Eat It. Sleep It. Breathe It.

This is probably one of the most revealing interview I've ever had. I interviewed Willie Pettiford. This young man went from a troubled childhood to getting an athletic scholarship to having over 30 felonies. Throughout all of this drama and trauma Willie has now changed his life around and mentors young black males on how to avoid the street life through his company Voices of The Struggle/Breaking the Chain Mentorsing. In this interview you will learn: - Why a lot of young black boys join gangs. - The importance of self-worth and a solid family structure. - Why on earth a college athlete would jeopardize his whole future to commit crime. - How important it is to be a mentor for others.   For more information on Breaking The Chain Mentoring you can visit: https://www.btcmentoring.com/   For more information on Odell and what he offers visit: www.OdellBizzell.com  

It was a pleasure to sit down with my friend Tabitha James. Fresh off of her speaking tour entitled “Not. Posted” I sat down with Tabitha and she discussed how she was able to go from a small town in South Carolina to becoming an author, social entrepreneur, and speaker. As a social entrepreneur and venture capitalist in training, Tabitha envisions ultimately developing a destination marketing operation and investment firm. In 2016, she left her “comfortable life” to move to her small hometown with a population of less than 1,000 to care for her mother. This drastic change has had more of a benefit than she ever imagined. By getting involved in her local church, her alma mater’s alumni association, launching a mentoring program and working with some awesome grant-funded programs, Tabitha has found a way to leverage her “new-life”. Her ultimate goal is to continuously live and lead a life of purpose, fulfilled by service. On this episode we discussed: How your life off social media is more valuable than your

In this episode I go a little "left" as we discuss the right. A lot of the work I do in the education market has to do with diversity and building unity. Much of what divides people deals with very sensitive issues like race relations, politics, and religion.  So I interviewed a diehard conservative republican and Trump supporter: Brian Ayers. My beliefs differ from his and though we don't agree I felt the need to have a candid conversation to help people see how I think we should listen to the opposite sides of our beliefs. This is a very different episode so please listen with caution as we discuss some sensitive subjects. If you have any questions or want to send hate mail to Ayers please send it to: bcayers24@gmail.com. To find out more about Odell please visit: www.LifeBasedOnATrueStory.com or www.OdellBizzell.com

Have you ever wanted to run a Kickstarter campaign but didn't know how? In this episode I sit down with a brand new author Dr. Ashley Tauriac who was struggling to figure out how she would pay to properly edit and promote her new book with only a few hundred social media followers.   In this episode we talk about: How Dr. Tauriac was able to raise $3500 with just 62 contributors. What strategies she utilized before she set up her kickststarter to make it a success. Why you should consider utilizing a crowd funding platform.   To get Ashley’s book when it’s released and find out more about her blog please visit: www.AshleyTauriac.com   To learn more about Odell, his podcast, and his services visit: www.LifeBasedOnATrueStory.com

From scooping animal poop to speaking all across the country, Frank Kitchen's story is one worth hearing. In this episode we interview professional speaker and auctioneer Frank Kitchen. Frank's professional career in higher education to professional speaking to being an auctioneer amidst a myriad of other jobs has taught him the philosophy of living FRESH. After listening to this episode you will learn: - What living FRESH means and how to apply it to your life. - Why you shouldn't get complacent in your business. - How to connect different parts of your story into 1 career. - Why it's important to ask questions and live a life of service. To find out more about Frank and his business visit: www.FrankKitchen.com   To learn more about Odell and his business visit: www.OdellBizzell.com OR www.LifeBasedOnATrueStory.com 

This episode I was excited to sit down and chat with my good friend Tonya Rapley-Flash. Tonya Rapley-Flash is a nationally recognized millennial money expert and founder of the award-winning site, My Fab Finance. She has graced the cover of Black Enterprise magazine and was deemed the "New Face of Wealth Building". She was also selected as a Modern History Maker by TV One and has been recognized as one of the “Top 10 Most Influential Women in Personal Finance on Twitter”. Her mission is to help millennial women break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck and own their power. An engaging, relatable, and fun public speaker, Tonya has spoken at The New York Stock Exchange, Bloomberg, The Taco Bell Foundation, PepsiCo, Fidelity and a host of colleges and universities across the country. She has over 100,000 people following her on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram alone and was gracious enough to join me for an interview.   In our interview with Tonya we discuss: Foundational advice for current and aspiring

Most sixteen year olds are worrying about if they can get a drivers license, maybe the junior prom, or maybe even their pimples. Precious Sidbury was worried about where she was going to stay. Precious' mother dealt with some health challenges and was unable to work for about a year and because of that her and her siblings had to leave their home. They were homeless. Fortunately with the kind heart of her friend's parents, a great resolve, and a great faith Precious is now a college graduate. In 2017 she graduated from Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC with a 3.67 GPA and she has so far to go. In our interview we dig deep into the feelings she had during her family's tough financial time as well as the following: - How important mentorship was for Precious and what it can do for you. - Why you shouldn't complain about where you currently are in life. - How she overcame a $15,000 financial aid bill without student loan debt. - What's next for Precious. To follow more inspirational stories with life changing

When I was 19 I met a multi-millionaire who knew my Dad and began teaching me about financial literacy and personal development. Over the last 13 years he's continued to mentor and guide me and this episode is about many of the lessons my mentor William V. Thompson taught me. After listening to this episode you will learn: - Why financial literacy is important. - What to do if you've already messed up with your finances. - Why Monopoly is an ideal game for learning about financial success. - A different reason why you should get a job.   To learn more about William and his mentorship company please visit: http://cashflowu.org/  

When I was 18 years old I started selling Cutco knives. The training was intense, but it was life-changing. It was life changing in part to my first real mentor in sales Matt Drinkhahn. Over the course of a few days his whit, humor, and charisma truly made me believe that I could sell Cutco. I recently reconnected with Matt and we discussed his new business ventures and most importantly how much of a positive role sales can be for someone who isn't even interested in being in business.   On this episode you will journey with me and Matt on an empowering ride through nostalgia to answer really powerful questions such as: Does waking up in the morning help you to get more done? Should you have a 9-5 while you are building your entrepreneurial venturers. Why does sales have such a negative connotation? How do you sell without being sleazy or misleading? Why should you be selling yourself even if you aren’t in business for yourself? How everything is about sales and it will never go away. What mindset should you

The story of Kendra Barnes starts with her being born to a military family and presently includes her being an Economist by day and Real Estate Investor by night. She created The Key Resource to change the perception of what a Real Estate Investor is "supposed to" look like. Kendra owns and manages 3 properties ( 7 rental units total). She's on a mission to empower and educate Millennials about building wealth through Real Estate Investment. When she's not working, or looking for her next investment, you can find her thrift shopping, baking some gluten-free goodies or binge watching Netflix with her husband! In this short interview we will cover the following tidbits and nuggets for those interested in hearing more: What drawbacks are there in real estate investing? The biggest barrier to people getting into real estate and how to overcome it. A powerful educational resource for those interested in starting real estate investing. Resources: Link to the Key Resource 30 day free trial—https://the-key-resource.t

I give about 50 presentations a year to different audiences. In most of those presentations I ask the question: How many of you want to be successful? Usually every hand goes up. Why? Because most people "think" they want to become successful, but in actuality they really want two things we'll cover in this episode. People also forget 2 very important things about success that we will cover. For more episodes please visit: www.LifeBasedOnATrueStory.com   To learn more about Odell visit and his inspirational storytelling through keynote speeches, music, and his writing visit: www.OdellBizzell.com 

In this episode I interview an outstanding up and coming speaker and leadership trainer Raven Solomon. We reminisce on our time together at NC State, but we also discuss the difference between your passion and your purpose amongst many other things. Check out this episode and give your 

In this showcase interview, Odell interviews serial entrepreneur and former aspiring cage fighter, Blake Babcock. He is the founder of Babcock Supply company and an avid servant in his community in Ohio. Blake is also a former college athlete and has a great hunger for life that is very appropriate for the show.

Have you ever desired to get fit and just didn't know how? Have you ever gone through a very tough obstacle in life and you were simply unaware of how to get over it? In this showcase interview Odell Bizzell speaks with fitness expert and fitness model LaTrice Davis. LaTrice discusses how she overcame low self-esteem, depression, divorce, and uncertainty to now being a mother and fitness model. Tune in to hear her amazing story and see how you can be led to success as well!

This episode of Eat It Sleep It Breathe it is an interview between Odell and Ms. Rickiah Wingfield a former teacher in China. In this very different and gritty interview Odell and Rickiah discuss her life in China and how different the country is from the United States. They also discuss her experience as a teacher and what she learned about herself while teaching abroad. This interview will help the listener think about different ways they want to go beyond their borders in life and find their passion.

This interview was with the amazing young voice over actor Gabriel Kunda from Texas. We discuss him growing up as a Preacher's Kid and how he discovered his current career path so young. Gabriel has been hired by large companies such as the UFC & State Farm. Have you ever wondered who was the voice behind advertisements or promotions? Gabriel is an amazing young talent and we were fortunate to have him on the show.

In this showcase interview I had the opportunity to interview Greg Schermbeck the founder of Schermbeck Consulting. Schermbeck Consulting is an organization dedicated to improving the many facets of education. Their mission is to work alongside educational focused organizations to achieve audacious results for students & adults. They are swashbuckling in their beliefs and innovative in their work to best serve their clients. They will not stop until every scholar has access to a great education. This interview is raw and filled with great tips on how the founder built his business  as a Teach for America teacher from an idea into a phenomenal educational company that serves thousands of students in NC and beyond.  To learn more about Schermbeck Consulting visit--> http://schermbeck.co

Have you ever thought about leaving your job, but you were fearful about what it would look like? Have you ever felt like there's something more you should be doing but you weren't quite sure where you should start? If so you will love this showcase interview with Digital Strategy Professional Ms. Kenyetta Hall.   Learn how you can better connect to people that can help you, as well as how you can set yourself up better to leave your current job to work on your calling!

In this showcase interview we sit down and speak with the young, talented, and accomplished celebrity publicist Brittany Bailey. This episode will give you insight into how Brittany was able to go from waiting tables to being an independently represented publicist working with the clients such as Star Jones, Dwayne Wade, and even Hillary Clinton. She'll give her best practices for becoming a successful entrepreneur in the service industry. Have you ever wanted to work for yourself? Are you trying to figure out what industry/career path is best for you? Want to know what it takes to achieve great things in business? Have you ever thought about starting your own business or leaving your job?   If you answered yes to any of these questions, check out our podcast!

You ever thought about starting your own business? Do you think that once you start a business you will make more money and have more time? Many people believe that their calling or their passion is tied into a business. Though this is true, this episode goes over 4 common misconceptions that people have when they're starting a business for the first time.