From Loss to Advocacy: A Son's Journey Beyond Lupus

From Loss to Advocacy: A Son's Journey Beyond Lupus with Special Guest: Deonta Johnson In this powerful episode, we explore one man's journey through the pain of losing his father to lupus and how that personal tragedy ignited his passion for advocacy. Hear how Deonta @iamyunglegend channeled loss into a mission to raise awareness, support research, and empower others affected by this often-misunderstood disease.

Thank you for tuning in to "Lupus Has No Face," a podcast dedicated to sharing real stories and insights on living with Lupus and other invisible illnesses. Join your host, Savannah Burks, as she explores the struggles and triumphs of individuals navigating their health journeys, all while juggling life's many challenges. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe, listen, and share on all major podcast platforms. For more content and updates, follow us on social media and join the conversation.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
M m m h were asweeded surtr Street up.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
M m m m m m mm hmmm.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Hello you guys, thank you for tuning in to another
wonderful episode of Lucas Ask My Face Podcast with your
wonderful hosts Savannah. We have the very powerful ultimate king
in the building name Legend. How are you doing?

Speaker 1 (01:37):
I'm doing good?

Speaker 4 (01:38):
Great.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
He is the owner of I Create Print Okay, So
we will be getting to that soon. We will be
discussing from loss to advocacy, a Sun's journey beyond Lupas. Right, yep, Okay, Deontay,
Deontay is your government right?

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yes it is?

Speaker 4 (01:55):
What do you prefer?

Speaker 2 (01:57):
You know what?

Speaker 1 (01:59):
I truly preferred because I want the people to know
me for who I am.

Speaker 4 (02:02):
Okay, for you for who you are.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
I love that.

Speaker 4 (02:04):
I love that, Okay, Deontae.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
Before we jump into all of the things, what is
printed by Creations?

Speaker 4 (02:13):
How did you get into that? What is it?

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Where you located? And what all do you provide with
that services?

Speaker 1 (02:21):
All right? Well, it started as me wanting to me
doing music at the beginning stage, and I wanted to
do music and my manager at that time was like, hey,
you gotta cover this you gotta have this expense, and
I'm like, look, so what if I learned how to

(02:42):
do that? So instead of you putting the money into
the budget, can I can you put that money into
me person back into the pot or whatnot. And it
was like, if you can save the money, the money
go back to you, then okay. It was it was
it was written by that. I'm like, okay. So then
I learned how to do graphic designs, I learned how

(03:03):
to do studio engineering. I learned how to do and
it was just something that I felt that was an
everyday need, you know, considering you know, if they say
everybody died every day, somebody died unfortunately, that's that's what's
guaranteed to happen. So I learned that if I could

(03:28):
provide a service that's needed every day, and then I can,
and I can provide at affordable rate, then I could
be there for the people. That's why my slogan is
a place where you can imagine and I create.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
I love it and I understand the mission and that's dope.
So you got into rapping and to make a beneficial
to you, you started.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Doing everything behind the scenes correct and that's just I
never thought about it like that, but it's like I've
created something that was personally for me that he eventually
became for the people.

Speaker 3 (04:09):
So do you still rap or now you are? One
hundred percent and the creative.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Part, that's a good question. I really stopped doing music
for a little while that I stopped into the management side.
I was managing artists and also my son. I felt like,
instead of me putting the energy to effort into something

(04:35):
into me right now, let me put it into the youth.
And that's what I started doing with him because he
had a basketball player and I felt that if I
could help brand him and get him out there where
he deserves to be, that once you get to college
and so on, he'll already have identity. People already familiar

(04:57):
who he is.

Speaker 4 (04:59):
I love that.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
Okay, so you was thinking ahead, Yeah, most people don't.
Most people don't, So where can they find you up?
What all do you provide with your services? And do
you have any like social media links that we can
drop in people want to reach out to you.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Yeah, they can find me on thirty eighth in Wisconsin. Literally,
I'm over there on thirty eighth in Wisconsin. On social media,
you could follow me at I create designs with a
Z and to create way if spelled, I c r

(05:38):
E the number eight designs d E s I g
n Z And you can find me on Instagram social
media if I create printing and designs my website.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
Your website is dope. By the way, why camera professional?
His office is very professional. Smell good and Aaron the
big put stuff in there. I had the coplen We
just do all of the things.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah. I just recently moved over there about a month ago,
and I just been slowly renovating it to become who
I am. Like how you said purple is you? Blue
is me?

Speaker 4 (06:19):
What do blue stand for for you? What is blue?
Tell me? Tell me?

Speaker 1 (06:24):
I guess it's like if you look at the water,
right you have a looked at the ocean.

Speaker 5 (06:32):
I have.

Speaker 4 (06:33):
I had the luxury.

Speaker 3 (06:35):
Somebody used to always tell me, like whenever you can
go to the lake and go see the sunrise, but
I never did that. I was actually on a cruise
and I was able to experience that on a cruise.
And when I tell you seeing the sunrise and seeing
it set, it's be you tiful.

Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yes, I just came back from New Mexico a couple
of weeks ago, right. And reason why I say the
ocean right or the water period is because it's a
in my eyes, it's a nun It's a continuous flow.
It never stops. And that's how I kind of look
at me in my life like, no matter what getstown

(07:18):
at me, I'm never stopping. Like I might get a
little hurdle, but eventually I'm a jump that hurdle and
continue to move forward. I'm not gonna let nothing stand
in my way for too long.

Speaker 3 (07:29):
I like how you correlate that together? So when you
when you experience that, how did you feel? What was
your feeling?

Speaker 1 (07:37):
Man? It just because it's like one of my mentors
at the Running Rebels told me, he was like, you know,
I experienced so much at a young age that some
people be I'll be curious to know, like how am
I'm still moving? How what continues to motivate you? And

(08:03):
to me? Every day? I get a new purpose in life?
Every every day, every day, every day, every day, every
day I wake up, I have a new purpose. And
I know that may sound crazy.

Speaker 4 (08:14):
Don't sound crazy for the people that understand what purpose is.

Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, because it's like At first I used to think like,
like I'm self employed, but at the end of the day,
I still work for somebody.

Speaker 3 (08:28):
Yes, And not to even take that away. Hey, y'all,
I know we are like all the way from the topic,
but this is important, right, This is why it's lipis
and everything. So it's so many people that want to
be like entrepreneurs because they quote unquote don't want to
work for nobody because of all the rules righting. And
when people say that to me as to why they
want to be entrepreneur, the things that I say is

(08:50):
you're going to always work for somebody. You're working for
Uncle Sam. It is rules and regulations that your business
have to sustain and obtain and you know, sellers, premiers,
all of these things that you got to keep up
to date because if you don't, you would not be
having a business. And people don't understand that, like, you're
gonna always work for somebody and it's going to always
forever be rules.

Speaker 4 (09:12):
I had to put that in because people don't understand.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
That's true. Because I used to think, like I wake
up in the morning, I get to do what I
want to do, right, But I mean, it's a gift
and a curse. You know what I'm saying, because sometimes,
like some people don't understand the luxury of having stability stapability,

(09:38):
I think, right. And the reason why I say that
is right because at the end of the day, you know,
you work from Monday through Friday. At the end of
the week, you know what you got coming. As an entrepreneur,
you don't know what you got coming because at the
end of the day, if a client hit you up
and says I want to do X, Y and Z, right,

(09:59):
but then you in your mind you like, Okay, this
is what I got this lined up, this is what
is expected. But then that client come back and say,
I don't want to do it, I want to cancel
that order. Then in your mind you like, dang, you
already calculated what you was going to do with the

(10:19):
funds that come in and in a sense of fashion, right.
So it's like that's why sometimes it's a different because
because sometimes it can fluctuate and you may walk away
with a couple of hundred, you may walk away with
a couple of dollars, You may walk away with a
couple of thousands, depending on how hard you put your
effort in. And that's the reason why. I mean personally,

(10:40):
I wanted to be an entrepreneur because I really wanted
to control my own destiny. But at the same time,
I still need to build. I still needed to build
a team.

Speaker 4 (10:50):
Team is very important.

Speaker 3 (10:51):
Yes, not just any team, somebody that's that's responsible and
somebody that can do what you do when you are
not the you know, when you're not there to be
able to so you don't have to keep tabs on them.

Speaker 4 (11:02):
So a trustworthy team.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yeah, no, that's that is pretty dope because a lot
of people think like, oh, I'm not doing this, or
I'm not doing that because I didn't make thieves sales
or you know, people get mad about people canceling it.
And it's just like, you're no different from Gucci, you know,
different from Moss You You're no different from all these
other stories. They get returns all the time. You're no different.
You're just on a smaller scale, you know what I'm saying,

(11:27):
Like people is going to do that, and that comes
with the business. That's where insurance come in at. That's
where you got to make your price to make up
on the back end of things. Like it all goes
to look together if you do it the proper way, correct,
you know. So I'm glad that you really actually touched
on that because a lot of people want to go
in business and think it's just supposed to be so smooth.
It's never gonna be smooth. It's never gonna be smooth

(11:48):
because you only can control what you can control.

Speaker 4 (11:50):
You can't control the people, which is the customers exactly.

Speaker 3 (11:55):
You can't like you can't you can't control and you
had your custos being up and coming not to say
like this, but your customers is going to control you
a little bit because your goal is when you're coming
in to give the customers what is that they need.
And once you are, once you have those particular customers
that you are advertising to, then you can start structuring

(12:17):
your time and stuff around the people that you have
already built when you bitch your clientele. But most people
feel like they don't have to do this and they
don't have to do that, and it's like, yes, any
business in the United States you are up and running
because of us.

Speaker 1 (12:29):
See. And I'm glad you said that, right because a
friend of mine told me this the other day. He said,
thing to separate my business from your businesses that you
let your customers over run you, right, And I'm like, no,
that's not the case. I'm like, I'm just here with
my I'm just here for my customers. It's a big difference.
I'm not here to Hey, you tell me what you
want and then I do it. Yeah, that's true. I

(12:51):
do that. But at the end of the day, I'm
also here to make sure that your encounterment with me
is pleasant, present pleasant. You know, I'm here to make
sure that you have a good dealings with me. Because
I said this a while back, I said, Hey, if
you're going to be dealing with customers on a regular basis,
you have to have some type of people skills.

Speaker 3 (13:10):
You definitely do, because it doesn't I've been in stores
that I love, right, and I am somebody. So if
I go in a store and you don't acknowledge me
with the those first two minutes, two minutes is a
long time. I'm going to come up to you and
I'm going to say, why am I not why I'm
not buying anything because of your interaction with me.

Speaker 4 (13:32):
I'm not have an experience.

Speaker 3 (13:36):
I need experience because it's other stores that know what
type of shoe are, like, what type of material. I like,
they be waiting for me to come in, so I'll
be dang if I go to another store and you
guys are not acknowledging, you don't know, you don't know
who nobody is, so I won't purchase, but I will
give them three three times.

Speaker 4 (13:52):
And I did give her.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
I'm not gonna say her name or the company name
that's that's in Mayfair, but I gave her a chance
and I walked in and she was all over it.

Speaker 4 (14:01):
But like no, like I don't.

Speaker 3 (14:04):
Have to spend my money. My money is paying your rent.

Speaker 1 (14:09):
Say that because like that's true, because it's like I
literally had a running with a with a customer, right
and I'm trying to patronize theay business like look, hey,
I called in, I did exactly what you told me
to do. Of how y'all want y'all business to operate?
I called in, sent the order and sent send whatever

(14:30):
it is I was doing. But when I come here,
like I'm patiently awaiting because I'm like, I see you
dealing with a customer already, So all I want you
to do is a knowledge like hey, sir, hey, I'll
be right with you soon as I get done with
this customer. And one thing my big homie used to
tell me, right sometimes, as you've been with the customers,

(14:50):
you got to be able to read the room.

Speaker 4 (14:52):
You do, you know you do?

Speaker 3 (14:55):
Excuse me, I'm busy right now, but I see I'll
be right with you. All you acknowledge me now. I
don't want to see what else she got in here.

Speaker 4 (15:01):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (15:02):
Even though I'm coming here for issue, I might want
to spend some more money. But I'm glad that you
said that because my encounter with you was you know,
because I can be but it was always pleasant, like
your voice never changed, your tone never elevated, he was
always patient with me. Your customer service was great, to
the point where now I spread the word like anybody
asked for anything like at first, as used to be

(15:24):
a math science.

Speaker 4 (15:25):
I still deal with math science. But you've been in
the inner city.

Speaker 3 (15:27):
I'm definitely gonna be like, hey, he's professional, he got this,
he got that, everything's on hid. The turnaround point is great,
and that's what people are looking for. Because I had
an amazing experience with you and you didn't like anything
on my end, I'm sure you're gonna treat everybody else
behind me, So I appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (15:44):
Doubt.

Speaker 3 (15:44):
Yeah, no, So to switch it up real quick before
we started getting into you know, before one four day
was amazing. So shout out to Milwaukee four one four
day Milwaukee for having me reaching out. It was amazing.
I met some amazing, amazing people. Be a little overwhelming
at times, nevertheless, Like the wind was mad crazy, Like

(16:08):
the wind was mad crazy, tens was getting flown over
the lady from across from us.

Speaker 4 (16:13):
It was mad crazy.

Speaker 3 (16:14):
But the people that they had in place, it made
it just so easy because they were so helpful. They
was pretty too. They was pretty and it was helpful,
so that's always a plus for me. Like they had
some pretty girls on site helping on the ground, so
they made everything so easy and it was fun too.
And at the end of it, a it was very
rewarding because so many I was taught. Like I'm not

(16:36):
gonna say it, but I was talking to so many
people and a lot of people didn't know what it was,
a lot of people did know what lupis is. A
lot of people have friends that hasn't and haven't spoke
to them in a while. And I was able to
educate them and let them know like, yo, you should
reach out because of X, Y and Z. So it
was so liberating. And then even at the night life
when I switched over, I went to tz U tz event.

(16:59):
It was a and I was like checked out, like
I was mentally checked out a work moll right, but
I forgot I had a customed lupus has no face
jersey on, and so this lady walked up to me.
She was gorgeous as well, and it was so fast
and and I was like, what's going on? You know?
She said, he you got some T shirt in your shit.
I'm like, oh, thank you so much. But then she
kept talking. I really couldn't hear what she was saying,

(17:20):
but I sing to her like tearing up, and I'm like,
what's going on? Like, and she kept pointing to my
shirt and I was.

Speaker 4 (17:26):
Like, oh, you know, like oh.

Speaker 3 (17:29):
So she still shared a moment with me about her
mother and she was just so here that has a
non profit organization, that's somebody that can give her mother's
support and all of the things.

Speaker 4 (17:40):
And then like just to meet people like them.

Speaker 3 (17:44):
They go through so much and it's like when they
meet me, how it's so over women's because like I'm
really only speaking my truth. I'm speaking what I went through,
what I go through, what I see, what I learned,
what I and Connor as a nurse, what Connor you know,
when I go to the White House and things that
nature or even on the corporate side, and I bring
that back and I share it with everybody, and it's
just like, this is what I'm doing it for, Like,

(18:08):
this is why I'm showing up, no matter what it is,
I'm showing up. I'm answering my phones all time in
the nights, I'm answering emails, messages, going to the hospital,
like you know, because it gives them that hope when
they see someone like me that seems to be healthy,
that is healthy and I am in a remission, but
it takes a lot of work to get there, you
know what I'm saying. So I'm like, this is what

(18:29):
I do it for, you know. But it never get
easy because they pain is my pain. Like I was there.
I was there at one point, so I definitely sympathizing,
sympathetic to the things that she was saying.

Speaker 4 (18:40):
So it was great.

Speaker 3 (18:42):
It was just great to meet a lot of new people,
have a lot of connections and have more people are
part of the mission.

Speaker 1 (18:49):
Man. I completely understand where you're coming from because I
remember the first night I ran into you and you
was telling me about your yeah, your business. I was like, Yo,
that's kind of dope because like I had when my
father passed, and my dad he didn't have he didn't

(19:11):
have insurance. What you know what I'm saying, so we
had to do spun me right, and I was I
wish that I could have known about your business earlier
because I was trying to bring awareness to LUPUS at
that time. Every every so often I tend to do

(19:36):
something eventful about that. But now, since I know you,
I'd rather put that time and energy into helping your
business grow and helping awareness around you.

Speaker 4 (19:44):
I appreciate that. Like that's like, hats off, y'all.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
I did, Yeah, y'all hear that first. I'm saying that
live and direct, like I give you my work, you know,
because when I did that with my dad, me and
my family, we had to raise money to bury him.
And we did that. We we generated the money. I
had a concert at uh at Oasis I never forget it.

(20:11):
Me and a couple of local artists at that time,
raised the money, sold tickets, we buried my dad and
it was a It was a very nice turnout, and
I appreciate all the artists that was there. Uh it
was east Side, l Buog, Mazie, the team, who else,

(20:31):
Dave fly Walker, It was a It was a bunch
of artists that was that came through and supported and
I appreciate that deep to the deepest of my ability.
But like, once I seen the support that I got
for that, I just knew that the awareness had to
be out there because, like I told you, my little

(20:52):
sister got it, you know. And I don't talk to
her as much as I should, but when I do
speak to her, I'm always checking in on her, Like
I typically see her on social media and then I
respond to hers just to see how she's doing. You know,
she's doing pretty good so far, you know what I'm saying. Yeah,

(21:14):
you know I'm saying because so far, I could see
when she's mentioned stuff on social media, like how she's
feeling batter or something like that, I text her like, hey,
you know, I'm here for you. If you need anything,
you know, just call me. You know what I'm saying, Like,
cause right now, I'm the oldest brother, I'm the oldest
son on my dad's side. I'm the youngest on my

(21:34):
mom's side. But with my dad family, with my dad kids,
it's like I have to leave by example to let
them know that I'm here for them. You know what
I'm saying. It ain't no barriers in the road that
we can't overcome if we all unify and stick together,
you know what I'm saying. And that's what I always

(21:57):
try to let them know. Like I know, people grieving
their own way, and my I guess my way of
grieving was I made a song about it.

Speaker 4 (22:08):
I didn't know what what what is that song? I
would like to listen to that?

Speaker 1 (22:13):
Uh, It's on social media and it was on my project.
It was called I believe it's called Dear Dad or
something like that.

Speaker 3 (22:24):
Is there is there any way that you can pull
it up and send them to my producer and us
get a little clip of it when he gets all settled.
I would love to hear a little bit of that,
So Tom, when he's going to send it to you
and see if you can, you know, play a little
bit of that. I would definitely like the people to
hear that energy into that I appreciate. Well, I'm sure

(22:47):
he appreciated that. We appreciate that as well. So now
it's a it's a whole world, it's a whole nation
out there with people that's uh the houseloop is, you know.
And and it's dope that you're talking about it with
your father, because most men don't like to comfort, you know,
with it, because I don't know, they just feel some
type of way. They feel some type of way. They

(23:09):
can't articulate it properly, you know what I'm saying. They
can't make sense out of it. So when you can't
make sense out of it to your own especially being
a man and being so prower from all these things,
they typically stay in the dark. But it's a lot
of men that have it and is doing well with it. Actually,
So I challenged a man this year to come out
with it. I really do, because they need to. They

(23:32):
need to.

Speaker 4 (23:34):
I'm gonna give you his uh tell him where to
send it to all of the things.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
Uh it should be. I think it's on YouTube, okay, because.

Speaker 4 (23:55):
Because you like, I don't even know, I don't even know.
Why are you doing our loud?

Speaker 2 (24:06):
Good reasons?

Speaker 3 (24:09):
Jesse Jones, Hello, thank you for joining, he said, speak
bro right, Yeah, okay, And I told I agree what
you agree about what you're talking about Jesse. While we
looking for that, how did your father battle with his
loopers influence your views on health and wellness?

Speaker 4 (24:32):
Do you have any perspective of that?

Speaker 1 (24:34):
How did my dad battle it for a long period
of time? My dad? And it's crazy because it's like,
I hate to say this, but my dad wasn't really
in my life.

Speaker 4 (24:49):
It's okay, this is a safe space.

Speaker 1 (24:52):
And he wasn't really in my life like that. And
I just was like, I ain't really told nobody.

Speaker 3 (25:03):
Give us an exclusive like we always get, you know,
faces nose exclusives.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
I used to I feel like this, right, my dad
was sick and we all knew that, right. And I
used to think to myself, like what did I do
wrong or what was wrong with me that made my
dad not want to be around me, you know what
I'm saying. And I tend to see what he's done

(25:33):
in the past, and I'm like, Okay, is it me
or was it at the moment that he just wasn't
ready to be around me? Just like that? You know
what I'm saying, like I saw him around all these
other kids and stuff like that, you know, but I
just felt like maybe, maybe, just maybe, like I was

(25:56):
raised with my dad's mom, by my dad's mom. Okay,
you know what I'm saying. And she told me like
she raised me with who I am today, right. And
she told me when I was younger, like, look, I
hate to say this, son, but your dad, if you
don't get his act together, he's not going to be
around to see you at the age of thirty three, right.

(26:19):
And I didn't understand what she meant by that. Right.
Granted I'm thirty six. My dad passed away in twenty sixteen. Look,
how look how long ago? That was roughly nine years ago. Yeah,
so if you do them, if I do the math right, right,
I want to say he passed away when I was

(26:40):
at least twenty six, twenty five, twenty six. He didn't
see me in my thirties. She told me that. So
it's like when I when I saw him laying in
the bed on his last guy in bed, he apologized,

(27:01):
he said, I'm sorry for not pouring into you like
I should have did, right, And I'm like, hey, Dad,
it's cool. You know what I'm saying, Like I still
had a good upbringing, Like my grandma did everything she
could do for me, Like my my uncles was my dad,

(27:23):
they who helped raise me. Don't get me wrong, my
dad I all used to tell me, no matter how
close your hands are, never let your left hand know
what your right hand. He always told me that. And
by me by him telling me that, that just let
me know that sometimes no matter how close you is,

(27:44):
you still got to be able to hold your own
You still got to be able to hold your own
two feet, stand on your own two feet and stand
up and do what's right. That's why that I am
the way that I am. You know what I'm saying,
Like I never really didn't understand why I couldn't really
get close to people, right because in my eyes, I

(28:08):
felt like I was always an outsider.

Speaker 3 (28:10):
Oh why because do you think that comes from your
dad not being around?

Speaker 1 (28:14):
I think because my dad and not been around with
my family. I was, like I said, I was. I
was raised by my grandma, So I very smily was
able to hang out with family members because some people
they didn't understand, like how is it that you get

(28:34):
to stay with grandma, but not us while you get
to be over there with her, you know, and you
know it's grandma's what grandma does. Grandma's take care of
their grandkids. You cannot go by your grandma house and
she not have a treat for you, you know what
I'm saying. So imagine how about my grandma every day?
So every day I'm getting a new treat, and people like, hey,

(28:58):
what's going on? So with that, like how is that possible?
You know?

Speaker 3 (29:02):
So while you're missing your dad and you're wondering why
he's with all of these other kids, and it's making
you feel away, but you got grandma that's treating you
like everything it is, And now you got those people
looking at you like why him over us?

Speaker 4 (29:19):
And see how that look?

Speaker 1 (29:20):
Yeah I looked at it like wow, that's crazy. Like
I never really looked at it on the outside looking
and I just was always like, hey, that's my grandma.

Speaker 3 (29:31):
So from my understanding of it, most grandma's the good ones.
If the father is not stepping up, grandma is gonna
go a hundred because the dad is not doing what
he's supposed to be doing, so the grandma does that.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah that's true. Yeah, it's crazy though, Like like I
told you, like this year alone, like my twenty twenty
five years started off rough. I lost my granddad. I'm
sorry to hear that, you know what I'm saying. I
lost him in January, right, and he was like he

(30:14):
was a handy man. Like I didn't understand it at first.
I'm like my granddad. He was really like a visionary person. Right.
If he sees something, just why him looking at it?
You know how to put it together, you know how
to build it, you know how to break it down
and everything. And this is coming from a person that

(30:37):
didn't surpass the fifth grade education. You know what I'm saying.
But his education is street smarts. But he was able
to survive in the real world and was able to
survive on an everyday basis. Every day he was learning
something new. Every day he applied hisself to get further

(30:59):
ahead in life every day. That's what made me become
who I am because I see my granda and I
seen my grandma. Those was my pillars in the community.
Those was the people that I saw every day fighting
and becoming successful. Financially, they wasn't successful, but in heartened spirit,

(31:21):
they were successful to me. You know what I'm saying,
because they didn't let whatever they didn't have, they didn't
let that bring them down. They was always building each
other up, lifting each other up, giving each other purpose.

Speaker 3 (31:33):
That is due because in reality, financials don't measure your success.
People think that it does, but it doesn't. It's so
many miserable people that is very wealthy. You want to
read some of these comments, I know you can start
from I can't really see it. Start from Hey, what
that say? Hey great to the cast, Hey Jesse, he

(31:57):
should I could relate to his story about it that.
I agree. Wow, I'm sorry you went through that. So
like the things that you went through when you when
your dad told you that he was sorry even though
you was like, no, I'm here for you. Did that

(32:17):
take a lot of weight off your shoulders? Was that like,
did that put you in a perspective where it's like, Okay,
it wasn't me, it was him? Because you know, like
some people when they are sick, they tend to get
away from the world. Yeah, right, and it has absolutely
nothing to do with anybody for the most part. But see,

(32:38):
you would never know unless you actually asked him or
you around people that can tell the story. I used
to do a disappearing act as well when I was younger,
you know. But now if I decided to disappear my
people know, like, yo, I need a break, you know
what I'm saying. But back then, because I didn't accept
what I had, you know, I couldn't really articulate that

(33:00):
and explain that to people. And we were young, you
know what I mean. It's like, what the heck is
loop is? You know, first they coded arba. It's like,
I haven't even been sexual yet.

Speaker 4 (33:10):
How did I get it sexually?

Speaker 3 (33:11):
Transmitted into the lack of education, you know what I'm saying.
So I was away for a lot, and I was
very popular when I were younger.

Speaker 4 (33:21):
I still am today, but I was very popular.

Speaker 3 (33:23):
So when I went in my aid you know, and
ghosted people, wonder So when people are sick and it's
not doing what they are supposed to be doing and
accepting what they have and started getting educated about that,
they can't explain that to anyone, so and they don't
want people to feel sorry for them. And then him
being a man, take you not got to take that
into kind of you got to take that as well.

(33:45):
Him being a man, So he didn't want to feel
weak and all of those things, and you are all
of those things when you are not healthy, when you
have an invisible illness.

Speaker 2 (33:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (33:55):
See, and that's the thing that I feel that you know,
as a as a child, your parents tend to not
tell you everything is to protect you. And I said,

(34:17):
like I said, I wasn't wrong my dad like that.
So I didn't know what he was going through only
that get his basis. But all I know is that
it's been some days when he be in agony pain
like I'm talking about, and I'm like, Dad, You're okay,
What's what's going on? Like when he did come around
and then it's like dangn My grandma told me like
one day, like your dad lupas. And at that point

(34:43):
I didn't know what it was or how did you
get it or how do you deal with it or
how do you engage with it. I didn't know any
of that stuff, and I had to do my research,
and all I know was that like when the pain
came unbearable pain. Because I have to learn some of

(35:04):
this from my little sister and like, and that's why
I tell her to this day, like you are a
strong individual. Like even you dealing with it, Like y'all
are some strong individuals, because y'all fight with this stuff
like every day and you continue to get up every

(35:24):
day and fight with it, fight with it physically, mentally
and emotionally. So I give my head off to y'all,
like anybody dealing with that man like y'all are the
everyday winners.

Speaker 3 (35:37):
I appreciate that. We all appreciate that because it is
a struggle, you know what I'm saying. Like people look
at me and think I have it all together. You
can never have everything all together because at the end
of the days in God's hands, right, But my faith
is strong, Like my faith is really, really really strong,
and I'm a very spiritual person. So I know for
sure that has a lot to do with it. And

(35:58):
because I accepted it and start educating myself about it
and things of that nature, I know my triggers. I
know what I can and can do, and if I
do do it or deals too much, what will happen?
And how I can get myself back to health. And
you know, I feel like a lot of warriors, they
don't take out the time or you know, even I

(36:19):
don't know. I don't think that they don't care enough
to know they triggers, but they don't. Most don't put
what needs to be into them. And it's a lot.
It's not easy, you know. I make it look easy,
but it's not. It's not easy. It's very unpredictable, you
know what I'm saying. I gotta do a lot to
come out to the world. Like yesterday, you found it.

(36:43):
Tow he found it. Heame's gray, she said. All our
immune diseases are no joke.

Speaker 4 (36:55):
The we have.

Speaker 3 (37:02):
I don't have my glasses on. But okay, there we go,
there we go. Thank you so much.

Speaker 4 (37:07):
Tom.

Speaker 3 (37:09):
But yeah, like after that, like you know, I'm just
going and go, and I had to. I was like,
but see my I listened to my body. I was like,
I'm tired, Like I'm tired mentally, physically, I'm tired. So
yesterday when I got off and did all of the things,
I came home, did a little bit of house works,
I happed to showre and I laid down. I didn't
answer my phone nothing. Once I you know, turned through,

(37:31):
I may made a couple of posts and things of
that nature. And then I took my daughter to school
this morning. And then I went, I went back like
it was it was just too much. But now I'm
just like I told you. I said, listen some good rest,
like let me wake up rejuvenating, and he did just that.
So I'm just I do a lot before I come
into the world looking like nothing's wrong with me.

Speaker 4 (37:56):
You found it.

Speaker 3 (37:58):
Okay, we're gonna wait till you get that together and
then we're gonna we're gonna share it.

Speaker 4 (38:02):
You know what, Send it to me and or do
you got to snummer? Okay, send it to me.

Speaker 3 (38:09):
I send it to him, Send it to him. What
messages do you want to share with others who may
be facing similar challenges?

Speaker 1 (38:21):
A message that I would want to share with others.
It's like, no matter what the situation is, don't stop,
keep going, keep moving forward. You know a friend of
mines told me the other day, right, he said, life
is like riding a bike. You know. That's funny that one,

(38:47):
you know, And I was like, what you mean? Your
life is like riding a bike? He said, if you
stay riding, you stay, you stay giving emotions, stay going,
You're gonna keep your balance. But if you just fall, that.

Speaker 4 (39:03):
Is so true, Like two things right, so true.

Speaker 3 (39:07):
Story I think back in like nineteen or nineteen oh, lord,
like two thousand and like twenty or like around the
pandemic time, right. I haven't rode a bike in forever, right,
So we was all trying to figure out what to do.
So I'm like, I want to I want to go
buy a bike. I stayed in that store for like
three hours. I wanted the best bike. I wanted like

(39:27):
all the bells and whistles, right, So I got this bike,
got the bike, got the helmet, everything, because I'm gonna
rode a bike in forever.

Speaker 4 (39:37):
So I came home. I'm like, I asked my baby.

Speaker 3 (39:40):
I said, Nana, I said, do you want to let's
go ride a bike or whatever? And she was like okay.
Well and then you know, I stayed in the getting community.
So like the part where I was at kind of
like had this slow for the thief.

Speaker 4 (39:53):
I got out of that bike.

Speaker 3 (39:55):
I was like, oh my god, I cannot believe I
don't know how to ride this bike. So I was
pelling it all the way down. I was like, babe,
maybe let me get on the FLUS service.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
Right.

Speaker 3 (40:03):
So I got it and I was I took off
and I didn't start. I said if I stopped off
before I saw I just call go.

Speaker 4 (40:08):
I can't go.

Speaker 3 (40:09):
I care, but that is true, Like you keep going,
you definitely will. And then you say you was raised
by your grandma and your uncles and things of that nature,
so you you definitely understand it's a choice that you
make it if you don't.

Speaker 4 (40:24):
Choosing to deal with that.

Speaker 3 (40:25):
So don't nobody want to hear your complaints because it's
hard to be successful, and when you are successful, it's
hard to abstain that success and it's more problems that
come with that, and people don't understand that. So when
you know our worries are going through, I love that
they see me because that gives them hope. That's what
they tell me. I quote, you give me hope. And

(40:47):
I can't stop even if I wanted to stop. I
can't stop because I feel like I have so many
behind me. The work is not even halfway done yet.

Speaker 1 (40:56):
See, And that be their crazy part because not knowing
the stuff that you do on an everyday basis, and
it's just what you just constantly do, that is somebody
that's monitoring you or even observing you, and you could
be inspiration to them on a daily day basis, they're like, man,

(41:18):
how did that person do it? How did this person
do this? And nothing do that? How did that happen?

Speaker 3 (41:26):
Consistency, getting tired of being in so much excruciating pain,
Like it's different levels of pain. Right, So for me,
it's like if you don't get a hold of this, Yeah,
I'm going and I'm seeing the doctor. I'm hearing what
they tell me. I'm doing whatever it is I'm doing.

Speaker 4 (41:41):
I give you me hey cam cam, And it's like,
what can I do?

Speaker 5 (41:49):
You do?

Speaker 3 (41:49):
Gotta research and the doctors are only as good as
you are, you know what I'm saying, because they go
by a black and white screen.

Speaker 4 (41:56):
What's your way, what's your symptoms? What's this? What's that?

Speaker 3 (41:58):
Okay, we're gonna give you this MEDICAI, So you gotta
be an advocate for yourself. You gotta let the know,
you gotta keep tracking, you gotta give it a fair chance,
because medication ain't just gonna work just like that. It
got to get in your system and it's gonna make
you feel crazy. But just like you know what I'm saying,
just like anything else, you've got to get used to it.
And you got a document, you got a journal, so
when you go back to that doctor, you can tell

(42:18):
them like, Yo, I'm feeling like this, I don't have
a quality or life, or yeah it does work. They
gotta play with the doss a little bit, you know
what I'm saying. People don't give the doctors a fair chance.
And for our worries out there, you got to have
a host of teams. You gotta have a rheumatologist, neurologists,
a primary care provider. Whatever it is that you're dealing with,
you have to have a specialist for that because your

(42:39):
primary care provider is not going to be able to
provide you the level of medications that you need for
what you are dealing with. They are restricted to a
certain capacity as well too, so that's when the referrals
come in at you know what I mean. So you
gotta know, it's very beneficial for you to know what
you're going through and what you're feeling because a lot
of people it plays on your mental health.

Speaker 1 (42:58):
Right.

Speaker 3 (42:59):
Yes, people just ask themselves like is it just me?
Or am I really in pain? Or am I really
feeling like that? No, you are really feeling like that,
you know what I mean? Write that down, ask yourself.

Speaker 4 (43:09):
What costs this move?

Speaker 3 (43:11):
What were you doing to get into this mood? What
were you doing that your pain levels increased it? What
were you doing that your pain level decreased it? How
did you feel like you had that pop?

Speaker 6 (43:19):
You know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (43:21):
Like, you gotta do the work yourself, because if you
don't put it in the work yourself, you can't expect
for nobody else to do it. And you're not gonna
You're not gonna have a quality of life dealing with
the invisible illness because it definitely can't go remission.

Speaker 1 (43:33):
Yes, yes, and I think that's a The other thing
is what I feel like people need to be aware
of is admitting when they have a problem and it's okay, Yes, yes,
it's okay, because it's like I came to the realization

(43:56):
I was like, you know what, I have a problem myself.
You know what I'm saying. And my problem was that
it's like like the organization side of things, like a
certain things I could do this and do that, but
it's certain things I can't. Sorry about that, You're good,

(44:18):
certain things I can't do. But I'm like, you know,
I'm willing. That's why I be That's why I'm not
afraid the actual.

Speaker 3 (44:24):
Help give me high out of that. Let me tell
you some Oh this can go in so many directions.
First of all, I'm gonna start with our warriors. It
is definitely okay to ask for help, and if you're
not receiving the help that you are seeking, it's okay
because it's other people that's going to give you the
help that you need. People be looking for the help

(44:46):
from the people that they are expected to get the
help from. And that's not all. That's almost never the case,
regardless of what it is. Right, you gotta accept the
help from who's giving you the help, and you gotta
be okay with that. So that's number one you got.
It's okay definitely to not be okay.

Speaker 1 (45:02):
It is.

Speaker 3 (45:03):
It really is, because once you accept that, you can
start learning to live better with it because you're asking
for help. Nobody makes it nowhere in life without it's
true nobody, And you're gonna hear a million nose. Like
I'm speaking from experience, you're gonna he hear a million
o's a million silence. But those eight yes, is that

(45:27):
you got three of them change your whole entire life.
That's why you never never, never give up. You gotta
believe in yourself. And if you believe in yourself and
your mission and what you stand for, nobody can de
tear that from you, take that from you, or tear
you down with it.

Speaker 1 (45:44):
That's crazy that you said that, right, because I was
riding with my cousin one day, right, and his son
said something that was like, no, it's bad, They're gonna
they're gonna say no to me, right, And my cousin
was like, no, why would you say that. How do
you know what the next person is gonna think or say?

(46:06):
Like you never go into a situation thinking something bad
is gonna happen, you know. And when he said that,
I was like, wow, you know what I'm saying. And
I do believe in the power of the tongue. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes,
you know what I'm saying. You speak things into existence,
it will manifest and it will happen, you know. And
he was like, never go into a situation thinking that

(46:28):
it can't happen. Always go into the mindset of saying, yes, yes,
it will happen. This what's what's going on. This is
what's going to get done, you know. And that's why
I and am the way that I am, because like,
I don't really think of the negative stuff like that.
I don't. Sometimes people tell me like I'm a deep

(46:51):
thinker or I'll be overthinking things. But I feel like
sometimes you gotta be aware of the whole, the whole environment,
whole atmosphere. You know, you definitely do, yeah, because it's
like it's not that I'm thinking bad, but I just
have a backup plan exactly.

Speaker 3 (47:11):
You gotta, you gotta. It has to be a balance.
You gotta think both sides around the corner and everything.
And shout out to Michael. She she she speak mindset,
so heavenly she definitely does. And it all does starts
with the mindset. Your mind controls everything, you know what
I mean? You want to read this comment on the
screen from Miss Gray.

Speaker 1 (47:32):
In most cases, I ain't even I can't even pronounce.

Speaker 4 (47:36):
That word problemologia.

Speaker 1 (47:39):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (47:39):
There, you also have promonology. I just had a problemology
test a hominologist. But I just had a pomular pomonology
test a couple of weeks ago. And what that is
is dealing with your breathing and things of that nature.
Thank God, everything was so well but that is definitely
that is definitely true. That is definitely true. Some some

(48:00):
warriors and people with five of my algia and a
lot of warriors that have loopers have other things under
the umbrella like five of my alger or or mature
author riots or loop is not Friday, so they have
more than one avisible Thank you for that, Ms Gray.
So sometimes when you're going through to the doctors, you

(48:21):
can't always just say loop, especially if you have other
autoimmune diseases.

Speaker 1 (48:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (48:26):
Right, so they got to try to like figure out
which one are they treating. And thank god, I love
my team. Shout out to doctor Gazelee and doctor d J.
That's my German colleges and a rheumatologists. Them two are
the ones that I see the most. But they comes
up in doctor Kunti too, that's my PCP. They come
up with a game plan because they talk to each other.

(48:48):
They talk to each other and they come up with
a game plan to treat me for the overall things,
not for this and that, and that's how you end
up with a whole bunch of medications. So yeah, and
I don't like to be on a lot of medications.
I'm not against medications. Don't get me wrong, but I
do do a lot of home remedies that does work.
That is in my book that just got released and
that is on Amazon as well. Those are the things

(49:09):
that work for me in different worriors with their testimony,
So you guys can check that out as well.

Speaker 4 (49:16):
Did you send that to him?

Speaker 1 (49:17):
Yes? I did?

Speaker 3 (49:18):
Okay, Okay, can you talk about any Pacific initiatives or
activities you are involved in to promote Lupi's awareness.

Speaker 1 (49:29):
Like I said earlier, I was doing something just like periodically.
I used to do stuff around my dad birthday.

Speaker 4 (49:37):
Okay, when stuff you did tell me that?

Speaker 3 (49:40):
You did tell me that, Okay, May seven, that is
a Wednesday, right, this upcoming Wednesday?

Speaker 1 (49:45):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (49:45):
Okay, okay, well not this upcoming Wednesday, but you're not.

Speaker 1 (49:51):
Yeah, I do it every year around his birthday because
his birthday. This is this is kind of crazy.

Speaker 4 (49:58):
It's not crazy.

Speaker 1 (49:59):
My birthday it is May third, okay, My grandma is
May fourth, Okay, his is May seventh.

Speaker 4 (50:07):
And what Gemini's.

Speaker 1 (50:11):
You know what I'm saying, and every I'm just now
to to to be blunt with it. I'm just now
in a mindset of celebrating my birthday.

Speaker 3 (50:24):
Let's get to it. That's a sign of healing. Dude,
Let's get to it. You gotta double bag. We gotta
do three one two three for real, Let's get to
it now.

Speaker 4 (50:33):
That's a sign of healing.

Speaker 1 (50:35):
Yeah, because it's like, ever since he died, my birthday
never been the same. M hm. You know what I'm saying,
because it's like like I'm yay yay this year, but
it it's like, dang, that's another year with my dad,
and that always triggers me, you know. And now, like

(50:55):
I said, I'm just now in the mindset of saying, Okay,
I did this for my not only for myself, but
I did it for my mom and I did it
for my dad.

Speaker 4 (51:07):
So let me ask you something. Right, It's easier said
than that.

Speaker 2 (51:09):
Right.

Speaker 3 (51:09):
We all go through our own mental things and trials
and triplations. Do you think your dad will want you
to be like that on your birthday?

Speaker 1 (51:20):
I don't think so. And that's why, like me personally,
I'm like, you know, I gotta continue to keep going,
you know, because my dad used to tell like, this
is this is crazy, right, my dad dying. Bit. I
swear to God, no bs to all bys to decide. Right,

(51:40):
I had a client, right, and my dad was like, look, son,
don't worry about me. I'm gonna be here. I can't
go nowhere. You know what I'm saying. Go deal with
that kind of Go make that money, you know what
I'm saying, and then you come back to see me afterwards. Right,
it's done. Bit I did just that, ay that I'm

(52:02):
gonna go back this money, come back. Don't to go
see my dad now. The last time that happened, I
hated that because the client took way longer than expected,
and when I got there, my dad was dead.

Speaker 3 (52:23):
Maybe he didn't want you to see that part as
to why he was sending you off that.

Speaker 1 (52:27):
And I thought about that. I'm like, man, like, what's
going on? Like my grandma was telling me, like get here, Chap,
get here, Ace Oup, like just get here, right, And
I'm like, what's wrong? What's wrong? She want to tell me?
She said, get here. I got there. My dad held
my hand, took his last breath, and that's when he apologized.
He said, I'm sorry, son, I'm sorry that I put

(52:50):
you through what you've been through. Because as I as
I was younger, I learned that I couldn't ever go
to my dad house. And it's cool. I learned that
I can never go to my dad house and spend
the night because when my dad come pick me up,

(53:11):
he had dropped me off. You know that, there's no
definition like rolling stone. That was my dad a rolling stone.
The wait lady hat was at home like he had
he awaked. I get this to go to sleep. I
get up in the middle of you know, everybody get
up in the middle of the night. I get up
in the middle of my middle of the night. I'm
somewhere not familiar. I'm looking for my dad.

Speaker 2 (53:31):
He gone.

Speaker 1 (53:33):
I gotta call my grandma, Like grandma, come pick me up?
He left me again, you know what I'm saying. And
for so many years, and until I got older, I
could not spin over my dad house because in my
mind it kept playing back to me. Once you go
to sleep, he gonna get up and leave. That's been

(53:57):
playing my dad. That's been playing with me. That's why
even when I got older, I could not go to
his houses. But tonight I just couldn't. So it's like
I couldn't do it. I'd rather just hey Dad, I'm here.
I see you you good, You're good? All right, I'm
out of here and just keep it moving.

Speaker 4 (54:13):
Did you ever think that you therapy? You know what
I mean?

Speaker 3 (54:17):
Because if that's bothering you to that capacity, it's not normal.
It's okay to seek out help for that. Yeah, you
gotta have to write therapist.

Speaker 1 (54:28):
That's true, because it's like I felt that.

Speaker 2 (54:35):
That.

Speaker 1 (54:35):
I used to think that whatever my dad didn't do
for me, I was gonna do for mons, you know.

Speaker 3 (54:45):
And I don't think I'm respond to at a minute,
ton't you ready? Okay, we do not own rights to
this music. We do not own rights to this Wait, no,
it's your song.

Speaker 1 (54:56):
No, we don't, because it's.

Speaker 4 (55:01):
We don't all write to this music.

Speaker 1 (55:03):
My feelings when I make this.

Speaker 3 (55:04):
Okay, so we're gonna play. We're gonna play a little song, alright,
go ahead. Yeah, we're gonna drop the link for y'alls
if y'all want to go listen to it later on,
drop the link up in there.

Speaker 4 (55:16):
Yeah. I don't want to play.

Speaker 1 (55:20):
Yeah, because that song, that particular song I made towards
my mom and my dad. You know, I lost my
mom a year after I lost my dad, you know,
And it's crazy because my mom told me before she died,

(55:40):
she was like she was her and my dad was
like in regardless that went together. They was best friend.

Speaker 4 (55:50):
We got a tongue.

Speaker 1 (55:54):
Okay, go ahead, take your time, buddy, You've got your
you know what I'm saying. Like my dad and my
mom was like they was in my eyes, they was
like best friends. And it felt like after he died,

(56:14):
she couldn't deal with herself or whatever. And then she died.
She died like a year later, and and it was
crazy because it's like getting into it with my girl,
like you know what fine to my mom mouse, you know,
and then boom, I got a call like your mom died?

Speaker 4 (56:37):
Like what.

Speaker 1 (56:40):
That that hit home? That hit heart? Like my brother,
I got a brother that stay out here. I'm the
little brother, but in my household, I feel like I'm
the big brother.

Speaker 6 (57:02):
After they want to know, you can't say if you
want to, I need you more.

Speaker 5 (57:16):
Than ever MIGHTA know. Look it can't be right now.

Speaker 1 (57:24):
I know I can't ask, but why he's taking lights
and my mind, you don't have to get up with
my plots now gets the world.

Speaker 5 (57:30):
Wait until I touched down.

Speaker 1 (57:32):
I gotta not what's neat in my bro, man, I
guess the start of Guy's program. You don't know, man,
I don't know either. If that'll be cool to give
number three, but for too long time to get it
up like that is talking real man, it's not enough.
Sure then I had as much and so I never
as I just got it up and not likes my way.

(57:55):
So I did it all. If I want it, go
get it.

Speaker 5 (57:58):
I don't need to start. I ain't at the ball,
but I had the block bro record.

Speaker 7 (58:07):
Ef they want to, you can say as long as
you want to.

Speaker 6 (58:20):
I need you more than.

Speaker 2 (58:26):
Look at me.

Speaker 5 (58:27):
I gat another.

Speaker 1 (58:32):
I'm good. Okay, I'm good, I'm good. You know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (58:39):
Did you release some energy out on that song when
you made that song?

Speaker 1 (58:42):
Actually? I did, and after I made it, I fucked
a little better. I fucked a little better because it's
crazy because after I made the record, I went to
my mom funeral and I performed the recordful, you know
what I'm sayingful, because it was like everybody was like, man,

(59:05):
you might have got something to say. Because my mom
only got two kids, that's me and my brother. So
originally the song was supposed to have my brother on there,
but he couldn't do it, and I didn't want to
wait too long, so I just initially wrote another record,
be Another Verse, and I did the song myself.

Speaker 3 (59:27):
That's amazing. What advice would you give to other families
dealing what they loved when affected by loops?

Speaker 1 (59:35):
I mean, like I said before, just be their backbone,
be there mentally, physically and emotionally, because at the end
of the day, some people may or may not want
to expose their problems to the next because some people
feel like that they feel that they're transferring their energy

(59:59):
or their problems to the person, but in reality, they
just may or may not know how to ask for
the help. If it makes sense, you know, definitely does so.
I always feel like read the room. You just got
to be there. You just got to be there and
pay close attention because you never know what or when.

(01:00:23):
Because even myself, sometimes I don't feel the man in me,
don't feel the right to ask for help, but my pride.
Sometimes I got to put my pride to the side, like, hey,
I need help. You know what I'm saying, and let's
it does better or it works better when you and

(01:00:46):
I work together to create unity. And that's why I
always tell people just be aware of your surroundings, be
aware of what's going on, and channel that energy because
what they say, each one teach one, Yes, you know,
each one teach one, And I feel like if you

(01:01:08):
reach one, you could teach one and you could just
help the next person not know because and I know
in life that people used to like everything it's common sense,
but common sense is not common for everybody. So it's
like you cannot be what's theory I'm looking for. You

(01:01:29):
cannot be naive, or you cannot be to the point
where you feel like you can't hold a gruss to
somebody that's not aware or that's not knowing what's going
on or how to deal with that situation or that illness.

Speaker 3 (01:01:44):
Listen, even with that right everything, I truly believe in transparency.

Speaker 4 (01:01:50):
Like a lot of people.

Speaker 3 (01:01:53):
That I came across deal with to this day, dealt
with you know, they can't have that transparency and transparency
is definitely different from being honest, right, and they they
take it and they make it about themselves. But I
feel like as long as you are transparent with somebody,

(01:02:13):
at least you vocalize that right and you're giving them
the choice regardless if they if they're receiving that in
a negative or a positive energy. Because I always say,
uncomfortable conversations is the goal to success, Like you have
to have uncomfortable conversations people that's around you, even you know.

Speaker 4 (01:02:30):
What I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:02:31):
If you was my friend and we just do whatever,
and I'm just so sick, and you just study, trying
to give you out the house and I'm telling you,
I don't feel good. You're not for me, you know
what I'm saying, Like you want to go have fun,
but I'm just telling you I don't feel good, and
you study trying to know. So people that's around you,
no matter what category it is in your life. If
them people don't tell you about you, if they ain't

(01:02:51):
never set you down, or you ain't never had uncomfortable
conversations with them, them not your people. Your people is
going to hold you accountable, responsible for your action, and
they're going to be overlooking some things that you may
not see and bring awareness to it.

Speaker 4 (01:03:05):
It's up for you to deal with.

Speaker 3 (01:03:06):
So your people is not like, uh no, your people
is going to always try to protect you to the
best of their ability, and that comes with having uncomfortable conversations.

Speaker 1 (01:03:17):
Yes, yes, that's true.

Speaker 3 (01:03:20):
Does what does living well with lupis mean to you
and your family?

Speaker 1 (01:03:29):
I mean it's crazy because it's like I just, I
mean it kind of it's kind of all the same
to me in a sense, like I just I have to,
like I said, I have to be a better brother
to my little sister.

Speaker 4 (01:03:47):
How do you think you're not a better brother to.

Speaker 1 (01:03:49):
Your because since a fashion, like I don't, like, she's
my sister on my dad's side. Like I said, I
didn't really have my dad in my life and I'm
just what's the word I'm looking for? But my sisters

(01:04:12):
on my dad's side, and this is my other dad
set of kids I just recently, I want to say,
since my dad died in twenty sixteen. I just got
a hold of them in maybe two thy and fourteen.
So it's like I really wasn't in their life like

(01:04:33):
we should have, did you know? And that's why I
was like, now now going on, I try to be
there for them and just let them know, like, look, hey,
we're family. Like I told them, I reached out to
them and I was like, look, I know I got
my own business, but I could turn I create until

(01:04:54):
we create. You know what I'm saying, this could be
our business. If we all come together, I could definitely
show you a trade that's needed on the continuous, on
an everyday basis, you know. And I talked to my
brothers and them, and still to this day, I mean,
some of it doesn't it generated gravitated toism. Some of

(01:05:17):
it it didn't. They some of them was like, I'm cool.
Someone it was like, hey, let's make money, and I'm
like cool, Like, hey, if we all and I tell
my family this to this day, like I don't I'm
not holding grades. I'm not saying, oh, y'all shouldn't did
this to me in the past, so I shouldn't have
did this to y'all in the past. Like family is

(01:05:38):
all we got and I hate that. Oh I don't
want it to be a definite family for us to
get back together.

Speaker 4 (01:05:47):
Absolutely, But in hindsight of the it all right, Like
I believe family and family and that's family meaning Like.

Speaker 1 (01:05:55):
So like.

Speaker 3 (01:05:57):
I don't talk to some of my fans. That doesn't
mean I hate them, correct, none of that. It just
means that so much came to pass. I don't want
to deal with it no more. You know what I'm saying.
But if I see you, hey, it's all love. You
know you you you going through something that's like really traumatic,
like in the hospital or something. I'm I'm I'm there,

(01:06:20):
but like on a how you doing a regular bait?

Speaker 1 (01:06:23):
No?

Speaker 3 (01:06:23):
Because I believe in family only makes you blood, right, Yeah,
and France can turn into family. Family to me is action.
Love is an action word. So no matter how much
you say that to me, I gotta feel that love
from you.

Speaker 4 (01:06:36):
You understand what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:06:37):
So I say that to say to you if you
are trying, and you tried and there's no receiving on
their end, all you did your part. So now it's
they have to come your way because you don't want
to be that person just pouring poor and poor and
pooring and anybody pouring back to you.

Speaker 4 (01:06:55):
I don't care who they are. You want to. You
understand what I'm saying you.

Speaker 3 (01:06:57):
You you deserve love to you deserve some suprecation, You
deserve all of that. So if you put your leg
out there and they not grabbing back.

Speaker 4 (01:07:05):
To it's what it is. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:07:08):
So I say that for you to say later on
or for you to think about I need to be
a better brother, Like do you really need to be
a better brother, because you can't make two people got
to make something happen. It gotta come from both sides
for the work ever in anything in life. So if
you are and then the other person is not there,
it's what it is.

Speaker 1 (01:07:30):
You got a point there. And I guess back in
the day with me doing music, I really was locked
in and doing music and not really being family orientated,
like because I used to hate I'm being transparent. If
I'm being transparent, I used to hate that. You know,

(01:07:53):
you ever been with a family member and they telling
the story and you like the whole story like a
lie all like an actual story, okay, and the whole
family like they oh yeah, I remember that, and you're
looking like, I don't know what you talking about.

Speaker 3 (01:08:14):
It's a lot of that because I'm you know, I
got a huge family. I got a huge family in California, uh,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Detroit, Milwaukee, I got a huge people
know me because of my my daddy's child and my twins.
So like I was just at the grocery story the
other day and I was on the phone with kids,

(01:08:35):
and I was I was, you know, I was talking
on the phone being loud, and the chick was like,
he said something like you being allowed on the phone.
And I'm like, so I'm starting to be sarcastic, like
I said, oh, I'm being loud, huh, Like I was finish,
I was for the start, like but not knowing that
that was my cousin, Like I didn't recognize her at all.

(01:08:56):
I'm like, dang, that's funny. That's yeah, he's hilarious.

Speaker 1 (01:09:04):
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:09:05):
So I just got brain front for I was getting
somewhere because you said, so it's gonna come back to
me finish your story. Oh no, I say that to say,
like when people be telling these stories, I'm like, I
don't be around to even witness or understand or know
what you're talking because I don't be around.

Speaker 4 (01:09:22):
So it's just like, what for real? You know, I
don't know?

Speaker 1 (01:09:25):
Yeah, oh.

Speaker 3 (01:09:28):
I can't or I can't say anything.

Speaker 1 (01:09:32):
That's why now with me and my family, we definitely
be trying to make memories.

Speaker 3 (01:09:39):
Now it's all it's about, whether it's your friends, your child,
your family members. You know, when you go out of
town and you have an events or you're going anywhere
ere y'all want to come because it's open invitation.

Speaker 4 (01:09:52):
And if listen, I keep tapped.

Speaker 3 (01:09:55):
Okay, so I'm giving you open invitation and you continue
to night of open invitation. I got this one cousin.
I loved her death. That's my baby. I do miss
her time together. But I had told her a long
time ago because I know how I am, like, I
know me so well. If you are saying certain things,

(01:10:17):
I just couldn't be with you in a relationship because
I know or whatever experienced who they fully are, right,
so I know me. And I kept telling my cousin like, yo,
I'll be laughing, but that laugh is not always funny.
I'd be like, listen, I'm gonna stop asking you to
go places with me because you continue to say no.
I don't know why you're saying no, but you continue
to say no. You know that's it ain't it's not hurtful,

(01:10:40):
but it's kind of like, you know, like it's always no.
So and that's my girl. We'd be together all the time,
and it happened she was feeling some type of way.
I felt her energy because I'm around her all the time,
but I let her come to me on her own.
And one day I was at work and she was
texting me like so, she was saying what she was saying,
but then she was shutting it down at the same time.
It's like, oh no, no, no, no, you don't get

(01:11:01):
to just say what you're gonna say and think you're
not gonna get this feedback. And she said like, oh,
I'm you know, I was, I'm acting this way and
I'm acting that way. And she noticing these things and
notice and that things. This is like, hold home, it's
not like that. Remember I've told you it took me
the year a year plus to stop asking her. But
I've said I'm going to stop asking you to go

(01:11:21):
places because you always saying oh.

Speaker 1 (01:11:24):
So.

Speaker 3 (01:11:24):
Then I had to start breaking it down, like yo,
I asked you, what are you doing this day?

Speaker 4 (01:11:27):
What are you doing?

Speaker 3 (01:11:28):
I insert myself into your life. I said, I'm going
to the groc store. We're gonna kill cut your house.
I'm inserting myself into your presence. It's very rare that
you be like, come on, Van, come on, look whatever
you calling me, come over here, right. You only noticed
this because of the act of kindnesses that I was doing.
So now it's the problem, but it wasn't a problem
when I kept doing it. So my thing was I

(01:11:51):
just stopped. She felt some type of way, you know,
whatever the thing may be. We have conversations. She may
not agree, but it's what it is. Facts are factsing.
You know, I'll be saying my baby out and it's
all love. Like you can continue, you can. You can
see me on the books and be like every come
pop up.

Speaker 1 (01:12:04):
It's all love.

Speaker 4 (01:12:04):
It's no nothing lost.

Speaker 3 (01:12:06):
But I'm just not doing what I was doing before
because I feel like you didn't appreciate that. Now you
understood what I was doing because you're not getting it anymore,
you know what I mean. And it's just kind of
like what it is. So like when I see that
I'm working too hard or I'm pouring too much into
a person, because you sit down by yourself, you gotta
sit in your thoughts, and if you pouring too much

(01:12:27):
into somebody, you gotta stop because it's gonna ruin you
and you're gonna have resentment. So before I have resentment
against anybody, because life is too short. Like I said,
I love her, life is too short. I just saw
back you know, and when you're ready to have that conversation,
that conversation is up there and we can always resume.
But you should never pour into anyone more than they're

(01:12:50):
pouring into you. Now, it'll never be equal, right, it'll
never be equal. But if that person is never there
every time you need something, not even to vent the
free things, it's a problem.

Speaker 4 (01:13:02):
It's a problem, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:13:04):
And so I say that to say, like, you could
be a good person at her you're gonna always get
blessed with abundance, but don't. And people always gonna use us.
They're gonna That's what it is. It's a given take.
People are going to use us, and it's okay to
use us, but not in a malicious manner. Right, So
I say that to say, like, yeah, you do have
a kind heart. I definitely get that off of you,
get that from you, but don't let people use you

(01:13:26):
to a bruise you.

Speaker 1 (01:13:28):
True that I was. I was just told that today
because like, hey, I got my hair done, but I
ain't get my hair cut. But because it was, like
I guess it's true. Time management is a real thing

(01:13:54):
if you're not using it or wisely yes. So it's
like and it's and it's crazy though, cause it's like,
you know, you ever imagine you go to the club
and you know how they'd be like, he's free before
a certain time and you're like, well, I'm me, I

(01:14:15):
ain't gotta way, I ain't gotta wait here.

Speaker 4 (01:14:17):
I said that all the time. I'm not waiting nobody line.
That line better be moving, baby, or I'm not gone.
We turned around.

Speaker 1 (01:14:23):
It's funny because it's like I know so many people
that and this is a gift and the curse because
it's like I know so many people that like I'm like, Okay,
I know I was supposed to be here at this time,
but after this time, I know I could ay such

(01:14:46):
a such ay I need my haircut, and I know
if I if I leave here at eight thirty, they
gonna answer to be like come here nine. Like I
know they gonna look out for me or if I
need my hair done, no matter what time of the day,
it is like they go look out for me and
get it done. And it's like I say that to

(01:15:08):
say because sometimes you have a gift and sometimes you
can use it or lose it. You know what I'm saying,
because in my mind, I'm like, if I would have
been prepared yesterday and got myself up yesterday and got
my hair done, I couldn't got my hair cut to day.

(01:15:32):
I wasn't. I didn't use my time wisely. And that's
why I say, if you got them gifts, you can
use it to lose.

Speaker 3 (01:15:40):
It, man, Like just one last thing before you go,
Like I have to have proper time management life. Some
things I know where I can like slide through a
love it, like you know what I'm saying, take a
little image of it, you know what I mean. But
that's never my goal. Like it's always like sometimes I
be trying to get all of them on sleep. That's
where it comes in. Now, if I'm up and coming

(01:16:03):
and going already, I'm good. But like if I gotta
you know, if I get a chance to rest, obviously
visit the last minute. And for some reason, every time
in the last minute is always like a thousand things
to do, and I'm like, this was my point I
wants to be doing so, like you said, it's a
gift in the cars. Finally, is there anything else you

(01:16:23):
would like to share that you think is important to
people to understand about LUPIS and those affected by loopis, well, I.

Speaker 1 (01:16:36):
Think it's important. I mean it kind of goes back
to the drawing board of being aware, being there for
that person mentally, physically, and emotionally, and understanding that it's
going to be sometimes where they physically or mentally might

(01:16:57):
not be having an energy to do X Y see,
so they might be physically or mentally drained, and you
just gotta be kind and courage to understand, like, Okay, look,
you don't want to like you said before, right, if
your if your friends always constantly let's go let's go this,
let's go there, You're like, no, not today. They gotta

(01:17:17):
understand and read with tweing lines and like, Okay, you
having a situation instead of what's going out, Let's come
to you and see what you need help with. Let
us be there and see. I'm very transparent with my people,
you know what I'm saying. I'm very transparent my people.

Speaker 3 (01:17:32):
I I it's a lot of things that I got
away from, like board games and the things of that
nature that I like. But we are running out of time.
What do you all have coming up in the near
future with what's going on? So people can attend or.

Speaker 1 (01:17:46):
Oh okay in the near future. What's that A sixteen?

Speaker 4 (01:17:51):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (01:17:52):
Yeah, in three days? Right, you got you three days
to get your act together? Okay, three days? Right on
Saturday we got the running rubbles. You need the XPO eight. No,
this Saturday, Yes, this Saturday, the Expo seven. I'm sorry
seven seven. You need the Xpo seven this Saturday. And

(01:18:15):
then May.

Speaker 4 (01:18:17):
Third, birthday in the builded.

Speaker 1 (01:18:22):
My birthday slash Grand Grand reopening up my business.

Speaker 4 (01:18:28):
What time is that? Because I do have something on
May third?

Speaker 1 (01:18:31):
You know what I peeped at. I've seen that. You
know what I'm saying, and I remember you telling me like,
I'm if you say I might be late, and I'm
like that's cool. So so the thing is, my birthday
is May third, I'm doing it from three to eight.

Speaker 4 (01:18:47):
Okay, I'll be there.

Speaker 1 (01:18:49):
Yeah, and everything is it's like a five three scenario.
So it's like if you if you buy five things,
you get three things at the discount of rate.

Speaker 3 (01:19:00):
Okay, So he's gonna be at your studio shot okay.

Speaker 1 (01:19:04):
Yeah. So I'm just trying to do stuff.

Speaker 4 (01:19:07):
And you ain't trying.

Speaker 3 (01:19:08):
You doing I'm doing things a little bit different from
my birthday and that's okay. So we definitely me and
my team whoever's available, were definitely gonna pop out there.
We do have uh the fifth Annual Informational for Lucas
has no phase. May third. If you haven't registered, please
go to the website www dot Lucas has no phase

(01:19:29):
dot com and register. It is totally free. It's gonna
be some amazing people in the building. We are kicking
it off with the information on all of the things.
Come show up, come pop out, and it's a zoom
for those that are not in Milwaukee. People that are
in Milwaukee, I prefer you guys to come in the
building unless you're at work or something, and then we're

(01:19:50):
gonna be popping out to you, celebrating you.

Speaker 4 (01:19:54):
Anything else.

Speaker 1 (01:19:57):
I ain't gonna boring too much, but I can tell
you all right now, y'all could go on YouTube and
check out our What's your Mission uh movie movie seven.
Uh shout on my cousin, start Quentin.

Speaker 4 (01:20:10):
Shout out, start Quentin. Shut up and hustle.

Speaker 1 (01:20:16):
When you see that. You know, mean business. You know
what I'm saying. But y'all can go check that out
and then check out the running Rebels youth project The Uplifted.
It's on YouTube as well. Y'all go stream that up.

Speaker 3 (01:20:30):
That was definitely an amazing movie. I love love love that.
Y'all come pop out. The links would be in the
comments below.

Speaker 4 (01:20:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:20:41):
So we're starting off the month of May, well we're
gonna go crazy, Okay, Lupas Awaring this month, be present,
be active, come join the team. So thank you for
tuning in with Lucas Asko Face Podcast with your whost
Savannah and our special against the Aunte every Wednesday, live
at six thirty until next time.

Speaker 4 (01:20:59):
See you mm hm

Speaker 1 (01:21:06):
Oh you do graphic designers, m h see I give
him my