Remembering Ruben Garcia: A Husband, Father, Friend, and Healthcare Facilities Leader

In this special remembrance episode of the Healthcare Facilities Network Podcast, we honor the life and legacy of Ruben Garcia.

Ruben’s son, Nathan Garcia, along with Jackie Marroquin, TJ Johnson, and Jesse Flores, share personal memories of Ruben as a father, a friend, and a respected leader in healthcare facilities. Through their reflections, we remember the impact Ruben had on those around him and the community he was part of.

Ruben tragically passed on December 22. This episode is dedicated to celebrating his life and honoring his memory.

To support Ruben’s family, please visit the GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-ruben-garcias-family?lang=en_US

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👥 Connect with Jesse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-flores-a58160a1/
👥 Connect with Thomas “TJ” Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/twjohnsonv/
👥 Connect with Jackie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-marroquin-32a17a24a/

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Transcript

Memorial Plans For Ruben

SPEAKER_00 0:00

They're trying to start a foundation in his name. Um, they're there we're gonna have a um if you don't know about the taco cook-off, Peter, uh that was a big event. We'll go into that in part two, but there's gonna be a memorial slash benefit for Ruben March 8th during PDC. Okay. Uh yeah, it's gonna be a miniature taco cook-off. I'm putting together with Josh Brackett, Taylor. Um, there's so many people get involved and helping me with this. Um we're gonna uh do a uh slash benefit slash memorial because Ruben had a funeral and his family got to say goodbye. I think his professional family gets a chance to say goodbye, right? And um we're gonna have that on once again March 8th, and um and we can talk about that in Portugal. There'll be more uh there's starting a plan out. Uh there's a uh conference that he did every year uh during the rodeo cook-off. It's called uh uh and uh we're gonna have it. And uh Ruben created the award, it's called the Kelly Mason Award when Kelly Mason passed away. And uh we're gonna award Ruben that award this year during that that that that session.

Guests Introduce Themselves

SPEAKER_05 1:16

There's a major crisis facing healthcare facilities management. We have aging employees, aging buildings, and aging infrastructure. We've created the healthcare facilities network, a content network designed specifically to help solve for these three pressing issues in healthcare facilities management. We bring on thought leaders and experts from across healthcare facilities management, all the way from the C-suite to the technician level, because at the end of the day, we're all invested in solving the aging issue. Thanks for tuning in. Look at our videos, you will find that is a theme across our content. This is the Healthcare Facilities Network. I'm your host, Peter Martin. Today, I am joined by an esteemed group of guests. I'm very thankful that each of them made the time to see me. Today, um our episode's a little bit different. Um, we're gonna talk about friend, mentor, father, uh Ruben Garcia, who tragically passed on December 22nd of 2025. But before we do that, I would like to ask each of our guests to please introduce themselves, who you are, what you do, any little bit of background. And um Nathan, I'm gonna start with you, please.

SPEAKER_02 2:45

So my name is Nathan Garcia, I am Ruben's son. Um, I'm his firstborn child. Uh well, he had twins. So uh me and my twin were his firstborns. Um, and I am a facility manager at HCA Healthcare uh medical center. And so I manage the facilities here. Um a lot of it comes from my father. Um, you know, he was uh such a role model and mentor to me. And so, you know, I'm here today to honor him, uh, talk about him, and not just talk about him as the life safety guy, but also who he was as a person, uh a role model and a and a father.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Hey, my name is Jackie. I am currently the facility director here at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. Um, I have been in the healthcare facilities world for this year, it is going to be seven years. So um started off as a little um, you know, admin assistant in the facility world and then kind of worked my way up from there. So um I'm also appreciative of you still, you know, having this for us and us getting together as as a as a family, really, to talk about the the legacy that Ruben had and and what we started.

SPEAKER_06 4:05

Thank you. TJ. Hey, what's going on, y'all? Uh Nate, first I want to ask you who was first, though? Who was born first?

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Actually, my brother Joshua is 13 minutes older than me. So actually, I'm I'm not the firstborn a lot. I'm the second born. Yeah, I know I know twins argue over that kind of thing. Yeah, I just I wanted to spice it up. That's that's big, bro.

SPEAKER_06 4:34

So you're technically old, bro. I understand he's big talking. Uh, what's going on, y'all? I'm TJ. I am uh in-house therapist and counselor to high-performing teams and leaders. My background, I spent a lot of time in the corporate world. And I, you know that old saying, it's not personal, it's just business. Well, I just found that to never be true. Uh whether like we're making data-driven decisions. No, these decisions can be emotional. And who can be someone to help work with people to make those decisions? And so went into psychology as a career and I became a licensed therapist. And and now I'm here. Glad to be here, Pete.

SPEAKER_05 5:12

Thank you. Thank you for coming. Can I ask you a quick question, Jesse, before you jump in and not try not? Um, yes or no, are you happy that you made the transition into psychology? Yes. Yes. We could do a whole episode on that, um, but we don't want to take up too much time.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Well, record, I thought he was crazy.

Ruben Beyond Life Safety

SPEAKER_06 5:32

100%. Jesse, that's why I got into psychology, Jesse.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

Well, hello, I'm Jesse uh Flores. I am with Acme Architecture Harwar. I am currently their chief operating officer. I have worked in um healthcare for over 22 years now, and it's been a fun ride. Um, I was also uh Ruben's really close personal friend and business partner, um, the co-founder of Regulatory Concepts, which is the gap checker airflow checker. Um, Ruben was the face, I was the back end of it, and I liked it that way. And um, and um uh I'm here to talk about who he was.

The Mental Health Presentation Origin

Building The Team And Format

SPEAKER_05 6:15

So back in April, this group, TJ, Jackie, Jesse, and Ruben, they did a presentation and they had done it all across the country, but I hadn't seen it until TAFM in April of last year. I think it was April or March. And so I was at the conference, and you guys, I think, were Tuesday at noon, and I was sitting next to Jim um Jim Crochine of America Plant Maintenance, and he says to me, Pete, you've got to watch this presentation that's coming up. It's awesome. He's like, I saw them last year, because you guys did taff them two years in a row, right? He's like, I saw them last year, and they were great, and I can't wait to see them this year. And I'm gonna be honest with you guys, I'm like, it's it's it's uh uh it's a mental health presentation at a facilities conference, and it I was like, how what are they gonna talk about? How good could it be? And I was very intrigued, you to be honest, because I I wanted to see it, and Jim spoke so highly of it. So I saw you guys in Austin and it was fantastic. I mean, how often do you talk about mental health in that capacity in healthcare facilities management? And each of you and Ruben were so honest, and it was just it was really amazing. And everybody in the audience, and I'm not blowing smoke, kind of felt the same way. So I think I told you guys I had a brother who passed from suicide in 2000. So it really, he had mental health issues at different points as so it really hit home. And I thought, wow, that's great. So I asked Ruben, hey Ruben, why don't you come on the podcast in July when we were out at the Ashby Annual? So Ruben comes on, Nate, as you know, he talked about you during that conference, talked about how proud he was that you were following in his footsteps, he talked about you after we were over, and so we had a great conversation. And you know, as I said to Ruben, you'd expect the life safety guy to be able to do this right. And he was again just a fantastic conversation. And then I saw you guys as a group um at FSI. So FSI does uh you know CMMS across healthcare. So you guys presented at their user conference in Denver in October. And following that, I'm like, hey, why don't all four of you come on to the network? Let's get all four of you so people can see how you interact. Because again, you guys got a great way about you. It's like you're watching you know a TV show, except it's real life, where you just had an easy way, right? And so we agreed and we set this date in November that January 22nd, you folks would all join and we would talk about your presentation and we would talk about what you guys do for so many societies across the country, because it's just a very important message. Well, obviously, that focus has changed with Rubin's passing. We welcome Nate to our show. We thank you for joining it. And you know, Jesse, you had contacted me and TJ and Jackie. You guys wanted to go on with the show, you wanted to honor Ruben, talk about Ruben. I think it's fantastic. You can see the you can see through the reaction, the impact he had in a number of different ways. And so we honor and we remember Ruben and uh granted, I'm not gonna talk a lot, uh, but I do want to ask one question. How did you guys come together and say, you know what, we're gonna have it, we're gonna create this for some, we're gonna go around the country and we're gonna present at engineering chapters about mental health. How'd that happen?

SPEAKER_01 9:44

So I get to start because uh kind of flew my way with you know, Ruben and Jesse's brains coming together and trying to do something. And they're like the unstoppable people. You can't ever like stop them when they're mine is set, they're minus set. So um, I am also a region three director for Tap Um. So I'm I get to be on the board and I get to see um our presentations, and it was amazing because Ruben submitted this abstract, and I'm like, I text him and Jesse, like, bro, and that was literally my response was like, What is this? Like, are you serious? And I was kind of like, I was kind of shocked, but I think I was also like going through some stuff on my personal side too, that I was like, this is powerful, like this is really powerful. And I like I loved the idea, and it did start from Ruben because he was very, you know, would check on everybody, how's how how instead of he he brought this up at the first one that we had instead of asking, like, hey, how are you? And you just get like, Oh, I'm good, and you walk away, you know, his Jesse can elaborate on his little elevator pitch of, you know, how's your mental health and how that opened up a different conversation, the ones that we don't really ask for sometimes, right? And um, so when I saw that um abstract come through, I was just kind of like, you know, that mind-blown thing, and I didn't know TJ. Um, so I got to talking to the board, you know, with it, and I'm like, I think this is a really good idea. Like, nobody ever takes this serious, and as healthcare and in healthcare facilities and as leaders and performers, like that's the one thing that we'll shove aside before anything else. Um, I gotta be this type of person because I gotta keep going. And so that's kind of how how it all started. And then I think really we we started planning after we got approved, and we were doing Zoom meetings, I think like every what did we do, two weeks or every couple weeks, and really just got to know each other that entire oh like six or seven months, and it was on on a personal level, on a professional level, and when we when we got on stage, you just saw the chemistry, like oh dang. Like they known each other for years.

SPEAKER_05 12:13

Yeah, no, it it came across that way. So can I just so Jackie, you were reviewing so it was the original Jesse, Ruben, and TJ? Was that the the um abstract that was submitted?

SPEAKER_01 12:26

That was the original abstract, right?

Jesse’s Story And RC Beginnings

Asking How’s Your Mental Health

SPEAKER_00 12:28

Oh, we and originally it was me and Ruben, and then when if it got approved, I was like, I'm not doing this while bringing TJ in because me and TJ are actually friends and family, and I was like, I knew his background. I was like, Well, I'm not doing this, dude. We need help. We don't know what the hell we're doing, we're not professionals, right? Because I don't like to be. This is the biggest difference between me and Ruben. Ruben would love to, he loved raw emotion, raw material. Even when you did a podcast with him, he wouldn't edit nothing. Like you, if you didn't know that about him, he was he was just so intense, and I'm more prepared, I'm more methodical. I was like, look, I'm not gonna walk over there, you know. I'm not, I kept telling him I'm not a hospital guy, you know. I'm a vendor, I can't walk up there and embarrass myself. And and we brought on TJ right after that, and then shortly within like a couple days, maybe Jackie wrote us, and that's how it kind of came together. And but it it it really started somehow. Ruben heard through the grapevine that Tafim was looking for new material. And give me a minute, sorry. Um the one part that he didn't talk about on your original uh interview was the whole reason he went off on a mental health care day is because he helped me through something. You know, I was dealing with some stuff, and that's how RC started. Um he saw what I was going through, nobody saw it but him. He was the only one that was able to pick me apart. And he told me one day, he goes, Man, I don't know what's going on. He goes, but you're the darkest I've ever seen. You know, he he you're not you, you can bullshit everybody else, but you can't do that to me. He goes, What's going on? And to be honest with you, I I I didn't know what I didn't know, right? I I didn't know what was happening to me, you know, and he's the one that saw it, you know, because we had a thing, we we always talked about creating characters, right? And and and that's another thing I kind of want to talk about because I know he's known as the life safety guy, but this is how great Ruben was. The life safety wise was just a side hobby that he had, and that's what he's known for. He was so much greater than that. Like the life safety guy was on a Sunday morning, he did this this this uh these posts, and that's all he did with it, right? And he was so much greater that he was able to capture that. He goes, I know you're trying to hide it. He goes, but what's going on? And and I didn't know, and and I kind of blew him off the first time, but then he kind of stuck in my head and he kept poking at me and poking at me and come to find out I was going through depression, and I didn't know. But I had built a character that nobody was able to pick it apart because I I eight to five, I got in character, right? Uh, and he saw it. That was that was his greatness. He saw it, he called me out on it, and he knows my internal entrepreneur spirit, and he goes, Hey man, because he the gap checker, another thing he didn't elaborate, and I uh messed with him about it. He had a Jenga block when he worked with us. He worked, me and him worked together for a short time with acne. And he had physically modified this Jenga block to to do the gaps. And I used to always mess with him. I said, Really, man, the life safety guy got a little piece of wood, like like really, you're the life safety guy. So he that's what he used. He goes, Hey, why don't you help me develop this? And and I don't know what it's gonna be. He'll we'll sell it, we'll give it away, but help me be the life safety guy was his exact words. And we drew it up in a napkin, and we went from napkin to production in six weeks, and it kind of got me out of my funk, right? Or whatever I was going through. I still don't know what it was. I didn't talk to nobody, so I never I wasn't diagnosed, I wasn't, you know, but I know I was going through something, and um, that's how RC got started, and that's how he kind of started seeing some things with his work depression as well, right? And he called it a work depression, and um, so that's kind of made him kind of start thinking with mental health. He goes, because he saw me and he admired me like I admired him. You know, there there was a mutual respect, and I think that the dynamic between both of us was there was no ego between us. You know, he he knew that I had my role and my talents, and he had a different role, different talents. And we just merged and we were yin and yang, right, together. And he respected me for who I was, and I respected and admired him for who he was, right? There was nothing I could tell Ruben that I would feel he'll ever judge me on. And you know, I'm I'm not perfect like everybody else. You know, I had my issues, and he knew them all, and and he always helped me through them, and he almost always called me out on them, right? And so by doing so, he realized and he got on his kick and he started asking random people, Peter. Like he he just we were on an elevator at a hotel, and he would ask the janitor, hey, how's your mental health? And they would sit there and talk to him. Like, and I'm like, man, you're like a random dude. Ask them a random question. And they did, they would sit there and listen and talk to him. And the stories that we would get, we're like, oh my God, right? And one time he said, he goes, Look, man, he goes, I think it's my gift. He goes, I think it's my gift that I'm able to connect with people, right? And and I he goes, I enjoy it, it's almost like a rush for me because I can see them for who they are, and and he wouldn't judge them, he would just listen to them in the stories, and people would just pour their hearts out to him, and he would literally sit down and listen to them. And he said that in their presentation. You can ask people about your mental health, but be prepared to listen. And he he definitely meant it. He definitely meant it, and that's how it kind of came together, and that's the backstory. And I knew he didn't say it because he was trying to protect me, right? But that that's how it came about. Interesting.

SPEAKER_05 19:16

Nate, just to and TJ we're going to, but Nate, did you were you aware of any of this?

Nate On His Father’s Legacy

SPEAKER_02 19:22

Or me and my father were very close. We we talked almost daily. Um, we talked about work a lot, but it wasn't more so, it was more on the the impact of work mentally and those type of things. Um, and so I I always looked at at my dad as as a go-getter. Um, he was like that his whole life. Um, you know, and a lot of people know him as, like Jesse said, a leader in facilities. He's the life safety guy, but but at the end of the day, I knew him as my dad. You know, he was the man who taught me how to to move in the world. and and how to see things, you know, and I think the a lot of the guidance that he gave me uh you know lives on he lives on through me he lives on through the the people that he's helped and and mentored you know over his lifetime and um you know I he's he was always very special um I mean I knew it my family knew it um he was he in in you know he he would say himself like he's like I'm not normal I I you know there there's just a he always had a special way of of just knowing how to to give and and and receive love back um it was just he had that he had that special gift like Jesse said um and so you know growing up you know he had me at age 17 so we kind of grew up we grew up together i i knew him way before he was a force in the facilities world i mean when he was you know used to work at uh uh running he was running data cable when he started um just getting into the labor just getting into the world of of work um and so i've seen him his evolution time and time and and but this the thing is is he was always him he was always himself he at that point he was the same person he was 15 years ago um which was just his heart he he had a big heart um and he always wanted to help people he always wanted to do that um i you know and so i i like to look at that way like who i am today is because of the man he made me out to be and so um you know i even though he's not here physically you know he's definitely here spiritually um and he's with us in the way we uh want to help each other um help others i mean i think you know uh to honor him is it's beautiful to to honor him in that way of of of continuing continuing his mission uh in in that way um but yeah he was always special and and you know he he was my number one role model i mean i looked up to him more than anybody else if you like this video please like and subscribe to the network and more importantly share it with your colleagues in the healthcare industry together we can solve the aging crisis that's impacting all of us this is not a fair question you don't have to answer it but you just used an interesting word to me um and you said continue his mission what it what would you think like if you were to continue his mission what what would that mean to you and if you haven't had a chance to think about it you can tell me I mean I just used the word I didn't think about I I I you know it it just sounds right you know I I think um and I he wanted to help others um and there was a a joy a sense of joy that he got from doing that um I think um and and for me I have that same joy as well if I can just help somebody in a small way um I feel like um that there's no better feeling than than than that um and so I know he would want to do that he he that was his mission and if he could he would continue doing that um and I feel like I I would love to continue that that uh mentality of of helping others helping young people like myself um like you said there's not a lot a lot of young people in this facility world and you know I feel like um with that I I I can you know have the opportunity to to be a uh be a leader in that sense of be a leader for the young people um and and you know because this is a great industry we're in um but not a lot of people know about it um especially young people and so if I can be that bridge and and be a guidance a mentor to other young upcoming um um workers you know and not just in that sense but also the mental health aspect of it as well you know um you know making sure that you know we're we're our voices are heard um and that you know we are seen you know that um even through dark times um there are people out there willingly uh to help and to to serve others you know I at the end of the day my dad lived to serve and uh I want to do the same as well.

SPEAKER_05 24:32

It's a pretty good mission Nate can't really get much better than that. TJ do you coming in you know when when when Jesse said hey TJ you got to come up on stage with us you have the the background what was that like for you and and how what were your thoughts coming into it?

Therapist Perspective On Vulnerability

SPEAKER_06 24:48

Man I was I was excited to do it and and it's sorry uh like Nate's speech just now that made me a little emotional you know I'm a parent I think we're all Peter you're a parent too I am yeah we're all parents except my kiddo yeah except Nate I'm not trying to rush Nate my kiddo I hope he can speak to me like that when uh when it's time so oh Jesus Nate bro you did it you got the therapist emotional um but it's uh yeah when when Jesse first hit me up or contacted me about this um I was like what are y'all doing now like what what's going on what are y'all what what is happening and then it is TJ how long did you know Jesse? Oh my gosh maybe 13 12 15 years so he's he's seen me through you know young fresh out of college type kid who always had these ideas um I'm going to him like hey should we do this should we do this really uh like a mentor very much mentor um looked up to record he knew chewy he knew chewy yeah yeah yeah the the industry knows Jesse but I know chewy like I know I know chewy and so uh when this came about I was excited but I was also um a little apprehensive because I didn't know how the reaction would be to this kind of conversation right um as a therapist you have like the willing clients and then the unwilling ones and the unwilling ones are always more difficult to work with and when I say unwilling I mean those who kind of get dragged into the therapy office. They get you know whether it's couples and you usually have one partner who's like we need to do this and the other partner's like just like this the whole time or you know things like that. And so I was like are we going into that kind of situation where some people are willing and ready to engage and then others are just hands crossed like why are we talking about this? We need to be talking about some technical aspect of uh healthcare facilities which totally understand um yeah and so the the premise that was really come up with was just because I carry the weight well does not mean it's not heavy, right? And being in this industry that y'all are in, that that happens all the time. Like you carry a lot of weight a lot of responsibility but just because you can does not mean it's not a heavy or a lot to bear. And I found when that question came up of how's your mental health the reason why it opened up so many doors and so many uh lanes of conversation was because it was a question we all wanted to ask not just each other but ourselves how's my mental health um Jesse shared Ruben shared I think we all were going through something we we had six months and we called them therapy sessions. Like we had six months where we get on like a like a Zoom call and we would just spill our guts about what was going on with our lives and this doesn't happen separate of our work life. We like to silo like this is my work self and this is my personal self and this is my but it all integrates and it it flows in different aspects and the more we try to block it off I feel the the more difficult it is to really perform or show up as as we who we are as a whole person. So yeah I mean when they first contacted me to get started I was excited to do it but I was still like all right you know what are we walking into what what is what is TAFM?

First Talk: Raw Reactions

SPEAKER_00 28:33

Like right I I had so many questions just another acronym Peter I want to put up something out there uh shout out uh teachers got a heart stop soon um but back you got to see the second one right you didn't get to see the first one second TAFM I say yes not the first yep so the first one was a little bit more um I think it was a little bit more raw and um the first one I'm gonna share a moment in a minute but that presentation we met for a long time but really the presentation itself didn't get built to like the last two weeks like it am I correct some rough rough timeline roughly like so we we kind of we made it we we tore it apart we made it again tore it apart but the actual presentation didn't get made to like two maybe three weeks before and there was a video on that first presentation that talked about depression and that video didn't make it on to literally five minutes before the presentation we were we were so worried about they drove me crazy Pete drove me crazy why are we making a last minute change what like what are we doing so so who are these people we needed to set the tone this we started with that so we knew we needed to set the tone but Ruben was worried about his professional um the people I I don't know how to uh articulate but he he he you know he has a professional leadership role right and he was worried about that and I was worried about me coming from the vendor side because I was the only vendor up there I mean I really was and um so you know I get seen a certain way I can't I kept telling like dude I'm not a hospital guy you you can be raw and you're gonna be forgiven I'm a vendor people gonna look at me different and we were worried about the older regime right that's who we were worried about how they were going to accept it and there was a moment on stage TJ I don't know if you recall but Ruben actually froze Ruben actually froze do you remember what it was well I don't remember the particular I was I was hoping these guys would help me out but it took me a minute to get going because I was I was so concerned that I had notes on my phone I had my phone and he literally kicked me so just do you right so I I dropped the phone and I just started letting loose and I was feeding off of Jackie I always fed off of Jackie by the way Jackie I always follow Jackie that's why Jackie was always first and I was always second because I always followed up on Jackie and he just said let loose and uh he knew how to get that out of me like he knew how to get me going right and I let loose we start going about two thirds of the presentation in and I I I didn't notice because you know you get in when you have that many people in the room you kind of just get into a haze right you try not to you try not to get emotional you try not to to look at the crowd because if you look at the crowd it it it gets a matter and it was Ruben's turn and he just took a pause and I looked at him and he wasn't saying anything I kicked him and he said look at the crowd and I looked at the crowd and they were crying wow and uh and that's when it kind of hit me like oh this is different right and and then I said do you right and then he just started going and um that's how he knew that it was something different and that's I think that's really what fueled him we get the question asked why like why do this and and god honest truth we didn't know until about a month or two before he passed we were sitting in um I believe it was uh what's the last one it was Oklahoma City? That was Colorado I think Colorado we were sitting in the room after a long night and he says he goes I think I figured it out just at random just random we're I was getting ready for bed I'm like oh man here we go I'm trying to go to bed and he goes he says I think I figured it out he goes I said we we called each other Ricky I said what you got Ricky and he goes it's helping me and I'm like what do you mean he goes he goes this is why we're doing this he goes we're working through our stuff by doing this it was our way of therapy it's the way we dealt with our problems right and we're sharing it with everybody else and to be able to share that with them it's helping us work through our stuff and I looked at them I said bro it's one in the morning I said but you're right so you're right and that's so true.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

And if you think about it too like when we went on stage the first time like we all had our fears of like oh we don't even know how this is gonna go and I think it was like before set we were like oh my gosh like everybody was like sweating palm sweaty right um and then for me like I was nervous because I was but like that was me perceived the other way. She's a woman she's always emotional. And I'm just like oh like they're gonna be like oh you know that's normal. So I like I I really genuinely was like having them up there with me made it more I think wholesome but like oh it's not just her it's not just him and then that connection that we all put together and feeding off of each other it was crazy because like halfway through we like we weren't even looking at notes. We weren't even like looking at like it was just like flowing flowing flowing and honestly I think that was probably the best one that we did because that was not only the first one but it was where we didn't know what to expect and so it was so raw and like real and then the reactions that we got after but he Rubens kind of was the one that started and like he would pull pull ever pull it out of everybody. And you're right because we were all going through stuff every time we did an event and it was like being able to talk about those things where it wasn't like where it was a safe space made it feel more like like we were you know just friends talking about other things and nobody was going to judge us and no matter where we sat where we were that's what we pulled out of each other.

Why It Helped The Speakers Too

SPEAKER_06 35:24

TJ's really good at moderating too I want to yeah TJ I want to go back to you um because we do have a heartbreak but if you guys want to come back on again we can do a part two so don't don't worry about that there's a lot we didn't get to I want to ask you you were talking about being raw up there Jackie and I'll tell you from the perspective of somebody watching it I was amazed you know honestly because you were just like I didn't think oh she's she's a woman that's why I was like holy cow she's bearing her soul Jesse you were up there tell I was like wow I I it was kind of a credit that you guys were there was no you know there were no barriers and I think that's why you're very effective as well you know you just used the word friends the one I was thinking of was Seinfeld because it was the four of you you know when you have that banter back and forth when you're sitting there you know in front of the door wherever they're at Monks eating and you guys had that and it wasn't you know it it wasn't forced TJ um to you Jesse and and Ruben's epiphany at one o'clock in Colorado from your professional perspective how on the ball is that did you see that happen frequently oh yeah that's exactly it I mean when he said it and actually that was the first time I heard Jesse say it like that um it it really resonated and I see that in sessions you know um the price of real authentic connection is is two things conflict and vulnerability right you have to be willing to engage in discomfort uncomfortable conversations experiences and then also you have to be willing and I'm talking about deep deep meaningful connection you have to be willing to be vulnerable to show up in ways that risk hurting you emotionally sometimes risk your reputation risk you've got to put something on the line you got to have skin in the game right if you want real connection and so um by communicating with others what you're going through you do that right it's I a hundred percent know there were people in the crowd who are rolling their eyes right I a hundred percent know there are people in the crowd who are like what are we doing and then I also know there are people in the crowd like man I needed to hear this I I needed to I needed to hear that it's not even that it's okay but that I'm not the only one that I'm not alone that I'm not alone I want to um be sensitive I want everybody I want to go around the room one last or around the screen one last time um for your final thoughts and all and again if you guys want to go on again we can but Jackie I want to ask you and Nate probably the same to you because you're both in the industry do you hear like do you get feedback from that?

SPEAKER_05 38:15

What do people say to you guys? So two questions number one what do they say to you do you get feedback on that presentation and then are you guys going to continue to do the presentation or have you not had an opportunity to think that far in advance yet?

Safety, Stigma, And Leadership

SPEAKER_01 38:28

We definitely want to continue um what we what we've started as Ruben led that. We just don't know what it's gonna look like yet. Yeah um but that's some some work through that we're that we're all gonna collaborate on and figure out um I still do get feedback from it but what I have valued the most is being a leader in the healthcare industry when somebody's either has seen that presentation or even like my team being vulnerable to come and tell me and talk to me. And it's actually helped me and even in my personal relationships because I can like I'm not afraid to be vulnerable. I'm not afraid to tell you how I feel I'm not afraid to say this is what I need from you you know um and so I feel like all around it's kind of like a like a mental a mental clarity that I've gotten out of it. And in the end it affects everything else. It affects our our physicality of the way we do things or how we operate it it affects our teams and how we make this um sort of like a morale of a team right and what what what you're creating a psychological safety a safe environment really so it is something that I keep going and I keep pressing on even just being here personally I've like even brought my children into it like hey it's okay to tell me things it's okay to feel this way and it's okay to say that you feel that way um so it's definitely something that we we do want to continue though and I'm looking forward to however it turns out to be.

SPEAKER_05 40:03

Nate, anything, any you get any feedback, any comments?

SPEAKER_02 40:07

You know, um not directly from that. Um you know I was I only think I would we would talk about the presentations. He said, hey son, you know, I'm going across the country, I'm doing these mental health presentations. I'm like, oh that's awesome. And you know he he always kept me up to date what he was doing.

Continuing The Work Without Ruben

SPEAKER_06 40:26

But you know I I think even before he started doing these presentations we we would just have a lot of uh conversations and and you know talk about uh uh people and and talk about how you know how to how to be a good person and I think you know a lot of the a lot of what I learned I've learned a lot of you know uh high you know uh emotional intelligence from him um a lot of you know uh compassion and and being uh being uh having empathy and so I think a lot of those have made me into the leader who I am today um and you know I I I always always think about hey what would my dad do how would he approach the situation whether it was uh professional or or personal um he always had the right mindset um that I looked up to and so um you know having having that um he instilled a lot of his his values and and and um just being being caring and being kind you know being being kind of we're we're up against it final word teacher and anybody want to make final comment TJ I'm just gonna go to you first only because of the time if you need to bug off after you say that feel free but open open forum for you folks just final words sure I I feel compelled to really speak to Nate um in that yeah your dad was incredible bro one of one like truly truly truly a one-on-one guy and I just knowing him and the the honor to get to know him through this I know as much as he's proud of you and wants you to carry on with the things that y'all built he also wants you to be Nate right and so it's carrying on the things that he's taught you um buried on Isaac Newton's like the the inscription on his grave it says if I am tall it's because I stood on the shoulders of giants and so you know just use that to continue to build not only his legacy but who Nate is to the world because we need that too bro thank you uh there is one thing I wanted to get out there Peter um the outreach on his passing was incredible incredible there's so many people reaching out but I want to talk about there was three or four in particular that I that I I I want to touch on and um when the news first broke I asked everybody to to give the family time to mourn I said please don't post anything give them a few hours there was no stopping it it just got out and the um within the first 24 hours there were so many people reaching out that I I just it was overwhelming but there was three three or four in particular that that I wanted to clarify.

SPEAKER_00 43:34

When the war the news got out there was uh some people believing that um he had committed suicide and and that's not the case Reuben was so full of life was so you want to know something hard Peter it's trying to put in the words and tell the people at his funeral who he was because he was so full of life and that he was so much like it was like I said again the life safety you have was just something he did on Sundays. That's how great he was and look look how he was recognized for that for three or four hours of his week and and and and and and a lot of people just got to see that and because of the mental health issue I think people thought that it was a suicide I just wanted to get out that that's not the case. Ruben had a episode where he was sick had to get surgery and didn't make it out of surgery. That's how it happened. I don't want to get too many details because you know for privacy but uh that's basically what happened he went in for um an emergent surgery and just didn't make it out and um he didn't suffer it was quick and um and we're left with his legacy you know so and we're gonna we're gonna continue it somehow but I will like a part two because there's so many stuff that's happening um that's gonna happen for him and you're not for your family night um real quick there's a uh they're trying to start a foundation in his name um there they're we're gonna have a um if you don't know about the taco cook-off Peter uh that was a big event we'll go into that in part two but there's gonna be a memorial slash benefit for Ruben March 8th during PDC okay uh yeah it's gonna be a miniature taco cook off I'm putting together with Josh Brackett Taylor um there's so many people get involved and helping me with this um we're gonna uh do a uh slash benefit slash memorial because Ruben had a funeral and his family got to say goodbye I think his professional family gets a chance to to say goodbye right and um we're gonna have that on once again March 8th and um and we can talk about that in part two.

Clarifying Cause Of Death

SPEAKER_05 46:02

There'll be more uh there's starting a plan now uh there's a uh conference that he did every year uh during the rodeo cook off it's called uh uh and uh we're gonna have it and uh Ruben created the award it's called the Kelly Mason Award when Kelly Mason passed away and uh we're gonna award Ruben that award this year during that that that that session thank you Jesse Jackie Nate you guys good yeah well um no words so TJ Johnson Jackie Marquin Jesse Flores Nate Garcia Ruben Garcia thank you for your time I I would just say one really quick thing one word for your dad and obviously I didn't know him as well as you guys but what always came across to me and I was in the recruiting world for so many years and now just genuine like you know when somebody's fake and you know when somebody's not right and that's why when you ask the guy in the elevator no really how you feeling it's probably like you can sense it you could sense it with him and you guys spoke very eloquently so I appreciate you joining we will do a part two this is Peter Martin for the Healthcare Facilities Network. Thanks for watching and say a prayer for Ruben for Ruben's friends for Ruben's family thanks for watching if you want to be a guest on a future episode of the Healthcare Facilities Network go to healthcarefacilitiesnetwork.com and let us know who you are and what you want to talk about because together we can solve this critical aging issue