Our conversation came full circle to a short history of my life focused on law, to one eventually balanced with music and business. I shared the story of my mom’s illness and how one simple sentence became my inspiration. Click the photo to hear our conversation.

After my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer, I flew to visit her at least monthly. I was General Counsel of the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission during that time, so having a flexible leave policy and the ability to work remotely from Houston was the only way I made it through.

The farmer who wants to produce a high quality harvest to sell to the market at premium prices must execute a strategy that fuels her intention to produce a quality bean. She must exercise patience, and craft, to allow the tree to time produce. It can take 3 to 4 years of cultivating a coffee tree before it ever produces fruit. There are routine steps that all farmers must take, but if she can tend to the trees under just the right conditions, the cherries will ripen right on time.

As a chocolate brand, Tony’s could elect to ignore human rights, but it instead it chooses a supply chain strategy that includes 100% ethical sourcing of cocoa. Its customers have been willing to pay a premium because the brand pairs high-quality product with an activist mission. Customers essentially get to become part of a global movement.