The Eddie Francis Podcast Show featuring Halima Leak Francis

039 | Identity and Value

eddiefrancis — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 14:38:11 +0000

It's a new direction for the podcast! The Eddie Francis Podcast Show wants to empower you more by focusing on identity and value. I thought of this when I realized that August of 2017 was the 20th anniversary of Tom Peters' pivotal career article "The Brand Called You". That piece launched the great practice of personal branding but many of us have focused on the external elements of building personal brands. To me, personal branding is more about identity and value.

Going forward, we are dedicating this podcast to how people articulate who they are (identity) and their worth to the people around them (value). Consider this episode an invitation to let me and Halima know what uplifts your identity and value. Whether it is an interview, a commentary or Halima's "Write to Bear Alms" segment, tell us what would energize, enlighten and encourage you!

In the meantime, check out these past podcast episodes where identity and value were themes:

004 | Mental Health Benefits of Giving

006 | Understanding Black Philanthropy

008 | Causes That Will Impact Society

011 | Hal's Fire

020 | Iesha Is Qualified, Too

025 | When I Was a Hater

031 | 'ReLaunch' with Joel Boggess

036 | Impact of a Philanthropic Identity, Part I

037 | Impact of a Philanthropic Identity, Part 2

038 | Write on, Sara, Write On

Closing music: "Let's Go Get 'Em" by Rebirth Brass Band | Album, "Rebirth of New Orleans" | Basin Street Records, 2011

038 | Write On, Sara, Write On

eddiefrancis — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 16:08:55 +0000

Sara Taney Humphreys felt the urge to write…so she did. That led her to becoming an award-winning novelist who is known for her paranormal romance and urban fantasy series of books including the Amoveo Legend novels which have been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award. Not only that, she has enjoyed time as a speaker and professional actress whose television credits include “A&E Biography”, “Guiding Light”, “Another World”, “As the World Turns”, and “Rescue Me”.

A very cool friend, Sara took the time to talk about how she finally got her ideas out of her head and onto paper. She gives great insights not only for budding writers but anyone who has that dream wai [...]

037 | The Impact of a Philanthropic Identity, Part 2

eddiefrancis — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 00:37:29 +0000

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS

In part two of this Black Philanthropy Month edition of the podcast, Halima covers a lot of ground in only 29 minutes. She talks about how to establish a philanthropic identity, why you should educate yourself on a cause (instead of giving blindly), and even what happens when a donor feels their philanthropic identity has been betrayed. Just add li'l sum'n, sum'n, she even comments about giving and church.

Black Philanthropy Month 2016 Episodes

26 | Whose Donation Is It, Anyway? Part 1 (breaking down Michael Jordan's debated $1M donation)

27 | Whose Donation Is It, Anyway? Part 2

036 | The Impact of a Philanthropic Identity, Part 1

eddiefrancis — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 18:12:12 +0000

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS

We are upon yet another Black Philanthropy Month so that can only mean it's time for Halima to do her thang! Over the past year, I have thought carefully about my identity and value, and part of that has been establishing my identity as a giver. Having learned from this careful thought, I asked Halima to offer insights about having a philanthropic identity.

She has some good stuff! Halima gave insight about what it means to have a philanthropic identity, how anyone can have said identity, and the impact of clearly understanding your philanthropic identity to the people who surround you. There is also a very cool portion of the conversation dedicated to understanding the difference between philanthropy as power and philanthropy as influence.

Black Philanthropy Month 2016 Episodes

26 | Whose Donation Is It, Anyway? Part 1 (breaking down Michael Jordan's debated $1M donation)

27 | Whose Donation Is It, Anyway? Part 2

035 | Making Self-Care Your Priority

eddiefrancis — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 23:06:29 +0000

Leslie Brown, who joined us for episodes 2 and 4, returns to the podcast. This time, our resident mental health professional takes on a topic about which she is very passionate–self-care. Leslie helps kick off the new sound of the Eddie Francis Podcast Show which now focuses more on the impact of identity and value. The counseling professional talks about what self-care is, what threatens self-care, a prominent figure’s self-care victory, and the importance of bal [...]

034 | The Criswells Take on Pittsburgh

eddiefrancis — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 21:20:24 +0000

Black Greek Success

Roland and Bethany Criswell share “Coleman Love.” The bond between Omega Psi Phi fraternity and Delta Sigma Theta sorority is named for Prof. Frank Coleman, an Omega founder who married, Edna Brown Coleman, one of the founders of Delta. Not only are they life partners but the Criswells are founders of the Coston Criswell Group.

Because I celebrate the role that Black Greek life has played in my life, I invited the Criswells to join me to talk about how their organizations are part of their success journey.

033 | Move Forward, Black America

eddiefrancis — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 20:14:59 +0000

There is no getting around the negative mood of America these days and I am really concerned about my folks–Black America. This edition of the podcast is an appeal to my fellow African Americans to think carefully about how we publicly engage one another in the age of Trump.

032 | Forgiveness After Genocide

eddiefrancis — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 04:49:57 +0000

In 2011, I was fortunate enough to win an award from the Press Club of New Orleans because of an amazing woman. I had the privilege of interviewing Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza who talked about hiding for 91 days in a cramped bathroom with seven other women to avoid being murdered. It’s an interview that I will treasure the rest of my days because of Immaculee’s grace in describing what was easily the biggest nightmare of her life.

This powerful interview, which won Best Radio Entertainment Feature, was recorded when I was the co-producer of the award-winning “Sunday Journal” radio show on WYLD-FM in New Orleans. At the time [...]

031 | ‘ReLaunch’ with Joel Boggess

eddiefrancis — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 03:37:40 +0000

I was pleased to have author, speaker, life coach, and podcaster extraordinaire Joel Boggess on the Eddie Francis Podcast Show. The host of the "ReLaunch" podcast shared the remarkable story of his recovery after a 30-foot fall from a bridge at five-years-old to becoming a fitness instructor and martial artist. The man is a legit inspiration.

Check out these credentials. He is the number one best-selling author of "Finding Your Voice". Joel has also been a contributor to Success.com, The Huffington Post, and Inc. "ReLaunch" has been recognized as:

The 2014 and 2015 Most Inspirational and Best Overall podcast by the Podcasters' Paradise awards, One of the top 20 business podcasts of 2015 by Inc, and One of the top five podcasts for inspiration by The Huffington Post. For a taste of one of Joel's most moving interviews, check out his chat with Dr. Grace Stephens, the first African American woman to serve as chancellor of MacCormac College.

030 | Son of a Saint

eddiefrancis — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 21:48:22 +0000

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS

Halima and I had to have Bivian "Sonny" Lee, III on the podcast. He is the founder of Son of a Saint, a mentoring organization named as a tribute to Sonny's dad, late New Orleans Saints player Bivian "Sonny" Lee, Jr. Having lost his father when he was only three-years-old, Sonny saw the need to create an organization that provides guidance to young black males between the ages of nine and 13. Son of a Saint serves young men whose fathers have either passed away or have been incarcerated. The organization's work has been featured on CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera America, and Sonny earned a BET Award in 2015 for his work.
Halima wanted to get an idea of what motivates Sonny, why Son of a Saint is important, and what it takes to maintain the organization. Beyond mentoring from a diverse group of men, Son of a Saint provides mental health services, field trips, and other activities such as horseback riding. We even learn that there may be Son of a Texan in Houston and Son of a Cowboy in Dallas!
The real pleasure of having Sonny on the podcast, however, is what he and I have in common. We both graduated from St. Augustine High School and were both included on New Orleans Magazine's "30 People to Watch" list. I am even prouder that I am part of the St. Aug alumni chapter (DFW) that provided funding to pay the tuition of two Son of a Saint mentees.

029 | Back in the Day with David West and Soledad O’Brien

eddiefrancis — Sun, 02 Oct 2016 22:20:46 +0000

Two radio interviews from back in the day that I remember fondly are conversations I had with David West, then of the New Orleans Hornets, and Soledad O'Brien. Both are from my days as the co-producer and contributor to WYLD-FM's "Sunday Journal".

Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com
My interview with David was actually done in 2009 at the spur of the moment. I saw him roaming the radio station hallways on the weekend and overheard him talking about what student athletes need to do prepare for college. I just had to capture his thoughts for what was then my monthly education segment.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
In 2011, Soledad was in New Orleans for FestiGals and she was preparing to release her memoir "The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities". I really appreciate how she put up with my shenanigans during the interview.

028 | Your Money Doctor Mildred Dillon

eddiefrancis — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 22:27:23 +0000

Mildred “The Money Doctor” Dillon, C.P.A. is a friend who I interviewed many times during my radio days so I figured I would invite her to join me on the podcast. Changing lives one money envelope at a time, Mildred talks about simple ways we can stretch our dollars and her book Take This Job and Love It! Start Living the Life of Your Dreams with Just a Paycheck!.

027 | Black Philanthropy Month: Whose Donation Is It Anyway? Part 2

eddiefrancis — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 17:30:00 +0000

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS

In the spirit of Black Philanthropy Month, Halima and I continue our conversation about giving in the black community. Here, she gives her thoughts on how black organizations and institutions can be great stewards of donations and volunteering. Halima also talks about the advice she would give philanthropists as we revisit the spirit of Michael Jordan's donations.
More of Halima's thoughts on philanthropy:

"More than a moral imperative: Giving to get power and influence a righteous act of self-help"

The Huffington Post

"Black Philanthropy: Causes That Matter for Black Lives"

Black Enterprise

026 | Black Philanthropy Month: Whose Donation Is It Anyway? Part 1

eddiefrancis — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 20:13:58 +0000

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS

August is Black Philanthropy Month so we thought about a philanthropist whose donations made waves in July and August 2016--Michael Jordan. Some folks seem pretty vocal about the merits of his $1 million donations each to the International Association of the Chiefs of Police's Institute for Community-Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. They have especially questioned his $5 million donation to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Well, dang, whose donation is it, anyway???
That's why it's cool to have an expert like Halima Leak Francis! In part one, she gives great insight about understanding how philanthropists give and what it means to give strategically.
By the way, check out more about fundraising and philanthropy on Halima's "Write to Bear Alms" segment and my interview with her for "The HBCU Lifestyle Podcast":

001 | 'Write to Bear Alms' with Halima

004 | Mental Health Benefits of Giving

006 | Understanding Black Philanthropy

008 | Causes That Will Impact Society

010 | Giving Cancer a Workout

013 | Halima's Philanthropic Field Trip

015 | Why Halima Isn't a 'Make It Rain' Fundraiser

017 | Charitable Giving, the Career That Gives Back

019 | It's All Love for Binta Brown

HL 028 | Fundraising Tips for (HBCU) Alumni Associations

025 | When I Was a Hater

eddiefrancis — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 03:19:27 +0000

For most of my adult life, I was a hater. Hate to admit it but I was. This is my confession.

024 | Voice Is Her Name

eddiefrancis — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 02:26:25 +0000

It’s one of the coolest interviews I have ever had the pleasure of conducting. In 2010, I interviewed artist Voice Monet for the “Sunday Journal” Success Series segment. The smooth MC is the daughter of actor Lance Nichols whose throwback interview I featured for Episode 5 of the podcast. By the way, her new EP “Black Maria” will drop September 2016.

023 | Three Ideas to Address American Violence

eddiefrancis — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 17:59:00 +0000

I can't take it anymore and I have to speak out:

The week of July 4, 2016 is a week that will live in infamy for this decade with the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five Dallas police officers on consecutive days. Out of sheer frustration, I posted my wish for good people of all cultures to unite on my Facebook page but nothing beats saying the words.

It is my hope that you will join me in being a solution to our problem. Check out some of these events that brought people in the community together with law enforcement:

Athens, Ga. Alpha Phi Alpha alumni chapter, local Masonic lodge, and NAACP branch sponsor "Black Lives Matter...A Conversation with Law Enforcement and Community Leaders"

Southern California "Youth and the Law" forum sponsored by Kappa Alpha Psi alumni, NOBLE chapters and the Associated Students Organization of Southwest College

Dover Omega Psi Phi alumni chapter unites with Dover Police Department, Whatcoat United Methodist Church, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Dover, the National Organization Of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and members of the New Castle County, Wilmington, and Delaware State Police Departments for law enforcement-community forums

Indianapolis Iota Phi Theta alumni chapter teams up with Indy area metro police for educational forum

Northwest Missouri State Phi Beta Sigma chapter teams up with university police department to bridge gap between police and students

Main image: Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus and Black Lives Matter rally participant, courtesy of Richmond Pulse

022 | Social Capital Among the Black Greek and HBCU Communities

eddiefrancis — Sat, 18 Jun 2016 21:27:33 +0000

African American fraternities and sororities, particularly the Divine Nine, played a major role in diversifying leadership in America in the early 20th Century. Since that time, thousands of African Americans have benefited from this powerful network by providing social capital that would boost communities of color. In my Black Greek Success segment, I invited a social capital expert to join the podcast.
Froswa' Booker-Drew, Ph.D. is a very cool friend of Halima's and mine. She has done research on social capital in communities of color as well as research on relationship based on Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey's book "Immunity to Change".
Since Froswa' is a fellow Black Greek--a sister of Alpha Kappa Alpha--I thought it would be interesting to chat about how social capital works among members of African-American fraternities and sororities as well as members of the HBCU community.
The insight is as plain as the nose on our faces but takes more work than a lot of us may be willing to do.

021 | Agog About A-WOW

eddiefrancis — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 14:06:45 +0000

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS

In 2016, the A-WOW World Summit returns to the U.S. Halima, being the fantastic giving professional she is, was a guest workshop presenter at the 2015 summit. She shared her experience with her “Write to Bear Alms” radio audience in August 2015 on Radio Azad.

This edition features Halima’s inspirational commentary about how these dynamic young women seek to be catalysts of change in health, education, and legal justice. She talks about seeing the light bulbs go off in the participants a [...]

020 | Iesha Is Qualified, Too

eddiefrancis — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 19:45:48 +0000

As a recruiter, one of my favorite things is to call someone to make him or her a job offer. Unfortunately, many people have to wait weeks and months to get those calls because they are victims of racial employment discrimination. Research shows that many employers have no qualms with passing over the resumes of people with "black" names.

Based on a blog I wrote, I talk about the utter ridiculousness of this practice while inspiring uniquely named folks with suggestions to strengthen their resumes during the job search. Check out this piece: "He Dropped One Letter In Name While Applying For Jobs, And The Responses Rolled In" Huffington Post, Sept. 2, 2014