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Episode 005 – Jahmal Cole, CEO and Founder of My Block, My Hood, My City

On this episode of The Executives’ Exchange, we sit down with Jahmal Cole, CEO and Founder of My Block, My Hood, My City (M3), to talk about the power of mentorship and exposure for the under-served youth of Chicago. Cole is a legend in the making whose mantra of personal accountability and creating opportunity for others keeps him on track as he looks to expand the powerful presence of his community engagement work. Tune in to hear more about M3’s impact in Chicago and how your organization can create life-changing learning experiences for young people in Chicago’s divested neighborhoods.

1:50 – Introducing Jahmal’s story and M3 founding journey
7:54 – Mentorship – Jahmal’s basketball coach in college
12:01 – Jahmal speaking about his first book and speaking engagement at a Cook County Jail
13:29 – Jahmal’s first job
15:33 – Lessons learned from first corporate experience
16:58 – How M3 was founded, the inspiration behind the org
19:06 – 3 pillars – explore, experience, evolve
22:10 – Scope of M3 and what an experience looks like in real life (case studies)
24:18 – Examples of success from the M3 programs; understanding the background of the kids participating
27:05 – How does the explore program look during a pandemic
28:30 – How the kids help their own communities recover during COVID/social unrest – community engagement
29:45 – Virtual exploration programs with companies
30:11 – How has M3 evolved over the past six years
32:16 – Logistics of explorer program and wait list of schools; goals for 2025
33:10 – Call to action for hosting explorations
33:54 – How to sponsor a student or a school
35:08 – How kids are selected for the program and future expansion hopes
37:13 – Timeline for expansion

Episode Link: My Block, My Hood, My City

Host: Margaret Mueller, CEO & President, The Executives’ Club of Chicago
Producer: Eva Penar, Chief Content & Communications Officer, The Executives’ Club of Chicago

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