1 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: You know, at the typical college graduation, the speaker will 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: at some point say, now go change the world. 3 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 2: And I just cringe when I hear that, and it's 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 2: well intended. 5 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: But I work in an investment firm, so I'm all 6 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,119 Speaker 1: about odds and what are the odds of success? And 7 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 1: that's how I advise my clients. You know, if you 8 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: do X, the odds of success are either. 9 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 2: High or low. 10 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: And if someone said to me, go change the world, 11 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: the odds of success are very infintestament. But if they 12 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: said go touch the heart or the life of the 13 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: person sitting next to you or down the hall, the 14 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,240 Speaker 1: odds of success are one hundred percent. 15 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 2: So I'm going with the odds. 16 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 3: Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. 17 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 3: I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, I'm a father, 18 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 3: I'm an entrepreneur, and I've been a football coach an 19 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 3: inner city Memphis. And the last part unintentionally led to 20 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 3: an oscar for the film about our team. That movie 21 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 3: is called Undefeated. I believe our country's problems are never 22 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 3: going to be solved by a bunch of fancy people 23 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 3: and nice suits using big words that nobody ever uses 24 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 3: on CNN and Box, but rather by an army of 25 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 3: normal folks. That's us, you and me just deciding, Hey, 26 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,960 Speaker 3: you know what, maybe I can help. That's what Chris Ulman, 27 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 3: the voice you just heard, has done. Chris is the 28 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 3: four time International whistling Champion. Yeah you heard that right. 29 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 3: There is such a thing and it's gotten them whistling 30 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 3: in some places that he could have never imagined, such 31 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 3: as the Oval Office and the Tonight Show. But what 32 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 3: makes him a member of the army is how he 33 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 3: whistles Happy Birthday to over seven hundred people every single year. 34 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 3: Not wait for you to meet Chris. Right after these 35 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:26,119 Speaker 3: brief messages from our general sponsors, Chris Olmen, Welcome. 36 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 2: To Memphis, Bill, Amazing to be here with you. 37 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 3: Amazing to be with you. We interview a lot of people, 38 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 3: but never the international world whistling four times, Juan. 39 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 2: Four times. Well, hopefully you will recover after this experience. 40 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 3: Okay, for everybody listening, we have Chris Olman, who is 41 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 3: from Alexandria, Virginia, and he is the four time International 42 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 3: whistling Champion. He's a member of the Whistlers Hall of Fame. 43 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 3: He's a husband and a father. He has serenaded and 44 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 3: we'll get to these stories. He's serenaded presidents in the 45 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 3: Oval Office, He's been on The Tonight Show, The Today Show. 46 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 3: He's performed the national anthem at several major league and 47 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:22,359 Speaker 3: college sporting events. He's performed with ten symphony orchestras, including 48 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 3: the National Symphony Symphony Orchestra. And he's whistled in front 49 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 3: of sixty thousand people before. And maybe more impressive than 50 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 3: all of that, he calls seven hundred people a year 51 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 3: and whistles Happy Birthday to him. And he is the 52 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 3: author Find Your Whistle, Simple Gifts, touch hearts and change lives. 53 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 3: So while this is going to be fun and we're 54 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 3: going to whistle while we work today, there's a ministry 55 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 3: behind Chris's simple talent that we're going to get into. 56 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 3: And so thanks for flying down here this morning. 57 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: Well, I am really delighted and excited to talk about whistling. 58 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 1: It's a fun activity and happy to share some tunes 59 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: with people, and I'm really excited to be here first whistling. 60 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 3: Why where did that come from? Tell me about bub Bub? 61 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 2: All right? 62 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: So Bub is my late father. He died around five 63 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: years ago and he was a really good whistler, and 64 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: he wasn't a champion, meaning he hadn't competed in any competitions, 65 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 1: but he had a very sweet and beautiful kind of 66 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: tone to his whistling, and he specialized in Gilbert and 67 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: Sullivan's songs, so he'd whistle all the. 68 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:48,119 Speaker 2: Time around the house. 69 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: And there I was five years old, and I was 70 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:54,160 Speaker 1: listening for a few years, but not able to do it. 71 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:56,919 Speaker 1: And then finally I was able to put the three 72 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 1: parts together lips, tongue, air, lipstart. And if you're a 73 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: lip whistler as I am, versus being a tongue. 74 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,840 Speaker 2: Whistler, which is no lips, you'll notice. 75 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: But for a lip whistler, you you've got to get 76 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 1: your lips into a nice little round hole, and then 77 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:21,919 Speaker 1: you have to get your tongue in the right position, 78 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:23,919 Speaker 1: which is on the bottom of your mouth, not on 79 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: the top, so the air is traveling over your tongue, 80 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: and then the tongue regulates pitch, you know, high low, 81 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: and then air. You have to blow air, but you 82 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 1: have to be very gentle about it. So I was 83 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: thankfully able to take those three variables kind of mix 84 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:41,799 Speaker 1: them up a bit until I got the right combination 85 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: to make the sound. So that's how I started whistling. 86 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:49,480 Speaker 1: And it was pretty anemic at first, and no one 87 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: said I was particularly good for a long time. 88 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 3: Okay, did you just irritate people all the time with 89 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 3: your child? 90 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: Well, thankfully, my mother, God bless her, she's going to 91 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: be eighty eight soon. 92 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:05,719 Speaker 2: She was amazingly tolerant of the whistling. 93 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: She would have to be, because my wife does not 94 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: like whistling very much. 95 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 3: I like it, that's pretty petty. 96 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: So I rarely whistle in the house today. So when 97 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 1: I'm whistling those happy birthdays, I inevitably go in the 98 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: basement to whistle them for people so she doesn't have 99 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: to hear it. 100 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,840 Speaker 3: She's had enough of whistling. Yeah, it's interesting. I do 101 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 3: speeches all over the place, and for the last three years, 102 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 3: Lisa's like, I hear you talking enough, I'm not going anymore. 103 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,559 Speaker 3: So I think your wife just as sick of hearing 104 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 3: you like my wife's sick. 105 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, she's very supportive. She went to many whistling competitions 106 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: over the years, so there I'm able to whistle so 107 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: to kind of get out the basic sound. And then, 108 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: as with most things in life, it's like what do 109 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: you do with it? So my first objective was to 110 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 1: just get better, which means develop new techniques, develop my 111 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 1: range and my ability to stay in the right key, 112 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 1: and have a good intonation, which is make sure your 113 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 1: pitch is spot on. So the way I did that 114 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: primarily was through by whistling two hours every day. 115 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 2: From thirteen to sixteen years old. 116 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 4: You whistled two hours every day every day for I 117 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 4: had a paper route, and I would whistle the whole time, 118 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 4: and again from a quality standpoint, so my customers would say, 119 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 4: heard you coming. 120 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: They never said anything about wow, that was good, you know, 121 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: but there I so all right. 122 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 2: So now I'm actually developing a repertoire. I whistled whistled 123 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 2: almost exclusively. 124 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: Classical music as a child, so like Beethoven and Chaikowski 125 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: and Broms and all that kind of stuff. Yes, Beethoven's 126 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: fifth exactly. And then in college I started whistling in 127 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: talent shows and at first people are like, that's really freaky, 128 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: we don't want you. 129 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 2: And what I've learned. 130 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: Through, you know, fifty years of whistling, is that it's 131 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: very binary. There are people who say that is the 132 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: coolest thing ever, like, give it to me, baby, And 133 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: then there are. 134 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 2: Other people like, ah, get away from me. 135 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: And now, thankfully the latter category is relatively small. But 136 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 1: you know, in my book Find Your Whistle, I have 137 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 1: these amazing stories of people who like lit up right 138 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,840 Speaker 1: away when they heard it and said, I want to 139 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: hear that and tell me your story. And then other 140 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: people went screaming in the other direction. And I could 141 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: tell you a few of those stories. But then then 142 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,319 Speaker 1: I graduate from college, I moved to Washington, d C. 143 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: And I start whistling at open mic nights. 144 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 3: Blues club in Washington, d C. And for those actually 145 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 3: had two people ask me this this morning. Does this 146 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,280 Speaker 3: guy whistle for a living? Like, no, he does not 147 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 3: whistle for a living. He's a normal dude with the job, 148 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 3: went to d C and had a life. Right. 149 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: My kids don't think I'm normal, but I'm I'm relatively normal. 150 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 3: Yeah. 151 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: Yes, here's the funniest thing ever is that here I'm whistling. 152 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: I had won champion ships and I decided to make 153 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:05,680 Speaker 1: a CD. So I hired a full symphony orchestra and 154 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 1: I record the CD of classical music. Then I go 155 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: to my boss, and I say, David, I am going 156 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: to get some attention for this CD. I just want 157 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,120 Speaker 1: you to know I'm committed to the firm. And he 158 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: very deadpan, and he says to me, I'm not worried. 159 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: We pay you more than you'll ever make whistling. 160 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 3: Yea. 161 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: And so you really can't make a lot of money 162 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:31,840 Speaker 1: as a whistler. So I've had this wonderful career in communications. 163 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 2: We're in Washington, d C. I worked in the White House. 164 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: I worked on Capitol Hill at an investment firm for 165 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:43,000 Speaker 1: eighteen years, and I've had this whistling overlay. So there's 166 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: like this little parallel life of being a whistler, and 167 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: then the whistling kind of dips into my day job 168 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: over the years. And you know, one time I was 169 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: just summoned to the Oval Office to whistle for George W. 170 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 2: Bush with fifteen minutes notice. 171 00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:58,679 Speaker 3: It is just bizarre. 172 00:09:58,760 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 2: I totally bizarre. 173 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 3: And so somebody that knew the president said, you know, 174 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 3: we got the international whistling champion working in the White House. 175 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 2: That is exactly what happened. So in Bush goes, that's right, 176 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 2: that's exactly what happened. 177 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 1: And so I whistle Happy Birthday for the President's chief 178 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 1: of Staff, Andy Card And then apparently he then told 179 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: the President, we got this freaky guy who can whistle 180 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 1: on the staff. I had never met him before. And 181 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: then I walk into a staff meeting with the with 182 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: Mitch Daniels. You've probably heard of him. He was the 183 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 1: president of Purdue University the governor of Indiana. After the 184 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:35,560 Speaker 1: White House and I walk into the staff meeting and 185 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 1: Mitch says. 186 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 2: Meeting canceled. 187 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 1: Ullman, you stay, And that's usually a bad sign when 188 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: you're a spokesperson. It means you said something stupid to 189 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: a reporter and you're about to get fired. 190 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 3: Yeah. So I was about to whistle your butt right 191 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 3: out of the White. 192 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 2: House, that's right, or but into the Oval Office. 193 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:53,360 Speaker 1: So I said, what's up, Mitch, and he said, get 194 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: your jacket, We're going to the Oval a whistle for 195 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 1: the president. 196 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 2: And I'm like, come on. 197 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 1: So I run to my office and I call my 198 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 1: wife and I say, Chris. Her name's Chris also, so 199 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: it's Chris and Chris. Anyway, I say, Chris, I'm going 200 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: to the Oval Office to whistle for the president. 201 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 2: She's like, can I come? I say, no gotta go. Sorry, Okay. 202 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 2: So then Mitch and I. 203 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,319 Speaker 1: Go to the Oval Office and I serenade the President 204 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,960 Speaker 1: for like twenty minutes, and while I'm in there, the 205 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:20,960 Speaker 1: Vice President comes in the. 206 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 2: White House Council. 207 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: There were twenty people in the Oval Office by the 208 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: time we were done. He had a great time. 209 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 2: I had an amazing time. 210 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:31,680 Speaker 3: What did you whistle for him? 211 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:37,359 Speaker 1: I whistled Dueling Banjo's you know from that great movie Deliverance? 212 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 3: Are you kidding me? 213 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 2: With my boss? We did a duet that was kind 214 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 2: of freaky. 215 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,840 Speaker 1: I did the William Tell overture, which is otherwise known 216 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 1: as the Lone Ranger Song. 217 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:54,319 Speaker 2: And it goes on and on and on. 218 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:56,680 Speaker 3: I would expect George Bush would have loved that one. 219 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,439 Speaker 2: He did well. I did say. 220 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: I didn't say it was the William tell overture. I 221 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: just said it's the Lone Ranger song. And He's like, perfect, 222 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: do that one for me. And then I concluded with 223 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:12,080 Speaker 1: battle him of the Republic, which I'd never whistled publicly before. 224 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: I had whistled it on my own, probably during my 225 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 1: paper route. And then like on the fly, he just said, 226 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:20,680 Speaker 1: all right, I got to go. Gotta go do the 227 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: nation's business. Whistle one more for me? And I thought, hm, like, 228 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 1: what is a great song to like end an oval 229 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 1: office gig with? And I said, well, battle him of 230 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: the Republic, of course. So I did that and it 231 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:33,559 Speaker 1: and you know, it gives. 232 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:34,520 Speaker 2: Me a shiver to this day. 233 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: That and this is this whole notion of how do 234 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:41,440 Speaker 1: you take a simple gift? Like I'm not curing cancer, 235 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 1: I'm not rowing across the Atlantic, I'm not climbing Mount 236 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: Everest blind. 237 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 2: I just whistle. 238 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: But you know I could take this super simple gift 239 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 1: and then touch this the most powerful man in the planet, 240 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,200 Speaker 1: and touch his heart in just a little way and 241 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,680 Speaker 1: give him a little respite, a little joy for twenty minutes. 242 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:04,559 Speaker 1: And so that experience has stuck with me, and I 243 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:07,199 Speaker 1: know it's stuck with him because I met him probably 244 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,199 Speaker 1: like fifteen years later, and he remembered that experience. 245 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, I remember reading that. When you walked in to 246 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 3: the over office, but you got to be nervous. I mean, 247 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 3: it's the Oval Office, it's the president, and dude has 248 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 3: an unlit cigar and his feet kicked up on his 249 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 3: desk and he's like, hey, dude, whistle it was. 250 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 1: It was really kind of freaky. I was a little nervous, 251 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: but I didn't have enough time. You know, what happens 252 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 1: in life is like you have this big exam in 253 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:35,599 Speaker 1: a month and you're like you're worried about it, or 254 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:38,480 Speaker 1: a big presentation at work. I had fifteen minutes notice, 255 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 1: and half of it was trying to figure out what 256 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 1: am I going to whistle? So I walk in the 257 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:46,080 Speaker 1: oval and there he is kicking back feed up on 258 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:47,760 Speaker 1: the desk unlits of gar and he sees me. 259 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:50,440 Speaker 2: Jumps up and he comes around and he says, he 260 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:50,959 Speaker 2: shakes my hand. 261 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:52,439 Speaker 1: He said, he said, who's what you had to whistle? 262 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: He said, do you need some water? Do you need 263 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 1: you stand? You said what's going on? And I was like, 264 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:00,440 Speaker 1: this President, I'm moisten, puckered, I'm ready to go okay, 265 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 1: And he's like, all right, let's do it. And then 266 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 1: I was so happy you used my father's nickname, Bub, 267 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: because when I was done whistling for the president, he said, 268 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: I'm going to write your father a note. And he 269 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: took out this presidential stationery and he says the president 270 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 1: on it and he said, dear Bub. Chris came by 271 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: the Oval to share his magic. We're happy to have 272 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: him on the team. And my mother recently gave me 273 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:29,680 Speaker 1: that note. I haven't seen it in twenty, you know, 274 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 1: like twenty five years. 275 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 3: And that needs to be framed and stuck somewhere. 276 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 1: It's put it in one of those like loose sight things. 277 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 1: It's in our living room. And so he Bush was 278 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 1: thinking like that. He was a very nice man. I 279 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: was really impressed with that battle. 280 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,040 Speaker 3: Him and the Republic is one of the greatest. Give 281 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 3: us a little bit of that. 282 00:14:48,280 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 2: All right, Well it goes. 283 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,680 Speaker 3: On it well done, good, thank you. 284 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:27,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, that was that was fun. 285 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 3: That was really all right. So everybody in here, y'all 286 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 3: just got what the president got. See you need to 287 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 3: feel pretty, you know, elevator or whatever. And now a 288 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 3: few messages from our general sponsors. But first, I hope 289 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 3: you'll follow us on your favorite social media channels, where 290 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 3: we share more powerful content, including reels from our video 291 00:15:54,640 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 3: studio and testimonials from army members. We're at army of 292 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 3: normal folks on every channel. Give us a follow, we'll 293 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 3: be right back, all right. So another one that interests 294 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 3: me is the Jalno Show. 295 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, that was so so I win, all right, 296 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: so let me I'm going to talk about that. But no, no, no, 297 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: this is perfect, but the progression. So I'm whistling talent shows, 298 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,320 Speaker 1: I go to blues clubs, and I'm I'm learning how 299 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: to do improvisational whistling, not just classical. I whistle a 300 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 1: lot of grateful dead, a lot of jazz and stuff 301 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: like that. And then I'm I'm on a hike in 302 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 1: the Shenandoah National Park, which is in Virginia, and whistling, 303 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 1: of course, hopefully not annoying too many people. 304 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 2: And some one of. 305 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 1: My friends says, you know, you're really good. You should 306 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:06,399 Speaker 1: do something with that. And this is ninety two, so 307 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:10,480 Speaker 1: there's no internet. So a friend says, if this competition, 308 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:12,359 Speaker 1: because I said, I think there's a competition. 309 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:14,800 Speaker 2: If it exists, she said, I'll find it. 310 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 1: So she we get back from the hike, she goes 311 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 1: to a library, finds, interestingly a directory of events and 312 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,120 Speaker 1: is a book like five hundred pages of all these 313 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: national events in America. And sure enough, there is at 314 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: the time the National Whistler's Convention, a gathering of the 315 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:33,479 Speaker 1: best whistlers in the world in this little town in 316 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:35,040 Speaker 1: North Carolina call Lewisbourg. 317 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 3: Oh gosh, if you if you were going to say 318 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 3: mount Airy, I was going to know it's right. 319 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 2: It's not far from mount Airy at all. 320 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 3: Which for everybody listing Andy Griffith's show, of course, yeah 321 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 3: maybe the most whistled tune people my age. 322 00:17:49,760 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 2: Or shouldn't I Okay, it goes on and on too. 323 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:11,200 Speaker 3: I feel like Ron Howard out a walkin that you should. 324 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:17,440 Speaker 1: So I compete in the competition. I win a small prize, 325 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,280 Speaker 1: and which gave me hope. So what's interesting about when 326 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 1: you are the whistler in your town or on you 327 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,399 Speaker 1: at your job or at your college. You don't know 328 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,639 Speaker 1: how good you are relative to other people. It's not 329 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 1: until you go to a gathering of the best whistlers 330 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:37,120 Speaker 1: or swimmers or whatever that you actually see how good 331 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 1: are you? So I show up at this international competition 332 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:42,880 Speaker 1: and yeah, I thought, yeah, it was pretty good. 333 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 2: So I learned a lot that first year. 334 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:46,919 Speaker 1: And then so I come back the next year, nineteen 335 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:51,680 Speaker 1: ninety four, and I win the Grand Championship, and that's 336 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 1: where Jay Leno comes in. So I win this thing 337 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: and I say, well that was really fun, And then. 338 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:57,440 Speaker 3: How many people are in this thing? 339 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 2: They're on thirty adults all right. 340 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:03,199 Speaker 3: They come from just all over all over the world. 341 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:09,880 Speaker 1: I mean we had Japan, Canada, Australia, England, Germany, US, 342 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:12,440 Speaker 1: a lot of a lot of Canadians. They are very cool, 343 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: they're very they're good at hockey, they're good at whistling. 344 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:15,439 Speaker 1: I bet you didn't know that far. 345 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:19,960 Speaker 2: Okay. So the phone just rings totally. 346 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:23,480 Speaker 1: Off the hook. It is radio shows, and then a 347 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 1: producer for the Tonight Show calls up says, hey, we 348 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 1: want you to be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. 349 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:33,119 Speaker 1: I'm like, you can't be serious. They're like, we're very serious. 350 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 1: Can you come here in like three days? So I 351 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:39,400 Speaker 1: fly to la and I was on the Tonight Show. 352 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:41,359 Speaker 1: It's on YouTube. You can find all this stuff. 353 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:42,360 Speaker 3: Would you whistle for him? 354 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 1: I whistled Love Struck Baby by Stevie ray Vaughan with 355 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 1: the Tonight Show band, which was just an amazing experience. 356 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: Alan Alda for those people who remember mash he was a. 357 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:55,200 Speaker 2: Guest that night. 358 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:59,160 Speaker 1: And then Michael Richards who was Cramer on Seinfeld, he 359 00:19:59,200 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: was a guest too. 360 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 2: So I got to meet these famous people and they 361 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 2: were like, who are you. I'm like I'm the champion whistler. 362 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 2: They're like yeah, oh yeah, sure, yeah yeah uh and. 363 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 1: Then you know, the Today Show calls I'm on with 364 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,080 Speaker 1: Katie Kuric and and then like all hell broke loose. 365 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:17,160 Speaker 1: I am going all around whistling and doing fun things 366 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:20,160 Speaker 1: and you know, and just sharing my simple gift. 367 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:22,280 Speaker 2: But of course I still have a day job, so I. 368 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:25,119 Speaker 1: Got to manage that day in and day out while 369 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:29,200 Speaker 1: having all this fun whistling and uh, yeah it was. 370 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: It was amazing good experiences. 371 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 3: And since then, you've won it three more times? I did. 372 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:38,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, I won three more times, and then I did 373 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:40,879 Speaker 1: try to win it a fifth time, like be like 374 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: Michael Jordan and come out of retirement. I came in third, 375 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:46,119 Speaker 1: and I thought, you know, I'm going to hang up 376 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:49,600 Speaker 1: my chapstick. And you know, so now now I just 377 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: whistle Happy Birthday. And I do talks on whistling and 378 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,399 Speaker 1: it's less about whistling, and it's more about what's your 379 00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: simple gift in life and what are you going to 380 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: do with it? And well, yeah, go ahead, I'm and 381 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: in my book, what I do is I try to 382 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,480 Speaker 1: focus on other people and say, all right, my gift 383 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: happens to be whistling, But what's your gift? And how 384 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:16,920 Speaker 1: did other people in my life, how did their simple 385 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:19,679 Speaker 1: gifts touch my heart? To try to give the reader 386 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:24,439 Speaker 1: a sense of what a whistle metaphor for gift can be, 387 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:26,680 Speaker 1: because I've had people come up to me and say, oh, 388 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: I can't whistle, and I say, that's not the point. 389 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: The point is God gave you gifts. What are you 390 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,320 Speaker 1: doing with them? Have you developed them? And are you 391 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:35,960 Speaker 1: sharing them? And you know, trying to make a little 392 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:38,200 Speaker 1: impact in your orbit. 393 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,880 Speaker 3: So it's fun to have the International Whistler on here 394 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,400 Speaker 3: to whistle the stuff that you've whistled, and we'll continue 395 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,719 Speaker 3: to whistle throughout our chat. But that's the part that 396 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 3: struck me the most is that we talk about on 397 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 3: an army in normal folks, that magic happens when someone 398 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:02,440 Speaker 3: uses their passion and discipline and it intersects opportunity. That's 399 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 3: when magic happens in the world is when there's a 400 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:10,920 Speaker 3: gap in society, a hole that needs filling, a need 401 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:14,440 Speaker 3: that needs filling, and then somebody that has a discipline 402 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 3: and I don't mean discipline like doing the right thing, 403 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:20,879 Speaker 3: I mean an ability and a passion that intersects with 404 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 3: that whole and they decide to engage. And you know 405 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:31,680 Speaker 3: a lot of people think about philanthropic endeavors and helping 406 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:37,280 Speaker 3: communities is being part of some large government in GEO 407 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 3: or some massive organization. But I will argue some of 408 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,639 Speaker 3: the best servant leadership you can do is oftentimes just 409 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:49,680 Speaker 3: down the hallway, and it's an army of normal folks. 410 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 3: Is not about five people doing gargantuan work. It's about 411 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 3: means of people doing small things and how that can 412 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 3: change our culture. And that is why I love your story. 413 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 3: When did you decide you are simply going to call 414 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:09,359 Speaker 3: people on their birthday seven hundred people a year and 415 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:13,199 Speaker 3: just wish a happy birthday, to put twenty seconds of 416 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:15,840 Speaker 3: joining their life. That to me is the most beautiful 417 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:16,959 Speaker 3: the whole part of the story. 418 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,159 Speaker 1: Well, Bill, I just love the way you phrase it 419 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:25,480 Speaker 1: of how these kind of skills and interest meeting opportunity. 420 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: And you know, at the typical college graduation, the speaker 421 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,479 Speaker 1: will at some point say, now go change the world, 422 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 1: and I just cringe when I hear that, and it's 423 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:42,919 Speaker 1: well intended. But I work in an investment firm, so 424 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 1: I'm all about odds and what are the odds of success? 425 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:47,800 Speaker 1: And that's how I advise my clients. You know, if 426 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: you do X, the odds of success are either high 427 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 1: or low. And if someone said to me, go change 428 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:59,919 Speaker 1: the world, the odds of success are very infantestic infantesim. 429 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,439 Speaker 1: But if they said go touch the heart or the 430 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:06,640 Speaker 1: life of the person sitting next to you or down 431 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:09,880 Speaker 1: the hall, the odds of success are one hundred percent. 432 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:12,760 Speaker 1: So I'm going with the odds. I'm going to go 433 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:16,480 Speaker 1: and see how can I take that little gift and 434 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 1: with some you know, some effort, and see how I 435 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 1: can effect change in just this tiny little way. 436 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 2: So with the to answer your question. 437 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:30,680 Speaker 1: Specifically, it was in the I think like ninety four, 438 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety four, so thirty one years ago that I 439 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:37,439 Speaker 1: whistled the first Happy Birthday, and I remember it to 440 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 1: this day. I was working on Capitol Hill at the 441 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 1: House Budget Committee and it was someone's birthday and usually 442 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,400 Speaker 1: most people sing. And someone said, hey, you're a whistler, 443 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:51,120 Speaker 1: you know, because I won the championship at that point, 444 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: and so when you whistle Happy Birthday, I was like, 445 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:55,320 Speaker 1: I've never done that before, so I. 446 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:57,600 Speaker 2: You know, I did kind of a basic version of 447 00:24:59,160 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 2: you know that kind of thing. 448 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 1: People like, yeah, that was great, and amazingly, I still 449 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,439 Speaker 1: whistle for the couple of people who I worked with 450 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,960 Speaker 1: at that time to this day, all these decades later. 451 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 3: Do you say hello? Or when they pick up the 452 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:13,400 Speaker 3: phone do you just start whistling? 453 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 1: Oh my god, I'm so glad you you asked that question, 454 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:20,639 Speaker 1: because most people, when you get them live, they grown. 455 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 2: And I'll explain why. 456 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:25,399 Speaker 1: It's like, I'll say, hey, it's Chris calling, you know, 457 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:29,400 Speaker 1: serenade you on your birthday. You're like, oh, And now 458 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: at first I my feelings were hurt. And then what 459 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:34,959 Speaker 1: I found out was that they wanted a recording of 460 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,879 Speaker 1: it so they could share with their friends. So now 461 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,800 Speaker 1: I don't call anyone on their birthday. I take my 462 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:45,440 Speaker 1: iPhone and there's a little voice memo and they record 463 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,680 Speaker 1: a custom version for each person. So the typical thing 464 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 1: is I'll say, I'll say, Bill, it's Chris calling to 465 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,520 Speaker 1: issue a happy birthday, and here's a serenade to add. 466 00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,920 Speaker 2: To your merriment. That is, that's kind of my line. 467 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:05,040 Speaker 1: And then I whistled this wildly complicated version of happy Birthday, 468 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: because it's morphed from that simple version thirty years ago 469 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:13,400 Speaker 1: to fairly complex version today and then I just say, 470 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:14,679 Speaker 1: you know, God bless you. 471 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 2: There you go. 472 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:18,480 Speaker 1: And then I texted to them and people love that 473 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:19,200 Speaker 1: far more. 474 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:25,440 Speaker 3: Yeah. The reason I ask is my fraternity roommate, Charles Felcher, 475 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:29,520 Speaker 3: who does listen to the show occasionally. His father was 476 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 3: a full bird kernel and he was in a OTC 477 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:37,840 Speaker 3: and there were many, many Sunday mornings. Their pet was 478 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 3: at six am that he would enjoy all the trappings 479 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,679 Speaker 3: of what ole miss has to offer too late on 480 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:48,680 Speaker 3: Saturday night, and he would just go get dressed in 481 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 3: as fatigues and pass out in my hatchback. And I 482 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:53,920 Speaker 3: knew he'd be there, so I would wake up at 483 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,159 Speaker 3: five point fifteen in the morning, go down, drive my 484 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,520 Speaker 3: car to PTE, open the hatchback, spill him out on 485 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 3: the floor and he'd go run through my right. 486 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:02,680 Speaker 2: That's a great way to get sober, huh. 487 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 3: It is. So he hadn't done it a while, but 488 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 3: starting on the second year of my marriage, on just 489 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:15,360 Speaker 3: random times, once he became in charge of a company, 490 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,880 Speaker 3: once he became major, the phone would ring at five 491 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 3: in the morning. I'd answer it. And I wouldn't hear 492 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:23,840 Speaker 3: a voice. I would just get a bugle of rebelly 493 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:26,479 Speaker 3: in my ear and then he would hang up and 494 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 3: that was it. But I knew it was Charles, so 495 00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 3: I didn't know if maybe you ever did that on 496 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 3: Happy Birthday with people. That's why I asked if you 497 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 3: actually introduced it. I have never. I wish Charles would 498 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:39,600 Speaker 3: have done your method. It's much better. Who's got a 499 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 3: birthday in March? When's it coming? Oh? When's your birthday? Mark? Wow? 500 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 2: Happy birthday? What's your name? 501 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:55,200 Speaker 3: And well to do your complicated happy birthday forever? Right? 502 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,680 Speaker 1: I would be honored for Anne. You know, they say 503 00:27:57,840 --> 00:27:59,959 Speaker 1: what your whistle? So we have to have a little set. 504 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, how old are you? Anne? Awesome? 505 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:08,600 Speaker 1: All right, here we go, Hi, Anne, It's Chris Ulman 506 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:12,640 Speaker 1: calling to wish you a happy birthday. Here's a serenade 507 00:28:12,680 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: to add to your merriment. Happy birthday. 508 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:09,480 Speaker 3: I don't know how you do that with your mouth. 509 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 3: That was a bunch of weird stuff. 510 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 2: Stuff going on there. 511 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:15,240 Speaker 1: Well, the wha, there's this wah wah thing I do. 512 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,120 Speaker 1: And this had to do with like these funky techniques. 513 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:22,720 Speaker 1: So I referenced earlier that this lip whistling, but this 514 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: tongue whistling, so no. 515 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:25,640 Speaker 2: Lips at all. 516 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: But you can incorporate your lips by doing the tongue 517 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:33,040 Speaker 1: whistle but going wah wah. So if you literally say 518 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 1: wah wah while whistling, so I call it scot whistling. 519 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:44,960 Speaker 1: And so if I am doing, say like a jazz tune, uh, 520 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 1: or if I have a repeated phrase in a song, 521 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 1: you don't want to do it the same way each time. 522 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: You can go up an octave, down an octave, or 523 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,880 Speaker 1: do the scot whistling thing, so you're it's the same notes, 524 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:58,240 Speaker 1: but a different kind of means of delivering it, and 525 00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:00,120 Speaker 1: it just is a little more interesting. 526 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,960 Speaker 3: So yeah, very interesting. It's cool. It's also cool to watch. 527 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:08,080 Speaker 3: You can also tell how hard you are concentrating because 528 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 3: your hands are mimicking what your brain is telling your 529 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 3: lips to do. That you can see that. 530 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: That's a very good point. Yeah, I'm like very into it. 531 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 1: It's you know, especially for Anne and ultimately, like you say, 532 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 1: why do I whistle Happy birthday? 533 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 3: For people? 534 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,240 Speaker 1: When you think about what is one of the most 535 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:30,360 Speaker 1: important things in life? It is life and you know, 536 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,040 Speaker 1: to be able to honor someone on their birthday is 537 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,560 Speaker 1: to say I'm glad you were born, and I'm glad 538 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 1: you're here, and here's just like a little packet of 539 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 1: love I'm going to share with you. Not changing the world, 540 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:44,640 Speaker 1: just going to make Anne feel special on her birthday. 541 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 2: And the notes I get from people are. 542 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,000 Speaker 1: Astounding, and I don't do it for this reason, but 543 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:54,520 Speaker 1: it warms my heart nonetheless. Is you know people say 544 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:58,800 Speaker 1: my birthday is now complete, or I've saved every one 545 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 1: of these things that you say me over time, and 546 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:04,520 Speaker 1: you made my day. I'm like, oh my gosh, it 547 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,080 Speaker 1: just gives me a shiver of You don't have to 548 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:09,520 Speaker 1: go try to save the world. You can just share 549 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:11,080 Speaker 1: that little gift with people. 550 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:16,480 Speaker 3: And if we had an million, two three million army 551 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 3: of normal folks just doing those things, imagine how those 552 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 3: little things can break down massive walls. 553 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:30,640 Speaker 2: Absolutely, we'll be right back. 554 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: I've had several bosses in my career who have been 555 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 1: very instrumental in my thinking about building bridges with people 556 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 1: who think differently. I'll tell you quick on, it's not whistling, 557 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:02,920 Speaker 1: but it's all about reaching out to people who are 558 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:06,440 Speaker 1: different from you. And I think too often we stay 559 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 1: in our own little camps and more and more. 560 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:10,040 Speaker 3: Yeah. 561 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:12,480 Speaker 1: And this man, his name is Arthur Levitt, and he 562 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 1: was the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which 563 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: oversees the stock markets and protects investors. And I worked 564 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: for him back in the late nineties. And so he 565 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 1: was a Democrat. But Phil Graham from Texas was the 566 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 1: chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and he was a 567 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:33,000 Speaker 1: good old boy Republican from Texas. Then Arthur was a 568 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:38,920 Speaker 1: very patrician, modest Democrat from New York, and he had 569 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:41,680 Speaker 1: to figure out how does he relate to this Texan. 570 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,080 Speaker 1: So he in his first meeting with him, he walks 571 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:47,080 Speaker 1: in Graham's office and sees a picture of a Labrador 572 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:52,200 Speaker 1: Retriever on Graham's desk, and Arthur loves labradors and said 573 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 1: to Graham, Senator, is that your dog? And he said 574 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 1: that's my dog, and he said I love labs too, 575 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:02,440 Speaker 1: and boom. They had a connection. And that simple connection 576 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:07,040 Speaker 1: it was almost like the lubricant for a productive relationship 577 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:08,560 Speaker 1: for years from. 578 00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:12,200 Speaker 3: People who had very differing viewpoints on things. 579 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:16,280 Speaker 1: Yes, and who could easily have just ground against each other, 580 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:20,600 Speaker 1: or it could have been me versus you or my 581 00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: party versus your party, versus saying how do we transcend 582 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:28,560 Speaker 1: the differences humanize, which is really what the dog did. 583 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:33,000 Speaker 1: The dogs humanized the relationship that how bad could Philby 584 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:37,680 Speaker 1: or Arthur b if they loved Labrador retrievers? And that 585 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:40,200 Speaker 1: enabled them to get stuff done for America? 586 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 2: And we need more of that. 587 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:51,600 Speaker 3: Amen, We often say another. Our regular listeners will have 588 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:55,560 Speaker 3: heard this one hundred times. But I don't care if 589 00:33:55,600 --> 00:34:06,000 Speaker 3: you're black, white, Hispanic, Asian, gay, straight, Christian, Muslim, agnostic, Jewish, Republican, Democrat, conservative, progressive. 590 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 3: I'm trying to come up with all the categories here, 591 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 3: but you get the idea if you, despite any of 592 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 3: those categories or identities, are employing your passion and arean 593 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:22,919 Speaker 3: need and being successful and helping someone who maybe isn't 594 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:25,160 Speaker 3: as blessed as you. I don't care about the rest 595 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,719 Speaker 3: of that stuff. I can celebrate that in you, and likewise, 596 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:33,560 Speaker 3: you can celebrate that in me, and that creates a 597 00:34:33,680 --> 00:34:37,359 Speaker 3: foundation that we can now have civil, non threatening conversations 598 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:42,600 Speaker 3: about stuff that matters that metaphorically is the Labrador. Yeah, 599 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:46,239 Speaker 3: and I feel we're losing it, and I think the 600 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,600 Speaker 3: only way to bring that back is an army of 601 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:56,279 Speaker 3: normal folks that engage respect and appreciate one another. And 602 00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 3: from that foundation, we can start having conversations about this 603 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:02,360 Speaker 3: crowd that's dividing us. And it can be as simple 604 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 3: as whistling. Yeah. 605 00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:09,360 Speaker 1: I love the way you phrase it, And what I 606 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:12,080 Speaker 1: think is bottom up. This has got to be bottom 607 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:14,960 Speaker 1: up bottom. If we're waiting for the folks in Washington 608 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:16,960 Speaker 1: or elsewhere to tell us how to behave or how 609 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:20,520 Speaker 1: to treat people, that's we're looking in the wrong direction. 610 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 1: And I've tried to raise my children, I have three children, 611 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:27,879 Speaker 1: they're either right out of college or in college right now, 612 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:33,040 Speaker 1: to view every encounter with another person as an opportunity 613 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:37,640 Speaker 1: to learn, to grow, and you know, to not be 614 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:44,520 Speaker 1: scared of unfamiliarity, but to explore and ask questions. And 615 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:46,759 Speaker 1: you know, God gave us two ears one mouth. It's 616 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:50,120 Speaker 1: a nice ratio. Ask more, talk less, and just be 617 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:54,759 Speaker 1: willing to learn. And you know, it could be any 618 00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:58,239 Speaker 1: of those differences that you pointed out. And rather than 619 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:02,360 Speaker 1: listening to what you know, society or the haters have 620 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:05,360 Speaker 1: told us about different people, let's make our own judgments 621 00:36:05,719 --> 00:36:11,600 Speaker 1: and let's transcend labels. And focus on humanity. And it's 622 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:16,680 Speaker 1: amazing just the commonality you'll find with people that gets 623 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:18,720 Speaker 1: beyond all the labels. 624 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:20,520 Speaker 2: And the isms and stuff like that. 625 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:24,400 Speaker 3: It's beautiful. It's what we've got to do. Find your whistle. 626 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 3: Simple gifts, touch hearts and change lives. And I love 627 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:35,640 Speaker 3: the phraseology find your whistle, obviously from a whistler. What 628 00:36:35,719 --> 00:36:40,879 Speaker 3: this is is a call to understand that you may 629 00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,600 Speaker 3: never be the president of the United States, you may 630 00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:46,759 Speaker 3: never start an organization with a thousand people in it, 631 00:36:47,480 --> 00:36:51,560 Speaker 3: but every single one of us, every single one of us, 632 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:56,000 Speaker 3: has a gift, and your charge is for us to 633 00:36:56,239 --> 00:36:58,200 Speaker 3: find that gift and then employ it. 634 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, I want to tell you a story about someone 635 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:05,600 Speaker 1: who has a gift of happiness, how he shares it 636 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:08,319 Speaker 1: with people. So the company I used to work at 637 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:11,759 Speaker 1: in Washington, I would drive into the parking lot every 638 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:17,120 Speaker 1: day and this young man from Ethiopia, he was a 639 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:20,960 Speaker 1: Green card holder and seeking to become an American, and 640 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:23,759 Speaker 1: I was just really amazed and how happy he was. 641 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:28,160 Speaker 1: Because garages, you know, underground garages are either hot, really 642 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,040 Speaker 1: hot in the summer, they're really cold in the winter, 643 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:34,759 Speaker 1: and they're always kind of dim and no matter what 644 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:35,920 Speaker 1: the temperature. 645 00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:37,160 Speaker 2: Was or the light level was. 646 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:39,480 Speaker 1: When I drove in there, he was like, mister Chris, 647 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:41,760 Speaker 1: good to see you. How's your weekend, how's your family? 648 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,520 Speaker 1: And we formed this really special friendship. And when he 649 00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:50,120 Speaker 1: became an American, I took my daughters to his naturalization ceremony, 650 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:51,920 Speaker 1: which was an amazing experience. 651 00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 2: And if anyone's been. 652 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,640 Speaker 1: To one, you know that, and if you haven't been 653 00:37:55,680 --> 00:38:00,239 Speaker 1: to one, you must go to see people of It's 654 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:03,480 Speaker 1: like skin color coloring, you know, spanning the rainbow of 655 00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:06,719 Speaker 1: people all around America with some of their native clothes on, 656 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:10,440 Speaker 1: like they want to be an American, just like you. 657 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,759 Speaker 2: And you say, what an experience. So here, so you 658 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:15,080 Speaker 2: hear it. 659 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 1: You have the happy guy in the colder, the hot garage, 660 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:21,680 Speaker 1: and then I would take the elevator up. And I 661 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:26,600 Speaker 1: worked an investment firm where the founders were billionaires literally, and. 662 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:30,080 Speaker 2: You get out of the so you go. It's very metaphorical. 663 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:33,520 Speaker 1: Also, you go from from hot and cold, up and 664 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:37,080 Speaker 1: dark to the light, climate controlled, and there's a billionaire, 665 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:39,840 Speaker 1: a billionaire billionaire, and you know they're not particularly happy. 666 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 2: And I would say, how the heck is that possible? 667 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:45,879 Speaker 1: They have all that wealth, I'd say, well, it's not 668 00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:50,680 Speaker 1: really about that. It's about this kind of intrinsic value 669 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:54,480 Speaker 1: that his name is Sala, Salah's appreciation for the gifts 670 00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:56,480 Speaker 1: that God gave him and that he's going to make 671 00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:58,319 Speaker 1: the most of it. And he also said, and when 672 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:01,800 Speaker 1: I interviewed him for Anotherok I wrote, he said, I complain, 673 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:03,640 Speaker 1: he doesn't get you anywhere anyway, so why bother? 674 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:06,080 Speaker 2: And so I totally agree. 675 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:08,360 Speaker 1: But that's his gift and he shares it with so 676 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:11,080 Speaker 1: many people, and everyone who knew him. 677 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:13,200 Speaker 2: Was touched by his gift. 678 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:17,480 Speaker 3: That's his whistle, was this simple happiness, Yes, gratitude. 679 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:19,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was really amazing. 680 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:22,480 Speaker 3: Sh drought him up to the billionaires and said, hey, 681 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:23,960 Speaker 3: would you sit and hang out with us, dude for 682 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:24,800 Speaker 3: about thirty minutes. 683 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:26,680 Speaker 2: I wish I could show you at this moment. 684 00:39:26,719 --> 00:39:29,279 Speaker 1: But at that book party for that other book that 685 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:32,480 Speaker 1: I wrote, I have a picture of the parking attendant 686 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:36,120 Speaker 1: and the billionaire holding my book at the party, and 687 00:39:36,280 --> 00:39:42,040 Speaker 1: it's amazing. And yeah, he's really touched a lot of hearts. 688 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:51,400 Speaker 3: And that concludes part one of my conversation with Chris Ulman. 689 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:55,840 Speaker 3: And you don't want to miss part two that's now available. Together, guys, 690 00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 3: we can change the country, but it starts with you. 691 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:00,560 Speaker 3: I'll see it in part two. 692 00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:18,960 Speaker 2: H