518. 🏇🌹 RAESHANDA LIAS — “KENTUCKY DERBY DIVERSITY ROYALTY” 🌹🏇

Whether you’re a lifelong Kentucky Derby devotee or simply curious about the spectacle surrounding America’s most famous horse race, this conversation captures the unmistakable energy of Derby Day at Churchill Downs.

Reporting live from the historic grounds of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, during the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby, MoxieTalk catches up with social-media powerhouse RaeShanda Lias to talk Derby fashion, race-day atmosphere, and—of course—her pick for the winning horse.

But RaeShanda Lias is more than fabulous Derby style!

Also known as RaeShanda Lias-Lockhart, she is a Louisville-based entrepreneur, fashion designer, author, speaker, activist, philanthropist, and digital-media personality who has built an audience numbering in the millions across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms.

She is perhaps best known for her hugely popular “Let’s Check the Board” videos, where—armed with a dry-erase board, sharp observations, humor, and an unmistakable point of view—she breaks down everything from culture and current events to fashion and social issues.

Her signature approach is simple: identify the issue, break it down, and make her case with clarity, personality, and plenty of attitude.

Her personal journey is every bit as compelling as her online presence.

Born in Chicago and raised in Mississippi, Lias later served in the United States Army and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Kentucky State University before eventually making Louisville her home.

Her path was anything but easy. After experiencing homelessness, she rebuilt her life through persistence, entrepreneurship, and an extraordinary willingness to bet on herself.

In 2013, she founded the fashion company All Is Fair in Love and Fashion, transforming what began during an enormously difficult chapter of her life into a six-figure business in roughly ten months.

From there, her influence expanded far beyond fashion.

Lias developed a massive social-media following and emerged as a recognizable national voice on culture, advocacy, politics, fashion, and contemporary life. She has spoken at major events, participated in civic and advocacy initiatives, attended the 2024 Democratic National Convention as a credentialed content creator, and previously ran for Louisville Metro Council in 2018.

Her advocacy work has included involvement with organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, while her entrepreneurial success has also helped support scholarships for students within Jefferson County Public Schools.

She is also the author of multiple books and has built a career spanning business, media, fashion, public speaking, philanthropy, civic engagement, and cultural commentary.

RaeShanda Lias represents a distinctly modern American success story: a woman who transformed adversity into entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship into influence, and influence into a national media platform.

Army veteran → homelessness → entrepreneur → fashion designer → author → multimillion-follower content creator → nationally recognized cultural voice.

It is an unconventional trajectory—but one overflowing with the very quality MoxieTalk was created to explore:

MOXIE.