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[upbeat jazzy music] ♪ ♪ What is it in your life that you've gotta do?

Not tomorrow, not next week but now.

If you look at my race for 2000 I've gotta get from eighth place to third place.

- It's the three members of the Clark family and Meredith Valmon as they hit the home straightaway.

Hazel Clark has the lead.

Jearl Miles Clark is second.

Meredith Valmon is third.

Joetta Clark-Diggs in fourth.

Top three for Sydney.

It's Hazel Clark, Jearl Miles Clark, the battle for third, Valmon and Clark-Diggs to the line, the lean, and very close, a last... - Welcome to "Pathway to Success."

I'm your host John Harmon, founder, president, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

We're delighted today to have a very special person on today's program.

This woman is an owner of a great foundation that's doing phenomenal work in various communities across the country.

She's an author.

She's a business owner.

She's a motivational speaker in great demand.

And then lastly four-time Olympian.

Let's welcome Joetta to "Pathway to Success."

Welcome.

- Thank you, John, for having me on your show.

- We're delighted to have you here, you know.

I--I didn't do you justice in the introduction given all the things you're doing but would like to just start off giving our viewers a little insight in terms of where you're from, a little bit about your upbringing.

- Well, I grew up in the city of Newark, and I had a very blessed childhood.

My mother was Jetta Clark, and my father is the late, great Dr. Joe Clark, the subject of the movie Lean On Me," so we grew up in a household in Newark where you respected your parents, you studied, and you believed in God, and so that's how we were raised.

I have a brother who is a couple of years younger than me, and then I have a sister that's 15 years younger than me.

But we all grew up here in the city of Newark, New Jersey, and then when the riots came my parents split, and my father moved up to South Orange, and then I did the rest of my schooling at Columbia High School in Maplewood South Orange School District.

- When you were talking about you dad, the late Dr. Joe Clark, I thought about, you know, as a young guy me watching the movie "Lean On Me" and his commitment to excellence and the best for those students.

What was it like as the daughter seeing Morgan Freeman portray your dad?

- John, that was a really exciting time.

I would see him on the "World News" and "Donahue Show" and "Sally Jessy Raphael" and all these different shows and-- and I'm like, "That's my dad."

And he was consistent.

What you saw on television is the exact same way he was in the house, no changes.

Morgan Freeman did a great job portraying him.

But my father was no-nonsense disciplined, focused.

Everything we did had to evolve and revolve around academics.

So if we went to a track meet or if we went sightseeing, we always had to do an academic component.

So I think that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

So academically all three of us did well.

Socially and community-wise we did well.

We all have kids now.

My job is to make sure that the legacy of my father is instilled in my daughter and then my other siblings as well and also be mindful that my mother-- I lost both parents in 2020, one in March and one in December, so it was a very trying time, and there's nothing that-- that I can think about more than saying "lean on me," so I lean on my father, I lean on my mother.

Even though they're not here, I lean on all the wisdom that they gave us and the caring and understanding and the tough love, the tough discipline that has enabled me to do well in sports and beyond.

- Can you speak quickly to-- just some advice to parents and athletes today?

- I think the advice that I would give parents today-- and I will still use situation from my family-- it's so very important for you to get involved in what your children are doing to make sure that you are overseeing what the coach is doing.

However, allow the coach to coach.

If I can just say one thing, let your children find their own path, and you support them as best you can to make sure that they maximize their skill sets.

- When did you realize that you could run competitively?

When did you realize you had it, and then that whole Olympian thing?

How did you get identified to participate in the process leading up to, you know, the Olympic trials and actually being selected?

- Well, I realized that I was something special in high school.

When I was a little kid running up and down Bergen Street and Scheerer Avenue through Weequahic Park, Branch Brook Park, all through the city and beating the boys that was kind of cool, but because my father wanted us to run the middle-distance and distance to dispel the notion that Black Americans could not run distance, because at that time mostly Kenyans were running distance back in the early '70s.

So back then when your parents said to do something you did it, so we just would run, and we got really good at doing it, and fast-forwarding I went undefeated in high school.

I set the state record.

And I was the best high school recruit in the country.

I didn't say that.

"Sports Illustrated" said that.

And so that was something that no one had done in my--in my events.

And I won the sectionals groups and made the champions four consecutive years, and that was something that hadn't happened either.

So then I said, "God, this is something I can parlay into making the Olympic team.

So fast-forwarding I went to college, graduated from the University of Tennessee, made 15-time all-American, now the ten-time NCAA champion, so I guess for me I realized in college that I had what it took, and then after school I went into grad school, and that's when I started running professionally.

I got my first Nike contract back then, and the rest is history.

- Why University of Tennessee?

- Again I was the top high school recruit in the country.

And I basically chose Tennessee because the coach at that time was Terry Crawford, and she said to me, "If you come here, we will win the AIAWs your freshman year."

Because she had a great recruiting class.

So I was majoring in communications, and all those schools had good programs.

So I said, "You know what?

"I'm gonna go to Tennessee.

We're going to win the AIAWs."

Men and women in sports were separated at that time.

There were no NCAAs for us.

And so I went to Tennessee, and I'm glad that I did.

- So what is it like, you know, we have sprinters, and then we have individuals like yourself, 800 meters, 1,500 meters... - Yes.

- The preparation for those different type of distances.

What--what-- what does that entail?

- Well, I think, John, that's a good question too, because it gives you a mindset, and I think be being a middle-distance runner and running distance runs, you know, when you're running five and six and seven miles you're out there by yourself, and it's lonely.

And it gives you time to concentrate, which is, what it did for me was, allowed me to think of myself individually, think of what I wanted to do and learn some skill sets that I may not have learned in other sports and disciplines, being focused, being dedicated, being able to function alone for many hours at a time, and these are all skill sets that you need in life, sports, and in business.

- Can you share with our viewers a little bit about, you know, all these amazing athletes from all over the world now in one setting to participate in an Olympics.

What is the environment like?

- John, it is an amazing experience.

And being able to--to see people from different countries to be able to represent the United States is special.

The friendships that we make was something that stands to now all these years later.

And I do think that by competing in sports it gave me a mindset to-- to be disciplined, to be focused, but I also learned about having fun, and I was able to make a business out of competing in track and field.

I think that was I learned as a youngster I think that separated me out from what the kids are learning now, whereas everything took time.

We had to be patient.

But now kids get things immediately.

And they don't really appreciate the grind that's necessarily to be the best and to stay at the best for many years, not just one year, Carl Lewis, Jackie-Joyner, Edwin Moses.

It was year after year after year.

We did it because we enjoyed it.

The money may not have been there, but we had a great time being out there doing our best.

- You know, I tell you, you shared a lot there, But what comes to mind for me is the mindset of a champion.

What separates a champion from just a competitor?

- And that's a-- that's a good question.

I think the mindset to be a champion in anything that you do, the separation comes in your willingness to keep going, keep fighting, and also when you have a stumbling block to realize that that doesn't define who you are.

So I think champions understand that there will be stumbling blocks, and you don't quit.

So the bend in the road is not the end in the road.

You have to remember to turn.

And so so many times the bend we want to bail out.

But champions keep turning and keep grinding, and I think that is what separates us.

The talent is there when you're at that level, but it's the one who is able to remain "focused," and that stands for...

I think that separates champions from competitors.

- Wow.

I tell you, I mean, you're just sharing with our viewers one jewel after another.

Can you speak to the kind of mental health aspect and this unfounded criticism of athletes?

- I think the mental stress component is something that has developed and become more acceptable now.

I think that if you look at what people did in 1968 during the Olympic Games and all the mental stress there, in '72 mental stress, so we have always had mental stress, myself included, but we didn't-- we weren't given the freedom to acknowledge that in a forum that would be embraced, so we didn't address it, so I don't if I ever wanted to quit and not do it again, but there were times that I found challenging, but because the resources were not particularly there for us to go to, we just worked through it.

- So we're gonna take a break on "Pathway to Success."

And we'll be back in a moment.

- We encourage you to visit our website at www.aaccnj.com or call us at 609-571-1620.

We are you strategic partners for success.

- Welcome back.

You know, I am really enjoying my conversation today with our very special guest Joetta, but let's start with sharing with us today about your foundation and the various programs that-- that come under it.

- Well, John, thank you very much.

The foundation is very dear and near to my heart.

I started the Joetta Clark Diggs Sports Foundation over 18 years ago.

And the purpose of the foundation was to introduce the different opportunities in the sports industry and also to promote good health, combat obesity, deal with mental stress, bullying, and also dealing with family relationships.

So that's what we do.

We go into school districts.

We got grants or we would get funding from districts, and we would implement our various programs from our head to a fitness program to the Joetta Clark-Diggs sports challenge to our [indistinct] program, and to be quite honest we gave over $100,000 of scholarships to student athletes that went to a plethora of colleges throughout the country, so that was very rewarding to me.

My mother always told me, "To who much is given much is required," and I'm just blessed that I was in the place to provide opportunities to kids, urban, suburban, rural.

It does not matter.

I think that kids have all kinds of hardships, and our foundation is dedicated toward academic excellence and physical participation.

- How important is this to you in terms of as a part of your legacy.

- I think it's very important, because if you go back to my upbringing growing up in the city of Newark and being told that I can't do something, that I'm dark-skinned, I didn't have the look for Fifth Avenue, all of these things were embedded in my mindset by my teachers at that time, but my parents said just the opposite, So they poured so much positive information into me that it just kind of blocked out the negative information.

And so with my foundation it's so very important for me to encourage kids from troubling backgrounds to suburban backgrounds as to trouble is trouble no matter where you are.

And we are here to help you.

But most importantly, people that look like me, believe like me, feel like me, it's important for me to tap into them to let them know that these opportunities are available.

It's no good going into a situation or a city providing a program and not providing internships for these students to understand that that is real dynamic.

So I was the commissioner of sports at the New Jersey Sports Exposition before hit became Xanadu, and so we would have our kids intern at various sports entities to learn how that infrastructure worked.

And that was very important.

It's a billion-dollar industry.

- Time and time again it pushes back on perceptions of people, particularly kids of color, kids from urban settings that they're less than.

It is well-documented when the playing field is level Black people, Black athletes, Black professionals we excel, and I think that was the reinforcement that you were hearing from your parents, and I think that was also a motivating factor in your success.

- I happen to agree with you, and I think that is why when I speak to children and Black students and women I always try and say just because someone doesn't understand your dynamic doesn't mean you're not dynamic and then that you are extraordinary.

You're not ordinary, so don't spend your time trying to convince someone that's ordinary that you are extraordinary.

Spend your time in developing your skill sets.

So I think that that is something very important.

People are gonna say and do and turn you down.

And quite honestly I have had so many grants turned down.

And so just because I get turned down doesn't mean it's good.

Because someone doesn't see your worth doesn't mean you're not worthy.

So I think that that's so important that we have programs in these school districts to let these kids understand that and to help them along the way.

- You're also a businesswoman.

You have personal product lines.

Share with us a little bit about some of your products.

- Well, basically, about five years ago people kept asking, you know "I wish I could be like you," or, "How could I be more like you?

You're in shape; you're doing all these dynamic things."

And I didn't understand what they were saying.

But then I had some quiet time, and I understood what they wanted was a piece of me.

So I said, "Okay, let's do a re-branding."

So I went to just Joetta, and I came out with a body scrub, body lotion, body perfume, and that--it's called Joetta.

And it's about being the champion of your life.

- What are some of the topics when you're out on the circuit speaking for these corporations and in the community?

What are some of the topics you focus on?

Well, thank you, John.

On the corporate level I speak to motivation, leadership skills, diversity and inclusion, women in the workforce, dealing with different personalities.

Those are my main topics.

On the collegiate level I talk about being a student athlete, how to use sports as a way to bridge into business, I talk about the mental concept.

I talk about the transition from leaving home and going into college.

Colleges have what they call the lecture series circuit.

So I go on that, and I talk about my book and how to be a student athlete.

- So, you know, we talked a little bit about mental health and maybe those moments in your life that you may not feel motivated or inspired.

Is there a source of inspiration and-or motivation for you that you tend to lean on in those moments.

- Well, I lean on prayer in those moments.

And I also lean on the words and wisdoms from my parents.

I think that so often when you see me I'm always on speaking, and you think that I have no trials and tribulations, but the reality is, is that I'm human, and I do have those different instances.

But I think that what happens is, I don't stay there long.

When I am in those places that I'm questioning it gives me the opportunity to look back at what I've done.

Because the great things that I've done in the past helps me forward to realize that I can do even more in the future.

So there's nothing wrong with going through those moments where you're questioning your decisions, but you never question who you are and your worth and what you can do.

So I never question that.

- Can you speak to those two groups, the athlete and-or the individual who may be pondering, you know, "Should I pursue starting my own business?"

Should I pursue establishing a foundation?"

What advice would you give them as they're pondering this decision?

- Well, as they're pondering the decision they have to be prepared.

And so in my book I talk about being prepared, having a purpose, being prepared, being patient, getting perturbed, persevere, and pray.

And those Ps are very important, so as you're trying to transition from athletics into business or into the work field not athletically you have to think about what you learned as an athlete and to use all of those skill sets to become successful in business, and the advice that I give also is to make sure you have a good foundation.

Make sure you understand your market.

Make sure you understand your product.

Make sure you are prepared.

Because even though you may not get to the top immediately, and you fall down, if you don't have a strong foundation, as we all know, you will crumble.

So make sure you have a nice foundation, that you have all license, that you get registered, that you have a good accountant, and that legally you're set up correctly so that when opportunities come your way you're not excluded because you don't have a registration, that you don't have a certificate, because people are always looking at a way to exclude you, but if you have all of those things they can't exclude you, because you have the foundation.

Now you have to sell yourself in that, and you can do that, because you believe in your product.

- Business diversity.

Why is that important to you?

And some of the initiatives that you have personally and particularly as you're speaking to some of these corporations, did you kind of loop that into your talks about supporting Black businesses and businesses like yourself?

- I do; I think diversity, and I know diversity and inclusion is very important, and business diversity is important as well.

So often people in the higher-end CEO, CFO positions, executive positions you may not have a lot of people that look like us, but I do think that when I talk to these organizations diversity is important, and it's not just having a person that doesn't look like them or have the same cultural backgrounds as them employed.

It's about taking their initiatives and implementing them into the system.

But the reality is, if they're not making those decisions to deal with the structure of the company you just have another person that's just there.

- A few more questions, and we're gonna bring our conversation home.

You know, you mentioned earlier that you had some pretty good sales notwithstanding the pandemic.

What were the keys to that success during this adverse environment?

- So I had to sit down, go in my place, and find a way to get these sales up.

I go from the opportunity of being in big stores to selling from my home pretty much, because we can't go into the stores.

And so I say, you know, "Let me put together a packet that will be attractive for a company."

So that's what I did.

So I think that during the time of the pandemic it put me in the place to prepare for this new opportunity.

- From your perspective the significance of a Black chamber and-or the significance of our chamber in particular.

- I think a Black chamber is important.

I think anything that pulls together people of like minds, like culture to support us is important in business.

And I also think that it's a place where you could feel safe initially whereas you're going in; you're having someone that understands the dynamic of the culture.

So you don't have to explain that.

You can get to the business of, "My business needs this.

We are struggling in this area."

And the fact that you look like them, you don't have to explain any of that.

So I think that's-- that's really important.

- Joetta, thank you so much for being with us today.

And to all our viewers, until the next time on your pathway to success, this is John Harmon, founder, president, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

Thank you for tuning in.

[upbeat jazzy music] ♪ ♪ Separating yourself from the pack.

You could be in the middle of the pack.

You could be at the bottom of the pack.

But people remember those who are at the top.

That's the differentiator, being able to separate yourselves from your contemporaries, from your competitors, from your peers.

And I will strongly recommend that you consider being a member of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

You know, some benefits of having a relationship with the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey is, one, we're gonna advocate on your behalf day in and day out.

We're gonna keep you informed of what's going on in the marketplace be it regulatory challenges, edicts that may come down from on high that may adversely impact your ability to compete in the marketplace.

We're gonna facilitate meetings for you.

We're gonna put forth resources and opportunities and information by way of webinars, radio-- television show.

We have a whole laundry list of resources that we can leverage for your benefit.

So we ask you give us some consideration today.

If you want to win be a partner with the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

We are your partner for success.

- Support for this program was provided by...

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

JCP&L.