Cancer Survivor, Assistant Director, and Personal Trainer Kyle Hardy

Kyle Hardy, an assistant director with a knack for breathing life into scripts, pulls back the curtain to reveal the sweat and ingenuity poured into every frame. Our chat traverses his origin story in the sprawling landscape of Hollywood and the serendipity of friendships formed in the most unexpected places – like an acupuncture clinic.

Life's grand tapestry is woven with threads of resilience, motivation, and sometimes, the guiding hand of faith. We wade through the early days of unpaid internships and the relentless hustle that propels one from fetching coffee to commanding the set. Through tales of personal trials, including a raw recount of my own battle with cancer, we uncover the profound growth that sprouts from adversity and the solace found in shared experiences and personal faith.

As the final reel of our episode unspools, we celebrate the crucial bonds of friendship – my camaraderie with Evan stands testament to this – and the role of unwavering motivation in attaining even the loftiest ambitions. From facing down financial uncertainties with a blend of strategy and faith to the cathartic release of gratitude for life's most punishing lessons, our discussion is a mosaic of the human experience, offering a beacon of hope and encouragement for anyone navigating their unique path.

Thanks for taking the time to listen in. Please leave us 5 stars on Spotify & Apple Podcasts with a review. THANK YOU!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Kyle Hardy welcome to the podcast man.
It's good to be here.
Thank you, tim.
Thank you, tanya.
Yeah, dude, finally Took sixmonths, maybe more.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Yeah, thanks for being so flexible too.
Even tonight we had to push itback because I had a family
event I wanted to be at.
So you're the man I appreciatethat.
But, dude, tonight's the firsttime I met you and I kind of
know you through Evan Nelson,who is on our month reviews.
Great dude.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Total killer.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yeah, he's awesome.
How did you two meet?

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, so I did acupuncture for probably close
to a year in glendale and I wasgoing up to my weekly I think I
was doing twice a week.
Uh, you know good lookingwell-spoken fella, very good
looking man, and I were justchatting and you know good
conversation, he walks out topay his rent.
I walk like nah, I gottaconnect with this guy and so I'm
glad I turned and we chatted,exchanged information, coffee a
couple times and you know, toldme about let's Go podcast and

(01:10):
then our discourse, you know,occurred.
Yeah, I wish I had a bit moretime for Evan, but I know he's
busy, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Oh man, he's engaged, he's.
You know, he's got a lot goingon in his personal training, but
he actually he used to be mytrainer, like back in the day, I
think what 2016 and 2017?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, he's Jack dude, he's ripped.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Yeah, he's always been that way.
Don't mess with him.
No, not at all, man, not at all.
But okay, so did you know that,evan, he's an actor.
I was not aware that yeah, Idon't know if he told you that,
yeah, he's.
He did a couple short films andsome other things.
Told me that, yeah, becauseyou're, you're in the film
industry, yeah, yeah.
So what do you do in the filmindustry?

Speaker 2 (01:50):
yeah.
So that's been quite thejourney and that could probably
last, you know, a couple hoursof conversation, but uh, yeah,
short and sweet.
I'm an assistant director andessentially what I do is I take
a script and I break it downinto what's called the movie
magic scheduling uh, softwarestandard, industry standard
script and I break it down intowhat's called the Movie Magic
Scheduling software Standard,industry standard.
And you basically break it downinto elements.

(02:10):
You know, art, camera, g&e,hair, makeup, art yeah, I think
I said art twice Very importantdepartment Shout out to art
teams all across Hollywood.
But yeah, and then we breakthat down into manageable pieces
and days and production says 12days.
So you break it down into 12days and you ship that out, you

(02:30):
communicate with departmentheads and essentially you get to
production and you shoot it andI just manage the set, block,
light, rehearse, shoot and tryto keep us on time, try to keep
us safe and sail off into thesunset after day 12.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
I love how you make that sound so easy.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
I've worked with some producers and directors that
say just put the 600 extras.
I was like, well, you can sayanything like that, it sounds so
easy.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
For a time I was in acting, did modeling for a
little bit, but I was in a bunchof short films, one that went
to a few festivals.
So I kind of understand thatbehind the scenes stuff a lot of
people don't know.
There's so much work in thefilm industry that nobody sees
the unspoken people oh shit,kind of unspoken like not seen
on camera.
Right, you get your credits atthe end, yeah, but everyone sees

(03:19):
the final product.
Yeah, you see the movie and youknow the people.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Two hours of fun and you don't realize all the blood,
sweat and tears that went intoit behind the scenes, oh my
goodness.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
So to me it's the Unsung Heroes.
That's what I love my sister.
She is in.
She does hair for you know, inthe industry.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Yeah, oh great.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
She won an Emmy for Mad Men, she did the hair for
Mad Men and a couple of Disneymovies and stuff like that.
So yeah, she's been there ooh,I want to say over 20 years now.
Yeah, it's been a long time.
So I always hear from her.
She's always getting thingsready on Zoom calls, meeting
with the actors and there's alot that goes into that.
So, thank you for what you doin movies.

(04:03):
I feel like you guys need toget some praise sometimes.
No, no one ever you knowrecognizes.
Yeah, that's so it's tough,it's rewarding.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
But you know, yeah, how long you been doing that
about eight years.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
How did you even get into that, oh man, because I,
you know, okay, from myperspective right, as a
firefighter or any type of kindof job like that right, there's,
there's a path.
Okay, take these classes, go tothis Academy, volunteer, do
this Right.
Or, if you're in the privatesector, you know, get your
degree in engineering orwhatever.
It's going to be Right.
But you'd never hear, like.

(04:35):
I always think this when I seeproducer, I'm like how do you,
how do you become the producer?
Like what is that?
What's the path to that?
You know?

Speaker 2 (04:42):
yeah, it's, it's very unbeaten path and I guess, if
you know, we take it back.
You know I graduated fromcollege in 2012.
Okay, central florida coldnight are you from florida.
Uh well, I was born in cali,spent a little time in texas but
grew up in florida.
Florida, short answer isflorida, sarasota, okay, yeah,
so hour south of tampa.

(05:02):
Shout out to the Rams.
Remember the?

Speaker 1 (05:05):
Florida man.
What's your Florida man?

Speaker 2 (05:09):
he gives us all a bad name Florida man, I hope you're
watching this.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Some of the wildest things like memes and videos.
It's like, yeah, it's.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Florida, florida and Ohio, and that's who all
migrates to Hollywood.
Yeah, and that's who allmigrates to Hollywood.
Yeah, the Ohio boys and theFlorida boys.
But yeah, I graduated 2012business admin in a management
track, okay, and I was a doormanufacturer actually right out
of college about a year and ahalf, wow, and you know, I like
to think I'm a loyal guy.

(05:38):
I mean, you know, I guess youcan't really self-proclaim
yourself that you just do itwith action, but I would have
been there for 30 years, man, 40years.
Just, I hate this job with asmile, you know.
But luckily, you know, um,blessing in disguise I got laid
off about a year and a half,rather uh, out of, uh, out of my
out of the gate, okay, and Iwas like I'm gonna go do

(05:59):
something cool, you know, and Itraveled, you know.
It took me 14 days days to seeparts of the US and, yeah, I
made my way out to Cali and Iwas in NorCal for a little bit
and then came down for a filmfestival.
I was supposed to be down forjust like a week and go back up
to NorCal.
Just wound up staying.
All my stuff was in my car andunpaid internship led into

(06:21):
unpaid AD work and a little, alittle bit of money for credit
and then eventually the the therates get bigger and bigger.
I remember the first day I gotgot a call for like a real show,
140 bucks a day, 11 days Ithought I made it dude, thought
I made it dollars a day.
I was like I did it, dude, I'mthere, mom and dad watch this

(06:42):
and you know it fluctuates andit comes and goes and you know
you get to the point whereyou're commanding 1200 a day,
right, you know 500 a day, 600 aday, whatever.
You know the, the rates and youknow it's negotiable.
But you know you fake it tillyou make it and you know just
eventually you get pretty goodat.

Speaker 1 (06:58):
it's not crazy how in the industry there's so much
unpaid work just to to get intowhere you want to go, whether
it's acting hair makeup, I meanto me.
Sometimes I look at that andI'm like that's got to be
illegal, like that's crazy.

Speaker 2 (07:13):
I can imagine there's some labor laws that get
tweaked a little bit, but it'slike any marketing.
You know system McDonald's.
You know you're paying amarketing system to get more
people in, right?
So you go out there and you dothe best work you can.
I mean, eventually you knowyour worth, right?
I don't go out there workingfor $150 a day anymore, but you

(07:35):
get in front of new producersand you do a good job and the
rates go up and again itfluctuates and it's negotiable
and as you get better at it, youcommand more, so in your
position do you have arepresentative.
No, we don't have agents.
I think maybe some do, when youget to AD for James Cameron or
Spielberg or something, I'm sureyou command something of that

(07:56):
nature.
But yeah, for a guy like meit's just all personal marketing
and getting in front of peopleword of mouth.

Speaker 1 (08:02):
Word of mouth.
Okay, I remember a few timestalking to you trying to
schedule you to get on here.
Hey, I got.
Well, I'm going to be on thisset for two weeks or whatever,
or something Like I think youwere on one in.
Was it Florida?
Uh, north Carolina.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
South Carolina.
Yeah, I've actually was therein 2022 and then the end of 2023
for the same production.
I forget their productioncompany name.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
Now, can you name some of those movies, movies or
TV shows?
Did I?

Speaker 2 (08:31):
The engagement plan was in 2022.
Okay, that should be streaming.
I couldn't tell you what to be.
They're faith-based,faith-based movies, so you can
find them on any of those, andthen I don't think I NDA'd by
now.
It's got to be cut up, butGod's Not Dead.
5.
Nice Okay, so I know, the firstone years ago had some buzz.

Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
But yeah, they really got it.
Are you a believer?
I'm on my walk.
Yeah, I've been grown, I grewup in it and you know I was very
fearful of you know.
Anyways, uh, the walk,definitely on the walk right now
.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
Yeah, no, dude, I same right.
I grew up in a very strictChristian home, you know.
So for me I walked away from myfaith.
I was like I don't want anypart of this anymore.
I'm good for quite some time,and I would say probably about
two years ago is when I gave mylife back to the Lord, and for
me it just, you know it changeda lot.
For me it's kind of like you gotto figure it out on your own.

(09:26):
You can't kind of be told right, Because how we grew up it's
always like you shall do this,you're going to church on
Wednesday night, you're goingSunday morning, sunday evening,
and this and that.
And the way I grew up was moreof it's like God was on a throne
waiting to punish you.
And once I kind of got a holdand figured out that that's not
what it's about.
It's about a relationship andyou make it personal.

(09:46):
Yeah, you know it changed a lotof things for me.
I had some some difficult times,you know where I was just kind
of standing around like yo, whatis life about?
What is this?
You know I did.
I did everything everyone saidbe successful, get property, you
know.
Vacation homes, do well.
Have cool cars.
You know, he did all that and Iremember it's like I had

(10:11):
success in my own way, right,and you're kind of at that point
where it's I don't want to saymountaintop experience, but okay
, so I did everything.
Everyone told me that wassupposed to be success in this
life, and yet I'm still empty ashell.
You don't feel fulfilled.
No, no, I did it.
And that's when it reallystarted to go on that kind of my
own journey of all.
Right, I'm going to dig intothis and really see.
And I remember I mean you,probably I shouldn't have said
this to God, but it was like I'mgonna give you one more shot,

(10:33):
I'm gonna see if this is real ornot.
You know, I'm gonna go for it.
I'm gonna give you a month, oneturn to two, two turn to six.
And the next thing, you know,it's like I started feeling this
like fulfillment.
Yeah, it just changedeverything, not that, not that
I'm this person who's going to.
You know, church knees you know.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
pray for your brother .
Yeah, it's not me.
Evangelical hands raised.

Speaker 1 (10:53):
Yeah, it's, it's just not me, but it's definitely
something that changed inside me.
That was internal, yeah, and itgave me a lot more hope.
Hope and that was the biggestthing, because in my line of
work as a firefighter, we see alot of bad stuff, you know, and
a lot of people don't understandthat and I talk about on here a
lot my family.
They think you, we have a cooluniform and right around a shiny

(11:14):
red fire engine.
Yeah, and it's not that there'sso much that we go through and
see and not to go down thistrack, but it's like there's a
reason why suicide is the numberone killer of firefighters and
police.
There's just we see so much badstuff and then you get off duty
and you're expected to go homeand be a husband, father, live a
normal life.
You're just like dude, I justsaw somebody like kill
themselves and you know, cprdelivered a baby.

(11:36):
I fought a couple fires and,like you got this adrenaline.
It's like all right, go home,see you guys.
Yeah it's just normal it for meit was just.
It just changed a lotinternally, you know, and it it
was, I made it personal, andonce I made it personal it just
changed everything for me.
So it so I understand whatyou're saying.
You know it is a journey dude.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yeah, no, it's like you said.
I probably shouldn't have saidthis to God.
I'm, I'm of the, the belief, um, that if he is who we say he is
, if he's this all powerful, hecan probably take a little bit
of, you know, criticism from alowly little speck like myself.
So I get pretty personal, likeyou said, with him, and you know

(12:17):
it's a tough walk, you know.
That's why it's difficult.
Yeah, the whole process ofbeing with God and getting
closer to him.
It's, you know, there's.
It's difficult, yeah, the wholeprocess of being with god and
getting closer to him.
It's, you know, there's.
It's not, oh, I believe.
And then you go out and youknow your actions don't, yeah,
don't, you know, abide by theword.
There's, there's things thatyou have to abide by, but, like
you said, you know you, you doall these things, you know to

(12:38):
feel fulfilled and you justdon't.
And, uh, you know, I'm on thatwalk right now.

Speaker 1 (12:42):
No, I got you, man To me.
I think it's a beautiful thingwhen someone is discovering
their own faith.
It's not a bad thing, I think,to question, and some people, oh
, I have doubts sometimes.
You got to figure it out.
You got to let the Lord work,man, it is what it is.
So I respect that dude.
It's all good man.
Keep on that journey, dog.

(13:03):
You'll never know what you'lldiscover about yourself, about
your life, what the Lord wantsto do with you.
So it's pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
So you also, I think you have your own business right
.
Training, yeah Well, I do acouple other things outside of
AD work.
First off, I work in financialservices.
Hey, you're a good dude, let'sgo.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
Okay.
So when you say financialservices, is it like CPA,
financial planning, investing?

Speaker 2 (13:29):
Yeah, so we say it's asset protection, retirement
planning and life insurance.
Those are the three things thatwe tend to do, and essentially,
what we try to do is get peopleon track so that way they're
not worrying about their, theirloved ones, they're not worried
about their future and you knowthat they're able to protect
what they've built.

(13:49):
So that's the financial serviceside, and I'm also a certified
personal trainer, so health andfitness is something that's you
know.
I think at the end of 2019, Iwas close to 320 pounds.
Oh my god, and that was.
That was the imposter.
The real, real Kyle is what yousee right now.
Okay, um, and, and I was likedude, you know either, let you

(14:11):
know, I wouldn't say I wassuicidal or anything, but you
know, there was definitelythoughts like man, life might
just be easier if I just wasn'there.
I did, I feel you you know, andso I was like either finish it
or let's take over man, let'sconquer this thing that we call
life, and I just made thatdecision.
I lost 100 pounds in 2020.
And the foundation of my growthout of that darkness was

(14:36):
exercise, and I felt it.
And it's not like, oh maybe.
Someone told me I'veexperienced what losing weight
and what getting stronger andwhat looking and feeling better
does.

Speaker 1 (14:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:50):
You know, not that I've overcome every demon.
You know this is four yearscoming, but, man, I'm in one of
the best mindsets of my life,you know.
And the foundation was exercise.
So, you know, found my way intocertified personal training.
Um company called air, littlestory about that and if I refuse
is the acronym.
And, uh, you know I saw thisclip on the, the Snow White and

(15:12):
the Huntsman and, and you knowhe's surrounded.
He's like help us get, get the,get the, the princess.
And he's like and if I refuse,you know, the idea behind that
is like.
You know, it's motivation isgreat, inspiration and the happy
side of growth is awesome.
But sometimes we forget, likethat nitty gritty, like you know
, hey, the the hard days arehere.
Do I give up Hell?

(15:32):
No, yeah, we're going to fightthat too.
Yeah, and so, believe me, ridethose happy waves, but we're not
always happy.
Yeah, you know.
And, and you know, overcomingthe, the the hard, difficult
days is where it really matters,dude, yeah.

Speaker 1 (15:45):
You know you say something really good.
Exercise has been something forme that has helped me deal with
stress.
It's also helped me deal withwhen I'm having difficult times.
But it's also become, in a way,for me, too, something that's
very it sounds weird, but also avery spiritual experience,

(16:06):
because you start to learn a lotabout yourself very deep.
And then for me, like today, Iwent for a trail run.
I did 13 and a half miles orsomething like that.
Excellent, it hurt.
It was like I think I did over2000 feet of climbing.
It was about three hours ofrunning.
But even like for me, in thoseruns, um, I find myself praying
just out loud, thinking aboutthings about life, like you know
, and asking questions to mycreator like how's this gonna

(16:29):
work out, what's this and howmuch?
It lets me get so much off ofmy heart and mind to be out
there but be away from peopleyou know some people.
It's a gym for me.
It used to be a gym a lot too,but I find myself feeling so
much better when I go for mylong cycles mountain bike or
trail running.
I always come back Okay, Ialways come back tired you know

(16:50):
what I'm saying and sore.
It'd be weird if you didn'tRight, but I feel better.
You get those positiveendorphins going.
Also, I've had a lot of greatideas come from those moments of
being alone out there for hours, hiking or running or mountain
biking.
Alone out there for hourshiking or running or mountain
biking and gosh and how much,like you said, to burn calories
and be out there and get thatpush Like man.

(17:12):
It feels so good, like I feellike I conquered something for
the day.
Use the energy.

Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yeah, we have our intake.
Now, I think a lot of peoplethey consume but they're not
releasing anything.
So they have all this energy.
They can't sleep becausethey're not, you know.
And then, being out in the sun,we're carbon-based beings.
We need to ingest vitamin D.
I mean these simple tasks thatpeople push off that in their
head.
They know, but no, no, no, no,it's okay, I'll suppress the

(17:40):
very simple, basic things thatwe should be doing.
And yeah, I mean, get up andtrain has been my, my motto the
last you know, four, four years.

Speaker 1 (17:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
If you don't know what to do with your time, guys,
get get up early and train.
Yeah, why am I getting up earlyto train?
Yeah, just start there, man.
Yeah, don't change your diet,don't start reading books.
Get up and actually you knowwhat I.
You know what I, I figured out.

Speaker 1 (18:02):
It took me all my 20s and part of my 30s.
I'm about to be 38 here, sorealizing that staying up late
isn't the flex, it's gettingrest and getting up early.
That's the ultimate flex, dudeGetting your day started and
move that movement.
Where I struggle and I have todeal with this is on rainy days

(18:24):
or days where I can't get outand go do my long runs or cycle.
I feel so like I'm antsy.
Yeah, I'm like dude, I got tomove.
Like I like I get all wound up.
I'm like I gotta, I gotta, Igotta, I gotta go do something.
Man, that's that the days where, okay, I got too many things

(18:50):
scheduled, I can't get a workoutin, how am I gonna deal with
that, you know?
So I still kind of strugglewith that.
But, man, the like you said, ifwe could say anything to
anybody, is movement get outside, get sun in your face and move,
yeah, get that I mean not onlythat, but like you got one
body.
Yeah, right, we got one shot atlife and that that's the.
A lot of people don't want todeal with that, right, that's
the harsh reality that we livein is we're all born and we all
will leave this earth Like noone's leaving here alive.

(19:11):
It's you're going to, you havean appointed time to live and
you have an appointed time todie.
So what are you going to do inthe middle?
What are you going to do withthat dash?
What are you going to domentally?
What are you going to do withyour family?
What are you going to dophysically?
To keep yourself going, topreserve yourself, because I
want grandkids one day, I wantto be healthy, I want to be able
to pick them up and do things.
And so the decisions we makeright now what we eat, what we

(19:34):
drink, how we exercise, do weget enough sleep, all those
little choices that we makeevery day, they matter so much,
and it took me so long torealize that.
Not only that, but with age,right, not that we're old, yeah,
but we're moving on in life,right?
Brother?
When I drink a couple beers, ohmy, now it's just like the next

(19:55):
day.
I'm like I can't do this, I'mbloated, I'm puffy in the face
and I try and go for a run.

Speaker 2 (19:59):
I'm like I can't breathe, yeah I'll be 34 in june
june 24th and I decided I'll beoff the sauce till my birthday.
This last drink I did was, uh,the 31st, late into for you dude
in the first.
and you know there's been youknow a few days where I'm like,
oh, that'd be nice to to drink alittle something.
But listen, man, when I committo something, you know I, I, you
know I'm not perfect, you knowI'm not 50, you know I'm not

(20:21):
floyd mayweather, but I pretty'mpretty good about
self-motivation, accountabilityand that one I've been sticking
to.
And who knows, maybe after June24th I won't touch it.
But yeah, like you said, justwith anything it starts today.
The best time to plant anavocado tree was 20 years ago.
Next best is today.

Speaker 1 (20:41):
Look at my guy dude, I like that.

Speaker 2 (20:43):
Stop waiting, guys.
Tree, it was 20 years ago.
Next best is today.
It's like my god, dude, stopwaiting, guys.
Stop waiting.
You know, and when it comes toyour health, when it comes to
your finances, when it comes tochasing your dreams, let's go.
Let's do it now, like that.
And what are you waiting for?
You know, people are scared,they're nervous.
I did a, a clip today.
I posted some content aboutlike, hey, let's go.
Like, what are we waiting for?
You know, know, we're waitingfor permission, we're waiting

(21:05):
for the right time, and that'snever coming, that's not coming.

Speaker 1 (21:08):
No.

Speaker 2 (21:09):
And so the best time is to just jump and build the
parachute on the way down.
And and hey, I don't know howto work out.
Okay, jump, go into the gym.
I'm sure you know anyone that'sthere trying to better
themselves is willing to giveyou information.
I know you ask me, dude, I'll.
You'll be like, oh shoot, don'task him, he won't shut the hell
up.
You're like, I will help you,yeah, and we will get you on
track.

(21:29):
And you know, or youtubeuniversity, oh, you know how do
I eat better?
Oh well, it's pretty simple.
But you know, go change thattire.
Well, I've never changed a tirebefore, so you show them once,
okay, and then you do it and youget better at it.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
Just with anything, you gotta, gotta seek it well,
gosh, we all, we all started umat the, at the bottom, yeah,
beginning of something you know.
So it's like we've all had thatfear.
We all know what it's like tobe that one person um, that's
the new person you know andthat's a lot of people ask me

(22:01):
like yo, you, you know, youskydive, you do these ultra runs
, you do this and that, but it'slike because I don't wait for
people.
If you're always waiting forfriends to do something or
someone to encourage you, you'renever going to do it.
You're going to always bewaiting.
You have to have the, you kindof have to have that courage to
step out and just go for it.

(22:22):
That's how we did this podcast.
That's how we did this podcast.
That's how I've done so manyother things.
Like well, how I see things, Ihave nothing to lose, maybe a
little bit financially, right,you invest in certain things to
get it going.
But to me it's like you hearpeople oh, I'm afraid right,
there's so many great ideas andpeople who could have been so

(22:44):
great that stayed behind fear.
But if you can step past thatand just go for it, my goodness.
To me your possibilities can beendless, because I always think
but what if you fly?
But what if it's not that youfail, but what if you actually
succeed?
Yeah, that's a scary one.
Oh yeah, right, momentous, ohyeah.
I mean, even when I learned howto skydive, right, I was
terrified, right, I wanted to.

(23:06):
I I was, I was at the end of adivorce, right, I'm trying, like
I do it.
I gotta remember therapist waslike you need to get out and
like what's something you'vealways want to do and challenge
yourself.
I said skydive and she was likecan you afford it?
I'm like yeah okay, she's like,go do it.
I'm like, really, she's like,yeah so, and I went and
scheduled.
I was like I'm just going to dothis, I'm going to go for it
and man it.

(23:27):
It has brought so many greatexperiences and I've met so many
amazing people just fromskydiving because people come
from all around the world toskydive in California.
Yeah, so I've met people fromSwitzerland and New Zealand,
australia, and they come outhere for a few days and everyone
always has this really coolattitude.
They just they're trying toexperience life, you know, and

(23:47):
have a good time.
So you meet so many cool.
I've skydived with a doctorbefore.
I skydived with this actor, Ithink her name's Pom.
She was in Mission Impossible,one of the last missions.
She's an Asian female.
We were jumped off a helicoptertogether, which is cool, right,
I mean it's's just.
You just never know where yourlife is going to leave you if
you just step out and go for it.
And is it hard?
yeah is it?

(24:08):
You know you can't teachmotivation.
Yeah, that's one thing I alwayshave, like try to wrap my head
around, because I think my dad,how he raised me, was to always
work for what I want, like henever gave us an allowance.
You want something?
Go out.
I can't tell you how many timesI painted my dad's fence.
Yeah, there's probably like 18coats of paint on that thing.
Oh, you want some money?

(24:28):
Go paint the fence.
I just painted it last.
Go paint the fence.
Okay, paint it again yeah, paintit again, so you gotta earn and
get what you want and that youknow, and to kind of tag on to
you with that is like themotivation it takes for you to
go from 320 pounds to whereyou're at now.
That is not easy, like I wanteveryone to know.
That takes hard work,dedication and mental fortitude,

(24:52):
because you don't lose weightovernight.
No, that is something thattakes time, that takes breaking
down your life, from your sleepto your diet, to how you're
working out.
I mean even dealing with yourown self-thoughts of how you
look.
You know that's hard, dude.
I mean in 2020, like towardsthe beginning, I was in a bad
accident and I had a braininjury.

(25:13):
I couldn't do anything.
I lost my speech.
Dude, I gained weight I thinkmost ever weight.
I was like 215 for myself and,dude, it was hard.

Speaker 2 (25:21):
You're about 215 right now.
No 190.

Speaker 1 (25:24):
Okay, yeah, 190.
But it was so hard.
After that year and a half Ihad to get my speech back, All
these different things and goingfrom someone who was surfing
since they're a kid and doingultra marathons and staying
physically fit and I didn't movemuch for a year and a half.

(25:44):
Dude, getting back it was one ofthe toughest things I think to
do to go through Was to get thatmotivation Because you know,
when you start back up and youhave that weight and you
remember what used to be, that'sa, that's a hard thought.
You have to be very carefulwith that.
You have to really put thataside.
But okay, I'm gonna start fromthe ground up.

(26:06):
Yeah, I'm gonna start small.
I'm gonna work back to where Iwas.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
We need obstacles, we need obstacles oh brother if
life were just easy and dandy,you know it would be easy and
dandy and you wouldn't have allthese podcasts and these
motivational situations wherepeople can ingest good
self-growth things.
Yeah, because it would.
You know, we wouldn't need itbecause it would just be easy.
And we need these things inorder to grow, um, and yeah, I

(26:32):
mean, like I said, I think itgoes back to exercise, proper
nutrition, uh, getting sun.
I could do a little bit betteron the hydration, sleep is uh,
but those little basics, man, um, you know, and, and we can make
excuses and you know, it'swhat's funny about excuses that
there's a lot of legitimacy toexcuses and we can either allow
them to to halt us.

(26:53):
Well, this, oh, you don't knowmy story and yeah, and you know,
personally I had cancer aboutuh 12 years ago oh, what, what?

Speaker 1 (26:59):
what did you have?

Speaker 2 (27:00):
yeah, it was uh, sacral chordoma.
Wow.
So for me I I didn't reallythink about it till maybe a year
or two ago, like I would tellpeople I had tailbone cancer
yeah uh, because it was amalignant tumor growing out of
my tailbone, so I was justtailbone, you're gonna tell dude
yeah it was like what'stailbone uh yeah, sac was like
what's a tailbone cancer?
Yeah, sacral cordoma.
And I've been an avid lifter,fitness enthusiast since I was

(27:23):
11.
And one day, just my tailbonestarted hurting and I was like
what's going on here?
So I took some rest and acouple weeks later it's better
and that first squat back.
I was like I'm 20 at the timeand it's like you know, I'm on
paper I'm an adult, but I'm likeMom, dad, you know, help me and
you know they ushered me to.

(27:43):
You know I was under theirinsurance and they helped me,
you know, with setting all thatup and getting imaging done.
And oh, there's something goingon in there.
Oh, I think we know, in biopsyI got that call.
Hey, uh, you know we got to acton this.
Oh, wow, wow and uh.
So, yeah, eight weeks ofradiation surgery, um, six more

(28:04):
weeks of radiation and um, yeah,I remember that moment, man, it
was tough because it's like me,I'm healthy you know, I'm young
right, right, I did the samething yeah, I'm young, me, yeah,
not me.
And so I go for a walk around my, around my block.
My brother matthew's there Ithink it was like it was
summertime, uh, just before my21st birthday and he's following

(28:26):
me and I'm just like thinking,I'm like like a moment where you
actually have to like oh like,and so you know he's trailing me
, and like I just, I just let itout, I'm like I'm just yelling,
yeah, and so, like a coupledays, I'm like why me?

Speaker 1 (28:39):
and like I just I just let it out, I'm like, I'm
just yelling, yeah.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
And so, like a couple days, I'm like why, me and I
and I go to my first radiationand I see this, uh, you know,
I'm in the back, you know,wearing my gown, getting ready
to go to this radiation thing,and this, uh, young black lady
is just wheeling herself andshe's got this head mask on and,
like, as I'm walking by, like Ilook over and we catch eyes and
she's smiling at me and I'mlike, what are you smiling about

(29:01):
?
Like in my head and that momentwas it I was like, okay, we're
going to.
You know, and it wasn't that,you know.
I was like I better find thepositivity here, something with
that smile, like I don't haveproblems, this woman's probably
got brain cancer, she's probablygoing die, and you know, and

(29:25):
it's like I don't have anyproblems.
And it was never at that point.
It was not like rah, rah, I canbeat this the.
It was.
It was death was not applicableat that point, right.
And so I just was like, allright, I'm just gonna win.
And so I followed what thedoctor said and and then just
got back to it baby, wow, dude,you know it's the.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
I'm trying to think of the best way to put this.
Okay, I'll just do this.
You see this picture right here, the pale blue dot.
I always try to keep images orcertain things to help me,
remind me and keep me humble andrealize like, yeah, I'm going
to have my problems, buteveryone's going through
something.
Yeah, everyone's dealing withsomething in their life.
That's why I always try to saytreat people with grace.
Someone cuts you off.

(30:00):
You don't know what they'regoing through.
They're probably having a badmorning, whatever it's going to
be.
But what I like about thispicture is you see that little
dot right there.
The Voyager took that.
I think they sent a message tothe Voyager, right, it was about
to leave our galaxy.
It they said turn around andtake one last picture of earth.

(30:21):
So it took that picture and ittook, like you know, months and
months for that picture to comein, right it's way back in the
day, and they got like, oh,there's, there's nothing there.
And then, right off of thesolar panel, that's a ray from
the sun and that little dot isearth.
Oh, okay, and I was.
I remember seeing that and thatjust it flooded me with so much

(30:44):
emotion.
One for me, just because, likeyou know what I believe and how
big the universe is and how, youknow, god says he holds it in
his hand and he loves us.
And but to know that on thatlittle speck is an even smaller
speck and it's me, yeah, youknow, it's like I love that.
You know you're going to getthrough this.
You know what I'm saying.
It's like it's going to be okay.

(31:06):
But, that being said, when we gothrough stuff, you know
personally, it affects everyonedifferent.
Everyone's process is different.
So I can't even imagine youknow going, what you went
through, and you have thatmoment where it's just like you
know, I remember thinking when Ihad my brain injury this is it,
I'm done, I'm not gonna be ableto work anymore.
Lost my speech.
I'm handicapped, like all thesethings just went through my

(31:27):
head Like you're.
You're done, it's over.

Speaker 2 (31:29):
And I remember thinking no, no, no, no no, no,
we're going to.

Speaker 1 (31:33):
We're going to battle through this, even to the point
where I had my own speechtherapist coming in to get me
back faster.
Yeah, I was like, forget this,we're gonna be doing this all
the time.
I mean, it's to the point whereyou know they started small,
right, it's like they have they.
They would have these cards outwith animals on it.
Like one's a giraffe, what isthis?
You know, and like I rememberwhat was like a giraffe, but I

(31:54):
would say rhino, I don't.
I'm like, wait, what I knowthat's I could think I could
think it.
I know that's a giraffe, but Iwould say rhino, I don't.
I'm like, wait what.
I know that I could think Icould think it.
I know that's a giraffe, butwhy am I saying rhino?
This is the weirdest thing.
They had, like these littlepuzzles out.
It's crazy, dude, they have youplay the, the, the, the
simplest games, and I could seewhy.
Now you're trying to buildyourself back up, right, just
like when you're trying to getin shape, it's the circle in the

(32:15):
circle.
You know, I sit there and I'dbe trying to put the square peg
in the circle.
I'm just like, wait what?
Yeah, I know what this is, butI'm still messing it up.
Quite computing, yeah, but man,you know those struggles, kind
of like you said, thosemountains hit you, those, those
valleys, it really will test youas a person.

Speaker 2 (32:34):
We're all on our own journey, which I love.
How you said that.
Yeah, um, because it's notreally about what you've gone
through.
It's here the meaning and notthe words.
Right, it's like I had.
You know, I was sick.
I deal with I currently dealwith nerve issues from the
latent radiation issues.
But maybe, maybe your parentsdidn't love you, maybe you
didn't, yeah, maybe yourgirlfriend broke up with you,

(32:57):
the, the thing that happened toyou obviously plays a role and
it's individual and and you knowthere's there's a meaning
behind that to that person.
But what the problem is is thatwe've had issues and we have to
overcome those issues.
Yeah, right, and just becausemaybe I don't understand yours,
what I do understand is that itsucks.
Yeah, right, right.
And how do we overcome that?

(33:18):
Rather than say, well, mine,you know, be the victim, uh,
olympics, it's like no, let'sfind the solutions, man, and you
know, um, again, I think thesolution starts with exercise,
get up and train and again,everyone's got going to get out

(33:38):
of whatever hole.
Girlfriend broke up, parentsdidn't love you, you got sick,
you're dealing with this or that.
I think exercise, because ifyou're not moving, man, you're
dying Straight up.
Let's get you moving, let's godude.
Yeah, and I like this date.
I was not a speck on there yet,but I love this.

Speaker 1 (33:58):
Yeah, I just try to keep those.
I try to have things around methat just remind me, remind me
of what I'm going through inlife and the things that you
know.
It's a big deal for me, butremember everyone's kind of
going through something you know.
Even the point like dude, yourradiation, you know, is that
something that was it had to bepainful?

(34:19):
I mean it changes your body alittle bit, right?
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (34:26):
Well, I'll save you the gory details and all the
current stuff that I deal with,but at the time I don't
recollect a whole lot.
I mean I wasn't a 75-year-oldfemale, you know, I was a
20-year-old dude who was inrelatively good shape.
So yeah, I, I mean it was apretty easy breezy deal for me.
Um, pre-surgery, the surgery,you know I had some bathroom
issues for a while and um, thatwasn't fun, some numbness which

(34:50):
I still deal with, and um, butyou know, prior was pretty easy.
You know the whole, the wholeprocess, like listen, I tell
people like if there was ever atime to land cancer, I nailed it
.

Speaker 1 (35:02):
I nailed it man.

Speaker 2 (35:05):
And it's not always that lucky for everybody.
And so again, it goes back toyour own path, your own journey,
and doing the best that you canwith that and finding solutions
.
Oh, this happened, thathappened Well what's the?
Solution.
Let's find that.

Speaker 1 (35:18):
Right, right, right.
So when did you get into thepersonal training part of your
life?
Was that something that'srecent, or was it after?

Speaker 2 (35:26):
certification.
Yeah, yeah, so actualcertification was early last
year, so but I mean I, like Isaid, I've been physically
active and since I was 11, youknow 33 now so okay, yeah, I
mean a mean a few years, a fewdown years, but yeah, but the
actual certification was Marchof 2020.

Speaker 1 (35:44):
Is that a difficult certification to get.

Speaker 2 (35:46):
No, no, okay, no.

Speaker 1 (35:48):
It's just something you apply.
I mean, apply yourself.
Yeah, Put in the work right.

Speaker 2 (35:52):
Here's the pre-licensing Ingest.
It Schedule your exam, do whatthe thing said, Right, right
right.
If you go seek the information,they're not trying to fool you.
And that's the same with thefinancial license you just go
through the stuff and you clickthe buttons at the exam.

Speaker 1 (36:12):
Well, you know Evan, you know he does personal
training.

Speaker 2 (36:15):
Oh yeah, I'm aware that actually, now that you
mentioned it, I do remember himsaying he did some acting.
I don't know why does personaltraining?
Yeah, yeah, I'm aware thatActually, now that you mention
it, I do remember him saying hedid some acting.
I don't know why that blanked,but yeah, no, I'm aware that
he's actually a relativelysuccessful online coach and
everything, and I need to getwith him and get some coffee
with him.
Catch up, he's such a good dudeman.

Speaker 1 (36:32):
I'm so glad he's a friend and a part of the podcast
.

Speaker 2 (36:35):
How did you guys meet ?

Speaker 1 (36:37):
He was my trainer at the gym.
Yeah, yeah, I was getting fitfor some film thing that I was
doing and you know you go to.
You know, when I was like Ineed to get a trainer, and I was
like oh, that guy's jacked.
So I'll do with him, and weended up just becoming really
good friends, cause you knowwhen you're training, you're
talking, yeah, really well, andhe was in school.

(37:00):
I think you know his degree isin.

Speaker 2 (37:01):
I want to say acting, but it's in the arts.
Yeah, um, he's a few yearsyounger than me.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
I think he's 30, 31, yeah he's a little bit younger
than us, but he's, you know,he's one of those people, at
least for me.
He's kind of I, I know a lot ofpeople and that sounds very
arrogant, right.
I.
I just I'm kind of I liketalking.
That's, of course, have thepodcast, right, I just meet a
lot of people and I enjoy it,but there's very rare few that I
keep close, right, he's one ofthose kind of like five friends

(37:25):
that I say, where if I'm havinga difficult time or struggling,
I can call him up and tell himanything.
He's not phased, he'll neverjudge me, he'll be there for me,
he'll help me work through it.
We'll figure it out togetherthrough it.
We'll figure it out together.
And it's so rare to find thatand people will soon like when
you get older.
I remember reading a statisticthat once you hit your 30s,
usually it says like you'llprobably keep some of your.

(37:48):
You'll keep a friend for likeone or two years and then they
move on.
Then you keep a friend one ortwo.
You know, to have someone as afriend longer than five years
starts to become very, very rare, yeah, and so I've always tried
to.
Once I kind of catch on tosomeone who I can really confide
in and be close with and I cantell they're good people.
I'm like, ooh, I'm gonna keepthis person really close.

Speaker 2 (38:09):
Yeah, you know, and he's one of those.
Yeah, when we first had coffee,he's very vulnerable and he'll
drop my walls.
Yeah, I'm vulnerable with himand you know it's rare to see
someone share.
You know, and you know greatdude and, like I said, I need to
.
You know, link up with him.

Speaker 1 (38:27):
well, it's hard to find that.
Dude guys, right, you know guys, especially Mike Garcia, all
the time, right, everyone's puton this male bravado, freaking,
I'm A type, I'm better than you,and then, like I remember, when
you first see somebody who'sreally fit, it's a little I was
a little intimidated, right.
Oh, this guy's probably fooledhimself all this and he just was
humble, such, and he's supernice, you know, and I think for

(38:47):
males we need more of that.
I think everyone puts on this,you know, things about the point
of face, like we're this toughguy and we're good, it's.
I want to say you're human.
Yeah, you have emotions in youthat are God-given.
It's okay to cry, it's okay tobe upset, it's okay to struggle
and doubt and have those thingsthat you're doubting and talk to
somebody about it.
And I think, for some reason,it still seems taboo.

(39:10):
It's getting better.
The mental health thing I agreeit really is.
It's not as taboo as it used tobe, but it's still not to me,
my opinion, where it needs to be.
Yeah, but I always want to saylike, hey, it's okay to say you
need help.
Yeah, it's okay to say you'restruggling.
It's okay to say you're happy.
It's okay to be like what the Fis going on.

Speaker 2 (39:30):
It's definitely becoming more of an open thing
to discuss.
Yeah, so, and I'm delighted tosee that, because people have
problems, man, and, like yousaid, it's just tradition for
men to hold that in, and youknow, either you suffer forever
or is it.
You know, those moments happenwhere it's like, hey, what if

(39:50):
you took a moment to to chatthat out, yeah, discuss and just
be vulnerable and and, uh, likeyou said, it's rare to find
someone that will, that you cantrust with that information.
Right, because you know you'renot telling it to this guy so he
can tell it to that.
You know, oh, fuck, I hate that.
You know it's just like here's,this is you and me.
You know, I mean.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
Yeah, you tell you're like I think you can trust this
person right.

Speaker 2 (40:22):
And you tell him next and you know, not that it's
necessarily malicious oranything, but it's like having
someone that, yeah, you know,understands, like, yeah,
vulnerable, vulnerable, and itjust really does release a lot
of stuff.

Speaker 1 (40:32):
You know, just like exercise, yeah, you know having
those moments, dude, you seemlike you know you seem very
grounded, you seem very selfaware and my biggest question
for you is during you know, youhad cancer, you're going through
radiation, you were 320 and youlost all this weight.
Like what drives you?

(40:52):
What is it for you?
Because a lot of people can'tfind that, you know, I always
when I see someone that doesthat, I'm like okay.
So what is that for you?
What is that, that thing insideof you that no one can see,
that's pushing you to do betterto overcome these obstacles?
Yeah, man.

Speaker 2 (41:09):
You know that's an interesting one because, you
know, oftentimes there'ssomething external and for me,
like, I just feel like it'salways been, there's always been
something inside of me.
It might sound cliche orwhatever, but like it's always
been that voice You're betterLike, you're better for your,
you're meant for something great.
Ah, got you and I just want tofulfill that.

(41:30):
You know, in the last, the last, you know, four years or so,
2020 on, like, I've reallybought into myself.
You know, and and just you know, the, the true idea of belief.
You know, and, all the whilemaintaining humility and and and
whatnot.
But yeah, I want to be the guythat I say I'm going to be.

(41:52):
I want to hold myselfaccountable and and when I'm
able to check those things offthe list, yeah, there's nothing
better, you know.
You know, obviously I want toprove my parents right.
You know they my, my dad's amilitary engineer.

Speaker 1 (42:07):
My brothers are the same oh, is he full-time a
military yeah, he's retired.

Speaker 2 (42:10):
Now he works for the state department that was full
military guy.
Yeah, green beret, yeah, uh navy, three years army and then
right and um, anyways, I don'twant to get too much into them.
But yeah, security, you knowthese guys are studs, these are
my heroes, my dad and mybrothers, but you know they're
going the security route.
You know 401k, this and that,and I'm an entrepreneur,

(42:32):
filmmaker and that's just what I.
You know, obviously, the cancermedically, you know, I never
really experimented with tryingto get recruited in, but I can
assume that that's probably amedical thing that wouldn't
allow me to disqualify, but yeah, I mean just fulfilling this
thing that's always been there,that I suppressed for a long

(42:53):
time.
You know, having thesediscussions.
Yeah, I'm going to be amillionaire, I'm going to be a
billionaire, I'm going to dogreat things I'm gonna help lots
of people.
It's like that's a scary thingto like announce yeah, good,
good, good.
Announce that you know, putthat you know, put that into the
air, you know, and hold, youknow.
That gives you an additionalthing to hold yourself
accountable to.
So, yeah, of course, proving myparents right, you know,

(43:16):
proving the you know.
But really it comes down towhat keeps me motivated.
It's like, hey, man, are youthe man that you say you are?
Let's find out.
Time's ticking.
Yeah, let's go, you know.
So that's what keeps memotivated.

Speaker 1 (43:29):
Yeah, it's, it's again.
It's so hard to teachmotivation.
You know there's people in myfamily, others that you know
they want to.
I want to lose weight, I wantto do this, I want to do that,
but they think there's a magicpill.
Right?
There is no magic pill forstaying in shape.
There's no secret to successbesides hard work and putting

(43:51):
yourself out there and going forthe things that you want.
And I'll tell you right now.
There's days where I do notwant to go run.
I don't want to go run 13 milesin the hills.
I don't want to go cycle 60miles, you know.
Or I don't want to go serve.
And then, you know, I rememberthose dark times.
It was, you know, when I washaving such a difficult time.
Getting out of bed seemed sohard.

(44:11):
Yeah, that was like thetoughest part of the day was
just get up.

Speaker 2 (44:15):
And you're not going to win every time You're not,
and get up.
And you're not going to winevery time you're not.
And that's okay, man, that'sokay the.
But it's human nature to missone day.
And you, oh, next month, nextweek, it's like okay, you fell
off one day, you slept in alittle late, you ate the bed.
Okay, let's get back ontomorrow, let's not let that
thing slide.
And it's just human nature andI think finding that is is is
huge, um.

(44:35):
But I think back to theobstacles.
Uh, thing, it's like, you know,we have, we, we can give so
legitimacy to these excuses.
You know, that's evident, yeah,but just because there is
legitimacy to the excusesdoesn't mean we have to let that
prevent us from overcoming themand and doing the things that
we want to do.
Yeah, it's, it's cold outside,you know, I don't want to go run

(44:57):
.
It's like, do it anyways, dude,worse than winter dude, I know,
gosh, and it's cold outside,you know.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
I don't want to go run.
It's like, do it anyways, dude,it's worse than winter, dude, I
know Gosh.

Speaker 2 (45:02):
And we're slowly getting out of that, which is
nice, and we're begging for thecold here soon again, right?

Speaker 1 (45:16):
But yeah, I mean just looking in the people many
times, like how is gold refinedThrough the fire?
It's purified through fire.
Yeah, I mean, there's anotherthing.
You don't, you know, a skilledsailor doesn't become skilled
through easy, calm seas.
You become a skilled sailorthrough rough seas.
You learn through those hardtimes how to become a solid

(45:38):
sailor through rough seas.
You learn through those hardtimes how to become a solid
sailor.
So for me, you know, lookingback on my life, even the bad
decisions, man, you know, therewas a time in my life I was
making a ton of bad decisions.
I didn't care about anybody butmyself.
Excuse me, but looking back nowone seeing how the Lord has
just kind of led my life andprotected me, but looking back

(45:59):
and seeing those difficult times, I'm actually thankful for him.

Speaker 2 (46:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (46:03):
Because it's made me into the person I am now.
It's helped me learn some veryhard lessons as well, where
you're like I'll never do thatagain.
You know, like through theconsequences.
That was terrible, because ourlife is based off choices every
day.
Right, you choose what time towake up, you choose what to eat
for breakfast, you choose to goin your car and start it up, you

(46:23):
choose when you're going tofill it up with fuel.
You know what I'm saying?
Choices, choices, choices.
You make good choices, you'regoing to reap the benefit.
You make bad choices, you'regoing to reap the consequences.
Yeah, yeah.
So it's kind of like gosh.
How that?

Speaker 2 (46:39):
that fine balance of always trying to keep your life
on track and doing well.
You're chasing your dreams, man.
It's like people are scaredbecause, like, what if it
doesn't work out?
What if it doesn't work out?
Well, if you don't try, you'llnever know.
Yeah, but then you know, that'skind of the spice of life.
It's like, hey, you know if, ifI don't try, I won't know.
But I like to say, if you, ifyou do, put what happens if you
do push-ups?
Right, if you do push-upsconsistently, over time your

(47:00):
chest is going to get stronger.
It's not like you can dopush-ups and wish the push-up
growth away, right, right, youdo the push-ups, it happens,
period, physiologically, yeah.
And if you put the work in, youmake the cold calls, you
interact with people, you letpeople know what you're doing.
That's going to build whateverit is that you're trying to do.
You get to the gym.
If you put the work in, it paysoff and sometimes it's slower

(47:23):
for others.
But if you just keep chippingaway, keep chipping away, you
let that seed sprout.
Once that thing sprouts, it'soff to the moon.
But a lot of people just stopwatering the seed before it's
almost there.
It's about to sprout, but theygive up.
Yeah, and it's like.
You know you don't necessarilyneed to be 100% the whole way,

(47:43):
but you know 10%.
You know maybe it's on the backburner for a little while, but
you're still doing little things.
And a lot of people miss thatnotion because it's discouraging
and maybe it doesn't work out.
It's like well, at the end ofthe day, if you put the work in
for a long enough period of time, it'll pay off, and you just
got to trust that process.

Speaker 1 (48:01):
Yeah, what I see too.
You know, with God this willmake me sound like an old guy,
but you kind of see it in thecurrent generation.
They want instant success.
Well, I went to college, I havea degree.
I should be the ceo like dog.
Look, it's not how it works.
Let's be real around.
Yeah, if when I first started inthe fire service I get hired

(48:24):
day one and they make me thefire chief, I would completely
ruin that fire, destroy it.
It'd be done if when we startedthis podcast, you know the
first few I would say the firstyear shows were ridiculous.
Right, it was a mess, it wasfun, but we learned as we went.
Now, if I would have startedthe podcast and I was instantly
having 20 million downloads andI have success like the best

(48:45):
podcast, joe Rogan or whateverwe want to, whatever you listen
to, I'd ruin it.
Yeah, I would fail.
Yeah, there's no way, because Ihaven't learned the process of
doing these things.
Yeah, how to doing these things, how to talk to people, how to
have an interview with people.
You know having the rightequipment I mean even to being
in my career as a firefighterhow to fight fire.
You know the reason why.

(49:05):
You know the discipline ittakes to understand putting on
your protective gear the correctway every single time, because
your life matters.
The rescuer can't become therescuee.
There's no way you're going toscrew it up.
You know so the process.
You know what.
What I got 17 years on now, Iwouldn't know what I know now.
If you know, I didn't startfrom the freaking beginning.

(49:26):
You have to.
You got to start at the bottomand I say to people all the time
you're going to eat a crapsandwich.
Wherever you begin, you aregoing to eat a crab sandwich.
Learn to enjoy the crabsandwich man it never ends, yeah
, but there's gosh, there's somuch.
There's so many good things inthose rough times of learning
that's going to get you to whereyou want to go and give you so
much experience to become,hopefully, that great leader or

(49:48):
be good at whatever you're doing?

Speaker 2 (49:49):
You really only look back at the crap sandwiches and
go thank you, you know, becauseif the current crap sandwiches
and I think I'm just starting toget into that mode, you know-
I've overcome a lot and you knowthere's always going to be more
to overcome.
But you know, I I look at thosemoments now, in the face of them
, like good, I'm thankful forthese moments.
You know, I'm grateful for thisopportunity to learn and get

(50:11):
better.
You know, rather than say, ohman, this sucks, let me wait
three years before I understandwhy, it's awesome, you know, I'm
starting to understand, like inthose moments, like what am I
learning from this?
And I think that comes withgrowth and listen, I got a long
way to grow and but you know,it's kind of nice to really
start embracing the failures andembracing those hard times and

(50:32):
understanding that there'ssomething that's going to be
gained from this you know, do it100.

Speaker 1 (50:37):
You know for me, you know when I I'm the best way to
put this but I used to be kindof a stress case about my life
and future and I always feltlike I was never good enough.
And I I know what that is nowjust from going through therapy
and you know how I grew up and Iwas always chubby.
You know me and my brotherswere picked on and during those

(50:59):
times it's always like you'renot good enough.
I wasn't the cool guy in sportsuntil, like finally, senior
year, when I've got sproutedinto my own, you know.
But, man, that stuck with mefor so long.
Now you're never good enough.
You got to work hard, hard, hard, hard.
I remember one day it was afamily member, I think it was my
sister.
She's like Tim, like why areyou?
Like you need to take a secondand look at your life.

(51:19):
You've done really well, Likeit's okay, it's good to take a
second and look back and be like, oh geez, good job, you know.
And now, after coming back to myown faith in you know Jesus and
what he's done for me, it'sactually taken so much more of
that pressure off, and that'sonly because I've learned that

(51:40):
if I go to him, I talk to himand I tell him my problems and
things that I'm going through.
I need direction.
I've always learned like yo, itworks out, Even when it fails.
I realize there's certainthings that happened in my life.
He was protecting me.
I look at it now and I'm like,oh my gosh, I'm so glad that job
didn't work out.
I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm soglad that job didn't work out.

(52:00):
I'm so glad I didn't get onthat film.
I'm so glad I didn't end upwith this person, because now
where I'm at, I wouldn't tradeit for anything.
Like my goodness, likeeverything they told me and
everything I've learned and readtrust in the Lord.
He's got you, he's got a planfor your life.
He literally has a plan for you.
He has a plan for me.
I mean he knew us both beforewe were made.
You know what I'm saying.
It's like you were fearfully,wonderfully made.

(52:21):
There's no one like you.
He knew you were going to gothrough what you were going
through, but he also knew youwould overcome it and what
that's going to do is how manand it's a mindset and you can
make that decision.

Speaker 2 (52:36):
It's like, oh, this happened to me, this happened to
me, right right, or it happenedfor me.

Speaker 1 (52:41):
Yeah, it's not like to be churchy, but it's also.
It's taught me that even in mypain, in the good, in my pain,
in my failures, I'm still goingto praise him because he's
worthy and because he has a planand he can change what was once
bad into something good.
He trades beauty for ashes.
I a hundred percent believethat.
Now, like I'm not afraid to saythat, I look at my life and

(53:03):
where I was and like I'll justsay, a shit box, it was for a
while.
And then where I'm at now andhow far he's brought me and I
can't help but say thank you,like, oh my gosh, thank you so
much.
Like thank you for protectingme, for guiding me, even when I
denied you, even when I put youto the side because where I'm at
now I wouldn't trade it foranything the hope that you've
given me, the drive, the courageto overcome you know, the

(53:26):
courage that even when I fail,I'm going to keep moving and I'm
going to fail forward.
I'm going to try it again, I'mgoing to regroup.
You know, it's just changed alot for me.
I think that's where now a lotof my motivation kind of comes
from, where it's like dude,there's something better coming.
Yeah, you know he's gonna use.
He's either gonna use my lifeand things I've been through to
help other people and be atestament to what he's done and

(53:49):
he's gonna make it okay.
Yeah, you know, even when ithurts and that's that's, brother
, that I'll tell you right now.
That has been the toughest partof my walk I can imagine.
You know, when you're, whenyou're like yo, what the f is
going on.
Dude, you said you love me.
You said you're gonna help me.
You said you're gonna protectme, and that's one thing that
you know.
I don't even know about thebook of job, but you know job

(54:09):
went through some hard times.
Yeah, you know the lord saidtest him.
That is my good and faithfulservant Lost his family, kids
died, lost all his you knowwealth, everything.
And the one thing I learnedfrom that when I read that is
his prayers were tough.
He wasn't afraid to tell Godexactly how he feels and I tell
people that all the time, fellowfirefighters who are struggling

(54:30):
that confide in me.
It's like look, dude, there'sonly so much I can do, but I can
tell you right now if you justpour your heart out to the Lord
and tell him what you're goingthrough.
I guarantee you're going tofeel a lot better.
Because, put it out.
It's not this whole thing whereit's like I'm going to put my
hands together and I'm going tobow down.
It's like dude, he knows youand he loves you.
Tell him how you feel is, tellme if you're pissed.

(54:57):
Tell me you're pissed.
Job was upset.
Why would you do this to me?
Kill me?
I don't want to be here anymore.
But at the end of his prayershe always said I trust you.
Yeah, bro, that spoke to me somuch.
Yeah, and that's like that haschanged the way that I kind of
like talked to lord, even on mymy runs and hikes and stuff.
Where it's like I'll be like yo, bro, I'm effing pissed.
Yeah, why would you let thishappen?
Yeah, yeah, you know.
But once I get it out I'm like,okay, I'm good, but hey, I do
it, I trust you, but this sucks.

Speaker 2 (55:19):
Yeah, they say fear of God is healthy and you know,
a lot of times, people, you know, use fear as the reason why
they follow God.
Yeah, and good, good, oh, good,good, oh, yeah, one of the

(55:40):
camera batteries, but we're good, copy that, um, and for me, I
don't want to, really I don'twant to use god as an insurance
plan myself, personally, um, so,you know, get it becoming
godlier, you know, gettingcloser to god, uh, you know, is
really my goal and you know, Ithink, I think, and you know, I
like man, man, I am on my walk,yeah, it's so good, bro, but
yeah, I mean, I think,understanding the fear because,

(56:02):
you know, like, if we're notright with God and that moment
of truth happens, right, sorry,you know, but you know, I think
a lot of people use, you know,oh, if you believe, you know
you're going to heaven, right,it's like, is that really what
you want this to be?

Speaker 1 (56:22):
Yes, dude, don't you want to become?

Speaker 2 (56:23):
closer to God.
Like don't you want to followhis rules?
And isn't that what you want,right?
You don't want to just bescared.
Let me you know.
Why don't we use his word tomake other people?

Speaker 1 (56:34):
better.
Let's go, kyle, not just fear,and that's you know.

Speaker 2 (56:38):
again, I think it sounds like from what I hear
from brothers and stuff.
It's like, hey, it's healthy tohave a little fear.
Oh yeah, but you know mythinking at the point that I am
in my walk, it's like you know,how do I get godlier, how do I
become closer?

Speaker 1 (56:53):
Yeah, Like more like him.
Gosh, you had such a good pointbecause I heard someone say
this the other day.
It was kind of along the linesof well, I want to make sure I'm
right with God so I get toheaven.
I'm like it's not about gettingto heaven, dude.
If it was about becoming abeliever and accepting what
Christ did for you, it's aboutgetting to heaven that as soon
as you accept him, you shouldjust be gone.
That's not what it's aboutgetting to heaven that as soon

(57:13):
as you accept him, you shouldjust be gone.
That's not what it's about.
It's about relationship withhim, dude.
He just wants I always say it'sso simple, but people make it
hard, right?
I feel like Western church hasreally made it interesting,
right?
Yeah, when really it's likeit's a free gift and all he
wants is your heart.
He knows you're not going to beperfect.
He knows to mess up.
He just wants to be there foryou.

(57:33):
He wants to know that you'regoing to accept him as he is.

Speaker 2 (57:35):
That's it.
It's a free gift, dude.

Speaker 1 (57:37):
God knows your heart.
That's it, dude.
I mean, if going to churchmakes you a Christian, it's just
as much as being in a garagemakes you a car.
It's not about the four walls.
Church is about the people,dude.
It's not about getting toheaven, it's about love.
Love, grace and forgiveness,and for me, that's what changed
me.
Am I a perfect dude?
By no means, brother.
I'll even say hell, no, okay, Iam not a perfect person.

(57:59):
No, I have my struggles, I havemy doubts.
I still have things that youknow that I struggle with, but
at the end of the day, when itcomes down to it, I'll always
say I believe him, I believe inwhat Jesus has done for me
because, dude, has changed me ahundred percent.
It's become such a motivationand so much hope that it's just
like, oh my, I get so excited.

Speaker 2 (58:18):
Sometimes I'm like, yeah, this sucks right now, but
I'm gonna be good yeah, yeah,trusting in him and and that's
something that I need to to bemore accepting of is and I've
gotten closer.
Yeah, dude, just let let himhandle it.
Yeah, you know, if somethingbad happens, it's meant for a
purpose.
You know it's guiding you inthe direction that he wants you

(58:38):
to go.
I know you want to go adifferent route, but, hey, why
don't you relax?
That doesn't mean give up onyour dreams or something because
something bad happened.
Right, 100%, but it also meanslooking up and asking him and
saying, hey, help me understanddude Help me understand and
maybe he won't teach you.
at the moment I'm stillquestioning some of the things

(59:00):
that I'm like.
It'd be nice to know why.
You don't necessarily need toheal me, but maybe understanding
why you're doing this would benice, and I'm sure he'll reveal
that in time.

Speaker 1 (59:14):
You're a good dude, carl.
I'm going to tell you right nowlike I'm so glad you on this
podcast and I can say this man,I, I, you know, I think he's got
great plans for you, man, andthere's there's nothing wrong
with you on the journey.
You're on, dude, it's okay tobe questioning, it's okay all of
it, dude, yeah, he loves it, heknows where you're at.
You know, I'm saying now thelast thing I do want to talk to
you about, because you'refinancial planner, right.
Yes, so, dude, the state thatwe're in right now as far as

(59:37):
inflation, people are losingthings, right, people start to
lose jobs.
You're seeing it with jobs,right, these big companies are
laying people off.
You know, I'm seeing it online.
You've seen people start tosell their boats, you know their
toys, right, starting to getrid of stuff for a lot cheaper
than what they're worth.
Yeah, rvs and everything.
What do you think is the bestway for people to survive and

(59:58):
get through a time like thiswith inflation?
Because it's a difficult time,right, when I go fill up my
vehicle, my vehicle is a lotbigger.
It's an Expedition Brother.
That's a 30 gallon tank.
Now, I've done well for myself,but that still hurts, like it's
205 bucks to fill that bad boyup.
Sometimes Now I think aboutpeople who a two household

(01:00:22):
income and they don't have theopportunities maybe that I've
had and they're paycheck topaycheck and maybe they have to
decide okay, are we going to buygroceries or only fill up the?
You know, fill the gas tank uphalfway.
You know they're starting tohave to make very crucial
decisions.
Or, hey, we can't live inCalifornia anymore.
It's too expensive, we move out.
That's one option.

Speaker 2 (01:00:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:00:40):
Yeah.
So it's like you know and thisis not to like catch you way off
guard, but you know financesare a big deal right now.

Speaker 2 (01:00:46):
It's tough for people , you know, and I see it.

Speaker 1 (01:00:48):
I see it in my job.
How do people prep for thesetimes or cut back?
You know it's a real hard time.

Speaker 2 (01:00:55):
Well, financial planner, we call ourselves
licensed independent educators.
We teach people financialliteracy and business ownership,
and one of the first thingsthat we teach is to know their
options.
And finding things that beatwhat the banks offer and outpace
inflation is our very firstthing that we teach folks and we

(01:01:15):
help them understand what theoptions are and what it means to
find a strategy or a solutionthat does just that, that gets
you 8, 10, 12 or north of thatpercent of return.
Yeah, finding things that offermarket protection, but also
upside growth, but also upsidegrowth.
And then the business ownershipside is like, hey, 50 years ago

(01:01:41):
you could be a bus driver andbe able to save and whatever Buy
a house, and nowadays it's nolonger a luxury to have a second
stream, a third stream ofincome, it's a necessity.
And so, just keeping your eyesup for opportunity and it's
tough because we have shinyobject syndrome.
Grass is greener on their side,not naturally, it's important

(01:02:04):
to focus on one thing, uh, butyou know, having your your side,
things that are growing on theback burner and and um, you know
, uh, yeah, so, so findingthings that offer, uh, higher
rates of return is number one.
Putting your money to work foryou and then opening up, you
know, opportunities foradditional streams of income,
passive income, et cetera.

(01:02:25):
So eyes, eyes up, guys, yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:02:28):
Yeah, gosh, it's a.
I hope we get through thesetimes, man, because it's a
bummer to see people struggling.
You know that's one thing.
It's just tough, you know it's.
You know I've seen, I've hadfriends that we a bummer to see
people struggling.
That's one thing, that's justtough.
I've had friends that they'relike dude, we can't afford to
live in California.
We got to bounce.
It's a bummer, you're just likedang dude, it got that bad.
I'm not in that position.
Thank God I've done okay.

(01:02:48):
But it's tough when you seeyour friends and family
struggling.

Speaker 2 (01:03:00):
They're on fixed incomes and it's getting tough
and things are getting tight.
Well, when you know, uh,someone reached out to you at
some point not you, but ingeneral and you're like, ah, you
know, I'm 30.
I don't really need to worryabout you know the future or you
know it's like, well, maybemaybe listen, guys, listen to
that person, because you know,maybe it's not for you, maybe
it's not the right time, but atleast give yourself the shot.
You know let's, let's, let's gothrough the options, let's talk
about how money works, compoundinterest, you know how money's

(01:03:21):
tax, how to, how to mitigatethose things, and and maybe,
maybe there's a gem there, maybeyou find some value, maybe you
know someone that does.
But I think what it comes downto is just opening your ears,
getting educated on how moneyworks and how you can can make
it work for you, and and not letit get beaten up by inflation.
Um, and then you know, if youdon't act on it, that's fine.

(01:03:43):
At least you knew, at least youunderstood so you got it.

Speaker 1 (01:03:47):
Yeah, just just open up your ears.
Yeah, I got you do so.
Somebody wants to get a hold ofyou for either financial
planning or, um, your personaltraining.
Is that two separate things?
Or they?
Can they come to you directlyat your instagram, or either
financial planning or yourpersonal training Is that two
separate things?
Or can they come to youdirectly at your Instagram or
your TikTok?

Speaker 2 (01:04:01):
Yeah, reach out directly.
Kyle Hardy 43 is my Instagram.
My TikTok is Kyle Hardy 127.
I do have individual websites,that's wwwhardyfinancialorg for
the financial side and thenwwwairllcorg for the personal

(01:04:24):
training side, and, like I said,direct message through the
TikTok and IG platforms.

Speaker 1 (01:04:29):
Okay, yeah, dude, very good man.
I can't thank you enough, dude,for spending time to be on this
podcast.
I want you to come back, dude.
I wish we had more time yeah,me too.

Speaker 2 (01:04:39):
I'd love to maybe do one with, uh, with evan, mr
nelson, that would be, I thinkthat would be fire.

Speaker 1 (01:04:44):
Yeah, I think it'd be great to have both you on.
But, dude, all I could say isyou're an awesome individual man
.
You've been through a lot and Ithink you know the things
you've talked about here withyour cancer and losing weight,
and where you've been, how faryou've come, as a testament to
who you are as a person, dude,um, you have a lot to give this
world.
You know what I'm saying.
Don't like.
I know you're not a person togive up.

(01:05:04):
Keep going, doc.
Yeah Well, keep going.

Speaker 2 (01:05:07):
That's the plan.
And you know, uh, if I canleave, leave the podcast with.
Anything is is take thechallenges.
Yeah, you know, don't, don'tshy away from them.
Jump over the hurdles, goaround and bust through the
walls.
Just because there's an excusethat has legitimacy to it
Doesn't mean you have to submitto it.
So, overcome and, uh, you know,do the things that you say

(01:05:29):
you're going to do and becomethat person.
Dude, I love it, man of yourword huh, that's right,
Everybody man, hey man, I donTry to be.

Speaker 1 (01:05:34):
I'm not perfect.
That's for everybody.
Man, be a man of your word.
Hey man, I don't really do thisoften, but I'm just going to
end this right now.
I want to pray for you.
You cool with that?
I would love to pray now.
Let's do right now, real quick,dude.
Heavenly Father, thank you formy friend Kyle, and that please

(01:05:55):
continue to guide him, guard hisheart, show him who you are,
reveal how much you just lovehim and how much you've
protected him, and what you'regoing to do with his life.
Lord, I am so thankful thathe's here, that he's now one of
my friends.
Lord, work out his life, bringthe success that you want for
him, lord, and just continue toshow your love for him In Jesus'

(01:06:16):
name.
Amen, amen, dude, you are theman, my friend.
Likewise, you are welcome onhere anytime.
I'll be here anytime, and wealways end this podcast with a
let's go on three.
You ready for this?
Yes, let's do it.
One, two, three, let's go.
Let's do it.
Bye everybody.
Thank you so much for listeningin.
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(01:06:39):
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(01:07:01):
Bye everybody.