The Marissa Mitchell Show: July 21, 2026

All right. So we got to get through it to get to it. Get through that weather. Keep that umbrella, that rain jacket handy. Would you say 4 to 8 p.m. really that timeline that we're looking at? That looks like the worst of it. All right. Thanks so much, Doc. Marissa, we'll send it over to you. All right. Thank you. Super excited. And hopefully you all will give us a chance and hang around because we have Chance the Rapper coming up on The Marissa Mitchell Show. Well, come on in. Don't be shy. It's so good to have you here with us on The Marissa Mitchell Show. And it's a no problem Tuesday. Why? Because we have a hit maker behind that hit song, and he's going to come up in just one minute. I'm talking about the one, the only Grammy Award winner, Chance the Rapper. And it's an exclusive conversation about his career, his inspirations and what he has in store for all his fans right here in the DMV. And Summer Walker is set to headline Broccoli City Presents the Holding Hands R&B Experience. Coming up, we're going to break down what you can expect from one of the hottest events of the season that is also a party with a purpose. Speaking of events, it's more than a gathering. It is a movement. Coming up, the Table Women's Empowerment Summit brings women together for networking, delicious food and wine. We're going to give you a preview of this celebration of community and empowerment. I don't know. It sounds like a winning recipe, at least to me. And we're going to do that in the kitchen towards the end of the show. First, though, our first guest has the sauce. He's one of music's most influential voices, and now he's opening up in an exclusive conversation. Grammy winner Chance the Rapper is on tour and on his way to the DMV. Chance will be at Wolf Trap in Vienna Saturday, August 1st. It's the 10th anniversary celebration of his hit breakthrough mixtape, The Coloring Book. Every show that I play is different. And, you know, depending on the crowd, depending on the set list, depending on, you know, just, you know, the vibe and the energy in the room, it's a one-on-one experience. And so they should expect to jump up and down a bit. Like, that's OK. They should expect to shed a few tears. That's OK, too. Like, it's a very dynamic, emotional and joyous show. Yeah, it's a journey. And I want to actually congratulate you on a couple of things. I know that Pitchfork named you as one of the best artists of the first 25 years of this century. That's incredible. You also had Time 100 naming you one of their top philanthropists in the country. The question that I have for you when I think about all that you've achieved is, at what point did you yourself realize that you weren't just making music, but you were changing culture? That's a great question, and it's an honor that you would say that. I don't know. I guess that's such a good question. I feel like it's something that we work and strive towards. Culture is really just behavior and community put together. And I think all the people that taught us since we was younger, I was in a lot of after school programs with a lot of the rap artists that came out of Chicago. No Name, Vic Mensa, Saba, Lucky, Mick Jenkins, you know, the list goes on and on. But we all kind of grew up together. And the people that taught us were largely activist poets. And if they were in the arts, they were also actively a part of trying to uplift our community and our culture. And so I think that's something that we all aspire to be like, the people that were teaching us in these after school programs. And I think any form of success has to be measured by the impact that it's making towards our people. Absolutely. I mean, you've also proven too that you can be successful independently. And I think that's another thing that people admire you greatly for. Looking back on it, would you have taken the same path today? Oh, yeah. I mean, it's an everyday decision. It's not like they stopped wanting to sign me. True. But I think it's beautiful towards now speaking again on culture, like making sure that people understand that outrightly from birth, you own your IP, your intellectual property, the things that you make. And I think music was corporatized really early. And so a lot of people grew up under this thought process that you have to be discovered to be validated, that you have to be signed or have someone else own your music in order to be really considered an artist. And I think that thinking has kind of largely went away. You don't know this, but I did see you at the Michael premiere in Los Angeles. I was there. And I got some snaps of you. You were actually on the show when I was talking about all the celebrities that I spotted there. I mean, that was a time, too. I really enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of yours, big fan of MJ's. And one thing that he struggled with was being in an industry that can be tough. I mean, on my show here, we talk about body shaming and the criticism that many entertainers get when it comes to who they're dating, not dating, the type of music they put out and whatnot. But you've always seemed to be so faith driven and faith centered. So I'm curious to know, how do you remain spiritually grounded in an industry that operates that way? Man, I'll be honest, it's tough. I think there's a lot of things that help me, my family, the people that are around me, keep me grounded. The fact that I live in Chicago still, I think that makes it a lot easier for me. I don't know how easy it would be to be grounded if I live somewhere else. But, you know, I think it's a it's a daily struggle, I think, for anybody, regardless of the industry that you're in, regardless of, you know, how much fame you've experienced or how many people know who you are. I think there's a daily struggle and we where we, you know, wrestle with our flesh. And so it comes down to your personal relationship and you, I guess, being committed to whatever you deem as being your walk with God. Not going to end on, you know, what would you tell your younger self? But I do have a question that kind of leans into that. What's one belief that you had coming up in the industry that has changed since you achieved this level of success? That's a good question. One thing that I believe that changed. Oh, I mean, this is simple, but probably that like, you know, this job, this career, this thing that I do that I love so much is the most important thing in the world because it's not, you know, nobody's job is that important, like literally anybody. And I think people like us, like me and you, that like because I believe just by talking to you that you probably knew that you wanted to be in journalism from a relatively young age. I knew I wanted to be a rapper from a young age. And so I think we create an entire identity around what it is that we see ourselves becoming one day. And we fight to the nail to get every, you know, small increment of like closeness to it. And at a certain point, you reach it. And so then you create new goals. But it goes from being, you know, the most important dream to like your most important reality. And in reality, it's not it's just not the most important thing. And there's, you know, it's not to reduce it at all, but just saying like, like there's life, there is real life outside of the successes of your job. Yeah, it's what you do, but it's not all of who you are, essentially. And we get that. There's people who look up to you. I mean, people you'll never get the chance to meet one-on-one. Any advice you would share to that artist out there who's good, who has a dream, maybe had it when they were a kid, but they're just fed up of being overlooked? I think you got to start, you got to start small and start close and it'll snowball. I think I always tell the story of like where I first found success was in like fresh out of high school. Throughout high school, I used to do open mics for these different open mic events and perform. And I realized that if I keep going to the same ones and keep performing the songs that people like, eventually they learn the lyrics and I create relationship. And those would be the first people that I sold tickets like hand to hand to some of my first events. And I will, and I think if you can create a small fan base, you know, in person, like through open mics or through booking shows or through, you know, whatever possible, and then, you know, siphon them into like some sort of like digital fan base of followers on Instagram or a mail letter or something, then you have an audience. And once you have an audience, and since you already have product, then you just, it becomes like a thing. And he's been such a huge influential example of that. Chance the Rapper with the gems there. Again, you can check them out for yourself live Saturday, August 1st at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia. Tickets are on sale. Don't walk, run to get your ticket. Thank you Chance for joining us. Now, what do you get when rap mixes with pop? Cardi B, apparently. The rapper said she's hip-hop's Britney Spears. Some say they get it. Others are like, girl, you could have left that in drafts. We're going to debate that in a new initiative that Sephora is trying. That's ahead in the Hot Sheets. Then later, helping children love themselves one page at a time. Author Erin Washington, she's going to share her own experiences and how being a mother to a biracial daughter has framed her latest book on confidence. That in the Hot Sheets. With my guests, I got Lil' Bacon Bear in the house. I got Jay Carter. I'm going to join you ladies in a few. We'll be right back. All right, it's time to get to the Hot Sheet. You all were laughing and dancing with the commercial. I've got to get over there quickly. Got Jay Carter here, WKYS Lil' Bacon Bear as well. And I get you twice because we're here to talk about Barack Hussein. So nice, we get to do it twice. Come on, with this dynamic duo. Good to have you ladies. You all ready for the Hot Sheet? Yes, we're ready. One thing about Cardi B, she's going to trend. She's going to rack up the social media views and she's doing it again. But is she hip-hop's Britney Spears? Let that marinate for a minute. Let it settle in. Do it one more time. The mom of four made the claim saying the public follows her every move while other celebrities, they get to fly under the radar. She also called out the press. Her comments come after recent headlines about her appearances at Paris Couture Week and photos of her sitting next to Nigerian soccer superstar. This is the one who really blew up from the World Cup, Maduka Koyel. He has now sparkled. They have unknowingly and maybe not trying to, but romance speculation. So let's get to the heart of the matter. Public fascination, press speculation with Cardi B. Does that make her essentially hip-hop's Britney Spears? Hot or not? First thought. She said she was the rap Selena also. She did. So it's like maybe she's just leaning into like these comparisons. Maybe it's just a rap thing. So I like it. I do agree. I'm going to give it a hot. I do think there are some similarities. There are some similarities. I do think, you know, with Britney and a lot of people that are just so high profile, you almost feel like at some point, like you're almost hunted. Like there's nothing you can do without a camera or stories. I think that was the point that she was relating to. I think she was relating to. It's like there's literally nothing I can do without it being documented. Yeah, making headlines. Right. So I think that is where she was speaking from. I don't think she thinks she's like Britney Spears per se. I think it was more how she's at some level just almost like hunted by the media and can't get away with anything. I think that was the sentiment. I think it's different in this day and age because of social media. Like Britney Spears didn't necessarily ask for it. I mean, it was everywhere, in her house, with her friends, everywhere she went. Like she was literally hunted down in that way. So Cardi, it's like maybe this is just the price of being a celebrity now and everybody has a phone. There you go. Which is it? Yeah, I've seen these stories with this guy. It's like, oh, they've been spotted not once, but twice. And each time they're just sitting like we are. So we're just dating. They were together. Oh, you think there's something there? Well, okay. This is just my theory. You can be sitting next to someone in a fashion show. That is harmless. But if they are catching you in multiple settings outside of the fashion show. Well, there was one dinner. No, they said it was on two. And there was a balcony. Two. Now two of y'all go together. That's crazy. No, I don't think so. She's not saying that go together. I wouldn't go that far. Right. But I would say that, you know, you can just sit beside someone in a fashion show. You don't have to keep canoodling. It's not hot, but it's simmering. There might be something simmering in the pot that we don't know about. And here's the thing. I'm not mad. Did you see how she was fine? And we made it. We all agree. Do it, please. Yeah, that's what Scottie Bean said. She said, listen, do it. Yeah, we're doing. I don't even know how far Nigeria got in the World Cup. He was the biggest thing that everybody talked about. So he won. He won the World Cup. Yeah. We were not there, but we were talking about him. They should have been. They should have been the most changing topic. We need the finest of the world. Yes, we must keep doing whatever you're doing so we can keep showing this photo. All right. It's not Thursday. This nostalgic throwback is the unexpected musical hug we all needed. One of our aunties. We love her through the fire and through the years. Queen of Chaka Khan is proving she still got it. Check out the 73 year old Divas Colors performance on YouTube. All I need is a light and a mic. Chaka's new music, Hot or Not, it's not new, it's remixed. It's hot, it's flame. She is the queen of funk, point blank period. The diaphragm was active. You could see the breath control, the range. Girl, come on, Chaka Khan. No auto-tune. Well, there was a little bit. It was a little bit. I thought her voice was over it. I don't know. I feel like when I hear I don't hear the artist's voice at all. It just sounds like a complete. Oh my gosh. She's definitely. She's still got it. I saw her live last low-key flex and we met backstage. She's on the queen's tour with Patti LaBelle, Gladys, and Stephanie Mills. I mean her voice when she sang my funny valentine tears. I mean the tears were flowing. She opens up her mouth and it's just like heavenly. It's literally heaven on earth. And so many people have remixed her songs. Of course, I hear that and I think it's the Kanye West song. You know, so many people have, you know, taken samples of what she's done and I think, you know, that's probably the highest flattery when someone like samples your song. Well, you know she's still big mad at Kanye for speeding up her voice three times fast, making her sound like a child. I didn't know that. She told me that when we went around Chaka Khan. Just in case. Let's talk about Sephora now because they are bringing quiet hours to all of your stores in the U.S. Quiet on the Creek. The latest sign that major retailers are investing in sensory-friendly shopping experiences aimed at making stores more accessible for those of neurodivergent customers, people who are dealing with that. So essentially during these hours, they're going to bring the music down lower, not as loud, and also their in-store digital screens that will minimize that as well as the strong scents that we often smell in Sephora. How do not? Can you just stop chasing me around the store like trying to help me? I've had associates running into each other trying to help me. The noise is not so much. The smell is not so much. It's like they want that commission. I get it. I get it. I get it. But meet me at the counter. We can just talk about it there. One associate only help me. I was going to say it's the tweens for me taking over everything. I can barely walk through Sephora these days. How much skin care do you need? Right. I didn't start looking at skin care until well, I'm going to give my age away a few years ago. Let's bring out Tucker to talk about our weather for Tucker's take. Well, I want to be very clear, ladies. You're not the only ones who have to go to Sephora. Because I have to get a little scrub for my face too. You don't need much. And they, you know, they ask me a lot of questions. I don't know the answers. You're eye candy. You don't have to know. I don't know. Like about my skin type. That's what I'm saying. I don't know. True story. I have actually been in Sephora and had to buy something before. Okay. What was I talking about? Stores? Listen, it could be very strong storms four to 8 p.m. gusty winds, even a tornado threat later this afternoon. So yeah, right. We've got to watch, watch the weather carefully. We'll have the latest all afternoon here in Fox local. We have to take a Sephora date, Tucker. I need to know what your skin care routine is going to be. Nothing to be proud of. I'll guarantee that. Coming up more of our one-on-one conversation. You are all going to hang around for that too, because I spoke with Chance the rapper. He's going to share his favorite song of his, as well as the one he enjoys performing the most. They are not the same. Plus we know that every child deserves to know that they are enough, even if they are different from their peers. So Erin Washington is here joining us to share the inspiration behind her new book. Listen, he is still a problem in the best way. Back with more of our exclusive conversation with Grammy award winner Chance the rapper. He is back and ready to hit the stage at Wolf Trap. That's August 1st. So I had to ask him, what's your favorite song to perform? Here's his answer. I love being on stage because it's when I get to, I feel like I'm my most true self and songs from night to night, it changes what's my favorite thing to do. Just depending on the room, depending on what song I did before, what's on my mind, what's in my heart. Right now, my favorite song weirdly enough is a song from coloring book. It's a song called summer friends. And the last, like I just did a little run through Canada last week and every show, it was my favorite song I performed. All right. Summer friend. And he said, it depends on the audience. So that's the energy we bring. I haven't heard of it. I think I already know. We don't know, but he wants to perform it in the summer and it's about a summer. I'm just saying the map is mapping. I'm just saying you all like chance and actually probably with the song in the, in the opening. That's one of my favorite chance. Yeah. Yeah. I get it. I think for me, I'm an acid rap. I've been there since acid rap. No, I didn't come along to the coloring book. I miss my cocoa butter kisses. Like, if you know, you want to give them alongside Erica bondu for something like this, like, come on, it's going to be a show. It's going to be a show. Chance rapper. If you're watching this right now, please DM me back. I want to interview my show too. I would love to get an interview. It's 10 years of the color. I'm not the summer friends. I just want to ask some questions during the summer. I think I saw some cocoa butter. Let's find out. Is she the summer friend? Let me find out. No, I just want to talk and ask thank you so much for joining us. That was fun. It was fun hanging out with you ladies. We're going to hang around and talk about broccoli city in just a bit. All right. Well, what if one book could help a child see their own greatness? We'll author Erin Washington is here to talk about her inspirational new book. There's our girl and why building confidence and celebrating individuality starts at a young age. That's not welcome back parents, guardians. This next segment is for you and the children in your life. Our next guest here is on a mission to help kids, including her own daughter, embrace who they are and build confidence from an early age. That is so crucially important through her new inspiring book. I'm just like me. Erin Washington encourages young readers to celebrate their uniqueness, believe in themselves and recognize their own worth. And Erin is here now. This is truly a gift. Congratulations. Thank you. It's been a journey two and a half years ago, but publishing and illustrations, it's finally here. And I couldn't be more excited. You know, I talked about the themes that are in your book and how important they are. There are some adults watching right now who still never got it. I'm actually happy. You said that as a white girl growing up, spoiler alert, the Disney princesses look like me. So why would I have ever questioned that one didn't? And that is what a young girl finds valuable, important and beautiful. And if there's not one that looks like you, you feel like you don't fit in. And now with Disney magic representation, we have Moana and Tiana and Mulan, but growing up, I never had to consider that. And I feel like I had my kids so that I can learn through being their mom. And when my daughter came home asking questions, there wasn't a book that could back me up when I'm like, no, you're just supposed to be like, like yourself. I'm like, this is the book for me to write. That is super powerful because we know that representation matters. I don't care what anyone tells you. It matters seeing people who look like you achieving because you know, what's possible. So I have the book here. I'm assuming this model is your daughter here. Beautiful biracial girl. Talk about that because I believe in this big year of 2026, we should be, should be past certain things. But even now a lot of biracial people still deal with being forced to choose a side. Yes. I live in Atlanta. Not a lot of ethnicity around us. It's very much like a more white classroom that she's in. It's my daughter. And then one other child, this black, she came home saying nobody's ponytails like this. She has super curly hair. She also happens to be five, seven at 10 her and me and her dad are both tall. She's going to be like six too. So my knee jerk reaction was like, you're not supposed to be like anyone else. Everyone is just a mix of their mom and their dad. You're exactly where you're that you're supposed to be. And honestly, when I found like, look for a book to explain this to her, there wasn't one. And I feel like, again, I had her to hear these conversations. We'd be out at the pool and she'd say, when is my skin going to be like mommy's skin? I'm like, girl, I'm out here trying to get skin like you. Like, it's so beautiful. You're just a mix of me and your dad. And when I was explaining it to her, it kind of landed. So I was like, I need to write this book and get it in the hands of kids early. So they don't go down the rabbit hole of comparison and just looking at their body and feeling like they don't belong. But then you also were humble enough to know what you didn't know. A hundred percent. And so you started on this journey. So writing this book taught you a lot. Talk about the process and writing the book. I couldn't not write the book. I felt like it downloaded into my brain. It's actually my third book and writing two other books. It was hard to, you know, you have writer's block. You're sitting there for a while. This downloaded. It was like, God was like, here's the book. You're a vessel. Put this out. And I just, their representation in a book matters so much because you could be teaching these lessons. But if it's a kid that doesn't look like them, it's not going to resonate or like what they want to be when they grow up. I mean, everybody says like doctor, when you see a doctor on TV and it's a middle-aged white man, my daughter's going to look at that and be like, oh, I can't be a doctor, but I could maybe be a nurse. Cause I've seen that they have to see themselves and what they want to be and what they feel is important and valuable. I said, maybe she's not going to be a Disney princess. Shoot your shot with a Prince girl. Do you know, take your shot. But maybe she wants to be a pilot. I flew in today and I was like, I rarely see a pilot or a mixed girl. That's a pilot with curly hair. So she's probably like, oh, I've seen a flight attendant so I can be that, but I can't be a pilot because she's never seen it. So representation showing them someone that looks like them doing what they want to achieve. Then they get confidence knowing that they can do it too. One thing too, you just mentioned your faith. There's a page in here where you have, God says I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. We know that that is spiritually sound. It's one of my favorite scriptures. And I always say about my parents that my faith was the greatest gift that they gave me because I can always go back to that no matter what I'm going through. Can you talk about the role of faith in the teaching in your household and building that confidence? It starts. Have you ever asked God why he made you like you? It's okay to say yes, because I asked him too. And once you lay the foundation that God put you here to be exactly as you are, it stops all the comparison. Like my daughter would be like her ponytails like this, my ponytails like this. I said, yours is supposed to be like this. God wants you to be like this, a little bit like mommy, a little bit like daddy. We depict a biracial family so she could see. She was like, it kind of just landed. She was like, huh. And had somebody laid that foundation for me earlier, I wouldn't have spent 20 years comparing myself to other girls. I struggled with disordered eating and body image. We've talked about that before. But when you just realize God made you to be exactly who you are, you're not supposed to look like anyone else. It stops all that comparison. Yeah. And there's so many things that people struggle with. You know, one person's journey might be their race or complexion. It could be height. It could be weight. It could be upbringing, your religion. There's always something, essentially. And you also mentioned comparison. We know that's the thief of joy. And I thank God every day. I have to tell you this, Erin, that social media wasn't a thing. Because I don't think I could have dealt with it. I couldn't. The way that I struggled without social media, I actually have a non-profit now for teenage girls where we teach them that social media is not real. And if you're scrolling and it's ruining your day, that you don't look like that girl in the photo, neither does the girl in the photo. She is standing in a way that she has contorted her body. It's lighting. It's angles. There are nine other photos in her camera roll that she did not post where she doesn't look exactly like that. So if it's ruining your day, unfollow. Know that that is not real. It's not reality. Can you imagine if we had social media when we were coming up? That's if it's even a girl I saw a girl literally watched her make her thighs a little bit smaller, a little her arms. I'm looking through the seat. So she thinks nobody's watching. I'm like, she's about to post this. And two things wrong with that. A little girl is going to see, you know, if I can just starve myself a little bit more, I can look like her. She doesn't look like that. I watched her tweak her arms and her legs. Second part is this thin woman that I saw do it wasn't confident enough to post a picture of her own body without making it smaller. So it's just so sad if there's an account that triggers you or makes you feel less than that. That's what the unfollow button is for. It's not real. Finally, what was the reaction from your daughter when she saw this book live and live in color and was able to flip the pages on my social media? It's pretty cute. She was like, that's me. And I said, that's why I kept telling you not to come by my computer. I said, you're on the cover girl. Like you inspired this. I know I was supposed to have this child and have her ask me these questions to put this book out into the world. Again, it downloaded into my brain, every stanza rhymes, and I want to get it in the hands of every child at a young age. And she also is wearing a shirt with the butterfly on it. Oh my gosh. That's why we have this affinity because I have a thing for butterflies. Where do people get the book? The book is available wherever you get books also on Amazon. You can also follow Erin. She's a great follow, by the way, you're always dropping gems just like this book. I'm just like me. And guess what? That's enough. That is enough. Thank you for coming. Thank you for having me. All right. And hang around because we're going to keep things going. I feel like this is the empowerment hour from your segment to others. We're going to head over to the kitchen and talk about a memorable experience featuring great food, wine, and conversation. The Table Women's Empowerment Summit unites women for meaningful connections. So I'm going to unite with them in just a few minutes. Also, it's shaping up to be one of the hottest events of the summer, Summer Walker. Headlines, Broccoli City presents the holding hands R&B experience. Stay with us for all of the deets. Platinum records, packed venues. The way I have worn out come through. Still not over it. Summer Walker is headlining Broccoli City presents the holding hands R&B experience. And clearly I want to go. I'm glad I have Carmen Carroll here, director of social media for Broccoli City and radio personality Lil' Bacon Bear in the house as well. First of all, congratulations on what I already know will be another hit. Oh, for sure. In September. So excited. So excited. It's going to be like the perfect R&B experience. So it's for lovers, friends, foes, family. Like it's going to be outside and jiffy lube. We're not used to grass at Broccoli City. So bring out your picnic blankets. We have the top R&B artists, Summer Walker, Kay One, Destin Conrad, Girlfriend, Club One, One B. So it's just going to be an incredible time. Oh, when did you all lock in Summer Walker? That's a big guest. We had to hold her in the pocket, but she has to come back. She's been having an incredible run. Wow. And so why the switch in venue, the vibe in terms of people being able to switch it up? I think access was really important to us. And one of the biggest things is that tickets start at just $39. So I'm like, you can't beat that. You're going to see all of these artists, the top R&B for $39. So Jiffy Lube just felt like the right choice. Oh, OK. Well, I know you do so many events with Bacon Bear around town. What makes this one particularly? You got to zoom in. You got to zoom in on the flyer. Now, if you look at the bottom, it says Little Bacon Bear and Friends. And you know me, I'm all about community. And I thought that Broccoli Fest is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only is it a chance to catch some of your favorite artists on the stage like Summer Walker, but it's a time to connect with other creatives in the DMV. They get their fits off. They get their gripes off. We enjoy ourselves. We drink. We turn up. We have a great time. It's just a ball at Broccoli Fest. I went a couple of times. The last one was Victoria Monet. Oh, yes. That was about two years ago. 20, 24, right? Two years ago. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. And what I enjoy, too, I got so many stories and segments out of it. Vendors, non-profit leaders. I mean, you can really learn a lot about the surrounding community here in the DMV as well. That's an added benefit. Absolutely. We're excited for all of the activations that's going to be there. Our vendors. That's the word I was looking for, activation. Yeah. Parts of being at Broccoli City Fest is everybody that comes together. It's more than just music. It's really an experience. And there's truly something for everybody. And if I can do something I don't ever do. Oh, please. Slide in my DMs right now, and I'll give you some tickets to Broccoli City Fest. We're just going to make sure that you and the Foxtrot team are there. You're going to be in the building. We'll put you in the building. It said, in friends, in your, in friends. Come in there. And about the tickets. That's why she's letting you slide in. No, no messy craziness. None of that. Right. You got to clarify. Just a good time. Just a good time. For some people just joining us. Take me back to one of your favorite memories of a past Broccoli City Fest. If you had to drop one where you're like, you know what, when it comes to mine, this is it. I mean, 2024 was legendary. We were at Audi Field. Yeah. Covered, air conditioned. I mean, it really didn't get better than that. But I mean, I also loved RFK. Yeah. I mean, there's just something gritty about it. And just like standing with your favorite people. I mean, there's, it's so many memories. So many. I think for me, hosting the twerk cam on Audi Field stage, it was, it was epic. It is, I'm still getting posts from that right now. And honestly, like I said, that's just truly an experience for everybody at Broccoli Fest. Like with Audi Field, we got to be in all the different spots. I'm excited, excited for that. And Jiffy Lube live too. We're going to get sprawled out in the grass. You ain't got to be up under next to somebody. You can get some space, stretch out, see the grounds. Make sure you check out the vendors. That's my favorite part. Yeah. And prepare to be there all day. I made the mistake of thinking, okay, I can do this. And then I'm going to go here. I was literally there for about 10 hours and didn't complain about it one bit. Ladies, thank you so much for coming one more time. When is it and how can people get tickets? September 19th, you can get tickets at bcfestival.com and tickets start at $39. So you can't beat that. But all these other festivals cost you 200 and up $39. I'm in there. You got to be. It's only $40. It's expensive. I can't even pay attention. That's how bad. One concert per summer. I get it. I get it. I just saw Russia and Chris Brown. So you already know what it's looking like. $39 can't beat that. All right. How many DMs? What if it's like 300 people? First person to DM me as soon as I get back to my phone after this, they're going to be the person. It's 11.45. Get on it. Ladies, thank you for coming and I cannot wait. It's going to be a time. All right. So we talked about women's empowerment. I have these powerful women here talking about Broccoli City Fest and I'm going to head to the kitchen because I have more. No shortage of it here. Ladies, wait a minute. What was in the group chat? You all are coordinating with the black and white. Was this on purpose? Just vibes. Raise a glass to empowerment and inspiration. The Table Women's Empowerment Summit creates a space where women can come together to connect, to inspire, and to celebrate. And they do this over some delicious food, wine, and powerful conversations. I'm not talking a lot, but say less, because if all of that is happening, I need to be there as well. Lakeisha Bond is here, founder of The Table Change Agents. Then we have Janelle Boyd, co-founder of Boyd Crew Wines. And then we have Chef Jay, founder of Soulful Catering. I was telling you all earlier, I've interviewed you all separately on multiple occasions and now it's all together. You're Lakeisha and why it's so powerful? It's powerful because we have women like ourselves get together to come together as a sisterhood and bridge gaps to become better and to do better within the community. It's collaboration over competition each and every time. You've seen that for your business on what you all do. Yes, absolutely. That's one of the reasons we're so excited to be at The Table hosting the VIP night, because that is what we embody. We embody collaboration, we embody community, and Lakeisha definitely embodies that as well. I love how it's going to bring all the women into the room to share with one another and be able to celebrate one another as well. You can come for the conversation and stay for the food if you got Chef Jay in the house. And I imagine too it's good for you to be that as well, to bring the soul into the mix. And I'm honored to be a part of this celebration. It's a great time, like she said, we're uniting women and it's going to be an intimate culinary experience for our VIP night. We have a delicious menu planned, so if you haven't gotten your ticket, please get it. It's going down. Okay, are these props or can we eat? No, you can eat. This is just something light. We have a charcuterie platter paired with the wines, but the night of the event you're going to get a lot more. Okay, well ladies, let's warm up and partake. And Lakeisha, I want you to begin to talk about some of the challenges that women often face in business when it comes to collaborating. So I think some of the challenges, one, they don't think that they're alone, right? That they feel your issue is not my issue. And then most of the times we face the same things. So challenges, financial challenges, sisterhood in some cases. And so that's why the table is so important because I make sure that that's honed in into my events. You're doing a great job. I know it was once a one day event and now it's two because the need is there and people are interested and watching it grow. And when I was going over you all coming today and reading through what stood out to me, I went, you know what? There are so many events where you go and you have this great conversation and you're riled up and ready to go, but then it ends. But it sounds like these are real takeaways and real connections that go beyond the event. You've seen people host conferences out of attending yours, you know, do business partnerships out of being there. Yes. And, and you're looking at, um, you know, they came from being attendee to being sponsors and speakers. So that's definitely important. Okay. You all are still trying to be cute. Janelle, you do a lot of this already at Boyd Crew. Can you talk about it too? Because you're standout business owner here in the DMV, a history maker. I should add that as well. And people look at you as an example of what's possible, but it didn't happen overnight. No, no, it did not. Um, but I will say, I think that, uh, to Lakeisha's point, when you know that you're not in this by yourself, then you tend to have more confidence. You're okay with reaching out and asking for help and collaborating with other women because you don't feel threatened. You feel like, Hey, there is enough room for all of us at the table. And that's part of what, how Boyd Crew Wines has been successful. Um, when I first, I remember the first time I attended the table, I was, I was a attendee. Then the next time I attended the table, I was a speaker. And this year we're back as a sponsor and a speaker. So it is those types of relationships to Lakeisha's point that lets you know that I can thrive. My business can thrive, but I don't have to do it by myself because there are a group of women. There are a charge. There's a charge for women to come together and show how we can be powerful together. Like we, we rise together. Yeah, that's where the power is. So people are getting, I'm assuming speeches are their breakout sessions. What does it look like? So the day will be full of breakout sessions to talks. Um, we will have a fabulous, a vendor marketplace, um, for people to shop and to then, and, um, we will have live music. Um, and it will just be an amazing day with wonderful, amazing women. Chef Jay, what are you most excited for? Um, I'm excited for the vendor market. You know, I can do a little shopping shop in between the food. Well, so Saturday night is when we're doing the food during the VIP night and Sunday is going to be just for me. I'm doing a little shopping, but I'm very excited to be a part of it. I've worked with both of these ladies individually, um, through our businesses. And so it's good to just bring it all together. I want to bring a great culinary experience for all of the guests. And I'm just honored that you continue to choose soulful catering. Yeah, we're honored to have you all have a great event. It's this right here. All right. We'll be, we'll be right back. You all don't have to go home. No, we're not. We're going to, we're going to drink. From birth of joy to four bundles of joy. A mom is celebrating what she's calling her four precious miracles after giving birth to rare identical quadruplet girls. After a high risk pregnancy, the Australian couple already parents of four conceived the babies get this naturally without any fertility treatments. Doctors say identical quadruplets occur in about one in 15 million pregnancies. So it was super rare. And they say that sharing the same placenta is also a rare as well. Mom and babies are doing just fine as they continue to go stronger in the NICU. The family has also started a go fund me page to help with their hospital and other costs associated. So congratulations to your growing family out for those truly bundles, bundles, rare bundles of joy. We'll be right back with your end notes and a peek to tomorrow's show. What a show. I enjoyed each and every guest. So for today's, the M note is basically I'm just like me, which is the title of Aaron Washington's children's book that she talked about and essentially embracing your own individuality. We've heard that from chance, the rapper off the top of the show, who talked about being an independent artist and kind of walking to the beat of his own drum and has led him, as you can see to massive success. So enjoy and embrace who you are, all of who you are. Coming up tomorrow, DC go-go legend Sugar Bear will be live in studio. The iconic front man of EU is going to reflect upon his legendary career, the enduring legacy of go-go and its upcoming birthday bash at Bethesda Theater. Plus, back to school shopping fills backpacks with supplies. But what about the tools that will help students truly thrive? Well, tomorrow we're going to shift the focus to what matters most before the first bell rings and that is emotional well-being. Plus, posing and walking and public speaking. How to show up with confidence on camera and in life with international image coach Brittney Hill. She has gone viral for her posing sessions. We're going to do that live and I'll see if I got the stuff. If you see the email address on your screen, please do us a favor.