Black Owned: The UpNUp Podcast

This isn’t our first time speaking on the good name of the UpNUp Podcast cast and crew. They are part of the reason why I decided to double down on Black Owned as the focus of blog content this year. They just get it. They find the right faces, voices and there is always an engaging line of questioning from Robel and Erm. The episodes are always motivating enough to keep the audience intrigued and learning something new.

I also loved the production value they put into the platform. There is a real team behind this, there is sound man and video tech and everyone is working together in unison. After watching an UpNUp episode or a segment from an episode they are promoting I feel affirmed that there is a black owned ecosystem forming, one that we can see and nurture. That has never been a reality for us or our businesses here in Tacoma and throughout Western Washington. Our greatest battle has been our inability to stop the Black diaspora, we are all still very disconnected or unsure of connections we have. It’s maddening and hit wrenching to watch us overlook one another and support things similar and in the same proximity mostly out of ignorance. We don’t know they are there so we don’t patron the business and we are left ignorant UNTIL that word of mouth moment that happens and you realize you have been giving your dollar to the guy across the street and not your brother next door. To be fair, not all businesses have what you need and you will have to purchase from someone not black - that is not an issue. The problem is we have not made it a habit to seek one another FIRST. The UpNUp message always help to recalibrate that for me and I usually end up adding their latest to discovery or recommendation to my list of “MUST DOs”.

Their most recent episode is truly a gem and an amazing story of black entrepreneurship. So I included that below along with a few of my other favorites.