1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: Oh, beat force. If it doesn't work, you're just not 2 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: using enough. You're listening to Software A Gradio Special operations, 3 00:00:24,920 --> 00:01:05,040 Speaker 1: military news and straight talk with the guys and the community. 4 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: All right, hey, everybody, welcome back to software AP Radio. 5 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,559 Speaker 1: We have a special guest in studio today, a good 6 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: friend of mine, Comal robocon Comal has been a guest 7 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: on the show before. For those of you that don't know, 8 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: because it doesn't you would never guess by looking at Comal. 9 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: You is an Army Army veteran of the tenth Mountain Division, 10 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 1: went on to build Silicon Valley startups during the first 11 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: dot com boom, and is now a venture capitalist and 12 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: best selling author. Rebirth was his last novel, and he 13 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: has since finished a rewrite expanded version of Love Yourself, 14 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: which I just saw. The new cover looks amazing. And 15 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: that book comes out January seventh, January seven, so look 16 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: for that for pre order, and please please give that 17 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: a purchase. The pre orders do matter for us, right 18 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: And yeah, I didn't come all and I were out 19 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: at dinner the other night and he had the idea 20 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: to interview me, which is nice. At least I know 21 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: it won't be too adversarial, I hope not. And then 22 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: if you want to follow Kamal, which you should on 23 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: his Instagram, it's Kamal Robiconte Kilo Alpha, Mike Alpha, Lima 24 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: Romeo Alpha, Victor India Kilo Alpha, November Tango. Still still 25 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: got it, man, I'm impressed. I was like in my 26 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: head trying to do that while you were doing it. 27 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: Still got the phonetic alphab but sometings you just can't. 28 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,959 Speaker 1: You can't know. And then before we kick it off, 29 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,519 Speaker 1: we've got our great Club Summer sale going on right now. 30 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:44,239 Speaker 1: So if you guys are interested, CEC Summer nineteen is 31 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: a discount code for the software listeners, So check that 32 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: out and without further ado, I'll turn it over to Kamal. 33 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: All right, So the whole point of this was, you know, look, 34 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:56,640 Speaker 1: I've known you now, really we've been really close for 35 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: about three years now, right, I've got to see very 36 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: the human side of you, like the you know, like 37 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: I know your kids, I'm close to your kids, and 38 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: you know I advise your company. You know, we're going 39 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: flying together if we've done some stupid things together, have 40 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: some crazy drunken nights together, shoot a lot together, and 41 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: you know, like you truly are a brother, like someone 42 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: I know I could call in the middle of it, 43 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: you know, from a Turkish prison, and I would know 44 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,519 Speaker 1: you would come get me. You know, there are very 45 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: few people like that. I think in anyone's life. You 46 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: can have a big group of friends, but the amount 47 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 1: of friends that you can actually call In fact, there's 48 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: a big You and I live in the same neighborhood. 49 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: Is that big yellow sinus says, you're the friends that 50 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: you can call it for m are the ones that 51 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: matter right for him? And the bucket, a lie and 52 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: a shovel, you know, no questions. Yeah, and you know, 53 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: like so I've seen this, this whole side of you. 54 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: And before I knew that, before I got to know 55 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: the side of you, I need the public side of you. 56 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: I thought'd be fun to share this side of you 57 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,119 Speaker 1: that I know to your listeners by actually learning more 58 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: about you as a friend. You know, have you actually 59 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: met which is a fun story, is we both have 60 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: a close friend. In comment Tucker Max, he wrote this, uh, 61 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: really funny books called assholes finish first and I hope 62 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: this sir beer in Hell. Yeah, and he's he's a 63 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: currently smart guy and these books are. But you know, 64 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: he's like, look, man, I did in my twenties where 65 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: every guy wishes he did, and I just wrote about it, 66 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: and they're really funny books. And I told him I 67 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: was gonna be spending time in New York and he said, 68 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: I got I got a guy to for you to meet. You. 69 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: Guys are getting a lot great. So he emailed intro 70 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,160 Speaker 1: it us and I remember you replied back, and I 71 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: remember looking at your signature, Okay, Navy cel Flies Planes, 72 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: best selling author. I'm like, god, God, this guy's gonna 73 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 1: be full of himself. Like when I was like, gosh, 74 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: sh it, like it's going to be one of those, 75 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 1: you know. And and we met up for sushi when 76 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 1: that this afternoon, Oh my god, you were anything. But 77 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: I sometimes joke at you about your humility, you know, 78 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: about who you are, what you've done, and who you are. 79 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: And we just hit it off, and you know, then 80 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: we bought it over some serious drunken nights. Do you 81 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: remember some of them? Some of them when at the 82 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 1: Bowery Hotel comes to mind where vanished, Oh my god, yeah, yeah, 83 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: I took a girl and vanished. It was so funny. 84 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 1: We were at the Barie Hotel and these you have 85 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: this thing that you have no fear, but it just 86 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: kind of makes sense. But like it's it's fun watching 87 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,720 Speaker 1: it with women. We'll be sitting there talking and then 88 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: Thesese four beautiful women's in and Brand will just leave 89 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 1: over talking to them. Next thing, you know, he's pulling 90 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: out his phone and showing them photos of his plane 91 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: and this and that. Next thing, they're all around us, 92 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: and I remember we were like drinking and drinking, and 93 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: usually it's not like they're like, yeah, whatever, buddy, like 94 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: sure you have an airplane and fly a plane and 95 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: like prove it to us. Oh, here we go next, 96 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 1: and man, we were so drunk, and I remember, like, 97 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: next thing, I know, I see you holding a girl's 98 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: hand and stumbling like literally that's stumbling out keeping each 99 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: other basically just steady as like, and you were gone. 100 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: I was end up having to pick up the tag 101 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: FI over that. And then that night it was a 102 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: funny night friend, right we did, I mean, what little 103 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: I do remember about that night after that moment, especially 104 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: it was we we ended up going to my favorite 105 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: cocktail bar in the city. It was Atta Boy, and man, 106 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: that place is like a time suck you. You walked 107 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: into the atta, boy, there's no light. It's like Vegas, 108 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: you know. The time you walk out of there, like 109 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: the sun is rising. What just happened to me? Yeah? 110 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: And actually like thanks to you, you know, like I've 111 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,160 Speaker 1: gotten new um, like one of my favorite express in 112 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 1: the world. You know, like just flying to the back 113 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: seat in your in your planes. You know, just like 114 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,039 Speaker 1: dog fighting with you know, top gun instructors and current 115 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: Navy pilots and so forth. You know, you're just just 116 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: the kind of you know men you surround yourself with, 117 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,040 Speaker 1: you know, like I come from. You know, Army was 118 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:51,720 Speaker 1: a long time ago for me. I was a teen, 119 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 1: you know, I didn't you know, just years. And then 120 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: I got out into college. So like my circle is 121 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: more like all techys and Hilkon Valley people and so forth. 122 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: So it's like it's great to be around men who 123 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 1: have done who you know, who've been proving themselves, you 124 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 1: know that don't sit there and bitch and moan about 125 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: like you know, the latte being too cold or whatever. 126 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: And I really enjoyed this. So anyway you write, I 127 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: read Red Circle, which was amazing, and then but my 128 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: my two favorite books have been actually amongst Heroes, which 129 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: was such a great tribute, you know, to the men 130 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 1: that you knew. I remember reading that just being blown away, 131 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:29,800 Speaker 1: like each person's story and who they were and we 132 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: lost them, and it's like you just felt like you 133 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: felt the loss when you read about these guys. And 134 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: then my favorite book by you actually is The Killing School. 135 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: Oh my god, it was like reading an action movie, 136 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 1: you know, and it was running reading about the sniper program. 137 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: So you were a kid living on a boat, you know, 138 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: so it's very interesting you became a seal, so you 139 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: already you know some seals I I've met. I didn't 140 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: even know how to swim. You were at home in 141 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: the water. What so, what was it? What did you 142 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 1: grow up in a boat? I mean, my my dad 143 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: came from some where, you know. It's like the apple 144 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: doesn't fall far from the tree, right. My dad was 145 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 1: really really good hockey player in Canada as a teenager. 146 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 1: But kind of growing up in this sixties environment where 147 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: everyone's kind of and look, I think every generation has 148 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: their thing, right, Like now, it's it's easy for us 149 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: to point to the millennials and try and blame everything 150 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: on the millennial generation and all this this kind of 151 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: social change is happening. But back in with my dad, 152 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: he and my grandfather who lived lived to ninety past 153 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: away last year's amazing, amazing guy, blue collar Canada, electric 154 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: guy that became worked his way up to white collar, 155 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 1: then became an entrepreneur, built a big mobile home resort 156 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: community outside of Toronto, done really well for himself. But 157 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:51,360 Speaker 1: back then he's just this hardcore fifties kind of guy. 158 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: And my dad wouldn't cut his hair, and he threw 159 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: my dad out of the house. My dad went from 160 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 1: Toronto to Malibu and lived in Malibu like burn and 161 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 1: d of cards on, you know, on the weekends with 162 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: his buddies in the sixties. Yeah, and ran a small 163 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 1: landscaping business. Then was driving his I think it was 164 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: a Chevy truck up to his place he end up living. 165 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: It's interesting because he's was a landscaper and he was 166 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: living in I forget some famous Hollywood person, I believe, guesthouse. 167 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: It was like Kato Kala. He was living in this 168 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:28,320 Speaker 1: guesthouse running his business, you know, landscaping business, growing, god 169 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: knows what else, you know, back in the sixties, and 170 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: then met my mom and her best friend who were 171 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,720 Speaker 1: hitch hiking home to the valley, who were like, you know, 172 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 1: I think there was seventeen or eighteen at the time, 173 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:43,080 Speaker 1: you know. My dad was like probably nineteen twenty and 174 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:45,600 Speaker 1: he's like a year older my mom, but picked him 175 00:09:45,679 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 1: up hitchhiking, end up getting my mom's phone number, had 176 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: a relationship my mom, my grandmother. He's like, oh, come 177 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 1: to Canada with me. Come to BC British Columbia, which 178 00:09:55,040 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: is like interior BC. Whistler is interior of Vancouver, where 179 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: I was born, was even more Cranbrook or Kimberly, British Columbia. 180 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: It's like really like interior British Columbia, about a couple 181 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: of hours from Banff National Park, really up in the 182 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: mountains of the Millino where he was going up there 183 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: because there was an opportunity. There's a big mining boom 184 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 1: going on in construction boom, and so my grandma's a, well, 185 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,679 Speaker 1: you can't, You're not going anywhere with this guy, you know, 186 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 1: unless you're married. So they got married and he moved 187 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,200 Speaker 1: my mom to kind of know where British Columbia, Canada. 188 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 1: You kind of describe it as kind of like the 189 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 1: Alaskan Frontier as kind of i'd put it. You're literally 190 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 1: up in the mountains, streams, animals everywhere, and my dad 191 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: end up getting into construction. But I'll do a quick 192 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: sidebar because it's a it's a funny story. My dad 193 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:46,440 Speaker 1: before he got into construction and kind of self taught 194 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: and learned all the different trades. He took a guiding job. 195 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: He's not a hunter, and I remember he told me 196 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: this story and that summer I have a picture I 197 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 1: have to show you. He's at this hunting lodge in 198 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 1: British Columbia and the guy put my He's like, hey, 199 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 1: you want a job, Like these wealthy guys from like 200 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 1: New York and everywhere else are coming here to hunt 201 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: big elk and deer and bear and all some sorts 202 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 1: of other stuff. And my dad's like, I don't know 203 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 1: anything about it. He's like literally his first day on 204 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 1: the job. As the guy's like here's the path. Just 205 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:19,240 Speaker 1: walk this path all day, camp here at night and 206 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: you're gonna run into ship, like you're gonna see stuff. 207 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: And my dad was like okay, and he was like sure. 208 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:28,200 Speaker 1: As ship he's walking down the path freaking big elk 209 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: jumps out bear like everything. He sat there and these 210 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 1: guys are like, you're the best guide to the world. 211 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: My Dad's like total greenhorn, but he said that's how 212 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 1: he kind of got to start. And he's like, yeah, 213 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: I would just I would just take him down this 214 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 1: this trail and like ship would just come out of nowhere, 215 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:46,840 Speaker 1: out of the woods. Actually, let's let's fast forward a little. 216 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: We grew up in a boat and you how old 217 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 1: were you? Well, all fast forward and I appreciate you 218 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,320 Speaker 1: as you're being a good, good host, not letting me 219 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: go down the rabbit hole. But my dad built a 220 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:01,960 Speaker 1: construction company from scratch, built half of the the new 221 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,719 Speaker 1: ski Hill and Kimberly and in during the Savings in 222 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: Land's crisis, lost everything and it was devastated. I remember 223 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: being five years old, six and we had things like 224 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:14,440 Speaker 1: I remember we you know, we were port and all 225 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: of a sudden we we we we had stuff. We 226 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: had a house and on the lake in Idaho, on 227 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 1: Cocolala Lake, and it all went away and my dad 228 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: tried to fight. It ended up to clearing bankruptcy. And 229 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: he and my mom had always had this dream to 230 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:30,679 Speaker 1: sail around the world. We actually had a boat which 231 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:32,599 Speaker 1: we lost in bankruptcy. It was I think it was 232 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:35,520 Speaker 1: a sixty ft sparksman Steven's beautiful boat, and we had 233 00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: a Vancouver lost it all, I remember we So their 234 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:43,079 Speaker 1: plan was, hey, let's do this. Life's too short, let's 235 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 1: buy a boat. It's it's actually an affordable living solution 236 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 1: as well. So we bought a boat in Vancouver. Prior 237 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 1: to that, we had moved to Washington State. I actually 238 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: went to school a couple of years in Washington State 239 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,440 Speaker 1: town called Blaine, and it was it was for me 240 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: because I remember, and I can't believe they make kids 241 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 1: do this, but I remember having to go up in 242 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: front of the whole class in third grade and get 243 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 1: my free lunch ticket. And I was like the free 244 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: welfare kid. Right. It's just like terrible, like in front 245 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:15,240 Speaker 1: of the whole class too to have to do that. 246 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,199 Speaker 1: But then we we bought the boat because again my 247 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 1: dad was kind of had a really good He's always 248 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 1: been an incredible builder. He followed the construction boom down 249 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,120 Speaker 1: to California. So he we bought the boat in Vancouver, 250 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:31,560 Speaker 1: sailed it down to to Ventura, California, like got the 251 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: tail end of a hurricane on on the way. It's 252 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 1: like my mom was like, Jesus, is this what We're 253 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 1: gonna all die at sea here off the Oregon coast. 254 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: We had the tail end of a big hurricane in 255 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: between Hawaii and the coast, and we literally shut shut down, 256 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 1: like dropped the sales sea anchor for like almost two days, 257 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 1: drifted a thousand miles back, but finally made it to 258 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: made it to California, and then I lived in Ventora 259 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: Harbor on a forty seven foot catch at my own 260 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 1: rear stateroom um sixth grade until I finished high school. 261 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:06,480 Speaker 1: Looking back, it was a great environment. It was a 262 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 1: little you know, again, you're kind of like people you 263 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 1: go to school and they're like and the bus came 264 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:13,719 Speaker 1: to the harbor and picked us up, but it was 265 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:16,679 Speaker 1: still like you're kind of the boat kids. And there 266 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 1: was a pretty big community of kids that lived on 267 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: boats in the harbor, so that I think that made 268 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: it a little bit easier, but still, like to me, 269 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 1: I thought of it was like normal life. But my 270 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: friends were like, it's kind of crazy. You know, you're 271 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: living on this boat in the harbor with your family. Now, 272 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: how's we when you join the Navy. When I joined, 273 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: I joined at eighteen. Maybe I joined at seventeen and 274 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 1: turned eighteen. I forget. I remember having to get my 275 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: dad's permission, but he had I had left home at sixteen, 276 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,040 Speaker 1: and I think I did need his visit permission when 277 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: I was like approaching eighteen and still seventeen. But yeah, 278 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 1: I signed the papers and I wanted to be a 279 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:57,240 Speaker 1: Navy seal, So you knew back then, you know, I 280 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 1: what I always wanted to do, honestly was be a pilot. 281 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: I wanted to be a fighter pilot, and since I 282 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: could remember, I wanted to flyer planes. And then I 283 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 1: saw the movie Top Gun, which made it even made 284 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: me even more crazy to fly. Like I wanted to 285 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 1: be a fighter pilot. My problem was I just didn't 286 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 1: have I didn't have great grades, and I had this 287 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: weird academic record because living on the boat, like we 288 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: took a trip. My parents pulled my sister and I 289 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: out of school. We went to Mexico for a year, 290 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 1: and so I had this like weird in school, out 291 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:35,240 Speaker 1: of school, good grades sometimes just getting by the rest 292 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:37,520 Speaker 1: of the time. I was kind of when I think 293 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:39,840 Speaker 1: back on my school and I remember because I you know. 294 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:41,640 Speaker 1: I remember when I was writing The Red Circle. I 295 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: was like, yeah, Mom, I was the draft she was 296 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: reading and she's like, I see it here. You're thinking 297 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 1: that you're a good student. And she's like, let me, 298 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: let me send you your report cards. And I still 299 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 1: have them, and they I think we even published them somewhere. 300 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,360 Speaker 1: But it's like Brandon needs to pay attention and more 301 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: in class and stop talking to everybody. Um. But she 302 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: and I didn't have good grades. It's like, oh, ship, 303 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: Like it's it funny how your your mind kind of 304 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:10,640 Speaker 1: patches stuff together in history and and sometimes you know, 305 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: we remember things differently. It was important. I'm glad my 306 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: mom made me journal on our sailing trip, so I 307 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 1: had the journals to look back on. We had our 308 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 1: ship's log. My dad was like religious about keeping a 309 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:25,720 Speaker 1: ship's log, so I had some really good source material 310 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: to look back on. What made you want to be 311 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: a seal at seventeen? So I got a job when 312 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 1: I was twelve thanks to my mom. She comes home, 313 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: I think she's always trying to like steer me into 314 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 1: out of trouble. She's like, hey, this scuba diving boat 315 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: needs a kid to work part time. In the summer 316 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: and on the weekends to just help out. And basically 317 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 1: you're kind of an intern on the scuba diving boat. 318 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: And she's like, I already like through your name in 319 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: the hat if you want to go down there and 320 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 1: meet the owner and Captain Bill, like come down anytime 321 00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:59,600 Speaker 1: they're they're going to pull in, you know, this day whatever. 322 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 1: And at the time, I had really my first job. 323 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 1: My dad kind of nudged me into getting this job, 324 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 1: and it was I fucking hated it. It was I 325 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 1: was the janitor. Basically I'd sweep and mop this boating 326 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:12,359 Speaker 1: store every night and it was like for nothing. But 327 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:14,880 Speaker 1: I think those jobs teach you a lot of humility 328 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:16,439 Speaker 1: because I knew. I was like, this is not what 329 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,600 Speaker 1: I want to do. Yeah exactly. I go down and 330 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,240 Speaker 1: meet Bill and he was like, yeah, you want to 331 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,199 Speaker 1: do it, Like be here tomorrow six am. We're going 332 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,639 Speaker 1: to pull out for a day trip to Anna Kappa 333 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:30,240 Speaker 1: Island and see if you you know, we'll give you 334 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:32,119 Speaker 1: a share of the tips, the cruise tips, and to 335 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 1: see if you like it. And I remember going out 336 00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:35,720 Speaker 1: there and all that to do was like help people 337 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,080 Speaker 1: with their gear equipment when they got out of the water. 338 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: I'd help them off with their their fins. I learned 339 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 1: how to fill scuba tanks. I'd help tie the boat 340 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:45,120 Speaker 1: up and I had a blast. Like I'm like, this 341 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: is really fun. And then I got like my split 342 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: of the tips. It was like forty or fifty bucks, 343 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 1: and that's twelve years old. I'm like, yeah, man, I 344 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:55,239 Speaker 1: was on a lot of you. So I was I 345 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:57,879 Speaker 1: was hooked and the crew was super nice, you know, 346 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,400 Speaker 1: it was it was a you know, they they were 347 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: definitely feeling me out and not like I remember Mike, 348 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: this Irish captain is kind of like, give me a 349 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 1: lot of ship. And yeah. They were kind of testing 350 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: me out to see if I had what it takes 351 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:10,640 Speaker 1: and I was into it. So he Bill was like, hey, 352 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: if you want the job at chairs, So I started 353 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:17,520 Speaker 1: there and became a very accomplished diver, like thousands of 354 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 1: dives in the span of probably twelve to you know, 355 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,919 Speaker 1: seventeen when I when I worked that boat. Did you 356 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 1: find the seal dive stuff challenging after this or no? No, 357 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,000 Speaker 1: I was always a good diver in this in the seals. 358 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:34,640 Speaker 1: The thing is these kind of dives, and I told 359 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:37,159 Speaker 1: about it in the book Mastering Fear, which would you 360 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:40,440 Speaker 1: encouraged me to write. I remember the first so the captain, 361 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:42,679 Speaker 1: this guy Rogers, one of the captains, He taught me 362 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:44,879 Speaker 1: how to dive in the ocean. And it's like the 363 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: first season I was working on the boat. I remember 364 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: being at this island called sam Miguel. Was shark infested 365 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: water like that. There's a big seal, sea lion rookery habitat, 366 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:56,960 Speaker 1: and what eats what feeds on them are great whites 367 00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 1: like this crazy captain Mike had done a great white. 368 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:01,959 Speaker 1: Our county got as sponsor to go out there and 369 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: chum for days for blood and he was gonna jump 370 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 1: in the water and spear this great white like crazy guy. Man, 371 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: he was crazy, but no sharks ever showed up. Now 372 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:14,280 Speaker 1: we're anchored out there for the night. The weather got 373 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: too rough, so we had to move the boat in 374 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: the middle of the night and Mike shakes me awake 375 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: at two in the morning. He's like, get your wet 376 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 1: suit on. You gotta go dive and get the anchor. 377 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:24,399 Speaker 1: And I've done that before in the daytime to speed 378 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: things up. Sometimes the anchor gets really wrapped up on 379 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: the reef and it's faster to send a diver down 380 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: there and UNWRAPID. Well, that that was like during the 381 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,880 Speaker 1: daylight and good visibility with like people around. Now it's 382 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 1: like two in the morning, and I'm like, it's like 383 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,159 Speaker 1: sharks down there, man, and I know the visibility is 384 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,200 Speaker 1: going to be like barely see your hand in front 385 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:45,719 Speaker 1: of your face. I was terrified, but this was kind 386 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,119 Speaker 1: of like the Navy seal training, right, So I had 387 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 1: to confront my fear. Dive down in the middle of 388 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:56,840 Speaker 1: the night and I was probably thirteen years old and 389 00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 1: get this damn anchor unstuck, and it's like the chain 390 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 1: is wrapped around this like truck size ledge. We would 391 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 1: blast a bunch of bubbles up in the surface. Then 392 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: they would know to pay some slack. And then I 393 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 1: was swimming around and get it free. But I'm like, 394 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: got my dive light and there's like sea lions whizzing 395 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,399 Speaker 1: by me. I could tell the biolumin essence like like 396 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: and I'm just like, I just want to get out 397 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: of as fast as possible. Thankfully, the sea lions were there, 398 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,080 Speaker 1: so I knew the sharks weren't around, but I did, 399 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:25,879 Speaker 1: you know. I got through that and It's like, Okay, 400 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 1: that wasn't as bad as I made up in my head, 401 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: but it was still scary lesson by the way, it 402 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,720 Speaker 1: wasn't as bad as you made up in your head. Yeah, exactly. 403 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,239 Speaker 1: And so you know, fast forward by the time I 404 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 1: was fifteen, I remember taking I would dive with double 405 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,639 Speaker 1: seventy two tanks. I would be like eighty ft of 406 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: water at night, shine my light in a hole, and 407 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 1: there's like the lobster the spiny Lobster Hotel, and I 408 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 1: would take a breath. I would take my tanks off. 409 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,440 Speaker 1: I would take a breath out of the rag regulator, 410 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,440 Speaker 1: set it down, and swim in the hole eight ft 411 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:02,399 Speaker 1: underwater and hold my breath and grab as many of 412 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: those lobsters as I can stuff from under my armpits. 413 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: And now they're going bonkers and they're stirring everything up, 414 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: and I'm like, okay, where's where's the way out of here? 415 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,200 Speaker 1: You know, and swim and put them in my bag 416 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: and like do it all over again. Like I was 417 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,280 Speaker 1: just crazy. This is the stuff that I would do. 418 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,240 Speaker 1: And you know, fast forward, my dad we went on 419 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: this big family sailing trip. I had a lot of 420 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,840 Speaker 1: boning experience. My dad and I were going like just 421 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:26,200 Speaker 1: butting heads. It was kind of like the sixteen year 422 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 1: old and I made it as from Ventura all the 423 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,520 Speaker 1: way by Mexico mainland Mexico down to Acapoco and then 424 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,800 Speaker 1: Acapoco to the Marquesas Islands and the South Pacific, then 425 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 1: to Tahiti, and then my dad and I had this 426 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:41,360 Speaker 1: massive blow up where we almost like it got physical 427 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,040 Speaker 1: and my mom was crying and then we just kind 428 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 1: of it wasn't like we had this family talk and said, look, 429 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 1: it's you really don't want to be here. You made 430 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,119 Speaker 1: that clear before the trip. We think it's time for 431 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 1: you to go. And so I was sixteen and pop 432 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 1: a t e d left home. I found my parents 433 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:01,399 Speaker 1: and I both found a boat that needed help sailing 434 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 1: to HeLa, Hawaii. It was a catamaran called the Shiloh, 435 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: and I jumped on that boat, grabbed my backpack and 436 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: a couple hundred bucks. Never looked back. I mean, and 437 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:12,280 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna lie, like I I wrote about it 438 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:14,879 Speaker 1: in Mastering Fear. I you know, I cried myself to 439 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: sleep probably the first three nights, like scared shitless, but 440 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:20,679 Speaker 1: I was on my own yeah, and then, you know, 441 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 1: to make a long story longer, I was at the 442 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 1: point where I got back and build the owner giving me. 443 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,399 Speaker 1: He let me live on the boat and finished high school. 444 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:31,440 Speaker 1: He wanted me to be a captain. I had. I 445 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: had taken all my prep courses to four a hundred 446 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 1: ton masters Captain's license. I was going to take the 447 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: test on my eighteen birthday, but I just realized I 448 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:41,399 Speaker 1: didn't want to be I wanted to get out of 449 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: the harbor environment. I had my best friend I lost 450 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 1: to drugs, crystal math. It was like seeing him take 451 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: a nose dive, and I just needed to get out 452 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 1: of that environment. Like I knew that, I knew that 453 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 1: I had good mentors on the boat, but outside of 454 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: the boat, my kind of peer group was going really 455 00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 1: in a wrong direction, and I didn't want to go there. 456 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 1: So I looked to the military, and I couldn't qualify 457 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 1: for any of the academies to be a pilot. And 458 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 1: then I found one of the guys that was a 459 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,679 Speaker 1: regular on the hardcore trips. We had like a diving 460 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: version of You've Been to Bones Fest where we fly 461 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,440 Speaker 1: the crazy plants. We had like a group of guys 462 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: twice a year that would come together on this diving trip, 463 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 1: and we do like seven eight dives a day. We're 464 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: typically a normal passengership. You're doing three at night, we're 465 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: playing poker and drinking whiskey, and I'm like in heaven right. 466 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: One of the guys said, hey, you've heard about the 467 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:35,600 Speaker 1: Navy Seals, and he gave me this book called Rogue 468 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 1: Wyer and yeah, Marsinco. So we actually had Marsinco on 469 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:44,200 Speaker 1: the show before. Oh he was a trip Yeah great, 470 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:46,639 Speaker 1: even if he's in the seventies now, he's still a trip, 471 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:50,400 Speaker 1: great guy. It's it's sad to see kind of how 472 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 1: he's been treated by the community actually, because he has 473 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:54,720 Speaker 1: really a great he's a legend, you know, and and 474 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:57,359 Speaker 1: you know, it's a it's a shame to see like 475 00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 1: the guys, you know, guys are suffering. I mean, this 476 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:02,320 Speaker 1: a whole another story we can talk about, but it's 477 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:04,200 Speaker 1: a shame to see these guys kind of eating him 478 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:06,840 Speaker 1: alive and taking cheap shots when the guys like a 479 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:10,000 Speaker 1: hero and one of the found like really founding fathers 480 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,359 Speaker 1: still seems six but I so I read this book 481 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:13,760 Speaker 1: and then that was it. I was like this is 482 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: my way out. I'm going to be a seal. I 483 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:18,720 Speaker 1: can do this, and I wanted to prove it to myself, 484 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 1: Like there was a sense I always felt more American 485 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,159 Speaker 1: than Canadian, but I to be honest, there was this 486 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:26,640 Speaker 1: like part of it for me was great, I get 487 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,720 Speaker 1: to serve my country, but the selfish part was I 488 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:31,600 Speaker 1: want to see if I can do this. What not 489 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,479 Speaker 1: many people can do, like it's washout rate. And so 490 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 1: that was a big driver for me behind becoming a 491 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 1: seal and joining the Navy. And it was a tough 492 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,359 Speaker 1: road because I back when I joined you could not 493 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: get a guaranteed contract, so you had to take a 494 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 1: job like a regular Navy job, and then apply. Once 495 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 1: you got into the Navy and into the system, some 496 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:54,840 Speaker 1: guys are like, screw and I'll be a cook and 497 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:56,400 Speaker 1: I'll go to a two week school and I'll try 498 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:58,480 Speaker 1: out right away. But I was like, at least I 499 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:00,440 Speaker 1: think I was smart enough to go. I don't want 500 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 1: to do to go that route because if something messes up, 501 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:05,360 Speaker 1: I don't want to be a freaking cook for three years. 502 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:09,400 Speaker 1: So I took this the aptitude test and scored high 503 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:11,879 Speaker 1: enough to get into a couple of different programs, and 504 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 1: one of them was Search and Rescue aircrew programs. So 505 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:19,040 Speaker 1: I got guaranteed air crewman at Search and Rescue, accelerated 506 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:22,399 Speaker 1: advancement to non n c O to E four and 507 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:24,680 Speaker 1: a big bonus, and I was like, Okay, I want 508 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:27,119 Speaker 1: to do that. Like that's a cool job in itself, 509 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 1: you know, in hindsight, because it was an undermanned job, 510 00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 1: they didn't want to let me leave to go be 511 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:34,240 Speaker 1: a seal, So I had to really fight to get 512 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: out of that job. It took me almost four years 513 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: to get the seal training, which I finally did, and 514 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:40,760 Speaker 1: I joined the Navy in ninety three and I got 515 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:43,159 Speaker 1: the seal training in n How did you prepare for 516 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: seal training? Oh, man, I did not prepare for steal 517 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 1: training other than, like I would say that majority of 518 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:54,000 Speaker 1: people that make it through like they've been prepared through 519 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:56,639 Speaker 1: their life experiences up to that point. If you have 520 00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:59,600 Speaker 1: any experienced diversity, you're really gonna have a tough time 521 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:03,159 Speaker 1: and probably wash up training because the training is adversity 522 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:05,440 Speaker 1: seven days a week, and you have if you don't 523 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 1: have the like personal mental skills to deal with that 524 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:12,399 Speaker 1: stuff showing up your fucked physically. I was in terrible shape. 525 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:15,399 Speaker 1: I just got off a six month deployment on the 526 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:17,640 Speaker 1: U S S. Kittie Hawk. You know, it's not very 527 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 1: many place to swim on aircraft care let alone even 528 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: run besides the treadmill. And I had just kind of 529 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,320 Speaker 1: got along and went on this deployment. I was partying 530 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: We're pulling Australia Thailand. I'm like, oh, this is my 531 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 1: last go around with the guys, and I could do 532 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:36,239 Speaker 1: the minimum standards for the entry test. And then when 533 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,760 Speaker 1: I got when I got my orders, it was five 534 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: months into deployment. I remember I was in the Middle 535 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:44,119 Speaker 1: East and the Persian golf and I got my orders, 536 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,160 Speaker 1: like yes, I finally got my class date. And then 537 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: when I got back, took leave and then checked into buds. 538 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:52,959 Speaker 1: And it took me about one second to realize I 539 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:56,439 Speaker 1: was not physically prepared for this at all. And it 540 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:59,840 Speaker 1: was hellish, like the first six weeks was my body 541 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 1: was destroyed. I was not in shape. I was last 542 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: in the last group on the runs, last group on 543 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 1: the PT. The instructures all knew me by name. You know. 544 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:12,919 Speaker 1: There was a thing called the Goon Squad where if 545 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:15,119 Speaker 1: you don't keep up, you get put in the goon squad, 546 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 1: so everyone's drinking water and stretching. After a six mile 547 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: beach run, you're you know, doing bear crawls up and 548 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 1: down the sand burns and jumping in the water like 549 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: it's just torture. Showing up for five and at five am, 550 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,280 Speaker 1: a normal start time at five am PT session, you 551 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: would show up at four am because you're in the 552 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:38,359 Speaker 1: remedial PT group. It was terrible, man, So I was 553 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:42,199 Speaker 1: not prepared for Buds physically mentally I was physically. It 554 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 1: was tough. I mean, imagine being we started two and 555 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 1: twenty with class to fifteen and we ended with I 556 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:52,400 Speaker 1: think just over three finished. But imagine the beginning being 557 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:56,119 Speaker 1: singled out of two guys, and the structures are like 558 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:57,920 Speaker 1: you're not going to get a break and go get 559 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,639 Speaker 1: to eat lunch until web does another few. You push up, 560 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 1: you get maybe like one percent of the group is 561 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: given you sympathy. That's some encouragement. The rest just like 562 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 1: you look around there like why don't you just quit? 563 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:10,600 Speaker 1: And ended, and the suffering for all of us, you know, 564 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:15,440 Speaker 1: like fucking thanks guys. But it was it was a 565 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:18,719 Speaker 1: tough thing to deal with because I was an E five, 566 00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: you know, I had some seniority in rank, and I 567 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:24,360 Speaker 1: knew that'd be older than some of the guys too. 568 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 1: Yeah I was. You know, i'd see the average ages 569 00:28:27,359 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 1: like one, maybe some Naval Academy guys, but I was, 570 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,000 Speaker 1: you know, I was like two. I think I turned 571 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,439 Speaker 1: twenty three in buds and yeah I was. And so 572 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: being in that situation where you know you're kind of 573 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:43,960 Speaker 1: dragging your poor physical performance is punishing other people, it 574 00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:46,840 Speaker 1: really sucked to be in that situation. But I just 575 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:50,960 Speaker 1: knew that early on in in that first week where 576 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,680 Speaker 1: I was going through all this, one of the fastest 577 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:56,040 Speaker 1: runners in the class quit one morning. We got up 578 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: like after a weekend. It was Monday, and he went 579 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 1: to ring the bell to quit, and it just dawned 580 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:03,719 Speaker 1: at me, is like, that's the fastest guy in the class, 581 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 1: Like why and I think it's I forget his name, 582 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:09,280 Speaker 1: but you can see his face clearly. Why is he quitting? 583 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:11,080 Speaker 1: And I don't know if I asked him or just 584 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:13,520 Speaker 1: kind of the rumor mill got back, but it was 585 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:16,480 Speaker 1: like he just he didn't like to suffer like the 586 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 1: cold getting yelled at. But he was like The instructors 587 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:24,200 Speaker 1: loved him. He was the fastest runner, always getting rewarded. 588 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:26,160 Speaker 1: They'd always call him out by name. Why can't you 589 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: be like this guy? But at that point I knew 590 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: it was mental. I'm like, Okay, I just have to 591 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 1: suffer through this. And it's a it's a game of 592 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:39,280 Speaker 1: like persistence and suffering, you know. It's it's the same 593 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: thing and building companies. Many thing like it's like having 594 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: build companies myself and not invest in you know, startups 595 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: and entrepreneurs. In the end, I was talking to a 596 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:50,640 Speaker 1: friend of mine, He's like, what is it that you 597 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:53,360 Speaker 1: know your best investments. I'm like, it's always comes down 598 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:55,760 Speaker 1: to the person the found her. And it's like and 599 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 1: when if I get the feeling of this person was 600 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: born to do this, I will back him or her 601 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:03,040 Speaker 1: every single time they do it, whether they fail or not. 602 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 1: That I wanted back next time, next time because the 603 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: person was just committed. It keeps going, keeps going. Eventually 604 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 1: they learned and they hit it. It's funny, right and 605 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,360 Speaker 1: anything in life, that's what it comes down to, know. 606 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 1: I mean, that's my kind of my own story, right. 607 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:20,560 Speaker 1: I I kind of got out of the military, started 608 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 1: this my first startup, and you know, raise some money, 609 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,600 Speaker 1: and even now reflecting, I'm way more I get my 610 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:30,400 Speaker 1: partners way more credit now than I did then, because 611 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:32,520 Speaker 1: then you're just like piste off, you know, because you know, 612 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 1: we the business broke up during the last recession total 613 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:39,880 Speaker 1: ship show, and it's easy to kind of blame your partners, 614 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,480 Speaker 1: but I'm in reflection, it was just partnership is all 615 00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:46,880 Speaker 1: like being a relationship where it's worse you don't get laid, Yeah, 616 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:50,640 Speaker 1: and then there's that yeah, at least in most partnerships. 617 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,680 Speaker 1: But I definitely I definitely wasn't getting laid. I was 618 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,480 Speaker 1: maybe getting fucked a bit. But I just realized that 619 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: they weren't. They were smart people, just the chemistry was off. 620 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: So it's really I think really invested all into my 621 00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:04,720 Speaker 1: kind of knowledge and entrepreneurial journey. It's one of the 622 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: reasons I went to that Harvard OPM class. I realized 623 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 1: that you are who you hire. So you hire for 624 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:16,120 Speaker 1: culture and you train the companies that our team focused 625 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,959 Speaker 1: companies hire and train from within. The companies that are 626 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:23,800 Speaker 1: kind of like I focus, where it's individual focus performance 627 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 1: and they really don't care about the team You could 628 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 1: think about an airline that depicts this scenario perfectly. Is 629 00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 1: the difference between Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. You know, 630 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: Southwest is a team environment. People are happy there. You 631 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:40,719 Speaker 1: can tell where you go to United, it's totally different. 632 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:44,120 Speaker 1: And it it flows right down to the customer service level. 633 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:47,200 Speaker 1: Even when at the last recession, your Southwest, I don't 634 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 1: think laid off anybody. They did it as a show 635 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 1: to their team like we're going to stick this through 636 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:54,640 Speaker 1: this together, or the rest of the airlines were just 637 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 1: like laying off a ton of people. The point on 638 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 1: partnership is like, you really choose your partners carefully. You 639 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:02,720 Speaker 1: know the deal. I won't get into it on the show, 640 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:05,000 Speaker 1: but I recently went through another thing where at a 641 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:10,320 Speaker 1: side business and I just didn't didn't really probably listen 642 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 1: to a lot of people and ignored a lot of signs. 643 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 1: We're looking back in hindsight, I'm like, man, all the 644 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 1: signs were there. Why why didn't I see it? So 645 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,920 Speaker 1: it's just about you have to choose your partners carefully, 646 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 1: and and then it takes the blame when you choose 647 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: poorly and be like, look, I'm as much to blame 648 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:30,520 Speaker 1: for this as anybody. Well that's a leader, honestly. Yeah, 649 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,000 Speaker 1: that's one thing I wish more, just more entrepreneurs and 650 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: just politicians would learn like ultimately leaders the one responsible, 651 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 1: not the one below. Right. So like, look, you make 652 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,040 Speaker 1: it as a seal, and you were the runt one 653 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:45,239 Speaker 1: in the group, which is in itself if you think 654 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: about a great story. Right, So like the guy who 655 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:50,640 Speaker 1: was the shining star is the one who quit. And 656 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,240 Speaker 1: that's a hell of a wake up call. So it's 657 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,040 Speaker 1: and it comes out and it's mental. It's a mental thing. 658 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 1: You just have to and the mental party. You have 659 00:32:57,760 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 1: to want it badly enough. It's the same in building 660 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,280 Speaker 1: anything or writing a book a building company. You have 661 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:04,480 Speaker 1: to want it badly enough so that when it sucks, 662 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:06,520 Speaker 1: you don't. You still get up and you go and 663 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:09,000 Speaker 1: you push through it. Se you become a seal. You 664 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 1: go up to Afghanistan, I mean, you do tours. You did, 665 00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:16,040 Speaker 1: um what was the ship that was bombed? The oh Man, 666 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,440 Speaker 1: that was terrible. I remember that you were there and 667 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:20,920 Speaker 1: then you you know Afghanistan and then you've been in 668 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,960 Speaker 1: Iraq as a contractor. You know, you've done a bunch 669 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:26,200 Speaker 1: of stuff. You can talk about and stuff you can't 670 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: talk about. And then you get out, and you know, 671 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:30,720 Speaker 1: this is always interesting to me because I know I 672 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 1: have enough friends with the military who get out and 673 00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:36,160 Speaker 1: some of them going to do like amazing things, right, 674 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:38,479 Speaker 1: and some get very lost, you know, and it's and 675 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:41,080 Speaker 1: you're not talking about this. It's like it's the fact 676 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: that you know. Our theory, my theory is that they 677 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:46,240 Speaker 1: don't have purpose if you if you're no longer on mission. 678 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:48,320 Speaker 1: You know, we need to you know, especially if we 679 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:50,200 Speaker 1: used to being on mission and we lose and if 680 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 1: we don't have that, what we're gonna do? You have 681 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:55,400 Speaker 1: to create your own you know. So you created, You 682 00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:58,360 Speaker 1: start a business, and like all the best business started small. 683 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 1: You start a blog that you ruin. You know, you 684 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 1: you wrote about what you knew and what you cared about. Yeah, 685 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: the reason I got into writing was it became very therapeutic. 686 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:11,360 Speaker 1: Even after I lost my first business, I started writing 687 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:14,840 Speaker 1: for magazines and I started blogging, and and then it 688 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:17,480 Speaker 1: started I realized, like, this is like very therapeutic. But 689 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:20,600 Speaker 1: to be honest, like in hindsight, I probably would have 690 00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:23,799 Speaker 1: chosen a less public I put it would have put 691 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:27,560 Speaker 1: myself less in the public eye. But you know, like 692 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:33,200 Speaker 1: hindsight is right, just the amount of criticism and and 693 00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:35,400 Speaker 1: it's a tough spot, like all of us are. Like 694 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:39,279 Speaker 1: I talked to Marcos Cetrell, Rob O'Neil, all the Seal authors, 695 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:41,839 Speaker 1: and I'm sure even Jocko gets it as well. As 696 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:44,399 Speaker 1: when you put yourself in the public like that, you 697 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:48,200 Speaker 1: become like an easy target and escapegood in many ways. 698 00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:51,319 Speaker 1: And it's it has not been an easy path. Like 699 00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:52,880 Speaker 1: I think back, I'm like, man, if I had to 700 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:55,320 Speaker 1: just build, like and I love real estate, if I 701 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:58,440 Speaker 1: just built a real estate business, and nobody would have cared, right. 702 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,520 Speaker 1: But the minute you're like, hey, I'm an abcal is 703 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:04,000 Speaker 1: my life story, You're fair game for the community, and 704 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:06,560 Speaker 1: I you know, look, I I'm proud of the service, 705 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:10,880 Speaker 1: and really, you know, outside of the deployments, my biggest contribution, 706 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:13,640 Speaker 1: and I've talked about over and over is my investment 707 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:17,520 Speaker 1: and sacrifice. I gave up my cushy shore assignment as 708 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:21,560 Speaker 1: a BUDS instructor to go teach snipers when I got 709 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:24,759 Speaker 1: recruited down there, and I at the time like I 710 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:27,719 Speaker 1: just felt an obligation to do that, and then did 711 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:30,719 Speaker 1: that and became the Sniper course manager, and and then 712 00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:32,279 Speaker 1: I was just burnt out. It's like time for me 713 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:37,480 Speaker 1: to move on. Business is freaking hard enough without kind 714 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:41,400 Speaker 1: of like taking the Peanut Gallery kind of criticism on 715 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:44,360 Speaker 1: the side, right, Like you're dealing with real challenges and 716 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:48,600 Speaker 1: hiring and laying people off, losing sleepover payroll. Most people 717 00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:50,960 Speaker 1: who haven't done it don't understand the way that you 718 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:54,320 Speaker 1: carry as a leader, you know, especially built something from scratch. 719 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:57,239 Speaker 1: You know, it's a friend of mine is quite successful, 720 00:35:57,280 --> 00:35:59,160 Speaker 1: and it's very much of the public eye and was 721 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:00,879 Speaker 1: taking a lot of heat. At one time. He said, yeah, 722 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:02,560 Speaker 1: the only way that his wife told him something, He's 723 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:05,879 Speaker 1: like that let him sleep. She said, Hayter's gonna hate. Yeah. 724 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:08,279 Speaker 1: I know that That's been a big lesson for sure. 725 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:09,919 Speaker 1: And you know, it's like I heard Joe Rogan saying, 726 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:13,360 Speaker 1: like you think Michael Jordan reads his YouTube comments. You 727 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:16,120 Speaker 1: know he's he's busy being Michael Jordan. You know, like 728 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:19,600 Speaker 1: either busy doing ship? Are you busy talking about people 729 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:22,120 Speaker 1: are doing ship? It's always better be doing ship. And 730 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 1: I think when I started to see this stuff happening 731 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:27,680 Speaker 1: in my own community, and it's like felt like we're 732 00:36:27,719 --> 00:36:31,080 Speaker 1: eating each other live. I just I kind of removed 733 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 1: myself from the whole thing, and I think that like 734 00:36:33,239 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 1: some guys, it made it even worse because they didn't 735 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:37,319 Speaker 1: have access to me anymore. But I just had to, 736 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:39,479 Speaker 1: like it, just had to focus on the future, my 737 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:43,040 Speaker 1: my family, you know. And there's many businesses where you 738 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:45,520 Speaker 1: can run a small business and have a great life. 739 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:48,480 Speaker 1: So I think the challenge of entrepreneurship is like what 740 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:50,520 Speaker 1: do you want to do? Like, what's your purpose? How 741 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:53,080 Speaker 1: do you want to build a big business? What kind 742 00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:54,719 Speaker 1: of life do you want to have? Because you kind 743 00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:56,120 Speaker 1: of thought about it, I'm like, man, if I could 744 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:59,840 Speaker 1: just go back and just bodko, go buy a you know, 745 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,520 Speaker 1: five million dollar business and just chug it along. Like 746 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:04,480 Speaker 1: in many ways, my mom did that with her partner. 747 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:07,840 Speaker 1: She they built a coffee and team manufacturing company. And 748 00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:10,000 Speaker 1: I understand why. They were older in their life and 749 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,080 Speaker 1: they're like, we don't want to deal with the We 750 00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:15,719 Speaker 1: have enough issues dealing with five employees, why would we 751 00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:18,000 Speaker 1: want to deal with all the other ship. So I 752 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:20,000 Speaker 1: kind of get it now, but it's really up to 753 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:23,799 Speaker 1: each of us to kind of figure out that purpose. Right, Um, 754 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:27,640 Speaker 1: I just read that Victor Frankel book Social Meaning, which 755 00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:30,759 Speaker 1: I highly recommend to anybody if you ever read. Like 756 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:34,160 Speaker 1: any I've read heard so many great public figures refer 757 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:36,480 Speaker 1: to that book as a life changing book. And it's 758 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:40,400 Speaker 1: really very easy book to read too. It's yeah but powerful. 759 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:43,840 Speaker 1: Yeah he was. He was an Austrian psychiatrist who was 760 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:48,480 Speaker 1: in Auschwitz during World War two and he lost his family, 761 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:52,120 Speaker 1: his wife, everybody. He came out and wrote about what 762 00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:53,839 Speaker 1: is it? What was the difference between the ones who 763 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:55,840 Speaker 1: survived and the ones who gave up and just died. 764 00:37:56,440 --> 00:38:00,680 Speaker 1: His purpose in camp was to get out and make 765 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:03,680 Speaker 1: this better for other people, for humankind, Like that became 766 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:06,360 Speaker 1: his Just when you have purpose, I'll get you to anything, 767 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:09,480 Speaker 1: you know, like whether it's entrepreneurship with sale training or 768 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:12,279 Speaker 1: Jesus how show it's you know, I feel lucky. So 769 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:14,640 Speaker 1: here's the thing you've you've you've had like we're like 770 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:17,160 Speaker 1: I think something like five episodes, right, So you're sorry 771 00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:20,960 Speaker 1: almost it's amazing so that people are listening here know 772 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:22,799 Speaker 1: you quite well? What is something about you that don't 773 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,319 Speaker 1: know that what actually would be interesting and helpful to them? 774 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:28,040 Speaker 1: I mean, I think you know as we're talking here 775 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:30,680 Speaker 1: about purpose. One of my big kind of when I 776 00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:35,120 Speaker 1: go to the well of purpose, it's around being a dad. 777 00:38:35,719 --> 00:38:38,839 Speaker 1: You know, I don't have the traditional dad's story, right. 778 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:42,600 Speaker 1: I'm I'm divorced father, three kids live with their mom, 779 00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:45,640 Speaker 1: but I have a great relationship with the mom and 780 00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:48,560 Speaker 1: her husband who they've had more children with. But I 781 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 1: think the kids give me when it's like all hell's 782 00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:55,319 Speaker 1: breaking loose, and you know, just when you think you've 783 00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:58,359 Speaker 1: had enough, like something some more bad news kids, it's 784 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:00,960 Speaker 1: always like, Okay, I've like my purpose. I want to 785 00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:03,799 Speaker 1: be a good dad and leave my kids in a 786 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:08,640 Speaker 1: really good spot where they're independent, self sufficient. So and 787 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:10,600 Speaker 1: I don't think I've talked too much about that before, 788 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:14,120 Speaker 1: but the kids are really important to me in my 789 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:18,880 Speaker 1: life and kind of really kind of set my my 790 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:21,440 Speaker 1: true north, so to speak. It's great man, thanks for 791 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:24,520 Speaker 1: sharing that. So we could like do many different episodes 792 00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:28,520 Speaker 1: of different parts. Yeah. Um, And for those of you 793 00:39:28,600 --> 00:39:31,520 Speaker 1: that listening, Kamal is offered to host a couple of 794 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:34,359 Speaker 1: shows for us, So we're putting the schedule together now, 795 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:37,040 Speaker 1: but we've got he has some really cool guests lined 796 00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:39,759 Speaker 1: up to kind of fill in on the show. So 797 00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:43,120 Speaker 1: and this is kind of when when Jack left the show, 798 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:46,680 Speaker 1: Nick Kaufman and I talked about kind of the direction 799 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:48,279 Speaker 1: we wanted to take the show, and we want to 800 00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:51,279 Speaker 1: get back more into this kind of storytelling and the 801 00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:55,200 Speaker 1: experience sharing and less kind of into the foreign policy 802 00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:58,720 Speaker 1: political side, which is still happy to talk about that stuff. 803 00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:01,680 Speaker 1: But I think it's like the last couple of shows 804 00:40:01,719 --> 00:40:04,120 Speaker 1: you've guys have heard the last show being I interviewed 805 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:06,799 Speaker 1: Todd Robinson in his new movie coming Out, The Last 806 00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:09,439 Speaker 1: Full Measure. This is the kind of direction we want 807 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:11,799 Speaker 1: to take take the show. So hopefully you guys, uh, 808 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:16,040 Speaker 1: I hope you guys enjoyed the show, and you guys 809 00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:19,320 Speaker 1: will be hearing from Kamal in the future. And again, 810 00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:22,160 Speaker 1: if you want to follow Kamal, it's at Kamal Robert 811 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:27,560 Speaker 1: Kant on Instagram. I'm at Brandon t Web on Instagram. 812 00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:31,560 Speaker 1: And again, the we're running that Create Club Summer sale 813 00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:35,800 Speaker 1: on our Platinum Create and the code is CC Summer nineteen. 814 00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:38,360 Speaker 1: So if you're if you're looking for a good gift 815 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:40,920 Speaker 1: for somebody for a birthday, or you want to get 816 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:43,439 Speaker 1: in for the holidays early and get a good deal 817 00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:45,919 Speaker 1: and the Platinum Create you can get a Create club 818 00:40:46,320 --> 00:40:48,840 Speaker 1: already announced this last show, but in case you missed it, 819 00:40:49,320 --> 00:40:53,200 Speaker 1: we're basically consolidating all of our content video editorial into 820 00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:57,040 Speaker 1: one site. Pretty sure we're gonna call it the Create 821 00:40:57,480 --> 00:40:59,480 Speaker 1: dot Com, but we'll stay tuned for that. That side 822 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:02,919 Speaker 1: will be up in late September. So excited to share 823 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:06,640 Speaker 1: that with you guys. Everything aside from a special kind 824 00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:11,600 Speaker 1: of team room member like paid member experience, will have 825 00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:13,799 Speaker 1: most of the content will be free. I'm not so 826 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:15,520 Speaker 1: excited about that because we had a lot of really 827 00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:18,520 Speaker 1: good content we've kind of like kept hidden away for 828 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:21,080 Speaker 1: a long time. So anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed 829 00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:25,480 Speaker 1: that show. Come all, thanks for my pleasure. And you 830 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,279 Speaker 1: know I would say one thing, you know, my my 831 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:30,160 Speaker 1: goal here is, uh, look, you know I've been in 832 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:33,160 Speaker 1: the military, and you know I'm fortunate to be where 833 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 1: I'm in life, and I wanna you know, I love 834 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:38,359 Speaker 1: helping other other veterans in any way I can, So 835 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:40,799 Speaker 1: I want to bring on guests I could actually help 836 00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:43,520 Speaker 1: people either be better or make money or just whatever, 837 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:46,160 Speaker 1: like the you know, be better versions of themselves. So 838 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:48,960 Speaker 1: anything you thinks of interest, just message us and let 839 00:41:49,080 --> 00:41:51,120 Speaker 1: let me know what kind of guests you'd want. Awesome, 840 00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:56,120 Speaker 1: all right, thanks, thanks brother Pleasure. You've been listening to 841 00:41:56,360 --> 00:42:00,800 Speaker 1: self readily here. New episodes up every when day and Friday. 842 00:42:01,600 --> 00:42:05,000 Speaker 1: Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter at self Red 843 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:05,480 Speaker 1: Radio