From Combat Vet to Ethical Empire Builder — Fred Smith on PTSD, Purpose & Power

I do really believe 100% from every part of me that everyone has the capacity to be able to do the things that they want and not to be held back by the mental baggage that's in our head that we want to push through.

Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. In each episode, we get down and personal with people who go after the things they want to make all their wildest dreams come true. Join us as we unveil and dissect a formula for what it takes to do the thing. Here is your host, Stacy Lauren.

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. This is your host, Stacy Lauren. Well, you guys, you have those moments when you get to meet people and you immediately know and you get to see just the heart and the strength and the power and what they're doing and how many people are affected just by being able to be in the orbit of the person. Well, I have to tell you, it's so funny. I just recently met my next guest and already in the day or the two days that we've known each other, I can already feel it and see it and so much that we were about to just have a conversation today and then he started talking. I'm like, nope, we gotta do this as a podcast. And he was all in. So anyway, I'm so excited for you guys to meet him, get to know him, and I can't wait to hear more about his story. So I am welcoming Fred to the show. Hey, Fred.

Hey, Stacy, how are you? I too do the Thing. So I get it. It's good.

It's a good lesson. Just so everyone listening knows we're going to connect. And then we were talking about when we could schedule the interview and then not sure when it would happen in the next month. But I don't want to wait because your story is too good. Like we got to do it now. So, yeah, I'd love to just start off and, yeah, share your story. I mean, there's a lot here, right. So feel free to start with what feels good for you. I mean, I think we were going to the door to door thing was where it started. Yeah.

Yeah. Well, it all began when I was an embryo. And then ever since then. I'm just kidding. Yep, we can go back really far. The funny thing about it is I kind of joke like that in the very beginning. But it's true. I think I was one of the very few people on the planet who was just born super awake. And I'm coming from an environment where that wasn't really a Good thing to do because I'm from the inner city. So the dangers of the inner city that are already baked in is you don't look people eye to eye, you don't walk down the street and talk to people, you don't know your neighbors. It's just that very suppressive environment. So I did. It's funny because I wrote about it in a book that was co published with a lot of different authors and I just woke up one day and was just like, hey, why is it that it's just this strange feeling on the planet that I'm working a little bit harder than I have to and is one of those things where I've never taken advantage of color, race, creed, national origin. I'm just the kind of guy who just likes to go. I'm very much a doer. So next thing I know, next thing, as we were talking, I did door to door sales. I was homeless three times. I wind up learning this insane knowledge base that we talked about yesterday. I was like, I'm a combat veteran. And then I didn't know what to do next with my life. So next thing I'm in the car business. They hear how smart I am. So I started launching all of these companies from scratch. They all become multi billion dollars and they're still in existence to this day. Wife gets sick, nearly dies, get off the road, pandemic happens. And still tracking after all of this stuff. I've done drug withdrawal, I've helped people get off of hard drugs, I'm currently helping people with mental health issues and it's just a lot end to end. But we're here to serve people and that's really how I look at it. And just to be able to create a space where I'm able to still stay focused no matter what, despite all the noise, I still believe that I'm signal in the noise. So that's my Fred talk for today. You'll hear him sit.

I love the Fred talk. I would love to know if you've kind of noticed anything in common about the things that you're able to push through and get to the other side with. And not even the other side, but kind of fly with.

Sure, yeah. The one word I boil everything down to is resiliency. Because there is a other side. And that's the thing about it. It's something about the way that our society is. We don't believe that there really is a matrix and there is a matrix. And I have to explain it in this terms, if you've ever Done. I believe you've done HR before in the past too. So if you've done any type of human resources, that Labor Law digest book that you have especially for California, that's 2200 pages and in six point font, and it's 12 pages on how to take a 10 minute break, that is the matrix that's for employees. And somebody's facilitating all of these things and it's neither good nor bad. That's why I want people to really understand. It's about really understanding where you're at in the game of life and just figuring out where do you want to go in the game of life. But if you don't have a roadmap to begin with and if you don't know all the options in the Marine Corps as an example, I'm just like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I know my exact path to go from private to private first class to lance corporal to corporal to sergeant. It's very. Check the boxes you have this time in grade and this time in service and. And it's like, I don't see that in the civilian world. So it's engineer confusion. And that's why I talked about it a little bit at the United Nations. I sent you that just for that reason was because I talked about it on a grand scale to the point where when you look at how people unintentionally just are living their lives, are they living it with intention? Are they living it somewhat indoctrinated? And it doesn't really even go into conspiracy theory at this point in time because 2020, everybody on this planet had to sit down. And I think that was the opportunity for us to really check to see where we're at in our lives and see what we wanted to do next. So that's what I really train and facilitate on is what are those next steps in your life? Because to me, life is precious. Like I told you yesterday, I almost lost my life several times in the Marine Corps. I'm a combat vet. I was stuck out in the desert by myself. So I really do value time. It's just like I know that I'm on borrowed time. So I just want to help people, provided that they're willing to help themselves and just really see what the next step is. And I encourage people to not believe a word I say. I encourage them to just really go out here and test. And that's really how I was able to do things. So I've had to invent a lot of tools. Sometimes I got the lucky break and Actually found that band of knowledge that I needed. But for the most part there is an instruction manual. But the question is, are we silent and still impatient enough and can we get past our own head trash in order to be able to really see it? So that's where I'm at with it. Wow.

Yeah. I love how you started talking about being born super awake and now you're actually helping people live with attention. Cuz that's what you have to do, right? To live with intention is you have to wake up from the autopilot of life and give yourself kind of a bigger viewpoint to see what else is there. Because it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day, right. And not really kind of see the bigger mission and as you put it, the roadmap for what we're doing a hundred percent.

And that's the thing about it. And I tell my clients if the math isn't mathing, then we have to take a look at the math. It's almost like a Mickey Rooneyism, I guess when he used to say it was like he's like sounding double talk. I forgot the guy. Mickey Mantle, I think that's who it was. But it was just like it is math at this point in time. When you look at how convenient our lives really are with our smartphones and we're able to have Amazon prime by 9pm And I remember the times where it takes six to eight weeks or 12 to 14 weeks just to get one thing. You tend to ask yourself, what's really going on? We have all of this knowledge out here, we have all of this content out here, but how is it really serving you? Do you want to be served? Do you want to serve others? This is really the push pull that I'm always looking for. It's what's known as leading indicators and lagging indicators. I want to say, hey, you know what, I have a vision. Where do I see myself in the next? I used to like to say three years because one year you can quantify but three years is a really good sweet spot for me. And just really how do I work backwards from there, how do I work forwards? But more specifically, am I here just to make the money or am I here to just to serve people? Because you can have both, but it's usually cause and effect. So I want to show people how to be more at cause, hence you with you to think.

So I'm tracking, realizing that I think is really important because especially as we're in this entrepreneurial space, there's A lot of spaces you can get into, and it's really focused on the money, Right. And then there's a lot of spaces you can get into that are focused more on impact. And it's knowing how to kind of navigate both is also, I think, really interesting.

Yeah. Well, it's funny you say that, because I just came back from that three day conference that was in San Diego, and the number one thing was all, marketing is dead. No, I think performative marketing is dead 100%. But most people don't even know what performative marketing is. Then I have to define what performative marketing is. But performative marketing really came from the viewpoint of the little sound bites and clips that somebody picked up on and go, oh, my God, that works. So they were looking at the tactic versus the strategy. Because in the magician's world, in the hypnosis world, there's a saying called the tactic, known as a tactic blown. I'm a strategist. That's how I've always been in my life. It's always been chess versus checkers. But then you get to a point where you can see everything. And this is what I'm talking about. You really have to see how can you be a better cause of things so that you can create the better effect for people. As an example for like I was telling you before, me and my wife plan on starting the nonprofit here in the next several months just for that reason. Because what I've discovered with nonprofits since I have my tax license is that nonprofits are very powerful if you learn how to apply them. Right? And they're very mission focused. And I know that's what we were talking about. Even the reasons why we were speaking yesterday on the expert panel, it's one of those things where when you really understand the power of certain structures, you can make things happen and you can take certain elements from one thing to the next. You mentioned the entrepreneur space as an example. Well, some of the entrepreneurs that I've worked with, they are coming out of that box of employee. Now. They're kind of on the top of the box, right? But they're not reading the instructions that are on the box. By turning back around and actually reading them, it's like, okay, you saw that there was a top of the box, so turn back around. And now the instructions are right, right, right there. You don't have to be alone anymore. Whatever you want and need right now, you just have to turn around. And I'm gonna say this, and it's probably gonna make a lot of entrepreneurs mad. Stop putting your trauma into your courses, into your training and just really understand, okay, well, you got to the top of the box. What did you see that caused you to want to get to the top of the box and what happens next? And as long as you're very intentional like that and just work on the next step, I think that will solve a lot of the quote unquote marketing problems because you really are at that point in time operating from authenticity, your definition, because there are so many different ways to do it. When I was in the car business, and I think I told you that yesterday, the day before, it's just like when I was working with other manufacturers, I'd see other automotive dealers and they're just like, well, I don't want you giving away my trades to get to my, to my competitor. I'm like, nobody wants your clients, bro. Everybody has a different vibe, even in the brands. So you're going to attract a different type of person. So if we can really focus in on what we want first and make sure that it's crystal clear, that to me is what attracts other people. And that then becomes your strategy to which you market, if that makes sense.

So who are you working with now? Are you working more with corporations or are you working more with individuals?

Right, and it's a good question. Right now I too am working with a lot of nonprofits. I'm also working with a lot of the. For a long time in the online marketing space, I was behind the scenes working with a lot of some of the gurus, gurus out there, two, three levels up where they have the source material and then they become the carbon copy of those. But again, that came from me getting off the road back in 2020. And then from there I just happened to get into a lot of the lanes where there's a lot of speakers and authors and some of the offline marketing experts as well. And I did work for a couple online companies as well. Traffic and funnels being one of the ones that most people know back in the day. So I've been behind the scenes a very long time, but still I didn't even know what I didn't know as far as there being an entrepreneur lane, because I come straight from the high level multinationals. And then prior to that I was working in the government, so sure of me working for NASA. I was playing at a pretty high level all of this time. So the energy, the rooms, the focus, the intention, they're all different at different levels. That's why I say New levels, new devils. And I had to learn how to really hone everything down, because at this level, most people think that they can just go to a gym and bench press £405 for a warmup. It's like, no, no, no, no. Let's take a look at those little silverweights right now. Or maybe you're lifting this just a better technique. So I'm working with pretty much established entrepreneurs and business owners. I do run an AI SEO agency. So I do a lot of stuff in the SEO world because it's all correlated to me. Ask engine optimization and SEO. That actually relaxes me for some people, stresses them out. I'm like, it relaxes me, as weird as that sounds, because I'm an author, I'm a writer, I'm a creator. So that's what I like to do. I like to really focus on people's messaging, their verbiage, and then from there create strategies that are effective.

And you mentioned. I think this was before we hit record. I can't remember the exact words, but it was like, was it veteran to humanitarian or.

Oh, hardcore. Hardcore, yeah. From a hardcore businessman to a hardcore humanitarian.

Oh, yeah, Hardcore businessman to a hardcore humanitarian. So what does that mean to you?

Well, that's a good question. I was known in the automotive industry as that guy. As an example, when some people needed my help, I spent more time on the road, traveling, fixing dealerships than I did at home. I was home about maybe six or seven days out of the month. My wife definitely attested to it being less, but I did that for about 20 years. So what I would do is I'd go around to dealerships from end to end, from the person washing the car to all the way to the automotive dealer to their families. Because I did it with a lot of reinsurance and things like that, as far as those structures go. But I also worked on the high level as far as the manufacturing side. So I would work as an example when we would do engineering and designs of the vehicles. So, hey, how does that work in the field? Fred, go out there and go take a look at this. So I would do that, and then I would go back and forth from the retail to the manufacturing side, which is super rare, but that's the way my brain works. I'm a universal translator. I love people. So it didn't matter what that person was doing. I'm just troubleshooting. Like the gentleman said yesterday, military people are engineered to just solve problems. So I never saw any lines. I'm like, okay, what goes from here to here to here to here. And in the copywriting world, that's called the golden thread. I'm always looking for the golden thread. So I did that to the point where I was able to really help revolutionize the industry two ways. The first one was when actually online lead generation was going on back in the days in the 90s in San Diego. I was one of the very first people that actually worked as far as really documenting a process for lead generation. Then back in 2003, 2004, now we understand customer satisfaction index is nothing but something to do. That was truly revolutionary back in 03 04. And then the other time was when I was helping install the finance and insurance part of the automotive industry. That's one of the most profitable ones. Not the cars, when you actually buy the service contracts, your gap and all of that stuff. So I would train the finance managers and the sales teams and the salespeople and the desk managers. I mean, the only thing I did not do in a car business was own a car dealership. But other than that end to end, I was the guy to the point where I was actually even facilitating high level multiple seven and eight figure advances to automotive dealers. And that was working on the capital side, helping out with automotive compliance and things of that nature. So the way my brain works, it's just been all over the industry. But the problem was at some point in time you become overqualified. So it's like how the game works so well that the people who are wealthy don't want to see the people who are rich become wealthy. It's like all of these different barriers and I want to keep this positive to just say I had a very amazing experience end to end. So I'm super thankful for that. So when I'm walking into a place where they have a question as far as what color they should use for their button, I'm like, let's take a look at that on your landing page. I'm like, tell me more about that. It is neither good nor bad. I just have had to learn how to undercut everything. And I think that was the biggest thing was just really undercutting because I'm very much an operator like you. That's why I love these kinds of like, we just went straight in. I'm like, I'm all in. I, I trust, I get it. So I'm really super thankful. But that's what I mean. But I was literally the guy because I would walk into and I can still do it to some dealerships. To this day, I can still walk in and go, hey, my God, Fred, you're back. What do you want to train on? And I'm talking about some car dealership that are selling a thousand cars plus a month. So I'm still pretty well known, even though I haven't been in game for a good minute.

It's so cool when you get to kind of see, I call it actually I learned this from a coach of mine. At one point I was researching translatable skills and I a whole episode with her because that was at the point when I was still kind of in really big research mode of the do the thing formula and things like that. And she calls it life assets. And I love those words. And it's like your military experience, it sounds like. And I, I, we haven't talked about the door to door specifically yet. I'm curious where that was and how that kind of helped the military. But it's those skills that you've developed, right? That's what now is kind of lending your whole life. I wish I would have known this when I was younger. All those things that you do that you think are sometimes a waste of time, it's such enriching practice that you have as a foundation of who you are.

Yeah. And that's actually coined a term called the integrated lifestyle. Because I say, hey, my work is my play and my play is my work. Because I never had delineation in my life about that. To me, it was weird to segment my life out and now I understand why, because it just depends on what level you're at. But that's the problem when I'm coaching people up. I have to take them from being too much of a specialist to become more of a generalist or at least pop out a little bit so that they can see what the next step is. But for me personally, it came directly from reading the junk mail. When I was younger, I was a guy just like Russell Brunson talks about. I was that guy too, in the hood. Just like, I just love reading this stuff. And it actually motivated me to go get a job at one point in time, right? And my mom was just like, hey, you can have all the mail except what's mom and mommy and daddy's name? We need that. You can keep the rest of it. So that was my insatiable, curious appetite. Even when I was, I'm from Pennsylvania. So even when I was younger, for my birthday, I'm grabbing my mom, she's like, where are we going? I'm like, I'm going to go get my work license. You need to sign off on this. I need to go get this stuff that I'm seeing. So it was always that curiosity that caused all of this stuff in the first place. So I'm super thankful for that one attribute and that's what I really look for in people. I can teach the other stuff, but seeing if that burning desire fell off a little bit, is it rekindleable? Because we're human beings first happening to have this experience that we call life in my world. And I always tell my clients same thing. I'm like, look, focus on the signal. Because we've clearly defined what's noise in your life and it's our job to take that shovel and just get that out the way. Because no matter what I say, I can have the best stuff in the world. But if you're not there mentally, none of this matters.

So I just want to make sure because I'm thinking of the focusing on the signal. And that actually really ties into what you had said in the beginning with being born super awake and then how now that's your life's mission, right? Is helping people live with intention. It's so funny. When I started this podcast, I started it because I wanted to help people do the thing. When I owned my staffing company, I saw all the blocks and the I called it mental baggage that came up. And the worst one was people not wanting to leave the job or people not wanting to leave the business because of fear. Right. And just not being able to know that they would be okay on the other side regardless of what happened. And it was, I think, by the 10th episode. It's so funny, I talk about the do the thing formula, but the tenth episode was when I realized I was doing the thing, but I hadn't found my voice while I was doing the thing. And that's kind of my do the thing story is in order to really do the thing at the highest level, you gotta find your voice through it. Otherwise you're just doing it for everyone else. Right. And then that's. That's annoying. But I love that commonality of the waking up and then the intention and then the what is your signal? Cause I feel like that is definitely finding your voice through all the noise that's out there and being able to see what is really true for you.

Yeah. And it's true because even as an example, like I was telling you before, one of the manufacturers that I was working with, they had to make a pivot and it was A major pivot. And it cost them around 2.2 billion with a B dollars in order to find their new voice. And the thing about it is, in that level, you change one thing about your voice, it's going to cost you a few hundred million dollars just to do, or you're moving in a different direction. And legally you have to file all this paperwork in order to do it. So the startup entrepreneur may or may not have to think of it from that viewpoint. But what I do is, since Elise, I don't know if this has changed, but when I was younger, the dangling carrot was always like, hey, well, if this big company can do it, you can do it too. And it's just like, well, yeah, that's probably page 22. And I'm on page two because I need to still find my voice to your point. So. And that's sometimes what the number one problem is with most people, especially in today's environment. There's a huge lack of trust. And that's still a very much a real thing. And it's because everybody has this carbon copy syndrome where they sound the same. And yeah, you do have to cut through the noise these days. You have to have signal now more than ever in your life. And you have to double down on what you believe in, what you're for, what you're against, because that's what people really want. And I'm talking about even at the super high level, corporate and multinational levels, I'm seeing that. And it's really is a delineating factor. And do it in a real authentic way. Because I see some people still trying to say, oh, well, that's working for that person. It's like, well, you check their numbers, are they publishing? You don't know. Just do you? And if it's working and set a deadline on it. If it's not working, then perhaps you need to. I know you're a mentor. I'm a mentor to people as well. And it's just like you have to find real mentorship for people who have done it. And you can listen and tell these days. That's the cool thing about it. Most people want an expert these days. They want an expert. So the key is to get the experts to get their voices out there a lot more too. Because the game on this level then becomes distribution.

So, okay, so what would you say? We're gonna do this two ways, if that's okay. Cause I wanna get both of your kind of goodness here. What would you say is your biggest piece of advice for veterans as they're transitioning out of the military and on doing the thing.

Man, that's a tough question. And here's why it's a tough question. Because as we saw in the expert panel yesterday, most of the veterans still get stuck being at 200 miles an hour, and they don't realize that they're about to change gears and there is a fork in the road. And if they don't choose the side of the fork of the road, they're going to go straight and they're still going to hit a wall. That's the first warning signal because that was the exact same problem that I went into. And then we had a whole panel yesterday. I'm just like, oh, okay, cool. I wasn't the only one who experienced that. It was really good confirmation, even after being out more than 20 years. But understand that the change is real. Understand that your brain has been stretched. You're no longer a civilian anymore. And also clearly identify how you define yourself as a veteran. Because I didn't get that definition of what a veteran is. There is no quote unquote in my book, a model ideal veteran, right? Because the thing about being a veteran is that you pretty much have a small world that you're facilitating, and that's the reasons why you have the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So it's just like you're in a whole different world. So you get held to this standard and you get held to another set of standards. And we have to remember that when we were getting paid on the 1st and the 15th, that's going to change as well. If we look at it from just a general, most people know what Maslow's hierarchy of needs are, but if not, there's just these different levels of need that you have. As an example, that was part of my job when I was with the expeditionary unit. When we were out for more than six months, it was my job to brief the Marines and go, hey, you're about to enter in the Twilight Zone. You've been gone for six months. Some of you may still have spouses, some of you may not have spouses. Some of you are going to go down to the pier and walk right past your spouses. It's just all of this reality check that most people don't know. And that happened to me because when I was married, same deal, my wife had gotten off the boat at that time, we're no longer married, But I walked right past her because she had dropped like 40 pounds. It was just like, that's the transition that every Marine, any soldier, any sailor, anybody, any Coast Guardsman, anybody who's in the service, they're going to go through this part. The question is, what do you really want now that you're out? And that's another problem that most veterans have because I know several buddies of mine, they would go back in even though they hated it. They were just so used to the pattern of what it was like to be a full time service member. And it's like, well, the water's still gonna be cold when you get out. So realize that. And understanding that you're. And like we mentioned yesterday, you're going to have to find another community. You're going to have to find a group, you're going to have to build one if you can't find one, which takes a little bit longer. But now there's a lot more support even now than when I got out back in 98, 99 and then again 0203. So I would just say this sounds crazy, but actually being humble and just really listening to somebody who is a vetted expert, I'm going to put that caveat on there because I have seen a lot more sharks. They smell blood and water, unfortunately. And even though they say that they're trying to help you, they're not trying to help you, they're trying to shake you down. And I look, I saw it for myself and again, I want to keep this very positive because I'm that guy. But I also have to talk about the other side of the equation where as an example, some of these military guys say about thousands of dollars when they're on deployment because they don't have anything else better to do. And then next thing, hey, start your own business and here's an ad and blah blah, blah. Next thing, they're getting taken advantage of. So just realize you are a real asset, but be an asset to yourself first. Understand that the landscape has changed and it's going to be a little weird coming out and understand that it's just going to take time. I think that's the hardest part of the whole process. Because even as an example last year, I can say honestly, actually even this year, up to about maybe June, that I am finally feeling like I'm back in the civilian world because I went straight from my situation again was super unique. I went from getting out of a combat situation to not can't find a job to being in this crazy high level environment like we talked about yesterday due to my ptsd. I just, I just got, I'm like Oh, I don't ever. I don't touch any of this stuff. I just kept climbing and climbing and climbing and climbing and running. Right. So now that I'm going back and I've turned into a pumpkin and midnight has happened, the water was still cold. I had to figure out who I needed to talk to in my immediate environment. I needed to figure out who I needed to talk to online. And I know this is a long answer, but it just needs to be. It needs to be really. You have to get full conceptual understanding as to what needs to happen next in your life, and you have to really battle plan it out. We do a lot of planning in the military, so that shouldn't be unusual for anybody. You really have to plan your next three to six months. I think that's probably the most important thing.

And for those of you that I don't know where the expert panel is going to be in my episode. So Fred was talking about yesterday, and feel free to add more context that going through ptsd, it was actually easier to just climb the high achiever route and build these businesses than be able to look at what was going on, which a lot of us do. I mean, that's a. Yeah, totally.

Yeah. And I appreciate you asking me to put more context in it, because quite frankly, Stacey, I've never talked about it. You're the first one on the planet, so it's cool. But I had to. It took me over 20 years just to get to this point. And one of the other things, too, and I told my wife, you talking about doing a thing? I told her, I said, look, babe, love you to death. We don't have another 20 years. It's go, go, go, go, go time. And we've been. We've been wildly successful, even with the ptsd. I want to be super clear about that. I do have a resume that's just stupid and it's ridiculous. And you would see it and know, yeah, he's been traumatized. That's just the way it works, because even the CIA did a study. And I know because, like I said, I had a secret clearance. So anybody can research what I'm talking about, where they say there's a direct correlation between high performers and ptsd. It's a known thing at this point in time. So I'm not talking from the fringes anymore, which I'm super excited about. And that's the problem that most veterans have, is that we're speaking from the fringes because we're so specialized. And that's why I Had put in a chat even yesterday. I go, yeah, you go from running a battalion to bagging groceries. Let's just. They're not even the same thing, but we tend to go through that. So with my PTSD in particular, I just knew that I just need to keep going. I'm like, okay, well, if I almost died, what did I miss? What's next? It's like my life flash before my eyes. It's just like, let's keep going, let's keep going, let's keep going. And I constantly worked, and that was my wake up call too. And this is real talk for any vet who has ever been through ptsd. My wife got so angry at me about two years ago. She was like, if you die before me, I'm gonna throw your computer into your casket. I was like, whoa. And for her to say that, and she didn't say it out of hate or spite. Let me be super clear, she's a sweetheart. She's a hardcore Asian mama. She doesn't play. She's that traditional. I got the chopsticks, girl. But she was just so frustrated about us not spending the quality time that we needed. And it woke me up. I was just like, cool. So, okay, so it sounds like you got a plan, what you're thinking. But her strength allowed me to really travel as much as I did. Cause I was one, like I told you about six or seven days out the month. But we were still able to build a family. All of our kids are crushing it. They're making multiple six figures. They just really. It just comes from us moving a certain way in life and just being totally congruent and being extremely honest and being extremely ethical. So that part of my foundation is what caused me to still be able to perform at a very high level. She made sure as an operator, because she's an operator, too. And I told her, I said, babe, you're an operator. She made sure that all the other noise was just not in my life to the point where she protected me in this really nice cocoon. And I was just able to go out there and perform. I was able to just go out there and perform and just do it and just do it and not have to think about anything. And we just. I'm saying we're like, absolutely crushed it. So we're at a new chapter in our life now where that's why I told her. I was like, hey, I'm just going to do podcasts. I'm just going to be a. Look, I got enough experience. I don't need no more. I'm good. Not to be arrogant, but it's just like, I've just done so much. I'm tired. And as an operator, now that I finally broke in that pattern of ptsd, I'm getting some sleep. I'm just like, whoa, this is incredible, this sleep thing. And it's just a real thing that I think any veteran hearing me say it can appreciate, because I know the patterns. I know what it's like to sleepwalk. I know what it's like to do a lot of stuff that you don't want to do. And you're like, well, why am I still doing it? It's just one of those things where if I can inspire one veteran or one service member to know that, hey, you're not alone out here, then let's go. We're here to help.

Thank you. And then my other question is your biggest piece of advice for people on doing the thing?

Cool. Yeah. No, I. Again, I was in your ecosystem just so you can check. Check your database. I was out there, I think, when you first. The gentleman who we met yesterday was a filmmaker. I think I was in that thing. But my best advice for any human is to actually really check out your do the thing formula. The reasons why I say that is because you have actually engineered a very unique way, and you're a giver. So anybody who gets on your list will know for a fact that you're a giver. You give, give, give, give, give. Hey, we're live, and we got this, and it's just like. And you're really. You're really putting into it. That's what we need. We need more. Stacy's in the world. So we need more duplication of your process. And I see how it's being customized for individual audiences, but it's still the same track for the ip, the way that goes. So that would be the first thing. The other thing I would just say is just that now, like I was saying yesterday, be more inspired these days, and here's why. You have people like me and you out here who really care about people, and there's groups that are emerging that I'm actually seeing online, designed to be real, safe points for people where they're just like, hey, look, we know what you've been through. If you've been through X, Y, and Z, come see us. We're the experts. We don't have it all figured out over here, but we've got a panel of these 10, 15 people, and between all of us, we're going to help you figure it out for what's best for you. And that's where the world is moving right now, is an emerging trend. So you have to look at it a little bit harder. But again, that's the power of these nonprofits. Because what most people don't know is that they can actually advertise and Google actually gives them money to advertise. And that's what I'm specializing in, is helping you. Hey, when you get that money, how do you really sell? You follow me? Like, we're at that point in life now where people are really reaching and they're seeing that if we don't fix this, then we're all going to fail as a human species. It used to sound like rhetoric when I was younger because I'm a Gen X guy, so it's just like, ah, yeah, whatever, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But now that I'm in this seat, I'm just like, whoa, this was way worse than what I was. Because I can move away from a cell phone. I have no problems with it. My kids, if it's not here, like I say from Amazon, by nine, they're freaking out. So just realize that microwave popcorn will always be too slow these days. Really take a step back and enjoy being a human because there's a lot of automation out here that can help you become more human now than ever, even if you're a top level performer. Because even behind the scenes, what most people don't know is that sometimes these high performers do have their trauma. They do put it into their programs, but also realize that you're also changing of the guard right now. They're the same things that you're saying that you want to fix. That means that because you have attention on it, that could be a part of your purpose. So if you're struggling with your purpose, if you're struggling with being able to break that silence like we talked about, just understand that you're not alone. Please don't think that you're the only one. That would probably be the best advice I can give anybody on this planet. Do not think that you're not alone. And I'm going to say this, and I'm just going to park it, that certain parts of our consciousness have been engineered for a certain reason. But because we do have technology, and I'll go a little bit more into detail about that. It's just like certain parts of it have been engineered, but in order to play at the level that we're playing at, you have to take Responsibility for yourself. You have to take responsibility for other people. You have to take responsibility for your actions. And you really have to work on being at. Cause if you really want things to happen, you have to focus in on just what is my thing, what is my voice. And literally, that one thing can just take up so much time. An example, that screenwriter to just get that one script out. That's why they have a crew of a thousand. It's just to get that one idea fully developed and produced takes a real team. If we can think like that. Understand, then your team will start showing up, whether they're local or online. That's my best advice.

Wow. Okay. I did have one more with this. I wanted to go to the nonprofit. Biggest piece of advice for the nonprofit.

Best piece from the nonprofit. Yeah, the best piece for the nonprofit is realize that you can make a lot of money. Just because you're designated as a nonprofit does not mean that you can't make profit. That's the biggest misunderstanding. That even when I'm training, nonprofits are. It's like, no, you have a special designation by law that you have to facilitate these funds for this specific purpose. And at the end of the day, you should either be close to zero or if not zeroed out. Yes. It's not a real business in the respect that you don't own it. It's owned by a collective. But you still have the functions of a business in there. And it still requires planning. It still requires finding your voice. It still requires finding the audience. But here's the thing about the nonprofit. You shouldn't have to find the audience. That's the reason why you should form the nonprofit in the first place. Some people just form. And that's how I can tell the difference between what somebody. Why they're really doing a nonprofit, like my nonprofit specifically want to be for veterans who. Because for some strange reason, when I got into this lane, I'm supposed to be broke, I'm supposed to be poor. I'm supposed to be just. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, guys. No, no, no, no, no. I know what it's like to have a $60,000 bar tab at the Ritz Carlton. Okay? I got some stupid stories. I'm not going to play this card over here. I'm going to show you guys how to get to this level. So I'd rather pull you up, because the other stuff is there, and it's in spades. That's my purpose. So I already know that. So I can center my whole Nonprofit around education and training and development just for veterans who are transitioning and who also need to learn the basic one on one of what real businesses are. Because we have another person on the team as an example. He has a whole bunch of nonprofits, and they have that one problem where they can't find their voice. And it's like, well, let's talk about why they can't find their voice now. Again, this is what I do. But again, finding your voice and your purpose in a nonprofit is on a scale of one to ten, about a hundred. Because if you can't rally other people around you, it doesn't matter how good your advertising, your marketing is, it's missing the soul of why you're a nonprofit in the first place.

Wow. Okay. Is there anything I did not ask you that you wish I asked you?

Oh, I like to ask that same question, too. That's pretty baller. I would. I would think at this point in time, maybe what inspires me to do what I do? That's a good question.

Oh, yeah. Okay. What inspires you to do what you do?

That's my default question, too. Well, what inspires me is the fact that I know what it's like to not have anything. I know what it's like to be extremely lonely and you have everything. I know what it's like to cry in Bruno moglies. I know what it's like to cry in $5,000 suits because you just don't feel like you're alone. I know what it's like to travel on private jets and all the other stuff and still wonder if anybody really cares about you. I know what it's like to make a whole bunch of money and ask yourself, why am I making it in the first place? It's just a piece of paper. Who really likes me. My thing is, I understand the human condition because I'm very much human. And I also know what it's like to walk around on this earth like, I'm in a coma and I'm seeing things, and I'm feeling like I'm outside my body going, did I just really do that? Or did that just really happen? Because the thing about trauma and the thing about human beings is that collectively, we are supposed to help each other out, genuinely help each other out. And again, we do need money. It's up there with oxygen. I'm not tracking on the parts. Trust. I like to make my money. It's a good thing. But to do it with an honest dollar, to do it knowing for a fact that I'm genuinely providing a real service, and it's beyond anything anybody ever expect. That's what inspires me. And I was able to do that in the car game for so long. My favorite thing, Stacey, was to go into a dealership and prove to them that the more ethical I was, the more money they would make. No, you're crazy. Blah, blah, blah. Okay, well, let me take the next five deals. Let me take the next 10 deals. Bring it here. And I would just show them, and the mouth just drop. And I used to actually have a saying, hey, I'm gonna be here for two weeks. The first week, you're gonna hate me. And then the second week, by the time I'm done, we're going to be doing barbecues together. Oh, you're full. And blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I would just show them this works. So my thing is, there's enough affluence and abundance in this world. We just have to be trained. To me, the one word is always going to be training. My answer to anything that can be fixed is always going to be training. And here's why. Because the reasons why I got here, even to my voice right now that you're hearing, I was trained in the Marine Corps to speak like this as a broadcaster back in 1996. I couldn't just turn it off. It was a brain transplant. I'm in there 15, 16 hours a day, just training. Had I not been trained, I wouldn't be talking to you right now to get out of the desert alive. That was a real thing that happened. But I had to get the training on how to handle my ptsd. I had to get training on how to transition into the civilian world. I had to get training to learn how to sell cars. I had to get training on how to do a lot of things. And if I didn't, if I was a quote, unquote pioneer, I had to find other people who were trained in different areas and just stitch it together. But that required me to be trained to even see that kind of stuff. So that's what inspires me, is to know for a fact that a lot of these problems, they can be answered through training, period. There's an app, like I said, there's an app for that. There's some training for that. But the problem is, I think sometimes. And again, this is the other part that motivates me. There's this band that's in between. It's called the Messy Middle. When you're broke, you're broke. When you're rich. You're rich. Anybody else in between is kind of in the messy middle. Those are the diamonds, though, that are stuck in the mud. And you can just pull em out. Cause you know what a diamond looks like. And I'm like, okay, cool. I know I can't help everybody as much as I'd love to. Not everybody wants my help and I'm cool with that. I really, Stacy, have had to accept that over the last year and a half because I just kept putting my hand into the fire. Ow, ow, ow, ow. I'll quit it. Ow. Quit it. So stop hitting yourself in the face with the hammer. Okay, cool. I'm done with that. So. Okay, here's some diamonds in the mud. This is exactly who I know who I can help out. Okay, cool. And I can polish them up and we're good to go. And that's really how I look at it. If we can't train it, it can be made.

Oh my gosh. I'm so glad I asked you that question. I'm saving that one too.

Yeah, that's the one that you can hit a mute button on and just.

Yeah. Thank you. Please share where people can find out about you and learn more about what you're doing.

Cool. Well, if they want to learn more about me, I actually am launching my podcast. It's the game Exposed podcast. Com. You can check me out over there. I do have a group on Facebook. It's called New Room Collective. I've had it forever. Since 2020. I had a lot of the world's top thought leaders and experts in this online marketing industry there. So I've kind of somewhat recalibrated it for veterans. And my final one is Speed scaling. Com. I'm known for speed scaling, so that's what I do. I really show people how to take their words into action on any level. It doesn't matter because to me, they're just words. It's just how you put them in a certain function in order for them to work for you. So that's speed scaling. Com.

Oh my gosh. I'm so glad that we pushed record. Thank you so much for coming on and thank you guys for listening and do the thing. Don't wait for opportunity. Create it. And hey, guys, have you checked out my Facebook group yet? Go to do the Thing collaboration dot com.

Thanks for listening to the do the Thing podcast. We hope you enjoyed the show. But even more, we hope you'll be inspired to do the thing. Do you have a burning question on Doing the Thing that you'd like answered. How about an inspiring do the Thing story of your own that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear all about it. Just leave us a voice message at do the Thing callcast co or email us@helloothingpodcast.com.