Leave the Pile Higher
"My job is to leave the pile higher for you and your sister." That was my father's philosophy long before I understood it—and decades before I ever thought about launching a podcast. He never used the word legacy. He simply lived it. In 1983, faced with financial sacrifices and difficult choices, my father made a decision that changed the trajectory of my life. Rather than take the easier path, he chose to invest in my future. At the time, I didn't fully appreciate what that sacrifice meant. It wasn't until after his passing in 2018 that I truly understood the depth of his commitment and the legacy he was building. On what would have been my father's 75th birthday, I launched Leave the Pile Higher as a way to honor his legacy and explore a question we all face: What are we leaving behind for those who come after us? Through honest conversations with guests from all walks of life, we explore leadership, faith, family, resilience, service, personal growth, and purpose. While this podcast often speaks directly to Black men navigating fatherhood, leadership, purpose, and life's responsibilities with intention, the lessons shared here are universal. Legacy belongs to all of us. Whether through guest interviews, Legacy Notes, or Legacy Blueprint panel discussions, every episode is designed to challenge, encourage, and inspire you to think differently about the impact you're making right now. Because legacy isn't something you leave someday. It's something you build every day. One decision. One sacrifice. One conversation. One rep at a time. Let's Build.
Episodes
On January 1, 2026, I introduced Legacy Blueprint on Leave the Pile Higher with Part One: The Weight We Carry—a conversation about the pressures, expectations, responsibilities, and silent battles many of us face as Black men.
The discussion was so honest, so powerful, and so necessary that there was no way we could fit it all into a single episode.
In Part Two: The Work We Do, James Worthy, Khalid Scott, Ferris...
When was the last time you had a conversation that made you think deeper than you planned to?
In this episode, I sit down with my frat brother, Saif Madar — a man I’ve known for over two decades. Same yard. Different eras. Real brotherhood.
Saif was born in Guyana and raised in the Bronx. Engineer by training. MBA in finance. A numbers guy. Analytical. Measured. Strategic.
And if you ask him, he’ll te...
Some relationships don’t fade with time—they just pause.
And when they resume, they remind you who you were and who you’re becoming.
In this episode, I sit down with Cedric Nelson, a brother I’ve known for over four decades. We became friends and teammates in high school, went on to play college ball in different places, and somehow stayed connected through the noise of life—a f...
What happens when four Black men—strangers to one another, yet united by shared experiences—come together for an honest conversation about the emotional weight they've carried for years?
This episode launches Legacy Blueprint, a new panel series within Leave the Pile Higher. Each Blueprint brings together brothers for authentic conversations about leadership, healing, fatherhood, purpose, and the legacy w...
What does it mean to grow as a man when the blueprint wasn’t handed to you?
Today is December 4th — the day my father was born, my fraternity’s Founders Day, and the day this podcast turns three years old. In this special reflection I speak about the weight men carry, the healing I’m walking through as a father, and the stretching that marriage continues to bring. I open up about a momen...
Growth doesn’t happen when life is easy — it happens when you face fears and step out of your comfort zone. Legacy doesn’t start with money — it starts with mindset. So what does it really take to unlearn what’s been passed down, heal what’s been ignored, and build something that actually lasts?
That’s where Financial Advisor Ferris Dean comes in.
In this epis...
Am I the only one? Have you ever said “yes” when you really meant “maybe” — or agreed to something you knew wasn’t yours to carry?
Oh, so it’s not just me.
Yeah, saying yes out of habit, out of guilt, or just wanting to be the one people can count on — until those yeses started costing me peace, purpose, and alignment. I found myself overextended, overcommitted, and wond...
Ever been in a season where everything went quiet—your confidence, your creativity, even your peace?
It’s been six months since I dropped a new episode, and this one isn’t just about being back—it’s about what happens when the vision goes quiet but doesn’t die.
In this episode, I talk about the silence between seasons—how life, responsibility, and doubt can cloud your confiden...
What if everything you thought was success… still left you empty?
King Solomon—richer and wiser than anyone alive—looked at everything he built and said: “Meaningless… all of it.”
That line hits even harder today—because this episode goes live on my birthday, and I’ve been thinking deeply about what really matters. Not just what we grind for—but what we build tha...
What happens when life forces you to rewrite your financial story?
For Shakira "Sam the Agent" Moran, financial empowerment wasn’t just a career choice—it was survival. As a young single mom, she found herself drowning in overdraft fees after an unexpected auto-pay mishap. A tearful call to the bank resulted in a rare moment of mercy, but it also sparked a vow: never again. That moment set her on a path t...
Seven years. That’s how long it’s been since my world shifted—since my father took his last breath in his sleep, leaving behind a legacy that still speaks to me every single day. Some days, I laugh. Other days, I feel the weight of his absence. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that in death, there are things that come to life.
In this episode, I take you back to that wee...
What’s it like to sit down with your best friend of 40 years for a podcast interview? It’s an incredible experience filled with laughs, life lessons, and heartfelt reflections. But the real challenge? Editing over two hours of raw, inspiring conversation into one unforgettable episode—LOL.
DaRon Wood’s story is one of resilience, faith, and transformation. From earning the rare distinction of ...
Why do some people achieve unstoppable momentum while others struggle to even get started? Is it talent, luck, or something more intentional?
Welcome to 2025! In this first episode of the new year, we’re not just talking about habits that stick or resolutions that fade—we’re uncovering what makes habits truly transformative. This is about building momentum that propels you forward and creating a leg...
For far too long, Black men have been expected to shoulder immense pressures from both society and our communities, often in silence. When it comes to mental health, this silence has devastating consequences. Suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death among Black men aged 15-24, and rates are climbing among middle-aged men—a sobering reminder of the challenges faced during this critical life stage.
This ...
Two years. Two years of resilience, purpose, and building something greater than ourselves. In this milestone episode of Leave the Pile Higher, Grow Your Legacy, we celebrate the journey—through the highs, the lows, and the six-month silence that nearly derailed it all.
This celebration is deeply personal. Today would have been my dad’s 77th birthday, and every step of this podcast has been done in honor ...
What does it really mean to heal from the legacy of broken relationships? Is healing a passive process, something that happens to us over time, or is it an intentional, active choice we make—one that requires courage, resilience, and faith?
In this transformative episode, Charvette Shirk Pitt—founder of M.E.N. (Men Embracing Non-Violence) and author of Healing the Fatherless: Valuing and Validating ...
In this powerful episode of Leave the Pile Higher, Grow Your Legacy, Bryan takes listeners from kindergarten memories to hard reflections on America’s promises and failures, exploring the complex legacy that shapes our lives today. With a deep focus on the resilience of Black Americans—especially Black women—he examines what “liberty and justice for all” should truly mean in a nation st...
Have you ever stopped to think about the legacy you’re building right now? Not some far-off dream or ‘someday’ plan, but the steps you and I are taking today to shape tomorrow. Legacy isn’t about waiting for the “right” moment; it’s made up of those small, daily choices we often overlook. It’s not about the big, flashy moments—it’s in the simple, consistent...
Have you ever wondered how life’s toughest challenges can lead to personal growth and a lasting impact? In this episode, we sit down with Mesha Mebane, whose incredible journey of resilience shows how adversity can spark transformation. After the devastating loss of her only child, career upheavals, and divorce, Mesha chose not to settle. Instead, she redefined her life, shifted her mindset, and created a powe...
Have you ever wondered how someone turns life’s challenges into a powerful legacy? In this episode, I connect with Emmett Burns, an educator and founder of ClaraRuth Homeschool, who’s doing just that. Emmett and I first met years ago on a commuter train, quickly bonding over our shared love of football—we both played in college—and our diehard loyalty to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Beyond our lo...
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