Every Tuesday on iHeart Radio, Doug sits down with the founders, coaches, entertainers, and unsung architects behind the moments that shape culture — real interviews, real advice, no filler.
In a mailbag episode, Doug answers listener questions about breaking into book publishing, drawing on his own path to writing Invisible Generals with Simon & Schuster. He covers how to size up the market for an idea, why a distinct personal story matters more than name recognition, and what a realistic marketing plan actually looks like — plus where AI belongs in the process, and where it doesn't.
Listen →Doug sits down with freelance journalist Alyson Krueger, a contributor to The New York Times who recently launched the Substack newsletter The Great Conversation. They unpack how freelance pitching and editing actually works, how a publication's voice differs from Substack's unfiltered format, and how Alyson broke into the Times through networking and persistence.
Listen →Doug sits down with Emmanuel Waters, CEO and co-founder of Old Hillside Bourbon Company, who left a career in defense contracting after a COVID-era wake-up call to launch the Durham, North Carolina brand in 2020. Emmanuel breaks down the planning behind that leap, the tough economics of the spirits business, and how Old Hillside uses packaging and on-bottle storytelling to spotlight overlooked chapters of Black American history.
Listen →Doug sits down with Stanford GSB professor Allison Kluger to unpack her AIM framework for managing personal brand and reputation. They cover how Google and LinkedIn shape first impressions, her “trust radar” for crisis recovery, and a simple exercise for learning how others really see you.
Listen →Doug sits down with Angelique Chamberlain, an LA Times Magazine travel contributor and telecom executive who has visited 108 countries across all seven continents. They discuss how family trips and a UCLA gap year sparked her wanderlust, why she gravitates toward traveling solo, and standout stops like Kenya’s Giraffe Manor. Angelique also unpacks her ‘Passport University’ philosophy of learning through travel.
Listen →In the second of two Cannes Lions interviews, Doug sits down with Flavor Flav to talk his pivot from music into sponsoring athletes and women's sports — including the U.S. Olympic women's water polo team and his own attempts at bobsled and skeleton. Flav also details the origins of S.H.E. Weekend, the Las Vegas celebration he built for women Olympians and Paralympians.
Listen →Recorded at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Doug sits down with seven-time Grammy winner will.i.am to talk AI, creativity, and reinvention. will.i.am traces his 20-year pivot from music into tech and unpacks FYI.ai, his secure platform for protecting creative work.
Listen →Doug sits down with Destination Smokehouse owner Nick Yepremian, whose Southern California restaurant gave rise to the viral “Tendernism” movement. Nick walks through how the trend took off and the fallout that followed its success.
Listen →Doug hosts the founders of Fashionphile, now the largest ultra-luxury handbag and accessory resale platform in the U.S. Sarah Davis and Ben Hemminger trace their path from a 1999 eBay side hustle to a company with hundreds of millions in revenue.
Listen →Former TBWA\Chiat\Day CEO Rob Schwartz joins Doug to unpack what he's hearing most from executive clients right now: anxiety about what comes next amid AI and layoffs. Rob shares the coaching framework he uses to help clients find clarity.
Listen →Doug welcomes Lanny Smith, who traded a 33-day NBA career for entrepreneurship as founder of athleisure brand Actively Black. Lanny recounts the injury that ended his playing career and how faith and purpose carried him into building a mission-driven brand.
Listen →Longtime friend Andy Hilfiger joins Doug to talk building culture at the intersection of music and fashion — from early retail lessons alongside brother Tommy Hilfiger to launching Tommy Jeans and his own label, Andrew Charles.
Listen →In the inaugural episode, journalist Maisha Dyson turns the mic on Doug Melville himself. Doug recounts highlights from a career that's taken him to 40+ countries and into rooms with Quincy Jones, Tommy Hilfiger, and Magic Johnson.
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