Welcome to another edition of Confessions of a Native Son, I'm your host "IRON" Mike Steadman. I'm a Marine Corps Veteran, Entrepreneur, and Aspiring author, who enjoys thought-provoking and engaging dialogue about race, culture, and business.

It's been a long hard road to get here, but we've finally come to the end of Season of 1 Confessions of a Native Son. For this final episode of the season, I bring back fellow Marine Veteran and Entrepreneur Mike Loyd, CEO of Dope Coffee and the Executive Producer of this show. Mike and I discuss what it means for us to be free black men in today's society, and how we've leveraged entrepreneurship, authenticity, and our unapologetic attitudes towards race, to carve out our own spaces in the world.  We don't fit inside the traditional box of black men, veterans, and business owners, nor do we want to. We believe that we change the world, and the change starts with how we show up to it.  Through our lens of unapologetic free black men, we discuss the challenges black American's face from an economic perspective, what we've learned in our own entrepreneurial journeys,  and how we can inspire others to also "Lift As They Climb." We also take some time to reflect on this season and acknowledge the growth in both of us over the course of the show. When we started this show, we had no idea where it would lead us and who would listen. Now that we've found our audience, we're excited to continue the journey with you all and push the envelope on our discussions of race, culture, and business. I make an important announcement towards the end of the show and give you a sneak peek of what you can expect from Season 2, which drops on January 7th.  Don't worry, I've got some bonus episodes I'll release over the new few months, to keep you occupied.  I also strongly encourage you to go back and listen to the first 15 episodes of this season if you haven't done so already.  I believe they are some of our best work.  As always, I truly appreciate you for sharing your time with me and I hope you enjoy today's show.