August 7, 2024 • 33 mins
Episode 1: Second Chances with guest Oliver Saunders
Welcome back for Season 2 of The Five Foot Strong Podcast with host Jessica Gerlock.
On the season 2 premiere episode, our guest is Oliver Saunders. Oliver is the host of the ‘Bigger Than Us Podcast', an entrepreneur, a reality television star, the son of RHOBH's Garcelle Beauvais, and a super proud father.
Even though Oliver comes from famous parents he has had to go through many struggles to be where he is today. Oliver Saunders has a very inspiring journey of strength, struggling with addictions, and he shares his truth in this episode with Jessica.
Check out this episode of The Five Foot Strong Podcast and always remember you are strong and that you are not alone. Whether you are five feet tall like Jessica or 7 feet tall, we are all strong in our own unique and beautiful ways.
If you enjoy this episode please like, comment, and subscribe. New episodes will drop every Wednesday at 7 am EST on all podcast platforms and for season two we are adding video as well uploaded on the same day on Youtube.
Let’s get stronger together!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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One, two, three, four.
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Hello, hello and welcome to the
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season two of the Five Foot Strong podcast.
I'm your host, Jessica Gerlock.
And on the season premiere, we have a very exciting guest coming all the way from Las Vegas.
I'm so excited.
I got to meet him personally just a few weeks ago while I was celebrating my birthday.
I was with my mom and we were at Vanderpump Paris.
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We got to meet him and I'd only seen him on TV before.
But that night, I think I saw a different side and that's why I wanted to talk to him today.
Our guest today, Oliver Saunders, has a very inspiring journey of strength and he's come a long way.
Even though he comes from famous parents, he's had to go through many struggles to be where he is today.
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He is now a proud father, a podcast host of the Bigger Than Us podcast, reality star, entrepreneur, the face of Lisa Vanderpump's
Vanderpump Paris, so many things we got to talk to him about it, everything.
Oliver was also caught in the chaos of season 10 of Vanderpump Rules and he could also be seen in Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside his incredible mother who deserves her own flowers.
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Model, actress, producer, woman of, oh, I'm obsessed with her and star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Garcelle Beauvais.
Today, though, we're going to chat with about Oliver's journey.
I want to know how he had the strength to get to where he is today, what kind of role model he wants to be for his kids and how he prioritizes his mental and physical health.
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So without further ado, let's welcome Oliver to the Five Foot Strong podcast.
Hey, Oliver, nice to see you again.
Nice to see you again, too, Jess. Thank you for having me. I appreciate you.
Well, I'm so excited to get into it all.
So the first question I want to ask that I ask all guests on is what does being strong mean to you?
I think being strong means bouncing back.
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You know, I think that, you know, nobody's life is perfect.
You know, there's everybody has issues, whether you're a billionaire, whether you have no money, you just have different issues.
Being strong to me means being able to bounce back from any situation, you know, especially with my life and everybody's life.
You know, you go through highs, you go through lows.
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But being able to get below and get out of that situation and bounce back and bring yourself back.
That's what I would say my definition of a strong character would be.
Yeah, for sure. Being resilient, you know.
So I want to start from the beginning a little bit.
So you came from famous parents.
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Could you describe your childhood?
My childhood was amazing. I mean, my parents are amazing.
My parents are divorced when I was three or four.
So I used to go back and forth week to week from mom's house to dad's house, mom's house to dad's house.
My parents were always great at co-parenting.
My dad, my stepdad, my mom, they would always be at bent cheering me on, whether it was basketball, football, music.
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Shows that I used to do and stuff like that.
So, you know, very, very blessed, very, very great upbringing, you know.
When did you realize your life was a little different than others?
Well, you know what, to be completely honest, so the elementary school that I went to,
Center for Early Education, it was a million dollar elementary school.
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So I went to elementary school.
My best friend in elementary school was Denzel Washington's son, doctors, Jack Nicholson's kids.
You know, everybody that, you know, it was a it was a status type of elementary school.
So I never at that point, I didn't think anything was different.
Obviously, I would realize that my mom would get more attention than a regular person walking around,
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just doing normal things and stuff like that, you know.
But, you know, I don't, to be honest, I would say that I'm just blessed.
You know, I don't think that I don't really see myself different than anybody else.
This is just the life that I was born into, fortunately, you know.
So we talk about struggles. So when did you kind of get on the wrong path?
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Or realized you got on the wrong path?
I wish my mom was here. She'd be like, she'd pull out the date.
Let's say. All right. So I started I started.
So I was always a good kid. I was always a good kid. I've always been a good person, good heart.
I definitely have an addictive personality.
And I'd say in fourth grade is when I started getting in trouble school wise,
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like not doing homework assignments, talking in class, stuff like that.
And eighth grade is when middle school is when I started doing smoking weed and hanging out with the homies.
And so that's when it started. That's when it all started.
And so, you know, you had basically it sounds like you had all the access in the world.
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And so then you started in fourth grade. Like, that's pretty early.
Like you have a son. And can you can you say the news?
Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. We have a baby girl.
We have a baby girl on the way. Me and my girlfriend. Congratulations. Thank you so much.
So, yes, we have I have a four year old, Oliver Jr.
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And then my girl has two daughters already from a previous relationship Sunday and Sienna.
And then Dali Marie Claire Saunders, which is going to be our daughter's name,
named after my grandmother is going to be born in February.
So we're very I love that. Well, congratulations and only wish the best for you and your girl.
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And that, you know, I'm thinking about you guys. But going back.
So if any of your kids in fourth grade started where you were, how would you feel?
It would hurt. It would hurt. You know what I mean? My parents used to tell me all the time.
They were like, you know, this is hurting us just as much as it's hurting you, if not more.
And when you're when you're younger, you don't really understand that you don't you know,
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you think you're the victim and everything like that. I pray I pray that my son,
he is so smart and he loves following the rules.
The other day, he got upset with me because I forgot to take the Gatorade out of his cup
before he went to school and they're only supposed to have water at school.
So I hope that he stays on that path of liking to follow rules and just doing well in school.
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And because, you know, as as as a parent, you know, only thing you want is the best for your kids.
100 percent.
You know, and hopefully, hopefully a lot of the things that I went through in my life,
I will be able to sort of talk to him about and hopefully, you know,
help him avoid a lot of the situations and stuff that I got into that was unnecessary
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that I brought up on myself, you know.
So so from fourth grade that I'm start I'm assuming it was a downward spiral from there.
Yeah, I went I went to seven high schools to my ninth grade year,
but because I just kept getting in trouble, kept getting in trouble, you know.
And yeah, it was just it was just rough.
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I got, you know, started doing just started smoking, started doing Xanax like daily.
Yeah.
Just yeah, you know, so I get in trouble with the police.
It was a lot.
So what do you think your rock bottom was?
My rock bottom.
My rock bottom was I mean, shoot, I've been to jail.
I've been homeless.
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You know what I mean?
I say I would say that my rock bottom was before I moved to Las Vegas.
Yeah.
I had a couple of friends pass away.
I was heavy, heavy into addiction, heavy into addiction,
hanging out with not the best people, just surround just super negative situations.
And, you know, I was trying to change my life.
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So I, you know, I begged my parents to get me out of the state to get me out of L.A.
get me out of L.A.
But I still wanted to be close so I could see my family and everything.
And yeah, that's I would say that was my rock bottom.
I mean, sleeping in cars, no money, not a dollar to my name.
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Yeah.
You know, dirty clothes, no, no self respect, no self worth, just chasing a high.
And we, you know, like I've gone through struggles myself and I think we're about the same age, me and you.
And I'm assuming we've lived very different lifestyles, but we've all had struggles in our own way.
But I know something that helped me out, like you got to meet my mom.
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And by the way, she says hello.
Your mom was amazing. Tell her I said, what's up? That's my home girl now.
Yeah, 100 percent. So you guys are amazing, both of you.
And happy belated birthday. Yeah. Thank you.
But, you know, I leaned on.
I realized that my support system was so important.
And sometimes my mom had to play like, you know, the hard game.
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But, you know, at the end, she loved me so much that she just wanted to see the best.
And I think you have a similar situation with your mom, right?
Absolutely. My mom used to never watch.
My mom's one of my mom's favorite things to do is turn on and watch the news.
Like she loves to know what's going on in the world and everything like that.
And she used to tell me, you know, she was she was she used to be scared to watch the news back in the day.
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She used to be scared every time the phone rang because she never she didn't know if it was going to be me, the police,
if I was going to end up on the news, all type of stuff like that, you know.
And so for a long time, it was really rough. It was really rough.
And my mom and my dad tried everything. You know, they tried the love approach.
They tried the tough love approach. You know, I said, you know, yes, since jail a couple of times, did a couple did a rehab once got sent to a wilderness program when I was 17.
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So, I mean, they they tried everything that they they possibly could, you know.
You know, sometimes you've got to figure it out on your own.
And that's the only way to get through those paths, those rough patches like, you know, you know, it all in my journey.
I know it all came down to me. Like, I couldn't rely really on friends or like my family loves me.
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But like at the end of the day, like I had to be the one who wanted to make a change.
One thing that I've realized and this helps me out in a lot of different areas in life is that nobody can make anybody do something.
You know what I mean? Yeah.
Like I said, like I had the outlet to therapists, rehabs, this, that, blah, blah, blah, everything that you can need.
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But I wasn't ready at the time, you know. And and it's it's crazy because, like I said, I moved out from L.A. to Vegas.
To basically try to change my scenery, change who I was around.
And I I was doing well for a little bit and I fell back into it.
And yeah, no, it's just it's just it's really the time that when you when you decide that you're done with that lifestyle, you know, and my son, my son, I give all the credit to my son.
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He changed my life. Yeah.
And you know, so now Oliver Jr. is around and I see like on Instagram and stuff.
You're such a proud dad. And like it shows through it.
It makes me so happy to see like it was Oliver Jr.
You're like turning point being like I'm putting that past behind me now.
Absolutely. Absolutely. 100 percent.
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Like I said, so when I came out to Vegas, you know, I've been I have, you know, I talk to God and I'm not super religious, but I do talk to God every day and everything like that.
And I was asking, you know, take these demons away, take these addictions away and stuff like that.
And and, you know, just just couldn't couldn't really get it, couldn't really get it.
And then I remember I was actually I was in jail when I found out that Oliver's mom was pregnant.
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And I remember thinking to myself that there.
It just wasn't worth it, like a light switch, like a light switch just flipped. And it was crazy because I remember times that I used to have to think to myself like, oh, don't go get drugs.
Don't do drugs like that. After after I found out that he was born, it wasn't even it was just like, like I said, it was like an epiphany, a light switch.
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Just like it just wasn't my concern. It wasn't my concern at all.
I was selling drugs. I was doing drugs.
I remember I remember the day that I was like, you know what, I would much rather make it home to him any night over any amount of money that I could make.
So I stopped completely.
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I got a job at Goodwill. Yeah, I was working in Goodwill six days a week, $9 an hour loading trucks all the whole day.
And to be honest, I was content and I was happy with that because I didn't have to look over my back and have to worry about getting pulled over.
I knew that I was going to make it home to my son every night. And so that was the most important to me.
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And at the time, I wasn't even thinking like, you know, keep the faith.
Something bigger will come. Just continue.
I was just happy with the choice that I made and the fact that I was going to be there for my son because that's what I'm here for.
You know, what kind of role model do you want him when he's, you know, in 20 years?
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You want to say his dad is what he's going to say?
He's he's a character, so we'll probably say a little bit extra, but he's going to keep you on your toes because you get your parents on your to their toes.
Exactly. All of my kids will all of my kids will be able to say that I was there for them through any situation in every way possible.
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I would drop anything for all for the kids and make sure that I'm there and make sure not only, you know, I feel like as a dad,
as a parent, you're supposed to do multiple things, you know, provide, protect. You know, it's not just financial. It's not just physical.
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It's a whole it's a whole thing. You know, as a father, you know, my job is to provide, protect, teach him about life and try to guide him in the best way.
And at the end of the day, all of my kids are going to be able to say my dad was always there for me whenever I'd be there for them.
That's all they want. You know, at the end of the day, they want you to be there for them.
Always. And you know, the fact that you're going to change you've you've come such a long way into that mindset.
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You know, I I believe that like an addiction is mental health. You're trying to fill that void.
You know, I've had I've had somebody on who was a crack addict who changed who lost everything and lost his family and that, you know,
and the fact that you figured it out and it's not too late to, you know, make that change is such a beautiful thing.
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I yeah, I just got to say anybody listening. It's never too late. Yeah. You know what I mean? It's never too late.
Life isn't a life is in the competition with other people around you.
Life is a competition about with yourself. You know what I mean?
And I think that you're just supposed to do better than your parents did. And that's not saying make more money than your parents did.
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That's not saying that's just saying that you learn from things that you and your parents went through.
And then, you know, with your kids and the future generation, you try to switch it up differently and make them better.
And they do the same for theirs. You know, 100 percent. Yeah, that's what I think it's about.
You know, but I think that it's I think that sometimes people get think, you know, oh, man, I've been doing this for so long.
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It's it's too late for me. Or, oh, even if, you know, it's never too late to get right and get healthy and get, you know, I have an addictive personality, too.
But instead of, you know, doing drugs, I ate so that, you know, food, I would say, is one of the number one addictions because we fill our emotions with it.
And, you know, whether it be food or whether it be drugs, we're trying to fill something that's just not there.
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And we got to believe in ourselves and stop like, don't use, you know, unnecessary vices to fill that void.
Right. I remember, I mean, I'm sure a few therapists told me this, but I remember the one that was like, you know, the drugs is not you're doing the drugs because of a bigger problem.
You're eating because of a bigger problem with the depression. You know what I mean? And so it's like you sort of you sort of have to either figure out that problem or, you know, I'm not I'm not a therapist or anything like that.
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But yes, it's usually the drugs, the eating, dah, dah, dah is a coping mechanism to try to forget what you're going through or put it to the side.
You know, and at the end of the day, usually nine times out of 10 that those type of coping mechanisms only make things worse.
You know what I mean? 100%. It's not like when I was done being high off of drugs or whatever, like my problems were all fixed.
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You were trying to fill something. Yeah. Yeah. They were still there. They were worse because I just got high and did some other shit.
100%. You know, and I have the tattoo of mindset on my rib. And I believe that mindset is everything. And it's if you have a healthy mind, you have a healthy body.
And and you know, you have to fix your mindset because your your mental health is controlling that addiction. Right.
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And I don't know if you can see I have what you call this upside down. Yeah. But I have a tattoo that says Kim. Yeah.
And everybody's always like, who's Kim? And it's not that it means keep it moving. Yeah. You know, life life is there's like I said, there's going to be good days.
There's going to be bad days. People wouldn't appreciate the good days if there wasn't bad days. But you got to keep it moving. You know what I mean?
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100%. So every time I look at my hand or any time I'm having some troubles or with something, it's like, yo, bigger picture. Keep it moving. Keep it moving.
And, you know, it always works out. Life is good. You know, you got to believe in yourself at the end of the day. Absolutely.
I want to I want to kind of ask. So you moved to Vegas and then how did you get connected with Lisa Vanderpump? So basically, my mom ran into Lisa.
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This is at the point where I'm working in Goodwill. Yeah. My mom ran to Lisa at a event, Haitian charity. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
A charity event in Los Angeles. And my mom had never met Lisa. Lisa never met my mom. They obviously have heard of each other.
And my mom just went up to her and was like, listen, Lisa, like, you know, I, you know, I have a son that lives in Las Vegas.
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He's trying to change his life around. He just had a kid. I know you have a few restaurants.
Do you think you could just get him an interview and and and just see from there? You know, she was like, absolutely.
And so we set it up and I started working at the Caesars Palace one as a host. And it was amazing.
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You know, it was it was an amazing experience. I had never worked in the restaurant business.
That was actually like my first legit job that I had ever had. Yeah.
And so after that, I realized, you know, how much money these servers in Las Vegas make.
So when she opened up her new restaurant, I asked her for the opportunity to go over and switch.
And and I had to do the training and everything like that. And it's and it worked out and it's changed our life for the best.
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I mean, it's changed me and my son's life in the biggest way.
Well, you kind of I'm assuming that kind of is the reason you got kind of thrown into that Vanderpump rules. That's that's that's easy.
So so one thing I always say about Lisa's and people like, you know, Lisa, my mom, nobody gets that successful and that rich by accident.
You know, they're always thinking ahead. They're always thinking 10 steps ahead and stuff like that.
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And so I've been making a few appearances on the Housewives of Beverly Hills here and there.
And so the girls, the cast of Vanderpump rules is coming out to Las Vegas.
So Lisa and Lisa and I are great friends. I mean, we FaceTime, we text back and forth.
You know, she's she's amazing. She looked out for me since day one.
And so I really appreciate her for like, that's important. Yeah, it's important, you know, and it doesn't matter who it's from, but just genuine support.
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You know, so she asked me, she was like, you know, I want you to wait on the girls when they come to the thing and the show.
And I was like, absolutely, I'll do it. And then things sort of, you know, things sort of snowballed from there.
And then she was like, do you want to go out with the girls after that? And I was like, yeah, sure. And that's that's how it all happened.
So so let me I don't want you to go into it, but I want I do watch Vanderpump rules. And I said to you when I met you, I don't like the way they portrayed you.
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And especially now talking to you and meeting you like, you know, you were dealing with personal stuff at the time that all this media stuff like, how did you deal with your mental health at that time?
Because like it was probably not very good.
I mean, to be real, I've been through so much. I've been through so many situations in my life.
Like people always ask me, they're like, bro, does that bother you?
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And it's like, Robin, in so many worse situations like like, you know what I mean?
Like, yeah, that is, but they changed the person you are.
Like, you know, you you are a strong, confident man. And they like, I don't know.
I just I said it like I said to you, the way that I thought you were and the way that you are is a very you're deep.
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You're a deep man. There's there's context to you.
Yeah. And you know what? The funny thing is, you know, they could spin the story and it's fun.
However, what people don't understand is there's producers, there's entertainment.
It's for entertainment, not all reality TV is interesting enough that they don't have to point you in the direction and stuff like that.
But luckily, you know what? Ninety nine percent of people were able to see through all the all the yes.
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And at the end of the day, you know, it didn't it didn't change me.
I'm going to be who I am regardless. And a lot of times when people meet me, they're like, wow, like, you know what I mean?
Yes, that's what I was. You know, that was my reaction.
Yeah. And you know, and Lisa and my mom had my back the whole time.
Yeah. And you know, and for the right reason, because they knew that everything that I was saying was true.
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Yeah. And so, you know what? It's you know, it's it's you can't believe everything that you see on TV.
Unfortunately, a lot of people do. But you know what? Their opinions, their opinion. And it is all good.
Yeah. You know, and as long as you're confident, you don't listen to the haters.
I always say, like, if you get to a certain level, you're always going to have haters.
I'll tell you. So my mom always says that if you don't have haters, you're doing something wrong.
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You know what I mean? The more successful you get, the less that unfortunately, this is the way that we the world that we live in,
the less genuine people are, the less that they want for you.
You know, and I told my son this other day and I'm telling my kids this.
Like, if you're happy with what you're doing and mommy and daddy are happy with you're doing,
grandma and grandpa are happy with what you're doing, it doesn't matter what anybody else thinks.
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Yeah. You know, and unfortunately, you know, kids, they're younger, so they don't really understand that.
But that's the truth. And that's genuinely how I feel. You know, I'm happy and confident with who I am as a person.
My family is happy and confident. We've got the best relationship that we've had in in years.
You know what I mean? In years since I started getting in trouble.
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So, you know, people are always going to have something to say, regardless.
Yeah. But I am very happy and content with where I am and in the direction that I'm moving.
And life is great. And one more question about reality TV.
When your brother, stepbrother, Jax was being bullied online, how did you feel about that?
(25:06):
I mean, I don't think that anybody should be bringing kids into. I don't think anybody should be talking to kids.
It's funny, you know, people are so brave when they're on their computer screen at home
and, you know, people will say things that they would never say to somebody in person and stuff like that.
And like I said, somebody is going to have something to say, regardless.
(25:27):
Yeah. No matter what you do. Yeah.
You know, so so especially when you're in the reality TV. And this is easier said than done.
But the more that your life is out there, the more that people know about you,
the more just more opportunities for somebody to say something, do something. You know what I mean? Yeah.
And so I think that kids should be off limits. Absolutely.
Like, you know, but yeah, you can't control people. But it's at the same time, it's like, you know, my brother Jax is he's younger.
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So so I understand him feeling more emotional about it and stuff like that.
But it's like you can't care about somebody from Sydney, Australia,
that has no profile picture, no post. They made this Instagram just to say, you know what I mean? Yeah.
You know, we talk about being strong and those people behind the screen are not strong people.
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Those are weak. Yeah. They're insecure. They're insecure. And I wish them the best.
You know, I don't I don't I don't I don't have the time energy to I don't even to have negative thoughts for anybody.
You know what I mean? I try to stay positive and think about the future and things that I have going.
And, you know, it's just yeah, it just shows to somebody who's confident in somebody that that knows what's going on.
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It just shows insecurity. A hundred percent. And that's weakness is like, you know, you want to be a bully.
You know, her I do get her people, her people, but you want to be a bully. That's a sign of weakness.
You want to be confident. You want to you know, you're the ones in front of the camera being vulnerable, putting yourself out there.
That's strength. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, it's just, you know, it's it's just it's just a part of it. It's a it's a part of it.
(27:03):
You put your life out there, you know, more people just like I said, it's just it's just a part of the process.
Unfortunately, a lot of people like more toxicity and toxic stuff like that than positive stuff.
But, you know, it is what I see. You have a positive mindset and you have a positive way of life.
And I love that. And that's strength, you know, and, you know, staying positive and thinking that something good is going to happen and, you know, always being positive.
(27:28):
You know, sometimes I, you know, when it comes to mental health, I say you're either on the upward spiral on the downward spiral.
There's no choice. So, you know, so you're right now on the upward spiral. You got your second chance. You're on that upward spiral.
Yeah, absolutely. And it's like, you know, and yeah, I just I every day I start off the day with positive vibes.
And at dinner, we talk about me, my girl and the kids talk about what they're grateful for.
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Because, like I said, life is short. Life is short. Things happen.
Like, you just got to enjoy your time and enjoy your time and with the people you love and do what you love to do, you know.
So before we end off, do you have any healthy tips for any like teenage boys that are on the wrong path or girls?
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One thing I would say is one thing that I would say is just just stay away from drugs.
You know what I mean? I'm not I'm not completely sober.
Like, you know, I I'm a social drinker. I have a margarita when I go out to dinner or something like that.
And I smoke marijuana and everything like that. But one, stay away from hard drugs. It's not worth it.
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There is not any time, any night, any event that you're going to have that's worth all the trouble that you could be in,
especially with people doing the fentanyl now and all that stuff.
Like, just just stay away from that and don't give in to peer pressure.
And that's that's one of the things that I'm in distress on my kids the most.
Just be yourself, you know, and it's OK to be yourself. It's OK to say no to things.
(28:59):
And, you know, because that's that's I feel like I fell victim to that a lot.
And only you can make you do something, you know.
But I would just say just stay off the drugs, stay focused in life.
Yeah, it's important. Yeah. Yeah.
And the last question is, so you're a busy guy, your kids and businesses and whatever you're working.
(29:22):
And how do you prioritize your mental and physical health? Like, do you work out?
Yeah, I just got back from the gym. Me and my girl go to the gym all the time. I just got back from the gym earlier today.
I wake up super early every day. I wake up at like five thirty in the morning every day.
No matter what time I go to sleep and I sort of just come downstairs, start doing breakfast, listen to music.
(29:46):
You know what I mean? And that's just sort of my chill time.
And but at the end of the day, I learned this from my mom. My mom works hard.
My mom is always doing 20 different jobs. You know what I mean?
And general generational wealth is what I am all about right now.
I have I want to leave a lot of money, properties, businesses to my kids and everything like that.
(30:12):
So that's my that's my drive. That's my drive.
You know, I think I was I was made for this.
Like, you know, I don't need a lot of sleep. I don't need a lot of rest. I could do my thing.
I can go from one thing to the next. You know, a lot of times I hop up a plane from shooting,
get straight to work, go to work, work all weekend, pick up my son on Tuesday.
And you know what? To be real, I'm just blessed that I'm busy.
(30:36):
I'm blessed that I'm successful. I'm blessed for all the opportunities that are coming in the future.
God is good. Life is good. And I just, you know, I'm just riding the wave.
Amazing. You want to tell the listeners what's going on where they can reach you?
Yeah. So my my Instagram is at I am Oliver Saunders.
I have a podcast all about parenting, bigger than us podcast.
(31:01):
So it's YouTube dot com slash at bigger than us podcast.
Definitely check that out. I have some big things coming in the future.
Contracts that I've signed that I cannot disclose exactly what's going on.
But very big things are happening in the future and just very excited.
Well, I'm very grateful for you to come on the Five Foot Strong podcast.
(31:25):
Thank you so much. You know what, Oliver? I see you're you got your second chance now.
Thrive, you know, you that's the strength.
You picked yourself up and, you know, you we always have to move forward and stay positive.
And, you know, even though you were given everything, you know, we have to figure it out on our own.
And, you know, we we have to take care of our mental health.
(31:47):
We have to take care of our physical health.
And, you know, that makes us a better person and that makes you a better father and a future father.
Congratulations again on having a baby girl.
Thank you. Yeah. And I just, you know, last thing I'll say is just, you know, if I could do it, anybody could do it.
If you could do it, anybody could do it. So, you know, don't feel like you're alone.
(32:08):
Just, you know, get seek whatever help you seek, whatever help you you need.
And just know that, you know, it's never too late to turn your life around and anything is possible.
And that's why I want to share people's stories like that, to know people like you're not alone.
And like any it could happen to anybody, but you could you could also turn it around.
I'm telling you, I've came from millions.
(32:31):
I've literally slept in cars, not having a dollar.
And now I'm back on my way to millions for myself.
You know, I love that. And you're you're strong on its own.
And that's your journey of strength. So and just, you know, a message to the young.
Anybody could do it. Anybody could do it. And, you know, I have faith in you guys. Like I said, I'm nothing special about me.
(32:54):
Anybody could do it. You just got to have faith and you just got to stick to it.
You know, I want everybody to be happy, healthy, successful, positive lives. So I love that.
So stay strong and thanks for coming on. Appreciate you, Jess. See you soon.
(33:32):
Thank you.
One, two, three, four.
(00:05):
Hello, hello and welcome to the
(00:31):
season two of the Five Foot Strong podcast.
I'm your host, Jessica Gerlock.
And on the season premiere, we have a very exciting guest coming all the way from Las Vegas.
I'm so excited.
I got to meet him personally just a few weeks ago while I was celebrating my birthday.
I was with my mom and we were at Vanderpump Paris.
(00:54):
We got to meet him and I'd only seen him on TV before.
But that night, I think I saw a different side and that's why I wanted to talk to him today.
Our guest today, Oliver Saunders, has a very inspiring journey of strength and he's come a long way.
Even though he comes from famous parents, he's had to go through many struggles to be where he is today.
(01:15):
He is now a proud father, a podcast host of the Bigger Than Us podcast, reality star, entrepreneur, the face of Lisa Vanderpump's
Vanderpump Paris, so many things we got to talk to him about it, everything.
Oliver was also caught in the chaos of season 10 of Vanderpump Rules and he could also be seen in Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside his incredible mother who deserves her own flowers.
(01:41):
Model, actress, producer, woman of, oh, I'm obsessed with her and star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Garcelle Beauvais.
Today, though, we're going to chat with about Oliver's journey.
I want to know how he had the strength to get to where he is today, what kind of role model he wants to be for his kids and how he prioritizes his mental and physical health.
(02:05):
So without further ado, let's welcome Oliver to the Five Foot Strong podcast.
Hey, Oliver, nice to see you again.
Nice to see you again, too, Jess. Thank you for having me. I appreciate you.
Well, I'm so excited to get into it all.
So the first question I want to ask that I ask all guests on is what does being strong mean to you?
I think being strong means bouncing back.
(02:29):
You know, I think that, you know, nobody's life is perfect.
You know, there's everybody has issues, whether you're a billionaire, whether you have no money, you just have different issues.
Being strong to me means being able to bounce back from any situation, you know, especially with my life and everybody's life.
You know, you go through highs, you go through lows.
(02:51):
But being able to get below and get out of that situation and bounce back and bring yourself back.
That's what I would say my definition of a strong character would be.
Yeah, for sure. Being resilient, you know.
So I want to start from the beginning a little bit.
So you came from famous parents.
(03:12):
Could you describe your childhood?
My childhood was amazing. I mean, my parents are amazing.
My parents are divorced when I was three or four.
So I used to go back and forth week to week from mom's house to dad's house, mom's house to dad's house.
My parents were always great at co-parenting.
My dad, my stepdad, my mom, they would always be at bent cheering me on, whether it was basketball, football, music.
(03:37):
Shows that I used to do and stuff like that.
So, you know, very, very blessed, very, very great upbringing, you know.
When did you realize your life was a little different than others?
Well, you know what, to be completely honest, so the elementary school that I went to,
Center for Early Education, it was a million dollar elementary school.
(03:59):
So I went to elementary school.
My best friend in elementary school was Denzel Washington's son, doctors, Jack Nicholson's kids.
You know, everybody that, you know, it was a it was a status type of elementary school.
So I never at that point, I didn't think anything was different.
Obviously, I would realize that my mom would get more attention than a regular person walking around,
(04:27):
just doing normal things and stuff like that, you know.
But, you know, I don't, to be honest, I would say that I'm just blessed.
You know, I don't think that I don't really see myself different than anybody else.
This is just the life that I was born into, fortunately, you know.
So we talk about struggles. So when did you kind of get on the wrong path?
(04:51):
Or realized you got on the wrong path?
I wish my mom was here. She'd be like, she'd pull out the date.
Let's say. All right. So I started I started.
So I was always a good kid. I was always a good kid. I've always been a good person, good heart.
I definitely have an addictive personality.
And I'd say in fourth grade is when I started getting in trouble school wise,
(05:19):
like not doing homework assignments, talking in class, stuff like that.
And eighth grade is when middle school is when I started doing smoking weed and hanging out with the homies.
And so that's when it started. That's when it all started.
And so, you know, you had basically it sounds like you had all the access in the world.
(05:43):
And so then you started in fourth grade. Like, that's pretty early.
Like you have a son. And can you can you say the news?
Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. We have a baby girl.
We have a baby girl on the way. Me and my girlfriend. Congratulations. Thank you so much.
So, yes, we have I have a four year old, Oliver Jr.
(06:04):
And then my girl has two daughters already from a previous relationship Sunday and Sienna.
And then Dali Marie Claire Saunders, which is going to be our daughter's name,
named after my grandmother is going to be born in February.
So we're very I love that. Well, congratulations and only wish the best for you and your girl.
(06:25):
And that, you know, I'm thinking about you guys. But going back.
So if any of your kids in fourth grade started where you were, how would you feel?
It would hurt. It would hurt. You know what I mean? My parents used to tell me all the time.
They were like, you know, this is hurting us just as much as it's hurting you, if not more.
And when you're when you're younger, you don't really understand that you don't you know,
(06:49):
you think you're the victim and everything like that. I pray I pray that my son,
he is so smart and he loves following the rules.
The other day, he got upset with me because I forgot to take the Gatorade out of his cup
before he went to school and they're only supposed to have water at school.
So I hope that he stays on that path of liking to follow rules and just doing well in school.
(07:15):
And because, you know, as as as a parent, you know, only thing you want is the best for your kids.
100 percent.
You know, and hopefully, hopefully a lot of the things that I went through in my life,
I will be able to sort of talk to him about and hopefully, you know,
help him avoid a lot of the situations and stuff that I got into that was unnecessary
(07:37):
that I brought up on myself, you know.
So so from fourth grade that I'm start I'm assuming it was a downward spiral from there.
Yeah, I went I went to seven high schools to my ninth grade year,
but because I just kept getting in trouble, kept getting in trouble, you know.
And yeah, it was just it was just rough.
(07:58):
I got, you know, started doing just started smoking, started doing Xanax like daily.
Yeah.
Just yeah, you know, so I get in trouble with the police.
It was a lot.
So what do you think your rock bottom was?
My rock bottom.
My rock bottom was I mean, shoot, I've been to jail.
I've been homeless.
(08:20):
You know what I mean?
I say I would say that my rock bottom was before I moved to Las Vegas.
Yeah.
I had a couple of friends pass away.
I was heavy, heavy into addiction, heavy into addiction,
hanging out with not the best people, just surround just super negative situations.
And, you know, I was trying to change my life.
(08:46):
So I, you know, I begged my parents to get me out of the state to get me out of L.A.
get me out of L.A.
But I still wanted to be close so I could see my family and everything.
And yeah, that's I would say that was my rock bottom.
I mean, sleeping in cars, no money, not a dollar to my name.
(09:08):
Yeah.
You know, dirty clothes, no, no self respect, no self worth, just chasing a high.
And we, you know, like I've gone through struggles myself and I think we're about the same age, me and you.
And I'm assuming we've lived very different lifestyles, but we've all had struggles in our own way.
But I know something that helped me out, like you got to meet my mom.
(09:31):
And by the way, she says hello.
Your mom was amazing. Tell her I said, what's up? That's my home girl now.
Yeah, 100 percent. So you guys are amazing, both of you.
And happy belated birthday. Yeah. Thank you.
But, you know, I leaned on.
I realized that my support system was so important.
And sometimes my mom had to play like, you know, the hard game.
(09:53):
But, you know, at the end, she loved me so much that she just wanted to see the best.
And I think you have a similar situation with your mom, right?
Absolutely. My mom used to never watch.
My mom's one of my mom's favorite things to do is turn on and watch the news.
Like she loves to know what's going on in the world and everything like that.
And she used to tell me, you know, she was she was she used to be scared to watch the news back in the day.
(10:15):
She used to be scared every time the phone rang because she never she didn't know if it was going to be me, the police,
if I was going to end up on the news, all type of stuff like that, you know.
And so for a long time, it was really rough. It was really rough.
And my mom and my dad tried everything. You know, they tried the love approach.
They tried the tough love approach. You know, I said, you know, yes, since jail a couple of times, did a couple did a rehab once got sent to a wilderness program when I was 17.
(10:46):
So, I mean, they they tried everything that they they possibly could, you know.
You know, sometimes you've got to figure it out on your own.
And that's the only way to get through those paths, those rough patches like, you know, you know, it all in my journey.
I know it all came down to me. Like, I couldn't rely really on friends or like my family loves me.
(11:08):
But like at the end of the day, like I had to be the one who wanted to make a change.
One thing that I've realized and this helps me out in a lot of different areas in life is that nobody can make anybody do something.
You know what I mean? Yeah.
Like I said, like I had the outlet to therapists, rehabs, this, that, blah, blah, blah, everything that you can need.
(11:31):
But I wasn't ready at the time, you know. And and it's it's crazy because, like I said, I moved out from L.A. to Vegas.
To basically try to change my scenery, change who I was around.
And I I was doing well for a little bit and I fell back into it.
And yeah, no, it's just it's just it's really the time that when you when you decide that you're done with that lifestyle, you know, and my son, my son, I give all the credit to my son.
(12:04):
He changed my life. Yeah.
And you know, so now Oliver Jr. is around and I see like on Instagram and stuff.
You're such a proud dad. And like it shows through it.
It makes me so happy to see like it was Oliver Jr.
You're like turning point being like I'm putting that past behind me now.
Absolutely. Absolutely. 100 percent.
(12:28):
Like I said, so when I came out to Vegas, you know, I've been I have, you know, I talk to God and I'm not super religious, but I do talk to God every day and everything like that.
And I was asking, you know, take these demons away, take these addictions away and stuff like that.
And and, you know, just just couldn't couldn't really get it, couldn't really get it.
And then I remember I was actually I was in jail when I found out that Oliver's mom was pregnant.
(12:55):
And I remember thinking to myself that there.
It just wasn't worth it, like a light switch, like a light switch just flipped. And it was crazy because I remember times that I used to have to think to myself like, oh, don't go get drugs.
Don't do drugs like that. After after I found out that he was born, it wasn't even it was just like, like I said, it was like an epiphany, a light switch.
(13:21):
Just like it just wasn't my concern. It wasn't my concern at all.
I was selling drugs. I was doing drugs.
I remember I remember the day that I was like, you know what, I would much rather make it home to him any night over any amount of money that I could make.
So I stopped completely.
(13:43):
I got a job at Goodwill. Yeah, I was working in Goodwill six days a week, $9 an hour loading trucks all the whole day.
And to be honest, I was content and I was happy with that because I didn't have to look over my back and have to worry about getting pulled over.
I knew that I was going to make it home to my son every night. And so that was the most important to me.
(14:07):
And at the time, I wasn't even thinking like, you know, keep the faith.
Something bigger will come. Just continue.
I was just happy with the choice that I made and the fact that I was going to be there for my son because that's what I'm here for.
You know, what kind of role model do you want him when he's, you know, in 20 years?
(14:28):
You want to say his dad is what he's going to say?
He's he's a character, so we'll probably say a little bit extra, but he's going to keep you on your toes because you get your parents on your to their toes.
Exactly. All of my kids will all of my kids will be able to say that I was there for them through any situation in every way possible.
(14:51):
I would drop anything for all for the kids and make sure that I'm there and make sure not only, you know, I feel like as a dad,
as a parent, you're supposed to do multiple things, you know, provide, protect. You know, it's not just financial. It's not just physical.
(15:13):
It's a whole it's a whole thing. You know, as a father, you know, my job is to provide, protect, teach him about life and try to guide him in the best way.
And at the end of the day, all of my kids are going to be able to say my dad was always there for me whenever I'd be there for them.
That's all they want. You know, at the end of the day, they want you to be there for them.
Always. And you know, the fact that you're going to change you've you've come such a long way into that mindset.
(15:43):
You know, I I believe that like an addiction is mental health. You're trying to fill that void.
You know, I've had I've had somebody on who was a crack addict who changed who lost everything and lost his family and that, you know,
and the fact that you figured it out and it's not too late to, you know, make that change is such a beautiful thing.
(16:04):
I yeah, I just got to say anybody listening. It's never too late. Yeah. You know what I mean? It's never too late.
Life isn't a life is in the competition with other people around you.
Life is a competition about with yourself. You know what I mean?
And I think that you're just supposed to do better than your parents did. And that's not saying make more money than your parents did.
(16:27):
That's not saying that's just saying that you learn from things that you and your parents went through.
And then, you know, with your kids and the future generation, you try to switch it up differently and make them better.
And they do the same for theirs. You know, 100 percent. Yeah, that's what I think it's about.
You know, but I think that it's I think that sometimes people get think, you know, oh, man, I've been doing this for so long.
(16:49):
It's it's too late for me. Or, oh, even if, you know, it's never too late to get right and get healthy and get, you know, I have an addictive personality, too.
But instead of, you know, doing drugs, I ate so that, you know, food, I would say, is one of the number one addictions because we fill our emotions with it.
And, you know, whether it be food or whether it be drugs, we're trying to fill something that's just not there.
(17:14):
And we got to believe in ourselves and stop like, don't use, you know, unnecessary vices to fill that void.
Right. I remember, I mean, I'm sure a few therapists told me this, but I remember the one that was like, you know, the drugs is not you're doing the drugs because of a bigger problem.
You're eating because of a bigger problem with the depression. You know what I mean? And so it's like you sort of you sort of have to either figure out that problem or, you know, I'm not I'm not a therapist or anything like that.
(17:45):
But yes, it's usually the drugs, the eating, dah, dah, dah is a coping mechanism to try to forget what you're going through or put it to the side.
You know, and at the end of the day, usually nine times out of 10 that those type of coping mechanisms only make things worse.
You know what I mean? 100%. It's not like when I was done being high off of drugs or whatever, like my problems were all fixed.
(18:08):
You were trying to fill something. Yeah. Yeah. They were still there. They were worse because I just got high and did some other shit.
100%. You know, and I have the tattoo of mindset on my rib. And I believe that mindset is everything. And it's if you have a healthy mind, you have a healthy body.
And and you know, you have to fix your mindset because your your mental health is controlling that addiction. Right.
(18:33):
And I don't know if you can see I have what you call this upside down. Yeah. But I have a tattoo that says Kim. Yeah.
And everybody's always like, who's Kim? And it's not that it means keep it moving. Yeah. You know, life life is there's like I said, there's going to be good days.
There's going to be bad days. People wouldn't appreciate the good days if there wasn't bad days. But you got to keep it moving. You know what I mean?
(18:55):
100%. So every time I look at my hand or any time I'm having some troubles or with something, it's like, yo, bigger picture. Keep it moving. Keep it moving.
And, you know, it always works out. Life is good. You know, you got to believe in yourself at the end of the day. Absolutely.
I want to I want to kind of ask. So you moved to Vegas and then how did you get connected with Lisa Vanderpump? So basically, my mom ran into Lisa.
(19:21):
This is at the point where I'm working in Goodwill. Yeah. My mom ran to Lisa at a event, Haitian charity. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
A charity event in Los Angeles. And my mom had never met Lisa. Lisa never met my mom. They obviously have heard of each other.
And my mom just went up to her and was like, listen, Lisa, like, you know, I, you know, I have a son that lives in Las Vegas.
(19:48):
He's trying to change his life around. He just had a kid. I know you have a few restaurants.
Do you think you could just get him an interview and and and just see from there? You know, she was like, absolutely.
And so we set it up and I started working at the Caesars Palace one as a host. And it was amazing.
(20:09):
You know, it was it was an amazing experience. I had never worked in the restaurant business.
That was actually like my first legit job that I had ever had. Yeah.
And so after that, I realized, you know, how much money these servers in Las Vegas make.
So when she opened up her new restaurant, I asked her for the opportunity to go over and switch.
And and I had to do the training and everything like that. And it's and it worked out and it's changed our life for the best.
(20:36):
I mean, it's changed me and my son's life in the biggest way.
Well, you kind of I'm assuming that kind of is the reason you got kind of thrown into that Vanderpump rules. That's that's that's easy.
So so one thing I always say about Lisa's and people like, you know, Lisa, my mom, nobody gets that successful and that rich by accident.
You know, they're always thinking ahead. They're always thinking 10 steps ahead and stuff like that.
(21:01):
And so I've been making a few appearances on the Housewives of Beverly Hills here and there.
And so the girls, the cast of Vanderpump rules is coming out to Las Vegas.
So Lisa and Lisa and I are great friends. I mean, we FaceTime, we text back and forth.
You know, she's she's amazing. She looked out for me since day one.
And so I really appreciate her for like, that's important. Yeah, it's important, you know, and it doesn't matter who it's from, but just genuine support.
(21:27):
You know, so she asked me, she was like, you know, I want you to wait on the girls when they come to the thing and the show.
And I was like, absolutely, I'll do it. And then things sort of, you know, things sort of snowballed from there.
And then she was like, do you want to go out with the girls after that? And I was like, yeah, sure. And that's that's how it all happened.
So so let me I don't want you to go into it, but I want I do watch Vanderpump rules. And I said to you when I met you, I don't like the way they portrayed you.
(22:01):
And especially now talking to you and meeting you like, you know, you were dealing with personal stuff at the time that all this media stuff like, how did you deal with your mental health at that time?
Because like it was probably not very good.
I mean, to be real, I've been through so much. I've been through so many situations in my life.
Like people always ask me, they're like, bro, does that bother you?
(22:22):
And it's like, Robin, in so many worse situations like like, you know what I mean?
Like, yeah, that is, but they changed the person you are.
Like, you know, you you are a strong, confident man. And they like, I don't know.
I just I said it like I said to you, the way that I thought you were and the way that you are is a very you're deep.
(22:45):
You're a deep man. There's there's context to you.
Yeah. And you know what? The funny thing is, you know, they could spin the story and it's fun.
However, what people don't understand is there's producers, there's entertainment.
It's for entertainment, not all reality TV is interesting enough that they don't have to point you in the direction and stuff like that.
But luckily, you know what? Ninety nine percent of people were able to see through all the all the yes.
(23:11):
And at the end of the day, you know, it didn't it didn't change me.
I'm going to be who I am regardless. And a lot of times when people meet me, they're like, wow, like, you know what I mean?
Yes, that's what I was. You know, that was my reaction.
Yeah. And you know, and Lisa and my mom had my back the whole time.
Yeah. And you know, and for the right reason, because they knew that everything that I was saying was true.
(23:34):
Yeah. And so, you know what? It's you know, it's it's you can't believe everything that you see on TV.
Unfortunately, a lot of people do. But you know what? Their opinions, their opinion. And it is all good.
Yeah. You know, and as long as you're confident, you don't listen to the haters.
I always say, like, if you get to a certain level, you're always going to have haters.
I'll tell you. So my mom always says that if you don't have haters, you're doing something wrong.
(23:58):
You know what I mean? The more successful you get, the less that unfortunately, this is the way that we the world that we live in,
the less genuine people are, the less that they want for you.
You know, and I told my son this other day and I'm telling my kids this.
Like, if you're happy with what you're doing and mommy and daddy are happy with you're doing,
grandma and grandpa are happy with what you're doing, it doesn't matter what anybody else thinks.
(24:22):
Yeah. You know, and unfortunately, you know, kids, they're younger, so they don't really understand that.
But that's the truth. And that's genuinely how I feel. You know, I'm happy and confident with who I am as a person.
My family is happy and confident. We've got the best relationship that we've had in in years.
You know what I mean? In years since I started getting in trouble.
(24:44):
So, you know, people are always going to have something to say, regardless.
Yeah. But I am very happy and content with where I am and in the direction that I'm moving.
And life is great. And one more question about reality TV.
When your brother, stepbrother, Jax was being bullied online, how did you feel about that?
(25:06):
I mean, I don't think that anybody should be bringing kids into. I don't think anybody should be talking to kids.
It's funny, you know, people are so brave when they're on their computer screen at home
and, you know, people will say things that they would never say to somebody in person and stuff like that.
And like I said, somebody is going to have something to say, regardless.
(25:27):
Yeah. No matter what you do. Yeah.
You know, so so especially when you're in the reality TV. And this is easier said than done.
But the more that your life is out there, the more that people know about you,
the more just more opportunities for somebody to say something, do something. You know what I mean? Yeah.
And so I think that kids should be off limits. Absolutely.
Like, you know, but yeah, you can't control people. But it's at the same time, it's like, you know, my brother Jax is he's younger.
(25:55):
So so I understand him feeling more emotional about it and stuff like that.
But it's like you can't care about somebody from Sydney, Australia,
that has no profile picture, no post. They made this Instagram just to say, you know what I mean? Yeah.
You know, we talk about being strong and those people behind the screen are not strong people.
(26:17):
Those are weak. Yeah. They're insecure. They're insecure. And I wish them the best.
You know, I don't I don't I don't I don't have the time energy to I don't even to have negative thoughts for anybody.
You know what I mean? I try to stay positive and think about the future and things that I have going.
And, you know, it's just yeah, it just shows to somebody who's confident in somebody that that knows what's going on.
(26:40):
It just shows insecurity. A hundred percent. And that's weakness is like, you know, you want to be a bully.
You know, her I do get her people, her people, but you want to be a bully. That's a sign of weakness.
You want to be confident. You want to you know, you're the ones in front of the camera being vulnerable, putting yourself out there.
That's strength. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, it's just, you know, it's it's just it's just a part of it. It's a it's a part of it.
(27:03):
You put your life out there, you know, more people just like I said, it's just it's just a part of the process.
Unfortunately, a lot of people like more toxicity and toxic stuff like that than positive stuff.
But, you know, it is what I see. You have a positive mindset and you have a positive way of life.
And I love that. And that's strength, you know, and, you know, staying positive and thinking that something good is going to happen and, you know, always being positive.
(27:28):
You know, sometimes I, you know, when it comes to mental health, I say you're either on the upward spiral on the downward spiral.
There's no choice. So, you know, so you're right now on the upward spiral. You got your second chance. You're on that upward spiral.
Yeah, absolutely. And it's like, you know, and yeah, I just I every day I start off the day with positive vibes.
And at dinner, we talk about me, my girl and the kids talk about what they're grateful for.
(27:53):
Because, like I said, life is short. Life is short. Things happen.
Like, you just got to enjoy your time and enjoy your time and with the people you love and do what you love to do, you know.
So before we end off, do you have any healthy tips for any like teenage boys that are on the wrong path or girls?
(28:14):
One thing I would say is one thing that I would say is just just stay away from drugs.
You know what I mean? I'm not I'm not completely sober.
Like, you know, I I'm a social drinker. I have a margarita when I go out to dinner or something like that.
And I smoke marijuana and everything like that. But one, stay away from hard drugs. It's not worth it.
(28:35):
There is not any time, any night, any event that you're going to have that's worth all the trouble that you could be in,
especially with people doing the fentanyl now and all that stuff.
Like, just just stay away from that and don't give in to peer pressure.
And that's that's one of the things that I'm in distress on my kids the most.
Just be yourself, you know, and it's OK to be yourself. It's OK to say no to things.
(28:59):
And, you know, because that's that's I feel like I fell victim to that a lot.
And only you can make you do something, you know.
But I would just say just stay off the drugs, stay focused in life.
Yeah, it's important. Yeah. Yeah.
And the last question is, so you're a busy guy, your kids and businesses and whatever you're working.
(29:22):
And how do you prioritize your mental and physical health? Like, do you work out?
Yeah, I just got back from the gym. Me and my girl go to the gym all the time. I just got back from the gym earlier today.
I wake up super early every day. I wake up at like five thirty in the morning every day.
No matter what time I go to sleep and I sort of just come downstairs, start doing breakfast, listen to music.
(29:46):
You know what I mean? And that's just sort of my chill time.
And but at the end of the day, I learned this from my mom. My mom works hard.
My mom is always doing 20 different jobs. You know what I mean?
And general generational wealth is what I am all about right now.
I have I want to leave a lot of money, properties, businesses to my kids and everything like that.
(30:12):
So that's my that's my drive. That's my drive.
You know, I think I was I was made for this.
Like, you know, I don't need a lot of sleep. I don't need a lot of rest. I could do my thing.
I can go from one thing to the next. You know, a lot of times I hop up a plane from shooting,
get straight to work, go to work, work all weekend, pick up my son on Tuesday.
And you know what? To be real, I'm just blessed that I'm busy.
(30:36):
I'm blessed that I'm successful. I'm blessed for all the opportunities that are coming in the future.
God is good. Life is good. And I just, you know, I'm just riding the wave.
Amazing. You want to tell the listeners what's going on where they can reach you?
Yeah. So my my Instagram is at I am Oliver Saunders.
I have a podcast all about parenting, bigger than us podcast.
(31:01):
So it's YouTube dot com slash at bigger than us podcast.
Definitely check that out. I have some big things coming in the future.
Contracts that I've signed that I cannot disclose exactly what's going on.
But very big things are happening in the future and just very excited.
Well, I'm very grateful for you to come on the Five Foot Strong podcast.
(31:25):
Thank you so much. You know what, Oliver? I see you're you got your second chance now.
Thrive, you know, you that's the strength.
You picked yourself up and, you know, you we always have to move forward and stay positive.
And, you know, even though you were given everything, you know, we have to figure it out on our own.
And, you know, we we have to take care of our mental health.
(31:47):
We have to take care of our physical health.
And, you know, that makes us a better person and that makes you a better father and a future father.
Congratulations again on having a baby girl.
Thank you. Yeah. And I just, you know, last thing I'll say is just, you know, if I could do it, anybody could do it.
If you could do it, anybody could do it. So, you know, don't feel like you're alone.
(32:08):
Just, you know, get seek whatever help you seek, whatever help you you need.
And just know that, you know, it's never too late to turn your life around and anything is possible.
And that's why I want to share people's stories like that, to know people like you're not alone.
And like any it could happen to anybody, but you could you could also turn it around.
I'm telling you, I've came from millions.
(32:31):
I've literally slept in cars, not having a dollar.
And now I'm back on my way to millions for myself.
You know, I love that. And you're you're strong on its own.
And that's your journey of strength. So and just, you know, a message to the young.
Anybody could do it. Anybody could do it. And, you know, I have faith in you guys. Like I said, I'm nothing special about me.
(32:54):
Anybody could do it. You just got to have faith and you just got to stick to it.
You know, I want everybody to be happy, healthy, successful, positive lives. So I love that.
So stay strong and thanks for coming on. Appreciate you, Jess. See you soon.
(33:32):
Thank you.
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