The Black Sheep Podcast

We are living in a fascinating time, through suffering, pain and darkness, these are the times when artists, misfits and social innovators are needed more than ever. If the first Italian Renaissance grew out of the Black Death, could there be a New Renaissance in the making coming out of this pandemic?

Sam Kass is the little brother President Barack Obama never had. As the personal chef to the Obamas in the White House, Sam also co-founded a wellness movement with First Lady Michelle Obama. His stories are rich, unvarnished, and fun — a perfect way to end Season 2 of the Black Sheep Podcast!

Miguel McKelvey came to NYC just over a decade ago, working at the bottom of a pyramid in an architectural design firm. Today life looks a lot different as co-founder of WeWork with a global passion, and billions of net-worth. But he’s the same idealistic guy he was when he had to outsmart a large NYC rat over many days of toil and struggle. And, outsmarting that rat is an analogy for how Miguel finds purpose and meaning in life much more-so than any accolade.

Creative confidence can be very hard. We are thrilled to present this very special episode of a conversation about how to find and harness creative confidence that was recorded at our annual “PowerShift” gathering in April in Los Angeles. Our host for this episode is Julie Pilat, a true OG of music and tech, who is on the board of the BLK SHP Foundation. In this conversation, Julie Xzibit, Andrew Dost, Aloe Blacc and Jason Martin, aka the rapper “Problem”.  Sit back and be inspired by this real ta

Amy Chan, an entrepreneur and relationship columnist, has a powerful voice, story, and message. She shares here to use the power of framing to accept life and your emotions to catapult forward.  Today, Amy leads the company she founded: Renew Breakup Bootcamp.  No matter if you’re married or single, this conversation is going to get you thinking! Amy’s company: https://www.renewbreakupbootcamp.com/ Amy’s writing: https://www.justmytype.ca/about/

Victoria Canal is an amazing 20 year old with a very old soul. You hear it immediately in her voice. She was born to sing and be a songwriter/producer, there’s no doubt in her mind. Some find their purpose early in life, and yet in her youth, Victoria has fresh wisdom for us all. She’s already deeply touched so many and she’s still doing her 10,000 hours of learning how to perform on big stages. Catch her while you can! https://www.victoriacanal.com/home https://www.instagram.com/victoriacana

Phil Cooley is a bit like the Keyser Söze of Detroit. For people who marveled at Detroit’s renewal and reinvention from the outside, his name was one of the most frequent to surface. He’s a deeply passionate social entrepreneur with an artistic heart whose major ventures include Slow’s BBQ, a Detroit institution, as well as Ponyride, a 28,000 sq/ft. space for makers, inventors, entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. https://slowsbarbq.com/ https://www.ponyride.org/

Victorine Deych is one cool cat. She grew up in Brooklyn, before the Hipsters broke it. She's a hip hop kid, with an edge. She is the definition of self-made, and her journey may not have been possible before social media. But, build a platform she has: brick-by-brick.  The brains and provocative brand behind the Victorine, "a collection of unique, wild-crafted, organic, and ethically sourced scents." She's got some insight for us all.  https://victorinenyc.com/pages/about

Liz Hernandez was a radio personality and reporter on E! News, MTV, and Access Hollywood. She rediscovered her passion for words and started her own company Wordaful to help people think differently. Liz shares on the podcast her career journey, her childhood in a big Mexican American family, and her favorite celebrity interview.

Kojak has co-written and co-produced some of the biggest pop songs of the past decade, including  Flo Rida's "Right Round"and Ke$ha's "Blow". Oh, and he’s the funniest person we’ve had on the podcast so far. Hear some of the crazy stories from his life, from Worcester, Mass. to Brazil. And his advice for people who want to follow a creative existence.

What’s it like to fight for democracy in the digital age? Nobel Peace Prize nominee Wael Ghonim was a key leader in the Egyptian revolution and shares how the experience felt- and why he thinks anyone would do the same. Today, he’s revolutionary in another way: Wael is honest and vulnerable about his depression, and wants to bring more empathy into the world. Welcome to season 2 of The Black Sheep Podcast.

In a world of white sheep...we give voice to the artists, entrepreneurs, and activists who make the world more human. Join us for another season of inspiring conversations to unlock your inner artist, because no one can do that alone. Listen to the rest of the conversations on blkshp.org/podcast

Henry is President and CEO of 92Y, a cultural and community center in New York City, and the brain behind Giving Tuesday. He’s also a writer, philanthropist, and deep thinker. Henry shares his BLK SHP identity as a Brit and New Yorker, the creation of Giving Tuesday, and how to train yourself to follow your most creative dreams. This is the last episode of season 1, we'll be back soon with more creative leaders in season 2.

Adam Foss is a criminal justice reform advocate, you may have seen his powerful Ted Talk called “A Prosecutor’s Vision for a Better Justice System.” He talks on the podcast about finding his identity, creating unique metrics for success in the courtroom, and where we might find the next great civil rights leader.

Writer and artist Sarah Ladipo Manyika grew up between Britain and Nigeria, where she was surrounded by a culture of storytellers. She wrote the novels “In Dependence” and “Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun”. She spoke with us about the artist as an outsider and using her power to highlight emerging voices on the literary scene.