Jenna Smith takes us on a captivating journey from locker room to boardroom, revealing how her experiences as the "only girl on the team" shaped her path to founding Tandemount Sports Group. With remarkable clarity, she articulates the untapped potential at the intersection of beauty brands and women's sports, particularly for Black women athletes seeking authentic expression.

The conversation explores how strategic brand alignments are closing the NIL gap between men's and women's sports. Smith's insights on Gen Z athletes' natural content creation abilities demonstrate why beauty and lifestyle brands have unique opportunities to partner with women athletes who are essentially "walking markets" during competition.

We dive deep into emerging sports technology focused on critical women's sports challenges. From revolutionary injury prevention tools addressing the epidemic of ACL tears to biometric tracking systems accounting for menstrual cycles, Smith identifies where technology meets human performance in ways specifically benefiting women athletes.

What makes this discussion particularly compelling is Smith's personal testimony of risk-taking. Her applications to prestigious universities despite self-doubt, her entry into venture capital without traditional backgrounds, and her international career moves all exemplify her powerful message: "The belief in myself will always be bigger than the belief anybody else has for me."

Smith's vision extends beyond marketing to creating equitable opportunities for women athletes through advisory roles and equity positions with sports tech companies. She's working to ensure women athletes leverage their influence into long-term business opportunities and ownership stakes.

For anyone navigating entrepreneurship, sports business, or seeking authentic representation, Smith's parting wisdom resonates deeply: "Don't be afraid to fail... You are 99% of the time equipped with the tools to do it. You just may not have the support system to push you." Her story illuminates why taking risks, building community, and believing in yourself creates pathways where traditional roadmaps don't exist.

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In this throwback episode of Entrepreneurial Appetite, host Langston Clark revisits his powerful conversation with Sho Nakpodia, founder of Dream Week San Antonio and Dream Voice. Discover how San Antonio became home to the largest Martin Luther King Day celebration in the country and how one Nigerian-born social entrepreneur transformed a single march into a 16-day summit of civil and civic engagement.

Sho shares his journey from Lagos, Nigeria, through London and New York, to establishing roots in San Antonio, where he founded the Mighty Group advertising agency and later created Dream Week - a community-curated platform featuring hundreds of events focused on diversity, tolerance, equality, and social justice. Learn about the philosophy behind making Dream Week accessible to all voices, the importance of African American genius in leading social movements, and how San Antonio's unique DNA makes it the perfect incubator for peaceful dialogue across differences.

This replay is essential listening as we prepare for Dream Week 2026 (January 9-31). Topics include social entrepreneurship, community building, cultural identity, navigating tier-two cities, local versus national impact, and creating platforms for marginalized voices

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As we launch into Season 7 of Entrepreneurial Appetite, I'm sitting down with one of my favorite co-hosts, Lloyd Kuykendoll, founder of Black Cabinet Education, to preview what's coming in 2026 and reflect on the books and conversations that are shaping our thinking.

Lloyd shares the four books that changed his life this year: The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James, I Have Avenged America by Julia Garfield (exploring the true legacy of Jean-Jacques Dessalines), The Wounded World: W.E.B. Du Bois and World War I by Chad L. Williams, and the rare bibliophile treasure Damn Rare by Charles Blockson. We dive deep into Du Bois—not just as an intellectual, but as a flawed human navigating mistakes like his controversial "Close Ranks" article, and how Anna Julia Cooper pushed him to write Black Reconstruction in America.

I share my favorite interview from last season with Julius Garvey, Marcus Garvey's youngest son, discussing Justice for Marcus Garvey—an interview that happened just before President Biden pardoned Garvey.

What's Coming in Season 7:

We're previewing conversations with authors and entrepreneurs who are pushing the boundaries of Black economic thought:

• Dr. Rachel Laryea on Black Capitalists and what Pan-African business really means
• Trey Baker and his blueprint for Black economic development in In the Black 2050
• Dr. Julia Gaffield on Dessalines and rewriting Haiti's narrative
• Oji and Ezinne Udezue, Nigerian-American tech leaders who wrote Building Rocketships
• Plus book reviews of Banking on Freedom: Black Women in U.S. Finance Before the New Deal and Mentorship Unlocked

Lloyd reveals his dream interview: Dr. Greg Carr, Chad L. Williams, or Gerald Horne. I share mine: Demaurice Smith, former NFL Players Association executive director, on his book Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America's Game.

This season, we're also evolving—more live events, more book reviews, and a challenge for you: share your favorite episode with six people to help us grow this community of Black entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and dreamers.

Lloyd closes with his powerful origin story—from being a "functioning illiterate" who feared reading aloud to building Black Cabinet Education, where his books became his greatest friends and his ancestors spoke back to him when he was lost.

Welcome to Season 7. Let's build together.

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