And I will do this as long as God allows me to wake up and draw breath. If I live, god willing, if I live to, you know, 70, 80, 90, I'll still be doing this and still be a big smart ass like I am I mean, it's just you know and I will find ways to make people smile. That's my purpose in life is to help other people get to where they want to go and achieve the things that they want to achieve in life.
When was the last time you thanked a veteran, not just for their service, but for their sacrifice, their strength, their unseen battles that many of them are still fighting Every day in the US? And this statistic, it goes, can go this way, it can go that way, but around 17 veterans lose their lives to suicide and thousands more navigate the silent struggles of PTSD, anxiety, trauma, you name it.
And while more are reaching out for help, many still face those barriers like the stigma, isolation, lack of access to care, and that's why these conversations need to happen. You know, that's why we're having this conversation today, because more voices need to be amplified. For those who serve, who are on that mission, it's not just a mission, actually, it's a responsibility. And it's not just awareness, it's about taking action. Adam Bird, you are on that mission every day.
You are a military veteran who has turned media visionary.
You're CEO of Heroes Media Group, where you use the power of podcasting to elevate the stories of veterans, first responders and even community heroes, and I'd love to say that I can also call you a friend, so I'm so glad that you are here on HIListically Speaking, to share more about how we can create more awareness and take action from that and really, you know, just have a real conversation about the problems that the veterans are facing.
So I'm so glad you're here, it's so good to see you as well.
It's always good talking to you and I appreciate this opportunity.
First, I want to say thank you for having me on the decision hour. That's your podcast and that was just a really wonderful conversation.
We're going to share more about that, but this is my offer to you to give you the space, because I know that, like you mentioned and we've had this conversation before you're the black sheep on a lot of these statistics that are shared or the things that are put out there that are said about veterans and their mental health, and let's get real here, like let's get real.
Yeah, it's, it's. You know, when it comes to the numbers or the statistics that are out there, it's, it's over the last decade you've seen, like 22 has been the big, a big number, and then you've seen it go down to 17. I've seen it, in some places, higher than 22.
Um, and, and you know, for the longest time and I'm kind of dating back to like the 2000, we'll say 12, 13 timeframe where there was like different things going around like hey, let's, let's bring awareness to this, let's bring awareness to this, let's bring awareness to this, when do we stop with bringing awareness to something that we already know is a problem and when do we start taking action on it? That's what gets to be frustrating is we're highlighting.
Let's bring awareness, let's start highlighting. You know there are organizations out there that that are taking action, but you don't hear anything about it. And and I blame the media, I blame mainstream media for that, and and I, you know we'll take the blame for it ourselves because we need to be more. We got to voice that more like hey, you need help brother, you need help sister.
You know, we used to say back in the day, like bridging the gap between the veteran military veteran community and the civilian population. It's like you know when, when a veteran transitions out of the military and it goes back into you know, everyday society. It's how do you bridge that gap? You know, how do you get you know, and that's just a matter of training them.
You know, we train, we've spent all the the US government spends millions of dollars to train this person, the soldier, airman, marine, you know this person to do their job in the military. Then let's, let's give them some tools so they can be successful in their next venture as well.
And how do you see that as giving them tools? Because you and I have had a number of conversations about this from the first time. We met at a podcasting conference where we sat down in the middle of the atrium and talked about mental health and even, you know, you tried Havening techniques in that moment, in Havening, which is, you know, my passion for wanting to help our veterans and those who have served and continue to. But how do you see that?
Because having tools can be very vague and, like I even mentioned before, you know there's a stigma that comes with being of service and this is kind of similar to what I have seen and heard, even with the first responders and those who are working in the trauma space, that I don't want to seem like I have a problem or they're going to pull me out.
Yeah, I think that's a mindset. I was just reading an article. The military went in and they're pulling some programs from some of the smaller bases I think it's called the TAPS program is what they're calling it now and the military and the soon to be veteran has a responsibility to get themselves ready. Like, if you know you're going to ETS in 18 months, that you're getting out of the military, then you need to start getting your affairs in order.
So when you get out, you either have a job lined up or you know where you're going, at least and and and. Then it's. You know. There's who do you get in touch with. Military is like we're too busy training other people for our job. We don't. You're getting out, so you're kind of pushed, pushed off to the side. Give them the tools, give them the resources.
There's, there's thousands and thousands of non nonprofit organizations that are out there that are doing great things for our veterans as they transition. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of civilian businesses and resources that are out there that want to help these veterans as they transition out. The problem is is nobody's communicating and nobody's working together.
How about we pulled together some resources and then let's start talking about it and then let's get with the military personnel. Let's get with the pentagon and just be like hey, here is a directory of organizations that want to help with this transition. How, how can we get into? You know they have transition unit. I'll use the army as an example.
There's transitioning units that they that they go to sign off on this, this and this, I took this class, whatever, and a lot of the times, you know, the military person is just like I just want to get this crap over with. So I can. So right, and it's totally understandable. Um, but you know what? What do you do? Where? Where does the responsibility lie? The majority of the responsibility lies on the troop themselves.
They have to take initiative to to do this, but at the same time, the military should be training them to be like hey, you're taking off this uniform, let's help you get your next uniform ready yeah.
Do you think that that fear or uncertainty? Because when you've been in the service for whether it's four years or 20 plus, there's a feeling of stability that comes with that job. You know what to expect day in and day out for the most part.
But when you're leaving something that felt so safe in many ways as far as security of a job and benefits and I know I can expect this to help me live and survive when you leave that, do you think that's the big part of where the concern comes with mental health? Because now we're facing uncertainty. How am I going to live my life? Is this security? I'm not around the same people I was with that. I built relationships with. You know it's a different phase.
And that's what it is. It's a phase right. I know guys that got out of the military and they it was like cut it off. They want nothing to do with veteran organizations, they don't want to talk to anybody that they served with, they just want to go about their lives and live in the woods and you know that that kind of a thing and that works for some. But I can count on maybe two fingers out of the. You know two, three dozen that I know that have tried that where it's actually worked.
You know the other people it's you go through trying to transition and you're just like like little things get to be annoying, like I got to pay bills, I got to do this and it's like the stuff that you did in the military. But it was so much different because now it's like I'm working a nine to five. I went from, let's say you retired out of the military 20 plus years.
You worked your way up fairly high in the rankings, whether you're an officer or an enlisted personnel, and you're starting at the bottom of the totem pole a lot of the times or you're starting in an entry-level positions. For some of these people not always the case. Not always the case, but I've seen where it happened and you're just like I'm working this nine to five. This sucks. Why am I here? I have no purpose. Have a purpose find your purpose.
That's the biggest thing I tell people as they're getting ready to transition out what is your purpose, what do you want to do? Because on average it takes about three years and several jobs before the vet finds out what it is they really want to do. It's on average don't quote me on the years but it's like three to five years before they really kind of figure out like, okay, this is what I really want to do.
And I tell people people like hey, if, if you suffer from ptsd and you may not know it a lot of people the pride gets in the way and they don't want to talk about stuff. So I tell people get involved. It doesn't have to be a veteran-based organization, get involved with a community-based organization. You know, do something, stay involved, get involved.
The worst thing you want to do is isolate yourself and start thinking nobody understands me, nobody can help me, nobody knows what I'm going through, because that is bs. Because there's plenty of people out there that know what you've gone through, maybe not your specific event or what have you, but they've gone through similar events and and there's people out there that want to help.
And you and I have talked about this, I think offline once and one of the things that I've really start pushing on people. I'd say pushing on people, but one of the things I tell people is you know, how selfish do you have to be to not let somebody help you? Because there's somebody out there in life that their main purpose in life is to help other people and they want to help you. So how selfish are you by denying that person to live their purpose?
What an interesting way to look at that, and we did talk about that and I remember that because it's that feeling of and I don't want to say victim, but when we are in the trenches of our crap, really, and we're feeling our feels, that's's where we're gonna go, that's where the brain takes us, that feels safe too sometimes you don't want to project all your problems or anything like that, because like who who really wants to listen right, and and a lot of us feel that way like, so, the best
thing to do is just bundle it up and and put it in that back room in the back of your mind and and you and you know I got mixed feelings about this, quite frankly, there.
There are times where I've I honestly feel that there are certain things that have gone on in life where it's better to just keep it in the closet and that small box and just hope to God it never shows its face again and just leave it back there. And then there are other times where it's like you know what you got to face this it's the only way I'm going to be, if I, if I, if I face this, that will allow me to move forward and accomplish the things that I want to do in life.
But but this is the thing that's kind of holding me back. It's kind of a repetitive thing. So if I can get rid of this, then it'll allow me to move forward.
And a lot of that's based on uncertainty. You know, when you're standing in the tension that not having the answer, when you're so used to structure, when you're so used to having a system, and then the system gets like you know, suddenly you're like how the hell do I deal with this? So that's part of that you know, you know how.
You just said how do you deal with this? Here's the thing about military personnel we didn't train to, you know? Oh, I got a payroll. I got 10 people that work for me and I got to pay all their stuff and I got to take it. It's it's just a different. It's a different shift because if you're a platoon sergeant, you still have to take care of your platoon and you got you take care of your squad leaders. Squad leaders take care of the rest of the squad and the troops.
It's just a matter of how you look at it that impact your family too.
You know, if you're coming out of the service or you're making a change, even if you're still in and you're looking at different ways to transition not necessarily leaving how is that going to affect your family, cause it's not just about you, you know.
You know there's so many great resources, like I said, especially when it comes to the families, and I oftentimes, you know, there's events for spouses and stuff like that and there's even a. There's a great nonprofit that I've worked with for years that focus on the children military trials.
We often forget, like, what the kids go through because they didn't sign up for this Right, and a lot of the times I think like if you're active duty, you know, I think the average now is like three years, you PCS to a different base or something like that, no different than your PCS, and you're just doing another PCS is just to a permanent location.
Right, and for those who are not involved in the military in any way, pcs is permanent change of station, just so people know yeah it's about.
I recall that even when I was a dependent and we were moving around depending on the job, but that's the average and you know, picking up and moving and what do they say, and I think it's pretty much the same with most of the different branches the Air Force, your family's, where the Air Force sends you, or the Army sends you or whatever that becomes like a term.
But you know, for the kids it's hard to pick up and leave unless you're possibly seeing friends from another base you are stationed at. It's really about taking care of your own mind first and your mindset, like you said. Going back to that, do you think where do you think this could be different? You said there's a lot of services and I don't remember those being around really when I was a dependent. But then again I wasn't really in this line of work and I was in my own job.
But I will say even now, what do you think is lacking with how there is help? Where could help be better?
basically, Hmm, that's a great question. Yeah, I, I would just say communication, and that's very broad and I'll try to break it down a little bit. You know, 2007 there wasn't a lot of organizations out there. I started seeing some in like 2012. And you definitely see more and more different types of stuff, like whether they're taking veterans on hunting trips or fishing trips, or going to do a retreat where you're learning how to journal and dissect things, or stuff that you do yourself.
There's so many different things that are out there. Some are going to work for some and others won't. Going to work for some and others won't, you know, and it's really kind of finding what works for you, meaning the veteran, but there's a lack of communication with the transitioning units and preparing the veteran that's getting ready to transition out of the military. It's gotten. Has it gotten better since 2007?
It's gotten a little better, but then again, this was just in the news that they're taking taps out of some of the smaller and putting them. I think they're putting a bigger station down at Fort Knox for this transition stuff, but every base should have a transitioning unit.
Every base doesn't have a transitioning unit. I don't think every base does. It could.
If they do, that's news to me. But I would say what are you offering them? And let's bring some of these organizations in on the basis to talk about what they can do to help these service members getting ready to get out there's. I know there's certainly not enough of that going on. I've just talked to a friend of mine earlier this weekend. It was just like yeah, they don't, it's the same stuff. Here's your piece of paper. Go sign this stuff off that you've taken this, this and this.
That can leave somebody feeling very alone Right.
But here's the other thing let's focus on the individual. Let's be honest. That's where the responsibility comes. It's your life. You're getting ready to transition out and you're like I'm leaving in six months Great. So where are you going? I'm not really sure, man, you were so far behind the power curve at that. Well, would you have a job lined up? No, I'll figure it out when I get out. That's a wrong answer too. That's not the type of mindset that you should be in.
At a minimum, 18 months, you should be starting to plan what your exit strategy is, talking with people on LinkedIn and finding out what type of job you want to do, where do you want to go, and then kind of move from there. That's not to say that that's going to be the job you do. You may get to that job and hate it. I've realized later on in life that I'm not good at taking orders, so I I say that kind of jokingly but, it's a you know, start a business, which you did.
And that and that's that's something I'd love to mention too. Um, that you have. You know, you have this amazing podcasting network, which is just a variety. It's not only people that are service-based or veterans.
You have this really wonderful heroes media group, but you also have another side to your business, which is the HMG Beverage, and you are co-founder of JB Audio Clothiers, and these are things that you've created and developed and put your heart and that whole hustle into things Right. So, even with this military mindset, you learned tools and techniques that have helped you after life in the military.
And let's go back, like back then there wasn't really much LinkedIn and things like that were still growing. I think there's more possibilities now for people to connect and well, that's the key word connection, right, like building relationships. So was it hard for you when you got out to create what you have today?
I was bitter when I got out. I was a single father at the time and I had planned on staying in. It just wasn't in the cards and I was in the guard at the time. So I had a civilian job at the time and I was going to school full time and being a single parent. You know, I blame my son, kind of jokingly Like I became an entrepreneur because of my kid. I wasn't going to let somebody tell me I can't go to his football game or his after school program because it's at four o'clock and I work till six.
Well, you're not getting the last two hours out of me because I'm going to go see my kids thing. And that's when I realized it was like, okay, I need to find a different means of making money because I'm not. When it came to my son, I didn't care about anything else or anybody else. It was, he was my motivation in life and that was it. There wasn't anything anybody was going to say or do that was going to prevent me from doing stuff with him.
I'm sure a lot of other military members that are making that transition are in that place, because I remember even hearing the statistics about divorce in the military even hearing the statistics about divorce in the military.
It's not easy. It certainly wasn't easy. I took the leap of faith and that's exactly what it was. I had no money in the account. I had a mortgage, a car payment and I was a single parent with no help and I was just like put it in God's hands, jump and let's just, let's, let's see what happens. That was April 1st of 2013, was when I quit my corporate job. So I'd like to think of you know, and and and. Now you fast forward, you know, next month.
You know that that same kid that I had raised um graduates college in a month Amazing, I think it did. I think I made the right decision. I think I made the right decision.
You done good as they say yeah, and like you've been able to build a really tight, like very close relationship with your son too, which I love hearing about that. So there's, there's, there is a place for possibilities, but it does go back to the military member having that responsibility. We're in this polarized climate. There's a lot of people blaming outside of self and, I get it, there's unrest.
So in this climate we're living in, where you know, a lot of times the government is being seen as public enemy number one and things are being threatened to be ripped from them. How do you deal with that?
adding that on top of the anxiety and concern, oh, boy, I think it depends on where you're getting your information from. First and foremost, we carry around these pocket computers right, and we consume so much negativity that's in the world. And you look at media as a whole and you said media, so that's what we're going to use, whether it's mainstream media or social media, there is a narrative that those organizations are fixated on, and I called it in another interview earlier this week.
I said mainstream media is nothing more than a propaganda machine. And I might have. No, I didn't outspoke, I meant what I said when I said it. That's what it is. We live in a world where it doesn't matter I can report on something, you and I could be doing a story. You know you've got a big media bag.
We could do the same story and have two different outcomes.
We're looking at the same thing and you're like sky is blue and I'm like it's green. And we're standing in the same spot, shoulder to shoulder.
And it's like who are you going to believe While she's?
flying. It's green? Well, it's because you're colorblind. I mean, it's all about breaking the story first. Now. It's not about what's the truth or whatnot. It's like here. This is the narrative that we need to push, so this is how this is going to go and this is how you're going to push it.
Yeah.
And that's with everything.
Yeah, I mean, the one thing that I've been talking about and I had a conversation on another podcast this week was all about polarization. It's like us versus them. Polarization, you know, it's like us versus them, hatfields versus the McCoys right, wrong it, you know. Republican Democrat, there's there's no good bad, you know there's. There's no meet me in the middle anymore.
And it's unfortunate because I feel and yeah, you know what this goes back to our responsibility as well Right, but it does make it more difficult when we are constantly fed content. Right.
And that. And that's the thing here. And I think if you were to look the, the U S population as a whole and most people would agree that there's a big divide right now, left versus right, whatever far left, far right. But if you look at the heart of America right now and you put all those people together, you would see that the far left and the far right are so slim in numbers compared to this mixing pot that we have in the middle.
And if you look at the middle, I'm not saying that the middle is everybody's all hunky-dory and they agree on every kumbaya. I'm not saying that they have their disagreements, and they have, but they're. So. Those disagreements that they have might be just a one-off and like on one topic, but they agree on everything else. And this is where it's more civil.
But the, the media, the perception that we are fed through these pocket computers every day is everybody's either over here or everybody is over here. There's nothing here. It's like no man's land here in the middle. That's the perception that they want to give you and that's where the responsibility comes is like hey, if you're consuming this stuff and I say this on my morning show on Fridays is don't believe what I'm telling you. Don't take my word for it.
Look this stuff up and come up with your own conclusion. I said protect your mind and come up with your own conclusion.
Yeah, makes a big difference, but it's easier to just buy into and come up with their own conclusion. Yeah, makes a big difference?
Oh, absolutely.
But it's easier to just buy into something right, it's easier, it's lazy.
I was just going to say we've become such a lazy society. It's very sad.
Oh my God, there's a remote for everything. You know what I learned the other day these new refrigerators have Wi-Fi. I'm like what the hell do you need a refrigerator with Wi-Fi? Is that how lazy we've become? We've become a very lazy society where we can get answers at the touch of a button, you know, and there is benefit to having the access of the internet, but there's a responsibility that comes with it and it could be as easy as, like you know, ai and chat, gpt and all these things.
You can plug something in, get a bunch of facts, but if you're not going back and checking the resources and the sources where it comes from, come on now and look, that's the media side of me talking. It took me a long time even to warm up to use chat GPT. It's a tool. It's a tool, just like this pocket computer you talk about. It's a tool. It's a tool, just like this pocket computer you talk about. It's a tool.
So, yeah, that's a whole other conversation, adam, that we can go down that rabbit hole. But I do want to mention folks, if you missed it a little earlier, that I'm talking with Adam Bird. He is a military veteran, by the way. Thank you for your service. I did not say that at the beginning. You're a true visionary. You're CEO of Heroes Media Group, which is an unbelievable podcasting network. I've been very fortunate to be on your show called the Decision Hour.
You are also an advocate for helping veterans and first responders and community heroes really find their way. Veterans and first responders and community heroes really find their way and I am so grateful to you because I remember that first conversation we had, which was at the podcasting conference down in Florida, and I walked up to you and it was like instant, like we just knew that there would be more happening here.
And I don't just mean being on each other's podcasts, I mean turning that awareness into action.
Yeah.
Right, like, let's do it. Let's do it, dude, that's so. It's about finding the right people and I'm saying this to everyone that's tuning in. And if this conversation resonates with you, you know, share it with somebody else.
If you know someone that's about to transition, or you are a veteran yourself, or you have a family member or a friend that's in the service, or this is just an area that that touches you deeply helping our veterans pay it forward, share this episode because there's going to be good resources here that you can share. But you know what? What is the true mission Like?
Where are you hoping that all this time and sweat and tears that you've put into building the heroes media group and your work helping veterans like? What would you like to see happen? world domination I think madonna said that when she was asked by dick cl what do you want? She's like I want to rule the world.
Honestly, you know, the dream from a business side would be like I'd love for us to be a household name, you know. And when, people, when I started this, I knew where we were in the world at that time, that all of my life we've been filled with lies and other stuff. And it's people, it's a mindset, right.
So when I started this grand old venture of mine, I thought I'm in this because I enjoy this and I want to change people's mindset to be positive and look at more of the positive things in life. And it's easy to look at the negative because that's I was by. I was told by a potential investor one time who I told kindly to find a different direction and go that way. I'll just put it that way, that's a nice way of putting it.
He said positivity isn't sexy, it doesn't sell, you'll never get anywhere because because you're, you're wanting to be positive and that's just not sexy. People don't want that and I'm just like I'm the a-hole. That's going to prove you wrong. But here's the thing I'm not. I didn't start this business to a lot of people like I'm gonna start a business working for five, ten years and then sell it. I just turned 47 years old and I will do this as long as God allows me to wake up and draw breath.
If I live, god willing, if I live to, you know, 70, 80, 90 years, I'll still be doing this and still be a big smart ass like I am. I mean, it's just you know, and I and I will find ways to make people smile. That's my purpose in life is to help other people get to where they want to go and achieve the things that they want to achieve in life, help other people help themselves.
That's why we're on the same page and I think we got. We knew that from day one. You know that definitely it's. It's not about and I get this a lot too like, oh, you're healing people or you're curing people, which I'm doing. Neither I'm helping you to heal yourself, I'm a guide on your side. You've got to do the work. You know it's like you're the detective in your own case.
I can never solve your case, but I can be there as an assistant to like, maybe take some notes, throw some things back at you and, um, let you take the lead on that there's.
There's no better feeling for me is to see somebody else succeed and and and. Then for them to tell you like, oh yeah, and I'm the type person where somebody says, oh, thank you, I got to where I want to be. You like, oh, yeah, and I'm the type of person where somebody says, oh, thank you, I got to where I want to be because of your advice. And like, no, you got to where you want to be because of your actions. I was like I just kind of gave you an idea and you ran with it.
It still makes me feel good. There's like I had a small fraction in their success. But I don't, you know, and that's the biggest compliment in the world to me and it makes it that's like even just talking to you right now, like my chest gets warm. I feel warm about being able to do that for other people. That's what life is about. We think life is about you know how many big houses and cars you own and all the materialistic, you know bull crap that you can achieve in life.
Nobody, I don't, you can't take any of that crap with you. You know, I'm not, I'm guilty, I I. When I was in my twenties I wanted the big house and the jets and all, and I still want a jet. But I, you know, I'll move some right and and now it's like, put me in a shanty out in the woods, get me near a creek where I can fish and let me help people. You know you got a problem. Come talk to the old man down on the corner.
He'll, you know, adam will sit there and he'll talk your ear off and we'll dissect what you want to do and we'll come up with a game plan that you can do and he'll push you forward.
I love that and, look, some of my best conversations with people are those that get that, that are living that. You know, one of my, one of the conversations I had that I actually am sharing in my book is and I've never really talked about it is this guy, bobby, on the bench, that I met when I was in New York City and I was kind of like, where am I moving? La, new York? I was not living in this area at the time and I met this guy on the bench in Central Park.
He was probably like 60, I don't know, he might have been younger, but he looked weathered and we didn't really talk too much about his life, except that he did share some personal things that I'll keep personal and he helped me to make that decision. He was the assistant detective on my case that I was the detective of, of what was next, and he had nothing to do with my life except to share space with me in that moment and connect.
And I've had many experiences like that, as I'm sure you have too, and, yeah, that is the goal. Going back to what you just said about, you can't take it with you. You don't want to be the richest person in the cemetery? Who cares how big your mausoleum is? Who cares? It's about what you're doing between the bookends? that matters yeah, very much so and when you say that the mission is to help, you're talking about heroes media group or is? Does it go beyond that?
it's. It's so far beyond that. Yeah, media group is the company you know. There's services that we offer for podcasters. I mean anything and everything that's podcast related. We, we do yeah same thing with authors. If you're an author and you want to turn your manuscript into an audiobook, that's you know we do that as well. Um, but it's, that's just that's. Those are the services that we, that we offer. You know, the big thing is we're a platform, so you can be heard. I'm a big cheerleader.
I'm not really a cheerleader, I don't know. Sorry for that image. I like helping people, you know. Give them a platform.
I didn't have that image in my head until you said sorry for the image and then suddenly you're a spartan cheerleader and I'm like, okay, let me, let me sit on this one for a moment, as we're having like a deep thought moment it's really where it's, it's um.
I like helping the underdogs there's so many people out there that a lot to say and great stuff to say that can help other people, but they don't have a platform to do it or they don't, you know, because a lot of these corporate sides it's always like it's not, and I've always said this and I'm a firm believer that it's not always what you know but who you know. That doesn't always help the little guy. Yeah, you know these small businesses and stuff like that.
I, I love helping out the underdogs. I'm a huge underdog.
I'm an underdog. I feel like I'm an underdog myself sometimes, and I still want to help the underdog. I'm the one that will adopt the runt of the litter just because I know nobody's going to adopt the runt.
It's almost like a challenge, yeah. It's just like. This is my project. I'm going to mold this and sculpt this into something that you present to the world and then that goes out in just 10 times more everything that you could possibly fathom and it's like that's cool. I did something right and I did something to help somebody else. That's helping more people than I could even imagine.
Amazing. What are you hoping to do next, like what's on the plate now, in this moment?
I know you're traveling like a maniac, but Business wise, you know, just to continue to grow the network. We're still growing the network. We just added three new shows recently onto the network. So that's going to you know, doing that, working on a book project right now. That's all I can say. I can't go into super details with that. I'll be more on that later this fall. And then I got a couple of potential speaking engagements that I'm working on later this year, the media stuff.
And then, you know, I got my other businesses and stuff and that I'll figure out along the way with the travel and stuff like that.
I have to.
I have to stay busy. I can't, I can't sit still, you will. You will definitely see me on the go, go, go, and and that's you know. Some people say you live a very chaotic life. No, I, I'm, I live a blessed life.
Yeah, you were on the go Even when we were down in Florida. I just. I trying to. I was like come on, man, like texting you like crazy. I'm like when are we meeting? When are we meeting?
Actually, this is the first month that I've been home. And then, the only month that I'm home, because starting next month until Christmas, I'm on the road.
But you're enjoying what you do. That's what matters.
I would not. I don't think I'd change a thing. Quite honestly, sometimes it gets a little tiring, but when you've been given a purpose, you know. Sometimes it can, it can be a little daunting, but it you know the the it's, you focus on the outcome of it and then, and then you know everything is worth it.
Love this, love our conversations I always do. But before I let you go, I want to play a little game with you that I do on the show, and this is what I call brain candy. It's the brain candy game. This is basically like word association. What I'm going to do is I'm going to throw out a word that you've said during this episode and this conversation and I want you to come back with one word, so word association. You ready? Put your thinking cap on.
I know I can just see you're like oh boy, don't worry, I won't throw you too many zingers, you ready.
Yeah.
Here we go, okay, podcasting.
Awesome.
Honor.
Gift.
Veterans.
Family.
Responsibility Veterans.
Family Responsibility Duty.
Dad.
Blessing. Father oh God, seriously yeah Joy.
Yeah, it's different. Help Hard Military.
That's different. Help Hard.
Military.
That's a hard one, military Honor.
Okay Service.
Responsibility.
Blessed.
God.
This is two words mental health mindset and purpose gift yeah, some good ones there. Huh makes you think yeah, yeah pay attention.
I'm not surprised.
That was great. Adam Loved it. Just so enjoy always being in the space with you.
I love chatting with you yeah.
One of many conversations, but I'm so glad that I could hold the space for you and let people learn more about who you are and how you're serving, and you know I want to give you a moment to just if you would like to just share some takeaway that you'd like to leave with folks that are tuning in.
First off, let me say thank you again for this opportunity. As far as takeaway, let me I would say here's something to give you, those of you that are out there that are struggling you can't be afraid to ask for help. You never get anywhere in life without some type of help at some point in your life. So don't be afraid to ask for it, because there's people out there that care and want to see you succeed.
Because there's people out there that care and want to see you succeed, and if you're on the fence about something in life, maybe you you keep. I'll use the analogy of like dipping your toe in the water Stop, jump, just jump, because what you don't want is to be on your deathbed later on in life and be like I wish I would have done this Jump Just jump.
That's great. That reminds me so much of what I share a lot with people about being in the overwhelm is that overwhelm is a wave, right, and you have a number of choices. When you're standing in front of that wave, at the edge of the beach, you can retreat, but nothing changes. If nothing changes, you could try to go around the wave. But where does a wave ever end that you can really go around it? You could try to go over it, but a lot of times you stumble and maybe get hurt or worse.
Or you can put your hands together like an arrow and dive straight through. That's the hardest part. But then on the other side, usually those waters are pretty calm, you know. So I agree, jump, jump in. You know, take a risk, it's okay. Yeah, good stuff. Thanks so much for being here. So, so elated that I caught you in that one month at your home. But you were quick to respond and you said hey, when I come back.
It was you and I appreciate you and everything that you do, so thank you again.
We will share a stage together. I know it.
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah, many, I have no doubt so good stuff. Oh yeah, oh yeah, many. I have no doubt so good stuff. Thanks, adam, thank you. Okay, my friend, if you are interested in turning that awareness into action, get in touch with Adam. He is such a great resource. I shared all those links in the notes of this podcast episode, so I want you to do your part, take action and add him to your list. You will not be disappointed, and you can also reach out to me.
You know that one of my missions is helping our servicemen and women, our veterans, our first responders, to learn how to hug it out with themselves. Be kind to their minds. You'll find more ways that you can connect with me in the notes of this podcast episode as well. HIListically, speaking is edited by Two Market Media with music by Lipbone Redding and supported by you.
So thank you for choosing to join this conversation, this one specifically, but the conversations we have week after week and never forget that you have a responsibility to yourself and it is up to you to do the work you know. But you don't have to do it alone and know I love you, I'm leaving you, I'm sending hugs your way, be well.