Leave the Pile Higher
"My job is to leave the pile higher for you and your sister."
That was my father's philosophy long before I understood it—and decades before I ever thought about launching a podcast. He never used the word legacy.
He simply lived it.
In 1983, faced with financial sacrifices and difficult choices, my father made a decision that changed the trajectory of my life. Rather than take the easier path, he chose to invest in my future. At the time, I didn't fully appreciate what that sacrifice meant. It wasn't until after his passing in 2018 that I truly understood the depth of his commitment and the legacy he was building.
On what would have been my father's 75th birthday, I launched Leave the Pile Higher as a way to honor his legacy and explore a question we all face:
What are we leaving behind for those who come after us?
Through honest conversations with guests from all walks of life, we explore leadership, faith, family, resilience, service, personal growth, and purpose.
While this podcast often speaks directly to Black men navigating fatherhood, leadership, purpose, and life's responsibilities with intention, the lessons shared here are universal. Legacy belongs to all of us.
Whether through guest interviews, Legacy Notes, or Legacy Blueprint panel discussions, every episode is designed to challenge, encourage, and inspire you to think differently about the impact you're making right now.
Because legacy isn't something you leave someday.
It's something you build every day.
One decision.
One sacrifice.
One conversation.
One rep at a time.
Let's Build.
Leave the Pile Higher
Latest Episodes
Legacy Blueprint | The Work We Do (Part II)
On January 1, 2026, I introduced Legacy Blueprint on Leave the Pile Higher with Part One: The Weight We Carry—a conversation about the pressures, expectations, responsibilities, and silent battles many of us face as Black men.The discuss...
Built to Handle It: A Conversation with Saif Madar
When was the last time you had a conversation that made you think deeper than you planned to?In this episode, I sit down with my frat brother, Saif Madar — a man I’ve known for over two decades. Same yard. Different eras. Real brotherhoo...
Brotherhood, Time, and the Work That Lasts — Cedric Nelson
Some relationships don’t fade with time—they just pause.And when they resume, they remind you who you were and who you’re becoming. In this episode, I sit down with Cedric Nelson, a brother I’ve known for over four decades. We b...
Legacy Blueprint | The Weight We Carry (Part I)
What happens when four Black men—strangers to one another, yet united by shared experiences—come together for an honest conversation about the emotional weight they've carried for years?This episode launches Legacy Blueprint, a ne...
A Father Honored, A Son Becoming: Three Years Behind the Mic
What does it mean to grow as a man when the blueprint wasn’t handed to you?Today is December 4th — the day my father was born, my fraternity’s Founders Day, and the day this podcast turns three years old. In this special reflection I spe...
Fan Mail
From Brian Bailey Emmitts High School Class Mate
Frederick, Maryland
