The Anthony Reeves Experience

One of the greatest lessons I've ever learned about growth didn't come from winning. It came from losing. During my time as Step Master for my chapter at the University of South Florida in the mid-1990s, we had earned a reputation. Locally, we were one of the strongest step teams around. We knew our audience. We knew the stages. We knew how to perform in an environment where people expected us to succeed. But there was one thing we had never really done. We had never taken our success on the road. Some older Alpha brothers kept encouraging us to compete outside of our area. Looking back, I realize they weren't just encouraging us to enter another competition. They were encouraging us to test ourselves. Eventually, we decided to do something that, in hindsight, was probably a little crazy. Instead of entering one out-of-town competition, we entered two on the same weekend. On Friday night, we competed in Fort Lauderdale. Then we immediately got back on the road, drove to Gai...

Intro: We’ve all heard someone say, “I’m not trying to make new friends.” On the surface, it can sound antisocial or dismissive. But if you’re in your 40s or beyond, that phrase starts to carry a whole new weight. It’s not about shutting people out—it’s about recognizing the power of relationships that have been built over decades. Listen to the Full Podcast Below:  Listen to "Friends After 40: Why Your Circle Shrinks But Grows Deep" on Spreaker. Friends from the Beginning of Adulthood Friendships you start in your teens or early 20s come with a different energy. These are the people who were there during your first job, first apartment, first heartbreak, first real success. They were becoming adults alongside you. By the time you reach 40, something strange and powerful happens: You’ve now known those friends longer than you haven’t. That changes everything. Why Foundational Friendships Hit Different at 40+ Friendships at this stage aren’t casual. They’ve survive...

Sometimes we don’t truly value our support systems until they come through for us when we least expect it. For me, this realization became clear during my journey to join Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., an experience that profoundly shaped my understanding of friendship and community. When I arrived at the University of Tampa in 1987, my dream of becoming an Alpha faced a significant hurdle: my campus didn’t have any Black Greek Letter Organizations. Yet, I remained determined. I soon learned that students from my school could pledge through the chapter at the University of South Florida (USF). I attended interest meetings in 1988 and 1989, showing my commitment, and eventually, I was invited to join the pledge process. That’s when reality hit: pledging came with a significant financial cost. As a kid from rural Arkansas with limited resources, I didn’t know how I’d afford the expenses. Thankfully, I had an incredible group of friends who believed in me and supported my journey in ...

January 1, 2008, may not be significant for many people, but for me, it marked a crucial point in my life that I will never forget. On that date, Tampa, FL, hosted the annual Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium, featuring #18 Wisconsin against #16 Tennessee. The city was buzzing with fans leading up to the game. For those unfamiliar with the area, Tampa has a vibrant part called Ybor City, similar to New Orleans' French Quarter, with its restaurants, clubs, and shops. It’s an especially lively place during the holidays and New Year's Eve. This New Year's Eve was memorable for me because I was about to do something I had never done before: podcasting on location at an event in Ybor City. I owe this opportunity to a dynamic group of women known as the 6 FOOTAHS, prominent figures in Tampa's professional social scene, especially among African American professionals. Despite their name, which suggests they are all six feet tall, these women were much more. They were promi...

 In 2009, I found myself in a unique position. I was offered the opportunity to broadcast my podcast live from the inauguration of the 33rd General President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. This invitation came unexpectedly, but I was incredibly excited to have this chance. At that time, my podcast primarily featured me and another fraternity brother who served as my co-host and engineer. Interestingly, both of us lived in central Florida. We packed up our equipment, hit the road, and traveled to Atlanta for the event. After settling into a hotel room, we dressed up for the inauguration ball and prepared to broadcast live the following day. What I didn't fully realize was the potential for me to connect with many prominent individuals due to this opportunity. During the event, I had the chance to meet noteworthy personalities such as Roland Martin, former ambassador Andrew Young, and noted figure Sheryl Underwood, among other prominent guests. This was an ideal occasio...

When I began my law practice, my wife reminded me more than once that I had access to influential individuals who could make my life easier. She noticed that I hesitated to seek their assistance, fearing I might bother them. As a result, I often refrained from asking for help. One of the challenges in viewing people through a particular lens is that we tend to only see them in that context. I once witnessed a group of 6 young brothers getting initiated into my fraternity. Over the years, I continued to perceive them as my "little brothers" without realizing their potential as power players. Surprisingly, out of this group of six, I ended up doing business with one, while another started his own company and hired me as his attorney. Yet another brother offered valuable management and leadership training, and yet another, who had marketing experience with an NFL team, provided valuable advice to help grow my company. In total, four out of the six guys I initiated helped elevate...

When I first started podcasting back in the early 2000s, I didn't have a clear goal in mind. I was thrilled to have a platform to interview people and discuss various topics, without a specific focus in sight. During that time, I decided to create a series called "Examining Black Leadership: The Future of Black Organizations." Originally, my plan was to interview members of different organizations. However, serendipitously, my fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, was in the midst of its national presidential election, leading me to interview the candidates. To my surprise, nearly all the candidates agreed to be interviewed, which made me feel honored and excited about my podcast's recognition. I hadn't realized that people outside my immediate circle were paying attention to my work. One day, Brother Willard Hall, the Executive Director of our fraternity, reached out to me. Despite having been a member for almost 20 years, I had never interacted with the national leadersh...

Throughout my life, I have never viewed myself as a leader, despite having achieved various things that might indicate otherwise. As a result, I haven't actively sought out leadership opportunities. However, the fall of 1993 presented a unique turning point for me. Dancing had always been a passion, and I had even choreographed several routines. But that year, I did something quite out of character – I stepped up and asked for the opportunity to lead. Back in graduate school, I regularly performed stepping routines with the undergraduate brothers. Our fraternity chapter had a tradition of collaborative efforts in creating step shows. Despite this, I took a leap and approached the new chapter president, expressing my interest in being the step master, the head choreographer. To my surprise, he agreed. To this day, I am unsure what drove me to volunteer for this responsibility. Our chapter had a history of winning competitions, enjoying a five-year winning streak. Some questioned why...

Have you ever played a card game with a group of people who are ruthless? That was my first experience when I was in my fraternity back in college. I had the opportunity to play cards with my frat brothers and these brothers did not care. They were ruthless. They would shred you psychologically and verbally and did not care about the consequences. But it wasn’t just limited to your opponents. Your partners were also equally ruthless because they expected you not to make any mistakes. And this was my introduction to the thickening of my skin. I’m always amazed by people who keep making references to people who have thin skin because my first thought is that they could never be a part of my organization. But then as I went through and interacted with other friends and other organizations, i.e. other fraternities and sororities, I realized that this was not an uncommon situation. They all experience the same level of brutality and their organizations. And then I started realizing that a l...

  Let me tell you about this woman!  NO! NO! That’s not right! Let me tell you about my friend! NO! Still doesn’t capture it. Let me tell you about MY SISTER!  That’s right!  MY SISTER! DANAE AICHER!! On April 28, 2021, she sent me a message letting me that she has been initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. My heart swelled up.   I couldn’t believe it since she had never gave an indication that she was interested in joining a Sorority (that’s usually how it goes). However, for me, it was more than that. Danae is one of my personal DORA MILAJE (and if you don’t know, I don’t have time to explain it to you.  Go watch BLACK PANTHER!  WAKANDA FOREVER!) I have known Danae since 1991 when she was a freshman in College and I was a senior.   When I met her, I didn’t know the impact she would have but she would.  She convinced her mom to allow my wife to throw me a surprise Birthday party at her  Mom’s house when I was in law school....

When I was appointed as a naval officer in 1995, my first duty station was Naval Hospital, Camp Lejeune, NC.   I had traveled to NC once for a Regional Alpha convention. I had driven through NC once on my way to NYC.  However, I had never lived there. Anyone who has traveled to a new duty station is familiar with the routine of trying to get acclimated to the environment. The military has a fairly robust systems of entities designed to help new service numbers get adjusted to the new way of life. As a young male officer, I was replacing another officer who was there and helped me get acclimated to it my job would be. I ran into quite a few senior African-American and listed officers who provide me feedback about the community. I ran into quite a few fellow black officers who also help me navigate the landscape. But the thing that I was looking for, as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Incorporated, was my black Greek letter family. I wanted to know where other Greeks were...

If you’ve ever been to a stepshow, you probably were very impressed with what you were seeing. Highly choreographed routine. Sharply dressed men or women. High impact and explosive moves. All done and synchronicity. It truly is a wonderful site for those if you have never seen one However, you should be really happy that you were actually seeing the final finished product.  Because everything that went into preparing for that routine is not for the faint of heart. And when I talk about step shells, I’m not talking about the exhibition shows in a park or a party step show this done during your party. I’m talking about a competition step show were either money or bragging rights are on the line. You have no idea of the countless hours and pains that go into putting on a highly convinced well orchestrated and highly precise step shell that Hass to last anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. And we’re talking about tweaking various routines, doing things over and over again, trying different ...