Honey & Hustle Podcast

Here’s where independent podcasting shines once again. In its ability to provide local content, podcasting is unparalleled, now that local journalism has been all but eviscerated.

Honey & Hustle is a video podcast sharing stories from North Carolina’s creators, entrepreneurs, nonprofit founders, and startups. This show is about how to create a sustainable business, while the prevailing narrative around successful entrepreneurship tells you to scale fast, raise money, and plan for an exit. There’s a better way to build businesses, create meaningful work, and have a positive impact in your community.

Creator/host Angela Holowell says: “The Honey & Hustle video podcast was created in 2020 to fill a much-needed gap in detailed stories filled with insights on what it looks like to be an entrepreneur in North Carolina. Released in seasons, the show features interviews with creators, small business owners, and nonprofit founders across the Tar Heel State, where we dig deep into their startup journey, wins, and challenges. We’ll take you behind the scenes of creative entrepreneurs and bring you stories from business owners who have embraced bootstrapping and growing slowly but intentionally.”

Angela Holowell is the creator/host of the Honey & Hustle podcast, where she talks to creators shaping the future of the creator economy through education, community, and technology.

Angela graduated with her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She then started a photography business, Ang H. Studio (now Rootful Media), and photographed my first weddings. Angela got accepted into the Master’s of Peace and Human Rights program at UAB.

One of her proudest achievements is that her short film, Trail Therapy, is finishing its film festival run at Hayti Heritage Film Festival.

On the show, Angela speaks with creative entrepreneurs, small-business owners, and nonprofit founders in North Carolina. Her work centers on thoughtful storytelling, community, and creating access to conversations that help people feel less alone in their work and lives.

Angela isn’t just a cheerleader for North Carolina entrepreneurs. She’s thoughtful, incisive, and a superb listener, which is a distinctly underrated skill as a podcast host.

Angela’s podcast centers on thoughtful storytelling, community, and creating access to conversations that help people feel less alone in their work and lives.

Angela’s show has a laid-back, introspective feel, despite its title. Angela Holowell does not seem to be about frenetic, unfocused activity in business or life. Her show reflects that concentration of the inner you to make a more successful outer you.

The show often starts with low-key, spa-like music that is meant to relax, and then Angela comes on. Her voice is soothing, deliberate, and contemplative. What I admire is how Angela uses her voice and tone to set the agenda and pacing for the show.

Of course, I truly admire Angela’s focus on interviewing small business owners and non-profit founders. Her deliberative style lends greater credibility to “hustle” in business. Angela’s guests are scaling up their enterprise through more than just effort alone. Planning, organization, understanding your customer, and innovation are her guests’ go-to tools.

One of my favorite episodes was with Michelle Thames, the founder of Thames Media Solutions and the host of the Social Media Decoded podcast. On the show, she shared valuable tips for leveraging the newest social media platform from Instagram, Threads, for business. As Angela said: “Here’s a short masterclass on creating engaging content, building a loyal community, and converting followers into customers.”

Another favorite show: “I sat down with the legendary 9th Wonder and had a conversation I didn’t even know I needed. We talked about the start of Jamla Records, the relationship between basketball and hip-hop, what it’s like being a music artist outside major music hubs, and so much more.”

The podcast has a newsletter community called Please Hustle Responsibly, which publishes articles each week. Angela also has a Substack page called Please Hustle Responsibly, which is one of my favorite names for a Substack page.

Check out Honey & Hustle. You don’t have to be a North Carolina entrepreneur. Angela Holowell introduces you to regular people who have succeeded by dint of their effort, intelligence, and self-awareness.

In many ways, Angela embodies this Dolly Parton quote: “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

We’ll end with Angela’s prescient thoughts on making your work sustainable and connecting with other artists and entrepreneurs of all types, full of reminders we’re too quick to forget.

Angela observes: “Shifting the mindset of hustling to responsibility and feasibility is absolutely essential. You can’t work on what you love without taking care of yourself first.”