Cornerstone of America

#33 - Jeff Forester

May 03, 2020 Alex Joudy - Jeff Forester Season 1 Episode 33
Cornerstone of America
#33 - Jeff Forester
Show Notes Transcript



Jeff was born into a family of business ownership. His great grandfather and grandfather established a car dealership in High Springs, FL that was the oldest Chevrolet dealership in Florida. Over 75 years in business as a Chevrolet franchise. His father and mother owned a toy store that was in business for almost 30 years, and his brother has a thriving consulting business. 

 

  Jeff’s professional path started in 1990 when his father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.  Since Jeff’s father was the sole provider, the family needed the business to stay open. His father needed treatment immediately and his mother needed to be his caretaker, so Jeff needed to go to work.  He balanced his senior year in high school and keeping the store open.  This was when he started to see the work ethic his parents taught him and that life will deal big blows when you least expect it.  Jeff’s father lost his battle with cancer July 5, 1991. Along with the support and help of his mother, the business stayed open until Jeff graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in Public Relations in 1997. They decided at that point it was time for a new chapter for both of them and they closed down the business after almost 30 years.

 

  The key learnings were customer service and attention to the small details.  His father stressed the importance of being attentive to the customer standing in front of you. He also taught him to never sit down until everything has been done.  The problem with that is there is always something that needs to be done and customers appreciate your attention to detail.

 

  Jeff has never forgotten those lessons and they are the core of who he is.  His professional experiences cover retail sales, education technology sales, healthcare sales, team management, training, and marketing. Jeff is entering the 21st year of his pharmaceutical career and still carries the learnings from his father; customer service and attention to the small details.  

 

  His experiences over the past 29 years have revealed the importance of self-discovery, self-motivation, and being an active part in his own future. These three things are the critical factors that led to his success and now he wants to pay it forward.

 

  Jeff was inspired and motivated to establish Active Futures LLC to help organizations, individual professionals, leaders, and executives reach their own potential through self-discovery and hard work.  There isn’t an easy, one size fits all solution to reach your own potential. It will take hard work and dedication on your part and Jeff is excited to be a part of that. 

https://www.active-futures.com/
https://www.instagram.com/activefuturesllc/

https://linktr.ee/cornerstoneofamerica

Support the show

spk_0:   0:10
here. I want to welcome everybody to another episode of the cornerstone of America podcasts. And I am joined by Jeff Forster, who is the founder of Act Active Futures. And Jeff. I, uh, I would like to have my guest kind of introduce themselves a little bit because it kind of gives him more of in your own words instead of me speaking for them, you know? So, um, if you could tell everybody living about yourself and what you're doing right now,

spk_1:   0:38
sure thinks so. My name is Jeff Forster, as he said, and I live in Orlando, Florida, and I'm the husband Teoh, lovely wife Tammy, and then have two Children. Adduce is 11 and my daughter, Lorelai is nine. I'm, ah, a Christian man, and I like to always lead off with that, and I'm I'm huge in my faith and the core of what I do andan. Also, as Alex had shared, I'm the founder of Active Futures, which is a passion project, which I think a lot of your listeners have passion projects. My my day job is I'm a pharmaceutical rep in the oncology space, so that's what I do. Teoh pay the bills. Interesting? Yeah, another, really. I guess a unique fact for me is I'm 1/5 generation Floridian, which there's not very many. My grandmother was big on genealogy, so she traced us back to where were considered floor of pioneers. That my phone users think lineage was in Florida before Florida was a state.

spk_0:   1:38
That's amazing. So what were the family originate from, like immigrated from

spk_1:   1:42
originally? It's like Scotland London. So we did the 23 me. And so we've got a good There's a lot of that British Isles, Scandinavian, all that kind of area,

spk_0:   1:55
very cold. My brother in laws is big into that. And she's found out some really interesting stuff, you know, with, uh, with their family, just because, uh, her first husband passed away when he was 29 he's predominately Irish to say. And then she remarried. And, ah, he's Swedish Scandinavian. So there's like and then her herself is more more Irish in a little Native American makes, Obviously, after the immigrant will be here. So the Lenny's going back, you know, and where they are in which, like royal families and stuff, that is pretty interesting when you start going down that road.

spk_1:   2:29
And what was what was wild is my grandmother was doing it before the advent of the computer, so she would just get in the car and she would just she would drive. And this is what she and my brother really connected from that standpoint. So fortunately, when she passed away not that long ago, my brother got all of her paperwork, but it was going to, um, different Mormon churches because they have huge genealogy. Geological, I guess, is what you would say. Libraries of information. She was going to city halls and old graveyards and just I mean, it was like she was, ah, a private detective. Just piecing things together and looking for Well, I think they're, you know, potentially buried here. So let's go see if we can find them and get a birthdate and the death date. And then they would she would find that and then trace it down. So she did a lot of work, and now we just spitting a little tube, and then it all comes s

spk_0:   3:26
so interesting, Man, that's that's crazy. Yeah. I mean, having to go through all that where you're doing it all by paper and go in there. I mean, I guess there's a little bit more sense of adventure in that right where you're physically going to play season. You're talking to people on your tracking down records versus the ease of just hopping online and putting a name. And you just started kind of tracking things down and do the search engine that way, right?

spk_1:   3:46
Yeah, I think a lot of people now, and that's I love technology,

spk_0:   3:51
right? I mean, not being right now, right,

spk_1:   3:53
however, has really need made us Not as adventurous as we used to. Like if you wanted information, you deliberately had to go find it. You have to dig. And it wasn't easy. I mean, you. I'm 47. Not sure how old you are, but more OK, your clothes. Right. So when I had to do book reports or reports for school, it was Mom put you in the car, you go to the library, you go to the the index cards and your your flippant through all the the index or microfiche and all this stuff out of it. It's all together. And now, like my kids, we just open up the laptop and Google anything or just open bone. And there it all is. So yeah, it's interesting, but we're also exposed to tons of stuff that we never would have been exposed to.

spk_0:   4:44
Yeah, you're right. You know, it's you get a Ah, there's definitely, like a pro con and everything right there's, like a balance aspect, you know, to it you get, uh I think that's where you have to be, really, really kind of self conscious or self aware. As far as like, you know what, Robert Rabbit Hole. You're going down as far as like, you know, sit on your phone. That's why I like that at future, where you can see how much you're on, like an application like Instagram or Facebook Or some like that, because you like, I still have many hours today on that. What? That so? Especially that everybody kind of stuck at home right now, you know, for the most part. So, um, you tend to do a little bit, you know, And if you if you do, you have a business for a passion project where you work on. You do a lot of so from your phone You know, I do a lot of my promotional stuff for my podcast. You know, from my phone itself. After once I finish recording on my laptop, everything he's done through my phone. And Yeah, there can you can You can start going down that rebel. And I have If you said you have two kids, I have five kids, and I can you know, my kids like to get off the phone. So they're telling me, Get off your phone. I know that I've been sitting on too long, so

spk_1:   5:45
yeah, well, I was listening to your first episode with with your wife. Oh, yeah, we're talking about that. About how she's not as at to get on the phone, things as you are, but it it's interesting. You have two sides of the fence. You know, you have people that want to dig and fall into that. Like Joe Rogan talks about falling into that YouTube old were you just going on. And then you click on another thing and you click on another right? And that's what my kids do. I don't have the patience to do that right. I go. And I want the video that I want to watch, and then that's great. And you will find different people That will do that. And it's interesting because all of a sudden you'll come across something that you didn't know before. You know, it might might. Kids found my son watches this thing called simply history. You phenomenal. This this guy does extensive research and then it's all cartoons. Almost looks like South Park, right? Legit history lessons. Oh, very interesting. Yeah, it's really good. And so you know, of course, he watches his excessive amounts of Minecraft and all the things that a lot of 11 rail. Then I'll seem Watch it now It's like, What is that? And the next thing I know is I'm I'm sitting on the floor with him and we're learning about, um, Spanish flu and had no idea. Like we were watching one thing. I had no idea there was a land battle in Alaska and, well,

spk_0:   7:13
yeah, there's like, you know what's really cool. Yeah, I know you. And uploading. That's one of things I really love about, like podcasting and YouTube is You can get people that have are very knowledgeable about something or have a passionate about something, and then they turn. And if they have a little bit of creativity and some discipline and drive, you get things like Dan Carlin's hardcore history of You heard of that podcast? Yes. Yeah. I mean, like, six and a four hour like like audio theatrical. You know, break down words like pain, this picture of what it was like to be living, you know, out in the Plains somewhere. And then the earth start shaking and you see the shadow over the you realize it's like a Mongols coming in. Your whole way of life is about to end. It's like he paints his pictures. Your card, You're getting goose bumps and sweating, and you're not gonna get that on. And this isn't a knock on National Geographic like that because they do some amazing stuff. But you're not getting that in a 30 minute episode with 12 minutes of commercials, right? Uh, yeah, So I mean, it's awesome. Seen some of the stuff that people are doing right now, you know, with with the advent of the Internet and in podcasting, in the YouTube videos. So yeah,

spk_1:   8:18
well, and that's what's cool about podcasting, and I used to be a huge Howard Stern fan, and that's what a lot of people liked about his interviews is because they weren't five minutes snippets. It was Jimmy Fallon, the David Letterman where you're here for five minutes. You make your pitch what you're gonna what you're promoting and then you're off. Yeah, that formula. Almost. Yeah, but that's what I also like if you expanded even further and you look at, um, you know what what podcasters like yourself or do it is there's no end, right? I mean, you have a time frame that you typically want to keep it in. But like some of Rogan's or Jocko, some of their podcasts four hours long said, You get on the parole. Did you keep going? So it's interesting, but it's unique that all this stuff has really come to fruition and are our lifetime, you know, and you just wonder where it's gonna go.

spk_0:   9:08
Yeah, and I think it's ah, you know what I like about that? You know, that whole concept to especially for like, guys our age, you know, in our generation is and there's actually been a couple articles have been written about it about how our generation is the one that's handling this whole pandemic, you know? And what's going on right now, Like the best Because we've got, like, in our lifetime, you know, we've been through pre Internet, you know, we had, you know, when we were kids, phones were still attached to the wall. Right? Then we went to Then we went through, like, the Cordless phone, like we've been through every transition and Michael, like, I remember the first Gulf War I remember, you know, and I was born in 79. And so you have all these things we've kind of gone through And this this massive shift and change in culture, you know, like the Internet hit when I was in high school, Facebook came out when I was first starting my gym. You know, I was 24 years old, so there's all of these transitional period, like the big cultural shifts. And it all happened within our lifetime, you know, and we just kind of roll with it and you adjust and you kind of move forward, and it's kind of like when everything kind of happened right now, my concern wasn't with the disease itself. My concern was more had to do with how everybody else would react. Like I knew I was fine. And, you know, it was fine. And my kids were gonna be good. Um, and how we handle things, how we you know? And we work from home For the most part, we've been homeschooling since day one. So there wasn't much of a shift in our day to day activities beyond how much we can go out and do. And the kids is outside activities. They got the wire, jujitsu was going to be shut down and getting dead readjusted there. But it was more of like making sure I could do as much as possible to kind of lend their hand where everybody else wouldn't freak out, right? Like you aren't about Right now, people are free to say highly, You looking you there, like kind of doing this thing s so I go out of my way to smile, say hi to people and kind of be engaging switch because I'm not, you know, you're attacked, you that have tattoos, and it's not least take me anymore, but,

spk_1:   10:59
you know, it's still list

spk_0:   11:00
from time to time especially when you know, for certain generations. And, you know, I'm 61 to 60 you know, and tattooed. And so I make sure I smile and wave way. Yeah,

spk_1:   11:10
well, because I have a deep set eyes, so, yeah, I'm out. I'm actually kind of look mean all the time. And

spk_0:   11:17
only if you have a mask on. Now, your sketchy

spk_1:   11:20
right now, the county I live in, we don't have to wear masks, so

spk_0:   11:23
I don't get out of here.

spk_1:   11:24
Yeah, and, um and so but it's it's it's amazing kind of the thing that happened, and I was telling my wife had to run to the grocery store today. And you have these people that I think that because there's a pandemic, that there aren't any rules anymore. They're like that. I have a long way in the parking lot, and if you're trying, make apposite. Go on. Go on. Wait. No, you're just supposed to cover your face and stay six feet apart there. So the rules of the roads is Yeah. Um, it's it's interesting to see how people react. Or I guess the better phrase would be take advantage of a situation, right?

spk_0:   12:00
Well, I mean, and then like you. You know, you mentioned before we started recording about, you know, living in Florida and, you know, being an obviously that's ah, high, highly active, like hurricane area. Right. Um, you think you know somebody who was born a razor and having gone through a few times, Like when you go through those kinds of, you know, things in an emergency situations, natural disasters, there's a routine that you go through and you community kind of get together. You guys talk about things you guys have what's going on, But you realize, and this was my concern about this whole thing. So when Superstorm Sandy hit, right, what was that like, 2000 5 15 14 When was that?

spk_1:   12:39
And it all starts to become a blur. But I know so five years ago,

spk_0:   12:44
right? So that pummeled the East Coast. But I mean, like, erect like like New Jersey and the whole area really, really bad, right? I mean, just took out Coney Island and Day three. And I mentioned this in the last couple episodes to day three of no, like no power and running water. So Day three, like they're shooting each other gas stations, right? Day three. I think that's a camping trip, you know, three day s O. But it's that that, like, the anxiety and the fear and, uh, the hoarding mentality, you know what I mean? It's just like it's insane. So that was my concern, You know, more than anything else. Kind of get back. We were talking about when everything kind of started happening was making sure I didn't have to be. You know, where my wife and I didn't have to be out and about when people were starting to kind of freak out a little bit. And, you know, fortunately and pleasantly surprised there hasn't been that much, Especially here. Everybody's been, for the most part, really. Get so you know. So I am, uh I am proud of the human race so far. Yeah,

spk_1:   13:38
like last year. I see a greater sense of compassion, I think. You see, I know I've seen a greater sense of, um yes, neighborhood without yeah, really a word. But you see more people out, more people waving back. You know, there's let one when I'm out on a run. I've made it a point to actively not just kind of give the head nod in a wave, but say good morning, and that freaks people out right, as they're not used to being talked to, like Well, yeah, that were you. Why are you telling me? Good morning, right? And I'm part of Ah, mastermind And we were talking the other day and this guy had a really good suggestion is when you go out to the supermarket, you go to pick up your take out. Whatever you may be going to do is look at the person in the eye and tell them Thank you for being there today. Yeah, because that's that's what we don't get, Vera hurricane seasons, right? Cause everything's closed because there's no power. Everything's stripped down. People started to panic. But these people, you know, whether you wanna agree that they're risking their lives or not. I mean, they're still out there, right, And they're still in a highly contagious, um, putting themselves in a highly contagious situation. And just so I could buy food for my family and that's huge, that's you. And I think that's where we as a human race, like you said, you were pleasantly surprised It's been a nice breath of fresh air. Just need people go back, Teoh. I feel like it's almost like back to when we grew up. Things were as fast in the late seventies and early eighties. It was starting to pick up speed, but it hadn't gotten to the Mach two. That it has been the last decade really is when it just has just gone full throttle. Eso It's been need to see the people really react differently to each other than what I expected as well.

spk_0:   15:33
Right? So, you know, speaking of, you know, I mean, we grew up, you know, like one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on was to talk about you had kind of a unique but upbringing. So, you know, talk a little bit about that. You know this for us? Ah, you're like you said. You know, you have your family's what? Fifth generation Floridian, right? Yeah. So Ah, but your grandparents have we started a Was it a great grandfather car dealership?

spk_1:   15:54
Yes. Oh, my great granddad. He started a car dealership. So were all originally from north Florida. So games before the high screens, which is two hours from the Georgia line and they started a He started a sh every Chevrolet dealership and started in 1926 and it still is running to this day. It's not a Chevrolet, because when they went through that whole, um, automobile crash, they started taking away a lot of the smaller Um Oh, I remember that. Yeah, tired as they were just pulling everything back and making the big ones. So we they took it away from from our family. But my family still has the sales and service, and so my great granddad had it, and then my grandad had it. And then my uncle and my mom run it now, which is really cool to say that they've been able to continue on and they're still doing well because they're considered an essential now. But at the time my dad was he was more of the rebel of the group. And like, as soon as he was old enough to get out, he left. And he was kind of one of those guys that that we probably a lot of us know and maybe our I wasn't. But he was constantly searching for something he didn't go to school. He trained to be a an ambulance driver. So get back in the sixties, you were ambulance slash hearse driver in the small towns, right? So interesting. One thing was for both, right? So I think you wanted to be in it with the lights, Ron. And you didn't want to be on it with all

spk_0:   17:25
Yeah, obviously. At the what if you're driving back then, too. Like you weren't really like an E m t. You were just basically just like transport service, right?

spk_1:   17:33
Yeah. I just picked him up in the back and did that. He went to school to start being a forest ranger and just a lot of stuff and then ended up in the military, and it was in the army and he was stationed. That's him over my shoulder. I got to get the camera angle. Right? Right, right there. Over. Cool. He was in the army for four years in the station in Alaska. He loved it. So this was back in the sixties. I love Alaska and I've never been. And he he always wanted to go back. And it was He used to tell the stories he worked a teletype machine, so he was like in the special services. So they were intercepting things from Russia on telling night. Oh, man. But he would talk about hunting trips and, you know, just loading up on him and a buddy they would just drive and just go camp and hunt. And you sounded unbelievable. And so he was getting ready to get discharged, and he's they tried to get him to sign back up. This was mid sixties, so I knew that they were rampant for Vietnam. Wanted to keep people in. And he's like, Well, can you guarantee that I'll stay in Alaska and they're like, No, he's alright Later.

spk_0:   18:39
Yeah. Yeah, I'll ask. You

spk_1:   18:43
got it? Would be stuck in Vietnam. I don't want to start, but they've been Alaska. So right, fortunate for me? Yeah, He came home for me at, you know, and my brother. So he met my mom in high spring and then started to work at, um, BellSouth. And so I think he still had that entrepreneurial bug where he just couldn't get He wasn't a 9 to 5 kind of guy, which is funny because he ended up being a 9 to 5 guy, but owning his own business. Yeah, And I think from what I can tell is he was a super talkative, which that generation really wasn't. They were a lot of were open to sharing. Why? They did the things that they were doing and what what motivated them?

spk_0:   19:23
Yeah, that was the same way. Yeah.

spk_1:   19:25
Yeah, Just you get up and you go to work, and that's it. Um, and so he before my brother was born, he ended up doing a some side work over the holidays at a toy store, and it was called Toyland. And the guy that owned it was Mr Jolly That was his real name. It. So this was back in the late sixties, and so he worked there for a little bit, and then Mr Jolly was looking to get out of it. So you asked. My dad was like, Well, do you want to buy the toy store? Am I dazzle? Well, sure, but I don't have any money. I'm I run telephone lines, so I don't have money to buy a store. Like how much money you got in your pocket? And I think he had a couple of dollars. He's like, OK, there's your down payment now. We can just we can work out the rest. So my dad bought it. Oh, that's crazy. Uh, Pickett was 68 or 69. My brother was born in 69 so he ran it, and it really it's thrived. It was really It was only one of two toy stores, and this was really this is before all big business and chains had kicked in. And so, um, he was real smart, big on customer service, cleanliness, tidiness, keeping everything in order. And so from that he started and developed well and and I don't want to get bogged down in all the specific details. But he was running his own business and it was doing really well. And then the big box store started coming in the Kmarts. The wall marks the toys that started to put a squeeze on the toy industry because they were buying things. Five, the semi load. And he was having to buy things much, much smaller quantity, sure, so transitioned over to hobbies. We did that. And then in 1990 my senior year in high school, he had been battling what we thought was pneumonia for a long time and finally just got so bad. My mom put her foot down. We're going. We're going to get it checked out. And so the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, he had a needle biopsy, and they determined that he had Stage four lung cancer. And then, as they continue to go through that, they figured it was both lungs, brain. Those were the main places that they could see haven't Penis and just some different things that they created them toe wanna scan, scan his head. So that was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, my senior year, and so Thanksgiving Day. And he's in the hospital and they said, Well, we gotta admit you like now we've got to start chemotherapy because they knew is inoperable. They knew that his time was short, but they thought they could at least get him some some additional time. So that's when I started work. So because it was, he was the only income in our family. My mom didn't work. She raised us and then helped him. And so, um, I fortunately went to a small Christian school at the time, and so they allowed me to go to school in the morning and then leave their to go open the store. And we didn't know how long this would last. Um,

spk_0:   22:24
it's over. A senior he received. So what, 16 17 years old. Some look out of the time

spk_1:   22:29
center team. Yeah, Yeah,

spk_0:   22:31
yeah, we're burdened. Take on at that age, man.

spk_1:   22:33
Yeah, you know, and it was funny at the time. I can't even think twice about it. I just did it. And my my family and I think most families we have a tendency to if we stay busy, we don't have to face the things that we don't want to face eso by being busy. I don't have to face that. My dad was terminally ill. It was going to die, so I worked, and I loved I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed it, But I had also in the back of my mind, you know, I'd saw him growing frustrated with owning his own business, had no savings, had really not very good health insurance. Um, no life insurance to speak of was tethered to the business. Couldn't take a vacation which is stressed out. So that's that was my vision of owning your own business was stress and just shackled to it, right? And so my mom and I, he passed away eight months after diagnosis. So he passed away a month after I graduated high school. And on that's what. Is it it very fast? Well, that he had three rounds of chemo and then they finally had to stop because it was just ripping his body to pieces and he went from I don't know exactly how much you weigh, but he had to be. He was 5 10 probably a little bit over £200 or right around £200. And when he finally passed, I mean, he looked like he was a prisoner of war. I mean, he was just a shell of a body, but he was committed. I mean, he said that he wanted to live until I graduated. High school did. I mean, he was able to see me graduate high school, and then almost to the day a month later, he passes away, right, you know? And so from that he passed away. And then, um you know, my mom, she came right to work, and she was working. That's what's amazing. She was still working through this. She was taking care of him helping me with the books. I'm 17. I know how to do. Looks rolling. You know, I could unlock the door and I could tell right control cars and planes and trains. And I'll, uh, but that cash registry, uh, I knew how to use that. Um, so we ran it for the next seven years. You know, it was it was a stressful for her. Stressful for me, Um, zapped a lot of savings because again, as things were rolling, we just were She and I both were naive enough toe where we didn't know how to pivot with everything was going because what was happening was is that in the hobby business, like most of these, the people we were buying from were selling direct via catalogs, right? So somebody would come into our store, look at the item, but then go on lot, go not go online, but then go into the catalog called 800 number and by over $8 Cheap, cheaper trail. Right. Um, so it was challenging. And so I I worked my way all through school And then once I finished, then we just made the decision that we just needed clothes and it was the the rich dad. Poor Dad syndrome. I don't know. Sure read that book parts of area. So the concept was is get a good job that pays you get your vacation. Um, and then you have retirement, right? That's that's That was the The Mecca for May is like I want to work for somebody else and I don't have to worry about all this,

spk_0:   26:00
especially after going through seven years of you know of your early like you know, I mean e technically reading adult. But you're late teens, early adulthood. Where you taking on this responsibility? And, ah, um, and there's there's that period where you just like you know what? I don't want to deal with payroll. I don't want to deal with Ah, no paying bills. And you know this this whole umbrella of like owning a business. It's nice, used to kind of step back and have this one thing in response before and and this company will give my benefits, the salary and everything else to you. And when I go home, I'm home I don't think about anything else. And don't deal with that too, right? So you think about it that way. I mean, I remember going through that after we left. Ah, we left the gym and and I went and you know this one? My wife said to me issues that can you just go get a job, You know, the corporate world for a couple of years, Take a break from running a business and let everybody else worry about, like, all the other aspect really, too. And I was 37 at the time, and I was like, Yeah, I could do that. And ah, it sounds good, right? But then all the other things come into play to which is, like, what you don't have control over and how much time you end up wasting in, you know, useless meetings and, uh, you know, report. You know, these uses reports that, you know, and I guess it depends on different companies. Undersize they are. And you know what? Their you know, what they're set up is, but yeah, I totally get where you're going with that.

spk_1:   27:22
Yeah, well, and then the other problem that I left out is, I grew up a fat kid. And not that I was a fat kid because I had a quitters mentality. You haven't got tough. I just went with whatever is easy, right? And, you know, in the seventies, we didn't know everything we know about nutrition, right? Just here's the food. Eat it. And so I was still intimate. I can't say I was I'm an emotional eater, You know, I'm stressed. I like to eat. If I'm happy. I like to eat from satellite to eat, right? Like, you know, I'm a bad food choices. But the ultimate things I had a because of the weight I created for myself. A really poor self image. Right? And I had that fixed mindset where I didn't want anything difficult. I wanted something easy. And I look back now and I see that that popped up from the business, right? It was just a We'll just run away from it. Goto what's easy and again, not wrong. It was just easy. And I see that now, which is which is fine, right? I mean, as long as we learn and we can pivot way, move and change, that's where we're at. So that's really what got me started. And looking back is that was the foundation of who I became a za professional. And I'm saying it's also it shaped me as a dad today and to be for the longest time because I saw my dad worked from morning until night every single day, like he would leave. He slipped late. We would already be in school by the time he woke up because he didn't have to open the store until nine. But then you kept it open until nine. So when I was younger, I was already in bed, right? So it was that and I didn't have a relationship with my dad. Remember? One time he, um I because of my weight, I hated going to water parks for school outings and stuff. And so not your water park in, like, I'm not going not taking my shirt off. This is crazy. Kids are mean. So the kids were mean, and I didn't like the way I looked, but I didn't want to do anything about it, Right. So the whole another episode. So he decided, my mom convinced, seem to take off work and take me fishing. And I was on cloud nine, and I just remember when we went, we went fishing, and I was just so excited to be there. But the whole time that I was there, I'm sitting, going Don't really know this guy.

spk_0:   29:46
Oh, interesting. Yeah. If you are aware that

spk_1:   29:48
yeah, like, he was my hero. Hey, still is loving dearly. But the whole time I was there, it was just an awkward feeling because I'd never had consistent interaction with my dad. Um, and but he was loving, if that makes sense, right? I mean, I knew that he loved me and supported me, and he provided, you know, some things for me. But there was a deficiency in his ability to know how to do that. As his dad didn't do that right. It was the EPA genetics of just perpetuating the same cycle over and over.

spk_0:   30:22
Well, if you think about like your dad's generation to look, he said, Ah, you're so your dad was, but he was He was born in forties. Yeah, 42. Okay. So, yeah, So he's the child of like that, that greatest generation, right? You know that once the world were dealt with World War Two in one night. And so you think about the goal there. And that's kind of where that came out of, like, you know, um ah, you know, the American dream was house wife, couple Children, the white picket fence, a job that you can like stability because if you think about from, like, I mean, you need to go back. But let's just put a number on it. It's like 1900 like 19 50 60 right after World War Two. It was like, you know, you know, War, war, war, you know, like you just like one thing after another in you had the Great Depression and then you had you know, Abdic, all these massive cultural shifts got constant going on, right? So the concept of like stability in the world where you had a job for 25 30 years, you retired, You got a pension, you had a house you had like that was Thea Merican dream right where as we grow, we evolve. Now it's that's it's not saying it's a bad thing, but it's almost like there's we've we've improved so much to society, no matter what anybody wants to say right that it's not just about going to a job that she marginally like or even borderline hate for 25 30 years. Just because it's good, it's well, what the hell is the point of living like what you know? Are you contributing something to society, to something greater? Do you have a census fulfillment? You feel like you're giving back or are you just another cog in the machine? Right? And I think that's where the difference is, you know? And that's where lives, too, as well. So ah, and yeah, having that also that, like inability sometimes to even convey that feeling like, on some level, I've had a deeper conversation with you that I've ever had with my own father, right, Because it just wasn't there. No matter how much you try. Dio, you know, pursue its arrives from that generation, you know? And my dad immigrated from the Middle East. So, you know, there was, you know, kids air. You know he hate you. Stand over there. Look, it just shut up. But you know what? I want to talk to you, you know?

spk_1:   32:31
Yeah. Yeah, it's It's it's wild. And so for me, it was funny because, um, I started to realize I remember before I had kids always said to myself, I will not do that right. Like I always present for my kids, and I'll do those things. But then over time, we all get sucked in tow work we get sucked into our life. And one of the things that again for me that I mentioned earlier is if I'm busy, I don't have to face the demons that I have in my head. I'm not the face that things that come. So I created just being busy all the time to avoid, um, you know, overcoming things that I knew I needed to overcome. And so what happened was is that business created a decade of not being here. I was here. I was physically in my house. I was providing for my kids more than my parents had ever been able to provide. Um, financially. Right. So right, your friends. I never needed anything as a child. Always had clean clothes. Ate Well, we talked about that. Yeah. Never missed a meal. But what was occurring was by being busy and chasing titles and chasing all these different things and trying to make other people, um, you know, fill me up. I was avoiding the people that needed me the most. And that was my wife and my kids, my friends and those type things. And so, you know, through that that business created depression, anxiety, you know, bad choices, lots of bad choices. And from that, it just It was amazing that you you start to the thing that you don't want to be the most is what you end up becoming right. And so, even though I was here, it was no different than my dad working from 9 to 9 of my kids. You know me not seeing him. My kids were here. We interacted. I went to their games, but my brain was stuck to my phone. Thinking about what? Emails coming in. What I need to do for this. How do I need to shift these people over here? What do I need to do? That. And it was just one of those things that was just It was very unhealthy. And so, you know, from that again, as long as you can learn from your mistakes and forgive yourself, then everything can can be better, right? Cause we all make mistakes And you know, the name of your shows Cornerstone of America. If you've ever watched how America was made on the History Channel,

spk_0:   35:01
uh, if you episode yeah,

spk_1:   35:03
really good, right, Allard, Carnegie and those guys and they work without their faults, right? I mean, they built America and I built everything up, and they had a lot of positive things about them, and but they had a lot of negatives and a lot of things that you can't go through history and never look at anybody that doesn't have a flaw or something that they wish they had done. But it's the people that end up shifting and saying, Look, that's behind me right now. I need to move forward and become a better person, more stable person and be the person that that my family needs that my friends need that the community and the world needs honestly,

spk_0:   35:41
Yeah. No, most definitely. It's up. You know, if I think one of the hardest things sometimes is, um you you measure success, and by these kind of markers that you think is supposed to be success, right? You know whether it's ah, you have your own business and, um, being financially independent whatnot and those lessons are all great. But if I you know, and that's kind of where I got the name of this, this is the show. But if your foundation isn't there of of where, you know, as as individuals a man as a father, if you don't have this, like this bedrock, the foundation of what you like your moral compass is you know what? You what you will and you will not do right. And if everything is kind of fluid at times where you have this mentality of, um, I guess the best way to put it is, like, justify, like, the means justify the ends, right? Then what is? It happens before you realize it. You've compromised so much of whether it's your time. Whether it's like you said, you create business just to be busy, so you can't You don't actually confront your own fault unknown demons that, um, you're without knowing it. You're actually sending yourself up for failure. Oh, big time and you're setting yourself up for Yeah, you know, and I went through that about public 32 to 3 times, like a big I could actually pinpoint, like days. You know, in my life with my wife and kids over the last. Ah, you know, like, 67 years. You know where it was, like on this day in this year. This is when you know the shit hit the fan on this day in this year, this is when you know, this came crashing down on this, you know? And and they're different events. But the all stem from the same thing. Which was me not recognizing those issues that I wasn't confronting me. Not realising that. No, you can't be fluid with everything you have to you. You have to be able to say no. You can't justify everything you can't can't do everything. You can't just put your head down to say I'll figure it out. That's great. But they're still needs to be some framework to

spk_1:   37:31
it, right? Right. Yeah, well, and I feel also the other thing. And it's that vulnerability that we avoid as man. Yeah, and really as people, right, humans don't want to be vulnerable because that we just we know how other people are in its blood. in the water. And here come the sharks. If you're you know, yeah. What I've learned, though, is you can surround your people that that are safe, that you can call your tribe your accountability buddies, whatever. Whatever kind of term you want, it really gives you power because then you you can release that thing that other people look and they non like, Yeah, I've had that same thing. So I'm like, OK, because I know growing up and up until you know most of my adult hood, I thought it was weird. I thought these thoughts that I had in my head and these these different feelings that I may have had were just unique to me. And then when you sit down into start talking to people and they're going, yeah, I've been battling with the same thing I had. The same reaction was that happened. And but this is what I ended up doing, which, you know, led to this and, you know, you create all these different things. And so you know, when you talked about the foundation to me, if that's the huge part of it and for me, like I said earlier, my faith is a massive part of that foundation that just gives you something toe level set to say All right, I know that there's something bigger out there. I know that there's something that this watching over me and gives me strength and power is one that I can I can overcome anything right? And then my wife. I mean, there's just no way. I mean, it's that thing that to having a partner that's there, that it's under no circumstances that, you know, if the house is on fire, she's coming in and saving me Still asleep. You know, I remember there was an instance where and I just kept all this stuff bottled up and finally I just I let it all out and she looked at me and she said, I'm still here. You go anywhere you know. And it was just it changed my entire life when she said that I was like, OK, all right. So I can share this and not feel like a weirdo, you know, or feel like that. She's judging me or putting me down and those type things, and so, um, that we've completely gone off, probably track of what you wanted to talk about a man, It's cool. That's you know, when you talk about cornerstone of foundation, all that stuff is locked up. That is just huge, you know?

spk_0:   40:02
So we're talking about that, actually. So what was for you? What was the shift em, whether it was something specific or just kind of this gradual change where you did Because I recognize that toothy like I would always pursue the path of least resistance at times versus going to pursue hardship. Even though, you know, I was active and I did a lot of things for high school, and after that, I was always I I I didn't like being idle, but the things I would be busy with were things that I was more naturally inclined to enjoy, rather than actually pursuing hardship, right? Or pursuing something that was more difficult. That would grant me more long term success. So, for you, what was that shift?

spk_1:   40:39
So where the shift started is that I just had a big, you know, personal event that it occurred and then I just dove into self development just being I've always been big in the self development and trying to better myself and better my skills as a leader as a sales person, whatever it may be. You know, even though I didn't like things easy, I still and relatively intelligent where I could pick up a book. And part of I guess my gift is, um I could be very intentional about things. So if I write thing, I'm gonna put it to use. So which was really good. So I developed myself is a good leader. So along those lines is when I had this this personal event that occurred, I decided, like, I've got to change. I've gotta work on myself. And where happened as a buddy had recommended the book Living with the Seal by Jesse Itzler. Yeah, it's a really good book. So we read that look, and I just flew through it. I thought it was a fantastic book. And so then it set me on the journey to figure out Okay, who is the seal? You know, because they talked about him, but they never really gave his name until the very end. So then yeah, because they gave his name, I googled it. And so I started finding him on podcast. Good old David Goggins. And then his book came out in December. Uh uh, 18 19

spk_0:   41:56
yet given garden. See what's Yeah,

spk_1:   41:59
Yeah, And, um and that really set me on the path. And so he would have been a guy that I ran away from and like, her high school, any time, the way he spoke, and then just his intensity, I would run a so far as I could away from him. Like guys like that used to scare me. There were something that resonated with what he said. What happened to his life, right? I mean, I was not. I thought I might have had a bad childhood until you read his book, but I listened to his book Inaudible, and it was fantastic if you haven't listened to it on Audible, and he gives you tools to use. And so that accountability mirror that he talked about really, really put me on the path of finding things that were difficult. And then it was taking all those post it notes and putting him around my mirror, and then slowly except, you know, saying Okay, I'm gonna work on this, this this and then taking them down when I did it And just just the feeling of accomplishment with taking little things down. Created that where I've been a runner before. But just focusing on the pain side of it did him in also knowing that I could control my thoughts and my brain. And so he is a good follow on instagram and you have toe. If you're not in the language, you just have to ignore it. You love hate David Goggins.

spk_0:   43:26
He's an intense guy, man. That guy's intense. It's Ah, yeah, just his whole, uh is that one of the things I love about one of the messages that he gives out is really that you you stop because you're you know, because you're mentally weak because you're physically weak, you are physically no matter where you were in your physical journey, you know whether you're picking up a down vote for the first time, whether you're learning how to deal, push up or whether you know your you know, like, you know, me or you know, or you you know, where you played sports and you've worked often on and you know, myself with training. It's you always stop because you mentally decide to stop versus how much you can physically do you know, you could physically do more, you know, And and, uh and the way he kind of puts it, it's Ah, it's almost undeniable. Yeah, and he proves it. I mean, he proves it. I mean, it's it's, you know, he's showing it.

spk_1:   44:18
Yeah, he has one that that really resonate with me is that Hey, Brain, I went again, uses different language, but right completely with me. And so that's been somewhat of a mantra that I used for a while. And then the more I started thinking about it, I I started building my confidence, and some of it was through, you know, study of the Bible and just really getting getting centered there and finding their center, getting my priorities right, I wrote a personal creed that I look at every day. That just really helps me. Like you said, keeps me centered on the values that I know that will move me forward in life. That on my death bed I'll be happy with what they say about the exam 47 I feel like I'm hopefully only halfway done. You know, I'm hopeful that I've got another 47 in front of me. That makes it great, right? And so some people call your 47. And, like, our parents, probably thought 47 your own was dead. You know, at that point

spk_0:   45:24
that such a joke, especially now, like what we understand and where kind of like, Ah, science is going. And I understand that the human body and what we're capable of and how much control we have over our own biology and nutrition and training away like I'm 40 and I feel like I'm just getting started, like I'm just figuring things out, like out 40 you

spk_1:   45:40
know? I agree. Yeah, all this gray is not it hurt? Yeah, it's earned, man, but, you know, it's one of those things where now looking at I don't want things easy, right? I want thing right call. And when you look at things and you, you go through your life, the only time you ever move forward is when you go through something difficult,

spk_0:   46:04
right? Like what comes down the other side, right? Right. Exactly. I'm

spk_1:   46:08
praying those days that you train and you just whipped, you know, you just grew.

spk_0:   46:14
Yeah. Do you ever see Ah, you ever follow a team Canada? Yes. Yeah. Were my favorite quotes from him Is all good things in life are on the other side of hard work. Yeah, Yeah, And it's true. It is. And I mean, I find myself now where especially kind of with everything that's kind of going on now. And, um, the expectations of society are, you know, pressing on everybody else and everything that's going on to where it is acceptable to the everybody wants you to chill and kind of slow down and stay home and not be doing a bunch of stuff you know, to step. And part of that is good, because I think it's good for everybody. See, just to kind of like, you know, to kind of re prioritizing what's going on, but at the same time to I think that could also be a trap, because you can fall into this false sense of of just X stagnation right and not being productive in pursuing things that are difficult. And I think that's why it's so important now with what's going on. If you don't have something where if you're one of the few that you're working from home. You know you still have a job, you have a career, you know, everything is going on. But you realize even working from home, you have more time than you would. If you're going into an office or a a physical place every single day because you're not jumping in the car, you're not out there for however many hours. It is the workday. Obviously, there's only so much if you do online right, and you have so much more time now available and it shouldn't be. Just sit around and do nothing right like it's a great opportunity now to you pick up those side hustles to work on those passion projects to pick up a new skill. Learning new skill because, I mean, you can always learn new skills, right? And the great thing again, one of the great things about the Internet is you can learn just about anything. There's a YouTube video for everything you know, and you know

spk_1:   48:00
it is anymore, right?

spk_0:   48:01
No, there's not, you know, and it's Ah, so it's been fun, you know, it's for like, for myself kind of picking up woodworking, and they only had a build stuff. You don't be doing that. So, yeah, I mean, that's been formed. So tell me about, um, active future. So you you were that book and you started making that change. What was the ship for you to kind of start that project? Something about that?

spk_1:   48:20
Yes. So? So active futures has come from just a love of helping other people wanting to add value. I was in leadership roles. Excuse me for a little for about 10 years and just I'm I'm good at it. I'm by nature. I'm an encourager. I like to see other people excel and do well. And so from that, I talked to some people and would share some things. Like you really should try to help people on the sun, try to do things, because by my current full time job is I'm like I said before, I'm a pharmaceutical rep and I work, But in the evenings I have time to be able to help people. And so I sat down one day because some people were talking me in again. The beauty of your cell phone is I just started on my notes app You started typing things that I had learned and seen people benefit from in my years in leadership and so started putting it down, refined it, refined it, refined. It ended up coming up in developing four modules. And it's not a formula per se. But it was a way for me to just to give back, you know, And at first it was something that you see all these things over Instagram the grant card owns, and them when shards all these guys that air superwealthy, coaches and all these things. And I'd be lying if I didn't say that would be That's a dream that would be fun to do right through a lot of reflection and really trying to see what I needed to do is the God's blessed me with a wonderful career now, so I can look at it as just adding value, like I just want to add value to other people, and it doesn't matter to me at this point if it if I could make any money, I feel that if I can again, if I'm looking at the creed that I want to do to add value to other people, I can create an opportunity And that's really where active futures came out of. Of was that idea of what can I do to help other people to get things out there? Because I wasn't on social media right a year ago? Okay, what's been amazing through that is just making connections with people like yourself and all these other people has been unbelievable for me, because then it's giving me an opportunity to share my story and other people here, like all I know. That's exactly how I feel when you were talking. That was something that resonated with me. And so with active futures, if I could just offer people a non opportunity to look through some things because it costs me nothing to type out four modules on a pdf shirt, huh? Power? And if I can help people by sending that to them. What was interesting, though, is it comes down to being intentional on doing anything with it. You know that difference, right? So when you get something and you learn something with books, or whatever it may be is, you have to intentionally try to apply it and, you know, using your yours and your wife's training company as an example. You can show people the exercise, but that person has to do the exercise if they want to grow, if really want, gained the strength and improved, and that's what's different. It's interesting that so many people are willing to to put the work in to improve their physique, their strength in the outward things. But very few people I'm finding are willing to put the work in to change and develop themselves professionally. They just kind of wing it. Okay, if I get better, I get better and I listen to a podcast or do something. All that was really good, but then they just don't go. They don't try to change and move forward. And that's really what what active futures and the modules are all about is I look at four different areas that I feel like regardless of your social status of your professional status. One is knowing your strengths and weaknesses, being honest with your strengths and then being honest with your weaknesses and then using your strengths to the leverage to develop your weaknesses. The 2nd 1 is improved communication. The third is self development, and that involves not only developing yourself but finding mentors, coaches a tribe to help you out, and then the last one is just setting a proper course. And what I'm I'm hopeful for is it's a series of questions because it's not a formula, right? Whatever works for me not necessarily gonna work for you and to a lot of people that I've found. If you try to use a formula, it just puts people in a box that they don't want to be in because there gives them an excuse. Well, self development, What you gonna do if you just look at four things, you could do anything you want to for self development, but you just need to self developed. I mean, that's just not anything that's gonna work if you just don't put in the work yourself.

spk_0:   53:16
Yeah, that's I mean, that's what seven. And that's really Ah, you hit the nail on the head with regards to the you know, the work that people do physically but mentally and emotionally intends to kind of fall by the wayside. I mean, I know that was a big part of being a lot of things that I always put on the backburner because I could just black power through underpopulated or just by sheer will or stepping yourself figured out, I'll get the work done. Um, but again, you kind of you go back to that thing where what you're really doing is you're just set yourself up for failure to where those things were, cause I mean, it's almost like you have a cracked foundation in the house. And instead of like fixing that foundation to make sure it's like rock solid, just like just covered up some spackle that hold it together with stops in duct tape. And the reality is like like all you're doing is prolonging the inevitable. And, ah, um, and what's what's great is for, at least for myself, when I when I went into the corporate world and I had to leave the, um you know, look, running my own business and being something where I could control everything and I had where I found it, controlled everything. But, you know, I was in an environment where I didn't, um there was a lot of things are presented to me that I noticed we're number one. I was really forced to work on some my flaws. The things that I put off on the back burner, like what kind of details and paperwork. But there are still two. Was it? It emphasized the importance of actually being intentional with things about actually actively pursuing things. You know, whether it was, you know, And that's where I really kind of saw the mental, you know, the mental health aspect and that awareness of, like, you know, working on yourself cause you saw someone of people that were defeated in this corporate environment that had the straw because they, they thought, like, that's where they should be because it pays 60 or $70,000 a year. And he gave a benefit. So they should be grateful for that. Kind of what we talked about earlier, like that was the norm then, right? And then they didn't. It's like, Well, if they get no, they get no Pat, you know? Ah, um, thinking, enjoy out of what they do, They portal and hate their job. You know, they hate waking up in the morning. They're not happy with their lives. And, of course, when you're mentally, you know, if you feel like crap mentally and emotionally, that starts to manifest so physically. Obviously you're not motivated to work out and eat right, So you emotionally eat and you get to know these individuals and you find out that they have all these other things that they're passionate about. But they don't know how to get out of their own way and and move forward with pursuing that project and just and it's like, Well, I can't do that. Well, I can tell you that when you really start drilling down and asking questions, there's no real answer. Besides either a fear of change or not knowing how to start on and it's, it's it's interesting and it's fun to actually see, like a spark happen with somebody that you talk to you and you see them start to pursue something. But at the same time, it's kind of sad to where you realize that there so many people that are missing that ability to kind of self governing and and work on their own mental like well, being of their mental health.

spk_1:   56:15
Yeah, and that's what I'm learning. Yeah, it's one of those things that e. I heard this where a lot of people say, Well, this is what I've learned. And if you say learned, that means you've figured it out, man. And I love the shift of what I'm learning is. And so every day is a learning opportunity for right? No, one day is the same as the next. And it's utilizing the things that you talked about that just continue to help. And that was one of my questions for you is like, you know, why did you want to start this podcast? Because you probably knew it wasn't gonna be easy.

spk_0:   56:50
Um, yeah, that's I mean, it's a good question. The reason why I want to start it was I wanted to do a podcast for quite some time. So you know, a couple things One was when I figured out the concept of, um, you know, getting better at something and, you know, pursuing like a hardship or difficulty through. Obviously, one of them was working out because I was also like a chubby kid after I stopped playing football and I my own insecurities were having a little bit of a speech impediment Not being a what I consider it like a really good public speaker, I wasn't well read. Um, I was going to, I could outwork anybody. Uh, you know, I was one of those, like, high school in college athletes. You know where, um, I was good. Because I outworked you. Not because I had just had a natural ability, right? And so the podcast came from when we were we had the gym. I wanted to get a podcast going. I was using social media to grow the gym, and But I was struggling with starting it because I didn't want to certain of the podcast about fitness and not see anything wrong with the I just felt like, um I for myself, all these that would kind of get bored talking about training to certain period of time and then also for myself, I knew that I loved the podcast I'm interested in. I listened to the most our conversation format podcasts not just listen to one person speak, but kind of like what we're doing right, whether it's a job Joe Rogan or Tim Ferriss for a jackal Podcaster, You know anyone of those types? They're they're really interesting to me. And it's also like, you know, people interest me and story is interesting. So and then when we went through there the two or three times where we just had these big traumatic life events because off decisions I made in, you know, in self destructive behavior that had in my own life, I realized, OK, I think I found what I want to do, which was I wanna have this podcast. I want to talk to people when I want to get to know their stories and their backgrounds also, you know, and and also being ah, um kid of both My parents immigrated from the Middle East and, ah, you know, I was born and raised here, but my mike, my mom, my dad have a lot of extended family that are still back in the released and and just understanding about how grateful I am. Like I won the lottery by being born here, you know, so, so grateful of all the opportunities and no matter what's happened, no matter how many times are crash and burn in my life, there was never a time where I thought like this is like I'm screwed my life. So it is nothing like, you know, you can do whatever the hell you want this country. You just have to be willing to be able to put the effort and ability to do it. So the podcast for me was this ability to kind of to self better myself to be able to let you listen to you order a man, Ryan. Nicholas. Podcast. Okay, so I was fortunate to have him born early on when I first got going and he gave me some great feedback. Remember when we were talking, which was just by me doing the podcast? I'm I'm putting myself out there publicly and publicly trying to get better at something. And I know for a fact if I go back and listen to Episode five t Episode 35 I know I'm way better than I was that, you know, I critique myself. I listened my episodes When I added them, I put him out there, So the podcasts I knew was just going to make me a better person. And then my wife told me it's made me a better listen, so that's been a great byproduct of it, too. And it s so it's been It's been a a wonderful experience. Um, that I have made, you know financially, I've made a little bit of money, just just threw some conversations I've had with people with some really ships have made. But the goal wasn't to make money on it from day one. It was to be able to just build something and and then eventually be able to transition in doing this or something of this nature full time. And, um, and being able to do it to where I look forward to doing, I got to talk to people I've never talked to before. I probably would have had the chance to talk to you before if I didn't have this podcast. Ah, that was really intriguing and tighten to me. And but the biggest part of it was just getting to do this, have this conversation. My conversation with you is going to make me a better person. I know that I'm gonna gain from al medically knowledge. I'm gonna gain inside from somebody and never met before, So yeah, and hopefully help somebody else to you.

spk_1:   1:0:58
Yeah. Oh, yeah, for sure. That's so cool. And you answered a little bit in the 2nd 1 That I was curious about is what are some of the things that you've learned from your guests that has made the biggest impact on you.

spk_0:   1:1:10
You know, I think there's probably a few different things One of them is they're like a lot of. So if you look at a few of the obviously, because of my background in my wife's background, you know we have a big network of strength coaches and trainers, right? And but what's unique about it is but their eclectic backgrounds. And I've talked to probably about 10 or 12 different strength coaches, and each one came from like a different, unique background and kind of have the transition of what they were doing. And, ah, and what they're doing now is basically running their own business. They're entrepreneurs. They're successful and learning about their backgrounds and kind of what they've taken from that in transition to what they're doing now has been really interesting to learn. You know, I've talked to strength coaches that were architects that we're you know, we're in the military, that ah were, you know, when was they work? Unable sub, You know, people that were engineers, you know? And then, you know, somebody left a six figure jobs engineer Bohannon ahead of my podcasts, and he started his own gym. It's like you talk to talk about pursuing something that's your leaving something that's safe, right? And what I mean by see if his farms like you're never gonna want for a job, like as engineer, right, You're always gonna get paid. Well, he was gonna have these projects, and then he went, started a chip. And that's like one of the riskiest things you could dio. But that was something that really passion about. But he's successful in his training because he utilizes his knowledge from from engineering, like the formula aspect of a just like the understanding of concepts. And so that's been really fun. Teoh, listen and learn about. And I think the other thing that I've learned about is how many? Yeah, how many people are actually open to wanted to have a conversation? Because I thought I would have it would be more pulling teeth, talking to people, getting people to come on. I don't think I've had I think I've had maybe two people saying no, but to come on the podcast, especially now that I've got a few 100 my bell and there's enough videos out there that I put on there where people kind of see what the show is about. And it's not. It's not Ah ha I got you show. It's not a formulaic show. I mean, literally, it's having. This is what I enjoy. Like if you were to get to know me like I'm a real life might, you know, especially for the kids. Go to bed. My joy is sit around, have a beer, hang out with everybody, have a conversation and just let the conversation flow, like that's what I love doing. So hopefully that's kind of like what I, you know, provide with this podcast. So

spk_1:   1:3:31
yeah, definitely. And that's one of the things that I like about it is that it's It's not. It's not structured. I mean, there's structure, but it's so it's it's really cool. So I appreciate you sharing that with because it's very interesting. The people that that dive into this and it was there's ah great book called War of Art by seeing when he talks about how many people don't do things because of resistance, that they put in their head right, not wanting, they don't think that what they have is good enough for somebody else, you know? And he used his example. There were somebody who I can't remember who it was, but painted all these paintings. But they hated up and nobody has painted. So they kept him in a closet. And then when they died, when they went in to clean out their their house, they found all these amazing paintings that now are super world famous and extremely expensive, right? But that person limited themselves, and they put a resistance on themselves because they didn't think Well, nobody wants to see these. There's tons of artists out there that pay pictures, and that's where it's neat that you push through that like you saw it. But you pushed through that from a podcast perspective. You're like, Who wants to listen to my podcast? There's a thana podcast out there. What is it like a 1,000,000?

spk_0:   1:4:46
Yeah, I was like, I think they just crossed like an actual a 1,000,000 registered podcast eso across all platforms.

spk_1:   1:4:53
It's a ton, but what's really cool about what you said is the genuineness, and it comes across so it's not fake by any means that if you can just interact with one person to make yourself better. And if one person that hears that conversations better, then high five yourself in the mirror and you've done a good job. So that's

spk_0:   1:5:12
yeah, yeah, man, Thank you. It's a lot of fun. And also, like I said, you like some of the things I never even counted on it, you know, improving in my life. It has like being a better listener, like being mawr intentional with my words. When I go back and listen to my first few episodes and Adam, if I said this before, I'm saying, Why did I say, you know, 18 times and

spk_1:   1:5:34
that I like

spk_0:   1:5:34
that one minute window You don't even notice you're saying it or what was that weird hiccup or what was at random? And it just makes you a better speaker, which is I mean, obviously, there's nothing wrong with being a better speaker, right? And ah, better communicator and some of the good feedback. Um, I I always talk to my guests afterwards, and I asked him to give me feedback. You know, as far as I could only Hey, how'd you like to show Do you have any feedback from me? I'm still trying to learn, especially if I'm talking to somebody who has a podcast or something where they, um, are you know, they have something where they do with their own public forum over time, right? And I tell him to give me feedback. And Ryan actually give me really good feedback. He said, You know what, man? He said, I loved it. It was fun. Um, you know, it was really relaxing. Great, he said. My feedback for you would be just like where I was a few years ago. He said, If you can kind of give yourself, don't script everything, he said, just give yourself a few notes so you can provide yourself a little bit more direction. That way, you're not rambling too much in your questions and trying to say everything and ask a question. At the same time, it will provide more opportunity to deep diving the conversation because even though you wanted to be flowing and you want to have an open conversation with somebody, he said, it store your show. You still want to be able to direct a little bit what you're trying to get out of the conversation itself in general, and you can go into Louise. Sometimes it's fun, but sometimes it's just you're going off in the weeds and, like nothing's really coming out of it. You just rambling. So there's no nothing good about just giving words just to speak right? So he told me, Be a little bit more intentional with your questions in your direction of what you're doing. And after that, that made my notice my next podcast word in you know, like foreign way better because of that. So I learned a lot from that

spk_1:   1:7:14
well, and that's even something as you were talking about it. I'm I'm thinking okay, I can apply that to just everyday conversations, right? I mean, that's That's the beauty of that. Feedback is not always. It helps you as a podcast, toes, but you sharing that with me. That makes me think differently, but not necessarily differently, but just reminds me of how important that is of going not going into a conversation with something specific. I'm in sales, but having your outline, but none feeling like I've got to say everything that I want to say and so therefore, I'm not gonna listen to what they're talking about, But if I can minimize my goals and plan what I want to do before I go into a situation, I'm gonna be more effective. So that's awesome.

spk_0:   1:7:58
Yeah, yeah, it's It's like I said it. But who doesn't want to be better at communicating? Whether it's with your partner, whether it's friends or whether it's in a business environment, Right? So I mean, just having this if I never published this show and I just record of these interviews and went back and listen to it, that alone would just still make me better, right? But so that part of his angry and then some of the I guess some of the unintended consequences, like, you know, and that's that were consequences. People think it's a bad thing. It's not. It's this just like you know what's come out of. It has been, um, some feedback. I've gone relation number one relationship relationships have built with other people, which has been fantastic. Ah, and number two, it's that I have gone instant feedback through my social media page about inspiring people to do things like whether it will start a podcast or do something their passion about they never did. Um, I, you know, like I was I mentioned earlier, back after everything kind of shut down And, you know, obviously being having been in the fitness industry for 15 years, my wife and I were fortunate enough that, you know, a couple years back after we left our Jim, we built our home gym. Right? So we've got a fantastically outfitted garage ship, right? Um and, you know, we could take this and go open up a commercial look space if we wanted to. And so but so many people. When everything shut down, everything started selling out, right? So so many think manufacturers and distributors were out of equipment, right? So I noticed, Ah, somebody was one of the gym owners that we know down to California, Southern California. He started, You know, just building these kind of fast do it yourself squat racks, BC, just like a Home Depot bucket, you know, a bag of submit, and then a four by four, and then using some pipe fittings to make, like the rack aspect of it. He's like, Look, this isn't like a $400 racket. But you can build this for 50 bucks and it gives you somewhere to put the bar, you know, to be able to do squats and bench off. And then So I was at that. I did a little bit more research, and then I I ended up building my own squat rack for under $100. That was like, I mean, you could pull ups on like a legit squat rack out of wood and pipes. And I posted that, and I posted it in, like that. Order a man Facebook group that I'm part of and that posted online and posted like No, and I sold it. So number one, I learned a new skill. Number two. I sold it. My wife was out. Loved their because her dad was in construction for 40 years. So she encouraged me to go buy more tools. Right? Which is that's an awesome wife right there. And now I'm building. I'm making dumbbells out of concrete and plastic. Yeah. So, like, I just finished my first set of stoked. And, um, I'm gonna build another rack. So and I've got feedback from people and pictures. They have to be damage like, Dude, you inspired me And like pictures of their racks that they built, like, you know, people like on the East Coast in down in Texas instead. So, like, that's awesome, man, that's like there's nothing like there's nothing bad about

spk_1:   1:10:44
that, right? So, no, that's the power of social media, right about there is there's a dark side to it, of course. 100%. Yeah. If you filter out and you filter the good stuff, stuff's gonna come your way, works for a reason and commenting, liking on things that are positive, that's all. You're gonna end up, see you nice things. But then you just get rid of it. You know, you move on. So that's awesome, man. Yeah, it was fun watching you build the squat rack and then you see, in your new adventure of building, you know, plates and dumbbells and stuff. That's crazy. That's yeah.

spk_0:   1:11:23
You know what's funny about that is like nobody considered antithetical. I can't afford that. I'm sitting there going like you could buy an 80 Paige bound £80 bag of cement for $5 with, you know, a £60 bag of rabble for $5 those Home Depot buckets are like $3. You know what I mean? And then you can get, like, a 20 foot 20 feet of 3/4 inch like electric conduit pipe for 10 bucks. Right? So and out of that, So you're talking about, like, a total, like maybe $20 you can try and fail like news. And then you can buy your mouldings, which is basically just like plastic Tupperware's and containers from the dollar store. Right? So you can It's not an expensive thing. And if you screw up, big deal, throw it away and then try it again and again. It I got so much feedback from, like, old clients of mine, that reconstruction architecture. Hey, if you do this or you have the stricken wire to the place and it's like so it's been fun kind of learning how to do it, figuring it out. So, um, yeah, I mean, it's been a blast. Um, tell me kind of what your vision is with active futures. Kind of like Where did you see you going over the next couple years?

spk_1:   1:12:26
Yes, over the next couple years. I would love it to be the sole source of what I do. Because I just love helping people. So much so it developing into, you know, uh, you know, online platform, of course. But I love one on one coaching training. You do it very similar to what you and your wife do from the physical side, but from a professional development, but not not therapy bitingly needs, but just helping people push themselves and unleashing the potential that that they're holding themselves from because we all do it right. We all have to say central, we have all the same possibilities. We just hold ourselves back. So if I'm able to add value to people to eventually make that a full time thing, that would be great. If not, I still have a great avenue that that creates an opportunity for me to share things with people. You know, I try to post tons of positive stuff on my instagram and bring things out. One exciting thing, that again ah, knowing what I know is I hired a coach and I hired a coach originally just trying to figure out how I could create a larger digital footprint. So working for themselves on their own in this gentleman's Adam Davis, and we first started talking about that. That information, but he's also an author. So after the 1st 2 coaching sessions around digital marketing, it flipped toe where he had me write a book, and so we started. So I wrote a book, and our goal was June. I finished it. It's in the editing stage right now, Cement. It's one of those things that I again that resistance kind of like with your podcast thing. I write a book, nobody. And then next thing I know is he broke it down in such a way that it was easy for me to understand. And so, you know, I could write for 30 minutes a day at night, and next thing I know is I would sit down for 30 minutes, and the next thing I know I've written, you know, 15 under the words and I've got ah, you know, a 27,000 word book that that's in being edited. And

spk_0:   1:14:29
what's it about? It's about.

spk_1:   1:14:31
It's about my four modules, so fantastic names gonna be, but it's modules, but it's based around a lot of the life stories that I've had and why each thing is important. And for me, I just tried toe. I'm not. I try not to overcomplicate things in light, and I feel like that's been one of my gifts is somebody told me other days I'm good at distilling things down in a way that people can understand it. I I'm not poetic. I'm not one of these guys that just I just shoot people somewhat straight. But I drive a simple to understand, and so I'm super excited about it. And the biggest thing that excites me about it is my son often sits in that chair over there when he's on his iPad on. And I told him I was like, I finished. He's like, all dad, That's awesome. And I said, He goes, You know what? That even if nobody ever buys it, you can you can know that you finished it and feel good about it. I was like, Yeah, okay, that's it. You know,

spk_0:   1:15:29
that's a pretty cool cover from your son.

spk_1:   1:15:31
Oh, he's 11. You know, you have like this all the time. Yeah, and it's just it's unbelievable to to be able to say that I finished it it's, you know, I don't know what's gonna happen to it after that, but it's just really need to go through the process and feel good about getting it done.

spk_0:   1:15:48
Look, man sees you. Ah, you start getting copies out there are these preorder, man. Put me down for one. I'd love to check it out and help promote It

spk_1:   1:15:54
s so I will man appreciate it.

spk_0:   1:15:56
Well, Jeff, man, thanks for for coming on and join me, man. And sharing your story minutes. It's super interesting. Like I stayed. I, uh, just reading a couple of little things about you and then your phone You on on instagram and kind of get you know, you there a little bit. I was like, OK, quite let that happen. Sky on talked him before, so

spk_1:   1:16:12
yeah. Yeah, I found you through Scott Flans Bombs?

spk_0:   1:16:15
Yeah, Scott Frickin awesome. I love it. Such a good

spk_1:   1:16:18
guy. I stumbled upon him and that's what's the beauty of Instagram. And I know that we got to wrap it up, but that's what we really was. I first heard about you. What? He was on your podcast and so many out there. So I was like, Well, I love Scott's message and what he has to say, So that led me to you. So I started listening to some of yours, and I was excited when you followed me back. And is it just that the neat how things develop and, you know, friendships Foster, even if they're virtually, you know,

spk_0:   1:16:45
exactly. Yeah, button to know. So many people have talked. Like I said, I would consider Scott a friend. And you know what? We've even we're trying to set up where because he's in Arizona were in Washington, and, um and we're just like, okay, as soon as this whole block down, kind of even though technically there's not like a travel ban, but just kind of how everyone's gonna weirded out by stuff, it assumes things kind of lining up a little bit, you know, kind of sinking up and doing Ah, um, get together and get the family together. What? Not so it's like the relationships I'm building through this podcast has been has been amazing. It's one. It's really, um, expanded my own my own world, you know, instead of everything kind of being right here because I was so focused on just my family and then because I used to be friends with everybody, right? I mean, that's a whole other story. Could do a whole pockets on that right? And that was that lack of, like, self identity. So I was just I would always adjust to the groups of people hung out with right kind of like a chameleon. I learned that in high school, and that just set me up for failure down the road. But But then I want the, you know, the 1 80 like we know like we always do right, which is like One thing we find out was bad, so we, instead of kind of taking a few lessons out of it, I did a heart shift and then, like I cut everybody out of my life and that just focused on work, family and friends and like my wife and my kids, and that was it. And then that's not fair to myself for them, because then I'm you know, even though like your family is your bedrock, it's still you're putting everything on them, so there's no you know, there's no coaching. It's good to have a surrounding of like minded individuals who push you, who you can talk to, who you can bend to a little bit. That's not always your wife or not. You're like her nine year old eso your 11 year old, so Yeah, so for sure, man. Cool. Well, listen, Thanks for coming on. And, uh, yeah, I can't wait to get your book, man and check it out. I'm looking forward to that. Congrats on that. And interactive futures project. Thanks. I appreciate Alex. Jeff. We'll take care manager with your weekend. All right. Well, thank you.