

Professional Troublemaker with Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Creating a life that is authentic, bold, and purposeful takes audacity. It takes disruption. That is what it means to be a Professional Troublemaker. Join New York Times bestselling author, Luvvie Ajayi Jones, as she brings perspectives, conversations and deep dives about culture, business and leadership.
Her guests are world movers and change agents who have gotten where they are through their tenacity, their truth telling and commitment to making good trouble.
Her guests are world movers and change agents who have gotten where they are through their tenacity, their truth telling and commitment to making good trouble.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 2, 2021 • 46min
Expand Your World (Luvvie's Travel Essentials)
This week on Professional Troublemaker, we are airing an encore episode where Luvvie is sharing her travel favorites. As people get vaccinated and the world starts to open up again this summer and after traveling hundreds of thousands of miles for work and play, Luvvie has opinions to share on travel essentials. She's sharing everything from her favorite travel products from packing cubes that will help you organize your luggage to noise-canceling headphones to tune out the world during your flight to a few tips to make your trip a little easier.Visit Luvvie's travel page at Awesomely Luvvie to get links to the products mentioned in this episode.***Follow @Luvvie everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Check out her New York Times best-selling book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual! And be sure to order PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear Fighter Manual, Luvvie’s second book, wherever books are sold.Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker. Also, follow the podcast on Instagram! Email podcast@aweluv.com with feedback or questions!
📕 Grab a copy of Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual🔗 Connect with Luvvie Ajayi JonesInstagram & Threads (@Luvvie)LinkedInOfficial Website (Luvvie.org)🗣️ EngageShare your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker.For episode transcripts, check out Luvvie.org/podcastIf you're an aspiring writer, explore The Book Academy, Luvvie's masterclass for aspiring authors! 📚✨

May 25, 2021 • 1h 34min
Say Yes (with Elizabeth Gilbert)
Luvvie Ajayi Jones joins Elizabeth Gilbert on her Onward Book Club where they discuss drawing boundaries, audacious dreaming, and the concept of fearlessness. They share behind-the-scenes stories from Luvvie's TED talk and reflect on the journey of embracing their identity as a writer. The conversation highlights the importance of disrupting for the greater good and the value of sharing experiences and knowledge.

May 18, 2021 • 1h 10min
Unearth Who You Are (with Sarah Jakes Roberts)
On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking to bestselling author and businesswoman Sarah Jakes Roberts. Sarah is the daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes and Mrs. Serita Jakes and pastors a dynamic community of artists and professionals in Hollywood alongside her husband, Touré Roberts and is the phenomenal mother of six kids. In this episode, Sarah shares some of the adversities she’s had to overcome that eventually led her to who she is today. She’s an example of someone who is willing to show up with heart, and she’s a leader who demonstrates vulnerability, which is so important and valuable. What glitters is not always gold, and Sarah Jakes Roberts’ story is an example of all things coming together for good and the power of discovering your whole purpose through every experience in your life.***Follow @Luvvie everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Check out her New York Times best-selling book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual! And be sure to order PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear Fighter Manual, Luvvie’s second book, wherever books are sold.Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker. Also, follow the podcast on Instagram! Email podcast@aweluv.com with feedback or questions!
📕 Grab a copy of Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual🔗 Connect with Luvvie Ajayi JonesInstagram & Threads (@Luvvie)LinkedInOfficial Website (Luvvie.org)🗣️ EngageShare your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker.For episode transcripts, check out Luvvie.org/podcastIf you're an aspiring writer, explore The Book Academy, Luvvie's masterclass for aspiring authors! 📚✨

May 11, 2021 • 1h 7min
Challenge Authority (with Donna Brazile)
This week on Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is speaking to veteran political strategist, Donna Brazile. Donna is the former interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee and became the first African American woman to serve as the manager of a major party presidential campaign when she ran the campaign of former vice president Al Gore. Donna is a best-selling author and speaks at colleges and universities across the country. She’s been an adjunct professor at Georgetown and the Harvard Kennedy School and is currently the Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy at Howard University. Donna talks about her early ambitions of being a priest and later, a doctor, and how she found her calling for public service very early in her life. She and Luvvie also touch on the beauty of cherishing your inner child and challenging authority, as all great Professional Troublemakers do so well. Luvvie and Donna the importance of always asking why, how critical it is to lift others as we climb, and the cultures that shape us. Get ready to Challenge Authority with the latest episode of Professional Troublemaker.***Follow @Luvvie everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Check out her New York Times best-selling book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual! And be sure to order PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear Fighter Manual, Luvvie’s second book, wherever books are sold.Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker. Also, follow the podcast on Instagram! Email podcast@aweluv.com with feedback or questions!
📕 Grab a copy of Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual🔗 Connect with Luvvie Ajayi JonesInstagram & Threads (@Luvvie)LinkedInOfficial Website (Luvvie.org)🗣️ EngageShare your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker.For episode transcripts, check out Luvvie.org/podcastIf you're an aspiring writer, explore The Book Academy, Luvvie's masterclass for aspiring authors! 📚✨

May 4, 2021 • 1h 3min
Check Yourself (with Rachel Rodgers)
On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is talking to lawyer, coach, and newly minted author Rachel Rodgers. Rachel is the founder of Hello Seven, a multi-million-dollar company that teaches women how to earn more money and build wealth, and she’s the author of We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic PowerRachel is telling some powerful and formative stories she’s never shared before. She talks all about her career as a lawyer and how she shifted into the coaching and entrepreneurial space, and why she’s so passionate about making sure women – especially Black women – have the knowledge and tools they need to build multi-generational wealth. Rachel is someone who works hard, knows her boundaries, and is such a professional troublemaker. Luvvie and Rachel discuss how Rachel was able to go from a negative net worth to riding horses that she owns on her ranch. And through her book and her business, she walks women through how that life and outcome is possible for them as well.***Follow @Luvvie everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Check out her New York Times best-selling book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual! And be sure to order PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear Fighter Manual, Luvvie’s second book, wherever books are sold.Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker. Also, follow the podcast on Instagram! Email podcast@aweluv.com with feedback or questions!
📕 Grab a copy of Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual🔗 Connect with Luvvie Ajayi JonesInstagram & Threads (@Luvvie)LinkedInOfficial Website (Luvvie.org)🗣️ EngageShare your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker.For episode transcripts, check out Luvvie.org/podcastIf you're an aspiring writer, explore The Book Academy, Luvvie's masterclass for aspiring authors! 📚✨

Apr 27, 2021 • 1h 6min
Let Love Save You (with Yvette Noel-Schure)
In this #ArchiveApril episode, we're re-airing Luvvie's 2019 interview with Yvette Noel-Schure - legendary media mogul and publicist to stars like Prince, Maxwell, and Beyonce. Luvvie and Yvette are talking about how she chooses happiness and has established an award-winning career built on respect, loyalty, hard work, and love. And Yvette shares one of our favorite, heart-opening stories we've ever heard on the podcast. We learned so much about love and life from this conversation, we wanted to share it again.Be sure to follow Yvette on Instagram (@yvettenoelschure) and come back next week for an all-new episode of Professional Troublemaker.***Follow @Luvvie everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Check out her New York Times best-selling book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual! And be sure to order Luvvie’s second New York Times bestselling book PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear Fighter Manual wherever books are sold.Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker. Also, follow the podcast on Instagram! Email podcast@aweluv.com with feedback or questions!
📕 Grab a copy of Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual🔗 Connect with Luvvie Ajayi JonesInstagram & Threads (@Luvvie)LinkedInOfficial Website (Luvvie.org)🗣️ EngageShare your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker.For episode transcripts, check out Luvvie.org/podcastIf you're an aspiring writer, explore The Book Academy, Luvvie's masterclass for aspiring authors! 📚✨

Apr 20, 2021 • 1h 29min
Own the Narrative (with Rich Dennis)
In this 2018 episode that we're re-sharing as part of Archive April, Luvvie has an in-depth conversation with Sundial Brands Co-Founder and CEO Rich Dennis. In this interview, Rich shares how he went from selling soaps on 125th street in Harlem to building a business that is now a global conglomerate. He chats about why economic freedom is so critical for the Black community and breaks down the costs of (not) buying Black. He talks about buying ESSENCE Magazine and explains how he had the conviction to insist that Unilever invest $100 million in Black women entrepreneurs as part of this partnership with the megabrand. Follow Rich on Instagram at @richelieudennis, and follow his fund focused on women of color entrepreneurs, New Voices Fund, on Facebook and Instagram.***Follow @Luvvie everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Check out her New York Times best-selling book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual! And be sure to order Luvvie’s second New York Times bestselling book PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear Fighter Manual wherever books are sold.Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker. Also, follow the podcast on Instagram! Email podcast@aweluv.com with feedback or questions!
📕 Grab a copy of Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual🔗 Connect with Luvvie Ajayi JonesInstagram & Threads (@Luvvie)LinkedInOfficial Website (Luvvie.org)🗣️ EngageShare your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker.For episode transcripts, check out Luvvie.org/podcastIf you're an aspiring writer, explore The Book Academy, Luvvie's masterclass for aspiring authors! 📚✨

Apr 13, 2021 • 1h 2min
Own Your Purpose (with Thasunda Brown Duckett)
Today on Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is in conversation with Thasunda Brown Duckett. This is an encore episode from a previously aired conversation on Rants & Randomness that we just had to re-share as part of Archive April. At the time of this interview, Thasunda was serving as the CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, but earlier this year she was named as the president and CEO of TIAA and is the first woman to serve in that role. Thasunda is at the top of her game in her career and is a mother of four, proud wife, proud daughter, and just overall noir pixie dust carrier. In this interview, Luvvie and Thasunda talk about her upbringing, how she became the woman who cared so much about talking about money, especially when it comes to Black women and how you can diversify your life as a portfolio. ***Follow @Luvvie everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Check out her New York Times best-selling book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual! And be sure to order Luvvie’s second New York Times bestselling book PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear Fighter Manual wherever books are sold.Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker. Also, follow the podcast on Instagram! Email podcast@aweluv.com with feedback or questions!
📕 Grab a copy of Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual🔗 Connect with Luvvie Ajayi JonesInstagram & Threads (@Luvvie)LinkedInOfficial Website (Luvvie.org)🗣️ EngageShare your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker.For episode transcripts, check out Luvvie.org/podcastIf you're an aspiring writer, explore The Book Academy, Luvvie's masterclass for aspiring authors! 📚✨

Apr 6, 2021 • 51min
Go Unafraid (with Bozoma Saint John)
On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie is bringing back a conversation she had with her guest Bozoma Saint John back in 2018. We’re reaching back into past episodes of the podcast you may have missed and sharing great conversations with Professional Troublemakers as part of what we're calling Archive April.Though she’s now the Chief Marketing Officer for Netflix, at the time of this interview Boz had just left Uber and was taking on a new role as Endeavor’s Chief Marketing Officer. We talk about why she must bring unfiltered #NoirPixieDust into boardrooms and how she made her own lane at brands including Pepsi, Apple, Uber and Endeavor, and why bringing her real self into the C-Suite gives her an edge. Boz also shares why there’s no room for imposter syndrome in her life and why she’s her own biggest supporter.Let us know what your favorite interview has been from our past archive, and check back next week for a new interview!***Follow @Luvvie everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Check out her New York Times best-selling book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual! And be sure to order Luvvie’s second New York Times bestselling book PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear Fighter Manual wherever books are sold.Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker. Also, follow the podcast on Instagram! Email podcast@aweluv.com with feedback or questions!
📕 Grab a copy of Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual🔗 Connect with Luvvie Ajayi JonesInstagram & Threads (@Luvvie)LinkedInOfficial Website (Luvvie.org)🗣️ EngageShare your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker.For episode transcripts, check out Luvvie.org/podcastIf you're an aspiring writer, explore The Book Academy, Luvvie's masterclass for aspiring authors! 📚✨

Mar 30, 2021 • 58min
Give the Praise (with Jason Mayden)
On this episode of Professional Troublemaker, host Luvvie Ajayi Jones is talking to legendary shoe-designer and President of Fear of God Athletics, Jason Mayden. In this episode, they discuss Jason’s journey from designing girl’s names in bubble letters to designing shoes for Nike at 21. Jason describes his design strategy as “looking for the narrative”. Instead of looking at other products for inspiration, he sees products as artifacts that tell a story. And when it comes to presenting these ideas, he has had to kill impostor syndrome and advocate for himself. They converse about the urge to give in to impostor syndrome, the process of recognizing mediocrity, and the realization of belonging in a room. Jason describes Professional Troublemaking as being an accomplice--not an ally---and believes the world needs Professional Troublemakers in order to take risks and say the inconvenient thing at the inconvenient time. Kick back in your favorite kicks and enjoy this episode of Professional Troublemaker with iconic Chicagoan, Jason Mayden. ***Follow @Luvvie everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Check out her New York Times best-selling book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual! And be sure to order PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear Fighter Manual, Luvvie’s second book, at ProfessionalTroublemakerBook.com or wherever books are sold.Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker. Also, follow the podcast on Instagram! Email podcast@aweluv.com with feedback or questions!
📕 Grab a copy of Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual🔗 Connect with Luvvie Ajayi JonesInstagram & Threads (@Luvvie)LinkedInOfficial Website (Luvvie.org)🗣️ EngageShare your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #ProfessionalTroublemaker.For episode transcripts, check out Luvvie.org/podcastIf you're an aspiring writer, explore The Book Academy, Luvvie's masterclass for aspiring authors! 📚✨