The What's Next Podcast with Nina & Shay

Ayanna shares the misconceptions surrounding being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder later in life and the disparity in resources available for people of color. We discuss the difference in identifying black and Hispanic children with autism relative to white children and the services needed to reach their full potential. 

Not letting autism stop her, Ayanna is a creative artist that has made dolls, clothing and paintings...

Dr. Felecia Pullen, founded and is the President and CEO of Let’s Talk SAFETY, Inc., a not-for-profit that includes: SAFE in Harlem, a CDC-funded teen-led prevention coalition; The PILLARS, Manhattan’s first OASAS-funded Recovery Community & Outreach Center; and The SAFETY Net, a teen-designed Clubhouse in Harlem. 

Dr. Pullen shared her personal experience with drug use that fueled her desire to help others on their recovery jou...

As someone who is usually in the background, PG County’s own Crystal Brooks stepped into her light to build and run Love You More, Inc, a non-profit organization that aids in building young girls’ and women’s self-esteem. After becoming a certified Master Life Coach during the pandemic, Crystal started Love You More Legacy, a coaching company to further her mission to empower women.

Crystal is the author of the Best-Selling book Whe...

Dr. Cecilia LaRoche turned her love of math and chemistry into a lucrative and fulfilling career in dentistry. Recognizing that she was a hustler early on, Dr. LaRoche gravitated towards commission-based work to be in control of her pay. As the first doctor in her family, she discussed how a chance encounter with a black male dentist at a two-day symposium piqued her interest in dentistry. 

In this episode we cover cosmetic dentistr...

Kimberly “The Modern Steward” Hairston-Neal has made her love for organizing and time management into a family business alongside her husband, who manages the contracting side. Kimberly’s specialty is helping individuals simplify their life to make time and space for the things they love. The Modern Steward also helps professionals relocate in the Pittsburgh area and offers virtual services for closet edits and pantry organization....

Michele shared how she pursued both her passions from a young age, wanting to be a nurse and a cosmetologist. Michele explains different types of nursing career tracks and what ultimately worked for her as a traveling nurse. Seeing her mom and other patients lose their hair to cancer, Michele thought of a way to help women find their beauty and confidence again.

Michele created a custom wig company affectionately called BougeeNBrook...

We interviewed Brooklyn’s own Nicole Shawan Junior, a writer, leader, advocate and truth teller. They reminisce on a love of writing going back to the 80’s performing their stories for their family as a child and having a mom that nurtured a love of reading. They talk about their journey to working at PEN America helping incarcerated individuals get access to writing opportunities and payments to help stop the exploitation of incar...

Documentagrapher Kevin Jean-Jacques discussed the shift that occurred after his sister’s death that led him to pursue his passion of documenting life through photography. Checking through his social media pages, Kevin captures weddings, brand promotions and events in a way that makes you want to be there.

Kevin explained the process of getting certified with larger photography companies to sell stock images, NFTs and ownership of im...

Niko Stevens, designer of FiveKarats and FiveKarats x Niko shared her journey to building a fashion brand based in New York and taking the steps to invest in making it successful.  A collaboration with SHEIN in the books, Niko is building a portfolio with hopes of joining the high-end retail stores in 2023.  Already featured in Vogue Magazine twice, and presenting at New York Fashion week, Niko dreams of attending the MET Gala and ...

We talked with lifelong friends and business partners Andre Williams and Troy Womack from Impervious Protection and Consulting Group.  Andre highlights his prior service as an NYPD Police Officer that gave him the reputation for being a problem solver and a community relations practitioner. Troy sheds some light on his experience in the music industry and as a business consultant noting the importance of relationships in business. ...

Jason co-owns JP Customs NYC, an award winning custom motorcycle shop in the Bronx that is well respected by industry leaders. Jason discusses being a self-taught mechanic, fabricator and welder that uses his skills and love for working with his hands to build motorcycles and customize his 40 foot private yacht. 

A thrill seeker at heart, Jason pushes learning trades and starting a business as early as you can. Working in ...

We chatted with actor and Lyric Party game app creator Nikiva Dionne who initially ignored her childhood dream to be an actor despite the signs always being there. Having read the legendary book, The Alchemist, and going on a fast helped Nikiva come to the decision to quit her job in fashion and within three weeks she booked two commercial jobs. Nikiva breaks down pay for commercials, being Black in Hollywood and how content creati...

Maryland’s own, Ethical Hacker, Carl Gray, III takes us on his journey that started when a Pastor gifted him a computer at a young age. We get into hacking 101, ethical hacking being a sought after field with job security and how to prevent yourself from being a victim online. 

He breaks down educational barriers and student engagement to create successful young leaders and entrepreneurs.  Carl discusses scaling a business, creating...

We talked to award-winning professor, executive leader, and social good expert  Kimberly O’Neil who helped to demystify the myth that nonprofits should not make money.  Kim pivoted and through her business Giving Blueprint, she leads Cause Studio, an education and professional development initiative for startup nonprofit organizations.  In the age of quiet quitting, Kim tells us to know what you need to survive financially before q...

Welcome back!!!! Season II is here.  

Nina and Shay recap Season I’s lessons, dope guests and gems that were dropped.  Much love and thanks to everyone who listened, subscribed and shared our episodes.  We are excited to bring you Season II with more laughs and great information for the Next Steps of your journey.  We’ll continue to highlight extraordinary people of color, one episode at a time.

Link in bio to Spotify and a...

Anu Sun is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning musician and producer whose roots were planted in music and community.  Anu Sun is born from parents who were members of the Black Panther party and involved in social activism, and was exposed to the music industry as a drummer and rapper keeping him tied and true to the culture.  

Anu Sun is a business man with a publishing and marketing company, a voting member of the Academy for Grammy ...

Stacey Blissett-Saavedra shares her experience as a woman working in technology and how the space has allowed her to combine her love of graphic design, architecture, and real estate. Stacey will have you asking yourself big questions like, is this decision the right investment for me, what parameters make you happy in any workspace and what is your ideal situation vs. ideal job?  An avid real estate investor with 5 properties and ...

In this episode, Durval joins us to share his experience pursuing a career in sports medicine and how the industry lacked representation for people of color in the field.  While Durval is a professional athletic trainer, a love of music, events and gathering friends pushed Durval into music management as a side hustle with artist Nello Luchi and his event production company, A’Mior NYC. 

 As a graduate of the University at Buffalo, ...

Gina is a mom-trepreneur that credits a scroll on Pinterest, to make something unique at a kids' bake sale, for helping her create a thriving custom cookie business. Gina discusses the baking business for women of color, conquering the “cookie devil” - detailed character cookies and her plans to expand her business. 

Always keeping family as her priority, Gina shares how she inherited her creative side from her mom an...