Charlie Mike The Podcast
Charlie Mike The Podcast
New Beginnings: Financial Empowerment, Fatherhood, and Community Connection
Welcoming a new life and relocating has brought profound changes, deepening our appreciation for family and the moments we cherish together. This episode is packed with personal stories and insights into these significant life transitions, including the joy of sharing these experiences on social media and the emotional journey of fatherhood. We are excited to introduce our guest, Lou Rosado Jr., a financial planner who brings a refreshing approach to financial literacy, making it accessible to everyone through his straightforward, fee-based services. Lou shares his inspiring story of self-education driven by the challenges of finding financial advisors willing to work with someone earning a good income, and his passion for empowering others to take control of their financial future.
Football fans, we haven't forgotten you! This episode also captures the energy and excitement of sharing lively interactions with fellow fans from teams like the Bills, Texans, and Miami. The episode transitions into the complex world of parenting, celebrating the achievements of our daughters in college and nursing internships, and the journey of our son as he embraces the challenges of entrepreneurship. We reflect on past struggles with addiction, the resilience it requires, and the joy of witnessing our children's growth and success. Amidst all, we highlight the importance of community and the role of supportive environments, drawing from experiences at veteran-owned business expos and the impactful work of organizations like the PTSD Foundation.
In another heartfelt segment, we express our gratitude for educators who have played transformative roles in our lives, sharing stories like that of my high school English teacher, Ms. Corey. Her genuine support during challenging times left an indelible mark, inspiring a commitment to positively impacting the lives of others. The episode takes a thoughtful look at navigating life's challenges, from overcoming gambling and addiction to the positive changes sobriety brings. We dive into the importance of rebuilding connections, especially in the face of social media setbacks, and the invaluable support networks among veterans. Join us for an episode filled with personal growth, community impact, and meaningful connections.
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Veteran Owned & Operated
This is Charlie Mike the podcast Veterans helping veterans. Talking about things happening in the veteran community, Things we've experienced and overcome, such as addictions, PTSD, depression, legal trouble, and we also promote veteran-owned businesses. If you're talking about it, we're talking about it. This is Charlie Mike the podcast.
Speaker 2:So yo, what's going on everybody? Welcome back to another episode of Charlie Mike the podcast. As always, I'm your host, ro, and man, things have been kind of hectic, as you know that I've been on a little hiatus. There's been a lot going on in the back, brought in a new baby and a new location.
Speaker 3:That's not me by the way, I'm not the baby. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So if you follow me on social media you know I share a lot of stuff and it's a blessing.
Speaker 3:You know the family's growing man, the family's growing it's a beautiful thing bro, it is when I saw that, that little thing man like, look at that. Let's hashtag god's work right there bro, I was.
Speaker 2:I was an emotional wreck, like. For like a week I felt like man. I was man. I was crying for any little reason I really was like after is that all one week? Oh man, no bro, I'm still doing it. I'm like I was trying to man up a little bit, but I can't.
Speaker 3:Let it out, bro. Let it out, that is manning up. Let it out.
Speaker 2:Man. It's a surreal feeling because I have older kids. My daughter, faith, is 19. She's about to be 20. My daughter, layla's, 12, about to be 13. And um, you know when, when my youngest, my oldest excuse me, faith man, was in the military man, yeah, I was doing the army thing, I was doing the the party thing.
Speaker 3:I wasn't worried about trying to be a father and cherish these moments because, you know, didn't realize that it goes by so fast yes so now I'm sitting back and I'm I'm more cognizant, you're more aware, you're taking the moments gratitude right taking the moments and I'm sitting back and it just it's just.
Speaker 2:I get emotional all the time, you know, and I just like, uh, it's, it's just, it's crazy. And, um, I'm blessed, dude, I'm 42 years old, I got a newborn baby, a beautiful, beautiful girlfriend who's soon to be fiance Shh, don't tell her. And yeah, man, it's just, you know, business is booming. Man, I'm in a new location. Well, man, this is about man. Let me talk about it. First of all, introduce yourself, man.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, man Lou Rosado Jr. Man a lot of things I do. Financial planners where are the bread and butter at? So I do what's called fee-based financial planning. Super simple. I don't do complex. Life, as you know, brother, brother is complicated enough as it is. How about we simplify?
Speaker 3:yeah simple, right. So I take that approach to financial planning. I do it for a flat fee. Yeah, I don't care about how much money you have, right, I care about where you want to go and what you want to do with the money that you do have. Right, and I meet you where you are meaning. If you don't know the difference between a stock and a bond brother, that's where we're going to start. Yeah, that's good, and my thought process, my ideology, my system, is to educate you. That way you can now make informed decisions about what's best for you and your family. With my guidance, right, I rock with you. My guidance, right, I rock with you. Yeah, right. So that approach. It's very unique in my industry because full disclosure, man, there's not a lot of income there.
Speaker 2:In being the.
Speaker 3:In doing it in that capacity. Okay, okay, I got you Right. It's ground level, it's grassroots, it's the nooks and crannies, right, us normal people, so to speak. Yeah, yeah yeah, right, that don't make tons of money, so we don't need financial literacy, right.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you one thing, One thing I love about you and I see we talked about your social media thing going on right now. Well, we could touch on that a little bit, but I one thing I love about you, man, is the way I learn is is it sounds dumb, but I go and I get a book on how to do this for dummies and because it breaks it down barney style right yeah man, I forgot barney style.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir so uh, that's the way I I learned and I see that you, you make it simple man yes and and bravo, that's. That's, that's props to you, man thank you, brother.
Speaker 3:You know it. Honestly, it stems from me needing it, not be able, not being able to find it yeah, okay you know, I was 41, 40, 41 and man, I'm making good money, but I don't understand. I don't even know my 401k, how it works right and I could not get a financial advisor to work with me. Yeah, and it's because I didn't, I wasn't bringing.
Speaker 1:Even though I was making great money, I wasn't bringing even though I was making great money, I wasn't bringing significant amount to the table and I didn't understand that.
Speaker 3:they work for commission. The average is about 1%, give or take a bit here or there. And I got frustrated. I said, all right, well, that means I need to level up then. So at 42, I went to college. 41, I went to college by 43, I was done my associates and my bachelor's and decided I was going to be a financial planner and, yeah, of course, take care of doctors and lawyers and all that. Why? Because if nobody's going to do it, then I need all of you all to move out of my way so that I can do it. Okay, that was what got me through.
Speaker 3:That's how I was able to power through getting two degrees in two years. Yeah, I was able to power through getting two degrees in two years. Yeah Dang, I'm going to do for others what nobody's going to do for me. Mm-hmm and not you know. Let me be clear. There are people that would you know. Give me a tip or two here or there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no, no, no, no yeah.
Speaker 3:No, no, that's not what I'm looking for Right. So now that's the space that I operate in. It's super. I take the complex. We make it really really simple. Understand, cool, great Congratulations. You're now a professional right. You're a specialist. You understand how life insurance operates right Now. How much of which type do you feel works best for you? And we have that conversation about you and your family. Okay okay, and we just apply that accordingly, every step, my whole process is upwards of on average.
Speaker 3:It's about a dozen or so meetings before you have a full, comprehensive financial plan. We're going to talk about your tax situation. I'm going to look over your homeowners and car insurance to make sure you're adequately covered there. I don going to look over your homeowners and car insurance to make sure you're adequately covered there. I don't sell it I have people for that but it's a dollar sign. It's part of your expenses, one of your expenses right.
Speaker 3:So, we need to make sure that you're taken care of. We're going to look at your estate planning. You can put up the best fight in the world, brother, but Father Tom is undefeated.
Speaker 2:You're going one day.
Speaker 3:Hopefully it's decades from now, but even if it is that, then what? What are we leaving behind?
Speaker 2:Now I've run into a lot of old heads that they talk about, like financial planning and things like that. But I know a lot of them say, hey, when I die I want the last check I write to bounce. How do you feel when you hear somebody say that?
Speaker 3:So if I had a client that was of that mindset? Listen, it's not about my opinions. It's about how do we execute that Right? Okay, how do we execute that? And getting you to understand the trade-offs I actually know someone who lives in that space.
Speaker 1:Not a client, just a friend.
Speaker 2:Right, right right.
Speaker 3:That's why it's not a client. But, you know, listen it's not me. It's not him. If you're going to operate that way, you need to be prepared for if you go tomorrow, right, or if you go 35 years from now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, Right.
Speaker 3:And what if there's an accident Just because?
Speaker 1:listen, it's not live, or die.
Speaker 3:Right, right. There's a thing called disabled. It happens very good. Friend of mine, one of my best friends, sister, car accident, wheelchair, perfectly fine up here and a willing able from the waist up. That's a game changer. Yeah, man, right. So what about those situations? If you truly don't care about any of it, you just want to spend, then you really don't need me.
Speaker 2:Right, right, right, you know. Okay, I see God bless you. Have at it. Yeah, yeah, have fun, be careful. Yeah, yeah, hope it works out for you, Skipper yeah, man, that's crazy. So hey, uh how this is your first christmas here, or your second?
Speaker 3:it is my second christmas here.
Speaker 2:Second christmas and you originally from new from new jersey.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm a good dude. Please don't hold it against me, man. All right, man now?
Speaker 2:are you getting comfortable enough on christmas day to be wearing flip-flops, t-shirts and a shirt?
Speaker 3:Yes, don't threaten me with a good time you don't miss this now.
Speaker 2:What?
Speaker 3:If I never see another flake a day in my life, it will be too soon. I see it on TV and I change the channel. A day like that, listen, you know I lived in my house for 17 years in New Jersey. Yeah, did a ton of, I mean stripped it down to the studs, brother. Ceiling jersey. Yeah, did a ton of, I mean stripped it down to the studs, brother, um ceiling, everything, new floors, and that was over a stretch, you know, and a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of sweat equity, a lot of a lot of heart you know um taking that house and making it our home and people said, man, all that, what did it feel like when you left?
Speaker 3:I, bro, I didn't even look in the rearview mirror. That's it Gone.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Gone. Don't miss it in the least.
Speaker 2:Did you change your sports teams? Yet I noticed you've been catching a couple of sporting events.
Speaker 3:Quite a few brother. We've been to Roughneck Games. We've been to Astros games.
Speaker 2:They do it different out here boy.
Speaker 3:Understatement, Understatement. But you know what I'll say. This too, it's with such a high level of respect too. Okay, Because on the East Coast, oh bro, they look for fights.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, Well, you go to a Dallas game, they do that.
Speaker 3:I get that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, so we're kind of different down here in the South. Yeah, yeah, we like to chill.
Speaker 3:I went to the Texans game, so I'm a Bills fan.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, oh, y'all got a crazy freaking fan base, bro what?
Speaker 3:I love it, man, I don't understand, and I've seen it grow.
Speaker 2:The table thing is crazy. I don't understand it. It's insane, bro. It's crazy, I don't understand it.
Speaker 3:It's insane, bro I don't know, there's a lot of hey, listen, I mean, the cheeseheads weren't normal and now they are right. So there's the mafia brother.
Speaker 2:You right, you right, you right.
Speaker 3:But Miami came to town, so it was kind of like a win-win for me. I get to support the Texans while rooting you know what I mean against Miami, whatnot? And it was so much fun to just watch the dynamic because all the fans were trash talking.
Speaker 2:Yep, there was a lot of Miami fans there, bro. Yeah, it was loud in there when things were going the other way.
Speaker 3:I was a little surprised. I was like H-Town gotta step up, come on now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:But-.
Speaker 2:There was a lot of Houston-born players on the Miami team.
Speaker 3:Houston-born players on every team?
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I guess they were like pretty good friends and family.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean Like so yeah, the whole half of one side of the stadium was that teal?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's crazy man. Yeah, it's crazy. It was like that when I went last year when Pittsburgh came to town.
Speaker 3:Pittsburgh fans travel. I thought I was at.
Speaker 2:Pittsburgh for a minute. Man, all them yellow towels and everything. I was like whoa they travel.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:I'll go to pretty much any football game. I won't go to Dallas because I won't go to any Dallas thing. I mean, not to talk about all the fans, but a lot of them. Bro, just don't know how to act. Yeah, you know, and it's just. I mean you put Dallas and Houston together and it just doesn't.
Speaker 3:Imagine those fans in Philly.
Speaker 2:I couldn't imagine.
Speaker 3:Nah, philly's bro. We play Philly once every four years. They're gangster too, huh.
Speaker 2:Worse than Raiders. Oh man, women will pick a fight with you.
Speaker 3:Oh shit, that's Dallas, oh bro it's yeah like I don't take my wife. I've been to several football games. I don't take my wife with me. I've never taken my kids with me.
Speaker 2:So when, when the football football came back to Houston, man, the tailgate rules were come, everybody, party, yeah, everybody, get down with the get down. Um, no tickets needed, nothing like that, man, just come and tailgate. And then, uh, we played dallas for the first time and shit got game changer. Yeah, all fights people got arrested. It was crazy, it was, it was just insane. After that they changed the rules, like yo you know it's been a while at last.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, y'all gotta, y'all gotta have. That's where the rules come right. When things get out of control, walls get broken.
Speaker 2:Okay, so let's make these rules now, you know it's the same thing in the military man when you walk into a restroom and it says don't piss on the ceiling.
Speaker 3:you know somebody pissed on the ceiling. Like oh man with the family how are they doing?
Speaker 2:oh, man, you know, your daughter was in college.
Speaker 3:My daughter is yes, she's still. She's wrapping up. As a matter of fact, she just banged out her um midterms, yeah, so she is now unwinding and decompressing there, that's a lot, man yeah yeah, you know, and, um, baby girl is doing her thing and it is so.
Speaker 3:It's such a bittersweet thing, right. It's like you fold the perfect paper airplane. You know everything is like incredible and amazing and then you just want to keep it because it's like so perfect bro. But you know they're made to be flown right and you're just watching this thing sail and it is beautiful. It just glides and it just gets further and further and further and you're like proud of it but you miss it as I know how you feel, man, especially with that.
Speaker 2:My daughter did a nursing thing and uh, she, she went and she graduated and she's doing her internship. She's got another week of internship and uh, she called me the other day and said, dad, she said, uh, they had a, they had a sit down with me at the, at the, the place she works. And I said, oh yeah. I said what would they say? They said, well, they said they love the way I work. They want, they want to hire me now I said, man, that's amazing man. I said what'd you say?
Speaker 2:she said, yes, I was like good work, ethic brother man you know, uh, just so proud of her, man, she's, she's, she's knocking it out, man you.
Speaker 1:You know she's been through a lot bro.
Speaker 2:I put her through a lot Not to talk about her mom, but her mom did too. You know, we were young, dumb kids. Been there, done that Battling our own demons with addiction and things like that man. It's just to see her man shine, bro. I'm just like dang, you know I want to take credit, but at the same time I'm like no, I know that I helped, but I didn't help as much as I could. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:You know I look at my kids. You know, my son is 24. I just turned 24 last month and he is going down the entrepreneur path now. Yes, so being an entrepreneur, I was just as proud as I was petrified. Yeah, yeah yeah, like, oh, got to hustle baby. We thought it was tough before. You know he's doing the thing 10-hour days, you know, putting everything he's got into it, so helping him as much as I can, but he's stubborn, he's like Dad, I got it.
Speaker 1:You know, because I kind of know what it is, you know.
Speaker 3:But to your point, man, you know you're always I don't care, man, how good of a father you are you will always feel like there's one moment here, one moment there, where you could have done. You know what that's called, bro Hindsight yeah, 2020, man, you're right, you're right, you know I look at situations in the past, like you know, I probably could have handled that better with my daughter.
Speaker 3:Know, um, win more than you lose. Right, take more, put up more dubs, and you do l's, yeah, yeah, and you pray for the best right you know. And then I look at them grinding, putting in in the work, and you know it's like all right maybe I did all right.
Speaker 2:maybe it wasn't perfect, but it was perfect them. It was questionable there for a little bit, but yeah, yeah man.
Speaker 3:Especially, you know similar, my wife and I. We've been together almost 30 years now, so we were kids when we got together. Yeah, she was 18. I was 19. Oh, yeah, we're babies. Yeah, man, you know, still trying to learn, wipe my own ass.
Speaker 2:Much less this kid's now.
Speaker 3:And I got you know, oh, bro you know, and that's why I have all the respect in the world for single moms. You know, my mother was a single mother and I knew how hard it was for her. I knew how hard it was for my wife and I and we were both there and present and active, and it was still tough.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So when I see a single mom doing that damn thing.
Speaker 2:Oh man, it just it's amazing, man. I choke up, bro, Bro, I tell you. I tell you, man, you know, I Tony that's my girlfriend's name who, bro, she's shining man, she's shining. And I tell her. I said, claire, you're doing amazing. I said, you're absolutely everything. I said I don't even think it's possible, but I feel like I've fallen madly or deeply in love with you because of watching you stop that watching you do what you do right now.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm saying fall in love with that woman every single morning. Yeah, don't let it slip, bro. I'm telling you. Every morning you open your eyes, look at her and fall in love again. Man, that's dope, I'm telling you. Man, yeah, you know, since moving here, we've been together for 28 years now and I've watched her over this past year like if this has been her growth in life, it's a wall right now that she just, I mean, absolutely exploded um and still finding her new way yeah, you know.
Speaker 3:You know, and I'm just, I'm absolutely loving it, doing what I can to try to find the balance of helping and encouraging and supporting while staying out of her way.
Speaker 2:Right right, right right.
Speaker 3:Right, don't grow the way I want you, right. But you tell me what you need and sometimes you know what it is right. You don't know what you need, right. So that's my role in the relationship, you know, to figure out what she needs, to help her be her, yeah, and find her.
Speaker 2:That's dope, yeah, boy dropping, dropping jewels man I appreciate you, brother, yeah man. So uh man, I noticed you've been uh real active with the houston veteran chamber of commerce yes. What's your position there? How did you get involved with that?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So when I first came down here I didn't know anybody. I went to a networking conference and I got the opportunity to be on stage for a 10-minute hot seat session, q&a. And somewhere along the lines I'd mentioned something about the Marine Corps and I got a bark from the audience. I barked back Fucking Marines.
Speaker 2:You know how it is man.
Speaker 3:Everything stops man you made eye contact, lock in see my devil dog keep it moving. After the session was done, beeline right for him and just myself. We start talking and he mentions the chamber and I'm like what, I can go and network with other military when and where, and man it just I say it all. It felt like home.
Speaker 2:Right, right right.
Speaker 3:You know, it wasn't networking for the sake of networking. And first of all the second I didn't even introduce myself, but someone the man introducing me said Marine, and all of a sudden people started taking shots. Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh it's that kind of party.
Speaker 2:This is real.
Speaker 3:That's why I love it Exactly right, exactly so, fell in love from the rip. They won and stuck around and coincidentally, we were putting together an expo. It was just I think, maybe two months away at the GRB, about 200 veteran-owned businesses were going to be on display there at this expo and I said, hey, man, you guys need help. They said, yeah, yeah, we got tons of things that need to be done. What can you do? I can hammer the highest nail. You got man point in a direction, so we need someone to run.
Speaker 3:Uh registration yeah, I said all right, what's entailed in that? Well, anyone who comes up, you know you going to have to check them in, all right, cool. So who do I help out? I'm like, well, no, nobody's doing it, so now you do it.
Speaker 2:Oh okay, was that John?
Speaker 3:It was John.
Speaker 1:What gave it away right.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, man, and God is great, he gave me a couple of great volunteers, gave them all the shine, gave them all the light. That great volunteers gave them all the shine, gave them all the light. You know, I, I, yeah, man, I told them how things are going to operate and step back and let them do the thing. You know, and I, and and um, during like once they were in cruise control, I start floating around. You know how you doing. Hey, how did you hear about the chamber and how'd you hear about this expo and getting input from people and talking to people and meeting more people after the expo was done? Um, I see the trill, the, the trio there was. It was, uh, dave, john and jonathan yeah, you know, and they're talking, they're kind of looking at me and they're talking and they're looking at me and I said to my wife I'm like babe, something's about to happen. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3:And, uh, hold my purse, I guess I get that, yeah, yeah, I, I get that right here, he goes you know and um say listen, you know we're looking for someone to take a leadership role.
Speaker 1:You know you're interested and you know me man, yeah, yeah, yeah, how we do it, yeah I'm in.
Speaker 3:Well, let's talk about it. We can talk about it on the way. I'm in, um, the role is membership director. Okay, so my job, um in that, in that role, is to support membership on a ground level right um, you and I had a conversation, you know, some time ago. Um, you know what? What do you need from the chamber?
Speaker 3:right right right, right and full transparency, right, you know you, one of the things you said was the places you guys get together. Sometimes I I cannot go to with my history, with my addiction. It's not healthy for me. Right, right, right. Like man, we are failing this guy, we're failing people like him. We can't have have that right. So we've leveled up right and, as a matter of fact, we're going to be at shout out, bubba's 33. We're going to be at Bubba's 33 in Pasadena, january 23rd, I believe.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's going to be our first mixer down here. I'll be there, oh man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll be there.
Speaker 3:That's a direct impact from your feedback. You know locations matter um and for a myriad of reasons you know so we were only doing um smaller spots and and the only consistent spot was honor cafe in conroe oh, he's good people um.
Speaker 2:Yeah, chris, sad, I love that dude, he's, he's good people man, I'll be here all day. Yeah, yeah, Same same.
Speaker 3:All right, but Manitoba was far yeah.
Speaker 2:People in Canaan. But you're in that, you're kind of oh man.
Speaker 3:It's 20 minutes from Well, depending on traffic, anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, shit with traffic. We're looking at one day to maybe an hour and a half.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, that sounds about right right, I can get there in about an hour and a half to Friday, right you?
Speaker 1:know, yeah.
Speaker 3:So people in Katy were like hey man, what about us over here?
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:You know. So now we're rocking and rolling over there. Scholars and Scoundrels is a beautiful location and we're there once a month and um now on the south side, man now on the south side. So yeah, we're uh yeah, we're, we're listening, we're growing um it's, it's, uh, it's been beautiful man, it's man I gotta link y'all up with with the people here at spacious man.
Speaker 2:They got an event center across the way and it's nice man it's nice they, they do amazing things here. It's like I told you, family operated uh amazing people, man they're. They've been nothing but uh, man, if hey here, do it. Yeah, have fun let us know what you need and I'm like, okay, that's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2:Yes, I came in here and I told her. I said hey, I said I'll be sitting. Um, I'll be sitting down looking at the walls for a little bit, just you know. Don't mind me, I haven't lost my mind, just trying to figure it out she's all right.
Speaker 2:so I was like, okay, okay, so I put this up. And she was like oh, you, you do uh, you do uh some, what she it remodeling on the sides. I said, man, I've never done this before in my life. I said I Googled this and I asked my brother and then I painted that wall and I never did that. I painted that and then we're doing brick on that side. It's just insane, man. They've been so supportive about everything and I love it here. I love it here.
Speaker 3:Peace of mind is priceless man. Man, you're telling me it definitely is.
Speaker 2:For sure, and all the opportunities in the world are opening up now and it's just, it's crazy.
Speaker 3:That's been one of the greatest things here, right Like when I came here, it was when you and I met my wife was still back in Jersey. I was here I call it on a part-time basis. It was anywhere from three to six weeks and I'd go back home to Jersey for a week and then come back and all I really wanted to do was build my book of business, learn Houston and meet people.
Speaker 3:Right, right right right a year and some change later. I have, I've done I I. By that time, I lost count of how many podcasts I'd been on, how many radio interviews I'd had um co-wrote a book yeah, yeah, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't. Yeah, co-wrote a book, I'll get you a copy. I didn't even think to bring it Cool.
Speaker 2:Tell me where to buy it. I'll support bro.
Speaker 3:My man, yeah man, and that went number one on Amazon.
Speaker 2:Best sellers for entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1:What's up?
Speaker 3:That was insane man. Public speaking has become a thing. Took a bit of a hiatus from that because it just became too much of a thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:I see that I mean you either got it or you don't. You know I can't. The public speaking thing is something that's always people laugh. Man, you do podcasting, bro. You talk all day.
Speaker 3:I was like no, that's no, it's different it's a completely listen just because you funny can't mean, it doesn't mean you can be a comedian. Yeah right, it's. It's two different things, man. It really is.
Speaker 2:It really is I said well, I said, man, when I get in front of people I don't know what to do with my hands, I'm like, oh, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Like it's just deliveries, oh man some of body language reading the room. I mean, there's so many other things that have to in order for you to be a good public speaker. All of that really has to be second nature. You can't be thinking about all of that, right? If you're thinking, you're stinking. All that's got to be second nature.
Speaker 2:Were you always a good public speaker? Did you take classes and studied on that as well?
Speaker 3:No man.
Speaker 2:So it's something that was I never shied away from it, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah. You don't strike me as the shy away type anyway in that capacity. No, not really. One thing that gets me is overthinking sometimes okay, okay, yeah, yeah yeah, it's super analytical you know, thinking about and it becomes paralysis by analysis.
Speaker 3:Right, if you're thinking about everything, you're not moving. Yeah, right, so that was. That was always a thing for me. It's gotten much better now, but yeah, that was always a personal struggle for me. But the first time I was offered a mic, my thought process was this is cool, right, I know something and now I get to share that with everybody. All right, this is dope. Okay, cool, what do I got to do? Yeah, right, and it was hilarious, man, because it was a room of about 200 people and I set up and my back is to them. It's your first go, my first go. Oh, my back is to them and I'm looking at the PowerPoint and getting everything set up on the laptop. Bing, bang, boom, get the mic, tap, tap, we're good. Turned around and went. Oh, shit.
Speaker 2:Hey, what are y'all doing here?
Speaker 3:So I start talking and, as God would have it, someone that I knew in the audience immediately asked a question. I was talking tech at the time. Yeah, I said about two or three things and he asked a very good question. Answered that a quick back and forth, cool. He got it and now I'm in my stride, okay okay okay. So you know God hooked me up with that one, you know, easy with the training wheels.
Speaker 3:He left one on for me, yeah, you know, hooked me up with that one, you know, it's he easy with the training wheels? He left one on for me, yeah, you know. And um, yeah, man, and there's 30 minute conversation and I was like, oh man, this is pretty dope, you know. And that kind of became a um a thing in that space. And then, um over here with my approach to finance. It was like, oh, that's cool, can you come and talk to my church group? We meet Wednesday nights. Man, it's like a dozen guys. Sure, yeah, you know. And then that kind of spun into more and more and more than podcasts and radio interviews. And one of the dopest ones was I got a call from somebody in Philadelphia. He is a transformational speaker.
Speaker 3:It's not about motivating and firing you up and rah-rah.
Speaker 2:He wants to change you, help you grow. That's a different wording. Yes, transformation.
Speaker 3:Yes, man. Yeah, his guy's name is Nate Evans Jr. He's absolutely incredible. Travels the entire country speaking. He does a lot of speaking in school districts.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's good.
Speaker 3:Speaking to kids man, but he does corporate level speaking and whatnot, and he he said hey, man, I'm I'm having a two-day uh, I'm having a uh a summit and we're talking about this, this and that, and I have a financial panel um of three people. I can make it four if you want to be a part of it. I think I saw the promo for that yeah man, and it was just beautiful man, it really was.
Speaker 2:It's amazing.
Speaker 3:To speak to an audience that was looking to grow. They wanted to leave there better than when they walked in as human beings. It was different. It was different, and to be a part of that, to be able to contribute to that you know it was called the Get to Worthy Summit. It was amazing. It was such a blessing, such a godsend, man, and, interestingly enough, I had a decision to make. After that man, there was a gentleman there and runs a high-level speaking deal, a course, a school program that he's got, and he said we need to talk. And I prayed on it, man, and I'm not finished what I'm doing in finance yet. Okay, I have so much work that's got to be done here yet.
Speaker 3:I can use speaking as a tool in my box, but I've got too much work to do here yet, you think is it an option down the road? For sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure. That's what's up, man. Yes, you're good at it, you're well-spoken, you're very knowledgeable and it seems like pretty much everything you talk about. Yeah, appreciate you, man.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the biggest thing for me is understanding that which I'm blessed with.
Speaker 2:Right, right right.
Speaker 3:You know I've seen some of the funniest motivational speakers and guys and phenomenal storytellers. My blessing is connection. I've seen people in the audience react to some of the things that I've said while on stage and I know that for that person they're the only one in the room right now.
Speaker 2:Right, okay, yeah.
Speaker 3:That's my blessing. That's sad. So now how do I use that right to do his work? He gave it to me for a reason. He didn't give it to me to put it in my pocket Right, right, right, right. He gave it to me for a reason.
Speaker 2:He didn't give it to me to put it in my pocket Right right, right, right.
Speaker 3:So how do I utilize that in a capacity that he wants me to, and I just sift through the opportunities and see where that will shine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dang, yeah. So what do you got on the horizon? What do you got coming up?
Speaker 3:yeah, um, a bit of a redirect, and and with regards to my business, is something I've been very hesitant about, bro, you know they say if you can service everybody, you're not going to service anybody, and, as painful as it is, that is accurate, right? So, um, my approach for 2025 is kind of. You know, I made the announcement on facebook, um, and making the announcement here, man, to your audience, you breaking news. I am honing in on a demographic that has impacted my life more than they'll ever know and I try to share it with the select few. But educators, okay, yeah, the teacher's pension system is complex and varies from state to state. I mean, new Jersey's got a five-tier system.
Speaker 2:It's a lot, right right, right, along with the common misconceptions of I's got a five-tier system.
Speaker 3:It's a lot. Along with the common misconceptions of I've got a pension, I'm fine, my retirement year's a no no, no. No, no, no. It could be as much as a 50% to 60% pay cut when you go and you retire and all you have is your pension, and in some states teachers do not contribute to Social Security, so the pension is all they will have, unless they do something else, like a 403B IRA. Annuities are huge for that right. Anything else? Something else to fill that gap?
Speaker 2:Right, right right.
Speaker 3:Right. But yeah, man, when I was in high school, 15 years old, my sophomore year was going through it, you know had an abusive stepfather, you know, and I was I mean, as it is 15, you're trying to figure yourself out, right, you know, you're trying to be like him who's doing all kinds of things, and you know and then to go home, to that it was tough and I was. I wasn't sleeping right, you know, and falling asleep in class. I wasn't sleeping right, you know, and falling asleep in class and my English teacher, ms Corey, ms Denise Corey, absegami High School, absegami, new Jersey, shout out, Ms Corey, you know, she saw it, you know. And she said hey, what's going on with you?
Speaker 3:When school started, she used to have this really cool star system in the back, you know, and my name was up on one of her star students and she had to take it down, you know. And she said you know, you're slipping, something's going on, what's wrong? You're sleeping a lot and she used to let me take little cat naps, yeah, you know, especially the whole read silently to yourself, kind of a thing. I was out, bro, but she said to you know, one day she said you, you came in and you just went right to sleep. But I can't have that. What's going on? And, man, I lied right to her face. It's gory. Nothing, everything is fine. You know, and it was partly because I didn't know how to express what was happening. You know, I mean, how do I? I didn't know how to say it and my stepfather kicks the shit out of me.
Speaker 3:I, I don't know how to communicate that right right right, um, I didn't know how to say it and my stepfather kicks the shit out of me.
Speaker 3:I don't know how to communicate that. Right, right, right. I didn't want anybody to get in trouble because I loved him, I loved my mom, so I didn't know how to say, how to react. So I'm fine. And she saw something hanging out of my notebook and it was something that I'd written. I didn't have anybody to listen to me, but paper would right, so I would just write my thoughts, write my feelings like a journal, not on a notebook, on a napkin, whatever, just I had to get it out okay, you know.
Speaker 3:and you know, bro, when I was done, cool got it out. Okay, you know. And, bro, when I was done, cool, got it out. I literally ran into trash. Yeah, she said what's this? I wrote that last night like 3 o'clock in the morning. I couldn't sleep. And she said this is incredible. Do you always do this Whenever I can't sleep?
Speaker 1:yeah.
Speaker 3:She said well, from now on, whenever you write, give it to me. She gave me extra credit that helped me pass Dang. I never forgot that, that feeling of I see you. Sometimes you just need to be seen. That's it, bro Right, and she saw me, and that was enough for me to be seen. That's it, bro Right, and she saw me, and that was enough for me to be seen you fast forward. 10 years later, I am the unit director of a boys and girls club and I made it a point to see every single kid in my building and God is great. I had an incredible impact on those kids and still connected to them. I'm about to be 48 and still connected to these now adults with kids. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, yeah, and it's because of people like Miss Corey, it's because of people like Miss Polk, susan Polk, when I was my second grade teacher.
Speaker 2:You remember that bro.
Speaker 3:I can't forget it. Her classroom was a safe space for me. It's a place that I knew I was going to be okay. There was going to be food there, there was going to be friends there. I wasn't going to have to worry about I wasn't going to be freezing cold because we didn't have heat. Right, it was a safe space for me Too young to understand it.
Speaker 2:Right, right right.
Speaker 3:But, looking back, why was Ms was miss poke one of my favorite teachers? Because she created that safe space for me and I never, ever forgot what that felt like, right. And those moments are way beyond teaching. That's beyond the, the grades, right. That's beyond the grades, right. That's connecting to the human spirit, to that soul, to that human being. Yeah, man, I got to do something for that, I have to say it, and it's got to be more than thank you for what you did for me. It's got to be more than because of what you did. Look at what I've been able to do for these kids, for these people. It has to be more than that, and this is, you know, god's given me this vehicle. I'm going to drive it, brother, you know. So now, 2025 is going to be my approach to educate the educators, to thank them, to give back to them. That's what's up, man. You know they're very underserviced demographic, because let's keep it a buck, man, how many teachers do you know are millionaires?
Speaker 2:I can't tell you one Right.
Speaker 3:Plenty of doctors, plenty of lawyers, plenty of corporate execs, but how many teachers, right, so they're not really sought after by people in my industry. Again, fine, do me a favor, step to the left so I can go, and I'll do it.
Speaker 2:And when it comes to finances and teachers, man, the only thing that I've ever known is they don't make money or enough money. I don't want to say they don't make money, but they don't make enough money for the services they provide. Services as in I mean damn. They grow and grow in the youth, man. You know teaching these kids about life. A lot of times it's surreal. Like you had a teacher. I remember a teacher that comes to mind for me was in the ninth grade. Cheryl Searcy changed my everything and they named the school after her, right here in the parallel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, it was she. Uh, let me tell you a crazy story so I was uh.
Speaker 2:every veterans day we go down to uh right here in parallel and at the cemetery on 35 and we lay flags on the the graves for the veterans, you know, as a thank you and um, not veterans day, memorial day, excuse me. And you know miss cercy had passed away when I was in Iraq one of my tours and I never I didn't get to say thank you, I didn't get to say that goodbye or I appreciate everything you did for me. So I was out there laying flags and just out of the entire cemetery, which is what thousands and thousands of people Don't even say it, Bro.
Speaker 3:I walked by and I saw hers and I was like what?
Speaker 2:what are the odds, man? So I, you know, I spent. I spent a good 15, 20 minutes, 30 minutes there just talking, just saying like hey, thank you, and and now, and just like it tripped me out because I got back in the car and I was like all these people, all these places, I could have went anywhere but I went over there.
Speaker 3:I'm convinced man.
Speaker 2:Every now and then God goes, I got you, you know, and it's like oh man, you just flexed on that one, bro. I appreciate you man.
Speaker 3:I mean, listen, I don't know how y'all talk to God, but me and God, we're real dope, we're real cool, the same yeah. Yeah, we talk to each other like that.
Speaker 2:you know, you know, I gotta get back on it, man, I'll be honest with you my, my, my, my praying, and everything has kind of been slipping. You know how they say, man you, you pray for the things that you, you want, and then, when you start having them, sometimes you forget that you need to continue to pray, not just for asking for things, just for thanks. Yeah, and I need to get back on it. I noticed that. I definitely got to fix that.
Speaker 3:You know, what works for me is I no longer pray for specifics, nothing specific. Yeah, I've learned not to pray for anything specific.
Speaker 2:Right, right right.
Speaker 3:Pray for what's best, because I think I know what I want, but he knows what I need Right, so I no longer will pray for this client. Oh God, please let me land this client man, because it could be the worst client ever.
Speaker 3:Right, yeah, right. Please, god, let this situation work out as it's supposed to and then, when it does work out, however it works out be thankful, Be grateful. It's hard to be grateful and angry at the same time. You know what's going on right here, right now. You have no clue what's going to go on six months, six years from now. Right, trust them. Trust them.
Speaker 3:You know, and we get so wrapped up in the day-to-day we lose sight of that, forget sometimes we lose sight of that and, as I'm telling you, I'm reminding myself because it happens, you know, bro, a lot of times people, you know people tell me a lot. They thank me for some of the things that I share on Facebook, very transparent, right, and sometimes those are things that I'm telling myself like I need to hear this right now, right, and I'm sure that if I do, somebody else out there does too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's 100. I know a lot of things I share about my recovery and about my sobriety and and um, you know I don't do it to brag, I do it to show other people like, hey, this shit is this shit and I'm glad you said that, man, because I need to get this off my heart, bro you have such a high level of respect for you and people like you.
Speaker 3:What I mean by that is it's one thing to overcome what you have right Next level, to be grateful and to do good things with, but to then, in front of God and everybody, to say, hey, this is what I went through, this is where I'm at right now, this is the work that I've put in. If I can, you can too. If I can, you can too. Yeah, at no point in time, is it? It's almost like it's not about you, it's through you, about someone who needs to hear it 100%, and I love that so much. It's almost like you create things like this. You've built this spotlight to put it on people that need it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Right. So when I'm offered the spotlight, when I'm offered the mic, it's like cool, this dude created it. He's letting me borrow it for a half hour. Who needs it? Right, and I love respect and appreciate you for that, bro. Thank you for sure, man, thank you that's.
Speaker 2:That's it, man. I just try to share a message. At one point in my time, one point in my life, I needed to hear myself. You know what I mean yeah to say hey, man, it's okay to struggle it's okay yeah, yes, and it's okay not to be okay. You just it's. Changes are possible. You know what I mean. Recovery is possible. Alcohol and drugs is not the answer. You know. It's a numbing agent to help you forget what the actual problems are.
Speaker 3:And when it wears off the problems are still there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, yeah and, and sometimes it just it makes things worse. But uh, getting clean and and and getting in trouble, uh, here in the city, man was best, best day of my life and and people always tell me man, like yo, you don't, you didn't have to like, you didn't have to get all, you didn't have to get in trouble to get clean, you didn't have to get in trouble to do all this sometimes you got to hit rock bottom I tell them one thing in my life I've always learned, man, how do you learn life lessons?
Speaker 2:I always learn the fucking hardest way possible. You know what I'm saying? That's how I learned and and it's it's always been me, man. It's always been me and I'm I'm. I just at a. I'm in a place in my life right now where I can share the successes but at the same time I do share the struggles. You know I. You know there's a lot of things I still wish I could do, like go out and and be at different places and do things like that. But sometimes I just know like, hey, that's probably not the best option.
Speaker 3:That's probably not the best idea you know or? Things like that, but it's just and we all. We all have that in some capacity right certain things. For me, I very much enjoy the feeling that I get at a blackjack table or craps table oh yeah right, okay, um, so you know what I do. I keep my narrow ass out of there yeah, right the last time I gamb.
Speaker 3:There's a casino in Atlantic City called the Borgata that opened up I don't know man, 20 some odd years ago. Yeah, and I went with my wife and we said all right, I got $200. You've got $200. Let's go play. Okay, I lost mine in about 20 minutes. She gave me like $50 of hers. I lost that in about 20 seconds. She takes her $150, gets all that money back. Playing the nickel slots Nickel price is right as a matter of fact.
Speaker 2:People. I don't understand how they do that.
Speaker 3:And that was the last time I gambled. I love that feeling, I know I love it, so I stay away. Never, you know, had had issues, you know, but I know that's a tendency so I'm not even gonna flirt with it. Man. One fantasy football league. That's it, yeah, yeah, yeah that's the extent of my gambling, yeah knowing man, that's.
Speaker 2:And it's so easy now, bro, right from your phone.
Speaker 3:yeah, man, it's so easy.
Speaker 2:now, bro, right from your phone, yeah man, it's so easy you can gamble on anything, yeah, literally anything that would probably be.
Speaker 3:You know and I don't know Now I'm just taking a stab in the dark, but that would probably be a more difficult addiction than drugs or alcohol.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because it's everywhere. I mean so is drugs and alcohol If you're hanging around the right people.
Speaker 3:I mean alcohol, if you're hanging around the right people.
Speaker 2:I mean wrong people, but you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but uh, yeah, man. So you know, I know I've got that tendency and I've never gone down that path. That's good, thank god. So.
Speaker 3:But you're smart enough to know that that's, and that's, my point right, you're the awareness that you have. You know it's like yeah, you know that looks like fun. Sucks, I can't go. Oh well, yeah, yeah, right yeah.
Speaker 2:I then know people ask me a lot of times, man, like hey, why do you continue to do it? You know well, honestly, because I've ganged a lot. I've ganged so much. I would never be in the situation I am right now without being clean and sober. I would never have the things that I have. I never would. I wouldn't have that brand new baby. My brand new baby Charlie wouldn't be in the picture. You know, house things, business, everything, just it's. I've been blessed with opportunity and I just want to share the message now, man.
Speaker 3:You know what's helped me too. Right Like so. I went through a lot as a kid, went through a lot of my teens that led to in my 20s I essentially lived a life of survival. I mean, at one point in time I was working one job from 9 am to 5 pm. I'd leave there and go and work a different job from 6 pm to 2 am. That's insane. You know that was zero stars, would not recommend.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 3:But I had a kid to feed and bills to pay, right, right, right. So that was, that was um, that was life for me, you know. And as time went on, I eventually, you know, got a, got a better gig and turned into a career path, but survival mode was my normal right right now.
Speaker 3:then you get into, I'm into my 30s and kind of start to wean away from that. But with that I can do it. I'll run through a brick wall if I have to. Right, there's a level of fury and anger that comes with that Right, and it's harnessing that to do good, to do positive right. But in my 30s that man, this anger shit, is kind of old man. Yeah. Yeah, you know it's starting to wear on me. Like at what point in time does it transition from motivation to an anchor, like I feel like I almost can't grow anymore because I'm always just I'm gonna, hey, you so started to in my mid-30s. I'm just going to be more positive. I don't know what that looks like, but I'm going to be that you know and started to change my DNA man. You know people say, oh man, and I've had people ask me good friends coming from an authentic place, bro, are you always really this happy?
Speaker 2:I know and I'm like I don't know.
Speaker 3:Happy is a strong word bro. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know what, but I'm always as grateful.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And at times I'll forget and I ask for his grace and then I continue that path of gratitude. But just like you, somebody cuts me off. I might get a little ticked.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:But I actually, especially here in H-Town, bro, I have learned to leave ridiculously early and just take my time you got to man.
Speaker 2:You got to Someone wants to. It's great Go.
Speaker 3:Go ahead, bro. Did you need to go too?
Speaker 2:Go for it, Me driving ask anyone they be like man. You drive like an old man. I said, what's the rush we?
Speaker 1:got plenty of time. We got plenty of time.
Speaker 2:Somebody want to go go around me you know what I mean I ain't got nowhere to go.
Speaker 3:I just anything and everything that I can do to protect my energy, and that's difficult Because to get to this point I had to cut people off.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:People that are not bad, people Right right right right, you know, it's one thing. If you're sucking the energy out of my life and you're a bad dude, you know. If you're sucking the energy out of my life and you're a bad dude, you know. But if you genuinely love me, but you're just, it's not conducive to my growth as a human being. I love you, but I got to go Right right, right, you know, and that was some those decisions were some of the most difficult.
Speaker 3:I had to make Less scars. You know, full disclosure, man. I miss my dudes, I really do right, but you know what, I love them.
Speaker 2:People places things, bro, I love them. That's the number one thing in recovery, man.
Speaker 3:First thing you do is change people, places, things and coming here all new place with all new people, all new people Shining bro, all new things Shining.
Speaker 2:Christ almighty man, I see you, I mean it's just.
Speaker 3:The opportunities are endless here you know, and yeah.
Speaker 2:And y'all doing the damn thing with the veteran chamber. Man, I see the growth and it's insane. I'm excited for you guys. Man, y'all hustling, y'all doing the thing and it's showing, you know, and, and I see it, I text, I text. John the other day was like man I see you bro that's all.
Speaker 3:That's all I wanted to say was like I see, yeah, yeah and it's the things and and I've I've only been involved in the chamber a little over a year, year and a half, and the growth has been incredible. And I'm not talking about, oh, we're up to x amount of members, no, no, no, no. I'm talking about the difference that we're making. Yeah, the impact. There's legislation that's about to change for veteran owned businesses. That's what is it? Because of the work that we're putting in amazing, that's huge. That is huge to make sure that you, the veteran business owner, is accounted for and are seen. It's amazing. Right, that's that's the work that the chamber is putting in and there are levels to that man, you know, sometimes it's just a mixer other business owners, everybody get together, yeah, you know, break some bread, get to know each other's businesses, get to know each other as people. You know, bond only the way we can right right right, that's one of the things that I love.
Speaker 3:People say, oh so what's what's different about your guys?
Speaker 2:chamber like we're veterans man yeah, we speak a whole other language yeah you know, which is funny, my wife.
Speaker 3:So my wife is the only paid employee from the chamber oh is she everybody else is a volunteer.
Speaker 3:We do this because we love the mission. My wife is is the admin for the chamber. And it's funny, man, she would her first days. She would, because we both work from home. Man, god is good, so she would. You would call me over to her office and she's like so what's an FOB? Like it's a forward operating base. So you got to think right, you've got the main base and then you've got everything that's going down. The forward operating base is in between, right, so that the Marines don't have to go all the way back. Right, you just write this oh, okay, so that that's why we call Conroe an FOB. Right, that's what Honor Cafe is, right, so members can just go there instead of all the way downtown.
Speaker 2:Right, right right.
Speaker 3:Just go right to that forward operation.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay, got it. And now, man, you should hear her. That's awesome, you should hear her.
Speaker 2:She picked up on a lingo.
Speaker 3:Oh, did she ever man, did she ever? She's just spreading her wings, bro. That's awesome. But yeah, the chamber's doing some great work. I'm so you know you and I touched on that in my previous interview. Yeah, um, you know my, my time in the marine corps was shortened medical discharge only just in two years, right and um, the chamber's been my way of balancing that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, see, that's one of the things that I've always disliked about veterans, man, when they say I only did this amount of time. Yes, nah, nah, nah, nah. And you know what?
Speaker 3:You say that and I used to say I only did two years Like it was a bid, you know.
Speaker 1:Like I did a stint in the county yeah.
Speaker 2:I only did two years you know I used to say I did time overseas and people would be like I was like no, I was in the military. Yeah, yeah, Right, you know so I've been that still.
Speaker 3:it is not my normal yet it's still something that I have to be cognizant of and consciously say yes, I served for two years.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then explain yeah, yeah, I was cut short. Medical discharge, cool, you know? Um stop using words like just you know, or only right. You know, yeah, and that's an adjustment for me. You know, old dog new tricks I'm gonna learn it right you got it man.
Speaker 3:So you know, but uh, but yeah, that that's. That's been a thing you know, and I got so much out of the marine courts and the fiber of everything that I do. This is my opportunity to finally get and I've given it back and and I, you know, retrospect, um, some of the things that I've learned, I've instilled in teams that I've run over the years. Right, you know, so there's that aspect of it, but this is like a man to the 10th power.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You know, to be able to impact a veteran's business, that's it man, that's everything, and their family and help them grow to the point where now they need to hire employees. Who are they going to look for? They're going to hire veterans, yep Right, and to be a part of that and the creation and the building of it, oh man, yeah.
Speaker 2:Like God's flossing right. Yeah, that's amazing, man. Yeah, that's amazing. Uh, I just just sitting back watching, man, I told you I had to step away because I was doing, uh, you mean trying to get this everything situated, you know, and now that it's it's, it's finally coming back, I'm like, all right, I need to jump back into these, these networking things. I need to jump back into the chamber. I need to jump back into these networking things. I need to jump back into the chamber. I need to jump back into, you know, different, different things, because, man, it's meeting new people, growth opportunity, it's all out there.
Speaker 3:Brother, when you sent me that message, man, I'm surprised you didn't hear me smile. You know, I mean it was truly ear to ear. I was like yes, yeah, man, I was like, you know, I mean, it was truly ear to ear, I was like yes, yeah, man, I was like you know, I said man first January, I'm doing this all and make changes.
Speaker 2:you know, get everything, man rolling.
Speaker 3:Because it told me two things. Number one you were stable because I knew there was transition right, and you don't do things like that in the midst of chaos. Right right right, that's a. Once this stuff settles down, I'll get to that kind of thing. So that told me that, number one, things had settled down and you were in a much better place, right. Two, we were a fit now because clearly we were not Right. You know, just things were not in good alignment, right right, right it was not conducive to you, helping you grow your business, and now it is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, it definitely is, man, because I see the growth, I see y'all coming down this way. I see things like that, you know, because when I first did the business thing, I was like okay, chamber, houston chamber, paraland chamber. Let me see about this local thing first, you know great people over here, don't get me wrong, but I just it's like man, I need my people. Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Feels like home man, because it's just like I always tell this to my girlfriend too. I was like you know, veterans support veterans. I said I don't care what it is, he could sell dirt and I could get it for free over here, but I'm going to buy that dirt just because he sells it, you know, and it's just things like that. And she's like for real. I was like yeah, it's what we do.
Speaker 3:That's it. Don't worry about your six. I got your six. Head and eyes straight to the front. Focus on task at hand. Yeah man, yeah right, it's how we function, man that's it, bro, you know. So, yeah, when you offer the opportunity to come down here, I'm like game. Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 2:I don't have the following I had on on social media after the hack I'm still rebuilding um, but man, my, my 11 1200 followers are gonna see you man, hey, that's uh, that's crazy, though I I noticed a lot of that happened to a lot of people recently too, and and that's one of the things that scares me and that's another reason I went and got verified, you know, because they they stop a lot of that, that, that bullshit yeah, do the two-step authentication, do all of it, man, you know um sometimes it don't even hurt to just get that little blue check man.
Speaker 3:It was tough, man. I was pushing 5,000 followers, everything's surrounded around social media.
Speaker 2:now, bro, Everything, business life, everything.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Contacts.
Speaker 3:I lost so many connections because my public speaking ramped up and anytime I'd go somewhere, I'd go and I'd speak at a venue, at a function, and I'd get half a dozen more connections, and then those people, when I would post something, would tag. You know, hey, this is the guy that I was telling you about, you know, and that continued to spider out.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I would get meetings, I'd get appointments with people that I never met before. I'm like. So how'd this come about? Oh, my cousin saw you speak at this function. Blah, blah, blah, blah, and she said I should probably talk to you. Oh, okay, great, how can I help you out? Yeah, you know, and so much deeper than just another client, just another Making change. She said that you like to work with single moms. I do. Can I help you out? And I literally make a dollar, literally in some cases, right, but the impact that's what it's about it's tremendous. You saw, it.
Speaker 2:You know the struggle Been there.
Speaker 3:Done that. I know exactly what you're going through and I know what your kids are going through, so, thank you. I want you to take a bow for booking this appointment and making change. You want to know how. You want to know what to do. Congratulations, you just did it, right, yeah. Now what Now? What are we going to do Now? What Right Now? What yeah?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you remember. Yeah, man, now what remember. Yeah, man, now what right here, you guys all right now what?
Speaker 3:yeah, whether it's good, whether it's bad. That was, that was a reminder for me, man, when I was off social media for a month, month and a half. All right now. What, yeah, now, what am I going to do, you know? And, um, it's interesting, some of the people that reached out the way they did once I finally got back on my feet, my guy, chris Fahey, who has a huge following, immediately posts and tag and put the shine on me, put the spotlight on me.
Speaker 2:Is he in the chamber?
Speaker 3:He is. He's actually more breaking news. He's actually going to be running our social media for us now. Oh yeah, he is.
Speaker 2:He's going to be our director of social media, that's for sure. You definitely got to make the connect man so we can get more. Yeah, he's an incredible human being man.
Speaker 3:Just very much like you. Man Took everything that he's been through you know and is doing so much good with it and because of it, you know, at Camp Hope it's almost like Camp Hope is just the epicenter for him, because he's doing so much more beyond PTSD Foundation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, did he go through the program? He did, he did, he did.
Speaker 3:Yeah, amazing man, yeah man, that's amazing.
Speaker 2:You know, that happens, man. You know, as I know, a lot of veterans struggle through things and they find that you necessarily don't have to struggle alone and that you can make changes. And I think that you can make a change. So let me show you how I did it. And it's possible not to not to try to school. You just try to like hey, I'm a, I'm a guide you, but the rest is up to you. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 3:He's just he's a phenomenal human being man. I love that dude's spirit. I watch him work sometimes, you know, because from a professional perspective it's a balance. Right, because his job is to help raise funds.
Speaker 3:Right, you know, camp hope is expensive yeah yeah, yeah, right, you know it's a non-profit man so somebody's got to pay for it, right? They rely on donations, um, and he, he does such an amazing job at connecting your dollar with that work. It's just amazing. It is absolutely beautiful to watch the difference that he makes, because I know where that dollar's going. I've been to Camp Hope. He gave me a tour. I saw the work that they do there. I saw the work that they do there. You know, I've seen rehab centers where, family day, you're in a room on a metal table, almost like it's a prison Right, and their family area, man, it's a park. You know they got swings there and stuff for the kids to do, man, and you know it's.
Speaker 2:I've been to it when it was, when it was when it first started. I went there as a as a supporter. I haven't been in many years. Man, I need to. I need to swing by and check it out.
Speaker 3:It's an amazing facility. You know they do. They do God's work there, man, I really wish it's one of those things. I wish I could contribute more in some capacity, but I do what I can to give them shine. As a matter of fact, whenever I do any form of public speaking on behalf of the chamber I open with PTSD Foundation I talk about. There are tons of things in place for the broken and the disabled veteran. Thank God there are, because we need PTSD Foundation, we need Camp Hope, we need Wounded Warrior. We need all of these things Right, we've earned it Right. But what's there for the veteran business owner that just needs help selling widgets?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:What's there for the guy that, hey, listen, man, I need to build a website. How do I do this? What's there for the woman that has grown her business to the point where now she needs HR support. I don't know how to hire people. How do I do this? What's there for that veteran?
Speaker 2:Not much.
Speaker 3:Not much, and I'm proud to say that that's where the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce comes into play, because if we don't have that direct support from within, we have connections that we can connect you to.
Speaker 2:So what's the next adventure? I got coming up.
Speaker 3:We are literally planning 2025 as we speak. We're now going to have, we're going to go from one mixer per month, one to two mixers per month to one per week oh dang. All over Houston. Yeah, good man, that's amazing. One in Conroe, one in Katy, one in Pasadena Every single week in a different location and then once a quarter downtown at a restaurant called Cowboys and Indians. Really awesome food, dude. It's a blend between Texan and Indian food and, as they put it, indian with the dot, not the feather. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's on their napkins.
Speaker 3:I love it, it's hilarious.
Speaker 2:You can say that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's what I was like. Ooh, they were like well. Well, if they're saying it, I guess it's okay you know, yeah, that's how they put it out there. But yeah, like the menu even it's like all Texas stuff on this side you know brisket and whatnot, and then all straight Indian food on this side you know curry and stuff and the fusion in the middle that's insane.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, all right, I'm going to check that out.
Speaker 3:It's intense, man, so we're going to be there once a quarter. Okay, okay, and that's right downtown. So now we're up north, one on the west side, one on the southeast side and then once right in the middle, and that's just mixers.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:We've got someone else now. We've got a coordinator for um to operate in the corporate sponsor space to help bring in the bigger dollars right, to get the bigger functions, the expos that we're involved in all over this, not just houston yeah but I mean my wife and I went out to san antonio. We did some work out there okay, you know um yeah, we're going to be in austin in, I believe, february. We're headed over there.
Speaker 2:Y'all just recently had the big event, the air show right.
Speaker 3:That is massive on so many levels. So, we had the biggest, baddest tent there, bro. We had 22 veteran-owned businesses in there.
Speaker 2:I always want to go, but it's insane over there the people, the traffic, everything.
Speaker 3:Once you're in there, though, yeah.
Speaker 2:I guess that's it. And when you get there early, leave early, I don't know.
Speaker 3:You got to get there early.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:You either got to get there early or like midday when everybody's already in, but then you're going to miss out.
Speaker 2:I remember a few years back I used to just park over there at the I don't think it burned down the american legion. Okay, they used to let us just park in there and chill and just watch the flight never, never actually went in, okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we saw, you know yeah, so man the veteran, uh, business marketplace man, you know, this year we're sponsored by walmart oh yeah they came on heavy duty. We're sponsored by xfinity okay they came on heavy, heavy supporters of all the work that we're doing, enabling us to do more work. And, yeah, man, we're probably going to have to expand. That's great. You know, we had a 40 by 60 tent.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:Packed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, packed.
Speaker 3:Amazing, and we're probably going to have to go to a 40 by 80 this year. Amazing, and we're probably going to have to go to a 40 by 80 this year. Bro, it started out with a 10 by 10 pop-up. I remember that, you know, with half a dozen guys battling for elbow space yeah yeah, and now we got this massive tent and it's only getting bigger and it shows the work y'all putting in, man. It's amazing.
Speaker 2:It's a blessing. I've always my hat to Dave and John man and Dave and John man and they've been putting in that work. Yeah, so that's amazing. Man, this was your first rodeo season, huh, yeah.
Speaker 3:How did you like that? Yes, so we went to the first rodeo. I was here, okay, but I didn't want to go without my wife. Okay, okay okay, so I didn't go in previously, but we went this year.
Speaker 2:Massive man.
Speaker 3:It's crazy, it was in a good way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, insane.
Speaker 3:I know, man, I've never seen that many people in one location and I've been to Times Square in New York. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah yeah, and it's just different, right, that many people in one place for one thing, and everybody was cool and it's all love bro. That's the thing Again. Full disclosure. Right, there are not many Puerto Ricans here. Everybody was cool and it's all love bro, that's the thing Again. Full disclosure. Right, there are not many Puerto Ricans here. Yeah, Right, and I don't know what it is. But my wife and I we don't blend in. Well, Right, People say y'all not Mexican.
Speaker 2:No, we're not Mexican.
Speaker 3:What are y'all? Honduran or something? No, we're Puerto Rican. Oh wow, and like we're different.
Speaker 2:It's so funny man.
Speaker 3:It's so funny, you know, especially when we start to talk.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh shit, you hear the accent?
Speaker 3:Those key words right. So we don't really blend in, but it doesn't matter. We were at a we're from the East Coast, you know and we were at the rodeo and we felt like we belonged. Yeah, man it was beautiful, the best barbecue I've ever had in my life, you know, I mean it's just yeah, it's just beautiful. Like I've tried, I'm actively recruiting friends and family members to come down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, did y'all get to see down? Yeah, who did y'all get to see? Anybody?
Speaker 3:who just see. So that's the one. We didn't, we were, we did everything around okay, okay, yeah, yeah um next year. We're going to actually go in.
Speaker 2:We're going to see who we want to go see you know, and then go and check them out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, man, it's a blast.
Speaker 2:It's always amazing. Every year I let my daughters pick one each yeah and of course they're different. Yeah, want to pick rap.
Speaker 3:Uh, my oldest always picks bum b day yeah and then my little one picks one of these country singers and that's the thing, right, you know houston is such a melting pot of diversity, man, it's crazy to see, you know, like from one day to the next, you know, you'll have one of the biggest country stars and then 50 Cent, you know, and it's like, and it's just as packed on both days you know. So yeah, it's pretty dope man, I love it yeah.
Speaker 2:Man, it's been an honor having you bro. I really appreciate all the conversation likewise bro um uh, man, we want to say uh, merry christmas, actually merry christmas, and happy new year to everybody out there. Again, this is going to be back rolling on a consistent basis. Uh, y'all be sure to follow my man lou. How do they follow you, bro?
Speaker 3:yeah, so, um, due to some social media hacking that went down, um, I now have an alias. I guess we can call it Benevolent Advisor on Facebook. Please feel free. It's open to everyone. Maybe that's what got me jammed up before, right, but access is my biggest thing, right, always providing access to information, and Facebook is my tool for that. So, yeah, you can follow me on Facebook, benevolent Advisor. If you ever have any questions, any capacity and it has to do with a dollar sign, do not hesitate to shoot me a DM. Hey man, I don't understand this. How does an IRA work? How much life insurance should I get? You know it's? It's because for me, it's about the information right right right.
Speaker 3:It's about getting the information out to those of us that need it the most yeah, man, you guys, thank you again for tuning in.
Speaker 2:Be sure to follow, share, like, subscribe and again, if, uh, it's a holiday season, be sure to check on your friends and family and if you're in a crisis, be sure to dial 988. If you're a veteran, press 1. You can also text that number. So, you guys, it's okay not to be okay. Check on your friends and family. We love you, as always, charlie Mike Blessings. Thank you all for listening to Charlie Mike the Podcast. This is me, soulja Harwood Red Car 1 Music Group and we out.
