On the season finale of Do The Work, actor, writer, producer and human rights advocate Angelica Ross sits down with Denise for a candid chat surrounding relationships, listening to your body, and loving yourself the most. Angelica opens up about her relationship with cannabis, the ‘perfect storm’ of her intersectionality, and the deep healing involved with transitioning. Be sure to check out Angelica’s upcoming project www.mypersonalphd.com! 

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About Angelica Ross: 

From the board room, to film and TV sets to Capitol Hill, Angelica Ross is a leading figure of success and strength, in the movement for Transgender and racial equality. A series regular on the ninth season of Ryan Murphy’s FX hit American Horror Story: 1984, and confirmed to return for the currently untitled season ten, Angelica is blazing a trail, kicking open doors, and building her own table with ample open seats. Angelica’s acting breakthrough came in the form of Ryan Murphy’s Award Winning FX hit, Pose — which follows NYC’s Black and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming ballroom culture scene, in the 80’s and early 90’s. Making TV history, the show features the largest transgender cast ever for a scripted series. Vanity Fair raved that “Angelica Ross steals many of her scenes as ‘Candy’” the brashest member of the ‘House of Abundance.’ Angelica Ross is the President of Miss Ross, Inc. and founder of TransTech Social Enterprises, a program that helps people lift themselves out of poverty through technical training, digital work creating a social impact, and bringing economic empowerment to marginalized communities. 

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Recommended Reading: 

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

On this special double-guest episode female founders Ali Kriegsman and Leigh Stein sit down with Denise to discuss their career paths and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Ali and Leigh get real about ditching feminist politics as a religion, sexism in venture capital culture, and conflicts in female-powered online communities.

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About Ali Kriegsman: 

A recipient of "Forbes 30 Under 30" and named one of Fast Company’s "Most Creative People in Business," Ali has helped thousands of brands expand their distribution and sell in both offline and online stores all around the US and Canada through her multi-million dollar company, Bulletin. She is a salesperson, self-taught publicist, marketer, and growth strategist and has experience scaling both bootstrapped and venture-backed businesses. Her first book, How to Build a Goddamn Empire, is the no bullsh*t book on entrepreneurship you've always needed, and it is now available in both hardcover and audiobook formats. Using the questions she's most frequently asked as her guideposts, Ali writes about her experience launching and growing Bulletin directly from the trenches, and features words of triumph, failure and wisdom from 30 other women-owned businesses. The book has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine,The Today Show, and more, and is now available internationally in the UK, Australia, Finland, Denmark, South Africa, Germany and beyond. 

About Leigh Stein: 

Leigh Stein is a writer interested in what the internet is doing to our identities, relationships, and politics. Her five books include the critically acclaimed satirical novel Self Care and What to Miss When, a collection of poetry written about and during the pandemic. She has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker online, Allure, ELLE, Poets & Writers, BuzzFeed, The Cut, Salon, and Slate. 

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Recommended Reading: 

50 Things Kate Bush Taught Me About The Multiverse by Karyna McGlynn

What To Miss When by Leigh Stein

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Beyond 8 Founder, Event Production and Agency Powerhouse Brittney Escavedo sits down with Denise to talk about the magic behind producing the Pyer Moss show at Madam CJ Walker’s estate, how to stay calm in stressful situations, and how her spirituality shows up at work. 

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About Brittney Escavedo: 

Born and raised in the Bay Area (Richmond, California) she was taught at a young age that she was capable of achieving anything that she put her mind to.

In 2009 Brittney moved to NY and worked for Seventh House PR, Factory PR, Sydney Reising Creative, Team Epiphany, Bureau Betak, among others as their in-house production team producing over 200 fashion shows and countless events over the years.

In 2016 Brittney founded Beyond 8, an experiential event production company whose clients include Pyer Moss, Solange Knowles, Saint Heron, Culture Con, Complex, Gucci, H&M, Atlantic Records, Master & Dynamic, and more.

She prides herself on the relationships that she has fostered over the years with industry pioneers and her ability to provide opportunities to creatives of color.

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Recommended Reading: 

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Activist, manager, producer, and curator Andrew Coles sits down with Denise to talk about the slowly changing landscape of Hollywood and the importance of creating opportunities for people who have historically been left out of the industry. Andrew dives into his unintentional career in entertainment, the cycle of IP mining, and legacy institutions.

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About Andrew Coles:

Andrew C. Coles is an activist, manager, producer, curator + DJ - he currently serves as the Founder & CEO of The Mission Entertainment. Upon graduating from Harvard with a degree in African-American studies, he moved to LA and began working at CAA before going to Overbrook Entertainment where he worked under Franklin Leonard (founder of The Black List), first as his assistant then junior executive. From Overbrook he relocated to New York to run development for Scott Rudin Productions, working across film, TV and theatre. In 2013, Andrew created The Mission Entertainment – a management + production company whose purpose and philosophical foundation lies in serving as advocates for storytellers that have been traditionally overlooked, undervalued and underrepresented. With a childhood dream of becoming a civil rights criminal defense attorney, Andrew has married his passions for storytelling + social justice advocacy through working in the entertainment industry – helping to create images that are truly representative of the world we live in.

On the production side, Andrew has recently served as Producer of Queen & Slim, Melina Matsoukas’s debut feature, starring Daniel Kaluuya + Jodie Turner Smith. Andrew also serves as Executive Producer of the BET series Twenties, which is wrapping production on its second season. He is currently incubating the mission radio, a non-profit art collective committed to personal transformation + world change through spirituality + creativity. In October of 2020, he opened The Mission on Kaua’i, a spiritual retreat and creative campus that serves as headquarters for the mission radio.

Jessica Bendinger, iconic screenwriter and mastermind behind the classic movie Bring It On, sits down with Denise to discuss her career and how Hollywood deals with strong women with opinions. Jessica gets real about the ‘ahead of the curve tax’ and the structural asymmetries that prevent innovation in Hollywood.

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About Jessica Bendinger:

Jessica Bendinger's movies have grossed over $500 million worldwide, and have spawned myriad sequels, TV shows and Jeopardy questions. Her original script for BRING IT ON touted as “Just as relevant as ever for its prescient themes,“ twenty years later. Her directorial debut STICK IT (starring Jeff Bridges) had the highest per screen average its opening weekend, and was the #1 download on iTunes for seven straight weeks. A writer on the Emmy + Golden Globe award-winning Season 4 of SEX AND THE CITY, Simon & Schuster published the "The Seven Rays” and the Webby-nominated podcast MOB QUEENS is being adapted for TV. New How-To books THE BRING IT ON BOOK and THE STICK IT SCREENPLAY BOOK were Amazon's #1 New Releases in Screenwriting in 2020-2021.

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Recommended Reading:

The Day After Roswell by Philip Corso

The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck

The Silent Master by Tae Yun Kim

"Radical Self Acceptance" Guest: Jamar Rogers

Singer/Songwriter, Activist, and Speaker Jamar Rogers sits down with Denise to discuss nourishing your inner child and putting aside your victimhood to live an abundant life. Jamar shares how he framed his HIV status as a “gift”, and how he’s used it to step into his own power. Be on the lookout for Jamar’s released series of quarantine concerts and his latest work of art, Flow, at the end of August. 

About Jamar Rogers:

Jamar Rogers, a contestant on NBC's show, The Voice, was known as “The Comeback Kid” due to his powerful story of resilience. He has been a guest on: The Ellen Show, BET’s 106 & Park, The Tonight Show, SNL, CNN and The Expresso Show in South Africa. He has also been featured in USA Today, The New York Post and Rolling Stone. The Root named him as one of their 100 Most Influential African-Americans. He signed with Tommy Boy Entertainment and released his debut album, Lazarus, in 2017. His independent EP, On God, I Got You, was released in 2019.

Recommended Reading:

Game Changer by Neal Shusterman

Apparel thought leader and veteran executive Sheree Waterson sits down with Denise to discuss her career highs and lows.  Waterson, who was part of the inspiration for "Do The Work," is the perfect embodiment of the integration of professional and personal development. Among the many takeaways any professional can take away from Waterson is that "being a person of joy is your responsibility."    

About Sheree Waterson:  

Sheree Waterson has had a storied career in apparel from President of Speedo; to CPO, Athleta and Lululemon; to CEO, Nasty Gal where she has spurred growth and transformed retail at every stop. In addition to her experience in leading apparel companies she's also discovered how success and spirituality are inherently linked. She has weathered some storms and some huge successes, but has shown her peers how to not let it consume you. It's no wonder that in the industry Waterson is known as a dream boss.

Recommended Reading: 

The Power Path: The Shaman's Way to Success in Business and Life by Stevens Ph.D. Jose and Lena Stevens

Recommended Reading:

You Are a Message: Meditations for the Creative Entrepreneur by Guillaume Wolf