Burnett & Williams

No Regrets for 2017: New NPR Talent in Richmond, Virginia

No Regrets for 2017: New NPR Talent in Richmond, Virginia

Chioke IAnson


As the new year begins, we are thinking about those moments when you have to decide whether to take the easy road, or confront something new or challenging.  As 2017 begins, what would you like to do that might open new doors or put your life on a new course?

We were impressed this week to see news of a Virginia Commonwealth University professor, Chioke I’Anson, who combined determination, risk-taking, and commitment to an artistic vision to “stumble” into a new gig reading sponsor messages at National Public Radio.  While working to develop an innovative podcast, Professor l’Anson attended a summer workshop at NPR in Washington.  A staffer who had been searching for new talent overheard him doing a reading and offered him a regular job reading on-air promotions and underwriting messages.

Hearing Chioke l’Anson on-air, we think he sounds like a younger Morgan Freeman, but fresher and more intense at the same time.  His voice is now heard all over the country, but he is still teaching classes in VCU’s African American Studies program. He and his partners are still pursuing the development of their new podcast called, “Do Over,” which asks people to go back and look at one time in their lives that they’d like to re-do.  It has already won development contests at Radiotopia and NPR, and we suspect it will have a long shelf life.

Congratulations to Professor l’Anson for chasing his dreams wherever they may lead. His work got us thinking about regrets or missed opportunities when it comes to accidents and insurance claims.  Let us know if you have a story you’d like to share about a situation you’d like to have a “do over” on.  Top picks will receive a prize and will be featured in our blog.

Our proposed motto for 2017: “No Regrets.”