Disrupt Your Day Podcast

Tune in today for the Second Episode of our Special Edition: Champagne & French Fries when Petula Sankarsingh, VisionReady CEO and Disrupt Your Day Host, chats with B. Cole, comedian, actor, director, writer, producer—Chicago’s very own.

Starting his career at a young age B. Cole has performed at clubs and colleges all over the United States. He made his television debut at the age of twenty on BET’s Comic View, hosted by D. L. Hughley. B. Cole reached a pinnacle when he was awarded his own one-hour Grandstand Special on BET’s Comic View. He was a founding member of The Second City’s first urban sketch comedy ensemble Forgotten City.

"Growing up, I was a shy kid, but when you’re surrounded by people that you feel comfortable with, they get to see the real you," says Cole. "So, I started with a small circle of friends who knew my unique sense of humor and they encouraged me to make it in comedy."

B. Cole has captured audiences across the country with his original side-splitting, thought-provoking material. He has toured U.S. military bases throughout Japan and here in the states. His internationally acclaimed signature comical piece, “I’m in Love with a Crack Head” a satirical love poem, inspired B. Cole to develop the concept into a short film.

“Every comedian has another comedian who they look up to and who inspired them—Richard Pryor, Eddy Murphy, George Carlin—they taught me how to be funny,” points out Cole. “But the person who truly encouraged me to get up on stage was Damon Wayans.”

In 2002 one of B. Cole’s biggest accomplishments is when he was invited to share the stage with musical genius, Prince, accompanied by Common and Macy Gray!

“My advice to the youth is that every time they are confronted by a hurdle on their path to pursue their dreams, they must stay honest to themselves,” says Cole. “Don’t worry about conforming to what others expect or want you to be just to fit in. You have to be yourself. And you have to give yourself enough time to do that.”
Facebook/B.Cole
Instagram @bcolecomedian
TikTok @bcolecomedian
YouTube/bcolefilms
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You're only one connection away from success. Cheers! 🥂
~Petula Sankarsingh

Tune in today for the First Episode of our Special Edition: Champagne & French Fries when Petula Sankarsingh, VisionReady CEO and Disrupt Your Day Host, chats with LaVonte Stewart, Executive Director of Lost Boyz Inc, providing sports-based youth development to help boys and girls in Chicago’s under-resourced neighborhoods develop confidence, resilience, and life skills.
"I never had any intention of starting a nonprofit organization," says Stewart. "I was a volunteer coach for a youth baseball league, and I was inspired by my experience as a kid playing in our little league. As a dad, I wanted to coach my own kids and hopefully make an impact on someone else’s kids.”
Having been raised in a middle-class family, Stewart did not experience poverty. According to him, the negative experiences in his life came out of some of the choices he had made, but also helped to shape who he is today.
“In retrospect, I understand how this path also gave me credibility to carry out what would eventually become my mission,” adds Stewart. “I was able to gather all the resilience I’ve developed through the years to overcome challenges and to pave a similar path for younger people.”
“Sports is a powerful catalyst for mental and emotional healing because it involves multiple aspects that support positive transformation for the mind and body,” Stewart reminds us. “Giving our youth the opportunity to learn how to be an entrepreneur, to own a business, act responsibly as a business owner, and have the resources to contribute to positive change will go a long way in setting up this next generation to rebuild their community.”
"We’re developing youth-owned micro-enterprises and we’re grateful for VisionReady sponsoring our kids to participate in the Young Emerging Successors (YES) program to help them realize their vision as young entrepreneurs driving the change they want to see in their community," says Stewart.
Support our fundraiser:
https://visionready.org/champagne-french-fries/
🔗 Join the conversation on social media:
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www.instagram.com/visionready
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You're only one connection away from success. Cheers! 🥂
~Petula Sankarsingh

VisionReady Introduces Its Young Emerging Successors (YES) Program to Chicago.
VisionReady is sponsoring youth from Lost Boyz to participate in the YES Program highlighting young and emerging entrepreneurs. They will have the opportunity to present their business vision to local entrepreneurs and business leaders, mimicking ABC’s popular business pitch show, Shark Tank.
Lost Boyz provides sports-based youth development to help
boys and girls in Chicago’s under-resourced neighborhoods
develop confidence, resilience, and life skills.

Tune in today for our Seventh Episode of Season 2 when Petula Sankarsingh, VisionReady CEO and Disrupt Your Day Host, chats with Liz Coalts, Owner of The Anxious Adult, LLC helping smart and overwhelmed adults manage the anxieties of business and life. "Let me help you manage the logistics of your business so you can focus on the parts you love," is her business tagline.

As an experienced vendor and contract manager working in the public sector for over 15 years, Liz has deep perspective on the challenges that diverse owned businesses face in trying to level the playing field for equal access to contracts.

"For private corporations, change has to happen from within," says Coalts. "They need to understand that they should be trying to diversify their supply chain and give more opportunities to small businesses owned by minorities, women, LGBTQ, disabled veterans, and other diverse segments of the population."

Liz encourages small businesses to take advantage of the fact that local governments have been mandated for some time now to diversify their supply chain. The key for a business to gain an edge over the competition is by becoming certified.

"Although the procurement would be an open call, most public agencies and some private corporations prefer to work with companies that are certified in at least one diverse category in order to meet the agencies’ diversity goals," points out Coalts. "Being certified makes you the preferred vendor in any opportunity. When the competition gets heated, you need every advantage you can get!"
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🤙 If you want a free 30-minute Business Strategy call on how to build your brand and take your business to the next level, schedule a call with us: https://diverse.visionready.org/strategy
🔗 Join the conversation on social media:
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www.instagram.com/visionready
https://www.linkedin.com/company/visionready
📺 Subscribe to our YouTube Channels:
Disrupt Your Day: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoDXw2bcMzqPJ486aSFJ0hQ
VisionReady Network: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS0-qIuOWuQNgzhHepXb83A
📰 Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter:
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You're only one connection away from success. Cheers! 🥂
~Petula Sankarsingh

Tune in today for our Sixth Episode of Season 2 when Petula Sankarsingh, VisionReady CEO and Disrupt Your Day Host, chats with Michelle Harthill, Founder of Meeschell, a marketplace e-retailer for natural, organic, and eco-friendly brands created by women entrepreneurs.
Twenty years prior to Meeschell, she founded Harthill Marketing Services offering full-service marketing to CPG clients.
"During my CPG days, I found several men in corporate America to be narcissistic, thinking that they were a higher authority than me or other women," recalls Michelle. "Because I’ve been regimented all these years to be a hard-ass—I’m really not, but I can be—I try to be very giving and open-minded."
Now she aligns herself with organizations that support women and children such as Network of Executive Women, Girls for Greatness, Child USA, Laura's House and more!
"When I first joined the Network of Executive Women, there were no men," says Michelle. "Fast forward eight years later, men are getting involved. It seems many of them realize that women bring certain skillsets to the table as leaders that men need to have on their team."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🤙 If you want a free 30-minute Business Strategy call on how to build your brand and take your business to the next level, schedule a call with us: https://diverse.visionready.org/strategy
🔗 Join the conversation on social media:
https://twitter.com/VisionReadyInc
https://www.facebook.com/VisionReadyInc
www.instagram.com/visionready
https://www.linkedin.com/company/visionready
📺 Subscribe to our YouTube Channels:
Disrupt Your Day: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoDXw2bcMzqPJ486aSFJ0hQ
VisionReady Network: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS0-qIuOWuQNgzhHepXb83A
📰 Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter:
https://diverse.visionready.org/newsletter
You're only one connection away from success. Cheers! 🥂
~Petula Sankarsingh