💬 "Entering City Year homeless. A manager who left at the worst moment. A young Black man stepping up when no one else would." -Paul Willis

🧢 Paul Willis is a hip-hop educator, artist, and 6-year AmeriCorps veteran. He joined City Year without knowing where he'd sleep that night. Raised by his grandmother amid his mother's addiction, Paul chose to pay it forward.

🎧 In this episode, Paul gets real about:

• 🔁 Why he joined City Year homeless

• 🧠 The trauma-informed training that changed him

• 🎤 Finding his voice when leadership collapsed

• 🖤 Being a rare Black man in service leadership

• 🤝 Why collective responsibility > ego

• 🎶 How hip-hop became his tool for healing, leadership & learning

✨ Highlights:

🔹 Paying It Forward – Teachers, advisors, and Grandma's love
🔹 Homeless & Hungry – Structure over the streets
🔹 Returning to His School – Healing where he once struggled
🔹 Finding His Voice – Stepping up when chaos hit
🔹 Health & Safety Fair – One idea. Whole school movement.
🔹 Representation Matters – Leading while Black
🔹 Teamwork Over Ego – Trusting a tired, diverse team
🔹 Charlie Rose – The mentor who saw what he couldn't
🔹 Hip Hop Leadership – Album. Book. Curriculum. Beats & bars for healing.
🔹 California Book Tour – Catch Paul live 🎤

💡 "Leadership doesn't require a full résumé — it requires showing up with integrity when everything is unstable."

📲 Connect:

🎤 Guest: Paul Willis
🔗 www.hiphopleadership.com
🔗 www.paulwillishiphop.com
📱 https://www.instagram.com/paulwillisishiphop/

🎙️ Host: Anton Taylor
🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/antontaylor

📖 Chapters:

00:00 – Welcome
00:10 – Paul Willis Intro
01:05 – Why AmeriCorps Matters
01:29 – Paying It Forward Origins
03:46 – First Year Reality Check
05:55 – Returning to His School
07:30 – Trauma Healing & Growth
13:06 – Finding His Voice
13:51 – Stepping Into Leadership
21:02 – Representation & Responsibility
25:31 – Teamwork Over Ego
29:05 – Service Titan Spotlight
30:00 – Charlie Rose Mentorship
33:48 – Hip Hop Leadership Project
36:11 – Closing & Farewell

Hashtags

#AmeriCorps #NationalService #CityYear #HipHopEducation #ServantLeadership #CommunityHealing #BlackMenInService #ServiceTitans #HipHopLeadership #Podcast