Shows
Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesTeach Them YoungThere are TOO many things that we didn’t learn as young people that we should have. Maybe the adults around us thought we were too young, or maybe the grown-ups in our lives didn’t have the time because they were also blindsided by what they did not know.Regardless, as adults, we've realized the mistakes we have made and how much we didn't know and want the kids we love to know better and do better.In this episode, Luvvie discusses the things she wishes she'd known as a teenager, and how these less...2022-04-2713 minProfessional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesDo Your Best (with Jovian Zayne)This week on Professional Troublemaker, we are sharing an encore episode where Luvvie is in conversation with Jovian Zayne, founder of International Day of Purpose, speaker, coach, and all-around Empress of Epicness. As a recognized thought leader in the professional development and diversity spaces, Jovian centers her work around empowering people to discover, celebrate, and activate the power within their purpose. Her mantra, “Live On Purpose”, translates across both her professional and personal lives, as Jovian uses these three words as a metric to assess the impact and value of the work she’s doing in the world a...2021-06-151h 10Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesPush Forward (with Latham Thomas)We’re revisiting another conversation this week on Professional Troublemaker! Luvvie is talking to Latham Thomas - wellness maven to the stars, birth doula, and queen regent of radical self-care.Latham is an incredible storyteller and she lets us in on how the birth of her son catapulted her into her purpose. We learn about birthing as a chemical, transformative experience and how her ancestors showed up on her behalf to guide her through the process. This episode shines a light on the Black maternal health crisis and how racial bias, education, and economic stability all...2021-06-081h 04Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesExpand Your World (Luvvie's Travel Essentials)This week on Professional Troublemaker, we are airing an encore episode where Luvvie is sharing her travel favorites. As people get vaccinated and the world starts to open up again this summer and after traveling hundreds of thousands of miles for work and play, Luvvie has opinions to share on travel essentials. She's sharing everything from her favorite travel products from packing cubes that will help you organize your luggage to noise-canceling headphones to tune out the world during your flight to a few tips to make your trip a little easier.Visit Luvvie's travel page at...2021-06-0245 minProfessional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesSay Yes (with Elizabeth Gilbert) On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is in conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert for her Onward Book Club that she holds each month on her Instagram Live. Elizabeth created the Onward Book Club as a way of spotlighting, studying, and celebrating the work of Black female authors, and Luvvie was honored to be her guest in April as Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual was spotlighted. Elizabeth and Luvvie have a wide-ranging conversation, featuring some stories that hadn't been told yet on the Professional Troublemaker Tour. They talk about Luvvie's grandmother and her story in more detail, and why...2021-05-251h 34Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesUnearth Who You Are (with Sarah Jakes Roberts)On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking to bestselling author and businesswoman Sarah Jakes Roberts. Sarah is the daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes and Mrs. Serita Jakes and pastors a dynamic community of artists and professionals in Hollywood alongside her husband, Touré Roberts and is the phenomenal mother of six kids. In this episode, Sarah shares some of the adversities she’s had to overcome that eventually led her to who she is today. She’s an example of someone who is willing to show up with heart, and she’s a leader who demonstrat...2021-05-181h 10Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesChallenge Authority (with Donna Brazile)This week on Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is speaking to veteran political strategist, Donna Brazile. Donna is the former interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee and became the first African American woman to serve as the manager of a major party presidential campaign when she ran the campaign of former vice president Al Gore. Donna is a best-selling author and speaks at colleges and universities across the country. She’s been an adjunct professor at Georgetown and the Harvard Kennedy School and is currently the Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy at How...2021-05-111h 06Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesCheck Yourself (with Rachel Rodgers)On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking to lawyer, coach, and newly minted author Rachel Rodgers. Rachel is the founder of Hello Seven, a multi-million-dollar company that teaches women how to earn more money and build wealth, and she’s the author of We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic PowerRachel is telling some powerful and formative stories she’s never shared before. She talks all about her career as a lawyer and how she shifted into the coaching and entrepreneurial space, and why she’s so...2021-05-041h 02Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesLet Love Save You (with Yvette Noel-Schure)In this #ArchiveApril episode, we're re-airing Luvvie's 2019 interview with Yvette Noel-Schure - legendary media mogul and publicist to stars like Prince, Maxwell, and Beyonce. Luvvie and Yvette are talking about how she chooses happiness and has established an award-winning career built on respect, loyalty, hard work, and love. And Yvette shares one of our favorite, heart-opening stories we've ever heard on the podcast. We learned so much about love and life from this conversation, we wanted to share it again.Be sure to follow Yvette on Instagram (@yvettenoelschure) and come back next week for an all-new episode o...2021-04-271h 05Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesOwn the Narrative (with Rich Dennis)In this 2018 episode that we're re-sharing as part of Archive April, Luvvie has an in-depth conversation with Sundial Brands Co-Founder and CEO Rich Dennis. In this interview, Rich shares how he went from selling soaps on 125th street in Harlem to building a business that is now a global conglomerate. He chats about why economic freedom is so critical for the Black community and breaks down the costs of (not) buying Black. He talks about buying ESSENCE Magazine and explains how he had the conviction to insist that Unilever invest $100 million in Black women entrepreneurs as part of this...2021-04-201h 29Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesOwn Your Purpose (with Thasunda Brown Duckett)Today on Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is in conversation with Thasunda Brown Duckett. This is an encore episode from a previously aired conversation on Rants & Randomness that we just had to re-share as part of Archive April. At the time of this interview, Thasunda was serving as the CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, but earlier this year she was named as the president and CEO of TIAA and is the first woman to serve in that role. Thasunda is at the top of her game in her career and is a mother of four, proud wife, proud daughter, a...2021-04-131h 01Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesGo Unafraid (with Bozoma Saint John)On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is bringing back a conversation she had with her guest Bozoma Saint John back in 2018. We’re reaching back into past episodes of the podcast you may have missed and sharing great conversations with Professional Troublemakers as part of what we're calling Archive April.Though she’s now the Chief Marketing Officer for Netflix, at the time of this interview Boz had just left Uber and was taking on a new role as Endeavor’s Chief Marketing Officer. We talk about why she must bring unfiltered #NoirPixieDust into boardrooms and how she...2021-04-0651 minProfessional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesGive the Praise (with Jason Mayden)On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, host Luvvie Ajayi Jones is talking to legendary shoe-designer and President of Fear of God Athletics, Jason Mayden. In this episode, they discuss Jason’s journey from designing girl’s names in bubble letters to designing shoes for Nike at 21. Jason describes his design strategy as “looking for the narrative”. Instead of looking at other products for inspiration, he sees products as artifacts that tell a story. And when it comes to presenting these ideas, he has had to kill impostor syndrome and advocate for himself. They converse about the urge to give in...2021-03-3058 minProfessional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesBe Less Apologetic (with Kimberly Blackwell)On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking to CEO of PMM Promotions and communications powerhouse, Kimberly Blackwell. As another honorary “almost-doctor”, Kimberly talks about her pre-med beginnings and journey to entrepreneurial success. We engage in conversation about building wealth and legacy, working toward meaningful goals, and trusting your team. Kimberly also delves into being an advocate for community, having positive women to be vulnerable with, and the strength she has found in her friends like Luvvie. We get into the good and the challenging parts of living in your purpose unapologetically. Grab a notebook and a pen...2021-03-231h 15Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesFight Your FearHow would our lives be different if we were given permission to be disruptors for the greater good? How far will we have gone if we already knew that our jobs aren’t to shy away from big things but to run towards them? How dope would our legacy be if we knew that FEAR is natural and we’re actually supposed to do the things that scare us? You can’t have courage without fear. You’ve already got the first step to having courage – you’re afraid. Don’t stop there. Don’t beat yourself up. Don’t put sha...2021-03-0221 minProfessional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesBe the Queen (with Elsa Majimbo)On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking to comedian and social media sensation Elsa Majimbo. Pre-global pandemic, Elsa was a journalism student with just over seven thousand followers. Fast forward a few viral videos later, and Elsa is out here with a Fenty endorsement and major corporate partnerships, taking meetings with actors and musicians she's looked up to for years, releasing her own ASMR song about snacks on Apple Music and Spotify, all while millions of people around the world waiting for her to drop her next video. Elsa is making her voice heard through her...2021-02-2351 minProfessional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesTake the Mantle (with Tarana Burke)In this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking with someone who is the literal walking definition of what a professional troublemaker is. She’s a truthteller, she’s a disruptor, she’s a trailblazer and a change agent – activist, author, and speaker Tarana Burke.In this Fear Fighter February conversation, Luvvie and Tarana talk about what it was like for Tarana growing up and all the paths she walked down to end up on the one she’s on right now, the pain of being misunderstood when you’re trying to make the world a better place for ever...2021-02-161h 25Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesRun Your Race (with Eunique Jones Gibson)On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is sharing the audio from an IG Live conversation she had with Because of Them We Can founder Eunique Jones Gibson. Part of Fear-Fighter February, this conversation was so filled with inspiration to help people fight their fear and live audaciously, we had to share it here on the Professional Troublemaker podcast as well. Eunique is the publisher and creative mind behind not only Because of Them We Can, but the creator of the wildly popular game #CultureTags. She was our first guest on the podcast, and we’re thrilled to have her...2021-02-0952 minProfessional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesMind Your Own Body (with Gabourey Sidibe)This week on Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking to award-winning actress and writer Gabourey Sidibe. After breaking on the scene as the title character in the Academy Award-nominated film, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, Gabby has gone on to create memorable characters on several seasons of the Emmy Award-nominated anthology series “American Horror Story.” She has also appeared in the Golden Globe Award-nominated series “The Big C,” and on the smash-hit series “Empire.” Gabby is also a director, with several television episodes and short films to her credit. Her critically acclaimed first book, "This Is Just My Face: Try Not...2021-02-021h 19Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesNormalize TherapyOn this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is reflecting on the recent passing of her therapist of four years, and how that has caused her to reflect on the importance of therapy in her evolution over that time. Luvvie is talking through some of the feedback and comments she has received after writing about her therapist’s death on AwesomelyLuvvie.com, and how things are going now as she continues to figure out how to process the death of the person who helped her process life. Luvvie is also talking all about the importance of therapy for eve...2021-01-2632 minProfessional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesUse Your Voice (with Cynthia Erivo)On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking to multiple award-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo. Cynthia is a Tony®, Emmy® and Grammy® Award-winning actress, as well as Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, and SAG nominee. She played Celie in the West End and Broadway revivals of the musical “The Color Purple,” and was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in “Harriet," She currently appears on the HBO series “The Outsider,” and will soon play Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s “Genius: Aretha,” airing in March.During their conversation, Cynthia and Luvvie are talking about how she landed her li...2021-01-191h 24Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesTake Your Shot (with Jessica O. Matthews)On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking to the Founder & CEO of Uncharted Power, award-winning scientist Jessica O. Matthews. Her list of accolades is amazing. Jessica has two degrees from Harvard, Forbes 30 Under 30, Harvard Scientist of the Year, listed on over 12 patents and patents pending, including her first invention of the SOCCKET – an energy-generating soccer ball she invented at the age of 19. But Jessica is a professional troublemaker, not just for all she’s accomplished, but that she is committed to solving big problems and refuses to let people suffer or live a life that is less than...2021-01-121h 25Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesMake Good TroubleWelcome to the Professional Troublemaker podcast. As we’ve been preparing to launch Luvvie’s new book Professional Troublemaker into the world, we’ve been auditing and examining everything we do. We want to make sure that the content we create and the things we offer are the best of what you need to do better. In this episode, Luvvie talks all about where this new name comes from, defines what a professional troublemaker is, and why it is so needed right now. You’ll get a peek into the kinds of interviews we’ll be bringing you and wha...2021-01-0509 min
Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi JonesMove ForwardOn this episode of Rants & Randomness, we’ve got a big announcement. As we’ve been preparing to launch Luvvie’s new book Professional Troublemaker into the world, we’ve been auditing and examining everything we do. We want to make sure that the content we create and the things we offer are the best of what you need to do better. When we looked at the podcast, we realized something. Rants & Randomness had grown up too. We weren’t doing the rants anymore. And the interviews have become more and more focused on dope people who a...2020-12-2308 min
Taking A Leap -- Deborah BrownOct 3 Luvvie Ajayi - New York Times best-selling authorLuvvie AjayiWebsite: luvvie.org/ Email: Luvvie@aweluv.comLuvvie Ajayi is a New York Times best-selling author (“I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual”), sought-after speaker; digital strategist and trainer who thrives at the intersection of comedy, technology, and activism. She leverages her background in marketing, communications and new media to present on topics related to blogging, branding, social media, nonprofits, digital marketing and online advocacy/activism, entrepreneurship. She is also the creator of The Red Pump Project which is a nonprofit that raises awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls.2016-10-0222 min