UNPLUGGED | You Have to Save Yourself | Brandi Thee Millennial Manager x Lee Cage Jr.

[00:00:19] Hey everybody, my name is Lee Cage Jr. and we are back with, well, let's just call it another version of the Unplugged series. There are certain people that you meet in your life that you see them online, you just wish that they could be your very best friend, or maybe you feel connected to them. Brandi is one of those. She has accrued millions of views on her content, millions of views, probably millions of comments.

[00:00:45] It sometimes is right at the line, and that's why I bring her here. So she is here all the way from Detroit, Michigan, hanging out with us. Welcome to the show. Thank you. So listen, I'm okay. I'm nervous, okay? Why? Because you've been laughing all day, and now they get to see behind the scenes of this laugh. Exactly. People see you online. They see the videos. They see the commentary.

[00:01:13] Who is Brandi? Brandi is a complicated girl. Okay. You know? I'm very independent and driven by independent thought and doing my own thing. I feel like that's who I am online and offline. I am just a very independent person. I enjoy being independent because I have a husband.

[00:01:42] So I love that. I love that part. But I make my own money. You ever see Bridesmaid? Yes, I have. Is this your husband? Oh, you don't have a husband. Oh, you don't have a husband. Yes. Yes. This is all. Okay. Yes. So I do feel like I have just some complicated things. I enjoy that, you know, independence. I have ADHD, so I'm neurodivergent like crazy.

[00:02:11] I can go into so many different topics in four videos, probably in three. Really? I could jump. In the same one. In the same one. We can hit so many things, so many different things. And everybody is like, okay, people just roll with me. And I really appreciate that from my audience because when things are like, you know, at a point where they need to be talked about and it's super important, there are still other things that you want to talk about as well. So I could post three videos totally different. Yeah.

[00:02:41] And it lands every time. And I love that for my audience and me. So let's talk about that more. Like, how did you decide that you wanted to start posting? Like, what was the moment that you were like, you know what? I've got to post. Because I remember the videos, the early videos, because I've been around for a while. So what was the motivation behind it? Well, it was more so like there was a trend on TikTok and it was like, I'm a good manager.

[00:03:10] I do X, Y, and Z. Okay. So I recorded a video just about all the things that I did for my team members. So I let them come in a little bit late. They get a 10-minute grace period and you get extra at the time. I'm an army. We all give no grace period. Well, you know, at the time, I was 270. Okay. So bring me a hash brown. We friends. We friends. A snack. Just bring me a little snack. And a coffee sometimes.

[00:03:40] So that, you know, like little things like that. And just like, yeah, you and your phone girl. Me too. Okay. I have kids. I, you know, have a life outside of this job. And I want my employees to be able to have a life outside of the job. And I think that's important to have work-life balance. Real work-life balance. Not that fake thing that happens in every single. I don't call it work-life balance though. But you got it. Work-life integration. I don't like that. Tell me why.

[00:04:10] Say more. Because it's a lie. Integrated means eventually something is going to get taken over. Sometimes it does. See, that's why I don't like that. I like a balance because that means things have to be equal. They have to be equal. And then in order to maintain that balance, you're going to always try to keep things equal. If I do integration, eventually I'm going to be overran by something. Okay. You know what I'm saying? I like the idea. Yeah.

[00:04:40] I think that is a little. That's just my opinion. I have to figure out the balance part. I know how to do the integration well. Yeah. I don't know how to do the balance. Let me tell you. You're not going to like it. There's a phrase that you use. Mm-hmm. Is this, I think it's a F-T-J. Yes. Mm-hmm. I know. I know it. Mm-hmm. You say it in your mind. In my mind. Yes. In your mind. Okay. Keep going. Yes.

[00:05:08] You have to use F-T-J sometimes. Okay. That is important for your mental health, for your well-being, especially if you work in a leadership role, I think it's extremely important to adopt that because if you do not, that job will overtake you, the staff will overtake you, the work itself. Because even outside of managing, you still have your work and the things that you're supposed to do every single day. Right.

[00:05:34] So, I feel like utilizing that, not abusing it, utilizing that as a tool to make sure that you don't become overrun by the things of a business that you are only making a salary from. What do you say to people who feel like they are the saviors of their job? They not. What happened to the Lord? What happened to him? So, I tell my mom, okay.

[00:06:04] Answer my question. Listen. I tell my mom all the time, my mom, and she works in long-term care. She's a leader in long-term care, which every day there's some- Emergency. Emergency. Yeah. A true emergency. Mm-hmm. I also have to remind her at times that we too- Yeah. Are an emergency. Yes. And so, my boss, who's a really good friend of mine in real life, she says there are these

[00:06:32] glass ball moments and these rubber ball moments. Mm-hmm. Your family is a glass ball moment. Yes. If there's something happening with them and you drop that ball, it may not be repairable. Yeah. But that worked. Mm-hmm. This job. Mm-hmm. Some of these obligations. Mm-hmm. If you drop it, somebody else- Somebody else is there to pick it up. Or you can give it to somebody. You don't even have to drop it. Yeah. I think that's another problem that a lot of people have.

[00:07:02] Delegation. Delegation. But they feel that if I delegate this, it means I'm not capable or I can't do it versus- It actually is the opposite. Help the people. So, being able to delegate means that you can relinquish and have more responsibility. If you're holding on to all these little jobs, like somebody else- I always do that on the first Tuesday. Somebody needs to do it. Let somebody else do it.

[00:07:31] Like, there are some things that I don't do myself as a director that my managers do and they facilitate. There are some conversations that I cannot have with team members because I'm not at their office every day. I just cannot do that. How can I be expected to know all the things all the time and do all the- I won't be able to. That's why I have to relinquish. There are some- And you really have to be able to work at a bird's eye view. When you work high level, you need to be able to work at a bird's eye view. You cannot be in the weeds because that's not your job.

[00:08:00] And you need to know your job. Mm-hmm. I know. One of the biggest issues I have found with people, especially as they move up in leadership- Yeah. Is that they want to keep doing- Whatever they were doing. Your task-based work. Task-based works when you're an associate or a junior or a team member. Mm-hmm. Middle management. Middle management. You have a little bit of strategy, a little bit of operation, that task-based works.

[00:08:28] When you are senior manager, director, VP- Mm-hmm. There is no task. You are working. You are providing strategy. Yes. Get out of the weeds. Yes. Get out of there because it's not your business. Everybody needs to know their business. That's the problem in the workplace. People don't mind their business enough. They mind everybody else's business and is concerned about what Sharon is doing. Sharon is not your employee.

[00:08:57] She's her own employee. Mind the business. Maybe she's the individual contributor, whatever that is. Yep. Sharon, that's not your business. You need to worry about Rebecca. So you have all of these people who are following you, connected to you, all the things. Mm-hmm. How do you separate the social life from the real life? Or are they integrated or are they balanced? See, I'm going to use it. I'm going to bring that word back in. It's a balance. Okay.

[00:09:26] Still balanced. They cannot be integrated. Everything is balanced.

[00:09:29] Everything is balanced.

[00:09:58] I'm going to use it. I'm going to use it. I'm going to use it. Okay. Okay. Okay.

[00:10:26] Now I cut it on D&D and there are no notifications that's going to come through unless it's my husband or my children. Got it. Yeah. As a person who like I have the podcast, I have the army, I have my real job. Mm-hmm. It's a challenge to keep them. I'm running a podcast studio. Like the things, it requires balance. Yes. And also trying to be a good father and a good husband. And that's your most important charge.

[00:10:55] Number one, that is what you are charged with is to be a good husband. Yeah, because I said I do. That's right. That's right. And I'm trying to do. Exactly. Because then you don't. And then you're in trouble. Okay. Yeah. So those are your most important things. And everything else will fall in place. But if that is not right, nothing is going to be right. So I want to take a commercial break. Yes. Okay. So I have this friend. Her name is Kayla. But on Instagram. Mm-hmm.

[00:11:25] What's her Instagram name? Batty with a belly. Okay. Okay. I like that. She said, I was going to name myself Fashionable Fatty, but that name was already. Dang. She could still do it. I would. I would spell it different. So she went. Fatty with a P-H. Bat. T-E-E. I sure would. That's what they going to do. They can't fight you. I mean, you do like your double E's. They can't fight you. I love double E's. So. Mm-hmm.

[00:11:55] Mm-hmm. So she went viral. Yes. Okay. For saying things that are not my business, but I have to know. Okay. Example. Mm-hmm. Somebody dies. What's the first thing you say? Who did the body? Or who's going to get the body? Or how they died. Mm-hmm. Like how they died is going to change if they did. How? How? Was they white or black? Sometimes it matters. I don't know. If they are white, that funeral is going to be.

[00:12:25] Tomorrow. Listen, I have a. I have a. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Mm-hmm. We cannot keep that body out that long. Us, it would be 17 days. Business days. Somebody had died in July. In the middle. The funeral is in mid-August. You see what I'm saying? Mid-August. And still looks. And still look preserved. Crispy. Mm-hmm. Fresh. Mm-hmm. Skin still. Not a lump in sight.

[00:12:56] So, the way that this game is going to go, you are going to fill in the blank. Okay. An example. Why'd they crop out the family photo? Oh, divorce. You got the. You have the gist of the game. Shut up. Okay. Okay. I got it. I'm up to speed. So, you're going to fill it in. Okay. All right. All right. Why is he still single?

[00:13:26] Mm. Why he's still single? Mm-hmm. He a cheater. He a cheater. Why? Okay. Why? Black men be cheating. No. Some black men do. Some black men do. But men do, period. Faithful are the. The good ones don't. Okay. But it's. I got to stand up. I said some. No, but we live with black men. I said some. It's equal opportunity. Oh, yeah. People cheat.

[00:13:55] Because the lighter hue of friends that I had. I think black men are not great at hiding cheating. Some of them. Because my lighter hue friends. Not your lighter. They have spreadsheets. Mm-hmm. And I'm like, bro, this is so much. It's too much work. Just divorce her. It's going to cost too much money. It's cheaper to keep her. Why? Why'd they friendship end?

[00:14:26] Gossip. Who got fired and why? Stealing. And it was Amy. Who broke up with whom? She broke up with him. What's their real salary? $31,000. They be flexing like they made 50, but they don't. And that's just my story from living in Detroit. Because the median income is $32,000. And I just moved there. And it's a lot of people flexing. Let's talk about the flex.

[00:14:56] And I don't like it. I don't like it. I don't like it. Because I know y'all don't make no money. I don't like it. Yes. Yes. I cannot stand that. I think it's an epidemic. It is. In our community. Mm-hmm. Especially. Mm-hmm. That we think that we have to present as. Mm-hmm. Balling out of control. No. I am middle class. And I am fine with that.

[00:15:26] I don't need no Louis. No nothing. I got my Tory. I just want to live a good life. Some Birkenstocks. Okay. Regular things. I like my regular. Because it's way under my salary. You see what I'm saying? I like living underneath. You're not taking out loans. You're not borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. And John. Mm-mm. But it is definitely an epidemic. Yes, it is.

[00:15:55] I think in our community especially. There's a. So you know what I do for real. In my real life. Can I say something real quick? I don't think it's. I think it's presented to us because we're in our community. Mm-mm. But them other people be broke. The suburbs. Everybody be home. Because I'm off. Three Fridays out of the month. So I get to see. Why y'all kind of never move? It never goes anywhere. Y'all ain't got.

[00:16:24] Ain't nobody working. It was the same spot. But they Tuesday was it Thursday and Friday. Ain't nobody going nowhere. And there ain't a lot of debt in the suburbs. So it just presents different in the suburbs. I think with us, we do jewelry or some of us. Not all of us. But some people do jewelry, flashy cars and stuff like that. Wheels on loan. Yeah. It presents different in the suburbs. Because that's not their culture. That's not a part of their culture.

[00:16:55] Just in private. Yeah, they flex in a different way. A lot of vacations. A lot of trips to Disney that they either did not put on a payment plan. They just put it in credit. I know somebody that did it. Yes. And I used to wonder how they went to. Because we made the same type of money years ago. This is before I became a director. And I know for a fact at that time, we were making the same thing. So I'm like, how is y'all going? And they had three kids too.

[00:17:23] Well, we only had two at the time. But they had three kids. And it was expensive in 2016. Okay? For what we were making. It's still expensive now. But we were... What I'm saying is I didn't even have as many children as this other family. And I knew they weren't making no money because she could never pay for lunch. Ever. But they was at Disney. Please. And it took me years to figure out what... And that's what it was. And when it all came down to a head, that's what it was.

[00:17:52] They were in crippling debt. Crippling. And I'm not talking about no house and car. I'm talking about lots of debt. Massive. So it presents that way. Mm-hmm. I think... So you know what I do in my real life, right? Mm-hmm. There's this archaeologist, anthropologist, Daniel Miller, who... Hey, Daniel.

[00:18:20] Would love to come study after you, but... Hi, Daniel. Hey, Daniel. So he talks about in one of his books that people in developing countries, they don't lie the same way that we Americans... I was about to say. ...do about the lives that they are living because everyone around them already knows... Mm-hmm. We are living like this. We're all living like this.

[00:18:45] It's us and Americans who blow up these things and exaggerate the realities for people who are not our friends. No. No. And for our families, too. Mm-hmm. Listen. Mm-hmm. Not my family. My grandma ain't for that. No. You're poor. Mm-hmm. If you're poor, you're poor. Yes. If you got a little money, you got a little money. If you got a lot of money, you got a lot of money. And she would always say stuff, and she still says, can you... You can buy that? Exactly.

[00:19:15] With cash. Okay. And not with credit. With cash, you can buy it. Yes. But we knock on that. Okay. Yep. I'm right there with you. Why did they stop talking? Gossip. I said gossip, I think. Mm. Why they unfollow me? Jealous. Let's talk about it. Mm-hmm. And I'm going to give you... I'm going to... I sometimes like to give people cards. We'll use Oprah cards today. Okay.

[00:19:44] So I'll let you flip the script in a little bit. Mm-hmm. But when you think about where you are in your life now, is it where you always hoped that you would be? It's not where I saw myself. Okay. At all. Say more. Like, I... I don't know. I think I always had a personality. Most kids that grow up in a church, I feel like you either find a way to have a personality or you just automatically have one. Mm-hmm.

[00:20:14] So I did praise and worship. I did youth groups. Yes. I was the director of Vacation Bible School. I saw this picture. I saw this. I saw... I was so saved. Oh, my God. I mean, I still am. You know? But I just... I moved freely and not bound. I was so bound. Oh, my gosh. That's a whole other podcast episode. I mean, you were pressed down, shaken together. What? Runneth over. Mother of the church. And...

[00:20:43] Of my own volition, too. Because my husband... God bless him. When I go back, I'll be like, oh, Jesus. What was I thinking? So you were married at that time? Yes. I've been married since 2009. I've been married for 17 years. You know what I think is interesting? What? When you are married to someone... And I'm still fresh. Mm-hmm. I'm just coming up on four years. Mm-hmm. If it's the right person or right situation, they will love the version of you that you

[00:21:11] are in that moment. At that time. Because when I look back at some of my year one pictures, it's like, y'all... He really loved me. What? Baby, listen. What? When I go back to them pictures with the church had, I say, well, good Lord. He loved me. That man loved me. I know he do. I know it.

[00:21:40] Because he would hold my hand back then like he hold my hand. And I'm sitting up here looking like I am 87. And I was 25. Your name was Bernice? It might as well have been. It might as well have been. Mm-hmm. I lost so much of my 20s. I think that's why my 30s were so, or have been so freeing. Because I'm 36 now. And I cut that off when I was 30.

[00:22:08] When I gave birth to my last child, there was a whole nother person coming out. Not just Aiden. But you were a young mother. Oh, yeah. So I think that probably required you to be responsible in a different way, have accountability in a different way. But I also was like feeling like if I did this, if I dress like this or talk like this, then I can have an elevated relationship with God. That's where that comes from.

[00:22:37] And then being like in a church environment where you're told like, you know, you need to pray more. You need to listen to more gospel music. You need to do all these things. And it's like I'm doing all these things, but I'm still having panic attacks, anxiety attacks. Like what is that? You know what I'm saying?

[00:22:57] And it just seemed like I was using that to treat what I really needed to do, which was treat my ADHD, number one. And then also like discuss things with a therapist, like sit down with a therapist, work through my emotions, like of being a young parent, a young wife. Like my husband and I, we got married when we were 19, 19 years old. What do you know at 19? Not a damn thing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

[00:23:27] You don't know nothing. And like even now, I am the same age that I made my mother a grandmother. Exactly. And that offered, you look back and you offer so much grace because I wouldn't know what to do with one of my kids. And I just got my first one. Yeah. So we're the same age. Yeah. I was born in 90. January. Okay. I'm a little older. I was born in 89. July. So you're 37. 37. I just turned 37.

[00:23:57] And I'm struggling with that. Why? It's beautiful. So I don't. Okay. When I was younger, I wanted to be older. And because I always had a very old spirit. And which is kind of why I relate. Yeah. I started playing for churches at 13 years old. Yeah. Like minister of music at 13, 14 years old. I'm on the piano. I'm on the organ. I'm on the drums. I'm four or five services a week. Yeah. Yeah. So I had, you know, you got Bible study.

[00:24:27] They need something for the Bible study to usher the people in. You got choir rehearsal on Tuesday for one church, Thursday for another church. I was playing for a seven day Adventist church. Oh my goodness. On Saturdays. And then I would gig here in Nashville at night. Yeah. Playing at somebody's bar that I probably wasn't supposed to be in. Okay. But at that time I was making more, even when I joined the army, I was making more playing for churches and gigging than I was in my salary. Yeah. Wow.

[00:24:56] That's crazy actually. But I was in church. What are we doing about it? You don't join the army to make no money. No, I know. I know. I mean. You join it as an escape, really, to escape whatever. The money come later. The money does come later. If you use it right. The money and the benefits definitely come later. You have to use that right. And I think, I know people don't agree with me when I say, I always say that people who

[00:25:22] are impoverished communities, the kids that come from impoverished communities, you got poor parents, baby, get in there. Some military branch and go and make something of yourself because it is different for us. I feel like we need to use it more as a tool to do what we need to do, getting school paid for being able to have a home. It's so many avenues.

[00:25:47] Whereas sitting in this impoverished area and waiting on opportunity, that's never going to come. You have to get out and make your own opportunity and then come back. I spent some time working and recruiting for the Tennessee Army National Guard many years ago. Some of my most difficult conversations were with black moms and dads who were like, my baby is going to die and he's going to die in this X, Y, and Z war.

[00:26:17] Not me. And what I found interesting is like, statistically, Bubba has a higher chance of getting in trouble and dying here in your neighborhood than he would ever. More people died when, do you remember H1N1? Yes, I do remember H1N1. From H1N1. From H1N1 or some related cause. Yeah. Right.

[00:26:44] Then, in the war at that time, Bubba can go and let Uncle Sam provide him with opportunity. Give him discipline. Him or her discipline. Yeah. Give education access. Yeah. I think we don't use it as a tool. We don't see it as a tool. They see it as like, I'm not going to work for the man or whatever they call it. I don't know. But you're going to work for somebody.

[00:27:10] But either way, either you're going to answer to your parents or you're going to answer to them people. And at some point, you're going to not be able to answer to your parents. You're going to be required to answer to someone. Everyone has a boss. Yes. And you're going to have to get off your behind and do something. Even when people say, I'm just going to work for myself. You still have a boss. You're customers. Yeah. And how are you going to do that? You need money to just work for yourself. You need business acumen. You need to understand what SOW and MSA, a change order.

[00:27:40] Customer service. Because we need to work on that in the black community. Where's my camera? Y'all need to work on customer service in the black community. I do not like spending my hard-earned dollars and being talked to crazy. Because I will take my business elsewhere. And then I'll tell other people not to shop with you. Think I'm playing. As Denby High School in Detroit. I want to get to that in a little bit. Because you've been shaking things up in Detroit.

[00:28:10] Yes, I have. So I'm going to turn to you. Okay. I am going to give you... Actually, you can have whatever you want. What's your like? Burger King. You can have it your way. Okay. You have carts. You can ask any question on the cart. Or you can ask your own. You can even start with your own. Like, what do you want to know? I'm trying to get prepared, y'all. See, that's your problem. See, I'm trying to control the... So let me tell you, quick shout out to Kayla. Batty with the belly.

[00:28:40] Okay. In a couple weeks, she's going to come on the show. She's going to interview me. I like it. I'm going to be in that chair. I love that. I am terrified. I think it's going to be a great day. You need to stop being scared. You can't control it. You got to stop. And you know what's going to help you? Your child. That's what's going to whip you into shape. Is it what it is? Real quick, yes. I'm only nine months in.

[00:29:06] I'm telling you, that is one thing that you cannot control every single outcome, every single situation. Oh, I didn't mind that. And that control freak spirit is going to melt because your baby is going to be a free bird. And they are going to have their own personality, their own ideas. And I want her to. No, you don't. I want her to be her own self. No, you don't. Within the guidelines that you set. You see what I'm saying?

[00:29:36] You can't do that. Be you, but please. Be like I want you. Isn't that something? You got to stop, though. You know, my mom, as a kid, I wanted to be a cultural anthropologist. So I love the study of people. Yes. Which is probably why I moved into like HR, HR technology. Like how people evolve and all the things. And my mom was like, oh my God, you'll be so happy, but you'll be poor. Yep. I had to tell my kids, dude.

[00:30:05] In a way, she kind of shaped how my decision made. So I don't want to control her things. Influence. That's the word. I want to have a sphere of influence because daddy works in this ecosystem. And I can tell you, you know, that job ain't gone. Mm-mm. Mm-mm. You're going to be hungry. I remember one of them jobs my daughter said she wanted to do.

[00:30:33] I was like, you're going to be the hungry child. And now she is made an about face. When I took her to the Department of Labor site and pull up that particular job, I cannot remember what it was because she was like in the fourth grade. And I pulled it up on that site. And then from there, she started getting really serious about thinking about what she wanted to do. And then now I have another child that I think he would be a great doctor. He does not want to be a doctor.

[00:31:03] You know, Mahira is here. Well, who? Really? Yes. Right down the road from us. Oh, my God. You know, we can go take a little tour. You can grab a little pamphlet. He don't want to do it. So what I'm doing. I'm going to pray for it. What I'm doing, right, is I am telling him, well, what you're going to do is enlist. Yeah. How old is he? He's 16. Once he's done with school, if he has not made up his mind, he's going to the Air Force.

[00:31:32] To start thinking about it. And that has actually been a great conversation for him. He has been fully engaged in that. And I think it is not the same approach for every single child. Like, the military probably wouldn't have been a good option for McKenzie. But for Junior, who's somebody who is not as sure of what they want to go to school for, and rather than letting him go to school and wasting away our money,

[00:31:57] we're going to let him go to the military and let him experience life on the state's dime, or the government's dime. Where he can go to school and learn his interest first, then decide to go to school. Then, you know, and it's like he's on his own terms at that point. That was my journey. I knew that cultural anthropology wasn't going to be a practical option for the life that I wanted. Exactly. Joined the military at 17.

[00:32:26] I was 22, 23 when I went to college. Graduated at 26, 27 with undergrad. Then I was like, oh, I like school. And got a master's now. But you have to mature. And I think that's the thing. I think that's the thing. And the Army let me be outside. Within the guard realm. Within the balance. See, they can control you. You can't control no child. Not like that. You can influence a child. I do believe you should have some type of governance over your child.

[00:32:56] Now, that I don't disagree with. I do think at a certain age, you know, you do have to allow your child freedom and stuff. But it starts young where you let them know this is how you do things. This is how you do X, Y, and Z. It's our job to do that. But after a certain point, it's no longer do as I say and not as I do. They start doing as you do. And then it's very hard to reverse that when they're teenagers looking at you.

[00:33:24] So it's good to start early with those rules and boundaries and things you can do and things you can't do. So then they adopt that as like their norm. You know, where you're not controlling them. You're just training them. Good ingredients. Yes, life training. They need to know how to clean up after themselves. They need to know how to count money. Don't play with me today. You can't read the Declaration of Independence if you can't. Listen. Do you really want to go there? Because I can't.

[00:33:54] I'm just saying. I'm just saying. I am so disappointed. As someone who hires young people, because mind you now, I hire from doctors, receptionists, dental assistants, and hygienists. Yes. And I'm going to tell you right now, I have been so disappointed with the youth. I have been so disappointed with these young people. And I really want to pop their mamas and daddies upside the head and tell them they should have had a VA.

[00:34:23] Because what are you doing? What did you do with this young person? To prepare them for life. Yes. They don't know how to take initiative. There's a good group of them that struggle with taking direction. Yeah. Criticism. Oh, my God. You're killing them. You're killing them. Okay, listen. I was at work. Mm-hmm. And I'm not going to say no names. Because I'd like to keep my job. Mm-hmm. That's right. Amen. Cried. Mm-hmm. Full on cried. Mm-hmm.

[00:34:53] I mean, real, you know, like the real tears. And then you're a bully. Because I said, go back and do it again. Mm-hmm. And it's been some time back. Like, this had to be a couple years ago. But I'm like, why are you crying? Well, I just, I feel like nothing I do is good enough. I said, well, you as a person are good enough. This, this, this, this, this, this not good. They need to hear that. The work that you're doing is not good enough. And you need to try harder.

[00:35:23] You need to put some application in. Well, I, I did a little bit. And I, I just figured that, that I would do the other part of it. Yes. That's exactly it. I don't get paid your salary, am I? Get to the table. Do what you need to do. Go back and do it again. Well, I just don't feel like you understood what I went through. I said, well. Why do I need to understand that? I don't need to, I don't need to understand that. No. The next job you have, they're not going to understand. They don't care.

[00:35:50] And they're going to pay you for your level of experience of what you are getting here. So go back. Mm-hmm. Do it again. Mm-hmm. And then let's look at it together. And when I tell you she cried, I mean, snot nose. Lee is mean. He has unrealistic expectations. I said, I expect that a person who went to a reasonably good school should come out of their school and know how to use PowerPoint. Well, this is the issue.

[00:36:18] What you don't learn in a wash, you're going to get in the rinse, baby. Either way, if they don't learn it young, when they're children, that they're, hey, you're not that great. Okay? You need to improve. My mama always said that I, your mama lied. Yeah. Your mama lied. Your mama love you. Your mama. And because she loves you. Mm-hmm. She want to protect you and shield you. She wants to protect you. Meanwhile, my mama was over here hurting feelings. Okay. And it's best that we do it.

[00:36:47] It's best that we do it. Like, I had to tell one of my kids that, listen, y'all know senioritis is a real thing. Yes. Okay? And we just dropped her off at college. But at the end of this last semester, sister was getting lazy. And I mean, lazy as hell. Not turning in certain things. You haven't finished yet. And I'm like, what are you doing? And she's like, well, you act like I'm like junior or something.

[00:37:17] And I said, what does that mean? I said, you think you're better than him? I said, let me, let's pull back this curtain because you are delusional. Do you know who has been making sure that you pick your classes, that you apply for scholarships, that you make sure that you're at the school and do X, Y, and Z, the testing, the training, the reading, the enrolling? Who has been doing that? You're so good.

[00:37:47] You're so great. Right? I had to bring it to her. You are not as good as you think you are. You are as good as I am. Okay? And keep the, I want you to remember that. As a reinforcement. In the back of your head. As a reinforcement. Yes. You are as good as I push you to be. So it's, I have to push you because who else is going to do it?

[00:38:12] Nobody is going to ever love you like your parents love you to push you and make you do more and make you do what you're supposed to do. They're not. You and junior, y'all are in two separate grades. There are two grades in between you. And two separate points in life. Two separate points in life. When you were 16, you got to lollygag because it wasn't crunch time. You did all those things that you were required to do at that required time.

[00:38:39] But as a senior, there's a lot more at stake. And you have to follow whatever guideline they're telling you. Make sure you turn in this scholarship letter on time or this essay. But they think they're special. Yeah, she thought she was special until I had to remember. I turned her around and I said, look at this in the mirror. And I said, and you, we are investing in you, in your future. So if you think I'm going to stop when you go to college, you are f***ing mistaken. It's ROI.

[00:39:08] Because I own you for the next four years. Okay? So for this $12,644.72. 72 cents? You heard what I said. You and me is locked in every year. Because it's $12,644.72 every year. Okay? Or every, yeah, every year. We is locked in. You and I are together.

[00:39:35] And then when you go to law school and you accrue your own debt, that's your business. But I'm still going to push you because I invested this $48,000 into your life. And I want a return on my investment. And I want a return. I want the degree. Okay? You know what's so funny? Shoot. That made me mad all over again because I remember that day. I looked at that girl and it's like you birthed them.

[00:40:02] And now this person that you helped wipe their ass is telling you. What I'm not going to do. What I said, okay. Do you think that is a part of how her becoming independent? No. No. I think that was a moment that she had to learn that even though you are, see, true independence means you don't need Joe.

[00:40:32] Okay? I am independent. I don't need my husband at all. I love my husband. I can survive and take, hold on, let me take that back. I can live a full life, take care of my three children, take care of my home without my husband and I will be fine. That is independence. What she was doing is trying to fake independence.

[00:41:01] You cannot act like you are grown and you still need $48,000. You see what I'm saying? Ain't no grown person walking around here needing $48,000. And she's going to need food money. Okay. Stuff money. Okay. And ever since that day, there has been a totally different spirit because just because you're about to be 18, because at that time she wasn't 18 yet and you're, you know, she wasn't in school or college, but it's like, I don't care what you're saying.

[00:41:28] This is an investment that I'm placing on you. And I said, and if you cannot do what you need to do in a timely fashion and take care of your business, I will sign you over to Uncle Sam myself. And I'm not joking. I'm not joking. I literally sent her a picture of Uncle Sam in our family group chat. He is waiting on you. Not he is waiting on you. Try me. He is waiting. He's on standby. What? For you. For you. I will pay for your braids.

[00:41:59] Not for the... Hello? To go through basic training. Do not play with me. I'm so serious. Because at the end of the day, either you're going to listen to me or you're going to listen to the police on the street or you're going to listen to the officer in jail or you're going to listen to the judge in the courtroom. Either way. Somebody. You choose who you want to listen to in because you have a choice right now. Choose me. Who you will serve. You hear me?

[00:42:26] Because either it's going to be me or the law. But either way, baby, you're going... Please choose mama. Every knee go by. Please choose mama. Every knee. Okay? That is... You know what I'm saying. That's the word. The word says every knee go by and it will. This is the way... Okay. Oh, human. I'm sorry. Thank you. That's my speech. Your question. What is saving your life right now? Marriage. Mm-hmm.

[00:42:55] Marriage is saving my life right now. And having a really... Not one of those fake ones, but a really good relationship with my in-laws. Mm. I do not like mine, but okay. And we still got a good marriage. But no. Marriage and the in-laws are currently saving my life right now. I love that. So we... Just a couple weeks back, I started my PhD program. Mm-hmm. I'm so proud of you, by the way.

[00:43:24] I am very proud of you. Thank you. You really... Thank you. ...push through. Like, you do all the things and I am so proud. Seriously. We gotta get to the other side. Thank you. Yes. But we gotta get to the other side. But the... The amount of that plus like work... Mm-hmm. ...and conferences and podcasting... Mm-hmm. ...and army and just trying to live,

[00:43:50] I don't think that I could be as successful... Mm-hmm. ...or surviving and saving my life right now without having a really good support system. Absolutely. Like, being able to have my in-laws come down and pick up my daughter... ...and take her back... Mm-hmm. ...to Arkansas. Oh, my gosh. That's a blessing. Or they'll like meet us in Memphis... ...and take her back to Arkansas for a week or two weeks at a time. What? I know.

[00:44:20] I know. So my father-in-law's a... He's a pastor and my mother-in-law is a educator. So it just so happens that their schedules... Is she their only grandchild? The only grandchild. Oh, my God. On both sides. This baby is gonna be... On both sides. So my mom... The president of the United States of America. On both sides. So my father-in-law is a pastor... ...and former army. Mm-hmm. Mother-in-law.

[00:44:51] Educator. Educator. So her schedule, especially during the summer, she's out. Mm-hmm. And she wanted that grandbaby. Hello? I love that. Coming to get Jasper. Are y'all home? Yes. We are home. And all her stuff is packed. She doesn't need anything. Everything she needs has already been provided. Oh, my God. So everything that she has at home... Yeah. ...she has in Little Rock... Mm-hmm. ...that is what is allowing me to thrive.

[00:45:20] That's beautiful. And I thank God for it. Yeah. You better. Yeah.

[00:45:54] ...the recovery. Yeah. And all those things. But she had... Mm-hmm. ...my daughter had drug exposure. Yeah. So we spent five days in the hospital. Wow. Getting her off of the cocaine... Yeah. ...and the benzos and the weed... ...and all the things that her birth mom had used... ...leading up to her being born. Mm-hmm. As a result of that, even when we got home... ...she was still kind of going through withdrawals. Wow.

[00:46:22] So there was no bottle would do the trick. Because it's... Yeah. Mm-hmm. Right? So mama was screaming and hollering... ...and hooting and hollering... ...and screaming and rolling. There was no comfort. There was no... Nothing that we could do. So the nights were long. Y'all didn't get a night nurse? We had every... We had everything that we could have. Yeah. To include... We have like a full-time nanny. Yeah.

[00:46:51] But the nights... Were long. Because she needed the bonding time with us. We needed the bonding time with her. Mm-hmm. Just all of that as well. So I'm driving... ...and that... Ooh, child, that red light was so long. And I just dozed off a little bit. Just a little bit. Just a little bit. It was in a red light. Oh, my God. It was in a red light. Okay? But you were so tired. I was so tired. Yeah. And my foot may or may not have came off of the brake. Mm-hmm.

[00:47:20] And I may or may not have tapped the car in front of me. Mm-hmm. And the guy got out... And I keep my military hat in the front of me. Yeah. Just in case. Okay. Okay. Security. Hello. Mm-hmm. And he was knocked on the glass. He was like, what the... And I was like, I'm sorry. Yeah. I just dozed off a little bit. He's like, okay. Well, listen, man. I see you're in the army. Yeah. Thank you for your service. Maybe you should pull over and nap. I said, yes, that sounds right. I am going to take a nap, actually. I think I'm going to actually...

[00:47:50] I would never be able to fall asleep again, actually, though, after that. Oh, my God. Nervous. I'm like, terrified. But anyway, so yeah, that's... Oh, my goodness. See, that's what I'm saying. It's like, you are doing... Like, do a lot. So, God bless y'all. For real. Because that is a huge responsibility, like, from beginning to now. And it's even better, like you said, that you have your in-laws. Because that is a huge asset.

[00:48:21] To life success is good in-laws. The other option is to move far away. That is always great. Are you taking from... Experience. Move away. Next question. Next question I ever made. If they're not as great and wonderful as your in-laws. But yeah. Move away. Best thing ever. It has created a huge avenue of peace. It makes you closer. No. No?

[00:48:50] No, I mean you and your husband. No, we always have been close. Okay. Always. A1 from day one. A1 from day one. But it's just... I think when you... It's what everybody's goal is. Because when you get married, everybody plays a part. That's true. Whether to support your marriage... Or... Or to take it down. Or... And they get to decide.

[00:49:14] But ultimately, you decide how much power you are going to allow these people to have over your life. And a lot of that church stuff that I went through came from that. You see what I'm saying? I understand. Moving away was a great decision. And it has brought a lot of peace and clarity. For sure. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. So that's the other option. If you don't have no good ones, move. Find adoption. Move away.

[00:49:44] And create your own community. Like I think that's... I think sometimes we get scared of that. Making or creating our own community. But you got to do what you got to do. At the end of the day, the kids still have to be raised. So you can't just... And loved and supported. Exactly. They don't care that you're kind of late, girl. They still need a toy. Now. Or want a toy right now. So it's like either you're going to get up, take care of yourself, do what you need to do, get your mental right. Yeah.

[00:50:13] Or you're going to keep wallowing in self-pity. So we got to get up. I think... What is her name? Not Sierra Jakes. Yeah. So this... Girl, get up. Girl, get up. That's one of the most monumental things. And it's so simple. But it's so inspirational. Because you really can get stuck in mental squalor. For real. Like you can sit in it.

[00:50:42] Imagine like being in a mental state like bad. Your house could show it. Your car shows it. Your relationships or your job. Your relationships in your home. With your family. Like it shows up everywhere. And so if you don't get up and get yourself together, nobody is coming to save you. And I think sometimes we wait on people for that. There is no savior in that sense. You know what I'm saying? You got to get up. You got to get up and save yourself. Yeah.

[00:51:12] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Because nobody is coming. All right. I mean, he coming much later, but we all can stand up. So what's a popular opinion you can't stand? Oh my God. That music is the downfall of the community. Rap music in particular. I do not believe that. I know we pre-gamed on this topic. I'll just leave it there.

[00:51:42] I would love to talk about it though. Well, let's drive down the road. Let's do it. I mean, that's you. Is this okay for your podcast? Y'all okay? They okay. They be okay. All right. They say they okay. Okay. So let's talk about it. There is this belief. Yes. That rap music is just taking you down. Okay. Thoughts. First of all, people need to learn how to critically think.

[00:52:11] How do you do that? Read. That's the first problem. We don't read enough. And I'm talking about my people. Okay. I don't know what other folk do because I don't really. You need to read. Okay. They say it's fundamental. Yes, it is fundamental. And that's where a lot of things are hidden is in books. And that's why a lot of our community doesn't know certain things because we don't read. We don't pick up that book. We don't read. We don't read what we sign.

[00:52:40] You mean I can't get everything off of TikTok? No. Or YouTube. Or YouTube. No. Yeah. You can learn that Egypt is in the Grand Canyon. Absolutely. You surely can. What? You see what I'm saying? What does it? Even if that is true. How does that help us right now in the state of the black community? It doesn't. So why do you care? It's so stupid. It's so stupid. I would. Oh my God. You don't have enough time to talk about them people.

[00:53:10] I think that. And you know who I'm talking about. In particular. I think it saddens me that we don't read and educate ourselves enough. Mm-hmm. Not for the purposes of tearing someone or something down. Mm-hmm. But for the sole purposes of being educated. Yes. And I remember growing up as a kid, people would say that I talked white.

[00:53:40] And I don't know what that means. But I'm like, I'm. I talk like where I'm from. Mm-hmm. Because you sound very Southern. Yeah. And the environment that I've grown up in. Exactly. But I can read. Mm-hmm. Sentences. Mm-hmm. I know what an adjective is. I compare it and then draw the context out of what they're trying to say. I asked this. Hmm. Can I say? I'm going to just say. So I'm. Mm-hmm. I do some mentoring.

[00:54:10] Mm-hmm. And I think mentoring is important. Yes, it is. I also think that mentoring in your own community is important. To that point, I'd like to do some mentoring. So I'm setting a stage from that. So we sit in there. Mm-hmm. I'm like, well, let's talk about it. The young man brought up a particular topic. I'm like, well, let's just talk about it. So I bring some articles. And I said, just read it. Mm-hmm. This is, you know, when you pull an article, it tells you this is a five-minute read.

[00:54:39] Or a two-minute read. 36. We were sitting there for 10 to 15 minutes. Mm-hmm. And he, and this isn't a, you know, fourth or fifth grader. This is a high schooler. Yes. Yes. Who is preparing for the next stages of life. Adulthood. Where mama and daddy will begin to cut the umbilical cord.

[00:55:04] And this person has to go out into the world and read contracts and read agreements and read leases. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Couldn't. You want me to tell you what I have found as an indicator of people, or like when I look back on my life and I'm like, they just couldn't read. Behavioral problems. In school. In school.

[00:55:33] Especially when the teachers are calling you out. And you showing out. I ain't been, because. When they get angry is because they can't do it. And they don't know a healthy way to emotionally regulate or to communicate how they feel about something. So they just automatically go to anger. Because anger is the easiest emotion to obtain.

[00:55:57] It's so easy to get mad if you skip all the other steps of sadness. Like happiness. If you just skip that. And go straight to anger. Mm-hmm. You got me thinking. Mm-hmm. Why don't you think about all them little bad kids in your school when you was a kid? And they were very aggressive and angry and, you know, just mad about whatever.

[00:56:23] A lot of that is because they're learning, like, deficiencies for them. So they struggle with reading. They struggle with math. That's why they don't go to class. And the only saving grace that a lot of them have is football. But you can't play football if you don't have the GPA. And then in some of these schools, they don't even have some of these programming that can help them. But isn't there a response to me? There's also a responsibility.

[00:56:53] Mm-hmm. Come on. Let's do it. Let's do it. The mamas, daddies, caretakers, guardians in their lives to give them access and take them off the PS whatever. Mm-hmm. This young man who, again, as I mentioned, I won't say names, but he's now gone on with life. Yeah. Could tell me all the cheat codes on the Call of Duty. What about in real life? He cannot read.

[00:57:24] What about you tell the life? Here's the thing. It is the parent's fault. It is the parent's fault because we have relied too much on the school system to raise our children. It is not a teacher's job. It's not the principal's job. And I'm going to talk to the camera. It's not the teacher's job. It's not the principal's job. It's not the lunch lady's job. The bus attendant's job. The janitor. It's not any of those people's job to raise your child.

[00:57:53] It's your job. That's where the baby came from. You and your either well thought out activities or poorly thought out activities. Whichever way. But it's your responsibility. And I think that it's laziness. It's a couple factors. Laziness.

[00:58:15] Also, it's the want to be the child's friend and not to ruffle any feathers. Which also contributes to that anger and frustration that the kids feel because they don't get a chance to experience negativity. Kids need to experience no. Rejection is good. Rejection is great.

[00:58:38] It actually helps young boys so that they're not growing up and, you know, taking out people because they get told their shoes are ugly or no, the girl don't want to date you or whatever. You're able to process rejection if you are told no as a child. Repeatedly. You don't say this with your coping skills. Yes. Because that is not like in kind. Do you remember we were talking about that? Responding in kind. Somebody says you are stupid. Okay.

[00:59:08] Responding in kind is your mama. Hello. And I believe in saying that. Sorry. Your mama's stupid. If I'm stupid, you stupid and your mama's stupid. That's why people be like, Brandy, you be so good. Because I read books. And my mind escaped to another place that I could not physically be at. But I was able to obtain knowledge through reading because reading was important at my school.

[00:59:36] Do you remember the readathons or the spelling bees? AR reading. I did. So I did. I don't know if they still have this or not, but public speaking, 4-H public speaking. I don't know. I think 4-H is more like a Southern thing because they had 4-H in Tallahassee through UF. They had like a site in Tallahassee. It was like an agricultural facility and they did different 4-H programs. Yeah. Doing the things. Yeah.

[01:00:04] But in Detroit, there is, I think it's called Umoja. Don't get me wrong. But he, Jawan Howard, that's his name. Okay. He has such a robust program for kids to learn public speaking. Like he works with them, helps them like work on auditory skills. Yeah. And it's so important that they learn those things before they leave the nest, before they leave their parents.

[01:00:33] You want them to get a, you know, most parents want their kids to get a fancy smancy job. Okay. Well, in my career, you have to present to clients. Yep. You're presenting to customers. You're providing fear. If you don't know your pacing and how to put subject and verb together. Or how to sell. Or how to sell. I work in dentistry. I have to, I have to train people how to sell treatment.

[01:00:59] People think that selling, some people think that selling is like used car selling. No. It is way, like way more thought out than that. Yes. Absolutely. Yes. I'm not saying used car selling, you know. Yeah. It's just a little, you know, people, it's negative when you say it like that. Yeah. But I think selling or like sales jobs where you have to sell the business and sell yourself. That is some hard work.

[01:01:27] You have to really have people committed to what you're saying. But first you got to. Captivate them. You have to sell. They have to like you. Yes. They have to like you. On social media. Now that we're sitting here talking about it. I just thought about it. I didn't really know how to do things. Like how to sell things. They have to like you. They have to like. People like me. They, one of the, my, my boss in my, in my real life.

[01:01:57] Yes. She is one of the best sales. Pitch. Listen. Because people like her. Yep. They trust her. Yep. They know that she's going to deliver. When she, if she can't deliver, she tells you up front. Mm-hmm. I'm so sorry. I wish there was a, how do we find a path? Yes. Oh my God. How do we find a path? Okay. How do we come to a meeting of the minds? Yeah. Understanding a bridge.

[01:02:28] Terminology like that allows people to open up their mind. And anchor. Yes. And convert. Because it doesn't mean no. It just. It just means yes, but. Yes. Yes. And it makes them want to say yes. Yeah. One of the biggest ways I've been successful in my career is that my customers, I mean, we're dealing with like multimillion dollar, large scale, ERP implementations, transformation projects.

[01:02:56] It's not that I'm so great, but they like me. Well, that's how you're able to attain promotions. Look, quiet as a skip. I think the more likable that you are at your job, whether you can actually do your job or not is never really the question is like, do people really want to work with you? Because they can fill in the gaps. And they, and they will.

[01:03:23] And provide training or provide additional support. And they will. Mm-hmm. I was at. I have worked at companies where people were very well liked. But had some. Or some of the hires. But had some deficiencies. Mm-hmm. Next thing you know, we're opening up a role to fill in the gap of their deficiency because at the, at the topical level, we like Barbara. Yep. And she's necessary. And she's necessary.

[01:03:53] It's some capacity. She, whether it's high or low, the capacity is there. And we need her. And we need Barbara. And we will fill the gap of where Barbara has some deficiencies. Yep. So that we can keep. Yes. Barbara. Because Barbara is going to make us a bunch of money. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And Barbara, people like, everybody talks to Barbara. Yep. Yep. Barbara has her ear to the ground. Mm-hmm. They trust Barbara. Mm-hmm.

[01:04:22] And that trust, like, in business, it goes a long way. Yes. If you have somebody that, if they, if you have somebody in your company that trusts you with making, like, huge decisions, like, my boss does not go into the office ever. Like, he does not go into the office. Yep. He works remote fully. And he only comes in, like, if we have to do an administrative meeting or something like that. Most of those we do online.

[01:04:50] But he really trusts that the way that I am running the office is successful for the business. And he sees a return on that. And so, yeah. People got to like you and trust you. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Okay. Yeah. Most used app on your phone? Instagram. Hands down. Now, did you see the, um, now, do you post to YouTube? Uh, only my podcast is on YouTube.

[01:05:19] I'm not really that active. I really have cut down on TikTok, too. TikTok is so yucky now. So, I saw a thing where Kevin on stage was like- Not Kevin on stage. I love him. He's on my top 10 people I want to meet. It's Kev on stage. Kevin on stage. That's your name. Kevin. Kevin on stage. It's the full name. Or you can call him Kevon stage, like that man.

[01:05:48] I love Kevon stage. He is like the best creator. Yes. Oh, my gosh. He is so, like, inspirational. I enjoy him. Dear Kevin. Yes. It's me. Lee. Please. Please. Oh, my God. I typically end my show with her quote. And I always credit her because you should give credit with- That's right. That's right.

[01:06:18] And then steal people's stuff like I've seen several creators doing. Uh-huh. I'm like, didn't I just- And that video came out last year. Now, your video got the exact same words with the exact same thing. It makes you feel like, um, I know- Who said it? I know that ain't mine. Hold on. But, um, where was I going with this? Where are we going? Tabitha Brown. Tabitha Diaz. And before that- Kevin on stage. And before that, we rewind it. Likeability. And trust. Jesus saves. Okay. Uh, Instagram.

[01:06:47] Oh, Kevin on stage was saying that- I'm going to still call them their names. That I think it's YouTube who just- Oh, yes. I saw that. If you don't post to Netflix, and you only post- We'll give you millions of dollars. Baby, I'm not posting on Netflix. Give it to me. I didn't even know that you could post to Netflix. Uh-huh. Netflix, where y'all at? Yeah. If I don't post to YouTube, no more. Wait, it's the other way.

[01:07:16] It's the other way. No, I'm trying to- I'm battle war. Oh. Business. Okay, business. Acumen. Uh-huh. Hello, Netflix. It's me. I won't post there- Yes. Anymore. I don't need millions. No. I'm not greedy. I'm not greedy. My daughter's school- Will be a million, because she's going to be the president. And she's- She's nine months. She starts at two and a half. They start taking them at two and a half. For Brick-A.

[01:07:46] She's going to be a little bison. Uh-huh. So we've already- There's a picture of her and the president of the university already. Okay. The road has been paved. We're paving the road. However, I'm going to have to sell a kidney to get her there. No, you won't. The cost of your daughter's college is the cost of her to go at two. No, that's how much-

[01:08:15] That's how much we got to pay. Oh, that's- That's not how much- That's the self-pay? Her scholarships- Oh, my God. Cover about $70,000 per year. Yeah. Yeah. That's just our portion. It's like- Well, Lipscomb wants- About that much for my- For Jasper when she's at- That's-

[01:08:44] But that's normal childcare costs. Where? Yeah. Like $13,000, $14,000? That don't include the childcare. She's still going to need a child- But what's the hours? For the school, it's like- Eight to two, eight to something like that. Yeah. Then got to get- You got to do wraparound care or you get- Yeah. That's normal. Is it? Mm-hmm. I'm new to these.

[01:09:08] We were paying like $1,500 for Aiden every month for pre-K two and three. And then four, we got lucky as I don't know what. Okay? Because y'all know how I be talking about a church. But a Lutheran church had a daycare spot and it was one available. So, Lipscomb is Church of Christ. And it was $345 a month. Hello.

[01:09:36] So, Lutheran church is- Lutheran church is- I- Exactly. Am here. Mm-hmm. Today, please. Today. At any point. At any time. I'm here. Look me up. We almost done. Keep going. I'm fine. The most overused word in business. Circle bag. Okay. Wait. Do you- Mm. What's her name? What's her name? What's her- Erin. Oh, my gosh.

[01:10:06] Erin with the wig. Yes. Not Erin with the- That's not her name. But you know what I'm talking about. Yes. It's always the wig. The wig. The close loop. Everything. Follow up. Circle. Mm-hmm. The number- Circle bag is number one. It got to be. I- Mm-hmm. My number one that I have caught myself- Because I put some of my transcriptions into our little AI thing. No. So I can see how many times. My number one.

[01:10:36] Take a guess. Land the plane. Boil the ocean. Team, I feel like we're at a point where we have some contention. Oh. And we don't have to boil the ocean in this conversation. Let's take a few moments. Where did you get that from? I have never heard that used before. Boil the ocean. We- We just be making a- But the land the plane is probably a number three. Land the plane is another favorite to find.

[01:11:03] And I have some scripture ones, but the work people don't know. Oh, is that? I'm going to bring us to a close. Oh, yes. And I reach out. Mm-hmm. I'm going to bring us to the close. I have three pillars to success. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I always got a three type of thing. Three to five. Three to five. There you go. It's stuff you can remember. Yes. But that's all from church. Well, you know, that's the rule with ADHD. No more than three. That's why. Yes. If it's more than that, I'm lost.

[01:11:32] If you tell, like once your baby get to an age where they can go and do something, you have to start with three things. Mm-hmm. Bring me a shoe. Bring me a hat. Bring me a book. And that's how they start to develop the memory of you telling them, bring me a shoe, bring me a hat, bring me a book. Those three in all of my little things? Yes. Mm-hmm. It's either three or five. I'm doing a talk in a couple weeks at SHRM, Florida. Mm-hmm.

[01:12:02] And the five critical roles. Oh, yeah. Of your blah, blah. Five is the magic number too when it comes to like rules. So like I have five star rules for check-in, check-out, patient experience. Mm-hmm. So every single, like these are the five things that you do when the patient checks in. These are the five things you do when the patient checks out. And then these are the five things that you do for a patient experience.

[01:12:32] Yes. Mm-hmm. If you make it too hard for people to get, they're not going to do it. Even if truth be told, sometimes they say they're not going to do it. But okay. All right. I mean, but then at that point, executive decisions will be made because I'm not holding nobody. We can turn you into a customer instead of a team member. Exactly. Have a good day. I have no problem with termination. Do you think technology? I have no problem with it. I used to have a problem with it.

[01:13:00] I have to tell you that often. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Do you think technology is pulling us closer together or further apart? Ooh. I think it's closer together for people you don't know. Mm-hmm. Further apart for the people that you know. Because whereas you would call your grandma and say happy birthday, now you just type it. I call her. But you know what I'm saying. Not you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But maybe not your grandma. Maybe your cousin. Yeah. Maybe, you know, somebody that you don't really.

[01:13:29] Because it's passive at that point. Yeah. It's just like you feel like, oh, I told her happy birthday. Am I the only person that schedules those messages? No, I schedule mine. Any message that goes out that is like work related or like a, hey, how you doing? I schedule them. Yeah. And then that automation thing is great on iPhones. I love that. Hello? Mm-hmm. I love that. It's wonderful. Okay. Mm-hmm. Early bird or night owl?

[01:13:59] I'm an early bird. I do not like being up late. That's not my thing. Three words that describe where you grew up. Those threes. Three words. See, I grew up in Detroit and Tallahassee. Three words. You get three words. See that? Uh-uh. Three words. I would say rough. Okay.

[01:14:32] Black. Okay. Very black. I grew up very black. Blackity black? Blackity black. Black. Okay. Like. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Um, and I would say privileged in some way. So I had a little bit of a roughness because my parents were not together. So I got to see both sides of having money and not. Mm-hmm.

[01:15:02] And that was different. Okay. That was a different experience because I would go to one parent's house and be like, what y'all ain't got up in here? Like, and then, you know, go to another parent's house and be like, you got a lot of stuff up in here. Mm-hmm. And ultimately that led me to a decision to live with one parent more. Interesting. It did. When I was a teenager. Or I don't even think I was a teenager.

[01:15:30] I was, um, I was nine. I was nine years old. Definitely well preteen. Yeah. I was in the fifth grade or going to the fifth grade or something. And I said, I want to go live with my father. And that's what I did full time. Cause I would be with him like when I was younger and didn't have school. So I was just be in Michigan. But then when I got into school, it was like, okay, you can only come up here during the summer and holidays.

[01:15:57] Then when I turned like nine or 10, I was in the fifth grade. So whatever that age is. And I said, I want to go stay with my dad. And after that summer, fourth grade, by fifth grade, like going into fifth grade, I was fully living in Michigan. And I stayed, um, for two years. And then seventh grade, I'm like, I miss my mama. I went back and came right back to Detroit. I was like, I cannot live in Florida.

[01:16:24] I knew then that Florida was not somewhere that I like to live. Even as a young child, it's just too slow. It's just like compared to Michigan, Detroit. Okay. Yeah. Detroit. We lived in Gaston County. Okay. Like not like Tallahassee is much better now, but Gaston County is rural. Got it. So clay red dirt.

[01:16:54] Like so much of Tennessee. That's us. We like Nashville. No. See what I'm saying? Like, yes. Like people think when you say Tennessee, Nashville or Memphis or Memphis. Yeah. Like when I say Florida, people think about Miami or Jacksonville. But like now Gaston County, which is like South Georgia. It's literally right outside of Tallahassee. How far is that from? Okay. Disclaimer.

[01:17:25] I'm a nerd. Okay. Okay. I do have a favorite sheriff. Oh my God. That man in. Grady Judd in Polk County. Yes. Now I know he vote for that man, but I love him. I love Grady Judd. He is so funny. He is the funniest. When he put their pictures up there. If your face end up on one of them cards. Baby. He don't read it. It's like watching Judge Judy. And he's like, and then, you know what I like about him? He is a storyteller.

[01:17:55] Yes. He's a salesman. And he do like this. He put the picture in life. Yes. This person did X, Y, and Z. Yes. And then on November the 9th, he decided to do it. It is so good. It's so good. And you can't come to Polk County. It was when he arrested his own cops. Yes. Integrity. Without trying to hide it. Trying to cover it up. Trying to make it less than what it actually was.

[01:18:24] He just said, yeah, I think they thought that I was going to give them some grace. We need more of that. We need more integrity in high places. When COVID happened. There's this. He released a video. Was it an all them people? No. It was when he said, listen, stop committing murders. Eat a moon pie. Drink an RC or something. Don't do something else. Just stop. Just stop. Just cut it out. Yeah.

[01:18:54] So how far is Polk County? I went on my top 10. My top 10 people. But Polk County is. Where is Polk County? I don't know. He's on my top 10 people I want to meet. I feel like that's outside of like Tampa. I don't know. Hello. Sheriff Grady Jett. It's. I feel like. Because there's so many counties. It's me. Okalusa. I don't know how far that is. I don't know. It sounds like that's in that same. Polk County.

[01:19:24] Hey, y'all. Listen. If you're watching this right now. Please. I know where this is. I just don't care to help. I normally get. For some reason. I'm not normally directionally challenged. But if y'all know Sheriff Grady Jett. Can y'all. Please. He's amazing. I love that. He's. I love him. I just want him and Ty Chrisley. That's my guilty pleasure, y'all. I'm sorry. I can't. All day long. I cannot. And I don't watch a ton of TV.

[01:19:53] But I can watch him. But turning on the news channel and watching Sheriff Grady Jett. I'm like. And then what happened? It just. The story. It's the story. The integrity. Yes. Above board. Yes. You know what? I don't. And I might get canceled for saying this. What? What you gonna say? I don't mind people. I. When I joined the army, I joined the army. To be in a brotherhood.

[01:20:22] To protect all people's rights and freedoms. Yes. What? Even if I don't personally agree with them. Okay. That's my disclaimer. To that point. I may not always align with where he sits. Right. From a political perspective. Or where anyone sits from a political perspective. But you always. At least my sense of him is. It's a place of integrity. You know where he stands. You know.

[01:20:52] So if I know where someone stands. Yes. I know how to handle. Yes. Them. I know. It's the people that. That hide it. And I don't like that. I got caught up. Okay. So I. It's been some time back. Mm-hmm. And they thought that I had. And I've talked about this on the podcast before. So this ain't that new. Yeah. But they were talking about me. Because they thought I dropped from the call. What I.

[01:21:21] What had actually happened was I had just turned my camera off. So you know when you're in Zoom. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. What did they say? What did they say? You know they call me a s***. Oh. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[01:21:51] In an open forum? Did. But then. That ain't the first time. It was correct. But they were in a safe space. Among like-minded. Yep. Yep. Yep. Again. Some time back. So I just did the Christian thing. And what was that? I got off mute. And put my camera back on. I would just use Sarah. Mm-hmm. Hey Sarah. It's Lee. Oh my. Oh. Oh.

[01:22:21] You would have thought. I love shit like this. I said Sarah. Listen. I love shit like this. I said. I. I'm a little confused. I'm a little confused. Mm-hmm. Because I was dropped on my head as a child. So maybe I could. This could be a moment. But it sounded to me. Mm-hmm. Like you said the following. And what did she say? She said well that's not. No I said Sarah. Now listen. Not Sarah. Sarah. I heard you. Mm-hmm.

[01:22:50] You heard you. Mm-hmm. He heard you. There's an audience. And those are also recorded. That I. Was no longer on the call. I love this. So Sarah. Here's what I need you to do for me. Mm-hmm. Now that I know. How you feel. Could you do me a favor and just stop playing? Yeah. Just stop playing. And everybody knows how you feel. We know how you feel. Now that we know how you feel.

[01:23:18] I just want you to know that I'm a get my lick back type of person. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. In kind. In kind. So I'm not going to call you out of your name. That's not how I roll. However. There will be a report. There will be consequences and repercussions. Mm-hmm. Now keep in mind Sarah. Who we call Sarah. Mm-hmm. Was actually the client that I was deploying this large transformation project for.

[01:23:48] Mm-hmm. So we're not peers. In any capacity. Who you work for. Mm-hmm. Is who I need to go to. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And now you have cost them. First of all the embarrassment. Embarrassment alone. I believe in some shame. Ooh. I love shame. Shame will make you. What? That's what I've been doing all throughout the city. Putting them to shame. Speaking of which.

[01:24:17] You should be embarrassed. All y'all should be embarrassed. I love shame. A lot. Never hurt nobody. I don't think it's a little anymore. I think we have strayed so far. Yes. From shame. And have come to this place of like. My grandma said you ain't got no kuth about yourself. Oh, I love kuth. People don't have kuth anymore. They don't have shame. And they aren't embarrassed. By. Anything.

[01:24:48] By nothing. Nothing embarrasses them. Like how you live. How you send your children to school. How you don't have whatever you need for your child. And you are still. Again. I can't stand that. It bothers me because we are in control. My grandmother used to say. Of our own selves. That name is on loan until you earn it. So don't you go out here and embarrass me. Yeah. What? Yes.

[01:25:15] It took me a long time to understand what she was saying. Here I have. I have put myself through school. I've created a wonderful life. I've created a reputation. I have a respectable life. Now you can have that name. Now you can have that name. But you go out there and you act the fool. Would treat you like a bad PR. Distance. Okay. And separate. Separate. I love you. But I can't. No. You're not about to embarrass me. But people are not embarrassed. So now. Anything.

[01:25:45] It's just. It's just however. Like even. Even. Like you know how I am. I say pretty much. How I'm feeling. But there's also a lot of things I don't say. Yeah. I can imagine. I spare. I spare. No seriously. I really do spare the internet. I really do. And y'all should be thankful. Because there are a lot of things that I do want to address that I don't. That's fair. That it's a lot of comments that I. They come up. The comments. Yes.

[01:26:15] Let me tell you about. Speaking of comments. Mm-hmm. Uh-huh. When we started talking about planning. Mm-hmm. Your followers. Did I tell you this? Mm-hmm. The DMs. No. What happened? Y'all was being bad. What child did? What did you do? Why it wasn't good? Why it wasn't good? What they did? Because I want to know what they did. So they were like. And when she come on. You better be nice to her. I was like. Hold on. Have you seen my stuff? Have you seen? Calm down. It was the.

[01:26:45] Because you had like. Responding. It was like. I'm coming. I'm coming. Yeah. So then there was some time. So some of them. I'm about to. I might put a couple of them. Yes. On this video. Please. That'll be good. Some of them were like. So what happened? Mm-hmm. She probably. I said. Whoa. Wait a minute guys. Wait a minute. Calm down. Yeah. The guy that messaged me. And was like. It seems like all you interview is women. He said. Uh-huh.

[01:27:15] So I. So I said. To him. So I decided to post it publicly. So I put it on a little story. And tagged him. I said. Hey. I happen to like them. Yeah. I came from one. But I also interview men. And. Whomever else. That's available. Yeah. That I like. Mm-hmm. And if you don't like. Who comes on the show. Guess what? May the Lord. Okay. Watch between me and be. While we're asking.

[01:27:44] One from another. You've been to church. Oh my. Entire life. So. Okay. We're at this point. Okay. I'm going to ask our engineer. To bring me. The bag. From the side over there. Oh. What are we doing? So. I got a little something for you. Okay. Um. And while he's bringing that over. I have a question for you. What's up? Why did you say yes? And there should be a box to. To come here? Yeah. Why'd you say yes?

[01:28:14] You know. I'm not one. To say. No. Unless I don't like you. I'm so for real. If I don't rock with you. I either. Will not. Respond. Like there are a lot of. Unresponded. Or things that I just don't respond to. Yeah. Because either I don't have the capacity for it. I just don't rock with that. So. Um. I say yes. When it. When. Yeah. When I can. And. So yeah.

[01:28:44] I say yes. Because I like what you do. Number one. I don't feel like. Um. You hide away from hard questions. Is. Is important to ask the tough things. As it pertains to work. Personal. All those things. And it's important to have those conversations. And I think that's one thing I do like about you. Especially after you brought that young lady. On. Which I'm glad. I think. Um. When we originally planned this. I would have been before her. Yes.

[01:29:12] And I appreciate the fact that. Circumstances. Like with. Yeah. Our house. And daughter's graduation. And all those things. Kind of got in the way of that. For us to. Come back. Because I love that interview. Yeah. It was really really good. And very emotional too. I was emotional that day. I'm not gonna lie. Y'all had me in my car crying. Because it was so good. It's such a heartfelt interview. And then to hear her talk about her experience. Not just as a. Like as a. Yes.

[01:29:41] As an adult. Yes. Being bullied by other grown people. And I do not like bullies. Okay. Right. Now I will bully corporations. Yes. And entities. Absolutely. Hi. Hi gorgeous. But. I don't bully. People. Like. You know. Unless they do something to me first. I don't too much go after people. Unless they do something to me. But. Yeah. I feel like. Picking on someone.

[01:30:11] Off of something that they can't change. Is crazy. And then for us to be as grown as we are. That's a little. Ignorant. But the. The other part that was. Kind of. Why I reached out to her. And. Wanted her on. I remember. Being bullied as a kid. Yep. And people were like. You're. You're churchy. They used to call me. Holy Ghost boy. Church. Church boy. Churchy. Now I was saved. I was real saved. Okay.

[01:30:40] And I wanted to be a cultural anthropologist. That didn't go with the times either. But it. Happened so much that my sister. Who is four years younger than me. Mm-hmm. She decided she had had an F. Okay. So. My sister has always been thicker than me. Yeah. She said. Come on brother. Get your stuff. So I'm like. Okay. So we going outside. She goes across the street. Knocks. On the front door. Asked.

[01:31:09] His mama. If he could come outside and play. What? She said. Yeah. He could come outside. He comes outside. And my sister commenced to. Whooping his behind. On his front porch. And said. Leave my brother alone. Mm-hmm. I like that. First of all. She's a woman with a plan. Execution. Me in the background. Not stopping nothing. Because I'm saved. And I don't know what. I'm just. I love that. Tobias. Throw your hands up. Throw your hands up. Throw your hands up. Yes. That's what you look like. You like.

[01:31:39] Oh. Itchies thing. We brave in. Let him loose. Let him loose. Let him loose. Let him use is what you should have been saying. Stretch out your hands. Stretch out your hands right now. Touching the green. Yeah. They were touching the green. They were touching. But they were not agreeing. Do you think that that. Like. Being in the church that heavy as a. As a youth. Helped or harmed. Oh. It harmed. You know. It harmed. But I do think it contributes to the perfectionism. In a way. Mm-hmm.

[01:32:08] But looking back. It was good training. Good training. On how to assimilate. But that's masking. And that's. That was something that it heavily helped. To figure out where I needed to be. Or who I had to be. In that moment. It took a lot of therapy. And a lot of coming to learn. Who I actually am. Yeah. Separate from. Who I needed to be. Who you had to present as. What I had to present as. Yeah. Now.

[01:32:39] The flip side. I can't fully. Operate in. This. When I walk into an organization. And ask them to trust me. To lead their. Absolutely. Two million dollars. So. Right. The training from that. Has helped. Compartmentalize. Yes. But. But yeah. My sister said she had enough. And. That was. After that. People left me alone. I am so proud of you. So my sister was my. Was my best woman. In my wedding. I know that's right. Because.

[01:33:09] We're very very close. But like. Yeah. No. She. She said. I almost said his name. He still live here in Nashville. She said it. I want to spare him. No. People who know. What's his name? We were outside. Brandon. Brandon. You got. What you needed. He did. And I bet you. I bet you won't do it again. I bet. Brandon. Brandon. I bet you won't do it again.

[01:33:37] Because she going to come right back to that door. And ask your mama. She's going to circle back. She's going to circle back. And close the loop. And close the loop. And bridge the gap. And bridge. Or give you a gap. All right. You decide. She's still. She's. If y'all. If y'all know my sister. And you know me. She's a circle back type of girl. And she will bridge. She's a circle back type of girl. Type of gap. You know what's funny. She got spunk. She's got stick to it. She's going to see it through.

[01:34:08] Come on. Stick to it. Timnish. She is going to see it through. I love that dog. How old was she when she did that? I can't tell you. Then you know how old I was. And then it'd be a little. It's not embarrassing though. She would have been eight or nine. Yeah. I would have been about 12 or 13. But you know what? I love that in young girls. Because I feel like.

[01:34:37] The world paints this picture for young girls. Of how they should be. And I think young girls should be bad. They should be flipping off couches. And they deserve the space and opportunity to be wild. Because we get boys. Boys will be boys. Right? If a boy does it. He's. He is bullish. He's aggressive. He's got spunk. If a girl does it. You're not ladylike. She ain't got no class. And I don't. I don't agree with that. As a matter of fact. My hope and prayer for my daughter is.

[01:35:07] Wow child. And. To a point. Yeah. To a point now. But my friend. She got one of them. And I be. When we on the phone. I was like. You go Melody. You know what though? Go Melody. Teared up. And she. She'll tell people exactly what. I mean. How she wants. Yes. Where she wants. She knows exactly who she is. And it's so freeing. Watching a six year old. Be able to communicate. Exactly what. She knows exactly what she wants. And nobody can bully her.

[01:35:37] And I love that about her. I love it. And then one thing about my daughter. She don't care about nobody. You hear me? Do not care. She does not have the older sister. Thing that I had. I was going to ask that. I still got it kind of. But. I mean. I'm the oldest. Mm hmm. And I still. Facilitate. Mm hmm. I think that's a. A trait. That never really goes away. You have to work on. How you do it. And when you do it.

[01:36:06] Because it becomes the. Overextending yourself. You know what? Yeah. And this could be our southernicity. Mm hmm. It wasn't until. Probably two years ago. Mm hmm. That. I felt like I could take my hand off. Mm hmm. But it also wasn't until about two years ago. That my siblings. Actually started calling me by my first name. What was they calling you? Second daddy. Brother. Brother. So my sister got lost. It's like uncle.

[01:36:36] My sister got lost in a Walmart. When we were kids. And why should go to the front desk and say. Brother. So they page brother on the thing. I knew it was for me. Oh my God. Yeah. Brother. I think that's everybody. So my brother did that when he was. It wasn't Walmart. It was Winn-Dixie. Y'all got Winn-Dixie? What is that? Yeah. You do got Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie is the country grocery store. It's like Piggly Wiggly. Now look. I love me some Piggly Wiggly. Piggly Wiggly.

[01:37:06] Yes. Shout out to Springfield, Tennessee. Okay. Springfield, Tennessee. That's where they at. About 30 minutes from here. Oh. Had the Piggly Wiggly. I would say I would go to. I used to love going to the Piggly Wiggly. To go get some base chicken. Springfield. Some of my best childhood moments came from Springfield and Cross Plains. Wow. My grandfather was a mechanic. Yeah. And in Springfield, you could get away with driving a lawnmower. On the street. On the street. Mm-hmm.

[01:37:35] And because he was a mechanic, he had jimmy rigged. Mm-hmm. That lawnmower should never have been able to go 20 miles an hour. And he put a little trailer on the back of it. So he would drive that through the street, put his groceries in there. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. You know, that's a place where you throw your hand up and you, hey. And you speak to everybody. And everybody is liable to be kin or know you. Mm-hmm. Or know your family. And it will tell what you're doing. Too much.

[01:38:04] Too much telling. The thing I do like about the community in the South, I do like that. I wish I could get that somehow. Because even my neighbor's kids, I had to speak to them every day. And now. You need to start speaking to you? Yeah. I said, hey, y'all. How y'all doing? Good morning. How you doing? You having a good day today? I know all my neighbor's business. I, but. And they don't mind. I think it's a culture thing.

[01:38:32] Because I spend a lot of time in the South as an adult. Like, majority of my adulthood was in the South. It was in Tallahassee. So. You consider Florida to be the South? Tallahassee. Okay. Not Miami. Miami is its own state. Within a state. Yeah. Like that. Yeah. Like, it's like Atlanta. It's its own state. Within the state. So that's why I think, like, even in some of those places, they don't see that some of

[01:38:57] the much bigger problems is even bigger outside of that part. Because everything is so, like, condensed for them. And you don't really have to leave Atlanta. You don't have to leave Miami. Because everything is right there for you. But when you go out to these much more rural communities, it's even worse than what. Like, rural poverty is way different than city poverty. I know. It is way different. There is no bus in rural areas. You can't get to the doctor.

[01:39:26] Like, they just got a bus that goes back and forth multiple times a day. There was one bus that would take you in the morning and at 5 p.m. And if you miss it, you are going to be in Dallas. Listen. Yes. We are going to close up. Yes. But I want to first, I want to give you something. Because I want to acknowledge that there's a problem. Okay. You have made viral videos.

[01:39:55] But you ain't never got no microphone. It's not because I don't have one. I have seen a school bus. Mm-hmm. Chapstick. Mm-hmm. Sun toys. Medication. Hands. A mirror certificate. Yes. Hands. So, we wanted to give you something to add to your microphone collection. Oh, my gosh. So, please. Please, please. Let's see. Let's see, guys. You got to pick on the floor.

[01:40:25] They'll be all right. Ah! It's. Ah! Ah! I used to love wrestling. Rude. The Rock was my guy. So, we said we're going to give her a microphone. Yeah. Look at this. And give her a microphone. Oh, I'm using this today. I can't feel. Oh, I'm using this today. Oh, he talking back. Oh, yeah. So. What? Oh, I know. You used that school bus.

[01:40:55] So, we figured. You know I use the school bus all the time. And it's the same one. It isn't. It is the same one. And he got this whole trio. That's. Does he? Yes. So, now we've added. Okay. Look at this. You got the same one. Look, pooties. Yes. That is so funny. Now, one of the things came out here right between. It's right there. Okay. So, and then there's one more thing in there for you. I love this essay.

[01:41:23] So, a friend of mine who. My. So. HR. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Yes. HR. HR. She going to bring you to your account. What? With receipts. You hear me? And a full investigation. And a full investigation. Oh, you know I investigate. So, the coin. Yes, my coin. So, there is a guy named Bird Baggett.

[01:41:51] I met Bird maybe two years ago at this point. Mm-hmm. Unpopular opinion, but my spouse calls him my white granddaddy. Okay. Bird is like 75, 76 years old. Oh, that's so sweet. We go to breakfast, try to do once a month. Yeah. And we plan to stay for an hour. It's always two or three. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And Bird is an author and a speaker, but most importantly, he's a good human. Yeah.

[01:42:19] And some time back, Bird had, um, Bird ran track at the University of Texas, Austin. Mm-hmm. Y'all, I love Bird. Okay. So. Oh, you've been a guy. You've been a guy. Gas of water. It's the wind. It's water inside. There ain't no man here, friend. It's water. It's love. So, Bird ran track with this guy named Carl. Yeah. Yeah. And Carl was the only Black person on that track team at the time.

[01:42:48] Fast forward, um, Carl passed in 71, 72, right after Bird had left from the University of Texas, Austin. And he was the, uh, track coach thing and all the things. And Bird started a foundation in Carl's memory. And having met Bird and knowing his heart, I kind of decided that a part of my own personal thing. Yeah. Is to keep Bird's memory alive.

[01:43:18] So actually the bracelet I'm wearing instead of it saying, cause not everybody believes in Jesus, but Bird made these and it's called what WWLD. Now somebody thought the L was for Lee. It's not. It's what we love to do. Um, even if you don't believe in God, if you love your neighbor, if you love your friends, if you love your family, if you love yourself, you'll treat people right. And you'll measure to account. Yes. So in either case, that is one of Bird's coins. This is so funny. And I wish y'all could see.

[01:43:47] Can we zoom in? We'll zoom it in. Yeah. And Bird always says that, um, a part of why I fell in love with your videos is cause you, even though you'd be fussed, you'd be smiling. And one of his things is that no one needs a smile more than the person who doesn't have one left to give. So I think it's important to smile and to pass joy and all those things, but I love this. This is so sweet friend. You're welcome. Thank you. You're welcome. Oh my goodness. All right, y'all.

[01:44:17] We've gotten to the end of our time. He cried. It's just so windy. It's so windy in here. Um, I'll let you close us up. I don't. Oh my gosh. Let me see. What's up? Made a little. Oh, you get to. Sorry. There we go. Oh, I got a cup too. Yeah. Yeah. We can. Yeah. I am. I don't know where you're gonna put this stuff on your, I don't know what type. Cause I know you've been shopping while you're here. No. Cause you know, I came with one bag.

[01:44:49] One, one. Cause I will be fine. Okay. We're gonna be good, but thank you. You're welcome. You're welcome. Um, let me see. Do right. Treat people, right. Treat people. You know how they, uh, readers in the church, how they recall. Do right. Mm-hmm. Treat people, right. Treat people, right. And right. We'll return to you. And right. We'll return on to you. On to you.

[01:45:18] That's right. You know, on to you. But you gotta, you gotta start though. That's that do right. Some people think. And I'm going right back in it. That they wait on other people to do right. Then they'll do right. If everybody's waiting on somebody else to do right. For you to do right. Nobody ever do right. Just do right. Cause if everybody ain't doing it, then nobody. See what I'm saying? You start. You do it. Leave by example. All right, y'all. Uh, in the words of Tabitha Brown. I hope you have the most amazing day.

[01:45:48] But even if you can't, don't you dare. Go messing up nobody else's. Bye. Bye.