Life Is A Marathon Built On Sprints
BY C.j. Stewart
This is a life run under constant scrutiny.
A marathon built on sprints, shaped by moments where failure carried consequences and survival demanded discipline. As a Black man, nothing was given—not trust, not grace, not the benefit of the doubt. Every room was a contest. Every interaction, a test.
Black. Tall. Muscular. A body often read before a voice is heard, before intentions are known. Over nearly fifty years, that reality forced hard lessons about endurance, restraint, faith, and resolve.
This is not a story about ease or inspiration, it is about learning how to move with purpose in a world that watches closely and misreads often.
These pages confront what it costs to keep going, to stay faithful, and to claim freedom without apology.
This is my marathon—run one brutal, defining sprint at a time.
C.J. Stewart is an Atlanta native and a former Chicago Cubs outfielder. He has earned the recognition of being one of the top baseball player development professionals in the country.
As the founder and CEO of Diamond Directors (www.diamonddirectors.com), Stewart has achieved unmatched success in the player development industry. He has over 20 years experience and his firm has trained and developed some of the game’s top amateur, collegiate and professional players. Stewart’s impressive client list includes Jason Heyward (Chicago Cubs), Dexter Fowler (St. Louis Cardinals), Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Charlie Culberson (Los Angeles Dodgers). Stewart grew up in one of Atlanta’s most dangerous housing projects, Hollywood Brooks. His story is a perfect example of the phrase, ‘where you start doesn’t determine where you finish’.
C.J. Stewart is an Atlanta native and a former Chicago Cubs outfielder. He has earned the recognition of being one of the top baseball player development professionals in the country.
As the founder and CEO of Diamond Directors (www.diamonddirectors.com), Stewart has achieved unmatched success in the player development industry. He has over 20 years experience and his firm has trained and developed some of the game’s top amateur, collegiate and professional players. Stewart’s impressive client list includes Jason Heyward (Chicago Cubs), Dexter Fowler (St. Louis Cardinals), Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Charlie Culberson (Los Angeles Dodgers). Stewart grew up in one of Atlanta’s most dangerous housing projects, Hollywood Brooks. His story is a perfect example of the phrase, ‘where you start doesn’t determine where you finish’.
