January 17, 2025 • 45 mins
Anthony Edwards Jr. is a U.S. Army veteran, tech expert, and visionary entrepreneur dedicated to uplifting communities. After serving as an Avionics Systems Repairer during Operation Iraqi Freedom 06/07, Anthony transitioned to civilian life, earning a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Fordham University and excelling as a full-stack developer.
Driven by his family's entrepreneurial legacy, Anthony co-founded EatOkra, a pioneering platform supporting Black-owned restaurants nationwide. Under his leadership, EatOkra has become a nationally recognized app, receiving prestigious awards such as the Apple App Store Developer Award and the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund.
Anthony’s journey from soldier to tech innovator exemplifies resilience, purpose, and community impact, making him a powerful advocate for entrepreneurship and empowerment beyond the uniform.
Website: https://www.eatokra.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-edwards-jr-b9084612/
Driven by his family's entrepreneurial legacy, Anthony co-founded EatOkra, a pioneering platform supporting Black-owned restaurants nationwide. Under his leadership, EatOkra has become a nationally recognized app, receiving prestigious awards such as the Apple App Store Developer Award and the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund.
Anthony’s journey from soldier to tech innovator exemplifies resilience, purpose, and community impact, making him a powerful advocate for entrepreneurship and empowerment beyond the uniform.
Website: https://www.eatokra.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-edwards-jr-b9084612/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Are you a transitioning military or veteran woman looking for support, guidance,
and inspiration. You've come to the right place. Welcome to
Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform with your host, Renee Jones Hudson.
Renee brings powerful stories, practical advice, and expert insights to
help you redefine, rediscover, and reaffirm your life after military service,
(00:43):
whether navigating a career change, seeking personal growth, or focusing
on your well being. We are here to empower you
every step of the way. So welcome the host of
Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform, Renee Jones Hudson. Let's embark
on this journey to get.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Hello and welcome to Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform. I'm
your host, Renee Jones Sutson, and I am excited to
have you with me today. This podcast is all about
empowering veterans, especially females, to embrace their next chapter with purpose,
with confidence.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
And with resilience.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
But today's episode is a little different and very special.
This episode is dedicated to the male veterans who tune
in every week and support this show. Your support and
your presence have meant the world to me. And I'm
honored to recognize your journeys and your contributions. So for
(01:50):
this special episode, I'm excited to introduce our first male.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Guest, Anthony Edwards Junior.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
He is a veteran, an entrepreneur and a tech expert.
He served in the Army as an avionics system repairer
and participated in OIF two thousand and six in two
thousand and seven, which is Operation Iraqi Freedom. And after
his service, he earned his bachelor's degree in computer science
(02:22):
from Fordham University and entered the tech industry as a
full stack developer. I had to practice that, but his
journey didn't stop there. He co founded eat Okra, a
platform that's become a game changer for supporting black owned
restaurants across the country. But here's a fun fact, Anthony
(02:46):
and I are not completely strangers. He's actually served with
my husband and at one point, I don't know if
he remembers this, but he was our photographer. So I've
had the honor of seeing Anthony's journey first hind and
I can't wait for you all to hear about his
incredible path from soldier to tech innovator and community leader.
(03:11):
History is a perfect example of what it means to
live unapologetically beyond the uniform.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
So welcome to the show. Ed.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Hey, Renee, thank you so much for having me on
the show. I'm really excited to.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
I mean an honor to be your first mail on
the show. So that's even cooler. I guess, yes, yeah, no,
I don't remember that photography shoot that photo shoot? What
do we do?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I don't Rebecca remember she was Preemi.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
You came down, you took your in Williamsburg, so I
knew you can't remember that.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Yeah, okay, okay, okay, just got her at the hospital.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
You came down and visited us, and you took a
whole family, did a whole family for us. Yeah, but
thank you. I am so excited that you decided to
come on.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
But so I want to start with asking you your why,
like what prompted you to push forward and build something meaningful,
like with just give me your give me your spill
on that.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Yeah, I think for me, it's just post a military.
I wanted to make something. I wanted to continue to
build something for my family, be a part of something
bigger than myself. So I've always strived for that, and
look for that and moving in with my wife and
her planting that seed. You know, why don't you build
(04:39):
an app for us to find black owned restaurants. It
was almost a no brainer. So I took on the
challenge and like here we are today.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, I remember when you asked me about Jamaica. I
was like, uh, I don't really know too much about
the restaurants, but I remember when you started that research
for that. So what else to you though? Because you're
here now, you know, doing big things. So I want
to talk about your journey from serving in the army
(05:08):
to becoming a tech entrepreneur. What was that transition like
for you and what were some of the lessons that
you took from your military service into the civilian world.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Yeah. I mean it's scary.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
I think when you're leaving like a secure job, like
you know, I got to do with this? What show
up in the right uniform and be on time and
like you're good in the military, and that's all you
got to think about it do But when you take
that that that chance to go out into the civilian
world and almost be on your own, you know, be
in your own uniform, your own time, what you ever
(05:43):
be time appropriate, you know, So I you know, but
I took it serious.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
When I got out, I went to school.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
I went to first I went to community college at
Ulster County Community College for computer engineering, and then at
the same time, I joined the Air Force Reserve, so
I actually had to leave again for another nine months
where I was stationed in Texas for a little yeah,
Texas for a little while.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
And so.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
During that time I ended up switching schools to Fordham
University in the Bronx because I wanted to be closer
to the city because I was still an avid dancer
at the time, and so I went back into dancing
and background dancing. And so that's the fact that a
lot of people don't know is that I'm originally like,
my heart of hearts is dancing and it still is
(06:32):
to this day. I still have a huge passion for it.
But that's the reason that took me to New York City.
Speaker 5 (06:40):
And so.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Schooling started to get really tough. So I had to
make a choice either do I continue this dancing or
do I like go to school. And so me, I'm
like an a B person, like I need a backup
in a backup with a new job. I love technology.
I was going to school for computer science at this school,
not computer engineering like I originally wanted to do, so
I took it serious. I ended up passing good grades,
(07:04):
decent grades, and I got a job right after that
working full stack as a full stack engineer, building a
site called building Block, which a construction management software platform.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
And so a little after that I met my wife.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
We met on tender after I got my first job,
and so we were together. She planted that scene as
I said before, and then you know, now we have
eat Okra. But you know, throughout all of it, I
had to always fall back on my discipline from the
military and commitment and dedication, and so I always have
to be serious. I want to, like, you know, be somebody.
(07:40):
I want to be something. I don't want to you know,
I want to have success, you know. And so that's
that's a process of iteration. It's that mission is like
get the job done, get the education done. It's stilled
this business. It's make sure people are using it. So
there's it's it's always evolving. But I definitely fall on
those those skill sets in that my mindset of my
(08:01):
military background.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah, I would say I think for many of us.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
If I if I can speak for all of us
that military background, it is really like a foundation for
many of us.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
We can always fall back to those things that we
learned from that.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
But that I forgot that you were a dancer, and
I forgot.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
All about that. I remember now that you said it.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
All right, So uh and kudos to you and your wife,
Like that's excited that you have that partner, you know.
I mean, you guys built this together. So I mean
that's that's a big accomplishment.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Yeah, the integral part of our success. I couldnt have
done it without her.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Yeah, yes, and that's important. That's important to have that.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So you build a platform that supports back on restaurants,
which was inspired by, like you said, your family, your wife,
own your own entrepreneurial experiences. So how did those early
influence shape your vision for Ecoura.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
I think, you know, you know, it started as just
how do we find black owned restaurants in a new neighborhood.
You know, we were solving our own problem. My wife
is from the Bronx, born and raised in the Bronx.
I was living an upstate we'll lived, not born, but
I was raised in upstate New York pretty much my
entire life. So for me, New York City was brand new.
For her, Brooklyn was new, and so moving into this
(09:32):
neighborhood not knowing where to go, it's just like, we're
all the black owned restaurants. It really wasn't a category
in different apps back then. You'd have to like look
through articles or maybe somebody would mention it on a
blog or post or something like that. But there wasn't
many many listicals of articles out there to find restaurants.
And so it was twenty sixteen at the time, it's like,
(09:53):
why don't we have an app for that? And so
we built it, you know, And so really it was
just supposed to be a discovery platform for folks like
us who wanted to find black owned restaurants and new neighborhoods,
or in the neighborhood they already lived in, but don't
ever explore or think to find out where all the
black owned restaurants were. So we were solving that maybe
an initial problem, but then it became like, oh, there's
(10:16):
so much more to entrepreneurship. As I was going through
through the journey of being an entrepreneur but also learning
what the restaurant owners, chefs, managers, like all the problems
that's that they have. And so we started learning meeting
new people throughout this journey who could provide this kind
of access in education and resources and coaching, mentorship, and
(10:39):
so we started to just put all those pieces together
and you know, we started building this platform. We're now
just sharing this information out, making sure people know about
these grants and opportunities.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
That are happening.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
How do you get into JFK court authority, how you
can concession, how do you scale your food truck, you know,
scale into different restaurants. And so we continuing to the
work and we do a lot of work, you know
around events and emails and stuff the resources. So they
continue to do that and we you know, we really
just wanted to make sure we're always thinking about our
community first.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
Yeah, bringing them along with us on this journey. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
I really love that though, because you guys saw a
gap and you decided to fill it. But then it
started growing, it started evolving into much and you realize
there's more gaps to fill, right, and even though you
can't fill all of them, you can at least fill
some of them.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
And you know, somebody else could.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
Build on it if they need to, exactly.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
So there's been a noticeable shift in the empowerment of women,
especially women veterans, over the years. So, as someone who's
built a platform with community in mind, what's your take
on this movement and how do you see it impacting
the broader veteran community.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
You can't go far or scale far without women on
your team. Period.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
It's just it's a non starter to not be diverse
in your employment, to not build products for everyone, to
not have women on your team. But specifically, yeah, I've
always we have like a bunch of women on our
team right now and they're like fabulous and great get
(12:31):
get things done or get shipped done. If I say
on time, like they come correct and they put me together,
you know, they get me all the way together. So
I think, I don't know why this is even a
discussion or an issue.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Yes, I agree with you, you know what. And it's funny,
you know, Rod and Iron the military, and it's crazy,
even to this day, people will acknowledge his service but
not mine.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
People refer to him as.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Serving even though I say I served, you know, But
it's like, why is there why why do you think
it's so difficult or I don't even know if it's
a difficulty, But why do you feel, like, why do
you think it's a situation where women are not recognized
as soldiers or as serving And this is from your perspective,
(13:21):
What do you think that is.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
This idea of the what a soldier is supposed to
be that can't be understood by those that don't look
like us, you know, I think even like even I'm
five foot six, you know, I mean, I'm not six
foot two, and so.
Speaker 5 (13:47):
In the army, I'm always in the back of.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
Formations because they want that big, broadly man to be
in the front of all things. And you know what
I mean, And they're often shitty soldiers, a shitty you know,
I mean, not often like they can't be like the
rest of us. They're not better, they're not anything more
than just being six foot two and having a stature,
And so a lot of people try to associate that
(14:13):
with leadership that look and feel as they fit the
part their soldier, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
And I don't agree.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
With that, yeah, but we still have the mindset of
the nineteen forties, you know what I mean, Like those
type of people are still that kind of same mindset,
and it's really it's just unfortunate.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
I mean, I could go down a whole psychological there's
a psychological thing behind that, but we're not gonna go
down that rabbit hole today. Okay, So do you think
the shift towards women women's empowerment has changed the way men,
particularly male veterans, navigate their own roles and sense of
purpose in society. Repeat the question, So do you think
(15:00):
the shift with the women's empowerment has changed away men,
particularly male veterans, navigate their own roles and their sense
of purpose in society.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Uh, certain, in certain demos, I guess for me, it's
never been an issue to to not work with women
or to think that, oh, women can only be put
into a certain box, you know. I think we do
have to be real aroound certain like jobs or you know,
(15:37):
you can come to like a lifting things heavy.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
You know.
Speaker 4 (15:41):
Of course we have to have men in certain positions,
but there's no reason why women are not right there
with you, you know.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And I think with our military background too, you know,
like there's a lot of things that I've done that
probably people wouldn't be able to see me doing as
a female, like in the multiple lifting tires, you know,
changing tires on trust and everything. So I mean, I
think a part of that too is that's why I
love the military because it brings so many backgrounds, so
(16:14):
many different you know, people together and you get to
experience their ethnicity, their backgrounds, their skill set. And I
think that's why as soldiers we are more open to
that idea of community of working together. But for some
reason it doesn't translate sometimes in the civilian sector. They
(16:35):
can't see the female.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Doing this or.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Yeah, for sure, Like the military is a big culture hub.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Like I remember going to Basic and the guy, the
Joe sergeant was like, how many people have never seen
a black person before? And at least like four other
soldiers raising and I went to Fort Benning. I went
to Fort Benning and yeah, it was like for them,
it was like a straight culture shock, you know. For us,
like I grew around, that was when I saw it,
(17:03):
so but for them, you know what I mean, And
it's that same kind of thinking, like if you don't
get outside your your region or your your town, you're
just gonna be stuck with the same ideas that your
parents and grandparents had. It's the same echo chamber, you know,
so you're never gonna to understand like the the strength
of the woman strength, especially if you're in an area
(17:24):
that's really like speaks to matter, is like puts women
in the house and don't do physical labor or other things.
You spoke about lifting tires, like, yeah, I've seen a
lot of women do things that I didn't know as
possible growing up in upstate New York, you know, and
I'm just like, wow, Okay, that was awesome.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
You know.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
So it's you know, you're actually like, it's important that
you know, we are being diverse and having those conversations
and bringing other people to the conversation of a new
perspective to the conversation. Uh, and just those people typically
have not or will not get out of their own
(18:02):
box allow other folks to kind of help shape their
their experiences, help shape their behaviors or thoughts or value system,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
It's like the.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Military was really great for that, and they still we
did a lot of work to make sure that we
each understood where each other was coming from as well.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
I I agree, I agree, all right, So last question
about the women's empowerment.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
They were going to move to eokra.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Okay, So where do you see this movement for women's
empowerment in the next five years And how do you
think men can be active supporters in the way that
feels authentic and meaningful. And I think you're you're you're
kind of like an example of with your with your wife,
you know, like you can answer to that in that perspective.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
Yeah, women's empowerment I think is only going to get stronger.
I think women are can continue to prove or dispel
the status quo. They're still going to create amazing businesses.
They're going to continue to start businesses. Women are the
starting the most businesses out of anyone, specially Black women
are starting the most businesses.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
Out of anyone.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
And I am really excited to chant support in any
way I can and champion that. And if that means
mentoring more on my side so that they're able to
excel and whatever skills that I'm able to bring to
the table, I'm really happy to do that work with
them and alongside that and just making sure I do
my chance my job as a leader CEO and make
(19:38):
sure that I am supporting in any way I can,
like being on your podcast or things like that. So
just making sure that I'm not silent, silent in my
in my advocacy or support and so yeah, I mean,
and making sure that I'm pushing my wife to be
(19:58):
more of a face it more of the things and
speaks of our experiences as and a leader and all
the things as well.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
One of the things that I've noticed too as a
coach is that a lot of female veterans we tend
to and I don't know, I don't really exactly know
how to like phrase this, but it's like we streak, right,
we start doubting, our concentrations are worse, and then you know,
we sometimes feel like we don't have a bound, we
(20:27):
don't belong in the room. So but like you said,
you know, there's a shift coming and we're comm you
know anyway. So you know, I feel like if we
just keep lifting each other up, like you said, that's
just going to get stronger in the years to come.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Right, Yeah, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
No, yeah, definitely just keep lifting each other Upke's showing
up front one another, keep encouraging, whether publicly privately, just
making sure that even as women, you're still gathering and
organizing together and you know, really just being each other's
accountability partner. You know that you guys can like make
(21:11):
sure these things are really happening and you're hitting your
goals and you're talking about your your personal guilt, your
your uncomfortableness, you know, and dispel those those ideas that
you have in your head.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Yeah, you know, I will.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
I will say this because I've had to get intentional
about being a part of community, you know what I mean,
I've I have the tendency to just shrink myself, so
I made it. I have to really sit there and say,
you know what, you have to get out. You you
cannot do anything sitting in your basement office. You know,
(21:54):
you gotta get out. You got to meet people, you
gotta network. So I get that. But but I know
the strug I understand. You know, the reservation. It's different
from the military. You know, it seems so easy in
the military, but get out here and it's intimidating.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
Yeah, that box gets a lot, the people gets a
lot bigger. You know, like I said, it could be
super easy, but if you're really and even in at
some point in the military, if you're really trying to
like gain like rank things like that. You've got to
get the more political side, you know, and so there
is that, but a lot of it you can just
kind of just coast through in the military.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Yeah, definitely, all right.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
So one thing I admire about Eat Eat Okay is
how it highlights the importance of connection and community. How
did you cultivate that sense of helping belonging within your
platform and what advice would you give to veterans who
feel disconnected after leaving the military.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Yeah, I would say if you're disconnected, definitely find find
your your your tribe, your tribe, your bad ale buddy,
keep in touch. I still have my group of battle
buddies that we have a Facebook group to know we
have we just have a text group together.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
Or you know, we're occasionally yeah, so we're craazonally in
those groups.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
So definitely make sure you're staying connected to those important
people that in your life that really helps shape probably
your military career. And just making sure that your you know,
other eyed places is veteran groups. You get on the
different chats to find different veteran groups now people that
have shared similar experiences. I don't know if it's PTSD
(23:41):
or just you know, you want that camaraderie or that
kind of military mindset of people you want to be around.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
So it does. It does for kind of lonely because
when you come home, it's just like you.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
Have no discipline. You're like judging everybody. But they don't
have discipline. They don't have they don't have like they
don't make that bad, they don't they're not working out.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
You know, there's so many things.
Speaker 4 (24:04):
It's like I'm better than you or something like that.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
Like I feel like I had.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
A moment of that for a little while when I
got a.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
I don't have that anymore.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
Though I did run like two miles today, I definitely
would not have passed the PT test with what I
read today.
Speaker 5 (24:21):
It was athetic.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
But you know, you still want some people that have
like a certain standard around you. You know, maybe that's
you find that by getting outside of your norm and
just putting yourself out there to get into new groups,
to find new friends and stuff like that you can
actually have community with. And so with the OKRAH, you know,
we have this platform of people who have a need
(24:44):
to want to find and support black owned businesses, and
so we are the platform that's that resource for you
that you can open your app anywhere you are inside
the United States soon to be outside the United States.
But going to find black businesses, you know, and I
don't mean just soul food, right, I mean like Caribbean food.
(25:07):
I mean even Italian food or Chinese food that's from
a black owned business, black ownership, you know. So we
are making sure that we're dispelling those myths, you know,
and really like making sure we're loving on the full
diaspora of the community and what they're doing, and so
we're able to help you find you know, A big
reason why we did Ydoker was to find, like what's
(25:28):
happening in my neighborhood, where are things where people gathering,
where they're talking about with the culture. When we do
that through our local businesses, the local establishments as meeting places,
and so those ideas are really important to why we
have created the platform.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I really admire what you and
your wife has done, Like it's really been a game
danger So I applaud you guys for that.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
I applaud you. See.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
That was that little seed that y'all watered and it
just grew in to just this big tree.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
I love it all right?
Speaker 2 (26:04):
So, Ed, you guys have received so many awards and
recognition for your work, but I imagine that was not easy.
What's one of the biggest challenges you faced as an
entrepreneur and how did you manage to push through?
Speaker 4 (26:23):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (26:24):
I think he froze. Oh did you hear me?
Speaker 5 (26:30):
Ed?
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Can you hear me?
Speaker 5 (27:20):
Hey?
Speaker 2 (27:21):
There you are, It's okay. Did you hear the last question?
Speaker 5 (27:26):
I did not. I did not hear Okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
So I was saying that you guys have received so
many awards and recognition for your work, but I imagine
the journey hasn't been very easy for you. So what's
one of the biggest challenges you've faced as an entrepreneur
and how were you able to push through that?
Speaker 4 (27:48):
I think the hardest part of being so I am.
We have a lean and mean team. I actually have
a military friend on my team as well who has
been so integral to the growth of Eatokre. Her name
is Kira. She has a company called Fresh Factory. There
is like a virtual assistant agency. So she stepped in
(28:11):
at a time when we really needed because we were
scaling from fifty thousand restaurants to over twenty thousand restaurants,
well like thirteen thousand restaurants in the side of month.
And so she came in like, yo, I see you
guys are doing great things. How can I help? And
I was like, yo, I've got eight thousand restaurants that
(28:32):
we need the process that people are submitting inside a month,
and she's like, stay less. And so her and her team,
however she gets it done, has been working with us
ever since, and so we're continuing to work together to
make sure we get more restaurants on the platform, get
more visibility that's bringing more dollars to the businesses. So
(28:53):
you know, TA building has been very integral to this process,
making sure that you know your team has a nice
culture but it works together. As a leader, you have
to understand everyone's quirks and how to deal with them.
Speaker 5 (29:04):
I think the military was really strong. I learned a lot.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Having to deal with so many different personality types that
I don't think it's enough credit. And you really have
to learn how to navigate like this is this is
still politics in the in this other side of it,
you have to know how to how to you know,
politic your team or politic your way through it. And
so you know, and you have to make sure everyone's
(29:29):
mission oriented oriented, you know. So for us, it's it's
really been about building team, finding the right members who
have the right level of experience, level of dedication. I mean,
for me, it's like I paid more attention to your
work ethic versus the talent like you can grow Like me,
I grew into learning how to build a mobile app.
(29:50):
I never built that app before, but I had the
skill sets to build a website, so I knew I
could take that translated to build to appen youk is
really the first and only app I've built. I built
it three times over two years from the ground up.
Speaker 5 (30:04):
But you know, I knew I always wanted.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
To make sure I'm giving people the opportunity who had
just the hunger to grow in their skill set to
join my team. For financially, you know, it's always tough.
So my wife has been great bringing in money for
the company too. And you know, I do my job
as well, just talking with folks and making sure that
(30:29):
we're talking with sponsors and people that can help us
get to the next level. Yeah, and so you know,
really the over to overcome all of it is just
that in that resilience is just to stay at it,
stay iterating on it, keep thinking about the problem, keep
talking to more people about the problem and how do
you solve it? So you know, for me, it was
also about getting outside of my bubble too, even as
(30:50):
an entrepreneurs like lonely at the time. It's really lonely
at the top. So I've joined many different different I've
joined many different groups to have all the COMversations and
so we're able to like have similar experiences and understand
and help each other through them too. Because I've been
a couple of groups where we just like talked about
our problems and we each gave our experiences and how
(31:12):
we solve them. And so I look to my friends
and co workers and cohorts that have been a part
of in peers to make sure that you know, I'm
thinking about all the problems the right way, and you
know they're helpful. You know, it's been a couple of
years and some of them I'm just now starting to
do partnerships because we've.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Matured enough, right we can now start doing work together.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
That's awesome and it is important. You know, you said
something I don't think sometimes we give our military experience.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
A lot of credit, but it's also.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Kind of you You kind of don't recognize it until
you're in that position too. You're like, oh, I did
this before, Like we did this in the military, and
that's kind of how I've been developing in my business too,
in addition to the team building, reaching back to people,
your friends and everything. But you don't really you don't
really get it until you're there. You're like, oh, but
(32:08):
it's called something different, right, networking is really is free
to core? Yeah right, yeah, so that is that is awesome.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
All right.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
So here's the question for so for veterans who might
be thinking about entrepreneurship but they're unsure where to start,
what would you tell them about building something that aligns
with their passion and their purpose.
Speaker 4 (32:35):
Yeah, I honestly don't know how you go to product
that you don't use, that you don't that you're not
solving for yourself, yes, or have a passion about. I
think it's really hard and really easy to like give
up on something that you just that you're not they're
not personally connected to. So definitely choose choose a service
(32:55):
or product that resonates with you, like strongly and that's
going to get you through those hard times, because there
will be hard times.
Speaker 5 (33:03):
You're like, man, I don't know if I really want
to do this anymore.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
I can't get past this problem problems that I'm dealing with,
you know, And so you have to like be able
to fall back on like the love of it at
the end of the day, because it's not it's not easy.
For their money is not Asking people for their money
is not easy. It's me Building a platform is not easy.
(33:31):
Making people come through your doors every day is not easy.
So you got to be really be a you know,
you got to start to learn a lot of different
things that you just have never had any adjacency to.
Maybe I had some adjacency too, but once you're in
that driver's seat, it's like, oh, this is what John
really did, yea, or this is what this is what
(33:52):
my partner was doing all this time. I had no idea.
This is a lot of work, you know.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
And it also includes getting used to being uncomfortable, right
because it's never going to be well, I won't say
it's never going to be comfortable. It does get.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
Easier, but you got to embrace the uncomfortable journey that
comes to.
Speaker 5 (34:14):
It and there's like no answers for your specific problem.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
No, it's not.
Speaker 4 (34:19):
Everyone's journey is different. We're all at different stages. And
you read all these books and you listen to all
these YouTube videos and shorts and tiktoks, and everyone's giving
their opinion, and it's like.
Speaker 5 (34:31):
Which one is the answer for me? And that like
never comes.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
So it's just you got to get good at just
like putting all the pieces together, understanding your data you're
metric your customer, and you know, putting a strategy to
plan together and executing against it. You know, Yeah, so
you got you really got your You got to go
with your gut at the end of the day, Yeah,
you want to use intelligent about it. But at the
same time you start to go like this is the
(34:56):
path I'm going to stick to it. You know, hopefully
it's educated. Hopefully you got other people. But like that's
how it is as a startup entrepreneur. You have to
make the best decisions until you can hire those folks
that are the expert in you know, marketing and communications,
in you know, chief chief operation officer, you know things
(35:17):
like that.
Speaker 5 (35:17):
So until then you're that you're that guy or gal.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Yes, that's running the show, you know, so the mission
must continue, you know, I would think about that mission first,
you've got to iterate and so you got to get
the job done.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
However that is Yeah, I think. I think at the
heart of it too, you have to trust yourself, you know,
because like you said, there are so many distractions, so
many things that you're like, oh, I could do that,
and I fell into that trap. I'm like, Okay, I'm
gonna do that because that person is doing good. But
at the end of it all, you have to trust
and believe in what you're doing, and that's when it starts.
(35:54):
It becomes a sense of ease. Not easy, but it's
it's ease because it feels right.
Speaker 5 (36:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
I probably still fall into that trap of of listening
and trying to do.
Speaker 5 (36:06):
And be too much for too many people.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
Are just like entertaining things I probably shouldn't entertain, but
living you learn.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Yeah, I know, I know. But you've done well.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
So final question, you've managed to bridge the gap between
your military service, your tech skills, and your love for community.
So what's next for you and Equo CRA. Are there
any exciting projects or goals you're working towards.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
Right now we are. So last year was a great
year for us. We produced our first conference, so we
had forty speakers, twelve panels, we had fifty vendors of
all this is all food and beverage brands and experts,
and we had about five hundred people come for a
(37:01):
day of education and shopping, networking. You know, we want
to be that real catalyst to make sure that folks
are getting the getting the information as well as coming
taking away with them and for the businesses. We hope
that you know, six months from now, we're getting we're
hearing back to sex stories and I'm already hearing about
some great things that people are are in new have
new relationships that can really scale their businesses, and that's
(37:22):
kind of like what this is about. So everything we
do this year is really going to be centered on
making sure that we're doing a conference again, and we're
going to double or triple our numbers as far as
people through the door. We want to bring in new speakers,
we have more conversations around more topics in this food
and beverage hospitality space, and so you know, this year
(37:46):
we're going to have a lot more have a lot
more intimate conversations. We're doing a lot more webinars, we
have some exciting things even on the either side. We're
going to bring more more video to the platform, so
you can now upload videos and business reviews. So that's
to bring a lot more attention and just a lot
more like sharing about the experience that you're going to
(38:08):
have at this restaurant and white people love it. And
you're gonna do a lot more things around preferences and
make sure that our customers get the get are shown
what's important to them.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
And so.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
We have a really cool campaign coming out next month
around Black History Month, and we're so our name is
called the company is called Eat Okra, Oh Eat Okra,
And so with the Okra, you know, Okrah was a
seat that was brought over during the slave trade settled.
Speaker 5 (38:42):
In the South. My family is from Iota, My roots
is from Iyoda with Louisiana. My wife's roots are from Gula,
the Glla Islands and Della Gichi folks and so some
there to be specific.
Speaker 4 (38:55):
And so we are gonna be telling that story all
of this this Black.
Speaker 5 (39:01):
History Month in February.
Speaker 4 (39:02):
And so I'm really excited to put out a whole
web page specifically about people's experiences. We have recipes, we
have stories, and then we're gonna have an event as
well to bring it all together. And so that's d
of the New York City will announce that soon. But yeah,
we're just going to continue to keep being present, continue
(39:24):
to bring people, continue to show stories, bring a little
bit of light and history, continue to share that knowledge.
We have some more partnerships that we're aligning with as
well for the year, and so you know, we're just
gonna take all those things and making sure that this
conference is the next big, big event that you cannot miss.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
So we're going to continue to be that.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Well, all of.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
That sounds exciting and like you have your work cut
out for you, but it's fun right because it's your
passion too.
Speaker 5 (39:54):
So it is my passion. Yeah, I'm up literally like
the army. Like the army. That's why they are to me.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
I wake up at five still without a clock. I
don't know the light, if I'm feeling the light from
the window wake me up or what it is. But hey,
what time I go to bed. I'm waking up at five.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
It's approgrim. You can't get rid of it.
Speaker 4 (40:19):
Right from that first day basic reception. It has not
left me. I still have that smell, that of that
basic spell light, the receptions that like meat in my blood,
so I smell.
Speaker 5 (40:32):
I'm like, oh, I got.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
You simple grade.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Well, definitely, I am so thankful that you came on
today and tell our listeners and our viewers where they
can find you, how they can contact you, connect with you,
and all the good stuff.
Speaker 4 (40:54):
Yeah, all things lead back to eatocre dot com or
go to your app store and type and eat okrah
e a t okay r a one word social media channels,
get oprah the app on everything, and yeah, that's how
can get a touch with me. If you want to
get with me specifically, it's Anthony at eoprah dot com.
Pretty simple, or you can just find it to the
(41:15):
website as well or any other channels. Just just reach
out and you know, somebody or myself on the team
will will follow up.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Okay, I got one question that I forgot to ask you.
What does living unapologetically mean to you?
Speaker 4 (41:33):
It means being honest, honest, being being present with yourself
and with everyone around you, and not code switching or
anything like that, just just being unapologetically you.
Speaker 5 (41:44):
I think.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
Yeah, yeah, it's actually simple when you think about it,
but it's one of those things.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
You really you have to get real with you.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
First before you can be unapologetic and show that side
of you.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
Yeah, definitely doing that work to understand your weaknesses, you know,
and your your strengths. Doing that work to understand your strengths,
your weaknesses where you need help. You know, we don't
have to be experts, and I think that's something a
lot of us carry that and not being vulnerable with
the unknown, being vulnerable with asking questions or unknown, and
that's probably typically why you're isolated and building.
Speaker 5 (42:22):
But yeah, I have to honestly, you know, I had.
Speaker 4 (42:25):
To go through that that that building, and even my
wife has done a lot of work with me understand
like how my upbringing childhood has shaped you know, who
I am today.
Speaker 5 (42:37):
I think the way I do, you know.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
So you know, as you learn about yourself and do
that work through therapy or not therapy, or just really
taking that deep dive with yourself and somebody else, it
really helps you kind of step out that door and
being the full you, being fully present as you yourself
and your bones and your back.
Speaker 3 (43:04):
I love that and thank you well, Anthony.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
Thank you so much for joining me today and sharing
your incredible story your journey.
Speaker 5 (43:13):
Thank you of course, your journey.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
From soldier to entrepreneur is a true testament of resilience
of your vision and the power of creating something meaningful.
I wish you and your wife much success, I really do,
and I would love to support you on your journey
as well, So let me know about some of your events.
Speaker 3 (43:34):
I'll just show up, okay.
Speaker 4 (43:36):
Yes, please, And I want to definitely give you the
shout out as well. I want to definitely make sure
I give you the shout out as well. You've been
out here doing this work too from a fitness standpoint too.
I know you're doing work on different boards and make
doing a lot of work for veterans, So like, kudos.
Speaker 5 (43:51):
To you to like not be dormant at home and.
Speaker 4 (43:55):
To retire, to retire to retired salaries in the military
just like taking a check every day, but now you're
out there like actually getting the work done. I think
you're dempressive as well, So definitely love watching the evolution of.
Speaker 5 (44:08):
Your journey and career posts military as well.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
Thank you so much. I appreciate that, and thank you
to everyone for tuning in to this special episode of
Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform. If you enjoyed today's conversation,
please like, share, and subscribe. It helps us reach more
veterans and amplify stories like Anthony's. And remember, we're live
(44:36):
every Friday at eleven am Eastern Sentary time with more
inspiring stories and conversations. So until next time, keep living unapologetically.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
This has been Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform with your host,
Renee Jones Hutson. We hope you found inspiration and valuable
insights in today's episode. Remember your journey of redefining, rediscovering,
and reaffirming your life post military is unique and powerful.
Stay connected with us for more stories, advice and support.
(45:15):
Until next time, Stay strong and stay empowered. Listen Friday's
eleven am Eastern on the Bold Brave TV Network powered
by B two Studios
Are you a transitioning military or veteran woman looking for support, guidance,
and inspiration. You've come to the right place. Welcome to
Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform with your host, Renee Jones Hudson.
Renee brings powerful stories, practical advice, and expert insights to
help you redefine, rediscover, and reaffirm your life after military service,
(00:43):
whether navigating a career change, seeking personal growth, or focusing
on your well being. We are here to empower you
every step of the way. So welcome the host of
Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform, Renee Jones Hudson. Let's embark
on this journey to get.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Hello and welcome to Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform. I'm
your host, Renee Jones Sutson, and I am excited to
have you with me today. This podcast is all about
empowering veterans, especially females, to embrace their next chapter with purpose,
with confidence.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
And with resilience.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
But today's episode is a little different and very special.
This episode is dedicated to the male veterans who tune
in every week and support this show. Your support and
your presence have meant the world to me. And I'm
honored to recognize your journeys and your contributions. So for
(01:50):
this special episode, I'm excited to introduce our first male.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Guest, Anthony Edwards Junior.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
He is a veteran, an entrepreneur and a tech expert.
He served in the Army as an avionics system repairer
and participated in OIF two thousand and six in two
thousand and seven, which is Operation Iraqi Freedom. And after
his service, he earned his bachelor's degree in computer science
(02:22):
from Fordham University and entered the tech industry as a
full stack developer. I had to practice that, but his
journey didn't stop there. He co founded eat Okra, a
platform that's become a game changer for supporting black owned
restaurants across the country. But here's a fun fact, Anthony
(02:46):
and I are not completely strangers. He's actually served with
my husband and at one point, I don't know if
he remembers this, but he was our photographer. So I've
had the honor of seeing Anthony's journey first hind and
I can't wait for you all to hear about his
incredible path from soldier to tech innovator and community leader.
(03:11):
History is a perfect example of what it means to
live unapologetically beyond the uniform.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
So welcome to the show. Ed.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Hey, Renee, thank you so much for having me on
the show. I'm really excited to.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
I mean an honor to be your first mail on
the show. So that's even cooler. I guess, yes, yeah, no,
I don't remember that photography shoot that photo shoot? What
do we do?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I don't Rebecca remember she was Preemi.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
You came down, you took your in Williamsburg, so I
knew you can't remember that.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Yeah, okay, okay, okay, just got her at the hospital.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
You came down and visited us, and you took a
whole family, did a whole family for us. Yeah, but
thank you. I am so excited that you decided to
come on.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
But so I want to start with asking you your why,
like what prompted you to push forward and build something meaningful,
like with just give me your give me your spill
on that.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Yeah, I think for me, it's just post a military.
I wanted to make something. I wanted to continue to
build something for my family, be a part of something
bigger than myself. So I've always strived for that, and
look for that and moving in with my wife and
her planting that seed. You know, why don't you build
(04:39):
an app for us to find black owned restaurants. It
was almost a no brainer. So I took on the
challenge and like here we are today.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, I remember when you asked me about Jamaica. I
was like, uh, I don't really know too much about
the restaurants, but I remember when you started that research
for that. So what else to you though? Because you're
here now, you know, doing big things. So I want
to talk about your journey from serving in the army
(05:08):
to becoming a tech entrepreneur. What was that transition like
for you and what were some of the lessons that
you took from your military service into the civilian world.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Yeah. I mean it's scary.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
I think when you're leaving like a secure job, like
you know, I got to do with this? What show
up in the right uniform and be on time and
like you're good in the military, and that's all you
got to think about it do But when you take
that that that chance to go out into the civilian
world and almost be on your own, you know, be
in your own uniform, your own time, what you ever
(05:43):
be time appropriate, you know, So I you know, but
I took it serious.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
When I got out, I went to school.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
I went to first I went to community college at
Ulster County Community College for computer engineering, and then at
the same time, I joined the Air Force Reserve, so
I actually had to leave again for another nine months
where I was stationed in Texas for a little yeah,
Texas for a little while.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
And so.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
During that time I ended up switching schools to Fordham
University in the Bronx because I wanted to be closer
to the city because I was still an avid dancer
at the time, and so I went back into dancing
and background dancing. And so that's the fact that a
lot of people don't know is that I'm originally like,
my heart of hearts is dancing and it still is
(06:32):
to this day. I still have a huge passion for it.
But that's the reason that took me to New York City.
Speaker 5 (06:40):
And so.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Schooling started to get really tough. So I had to
make a choice either do I continue this dancing or
do I like go to school. And so me, I'm
like an a B person, like I need a backup
in a backup with a new job. I love technology.
I was going to school for computer science at this school,
not computer engineering like I originally wanted to do, so
I took it serious. I ended up passing good grades,
(07:04):
decent grades, and I got a job right after that
working full stack as a full stack engineer, building a
site called building Block, which a construction management software platform.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
And so a little after that I met my wife.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
We met on tender after I got my first job,
and so we were together. She planted that scene as
I said before, and then you know, now we have
eat Okra. But you know, throughout all of it, I
had to always fall back on my discipline from the
military and commitment and dedication, and so I always have
to be serious. I want to, like, you know, be somebody.
(07:40):
I want to be something. I don't want to you know,
I want to have success, you know. And so that's
that's a process of iteration. It's that mission is like
get the job done, get the education done. It's stilled
this business. It's make sure people are using it. So
there's it's it's always evolving. But I definitely fall on
those those skill sets in that my mindset of my
(08:01):
military background.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah, I would say I think for many of us.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
If I if I can speak for all of us
that military background, it is really like a foundation for
many of us.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
We can always fall back to those things that we
learned from that.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
But that I forgot that you were a dancer, and
I forgot.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
All about that. I remember now that you said it.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
All right, So uh and kudos to you and your wife,
Like that's excited that you have that partner, you know.
I mean, you guys built this together. So I mean
that's that's a big accomplishment.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Yeah, the integral part of our success. I couldnt have
done it without her.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Yeah, yes, and that's important. That's important to have that.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So you build a platform that supports back on restaurants,
which was inspired by, like you said, your family, your wife,
own your own entrepreneurial experiences. So how did those early
influence shape your vision for Ecoura.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
I think, you know, you know, it started as just
how do we find black owned restaurants in a new neighborhood.
You know, we were solving our own problem. My wife
is from the Bronx, born and raised in the Bronx.
I was living an upstate we'll lived, not born, but
I was raised in upstate New York pretty much my
entire life. So for me, New York City was brand new.
For her, Brooklyn was new, and so moving into this
(09:32):
neighborhood not knowing where to go, it's just like, we're
all the black owned restaurants. It really wasn't a category
in different apps back then. You'd have to like look
through articles or maybe somebody would mention it on a
blog or post or something like that. But there wasn't
many many listicals of articles out there to find restaurants.
And so it was twenty sixteen at the time, it's like,
(09:53):
why don't we have an app for that? And so
we built it, you know, And so really it was
just supposed to be a discovery platform for folks like
us who wanted to find black owned restaurants and new neighborhoods,
or in the neighborhood they already lived in, but don't
ever explore or think to find out where all the
black owned restaurants were. So we were solving that maybe
an initial problem, but then it became like, oh, there's
(10:16):
so much more to entrepreneurship. As I was going through
through the journey of being an entrepreneur but also learning
what the restaurant owners, chefs, managers, like all the problems
that's that they have. And so we started learning meeting
new people throughout this journey who could provide this kind
of access in education and resources and coaching, mentorship, and
(10:39):
so we started to just put all those pieces together
and you know, we started building this platform. We're now
just sharing this information out, making sure people know about
these grants and opportunities.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
That are happening.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
How do you get into JFK court authority, how you
can concession, how do you scale your food truck, you know,
scale into different restaurants. And so we continuing to the
work and we do a lot of work, you know
around events and emails and stuff the resources. So they
continue to do that and we you know, we really
just wanted to make sure we're always thinking about our
community first.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
Yeah, bringing them along with us on this journey. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
I really love that though, because you guys saw a
gap and you decided to fill it. But then it
started growing, it started evolving into much and you realize
there's more gaps to fill, right, and even though you
can't fill all of them, you can at least fill
some of them.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
And you know, somebody else could.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
Build on it if they need to, exactly.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
So there's been a noticeable shift in the empowerment of women,
especially women veterans, over the years. So, as someone who's
built a platform with community in mind, what's your take
on this movement and how do you see it impacting
the broader veteran community.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
You can't go far or scale far without women on
your team. Period.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
It's just it's a non starter to not be diverse
in your employment, to not build products for everyone, to
not have women on your team. But specifically, yeah, I've
always we have like a bunch of women on our
team right now and they're like fabulous and great get
(12:31):
get things done or get shipped done. If I say
on time, like they come correct and they put me together,
you know, they get me all the way together. So
I think, I don't know why this is even a
discussion or an issue.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Yes, I agree with you, you know what. And it's funny,
you know, Rod and Iron the military, and it's crazy,
even to this day, people will acknowledge his service but
not mine.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
People refer to him as.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Serving even though I say I served, you know, But
it's like, why is there why why do you think
it's so difficult or I don't even know if it's
a difficulty, But why do you feel, like, why do
you think it's a situation where women are not recognized
as soldiers or as serving And this is from your perspective,
(13:21):
What do you think that is.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
This idea of the what a soldier is supposed to
be that can't be understood by those that don't look
like us, you know, I think even like even I'm
five foot six, you know, I mean, I'm not six
foot two, and so.
Speaker 5 (13:47):
In the army, I'm always in the back of.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
Formations because they want that big, broadly man to be
in the front of all things. And you know what
I mean, And they're often shitty soldiers, a shitty you know,
I mean, not often like they can't be like the
rest of us. They're not better, they're not anything more
than just being six foot two and having a stature,
And so a lot of people try to associate that
(14:13):
with leadership that look and feel as they fit the
part their soldier, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
And I don't agree.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
With that, yeah, but we still have the mindset of
the nineteen forties, you know what I mean, Like those
type of people are still that kind of same mindset,
and it's really it's just unfortunate.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
I mean, I could go down a whole psychological there's
a psychological thing behind that, but we're not gonna go
down that rabbit hole today. Okay, So do you think
the shift towards women women's empowerment has changed the way men,
particularly male veterans, navigate their own roles and sense of
purpose in society. Repeat the question, So do you think
(15:00):
the shift with the women's empowerment has changed away men,
particularly male veterans, navigate their own roles and their sense
of purpose in society.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Uh, certain, in certain demos, I guess for me, it's
never been an issue to to not work with women
or to think that, oh, women can only be put
into a certain box, you know. I think we do
have to be real aroound certain like jobs or you know,
(15:37):
you can come to like a lifting things heavy.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
You know.
Speaker 4 (15:41):
Of course we have to have men in certain positions,
but there's no reason why women are not right there
with you, you know.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And I think with our military background too, you know,
like there's a lot of things that I've done that
probably people wouldn't be able to see me doing as
a female, like in the multiple lifting tires, you know,
changing tires on trust and everything. So I mean, I
think a part of that too is that's why I
love the military because it brings so many backgrounds, so
(16:14):
many different you know, people together and you get to
experience their ethnicity, their backgrounds, their skill set. And I
think that's why as soldiers we are more open to
that idea of community of working together. But for some
reason it doesn't translate sometimes in the civilian sector. They
(16:35):
can't see the female.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Doing this or.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Yeah, for sure, Like the military is a big culture hub.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Like I remember going to Basic and the guy, the
Joe sergeant was like, how many people have never seen
a black person before? And at least like four other
soldiers raising and I went to Fort Benning. I went
to Fort Benning and yeah, it was like for them,
it was like a straight culture shock, you know. For us,
like I grew around, that was when I saw it,
(17:03):
so but for them, you know what I mean, And
it's that same kind of thinking, like if you don't
get outside your your region or your your town, you're
just gonna be stuck with the same ideas that your
parents and grandparents had. It's the same echo chamber, you know,
so you're never gonna to understand like the the strength
of the woman strength, especially if you're in an area
(17:24):
that's really like speaks to matter, is like puts women
in the house and don't do physical labor or other things.
You spoke about lifting tires, like, yeah, I've seen a
lot of women do things that I didn't know as
possible growing up in upstate New York, you know, and
I'm just like, wow, Okay, that was awesome.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
You know.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
So it's you know, you're actually like, it's important that
you know, we are being diverse and having those conversations
and bringing other people to the conversation of a new
perspective to the conversation. Uh, and just those people typically
have not or will not get out of their own
(18:02):
box allow other folks to kind of help shape their
their experiences, help shape their behaviors or thoughts or value system,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
It's like the.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Military was really great for that, and they still we
did a lot of work to make sure that we
each understood where each other was coming from as well.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
I I agree, I agree, all right, So last question
about the women's empowerment.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
They were going to move to eokra.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Okay, So where do you see this movement for women's
empowerment in the next five years And how do you
think men can be active supporters in the way that
feels authentic and meaningful. And I think you're you're you're
kind of like an example of with your with your wife,
you know, like you can answer to that in that perspective.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
Yeah, women's empowerment I think is only going to get stronger.
I think women are can continue to prove or dispel
the status quo. They're still going to create amazing businesses.
They're going to continue to start businesses. Women are the
starting the most businesses out of anyone, specially Black women
are starting the most businesses.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
Out of anyone.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
And I am really excited to chant support in any
way I can and champion that. And if that means
mentoring more on my side so that they're able to
excel and whatever skills that I'm able to bring to
the table, I'm really happy to do that work with
them and alongside that and just making sure I do
my chance my job as a leader CEO and make
(19:38):
sure that I am supporting in any way I can,
like being on your podcast or things like that. So
just making sure that I'm not silent, silent in my
in my advocacy or support and so yeah, I mean,
and making sure that I'm pushing my wife to be
(19:58):
more of a face it more of the things and
speaks of our experiences as and a leader and all
the things as well.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
One of the things that I've noticed too as a
coach is that a lot of female veterans we tend
to and I don't know, I don't really exactly know
how to like phrase this, but it's like we streak, right,
we start doubting, our concentrations are worse, and then you know,
we sometimes feel like we don't have a bound, we
(20:27):
don't belong in the room. So but like you said,
you know, there's a shift coming and we're comm you
know anyway. So you know, I feel like if we
just keep lifting each other up, like you said, that's
just going to get stronger in the years to come.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Right, Yeah, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
No, yeah, definitely just keep lifting each other Upke's showing
up front one another, keep encouraging, whether publicly privately, just
making sure that even as women, you're still gathering and
organizing together and you know, really just being each other's
accountability partner. You know that you guys can like make
(21:11):
sure these things are really happening and you're hitting your
goals and you're talking about your your personal guilt, your
your uncomfortableness, you know, and dispel those those ideas that
you have in your head.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Yeah, you know, I will.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
I will say this because I've had to get intentional
about being a part of community, you know what I mean,
I've I have the tendency to just shrink myself, so
I made it. I have to really sit there and say,
you know what, you have to get out. You you
cannot do anything sitting in your basement office. You know,
(21:54):
you gotta get out. You got to meet people, you
gotta network. So I get that. But but I know
the strug I understand. You know, the reservation. It's different
from the military. You know, it seems so easy in
the military, but get out here and it's intimidating.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
Yeah, that box gets a lot, the people gets a
lot bigger. You know, like I said, it could be
super easy, but if you're really and even in at
some point in the military, if you're really trying to
like gain like rank things like that. You've got to
get the more political side, you know, and so there
is that, but a lot of it you can just
kind of just coast through in the military.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Yeah, definitely, all right.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
So one thing I admire about Eat Eat Okay is
how it highlights the importance of connection and community. How
did you cultivate that sense of helping belonging within your
platform and what advice would you give to veterans who
feel disconnected after leaving the military.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Yeah, I would say if you're disconnected, definitely find find
your your your tribe, your tribe, your bad ale buddy,
keep in touch. I still have my group of battle
buddies that we have a Facebook group to know we
have we just have a text group together.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
Or you know, we're occasionally yeah, so we're craazonally in
those groups.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
So definitely make sure you're staying connected to those important
people that in your life that really helps shape probably
your military career. And just making sure that your you know,
other eyed places is veteran groups. You get on the
different chats to find different veteran groups now people that
have shared similar experiences. I don't know if it's PTSD
(23:41):
or just you know, you want that camaraderie or that
kind of military mindset of people you want to be around.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
So it does. It does for kind of lonely because
when you come home, it's just like you.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
Have no discipline. You're like judging everybody. But they don't
have discipline. They don't have they don't have like they
don't make that bad, they don't they're not working out.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
You know, there's so many things.
Speaker 4 (24:04):
It's like I'm better than you or something like that.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
Like I feel like I had.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
A moment of that for a little while when I
got a.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
I don't have that anymore.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
Though I did run like two miles today, I definitely
would not have passed the PT test with what I
read today.
Speaker 5 (24:21):
It was athetic.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
But you know, you still want some people that have
like a certain standard around you. You know, maybe that's
you find that by getting outside of your norm and
just putting yourself out there to get into new groups,
to find new friends and stuff like that you can
actually have community with. And so with the OKRAH, you know,
we have this platform of people who have a need
(24:44):
to want to find and support black owned businesses, and
so we are the platform that's that resource for you
that you can open your app anywhere you are inside
the United States soon to be outside the United States.
But going to find black businesses, you know, and I
don't mean just soul food, right, I mean like Caribbean food.
(25:07):
I mean even Italian food or Chinese food that's from
a black owned business, black ownership, you know. So we
are making sure that we're dispelling those myths, you know,
and really like making sure we're loving on the full
diaspora of the community and what they're doing, and so
we're able to help you find you know, A big
reason why we did Ydoker was to find, like what's
(25:28):
happening in my neighborhood, where are things where people gathering,
where they're talking about with the culture. When we do
that through our local businesses, the local establishments as meeting places,
and so those ideas are really important to why we
have created the platform.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I really admire what you and
your wife has done, Like it's really been a game
danger So I applaud you guys for that.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
I applaud you. See.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
That was that little seed that y'all watered and it
just grew in to just this big tree.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
I love it all right?
Speaker 2 (26:04):
So, Ed, you guys have received so many awards and
recognition for your work, but I imagine that was not easy.
What's one of the biggest challenges you faced as an
entrepreneur and how did you manage to push through?
Speaker 4 (26:23):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (26:24):
I think he froze. Oh did you hear me?
Speaker 5 (26:30):
Ed?
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Can you hear me?
Speaker 5 (27:20):
Hey?
Speaker 2 (27:21):
There you are, It's okay. Did you hear the last question?
Speaker 5 (27:26):
I did not. I did not hear Okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
So I was saying that you guys have received so
many awards and recognition for your work, but I imagine
the journey hasn't been very easy for you. So what's
one of the biggest challenges you've faced as an entrepreneur
and how were you able to push through that?
Speaker 4 (27:48):
I think the hardest part of being so I am.
We have a lean and mean team. I actually have
a military friend on my team as well who has
been so integral to the growth of Eatokre. Her name
is Kira. She has a company called Fresh Factory. There
is like a virtual assistant agency. So she stepped in
(28:11):
at a time when we really needed because we were
scaling from fifty thousand restaurants to over twenty thousand restaurants,
well like thirteen thousand restaurants in the side of month.
And so she came in like, yo, I see you
guys are doing great things. How can I help? And
I was like, yo, I've got eight thousand restaurants that
(28:32):
we need the process that people are submitting inside a month,
and she's like, stay less. And so her and her team,
however she gets it done, has been working with us
ever since, and so we're continuing to work together to
make sure we get more restaurants on the platform, get
more visibility that's bringing more dollars to the businesses. So
(28:53):
you know, TA building has been very integral to this process,
making sure that you know your team has a nice
culture but it works together. As a leader, you have
to understand everyone's quirks and how to deal with them.
Speaker 5 (29:04):
I think the military was really strong. I learned a lot.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Having to deal with so many different personality types that
I don't think it's enough credit. And you really have
to learn how to navigate like this is this is
still politics in the in this other side of it,
you have to know how to how to you know,
politic your team or politic your way through it. And
so you know, and you have to make sure everyone's
(29:29):
mission oriented oriented, you know. So for us, it's it's
really been about building team, finding the right members who
have the right level of experience, level of dedication. I mean,
for me, it's like I paid more attention to your
work ethic versus the talent like you can grow Like me,
I grew into learning how to build a mobile app.
(29:50):
I never built that app before, but I had the
skill sets to build a website, so I knew I
could take that translated to build to appen youk is
really the first and only app I've built. I built
it three times over two years from the ground up.
Speaker 5 (30:04):
But you know, I knew I always wanted.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
To make sure I'm giving people the opportunity who had
just the hunger to grow in their skill set to
join my team. For financially, you know, it's always tough.
So my wife has been great bringing in money for
the company too. And you know, I do my job
as well, just talking with folks and making sure that
(30:29):
we're talking with sponsors and people that can help us
get to the next level. Yeah, and so you know,
really the over to overcome all of it is just
that in that resilience is just to stay at it,
stay iterating on it, keep thinking about the problem, keep
talking to more people about the problem and how do
you solve it? So you know, for me, it was
also about getting outside of my bubble too, even as
(30:50):
an entrepreneurs like lonely at the time. It's really lonely
at the top. So I've joined many different different I've
joined many different groups to have all the COMversations and
so we're able to like have similar experiences and understand
and help each other through them too. Because I've been
a couple of groups where we just like talked about
our problems and we each gave our experiences and how
(31:12):
we solve them. And so I look to my friends
and co workers and cohorts that have been a part
of in peers to make sure that you know, I'm
thinking about all the problems the right way, and you
know they're helpful. You know, it's been a couple of
years and some of them I'm just now starting to
do partnerships because we've.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Matured enough, right we can now start doing work together.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
That's awesome and it is important. You know, you said
something I don't think sometimes we give our military experience.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
A lot of credit, but it's also.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Kind of you You kind of don't recognize it until
you're in that position too. You're like, oh, I did
this before, Like we did this in the military, and
that's kind of how I've been developing in my business too,
in addition to the team building, reaching back to people,
your friends and everything. But you don't really you don't
really get it until you're there. You're like, oh, but
(32:08):
it's called something different, right, networking is really is free
to core? Yeah right, yeah, so that is that is awesome.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
All right.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
So here's the question for so for veterans who might
be thinking about entrepreneurship but they're unsure where to start,
what would you tell them about building something that aligns
with their passion and their purpose.
Speaker 4 (32:35):
Yeah, I honestly don't know how you go to product
that you don't use, that you don't that you're not
solving for yourself, yes, or have a passion about. I
think it's really hard and really easy to like give
up on something that you just that you're not they're
not personally connected to. So definitely choose choose a service
(32:55):
or product that resonates with you, like strongly and that's
going to get you through those hard times, because there
will be hard times.
Speaker 5 (33:03):
You're like, man, I don't know if I really want
to do this anymore.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
I can't get past this problem problems that I'm dealing with,
you know, And so you have to like be able
to fall back on like the love of it at
the end of the day, because it's not it's not easy.
For their money is not Asking people for their money
is not easy. It's me Building a platform is not easy.
(33:31):
Making people come through your doors every day is not easy.
So you got to be really be a you know,
you got to start to learn a lot of different
things that you just have never had any adjacency to.
Maybe I had some adjacency too, but once you're in
that driver's seat, it's like, oh, this is what John
really did, yea, or this is what this is what
(33:52):
my partner was doing all this time. I had no idea.
This is a lot of work, you know.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
And it also includes getting used to being uncomfortable, right
because it's never going to be well, I won't say
it's never going to be comfortable. It does get.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
Easier, but you got to embrace the uncomfortable journey that
comes to.
Speaker 5 (34:14):
It and there's like no answers for your specific problem.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
No, it's not.
Speaker 4 (34:19):
Everyone's journey is different. We're all at different stages. And
you read all these books and you listen to all
these YouTube videos and shorts and tiktoks, and everyone's giving
their opinion, and it's like.
Speaker 5 (34:31):
Which one is the answer for me? And that like
never comes.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
So it's just you got to get good at just
like putting all the pieces together, understanding your data you're
metric your customer, and you know, putting a strategy to
plan together and executing against it. You know, Yeah, so
you got you really got your You got to go
with your gut at the end of the day, Yeah,
you want to use intelligent about it. But at the
same time you start to go like this is the
(34:56):
path I'm going to stick to it. You know, hopefully
it's educated. Hopefully you got other people. But like that's
how it is as a startup entrepreneur. You have to
make the best decisions until you can hire those folks
that are the expert in you know, marketing and communications,
in you know, chief chief operation officer, you know things
(35:17):
like that.
Speaker 5 (35:17):
So until then you're that you're that guy or gal.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Yes, that's running the show, you know, so the mission
must continue, you know, I would think about that mission first,
you've got to iterate and so you got to get
the job done.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
However that is Yeah, I think. I think at the
heart of it too, you have to trust yourself, you know,
because like you said, there are so many distractions, so
many things that you're like, oh, I could do that,
and I fell into that trap. I'm like, Okay, I'm
gonna do that because that person is doing good. But
at the end of it all, you have to trust
and believe in what you're doing, and that's when it starts.
(35:54):
It becomes a sense of ease. Not easy, but it's
it's ease because it feels right.
Speaker 5 (36:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
I probably still fall into that trap of of listening
and trying to do.
Speaker 5 (36:06):
And be too much for too many people.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
Are just like entertaining things I probably shouldn't entertain, but
living you learn.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Yeah, I know, I know. But you've done well.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
So final question, you've managed to bridge the gap between
your military service, your tech skills, and your love for community.
So what's next for you and Equo CRA. Are there
any exciting projects or goals you're working towards.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
Right now we are. So last year was a great
year for us. We produced our first conference, so we
had forty speakers, twelve panels, we had fifty vendors of
all this is all food and beverage brands and experts,
and we had about five hundred people come for a
(37:01):
day of education and shopping, networking. You know, we want
to be that real catalyst to make sure that folks
are getting the getting the information as well as coming
taking away with them and for the businesses. We hope
that you know, six months from now, we're getting we're
hearing back to sex stories and I'm already hearing about
some great things that people are are in new have
new relationships that can really scale their businesses, and that's
(37:22):
kind of like what this is about. So everything we
do this year is really going to be centered on
making sure that we're doing a conference again, and we're
going to double or triple our numbers as far as
people through the door. We want to bring in new speakers,
we have more conversations around more topics in this food
and beverage hospitality space, and so you know, this year
(37:46):
we're going to have a lot more have a lot
more intimate conversations. We're doing a lot more webinars, we
have some exciting things even on the either side. We're
going to bring more more video to the platform, so
you can now upload videos and business reviews. So that's
to bring a lot more attention and just a lot
more like sharing about the experience that you're going to
(38:08):
have at this restaurant and white people love it. And
you're gonna do a lot more things around preferences and
make sure that our customers get the get are shown
what's important to them.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
And so.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
We have a really cool campaign coming out next month
around Black History Month, and we're so our name is
called the company is called Eat Okra, Oh Eat Okra,
And so with the Okra, you know, Okrah was a
seat that was brought over during the slave trade settled.
Speaker 5 (38:42):
In the South. My family is from Iota, My roots
is from Iyoda with Louisiana. My wife's roots are from Gula,
the Glla Islands and Della Gichi folks and so some
there to be specific.
Speaker 4 (38:55):
And so we are gonna be telling that story all
of this this Black.
Speaker 5 (39:01):
History Month in February.
Speaker 4 (39:02):
And so I'm really excited to put out a whole
web page specifically about people's experiences. We have recipes, we
have stories, and then we're gonna have an event as
well to bring it all together. And so that's d
of the New York City will announce that soon. But yeah,
we're just going to continue to keep being present, continue
(39:24):
to bring people, continue to show stories, bring a little
bit of light and history, continue to share that knowledge.
We have some more partnerships that we're aligning with as
well for the year, and so you know, we're just
gonna take all those things and making sure that this
conference is the next big, big event that you cannot miss.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
So we're going to continue to be that.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Well, all of.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
That sounds exciting and like you have your work cut
out for you, but it's fun right because it's your
passion too.
Speaker 5 (39:54):
So it is my passion. Yeah, I'm up literally like
the army. Like the army. That's why they are to me.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
I wake up at five still without a clock. I
don't know the light, if I'm feeling the light from
the window wake me up or what it is. But hey,
what time I go to bed. I'm waking up at five.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
It's approgrim. You can't get rid of it.
Speaker 4 (40:19):
Right from that first day basic reception. It has not
left me. I still have that smell, that of that
basic spell light, the receptions that like meat in my blood,
so I smell.
Speaker 5 (40:32):
I'm like, oh, I got.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
You simple grade.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Well, definitely, I am so thankful that you came on
today and tell our listeners and our viewers where they
can find you, how they can contact you, connect with you,
and all the good stuff.
Speaker 4 (40:54):
Yeah, all things lead back to eatocre dot com or
go to your app store and type and eat okrah
e a t okay r a one word social media channels,
get oprah the app on everything, and yeah, that's how
can get a touch with me. If you want to
get with me specifically, it's Anthony at eoprah dot com.
Pretty simple, or you can just find it to the
(41:15):
website as well or any other channels. Just just reach
out and you know, somebody or myself on the team
will will follow up.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Okay, I got one question that I forgot to ask you.
What does living unapologetically mean to you?
Speaker 4 (41:33):
It means being honest, honest, being being present with yourself
and with everyone around you, and not code switching or
anything like that, just just being unapologetically you.
Speaker 5 (41:44):
I think.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
Yeah, yeah, it's actually simple when you think about it,
but it's one of those things.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
You really you have to get real with you.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
First before you can be unapologetic and show that side
of you.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
Yeah, definitely doing that work to understand your weaknesses, you know,
and your your strengths. Doing that work to understand your strengths,
your weaknesses where you need help. You know, we don't
have to be experts, and I think that's something a
lot of us carry that and not being vulnerable with
the unknown, being vulnerable with asking questions or unknown, and
that's probably typically why you're isolated and building.
Speaker 5 (42:22):
But yeah, I have to honestly, you know, I had.
Speaker 4 (42:25):
To go through that that that building, and even my
wife has done a lot of work with me understand
like how my upbringing childhood has shaped you know, who
I am today.
Speaker 5 (42:37):
I think the way I do, you know.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
So you know, as you learn about yourself and do
that work through therapy or not therapy, or just really
taking that deep dive with yourself and somebody else, it
really helps you kind of step out that door and
being the full you, being fully present as you yourself
and your bones and your back.
Speaker 3 (43:04):
I love that and thank you well, Anthony.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
Thank you so much for joining me today and sharing
your incredible story your journey.
Speaker 5 (43:13):
Thank you of course, your journey.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
From soldier to entrepreneur is a true testament of resilience
of your vision and the power of creating something meaningful.
I wish you and your wife much success, I really do,
and I would love to support you on your journey
as well, So let me know about some of your events.
Speaker 3 (43:34):
I'll just show up, okay.
Speaker 4 (43:36):
Yes, please, And I want to definitely give you the
shout out as well. I want to definitely make sure
I give you the shout out as well. You've been
out here doing this work too from a fitness standpoint too.
I know you're doing work on different boards and make
doing a lot of work for veterans, So like, kudos.
Speaker 5 (43:51):
To you to like not be dormant at home and.
Speaker 4 (43:55):
To retire, to retire to retired salaries in the military
just like taking a check every day, but now you're
out there like actually getting the work done. I think
you're dempressive as well, So definitely love watching the evolution of.
Speaker 5 (44:08):
Your journey and career posts military as well.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
Thank you so much. I appreciate that, and thank you
to everyone for tuning in to this special episode of
Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform. If you enjoyed today's conversation,
please like, share, and subscribe. It helps us reach more
veterans and amplify stories like Anthony's. And remember, we're live
(44:36):
every Friday at eleven am Eastern Sentary time with more
inspiring stories and conversations. So until next time, keep living unapologetically.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
This has been Living Unapologetically Beyond the Uniform with your host,
Renee Jones Hutson. We hope you found inspiration and valuable
insights in today's episode. Remember your journey of redefining, rediscovering,
and reaffirming your life post military is unique and powerful.
Stay connected with us for more stories, advice and support.
(45:15):
Until next time, Stay strong and stay empowered. Listen Friday's
eleven am Eastern on the Bold Brave TV Network powered
by B two Studios
Popular Podcasts
Spooky Podcasts from iHeartRadio
Whether you’re a scaredy-cat or a brave bat, this collection of episodes from iHeartPodcasts will put you in the Halloween spirit. Binge stories, frights, and more that may keep you up at night!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.