How do we become great leaders?  The Honorable JaHarr S. Pridgen tells us it’s a combination of being resilient, staying grounded, knowing your purpose, and heeding advice from mentors. Listen to the judge — the first female Chief Judge of Buffalo City Court — discuss sources of strength and explain why it’s pivotal to stay conscious about tribulations others face. Find out how one of her mentors compelled her to ruminate on the power she holds as a judge. Feeling like you can’t escape your circumstances? Judge Pridgen encourages you to keep dreaming and focus on education. Need a boost in your motivation? Get ready to learn why Judge Pridgen says your current status does not have to be your future status. Show creator: Dr. Daniel Popoola. Sound engineer: Prachetas Jai Patel. Web support: Alexandra Edelblute.

Judge JaHarr S. Pridgen — the first Black female Chief Judge of Buffalo City Court — used to remind herself, when interacting with colleagues from privileged backgrounds: I don’t have what they have; I have to work 200 times harder. She shares disappointments she has experienced but notes that she doesn’t necessarily consider them failures. Don’t miss her perspectives on building a career when you’re not born into a life of privilege, balancing time and priorities, facing imposter syndrome, and making sacrifices. She also covers the importance of familial support and establishing mentoring and community connections. Plus, benefit from her wisdom on why it’s critical to never second guess yourself. Show creator: Dr. Daniel Popoola. Sound engineer: Prachetas Jai Patel. Web support: Alexandra Edelblute.

JaHarr S. Pridgen is the first woman Chief Judge of Buffalo City Court. After working as a district attorney, she became a city court judge in 2015 — and she, at age 34, was the youngest jurist on the bench. Having broken layer after layer of glass ceilings, she is a role model to many women, particularly young Black women. Judge Pridgen grew up on Coit Street, lived on Carl Street and considers herself a “Ken-Bailey woman” at heart. So, how did she go from Coit Street to the courthouse? Learn about the genesis of her journey in this first segment of a three-part series on Judge Pridgen. As she’s traversed her career, she’s defined “success” from various vantage points. Listen to find out why Judge Pridgen persists in her pursuit to ensure that the shattered glass from the ceilings she’s cracked doesn’t damage the feet of the women who will walk the path she’s pioneered. Show creator: Dr. Daniel Popoola. Sound engineer: Prachetas Jai Patel. Web support: Alexandra Edelblute.

Dr. Myron Glick has helped thousands of refugees and immigrants at Jericho Road Community Health Center in Buffalo. His priority is to advance affordable patient care while training and investing in future generations of family physicians. One of his aims is to inspire new medical providers to spend their careers in safety-net medicine, serving patients who are often not cared for elsewhere. “The journey has been sometimes challenging and difficult, but the journey has been worth it because of the people we’ve been able to engage with over the years and the people who are now going beyond what we even are doing — and making a difference,” emphasizes Dr. Glick. This episode is the uplifting conclusion to a three-part interview with Dr. Glick.

Dr. Myron Glick and his wife, Joyce, founded Jericho Road Family Practice in 1997 with a mission to provide excellent medical care to people from all backgrounds. In 2002 they created Jericho Road Ministries to address the non-medical needs of their patients. The Family Practice and Ministries were merged in 2013 — now known as Jericho Road Community Health Center. Their path has not been easy. Discussing a monumental challenge in his past, Dr. Glick notes: “To wake up realizing, ‘Whoa, you could lose everything in this moment,’ I think that was definitely the toughest moment in this journey so far. And I am thankful that God was merciful … I think — out of that experience — it’s given me such a different perspective on any successes we’ve had after that.” Find out why Dr. Glick doesn’t see his life and career struggles as “sacrifices” in the way that we typically think about sacrifices. Visit Success-Clinic.com for a variety of resources to help you stay motivated as you navigate life’s challenging paths. Created and hosted by Dr. Daniel Popoola. Sound engineering by Prachetas Jai Patel. Web support by Alexandra Edelblute.

As a child raised in Amish communities, Dr. Myron Glick dreamed of becoming a missionary doctor in medically underserved countries. What he didn’t know is that he was destined to serve the West side of Buffalo — and God would bring patients from those countries directly to his clinic. Dr. Glick never had a biology class until college and was accepted (waitlisted at first) by only one medical school. Using his intelligence, determination, and grit, he made himself into a global philanthropist who helps deliver medical care to 26,000+ economically deprived Americans per year and 60,000+ people per year in medically underserved communities across the planet. Visit Success-Clinic.com for a variety of resources to help you stay motivated as you navigate life’s challenging paths. Created and hosted by Dr. Daniel Popoola. Sound engineering by Prachetas Jai Patel. Web support by Alexandra Edelblute.

Pastor Kinzer Pointer knew, from a young age, that he would be a preacher. He was an evangelist before he was ever an officially ordained pastor. He knows there are many doorways that lead to faith. “Know yourself. Control yourself,” is advice his mentor once gave him. “You ought to have control over you. And if you have control over you, then you also know what you can accomplish. But you first have to learn who you are,” explains Pastor Pointer. His advice to young Black people trying to make an impact in the world? “Decide where you’re going, and keep moving … Learn to accept resistance, because resistance will inform you, it will teach you, it will train you … don’t worry about when something doesn’t work exactly as you want it to. Make sure you get the lesson of it, and then hammer it. The next time you meet that obstacle, you will be the master. Hear more about the lessons Pastor Pointer has learned in life, which can benefit us all. Visit Success-Clinic.com for a variety of resources to help you stay motivated as you navigate life’s challenging paths. Created and hosted by Dr. Daniel Popoola. Sound engineering by Prachetas Jai Patel. Web support by Alexandra Edelblute.

When Larry Daniel patrols the halls of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, he’s doing more than his duties as security guard; he’s doing God’s work. Larry — a pastor at the St. James House of Prayer Church of God In Christ — is a pillar in the Buffalo, NY, community. His belief in the goodness of humankind gives him strength in the face of hardship. Visit Success-Clinic.com for a variety of resources to help you stay motivated as you navigate life’s challenging paths.