1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: I'm Will Lucas and this is black Tech, Green Money. 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:08,360 Speaker 1: Olympia the Point is an award winning rocket scientists and author. 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: By her fans, Olympia is called the new Einstein, and 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: she was named the modern day Hidden Figure by People 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: magazine and Newsweek. She spent almost a decade at Boeing 6 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,600 Speaker 1: as a propulsion scientist f NASA programs, specializing in, among 7 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: other things, calculating the probability of catastrophic exposing events. We 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: often hear the phrase, either jokingly or sarcastically, it's not 9 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: rocket science. So I asked Olympia to dispel any myths 10 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: or confirm any facts about how hard it is to 11 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:39,480 Speaker 1: become a rocket scientist. 12 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 2: Oh my, that's a great question that you ask. Being 13 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 2: a rocket scientist is actually not as hard as it seems, 14 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:49,239 Speaker 2: because a lot of people don't know that. When you're 15 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 2: a rocket scientist, you have an expertise in a certain area. 16 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 2: My expertise is mathematics and probability and understanding how the 17 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 2: numbers can predict a few So when you're in rocket science, 18 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,199 Speaker 2: especially when we helped build and launch NASA Space Shuttle 19 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 2: main engines and Shuttle launches, we each had our own specialty. 20 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 2: Mine was mathematics and science, and I calculated the probability 21 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,400 Speaker 2: of catastrophic explosions within space flight. But they were also 22 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 2: chemists that could understand exactly how the oxidizers and the 23 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 2: fluids would run together and would burn appropriately. There were 24 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 2: structural integrity engineers that would look at how hard and 25 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 2: strong the metal was to ensure that it would rupture 26 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 2: us with the launch or when there was explosion to 27 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 2: cause a lift off. And there were people who would 28 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 2: sit by in mission control, including myself, that look at 29 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 2: different aspects like the turbopumps. There are people who would 30 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 2: understand how rotating machinery would work so people would have 31 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 2: a safe flight. So there's different experts in all these 32 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 2: different areas. In mind was mathematic and. 33 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: So if you compare that to like an orchestra, like 34 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: you have a bassoon player who is an expert at 35 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: the bassoon, and the person on you know, the flu 36 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 1: is an expert at the flu But somebody has to 37 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 1: sit above that and you know, knows all the instruments 38 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 1: and how they're supposed to fit into this, you know, 39 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: beautiful sound. Who is that person that sits above the 40 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: chemist and the mathematician and the probability person and all 41 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: of these different people. Who has to be the most 42 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: you know, proficient across or is it the same type 43 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: of you know thing as like you know, a conductor. 44 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 2: Great question. It is the program manager. The program manager 45 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 2: at each different location would oversee how all the different 46 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 2: parts and pieces would come together, and then you would 47 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 2: have the massive program manager. Now, most of the launches 48 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 2: that have been done here in the United States have 49 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 2: been formed by Massive until recently we've seen commercial space flights. 50 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 2: We've seen on the news SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic 51 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 2: that would go into certain levels of the outer space. 52 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 2: But it was NASA overseeing most of all of the 53 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 2: deep space travel, and so still to this day, NASA 54 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 2: program managers are the ones to oversee that each one 55 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 2: of the companies as well as the employees with their 56 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 2: own specialty, would come together and actually launched the engine 57 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 2: and vehicle in a safe way. 58 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: I'm so glad you brought up that these private industry, 59 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: private companies is commercialization of space travel, because one of 60 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: the things I wanted to ask you about was how 61 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: you feel having been at NASA. How do you feel 62 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: and how do you read the landscape of private industry 63 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: coming in, because I think about how, you know what 64 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: competition does to people who have just historically had a monopoly, 65 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: and it forces you to innovate. And I remember Elon 66 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: Musk saying, you know, he wanted to challenge the idea 67 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: that a rocket could only be used one time, and 68 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: so he developed ones that could be used over and 69 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: over again. And so as somebody who's worked in this 70 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: field for twenty plus years, and talk to me about 71 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: how you read the landscape of the importance of government 72 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: being involved and the importance of the private sector being involved. 73 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 2: There is an equal opportunity for both. And this is 74 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 2: why I say that governing structures are the ones to 75 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 2: ensure there is safe innovation. For example, let's look at 76 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 2: something that's basic that's not rocket science. If you look 77 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 2: at how a dam is built in how it holds water, 78 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 2: there's going to be safety regulations to make sure that 79 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 2: dam is going to be safe so it doesn't break 80 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 2: and doesn't take out homes and the water doesn't hurt 81 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 2: people downhill. It's the same process within aerospace. You have 82 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 2: these great companies that are creating these products, and you 83 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 2: also have to have some sort of regulatory procedure to 84 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 2: make sure or that the product is safe, whether it 85 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 2: be space travel, whether it be food, whether it be 86 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 2: food and the Drug Administration, whether it be all these 87 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 2: different areas. You have to have some sort of basic 88 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 2: guideline procedures to make sure that each one of the 89 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,279 Speaker 2: companies in any one of the areas operate to the 90 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 2: same standard. So the aerospace companies and the commercial flight 91 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,479 Speaker 2: companies are coming out now. It's great because a lot 92 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 2: of the companies that are out, we've seen them contribute 93 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 2: to space travel before. There are major companies like Raytheon, 94 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 2: like Boeing, as well as the newer companies that are 95 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:42,919 Speaker 2: coming out like SpaceX and Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic 96 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 2: and Astra. These are all private sector companies that are 97 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 2: building innovation, and the United States governments looks at these 98 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 2: companies and say, hey, you're building great innovation. How can 99 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 2: we support this innovation and how can we include it 100 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 2: in our programs that we're using right now. So it's 101 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 2: this one on one opportunity with both government and private 102 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 2: sector to do things. And sometimes the private sector has 103 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 2: an ability to create things at a lower cost value. 104 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 2: Let's say that they create a way to build nozzles 105 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,160 Speaker 2: on engines. Instead of going through a three year process 106 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 2: of forging and casting all the metals, there may be 107 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 2: a printing process that's easier to do. That would be 108 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 2: a three D printing process that may take half the 109 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 2: amount of time. So there's different innovations that's created through 110 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 2: private sector companies and commercial company that is extremely valuable. 111 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 2: And so we want to understand the innovation that comes 112 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 2: from both government as well as private sector. So innovation 113 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 2: can be not only affordable, but it can also be safe. 114 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: Talk to me about what a day looks like in 115 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: what in your domain of rocket science? So what kind 116 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: of projects do you work on and what does a 117 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,919 Speaker 1: typical day look like when you clock in? You know, 118 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: per se, Well, it depends. 119 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 2: Now I have I've been a rocket scientist, I've been 120 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 2: a professor, I've been an author, and I've been a 121 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 2: public speaker. So each day is different based on what 122 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 2: I'm doing. I have to laugh because when I was 123 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 2: in science, and when I was doing science for nearly 124 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 2: a decade, I was sitting at a computer, crunching numbers, 125 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 2: looking at a screen, and crunching numbers looking at a screen, 126 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 2: and crunching numbers, and I was sitting down. I was 127 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 2: sitting down crunching numbers. And the time in which I 128 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 2: would get at is when I go to a meeting 129 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 2: and talk to other people who are experts and we 130 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 2: devise a way to be able to construct or inspect 131 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 2: a certain part of the engine. And that was exciting 132 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 2: interacting with people. But when I was at my desk 133 00:07:55,960 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 2: crunning numbers, it wasn't the most exciting. Exception to when 134 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 2: I could look at the math and figure out the patterns. 135 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 2: For me, that was exciting. Everybody's different, but I am 136 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 2: more of a person who is active. I like moving around. 137 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 2: I like doing things that is not only scientific but 138 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 2: is engaging. So after spending ten years in rocket science, 139 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 2: so what I did is I laughed and I went 140 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 2: to become a math professor. So I was a math 141 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,239 Speaker 2: professor for fourteen years. And so I was walking around, 142 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 2: moving around all the time, having to write all the time. 143 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 2: There was not one moment in which I wasn't like 144 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 2: still unless they were taking a test when I was 145 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 2: sitting down proctering. But I had the ability to walk 146 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 2: and move and I could show the students the next 147 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 2: generation of the scientists, the technology specialists, the engineers, and 148 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 2: the mathematicians, how they could take this information and use 149 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 2: it for the innovation that was going to be used 150 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 2: at these large, major companies. So that day was more 151 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 2: writing and moving around. Now, as a public speaker, I 152 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 2: interface with people, and it was interesting before the pandemic 153 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 2: and after pandemic. After the pandemic was two different types 154 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,080 Speaker 2: of situations. Before the pandemic, I would go and meet 155 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 2: with everyone and it would be great. Now after the pandemic, 156 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 2: you have to make sure that people are safe and 157 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 2: people have the right safety measures, especially when we're in 158 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 2: When we were in the pandemic itself, it was really 159 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 2: a pivot point because I had to learn the technology 160 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 2: to give virtual lectures so people could understand what was 161 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 2: going on online and make it exciting for that. And 162 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:44,360 Speaker 2: now that people are getting healthier after the traumatic situation 163 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 2: the entire world saw under the pandemic, we are seeing 164 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 2: an ability to really educate in more profound ways now, 165 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 2: not only in person but in online, and so that's exciting. 166 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 2: And as an author, I get a share to do 167 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 2: fun things like this being on your show and talk 168 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 2: and share information because being an author is just the 169 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 2: first step of the process of writing a book, because 170 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 2: when you write a book, the first step is writing it, 171 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 2: but you have to like market it, and the way 172 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 2: you market it is giving away as much information and 173 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:23,960 Speaker 2: content as you can so people can grow from the 174 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 2: information and what you've written. So that's the exciting part 175 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 2: when I get a chance to connect with your audience 176 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:34,360 Speaker 2: and answer questions and do all this fun stuff. So 177 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 2: thank you so much. 178 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, I want to talk about education in a second, 179 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 1: but before I do, you know, we often have a 180 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: conversation and tech about you know, there's opportunities for technical 181 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: people obviously, engineers, coders, programmers and non technical people, and 182 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:52,199 Speaker 1: so I wonder before we talk about education, you know, 183 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:55,480 Speaker 1: are their roles for people who may not be technical 184 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:59,359 Speaker 1: people in the field of you know, rocketry. 185 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 2: There are different types of people. There's different type of thinkers, 186 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:12,680 Speaker 2: just like there's diversity with educational backgrounds, and just like 187 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:16,439 Speaker 2: there's diversity within how much income someone has. They can 188 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 2: have very little or they can be billionaires. So you 189 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,880 Speaker 2: can have diversity in people's heritage. Someone can be Asian, 190 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,680 Speaker 2: someone can be African American, someone can be African, which 191 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:32,199 Speaker 2: is different things. Someone can be European or Caucasian or American. 192 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 2: There's different types of ways in which people see the 193 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:41,199 Speaker 2: world and based on their background, but there's also diversity 194 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 2: in thinking. People think differently. People can be of the 195 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:52,440 Speaker 2: same nationality but think differently. And it's really important for 196 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 2: people to respect the differences in how we think because 197 00:11:57,559 --> 00:11:59,959 Speaker 2: as we can respect the differences on how we think, 198 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 2: think together as human beings would create solutions and answers. 199 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:10,400 Speaker 2: So in this process of not everyone being a technical 200 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:14,160 Speaker 2: minded person, that is one hundred percent great because not 201 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 2: everybody can do numbers. Not everybody can sit down and 202 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 2: feel comfortable dealing with a calculator. Not everybody is feeling 203 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:24,679 Speaker 2: comfortable looking at engineering the prints. That's just not how 204 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 2: their mind works. But they may be a great communicator. 205 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 2: They can read the room and see someone's mannerisms and 206 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 2: be able to say that person needs help. Some people 207 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 2: are great at being able to sell. Like for me, 208 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 2: I'm not the best seller at all. If I ask 209 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 2: someone to buy something, I'm like, you can buy it, 210 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,440 Speaker 2: you cannot buy it. You can do whatever you want. 211 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 2: But that's that's not for instance, it's a great seller. 212 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 2: A great sellers well, is somebody who can read a 213 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 2: person and know exactly what they need and point to 214 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 2: in the product, what exactly works in the product that 215 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 2: that's going to help them. So that's not my gifts, 216 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:08,239 Speaker 2: that's someone else's. But we each have this ability to 217 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 2: provide a contribution to an overall outcome. And this overall 218 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 2: outcome I feel as a scientist, is being able to 219 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 2: create an innovative approach for our world, and that is 220 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 2: going to give people answers with science, whether it be 221 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 2: finding solutions to the climate change, whether it be understanding 222 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:34,839 Speaker 2: how to keep people's information and faces safe and artificial 223 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:41,840 Speaker 2: intelligence technology, whether it be trying to understand how quantum 224 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 2: communications in the future can help keep data secure at 225 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:54,040 Speaker 2: hospitals and at state departments and governmental agencies, and the 226 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 2: electrical companies and grids across the world. So we have 227 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 2: the with each of our diverse ways of thinking to 228 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 2: contribute to a solution that's going to help humanity. So 229 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:09,679 Speaker 2: you don't have to be just a technical thinker, but 230 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 2: you can provide your skills in the way that's going 231 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 2: to help people. And that's the most important part. 232 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: I love that education. This I know this is close 233 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: near and dear to your heart. And I wonder. You know, 234 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: I was on social media and every once in a 235 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: while you'll see like a math problem and it'll be 236 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 1: like it'll seem obvious, and then there's like a million 237 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 1: different answers for the same math problem in the comments, 238 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 1: like everybody believes they know the right answer, but everybody's 239 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: got a different answer. And then there's you know, then 240 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 1: there's math problems I've seen on social media that you know, 241 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: explain how to do it, and then it'll show how 242 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: other nations teach how to do that same thing. And 243 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:50,240 Speaker 1: we wonder why we seem so backwards in so many ways. 244 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: And at the same time, we are near the bottom 245 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: in the United States of thirty five industrialized countries nations 246 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: in math proficiency. What are we getting wrong about how 247 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:04,720 Speaker 1: we teach math? 248 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 2: Oh? Boy, whoa, that's a good question. I mean, that's 249 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 2: a hot question. I love that question. That's a good question. Boy, 250 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 2: I can do. You know what, I wish we had 251 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:25,160 Speaker 2: educational officials all from all across the world and across 252 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 2: this nation listening to this particular podcasty, I can break 253 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:28,720 Speaker 2: it down. 254 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: Let's break it down. Let's bring it down. 255 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 2: People don't address the fear behind mathematics. They address the 256 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 2: answer when people fear certain situations. It doesn't matter if 257 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 2: it's mathematics. And I talk about this in my first book, Mathaphobia, 258 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 2: How you can overcome your math fears and become a 259 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 2: rocket scientist. It doesn't matter if you're fearing mathematics or 260 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 2: you're experiencing fear because you're in a home where your 261 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 2: parents are getting divorced and you're a kid. Same fear, 262 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 2: it's shutting down the frontal brain loads. Here's the problem 263 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 2: with fear. When it shuts down the frontal brain loads, 264 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 2: it stops someone from solving problems in mathematics, mathematics, and 265 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:21,480 Speaker 2: science stems specifically science technology injuring mathematics requires our frontal 266 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 2: brain loads to transport a problem into a solution. If 267 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 2: our frontal brain lobes are not working due to fear, 268 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 2: because fear turns off this part of the brain, and 269 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 2: fear is part of the reptilian part, and it shuts 270 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 2: down our creative problem solving, which is a part of 271 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 2: our frontal brain loads. And that's also when we get older, 272 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 2: is considered the executive decision making portion of our brain. 273 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 2: So when we experience fear, our brain shuts down. And 274 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 2: when our brain shuts down, it can't do a math problem. 275 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 2: So when you're looking we had a child starting to 276 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,920 Speaker 2: fail their math, it's because they're experiencing fear in their life. 277 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 2: And if you don't give the child tools to be 278 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 2: able to communicate themselves so they can address the fear 279 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:19,200 Speaker 2: and remove it from their brain at an early age, 280 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 2: they become stumped in mathematics. They become stumped in mathematics. 281 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 2: When they become stumped in mathematics, it affects the rest 282 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,639 Speaker 2: of their education. The quickest way to know if someone 283 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,240 Speaker 2: is a child is having really bad problems somewhere in 284 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 2: their life is look at their mascors. Their mascores are 285 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 2: the first indication that a child needs help because they're 286 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:50,159 Speaker 2: having trouble mentally processing a solution and finding an answer 287 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 2: to a situation. Math is the first place where you 288 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 2: see that. So in our country, we do not have 289 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 2: the best mental health access and priority, and it's across 290 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:07,080 Speaker 2: the board. It doesn't doesn't matter if you're white, it 291 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 2: doesn't matter if you're black, it doesn't matter if you're Asian. 292 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:14,919 Speaker 2: This country needs to increase its knowledge and understanding and 293 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:21,160 Speaker 2: respect of mental health when we can increase the ability 294 00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:26,880 Speaker 2: for young people to identify their feelings, how they're experiencing things, 295 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:30,679 Speaker 2: and to identify when they're are falling into one of 296 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 2: these characters where they get stuck. And I write about 297 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,080 Speaker 2: this in my first book. When people get stuck, they 298 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:38,479 Speaker 2: turn into Quincy the quitter. They'll quit even before they 299 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 2: even try. Donnaga overdoer. They'll try and try and still 300 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,679 Speaker 2: miss the mark. Samuel the struggler. He thinks that his 301 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 2: approach no one respects, and people think he's done. And 302 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,639 Speaker 2: then Crystal the criticize will blame everybody for her pro 303 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 2: performance because she doesn't know how to take ownership of things. 304 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 2: They students learn that at an early age, and if 305 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 2: we don't find a way to correct that type of 306 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 2: mental thinking at a very early age, it extends into adulthood, 307 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 2: where that adulthood makes someone think not only oh, I'm 308 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 2: not good at mathematics, they'll also think I am not 309 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:21,520 Speaker 2: worth trying to succeed in a certain area. So I 310 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:24,639 Speaker 2: become a business owner, So I become a scientist, So 311 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 2: I become a podcast host, so I become an entertainer. 312 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:31,320 Speaker 2: It's a full spectrum of different careers. That people can 313 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 2: go on to. So when we address the psychological issues 314 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 2: that people are facing, we then clear out the mind 315 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 2: to turn off the fear, and then we turn back 316 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:48,400 Speaker 2: on the frontal brain loads that are responsible for effective 317 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 2: decision making. And it doesn't matter if it's effective decision 318 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,159 Speaker 2: making where's a child or if it is an executive. 319 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 2: When we turn off the fear, we turn on solutions 320 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 2: in our brain, and that is how we provide answers 321 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:02,120 Speaker 2: to society. 322 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,919 Speaker 1: That's great, that's great. And so I was thinking about this, 323 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,040 Speaker 1: and you know, going through my math journey, and I 324 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 1: learned that math is a lot like you know, putting 325 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: wheels on a car, like if you or even stacking 326 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: blocks like if you miss a principle in the early 327 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:22,679 Speaker 1: fundamentals of math, it's very hard to get math at 328 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:25,880 Speaker 1: higher levels because the principle, the foundation is not there. 329 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: So if you don't get math, it's hard to get subtraction. 330 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:30,959 Speaker 1: If you don't get subtraction, it's hard to get multiplication 331 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: if like and these things keep building on themselves. And 332 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: so when you think about, you know, to your point 333 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 1: of helping people mentally in their socialized you know, removing 334 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:46,919 Speaker 1: trauma and et cetera. And life hasn't stopped though, you know. 335 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:49,240 Speaker 1: So now I'm progressing through grades, and I missed some 336 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,480 Speaker 1: fundamentals back two three years ago, pick a number ago, 337 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:55,360 Speaker 1: and how do how do or I'm an adult now 338 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:57,640 Speaker 1: and I didn't really get it, you know in those 339 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: school age years. How do you fix the car while 340 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:03,400 Speaker 1: you're driving? And you only got three wheels? 341 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 2: By this one concept that I want everyone to remember, 342 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 2: it's never too late to learn. It's never too late 343 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 2: to learn. And I know that from my own personal experience. 344 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 2: And I'm going to tell you why I failed algebra. 345 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:26,320 Speaker 2: I failed geometry. I felt calculous and I felt chemistry 346 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:30,199 Speaker 2: in school. And I laugh about it now because I 347 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:33,880 Speaker 2: eventually had to take the classes over, struggled and take 348 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,639 Speaker 2: the classes over again. Then I finally got it. And 349 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,479 Speaker 2: then I got it because I sat down with someone 350 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 2: who was willing to help me understand it. And it 351 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:46,600 Speaker 2: was I think I was sixteen years old when I 352 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:48,360 Speaker 2: finally started understanding algebra. 353 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 1: Well me before you continue, because I want to stop 354 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,240 Speaker 1: you because you just said something very salient. Is most 355 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: math issues with children about the teacher, their ability to teach. 356 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 2: Reasons I write about this in my book, and these 357 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 2: are phenomenal questions. It's due to three reasons. The parent 358 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 2: him or herself that has their own fear that they 359 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:16,320 Speaker 2: give off to their child through a math teacher who 360 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,600 Speaker 2: may not be supportive or may say some things that 361 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:24,240 Speaker 2: would negatively affect a student. Or it's by the system 362 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 2: itself that doesn't give the proper structure or the foundation 363 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 2: for someone to go far in science, technology, engineering, mathematics. 364 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,639 Speaker 2: So those are the three root sources of why students 365 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:40,120 Speaker 2: do poorly in mathematics. And for me, my mother had 366 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 2: a math fear. She was scared of mathematics, and she unknowingly, 367 00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 2: God bless her soul, because she really tried. She really 368 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:52,000 Speaker 2: truly tried to help me as a single mom. She 369 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 2: was scared, she was really scared of mathematics. And I 370 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:58,680 Speaker 2: remember seeing her take a math class when I went 371 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 2: back to which when I was like fifteen or sixteen, 372 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 2: I started to taking a man class and it was 373 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 2: with doctor Lee, and so she took me to class 374 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 2: with her. And when she took me to class with her, 375 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 2: the teacher himself helped me with calculus. And that's why 376 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 2: that's how I understood algebra because I started actually doing 377 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,679 Speaker 2: trigon alentry and calculus and asking him questions because my 378 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:28,359 Speaker 2: mother was taking me to class, her beginning algebra class 379 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:32,919 Speaker 2: when she was at the community college, and that process 380 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 2: made me start thinking, maybe there's stuff I need to learn. 381 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 2: And then I sat down with a teacher that actually 382 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:42,919 Speaker 2: spent time tutoring me, and that's when I realized I 383 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 2: had the foundation. Now all those classes that I failed, 384 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 2: there's one class that I didn't take over. You're gonna 385 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 2: get a kick off this. There's one class I failed 386 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 2: I didn't take over. It was algebra fundamental with algebra. 387 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:03,360 Speaker 2: But I'm a spiritual person, and I truly believe God 388 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:06,800 Speaker 2: was helping me because the class that I started teaching, 389 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:11,120 Speaker 2: the first class I started teaching on an ongoing basis 390 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 2: after I left Rocket Science, was an algebra class to adults. 391 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:17,240 Speaker 1: Wow. 392 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 2: So for ten years I looked at the information that 393 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,920 Speaker 2: I failed when I was younger, and when I would 394 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,920 Speaker 2: look at the book, I would see it and I'm like, oh, 395 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 2: I know exactly what I did wrong when I was 396 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:34,119 Speaker 2: sixteen and seventeen that I didn't get right. And it 397 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 2: was like I could know what was going on in 398 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,960 Speaker 2: the student's brains. Because I was there. I know how 399 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,679 Speaker 2: they were thinking because I did that too. So that 400 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:51,080 Speaker 2: was the pleasure I had, was helping adults learn basic algebra, 401 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 2: and that was one of the most fulfilling parts of 402 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 2: my career where I had the ability to help people 403 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 2: learn and it didn't matter your age, because you can 404 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:02,879 Speaker 2: learn at any age. 405 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: I know you're a big proponent of the pursuit of 406 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 1: higher education, and we're having a real strong conversation in 407 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: our social discourse about the value of a college degree, 408 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:19,959 Speaker 1: and I want to get your thoughts on how we 409 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 1: either change our minds about it or how do we 410 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 1: increase the value of it. 411 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:32,840 Speaker 2: I am slightly biased. I am biased for a higher education. 412 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:39,199 Speaker 2: And the reason why I am a big supporter of 413 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:44,880 Speaker 2: higher education is because I am a professor. I am 414 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:49,360 Speaker 2: a professor, and I recently started teaching at my campus 415 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:54,679 Speaker 2: that I graduated from. I'm starting at teaching research methods 416 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:59,240 Speaker 2: in the Africana Studies Department at California State University, northrich 417 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:02,960 Speaker 2: I am honored because I am going to be helping 418 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,919 Speaker 2: the department as well as students understand how statistics and 419 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 2: information goes into making sure that systems are equitable and 420 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:20,040 Speaker 2: fair and diverse for people of various backgrounds of color. 421 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:25,680 Speaker 2: So I got here because the fact that I came 422 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 2: from an environment South central Los Angeles where education wasn't promoted, 423 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,639 Speaker 2: And when I went to other areas and was busted 424 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 2: into other and other school districts, I saw how economically 425 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 2: different these areas were and the type of expectations that 426 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:52,919 Speaker 2: were placed on the students to succeed. Growing up in 427 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 2: South central Los Angeles, there wasn't that expectation on any 428 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,919 Speaker 2: one of the students that were in that area. But 429 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 2: yet when I was busted over into this other area, 430 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,439 Speaker 2: that expectation was on them. For You're going to go 431 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:06,439 Speaker 2: to college, You're going to succeed, You're going to do this. 432 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,440 Speaker 2: You're going to become a business owner, you're going to 433 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 2: become a lawyer, you're going to become a doctor. You're 434 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,920 Speaker 2: going to provide your skills and expertise to help humanity. 435 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:18,720 Speaker 2: That was the concept that was instilled in younger people 436 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:23,119 Speaker 2: at that age when I was busting to that area. 437 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:29,119 Speaker 2: So being able to objectively look at the different communities, 438 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 2: I realized that an education was the ticket to success. 439 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:39,679 Speaker 2: Now there's different types of education. I believe in higher education, 440 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:42,120 Speaker 2: which is at a four year university, but you can 441 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:47,919 Speaker 2: also educate yourself in a trade, whether it is understanding 442 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 2: how to do construction, whether it is understanding how to 443 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:55,239 Speaker 2: do hair and nail. You have to educate yourself in 444 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:58,119 Speaker 2: a way to properly do things. So it's going to 445 00:27:58,119 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 2: turn out the way that you would like it to. 446 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:05,639 Speaker 2: It doesn't matter what area you're emphasizing or specializing in, 447 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 2: but you do have to know about it, and you 448 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:11,880 Speaker 2: do have to know about it by learning about it. 449 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:15,119 Speaker 2: And why you learn about it is you go and 450 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 2: you hopefully can enroll in a community college, which is 451 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:26,760 Speaker 2: affordable for most people, thankfully in California and other places. 452 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,400 Speaker 2: You go to a community college, you can get certain courses. 453 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:34,720 Speaker 2: You can even finish your high school diploma through taking 454 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 2: community college classes. So I'm a big person to really 455 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:43,520 Speaker 2: promote education because it changed my life. I can't speak 456 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:47,520 Speaker 2: about anyone else's life. It changed your mind, and so 457 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:52,800 Speaker 2: as a result, I'm very supportive of education because it 458 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:56,560 Speaker 2: transforms the way that we think. The more that we 459 00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:01,480 Speaker 2: can renew our mind far there we can go on life, 460 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,040 Speaker 2: and I truly believe education can do that. 461 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 1: I get approached by a lot of parents who want 462 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 1: their kids to find careers and technology and your path 463 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: and science and maths started when you were six, you know, 464 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,480 Speaker 1: and you had some exposure to things, you know, to rockets, 465 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: and so what are some great things parents can do 466 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:27,600 Speaker 1: with young children to help inspire that sort of learning 467 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 1: and desire earlier? 468 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 2: Just thinking about that off the top of my head. 469 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 2: The first thing that they can do is make science 470 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 2: and technology real. When I was six years old, I 471 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,880 Speaker 2: went to the Jet Proportion Laboratory and that's here in California, 472 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 2: in Pasadena, and there I saw the jet engines, and 473 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,400 Speaker 2: I saw the rockets, and I went to their mission 474 00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:01,120 Speaker 2: control room and I saw pictures of men launching our O. Now, 475 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 2: I didn't realize that what I was looking at were 476 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:11,200 Speaker 2: men launching rockets. They didn't have my same skin color, 477 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 2: and they did not have they did not have femininity 478 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 2: in the photo. And I looked at it and I 479 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 2: thought to myself, I didn't see that. All I saw 480 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:29,280 Speaker 2: was science. All I saw was the ability to do 481 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:32,440 Speaker 2: something great and launch something and explode something into the 482 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 2: air and help humanity. That's what I wanted to do, 483 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,320 Speaker 2: and that's what I decided I had no idea the 484 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:41,760 Speaker 2: challenges I was going to face. If parents could introduce 485 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:47,640 Speaker 2: their kids to something like that early on, that will 486 00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 2: forever help set the foundation of positive seeds in a 487 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 2: child's mind. Those seeds will grow and will be able 488 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 2: to fight off the depression and the discouragement that they 489 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 2: have as they're growing up, because those seeds that are 490 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,200 Speaker 2: planted in a child's mind early in life helps them 491 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:14,760 Speaker 2: see how they can contribute to something that is real. 492 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 2: So if you have the ability to take a child 493 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 2: to be your nearest airport, show the child how airplanes fly, 494 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:32,880 Speaker 2: how they land, do basic think. Take them to a museum, 495 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 2: a science museum, have them look at the different anatomy 496 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 2: of the human body and how muscles are from. Take 497 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 2: them to things that will inspire them. If you think 498 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 2: that your child's going to be a musician, take them 499 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 2: to the Take them to a symphony and learn how them. 500 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,200 Speaker 2: Teach them to be quiet so they can listen to 501 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:55,240 Speaker 2: the music. These are all the different ways to inspire 502 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:58,320 Speaker 2: a young person and put a positive seat of growth 503 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,320 Speaker 2: in their brain. The second idea that comes to mind 504 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:08,680 Speaker 2: is giving positive reinforcement. I was just watching it was 505 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 2: Joel ostein. It was a sermon that he did online 506 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,840 Speaker 2: and he was talking about the comedian Steve Harvey. And 507 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:20,040 Speaker 2: this was really interesting when I heard this story. He 508 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 2: said that Steve Harvey, when he was a really young person, 509 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 2: wanted to be a comedian. And when he told his 510 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 2: teacher that, the teacher told the boy, which at the time, 511 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:34,480 Speaker 2: which was Steve Harvey as a young child, is anyone 512 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:37,280 Speaker 2: else in your family on TV? And he said no. 513 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,240 Speaker 2: Then she says, go back and write something else down there, 514 00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:43,880 Speaker 2: And that was something that was very discouraging to him. 515 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:47,960 Speaker 2: But his father, from the story that was sared in 516 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 2: the sermon, his father came and said, don't listen to that. 517 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:57,800 Speaker 2: Listen to this. You can be anything that you want 518 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:02,160 Speaker 2: to be. That note and keep your plans and put 519 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:04,280 Speaker 2: it first in your drawers, so every time you open 520 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 2: up the drawer, you'll be able to see your vision. 521 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:11,040 Speaker 2: And that's what Steve Harvey did. So throughout his homelessness, 522 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 2: throughout all these different type of situations that he faced, 523 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:16,240 Speaker 2: he kept that in the back of his head, which 524 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:17,680 Speaker 2: is I'm going to be on TV, and I'm going 525 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,120 Speaker 2: to be on TV. And one of the first opportunities 526 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 2: he had was to be on the Apollo Show. If 527 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 2: any I may be dating myself, let's tell you I 528 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 2: remember the Apollo Show, but Erry, But any case, he 529 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 2: did it. And so that that story goes to the 530 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 2: point of the second point, which is you have to 531 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:44,480 Speaker 2: reinforce young people with positive words of encouragement that they 532 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:48,080 Speaker 2: can achieve what they want to achieve if they are 533 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:56,080 Speaker 2: persistent and consistent. And the last thing I would recommend 534 00:33:56,280 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 2: to do is educate yourself and provide ways for your 535 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:04,680 Speaker 2: child to be educated. Now, I grew up in south 536 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:10,200 Speaker 2: central Los Angeles in a gang in the nineteen eighties, 537 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:13,600 Speaker 2: so it was like gangs all over everywhere. There were 538 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:17,160 Speaker 2: crack houses everywhere, and it was just really terrible. And 539 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 2: my mother found a way for me to be busted 540 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 2: into this other school system, and through that education, I 541 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:25,120 Speaker 2: got a chance to see that it doesn't matter what 542 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 2: color someone is or what their background is per se 543 00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:33,799 Speaker 2: with ethnicity or their heritage. It matters on what information 544 00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:36,120 Speaker 2: is being fed into their brain at an early age. 545 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:41,920 Speaker 2: So with that concept, you want to feed the brain 546 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,520 Speaker 2: of young people so they have the foundation of being 547 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:48,120 Speaker 2: able to build upon in the future. I happened to 548 00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:51,600 Speaker 2: learn science I wasn't necessarily good at it all the time. 549 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:55,480 Speaker 2: But if I happened to learn science and I just 550 00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 2: stuck with it, I just stuck with it and stuck 551 00:34:57,680 --> 00:34:59,279 Speaker 2: with it, and stuck with it and stuck with it 552 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:01,400 Speaker 2: and stuck with it until eventually I'm like, oh, this 553 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:07,719 Speaker 2: is clicking. We have to place kids in an environment 554 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:15,319 Speaker 2: where they're exposed to healthy education and keep exposing them 555 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,319 Speaker 2: to it, keep putting them in study groups, have them 556 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:22,680 Speaker 2: meet with their friends at a safe location that is 557 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:26,680 Speaker 2: a public location where they can study together. You know, 558 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:30,520 Speaker 2: make sure, and I always want to say for parents, 559 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 2: make sure and keep your children protected. Not all parents 560 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:39,880 Speaker 2: have the same philosophies or ideas as you have, but 561 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,520 Speaker 2: the kids themselves can learn from one another because they're kids. 562 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:46,200 Speaker 2: So what you can always do is make sure that 563 00:35:46,239 --> 00:35:51,280 Speaker 2: they're incredible environment and public type of settings. To always 564 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:53,480 Speaker 2: keep your kids safe so that when they learn information, 565 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 2: they can learn it freely without any fear. 566 00:35:56,280 --> 00:36:01,040 Speaker 1: That's what I have last one hour have is your 567 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:05,560 Speaker 1: book answers at least to the science of attracting what 568 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:09,040 Speaker 1: you want. It explores a lot about you know, the 569 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:15,319 Speaker 1: science of attraction, and I wonder about how your experiences, 570 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:20,800 Speaker 1: education and expertise in rockets and space might have informed 571 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:24,640 Speaker 1: you know that that sort of concept of attraction. 572 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:35,040 Speaker 2: Oh wow. I did a talk about the book Answers 573 00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:37,200 Speaker 2: on Least to the Science of Attracting what you want, 574 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:39,680 Speaker 2: and it's if you go to answers on LEAs dot 575 00:36:39,719 --> 00:36:43,839 Speaker 2: com slash live Lectures, it's my page and the last 576 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:45,799 Speaker 2: lecture you see on the page is the talk. So 577 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:49,160 Speaker 2: I highly encourage you to go to the page. It's complimentary. 578 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:51,960 Speaker 2: You can watch talk and the talk I did with 579 00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:55,120 Speaker 2: California State University of Northbridge to produce that so people 580 00:36:55,160 --> 00:37:00,560 Speaker 2: can have free education online. So the talk basic deals 581 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:05,080 Speaker 2: with understanding quantum deciding, and basically what quantum deciding is, 582 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 2: it's the ability to make your decisions count. There's six 583 00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:12,600 Speaker 2: different decisions that we make on a daily basis that 584 00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:18,880 Speaker 2: will attract opportunities to us. And they are making decisions 585 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:23,080 Speaker 2: with your faith, how you see your purpose in the world, 586 00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:27,840 Speaker 2: making decisions with your identity, with who you choose to 587 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:32,480 Speaker 2: be in all situations, making decisions with your intent, how 588 00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:39,520 Speaker 2: you choose to impact and influence environments instead of let 589 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:43,960 Speaker 2: the environment change you. The next decision is based on 590 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:46,960 Speaker 2: your learning how do you take in new information and 591 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,719 Speaker 2: throughout the old information that is no longer accurate or 592 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:54,440 Speaker 2: maybe fake news. The next is your resources. How do 593 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:58,279 Speaker 2: you take your resources and multiply it so what you 594 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:01,560 Speaker 2: think is not enough will be more them enough. And 595 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:06,759 Speaker 2: then how do you make decisions based on your love 596 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:09,080 Speaker 2: and time? How do you love yourself and love other 597 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:15,239 Speaker 2: people so you create positive relationships in the present and 598 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,799 Speaker 2: in the future. So these are the decisions, the six 599 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:23,480 Speaker 2: decisions that count towards attracting opportunities that come to us. 600 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:25,640 Speaker 2: And so we attract opportunities that come to us. And 601 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:28,160 Speaker 2: it's not always easy to make these decisions. If it 602 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:36,279 Speaker 2: were easy, I'd be a millionaire already, but that's not realistic. 603 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,879 Speaker 2: The realistic part of it is we have to continuously 604 00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:43,719 Speaker 2: make wise decisions on a daily basis to keep attracting 605 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:46,680 Speaker 2: opportunities so we grow to where we're supposed to be 606 00:38:46,719 --> 00:38:49,799 Speaker 2: in life. And what allow me to be able to 607 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:59,160 Speaker 2: create this just groundbreaking decision making? Science based method was 608 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:04,439 Speaker 2: three things It was working at in aerospace because when 609 00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:07,640 Speaker 2: I was working as an aerospace engineer, I used mathematics 610 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:10,799 Speaker 2: and science to calculate the probability of explosions, So I 611 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:14,520 Speaker 2: actually had to see in the future before an event 612 00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:18,960 Speaker 2: would happen, and then come back and make the decisions 613 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:21,840 Speaker 2: in engineering and help encourage other people to make the 614 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:29,600 Speaker 2: decisions in engineering. So the explosions wouldn't lose the vehicle 615 00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:33,200 Speaker 2: or cause people to lose their lives, but the explosions 616 00:39:33,239 --> 00:39:37,080 Speaker 2: would go down the plume and the explosion would happen 617 00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:40,320 Speaker 2: in the right places, so it could be a launch, 618 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:43,600 Speaker 2: and it could be a safe launch. But I had 619 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:46,759 Speaker 2: to see two different futures in front of me and 620 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:48,960 Speaker 2: pick the one in which you were going to go to. 621 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:54,160 Speaker 2: And the epiphany moment happened. What if we do that 622 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:59,000 Speaker 2: with our own lives? What if we're able to pick 623 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:03,440 Speaker 2: the future that we want to go to instead of 624 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:07,719 Speaker 2: thinking we have no options? And I started thinking about 625 00:40:07,719 --> 00:40:10,480 Speaker 2: that in my own life. Well did I use that 626 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:12,799 Speaker 2: in my own life? And that's when the epiphany came, 627 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:17,280 Speaker 2: Oh I did. I had several different futures that existed 628 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:19,879 Speaker 2: from my own personal life because I grew up in 629 00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 2: this really povery stricken area. There are three futures that 630 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:27,080 Speaker 2: existed for me. I could have been a victim to 631 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:35,000 Speaker 2: this surrounding area and or I could have been a dropout, 632 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,920 Speaker 2: or I could have gone into science. When I saw 633 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:42,560 Speaker 2: the picture of the men launching rockets when I was 634 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:49,600 Speaker 2: six years old, and I unknowingly chose the future where 635 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:54,080 Speaker 2: I could launch rockets, I didn't realize what I was 636 00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:57,600 Speaker 2: doing was picking my future, and how I would pick 637 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:01,160 Speaker 2: the future was through my decision making to get there. 638 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:08,680 Speaker 2: We each have this ability to pick our future by 639 00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:11,759 Speaker 2: making decisions that are in a present. And the way 640 00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:14,920 Speaker 2: we make effective decisions in the present is by seeing 641 00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:21,560 Speaker 2: the future that we want, looking back to the past 642 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:24,800 Speaker 2: to figure out what are the values and the lessons 643 00:41:24,840 --> 00:41:29,560 Speaker 2: we learned through our most toughest situations, and I outline 644 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:33,120 Speaker 2: how to identify those six different tough situations that everyone 645 00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:38,759 Speaker 2: is faced in my book, and from identifying your values 646 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:42,839 Speaker 2: and finding out the lessons that you learned in past situations, 647 00:41:42,840 --> 00:41:46,040 Speaker 2: how to talk to yourself in the past and talk 648 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:49,480 Speaker 2: to yourself in the future, so at this very moment, 649 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:51,680 Speaker 2: you can make a decision that will get you to 650 00:41:51,719 --> 00:41:56,200 Speaker 2: where you need to go. That is que and deciding. 651 00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:01,080 Speaker 2: And I'm a scientist and I love to make sure 652 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:04,880 Speaker 2: things are really solid. I like to make sure there's facts. 653 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:07,600 Speaker 2: I like to make sure is detail. I like to 654 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:10,880 Speaker 2: make sure that what I say is valid. So what 655 00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:13,960 Speaker 2: I did is I looked at all the science that 656 00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:20,160 Speaker 2: proved how this is possible, and that included Albert Einstein's 657 00:42:20,239 --> 00:42:23,760 Speaker 2: quantum entanglement theory of how the past, president, and the future 658 00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:26,600 Speaker 2: are all interconnected in a way in which deals with 659 00:42:26,719 --> 00:42:32,239 Speaker 2: quantum physics. I looked at this with NASA's teleportation discovery 660 00:42:32,239 --> 00:42:35,320 Speaker 2: that happened in twenty twenty when it created long distance 661 00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:38,480 Speaker 2: teleportation to the future, which was to the space station. 662 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:41,720 Speaker 2: So it was hologram technology where they had to actually 663 00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:45,000 Speaker 2: see in the future and project in the future before 664 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:47,799 Speaker 2: it actually happened. And that was the science that was 665 00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:52,879 Speaker 2: used with NASA there. And then I also used my background, 666 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:57,880 Speaker 2: which is my mother is Native American. So with the 667 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:01,160 Speaker 2: understanding of the principles of how my mother and my 668 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:06,239 Speaker 2: mother's family understood how energy works. Realizing that we have 669 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:09,920 Speaker 2: decision making that literally changes the energy of situations and 670 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:12,720 Speaker 2: the energy of our lives. And so when I peered 671 00:43:12,719 --> 00:43:15,080 Speaker 2: that with the science and peered that with the energy 672 00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:17,840 Speaker 2: of how atoms work and how the energy of how 673 00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:22,919 Speaker 2: our planets rotate around the Sun, there was this universal 674 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:28,799 Speaker 2: story which is we each have this energy that in 675 00:43:28,880 --> 00:43:32,200 Speaker 2: this power, I call it the power, the power that 676 00:43:32,239 --> 00:43:37,759 Speaker 2: comes from our decision making. It's no superstitious thing. This 677 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:43,319 Speaker 2: is real. We have the ability to make powerful decisions 678 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:47,239 Speaker 2: that's going to change the course of time, but we 679 00:43:47,360 --> 00:43:52,600 Speaker 2: have to own it. So that is what I learned 680 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:55,360 Speaker 2: when I wrote my third book, Answers. I reached to 681 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:58,120 Speaker 2: the science of attracting. What we want is that we 682 00:43:58,320 --> 00:44:02,759 Speaker 2: each had this power for decision making capability, and it's 683 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:05,600 Speaker 2: up to us to make the sixth decisions that count. 684 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:24,319 Speaker 1: Black Tech Green Money is a production the Blavity Afrotech 685 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:27,120 Speaker 1: on the Black Effect Podcast Network and i Hied Media, 686 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:30,440 Speaker 1: and it's produced by Morgan Debonne and me Well Lucas, 687 00:44:30,719 --> 00:44:33,880 Speaker 1: with additional production support by Sarah Ergon and Rose McLucas. 688 00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:38,440 Speaker 1: Special thank you to Michael Davis, Vanessa Siroundo, and Maya Moldrew. 689 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:41,000 Speaker 1: Learn more about my guess. The Other Tech Disructor is 690 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:44,640 Speaker 1: an innovators at afrotech dot com. Join your Black Tech 691 00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:49,000 Speaker 1: Green Money, Share this with somebody, Look at your money. 692 00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:50,520 Speaker 2: Piece in love