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Speaker 1: Building the Good Life with John Hope Bryant is brought

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Speaker 1: to you by Prudential Financial. John, things are built in stages.

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Speaker 1: I mean we we always said in our relationship with Hope.

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Speaker 1: You know what we said, we wanted our goal to

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Speaker 1: be We weren't necessarily going to be the largest donor, uh,

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Speaker 1: but consistent with our purpose of our company now, which

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Speaker 1: is to inspire and build better lives and communities. What

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Speaker 1: we said is we wanted to be first. We wanted

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Speaker 1: to be inspirational. We wanted to do things that people

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Speaker 1: could follow. We wanted to be I'd say, a pebble

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Speaker 1: in a pond, you know you you said, not whether

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Speaker 1: you be a boulder and upon them, but that we

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Speaker 1: do things that create ripples. This is John Hope Bryant,

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Speaker 1: and this is Building the Good Life. I'm here with

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Speaker 1: Bill Rogers, the chairman and chief executive Officer of Truest.

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Speaker 1: Truest is last time I checked, sixth largest bank in

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Speaker 1: America and growing. Bill Rogers comes with an incredible pedigree.

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Speaker 1: He was prior to the as president at Truest as

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Speaker 1: a result of a merger. Before that, he was CEO

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Speaker 1: of sun Trust Bank here in Atlanta, which is where

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Speaker 1: I met him. Bill Rogers and I met in a

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Speaker 1: quiet conference room while I was talking to It wasn't

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Speaker 1: a quiet with his predecessor, CEO, Jim Wales, who was

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Speaker 1: introducing us. And Bill didn't quite know what to make

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Speaker 1: of the guy he was meeting, so he just sat

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Speaker 1: there quiet and let me run my mouth and figure

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Speaker 1: out to see. I's gonna run it myself into a bitch.

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Speaker 1: And somehow these two odd fellows became very dear friends.

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Speaker 1: And I really consider a Bill today a brother from

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Speaker 1: another month. It was just a lot lighter, that's all. Bill.

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Speaker 1: What was it? What did you see in that conference room?

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Speaker 1: And why didn't you run for the hills with your

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Speaker 1: feet on fire when you meet well, John, thank you,

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Speaker 1: thank you for than for having me here. It's great

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Speaker 1: to be with you friend. And we have had a

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Speaker 1: we had a long relationship which is fantastic. And you

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Speaker 1: described sort of the beginning of that relationship. You know

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Speaker 1: part of it, and you've sent this a lot part

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Speaker 1: of it. You come with someone's endorsement, right, so Jim

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Speaker 1: Will said, Hey, I want you to meet this guy.

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Speaker 1: So so it starts there. We all, I mean, that's

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Speaker 1: part of the you know, community that we live in

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Speaker 1: and the way that we have to build opportunities for

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Speaker 1: each other as make you know, make those introductions. And

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Speaker 1: then John, I think you know, in Fairnace, all the

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Speaker 1: conversation was always looking forward. It was never you know,

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Speaker 1: it wasn't backward looking. It was And I want to

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Speaker 1: condemn you for doing this, or I want to criticize

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Speaker 1: you for doing this, you know and banking, but I

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Speaker 1: want to work with you on how we can do

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Speaker 1: things moving forward. It wasn't about left or right politically,

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Speaker 1: you know, those things weren't important. It's just how do

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Speaker 1: we work together and how do we make communities better?

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Speaker 1: And you know, quite franking, that's just I mean, I

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Speaker 1: just was drawn to that. Uh. And then you know, John,

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Speaker 1: I mean you're you've got a little charisma and a

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Speaker 1: little you know, a little magic of magic dust about you.

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Speaker 1: And uh, you know that that's build over to I'll

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Speaker 1: admit that we've got a bit of a man crush

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Speaker 1: on each other. At least I'll admit my my part. Uh,

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Speaker 1: He's build is really a cool dude, which is really

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Speaker 1: interesting thing to say about a banker. Uh and a

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Speaker 1: bank CEO. That's maybe the first time and only time

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Speaker 1: on mainstream media that Bill Rodgers or any top ten

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Speaker 1: CEO has been called a cool dude. But I but

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Speaker 1: I will take that. Let me let me underscore that

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Speaker 1: that's not just some you know, soft soap statement. We're

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Speaker 1: gonna get into some real serious issues here today. And

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Speaker 1: I don't want you to understand how to build, which

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Speaker 1: means you need to figure out how to get some

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Speaker 1: money out of this guy and his bank to invest

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Speaker 1: in your your dreams that start a business, to uh

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Speaker 1: grow a business, to uh build a home, to build

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Speaker 1: a home, a home life to uh to grow your dreams,

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Speaker 1: and which means you need to understand how to access

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Speaker 1: um all the opportunities and assets that they've got. It

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Speaker 1: is institution, so you need to understand how the game

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Speaker 1: is played to be uh, to be blunt. So we're

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Speaker 1: gonna get into that. But before we get into I

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Speaker 1: think you need to understand why I love this guy

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Speaker 1: so much. We were a lot of wonderful moments. This

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Speaker 1: particular moment I didn't share with him, but I did

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Speaker 1: view how he handled it, and I think this says

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Speaker 1: everything about Bill Rogers. So, um, I got a call

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Speaker 1: one day said, well, we just figured something out and

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Speaker 1: we need to figure out what to do about it.

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Speaker 1: The legacy bank that they acquired, going back over a

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Speaker 1: hundred years ago, uh, maybe even a hundred and fifty

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Speaker 1: years look at the numbers, UM was involved in, as

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Speaker 1: was almost every bank in that era slavery. In fact,

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Speaker 1: there is a bank I won't name the name, it's

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Speaker 1: not true, it's uh that actually found out they owned slaves.

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Speaker 1: So this is like a hundred and fifty years ago.

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Speaker 1: This is just disgusting part of our history. And every

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Speaker 1: banker I know who's who has discovered some association with

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Speaker 1: that past has run for the hills and tried their

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Speaker 1: best to ignore the topic, building run from it. He

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Speaker 1: ran into it and dealt with it. Why Bill, and

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Speaker 1: what what was it? What was going through your head?

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Speaker 1: And I thought your response was really quite honorable for

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Speaker 1: my ancestors, said so, thank you on behalf of all

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Speaker 1: those who came before me, and how you do But

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Speaker 1: what what did you do at that moment? And why? John?

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Speaker 1: Thank you? And I think you know, as we were

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Speaker 1: thinking about what the country was going through, particularly in

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Speaker 1: the aftermath of George Floyd, and you know, being purpose driven,

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Speaker 1: we had to think about what's our role. I mean,

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Speaker 1: what do what do we want to say? What do

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Speaker 1: we want to do not only within the four walls

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Speaker 1: of our company, but outside or how do we want

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Speaker 1: to represent ourselves and being you know, two financial institutions

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Speaker 1: that came together that were born in the South over

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Speaker 1: a hundred years ago. I mean we sort of start said,

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Speaker 1: you know the place we've got to start. We have

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Speaker 1: to acknowledge our history. You know, the benefits that our

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Speaker 1: company received, uh, you know, through the efforts of enslaved

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Speaker 1: people is just irrefutable. I mean that that just is

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Speaker 1: just there. I mean the businesses that we bank, the

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Speaker 1: communities that we served. I'm sure you know some of

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Speaker 1: the executives that let our companies. I mean just those

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Speaker 1: are just real things. And you know, particularly you know,

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Speaker 1: we sit here in Black History Month, it's important to

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Speaker 1: have that conversation. And we said, well, the first thing

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Speaker 1: we have to do is acknowledging. We have to acknowledge

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Speaker 1: that to our teammates, we have to acknowledge it to

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Speaker 1: our broader community. Uh. And then John, you were nice

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Speaker 1: enough to work with a you know, a group of leaders,

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Speaker 1: just fantastic leaders. Unbelievable that they would all say yes,

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Speaker 1: and we went and help us, help us talk about this,

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Speaker 1: and let's make sure we're thinking about things the right

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Speaker 1: way and looking forward, but looking forward and acknowledging our past,

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Speaker 1: and like everyone should learn from our past. And let's

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Speaker 1: aure out how to not make not I'm just not

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Speaker 1: gonna make that mistake again. But I don't we not

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Speaker 1: make mistakes again? And how do we move forward? And

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Speaker 1: as a result of that, you didn't just provide platitudes.

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Speaker 1: And by the way, for the listening audience, I don't

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Speaker 1: think you've ever heard a top ten banks CEO in

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Speaker 1: the history of America without fifteen handlers around them form

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Speaker 1: a sentence that had slavery in it and and not flinch.

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Speaker 1: That's Bill Rogers, he is um. Look a saint is

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Speaker 1: a center that got up. You want to find some

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Speaker 1: far with Bill Rogers, Yeah, you'll find it just as

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Speaker 1: his wife, who I know. You want to find some

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Speaker 1: fat with John Hopebryan, You'll find it as my wife.

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Speaker 1: I guarantee you She'll give you you. She'll give you

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Speaker 1: plea your father or ask my friends or my you

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Speaker 1: know whatever. We're none of us perfect, right. The question

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Speaker 1: is not what happens to you, But how did you

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Speaker 1: respond to it? And life is ten percent with life

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Speaker 1: does to you and nine percent you respond to it.

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Speaker 1: I'm always looking for the response because the problems are

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Speaker 1: gonna be there. Our history in this country is just messy.

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's just democracies are messy, capitalism is messy,

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Speaker 1: and free enterprise and it's messy. But but freedom of

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Speaker 1: opportunities should be assured and build responded with the bank

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Speaker 1: by making an incredible commitment to all things I believe

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Speaker 1: that matters. And massive investments in HBCUs. I'll let him

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Speaker 1: get into that, hopefully. And part of this conversation, massive

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Speaker 1: investments in institutions UH, not just a higher learning but

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Speaker 1: nonprofits community base who are making a difference around what

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Speaker 1: I call social justice to an economic lens in the

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Speaker 1: underserved communities. UM. A twenty million dollar investment for somebodys

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Speaker 1: I keep wanting to say, forty men, and maybe I'm

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Speaker 1: being an aspirational bill. A twenty million dollar investment in

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Speaker 1: Operation Hope UM to allow us to exp band the

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Speaker 1: Hope inside locations within the truest branch network. UM. We

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Speaker 1: will probably end up being half of all in half

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Speaker 1: of all truest branches. They have two thousand bank branches.

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Speaker 1: That means we'll be into a thousand branches. That's transformational. Um,

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Speaker 1: that's game changing, and in many ways, it's a direct

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Speaker 1: response from the banking industry to what Abraham Lincoln was

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Speaker 1: dreaming about with the Freedman's Bank in eighteen sixty five

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Speaker 1: March three, when he created a bank chartered to quote

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Speaker 1: to teach free slaves about money and Domassau their savings.

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Speaker 1: Now you may not know that history, but it exists.

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Speaker 1: It's been lost to history because Lincoln was killed the

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Speaker 1: next month. The free The vision for forty acres was

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Speaker 1: January eighteen sixty five. Looked that up field, Actually fifteen

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Speaker 1: a mule. We worked that lance hard. Secretary of War

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Speaker 1: Stanton General Sherman said, my god, there's so industrious day

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Speaker 1: African Americans. Give them a mule. It's like saying, invest attractor,

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Speaker 1: forty acres in a mule. January February ac five March

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Speaker 1: came the Freeman's Bureau Act, which was Hospitals and Institutions

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Speaker 1: of Higher Learning, which led to HBC use historically black

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Speaker 1: college universities, and the Freeman's Beer also created the Freeman's Bank. Unfortunately,

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Speaker 1: Abrahem was killed in April the next month, and that mission,

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Speaker 1: with that vision was lost for a hundred and fifty years.

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Speaker 1: I covered the history in my book The Memo, and

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Speaker 1: we're gonna get into a story in a minute. I

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Speaker 1: bet that Bill Rogers lost with me, I wondering if

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Speaker 1: we were gonna go there. But just the fear is

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Speaker 1: that finish this serious coment. They made this investment, just

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Speaker 1: in my example, into the Hope and Side network, which

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Speaker 1: is raising credit scores, getting people access to capital, letting

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Speaker 1: people start business and become homeowners who people look like

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Speaker 1: me and others. Uh to give them a hand up

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Speaker 1: and not a hand out. I believe in the James

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Speaker 1: Brown version of affirmative action. Open the door. I'll get

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Speaker 1: it myself. And then they invested also in the one

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Speaker 1: Million Black Business Initiatives one m b B, which is

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Speaker 1: a lead commitment from Shopify a hundred thirty million dollars.

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Speaker 1: They came behind it the Truest and said, let's create

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Speaker 1: new black business in America. So I think that this

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Speaker 1: is the rainbow after the storm, at least as relates

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Speaker 1: to how Truest has stood up. I want to see

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Speaker 1: other banks follow uh Bill's lead. Now, Bill, Uh, you

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Speaker 1: know I've had moments uh, one of which I don't

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Speaker 1: know if you remember. I think you dud jabbed you

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Speaker 1: about it. About a month ago. I was in your office. Um,

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Speaker 1: you were the first to give me a shot at

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Speaker 1: an institution, a major institution, putting hope inside in one

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Speaker 1: of your bank breaches. You told me initially not to

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Speaker 1: ask you for money, let you control the budget. I

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Speaker 1: thought you're being cheap by the way, uh and um

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Speaker 1: and you and to trust you. I trusted you. We

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Speaker 1: put five or ten locations in your offices, and then

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Speaker 1: we went from that to five and now we're looking

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Speaker 1: at a thousand. So that bet was right. But I

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Speaker 1: remember the first time I actually got some money, I

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Speaker 1: mean some real money, A million dollars. Do you remember that, Bill?

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Speaker 1: I do, John, Yes, And I came in your office

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Speaker 1: to get the check. This is back look at Mellon Dolls.

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Speaker 1: There's always a lot of money. But this is when

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Speaker 1: I've never seen a million dollar check in my life.

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Speaker 1: And I was coming to pick my check up for

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Speaker 1: operational million dollars. And I'm in Bill's office, and I mean,

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Speaker 1: I'm into Bill have a dream. I sounded like Dr

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Speaker 1: King Junior Junior junior. I had a dream of fake

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Speaker 1: not a very good doctor. I want to do this

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Speaker 1: I have do you, Bill? Do you remember what you

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Speaker 1: told me your John? You're gonna have to do it

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Speaker 1: on your own. Doesn't Bill want cop to this? I'm

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Speaker 1: running my mouth. I'm running my mouth, Bill city John

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Speaker 1: that we're friends. John, please take yes for an answer,

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Speaker 1: take the million dollars and get into my office before

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Speaker 1: I changed my mind. Don't talk past the clothes. This

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Speaker 1: is a good This is a good lesson for upcoming entrepreneurs.

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Speaker 1: Don't talk past the clothes. Get any It was like

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Speaker 1: I got another meeting, the checks, the check will clear,

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Speaker 1: but you got to leave my office. Why is it

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Speaker 1: important for you? Know? We're friends, and it was it

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Speaker 1: was joking, But that's actually a very good lesson for people. Bill.

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Speaker 1: Why less is less more important in business and in banking? Well,

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Speaker 1: I mean, John, things are built in stages. I mean

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Speaker 1: we we always said in our relationship with Hope. You

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Speaker 1: know what we said, we wanted our goal to be

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Speaker 1: we weren't necessarily going to be the largest donor, uh,

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Speaker 1: but consistent with our purpose of our company now, which

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Speaker 1: is to inspire and build better lives and communities. What

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Speaker 1: we said is we wanted to be first. We wanted

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Speaker 1: to be inspirational. We wanted to do things that people

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Speaker 1: could follow. We wanted to be I'd say a pebble

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Speaker 1: in a pond, you know you you said not rather

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Speaker 1: you'd be a boulder and upon them. But that we

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Speaker 1: do things that create ripples and use our company, use

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Speaker 1: our relationship to yeah, to get on the edge of

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Speaker 1: innovation and to do and look not everything we've done

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Speaker 1: is worked perfectly by the way we know that. I

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Speaker 1: mean things are done to sort thought, well, I didn't

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Speaker 1: work that great. Uh. And then other things that we've started,

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Speaker 1: we've learned how to scale together. And that's the that's

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Speaker 1: the magic of doing well. As anybody can innovate small,

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Speaker 1: that's that's actually not that hard. But innovating at scale

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Speaker 1: and innovating for purpose that's really really hard work. And

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Speaker 1: so your point of the point was there is don't

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Speaker 1: don't sell all the ripples. Let's get the pebble in

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Speaker 1: the pond first, and then let's figure out figure out

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Speaker 1: what they're doing, what are they creating? Right? And I

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Speaker 1: think also if you're an upcoming entrepreneur, a business person,

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Speaker 1: a dreamer. You start with selling this dream and you

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Speaker 1: you really all you have that moment is your mouth

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Speaker 1: and your hustle. That's very valuable. But when you're in

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Speaker 1: front of a banker, you have to understand. And they're like,

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Speaker 1: can if there's an end of this story, can we

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Speaker 1: please start there? I don't use twenty words when two

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Speaker 1: will do. You're gonna make the banker nervous. I'm serious,

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Speaker 1: like you, you'll you keep talking, you'll free bankers out

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Speaker 1: because the entrepreneur is like on going on fire, but

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Speaker 1: the banker is conservatives. The banker, you know, the entwinner

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Speaker 1: trying to drive down the road, the bankers trying to

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Speaker 1: keep you on the road. And if you start talking

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Speaker 1: so much and you're you're excited when you're hitting the roof,

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Speaker 1: you're you know, you're like you're on a controlled substance

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Speaker 1: or an uncontrolled one, you actually might talk yourself out

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Speaker 1: of a deal. The banker might actually because it's about

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Speaker 1: texture and and and and your you know, are you

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Speaker 1: and I only say stable, but are you? Are you grounded?

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Speaker 1: Are you gonna leave that office and go buy a Ferrari?

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Speaker 1: And A three Bentley's and a and and go and

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Speaker 1: get on private jets and lose your mind versus being

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Speaker 1: mindful of your business plan. They want you sober, I

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Speaker 1: don't mean, I don't mean legally sober. They want you

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Speaker 1: to have sort of a straight ahead, unimpeachable, unshakable commitment

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Speaker 1: to what you told them you're gonna do with that money. Bill,

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Speaker 1: Is that right? I think I think that's right, John May.

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Speaker 1: But don't don't throw bankers out, you know completely, and

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Speaker 1: that we want to. We want to we want to

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Speaker 1: understand what the future is and what the vision is.

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Speaker 1: But our jobs also to protect the downside, you know,

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Speaker 1: and to understand, you know, how the foundations being built.

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Speaker 1: We want to hear what's going to be built on

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Speaker 1: the foundation. Absolutely, that's exciting. That's why we're in this business.

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Speaker 1: Part fact, that is why I love being a banker.

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Speaker 1: But we want to understand how strong the foundation is.

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Speaker 1: You know, if you want to build up skyscraper audit,

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Speaker 1: then it's got to be pretty darned strong. Uh, And

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Speaker 1: we need to understand that. But don't don't, don't throw

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Speaker 1: us out of the vision. Yeah, well, you know, but

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Speaker 1: Bill is a Bill is a bit of an outline.

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Speaker 1: He says that he really does want to hear, as

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Speaker 1: you just heard from his own mouth, your dreams. But

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Speaker 1: I've met enough of folks who are just they want be,

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Speaker 1: They want to be first and second place. They they

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Speaker 1: don't want to their capital is for them as a coward.

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Speaker 1: They want the safest place to hide. They And you know,

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Speaker 1: if if they've never seen an African American, in my case,

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Speaker 1: mail come in looking for big figures, big numbers, you know,

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Speaker 1: they may be looking at the nuances, the subtleties and

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Speaker 1: um and the little things and not just your you know,

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Speaker 1: your collateral and your application in front of you. And

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Speaker 1: so you've gotta be able to work the the magic

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Speaker 1: of what kind of culture you create in their head

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Speaker 1: that matches your business plan. And uh, don't just bank

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Speaker 1: on the on you're gonna meet a Bill Rodgers. Uh.

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Speaker 1: In fact, hope for the best, expect the worst, and

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Speaker 1: condition your mind for whatever happens. You know, Dcorne didn't

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Speaker 1: go to the mall and say I have a dream

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Speaker 1: that GDP will grow by two percent a year. But

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Speaker 1: that is that is what bankers have to hope for.

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Speaker 1: And so I think you've You've got to be able

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Speaker 1: to understand the role of everybody. And America would not

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Speaker 1: be America without banking. You can't grow communities without banking.

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Speaker 1: Uh So we need to understand what their criteria is

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Speaker 1: and their stresses and uh as you want them to

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Speaker 1: understand yours. I'll say this one last thing and we'll

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Speaker 1: get back to a couple of things I want to

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Speaker 1: share with the audience. But I remember a rapper was

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Speaker 1: complaining about, uh oh, this banking do it. It's bad

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Speaker 1: to me and you know, foreclosing on my stuff. Wait,

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Speaker 1: wait a minute. You weren't upset when you wouldn't got

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Speaker 1: the loan when they gave you the loan for the

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Speaker 1: mansion and toy gave you the loan for the car,

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Speaker 1: you know, But when you lost your money and then

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Speaker 1: pay the loan, all of a sudden, now the banker

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Speaker 1: is a bad person. Look, you don't pay me back,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna be upset with you. So I think that

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Speaker 1: we have to understand the delicate role that banking plays

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Speaker 1: in society and understand how to make that system work

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Speaker 1: for us, which is why it operates. Hope, we're getting

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Speaker 1: credit scores up fifty four points working with. That's some

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Speaker 1: of the work we're doing together. Bill, by the way,

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Speaker 1: and getting in a hundred, it's at fifty four points

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Speaker 1: in six months, a hundred twenty points and twenty four months,

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Speaker 1: and nothing changes your life more than God or loved

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Speaker 1: the movie. Your credit score a hundred twenty points because

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Speaker 1: the banker cannot tell you yes for a dream for

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Speaker 1: small business below seven hundred credit score generally speaking, because

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Speaker 1: it's considered a risky credit. But then never tell you

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Speaker 1: that because bankers, you know, might get sued for nine

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Speaker 1: thousand things and regulations. But I'm telling you, you've got

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Speaker 1: to get to a point where the banker can can

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Speaker 1: afford to say yes to you, and truest is trying

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Speaker 1: to lean back in to say yes to you. By

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Speaker 1: the way, they're not a sponsor to this show them.

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Speaker 1: I'm getting nothing out of this. I'm just telling you.

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Speaker 1: I believe that they are walking their talk Bill before

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Speaker 1: we get into the mission and all that. I have

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Speaker 1: to rib you. We had a bet, were you done Mud,

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Speaker 1: would you like me to just just do it? John?

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Speaker 1: Just yes, I would. Actually, I've got to own the

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Speaker 1: fact that I would. I would because of the sixth

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Speaker 1: largest I'll own it. So, um, John was telling me

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Speaker 1: about this vision of the Freedman's bank. Uh and and

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Speaker 1: look in furnace. I had to go look in history

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Speaker 1: to the Freedman's back, so you know. But so the

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Speaker 1: concept was just fantastic for the Freedman's back. And John,

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Speaker 1: you really, um, you know, I had a vision for

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Speaker 1: how to talk about this from that concept. So I

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Speaker 1: spent a lot of time trying to understand. And uh.

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Speaker 1: And then you told me you had this plan that

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Speaker 1: you were going to get a building at Treasury named

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Speaker 1: after the Freedman's back. Well, I've worked a lot in

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Speaker 1: d C. And I know how things work, and I

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Speaker 1: know the speed at which things go. And um, and

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Speaker 1: you had a timeline up on which you're going to

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Speaker 1: do this, and I just told you you couldn't get it,

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Speaker 1: and that you really shouldn't go spend your time doing

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Speaker 1: some all the things. And you know you're tilting the

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Speaker 1: windmills and it is just sadn't gonna be helpful. And

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Speaker 1: I bet you a full dollar about I want my dollar.

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Speaker 1: I've given you your dollar. And there's two I always

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Speaker 1: been uh and uh, not only did it happen, Not

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Speaker 1: only did it get named and I and I also

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Speaker 1: promised you that if it happened, I would go whatever

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Speaker 1: celebration there was, whatever that I that I would that

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Speaker 1: I would be there. But I remember not only that

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Speaker 1: it happened, that was fantastic, but the meeting that that

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Speaker 1: you and I were able to go to UH with,

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Speaker 1: you know, to two of my heroes, UM C. Vibian

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Speaker 1: and sit there with you know at the time Secretary

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Speaker 1: lou and we went all through the formal stuff. But

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Speaker 1: the you know, the point you and have on this

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Speaker 1: before the PhD class though, that I got at the

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Speaker 1: civil rights movement and the only time in my entire

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Speaker 1: life I've heard John Bryant not to have a word

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Speaker 1: to say was when you and I came back and

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Speaker 1: spent time with those two fantastic leaders, and both of

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Speaker 1: us just sat back and listened to them, and John

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Speaker 1: in terms of, you know, probably the most impactful whatever

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Speaker 1: it is, three hours of my life that that might

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Speaker 1: have been it right then. So the dollar bet with

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Speaker 1: you was interesting. The Freedman Bank part was fantastic, But

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Speaker 1: just to have a chance to sit at the you know,

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Speaker 1: the cradle of the civil rights movement and understand not

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Speaker 1: only what happened, but was what was going to happen

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Speaker 1: with the future, was and you know, trying to develop

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Speaker 1: some personal ownership and what those rape men got started. Amen,

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Speaker 1: and am bashl Young and Guy Risis Soul, Reverend CT Vivian. Uh,

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Speaker 1: we're literally right there for the second um reconstruction the

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Speaker 1: civil rights movement in this country. I think we're in

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Speaker 1: the third reconstruction right now, which I believe is social

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Speaker 1: justice to an economic lens. But they were, they were

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Speaker 1: part of the architectural framework for this country, and we

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Speaker 1: owe them a debt. And thank you for recognizing UM

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Speaker 1: their contribution. Bill and what you just said, I think

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00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:19,400
Speaker 1: it's instructive for listeners on building a family raising children

428
00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,360
Speaker 1: because you didn't just pat me on the head and

429
00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:25,600
Speaker 1: give me platitudes. You said what you believe. I don't

430
00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:29,240
Speaker 1: think it's gonna work. You're wasting your time. Love is

431
00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:31,280
Speaker 1: not always pat somebody on the head and telling them

432
00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:33,680
Speaker 1: what they want to hear. Now, you put more fuel

433
00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:35,840
Speaker 1: in my my belly to go get it done. By

434
00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:38,200
Speaker 1: the way, by saying that, so you were actually helpful.

435
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,359
Speaker 1: But we have to understand that I read much rather

436
00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:43,240
Speaker 1: people respect me to learn to like me than like me,

437
00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:45,080
Speaker 1: and never respect me. And that's the role of a parent.

438
00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:50,439
Speaker 1: Your kids may not like you, that's okay. They may

439
00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:53,600
Speaker 1: not like what you're saying to them, that's okay. You're

440
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:56,520
Speaker 1: doing it for their best entriest. You're giving them the

441
00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:01,080
Speaker 1: tools they need to succeed in society. And Bill gave

442
00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:04,400
Speaker 1: me good instructions on what he thought. And by the way,

443
00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:07,960
Speaker 1: he was right on how Washington works. So I went

444
00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:10,760
Speaker 1: into Washington knowing that all odds were against me, and

445
00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,600
Speaker 1: knowing I couldn't go to the front door write letters

446
00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:15,719
Speaker 1: and do a petition, and all of a sudden, I

447
00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:18,520
Speaker 1: had to find another business plan to become the only

448
00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:20,800
Speaker 1: person in American history to rename a building in the

449
00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:24,679
Speaker 1: White House campus. And so even in Bill telling me

450
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:26,680
Speaker 1: that I couldn't do it, he was being a friend

451
00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:30,320
Speaker 1: and being a mentor and being an advisor. So don't

452
00:24:31,119 --> 00:24:33,159
Speaker 1: I learned to take no for vitamins, That is what

453
00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:36,760
Speaker 1: I'm telling Also, John told you I'd be there if

454
00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,320
Speaker 1: you got it, dun and you and you kept your commitment,

455
00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:42,359
Speaker 1: and you showed up and I got a free I

456
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:43,960
Speaker 1: got a free ride in the jet. Me and me

457
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:46,639
Speaker 1: and Red bashelor young and c in ct in ct

458
00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,280
Speaker 1: VV and we all had a wonderful time. Listen, A

459
00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,720
Speaker 1: lot of what I think Bill your character comes from

460
00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,040
Speaker 1: comes from your parents. And if I remember right, your

461
00:24:57,040 --> 00:24:59,600
Speaker 1: grandparents and people. This perception that old Bill is a

462
00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:02,000
Speaker 1: c old is big, one of the largest banks in

463
00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:04,119
Speaker 1: the world. He's wealthy, he's never had a problem in

464
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,879
Speaker 1: the world. That's just not true, isn't right? But Billy,

465
00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,879
Speaker 1: your your grandfather was I think of either are pharmacists

466
00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:16,760
Speaker 1: or at a shopkeeper in Atlanta? Is that right? Well? Actually, uh,

467
00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:20,959
Speaker 1: John in North Carolina, North Carolina, Okay, I grew up

468
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:22,920
Speaker 1: in I grew up in Durham and actually only knew

469
00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:27,880
Speaker 1: one grandparent. My mother's parents passed before before I was born,

470
00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:30,320
Speaker 1: and my grandfather actually died when my father was ten.

471
00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:34,080
Speaker 1: But I know I got to see and John, you

472
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,960
Speaker 1: asked me about this. I'm not always comfortable talking about

473
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,440
Speaker 1: my own personal history because this is all about teams

474
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:44,600
Speaker 1: and not about one person. But I when my father

475
00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:48,320
Speaker 1: passed away, um a little while ago, and I got

476
00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,119
Speaker 1: to I got to look him through. I knew the

477
00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,359
Speaker 1: history and I knew, you know, how hard he worked

478
00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:55,960
Speaker 1: and you know, having lost his father ten years old.

479
00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,320
Speaker 1: But but he gave me a picture album and it

480
00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:01,440
Speaker 1: just brought it home to me as I saw this

481
00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:06,119
Speaker 1: flipping through these pictures. And you know, before he passed away,

482
00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,080
Speaker 1: he married. When he was older, he was w War

483
00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:12,360
Speaker 1: one veteran, very successful pharmacists. They you know, they were

484
00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:14,680
Speaker 1: the local pharmacist. That was the big deal in town.

485
00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:18,479
Speaker 1: And uh, you know, all the pictures of beaches and

486
00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:21,600
Speaker 1: parties and you know, trips, and then all of a

487
00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:26,240
Speaker 1: sudden they just stopped and there wasn't another picture. Uh,

488
00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:28,920
Speaker 1: And that was just a you know, an awakening that

489
00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:32,280
Speaker 1: in the you know, in your concept of building the

490
00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:35,639
Speaker 1: good life, there wasn't There wasn't planning. There wasn't financial planning,

491
00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:38,280
Speaker 1: there wasn't by sell agreements there well, they didn't do

492
00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:40,760
Speaker 1: insurance and all that stuff. So they went from living

493
00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:44,520
Speaker 1: a really good life. My father and his and his

494
00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,399
Speaker 1: two sisters too, you know, they had nothing. Yeah. My

495
00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:52,520
Speaker 1: grandmother was a emergency room nurse and um at the

496
00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:56,080
Speaker 1: VA hospital and they took in borders and everybody got

497
00:26:56,160 --> 00:27:00,399
Speaker 1: a job and you know, life changed. And you know

498
00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:03,920
Speaker 1: this is the message that you know, John an Operation

499
00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:06,480
Speaker 1: to Hope has been talking about is it's not it's

500
00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:09,879
Speaker 1: not about having the good life. That's building the good life.

501
00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:12,399
Speaker 1: And then there's a second sequel which is protecting the

502
00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:16,000
Speaker 1: good life, right, you know. And that was just a

503
00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:19,960
Speaker 1: strong visual for me that that's an important part of

504
00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:24,560
Speaker 1: this part of this context. And and clearly this is

505
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,080
Speaker 1: about teams that truest and what you do this way,

506
00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,160
Speaker 1: you role, what I understand that you you I can't

507
00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:33,480
Speaker 1: find anything where you've been out front taking credit for

508
00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:35,840
Speaker 1: anything is going to drag you, gonna drag you to

509
00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:37,680
Speaker 1: the spotlight because I think the world needs to see

510
00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:41,399
Speaker 1: people like you. It always frustrates me billing all the

511
00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:44,120
Speaker 1: all the loud people are idiots. I mean not all

512
00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:47,600
Speaker 1: of them, but I mean all the all the mean, nasty,

513
00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:53,240
Speaker 1: mean spirit, angry lead so called leaders. They're allowed and

514
00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:55,680
Speaker 1: they're good in marketing. And then all of the great

515
00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:59,600
Speaker 1: guys and ladies they're sort of meek and understated and

516
00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:01,719
Speaker 1: they want to the way to see them. And and

517
00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:03,639
Speaker 1: I think, I really think we need to flip the

518
00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:05,880
Speaker 1: script here. We need need some good guys and ladies

519
00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:09,720
Speaker 1: who take the point and say, no, look, here's another

520
00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:16,400
Speaker 1: business plan of what works, hope wins and rainbows follow storms,

521
00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:21,879
Speaker 1: and the universe is backing hope and love and compassion

522
00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:25,879
Speaker 1: and empathy and and joy and belief hope. I mean,

523
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,960
Speaker 1: the universe is backing that. And your story. Granted, Dad

524
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:35,520
Speaker 1: had um hit a wall, the family had to pivot,

525
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:40,760
Speaker 1: but you you, you, you believed in the universe, backed

526
00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,440
Speaker 1: that belief and you ended up okay. And I think

527
00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:47,440
Speaker 1: you have empathy and compassion for others because of that.

528
00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:50,160
Speaker 1: Am I right about that? Well? Yeah, John, But I

529
00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:54,479
Speaker 1: also recognized they also worked denied access to anything, you know,

530
00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:58,720
Speaker 1: so you know, so you know it was tough. But

531
00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:03,400
Speaker 1: by the way, know the color of their skin, the

532
00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:06,440
Speaker 1: places they were helped, you know, so they were able

533
00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:08,600
Speaker 1: to get an education, They weren't deny a job, they

534
00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:12,080
Speaker 1: weren't denied access to something. So you also have to

535
00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:14,960
Speaker 1: recognize that too. I think these this, you know, it

536
00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:18,320
Speaker 1: goes together. There's a lot of learning and everything. I hope,

537
00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,080
Speaker 1: I hope the listeners can play back. I hope you.

538
00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:23,360
Speaker 1: First of all, he swerved off the road when they

539
00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:27,720
Speaker 1: just hurt this very prominent man acknowledge his privilege. Um,

540
00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:29,880
Speaker 1: he didn't say it in that way, but that's this

541
00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:33,400
Speaker 1: is this, this is what he said, is being Caucasian

542
00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,320
Speaker 1: helped his family? It was, it was it was a

543
00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:42,560
Speaker 1: credit card and a credit line that was articulated. Whereas

544
00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:44,880
Speaker 1: if you're black or your brown, or your woman or whatever,

545
00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:48,400
Speaker 1: the struggle was harder. The struggle is real, you know,

546
00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:55,240
Speaker 1: And he's acknowledging that that's also part of leadership, This

547
00:29:55,440 --> 00:30:02,960
Speaker 1: sense of decency. How important is that for your how

548
00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:06,800
Speaker 1: you lead? Bill? I mean, John, I think the whole

549
00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:10,880
Speaker 1: concept of you know, for us leading a leading a purpose,

550
00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,520
Speaker 1: lead company. You know, we we use the words trustworthy,

551
00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:20,160
Speaker 1: we use the words care, we use the words one team.

552
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:24,120
Speaker 1: I mean, those are all synonymous for decency. Is you know,

553
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,600
Speaker 1: you've got to be a good citizen of the world

554
00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:28,760
Speaker 1: as sort of a starting point. I mean, you can't

555
00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,560
Speaker 1: you can't. You know, you can't affect change if you

556
00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:35,040
Speaker 1: don't come at it from a you know, a core

557
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,800
Speaker 1: value system. We had our company, John, I mean, we

558
00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:44,080
Speaker 1: ask everybody to articulate their own personal purpose. You know,

559
00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,280
Speaker 1: we have a company, we have a company purpose, which

560
00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:50,440
Speaker 1: inspired Bill better lives and communities. But we asked everybody

561
00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,360
Speaker 1: to talk about their own purpose. Why are they here?

562
00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:57,120
Speaker 1: What's their why? What? Why? What are they trying to accomplish,

563
00:30:57,320 --> 00:31:00,280
Speaker 1: and you know you'll always find in the in the

564
00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:03,080
Speaker 1: then diagrams you know that overlap each other. There will

565
00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:06,240
Speaker 1: be a connection with your personal purpose and the company's purpose.

566
00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:08,760
Speaker 1: That's when it really comes alive. That's when the engine

567
00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:12,560
Speaker 1: really starts going. But it's just equal, it's equally important.

568
00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:15,800
Speaker 1: And we think for everybody to recognize for us and

569
00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:20,719
Speaker 1: we have individuals, they all have a you know, a

570
00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,560
Speaker 1: personal purpose, a why of some type, and for them

571
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:26,720
Speaker 1: to be able to share that with each other, you know,

572
00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:30,600
Speaker 1: share that with their teammates, share that with their clients, uh,

573
00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,200
Speaker 1: and then articulate how it fits in terms of what

574
00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,720
Speaker 1: the overall companies can be trying to accomplish. I think

575
00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:41,440
Speaker 1: that's when everybody realizes, you know, the purpose of their

576
00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:47,080
Speaker 1: work and the purpose of their lives, and that's what

577
00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:49,000
Speaker 1: matters at the end of the day, right, I mean,

578
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,280
Speaker 1: that's the when we you know, when the proverbial you know,

579
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,320
Speaker 1: obituary has written. You know, we wanted to be about

580
00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:58,720
Speaker 1: the purpose of our lives, not the job that we did.

581
00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:01,920
Speaker 1: And when they can come together, which we think we

582
00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:05,240
Speaker 1: can accomplish the truest, that's the that's the magic for us.

583
00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,920
Speaker 1: Building the good life is brought to you by Prudential Financial.

584
00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:13,040
Speaker 1: For over one and forty five years, millions of people

585
00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:15,960
Speaker 1: have counted on Prudential to help solve for life's most

586
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,680
Speaker 1: important financial needs because at Prudential they live their purpose

587
00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:23,400
Speaker 1: to make life better by solving for the financial challenges

588
00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:27,080
Speaker 1: of our changing world. Prudentials Who's Your Rock campaign is

589
00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:29,880
Speaker 1: also about helping people reach new heights and providing a

590
00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:35,560
Speaker 1: platform for people to reach their financial goals. Yeah, and

591
00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:37,760
Speaker 1: the rubber meet met the road a couple of times

592
00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:40,720
Speaker 1: I saw in that regard. Recently, you guys joined Financial

593
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:43,880
Speaker 1: Literacy for All getting coachaired by me, the CEO of

594
00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:49,400
Speaker 1: Walmart Millan, and um, you guys said it to your associates,

595
00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:51,800
Speaker 1: if you go through this financial wellness program and leave,

596
00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,040
Speaker 1: you guys call it on up movement, that we will

597
00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,400
Speaker 1: the company invest in your financial will being. And I

598
00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:01,280
Speaker 1: think it was something like seven d dollars give or

599
00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:04,560
Speaker 1: take her. Individual who went through this programming, you set

600
00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:06,719
Speaker 1: up an account for them basically a rainy day acount,

601
00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:10,880
Speaker 1: a rainy day fund for you know, in case they

602
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:14,840
Speaker 1: stumbled like everybody else does. And this is important because

603
00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,280
Speaker 1: Americans pre pre pandemic did not have forty dollars for

604
00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:22,800
Speaker 1: an unplanned event. That's a big deal. Did I get

605
00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,680
Speaker 1: that number right now? Seventary bucks? Yeah, well, you're you're

606
00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:27,440
Speaker 1: you're right, ghn, You're right at it. And you know,

607
00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:30,800
Speaker 1: we we had this view that we wanted to do

608
00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:33,440
Speaker 1: this for our communities. We've got all these statistics, all

609
00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:35,560
Speaker 1: the things that you talked about those who don't have enough,

610
00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:38,600
Speaker 1: say for an emergency, and those things have the ripple effect.

611
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:40,560
Speaker 1: That's it. You know, I can't fix my car, I

612
00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:42,600
Speaker 1: can't go to my job, I get to lose my job.

613
00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,400
Speaker 1: I can't fix my car, I can't go to class

614
00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:47,520
Speaker 1: on time, I drop out of school. I mean, these

615
00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,520
Speaker 1: people think it's these big events as small events that

616
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:53,240
Speaker 1: that that's the opposite effect of the ripple effect we

617
00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:55,680
Speaker 1: talked about. That's the pebble that can create the ripples

618
00:33:55,680 --> 00:34:00,200
Speaker 1: that can destroy someone's life. And we just you know,

619
00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:02,920
Speaker 1: and the mistakes that c e O s make, you know,

620
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:05,600
Speaker 1: I presume that you know, we would be different with

621
00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:09,040
Speaker 1: our you know, with our teammates, and you know, we

622
00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:10,719
Speaker 1: did a lot of study, and they runder the same

623
00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:14,839
Speaker 1: financial stress. And that's just logical. That's not surprising. That's

624
00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:17,920
Speaker 1: not you know, meant to condemn them. It's meant to

625
00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:20,239
Speaker 1: support them that that yes, they're inder the same kind

626
00:34:20,239 --> 00:34:24,319
Speaker 1: of financial stress. So we started this for our own company, uh,

627
00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:27,080
Speaker 1: and then you know, joining with with you and Doug

628
00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:29,640
Speaker 1: was great because we started this with with other companies

629
00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:32,319
Speaker 1: as well, and we've got all over three companies that

630
00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:36,799
Speaker 1: we work with them and provide you know, basically at

631
00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:39,680
Speaker 1: cost of me. You know, this same opportunity for them

632
00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:42,399
Speaker 1: to do that for you know, for their employees and

633
00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,560
Speaker 1: and you know, great chances to partner with with you

634
00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:48,359
Speaker 1: and with other organizations and trying to trying to try

635
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:52,160
Speaker 1: to do this. I think this concept of employer well

636
00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:54,600
Speaker 1: being you know, sort of tie the paycheck and the

637
00:34:54,840 --> 00:35:00,279
Speaker 1: education together. I think it's really really powerful. I think

638
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,560
Speaker 1: this is an important I think financial literacy is a

639
00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:06,480
Speaker 1: civil rights issue of our of our generation. Um, we

640
00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:08,560
Speaker 1: got to reaffirm the right to vote, of course, but

641
00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:11,480
Speaker 1: it is I think the color is not black or white,

642
00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:14,839
Speaker 1: or red or blue. It's green, as in the color

643
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,799
Speaker 1: U s currency. And we need more of We need

644
00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,759
Speaker 1: more of it, and we they need need to understand

645
00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:25,080
Speaker 1: how to use it versus having it use them and uh.

646
00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:27,520
Speaker 1: And this financial lunacy for all movement is I think

647
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:30,080
Speaker 1: part of that. I think this is what healthcare was

648
00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:33,120
Speaker 1: years ago. Financial well being in the in the workplace,

649
00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:35,560
Speaker 1: and then going into schools and so on and so forth,

650
00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:38,440
Speaker 1: all of which you and I have talked about on

651
00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:41,800
Speaker 1: the on the occasion of Black History Month, but also

652
00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:44,960
Speaker 1: extending throughout the year because this evergreen people will be

653
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:48,319
Speaker 1: continuing to listen to this story. Um, I think Bill,

654
00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:51,360
Speaker 1: we're sitting in a moment in history right now. Challenge

655
00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:53,520
Speaker 1: me on this. I think that this is a one

656
00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:56,160
Speaker 1: in one year opportunity we have right now to create

657
00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,600
Speaker 1: a change in this country and by extension, to change

658
00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:00,840
Speaker 1: in the world. I think of the new movements in

659
00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:05,239
Speaker 1: the suites, not just the streets. Civil rights, as you know,

660
00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:07,640
Speaker 1: I call it, not civil rights, not just civil rights.

661
00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:11,040
Speaker 1: I think that this is about social justice through an

662
00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:13,960
Speaker 1: economic lens. So, if that is the question, if you

663
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,520
Speaker 1: don't totally disagree with it, what are some of the

664
00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:18,839
Speaker 1: things that you and true as are doing right now

665
00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:23,040
Speaker 1: and in the future to affect social justice through economic lens? Well,

666
00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:27,040
Speaker 1: I do agree, John, And you know, we talked about

667
00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:31,279
Speaker 1: core core issues like voting rights and critical, but the

668
00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:38,040
Speaker 1: financial education and financial uh, you know, competency are the

669
00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:42,000
Speaker 1: table stakes and the currency to participate, you know, in

670
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,239
Speaker 1: this economy. And you know we we have you know,

671
00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:47,840
Speaker 1: we have a strength in the economy, but the ability

672
00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,560
Speaker 1: to do it where it is more inclusive. If just

673
00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:54,440
Speaker 1: a few of us win, you know, that's not winning. Uh,

674
00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:56,600
Speaker 1: you know, when it's got to be an environment where

675
00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:59,719
Speaker 1: we're all focused on the denominator, not the numerator of

676
00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:03,360
Speaker 1: this equation. You know, the goal is to expand the

677
00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:06,560
Speaker 1: you know, to expand as as many people as possible

678
00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:10,440
Speaker 1: that can participate, uh, in this lat American dream and

679
00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:12,160
Speaker 1: this you know, John, you talk a lot of its

680
00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:15,960
Speaker 1: only life, but the core foundational elements of that are

681
00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:19,279
Speaker 1: just you know, grounded in in you know, in in

682
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:23,880
Speaker 1: financial education and expanding that to be financial inclusion. I

683
00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:25,680
Speaker 1: think I think we got to take the topic a

684
00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:28,640
Speaker 1: little bit further because I think the same financial education

685
00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:32,040
Speaker 1: alone might be a little bit of a cop out, right,

686
00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:36,640
Speaker 1: So I think so as I started thinking about it

687
00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:38,520
Speaker 1: and talk about it, it's just a lot more about

688
00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:42,680
Speaker 1: financial inclusion and making sure that more people are participated

689
00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:44,560
Speaker 1: in this process. And part of what we do through

690
00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:48,360
Speaker 1: truist momentum is uh is I think you know a

691
00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:50,839
Speaker 1: big part of that, you know that what we do

692
00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:53,840
Speaker 1: and and you know, part of our part of our merger,

693
00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:56,880
Speaker 1: I mean part of our merger was creating a sixty

694
00:37:56,920 --> 00:38:01,400
Speaker 1: billion dollar community benefits plan. And on the surface that

695
00:38:01,440 --> 00:38:04,440
Speaker 1: sounded like a really big number. And but but to

696
00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:07,480
Speaker 1: be able to you know, create affordable housing, to be

697
00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:11,319
Speaker 1: able to you know, to to operate in open locations

698
00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:14,360
Speaker 1: and communities that need US mode to provide digital access,

699
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,279
Speaker 1: to the communities that need US mode to provide broadband

700
00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:21,400
Speaker 1: uh for you know, locations, and people to to experience,

701
00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:24,000
Speaker 1: you know, all this digital revolution that's happening not only

702
00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:27,160
Speaker 1: in their classroom but in their bank. Um. Those are

703
00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:30,000
Speaker 1: all parts of that, parts of that component, and trying

704
00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:35,520
Speaker 1: to make sure that we're providing the poor skills, capabilities,

705
00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:39,319
Speaker 1: access and inclusion to everything that is part of this

706
00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:42,080
Speaker 1: you know, fantastic American dream that we all want to

707
00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:46,680
Speaker 1: benefit from. You've brought You've also brought people of color

708
00:38:46,719 --> 00:38:51,080
Speaker 1: into your executive ranks, Dante Wilson being one of them

709
00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:52,920
Speaker 1: to get his title. But it annoy easing the c

710
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:59,080
Speaker 1: suite there um and um and women. So also your

711
00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:03,560
Speaker 1: your your board and your management team. I know this

712
00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,200
Speaker 1: person is a black female on your board of directors. Uh,

713
00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,319
Speaker 1: there's a blackmail on your board directors, I believe as well.

714
00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:11,319
Speaker 1: So you sort of living living your truth? What as

715
00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:16,600
Speaker 1: we wrap up here two things? What um do you

716
00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:22,360
Speaker 1: want the audience to know listeners to know about what

717
00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:26,120
Speaker 1: Truest is doing? And by the way, I was wrong

718
00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:29,240
Speaker 1: on the name. I told you I thought this name stuck.

719
00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:31,640
Speaker 1: I said, I don't know why you picked it. I

720
00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:33,759
Speaker 1: don't know why you change the name from the name,

721
00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:36,640
Speaker 1: Why you pick sun Trust? It was a great name,

722
00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:39,799
Speaker 1: legacy name. This is ridiculous. What's this up with this color?

723
00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:41,680
Speaker 1: I was wrong about it all The color is cool,

724
00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:46,600
Speaker 1: it's sexy without being overwhelming. The Truest is unique. It

725
00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:50,360
Speaker 1: builds on the word trust. In my view, I don't know,

726
00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:51,800
Speaker 1: you know, I don't know that if your fact, but

727
00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:54,160
Speaker 1: I know I know that's what I think about I think,

728
00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:58,879
Speaker 1: so just full acknowledgement. You you acknowledge one. I'll take

729
00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,799
Speaker 1: one of the chin I would wrong. Bill, you're right.

730
00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:04,359
Speaker 1: So what do you want the audience to know about

731
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,719
Speaker 1: what's coming? What you're doing? Yeah? Okay, John, I think

732
00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:12,040
Speaker 1: that this whole concept of being you know, purpose led company,

733
00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:15,319
Speaker 1: it has to impact the decisions that you make, It

734
00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:18,840
Speaker 1: has to impact who you hire. John, we have a

735
00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:22,000
Speaker 1: very diverse board. You've given us a narrow definition. We've

736
00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:26,480
Speaker 1: got a very diverse leadership team. We committed to uh,

737
00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:30,080
Speaker 1: you know, being in excess of fift of our senior

738
00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:33,520
Speaker 1: leaders of being being diverse in three years. We did

739
00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:35,319
Speaker 1: it in two years. And I made the kind of

740
00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:38,080
Speaker 1: that's just like the beginning, that's just like the table stakes.

741
00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:40,480
Speaker 1: I mean, you just have to start there is creating

742
00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:43,400
Speaker 1: the momentum to create an environment. So, you know, a

743
00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:45,880
Speaker 1: couple of things that want people to know about us

744
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:49,799
Speaker 1: is one as we're a fantastic place to work, you know,

745
00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:52,440
Speaker 1: I mean, we're a company that you can come and

746
00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:54,920
Speaker 1: be your whole self. You can you don't have to

747
00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:57,920
Speaker 1: be somebody different. We want your we want your you know,

748
00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:01,480
Speaker 1: diverse you know opinions. We want to be a company

749
00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:04,279
Speaker 1: that's inclusive and people gonna have a fantastic career and

750
00:41:04,360 --> 00:41:07,399
Speaker 1: grow here. And uh, you know, the only the only

751
00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:09,480
Speaker 1: you know, the thing that's going to get in their

752
00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:12,240
Speaker 1: way as their own performance, you know, their own ability

753
00:41:12,320 --> 00:41:14,200
Speaker 1: to you know, to deliver and do it in a

754
00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:17,160
Speaker 1: doing in a purposeful way. Uh. And we want to

755
00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:19,360
Speaker 1: have that same view with what we're doing in the

756
00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:22,759
Speaker 1: in the community. We made a decision recently that I

757
00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:26,200
Speaker 1: think was totally aligned with purpose. Uh. And it's a

758
00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:30,160
Speaker 1: product called truest One, which is everybody can say, well,

759
00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:34,160
Speaker 1: you're not gonna have an overdraft product. That's that's a

760
00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:36,799
Speaker 1: simple way to say that. But remember if you know,

761
00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:39,200
Speaker 1: if you're not, if you don't have overdrafts, that means

762
00:41:39,239 --> 00:41:43,880
Speaker 1: the check where the payments getting returned. People sort of

763
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:46,160
Speaker 1: lose that as a concept. So we said, well, look,

764
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:49,640
Speaker 1: let's actually look at what's really important to clients. Uh.

765
00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:51,440
Speaker 1: And but by the way, but listen this define the

766
00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:56,000
Speaker 1: overdraft means literally, yeah, I overdrew my account. I had

767
00:41:56,040 --> 00:41:58,440
Speaker 1: a hundred dollars in and I wrote on her fifty

768
00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:00,960
Speaker 1: dollar check you know I just got you, or or

769
00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:04,840
Speaker 1: a digital payment, um. And and so we sort of

770
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:08,480
Speaker 1: thought about what to our earlier concept. People are, you know,

771
00:42:08,680 --> 00:42:13,279
Speaker 1: on the cutting things close and what's most important to them.

772
00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:16,200
Speaker 1: So instead of saying just not over draft fees, which

773
00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:19,560
Speaker 1: we've said this will save clients three hundred million dollars

774
00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:22,520
Speaker 1: a year, which is fantastic. Over the course is all

775
00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:25,359
Speaker 1: this is all, this is gets underway, But we also

776
00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:28,239
Speaker 1: created a hundred dollar buffer the sos Okay, no matter

777
00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:30,240
Speaker 1: what happens, you sort of get a hundred dollar buffer

778
00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:33,480
Speaker 1: and the opportunity to have back to our seven or

779
00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:35,600
Speaker 1: fifty dollars in terms of emergency to have a seven

780
00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:39,000
Speaker 1: d fifty dollars of emergency credit lot. So it's not

781
00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:41,359
Speaker 1: only that I'm not getting charged for the overdraft. That's

782
00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:44,560
Speaker 1: an important components. But my check is not getting returned,

783
00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:48,200
Speaker 1: my rent check, my grocery bill, my school bill, whatever

784
00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:53,719
Speaker 1: it is. Is. So I think the concepts of not

785
00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,440
Speaker 1: that it's one product or one thing, but as a company,

786
00:42:56,520 --> 00:43:00,400
Speaker 1: we're trying to make decisions from a purposeful perspective. You know,

787
00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:04,279
Speaker 1: do do they do they make a difference? Are they meaningful? Uh?

788
00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:07,680
Speaker 1: And and the whole concept of you know, you know,

789
00:43:08,239 --> 00:43:10,839
Speaker 1: doing well by doing good. We're fundamental believers of that.

790
00:43:10,920 --> 00:43:14,080
Speaker 1: I mean, we're all you know, we're a for profit company,

791
00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:16,680
Speaker 1: there's no doubt about that. But that doesn't mean we

792
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:21,080
Speaker 1: can't generate you know, activity by being fantastic citizens of

793
00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:25,920
Speaker 1: the communities. Amen, Amen, Amen, as we wrap this up,

794
00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:29,400
Speaker 1: and this has been a fantastic conversation with Bill Roger's

795
00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:33,560
Speaker 1: CEO and chairman of Truist six starters bank in Americas.

796
00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:36,319
Speaker 1: We wrapped this up. Buildings list of leaders who are

797
00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:39,319
Speaker 1: you've now we spoke, We've now spoken to want to

798
00:43:39,320 --> 00:43:43,239
Speaker 1: be builders, I'm building, want gonna build. We spoken to

799
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:47,319
Speaker 1: family builders, a lot of different categories here. Drivers. There's

800
00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:50,239
Speaker 1: some leaders listening to this Bill as the last question.

801
00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:53,279
Speaker 1: There there's some leaders listening to big companies. They want

802
00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:57,000
Speaker 1: to know how do I in bed purpose in my

803
00:43:57,120 --> 00:43:59,239
Speaker 1: business plan? Can I do well and do good? Or

804
00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:02,040
Speaker 1: is this just a old Rogers thing? What do you

805
00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:04,839
Speaker 1: have to say to them? In closing? Well, I mean

806
00:44:04,880 --> 00:44:08,959
Speaker 1: they're you know, lots of fantastic leaders, and I think

807
00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:12,359
Speaker 1: the first place to start is just start with your

808
00:44:12,360 --> 00:44:15,080
Speaker 1: own personal why you know, why why am I doing this?

809
00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:19,719
Speaker 1: What what am I here for? Uh? Then start with

810
00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:23,440
Speaker 1: then you know, translate that into then what's the company's why?

811
00:44:23,680 --> 00:44:25,640
Speaker 1: You know? Why? Why why are we doing this? We're

812
00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:29,400
Speaker 1: not selling manufacturing and selling widgets? What is it that

813
00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:32,759
Speaker 1: the widgets do? What are the widgets support? How do

814
00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:34,640
Speaker 1: they make a difference? So do you know, what do

815
00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:38,000
Speaker 1: they create that that provides value somewhere down the line,

816
00:44:38,680 --> 00:44:42,680
Speaker 1: and try to make those connections. Uh. And then once

817
00:44:42,719 --> 00:44:45,960
Speaker 1: those connections are made, and if they're not made by

818
00:44:45,960 --> 00:44:49,279
Speaker 1: the way, then go make them. So right, So if

819
00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:52,000
Speaker 1: they're not made, to make them because maybe maybe maybe

820
00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:55,120
Speaker 1: that you know, you've got an opportunity to expand your

821
00:44:55,239 --> 00:44:58,120
Speaker 1: product line or your capability or service line to to

822
00:44:58,400 --> 00:45:01,520
Speaker 1: to to do that. Um. And then and then once

823
00:45:01,600 --> 00:45:05,000
Speaker 1: that happens, is create the momentum around that and communicate

824
00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:07,120
Speaker 1: around that. And I think that's what I think. I

825
00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:09,319
Speaker 1: think fundamentally, people want to work for companies that want

826
00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:11,399
Speaker 1: to stand that stand for something people want to do.

827
00:45:11,680 --> 00:45:13,800
Speaker 1: People want to do business with companies that want to

828
00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:17,080
Speaker 1: stand for something. You know, people want to do business

829
00:45:17,080 --> 00:45:19,680
Speaker 1: with a company that's you know, they're somebody's shoulder to

830
00:45:19,719 --> 00:45:21,839
Speaker 1: shoulder with them in the community. When they look around

831
00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:25,840
Speaker 1: and see who's you know, uh, you know, handing or

832
00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:28,839
Speaker 1: in the line, you know, dispensing something, and they look

833
00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:31,799
Speaker 1: and so, oh, that's a purple Truest sweatshirt. Oh wow,

834
00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:34,520
Speaker 1: that's pretty cool. They're right here with me, We're doing

835
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:37,240
Speaker 1: this together. So I think I think it's just building

836
00:45:37,280 --> 00:45:39,440
Speaker 1: all that and then just making it. Making it not

837
00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:42,920
Speaker 1: if it's a slogan or a marketing item, you've lost

838
00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:46,040
Speaker 1: your way. You know. If it's how we make decisions,

839
00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:49,600
Speaker 1: is are we always asking that question? Then I think

840
00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:51,240
Speaker 1: we're on the path and we're all on the journey

841
00:45:51,239 --> 00:45:53,560
Speaker 1: by the way. I mean, I feel like I'm rounding

842
00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:55,879
Speaker 1: first base in this purpose journey, you know. I mean

843
00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:58,160
Speaker 1: I just think I'm just think I'm just getting started

844
00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:02,520
Speaker 1: and learning from others and uh, you know, seeking out

845
00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:06,240
Speaker 1: leaders and others who are who are leaving purposeful organizations.

846
00:46:06,320 --> 00:46:08,120
Speaker 1: John your one, I saw you know what you do

847
00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:11,160
Speaker 1: in your businesses, for example, your businesses that aren't hope

848
00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:14,400
Speaker 1: you know, you're racing business, and your home preservation businesses.

849
00:46:14,719 --> 00:46:17,759
Speaker 1: They all have broader context. You know. It's it's not

850
00:46:17,800 --> 00:46:20,359
Speaker 1: about racing, you know, it's about it's about creating an

851
00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:23,480
Speaker 1: inclusive environment. It's just just so happens to be something

852
00:46:23,560 --> 00:46:27,600
Speaker 1: you're interested in. But it's so, you know, you exemplified,

853
00:46:27,719 --> 00:46:30,440
Speaker 1: is building why around whatever it is you're doing. I

854
00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:33,200
Speaker 1: think I think maybe it's like an encapsulated Maybe it's

855
00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:36,560
Speaker 1: that simple. This is uh, been a great forty minutes

856
00:46:36,960 --> 00:46:40,840
Speaker 1: with one of the signature leaders in banking and financial

857
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:43,840
Speaker 1: services in the world, because America is the large economy

858
00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:47,080
Speaker 1: in the world, the soul superpower still in the world.

859
00:46:47,160 --> 00:46:50,080
Speaker 1: So when you say he's the sixth largest bank in America,

860
00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:52,799
Speaker 1: you're saying something about his place in the world. And

861
00:46:52,840 --> 00:46:55,440
Speaker 1: so what he does here and what the truest family

862
00:46:55,480 --> 00:47:00,840
Speaker 1: does here can um amplify around the world like in

863
00:47:00,960 --> 00:47:03,640
Speaker 1: like step. And I am proud to call Bill Rogers

864
00:47:03,719 --> 00:47:07,000
Speaker 1: my friend. Um he's not perfect, but he's perfectly my friend.

865
00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:09,880
Speaker 1: And what what you can count on is what what

866
00:47:09,960 --> 00:47:11,720
Speaker 1: he means. What he says, he says what he means,

867
00:47:11,760 --> 00:47:14,480
Speaker 1: and he will never lead you astray. And by the way,

868
00:47:14,520 --> 00:47:16,920
Speaker 1: if you didn't catch that, they're hiring. So if you

869
00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:20,680
Speaker 1: need a job, but JLB, head over and get yourself

870
00:47:20,719 --> 00:47:22,880
Speaker 1: an application. They are hiring. And I'm let me tell

871
00:47:22,880 --> 00:47:25,280
Speaker 1: you them. They are paying what we call a living wage.

872
00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:29,560
Speaker 1: So go join the middle class. Okay, you just heard

873
00:47:29,600 --> 00:47:32,640
Speaker 1: building the Good Life with Bill Rogers, chairman and CEO

874
00:47:32,760 --> 00:47:35,160
Speaker 1: of the sixth largest bank in America. Truists. Uh, and

875
00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:38,799
Speaker 1: my friend, and this is the master class. And what

876
00:47:38,880 --> 00:47:41,279
Speaker 1: he told you and what you should have learned from

877
00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:44,080
Speaker 1: that is that we're actually is actually somewhat spiritual. We're

878
00:47:44,080 --> 00:47:47,600
Speaker 1: not human beings having a spiritual experience. We're spiritual beings

879
00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:51,319
Speaker 1: having a human experience. And we're all living our childhoods.

880
00:47:51,360 --> 00:47:53,719
Speaker 1: No matter where you are, wherever you come from, your

881
00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:57,239
Speaker 1: influenced by how you grew up. And then then look

882
00:47:57,280 --> 00:47:59,680
Speaker 1: at how you're influencing others, Watch how you look, you

883
00:47:59,840 --> 00:48:02,160
Speaker 1: live your life, and maybe the only Bible of anybody

884
00:48:02,200 --> 00:48:05,040
Speaker 1: else reads he was influenced by his grandfather and the

885
00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:07,560
Speaker 1: struggle of his mother, and the fact that his brother's

886
00:48:07,600 --> 00:48:09,080
Speaker 1: sister had to go get a job when they had

887
00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:11,399
Speaker 1: this wonderful, cushy life, and and and and the fact

888
00:48:11,480 --> 00:48:13,239
Speaker 1: that as they were coming up they were they had

889
00:48:13,239 --> 00:48:16,600
Speaker 1: privileges and access because they were white. Um that black

890
00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:20,200
Speaker 1: people other people don't have. Uh. And he recognizes that

891
00:48:20,239 --> 00:48:22,880
Speaker 1: life was for him wild tough, would have been much

892
00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:26,040
Speaker 1: tougher had he not had those embedded privileges. He's not

893
00:48:26,239 --> 00:48:29,000
Speaker 1: guilty about it, but he does feel a responsibility. As

894
00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:32,120
Speaker 1: Ambassador Andrew Young would say, is not his fault that

895
00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:35,200
Speaker 1: he was born black. Is that's another white person's fault

896
00:48:35,320 --> 00:48:37,640
Speaker 1: or responsibility that they were born white. But it is

897
00:48:37,680 --> 00:48:40,279
Speaker 1: all of our responsibility to take this moment and to

898
00:48:40,400 --> 00:48:44,080
Speaker 1: improve the software of our existence for others who come

899
00:48:44,160 --> 00:48:46,080
Speaker 1: after us. And that is what Bill is trying to

900
00:48:46,160 --> 00:48:49,200
Speaker 1: do at true as he's doing well and doing good.

901
00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:52,240
Speaker 1: That's the master class lesson here is a false choice

902
00:48:52,239 --> 00:48:54,560
Speaker 1: to say that you can have to succeed somebody else

903
00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:56,799
Speaker 1: has to fail, that you're gonna win, but somebody else

904
00:48:56,840 --> 00:48:59,319
Speaker 1: has to lose. But we're learning now is you can win, win,

905
00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:02,560
Speaker 1: the you can do well and do good to oh

906
00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:05,160
Speaker 1: wait a minute, do well by doing you is what

907
00:49:05,239 --> 00:49:09,640
Speaker 1: they're about, what he's about, and what I'm about. That's

908
00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:14,600
Speaker 1: twenty one century building the good life. This is John

909
00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:20,120
Speaker 1: O'Brien building the good life with John Hope Bryant. Is

910
00:49:20,160 --> 00:49:21,840
Speaker 1: brought to you by Credentials Financial