For Better Or Best Podcast Podcast Por Charles and Shireen Kuykendoll arte de portada

For Better Or Best Podcast

For Better Or Best Podcast

De: Charles and Shireen Kuykendoll
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 Hosts Charles Beloved and Shireen Kuykendoll talk marriage, family life, Black love, and entrepreneurship. Join them every Wednesday where they share their experiences and give the audience a taste of how they balance chaos with blessings.2023 Ciencias Sociales Relaciones
Episodios
  • Working Smarter - Is AI The Future?

    Working Smarter - Is AI The Future?
    Jun 18 2025
    Season 3 finale! We did it, Joe! Every season there's a moment of questioning whether or not to continue the pod, but the outpouring of love, support and encouragement has grown more and more, so we will keep the party going. Shireen and Charles circle back to the Oxtail Off and how they forgot to mention their silent partner; ChatGPT. Shireen says she and Charles were early on the AI bandwagon, and he credits Morgan Debaun, CEO of Blavity for explaining the benefits of it. At Afrotech, it was introduced as a "thought partner", meant to be asked specific questions to provide ideas and layers you may not have considered before(1:02-6:50). Detailed prompts provide detailed outlines or decks. Paying max $200 for a completed deck from AI versus a few thousand was a win! Shireen chimes in to share that she uses AI for personal and professional things. The company she works for warned everyone to be cautious when using, especially when it comes to sensitive data. She also warns everyone not to input any confidential or proprietary information for your own protection, you never know who could potentially access it later. Shireen says her only concern is for the youth, who don't necessarily have the writing/comprehension skills, they just want to turn their brains off. Charles jokes that if he were apart of this upcoming generation that he would be dumb, he would've relied on it for everything, since he claims to have been the king of Cliffnotes(IYKYK) back in high school(7:48-16:01). Charles admits to going back and forth in the comments defending his use of AI in place of human creatives, but emphasizes the importance of discerning when/where to apply it. Switching gears, Charles says it would be nice for AI to clone them for all the travel they have coming up this summer, since that schedule is the main reason for season 3 coming to a close. Charles lists all the amazing events he's got on the calendar(18:21-24:03). Shireen shares her excitement about CJ's birthday party, saying its his first one in a while, they usually take trips to celebrate. She looks forward to planning the next installment of Oxtail Off and all of Charles' accomplishments. This next season will be even more abundant! Both Charles and Shireen are grateful for the continued growth and hope to see y'all outside in these streets! Run up and tell Charles if he's funny in real life, Shireen has too much second hand anxiety for anybody new trying comedy. Have a great summer and we'll see y'all soon! Keep up with us on IG @forbetterrorbestpod and follow us in the off season! @beloved1906 @miss_deme Like, Subscribe, Comment, and Share! xoxo Keep up with us on IG @forbetterrorbestpod and follow us in the off season! @beloved1906 @miss_deme Like, Subscribe, Comment, and Share! xoxo
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    36 m
  • Blending Love & Family feat Jessica and Marcus Cromartie

    Blending Love & Family feat Jessica and Marcus Cromartie
    Jun 11 2025
    It's giving double date! We've got our first married guests, close friends and chosen family Jessica and Marcus Cromartie on today's episode. Charles kicks it off by sharing how he met Jess in NYC many years ago, while she was building her influencer profile. Now 10+ years later, they've been apart of each other's journeys into marriage/parenthood. Marcus joined the friend group 5 years ago, citing that he and Jess became friends first. He fit in with Charles immediately, blending the friend circles organically. Jess talks about becoming a curly hair influencer when she started building her following but didn't want to be limited to hair brands, she wanted lifestyle/travel partnerships as well. She recalls her audience feeling slighted when she moved to LA and started straightening her hair as part of a rebrand(2:12-8:23). Jess' brand has evolved over the years, and gained more of following with every milestone, from her travel/beauty moments to family content. They went viral on Shade Room with their new baby. Charles asks how she has thick skin, Shireen asks Marcus how he got accustomed to it as well. Having been in the NFL, Marcus was familiar with hecklers and haters and pays them no mind. He expresses pride in how creative she is with content ideas and how vulnerable she is online. Marcus explains his level of focus and faith that helped him in the NFL and helped him pivot. He got his MBA during the pandemic and transitioned into being an agent and encourages people to ask themselves, "why not you?"(9:04-16:59). Shireen shifts the convo to how they met, on Hinge, and they were both looking for different things. Jess says she was being intentional in looking to date and Marcus admits to looking to have fun. It was the pandemic so no one knew what to expect. They met and became friends and after a few months Jess was ready to commit and Marcus wasn't sure, in the middle of figuring out his next career steps. Shireen advised Jess to cut him off while he figured himself out, saying nothing will make a man come back to you faster than leaving a man alone. Marcus was honest and honorable about where he was and they took a step back before deciding to build a life with each other(18:19-26:05). Charles mentions how connected he was with his bonus mom growing up, noting that Jess stepped into her role as a bonus mom. Jess took her time bonding with MJ, Marcus' son, and now having their daughter Kendall, the blend has been great. Marcus always prioritized being a present father, which Jess loved. Marcus acknowledges that bonus mothers are under more pressure to create that support and gives her praise for letting him lead and helping her customize her role(27:22-34:06). Shireen asks Jess about her transition into motherhood and what challenges she's faced. Jess had a bit of anxiety around life changes but thanked God for having an easy baby. Marcus jumps in to praise her for giving birth naturally in their living room. Sharing that content helped with the numbers online as well! Marcus tells first time parents to be patient and communicative with each other, because everything changes rapidly. Jess speaks about sleep training the baby at 5mo and how that has helped her prioritize her self care and more time for her and Marcus. Marcus stresses that putting their marriage first makes them closer and makes them better parents. Charles shares the turning point in his union with Shireen was a couples trip they took with Jess and Marcus that reminded them how much they love each other. Shout out to solid friends who grow with us and make our lives better! Follow our guests @heygorjess and @cromartie_m Keep up with us on IG @forbetterorbestpod Listen to us on Apple and Spotify! Like, Subscribe, Comment and Share! xoxo
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    Aún no se conoce
  • Less Reinvention, More Reinforcement feat Bridget Kelly

    Less Reinvention, More Reinforcement feat Bridget Kelly
    May 27 2025
    Take it easy! We're all coming down from the high of the Oxtail Off this weekend, and this time EP BK is in the guest seat! Charles and Shireen both share their gratitude, relief and exhaustion that comes with pulling off such an awesome event. Shireen explains how the joining of cultures is so important to her, since Charles is African American and Shireen is second generation Antiguan. Charles shares that his first time making oxtail was during the pandemic, and he barbecued it *cue side eye*(1:30-7:20). After practicing a few times, Charles decided to host a cooking competition and only advertised it on Close Friends. It grew legs organically, with 200 people showing up to their house. Charles came in second place, and JerkMuva (a Jamaican chef from The Bronx) took home the first place prize. People approached Charles during Art Basel last year about it and he admits to feeling fear about scaling it without the backing of Blavity House Party. BK reminds Charles that folks consistently show up and show out for him because of how fun he is and points out that there is a hunger for more Caribbean/West Indian centric parties/events(8:12-19:09). Shireen requests grace in addition to feedback about whether or not the event was authentic enough, saying it was all about creating a balance. One of their friends called Charles half genius half psycho for going from 200 people in his house to 2000 in an outdoor venue. He admits to downplaying his own personal brand sometimes because he's so focused on the logistics. The number of people who bought tickets doubled the week prior to, adding more pressure on Charles. This was a 2 year old idea, no initial sponsors, Charles paid for things out of pocket, similar to the early days of R&B HouseParty. Giving back to a community organization has always been apart of Charles' branding. Having lost a friend a couple weeks ago, Charles gets emotional, explaining that community empowerment is what he wants his legacy to be. FoodCycle LA feeds the unhoused in LA, so Charles made sure to match the dollar amount awarded to the chef, to charity(22:16-32:43). Shireen says she sees Charles being the next Tom Joyner, creating music led experiences for generations. Charles throws it to Bridget, who is working on a new album that sounds like nothing she's ever done. She says she cringes at the word reinvention when it comes to music, she calls it more of an extension of what goodness already exists. Bridget says she's making this project for herself and is fine if her usual audience doesn't love it. She says its hard to separate yourself from your art and that her takeaway from Charles' experience is to be authentically yourself and know that at every stage, it is enough. Less reinvention, more reinforcement of what is already aligned. You'll find your people and your people will find you. To donate to FoodCycleLA, please click the following link: https://www.foodcyclela.org/donate-money/ Keep up with us on IG @forbetterorbestpod Listen to us on Apple and Spotify Subscribe, Like, Comment and Share! xoxo
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    51 m
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