Celebrity life isn’t as cool as it looks. Makaila Nichols shares what it’s really like and how she survived and is helping others. — From the outside, the world of modeling looks fun and glamorous — traveling to exotic places, wearing amazing clothes, meeting fascinating people. While that part may be true, it’s also grueling schedules, insecurities, and sometimes even abuse. Makaila Nichols began modeling at the age of 14. Less than a decade later, she’s a bestselling author, podcaster, speaker, and founder of the Blatantly Honest Foundation.

Florida Southern College President Anne B. Kerr says college students are experiencing a greater need for mental health services than ever before. Should the need arise, will the school you choose be able to help your child? — Helping a young person choose the right college is one of the more important things a parent or grandparent does. There are so many schools to choose from and so many factors to consider.

Dick Batchelor was an effective legislator and a successful businessman. If you're thinking about getting into politics, you might want to heed his advice. — Dick Batchelor is a Democrat. I'm a Republican. There's a lot we disagree on — but a lot we agree on. When he was my guest on The Crossman Conversation, we talked about how we make our friendship work. It's a strategy that could solve a lot of problems in this world if everyone would do it.

From humble beginnings as a school for Black preachers and teachers, JSU has grown into an internationally respected university. — Like many historically black colleges and universities, Jackson State University was originally established to educate Black ministers and teachers. Founded in 1877, its first class consisted of 20 newly freed slaves. Today JSU is a Carnegie-designated high research facility with an international enrollment approaching 9,000.

You may not have heard about it, but there's a growing democracy movement in Iran — and it could change the world. — My earliest awareness of Iran was hearing about the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979. I knew it was a big deal, but I was just a kid and didn't completely understand it at the time. …

Mark Salmon, president of Appliance Direct in Orlando, is a marketing whiz who shares techniques you can use in your business or nonprofit. — If you’ve been in Orlando for more than a day, you can probably recite the Appliance Direct slogan: “If you didn’t buy direct, you paid too much!” As a consumer, I enthusiastically endorse Appliance Direct. Buying from them was one of the best retail experiences I’ve ever had. So I was delighted when Mark Salmon, president of Appliance Direct, joined me on The Crossman Conversation to talk about marketing. …

If you’re in Central Florida, you should be supporting and taking advantage of this rich resource. — Florida A&M University (FAMU) is the nation’s top public HBCU and holds the position of 103 in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of public universities nationally. Its rich history dates back to its founding in 1887 in Tallahassee. I’m always honored when anyone from FAMU — faculty, staff, or…

I opened this episode of The Crossman Conversation by saying, “I hate the media,” and then had an awesome interview with journalist Katie Gaultney. — Have you ever been misquoted by a reporter? Or had a media outlet say something about you or your organization that wasn’t accurate? Have you ever read or watched two different reports on the same event and wondered how they could be so different? If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, you’re not alone…

Dr. Lawrence Drake is committed to continuing Dr. Mary McCloud Bethune’s legacy — In July 2022, I went to Washington DC for the unveiling of the statue of Dr. Mary McCloud Bethune in the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. It was a historical event — one that I’ll never forget. A lot of notable people had a lot of wonderful things to say about Dr. Bethune. One of the most impressive was Dr. Lawrence Drake, interim president of Bethune-Cookman University. …