TonyTidbit: A Black Executive Perspective
About the Podcast: "TonyTidbit: A Black Executive Perspective" offers a deep dive into the corporate world through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Hosted by Tony Franklin, aka Tony Tidbit, this podcast shines a light on vital conversations around race, leadership, and diversity, fostering understanding and change. https://ablackexec.com Meet Your Host: Tony Franklin has over three decades of corporate experience and provides transformative insights into diversity and inclusion, making each episode a journey of learning and empowerment. Why You Should Listen: - Diverse Perspectives: Insights from a variety of voices on challenges and triumphs in the corporate...
Black Lives Lost: Who’s Failing Black Men? | Part 1
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/Black Lives Lost: Who’s Failing Black Men? Part 1
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Black men are dying at a rate America cannot explain away.
Although America’s national murder rate is declining, Black men and Black youth continue to experience a devastatingly disproportionate share of homicide. Why does this crisis remain so concentrated, and who must be held responsible?
In Part One of Black Lives Lost, Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed have an unfiltered conversation about community violence, systemic raci...
Did Tuskegee’s Dress Code Go Too Far?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/did-tuskegees-dress-code-go-too-far-
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Tuskegee University’s decision to prohibit bonnets, durags, bedroom shoes, and other casual attire in classrooms and professional campus settings has ignited a larger conversation about Black culture, career preparation, and respectability politics.
In this episode of BEP Live, Chris P. Reed and Tony Tidbit are joined by Felicia Smith and Sina Banks to examine whether the policy prepares Black students for Corporate America or reinforces the unequal standards Black professionals already face.
The panel di...
Why Are Black Women Still Fighting to Survive?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/Why Are Black Women Still Fighting to Survive?
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Black women are confronting serious threats to their health, reproductive freedom, employment, and economic security.
In this episode of Need to Know, Dr. Nsenga Burton examines the case of Adriana Smith and what it reveals about Black maternal mortality, bodily autonomy, government intervention, healthcare costs, and the burdens placed on Black families.
Dr. Burton also addresses unemployment among Black women, political rollbacks, meaningful self-care, strategic voting, economic boycotts...
Why Corporate America Keeps Burning Out Black Women Leaders
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/why-corporate-america-keeps-burning-out-black-women-leaders-
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Black women are praised for being strong, but that praise often becomes an excuse to place more work, responsibility, and emotional pressure on their shoulders.
Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed sit down with Ebonie Grover, founder of Love You Like a Sister, for an honest conversation about the invisible load Black women carry inside corporate America.
Ebonie examines the superwoman expectation, emotional taxation, workplace burnout, unequal standards, and why boundaries are frequently mistaken for...
They Banned Our Drums. Black Ingenuity Refused to Die
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/they-banned-our-drums-black-ingenuity-refused-to-die-
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Black ingenuity is more than invention. It is the intelligence found in our relationships, cultural memory, creativity, rhythm, resistance, and ability to build community when established systems fail us.
Dr. Kim McLear joins Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed to explore Afrofuturism as a civic practice and challenge society’s narrow definition of intelligence. Drawing from her experiences as a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer, educator, engineer, artist, and first-generation American with roots in Trinidad and To...
Is Selective Outrage Sabotaging Black Progress?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/is-selective-outrage-sabotaging-black-progress-
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Is selective outrage creating real progress, or dividing the Black community?
Chris P. Reed and Felicia Smith confront the complicated reality of modern Black activism through the Target boycott, economic power, community accountability, and the difference between symbolic protest and systemic change.
They examine whether national boycotts can succeed without clear goals, how Black-owned businesses can become unintended casualties, and why shaming people for not participating may do more damage than good.
The...
Trump’s Behavior Could Get You Fired
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/Trump’s Behavior Could Get You Fired
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Donald Trump may be able to insult journalists, ignore protocol, and escape workplace consequences—but you probably cannot.
In this episode of Need to Know, Dr. Nsenga Burton delivers a candid warning about privilege, professionalism, and abusive leadership. She examines Trump’s treatment of women journalists, particularly Black women and other women of color, and explains why remaining silent allows toxic behavior to spread.
Dr. Burton also challenges professionals not to...
No Internet, No Opportunity: America’s Digital Divide Exposed.
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/no-internet-no-opportunity-americas-digital-divide-exposed-
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Reliable internet access can determine whether someone receives an education, applies for a job, connects with a doctor, launches a business, or reaches emergency services. So why are millions of Americans still being left behind?
Tony Tidbit speaks with Al Adjahoe, founder and CEO of Culture Wireless Group, about the widening digital divide and its impact on underserved Black communities in urban and rural areas.
Al explains why broadband must be treated as essential infrastructure...
ICE Threats and the Attack on Workplace Accountability
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/ice-threats-and-the-attack-on-workplace-accountability-
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Who gets to count as American, and who gets held accountable when discrimination occurs?
In this episode of BEP Live from A Black Executive Perspective, Tony Tidbit connects two troubling stories involving identity, power, and accountability.
First, a United Airlines employee allegedly threatened a Mexican American citizen with ICE after he challenged her refusal to assist his family. Tony examines how a customer service failure escalated into an alleged racial threat, why no one appeared...
Why America Keeps Erasing Black Soldiers From History
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/why-america-keeps-erasing-black-soldiers-from-history-
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Black soldiers have defended America throughout its history, even while America denied them full citizenship, equal treatment, and recognition. Why have so many of their sacrifices been erased from the stories the country tells about itself?
Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed sit down with veteran journalist and author Stephen A. Holmes, whose distinguished career includes nearly 50 years covering race, politics, history, and American institutions for CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
...
Should Black Kids Trust White Friends?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/should-black-kids-trust-white-friends-
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Should Black parents warn their children about being the only Black person in a predominantly white environment?
In this episode of BEP Live, Chris P. Reed and his guest debate how parents should balance cultural identity, safety, friendship, education, opportunity, and exposure to different communities. They challenge viral reactions suggesting that Black children should avoid white friends while also acknowledging the historical realities that require Black families to remain vigilant.
The conversation examines victim shaming...
AI Needs You More Than You Need It
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/ai-needs-you-more-than-you-need-it
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Artificial intelligence can generate answers in seconds, but that does not mean those answers are accurate, unbiased, or complete.
In this episode of Need to Know with Dr. Nsenga Burton, Dr. Burton examines the dangers of placing unquestioned trust in AI. She explains that artificial intelligence learns from human-created information, which means it can reproduce misinformation, systemic bias, historical erasure, and the perspectives of those who have traditionally controlled society’s dominant narratives.
These limitations ar...
Can Community Power Break Mass Incarceration?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/can-community-power-break-mass-incarceration-
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Can community power succeed where the criminal justice system has failed?
Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed sit down with Thena Robinson Mock, Vice President of Programs at the Public Welfare Foundation, for a powerful conversation about mass incarceration, criminal justice reform, youth justice, systemic racism, grassroots leadership, and coalition building.
Thena explains how the Public Welfare Foundation supports community-based organizations working to reduce incarceration, protect young people, develop alternatives to punitive systems, and place...
Are You Being Informed or Manipulated?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/are-you-being-informed-or-manipulated-
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In this episode of Need to Know with Dr. Nsenga Burton, presented by A Black Executive Perspective, Dr. Burton explains the difference between misinformation and disinformation, and why both have serious consequences.
Misinformation can be accidental, but it can still mislead people. Disinformation is different. It is intentional, organized, and often designed to harm reputations, shift public opinion, or manipulate how people understand events.
Dr. Burton connects this issue to politics, media soundbites, AI, deepfakes...
Will You Die with Your Gifts Still Inside?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/will-you-die-with-your-gifts-still-inside-
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In this episode of A Black Executive Perspective, Christina Kenney, known as MC Inhergy, shares a raw and powerful story about recovery, identity, faith, family expectations, entrepreneurship, and the courage to become fully yourself.
After heartbreak, job loss, alcoholism, homelessness, and the pressure of living according to other people’s rules, Christina made a decision to stop shrinking. Her journey led her through sobriety, self-reflection, hard family boundaries, creative rebirth, and the creation of MC Inhergy, a hi...
Fairness Is Not Protection
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/fairness-is-not-protection-
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Dr. Burton examines the controversy surrounding the National Association of Black Journalists, the decision to engage Donald Trump during an election year, and the broader dilemma facing Black journalists and identity-based organizations.
Should institutions always follow tradition in the name of fairness? Or should they prioritize the people, communities, and legacies they were created to serve?
This episode explores Black media, political accountability, journalistic neutrality, representation, institutional protection, and the consequences of extending grace to...
They Never Told Us These Careers Existed
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/they-never-told-us-these-careers-existed-
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They never told us these careers existed.
In this episode of A Black Executive Perspective, Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed speak with Ben Gilbarg and Angel Diaz, co-founders of STEAM the Streets, about changing the way young people discover career opportunities.
Using hip hop, media, live performances, storytelling, curriculum, and community engagement, STEAM the Streets helps students see themselves in STEM, STEAM, technology, design, science, engineering, and emerging industries. Ben and Angel share why...
Is Family Business the Problem, or Is It Bad Governance?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/is-family-business-the-problem-or-is-it-bad-governance-
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Is family business really the problem, or is bad governance the real issue?
In this episode of BEP Live, Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed take on the popular warning, “Don’t do business with family.” They explore the truth behind family-owned businesses, generational wealth, legacy, nepotism, leadership, and the difficult reality of holding relatives accountable.
This conversation goes beyond stereotypes. It examines why some family businesses become wealth-building engines while others fall apart, often becaus...
Is the DEI Backlash Hurting Black College Students
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/is-the-dei-backlash-hurting-black-college-students-
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In this episode of Need to Know with Dr. Nsenga Burton, Dr. Burton explores how the national DEI backlash is reshaping higher education.
She breaks down what is at stake when colleges retreat from scholarships, equity programs, academic hiring, campus protests, and difficult conversations under outside political pressure. This is an unfiltered conversation about access, belonging, power, and the real-world consequences of institutions stepping back from their commitment to inclusion.
What You’ll Learn
Wh...Can Leaders Build Wealth Without Losing Integrity?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/can-leaders-build-wealth-without-losing-integrity-
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How can leaders build wealth, create lasting impact, and protect their integrity along the way?
In this episode of A Black Executive Perspective, Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed welcome entrepreneur, innovator, and humanitarian Shelton Mercer III for an honest conversation about leadership, legacy, business growth, purpose, and social impact.
Shelton reflects on his journey from Philadelphia to Silicon Valley, his experience building multiple companies, the Audigent exit, and the mindset required to create enterprises...
Is It Racism, Capitalism, or Both?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/is-it-racism-capitalism-or-both-
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In this episode of A Black Executive Perspective, BEP Live tackles a hard question with no safe takes: is racism or capitalism the bigger barrier to success in America?
This conversation explores systemic racism, poverty, corporate promotion barriers, personal responsibility, generational wealth, policing, housing discrimination, Black Wall Street, and whether money can protect Black people from racial bias.
Through honest dialogue, sharp debate, and real-world examples, this episode challenges listeners to think deeper about power...
How Hypervisibility Erases Black Women at Work
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/How Hypervisibility Erases Black Women at Work
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In this Need to Know with Dr. Nsenga Burton episode, Dr. Burton explores the harsh reality of hypervisibility and its impact on Black women in leadership, politics, academia, and the workplace.
Black women are often highly visible when difficult work needs to be done, but overlooked when credit, promotion, succession, or power is being discussed. Using Kamala Harris as an example, Dr. Burton examines how reproductive rights, immigration, voting rights, and...
Making History They Can’t Erase
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/making-history-they-cant-erase-
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In this episode of A Black Executive Perspective, Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed welcome back Valeria Howard Cunningham, President and CEO of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
This conversation goes beyond the arena. Valeria shares the truth about Black cowboys and cowgirls, the history America tried to erase, and the work required to preserve Black Western culture for future generations.
The episode explores legacy, ownership, representation, Black women in rodeo, soul country music, community...
Is College Still Worth the Debt?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/is-college-still-worth-the-debt-
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In this episode of BEP Live, Chris P. Reed, Tony Tidbit, and MOB, also known as Brilz, tackle one of the biggest questions facing families today: Is college still worth the debt?
The conversation explores student loans, trade schools, apprenticeships, Corporate America, Black professional access, workforce readiness, and the growing impact of AI on entry-level jobs.
This is a real conversation about education, power, economics, and opportunity. College may still matter, but it can no...
When Did DEI Become a Racial Dog Whistle?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/when-did-dei-become-a-racial-dog-whistle-
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In this Need-to-Know episode, Dr. Nsenga Burton explains how DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion, has been distorted into a racial and political dog whistle.
Using the backlash after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Dr. Burton examines how Black leaders were unfairly labeled “DEI” in an attempt to question their qualifications, minimize their leadership, and fuel misinformation.
This episode clarifies what DEI actually means, why it matters, and why inclusion and belonging are not...
Is AI the Next Civil Rights Battlefield?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/Is AI the Next Civil Rights Battlefield?
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In this episode of A Black Executive Perspective Podcast, Roy L. Austin Jr. joins Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed for a powerful conversation about artificial intelligence, civil rights, racial justice, technology, and accountability.
Roy explains why AI is not neutral when the data behind it reflects the same discrimination found in housing, policing, criminal justice, employment, media, and corporate systems. The conversation explores biased data, cultural competency, predictive policing, content...
Is Merit Still Sacred in Military Promotions?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/is-merit-still-sacred-in-military-promotions-
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In this BEP Live audio episode, Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed examine allegations that Secretary Hegseth blocked promotions for Black and female officers inside the U.S. Defense Department.
Tony draws from his military experience to explain why promotion boards, merit, leadership readiness, and military vetting matter. Chris expands the conversation into race, gender, trust, representation, and what happens when leadership decisions appear to send a message about who deserves power.
This episode challenges...
Should You Quit Corporate America or Build Your Exit Plan First?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/should-you-quit-corporate-america-or-build-your-exit-plan-first-
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Dr. Nsenga Burton unpacks what professionals need to know before leaving corporate America for entrepreneurship. After the Great Resignation, many people are questioning burnout, toxic workplaces, low pay, limited opportunities for advancement, and a lack of flexibility. But the answer is not always to quit immediately.
This episode explains how a side hustle can help you test a business idea, build income, strengthen your skills, expand your network, and create a safer transition from employee to entrepreneur.<...
What Happens When You Stop Waiting for a Seat at the Table?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/what-happens-when-you-stop-waiting-for-a-seat-at-the-table-
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Today, Carlos Benjamin, Founder of High Profile Lifestyle and The Assembly Global, joins A Black Executive Perspective Podcast for a powerful conversation about Black entrepreneurship, ownership, mindset, and the hidden infrastructure behind culture.
Carlos shares his journey from Selma, Alabama, to New York City, from corporate America to homelessness, from film production to experiential marketing, and from working inside someone else’s system to building his own.
This episode explores faith, fear, personal development, Black fo...
Did the American Dream Become Unaffordable?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/did-the-american-dream-become-unaffordable-
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In this audio episode, Chris P. Reed and Tony Tidbit explore whether the American Dream has disappeared or has become too expensive for everyday Americans to achieve.
They break down wages, rent, housing, inflation, retirement, ownership, and the hard math behind middle-class life in America. This is a real conversation about economic pressure, working families, and why the old formula of school, work, and stability no longer feels guaranteed.
What You Will Learn
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Who Stole Black Women’s Capital?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/who-stole-black-womens-capital-
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In this audio episode, Dr. Nsenga Burton examines the fight for Black women entrepreneurs to access capital, resources, and institutional support in a climate where equity programs are being challenged and dismantled.
From the Fearless Fund to entrepreneurship centers serving students and communities, this conversation is a direct call for stewardship, measurable outcomes, and real investment in Black business ownership.
What you will learn:
Why access to capital remains a major barrier for...
Why Are Black Mothers Still Fighting to Survive Healthcare?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/why-are-black-mothers-still-fighting-to-survive-healthcare-
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Dana Langford joins A Black Executive Perspective for a necessary conversation on Black maternal health, healthcare racism, policy failure, and why Black mothers are still fighting to be heard, protected, and treated like human beings.
From preeclampsia and postpartum mental health to insurance reimbursement, obstetric deserts, provider bias, and culturally responsive care, this episode exposes the gap between awareness and action.
This is a conversation about healthcare, but it is also about leadership, justice, community...
Did Politicians Hijack Democracy?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/did-politicians-hijack-democracy-
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Are voters choosing their leaders, or are politicians choosing their voters?
Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed take on one of the most uncomfortable conversations in American politics: voter restrictions, gerrymandering, race, representation, and the fight for political power.
This A Black Executive Perspective audio episode examines how district maps can shape outcomes before voters ever step into the booth. The conversation moves from Louisiana and the Voting Rights Act to Black representation, midterm consequences...
Who Gets Funded When Equity Gets Blocked?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/who-gets-funded-when-equity-gets-blocked
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In this audio episode of Need to Know with Dr. Nsenga Burton, Dr. Burton discusses the Fearless Fund ruling and the larger fight over Black women entrepreneurs, access to capital, systemic racism, workplace equity, and DEI rollback.
This conversation asks a hard question: when systems already limit opportunity, what happens when targeted support is attacked too?
What you will learn
Why the Fearless Fund ruling matters
How Black women entrepreneurs face...
If Love Is So Powerful, Why Hasn’t It Erased Racism?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/if-love-is-so-powerful-why-hasnt-it-erased-racism-
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Dorothy Roberts joins A Black Executive Perspective for a powerful audio conversation about The Mixed Marriage Project, interracial marriage, systemic racism, Black identity, family, law, and the structures that still shape who we love and how society responds.
This episode explores her parents’ interracial marriage in 1950s Chicago, the 500-plus interviews her father conducted with Black and white couples, and the deeper question at the center of the conversation. If love is powerful, why has it not er...
Why Doesn’t War Feel Like War Anymore?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/why-doesnt-war-feel-like-war-anymore-
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In this audio episode of A Black Executive Perspective Live, Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed examine why America keeps fighting conflicts while rarely calling them formal wars.
This conversation explores power, politics, culture, military action, congressional accountability, public numbness, and the human cost of conflict. Tony and Chris break down the difference between war and conflict, why Americans often do not feel war unless it reaches our own soil, and how language can make military action...
What Happens When America Fails the Open Book Test?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/what-happens-when-america-fails-the-open-book-test-
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Today, Dr. Nsenga Burton, host of Need to Know with Dr. Nsenga, delivers a bold reflection on buyer’s remorse, political accountability, and the consequences of failing the “open book test.”
In this audio episode from A Black Executive Perspective, Dr. Burton examines what happens when people have access to the truth, ignore it, and later ask for sympathy after damage has been done. Through the lens of power, politics, culture, workplace equity, DEI rollback, civic responsibility, and co...
Stroke of Success: The Hidden Cost of Climbing the Corporate Ladder
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/stroke-of-success-the-hidden-cost-of-climbing-the-corporate-ladder-
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In this audio episode of A Black Executive Perspective Podcast, Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed sit down with Roderick Jefferson, author of Stroke of Success, for a deeply honest conversation about success, burnout, health, family, faith, leadership, and purpose.
Roderick shares how he rose through Corporate America, helped shape the sales enablement profession, and built a powerful executive career, only to realize that professional success was costing him connection, presence, and peace.
After surviving...
Can You Really Be Your Authentic Self at Work?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/can-you-really-be-your-authentic-self-at-work-
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In this BEP Live audio episode of A Black Executive Perspective, Chris P. Reed leads a powerful conversation with Felicia Smith and Obrin Bills about authenticity, code switching, workplace equity, and the real cost of navigating Corporate America as a Black professional.
The episode examines what it really means to bring your authentic self to work, why professionalism is often judged differently across race and gender, and how Black professionals, women of color, and corporate leaders manage...
Why Are Black Women Still Unsafe at Home?
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/why-are-black-women-still-unsafe-at-home-
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Trigger warning: this episode discusses domestic violence, intimate partner violence, murder suicide, and harm against Black women.
In this urgent Need to Know with Dr. Nsenga Burton episode, Dr. Burton examines domestic violence, Black women’s safety, warning signs, survivor resources, and the responsibility communities have to intervene before abuse turns fatal.
This conversation addresses intimate partner violence, control, silence, mental health excuses, gun violence, and the role men must play in holding other men ac...
