In rooms where the clock is always working against the conversation, Black & Missing Foundation pushed that even further, placing her in rooms where families were searching for answers and every word mattered.

“We would travel across the country to small towns, to cities all over the nation and sit down to highlight the cold cases for missing people of color—specifically and especially Black people of color—and just shine some light to see if we might be able to get new leads for authorities, provide some closure or context to loved ones,” Hall said. “Those were deep, and really intense conversations. Even though it was in an area that was extremely heartbreaking, and extremely important, at the end of the day, it was still a story being told.”

The Ohio-born journalist’s early experiences shaped how she approaches every interview currently. With Not About Sports, she’s creating a format where athletes can show parts of themselves that rarely make it into coverage. The show uses sports as a starting point, but it moves quickly into the lives people are building away from the game.

“The conversations are really human interest heavy, and there’s something for everyone there because we’re not talking about the sport,” she noted. “We’re talking about the things that matter most to pretty much everyone I know, which is how to be happy, how to live a life that feels as good as it looks, how to pursue our passions while prioritizing work-life balance and family, discovering who we are for our second and third acts in life.” 

Her brainchild finally moved from concept to execution after the pandemic shifted how creators approached ownership. Hall had spent years building relationships across entertainment and understood how to bring people into a project. She also recognized what it meant to build something on her own terms. “The creator economy is booming and I’ve had so much skin in the game,” she said. “I’ve got the relationships. I was blessed enough to be able to self-fund it. So I was like, ‘I’m just going to do this on my own on purpose so that I can actually embrace the role of independent creator, own the IP, build it myself, and then expand and partner up from there.’”

As many entrepreneurs know, ownership brings a different level of responsibility, and Hall is stepping into that fully with this project. She understands the pressure that comes with building something from the ground up, especially when it reflects both her creative instincts and the team she’s assembled around her. The stakes feel higher because there’s no one else to point to if things fall short, but that same reality makes the work more meaningful. “I can’t blame anybody but me if it doesn’t work out, if I’m being honest,” Hall said.

The response for Not About Sports has already has been overwhelming, both publicly and behind the scenes. Athletes and publicists are reaching out, asking to be part of something still in its early stages. “It’s been really exciting,” she said. True to form, Hall’s focus moving forward is clear, especially when it comes to who she wants to highlight. “On my dream list, I’m still hoping for Simone Biles, A’ja Wilson, and Serena Williams,” Hall admitted. “I really want to focus on women in sports and particularly black women in sports, adjacent to, or at all supporting the world of sports.”

Outside of the podcast, her work continues to expand. As a global ambassador for the Global Fund for Children, she stays connected to work that reaches beyond entertainment. The role has sharpened how she thinks about visibility and responsibility as her platform grows. “It’s one thing to be in Hollywood, to be a part of a world that feels very sparkly and shiny and sexy, but it’s another thing to take a step back at what you’ve built and say, okay, we’ve got the fame now or we’ve got the attention or we’ve got the platform—but what are we going to do with it?” she said.

Good News First Studios, Hall’s production company, is a place where she builds projects on her own terms while stepping into a more hands-on leadership role. It also allows her to create content, and to invest directly in other creatives, many of whom she’s crossedrel="tag">Zuri Hall

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