Uncovered Legacy

Layne Eskridge grew up in Shakers Height, Ohio attending an all-girls private school, from preschool through 12th grade.  She learned to navigate spaces where she was often the only one who looked like her. She didn't realize how much that shaped her until she moved to Los Angeles. Growing up as an only child with parents who met at The Ohio State University, Layne learned early on the power of independence, imagination, and co...

Carl Weber’s story begins between worlds. Born in Jamaica and raised in Queens and Long Island, his early years were marked by constant shifts between cultures, expectations, and environments. Growing up, he often found himself navigating the tension of being the “smart kid” in the room while also facing the realities of racism and identity. Everything began to change when he discovered sports. Football, swimming, and track gave hi...

Trey's story begins in Arlington, Texas, an only child raised by parents who were high school sweethearts. His father became a criminal defense attorney, his mother worked in sales, and Trey grew up with deep Texas roots and big dreams. He attended Lamar High School, played the trombone, taught himself keyboards, and knew early on that entertainment was his calling. When it came time for college, Morehouse felt like destiny. He...

Kevin loves Stockton, California, but deep in his heart he knew he had to leave if he wanted more. Raised in a middle-class home until his parents divorced when he was eight, Kevin watched friends get pulled into gang life while his mother made sure he had a different path. Through Jack and Jill, an organization for African American families, Kevin was exposed to HBCUs, life beyond Stockton, and the possibility of something greater...

Dr. Jamila Young’s story begins on the south side of Chicago in an area known as the low end, raised by a single mother until age four when the man who would become her father entered their lives. With no memory of her biological father except a faded photograph from age three, Jamila grew up in a working-class home that valued education above all else. Her parents made sure she attended the best magnet schools Chicago had to offer...

Mia Bankston-Young’s voice was her ticket to the world: first to the bright lights of the stage, and then to a thriving career behind the mic. But it was the quiet, deafening silence of a Christmas Eve loss and a lonely pandemic apartment that taught her what she truly wanted to use her voice for: to build a home.

Born in Detroit to a musical father whose own career was cut short by illness, Mia’s journey is a profound study in resi...

Franklin Henderson's story begins in Miami, Florida in 1929, just as the Great Depression took hold. When his father passed away at age four, his mother was left to raise four children alone with only a seventh-grade education, surviving on government relief food and navigating the brutal realities of segregation.

In this episode, Franklin shares what it meant to grow up Black in segregated Miami, where every bus ride was a ...

Mica’s story begins in the Midwest, growing up in Iowa in a college town where she often felt out of place, but deeply shaped by education, movement, and strong family ties. Raised between two homes, with football Sundays spent alongside her father and a steady foundation from both parents, she learned early how identity, belonging, and perception are shaped by place. From graphic design and photography to graduate school in Minnes...

Dr. William Syms’ story is rooted in community, movement, and responsibility. Raised in Altadena by parents who modeled service and openness, his early life was shaped by unconventional education and deep cultural exposure. From homeschooling and early community college to Clark Atlanta University and eventually USC, his path was never about speed, but preparation.

In this episode, Dr. Syms reflects on the mentors, systems, and hard...

Bryce Savoy's path was scored by the rhythms of Oakland and the legacy of Howard. His true purpose, however, would be composed in the silence of loss and the steady beat of a son's resilient heart.

From the streets of East Oakland to the basketball courts of Howard, and from founding the community-driven The Black Neighborhood to a cross-country journey to reconnect with his father, Bryce's path has been a masterclass in adapting to...

Scean Ellis was raised by an adventurous mother who taught her to move through life’s changes with grace. That lesson would become her anchor decades later, when the role of a lifetime asked her to be the steady, loving voice for her husband through a devastating diagnosis.

From a childhood that moved from Rochester’s snow to the sunny sands of St. Thomas, and finally to Los Angeles, Scean learned early that family is the one consta...

Growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana, Gabrielle had big dreams of how her life would go. From yelling “Aggie Pride” at North Carolina A&T to pursuing acting in the Big Apple, what she thought she wanted, never came to fruition. God had other plans for her.  When life got difficult, Gabrielle took to YouTube as her creative outlet, sharing her natural hair journey as a hobby. Safe to say, the rest is history. Today, Gabrielle i...

Born in Germany to military parents, restlessness was something Conrad Cooper was born into. He inherited that same spirit of traveling the world, wandering from city to city, and letting the waves of life direct him. But it wasn’t until one day his niece was getting swimming lessons in his backyard that everything changed.

Now, 28 years later, Conrad is teaching 2nd generation students at his swim school, Swim to Me, changing...

Coming from humble beginnings, former NFL player, Alvin Scioneaux Jr., understood if he wanted something it was up to him to make it happen.  Born in Laplace, Louisiana, and one of eight children, Alvin knew he needed to leave his small town for someplace new in order to grow and become the person he was meant to be.  He left for South Carolina to play football and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers right after college. But af...

Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and raised in Woodruff, South Carolina, Sandra Clark Byrd is the fourth child to Ulius and Mary Gilliam. But at only 7-weeks-old, tragedy hit after her father lost his life in a devastating car accident, leaving her mother to raise 4 children under the age of seven. 

Growing up, life was hard but Sandra (a.k.a. Aunt Cookie) never let it get the best of her. She later discovered her love of ...

She’s doing the Lord’s work. As an Oncologist, Dr. Angelique Richardson discovered her calling through tragedy. A close family member... diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Angelique has always walked to her own beat. After graduating from Oakwood University with a degree in Biology, she decided to continue her education at Loma Linda University wanting to become a medical doctor, and received her PhD.

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Jay Styles had big dreams of pursuing his radio and acting career under the Hollywood lights. From Atlanta to the City of Angels, it didn’t take long for Jay to realize the world of auditions wasn’t for him. 

It wasn’t the spotlight, but behind the scenes, where he discovered his true purpose - helping others navigate the hardships of life. He created the docu-series, Become Inspired which shared the raw and real stories of pe...