23. From Making Rent at 16 to CEO with Steve Jones

This week, Di interviews Steve Jones, the indomitable CEO of pocstock.com, a global stock media platform that focuses on people of color and aims to change the way the world sees and represents diverse communities. Starting out as a 16 year old kid in Brooklyn making his own rent to the CEO of a global stock media platform hasn't been easy. Driven by his entrepreneurial spirit and creativity throughout his life, Steve joins the Indomitable Podcast to share his leadership values, how he strives to debunk harmful stereotypes, and how he continues to fight for a more equitable future for all. Additional Links Learn more about pocstock at https://pocstock.com Follow Steve Jones on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetheideaguy/ The 2013 CDC report about Fathers' Involvement with Children: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr071.pdf Learn more about Di and her speaking: https://diciruolo.com Chapters 00:00 – Introduction to POCstock and Steve Jones 02:12 – Steve Jones' Journey and Entrepreneurial Spirit 04:09 – Discovering the Gap in Diversity and Inclusion 05:20 – Creating a Legacy and Impacting Lives 08:12 – Becoming the Adult You Needed 09:27 – The Power of Creativity 10:26 – Leadership Do's: Knowing Yourself and Empowering Others 12:47 – Seeing People and Enabling Their Purpose 14:02 – POCstock's Mission and Impact 16:19 – Pushback Against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 20:14 – The Black Dad Challenge 31:28 – The Reality of Black Fatherhood 32:09 – The Importance of Quality Interactions 33:11 – Challenging Stigmas and Stereotypes 34:12 – The Influence of Social Norms 35:04 – Love and Support Matter More Than Structure 35:46 – Questioning Opinions Without Understanding 36:10 – Supporting POC Stock 37:31 – Amplifying Positive Content 38:48 – The Favorite POC Stock Hoodie 39:38 – Wrapping Up and Gratitude