September 8, 2025 • 24 mins
For 15 years in the Marine Corps, I believed the best Marines were always the ones in the trenches — the ones in the fire, making the play when the chaos hit. But what happens when the organization pulls you out of the fire? Does that make you less of a Marine, or is it actually the thing that saves you?
In this episode of the Talkin’ Crazy Podcast, I break down the mindset of top performers who sacrifice everything — family, balance, even their health — for the mission. I share the story of being sent to SACO when I was a Sergeant, how I thought it was punishment, and how that moment actually gave me the space to reset, write my book, and build Meech Speaks.
This episode is for the Marines and leaders who pride themselves on grinding nonstop, but need to hear the truth: sometimes getting repositioned isn’t punishment, it’s preparation. Sometimes stepping out of the spotlight is exactly what you need to grow.
Pride over peace will burn you out. Balance will build you up.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:19):
This episode is sponsored by Better Help.
What's going on everybody? As we all know, mental health is
a huge piece for me and recentlyas I become a better version of
myself, I've decided that it's time for me to go to therapy
because I understand how life can be a little overwhelming and
we all need help navigating through the trenches of military
service and and out of uniform. Better Help connects you with a
licensed therapist who is trained to listen and give you
(00:42):
helpful, unbiased advice. 1st all you got to do is go to their
site. Matter of fact, you can use my
link right here. Answer a few questions and
Better Help will match you with a professional who has years of
experience in helping people with struggles just like yours.
You can do it all from your phone or computer, via phone
call or video chat or messaging however you feel most
(01:02):
comfortable. It's the easiest possible way to
start talking to a therapist. You will be matched to a
therapist usually within 48 hours, so you can get started
fast. Let Better help connect you to a
therapist who can support you all from the comfort of your
home. Visit betterhelp.com/meech
Speaks and enjoy a special discount on your first month.
Throughout my entire military career, I was always taught that
(01:24):
the best is usually in the fire.They're in the trenches.
So if you pull me out the fire, if you pull me out the trenches,
am I even the best? What's going on everybody?
It's that ordinary podcast with the extraordinary thoughts that
tells you to stop being great and be extraordinary.
I'm Demetrius they fan, also known as me speak.
And welcome back to another episode of the talking Crazy
podcast. Now before we get started with
this podcast, don't forget to head on over to your favorite
(01:45):
stream platform, whether that's Apple podcast or Spotify
podcast, and leave this podcast an honest review because this
podcast deserves to grow just asmuch as we do.
Now let me just go ahead and just say this.
Throughout my entire military career, I'm talking about the
past 15 years, there is one organization that I have always
heard about and that's the Wounded Warrior Project.
(02:05):
OK, I have always heard about the Wounded Warrior Project, you
know what I mean? And it, it is with great honor,
great honor that I have been able to partner with a
organization for the month of September for, you know, for
suicide prevention, you know, and man, I, it's really a full
(02:27):
circle moment, man. Like if you really, if you
really were talking to me, if you really know exactly like the
ups and downs, then you know fora fact that, you know, this
really means a lot, you feel me.And obviously September just
isn't the month where you want to just check in on your
peoples. You know, you should be doing
that 365 days out of the year, you said.
I mean, you should always be reaching out to the person that
(02:47):
you you constantly ask for advice or you haven't heard from
in a while, or, you know, we're just going through a tough time
or hell, even going through a great time, bro.
Like you should always want to reach out to them, man.
Because at the end of the day, man, you never know what battle
somebody is fighting. So it it really man with just
honor. All right, Privilege, man.
(03:08):
So many words. But I've partnered with Wounded
Warrior Project to help put it in the veteran suicide.
So connect. So check in connect.
Help save a life. All right, now switching gears
going into the first half of this money, you know, and I, I
want to say that today's episode, I'm talking to a
(03:28):
certain demographic. I'm not even about to lie to
you. I'm talking to a certain
demographic and I say I'm talking to a certain demographic
because there's only a certain type of Marine that will hear
exactly what I'm saying. OK, if if you just skating by in
the military, bro, I promise you, you're not really going to
understand exactly what I'm talking about Like, because to
be honest with you, this does not apply to you.
(03:49):
You, you, you don't you don't fit this episode, I promise you.
But today I'm talking to my top performers, all right, I'm
talking to my top performers. I'm talking to the guys that
came in early. I'm talking to the ones that are
prepared to stay late. I'm talking to the ones that
brought lunch. But to be honest with you, if
they are able to eat lunch, thenit's great.
(04:10):
But if they not, they really don't give a fuck because they
got a job to do. All right?
I'm talking to the ones that arereal quick to say, hey, I gotta
go take care of this. I'm talking to them.
I'm talking to the ones that have always put the organization
first. I'm talking to the ones who have
always put the mission first. I'm talking to the ones who have
always put the Marines first. And they have came last.
(04:33):
You know, their families have come last.
You know, their lives have come last.
I'm talking to them. And I bring that up man,
because, you know, over the weekend, you know, I got hit
with some news that honest to God is actually good fucking
news. It's, it's really good news.
And as much as I would love to just really talk about it,
(04:54):
everything ain't set in stone just yet, you know, So you, you
will see once it happens, you know, like, hey, if, if this
actually worked out, you know, but to be honest with you, it's
actually good news if you reallypeel back the layer, like it's
really good fucking news. And I say it's good news because
at the end of the day, man, likeI'm, I, I want structure, I want
(05:16):
peace, I want balance. But at the same time, I'm a top
performer, bro. I'm a top performer.
I make plays. I'm in the field, you know what
I mean? I'm in the trenches, I'm in the
fire where the chaos is at. That's where you bout to find me
making the play. That's that's been my career.
(05:37):
That's all I've known. And for a lot of people, that's
all they've known. And at the expense they probably
have lost family, you know, wentthrough a divorce, miss
birthdays, miss anniversaries, miss holidays, you know, their,
their their work, their work andhome life balance completely
(05:58):
off. You said me.
Obviously it's more work than itis actually fucking home.
The people that they have near and dear, we love them to death.
They love them to death. But at the same time, when I get
to you, I get to you. And you know, it's so sad, man,
because I know it's a lot of Marines that are come up to
these guys and they be like, man.
Dude, like you're so. Fucking good, what is your
(06:19):
secret? Fuck my family, you know what I
mean? Like there's a lot of people
that have come up to you and be like, hey brother, what's your
secret to all your success? Oh, that's easy.
My family, friends and my personal life, I just put all of
that in the back seat and put everything like the mission, the
Marines and everything else in the front seat.
And that's all I've ever focusedon.
(06:42):
And once again, although it, it sounds fucked up, that's just a
way of life. I bring that up, man, because
that was exactly me. You know what I mean?
2000 and 22,000 and nineteen 2020 around the same time that I
start a podcast and becoming meets speaks was also when all
of the stuff that I had been doing finally came to a head.
(07:03):
Prior to that, I'm talking aboutforce multiplier.
You know, you could put me in any unit and I'm going to make a
higher caliber of rain. I'm going to bring more to the
table then I'm going to take from the table.
But at the same time, that's allI was and that's all I
identified as. And if you would have opened my
(07:23):
book up and just went through mypages, you would have found out
that I was actually doing a lot worse.
Winning Marina NCO, the quarter at the regimental level, at the
meth level. I'm I'm winning these boards.
I go home to nobody there because the time my wife had
packed up, took the kids and moved out.
(07:45):
You know what I mean? I'm shaking hands at
graduations, going home and getting drunk by myself.
I have now helped this Marine further his career, and I'm
wondering what's going to happenwith mine.
There was a time when I prioritized everything in the
(08:07):
Marine Corps before me. And I remember right, Like I
remember I had a chief law officer.
He came up to me, came up to me and he was like, hey, thick fan,
you going to Sacco? I looked at him and I was like,
why the fuck would you send me to Sacco?
OK, I I just won NCO of 1/4 mathlevel.
(08:27):
I don't put up how many Mai courses for this battalion.
I'm a maintenance chief. I'm a great man.
Matter of fact, I'm the best Marine that you have in this
fucking company and one of the best in this battalion.
So Riddle me this Batman. Why are you sending me to Sacco
when I tell you I was hot? I was hot bro because there was
(08:50):
a lot of other shit bags that should have gotten sent there.
There were a lot of other sergeants that weren't meeting
the mark. Why the fuck are you not sending
them? And I remember him looking me
dead in the eyes and he says theMarine Corps got this weird way
of sending our shit bags to other units and making them
(09:11):
their problems. You feel me?
The Marine Corps got a weird wayof sending our shit bags to
other units to make them their problems.
Not realizing that these shit bags usually will come back
promoted. These shit bags will usually
come back completely different. These these shit bags usually
(09:31):
come back re enlisted. We're not doing that here.
I don't believe in putting off my my trash to somebody else.
I would rather send my top performers away to pour them out
of the line to to to give them abreak to allow them to reset
because at the end of the day, they really deserved it.
(09:54):
And I know, I know it's a lot ofpeople right now and I'm pretty
sure it's somebody that's thinking to themselves like,
man, I don't believe that shit. You feel me?
Send that mother fucker out of here.
Send them to PMO, send them to the gym, send them, send them
away. And I'm gonna just stop for a
second because although I wasn'ttrying to hear it then here I
am. Gunners aren't thick pan.
You feel me? Gunners aren't thick pan.
That shit made sense now. That makes sense now, because
(10:17):
let's just be frank. You got a guy right now in your
shop in in in your in your unit.That ain't mean the mark bare
minimum at best, you feel me? He has slithered his way to the
rank of like corporal or Sergeant, probably a Lance
Corporal, you know, and he just ain't meeting the mark, you
know, gave him all the attempts and then tried to mentor him and
(10:39):
you are about to send him to somebody else who probably ain't
going to hold him to no type of standard.
Allow him to get promoted. And the thing that y'all got to
understand, these guys usually are only going for probably like
6 months to nine months. So they were going that entire
time, promoted, came back, reenlisted.
(11:01):
You feel me? Great for them, bad for the
organization because they cared.They never really changed.
And you were the one that sent him away.
Meanwhile, your best guy, you added more work to him.
You told him, hey, I needed you to, you know, keep taking care
of the load. Hey, keep moving the Marines.
Hey, let's execute the mission. We got Phase MO, we got CGI, we
(11:23):
got all of these things coming up.
So I need you to fucking take care of it.
And they do, but they get burnt out and you got this
motherfucker coming back, probably another rank, probably
reenlist it, probably got ordersand he's just coming back
refreshed, recharged, and ready to go fuck up another unit.
When you think about it, it's not fair.
(11:45):
When you think about it, it's not fair.
And on top of that, bro, on top of that, right you, you, we send
them to places where it's prettyfucking skate.
Send them the PMO so he can workthree on two off or two on three
off, you feel me? And all he does is just stand at
the gate. Send them the Sacco where if
(12:06):
they not doing the urinalysis, he going home.
Yo, best guy stay late as fuck. This motherfucker about to get
off at like 10:00 because the urinalysis is over at 10.
Send them to the gym so he can work out and that's all he does.
Send them to the range. So when the range ain't going
on, he ain't got nothing going on.
Send them away. But in reality, we hooking them
(12:29):
up and it's almost a cop out because we're leaders.
We got to hold Marines accountable, we got to hold them
to the fire, we got to hold themup and we also got to pull them
off to the side. But instead of doing that, we
just send them away. I would wonder why our top
performer, right? Like why our top performer will
(12:50):
get the fuck out and a heartbeatbecause he's tired of singing
stuff like that. So to bring that back, man,
that's what that that's what that chief foreign officer was
trying to teach me back then. You feel me?
And I ain't know it. I didn't know it.
And I remember going to to Sacco.
I remember going there, man. And I remember upset, bro, I was
(13:11):
still, I had, I had a sour look to my face the entire time
because I knew I wasn't supposedto be there.
And motherfuckers coming up to me like, hey, what are you doing
here? What?
Why are you in Sacco? What did you do?
And I'm gonna stop for a second,All right?
I'm gonna stop for a second because one thing that I have
learned, and I feel like it's not just me.
I feel like all Marines are justessentially conditioned that if
(13:32):
they see that you have been moved to a different spot
outside of which you originally put in to do automatically, you
think that you're in trouble. And it's natural because, I
mean, most of the time we see shit like that.
And I really hope one day that we are able to just realize,
like, sometimes if you see him in a different spot, that
motherfucker just there trainingor probably doing something
else, he ain't in trouble. But I spent so much time
(13:55):
explaining to people like, look,I ain't in trouble.
I'm just here. You tell me I'm I ain't in
trouble. I'm just here.
And that was the frustrating part.
But then I started to like, you know, accept, accept my fate.
I had a great stassar that I wasup under, too.
And this Stassar taught me something to that I I did not
(14:15):
every, I, I've never, I never was taught in the Marine Corps.
You feel me. He was teaching me things about
how to be a Marine and have a family.
You feel me. He was explaining to me how to
put my family first in the Marine Corps.
Nobody had ever taught me that before.
You feel me how to be a father and a Marine.
I just was always a Marine and afather second.
(14:37):
He took both of these things andwas able to combine them or at
least show me exactly what I wasgoing to do.
I remember there would be days man, like and he, he knew my
family was in a different state.You know what I mean?
Like about like 6 hour drive andhe came up to me one day and he
was like hey, ain't your kid, ain't one of your kids birthday
tomorrow. I was like, yes, that's how it
is. He said, well, I mean, tomorrow,
(14:58):
Saturday, you know, look, we ain't got shit going on today.
Why don't you hit the road, bro,and go out there so that way you
can go ahead and spend time withyour family.
Me being the top performer, I'm like, what?
Really? He like, hell yeah, go and I
would. And it was moments like that,
bro. And I'm be honest with you,
moments like that that actually saved my career, you feel me?
(15:21):
It was moments like that that actually saved my career,
rejuvenized my career, you feel me?
Because I was actually going to get out because I knew I was
dealt with this shit. I was so tired of being better
and doing more and feeling like I wasn't good enough.
And he was the one that helped revitalize my career.
So I, I, I, I bring all of that up, man.
(15:42):
Because a lot of y'all right now, man, like a lot of y'all
right now, are probably put in aposition where you would rather
stay in the trenches. You would rather have your feet
to the fire. You would rather get slayed.
You would rather get slayed thanto move to a different position
because it's not flashy. You would rather be stressed the
(16:06):
fuck out, burnt the hell out, upset, tired family barely even
seeing you, then to get moved tothis position that makes a lot
more sense because it ain't flashy enough for you.
And I understand because for thelongest we've always believed
that if we're not in the fire, if we are not if, if the bet,
(16:30):
we've always believed that the best Marine is usually in the
fire. They, the ones that's in the
trenches, they making shit happen.
So if I'm not making shit happen, I'm not in the fire and
I'm not in the trenches. I'm not the best marine.
And that mindset is a reason whyyou ain't going to have the
(16:50):
structure that you need. You ain't going to have the
balance that you need. That's the reason why you're
going to pick pride over peace every single time.
So we have to unlearn and relearn punishment and
positioning. OK.
When you was a dreamer that somebody pulled you out of the
shop and sent you to somewhere else, it always came down to the
(17:10):
simple fact that Oh well, obviously they don't want me
around, they don't want to deal with me.
I'm somebody else problem. Now I understand I was a dream
Marine. I completely get it.
However, I will say this as you go through the ranks, OK, there
are going to be positions that are going to open up that are
(17:31):
going to require yo ass to go toOK?
I'ma just be honest and this is somebody once again, this is
somebody that was at Sacco when they were a Sergeant.
You feel me? I got selected to staff Sergeant
when I was at Sacco. All right, fit reps out of CCO
outstanding. I'm talking about I was one of
(17:52):
the best in the battalion. OK, he he said it on the fitrap
and I'm at Sacco. OK, I say that mad because just
because it's a different position, that don't mean that
it's a punishment. All right, you got to, you got
to, you got to unlearn that bullshit that you learned when
you was a dream Marine. They sent you to £29 because you
was fucking up. They sent you to the working
(18:14):
party because you was fucking up.
You are now about to go somewhere else because of the
rank that you're in the positionthat you now need to feel the
billet that you now need to feel.
You feel me or just the structure that you need in order
to go to the next stage. That's, that's the reason why
you're getting sent there. That's all.
(18:35):
When I left Sacco, I went to theMartial Arts and Fitness Center
of Excellence, OK, once again, out of my job, all right, I was
teaching at a higher caliber. And now here I am teaching the
top percent of what, you know, top 10% of Marines.
OK, I'm I, it's a completely different position.
I went through every billet in there to learn who I would sub
(18:59):
to learn each position and to become better.
Now here I am a recruiter, man. I'm a recruiter, man, OK.
And I'm out of my job again. I'm out of my job again.
I'm changing positions, man. I'm changing positions.
And sometimes do I beat myself up because I feel like I haven't
been consistent. But at the exact same time, I'm
in different positions. I'm constantly in the front and
(19:21):
I'm also sometimes in the back. I ain't always got to be the
quarterback. Sometimes I'm the full back
making plays behind the scenes. I bring that up, man, because in
life, if you were truly trying to get to the top, it's going to
require you to have to step in and out of the spotlight.
There's going to be moments where you have to step out in
order. So in order to make the play,
(19:44):
you feel me? You going to play you, you going
to have to step out in order to be able to do things that a lot
of people ain't going to never fucking do, OK?
A lot of y'all about to step outof position and step into
another position that the Marinewill never know what the fuck it
is. They just think that something
magically fucking happens. Meanwhile, you the one behind
the scenes, to be honest with you, a lot of y'all about to
(20:05):
step out of being summarized andactually step into this, into
the ninja pathway. You doing stuff behind the
scenes in the shadows. It ain't the IT ain't, it ain't
where the glory at, but it's exactly where you need to be
because a lot of y'all are stepping into these positions
because it may not even be something that you need on the
(20:26):
professional sense. This position may give you
balance. This position might fill that
void in your family life. This position right here may
give you the opportunity to recharge, re re reset and
refocus. Because you have been constantly
right now. You have been constantly working
(20:47):
your ass off. So now you get an opportunity to
step out of the limelight, allowsomebody else to do it right
because that's what you've been training them to do, and step
somewhere else where you can focus.
I will go all the way back to when I was at Sacco.
If I did, if I'd never stepped out of the limelight, if I never
(21:10):
came off the floor, if I never would have been sent there, I
promise you there will be no speaks.
I'll say that again. If I never went to Sacco, there
would not be a Meech Speaks. Where the fuck would I would
have had the time? You know what I mean?
I wrote a book when I was there.Where would I have that time?
(21:30):
I was going and doing speaking engagements.
Where would I would have had that time?
I was building a podcast. Where would I would have had
that time if I never went to Saco?
I promise you my kids will probably never see their dad
because I would never be there. So I tell you, you might be
(21:51):
getting repositioned not becauseit's a punishment.
You actually might be getting repositioned because it's a
reward. It may be something that's a
requirement. There it is, there it is.
It might be a requirement in order for you to go to the next
stage. Because I can promise you right
now how you are right now. You feel me?
Burnt the fuck out, ready to make the play, thirsty as hell,
(22:15):
trying to do what's best by the guys.
You, not you, but you. You're not ready to go to the
next level because you burnt thefuck out.
Your balance is off. You ain't even gonna be able to
empathize with the Marines because you ready.
You rather do it than to have itdone for you.
You probably need to get scored out of it.
(22:38):
Now as we come to a close to this episode, one thing I gotta
ask. All right, my leaders, you said,
ask yourself, how are we beatingyou?
Send me. What are we teaching our guys?
Are we still teaching them that old as mindset that if you fuck
up, you won't get moved out and if you are good, then you need
to stay and constantly, you know, assume additional roles,
(23:00):
additional responsibilities. We just go and burn you the fuck
out and, you know, rub you down until you completely there?
Or are we encouraging our guys take these opportunities to step
away from the patrol, see the Marine Corps for what it is, see
the organization for what it is,see life for what it is.
Spend time with your family. Take the take the job, right?
(23:25):
Take the job that is going to allow you to still be a Marine,
get promoted and also be with their family.
Have a personal life. Are are, are we, are we able to
teach them that? Because right now, as we speak,
there's somebody that still thinks that they got to be out
(23:47):
there, said over here. And just like that, another
extraordinary thought left this ordinary mind.
I hope you enjoyed this episode half as much as I enjoy making
it. Don't forget to head on over to
your favorite streaming platform, whether that's Apple
Podcast or Spotify Podcast, and leave this podcast on honest
review because this podcast deserves to grow just as much as
we do. Also don't forget.
To head on over to TikTok or Instagram and follow.
(24:09):
Me at Meech. Speaks.
That's right. Meech speaks.
Meech is spelled M EE C. H Stay motivated, stay healthy.
I'm out.
This episode is sponsored by Better Help.
What's going on everybody? As we all know, mental health is
a huge piece for me and recentlyas I become a better version of
myself, I've decided that it's time for me to go to therapy
because I understand how life can be a little overwhelming and
we all need help navigating through the trenches of military
service and and out of uniform. Better Help connects you with a
licensed therapist who is trained to listen and give you
(00:42):
helpful, unbiased advice. 1st all you got to do is go to their
site. Matter of fact, you can use my
link right here. Answer a few questions and
Better Help will match you with a professional who has years of
experience in helping people with struggles just like yours.
You can do it all from your phone or computer, via phone
call or video chat or messaging however you feel most
(01:02):
comfortable. It's the easiest possible way to
start talking to a therapist. You will be matched to a
therapist usually within 48 hours, so you can get started
fast. Let Better help connect you to a
therapist who can support you all from the comfort of your
home. Visit betterhelp.com/meech
Speaks and enjoy a special discount on your first month.
Throughout my entire military career, I was always taught that
(01:24):
the best is usually in the fire.They're in the trenches.
So if you pull me out the fire, if you pull me out the trenches,
am I even the best? What's going on everybody?
It's that ordinary podcast with the extraordinary thoughts that
tells you to stop being great and be extraordinary.
I'm Demetrius they fan, also known as me speak.
And welcome back to another episode of the talking Crazy
podcast. Now before we get started with
this podcast, don't forget to head on over to your favorite
(01:45):
stream platform, whether that's Apple podcast or Spotify
podcast, and leave this podcast an honest review because this
podcast deserves to grow just asmuch as we do.
Now let me just go ahead and just say this.
Throughout my entire military career, I'm talking about the
past 15 years, there is one organization that I have always
heard about and that's the Wounded Warrior Project.
(02:05):
OK, I have always heard about the Wounded Warrior Project, you
know what I mean? And it, it is with great honor,
great honor that I have been able to partner with a
organization for the month of September for, you know, for
suicide prevention, you know, and man, I, it's really a full
(02:27):
circle moment, man. Like if you really, if you
really were talking to me, if you really know exactly like the
ups and downs, then you know fora fact that, you know, this
really means a lot, you feel me.And obviously September just
isn't the month where you want to just check in on your
peoples. You know, you should be doing
that 365 days out of the year, you said.
I mean, you should always be reaching out to the person that
(02:47):
you you constantly ask for advice or you haven't heard from
in a while, or, you know, we're just going through a tough time
or hell, even going through a great time, bro.
Like you should always want to reach out to them, man.
Because at the end of the day, man, you never know what battle
somebody is fighting. So it it really man with just
honor. All right, Privilege, man.
(03:08):
So many words. But I've partnered with Wounded
Warrior Project to help put it in the veteran suicide.
So connect. So check in connect.
Help save a life. All right, now switching gears
going into the first half of this money, you know, and I, I
want to say that today's episode, I'm talking to a
(03:28):
certain demographic. I'm not even about to lie to
you. I'm talking to a certain
demographic and I say I'm talking to a certain demographic
because there's only a certain type of Marine that will hear
exactly what I'm saying. OK, if if you just skating by in
the military, bro, I promise you, you're not really going to
understand exactly what I'm talking about Like, because to
be honest with you, this does not apply to you.
(03:49):
You, you, you don't you don't fit this episode, I promise you.
But today I'm talking to my top performers, all right, I'm
talking to my top performers. I'm talking to the guys that
came in early. I'm talking to the ones that are
prepared to stay late. I'm talking to the ones that
brought lunch. But to be honest with you, if
they are able to eat lunch, thenit's great.
(04:10):
But if they not, they really don't give a fuck because they
got a job to do. All right?
I'm talking to the ones that arereal quick to say, hey, I gotta
go take care of this. I'm talking to them.
I'm talking to the ones that have always put the organization
first. I'm talking to the ones who have
always put the mission first. I'm talking to the ones who have
always put the Marines first. And they have came last.
(04:33):
You know, their families have come last.
You know, their lives have come last.
I'm talking to them. And I bring that up man,
because, you know, over the weekend, you know, I got hit
with some news that honest to God is actually good fucking
news. It's, it's really good news.
And as much as I would love to just really talk about it,
(04:54):
everything ain't set in stone just yet, you know, So you, you
will see once it happens, you know, like, hey, if, if this
actually worked out, you know, but to be honest with you, it's
actually good news if you reallypeel back the layer, like it's
really good fucking news. And I say it's good news because
at the end of the day, man, likeI'm, I, I want structure, I want
(05:16):
peace, I want balance. But at the same time, I'm a top
performer, bro. I'm a top performer.
I make plays. I'm in the field, you know what
I mean? I'm in the trenches, I'm in the
fire where the chaos is at. That's where you bout to find me
making the play. That's that's been my career.
(05:37):
That's all I've known. And for a lot of people, that's
all they've known. And at the expense they probably
have lost family, you know, wentthrough a divorce, miss
birthdays, miss anniversaries, miss holidays, you know, their,
their their work, their work andhome life balance completely
(05:58):
off. You said me.
Obviously it's more work than itis actually fucking home.
The people that they have near and dear, we love them to death.
They love them to death. But at the same time, when I get
to you, I get to you. And you know, it's so sad, man,
because I know it's a lot of Marines that are come up to
these guys and they be like, man.
Dude, like you're so. Fucking good, what is your
(06:19):
secret? Fuck my family, you know what I
mean? Like there's a lot of people
that have come up to you and be like, hey brother, what's your
secret to all your success? Oh, that's easy.
My family, friends and my personal life, I just put all of
that in the back seat and put everything like the mission, the
Marines and everything else in the front seat.
And that's all I've ever focusedon.
(06:42):
And once again, although it, it sounds fucked up, that's just a
way of life. I bring that up, man, because
that was exactly me. You know what I mean?
2000 and 22,000 and nineteen 2020 around the same time that I
start a podcast and becoming meets speaks was also when all
of the stuff that I had been doing finally came to a head.
(07:03):
Prior to that, I'm talking aboutforce multiplier.
You know, you could put me in any unit and I'm going to make a
higher caliber of rain. I'm going to bring more to the
table then I'm going to take from the table.
But at the same time, that's allI was and that's all I
identified as. And if you would have opened my
(07:23):
book up and just went through mypages, you would have found out
that I was actually doing a lot worse.
Winning Marina NCO, the quarter at the regimental level, at the
meth level. I'm I'm winning these boards.
I go home to nobody there because the time my wife had
packed up, took the kids and moved out.
(07:45):
You know what I mean? I'm shaking hands at
graduations, going home and getting drunk by myself.
I have now helped this Marine further his career, and I'm
wondering what's going to happenwith mine.
There was a time when I prioritized everything in the
(08:07):
Marine Corps before me. And I remember right, Like I
remember I had a chief law officer.
He came up to me, came up to me and he was like, hey, thick fan,
you going to Sacco? I looked at him and I was like,
why the fuck would you send me to Sacco?
OK, I I just won NCO of 1/4 mathlevel.
(08:27):
I don't put up how many Mai courses for this battalion.
I'm a maintenance chief. I'm a great man.
Matter of fact, I'm the best Marine that you have in this
fucking company and one of the best in this battalion.
So Riddle me this Batman. Why are you sending me to Sacco
when I tell you I was hot? I was hot bro because there was
(08:50):
a lot of other shit bags that should have gotten sent there.
There were a lot of other sergeants that weren't meeting
the mark. Why the fuck are you not sending
them? And I remember him looking me
dead in the eyes and he says theMarine Corps got this weird way
of sending our shit bags to other units and making them
(09:11):
their problems. You feel me?
The Marine Corps got a weird wayof sending our shit bags to
other units to make them their problems.
Not realizing that these shit bags usually will come back
promoted. These shit bags will usually
come back completely different. These these shit bags usually
(09:31):
come back re enlisted. We're not doing that here.
I don't believe in putting off my my trash to somebody else.
I would rather send my top performers away to pour them out
of the line to to to give them abreak to allow them to reset
because at the end of the day, they really deserved it.
(09:54):
And I know, I know it's a lot ofpeople right now and I'm pretty
sure it's somebody that's thinking to themselves like,
man, I don't believe that shit. You feel me?
Send that mother fucker out of here.
Send them to PMO, send them to the gym, send them, send them
away. And I'm gonna just stop for a
second because although I wasn'ttrying to hear it then here I
am. Gunners aren't thick pan.
You feel me? Gunners aren't thick pan.
That shit made sense now. That makes sense now, because
(10:17):
let's just be frank. You got a guy right now in your
shop in in in your in your unit.That ain't mean the mark bare
minimum at best, you feel me? He has slithered his way to the
rank of like corporal or Sergeant, probably a Lance
Corporal, you know, and he just ain't meeting the mark, you
know, gave him all the attempts and then tried to mentor him and
(10:39):
you are about to send him to somebody else who probably ain't
going to hold him to no type of standard.
Allow him to get promoted. And the thing that y'all got to
understand, these guys usually are only going for probably like
6 months to nine months. So they were going that entire
time, promoted, came back, reenlisted.
(11:01):
You feel me? Great for them, bad for the
organization because they cared.They never really changed.
And you were the one that sent him away.
Meanwhile, your best guy, you added more work to him.
You told him, hey, I needed you to, you know, keep taking care
of the load. Hey, keep moving the Marines.
Hey, let's execute the mission. We got Phase MO, we got CGI, we
(11:23):
got all of these things coming up.
So I need you to fucking take care of it.
And they do, but they get burnt out and you got this
motherfucker coming back, probably another rank, probably
reenlist it, probably got ordersand he's just coming back
refreshed, recharged, and ready to go fuck up another unit.
When you think about it, it's not fair.
(11:45):
When you think about it, it's not fair.
And on top of that, bro, on top of that, right you, you, we send
them to places where it's prettyfucking skate.
Send them the PMO so he can workthree on two off or two on three
off, you feel me? And all he does is just stand at
the gate. Send them the Sacco where if
(12:06):
they not doing the urinalysis, he going home.
Yo, best guy stay late as fuck. This motherfucker about to get
off at like 10:00 because the urinalysis is over at 10.
Send them to the gym so he can work out and that's all he does.
Send them to the range. So when the range ain't going
on, he ain't got nothing going on.
Send them away. But in reality, we hooking them
(12:29):
up and it's almost a cop out because we're leaders.
We got to hold Marines accountable, we got to hold them
to the fire, we got to hold themup and we also got to pull them
off to the side. But instead of doing that, we
just send them away. I would wonder why our top
performer, right? Like why our top performer will
(12:50):
get the fuck out and a heartbeatbecause he's tired of singing
stuff like that. So to bring that back, man,
that's what that that's what that chief foreign officer was
trying to teach me back then. You feel me?
And I ain't know it. I didn't know it.
And I remember going to to Sacco.
I remember going there, man. And I remember upset, bro, I was
(13:11):
still, I had, I had a sour look to my face the entire time
because I knew I wasn't supposedto be there.
And motherfuckers coming up to me like, hey, what are you doing
here? What?
Why are you in Sacco? What did you do?
And I'm gonna stop for a second,All right?
I'm gonna stop for a second because one thing that I have
learned, and I feel like it's not just me.
I feel like all Marines are justessentially conditioned that if
(13:32):
they see that you have been moved to a different spot
outside of which you originally put in to do automatically, you
think that you're in trouble. And it's natural because, I
mean, most of the time we see shit like that.
And I really hope one day that we are able to just realize,
like, sometimes if you see him in a different spot, that
motherfucker just there trainingor probably doing something
else, he ain't in trouble. But I spent so much time
(13:55):
explaining to people like, look,I ain't in trouble.
I'm just here. You tell me I'm I ain't in
trouble. I'm just here.
And that was the frustrating part.
But then I started to like, you know, accept, accept my fate.
I had a great stassar that I wasup under, too.
And this Stassar taught me something to that I I did not
(14:15):
every, I, I've never, I never was taught in the Marine Corps.
You feel me. He was teaching me things about
how to be a Marine and have a family.
You feel me. He was explaining to me how to
put my family first in the Marine Corps.
Nobody had ever taught me that before.
You feel me how to be a father and a Marine.
I just was always a Marine and afather second.
(14:37):
He took both of these things andwas able to combine them or at
least show me exactly what I wasgoing to do.
I remember there would be days man, like and he, he knew my
family was in a different state.You know what I mean?
Like about like 6 hour drive andhe came up to me one day and he
was like hey, ain't your kid, ain't one of your kids birthday
tomorrow. I was like, yes, that's how it
is. He said, well, I mean, tomorrow,
(14:58):
Saturday, you know, look, we ain't got shit going on today.
Why don't you hit the road, bro,and go out there so that way you
can go ahead and spend time withyour family.
Me being the top performer, I'm like, what?
Really? He like, hell yeah, go and I
would. And it was moments like that,
bro. And I'm be honest with you,
moments like that that actually saved my career, you feel me?
(15:21):
It was moments like that that actually saved my career,
rejuvenized my career, you feel me?
Because I was actually going to get out because I knew I was
dealt with this shit. I was so tired of being better
and doing more and feeling like I wasn't good enough.
And he was the one that helped revitalize my career.
So I, I, I, I bring all of that up, man.
(15:42):
Because a lot of y'all right now, man, like a lot of y'all
right now, are probably put in aposition where you would rather
stay in the trenches. You would rather have your feet
to the fire. You would rather get slayed.
You would rather get slayed thanto move to a different position
because it's not flashy. You would rather be stressed the
(16:06):
fuck out, burnt the hell out, upset, tired family barely even
seeing you, then to get moved tothis position that makes a lot
more sense because it ain't flashy enough for you.
And I understand because for thelongest we've always believed
that if we're not in the fire, if we are not if, if the bet,
(16:30):
we've always believed that the best Marine is usually in the
fire. They, the ones that's in the
trenches, they making shit happen.
So if I'm not making shit happen, I'm not in the fire and
I'm not in the trenches. I'm not the best marine.
And that mindset is a reason whyyou ain't going to have the
(16:50):
structure that you need. You ain't going to have the
balance that you need. That's the reason why you're
going to pick pride over peace every single time.
So we have to unlearn and relearn punishment and
positioning. OK.
When you was a dreamer that somebody pulled you out of the
shop and sent you to somewhere else, it always came down to the
(17:10):
simple fact that Oh well, obviously they don't want me
around, they don't want to deal with me.
I'm somebody else problem. Now I understand I was a dream
Marine. I completely get it.
However, I will say this as you go through the ranks, OK, there
are going to be positions that are going to open up that are
(17:31):
going to require yo ass to go toOK?
I'ma just be honest and this is somebody once again, this is
somebody that was at Sacco when they were a Sergeant.
You feel me? I got selected to staff Sergeant
when I was at Sacco. All right, fit reps out of CCO
outstanding. I'm talking about I was one of
(17:52):
the best in the battalion. OK, he he said it on the fitrap
and I'm at Sacco. OK, I say that mad because just
because it's a different position, that don't mean that
it's a punishment. All right, you got to, you got
to, you got to unlearn that bullshit that you learned when
you was a dream Marine. They sent you to £29 because you
was fucking up. They sent you to the working
(18:14):
party because you was fucking up.
You are now about to go somewhere else because of the
rank that you're in the positionthat you now need to feel the
billet that you now need to feel.
You feel me or just the structure that you need in order
to go to the next stage. That's, that's the reason why
you're getting sent there. That's all.
(18:35):
When I left Sacco, I went to theMartial Arts and Fitness Center
of Excellence, OK, once again, out of my job, all right, I was
teaching at a higher caliber. And now here I am teaching the
top percent of what, you know, top 10% of Marines.
OK, I'm I, it's a completely different position.
I went through every billet in there to learn who I would sub
(18:59):
to learn each position and to become better.
Now here I am a recruiter, man. I'm a recruiter, man, OK.
And I'm out of my job again. I'm out of my job again.
I'm changing positions, man. I'm changing positions.
And sometimes do I beat myself up because I feel like I haven't
been consistent. But at the exact same time, I'm
in different positions. I'm constantly in the front and
(19:21):
I'm also sometimes in the back. I ain't always got to be the
quarterback. Sometimes I'm the full back
making plays behind the scenes. I bring that up, man, because in
life, if you were truly trying to get to the top, it's going to
require you to have to step in and out of the spotlight.
There's going to be moments where you have to step out in
order. So in order to make the play,
(19:44):
you feel me? You going to play you, you going
to have to step out in order to be able to do things that a lot
of people ain't going to never fucking do, OK?
A lot of y'all about to step outof position and step into
another position that the Marinewill never know what the fuck it
is. They just think that something
magically fucking happens. Meanwhile, you the one behind
the scenes, to be honest with you, a lot of y'all about to
(20:05):
step out of being summarized andactually step into this, into
the ninja pathway. You doing stuff behind the
scenes in the shadows. It ain't the IT ain't, it ain't
where the glory at, but it's exactly where you need to be
because a lot of y'all are stepping into these positions
because it may not even be something that you need on the
(20:26):
professional sense. This position may give you
balance. This position might fill that
void in your family life. This position right here may
give you the opportunity to recharge, re re reset and
refocus. Because you have been constantly
right now. You have been constantly working
(20:47):
your ass off. So now you get an opportunity to
step out of the limelight, allowsomebody else to do it right
because that's what you've been training them to do, and step
somewhere else where you can focus.
I will go all the way back to when I was at Sacco.
If I did, if I'd never stepped out of the limelight, if I never
(21:10):
came off the floor, if I never would have been sent there, I
promise you there will be no speaks.
I'll say that again. If I never went to Sacco, there
would not be a Meech Speaks. Where the fuck would I would
have had the time? You know what I mean?
I wrote a book when I was there.Where would I have that time?
(21:30):
I was going and doing speaking engagements.
Where would I would have had that time?
I was building a podcast. Where would I would have had
that time if I never went to Saco?
I promise you my kids will probably never see their dad
because I would never be there. So I tell you, you might be
(21:51):
getting repositioned not becauseit's a punishment.
You actually might be getting repositioned because it's a
reward. It may be something that's a
requirement. There it is, there it is.
It might be a requirement in order for you to go to the next
stage. Because I can promise you right
now how you are right now. You feel me?
Burnt the fuck out, ready to make the play, thirsty as hell,
(22:15):
trying to do what's best by the guys.
You, not you, but you. You're not ready to go to the
next level because you burnt thefuck out.
Your balance is off. You ain't even gonna be able to
empathize with the Marines because you ready.
You rather do it than to have itdone for you.
You probably need to get scored out of it.
(22:38):
Now as we come to a close to this episode, one thing I gotta
ask. All right, my leaders, you said,
ask yourself, how are we beatingyou?
Send me. What are we teaching our guys?
Are we still teaching them that old as mindset that if you fuck
up, you won't get moved out and if you are good, then you need
to stay and constantly, you know, assume additional roles,
(23:00):
additional responsibilities. We just go and burn you the fuck
out and, you know, rub you down until you completely there?
Or are we encouraging our guys take these opportunities to step
away from the patrol, see the Marine Corps for what it is, see
the organization for what it is,see life for what it is.
Spend time with your family. Take the take the job, right?
(23:25):
Take the job that is going to allow you to still be a Marine,
get promoted and also be with their family.
Have a personal life. Are are, are we, are we able to
teach them that? Because right now, as we speak,
there's somebody that still thinks that they got to be out
(23:47):
there, said over here. And just like that, another
extraordinary thought left this ordinary mind.
I hope you enjoyed this episode half as much as I enjoy making
it. Don't forget to head on over to
your favorite streaming platform, whether that's Apple
Podcast or Spotify Podcast, and leave this podcast on honest
review because this podcast deserves to grow just as much as
we do. Also don't forget.
To head on over to TikTok or Instagram and follow.
(24:09):
Me at Meech. Speaks.
That's right. Meech speaks.
Meech is spelled M EE C. H Stay motivated, stay healthy.
I'm out.
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