Blue Dope

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Sean Williams Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

Get ready to be inspired by this episode of Blue Dope, where Blue sits down with author and founder of The Dad Gang, Sean Williams. Sean was awarded the NAACP Unsung Hero Award for leading the Black Dads Matter march in response to the murder of George Floyd. As the son of Trinidadian immigrants, he understands the importance of a father's commitment to his family and the myths about fatherhood that must be dispelled.
The Dad Gang is an organization that promotes positive images, videos, and experiences of active Black dads to challenge negative stereotypes. They hold events such as brunches, panels, and marches. Sean talks about how it all started with the goal of changing the narrative surrounding Black fatherhood and how the organization continues to grow.
Sean emphasizes the importance of celebrating Black men and dads for all the great things they are doing and showing up for. He shares how he repaired his relationship with his father and advises fathers who may need to work on their relationship with their children. Sean believes a father’s commitment to his family should be taken seriously and prioritized over work because you cannot get fired from being a father and husband.
Sean Williams is a true advocate for active and present Black fathers, and his mission with The Dad Gang is one that is making a difference. By sharing positive images and experiences of Black fathers, Sean is changing the narrative and proving that love, commitment, and fatherhood go hand in hand.
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the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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Morgan Sandiego Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of Blue Dope, Blue converses with Morgan Murray, CRNP, PMHNP-BC, RN. Morgan is a board-certified psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner. Morgan shares her fascinating journey to becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner, her experiences working at top mental health facilities like Johns Hopkins and in the ER during the pandemic, and her mental health journey. She also discusses the pros and cons of having her private practice and offers advice for those interested in pursuing a career in healthcare.

Morgan's passion for travel is evident as she talks about her experiences as a travel nurse and her upcoming trips to places like Belize, Brazil, and Thailand. She also talks about the importance of self-care and exploration through travel and shares her love for Atlanta.

Throughout the episode, Morgan provides valuable insights into relationships and emotional intelligence. She shares her own experiences with dating and discusses the challenges of mixing business and relationships. She also talks about the impact of her growing social media following on her relationships.

One of the episode's highlights is Morgan's discussion of her identity as an empath and her life-changing experience on a slave tour in Ghana. Her vulnerability and openness about her growth process are both inspiring and relatable.

Morgan's distinct viewpoint and life experiences make for a compelling conversation, and her guidance and observations can be helpful for those interested in pursuing a healthcare career or managing personal relationships. Tune in for inspiration, motivation, and encouragement to follow your interests and adopt a growth-oriented approach.
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the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

Dolapo Erinkitola Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of Blue Dope, Blue chats with executive producer, entrepreneur, mentor, and philanthropist Dolapo Erinkitola. As the owner of Dolapo E. Productions, he is committed to making spaces for artists that are welcoming and safe while giving aspiring filmmakers the knowledge and tools they need to make great content.
Dolapo grew up in a Nigerian family with nine siblings in Chicago. In this conversation, he will talk about his experience transitioning from Chicago, where he grew up, to Atlanta, where he attended Morehouse College. Dolapo was a DJ in high school and college and became a restaurant owner in 2017 while in Atlanta, standing out by staying open later than other restaurants.
Dolapo has had a diverse career, spanning various industries such as film, music, restaurants, and corporate America. He shares the differences between these industries and the valuable lessons he has learned from each of them.
Dolapo also talks about what success means to him, the kind of content he wants to make, and his ideas about work and life. He attributes much of his success to his upbringing, work ethic, and education. He shares the most significant lessons he has learned from his parents and mentors, as well as the values he is instilling in his own daughters.
You can expect to gain valuable insights from Dolapo's experiences and learn from his unique perspective as someone who has been an integral part of the music and film industry. The episode is packed with insights and advice from someone who is passionate about creating opportunities for artists and sharing his knowledge to help others succeed.
Today's episode is brought to you by Magic Mind! You should check them out at MagicMind.co/BlueDope and join a group of people who get things done. You can also use my discount code BLUEDOPE20 to save 20% on your first one-time purchase or 40% on your first subscription.

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A portion of this episode is brought to you by Manscaped. Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code BLUEDOPE at Manscaped.com.

Follow Dolapo:

https://instagram.com/officialdolapoe

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Thank you so much for tuning into Blue Dope. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to the show if you enjoy the podcast.

Please visit us at Blue Dope.

the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

Ashley Johnson | Vegan Chef Ash Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

Ashley, AKA Vegan Chef Ash, is a Jamaican Chinese chef and founder of The Vegan Plan Experience program, where she offers services like catering, meal prep, and event hosting. Ashley grew up in Queens, NY, and has been vegan for seven years.
Before veganism, Ashley had to be on blood pressure medication and tried different eating methods to heal her body. Her eating habits before veganism even led to a few days in the hospital at one point. Following the birth of her children, Ashley got serious about healing, ditched alcohol, fast food, and meat, and decided to go fully vegan. Her new eating style led to many benefits for Ash, including feeling better, losing weight, and discovering who she is.
During this episode, Ashley will discuss what inspired her to start cooking as a career, how she's growing her brand, and what is important to her in her business. Through her business and social media, Ashley teaches people that vegan food can be tasteful and convenient. This is also why her brand is making its food more accessible by focusing on a lot of meal prep and pop-ups.
Ashley shares what veganism looks like for her and explains the differences between veganism, plant-based nutrition, vegetarianism, and pescetarianism. Due to the availability of so many vegan processed foods in the grocery stores, Ashley admits it’s harder to make healthy choices than when she first started being plant-based. She talks about what healthy versus unhealthy vegan eating looks like and her plan to get back to whole foods.
Additionally, Ashley and Blue will touch on the topics of spirituality and religion, self-care, and veganism as a lifestyle, a fad, and a diet. Ashley offers tips on what foods we should buy organic and how to season plant-based food to make them delicious. With foods such as jackfruit tacos, she pays homage to her heritage, which is very important.
Ashley's interesting and flavorful foods prove that vegan food doesn't have to mean bland salads. Her nonjudgmental approach to veganism shows that a more plant-based diet can be incorporated by everyone. Check out her socials below to learn more about her food services and veganism.
Today's episode is brought to you by Magic Mind! You should check them out at MagicMind.co/BlueDope and join a group of people who get things done. You can also use my discount code BLUEDOPE20 to save 20% on your first one-time purchase or 40% on your first subscription.

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A portion of this episode is brought to you by Manscaped. Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code BLUEDOPE at Manscaped.com.

Follow Ashley:

https://www.veganchefash.com/

https://www.instagram.com/veganchefash

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the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

Arnold Taylor Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

This week on Blue Dope, Blue talks to Arnold Taylor, CEO of South Coast Music Group. A music industry veteran, Arnold has signed artists like Future and Da Baby, as well as other big names.
In his own words, Arnold has always been a businessman and a person with an entrepreneurial approach to life. Growing up, he would tell his mom that he would be rich and was lucky to have a mom who never dismissed his plans as far-fetched. Arnold naturally has a lot of passion for what he does, which shows in his work.

Despite always wanting to work for himself, Arnold worked for several independent labels doing marketing and promotions before launching his own label. Arnold worked for Blackground Records, then for Def Jam Records for eight years, followed by Epic Records. These opportunities helped Arnold learn the politics of the industry as well as the structure of the corporate environment. Doing these jobs involved a lot of code-switching; he had to learn to be respected at work while being the only black person in a room sometimes and also be respected when he was with his boys. Both spaces became equally comfortable to him.

After working at these labels, Arnold decided to take his knowledge to the next level by starting his own record label, South Coast Music Group. He always knew he wanted to establish Charlotte and the Carolinas in the music industry and aims to find its best talent that can go worldwide.

In addition to Arnold’s experiences coming up in the industry and starting his own label, a few other topics Blue and Arnold will discuss are how Arnold spots talent, how he chooses his team, and how he feels about ghostwriting.
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Today's episode is brought to you by Magic Mind! You should check them out at MagicMind.co/BlueDope and join a group of people who get things done. You can also use my discount code BLUEDOPE20 to save 20%on your first one-time purchase or 40% on your first subscription. My code for 40% off is only good for 10 days, so act fast!
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Follow Blue Dope:

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Thank you so much for tuning into Blue Dope. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to the show if you enjoy the podcast.

the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

Alyi V Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

Joining Blue in this episode is Alyi V, founder of the Alyi V Experience, a full-service creative agency, and host of Growing Up Latina, a podcast where Alyi has candid conversations with Latina influencers and artists.

Alyi is an event producer producing celebrity and corporate events and is an on-air radio personality, having starred on Sirius XM’s Hip Hop Nation. Among the people she has interviewed are Cardi B, Rick Ross, and many more.

Taking some risks, always being prepared, and focusing on building good contacts allowed Alyi to become known in her industry and start creating her own content. As Alyi lives by the motto that work creates work and life is short, she tries to make the most of this moment as she believes every day isn't promised.

After co-starring on Hip Hop Nation with DJ Suss for 4.5 years, Alyi decided she wanted to give back to her community, something she always knew was important to her. As a result, she went back to hosting her show, Growing Up Latina. She hopes to positively influence her community by covering topics such as mental health, which is not often discussed in her community.

Alyi is a great example of how to bet on yourself and fill your cup before giving back to your community. During this interview with Blue, Alyi will discuss her experience moving from Puerto Rico to Spanish Harlem, the tough situations she experienced growing up, and her relationships with her family. In addition, she will talk about how she came up in radio, what motivated her, how she built a name for herself, the challenges she faced, and how she manifested the life she lives now.
Today's episode is brought to you by Magic Mind! You should check them out at MagicMind.co/BlueDope and join a group of people who get things done. You can also use my discount code BLUEDOPE20 to save 20% on your first one-time purchase or 40% on your first subscription. My code for 40% off is only good for 10 days, so act fast!

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A portion of this episode is brought to you by Manscaped
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code BLUEDOPE at Manscaped.com

Follow Alyi V:

http://www.thealyivexperience.com/about/

https://www.instagram.com/thealyivexperience
https://instagram.com/alyiv

https://www.twitter.com/alyiv

https://www.tiktok.com/@alyiv_?_t=8XtI3BRG3AY&_r=1

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Thank you so much for tuning into Blue Dope. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to the show if you enjoy the podcast.

Please visit us at Blue Dope.

the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

A.V. Perkins Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

Today’s guest is A.V. Perkins of AVDoesWhat.com. As a DIY and hip-hop enthusiast, A.V. describes herself as a cross between Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.
Her Martha side hosts a craft blog called AV Does What and has hosted on or appeared on HGTV, HGTV Handmade, Apartment Therapy, and The Drew Barrymore Show. To keep herself accountable for doing the things she loves, A.V. started vlogging about crafts and other things she was passionate about after the sudden death of her father. A.V. credits her DIY skills to her father's handiness and construction background, as she and her siblings were always helping her father fix things around the house.
University of Dope, a "disrespectful" party game for Hip Hop lovers, is the brainchild of A.V.’s Snoop Dogg side. As part of this episode, A.V. discusses how University of Dope evolved from an idea she developed with her college girlfriends into an award-winning game featured in Forbes, NBC, Essence, Cosmopolitan, and Esquire and has sold over 15,000 copies to date. The game is slated to hit Target stores nationwide in January 2023 in time for Black History Month.
A.V. gives hope to those with various interests who are unsure where to begin or think they're not creative enough. Her goal is to get people to stop restricting themselves when it comes to creativity by believing they must create grand projects. Everyone can be creative and achieve their dreams, according to A.V.
A.V.’s philosophy is that you speak your desires into existence and your negative beliefs, so she avoids talking negatively about herself. In this episode, A.V. will talk more about the mindset that led her to where she is today, how she manifested her appearances on HGTV, her journey to creating a first-of-its-kind hip-hop card game that has been played by hip hop legends like Method Man and Warren G, and what she sees for the future of her career and brand.
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This episode is brought to you by Manscaped
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code BLUEDOPE atManscaped.com

Follow A.V. Perkins:

https://www.avperkins.com/

https://www.instagram.com/avdoeswhat/

https://www.tiktok.com/@avdoeswhat

https://www.youtube.com/avdoeswhat

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Thank you so much for tuning into Blue Dope. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to the show if you enjoy the podcast.

Please visit us at Blue Dope.

the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

Shelah Marie Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Shelah Marie is an artist, storyteller, and energy shifter who has built a community of Black women committed to healing and wellness. Among the many things Shelah has done in her life, she has been an actress, a playwright, and a teaching artist. A natural-born storyteller and an advocate for making healing spaces for Black women, she brings all these experiences to her current and ever-evolving roles as a wellness influencer, content creator, healer, and author.

Growing up as the only Black person in her household, she never had the luxury of ignoring race. In fact, she argues that racism in America is often more insidious than outright racism since many forms of discrimination and hate go unnamed. Shelah remembers getting subtle messages that Blackness wasn't okay, both in her household and out in the world, and she was confused about what made her different. Shelah felt like she couldn't show up as her true and whole self for some time, but as you'll learn from this interview, she's not one to be shy. Essentially, she has made it her job to be honest and authentic. By naming problems, she believes we can address the root causes of the problem and stop recreating the same oppressive systems.

As Shelah shared her story on social media, a lot of Black women identifying with her feelings of body insecurity, self-esteem, depression, and anxiety began to follow it, which led to the beautiful community of Black women she has brought together and her movement Curvy, Curly, Conscious, committed to helping them heal, evolve and reconnect to themselves.

Yoga and meditation were a big part of Shelah's healing journey, so she wanted to fill the wellness gap she saw by providing spaces and resources for Black women, resources that young Shelah could have benefited from. Shelah achieved this by creating the Meditation Mixtape series available on all streaming platforms, producing sold-out international retreats for Black women, and writing "A Positive You: A Personal Growth Journal for Women."

In this episode, Shelah will go into greater depth about her story and what it was like for Shelah to turn a passion into a business, navigate relationships, and heal generational trauma. Furthermore, Shelah will discuss what the writing process has been like for her forthcoming book, due out in 2024, as well as what her wellness retreats for Black women are all about and how to catch the next one.

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This episode is brought to you by Manscaped
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code BLUEDOPE at Manscaped.com

Follow Shelah Marie:

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https://www.facebook.com/theshelahmarie

https://twitter.com/ShelahMarie

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjteeZ0hptxLYLYPdtLOOjw

https://www.instagram.com/theshelahmarie/

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the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

Gia Peppers Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

We all have something valuable to say and gifts to share, and our voices are powerful. However, when you don't see someone like you represented in the places you want to be, it can feel not very safe to believe in yourself enough to put yourself out there and take on your dreams. The key is to believe in your greatness and uniqueness sufficient to push through the doubts that will come up.

This week, Blue speaks with on-air talent, entertainment journalist, content creator, and podcaster Gia Peppers. You may know Gia from her work on the "Today Show," her podcast, "More Than That with Gia Peppers" or her podcast, "Black Girl Pod."

Performing has always been Gia's safe place, and as a child, her room was her stage, where she performed for her stuffed animals. Seeing people who pursued their craft and accomplished great things gave Gia the courage to pursue a career in the entertainment business. In this episode, Gia talks about how she realized she had something unique to contribute to the world and could still be kind to others while making it in the competitive entertainment field.

Gia attributed her success to her faith, network, and hard work. She encourages people to appreciate their feelings and examine their thinking patterns. Gia says she tries to listen to her needs by getting still, being present, and journaling.

Gia's content strives to amplify the voices of other Black creators and remind others of their innate greatness. Gia points out that there is enough room for everyone in every industry since everyone has a unique story.
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This episode is brought to you by Manscaped
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code BLUEDOPE at Manscaped.com

Follow Gia:

https://www.instagram.com/giapeppers

https://www.giapeppers.com/

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Thank you so much for tuning into Blue Dope. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to the show if you enjoy the podcast.

Please visit us at Blue Dope.

the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

Good Moms Bad Choices | Erica Dickerson and Jamilah "Milah" Mapp May 24, 2022

Show notes

Blue sits down with Erica Dickerson and Jamilah "Milah" Mapp of the highly-rated Good Moms, Bad Choices podcast in this week's episode. The two are uncensored and outspoken sex and cannabis-positive parents redefining what modern motherhood looks like and breaking life's archaic stereotypes.
Join us for a Dope Conversation on their journey from single parenting to entrepreneurship, including retreats, an upcoming book, and more!
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This episode is brought to you by Manscaped
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code BLUEDOPE at Manscaped.com

Follow the ladies:

https://www.instagram.com/goodmoms_badchoices

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Thank you so much for tuning into Blue Dope. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to the show if you enjoy the podcast.
*

Please visit us at Blue Dope.

the Transgenda
The funny and informative chronicle of Ana, a transgender woman and Cam, her cisgender Dad

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show