beauty, stigma, embodiment, race, gender, and the expectations placed upon Black women. At the heart of Dr. Harrison’s work is a powerful question: Who gets to decide who we are, what makes us beautiful, and who we are allowed to become? Her journey is one of scholarship, creativity, reinvention, and the courage to live beyond other people’s definitions—a story that speaks directly to the transformational mission of The Lifestrong Project.

Founder

Plain Sight Press

Khaled Ashraf writes and speaks about fatherhood, education, faith, and second chances through the lens of lived experience, leadership, and scholarship. Drawing on experience in education, public service, and military service, he brings a practical perspective to conversations about the people, institutions, and ideas that shape our lives. His debut novel, The Shelter, explores identity, responsibility, forgiveness, and redemption through characters and choices that reflect the complexities of family, faith, and human relationships.

Founder/Educator/Host

National Institute of Higher Education Training

Moses Delaney is an educator, workforce-development leader, U.S. Air Force veteran, and the founder of **First Job Prep**, an Atlanta-based training organization operated through Your EDU Career, LLC. First Job Prep helps teenagers and young adults develop the confidence, communication skills, and workplace knowledge necessary to secure employment and succeed in today’s professional environment. The organization began in 2020 after Moses helped one of his daughters prepare for and secure her first job. He developed scripts, practiced real-world workplace conversations with her, and used role-playing exercises to prepare her for the application and interview process. After seeing the effectiveness of that approach, Moses transformed it into a structured training program that could help other young people successfully navigate their first employment experience. Through First Job Prep, Moses provides courses covering first-job readiness, professional communication, customer service, workplace soft skills, management, and leadership. The organization’s work goes beyond helping young people get hired—it prepares them to understand workplace expectations, represent themselves professionally, accept responsibility, and build habits that can support their long-term career development. Moses brings more than two decades of experience in education and institutional leadership to this mission. Throughout his career, he has served in positions including instructor, program chair, academic dean, director of admissions, campus president, and vice president of operations. His work reflects a deep commitment to making career knowledge practical, accessible, and actionable for the next generation.

Founder/Host

Master Your GLP-1

Dr. Keith Hersey is a pharmacist, diabetes educator, health coach, and the founder of "Master Your GLP-1", an education and coaching platform designed to help people using GLP-1 medications—as well as those living with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes—better understand their health and achieve sustainable results. Before entering pharmacy, Dr. Hersey worked as a clinical laboratory medical technologist at Duke University Medical Center and LabCorp. He became a licensed pharmacist in 2004 and spent approximately 14 years serving patients as a community pharmacist. He later opened his own independent pharmacy, bringing together his clinical knowledge, entrepreneurial experience, and commitment to patient education. Dr. Hersey’s work is also deeply personal. During a blood-sugar screening at a pharmacy convention, he discovered that his glucose level was dangerously high and was subsequently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Although he initially struggled with shock and denial, his outlook changed when a physician asked him a life-altering question: did he want to live long enough to see his son graduate? That moment became the catalyst for a personal transformation and a broader mission to help others take control of their health before it is too late. Through **Master Your GLP-1**, Dr. Hersey offers self-paced education, group coaching, and individualized support that help participants understand their medications, improve their daily habits, and become more active partners in their healthcare. He is also the creator and host of the **Destroying Diabetes** podcast and YouTube channel, where he challenges misinformation, shares practical health strategies, and encourages people to move beyond simply managing diabetes toward creating healthier and more fulfilling lives. Dr. Hersey’s message is rooted in urgency, accountability, and hope: diabetes does not have to dictate the direction of a person’s life. By combining professional expertise with the lessons of his own journey, he is helping individuals and families gain the knowledge, confidence, and support necessary to fight a health crisis that communities cannot afford to ignore.

Founder

RoRDEL Inc.

Dr. E. Laura Porter is a prophetic teacher, author, purpose coach, U.S. Army veteran, and the founder of **RORDEL Incorporated**, a faith-based organization dedicated to helping people discover their identity, experience personal and spiritual restoration, and confidently step into their God-given assignments. The name RORDEL represents the organization’s mission to **Restore, Organize, Revive, Deliver, Equip, and Launch** individuals into lives of greater purpose and Kingdom impact. Through teaching, coaching, ministry, and personal-development resources, Dr. Porter helps people move beyond uncertainty, recognize how they have been uniquely designed, and apply their gifts and life experiences in meaningful ways. She also leads **ELP Ministries**, through which she provides spiritual teaching and guidance centered on hearing God’s voice, developing spiritual maturity, pursuing inner healing, and walking confidently in one’s identity. Dr. Porter is the author of *Purpose Unlocked: Discovering Your Spiritual DNA*, a transformational guide that introduces her **S.H.A.P.E.’D. framework**. The framework encourages people to examine their Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences before becoming Deployed into the purpose for which they were created. Her work emphasizes that purpose is not something people must manufacture—it can be discovered by understanding how God has already shaped their lives. As the host of the **Purpose Unlocked Podcast**, Dr. Porter continues her mission of helping people develop an authentic relationship with God that extends beyond religious routine. Through honest conversations, practical teaching, and faith-centered guidance, she empowers her audience to unlock their purpose, embrace their spiritual identity, and live with greater clarity, confidence, and intentionality.

Advocate/Author/Host

Don't Pick the Scab Podcast

David M. Webb is an author, podcast host, relationship commentator, and self-described on-the-job expert in surviving divorce. Drawing from his own experiences with marriage, separation, healing, and rebuilding, David helps people navigate the emotional realities of life after a relationship ends—with honesty, humor, and none of the usual sugarcoating. David is the author of ***It’s OK to Hate Your Ex*** and ***Every Day Is Christmas: Divorce Recovery from Another Perspective***. Through his writing, he challenges the idea that healing must follow a neat, predictable path. Instead, he gives readers permission to acknowledge difficult emotions, confront uncomfortable truths, practice self-care, and gradually rediscover who they are outside of a former relationship. As the host of two podcasts focused on helping people survive and thrive after breakups, David creates space for candid conversations about divorce recovery, dating, relationships, co-parenting, men’s health, lifestyle, and personal reinvention. His approach is real, relatable, and often irreverent, using humor to address subjects that are frequently painful, complicated, or avoided altogether. David’s message is not that divorce is easy or automatically worth celebrating. It is that the end of a marriage does not have to mean the end of a meaningful life. By sharing the lessons he has learned through experience, he encourages people to move beyond bitterness, reclaim their identity, and recognize divorce as an opportunity to heal, grow, and begin again. His appearance on **The Lifestrong Project** reflects the theme of the episode, **“Congrats, You’re Divorced!”**—an honest and unconventional conversation about what happens after the paperwork is signed and the real work of rebuilding begins.

Founder/Author/Coach

Lionheart Coaching Academy

Nicole Olaniyi is an author, academic and career coach, nonprofit leader, and co-founder of **Lionheart Coaching Academy**, an organization that helps high school and college students connect academic achievement with identity, purpose, emotional well-being, and long-term success. Through Lionheart Coaching Academy, Nicole works with students, families, schools, and community organizations to provide personalized academic coaching, college-admissions guidance, scholarship strategy, and purpose-centered leadership development. The organization challenges the idea that student success should be measured solely by grades, awards, or acceptance letters. Instead, it promotes a more holistic model of achievement that considers the student’s mind, heart, spirit, identity, and overall well-being. Nicole’s work is informed by her own exceptional academic journey. She earned more than $2 million in scholarship opportunities and received eight full-ride college offers, including an opportunity to attend Princeton University. Drawing from that experience, she now helps students and their families identify competitive educational opportunities, reduce the financial burden of college, and pursue ambitious goals without losing sight of who they are or why those goals matter. She is also the author of ***The Unboxing: A Black Girl’s Journey of Mental Health, Faith, and Identity***, a memoir that explores her personal experiences with achievement, depression, anxiety, disordered eating, faith, and the struggle to maintain a sense of self beneath the pressure to succeed. Her story reveals an important truth: a person can appear highly accomplished on the outside while privately struggling to remain emotionally and spiritually whole. In addition to her educational work, Nicole is a co-creator of **Black Founders Formula**, an initiative supporting Black entrepreneurs as they build, position, and grow their businesses. Across her work, she remains committed to helping individuals pursue excellence in ways that are healthy, purposeful, and sustainable. Nicole’s appearance on **The Lifestrong Project** reflects the episode’s complete theme, **“Excellence Without Burnout: Redefining Success for Black Students and Families.”** Her story offers students, parents, and educators a more honest definition of success—one in which achievement never has to come at the expense of mental health, identity, peace, or wholeness.

Filmmaker/Musician/Creator

Vaughanworks LLC

Julian Vaughan Hampton is an independent filmmaker, screenwriter, author, director, and founder of Vaughanworks LLC, a production company through which he develops and produces original films across multiple genres. Over more than 15 years, Julian has built a body of work that demonstrates what is possible when creators stop waiting for ideal circumstances and begin working with the people, resources, and opportunities available to them. Julian’s creative journey began with songwriting and writing books before expanding into screenwriting and filmmaking. Rather than following a traditional path into the entertainment industry, he developed his craft through hands-on experience—learning the different responsibilities of an independent film set by performing many of them himself. That experience gave him a practical understanding of writing, directing, producing, casting, and translating an idea from the page to the screen. Through Vaughanworks, Julian has created action films, crime dramas, thrillers, family stories, and other independently produced projects. His filmography includes the action drama ***Fighting Olympus***, which he wrote and directed; the award-winning short thriller "Blacked Box"; Church N State"; and the psychological thriller "The Fear of It". His work reflects an interest in emotionally grounded storytelling, compelling characters, and the human experiences hidden beneath action, suspense, and conflict. As a Black independent filmmaker, Julian is candid about the financial, logistical, and creative challenges involved in bringing original stories to life. However, his message is not centered on what creators lack. He encourages aspiring filmmakers to develop their skills, build relationships within their own communities, use the locations and resources around them, and create meaningful work without believing that success is limited to Hollywood, New York, or a large production budget. Julian’s approach can be summarized by a simple but powerful philosophy: "figure it out and keep creating**. He believes filmmakers learn by making films, writers improve by completing their stories, and creative momentum develops through consistent action rather than waiting for permission, perfect conditions, or outside validation. His appearance on "The Lifestrong Project", titled “Figure It Out Filmmaking: Julian Hampton on Making Movies Anywhere,” explores his evolution from songwriter and author to filmmaker, the lessons he learned by taking on nearly every responsibility behind the camera, and the resilience required to continue creating when progress is difficult. His story offers a practical blueprint for filmmakers, writers, and other creators determined to turn their ideas into finished work.

Therapist/Author/Founder

Johnzelle Anderson is a licensed therapist, author, and storyteller whose work explores identity, race, faith, family, sexuality, healing, and the complicated search for belonging. Born in Virginia to a white mother and a Black father who immigrated from Sierra Leone, Johnzelle grew up navigating the realities of being biracial in America. His journey forced him to confront difficult questions about how others perceived him, where he belonged, and what it meant to fully embrace every part of his identity. His experiences included encounters with systemic racism, prejudice within his own family, internalized beliefs about race, and the pressure of living between cultures that did not always make room for the fullness of who he was. Johnzelle’s story is also deeply shaped by his Catholic upbringing. Raised within a strict religious environment that often emphasized fear, judgment, and the consequences of falling short, he wrestled with the tension between faith, personal identity, sexuality, and self-acceptance. His path toward healing required him to examine inherited beliefs, confront shame, and develop a more honest and compassionate understanding of himself. As a therapist, Johnzelle brings both professional insight and lived experience to conversations about mental health and personal transformation. He understands that healing is not simply about recognizing past pain; it also involves identifying the stories people have been taught about themselves and deciding which of those stories they will continue to carry. His writing presents his life as a soundtrack, organizing his experiences into song-inspired “tracks” rather than traditional chapters. Music serves as both a narrative device and an emotional guide through his journey, with more than 30 songs helping readers connect to moments of struggle, discovery, reflection, and growth. His story ultimately leads him to Africa, where connecting with his heritage becomes an important part of understanding his identity and becoming more whole. Johnzelle’s appearance on **The Lifestrong Project**, titled **“Finding Identity Between Two Worlds,”** explores what it means to grow up between races, cultures, family expectations, and belief systems. His story is an honest examination of belonging and a powerful reminder that becoming whole does not require choosing one part of yourself over another—it requires learning to embrace the complete truth of who you are.

Educator/Strategist/Facilitator/Founder

A Curious Space

Dr. Tibisay Hernandez is an educator, organizational strategist, facilitator, and nationally experienced leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, leadership development, and culturally responsive practice. She is the founder and Chief Learning Officer of "A Curious Space", a learning and consulting organization that helps businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations develop more inclusive leaders, healthier workplace cultures, and stronger connections among the people they serve. Through A Curious Space, Dr. Hernandez creates interactive training and leadership-development experiences that encourage participants to approach difficult conversations with curiosity rather than defensiveness. Her work addresses subjects such as implicit bias, cultural responsiveness, inclusive recruitment, organizational equity, leadership development, and belonging. Instead of treating inclusion as a one-time workshop or compliance exercise, she helps organizations examine the behaviors, systems, and everyday decisions that determine whether people genuinely feel respected and valued. Over the course of her career, Dr. Hernandez has trained more than 10,000 participants and collaborated with organizations including the **U.S. Department of Justice, Brown University, and the New York City Department of Education**. Her professional experience spans education, government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, giving her a broad understanding of how culture, leadership, policy, and institutional practices affect people’s ability to participate and thrive. Dr. Hernandez earned a master’s degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology and a Ph.D. in Education, Theory and Practice from the University at Albany. Her doctoral research examined the experiences of first-generation Latinx and Afro-Latinx college students navigating racialized expectations, institutional barriers, identity pressures, and questions of belonging within higher education. Her research reinforces a central principle of her work: organizations cannot create meaningful inclusion without listening carefully to the people whose experiences have historically been overlooked. She currently serves as Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer for the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, where she leads statewide strategies focused on embedding justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into addiction services, workplace culture, and community engagement. Dr. Hernandez’s appearance on The Lifestrong Project, titled "A Culture of Inclusion,” explores what it takes to move beyond performative diversity efforts and build environments in which people can bring their complete identities, perspectives, and experiences into the room. Her message challenges leaders to understand that inclusion is not simply about who receives an invitation—it is about creating a culture in which everyone has a meaningful opportunity to be heard, contribute, and belong.

Purpose Strategist

2Hill Consulting Services

Alana M. Hill is an international keynote speaker, author, engineer, change-leadership expert, and the founder of 2Hill Consulting Services, where she helps leaders and organizations navigate change, strengthen resilience, improve collaboration, and build cultures in which people can thrive. Alana began her professional journey as a field engineer in the energy industry before advancing into project management, technology implementation, talent development, and organizational leadership. During her career with SLB, formerly Schlumberger, she progressed from Field Engineer to Program Manager and led teams and major change initiatives in complex, fast-moving environments. Her experience taught her that successfully managing change requires more than strategy and technical knowledge—it also requires empathy, communication, emotional intelligence, and an understanding of the people affected by the transformation. Through 2Hill Consulting Services and her signature approach, **Leading Change the Ms. Engineer Way®**, Alana combines the analytical thinking of an engineer with the emotional intelligence of a people-centered leader. She works with corporations, technology companies, nonprofit organizations, conferences, and educational institutions to help professionals overcome resistance, develop resilient teams, lead through uncertainty, and balance organizational performance with genuine human connection. Alana is the author of ***What’s Your Catalyst? The Power of Managed Change***, a practical guide that encourages readers to identify their purpose, reconnect with their passions, use their talents more intentionally, and create meaningful change in their personal and professional lives. She teaches that lasting transformation does not happen by accident; it begins when people recognize what is driving them, take responsibility for their direction, and become active catalysts in their own lives. Her message is also shaped by her personal experiences with faith, family, adversity, and resilience. Through her books "Love Is a Catalyst" and "Love Is a Catalyst: The Pain Behind the Purpose", Alana shares lessons from her family’s journey through cancer and other life challenges, demonstrating how hardship can reveal strength, deepen purpose, and inspire service to others. Alana holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University and is a certified Project Management Professional. Across more than 25 years of cross-functional leadership and facilitation experience, she has remained an advocate for women—particularly women of color—working and leading in engineering, technology, energy, and other traditionally underrepresented fields. Alana’s appearance on **The Lifestrong Project**, titled **“Engineering Her Purpose,”** explores her evolution from engineer and project manager to entrepreneur, author, and transformational leader. Her story offers a powerful blueprint for anyone navigating change: use what you have learned, recognize what you have survived, reconnect with what matters, and become the catalyst for the life and impact you were created to build.

Founder/Coach

R.E.A.L. Self Academy

Mercy Kiplagat is a confidence and mindset coach, women’s empowerment advocate, international-development leader, and the founder of R.E.A.L. Self Academy™, a coaching platform that helps women, immigrants, and individuals navigating major life transitions reconnect with their identity, recognize their self-worth, and move forward with greater confidence and purpose. Through R.E.A.L. Self Academy, Mercy helps people identify the limiting beliefs, cultural expectations, family patterns, and internal doubts that may be preventing them from living authentically. Her coaching emphasizes self-awareness, emotional processing, consistency, mindfulness, accountability, and the development of healthier beliefs and habits. Rather than offering superficial motivation, she creates supportive spaces where people can have honest conversations about who they are, what they have experienced, and who they are becoming. Mercy’s work is deeply connected to her own journey. After growing up in a small community in Kenya and building a life in Toronto, Canada, she developed a personal understanding of the resilience required to adapt to a new culture, overcome uncertainty, and establish a sense of belonging. Her experiences inform her commitment to helping immigrants move beyond simply surviving in unfamiliar environments and begin building lives rooted in confidence, opportunity, and personal fulfillment. She is also the founder and executive director of Rafiki Bridge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women, girls, refugees, and other underserved communities through education, mentorship, economic-development initiatives, and community-driven support. Its programs include Bridging Cycles, which addresses generational poverty and limited economic opportunity, and the Adolescent Girls’ Mentorship Program, which provides young women with life-skills training, educational support, mentorship, and the confidence to pursue their goals. Mercy’s passion for this work began after witnessing the barriers faced by women and girls in her community, including limited access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and reliable support systems. Those experiences inspired her to become an advocate for equity and to create spaces where women and young people are equipped not only to overcome adversity but also to become leaders and sources of support for others. Mercy’s appearance on The Lifestrong Project, titled “Resilience and Confidence in a New Land,” explores the cultural and emotional challenges of starting over, finding one’s place in a new environment, and developing confidence from within. Her story is a powerful reminder that adapting to change does not require abandoning who you are. Instead, meaningful transformation begins by embracing your experiences, trusting your abilities, and boldly creating the life you believe you deserve.

Technology Leader & Advocate

The EV3NT

William A. Adams is a software engineering pioneer, entrepreneur, technology executive, diversity and inclusion innovator, mentor, and philanthropist whose career has been dedicated to expanding opportunity within the technology industry. Over several decades, he has combined technical innovation with a commitment to helping Black professionals and other historically excluded groups enter, advance, and build lasting influence within the field. During his career at Microsoft, William contributed critical XML technology that was deployed across several of the company’s major products. He later became the first Technical Advisor to Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott, placing him in a position to influence technical strategy, engineering culture, and leadership at one of the world’s most influential technology companies. William also co-founded the Microsoft Leap Apprenticeship Program, an initiative designed to create alternative pathways into technology careers for people whose talent and experience may not be reflected by traditional hiring credentials. The program has trained developers and program managers from nontraditional backgrounds and helped participants convert their life experience, transferable skills, and technical potential into meaningful careers within Microsoft and the broader technology industry. Long before his leadership at Microsoft, William was among the early Black entrepreneurs working in Silicon Valley. Through his company Adamation, he developed custom enterprise applications for NeXT computers, the company founded by Steve Jobs, and helped pioneer an early network-based instant-messaging service that was later purchased by the CIA. His contributions to software engineering and entrepreneurship have been documented by the Computer History Museum. William’s broader mission is rooted in what he calls Tequity—the belief that Black communities must move beyond simply gaining access to technology jobs and begin building wealth, agency, and ownership through technology. His vision is to help Black professionals enter the industry, prosper within it, create companies, develop intellectual property, and hold an equity stake in the technologies shaping the future. Through mentorship, workforce-development initiatives, community investment, and programs such as The EV3NT, William encourages aspiring technologists to recognize that their experiences have value and that there is no single acceptable pathway into the industry. His work challenges companies to take greater responsibility for identifying talent, removing unnecessary barriers, and creating environments where people from different backgrounds can contribute and lead. William’s appearance on The Lifestrong Project, titled “Breaking the Code: The Diversity Gap in Tech,” examines the systemic barriers contributing to the underrepresentation of Black professionals in technology. The conversation explores the importance of access, mentorship, corporate accountability, alternative career pathways, and Black ownership in closing that gap. William’s story demonstrates that representation in technology is about more than employment numbers. It is about ensuring that Black people have the opportunity to design the products, influence the decisions, own the companies, and share in the wealth being created by the technologies transforming society..

Host/Producer/Entrepreneur

The Charles Matthews Show

Charles Matthews Jr. is a media host, entrepreneur, event producer, community mentor, and the founder and CEO of CMJ Entertainment Inc. For more than 25 years, he has used broadcasting, live events, and community service to connect people with information, opportunities, and stories that inspire personal and professional growth. Charles is the host of The Charles Matthews Show, a live, radio-style program featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, community leaders, professionals, and everyday people making a difference. He also hosts JUMP… Success Is Waiting!, a podcast centered on entrepreneurship, resilience, leadership, and taking practical action toward success. His commitment to young people extends beyond broadcasting. Charles has supported scholarship programs, youth-centered community events, sickle cell awareness initiatives, and organizations serving children and families. Through his involvement with the United Achievers’ Club, Camp Jumoke, the William Osler Health System Foundation, and other community organizations, he has helped create platforms that recognize achievement, encourage education, and connect young people with positive role models. Charles’s appearance on The Lifestrong Project, titled “Secrets for the Youth,” explores how young adults can prepare themselves for a prosperous future. His message emphasizes curiosity, resilience, service, lifelong learning, and the importance of taking action rather than waiting for success to arrive.

Wellness Strategist & Leadership Coach

Healed Hero

Adaku Mbagwu is a transformational coach, entrepreneur, speaker, and the founder of Healed Hero, a global coaching community created for high-achieving first-born daughters who are ready to stop overfunctioning, break inherited patterns, and build successful lives without sacrificing their peace, identity, relationships, or well-being. Known as The First Daughter Coach, she helps women move from carrying everyone else’s needs to leading their own lives with greater confidence, freedom, and ease. Born in Nigeria and raised as the eldest of six siblings, Adaku understands firsthand the expectations often placed upon first-born daughters to become responsible, dependable, and emotionally strong at an early age. These women are frequently expected to solve problems, care for family members, maintain peace, and place their own needs behind the needs of everyone around them. Although those qualities can produce capable and accomplished leaders, they can also create patterns of perfectionism, people-pleasing, chronic responsibility, emotional exhaustion, and burnout. Adaku’s work was shaped by her own difficult journey. The pressure to remain “the strong one,” combined with unresolved beliefs about responsibility, love, and personal worth, eventually contributed to a period of depression, emotional crisis, and instability during her early adulthood. Her recovery required more than changing her external circumstances. She had to confront the beliefs and survival patterns that had taught her that her value depended upon what she could accomplish, provide, or carry for others. After rebuilding her life, Adaku created a successful seven-figure recruitment business. However, her experience also taught her that financial achievement alone cannot heal emotional wounds or create genuine fulfillment. That realization led her toward transformational coaching and the creation of Healed Hero, where she now helps accomplished women develop healthier relationships with success, vulnerability, leadership, and self-worth. Through coaching, training, community support, and her Strategic Vulnerability™ approach, Adaku helps women identify the generational and cultural patterns driving their behavior. Her work challenges the belief that leadership must require constant sacrifice or that strength means never needing support. Instead, she teaches women to lead from wholeness, establish healthy boundaries, receive help without guilt, and create success that is sustained by their well-being rather than built at its expense. Adaku’s appearance on The Lifestrong Project, titled “From Overfunctioning to Overflow: Adaku Mbagwu on Healing and Leading with Ease,” examines the hidden burden carried by many high-achieving first-born daughters. The conversation explores how family expectations and generational responsibilities can lead to burnout—and how women can reclaim their power, heal deeply, and create lives in which they are no longer valued only for what they do for everyone else. Her story offers a powerful lesson in practical reinvention: true success is not found in becoming strong enough to carry everything. It is found in healing the belief that you were ever supposed to.

Author/Speaker/Educator

Maintain the Flame

Dr. Nicole D. Bradford is an educator, author, transformational speaker, life coach, entrepreneur, and the founder of Maintain the Flame, a personal and professional development platform that helps individuals overcome limitations, reconnect with their purpose, and create lives rooted in authenticity, confidence, and integrity. Dr. Bradford brings more than 25 years of experience in education and educational leadership. Throughout her career, she has served as a teacher, professor, assistant principal, campus principal, Vice President of Student Services, and director of higher-education programs. Her work has focused on strengthening educational environments, supporting student achievement, developing leaders, and helping young people recognize their potential. Her commitment to empowerment is deeply connected to her own story. Growing up in East Austin amid domestic violence, financial limitations, teen pregnancy, criminal activity, and low expectations for her future, Dr. Bradford refused to accept the life others imagined for her. She became a first-generation college graduate, earned her bachelor’s degree in three years and her master’s degree in one, and received her doctorate in education from Texas Southern University at the age of 27. She also became the first African American woman crowned Miss Austin. Through Maintain the Flame, Dr. Bradford works with educators, entrepreneurs, organizational leaders, parents, students, and people navigating personal transitions. Her coaching and speaking encourage individuals to protect their passion, establish healthy boundaries, make intentional decisions, and stop allowing the expectations of others to determine how they live. Her message is especially meaningful for people who have spent years achieving, caregiving, or meeting everyone else’s needs while gradually losing connection with themselves. Dr. Bradford is the author of 1 Step Is All It Takes, a faith-centered personal-development book that encourages readers to take consistent action toward the life they desire. She is also the author of My SOUL Is Not for SALE: Removing the Lies, Labels, and Limitations!, which examines toxic work environments, power dynamics, conformity, and the pressure people often face to compromise their identity or integrity to maintain a position, relationship, or paycheck. The book challenges readers to reclaim their voices, establish boundaries, and recognize that genuine fulfillment cannot be purchased at the cost of one’s soul. Her personal philosophy has also been shaped by profound loss and responsibility. After unexpectedly losing her sister and later becoming a caregiver for both of her parents, Dr. Bradford gained a deeper appreciation for the temporary nature of life. Those experiences strengthened her determination to help others stop postponing their happiness, honor what truly matters, and boldly pursue the lives they were created to live. Dr. Bradford’s appearance on The Lifestrong Project, titled “Being Audaciously Authentic,” explores what it takes to break free from lies, labels, and limitations and live according to one’s own values rather than the expectations of others. Her story reminds audiences that success is not simply about earning titles, meeting expectations, or appearing accomplished. It is about maintaining your integrity, protecting your inner flame, and refusing to trade the truth of who you are for acceptance, security, or approval.