For the Season 1 Finale of STL Hustle Insider, Cortez Hustle sits down with Rochelle Bea, founder of City Jump and a longtime Saint Louis educator and entrepreneur, for a conversation about family, addiction, education, children, community investment, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to keep building when life gives you plenty of reasons not to.

Rochelle was born and raised in North Saint Louis. Her childhood changed when addiction entered her home while she was still young. Her grandfather, aunts, siblings, and extended family helped fill gaps, but Rochelle also found herself taking on responsibility early and helping care for those around her.

She later moved from Beaumont to Wentzville High School and experienced a dramatically different educational and economic environment. Rather than letting those differences make her feel like she did not belong, Rochelle says succeeding became mandatory. She studied human services, psychology, and later early childhood education.

Her path into education became personal when she recognized signs that her daughter had a learning disability. That discovery sent Rochelle deeper into understanding learning differences, early intervention, and what happens when a child needs help that is not immediately visible. Her research eventually helped lead to grant funding that launched the education work that became Beginning Futures College Preparatory Academy.

Nearly two decades later, Rochelle has expanded that commitment to children and families through City Jump, a roughly 30,000-square-foot family entertainment facility designed to give families a place to play, gather, celebrate, and build community close to home. Rochelle describes City Jump as “30,000 square feet of greatness” and says the space was intentionally designed to serve children and adults, including bowling, bumper cars, laser tag, arcades, party rooms, a full-service bar, a jungle gym, and a tiny village for younger children.

This conversation is about the finished building, but more importantly, it is about everything that had to survive long enough for the building to exist.

Featured Guest

Rochelle Bea
Founder, City Jump
Educator | Entrepreneur | Community Builder

Rochelle’s work spans early childhood education, youth development, family support, recreation, and community investment.

Her educational work through Beginning Futures College Preparatory Academy has served Saint Louis families for nearly two decades, while City Jump represents a new chapter focused on recreation, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and creating spaces for families to gather closer to home.

Guest Links

City Jump: https://www.cityjumpstl.com/
Email: cityjumpstl@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityJumpFEC
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cityjumpstl314
Beginning Futures College Preparatory Academy: https://beginningfutures.com/
Rochelle Bea: https://www.facebook.com/rochelle.bea.1

Music Attribution
Music featured during the break:
“Halo” by Lateef
Listen at:
https://LateefLive.com

About STL Hustle Insider

STL Hustle Insider is a St. Louis podcast and local media platform hosted by Cortez Hustle and produced by iHustle Media Group LLC.

We spotlight the people, businesses, creatives, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, leaders, and movements building St. Louis from the inside out.

Subscribe, recommend a guest, sponsor the show, or stay connected at:

https://stlhustleinsider.com

Legal Disclaimer

STL Hustle Insider is produced and owned by iHustle Media Group LLC. All show content, including video, audio, graphics, branding, and related media, is copyrighted property of iHustle Media Group LLC unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

The views and opinions expressed by hosts, guests, sponsors, advertisers, or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or official position of iHustle Media Group LLC, STL Hustle Insider, its partners, affiliates, or sponsors.

Content shared on this show is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered legal, financial, medical, mental health, tax, investment, educational, business, or other professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on anything discussed.

Mentions, interviews, sponsorships, advertisements, products, services, events, organizations, educational programs, or resources featured on STL Hustle Insider do not automatically constitute an endorsement, guarantee, or warranty by iHustle Media Group LLC.

© iHustle Media Group LLC. All rights reserved.

Omar Perkins Jr. joins STL Hustle Insider for Episode 12 to talk about Black Tech Midwest, TPI, AI literacy, positive psychology, HBCU culture, workforce development, and the future of Black entrepreneurship in technology.

Omar explains how his early work through The Perkins Institute used positive psychology to help young Black men create life plans. He later shifted into AI literacy after seeing that communities like ours were often being introduced to artificial intelligence through fear, propaganda, and confusion instead of education, possibility, and access.

Through TPI, Omar focuses on making artificial intelligence understandable, especially for people who are not coders or traditional tech professionals. His work is rooted in three pillars of positive AI introduction: growth mindset, learned optimism, and critical thinking.

Omar also discusses Black Tech Midwest, Sipping Tech, Hack House USA, geospatial technology, drone career pathways, the importance of collaboration, and the belief that Black people must move beyond creating culture into owning the systems, companies, investments, and technology connected to that culture.

Omar Perkins Jr.
Founder, Black Tech Midwest
Founder, TPI, Tech Positive Innovations
AI Literacy Advocate, Entrepreneur, and Community Builder

Omar Perkins Jr. is the founder of Black Tech Midwest and TPI, Tech Positive Innovations, formerly known as The Perkins Institute.

His work focuses on artificial intelligence literacy, positive psychology, entrepreneurship, youth development, workforce innovation, and helping people from every area code and socioeconomic background gain access to the information they need to make educated decisions about technology.

Through Black Tech Midwest, Omar is helping build a stronger Black tech ecosystem across St. Louis, the Midwest, and beyond.

Guest Links

Black Tech Midwest: https://blacktechmidwest.com
Black Tech Midwest on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-tech-midwest-presents-unite-tech-conference-expo-2026-tickets-1989097685723
Omar Perkins Jr. on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-perkins-tpi/

About STL Hustle Insider

STL Hustle Insider is a St. Louis podcast and local media platform hosted by Cortez Hustle and owned by iHustle Media Group LLC.

The show spotlights the people, businesses, creatives, nonprofits, leaders, entrepreneurs, and movements building St. Louis from the inside out. Through real conversations and local storytelling, STL Hustle Insider brings attention to the builders, visionaries, and community movers shaping the future of the region.

Subscribe, recommend a guest, sponsor the show, or stay connected at:
https://stlhustleinsider.com

Legal Disclaimer

STL Hustle Insider is produced and owned by iHustle Media Group LLC. All show content, including video, audio, graphics, branding, and related media, is copyrighted property of iHustle Media Group LLC unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

The views and opinions expressed by hosts, guests, sponsors, advertisers, or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or official position of iHustle Media Group LLC, STL Hustle Insider, its partners, affiliates, or sponsors.

Content shared on this show is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered legal, financial, medical, mental health, tax, investment, technical, business, or other professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on anything discussed.

Mentions, interviews, sponsorships, advertisements, products, services, events, organizations, investment opportunities, conferences, technologies, or resources featured on STL Hustle Insider do not automatically constitute an endorsement, guarantee, or warranty by iHustle Media Group LLC.

By watching, listening to, sharing, commenting on, or engaging with STL Hustle Insider content, you acknowledge that iHustle Media Group LLC is not responsible for any actions, decisions, outcomes, or results based on the information presented.

© iHustle Media Group LLC. All rights reserved.