James Lopez has built Fatherhood Is Lit on several tenets he tries to live up to every day: Be different, be proud, have fun, and don't settle. And when it comes to working with brands, be unorthodox. He'd rather invest his time in father/child events that have a far more lasting impact than an ephemeral post on social media.

James wasn't always comfortable being called an influencer or a stay-at-home dad, until he decided both terms are open to wide interpretation. And he's eager to talk about his complex childhood in the South Bronx, how his Master's degree in computer science informs his entrepreneurship, and why blackjack is excellent for teaching your kid math.