Ep. 123 - Escaping the Hood, Breaking the Mold: Black Entrepreneurs Shattering Expectations

Two powerhouse Black entrepreneurs collide in this raw, unfiltered conversation that shakes up everything you thought you knew about success. Stoy Hall sits down with Izzy Baker, creator of PSA: The Mental Health Podcast, for a brutally honest discussion about escaping limiting environments, defying generational expectations, and building success on your own terms.

When a St. Louis native boldly declares "I'm over this" and transforms into a respected voice in mental health and ghostwriting, you know it's time to listen. Baker doesn't hold back, dismantling the "get a real job" mentality that keeps so many trapped in mediocrity. If you're tired of playing small or living by someone else's definition of success, this episode will light a fire under you.

From navigating cultural pressure to care for everyone before yourself to embracing your natural talents as legitimate career paths—this conversation delivers the unvarnished truth about what it takes to break generational cycles and create genuine wealth.

This isn't just talk. This is the blueprint you've been searching for.

CONNECT WITH IZZY BAKER: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-baker-b3a16614a/ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_izzybakeoven/ Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psathementalhealthpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@_izzybakeoven

As always we ask you to comment, DM, whatever it takes to have a conversation to help you take the next step in your journey, reach out on any platform!

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DISCLOSURE: Awards and rankings by third parties are not indicative of future performance or client investment success. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All investment strategies carry profit/loss potential and cannot eliminate investment risks. Information discussed may not reflect current positions/recommendations. While believed accurate, Black Mammoth does not guarantee information accuracy. This broadcast is not a solicitation for securities transactions or personalized investment advice. Tax/estate planning information is general - consult professionals for specific situations. Full disclosures at www.blackmammoth.com.

Chapters

• 0:00 Two Black podcast hosts, one real conversation
• 4:00 Comedy as a tool for healing & emotional release
• 8:00 Starting a podcast before it was cool
• 10:30 Breaking from the “Breakfast Club” stereotype
• 15:00 Escaping the hood: Why leaving was survival
• 19:30 Family pressure, guilt, and financial expectations
• 21:30 Should you go broke helping others? Let’s be honest
• 24:00 The generational guilt mill: Millennials vs. elders
• 28:00 What younger generations MUST hear today
• 32:30 What you need to implement right now

Transcript

Stoy: 0:00

What happens when you get two black men who are podcast hosts on the same podcast that are business owners that have been through some shit in their life? Well, you're about to find out, and that's what we're doing today with Izzy Baker. My man, we just did yours not too long ago. I know you're, you're pumped out a little bit. They'll be kind of close. But welcome to the show. I'm excited to get into it. And boy, are, are these listeners in for a little bit of a different ride today?

Izzy Baker: 0:25

Definitely, definitely. I'm excited to be here'cause I got a lot to say. So like always. Well, let's start

Stoy: 0:31

with a little bit of background of you, where you're from, how you were raised, um, and then let's get into what you're doing now nowadays.

Izzy Baker: 0:40

So, I'm from St. Louis, Missouri, currently live in Houston, Texas. Moved out here in 2012 for school. The Texas Southern University graduated with a degree in English, minor in sports management, but I grew up, you know, two parent household until it wasn't. Both my parents, uh, divorced when I was around eight or nine years old, and then it was joint custody, so that was, grew up like that. I've always had friends, always been the person who had multiple groups of friends, which is something that. Was kind of critiqued or you know, picked that. But as we see now, it all works out. Always been a writer, always been funny, always, you know, been wanting to do, I remember I told my dad when I was like a kid, all the dream jobs and I was like, I wanted to say play basketball, which I really didn't want to do. I just was like, it was that once to play basketball. And then there was another one I said I wanted to do and then. A lawyer didn't really wanna do that. And then I said I wanted to be a comedian. And I remember I told him that and he just, anytime that would come up throughout the years, he would like, it was like the fly that snuck in your house and you gotta kill it for it. Multiply like, let me get you now. It was like, he would always try to like, no you cannot. Don't do that. No, can't do that because it, it's either you funny or you smart. I've said this before in my podcast and I'm also reiterating here. People don't believe, like this generation has broken the, the, the mold for how things are supposed to be. I said this before, I don't know the technical genera name for the generation before me. I always forget, I know we're millennials, but the, the generation before the millennials, they have not an innovation, innovative bone in their body. They were taught go to work, get you a job. Call it today. All the things they said, well, we wasn't supposed to do, or they as stupid is. People are making million dollars for, people are making million of dollars playing video games. People are making millions of dollars, you know, ranting, talking people. So everything that they say we couldn't do. Yeah. But long story, shall I say, I'd have to say I'm here today because of my childhood. I don't regret it. I don't. You know, want to redo everything. Good man. And different made me who I am and what I'm doing today.

Stoy: 2:59

That's a great story.'cause I'm not a funny person. I don't try to be funny. I think I just, I end up being funny. Yeah. Just naturally. Yeah. And I love, you know, part of what you do on your podcast and now you have a different series, which we can talk about whenever you want to by the way. But do you bring up and talk about how humor and laughter is, is so. Tremendous for us in, in our health, right? In our, both our mental health, but also even physical health, like being happy and joy and whatnot. Talk to us a little more about that and why, I guess, let me back up. When you were a kid and you were doing funny things and being funny, were you trying to do that to heal people or kind of, did you ever grasp why you wanted to be funny and what

Izzy Baker: 3:39

that did to people at that age? I remember always thinking, also by the way, just throwing out that I'm not doing standup comedy. Not saying I won't ever, I'm just not doing it now, so don't go look up nothing. But, um, I always remember saying I enjoyed making people laugh. It was something about it. And I'm a firm believer that God gives you signs of what a person is supposed to do at a very young age, even if you overlook it. And I remember. I'm telling this part of this story and didn't go there to answer the question, but I remember when I was four years old, I did the whole routine off Barney. I don't remember this, this is what it was told to me. Like, did the whole routine. Like if that don't tell you that this person is gonna be a star, I don't know what else will. But, um, I always just remember knowing that I enjoyed seeing people happy by things that I said and would do because it's different types of comedy and for me it's more so things that I would say. Of course imitating people. I do that very well. I can kind of like, I can be around you for a little while. I can imitate how your voice sounds, your mannerisms, you know? So I think it's just, I just enjoy that, you know, some people just say me. You just like the attention. I like that attention. I actually don't like bad attention. Some people just like, attention is attention. I don't like bad attention. But you know, if it's, I would prefer that, you know.

Stoy: 4:56

And nowadays, you know, now that you've grown up, how do you utilize that in, in today's world, in in what you do every day?

Izzy Baker: 5:04

So there's a lot of things that I will be dropping sooner than later, but as of now, currently I'm able to do that with my podcast, PSA, the Mental Health podcast, from a podcast care to young millennial men who struggle with making healthy decisions and. Mental health conscious, millennial men, and when they say mental health conscious, because like I said on my show, the definition of mental health is the study of how we act, think and feel. When people think of mental health, they think of mental illness, and a lot of times even doing research,'cause I have a degree, degree in English, which we'll get to my business in a minute. How that all ties into that. I'm a great researcher and I'm, and I'm just, in other words, no. And a lot of the funniest people have the most trauma. They are typically off in the head, you know, whether it's diagnosed or not. They, you know, some of the most creative people don't take it there. Kanye, west r Kelly, both throwed, you know what I'm saying? Those are two of the most co, more common examples, but they're usually people who are the most creative and you know, they, and funny, they, they off something, something happened to them. There's something. So a lot of things did happen to me, you know, more so that was psychological warfare. But I'm able to take my podcast with something serious. You know, mental health, having conversation, making it relatable, inter um, interviewing those in the mental health and wellness space. But also going back to my roots because I never stopped completely, but I lost interviewing people like myself and I want to go and I'm going back as I'm preparing for season nine, interviewing people like me that are that way. We keep the relatability there. You know, to this day some of my most string episodes are with. People who no one even knows. And I think it's the relatability, it's the discussion. It's just that free flow conversation. So now I'm making a big distinction going into season nine between expert interviews and peer reviewed interviews and the, not just the topics, but even like some, the format is about the same, but it's like alteration.

Stoy: 7:04

Talk about being a black man and, and you've had a podcast longer than I have and have a lot more going on. But talk us through starting one and trying to get this thing up and running when really back then it was, I mean, I was just old talking white dudes, really. I mean, that's all that was around. Yeah. Talk us through that journey and kind of the things that you've had to learn and, and overcome.

Izzy Baker: 7:28

Well, like I said, when I started my podcast, it was 2018, so I literally started a podcast off of a, what? It was a divine revelation because, um, I had never really listened to podcasts. I think I maybe heard the term, but you know, the, the kickoff for the podcast and then start to the, the pandemic. So. I was two years ahead of my time. And also the type of podcast I was going for because when I was starting my podcast and when they heard people heard, I had one, they assumed, oh, it's about to be Charlemagne, the guy, the Breakfast Club. You just tearing everybody up all day every day. And if I would've went that route, I would've been on, you know what I mean? I would've been on the Shade Room ball alert, you know, blowing up TikTok. You know, I, I would've been on, and I'm thankful I didn't go that route because. I'm all for entertainment, but I, any product that I produce, and I'm saying this everywhere I go, and when you see my name in the future, anything I produce, even in this entertainment, there's still a purpose. So it's not just to entertain, but getting started was definitely interesting for me. I had to, I went through a two week bootcamp of Self-imposed Bootcamp studying podcasts. Who was the hottest podcast? Who, who was, you know, who was in the top tens? What were they doing? You know, trying to see what made them stand out. This is before video was mandatory. I mean, it's still not, but it kind of is just depending on who you are. But for the most part, you start a podcast now you kind of need to make it, you know, visual as well. And so who was hot? Who was it? I took a two week bootcamp. I started what? February, 2018, first episode. And here we are, what? March 2 25. Getting ready for season nine. As crazy as that sounds. That, that is

Stoy: 9:17

crazy. And bravo and kudos to you. But going through a whole learning journey is, is important for business owners. One, just us as humans, but you know, on our podcast we speak a lot to minority and women, uh, business owners specifically. When you're, when you are learning, trying to learn from the top and in whether you're emulating or not. What did you find in that research that like you thought was the, the, the holy grail and then now when you look at it, it went shit?

Izzy Baker: 9:49

Honestly, back then, probably the route that I went, I'm thankful for, but it's so many easier ways to do it now, be going through, you know. Searching top 10 podcasts in this top 10 podcasting in the top five, and looking up then going down the rabbit hole of, okay, well, who was the podcast? Who was the host? What is their podcast about? What do they do when Now you could literally just type in AI. Everything you looking for, and they'll pull it up or go on YouTube. It's so many podcasts now, so it's, it's much easier to do those things now to see, you know, who, and I suggest that for anybody in trying to get into any field to go research who's doing what you're trying to do. Because at this point, everybody's then done it. It's now, of course you gotta flip it and do it in your own way, but everybody isn't pretty much done what you trying to do.

Stoy: 10:35

How many episodes do you think you, or how many guests have you think you've interviewed over the nine seasons? Will, will be none,

Izzy Baker: 10:42

I'm sure. Over a hundred now. Um, I'm sure over a hundred from, like I said, people that I went to college with, people who I've been to go to brunch with and then people who on A, B, C and the Oprah Show and who's been on Lifetime and who've been on huge platforms with millions of followers. So, you know, it's all about just. Having the conversations, you know, pushing whatever I tell people all the time, you got something you wanna push, come on, I'm, I'm the, I'm Mr. Put you on. Like, I believe in putting people on, if I know somebody that can do something, I'm gonna go get'em. If I don't know somebody, I know somebody that knows somebody. And that's just kind of how I am as a person.

Stoy: 11:23

What's been the common theme across your guests that when you're discussing the conversation, and obviously it may be different topics, but when you've interviewed that many people, is there a common theme that comes around? Like either who they are, what they talk about, or what it means to be successful where they're at?

Izzy Baker: 11:39

So with that, like I said, when I try to pick the brains of people, especially with the mental health podcast being that I'm not the expert, more of the advocate, and it's interesting because I used to catch. Hell and kind of some digs about that when I first started, and even sometimes now when people say, which I know they haven't listened to it, if they come from that angle, but they'll say, well, you know, you're not an expert, so why are you having a mental health podcast? But that's the thing I. I'm a storyteller. I'm a writer, so I push, the narrative is pushed as if, which is not a lie. I'm my target audience. I'm the young mental health conscious millennial who struggles with making healthy decisions. You may know better, but you don't always do better, and so I'm picking the brains of those in the mental health and wellness space. Nutritionist, ex, um. Therapists, counselors, doctors, financial experts, you know, people who not to repair credit. All of these things, these topics, the central end mental health and wellness, all about growth, personal, but you know, so they're all in that arena. And then the flip side is when it's the peer interviews. Where these people might not be an expert in anything. They just might be a teacher or, you know, but as long as they kind of fit the mold and for this season when it's those, which now I'm introducing a new segment called Man to Man, the goal is for those men to be a young millennial man. So that way it makes sense. Um, but of course the experts that can be anybody, as long as you're an expert in that topic, we're going for anxiety coaches, you know, I've had'em all, you know, so, um. That would be the central theme. I hope I answered the question, but

Stoy: 13:11

Yeah, a little bit. A little bit. Um, love that. I was, I was asking when you were interviewing them, like when, when I'm interviewing people just like you, right? Yeah. I, I know there's a common theme around them all of a sudden. I know, like, for example, most of mine are, I. They care about people over money. Right? It's not about money. Life's not about money. To them it's about how can I take my passion and help as many people as possible? Yeah. Right. And that's exactly what you said, right? How can I use my humor to do good? Well, now I have a mental health podcast. How can I bring those people on? That's why I was thinking like when you're interviewing guests, what's that like common theme that you feel from them, that they give that message to your client, uh, to your listeners?

Izzy Baker: 13:49

So, oh, okay. So basically remember the whole, the, the principle is decision making. So whatever I'm interviewing them about in the mental health wellness space, or even, like I said, peers, the goal is to, this is the issue in the episode, and you are the person who can help us and my audience overcome this. So, if I do struggle with anxiety, how can I get over that? If I struggle with, you know, having a. Thoughts that are all over the place. How can I get past that? If you're the person who I have bad credit, you the credit man. Okay, credit man. What can I do to do that? This is an issue for me. If you are somebody who I'm fat or I'm big and I wanna lose some weight and put my nutritionist off, but I don't know how to go about it. You're the nutritionist. You know how to do it. Episode I recorded coming up, which is kind of part of that man to man segment is I'm 30 now what? And that's just a relatable conversation for men who are in their thirties, whether, you know, usually younger but early thirties or about to turn 30. And it's like, you know, I'm not married, I don't have kids. Am I, you know, useless? Am I not doing enough? You know, so. Basically just overcoming something, you know, there's a decision us we struggle with and this episode is gonna be the antidote. Antidote for that.

Stoy: 15:02

Yeah. I love that. I love that. And, and following that, because that allows others to be like, well, that episode might not be for me. Right. But this one is, and, and grasping it differently. And that's what we're doing in 2025 with no bs Wealth is we're bringing in on people like you. So one, just bring realism to what's out there in the world and going on. We see it so often that people, one, they don't think they can be successful. They don't even know what it looks like. They don't know there's people like us out there. Yeah. And so they get this feeling of alone. Right. And they have two decisions to pass. Go the hard route, figure it out and go do it myself. Or go the easy path, right? Whether that's drugs, gang, uh, just being poverty and just woe is me type of situation. And that's what we're trying to do and bring more resources to. Coming from St. Louis and being raised in St. Louis, I've heard a lot of stories, especially from my barber, shout out. Martavia Marus, um, from St. Louis. Did you ever feel like you needed to get out? Like, was that part of you getting out to Houston and stuff like that? Or, I'm gonna let you just take it from there. Talk to us through that, right? Because there's people who are listening to this right now that are like, I want to get away from where I'm at. Talk us through your little situation and, and what it's meant for you to, to kind of get out and do your own thing.

Izzy Baker: 16:14

So before I touch on that, remind me where you from again? I'm from Omaha. Okay. So that's still Midwest, right? Yeah. Okay. So I think sometimes with Midwest people from the Midwest, I've talked to people from Chicago, from Detroit, from, you know, we always say the same things and even we didn't ourselves necessarily grow up in the hood. Some people did. I grew up around people that was on that I wasn't,'cause my parents didn't play that. I'm not finna act like I was out here gang banging. I, I'll get it too. I done seen some stuff and I got friends that was on that, you know, some of'em still on the block selling, you know, I. My parents didn't play this. I'm not even gonna act like this is me. I don't have nothing to prove, you know? And I've always been the anomaly anyway. But what I can say is it definitely was a pressure to get out. You know, my dad had been planting seeds for me to leave to get out, but little did he know I had didn't want to be in St. Louis. No way. I remember being at 10 years old, telling my, one of my aunties I wanted to move to New York. And then I ended up going to New York as an adult and I love, that's still one of my favorite cities and I had never even been back then, but I just knew I was gonna love New York and I definitely do. It's one of my favorite places. And she was just saying, you know, typical and you, and I don't know if you can relate, but typical kind of response like, well, they have such hard winners and that city's so big and you know, how would you do that? So fast forward to around time to go to college. I was watching some show, but some reality show at the time. And I know they was in Miami, might have been Jersey Shore.'cause they know it was one point in Jersey Shore. They used to kind of bounce around. And then it was also one period where a lot of shows was in Miami. But anyway, I was just like, I wanna go to school in Miami. Like I was just like, I was dead, so I'm gonna school in Miami. And so I remember telling my mama that I. She was just kind of like, oh, you can't go there. That's too far. What if something happens? The typicals that would call it the St. Louis answer. What if something happens? And I remember my junior, me and my friend, who actually him and his, um, now fiance, actually have a house built out in Houston, in the outskirts. And I remember telling him when we were at a party, coming from a party, junior high school, and I remember saying, looking at the party and we was leaving. I said, I'm over this. And it was like, over what? Said, I'm over being here. Like I'm ready to go. I'm tired. Of this. And at the time it was looked at like, what is wrong with you? Like, he's crazy. What do you mean you are over this? Like, you know, is this a suicide note? Like, no, but I was over being in St. Louis, like, I'm like, I'm so tired of this. It was the same old stuff. So ended up, you know, going to Texas Southern, that was the only school that I visited that I paid an application fee fee for. Obviously ended up going, but uh, best decision ever got outta St. Louis. My dad even said like, the easiest way to get out the city is to go to go to school, you know, and in some people's case, go to the military. That's the easiest way to get out the, get out the hood, go, go to the military, go to school. And I've even, when I was a teacher, I even had some students. And although Houston is not necessarily a bad city, but the lifestyles that they live. Were contrary to that. So I would tell them like, Hey, go to school. Get up outta here.'cause you hot on the block. You know what I'm saying? You being places boys said they was going to keep, you know, unlive you. I said, go to college. Get up outta here. Even if you don't stay. Just, you know. So I think that I definitely, the pressure was definitely on to not be there. I didn't, and then looking back, some of the friends that we were around, you saw the ones who didn't do much and they're still there. And then you have the other side who, they aren't doing bad, but it's just like. They're okay with just this. And when you say that to so many people, the people that get it get it. The ones that don't don't. So in their minds it's like, what are you talking about? Like you're crazy. But the people that get it, like you okay with just this, this mundane life. Not to put her business on blast, but I'm going to my grandmother, 90 years old, work the job and you know what I mean? Thank God she's still alive. But it was situations where you worried about money. You think I wanna be 90 years old worried about money and you, you know, try to sometimes, not intentionally, but we know how old black folks can be and kind of shame you'cause it's like. In her mind. I told Mama today, she don't think I'm doing that with my life. You know what I mean? I can tell she ain't said it, but she had mine to kind of make comments like, I'm concerned because you know, I'm a full-time ghost writer and podcaster. So she does not get it. She just doesn't get it. And when she hears writing, she just, I think she think like back in oh 1940 when people was writing news articles and stuff for 25 cents a hour, something crazy like that. I don't know what she think. I'm like, go get twist. I done had some slow months, but I didn't have some money. I was big months. I was big bank. Hank. You feel me? So it's just like, but she just, just don't, she just don't get it.

Stoy: 20:42

I posed a question on Facebook. No, a statement I said that, um, get, make sure I quote it right. I'll probably mess it up, but I said. Do not give to your elders the, the punchline, right? You gotta pull people in. You know, mark, he got pull'em in, right? So I pulled him in and I, I'll summarize it just real quick'cause people go on Facebook and look at it and all the comments below it. But I essentially said, it's kind of like that whole thing of when you're in the airport and they say, put your mask on first. And then you can take care of somewhere else. I said, in our society, the black culture, really minority society, we do this really, really poor thing of, we try to support so many people in our life before we get ahead. And guess what happens? That means we don't get ahead. Correct. And then the cycle keeps repeating and repeating itself to where you're always living in poverty or barely above poverty. For generations and one comment was saying that we should always take care of our elders. I would rather be bankrupt and take care of my elders than get ahead. And I wanted to ask you kind of like put that out there and ask you from your situation, both from your personal I. But all of those that you interviewed and people you see out there, what's, what is your opinion on that? Should you take care of yourself, help them, but take care of yourself. Make sure you're good and set and squared away before giving a whole bunch. Or should you just give everything you got and you know, live with the consequences of being poverty the rest of your life.

Izzy Baker: 22:07

I definitely, you know, I get called selfish, so that should be the answer to that, just alone. But I think that a lot of times people get caught up in trying to take care of everybody. You know the theme, I just said this recently on the episode, the theme of last season unintentionally, the topic of people pleasing came up a lot and I'm, as an ex people pleaser. I know that, you know,'cause for me it was like, there's no point of pleasing y'all.'cause you still don't like me and anytime. So any chance you get to throw it up in my face, you, you know, you can, you will. Or anytime you do, do something, we highlight it in that moment. But then if you do something bad, we keep bringing it up later. I. So for me, when I realized, I know everybody's story is different, but I know for me when I finally caught on, I said, I might as well do what I wanna do because you, you know, it's not gonna work. No way. But I think with that being a thing for last season, and so many people in this generation are people pleasers that they, somebody needs to go on a. Course or something, you know, to overcome people pleasing because that, that's the main thing. And, and the chill you get, take care of yourself. You know, it's so cliche, but how can you pull forward my cup that's half empty? You know what I mean? How can you pull forward an empty cup? Like so if you give it to everybody else but you, you never take care of you. It's like, how does that work? And then in my opinion, you're enabling them. Huh? Said, I don't think it personally can work. Right. It can't, it you're, you're an enabler because at that point you are enabling them to be so reliant on you. So now they can't even learn to stand on their own because they know, well, she'll do it or well, he'll do it.

Stoy: 23:40

Yep. And then you're gonna pass that down to your kids and their kids. And then that's why, to me, I think that's why a lot of families end up, they get broke up because at some point someone stands up and says, no. I'm not going down that path. Yeah, I'm out. I'm gonna do my thing. Yeah. I think a lot of that comes back to what you talked about with your grandmother a little bit, although she subconsciously was telling you this a little bit, but that, that making you feel guilty, right? For being selfish or in her terms, basically podcasting, making you feel guilty'cause you don't have a real job. I think that has a lot to do with our generational, I don't call it trauma if you will, but a lot of us have gone through that of specifically millennials, of saying, you are supposed to be doing this at this age and this age, and this age and this age, and kids wife. You know what I mean? And we're put to this pressure that we shouldn't fit into. And I believe that we've allowed the younger generations to just live their life in. For craziness. They make a lot of money doing really stupid things, really stupid things. But I think it's'cause we allowed that. We didn't say, oh, you have to be doing it this way. We literally just said, go do it. Just go do whatever. Figure it out. Yeah. Um, now that you've been, you know, we're, we're, we're not young right? But we, we speak to them a little bit. What? What do you say to that now? Like where are you in terms of what a job looks like now? What? What you do? Podcasting. That's a job. I mean, writing is a job, but it's part of your lifestyle. How important is having things part of your lifestyle more so than like, I'm clocking in, clocking out.

Izzy Baker: 25:11

Well, that's the beauty of it, because as someone who has had a career for what, a good six and a half, seven years, I know. Format to follow. Like I said, it's probably the writer brain in me, so everything is like a template. So it's like you can still treat it like a regular job. You can still treat it like a nine to five, eight to five, whatever you wanna call it, and you know, work for this many hours, take a break, go to the gym, go eat. You're not set to dedicated to a set schedule. And I don't wanna get too much in this because I do know that. How it looks for me now is temporary because I know this is kind of a, um, wilderness season per se, and this is something I'm gonna go into more on my podcast, so you have to tune in for that. But for anybody, you can run it like a regular job, just pretend it's a regular job. If you want, if you can't do work at home, go find an office space. Which something that, you know, I might look into at some point in the future, get you a little, me a little sweet or something. But go get you a office space if you just can't work. Some people just can't do it. You know, you can go to a Starbucks down the street and just like, I'm gonna be here from eight to five. Get cool with the star, the people that work there. You know, make friends, make it, you know, make it, make a, make it something out of it and, and make it like a big old thing. But as far as, so on last part, what was the question again that you said about what would I tell the younger generation? Yeah. So again, being an ex teacher, I used to tell them all the time I said they got, they didn't get offended, but they was shocked when I said, I said, everybody in here is not going to college. They're like, what? What? But I was like, but you're not. And. I want to teach things that will last outside of these lesson plans that you canter, interpret. And you know, some of them even follow me Instagram and they'll DM me randomly bringing up stuff I said I don't even remember saying. But that stuck with them and that's good. So besides the funny stuff and how I used to roast them all day, they, they like that. I don't know why. But anyway, I think that I would just tell them to these skills that y'all are using and you think are for fun, uh, that you think are. Think for fun I go with that are actually the basic skill sets that you're using in school. You don't even realize it. Like for instance, people will shame somebody. Say they went to college and they're a YouTuber, and their YouTube is them pranking people all day. That's a storyline. You had to come up with that story. You had to come up with who was gonna be involved. You had to come up with the setting, you had to come up with the scenarios of what will happen when I do this. So that's a stor. You didn't created a storyboard. You know what I'm saying? You can't just, that's, those are the foundations of literature in English. And again, that's the English brain talking, you know, what was the rising action? What was the conflict? Who did it involve? How long did it take? You know, what was the aftermath? What was the end? Would this go to a part two? Like, so it's just that alone is a storyboard and then you don't even realize it. So if you're doing a, you know, a podcast about pop culture and mess, what is the structure? How did you introduce the topic? How did you, you know? So it's so many ways and things that we use that we don't even realize, I. It's just that when you're using it for something you don't care about, you're not gonna use it in some cases. But then when it's something you actually interested in, you're a pro. So just pay attention to, I would say, to anybody, any younger generation, what is it that you really enjoy? What gets you excited? What makes you, you know, like, I would love to do this. Anything you said you would love to do. If you wanna be an actor, you need to get into that. But see, people don't wanna start at the bottom, and that's the problem. You want to get into acting. You could easily go get on YouTube with your phone like this. And do monologues of from your favorite TV show or TV show you done watched a million times. You can go and find on threads, Instagram, Facebook, people who, Hey, we're shooting this movie. We need people to do it. It'll be free. I say it all the time to me. Better not ever call me. Because I'm gonna be on the Tubi movie and you gonna think, you watching HBO, you gonna think you're watching stars. Every time I come on the screen, is they gonna be like, it's is, am I watching Star? No, you watching Tubi. But because I'm here, it's gonna look like this Grand Proje Proje Pro production. So, but, but people don't think like that. People don't wanna start at the bottom. People think that everything is supposed to happen overnight and it takes 10 years to become an overnight success. And I'm on year seven.

Stoy: 29:30

Amen to that. Seriously, people listen to that. I'm a, I'm gonna have to the team cut that part out because legitimately it is a grind. There is no overnight success. There are random ones, but that's as random as the lottery by the way. Like it just happens. That's gonna happen. But the rest of us, you have to put in that work. I tested to being an athlete. You have to train day in, day out. For those little opportunities that pop up. And when those opportunities pop up and you nail those, that's when success happens. That's when that, that leap happens. So I appreciate that. I'm gonna steal, I'm a, I'm gonna use that one a lot on the clip as we get towards the end of this. Um, I always ask two questions. One, what was your first money memory?

Izzy Baker: 30:12

I would have to say probably. Getting honestly, money from allowance, probably it wasn't that much, but you know what, I could say that, but I think what really stood out was when I had my first job my senior year of high school. I'll say that because it was other money situations and, and some of'em were, but I do know, no, I'm a lie. I'm gonna go back. It's actually a few, but the one I'm gonna name is, the first money memory I got was when I was given money to go to White Castle and my dad gave me the money. He said, go on to White Castle and get the food. For us. So I got the food and I came back with like$13. He said, that's all you wanted. I was like, well, nah. He said, whenever somebody gives you money and says go buy it, don't try to be modest, use it.'cause they gave that to you for a reason and that really stood out to me. Now fast forward, I did that same thing with my mom the next week and she got offended when all the money was gone. So. But I still, right. You know, but I, I still saying, well, like if I gave you$40, I'm kind of come back with, oh, let me bring back, just take it and use it because it was given to you for a reason. So. Good.

Stoy: 31:24

You already got the follow up. I was gonna say, how does that affect you today? Like, what would you do today? How does that change that? But you, you nailed that one.

Izzy Baker: 31:31

Yeah. I'm not a modest at all. Don't ever gimme no money.'cause I feel like if I gave you some money, I wouldn't ex, I wouldn't expect that. So it's just like, don't, don't tell nobody. And even it's like with loaning money, like I don't expect it back subconsciously because it's just like I, you know, people fall out over money all the time.

Stoy: 31:49

Yeah. Yeah. Basically like, I'm gonna loan you money and we can say, this is when you're gonna pay it back. But in my mind, I already know, I, I threw that money out. Like it's, it is, it is gone. But yeah. What is one thing you wanna leave our audience with that they can take and implement in their lives right now as they're listening to take that next step forward in their, in their journey.

Izzy Baker: 32:09

I just go back to,'cause it doesn't matter what age it kicks in, you know, what is it that you wanna do with your life, you know? And if you don't have any kids and not married yet, this is the time to do it. Not saying that you can't do it once you're married, it's just a little easier when you're single to do it. But sometimes people won't get that push until they are married. I don't know. But I know that you need to figure out what it is that you enjoy doing. What is it that you like doing? What is it that just excites you? What I'm saying. People are literally paid to give commentary on reality tv, on YouTube. They will watch every reality show and give their commentary and they get M UK a month. Come on people. You can do whatever you want to do. You know what I'm saying? You was gonna watch that show anyway. I got a friend, I like anime too, but he loves anime. I say you need to be, start doing commentary on something.'cause some of your takes would go crazy. I'm like, you need to start doing commentary. And I think he's about to start. I'm like. You was gonna watch that show anyway, so you might as well go ahead and get, and make it, make it like a job. You know, we live in a world where some people's, like people can't just have hobbies. You can, but if you don't love your job and your job is a struggle, I have to question, maybe you need to do something with that hobby.

Stoy: 33:21

Amen to that. Amen to that one. Hey, and everybody listening, like share, comment and all that stuff not'cause algorithm out. Really don't care. I want you to be able to get to Izzy. I want you to be, allow us to be your resource. DM us, email us, contact us. Obviously subscribe because what we're putting out is only gonna help you. If it helps you, I know it's gonna help a lot of others, so I appreciate you. Obviously, we're gonna have all of your stuff in the description and all the socials and all those things for your podcast, but truly go check him out in his new series as well. But hey, I appreciate you coming on and I can't wait for the next time. Absolutely.