The SmallBizChat Podcast: On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker with A’Lelia Bundles

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A’Lelia Bundles is a journalist with over thirty years of experience working at NBC News and ABC News as an Emmy-award winning producer and executive. A’Lelia, who graduated from Harvard and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, is the author of multiple biographies about her notable female ancestors, including Madam C. J. Walker and A’Lelia Walker. Among those books is On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, a New York Times Bestseller which tells the story of A’Lelia’s great-great-grandmother, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who overcame all odds to build a business empire. On Her Own Ground was the inspiration for the Netflix series Self Made, starring Octavia Spencer. A’Lelia is currently working on her fifth book, The Joy Goddess of Harlem: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, about her esteemed great-grandmother.

A’Lelia joins me today to discuss the enduring legacy of Madam C. J. Walker and the entrepreneurial insights she discovered from her great-great-grandmother’s journey. A’Lelia shares how Madam Walker rose, built a business empire from the ground up, and addressed the greater social and economic challenges she faced along the way. A’Lelia also shares her thoughts on the Netflix series Self Made, as well as a peek into the life of her other notable ancestor, her great-grandmother A’Lelia Walker.

“What really needed to be done was to give women confidence and economic independence.” – A’Lelia Bundles

Listen to the podcast below:

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

The inspirational story of Madam C. J. Walker that A’Lelia tells through her biography
Insight into Madam Walker’s business empire, what she created, and the problem she solved
The time period in which Madam Walker started her company, and why this is so significant
Madam Walker’s business and sales strategy, how she built a network, and what she learned about the power of women working together
Madam Walker’s value of women’s empowerment and how investing in women can result in increased confidence, economic independence, and generational wealth
How Madam Walker gave back through philanthropy
The impact of red-lining and white supremacy on Madam Walker’s business
The Netflix series, Self Made, and how much of a role A’Lelia had in the development of the series
Objections A’Lelia had to Self Made, and which aspects of Madam Walker’s story the series misportrayed
Insights into A’Lelia Walker’s life, how she brought people together, and the significance of Harlem
A’Lelia’s favorite Madam Walker stories, and the lasting legacy of her great-great-grandmother