Why I Walked Away From Corporate Radio In 2014 and Never Looked Back

Independent Thinkers Don’t Wait for Permission — And They Don’t Need Validation

If you have not learned how to live without the validation of others, you will never be independent.

For a lot of people, the fear isn’t failure — it’s not being liked. It’s the anxiety of being excluded from the herd. And if you spend your life doing what the herd expects you to do, you will always be trapped by the approval of others.

That’s not freedom. That’s a Self Imposed cage.

I want to relate this directly to our career paths, especially in radio and media. Most people are terrified of disagreeing with so-called heavyweights in the industry. Decision-makers make grown men and women cower, bend, and bow, thinking, “If I just say the right thing, maybe this person will give me a job.”

You’ve seen it.
The skinning and grinning.
The conversation hogging.
The desperation for attention.

It’s painful to watch.

What people don’t understand is this: Steve Jobs liberated us all with the iPhone. He didn’t just give us a device — he freed the entire planet. You can now go live. You can create an on-demand platform. You can broadcast your voice without asking permission from anyone.

So let me ask you something real:

1. If I can make $2K, $3K, $4K, or $5K a month broadcasting my own message, why would I want a boss at a radio station?

2. I can go anywhere in the world and create my lifestyle every single day.

3. I don’t have a boss.

4. I choose my message.

5. I choose who I work with.

6. You don’t need a million people listening to you to be influential — or to monetize.

7. You can be as honest as you want.

Yet most radio people are still chasing:

• Jobs

• Titles

• Validation

What they should be building is:

• Ownership

• Audience

• Independence

I walked away from corporate radio in 2014. I thought I still wanted that lane, but something kept calling me toward independence. And I’m going to be honest with you — even at my highest level as a morning talent, there were days I’d wake up and ask myself what it would feel like to just do what I wanted to do.

Well… let me tell you something (LOL).
That freedom comes with a heavy price.

When things don’t go the way you planned, you may find yourself sitting in eviction court. I did — twice. And both times, help came and rescued me. But from 2014 to today, 2025, this has been my definite chief aim:

Never surrender your independence.

At this age, I can’t turn back. I’m exactly where I want to be. I don’t make the income I made in my “heyday,” but I can clearly see the path to getting back there without giving up my freedom or my time. I want it all to belong to me. I want to own all of my time — all of it — everyday.

People love to say, “Everybody’s got to have a boss.”
And I say, not me.

I did not look poverty in the eye, endure severe trials, and survive what I survived just to end up working for someone else.

Now don’t misunderstand me. I’m not against working with people who have authority. If someone contracts me for a service, that’s who I report to. But the difference is simple:

I work with people because I want to, not because I have to.

Any business relationship I enter is mutual. Agreed upon. Respectful. Yes, in business we always aim to satisfy our clients — but I want to work with people who want to work with me. Period.

That’s independence.

I’m going to share more things in future articles that may shock you. People who think they know me will say, “Damn… I didn’t know that.” And that’s okay. We should share what we’ve experienced. It lets people know they’re not alone.

My journey here is rooted in one demand: I must be independent. That means more to me than anything.

Young people in radio, hear me clearly:
Learn early to rely on yourself. Don’t wait for someone to come save you. Don’t fear decisive action. Build what you want.

There’s a quote from the book Manhood that says:
“The man who is self-reliant does not live in the shadow of someone else’s greatness; he thinks for himself, depends on himself, and acts for himself.”

So in closing — follow your intuition. Follow your heart. Don’t deny what your soul is telling you. Follow your dreams. Tell yourself the truth about what you really want, write about it every day, and watch what happens.

Mere Belief counts for  nothing unless it’s carried into practice.
Act on what you know.
Get your heart right.
Let the flow begin.

Don’t worry about how it’s going to happen — just know that it will happen.

This is the way it must be if you want to be free.

One of my upcoming articles will be about how proud I am of Joy Reid, the former MSNBC host who was fired this year and is now building an independent empire. I’ll share my observations on her ascension to independence — because freedom always leaves clues.