Episode 148 VAL ULUFALE ( Owner : For My Family Brand )

What drives a person to transform their life from rock bottom to running a successful business? Meet Val, the founder of For My Family brand, whose story of redemption, purpose, and entrepreneurial spirit captures the essence of Hawaii resilience.

Val pulls no punches discussing his former life of addiction—mixing fentanyl and other substances until his body literally broke out in hives from toxicity. His pivotal moment came after an overdose that finally forced him to confront the pain he was causing his loved ones. "When a person goes through addiction, we don't only go through it, we put our whole family through it," Val explains with raw honesty. With the help of his boxing coach, he fought through three grueling months of withdrawal to reclaim his life.

What emerged from this dark period wasn't just recovery but revelation. Val recognized that the same determination addicts use to "find a way to get high even when we don't have money" could be redirected toward achieving positive goals. This insight became the foundation of his brand, For My Family, which has grown from a personal mantra into a movement with nearly 200 product releases over five years. His innovative mobile store—Hawaii's first clothing bus complete with AC, Wi-Fi, and retail displays—has brought his message directly to communities across the islands.

The brand isn't merely about apparel; it's about purpose. Whether creating high-visibility workwear for construction workers or designing matching outfits for parents and keiki, each piece carries the reminder of why we push through difficult days—for those who depend on us. "A tough guy isn't one with a gun or knife," Val asserts. "A tough guy is getting up every morning and doing whatever they got to do for their family."

Ready to be inspired by someone who truly understands the fight? Listen to Val's full story and discover how focusing on your "why" can transform not just your life, but create a legacy that impacts an entire community. Follow @FMF_brand on Instagram and visit www.fmfbrandhi.com to connect with this movement that's redefining what it means to live with purpose.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
okay, welcome to another edition of the above the
bridge podcast.
I'm your host, thaddeus park.
If this is your first timelogging into our show, you can
find us wherever you get yourpodcasts.
We're on pretty much everysingle main podcast platforms.
We also are on YouTube, so like, subscribe, leave a comment on

(00:31):
our YouTube channel, it matters.
And we also have our website,atbpodcom.
And yeah, thank you for tuningin.
I definitely appreciate it.
First thing I want to do isshout out our sponsors.
First, we have Defend Hawaii.
They've been with us from thebeginning.
They have a new spring linedropping now, so go check them

(00:53):
out.
They have a store in WindwardMall called no One.
Also, go check out theirwebsite at defendhawaiicom.
Get whatever you want forspring and summer's coming up,
so go check them out.
Use promo code ATBPODUPON Checkout.
You'll get 15% off your entirepurchase order, so go check them
out.

(01:13):
Next, we have IREP DetailSupply and they're your one-stop
shop superstore for everythingyou need to detail your vehicle.
They have a store in TempleValley Shopping Center.
They also have a store in LasVegas, but go check them out on
their website atirepdetailsupplycom.
Use promo code ADBPOD uponcheckout and you also get 15%

(01:38):
off your entire purchase order.
Last, we have our MedicinalMushroom Company company.
They're a locally basedmedicinal mushroom company from
here in hawaii.
Um, it's medicinal mushroomhawaii.
They have four tinctures ofextracted mushrooms right now.
They have lion's mane, chaga,turkey tail and red reishi.

(02:00):
Each one of these mushroomshave a different medicinal
property.
I take all four religiouslyevery single day.
The first three I take in themorning.
I even take the lion's manebefore I record these podcasts.
The red reishi I take at night.

(02:20):
It helps me sleep like a champ.
So go check them out at theirwebsite at med mushroom highcom,
if you were to use promo codeATB pot upon check out all
capitals you'll get 45% off yourfirst tincture of extracted
mushrooms.
So go check them out.
I love it makes me feel like achamp.

(02:40):
Go check them out.
Aloha Okay, this week on my showis somebody I met when we had
to uh, when we were able to do aum, a youth function in winai,
and I've been a fan of thisguy's uh page and his brand for
a while and for me personally, Iwas stoked to know the person

(03:04):
that I see on Instagram is justas cool and full of aloha in
person as he is on Instagram.
What you see is what you get.
This is Val from For my FamilyBrand.
What's up, brother?

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Aloha, my brother and I'm excited and thankful to be
here.
Likewise, and how we actually,when we first met, we had to go

(03:50):
and linked up and uh, we metjust was.
Um, when we crossed paths wasjust solid from there, you know
you know when you meet somebodyit's just for sure you know the
good, the great and you knowwhen we're gonna be gonna be
awesome you know, yeah, bro,those white knight kids was
trying to take us out.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
Though we got on workout, bro, I was sweating.
It was good fun, though we wasgoing.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
We wasn't, I wasn't letting off, you know we had to
show.
You know we had to show, we can.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
I never played that in years.
But we didn't handle, we heldour own, these young kids that
took us, that took young kids.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
That took me back, that took me back and um took me
back, where, um, you know,nowadays, nowadays is a little
different.
You know, it's a more of a youlike play on the phone and was
really something we never inyears over 10 years or 20 years,

(04:47):
I never right.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yep guaranteed, we went to a baseball battle
kickball.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
What is the one in the tetherball?

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Oh, what is that called Tetherball?
Yep, yep, tetherball.
Yeah, so that took us back togreat, great memories yeah, and
like you're right, brother, kidsnowadays they I mean they all
about screens and like for seekids playing like that.
And yeah, it was good fun, bro,I had a blast.

(05:20):
We got to do that again I hopethe kind remirage sets that up
again.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
That was good you set something up again that we make
them bigger.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
You know longer event yeah, so we, me and broc cruz
was coming from kaneoia and wecaught that your y9 traffic brad
, that's nuts.
I was, I was knowing, I saw youguys.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
I was like, oh, I know you guys came from the
other side.
I was like I was, I was, I wasreally, you know, like, you know
, like, wow, you know, we came.
It was a weeknight too, yeah,yeah, yeah, weeknight too, you
know, and we did it for the kids, we did it for the community to
come together.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
And we show them that we can come together.
The whole thing was aboutcoming together.

Speaker 1 (06:01):
Yeah, that's one.
Yeah, that was good fun, butand the kids had a blast and
yeah, it was the vibe that Ifelt that night was was chicken
skin like, yeah, that felt goodjust just ran brah yeah you know
, just them two, just just justthem being together.
They're going to vibe the wholeroom yeah.

(06:23):
Yeah, those guys is too much bro.
Yeah, good fun Of them.
But, bro, I've been followingyour page and, just like I said
when I intro'd you, in a lot ofstuff you'd speak and would hit
home to me and it was definitelyinspirational, would hit home

(06:46):
to me and and and was definitelyinspirational and and when I
met you, it was like that sameversion of you that's on
instagram is is is the same dudethat I was talking story with
and I was like, oh, he's, he'sfor real, like legit bro.
Yeah, it was.
It was refreshing.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
You know, I mean, I meet plenty guys on that, I see
on instagram, and when you meetthem in person then, ah, that's
their representation sometimesit's disappointing because
you're looking forward to,you're looking forward to
meeting him and not also meetinghim and knowing him, because

(07:20):
you see him on, you see somepeople on there and the things
he, the things they, they say,that's what you stand by.
You really stand by it.
Yeah, that's why you connectand just, I guess, just us, um,
I feel like just us meeting wasuh, you know, it was meant to.

Speaker 1 (07:44):
As a fan of your brand and following your page on
on instagram, I had like acouple questions, like I wanted
to know how you came up with theconcept of your brand and how
you got started, because, bro, Isee your stuff everywhere, like
I seen your that logo wellbefore I I even seen your
instagram or even met you.

(08:04):
Right, it's been a.
It's been a while it's justyeah.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
So this is coming up on our october will be our fifth
year, oh, wow, and it's been aa journey.
The journey is, uh, it's been ais, you know, and especially in
business and learning.
Business and learning how tostand, learning how to share

(08:35):
your message.
It's the message, it's themessage, what we stand by.
And when we first started, formy family, actually, when I
changed my life you know we canget to it I changed my life in
2016.
I changed my whole life.

(08:55):
You know, I was in addictionand living a different life, a
life of making bad choices,living a different life, a life
of making bad choices.
And so when I decided to changemy life, the reason for me
changing my life is not only forme, but the reason I changed in

(09:20):
me is always going to be is formy family.
You know, I said oh, they a lot, of, a lot of people I see
today.
They a lot of people I seetoday or when I see them, they
sometimes they get drawn backbecause I'm I'm a completely
different person of how, thechoices that I made and the way

(09:42):
I carry myself.
I was just the way.
How do I, how do I put it likeI was always getting into
trouble.
Yeah, but I not was.
It wasn't, um, not like a bully, not like I'm bully, but I was

(10:07):
just in that, that that lifeyou're going to live.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
If you live in a certain type of life, you always
going to draw negative.
Yeah, so now I meet people.
I meet the people that knew mein my past.
They, they, they're very, theyhave.
I meet the people that knew mein my past.
They, they, they're very how Iput it?
Happy, or they, they're not inshock, but they're getting.

(10:35):
They get inspired themselvesbecause you can't change, you
can't change.
So, for my family is arepresentation of, for my family
, for my future.

(10:56):
That's our brand, that's whatit's called.
And if you no more on family,you do it for your future and do
it for yourself.
So it's a representation of howyou want to live your life with
purpose.
Do you want to like?
If you right, I feel like, ifyou know more purpose in life,
then why you?

(11:16):
You know why you here, youalways gonna have purpose and um
, always fight to be better.
Yeah, fight to be better.
And for my family brand, um, I,uh, I always told my wife when

(11:37):
I, when one day not one day likeone, I'm gonna, when I first
started, when I, when I firstgot on my journey of changing I
mean getting sober, gettingclean from the street life I
told her that I want to helppeople around the world, start a

(12:01):
company and not um, and abusiness called for my family,
because that's what representswho I am.
I can I can only tell my storyof what I've been through and we
can connect with everybodyright yeah.

Speaker 1 (12:18):
So how stoked was your family and your wife when I
guess you're trying to shiftfrom that negative path to get
sober and clean?

Speaker 2 (12:29):
I mean it's not easy I know that for a fact.
Okay, yeah, you know, you know,um, the first was like okay,
we've been around this, we'vebeen around this, um, you know,
we've been around this, I heardthis before.
Yeah, and um, what needed?
Honestly, I just got tired.

(12:50):
I got sick and tired, bro, Igot sick and tired of being sick
and tired because it's like,whenever ending you know it's
not, know, I don't know if youknow it right, it's not, it's
like we're never ending, we'renever ending.
Yeah, it's like when we get up,first thing we do we don't even

(13:13):
say I love you babe, we don'teven say how grateful we are to
get up.
The first thing I would do isget up and go on my phone and
look for drugs.
Yeah, look for get high, that'swhat I would.
And, mind you, the mostimportant people in the whole

(13:34):
world that is there watching memaking sure I don't overdose,
making sure is there and I don'teven acknowledge that sure is
there and I don't evenacknowledge that you know.
So my whole outlook on lifewhen change, when I, when I um,
um, change my life, I actuallyoverdose.

(13:55):
That's what that's.
That was the last straw.
I overdose, um, like hospitaleverything kind yeah yes, oh,
carolyn Fenton, fentanyl, I wasup.
I used to be up for like five,six days and I used to mix like
a speedball, oh, shit, yeah.
So I used to be up for fivedays, not smoking, like you know

(14:20):
how I that all I say just up onum, the opiates, the, the
fentanyl, the heroin and mixingthem with with um, uh, cooking,
uh, I used to be out five, sixdays.
The fifth day I used to breakout.
In the fifth day I used tobreak out.

(14:41):
In the fifth day I used tobreak out in um hives because I
had so much toxic in my body.
Oh, brah, yeah, yeah, and um,uh, you know, I, I, I just got
tired of putting my familythrough.
But cause, when we, when aperson goes through addiction,

(15:03):
not only we don't only askthrough it, we put our whole
family through it.
Oh, yeah, right, yeah,definitely.
We put our whole family throughit, you know, and we always seem
to find a way.
So check this out.
We always seem to find a way toget high even though we don't

(15:26):
have money.
Bro, why we cannot do that withour goals.

Speaker 1 (15:33):
That makes sense.
That makes sense, right.
Yeah.
Like if you're that driven forget high, you can get that
driven for get.
Yes, that's a fucking, that'ssuper.
That makes super, plenty sense,cause I, I get couple friends
that's going through it rightnow and, bruh, I cannot get

(15:53):
through them.
I talk to them for hours andyou think you get through them,
and then it's like the very nextday.
Yup, and it's like bruh.
Every day I talk to you it'sthe same stuff.
It's been like that for twoyears.
And it's like bruh Every day Italk to you it's the same stuff.
It's been like that for twoyears.
And it's like when you gonnaput your feet in the mud and
stop or say oh, I love my kids,I love my family, I'll do

(16:18):
anything for them.

Speaker 2 (16:19):
So obviously you know Love your kids, you know love
your family that much that yougonna still do that yeah, so I
had to show my you don't loveyour kids.
You don't love your family thatmuch that you're going to still
do that.
So I had to show my.
I had to show my wife now we'vebeen together for 14 years,
she's been through everythingand my sons and my daughter, my
kids.
I had to show them who I was,who I really was, and it wasn't

(16:44):
easy to everybody out there.
You know I know it's not easy,but come on, you like you, like
you said yes, right, you want tolive or you want to exist?
Yeah, you know, you know.
So, um, I uh, I had to showthem who I was.

(17:05):
So I got clean.
So it took me about actually ittook me about two months to get
clean, like not because ofsomebody, because the amount,
like just the withdrawals,that's why a?
lot of people don't stop becausethey're scared of getting sick.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
That's one of the reasons why Well, you get sick,
like full on, like Bad oh.

Speaker 2 (17:31):
Bad Because your body , yeah, like when Like, when bad
, you get like one bad Like fluor something bad flu flu times
thousand yeah, flu timesthousand.

(17:51):
Yeah, so I had to.
I don't know if you ever did seeme training with my coach I
seen you, so he took me in waseither was either I still
continue to do what I do and gethigh every day, or I just admit

(18:18):
what if he said no, you know heloved me so much.
You know he trained me since Iwas 13.
That's why I'm with him everymorning.
I start my day with him, Itrain with him in the morning,
and then you know, and he's likemy dad, you know, coach, al.
So, um, so I uh took me a boat.

(18:39):
I stayed with him.
Um, I want to, I want to.
I want to tell you a quickstory.
So I got clean.
I stayed with him three months.
I got clean, for took me aboutthree months.
It was about it was less thanthat, but it was to get to make
sure that I was clean.
So I stayed with him over threemonths.
I got my first.

(19:00):
So I stayed with him over threemonths.
I got my first, my first joband um, from not working on, I
had to learn all the work.
My first job was constructionand, um, when I was ready to
leave, his then wife told me Iwas staying on his couch now.

(19:24):
So his then wife told me when Iwas ready to leave.
I said, I said, why are youstaying on the couch?
I said, my uncle told me I hadto stay on the couch.
I said, but I had your roomready.
I had a room ready for you.
I said what?
I had the room ready for you.

(19:45):
And then, um, I guess coachheard me talking and he took me
on Saturday when I was ready to.
You know my first check.
I got my family back, so let me, I'll get back.
I'll get to that.
Right after this story, he tookme outside.

(20:05):
He said son, I said yes, coach.
I always say yes, coach.
I said I made you stay on thatcouch because I wanted you to
learn what it feels like to beon coach.
And ever, not ever.
No, don't you ever put yourselfin that that situation again,

(20:28):
because you know I'm not, I mean, I'm a fighter like I'm like,
I'm a fighter, I love to, I lovefighting, I love the art of
boxing and just you know, I love, I love the sport.
Um, you told me, son, this wasyour hardest fight of your life
getting clean, you know, I mean,the team gave me still give me

(20:49):
chicken skin, you know, and youbeat it.
So now you just gotta um,maintain it every day.
So is it is it a?

Speaker 1 (20:59):
is it a struggle like even now, or is that far behind
you?

Speaker 2 (21:05):
it's uh, it's always a no, every day is a battle, but
it's not.
I don't think about it, I just.
The only time I think about itis I want to, like I think about
that is when I want to helpsomebody.
Yeah, like I don't, I don't.

(21:26):
What do I do when I want toreminisce about?
I just watch.
I just want and think where Icame from and I watch
Intervention.

Speaker 1 (21:37):
That gets intense bro .

Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, I watch Intervention and I just
reminisce what I put my familythrough.
So that's the whole reason whyI go out and I push forward
every day, because I know.

Speaker 1 (21:52):
I put my family through that.
That's true, and I know throughaddiction.
I know the biggest step isadmitting you get on problem,
because if you cannot do thatthen nothing gonna change.
And that's what I'm strugglingwith some friends right now and
it's like, bro, you can't evenlook me in the eye and tell me
you doing them.
Like how I'm gonna get you forstop when you can't even admit

(22:15):
you doing them?

Speaker 2 (22:16):
you know or um, you're can blame everybody else
brah, that's it right there in anutshell right.
The reason why I doing this?
Oh man, because I, I, I waslike that, I used to blame, but
I have great parents.
My mom and my dad is the best.
My brother, my older brother,my younger brother, my sister.

(22:41):
I love them so much, they loveme so much.
It was just, they're great.
You know how people say oh, Igrew up and my mom and dad
wasn't there.
No, it's the choices we make inlife.

Speaker 1 (23:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (23:01):
It's what we make out of it, right.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
So I'm just.
That's why every day I pushhard.
I try to be the best I can befor me myself and my family, and
whatever messages we make, wecan help somebody yeah.

Speaker 1 (23:23):
I agree.

Speaker 2 (23:25):
If, guys, if, if any out of anybody watching this, if
I can do it, you guys will doit.
It's not going to be easy.
It's not going to be easy andgoing to take going to take a
lot, of, a lot, of, a lot of alot of strength, even from God.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
God is going to guide you, so you got to buckle down
and know what you want yeah, and, like you said, it's on fight,
so you got to be willing forstrap it up and fight.
You know what I mean.
Life is on fight For realNothing will hit us harder than

(24:07):
life, bro, right 100%.

Speaker 2 (24:11):
Yeah, you know, sometimes I wake up or at the
ending of the day I feel like Igot slurred from life.
You know, yeah, you know or atthe ending of the day, I felt
like I got slurried from life.
You know, yeah, but you know, Iknow you get, you have, you
have a daughter, yep, yep.
You gotta stay strong for her.

Speaker 1 (24:28):
Yeah, right, yep that's what keeps you going 100
and um through your brand.
It definitely.
I understand now how you, howmuch the message versus like one
shirt.
You know, I mean, it's notabout the clothes it's.
It's about the message.

Speaker 2 (24:48):
Message yeah, you know it's about um.
Every time you see this logofor my family, I want them to
feel like when they put them on,they put it on with meaning,
yeah, with meaning, and this isyeah, I put it on and this is

(25:10):
who I am.
This is what I stand for.
You know, even if you've beenchanging your life, it's just
meaning purpose.
It's not just a shirt, it's not.
We are one brand and we allwant to change lives.

(25:31):
That's what it is.

Speaker 1 (25:34):
Well, I think you probably are probably more than
you know.
You know what I mean.
Well, I think you probably areprobably more than you know.
You know.
I mean, I'm sure you have a lotof people that you touch and
you probably got choketestimonies of of certain
situations, but that's just thepeople you hear of you probably
touching way more and likethrough your brand and your

(25:54):
videos.
Like bro, we was in vegas sametime you was, my daughter, them
had on volleyball tournament andmy daughter, my daughter, she's
the captain of her team, she,she, she's good.
But one day she had one, onegame, the, the worst game she
ever had, and she was shook,like she's, she's a sore loser.

(26:17):
Like she's like me, she's acompetitor.
And she, she, she was justflustered, like, messed up, oh,
I had a bad game.
I never played like that before.
And she was shook and I showedher your video and I showed her
the one where you said is youwin together, but it's how you

(26:38):
come back when you lose?
Yeah, and for me, like I washappy that happened because I
like see, I like see what youcan do, like when everything's
good, everything's good, butwhen you catch on l, that's when
it matters what you can do thenext day the next game.
So I was like I like, see, yep,and she came back the next day,

(27:01):
I know, and she woke up her face, so she's ready for she's
locked in, yeah, and she playedgood the next day and I was like
, okay, now we know, now I knowyou got that dog in you, you got
and and that's what life is,you catch an l, how you come
back it.
Like you said, nothing couldmess you up more than life.
You know what I mean?

(27:21):
Yes, exactly, but I rememberseeing that video and I had that
tool to show her and I couldtell her a million times.
But hearing it from somebodyelse probably resonated with her
more.
And, um, brah, is those littlethings right there.
I always.
That's why I always liked yourpage was because you, you, you

(27:43):
say some inspiring stuff andit's someone I can relate to.
And local brada, speaking fromhis heart, that I can, I can
relate to that, not somemainland guy in one suit trying
for me.
Yeah, so me, it's important,bro, what you're doing,
definitely in our community.
You know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (28:07):
I feel like, for instance, your daughter.
She's the captain.
She really got a lot of weighton her shoulder right yeah, yeah
everybody looking at her.
she's done, she's the captain.
So, with her coming back thenext day, um, that one, let her

(28:32):
know that she always had thatstrength in her.
Yeah, it it's okay to you know,like I know you said, she felt
spluttered, it's okay, but shealways had them in her and
that's what I like.
I want everybody to know.
They get them in them.
Yeah, it's just how you'regoing to come back from.
You're either going the choices, you're either going when your

(28:54):
back is against the wall'reeither going, um, you're gonna
go down, or you're gonna standup and you can fight back.

Speaker 1 (29:03):
yeah, there's only two ways you can do it yeah, and
for me that was perfect because, like I told her, the best
thing about that wholetournament was when you caught
that l and you came back likethat.
For me it's like I don't know,I know she never got tested like
that.
So it's like now we're gonnafind out.
And I instilled a lot of stuffin her, but I never hit the play

(29:26):
button.
She never need hit that playbutton.
So it's like, okay, that thisis it, this is this is what I
groomed you your whole life foris how you gonna be, be not in
just volleyball but in life,like these little trial
tribulations, how you bounceback from it.
That's what's going to matter,cause volleyball is nothing

(29:47):
compared to life.
You know what I mean and if youhave that in you, like you said
, then you can, you can pushthrough.
It was cool to see, cause,honestly, I was.
I never know, you know, I hope,but I never know for sure, you
know okay.
But yeah, I was, and your videohelped, bro, and and like I had

(30:09):
that little tool in my pocketand I and I used it.
I was like how I would motivateher, like boom, right there and
just one local brother speak itfrom his heart and resonate
with her and brah.
It was cool and I think a lotof those situations are
happening, a lot more than youknow, and probably you don't

(30:31):
even know half of them.

Speaker 2 (30:32):
You know, I mean, and I, I just I feel, and I just I
feel, I know you feel this.
I feel like we have this Hawaiiin general, we get I'm not
being biased, we get the mosttalent.

(30:53):
We're so blessed with only theresources, the resources, and
we're so blessed with only theresources, the resources, and
we're so blessed and we can doso much, you know, we do so much
we do.
We can accomplish so much withthe less amount of resources

(31:16):
that we have.
That's why I feel like we'rethe most talented, you know.
I mean we're blessed, I meanwe're the most talented place on
earth, you know it's Hawaii.
You know we do.
We make do with what the bestwe are.
We're little islands.
Now we go up against the states, you know wherever in the world

(31:39):
, right?

Speaker 1 (31:41):
That's funny.
You say that.
So my daughter's volleyballteam.
They practice at Olamana, theboys' home.
In the prison oh wow, in onedirty old gym, get rafters so
they cannot even hit the ball upthe net, get pukas in them and
dirt on the ground.
We got a sweet and it's ongrimy bus up gym Like it's in

(32:04):
the boys' home.
You know what I mean and theydo what they get right and I say
if you can play on this teamthen you can play anywhere and
we go to mainland.
I said these girls they don'tknow what it's like to drive
past the cows and go up the hilland and playing this.
Yeah, like they play in thesenice freaking gyms and

(32:25):
warehouses and get the teraflexon the ground or whatever and
it's like you guys go over thereand smash them.
It's like doesn't matter whatwhere you training is, how are
you training?

Speaker 2 (32:34):
are you trained?
How about you?

Speaker 1 (32:36):
How bad you want it, brad.
I just resonated, brad, whatyou just said.
We get the shittiest resources,but we get heart and Heart.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
Yes, heart and aloha Aloha yes, aloha, both ways, you
know.
Aloha with the love and alohathat we can go all the way you
know, Yep.

Speaker 1 (33:03):
But to get back to your brand, I wanted to know, um
, how you came up with your logo, because that thing, that logo,
is super cool, like just thedesign itself, you know, I mean
so the logo, um, when we firstdid it, I should should have
brought I'm going to message you, I'm going to message you, I'm
going to text you our first everlogo later.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
So what I wanted was I told one of my brothers I said
I want, when we were firstdrawing everything out, I want
something simple, but somethingmeans power and I wanted um.

(33:44):
So what he did was he looked atmy tattoo, he looked at, um, he
looked at my tattoo and then um, uh, we just went, uh, he draw
it out and then um, I think I'mnot too sure, I think he said
close your eyes and open.
It was just, I wanted somethingsimple but means when you look

(34:07):
at this logo, you can alwaysthink about for my family,
without the words.
So we put the two Fs this istwo Fs backwards and the m in
the middle, yeah, but it's likewings.
So we keep on going up, we keepon going forward.
That's the whole inspirationbehind this logo.

(34:29):
So we wanted it.
Every single release.
We did, we did I, I, we did.
Over 100 releases already.
100 or 200 releases, almost 200releases, I think we did, we
did I, I, we did over 100releases already.
100 or 200 releases, almost 200releases.
I think we did already, but Ialways wanted to implicate our
logo.
So every time you see um, everytime you see for my family, you

(34:53):
always gonna be in your brainthat you remember like okay,
that logo means for my family,for instance, like Nike or any
you know any.
They just get the swoosh.
You know what it means alreadyWithout, but ours gonna have
purpose behind it.

Speaker 1 (35:10):
Yeah, definitely, and it's been growing, like you've
been growing this brand for what?
Over five years?

Speaker 2 (35:17):
it's, it's gonna be five.

Speaker 1 (35:18):
Gonna be the fifth year in october oh, wow, and I
see it everywhere and likerandom kind people get them,
like and it's where?
Where do you sell your stuff?
Like you have a store.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
I know you got your mobile shops, huh I got my
mobile, um my uh, my mobile bus.
We made our the first evermobile store in hawaii, that's
super cool did you ever come?

Speaker 1 (35:42):
on, come on.
I never came on it, but I seeno videos.

Speaker 2 (35:45):
Yeah okay, yeah, it's , it's, uh, it's way bigger than
then.
It's like uh one of those uhbig, uh vacations yeah yeah,
those yeah.
So we had like almost 40 seatsin the bus.
So when we built the bus thatwas actually we built the bus

(36:07):
that was actually going to makeon going a storefront.
So the timing wasn't right onthe storefront so things never
lined up that time.
So the money I had for thestorefront I put it into a
mobile store.
I built it and um, now, uh,we're gonna, we're getting ready

(36:33):
in the in the next three maybe,I want to say less than six
months, we're going to open upour first store.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
Oh nice, when Do you know where?

Speaker 2 (36:46):
It's going to be I'm going to announce it.
Oh, okay, okay, I'm going toannounce it soon.
It's going to be yeah, we'rejust going to.
Yeah, we're going to open it.
We're already in the works,already doing it.

Speaker 1 (36:57):
Nice.
Let me know I'll definitelycome for the grand opening.

Speaker 2 (37:01):
That'll be good fun.
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah.
You know, brother, you know I'mgoing to yeah, that's super
cool, yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:09):
And what the bus is like mobile, like you can drive
from wherever, oh that's perfect.

Speaker 2 (37:14):
Wherever we got AC, we get Wi-Fi, we get I put it on
icebox.
So we're going to do solar, I'mgoing to do solar and the bus
can run.
The bus runs for like 12 hoursstraight, oh, wow, yeah,
straight.
And when, a couple times at theBlaisdell, we did a couple of

(37:37):
big events the whole purpose whyI built the bus because our
first two years I was doingevents every week.
So I would take my kids I getfive kids and I would take them
with me and sometimes I don'tknow if you ever go to any day
events that thing is hot.
Oh yeah, I would take them toevents and it would be so hot,

(37:59):
you know, I would take them toevents and it would be so hot,
you know, I would take them.
Because I had to sacrifice takethe kids with me, because
that's what we had to do.
Yeah, we had to take our kidswith us everywhere.
And I was like you know what?
We're doing, these events every.
So if I would do two tosometimes four events every

(38:19):
single week, every single week,our first two years, so our
first two years, I never didtake a break.
I mean not like I never.
I still don't think abouttaking a break, but I never did
take a day off of doing events.
Yeah, so our first two years.
So, if you count that up, I didtwo to four events every week

(38:41):
for one, for two years.
It was just yeah, it was justreally real.
It was taking a toll on thefamily yeah, Not on me, you know
, of course you know I.
Just it was taking a toll onthe family yeah, not on me, you

(39:04):
know, of course you know I just,um, it was taking a toll on the
family so I wanted to buildsomething for them so they can
be.
You know, I'll build on bus andthey can.
If we do an event, they can bein a bus yeah, they can be in
the.
They must love that get tv, sothey watch their and they play
their games on their TV,everything.
So it's just.
And you get bench seats.
Yeah, it's, I built it forcomfort for them and built it

(39:32):
like a store.
Just the boards, you know, theboards where you hang the racks.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (39:38):
The boards, just the boards alone, is a couple
hundred bucks, just the boards.
You know the boards where youhang the racks.
Yeah, the boards, just theboards alone is a couple hundred
bucks, just the boards.
So we had to buy like 20 boards.
We made it just like a store,everything.

Speaker 1 (39:49):
Oh that's cool and you get the benefit of driving
them wherever.

Speaker 2 (39:53):
Around wherever you know wherever.
I took it to Kaneohe, oh forreal.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
Yeah, I took it to Kalu a couple times where at uh,
you know kalu uh oh, right onthe side of the road yeah, yeah,
oh, by the patele lady and allthat, yeah, oh, okay, yeah, yeah
I just wanted to test them out.

Speaker 2 (40:14):
The bus, I wanted to test them out.
I said you know what, if we canmake them up, east Street.

Speaker 1 (40:21):
Oh, I mean, I look at it actually too, bro.
Those guys on the sides Rightby the beach.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
Yeah, on the beach side.
Yeah, yeah, I was thinkingabout going there, but we
usually go west.
But I gotta start going becauseI get messages every day come
down North Shore, come downEastside.
So I gotta, I gotta make my wayout so normally, where are you

(40:54):
located?

Speaker 1 (40:54):
like you have a certain spot on the rig we
usually go um west miley, butnow we're at our office and
cambo industrial.

Speaker 2 (41:04):
So we're here in my society.
Yes, we got our, we got ourstore um up right now.
But so now we're gonna do somerenovations on the bus.
We're gonna put some differentstuff on the bus solar, uh,
putting different tvs, more tvsin the bus, yeah, oh, that's
change it up.

Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah, change it up a little and you were kind of
explaining to me like how oftenyou get new drops, because it
seems like you have a lot oflike your.
Your turnover is quick and youget choked product.

Speaker 2 (41:35):
Yeah, it's uh, it's all, even that it's learning how
to oh, it's oh.
We always learning right, wealways try to learn and um, try
to be innovative and try to seewhat, what's um, what we can do
to um, what we can do, to, whatwe can do to best represent our

(42:01):
brand and come out with the bestproducts that we can.
You know that we can representwho we are, even like the kids
high-vis.
You know we're getting intothat, even like we wanted to.
I never did see anybody's kidswith the high-vis.
We we're getting into that andeven like we wanted to, I never
did see anybody's kids with thehigh-vis.

(42:21):
We can match them for my familyyeah, so everybody can have, not
just a dad and a mom.
Yeah, so we introduced the the,the cakey high-vis.
So I know, when I was young I Isaw my dad wear a couple
high-vis.
I wanted to to be like him.
But aside of that, we usuallyplan.

(42:43):
We try to plan our drops whenwe get things together.
But it always goes fast.
Everything always sells out.

Speaker 1 (42:53):
That's a good situation, bro.

Speaker 2 (42:55):
Very grateful, very grateful and very thankful.
So now we're doing things thatwhen we make a certain release,
we're not going to make themagain.

Speaker 1 (43:06):
Oh, so it becomes like a collective item then, yes
, yes.

Speaker 2 (43:10):
So now, yeah, so we're not going to make it again
, we just make.
We do a certain design andthat's it.

Speaker 1 (43:20):
I like the fact that you make a lot for, um, like
construction workers or roadworkers, with the reflective and
the like.
It's practical people can.

Speaker 2 (43:29):
Oh, I'm wearing a dope shirt, but I can wear them
to work you know, and they, youknow, the most of the guys, they
, I talk with them.
You know I try to talk witheverybody.
You know I try to, but not allum, I don't get to, but I want
to reach out, you know, whenthey support us.

(43:49):
Yeah, when I talk to themthey're like you know, I love, I
love your brand, becausesometimes I, like, give up.
You know, sometimes I give up,sometimes I give up and then
when they look at the logo, theykeep on pushing.
When they stay working in a hotsun.
Oh yeah, or when they're at work, we get politics at work or the

(44:14):
dramas at work.
They got to put all that asidebecause they're not only working
for themselves, they're workingfor the family.
So anything happen going toaffect the whole family.
So I can respect that.
I respect that to the fullest.
That's the whole.
Why are you doing it Right,what we're doing it?

(44:35):
You know you can easily dosomething to get you fired or
get you busted, but you're notgoing to do that because you
love your family and you want toprovide, you want to keep them
going, you want to support them.
You know you're like see, I'm areal tough guy.
A tough guy is not one with agun or with a knife.
A tough guy is getting up everymorning and doing whatever they

(44:58):
got to do for the family.
That's a tough guy.

Speaker 1 (45:02):
I seen that video too , which is something one of my
friends told me was what is yourwhy?
Yes, and everybody can.
Their whys can be different,but majority is like I like my
doing this because my daughter'sgot to eat.
I'm doing this so I get oneplace for them sleep and for

(45:24):
them to be successful in thefuture is like that's your why.
That's that's a good motivation, like you said, like that that
will stop you from punching yourboss when he, when he, deserve
it.

Speaker 2 (45:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (45:37):
Waking up early for I gotta, yeah, yeah, waking up
early for I gotta.
I gotta get up early because Igotta make money.
I gotta work traffic.
Yeah, that's what.

Speaker 2 (45:45):
Oh, yeah, why night traffic is nuts whoever is going
right, whoever I respect andand that's what they represent,
the brand they represent for myfamily, that's what it is yeah

(46:10):
even no matter if you're noteven working, if you're just
trying to change your life soyou can work.
That's what for my family means,because you know where you're
gonna go.
You know where you're gonna togo.
You know where you're going togo.
So a lot of guys they get clean, but I don't know how they work
, but I don't know how.
I said, bro, I was just likeyou.
I had to feel uncomfortable andput my pride aside to learn how

(46:35):
to learn and to get where,where we, where we at and where
we going yeah.

Speaker 1 (46:43):
So once you started this brand, it started to pick
up.
It probably took a while, butonce you seen it starting to
catch, like you must have beenlike stoked, like, oh, like your
, your vision is locking on,like people are locking on to it
.
I mean, that's, that's a goodsuccess, is a good motivator,

(47:03):
but it also keeps you hungry.
And how good was it to to seeyour ideas being accepted by
people and, like you said, likeyou selling out, like that must
be an amazing feeling, becauseit all started with your choices
and your, your vision, and likeit's, it's catching on, you

(47:26):
know, I mean yes, it's, it'sbecoming into reality, right,
yeah, yeah, so it's still hereto this day.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
I'm so grateful and if I do see people, you know,
wearing the shirt or wearing,and I would go up, literally go
up to them, and you know, I'llgo up to them and tell them
thank you.
Sometimes they probably don'teven know that, you know, yeah,

(48:03):
you know, but I'll just tellthem thank you so much, allah.
You, that's all.
I'm not gonna say hey, hi, I'm.
I'm.
I just gonna say thank you somuch, allah, and that's it, and
shake the hand.
And you know, sometimes youneed to hear that, even though I
don't need to explain to them,but you just gotta hear that
somebody tell them allah, youknow, but I'm just grateful for.
I'm grateful and it's justhumbling to from being not

(48:27):
knowing what I was going to doin my life, not knowing what,
not knowing what I was going todo in my life and not having not
having purpose at one time.
Not having purpose at one timeBecause, going through the phase
where you get two choices, goddidn't lay them out.
You're going to continue to bean addict and fuck your life up

(48:58):
and people love you, or you'regoing to take your blessing,
which is called life, and showpeople what you can do and show
people what they can do.
Like I said in the beginning,we're going to live.
You live or you exist.

(49:18):
You know right.
And, like I said in thebeginning, we're going to live
where we like.
You like live where you likeexist.
Yeah, you know right.
Yeah, you know, and life is ourbig, I mean time is our biggest
asset, right?
Yeah, yeah, you know, and Ifeel like sometimes, when some
people that we love so much whenthey're not here, we never
realize how much we love them.

Speaker 1 (49:40):
Yeah, you know know, but other than that I'm grateful
.

Speaker 2 (49:45):
I'm grateful for everything that, um, I get
excited, I get pumped up becausesome, most of the drops I don't
even have, some, most some ofmy, sometimes I sell.
I I would sell this at thestore like they would ask for
this.
Oh, I buy them right off.

Speaker 1 (50:02):
I would sell them to them right there and that's the
last one, and you don't have it.

Speaker 2 (50:06):
Yeah, that's the last one, and I would rather them
have it than you know, than me,because you know I'm just
grateful for the support.
Well, not even sell, take themoff.
And yeah, you want this andit's yours.
For the support Well, not evensell, take them off.
And yeah, you want this andit's yours.

Speaker 1 (50:24):
Yeah, you know Well, just the brand and the message
behind it is amazing.
But you're putting out goodstuff Like your stuff looks cool
.
You know what I mean?
It's not just oh, this is thebrand, this is the message.
You're pulling out qualitystuff and you told me you were
in Vegas for Pure Aloha, how wasthat Pure?

Speaker 2 (50:47):
Aloha was a great experience.
That's our third Pure Aloha andjust seeing Hawaii in another
state it's still, it's a nightisland, but it's still another
state, you know.

(51:07):
And just, we go for theexperience and just getting out
of your comfort zone.
So, all the brands that flew up, you know that was so, I was
thinking about all the brandsthat flew up, you know that was
so, I was thinking about it allthe brands that, whoever
business that flew up, they tooka chance and they went out of

(51:29):
their comfort zone.
Yeah, because they believe in itand they sacrifice, they
sacrifice they, you know, notonly you know, not only time and
money, but they wanted, theywant to show people who they are
.
Right, you know, and um, I knowI had us had FMF for my family,

(51:55):
had Hawaii's Finest, had GetNuts, had um, um, barashin, had
Barashin, alo, brandon, majorLeague and then a few other
brands.
But would have been I wasthinking about this that would

(52:16):
have been an awesome picture,all of us together in one
picture, you know, in anotherisland.
That would have, you know whatwould have been on one awesome
picture of all of us together inone picture, you know, in
another island.
That would have been.
That would be cool.
Unity for Hawaii.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know that would have beenpower in one picture, you know.
Next year we got to do them.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
Yeah, we got to.
We got to, you know.

Speaker 2 (52:34):
You know, and I was was thinking about that so, but
I just was just coming togetherright when you hear hawaii, um,
it was a great.
It was a great experience andwe got to get together.

Speaker 1 (52:47):
More like that yep, that's super cool and you
sharing aloha off the island,and that's what I that's what I
always been saying is thissociety and the way the world is
like we need.
We need it now more thananything and we gotta start here

(53:08):
.
Hawaii gotta be the beacon.
Like you said, we're on littledot on the map, but we get the
biggest pool when it comes upand if we can resonate alha from
Hawaii outwards, then that'show it can spread and like just
little things like that can canpush it in that direction, but
it is definitely got to got tospend more time here pushing it,

(53:32):
cause crazy.

Speaker 2 (53:35):
From all the fires.
Yeah, so, how, how, how?
He came together.
Yeah, that was so, that was a.
That together, yeah, yeah, thatwas so, that was us, that was
us, that was a.
That was a show of strength.
Yeah, let the whole world knowhow strong we are.
Yeah, you know, you know wenever need the or whatever the

(53:57):
outside help.
Everybody came together.
Yeah, how should be?
And they didn't, they didn'tcome.
No, they, they helped, they didwith the best you can.
Yeah, you know.
Yeah, so, just like that, wegotta come together, we build
together.

Speaker 1 (54:12):
That's how, that's how we grow, yeah so,
future-wise, what do you see foryour plans in the future with
this brand and your messageother'm, I feel like we will, we
, I know, we will um and we wewant to do great things with for

(54:47):
my family brand.

Speaker 2 (54:49):
We want to change lives, change lives and help
laws like.
Change life will make my lifebetter.
You know, real power is whenyou can change somebody's life
for the better.
When you can change somebody'slife for the better and you can
change laws for the better.
You know.
However anybody view it, that'swhat real power.
Real power is not money.
Of course, you can get moneyfrom power, but real power is

(55:10):
when you can help somebodychange their life and help the
laws, you know influence and sowe can help people.

Speaker 1 (55:21):
So that's what I want to do.
I want to help yeah.
I want to help.

Speaker 2 (55:27):
We're going to help people.
You know, in the future we willhelp as much as we can.
In situations that I've beenthrough and I put my family
through and just if you're downon anything and you feel like
giving up, we, you know, we wantto, I want to do our, we want

(55:47):
to do our own nonprofit.
Oh, okay, yeah, we can help.
We can help people Get on thefeed.
And sometimes you know, whensomeone's an addict like you
know, somebody married,somebody's an addict, so maybe

(56:08):
he was a breadwinner or so whatwould happen if you go to jail
or something?
The mom or the kids or thehusband or the kids, they get
left out.
So maybe we can help.
You know what I mean left out.
So maybe we can help.
You know what I mean.
With our nonprofit, we can helpthem get back, you know,
because a lot of families getbroken up because of drugs,

(56:29):
right, yeah, yep, you know thatnever need to be broken up.
In the first place, there was adifferent person before they
took drugs.
Wow for sure, for real place.
There was a different personbefore they took drugs.
So, wow, real.
You know, that's where I seeour, our band, you know, helping
people and uh being goingworldwide well, I mean, the

(56:52):
message isn't just a hawaiithing, bro.

Speaker 1 (56:54):
Like you said it, everybody own family all over
this planet, and that's such apositive, strong message.
It can resonate all over theplanet.
I think you starting in theright place, though.
You starting in the right placewhere it starts, we gotta grow
here.

Speaker 2 (57:12):
Grow, keep growing and show the world who we are.

Speaker 1 (57:16):
Yeah, you know, we from hawaii and we proud you
know, you can have a fleet ofbuses going across the country,
yes, everywhere you know, hey,we gonna talk about this
conversation record this, yeah,right we gonna save this and we

(57:36):
gonna pull them up and we goright yeah, for sure.
I think with your work ethic, Ithink that comes from fighting.
Um, I grew up doing the samestuff, so I know that work ethic
and I know yeah failure is notan option, you know, I mean and

(57:57):
and I think that's one of thereasons why you could get clean
in three months like yes, I knowpeople that cannot do them in
years, like yeah, and what?
Once you set that fightingmindset to whatever it is, it
can be a business.
It can be um getting in shape,getting.

(58:17):
Whatever it is it, it fightersdon't quit.
You know what I mean?
They don't One real fighter.

Speaker 2 (58:25):
Yes right.

Speaker 1 (58:26):
I think that's why your business is successful,
because you're putting thatfight fighter mentality behind
it, Like keep going.

Speaker 2 (58:34):
Yeah, yeah.
And we sometimes, if we getright, we get right, we get hit,
we're on good one.
Okay, he get one good left hook, so he's gonna shoot the left
hook again, and then we're gonnadodge, you know gotta adjust
right.
We're gonna adjust right.
Right, we think about life likethat.
Okay, how are we gonna getbetter?

(58:55):
How are you gonna do so?
You know, catch me again, youknow, or, or what I'm going to
do to stay away from his job.
Job can be, you know, like badchoices you made in life.

Speaker 1 (59:11):
Yeah, you know right Got to adjust, adjust.
What I did like about yourbrand too, is you kind of
showcasing your own family, andI see your website, bruh.
I see your wife, your kids.
You guys are all models, bruh.

Speaker 2 (59:32):
You know, and everywhere you see me, you're
going to see either me, my wifeor my kids.
It's just I wouldn't wife or mykids, like, it's just, it's,
it's, I wouldn't have it anyother way.
And oh, it's just, you likespend time with the ones you

(59:55):
love and I wouldn't be here ifit wasn't.
Honestly, I wouldn't be here ifit wasn't for God and my wife
and my kids.
Like, my wife is my biggestsupporter, you know, and my kids
, my wife is, oh man, my wife,she's been through so much man
and I just she's behind thescenes, she's with me in

(01:00:18):
pictures and stuff like that,but she's really behind the
scenes.
She, she's with me in picturesand stuff like that, but she's
really behind the scenes andshe's yeah, she's actually, um,
one of the main ones that doesdesigns, that that does the
designs and oh, wow and uh, letme know what she thinks on um.
I said, babe, I think we shoulddo this, you know, and because
she, she's going to tell me thetruth.

Speaker 1 (01:00:40):
Yeah Right, you would like somebody to tell you the
truth.

Speaker 2 (01:00:43):
I don't want to hear it sometimes you know Right.
I don't want to hear itsometimes, but she tells me how
it is.
I said, babe, I don't thinkthat this and I don't think you
should do this, and I think thiswould be better.
You, I think this would bebetter.
You know, but up to you.
You know, it's still up to you.
Okay, is this a trick question?

(01:01:05):
That's cool, but I think, Ithink that having a wife and
having support helps.

Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
Yeah, and I'm sure, like she, she, she must be
extremely happy you got cleanand your family bond probably
got a million times strong,stronger, from it yes, because,
um shoot, I was.

Speaker 2 (01:01:36):
We've been together 14 years it'll be 14 years this
year and I've been clean foreight years.
It took me three months to getclean, but I was for a while,
for a minute.
Before that I was singing asong and dance.
Babe, I'm going to get clean.

(01:01:56):
Don't leave me.
I promise I won't get clean.
I swear you know, and I justneed to change.
It was the man in the mirror.
Yeah, there's some the man,yeah.
So don't blame everybody, guys.

(01:02:19):
You're going through what Iwent through.
Do not blame anybody else.
You know, the first thing yougot to do is look in the mirror
and then the second thing youshould do is delete.
Tell somebody, admit and nottell the person that you're

(01:02:41):
getting your drugs from.
Definitely don't tell thatperson.

Speaker 1 (01:02:44):
Right bro.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
Do not tell that person.
You delete your phone, you showyour phone, but it's what you
want in life, you know.
If you want to continue to bebecause drugs addiction is just
temporary, yeah Right, you'regoing to take them.
You're going to get high, youcan come down.

(01:03:05):
You're going to get high againbecause you don't like that
feeling.
You're trying to escape thepain?
Yeah, but without pain there'sno growth.

Speaker 1 (01:03:16):
Yep A hundred percent , and that's everything Right.

(01:03:42):
Yep, a hundred percent, andthat's everything I think.
I think, too, now your kids arewatching you build something
and you showing them not just byyour words but by your actions,
and that, like kids mimic theirparents and they're going to
have that same work ethic andthey're going to start to build
and get create their own path inlife.
But they're going to have thatsame drive because you showed
them, you know.
I mean, you showed them how youshowed them by your actions.
Yeah, and leading by action isthe best way to lead.
Parenting by actions is thebest way to parent.
And I think, because of all thethe trials and tribulations you

(01:04:06):
guys went through as a family,yes, they're gonna.
They're gonna be better peopleand adults and, um, people with
aloha in the future because ofwhat they went through, you know
.
Know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (01:04:21):
It's kind of cool to see, to be honest, yes, and like
my oldest son, he started hisown brand, you know he started
his own brand.
And I told him.
I said, son, you start your ownbrand.
You better believe.
You have to believe in it.
You believe in it and it's tellyour story yeah, tell you tell

(01:04:42):
your story and that's that'sthat represents who you are.
so now he started his brand andI told him it's a lot of hard
work, it's not easy, you knowit's not easy, and you always
gotta keep, keep pushing.
You're going to have roadblocks, you know, and I want him to

(01:05:05):
learn.
So, like you said, our kidsmimic us, right?
Yeah, you know, and I just, Iwas just I was laying it down to
him about business, but I wasdown deep inside.
I was so happy, you know, yeah,deep inside.
I was so happy, you know, yeah,and I was so proud, so that's

(01:05:25):
super cool and what so?

Speaker 1 (01:05:28):
now, this is all you do.
This is your only um mainstayof income.

Speaker 2 (01:05:34):
This is what a brand is.
Our main no, our brand are formy family and I.
My mom and dad is, like I saidmentioned earlier.
They own DJ's Motorsports.
It's a family business, so Ihelp them run the business every
day as well.

Speaker 1 (01:05:51):
So it's a lot of entrepreneurs.
Okay, so you've been in theokay.

Speaker 2 (01:05:56):
That makes sense, yes , I was always, I was the, I was
the, I was the.
I was always on the street side, you know, like I was, so I
wasn't around.
Yeah, once I got clean and I,and then I, then I, everything

(01:06:21):
got legitimate and everything.
So I started, you know, becausemy dad, my nominate dad, they
don't tolerate you know, theydon't tolerate that because they
work too hard.
They had their business since1992.
Oh wow, yeah, any two.

(01:06:47):
Oh wow, yeah.
So they don't tolerate any um,anything negative.
Or because they work too, theywork too hard for it for a whole
family, you know, and I and Iand I realized that as I changed
my life, you know, all myparents wanted was the best for
us but, I never you mimic, youmimicking them.
Yes, yes, yeah you know, youknow they're putting in the work
and building.
I see the way they are withtheir customers, see the way

(01:07:10):
they are, um, every customercomes to.
They feel like that's there.
When they put rims, as my dadit looks, it felt like he was
his car.
So he, you know, like you know,like you know he, your customer
service, your, you want tobuild a relationship.
Yeah, it all comes down torelationship and you, you do

(01:07:34):
build, or you actually do build,a relationship, right, yeah, to
business, you know.
So that's what I learned.
I learned that you wanna, inbusiness, you, uh, you wanna be
the best you can be like to takecare of your customers.
All you can be the best you canbe to take care of them.
You know and tell your storyand be who you are, be who you

(01:07:58):
are, always be who you are yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:08:01):
Well, your parents must be proud too, you know, I
mean like yes they must be, theymust rock your stuff too.
Yeah, yeah my dad.

Speaker 2 (01:08:10):
You know, my dad is my my dad.
He been in business for since92 and he real simple guy, um.
But uh, his favorite shirts is,uh, for my family shirts, you
know you know so and I'm justgrateful for that um, because

(01:08:31):
wasn't always like that.
He never.
He never when I was making badchoices, he never, um, he never.
Uh, what is it how I want tosee it?
He, he always told me I said,you gotta look in the mirror.
The only time you look in theoh, you look in the mirror and

(01:08:54):
that's the person that you gottachange.
Yeah, and now I he's so proudof me, you know, I know he's so
proud of me because you know he,I see the way he talks to me,
you know he talks to me, youknow, and that makes me proud.
Yeah, I just always wanted tomake him proud, him and my mom,
you know and my family.

(01:09:15):
So that that you know, that'swhat drives me right.
I mean, i'm'm sure, the samething like you you want to make
your daughter proud, you want tomake your family proud,
definitely.

Speaker 1 (01:09:26):
Yeah, brian, that's one of the reasons why I'm doing
this show.
I get so inspired by some of myguests.
It blows my mind To hear yourstory and a couple of other
guests.
I hear their story and it'slike everybody has their own
movie and for me to tap intocertain people and and get to

(01:09:48):
hear it or see it and getinspired by them, guys, it's
pretty cool.
Like I know a lot of peoplethat do drugs and stuff like
that and very few can kick itand, yes, it ain't easy.
And for you to kick it andslingshot that whole experience
into what you're doing now islike mind-blowing, like that's

(01:10:12):
beyond what anybody couldimagine, you know, I mean, is
it's?
It's, uh, keeping you groundedand the the basis behind it is
your whole family, and thatresonates with me more.
I'm getting married in a couplemonths.
I get a daughter.
Yeah, congratulations.
Yeah, it's getting close, bro.

(01:10:32):
My second one, my second one.

Speaker 2 (01:10:35):
Hey, congratulations Thank you bro Wow.
You know, when I got married, I, uh, it was just I wanted it, I
just wanted to show her, youknow, and you know, and she said
like, hey, we're already.
Like she said, we are baby,we're already married, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:10:56):
And yeah, um, we've been, you know, she, you know
we're gonna be together forever,you know so, but, uh,
congratulations, brother yeah,and and as, as a adult, now that
I can know the value of it likeone family, that's, that's,

(01:11:16):
that's something important, youknow.
I mean like and um, for me, I'mexcited, it's like getting
excited.
I'm gonna have one like one,like one real family, right,
right then, it's, that's, that'slike your ground, that's,
that's you, that's yourfoundation why, and that's

(01:11:39):
definitely.
I think it's cool what you'redoing, man, and I definitely
respect it, and it's cool tohear your story, bro.
I didn't know what, exactlywhat it was going to be, but
definitely I hope people getinspired by this, and especially
people that are suffering withaddiction.

(01:11:59):
Yes, look in the mirror and,brad, just don't blame and just
take responsibility and make thechange.
But it's never too late tochange.
But you gotta you cannothalf-ass them, right?
You gotta, you gotta do themyou're not blaming whoever all.

Speaker 2 (01:12:15):
You're not blaming anybody when you're getting high
, right, you're not blaming okay, I'm calling this guy because
of you.
You're blaming nobody.
Because you're getting high,you're making choices.
So, the same way, how youalways figure out how to get
high, do that and conquer yourdreams, conquer your goals,

(01:12:38):
because it's not late, it's nottoo late, you can do it, you can
do it, you can do it, you willdo it.
And I'm going to tell you thisDon't feel sorry for yourself.
You know, do not do that inlife.
Life is short, so take it andfucking be the best you can be.

Speaker 1 (01:13:00):
I love that thought.
Though the drive and thestrength you have for go find
drugs, you can use that samestrength and drive to catch your
dreams.

Speaker 2 (01:13:14):
Exactly, you have it in you, you have it in you.
You don't want to figure outhow to get high.

Speaker 1 (01:13:19):
So why not do the same effort?

Speaker 2 (01:13:19):
that you're making.
Yeah, you had it in.
You go and split her off andget high.
So why you no?
Why you no?
Do the same effort that youmaking, yeah, and go be what you
wanna be.
Go do what you wanna do.
Do not make an excuse, causeexcuses, excuses and um, what is
it?
Um, this is what I heard.
This is one thing important,honestly um, um, um, what is it?

(01:13:41):
This is what I heard.
This is one thing important,honestly Comfort, comfort, being
comfortable, comfort andcomfort and comfort is the enemy

(01:14:01):
of greatness.
You know, like, like, yeah, soyou being too comfortable and
doing the same thing, repetition, and that's something that
you're not supposed to be doing.
Yeah, you're not going to getgreat at anything.

Speaker 1 (01:14:16):
Yup, that makes sense .
That's what my, that's what mykickboxing coach would say you
got to get comfortable beinguncomfortable and yes, and an
excuse is a reason for failure,yep, so yes, right yeah, hell
that was his two, two um stuffs.
He would tell us yeah, but shoot, we shoot.

(01:14:37):
We've been going for over anhour already, bro.
I could talk straight with youfor another three hours.
Sorry, bro.
Nah, no worries, but um, wherecan people find you on um
instagram?
And for me, people gotta findyour instagram because your
message is very strong on yourinstagram and then they can seek

(01:15:00):
out your merch and your brand,but the message on that is
pretty strong.
So where can people find you onsocial media and your website
and stuff?

Speaker 2 (01:15:11):
You guys can.
On IG, you guys can find me atFMF underscore brand.
So FMF underscore brand and ourwebsite is wwwfmfbrandhicom.
So hit us up.
You guys got any questions oranything.

(01:15:33):
You guys going through anything, reach out, I'm here, reach out
.

Speaker 1 (01:15:40):
And you can always find us on our Instagram at
Above the Bridge Podcast.
Our YouTube is Above the BridgePodcast, our website is
atbpodcom and my personalInstagram is thaddaddyhi.
Well, I hope you reach all yourgoals in the future.
I definitely going to be therewhen you um open your store.

(01:16:02):
That's gonna be cool, I think.
Um your brand is growing.
I see, I see it everywhere andbros it's um, yeah, even my my
friend, jay, was having dinnerwith him last night come and he
said he had a couple shirts.

Speaker 2 (01:16:18):
Yeah, good people, great people right on.

Speaker 1 (01:16:23):
Well, um, I appreciate you taking time uh
out of your day for coming on.
I definitely know this is agood message people need to hear
, so this could change oneperson's life.
Bro, it's an honor for me too,bro.
I definitely, I definitelywanted to do this with you for a
while, so I'm glad we got wegot we got a.

(01:16:44):
God made a good time for it?
I think it's a perfect timeyeah.

Speaker 2 (01:16:48):
Yes, Thank you bro.

Speaker 1 (01:16:50):
Right on, bro.
Well, shakas for the cameras.

Speaker 2 (01:16:54):
Aloha.

Speaker 1 (01:16:56):
We're out.
Shout out to the Artist GroupNetwork.
Aloha, aloha.