Welcome to Season 7 of Authentic Filters! In this powerful kickoff episode, “Give Yourself A Chance,” the spotlight is on YOU and the dreams you’ve been waiting to pursue. It’s time to let go of fear, doubt, and hesitation—those barriers that often hold us back from stepping into our greatness. Whether it’s launching a business, embracing a new career path, or reigniting a forgotten passion, now is the moment to stop standing in your own way and give yourself the opportunity to succeed.

This episode is a reminder that progress begins with a single step and every little bit moves the needle. If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to chase your goals, consider this your sign.

It's been a minute, but thought I'd hop back on the airwaves. Today's message is about giving yourself grace to try something new. With an understanding that it may not be great the first go around but can certainly lead to something bigger and better. Tune out what other people may think and just allow yourself to create what YOU like. That's when you'll find your groove and those that like it too.

We hope to be back with Season 6 sooner than later and as always, if you found this episode helpful, be sure to share, like, and review to reach more people. We also have 5 full seasons available now for streaming and download on Apple Podcast or wherever you listen.

It’s been over 400 years and African Americans still have not received reparations for the brutal dehumanization and injustice that was inflicted on our ancestors during the era of slavery.

When President Lincoln signed the Proclamation of Emancipation into law, slaves were promised 40 acres and a Mule, but they never received anything when they were set free. Instead, the slave master was compensated $300 for every slave they had to set free. The reason why is because without the labor of slaves, the land would suffer, and they would lose money. That era was the start of the wealth gap amongst whites and blacks.

Just recently, Professor William Darity at Duke University conducted two studies. The first study Mr. Darity performed was to see how much each African American is owed for reparations. His review shows descendants of slaves are owed roughly $350,000. He also did another study to see how large the wealth gap is amongst whites and blacks. Study reveals that white Americans are leading the wealth gap by roughly $840,000.

The government has paid out reparations to the Holocaust survivors, the Native Americans, and Japanese Americans just to name a few. Now, reparations were owed to these folks for what they had to endure; however, African Americans are the only race that hasn’t received reparations for slavery.

Now is the time that all descendants of slaves be compensated for the inhuman torture that was inflicted on our ancestors many centuries ago. The only way to make things right is to make a large cash payment for our suffrage and an apology acknowledging how blacks were treated.

Welcome to the Season Five Finale Episode Twelve of Authentic Filters! If you enjoyed what you watched and/or listened to and want to keep the conversation going, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your family and friends on Apple Podcast, Youtube or wherever you listen! We want to thank you for taking the journey with us thus far…Let's Get Into It.

Russia and China appear to be on a Mission to devalue the U.S. Dollar. As the #1 global currency that holds the most weight, the Dollar has taken our country far and stood the test of time. Allowing us to take on more debt unlike any other country. Well, under a newer alliance known as BRICS, Russia and China (two of the largest in the group) are vying for the Chinese currency “Yuan” to start reigning supreme. What will the U.S do about this? Only time will tell…but one thing is for sure, America cannot allow for the U.S. dollar to loose it’s value.

In the Second half of Episode 11, we’re diving into good things of the past and where they went wrong today. From Bed, Bath, & Beyond, to Meta’s layoffs, Walmart closing, and some Nasty Micky D’s locations…it was good while it lasted.

Welcome to Season Five Episode Eleven of Authentic Filters! If you enjoyed what you watched and/or listened to and want to keep the conversation going, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your family and friends on Apple Podcast, Youtube or wherever you listen! We want to thank you for taking the journey with us thus far…Let's Get Into It.

What world do we live in when you can be shot at and almost killed for ringing the wrong doorbell? This is what happened to Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old black teenager that went to the wrong house looking for his little brother. Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old white man, didn’t ask who he was looking for or say he was at the wrong house, instead, he went to the door with his gun and opened fire on the teenager. Ralph was shot at twice and could have lost his life, for showing up at the wrong house. This is another shooting and still no change to gun reform. In this case, it’s not standing your ground but open season.

Here’s another case where a senior leader of a company went on a rant to employees on a zoom call. Andy Owen’s CEO for MillerKnoll company had a town hall call with employees to address the health of the organization and respond to employees’ concerns about not getting a bonus this year. Andy started the call off with words of wisdom and how to navigate through the tough times of uncertainty, while telling the employees how to treat each other and continue to work hard. Things quickly took a turn for the worse, and she went down the path of making the employees feel that they needed to figure out how they were going to come up with the $26 million that the company lost. She goes on this rant by telling them not to worry about a bonus and to leave pity city.

It was later reported that Andy Owen’s receives a yearly salary of $1.1 million and her bonus in 2022 was $3.9 million in stock options. Three words for Andy: READ THE ROOM. This is another real world example of a leader that is tone-deaf and refuses to deal with the truth and reality of this important issue.

Welcome to Season Five Episode Ten of Authentic Filters! If you enjoyed what you watched and/or listened to and want to keep the conversation going, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your family and friends on Apple Podcast, Youtube or wherever you listen! We want to thank you for taking the journey with us thus far…Let's Get Into It.

Not that we’re trying to be overly dramatic here, but you literally can’t go anywhere without the fear that someone is going to open fire. And the fact that many Republicans in congress are still singing the same old tune of “needing more guns” is wild to us! There are currently more guns than there are people in the U.S., yet they’re NOT the problem…?

From a Dunkin’ Doughnuts Drive Thru to a Sweet 16 Birthday Party and a Bank Employee, the gun violence has hit heavy these past weeks. It’s devastating to the families, the communities, and it just goes to show that there are people in office that really aren’t about anything.

Additionally, we’re also diving into the update on Shanquella Robinson and what the U.S. has decided in regards to her assaulters.

Welcome to Season Five Episode Nine of Authentic Filters! If you enjoyed what you watched and/or listened to and want to keep the conversation going, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your family and friends on Apple Podcast, Youtube or wherever you listen! We want to thank you for taking the journey with us thus far…Let's Get Into It.

Former President Donald Trump faced the presiding judge over the criminal arraignment where he pleaded not guilty on 34 indictment charges. Trump showed up to the hearing by an escorted motorcade. He was not arrested nor handcuffed like most people would be. Instead he was given the “Presidential” treatment. And soon after, he flew back to Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida to talk poorly about the presiding judge over his hearing and the judge's family. Will Trump finally be held accountable? Only time will tell.

The Tennessee Three (2 Black men and 1 White woman) was formed when 3 Democratic State Representatives, Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, and Gloria Johnson of Tennessee stood up to the recent Nashville mass shooting that took place. They peacefully protested and voiced their concerns for the residents of Tennessee about gun reform. The Republicans did not want to hear it, so they tried to silence them, by telling them to quiet down. The 3 Democrats continued to protest respectfully and from those actions, the two Black men were expelled. This instantly sparked an uproar around the world. Gloria Johnson however, was able to keep her job, though her duties were reduced. Gloria spoke out and said that she was spared because she was a white woman.

Van Jones spoke up and asked the Republican Chair, Jeremy Faison, to help him understand why they didn’t go through the Ethics committee and follow the proper steps. The last time someone was expelled happened nearly two hundred years ago. Jones continued by saying, “...you want people to be reasonable, then why are you being so unreasonable and why are you skipping steps…?”

Welcome to Season Five Episode Eight of Authentic Filters! If you enjoyed what you watched and/or listened to and want to keep the conversation going, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your family and friends on Apple Podcast, Youtube or wherever you listen! We want to thank you for taking the journey with us thus far…Let's Get Into It.

It’s Deja Vu all over again, but this time in a new city and new town. There’s no rhyme or reason why kids should have to fear going to school wondering if they’ll make it home. A school should be a safe space, for learning, growing, and escaping whatever stressors exist at home.

On the morning of March 27 in Nashville, the person who police would later identify as Audrey Hale, 28, joined the growing list of mass shooters seeking to inflict pain, devastation, and evil into the lives of others. The same person who had at one time been held under Doctor’s care for what was revealed as an “emotional disorder”, is the same person who was able to purchase several military-style / AR-style weapons for sinister motives.

Three innocent students and staff (six total) lost their lives by the actions of Hale, through her weapon of choice….the guns. A “BREAKING NEWS” headline that is becoming all too familiar but should never be accepted as the norm.

When is this going to end? When are those who have the power and authority to make the necessary changes, hold the proper parties accountable going to actually do so? What is it going to take to get the gun reform we need as Americans to happen?

On a lighter note:

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Welcome to Season Five Episode Seven of Authentic Filters! If you enjoyed what you watched and/or listened to and want to keep the conversation going, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your family and friends on Apple Podcast, Youtube or wherever you listen! We want to thank you for taking the journey with us thus far…Let's Get Into It.