We had the good fortune of connecting with Ishmael Holloway (@ishthechosenone) & Willie Stricklin (@WStricklin) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ishmael & Willie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
(Ishmael) I wanted to turn Mirror Check into a book to present to my wife on the day of our wedding. Mirror Check started off as a series of journals I would write about my struggles, how I overcame them, how I learned to love God even before myself. What made me start writing those letters in journal form was because I love history and saw how George Washington, Lewis & Clark, etc would write letters to their spouses talking about the things they encountered while on their missions. I never found that wife, so I wanted to share my story with the world and podcast continued to run across my mind.

I had to check who I was in the mirror in order to get where I was going and also prepare myself to receive my wife.

I wasn’t who I knew I was, I was putting on a front and it felt like I was going backwards in life. All my friends were getting married or dating, I was getting left behind.

It was never meant to go public, it was meant for whoever God revealed to me as my wife. It was originally about my shortcomings, my trials and tribulations on my way to finding her. So, when I would present this book of journals to her on the day we became one, she could read them and understand how God prepared me for her. I had to check myself numerous times along this journey. Fast Forward I was able to reach out to a childhood friend Willie Stricklin, someone that I could trust and build a brand with. We started brainstorming in October of 2021, launched our 1st episode in April of 2022 and continuing to move forward!! The brand Mirror Check is more than a podcast, it’s a lifestyle!!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Mirror Check originally started as podcast, wanting to use our voices as men to be leaders in the community. Eventually people wanted more and saw the potential in where we were going so we turned it into an actual brand and business structure.

What sets Mirror Check apart from any other business is to have the ability to become active in the community, sitting down with city council members, gaining information that we could share for the betterment of the communities we are connected to. Being able to have those uncomfortable conversations about how to better advance those who need assistance and resources. Even though the podcasts is our foundation, the goal is to build beyond the mic and allow our fans and listeners to build a relationship with us.

Mirror Check has so many different products and services that will be available via our website www.checkyourmirror.com. If you ever had the vision of starting your own podcast, Mirror Check is here to assist. Just visit our website and we would help you turn that vision into reality. We have this space called Motivational Corner that is a series of motivational speakers that will encourage us throughout the week. So, no matter what you are going through, we wanted to create a service to help encourage others.

We are most proud of being in a position to be a voice to the voiceless. We want to be leaders in our community and we know it starts with being active and a voice.

We are very blessed to be in the position we are today, but it wasn’t easy by any means. Mirror Check started off as an idea and many years of procrastinating until the COVID pandemic hit and we were basically forced to stay home. We started off having conversations which led to writing ideas and putting the necessary work and research behind it. It cost us many late nights, money, uncomfortable conversations and getting out of our physical comfort zone. Before Mirror Check, it was very difficult to connect with people, but as soon as we started, it’s like people found us. We went to a networking event this past summer and from there, we took off running.

A lesson that we have learned is, God doesn’t give us the desire to be or do something without the ability to be or do it. What that mean is, if you have a dream to be something, it’s already in you to do it. You may have to go to school to study to become it or spend countless nights studying alone in order to make that vision become a reality. You have to get out of your comfort zone, have those uncomfortable conversations with some people and network, network, network!

What Mirror Check want the world to know about our brand is, it’s not about Ishmael and Willie, but it’s about us as a whole moving forward; breaking those generational curses (cycles) that have held many generations back from reaching their full potential and walking in their purpose.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well first and foremost we would take them to one of our favorite spots called Buffalo Bros. It’s a dope bar and grill, with great food and beverages, TVs all over with a dope Buffalo Bills mural. It’s right in the heart of downtown Fort Worth. Walk a couple of blocks down and go to what we call “Sundance Square with live music, cool scenery, waterfalls and more restaurants. If they are into movies we also have our Drive In movie theatre called Coyote Drive In where you watch 2 movies for the price of one. Great food and drinks as well. We also wools check out the Fort Worth Stockyards that gives people that cowboy and western feel, learn the history of Fort Worth and also enjoy the strip of the diversities of food options we have. If they are into concerts we are the Dickies Arena where varieties of artist come out and put on a show!!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to one of our spiritual leaders, Pastor Paul Garner. He was a man who really taught and poured into us on how to be men of God. He was very transparent in showing us the way through the Word Of God on how to live a righteous lifestyle. We may have stumbled along the way but we both remember his teachings, things he would say and his love for ministry. And also his wife Kalisha Garner, such a woman of integrity, great character and compassion for people. Such a power couple!!!

Also, shoutout to our mothers (Debra and Brenda) for helping mold us to the men we are today. All the love, prayers that kept us covered, the talks, the laughs, the unwavering support kept us grounded and set on a straight path. Being single mothers raising boys into men is a difficult task, but they were well equipped. To our mothers, we love you and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done and continue to do for us. We are forever in debt to you.

Website: www.checkyourmirror.com

Instagram: @MirrorCheckPodcast

Twitter: @MirrorCheck_

Facebook: Mirror Check Podcast

YouTube: Mirror Check Podcast

Other: TikTok: MirrorCheck_

Instagram: @mirrorcheck.clothing

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