This week on Rich Takes — the hot takes segment of the Rich Lessons podcast — Sheena Allen and Sevetri Wilson Taylor break down the biggest headlines impacting business and culture.

The Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act has red states redrawing district maps at lightning speed. Louisiana just went 5-1. Tennessee's Black representation in Memphis is gone. But the real question is: will voter outrage actually translate to midterm turnout? We get into why boycotts aren't the answer — and what actually is.

Then we shift to a crisis hiding in plain sight. New research from Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth confirms what many parents already feared: America is in a reading recession. Students in grades 3–8 are nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic scores across 5,000+ school districts. We talk about COVID learning loss, Chromebooks replacing lockers, and why critical thinking may be a generation's biggest deficit.

On the tech side, the Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman and OpenAI lawsuit is heating up — and we're calling it: a battle of evils. Musk's argument that OpenAI broke its nonprofit mission and its promise to keep AI open and for public benefit is actually hard to ignore. We break down what's really at stake.

And finally — Kevin Hart. The roast. The conspiracy theories. Hart Studios restructuring. And why independent content creators and streamers are doing what Hollywood spent billions trying to do — and winning.

Topics covered:

• Voting Rights Act rollback and gerrymandering in Louisiana and Tennessee
• Midterm elections and Black voter turnout
• Reading recession: kids falling behind in grades 3–8
• COVID learning loss and technology dependency in schools
• Elon Musk vs. OpenAI and Sam Altman lawsuit
• AI, nonprofit mission, and Big Tech accountability
• Kevin Hart roast and conspiracy theories
• Hart Studios restructuring and the rise of independent streamers
• Hollywood vs. content creators and the future of entertainment

Rich Takes drops every Thursday. Subscribe to Rich Lessons on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for new episodes every Tuesday.

What does it really take to become a successful NFL agent?
In this episode of Rich Lessons, Sheena Allen and Sevetri sit down with NFLPA-certified agent and attorney Paul DeRousselle to discuss the business behind professional football, negotiating NFL contracts, athlete representation, sports law, faith, failure, mental health, and building a career from a small town in Louisiana.
Paul shares his journey from Eunice, Louisiana, to becoming a respected NFL agent who represents elite football talent and secures major endorsement deals with brands like Nike, Adidas, State Farm, and Booking.com. He opens up about losing clients early in his career, failing the first version of his dream, rebuilding his confidence, overcoming alcohol addiction, navigating imposter syndrome, and learning how to win in one of the most competitive industries in sports.
This episode is a masterclass on resilience, entrepreneurship, athlete management, sports business, negotiation, and personal growth.
In this episode of Rich Lessons, Paul gets real about:

• Growing up in Eunice, Louisiana, and why he refuses to say he "escaped" his hometown.
• How a Family Matters episode gave him the courage to knock on a hotel room door at a law firm job fair and get hired
• Working as the only Black attorney at a 500-person Dallas law firm and what it taught him about negotiation.
• Why the NFL agent world gave him three years to sign a player, and what happened when time ran out
• Representing Keon Coleman and why the media got it wrong
• Why 30% of the NFL is made up of undrafted free agents, and how he bets on overlooked talent
• His battle with alcohol, the church moment that changed his life, and how he threw every bottle in the dumpster that same day
• How his mom, daughter, and grandfather's legacy keep him accountable
• His new book, Faith, Failure, Football — and why he wrote it before he felt "ready."

📚 Faith, Failure, Football by Paul Paul DeRousselle — Available May 11th

📱 Follow Paul: @theagentpaul
🎙️ Rich Lessons is hosted by Sheena Allen and Sevetri Wilson Taylor — conversations at the intersection of money, entrepreneurship, and real life.
➡️ Subscribe for new episodes every week.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, sports fan, athlete, agent, or someone navigating setbacks while chasing success, this conversation delivers powerful lessons on persistence, identity, and growth.
#NFL #NFLAgent #SportsBusiness #Entrepreneurship #RichLessons #Football #SportsLaw #BusinessPodcast #FaithFailureFootball #AthleteRepresentation

This week on Rich Takes, Sheena and Sevetri break down the headlines making noise in business, tech, and culture.

The Met Gala is back, and so is the controversy. This year's backlash goes beyond the dress code: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are now the event's biggest backers, and A-listers like Taraji P. Henson and Jennifer Lewis are speaking out. Plus, Beyoncé made her return after 10 years — and Blue Ivy might have outshined everyone.

Spirit Airlines is officially gone. We unpack what the shutdown really means for working-class travelers, how the blocked JetBlue merger played a role, and why the government's decision not to intervene could have long-term consequences for everyday Americans.

GameStop just put in a $56 billion bid to acquire eBay, a company nearly ten times its size. Is it a serious play or a strategic squeeze? We break down the CEO's history and what this move actually signals.

The Great Wealth Transfer is coming: nearly $100 trillion is expected to change hands from Baby Boomers by 2048, and $30 to $40 trillion of that is projected to go directly to women. What does that mean for investing, impact, and economic power?

In AI news, Anthropic is reportedly closing a funding round that would value the company at $900 billion — surpassing OpenAI's $852 billion valuation. Two companies. Both nearly worth a trillion dollars. Let that sink in.

And we close out with New Orleans: Is the city actually running out of time before it goes underwater? Real estate prices say one thing. Climate scientists say another.

Rich Takes drops every Thursday. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.