Laughing Through My Pain (w/ Kier "Junior" Spates)

feels like it just knocks the wind out of you. Now, I'm not talking about losing your keys, your phone, you can't find your parking spot. I'm talking about those big losses like a loss of a loved one, a friend, a career, a bad health diagnosis, whatever the case may be. And it seems as though we've talked a lot about loss on the Vitamin D Podcast the past few weeks, But I think it's because we're living in a series of a crisis worldwide. It's causing us to open our

eyes and to see what's going on around us. So today I want to focus on the positive that can come out of pain, because of all, pain is inevitable, suffering isn't. While we will be hurt by major losses in our lives. It doesn't have to rule us out. While we may be hurt by the major losses in our lives, we don't have to be ruled by them. You know, I came across this broat and it goes.

If you feel like you're losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year, and yet they stand tall and wait for better days to come. Let me say that again. If you feel like you're losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year, and yet they stand tall and wait for better days to come. You are going to have to stand tall for better days

to come. To that end. I'm talking to a friend, a mentor, a colleague, and too many known as your favorite play cousin from the Steve Harvey Morning Show and Mr Kid Junior Space. We don't know. I've almost died seven times. I'm almost We're gonna talk a little bit about his life. Kier has been in the comedy world for over twenty years. He's traveled with the likes that will read the Franklin Key Sweat and even Steve Harvey.

I mean, the list truly goes on and on. But what you may not know from Kiras that in twenty eighteen he found his best friend dead in an hotel room. Kid talks about how he overcame that. He also talks about how Steve Harvey invested in his acorn. I'm telling you this conversation is riveting. There's gonna be a lot of inside six on pull at your heart strings, but guess what you are going to walk out feeling excited

about your life. So, without further ado, it's time for your dogs vitamin dam right with me and get excited about what's happening. How you doing? Come? I heard my best life. I can tell you your future so bright. They're starn as shames on boys. Stall not just walking in the house. I've just got I've been at all day like I've been been in the ive. Just walked in the house, got all my laptop, look done, date

doing Thank god? I know, girl, how many studios day are seeing you in all kinds of shapes and forms. You've seen it from a yet into right. The first person I saw with it what contra tattoo in your mouth? I was like, get out of here now, black panther go, Oh my god, can't you believe that about to do. It is in there, and you know what it says life because I speak life. You know what I'm saying, speaking life forever? What kind of baby? Yeah, what kind

of ever? We just you know, this goes right in topic because talking about Chadwick Boseman and rest in peace to him. But this going signs with that of why you gotta live your best life. So let me tell you. Vitamin D is a pun off my name. You get vitamin D from the sun. So I shed light into your Life podcast. Uh huh huh. So what we're gonna talk about today is just everyday life of what you've

been through. And I want people that here, you on the radio, watch you on TV, go to your comedy specials, to know a little bit about your of like oh kill did it? So can? I absolutely absolutely all of that is feasible for people. Um, I mean look at that,

Look at that. I mean, look at that leader, look at that mentor you know the confortence of me and Mrs Harvey had or the reason why you think about your entire existence not just your life, Beturen, types isn't because to me one person who can project you to another disition. What I mean, my whole life that I have been living before him was just to meet this one person. We could change the projection of my entire existence.

That's what Harvey is. That's what you have to acknowledge, because not only did he jam my lifetime, but but whatever situations I've been going through, and we talk about these things, this is a public part. This is this is about this is the private part. This is things we talk about that I know I've said to him, and trying to move through so many different things in life. And see, I didn't have a father like that, I

didn't have a friend like that. You know, you know you was there when when my my friend died, the one I had, Brian died and then I had Harvey, and Harvey what people know. When I was at the lowest at that point in time, Mr Harvey called me every day and he just kept saying words of encouragement, like, man, we need you. Then it's showing the same without you on it. Man, I'm trying to move past the situation that I was not prepared for. Nobody's prepared to lose

their best friend. You ain't prepared for that part. And and as much as you try to think about it, what it could have felt like. It knocked the win out of you. You know it's gonna it's gonna take everything, man, because I had never been to a situation like that. You're not prepared for. But Brian had gave me. And I was talking to somebody earlier about Brian today actually, but when he when he had gave me was a sense of you belong where you don't get that all

the time. And just because when I first started telling Joe's Brian was to do that over there since day one, and then God snatched him. Are you trying to figure out how do you make it pass right like this? With everything else you got going on? I just wish I had him back, man, because he was a sense of base. He gave me a base. He gave me a base about everything. We talked, talked about some different things about how I handled this whole startom how do

you handle this and that? And he say, man, you just gotta continue to be in you. But the way he was saying it different days, and we would laugh at all these different things, and then that's gone. And you're not gonna attest to that because because you met him ntil you know, it was around when I first started. He always talked so highly of you, and he said, how y'all went way back and started in the business, and how he said he was like, that's my boy. He was like, I believe in my boy. I'm a

stand by my boy no matter what. The first fan I ever had. So when your first fan you ever had get slashed away from you, it's very difficult. Because when I couldn't see he had the vision, I couldn't see that far because I was like, yo, dude, I'm tired of this. He's like, hey, man, you can be tired. You can't stop you, but you can't unt stop. But he would saying, you can be tired talking. I'm here

for I'm here to hold you up. And he would do that, and we and and in the places we had been, and the and the the the when we were doing the things we were doing and I was trying to make a name for myself. He was there at every stage, at every point, Like when I would come off from open up from Frankie Beverly and Maids. He he was right there when I opened up for Keith Sweat, he was right there on the side when

I came off for BB King. He was on the side when I opened for Bretha Franklin, he was on the side Anita Baker. He was right on the side that was the dude that would turn to. But he taught me so much about encouragement, which led me to keep going on the mission. And then when we got to the morning show, when I got the news that Steve was gonna hiring me, He's the first person I called and he was the happiest. He was like, what did I tell you? You had a real chill nas

somebody that was down for you. But he was like, what did I tell you? And then I appreciated more on that day because there was the day we were talking about. See how I'm saying. We drove everywhere we were flying. He was driving across to from from Houston, from Texas to Birmingham, to Virginia to uh North Dakota, too Arizona to New Mexico. We was driving all of these places. So he used you mentioned. So just for those who are unaware what happened with Brian, how did

Brian pass in Atlanta? UM? We had went to uh Segar City Club six one seven that night, I went to dinner you know, just you know, because we was living in California and just just places and I was living here before. We just free with these spots. We go there. We had a couple of cigars. You know, Brian never drank, but we just from the cigar. He just enjoyed cigars. Ain't we're gonna go here, we gonna smoke here. They were dreaming in at that. So we're

at six one seven. He was about eleven o'clock and I was asking was he good? I said, man, you're good. And for some reason, Brian was moving to slow motion. Like everything else was at regular speed, but his head and on was so slow. He was like. I was like, this ain't normally what's going on because I'm looking at everything else. But I was like, why is this? People moving in slow motion? This dude is what is he doing? And so we get back to hotel about twelve something,

about twelve fifteen. He on the sixth floor. I'm on the third floor of the w here in Atlanta, and I was like, hey, man, see the morning. His last words was, hey man, don't be late. Twelve o'clock. Car be here to pick us up. Go back to the airport. I was like, dog, what am I ever late? You know? Just being me? Well, I'm ever late, don't I ain't knowing late? Damn well, and be downstairs the twelve o'clock. He was like, hey man, I'm just telling you twelve o'clock.

He said, I love you man. I was like, hey man, love you too. I didn't even know that want me the last time we spoke. And then I woke up that day's morning and I was downstairs and eating breakfast with a friend of mine about the business preposition. We're talking about this, and I just called him. I said, hey, you know, come down breakfast. Let's to eat breakfast because

we gotta leave. And he never showed up. And then about twelve something two months later, when they came to me and said, hey, you might want to come see this. I never ran so fast in my life. And I knew that I knew it was. I knew that he was having I knew he had problems with seizures and stuff. I knew because it was the one that so I ran to the womb. I rolled him over and it just was what it was, and it was like I was asking him to get up. I asked him coll Man,

we gotta go. We gotta fight the catch, we gotta go. And it was like, when need you leave the room? I was like, I'm not leaving room. I was my bed friend. Did y'all leave? I'm not leaving him. And that's when I realized that my first cheerleader, what's gone. Realized he was just he was just gone. You know, it was just one thing we realized, like, hey, for the first time in my life, I never felt so long. And then you know tim z videos and yeah, I was like I hated. I hated that part about my life.

I hated because the hardest thing was to call his parents and say, hey, your son's gone. At the same time, I never gave them any details about what I saw in the room, and I knew somebody, you know, Joe, had sold the story, and I just couldn't believe people could be like that in a very private moment, extremely private moment. How much? How long did you stay in there with him? Oh? Man, there was the longest day

of my life. Um, I'm probably only in the room about fifteen minutes because they they had to the four pace the room, and then I just remembered outside his room was on my knees, just bawling. But the process for that day, for the corner to come, all the types of it was a it was a whole day process. It was one of those things like you really are getting the fact that he was going. So Mr Harvey was in Atlanta to at that time. He didn't come to the hotel because it has been a new story.

But we talked about it. He's like, man, I can't come, I said, Hard, I don't want you to come, he said, but I'll sit in Blue and Blue came on Harvey's want his friend. He came. Blue came and helped me through the whole situation because you don't know how to deal with somebody dying, Like I don't know how to find the body. I don't know, I know corner nothing about that. And Blue helped me and assisted me for that whole day because I had to worry about all

those different things. You know, I just knew that I didn't even getting I didn't even I don't know how they got the better of that. I didn't have to see it. This just different thing was just you didn't want to see it because I alone, you don't even know if you're really there and seeing what you're saying. What are you hearing? What is everybody talking about? Yeah, everybody was talking all these different things, you know, and they were saying all these different things and you can

hear the conversations. I just was in a corner. There's one Atlanta police officers set with me for the whole day and I can't remember his name, but this officer sat with me for the entire that he came at twelve. He lead to ten something because they took about ten hours from all to be over. Um, you know, I had to get Brian's parents. His dad came down and his sister came down because you didn't want her dad to be alarmed. So the way everybody got there, I

make sure everybody had a hotel room. It's one of the day. It was just a long, long day. It's one of the hardest things. But I learned so much doing and that day about what your tolerance is. Sometimes you have to look at what's the stress level, Like everybody has a stress level. You've got one level you're at, and so you look at what Brian Sting was, like, what's the breaking point? You know, what is your breaking point? A lot of people don't know where the breaking point

is because they have not put it that level. Well, that day, I learned that my my stress level is this far. My breaking point is this high on way above my stress level, because I had to experience something that showed me that how much you really can tolerate, even as other as it is, you know, as other as it is. You know, you know, I'm side day you go about it. I don't think about the first person that I had as a fan and a friend, you know, you know, spared from friends, you with sixteen,

you're the end of that. So well, he said, that's my boy. He oh, he said, that's what he said. I always got his bad a lot of times when I was on stage, guys point, I was just performing for him because we was We would be riding in the car right and need jokes and like Dog Washington do this tonight, watch say it. I'm gonna say. We talked about on this little five hour ride of going to say it, and he like, say it, say it, and it would go just like we're playing, you know,

it would go just like we're playing. And then I just learned so much from that one loss about who I was as a person. It's funny that you can lose something and discover something about yourself. What you say, say that again, I lost something that was important. But what I learned was in the process was how big of a person I was through the loss going wrong. The hurt is there still there. It's a daily hurt. What I found out was I can absolutely respect the

fact that he meant that much. And he showed me exactly who I was by the loss, not by while he was here be c he was just my dude. We was running together. I went to other he was gone, that I realized how much he taught me and by how much I was of a person. If I never would have lost him, I never wouldn't realize with all. And so God has a way of giving you something to build up to and then you lose it, and even realizing that in that loss, oh my gosh, I'm

way much stronger than I am. Come on, but one person, it was the it was the one person that gave me the most. And then you lose that part. Well, well, well I want to have those experiences. That's just what life is. A blessed enough to have a relationship like yours. Whoever you love the most. Think about the day they're gonna be gone. It's not it's not they're gone. Can you be thinking about, like what, this is what I loved about this person, This is what I appreciated about

this person. This is what this person actually showed me. And then I take everything I did from Brian. I take it and I get to invest it in a new person. See, now I found somebody else. The lessons that Brian taught me, I get to invest because I didn't look at everything the way Brian looked at everything some stuff, you know, just for just for I just I was just selfish by some things. For Brian, part was quit being self That was his response, quip, being selfish,

don't this is what you do? This is it? This is it? Hey man, look at this. I was like, hey man, you're right, because when you start this journey out, you're selfish because you only had you and you started this journey over twenty years ago. Yeah, I started this journey out. We're just looking for how I can be one thing that don't go no different for for for actors, you don't little different for for for comedians, don't go to musicians. All of us started out as a selfish journey.

That's how the journey starts. There ain't nobody to say, hey man, no matter what my family going through, I must do X, Y and Z. But then you got somebody on the journey with you and they show you that, hey dog, you have mission now that it ain't about you no more. Now it's about X, Y and Z. And this is how you want to help other people. This is why you're gonna do this thing. This is why you're gonna do this. This is why you're gonna

do that. And that was the constant thing, found a purpose why I became a better person because I lost something that told me that it ain't about you more. The first five years about me. I didn't get that how you feel. I'm like, get somewhere. I'm trying to get out of poverty. That's that's gonna see. When Priorty being on your ways, I don't get damn what you're going through all out. I want out give me out now, he man, you need to do you need you need to do this that Hey hey hey, I want out.

I don't have no time for nothing. Now I'm sick of it. Is I was sick of it I'm sick of sleeping at rest stops. I'm sitting driving four hundred miles for two hundred dollars. Then all this that, But what got you started and doing it? The dream? The vision? You just you already knew. If I'm a little kid, you said, I want to be a comedian, I want to be funny. Like, how did that happen? I probably have about fourteen, about fourteen years old, but I knew

this is just what I was gonna be doing. But it's one thing to say, you know what you've ben be doing. We are you gonna do what it take to get there? It's a whole letther what you say. I was just talking to j about that. Okay, had a dream done? You can have the dream? Come on, you can have it. So can they have a dream. I'm telling you, I'm like nobody different. It's okay for God to tap you and show you exactly what you're

gonna be doing. God tap me in fourteen just like this, Hey you, Oh God, that's what I'm doing because I love doing that. I love watching this. I'm watching depth coming jam. We're not gonna TV. He's like, you going to be doing I was like Oh god, that's great what it took to get there? Hey, goud, are you sure this mate? I don't you know? Um, can we backtrack? Because I think that being uh this person would be great for me. I think that would be uh. I go.

You gotta continue, get continue to path, you gettat. You got to be on it. You gotta be on it. Why why I got to be on it? Because because you know what this ain't. I'm tired to sleep at risk stop. I'm tired of uh but I'm I'm wait a minute, I'm sick of all this stuff because this ain't what I had playing for my life. Lord, I'm only twenty six. I'm trying to Hey, hey, trust me, it's gonna pay out in the end. You gotta keep going, well, God, to keep going parties. But you keep going with I

don't really carefully that you're going and keep going. It's tough because I don't have anything to show for it. All you got is that feeling in the vision to know that it's yours and nobody can identify with that feeling that you have. But then you're you're talking about, oh god, I'm I'm tired of doing this party, this

party this is really uh gotta leave, man. I'm look, God, I'm on I twenty in the middle of uh Jas and Mississippi, or you're in you're the middle of nowhere, in the middle you have these conversations in the middle of nowhere. You sure because I can't see it, but that one little voice that just keep going, just keep going. Yeah, I promise you. I probably you don't see it today, but hey, hey, hey, hold on, I'm going down here for sevi five dollars of them. I'm gonna get SENTI

five dollars. I'm gonna drive this far. And it's the middle of the night, it's two in the morning. I'm gonna rest stop. I'm gonna driving this other far. And you're telling me it's all right, yeah, yeah, trust me, it's gonna be It's gonna be too yeah, trust me. You can't see it right now. I'm telling well, this is years of those conversations. God, I'm I'm gonna sixty

five ninety five. I'm on, God, I'm just tying. I'm trying just see why I just go back and beat No, no, you have to go down because I guess what's gonna happen. And then you start realizing the other part when you get there and likes it happen. You're gonna help so

many people once I get you where you're going. But I need you to go through a lot of different things that you're not gonna be comfortable with, but the impact you're gonna have, and when you get there, you're gonna see that I had to have you go through all these different things so you're tough enough. And then when you get there, watch the thank yous. Yeah, watch the thank you You're gonna get watched, and so gets

what I get experience today. All of the thank you is I get all the thank you is not just for being on the morning show, but the thank you of thank you for helping me tell the story about Signal Selle, thank you for being an authentic person, thank you for reaching out to me, thank you for helping me with this, thank you for donating to this. Thank you for that I didn't even know you was gonna help me with it. So all of the thank you, oh, I keep going on. I do it for all of them.

Thank you. Like all the thank you was like getting now done. I wasn't getting twenty years ago. Twenty years ago, I was just actually having a kind of God, I'm so tired this this is come on now, I can't do another rest. I got twenty five dollars and side between food and gas. Well, um, I ain't got to be over here to this date and do this part. Okay, so if I get see that's why I think McDonald for the dollar menu, I had everything. Come on, no,

people understand that dollar mean you mean a lot? Hello that I sent cheeseburger, N sent fries and then nath cent. So for three dollars, I'm gonna eat. Probably not the healthiest choice, but I'm gonna eat, and I'm gonna make it to the next destination. I'm gonna get the way I gotta go. I'm gonna do this the best way I can. I did that for years and then what happens?

How did you and how did you me? Harvey? How in the world, How in the world this brother is out on the road sleeping the rest stops driving for seventy and maybe that was a good night. How do you get in the room with Mr Steve Harvey? Man Harvey for the first time? This is why I love by heart Harvard been the same dude, so eighteen years ago. I meant the same dude, He's been the same. I'm

telling something. Harvey been the same cat Harvey been. I'm just laughing because hard Be the same dude that I met that we get to hear every more. But I met this dude. He was a Kingson comedy all that. He was a comedians like, you know, like he was like, yo, I started I started doing Coming nine and nine. So three years later I met Harrid so I was like, oh my god, this dude is like, oh well. I was saying, Hey, what happened? Are you at the club? What are you at? I've seen the Mike Tyson I joke,

I've seen the kings of Coming, you know. I seen out all that I said, and I'm a fan. I first meet Harder because Rushan McDonald all this stuff from Sean Salon Houston and he was managing Steve at the time, and Sean McDonald was having they were at Steve's company was having a showcase. But because I knew Sean McDonald, they called me like, yo, come down to l A. We're gonna do the showcase. This is what we're doing. We're showing off to NBC ABC, CBS, WB Talent, So

that that was the showcase was bus back. It sounds like an up front or something like that. Yeah, something like that, you know, but I don't know all these terms. I'm just oh, I'm glad they asked. Now. I don't know gonna see Steve. I don't know that sand come down there because we were the only group. Uh that was me and Al Freeman was the only two people outside of Los Angeles. I was coming from music to

come down there. So I was standing with Sean McDonald in his house in l A. And we go there to Sherman Oaks, to the theater where we were rehearsing it and stuff like that. Like I didn't even know. I ain't seen Steve. This is two thousand and two. I ain't seen Steve yet. One day Steve comes to the rehearsal. He was doing the um, he was just finishing up his business on his day job radio show, all this type stuff. I say that, Man, I going to rehearsal one day and Steve is sitting in there.

So Steve was so fly then everybody knew who the hell that was. That's like, it's like, ain't no guessing That's why I'd be laughing because at hardor Hard, ain't no guessing. When you walk in the room, you'd be like, that's Steve her like it ain't know, um, that's song and so no, you say that's that's Steve Hard. You know he's sitting there cool. I'm talking about cool. He had on his blue silk suit, silk, but it was shiny. It was like's like, I'm just so now I'm a

fan again, like little cheese at its fine. Oh, I'm like, oh my god. He's actually watching the talent. He's got in there for nothing else. He's actually studying and seeing what the project is, what they're doing. See, he wasn't about him. He was in there trying to help us. So I watched this do us like, you know, I was so young then, you know what I I gotta saying. I was like twenty two, twenty years. I was like

twenty years. I was like, but when I walk it, that's I was such a fan, Like, oh and Steve was so cool. That's all just like so good, hey man, just out man, you're good, na not good, it's you. Oh my guys. Then if you know I'm at lunch with Steve. Then you go to lunch, went to the Rainforest Cafe off of being through Bullevar. Exactly what I said over here having lunch with Steve her I can't believe I'm calling. I'm on the phone calling my mom Mom.

Now I'm not whispering. He's sitting across me. Mom, you ain't gonna be home sitting and having luchpit Who Steve Harder? So hear his name all goddamn. Then two hours later he was getting ready. It was a Wednesday. We would getting ready for him to do go do the l Ray theater. He would do the l Ray on Wednesdays for like they're there showtime to deal paula night. So

we go to his penthouse in Beverly Hills. So in one day with the lunch with Stay, I saw a rehearsal and now I'm at the penthouse in Beverly Hills overlooking the Pacific. Oh what? And one day I'm like, you got you got to stop? Said the beenhouse. He goes back in the back. He got the blue suit, put on this nice little gray suit with the white. He said, let's roll. So we go back downstairs on stage four. The penthouses but I had to note. That's

how I started learning how to dream. There's only four apartments on top of his his building in Beverly Hills, four apartments. They all look out over the over the Pacific. I was like, this is what, this is how you live and yokes, oh my god, like that. Don't even worry about that. Get back downstairs. Yes, this is pre talk show, Steve. This is pre l A Steve. This is pretty little big shot Steed is pretty Steve. Maybe a long long time, but I've been saying the dude

since and so he was always his clut. So then he takes me to the l A Theater where it's sold out. We're going to the back of the l Ray Theater in l A. Steve wats out on stage and walking the back door, walking back on stage, and he does this show like the Apollo, but it was in l A. And he does his show and it shows like two and a half hours. Right, Steve out that killing him. I'm talking about I'm on sign stage walking now I'm saying I have no name, no man, nothing.

The question becomes at that moment, why aren't you here? Why are you getting to see this? What is what what what is your role in this whole plus test? And you know, I was just thinking, why did he take a liking to you? I don't know. It's not the fact that he took it like it. It's very fay when he showed me, come on, he just showed me something that I had no clue about. So in the middle of a claqueen and cheered all that, I said, what're you doing here? M hmm? All the people, everybody

in this country? Why are you this close? Have you ever thought about that part? For your own life? Sometimes you'll be so up close to the fire that you can you forget the ass? Why ain't lit it? WHOA? First of all, you know what here? Don't be coming out here spending these gyms like that because in the minute I'm gonna have to bring out a pen and paper. Why are you hanging around with all these people to fire and you ain't met yea? Why you ain't let it? Oh?

I just had enough sense to know. I enough sense to know why I was there. You can recognize I get it. And guess what favorite ain't fair? Come on, say a favorite ain't fair? Sometimes you're in positions in your life because they you need to get the lesson. Harvey showed me something. Now I was understand. I was twenty one years old. So then when people say, hey, man, where you come from. I've been here the whole time, that funt be saying, oh my god, you we look

where you come from. I've been here the whole time. You ain't come out of nowhere, done you ain't come out nowhere. I ain't come out nowhere. He's been here the whole time. It's just the focus shifted. What's that's it? So now you're looking at me and he's like, oh my god, oh my god, we love you, Junior. No, I've been here the whole time, though. What's the difference

between here space and Junior? Nothing? Ain'tnohing. Same dude, same dude, same exact person, same exactly, everything, same exactly, And ain't nothing shifted. I've been here the whole time. People talking, how how did you Harvey find you? Don't nobody know that me? Harvey men two thousand two mm. Because you know, I was just listening on the show the other day. He said, you're the youngest on the show, and the youngest on the show by age, and how long you've

been on the show. Yeah, exactly. I've been on the show nine years now, but I've been to Harvey. Harvey didn't hire me on the ratio two eleven. I've been to Harvest's to tell them too. So what happened in the nine years? What happened in those nine years? You tell me what did you have to get to deserve that seat? I went did comedy, I went and did plays on about my career. All of a sudden, I get a phone call, um and to Southern ten to open up for Harvey in Miami. Right, So Harvey calls me,

his people called mean j T. Hit me up. Hey, Yo, Harvey want to know if you want to open up for him in Miami at the bis Can with the with the Marriott connects to it bis Can Theater in Miami. I get the phone call. I was like, Um, why is he asking me? Do I want one obvious answer? Yeah? But here's my question? Who all said no? Right? That even gotta be a question. Yeah, I asked who all said no? Because y'all reach your way down here to find a cat like me to open up for Harvey

in Miami. He got said, d L Bernie, Matt, you think all these people he can call, so you can't come. What the hell are you reaching back to Houston, Texas but to sign me? But okay, yeah, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it. So I get to Miami after Harvey and my Ami. I've seen him over the year, it being just talk, but I see him. You know who I am. I mean, we have a cordial relationship at this point. Hard Juliana Man, ain't the man? What's going on with Man? Now? I love you, man, lady.

Two people breakfast, thelm we eat breakfast, lunch, and yet did we go to the show in the same hotels? Right about six thirty, I get my stuff together, I'll go over to the venue. Show started eight. I was this damn crown on fire Man just set five. Harvard were on the side of stage when I come on stay, He said, Man, what the fund is you saying? No, I don't come on montressing room for nobody? Wow? What is your ways out here? Saying? Heard all this noise?

All had to come see. I'm like, man, we're just at telling Joe Hard That's all I'm doing. So when I live in Miami, Hey, man, you want to do Philly left Philly, hey man, you want to do Oklahoma City. Hert Oldhoma City, you wanna do duns Live, O'Dell, you want to street Port. Harvey was toured, so he was paying me bet all the show. So in five weeks I had made by some times. What bind you? This the same brother that was driving at two o'clock in

the morning for seventy five dollars? What you say? And that's why for me and Harvey relationship and you've seen it, you know hard relationship is where it is. And I get a call one day in two thousand eleven, in August and two thousand eleven s enough, I say, this is per Steve Harvey. Uh, Steve Harvey would like to uh help you with your career. Wow, that's it wasn't a job, he said, it's with your career. And that's when I knew that I was gonna grow that into

Dogard eleven. He gave you a job, and that's how Julior became to be. It's so interesting, and I guess, you know, I just I just get worked up Tomes because I just think about how you just gotta live your life and pursue your dream. And to hear you say this, and this is you know, if you're listening, go check out this YouTube video were Harvey put up and he talked about how you gotta find somebody to invest in your acorn. Yeah he invested in your acorn.

Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, And I was actually that's acolutely true. That was um, that's actually I know it was with me him. This is why it's hard to pigeonhole this man in one way, because he does so many things because because he invested in me, then all things that he cared about, I invest in them too. Oh because he just just because he just took a chance. So I'm never not busy to go down there to the Mintering camp. I mean, man, we're gonna have fun anyway.

So I go down to the Mettering camp and I hang out with those kids. I see them. You know, we don't publicize any of these things that we do. The thing about is that because he invested in me, and I invest in other people. So you might run across people you were like that. They may sundy like, oh my god, Junior invested in you. You shouldn't be shocked because you'd be like, it's some people are in this business because you're gonna un across the people like,

oh my god, I've been doing the same thing. I've been doing the exact same thing, John, I don't I don't do anything uh differently than what I'm doing now, you know. I just I mean, everybody focuses on the position. We just focused on the work. So Harvey said something to me one time. He was like, he asked me a question. This is when I first started working. I probably had been working for Hard Fame by six months, and we're sitting in the studio in Atlanta, and he says, hey, man,

why are you doing this? I probably right remembers that. But he was generally asked me a question because he was trying to figure out what my intent was. A man look making people admount to the same man, that's all good what you're doing this the focus was, he was trying to get me to say, because I want to build a better life in my family. And I was just over here, just dedicated to the fact that you gave me a job to keep it up too. But no, no, no, that name of the folkus see,

the folks ain't to be famous. The focus is to build a better life for your family, which spoke to why he does everything he does and why he does that, why he does it. I was so caught up on hey man, I was so glad to have a job. He's like, no, no, no, no no, no, you're missing the point. And he taught me that five months as I started working, that the focus is to build a better life for your family. And that's for any man, that's for anybody working.

I don't care what you do. Don't get caught up in the fame of the position, which was a listen. He taught me within the first three months of working for him. We're not doing this for fame, though, We're doing this to build a bit of life. Five families. Any hard working man or woman wants to build a bit of life. And so I was young at that point. I didn't staying when he was saying I was thirty three years old, I had no clue. But now that I'm forty two, I can see there and say, I

get it. I know why I do the work. I know why I get up in the mornings, I know what the y it is. It's a bit of a bit of life for my family. That's the enjoyment we get out of what we do you ain't doing this done on this podcast and talking to all the people just could have done one talk. You're build a bit of life for your family, That's what we're doing. Yeah. I was telling Carla that and she's like, you know, darn, you know taking easy. I do think there's a level

of balance. But I was like, Carla, there's so much I want to see and just like that thing that you talked about, that voice, that saying there is more to travel the world to have these experiences. And the plus is that I get to inspire people like, come on, how how dope is your purpose when it gives to other people? Stop playing with me? No, I toltally get it. I mean I can see him. It's say, man, sometimes they get the quiet moments when I wake up on Saturday.

I said there. I was like, yo, for real, for real, real, let's just admit. Let's just all just admit you got a dope ass, Like dude, Wow, I was sitting back and stay, yeah, yeah, this is pretty dope. I mean, just to be honest, in those quiet moments, you have to take that in. But you guess what, though, at least recognize the journey that you've been on and how far you come at least recognize that every now, and it's okay to say, hey, godly, look how far we come.

I don't care who you are as a person. I don't care if you used to work on fries and own the McDonald's. Just look at the journey man. It's okay, a little best that. Man, Look how far we come. If used to be the mechanic and you own the dealership, let's just say, man, he used to be the janitor and now you own the bill. Man, it's okay to look back and say, Kyle Lee, I had a pretty dope life. Because the process, the process is what you

look forward to. The process is what you are um um smiling about the process of you getting from point A to point B. And then you ain't even through. It ain't even through. Yeah, you're just looking at the process because one thing you do, the one thing you do, you do it. But guess what everything they got you from point where me keep replicating it and you'll be

you would never never say it. Once you got to the phone for success, which is very simple, the form of success that keep doing the same thing you've been doing. You got to keep doing you have to keep see the success part. I'll tell you when I knew I was successful. This is when I knew I was successful. I was very successful way before I realized, before the morning show, I was already successful because I had done for the things I didn't realize give it to me

what you do what I'm saying, it didn't. It didn't take me being on the Steve Harry Morning Show for me to be already a successful I hear you, I hear you. I was already succesful in my mind. I kept chasing something because guess what. I look back over a long period time, all of them driving in the rest stops for seving five, and you was already successful because you were producing something that most people cannot produce,

a chet and sacrifice. At the same time, it didn't take me get into the CRD Morning Show to say you successful. I had to realize that I had already been successful in two thousand and six because my work ethic and my attitude was already in the successful position. Who now had manifested was the dollars? That was it. I already had the work ethic that with Steve came around of benefitt for me. Was the dollars. But I didn't own anybody. I don't owe anybody seat at the table.

I had to come to table say shoot, I'm so glad I'm here, Steve. I want to show I'm successful. No, no, no, I had already been successful because I sacrificed already to get to this position. And is that everything that you thought it would be? I had already done everything. What I learned from being on the morning show was you don't stop here. There's more, you know, you know, it's funny done and it's just fun of the state where you just sit back and laugh. It's one of those

things just just in your grant. It's funny to land in Chicago and hear your voice on the radio. It's funny to go to New York and you and then you didn't card the year. It was like like like an to go to d C and hear your voice on the radio for a commercial, you know, and then like I'm here for real, Like I literally am across the country. Yes, all because the one dude, but all

the commercials, I'll be gooding. It's funny to go to Birmingham, or to go to Sreeport, or to Montgomery or Detroit, Detroit, you get it mixing two point three all that, you get in the car closing out and then heyybody, I'd be like, that is me, that's that boy Jr. That all across It's just one of those highs. Like I'd be laughing. I'd be like, oh my gosh, to the content where I go to Atlanta, turn the radio. It doesn't matter Savannah Charlotte Jackson, Nashville men fids Pele City.

We ain't on here because just like then you get in the car, you got the airport and they're listening, and you'd be like, that's me. That's to me. Oh you get you get the car and you get the morning show, and it's just like one of the things like at one point in time that was not even possible. So now you get to enjoy it to the point where like you're know, you just be like, I just

be laughing. I've been I've been in the back seat of ubers and I'd be like, I would be like, what's so funny, And he don't know that's me there. You ain't got no clue that's me. Yeah, they don't even know that part, you know, and you get to you get to experience. Uh, all of those euphori is just say hey man, hey man, No matter what happens at this point, Um, somebody after I'm long gone gonna stay. I remember when, and they're gonna say my name Hello.

Here's the thing too. You've talked about your journey, You've talked about the successes, and even with the recent passing with Chadwick Boseman, you realize that this brother was battling stage three kids and for the past four years of his life. To highlight because I thought about Chadwick, because it's so crazy, I put them up on my pages.

But even when he was battling those things, when he came on on Steve talk Show, I went down there and and met him and taught to him, and I went down there as a fan and really getting a friend. He was, you know, the creep from about Like it's so crazy, but like he enjoyed his craft, right, he enjoyed the acting part. You could see in his one But when you see the person and you meet him as a person, he was so humbly. I was like, dude, you black panthers, what did you bowing to me for?

Like old dog what is you doing? But I mean, I can't not hit him meet you. And he was open up. He was like, man, he was glad to meet you. He was that open and he was that charing. And I just remember all the conversations we had, the three times we met, the conversation he was having, and just all I can remember is the laughing. But we laughed so hard. I was like, hey man, somebody come get Chad. Chad crazy. Chad was that ignorant, he was that funny as a person though, but he was there

to promote a gift. He was giving the world the movie wherever was. But but you know, he sharing his art and you know, giving somebody a mode to escape. And I feel like that's why it's so important the job that you do, because on any any given night, you could be saving countless of lies. Somebody that said, oh it's over, You didn't put a smile on their face, talking about your family, something that you've experienced, laughing at

your pain. And it's something that I even think about because you look at you like you're saying, here, he is humble. You don't even know his brother is experiencing a fight. And I think about your talking about the fact that how you lost your best friend, how you on the road trying to make it work. My God, come into the realization that you are in the room and Steve Harvey is saying, I'm taking a liking to you dealing with those pressures on top of the fact

that you battle with sickle cell. Yeah, tell us a little bit about that, because you have a foundation. And I don't know the first time I ever heard about sickle cell when I was a kid, was probably looking on listening to TELC and t BOS would always talk about her battle. But I'm not sure people really understand what it is because she had signle Celles as well. We weren't played together a long time ago. But the I focused more on and just this did not go

for every single Seal warrior. This does not go for all of us. You know. It's it's just the way the carpets ruled out. It's just the cards you dealt Okay. So I was born in Sickle Sale and their parents didn't know what's wrong with me. I wasn't diagnosed till I was eight years old. Seven years old, and so they said, get your son had Sickle Sales and your

parents don't understand. What's what was going on with you? Well, I was in the in the paying crisis, and you know, they thought it was olor to milk, oatmeal, all kinds of stuff, so you couldn't walk. Your head was hurting walk. He was in pain. It's just couldn't touch me, none of that thing we're going on. You know, you got a kid that's been doing it since he was born. You know, five, coca cola, all types of stuff. It's all these different things that happened. And then and a

doctor diagnoses you a seven years old. The reason why you don't don't understand because your son had signal stell. There's not a lot going on. And then the doctor to your parents said, hey, well prepare to die the letter WHOA stop it? Eleven? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah. Every kid was. It's funny because we all make fun of it, but every kid was sickle asked like hey, just like a running joke in the in the sick, like, hey, what was your death date? They say twelve nine three.

Everybody got one. Mine was a letter. So my parents allowed me to go out and do everything I want to do, because at one point in time they ever believe that. I was going on be going to a living so I was trying to leaven and then it happened. So they're like twilve and like this here. I mean, I'll tell you the truth. Like they were really somber, like everybody tiptoeing around you, like we have to be nice because you believe him turned thirteen. Okay, hold on,

my mother, mom, wa go to this the world. We're going the world something they're thinking. Ay man, you're not gonna be He made everybody tempting around you, right, But I'm sure you got a lot what you wanted. Oh, I was saying. I didn't know that they were doing it at the time. I just looked back. Only I know why they were doing it, because she was telling me, like, who'd think, because well, he say to you to die. The doctor said it the whole night. Everybody knows and

it left. Then you're not going to be here because a doctor said it. That's the whole thing. A doctor said. It wasn't something I said. The doctor said, hey man, your son will not live past eleven. Well I may eleven my football number, my basketball number, wherever that got that. Right now, he is right now thirty one years behind. Wow, you know eleven is a special number. He said that it enabled everybody to act a certain way towards you

because fifteen fifteen I'm talking about they speaking that. Are you okay, how are you feeling? Yeah, I'm good. What's what's going on? It's just expecting you. Now, did you ever catch any wind or know how sick you were? No? No, no, I mean I had the crisis that had anything. I had all that, all those problems issues, but nothing was to death. But then too at the same time sing. So it is a very hard disease that people have

to deal with. It start a lot of information on it, but at the same time, it's very hard to deal with because there's no words to explain the type of pain that they go through. I can't tell you. So if you say, what's it like to be be in sickle set price, I can't give you that. But I have to take my sickle cell and give it to you. Then you get back and said, um, that's enough. Did you be like, okay, I have an idea. I can't tell you how these people survive these things. But one

thing about it is it builds the character. Uh. Little things that you may take in for for granted in your life and little things. We don't really even look at those as problems. Right, It's funny because it's just how it is, Like, you know, oh my god, they're gonna turn my lights off. Turn them off, because fighting for your life is way harder. What you say? Come on, you don't know. I've almost died seven times. What do

you mean? I've always died seven times from secing, So I've almost seemed so killed me, almost killed me seven times. What do you mean? What I mean? You can't grasp that concept because you haven't been there. You're looking around so many What do you mean? No, I mean just what I said, I've almost died seven times. Well, you've never been to the point of death and to bring death, So what do you mean is a natural response for you because you've never been there? Why do you think done?

I'm always happy all the time, Right, Ki're gonna come in with a smile and a joke. Nobody, What do you think? Why do you think? You think that's on accident? But I'm always throw it up. How do you see it? Yeah, because I've almost died seven times. For my appreciation for life, it's way more understandable than the man average person. So you come to me and you say, they cut your lights off. I said, what, what did you do it though? Tuesday? Well, damn it. I damned that too. I don't like that.

You get me laugh at that, but said, that's just like it just there's nothing wrong with that done. It's just how it is. There is nothing wrong with that. That's the absolutely truth. So while you're talking about almost that they cut your lights off, that don't cut my life off, saying you gotta just and it just makes

you look at things and a whole other perspective. And just like how you were talking talking about losing Brian, you you gained something the fact that you were just sitting there you didn't know if your lights were gonna be off on your life and press every moment. The thing that I'm doing all this with no life insurance, no, no no health insurance. So they're probably times on the world that you're aching in pain on stage and performance crisis gotta be all with no health insurance. So when

I say ever, believe me, I mean nor everybody. I was doing all of that, not even I can't even forgot sick sale crisis didn't stop because I started telling jokes around the company. Stop. None of that. All of that happened the way it happened, my attitude towards that happened, do what happened. But in the end, see the other reason why I'm so grateful ris Her, It's because I gotta help in shurance playing. Come on, Oh, I can't wait to get sick. I'm here, I'm be early. Oh,

I'll be there. I'll get merged from way for what happen there. I could be rotating. You're like, where'd you yet? Yeah, I got sick, don't worry about I'll be back there because they're gonna get bread by. I got health insurance. Oh, I want a good bed. I want to be picking up. I'll be in that bid shot and hot down the extra confidence. Can I please have my breakfast at its room three open? I'll want to get room three please. They got to ask some s Oh, I'll be Oh,

I could have different, play different. So your foundation and curious hope is all about, you know, just spreading awareness from it, right, because I'm sure there's a lot of people that you know may not have no where the resources are, no, no no, it is um. My foundation started back into down and fourteen. It was done out of a friend of mine pushing me and said, hey man,

you have started foundation. You have to do this. You have to show other people how to live with sickle cell because as hard as it is, a lot of it, a lot of it is um mental mental game that you have to play with your own life, you know. I mean the hard part about it is that I know that I process things a lot differently than people with no health conditions. They just you know, to go around and take life for ran it. See my my weight. When I wake up in the morning, I do this.

I go through the window. When I do this, my hand on the window. Because weather plays a big factor. So I checked temperatures, I watched I watched the weather channels, and what's a certainly where I'm going I'm traveling because cold weather it's not good for us with citizens. Oh you know, co worker, constrict your veins, the veins and the blood cells, whether it's shape, everything think gets getting blockage.

I can have a siglet crooked crisis if it's third degrees outside, fifty degrees outside, sixty degrees, if it's hot, I'm good. See you go swimming in the avenue if you want to, you go just jump in the pool swimming. I ain't been swimming in the afternoons in years. I've never done. I ain't jumped in a pool at five o'clock, saince I was about twelve. Wow. Well if it's twelve o'clock hot noon, I'm in there because the water is hot. See, those are things that people don't even have to worry

about going to the beach. Oh five o'clock and it you can gonna run off and just get in the ocean. People sire. Still, we ain't weren't going out to huh. So what's the minute that your temperature get you know, it hurts immediately. You asked me if I'm going to Chicago in February. You think I'm going? No, So I guess what. I don't book a show in February in Chicago. That's how much sickle Sale has a way all my life. I can't go to Chicago in Fairruary. I was Chicago

in June July, but I ain't going in March. I ain't going in February. I ain't going in Janilary. See those things you don't even worr about See how you're looking at those things. You don't even have to work. You don't even have to consider these things. That's not something I said that single sale consider these things all the time. You know, my foundation, I do a great job of raising awareness and I put a lot of

money into it, and we do all different things. But the families that meet, they understand that I I was saying. It's like, I know I helped these families in June, in December for Christmas than because most kids during the holidays with sickle sale or in the hospital. Oh, I give them a Christmas before they go into the hospital. So that's what the foundation does. I sit there, I talked to all these families. I take ten families every

year around the holidays, not by the entire Christmas. Wow. Here, that's amazing. I'm doing it for the last six years. Tears whole foundation. Wow. I go to UM. I've done in Austin, I've done it in Memphis, I've done it in Dallas. I've done in Atlanta. I've done it in Charlotte, I've done the DC Jacksonville. I just don't matter, just go. So what's the plan for the foundation. This year, I am picked the city yet I haven't picked the city yet.

Then in Chicago, I haven't picked the city yet this year. Um, normally my daughterkor my foundation rosally and she does the picking of the cities. Doesn't matter. It's not my job pick the city because I ain't get time to do it. She goes to researches all the needs, all the different things, and we do it. But I do that every year. And you think about where we are with the morning on the Hearty just told me to go. You can't get to the top of the mount and not reached

back and showing how to get up there. So that's how I start the foundation. You know, my foundation is six years strong. I'm proud of it. My walk is on September nineteen, Yes, to run the five k run and Fun walk in Dallas. You know, check it out a register. Oh, it's cures Hope dot org. K I E R s Hope dot org. And this will be my third year. Um, black people don't know that in the state of Texas that every month of June it's a national holiday for my foundation. In the state of Texas,

every gym Here's Hope Month. Here's hope um Cure's hope sign silabaratis month is every gym in the state of Texas. Wow, okay, that's amazing. To Orange Texas. Every month you got only I got all the awards on the wall everything. I'm you know, it's funny, man too, to see that type of thing. Royce West helped that make possible, to the Orschwest States, to the Royce West and make that possible. I mean, man, but could you believe one guy in Houston,

Texas would do all these different things? But that was that one guy with a big dream. Man, it was one who had a y. I mean sometimes I just sit back and pitch myself because I'm still the same guy. Man. I love it. But at the same time, like I'm looking at some stuff like, you know, like I have you know, like I'm an Emmy nominated producer. I didn't win the Emmy, I still was nominated for. People don't got the whole created I mean, just the invitation along

to the Emmy's because you did. Steve, I'm the same dude that the Houston, Texas That the same that that same damn dude. Let's just be for real, like, come on, now, like, dude, you got to be tripping on so many stuff. Man, do you sit back and then you go out on the weekends and then you pull up to the comedy club and your name is on the marque and then you then you come on and say morning everybody. Then you talk about and it's so let me ask you this,

when did okay? So you know how like singers are performer, right, and you know how like you said, oh that when I'm in the car and I hear myself on the radio, when was the first time, like where were you? Where were you at? Did you realize like, quote unquote I made it even though you were already successful in the mindset. But was it like you saw yourself at the Fox Theater? You did used to yourself, you know where was it? And it could be a small time, but you was like,

damgn it was in Dallas, Texas. It was the first time I saw my name on the top of the marquee that I'm selling tickets. I'm people are paying. It's great, people paying twenty five dollars a ticket to hear me come tell jokes. And then I walked out that comedy club that weekend. What about I did Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and I walked out of about seventeen five are you That's when I knew something, because my whole I was like, there's no way, you under saying I ain't never made it.

Seventeen five hold on, wait a minute, how old are you right now? At this point? At that point, I was thirty five. God, but I'm telling you, that's what what I mean. That's when I know. I said, okay, I don't know if I had made it, but I knew. I said, we're definitely in the right neighborhood. I don't know my name. And then Harvey was talking about it, but he said, stop you you under. He was saying that you have no idea what you're about to go

be doing. So in prib in Dallas called me and they said they want me to come head and on the club that weekend. I ain't had a manager and that they just say, hey, I'm gonna offer you, uh this much money and then if you sell this main tickets, we're gonna give you this and the this and all the types of idn't heard of this. I'm just glad to go down and just do the show. Yeah, okay, I hadn't no idea. You know I'm genius. Yeah, all right,

I mean that's done everything ready whole night. But on that Sunday, when we still up at the club, they gave me they gave me ten thousand cash whom they gave me seven thousand five hunt in the check. I said, no, dumb, I got same time I got. I walked on my church, I said, and I was hoping I was gonna say, like we made a mistake, because I'm sitting here, y'at saying there's ten thousand cash here, then you gotta check, just not to be a mistake where there's got to

be a mistake. I got ten k here, seven thollar in a check, so it's a seven teen dollars final off. Definitely me walk out here. If you never made that much money before, that's your natural reaction. I ain't never made no seven team five and no one weekend a weekend that's happened somebody's salary in the year. I don't know what it is. All I know was I didn't know if I'm walking out of here because this feels like I set up I until my time leaving done.

I said, this gotta be see this is how they get set up on first for the eight sting operation going on. They want to wanna walk out of here something. I gotta get back on the plane back to Atlanta. But I'm getting on flame with ten k cash and you know you always thought you can't flying more than ten thound dollars and yours. All these things got check. I got the sick at hold not so I got a book bag. Talking about book back I got. I've

never held my book bag tighter that I got. I got this hold back when I put it through that damn X right, we're saying, I wait for that bag to come out. I got ten kane here, man bag, maybe understand, I said, Oh, they're gonna stop me because they're gonna see that. They're gonna see the money on the xtrac man, that bag that t say. Agent was trying to tell me, I ain't here an there, give the bag, thank you, becoming I'm on the two o'clock I got back home and hardly tell you very chart

to take. He said, Man, that was the fun thing. Whereas I called and I staid on I had made h and he was like, yeah, don't yeah that what you s forked to me, Yeah, and that's when I knew that my life was completely different. Oh, I had made a couple grand for a weekend, three grand I did that. I ain't never went from five grand to seventeen five my first weekend telling Joes as a headline. I ain't even know. And once I saw that, I said, Okay, I don't know if I ride. I just know we're

in the right neighborhood. I'm in the right neighborhood. And that's how it started from there. It was funny, Why saw now that that you accomplished all us? What's next? Movies? We got your movies. I wanna do movies. You're working on anything right now? In these scraps? Uh No, We in COVID and have sooner's over. We working on you know, we'll get there, and it just takes time. Mumm. You know. Um, I've done a lot of plays and stuff like that, but I really like to solidify myself on a film.

Just see what I could do just just one of the things that I'm doing. I mean, it's just so I want to do. I want to do at the acting in plays. I done that, and people in all them plays and they courage Johnson plays and you know, um, I just want now on the next step. I want to gradually. I just want to do it. I just want just I just want to go through the process. So just because I gotta I gotta support my what kind of quote unquote tattooed that I got before Black

Panther came out about speaking life. So that's all about the affirmation. So you will have this movie. Is it an action movie? Is a comedic movie? What is this movie that you're doing. I think the movie I was doing was I would like to play opposite someone and I want to be a regular day in the neighborhood type of film, like how even we act in the neighborhood.

And I just want to just you know, bring up some of the events that we've done and the things I've done been a part of, and just put those on film and you know, just make that funny and it works with some of the greatest people that you can work with, who are great at these roles. You know, I'm saying I want to do I want to do that, but I really want to do that part because for one, I want to just see when you put your stuff on film, you're gonna live forever last, It's gonna last

every so I want to do that part. That's the babies when I want to do it. But whatever film it comes, action, comedy, a movie like Friday or anything like that, I'm I'm gonna do all of them. You know, I want to do all of it because I just think that, you know, I ain't really mad, fact, but I says like, Okay, you're playing me short, play me short. Just open them the camera and let me don't hear, because I'm sure you're the big food I am. I'm not,

and that's all. Let me be, let be understand. Let's just put this out here. All the movies I'm doing, I'm not going for oscars, just so we're clear, let's not get any expectations. This, all these movies I'm doing is going for this for a goddamned food. That's what the food, that's what that's what I'm my roles. I'm doing this for crazy, this for a damn fool. That's the rules I'm going for. I'm not going for father for I don't none the roles. I don't want Father,

look at me, you give me Father. I'm not one to ask you. I want to be in the roles of just boy crazy, this boy got problem, Hey's something wrong with him? A bona five food. Yeah, that's all I want, all my roles, that's all I wanted them because I believe in the magic of storytelling. I just want. I just want. That's what you do that all day, every Joe, every script you right in these movies that I do, these jokes I tell terming the movies. You know,

turm into two projects. I was dying laughing. You were on the stage. I don't know if you're just talking about when you're dating somebody that snores. I died. I would love to see that. You know, a snore was the thought of a piece of food that was though those type of moments, though moments, or the one who want to bring um to the to the best print. We we want to do those we wanted to little stories as crazy as they are, there are stories to be told behind all those things. I get it. So

you appreciate it for that. That's for sure that you are. You know. I don't know what I expected from this conversation, but I'll say this that I came out a better person. Just I never knew your story like that. I didn't know the things that meant you. I didn't realize how Harvey invested in you like that of just giving the opportunity. And now it makes sense. And then this whole thing that you said, I think a lot of people gotta realize.

It's the whole thing that the Birst father flock together. And when you kept you riding with people that own fire, it's only a matter of time when you're gonna get lit. But like you said, it's about the work and not the possession. It's not that I'm absolutely I believe that whole heart. You know, we don't get in this to be famous. We hinted the work. Um, I'll show you this. I'm sure this, this is what i'mnna show you. And if we can close it with this, but this is

if you think this is perfect. I was gonna ask you if there is a quote or anything that you could leave people with, what would it be, Um, letna show you. Is it my life and health, my my gratitude for God, my life and health, my family, for my relationship. We went fast, grateful for the people. Thank you for the abundance. Oh amen, you praise them in advance this is it. Wow, Lord, I love you God.

I will definitely. That's what I read every morning, and a lot of things on that list has come to pass. So whatever you, whatever your assumption is about me, I have no I take no part in that part. But he know exactly who his steward is. Well, He's given me how I do it. I can't take criticism from anybody who ain't doing nothing. I cannot take criticism. I'm sorry, whatever your opinion is about me, But what are you doing?

Let's see, I just showed you my entire gratitude list for God that I keep adding to my health, my life, my grandma, all the things that we sat here and talked about. Someone has passed. Some of the things have not passed, still greatful for him. Some things I'm just wishing. That's the difference. But what you think you know about me, But you don't know. I ain't here. I ain't here to impression you. Who are you? Who are you? Who

are you thinking? I deserve you deserved my attention. I ain't here for you, So you weren't nowhere near when I was seeming in the wrist stops. See, you wouldn't you wouldn't nowhere around. And I was trying to get seventy five dollars, you wouldn't nowhere around. I'm not impressed with any of that. I've heard everything, But what do you think I ain't heard everything. I've heard everything. I've

heard it all. I've heard everything, how they say about me, what they feel about me, from colleagues to family to friends. You can't disturb what I'm doing. I just showed you because my gratitude for God. And guess what, why why you keep talking on them? Can't you see publicly how He keep blessed me? And you know what I've realized. I don't know the exact Bible verse, but it gives me to the thing of how your enemies will be your footstool. Not because I'm gonna stump on you. It's

because I am obedient. You will have no other choice but to uplift man. So I don't have to worry about raining down on you. It don't matter what you So let's get off to do you. It'll serve you better, serve you better to quit talking about me. Man, I'm already good about who I am at that they already now and and and as I say this, and they're probably gonna see it on social media. It's so then, But then no exactly what I'm talking to they they ain't got thought you. I don't know when y'all gonna

realize that this dude ain't for y'all. I don't need your round the blows. I don't need I don't need a clap from you. I just need the people to clap for me. So I'm keep doing what I'm doing, right. I don't do this for you, dude. We're in the same business. One surgeon don't watch another surgeon do surgery because what you say, the focus, the focus, Well we act so yeah, so they you know, they probably look at said like, I don't know they say these things about me. I get it. So I'm cool. But you

see the public blessing he keeps putting. Now you have never stopped to ask yourself how come that keep happening? And that's the magic of leadership. That's the magic of being the right place at the right time, and that's the magic of being focused on one mission. I never asked God to be famous. I just wanted to ask me, give me the gift that I have, let me keep it back. So you can bless it so I can

change last through laughter. That's it. And and look what happened care junior spates, ladies and gentlemen, that's what happened to what I enjoyed. I enjoyed. Thank you. Let me thank you. I know you talked about I'm gonna be on mush, but thank you for pouring it to me because you spoke on so many ways of just the transition, just my grind, like I don't know what's about to happen. I'm just going because I know what I feel, and I'm just on a prayer that whatever happen, it's gonna

work out. It has to write, come on. And that's what I try to tell me. There, don't care what they say, Stay doing done. Girl. Do you know you have no idea? You can't have ain't no way, It's not what I have you done, the way, the way you do things, the way you operate, the person you are, the lights you shine. Do you know how hard it is to be positive every day? Do you know how

hard it is? Of course, I know you're positive every day and even when it's not well received, you gotta show up again and do it again the next day, and even when they're receiving that day, you show up a third day done, you have to continue doing that. Guess what, it ain't about what they're doing, so so what they don't see it? It's not for them. Come on, you're not doing all of this to impressing anybody. You're doing this to expose people about what do positive people

have to say? Yes? And why it's important? Oh well, don got to stay this ain't your thing. That's where they lose at stop even about what you're doing. It's about what you're showcasing. And if you can't see what Donna is showcasing, you gotta add to And you're not gonna benefit from from the first place because your attitude in the wrong place. But for you and end, get all this stuff together that take word to take a schedule, coordinating people, but don't allow anybody to tell you what

your mission is. That ain't for them to dictate. If I got time to sit up and judge done, what what's she doing? I must not have nothing to do, right, I clearly don't have him to do. You gotta be thinking that you gotta be doing something if you've got somebody else's attention, if you, if I had time to sit here talk about what's gone doing, I almost not be doing nothing. You just called me, said you're gonna do this for me. Yeah, do for phone talk about

two minutes. M hmm, yeah, don't do that for you. It's it. Thank you. Oh my gosh. Care like, okay, So this is what happened. You called me. You said, Dawn, you met me. The first time I met you, you kept saying how it was wonderful and how it was amazing. Listen, I didn't take me three and a half almost four years to see that because look at us right now. You can't tell me because I knew. I knew, I felt it, and when you got somebody that's talking to Brian,

I felt it and like you said, being humans. So care, Thank you, thank you for investing in yourself, thank you for feeling like you're worth it, and thank you for being a beacon. I like the inspiring other people. I see you and we'll see you, man. That's what vitamin D is about. That's it. How do people follow you? How can I get you? What's up? You know? You can find me on social media? Junior and Junior shr mess everything, j U mess find me? How you find me?

Simme and messin say what's up? I say, what's up? Man? You know I ain't hard to get at. I ain't you know, just what keep going? You know? And you know what my cousin direct. She always tell me. Tell to hell, junior, I said, have remember we met her of sanding so last year. So yeah, how she doing. She's doing real good. She's doing good. She's gonna love to hear this. You don't care, I said, so she can still love me? Sorry, you know, you know I love me. This is gonna be going in saying something

you love me. That's just love me. Take me and go ahead and see how you feel about me. I like that, so to sell and see what I'm doing. Listen, let me have I hold you wha but you can't being started. I'm writing indeed, I don't know. I love myself kid. Thank you so much for this opportunity. You will oh man, I don't know what I expected from Kier, but that was everything and more and it was right on time. And I'm just so grateful that I was here right to receive it and that I can offer

it to you. And that's the one thing that's so amazing to me about vitamin D. When I created it, it was all about shedding light to others, and little did I know that I was going to receive that on the back end as well. And I think that's one of the amazing things about gifts and when you're giving and you're walking in your purpose, because your purpose not only feeds others, but in in turn feeds you.

It's like a cycle. It's it's it's it's a never ending life cycle that continues to pour and fill up, poor and fill up. Now, if you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did with Kre and you're like, hey, I want to keep up with him, you gotta follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Junior s h M S. And if you want to learn more information about his foundation, Cares Hope, go ahead and check them out online at cares Hope dot org. Now, I want

you to remember life is for the living. If you feel like you're losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year, and yet they stand tall and wait for better days to come. Your better days is coming. Peace be still. You know in the Bible and the Scripture it says, see, I'm doing a new thing. Now

it springs up. Do you not perceive it? Well, that's it for your dose to vitamin D. As always, you can catch us where you get your podcasts every Monday for more inspiring conversations and insights, and of course if you're looking to get even more vitamin D in your life. You can also follow me on all social media at Dawn day Speaks. That's Dawn d a I speaks on all social media. Until next time, always remember you are your greatest asset.