Detroit is Different

  • Latest episode: “I Set Up Shop and Built the Vision, Jason Phillips on Art, Ink, and Detroit Legacy”
  • Latest episode: “Breaking Curses, Building Community: Inside the Modern Day High Priestess with Ber-Henda Williams”
  • Latest episode: “From Scripts to Fatherhood: MJ the Don on Creativity, Patience, and Legacy”

  • Latest episode: “I Set Up Shop and Built the Vision, Jason Phillips on Art, Ink, and Detroit Legacy”
  • Latest episode: “Breaking Curses, Building Community: Inside the Modern Day High Priestess with Ber-Henda Williams”
  • Latest episode: “From Scripts to Fatherhood: MJ the Don on Creativity, Patience, and Legacy”

“If you don’t impact your environment, your environment’s going to impact you.” That’s how Glenn Wilson, President and CEO of Communities First Inc., sets the tone in this powerful Detroit is Different episode. What started as a casual connection in New Orleans blossoms into a deeply honest conversation about housing, healing, and hope. Glenn shares the raw journey from surviving a childhood house fire in Flint to leading a multi-state nonprofit developing thousands of affordable housing units. From reflections on faith—”Statistically, I shouldn’t be here”—to breaking down what “capital stack” really means in community development, this interview is a must-listen. With tales of hot plates on broken stoves, bird nests in rooftops, and turning trauma into mission, Glenn reminds us: “The very things we take for granted are the very things people pray for.” This is about more than real estate—this is about legacy, trust, and doing the work. “It’s not about being a gatekeeper. It’s about being a gate opener.”