Ep.10 Warriors in conversation. w/John Esteen and Reginald Joseph

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Hello, and welcome to the Borealis experience. I'm

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your host Aurora. And I'm very excited to be posting this

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interview for you with Gianna Steen and Reginald Joseph, a

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conversation among warriors about guys who are so inspiring

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and they share just such beautiful stories. You also

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touched on racism and how Reginald approached a very

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racist situation back then when he was 17. Enjoy our

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conversation, and I'll be out there very soon again for you.

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Bye.

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Okay, I'm john Epstein. I am the founder and president of any

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second wind nonprofit organization. I have served over

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20 years on 150 centers on nonviolent drug charge. Now that

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I have my freedom, working towards helping others serve are

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now and helping them best what I can.

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My name is Reginald Joseph and I live here in Florida. I, my

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father of six. Each and every one of them have grown and doing

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well. I guess I linked up with john esteem through my brother

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who played football with him in college, he knew that I knew him

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from college. And I've been on this path of motivating and

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encouraging people for a very long time. It's I think it's

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been my life's calling to be that type of person. And so I

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was on a mission to get some things started here. And my

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brother introduced me to john. I don't know how the conversation

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went between himself in john, but he told john that he needed

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to meet me. So we linked up, I immediately noticed that we had

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a lot in common, I'd never served time in prison. But I've

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faced many adversities out here in the world. And it seemed to

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put us on basically the same type of path, wanting to give

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back wanting to encourage, but also wanted to see people reach

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the pinnacle of success in whatever form of fashion that

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may be whether being released from prison or being encouraged

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and empowered, during their time in prison. As well as out here

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in the world, being able to maneuver and manipulate

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situations to the point where it always empowered myself or

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empower that individual, encourage them to do better and

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be better. And to be a better example to to the youth. I think

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that's very important that we talk about, we always talk a

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good game about how the world is changing, and what things need

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to take place. But this world, but we never emphasize or

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EMPHASIZE ENOUGH importance of education and educating our

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youth. And that not only goes with classroom education, it's

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about our morals, and educating them on having a higher self of

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self esteem. We're going to all face adversities through every

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day of our life, there are things that we go through just

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to get us to the next point. And I just believe that we

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encouraged through our, our life experience, I go through things,

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but you don't have to know what I'm going through because of how

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I react, you've got to see me encouraged, you got to see me

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happy. And that there is going to encourage you and give you a

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sense of empowerment that you can do to no matter what your

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situation is. And I think that's how john and I are both kind of

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motivated to see this thing. And to help as many people as we

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can.

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That is so beautiful. And the Borealis experience here is also

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about showing to the world that there's such good masculine role

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models out there. Because I feel there's a lot of men in power

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right now that Miss guide their their power, their influence,

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and they misuse it and use it against women and guys, and this

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is why I feel it's so important to have you on my show because

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especially when it comes to you, john, there is so much judgment

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when it comes to People who came out of jail that people say no,

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that person was bad in the past, they will never change, they

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have no chance in society. And I want to change that image, I

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want to show people that people deserve second chances, and that

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there is strong, beautiful masculine role models out there.

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And we just got to focus more on that we have to take the focus

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away from these aggressive bullies, and put the focus on

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guys who have really good intentions and who have learned

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from their mistakes. So, john, if you want to maybe share a

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little bit more of your story, and how you got back into

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society now. And maybe some of the adversity that you have

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encountered, and maybe beautiful experiences that you went

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through now that you've out there in the world again. Yes.

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was not an easy gone to prison. made, I think it all stems from

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me coming back from war. I came back from war couldn't really

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find myself, I was lost. And now we're looking to see what

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direction to go in. And, unfortunately, I've got hooked

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up with friends that were doing wrong things. And I had got to

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hip to doing things like that. While I was in war, so I was I

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did things at war, and Saudi Arabia that I have never done in

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my life. So it kind of brought me to the kind of transformed me

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to another person, a person that I wasn't brought up to be. So

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when I came home with that same mindset, it was easy for me to

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fall in a traps of doing things that I don't supposed to be

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doing. And it led me to do my first tool in prison. And that

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was Pensacola, Florida. The softball field is a federal

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prison camp. My first conviction ever young man, still trying to

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find myself. And I did three and a half years there, and I came

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home it kind of like scared me straight for a little while. I

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was married to my wife and the young lady that I met in

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college, not playing football. We missed the regionals,

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brother. So I'm home now and I'm working, everything working out

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good for me, then that has got that charge and I got the people

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I met new people that was doing what I did before. So quite

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naturally, I kind of lean towards that we made extra money

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is all about me. It was about making extra money is what

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nothing else is wanted. I guess some people say it was selfish

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motives. And I do believe that too. But I'm so had good

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intentions. I want to take care of my family, my son. And now I

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do have a son. He's our attorney now. So I'm proud of him.

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Despite my downfall. He's he persevered and became a fine

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young man, you know, so I'm proud of that. I'm glad I'm

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thank God for that. And so now that I'm home came home from the

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federal penitentiary around, I say 95 and 1998, I caught my

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second charge, led me to Angola state prison was at one time the

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most bloodiest prison in the world. And it seemed to calm

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down a whole lot since we had a pro, a warden, by the name of

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bro Kane, who would change the face of Angola would would

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charge you with religion. So that was a good thing. So when I

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get to Angola, you know, it was kind of shocked to me, it was

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like it was on a world of his own. And I just couldn't believe

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I was in there. But have a lot of distractions while there. And

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I know I had a son for the years of my head that I don't do

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anything about it. My feed would end right there, right there in

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Angola. And, but what triggered me now we never talked to

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original. And I realized that I realized that what triggered me

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to fight the way I did for my freedom. And that's it. When I

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was a color God, an angle on what was our head of veteran

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program. And we would deal with buried out on. You see, and I

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mentioned that to you before. And but as I reiterate, that is

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not the thing that came up to my mind was that when that when I

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seen that man that we bear going ahead and going around that big

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ol dark hole, and it touched me I like I felt his pain, I felt

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his family pain, I felt, they just came something came over me

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that brought tears to my eyes. And I felt also I realized that

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at that moment, it's like the old me was dying with that man.

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And that ground going that ground with him. And that

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changed me I was prior to that all I was doing was playing

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sports.

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The good thing I was doing is getting educated. I gotten a

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Bible college that they had in Angola. So I got my own

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bachelor's degree in Christian ministry. Then I got a

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horticulture certification. So we're doing positive things. And

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I was a leader there in Angola. So I taught a lot of classes,

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their leadership classes. See.

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So

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all that add up to like, what am I going to do, and lay down on

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my get up and fight and gain my freedom? The best way I know

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how, and I decided to fight. It was that moment that I saw that

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guy being buried. It touched me that much to make me grew up at

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that moment there man and stand up for myself. And I have no

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pity party and getting them Law Library and learn the law as it

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pertained to my situation. And put God first half the room had

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to put I put God first learned that, well, God all things are

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possible. And I stuck with that. And I believe that my whole

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heart. And I knew that God worked through us, not for us.

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So knowing these things, helped me, the owner to stay on the

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straight and narrow and the focus on my freedom as map

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eautiful you want to start a podcast, where you encourage and

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motivate people. And was Reginald, you guys want to want

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to start a big project? What do you guys would like to share

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with us?

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Live resin? We'll talk about that. Yeah, please help me a lot

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with my nonprofit filming things cutting, pasting, and he doesn't

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beautiful things from me. And I like to him to elaborate on

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that. Yes.

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I've always been a writer since a kid. But um, I'd like to

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comment one thing on on what john was saying. As far as

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laying down or getting up and fighting. I think you have an

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uncanny ability to block things out. One thing about me when I

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run, I can run I used to run in a military and I would when I

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went to Ranger School, I was always the guy out with the guy

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on I would run up mountains and I was I could run distance. When

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it came to running laps around a track. I couldn't do it. I was I

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was very ineffective, basically, because I would count those laps

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and how many more I had left, and it would really cancel it

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out for me. So I was very effective at running. But if I

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got out and I had to go seven miles out, I didn't have miles

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to count I just ran You know, I'm saying and what you did was

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with 150 use in my opinion, is I've never had to experience it

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at that magnitude. But in my my opinion 150 years most people

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would just settle would just give up would lay down and say

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you know what, there's no fight left in me because what am I

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gonna fight for 150 communities. This is what I got to do. I'm

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dying, right? But you failed, you refuse to lay down because

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you're able to block that out and I applaud that. And that's

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an ability that I hope I can find in me at some point. That

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extreme but as far as the big project

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I

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my my whole I guess makeup has been to help people to give back

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to do what I could to be a selfless person. Selfish in the

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sense that I put me first I my happiness is important to me.

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But to be able to be a value, everything about me must be a

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value to other people to help them grow, to help them get

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better to help them see better and to do better. And working

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with john, I see greater possibilities and everything

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that I want to do that I need to do or aspire to do. Because we

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have a we have like mind, we like minded individuals, we have

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a lot in common as far as a military background. He went to

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prison, but I, I was I faced adversity in the sense that my

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father didn't raise, he went out and he adopted another family

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and he denied my brothers. And he read, he retired from General

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Motors 33 years, we never saw any of the benefits. My mother

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saw not a lick of child support. And it hurt me all the way

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through my adult life. I was searching for my purpose. When I

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always knew what my purpose was, it was just hard to grasp what

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my true purpose. Without that father figure, I had a mother, a

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single mother raising three boys, and tend to be men, she

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couldn't do it. So naturally, as the oldest, I get into trouble,

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I didn't have a father there to teach me how not to make certain

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mistakes. So how to make better decisions. So I had to learn a

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lot on my own. But one day, I came to a point where I was I

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was sick and tired of being sick and tired, if that makes any

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sense to me. If I was 17 years old, and I got kicked out of

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high school for fighting, and it was a senior year, and I told my

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mother that I wasn't going to transfer to another school, I

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was just gonna get a GED. And I said, You know what, I'm gonna

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go to the army, forget college, I'm gonna go to the army. And

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the day I was having that conversation with her, I got the

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knock on the door. And I knew who it was, but I was

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surrendered to what I was going to do. I was done with the old

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stuff. And I was I was on to something better. And so I

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opened the door and they told me, let's go man. And I was

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like, Nope, not doing that anymore. I'm done with it. I'm

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going into the army. And when I closed the doors last time I saw

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them, those guys. they wound up they were two brothers, they

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wound up in Angola, 124 years of peace for what they did that

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night that they came to get me. That's right. 124 years with no

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chance of parole for two counts of armed robbery in the state of

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Louisiana at the time it was 99 years max sentence and 25 years

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minimum. So they got two counts. And I went on. And my third day

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in basic training. I was used in very spiritual way to change a

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man's life. He was a racist. He was a professed racist, and he

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was saying things and everybody wanted to get him. And at 17

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years old, I didn't know much about life. I didn't know much

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about, you know, scriptures and Bible anything like but

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something in me rose up and I was able to go over and have a

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conversation with this man. And he was an older guy. He was like

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27 years old with a wife and kids and I was just snot nosed

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kid off the block. I didn't know anything about anything. But the

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conversation between the two of us left him in tears. And he

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became one of my best friends in life changed his life from being

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a racist to embracing diversity. And that's what I am I'm drawn

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to that every time I talk with john St. And I'm drawn to

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memories of that of my purpose is greater than what I've what I

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could ever imagine. And there's so many great things that I'm

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still get to do. And being that we the same age we kind of

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timetable is really it's like, we don't have to race we don't

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have to rush we don't have to fight against it. We just have

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to relax into the flow of it and just be who and allow things to

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come together. So the podcast, my podcast is choking on cigar

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smoke and choking on cigar smoke, you know that the phrase

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close but no cigar.

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choking on cigar smoke means that you want it so much that

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you can't even handle it. You don't even learn how to handle

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so what we need to do is take To time Be patient, and focus our

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efforts on being positive and happy. And educating ourselves

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and therefore educating the youth. Therefore, the recidivism

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rate, which John's mission is, it's curbing that recidivism,

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it's, it's kind of bringing the diminishing that where there

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won't be as many people going in and out of prison, and things of

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that nature is really cultivating in saving the family

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aspect. So that's what my goal is. And I think we're gonna make

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a powerful statement in regards to family in regards to

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education in regards to a recidivism rate.

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Yeah, this is such an incredible mission. And I know you guys

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will make such a big impact and change in society, all around

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the world. And one thing I wanted to add to that is, when

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it comes to criminal energy, john Astin, like said, he was

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very selfish, he wanted to, yeah, earn a little bit of

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money. But it was to be a provider, you want it to be a

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provider for your family and help support them. So with a lot

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of people who commit crimes, I feel they are extremely

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intelligent, and know how to function and organize and

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network, and then they get into jail. And most of the time,

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horrible things happen in jail that so that when they get out

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of jail, they're completely lost and don't know what to do. But

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if you can now channel that energy, that energy that was

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misguided, at the start channel into goodness, and helping

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others, then you can create incredible things. And I feel

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this is what you guys will be doing, you will pick up guys who

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are lost, and maybe broken, and give them a purpose and give

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them a sense of self and make them feel needed in our society

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again, because that's what is lacking. Right now people come

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out, beat up, and then are forced through administration

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and are being judged by other people. And you guys are kind of

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the supporting that who can receive them and help them into

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a new direction. Did I get this right?

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I think so. I also the point where john, his son, becoming a

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responsible individual, despite his father being sentenced to

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150 years in penitentiary, it was because of your refusal to

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lay down your work ethic, your constant aggression towards

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doing something proactive, yes, that would constantly teaching

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your son, he couldn't give up because he wasn't being taught

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to give up. He was watching you, and being empowered. So he can't

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give up and he'll pass that on to his, his offspring. And all

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of those around them, they'll, that energy will, will transfer

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into their lives if if they so desire, but I believe that it's

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just like I said, my values, not only for me, but more

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importantly for those around me, especially my offspring, and my.

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And that's why I believe you and I attract so strongly because

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we've shared that share that same sentiment of positive

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strong work ethic, work ethic, and the refusal to quit. I just,

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I just can't quit at 53 years old man, I just I got I got more

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energy than I did at 29. That's really, I truly do not thoughts,

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and I get so many wonderful thoughts on how to I mean,

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business and just everything I got into a PhD program because I

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couldn't stop learning. I was just, I finished my master's and

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I was like, Okay, I'm done with learn. And then I went got a

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master's in screenwriting. And I said, Okay, I gotta do something

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with this. So I thought I'd get the PhD in psychology to kind of

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change the way things work in Hollywood. And I met john St.

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Then my purpose was was reborn, it seems, you know, yes, this is

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what it's about. So yeah, I agree with everything you said,

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or, and I agree with everything John's and I'm just more than

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happy to be on this journey.

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So beautiful

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and rich.

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And you did The same good thing like john esteem did for his son

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you did for your children and making that huge decision that

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night that you're not going to go out and commit a crime,

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right? You had to say, No, I made my decision, and I'm going

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to the army, and it's gonna give me structure. And that was such

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a huge, huge decision that you're gonna look at and feel so

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inspired by to.

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And it was only it was only a three and a half years later

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that I had my first job three and a half years later. So I

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mean, things work out the way they're supposed to, I believe,

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but you have a specific responsive ability to ensure

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that it does go through at the moment that it's supposed to go

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through. If not, I mean, it's not to say that it won't happen.

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But it's gonna take some time to get back to. And I feel like the

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obstacles on either side. Yeah, obstacles on either side, there,

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my focus should be on my goal, line, my purpose in my path with

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the goal, and those obstacles won't be a distraction to me,

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because I don't focus my attention on those obstacles, I

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focus on my goal, because those obstacles are going to be there.

Unknown: 00:26:23

Regardless. If I put time into studying and being depressed and

Unknown: 00:26:29

being sad and angry, I'm wasting time, time is something you can

Unknown: 00:26:33

never ever, ever get back. So I'm going to put my time on

Unknown: 00:26:37

realizing my goals and, and focusing on my purpose, and then

Unknown: 00:26:41

things will be fine as what I believe.

Unknown: 00:26:47

And I just got really good news that our zoom meeting can be

Unknown: 00:26:52

extended a little bit, so we don't have to stop in five

Unknown: 00:26:55

minutes. That's awesome. Maybe content is so great.

Unknown: 00:27:02

Yes, yes. Nothing, um, I like to express two is the guys that I

Unknown: 00:27:09

was in Costa Rica with. They all need some type of positive

Unknown: 00:27:16

influence, leadership. And I thank God that He allowed to use

Unknown: 00:27:22

me for part of that. And when my case hit nhc guy, these guys see

Unknown: 00:27:29

my whole walk for 18 plus years in Angola. And to see the end

Unknown: 00:27:35

result of it, the end positively. It changed. It

Unknown: 00:27:41

changed many of their lives. And I'm and I'm thankful for that.

Unknown: 00:27:45

And I give God glory. Because it wasn't for him. I wouldn't be

Unknown: 00:27:50

here talking to either one of you today. I know this, because

Unknown: 00:27:54

I know I'd be stuck in that trap, knowing what Jonathan

Unknown: 00:27:58

wants to do. But I can do what john Astin wanted to do. I had

Unknown: 00:28:02

to put what john has been wanting to do and put what's

Unknown: 00:28:04

more important is what does says alone. You see, and I learned

Unknown: 00:28:10

that and and you benefit more, of course. Um, but it's one

Unknown: 00:28:15

thing that stuck out to me one inmate because a lot of inmates

Unknown: 00:28:18

went home on my, on my case. Before I did, I never went home

Unknown: 00:28:23

on my case. So I will clear that up, too. I never did go home my

Unknown: 00:28:27

case ever. I'm still on parole. Right now. I have 80 years of

Unknown: 00:28:30

parole because I have 80 years left to serve, because I left 80

Unknown: 00:28:34

years early because they brought me out. I had 150 years. I did

Unknown: 00:28:38

20 so I don't even know what the rest. See, you know, and that's

Unknown: 00:28:45

crazy. I know. And I'm still fighting that but it's one me

Unknown: 00:28:48

out on them. They went home before me. They're really his

Unknown: 00:28:53

name was Cushing. Nellie is Italian that oh my guess even my

Unknown: 00:28:57

age but he just wasn't in he wasn't healthy condition. He was

Unknown: 00:29:00

in a wheelchair. And I never knew my case affected him. He

Unknown: 00:29:04

was on he shot. And that was on a West show. So we don't really

Unknown: 00:29:07

see each other. Okay, even though we're in the same area,

Unknown: 00:29:11

but is separated. I was going to see my lawyer just particular

Unknown: 00:29:16

day by my situation. I was waiting in line. And I'm it's

Unknown: 00:29:22

close to where we visited and connected to the visit is a

Unknown: 00:29:25

medical everybody has to go to the medical before they go home.

Unknown: 00:29:31

You had to do checkup not everything blood work the whole

Unknown: 00:29:33

night. Everything. So just particularly this guy was going

Unknown: 00:29:37

home on an SDN case. And as he was being pushed up past me, I

Unknown: 00:29:45

know a couple of guys also waiting for the lawyers acts

Unknown: 00:29:50

Cuccinelli. Man where you've gone. He said, Man, I'm going

Unknown: 00:29:55

home. And they asked him how are you? Going on what happened

Unknown: 00:30:01

which case you use what what was going on? He said man st in case

Unknown: 00:30:06

he asked me in case with SDN sitting right there. He say

Unknown: 00:30:10

what? So he turned got the guy push him turn his wheelchair

Unknown: 00:30:13

around and catch on once I got up to walk towards him, it will

Unknown: 00:30:18

hit his, he can loot chunky little white guy, you know,

Unknown: 00:30:21

little talion guy had a little ball cap on his head. And he

Unknown: 00:30:26

said, st come here. So I walked toward him. And I say, Man,

Unknown: 00:30:32

look, go enjoy your life, man. That is good. He said, Can I

Unknown: 00:30:37

shake your hand? I said, Yeah, sure. So he grabbed my hand and

Unknown: 00:30:41

put it place it down here on his chest by his heart. And it's put

Unknown: 00:30:44

his head down and I felt number of materials of water on my

Unknown: 00:30:48

hand. And tears coming my eyes because it was a moment touching

Unknown: 00:30:53

to me, you know, to see a grown man cry, you know, or something

Unknown: 00:30:58

that God gave me the wisdom to overcome. You see, and I never

Unknown: 00:31:05

forget that moment. And that's why I'm doing what I'm doing

Unknown: 00:31:08

today is because of a moments like that. You know, you know

Unknown: 00:31:13

people are showing how they appreciate him. And man is blow

Unknown: 00:31:17

it blows my mind I got chills right now just telling you

Unknown: 00:31:20

because it's so real to me. So real. You know, it's like also

Unknown: 00:31:25

when I come out the gate, get my freedom my mom and dad they're

Unknown: 00:31:29

waiting on me to see me seeming cross that threshold. from

Unknown: 00:31:36

bondage to freedom.

Unknown: 00:31:39

Freedom. Can I say something right quick? Yes, I don't want

Unknown: 00:31:42

to cut you off jam but my stance on things man is just just given

Unknown: 00:31:46

me energy man. Um, yes. You said that you wanted to do if it

Unknown: 00:31:53

wasn't for God, you would do what john wanted to do. Just

Unknown: 00:31:57

because of God that john is doing what john wants to john

Unknown: 00:32:00

wanted to be this way all his life. JOHN had to go through

Unknown: 00:32:04

trials and tribulations and places and a man to get to where

Unknown: 00:32:09

you are right now. Tell me about your mom saying what she said to

Unknown: 00:32:13

you in court that day.

Unknown: 00:32:15

man that was that was

Unknown: 00:32:19

that moment. with with with the Italian guy. Goshen said the

Unknown: 00:32:24

same? Cush, personality, nearly, you'll never forget that moment.

Unknown: 00:32:28

Right? You'll never forget the moment when they told you, you

Unknown: 00:32:32

were going home, you'll never forget the day you got home,

Unknown: 00:32:35

you'll never forget those moments, because they are going

Unknown: 00:32:38

to keep you in subjection to your purpose. And that's what

Unknown: 00:32:43

that's what that's the kind of stuff I'm telling you that I

Unknown: 00:32:46

feed off those types of moments that I never forget, that did

Unknown: 00:32:50

still draw me up. Look at you, man, you got tears in your eyes

Unknown: 00:32:53

right now. Because of those moments, you'll never get them.

Unknown: 00:32:56

They're gonna keep driving you to fulfill your purpose, to

Unknown: 00:33:00

fulfill your purpose every single day. And that's not the

Unknown: 00:33:03

right thing. And it's not because not you're doing what

Unknown: 00:33:07

you want to do. Everything that we go through with the Bible

Unknown: 00:33:11

says that all things work together for good, right? Yes,

Unknown: 00:33:14

right. Everything you've ever experienced, is working out the

Unknown: 00:33:18

way it's supposed to some of the things that some of the

Unknown: 00:33:22

decisions you made cause you to have to endure certain other

Unknown: 00:33:25

aspects. But you are right where you supposed to be. And you've

Unknown: 00:33:29

gone through everything that you were supposed to go through for

Unknown: 00:33:32

that particular purpose. And some of it we don't even we

Unknown: 00:33:35

haven't even realized yet is greater graders come greatest

Unknown: 00:33:38

coming. And all these moments are preparing you for those

Unknown: 00:33:42

greater moments leveling up. So, Zack,

Unknown: 00:33:47

I appreciate that. Man, I see why it's my encouragement right

Unknown: 00:33:49

here. You see that?

Unknown: 00:33:52

Yeah.

Unknown: 00:33:56

so beautifully said. And if I can add this, there's tree seeds

Unknown: 00:34:02

out here. We have pine trees, where the seeds have to go

Unknown: 00:34:07

through fire in order to ignite in order to grow a new tree. And

Unknown: 00:34:14

I feel there's people out there. And I think all three of us are

Unknown: 00:34:18

those those kind of people. We had to go through health through

Unknown: 00:34:22

fire in order to unlock our purpose and to be the people

Unknown: 00:34:27

around us to be here. And it's so incredibly precious to have

Unknown: 00:34:34

you guys here. Like I have goosebumps all over

Unknown: 00:34:42

them. And I feel for all three of us. Again, the moment we

Unknown: 00:34:49

realized that if we don't fight for ourselves, we're going to

Unknown: 00:34:54

let so many people down. We're not going to live our purpose

Unknown: 00:34:59

and In not doing so, we're not going to be able to support

Unknown: 00:35:03

others. And the moment we realized, oh my god, we can help

Unknown: 00:35:07

someone else to freedom and happiness is so empowering and

Unknown: 00:35:13

you feel like you cannot give up. You have to fight not only

Unknown: 00:35:17

for yourself, but for others too.

Unknown: 00:35:22

Yeah,

Unknown: 00:35:22

I agree, every everything, everything, even the things that

Unknown: 00:35:26

you said about how my Facebook messages encourage you, the

Unknown: 00:35:31

things that john said, that is just more seems like ammunition

Unknown: 00:35:38

in put into my, into my weapon, more strength, more power, to go

Unknown: 00:35:46

out and combat and fight against the adversities that people

Unknown: 00:35:50

experience every day, the systemic racism, the in

Unknown: 00:35:52

justices, all these things. It's like, you can't push my button

Unknown: 00:35:59

unless I put it out.

Unknown: 00:36:01

exam.

Unknown: 00:36:02

I'm not going to ever when I wake up in the morning, my first

Unknown: 00:36:07

thoughts are positive. My last thoughts before I go to bed are

Unknown: 00:36:11

positive thoughts. And that reinforces when I wake up in the

Unknown: 00:36:16

morning, I'm waking up with positive thoughts. I get up, I

Unknown: 00:36:19

do my exercise, I get myself cleaned up, and I'm ready to go

Unknown: 00:36:23

for the day. And it's non stop until I'm going to sleep. And

Unknown: 00:36:27

I'm having fun and loving every moment of it. Because I feel

Unknown: 00:36:33

like I'm fulfilling my life's purpose. There have been times

Unknown: 00:36:38

and I'm sure you both have experienced this. It's not easy

Unknown: 00:36:42

every day. Sometimes I get to the point where I say man, I'm

Unknown: 00:36:45

so sick of people and their their selfishness and they their

Unknown: 00:36:49

carelessness. And they set these bad examples for one another,

Unknown: 00:36:54

and they hate on each other. And then next moment said, but

Unknown: 00:36:57

that's where I come in to set the good examples and to

Unknown: 00:37:02

encourage people. And it may not be a million people saying I

Unknown: 00:37:08

like what you're doing or saying giving good comments. But I've

Unknown: 00:37:13

gotten messages through Facebook Messenger. I've gotten text

Unknown: 00:37:17

messages where people who won't comment on Facebook for whatever

Unknown: 00:37:20

reason. They give me words of encouragement said please keep

Unknown: 00:37:24

doing what you're doing. If I go a day without posting a message,

Unknown: 00:37:29

or I'm late posting it, for whatever reason, I get a message

Unknown: 00:37:33

saying Hey, man, what's up with the message because I didn't

Unknown: 00:37:36

know that message. And so those type of things. That's the ammo

Unknown: 00:37:40

being put into my weapon. Yeah, keep firing, keep firing and

Unknown: 00:37:44

keep fighting. Because I can't stop. I won't stop. And the

Unknown: 00:37:49

thing is, I don't want to stop. I'm looking for ways I'm looking

Unknown: 00:37:53

for connections with other like minded individuals to make this

Unknown: 00:37:57

thing work. Because people need help. People need help. And it

Unknown: 00:38:02

takes people like us to be willing, not just able, but

Unknown: 00:38:07

willing to continue to fight. There's a talk about the Bible.

Unknown: 00:38:17

And Jesus says Jesus chose 12 ordinary men to be his apostles.

Unknown: 00:38:25

Right? 12 ordinary men, no, they weren't scholars and people of

Unknown: 00:38:29

great stature. They were just ordinary men. And the difference

Unknown: 00:38:34

in those guys were they were willing to follow Him and to do

Unknown: 00:38:41

what he said to do and interpret it. How you will, that's the way

Unknown: 00:38:46

I interpret it. I'm willing to go I'm not the smartest

Unknown: 00:38:50

individual, I'm not the strongest. I'm not the most

Unknown: 00:38:54

skill that this or that. But I am very willing to learn and I'm

Unknown: 00:38:58

very willing to put forth 100% effort to make it work. And

Unknown: 00:39:02

that's what counts. That's what gets me by every single day. And

Unknown: 00:39:06

Lincoln with people like that. My energy goes from, am I gonna

Unknown: 00:39:10

say zero to 100 and say 100 to 1000? Because I know then, you

Unknown: 00:39:16

know, it's like being in in a group of people, group of

Unknown: 00:39:20

friends, right? And you go out and you experience some trouble,

Unknown: 00:39:22

say some, some some crazy person is wanting to fight, right,

Unknown: 00:39:27

whatever. And if you're alone, this group of guys come over,

Unknown: 00:39:31

they want to hurt you. You're vulnerable. But if you've got

Unknown: 00:39:35

your team with you, you feel empowered. And that's what I

Unknown: 00:39:39

feel. Being around like minded minded individuals. I have a

Unknown: 00:39:43

team strength to help fortify what my goal is. Yeah.

Unknown: 00:39:49

Yeah. One thing I didn't forget, that you mentioned earlier, is

Unknown: 00:39:54

that you had a conversation with that guy and the military You

Unknown: 00:40:00

changed him from being a racist to being an open, open minded

Unknown: 00:40:06

person. Can you share with us what you talk with him? Do you

Unknown: 00:40:11

remember the words or?

Unknown: 00:40:13

Absolutely, yeah, I mean, this is a story. Like I said, you'll

Unknown: 00:40:18

never forget those moments. I was sitting on my bunk I was

Unknown: 00:40:22

raised by, like I said, my mother and my grandmother,

Unknown: 00:40:26

right? So one thing was very, very clear to once you get up in

Unknown: 00:40:33

the morning, and you make your bed, never sit on the bed. So I

Unknown: 00:40:39

didn't sit on my bed, and I didn't want anybody else sitting

Unknown: 00:40:41

on my bed. So when we make our bunks in an army, you know

Unknown: 00:40:45

yourself, john, we make them Chris about a quarter of those

Unknown: 00:40:48

things, right? And so I'm there by my Warlock, and I hear this,

Unknown: 00:40:55

everybody's really getting angry. I'm, I'm clueless, like,

Unknown: 00:40:58

what is going on. And I hear this guy yelling out his racist

Unknown: 00:41:03

comments and statements and calling people names. And I take

Unknown: 00:41:08

a peek around, and I look. And I see this little sawed off white

Unknown: 00:41:13

guy, nice little tank looking at. But he's not afraid that we

Unknown: 00:41:17

got I got a guy my bunk buddy was a guy by the name of Tim

Unknown: 00:41:21

Jones from Columbus, Georgia, he was a big country boy football

Unknown: 00:41:26

player. So he's probably like, six, four, he was a big man. And

Unknown: 00:41:30

this little sort of guys over Italian like he me afraid and

Unknown: 00:41:34

nothing, and he must really be full of hate, is what I'm

Unknown: 00:41:37

thinking. But being 17 years old, straight off the block. I

Unknown: 00:41:41

didn't know much of anything. I stopped going to church years

Unknown: 00:41:45

before that. So I couldn't quote scriptures or anything like

Unknown: 00:41:48

that. The only scripture that I was familiar with basically, the

Unknown: 00:41:53

roll off my tongue was For God so loved the world that He gave

Unknown: 00:41:59

His only begotten son and the shortest scripture in the Bible,

Unknown: 00:42:02

Jesus wept. And I wasn't over there trying to say those things

Unknown: 00:42:05

to him. Something rose up in me. And I went around the wall

Unknown: 00:42:11

locker, and I sat on that guy's bed, this racist guy, I sat on

Unknown: 00:42:17

his bed. And I said, Man, sit down and talk to me said, What?

Unknown: 00:42:22

Yeah. And I said, Man, please just sit down and talk to him.

Unknown: 00:42:26

And we talked for maybe 45 minutes, people would pass by

Unknown: 00:42:30

looking and snarling. And we don't get you a nice things. But

Unknown: 00:42:34

I was able to hold his attention because I listened to what he

Unknown: 00:42:38

was saying. And the thing that I said to him that I think really

Unknown: 00:42:43

made a difference was you're white, and I'm black. This

Unknown: 00:42:49

Hispanic here, there's a couple of Asian guys here, some guys

Unknown: 00:42:52

from Puerto Rico, said, but we're all the same man. Because

Unknown: 00:42:57

look at the uniform we're wearing. We're all the same,

Unknown: 00:43:01

we're fighting for the same purpose. And he stopped. And he

Unknown: 00:43:06

looked at me, and it was a weird look. I didn't know what he was

Unknown: 00:43:09

gonna say. But he's just burnt out crying. And I think that was

Unknown: 00:43:14

the turning point for him. Yeah. And like I said, he became one

Unknown: 00:43:18

of my best friends in life. We stayed together, I was in a

Unknown: 00:43:20

cohort unit. So we all stayed together, through basic nit, and

Unknown: 00:43:24

for three years of my first duty station. So when I needed money

Unknown: 00:43:30

to send home, this guy would lend me money. When I needed to

Unknown: 00:43:34

borrow his truck, he would lend me his truck. And this is and

Unknown: 00:43:38

people could not believe it. What did you say to him? I said,

Unknown: 00:43:41

I didn't say anything, man. I didn't say anything. Because I

Unknown: 00:43:44

didn't know anything to say it was just being present showing

Unknown: 00:43:48

up. And being a friend being someone maybe like, I guess you

Unknown: 00:43:56

could consider it to be like a listening device where he poured

Unknown: 00:44:00

out and I was able to really listen and hear him. And then

Unknown: 00:44:04

when he when he stopped talking, I was able to give him just a

Unknown: 00:44:07

few words of encouragement, a few words. And maybe he looked

Unknown: 00:44:10

at it as this little guy, this young guy is telling me that

Unknown: 00:44:16

I've never heard before that didn't really make sense. So

Unknown: 00:44:22

that basically without using a bunch of profanity, that's

Unknown: 00:44:26

basically how it went. We were I was I couldn't tell him about

Unknown: 00:44:29

marriage. I couldn't tell him about kids because I had none of

Unknown: 00:44:32

that. I couldn't tell him about much of life because I was only

Unknown: 00:44:36

17 years old. Only thing I knew was coming out of high school

Unknown: 00:44:40

what I did in high school and what I aspired to be that was

Unknown: 00:44:43

the only things that I could say, that would probably be

Unknown: 00:44:46

meaningful, but whatever it was, it worked. And I don't say I

Unknown: 00:44:52

changed his life. I was used in such a spiritual way to

Unknown: 00:44:57

institute change in his life. In his heart, I believe that what

Unknown: 00:45:02

you think

Unknown: 00:45:06

flows to your heart. Then, once you begin to feel it, it becomes

Unknown: 00:45:12

it comes out of your mouth and out of your actions. So, believe

Unknown: 00:45:17

you think positive, you'd say some things you can say the

Unknown: 00:45:20

things that you think. So think positive. They say, Take your

Unknown: 00:45:24

time. Patience is a virtue. So think before you speak. Think

Unknown: 00:45:29

about it. Think about the ramifications. If there'll be,

Unknown: 00:45:32

think about the benefits of there'll be think about how this

Unknown: 00:45:35

person's feelings may be impacted, if you say what you're

Unknown: 00:45:39

going to say, and how you're going to say and things of that

Unknown: 00:45:41

nature. So at a young age, I was able to, I don't know where I

Unknown: 00:45:46

got it from, but no, I think I do know where I got it from my

Unknown: 00:45:49

grandmother. Yeah, I said something once my mom spanked me

Unknown: 00:45:55

for doing something I definitely shouldn't have been doing. And I

Unknown: 00:45:59

was probably about seven years old. And I said, I hate myself.

Unknown: 00:46:06

I was crying. I said on the basement steps. I said, I hate

Unknown: 00:46:09

myself. My grandmother said, What did you say? I said, I hate

Unknown: 00:46:12

myself. She says come here. She took me down into the basement.

Unknown: 00:46:17

And if you think my mother spank me, my grandmother destroyed me

Unknown: 00:46:22

in that basement. She said, I'm doing this because you never,

Unknown: 00:46:26

ever, ever will ever say that again. You'd never say you hate

Unknown: 00:46:30

yourself. And I begin to see things differently. I was able

Unknown: 00:46:34

to tell a child that. years ago, a child said that in front of me

Unknown: 00:46:40

that they hated themselves. And I was able to use that same

Unknown: 00:46:43

logic that that my grandmother gave me passed on to me to that

Unknown: 00:46:46

child. And so it's all about loving yourself. How can I love

Unknown: 00:46:51

you? If I don't love myself? How can I be have any type of

Unknown: 00:46:55

support or happiness for you if I don't have happiness, and

Unknown: 00:47:00

genuine happiness in my own heart? So it starts with what I

Unknown: 00:47:04

think. So when I got to that particular point, I was at a low

Unknown: 00:47:11

I was at a real low because my father was there I was just a

Unknown: 00:47:15

teenage boy, I didn't know a whole lot. Other guys knew

Unknown: 00:47:18

things that father taught him. I didn't have those those moments,

Unknown: 00:47:23

but I did have deep inside of me a will to do good to do better.

Unknown: 00:47:28

That's what stopped stopped me from going out with those guys

Unknown: 00:47:31

that because I was going to the army. I said I'm going to go to

Unknown: 00:47:34

the army, but I made a decision to stop to to put all my energy

Unknown: 00:47:40

towards making that a reality. So when they knocked on the

Unknown: 00:47:43

door, I said no, I'm done with that. Head I went out just one

Unknown: 00:47:47

last time. I could probably won't I've kind of probably met

Unknown: 00:47:51

john esteem in prison. So it's things like that, that. That

Unknown: 00:47:59

bring me back to the moment where three days, or it was

Unknown: 00:48:03

actually two months later from that particular point two months

Unknown: 00:48:06

later when I told the guy No, I'm not going with you. Two

Unknown: 00:48:09

months later, I was being used to change that guy's life. Yes.

Unknown: 00:48:14

Yeah. Have two beautiful story. And thank you so so much for

Unknown: 00:48:20

sharing this because I feel it's so important nowadays. And it's

Unknown: 00:48:23

the only way to approach racism. If you see that those people are

Unknown: 00:48:29

fear driven. They are scared and they don't trust. And if you

Unknown: 00:48:35

approach them with love, if you give them the presence, without

Unknown: 00:48:40

getting involved with their thoughts, and then you know

Unknown: 00:48:43

sucked in. But if you like you did at 17, cut through the BS

Unknown: 00:48:49

with your heart, then you can change people, you have to break

Unknown: 00:48:54

them open with your kind presence. And this is the only

Unknown: 00:48:59

way we can conquer that ugly thing called racism. That is

Unknown: 00:49:06

such a precious story to share. JOHN, is there anything you

Unknown: 00:49:11

would like to add?

Unknown: 00:49:14

Yes, I'm here on Veterans Day some earlier spoke, you know

Unknown: 00:49:19

about concern. be used, you know, my god stuff. And that was

Unknown: 00:49:27

my thing to learn that, you know, my prayer life. This was

Unknown: 00:49:33

my prayer. You know, if you can use anyone, you can use me. So

Unknown: 00:49:39

that was my moment of submission right now. You know, when I made

Unknown: 00:49:44

that prayer, then my prayer, it might grew to this. God give me

Unknown: 00:49:54

wisdom, knowledge, understanding that I may walk up rightly. In

Unknown: 00:49:59

liggio people In a righteous path, that was my prayer

Unknown: 00:50:03

throughout doing time in Angola. And as a result all that I see

Unknown: 00:50:09

doors opening. And as we all know that a lot of people went

Unknown: 00:50:14

home on the SDN case, which God orchestrated, I believe,

Unknown: 00:50:18

wholeheartedly. And it was a reason why they went home before

Unknown: 00:50:22

me, because he wasn't finished with me yet. And when that

Unknown: 00:50:27

moment came, when God completed everything, he wanted to

Unknown: 00:50:30

complete my life, they're the one to bring me to bigger and

Unknown: 00:50:34

better things. And that was that time. And guess what went on

Unknown: 00:50:38

upon parole board? So therefore, my case wasn't for me, it was

Unknown: 00:50:41

for everybody else. It was guys doing and my freedom is guys

Unknown: 00:50:47

doing to the point rule board, and as I'm not hitting still not

Unknown: 00:50:51

finished with me yet to have any years of parole left. Also, yes.

Unknown: 00:50:57

And my end of my message, I want to say is that, like rescue

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reiterated is to never give up. Continue doing what you're doing

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in your heart that you feel is right, and is and is your

Unknown: 00:51:11

purpose, continue doing that until you are comfortable and

Unknown: 00:51:16

happy, like my boy rational is happy everyday doing what he

Unknown: 00:51:20

doing? Yes, that's why that's my word for the day.

Unknown: 00:51:25

Thank you so much. reginal, would you like to close our

Unknown: 00:51:30

conversation here

Unknown: 00:51:32

would love to I am. Like I said, it makes it's easy. When I

Unknown: 00:51:38

connect with like minded individuals, people with high

Unknown: 00:51:41

energy and focus. I contacted john today because I was so

Unknown: 00:51:46

anticipating this interview, I didn't think I was gonna say

Unknown: 00:51:49

much I was just gonna listen in. But I'm always ready. Always

Unknown: 00:51:55

ready to add to be included. And that's important, I think. Not

Unknown: 00:52:03

just not giving up, but staying ready, staying prepared,

Unknown: 00:52:07

staying, I guess fulfilled with information, paying attention to

Unknown: 00:52:16

what's going on around you. That's that's one thing that I

Unknown: 00:52:20

always told my kids pay attention to every single moment

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of your life, everything that you go through pay attention,

Unknown: 00:52:29

because you'll be able to use it down the road, at some point to

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either take yourself to another level, or to keep yourself from

Unknown: 00:52:40

falling to a level you don't need to be or to encourage

Unknown: 00:52:44

others based off of your journey. Not just running your

Unknown: 00:52:49

mouth, but your lifestyle is going to be one of the most

Unknown: 00:52:54

important aspects of of helping someone else reach the pinnacle

Unknown: 00:52:58

of what it is they're trying to reach and realize their goals.

Unknown: 00:53:04

So today, this has been a blessing to me, this has been

Unknown: 00:53:08

really encouraging and it gives me a bit more of an insight of

Unknown: 00:53:14

what my purpose is. I know now that I'm not alone in this

Unknown: 00:53:18

fight, and on this journey, and it helps going forward to know

Unknown: 00:53:23

that you're in Alberta, Canada and john Astin is in Louisiana,

Unknown: 00:53:28

I'm hearing water intersecting like a triangle. And we're gonna

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spread out and canvass this entire world based off of our

Unknown: 00:53:36

particular purpose. We have aligned together. So thank you

Unknown: 00:53:40

for having me.

Unknown: 00:53:41

Yes. Thank you so much for taking the time and being here

Unknown: 00:53:45

with us. And, john, you are incredible. You are such an

Unknown: 00:53:50

enrichment of my life. And it's been so wonderful to connect

Unknown: 00:53:55

with you. And thank you for introducing me to Raj. Not that.

Unknown: 00:54:01

I think it was wonderful. It was you

Unknown: 00:54:05

know, you enjoy him. It's great guy, you know, I felt him. He

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encouraged me and encouraged me and encouraged me anymore. And I

Unknown: 00:54:13

know I needed him on this. I wanted people I want the world

Unknown: 00:54:16

to hear reginal Joseph, I wanted him here. He's a great guy. Yes,

Unknown: 00:54:20

he is.

Unknown: 00:54:21

Thank you, john. Appreciate that now, so appreciate you or I look

Unknown: 00:54:24

forward to many more many more of you.

Unknown: 00:54:27

Yeah, yeah, I feel not the last time. Thank you so so much.

Unknown: 00:54:36

Yeah, I really hope you enjoyed our conversation and feel

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inspired and yeah, never give up. As hopeless as some

Unknown: 00:54:46

situation may seem. Know that. Sometimes we just have to fight

Unknown: 00:54:50

through the situation and inspire other people afterwards

Unknown: 00:54:57

to do the same. You're never alone. Take good care of

Unknown: 00:55:01

yourself. And I'm sure we will be back out there for you very

Unknown: 00:55:06

soon. Again. Thank you very much for listening.