Joining us this week is Bernadette Speakes!

Bernadette is an actor and director with 20+ years in the industry. As an actor, Bernadette has performed in theaters throughout the country. Her directorial credits include theater and film, such as The Bluest Eye in February 2020. Bernadette’s film PRIVOKE won the 2021 “Audience Choice Award” for the WOC/Unite and Entertwine’s 48 hr. Horror Film Festival Competition.

She is happily married, with two children and resides in California.

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This week, we have Esther Anaya joining us. Esther Anaya is an electric violinist, singer/songwriter, and DJ from Colombia. 

What an incredible list of talents. She came to the US with her family seeking political asylum in 2002 saying in a previous interview “The only thing I brought with me was my violin and my luggage.” As you can tell, music runs in her blood. She founded a non-profit called ASAF Angels. The organization serves underprivileged youth in her home country of Colombia and other countries around South and Central America as well as the US introducing them to a music education. Anaya’s love of music and sharing that love with the world is evident in everything she does.

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This week we are chatting with the very accomplished Jaqueline Fleming.

Jaqueline Fleming is an Actress, Producer, Director, Writer and Content Creator. She is a graduate of Columbia Film College in Chicago where she trained as an actress in the Theater and Film departments. Her dedication to her craft brought her numerous accolades including the prestigious Joseph Jefferson (JEFF) Awards, which she shares with other winners such as John Cusack.

After graduating Jaqueline moved to Hollywood in 1997 and began a fruitful Film and Television career as an actress. She has acted in over a 100 film, television, and commercial projects as a principal actress.

In 2018 Jaqueline Fleming was a part of the Producing Team at Sweet Unknown Studios that produced the Feature Film River Runs Red Starring John Cusack, Taye Diggs, George Lopez and Luke Hemsworth.

In 2019 with the blessing of her parent production company, Jaqueline began building her own production company, JAQ Entertainment Group. JAQ Entertainment Group develops, produces and executive produces Feature Films & Television Projects. Jaqueline has projects in development both at her company and her parent company Wes Miller Films.

In 2020 Jaqueline embarked on her directorial debut with the Tv Pilot Presentation Deadfall…a character driven action thriller

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Debra Wilson is an American actress, comedienne and television presenter. She is known for being the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series MadTv. She has also done voice work for various productions including Avatar, American Dad, The Proud Family, and the Boondocks to name a few. Her voice acting has also been used for a wide array of video games. A deeply insightful human and a powerful advocate for spiritual awakening and transcendence. We are extremely delighted to go deep into the mind of Debra Wilson.

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Today we have Leading Lady Ajia Munns. Ajia is originally from Cleveland, OH and mostly grew up in Dallas, TX. Finding her way in Hollywood, Ajia quickly learned she had to wear many hats in this industry. She produced her first independent web series “If I Knew You Were Coming”. These many hats include being an actor, writer, producer, and now founder & CEO of Geminae Productions aspires after Barbra Streisand’s Yentl, Tyler Perry, Hattie McDaniel, Eddie Murphy, Regina King, the Wayans brothers, Issa Rae, and so many more! Thank you for blessing us today Ajai and today which hat are you wearing?

Ajia Munns is an emerging actress/writer/producer who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrates the creativity, passion, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality projects. She studied at Second City School of improvisation in Hollywood, CA, and finished the two-year Meisner program at the Ruskin School of Acting in Santa Monica, CA. Ajia quickly learned in the indie world oftentimes you have to wear many hats. Producing her first independent web series If I Knew You Were Coming she found joy in bringing projects to life while also acting, her first love. Her goal as an actor, writer, producer, and now founder & CEO of Geminae Productions aspires after Barbra Streisand’s Yentl, Tyler Perry, Hattie McDaniel, Eddie Murphy, Regina King, the Wayans brothers, Issa Rae, and so many more. From afar these people have taught her it’s possible to excel wearing many hats.

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Lashawnda Golder is an entrepreneur based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Currently, Golder is the owner of the company Bad Girls Bail Bonds, but she also wears many other hats: she’s involved in real estate, staging, healthcare. A true hustler at heart, her personal mission is to help others achieve their goals and prides herself in understanding the process of life. Lashawnda is also a mother, grandmother, and mentor. 

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Monica Cargile is a fashion stylist based in Los Angeles whose work has been featured in Wonderland, Essence, and Billboard. She blends her love of fashion with visual storytelling to create memorable fashion moments, as seen through collaborations with MAC Cosmetics, Oakley and The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Harnessing style as a tool, Monica has demonstrated through her work how the transformative power of fashion can inspire and  project confidence, self-love and self-expression.

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Kimberly Sparks is an award-winning casting director working in the entertainment industry that moonlights as a personal fitness trainer. She began her career in casting in 2015, and has since worked in the casting department on well over 50 projects, serving as the casting director on 13. In 2020, she won the Best Casting award for the short film “Parallel” at the London International Film Festival. Kimberly has also previously worked as a teacher, ran her own podcast, and written a short story titled “Because Of You…”

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This is Leading Ladies: Past, Present, and Future, an interview podcast championing the stories and careers of women in entrepreneurship and entertainment. First episode drops January 3rd, 2022. Subscribe and follow @heep_ent on Instagram to get the latest updates.

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