August 31, 2025 • 35 mins
This episode we have LaToshia Norwood - SheSaid Founder to discuss the SHE SAID CONFERENCE: S.L.A.B. EDITION. A full-day experience for women CEOs ready to scale with style. Not your average conference. Think bold talks, live DJs, hands-on labs, and powerful networking!
Next, we welcome back 1st Sargeant James Goolsbys, from the US Army. Sgt. Goolsbys tells us his story growing up in a small town in Georgia and how taking a chance led him to his ranking today. Plus, we talk about the different jobs and opportunities available in the military beside being a soldier.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
From your local Houston BMW Center Studios. Welcome to the
Public Affairs podcast, addressing local issues that affect our nation
in Shape all World.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I'm your host, KG Smooth. Have you heard of the
she said conference?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
They got a slab edition and in the studio with
me is the she said founder. Ladies and gentlemen, please
welcome to the Public Affairs Podcast, The vivacious Natasha Norwood.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Thank you. Can you follow me everywhere I go with
that same introduction, I tell you I don't know I
need that.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
No, sure, okay, perfect, sure.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Just keep me in your back pocket whenever you get
you got it up. And here's my intro, and then
I'll just pop up and say and say that.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Deal.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Now, how are you feeling? You look radiant?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Thank you. I'm amazing and I'm excited to be here
with you to have this conversation. So thank you, thank.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
You for coming. I believe that my.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Vice president and market manager, Pam McKay is the one
that told me about she said, And I said, well,
let's get her on, Pap and here you are, so
tell us about that she said? Foundation? What is this foundation?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
How was it birthed and all of that good stuff.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
So she said, foundation was birthed by accident. It was
an accidental birth. Almost ten years ago. Women were asking
me for help, and at that time I was new
in business, maybe about four years in my own business,
and I felt like it was disrespectful to do nothing,
and so I decided I wanted to just maybe host
the dinner and invite maybe fifteen twenty women and talk
to them about the resources that were available to me
(01:43):
and the things that I had seen success in. And
I did a little research and found that Congress had
just designated October's National Women's Small Business Month. So I
approached a few partners in the Houston area of the
Urban League and the SBA and said, hey, I'm going
to host the dinner. Do you want to come and
talk about the resources that are available for small business
this is They said yes, And what was supposed to
be for ten or fifteen women ended up being an
(02:04):
event where we hosted almost two hundred women, and we activated.
We wanted to make sure that these women went home
with resources. So I'm dating myself here, but they went
home with USBs full of business planned templates and financial statements.
And things that we knew that they needed, and we
gave away Apple watches and iPads and quick books. It
(02:25):
was an overlike experience and it was free for them
to attend. It was invite only, and I thought, Okay,
I'm checking a box. That's what God told me to do.
We're done. And I kept getting feedback from women saying
I've never experienced anything like this before. I can't wait
until next year, and I was like, next year, No,
there is no next year. And so here we are
ten years later. We've facilitated hundreds and thousands of capacity
(02:49):
building workshops. We've touched thousands of women who've been able
to then scale their businesses from start now to multimillion
dollar firms. They've been awarded contracts, and so we bring
this this diference together. It happens in October. October's National
Women's Small Business Month, and we're in our tenth year
and we're going to be a seven to one to
three music hall.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So yes.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
So this foundation is really about, at its core, helping
women start, grow, and scale sustainable businesses.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Which is very much needed.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Because I've had this conversation a lot of times during
the scamdemic. There were a lot of new small businesses
that popped up, Black owned businesses that popped up, and
it was black women who were starting these and we're.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Starting them at a faster rate than anyone else. But
when it comes to our gross receipts, it's gross. It
doesn't look very good, and it makes it very difficult
to be able to be sustainable in business. And we
recognize that and we want to make sure that they
have access to the resources and the experts that can
help them do that.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Indeed, so what does that look like?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
What will the conference when the women pull up on Wednesday,
October first at eight am? What is it that they
can expect in terms of the education.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
So, first, show up in your power suit and sneakers,
because that's the vibe. It is the Slab edition and
we kind of retool slab. There will be slabs there.
Oh yes, yes, we're embracing the culture. We're at seven
pe to three Music Hall, so we've got to embrace
the culture, right. But they will show up and expect
(04:33):
a full day of transformational workshops and conversations and networking
and the ability to connect with people who care and
the experts who are there are not just there to
talk to you and take beautiful pictures. They are there
ready to lift up the hood and teach you how
to change the oil and to show you where these
things are and how they move. So we're going to
(04:54):
be talking about everything from how to hire, how to
integrate you know, AI into your business. We're going to
be talking about you know, understanding your financials and what
that means. Every aspect of your business will be discussing
on that day. And it's a one day, power packed
day of from eight to five, let's get to work.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Yeah yeah, yeah, no, that is a work shift eight
to five.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Emphasis on the work.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Emphasis on the work, especially if you are looking to
grow your business and get this great information that will
be shared.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So I want to know more about you.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Okay, tell me what do you want to know?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Who is Latasha Norwood?
Speaker 1 (05:35):
So?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Latasha Norwood is a wife, a mother, an advocate, and
an unapologetic force. I am so blessed this year. Just recently,
my company, l Renanda Associates was named one of Ink's
fastest five thousand growing companies and the fastest growing African
(05:56):
American and African American woman owned company in Houston. And
I say that not for you know, any applause. I
say that because I know that God is real and
he shows up in my business every day. But I
will tell you, as excited as I am about those accolades,
it motivates me because I know that other women deserve
(06:18):
to be on that list too, And that's the why
behind what I do for She said, it's not enough
for me to win. I want to see other people
win too, And so's it's okay to say that you
want to see people succeed, But in this foundation, I
don't take a dime from it. Every dollar that we raise,
everything that we do is about making sure that I'm
(06:40):
able to reach back or to reach to my left
or right to push people along or to pull them
along so that they can experience the same levels of
success that I have.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
That's amazing, I mean, just that you made two points
that really resonate with me. That you want to see
other people win?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Really do? Yeah? Same?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
A lot of people say that, but deep down they don't.
And what I've realized is that yes, people do want
to see you doing well. They may genuinely want to
see you do well, They just don't want to see
you doing better.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Than them.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yes, that's been my experience. From me, It's like, dang,
is it really like that?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yes, so much. So I will tell you I just
recently partnered with HMSDC, which is a certifying agency that
helps minorities to connect to contracts and resources and opportunities.
And so I said, listen, I want to make sure
that these women and others, not just women, but men
and women have access to be able to bid on
large contracts. So we just did a partnership where we
(07:46):
pushed people to a certifying event that happened recently to
help them to get certified. And what that now means
is that they have the ability to compete in just
a few weeks on bids that range from two to
five million. I'm not getting anything out of that. I
don't want anything from it. My gain is to see
other people win and to see them have access to
(08:07):
similar resources are the same resources that I do. So
this is truly truly my life's mission and my work
and my passion and my ministry. I want to just
see other people know that it is possible and to
figure out whatever it is and to help them accomplish it.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So what is it that you do in terms of
you know your scholarship on this whole business thing, like.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Give me your resume?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
What did you because you are very knowledgeable and clearly
for an accident of an event to come into this
big scale event that ain't nobody but God. Yes, and
then of course you know the work that you put
in prior to you have in that first impromptu conference.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Yes, So I will tell y'all.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Started my career in Houston and education with HI and
I transitioned after moving to Nebraska into broadcast media. So
I worked for the CBS affiliate there, and then I
moved back to Houston and I worked for the CBS
affiliate here in Houston, Channel eleven. And while doing that,
I just realized that I was gaining equity, professional equity.
(09:17):
I know, we think of equity in terms of like
your home, but I decided that I wanted to take
the equity of all those things that I had done
in my career and roll it into my own business.
And so along the way, I've been able to learn
some valuable lessons. I've gotten a chance to fail and
fail often and to get over it and to recognize
(09:38):
that it was an opportunity for me to be able
to learn and also to be able to share and
keep going. And it's been it's been a joy to
be along this ride. But there's still so much work
to do.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
But I'm ready for sure.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You're listening to the Public Affairs podcast. We are talking
to the founder of she said, found Natasha Norwood, the
she said foundation. Wait what is it called?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (10:06):
She said, Slab Edition.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
She said, Conference Slab Edition, and SLAB is an acronym.
It is happening on Wednesday, October the first, eight am
to five pm. Full day. Dress up. But where your
sneak is because you know, you want to look professional,
but yet you're gonna be comfortable because, uh, it might
be some walking, you know, going on. I don' know
how that parking is done at at seven one three
(10:30):
Music Hall. So this is going to be absolutely fabulous.
If you go to our website at either the Boxhuston
dot com or my Houston Magic with a Jay dot com,
we've got all of the information there for the she said,
Conference Slab Edition. I see that SLAB is an acronym.
What does what does the SLAB stand for?
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Slay, Lead, amplify and build. We want to show up ready.
We want to figure out how we lead, not necessarily
as a leader, just lead ourselves, lead our companies. We
want to amplify and business, amplify our voices, and we
want to build build sustainable businesses, Bill leaders, build multimillion
dollar companies.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
I want to get your thoughts on how things are
today with this current administration. You know, a lot of
things have been implemented. Some folks are hurting, you know,
due to you know, triffs and you know whatever new
policies Buddy executively signed in with an executive order. And
(11:39):
then there are those that are saying, oh, I'm just fine.
Actually I can see the growth. So what someone else
is experiencing due to forty whatever number he is, seven,
I'm good from the seat that use it in How
(12:00):
does it look to you?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
You know? I think I think that there is a
realness that we have to accept that we are operating
in a new space and that we are going to
have to figure out how we thrive in it. Some
of the most incredible businesses were births in a crisis,
and so I see it as a real opportunity. Now.
(12:22):
I don't want to negate the reality that many people
face right now the economic impacts that it will have,
and just the overall impact that it will have in
our lives. I don't want to, you know, to ignore
that or diminish that, but I will say that this
is an opportunity for you to really dig in and
to figure out how you are able to either pivot
(12:42):
or how you're able to find opportunities, and how you're
able to be really decisive in how you move and
the things that you do. I've encouraged people, you know,
working in corporate America has its benefits, It has a
safety right, but I think it is sometimes it is
(13:04):
a not so safe position to be in. So even
if you are working in corporate America, I think you
should still be thinking about how do you diversify your income,
how do you leverage the talents and the skills that
you have, Or if you're already in business, if you're
seeing some of those industries dry up, or you're seeing
some of those clients that you're working with start to
look the other way. That doesn't mean you tuck your
(13:27):
tail and fold. That means you have to be a
little bit more attentive to where the market is going
and the opportunities that exist for you, either in life
or in business, and run like hell as fast as
you can towards it, because there are real opportunities and
there is money being spent and money being made every day,
and there's no reason why you can't tap in. A
(13:48):
colleague of mind used to say, there is enough win
for every sale. So while we know that there are
some things that are outside of our control, there are
some things that we can. And I think that you
grab a hold of those things that you can and
you steer the ship.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
And there you have it.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
You grab it and you steer the ship because it
is yours. What else should the people know about? She
said conference Slab edition on Wednesday, October The first.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I think that you should know without a doubt that
there is a seat for you, and I sincerely want
you to take that in. There's a seat for you,
no matter where you are in life, no matter where
you are in your profession, no matter where you are
in your business, we have a seat for you. We
want to invite you to a space where people are
going to embrace you, where they're going to understand where
(14:39):
you are and where you want to go, and are
committed to helping you get there so at she said,
conference on October first at seven one three. This is
not a conference, it's a movement and we are committed
and dedicated to making sure that we can help you
realize that business or that dream or that vision that
you have. And we're going to do it with intention.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Nothing without intention, as Solon said on a seat at
the table, nothing without intention.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Yes, but I also want to say, expect to see
women dressed finely in their power suits and sneakers and
people that just want to be in a space where
they can have an incredible time. We are really embracing
the Houston culture, so every aspect of it. We will
have slabs will have that whole experience. So just imagine
the same production value that you get at a conference.
(15:30):
You'll get a context, you'll get all.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
This is going to be fabulous. Oh this is wonderful. Yeah,
wow wow, Save the day all your business women. Wednesday,
October first, eight until five at seven one to three.
Music Hall is the she said, Foundation, she said, conference,
slab addition and where can they go to register and
all of the good stuff You can.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Go to, she said, foundation dot org, or you can
follow us and connect with us on social media, she said, Foundation,
and will get you every piece of information that you
even thought you needed.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
It's all there.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Well you heard it from the leader herself, the fabulously
vivacious and wonderful Latasha Norwood, from she said Foundation.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Thank you so much for coming on, pap, this is wonderful.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Indeed, and to everyone listen to the podcast. We'll be
back after this. From your local Houston BMW Center Studios,
Welcome back to the public Affairs podcast addressing local issues
that affect our nation and shape our world. I am
your host K G. Smooth, welcoming back in the studio.
(16:37):
He was just here last week. You heard him last
week on with the folks at Travis Mannin Foundation for
the nine to eleven Heroes Run race. That was that, Well,
that will be this coming Saturday, the six first Sergeant
James Goolds will be back with this.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
How are you, man, I'm good man. Thank you for
having me so blessed, so excited.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Here man, and you are back because we just wanted
to dive in more with you.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
You know, being a military man, there's a lot that
is going on. But from what I've heard in the background,
you have the most amazing story that I would love,
or one of the most right, how about that one
(17:28):
of the most compelling stories. So let's kick it off.
Who is James Goolsby.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
So let's let's make it a good story. So James
Goolsby right out from a small town called Juliette, Georgia.
A lot of people have not heard of it, especially
from the great city of Houston. But it's it's small.
I grew up on a dairy farm, okag You know,
mom and dad never graduated high school. And to cap
(17:56):
off on top of that, my mother passed when I
was seventeen years old going into my senior year of
high school. My father now eighty two years old. He yeah,
that's a blessing right there. But he grew up in
a time where education, you know, wasn't wasn't highly thought of, right,
So at the time I was wondering, like, what do
I do after high school? You know, what, what does
(18:17):
the way look like?
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Right?
Speaker 4 (18:19):
I didn't have any any guidance. You know, they had
never been to college, let alone graduated high school. So
college applications things like that were r out of the question.
And Google wasn't as big as it is now right.
So I knew I needed education. I knew I needed
a way to be better. So I took a trip
down to the recruiting office and actually it was supposed
to be in the Navy. And I knocked on the
(18:41):
door and they didn't answer. But low and behold, there
was an Army recruiter over there. He brought me in,
you know, told me a lot about the benefits and
and things that can really help me be better. Right,
And like I tell everybody that that I interviewed with
and that I helped lead through this path, is the
Army is that footstool right to get you into the
consistency and to get you where you need to be
(19:04):
and where you want to be in your life. But
you got to do the work right. Nothing is a handout, right,
nothing in life is free. So here we are seventeen
years later. You know, a lot of nuances in between.
I've been in Houston since twenty twenty two, and along
the way a lot of different moves, a lot of
different places in the country. I started off as a culinarian,
(19:25):
a lot of things, you know, ice carving, plate presentation,
dietary instructions, things like that.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
I'm lighting up because I love for I love to hear.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Yeah, and that's what got me.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
You know.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
The recruiter was like, hey, what do you want to do.
I was like, I just want to go to college,
you know. But that's the gust of it. And I
always tell people Statistically, right, I'm a numbers guy, you know,
I have a master's in business administration. Statistically, I shouldn't
be here today looking for where I come from, small,
you know, dirt road town, lived on a farm, work
(19:58):
with my hands in back of mind, our life until
the army gave me that chance.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
And according to the statistics, where should you be?
Speaker 4 (20:07):
Statistically? If I had never took this path, I probably
would have a jail record, right. And I'm just looking
at the people that I grew up around, right that
that I watched my peers no college education, you know
a lot of and if they did have education, a
lot of debt, student loan debt, that's you know, just
(20:28):
holding over their heads. And then no life experiences. Man,
the amount of places I've traveled and just the opportunities.
So statistically, I'm very thankful to be here.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
So on that day when you when when when you
left the house with the intention of signing up and
you and you went to the Navy, I'm going to
be in the Navy. Nobody was there, but then there
was an Armor Army recruiter. What were your thoughts then?
Had you thought about the Army or was their pitch
so compelling that you was like, okay, let's go.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Their pitch was just that compelling. And they didn't just
talk to talk. They actually showed me facts, right, like, hey,
this is what you're going to get for college. These
are you know, the jobs. And we're talking one hundred
and fifty plus and even now today, you know, we've
armies branched out into cyber you know, we're talking about
building network systems, professional hacking, and the Army teaches you
(21:23):
and gives you the certifications for all of that. You know,
we're talking about the medical field. We're talking about nursing,
we're talking about doctors. Like earlier we were talking about
the COVID pandemic, right, Army doctors helped you know, the
leader the COVID you know pandemic. That's the stuff that
they got me with. And I was like, this is
this is the way, Like I said, they just didn't
(21:46):
talk it They showed it.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Yeah, that's dope.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I mean because, like I said last weekend, for those
of you that probably missed last week's episode of the
Public Affairs podcast, you can listen to it wherever you
listen to podcasts or whatever platform, just search the Public
Affairs Podcast and look for the nine to eleven Heroes
(22:09):
Run conversation.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
But last week when we were.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Talking, I was saying, how, you know, a lot of
people just think that the military is you know, you
go in and yeah, they teach you how to you know,
put together and clean a gun, and you do your
basic training, and then you go to war to go.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Prem prem Prim Prem Prim.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
That's what everybody thinks.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
That's what everybody thinks, not knowing that it is a
functionally running operation and that they have jobs for just
about everything as we move in daily civilian life.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Yes, we have everything you could think of and more.
And like I said, you know, I ended up you know,
going to Cone Route which didn't transform into logistics supply
chain management, and then I move over to HR and
the recruiting aspect, you know, start learning about public speaking,
right and the whole time I was going to school
pursuing that, you know, NBA that I graduated with a
(23:06):
couple of years ago, and now you know, I'm preparing
to do my DBA Doctrine of Business Administration at Liberty University.
So it gave me so much more. It allowed me
to be consistent towards success. Everybody says they want to
be successful, But are you going to be doing the
things consistently to be successful? That's that's the question that
(23:26):
nobody wants to answer. They just say, oh, I want
to you know, six figure lifestyle. They don't think about, Oh,
you need health care right, Oh, you know you may
need that VA home loan, right, you may need the
college paid for which, in fact, if you don't use
your post nine to eleven GI bill, you can pass
to your spouse of your kids. That's the stuff they
(23:48):
don't think about until life hits them.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Right.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
So when we talk about success, it's not just a
linear process. It's multiple things that help you lead to success.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Indeed, you're listening to the public of first place, we're
talking to First Sergeant James Gouldsby of the US Army,
just telling his story and getting to know him a
lot better.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
So with you with these other.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Jobs, opportunities in the US military.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
You're in culinary.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Arts, do you still have to go through the basic
training and all of that stuff to be you know
the chef.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Or the the the.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Radio engineer or the you know, the person that cleans
the ship for the or the or the humdy or
whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Absolutely everybody has to go through basic combat training. But
here's the thing. Basic combat training teaches you a lot
more than people think. Once again, oh I can yeah magic.
They think, oh, I'm just going to go put together
the guns, shoot the guns. No, you're going to learn
a lot about map reading, right, how to lead your
(24:59):
peers right. Leadership is an invaluable asset, right, communication reading
exactly right. It's just what it says.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Basic.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
We're giving you the basic training, physical fitness, how to
eat right, how to take care of yourself so you're
not running around, you know, getting sick and stuff like that.
This is the basics. We're giving you the basics for success.
And then after that you go onto what we call
advanced individual training, or more commonly, we just say your
job training. Right, what's your specialty? So for me, you
(25:30):
know culinary, you know other people it may be satellite communications. Right,
you're gonna go learn how to pinpoint satellites to see
stuff that other peoples can't.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Right.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
Or let's say you're doing something in the medical field, right,
our health care specialist, You're gonna go learn how to
be an EMT.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Right.
Speaker 4 (25:47):
The Army is gonna give you that, right, You're gonna
learn how to do the IVS. Right, You're gonna learn
all that stuff, and the Army is gonna teach you
and you get paid while learning.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
It is that wonderful.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
It doesn't get any better than that, right, serious, All
you got to do is be consistent yea, and open
to learn.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
I'm not gonna hold you.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I I I wish that the Army wood had accepted
me when they courted me, but you know, due to
my heart condition, you know they didn't.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
But I that's what I was.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Looking forward to, to be honest, doing the basic training,
learning those things in those six weeks. So it was
just like ah when they didn't choose me. But you know,
God had another another route plan. So you know, I'm
not mad at that, but I I was interested. I
(26:41):
was especially after seeing my aunt who was in the
Navy as ill last week and my uncle was in
the air Force and my my grandmother worked at Wright
Patterson Air Force Base, and so just with that, I
wanted to go in, yeah and just serve. So that
(27:02):
was heartbreaking. But I didn't even even then, I didn't
even realize that all of the rest of those jobs
were available. So with you being a recruiter, like, how
can you tell if the man or the woman is
truly interested? Like is that one of your gifts to
(27:25):
kind of read the energy and recruiting these folks.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
So for me, it's a gift. I really believe that,
and I think that God has blessed me with looking
at people and having those conversations, especially you know, Houston
being as beautiful as it is. I can't even tell
you the amount of people I've talked to and I
tell them my story, and I like speaking to their parents,
you know, their influencers, their husbands, their wives, and just
letting them know that.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Hey, I like that their influencers, their husbands and their
wives because that's exactly what they Sorry, I'm sorry you
just click something.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Like, man, he's right, go ahead, But that's the way
for it, right. We have to let them know, hey,
we are more than what meets the eye and then
I asked them a question like, if you didn't do
the Army, what would you do? And then I'll listen
to you know, their plan, and then I'll provide them
what I call my plan, right, which is rooted in
the Army through my own personal experiences. And they go,
you know what, your plan seems a lot more easier,
(28:24):
and I go, it's not easier. It just gives you
a higher probability for success if you stay consistent. And
that normally normally gets the It gets them to understand
that you don't have to just start at the bottom,
right and just grind and grind and take on all
this student loan debt, and no, you don't have to
do that. Let us help you, right, And it's a
(28:47):
simple process. You know. You take the as FAB which
is a aptitude test. Right, everybody act SAT, you know,
very similar, right, And then you do a physical right,
we want to make sure you're healthy. You pick a job,
what job do you want? And then that's when the
wheels start turning.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Right.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Then we of course my recruiters always tell them, hey,
tell them your personal experiences with those jobs that they're
looking at. Right, we give them the raw truth, right,
because when they join, you know, my army, I take
it very personal. I want them to be consistent. I
want them to be committed, and then when I see
them again in uniform, I want them to be happy,
and I want their families to be happy.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Has there been any Were there any misconceptions that you
might have had about the army and then going into
it and once you got in there, you was like, oh, well,
this ain't what it was like on MASH or I'm
aging myself. Never I never watched MASH like that. It
(29:49):
would come on the reruns and I'd be like, what
is this show?
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Like?
Speaker 1 (29:52):
It never attracted me, but you know, what's another military
show that was out there?
Speaker 4 (29:59):
That means MASH was way back there?
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Yeah, that's way way back right, But yeah, any any
misconceptions like oh I thought it was going to be
like this, but there's way more to here.
Speaker 4 (30:11):
So I think the the first thing that popped into
my mind was the movie Full Metal Jacket, which I
know was Marines, but that's the you know division I had.
I was like, this how it was going to be
and it wasn't, you know, but it gave me so
much confidence, you know, going through those things, learning how
to properly lead people right, learning first aid. That was
(30:32):
a big one for me, right, I you know, I
was eighteen. I had never given someone IV before. You know,
these are skills that could potentially help me save someone life.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
One I CPR, Yes, CPR.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
I was like, man, this is and I'm getting paid
to do this.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Right. You know.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
I was a little nervous with needles because you at
the time you had to give someone IV and then
they had to give you one. And I was like,
you know, you know side I but you know, when
you're trained by special list, you follow instructions, everything goes well.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
So did you know how did you become a great
full of blottomist that I did?
Speaker 2 (31:07):
I did.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
I didn't miss any veins or anything. And then after
that the physical training aspect, you know, the cardio right,
the weightlift and the calisthetics, stuff like that that really
conditioned us. That's I watched people just transform and in
mind of confidence when they I'm.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Sure and always mentally physically, emotionally.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
Yeah, you see yourself different, You look in the mirror different,
your family sees you different. About a month ago, we
had what's called an educational tour and we take teachers
from local here in Houston and we take them to
a basic training base and we went out to Fort Jackson,
South Carolina, and they actually got to watch the making
of a soldier And just so happened. My seventeenth year
(31:50):
anniversary where I graduated at Fort Jackson, was that same week.
And so you know, I'm very patriotic. You know, I
still cry when the national anthem plays. I was watching
and no soldiers, you know, and I was like, that
was me seventeen years ago. And to see the teachers go,
this is what our students are becoming. You see it? It
makes you proud.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Yeah, I can see the problemence in you right now,
or just I can just feel it, like you live this.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
I live it, and I love it because I think
if I had never taken that step, if I never
took that you know, right turn into that army office,
where would I be now? And I hope I never
find out.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Yeah, I hope you don't either. Have you ever thought
about where you might I've been.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
I have.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
When I brought my first house back in twenty eleven,
the first person in my family to graduate college, you know,
the first person to own a home, outside of my parents.
I was like, you know what, I probably would have
been working at Domino's somewhere because that was my first
job in high school. I probably STI.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Would have been there, Why in that small town because
I was.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Comfortable, That's it, And that that comfort.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Would have killed keep you complacent, It would.
Speaker 4 (32:59):
Have kept me complacent, and it would have killed what
I could have become what I am now.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Yeah, and are you proud of the man who you
have become?
Speaker 4 (33:08):
No, because I'm not the man that I'm gonna be yet. Oh,
because the man that I'm gonna be is ten years
from now, it's gonna be twenty years from now, and
I'm never gonna stop chasing him.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
That's a bar.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
That's that's a strake bar. I love that, you know.
That's the same. It's funny. That's the same thing I
say about Beyonce when people are like, ain't nobody out
there better than Beyonce? No, Beyonce is a top notch right,
I'm like, no, there is somebody out there better than Beyonce. Yeah,
Beyonce next year exactly?
Speaker 4 (33:42):
Why Because she evolves, right, Because she's better because she evolves.
And that's what we all have to do.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
That's what's up. So are you? Are you guys recruiting
right now? Is the Army looking for it?
Speaker 4 (33:53):
We are looking every day. Just today I was on
a TSU campus out there doing some great stuff with them.
Look at us on Instagram, you know, at Go Army
Houston or you can follow my personal Instagram at James N.
G O O L. S b Y Senior. You'll see
some amazing stuff right and I love talking to people.
But we are looking every day.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
So to the teenager that is on the way to
church with your parents and your grandparents and you're hearing this,
go ahead, pull out your phone on Instagram, Go Army Houston,
check it out and reach out to James. Give you
a person on one more time.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
It's at James and then g O O. L.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
S b Y Senior, First Sergeant James Gouldsby of the
US Army.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
This has been great. The first of all, this twenty
minutes flew by. I just looked down like, oh man,
were done already. Thank you for coming back. I'm so
glad that you did. This was amazing.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
I'm blessed.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Thank you, no, thank you, and to everyone listening to
the podcast, I'm kg smooth and we will see you
next week. Happy Labor Day,
From your local Houston BMW Center Studios. Welcome to the
Public Affairs podcast, addressing local issues that affect our nation
in Shape all World.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I'm your host, KG Smooth. Have you heard of the
she said conference?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
They got a slab edition and in the studio with
me is the she said founder. Ladies and gentlemen, please
welcome to the Public Affairs Podcast, The vivacious Natasha Norwood.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Thank you. Can you follow me everywhere I go with
that same introduction, I tell you I don't know I
need that.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
No, sure, okay, perfect, sure.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Just keep me in your back pocket whenever you get
you got it up. And here's my intro, and then
I'll just pop up and say and say that.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Deal.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Now, how are you feeling? You look radiant?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Thank you. I'm amazing and I'm excited to be here
with you to have this conversation. So thank you, thank.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
You for coming. I believe that my.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Vice president and market manager, Pam McKay is the one
that told me about she said, And I said, well,
let's get her on, Pap and here you are, so
tell us about that she said? Foundation? What is this foundation?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
How was it birthed and all of that good stuff.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
So she said, foundation was birthed by accident. It was
an accidental birth. Almost ten years ago. Women were asking
me for help, and at that time I was new
in business, maybe about four years in my own business,
and I felt like it was disrespectful to do nothing,
and so I decided I wanted to just maybe host
the dinner and invite maybe fifteen twenty women and talk
to them about the resources that were available to me
(01:43):
and the things that I had seen success in. And
I did a little research and found that Congress had
just designated October's National Women's Small Business Month. So I
approached a few partners in the Houston area of the
Urban League and the SBA and said, hey, I'm going
to host the dinner. Do you want to come and
talk about the resources that are available for small business
this is They said yes, And what was supposed to
be for ten or fifteen women ended up being an
(02:04):
event where we hosted almost two hundred women, and we activated.
We wanted to make sure that these women went home
with resources. So I'm dating myself here, but they went
home with USBs full of business planned templates and financial statements.
And things that we knew that they needed, and we
gave away Apple watches and iPads and quick books. It
(02:25):
was an overlike experience and it was free for them
to attend. It was invite only, and I thought, Okay,
I'm checking a box. That's what God told me to do.
We're done. And I kept getting feedback from women saying
I've never experienced anything like this before. I can't wait
until next year, and I was like, next year, No,
there is no next year. And so here we are
ten years later. We've facilitated hundreds and thousands of capacity
(02:49):
building workshops. We've touched thousands of women who've been able
to then scale their businesses from start now to multimillion
dollar firms. They've been awarded contracts, and so we bring
this this diference together. It happens in October. October's National
Women's Small Business Month, and we're in our tenth year
and we're going to be a seven to one to
three music hall.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So yes.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
So this foundation is really about, at its core, helping
women start, grow, and scale sustainable businesses.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Which is very much needed.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Because I've had this conversation a lot of times during
the scamdemic. There were a lot of new small businesses
that popped up, Black owned businesses that popped up, and
it was black women who were starting these and we're.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Starting them at a faster rate than anyone else. But
when it comes to our gross receipts, it's gross. It
doesn't look very good, and it makes it very difficult
to be able to be sustainable in business. And we
recognize that and we want to make sure that they
have access to the resources and the experts that can
help them do that.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Indeed, so what does that look like?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
What will the conference when the women pull up on Wednesday,
October first at eight am? What is it that they
can expect in terms of the education.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
So, first, show up in your power suit and sneakers,
because that's the vibe. It is the Slab edition and
we kind of retool slab. There will be slabs there.
Oh yes, yes, we're embracing the culture. We're at seven
pe to three Music Hall, so we've got to embrace
the culture, right. But they will show up and expect
(04:33):
a full day of transformational workshops and conversations and networking
and the ability to connect with people who care and
the experts who are there are not just there to
talk to you and take beautiful pictures. They are there
ready to lift up the hood and teach you how
to change the oil and to show you where these
things are and how they move. So we're going to
(04:54):
be talking about everything from how to hire, how to
integrate you know, AI into your business. We're going to
be talking about you know, understanding your financials and what
that means. Every aspect of your business will be discussing
on that day. And it's a one day, power packed
day of from eight to five, let's get to work.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Yeah yeah, yeah, no, that is a work shift eight
to five.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Emphasis on the work.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Emphasis on the work, especially if you are looking to
grow your business and get this great information that will
be shared.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So I want to know more about you.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Okay, tell me what do you want to know?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Who is Latasha Norwood?
Speaker 1 (05:35):
So?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Latasha Norwood is a wife, a mother, an advocate, and
an unapologetic force. I am so blessed this year. Just recently,
my company, l Renanda Associates was named one of Ink's
fastest five thousand growing companies and the fastest growing African
(05:56):
American and African American woman owned company in Houston. And
I say that not for you know, any applause. I
say that because I know that God is real and
he shows up in my business every day. But I
will tell you, as excited as I am about those accolades,
it motivates me because I know that other women deserve
(06:18):
to be on that list too, And that's the why
behind what I do for She said, it's not enough
for me to win. I want to see other people
win too, And so's it's okay to say that you
want to see people succeed, But in this foundation, I
don't take a dime from it. Every dollar that we raise,
everything that we do is about making sure that I'm
(06:40):
able to reach back or to reach to my left
or right to push people along or to pull them
along so that they can experience the same levels of
success that I have.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
That's amazing, I mean, just that you made two points
that really resonate with me. That you want to see
other people win?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Really do? Yeah? Same?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
A lot of people say that, but deep down they don't.
And what I've realized is that yes, people do want
to see you doing well. They may genuinely want to
see you do well, They just don't want to see
you doing better.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Than them.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yes, that's been my experience. From me, It's like, dang,
is it really like that?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yes, so much. So I will tell you I just
recently partnered with HMSDC, which is a certifying agency that
helps minorities to connect to contracts and resources and opportunities.
And so I said, listen, I want to make sure
that these women and others, not just women, but men
and women have access to be able to bid on
large contracts. So we just did a partnership where we
(07:46):
pushed people to a certifying event that happened recently to
help them to get certified. And what that now means
is that they have the ability to compete in just
a few weeks on bids that range from two to
five million. I'm not getting anything out of that. I
don't want anything from it. My gain is to see
other people win and to see them have access to
(08:07):
similar resources are the same resources that I do. So
this is truly truly my life's mission and my work
and my passion and my ministry. I want to just
see other people know that it is possible and to
figure out whatever it is and to help them accomplish it.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So what is it that you do in terms of
you know your scholarship on this whole business thing, like.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Give me your resume?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
What did you because you are very knowledgeable and clearly
for an accident of an event to come into this
big scale event that ain't nobody but God. Yes, and
then of course you know the work that you put
in prior to you have in that first impromptu conference.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Yes, So I will tell y'all.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Started my career in Houston and education with HI and
I transitioned after moving to Nebraska into broadcast media. So
I worked for the CBS affiliate there, and then I
moved back to Houston and I worked for the CBS
affiliate here in Houston, Channel eleven. And while doing that,
I just realized that I was gaining equity, professional equity.
(09:17):
I know, we think of equity in terms of like
your home, but I decided that I wanted to take
the equity of all those things that I had done
in my career and roll it into my own business.
And so along the way, I've been able to learn
some valuable lessons. I've gotten a chance to fail and
fail often and to get over it and to recognize
(09:38):
that it was an opportunity for me to be able
to learn and also to be able to share and
keep going. And it's been it's been a joy to
be along this ride. But there's still so much work
to do.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
But I'm ready for sure.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You're listening to the Public Affairs podcast. We are talking
to the founder of she said, found Natasha Norwood, the
she said foundation. Wait what is it called?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (10:06):
She said, Slab Edition.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
She said, Conference Slab Edition, and SLAB is an acronym.
It is happening on Wednesday, October the first, eight am
to five pm. Full day. Dress up. But where your
sneak is because you know, you want to look professional,
but yet you're gonna be comfortable because, uh, it might
be some walking, you know, going on. I don' know
how that parking is done at at seven one three
(10:30):
Music Hall. So this is going to be absolutely fabulous.
If you go to our website at either the Boxhuston
dot com or my Houston Magic with a Jay dot com,
we've got all of the information there for the she said,
Conference Slab Edition. I see that SLAB is an acronym.
What does what does the SLAB stand for?
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Slay, Lead, amplify and build. We want to show up ready.
We want to figure out how we lead, not necessarily
as a leader, just lead ourselves, lead our companies. We
want to amplify and business, amplify our voices, and we
want to build build sustainable businesses, Bill leaders, build multimillion
dollar companies.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
I want to get your thoughts on how things are
today with this current administration. You know, a lot of
things have been implemented. Some folks are hurting, you know,
due to you know, triffs and you know whatever new
policies Buddy executively signed in with an executive order. And
(11:39):
then there are those that are saying, oh, I'm just fine.
Actually I can see the growth. So what someone else
is experiencing due to forty whatever number he is, seven,
I'm good from the seat that use it in How
(12:00):
does it look to you?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
You know? I think I think that there is a
realness that we have to accept that we are operating
in a new space and that we are going to
have to figure out how we thrive in it. Some
of the most incredible businesses were births in a crisis,
and so I see it as a real opportunity. Now.
(12:22):
I don't want to negate the reality that many people
face right now the economic impacts that it will have,
and just the overall impact that it will have in
our lives. I don't want to, you know, to ignore
that or diminish that, but I will say that this
is an opportunity for you to really dig in and
to figure out how you are able to either pivot
(12:42):
or how you're able to find opportunities, and how you're
able to be really decisive in how you move and
the things that you do. I've encouraged people, you know,
working in corporate America has its benefits, It has a
safety right, but I think it is sometimes it is
(13:04):
a not so safe position to be in. So even
if you are working in corporate America, I think you
should still be thinking about how do you diversify your income,
how do you leverage the talents and the skills that
you have, Or if you're already in business, if you're
seeing some of those industries dry up, or you're seeing
some of those clients that you're working with start to
look the other way. That doesn't mean you tuck your
(13:27):
tail and fold. That means you have to be a
little bit more attentive to where the market is going
and the opportunities that exist for you, either in life
or in business, and run like hell as fast as
you can towards it, because there are real opportunities and
there is money being spent and money being made every day,
and there's no reason why you can't tap in. A
(13:48):
colleague of mind used to say, there is enough win
for every sale. So while we know that there are
some things that are outside of our control, there are
some things that we can. And I think that you
grab a hold of those things that you can and
you steer the ship.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
And there you have it.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
You grab it and you steer the ship because it
is yours. What else should the people know about? She
said conference Slab edition on Wednesday, October The first.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I think that you should know without a doubt that
there is a seat for you, and I sincerely want
you to take that in. There's a seat for you,
no matter where you are in life, no matter where
you are in your profession, no matter where you are
in your business, we have a seat for you. We
want to invite you to a space where people are
going to embrace you, where they're going to understand where
(14:39):
you are and where you want to go, and are
committed to helping you get there so at she said,
conference on October first at seven one three. This is
not a conference, it's a movement and we are committed
and dedicated to making sure that we can help you
realize that business or that dream or that vision that
you have. And we're going to do it with intention.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Nothing without intention, as Solon said on a seat at
the table, nothing without intention.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Yes, but I also want to say, expect to see
women dressed finely in their power suits and sneakers and
people that just want to be in a space where
they can have an incredible time. We are really embracing
the Houston culture, so every aspect of it. We will
have slabs will have that whole experience. So just imagine
the same production value that you get at a conference.
(15:30):
You'll get a context, you'll get all.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
This is going to be fabulous. Oh this is wonderful. Yeah,
wow wow, Save the day all your business women. Wednesday,
October first, eight until five at seven one to three.
Music Hall is the she said, Foundation, she said, conference,
slab addition and where can they go to register and
all of the good stuff You can.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Go to, she said, foundation dot org, or you can
follow us and connect with us on social media, she said, Foundation,
and will get you every piece of information that you
even thought you needed.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
It's all there.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Well you heard it from the leader herself, the fabulously
vivacious and wonderful Latasha Norwood, from she said Foundation.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Thank you so much for coming on, pap, this is wonderful.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Indeed, and to everyone listen to the podcast. We'll be
back after this. From your local Houston BMW Center Studios,
Welcome back to the public Affairs podcast addressing local issues
that affect our nation and shape our world. I am
your host K G. Smooth, welcoming back in the studio.
(16:37):
He was just here last week. You heard him last
week on with the folks at Travis Mannin Foundation for
the nine to eleven Heroes Run race. That was that, Well,
that will be this coming Saturday, the six first Sergeant
James Goolds will be back with this.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
How are you, man, I'm good man. Thank you for
having me so blessed, so excited.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Here man, and you are back because we just wanted
to dive in more with you.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
You know, being a military man, there's a lot that
is going on. But from what I've heard in the background,
you have the most amazing story that I would love,
or one of the most right, how about that one
(17:28):
of the most compelling stories. So let's kick it off.
Who is James Goolsby.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
So let's let's make it a good story. So James
Goolsby right out from a small town called Juliette, Georgia.
A lot of people have not heard of it, especially
from the great city of Houston. But it's it's small.
I grew up on a dairy farm, okag You know,
mom and dad never graduated high school. And to cap
(17:56):
off on top of that, my mother passed when I
was seventeen years old going into my senior year of
high school. My father now eighty two years old. He yeah,
that's a blessing right there. But he grew up in
a time where education, you know, wasn't wasn't highly thought of, right,
So at the time I was wondering, like, what do
I do after high school? You know, what, what does
(18:17):
the way look like?
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Right?
Speaker 4 (18:19):
I didn't have any any guidance. You know, they had
never been to college, let alone graduated high school. So
college applications things like that were r out of the question.
And Google wasn't as big as it is now right.
So I knew I needed education. I knew I needed
a way to be better. So I took a trip
down to the recruiting office and actually it was supposed
to be in the Navy. And I knocked on the
(18:41):
door and they didn't answer. But low and behold, there
was an Army recruiter over there. He brought me in,
you know, told me a lot about the benefits and
and things that can really help me be better. Right,
And like I tell everybody that that I interviewed with
and that I helped lead through this path, is the
Army is that footstool right to get you into the
consistency and to get you where you need to be
(19:04):
and where you want to be in your life. But
you got to do the work right. Nothing is a handout, right,
nothing in life is free. So here we are seventeen
years later. You know, a lot of nuances in between.
I've been in Houston since twenty twenty two, and along
the way a lot of different moves, a lot of
different places in the country. I started off as a culinarian,
(19:25):
a lot of things, you know, ice carving, plate presentation,
dietary instructions, things like that.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
I'm lighting up because I love for I love to hear.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Yeah, and that's what got me.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
You know.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
The recruiter was like, hey, what do you want to do.
I was like, I just want to go to college,
you know. But that's the gust of it. And I
always tell people Statistically, right, I'm a numbers guy, you know,
I have a master's in business administration. Statistically, I shouldn't
be here today looking for where I come from, small,
you know, dirt road town, lived on a farm, work
(19:58):
with my hands in back of mind, our life until
the army gave me that chance.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
And according to the statistics, where should you be?
Speaker 4 (20:07):
Statistically? If I had never took this path, I probably
would have a jail record, right. And I'm just looking
at the people that I grew up around, right that
that I watched my peers no college education, you know
a lot of and if they did have education, a
lot of debt, student loan debt, that's you know, just
(20:28):
holding over their heads. And then no life experiences. Man,
the amount of places I've traveled and just the opportunities.
So statistically, I'm very thankful to be here.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
So on that day when you when when when you
left the house with the intention of signing up and
you and you went to the Navy, I'm going to
be in the Navy. Nobody was there, but then there
was an Armor Army recruiter. What were your thoughts then?
Had you thought about the Army or was their pitch
so compelling that you was like, okay, let's go.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Their pitch was just that compelling. And they didn't just
talk to talk. They actually showed me facts, right, like, hey,
this is what you're going to get for college. These
are you know, the jobs. And we're talking one hundred
and fifty plus and even now today, you know, we've
armies branched out into cyber you know, we're talking about
building network systems, professional hacking, and the Army teaches you
(21:23):
and gives you the certifications for all of that. You know,
we're talking about the medical field. We're talking about nursing,
we're talking about doctors. Like earlier we were talking about
the COVID pandemic, right, Army doctors helped you know, the
leader the COVID you know pandemic. That's the stuff that
they got me with. And I was like, this is
this is the way, Like I said, they just didn't
(21:46):
talk it They showed it.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Yeah, that's dope.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I mean because, like I said last weekend, for those
of you that probably missed last week's episode of the
Public Affairs podcast, you can listen to it wherever you
listen to podcasts or whatever platform, just search the Public
Affairs Podcast and look for the nine to eleven Heroes
(22:09):
Run conversation.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
But last week when we were.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Talking, I was saying, how, you know, a lot of
people just think that the military is you know, you
go in and yeah, they teach you how to you know,
put together and clean a gun, and you do your
basic training, and then you go to war to go.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Prem prem Prim Prem Prim.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
That's what everybody thinks.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
That's what everybody thinks, not knowing that it is a
functionally running operation and that they have jobs for just
about everything as we move in daily civilian life.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Yes, we have everything you could think of and more.
And like I said, you know, I ended up you know,
going to Cone Route which didn't transform into logistics supply
chain management, and then I move over to HR and
the recruiting aspect, you know, start learning about public speaking,
right and the whole time I was going to school
pursuing that, you know, NBA that I graduated with a
(23:06):
couple of years ago, and now you know, I'm preparing
to do my DBA Doctrine of Business Administration at Liberty University.
So it gave me so much more. It allowed me
to be consistent towards success. Everybody says they want to
be successful, But are you going to be doing the
things consistently to be successful? That's that's the question that
(23:26):
nobody wants to answer. They just say, oh, I want
to you know, six figure lifestyle. They don't think about, Oh,
you need health care right, Oh, you know you may
need that VA home loan, right, you may need the
college paid for which, in fact, if you don't use
your post nine to eleven GI bill, you can pass
to your spouse of your kids. That's the stuff they
(23:48):
don't think about until life hits them.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Right.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
So when we talk about success, it's not just a
linear process. It's multiple things that help you lead to success.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Indeed, you're listening to the public of first place, we're
talking to First Sergeant James Gouldsby of the US Army,
just telling his story and getting to know him a
lot better.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
So with you with these other.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Jobs, opportunities in the US military.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
You're in culinary.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Arts, do you still have to go through the basic
training and all of that stuff to be you know
the chef.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Or the the the.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Radio engineer or the you know, the person that cleans
the ship for the or the or the humdy or
whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Absolutely everybody has to go through basic combat training. But
here's the thing. Basic combat training teaches you a lot
more than people think. Once again, oh I can yeah magic.
They think, oh, I'm just going to go put together
the guns, shoot the guns. No, you're going to learn
a lot about map reading, right, how to lead your
(24:59):
peers right. Leadership is an invaluable asset, right, communication reading
exactly right. It's just what it says.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Basic.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
We're giving you the basic training, physical fitness, how to
eat right, how to take care of yourself so you're
not running around, you know, getting sick and stuff like that.
This is the basics. We're giving you the basics for success.
And then after that you go onto what we call
advanced individual training, or more commonly, we just say your
job training. Right, what's your specialty? So for me, you
(25:30):
know culinary, you know other people it may be satellite communications. Right,
you're gonna go learn how to pinpoint satellites to see
stuff that other peoples can't.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Right.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
Or let's say you're doing something in the medical field, right,
our health care specialist, You're gonna go learn how to
be an EMT.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Right.
Speaker 4 (25:47):
The Army is gonna give you that, right, You're gonna
learn how to do the IVS. Right, You're gonna learn
all that stuff, and the Army is gonna teach you
and you get paid while learning.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
It is that wonderful.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
It doesn't get any better than that, right, serious, All
you got to do is be consistent yea, and open
to learn.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
I'm not gonna hold you.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I I I wish that the Army wood had accepted
me when they courted me, but you know, due to
my heart condition, you know they didn't.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
But I that's what I was.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Looking forward to, to be honest, doing the basic training,
learning those things in those six weeks. So it was
just like ah when they didn't choose me. But you know,
God had another another route plan. So you know, I'm
not mad at that, but I I was interested. I
(26:41):
was especially after seeing my aunt who was in the
Navy as ill last week and my uncle was in
the air Force and my my grandmother worked at Wright
Patterson Air Force Base, and so just with that, I
wanted to go in, yeah and just serve. So that
(27:02):
was heartbreaking. But I didn't even even then, I didn't
even realize that all of the rest of those jobs
were available. So with you being a recruiter, like, how
can you tell if the man or the woman is
truly interested? Like is that one of your gifts to
(27:25):
kind of read the energy and recruiting these folks.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
So for me, it's a gift. I really believe that,
and I think that God has blessed me with looking
at people and having those conversations, especially you know, Houston
being as beautiful as it is. I can't even tell
you the amount of people I've talked to and I
tell them my story, and I like speaking to their parents,
you know, their influencers, their husbands, their wives, and just
letting them know that.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Hey, I like that their influencers, their husbands and their
wives because that's exactly what they Sorry, I'm sorry you
just click something.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Like, man, he's right, go ahead, But that's the way
for it, right. We have to let them know, hey,
we are more than what meets the eye and then
I asked them a question like, if you didn't do
the Army, what would you do? And then I'll listen
to you know, their plan, and then I'll provide them
what I call my plan, right, which is rooted in
the Army through my own personal experiences. And they go,
you know what, your plan seems a lot more easier,
(28:24):
and I go, it's not easier. It just gives you
a higher probability for success if you stay consistent. And
that normally normally gets the It gets them to understand
that you don't have to just start at the bottom,
right and just grind and grind and take on all
this student loan debt, and no, you don't have to
do that. Let us help you, right, And it's a
(28:47):
simple process. You know. You take the as FAB which
is a aptitude test. Right, everybody act SAT, you know,
very similar, right, And then you do a physical right,
we want to make sure you're healthy. You pick a job,
what job do you want? And then that's when the
wheels start turning.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Right.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Then we of course my recruiters always tell them, hey,
tell them your personal experiences with those jobs that they're
looking at. Right, we give them the raw truth, right,
because when they join, you know, my army, I take
it very personal. I want them to be consistent. I
want them to be committed, and then when I see
them again in uniform, I want them to be happy,
and I want their families to be happy.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Has there been any Were there any misconceptions that you
might have had about the army and then going into
it and once you got in there, you was like, oh, well,
this ain't what it was like on MASH or I'm
aging myself. Never I never watched MASH like that. It
(29:49):
would come on the reruns and I'd be like, what
is this show?
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Like?
Speaker 1 (29:52):
It never attracted me, but you know, what's another military
show that was out there?
Speaker 4 (29:59):
That means MASH was way back there?
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Yeah, that's way way back right, But yeah, any any
misconceptions like oh I thought it was going to be
like this, but there's way more to here.
Speaker 4 (30:11):
So I think the the first thing that popped into
my mind was the movie Full Metal Jacket, which I
know was Marines, but that's the you know division I had.
I was like, this how it was going to be
and it wasn't, you know, but it gave me so
much confidence, you know, going through those things, learning how
to properly lead people right, learning first aid. That was
(30:32):
a big one for me, right, I you know, I
was eighteen. I had never given someone IV before. You know,
these are skills that could potentially help me save someone life.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
One I CPR, Yes, CPR.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
I was like, man, this is and I'm getting paid
to do this.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Right. You know.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
I was a little nervous with needles because you at
the time you had to give someone IV and then
they had to give you one. And I was like,
you know, you know side I but you know, when
you're trained by special list, you follow instructions, everything goes well.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
So did you know how did you become a great
full of blottomist that I did?
Speaker 2 (31:07):
I did.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
I didn't miss any veins or anything. And then after
that the physical training aspect, you know, the cardio right,
the weightlift and the calisthetics, stuff like that that really
conditioned us. That's I watched people just transform and in
mind of confidence when they I'm.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Sure and always mentally physically, emotionally.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
Yeah, you see yourself different, You look in the mirror different,
your family sees you different. About a month ago, we
had what's called an educational tour and we take teachers
from local here in Houston and we take them to
a basic training base and we went out to Fort Jackson,
South Carolina, and they actually got to watch the making
of a soldier And just so happened. My seventeenth year
(31:50):
anniversary where I graduated at Fort Jackson, was that same week.
And so you know, I'm very patriotic. You know, I
still cry when the national anthem plays. I was watching
and no soldiers, you know, and I was like, that
was me seventeen years ago. And to see the teachers go,
this is what our students are becoming. You see it? It
makes you proud.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Yeah, I can see the problemence in you right now,
or just I can just feel it, like you live this.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
I live it, and I love it because I think
if I had never taken that step, if I never
took that you know, right turn into that army office,
where would I be now? And I hope I never
find out.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Yeah, I hope you don't either. Have you ever thought
about where you might I've been.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
I have.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
When I brought my first house back in twenty eleven,
the first person in my family to graduate college, you know,
the first person to own a home, outside of my parents.
I was like, you know what, I probably would have
been working at Domino's somewhere because that was my first
job in high school. I probably STI.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Would have been there, Why in that small town because
I was.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Comfortable, That's it, And that that comfort.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Would have killed keep you complacent, It would.
Speaker 4 (32:59):
Have kept me complacent, and it would have killed what
I could have become what I am now.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Yeah, and are you proud of the man who you
have become?
Speaker 4 (33:08):
No, because I'm not the man that I'm gonna be yet. Oh,
because the man that I'm gonna be is ten years
from now, it's gonna be twenty years from now, and
I'm never gonna stop chasing him.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
That's a bar.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
That's that's a strake bar. I love that, you know.
That's the same. It's funny. That's the same thing I
say about Beyonce when people are like, ain't nobody out
there better than Beyonce? No, Beyonce is a top notch right,
I'm like, no, there is somebody out there better than Beyonce. Yeah,
Beyonce next year exactly?
Speaker 4 (33:42):
Why Because she evolves, right, Because she's better because she evolves.
And that's what we all have to do.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
That's what's up. So are you? Are you guys recruiting
right now? Is the Army looking for it?
Speaker 4 (33:53):
We are looking every day. Just today I was on
a TSU campus out there doing some great stuff with them.
Look at us on Instagram, you know, at Go Army
Houston or you can follow my personal Instagram at James N.
G O O L. S b Y Senior. You'll see
some amazing stuff right and I love talking to people.
But we are looking every day.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
So to the teenager that is on the way to
church with your parents and your grandparents and you're hearing this,
go ahead, pull out your phone on Instagram, Go Army Houston,
check it out and reach out to James. Give you
a person on one more time.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
It's at James and then g O O. L.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
S b Y Senior, First Sergeant James Gouldsby of the
US Army.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
This has been great. The first of all, this twenty
minutes flew by. I just looked down like, oh man,
were done already. Thank you for coming back. I'm so
glad that you did. This was amazing.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
I'm blessed.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Thank you, no, thank you, and to everyone listening to
the podcast, I'm kg smooth and we will see you
next week. Happy Labor Day,
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