Maya & Brian Smith share how they built their wildly popular The Doux Haircare brand by focusing on solving their customers' problems and staying true to their purpose, values, and vision to make salon- quality products accessible to all. 

Learn how they went from operating salons and brand building overseas while Brian was in the military to navigating the nuances of matrimony, parenthood to FIVE sons, and their own creative pursuits. 

More on Maya & Brian Smith below: 

Meet Maya Smith and Brian Smith, partners and parents to five sons, and navigating the realms of matrimony, parenthood, and entrepreneurship with creativity agency. A teenage love that blossomed in the halls of high school, their journey took flight against the breathtaking backdrop of Germany, where Brian served in the distinguished US Air Force, and Maya conceived what was their brainchild, The Doux.   Maya Smith, a seasoned Licensed Cosmetologist with three decades of expertise, leads the charge as the CEO of The Doux. With a passion for simplifying beauty routines, she spearheaded the development of simple yet highly effective, multi-functional formulas. Brian Smith, 3rd generation military, is the COO of The Doux responsible for spearheading form and function.  Together they have garnered international accolades synonymous with innovation and in the world of hair care.   The brand's footprint extends far and wide, with major retailers such as Target, Walmart, Sally Beauty, Cosmo Prof, CVS, Walgreens, HEB, and Amazon proudly featuring The Doux.  

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How Hannah Williams went from corporate employee to viral content creator and the steps she is taking to shine a light on salary transparency. Ever since she was a kid, Hannah Williams had a passion for injustice. Fast forward to navigating post-college, Hannah found herself navigating the work-world and advocating for better pay. Five jobs and 2.5 years later, Hannah was frustrated with the lack of salary transparency and decided to document her story. Soon, the series/brand as we know it - Salary Transparent Street was created. Listen in as Hannah details her journey from corporate employee to viral content creator and the steps she is taking to open up the salary transparency lens and help others along their own #dreamdriving journey.

Note: This episode first aired in January 2023.

More about Hannah:

After learning how to swim with the help of coaches in 2009 at CUNY York College, Paulana nurtured her love for swimming and became inspired to teach others how to conquer their fear of water. For over a decade, she has shared her passion for swimming by working with swim clubs, teams, and gyms to build a community with her students.Hannah Williams is a 25-year-old content creator in the Washington, D.C. area tackling a major issue: salary transparency. With her viral series, Hannah encourages strangers to share what they do and how much they make. She's inspired to combat discriminatory tendencies in employment and close pay gaps that affect women, POC, workers with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community. Hannah uses her platform to educate her community on market research, salary negotiation, and labor laws to understand workers' rights. With this knowledge, she hopes to help workers grow professionally and build wealth.

FIND SALARY TRANSPARENT STREET ONLINE: Instagram: @salarytransparentstreet TikTok: @salarytransparentstreet

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What would it take for you to leave the only life and rule system you've known to start anew and embark on a life-changing journey? Reuben and Sherri Johnson- aka the FlyDuo® - are the co-founders of Fly MediaProductions, an award-winning, non-traditional brand agency obsessed with destigmatizing pleasure.

Reuben and Sherri open up about their experience leaving the Jehovah Witness religious organization and how they started prioritizing their own sex-positive healing journeys. The couple share their love story over the years and how their strong relationship helped them navigate all the changes in life including entrepreneurship, facing their dreams head on, and what it means to participate in a very stigmatized industry.

Some of the topics we discuss include:

• Growing up as Jehovah Witnesses and getting married at a young age
• How their resourcefulness led them to entrepreneurship early on as young adults
• How moving to Atlanta changed their lives
• The shift to no longer dreaming small
• When they began to question the only life they’ve known - taking the chance and the risk to find themselves and redefine what a new life meant
• What sex positivity means for them in life, business...and more
• The challenges of working in the pleasure space
• What they love about being entrepreneurs and dream drivers

FIND THE FLY DUO ONLINE: Instagram: @xoflyduo

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So how do you go from a Target Intern to having your own stationary brand on all Target shelves across the country? Jasmin Foster did it and she's here to tell her story.

As a kid, Jasmin Foster never dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. She was ambitious, curious, and determined to climb the corporate ladder. A college internship at Target changed her life and eventually led her to a growing career as a top buyer at the company, where she became the "entrepreneur's best friend." After switching industries and helping small businesses grow their sales, the Pandemic hit and Jasmin had some time to reflect on where she was going and what she was truly interested in. Her stationary and homeware company, Be Rooted, was born and she hasn't looked back since.

Listen in as Jasmin shares her story of resiliency, leaning into one's strengths while also taking BIG risks, the ups and downs of navigating BIG RETAIL, and why giving up has never been an option for her.

More about Jasmin:

Recognizing that there was a gap in the market for a brand that spoke to her, Be Rooted Founder Jasmin Foster launched Be Rooted, an inclusive stationery and homeware brand in 2020, with a mission to empower women of color and create a space for them to see themselves in the stationery they love. Leaning into her passion of inclusivity and desire to live a purpose-filled life, Foster With a lineup of colorful journals, planners and writing instruments designed by Black and Brown artists, by 2021 Be Rooted became the first and only Black-owned stationery brand available at retail giant Target and Target.com.

KEYS TO SUCCESS: 1. Centering Yourself 2. Tribe 3. Knowing your genius zone

FIND JASMINE/BE ROOTED ONLINE: Instagram: @berootedco Web: www.berootedco.com

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"You've got to save yourself! The Promised Land is wherever you are. Don't waste time wasting time!" Six years later, and these words from Jenifer Lewis still ring true.  It seems fitting this week to take it back to 2018 (episode 145) when I first chatted with the LEGENDARY actress Jenifer Lewis as she shares her #dreamdriving journey and why nothing was going to kill her dream! Jenifer talks her struggles with mental illness, getting herself "unfrozen."/seeking help, writing her book The Mother of Black Hollywood, and the importance of self care. She also  opens up about what being HAPPY means to her now and how we as dream drivers can find our own definitions of success despite what has happened to us.

In Jenifer's own words, "Love yourself so that love will not be a stranger when it comes." This episode is one for the books! One you have to share with a friend and tell them to keep paying forward! Thank you Jenifer for blessing us with your GEMS! 

Join in on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and make sure to use the hashtag #dreamsindrive. Enjoy!

ON THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS- The childhood memory that Jenifer will never forget - The road to Hollywood - Figuring out who you are - What happened to Jenifer and what she did about it - Speaking out about what’s happening to us - The steps to CHOICE - Bipolarism, getting help & taking care of herself - Jenifer’s 5 tips for success...and more!

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Danie's Natural Juice Blends founder Danielle Marshall shares how a pre-diabetic diagnosis launched her into the world of food entrepreneurship.

In the driver's seat - we have Certified Juice Therapist, Danielle “Danie” Marshall - whose strong passion for holistic healing of the mind, body, and spirit led her down the entrepreneurial path.

After receiving a Type-II pre-diabetes diagnosis in 2011, Danie began cold-pressed juicing as part of a lifestyle change, and as a result, dropped 60 lbs. and was no longer pre-diabetic. Friends and family noticed Danie’s weight loss success with juicing and began asking her to make juices for them. As a result, Danie’s Natural Juice Blends was born.

Danie takes us along her #dreamdriving journey and the many life lessons she's learned along the way as she's on the way to building her natural juicing empire.

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"If you want to change your life, you must do the work."

Alexis Wilson - social entrepreneur, speaker, and the CEO of Exalt Management - shares her personal #dreamdriving journey and how you can break free from mental constraints while elevating to new heights in both your personal life and career.

Alexis has devoted over half a decade to researching how humans can be renewed in mind, body and spirit, and has in turn identified efficient tools and practices for life transformation and elevation. Outside of her work with Exalt, she leads The Menternship, a non-profit dedicated to the personal and professional development of Black and Brown young women pursuing careers in entertainment. In the past decade, Alexis has keynoted national conferences, launched several successful ventures and formed partnerships with some of the largest brands across the globe such as Nike, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and L'Oréal Paris.

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Whose values and definition of success are defining the path you’ve set out on?  This week we’re chatting with Brittany Dandy - an established producer, journalist and digital marketer who’s helped growing business owners and corporate giants like MTV, Google, Toyota tell mindful and profitable stories.

Brittany opens up on this episode about her journey as she navigates the trifecta between ambition, womanhood, and motherhood. She takes us along her own life journey as she navigates what it means to find success in career, womanhood, and motherhood. She shares why being a problem solver and planner has helped her remain positive along the journey as she navigates life’s twists and turns. 

This busy mom of two, is also the founder of Ode to Us Wellness, a unique resource hub for new moms and women considering motherhood. Offline, you can find her brunching around Brooklyn with her family, enjoying NYC's live music scene, or squeezing in a good workout.

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It's never too late to start over. Despite your age, life circumstances, or past...all you need to is turn within, question yourself, and start taking action.

This week we're chatting with Cheri Syphax - CEO of Phax Entertainment Group and co-owner of Booker's Restaurant and Bayou Lounge in West Philadelphia - who decided to turn a second act in her life- and start living boldly and abundantly!

So many of think we can’t reinvent ourselves…that we can’t start over…that what was…always has to be what is ..and that isn’t true. Today you'll learn how she was able to "start over." From getting out of a tumultuous relationship to moving across the country to a new city and eventually meeting her now husband - Cheri confidently shares her story of new love, new beginnings, and a new mission. Plus, she shares the steps we call can take to "start over" in our own lives.

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FIND CHERI ON: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/justphax Web: http://www.justthephax.com

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Freelance writer, editor, producer and on-camera correspondent Brande Victorian opens up about the peaks and valleys of her career as a journalist and what has kept her going through it all.

So honored to have Brande Victorian as a guest on the podcast this week. Brande was one of the first editors who believed in my written abilities back in the day when I wrote for MadameNoire after college. I've been following her career since and have been inspired by her moves from iOne to Essence…and now The Hollywood Reporter. Listen in as she gets real about the personal and professional breakthroughs she's had to have in order to continue to drive her dreams forward.

Some of the things we discuss in this episode include:

• The important of having confidence in herself
• What it was like being a leader within the black media space
• The Power of Being Enough
• Why Brande chose to leave her "Dream Job"
• Why Being Yourself will always be crucial
• The power of moving...and more

Brande's Bio:

Brande Victorian is a freelance writer, producer and on-camera correspondent known for authentic storytelling and viral, human-centered celebrity interviews. Prior to becoming a contributor for The Hollywood Reporter, she was the Senior Entertainment Editor at ESSENCE magazine and the Content Director of the Women’s Division at iOne Digital

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Odessa Jenkins shares how she is achieving her dream of dominating both on and off the field and helping other women find their way as well.

How did she do it? Meet Odessa "OJ" Jenkins - a successful tech/SAAS business executive, CEO of Bonfire Women, and founder of the Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC). As a disrupter in sports, Jenkins has built one of the premier sports leagues in the country, creating opportunities, inclusion, and equity in football for women and girls.

Odessa shares her #dreamdriving journey and how she tapped into her inner strengths and powers - and how she is achieving her dream of dominating both on and off the field, in and out of the corporate board rooms - and helping other women find their way as well. 

More on Odessa: At 72-2, Jenkins is the winningest Head Coach in women’s tackle football history. She is a Hall of Famer, a 7x National Champion, a 2x USA Football Team captain, and a 3x Team USA Gold Medalist.

An in-demand global speaker/coach, Jenkins is also the founder of multiple nonprofits (Got Her Back). She is a recognized market leader in B2B SAAS tech, DE&I, and Team Dynamics with multiple years of executive leadership experience in privately funded start-ups, and Fortune 1,000 public companies. Jenkins previously served as President of the e-learning company Emtrain and served for several years as an executive leader at YourCause, a start-up that helped to revolutionize the Corporate Social Responsibility industry (exited to Blackbaud).

She was an inaugural participant in the NFL’s first Women’s Career in Football Forum and is one of the first women to obtain the coveted Bill Walsh Diversity Internship in an on-field position (Running Backs Coach – Atlanta Falcons). Featured on Fox, Sports Illustrated, CBS, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, NFL Network, The Undefeated, and more, Jenkins was recognized as one of the most influential and powerful women in sports by Sports Illustrated (Unrelenting) and voted as Culture in Sports 2022 Sports Leader of the Year and is a 2023 Recipient of The 2023 Leigh Steinberg Denicola Humanitarian Award.

ODESSA'S KEYS TO SUCCESS 1. Plan 2. Purpose 3. Resilience

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