In this episode of Talk to Me Michele, Michele sits down with the legendary Cathy Hughes, founder and chairperson of Urban One, to discuss her extraordinary journey as a media mogul. From her early childhood to her rise in the broadcasting world, Cathy shares personal stories that shaped her career and offers insights into the evolution of media. The conversation also touches on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the industry, the importance of adapting to change, and thoughts on the upcoming election. Tune in for an inspiring discussion with one of the most influential voices in media today!
[00:00:09] Talk To Me Michele.
[00:00:11] Welcome to the Talk To Me Michele podcast where great conversations, inspiration and real talk come together.
[00:00:31] I'm your host, Michele, and today I have a very special guest, Cathy Hughes, the legendary media mogul and founder of Urban One.
[00:00:41] We'll dive into her incredible journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most powerful figures in broadcasting.
[00:00:49] We'll also talk about navigating the challenges of COVID-19 and her thoughts on the upcoming election.
[00:00:56] So sit back, relax and enjoy this amazing conversation with the one and only Cathy Hughes.
[00:01:05] Michele with the one L.
[00:01:07] One L!
[00:01:09] I'm just so honored to be with you. I loved your graphics, your opening graphics.
[00:01:14] Thank you!
[00:01:15] I'm excited. Yeah, I don't do a lot of podcasts. I'm really, really, really honored to be with you.
[00:01:19] That's why I was excited about the opportunity because I know that you have a busy schedule.
[00:01:24] And when I see guests like yourself appear on platforms like the Breakfast Club, I'm like, oh, you know, when you want the Breakfast Club to me, that's like the overall stage and foundation of the culture.
[00:01:36] That's what Tom Pointer was at one time.
[00:01:38] Okay.
[00:01:38] Steve Harvey, now the Breakfast Club, you know, every morning show has, has this time.
[00:01:45] Yes.
[00:01:46] In the spotlight.
[00:01:47] It definitely does.
[00:01:48] And then the change opinions, change the demographic changes.
[00:01:51] And yeah, they are the ultimate now.
[00:01:54] Yeah, exactly.
[00:01:55] Don't go really smiling I said that.
[00:01:57] But look, I'm going to make sure.
[00:01:59] I appreciate number one, my dad did link this interview up.
[00:02:03] So I got to give appreciation to my dad.
[00:02:05] So, wait, listen, me and your dad been friends for decades.
[00:02:09] We about to fall out over this podcast.
[00:02:11] If he calls me one more time, I said, Michelle didn't tell me you were the executive producer.
[00:02:16] You're going to host it too.
[00:02:18] Okay.
[00:02:18] And I said, okay.
[00:02:21] All right.
[00:02:23] My dad, you know how he works.
[00:02:24] Talking with Michelle, not TV.
[00:02:27] Okay.
[00:02:29] But you know what?
[00:02:30] Let me say this to you.
[00:02:31] That's why your daddy was so good when he was, before he retired.
[00:02:35] Although I'm sure it's semi-retired for TV.
[00:02:38] It's semi.
[00:02:39] Yeah, it's semi.
[00:02:40] But, but when he was one of the top execs in the music industry, it was because of that perseverance, that tenacity, that stick-to-it-ness.
[00:02:50] So many individuals who, you know, because your daddy was, you know, big Willie back in the day of the big Willie's.
[00:02:59] But so many of them, yeah, I'm going to call you.
[00:03:01] Yeah, I'm going to do this.
[00:03:02] You wouldn't hear back from them.
[00:03:03] Okay.
[00:03:04] I'm still waiting on some of their return calls.
[00:03:06] Not your daddy.
[00:03:07] If your daddy said he's going to do something, he did it.
[00:03:10] He did it to the best of his ability.
[00:03:12] It was always excellent.
[00:03:14] And so I had to snap at him this other day because, okay, my meeting ran a little longer before you because the traffic is just, it's like traffic has gotten so bad in every city that I've been in recently.
[00:03:29] It's like more cars than there are roads and parking spaces.
[00:03:34] Yes.
[00:03:35] Okay.
[00:03:36] And not to mention what the cars are still, there ain't that many electric cars out there.
[00:03:41] So we're breathing in all these fumes.
[00:03:44] That's the thing I always think about with the, the multiplication of these automobiles, you know?
[00:03:50] Yeah.
[00:03:50] It's ridiculous.
[00:03:52] And the human way of life just is not as simple as it was, uh, was back in the day.
[00:03:57] But the dynamic change we've had.
[00:04:00] And I, like I said, thank you again, daddy, for linking this up.
[00:04:03] And I do have to speak on my dad's behalf that I, I do have the DNA now, missus.
[00:04:08] I do have the DNA, so I'm a go getter.
[00:04:11] So I need to go out and get it done.
[00:04:13] So I definitely got that honestly.
[00:04:15] But I appreciate you coming on because like I said, you're such a legend in the industry.
[00:04:19] Thank you.
[00:04:20] If you live almost eight decades, you'll be a legend too.
[00:04:24] It has a lot to do with age.
[00:04:26] Okay.
[00:04:26] I'm going to try.
[00:04:29] I'm going to try.
[00:04:30] But you know, with your journey in this industry, can you share a little bit about your journey and from, you know, childhood to your early career?
[00:04:39] Well, number one, my mama was a very famous musician.
[00:04:43] My mother founded a 18 piece, all women's orchestra, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
[00:04:49] So I grew up in the music industry.
[00:04:54] And when I was eight years old, my mother bought me a transistor radio.
[00:04:59] And I knew then that I wanted to be on the radio.
[00:05:03] The interesting thing that I used to go in the bathroom now, I grew up in the projects.
[00:05:07] Four children, two parents, six of us.
[00:05:10] And if my uncle came to visit, seven of us, one bathroom.
[00:05:14] I would go in the bathroom every morning, lock the door.
[00:05:17] My toothbrush was my microphone.
[00:05:19] And I would announce the music.
[00:05:21] But I would also do news and information.
[00:05:24] My interest in media has always been for the purpose of the dissemination of information to make life better and easier for people of color, particularly women.
[00:05:36] Yes.
[00:05:37] And it's in my DNA, like you've got your daddy's DNA.
[00:05:42] I've got my mama's DNA.
[00:05:44] My mother was 16 years old, traveling the world with an 18 piece all women's orchestra.
[00:05:54] They were referred to as the first freedom riders because it was an integrated orchestra.
[00:05:59] And so I have this, like your daddy and you, this determination to accomplish my goal.
[00:06:08] And more often than not, just like with your family, my goal is to help somebody else, not necessarily to help myself.
[00:06:16] And because of that philosophy, as you well know, as has been the case in your family, the more you do for other people, the more benefit you reap.
[00:06:26] Okay.
[00:06:26] The reward.
[00:06:27] Okay.
[00:06:28] Because they don't even have to say thank you as quiet as it's kept.
[00:06:32] You're building brownie points with the creator.
[00:06:34] Okay.
[00:06:35] Yeah.
[00:06:35] Whether you call God Yahweh or Allah or, you know, there's only one creator.
[00:06:42] There's one God called by many, many names and, you know, and excuse me, looked upon differently by many different cultures.
[00:06:53] The reality is when you know that you are doing something for God and another person benefits, it's God who rewards you.
[00:07:05] A lot of ministers have exploited that saying, you know, if you tithe, it's going to come back tenfold.
[00:07:11] It may come back a zillion fold.
[00:07:13] It may come back.
[00:07:13] But I never, when I first started a campaign of trying to be of assistance to others, I had no idea God was going to reward me with 58 radio stations, two cable networks.
[00:07:26] You know, the position of being the largest black owned content distributor, black owned content distributor in the country.
[00:07:38] None of that did I strive to achieve or do.
[00:07:43] All of that was God rewarding me for helping other people.
[00:07:48] And you have helped so many people.
[00:07:50] I mean, you've touched so many lives and I'm gonna let you know, Petey Green was an inspiration behind my podcast.
[00:07:57] Really?
[00:07:57] Yes.
[00:07:58] You know, on YouTube, I haven't seen it yet, but somebody just recently notified me when my son was, I think Alfred was 12 or 13.
[00:08:08] Petey, Petey, like to, Petey dated my roommate.
[00:08:12] Let me just start there.
[00:08:13] So we knew Petey very well.
[00:08:14] And he's like, this boy is smart.
[00:08:16] I'm gonna put him on my television show.
[00:08:19] Well, my son took over his television show and I understand that they're running that clip now on YouTube.
[00:08:25] My son loved it.
[00:08:27] He took to it like a duck to water.
[00:08:29] Now it's interesting because he doesn't like being on the mic.
[00:08:32] He likes being behind the mic.
[00:08:35] But the reason we're a public corporation, the reason that we diversified and now have two cable channels, digital.
[00:08:42] You know, each week, 82% of all African Americans in this country interact with one of my five companies.
[00:08:50] That's because of my son.
[00:08:52] My son just, he got bitten by that bug.
[00:08:55] Okay.
[00:08:56] That bug called media, that bug called radio in particular.
[00:08:59] Yeah.
[00:09:00] And from there we just grew.
[00:09:02] But all of that was a result of him embracing my philosophy that you must first.
[00:09:09] It's been a long, long time in my family that we have said to every generation, you must first do good for somebody else before you can do well for yourself.
[00:09:22] This is true because we live in a society where it's all about self.
[00:09:26] Yes.
[00:09:27] And it's hard sometimes to break away from that and know, you know, I'm doing this because I need to do this for you.
[00:09:33] I need to, you know, it's not about, it is about brownie points at some point.
[00:09:37] Yes.
[00:09:38] But at the same time, it's something that I think that a human interaction, positivity may make somebody's day, may make your day.
[00:10:13] Right.
[00:10:15] And I think that a lot of people are, you know, I think that a lot of people have been people oriented.
[00:10:20] Okay.
[00:10:20] Yeah.
[00:10:20] We have always like gathering.
[00:10:23] Okay.
[00:10:24] I don't care.
[00:10:25] I'm sure that in some of these big mega mansions that some of our superstars have, I bet you if you go to LeBron James's house, that Savannah, his wife still entertains in her kitchen.
[00:10:36] There's certain things that are unique to our culture.
[00:10:38] You know, we, we entertain in our kitchen.
[00:10:43] There's certain things.
[00:10:44] Yes.
[00:10:44] People oriented.
[00:10:45] So while we cooking.
[00:10:47] Okay.
[00:10:47] We want company and company wants to be tasting and commenting.
[00:10:52] Okay.
[00:10:52] Okay.
[00:10:53] The way white people have used the board room, we use our kitchen tables.
[00:10:58] Okay.
[00:10:58] Yes.
[00:10:59] That is our board room.
[00:11:01] That is okay.
[00:11:03] And COVID taught us that, that to be without that ability to connect with another human being, to be without that social con net, connect.
[00:11:15] It had devastating effect, particularly in our young people.
[00:11:19] Yes.
[00:11:20] And then what they did was they used their device to be their friend.
[00:11:25] And that device is so full of misinformation, lies and standards that you'll never be able to achieve.
[00:11:34] You know, Kim Kardashian was not born with that body.
[00:11:37] That body was put on her by another human being.
[00:11:41] Okay.
[00:11:41] But yet young girls will look at Beyonce and okay, that ain't Beyonce's hair.
[00:11:46] Okay.
[00:11:46] That's an attachment.
[00:11:48] That's not Beyonce's behind.
[00:11:50] Okay.
[00:11:51] Um, and, and then they hold themselves.
[00:11:53] They feel inadequate because they don't look like Beyonce.
[00:11:56] They don't look like, okay.
[00:11:57] And that's wrong.
[00:11:59] But because of COVID, it became almost like our everything.
[00:12:05] Uh, it was our only connect with other human beings.
[00:12:08] And then we start judging ourselves by that.
[00:12:11] Okay.
[00:12:12] And we start feeling inadequate and, and, and, you know, insufficient and unworthy.
[00:12:20] Um, because we weren't that there's only one Beyonce.
[00:12:25] That's a special anointment from God.
[00:12:28] That's a special gift.
[00:12:29] There was only one, you know, Eartha Kitt.
[00:12:32] There was only one Josephine Baker.
[00:12:34] She's in that same line of true entertainers.
[00:12:38] Okay.
[00:12:38] And, and some times God will just pick somebody and say, Hey, here's all the talent in the
[00:12:44] world.
[00:12:44] You go for it.
[00:12:46] And, um, you can't judge yourself by that.
[00:12:49] But when you ain't talking to nobody else, there's nobody else.
[00:12:52] You can't go out your house.
[00:12:53] You can't go to school.
[00:12:54] You can't go someplace without being masked.
[00:12:57] Cause even when we, you know, cause young people still would brave the elements
[00:13:02] and go out, but they were masked.
[00:13:04] Yeah.
[00:13:04] Okay.
[00:13:05] You have to have a mask on.
[00:13:06] So there was no nonverbal communication is as strong as what comes out of your mouth.
[00:13:12] Okay.
[00:13:13] And again, this is very much a part of our culture.
[00:13:16] We have learned from the motherland.
[00:13:19] You read people's eyes, you read the nod of the head.
[00:13:22] Yeah.
[00:13:22] Oh, okay.
[00:13:24] All right.
[00:13:25] Um, and, and, you know, when you deprive a young person of that or an, a, a, a
[00:13:32] how many senior citizens died alone?
[00:13:34] Cause nobody see them cause they had COVID.
[00:13:37] So that social connect is the most important thing.
[00:13:41] I think, um, in, in getting our community back.
[00:13:45] Now, once we get our president in place, once Kamala is our leader.
[00:13:50] Yes.
[00:13:51] I think that you will see not only the black community reconnecting with each other, you're
[00:13:56] going to see the whole country first connecting internally.
[00:13:58] And then I think that that leadership will then go globally because, uh, we've been in trouble
[00:14:07] for quite a while in this country.
[00:14:09] Um, and it wasn't just at the white house level.
[00:14:12] That Supreme court is the worst group of criminals.
[00:14:17] Okay.
[00:14:17] Oh my goodness.
[00:14:19] Thank you.
[00:14:20] Okay.
[00:14:20] You know, there used to be an expression.
[00:14:23] Um, it's like having the Fox watch the, uh, hen house.
[00:14:26] Okay.
[00:14:28] This is like, you got the criminals watching.
[00:14:32] Okay.
[00:14:33] How does that work?
[00:14:35] How you put a criminal in charge of determining what's right and what's wrong.
[00:14:39] Okay.
[00:14:39] That's kind of, all right.
[00:14:41] This country has been out of sorts, out of touch.
[00:14:45] This party divide.
[00:14:47] All Republicans are not Donald Trumps.
[00:14:50] Okay.
[00:14:51] All, all Democrats ain't liberal.
[00:14:54] Okay.
[00:14:55] We used to call them Dixie crats.
[00:14:56] Uh, those, uh, who are, you know, a little bit older than you, Michelle.
[00:15:00] Well, remember the John, uh, Linda Baines Johnson, Lyndon Baines Johnson did not get the civil rights
[00:15:08] legislation passed with the democratic vote.
[00:15:11] They were Dixie crats.
[00:15:12] It was Republicans who passed the civil rights legislation.
[00:15:16] So you can't identify a person by their party.
[00:15:19] Uh, you can't identify them by the religion.
[00:15:21] You can't identify by how they look.
[00:15:24] But the one thing that I am on a serious campaign.
[00:15:27] So for, please forgive me because I got to do a, a, a, a serious, uh, encouragement, uh, promotion commercial.
[00:15:35] We have got to vote.
[00:15:36] It's the only way to change the system.
[00:15:39] We have been disappointed.
[00:15:41] We have been disillusioned.
[00:15:43] We've been overlooked by both parties.
[00:15:46] Okay.
[00:15:47] You can't blame it all.
[00:15:48] Okay.
[00:15:49] Uh, all right.
[00:15:51] Because we have not wholeheartedly gotten out.
[00:15:56] We have to vote and really.
[00:15:58] Well, flex our muscle.
[00:16:01] When.
[00:16:02] Minister Farrakhan brought a million.
[00:16:04] Uh, uh, people.
[00:16:05] Okay.
[00:16:06] Men and women and children.
[00:16:08] Uh, to Washington, D.C.
[00:16:09] That million man march was way over a million.
[00:16:12] Okay.
[00:16:13] Way.
[00:16:13] Definitely.
[00:16:14] Uh, that was the flexing of our muscles.
[00:16:17] Okay.
[00:16:18] But we can do that in the voting booth.
[00:16:21] Also.
[00:16:21] We have to do it collectively.
[00:16:23] So we have to get past our anger, past our disappointment.
[00:16:26] No, there were people we expected to do more for us than they did.
[00:16:30] All right.
[00:16:30] That's just the truth.
[00:16:32] All right.
[00:16:33] Mm hmm.
[00:16:34] And the reality is we can't look backwards.
[00:16:37] That's over.
[00:16:38] Okay.
[00:16:39] Done.
[00:16:39] Let's go forward.
[00:16:41] Every woman in America needs to support Kamala Harris.
[00:16:45] Yes.
[00:16:45] Women think differently.
[00:16:47] Yes.
[00:16:48] Women govern differently.
[00:16:50] Women lead differently.
[00:16:53] Okay.
[00:16:54] There is no story about a male counterpart to Harriet Tubman.
[00:16:58] Okay.
[00:16:59] All right.
[00:16:59] Speak it.
[00:17:00] Speak it.
[00:17:01] Okay.
[00:17:03] Harriet is a sister who, she didn't carry that shotgun just to kill other folks.
[00:17:09] Okay.
[00:17:10] If they, oh, Michelle hold on one minute.
[00:17:14] I've got a call from my assistant.
[00:17:15] My battery is dying, Ebony.
[00:17:17] My iPad is getting ready to cut.
[00:17:21] Well, if you want to go ahead and get your device charged up and I'll go for you backstage.
[00:17:25] I got to get a cord.
[00:17:27] Okay.
[00:17:28] I just got the notice.
[00:17:29] But the reality is each time we have relied on particularly a woman of color and the difference
[00:17:37] in Kamala, Kamala wants to be a sister.
[00:17:42] Okay.
[00:17:43] There's a big difference.
[00:17:45] She could have gone to any school.
[00:17:47] She chose Howard University.
[00:17:49] She could have joined any sorority.
[00:17:51] She chose the AKA, ah, I'm an AKA, an honorary AKA.
[00:17:58] The reality is this is a woman of color.
[00:18:02] When her family, after the convention came on stage, it looked like the United Nations.
[00:18:06] Yes.
[00:18:07] She's got Asians.
[00:18:08] She's got Indians.
[00:18:09] She's got blacks.
[00:18:11] She's got Jews.
[00:18:12] She's got, she is what Quincy Jones has often described a citizen of the world.
[00:18:18] Okay.
[00:18:19] I feel the impact you're saying about Kamala, because I'm a big supporter as well, but I'm
[00:18:23] hearing a lot of different talk in these streets, even from our own community that maybe it's
[00:18:30] not time for a woman, especially a black woman to take power.
[00:18:35] Listen, number one, that's the same BS when Hillary Clinton was running.
[00:18:42] No woman has ever, no candidate has ever been more qualified to be the president of the United
[00:18:47] States than Hillary Clinton.
[00:18:49] She was way more qualified than her husband.
[00:18:52] Okay.
[00:18:53] You can take the last 10 men who were president and combine them and they not as smart as Hillary
[00:18:59] as she was.
[00:18:59] She's asleep.
[00:19:01] Okay.
[00:19:01] Women see things differently.
[00:19:03] We have a different, that's why God chose us to give birth.
[00:19:07] Okay.
[00:19:07] Yes.
[00:19:08] Okay.
[00:19:10] Let the man, we are different, but we are to be together.
[00:19:15] Okay.
[00:19:15] And the reality that I think quite frankly, because some of my most highly educated, most
[00:19:23] successful friends about to fall out with me, cause they talking crazy.
[00:19:28] Well, she didn't have a plan.
[00:19:29] I said, the girl didn't know she was running for president until yesterday.
[00:19:34] She had a plan in her drawer.
[00:19:36] Well, just in case somebody ever asked me to run for president, I'm gonna have a plan.
[00:19:40] Of course she doesn't have a plan.
[00:19:42] Okay.
[00:19:43] Her plan is to make this country a better place and to look out for people.
[00:19:48] Yes.
[00:19:48] People oriented that, that gene.
[00:19:51] I told you that about that ethnic gene.
[00:19:54] We have a liking to connect.
[00:19:55] She likes to connect.
[00:19:57] She likes people.
[00:19:58] And again, the story that I shared earlier, because she is willing to help so many people.
[00:20:04] Yeah.
[00:20:05] Rewards her.
[00:20:06] He protects her.
[00:20:07] He looks out for her.
[00:20:09] But this is what I'm saying.
[00:20:10] Michelle, I'm beginning to think that some of my highly educated, highly successful associates,
[00:20:17] I ain't even gonna call them friends no more.
[00:20:19] I'm so mad at her.
[00:20:20] About not saying the right thing about Kamala.
[00:20:23] They just want to have an intelligent opinion.
[00:20:26] And you're not coming off intelligent, questioning.
[00:20:30] God determines what the time is.
[00:20:34] God determines when you are to be born.
[00:20:37] God determines when you are to die.
[00:20:40] God determines whether or not the plane can crash and you survived it.
[00:20:44] Okay.
[00:20:45] Because God is in charge of the time.
[00:20:48] So for you to try to sound intelligent, talking about I don't know if this is time for a woman, makes you sound very ungodly.
[00:20:58] Number one, but also not very intelligent.
[00:21:01] Because there is nobody more qualified.
[00:21:06] You're gonna take someone who says that people of color are eating dogs and cats, eating your pets.
[00:21:15] Okay.
[00:21:16] It's just making up stuff.
[00:21:18] And the ignorance that is spreading, it's embarrassing.
[00:21:21] Okay.
[00:21:22] It's really embarrassing to hear some of the things that when you read foreign newspapers, Dick Gregory and I were very close.
[00:21:30] He co-hosted my show with me for eight years.
[00:21:33] One of the, again, blessings from God.
[00:21:36] And Dick always read foreign newspapers.
[00:21:39] And it's interesting when you get other cultures perspective on what's going on in this country.
[00:21:46] And a lot of them have literally been saying, what happened to education?
[00:21:50] What happened to intelligence?
[00:21:52] What happened to self respect?
[00:21:54] What happened to dignity?
[00:21:56] We've been embarrassing ourselves globally.
[00:21:59] We've been talking about the stuff that we have been tolerating.
[00:22:02] And that's why I don't understand when you walk away from the table, don't you?
[00:22:05] It's just like me being your mother.
[00:22:08] If I'm the type of mother to do some stuff online and not think of the repercussions, not only will it have on me, but how about my kids?
[00:22:14] Thank you.
[00:22:15] That's the same way I look at it as a presidential candidate, because that's our representative.
[00:22:20] Thank you.
[00:22:21] And I wouldn't want some babbling idiot talking about a cuisine with cats and dogs representing me.
[00:22:28] Thank you.
[00:22:28] All right.
[00:22:30] That ain't a mental problem.
[00:22:32] So, we've got to vote.
[00:22:33] Okay?
[00:22:34] Just swallow your pride.
[00:22:37] Swallow your anger.
[00:22:38] Put everything aside.
[00:22:39] Forget about the frustration.
[00:22:41] Don't be telling me what so-and-so didn't do.
[00:22:45] Hey, I was deprived just like you.
[00:22:48] No, we did not get it.
[00:22:49] The mayors of the cities ain't giving it to us.
[00:22:52] We don't hold them accountable.
[00:22:54] This sister not only will allow us to be, hold her accountable.
[00:22:59] She wants to be held accountable.
[00:23:02] Okay?
[00:23:03] She's like, help me do this job.
[00:23:05] I need each and every one of you.
[00:23:08] I welcome your input.
[00:23:09] I am inclusive.
[00:23:11] Okay?
[00:23:12] And so, don't be trying to sound intelligent and coming off sounding kind of, okay.
[00:23:20] It's like a little, okay.
[00:23:22] Uh-uh.
[00:23:22] It ain't working.
[00:23:24] It ain't working.
[00:23:25] If that's your opinion, keep it to yourself.
[00:23:27] Right.
[00:23:28] Okay.
[00:23:28] All right.
[00:23:28] Keep it in the closet.
[00:23:30] All right?
[00:23:30] Because it is the time that God has destined.
[00:23:35] Like I said, she didn't have no plan in her drawer.
[00:23:37] She was a shock.
[00:23:39] But let me say this, and then I'll leave politics alone because I know your daddy's going to have
[00:23:43] a fit.
[00:23:44] We ain't spent more time on her.
[00:23:45] We talking, Miss Hughes.
[00:23:46] Don't worry about that.
[00:23:47] We talking.
[00:23:47] Please.
[00:23:48] Hey.
[00:23:49] You'll be ringing my phone, don't you?
[00:23:52] Okay?
[00:23:53] Joe Biden, a righteous man, just like Jimmy Carter.
[00:23:58] Jimmy Carter was a righteous man.
[00:24:00] Okay?
[00:24:01] Jimmy Carter all the way.
[00:24:03] Yes.
[00:24:04] He couldn't do it anymore.
[00:24:05] Help people.
[00:24:06] His habitat for humanity changed hundreds of thousands of lives.
[00:24:14] Okay?
[00:24:15] That influenced tens of millions of lives.
[00:24:19] Joe Biden has been a great politician his entire career.
[00:24:25] And when they told him that it was either him or Kamala, he fell on his sword and tossed the ball to Kamala.
[00:24:31] He knew that she could get it across the finish line.
[00:24:35] What a noble, righteous individual is he.
[00:24:39] Okay?
[00:24:40] None of this would have been taking place.
[00:24:42] And once he tossed that ball to Kamala, the black female existence on the planet erupted.
[00:24:50] Yes.
[00:24:51] It was like a bomb had gone off globally.
[00:24:54] Exactly.
[00:24:54] Okay?
[00:24:55] They're like, oh my God, yes.
[00:24:57] All right?
[00:24:58] That's exactly.
[00:25:00] But those politicians were not going to pick her.
[00:25:04] Okay?
[00:25:05] They said to him, being in media in DC gives me certain information that a lot of folks in other cities may not just come across.
[00:25:16] Okay?
[00:25:17] Going out to lunch, you bump into somebody who says, you know, so and so and so and so is going down.
[00:25:21] Mm-hmm.
[00:25:23] He did the right thing for his country.
[00:25:26] Yes.
[00:25:26] But also, he did the right thing by God.
[00:25:30] All right?
[00:25:31] Because there is nobody out there with her credentials.
[00:25:35] There is no one out there who for four years has observed him.
[00:25:39] And as quiet as it's kept, he ain't going to change his number once he gets elected.
[00:25:46] Okay?
[00:25:47] Exactly.
[00:25:48] He's not going to block her calls.
[00:25:52] Okay?
[00:25:52] Definitely not.
[00:25:53] All right?
[00:25:54] And nobody has done more for humanity.
[00:25:57] All right?
[00:25:58] And she's got some very serious things.
[00:26:00] The whole planet is tinkering on the edge of war.
[00:26:05] Okay?
[00:26:05] Every place, the Middle East, Russia, Israel, every place.
[00:26:10] Okay?
[00:26:10] And so much of that has to do with our mean-spirited, arrogant attitude over here in America.
[00:26:20] Yes.
[00:26:21] Money solves all problems.
[00:26:23] Money does not solve all problems.
[00:26:25] And oftentimes, money will cause you more problems than being without it.
[00:26:30] Definitely.
[00:26:32] Definitely.
[00:26:32] So, I just want to salute Joe Biden and say to him, you couldn't have picked a better person
[00:26:39] for Vice President because maybe, and I don't know, because I don't know him other than covering
[00:26:46] him, you know, as a member of the press corps.
[00:26:48] But I wonder if he knew that this day would come and that he would be able to catapult
[00:26:56] her into global leadership.
[00:26:59] And for that, I am so thankful whether he thought of it then or just one morning, God said,
[00:27:04] listen, Joe.
[00:27:05] Okay, you're not going to be able to get this social media stuff is so poisonous.
[00:27:09] It's so toxic.
[00:27:11] Yes.
[00:27:11] Toxic.
[00:27:11] They're saying you too old.
[00:27:13] You're too sick.
[00:27:14] Okay?
[00:27:14] You too this.
[00:27:15] You too that.
[00:27:17] That Republican who used to blank out during the middle of press conference, he's still
[00:27:21] in office.
[00:27:22] Ain't nobody said nothing about him being okay.
[00:27:24] All right.
[00:27:25] But he would have stolen comatose.
[00:27:27] Okay?
[00:27:27] Um, Joe Biden did the world a favor when he tossed the ball to Kamala Harris because
[00:27:40] she is going to score a touchdown.
[00:27:42] No, she's, she, she got the Super Bowl ring already.
[00:27:45] We just wait.
[00:27:45] We just waiting on the game to take place.
[00:27:48] Thank you.
[00:27:48] Exactly.
[00:27:49] That's exactly what it is.
[00:27:51] But I'm glad that you spoke on that because I think Madam VP Harris is not only a great
[00:27:57] selection for our country, but I want to say she's also inspiration such as yourself because
[00:28:03] women with resilience and the struggle behind the resilience because you took a dream, a radio
[00:28:13] station, and you turn it into a global black media experience.
[00:28:18] And I want to know why was it important for you because you could have just went into media and went any route.
[00:28:24] But you said, no, I need to stay in my community with my, my foundation and my platform.
[00:28:30] Why are you so passionate about having black voices represented in media?
[00:28:35] Because it's my family tradition.
[00:28:37] Like I told you about my mother and her band.
[00:28:39] We have a school that's 115 years old, the Piney Woods School in Piney Woods, Mississippi.
[00:28:45] We don't get government money.
[00:28:47] All A-L-L of our student body receive some form of scholarship from us.
[00:28:53] We raise the money.
[00:28:55] We do what is necessary.
[00:28:56] The school is 115 years old, founded by my mother's father.
[00:29:01] We have always believed in this.
[00:29:03] You got to do good before you can do well.
[00:29:05] At one time there were 40, about 44, I think was the number black boarding schools in America.
[00:29:11] Now they're three and we're the largest and the most, most well endowed of the three that are left.
[00:29:20] And I think that we're the only one of the three that actually has all of our students on some form of scholarship.
[00:29:30] When, you know, Michael Jordan said he didn't know people were going to pay him to play basketball.
[00:29:37] That's how I feel about helping people.
[00:29:39] I didn't know I was going to be rewarded.
[00:29:41] Okay.
[00:29:42] I was doing it because I thought it was the right thing to do.
[00:29:44] And I saw the need.
[00:29:46] I grew up in the projects.
[00:29:50] And I not only didn't want to rear my child in the projects, I didn't want to stay in the projects, but I also didn't want my friends, my neighbors to live.
[00:30:02] But when I grew up in the projects in Omaha, Nebraska, they turned the heat off at 11 o'clock at night and didn't turn it back on until six o'clock in the morning.
[00:30:13] And Omaha goes below zero in the winter and above 100 in the summer.
[00:30:19] And we had to sleep in our clothes.
[00:30:21] We had to sleep in our coat.
[00:30:23] We had to sleep in our boots because we would have frozen overnight if we hadn't.
[00:30:28] And I didn't want that.
[00:30:30] I didn't want that for anybody, not just myself.
[00:30:33] I wasn't trying to escape.
[00:30:35] I had the Harriet Tubman syndrome.
[00:30:38] I wasn't trying to escape for just myself.
[00:30:40] I was trying to take at least a thousand more with me and make certain that they didn't spend.
[00:30:46] And poverty is generational oftentimes because it's a mindset.
[00:30:52] Someone who is having to get food stamps will buy a $200 pair of tennis shoes, will get a $350 hair appointment.
[00:31:07] That is the mentality that has to, that mentality of poverty has to be broken.
[00:31:13] And so much of that ties into what I was talking about earlier, thinking that we're not worthy, thinking that we're not superior.
[00:31:21] Okay.
[00:31:22] The queen, okay.
[00:31:25] Cleopatra was a Nubian woman.
[00:31:27] She wasn't my color.
[00:31:29] She wasn't your color.
[00:31:30] She was African black.
[00:31:32] Okay.
[00:31:33] Exactly.
[00:31:33] She was, okay.
[00:31:34] Never T.
[00:31:35] These women of power.
[00:31:38] Okay.
[00:31:40] That's, I love that movie Woman King.
[00:31:42] Okay.
[00:31:43] Because all of that existed in our history.
[00:31:45] All of that's true.
[00:31:47] Okay.
[00:31:47] That story may not have been no more than Wakanda was real, but okay.
[00:31:54] But you have to have some element of truth to be able to even fantasize about.
[00:31:59] Okay.
[00:32:00] Exactly.
[00:32:01] When I was, you know, young, the favorite television show was the Jetson.
[00:32:05] Well, now that's exactly what we do.
[00:32:07] And we're talking on our watch or okay.
[00:32:09] Or get smart.
[00:32:10] He was a detective and he used to talk to his watch and people thought, Oh, that's that.
[00:32:15] It had an element of truth because what are the things that we oftentimes forget about is things that we're experiencing now have been in development for decades.
[00:32:25] It's not brand new.
[00:32:27] Okay.
[00:32:28] All right.
[00:32:30] They've been working on certain things.
[00:32:31] And one of the things that scares me that they've been working on is concentration camps for black folks.
[00:32:38] That's what that 2025 plan is about.
[00:32:41] The King Alfred plan.
[00:32:42] You don't need to read it.
[00:32:43] Okay.
[00:32:44] Just like they incarcerated the Japanese.
[00:32:47] We, they already think that we're disposable.
[00:32:51] And part of it is their guilt.
[00:32:53] Okay.
[00:32:53] They can say what they want about loud.
[00:32:55] You know, I didn't enslave you.
[00:32:57] It's in your DNA, unfortunately.
[00:33:00] Okay.
[00:33:00] And if you're really a God fearing conscious person, you got serious guilt.
[00:33:05] Okay.
[00:33:06] Right.
[00:33:06] So the reality is things that electric cars, electric cars were developed 30, 40 years ago.
[00:33:17] Okay.
[00:33:18] It's just now coming to market.
[00:33:21] And the area that was, you know, so hard hit by Hurricane Milton, Orlando to Tampa is going to have, it was supposed to come this year, but because of COVID is delayed either 2025 or 2026.
[00:33:41] Passenger occupied drone flights, no pilots.
[00:33:46] The plane will fly you from Orlando, Florida, to Tampa, Florida in 18 minutes.
[00:33:52] It's a drone, a gigantic drone that two passengers will fit in and it'll be remote control from the ground, no pilots.
[00:34:00] So I'm all passionate when I find out about this.
[00:34:03] And then I meet a scientist who told me that the military has been flying planes without pilots for decades.
[00:34:11] That's believable.
[00:34:13] All right.
[00:34:14] Okay.
[00:34:15] They said when they train fighter pilots, that the planes that they have to shoot down don't have a pilot in them.
[00:34:23] I said, Oh my goodness.
[00:34:24] How did I miss that?
[00:34:25] That was hiding in plain sight.
[00:34:28] Mm-hmm.
[00:34:28] Those planes are up there being controlled, fighter jets being controlled remotely so that the soldier can learn how to shoot it down.
[00:34:37] How else?
[00:34:38] Okay.
[00:34:39] I was like, duh.
[00:34:40] I never even thought about that.
[00:34:42] So now that it's going to be commercially carrying me and you if we're brave enough.
[00:34:48] I ain't brave enough.
[00:34:49] I ain't brave enough.
[00:34:51] I ain't gonna lie to you.
[00:34:52] Okay.
[00:34:53] They can't go.
[00:34:53] Okay.
[00:34:54] I ain't gonna ride the drone.
[00:34:55] No.
[00:34:56] Okay.
[00:34:56] My grandchildren can say, Grandma Kathy said she'd never do it and she never would.
[00:35:01] But there's going to be a drone that goes Orlando, Florida to Tampa and back 18 minutes.
[00:35:07] Well, anybody who's going to be a guinea pig on that, y'all let me know how the experience is because I'm going to be sitting right there.
[00:35:13] Yeah, thank you.
[00:35:13] I'll be sitting back in the car.
[00:35:16] Hey, let me know how you like that.
[00:35:18] Yeah, exactly.
[00:35:19] But I appreciate the way that you've worked and structured your media company and how you've been so inspirational to so many people.
[00:35:27] Everybody does not know I thank Miss Hughes behind the scenes for bringing the Amanda Seals show to the airwaves.
[00:35:33] I'm a big Amanda Seals fan.
[00:35:35] I've had the pleasure of talking to her several times.
[00:35:37] And I feel that content is so necessary on the airwaves is very necessary because we take up so much jargon and, you know, just traditional media.
[00:35:48] And when we don't have a moment to listen, laugh and learn.
[00:35:52] That's when they came to the airwaves.
[00:35:54] Oh, thank you, Miss Hughes.
[00:35:56] Appreciate it.
[00:35:57] So now I can be in my car with the family.
[00:35:59] A difference opinion.
[00:36:00] Okay.
[00:36:01] She's not afraid.
[00:36:01] She's not trying to protect her paycheck or her career.
[00:36:05] I get so tired.
[00:36:07] Even these preachers.
[00:36:07] I just had a fallen, not a fallen out, but a discussion that didn't go very well with the preacher, very prominent mega church, the whole nine yards.
[00:36:20] And I just was scanning, came across his service as he was saying, now, I can't tell you who to vote for, but I will tell you, you got to vote.
[00:36:30] Now, I can tell you how I'm going to vote, but I can't tell you what you should do.
[00:36:36] So when I called him, he said, well, you know, we have 501 C3.
[00:36:39] And so churches, I said, that's BS.
[00:36:42] Okay.
[00:36:43] During the civil rights era, that's Dr.
[00:36:45] King once said, and I didn't understand it, that if you would give him 500 committed ex incarcerated brothers, he would trade you 15,000 black Baptist preachers.
[00:36:58] And I was like, ooh, that's kind of harsh.
[00:37:00] Why would Dr. King say something like that?
[00:37:02] Because it's black Baptist preachers, not until the unions got involved.
[00:37:07] Did they stand in those pulpits and direct people?
[00:37:11] That's what leadership's about.
[00:37:13] Okay.
[00:37:13] Jesus told folks what to do.
[00:37:15] Okay.
[00:37:16] He told them what they could and what they could not do.
[00:37:19] Because if you're going to be a real preacher, you're going to tell them, well, I can't tell you who to vote for.
[00:37:24] But you better be telling them who to vote for.
[00:37:27] The eight or two choices.
[00:37:28] Okay.
[00:37:29] But I'll tell you who I can because I got it.
[00:37:32] We are so afraid.
[00:37:33] And Amanda's not afraid.
[00:37:35] Amanda's not going to build her career.
[00:37:37] Amanda has the level of competence and smart.
[00:37:40] Is that a smart sister?
[00:37:41] Oh, my God.
[00:37:42] That's what, I'm sorry we lost connection right quick.
[00:37:45] But that's what intrigues me so much about her show and her content.
[00:37:49] And I know she is not the most people that will gravitate to her, but her content and messaging.
[00:37:55] And when I first started hearing it on the airwaves, I was so thankful for it because, like I said, we take in so much nonsense.
[00:38:00] Why can't we take in information that we need to know?
[00:38:03] There are some things that fall between the lines that we just miss if we don't listen and pay attention to it.
[00:38:11] See, there's a classic example.
[00:38:13] When we're in charge, things are different.
[00:38:15] We run the Cosby Show.
[00:38:17] All right.
[00:38:19] And we run the Cosby Show because to this day, that is the best portrayal of black life that has ever been on television.
[00:38:28] Blackies has come close.
[00:38:29] Okay.
[00:38:30] Right.
[00:38:30] And the brothers have come close, but consistently.
[00:38:33] Okay.
[00:38:34] And for him to be stupid and make that type of criminal mistake should not penalize Felicia Rashad and Lisa Bonet, the rest of the entire cast.
[00:38:46] Talented ensemble.
[00:38:48] But more importantly, a message.
[00:38:50] From that, it spun off a different world.
[00:38:54] College attendance multiplied because of that one television show.
[00:38:59] Yes.
[00:38:59] The good that those two shows did and the spin off and the personality.
[00:39:05] Okay.
[00:39:05] He's the only one that's scandal ridden.
[00:39:07] So why should all the rest of the people who put forth their best?
[00:39:12] Okay.
[00:39:12] And he's paid the price.
[00:39:13] Okay.
[00:39:14] Because whatever possessed him to make those mistakes.
[00:39:20] Okay.
[00:39:21] But again, that's between him and God and him and the legal system.
[00:39:24] So I'm not going to penalize my audience, my viewing audience, nor am I going to penalize the cast to deprive them of a beautiful series of black life that most people don't even know exists.
[00:39:38] Okay.
[00:39:39] And it's more for black people to see it, to learn that it exists than it is for any other community.
[00:39:46] Because right now you watch the news and all you see, you read the papers, still this whole image.
[00:39:55] George Floyd was on that ground for nine and a half minutes.
[00:39:58] And I keep asking, when I discuss the issue of George Floyd, all those people who videotaped it, no one was willing to take a chance and snatch that cop off that brother after five minutes, six minutes, seven minutes, eight minutes.
[00:40:14] None of you ever, none of you had the desire to save the brother's life.
[00:40:20] And I think, Amanda's not scared.
[00:40:22] Those people who videotaped it standing there watching the execution of George Floyd had no balls, as old folks like to say, had no heart, had no courage.
[00:40:34] They were afraid.
[00:40:35] Well, it's not an old folks saying, trust me, I say that often.
[00:40:38] So, but I appreciate that kind of content.
[00:40:43] And I appreciate how you promote things within our community, even though I know your media expands and outside of our community.
[00:40:50] But just to have that foundation is such an important element to us.
[00:40:55] And it inspires other women because, as you know, entertainment industry is not an easy industry, okay?
[00:41:03] Even when it comes to just media, podcasting, there are still things that black women have to go through.
[00:41:10] And this is going to be my last question before I let you go, I know you are a busy woman.
[00:41:14] How would you?
[00:41:15] Yeah, excuse me, never too busy to spend the time with a sister who's bringing forth positive energy and vibrations.
[00:41:23] And that's what you're doing, Michelle Tompkins.
[00:41:25] And so, listen, you can get me again if you want me.
[00:41:28] I'd be honored.
[00:41:29] Oh, see, I appreciate that.
[00:41:31] You just made my day, Miss Hughes, I promise you.
[00:41:33] But I look at you with such inspiration because you have built such a legacy.
[00:41:37] And now your son is carrying on your legacy.
[00:41:40] And women in media, we don't have it easy.
[00:41:43] And this is why I know that was part of my inspiration to do an independent route.
[00:41:49] Because if I wait and hold my breath for somebody to pick me up, it will never happen.
[00:41:54] It will never happen.
[00:41:56] So I think women such as yourself, Amanda, other women that you work with, such an inspiration to women in media.
[00:42:02] But when it comes to women who are interested in the field, can you kind of give us some gems on how they should have the mindset on what they're about to deal with?
[00:42:13] Well, number one, it's kind of like being in the media is kind of like bartending.
[00:42:20] Everybody thinks they can do it.
[00:42:21] But it's hard work.
[00:42:22] It's real hard work.
[00:42:25] OK.
[00:42:27] And unless you're a superstar, like a Ricky Smiley.
[00:42:33] OK.
[00:42:33] Tom Joyner, a D.L. Hughley, an Amanda Seals.
[00:42:38] You don't make a lot of money, quite frankly.
[00:42:41] It's media.
[00:42:42] Sales is where you make the money.
[00:42:44] OK.
[00:42:45] In music, it's writing and publishing where you make the money.
[00:42:50] OK.
[00:42:52] Being out there on that stage, Beyonce is tired when she comes off that stage.
[00:42:56] OK.
[00:42:56] I interviewed her years ago and I have a feeling it probably hasn't changed.
[00:43:01] She said, Miss Hughes, I'll be honest with you.
[00:43:03] I don't remember a day where my feet did not hurt.
[00:43:06] OK.
[00:43:07] All right.
[00:43:08] That's punishing for your body to have to do that.
[00:43:11] OK.
[00:43:12] Night after night, performance after performance.
[00:43:16] Media is the same way.
[00:43:18] It looks better from the outside than on the inside.
[00:43:21] Oh, yes.
[00:43:25] And one of the biggest challenges is holding onto your integrity and being candid.
[00:43:32] Like you said, there may be a lot of people who will never give Amanda Seals the opportunity
[00:43:38] to enlighten them, which is what she does.
[00:43:41] And she's good at it.
[00:43:43] OK.
[00:43:43] And she's accurate with it.
[00:43:47] But that doesn't diminish the amount of effort she has to put into it.
[00:43:52] Whether she's reaching 1,000 people, 10,000 people or 100,000 people, it takes the same
[00:43:59] amount of research and preparation and energy for her to do what she does.
[00:44:04] And so the thing that you must really, really make up your mind is that you're willing to
[00:44:11] be in it for the long run.
[00:44:13] It's not a quick hit every now and then.
[00:44:16] I mean, Oprah is who she is after decades.
[00:44:20] OK.
[00:44:21] Yep.
[00:44:21] Oprah didn't just get up one more and, hey, world, I'm Oprah.
[00:44:25] OK.
[00:44:27] Decades of being rejected.
[00:44:30] Decades of being told what to do.
[00:44:32] Decades.
[00:44:33] OK.
[00:44:34] And Oprah, you know, now is at the age where she's just now beginning to enjoy the same
[00:44:39] thing with me in my life.
[00:44:41] OK.
[00:44:42] So you have to make up your mind that you're willing to make the sacrifice, that you're
[00:44:47] willing to really go the distance.
[00:44:50] And you have to really realize that, yes, some people will hit pay dirt, but it's like
[00:44:55] playing the lottery.
[00:44:56] Everybody don't win the lottery number.
[00:44:58] OK.
[00:44:58] Exactly.
[00:45:00] OK.
[00:45:00] So, yes, there will be other Oprah's, but you may not be.
[00:45:04] OK.
[00:45:05] The other Oprah.
[00:45:06] OK.
[00:45:07] You have to really also not complain.
[00:45:12] One of the things that I try to share with everyone, and if you don't mind, Michelle,
[00:45:16] I'll close with this.
[00:45:18] Sometimes we do our own worst PR.
[00:45:21] People will say, how's it going?
[00:45:23] Oh, this podcast is so hard.
[00:45:25] My numbers aren't growing.
[00:45:26] I can't get sponsors.
[00:45:29] Yes.
[00:45:30] The first person who hears that is you.
[00:45:32] It comes out your mouth, goes in your ear first.
[00:45:35] OK.
[00:45:35] Yes.
[00:45:35] You have to have a positive attitude even during your rough times.
[00:45:39] You have to say, this week was kind of rough, but next week, OK, I had three guests
[00:45:44] just canceled.
[00:45:46] Didn't one didn't you show up a call?
[00:45:48] OK.
[00:45:49] I'm sitting there having to do fillers to try to do fill in my time.
[00:45:54] You've got to understand that you've got to keep a positive attitude because if you
[00:46:01] complain, people who really love you like your dad.
[00:46:05] OK, your daddy called me.
[00:46:06] Aren't you supposed to be backstage?
[00:46:09] OK.
[00:46:09] I'm like, Negro, please.
[00:46:10] I earn a living doing this.
[00:46:13] OK.
[00:46:13] All right.
[00:46:17] Please don't work with you, please.
[00:46:24] OK.
[00:46:25] We really love you.
[00:46:27] Yeah.
[00:46:27] My mother made me promise that I would quit trying to own a radio station.
[00:46:33] My clothes falling off.
[00:46:34] I apologize because I didn't adjust to this top 12 times since I've been on this podcast
[00:46:41] with you.
[00:46:42] I don't know.
[00:46:42] Oh, I put it on to get my makeup on since we ran late.
[00:46:47] People who really love you will give you good advice accidentally and they'll discourage
[00:46:51] you.
[00:46:52] My mother begged me to give up trying to own a radio station and go get a good government
[00:46:56] job.
[00:46:57] At 94 years old in the midst of dementia, one day she had a lucid day and she said, I just
[00:47:03] want to thank you for not listening to me and that terrible advice I gave you.
[00:47:06] She said that was the worst damn advice I ever gave you in your life.
[00:47:12] So when you're trying to pursue something in the media, be careful about how you describe
[00:47:19] how you do it.
[00:47:20] Okay.
[00:47:21] Talk about the brightness of tomorrow.
[00:47:25] Talk about the opportunity that you know is coming your way and particularly be optimistic
[00:47:31] about the revenue.
[00:47:32] I used to complain, oh my God, I don't know how I'm gonna make payroll.
[00:47:36] And finally someone said that to me.
[00:47:39] They said, you're doing the worst, worst, worst PR, bad PR on yourself that I've ever seen.
[00:47:47] Yeah.
[00:47:48] Because you're telling people you're failing instead of, okay, success is right around the
[00:47:54] corner.
[00:47:55] So, keep your eye on the prize.
[00:47:57] Be careful how you describe how you're doing.
[00:48:01] And if in fact, you don't think that you can pull it off, you make that decision.
[00:48:08] Don't be influenced by someone else.
[00:48:10] Don't be saying, would you think I'm good at this?
[00:48:12] Do you think that I'll ever get syndicated?
[00:48:15] Do you think, okay, you have to have confidence that is your dream.
[00:48:20] And if you believe in it, you will achieve it.
[00:48:23] Amen.
[00:48:24] And I will applaud my dad for this because he's always, he'll tell you, I woke up, I actually
[00:48:30] came out the womb with the microphone.
[00:48:32] And he was like, I'm so glad you put that to you because you was driving me crazy when
[00:48:35] you were a child.
[00:48:36] So, it paid off.
[00:48:37] Of all the things that you've done, because you've done so many things, you've been on
[00:48:40] the mic, you've been off, you've been behind it.
[00:48:42] What's your favorite thing?
[00:48:44] What brings you the greatest amount of joy?
[00:48:46] I love tapping on common sense in conversation.
[00:48:50] I love tapping on stuff that we're not, we're afraid to say out loud.
[00:48:54] Because I just did an episode on handling your haters and the signs.
[00:49:00] And you know, you may think that, well, you're in a certain bracket, Michelle, why are
[00:49:03] you discussing that?
[00:49:04] Because even in my bracket, as everyone else's, we all have haters.
[00:49:08] But the episode is to encourage you to see that, also to let you know that you're doing
[00:49:14] something right.
[00:49:15] Because you're not successful if you don't have somebody rolling and sucking their teeth
[00:49:20] in the background.
[00:49:20] And I actually explain, it fuels me, not to a point of anger, but it fuels me because now
[00:49:28] I'm about to get into RoboCop mode.
[00:49:31] I'm about to be up in here in the studio doing everything.
[00:49:35] That's the passion I love about bringing common sense conversations and saying what needs
[00:49:39] to be said to the forefront.
[00:49:41] Mm-hmm.
[00:49:42] So, at this stage in your career, you love the podcast arena?
[00:49:49] This is my passion because I did a show with my sister previously, and we did that for
[00:49:53] several years.
[00:49:54] It was the Gossiping Heifers.
[00:49:56] And we did-
[00:49:57] Oh, that's right.
[00:49:57] I forgot you were a gossip heifer.
[00:49:59] Yeah, I'm a former heifer.
[00:50:01] So-
[00:50:01] Yeah, you're a former gossip.
[00:50:03] Oh, that was a good show though.
[00:50:05] Thank you.
[00:50:05] I appreciate that.
[00:50:06] Yeah, I remember that, the gossip.
[00:50:09] I thought, number one, the name was so creative.
[00:50:12] That's my sister.
[00:50:13] She's the one that put the name out there.
[00:50:15] And we did that for several years.
[00:50:17] My sister did not have a passion for podcasting.
[00:50:20] She has the personality for it, but that's not her passion.
[00:50:23] So, when we decided to pull the plug, I was encouraged to go solo.
[00:50:27] I was scared.
[00:50:28] I was like, I don't have nobody to bounce off of.
[00:50:30] No, no, no, just talk.
[00:50:33] And so far, it's been a very pleasing opportunity.
[00:50:37] I am doing what I love.
[00:50:39] Well, I love the name.
[00:50:40] You know, the movie about my ex-husband is called Talk To Me.
[00:50:46] That's what it's inspired.
[00:50:48] You know, it's probably Pat or Petey Green and okay, all of that.
[00:50:52] Okay.
[00:50:52] So, when you brought up Petey Green, I knew because of the similarity of the names.
[00:50:59] Talk To Me, Michelle is perfect.
[00:51:01] Play off the movie, Talk To Me.
[00:51:03] But what you just said about your sister not having the passion.
[00:51:08] Okay.
[00:51:09] If you had a, not had the passion, you would have said, yeah, well, you know, we had a good
[00:51:15] run.
[00:51:16] It's over now.
[00:51:17] Let me go do something else.
[00:51:18] But you knew your eye was on the prize of what you wanted to do.
[00:51:22] So, you contained and managed your fear.
[00:51:28] Okay.
[00:51:28] Your uncertainty.
[00:51:30] Because it was your dream, not hers.
[00:51:33] Okay.
[00:51:33] Exactly.
[00:51:34] And she was honest enough with you to say, I'm not going forward.
[00:51:37] This ain't my thing.
[00:51:39] Okay.
[00:51:40] Right.
[00:51:40] But the, the gossip heifers was good.
[00:51:43] Okay.
[00:51:44] I appreciate that.
[00:51:45] Yeah.
[00:51:45] We had a good run.
[00:51:47] It was a great opportunity, but I think that was a opportunity for me to get seasoned.
[00:51:51] Yeah.
[00:51:52] And when I say seasoned, because it was a self-contained operation like this one, graphics,
[00:51:57] videos, audio editing, all that's in house.
[00:52:01] And it gave me a run through like a marathon.
[00:52:05] How many times am I going to pass the baton to the next runner, the next level?
[00:52:09] So I think it seasoned me.
[00:52:12] It definitely gave me an interior where I know everybody's not going to love what I have
[00:52:16] to say, but I'm going to say it anyway.
[00:52:18] And that's the joy of being on a platform where you can speak your mind and you will find
[00:52:23] other people that agree with you and are going through the same thing.
[00:52:28] Most importantly, it's a platform where you're in charge.
[00:52:32] And see, that's what I love to, I mean, I love to be, I've been with radio stations
[00:52:36] before.
[00:52:37] That's fine.
[00:52:37] But when I have an independent outlet and channel where I can do it the way I like to,
[00:52:42] that's fine.
[00:52:43] I love it.
[00:52:43] And you learn from your mistakes.
[00:52:45] All of us make mistakes.
[00:52:47] But you also rejoice in your successes because you know you're the reason.
[00:52:53] Exactly.
[00:52:54] I can't blame nobody else but me if it don't go through.
[00:52:57] Nor can you celebrate anyone but yourself when you are able to hit a home run.
[00:53:01] Okay.
[00:53:02] And all business is in a cycle.
[00:53:05] You have uptime, you have downtime, you have uptown, you have, it's a cycle.
[00:53:09] It's not a projectile.
[00:53:12] They go straight up.
[00:53:13] Okay.
[00:53:14] You go, it's kind of like healing.
[00:53:15] You know, you feel better today and then you're like, oh my God, I feel worse on the third
[00:53:20] day than I did on the second day.
[00:53:22] Okay.
[00:53:23] And I thought I was getting better, but that's how business is.
[00:53:26] Some days are great and some days ain't so great.
[00:53:30] But on the ain't so great days, you just have to tell yourself the sun will come out
[00:53:35] tomorrow.
[00:53:36] And that's the attitude and energy I try to keep with every week that I'm trying to do something.
[00:53:41] So I just keep that energy.
[00:53:43] Even if something falls through, I'm like, hey, it is what it is.
[00:53:47] We'll just try it again next time.
[00:53:50] Well, I thank you for being this time with you.
[00:53:54] Well, I appreciate it, Ms. Hughes, because I know you have so many things on your schedule
[00:53:57] and for you to take time out to talk to me and give us this experience.
[00:54:00] I am so grateful and I look forward to hopefully speaking with you in the near future.
[00:54:04] I'll look forward to it.
[00:54:05] The girls know that I didn't have a choice.
[00:54:08] Your daddy would have kidnapped me.
[00:54:10] I'd be kidding.
[00:54:16] I was like, you said, it was a secret to his success in the industry.
[00:54:21] And that's definitely why I was an admirable trait and admirable trait.
[00:54:26] So give me a hug for me and tell him I didn't mean to take his head.
[00:54:30] I snap his head off.
[00:54:31] I was like, yeah, I did.
[00:54:33] But anyway, well, I was already running late.
[00:54:35] Okay.
[00:54:36] And he was like, aren't you supposed to be backstage?
[00:54:40] Hey, don't think you just deal with that professionally, Ms. Hughes.
[00:54:44] Think about how I was raised.
[00:54:45] Okay.
[00:54:45] So I was-
[00:54:46] Oh, yes.
[00:54:47] Keep that in mind.
[00:54:49] God bless you.
[00:54:50] Love to your whole family.
[00:54:53] Thank you.
[00:54:53] Yours too.
[00:54:54] Thank you so much, Ms. Hughes.
[00:54:55] You have a blessed day.
[00:54:56] Okay.
[00:54:56] You too.
[00:54:57] God bless.
[00:55:00] Thank you for joining me on this episode of Talk to Me, Michelle.
[00:55:03] I hope you enjoyed my conversation with the incredible Kathy Hughes and gained some valuable
[00:55:08] insights from her inspiring story.
[00:55:10] If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends.
[00:55:15] Don't forget to follow the podcast on all social media platforms at Talk to Me, Michelle, just
[00:55:21] to stay updated on all the latest episodes.
[00:55:23] And I try to give you guys little jokes on social media, you know, a couple of reels
[00:55:27] here, inspiration there.
[00:55:29] I like to sprinkle a little bit so we have a nice balance.
[00:55:31] So until next time, keep talking, keep learning, and always stay empowered.
[00:55:37] Peace.