Black Is America

Dominic Lawson

Podcast Creator & Host

Dominic Lawson is a native Memphian dedicated to empowering people to move society forward. He graduated from Westwood High School and began his professional career at Regions Bank. After a year in banking, he served in the Army. After his service, he returned to banking and pursued a Bachelors's Degree in Business Administration at National American University. In 2014, he co-founded an educational consulting firm, OWLS, LLC, with his wife, Kenda Lawson. At Owls, he serves as its COO to create curriculum and provide professional development to schools, school districts, non-profits, and corporations.

Since 2016, Dominic has been the host of The Startup Life Podcast, giving his audience the edge it needs in building their businesses and climbing the corporate ladder. He has interviewed some of the top minds in business, from the co-founder of Netflix Marc Randolph and countless others. Lawson continued to develop a podcasting passion, gaining experience by creating, writing, editing, hosting, and producing podcasts, including Nothin But Buckets (sports) and Just Blerdn' (Black nerd culture). He was initially drawn to the medium as "a tool to help people," but he admits the audience feedback is pretty great, too. "I love to hear people say that an episode resonates with them." Lawson joined the Meadows Behavioral Healthcare family in 2021 as a podcast producer, editor, and host. Responsible for cultivating a diverse slate of guests ranging from mental health experts to addiction recovery professionals and beyond, he enjoys the challenge of meeting the audience's expectations. While his position at MBH may not be clinical or involve daily interaction with patients, Lawson sees the potential to use his craft to make a difference. That's why he takes seriously the platform he's been given to share valuable information and resources that can change lives.

Dominic served as board president of the non-profit Hot Foot Honey's, Memphis' first and only tap dance company. Embark Alumnus of The New Memphis Institute. Dominic's current community service commitments include Coach/Mentor at LITE Memphis, Mentor at STS Enterprise, and Corporate sponsor of the Westwood PTSA. Lawson's core belief is that "success is ninety percent planning and ten percent execution."

Alexandria Eddings