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Strawberry Letter

Brand Building: In 2017 he founded Green Book Global, a travel review platform for Black travelers, partnered with Expedia.

Strawberry Letter

iHeartPodcasts

Relationships, Society & Culture

4.41.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Lawrence Phillips. 


Purpose of the Interview

  • To showcase Lawrence Phillips’ entrepreneurial journey from engineering to founding Green Book Global, a travel review platform for Black travelers.
  • To highlight the significance of Black Ambition, an initiative by Pharrell Williams supporting Black and Brown entrepreneurs.
  • To inspire listeners about resilience, innovation, and the importance of culturally inclusive travel resources.

Key Takeaways

  1. Background & Career Shift

    • Phillips studied Electrical Engineering at Georgia Tech and worked at Accenture in IT consulting for nearly a decade.
    • Despite career success, he felt unfulfilled and decided to pursue his passion for travel, leading to the creation of Green Book Global.
  2. Travel Experience

    • Traveled to 30+ countries across all seven continents, including Antarctica, in less than a year.
    • Realized the need for a platform addressing “traveling while Black” concerns—safety, cultural acceptance, and inclusivity.
  3. Green Book Global

    • Inspired by the historical Green Book (1936–1966), which guided Black travelers during segregation.
    • Offers city-level Black-friendly scores, road trip planners, and Black-owned restaurant recommendations.
    • Over 150,000 app downloads in 2025; partnered with Expedia; strong social media presence.
  4. Black Ambition Program

    • Phillips applied three times before reaching semifinals, emphasizing persistence.
    • Program provided funding opportunities and a transformative Evoke Wellness experience.
    • His personal “why” statement:
      “I’m a protective and innovative steward of Black restoration and healing.”
  5. Impact & Vision

    • Advocates systemic change by partnering with destinations to improve inclusivity.
    • Highlights the economic power of Black travelers (over $140 billion annually).
    • Encourages Black travelers to explore global opportunities beyond U.S. racial constraints.

Notable Quotes

  • “You can be successful and still not be happy.” — On leaving a lucrative career for passion.
  • “I’m a protective and innovative steward of Black restoration and healing.” — His guiding principle.
  • “There’s riches in niches.” — On unapologetically focusing on Black travelers.
  • “Just because somebody said no doesn’t mean they said no to you—they said no at that time.” — On persistence in entrepreneurship.

#SHMS #STRAW #BEST

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an IHeart podcast.

0:04.2

Hi, I'm Roshan McDonnell.

0:05.8

I host a weekly money-making conversation Masterclass show.

0:08.5

The interviews and information that this show provides are for everyone.

0:12.2

It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and start living your own.

0:16.6

Now, if you want to be a guest on my show, Moneymaking Conversations Masterclass,

0:20.9

please visit our website, Moneymaking Conversations Masterclass, please visit our website, Moneymakingconversations.com, and click the be a guest button.

0:26.0

If you are a small business owner, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, influencer, or nonprofit,

0:31.7

I want you on my show.

0:33.7

Now let's get started.

0:34.9

My guest is the founder of Green Book Global, the first and only travel

0:39.1

review website and mobile app that enables black travelers to plan trips with confidence

0:44.2

and less anxiety by providing user-generated travel insights from the black perspective, particularly

0:50.4

about what it is to be traveling while black. Greenberg Global is the participant in Black Ambition.

0:57.6

Let me tell you about Black Ambition.

0:59.2

Black Ambition was founded by Grammy Award-winning artist and producer Farrell Williams.

1:04.5

Happy!

1:05.6

Black Ambition is a national initiative that funds and mentors Black and brown entrepreneurs

1:10.6

to build the

1:11.6

future of innovation. Now in this fifth year, the program has awarded millions in capital

1:16.5

and support to founders across the industries. To discuss Green Book Global and the significance

1:22.5

of Black Ambition, please welcome to Money Making Conversation Masterclass, Lawrence Phillips. How you

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