Everything's Not Black & White
Life isn’t black and white—and neither are the issues shaping our lives and communities. Hosted by LaLa and Brian, Everything's Not Black & White is a podcast dedicated to exploring the nuanced gray areas between opposing viewpoints. Behind every strong opinion is an individual's story, backstory, and lived experience that shaped how they see the world. Join us as we trade knee-jerk reactions for curious questions. We dive into today’s trending topics to understand why people feel the way they do, creating a space for respectful, honest dialogue that bridges divides instead of deepening them. Hit follow to join the conversation and discover the space in between. An LBB Edutainment Production.
Episodes
In this episode of Everything's Not Black & White, Lachandra and Brian travel deep into the gray area with multi-hyphenate entertainer, host, and comedian Flobo Boyce. Growing up in a West Indian household in Brooklyn, Flobo was raised with strict expectations around stability, yet his path took him from stand-up comedy stages and pro-wrestling rings to e-sports commentary and digital media entrepreneurship. Flo...
In this episode of Everything's Not Black & White, Lachandra and Brian sit down with intuitive leadership coach Michelle Scott to explore how high-impact leaders can move past overthinking and step into true alignment. Drawing from a personal health crisis that forced her to slow completely down, Michelle breaks down intuition and somatic intelligence as practical, data-driven tools for modern executive strategy...
What happens when life’s maps completely shatter? In this episode of Everything's Not Black & White, Lachandra and Brian sit down with veteran Texas trial attorney Tad Nelson to discuss human crisis, resilience, and starting over. Drawing from over 30 years in family and criminal law, Tad shares a raw look at how people survive major transitions, why men emotionally "check out" long before a divorce, and h...
In this episode of Everything's Not Black & White, Lachandra and Brian sit down with corporate veteran, executive coach, and author Tami Chapek. With nearly 25 years of experience climbing the ranks at major brands like J&J and Edwards Life Sciences, Tami shares what corporate success looks like from the inside—and why it so often leads to burnout and dissatisfaction.
The conversation breaks dow...
Can multiple truths coexist in one conversation? In this episode of Everything’s Not Black & White, hosts Lachandra and Brian sit down with Dr. Hoai Julie Pham, a PhD historian and CEO of Curiosity Based. From her journey as a Vietnamese refugee to her work helping global organizations, Julie explains why replacing judgment with curiosity is the ultimate leadership skill.
We dive into the "shades of gray" w...
Lachandra and Brian sit down with wellness strategist Elizabeth Wangugi Etienne (Ellie) to explore the vital connection between rest and human-centered leadership. Challenging "hustle" culture, Ellie discusses longevity thinking, the art of recovery, and reframing burnout as a natural grieving process. This conversation offers a roadmap for reclaiming personal agency and serves as a preview for the Confidence Lab Su...
In this episode, Lala and Brian move beyond the headlines to explore the human stories behind the current crisis in Iran. They are joined by human rights activist Zolal Habibi, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, who shares her deeply personal connection to the struggle for freedom.
Zolal discusses the haunting parallels between the 1988 massacre—which claimed her father’s life...
In this episode of Everything's Not Black and White, hosts Lala and Brian sit down with Lauren Goché, a principal real estate broker and "witch with wifi," to pull back the curtain on the systemic inequities of the housing market. From the historical violence of redlining and restrictive covenants to the modern-day "fuckery" of private equity buyouts, Lauren explains why home ownership remains a revolutionary act fo...
In this episode, Lala and Brian sit down with Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart to Heart Adoptions, to peel back the layers of the adoption experience. From the gut-wrenching grief and "placement" decisions of birth mothers to the complexities of raising three sons as a single adoptive mother, Donna provides a masterclass in empathy, honesty, and "self-determination." Whether you are considering adoption, are ...
This episode moves beyond the "binary" of accessibility to explore the lived reality of disability advocacy. Hosts Lachandra and Brian are joined by Jenna Odenberg—Bush Fellow, author of Within My Spokes, and founder of Above and Beyond with U.
Jena shares her journey from navigating rural Minnesota in a manual wheelchair to a 20-year career as a music educator. From the "fixed mindset" of teachers who said she...
In this episode of Everything’s Not Black and White, Lachandra sits down with Dr. Eugene Manley Jr., a biomedical scientist and CEO of the STEMM and Cancer Health Equity Foundation, to discuss the life-saving necessity of measurable equity. Dr. Manley shares his harrowing personal experiences with medical racism—from witnessing his mother’s mistreatment to navigating a recent surgical recovery wher...
Hosts Lala and Brian welcome Daniel Stoffel, a beloved family member, successful young businessman, and owner of West Oak Salon. Daniel shares his lifelong passion for the beauty industry—from styling Barbie heads to opening his own salon—and the profound impact his LGBTQIA+ identity had on building his business with the very "audacity to be me." He discusses the unique challenges and immense rewards of ...
Join Lala and Brian as they sit down with Nigerian-American psychotherapist and author Agatha Peters, founder of Beautiful Sunshine Therapy and author of Trapped in Their Script. Agatha shares her inspiring journey from working in the ER to starting her own culturally sensitive practice, focusing on helping people break free from the burden of cultural and family expectations. This eye-opening conversation deeply de...
Hosts Lala and Brian welcome the incredibly multi-hyphenate artist Leslie Battle to the show. Leslie, a comedian, dancer, writer, and poet, discusses her diverse career journey, from singing at a Bengals game during her 26 years in the US Army to her latest creative endeavors. She shares insights on overcoming her tendency to bury the lead about her accomplishments, the power of embracing new skills through just fol...
In this episode, hosts Lala and Brian are joined by their brilliant friend and business partner, April Wu, founder of InSphere Consulting. April shares her transformative journey from navigating strict cultural expectations and career burnout to finding her voice and launching her own company. She opens up about the immense pressure of a score-based definition of success she experienced growing up in China and...
Join hosts Lala and Brian as they welcome their friend, leadership advisor Brian John, to discuss a crucial topic: cognitive wellbeing in the workplace. Brian John shares his personal journey and professional expertise, explaining how a leader's mental state directly impacts an organization's culture.
The conversation challenges the idea of a "perfect" leader and advocates for authenticity and vulnerability. The disc...
Join us as Shanise Pearce, a Triple Negative Breast Cancer survivor, public speaker, and health equity advocate, shares her extraordinary journey of resilience and purpose. From confronting her mortality to discovering the power of community support and self-care, Shanise’s story is both deeply personal and universally inspiring. In this heartfelt conversation, she discusses overcoming the emotional toll of ca...
On this episode of Everything's Not Black & White, we sit down with Hady Mendez, a NY-based Amazon best-selling author, Latina speaker, and ERG coach. Hady, the founder and CEO of Boldly Speaking LLC, shares how her personal journey has shaped her mission to empower underrepresented employees to self-advocate, self-promote, and ascend into leadership roles. From her creative passion for street art photography to...
In this powerful episode, we meet Elisabeth, a surrogate who gave life to two children for a special couple and chose to stay closely involved in their lives. Her journey is one of courage, compassion, and redefining family, as she navigates co-parenting across two households with unwavering love and empathy. Elisabeth’s story challenges traditional ideas of family, offering a fresh perspective on connection a...
In this episode, we sit down with an extraordinary guest, Dr. Leslie Powell Ahmadi, who shares her captivating journey from pursuing a Ph.D. in foreign language and culture education at The Ohio State University to unexpectedly falling in love with an Iranian doctoral student in agronomy. As a Black American Christian, she never imagined marrying Mahmoud, a Muslim man, and moving to Iran. Yet, she did and her four y...
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