Send us Fan Mail

Ana Guerrero

Power with Purpose: From the Fields to the Halls of City Hall

What is power?

For Ana Guerrero, power isn't about titles, prestige, or privilege. It is the opportunity—and responsibility—to improve the lives of others.

In this remarkable archival conversation, Ana Guerrero, former Chief of Staff to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, offers a rare look behind the curtain of one of America's largest and most influential cities. From coordinating a historic public health response during COVID-19 to expanding parks, confronting homelessness, empowering women in government, and translating community activism into public policy, Guerrero reveals what leadership looks like when service comes before self.

The daughter of migrant farmworkers and DREAMers, Guerrero's journey to the highest levels of civic leadership was anything but conventional. A teenage mother, civil rights advocate, and night-school graduate, she forged her own path—proving that resilience, authenticity, and purpose can open doors that circumstance often tries to keep closed.

Throughout the conversation, she challenges the popular mythology surrounding power. Instead of manipulation or domination, she argues that real influence begins with understanding who you are, remaining authentic to your values, and using your position to create opportunities for others.

Host Patrick A. Howell and Guerrero also share a lighter conversation about cigars, success, and the rituals that accompany lives dedicated to meaningful work—reminding us that leadership is ultimately about relationships as much as responsibility.

More than a conversation about politics, this is a masterclass in civic leadership, influence, and the quiet discipline required to build stronger communities from the inside out.

The Culture. Our Capital.

This Week on Global I AM Conversations

• Why authentic leadership creates more lasting influence than positional authority
• How the daughter of migrant workers rose to become Chief of Staff for America's second-largest city
• Transforming protest movements into meaningful public policy
• Why serving others is the highest expression of power
• Building opportunity through education, persistence, and civic engagement
• Women reshaping leadership at the highest levels of municipal government
• Leadership lessons from City Hall—and a conversation about cigars, success, and staying grounded

Support the show

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados.

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

In this archive conversation, we examine the creative origins and cultural vision of Ruth E. Carter, whose work has helped redefine the visual language of Black cinema and global storytelling. Long before “Afrofuturism” entered the mainstream lexicon, Carter was constructing worlds — drawing from history, diaspora, imagination, and memory — to articulate identities too often left unseen.

Together with our Global I Am hosts, they explore the discipline behind her craft, the intentionality required to design for cultural specificity, and the responsibility inherent in rendering Black life with depth, dignity, and possibility.

What emerges is a meditation on vision — how it is formed, how it is protected, and how it ultimately helps a people see themselves anew.

"i am deep/blk/soil
they have tried to pollute me
with a poison called America.
they have tried to
scorch my roots
with dope
they have tried to
drown my dreams with alcohol
with too many men who spit
their foam on top of my fruit
till it drops
rotten in America's
parks.
but i am deeeeeEEEp
blue/blk/soil
and you can hear the
sound of my walken
as i bring forth green songs
from a seasoned breast
as i burn on our evening bed
of revolution.
i, being blk
woooOOOMAN
know only the way of the womb
for i am deep/red/soil
for our emergen Blk Nation." - Sonia Sanchez,

Support the show

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados.

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Archive Episode | Solomon Tedla

For decades, investors looked to Brazil, Russia, India, and China as the world's next great growth story. Today, many of those economies have matured into global economic powers. Increasingly, the world's attention is turning toward a new frontier—Africa.

In this compelling archival conversation, Global I AM welcomes Solomon Tedla—impact investor, entrepreneur, technology executive, and renewable energy pioneer—whose work is helping redefine Africa's future through innovation, manufacturing, and sustainable enterprise. From Southern California's technology ecosystem to the emerging industrial centers of Ethiopia, Solomon shares his vision for ending energy poverty while creating jobs, expanding access to clean power, and building businesses that improve lives.

Host Patrick A. Howell sits down with his longtime family friend to explore the intersection of culture, capital, technology, and purpose, revealing why Africa may represent one of the greatest investment opportunities of the twenty-first century. Together, they discuss leadership, patient capital, manufacturing, governance, and the entrepreneurial mindset required to transform vision into lasting impact.

This episode is more than a conversation about energy. It is an invitation to see Africa not through the lens of need, but through the lens of possibility—a continent rich in talent, innovation, natural resources, and human potential, poised to become one of the defining economic stories of our generation.

Because the future doesn't simply happen. It is built—one entrepreneur, one community, and one bold idea at a time.

Support the show

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados.

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.