Started from the Bottom
Started from the Bottom
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 grew up in 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?Social links:
Follow the podcast:
Busayo Olupona: How she Pivoted from Attorney to Fashion Designer
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 …
50:37
Keith Corbin: His Culinary Journey After Prison
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 Alt…
42:47
Freddie Wong: From YouTube to His Own Production Company
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 buildin…
34:51
Jing Gao: Bringing Chinese Flavor to Supermarket Shelves
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 ta…
43:00
Jessica O. Matthews: What Does it Take to be an Inventor?
At 19, Jessica O. Matthews invented the SOCCKET, a soccer ball that stores kinetic energy, and then converts that power into light. Jessica’s invention took her from the Harvard classroom to audiences with U.S. Presidents, and it jump-started her journey into the power and infrastructure industry. …
35:01
Zainab Salbi: From Under Saddam’s Thumb to Building a Successful Nonprofit
Zainab Salbi grew up in Iraq, where her family lived in terror of Saddam Hussein. Then she came to America -- and launched a nonprofit that has helped thousands of women around the world. In this episode, Zainab talks about her unique childhood, how she escaped an abusive marriage, and why she star…
44:16Explicit
Tremaine Emory: How to Become a Creative Director in Fashion
When Tremaine Emory became the Creative Director at Supreme, he joined an elite but tiny group of Black people calling the shots in the fashion industry. Having recently survived an aortic aneurysm Tremaine opens up in this conversation about what success means in the context of life and death, and…
38:08
Suze Orman: From Waitress to Financial Guru
Suze Orman has spent the past few decades sharing her financial wisdom with the public. But before Suze became an investment maven, bestselling author, and host of her own show on CNBC, she was a 30-year-old waitress living paycheck to paycheck. In this episode, Suze Orman explains how she went fro…
30:48
Nely Galán: Self-Made Media Mogul
When producer and author Nely Galán became Telemundo's President of Entertainment, she became the first Latina to head an American television network. A child of the post-Revolution Cuban diaspora, Nely's path to the top of her field involved grit, resourcefulness, and a dash of humility. In this e…
44:53
Larry Miller: From Prison to the Nike Boardroom
Convicted of murder at age 16, Nike executive Larry Miller kept his crime and incarceration a secret for over 40 years. But after building the Jordan brand at Nike into a billion dollar business, Larry has chosen to open up about his story. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from …
41:52