Why, Indy?

Chef James Jones, owner and head chef at His Place Eatery talked about his passion for not just the food, but more so the service. James tells me fun stories of how he and his wife created their eccentric menu, as well as his idea of how "Good food is universal" and that his restaurant is a place for anyone who wants to celebrate soul food. After you listen, go get you the best soul food in Indy!

My main man and owner of Gordon's Milkshakes, Carl Gordon joins me on the mic for one of the realest conversations to date. We disagree, we laugh, but most importantly we learn from one another. Carl shares his authentic experience as the only black-owned business on Mass Ave, and together we reflect on the positives and negatives of Indianapolis. This conversation catalyzed a friendship and partnership that led to the creation Why, Indy? Podcast's Blueberry Crumble Milkshake. Available for the entire month of May 2021.

We ended this season right with a killer conversation with Indy native, high school administrator, author, and non-profit founder, Marc Hardy. Marc reminded us that every person we reach is progress. Changing one is changing many. Through his action-oriented mindset, Marc has made a lasting impact on his clients and now you!

We've had tons of conversations off the mic, and we were finally able to record one with the active, energizing, and fierce Ashley Miser. Ashley is the Vice President at IndyHub, a local nonprofit whose mission is to grow, engage and empower a community of 20-and 30-somethings who are meaningfully connected to Indy and invested in its future. We got Ashley's perspective on the culture of our city, young professionals' levels of connection, and the success of IndyVolved 15. In every conversation we have, I always learn something new about Indy. Always reminding me to never sleep on Naptown.

In our first panel discussion, we had the opportunity to talk to State Senate candidate Belinda Drake, Pastor Jeffrey Johnson II, and entrepreneur/activist Jordan Stewart-Curet about the empowerment and liberation of the Black community. There are no right answers in these types of dialogues, but these guests were truly phenomenal in the thoughtfulness and inclusivity that they put into each word. It's because of people like Belinda, Jeffrey, and Jordan that we are hopeful for the future. Tune in and tune up! Also...please vote.

Kristin Kohn, the owner of Silver in the City, is one of our favorite people to join us on the show. Her philosophy, humility, and thoughtfulness are a few of the great things that came up in this episode where we talked about the development of Mass Ave, stories of Silver in the City, and finding silver linings. Hope you enjoy!

Kelli Jones talked to us today about the value and beauty of our ideas. And we listened as she is now executing 2 incredible ideas of her own. 68 Capital, the first Indiana-based Venture Capital firm dedicated to investing in Black, Brown, Women, LGBTQ+, and disabled founders; and Be Nimble, a 501(c)(3) social enterprise with the goal of advancing diversity initiatives to create fully inclusive tech ecosystems. She's got plenty more where that came from. Excited to see where she goes!

Sometimes you need to stop before moving forward. We're taking a step back this week to reflect on our last 14 conversations. We talk about the many lessons we've learned from our guests, the direction we'd like to take the show, and what we would like to see change in our community. We also are introducing a video component, so you can see us at work and peep our new apartment that will also function as a recording studio! Check it out on our IG!

Servant leader, strategist, and founder of many organizations, TJ Wright kept it real with us this week. TJ is a proud believer in building your organization with the interest of others in mind. He made us firm believers, as well!

"The beauty of right now is that everyone is uncomfortable, but we are getting  more comfortable in this discomfort. And while we're here, we can't have surface level conversations anymore." We were blessed to hear these words directly from community leader and Forefront Columnist at IBJ, Adrianne Slash as she shared her perspective on prioritizing goals, navigating friendships, having difficult conversations, and connecting people to resources. 

Antonio Carter shared his unique and inspiring story of starting and growing his own business, Freshlocs, just one year out of being incarcerated. Antonio is a local Indy loctician but is highly regarded across the nation for what he can do with hair. Truly amazing! We also talked about the loc journey and it's symbolism for how we choose to navigate life.

The Bottleworks District is a $300 million, 12-acre urban mixed-use development, Bottleworks will reimagine the iconic Coca-Cola building in downtown Indianapolis. The largest private development of its kind in Indiana, Bottleworks will serve as a culinary, arts and entertainment hub, featuring the city’s first food hall, a hotel and unique residential options, as well as 180,000 square feet of creative office space and 175,000 square feet of prime retail space. We were lucky enough to talk to the VP of Development for Hendricks Commercial Properties, Gavin Thomas to take a dive into Bottleworks and discuss the development of Indianapolis as a whole. 

We were blessed to spend an hour with a major up-and-comer in Indianapolis, Bunmi Akintomide. Bunmi is climbing the ladder in an organization within the tech industry, while creating several organizations of his own including Indy Black Millenials, Afro United, and Shop Black Indy. We learned so much from Bunmi's go-getter mentality and fierce desire to bring people together. 

Owner of Naptown Thrift, rapper, Indy native, and dear friend, Aaron Marshall (aka Double A) chopped it up with us on entrepreneurship, responding to adversity, and investing in our communities. While attending Butler University, Aaron started Naptown Thrift in 2015 selling thrifted vintage clothing out of a storage unit to his peers. Using his business to make new connections, Aaron was able to network and grow his rap career within the city. He performed at many of the city’s most notable venues and events including the HiFi and the Vogue as well as the Chreece and Virginia Avenue music festivals. Following graduation, he was able to open his first storefront for Naptown Thrift in the fall of 2018 while simultaneously winning IndyStar’s vote for best local hip hop artist.

The creative community in Indy is an untapped opportunity that can bolster the identity of Indianapolis, and curator/event producer of Lari Pati, Steven Russell challenges us to think differently in how we include and support this community in Indianapolis. 

We were fortunate to spend an hour with Business and Digital Strategy Executive, Rupal Thanawala and listen to her story of immigrating to the U.S. from India, making her way to the top of the IT consulting industry, and uplifting underrepresented communities along the way. 

We had the opportunity to recognize Chancellor Alison Bell and Western Governors University (WGU) Indiana on it's 10-year anniversary. We learned about their unique education model, discovered their impact on the Indiana community, and had a discussion on the relevance of higher education in our professional lives.

Lifelong Indy resident, Greg Stowers joined us this week for a discussion on his career focus of engagement, exposure and empowerment, opportunities to strengthen our communities post-COVID-19, and the importance of recognizing privilege.

Young PowerPreneur and community leader, Anthony Murdock II joins us for a deep conversation on power, voice, personal branding, relationships, and introspection. Murdock is wise beyond his years and challenges us to continuously question our current frame of mind.

Executive Director of Teach for America Indianapolis, Amar Patel takes us through his journey from growing up in Terra Haute, Indiana as the son of Indian immigrants, joining the movement to end educational inequity, to uniting people and communities around a common vision.