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Welcome to our first official podcast! This marks our official expansion into a new medium after 18 years of being a print publication. We have enjoyed connecting with the culture...
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Welcome to our first official podcast! This marks our official expansion into a new medium after 18 years of being a print publication. We have enjoyed connecting with the culture and community through creating 124 issues, producing thousands of articles, interview and live experiences. We're excited you're here to continue this journey with us. Let's keep the conversation going!
show less
Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
Transcribed
12 APR 2026 · Jennifer Magley is redefining what it means to build a career in sports. She's literally building a lane for herself, her way. From athlete to Chief Brand Officer of the first Black woman-owned (and for her, family owned) basketball league, The Basketball League she shares how she transitioned from playing tennis to leading behind the scenes and creating opportunities for herself and others on her own terms.
This conversation breaks down how women are building space in sports, why the industry goes far beyond athletes, and what it takes to step onto the biggest stages without waiting for permission. Jennifer also takes us inside her “Stage Quest,” where she set out to hit 100 stages in 365 days by turning everyday moments into opportunities. That includes a WWE Experience with Tyrese Haliburton, competing in a shrimp cocktail eating contest with St. Elmo Steak House during an Indiana Pacers game, milking cows at the Indiana State Fair, auditioning for the Mike Epps comedy show, exploring 4H experiences, hosting at Rally, and even launching a full campaign to land on the The Pat McAfee Show. Her journey is a real-time example of what it looks like to create visibility, build momentum, and turn bold ideas into real opportunities.
If you’re interested in sports careers, branding, media, or becoming a fearless creator, this episode is a masterclass in building your own lane.
Watch this episode for more on :
Going from athlete to sports executive leadership
How to build a career in the sports industry beyond playing
Women creating power and visibility in sports
Turning everyday moments into stages
The strategy behind bold campaigns and StoogeFest-style content
Why fearless creating asks no permission
Makeup by: KO Beauty https://www.kobeautyco.com/
Juice by: No Sugar Added Cold Pressed Juice https://www.nosugaraddedindy.net/
Transcribed
12 APR 2026 · Street Angel movie cast interview from Indianapolis to IMAX.
Watch how this Naptown film turned local talent into a big screen release.
In this special edition of the Midwest Leak Podcast, Lo the Don sits down with the cast and creators of Street Angel, a film rooted in Indianapolis and elevated to the IMAX experience.
This conversation dives into the real journey behind the film.
From writing and directing to acting and producing, the team shares how the story came together, how they adapted on set, and the moments that gave the film its heart.
The cast reflects on faith, community, and the power of collaboration.
With no major studio backing, this project shows what can happen when local creatives commit to a shared vision and execute at a high level. Street Angel is a raw, faith-full reflection of real life, real experiences, and the spirit of Indianapolis culture.
📍 Filmed in Indianapolis
🎥 Premiering in IMAX 4/19/26 and expanding to streaming platforms
Tap in to hear how this film came to life and what the cast wants audiences to take with them after watching.
Transcribed
27 MAR 2026 · Are missing men hurting our children's future?
Le’Deana sits down with Bro Thomas, educator, father, and consultant, to break down the real impact of male presence in schools and why father involvement plays a critical role in student success.
From working as a school security guard to becoming a trusted educator and mentor, Brother Thomas shares how consistent presence, structure, and belief can shift a child’s entire trajectory.
This conversation goes beyond theory. It highlights real experiences inside classrooms and communities, showing how students respond when they have strong male role models and active fathers engaged in their education.
Transcribed
27 MAR 2026 · Hennessy and Le'Deana have a powerful conversation about healing generational trauma through music and telling the truth about lived experiences. Hennessy reflects on how sharing her personal story through music helped others find the courage to speak about their own experiences. She explains that people have approached her saying her song encouraged them to tell their families about abuse they had been carrying in silence.
The conversation explores what it means to heal in real time while living in the public eye and how music can become a tool for breaking cycles that have affected families for generations. Hennessy explains that telling her story is part of a larger mission to support people who share similar experiences and to help create healthier paths for the next generation.
Listen to how music, honesty, and resilience can become tools for healing and transformation.
Transcribed
3 MAR 2026 · Eric Washington shares how he went from open mic performances to sold-out stage plays, Tubi films like Zuri Johnson Story leading to a billboard in Times Square, and building a creative career rooted in discipline, investing, and family.
Known for turning his storytelling song “Maggie” into a sold-out stage production and now a full movie in post production, Eric shares how he funds his own projects, builds audiences, and keeps evolving creatively.
In this episode:
• From music artist to playwright
• Selling out Madam Walker Theatre
• Funding productions independently
• Using 401K knowledge to build entrepreneurial discipline
• Acting on Tubi
• Fatherhood and family
• His stage play Black Arguments
Transcribed
19 FEB 2026 · Indianapolis rapper Tony Cleveland shares how heartbreak, grief, and loss changed his vision and inspired his most vulnerable project, Trench Baby.
In this Midwest Leak Podcast interview, he opens up about losing his mother, loyalty, growth, and creating music that connects on a deeper level. Indianapolis artist Tony Cleveland sits down with Le’Deana for one of his most personal conversations yet. He shares how losing his mother shifted his mindset, revealed hard truths about loyalty, and inspired his most vulnerable project, Trench Baby.
Tony explains how stepping back gave him clarity and allowed him to create music that listeners deeply connect with, with many telling him his words reflected their own lives.
This episode documents the emotional journey behind the music and the growth that followed heartbreak.
Transcribed
10 FEB 2026 · Everybody can’t come with you. Sometimes growth asks you to walk a new path before others are ready. PBT Ace reflects on how losing a child reshaped his life, his music, and his relationship with faith.
Through honest conversation, he shares how grief became a turning point, leading to a spiritual awakening that changed the way he thinks, creates, and moves forward.
In this conversation with https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCUcAjx6ONce-yXaSzLS-k3w and @LeDeana explores how music became a space for healing, discipline, and clarity. He speaks about choosing growth, trusting faith during uncertainty, and accepting that time reveals who is meant to walk with you as your mindset evolves.
This episode is about transformation through loss, the quiet work of spiritual growth, and how music can become a bridge between who you were and who you are becoming.
Transcribed
8 FEB 2026 · What does retirement look like for entrepreneurs who never stopped building?
In this episode of the Midwest Leak Podcast, Le’Deana sits down with Amani Tre Niner for a deep conversation on tattoo mastery, creative freedom, and lifelong learning. Amani shares how entrepreneurship has always been central to his work, even during his rise as a top tattoo artist.
He breaks down mastery as a transferable discipline, one that applies equally to fine art, tattooing, building cars as functional art, music as craft, and now expanding deeper into real estate and preparing a return to fashion.
Without chasing fame or popularity, Amani’s ideas and voice have traveled organically. His audio has been remixed and circulated across the internet, and even major corporations like T-Mobile have recreated moments from his content. Virality followed authenticity, not strategy.
Now in a new phase of life, Amani describes retirement as choosing new lanes to master. He builds what interests him, studies what challenges him, and moves with intention rather than demand.
Transcribed
6 FEB 2026 · In this episode, Anthony Murdock II challenges how we think about storytelling, philanthropy, and power.
This conversation with Le'Deana and Murdock reframes Black stories as assets that build generational wealth. They explore what it means to re-imagine philanthropy and legacy. Murdock speaks candidly about why assimilation is not the goal, how strategic planning creates leverage, and why Black communities have always practiced philanthropy even when we were never allowed to name it as such.
Topics include:
• Why stories function as assets, not content
• Re-imagining philanthropy through legacy and responsibility
• Building Black institutions instead of chasing inclusion
• Vision, rest, and sustainability as leadership practices
• Entrepreneurship as a pathway to liberation
This episode is for builders, educators, creatives, and leaders who are committed to doing work that outlives them.
Share with someone thinking beyond charity and toward legacy. Learn more at blackliberationecosystem.com
Transcribed
6 FEB 2026 · Well raised on the Eastside of Naptown, 4200 Kory sat down with the Midwest Leak Podcast to unpack a journey shaped by music, film, and an unwavering commitment to community.
Growing up on Post Road studying the culture of Indianapolis Music from the "Jiggalate" to "Crank That Haughville," this Naptown Baby has created an anthem that is uniting the city in real time.
Follow https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC3vKI7qWI_WSUpZjvh1oGgw and stay tapped in with his movement!
Welcome to our first official podcast! This marks our official expansion into a new medium after 18 years of being a print publication. We have enjoyed connecting with the culture...
show more
Welcome to our first official podcast! This marks our official expansion into a new medium after 18 years of being a print publication. We have enjoyed connecting with the culture and community through creating 124 issues, producing thousands of articles, interview and live experiences. We're excited you're here to continue this journey with us. Let's keep the conversation going!
show less
Information
| Author | Le'Deana Brown |
| Organization | Le'Deana Brown |
| Categories | Society & Culture |
| Website | - |
| editor@midwestleak.com |
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