Mathew Knowles, Ph.D, music mogul, professor, speaker, and author chatted with So Booking Cool about an array of topics including the parallels between music and book publishing, his thoughts on the digital age, being a writer, and his coined term “social courage,” something he hopes readers will get out of his memoir Racism From the Eyes of a Child. He also dished on his first book, The DNA of Achievers: The 10 Traits of Highly Successful Professionals, in which he interviewed a number of accomplished individuals from various walks of life including the former L’Oréal President, Joseph Campinell, and Roy Willis, who made history by becoming the first African American graduate of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia.
“I started thinking about me and my path, and my kids’ path to success. Passion is by far the number one trait…and what co-exists with passion is work ethic,” says the professor, who is among the Board of Directors of the Make A Wish Foundation. He later recalls the time he asked for mentorship when he first started working at the Xerox Corporation prior to accomplishing his goal of becoming a top sales executive at the company.
Mr. Knowles revealed that ten of his students at Texas Southern University co-wrote his upcoming book, The Emancipation of Slaves Through Music (6/1/18), now available for pre-order, and he’s currently penning Destiny’s Child: The Untold Story. Listen to the full interview to learn more about the Alabama native, including his childhood, racism, the three biggest misconceptions about him, and the book that he keeps in his office for motivation. For more information visit his official website.