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FINANCIAL LITERACY SERIES - PART 1 OF 4:

April is Financial Literacy Month. Over the next four episodes, we're breaking down the money lessons most Black men never learned from emergency savings to investing, credit to generational wealth.

🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE:

LP (Breion Rollins) is a financial advisor, founder of TRG Financial, co-owner of The Hive podcast studio, and a man who lost everything in the 2008 market crash, then rebuilt from scratch. His story isn't just about finance it's about the gap in financial education that keeps Black men stuck, and the three core strategies that actually build generational wealth.

💭 WE EXPLORE:

Why LP walked away from HR to study finance after losing it all in 2008. The three financial principles every Black man should know: real estate, term life insurance, and emergency savings. Why your tax refund isn't a win (it's an interest-free loan to the government). How consumerism and marketing drain the Black community faster than anything else. Why DoorDash and Uber Eats are financial traps you need to avoid. The real difference between term life and whole life insurance (and why most people get it wrong). Why you should never buy a new car off the lot (25% depreciation the moment you leave). The 60/30/10 budget breakdown: needs, wants, and nice-to-haves. LP's three-bucket strategy for managing money (taxable, tax-deferred, and working accounts). Why your 30s are the hardest financial years of your life (and how to navigate them). How to teach your kids about money before they make the mistakes you did. Why finding your community and making a plan is the only way through chaos.

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Some losses you never "get over." You just learn to carry them differently. My friend Michael Blackshire knows this better than most.

🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE:

Michael Blackshire is a special education teacher in Dallas, a Grambling State graduate, military veteran, and one of my longtime friends. We met back in 2011 at Grambling, went through the military together, and built a friendship that's lasted over a decade. In 2017, Michael lost his daughter Leighton to SIDS at 6 months old. His story isn't just about grief it's about the friendships that refused to let him face it alone, and what it looks like when brothers show up for each other in the darkest moments.

💭 WE EXPLORE:

The instant transformation of becoming a father and why Michael needed a daughter first. Waking up to every parent's nightmare: losing Leighton to SIDS. What it's like when investigators walk through your home asking if you're feeding your child while your baby is at the hospital. Why some family members held him to impossible standards while our friend group filled his apartment for months. The difference between coping (alcohol, partying, avoiding) and healing (therapy, sitting in the pain, community). How grief reshapes itself: from "I lost my child" to "What would she be doing now?" Why Black male educators are essential for young Black boys. Moving to New Orleans as a reset and why sometimes you have to leave home to heal. The guilt of living a full life after losing a child. Why therapy became non-negotiable four years after her death.

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Quentin R Jiles is a therapist, professor, podcaster, and former contestant on Peacock's hit show "The Traitors." His journey from imposter syndrome in grad school to becoming a trusted therapist for men and couples is a testament to the power of representation, obedience, and learning from your mistakes — even when the whole world is watching.

WE EXPLORE:

Why Quentin walked away from therapy after grad school and what brought him back. The heartbreaking moment he realized Black children struggle to name what's good about themselves. How imposter syndrome shows up in predominantly white spaces and why representation matters. Why every therapist needs a therapist (and every man needs one too). What it's like being a newlywed, new parent, and new business owner all at once. The life lessons learned from ignoring God's voice on national television and losing $125,000. Why learning your parents' story is essential to understanding your own patterns. How couples therapy can save relationships on the verge of fracture.

✊🏾 THE TAKEAWAY:

Obedience is better than sacrifice. When God speaks, listen, even when it doesn't make sense, even when it's uncomfortable, even when you think you know better. And if you're a man who thinks therapy "isn't for you," Quentin's story is proof that the right therapist can help you see what you can't see on your own.

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KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED

• Imposter syndrome in predominantly white spaces

• Why Black children struggle with self-worth and positive self-identification

• The importance of representation in therapy and healing

• Why every man needs a therapist (and how to find one)

• Couples therapy: what it is and why it works

• Learning your parents' story to understand your own patterns

• Marriage, fatherhood, and navigating new identities

• Quinton's experience on Peacock's "The Traitors"

• The cost of disobedience: ignoring God's voice

• Life lessons from being wrong on national television

• Obedience vs. sacrifice: trusting divine guidance

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