Deandre Brown
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Prisoner to Pastor, DeAndre Brown S.O. What! Success Story

Several years ago I was asked to join the board of directors for a new non-profit charter school that wanted to come to Memphis, Pathways in Education. We had a small board of only three, and when one of our board members had to leave the board…
Joann Massey
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Joann Massey S.O. What! Success Story

People don’t have to support you.  That was very apparent to me as a young mother and even more apparent when it really got tough raising a teenager. But it also became painfully apparent when I became an entrepreneur. Then, someone,…
Staci Franklin
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Breast Cancer Survivor Staci Franklin S.O. What! Success Story

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was looking up to this (from my perspective) super experienced woman who had just been hired to work in Community Investments at the Memphis Grizzlies. I was 21, and she (Staci Franklin) was only in…
expensive lesson no parking
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Expensive Lessons- My $1,200 Economy Rental Car

If you know me, then you know I appreciate free. But I think you'll appreciate these expensive lessons I learned on a recent trip with a brand new experience. My first in-person speaking engagement (since COVID) March 8, 2020, I flew home…
Alton Cryer
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Why You Should Never Give Up on Our Young Men, Alton Cryer S.O. What! Success Story

When I started my speaking journey, I was invited to share my “Against All Odds” story. That was for the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. One of the students in the audience was Alton Cryer. Whom I…
Summer Owens Juneteenth
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Why Honoring Juneteenth Matters

Yesterday, for the first time in history, Americans across the country honored Juneteenth as a national holiday. For years, many African Americans have celebrated the momentous occasion which commemorates the day in 1865. When former American…
Ashley Daniel
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Being a Mom is a Full-Time Job, Ashley Daniel S.O. What! Success Story

One thing I know for sure is that you never know what the future holds. When I met Ashley Daniel, Bradshaw at the time. We were college freshmen excited about serving on the Student Activities Council. By our sophomore year, we were both…
Darci (Richcreek) Caesar
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One of the Most Emotional Interviews I’ve Done – Darci (Richcreek) Caesar

I attended the University of Memphis on the Emerging Leaders Scholarship and one of my special Emerging Leaders friends was Darci (Richcreek) Caesar. It was a small group of us, and we learned a lot about leadership and grew together as…
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Graduating Against the Odds: How I Made it to My 20 Year College Graduation Anniversary

It's graduation season, and many students are graduating against the odds. Financial challenges, lack of support, illnesses, competing priorities, too many responsibilities and so many other obstacles keep many people from completing college. But…