{"podcast":{"title":"Money Making Conversations Master Class","slug":"money-making-conversations-master-class-991829","podcast_index_feed_id":991829,"rss_url":"https://www.omnycontent.com/d/playlist/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/b1db7263-d1a3-4d00-8976-af62012aab44/35a10561-3e1b-4d05-a529-af62012aab6a/podcast.rss","website_url":"https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-money-making-conversation-28341098/","image_url":"https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/b1db7263-d1a3-4d00-8976-af62012aab44/image.jpg?t=1739488379&size=Large","author":"Rushion McDonald","episode_count":1564,"summary":"Hi, this is Rushion McDonald. Welcome to the podcast world of Money Making Conversations Master Class. I interview profits and nonprofits to learn their \"Secrets to Success.\" I'm a former IBM Executive with a degree in Mathematics. I started my entrepreneurial career as a stand-up comic, then became a sitcom writer, award-winning baker, social media influencer, award-winning television Executive Producer, and brand architect for super-successful celebrities and products. Money Making Conversations Master Class interviews a diverse group of celebrities, entrepreneurs, and influencers in the financial and business community with their advice and tips so you can be successful, too. It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and start building your own. People always talk about their purpose or gifts. If you have a gift, Lead with your Gift, and don't let your friends, family, or co-workers stop you from planning or living your dream. Keep Winning! https://www.moneymakingconversations.com https://www.youtube.com/MoneyMakingConversations https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMakingConversations/ https://twitter.com/moneymakingconv https://www.instagram.com/moneymakingconversation…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-25T10:20:55.204275+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/money-making-conversations-master-class-991829"},"episode":{"title":"Motivation: From project failures to the death of his father, he shows how adversity can reshape purpose and leadership.","slug":"motivation-from-project-failures-to-the-death-of-his-father-he-shows-how-adversity-can-reshape-purpose-and-leadership","published_at":"2026-04-09T10:05:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/money-making-conversations-master-class-991829/motivation-from-project-failures-to-the-death-of-his-father-he-shows-how-adversity-can-reshape-purpose-and-leadership","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/money-making-conversations-master-class-991829","url":"https://omny.fm/shows/money-making-conversations-master-class-1/motivation-from-project-failures-to-the-death-of-his-father-he-shows-how-adversity-can-reshape-purpose-and-leadership","audio_url":"https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/b1db7263-d1a3-4d00-8976-af62012aab44/84d49833-296f-4edc-9845-b4000129cdc7/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=35a10561-3e1b-4d05-a529-af62012aab6a","summary":"Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio ,  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify , www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily.  I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur.  Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Lavar Thomas. Motivational speaker, author, Peace Corps alumnus, leadership coach, and founder of Empower for Greatness. Lavar’s mission is to help people transform “from the inside out” so they can live with greater intention and purpose. The conversation explores Lavar’s upbringing in Brownsville, Brooklyn; his life-changing Peace Corps service in Rwanda; his understanding of faith, purpose, failure, and leadership; and how he built international development programs such as Leaders of the Free World , which exposes young Black men to global travel and leadership experiences. He discusses how stepping outside his comfort zone—from traveling abroad for the first time to navigating Rwanda after only knowing it through “Hotel Rwanda”—opened his worldview, deepened his empathy, and developed his leadership style. Lavar explains how a major project failure in the Peace Corps forced him to redefine success beyond titles, money, or recognition. This experience ultimately inspired his book, The Other Side of Letting Go . He also shares how he balances a federal government job with building his speaki…","meta_description":"Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio , Apple Podcasts , Spotify , www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1693,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/money-making-conversations-master-class-991829/episodes/motivation-from-project-failures-to-the-death-of-his-father-he-shows-how-adversity-can-reshape-purpose-and-leadership/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/money-making-conversations-master-class-991829/motivation-from-project-failures-to-the-death-of-his-father-he-shows-how-adversity-can-reshape-purpose-and-leadership.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}