1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,719 Speaker 1: Will Lucas here this Black Tech, Green Money, and I'm 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: so excited because these podcasts that I get to do 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:08,719 Speaker 1: with people that I admire are some of the most 4 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,799 Speaker 1: fun for me. And this one is with somebody I 5 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: consider a friend and a mentor also. But Morgan DeVaughn 6 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,439 Speaker 1: is the founder and chief executive officer at Blavity and 7 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: afro Tech, and we're celebrating ten years afro Tech this year. 8 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 1: So after Morgan on that, we're. 9 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 2: Here, we are here. 10 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, you're crazy and it's crazy. But I want 11 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 1: to start this episode with a couple like very general questions, 12 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: and they're gonna They're gonna immediately sound general to you. 13 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: You might you may wonder where I'm coming from, but 14 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: I'm curious on how you respond to them. Is that okay, 15 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: let's do it all right? My first question for you 16 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: diving right in is are you hopeful? 17 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm hopeful. I'm always hopeful. I think that the 18 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 2: world is a reflection of our thoughts, and what we 19 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 2: see is partially based off of a group of people 20 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 2: who have very dark thoughts. And at the same time, 21 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 2: I believe that good thoughts, positive thoughts, positive actions, positive 22 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 2: movement forward can have the exact same outcome on the 23 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 2: other side. No, I like that. 24 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: I like that. And the second one is what are 25 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: you paying attention to in this time? 26 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:21,960 Speaker 2: The most important thing that I'm paying attention to probably 27 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,040 Speaker 2: the future of work. I mean, building a business for 28 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:30,040 Speaker 2: over ten years. There's ups, there's downs. There's seasons where 29 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,199 Speaker 2: it feels like things are going great, and there's seasons 30 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 2: where things are like this is things are changing, you know. 31 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 2: But what I'm really paying attention to is how all 32 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:41,960 Speaker 2: of us will work in five, ten, fifteen, twenty years 33 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:45,839 Speaker 2: and making sure that the track should and the brand 34 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 2: and the trust that our company has and is responsible 35 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 2: for it is something that we're honoring, even if our 36 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 2: internal team and our internal company and processing systems have 37 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 2: to change based off of the reality of what's happening 38 00:01:57,560 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 2: in the world and technology. 39 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: Yeah that you know. I've been watching some new accounts 40 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: that I follow on Instagram and a lot of them 41 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: are talking about how health is the new status symbol, 42 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: like it used to be the YSL bag or the 43 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: product code or whatever, and it's not that as much anymore. 44 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 1: It's more like are you healthy, Like do you have 45 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: free time? Can you choose to do with your resources 46 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: and family what you want to do and not have 47 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: to worry about these other things. And I'm curious on 48 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: how your relationship or idea or concept of wealth has 49 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: changed as you've built business success, economic success, familial success, Like, 50 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: how has your concept of wealth changed over time? 51 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 2: You know, there used to be the same where everybody 52 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 2: was striving to give money and people were just striving 53 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 2: to stack be rich as possible, And I think that 54 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 2: that way is dead. I think that there's so much 55 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,640 Speaker 2: evidence and examples of people who have a lot of 56 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 2: money and are incredibly miserable. So to me, the biggest 57 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 2: transition that I've made, and I think people really should consider, 58 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 2: is not how much money do you make, but what 59 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 2: are you doing with your time, with your body and 60 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 2: your money. Your money is just a tool for your time, 61 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,679 Speaker 2: right So for me, health and wellness is one of 62 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 2: those things that if you do not put in the investment, 63 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 2: you will not get the return. It cannot magically happen. 64 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 2: There's no overnight success. I don't care if you're taking 65 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 2: a GLP one or whatever. There's still a lot of 66 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 2: work that needs to be done to be healthy in 67 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 2: this world. So when we look at the company and 68 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 2: Blavity's mission overall, which is that all black people are happy. 69 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 2: That's the mission of our company. I started to think about, Okay, 70 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 2: we've made really good traction with Afrotech and building out 71 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: our community to make sure that we have access to information, 72 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 2: access to knowledge, access to one another, so that we 73 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 2: can build companies, grow scale our businesses, be able to 74 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 2: work at some of the biggest companies in the world 75 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 2: and be paired be paid fairly and equatively. At the 76 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 2: same time, if we're burned out doing that, doesn't matter. 77 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 2: If we have outsized outcomes for hypertension and diabetes and 78 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 2: we're not able to enjoy our lives, doesn't matter. If 79 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 2: we're not able to sleep at night because we're stressed constantly, 80 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 2: or we're not eating well so we have no energy 81 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 2: so we're addicted to caffeine. Doesn't matter that you make 82 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 2: a million dollars a year now, it doesn't matter. And 83 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 2: so as we start to move through the life cycle 84 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 2: of our community and our company's mission, the next thing 85 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 2: that we're really investing in and focused on is how 86 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 2: do we advance health outcomes and advance health equity for 87 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:48,160 Speaker 2: our community and the practitioners, the technology and the tools 88 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 2: that we all can be using in order to get 89 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 2: that done faster. 90 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,160 Speaker 1: Can you We've talked about this before, I think the 91 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:57,599 Speaker 1: last time you were on here and we're talking about 92 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:02,919 Speaker 1: how you know, there is this this sentiment that we 93 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: should really take more time to appreciate our hell, take 94 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:07,839 Speaker 1: more time to not burn out and all these things. 95 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 1: But also we are trying to build unicorns and people 96 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: are still trying to build these billion dollar evaluation companies 97 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: and hopefully have a lot of revenue in there that 98 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: they actually keep and not just valuations. But you know, 99 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: there's still another side of this that is like you 100 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: have to really go hard to get there, And so 101 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: I wonder how you're thinking continues to evolve in that way. 102 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:35,039 Speaker 1: Can you build a billion dollar enterprise and also get 103 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:35,839 Speaker 1: eight hours to sleep? 104 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 2: I think that there's different moments in time where you 105 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 2: need to be going hard, and there's certain times when 106 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 2: you need to be at high performance. The real question 107 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 2: is can you be high performing and not have a 108 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 2: high performing internal system? Is it possible to be at 109 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 2: max output as an executive, as a senior leader, as 110 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 2: a technologist, as an innovator when you are not at 111 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 2: max output as a person. For me, the answer has 112 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 2: been no, right, And that doesn't mean that at every 113 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 2: quarter you're at max output. That doesn't mean that every 114 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 2: quarter you're sleeping eight hours a night and you know, 115 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 2: taking two thousand steps to day like of course not 116 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 2: that's not realistic. But you need to have some amount 117 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 2: of checks and balances in your life. If you're going 118 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 2: to have a long term career of execution, you're gonna 119 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 2: have a long term career of being an entrepreneur and 120 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 2: being high performing. If you're gonna have a long term 121 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:39,279 Speaker 2: career being executive leader who leads hundreds of people, you 122 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:43,160 Speaker 2: have to have longevity. And longevity is effectively a big 123 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 2: transition that many people in the weldness industry are moving towards. 124 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 2: I don't know that it's hit the black community yet, 125 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 2: but it's coming. 126 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. You know, there's as we talk more and more 127 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 1: about health, there is something so often we lean on, Hey, 128 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: what is the newest gadget I can buy? What is 129 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: the newest program I can subscribe to? When honestly, some 130 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:06,719 Speaker 1: of these things are just simple answers like you know, 131 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: s time drinking so much coke? You know, or you know, whatever, 132 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: and or walk more or whatever, and do we need 133 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: more things to buy to do this? 134 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 2: No, absolutely that, I mean some of it is just 135 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 2: simple common sense, right, Like to your point, there's what 136 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 2: you eat and food as medicine. You know, there's there's 137 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 2: so many studies about the Blue zones living in certain 138 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 2: parts of the world where based off of the natural 139 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 2: kind of indigenous diet in that area, people live a 140 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:43,280 Speaker 2: longer healthier life because food is in fact medicine for 141 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 2: your body. Within our community, we're often in food deserts, right, 142 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 2: We're not able to get access to food outside of 143 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 2: the gas station or very very low quality grocery store 144 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 2: corner store. So we have to think about not just yeah, 145 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 2: you can go to or ring and you know, track 146 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 2: your hormonal levels through your temperature and like do all 147 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 2: these things. But for the average person watching this they're 148 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 2: listening to this, the best thing you can do is 149 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 2: literally think about what you're eating. That's like the first thing. 150 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 2: The second thing is think about what you're drinking. And 151 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 2: then the third thing is think about the quality of 152 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 2: the air and the quality of your sleep in the 153 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 2: environment in which you operate every day. Those things are 154 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 2: the foundation for people to basically accelerate their own ability 155 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 2: to be healthier and happier, because those are things that 156 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,679 Speaker 2: are compounding every day. And when we try to take 157 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 2: these big leaps and say, Okay, take the stairs or 158 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 2: you know, park your carb ten feet away. You might 159 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:47,839 Speaker 2: do that when you're motivated for like a few weeks, 160 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 2: but are you really going to do that, like for 161 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 2: the rest of your life. Probably not. Probably not. But 162 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:56,959 Speaker 2: if you said, Okay, I'm just gonna start my breakfast 163 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,679 Speaker 2: and make sure that I eat my protein before I 164 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 2: eat my car, not changing what I'm eating, literally just 165 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,359 Speaker 2: changing the order in which I'm eating, it has an impact. 166 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 2: But how do you know this information? How do we 167 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 2: as a community start to understand this stuff? We need 168 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,960 Speaker 2: to have education information community and start to build a 169 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,439 Speaker 2: platform where we can share with experts, with clinical experts, 170 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 2: sharing this knowledge with the rest of us. 171 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, perfect segue. So you know, to that end, like 172 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:32,559 Speaker 1: afro tech is historically served technologists, founders, and etc. What 173 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 1: was the moment you felt or what signal did you 174 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 1: read that says, you know, well, we need to pay 175 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: more attention to clinicians and healthcare leaders, you know, with 176 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: their own dedicated lane with Hellstack. 177 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 2: You know, there's three things that happened. I don't know 178 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 2: if you know this. My dad's a doctor, my brother 179 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 2: and so I. When I first went to college, I 180 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 2: went to school at WashU in Saint Louis. I started 181 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:00,720 Speaker 2: off wanting to be a healthcare manager major. It's like, 182 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:02,079 Speaker 2: I know, I don't want to be a doctor, and 183 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 2: I want to go to school forever. Like I just 184 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 2: don't have the attention span for that. But I run 185 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 2: the business. You know, maybe I'll run a hospital or 186 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 2: something like that. Now I was eighteen, I didn't know 187 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:12,439 Speaker 2: anything about running a hospital, but that was the beginning 188 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:16,120 Speaker 2: of me saying I'm still interested in health and wellness. 189 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 2: Then life happens and we build afrotech, we build blavity, 190 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:27,679 Speaker 2: and personally, I felt like if we genuinely care about 191 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 2: the whole picture of a person and a human being 192 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,959 Speaker 2: and a black person, I can't just care about getting 193 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 2: people jobs. I can't just care about somebody raising money. 194 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 2: I can't just care about a VC being able to 195 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 2: close their fund. I have to care about the person 196 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 2: that is doing that. And for us to start to 197 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 2: care about the person in the Afro tech community, then 198 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:53,200 Speaker 2: I have to start thinking about, well, who are the 199 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 2: other professionals that this person interacts with. The third thing 200 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 2: that happened is consumer tech is not like consumer tech 201 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 2: ogs Unicorn billion dollar companies are dying. They are evolving 202 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 2: into consumer data companies where it's not just Instagram and 203 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:19,319 Speaker 2: the content that we're doing every single day. They're integrating 204 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 2: all their data and infrastructure into other things. CHATGBT just 205 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 2: launched a health function. Quad Anthropic just launched a health function, 206 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 2: our data, our Apple Watch. All of this is integrating 207 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,320 Speaker 2: and becoming accessible to the everyday person. Where previously it 208 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 2: was just enterprise to enterprise. They were selling data to 209 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 2: each other. Now that data is being revealed to the 210 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,199 Speaker 2: rest of us. So we need to be working at 211 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 2: these companies focused on data security. We need to be 212 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 2: working at these health companies focusing on training the algorithm 213 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 2: so that there's not as much bias in the health 214 00:11:56,679 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 2: algorithms that are being built. We need to be training 215 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 2: the clinical partners who are not technical to understand the 216 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 2: nuances add from a technical lens, from an innovator's lens. 217 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 2: This merge of apro tech and now health Stack, our 218 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 2: new health brand, is critical to the evolution of our community. 219 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 1: See why was it important then to for Healthstack to 220 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,440 Speaker 1: be a b to be, you know, and practitioner when 221 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,320 Speaker 1: facing versus another consumer wellness brand. 222 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a good question. It's a fair question people 223 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 2: like you know, I think from an everyday person's perspective, 224 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 2: everyone's like, I want to do a five K, you know, 225 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 2: and I'm like, that's not going to change the system, Like, 226 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 2: I got to go to the infrastructure level problem, right Like, 227 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,840 Speaker 2: as the CEO, it's my job to chip away at 228 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 2: the infrastructure level problem. And that means that for health 229 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:58,839 Speaker 2: that typically starts with the doctors, the MD's, the clinicians. 230 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 2: They're at the top of the food chain. And the 231 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,400 Speaker 2: same way that old school an engineer was at the 232 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 2: top of the food chain, right like you're when people 233 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 2: were trying to feed everybody in the office, when they 234 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 2: had massages in the office and barbershops in the office 235 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 2: and everything with these Silicon Valley benefits were crazy. It 236 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 2: was partially to serve the engineer and keep them happy 237 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 2: and keep them working as well as possible. That is 238 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 2: the exact same model within the health industry. It is 239 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 2: absolutely to maximize the MD, to maximize the amount of 240 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 2: patients they can see to reduce their overhead and the 241 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 2: mental loath that they have, to help them reduce their risks, 242 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:38,680 Speaker 2: to help them serve us as customers and patients more. 243 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,319 Speaker 2: They are at the epicenter, and so we have to 244 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 2: start by first serving them, and then the ecosystem around 245 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 2: them naturally becomes our secondary audience and the audience that 246 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:49,560 Speaker 2: we will also wind up supporting and helping. 247 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 1: You know, this is quote I found from you or 248 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: you say I Blavity our mission naturally aligns with the 249 00:13:55,679 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: vision of empowerment and advocacy, and so when health enters 250 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:04,120 Speaker 1: the pick, Sure, how does your sense of responsibility as 251 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: a media founder, you know, fundamentally change if at all? 252 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,280 Speaker 2: No, I mean it definitely has. We've been looking for 253 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 2: and hiring our own medical board to evaluate and look 254 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:17,680 Speaker 2: at our content, to make sure that every piece of 255 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 2: content that we're putting out related to health is reviewed 256 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 2: by a clinician. So there's a responsibility to how we 257 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 2: do this work, not just to do it. Like I said, 258 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 2: I did not go and get my MD, and no 259 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 2: one at Blavity has an MD, right, so it's important 260 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 2: that we are partnering and hiring experts. We're setting up 261 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 2: our first health Stack advisory board filled with clinicians as 262 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 2: well as enterprise clinicians like chief medical officers to make 263 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 2: sure we're doing this the right way and a set 264 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 2: of the systems and the infrastructure that a new business 265 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 2: needs absolutely so important. 266 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,960 Speaker 1: What products or services you know, would you talk about 267 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: that you use, you know, to manage your own health 268 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 1: and well being. 269 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 2: I'm like very low figh Actually I don't even have 270 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 2: an or ring. Well, first of all, they kind of 271 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 2: lost me with the palanteer thing, so you know. 272 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 1: We'll talk about that. 273 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, Like yeah, So for me this morning, I woke up, 274 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 2: I walked my walking pad. It's cold outside and I 275 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 2: need to get steps in, so I watched my walking pad. 276 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:33,280 Speaker 2: I use my infrared light for my face and for 277 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 2: my hair because I got some little hair thinning from postpartum, 278 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 2: so infrared light for my hair, skin, and then also 279 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 2: skin tightening for my belly from stretching the skin. I 280 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 2: did some vitamins this morning, like my normal vitamin stack. 281 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 2: That's I mean, like I'm very low tech when it 282 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 2: comes to my health and wellness. I think eventually I'll 283 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 2: probably do some of those longevity to where we like 284 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:02,720 Speaker 2: get the full body scans. But I already know, especially 285 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 2: I haven't just gone through my second pregnancy. I'm like, 286 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 2: I already know what I need to work on. You 287 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,040 Speaker 2: ain't gonna tell me through the system that I'm dehydrated. 288 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:14,520 Speaker 2: I know, but I've been looking at we have really 289 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 2: quality a really quality like mattress. So I think just 290 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 2: doing the basics first, high quality mattress. What are you 291 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:25,760 Speaker 2: drinking every day? Are you taking steps? What's your infrared 292 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 2: kind of non intrusive like supplements. Are you doing the sauna? 293 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 2: Are you doing ice plunging like all those things? Like 294 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 2: I'll take a cold shower every few days. I'm not 295 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:36,480 Speaker 2: going to be to have ice hang at the time 296 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 2: for that, but I'll take a take a cold shower. 297 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: You mentioned air, like that's one thing I don't think about, 298 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 1: like a talk to me about that. 299 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, we have air purifiers in our house, yeah, all 300 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 2: over and they work really really well. So like I 301 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 2: set our kitchen on fire a few weeks ago. I 302 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:58,840 Speaker 2: was distracted, I was bacon. I had little oil, just 303 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 2: a little oil fire, and it was fascinating. When I 304 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 2: turned on the air preer fire, it was like red 305 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,119 Speaker 2: like blinking, like it is not high quality air in 306 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 2: this house right now, and it had traveled all the 307 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 2: way up into my thoughts room. Oh wow. So you know, 308 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 2: you can't see how air moves around the space, but 309 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 2: the quality of your air absolutely impacts you. So even 310 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 2: looking at you know, the moisture in the air. You know, 311 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 2: we track how moist is in the air. Do we 312 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,640 Speaker 2: need to turn on a humidifier that impacts your skin, 313 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,720 Speaker 2: that impacts the dryness in your mouth, that impacts everything. 314 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 2: So these things matter, They absolutely matter. 315 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:42,440 Speaker 1: Do you think there's opportunity and even a unique perspective 316 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 1: black founders could have on building health technology and premium 317 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: level you know, offerings and products. 318 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:56,160 Speaker 2: I think that there are certain conditions in the black 319 00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 2: community that we are predisposed to as well as how 320 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 2: outsized are underserved and how we're treated. So, you know, 321 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 2: I think about elder care, and I think about all 322 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:12,399 Speaker 2: of the responsibilities that we have for taking care of 323 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:16,120 Speaker 2: our grandparents or our aging parents, and how that's slightly 324 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 2: different when your parents or your grandparent or your parents, 325 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,159 Speaker 2: they're not used to the same systems and tools and 326 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 2: technologies that we are. So I think about telehealth and 327 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:25,640 Speaker 2: making sure that we can go where the patients are. 328 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:29,680 Speaker 2: I think about access to Wi Fi, access to devices. Right, 329 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:33,480 Speaker 2: it's not a black issue per se, but there are 330 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 2: certain things within our community and because of our culture 331 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 2: that building products and tools and technology that will also 332 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,960 Speaker 2: be inclusive of some of the most underserved but highly 333 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:51,400 Speaker 2: needy communities is going to pay dividends in the long run. 334 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,720 Speaker 2: It minimizes the amount of er visits. When you have 335 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 2: technology where people minimize their need to come into an 336 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 2: er because they have access to someone to talk to, 337 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:05,879 Speaker 2: they have access to care, that minimizes the healthcare bills. Right. 338 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:10,800 Speaker 2: So this patient population that eventually we're cultivating is something 339 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 2: that our enterprise partners are very excited about because there's 340 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 2: not many communities outside of associations effectively, that are thinking 341 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:22,679 Speaker 2: about bridging this gap between technology and equity and the 342 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:24,119 Speaker 2: medical world. 343 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: You know, I want to ask, you know, briefly about 344 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:30,080 Speaker 1: like economics, because economics does play a major, you know 345 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,320 Speaker 1: factor in your ability to access great healthcare and wellness 346 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:36,760 Speaker 1: services and products. And I was actually talking about this 347 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:40,760 Speaker 1: with Brian Myers from solid Core recently, and something I'm 348 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:44,840 Speaker 1: recognizing is like there's this thinning of the middle class, 349 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 1: you know, yeah, domestically, and you know, there's still a 350 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:51,400 Speaker 1: market for people who are selling premium stuff, and there's 351 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:53,760 Speaker 1: a market for people who are you know, more of 352 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:56,879 Speaker 1: on the bottom wrong of the economic ladder, but that 353 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 1: middle is being squeezed domestically, you know, maybe internationally, I 354 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 1: don't know, but domestically for sure. And I wonder what 355 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 1: your thoughts are and what you're seeing because a lot again, 356 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:09,440 Speaker 1: a lot of this plays to whether the middle class 357 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:12,840 Speaker 1: people who make you know, that middle wrong of you know, 358 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:18,080 Speaker 1: revenue per year, their ability to access you know, both 359 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: the resources to have a better health and we have 360 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: a lifestyle that is better for their longevity. 361 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, the middle class in this country is absolutely and 362 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 2: squeezed on both ends. You know, either you're making just 363 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:34,920 Speaker 2: enough money that you don't qualify for anything, or you're 364 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,840 Speaker 2: making so much money that you're being taxed for everything, 365 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 2: but you're not enough money that you're allowed the tax 366 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 2: elections that really wealthy people get access to. And that's 367 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 2: a tough place to be because that's when you start 368 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 2: making trade offs about the quality of the food or 369 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 2: you're going to buy this, you know, piece of bread 370 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:57,080 Speaker 2: organic or not organic? Right, you start really managing your 371 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 2: money because you have that choice. I think that the 372 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 2: best thing we can do is equip people with the 373 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 2: tools and the knowledge to decide what actually has an impact. 374 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,639 Speaker 2: Does it really matter if we have organic bread? I 375 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 2: don't know, right. I can tell you it definitely matters 376 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,679 Speaker 2: that you have good quality sleep, you know. Does it 377 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 2: really matter if you're bananas organic or not? I don't know, 378 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 2: you know, I don't know, right. So the question is 379 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 2: does the person have the information to make a decision 380 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,680 Speaker 2: for themselves and do they know where to go from 381 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 2: a trusted source in order to make that decisions. That's 382 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 2: really what Aprotech, Health Stack and even our media brand 383 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,400 Speaker 2: is designed to help people with that clearing house of information, 384 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:47,479 Speaker 2: particularly in an environment where AI and misinformation is everywhere. 385 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 2: Anybody can post anything with no credentials these days. 386 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know you brought up the Palanto thing. I 387 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 1: wanted to circle back to that because you know, I 388 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 1: wanted to ask, like, where do you personally draw the 389 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:01,960 Speaker 1: line of like, you know, personalized healthcare and surveillance over 390 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:02,680 Speaker 1: our bodies? 391 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 2: Yeah? I have a hard time with the poalaenteer thing. 392 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:09,520 Speaker 2: I mean this the CEO of or Ring went on 393 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,479 Speaker 2: a huge PR campaign after that. I've seen so many ads, 394 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 2: and his perspective was, look, there was like some sort 395 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,000 Speaker 2: of acquisition where then the servers of one of the 396 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:27,399 Speaker 2: partners that they're using is using you know, polunteer technology, 397 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 2: and so he's like, it's not even like your data 398 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:32,240 Speaker 2: is not even on this server effectively, and we would 399 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 2: never like give them access to it. And I think 400 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 2: that everybody says stuff like that until they do. You know, 401 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 2: it's like that is true with like what you know 402 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:43,800 Speaker 2: now you weren't doing that, but you're not that far 403 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:47,479 Speaker 2: removed from it. You could decide, like you've already decided 404 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 2: to be in business with these people, so you've so 405 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 2: even if it's a third party kind of sort of, 406 00:22:53,760 --> 00:23:01,680 Speaker 2: it's still an option, right. I think that people have 407 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:03,960 Speaker 2: to make their own decision about what they want to 408 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 2: do and what they don't want to do, right, like 409 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:07,960 Speaker 2: if I find out all of a sudden that Apple 410 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 2: was using And to be clear, my adversion to volunteer 411 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:16,480 Speaker 2: is due to their CEO, who does not have a 412 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:18,600 Speaker 2: regard for human life as far as I'm concerned, Just 413 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 2: to be clear, in case it was like wondering, I'll 414 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,639 Speaker 2: be clear. You know, I'm my own boss, so I 415 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 2: can say whatever the hell I want to say, and 416 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,640 Speaker 2: I will say with the consequences. Okay, But yeah, I'm 417 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 2: sure Pallenteer is not going to be a sponsor of 418 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 2: appage anytime soon. But like, I don't like what he 419 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:37,680 Speaker 2: says about the world. I don't like what he says 420 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,920 Speaker 2: about people. I don't like what he says about how 421 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 2: technology moves through the world, and just his value of 422 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,399 Speaker 2: humanity and the technology that he creates. For the responsibility 423 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 2: of what he's created, you need people who have moral 424 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 2: compass creating that kind of technology. So our world is 425 00:23:57,600 --> 00:23:59,800 Speaker 2: designed to try to put people with moral compasses in 426 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:00,879 Speaker 2: the right places. 427 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:03,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I'm gonna give that going back to you, 428 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 1: Like you talked about, you know, they do these things, 429 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:10,080 Speaker 1: they will restrict these behaviors until they change. And like 430 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,919 Speaker 1: you were a media company, and I wonder how your 431 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:17,040 Speaker 1: perspective is on protecting the editorial independence the physicians and 432 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:20,439 Speaker 1: clinicians that you engage. Now when advertising and sponsors do 433 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:23,200 Speaker 1: come into the conversation, Yeah. 434 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 2: It's interesting. I mean, so far, all of the campaigns 435 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:29,919 Speaker 2: that we're doing, our things that are very mintional aligned, Like, 436 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:32,879 Speaker 2: we have a campaign coming out that's aimed at increasing 437 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:36,160 Speaker 2: access to clinical trials for black and brown people, because 438 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:38,720 Speaker 2: that's a core pillar and mission of Health Stack, like 439 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 2: we have to have data sets that are reflective of 440 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:46,479 Speaker 2: our patient population or else the data sets that are 441 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:51,320 Speaker 2: being fueled into AI are going to exacerbate the inequities 442 00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:55,919 Speaker 2: that already exist. But we already have a lack of 443 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:58,879 Speaker 2: trust with these clinical trials due to the history of 444 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:04,120 Speaker 2: this country and the misuse of any sort of like 445 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 2: health guidelines in terms of equity and quality of care. 446 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 2: So naturally our community is like, no, I'm not opting 447 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 2: into this. No, you can't take my data. No you 448 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,480 Speaker 2: can't have my blood after you're throwing it, like no, no, 449 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:21,640 Speaker 2: So we got to work on that, you know, We've 450 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:23,360 Speaker 2: got to work on being able to say, well, yes, 451 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 2: here and no they're and when we come with partners 452 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 2: and we're talking to different partners and clients, we're leading 453 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 2: with our mission and saying this is what we're trying 454 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,840 Speaker 2: to do, and for the most part, everyone's like amazing, 455 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:38,880 Speaker 2: Like that's amazing, and here's how we can play. If 456 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:42,000 Speaker 2: you don't start with your mission when you're pitching they're 457 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 2: going to go to the least common denominator, which is 458 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 2: make money. So we are pretty aggressive up front of 459 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 2: who we are, what we stand for, and what we're 460 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:53,800 Speaker 2: trying to do, and that has typically resulted in most 461 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,600 Speaker 2: people either saying great, not for us, or Okay, here's 462 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,040 Speaker 2: how I can support you. 463 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,080 Speaker 1: You know, as AI improves, you know, what health decisions 464 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:05,880 Speaker 1: do you believe should never be automated? Like, no matter 465 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 1: how efficient the technology becomes. 466 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,840 Speaker 2: Oh, I don't know. That's a good question. I'm all 467 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:21,639 Speaker 2: for automation. I'm all for the future in which, like 468 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:23,639 Speaker 2: my fridge tells me what I need to eat today, 469 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 2: Like I'm all for a world where the vitamins in 470 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 2: my water and my protein fiber intake in my water 471 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 2: are naturally calibrated to my body. Like, as long as 472 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:39,440 Speaker 2: it's safe, I'm with it. I'm a futurist, so I'm down. 473 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 1: Let me ask this a different way. What concerns you 474 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:47,360 Speaker 1: most about the about AI becoming like the default interface 475 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,120 Speaker 1: between people in their health? How about that? 476 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,119 Speaker 2: Yeah? I think that's that's really the question, which is 477 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:57,359 Speaker 2: like with brain rot, Like there's a lot of data 478 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 2: that is showing that people's brains are rot because they 479 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:02,879 Speaker 2: are using an a way in which they do not 480 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 2: have to think that's right. They're using AI in a 481 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:07,520 Speaker 2: way which they're allowing the system to make decisions for them. 482 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 2: They're not creating boundaries, they're not using it as a 483 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 2: companion for their brain. They're using it as their brain. 484 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:16,959 Speaker 2: You cannot do that. Your brain will actually literally scientifically 485 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,160 Speaker 2: become worse. You will become worse at thinking, You will 486 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 2: become worse at making decisions for yourself, You will become 487 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 2: worse at discerning real from fake. That is a problem 488 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:28,399 Speaker 2: that we all need to be concerned about. 489 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,680 Speaker 1: What does longevity mean to you, not just physically anymore, 490 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:35,919 Speaker 1: but like as a founder who's trying to build you know, 491 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,680 Speaker 1: you know for decades, maybe not even just these particular businesses, 492 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 1: but as just building period for decades. 493 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:45,640 Speaker 2: I mean, I've started to think about secession planning. We're 494 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,679 Speaker 2: ten years plus in the game, and I think there 495 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:53,480 Speaker 2: becomes a point where not that I'm not the best CEO, 496 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:56,280 Speaker 2: but I have my own biases, my own structures. There's 497 00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:01,399 Speaker 2: a culture around me already that I think would be 498 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 2: very difficult to change if the company needed it to change. 499 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:08,600 Speaker 2: And I've just been thinking about it and just talking 500 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:12,160 Speaker 2: to the board about like, Okay, what does the end 501 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,600 Speaker 2: look like? Is the end selling? You know, that's what 502 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:19,440 Speaker 2: we raised venture funding, you know, so when you weite venture funding, 503 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:24,200 Speaker 2: you're signing up to potentially sell. Is the end turning 504 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:27,199 Speaker 2: it into a business that provides a dividend for all 505 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,160 Speaker 2: of our shareholders. Every employee of blavity becomes a shareholder 506 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 2: in the company or as an option to and okay, 507 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 2: maybe that's an option, you know. So I just think 508 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,560 Speaker 2: when you start a company, you're not thinking with the 509 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 2: end in mind. And those who do start a company 510 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:46,000 Speaker 2: with the end of mind rarely make it because they're 511 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 2: building for the wrong thing. And now though we're in 512 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 2: a season where I'm like, okay, you kind of lose 513 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:56,840 Speaker 2: that that like, oh man, like we here are all 514 00:28:56,840 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 2: the possibilities of what we can be. You know, when 515 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 2: you eight year, ten, twelve, eleven, you're like, do what 516 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 2: we did last year plus ten percent? Okay? And there 517 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 2: may be is somebody else who would enter this business 518 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:14,080 Speaker 2: or enter these communities and have that spirit of all right, 519 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,960 Speaker 2: maybe we can dream starting from starting with the asset 520 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 2: that we have here, what is the next level of 521 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,840 Speaker 2: and this is the wrong political environment for insane growth 522 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:27,480 Speaker 2: because it's too much instability. And our clients and partners 523 00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 2: are trying to figure out what to do with multicultural 524 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,120 Speaker 2: and d and I hiring and do you even need 525 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,200 Speaker 2: people with AI agents and all these things. But once 526 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:39,080 Speaker 2: all that stabilizes, there will be discussions with myself and 527 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:41,080 Speaker 2: with others. I'm like, Okay, what does this next ten 528 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:43,400 Speaker 2: years look like? What's this next decade look like for us? 529 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: Yeah? You know, we spent a lot of time talking 530 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:50,480 Speaker 1: about like the biological health you know side in this conversation, 531 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:54,800 Speaker 1: and I wonder your thoughts on how the mental side 532 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 1: of this comes into the equation. Like sometimes you say, 533 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 1: because you just got a terrible attitude, you know, sometimes 534 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:02,920 Speaker 1: it's like you got to fix you know, the way 535 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 1: you talk to people, you know, and that has you know, 536 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,520 Speaker 1: poisoned other things. So can you can you kind of 537 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,080 Speaker 1: give us some insight on how you think about that 538 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:15,280 Speaker 1: side of the mental the health you know, Stack also intending, 539 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 1: you know. 540 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 2: There's a lot of people in the approtech community that 541 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 2: are building health and wellness apps, and they're building mental 542 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 2: health apps and resources for black people. There's health in 543 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:29,120 Speaker 2: her queue. There's so many other ones. Brian Munday's building 544 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 2: a cool one. The question is how do you get 545 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:34,120 Speaker 2: to scale and how do you serve an audience to 546 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:36,959 Speaker 2: your point in economics where a certain percentage of our 547 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,360 Speaker 2: audience is on free healthcare, and so you've got to 548 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:43,720 Speaker 2: also then work with the healthcare providers. You can't just 549 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:48,280 Speaker 2: be dependent on direct to consumer charging. You need to 550 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:52,480 Speaker 2: be in the infrastructure for insurance, which then requires sales 551 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 2: teams and all this other stuff. So I believe that 552 00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:58,960 Speaker 2: there is an answer. I think we're just really really 553 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:03,360 Speaker 2: fragmented in terms of how people are currently animating there. Overall, 554 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 2: health and mental health specifically in our community continues to 555 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 2: be an area that nobody has solved, and it's something 556 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 2: that I think we're all maybe slightly more aware of, 557 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 2: but even being aware of it and knowing what to 558 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:20,360 Speaker 2: do or two different things. You might now be aware 559 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 2: that you have add you might be aware that you 560 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:26,400 Speaker 2: have anxiety. You might be aware that you're depressed, But 561 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:28,080 Speaker 2: do you know what to do about it? Do you 562 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,959 Speaker 2: know how to manage it? Do you know what tools 563 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 2: and resources and people are available to you? And that's 564 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:36,560 Speaker 2: where I think we need to shift a little bit more, 565 00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 2: not just to like, I'm clearly going through a depressive 566 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 2: episode right now. Okay, what do you know? Just do 567 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:42,040 Speaker 2: about it? 568 00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:49,600 Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah, I think finally, And it depends on how 569 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,560 Speaker 1: you answer this one, but I am. I think a 570 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:54,920 Speaker 1: lot about the time we earn you touched on the 571 00:31:54,960 --> 00:32:00,520 Speaker 1: political landscape that we're going through right now, and I 572 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,000 Speaker 1: I try to stay in the belief that even in 573 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:06,080 Speaker 1: the darkness times, there are opportunities and there are ways 574 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:08,480 Speaker 1: to think about things that may not be on the surface, 575 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:12,400 Speaker 1: but underneath there's If you do these things while the 576 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:14,800 Speaker 1: climate looks like it is, when we come out, you'll 577 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 1: be in a better position. And so how do you 578 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:19,600 Speaker 1: think about that in this moment and how do you 579 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:21,480 Speaker 1: encourage us to think about that in this moment? 580 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:23,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is one of the worst times to be 581 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 2: running a company, for an established business, because you've got 582 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,520 Speaker 2: all the weight of tech, det you know, groups of 583 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 2: people you're responsible for, You're not nimble because you've already 584 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:37,120 Speaker 2: been here. And also the world is unpredictable, so it's 585 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,200 Speaker 2: not like operating in COVID where everybody had this kind 586 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 2: of shared knowledge of something is happening. We're all going 587 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,880 Speaker 2: to slow down. We're all coming back at different points. 588 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:49,000 Speaker 2: We're in a weird environment where things are hard for 589 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:54,280 Speaker 2: most businesses, including ours, and there are companies like open 590 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:59,440 Speaker 2: aiy raising thirty billion dollars every six months. So how 591 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:01,840 Speaker 2: do you reckon sile the haves and the have nots? 592 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:03,800 Speaker 2: And what do you do when you find yourself and 593 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:08,080 Speaker 2: they have not bucket? For me and our board in 594 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:11,640 Speaker 2: our company, we've had to shrink down our size, which 595 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 2: is very painful, you know, and really still try to 596 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 2: operate and deliver in a way that allows us to 597 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 2: go for excellence. So we've had to do less things. 598 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,880 Speaker 2: So instead of doing everything, we said, Okay, these are 599 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:27,080 Speaker 2: the things we're going to do, and we're going to 600 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 2: do these really, really well. So I don't ask my 601 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:33,240 Speaker 2: team anymore, Hey, what about this? What about that? Absolutely not. 602 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:39,160 Speaker 2: You have three jobs, three goals. That's it. I don't 603 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 2: want to hear about anything else because we do not 604 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 2: have the resources. It is a very difficult time to 605 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,200 Speaker 2: exist as a person. It is exhausting with the amount 606 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,480 Speaker 2: of change in the world constantly, the good news the 607 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:53,480 Speaker 2: bad news just so much. I know everyone who works 608 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:55,320 Speaker 2: at Blavity is doing the best that they can with 609 00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:58,040 Speaker 2: the resources and the people in the life that they're living. 610 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 2: So as the leader, I have to say, we're just 611 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:02,080 Speaker 2: gonna hunker down for a few years. We got to 612 00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 2: make it through this administration. We have to serve our 613 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 2: audience the best way that we know how, building community, 614 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,799 Speaker 2: building trust, building products. And when we're out of it, 615 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,200 Speaker 2: to your point, we're going to look around and there's 616 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,960 Speaker 2: gonna be a lot of people gone. I mean, how 617 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:22,319 Speaker 2: many black media companies are there? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, not many, 618 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:27,880 Speaker 2: like five? Maybe, yeah, you. 619 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:29,600 Speaker 1: Did give you did give me one more? Not because 620 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 1: I have to, because I have time. We'll keep going, okay, okay, 621 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 1: because I'm you know, I think a lot about that 622 00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:37,880 Speaker 1: response and the work that you do with work Smart, 623 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:40,080 Speaker 1: and a lot of the work you do with work 624 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:42,200 Speaker 1: Smart is to get people to the stage where they 625 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:44,319 Speaker 1: can ask those tough questions when the moment is like 626 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:46,920 Speaker 1: it is like what are we focused on? You know, 627 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 1: what's our you know key you know, indicators and all 628 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:53,120 Speaker 1: of these things. But so many of our businesses, and 629 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,400 Speaker 1: I'm talking to broad strokes, so many of our businesses 630 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: are not even that sophisticated. They're just doing whatever they 631 00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,799 Speaker 1: can to stay you know, alive and survive, and so 632 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,680 Speaker 1: how do you what is the most important thing to 633 00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:07,920 Speaker 1: do when you talk to founders who just they're alive 634 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:12,360 Speaker 1: today but on you know, life support. Yeah, what should 635 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:14,600 Speaker 1: they be focused on when they got to focus on everything? 636 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 2: You know? I was talking to Kim Lewis, who has 637 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,000 Speaker 2: curl Mix, and this was maybe that she posted her 638 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:25,080 Speaker 2: video Saturday. I called her on Sunday and was like, 639 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 2: what's up? What do you need? You know? Because curl mix, 640 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:32,719 Speaker 2: for those who aren't familiar, she needed to sell a 641 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:34,840 Speaker 2: certain amount of orders so that she had enough revenue 642 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,120 Speaker 2: to pay down some expensive debt and to be able 643 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:39,600 Speaker 2: to grow and invest in marketing so that she could 644 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,239 Speaker 2: grow her business because she knew that if I could 645 00:35:42,239 --> 00:35:44,120 Speaker 2: spend x on marketing, I can get X amount of 646 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:45,759 Speaker 2: orders in. But I need to have the cash flow 647 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:49,760 Speaker 2: to get started. And that is the key, my friends. 648 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,279 Speaker 2: If you do not have cash, if you are not 649 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 2: out of money, your business dies. That's what you have 650 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:59,960 Speaker 2: to focus on in wartime when you are growing your 651 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,480 Speaker 2: business and scaling your business. If you're focused on everything 652 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:04,920 Speaker 2: else besides your cash and you're not managing your cash, 653 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:08,880 Speaker 2: you will die. I have not raised money since twenty eighteen. 654 00:36:09,239 --> 00:36:12,399 Speaker 2: For a venture back founder, that's nuts, right, twenty eighteen, 655 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,360 Speaker 2: maybe twenty nineteen, something like that. We have been running 656 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:19,640 Speaker 2: Blavity off of our free cash flow since then. That's 657 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:24,400 Speaker 2: a different business. Running a multi eight figure, tens of 658 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:31,799 Speaker 2: millions of dollar business through cash flow tough. Okay. So 659 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 2: you've got to build that muscle of focusing on the money, 660 00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:39,680 Speaker 2: focusing on the cash flow. And for a lot of entrepreneurs, 661 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:43,120 Speaker 2: they're focused on the product, the innovation, they're the fun stuff. 662 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:45,719 Speaker 2: I had to make that switch to CEOs. I don't 663 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:47,360 Speaker 2: get to do the fun stuff. My employees get to 664 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:48,799 Speaker 2: do the fun stuff. They get to look at the 665 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:51,920 Speaker 2: editorials every day, they get to do the house tours, 666 00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:54,800 Speaker 2: they get to decide the speakers and look at the 667 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,600 Speaker 2: speaker submissions and organize them. Like they get to do 668 00:36:57,640 --> 00:36:59,520 Speaker 2: the fun stuff. I'm got to look at the P 669 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:05,560 Speaker 2: and H. Yeah, for better or worse, Okay. And I 670 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:09,400 Speaker 2: would encourage more people, even if you're a solopreneur where 671 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:13,399 Speaker 2: you're a solo agency owner, or you are a video 672 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:16,920 Speaker 2: production company, or you are a content creator, to know 673 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:20,640 Speaker 2: your financials better. That's going to help you get ahead. 674 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,239 Speaker 2: Of so many other people in this world, especially where 675 00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 2: the economy is tough. 676 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:28,960 Speaker 1: How did you know what to cut, what to you know, 677 00:37:29,239 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: or pause even and what to build? Because you're building 678 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,720 Speaker 1: health stack during the moment where you're pausing other things. 679 00:37:35,719 --> 00:37:38,239 Speaker 1: So how do you how did you know? From from 680 00:37:38,239 --> 00:37:40,880 Speaker 1: a business standpoint? I just a need, like, hey, we 681 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:43,239 Speaker 1: need help, we need better health in our community. But 682 00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:45,640 Speaker 1: how did you know that this was the thing to 683 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 1: invest in when other things? 684 00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 2: Our data? Yeah, our data was pretty clear. I mean, 685 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:55,200 Speaker 2: you know, for anyone who's evaluating, what do I do 686 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:58,440 Speaker 2: with the limited time and resources that I have? Right, 687 00:37:58,520 --> 00:37:59,680 Speaker 2: So it's not that we don't have any money. We 688 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:03,440 Speaker 2: have money. We're fine, but I can only take one 689 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:07,040 Speaker 2: or two shots. I used to take ten. Yeah, yeah, right, 690 00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:08,799 Speaker 2: So how do you pick the one or two when 691 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 2: you have ten options and all the options are pretty good? 692 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:16,480 Speaker 2: You got to look at what am I good at? 693 00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:20,560 Speaker 2: What is the data organically telling me? So we organically 694 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:24,279 Speaker 2: were getting health companies at Afrotech trying to recruit because 695 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:28,399 Speaker 2: they are health companies that needed to become tech companies. Right, 696 00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:32,160 Speaker 2: every major health institution that has been existing for years 697 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:35,120 Speaker 2: has to now care about cybersecurity has to care about data, 698 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:39,439 Speaker 2: has to care about governance. Well, you need people who 699 00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:41,479 Speaker 2: have many, many years of doing that. You can't train 700 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:43,520 Speaker 2: that from scratch. You got to go get those people. 701 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:46,960 Speaker 2: So they're coming to Afrotech to recruit. Then you've got 702 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:50,560 Speaker 2: on the media side, companies that were coming to us 703 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,920 Speaker 2: to advertise to black folks. Okay, I mean, have you 704 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:56,719 Speaker 2: guys seen the row ads with Serena Williams. I'm like, 705 00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:01,560 Speaker 2: I wake up and open TikTok and see another Serena Milliams. Ad. Okay, 706 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:07,600 Speaker 2: so advertising to the masses is also happening naturally, without 707 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:09,919 Speaker 2: us doing any pitches, without us having a deck, without 708 00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:13,759 Speaker 2: us having case studies, nothing, no dedicated seller. So then 709 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:15,759 Speaker 2: I asked myself, Okay, well, if I were to put 710 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:18,040 Speaker 2: effort behind it, if I were to train, if I 711 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:21,880 Speaker 2: were to invest naturally, I should have some sort of 712 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:26,160 Speaker 2: significant outcome here, right. I didn't have that answer for 713 00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:28,200 Speaker 2: some of the other things that we were considering, and 714 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:30,439 Speaker 2: some of the things that we were that we shut 715 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:33,399 Speaker 2: down or slowed down. Part of it was like, man, 716 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:35,040 Speaker 2: there's just so much friction here. We don't have as 717 00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:38,560 Speaker 2: much organic traction. And so when you're looking at your business, 718 00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:40,680 Speaker 2: even if you don't want to do it. You need 719 00:39:40,719 --> 00:39:42,400 Speaker 2: to be looking at your data, and you need to 720 00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:45,200 Speaker 2: be looking at where do I naturally have traction? Where 721 00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:48,759 Speaker 2: do I naturally have outsized results compared to what I'm 722 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:50,200 Speaker 2: doing on a day to day And maybe I need 723 00:39:50,239 --> 00:39:51,799 Speaker 2: to double down there, even if I don't want to. 724 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:58,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know the idea of health stack. You know, 725 00:39:58,239 --> 00:40:00,359 Speaker 1: I've been telling people for a long time when when 726 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:02,040 Speaker 1: I talk about afro tech and they're like, well, I'm 727 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:03,680 Speaker 1: not in tech. Maybe you know, I don't have a 728 00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:05,879 Speaker 1: place there. I'm like, look, if you're doing anything, you're 729 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:09,960 Speaker 1: either using or building technology to do your thing. And 730 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,839 Speaker 1: so there's a talk here for you, and or the 731 00:40:12,880 --> 00:40:15,200 Speaker 1: a conversation with somebody you should meet. There's something there 732 00:40:15,239 --> 00:40:18,160 Speaker 1: for you. And so with Healthstack, can you talk to 733 00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:21,000 Speaker 1: us about what's happening this year, how we get involved, 734 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:23,040 Speaker 1: how we learn more all the things. 735 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:26,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, So health Stack is a brand in community that 736 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:30,280 Speaker 2: we're building. And if you are interested in the quality 737 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:33,360 Speaker 2: of care, if you're interested in the intersection of technology, equity, 738 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:37,880 Speaker 2: people and health, it's absolutely for you. We have virtual 739 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:40,000 Speaker 2: summits where you can join. We just had one a 740 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:44,560 Speaker 2: few weeks ago. We'll be also going to tech conferences, 741 00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:48,840 Speaker 2: health tech conferences and creating and centralizing that black community 742 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:51,640 Speaker 2: that's already going to there. We're also working with partners 743 00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:55,839 Speaker 2: like the NAACP to help signal boost and make sure 744 00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:58,279 Speaker 2: that there is a wider set of awareness of the 745 00:40:58,280 --> 00:41:01,880 Speaker 2: advocacy work then also definitely needs to help and happen 746 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:04,719 Speaker 2: in this health space. So I think in terms of 747 00:41:04,719 --> 00:41:09,879 Speaker 2: being involved, my suggestion is get on the newsletter, try 748 00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:11,440 Speaker 2: to come to one of the events if you can, 749 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:14,200 Speaker 2: and then of course join us at the big conference 750 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 2: in Houston happening alongside Afrotech this year. 751 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,680 Speaker 1: Morgan de Bomb, It's always a pleasure. It's always a pleasure. 752 00:41:21,719 --> 00:41:24,319 Speaker 2: Thanks my friend. Good to see everybody, and I'll see 753 00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:25,320 Speaker 2: you guys on the internet.