In this episode of the Elevate Collection, we sit down with undefeated middleweight contender Eric Priest—who’s not just fighting in the ring but building a brand, a legacy and a platform.
In this episode you’ll hear:

• How a kid from Kansas found his belonging in boxing and turned early street fights into discipline, drive and a professional career.
• What it takes mentally and physically to stay undefeated and push for world titles—how Eric trains his mind and body to keep showing up when it hurts.
• The crossover between athleticism and influence: how Eric transitioned into modeling and brand partnerships (Nike, Adidas, etc) and what athletes can learn about creator-thinking and brand building.
• Why he believes representation matters (his Korean-American heritage) and how that fuels his “why” beyond the ring.
• Practical advice for any athlete or creator about getting noticed, striking deals, and treating your own story as your asset rather than waiting for someone else to hand you the mic.
  About Eric Priest:
  Eric Priest (born Nov 19 1998) is a U.S. middle / super-middleweight professional boxer signed to Golden Boy Promotions. He holds an undefeated record, captured the WBA Continental North America title in January 2025, and also works with major brands off-canvas (Nike, Adidas, etc)

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Before you go - here are three ways to continue elevating your legacy & connect:

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Remember: Your influence is just the beginning. Your legacy is the destination.

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What happens when a McDonald’s All-American, Final Four competitor and WNBA draftee steps off the court and into the boardroom? In this episode of the Elevate Collection, we talk with Kianna Smith about identity, reinvention and the business of sport.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Kianna’s upbringing — as the daughter of a Division I coach and a Korean-American mother — set the stage for her mindset.
• The overseas career in Korea, reconnecting culture, and what playing abroad taught her about self-reliance.
• Her pivot from full-time athlete (WNBA, overseas) to completing an MBA, entering sports business, and landing roles inside the athlete-transition space and marketing.
• Why she believes athletes who lean into their multicultural identities carry an edge in global opportunities.
• The mental-performance shift from physical game training to business-game mindset.
• Her big-vision goal-setting: no more ceilings, only horizons.
• Ways our community (sports, entertainment, business professionals) can connect and collaborate with her now.

About Kianna Smith:

Kianna Smith is a former NCAA standout (Louisville Cardinals, California Golden Bears) and 2022 WNBA draftee (16th overall by the Los Angeles Sparks). A dual-heritage Korean-American, she spent three seasons playing in Korea and now holds business roles inside the sports industry including marketing. (Confirm current title)

Resources & Connects:

• Follow Kianna on Instagram: [@kismith14] Instagram

Before you go - here are three ways to continue elevating your legacy & connect:

1. Follow @ElevateCollection.co on Instagram along with your host, @alexandriareed.co & @Jordanhawkins.co
2. Subscribe to never miss an episode and get exclusive content
3. Share this trailer with three people who need to hear it

Remember: Your influence is just the beginning. Your legacy is the destination.

See you soon, where influence meets legacy.

In this episode, Tom Braun, the president and COO of LA Galaxy, discusses his transformative leadership journey since 2023, focusing on enhancing the fan experience, community engagement, and youth development. He emphasizes the importance of authenticity in leadership and the need to continually innovate to keep fans engaged. Tom also highlights the intersection of sports and entertainment in Los Angeles and shares his vision for the future of the club, especially with the upcoming World Cup.

Before you go - here are three ways to continue elevating your legacy & connect:

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2. Subscribe to never miss an episode and get exclusive content
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Remember: Your influence is just the beginning. Your legacy is the destination.

See you soon, where influence meets legacy.

In this episode of the Elevate Collection podcast, the conversation revolves around the journey of a celebrity chef who emphasizes the importance of food as a love language and a means of connection. The chef shares insights on how cooking is intertwined with storytelling, the significance of building relationships through food, and the impact of family on his culinary passion. Mentorship and influence in the kitchen are discussed, highlighting the chef's role beyond just cooking. The episode concludes with aspirations for future clients and the chef's desire to elevate the lives of those around him.

MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY: www.elevatecollection.co/community

Before you go - here are three ways to continue elevating your legacy & connect:

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Remember: Your influence is just the beginning. Your legacy is the destination.

See you soon, where influence meets legacy.

Shari Nycole traces her path from D1 hoops to the control room and finally on-camera—unpacking courage, reinvention, and why she’s choosing a life where career and personal dreams run parallel. We dig into building an edifying circle, the difference between nice and kind, legacy that transcends bloodlines, and a very real “big ask” that listeners can act on today.

Key Takeaways

• Reframe success: Gratitude is a practice—sit in it, don’t sprint past it.
• Parallel > perpendicular: Let career and personal life rise together, even at different paces.
• Leverage your producer era: Mastering the back end can supercharge front-facing goals.
• Curate your circle: Celebration + accountability = friendship. Levels of access protect your peace.
• Kind > nice: Kindness carries boundaries and intention; “nice” can be performative.
• Edify the culture: Create conversations that lift, not just fill airtime.
• Legacy is lived now: Model excellence for the next generation—invite them into the work.

Memorable Quotes

• “There’s intention around sitting in gratitude versus just being grateful.”
• “I want my personal and professional life to run parallel, not collide.”
• “Your circle should celebrate and sharpen you.”
• “Nice is performative. Kind is intentional.”
• “If the conversation doesn’t edify, it’s pointless.”

Action Steps for Listeners

• Follow & engage with Shari’s content (save, comment, share).
• Publicists/PR partners: Open to barter/partnership—support placements & amplification.
• Creators: Audit your circle—who celebrates you, who sharpens you, who drains you?
• Pros: List one parallel personal goal to pursue alongside your next career milestone.

Shari’s Current Playlist

Jade Novah (“90s Fine”), Jane Hancock (feat. Anderson .Paak “Stare at Me”), ’90s R&B classics, Beyoncé (Renaissance), Lucky Daye, Tank (HM), Kendrick Lamar, Stevie Wonder, Doobie Brothers (“What a Fool Believes”).

Before you go - here are three ways to continue elevating your legacy & connect:

1. Follow @ElevateCollection.co on Instagram along with your host, @alexandriareed.co & @Jordanhawkins.co
2. Subscribe to never miss an episode and get exclusive content
3. Share this trailer with three people who need to hear it

Remember: Your influence is just the beginning. Your legacy is the destination.

See you soon, where influence meets legacy.

High performance means little if you’re running on empty. In this episode, Alexandria & Jordan sit down with Dr. Shannon Burge—Executive Wellness Strategist, IFBB Pro figure athlete, and founder of No Defeat, a coaching and corporate wellness brand, and No Defeat Warrior, a nonprofit serving youth health, wellness, and financial literacy. She shares how she moved from a 15-year Fortune 500 career into purpose-driven entrepreneurship—and why sustainable wellness is a non-negotiable for leaders.
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In this episode:

• Making health a calendar “must,” not a maybe
• The No Defeat four pillars: mindset, nutrition, movement, community
• Building boundaries without losing ambition
• How community accountability accelerates change
• Why legacy > titles—and how to design for impact

About Dr. Shannon Burge:
Executive Wellness Strategist and IFBB Pro helping powerhouse women transform with a four-pillar framework; founder of No Defeat and No Defeat Warrior (Denver-based 501(c)(3)). (~500k+ IG community).
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Resources & Connects:

• No Defeat: nodefeat.co
  nodefeat.co
• No Defeat Warrior Foundation: nodefeatwarrior.com
  No Defeat Warrior Foundation
• Instagram: @shannon_burge
  Instagram
• Follow Alexandria: @alexandriareed.co

MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY: www.elevatecollection.co/community

Before you go - here are three ways to continue elevating your legacy & connect:

1. Follow @ElevateCollection.co on Instagram along with your host, @alexandriareed.co & @Jordanhawkins.co
2. Subscribe to never miss an episode and get exclusive content
3. Share this trailer with three people who need to hear it

Remember: Your influence is just the beginning. Your legacy is the destination.

See you soon, where influence meets legacy.

This week on The Elevate Collection Podcast, we sit down with the incomparable Ezinma — a world-class violinist fresh off Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour. From growing up in Nebraska to performing for 90,000 fans across the globe, Ezinma shares how faith, discipline, and delusional belief shaped her path to the biggest stages in the world.

She opens up about her early fears of failure, finding her sound in New York, the Facebook message that changed her life, and the deep purpose she carries into every performance.

We talk genre-bending, representation in classical music, Black joy, and how artists like Beyoncé are reclaiming spaces and rewriting history for the next generation.

Ezinma also reveals details about her upcoming classical album, Netflix project, and her nonprofit Strings by Heart, which introduces music education to underserved youth.

🎻 This conversation is an ode to purpose, possibility, and the power of showing up — even when no one’s watching.

🕰️ TIMESTAMPED SHOW NOTES

00:00 – Intro: The woman who needs no introduction — fresh off tour with the Queen herself.
01:00 – The Cowboy Carter Experience: What it’s like performing classical violin for 90,000 fans.
02:10 – Behind the Tour: Lessons from performing with Beyoncé, discipline at the highest level, and connecting with young girls of color through representation.
03:45 – Legacy Through Art: How Beyoncé’s storytelling reclaims genres and redefines the Black experience in country and classical spaces.
05:30 – Getting the Call: The unexpected Facebook message that led to her first gig with Beyoncé.
07:00 – The Path Begins: Growing up in Nebraska, discovering violin at age 3, and the early love for music.
10:15 – Choosing Fear or Faith: How Ezima overcame fear of failure and embraced music fully.
11:45 – The New York Hustle: From symphony halls to jamming with DJs — finding her sound and her voice.
13:30 – Breaking Tradition: Facing backlash for blending genres and staying authentic anyway.
15:00 – Grounding in Faith & History: Remembering the Black violinists who paved the way and carrying their legacy forward.
17:00 – On Delusion & Destiny: Why “delusional” belief is the artist’s secret weapon.
18:30 – Defining Legacy: What impact really means — beyond awards and accolades.
20:00 – The Joy Factor: How Caribbean roots infuse joy and movement into her music.
22:00 – What’s Next: Her debut classical album, film scoring for Netflix, and dream to compose an opera or ballet.
24:00 – Giving Back: The mission of Strings by Heart and why music access for youth matters now more than ever.
25:30 – Closing Reflections: On gratitude, joy, and being the light in every room you enter.

🎧 PODCAST TAGS / KEYWORDS

Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter, Ezinma, Elevate Collection Podcast, Alexandria Reed, Jordan Hawkins, legacy, Black excellence, classical violinist, film scoring, music industry, representation, women in music, genre-bending, Cowboy C

MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY: www.elevatecollection.co/community

Before you go - here are three ways to continue elevating your legacy & connect:

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Remember: Your influence is just the beginning. Your legacy is the destination.

See you soon, where influence meets legacy.

What does it really take to bridge athletes, brands, and billion-dollar deals—while staying grounded in gratitude? On this episode of Elevate Collection, Alexandria & Jordan sit down with sports executive Iggy Rodriguez (@iggy_rodriguez) to explore the business behind the business of sports and entertainment.

From his early career with the Dodgers and Pistons to steering partnership sales at startups like Kapow and Velocity Black (acquired by Capital One), Iggy has been at the center of some of the most innovative fan and brand experiences. Today, at OneTeam Partners (the NFLPA + MLBPA joint venture), he negotiates global licensing agreements that power everything from Madden video games to brand activations.

But beyond contracts and access, this conversation dives into mindset—daily affirmations, redefining worthiness, and learning to find joy even in the “mundane.”

Before you go - here are three ways to continue elevating your legacy & connect:

1. Follow @ElevateCollection.co on Instagram along with your host, @alexandriareed.co & @Jordanhawkins.co
2. Subscribe to never miss an episode and get exclusive content
3. Share this trailer with three people who need to hear it

Remember: Your influence is just the beginning. Your legacy is the destination.

See you soon, where influence meets legacy.