We were lucky to catch up with C.J. Stewart recently and have shared our conversation below.

C.J., appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I have been a professional baseball swing coach since 1995. In 2005, I had a conversation with one of my clients, Charlie Culberson, which I believe changed his life as well as mine. He was a sophomore at Calhoun High School and loved baseball.
In as much as love is an emotion, it is also a decision. He was committed and disciplined in several areas of his life, especially baseball. He practiced with a passion that existed only in those players who wanted to be the best. And the best compete in the MLB.

The Latin word for passion is suffering. What you are passionate about is based on what you are suffering from or have suffered from. Charlie was an overlooked high school player in the State of Georgia—an area that is considered a hotbed for amateur baseball talent.

Talent is what you do well. Habits is what you do well repeatedly without thought, while skills is what you do well repeatedly without thought while under stress.

As a former high school, collegiate and professional baseball player myself, I know that high school players have talent. College players have habits and professional players have skills. And skills pay the bills.

For me to help Charlie develop the skills he needed to become a MLB Prospect, I simply needed to add stress to our workouts. That took us from a practice mindset to a training mindset.

Practice is for habit building and training is for skill building.

By the time he was a high school junior in 2006, Charlie was reaping the benefits of our training by commanding the attention of major Division I college coaches, as well as Major League Baseball Scouts. Him getting drafted was no longer just a dream. It was probable.

All that I had to do was to help him and his family identify a suitable and skilled baseball advisor to advocate for him so that MLB Scouts knew how much money it would take to sign him to a professional baseball contract.

After a few attempts, I failed to find anyone who believed in him more than I did. So in 2006, I added a sports management group to our Diamond Directors services and became a professional baseball advisor.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I am 46 years old. I was born and raised in Atlanta. My childhood heroes included Martin Luther King, Jr., US Ambassador Andrew Young, Jackie Robinson and Henry “Hank Aaron. I dreamed of becoming a well-known and well-respected man who used athletics (baseball) and activism to improve the lives of African-American people.
I played youth baseball at Cascade Youth Organization (CYO) in the 1980s in Southwest Atlanta. The aforementioned men would be present at several of my baseball games with the exception of Martin Luther King, Jr., who was deceased.

These men lived in the neighborhood where I played baseball. The game was a huge part of Black culture. One of my first youth baseball coaches, Emmett Johnson, Sr., was the chairman of the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education.

I was drafted for the first time by the Chicago Cubs in 1994 a few days after I graduated from Westlake High School. Rather than sign with the Cubs, I attended Georgia State University for the 1994-95 season. I transferred to Dekalb College to play the 95-96 season, and was drafted again by the Chicago Cubs. This time, I signed and played two years in their organization.

In the off-season of 1995, I started coaching players. Since then, I’ve coached more than 50,000 hours, which has yielded my impact on the lives of 200-plus collegiate players and over 40 Major Leaguers.

I started my company, Diamond Directors, in 1995 along with my wife, Kelli. The company uses the blueprint of success to develop diamond sport athletes (baseball and softball). We had a primary focus of developing the mind, body and soul of our clients. In 2006, we created a sports management group in order to advocate for them to ensure that they were financially compensated to the fullest based on their commitment and sacrifice.

In 2007, Kelli and I also started our 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization, L.E.A.D. Inc. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct), which we operate in Atlanta. Through our year-round Pathway2Empowerment—sports based youth development (SBYD) programming—we are inspiring and equipping Black males with the empowerment they need to live sustainable lives of significance.

Our mission is to empower an at-risk generation to lead and transform their city of Atlanta by using the sport of baseball to teach Black boys how to overcome three curveballs that threaten their success: crime, poverty and racism.

Our vision is to develop Black boys into Ambassadors who will lead their City of Atlanta to lead the world. Both Diamond Directors Sports Management Group and L.E.A.D. Inc. (now LEAD Center for Youth) were callings of mine to fulfill. DDSMG was short-term and LEAD Center for Youth long-term.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly. It is a test of your character. Through Diamond Directors Player Development (DDPD), I was able to become a great coach. I had a proven methodology and experienced impact. Through our Diamond Directors Sports Management Group (DDSMG), I would be able to advise, advocate for and represent under-represented high school and college players that aspired to become Major League Baseball players.
I had a vision and a $5,000 budget for the two-years that DDSMG existed. Five of the 10 players that we represented reached the Majors. Jay Jackson and Collin McHugh are both currently pitching on the Atlanta Braves roster.

The others include Anthony Brown, Tyler Cline, *Charlie Culberson, Isaiah Froneberger, *Jay Jackson, Richie Lucas, *Collin McHugh, *Kyle Parker, Scott Robinson and *Jerry Sands.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I didn’t know how much money I would need in order to recruit the players I wanted to represent. I knew I wouldn’t fly first class. I knew I wouldn’t stay in 5-star hotels. I knew my website wouldn’t be immaculate. But I knew how to scout, develop and advocate for my clients. All of that was rooted in conviction.

My conviction connected me to my calling. I had an assignment to fulfill for two years, so I shared my conviction with a few friends, knowing they had one to three things they could believe about me after I shared my vision. They could believe I was crazy, called for this or a little of both.

I believe change starts with conviction, which leads to connection, consensus and then collaboration. Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://diamonddirectors.com/
• Instagram: @iamcjstewart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjstewartatl
• Twitter: @iamcjstewart

Image Credits
iSmooth