Started from the Bottom – Details, episodes & analysis

Ready-to-wear designer Busayo Olupona talks about what it was like to leave her six-figure salaried job as a corporate attorney to pursue her dream of starting a fashion brand. From going broke to seeing her Made In Nigeria labeled clothing in Neiman Marcus, Busayo learned a lot along the way.

If you're into entrepreneurship and/or fashion, here are some books Busayo recommends:

The Fashion Designer Survival Guide by Mary Geller
The Purple Cow by Seth Godin
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer
Living an Examined Life: Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey by James Hollis
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
Native Son by Richard Wright

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Keith Corbin never thought cooking could be his way out of the hood. After a stint in prison, Keith needed a change from a life of hustling, and a series of chance encounters led him into the culinary world. Now a celebrated restaurateur, Keith has made a name for himself through his restaurant Alta Adams and his interpretation of soul food - West African style meets California ingredients.

You can find Keith's book California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival wherever books are sold.

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Fighting champion Francis Ngannou defied all the odds to chase his dream of becoming a professional boxer. Surviving a 14-month migration from Africa to Europe, Francis bet it all, to eventually become the Heavyweight Champion of the UFC. In this episode, Francis tells the epic story of his journey from the sand mines of Cameroon to the heights of mixed martial arts.

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Cynt Marshall made NBA history when she became CEO of the Dallas Mavericks -- she was the first Black woman to lead an NBA team. In this episode, Cynt takes us on her life's journey: surviving domestic violence, a 40-year career at AT&T, and getting a call from Mark Cuban to take over the Mavs.

If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.

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Entrepreneur Mei Xu started out life in China training to be a foreign diplomat. But the effects of the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident derailed her plans and she found herself in America dreaming of starting a business. In this episode, we learn how this Chinese immigrant turned her fascination with Bloomingdale's into a multi-million dollar candle business — Chesapeake Bay Candle.

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Over a 25 year career, Charlamagne Tha God clawed his way to the top of the radio industry. In this episode, the long-time host of The Breakfast Club tells us what it took for him — a young man suffering from anxiety, constantly in and out of jail — to become an icon of modern media.

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Host Justin Richmond and author Malcolm Gladwell discuss race, identity, and how to succeed in a professional world where not many people look like you. 

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Every week on Started from the Bottom, host Justin Richmond interviews successful people who grew up on the outside – people of color, people who weren’t part of the old boys’ network, people who came from a world where almost nobody went to college. How did they do it? How did they beat the odds while also beating away the feeling of being an imposter? Find out, beginning March 14. 

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Freddie Wong is a YouTube OG. As YouTube transformed from a backwater website to a behemoth media platform, Freddie's career as an indie filmmaker grew with it, logging nearly 2 billion views and over 9 million subscribers on his channel "freddiew." In this episode, Freddie Wong talks about building an online video channel into a real production company, his love for action comedy, and how artists in the digital age can be creative when it comes to making a living.

To watch Freddie's videos, check out Freddie's YouTube channel! For one of our personal favorites try this one.

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FLY BY JING founder Jing Gao never intended to make hot sauce for a living. But after living in China her pallet was awakened to Asian flavors that drove her to become a foodie. Jing decided to make the scary leap from her traditional tech job to a full-time career in food. In this episode, Jing talks about her diaspora experience growing up in the West, the many pitfalls she faced as a food entrepreneur, and how overnight, viral success changes a business. 

To get your own Fly By Jing hot sauce, check out flybyjing.com 

And if you cook with chili crisp, send us a picture! You can email us at info@pushkin.fm

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