Too many of us are grinding… but not building. On this Pinnacle of Color episode of Black Men Speak, we're talking about the shift from hustle to legacy — what it really takes to move from short-term money to long-term wealth. We sit down with Joe Coleman and Vernon Garret, founders of C&G Luxury Candles in Richmond, Virginia — breaking down how a vision becomes a brand, and how a brand becomes something that lasts. If you're tired of the grind and ready to build something meaningful… this episode is for you.

In this episode of Black Men Speak, we explore the lived experiences of biracial Black men raised in environments where Black culture, community, and mentorship were limited—or completely absent.

From identity confusion to delayed self-discovery, we unpack how isolation impacts confidence, masculinity, and belonging. Dr. Corey Clay is an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist based in West Seattle and founder of Puget I/O, an independent consulting practice that blends organizational development with diversity, equity, and inclusion to help organizations build more inclusive, effective, and resilient workplaces.

With a career spanning Houston, Portland, Seattle, and London, he brings a global perspective to his work and has been committed since 2006 to mentoring young men and fostering meaningful cross-community relationships.

He previously served as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Washington, where he led equity-focused initiatives before relocating to London, and after returning to the Pacific Northwest in February, he continues expanding his consulting and mentorship efforts. A proud U.S. Army veteran, Dr. Clay integrates leadership, service, and discipline into both his professional practice and community impact.

In this episode, we sit down with Michael Thomas, the acclaimed novelist behind Man Gone Down and winner of the International Dublin Literary Award, to discuss his powerful memoir The Broken King.

In a raw and deeply personal conversation, Thomas reflects on fatherhood without the polish often found in parenting narratives, confronting the trauma, racism, and family history that shaped his upbringing in 1970s Boston and resurfaced as he tried to become a different kind of father to his own sons. Drawing inspiration from a line in Little Gidding, The Broken King explores the lives of the men who shaped him—his absent father, his estranged brother, his children, and ultimately himself—while reckoning with generational trauma, artistic struggle, and the difficult journey toward healing and self-understanding.

Michael Thomas is the author of the national bestseller Man Gone Down, winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and a New York Times Top Ten Novel of the Year. His writing has appeared in A Public Space, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and in Ben George's anthology The Book of Dads. He is a professor of English at Hunter College. He lives in Brooklyn.