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Some of the best conversations start at a dinner table. Last September, host Langston Clark welcomed product leaders and authors Oji and Ezinne Udezue into his San Antonio home for an intimate gathering. One of the guests that evening was Elisa Cuellar — a listener, entrepreneur, and founder of StorieCue — who walked away from that dinner inspired to stop sitting on her own big idea. That night lit a spark. This episode is the recorded continuation of that conversation. Oji, a former Chief Product Officer at Twitter, Calendly, and Atlassian, and managing partner of the Kernel Fund, and Ezinne, who has driven enterprise transformation at T-Mobile, Discovery Communications, Procore, and WP Engine, are the co-authors of Building Rocketships: Product Management for High Growth Companies. Together, they walk us through what separates builders who scale from those who stall — and why the fundamentals of product thinking matter now more than ever.  With Elisa serving as guest co-host, the trio explores customer listening, the Shipyard Model of innovation, AI's role in product development, and what it means to build rocket ships when the infrastructure — and the capital — looks completely different than Silicon Valley.  Whether you're a solo founder, a product leader, or someone who knows they have a rocket ship inside of them and just hasn't launched yet — this episode is for you.  Topics covered: product management, startup growth strategy, AI tools for founders, customer listening, Shipyard Model, Kernel Fund, innovation in Africa, venture capital in emerging markets, product-market fit, Black tech leadership, entrepreneurship. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

What happens when you lose a job with one minute's notice — and use that moment to build something entirely new? In part two of our conversation with Dr. Emmett Gill, founder of Athlete Talks and pioneer in sports social work, we go deep on the entrepreneurial grind of building a mental health app from the ground up during Covid, the brutal reality that only 15–20% of athletes who need mental health services actually seek them, and how Dr. Gill is thinking about reaching the other 80%. We also get into the seismic shifts reshaping college athletics — rev share, NIL, conference realignment, the shrinking of non-revenue sports — and what student athletes need to understand right now to position themselves for what's coming. Dr. Gill doesn't hold back on the hard truths: which sports he believes won't survive, why the dream of Black athletes returning to HBCUs may have passed, and why youth sports is where the real opportunity lies for the next generation of sports professionals. Plus, Dr. Gill shares his plans for growing Athlete Talks in 2026, his push to trademark the credential "Sports SW," and why relationships — not just hustle — are the foundation of sustainable entrepreneurship. This one is layered. Tune in. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

Can capitalism be a tool for collective black liberation? In this powerful episode of Entrepreneurial Appetite, host Langston Clark and special guest host Lloyd Kuykendoll (founder of Black Cabinet Education) sit down with Dr. Rachel Laryea, author of "Black Capitalists: A Blueprint for What's Possible," to explore one of the most urgent questions facing black communities today. Dr. Laryea, a former Goldman Sachs professional turned entrepreneur and thought leader, challenges us to rethink our relationship with capitalism. Drawing on Pan-African principles and her Ghanaian immigrant mother's hustle, she reveals how we can strategically engage with economic systems—not from a place of oppression, but from a position of power and collective uplift. This conversation goes deep into the distinction between being a black participant in capitalism versus being a true "black capitalist"—someone who repositions themselves within the economic system to achieve social good. Learn about innovative tools like Esusu's rent-to-credit reporting that's unlocking millions in capital access, traditional sou-sou money pooling practices, and the power of organized economic boycotts. Dr. Laryea shares hard-earned wisdom from Wall Street, addresses the "tax" of being black in corporate America, and explains why she wrote a book with such a polarizing title. From discussing the dangers of individualism and crabs-in-a-barrel mentality to exploring what it means to "lift as we climb," this episode offers a blueprint for economic empowerment rooted in community, not competition. Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or simply seeking to understand how to build black wealth without compromising black values, this conversation delivers actionable insights for our in-between moment—the space between where we are and where we're trying to go. Featured Guest: Dr. Rachel Laryea, Author of "Black Capitalists: A Blueprint for What's Possible" Special Guest Host: Lloyd Kuykendoll, Founder of Black Cabinet Education Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

In this powerful first episode of a two-part conversation, we sit down with Dr. Emmett Gill, founder of Athlete Talk and Director of Mental Health and Wellness at the University of Houston. Dr. Gill shares his remarkable journey from being a walk-on baseball player at UNC Charlotte who graduated third from last in his high school class to becoming one of the leading voices in sports social work and athlete mental health. Discover how a coach's ultimatum transformed Dr. Gill from a struggling student into an honor roll scholar-athlete, and how that experience shaped his life's mission to support the mental wellness of student athletes. Dr. Gill opens up about his academic journey—from earning his Master's in Social Work at Howard University with support from the Bill and Camille Cosby Fellowship, to navigating PhD programs at Penn and University of Maryland, to pioneering the field of sports social work when skeptics questioned its legitimacy. This episode explores critical topics including: The evolution of sports social work and why it's essential for today's student athletesMental health challenges facing college athletes across all sports—not just football and basketballHow Dr. Gill created the Athlete Talk app during COVID to reach the 80% of athletes who don't seek traditional mental health servicesThe connection between mental health and winning championships (UH football went from picked last to 10-3)Why only 15-20% of athletes who need mental health services actually seek themThe future of college athletics, NIL, revenue sharing, and transfer portal impactsWhy non-revenue sports may face elimination and what that means for student athletes Dr. Gill doesn't hold back on the state of college athletics, offering provocative insights about private equity in sports, the death of the HBCU athlete pipeline, and why he's trademarking "Sports SW" to protect the integrity of sports social work practice. Whether you're a student athlete, coach, athletic administrator, sports entrepreneur, or mental health professional, this conversation provides essential insights into the intersection of sports, mental wellness, and the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

🍗 From corporate cubicle to food truck empire—all without a single loan!  Daryl Smith Sr., co-founder of Wing-It and Spit-It, joins Entrepreneurial Appetite to share the unfiltered truth about building a successful mobile food business. Alongside host Langston Clark and special guest host Jeff May Jr. (SAAACAM CAO), Daryl reveals: ✓ How to bootstrap a food truck with zero debt ✓ The biggest mistakes new food truck owners make ✓ Why his book "The Food Truck Game" is changing the industry ✓ Real talk about pricing, operations, and profitability ✓ Partnership secrets with his wife and co-founder Wendi ✓ When (and when NOT) to expand to brick-and-mortar This isn't your typical "follow your dreams" story—it's a masterclass in strategic entrepreneurship, community building, and sustainable business growth in the competitive food industry. Perfect for aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and anyone hungry for real business wisdom. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

In this extraordinary bonus episode from the African Americans in Sport Podclass, Dr. Langston Clark sits down with Dorian Hairston—poet, educator, former University of Kentucky baseball player, and author of "Pretend the Ball is Named Jim Crow: The Story of Josh Gibson"—for a conversation that bridges sports history, poetry, and the humanization of Black athletic excellence. Josh Gibson was a Negro League baseball legend credited with hitting over 800 home runs in his career. He died in January 1947, just months before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in April of the same year. But Gibson's story is more than statistics—it's about a 19-year-old who lost his wife during childbirth, a man who faced Jim Crow at every turn, and an athlete whose greatness was confined by systemic racism. Dorian's book tells this story through poetry, not traditional biography. Using persona poems written from the perspectives of Josh Gibson, his wife Helen, his son Josh Gibson Jr., teammates like Hooks Tinker, and even time-traveling observers, Harrison creates what he calls "historical fiction"—using real historical figures and events to explore empathy, humanity, and the messy complexity of history. In this conversation, Dorian shares his journey from being a student-athlete who earned All-SEC Academic honors while playing baseball at Kentucky, to becoming an English major mentored by Kentucky's first Black Poet Laureate, Frank X Walker, to joining the Affrilachian Poets collective dedicated to "making the invisible visible" in Appalachian storytelling. He discusses the power of complex identity, the importance of preparing for life after sports, and why poetry is the best medium for humanizing historical figures who are often reduced to one-dimensional narratives. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

"What does it matter how present and future races will judge me? I have done my duty. I know my worth. That is enough for me." Jean-Jacques Dessalines's defiant words open this Black History Month episode of Entrepreneurial Appetite—a conversation about the revolutionary leader history tried to erase. Dr. Julia Gaffield, whose discovery of Haiti's Declaration of Independence made international headlines, joins us with special guest host Lloyd Kuykendoll to discuss why Dessalines deserves to be remembered as more than a warrior who secured Haiti's independence. This is the first English-language biography of the man who led the only successful slave revolution in history, and Dr. Gaffield reveals a figure of surprising complexity—loyal, witty, strategic, and deeply human. We explore why historians have overlooked him, what his story teaches us about the full arc of the Haitian Revolution, and why Haiti's Declaration of Independence—which imagined white skin as paper and blood as ink—needs to be read alongside America's founding document. Lloyd brings the passion of a veteran and self-taught historian who knows this work matters, creating moments of genuine emotion and insight. This conversation honors the rigorous work of Black scholars and their allies who are reclaiming our history, one archive at a time. During Black History Month and beyond, this is the scholarship that builds community, promotes intellectualism, and ensures our stories are told right. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

Jenna Smith takes us on a captivating journey from locker room to boardroom, revealing how her experiences as the "only girl on the team" shaped her path to founding Tandemount Sports Group. With remarkable clarity, she articulates the untapped potential at the intersection of beauty brands and women's sports, particularly for Black women athletes seeking authentic expression. The conversation explores how strategic brand alignments are closing the NIL gap between men's and women's sports. Smith's insights on Gen Z athletes' natural content creation abilities demonstrate why beauty and lifestyle brands have unique opportunities to partner with women athletes who are essentially "walking markets" during competition. We dive deep into emerging sports technology focused on critical women's sports challenges. From revolutionary injury prevention tools addressing the epidemic of ACL tears to biometric tracking systems accounting for menstrual cycles, Smith identifies where technology meets human performance in ways specifically benefiting women athletes. What makes this discussion particularly compelling is Smith's personal testimony of risk-taking. Her applications to prestigious universities despite self-doubt, her entry into venture capital without traditional backgrounds, and her international career moves all exemplify her powerful message: "The belief in myself will always be bigger than the belief anybody else has for me." Smith's vision extends beyond marketing to creating equitable opportunities for women athletes through advisory roles and equity positions with sports tech companies. She's working to ensure women athletes leverage their influence into long-term business opportunities and ownership stakes. For anyone navigating entrepreneurship, sports business, or seeking authentic representation, Smith's parting wisdom resonates deeply: "Don't be afraid to fail... You are 99% of the time equipped with the tools to do it. You just may not have the support system to push you." Her story illuminates why taking risks, building community, and believing in yourself creates pathways where traditional roadmaps don't exist. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

In this throwback episode of Entrepreneurial Appetite, host Langston Clark revisits his powerful conversation with Sho Nakpodia, founder of Dream Week San Antonio and Dream Voice. Discover how San Antonio became home to the largest Martin Luther King Day celebration in the country and how one Nigerian-born social entrepreneur transformed a single march into a 16-day summit of civil and civic engagement. Sho shares his journey from Lagos, Nigeria, through London and New York, to establishing roots in San Antonio, where he founded the Mighty Group advertising agency and later created Dream Week - a community-curated platform featuring hundreds of events focused on diversity, tolerance, equality, and social justice. Learn about the philosophy behind making Dream Week accessible to all voices, the importance of African American genius in leading social movements, and how San Antonio's unique DNA makes it the perfect incubator for peaceful dialogue across differences. This replay is essential listening as we prepare for Dream Week 2026 (January 9-31). Topics include social entrepreneurship, community building, cultural identity, navigating tier-two cities, local versus national impact, and creating platforms for marginalized voices Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

As we launch into Season 7 of Entrepreneurial Appetite, I'm sitting down with one of my favorite co-hosts, Lloyd Kuykendoll, founder of Black Cabinet Education, to preview what's coming in 2026 and reflect on the books and conversations that are shaping our thinking. Lloyd shares the four books that changed his life this year: The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James, I Have Avenged America by Julia Garfield (exploring the true legacy of Jean-Jacques Dessalines), The Wounded World: W.E.B. Du Bois and World War I by Chad L. Williams, and the rare bibliophile treasure Damn Rare by Charles Blockson. We dive deep into Du Bois—not just as an intellectual, but as a flawed human navigating mistakes like his controversial "Close Ranks" article, and how Anna Julia Cooper pushed him to write Black Reconstruction in America. I share my favorite interview from last season with Julius Garvey, Marcus Garvey's youngest son, discussing Justice for Marcus Garvey—an interview that happened just before President Biden pardoned Garvey. What's Coming in Season 7: We're previewing conversations with authors and entrepreneurs who are pushing the boundaries of Black economic thought: Dr. Rachel Laryea on Black Capitalists and what Pan-African business really meansTrey Baker and his blueprint for Black economic development in In the Black 2050Dr. Julia Gaffield on Dessalines and rewriting Haiti's narrativeOji and Ezinne Udezue, Nigerian-American tech leaders who wrote Building RocketshipsPlus book reviews of Banking on Freedom: Black Women in U.S. Finance Before the New Deal and Mentorship UnlockedLloyd reveals his dream interview: Dr. Greg Carr, Chad L. Williams, or Gerald Horne. I share mine: Demaurice Smith, former NFL Players Association executive director, on his book Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America's Game. This season, we're also evolving—more live events, more book reviews, and a challenge for you: share your favorite episode with six people to help us grow this community of Black entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and dreamers. Lloyd closes with his powerful origin story—from being a "functioning illiterate" who feared reading aloud to building Black Cabinet Education, where his books became his greatest friends and his ancestors spoke back to him when he was lost. Welcome to Season 7. Let's build together. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

Entrepreneurial Appetite: 2025 Year in Review - Your Top 5 Episodes As we close out an incredible Season 6, I'm reflecting on the conversations that moved you most. From franchise ownership to electric vehicles, fatherhood to family wealth, and global Black history—this season has been a journey of transformation and possibility. In this special episode, I'm counting down the five most downloaded conversations of the year, each one a blueprint for building community, promoting intellectualism, and supporting Black businesses. #5: Dr. Tamara J. Walker - Scholar and author of Beyond the Shores: A History of African Americans Abroad challenges us to see travel as a tool for reimagining Black identity and building global consciousness. #4: LaVaisha Davis - Wealth advisor and founder of L Wess Advisors reframes wealth building around family as your economic unit, revealing that it's not about what you make—it's about what you plan. #3: Shawn Rhoder - Entrepreneur and father shares how being present for his son became his greatest success story, redefining what it means to build generational wealth. #2: Mike Colias - Automotive journalist and author of Inevitable breaks down the electric vehicle revolution and what it means for American innovation, featuring special guest host Shawn Wilson. #1: Darren Vanderhall - Former corporate executive turned franchise owner explains why leaving 25 years at Coca-Cola to own a Signarama franchise was the best decision for his family's future. Each conversation offers insights, inspiration, and actionable wisdom for Black entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and dreamers ready to write their own success stories. My challenge to you: Pick your favorite episode and share it with six people. Let's grow this community together as we head into Season 7. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

In this episode of Entrepreneurial Appetite, we speak with Mike Colias, author of InEVitable: Inside the Messy, Unstoppable Transition to Electric Vehicles, and guest co-host Shawn Wilson, a business development leader in EV infrastructure. From the streets of Detroit to the battery factories of China, we explore what’s shaping the future of electric mobility, why legacy automakers fell behind, and what this transformation means for entrepreneurs and communities of color. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

Join us for a profound discussion with Cliff Goins IV—author, entrepreneur, and wealth strategist—as we examine the real costs and collective solutions to America’s racial wealth gap. With insights from his book, Minding the Wealth Gap, Cliff lays out practical steps for becoming a “gap closer,” no matter your income, background, or beliefs about capitalism. With guest host Lloyd Kuykendoll, the conversation is an honest exploration of history, policy, investment, and community, all rooted in Black economic empowerment. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

In this episode of Entrepreneurial Appetite, guest host and artist Porschia Danielle sits down with Maria Williams, the visionary founder of In the Eye of the Beholder Black Art Gallery and the Art of Four initiative. Maria shares how a single news segment sparked her mission to amplify the voices of Black artists in San Antonio—a city that lacked a dedicated Black art gallery. What began as a community-driven initiative to empower four artists evolved into a full-fledged gallery space committed to equity, impact, and legacy. Maria opens up about the challenges of sustaining an art business, the fluctuating nature of the art market, and why representation in galleries matters just as much as in museums. Listeners will gain insight into how art collecting, artist support, and community engagement form an ecosystem of cultural resilience—and how Maria is working to pass the baton to the next generation of Black cultural leaders. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

Ever wondered how military skills translate into successful entrepreneurship? Meet Benjamin Pratt, the brains behind TapRack Social, who is joined by fellow veteran and business partner Aubrey Lewis. Together, they’ve crafted an innovative entertainment venue in San Antonio, combining a bar, gun range, and golf range, all enhanced with top-tier tech. Get insights into how Benjamin's Air Force background laid the groundwork for this venture, empowering him with problem-solving prowess and communication finesse that are now pivotal in his entrepreneurial journey. Explore the intriguing concept of TapRack Social, where the buzz of a cocktail bar meets the thrill of a high-tech laser shooting experience in a Topgolf-like setting. This episode unveils the behind-the-scenes strategies that make this tech-forward venue a success, spotlighting the strategic location choices and dynamic partnerships. Benjamin shares how mastermind groups and mentorship are instrumental in navigating the entrepreneurial landscape, offering listeners a glimpse into how veterans can harness their unique skills for impactful community investments and business growth. We wrap up our conversation with a discussion on balancing business with family life, particularly for veterans stepping into entrepreneurship. Benjamin opens up about the importance of a supportive family, making time for his son, and how veterans can play a pivotal role in economic development through strategic investments. To inspire your entrepreneurial spirit, we also touch upon literary gems like "Think and Grow Rich" and "The Alchemist" that offer profound insights. Join us in this engaging episode for a mix of personal stories, strategic insights, and inspiration for veterans looking to make their mark in the business world. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub