Brand & Identity: Designing a Brand You Love with Stephen A. Hart

Deneen L. Garrett: 00:02 00:56 Welcome to another episode of An Intimate Conversation with Women of Color. I am your host, Deneen L. Garrett, and I am very excited to introduce you to today's guest. For those who have listened or watched, you know that I have three favorite podcasters. Two of them have already been on the show, and my guest today completes the trifecta. So today's guest is Stephen A. Hart. Stephen is a marketer, podcaster, brand strategist, speaker, and entrepreneur. Stephen helps leaders and entrepreneurs blaze their trails with confidence by designing a brand they live and leave. Stephen is also a husband to Kristen, a father to Layla and Nigel, and a son and a brother, and so much more, which you'll be able to read about in the show notes. Stephen, tell us more about you.
Stephen A. Hart: 00:57 02:28 Yes, Deneen, first off, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate being here. I'm so excited to talk with you. You touched on it, you know, I'm a grateful, proud husband and self-proclaimed best dad ever. Originally from the island of Jamaica. And so I love to joke that, you know, within my DNA, I have about a dozen different job titles. But at my heart, I have a creative gene that I was blessed with from my dad being a chef, but a creative genius, an artist, a painter, writer, interior decorator, florist. And so he has all these artistic talents that kind of spun off in me in a different way as a marketer. and brand strategist and, um, I just always had an entrepreneurial gene. Um, and you know, at this point it, it, I'm really at a place in my life where impact, um, is what I'm after. And, and with trailblazers over the last five years really kind of found, uh, a tribe that I really live to serve and pour into and, and by way of doing that, feel like I'm. laying the right foundation and planting the right seeds to serve Layla and Nigel down the road.

Deneen L. Garrett: 02:28 03:28 Yeah, no, you're definitely doing that. And so I mentioned the trifecta, right? So I first heard of you through Minda Hart. My sister. Yeah, your sister. And, you know, you've been on each other's shows, if I'm not mistaken. And then Simone Morris has been on both of your shows. And so that's the trifecta right there. And as far as that laying seeds, that exactly has happened because you know, I just shared with you how one of your, um, your, uh, college buddies and someone you've had on the show before we worked for the same company. And so he and I just kind of connected. Um, but you know, with Minda, Minda actually is going to speak, um, at my company. So she's speaking in October and I was a contributor on a book upward and that book, I was connected to that through Simone. And so, Yes, this is a tribe. For me, it's a sisterhood with a sister. So, you know, you're kind of like kind of what grandfathered in, although that's not the right word.

Stephen A. Hart: 03:28 03:51 Honorary. Oh, good. I'm a brother from another, you know. Right, right, right. Yeah. And I both both of those women that you just mentioned, Simone and Minda have both been on a podcast, both sisters from another Misto, you know, amazing women. doing amazing things and, and leaving their own impact on the world. So I love it as are you. And I'm so proud of the work you've done.

Deneen L. Garrett: 03:51 04:47 Oh, thank you so much. Thank you. And so you mentioned your dad, which that is, you know, the beauty of us talking today, right? Cause we were supposed to talk, I think early in the year, um, and you know, rescheduled and then it hit me father's day. Perfect. Because the message that, you know, I want you to, share with our audience is about, you know, a relationship with your daughter. So, you know, speaking to your daughter, talking to her about the things that we talk about on this show, but then also in speaking to your daughter, you're also speaking to other women. You know, I lost my dad when I was a young girl, so 12. So you're speaking to girls, you know, women who may have lost their dads at that time, but you're giving a message, right? Um, and so that's what today is about and that's what is why it's so special for me. So we are dedicating this episode to Layla.

Stephen A. Hart: 04:47 04:50 I love it.

Deneen L. Garrett: 04:50 05:01 So Layla and your dad loves you and loves Nigel as well. But, um, so we're going to dedicate this episode to Layla. And so let me just go ahead and jump into it.

Stephen A. Hart: 05:01 05:01 Sure.

Deneen L. Garrett: 05:01 05:13 Yeah. So, um, Steven, why is it important for your daughter, Layla, um, a black preteen to have a platform to use her voice?

Stephen A. Hart: 05:13 10:27 Wow, such a loaded question. And Layla just turned 11. So as I hear you share, losing your dad at 12, I'm thinking through that lens. And I often say to people that I do everything I do each and every day, wasting not a minute of time, because I don't know if the next day is promised. I don't even know if the rest of today is promised. You know, I'm blessed that we have a daughter who is very introverted, speaks so much less than, you know, she's just a constant one that's listening to everything. complete opposite of our brother, who's more like me and, you know, charming and outgoing and just can't stop talking. But she's is really smart and competitive and just well-rounded, right? She can geek out on science and space. And, you know, at another time, be very comfortable in our corner painting rocks. She does rock art that, you know, she calls Leila rocks. or she could go play basketball. I took her to a graduation celebration for one of her friend's older brothers and she went to the court to go shoot hoops with eight boys and was on the winning team, right? And she can hold her own. And then there are times where she can absolutely be by herself and be comfortable with time alone. I think all of that is extremely important when we're talking about, you know, her developing her voice and having that platform to use it. She's still really naive in some ways, right? I remember being 10 or 11 and having to operate, you know, in a middle-class neighborhood in Kingston and jump on a bus at 6 AM in the morning to get to school in downtown Kingston. I would never put Leila on a bus where we live in Maryland and say, Hey, go find your way into DC. Right. OOA every morning. And no one knows where you are till like four or five in the afternoon. Right. Um, so in many ways, you know, she's, she's a product of, you know, parents who have done well. And, you know, we're giving her everything, but I don't think she's as exposed to the world as we were, you know, but I do believe that both my wife and I are, are cautious, right. To ensure she remains curious and she is, um, and exposing her to as much as we choose to and positioning her, right. To discover her own, um, authentic voice. And, and that's important because I want her. If I have my way, as much as I'm able, I want to free her from having limiting beliefs of what's possible, right? Because there's power, right? In her knowing that she is able to do anything and do what she loves, and what the world needs, but at the same time, you know, respect and carry with pride, like the legacy of everybody that came before her. Kristen has such deep roots in the US. There's a book written recently and the name is slipping me right now, but, you know, we look back at the history of her family, especially here in Maryland, going back to slavery that actually dictated so much of Maryland's slaves being freed. In a time where we're talking about, you know, Juneteenth just being, you know, acknowledged as a holiday here. I just look at, you know, the history that this young girl carries on her shoulders and she's not yet, she's aware, but she's not yet aware of just how much that means. And I just think, you know, in the world she's gonna grow up in, right? We think of what it is today, just think of what, you know, she'll be dealing with in 10 years, right? As an adult. And I just think, you know, I want the world for her, but I want her to know that her voice is important, right. And, and, and whatever she chooses to do, you know, that she has the ability, right. To, to, to, to give her magic to the world and, and be enough.

Deneen L. Garrett: 10:27 11:16 And I, you know, and I love that because I was thinking about my son who's 19 and same, same situation grew up privilege, you know, if you will want to use that word and didn't have to worry about, you know, catching a bus or doing a lot of things that we did. Right. And like, God, how are you going to navigate? Right. And, and he so impressed me going back to school. So he has rented a home with two other guys. So he's back at school. He needed a, you know, U-Haul and all of that. He's driving the U-Haul. I'm trailing behind him. He's driving it and I'm looking. So then I got in it to drive it, to drop it off. And I'm like, Oh my God, I'm afraid and nervous and it's all big. And I'm like, my 19 year old child just drove this new U-Haul for 90 minutes. No problem.

Stephen A. Hart: 11:16 11:17 Yeah.

Deneen L. Garrett: 11:17 11:41 You know, and just the things that he's doing, like every now and then he will impress me and it's like, okay. Cause you think that they're not listening. They're not getting it. you know, and certain things that they do, they demonstrate, you know, like, Oh my God, how are you going to survive? And then they do these things that are grown, right. They're grown up things. And, and I'm impressed by him. So point is your daughter's all right.

Stephen A. Hart: 11:41 12:14 She'll be all right. She's absolutely all right. Uh, I mean, I have no doubt in my mind that, you know, I'm, I'm probably a year off from being, from having her be, you know, way smarter than I'll ever be, you know? And, um, You know, my responsibility is just to keep nurturing, keep watering that seed. Right. I tell her every day, uh, if she came in here right now, I'd be like, what does daddy always say? And she's, you know, you're, you're, you're my greatest investment. And I tell her every day, I'm like, Hey, you know, you're my life, you and your brother are my life's biggest investments.

Deneen L. Garrett: 12:14 12:43 Absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, and that is so true because I feel the same way about my son. And, you know, there was things that I didn't think I could do before he was born. And then after he was born, it was like, these things are just happening. You know, those things that I didn't think I could do, I could accomplish. I accomplished with ease after he was born. So our children, you know, they put something in us, they change us and you know, we start moving mountains.

Stephen A. Hart: 12:43 12:50 I love to say parenting is the hardest job in the world with no prior work experience.

Deneen L. Garrett: 12:50 13:08 Right. Right. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And so the Trailblazers, you created trailblazers.fm podcast to lift the voices of black men and women entrepreneurs. What is your wish for your daughter in using your voice this way?

Stephen A. Hart: 13:08 15:45 Yeah. You know, I'm using my voice to teach her just what I touched on a second ago. I think both Both Leila and really any Black girl out there can do and be anything that they aspire to be. Whether that's the things that already exist and that we see today, or it's something that they will need to create and give to the world to make it a better place, right? Trailblazers is that. It's a platform to pour what What my, my, my dear friend and, and, um, champion of the podcast, Shonda have always say, you know, pouring that motivational mission fuel, right. In, in the way of, of representation of practical, actionable guidance, um, and tools that, um, they can lean, lean on and learn from and apply. Um, from the conversations that, you know, are, are embedded in this, this podcast to get a hat, get ahead faster. Um, and to be able to accomplish more, I think that's leadership, right? It's, it's being able to pour everything you can into the next, you know, forget whether or not they're going to pass you. Right. I tell my interns and I tell the people, you know, a lot, a lot of young women who I'm training up in my org right now. I'm like, listen, take everything out of my head. Yeah. Right. Get it all out of my head. If I can get you, you know, to fast track my last 10 years inside of a year, that's golden. Cause now you're mid twenties, 30, and you can now move that much faster to your goals. Right. And so. I'm using my voice to do just that, right? For young black girls, right? Making sure that they see representation of themselves in the people, you know, who I've interviewed on this platform. You know, Leila walks in here all the time. And I don't know if this is your, you shared a video at all anywhere, but over my left shoulder, in my office is what Layla has actually termed my hall of fame. My podcast is hall of fame.

Deneen L. Garrett: 15:45 15:46 Okay.

Stephen A. Hart: 15:46 16:47 And I have a series of mixed tiles from some of my favorite episodes and conversations I've shared. And, you know, she'll look up and she'll be like, who's that? Right. And every now and then she walks in and I might be having, you know, a call like in my mastermind, Minda, Patrice Washington, both over my shoulder are part of my mastermind, or I'll have a conversation with somebody on that wall. And she's like, oh, that's, that's Minda Hartz, right? Or that's Patrice. And so, you know, I'm making her aware. She'll listen to conversations that I'll play while I'm driving them to school or picking them up. And they're like, to your earlier point, I'll think I'm just listening. And then she might chime in and say, Hey, you know, so based on what he said here, or she said here, and that's that representation, that's planting those seeds, right? That's a legacy at play.

Deneen L. Garrett: 16:47 17:11 Absolutely. And I'm sure, cause I do remember if I'm not mistaken, that what your daughter shares with Simone's daughter and vice versa is the stem, right? You mentioned Layla is the stem. And I remember Simone mentioning something about Dr. McFuff and somebody like that. I think it's a Black doctor and how much she appreciates that representation.

Stephen A. Hart: 17:11 17:44 Yeah, which is actually represented by a real life doctor, Dr. Myesha Taylor. And Dr. Myesha Taylor and her daughter, Haley Taylor Schlitz, were guests on the podcast on Trailblazers some time ago. And she homeschooled Dr. Maisha Taylor, homeschooled her kids. Her daughter, Haley Taylor Schlitz, was the youngest guest, I think, on Trailblazers. She's now probably 19. She's in law school. Oh, that's awesome. She's in law school at like 18 or 19 years old.

Deneen L. Garrett: 17:44 19:18 That is amazing. And so I'm thinking, you know, Layla probably will enjoy the one young lady who was like a astrophysicist. And she was creating something. I know that she had, it may not have been a GoFundMe account, but she, you know, was crowdfunding something that she was working on. And so I just remember, I was like, you know, walking and listening to that particular episode. I'm like, oh my God, this is amazing. You know, the things that she's doing. And if I'm not, she talked about her experiences as being one of the only, of course, um, in the different spaces that she was in and having another black woman who was along those lines and that woman invested in her port and to her whatever, and she continued with what she's doing. But that's what your show is about, right? That's what, you know, my show is about is providing those spaces, those platforms, so that there is that representation so that people are able to share what they're doing, creating a sisterhood, a squad, and all of those things. And to be able to point and say, you know, someone's like, oh, you know, well, I want to learn more about this. Oh, episode 134. You know? You know what I'm saying? Like you can do that. Like that wall is behind you that you're able to do that. And, you know, and I'm building up, you know, to that as well. And, and I'm starting to categorize my stuff. So if you want to know about, you know, we'll say Juneteenth or whatnot, then here, listen to this. I know you want to learn about, you know, uh, folks speaking here from Latinx click here type thing. So yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. So. Yes, all of that for Layla and for Nigel.

Stephen A. Hart: 19:18 21:04 And that's amazing, right? We need media. We need our own media to reframe the narrative that we're teaching. Not only our kids, we're talking about our kids in this conversation, but the whole idea behind Trailblazers was Layla when Layla was four years old. And I would pick her up in daycare and I was looking at her then and thought, about a time like now, where, you know, she'd be a teenager. And while the mainstream media would tell her that she can aspire to be a musician, an athlete, you know, celebrity. I'm in a very progressive neighborhood in Maryland and I'm looking around in my daycare classroom and I'm bumping shoulders with black excellence in every area, every industry, right? I'm seeing the CEO of this company or the head of the military, it's just people in different areas, people running their own business, but achieving excellence at highest level, pursuing their passion. and doing amazing things. And that was the light bulb moment. I was like, I want her to see this. I want her to see other people doing amazing things who look like her, sound like her, but widen that, you know, the possibilities. And so, yeah, that was really the catalyst for me saying, you know what, I'm gonna start a podcast talking about black success.

Deneen L. Garrett: 21:06 21:45 And I love it. And I'm so thankful that you did because I believe it was another guest and I'm sure it was your guests who she created. I don't know if yours or yours are Simone's because again, I listened to you and Simone, but this particular guest, she had started a magazine. Yeah. And, um, I think it was online. It was based off of her, you know, things going on in her community and people were like, oh, you need to scale it and you need to bring in act, you know, like celebrities and so on and so forth. And I, if I'm not mistaken, last year, she launched like her own network.

Stephen A. Hart: 21:45 22:33 Yeah. Was that your guess? Yeah, it was. Yeah. I mean, you know, and it's, it's, it's amazing. Right. When, when we learn about these different stories and all the amazing things that, you know, folks are doing and it's just powerful to me. Uh, I just absolutely, I'm always just blown away, um, by, and then now, you know, I've, I've, I've kind of shifted to where I'm doing so much more conversations over live stream. And I'm excited about it because it invites this live dialogue with an audience. It's not as big as the reach of the podcast, but you know, yet again, I'm, I'm, I'm rediscovering and creating, um, you know, these conversations and it just, it makes my heart happy.

Deneen L. Garrett: 22:33 23:10 So, yeah. And you know what, and it's a, it's a purpose and it's a journey. Right. Cause I even remember, you know, you saying something to me, like, you know, Yeah, it's a purpose and a journey. And, you know, you share with me about, you know, it's not even about focusing on those metrics, which metrics are important. They have, they have a purpose, but it's also on what is it that you're gifting to other people? You know, what are you, what are you here to do? And so like for you, you created the space for your daughter with her in mind because you wanted her to see representation. You wanted her to be surrounded. That was your why. Everything else is a bonus.

Stephen A. Hart: 23:10 23:11 Yeah.

Deneen L. Garrett: 23:11 23:27 You know? And so I even think about it that way, you know, myself and, you know, it's like, well, you know, you're wanting to give this platform. And so as long as your heart is there, everything else will, you know, happen the way that it's supposed to happen. So that's something that I hold on to.

Stephen A. Hart: 23:27 26:09 That is such a gem right there. Um, and I, I have content creators who come to me all the time, concerned about how do I increase my downloads? It's number one question I'm asked. And You know, if somebody says, Hey, I'm only, you know, you often hear this, I'm only getting 200 downloads an episode. And I think to myself, I mean, when I walk into a room to speak to 200 people, I get butterflies. Yeah. 200 people is a lot of people in a room when you're getting on a stage. Yeah, it is. And so we have to put that in perspective, right? We get caught up when you look on a YouTube video and it has a million views, but you need to dial back. We all want a million views of our content. That would be fantastic. I'm not going to downplay the reach and the awareness and the impact of having that reach. However, Also don't don't play 200 people that you are impacting, right? It could be 200 Leelas. Yes. In the room, right? That you are sharing a message, imparting, you know, wisdom that goes on to change their life forever, right? Um, if, if there's one episode in this entire archive of content that somebody would think was my favorite. Yeah. We might say it was like Giannis Brandt, Hellroyd. Right. But to me, one of the most impactful episodes was that Art Steele. Right. Uh, somebody who talked about estate planning, uh, which is not a very fun topic, but it's important. But it was so important and so impactful because never, I, and that episode was recorded probably three or four years ago. But even this past week, I had somebody reach out to me and say, Hey, you know, I'm so happy that episode helped us to establish an estate plan and a will and a trust. And I realized that that one episode, because there are people who Put an insurance policy in place, put a will in place, put an estate plan in place. The impact of that on families. Generations from now, right? Like 200 years from now, you might not know what trailblazers.fm was, but you're a benefactor of that content.

Deneen L. Garrett: 26:09 28:11 Absolutely. And those are conversations we don't have. we don't have those conversations in our communities. So for someone who, however, they're introduced to Trailblazers, as they come across that, that's valuable. Because again, we don't talk about that. That's not usually how our families, you know what I'm saying? Often we're the ones, we're the first ones who are, you know, making, you know, middle class, et cetera. So there's nobody that's talking to us about that and gifting and, you know, like, oh, you're good, you know, because you have a trust fund and all that kind of stuff. That doesn't happen. And, you know, even, and I'm sure I probably heard it on one of your episodes, you know, how some people, you know, with families, when our children go to college, so either scholarship, maybe loans, it's not often that we have money to pay for, for college, right. You know, and I could be generalizing, but that's just not necessarily the norm in our community. Whereas in other communities, that is norm. Here's here, let me write this check. And when you graduate, you're getting a car and a house. That's, you know, and that's not what you hear in our community, but we need to hear more of that. So we need to listen to, you know, Art Still and other people and to learn about, well, how do we do that? What do we need to do to set ourselves up for that? So you mentioned, you know, like, oh, I don't know if it's a video. So yes. So For those who are listening or watching, an intimate conversation is on YouTube as well as your favorite podcast platform. But make sure that you continue to check in, you subscribe, you share and all of that. So you talk to a lot of people. You talk to people like often, right? On your podcast, in your business, your daughter. And I'm sure you come across women who don't recognize the power of their voices. You mentioned how Layla is kind of quiet and whatnot. So what are you saying to Layla? What are you saying to some of those other women to help them to recognize the power of their voices?

Stephen A. Hart: 28:11 29:13 Yeah. Yeah, I think about that. With Layla, Layla is much more inclined to do something outside of being an entrepreneur, but I am always planting those seeds in her from an early, early, early age, right? So probably three years ago, a past guest of mine, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Leonard Taylor asked me, actually, Tamika Montgomery, a past guest of ours who lives here in Maryland, reached out to me and said, hey, she homeschools three boys. And she was very entrepreneurial. She was actually under the Obama administration as the head of the SBA. And she said, Hey, you know, I'm, I'm putting together a kid's business fair, uh, in our County. Do you think your daughter would want to take part? I said, she absolutely would not want to take part, sign her up. Yeah.

Deneen L. Garrett: 29:15 29:18 Yeah. Yep. Sounds like me.

Stephen A. Hart: 29:18 30:27 And you know, so since then I've been teaching her about business, um, and how to identify problems and create solutions to fill those voids and those needs. And I'm thinking, Oh gosh, I wish I had, I, um, ah, I wish I had thought about finding it cause it is so awesome. And she literally wrote this, I wish I had thought about finding it beforehand, but I was like, hey, you know, how do you articulate the problem that your rocks solve? Right? Like, and I framed that, like, what's the void and the need? And I'm paraphrasing, but she's, you know, she, she ended up writing out this bit that says you're sitting outside on your patio, working through, uh, you know, some paperwork and your paper starts to fly all over the place. And you think to yourself, man, I wish I had that Lila.

Deneen L. Garrett: 30:27 30:29 Oh my God. I love that.

Stephen A. Hart: 30:31 32:07 And yeah, but I'm framing that right now. Right. Uh, my wife and I are, are even to what we spoke about a minute ago, my wife and I are teaching her about money, how to manage money, how to save money, how to invest money. Um, and we've also been planting in her. a spirit of gratitude. I think that's something I plant in, in the podcast, right? I've started every conversation off from a place of gratitude. And I think, especially in a season of life that we're in right now, where, you know, day to day, there's so much that we need, um, that we're lacking, but instead of focusing our energy on what we don't have, it's, a shift of mindset to acknowledge and to be grateful for the blessings that we do. And so learning to appreciate her privileged life and all she's given. And I think that those themes run parallel to, I think those are things that we can all take away from. right, take lessons away from, even if we're in our 40s and 50s right now, I think we are, and it's a message I'm sharing right now, I think at the time we're recording this, Danine, there are so many people that are quitting their jobs.

Deneen L. Garrett: 32:07 32:07 Yes.

Stephen A. Hart: 32:09 35:43 And it's concerning for me because we look through the lens of either being a full-time employee or a leader or a full-time entrepreneur. And there is so much opportunity in between those two ends of the spectrum. Right. Yes. And I think we need to get clear. on our purpose and our meaning for what we hope to accomplish and realize that, you know what, I'm speaking specifically for Stephenie Hart. I am a full-time employee and leader for a corporation. But I discovered several years ago that I am so much more. than just this one career and this one job and this one paycheck. That paycheck allows me to take care of these two crumb snatchers and put them, you know, through school and daycare and private school and, you know, all the other million things that come up. But by way of my podcast, I'm also, you know, a course creator, I've written a branding course. I derive multiple streams of income today, right? From my speaking, from my course, from my podcast sponsorship and a number of merch and other channels. It's not equal, right? There are varying degrees of where you're pulling money in from. But you know what I've discovered and my wife, you know, I encouraged her, Hey, you know, you want to become a executive leadership coach, go do that. Get the, get the employer to pay for it. Yes. Seasons like last year where we never thought she'd be the one to get furloughed and did. She was able to go take on work as a coach and fill that void. And I think what we need to do is open our mindset today. right, to recognize the power of your knowledge, of your voice, of your experiences, and take the time to get clear on, you know, what is it that's going to give my life meaning? What am I trying to get to? It's not just for the career. The career might help you get there, but where are you trying to get to, right? What's your destination? What destination are you putting in your Google Maps? Right. And, um, and getting clear on that and then being, being able to say, you know what, this is what I want to accomplish. And this is who I want to serve, you know, to do that. And then, you know, what, don't worry about the, how the hell is none of your business as less grown would say, right. Um, just understand what, what that is and where you're trying to get to and, life tends to bend towards, you know, you having that clarity. And, you know, so kind of winded response, but, you know, that that's that's what I'm teaching her. And that's what I'm I'm hoping to impart to a lot of black women, actually, because I get approached by the majority of my audience are represented by black women and also the people I teach.

Deneen L. Garrett: 35:45 38:07 No. And so everything you said was so important because I'm, I'm hearing you and I'm thinking about a book that I'm reading now. It's, it's a book. It's been out for a while, but I came across it and it's power something. And it's by, um, I think the person is a Buddhist and in here, he talks a lot about power. He talks a lot about getting clear and focusing on what it is that you want. And then also relating how, you know, you, what you want should also be about helping other people, right? Not just about you, but also about people and that, you know, you're not wanting to chase money and those type of things because those are fleeting. But you know that happiness and that joy and where that comes from and just the different things that tie into it. And so, you know, he talks a lot about focusing on the now and people have said that, you know, you know different people you talk to your coaches and therapists and whatever and they talk about focus on where you are, you know, the now and etc. And you've heard that before. But now it's resonating differently, reading this book, you know, and he even goes to say, Hey, if you're making a cup of tea, focus on that cup of tea, you know, be all present in that cup of tea, you know, and, and tying into mindfulness. Right. So you talked about that, you know, power, you talked about getting clear about what it is you want. And I say that to people like back into that, you need to know where it is you're going. What you said, put it into your GPS. You need to know that destination and then the getting there. Right. And, and the world does, you know, conspire to make those things happen for you or end it falls into your lap and into your place. And I'm finding that out with, with the podcast, you know, people have asked me, well, you know, what do you see and next? And I'm like, Hey, I'm on this journey. I'm kind of like in a passenger seat in a way, you know what I'm saying? It's like, I'm open to it. You know, I started, it was a panel first. Then it became a podcast. Now it's YouTube. You know what I'm saying? And, and then the beautiful thing is what I do in my day job, my career is also an alignment for women of color. So I run our program for women of color. You know, like you said, when you, that thing that you know, you want to do, and you were made to do it this season in your life, everything aligns with it.

Stephen A. Hart: 38:08 39:20 Listen, I hope whoever's listening to the podcast hits that that replay, you know, 15 second, because that there's a gem in what you just said, right? You know, for one getting super clear, I said it just a minute ago about getting clear on that purpose, right? And there's a purpose Venn diagram that's out there. If you search search, Google search purpose Venn diagram, it comes up and And it's kind of the apex of what you love doing, what you're good at, what I call your super polos. So what you're good at, what you love doing, what the world needs, and then also what you can get paid for. Because sometimes, creatives especially, we dial in to what we are really good at and what we love doing. Right. That's the passion play. Right. And we're not thinking about how we're going to pay the bills. Right. We're just dialed into to that or, you know, we're we're dialed into what we love doing and what we're good at, but the world don't need it.

Deneen L. Garrett: 39:20 39:21 Yeah.

Stephen A. Hart: 39:21 41:22 Right. And we'll invest. Or life savings, building a business on something that we love and we're good at, but ain't nobody needs. Right. And then things fall apart. So the, the, the thing we have to look at is, is that full circle, right. And really get clear on, you know, it doesn't have to all be equal, right. It doesn't mean that you need to, to be a millionaire. Um, when we talk about getting paid for, but it needs to support what you're doing, right. If you're going to make it your full time or if not, right. Um, I don't think that, you know, what we talked about before, I don't think it has to be, um, something where it's either end of the spectrum. You don't have to be a full-time employee or a full-time entrepreneur. You can be a full-time employee for the rest of your life and still pursue some of these things. I hate to say side hustle, right? Cause it could just be other things that occupy your energy and your time and fulfill. um some of what you're doing and make the work work life a little less stressful because you have other things that give your life joy yes um but you know what if hey you know it when i'm doing my branding course and you know i i'm able to sell you know x amount of of seats in it Yeah, that's lifestyle income. Cause I'm gainfully employed. So now I can really just focus on helping people. Right. Um, it doesn't have to put, turn, keep the lights on. Right. If you will. So you can start to look at those things, right. I, I would say, you know, um, Embracing the dream. And I tell people all the time, and, you know, we have so many ideas that run through our mind, but we never write them down.

Deneen L. Garrett: 41:22 41:22 Yeah.

Stephen A. Hart: 41:23 43:45 We never write them down. And so until 2016, I wasn't writing down these ideas. I was just going on the next shiny light that I saw. And when I started, you know, in June 26th of 2016, I sat down and wrote out what I now call my big, hairy, audacious goals. And I got very clear on what it was I was trying to do with Trailblazers, with speaking, with my course, with a book that I eventually will write. And I wrote down like, hey, you know, at the time, I mean, at the time, I was like four months into podcasting, not even. And I said, I want to speak to a thousand people on my podcast. I want to write a bestselling book. I want to speak on a stage. Now, I'd sold a business back in 2011, and I was working for seven years, pretty much from home, right? I was the ideal COVID framed, you know, mine, cause I was just in my basement trading, you know, uh, trading the markets and my clients would be, you know, talk to them over Skype. Like I wasn't seeing people in person. I got back out of that business and I couldn't talk in a crowd. I'd get so nervous, you know, because I just wasn't dealing with crowds anymore. So the idea of me setting a goal and saying, I'm going to get on a stage and I'm going to talk to several thousand people. was audacious. Yeah. Um, so, you know, I'm hoping that some of this spins off to, again, to Layla, but I'm teaching professionals today, like, yo, you know what, uh, you know, embrace those dreams, but you gotta move the dream from the idea in your head Get it down on people because you can't edit the idea in your mind. So you have to write it down so you can flesh it out. So you can attach a date to it and now move it from a dream or a wish to our goal. And you can start to task out what needs to happen to get you to achieving and checking that box.

Deneen L. Garrett: 43:45 43:56 So while we're talking about dreams, um, have you had a dream deferred? And if so, what did you do about it?

Stephen A. Hart: 43:56 45:20 Last year, as much as I've, I don't know if it's deferred, but, you know, even as we're talking, just thinking in the vein of the conversation we've had to this point, had that goal to interview a thousand people on trailblazers. And for 205 consecutive weeks, smooth sailing. Right. I say smooth sailing. I'm a, I'm an indie podcaster, right? Like, like there's all kinds of headaches being independent. Right. Um, and working a full-time job and, but by the grace of God for four years, I was able to put up an episode every Monday morning at 5m Eastern without, you know, without fail. And we get to December of 2019 and I get a call on a Saturday morning, six 30 in the morning that, you know, my dad wasn't well. And turns out he, I got on a plane the very next morning to Jamaica four days before Christmas suffered a stroke and I was in a hospital and, um, with him for a couple of weeks, got him home. You know, I, I get, I, I literally am on the floor of his TV nook. And my editor is messaging me like, I need next week's episode.

Deneen L. Garrett: 45:20 45:22 Shout out to Annette.

Stephen A. Hart: 45:22 46:15 Well, Annette's a blessing, let me tell you. But no, Annette does a lot of my show notes up to that point. We had a podcast editor. that was amazing. But, you know, and I, if, if times where I kind of ran up against time, you know, he, he would get that thing done for me in a heartbeat, but I, I, I didn't even know it at the time. You know, I, I laid on the floor, like ball in my eyes, blood pressure through the roof, not knowing what was going to happen. Right. And I paused the podcast, um, in that, in that season. And who knew, you know, it was eight months, uh, COVID hit kids are home. My wife gets injured, like, Oh, if, if it could go wrong, it went wrong.

Deneen L. Garrett: 46:15 46:16 Yeah.

Stephen A. Hart: 46:16 47:05 It went wrong. And, and, um, and you know, I found myself in a coach just trying to survive, you know, trying to deal with mental mental health. Um, was just not right. I was dealing with anxiety, panic attacks, just dealing with my own life. Forget the podcast, forget, you know, work. I was no use to anybody. But, you know, when we talk about, um, you know, this dream, it was, it was this North star. It was having those things written down. It was me being able to come back to this once in months later, when I was somewhat stable, I still say I'm going through this today. a year and a half later, but I got back to a place where I was able to look up and I was able to look at what was written down. And I was able to say, is this still the goal?

Deneen L. Garrett: 47:05 47:05 Yeah. Right.

Stephen A. Hart: 47:05 48:27 Yes. They'll want this for you and for others. And it was, but I did 12 episodes, 15 episodes in the fall. And I realized I wasn't ready for the podcast, you know, podcast. Listen, every time that we put out an episode, there's so much that goes into. putting out content, right. Um, there's having these conversations where there's a post work and editing, you know, you do, and, and I just wasn't ready for that. And so, but I wasn't ready to quit. And so I didn't quit. I shifted and I made a decision to continue to do the interviews, but to the demo of a video over a live stream and, you know, and so my dream Uh, in some ways, you know, took a pause. Right. And, um, and I deferred it to January of 2021, right. When I was able to, to resume, um, these interviews. Cause the goal was to interview black professionals and entrepreneurs and leaders. It wasn't a podcast.

Deneen L. Garrett: 48:27 48:28 Right. Right. Exactly.

Stephen A. Hart: 48:29 49:13 Right. Um, and so, you know, I'm still living out this dream and it might not be in front of, you know, four or 5,000 people per episode. Uh, right now it might be three to 500 people an episode. Right. So I I'm, I've left a lot of my community. Uh, avoid right now. Um, but you know what, I'm fulfilled, uh, because I'm still pursuing, you know, my heart's my heart's, you know, work, right. Um, that dream that is still within me. Um, and I'm still impacting the lives of many. Um, so yeah.

Deneen L. Garrett: 49:13 52:02 Well, that's the focus, right? Like we said, getting clear about what it is that you want to do your purpose. and then how you get into that or how you back into that, it's gonna pivot, it's gonna change, it's gonna shift, and that's okay. And that's the thing that we have to recognize is that it's okay. That yeah, you wanted to do consecutive, you wanted to do this, you did that, but life happens. And you do need to respond to life when it happens, because otherwise it will just shut you down, right? And so again, it's fine. You're still doing what it is that you wanted to do, you're just doing it differently. And then you're showing other people that it's okay. It's okay to respond to life when it happens. And for me, so the question that I asked about being deferred, that comes from my sister's book that she wrote, dreams deferred. And my sister, I lost her in October. So she, I've incorporated her into my podcast. And so listening to you and then reflecting, it was actually the Wednesday before her funeral was my interview with Minda. And it was a technical thing. We finally got together. And then I was like, you know what, Minda, this, this is what I'm dealing with right now. Is it okay if we reschedule? And she was fine with that. Right. Um, I, I couldn't, I just couldn't do it. Like my mind was not even there. And I did end up, you know, doing me just talking, um, and just kind of sharing where I was, but it's okay to take a pause. Like you don't have to keep running. sit down when you need to sit down and you know, and your dad, cause I know about, you know, things with your dad and how, you know, he's better now and he's, he's painting and all those, you know, that kind of great stuff, but you gotta stop and take care of what's most important at that time. And even now, like boundaries, I'm really big on boundaries now. I am setting boundaries just to set boundaries. You know what I'm saying? Because it's so important, you know, and it's important for our mental health. Right? Something I was dealing with today is something I've been dealing with for a minute and I just kind of worked around it. You know, let me just work around it. Let me change this, you know, okay, let me scoot over here, you know, without having to go head on with it. And so I made a decision that person is not more important than me. I'm more important. And so I'm going to go ahead and address this in a way, not only for me, But for everybody else that this person is coming in contact with, because they are wreaking havoc with everybody. And so I'm having to speak up for myself, um, for those, you know, around me and those that are going to come behind me.

Stephen A. Hart: 52:02 52:10 And so once I actually pause and for the person that's wreaking havoc, you know, because sometimes they don't even realize.

Deneen L. Garrett: 52:10 52:34 Yeah. And you know, and I say, and it's funny, I said, it's, I think this person is kind of like lioness or something from Charlie Brown, where, you know, that smoking stuff around, but it's more so like, you've seen those scenes in the movie where the person may be walking down the street and there's like the road behind them is like crushed and cars are falling through. Yeah. It's kind of like that, you know, and I'm falling through and I'm like, yeah, I'm not doing that.

Stephen A. Hart: 52:36 53:02 I, you know, I'd be the first to tell you, you know, before, and I've had so many conversations on Trailblazers about mental health prior to my dad's stroke. And it's, I, I sort of relate it to when I would have conversations with parents prior to being a parent and I would hear what they were saying, but I couldn't process it. Right. You just don't get it till you're in the club.

Deneen L. Garrett: 53:02 53:03 Right.

Stephen A. Hart: 53:04 55:24 Right. As a parent, like when I, and I apologize if I'm knocking on somebody, but when somebody tells me, you know, I don't have kids, but I have a cat or a dog. And they try to relate that to parenting a child. And it's like, we are so disconnected. Right. Uh, and that for me, I, I heard people crying out and saying, Hey, you know, I'm not. I'm dealing with mental health challenges and I, but that wasn't me. Right. And, and so, you know, when I returned from Jamaica, my wife said, Hey, you know, I got two appointments for you to see your doctor and to go talk to somebody. And I was like, woman, what you talking about? Like, I don't need to talk to nobody. Um, and I had to check myself and she was like, Steven, you know, it's, it's covered by our insurance. Um, if it's not for you, then, you know, you don't have to pursue it. And I didn't realize in that moment that Kristen was saving my life. Yeah. Right. Because I needed that to your point. I had to shut it down. You know, I had to pause and take care of my mental health, building the strength. getting the tools to be able to handle the anxiety and depression of the season and, you know, understand kind of how things would resume and how, you know, I'd progress forward from it because, you know, podcasting had become a part of my identity and my journey. And so while I had to pause from podcasting, I was like, but that's all I do for the last four years. I talk to people. So what the heck am I doing sitting on, you know, on a couch watching Netflix? I don't know how to do that. Right. But again, you know, it was it was it was getting back up, embracing those dreams, getting back on the horse and looking at what was written down and saying, hey, you know, how do we how do we move this this thing to start serving people again? Because that's my life. You know, all of a sudden I'm done. I'm I'm about planting seeds on water and I'm

Deneen L. Garrett: 55:25 57:00 But you're able to plant additional seeds. Seeds that is so needed right now, right? So much that fertilizer is needed right now because so many people over the last year or so really need to talk to somebody professionally. And you don't know what is preparing you for it. So like with me, my sister passed in October, I started seeing a grief counselor. I didn't know I was gonna lose my aunt in January. I didn't know that my cousin's 30 year old son was going to die in March. I didn't know all of these things were, you know, were going to happen. And so by me already having those conversations with a grief counselor, I already have that, that support system in place for her to kind of help me through some things, because I've been the person who I would put things on a shelf. You know, when I lost my dad, okay, my dad died, you know, and that was that. and kept it moving, but you don't really ever keep moving. You know what I'm saying? It's always there. It's going to surface in different ways. And so finally, I'm like, you know what? I don't want to do that this time when my sister passed. I'm like, I don't want to do that. I want to get the support that I need to get, right? And I will tell anybody, talk to somebody. Whatever you want to call them, therapist, coach, whomever, talk to someone who's their profession. I call her my person. Right? And they're part of your board. They're part of your squad. You need that. You need those people because your girlfriend, you know, your boys, whatever, they're only equipped to do so much.

Stephen A. Hart: 57:00 59:07 I mean, I love my wife, but she ain't trying to have that conversation with me. Right. And she's happy that I had, you know, she's the person that put me, you know, in a position to have a person. Yeah. And, you know, this morning I had a, I had that conversation and it, and it, you know, the thing I love is, you, I'd love to say, you know, a therapist, again, whatever you choose to call them, whatever label you choose to use. You know, I love the fact that I can get on a call and I can be like, you know what, this is what I'm dealing with in this moment. And she can help me look through a lens that is free of opinion or, you know, perspective in my family that's skewed one way or the other. She's just objective and she can hand me a tool in one call, or we can sit down and think more openly about, you know, all the possibilities in another call to handle, you know, what's creating the cloud. Yeah. And I always come away from these calls, like, you know, just just free, you know, and it lifts so much off and it's it's not she's not trying to fix me. Right. In a way that, you know, she's just, you know, I love to just say, hey, you know, we. You coughing right now or. you know, God forbid you have a cough or a fever, you run into the doctor to make sure you don't have COVID, right? Or that you're not sick. And, you know, and then even if you're not sick, you schedule an appointment with your doctor, hopefully, you know, once a year periodically. I have to make sure all is good. And you know that that person for me is that person when when I'm sick and you know, I'm dealing with anxiety, she's there. Yeah. And even when I'm good, you know, I've been good for the last few months, but we get on the phone and we talk and just make sure that, OK, you know, check in. Let's let's just make sure all is good.

Deneen L. Garrett: 59:07 59:09 Absolutely. Yeah.

Stephen A. Hart: 59:11 59:22 And so I encourage it, you know, for those who, who are dealing with, um, you know, some challenges, um, or you've been thinking about it, just try it.

Deneen L. Garrett: 59:22 01:00:46 Yeah. And even if it's not a challenge, just go ahead and have that conversation because you can run things past the person they're trained experts. Right. And to give you a different perspective. And, and so early on, she sent me a link for, um, like emotional words, feeling words or something. I forget what it's called, but whatever it is, it's on my phone. Like if I go to my phone, it's right there. But every time we talk, she's like, okay, now pull out your list. And so what are you feeling right now? And so she does help me to come up with different words, right? Because I think sometimes we probably have limited vocabulary, just certain words like, oh, I'm angry and this, that, and the other. It may not be anger. It actually may be something else. It could be, you know, angst or, it could be anxiety or whatever, but to, let's look at these different words to be able to say, oh, you know what, it might be this, or I don't know what it is, but I'm describing it. And she may say, well, I don't think it's that. I think it might be more of this. And I'm like, oh, you're right. And I appreciate that because we're, you know, often we're, you know, in our feelings, we're in our emotions and we're thinking a certain way, because again, with our understanding, we're not the experts, but She is, or he is, or they, you know, that person is, and that's what they're there for.

Stephen A. Hart: 01:00:46 01:04:31 Absolutely. Listen, as you're saying this, I'm thinking of, you know, last October, I went down to Florida. My dad was with my sister and, um, you know, had a good trip, celebrated his birthday. Uh, first birthday following the initial stroke and I get in my car, I'm in Tampa. And I get in my car and I said, you know what? I'd stopped like twice on my way. I was driving down because of COVID. I didn't want to get in a plane. Yeah. And, um, so I drove to Tampa. It's like a 15 hour trek, uh, back, back home. I get in my car. And, and the last day before I left, we were talking, my sister and I were talking about stuff related to my dad's business. We're still winding up, uh, you know, 36 year old business. back in Jamaica and we're dealing with just all the stress of of his, you know, winding up everything back home. And. I didn't realize that anxiety was upon me, but I get in my car at five a.m. and said, I'm going to take a straight shot back to Maryland in a day and get home before eight. I just needed to get through the South and Trump country, you know. And so. I jump in a car at 5am, Danine at 530. I thought I was having a heart attack. I pull off on the side of the road and I'm having chest pain. And I'm like, what is happening right now? And nobody's picking up the phone. And I'm like, do I need to go to the doctor or is my head just, you know, playing games with me? And I find some gospel playlists and I turn up the radio and I'm praying to God and I hit the road and it kind of calms down. And I'm going later in the day, kind of feel like the onset of it again. The next day I got home, the next day I have feeling the onset of it again. And Kristen's like, dude, you have an anxiety attacks. And I guess that's what this is. And I call my therapist and she said, you know, and she just broke it down. She broke it down. And, and, you know, she helped me realize that anxiety in that moment, she said, anxiety is you dwelling on the what ifs of a future event that don't exist. Right. And often more often than not. that future what if that you're playing out is the absolute worst case scenario that could play out. And so the anxiety doesn't exist where you place yourself in the present moment. And so she equipped me with tools whenever this came on. You know, for me, it's getting outside and it's being able to touch the leaves in the trees and, you know, breathe in fresh air and be in a present moment. But I was equipped with the tools to handle the anxiety. And so, you know, I still have feelings of it that come on, even in the past week and a half, I've had anxiety, you know, filled moments, but now I'm equipped. Yes. Now I'm equipped to know, you know, I, I feel this coming on and I know what that is. Right. And let me go take care of this. And I've not really had these crazy boats where I feel like I don't have a heart heart attack. I can tell that, you know, my mind is winding up. and I can tell it, you know, some choice words back and say, hey, not now. Exactly.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:04:31 01:04:32 Not now. Yes.

Stephen A. Hart: 01:04:32 01:04:35 Get behind me.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:04:35 01:06:28 Change it. Change those thoughts because we do have that power in that control and it's a choice that we have to make. Right. And then you have to keep doing it because, you know, you can do it for one time and think that that's it. It's not. because it's going to creep right back up. Like, oh, okay, I'm back. You know, so you have to keep at it. You have to practice that. And that's what it's about. And that's also what I'm, you know, reading about in that book, same type of thing. Those thoughts start to creep in, like, you know, what you're going to say to a person, how you're going to, you know, future, like, okay, this is what I'm going to say. But you're giving that situation, that person, your energy, your attention, when you could put that on something else, that something else could be on you. That's something else could be on going outside, touching those leaves. It could be playing, you know, with your children. It could be just sitting and listening to music. It could just really be doing nothing other than dwelling on that, you know? So yeah, so big ups to therapists and counselors and those people who are equipped to help us to navigate life because that's what it is. And honestly, folks, reach out to somebody, you know what I'm saying? Don't wait until you have a situation to now you're crawling like, Oh, I need help. No, go ahead and, and set those things in motion now and just have those conversations. Cause you never know, you know what, how that person can benefit you. And another thing to know too, you may have to keep trying different people. Like you, it needs to be a vibe. If you're not vibing with that first person, don't just say, Oh, this is not for me. No, that person is not for you. Go find you somebody else. Because again, Just like in relationships, that first dude you meet, that first woman, they're not it. You know, sometimes it happens, but more often than not, you have to go through and get to know, it is a relationship. So with your therapist as well.

Stephen A. Hart: 01:06:28 01:07:34 And don't just set the limits. You know, when I was looking at a therapist, I had several friends like, oh, you should get a guy, or, oh, you should get a girl, or you should find somebody who's black, or you should find somebody who is XYZ. And I'm like, You know what, I'm going to see who God places before me. And to your point, it is very important that you have that connection. Uh, but who knew, you know, he's going to place me with the person he placed me with. Cause we are complete polar opposites in every single way, but they're such incredible parallels with the way we think. But, you know, on the surface, I would be like, oh, heck no. You know, that's that's not my person. But God has you. Right. And, you know, it's. It's funny, you know, like I'll talk to people about marriage and, you know, Kristen and I are polar opposites in so many ways. Right. Leila and I are polar opposite. She's a mirrored image of her mom. Um, but you know, God's humor, we connect and we thrive.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:07:34 01:07:49 Yeah, no, I love that. No, that, no, that's, that's awesome. And so, yeah, you just have to connect. And like you said, God knows what we need before we know it. And we don't necessarily know it. So just go for it and see what happens and give it a couple of tries or whatnot.

Stephen A. Hart: 01:07:49 01:07:49 Yeah.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:07:49 01:08:19 So bonus, um, many black people will celebrate Juneteenth. the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. We've kind of talked about that a little bit this weekend. Although Jamaica made you, what is the relevance of Juneteenth for you and to you? And Father's Day will also be celebrated this weekend. So what's the best part of being a father other than being able to invest in your daughter?

Stephen A. Hart: 01:08:21 01:09:50 So on the Juneteenth side, um, it means a lot. Um, as you touched on, you know, I'm a product of parents, um, growing up in Jamaica. Um, but I'm the father of two children and a husband to a wife who is very clear, uh, you know, history, uh, being the product of slaves right here in Maryland. And, um, and even reading recently about, you know, some of their great, great, great, greats, right, who fought for their freedom right here and were denied several times over. And, you know, Kristen's the product of slaves who are employees of Georgetown University, the place that her mom's now worked for 35 years, where she graduated as an alum. Um, and, you know, and, and there's just so much there, but, you know, to Juneteenth, you know, it's, it's, um, it's big, right. It's big in, in light of, um, you know, that, that freedom that I still feel like, you know, it's out, it's more of a milestone. Marker right on a journey. Um, we're still fighting for that freedom today.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:09:50 01:09:50 Right.

Stephen A. Hart: 01:09:51 01:12:04 um in many ways but um it's a big Marco um that impacts my life through um it might not necessarily be me directly but you know the the three closest people to me are are very much impacted by that right um and by way of that it impacts me as well um So, you know, I'm really excited. I'm actually looking forward to having a great conversation as well and live stream on Friday to kind of celebrate Juneteenth. And, you know, my mother-in-law's birthday is actually this Friday, so we're going to be together this weekend and, you know, and celebrate. Um, father's day. So yeah, June is just a crazy month filled with birthdays. Um, and father's day, you know, it's, it's special to me, um, for the opportunity to still have my dad here, even a shell of himself, um, is special to me. Um, it's been such a challenging season, but I'm grateful that he is still able to walk and talk despite not necessarily being able to remember too much of a conversation we would have or, you know, the number of challenges that we still have, but he's still here and he's here now in the States. And what that means is, you know, where he was busy before running a business, he's now spending time between my sister and I. And Laila and Nigel are able, even in the shell of who their granddad is, able to glean insights and share in experiences with him. And I get to both take part and be witness to some of those exchanges. And that's really important to me in, in light of all that we spoke about, you know, with, um, with there's that family, right. And that's, that's wealth passing on. Right. Not monetary wealth.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:12:04 01:13:26 Right. Right. So much more than money. Yeah. You know, and that's another thing, right. So wealth is, um, so much more than money that we don't necessarily focus on that because we just think about that money. Right. We don't think about the legacy and, what we're passing on. And like you said about your dad being a creative, like you got that from him. And it, you know, recently I was reflecting like, you know what, like, okay, I'm doing podcasting. I'm really, you know, wanting to really just get creative with the YouTube. And then I thought about, I get that from my dad. Cause my dad was in entertainment, right? He had his own record company, record label back in the day. And, you know, and people would say, Oh, you're like your dad, you know, you had that hustling spirit or whatever, but I'm not one who, let me just jump off it and do the, you know, be an entrepreneur. That wasn't me. Like I've been fine with working for a company. I have been, you know what I'm saying? But now I'm starting to think, Oh yeah. You know, and to reflect on those things that you get from your family, like you do certain things because of somebody else, like they gifted that to you. I'm going to call it a gift. So your dad gifted the creativity to you and everything that you're doing around that. And then, you know, what my dad imparted in me. And then, so, you know, going back to you, you talked about your course that you've created and you have something coming up soon, right?

Stephen A. Hart: 01:13:26 01:14:04 I do. We're, we're working on a, a launch. We have a launch coming up mid July and I've done, uh, this course is something I've put together over the last three plus years. Um, it's something that spurred from. looking at amazing people who I wanted to share their stories on Trailblazers. And yet I would Google search that person and more often than not what I found would leave me indifferent. And it ended up in that folder in Gmail that you never go back to.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:14:04 01:14:04 Right.

Stephen A. Hart: 01:14:04 01:17:02 Right. If it was somebody pitching me and if not, if it was somebody I was thinking about, I just move on. And I thought, you know, after a while, it kind of it felt sad. and there are so many people being passed upon. If I was just this small independent podcast, I imagine, you know, the opportunities being missed by mainstream media or career opportunities. And so I created this course for, to help professionals build a personal brand. And initially it was geared much more to creatives and entrepreneurs, but especially in the last couple of years, leaders by way of the pandemic are realizing the need for their own digital footprint because everything is really now shifting, right, to you having a digital, you know, work environment going forward. And so, you know, taking in the people who I speak to and serve, being Black professionals, taking in, I'm a marketing leader by day in the world of cybersecurity. and manage a pretty large curriculum. So I have a mind for marketing and branding, um, by profession, but I took all of that, uh, as well as the experiences of building and growing an amazing podcast. I started coaching, uh, friends and clients, people like Minda, Craig Debarbo, Sean Dove, um, and a bunch of others that have gone through my courseware. And, and, and coaching and I've reverse engineered a process that we call the trailblazers method, but it helps, it helps, you know, walk people through three stages, 12 steps that, uh, you know, the stages being laying the foundation, um, framing your brand and, and the third stage creating that value, the multiple streams of income and the wealth that we discussed before. Yeah. and really not just building a personal brand, but becoming a brand in demand. And so the program is called Brand in Demand, and if anyone is listening and has an interest in learning more, we're doing a really amazing six part video series leading up to the launch of the course. And so they could sign up to watch that series over at brandindemand.co. It's brandindemand.co. And, um, you have any other questions, you know, about any of that, um, feel free to, to reach out to me in the DMs. I'm most active on the gram and on Twitter and on LinkedIn, and you can find me anywhere at Steve Nehart. Uh, but yeah, I'm really excited about this upcoming launch.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:17:02 01:18:29 Yeah, it's exciting. And you do, you know, when I look at your website, it is amazing. Like from very beginning, like all of your pictures are like glossy. And I'm like, Oh yeah, that's nice. I love it. You know, so for those who are somewhat interested in, in your brand, even if you're just a little bit, check it out, check out his video series and, um, and go ahead and check out the course as well. But yes, Steven is amazing. Um, I've been, um, you know, uh, an admirer of his for a few years, you know, as I mentioned earlier, um, I was introduced to him through Minda Hart's podcast and, Simone Morris. And so those are there that are effective for me. Those are the three that I'll have the podcast that I have on rotation and learning so much, just so, so, so much. And, and we're like a family, right. We, you know, like, you know, look out for each other here and there. You know, I had shared earlier that I'm a contributor of a book Upward and it's through Simone Morris. And so that's what we do. And that's what it's about. Right. Steven talked a lot about black excellence and And that's what we strive towards to be excellent for ourselves, for our families, and then for all of you. So Stephen and I have talked, talked, talked, talked. We've been around the world. It was just him and I, you know, like just catching up, old friends, and y'all just, you know, voyeurs and whatnot. So we're going to bring it to a close. But Stephen, before we say goodbye, what would you like to leave our audience with?

Stephen A. Hart: 01:18:31 01:20:18 listen, you know, whatever it is that, um, you feel, maybe you're listening to this conversation and I've stirred thought, um, around identifying your purpose. I think all too often I ask people, you know, what's, what's going to, what, what, what are you leaving the world when you leave here? Um, get clear on that. Right. Come in back to it, get clear on, on what you're good at, get clear on what you love to do and what the world needs and what you could get paid for. And when you're clear on that, really identify who it is that you could serve with. that whatever that is, and just take the first step, right? Set a date, take the first step. It doesn't have to be big. It doesn't have to be perfect. Remove any limiting obstacle that's in the way today when you're setting those goals. Don't worry about the fact that maybe you don't have the money to do that big dream today, or you don't have the size of an audience to start that podcast tomorrow. I didn't. Right. Um, but I, at the time, but you take that first step and you take the next step and you just keep moving. Uh, and, and again, the world has a way of getting out your way. Right. Uh, all the obstacles will get out your way and things will happen. It won't happen overnight. Yeah. Um, but you know, it will happen. So just get clear on, on finding your purpose and your vision.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:20:18 01:20:26 Well, Steven, a heart. Thank you so much for lending your voice to an intimate conversation with women of color and enjoy the rest of your day.

Stephen A. Hart: 01:20:26 01:20:30 Thank you so much. Danine is great talking to you. Same here.

Deneen L. Garrett: 01:20:30 01:20:30 Bye.