RISE Urban Nation

How do you turn military leadership into a powerful business advantage?

Eric L. Johnson II of Flavor Hills breaks down how discipline, brand strategy, leadership, and community engagement have helped grow a standout Black-owned hospitality brand. From shaping the customer experience to expanding into new markets, Eric shares lessons on building a brand people remember and a company culture people want to be part of.

For entrepreneurs, veterans, and business leaders looking to scale with intention, this episode offers practical insights on leadership, marketing, and sustainable growth.

Resources & Mentions

🌐 Flavor Hills: https://theflavorhills.com

Flavor Hills Leadership: Eric L. Johnson II, Andre Truss, Tellers Pollard III, and Culinary Director Chef Morgan Teianne

Topics Discussed: Veteran entrepreneurship, hospitality leadership, restaurant branding, community engagement, business expansion, team culture, customer experience, and Black business growth.

Episode Contributors

Host: Taryell Simmons
Guest: Eric L. Johnson II
Music: Will Maker
Production: RISE Urban Nation

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the RISE Urban Nation Podcast—where we amplify Black and Pan-African voices, stories, and strategies shaping the future of business and culture.

If this episode inspired you, make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Stay Connected:
🌐 RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe to RISE Urban Nation
🔗 Linktree: All Links

Unite. Uplift. Ignite. 🔥

Dontavious Shuler is an Emmy-winning Director of Photography known for his exceptional work in TV. Dontavious Shuler’s journey into filmmaking began during a deeply challenging period marked by personal loss, isolation, and financial struggle. Through faith, journaling, and community support, he transformed those experiences into his film Echoes, which explores the impact of unresolved trauma. In this episode, Dontavious shares how he built his production company from the ground up, the importance of social responsibility in film, and how creators can turn their life experiences into meaningful content.

Resources & Mentions

🌐 Website: https://dontaviousshulerstudios.com
📱 Instagram: @dontaviousshuler
📘 Film: Echoes

Episode Contributors

Host: Taryell Simmons
Guest: Dontavious Shuler
Music: Will Maker
Production: RISE Urban Nation

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the RISE Urban Nation Podcast—where we amplify Black and Pan-African voices, stories, and strategies shaping the future of business and culture.

If this episode inspired you, make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Stay Connected:
🌐 RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe to RISE Urban Nation
🔗 Linktree: All Links

Unite. Uplift. Ignite. 🔥

Bio: 

With a legal career spanning three decades, Teri Lee Thompson has carved a distinguished career as a federal criminal defense attorney in high-stakes capital cases, adjunct professor, and associate magistrate court judge. But Teri’s impact stretches far beyond her courtroom. She is an author and the owner of ZELLA PUBLISHING, an independent producer of books, audiobooks, and digital content. As a writer, Teri produces powerful collections that address culture and diversity. She is the creative force behind the children’s book series, the Adventures of Kai, that ocuses on self-esteem in Black children. She is the author of Kinky, Curly, Mine, Sun-Kissed, and Princess Locs.

Her nonprofit, JUSTICE REDEFINED, furthers her mission to inspire girls and teens to overcome challenges and achieve all that they can.  Her program, IMAGINE ME, serves girls between ages six and nine, and focuses on reading and technology. Her program, G.L.O., which stands for Grow, Lead, Overcome, is designed for preteen and teen girls, and empowers them to realize their full potential by enhancing their reading, technology, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills to lay the groundwork for future success. Each facet of JUSTICE REDEFINED provides comprehensive mental health resources.

Resources & Mentions:

• Website: https://www.girlswhorise.com
• Zella Publishing
• Justice Redefined Programs
• The Adventures of Kai Book Series

Credits:
Host: Taryell Simmons
Guest: Teri Thompson
Production: RISE Urban Nation
Music: Will Maker

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the RISE Urban Nation Podcast—where we amplify Black and Pan-African voices, stories, and strategies shaping the future of business and culture.

If this episode inspired you, make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Stay Connected:
🌐 RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe to RISE Urban Nation
🔗 Linktree: All Links

Unite. Uplift. Ignite. 🔥

Description

Many Black and African entrepreneurs possess powerful knowledge and lived experience but have been taught to only use those gifts within traditional jobs or business structures. In this conversation, Stevii Mills explains how entrepreneurs can package their expertise into coaching programs, digital products, workshops, and other income-generating opportunities. This episode explores visibility, ownership, storytelling, and the power of turning what you already know into a scalable business.

Bio

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills is a Visibility Coach and Strategist with over 30 years of experience in marketing and public relations and 16 years as an entrepreneur. She helps high achieving professionals turn their knowledge and expertise into income generating opportunities so they can increase their impact and live the life they love. A two time six figure business owner, author, and podcast host, Dr. Stevii has been featured on major platforms including BET, CBS, FOX, and ABC. Through her work and community, The Permission Slip Club, she empowers others to confidently step into visibility, monetize their experience, and get paid for what they already know.

Resources & Mentions

Connect with Stevii Mills

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevii.mills

Website: www.stevii.com

Episode Contributors

Host: Taryell Simmons

Guest: Stevii Mills

Music: Will Maker

Production: RISE Urban Nation

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the RISE Urban Nation Podcast—where we amplify Black and Pan-African voices, stories, and strategies shaping the future of business and culture.

If this episode inspired you, make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Stay Connected:
🌐 RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe to RISE Urban Nation
🔗 Linktree: All Links

Unite. Uplift. Ignite. 🔥

Keith Wattley, attorney, Obama Foundation Fellow, and Founder & Executive Director of UnCommon Law, joins RISE Urban Nation to discuss criminal justice reform, second chances, and the humanity of incarcerated people serving life sentences.

With more than 25 years of experience advocating for people in prison and on parole, Keith shares how healing-centered and trauma-informed legal advocacy can create pathways for accountability, transformation, and safe reentry into society. This powerful conversation explores redemption, storytelling, parole reform, and why some of the people society finds hardest to defend are often those most in need of hope and healing.

About Keith Wattley

Keith Wattley is the Founder and Executive Director of UnCommon Law. He has spent more than two decades advocating for the rights of incarcerated people and those on parole.

His work focuses on helping individuals demonstrate personal transformation and successfully navigate California’s parole process. In addition to individual advocacy, Keith has trained hundreds of attorneys and law students and has led efforts to improve prison and parole conditions through impact litigation.

Keith was selected as an inaugural Obama Foundation Fellow in 2018 and received the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award in 2020.

Resources & Mentions

🌐 Website
https://www.uncommonlaw.org/

👤 Keith Wattley
https://www.uncommonlaw.org/keith-wattley

📱 Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/uncommonlawyer/

📘 Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/UnCommonLaw/

💼 LinkedIn (Organization)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncommon-law/

💼 LinkedIn (Keith Wattley)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-wattley-44050034/

📺 YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8K93TWilSZeD8QYVp20Kiw

📧 Email:
info@uncommonlaw.org

Celebrating 20 Years of UnCommon Law

Learn more about UnCommon Law’s 20th Anniversary storytelling and event series, including:

• Film screenings
• Educational webinars
• Community conversations
• Annual conference

🔗 20th Anniversary Page
https://www.uncommonlaw.org/20th-anniversary

Call for Speakers

UnCommon Law is currently accepting proposals from mission-driven leaders and organizations interested in presenting at the 20th Anniversary Conference.

Proposal Deadline: June 15

🔗 Submit a Proposal
https://www.uncommonlaw.org/20th-conference

Episode Contributors

Host: Taryell Simmons
Guest: Keith Wattley
Music: Will Maker
Production: RISE Urban Nation Media

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the RISE Urban Nation Podcast—where we amplify Black and Pan-African voices, stories, and strategies shaping the future of business and culture.

If this episode inspired you, make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Stay Connected:
🌐 RISEUrbanNation.com
📲 Instagram: @RiseUrbanNation
🎥 YouTube: Subscribe to RISE Urban Nation
🔗 Linktree: All Links

Unite. Uplift. Ignite. 🔥