Jessica Smith is a distinguished human resources leader with over 13 years of experience, as an expert voice for your upcoming stories on the current job market.

Jessica's extensive background in HR innovation, particularly in the tech industry with companies like Amazon, AWS, and Meta, positions her uniquely to discuss the intersection of stress, job uncertainty, and the evolving workplace. Her role as the Director of Global Diversity and People Experiences at Meta has equipped her with the insights needed to navigate and address stress-related challenges in diverse work environments.

With a bilingual International MBA from IESE Business School and a BS in finance from Hampton University, Jessica offers a global perspective on how organizations can implement strategies to mitigate stress and foster resilience among employees. Her experience across major U.S. and European cities further enriches her understanding of diverse workplace cultures and stress management practices.

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesssmithm

Host: Taryell Simmons
Guest: Jessica Smith
Music: Will Maker
Production: RISE Urban Nation

Unite. Empower. Ignite.

Thank you for tuning into the RISE Urban Nation Podcast, where we go beyond conversation to fuel a movement of unity, empowerment, and transformation across the Black and Pan-African community. Each episode dives deep into the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers shaping culture, business, and legacy.

Hosted by Taryell Simmons, a leader in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the show blends storytelling with strategy to help you amplify your voice, grow your brand, and lead with purpose.

✨ Inspiring Stories: Learn from influential Black and Pan-African leaders making an impact.
💡 Actionable Insights: Get practical tools to build, market, and monetize your mission.
🌍 Global Perspective: Connect with stories that celebrate the African diaspora.
🌟 Empowerment: Be inspired to turn challenges into opportunities and ideas into impact.

Don’t miss new episodes or updates—follow and subscribe today!
🔗 Website: RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe Here
🌐 Linktree: All Links

Together, let’s rise, empower, and ignite.

In this inspiring episode of RISE Urban Nation, former professional athlete, author, and global youth coach Angela Lewis shares how sports became a powerful vehicle for healing, leadership, and personal growth. Angela breaks down her impactful V6 framework, the importance of representation in children’s books, and why using your voice is essential to creating change.

Angela also shares exciting news about her latest children’s book, A Ball and A Chance — a story inspired by her journey through basketball and travel, written to empower young readers who may feel different and remind them that confidence and courage can open doors.

Listeners can grab a copy here:

👉 https://angelarlewis.com/store/pre-order-a-ball-and-a-chance

Signed copies are also available upon request. In addition, 10% of proceeds support a nonprofit each month, making every purchase part of a larger impact.

This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, coaches, parents, and young leaders looking to build confidence, purpose, and lasting change.

Credits:

Host: Taryell Simmons

Guest: Angela Lewis

Music: Will Maker

Production: RISE Urban Nation Media

Unite. Empower. Ignite.

Thank you for tuning into the RISE Urban Nation Podcast, where we go beyond conversation to fuel a movement of unity, empowerment, and transformation across the Black and Pan-African community. Each episode dives deep into the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers shaping culture, business, and legacy.

Hosted by Taryell Simmons, a leader in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the show blends storytelling with strategy to help you amplify your voice, grow your brand, and lead with purpose.

✨ Inspiring Stories: Learn from influential Black and Pan-African leaders making an impact.
💡 Actionable Insights: Get practical tools to build, market, and monetize your mission.
🌍 Global Perspective: Connect with stories that celebrate the African diaspora.
🌟 Empowerment: Be inspired to turn challenges into opportunities and ideas into impact.

Don’t miss new episodes or updates—follow and subscribe today!
🔗 Website: RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe Here
🌐 Linktree: All Links

Together, let’s rise, empower, and ignite.

BIO:

A Nigerian-American psychotherapist, Agatha Peters is the founder of Beautiful Sunshine Therapy and the author of Trapped in Their Script: Reclaim Your Life from Narcissistic Parents & Cultural Expectations. She is dedicated to helping adult children of narcissistic parents, especially those from collectivist cultures, where family loyalty often overshadows individual well-being. Having experienced the healing power of therapy herself, she is passionate about helping others discover the same transformation and offers guidance on embracing one’s identity while respecting cultural ties.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Website: https://beautifulsunshinetherapy.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agatha-peters-6209659a

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19AW9BHBNM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautifulsunshinetherapy?igsh=amR0dGhkbXVtbWQ1&utm_source=qr

Credits:
Host: Taryell Simmons
Guest: Agatha Peters
Music: Will Maker
Production: RISE Urban Nation

Unite. Empower. Ignite.

Thank you for tuning into the RISE Urban Nation Podcast, where we go beyond conversation to fuel a movement of unity, empowerment, and transformation across the Black and Pan-African community. Each episode dives deep into the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers shaping culture, business, and legacy.

Hosted by Taryell Simmons, a leader in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the show blends storytelling with strategy to help you amplify your voice, grow your brand, and lead with purpose.

✨ Inspiring Stories: Learn from influential Black and Pan-African leaders making an impact.
💡 Actionable Insights: Get practical tools to build, market, and monetize your mission.
🌍 Global Perspective: Connect with stories that celebrate the African diaspora.
🌟 Empowerment: Be inspired to turn challenges into opportunities and ideas into impact.

Don’t miss new episodes or updates—follow and subscribe today!
🔗 Website: RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe Here
🌐 Linktree: All Links

Together, let’s rise, empower, and ignite.

Alabama Changed Something.

In this solo reflection, Taryell shares how visiting Alabama — walking through civil rights landmarks and standing in ancestral spaces — clarified the next chapter of RISE Urban Nation.

This episode explores:

• Why storytelling is not entertainment — it’s resistance
• How systems change when communities reclaim narrative power
• The cultural significance of aligning with the Lunar New Year
• The transition from the Year of the Snake (shedding) to the Year of the Fire Horse (bold forward movement)
• Why Season Five intentionally ended at the New Year
• The five-year anniversary evolution of RISE Urban Nation
• The launch of a new message for 2026: Our Stories Over hiStories

In a time when Black voices are being stripped from textbooks, monuments, and mainstream media, this episode reaffirms podcasting as modern-day griot work — oral tradition at scale.

🔥 What’s Coming in 2026

RISE Urban Nation will expand beyond interviews to help entrepreneurs and leaders:

1. Get featured on aligned podcasts that amplify their mission
2. Launch their own podcasts and control their narrative
3. Use media and storytelling to 10X brand visibility and impact
4. Learn from guest hosts and media experts who have scaled through podcasting

This isn’t just a podcast anymore.

It’s narrative infrastructure.

👕 Coming Soon

New 2026 apparel drop:

Our Stories Over hiStories

Because history is often told by those who won and far too often leaves out the real boots-on-the-ground stories.

We’re reclaiming the narrative.

🌅 Reflection Questions

1. What story of yours needs to be told before someone tells it for you?
2. What are you shedding as we close the Year of the Snake?
3. What bold movement are you stepping into during the Year of the Fire Horse?

🎙️ EPISODE CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Taryell Simmons

Podcast: RISE Urban Nation

Music: Will Maker

Production: RISE Urban Nation Media

Unite. Empower. Ignite.

Thank you for tuning into the RISE Urban Nation Podcast, where we go beyond conversation to fuel a movement of unity, empowerment, and transformation across the Black and Pan-African community. Each episode dives deep into the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers shaping culture, business, and legacy.

Hosted by Taryell Simmons, a leader in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the show blends storytelling with strategy to help you amplify your voice, grow your brand, and lead with purpose.

✨ Inspiring Stories: Learn from influential Black and Pan-African leaders making an impact.
💡 Actionable Insights: Get practical tools to build, market, and monetize your mission.
🌍 Global Perspective: Connect with stories that celebrate the African diaspora.
🌟 Empowerment: Be inspired to turn challenges into opportunities and ideas into impact.

Don’t miss new episodes or updates—follow and subscribe today!
🔗 Website: RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe Here
🌐 Linktree: All Links

Together, let’s rise, empower, and ignite.

About This Episode

Recorded live at the Encanto Experience, this bonus episode captures a powerful conversation on equity, economic empowerment, and community-driven transformation. Host Taryell Simmons and co-host Zeke Corley of Same Business Different Day Podcast sit down with Shawn McClondon, founder of the Sister Cities Project, the nonprofit organization supporting the Encanto Experience.

Shawn shares how he pioneered formal partnerships between affluent and underserved communities, fostering cultural understanding and sustainable economic development. Through the Sister Cities Project ecosystem, he harmonizes workforce development, community connection, and business growth initiatives designed to uplift underserved communities of color.

He also discusses:

• The strategic vision behind (Eco)Hub, (Eco)Exchange, and (Eco)Agency
• Leading over 40 social justice, DEI, and racial equity discussions
• Building cross-sector partnerships throughout San Diego County and nationally
• Why equity must move from dialogue to structural transformation

This episode also celebrates the Encanto Experience as a culturally rooted professional development space where community, creativity, and commerce intersect.

Special thanks to Brooke Collins, the powerhouse organizer behind the Encanto Experience, and to Marathon Barbershop on Imperial Avenue for hosting this live recording in a space filled with art, culture, and legacy.

If you’re watching this episode on YouTube, take a moment to appreciate the artwork behind us. If you’re listening, we’ve included links below so you can experience Encanto next year.

Learn More

Sister Cities Project: HERE

Encanto Experience: HERE

Marathon Barbershop – Imperial Avenue

Episode Contributors

Host: Taryell Simmons

Co-Host: Zeke Corley (Same Business Different Day Podcast)

Guest: Shawn McClondon

Music: Will Maker

Production: RISE Urban Nation Media

Special Acknowledgment:

Brooke Collins – Encanto Experience Organizer

Marathon Barbershop – Venue Host

Unite. Empower. Ignite.

Thank you for tuning into the RISE Urban Nation Podcast, where we go beyond conversation to fuel a movement of unity, empowerment, and transformation across the Black and Pan-African community. Each episode dives deep into the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers shaping culture, business, and legacy.

Hosted by Taryell Simmons, a leader in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the show blends storytelling with strategy to help you amplify your voice, grow your brand, and lead with purpose.

✨ Inspiring Stories: Learn from influential Black and Pan-African leaders making an impact.
💡 Actionable Insights: Get practical tools to build, market, and monetize your mission.
🌍 Global Perspective: Connect with stories that celebrate the African diaspora.
🌟 Empowerment: Be inspired to turn challenges into opportunities and ideas into impact.

Don’t miss new episodes or updates—follow and subscribe today!
🔗 Website: RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe Here
🌐 Linktree: All Links

Together, let’s rise, empower, and ignite.

Recorded live at the Encanto Experience inside Marathon Barbershop on Imperial Avenue, this bonus episode brings together culture, community, and corporate transformation. Taryell Simmons and Zeke Corley host a powerful conversation with Idara Ogunsaju about rebuilding confidence in women within enterprise systems and shifting organizational structures that silently erode leadership potential.

Idara, founder of The Antorge Group, explains how her Confidence Ecosystem Framework™ examines how structure, culture, and growth systems either sustain or diminish confidence over time. Through system-level transformation and change management expertise, her firm partners with enterprise leaders to eliminate systemic barriers, fuel sustainable advancement, and strengthen leadership pipelines.

This episode also explores the significance of the Encanto Experience as a culturally rooted professional development space that centers creators, community leaders, and changemakers. Special thanks to Brooke Collins for organizing Encanto and to Marathon Barbershop for hosting this live recording in a space rich with culture and art.

If you’re watching on YouTube, take a moment to notice the artwork behind us. If you’re listening, links to Encanto and The Antorge Group are included below so you can experience the movement next year.

• The Antorge Group: https://theantorgegroup.com
• Instagram: @anthorgegroup
• Encanto Experience: https://www.kpbs.org/events/2025/10/17/experience-encanto-two-day-art-stroll-and-artisan-market
• Marathon Barbershop – Imperial Avenue

Listen to Idara’s previous feature on RISE Urban Nation to hear more of her personal leadership journey.

• Host: Taryell Simmons
• Co-Host: Zeke Corley (Same Business Different Day Podcast)
• Guest: Idara Ogunsaju
• Music: Will Maker
• Production: RISE Urban Nation Media

Special Acknowledgment: Brooke Collins (Encanto Experience Organizer)

Venue Host: Marathon Barbershop, Imperial Avenue

Unite. Empower. Ignite.

Thank you for tuning into the RISE Urban Nation Podcast, where we go beyond conversation to fuel a movement of unity, empowerment, and transformation across the Black and Pan-African community. Each episode dives deep into the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers shaping culture, business, and legacy.

Hosted by Taryell Simmons, a leader in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the show blends storytelling with strategy to help you amplify your voice, grow your brand, and lead with purpose.

✨ Inspiring Stories: Learn from influential Black and Pan-African leaders making an impact.
💡 Actionable Insights: Get practical tools to build, market, and monetize your mission.
🌍 Global Perspective: Connect with stories that celebrate the African diaspora.
🌟 Empowerment: Be inspired to turn challenges into opportunities and ideas into impact.

Don’t miss new episodes or updates—follow and subscribe today!
🔗 Website: RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe Here
🌐 Linktree: All Links

Together, let’s rise, empower, and ignite.

In this powerful episode of RISE Urban Nation Podcast, host Taryell Simmons sits down with Constance “Serenity Sage” English, founder of the UnYes Movement and Siblings United Visitations, to explore how she transformed foster care trauma into a faith-rooted national reform movement. Serenity shares her journey from being silenced and separated from siblings to becoming a bold advocate for family preservation, sibling restoration, and healing-centered systems change. Drawing on her lived experience, spiritual grounding, and visionary leadership, she introduces the UnYes Movement as a reversal of every harmful label placed on foster youth—a resounding YES to identity, belonging, faith, and justice. This conversation is a call to action for leaders, advocates, and changemakers to move beyond awareness into restoration, and to help build communities where children are seen, heard, and never alone again.

Links & Resources:

🌐 Website: https://unyes.org/

• https://suvisitations.org/

📱 Follow: @SerenitySage | @UnYesMovement

🎙️ Host: Taryell Simmons – RISE Urban Nation

Credits:

Host: Taryell Simmons

Guest: Constance “Serenity Sage” English

Music: Will Maker

Production: RISE Urban Nation Media

Unite. Empower. Ignite.

Thank you for tuning into the RISE Urban Nation Podcast, where we go beyond conversation to fuel a movement of unity, empowerment, and transformation across the Black and Pan-African community. Each episode dives deep into the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers shaping culture, business, and legacy.

Hosted by Taryell Simmons, a leader in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the show blends storytelling with strategy to help you amplify your voice, grow your brand, and lead with purpose.

✨ Inspiring Stories: Learn from influential Black and Pan-African leaders making an impact.
💡 Actionable Insights: Get practical tools to build, market, and monetize your mission.
🌍 Global Perspective: Connect with stories that celebrate the African diaspora.
🌟 Empowerment: Be inspired to turn challenges into opportunities and ideas into impact.

Don’t miss new episodes or updates—follow and subscribe today!
🔗 Website: RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe Here
🌐 Linktree: All Links

Together, let’s rise, empower, and ignite.

In this inspiring episode of RISE Urban Nation, host Taryell Simmons sits down with Sharon D. Brown, LCSW — wellness educator, self-carepreneur, and founder of Self-Care U Academy. Sharon shares her journey from burnout to breakthrough and how she turned her pain into purpose by teaching others “the power of pause.” Learn practical strategies to transform stress into success, integrate self-care into your daily grind, and build wealthy habits that honor your health and hustle.

About Sharon:

Sharon D. Brown, LCSW is a self-care strategist, licensed mental health professional, and the

visionary founder of Self-Care You Academy. With over two decades in the mental health field,

Sharon now specializes in helping individuals, especially leaders and entrepreneurs sustain their

success while safeguarding their well-being. Her journey began with a personal

reckoning—realizing that self-care isn’t just a luxury but a vital foundation for leadership and

legacy.

Through her integrative approach, Sharon blends her signature wellness boosters, self-care

pillars, and mindset mastery to help high-achievers thrive under pressure and navigate burnout.

Whether creating transformative workshops or sharing her self-care strategies, Sharon’s

message is clear: when we heal individually, we elevate collectively.

She is dedicated to equipping others with the tools to turn stress into strength and align their

ambitions with holistic wellness. In her words, “Life begins when you breathe, move, and heal.”

Links & Resources:

• 🌐 Website: https://selfcareyouacademy.com
• 📱 Follow: Instagram | LinkedIn

Credits:

Host: Taryell Simmons

Guest: Sharon D. Brown, LCSW

Music: Will Maker

Production: RISE Urban Nation Media

Unite. Empower. Ignite.

Thank you for tuning into the RISE Urban Nation Podcast, where we go beyond conversation to fuel a movement of unity, empowerment, and transformation across the Black and Pan-African community. Each episode dives deep into the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers shaping culture, business, and legacy.

Hosted by Taryell Simmons, a leader in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the show blends storytelling with strategy to help you amplify your voice, grow your brand, and lead with purpose.

✨ Inspiring Stories: Learn from influential Black and Pan-African leaders making an impact.
💡 Actionable Insights: Get practical tools to build, market, and monetize your mission.
🌍 Global Perspective: Connect with stories that celebrate the African diaspora.
🌟 Empowerment: Be inspired to turn challenges into opportunities and ideas into impact.

Don’t miss new episodes or updates—follow and subscribe today!
🔗 Website: RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe Here
🌐 Linktree: All Links

Together, let’s rise, empower, and ignite.