Confessions of a Native Son

Alana and I catch up on all things BVE, while also discussing why I feel like a walking contraction, amongst other things :) Order my book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” here: https://amzn.to/3gme7kg Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

Today on the show, I’m joined by longtime friend and Naval Academy classmate, Alana Abernethy, to discuss our book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur: Validate Your Business Model, Build Your Brand, and Step Into Your Greatness.” The book releases this month on Amazon, so Alana and I decided to jump on the podcast and talk about our journey bringing it to life, as well as our plans for the future. Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

I’m excited to share an interview I had with two amazing active duty Sailors , Damon and Damo from the Podcast Permission to Speak Freely, where they share sea stories and have unfiltered conversations about current events, policies, and everyday life as a service member. It’s not everyday you get to have an unfiltered conversation with two black senior enlisted, especially as a civilian, so I thought it would be great for us to fellowship on the show and talk through some of our perspectives about leadership, race, and other topics we’re interested in. Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf Subscribe to Permission To Speak Freely here: https://bit.ly/3q7V3HV If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

Why I think we should rebrand assault rifles for what they really are. Connect with me Instagram @ironmikesteadman or Linkedin “IRON” Mike Steadman Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

In the words of Muhammad Ali, “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

Lets talk about Black History Month.... Connect with me Instagram @ironmikesteadman or Linkedin “IRON” Mike Steadman

I’m in sprint to get the first draft submitted of Black Veteran Entrepreneur. Connect with me Instagram @ironmikesteadman or Linkedin “IRON” Mike Steadman

I share why I’m grateful this holiday season. Subscribe to my newsletter here: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

I discuss “The Black Man’s Burden,” and the weight of responsibility that comes with carrying it. Subscribe to my newsletter here: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE

I share my thoughts on why Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile is my new mental model for success. Subscribe to my newsletter here: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE Resources: “What Breaking the 4-Minute Mile Taught Us About the Limits of Conventional Thinking” by Bill Taylor: https://bit.ly/3kMO4Si Preserving the Warrior Ethos by H. R. MCMASTER: https://bit.ly/3Fqc99I Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

I’m joined by fellow Marine Infantry Officer and English professor at the United States Naval Academy, Thomas Scheuman. We discuss his deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, the literature of war, and the importance of veterans bearing witness to the realities of combat. Subscribe to my newsletter here: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf Support Thomas’s organization PB Abbate here: https://www.pbabbate.org/ 3D Battalion 5th Marines Fallen Warriors Tribute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okg87WT0SDM If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

I share my thoughts on being selected to participate in the Hoover Institutes Veteran Fellowship Program at Stanford University (VFP). To learn more about the Hoover Institutes VFP Program at Stanford University, click here: https://hvr.co/3BEVBZT Subscribe to my newsletter here: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

I sit down with my Navy Boxing Teammate Antone Aku, to discuss his childhood, his time in the SEAL Teams, and his future as an entrepreneur. Leave a comment on today’s show on my Substack at https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

I share the inaugural episode of IRONBOUND Media's new podcast, "Black Entrepreneurs Survive And Thrive" or BEST. The BEST podcast is for impact investors, community leaders, and institutions, and committed to economic empowerment and support of Black Entrepreneurs in America, and who are willing to provide patient capital in the form of grants, or either low interest or interest-free loans. My hope is that through The BEST Podcast, you’ll get a better understanding of the Black Entrepreneur Experience, and how through resilience, Black Entrepreneurs are continuing to create opportunities for themselves and their communities. We want you to understand the impact that patient capital can have on their businesses, and emphasize that more patient capital will allow more black entrepreneurs to Survive and Thrive. Subscribe to The BEST Podcast here: https://thebestpodcast.substack.com/welcome Subscribe to the show on iTunes: https://apple.co/398zcrd Subscribe to the show on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3CjGDbB Leave a comment on today’s show on my Substack at https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com

I share my thoughts on Higher Education and discuss the Wall Street Journal article, “College Was Supposed to Close the Wealth Gap for Black Americans. The Opposite Happened,” By Rachel Louise Ensign and Shane Shifflett. Subscribe to the show's newsletter here: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit my website www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com Articles Mentioned in Today’s Episode: “College Was Supposed to Close the Wealth Gap for Black Americans. The Opposite Happened” By Rachel Louise Ensign and Shane Shifflett Read it here: https://on.wsj.com/2Vsh60n Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: Dope Coffee: A lifestyle brand that pairs urban Black Culture with innovative product offerings in the coffee industry. We are not a coffee brand for Black people. We are a coffee brand that seeks to elevate Black culture through a lifestyle of premium coffee and candid conversation. As an investor and advisor, I couldn't be more proud of Dope Coffee and encourage you to place your order today at www.realdope.coffee IRONBOUND Boxing: A nonprofit organization based in Newark, NJ that provides free amateur boxing training, entrepreneur education, and employment opportunities to youth and young adults. You can support the cause by visiting www.IRONBOUNDBoxing.org and making a donation today. Message me on Linkedin or shoot me an email at [email protected], Special shoutout to my Co-Producer Mike Loyd and the team from the Gifted Sounds Network. Rooting for everybody that’s black.

Col. Hobbs and I discuss the final days of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, the Narrative in the Media, and where we go from here as a Country. Leave a comment on today’s show on my Substack at https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE For all of our listeners and Superfans tuning in all over the world, visit www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com to sign-up for our newsletter on Substack at the following link: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE. If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] Follow me on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/38CkyZf Articles Mentioned in Today’s Episode: The War in Afghanistan Is What Happens When McKinsey Types Run Everything by Matt Stoller Read here: https://bit.ly/2WIk8hk Trying to Find the Signal in the Noise of Afghanistan by Sean Patrick Hughes Read here: https://bit.ly/3kJecNj Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: Dope Coffee: A lifestyle brand that pairs urban Black Culture with innovative product offerings in the coffee industry. We are not a coffee brand for Black people. We are a coffee brand that seeks to elevate Black culture through a lifestyle of premium coffee and candid conversation. As an investor and advisor, I couldn't be more proud of Dope Coffee and encourage you to place your order today at www.realdope.coffee IRONBOUND Boxing: A nonprofit organization based in Newark, NJ that provides free amateur boxing training, entrepreneur education, and employment opportunities to youth and young adults. You can support the cause by visiting www.IRONBOUNDBoxing.org and making a donation today. Message me on Linkedin or shoot me an email at [email protected], Special shoutout to my Co-Producer Mike Loyd and the team from the Gifted Sounds Network. Rooting for everybody that’s black.

My long-time friend, fraternity brother, and fellow Marine, Phillip Jones, joins the show to discuss how we can build bridges of social capital within our community. Leave a comment on today’s show on my Substack at https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE For all of our listeners and superfans tuning in all over the world, visit www.ConfessionsofANativeSon.com to sign-up for our newsletter on Substack at the following link: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE. If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: Dope Coffee: A lifestyle brand that pairs urban Black Culture with innovative product offerings in the coffee industry. We are not a coffee brand for Black people. We are a coffee brand that seeks to elevate Black culture through a lifestyle of premium coffee and candid conversation. As an investor and advisor, I couldn't be more proud of Dope Coffee and encourage you to place your order today at www.realdope.coffee IRONBOUND Boxing: A nonprofit organization based in Newark, NJ that provides free amateur boxing training, entrepreneur education, and employment opportunities to youth and young adults. You can support the cause by visiting www.IRONBOUNDBoxing.org and making a donation today. Message me on Linkedin or shoot me an email at [email protected], Special shoutout to my Co-Producer Mike Loyd and the team from the Gifted Sounds Network. Rooting for everybody that’s black.

I’m joined by fellow Afghan War Veteran, Author, and Army Green Beret, Herb Thompson, to discuss our feelings on the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. Let me know what you think of today’s episode by subscribing to my Substack at https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE and leaving a comment. For all of our listeners and superfans tuning in all over the world, sign-up for our newsletter on substack at the following link: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE , I haven’t had time to update my website, so head over to substack if you want to subscribe. If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: Dope Coffee: A lifestyle brand that pairs urban Black Culture with innovative product offerings in the coffee industry. We are not a coffee brand for Black people. We are a coffee brand that seeks to elevate Black culture through a lifestyle of premium coffee and candid conversation. As an investor and Advisor, I couldn't be more proud of Dope Coffee and encourage to place your order today at www.realdope.coffee IRONBOUND Boxing: A nonprofit organization based in Newark, NJ that provides free amateur boxing training, entrepreneur education, and employment opportunities to youth and young adults. You can support the cause by visiting www.IRONBOUNDBoxing.org and making a donation today. Message me on Linkedin or shoot me an email at [email protected], Special shoutout to my Co-Producer Mike Loyd and the team from the Gifted Sounds Network. Rooting for everybody that’s black.

Why do we care so much about vanity metrics, even when common sense tells us otherwise? Let me know what you think of today’s episode on by subscribing to my Substack at https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE For all of our listeners and superfans tuning in all over the world, sign-up for our newsletter on substack at the following link: https://bit.ly/2Xc2TVE , I haven’t had time to update my website, so head over to substack if you want to subscribe. If you like this type of dialogue and are interested in booking me to speak at your organization, just shoot me an email at [email protected] Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: Dope Coffee: A lifestyle brand that pairs urban Black Culture with innovative product offerings in the coffee industry. We are not a coffee brand for Black people. We are a coffee brand that seeks to elevate Black culture through a lifestyle of premium coffee and candid conversation. As an investor and advisor, I couldn't be more proud of Dope Coffee and encourage to place your order today at www.realdope.coffee IRONBOUND Boxing: A nonprofit organization based in Newark, NJ that provides free amateur boxing training, entrepreneur education, and employment opportunities to youth and young adults. You can support the cause by visiting www.IRONBOUNDBoxing.org and making a donation today. Message me on Linkedin or shoot me an email at [email protected], Special shoutout to my Co-Producer Mike Loyd and the team from the Gifted Sounds Network. Rooting for everybody that’s black.

Introduction:  What's up everybody, Welcome to another edition of Confessions of a Native Son. Thank you for joining us again. Podcasting on a Sunday evening from my apartment in Newark, NJ. Echoing Green UpdateConfession: "I think there's something fundamentally flawed with me." The biggest and most widely-shared fear is that many of us feel there is something fundamentally wrong with us and that we’re undeserving of great success and happiness. This fear causes us to hold ourselves back from fulfilling our ultimate potential because we feel we inherently don’t deserve it.Sponsors: Dope Coffee: A lifestyle brand that pairs urban Black Culture with innovative product offerings in the coffee industry. We are not a coffee brand for Black people. We are a coffee brand that seeks to elevate Black culture through a lifestyle of premium coffee and candid conversation.IRONBOUND Boxing: a fitness brand committed to sharing our love, passion, and appreciation for boxing within companies, organizations, and low-income communities. As a social enterprise, we proudly dedicate a significant percentage of our proceeds, to fund free boxing programs for inner-city youth and young adults.Theme: Taking the Big LeapTopic 1: The BookOverviewThe Upper Limit ProblemEach of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, andcreativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed our inner thermostat setting, we willoften do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zonewhere we feel secure Unfortunately, our thermostat setting usually gets programmed in early childhood, before we can think for ourselves. Once programmed, our Upper Limit thermostat setting holds us back from enjoying all the love, financial abundance, and creativity that’s rightfully ours. It keeps us in our Zone of Competence or at best our Zone of Excellence. It prevents us from living in the ultimate destination of the journey—our Zone of Genius.The ZonesIncompetenceCompetenceExcellenceGeniusTopic 2: The Stories I Tell Myself-I’m not smart enough, good enough, or qualified enough to build a multimillion-dollar business. -I’m not smart enough to go to or graduate from an elite business school.-I can’t build a successful business from the ground up and maintain a meaningful relationship.-I can’t relate with my family. Hidden Barrier #4: The Fear of OutshiningCommon among gifted and talented children, this fear often emerges from a strong subliminal message they received from their families that if you shine too much, you’ll make others feel bad or look bad.Greater levels of success and happiness often trigger these fears, which cause us then to pull back to lower levels of fulfillment.Topic 3: Taking My Big LeapIRONBOUND BoxingDope CoffeeLiving My lifeConclusion: Closing remarks.  CTA: Be sure to subscribe and support the podcast by giving us 5 stars and leaving a review on iTunes. Also, forward this show to anyone in your network who you feel identifies with the subject matter.  Order some dope coffee at www.realdopecoffee.com, we've got to start supporting our own businesses. We're actually in the midst of a funding raising round.  we've raised $30,250 of our $107K target! We're excited about this investment round and I highly encourage all my friends and family to make an investment in us. You can invest for as little as 250.00.  Also, be sure to donate at www.Ironboundboxing.org,  every donation allows us to support free amateur boxing programs for youth and young adults in low-income communities. Boxing is wellness, and thats why we're providing free workouts for the community. Between our corporate clients and free classes, we're running upwards of 15 classes a week. You can donate to support the cause at IRONBOUNDBoxing.org, also if you are part of a remote team looking for some fun employee engagement, we'd love to host a class for you.   Message me on Linkedin or shoot me an email at [email protected], Special shoutout to my Co-Producer Mike Loyd and the team from the Gifted Sounds Network. Rooting for everybody black.  Until next time, peace, love, and have a great rest of your week. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit confessionsofanativeson.substack.com