Unarmored Talk

Why Walking Away Isn’t the Same as Giving Up - Sean Frost

• Mario P. Fields - Sergeant Major (Ret.) • Episode 139

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For Ottawa entrepreneur Sean Frost, it starts with refusing to compromise on passion. From music producer to real estate broker, Sean's journey was anything but linear. Despite early success in a contracting business, he battled depression until he returned to his creative roots.

Sean shares his unique view on failure: “Failure only happens when you give up.” He urges listeners to see pivots not as defeats, but as necessary steps toward alignment and growth.

Now thriving in multiple ventures—from real estate and custom home building to music and mentoring—a common thread remains: full presence and passion. “If I wasn’t 100% passionate, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he tells host Mario P. Fields.

Sean’s message is clear: don’t waste time on things that don’t excite you. A legacy is built by living with purpose—and inspiring others to do the same.

Follow Sean Here ⬇️

https://www.instagram.com/iamseanfrost?igsh=MWNiZWd2M29qenN6Yw==

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Mario P. Fields:

Welcome back to Unarmored Talk Podcast. Thank you so much for listening and watching each episode and continue, please, to share with your friends and family members and colleagues, and don't forget to leave a rating or review if you feel this is an awesome show. And you can connect to all of my social media on the Parade Deck Just look in the show notes. Media on the parade deck just look in the show notes. Or you can put in the search engine mario p fields parade deck and get all access to my social media. Well, let's get ready to interview another guest who is willing to remove their armor to help other people. Welcome back to the unarmored talk podcast. Everyone, if you have been with me since 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. If this is your first time watching on my YouTube channel or listening, welcome and thank you for joining us.

Mario P. Fields:

I have not produced in a few months because I took some vacation. I have a grandbaby now, so I had to get accustomed to my granddad duties and I had some renovations to do in the house and outside before all of the summer heat arrived and you guys know it's here. So I am back. Mario P Fields didn't go anywhere and today we have another amazing guest who was willing to remove their armor to appear on this show. His name is Sean McRae. It goes by Sean Frost. He's an entrepreneur, real estate broker based out of Ottawa, canada. He's also a life coach and he's got extensive experience in music production. And, one of the most important things that I believe, happy, belated Father's Day, my friend. He is a dad, sean. Welcome to the show man.

Sean Frost:

Mario, thanks for having me on, man, I'm excited to be here and thank you for the lovely intro. And happy Father's Day right back at you, belated.

Mario P. Fields:

Everybody you know before the show I love Sean's bling man, I love his chain. I told him I got to start selling more hot dogs on a weekend.

Sean Frost:

I got to get my game up, that's all right. That's all right. You're looking good over there.

Mario P. Fields:

No man. So, hey, you do a lot of things. I mean, you and I have had a chance to get to know each other and I want to give a shout out to his team before we get into this topic, this discussion, and learn, if you will. A Shout out to his team that found the Unarmored Talk podcast that connected Sean and I, because if it weren't for them, this opportunity would not be happening. But can you tell the listeners and viewers just a little bit about who Sean is?

Sean Frost:

Most definitely so. I grew up from humble beginnings here in Ottawa, canada, lived here most of my life. I've had a couple little blips here and there. I lived in Fort Lauderdale for a bit. I was working with some artists out in Kansas City as I was growing up as well, but the rest of the time home base has always been Ottawa. So I grew up here, went to school here A lot of the same friends that I've had since elementary school, now raising my family here. A lot of the same friends that I've had since, you know, elementary school, now raising my family here. I absolutely love this city.

Sean Frost:

Started off as an entrepreneur when I was in high school with my music production company. I was composing music and I had representation that was kind of, you know, placing beats and selling beats for me and, you know, just evolved from there. So evolved from the music production side, got into you know I still go into school at the same time but, you know, got into the construction field running a general contracting company, which I absolutely despised, by the way. So had my own personal difficulties with that in life, just because I absolutely hated it and I was very unfulfilled and actually went through a pretty decent bout of depression, but was able to come out the other side with a little bit more clarity.

Sean Frost:

And then, you know, utilize that, got into the real estate game, became a real estate broker and then actually, you know, got my license to be a custom home builder here in Ottawa. So, yeah, we're building custom homes. I'm running a team here for the real estate side. I've got an investment group with, as I mentioned, guys all from my elementary school, which is very cool, and then circle back to working with artists and actually a professional wrestler, and so, yeah, I just try to do everything basically that I'm passionate about and figure out a way to incorporate it into my life, and, of course, all of that falls under the umbrella that's led by, you know, being the family man and, most importantly, being a dad. Just that's the name of the game for me.

Mario P. Fields:

You know, sean, and I love your energy, my friend, and I love how you say hey, mario, pursue my passions. Hey, there were some things I did I didn't like, yeah, but for the most part, you know, my belief is some people would listen to this and go man, sean's busy, but I'm going. Did y'all catch that word? He said passion and this is fun, he's on payroll having fun, man, and and. So let's just jump right into the topic. You know what, before we do that, because some folks you know they don't listen to a whole 18 minutes, if anyone wanted to find you, how could they find you? Let's get that up front.

Sean Frost:

Yeah, right on. So the easiest, the best way is Instagram. To be honest, it's the main platform that I use. My team actually runs most of my other platforms, so Instagram is run by myself. It's at. I am Sean Frost. Again, that's at. I am Sean Frost and you basically get to see every side of me, from, you know, being a dad to being a partner with the professional soccer club here, to the music side, to the real estate side. You get me as a whole on one platform. Reach out to me there and I'm you know I might not see it the first take. So don't be, don't be shy to keep, to keep hammering away. But yeah, I've got, I've got time for anybody. That's that's putting in the effort.

Mario P. Fields:

You guys heard it at, I am Sean Frost on IG and I'll make sure that's in the show, so let's just jump right into the topic. You and I connect. We had a chance to talk, but from my basic understanding, you've decided that you know what I want to find more ways to leave my legacy. You know the things that I've been passionate about, things that I believe can help the next generation of humans, and I want to make sure I solidify that before I pass away. Talk to me about how, when did Sean Frost make that decision to do that and what happened.

Sean Frost:

I don't know about the legacy part as you know, an adolescent or youth growing up, but I think it started there because you know how it is being an entrepreneur you do need to have a very, very. You have to have thick skin, but you also need to have a very, very strong belief, self-belief, and I've always really been blessed with that. I recognize that as from as long as I can remember that you know that doesn't say that doesn't mean I'm good at everything, but it does mean that I, if I want something, I know how to go and get it and I really I'm relentless that's one of the terms that I describe myself with is that basically, I don't tap out, I don't give up on things. So I think having that self-belief has kind of carried, helped carry me along the way to the point where I'm at now, where I've I'm so grateful and I have so much gratitude for the life that I'm living, that I'm I'm full disclosure, I'm, I'm living, and it's not all you know, rainbows and butterflies here, but I'm and butterflies here, but I'm, uh, I'm very conscious of how fortunate I am to be living the life that I'm living. So, with that being said, like I've worked very, very hard to get to this point.

Sean Frost:

So part of it is an ego thing, where I don't, you know, I don't want to leave this all behind for nothing.

Sean Frost:

Like I want this life to mean something for myself and I don't necessarily just want it to mean something for today. Um, I want to instill something you know, values and ideologies and and the work ethic and so many other characteristics to my son. But I also want to leave something even bigger than that and it's not to, you know, build statues for me and stuff like that, but it's just like I just want to leave an impact that you know if it could help shape or help give something to somebody along the way after I'm gone, and of course, the more times that that could happen, the better. But as long as I'm just like leaving an impact, I'm leaving something else behind. I've kind of always had that feeling, from when I started my first businesses, like, hey, I want to do something that's bigger than just me. I don't need to have the materialistic things and just be rich. I want to do something, I want to be something.

Mario P. Fields:

And to me that's a courageous choice because you don't have to. I mean, that's a choice A lot of folks live and don't even choose to maybe leave it in a podcast, leave what they've done in a book. But you know, one thing you did mention in my belief, sean, is that it is one of the it is a extremely challenging obstacle to to metaphorically navigate, and that is when depression, when, when that comes in and that could be either a chemical imbalance or through a traumatic experience, what do you believe you know in your journey got you through that challenge?

Sean Frost:

Loaded questions, so I've been there a couple times you know, to be honest and well, the flip side of having that self-belief is that it also I'm also my worst critic, I'm my hardest- critic and right.

Sean Frost:

So it's a gift and a curse. It's a double edged sword and you know I'm I'm. You know I treat myself well in terms of like, when I have a win, I celebrate it, I don't take it for granted, but when things don't go my way, I don't play the blame game. So, even if it's an exterior, you know, an external factor, for the reason that it didn't work out, I put myself in the position where I had to rely on that external factor, you know, not to go wrong, Like, at the end of the day, it's on me and, um, you know, the the main thing to help me get through is, of course, is, of course, my wife, um is family. So this was before, before my son was born, and, um, I was trying to make it.

Sean Frost:

At that point, you know, I was trying to make something out of myself, trying to make, you know, make ends meet, not trying to take things to the next level. I was trying to pay bills during this time and taking a leap of faith and starting a business, and the business was okay. We were getting, we were getting deals. I was making, you know, money, some money was coming in. I absolutely hated it. So it was the fact that I found myself now living no-transcript, but, you know, support system is the biggest. So it was the fact that I had, you know, my wife. The biggest so it was the fact that I had, you know, my wife.

Sean Frost:

I have really, really close friends that were helping me without knowing that they were helping me because they didn't really know what I was going through, because I did keep that very internal and that's, that's a change that I've made in my life is that now I'm very, very more, I'm very much more vocal on how I'm feeling, because everybody can relate and I feel that in the position that I'm in living this life, then I'm so grateful and content and fulfilled doing every day that when I go through you know anything, I feel that it one. It helps me, you know, share it, but it also it goes on. It goes on that legacy path of like. If I can share what I'm going through and let somebody know that might be in a little, you know, enduring a few more hardships than I'm currently going through, and they're like, hey, sean's going through it now.

Sean Frost:

Well then, maybe it's, maybe we're all going through something. You know, we never know what the next person's actually dealing with, so it's relatable. So then people might say, okay, you know what Like there is. There is another side out of this, and if I can help in that way, well then I consider that part of a legacy project as well.

Mario P. Fields:

And that's the beauty, sean, of having these unarmored discussions is because the listeners and viewers, like you said, someone's going to listen to this thing going, oh man, I just opened up my business and no one came in to buy anything. Or or, like you said, you're like, okay, I'm paying the bills, some money's coming in. I hate it and I have all this anxiety going to bed. But that family support, a friend, a coach, a pastor, wife, you know that support and and that self-reflection, I love how you said you, you didn't have to do that I love. I love how you said you know, mario, I didn't know the hell I was going through and I'm using I'm paraphrasing- I didn't know the hell I was going through, and I'm using, I'm paraphrasing.

Mario P. Fields:

I didn't know the hell I was going through until I self-reflected and looked back and was like, oh my gosh. And so now let's talk a little bit about the music side. And you know, I share this with you, man, I know everyone, everyone, if you don't know. My dream is always, dream has always been to be in a band. I can't sing and I cannot play any instruments, but I just always wish I could. Sean, how does that feel for you to be able to help people make positive impacts on folks through your talents in music?

Sean Frost:

Yeah, it's unbelievable, really Like it's that's, that's a dream come true. So this is an avenue that I feel that I was, I was destined to be, in, and then, you know, life can take you every type of which way. And you know, when I was, you know, mid twenties I quote unquote kind of felt like I had to grow up. So I stepped away from the music side and the fact that I've I've been able to get back into it and work with some tremendous talents, as well as fulfill some of my own dreams in terms of, like you know, going across the States last year in the fall, we did 27 dates in 34 days with an artist I was working with two time and you know, on tour with Polo G and, like it was a dream of a lifetime.

Sean Frost:

I had done shows here and there.

Sean Frost:

I had been with big bands um, you know, on the tour bus, this and that, especially as a youth, but to be kind of running point with with a couple other guys and doing, you know, doing this was was so crazy and to like look into the crowd and see, like the impact that you know, two time was leaving and that ultimately we're a team.

Sean Frost:

So we're all doing this together is, is is amazing and uh, yeah, just to be able to kind of evolve the music to be, you know, a really, really big part of my life that actually makes sense on every level, not just not just a dream and a passion, but something that's actually, um, really working, is, uh, is just such a blessing and honestly feels like I felt there was an empty component in my well, inside. While I wasn't doing, you know, while I took the time away from music to try to, you know, do the things that I thought society needed me to do, um, you know, like music was fun and I just I got to a point where it was really hard to like think of that as like a career, because it it wasn't where I needed it to be at that time.

Mario P. Fields:

So I, you know, I had to kind of um, take a step back and and and pivot and and you know and I and I again, I really admire how you follow your passion and you recognize your passion. I wish I had more time, because everything you're doing, sean, is like in my passion. When you talk custom build man, I'm like I can get me a cigar and some bourbon right now. It's starting to pick your brain metaphorically. But check it out.

Mario P. Fields:

So a lot of also a lot of veterans, a lot of folks who are currently on active duty in the military and are veterans. They also watch the show or listen to the show. It could be music, rap, rock, edm, edc, whatever man Finding their passion, kind of letting go of that military culture, not forgetting the skills they learned, but just okay, refine who you really are and just go for it. What advice can you give those folks, not just in military but any human to just go find their passion? What can you give those folks, not just in military but any human to just go find their passion? What can you give a man?

Sean Frost:

um, yeah, well, that one's an easy one and I think it's just. It's just, you know, don't be afraid of quote-unquote failure. And part of the reason, part of the problem with that is that people, you know, in society today, I I feel that people feel like when something doesn't work out exactly how they envisioned it, that it's considered a failure, whereas my philosophy on failure is it is literally if you give up and if, and quitting, like stopping something to recognize that it's not necessarily for you, is not the same as giving up. It's understanding that, listen, this isn't what I thought it was going to be, or this isn't doesn't feel how I thought it was going to feel, this isn't it for me, and that's such, that's such a blessing, because people feel like okay, like, oh man, I'm back to where I started and it's like, well, you're not. Because you literally took one branch off of off of your tree of life. You took one avenue that you thought might've been something and you've explored it and you took it right to the edge and you and you realized you know what, this isn't for me, and that's one door that you can now close, that there'll never be a what if they'll never be? You know, and you can move on to the next thing. So don't. Life is so. It should be so exciting. So why wouldn't you just start exploring as many things as you can to find out what that passion is? And you know, I'm so lucky because I happen to have multiple streams of things that I'm passionate about.

Sean Frost:

I don't actually, mario, to be 100% honest with you, aside from dentists, doctors, lawyers, like that kind of stuff, I really really focus on not doing anything in life that I don't want to do, which means that that's from social. So if friends ask me to go do something and I, you know I'm, I say no, um, and I'm. I'm brutally honest with them. I'm not, I'm not feeling it. I don't want to do that.

Sean Frost:

If there's something that comes across my desk that could be lucrative but I'm not passionate about it, I'm good. I'm not going to do it because it's probably going to lead to something negative down the road that I'm not going to be interested in dealing with. If it's just driven by by money, well then I'm not really about it. And what that does is I'm trying to really create something that whenever I'm doing something, I'm a hundred percent present, meaning, for example, this conversation that you and I are having right now. If I wasn't 100% passionate about it, you and I wouldn't have this conversation right here right now. There is literally nowhere in the world or anything else that I'd rather be doing than speaking with you right now, and I think that helps carry weight for me in everything that I'm doing and especially around people that know me. They know when I'm there, I'm there.

Mario P. Fields:

Well, sean, I can feel the passion and I'm in around like people that know me, they, they know when I'm there, I'm there. Well, you. So I, sean, I can feel the passion and I'm in north carolina and I, you know, I'm surprised my sister didn't go down, man and and and if you guys didn't catch it, I mean, I love how you you're, sean, the way you said it. Mario, you know, my philosophy of failure is did I give up, not did I go? This is actually toxic, like this is not healthy for me. I might need to change directions. No, did I just give up? And if you just make the choice, unless you're insane, but if you're sane and you choose not to give up and then just keep going, and like you said, failure, failure is when you just quit, you just quit exactly and that just to elaborate on that Mario story.

Sean Frost:

I just wanted to mention you know it's a, it's a lesson right, because you're learning something on why something didn't work. So, whether or not you you stick on that path and keep trying to kick down that door, on whatever avenue you're laying, you're going down for that particular thing is great. But even if you decide to pivot and you switch up and you're like you know that's not for me, I'm going to try something different. Well, now you know an approach on the next, on the next thing that you want to do. You know an approach maybe not to take because it didn't work in that situation. Analyze it, why didn't it work? And then, guess what, you're already one step ahead before you've even started pursuing the next thing that you want to do.

Mario P. Fields:

Yeah, you see what I'm doing. I'm taking notes on you. Look, sean, this is year five and I'm learning.

Sean Frost:

I'm like.

Mario P. Fields:

Sean, invoice me after this putting that 30 on it.

Sean Frost:

Yeah right, yeah right, no, no, I'm happy to be here, man, it was. Uh, it's been so great connecting with you.

Mario P. Fields:

That is cool. Well, man, I tell you, before I let you go, what's? You know what's the? What's the next big thing on the horizon for you? Man, if you had to pick one thing, what's next?

Sean Frost:

uh, I got two. So, um, on in the business world I got two. So I'm working with an artist named justin diamond um from ottawa. We grew up in the uh at. I got two. So I'm working with an artist named Justin Diamond from Ottawa. We grew up at the same time, two different parts of the city, so we never worked together. Now that we're grown, we're working on this album.

Sean Frost:

I'm super, super passionate about it. It's going to be dropping in July. We're finishing touches right now, so that's going. And then I actually look after a wrestler, help with the advising and an advisory role and and some coaching and stuff like that. His name is. His name is Josh Bishop. He's actually doing a show out in Paris, a wrestling show in Paris for during Paris fashion week. Amazing, amazing talent coming up. So those are my two big ones. And then a big milestone for me right now is uh, we're in the last week of school. My son's finishing grade two, so we're just ramping up for the summer and I'm excited to uh surprise him on friday with uh, you know, after school stuff and uh and uh, and just treat him to a wonderful summer man, that that is cool.

Mario P. Fields:

Sean, you know I'm from Michigan. I go back and visit rest of my mom, but I always go back once in a while and visit her grave site. But, man, if I'm ever up in that area I got your contact information I would love to fly across the line there and break bread with you in person, man.

Sean Frost:

I got lots of room here, man. There's space for you guys.

Mario P. Fields:

And same thing for you, sean. If you're ever on the East Coast, I got nothing but real estate for you as well. As a matter of fact, you'll get the red carpet voice activated grapes.

Sean Frost:

Oh, okay, sign me up.

Mario P. Fields:

Well, sean, it's been a pleasure. I know you got to go because I love talking to you, man, and I will have you on the show forever. But, ladies and gentlemen, everyone that's watching and listening, again, thank you for supporting for these years. Again, if this is your first time, thank you again, but until next time I pray that God continues to bless you, your family, your friends and everything around you. Sean, be safe. Thank you for listening to this most recent episode and remember you can listen and watch all of the previous episodes on my YouTube channel. The best way to connect to me and all of my social media is follow me on the parade deck that is wwwparadecom, or you can click on the link in the show notes. I'll see you guys soon.

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