We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ricardo Wrice a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ricardo , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
The notion of “purpose” implies that there is a great design for your life. The problem, is that often times no individual can really relay how to discover this design. The people who actually discover their purpose rarely can present a blue print or map to this awesome achievement. They can only share their experiences or journeys to those moments that defined them or opened a door to something unexpected. In an attempt to inspire, I will do the same thing. From birth, I always had the desire to do something in law. My dream job, was to be a corporate lawyer with the private jet, mansion and fancy lifestyle. In an attempt to achieve this, I went to school for Political Science / pre-law. Halfway through the program, I decided that law school wasn’t for me or at least the cost wasn’t. I finished the program but decided to pursue an MBA instead. My secondary passion, was always business management. Once I finished that degree, I still wasn’t satisfied and that led me to start the Doctorial journey.
Halfway through that program, I had a conversation with a co-worker. At the end of that conversation, she asked me to check out her radio show. At that time, my life wasn’t flowing “organically” and I was pretty much open to any possibility. I went to find her show and I saw an ad to “host my own radio show”. It had never been a thought but I always knew I had a personality. On a whelm, I answered the ad. Ultimately, I signed a contract to start my own radio show with no knowledge or training what so ever. Surprisingly, I realized really quickly that it came naturally to me and it just felt right. It was at the moment that I realized that taking calculated risk would be the blueprint of my life. The radio show, then led to a television show, magazine, podcast and documentary. On each new venture, I had no working knowledge but I continued to follow the paths that flowed “organically” or continued to give me the good feeling.
The best advice I can give for discovering purpose, is follow the paths that present themselves “organically” or the ones that happen with little to no effort from you. I discovered that as I continued to follow those “uncomfortable” paths, my life got easier and more fulfilling. Do not be afraid to follow your instinct nor venture into the unknown. Their are no coincidences in life and everything serves a purpose in your journey to self-actualization.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have deemed myself the “male Oprah”. I believe that in her generation, she facilitated hard conversations that needed to happen. My desire is to do the same thing in my generation. My journey started with a radio show in 2017 on Love 860 am here in Atlanta, GA. It happened on a whelm but it put my entire purpose in motion. That following year (2018), I ventured into television on the NOW network.
In 2020, I started the Leadership Blend Media Company. At that time, I had a live podcast (mostly political), a television show and a magazine. My brand is based on leadership and spotlighting great leaders. Those leaders help us to have the hard conversations and find solutions plaguing their sectors. The live podcast became home to my political leaders and that’s the space that it occupied. The television show handled other areas of leadership ranging from Business to Music to Publishing. As time went on, I realized that I had no space to really introduce “unorthodox” or up and coming leaders. Thus, the Blendblazers podcast was created. This platform gives me the opportunity to introduce new change agents and discover new areas of leadership.
In 2022, I launched my own television network on Roku! The Blend Television channel became a reality on November 13th and has been going strong ever since! The network, is home to the Leadership Blend Live Podcast, Blendblazers Show and the Celebrity Spotlight show. I look forward to expanding to new shows, specials, and panels leading into the fall.
My personal background is a combination of Business and Law. I have an Associates, Bachelors, Masters and I have completed my coursework for a Doctoral degree. I also have two certificates in Nonprofit Management and Grantwriting. Leadership is an area that has always been a passion of mine and it almost comes naturally.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The most important tools you will need to endure the road to purpose are: Consistency, Perseverance, intrinsic motivation and passion. The biggest obstacle I see in my industry is inconsistency. There are very few industries that offer you instant success and media is definitely not one. Many of my counterparts came into this industry looking for quick successes. Unfortunately, without passion and intrinsic motivation they weren’t able to survive the “dry” spell along the journey. Intrinsic motivation, is fueled by passion and it can thrive without support, applause or attention. It will sustain you through those dark spells and keep you motivated. I was fortunate enough to tap into my passion for media and it has kept me consistent. I would advise anyone to avoid any field that doesn’t fuel you passion.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Personally, I believe that feeling overwhelmed is a recipe for disaster. I do not allow myself to get overwhelmed because it is a sign that I am not focused. Many times, we are taught that we are to be all things to all people. As you mature, you realize that is not possible and it sets you up for failure. The “hustling” mentality, also sets you up for failure as well. It perpetuates the concept of having your hand in multiple pots but never really mastering any one pot. When I begin to feel overwhelmed, I quickly regroup and set my priorities in order. I remind myself, that not every situation requires my immediate attention and to focus on those things that do. Once I do that, the pressure lifts and I can continue to focus on the more pressing matters.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wricecommunity.com
- Instagram: rdwrice and leadershipblendmedia
- Facebook: Ricardo ricky wrice and Blend television channel on Roku
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/wrice04
