April Vaughn Shabazz joins Issue Zero for a conversation about holistic wellness, entrepreneurship, stewardship, sustainability, and what it means to build a business rooted in purpose.

As the owner and lead formulator of Earth Tu Face, April shares how her personal healing journey, decades of experience in holistic health and education, and passion for herbalism led her to acquire and lead a plant-based skincare brand built on integrity, intentionality, and care. Together, they explore founder transitions, conscious consumerism, and why true wellness begins long before the products we put on our skin.

In the second half of the episode, Desirée Rogers joins the conversation to expand on leadership, brand stewardship, and the evolving beauty industry, offering an executive perspective on building enduring brands and creating businesses with lasting impact.

In this episode:

• April Vaughn Shabazz's journey from holistic health practitioner to entrepreneur
• Acquiring and leading Earth to Face
• Herbalism, holistic wellness, and lifelong learning
• The evolution of clean beauty and conscious consumerism
• Founder transitions and preserving a brand's mission
• Leadership, stewardship, and sustainable growth
• Executive insights from Desirée Rogers on brand-building and the future of beauty
• Why education is at the heart of meaningful entrepreneurship

Whether you're building a brand, leading a business, or simply curious about the intersection of wellness, purpose, and entrepreneurship, this conversation is an invitation to think more intentionally about the products we use, the businesses we support, and the impact we create.

Listen to Issue Zero.

Dr. Akilah Cadet joins Issue Zero for a conversation about leadership, systems of power, entrepreneurship, disability, storytelling, and what it means to create change from the inside out.

As the founder and CEO of Change Cadet, author of White Supremacy Is All Around Us, and co-owner of the Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul Sports Club, Dr. Cadet shares how personal experience shaped her work, and why learning and unlearning are essential to building stronger organizations, communities, and leaders. Through stories of navigating the workplace, advocating for herself, launching a business, and helping organizations rethink culture, she offers a perspective on how power, identity, and opportunity intersect in everyday life.

In this episode:

1. Dr. Cadet's journey from healthcare executive to entrepreneur
2. Why storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for change
3. Learning, unlearning, and challenging systems of power
4. Workplace discrimination, leadership, and advocating for yourself
5. Disability, identity, and leading authentically
6. The role of education, civic engagement, and critical thinking
7. Building organizations where people can truly thrive
8. Why meaningful change begins with honest conversations

Whether you're building a company, leading a team, or simply trying to better understand the world around you, this conversation is an invitation to ask deeper questions, think more critically, and lead with greater intention.

Listen to Issue Zero.

Purchase Dr. Akilah Cadet's Book:

White Supremacy Is All Around Us

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1. TrooRa Magazine
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Every great business begins with someone asking a simple question: "There has to be a better way."

In this episode of Issue Zero, Trystanne Cunningham and Seneca Connor sit down with entrepreneur Carla Truitt, founder of Eight Royale, to explore the story behind building a luxury brand from the ground up. From sketching her first ideas between board meetings and red carpets to navigating manufacturers, bootstrapping her business, and building a brand rooted in purpose, Carla shares what it really takes to create something that lasts.

Together, they unpack the realities of entrepreneurship that rarely make the headlines, from funding challenges and finding the right partners to why collaboration, community, and consistency matter more than perfection. Because every meaningful brand begins long before it becomes visible.

1. The moment Carla realized women deserved a better solution
2. Building Eight Royale from one simple idea
3. Finding manufacturers who believe in your vision
4. Bootstrapping a business without outside funding
5. Why consistency matters more than having all the answers
6. Collaboration over competition
7. Creating a legacy that empowers women
8. Why purpose has always been at the center of Eight Royale

Whether you're building your first product or your next chapter, this episode is a reminder that every meaningful business begins with someone willing to solve a real problem.

Listen to Issue Zero.

Some of the most meaningful things we create begin with one simple decision: to start.

In Episode 1 of Issue Zero, Trystanne Cunningham and Seneca Connor are joined by Tony and Emmy-nominated comedian, writer, producer, and bestselling author Amber Ruffin for an honest conversation on creativity, visibility, resilience, and the audacity required to build without waiting for permission.

After gracing the cover of Cunningham’s TrooRa Magazine The Womb Issue ’26 (available now), Ruffin reflects on the path that has shaped her work across Broadway, late-night television, publishing, and performance. She speaks with candor about navigating identity, advocating for women’s health, claiming space in rooms not designed with her in mind, and learning to ask for more with clarity and conviction.

Together, they explore the power of creating opportunities where none exist, the importance of representation, and the ways our most meaningful work often grows from the experiences that have shaped us most.

In this episode:

• Amber Ruffin's journey across comedy, television, Broadway, and publishing
• Why creators shouldn't wait for permission to pursue bold ideas
• The power of asking for what you deserve
• Black excellence, visibility, and creating authentic representation
• The realities of women's health, fibroids, endometriosis, and motherhood
• Creating impact beyond traditional definitions of success
• Why storytelling remains one of the most powerful tools for change

Whether you're building a creative career, navigating life's unexpected challenges, or learning to trust your own voice, this conversation is a reminder that your story, and how you choose to tell it, matters.

Every meaningful platform starts long before anyone is watching.

In the very first episode of Issue Zero, creator Trystanne Cunningham and co-host Seneca Connor sit down for an honest conversation about the experiences that shaped them long before entrepreneurship entered the picture.

From immigration and identity to grief, resilience, motherhood, creativity, and building businesses from the ground up, they explore what it really means to create with intention in a world where visibility isn't equally distributed.

Together, they unpack why they believe storytelling matters, why representation is more than a buzzword, and why Issue Zero was created. Not just as another podcast, but as a platform designed to amplify founders, creatives, and underrepresented voices through meaningful conversation.

This episode is the foundation for everything to come.

In this episode:

Why Issue Zero exists

• The stories that shaped Trystanne and Seneca before entrepreneurship
• Building businesses through uncertainty, setbacks, and resilience
• The relationship between identity, visibility, and opportunity
• Why ownership and representation matter now more than ever
• What listeners can expect from Season One
• Meet the founders, creatives, and change makers joining future episodes

Whether you're building a business, navigating your own identity, or simply looking for conversations rooted in purpose, this is where the story begins.

This is Issue Zero.