Stephen "tWitch" Boss Interview On Love & Life (In Loving Memory) EP 1364

I'm not really sure what to say here. It's been a few days of really just sadness. Our friend Twitch passed away a few days ago. And if you haven't heard about it, it's been all over the internet and social media. People talking about how he brought so much joy and light to the world. And Twitch did. I've known Twitch for six years. I met him in 2016. I had him on the School of Greatness and we built a bond, a friendship. And it's been extremely hard for me and so many people that knew him to understand what happened. I've had so many great conversations with other friends of his and we've just been connecting on the good times that we've had with Twitch and so many different things that have happened over the years and experiences. The last message I got from him was a few months ago. He invited me to his 40th birthday and he said, My guy, sending love and all the blessings. And he was supposed to perform at the Summit of Greatness a couple of years ago, but he had a conflict. He and his wife were doing a Disney thing and he was like, Hey man, when you bring it back, let us know, we'd love to do it. And he was meant to come and perform one of these years. He would text me, we would send video messages back and forth about the meaning of life and purpose and love and, you know, exciting things that were happening in his life and my life. And he would send notes all the time from different interviews. You know, when Kobe Bryant came on the show, he was like, man, this is such an inspiring interview. And he would constantly reach out and say hi. And we were just, you know, friends helping each other out over the last six years. And it's been really sad. That's all I can really say to lose a human being with so much love and light and joy who is a giver. And every friend that I've talked to that's known him, they're all just like, he's been the biggest giver, you know, in their lives. We had Twitch on the show back in 2016, I think it was episode 406. So a long time ago we had him on. And I asked him questions about, you know, the thing he loved the most about his wife. I asked him questions about being raised by a single mom in the South, you know, and overcoming all the adversity that he overcame to get to where he was at the time. and I wanted to replay this episode in honor of our friend, twitch Steven, and let you learn a little bit more about who he was, his life, what he was inspired by, how he loved his definition of greatness, his three truths, all that. He lived a beautiful life and showed up deeply for those that he cared about. And he inspired and impacted millions of lives every single day on the Ellen Show with his his energy, his love, his fun, his joy. And he is deeply missed by so many. So without further Ado, my friend, I miss you. We miss you. And I hope you guys enjoy this episode with Stephen twitch boss.

Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former Pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. and each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. Welcome everyone back to the School of Greatness podcast. We have a dancing legend in the house, Twitch. Steven Boss, good to see you, man. Thanks for coming on here, brother. Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

Appreciate it. We were just connecting before this about We have some mutual friends and Aubrey Marcus and Antoine Troup.

Yes.

And I'm sure many more if we--.

Once we started-- yeah, once we started-- Exactly.

But you are, you've had an incredible career, incredible story. You grew up in Alabama. I lived in Huntsville for a while, you're in Montgomery. And you became well known around the world from a show.

Absolutely.

So you think from dance, right? And when did you first go on that show?

I first went on that show in 2008, time flies. I know.

Almost 10 years.

Almost 10 years.

Eight years ago, right?

Yeah, exactly. And before that, though, I mean, I was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama. I moved out here to go to school, and that was, that was like the deal with my, with my grandfather. Like, he was like, okay, you want to go out and pursue dance, but the only way that you're going to do that is if you, if you have some kind of education with it. So I literally, a backup plan. Absolutely.

Yeah.

So I literally, I I applied to, I just started looking up schools that had that had dance programs out here. Just started applying, applying, applying. And luckily I got into this one named Chapman University, which is right there in Orange County.

So it was, it's the T3 school, right?

Like a smaller, yeah, it's small, but like absolutely. It's a private situation, but super impactful as far as, I mean, the film is incredible. the dance is incredible and it's just right down the way from here. So I used, I was in a place where I could just hop back and forth. Boom, boom. And that's exactly what it was until I actually got on. So you think it was a lot of back and forth, you know, I would get a job here and then have to go back to Orange County to go back to school. Like a little, like a dance gig.

Like a little gig here.

Yeah. Or even a movie. I got, I did Hairspray. And remember the movie Blades of Glory? There was like a dance, there was a dance scene in that, like I was in that.

Absolutely.

Wait, Blades of Glory with, with, yeah. Will Farrell. Yes. There was. I was in that movie. Yeah, I was. Were you on ice? No, no, no, no, no, no. But I was in a dance studio with a black tutu on. We're not talking about it. But it. But, you know, so I did stuff here and there, but. So you think was the one. So you think was the one.

Yeah.

The, the, the, the, the impact was like that, that, that gave me trajectory. Do you know what I mean?

So you were 18 when you went to college then, or when you came out to Chapman or how?

I was 20. I I was 20 when I came out to church.

Okay, cool.

Yeah.

So you were hanging in Montgomery after high school.

Absolutely. Went to a community college there for two years just to kind of get the grades up and then try to figure out how I can actually get out to LA.

Okay. I was 20 and you were doing auditions, made some movies in the first couple of years, I guess.

Yeah, in the first couple of years. I mean, it's pretty great. I mean, and also I came out with, because of course, now that you like that, you're here too, right? you've been here for some time. And, you know, when you're here, you can get, you can get a little jaded about, about certain things. Right. So when I came, I was just on straight, straight dumb luck innocence, you know what I mean? And it's just like, what competitive Market? What do you mean? Like, what do you mean? I'm like, I'm like, what? I have to have an agent to go to decide. No, I don't. You know, I'm just gonna show up and I'm gonna get it. And I got, and I, you know, I got jobs. It was just, it did it. I've always kind of had this, this, a little bit of denial, like, like, no, well, like I am one of the few, you know what I mean? Always, always, always. And that kind of, it worked out. It worked out in my favor.

What do you think allowed you to separate yourself from all the thousands of dancers who were out here for years before you training, who maybe were just as good technically or had, you know, just good dancers, but you were giving the gigs. What was the difference maker? Was it a mindset? Was it a follow-up process you had? Was it a Charisma you had in these auditions. What do you think it was?

Honestly, I think it was made up of two things. I think it was, A, my absolute love for dance, just love for movement. Like, I really, really love it. Like, dance is my passion. So more than like, oh, we have to learn steps for this audition combo and stuff like that. I'm like, yo, I'm in class. This is amazing. And they're like, I get to dance next to this person and that dance next to that. So even in auditions, I'm dancing like I'm on stage and loving life. So I think that it serves as a bridge to connection for people that are casting you because you'd love to look at people that love to do what they do, period. You know what I mean? Whether they're in front of you or if they're over there in the corner practicing, there's something about it that catches your eye. My love, my love for movement, a, and then also just, just to drive like it, I wanted, I wanted nothing more than to dance. Do you know what I mean? And again, I'm from Montgomery, Alabama. And Montgomery, Alabama, you know, the dance community is very, very, very small. And amongst the males, it's even, even smaller.

It's like 30 dudes, you know, like, not even that, like 10 dudes who are doing something. Exactly.

Absolutely. And, and doing something maybe low-key because, you know, the fellas play sports, you know, you know, college football is like a, is like a religion for us, Alabama or Auburn, right? You know, so to, to come up and be like, oh, I dance, you know, that's, that's, it's not a masculine thing. It's not a masculine thing. And it's a choice, you know, but when I made that choice, though, that was, that was it. There was nothing else. And just like those two things, you know, just the, the absolute love for what I do and tunnel vision focus. Like I said, when you're out here for a couple of years and if things happen for you or if they don't, you still tend to get a little jaded about what's going on. So you get some of the new booties that come in and they're like, this is life. This is it. Like, I don't care what happens. Like, I'm going to every single audition. Like, I'm going to class whether I'm tired or not. Like, you know what I mean? And even at the end of the day, I'm spending my last hours of the day practicing in my, in my, in my living room, even if it's on carpet and it's like the floor is hard to dance on every night. We're dancing. Do you know what I mean? Amazing. It's, it's, it's that, those factors that I think.

So you were doing that.

Oh, yeah. Absolutely. You're a living, you're a, I love, I love what I do. When I leave here, I'm going to the studio, not to practice for anything.

But just, just to practice yourself.

Yeah. No one else will be there. I mean, I've invited some people if they show. Fantastic. If not, I'll still be good.

You're still embodying that drive, even after you've made it to a certain point, number of movies on Ellen, all these different things.

Of course.

Every single day you're living like it's your first week out here.

Of course. Because it's, it, there's still, there's still so much, there's still so much more that I would like to do. So I, I can't get, I can't get comfortable. I can't, that there, there hasn't been a time yet where I've been like, all right, I've arrived. Yeah, I'm good. You know, I'm, I'm in here. I'm good. Because there's still, there's, there's still so much to do. And maybe, maybe that's the, that's one of the gifts and, and curses of the human condition is that, like, that word more. Do you know what I mean? It's just like, wow, this is great, but more like, just like you, you have, you have a, you have an incredible podcast. You have book. You get to interview people from around the world and things like that, but I'm sure there's times for you where you're like, okay, but now what? You know what I mean? I mean, you know, if we stop.

Pushing our boundaries, then we start getting comfortable and we start slowly dying, in my opinion. If we're not growing, then what are we doing?

Exactly. Exactly.

So it's like, yes, we want more, but it's like, I want more growth. I want to see what I'm possible of creating and doing myself. Exactly. Just to inspire myself. Of course.

And hopefully be a symbol of inspiration for others. Exactly. I mean, we're here to maximize our potential period. That's it.

You know, that's why we're here.

Yeah.

You know. Who are the dancers that inspire you the most in the industry? The dancers that inspire me most, I mean, it goes from, you know, across generations. I mean, I could start with, you know, of course, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, Centsuries, like all of those. And then I move into the music video area that I grew up in. I mean, late 80s, early 90s, when like, music videos used to have like.

Dance breaks, stuff like that.

You know, I mean, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Travis Payne, who choreographed for Michael Jackson and danced with Michael Jackson for so long. And then Tina Landon, Shaunte Heard. And then moving into this, into this generation, my wife, honestly, and not even because I'm married to it, before I was married to her, before I even knew her, I was like, that girl's the truth. You know what I mean?

Yo, well, that's probably why you married her. I mean, she is.

She is the. She is the embodiment of what a dancer is. A dancer is. Is. Is what music looks like. You know what I mean? Like, that's. That's what it is. It's like. It's like a. A deaf person would be able to watch a dancer and be like, I think it might. So I think. that it maybe sounds like this or that or that movement, that movement must feel like this. That's Allison, do you know what I mean? It's like to a tee, she embodies it. She's incredible, you know? Wade Robson is like at the top of my, he's one of my heroes, man, and always has been. Wow. My boy Link, sorry, I'm just like, now I'm name dropping. I'm like this guy, you know? But Link, he was one of my first teachers, one of the pioneers of what we know as street dance today and not and not street dance as in b-boying popping or locking which are all different styles, right? And these are the cats that you know you saw in Heavy D videos. These are the cats that dance with with Big Daddy Kane, you know what I mean? Like where we get the Running Man, the Reebok, you know, all of those things. This guy help create all of those things and facilitate all of those things. So it just. It is, man. I'm picking up inspiration from everywhere.

Who's the guy? Oh, man, I'm gonna forget his name right now. There's a guy in the UK. It was a short dude who's, like, the most incredible break dancer I've ever seen. He's kind of like. He's on his hands a lot. Just like.

Almost like a gorilla. Like, with. He's doing, like, push-ups Junior. Junior. Junior. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. A freak. Unbelievable nature.

That's what I'm saying. It's like. So have you met him or no?

It's so, yeah, I've seen him. I've seen him. I don't know him well.

He's an incredible person.

The videos, I see him like, how does he do that? Yeah, exactly. And even after seeing the video, seeing it live, you're like, you can really do that. Like, yeah, that's not a video effect. You can do that. Like, it's amazing. And effortlessly, you know what I mean? And it's like, it's, see, that's what I'm saying. It's just like, where do you go after that, right? Like, you know, because you know, in, in, in the 80s and late 70s when people just started, you know, they're doing footwork, they're spinning on their backs, they're spinning on their heads, spinning on their hands, and you're thinking, whoa, like, they're defying gravity. This is amazing. This is blowing my mind. Fast forward to now. It's like, where can you even go now?

It's like Bruce Lee meets Ultimate Ninja Warrior dancing.

You know, it's like three spins and flips and karate kicks. Absolutely. toss, like, flipping yourself around on one hand. But that the next thing, they're just literally going to start spinning on their face. Like, you know, it's just a straight nose spin like that. You know, like, that's gonna be the next.

Yeah.

And it's like, on the pen, you know?

That's it.

Amazing, man. And then we were talking before, there's so many incredibly young, talented kids who are, like, defying all these things, like, doing things that. No one's ever done before these like 10 year olds.

Exactly.

It's unbelievable.

It is incredible, man. So you're thinking dance, the Next Generation just went off, man, and they completely switched their format to a younger contestant, which were from 7 to 14, I believe. And through that entire gamut, man, I mean, the artistry that, I mean, that the youth is capable of nowadays, it's really incredible. And it actually, watching them actually kind of gave me a little bit of a paradigm shift because I'm not sure if you have fallen into this saying, you know, when you'd be like, oh, this next generation, like, you know, they can easily be very lazy because everything's so push button. Push button, push button, push button. Kind of shifted it for me, you know what I mean? Because when put in the proper circumstances, and pushed their incredible. I mean, it's capable of the most amazing, amazing things, you know what I mean? So, yeah, I'm, I'm really excited to see what this next generation is about to do.

Right.

With the art form of dance. I'm really excited about it.

It's amazing. Now, did you play sports at all growing up?

You know, I tried sports, man. I I tried it. I I wasn't, I wasn't blessed with the, with the competitive edge of, like, My team is gonna beat your team outside of dance. Outside of dance. Right?

You know what I mean?

Our crew is gonna beat your crew. Yeah, absolutely. Now then I'm like, okay, let's go. But, you know, not growing up, I didn't discover that until later, until I was out here. But, you know, football didn't even try it. Like, I was like, there is nothing about me being out there and trying to run into somebody else that I'm not trying to, it's just, it's just.

It'S an incredible sport, but you're not missing. I mean, You didn't miss out on all the head trauma that I faced and a lot of guys faced and the injuries and you know there was in Alabama They're huge man.

Well, you know they don't mess around you running full speed at me.

No head to head yeah, exactly we you know, I played before they had the rules of like the head to head contact We only hit with the head.

Absolutely and oh, you know, like crazy so me I completely dodged that tried baseball. I'm a creative type. I'm a creative type. They had me out there in Center Field. I did nothing but. I did nothing but Daydream. Like, you know what I mean? And basketball just. It was cool, but, like, you didn't feel it. Yeah. Just didn't feel.

So who inspired you to get in the dance or what?

Honestly, it is. Dance is just something that it's. It's always been there. It really has. It's. It's always been there. Dance is something that has. literally always gotten me very, very excited and super passionate even before I knew what passion was. You know what I mean? Dancing and being on stage, those two things. I remember in first grade was the first time that I ever was on a stage play. And I remember getting so excited that, like, the moment I came out on stage and hearing the audience kind of connecting with the audience, I was like, What is this? It was the most amazing thing. I ran off stage, I went to the principal, I was like, oh, can we do it again tomorrow? Can we do it again? But as kids, you get exposed to many different things. And I didn't actually find the performing arts until much later. But watching music videos, hearing music that I love dancing to, I was constantly making up dance routines in my room. But again, you know, when you are the first dancer or person that wants to pursue dance of your family, then nobody in the family is going to look at you and be like, Yo, we should put him in dance classes. They're just like, oh, he likes to dance. Like, Hey, come out here and do a dance routine.

Right.

Yeah, exactly. We're at the family reunion. Come out here and dance real quick. Absolutely, you know, and then that be that, you know? well, I, but I, so it's, the thing is, to answer your question, it has always been there. You know, it's the thing that, that has literally been a driving force. I could, you know, I know there's some guys that, you know, watch, maybe watch basketball games, football games, boom. You know, they, they love paying attention to the highlights and that fuels them and being like, yo, I'm going, I'm about to go super hard at practice the next day because did you see better not do this? You know, it's that same thing of like, when Michael Jackson premiered, you know, the Scream video or if, when Janet Jackson, when I saw Janet Jackson, all right, like that dance breakdown, this was before YouTube. Yeah, of course. Yeah. If I was, if I wasn't ready for the V, for, with the VHS to record it, I had to burn everything into memory and be like, I think they did something like this. And boom, you know, and that, and that's what it was. That's, that's what dance was for me. So it has always been that passionate. driving for us. And it was what I wanted to do before I knew that I wanted to do it.

Right.

You know?

And so once you're, once you got older, were your parents kind of pushing you into it and encouraging it more and to.

No, it actually, it, it struck them as quite the surprise because like I said, they, we didn't have any, any, you know, anybody pursuing dance in the family, you know? So when I said that I wanted to dance, they were like, oh, right. Oh, really? Okay, you know, because they don't know what that means, you know, just like I said, the deal with my grandfather was if I could move out as long as I was in school for a backup plan, do you know what I mean? Because he was like, okay, I hear that you want to dance. I don't know how far that can go as a career. So, like, let's back that up a little bit, which is completely understandable, you know? So with that, I dabbled in theater. and in the theater, I got cast as a dancer in the Wiz. And that's what started the snowball effect, is that I was like, wait a minute, do you guys take dance classes out here? Yeah, we take over here. Okay, cool. I'm going to come to class with you. Oh, I can take class for free as long as I take ballet. Cool. Like, I'm going to stay here and do this. Yeah. And there it was like, oh, wait, you go to my high school. There's a dance team at our high school. I'm gonna try out for that. There are no guys. All right, cool. It's all right. So I was the first guy on my high school dance team.

Now, I'm curious. I mean, what year were you born?

1992.

92.

82.

82. I was 83. So in the, you know, early 90s in middle school and high school, especially in Alabama, you know, that's not seen as a masculine thing.

Right.

So were you bullied or were you made fun of a lot by guys?

You know, I was made. I was made fun of. I was made fun of quite a bit. Not bullied, because I still, I still had my size about it, you know what I mean? Like, so yeah, I was tall, still had my size about me. And they knew that I was agile, you know what I mean? So it's just like that. It was like, yeah, don't let the turn, don't let the turns fool you. I could, like, you know, I could, you know, like, it's funny. But they met, but they made fun of me. They made fun of me quite a bit. Really? But you know what? It's, I don't fault them. And even then, even then it didn't get to me that much because for some reason, I still didn't fault them. Do you know what I mean? Because it's like, of course you're gonna make fun of me because what other examples do you have of someone doing this than me right now? And in my younger days, of course, I fell into that category too. If I saw somebody doing something that I'd never seen before, or that I had a certain stereotype doing. Of course, of course I made fun. Of course I made fun of them. You know what I mean? So it, but it, it never reached the point of violence or anything like that. You know, it was, it was, it was, it was only words, man. And then as time went on, then they start, then they started to eat their words.

They see you on stage performing and absolutely talent shows. You're like, oh, damn.

100%. Yeah. And, and while they're calling me, you know, and You know, no disrespect, just saying why they're called, they're like, oh, you're gay. But then they get to see, like, okay, cool, let's break this down. You play football, okay? I dance. After school, I'm going to go spend the rest of my afternoon- With 30 girls. Only girls. You're going to spend the rest of your afternoon wrestling with dudes.

Right.

And when the night is over, when we go get some food, I'm probably going to be hanging out with your girlfriend. you know what I mean? Because, like, we're all going to this place here to hang, and you'll still be with the dudes. So, like, after a while, they go, oh, oh, that's kind of cool. Like, oh, okay, that's kind of cool. You know?

Did you ever feel. Did you ever feel emasculated or like you weren't man enough because you weren't playing sports or hanging out with the.

Dudes or, you know, it it. But it wasn't it. there were times of that and it wasn't necessarily because, because I wasn't playing sports, but there are times, you know, even, even still to this day, because I never really latched on to sports, like following sports and why, you know, and sports is like one of the greatest common denominators amongst the male. Do you know what I mean? I've been, I've been in situations, which I'm sure you have, too, where you can, where I've seen two people that do not know each other at all have the longest conversation.

Right, right.

You know, just talking about sports and stuff like that. So not necessarily feeling emasculated and things like that. But there are certain things that I missed as far as a social dynamic.

Because.

I chose to involve myself in the arts and not necessarily pay attention to things like that. So that's, I feel like that's kind of where a a void is there because, like, when we start talking about stats and boom, I'm kind of like, yeah, like running man out of here, you know? But, you know, it's. But. But it is what it is, man. And, hey, it's. It's all love.

Do you feel. I mean, being out in La and being in the. The culture and the community with dancing world and the entertainment world, do you feel embraced?

Absolutely.

Yeah.

I feel very, very, very embraced, man, because, listen, as competitive as the, the, the world and realm of show business is and speaking specifically about dance, it's still a very, very small community.

Tiny community, right?

Very, very small community.

There's only, like, what, 15, 20 top choreographers, maybe.

Right.

Who do, like, everyone's shows.

Exactly. because once, once you, you know, once you, you stick through it and you, and you, and you are able to get on and there is, there is work for you because you have, you have the experience. Yeah. And you have the know-how to talk to this person to make this happen and this and that, you know, it's, it's so the world is not really that big.

So.

Yeah. So, yes, I, I am embraced and I, and I embrace even the, even all of the, the those that are new to it, I remember what it was to be new to it.

22, fresh out of college, coming here.

What?

Being like the hottest dancer in your school, trying to make it here.

Exactly, yeah. Yeah. Very, very, very small fish syndrome. You know what I mean? Like, exactly. You know, it's in rural Alabama where I went to community college, a place called Wadley, Alabama. We had maybe two stoplights, two stoplights probably.

You know?

Yeah, of course. I was like the dancing guy there, you know? And then you come out here and I'm like, whoa, everybody here is amazing.

Yeah.

But I was still young dumb, so I was like, I'm amazing, too. Here we go. Yeah, exactly.

You didn't hold back. Of course. What's your process like now when you go into an audition? Do you pretty much just get, like, booked without having to audition now? Because people know what you can do for TV, movies or commercials, whatever it may be. Or you have a a practice when you're going into an audition where you're like, here's the routine and walk us through it if you do have one.

Well, when it comes to, when it comes to dance performances, dance performances now, I'm, I, I'd like, I'm blessed to say that if they want me for a dance performance or something like that, then, then they just call and directly, directly book.

They've seen videos. They've seen me a million times.

They don't need to see me. They know what I do. Yeah. They know what I do now.

Amazing.

And and that is incredible. What I do audition for now, I've been really studying acting. I've been along a lot of acting auditions. So with that, that is a completely different, because A, all the physicalities are more, they're a little more internally driven and not so big, you know what I mean?

More facial motion.

It's more like, yes, the eyes. And that is the hardest switch. It's there. That is so as far as process of auditioning for that goes, it's about dialing it down. It's about dialing down for me because standing on stage, even sitting here talking to you now, like I move, I lean, I use my hands, and apparently that does not look good on TV or film. You know what I mean? So yeah. Wow.

Okay. So you don't have to do any dance auditions right now then. They're all books.

I haven't done the dance audition.

How many years?

Since 2008.

Even for like Magic Mike or a movie where you're dancing in. They're just like, oh, we know we.

Want them, but even for Magic Mike, which was such, which is such a blessing. But Channing was just a fan from.

He's that. We just need him.

Yeah. It was just like, yo, I, I have this role in mind and you are who I wanted to play for the role. So that was just, that was, I was incredible, you know? Wow. But, but I'll say this, too, though, man, it's, it's like I said, the world is very, very small, and there are those that once you reach a.

A.

A certain amount of time putting in work, people know exactly what you do.

Right.

And you establish incredible working relationships. So therefore, when they're like, oh, okay, we need a person that does this, does this, does this. Oh, call Twitch. Oh, call this person. I'll call that person. You know what I mean?

It.

It. It just. It does. It happens like that. And I imagine it happens like that. pretty much in any industry.

Same with this, too. If, you know, I get asked to speak at different events if they want this person to do a workshop on a specific topic about, you know, yeah. Greatness.

Exactly. Right. Exactly.

So somewhere in this industry, what's been the most incredible movie you've worked on where you're just like, I can't believe this is happening with all these people and the things I get to do.

And, man, it's.

There.

Honestly, there's been a bunch. And it is just because, like, now, do I just to be clear, you said, like, movie. Movie. Movie that you're at. Movie. I'd have to say step. Step up 3D, man. Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Just because it was all dance, right?

All dance. And we were, they moved us to New York for three and a half months. And it's like, I wait. This is work, but, like, it doesn't.

Feel like dancing all day, like, hanging out.

Dancing. And, you know, oh, the homies are out there. You know, we're staying right there in Times Square.

Amazing.

I mean, it's, it's so that I think that that has been my favorite as far as a film experience has gone so far, just because it. That honestly was the culmination of. Of everything from the beginning. Do you know what I mean? Like, me watching Beach Street and breaking. Breaking two Electric Boogaloo. I'm like, man, what would it be like to do that? And, you know, and then I I feel like the Step Ups are. Are those movies of this generation, you know, the Beach Streets and the breaking, you know, all that stuff like that. You have your step ups. And this one was the biggest one as far as cast goes. huge. It was all the homies. Yeah.

All of them. Was John Chu the director?

John Chu was.

He's been out here.

I love John, man.

Yes.

He's a talented dude. Really talented dude. And also a director that genuinely loves dancing. He loves it. Didn't he start, like, the league of extraordinary lxd?

Yes.

It's amazing. Right. Which he brought this scent, like, he brought. He introduced filming movement in this, like, incredibly beautiful cinematic way. you know what I mean? It's just like, even though it's not ballet, it. It. It felt like it was ballet. It was elegant. It was graceful. But it was street dance, you know? It was amazing, man. It's so good. Yeah.

Who was the most influential person in your life growing up?

Most influential person in my life? I mean, it would have to be. It would have to be my mother. My mother, honestly, my mother. because, you know, my mom is, is easily, easily one of the strongest, strongest women I know. Easy. Because to raise, to raise boys, to raise boys by yourself, that's huge. That's huge. You know, and also not only just to raise us, but to work so hard that you also, a, give the, give the feeling of, give your children the feeling of not necessarily wanting, right? You know what I mean? Like, we, we were not impoverished by any means. Do you know what I mean? Like, I, I, now that I've grown up, I've, I've spoken with many people. you know, and even when I was a kid, spoken with many people that was, like, in a completely different situation than I was, which opened my eyes a lot. You know, Mom worked really hard to make sure that we had everything that we needed. Yeah. You know what I mean? And if. And if there was a way that she could make that happen, she would find somehow to collaborate with somebody to make these things happen. Do you know what I mean?

Like, you never felt like you were in need.

I never felt like I was like, in the things that I actually needed that I never got.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? Things I wanted, of course. Like, you know, as a kid, you want everything. You want everything. Like those things, but the things that. Exactly. But the things that I needed, you know, and. And the things that not just material, but things up here, too, for survival. You know what I mean? And for me, it's just. It's. It's remarkable, too, because being a parent, being a parent now. you know, I, I can't imagine what it would be like to raise two children that are, that are the opposite sex of you. Do you know what I mean? Like, and, you know, because, listen, as a parent, you provide everything, everything. You, you, all of the love that you, but then there are certain things, you know, as parents, you balance each, you balance each other out, you know? But if you take one part of that equation away, and it's just this one person. I mean, that I have no idea what that would be like. And she did it. And she did it.

Amazing.

And she did it. And that, and I saw that then. I see it now. Again, now that I am a parent, it makes me double back and be like, wow, thank you.

She was amazing.

Yeah. Incredible.

And was your father not in the picture?

You know, my father was not in the, he was I'll say this. He was there, but he was not actively involved. We were in the same town. One of my brothers, we share the same father. And my father and I had the relationship that we did just because our mothers took it upon themselves to be like, no, they're brothers, so they're going to stay close. So I would see my father when I was visiting with my brother. Gotcha. You know what I mean? And, and that, that relationship kind of went from there. But as an active father, not, not necessarily. No.

Is he still around today or is he.

He's still, yeah, he's still, he's still around. And I, and, you know, I talk to him every, I talk to him every now and then, you know, of course, I talk to him every now and then, but it's not like, you know, it's not your dad. Yeah. Yeah. I get it.

Yeah.

Do you feel like there was something in you that made you so driven to go create and express and move to LA and be driven because he wasn't there in any way, or do you feel like it would have been different if he was there?

You know, I'd like to say, I'd like to say that, that, that it, it was that. But I will, I, I'll say this, though, is that I, I have always been that, that type that you know, don't. Don't tell me what. Don't tell me what I won't do. You know what I mean? Don't tell. Don't tell me what I can't do. You know what I mean? And I do remember there was a time, and I remember vividly, I remember talking to him outside. Outside of his work in his park in the parking lot, and I was telling them, hey, I'm joining the dance team. I'm gonna need.

High school.

Yeah, I'm gonna need some shoes. you know, and some money to get some, like, supplies and this and that. And he went on this tangent about, like, oh, I thought I'd be buying you cleats and that. Again, like, not even really taking it personally. Like, oh, I can't believe you say something like that to me. But I was like, oh, so that means I'm really supposed to do this, then. Like, that means, like, okay, cool. So that. That means that I'm gonna be the example of, like, oh, you've never. You've never heard of somebody doing this, but it could. It can actually. it can actually happen. I'm gonna show you how it can happen. Do you know what I mean? So it was more fuel. So I guess to answer your question, yeah, and not like major, major, major fuel, not like the reason, but it was definitely fuel because it was more along the lines of like, oh, you don't, maybe you don't think I can, maybe you don't think that I can do this.

You don't approve or anything.

Yeah, yeah, maybe you don't think or maybe you don't approve. Only because you don't know, but I'm gonna show you. I'm gonna show you. And over the year, over the years I have, it's been fantastic.

Do you feel like if he was around, you'd be in this place right now?

You know what? Honestly, I think if he, I really do think if he was around, I might, I actually might be, I might have been out there clashing helmets with you, man. Really? Yeah. Really? Yeah. 'Cause he played football.

No way.

He played football.

Yeah.

You don't think you'd be dancing and.

Doing what you're doing?

I don't think so.

Wow.

I don't think so.

So it's almost a blessing that he wasn't around. Yeah. I mean, you know, hey, listen, it, you know, anything can happen in a hypothetical, you know, it's, you know, I can't say it's a, it's a, it's a blessing that he wasn't around. You know, maybe I would have been, maybe I would have been just as happy. Maybe I would have been, you know, but, but, you know, I will say this, man, everything happens for a reason. Absolutely. And, and you make the absolute best of it as as best as you can.

Absolutely.

And you take it one day at a time.

What is the biggest lesson your mother and your father both taught you about being a parent now? Both of them. What was the lesson both of them?

Well, from my father's side, which is presence. Presence being the most significant thing. Like your presence is the greatest present, period. You know what I mean? Like you just being there, like, I remember when I was waiting for my son to be born, I was thinking like, okay, like, you know, I didn't have this ongoing example. So what am I gonna do when this happens? And what am I gonna do with this happens? Because I don't have those things to draw back on and be like, well, my father told me that, you know?

Right.

So I'm thinking, oh my God, But then when he's there and I held him and I'm just like, oh, I just gotta be here. You know what I mean? I just have to show up. I just gotta be here. And then we'll take these times one day at a time with each other, you know? And that's been great. And then with my mother, man, it's just that a sacrifice. that when you have this life that depends on you, like, you have to put things in priority, you know, you gotta, like, you have to prioritize, you know, because my. That's exactly what my mother did. And with. And honestly, she. This is nothing that she has told me. This is nothing like. Like, hey, when you have a child, like, you know, you got to prioritize. This is something that I see from example. Do you know what I mean? This is how. This is how I saw her living. She made it happen. and it's the same. And, and I take on that same, that same thing that no matter what happens, I'm gonna make it happen. No matter what, no matter what happens, you know?

Did you ever feel like, you know, as your career was growing and you're getting all these opportunities that having a child and getting married and having, you know, a family would, you know, get in the way in a sense of your career or of your dreams. Did you ever feel that?

Yeah, of course. You know, when I'm, when I was growing up. Yeah, I used to say when I was growing up, I was. I was like, oh, I'm, you know, I'm gonna get married when I have nothing. I have nothing else to do. I remember. I remember keeping saying that, like, oh, I'll get married when I got nothing else to do. And then as. But as I grew up, though, especially listening growing up, I think, in the South, or it might even just be, like, the Eastern part of the country. people get married, you know what I mean? Like, we get married early. It's like a rush. Like, we're like, yo, what are you doing? Yeah. Like, what are you doing after high school or even in college? Like, hey, like, you know, no, I'm getting married. That's what I'm doing, you know? And, you know, as I got older, it, it, that did start to happen. But my, the, the hunger to get out here and, and do this and, and create art and be an artist and all that was way heavier than getting married and having kids. Now all of that was there still, it was still there. But I made sure that I wanted to do this first, 'cause again, from mom's example, the sacrifice. You know what I mean? So I knew that amongst those things, like having a family and stuff like that, I'm not gonna be able to freely travel about it. Just to me, I mean, some people do it. Listen, some people do it. Right. And it works out phenomenally. I knew for myself, though, that while making these moves and taking calculated risks and things like that, that it was best to do that solo for a little bit before I had a wife and kids that should be like, rather than walking into an audition being like, man, I really need this job. Do you know what I mean?

Because you've got a foundation now.

Exactly.

Credibility. Exactly. Things are coming to you. Exactly.

Like, where am I going to pay.

For rent the next month? 100.

Yeah.

100. So now do you feel like it was just good timing for you that, like, hey, this is, you know, I can have a family, have kids, and it's not going to take away, but it's going to add.

Yeah.

Enrich my life at this point. Perfect timing, man. Is that what's perfect? It was perfect timing, honestly. I it's, it is 34, right?

Yeah.

I'm 34 now.

Yeah.

And it was just like, at the time, it could not have been more divine, honestly, you know, and this is getting into a really esoteric place. Right. You know what I mean? But, but, but it is everything. Everything. Everything has its own time. Yeah. Period. It really does. And as soon as I trusted that it did, everything just really unfolded from, I mean, even for me, come, coming out here, you know, just coming out here, the jobs that, that I got, I was involved in the people. that I got involved with that led to other things and this and that. Because there were so many times that my wife and I were supposed to meet on different jobs and for some reason, either one of us canceled and we didn't. So we met at the right time.

Because if you would have met earlier, maybe it would have been.

It might not have worked out. And even when we met on a season of so youo Thinking and Dance, when we were both doing All Stars, we didn't really talk through the entire season. We didn't talk at all. Like, there wasn't, like, this big build up to, like, the chemistry or. No, it was. It was just.

It.

It happened at exactly the right moment. And then after that moment, we both decided, you know, that this is right. And then also because she. She had a daughter from previous relationship and even. the timing of that because, you know, we, we kind of had our thing going and then the timing of like, okay, now it's time to introduce you to Wesley, you know, and those things happened. And as we went on, and I'm like, okay, now is the time to be like, I'm going to propose to you. Like, you know what I mean? Like, it's just, how old was her.

Daughter when you met?

Oh, she was two. Two.

So maybe if you would have met when she was one, she would have been ready for a relationship or to have. Yeah, she was phasing out of the other one still.

Exactly. Exactly, you know. So again, it's everything had its own perfect timing and the moment that I stopped trying to rut and trying to like, trying to control so much of like, oh no, no, I'm not ready for that. I don't think I'm ready. You just kind of trust it, you just trust the process. It really did everything just literally. And when I say literally unfolded, just literally unfolded, man. and it was, and it was perfect, even to us, us having our, our son. Amazing. It's, it's, the timing could not have been more perfect.

What's it like for two dancers to be together all the time? Are you guys, like, constantly, like, breaking and, like, doing your thing? Or is there a conflict?

Because you guys are both doing the same thing. No, it's actually, you know, what, what's great about it is, is that Allison does, Allison does everything. Like, she, she was just on Dancing with the Stars. I'm, I'm not gonna do this. You know what I mean? So we, we, we kind of COVID two. two different Realms of dance, which really. She can do ballroom.

She can do box.

Yeah, that's, that's not my thing at all.

Yeah.

But she can do ballroom, jazz, contemporary. She can do, she can do everything, you know, Modern Tap. Absolutely. She can do it. And, and me, I just, I do Street dance. I can, I, I've taken those classes and things like that, and it is, but I do Street dance. So we kind of, we're kind of like this. We're kind of like this. We kind of COVID two different areas, which really works out. it really works out in our favor because we can go and teach in two different and, like, in the same place and offer two different and offer two different things rather than, you know, if we were two Street dancers or two. I don't know, you know. I don't know. There's, the competition is not, is not necessarily there because we do two different things, and it's great. And at home and at home, man, we, we dance to like the classics, man. We're dancing to Frank Sinatra. That's cool. You know, we got, we got the lounge jams on, you know? We just kind of slow dance around because we, we do, we do the intense dancing for work.

Yeah.

You know, so everyone else. Yeah, exactly. So at home, man, we keep it cool. That's cool.

Yeah.

What's the thing that inspires you the.

Most about your wife, man? Okay, so if I had to choose, if I had to choose, if I had to choose one thing, man, it it would be, it would be her constant, constant undying ability to make it work. Like to make it work, you know? It's to give you, it's to give you back, yeah. Husband, absolutely.

Career.

Killing it. Just had a child, just had a child, and he's six months now, had a child six months ago.

And now I'm dancing with the stars.

Was just on Dancing with the Stars. body incredible back in it like she never left. Even when she was pregnant with Maddox. I mean, she was still dancing. She filmed the HP commercial that she's now nominated for a World Choreography Award for. When she was three months pregnant, you know what I mean? In a unitard, body banging. You know what I mean? But either way it goes though, she has this ability to look at the cards that are dealt and make it work. You know, I mean, she's a very solution-driven person rather than being like, oh, how's this affecting me? Oh, I don't know. She's like, okay, what do we got? Okay, this is what we're gonna do to make it work. She goes for the solution and it's undone. She's not a victim.

She's not like, oh, I've got so much to do. How am I gonna figure this out?

What was me?

Ever, ever, ever. Cool, here's the challenge.

Let's make it work.

Ever. You know what I mean?

She's responsible for her life. Absolutely. That's great. coming out here from Los Angeles. She's from Utah, you know, she made the decision to move out to Los Angeles. Her and her daughter, Wesley. Wesley was one at the time. And what was going to happen? I mean, she didn't know, but like, she was like, I'm going to make it happen. And she did. And it's incredible. It's incredible. Amazing, man.

Absolutely. What's the, your message to young artists and performers who are trying to figure out their path? or they have this energy inside of this fuel, but they're worried or scared or don't know where to go or how to make it work or it's.

Intimidating and honestly, man, it's, it's a, if you have some, if you have something on your heart that you, that, I mean, that is undying and you want, and you, you feel like you have to create it, you have to do it, then you must, then you must do it, period. And that seems like the most, it seems like the most simple. It seems like the most cliche answer.

Right.

But, but the, the, the, the, the power in the decision of making a choice to be like, I'm gonna do it and I don't know where it's gonna take me, but it's on my heart and I, and I'm gonna do it and I'm gonna see it through to completion. That in itself already kind of, it already kind of lays out the path for you. A to just doing what you love to do. B, finding like-minded people. that could help, that could help you. And if not help you, just support you in what you're doing. You know, you just, you just, you just gotta do it and make a decision. And also, listen, no, don't listen to, don't listen to the naysayers, you know, like, if you got it on your heart, like, nobody, nobody, nobody feels your heart like you do, you know what I mean? And they don't, and they don't feel it, and they're not going to feel it until much, much later, if they ever do, you know what I mean? Like, like for what we talked about earlier. the people that were at my high school, the one, the DNA sayers, they feel what I was talking about now. Do you know what I mean? Like, they, like it, it. But it took me being like, oh, okay, cool. Like, y'all just don't. You just don't see it yet.

Yeah. Yeah.

Now they're, like, your biggest fans. Like, oh, I went to school. I went to school with that guy. Oh, yeah. I remember when you dance back in the day, you know?

Yeah.

You know? So it's just, it is. just trusting yourself. And I think that's, honestly, that's, and I'm sure you know that it is, is one of the hardest Concepts to grasp when you're younger. It's just, is just to trust in yourself and know that, like, what, what's inside is going to map out everything that you need. It's hard to trust yourself, too.

I think when your parents are saying, don't do it. Absolutely. Family's saying, ah, you should do this instead.

Exactly.

Friends are like, Everyone wants to be part of a community.

Yes.

Especially their friends and family. They want them to appreciate and we want to be, you know, we want to please others. Exactly. And this is a challenging thing for me. When I left to go play, to go for my professional football dream, all my friends, I wasn't the best player on my team in college. The fastest, biggest, strongest. But I had the biggest heart, the biggest drive. And, you know, I had some talent enough to make it. But I think I lost a lot of friends from college.

Right.

A lot of my teammates, they didn't support me because they stayed back and did other things and thought I should do that as well. I thought that was better by going after my dreams.

Right.

And it sucked because I try to reach out to friends and they want to get back to me and, you know, and you kind of lose a community.

Exactly.

By going after a new dream or a new community.

100%.

And it's, it can be challenging.

Very. And, you know, that, that is, it's very challenging. And that often sometimes is the hardest part of a transition sometimes is, is, is, is letting go of of those things before you continue to move on. It's very hard, you know, it is very, very hard. But, you know, sometimes your heart is going to be, it's going to be your biggest fan. You know, like you said, like you might not have been the, the biggest, the fastest, you know, or whatever. But if you have heart, though, if you have heart.

Yeah.

You got it. You know, if you can, if you can, if you can stand in the midst of people saying, no, like, and you. And you can go, okay, I hear you, but I'm still gonna do it. You know that? You got it.

That's it.

That's it, man. That's the secret.

Yeah.

What's something you're most proud of that not a lot of people know about you?

And I'm most proud of that. Not a lot of people know about me. I learned to solve a Rubik's Cube, so that's tight.

Really?

Yeah.

How fast can you do it?

I can do it in. And my fastest time and it's. Sorry. for the speed cubers out there. Sorry. This is not gonna be flattering for you. Okay? It's not gonna be tight, but I.

My fastest time was, like, a minute 15. That's amazing. I remember watching YouTube tutorials for a while, for, like, a few days, trying to figure it out, and I finally got it to where I could get.

It, but I had to watch the.

Tutorial so many times, so I didn't memorize.

Yeah. The pattern.

Yeah.

But now, you know, make me want to get back and do it. It's a nice little party trick, right? It's such a good party trick. You know what I mean? It's just like when you see It is. It's rare that you see one because you always see them mixed up and you're like, I got that. I'm going to do this while I'm talking to you. No big deal. So you're not a one-trick pony. You don't just break dance for people.

I can also solve Rubik's Cube.

There you go. You know what I mean? So yeah, when you're tired of choreography, if you need a professional Rubik's Cube solver. Exactly. That's great. But I mean, that's just that was just kind of off the top of the head. But at the same time, man, I honestly, something I'm proud of that not a lot of people know. I'm not really sure, man.

Yeah.

Everything's pretty out there.

I feel like everything's pretty out there, man.

Yeah.

So I've enjoyed the entire experience, the whole journey, man. You know?

What's the biggest adversity or challenge you've faced in the last seven years?

Biggest adversity and challenge?

It seems like you get all the things you want. You manifest. You've got the relationship, the family, the gigs, you're on Ellen, the DJ and dancer on Ellen. How long have you been doing that for?

I've been doing that for four years now.

Amazing. It's like one of the biggest shows on TV.

Absolutely.

And you're always featured.

You're always shown every show, right? Absolutely. It's a great show. Yeah, yeah, we have a little back and forth every show, which is fantastic. The Greatest Diversity, man, honestly, it's, it's, it's, I would say it's, it's, it's this is my greatest adversity is still to this day is mastering, mastering self, self-assurance you know what I mean? With all, with all of these, with all of these opportunities that come and, man, this is great. Like, I'd look, because I'd also love to just kind of get your, get your take on this. Yeah, you're welcome, internet. So with this, like, with all of the opportunities that come, of course, you know, we're big dreamers. We dream big, we manifest things. They do come. But when, when these opportunities show themselves, there's, there's a moment where a little Gemini side comes out and goes, you're not ready for that. You know what I mean? Or, or it, or, or it goes, wow, I'm not ready for this. Or, wow, I'm a little scared or. what was there a mistake here? Are they sure? Are they sure?

They picked the right guy.

Like, you know, it's, it, and still to this day, really, every. Oh, absolutely. And, you know, and of course, with practice, you first, you just, yeah, you kind of, you get in there and you make it happen and you get in and, and you realize, like, oh, yeah, I'm ready for it. But still to this day, still, it, it's, I feel like that, that is one of the, if not the greatest adversity because what to me, what greater adversity is there other than me trying to defeat myself? Do you know what I mean? Because like, you can defeat yourself before you, before anybody could get to you. Do you know what I mean? Like an inkling of an idea that you might think is great, you might talk yourself down before you can even tell anybody about it. So that you're already not just fighting an uphill battle, you haven't even taken the first step up the hill. Like, you. You won't even allow yourself to go that path because. Because there's something in you that's kind of like. Yeah. You know what I mean?

Like, yeah, there's a great podcast. Well, there's a. There's a story called the one you feed of the two wolves. I don't know if you've heard of this story. There's two wolves inside of us.

Right, right.

There's the bad wolf and the good wolf.

Right.

The one that takes you down and the one that lifts you up.

Right.

Moves you forward. Which one?

You have a decision every day, which. when you feed.

Right, right, right.

Which wolf are you going to feed inside of you? Yeah, exactly. And I think that's a lot of our challenges is the, you know, the re, one of the reasons I have this podcast that I keep doing it is to feed the good wolf inside of people.

Right.

To give people the tools and information and inspiring stories like yourself.

Right.

To show them what's possible, you know, mental food.

Exactly.

Soul food. Of course.

Real soul food.

You know what I mean? So that's a great, it's a great.

Thought about the adversity. It's a necessity, man. You know what I mean? And that's, yeah, I applaud you for it. Like I said, I I appreciate it. And it's. And. And just know that it's. Which I'm sure you've seen, by the way, that it's grown. Like, it's insane. It's. It's. It's a necessity. I feel like this is. This is an adversity that I'm not gonna say all, but most people go through. Unless you're Kanye West.

And even then, I bet he doubts himself.

Yeah, exactly.

But then he has an inner Kanye. That's a crazy.

Yeah.

You know, one of the things I try to do is before every Every year is up. I think about what's the thing that scares me the most that I haven't done yet. I'd look at my life in terms of like a sport, in terms of seasons. There's always a new championship to chase. Always a new season to go after in life. And last year it was like, I wanted to do a book. I was like hitting the New York Times list as a kid from Delaware, Ohio, who couldn't read and write in high school and was in the special needs classes and who, when the teacher asked to stand up and read aloud from the book, couldn't do it. For me, it was like it terrified the crap out of me to think about writing a book and putting my heart on the line for the world. Something that's like etched in stone when everything I was doing before was like online courses and I could edit things or whatever. This is out there. And then this year it was, you know what? I've never really done a big conference and brought people together and created an experience that I think could move people. I just showed you a little highlight video.

Yeah, yeah, man.

And that just happened a weekend ago. And the night before, I could not sleep because I was just nervous about, Am I gonna pull this off? What's gonna happen? But I was like, oh, I got this. I can do it next year. But what's the thing next year that's gonna scare me? That's gonna help me grow? And so I try to create structured challenges for myself because we're gonna face adversity every day. But if we don't structure it in a way that's helping us move forward, I feel like I'm gonna stay comfortable.

Ah, yeah, I see.

And so, yeah, that's what I'm constantly challenging other people to do is like, what's the thing that scares you? Go do that more often and you're gonna grow in the process.

But I love it. Yeah. Love it. That's awesome.

Tell me about what it's been like working with Ellen. Like, what has that done for your career and for your, your reach and or everything?

Absolutely. Yeah. Well, first and foremost, working, working for Ellen and with Ellen and being there every day, it is the It's the biggest dose of happiness that one can get on a daily basis. It's amazing. It's, I mean, it's kind of crazy because have you ever been to a taping?

I haven't been.

Okay, first of all, okay, I'm gonna, you're gonna come to a taping. All right.

You're gonna come to a taping.

Appreciate it. You're gonna come to a taping. Okay. So, A, I mean, it is, it's like, people say Disneyland's like the happiest place on earth.

This place.

No way. I really do. I really do. Be, like, Disneyland is like kids. they're like, Oh, my God, everything's great 'cause it's big and majestic and all that but like, these are like adults that take a that take a a a step away from their everyday lives, no matter what they have going on, and they sit and they laugh, uh they might cry at an inspiring story. You know, um, you know, they might get a get a gift to come back to twelve days of giveaways, you know like things like and it is it's it's to be the biggest dose of, of, like, daily happiness. And then, I mean, it just kind of smacks you in the face. You can't, you can't help but to just be kind of captured by it, by this energy because, I mean, people genuinely, genuinely have a love and love her and her entire essence and, and the environment that she creates being there. Do you know what I mean? And, and that alone, just be, just being able to be there. and see that and feel that every day, you know? It was yesterday, she surprised the audience with 12 Days of Giveaways and I'm in tears, because I'm like, because when this happens, everybody's happening. You see people across rows, high-fiving each other, walking down the aisles, high-fiving, hugging people that they don't know. They did not come there with, you know, and with things so turbulent right now and everything going on, out there. It's just nice to see an environment where you bring people together of all shapes and sizes, different colors, Creeds, blah, blah, blah. And for that hour, like, they're just, they're just human beings. They just want to be happy. They just want to laugh together. They just want to feel love. And that alone has just been incredible. And for my reach, man, it's, it's, it's there. I've, I've I feel like I've become part of the, the Ellen family now. So, so those that have a love for the Ellen DeGeneres Show, you know, they, they're, they've come to know me a little bit as well, you know? So that's, honestly, it is the biggest, one of the biggest blessings that was complete. I could not have planned for this.

There was, were you even a DJ.

Before or were you, no, there was.

Like, there was, learn this.

Yeah. There There was not a time when I was like, okay, I am going to be on the Ellen DeGeneres show daily, you know? Right.

But were you ever on it before as like a performer or just like as an actor?

No. Just like, I mean, as an actor. Yeah, so we met by doing a dance together on so youo Think. With Ellen.

She came on and did it.

She came on it, yeah. I'll have to show it to you.

Oh my god.

So I did it, I did a dance called Get Out of youf Mind. the guy that I did the dance with tore his Achilles.

This is the ballerina dude.

Yes.

My podcast editor showed me this video. It was like, okay, freaking out about it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And then he tore his Achilles.

He tore his Achilles. She was like, he was gonna win it. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, he was. He was incredible. And he tore his Achilles that next week. So Ellen was big. Is a big fan of. So you think. And she was. And she contacted the choreographers and was like, I want to recreate this just, you know, because I want to show them some love. And we did the dance together. And from there, she started bringing me onto the show, you know, just to dance or if she, you know, needed me to dance for her or something like that. She was like, oh yeah, call Twitch. Again, yeah, again, like creating like really great working relationships, you know, it comes to dancing like outside there, oh, I need somebody to dance. I go, call Twitch. Like, you know, so when they, the DJ spot opened up, Tony heard DJ of 11 years. I think he just, he just wanted to, you know, just wanted to do something else, do something else and just kind of do his thing. That opened up and they were like, okay, well, we should do, like, guest DJ, somebody to just come in. And they were like, oh, call Twitch. And then I went, had a great time. We're like, oh, call Twitch back. Wow.

And it just, so they're bringing other.

Guests at the same time. They, they brought other guests. But then, yeah, over the, over the years, I kept coming back. I'm coming back. You would dance. You had that. Rock the crowd and that, all that. And then, and then now.

Wow, man. That's insane.

Yeah. Congratulations.

Thank you very much.

That's a huge platform and everything. It's, it's a huge platform, and it's a, it's just a great place to be all the people over there. I'm telling you, man, when you come, not if, when you come to, to taping, I, I'm bringing you around. You can just feel, you feel the.

Vibes, like, you feel the Vibes. that's cool.

It's happy. It's great.

What would you say is the biggest lesson you learned from Ellen, from just being around her and being on the show for four years? What's, what's the things you learned from?

Be kind, man. Be kind.

Yeah.

She says that. She says it every day. Yeah. Be kind. Be kind to one another. That's, that's it. And that it's, it's simple, but it goes a really, really long way, though, even on, on days where, you know, my patients might be running short for whatever. reason, you know? I mean, and be kind doesn't mean be fake. It doesn't mean. It doesn't mean slap on a fire smile when you don't feel like smash. Sometimes it means just, like, on days where you might feel like you might want to have a go at somebody, like, you know what I mean? Or the. Or feel like somebody might deserve you having go at them. Sure. Being kind might just be like, you know what? Like, it's all good. It's all good.

Yeah.

Like, you know, and then just. And just keeping it moving, you know? because it is. It's. That is. It's. It's huge. And also to give, man, she. She gives, you know, and, like, to. To get a gift for her, it. She wants you to give, you know what I mean? It's like. It's like, no, don't. Don't get me anything. Give to someone else. Give to somebody else. Like, get, like, that's, you know, and for me, I'm like, that's. That's incredible, you know? It's like an everyday philanthropist, you know, it's amazing.

Yeah.

Yeah, amazing. We've gone over an hour and 15 minutes. I apologize.

I feel like I could ask another.

Question for another hour. Yeah, exactly. But I want to ask the final few questions.

Okay, cool.

First thing is, what are you most grateful for in your life recently?

Most grateful for my life recently is definitely my family, man. My wife, my daughter and my son. I know that's it. and then that just kind of, it extends to everybody else, you know, because something that, something else that I've also really been discovering in this, in my 34 years, is that something that in, in the chase of trying to make all of these things happen and this and that, I found myself, uh, getting away from my root, getting away from my root roots, meaning the things that, that cultivated me as a person. And not just, not just twitch, but, like, the person that, that was like, oh, I have an idea to make a, make a nickname for myself. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I start, I started kind of getting away, getting away from my roots because I was, I was reaching for, like, you know, you know how it is out here. It's a rat race out here, you know, it's just like, so every single opportunity, I started going, oh, yeah, I need that, you know? And, and I found now, man, that, that, like, the, the richness comes from, like, cultivating your roots. Do you know what I mean? It comes from cultivating your roots. Like, you can, you can taste this and that and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But, like, you know, where, where are you from? Like, what, what makes you tick? Like, this and that. I mean, you know, the good, the bad, the ugly, whatever, but, like, cultivate, cultivating my home life, you know what I mean? Like, and. And stop and. And me stop stopping with trying to be all of these people for everybody else rather than just being exactly who I am for my family and the people that actually love me, need me, depend on me, you know, like. being that person for them and that will shine out there. And I'll just talk about it out here rather than, like, trying to be this person, like, trying to be like this guy, like, hey, you know, like, like, just being exactly who I am for the people that need me. That's cool. You know that, like that. And to me, that. That just.

It.

That's what I'm grateful for, man, because at the end of the day, like, I'm not. I'm not twitch to them, you know, like, like, twitch is cool. Like, yeah, that's, that's, that's like a really cool character, you know? But, like, at home, I'm dad. Like, you know, I'm, I'm dad, you know? And, and to me, that's, that's the, that is, that is the, the most, it's the most amazing and humbling and challenging thing ever. All of the elements of life. you know, it is right in there. Yeah.

Yeah.

That's cool, man.

Sorry. That was a bit of a tangent.

It's all good.

That it's you guys, but, yeah, it's all good.

This is a question I asked everyone at the end called the three truths. Okay, so it's many years from now, and it's your last day here on Earth, and everything you've ever created has been erased. All the videos, content, anything you put out there is gone, and you're with all the people you care about and you love. and they hand you a piece of paper and a pen and they say, will you write down the three things you know to be true about everything you've experienced in life that you would pass on to us? And this would be the message to the world, your three truths, lessons. What would you say those would be?

Three truths. Is that Is that I am love, I have love, I deserve love, right? Those three things. Because at the end of the day, love is what makes this whole thing happen, everything. It's the reason you're here right now. It's the reason she's here right now. Do you know what I mean? It set all this up. It's the reason I'm here. Do you know what I mean? And still speaking because it's like, yeah, hour 15 has passed, but I'm sitting here talking because we love what we're talking about right now. You know what I mean? So you are loved. We're created from that. You have love within you. You have it around you. And you deserve love. So those three truths for me, if I, if, if those are, those are the things that I could pass on, because I know that if I could hear that and, you know, my high school self that, like, I am love, that's what I was created. That's what I was created from. I have it. So no matter what anybody is saying right now, like, I have, I have love in me, and I know that there's some love out here somewhere, like, so I don't have to take all of this hate and that I deserve love. So even with all this stuff happening, I don't even need to hear that because I don't deserve that. I deserve I deserve love. I deserve kindness. So I am love, I have love, I deserve love.

Those are powerful. Thanks for sharing those. Before I ask the final question, I want to acknowledge you for a moment, tWitch, for your incredible giving heart. You have such a powerful energy about you that is very loving and very kind and you're creative. Your creativity is such an inspiration to so many people around the world. Again, my podcast yesterday was freaking out when she knew you were coming in because she's like, He's been so inspiring to me over the years for bringing his gifts to the world and letting us experience it and lighting something up inside of us. So I want to acknowledge you for your incredibly loving, kind heart, for your incredible creativity, and for your drive to make an impact on the world with the gift that you love. It's really inspiring. Thank you so much.

Yeah, thank you too. Seriously, thank you so much for having me. Of course. Seriously, this is It was an incredible, incredible honor, man.

It's been fun. I've got one final question. Absolutely. Before I ask it, what can we do to support you? Where are you on social media the most?

How can we, you're on Ellen every day at what time? Damn, I'm on Ellen every day on NBC. And you have to check your local listings. Sometime midday. Cali is at four o'clock, but it's in the afternoon. So check, yeah, it's on NBC. see, I'm on social media. Instagram. Sir Twitch a lot.

With the underscores.

Yeah. Underscore. Twitch. Underscore. A lot. Sorry. The underscores get a little obnoxious. And then on Snapchat, I'm twitch snapped. Okay, so where do you hang out the most? Instagram. I'm on Instagram the most.

I've been, I've been, I've been really.

Playing with Snapchat a lot, though.

Yeah.

But now with Instagram stories, it's kind of like, yeah, it is.

But you know what it is? I think I'm just.

I'm like, Instagram stories is cool, but I like Snapchat.

Yeah, it's cool. Yeah, we'll make sure to follow you there. We'll make sure to watch your movies. Anything else we can do to support you?

Absolutely, man. My wife and I both have a clothing line called Boss Empire, bossempireclothing.com We are just kind of stay tuned because we are working on two different dance fitness programs that are going to be dropping later in the year, which is.

Going to be like video dance programs.

Serious yeah absolutely yeah I know I can't speak about it yeah it's it's dance fitness programs dance fitness programs cool and then my wife is writing a children's book Allison Allison boss is her name there you go check that out.

So boss empire.com boss empire clothing.com we'll make sure to check that out we'll have it all linked up here in the show notes as well the final question what's your definition of greatness what's.

My definition of great? Oh man, the definition of greatness is my definition of greatness is making life happen no matter what happens, no matter what's going on in front of you, is making the choice to make life happen no matter what's going on in front of you. Like not being in it, not being in effect, not, not just letting whatever happens happens, but like making a choice to make your life happen. Like no matter what's in front of you, that is great. That's greatness to me. That's greatness.

Twitch, thanks for coming on. I appreciate it, bro. Absolutely.

Thank you.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode and it inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a full rundown of today's episode with all the important links. And I want to remind you if no one has told you lately that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And now it's time to go out there and do something great.

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