Keep it Positive, Sweetie - Love, Risk, & Donuts

Episode Date: August 23, 2026

What happens when two completely different journeys come together around one shared vision? In this episode of Keep It Positive, Sweetie, Crystal sits down with Cloudy Donut Co. founders Zewiditu Jewel and  Derrick Faulcon for a conversation about the people behind the brand, building a business together, and creating something that challenges what ownership can look like in communities that are often overlooked. Derrick opens up about the years he spent incarcerated and the life he built afterward, while Zewiditu shares how her background in education shaped the way she approaches leadership and impact. Together, they talk about taking a chance on Cloudy, navigating business and their relationship, and their philosophy of “reverse gentrification. It’s a conversation about love, risk, representation, partnership, and the responsibility that comes with creating a path someone else can follow.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pastos survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all?

And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on Internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.za for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. If your bookshelf and your for you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks pride and prejudice and love island to serve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions.

Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Did you hear the new episode of The Hey Jonas Podcast? We are at D23. So we'll see who stops by. The cast of Frozen stopped by, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, and Adina Mansell. I audition for Frozen. What?

For Christoph. They said, okay, what are you going to be singing today? I said, I don't know. That must have been why you didn't get it. Oh, you probably won. Plus, John Stamos, Hayden Christensen from Star Wars and more. And I guess I can share that... No way.

Listen to the latest episode of Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast, Hollywood Handbook. Each week, we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, Adam Scott, Danny McBride, Ben Stillard, and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Calling all my sweeties to the forefront, I'm your host, Chris Renee Hazlett, and this is the Keep It Posit Sweetie Show. Welcome to Keep It Posit, Sweetie, the place where we heal, grow, and learn together. What if the biggest opportunity of your life didn't come looking the way you expected? Today's conversation is about recognizing purpose in unexpected places, building with the right partner, and having the courage to see. say yes. Cloudy Donut first captured people's attention as one of the country's most talked about vegan donut brands, even becoming known as one of Jay-Z's favorite donut spots. But Derek and Zoddy II have built so much more than a successful business. They are challenging traditional ideas of ownership and creating opportunities in communities

where people least expected them. Today we're talking about recognizing opportunity, building together, and what it really means to leave a path for the next person. Kids family, please give a very warm welcome to the founders of Cloudy Donut, Zodity T. Jewel, and Derek. How y'all doing today? We feel good. Great, excited to be in, great energy.

Yes, same. And inviting us in this lovely place, giving us the grace in the space, so we appreciate it. Absolutely. No, thank you guys. We were talking offline about how I first heard of you all. So Ashley Mohamed, she is the creative director for my merch for Kiwi Pazza, Sweetie. She brought you all up, but immediately I said, oh, Jay-Z's favorite donuts.

And she goes, yes. So that's how I was first introduced to you guys. How does it feel to have such a huge name be connected with your brand? Well, I will first say that when we first got approached to even be a part of that opportunity and provide all the desserts for the Jay-Z-30 experience in New York, I knew that. that we got the call because of the work that we've put in, you know? And so we had a lot of calls with the team. Rock Nation was amazing to work with, is amazing to work with.

And they told me at every turn, like, listen, Jay-Z's very excited. You're his favorite donut shop. And it's a testament to all of the work that we put in. And when I had the opportunity to meet him, it was a reminder of being in the position where you're supposed to be based off of following the plan that you chose, and that God provided for you. So it felt very like, of course, like, oh my gosh, right?

But I also felt grounded in knowing that that was meant. Yeah, that's so good. What about you, Derek, when you heard that. And also, like, similar to, like, the relationship that we got with Ashley Mohamed. Shout out Ashley, shout out, be iconic and iconic cash. We developed personal relationships with people behind the scenes that cultivate over years. So outside of the Jay-Z pop-up, we had developed a relationship with Rock Nation for three years where they have supported us through numerous events, caterings, and just pulling up to our shop.

So it's a lot of people behind the scenes that got the product to the people at Rock Nation because they work there. So that's a level of what we call black sweat equity, right? Yes. So like when black customers come into your establishment and it goes beyond the consumption, and they say, how can I support you and amplify your brand? So a lot of the black women and men who work specifically in these corporate spaces, they have elevated us in ways that we couldn't. So we're more appreciative for them as well.

Yeah, I love that. So you guys are here in Atlanta doing another activation. I want to ask with everything that's going on, how are you guys doing today and in the season of your lives? I personally, I feel very grounded in this season of my life in this journey with Derek and Cloudy Donut because it's an accumulation of everything that we've experienced, everything that we've done, everything that he said he was going to do and we were going to do we're doing it and it feels good

to do the things that you said you were going to do and to know that you are where you're supposed to be because I've been in spaces where I've been like why is this happening? What's going on? What am I doing? Who am I meant to be? So to be living in my purpose

I feel really grounded in that. I love that. What about you, Derek? The goal is always, always to create an ecosystem of black joy economically. So like how can you create a brand or a product or service where black people can come in and feel seen, feel welcome, and also perpetuate the narrative of that brand. So for me it was more less specifically about creating that ecosystem where you came in, you bought a product from people that you knew and could identify with, and they hired people that you know and could identify with. And then that money

trickles down into a community that you know and can identify with. So it's really not about giving people necessarily a handout, but giving black people hand up. Come on. So specifically with the tour, it's about possibility and visibility. It's not necessarily a tour built off of economics. It's a tour built off of what two people who come together, who have a mutual goal can do, which is create a third energy in our culture.

I love that. I love that. So we're going to get into your journey. But first, I want to play a game to see how well you know each other. It's called Same Page. Okay. She's like, oh, oh, pressure. So here's the rules.

You're not going to talk to each other. You're not going to look at each other. On the count of three, I want you both to give your answer. And then we'll see if you're on the same page or someone has some explaining to do. Okay? So the first scenario is this. A once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity lands on your lap, but it requires a huge financial risk. What's your first response?

One, let's do it. Let's do it. Let's do it. I thought we counted three. Oh, by bad. I just was like, I know he's going to say it. Okay, okay, sorry, sorry. What are you going to say? Yeah, let's do it.

do it. Okay, okay. All right. So the next one will count to three. That's good. Same page for that one. Scenario number two, one of you has a new business idea that the other isn't completely sold on. Who usually wins the conversation? One, two, three. Derek. Now, is that because he has a track record of his ideas working? So you're right, you trust it. Absolutely. I love that. That's good. Scenario number three. Cloudy has had a very long week and you unexpectedly have one full day off together what are you doing one brainstorming on the next business idea completely unplugging from work or are you going on a date and pretending work does not exist one two three going on a date i was going to say brainstorming the next business idea

yeah yeah so she wants to go on a date so the next idea so it's kind of nuanced because what we'll do is because he always makes things fun oh good so like he'll be like he'll be We like, let's go on a day and on that walk, we're talking about the next business idea. So it works. I love that. But best of both worlds. That's good. All right.

The fourth one is someone makes an offer to buy everything you've built. Who's more likely to say yes first? One, two, three. Zodie. I say Zoddy. She didn't say anything. It's true. She didn't.

She's like that. Yeah, she's all right. What is that? I mean. these questions are highly nuanced for the record um i would probably but i would i know that they're you know he wouldn't you know yeah yeah yeah yeah you're like acquire us please um the last one scenario number five you can only choose one would you rather be known for building great businesses or building a great life together one two three a great life together come on

ding, ding, ding, dang. You guys are on the same page. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's so good. Thank y'all for playing. No, not for sure. We like to break the ice and have a little fun. So let's talk about the brand and the journey.

So before success, a lot of people forget that there's, you have a story before the businesses, before Cloudy Donut, before 7 streams, before E&D, there was YouTube beyond all that. It still is. A lot of times people identify you by your brands, but forget that there is an actual person who has an identity of their own, right? So before the headlines, the storefronts, and the man who was rebuilding his life after 11 years of being incarcerated, a teacher who was born into students every day, I want to go back to the beginning.

Who were the two of you before everything took off? Yeah, I was, I'm from Washington, D.C. I'm a fourth generation Washingtonian. I hold that near and dear to my heart, and I was a school teacher where I taught creative writing like you said and in theater for 14 years. So I've always known that I went to art school my entire life. So I've always known that I wanted to connect with people, whether it be through my writing, you know, performances or just conversations. I knew that there was a story that I wanted to tell based off of the experiences that I've lived in my life. And my goal is always for people

to know that they're not alone in their experiences and their journeys. So I've always been a connector. So the work that I'm doing now is a bit different, but I'm still, you know, we still evoke that same feeling. I still get on my Instagram and talk to women. You know, I've been able to now teach a lot of what I've learned through marketing to women and entrepreneurs. So I still do a lot of the work that I did before in education, but it's just a different platform. I love it. Everything that I carry about myself is accredited. to the women in my life that raised me. And it only got highlighted, you know, when I met Derek and he saw that in me.

And we had the conversation for us to do this thing together. How beautiful is that to have a partner who sees the value that you hold? Absolutely. To see the value that you hold that's not intimidated by that value. Yeah. That wants to evoke that energy, you know, outside of just what they know. They want the world to see it. And support to you in a way.

It's a blessing. It is truly a blessing. And so much of who I've become, you know, a part of this journey is accredited to the woman he's allowed me to grow into as well. Come, I love that for you. Yeah. I mean, you know, I'm here to just give a testimony on blessings. It's so important, you know.

And so that's who I am and who I love that. You have the most beautiful spirit. I feel that. Thank you. Yeah, that's so beautiful. What about you, Derek? I love your story and I love how you've completely turned your life around because of your vision. Let's talk about that. Yeah, well, I grew up in, you know, the ghetto streets of Baltimore. I was originally born in South Baltimore, but primarily raised in West Baltimore as a growing to a young man. And I'm the

byproduct of a single parent household, my mom. It's me and my mom. She pretty much instilled a lot of values, morals, and character into me that I carry with me to this day. And I really would say like at a young age I pretty much was decisive on who I was and who I wanted to be. I just think that more specifically, the roads kind of changed, but the destination remained. So nothing really changed about me in terms of my personal values, morals, and character, but the way in which I strategize to accomplish my goal has changed, you know. So the transition from the street to me wasn't really hard once I was able to see that, you know, I could find a legitimate way to be able to make income and also achieve my goals.

The goal for me when it comes to who I am is just to be an example to what a young black man coming from the ghetto can be. I'm proud to be from Baltimore. I carry it with me everywhere I go. I'm not trying to be somebody. I'm not. You know what I'm saying? I always tell people in a world with people trying to figure out who they are. The most important thing you can know is who you're not.

Come on. Oh, that's good. You know, I wake up every day with my yeses and I lean primarily into my nose. I can easily identify myself as a man. and I walk with, you know, my head up and my chest up. So my whole goal is to represent black masculinity at its highest form. Yeah. And sometimes being number one, in this case, you got to play number two.

So she got it. I fall back and let I do what she did. I know that's right. I love this. So I want to talk about the day that you first met. What was your first impression of each other? You want to answer this one? No, not good.

So we first met March 20th, 2019. You got another date. Yes. That, okay, that's when we first went on our first date was March 20 and 2019. And Derek thought he was speaking. I said, oh, yeah, I'm at therapy. Come pick me up. And he picked me up and he thought it was physical therapy.

Gotcha, because mental health matters, right? Yes. I love it. But no, so that, he had picked me up and I was at an appointment. And I remember he came up behind me and just like pick me up, like like a, And I was like, who is this person? And it was really funny because that has been, he's just been holding me up and there's been a whirlwind ever since. But kismately, we met a year prior at a food festival, Brockley City in D.C.

Oh, yeah. In 2018, we met there. I don't remember. I was a little under the weather. And I don't remember meeting him. But he was with somebody and they said they follow me on Instagram. He started following me. I would post the daily devotionals on my stories and he would reply.

But Derek is seven streams is his first forward facing public social media. So before that, even before Cloudy Donut, the brunch restaurant that he had homemade, it was just pictures of food and people. So I didn't know who I was talking to. When he would reply to my stories, I'm just being, you know, casual and cordial. And then when my grandmother passed away, a cup a week or so prior to us meeting in person, I was looking for performers to perform at her service. And he reached out to me because he recognized the relationship that my nana and I had.

We were very close. And he said, you know, I know a musician I'd love to pay for them to come from Baltimore to D.C. to perform. And I'm like, who is this person? Right. Who is this, like, brunch page that's, like, offering to do such a nice thing? We got on the Instagram, FaceTime or whatever, and we talked and we started, you know, exchange numbers. And that then we met March, 20, 2019. But I will say now knowing him and, you know, I learned shortly after, that's just a testament to who he is.

Yeah. If he has an opportunity to help somebody, especially somebody that he sees, you know, needs it. And, you know, he's going to do that. And so I believe that my grandmother brought us together. and we've been inseparable since. I love that. What about you, Derek? When you first met, what was your first impression?

Clearly it was like, who is this girl? Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, I saw Zodity on social media like maybe a couple of months before I actually met her. So when I saw it, Bratley City, like the two instances, they resonated. Yeah. So obviously, like we were able to reconnect in March. And like she said, I thought she was at physical therapy

because, like, where I come from, like, people don't really go to therapy. You know what I come from the bottom. So that's kind of like, something that was kind of like frowned upon. Like you had a mental weakness. So, but we had a great first date. She worked at the four seasons at the time. So we went to the four seasons in DC. I'm sure you're familiar with that.

And we hit it off and I thought it was great. At the time, for me it was really about like a level of companionship. I always was like I say, kind of very instilled in who I was and always tell a man, you know, become who you're supposed to be, and then you'll attract who you want, right? So, like, we live in a society where people are always looking for the right person, but they don't want to become the right person.

Derek, you're preaching now. That's the word. I had basically, at that point of my life, like she said, I already had the brunch restaurant, and I already had, you know, good credit, and I had my ducks in order. So at that point, I was ready to date. Right.

I wasn't just out here aimlessly, just being out here looking for false companionship knowing I had my stuff together. So it was really about putting myself in the, situation where I could attract the right person, and obviously I did that. So we went out on a date, we established a great friendship over a period of weeks, and then we've been together very since, so it's been grateful. I love that. I love that. So at what point did you realize that we're not just building a relationship together? We're building a vision together. When did those two worlds collide,

where you're like, wait a minute, this is like something that we're doing together? You know, when we first connected, we had a conversation about becoming transitional people. When you say that, what is that? When we first talked about that and we had that conversation, we were speaking specifically, I was speaking specifically about the dynamics that I'd seen and family and relationship and marriages. And I wanted to do something different was someone different, right? And then over time, as we've developed a brand and now, you know,

even here we are in Atlanta, we're here with you, we're talking to you. And I recognize even from the feedback that I, receive from you know our community we are transitional people not only in our lives right and in the in our families but within community yeah you know because it's so much of our messaging and so much of who we are has everything to do with truly being ourselves yes you know we say all the time you know we don't play this game you know we don't play this game that people feel this kind of facade that people feel that they have to right you know we're very very rooted in making sure that what we do and what we say is representative of how we rule our lives

and how we live our lives. And that's so important to have a visible reminder of that and a space of like smoke and mirrors and, you know, people wanting things but don't understand what they need to do to receive it or what they need to do to go out and get it. You know what I mean like everything we do we really hustle and go out and get that so it's it's really a testament to being a transition and a disruption you know um to what you think you're supposed to do and truly just becoming who you are yeah and definitively speaking is about going against the grain right so like for example like my father got high so i never got high you know my mother had great business ideas but she lacked consistency so i'm always consistent yeah you know a lot of the guys

that I grew up around was followers, so I always been a leader. We never afraid to stand out, you know what I'm saying? So I always tell them like this, like you're going to be a reflection of the decisions that you make. Life is an aggregate of the small decisions that you make on a day-to-day basis. So my whole energy in terms of being the transiting person was like, if I'm going to be in a relationship, we got to do things totally different. Yeah.

I never was like outhead green, naive, and just willy-nilly chasing. Like my whole energy was like, yo, if I could get with somebody who I'm going to build something substantial with, then it makes it worth it. Yes. So like more specifically, the transition for me was much more practical than what traditionalism tells you. Like it wasn't like, well, I just looked into her eyes and I fell in love and that we've been together very since.

Yeah. We really sat down and architected a life together, right? So we said, you know, what type, because you know, love phase, sexual attraction can feed, you know what I mean? Things die down. But friendships typically remain. Yep. Morals, values, character, attributes, those things keep you going, right?

So like whenever times get difficult, what keeps you going is your value system. Yes. You know, people willing to die behind their value. So once we kind of understood that the macros made sense, the microbes wasn't really a small. It was a small thing. It didn't matter. That's so good. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense.

Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pastos survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.za for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything.

If your bookshelf and your For-U page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks pride and prejudice and love island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo, and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, and that is a Trojan horse.

Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to Pro Society on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages. Hey, this is Hayes, Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners.

Each week, we talk to someone in show business, aka The Biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, not that great. Actually, can you help me shape this? How about we flip it on his head, right? How about we flip this script? What is the surprise woman?

But actually you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird. Adam Scott, this entire time you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show. I would never expect. I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine. Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity exuding.

I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, is that weed? Nope, it's fragile masculinity. Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times, out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. You know what I mean? Like, they're like, oh, what's a state. Everyone's so dumb.

And fake. Right, fake and also not interested or just like, oh, I've got my life. I don't care about your life. and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally he loves the show and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman.

I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by my... because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people, and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're

sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip, I hope you listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, in most relationships,

there's a person who's a dreamer and who's a realist. Which one are each of you? He's a dreamer, I think. Oh, that's so tricky. I'm both of them. I was going to say, yeah. Because, I mean, you also got to understand, Like, I grew up in Baltimore, which is the second large black city in America,

and you deal with a lot of racism, a lot of prejudice. You black man, you're going into that system. White man got his foot on your neck. You know what I'm saying? You come into society. You deal with a lot of resistance every day that you wake up. I don't think there's a person in America to deal with more innate resistance than a black man. No, absolutely.

So if you're not in your reality, you're going to be dead in jail. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Or you're going to be working a dead end job for the rest of your life. So I think it's about a healthy duality. of the two. I think you have to dream, but you have to dream within a level of practicality that you can accomplish, and that's going to make you move the needle and change the goal for not only you and your family, but the people in your community. So like, for example, when they

come to what we're doing with Cloudy Donut, the slogan is Donuts stop believing, right? And that's just about, yeah, yes, Don't I stop believing. And we, you know, we say we Cloudy Donut, where dreams come true. And the premise behind that really don't got nothing to do with donuts. It's really a black progressive thing. Yes. You know, don't I stop believing. Whatever you want to achieve can happen for you. You know, if you're aligned the consistency, the persistency,

but more specifically, the authenticity, everything will happen for you. So that's what we've done with our brand. We've separated ourselves by creating slogans that not only apply the product, but they apply to life in general. Because those are the things that's going to allow you to move the needle. So, like, even when you come into this dreamy donut shop, there's also a reality that two real people are behind it and they put in the work. Absolutely.

And that's the seven streams. Yes. Come on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You've got to say. Yeah. Yeah. I love it.

Now, looking back at your, over the different seasons of your life and all the experiences that you have gone through, I want to ask was, was everything that you've gone through prepared you for the assignment that you're living today? I know you spoke a little bit on it from teaching, how you still use the arts and you still use your writing as a part of what you do now. can you like pinpoint certain moments? I know for me in my journey, there were moments where I didn't understand

where God was taking me and why I was doing this, but then once I got to where he wanted me to be, everything started to make sense. There are moments where you look back and like, now I get why I was doing that and I'm using it now. Yeah, absolutely. I would say for me,

when I became sober in 2018, my, one of the most sobering things you could do is be sober. Yeah. Because you have to experience life head on. There's nothing you can drink There's nothing you can take that's going to keep you from the realities that life is throwing at you And how you really feel about it and what are you really going to do?

And so embarking on that journey And unpacking that journey for me allowed me to see myself for who I am In order to become who I want to be And I talk about my sobriety journey so much because people have this ideology of what alcoholism looks like and it's a disease. Yes. And so, you know, when I talk about that and they say, well, like, I say, I was an alcoholic, you know, and I speak to that because we're able, as specifically as women, especially as black women,

we make accommodations for everything. Yeah. We can function and maneuver through anything. Ooh. Easily. Yes. Easily. But that's not okay.

No. Yeah. It's not okay. And so once I started to understand what I needed to do to prepare myself to live as authentically and as abundantly as I believe I deserve to, I began to really experience things that I was like, oh, this is hard. You know, when we started Cloudy D donut, I embarked on roles that I had never taken on. I do, you know, we do the marketing together.

I do all the PR. We don't, we've never had man. We've never had representation, nor were we ever like, oh, we need these people. I just knew I had to become them. Wow. And that's no problem because I knew my faith guided me in a direction and now being sober that I'm fully equipped to do those things. There's a world of educational on the Internet.

You can learn. Yeah, you can. And so becoming sober really allowed me to just step fully into myself in all of what God has for me. You know, and so we've been on a ride, you know, with Cloudy Donut and all the things that we've been able to accomplish. And I know that it's because of all things through him. And I also know because he put him in my life. You know what I mean? And Derek is a once in a lifetime type of person.

And so the things that we're doing, they're not normal. You know what I mean? We've only been open since 2022. And in New York where a lot of the impact and things that people are seeing and talking about, that's, when all of those things began to happen. So for me, I would definitely say becoming sober because I just had to really get with myself. Yeah, I'm so proud of you for that.

That's amazing. Thank you. What about you, Derek? What are some of those experiences that you look back on and now you understand why you went through it? My life's experience has prepared me for any resistance that I'm up against. Always believe that, you know,

the work that you put in in the duct becomes a light, when the bright, when the light shine, Like, my result is always a byproduct of the work that I've put in. So nothing really surprises me when it comes to good or bad in this world because it's typically synergy based, right? So it's like whatever type of energy you put out there, you'll get. It's the same thing with us and with the brain.

I've always been a real firm believer in myself and my abilities, and I just understand the process of success. I don't really deal with anxiety, fear, or doubt because I know what the results look like when you put in the work and you put in the pain. Yeah. As a young man, I was always pretty stern and certain in who I was, and I learned the recipe for success at an early age.

Fortunately, I grew up in like gladiator school, you know, the penitentiary. So being in the streets of Baltimore and being in the penitentiary, I always tell them, when you go fast, you grow fast. So I jumped off the porch at a young age, you know what I'm saying? I was breaking a law. By the time I was 10, 11 years old, so there's nothing in life that really surprised me. positive or negative, I think that it's just really a byproduct of the energy and the work that you put out there. So I always tell them, man, you know, your results are a byproduct of the practice that you put in.

The work that you do in the dark will eventually come the light when the light shine the brightest. And we hear and we deserve to be. Absolutely. And I think black people have to be more understanding of what they're deserving of, you know what I'm saying. But what I experience a lot within the black male sector, specifically from 25 to 45, is a lot of insecurity and a lot of doubt, a lot of fear. And like Zodi say, like, I don't know what it's called, but like when you're in a position and you feel like that you don't belong in that,

imposterousity. Yeah, like I deal with a lot of men who got that type of energy. And it's like, yo, we should be fearless. The white people have had that boot on our neck for hundreds upon hundreds of years. So you might as well swing for the fences. At the end of the day, the worst case scenario is you could die or go to jail. So like I never really fed anything because I know what's inevitable. Yeah.

Yeah, that's good. Thank you so much for sharing that. Now, Cloudy Dona didn't start out as you guys waking up saying, we want to open up a donut shop. That wasn't how it happened. So, Derek, correct me if I'm wrong, you went to this shop saying we want to partner with you all. Yeah, so like basically how Cloudy Dona happened is, it's a, it was a deep journey

of just, I would say, like, consistently trying to level up and grow and build as a brand. So, like, for example, like, you guys come in here, and then you might start with one camera, and then you realize that's not enough, and then it's two and three cameras. I've always treated the entrepreneurial journey specifically, because everybody's journey is different, right? So, like, it's like a frog on a lily pet. Sometimes you can skip one or two lilypads and land on a really big one, but sometimes you can just go lily pad after the little pet. The whole goal is to focus on your journey and not look to the left or the right to see what the other frogs are

on. So I was always like, all right, how can I allow one thing to lead to another? So I had the restaurant. And when I had the restaurant, I was just tired of this. And I really, I really focused on success. It wasn't really about like the restaurant or none of that. I was like, all right, if I'm going to be in the restaurant industry, what can I be the most successful with? What's the easiest to scale? How can I build out the fastest? And it all led me to a singular product. So the irony of it all was when I saw Zodi and Broccoli City, I was actually there. focus on food drugs. Got it.

For singular product. And singular products was like a pretzel. Like Aunt Annie, they sell one product. You know what I mean? Or like Coal Stone. You go to Coal Stone and just ice cream and they got the tappas, right? Smart. So I wanted to transition from the restaurant phase to something that was much more scalable.

Because for me, it was always about building a life. It was never necessarily about the vehicle that I had. It was more or less about the destination I was trying to get to. So whatever the fuck I had to do, I was on it. It wasn't really about. like donuts, cookies, pretzels, whatever. So we accidentally kind of like discovered the donut because there was a donut shop in D.C. at the time

at the Food Festival, they had a long line. And I kind of had to weigh my odds whether I would do donuts, cookies or the like, right? So I really love donuts. Yeah. So I was like, I'm going to lean into the donuts. And when I met Zody, I had, like how you say, like we talk about energy, right?

I had already put that energy in the world that I was going to find the donut shop. So she did everything she couldn't have power to help me manifest that goal. She started to call her friends who were big, to see if they can help me make the donuts. Come on, Zoe. She started to do our own research for donut shop.

So she really wanted me to accomplish my goal. So what happened was there was a white couple in Baltimore City, right, George couple. They would make these really great donuts and everybody would be like, yo, you got to try the donuts. But me, like, just being like black, I was like, yo, I ain't nowhere in the world. No old white people going to make some donuts. I'm going to love, right?

I ain't going to lobby try about it for my own people, right? Come on. So everybody kept telling me like, yo, dark, telling you, you be talking about donuts for a while, I think you liked these. So I went and I tried the donuts. And they had a really good base donut, but the flavor profiles weren't really appealing to me. So I was like, all right, well, maybe I can buy this donut shop and do my own thing. Okay.

So the first thing I focused on was the deal, right? Non-emotional, just focusing on the rationale of the deal. So one of my family members was a wholesaler at the time so they can get comps on the real estate. So the first thing I was thinking was, well, let's see if the real estate for sale, because if the real estate is for sale and I become the landlord, eventually I can position my way to get the donut shop, right? Exactly. So the real estate was for sale, but it was totally different from the retail owners, the proprietors who had the donut shop. So at two different parties.

So now life is about positioning, right? Yes. So what I said was, all right, I'm going to get the real estate deal kind of closed up. And now I got leverage over the donut shop proprietor. But I didn't tell them that. So I wound up putting an earnest deposit on the real estate and then I made a negotiation to push for the donut shop. but I knew that they were interested in selling, but I didn't really go too far with it

because I wanted to control the real estate. Once I controlled the real estate and I knew they was interested in selling, they didn't know they was my tenant at the time. Because like I just went to, I went the settlement and it happened, you know what I'm saying? Well, you are smart. That's good.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was like, all right, so y'all interested in selling the donut shop or whatever, and they just kept talking about like the landlord because they was thinking about the lady that was the landlord before, right? But we don't know if the landlord going to let you take over the lease, you know, she'd been naggy, et cetera, et cetera.

So I'm like, all right, I'm going to create a level of leverage where they know I'm the landlord. Yeah. So I was like, look, I'm the landlord. Here's how I think we should do the deal. That's crazy. So I knew that they didn't. They weren't in a position.

Like, when we got that donut shop, they were selling seven dozen a day. That's it. What? Seven dozen. Just, that's it. They would sell like 94 to 100 donuts a day. Yeah, yeah. Like, that was like, that was it.

That was the tone, right? So they would make what we call a seven batch. So it's just batches of dough. You make 714, 21. So they make a 7 batch of dough. And that was, to be exactly, like 84 donuts. And they were selling, but it wasn't really a business for them. It was much more of a passion.

So there was really good people. They made decent product. But like some people out here just, you know, doing what they love. And it's not wrong with that. Not at all. So I was like, all right, well, here's what I want to do. I want to buy the donut shop for you. But I also want you to grandfather all of the equipment to me.

and I want you to kind of give me like 90 days to get into the shop and fill it out. So I knew that they were selling the seven dozen. So I was like, all right, cool. The real estate at the time was like $2.50. So I was like, all right, they had a tenant. It was a mixie. So it's two units and it's a retail unit, right?

So I'm like, all right, it's three units. So I know that if I get a traditional mortgage, they're going to cover the debt. They're going to debt service, right? So I was like, all right, well, then everything I make is the retail unit is mine. So the two tenants covered the debt And everything we made at the retail unit was ours But I already had a popular restaurant

So you already had the audience I already had the audience Yeah yeah yeah so that's how it started Yeah so that's how it started So we got the shot and we started to sell the donuts At the brunch And so that's kind of how that started And we introduced a lot of black people to veganism

And what they meant to have like high quality vegan treats because the donuts are vegan by accident We're not vegan So what happens right And it's a lot It happens a lot in a vegan community where when you sell a vegan product, people expect you to be 100% vegan. But when a white boy own a football team and never play football is no problem. When he on a record label and he can't sing a lick or he can't rap a lyric, it's no problem, right?

So it was really about like, how can we get out of this stereotypical element of what you think ownership and what veganism looks like, right? So we got the shop. And then right after we got the shop, it was a little bit of a setback because COVID came. So we got the shop in 2019, the end of 2019. Yeah. And then COVID hit. And my restaurant slowed down. So once the restaurant slowed down, the donut shop actually accelerated.

Really? Because, yeah, you had so many moms that was locked in during the pandemic that needed, like, donuts and treats for the kids. Then you couldn't no longer go in and dine and eat. So carryout became the thing. Sure did. So I had a dine restaurant where a person ain't going to pay $100 to just get to go. Yeah. But they'll buy their kids $50 for a dozen donuts and do all.

and do all kinds of stuff. So like I tell you, it's non-emotional as a black person. You have to be non-emotional and lean into your wins. So we double down on a donut shop. We got two more locations. We got a donut truck and we expanded. It was never about like, well, what about all this heart and soul that I got into the restaurant? Because even like the restaurant, it definitely spoke more to who I was as a person.

Yeah. And like that's why when you said you from Tennessee, we used to get our Yellowstone Ground Grits from Pigeon Forge Tennessee. Come on. I used to get sauces from South Carolina, North Carolina. And I used to get white lily flower from South Carolina, right? So like those things all spoke to like my grandparents and how we grew up. Yeah. But what black people have to understand is if you're trying to be successful and like you have to remove the emotion and focus on the outcome.

Yes. So that really didn't matter to me. We scaled back on the brunch and we amplified the donut shop and we've been growing ever since. I love that. And what I'm hearing as you're speaking is the street smart that a lot of men get caught up in that in that world. that same smart can be used to a legitimate business. You're using like everything. You know what I'm saying?

Because business is the same thing. It's basically ideology, philosophy, and system, right? Yeah. So like, for example, like, that's the same thing. And no matter what you're doing. So you have a product. Yes. There's an audience that consumes their product.

It allows you to generate revenue. And then it becomes cyclical. Yep. So I think, like, even like, a lot of my best friends and people that I know really well are some of the smartest, most intelligent men in the world. We just get overlooked because we don't have an Ivy League paper. to say that we are validated, right? But that's over with.

So, like, you know, any room that we go in, we disrupt the room, and any room that we go and we show improved. And I think that, you know, as many cons come with the Internet. Proes come with the Internet as well because it amplifies the messaging and it kind of evens the playing field. Yeah. Because one of the most difficult things that black people deal with when it comes to prejudice and racism is there's no Super Bowl rings for entrepreneurship.

Right. There's no podcasts of the year where you can compete with the next person, right? So it's kind of very highly subjective and you have to build a community. So like we've been able to kind of put our ideology out there, attract the community of like-minded people. And that's what God is in front of you today. Wow.

It is fascinating. To his tone about when you talked about the entrepreneurial spirit and, you know, how he was raised and where he comes from, I think a lot of us that come, you know, of the cloth of like corporate America and we did go to school and we got the degrees and we play the game because we were talking. told to play the game. Sometimes we look down upon the hustler or the entrepreneur and think, like,

nah, like you don't know. I've had many of people try to tell me like, yeah, you need to get them together. And I'm like, you actually just need to sit down and listen to him. Because he got it together. Because he's got it together. And we happen to stand in our own ways and sometimes in the ways of others. Assuming that we are holding the door when in actuality, you're closing it behind you because you fought so hard to be where you are.

But for us with the accolades that we've received and the things that we've been able to do, when we kick down that door, we are using it as a bridge to bring other people in. And also, like he said, to show people just what's possible. You can't touch everybody, but you can be the best version of yourself.

Absolutely. And give that messaging out there. So I always, I take it personal when black people specifically that come from that world because I come from it. I know it. Yes. And they kind of look down upon you know, maybe we didn't follow these steps

or we didn't do this thing, but it's like, where did that get you? Come on. Cause we're still, because now you and I are here together. Yeah, a lot of people living in debt. Yeah, not using the degree that they spent the four to have many years to do.

Absolutely, absolutely, yeah. And to contrast it from like a hood perspective, a lot of niggas overly scared. Come on, yeah, get it. They worry about what white folks think. They feel like that if they take the traditional path of going to a certain school that's kissing and bootlicking that they're going to get to a certain situation.

But there's nothing more prominent than betting on yourself. Yeah. If you put yourself in a situation where you could bet on yourself, you can control not only your social freedom, but your financial freedom. Yes. So, like, what we also try to do coming from two different worlds that show you, like, that these two worlds can exist. Yeah.

And to be honest with you, it's time to merge the world. It really is. Because it's a new world order. Come on. We see all that Donald Trump is doing. Every day they do what the they want, they're not playing. So it's time for the for the hustler in the street who legitimizing himself. to get with that black lawyer and for them to build the family together.

A lot of them overly corporate niggas, they'd be scared. You know what I'm saying? So now you got too scared professional niggas. You know what I'm saying? That really don't get as much of a result as two people who just going to go after it. And then also you need all energies that offset one another, right? So they can keep us together from a PR standpoint, from a corporate and an admin standpoint. But I'm going to throw bricks at the penitentiary.

I'm going to take chances. I'm going to see that building for sale. I'm a cop, but I ain't going to have all the money for it, but I'm going to figure it out. See, when it ain't know where I'm going to make it. Come on. That's the seven drinks. Yeah. That's it.

That is it. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pasto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode eight before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on Internet with a two-year term and auto.

pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. If your bookshelf and your for you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Pro's Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks pride and prejudice and love island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed.

From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, then that is a Trojan horse. Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages.

Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners. Each week, we talk to someone in show business, aka the biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, not that great. Actually, can you help me shape this?

How about we flip it on his head, right? How about we flip the script? What is the surprise woman? Actually, you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird. Adam Scott. This entire time, you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show. I would never expect. Let go of that.

I have, I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine. Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity exuding. I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, I was like, is that weed? Nope, it's fragile masculinity.

Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. is. You know what I mean? They're like, oh, what's a state. Everyone's so dumb except for you. And fake. Right. Fake and also not interested or just like, oh, I've got my life.

I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally he loves the show and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we. share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus

or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people and they were like, you smiled at us, Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind,

or wake up to a new version of yourself. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip, I hope you listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Talking about buying the building, become the landlord, Something that you said before is reverse gentrification that comes in mind when I'm hearing this.

You're changing the community. During 2020, COVID-19 was a really hard time for every community around the United States, around the world because it was affecting everyone. What were some of the things that you guys put in place during that time to, like, bring the community together as owners? Yeah. I went to Neighborhood Association meetings. I mean, so, again, being from the community.

DC, this community is not a buzzword for me. That's why I'm also so happy to be in Atlanta because I know what black beautiful business, unity, progressiveness. I know what that looks like. You know, I grew up in a time where D.C. was Chocolate City. I'm a fourth generation of

Washingtonian. I literally come from a lineage of black folks that had businesses that were doing things and owned properties in their neighborhoods. So there's a difference between black owned neighborhoods and black occupied communities, right? Big difference. Big difference.

And I come from the cloth where we really was owning. We had things. And so when we decided to open our businesses, whether it be in Baltimore, to Brooklyn, to Soho, I went to every neighborhood association meeting. I connected with the schools. We connected with the parents. You know what I mean? And in Brooklyn, the president of the neighborhood association, when we opened in Brooklyn Heights,

we held the first ribbon cutting that the neighborhood had seen. And we opened for the neighborhood first. Because we didn't want to come. I already knew, listen, Brooklyn Heights is considered America's first suburb. I know what that means. You know what I mean? And as I've learned, like, over time, we became the first black-owned food and beverage business in Brooklyn Heights. Then we opened in Olita, same thing, right?

And so I coined the term reverse. gentrification as an homage to my city because gentrification took over DC, right? So many of us moved out to like Maryland, Virginia, et cetera. So reverse gentrification is a term that I coined that is really about bringing your black-owned businesses into affluent communities absent of color. Except we do this work every day when we find ourselves as one of the own, one of the few or one, one of none are one of some black people in corporate America. whether we are the first in our family to go to college or anytime we ascend,

we're often alone. Yeah. So the work that we do, people can resonate with because we do it all the time. We just didn't have a name to it because we don't like to talk about it. Like don't talk about you're the only one. Don't bring too much attention to it. And so, you know, I think what's so beautiful about that work in community is that, like I said, we don't play the game because you will get played if you're.

play that game. You will find yourself in situations where now you're like, oh, I can't say this or I can't do this because I've decided to go this way, right? So when we go into community, we bring our products right first, we introduce ourselves, but we're going to always be who we are. Yeah. And in the world of fear, the whole goal is to become fearless. To go the opposite way, right? So like, for example, you know, I wasn't really doing what Zoddy was doing. You know, I ain't going to lie, you know. But when you see me, you see him, though. I just got to give it to you. Like, you know, what COVID happened,

the first thing I was when real estate prices go down, let's get some of these craggers buying. I ain't even going to lie to you. Like, my whole thing was how do I put black and brown faces and white spaces? How can I put myself in a position that I otherwise couldn't based off a level of distress?

I ain't going to lie. Like, that's how we got the Brooklyn Heights locality. Yes, because it was the great New York exodus, right? Everybody rich was scared. They ran to the Hampton. So I ran right in their neighborhood and started a business. How are you guys?

put black and brown faces in white spaces. And that's something that people, they miss with us, right? So, like, they see like, all right, you progressively black, you're forward thinking black, but like, why do you go in white neighborhoods? It's a combination of a few things. So we go into a phone white neighborhoods because they're absent a color,

right? And a lot of times when you're in these neighborhoods, specifically when it comes to highly successful professional black people, we don't feel that there is nothing for us. So as successful black people, we lived in neighborhoods for quite some time where we feel like, yo, it was nothing for us. build something, right?

Yeah. And then also to kind of second that when it comes to black neighborhoods, it's really about ownership, right? So a lot of people talk about neighborhoods that are heavily black residential, but they don't own anything. Yeah. So we're like, yo, listen, we can bridge the gap between both parties by waking these white people up and letting them see that black people can do it at the highest level,

but also more specifically making our people proud because we know they're going to come to us because they have a social obligation to do so. Yes. White people, they're concerned based off of economics. You're in my neighborhood. There's access, you close, you make a really good donut. Black people we consume from a level of socialism. You all way across town, but I'm going there with my kids because I know what you're going through.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that's good. Y'all, I am so inspired. I can talk to y'all all day. I'm so inspired. This season, every season, we build our season around a word and that drives the conversations. This season is purpose. And I want to ask, in closing, how important.

How important has it been for both of you to live out your purpose through your dreams and your visions? For me, 100%. If I can't live it for my purpose, I'd rather die. I'd rather go to the penitentiary or die if I can't be my real self. I don't know nothing about conformity. We was talking about it last night with friends where, you know, people feel themselves in spaces where they don't feel whole. They feel slighted, be literally or humiliated, right? Everything that we're doing is exactly what we're supposed to be doing.

without purpose then what do you have? I believe that life is based off a few pillars, which is happiness, significance, achievement, and purpose. And all of those things don't always overlap. So, like, if I don't have any purpose, I feel void. So purpose is the most, it's the highest level of character that I could possibly have, and it's the highest pursuit for me. So it's kind of like a byproduct of what I steep myself in every day.

Yeah. Love it. Yeah. So good. Thank you. Yeah. you Jody. I agree. I mean, I think, you know, it's a blessing to be in partnership with someone who is so fearless. You know, I haven't always been the most confident. And when I connect with women in

many spaces, they also have that similar story. And so the tone of purpose, I think it's important to also remember to be on purpose. That's good. And to understand that this is on purpose. This is for you. This is not happening to you. This is happening for you. And I think that it's really important as women that we remind ourselves, because as I said earlier, we make accommodations for everybody, right? And so it's important that we feel comfortable living in our purpose and recognize that it is on purpose and it is on time. And so I love that that's the word that we're ending with because I feel it. I feel it and I'm really thankful that we met on purpose and to be able to join and live it together.

I love it. I just want to say in closing that just sitting and talking to both of you, you are uniquely dope as individuals. But I feel that together you guys are profoundly necessary for the culture. Like just sitting to seeing you guys as a unit. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Like this is, I'm so inspired. Thank you very much.

We use the word fearless, how you feel. seriously go after the things you want, how you strategize and how you use your talents and come together to build. It's a beautiful thing to see and I wish you both nothing but the best. Thank you for years. Please let us know because the fans want to support you and everything. I know you have your different locations. Let us know again where they all are so we can support you. And if there's anything else, whatever you're doing, we want to support. So let us know anything we may have missed. Yeah. So we have two locations in New York City. We are in Brooklyn Heights. and we are also in Soho.

We're open on the weekends. On social media, we are Cloudy Donuts, also seven streams. I am Zodito. And we're on tour. So we're in Atlanta right now, and we may be at a city near you real soon. I love it. Delaware up next. So we're going to Delaware, and after Delaware is Detroit.

Nice. We're going to continue to be on tour for the next couple of months. And it's really about possibility and connectivity. hope, inspiration, and collaboration. That's the seven strings. There we go. Tap in, guys. Thank you so much.

I appreciate it. Yes. If there's one thing, I hope you take away from today's conversation, it's this. Purpose has a way of finding us when we're willing to say yes. Be reminded that where you are

doesn't have to determine where you finish. Thank you all so much for joining another episode of Keep It Positive, Sweetie. If this conversation encouraged you the way it encouraged me, inspired you or made you think a little differently, be sure to share with someone who needs it. And before you go, don't forget to join the Swedish Social Club. We have our book club going and we're still diving into the revelation of Dion Daphne by Mara

Brock Akekekele. It is a beautiful story about identity and healing and I cannot wait to hear your thoughts. Until next time, keep believing, keep building. And as always, keep it positive, sweetie. I'll see you guys next week. Bye. page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks

Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Did you hear the new episode of the Hey Jonas podcast? We are at D23, so we'll see who stops by.

The cast of Frozen stopped by, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, and Adina Menzel. I auditioned for Frozen. What? For Christoph. They said, okay, what are you going to be singing today? I said, I don't know. That must have been why you didn't get it. Oh, you probably won.

Plus, John Stamos, Hayden Christensen from Star Wars and more. And I guess I can share that... No way. Listen to the latest episode of Hey Jonas on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast, Hollywood Handbook.

Each week, we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, Adam Scott, Danny McBride, Ben Stillard, and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman.

I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.