SECRETS Of The ONLY Black FEMALE CEO

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Earn Your Leisure

Episode: SECRETS Of The ONLY Black FEMALE CEO

Hosts: Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings (iHeartPodcasts)
Guest: Thasunda Brown Duckett (TIAA CEO; Fortune 100's only Black female CEO)
Release Date: April 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

This compelling episode of Earn Your Leisure features Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA and notably the only Black female CEO among Fortune 100 companies. The hosts, Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, dive deep into Duckett's extraordinary professional journey, exploring the influence of her upbringing, critical turning points, the importance of information and advocacy, and her philosophy on paying it forward. The episode is both motivational and practical for aspiring business leaders, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Weight of Representation and Legacy

[01:51–02:42]

• The hosts begin by framing Duckett’s achievement: leading a company that manages over $1.2 trillion and being one of only three Black CEOs, and the only Black female CEO, in Fortune 500/100 history.
• Rashad asks for actionable lessons and the true backstory behind her rise—“What’s your path that you took to become the CEO?” ([01:51]).

2. Grounded in History and Family Roots

[02:42–... approx 07:00]

• Duckett's Opening Reflection:

  “It doesn't escape me in corporate America that it was the cooks, the janitors, and the secretaries that introduced my gender and my melanin to corporate America.” ([02:55])

• She attributes her foundation to her parents and the generations that struggled before her:

  • Father (Otis Brown): Warehouse worker, no college degree, “scanning boxes and driving trucks.”
  • Mother: Educator, anchored Duckett in faith and character.

• Key Principle: “Be grounded in context, especially in your history, and let your history fuel your passion.”

• Notable Quote (on unseen contributors):

  “People may see your glory, but they don't know your story.” ([03:23])

3. Critical Lessons from Early Life

• Duckett emphasizes the value of expectations and vision passed down by her parents.

  • Her father urged, “Reach for the moon because even if you missed, you would be among the stars.” ([04:15])

• She highlights the profound impact of coming from “first-generation integration”—parents who grew up in the segregated South.

4. Importance of Sports and Teamwork

• Sports instilled grit, tenacity, and a team mentality, which Duckett carried into her business life.
  • “On any given day, everyone plays a role. Grit, tenacity, teamwork, perseverance.” ([05:10])

5. The Game Changers: Information and Advocacy

• Information: Her trajectory changed when she learned about corporate America through a diversity program called Inroads, thanks to the Pattersons.

  • “Without the power of information, I never even heard the word corporate America.” ([05:44])

• Advocacy: Cites Valerie Manning, who advocated for Duckett—when Fannie Mae only had one internship slot, Manning insisted, “But there’s this other girl.” ([06:40])

  • As a result, Duckett became the second intern and gained her introduction to corporate America.
  • Insight: “Do not wait for your rented title to feel like you have power. You have power to advocate...” ([08:12])

6. Duckett’s Career Milestones

• Fannie Mae: Entry into finance; formative years in corporate America.
• JPMorgan Chase: Progressed from mortgage division to CEO of Auto (first African American to run a business line), then to CEO of the consumer bank.
• TIAA: Eventually became CEO, shattering glass ceilings and continuing to influence the financial industry.

7. Giving Back—Information & Advocacy

• “Give away information and then advocacy. ...You may be the reason that history is made.” ([09:10])
• She credits much of her success to others who shared knowledge and advocated, urging listeners to do the same.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Humble Beginnings and Legacy:

  “I am on the shoulders of giants... It doesn't escape me that the cooks, the janitors, and the secretaries introduced my gender and my melanin to corporate America.” — Thasunda Brown Duckett ([02:55])

• On Parental Influence:

  “My dad had an expectation that he didn't even understand what that could realize.” — Duckett ([04:18])

• On the Power of Advocacy:

  “Valerie Manning advocated for me when I didn't even understand what advocacy was about. ...Because Valerie Manning said, 'but there's this other girl,' Fannie Mae added the second intern.” — Duckett ([06:44])

• On Sharing Opportunity:

  “Give away information and then advocacy. Do not wait for your rented title to feel like you have power. ...You may be the reason that history is made.” — Duckett ([09:10])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:51 | Host introduction and framing Duckett’s significance | | 02:42–04:30 | Duckett’s family's influence, history, and grounding | | 04:30–05:44 | Sports, teamwork, and first lessons | | 05:44–07:00 | Discovery of Inroads and power of information | | 06:40–08:12 | Life-changing advocacy from Valerie Manning, Fannie Mae internship | | 08:12–09:10 | Progression through JPMorgan Chase and becoming TIAA CEO | | 09:10–09:40 | Advocacy and the call to pay it forward |

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Episode Tone & Closing Thoughts

Thasunda Brown Duckett’s presence is both humble and powerful—her story is deeply personal, rich in gratitude, and driven by a sense of responsibility. The conversation flows with inspiration but remains practical, delivering actionable wisdom:

• Embrace your full history and let it drive you
• Share knowledge freely, especially with those who may not know what is possible
• Use your influence—however small—to advocate for others

For listeners: If you’re seeking a blueprint for resilience, leadership, and making a difference beyond titles, this episode stands as a beacon for personal growth, community upliftment, and the importance of breaking—and widening—doors.

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Transcript

[Oppenheimer Announcer]

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[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Liberty Mutual Companion]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Companion]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league anyways.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty.

[Liberty Mutual Companion]

Liberty.

[Interviewer]

Liberty.

[Liberty Mutual Companion]

Liberty. Liberty.

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Run a business and not thinking about podcasting. Think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ad supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, iHeart's twice as large as the next two combined. Learn how podcasting can help your business. Call 844-844-IHeart.

[Miles Turner]

I'm Miles Turner.

[Brianna Stewart]

And I'm Brianna Stewart.

[Miles Turner]

And our podcast Game Recognized Game has never been done before.

[Brianna Stewart]

Two active players giving you a real look at our lives and what we actually think on and off the court.

[Miles Turner]

Nothing's off limits.

[Brianna Stewart]

We talk tanking. I might get in trouble for this answer, but I think it's like definitely happening in the wnba, we talk about our mistakes too.

[Miles Turner]

They pulled me to the side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night, man, you can't be rolling around the city like this tonight.

[Brianna Stewart]

Before games check out Game Recognized game with Stewie and miles on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, so I want to start. So, you know, I think your accomplishments shouldn't be minimized as far as, you know, being the CEO of a company that manages over 1.2 trillion DOL for sure. I believe the only black CEO of a Fortune 100 company. I think there's only been three in history when it comes to Fortune 500 company. So you're in very rare air and you don't really have many. You don't have any payers. So what is your journey to get to where you are now? I know you used to work for Chase and you know, a couple other institutions, so. And there's a lot of young people in the audience, and I'm sure a lot of times they hear these things. But what are the actionable items? What's your path that you took to become the CEO of crep?

[TIAA CEO (possibly Thasunda Brown Duckett)]

Well, first, it's just such a privilege to be these two amazing men that are making impact around the world to ensure that millions of people can earn their leisure. You all give them another round of applause. We were talking, in order to make impact, you have to disrupt. And if you're not disrupting, then you're not shifting the game. And I just have a lot of gratitude to see what you all are doing, and it's inspiring to see how you are connecting with young people and giving them a different narrative on how to make sure that they can grab the bag and keep the bag and see the bag compound. So in terms of my story, I want to take it back because I think it's important for all of you to have context, especially in this environment. I know at a very young age it was clear to me that I am on the shoulders of giants. I understand that my intellect, my passion, and my vision was not necessarily sufficient to be here. There had to be so many people that paved away and cracked ceilings for me to be in this seat. And so I am absolutely grounded in the understanding. And I like to say that it doesn't escape me in corporate America that it was the cooks, the janitors, and the secretaries that introduced my gender and my melanin to corporate America. And so the reason why I share that context is in the words of Otis Brown, people may see your glory, but they don't know your story. It's important to make sure that you see people and understand that there were people that may not have this amazing rented title that paved the way for me to exist. That's lesson one. Be grounded in context, especially in your history, and let your history fuel your passion. In terms of how I got here, that's step one. Step two is Otis and Rosie Brown. When you have a father who worked in a warehouse scanning boxes and driving trucks, and you have a mother who's an educator, when you understand that you are first generation integration. My parents grew up in the segregated city south, but Otis Brown told me at a very young age to reach for the moon because even if you missed, you would be among the stars. This is a man that scanned boxes. So in order to be in this seat. Not understanding what that fully meant, I just knew that my dad had an expectation that he didn't even understand what that could realize values. My mother angered me in my character and my faith and making sure that I understood that you should see everyone. And how can I only always look for someone that has a rented title when the people that inspired me grew up in the segregated south and when a man who was my hero did not have a college education? The reason why I share this as it relates to my business journey is because so many times when you reach a level of success, you tend to start your journey with your first career job, or you start your journey with where you graduated. But I want to start my journey with the truth. And the truth is I'm on the shoulders of giants. The truth is a man who did not have an education but was brilliant has a lot to do with why am I here today? Fast forward. I love sports. Sports played a really important role in my life. You know, on any given day, everyone plays a role. Grit, tenacity, teamwork, perseverance. And so this mindset of teamwork really played a role in my life as someone who played basketball and played volleyball and really was surrounded by brothers that played sports. So what shifted for me? The power of information. There is a woman and man by the name of Mr. And Ms. Patterson. And they told me about inroads. Anyone familiar with Inroads? Okay, I am a product of Inroads. For those of you who do not know, Inroads is a program that provides students exposure to corporate America, especially underrepresented groups. And so without the power of information, I never even heard the word corporate America. And so I share that as an insight, because you all are getting information every day at your university. Give it away freely. The power of information led me to being in this chair. The second piece that changed the course of my life within information was the power of advocacy. So with Inroads, they basically interview you. Companies then decide they want one intern or 10. And a company by the name of Fannie Mae that's in the housing sector had one intern. And when they interviewed me and a host of other students, they chose their one intern. And who do you think it was? Who? No, her name was Sarah. But a woman by the name of Valerie Manning, who was there to interview students, went back and said these words that changed my life. But there's this other girl. The reason, yes, the reason why I share this story is because Valerie Manning did not have this massive title. You did not get extra credit for saying, let me give you another intern. But for whatever reason, Valerie Manning advocated for me when I didn't even understand what advocacy was about. And because Valerie Manning said, but there's this other girl, Fannie Mae added the second intern. And that was my introduction into corporate America. And I worked there for many years. And then an opportunity came to join JPMorgan Chase. And so I joined JPMorgan Chase. I had many jobs. I moved starting in mortgage because that was my passion. I moved around. I ended up running the entire mortgage mortgage sales team. And then I was tapped to be the CEO of Auto. First African American woman or first African American to run a line of business at the company. I then moved into becoming the CEO of the consumer bank. And then an opportunity came for me to lead tiaa. And so the message here is information. Give it away freely. Because you could be giving information to a young girl that would become the first woman CEO of tiaa. You could be giving information to someone that just continued to make history. Give away information and then advocacy. Do not wait for your rented title to feel like you have power. You have power to advocate and always be okay advocating, even when someone is not asking for you to advocate or may not even understand it. You may be the reason that history is made. And so for that, I'm incredibly grateful. And here I am today. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Liberty Mutual Companion]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Companion]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league. Anyways.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty.

[Liberty Mutual Companion]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Miles Turner]

I'm Miles Turner.

[Brianna Stewart]

And I'm Brianna Stewart.

[Miles Turner]

And our podcast, Game Recognized Game, has never been done before.

[Brianna Stewart]

Two active players giving you a real look at our lives and what we actually think on and off the court.

[Miles Turner]

Nothing's off limits.

[Brianna Stewart]

We talk tanking. I might get in trouble for this answer, but I think it's, like, definitely happening.

[Miles Turner]

In the wnba, we talk about our mistakes, too. They pulled me to the side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night, man, you can't be rolling around the city like this. Tonight.

[Brianna Stewart]

Before games, check out Game Recognized Game with Stewien miles on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[TIAA CEO (possibly Thasunda Brown Duckett)]

How much you weigh, Wanda? Right now about 130. I'm at 180. 3. We should race. No, I want to leave here with my original hips.

[Aaliyah (Podcast Host)]

On the podcast the Matchup with Aaliyah, I pair prominent female athletes with unexpected guests. On a recent episode, I sat down with Undisputed boxing champ Clarissa Shields and comedian Wanda Sykes to talk about Wanda's new movie, the Art of Trash Talk, and what it really means to be ladylike. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search the Matchup with Aaliyah and listen now.

[iHeartRadio Announcer]

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[Iris Palmer]

Hi, I'm Iris Palmer, host of the Against All Odds podcast. Every week, I'm sitting down with exceptional people who have broken barriers even when the odds were stacked against them, like Chef Victor Villa of Villa's Tacos. You know the taquero from the Bad Bunny halftime show?

[Chef Victor Villa]

It was great. It was a big moment. It was special, and I felt like I was really representing my family, you know, my brand, my city. I was representing all taqueros, not only of the US but of Mexico and beyond, all the taqueros of the world.

[Iris Palmer]

Listen to Against all odds on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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