IAM329- Co-owner Tells it Like it Is and Stresses on The Need for Deeper Thinking

CJ aka CEO Haize is the epitome of a lovable Asshole. Host of The Awakened Soul, Love Lust & BadAss Soul and co-owner of The B.R.E.A.K.S Media. He tells is like it is and consistently challenges you to think a little deeper. Haize is always up to talk all things sports, tv/film & soul music, just be ready for him to put his dark and twisted spin on it.

• CEO Hack: Book: The Loss of Human Nature
• CEO Nugget: Embrace what makes you unique fully
• CEO Defined: Learning to lead and serve

Website: https://www.thebreaksmedianetwork.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CEOHaize?s=09

https://twitter.com/TheBREAKSMedia?s=09

Full Interview

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Transcription

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I've Cordaro Johnson of the Brakes Media. Cordaro, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Cordaro Johnson 0:39

I'm glad to be here. I'm excited about this.

Gresham Harkless 0:41

Super excited to have you on and what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Cordaro so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. And CJ aka CEO Haize is the epitome of a lovable Asshole. Host of The Awakened Soul, Love Lust & BadAss Soul, and co-owner of The B.R.E.A.K.S Media. He tells is like it is and consistently challenges you to think a little deeper. Haize is always up to talk all things sports, tv/film & soul music, just be ready for him to put his dark and twisted spin on it. CJ, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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Cordaro Johnson 1:15

Let's do it

Gresham Harkless 1:16

Let's do it. To kick everything off, I wanted to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story, what led you to start your business.

Cordaro Johnson 1:22

So I started my podcast initially just off the strength that I had a lot to say. And I wanted to do back when I started the work. And so at the time, mental health and things like that weren't really talked about, thank God, we're talking about it more in the community. So I wanted to have those conversations from that spun-off love less than bad. And then in doing those two podcasts, over the course of the year and a half, I was doing it at that point that met a lot of other creatives, a lot of the podcasts that lacked infrastructure.

And what I wanted to do, just because I love doing this, I'm like, Alright, let me help them. And it was like, okay, I can really create my own company out of this. So the breaks, maybe it was birth. And what I wanted to do with the Breaks Media was I wanted it to be a platform for black creatives, not just podcasters, but blog writers, and artists, we have writers and the team has actually published books. So I really wanted to create something that was everything black and beautiful, and the culture all in one place.

Gresham Harkless 2:26

So nice, I appreciate you definitely for doing that. Because I think that's one of the beautiful things about having all these tools at our disposal, whether it'd be blogs, podcasts, YouTube, or all these different tools, we can definitely have our own voice. And if there's not somebody creating something for our voice, then people like you get the opportunity to build that.

Cordaro Johnson 2:44

Yeah, absolutely. And sometimes you have to make it yourself. And that's what I hope if anyone gets anything from our story, it's that you can do it. If you see a lane or if you see a space where you wish that there was something for creators or wish there was something for you. You should create it if it's not there. And that's what I hope people learn from that.

Gresham Harkless 3:04

Absolutely, absolutely. It's all about making a way sometimes when you think there's no way, you have an opportunity to do that. So I wanted to drill a little bit deeper to hear a little bit more about what you're doing with your podcast and Breaks Media. Can you tell us a little bit more about how you're serving clients?

Cordaro Johnson 3:18

Yeah, so what we do with the Breaks Media is we pull so many creators from so many different lanes and we all feed each other creatively. And then my job as the owner is to create the platform for these creatives to launch off of it and to really good exposure. So whether that be editing podcasts for them, whether it be sitting in meetings to help them come up with content ideas, or connecting them with other people, whether it be sponsors or guest interviews or whatever. That's really what I do. As far as being the CEO of the Breaks Media. With my solo podcast, what I aim to do is to push people to think I push people to realize that there's a difference between agreeing and understanding.

And the basis of my solo podcast is that I have conversations with people I prefer when I'm opposed to my guests, and that doesn't mean in a confrontational way. That means in a way we can both openly talk about our views on whatever the topic is that week. And then we can hopefully both learn something from it. And not necessarily to say who's right or who's wrong, but it's to gain an understanding because even if I don't agree with what their standpoint is, I can walk away from that saying, Alright, well that gives me another tool in my toolbox.

In this situation when I talk to the next person or to understand what the other side is thinking on something so that's really what I want to do with my solo platform and with the Breaks Media. I really want Breaks Media to be the premier black own media company. We're getting into the film we have an album coming out. We podcasts, YouTube channels, blog writers books, so really what I want that where mixed media seemed to be when it's all said and done is that you're getting a true representation of that slice of our culture, whatever they may be talking about it.

Gresham Harkless 5:09

That's nice. I definitely appreciate that. And also appreciate getting the podcast and having people that you're interviewing, I think correct me if I'm wrong, I feel like it stretches you sometimes when you get somebody that has a different viewpoint because you get to hear something that maybe you never heard before. And maybe you never even looked at it from that perspective. So it only helps us and it helps me to grow. When that happens. I don't know if it does the same for you.

Cordaro Johnson 5:33

Absolutely, I think and I always say that with the podcasts, I never want to present anything like I know. And I present my opinion on it. And I present the facts, and then let the audience and myself learn from whatever happens from there. Like, it's as much of a learning experience as a lot of people when they say they get into podcasting, they say they got into entertainment or media, I like to look at it as I got into education for me and for my listeners and for other people. So that's the way I choose to look at my journey, my personal journey podcast.

Gresham Harkless 6:07

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And I always say I feel like one of the luckiest people on the earth because I get the opportunity to interview awesome people like yourself and get to learn a little bit from you. And then I take a little bit from myself, and then all of a sudden, I seem a little bit smarter than I may not necessarily be. So I definitely have that same viewpoint. So you might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And it can be for you or for Breaks Media. But what do you feel kind of sets you or your organization apart?

Cordaro Johnson 6:34

I say that it's embracing you. I think that the biggest thing with podcasts or any real form of media is that the topics may get people in. But what keeps them coming back and what grows a deeper connection are they feeling connected to you as a person and I will say my secret sauce is to never let contact dictate my show. I let my show dictate the type of content that I'm presenting for it. So it's all about the message that I got into this for and I have an episode on my podcast, it's titled Get the Fluff out.

And it's me admitting that at one point, I think I started too much. Making it easy for my listeners to talk about subjects that were easy for them to digest. I had to get away from it. I had to get back on what was my focus on getting into this. And me sharing that personal journey was hoping the next grade of the game cannot do that as well because it's easy to fall into what your listeners want to listen to. But when you think about it, Why should that dictate what you create the company for you? So create what you want to create and let the people who rockwood- rockwood

Gresham Harkless 7:51

Exactly, exactly. I always say when you run your own race and you stay true to yourself, you can never really lose was when you start trying to play around somebody else's race or play somebody else's game, that's often when you lose, because you're not being true to yourself. And it's hard to win when you're doing that. So I appreciate you for doing that in your way as well. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app or book or habit that you have or something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Cordaro Johnson 8:18

Okay. And it's funny because I keep this in my studio on my desk. It's the laws of human nature by Robert Greene. I think that not only helps you understand yourself, but it helps you understand others and in any type of business. I'm sorry, whatever your creative lane, whatever your business is, the whole purpose of it is to connect with people who want your product.

Gresham Harkless 8:43

Perfect. Yeah, it's funny, you picked up that book because I've never actually seen that book. But I'm a big Robert Greene fan, I picked up the audiobook, and it's got to be one of the longest audiobooks I've ever long. And I didn't realize it before I got it. But it's so much great information in there, like you mentioned about human nature about not only yourself but also other people and you need to have that because we are this world made human. So one way shape or form, whether you stay on your feet for the rest of your life, you're gonna come across people in humans, and need to know how to interact with them. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice. Or if you can happen to a time machine. What would you tell your younger business self?

Cordaro Johnson 9:27

If I can tell my younger self something it would be to embrace what makes you unique, and that I grew up first. I grew up overseas. I grew up in Italy. So when I came back to the States, I had this whole different perspective of people and for so long I didn't really express it as much I didn't put it out there but that's what makes me unique. So I would say whatever is the thing that makes you- you whatever is your little quirk. Embrace it fully. Don't hide from it because that's where the magic is, in that big difference.

Gresham Harkless 9:58

Absolutely. Yeah, right in line with everything you said and everything you're building, just staying true to yourself staying true to your passion, your vision, and continuing with that. So I think that's great advice. So tell my younger business self that as well, because never hurts to hear that too many times. And now, I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have a different quote-unquote, CEO on the show. So what does being a CEO mean to you?

Cordaro Johnson 10:22

It would absolutely be learning how to lead and serve, I think that you have to know how to serve people if you really want to lead people. And that's what so many people I think, especially a lot of young people don't really realize is that it's not just about telling people what to do. Sometimes it's about showing them sometimes it's about helping them. And I think that another thing to me is learning, learning that sometimes the growing moment is in failing, sometimes you have to let people fail. Sometimes you have to fail yourself, that's where you're gonna grow it. That's where the magic happens to me. So it just really taking all of that and putting it into a way that you can give it to other people and help them. I think that overall, just being a CEO, and owning my own company has really taught me that I enjoy seeing other people win more, maybe even more than I said that I enjoy seeing myself win.

Gresham Harkless 11:20

So absolutely, I think that's a great definition. And it's very important to remember the process of what it takes to get wherever you want to because it's funny, I was just on Instagram, and I was looking at some posts. And I think I commented that anytime you have a baby and baby trying to learn how to walk, the baby falls down, you don't say we'll just stay down there. Because maybe walking isn't your thing. It's a process, they have to fall down to learn how to walk. And they have to do that. And you can't hold their hand the entire time. Just like as you're talking about, you got to let your people sometimes fail because they're going to learn from that they're going to be better and then you're going to be better as well to

Cordaro Johnson 11:53

Absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 11:54

Nice and Cordaro I truly appreciate your time, what I wanted to do was pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you can let the readers and listeners know. And then of course, how best they can get ahold of you to hear about all the awesome things that you're doing that subscribe to your podcast.

Cordaro Johnson 12:08

Yeah, so I mean anything additional. I am in the middle of a live show tour being Atlanta on July 27. So check out the tickets there, you can go to the breaksmedianetwork.com. You guys can follow me personally, at CEO Haize, and you can follow the Breaks Media on every social media platform. And the website is breaksmedianetwork.com. That's where you can find me and all the great content that we're creating over at the team.

Gresham Harkless 12:30

Awesome, awesome, awesome. We'll have all those links in the show notes as well. But I truly appreciate you. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Cordaro Johnson 12:44

You too.

Outro 12:45

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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