When your brand explodes, the culture has questions: equity, ownership, and that tired “sellout” label. Melvin joins Rodney and Travis to unpack the difference between selling out and leveling up, the art of partnering without losing your soul, and how strategic capital can accelerate impact—and generational wealth.

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Gerry Lopez came to the U.S. as an infant, earned his way through GW and Harvard, and rewired industries at Starbucks and AMC—always measuring success by more than money. In this conversation, he shares the mindset behind career “chess moves,” the art of nurturing relationships, lessons from taking AMC public, and a grounded definition of wealth that starts with family, faith, and showing up.

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Forget the polished bios. In this solo episode, Rodney Williams strips it all back. Raised in a Jamaican-American household where his mom worked three jobs—nurse, hairdresser, daycare provider—and his dad fixed everything from cabinets to cars, Rodney learned early what hustle looked like. But building something lasting meant unlearning a lot too. From corporate life at Procter & Gamble to co-founding a fintech startup, Rodney shares the tough calls, the personal costs, and the moments of doubt most success stories skip. This is what it really looks like to bet on yourself—and keep going.

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Before she founded Black Girl Sunscreen and got her brand on the shelves of 20,000 stores, Shontay Lundy quit her corporate job without a plan—just savings, vision, and belief. Rodney sits down with Shontay to talk about walking away from the golden handcuffs, building a category-defining brand from scratch, and what it really means to lead with confidence and care in an unforgiving industry.

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What makes someone leave a six-figure job to sleep on a friend’s floor and chase a startup idea no one believed in yet? In this unfiltered solo episode, Travis Holoway shares the version of his success story you won’t find on LinkedIn. Raised in Cleveland by two generations of strong Black women, Travis became a financial advisor before realizing the system he was working in wasn’t built for the people he cared about. So he left it—and started building something better.

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In part two of this candid roundtable, The Wealth Break hosts Rodney and Travis reconnect with Marlon Nichols and Eric Taylor to talk risk, responsibility, and who really gets to build generational wealth. From family pressure to financial setbacks, they explore how race, privilege, and policy shape the entrepreneurship journey—and why taking the leap isn’t an option for everyone.

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Harvard Law grad. Entertainment lawyer. Advocate for the underdog. Tiffany Graddick’s path wasn’t handed to her—it was built through cold calls, career pivots, and financial trial and error. Rodney and Travis sit down with Tiffany to talk about choosing joy over golden handcuffs, the lessons she learned from debt, and why real wealth means freedom, not flash.

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Are one-day boycotts effective? Is wealth the key to real power? Venture capitalist Marlon Nichols and private equity investor Eric Taylor join The Wealth Break for an unfiltered conversation on economic influence, DEI rollbacks, and why financial literacy—not viral outrage—drives real change.

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