Busayo Olupona: How she Pivoted from Attorney to Fashion Designer
Ready-to-wear designer Busayo Olupona talks about what it was like to leave her six-figure salaried job as a corporate attorney to pursue her dream of starting a fashion brand. From…
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Every week on Started from the Bottom, host Justin Richmond interviews successful people who grew up on the outside – people of color, people who weren’t part of the old boys’ network, people who grew up in a world where almost nobody went to college. How did they do it? How did they beat the odds while also beating away the feeling of being an imposter?
Most Recent Episode
Busayo Olupona: How she Pivoted from Attorney to Fashion Designer
Ready-to-wear designer Busayo Olupona talks about what it was like to leave her six-figure salaried job as a corporate attorney to pursue her dream of starting a fashion brand. From…
Keith Corbin: His Culinary Journey After Prison
Keith Corbin never thought cooking could be his way out of the hood. After a stint in prison, Keith needed a change from a life of hustling, and a series…
Freddie Wong: From YouTube to His Own Production Company
Freddie Wong is a YouTube OG. As YouTube transformed from a backwater website to a behemoth media platform, Freddie's career as an indie filmmaker grew with it, logging nearly 2…
Jing Gao: Bringing Chinese Flavor to Supermarket Shelves
FLY BY JING founder Jing Gao never intended to make hot sauce for a living. But after living in China her pallet was awakened to Asian flavors that drove her…
Jessica O. Matthews: What Does it Take to be an Inventor?
At 19, Jessica O. Matthews invented the SOCCKET, a soccer ball that stores kinetic energy, and then converts that power into light. Jessica’s invention took her from the Harvard classroom…
Zainab Salbi: From Under Saddam’s Thumb to Building a Successful Nonprofit
Zainab Salbi grew up in Iraq, where her family lived in terror of Saddam Hussein. Then she came to America -- and launched a nonprofit that has helped thousands of…
Tremaine Emory: How to Become a Creative Director in Fashion
When Tremaine Emory became the Creative Director at Supreme, he joined an elite but tiny group of Black people calling the shots in the fashion industry. Having recently survived an…
Suze Orman: From Waitress to Financial Guru
Suze Orman has spent the past few decades sharing her financial wisdom with the public. But before Suze became an investment maven, bestselling author, and host of her own show…
Nely Galán: Self-Made Media Mogul
When producer and author Nely Galán became Telemundo's President of Entertainment, she became the first Latina to head an American television network. A child of the post-Revolution Cuban diaspora, Nely's…
Larry Miller: From Prison to the Nike Boardroom
Convicted of murder at age 16, Nike executive Larry Miller kept his crime and incarceration a secret for over 40 years. But after building the Jordan brand at Nike into…
Francis Ngannou: From the Cameroon Sand Mines to Heavyweight Champ
Fighting champion Francis Ngannou defied all the odds to chase his dream of becoming a professional boxer. Surviving a 14-month migration from Africa to Europe, Francis bet it all, to…
Cynt Marshall: From the Bay Area Projects to CEO of the Dallas Mavericks
Cynt Marshall made NBA history when she became CEO of the Dallas Mavericks -- she was the first Black woman to lead an NBA team. In this episode, Cynt takes…
Mei Xu: How To Build a $75 Million Candle Business with No Production Experience
Entrepreneur Mei Xu started out life in China training to be a foreign diplomat. But the effects of the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident derailed her plans and she found herself…
Charlamagne Tha God: How He Turned Anxiety and Failure into Success
Over a 25 year career, Charlamagne Tha God clawed his way to the top of the radio industry. In this episode, the long-time host of The Breakfast Club tells us…
Justin Richmond and Malcolm Gladwell: LIVE at Medgar Evers College
Host Justin Richmond and author Malcolm Gladwell discuss race, identity, and how to succeed in a professional world where not many people look like you.
Introducing Started from the Bottom
Every week on Started from the Bottom, host Justin Richmond interviews successful people who grew up on the outside – people of color, people who weren’t part of the old…
The Host
Justin Richmond
Justin Richmond is producer and co-host of the music podcast Broken Record with writer Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times editor Bruce Headlam, and music producer—and Def Jam co-founder—Rick Rubin. Justin…
