1 00:00:02,786 --> 00:00:04,873 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast. 2 00:00:04,873 --> 00:00:08,811 In this show, the Texas FFA Foundation will take on a 3 00:00:08,891 --> 00:00:12,663 journey of exploration into agricultural science, education, 4 00:00:12,663 --> 00:00:15,990 leadership development and insights from subject matter 5 00:00:16,071 --> 00:00:19,669 experts and sponsors who provide the fuel to make dreams come 6 00:00:19,708 --> 00:00:19,969 true. 7 00:00:19,969 --> 00:00:22,460 Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro. 8 00:00:30,144 --> 00:00:33,165 Speaker 2: Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening or 9 00:00:33,386 --> 00:00:37,448 whenever you may be tuning in to the Growing Our Future podcast, 10 00:00:37,448 --> 00:00:39,948 we really appreciate you stopping by. 11 00:00:39,948 --> 00:00:44,250 We enjoy this podcast because it's an opportunity for us to 12 00:00:44,310 --> 00:00:47,253 find folks that are willing to pour into others, to share their 13 00:00:47,253 --> 00:00:51,895 time, talent, testimonies, experiences and, like we always 14 00:00:51,954 --> 00:00:55,377 say, if you want to know what the future is, grow it. 15 00:00:55,377 --> 00:00:58,137 Well, the way you grow something is you got to plant 16 00:00:58,158 --> 00:00:58,978 the right seeds. 17 00:00:58,978 --> 00:01:02,121 Well, today's no different folks. 18 00:01:02,121 --> 00:01:03,383 We have got an extraordinary guest. 19 00:01:03,383 --> 00:01:04,424 Well, today's no different folks, we have got an 20 00:01:04,444 --> 00:01:06,168 extraordinary guest, and I cannot wait to get to their 21 00:01:06,268 --> 00:01:10,213 seeds of greatness that I know, if we plant them in our lives, 22 00:01:15,260 --> 00:01:16,462 we're going to grow something mighty, have a harvest and a 23 00:01:16,481 --> 00:01:16,882 bounty we're sharing. 24 00:01:16,882 --> 00:01:18,585 And so, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor and you're going 25 00:01:18,605 --> 00:01:20,509 to get to hear more about this man here in a second, but it's 26 00:01:20,549 --> 00:01:27,688 an honor to have Dr Coach Nate Hearn Coach thank you for 27 00:01:27,709 --> 00:01:28,593 joining us today. 28 00:01:36,263 --> 00:01:37,364 Speaker 3: My honor to be here and I love the way you talk 29 00:01:37,385 --> 00:01:39,287 about seeds because, oh man, those seeds were poured into me 30 00:01:39,307 --> 00:01:42,932 by some great people over the years and many of them. 31 00:01:42,932 --> 00:01:45,614 That's an eternal friendship. 32 00:01:45,614 --> 00:01:51,406 It's, it's gonna last forever, I'll never forget them. 33 00:01:51,426 --> 00:01:52,269 Speaker 2: I'm with you, trust me. 34 00:01:52,269 --> 00:01:54,174 That's the power of testimony. 35 00:01:54,174 --> 00:01:56,302 What you just said, that's the power of testimony. 36 00:01:56,302 --> 00:01:59,509 Uh, we stand on the shoulders of the people that went before 37 00:01:59,549 --> 00:02:03,203 us and we're grateful for the seeds that people share, which 38 00:02:03,243 --> 00:02:07,980 is why, coach, we're grateful that you're with us today, so 39 00:02:08,020 --> 00:02:09,965 that you're going to get a chance to share with the 40 00:02:10,125 --> 00:02:14,112 audience of students, with adults, with sponsors, with 41 00:02:14,272 --> 00:02:17,021 educators, and it goes around. 42 00:02:17,021 --> 00:02:20,049 Amazing, coach, how many people around the world watch this 43 00:02:20,109 --> 00:02:21,453 podcast Blows me away. 44 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,366 So, just know that your words here are going to become seeds 45 00:02:25,387 --> 00:02:25,929 of greatness. 46 00:02:25,929 --> 00:02:29,144 I appreciate you taking time to join us. 47 00:02:29,144 --> 00:02:30,588 I'm honored. 48 00:02:30,588 --> 00:02:34,695 Here's the thing Every person that comes on this show, 49 00:02:34,896 --> 00:02:41,909 everybody gets the same first question Coach, what are you 50 00:02:42,031 --> 00:02:43,179 grateful for today? 51 00:02:43,179 --> 00:02:45,588 What are you grateful for? 52 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:50,867 Speaker 3: I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here today to 53 00:02:50,927 --> 00:02:53,614 know that our future is with our students. 54 00:02:53,614 --> 00:03:01,830 That's been my heart forever, to know that they're out there, 55 00:03:02,491 --> 00:03:05,354 they want to learn, they want to grow, they want to make a great 56 00:03:05,354 --> 00:03:09,907 nation and I'm honored to be a part of that, to know that we 57 00:03:09,967 --> 00:03:13,787 can do this and it has an effect for the future. 58 00:03:15,861 --> 00:03:16,925 Speaker 2: I'm going to agree with you. 59 00:03:16,925 --> 00:03:22,651 You know, when Tom Ziegler by the way folks, coach Nate and I 60 00:03:22,691 --> 00:03:25,627 have a mutual friend and Tom Ziegler, the son of the late 61 00:03:25,687 --> 00:03:29,445 great Zig Ziegler, and when Tom and I first started talking, 62 00:03:29,485 --> 00:03:32,346 coach, we were talking he said, well, tell me what you do. 63 00:03:32,346 --> 00:03:34,866 And I said I'm in the future business. 64 00:03:34,866 --> 00:03:36,966 And he said what do you mean? 65 00:03:36,966 --> 00:03:40,722 I said I'm in the kid business, and if you're in the kid 66 00:03:40,762 --> 00:03:42,405 business, you're in the future business. 67 00:03:42,405 --> 00:03:46,532 And so I appreciate what you said because it's an honor I 68 00:03:46,592 --> 00:03:47,875 know you're grateful for that. 69 00:03:47,875 --> 00:03:51,706 It's an honor too for me to sit in the seat that I sit in and 70 00:03:51,727 --> 00:03:53,377 have an opportunity to work with young people and to work with 71 00:03:53,437 --> 00:03:53,840 educators. 72 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:58,441 So thank you so much for what you're grateful for, coach. 73 00:03:58,621 --> 00:04:01,887 I know that there are some that may be tuning in that have heard 74 00:04:01,887 --> 00:04:05,753 your story, have heard of you, but we've got a lot of young 75 00:04:06,039 --> 00:04:07,824 listeners that might not know. 76 00:04:07,824 --> 00:04:12,141 When we talk about Friday Night Lights and we talk about Zig 77 00:04:12,201 --> 00:04:15,330 Ziglar, sometimes it's not something that's immediate in 78 00:04:15,349 --> 00:04:16,132 their wheelhouse. 79 00:04:16,132 --> 00:04:22,451 I know the success that you've had as a coach, as a husband, as 80 00:04:22,451 --> 00:04:25,226 a father, in so many roles that you've played. 81 00:04:25,226 --> 00:04:27,528 I know you didn't just fall into that seat. 82 00:04:27,528 --> 00:04:32,762 Something tells me that there was a journey, there was things 83 00:04:32,802 --> 00:04:37,862 that happened, doors that opened , doors that closed, that led 84 00:04:37,922 --> 00:04:39,427 you to where you're at today. 85 00:04:39,427 --> 00:04:43,353 If you would take a moment and just kind of walk us through 86 00:04:43,836 --> 00:04:47,045 Coach Nate's journey and how you got to where you're at today. 87 00:04:48,069 --> 00:04:48,831 Speaker 3: It's just awesome. 88 00:04:48,831 --> 00:04:53,891 Yeah, the main thing is, like you said, I had seeds poured 89 00:04:53,932 --> 00:04:58,971 into me, watered and nourished by some great people. 90 00:04:58,971 --> 00:05:05,050 Now, my parents were great, wonderful parents. 91 00:05:05,050 --> 00:05:13,180 I came from a home of seven other brothers and sisters and 92 00:05:13,521 --> 00:05:14,201 my parents. 93 00:05:14,201 --> 00:05:19,612 They poured into us the things that we were supposed to do and 94 00:05:19,932 --> 00:05:23,185 how we were supposed to do it, and the most important thing was 95 00:05:23,185 --> 00:05:28,682 to be caring and kind and helping, of service. 96 00:05:29,004 --> 00:05:35,507 My parents were people of service orientation, but they 97 00:05:35,528 --> 00:05:39,156 were not educators and grew up poor. 98 00:05:39,156 --> 00:05:42,572 I didn't know where my next meal was going to come from. 99 00:05:42,572 --> 00:05:44,622 I wore hand-me-down clothes. 100 00:05:44,622 --> 00:05:45,069 I didn't know if I was going to come from. 101 00:05:45,069 --> 00:05:45,689 I wore hand-me-down clothes. 102 00:05:45,689 --> 00:05:47,879 I didn't know if I was going to come home to the same house 103 00:05:48,259 --> 00:05:54,620 sometimes, but my parents kept us together and provided for us. 104 00:05:55,463 --> 00:05:56,386 School was different. 105 00:05:56,386 --> 00:05:57,470 You need it. 106 00:05:57,470 --> 00:06:00,961 You grow up in poverty and you know that you're isolated out 107 00:06:00,980 --> 00:06:02,863 there and things are just not the same. 108 00:06:02,863 --> 00:06:09,475 Sometimes a rural can be cruel and you need that teacher figure 109 00:06:09,475 --> 00:06:13,891 , authority figure, that can come along and say hey, you're 110 00:06:13,930 --> 00:06:17,449 okay, I think you're going to do great things someday. 111 00:06:17,449 --> 00:06:22,750 Every one of us need that a smile, a pat, an encouraging 112 00:06:22,791 --> 00:06:23,031 word. 113 00:06:23,031 --> 00:06:25,285 So I got that from two great men. 114 00:06:25,285 --> 00:06:31,026 A science teacher, seventh grade, and my football coach did 115 00:06:31,026 --> 00:06:36,120 that for me and I'm eternally grateful for the seeds that they 116 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:39,894 planted in me, because Aaron and I would not have made it 117 00:06:40,716 --> 00:06:43,862 without their encouragement, without their encouragement. 118 00:06:43,862 --> 00:06:48,608 My science teacher he took me under his wing, he made me his 119 00:06:48,649 --> 00:06:50,711 lab assistant in his class. 120 00:06:50,711 --> 00:06:54,276 My football coach a seventh grade football coach, mark 121 00:06:54,295 --> 00:06:54,615 Wallace. 122 00:06:54,615 --> 00:06:58,463 My science teacher's name was Mr Clyde Hake. 123 00:06:58,463 --> 00:06:59,084 Where was this at? 124 00:06:59,144 --> 00:06:59,446 Speaker 2: coach. 125 00:07:00,148 --> 00:07:01,350 Speaker 3: This was Andrews, Texas. 126 00:07:01,630 --> 00:07:02,413 Speaker 2: Andrews, Texas. 127 00:07:03,459 --> 00:07:03,944 Speaker 3: West Texas, west Texas. 128 00:07:03,944 --> 00:07:04,507 Yeah, this was Andrews Texas. 129 00:07:04,507 --> 00:07:06,358 Andrews Texas, west Texas, west Texas. 130 00:07:06,358 --> 00:07:10,189 Yeah, little small town, maybe 5,000 people at the most. 131 00:07:10,189 --> 00:07:14,862 You know they took me under their wing and nourished me. 132 00:07:14,862 --> 00:07:16,846 I became, from their nourishment, from their seed 133 00:07:16,906 --> 00:07:20,461 planting, the thing that I wanted to do and I decided at an 134 00:07:20,461 --> 00:07:23,206 early age because of their influence in my life. 135 00:07:23,206 --> 00:07:28,733 I remember that I said you know I was one of those, you know, 136 00:07:28,774 --> 00:07:29,435 troubled children. 137 00:07:29,435 --> 00:07:30,886 I had lots of trouble in school . 138 00:07:30,886 --> 00:07:35,903 I wasn't successful until I met those two men and they turned 139 00:07:35,923 --> 00:07:36,286 me around. 140 00:07:36,286 --> 00:07:37,545 My grades were bad. 141 00:07:37,545 --> 00:07:40,870 I made C's, d's and F's in elementary school. 142 00:07:40,870 --> 00:07:43,427 You know I had behavior problems. 143 00:07:43,427 --> 00:07:46,600 And then I met those two men and it just flipped. 144 00:07:46,781 --> 00:07:53,814 I went from making F's and D's on my report cards to being on 145 00:07:53,853 --> 00:07:58,809 the honor roll because of their influence and I decided in the 146 00:07:58,848 --> 00:08:01,641 seventh grade that I wanted to be a science teacher and a coach 147 00:08:01,641 --> 00:08:05,810 , and in that moment I would never let it go. 148 00:08:05,810 --> 00:08:13,007 Wow, I never let it go Wow, and today I still follow their 149 00:08:13,067 --> 00:08:15,293 leadership, the examples that they set for me. 150 00:08:15,293 --> 00:08:20,028 Today I'm 73 years old and I still follow the things that 151 00:08:20,048 --> 00:08:22,213 they taught me when I was in the seventh grade. 152 00:08:23,701 --> 00:08:25,146 Speaker 2: I know we've got a lot more to talk about. 153 00:08:25,146 --> 00:08:26,083 We could stop right there. 154 00:08:26,083 --> 00:08:28,331 Just listen, coach. 155 00:08:28,331 --> 00:08:28,892 Here's the thing. 156 00:08:28,892 --> 00:08:31,704 When we talk about growing the future and seeds of greatness, 157 00:08:31,744 --> 00:08:35,258 what I tell people the reason why people's testimonies are so 158 00:08:35,317 --> 00:08:38,765 powerful is if you'll listen to somebody's testimony. 159 00:08:38,765 --> 00:08:42,573 Tony Robbins said success leaves clues. 160 00:08:42,573 --> 00:08:46,639 And if you listen to folks' testimony, you start finding 161 00:08:46,759 --> 00:08:48,363 those seeds. 162 00:08:48,363 --> 00:08:50,446 Just in your first sharing. 163 00:08:50,446 --> 00:08:55,294 There you talked about encouragement, you talked about 164 00:08:55,539 --> 00:09:00,089 expectation, you talked about accountability and you also 165 00:09:00,109 --> 00:09:01,972 trickled in a little want to. 166 00:09:01,972 --> 00:09:04,096 And you also trickled in a little want to. 167 00:09:04,096 --> 00:09:18,306 Yes, because none of that words of encouragement and none of 168 00:09:18,326 --> 00:09:20,091 that opportunity that was presented to you could have ever 169 00:09:20,091 --> 00:09:21,254 been nourished and brought fruit if you wouldn't have had 170 00:09:21,274 --> 00:09:23,179 some want to, and you obviously had a little want to. 171 00:09:23,179 --> 00:09:27,263 I think you sounds like you wanted to maybe have a little 172 00:09:27,283 --> 00:09:27,724 more than what you had. 173 00:09:27,724 --> 00:09:30,808 Growing up, you were encouraged by what somebody gave you, so 174 00:09:30,849 --> 00:09:33,033 you wanted to kind of share that with somebody else. 175 00:09:33,033 --> 00:09:37,046 Yes, I kind of picked up on that that. 176 00:09:37,046 --> 00:09:39,912 You know, these are the kind of seeds of greatness that I hope 177 00:09:39,971 --> 00:09:40,653 people hear. 178 00:09:40,653 --> 00:09:43,994 One of the things that I share with some of our youth leaders, 179 00:09:44,053 --> 00:09:44,494 coaches. 180 00:09:44,494 --> 00:09:46,095 I tell them. 181 00:09:46,134 --> 00:09:49,456 I said go ahead, get into school and you can take all you want. 182 00:09:49,456 --> 00:09:52,878 I said get into junior high, get into middle school, get into 183 00:09:52,878 --> 00:09:54,437 high school and you can take. 184 00:09:54,437 --> 00:09:56,581 I said if you go to college, guess what? 185 00:09:56,581 --> 00:09:59,327 You still may find a few opportunities to take. 186 00:09:59,327 --> 00:10:02,520 I said, but once you get out in the real world it's going to 187 00:10:02,541 --> 00:10:03,182 get a little bit harder to take. 188 00:10:03,182 --> 00:10:04,623 I said but once you get out in the real world it's going to get 189 00:10:04,623 --> 00:10:05,384 a little bit harder to take. 190 00:10:05,403 --> 00:10:10,609 Yes, I said, but if you can learn at an early age to serve, 191 00:10:12,230 --> 00:10:15,352 when you get into high school, you can serve yes. 192 00:10:15,352 --> 00:10:19,017 When you get into college, you can serve yes. 193 00:10:19,017 --> 00:10:22,120 And when you get out of college and you start a career and you 194 00:10:22,159 --> 00:10:25,004 live in a neighborhood and you live in a community, guess what? 195 00:10:25,004 --> 00:10:29,668 There are going to be needs and an opportunity to serve Always. 196 00:10:29,668 --> 00:10:34,693 So think big about that service component, because it doesn't 197 00:10:34,734 --> 00:10:37,081 matter if you become a coach, it doesn't matter if you become 198 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:40,027 director of a nonprofit, it doesn't matter what your role is 199 00:10:40,027 --> 00:10:40,528 in life. 200 00:10:40,528 --> 00:10:44,745 Giving back to others is probably one of the greatest 201 00:10:44,846 --> 00:10:48,529 gifts, and you and I both know what did Zig always say? 202 00:10:48,529 --> 00:10:51,850 You know you can get anything in life you want, that's right. 203 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:55,907 If you help enough other people get what they want, that's right 204 00:10:55,907 --> 00:10:55,907 . 205 00:10:55,907 --> 00:10:58,047 So you were a coach. 206 00:10:58,047 --> 00:11:00,128 So tell me, you became a coach. 207 00:11:00,128 --> 00:11:02,826 I know y'all did that. 208 00:11:02,826 --> 00:11:05,028 You didn't just fall into a state championship. 209 00:11:05,028 --> 00:11:08,245 So what does that journey look like? 210 00:11:08,245 --> 00:11:14,023 To build a team, to build a program and here's one for you, 211 00:11:14,062 --> 00:11:18,212 Coach to build a culture of excellence and winning. 212 00:11:20,061 --> 00:11:23,548 Speaker 3: Yeah, you have to have the right mindset to build 213 00:11:23,609 --> 00:11:25,092 that kind of culture. 214 00:11:25,092 --> 00:11:28,307 You have to have a process and you have to get the guys to 215 00:11:28,347 --> 00:11:29,851 believe in that process. 216 00:11:29,851 --> 00:11:33,703 It's like it's like anything in life If it's going to be 217 00:11:33,764 --> 00:11:38,909 successful, the most important thing in any entity are the 218 00:11:38,929 --> 00:11:42,774 people, the relationship with the people, the relationships 219 00:11:42,815 --> 00:11:45,677 with those young men, the relationship with the people, 220 00:11:45,697 --> 00:11:47,159 the relationships with those young men. 221 00:11:47,159 --> 00:11:51,524 We had to nurture and grow those relationships in order for 222 00:11:51,524 --> 00:11:53,009 them to excel in that program, because it was a very difficult 223 00:11:53,028 --> 00:11:53,169 program. 224 00:11:53,169 --> 00:11:56,200 It was based on a college level program. 225 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,748 We instituted the first coach, instituted that and came down to 226 00:11:59,748 --> 00:12:08,221 the high school level and instituted school level and 227 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:09,943 institute it and they begin to take off and for 35 years at 228 00:12:09,964 --> 00:12:12,948 permian high school we had that one percentage of 88.9 percent. 229 00:12:12,948 --> 00:12:16,539 Six state championships, national champions, team of the 230 00:12:16,580 --> 00:12:19,866 decade the times that I was there, 10 years, the years that 231 00:12:19,908 --> 00:12:25,648 I served there we renamed a team of the decade with uh, 122 wins 232 00:12:25,648 --> 00:12:26,772 and 11 losses. 233 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,807 Speaker 1: Just unheard of and most amazing thing about those 234 00:12:29,847 --> 00:12:30,168 guys. 235 00:12:31,541 --> 00:12:34,125 Speaker 3: They were undersized One time. 236 00:12:34,125 --> 00:12:37,431 Aaron, we're playing in the semifinals for the state with 237 00:12:37,471 --> 00:12:42,424 the smallest team in Texas, but we're in the big school division 238 00:12:42,424 --> 00:12:42,424 . 239 00:12:42,424 --> 00:12:45,371 Our middle linebacker weighs 145. 240 00:12:45,371 --> 00:12:52,802 Our linemen are over 200 pounds the smallest team in the state 241 00:12:52,842 --> 00:12:57,448 and we're playing against another team and they have seven 242 00:12:57,448 --> 00:13:01,956 Division One already scholarship athletes on the team 243 00:13:01,956 --> 00:13:01,956 . 244 00:13:02,460 --> 00:13:07,344 They've got the 250s, the 260s, the 270s and those guys with the 245 00:13:07,344 --> 00:13:08,767 heart of a line. 246 00:13:08,767 --> 00:13:11,432 We lost that game 28-21. 247 00:13:11,432 --> 00:13:14,822 So that was the nature of that school and a culture. 248 00:13:14,822 --> 00:13:19,893 Because of that, the moniker was Mojo. 249 00:13:19,893 --> 00:13:23,429 Because of that, mojo, mojo. 250 00:13:23,429 --> 00:13:26,306 We had a following. 251 00:13:26,306 --> 00:13:30,660 They built a stadium in 1980 and people thought they were 252 00:13:30,701 --> 00:13:31,261 crazy. 253 00:13:31,261 --> 00:13:36,354 They built a stadium in 1980 in Odessa, radcliffe Stadium that 254 00:13:36,414 --> 00:13:40,062 seat 28,000 people for high school football. 255 00:13:40,062 --> 00:13:40,842 This was in 80. 256 00:13:40,842 --> 00:13:44,688 And they thought we were crazy and they feel that stadium every 257 00:13:44,688 --> 00:13:48,595 Friday night when we played at home for 31 years. 258 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:54,447 But 31 years, right, and with that kind of atmosphere, with 259 00:13:54,467 --> 00:13:58,934 that kind of following, we had over 500 students in the band, 260 00:14:00,659 --> 00:14:05,570 380 Peppettes, a community that would follow us to to the end of 261 00:14:05,570 --> 00:14:07,673 the world to watch us play, to support us. 262 00:14:07,673 --> 00:14:11,567 That program brought to that community. 263 00:14:11,567 --> 00:14:15,979 And when you have something like that, it changes the 264 00:14:16,019 --> 00:14:19,549 community, it changes everybody, it affects a lot of lives. 265 00:14:19,549 --> 00:14:24,128 When you have that kind of culture in the school behind 266 00:14:24,567 --> 00:14:28,115 students who want to excel, they want to do the good thing. 267 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,210 They want to do the right thing they're playing it's wholesome. 268 00:14:31,210 --> 00:14:32,263 It's mom. 269 00:14:32,263 --> 00:14:34,028 Apple pie, white picket fence. 270 00:14:34,028 --> 00:14:36,567 That's what it was Right. 271 00:14:40,580 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 2: You know, kyle, there's so much there. 272 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:45,883 Again, you just, for example. 273 00:14:45,883 --> 00:14:48,163 I love doing these interviews because there's so many little 274 00:14:48,203 --> 00:14:50,684 things that people will just listen that you can pick out. 275 00:14:50,684 --> 00:14:59,009 Success begets success. 276 00:14:59,009 --> 00:15:01,330 Listen to what you just shared. 277 00:15:01,330 --> 00:15:02,350 It was so beautifully. 278 00:15:02,970 --> 00:15:06,631 You didn't just talk about the football team, you talked about 279 00:15:06,711 --> 00:15:11,193 how those successes were duplicated in fine arts. 280 00:15:11,193 --> 00:15:16,176 They were probably duplicated in other classroom activity. 281 00:15:16,176 --> 00:15:18,236 They were probably duplicated. 282 00:15:18,236 --> 00:15:24,421 I guarantee you anybody that knows small town Texas, you know 283 00:15:24,421 --> 00:15:25,645 there's coffee shops where everybody gathers to cuss and 284 00:15:25,666 --> 00:15:27,091 discuss what's wrong with the country and everything else. 285 00:15:27,091 --> 00:15:29,400 But when you're winning, guess what they're talking about? 286 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:31,784 They're talking about success. 287 00:15:32,706 --> 00:15:34,129 How did they get that success? 288 00:15:34,129 --> 00:15:36,493 How did they plan that play? 289 00:15:36,493 --> 00:15:39,923 How did they plan for that team ? 290 00:15:39,923 --> 00:15:44,208 How did we know we were going to be outmanned, we were going 291 00:15:44,229 --> 00:15:49,216 to be outweighed, but we weren't going to be outhearted? 292 00:15:49,216 --> 00:15:51,240 We, you know. 293 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,711 And so what you just shared is the beauty of success. 294 00:15:54,711 --> 00:16:00,087 One of the guests that I've had on here, coach, is a guy that 295 00:16:00,107 --> 00:16:03,413 he just matter of fact, I worked for him when his company first 296 00:16:03,433 --> 00:16:03,835 started. 297 00:16:03,835 --> 00:16:08,150 He just made the largest gift in Texas Tech University history 298 00:16:08,150 --> 00:16:08,150 . 299 00:16:08,150 --> 00:16:13,923 He gave him a $44 million gift, oh man, and he very much 300 00:16:14,124 --> 00:16:17,753 humbled beginnings and just became very successful. 301 00:16:17,753 --> 00:16:21,950 But what he likes to say that I like is he says it's okay to 302 00:16:22,009 --> 00:16:22,270 win. 303 00:16:24,602 --> 00:16:25,568 Speaker 3: It's okay to win. 304 00:16:25,589 --> 00:16:26,232 Speaker 2: It's okay to win. 305 00:16:26,232 --> 00:16:29,187 Yeah, y'all put in a lot of work. 306 00:16:29,187 --> 00:16:31,865 It's okay that you won. 307 00:16:31,865 --> 00:16:36,386 It's true, no one gave it to you, no one said you're entitled 308 00:16:36,386 --> 00:16:36,687 to it. 309 00:16:36,687 --> 00:16:42,763 You were grateful for the opportunity you put in, the work 310 00:16:42,763 --> 00:16:44,546 and you reap the results. 311 00:16:44,546 --> 00:16:46,450 It's okay to win. 312 00:16:46,450 --> 00:16:56,961 It's okay to win, and success begets success. 313 00:16:56,961 --> 00:16:58,024 It does, and y'all did that throughout. 314 00:16:58,024 --> 00:16:59,568 I can tell you and I think I mentioned this to you before in 315 00:16:59,589 --> 00:17:04,645 1985, I was state FFA president and I would travel four to five 316 00:17:04,685 --> 00:17:06,151 schools a day, five days a week. 317 00:17:06,151 --> 00:17:07,807 I traveled all over the state of Texas. 318 00:17:07,807 --> 00:17:13,363 I've been in high schools all over the state and to your point 319 00:17:13,363 --> 00:17:20,387 , to your point, in 1985, 86, and that year I remember coming 320 00:17:20,808 --> 00:17:24,568 to Permian and I remember driving by the football stadium 321 00:17:25,401 --> 00:17:28,471 and I remember saying that's where the mojo happens. 322 00:17:28,471 --> 00:17:33,262 I also remember you'll remember this too I remember the Monday 323 00:17:33,303 --> 00:17:33,785 Moguls. 324 00:17:34,807 --> 00:17:35,108 Speaker 3: Yes. 325 00:17:35,851 --> 00:17:39,699 Speaker 2: Yes, and I remember when they built a brand new high 326 00:17:39,699 --> 00:17:42,147 school and football field in Gilmer Texas. 327 00:17:42,228 --> 00:17:42,669 Speaker 3: Yes. 328 00:17:44,022 --> 00:17:44,546 Speaker 2: You remember? 329 00:17:44,546 --> 00:17:45,480 Yes, you remember. 330 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:51,070 And so it's amazing how a structure can become kind of a 331 00:17:51,151 --> 00:17:53,984 flagpole, that's true, kind of rally around. 332 00:17:53,984 --> 00:17:58,423 But something you said, coach, and I'm always listening in 333 00:17:58,462 --> 00:18:02,201 these interviews to find the title of this interview, and I'm 334 00:18:02,201 --> 00:18:04,306 not saying I've got it yet, I'm just giving you an example. 335 00:18:04,306 --> 00:18:07,133 You can have all the structures of this interview. 336 00:18:07,133 --> 00:18:07,869 I'm not saying I've got it yet, I'm just giving you an example. 337 00:18:07,869 --> 00:18:10,193 You can have all the structures in the world, but if you don't 338 00:18:10,233 --> 00:18:13,663 have the right people and the right culture, you just got a 339 00:18:13,723 --> 00:18:18,647 pretty structure and the first thing that you said when you 340 00:18:18,688 --> 00:18:22,867 started to tell me about your journey was you said it's about 341 00:18:22,887 --> 00:18:23,269 the people. 342 00:18:23,269 --> 00:18:25,060 That was the first thing you said. 343 00:18:25,060 --> 00:18:25,842 It's about the people, about the people. 344 00:18:25,842 --> 00:18:28,125 That was the first thing you said it's about the people and I 345 00:18:28,125 --> 00:18:28,786 wrote that down. 346 00:18:28,786 --> 00:18:33,773 That's it, because God didn't create us to be the Lone Ranger. 347 00:18:33,773 --> 00:18:39,991 No, life is not a solo project, and you said it. 348 00:18:41,364 --> 00:18:45,496 Speaker 3: You said it was all about the people yeah, and I I 349 00:18:45,556 --> 00:18:49,383 know that you know this and and I hope this is what the students 350 00:18:49,383 --> 00:18:53,496 get from this is that anything that you do in life, the thing 351 00:18:53,516 --> 00:18:58,550 that makes that success is that you have to know who you are 352 00:18:59,412 --> 00:19:02,258 right, knowing your identity, knowing who you are. 353 00:19:02,258 --> 00:19:06,212 Becoming self-aware uh, john maxwell in his book 354 00:19:06,232 --> 00:19:09,031 self-awareness he says that's the most important thing in life 355 00:19:09,031 --> 00:19:13,384 that you have to be able to identify who you are. 356 00:19:13,384 --> 00:19:18,316 If you're able to identify who you are, then you can plan 357 00:19:19,617 --> 00:19:22,963 anything, you can plan your life , because you know what you want 358 00:19:22,963 --> 00:19:26,556 , you know who you are and that's why the people are so 359 00:19:26,596 --> 00:19:27,016 important. 360 00:19:27,016 --> 00:19:30,662 And you said it you can get a good product, a good stadium, 361 00:19:30,682 --> 00:19:33,853 you can have a great process, but if you don't have the people 362 00:19:33,853 --> 00:19:38,262 who know who they are, it's not going to work Right. 363 00:19:40,131 --> 00:19:44,878 They got it when my cat and I do a program called Core Clarity, 364 00:19:44,939 --> 00:19:47,243 and it's all about helping students identify their 365 00:19:47,263 --> 00:19:47,683 strengths. 366 00:19:47,683 --> 00:19:53,483 Because we feel this way If you know your gifts, if you're an 367 00:19:53,523 --> 00:19:55,851 achiever, if you're a communicator, if you're a 368 00:19:55,911 --> 00:20:00,141 relator, if all of those things you know about yourself, when 369 00:20:00,201 --> 00:20:03,413 you walk across that stage, instead of handing you the keys 370 00:20:03,453 --> 00:20:08,684 to the Beetle Volkswagen, they're handing you the keys to 371 00:20:08,724 --> 00:20:09,727 the Beetle Volkswagen. 372 00:20:09,727 --> 00:20:14,157 They're handing you the keys to the Audi, the Mercedes, the 373 00:20:14,178 --> 00:20:14,880 Maserati. 374 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,096 Right, because you know who you are. 375 00:20:17,096 --> 00:20:20,500 You're not guessing anymore about your future. 376 00:20:20,500 --> 00:20:22,798 You know where you want to go and you know what you want to do 377 00:20:22,798 --> 00:20:22,798 . 378 00:20:22,798 --> 00:20:27,116 That seed has been planted and now all it has to do is be 379 00:20:27,217 --> 00:20:27,598 watered. 380 00:20:30,411 --> 00:20:31,493 Speaker 2: Writing that one down too. 381 00:20:31,493 --> 00:20:32,999 Know who you are. 382 00:20:32,999 --> 00:20:34,242 That's powerful. 383 00:20:34,242 --> 00:20:37,532 And, by the way, when you say that I don't mind throwing this 384 00:20:37,633 --> 00:20:42,090 in, coach, because I'm not ashamed of spirituality, I'm not 385 00:20:42,090 --> 00:20:45,064 ashamed of faith, and the reason I appreciate you saying 386 00:20:45,164 --> 00:20:48,233 you got to know who you are is because I know who made you, and 387 00:20:48,233 --> 00:20:51,301 God doesn't sponsor any flops and he doesn't make any trash. 388 00:20:51,301 --> 00:20:53,616 So let me tell you something there's not a person listening 389 00:20:53,636 --> 00:20:57,611 to this show that was not created for anything less than 390 00:20:57,671 --> 00:21:02,842 greatness, and all we got to do sometimes is look around, find 391 00:21:02,882 --> 00:21:08,882 that encourager, find those skills and be the best version. 392 00:21:08,990 --> 00:21:11,691 You know one of the guests that we've had on here, coach, and I 393 00:21:11,730 --> 00:21:14,712 don't know if y'all's paths have ever crossed and if you haven't 394 00:21:14,712 --> 00:21:18,253 , I'm going to make an introduction but his name is Dan 395 00:21:18,253 --> 00:21:18,955 Owolabi. 396 00:21:18,955 --> 00:21:26,892 Dan Owolabi, well, let me say this, coach, tom Ziegler, who's 397 00:21:26,912 --> 00:21:28,055 a mutual friend of ours. 398 00:21:28,055 --> 00:21:34,053 Tom holds you in very high esteem and he's told me he said 399 00:21:34,073 --> 00:21:38,353 Aaron, coach Nate could be, next to my dad, the best speaker 400 00:21:38,393 --> 00:21:38,976 I've ever heard. 401 00:21:38,976 --> 00:21:42,397 That's pretty powerful commentary coming from Tom 402 00:21:42,417 --> 00:21:47,479 Ziegler, and I'm going to tell you that Dan Owalabi could be 403 00:21:47,980 --> 00:21:50,053 one of those as well that you need to get to know. 404 00:21:50,053 --> 00:21:54,067 He wrote a book called Authentic Leadership and he 405 00:21:54,126 --> 00:21:58,277 talks about being your authentic self, yes, and not trying to be 406 00:21:58,277 --> 00:22:01,810 something that you're not or you're trying to become 407 00:22:01,871 --> 00:22:04,656 something that the world's told you that you've got to become. 408 00:22:04,656 --> 00:22:09,731 So when you said that you got to know who you are, there's a 409 00:22:09,832 --> 00:22:11,116 lot of wisdom in that comment. 410 00:22:11,116 --> 00:22:13,996 A lot of wisdom in that comment . 411 00:22:14,959 --> 00:22:20,538 Speaker 3: Yeah, and you know you get people who will work and 412 00:22:20,538 --> 00:22:23,124 do a job in some companies. 413 00:22:23,124 --> 00:22:30,294 These people are really good at what they do, but if they don't 414 00:22:30,294 --> 00:22:35,218 love what they're doing, they can even be paid air handsomely 415 00:22:35,317 --> 00:22:35,598 for it. 416 00:22:35,598 --> 00:22:40,641 And sometimes if you don't sit down and ask them, you know, get 417 00:22:40,641 --> 00:22:41,021 to know them. 418 00:22:41,021 --> 00:22:42,434 Just like you said at the beginning of this, you got to 419 00:22:42,454 --> 00:22:44,032 get to know people, you got to talk to people. 420 00:22:44,032 --> 00:22:47,875 If you don't know them, you don't know if they're happy in 421 00:22:47,894 --> 00:22:48,537 that job or not. 422 00:22:48,809 --> 00:22:50,252 Speaker 1: Even though they get paid haphazardly. 423 00:22:50,292 --> 00:22:51,675 Speaker 3: Even though people come and say, oh, you're great 424 00:22:51,715 --> 00:22:55,364 at this, they might not like it because it's not who they are. 425 00:22:55,364 --> 00:22:59,618 They don't identify with that because there's parts of that 426 00:22:59,638 --> 00:23:01,363 that they really don't love it. 427 00:23:01,363 --> 00:23:10,592 And when you talk to them they go I can do it, I do it well, 428 00:23:10,633 --> 00:23:11,153 but I don't like it. 429 00:23:11,153 --> 00:23:13,398 And if if you have a gift, we do not call it a strength if you 430 00:23:13,398 --> 00:23:17,068 don't love what you're doing it's not a strength. 431 00:23:17,269 --> 00:23:21,953 It's not a strength if you don't love, you gotta love it, and 432 00:23:21,993 --> 00:23:24,797 you know there's millions of people out there doing things 433 00:23:24,836 --> 00:23:30,622 that they don't love doing right there man, that's good. 434 00:23:32,303 --> 00:23:33,403 Speaker 2: Oh, coach, that's good. 435 00:23:33,403 --> 00:23:36,626 I've, uh, I've been the development officer now here for 436 00:23:36,626 --> 00:23:42,825 the texas ffa foundation for 25 years and, uh, I've had my 437 00:23:42,884 --> 00:23:43,866 share of opportunities. 438 00:23:43,866 --> 00:23:47,436 As you might imagine, I've had a lot of people say, hey, if you 439 00:23:47,436 --> 00:23:49,555 ever want to make a change, I'd love to have you. 440 00:23:49,555 --> 00:23:57,851 There's been some very attractive financial offers, but 441 00:23:57,851 --> 00:24:02,934 there's no amount of money that you can place on a heart that's 442 00:24:02,934 --> 00:24:06,221 bent for a passion and a purpose that they believe 443 00:24:06,261 --> 00:24:09,355 they've been given Not a purpose that they believe they've been 444 00:24:09,394 --> 00:24:09,694 given. 445 00:24:09,694 --> 00:24:14,671 And there were a lot of doors that closed on my journey and 446 00:24:14,691 --> 00:24:17,279 there was a lot of doors that opened to put me where I'm at, 447 00:24:18,351 --> 00:24:20,298 and I couldn't agree with you more. 448 00:24:21,010 --> 00:24:23,538 I know a lot of people that have told me, aaron, I make a lot of 449 00:24:23,538 --> 00:24:26,317 money, but I wished I could be as happy as you are. 450 00:24:26,317 --> 00:24:29,703 Thank you, told me, aaron, I make a lot of money, but I 451 00:24:29,723 --> 00:24:30,647 wished I could be as happy as you are. 452 00:24:30,647 --> 00:24:37,692 Thank you, and you know, at the end of the day, we're in charge 453 00:24:37,692 --> 00:24:37,894 of that. 454 00:24:37,894 --> 00:24:39,016 Nobody else is in charge of my happiness. 455 00:24:39,016 --> 00:24:40,278 No, you know, we're in charge of that. 456 00:24:40,278 --> 00:24:40,959 That's right. 457 00:24:40,959 --> 00:24:44,692 And so, to your point, if you can find that thing that makes 458 00:24:44,731 --> 00:24:49,239 you happy, that thing that gives your passion purpose. 459 00:24:49,239 --> 00:24:52,785 You're going to be wealthy yes, you are. 460 00:24:52,785 --> 00:24:55,417 You're going to be rich in spirit yes. 461 00:24:55,417 --> 00:24:59,237 You're going to be rich with friends yes, and you're going to 462 00:24:59,237 --> 00:25:00,910 have enough money to pay the bills. 463 00:25:00,910 --> 00:25:04,636 It's like I tell people if you'll just manage what you got, 464 00:25:04,636 --> 00:25:07,663 maybe at the end of the month you might have a little bit left 465 00:25:07,663 --> 00:25:11,919 over and there might be somebody that needs a little bit 466 00:25:11,919 --> 00:25:11,919 . 467 00:25:12,109 --> 00:25:15,571 Yeah yeah, yeah, and you get to help them, and that's a good 468 00:25:15,633 --> 00:25:15,953 thing. 469 00:25:15,953 --> 00:25:17,239 That's a good thing. 470 00:25:17,239 --> 00:25:22,800 Coach, tell me about a time that you had to take a stand for 471 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:28,582 what was right for your students or your players. 472 00:25:28,582 --> 00:25:33,698 What does it look like in a leadership role when you have to 473 00:25:33,698 --> 00:25:37,276 make those kind of tough decisions to stand for what you 474 00:25:37,296 --> 00:25:37,837 think is right? 475 00:25:40,672 --> 00:25:49,269 Speaker 3: There's so many, aaron, but I remember one you 476 00:25:49,289 --> 00:25:49,893 might be familiar with this. 477 00:25:49,893 --> 00:25:54,513 Students back in the day started, maybe 2003, 2040 went 478 00:25:54,554 --> 00:26:00,095 to the zero tolerance policy and they were legislators, were 479 00:26:00,154 --> 00:26:02,221 hammering that zero tolerance policy. 480 00:26:02,221 --> 00:26:08,272 Zero tolerance policy was based on you know the weapon things, 481 00:26:08,313 --> 00:26:11,450 you know knives, guns, things like that. 482 00:26:11,450 --> 00:26:15,378 If a student was came to school had those kind of things, 483 00:26:15,460 --> 00:26:18,592 ammunition, things like that, that was the state was saying 484 00:26:18,672 --> 00:26:20,955 and it was trickled down to the administrators. 485 00:26:20,955 --> 00:26:22,438 That's it. 486 00:26:22,438 --> 00:26:33,913 You expelled, no warnings, no, you expel them and they're not. 487 00:26:33,913 --> 00:26:36,238 It's not to their discipline school, it was to JJ AEP, the 488 00:26:36,258 --> 00:26:39,263 Juvenile Justice AEP program, which is one step away from 489 00:26:39,304 --> 00:26:39,663 prison. 490 00:26:40,109 --> 00:26:42,337 Speaker 2: Absolutely TYC used to be TYC. 491 00:26:42,769 --> 00:26:44,070 Speaker 3: Yes, right, so you know right, so that's pretty 492 00:26:44,111 --> 00:26:44,250 tough. 493 00:26:44,250 --> 00:26:45,532 I see, yep, right, yep, so you know right. 494 00:26:45,532 --> 00:26:46,574 Yep, so that's pretty tough. 495 00:26:46,574 --> 00:26:52,398 And we had a situation where a young man the officer brought 496 00:26:53,700 --> 00:26:59,144 SRO officer, brought an arrow and an ID into my office early 497 00:27:00,405 --> 00:27:06,874 on a Monday morning and he just laid it on my desk. 498 00:27:06,894 --> 00:27:08,099 He didn't say a word, he just shook his head and he just 499 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:09,204 walked back up. 500 00:27:09,204 --> 00:27:12,096 I knew what it was right he did too, because we talked about it 501 00:27:12,096 --> 00:27:12,096 . 502 00:27:12,096 --> 00:27:13,621 That's zero tolerance. 503 00:27:13,621 --> 00:27:14,872 Zero tolerance. 504 00:27:14,872 --> 00:27:15,634 It's an arrow. 505 00:27:15,634 --> 00:27:16,597 That's ammunition. 506 00:27:16,597 --> 00:27:17,460 That's how they saw it. 507 00:27:17,460 --> 00:27:20,599 That was automatic expulsion to JJ AEP. 508 00:27:20,599 --> 00:27:25,711 Took the young man's ID, looked him up he's a senior, he's an. 509 00:27:25,891 --> 00:27:26,692 AB student. 510 00:27:26,692 --> 00:27:29,922 He has no discipline referrals. 511 00:27:29,922 --> 00:27:35,096 He's got maybe one or two excused absences. 512 00:27:35,096 --> 00:27:40,571 Good student, right, a class of 1,100 students and he's the 513 00:27:40,612 --> 00:27:44,421 kind you never see, right, you never get the chance to spend it 514 00:27:44,421 --> 00:27:48,279 with the good ones, right, he's a good student, right, I sent 515 00:27:48,319 --> 00:27:48,621 for him. 516 00:27:48,621 --> 00:27:52,837 Comes in and he says mr hernan, am I going to be expelled? 517 00:27:52,837 --> 00:27:57,711 I said all the records show that I say, everything here is 518 00:27:57,811 --> 00:27:58,574 leaning towards that. 519 00:27:58,614 --> 00:28:01,018 This is an arrow, it's in your truck. 520 00:28:01,018 --> 00:28:05,991 And I said before we get into all of that, tell, tell me how 521 00:28:06,031 --> 00:28:06,532 this happened. 522 00:28:06,532 --> 00:28:10,739 So he said I have a friend whose dad bought him one of 523 00:28:10,778 --> 00:28:13,103 those high dollar crossbows. 524 00:28:13,103 --> 00:28:14,825 This is an expensive bow. 525 00:28:14,825 --> 00:28:18,152 He and his dad hunts a lot. 526 00:28:18,152 --> 00:28:22,436 And he called me and so we went hunting, but not like he and 527 00:28:22,457 --> 00:28:22,897 his dad. 528 00:28:22,897 --> 00:28:25,461 We were just target practicing. 529 00:28:25,461 --> 00:28:28,084 We shoot at rabbits or stuff like that, or just shooting some 530 00:28:28,084 --> 00:28:29,445 targets, and that's all we were doing. 531 00:28:29,445 --> 00:28:37,914 But when we finished the day, I took him home and when I 532 00:28:37,934 --> 00:28:39,221 dropped him off I looked in my backseat and there was the arrow 533 00:28:39,221 --> 00:28:39,221 . 534 00:28:39,221 --> 00:28:40,586 He said so I took the arrow, put it in the front seat, I'm 535 00:28:40,606 --> 00:28:46,017 going to pick him up, we're going to go to lunch and I'd 536 00:28:46,037 --> 00:28:46,601 give him the arrow back. 537 00:28:46,621 --> 00:28:46,962 Speaker 2: He said Mr. 538 00:28:47,002 --> 00:28:48,048 Speaker 3: Herring, that's not my arrow. 539 00:28:48,048 --> 00:28:49,173 I said. 540 00:28:49,173 --> 00:28:49,796 I understand. 541 00:28:49,796 --> 00:28:55,476 I said, but the state, the school district, everybody sees 542 00:28:55,556 --> 00:28:59,958 that possession is 99% of the zero tolerance policy. 543 00:28:59,958 --> 00:29:01,896 It is in your possession. 544 00:29:01,896 --> 00:29:06,535 If I called his parents and tell them that we have an arrow 545 00:29:06,615 --> 00:29:10,836 in my office, they're going to say he didn't bring it to school 546 00:29:10,836 --> 00:29:17,979 and they're going to get lawyers and you and I are going 547 00:29:17,999 --> 00:29:22,858 to become the bad guys and you might lose your best friend out 548 00:29:22,878 --> 00:29:23,180 of this. 549 00:29:23,180 --> 00:29:26,816 So I need to call your parents. 550 00:29:29,261 --> 00:29:29,863 Speaker 1: He said Mr Hearn. 551 00:29:29,863 --> 00:29:32,095 I never knew my father. 552 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:37,277 Speaker 3: He left my mom and my little brother me, my mom and 553 00:29:37,297 --> 00:29:38,820 little brother at an early age. 554 00:29:38,820 --> 00:29:42,319 They got a divorce, so my brother younger he never saw him 555 00:29:42,319 --> 00:29:42,901 he never knew. 556 00:29:42,901 --> 00:29:55,243 And he said my mother is in the hospital, in the ICU unit with 557 00:29:55,304 --> 00:29:56,025 colon cancer. 558 00:29:56,025 --> 00:30:02,080 You can call her, but they're not going to let you speak to 559 00:30:02,121 --> 00:30:02,221 her. 560 00:30:04,010 --> 00:30:06,861 Speaker 2: That situation just got darker, right. 561 00:30:12,371 --> 00:30:13,675 Speaker 3: That situation just got darker, right, I mean. 562 00:30:13,675 --> 00:30:15,082 So I said I'm gonna send you back to class and I've got to 563 00:30:15,102 --> 00:30:15,483 check this out. 564 00:30:15,483 --> 00:30:16,749 I'll go by and check the hospital and then I'll call you 565 00:30:16,808 --> 00:30:21,497 in in the morning and tell you what we're going to do with this 566 00:30:21,497 --> 00:30:21,497 . 567 00:30:21,497 --> 00:30:25,683 Immediately after he leaves, about five minutes later, I get 568 00:30:25,723 --> 00:30:31,736 a call from the secondary superintendent over secondary 569 00:30:31,955 --> 00:30:32,999 assistant superintendent. 570 00:30:32,999 --> 00:30:34,782 He asked me what's going on. 571 00:30:34,782 --> 00:30:40,111 I tell him about the arrow, I tell him about the student and 572 00:30:40,171 --> 00:30:44,314 he's like oh, that's a pretty unfortunate situation, but our 573 00:30:44,354 --> 00:30:49,755 funding is based on how we handle these zero tolerance 574 00:30:50,115 --> 00:30:54,443 policies, these zero tolerance circumstances. 575 00:30:54,443 --> 00:30:57,554 He said keep me updated. 576 00:30:57,554 --> 00:31:02,243 The superintendent and sure the school board wants to know. 577 00:31:03,670 --> 00:31:04,172 Speaker 1: So what is he? 578 00:31:04,211 --> 00:31:08,021 Speaker 3: saying read between the lines. 579 00:31:08,021 --> 00:31:13,278 Stay in the policy, do the right thing right this is a good 580 00:31:13,278 --> 00:31:16,759 kid hold the policy, do the right thing. 581 00:31:16,759 --> 00:31:24,489 I go to the hospital and he's right and you know colon cancer. 582 00:31:24,489 --> 00:31:27,199 They're in that IC unit. 583 00:31:27,199 --> 00:31:31,271 They're covered with plastic Tubes, are running Monitors 584 00:31:31,353 --> 00:31:35,255 monitoring her and the head nurse on that unit. 585 00:31:35,454 --> 00:31:37,519 She was nice enough to talk to me. 586 00:31:37,519 --> 00:31:41,651 I could look inside, I could see it through the windows, and 587 00:31:41,730 --> 00:31:45,160 she told me hey, there's not a lot of, she doesn't have a lot 588 00:31:45,180 --> 00:31:46,001 of visitors here. 589 00:31:46,001 --> 00:31:51,152 She said maybe one or two, but the prognosis doesn't look good. 590 00:31:52,636 --> 00:31:53,820 Speaker 1: Stage four colon cancer. 591 00:31:56,171 --> 00:32:02,194 Speaker 3: So I leave, get up in the morning, send for him, send 592 00:32:02,194 --> 00:32:08,394 for the SRO officer take the arrow, I break it, I throw it in 593 00:32:08,394 --> 00:32:08,875 the trash. 594 00:32:13,263 --> 00:32:19,192 And so I said now this situation for you is over, no one will 595 00:32:19,413 --> 00:32:20,878 approach you again about this. 596 00:32:20,878 --> 00:32:23,575 I sent him back to class. 597 00:32:23,575 --> 00:32:31,759 Right In Tom's book the Ten Virtues Leadership Virtues for a 598 00:32:31,759 --> 00:32:34,564 Disrupted Time he talks about being the light right. 599 00:32:34,564 --> 00:32:38,358 He talks about being the light in dark situations, that we have 600 00:32:38,358 --> 00:32:39,020 to be the leader. 601 00:32:39,020 --> 00:32:42,093 We have to shine the light right, and sometimes shining 602 00:32:42,113 --> 00:32:46,882 that light is kind of tough because you know people put your 603 00:32:46,882 --> 00:32:47,683 job on the line. 604 00:32:47,683 --> 00:32:52,017 My job was nowhere near it as important as that young man's 605 00:32:52,096 --> 00:32:54,381 life Right. 606 00:32:55,021 --> 00:32:56,664 It didn't equate Right. 607 00:32:56,664 --> 00:33:00,738 So sometimes being the light means you have to take the air 608 00:33:00,778 --> 00:33:03,974 break and throw it in the trench Right, because you know who's 609 00:33:04,055 --> 00:33:04,778 in charge. 610 00:33:04,778 --> 00:33:07,817 God's always in charge. 611 00:33:07,817 --> 00:33:08,789 God's always in charge. 612 00:33:08,789 --> 00:33:10,997 He's always in charge. 613 00:33:10,997 --> 00:33:15,636 And when we have that relationship with God, we don't 614 00:33:15,817 --> 00:33:19,023 have to have anybody validate us . 615 00:33:19,023 --> 00:33:24,095 We don't need to beated by anybody. 616 00:33:34,352 --> 00:33:38,179 Speaker 2: So much in that story , so much what a gift God gave 617 00:33:38,259 --> 00:33:47,146 you with that young man, what a gift God gave you with that 618 00:33:47,166 --> 00:33:49,814 situation, because there's no telling how many times you've 619 00:33:49,834 --> 00:33:51,679 had an opportunity to share that story and have people sit and 620 00:33:51,739 --> 00:33:52,240 reflect. 621 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:56,933 My board chairman always says Aaron, the right thing is always 622 00:33:56,933 --> 00:34:00,692 the right thing Always the right thing he said it's never 623 00:34:00,732 --> 00:34:02,499 too late to do the right thing, Never. 624 00:34:03,931 --> 00:34:06,211 And when you hear stories like that, it just makes you 625 00:34:06,250 --> 00:34:13,684 appreciate ethical leadership, core values, confidence. 626 00:34:13,684 --> 00:34:16,579 It goes back to what you just said knowing who you are. 627 00:34:16,579 --> 00:34:18,818 You knew who you were when you made that decision. 628 00:34:18,818 --> 00:34:23,922 You knew what value system drove you to make that decision 629 00:34:26,010 --> 00:34:27,217 there was no hesitation there. 630 00:34:30,050 --> 00:34:32,699 One of my favorite books on leadership is Captain Sully. 631 00:34:32,699 --> 00:34:37,791 Oh yeah, that landed the plane there in the Hudson, yeah, and 632 00:34:37,811 --> 00:34:39,278 of course they got everybody off . 633 00:34:39,278 --> 00:34:40,846 Sully was one of the last ones off. 634 00:34:40,846 --> 00:34:42,130 The media is going crazy. 635 00:34:42,130 --> 00:34:45,054 They want to interview him, but obviously they got to do a 636 00:34:45,094 --> 00:34:45,534 debrief. 637 00:34:45,534 --> 00:34:49,059 And as they're walking down a hallway, a flight attendant 638 00:34:49,139 --> 00:34:52,985 she's still frazzled from the accident but she runs up to him 639 00:34:53,931 --> 00:34:58,472 and she hands him a piece of paper that's folded in half and 640 00:34:58,512 --> 00:35:03,432 it's still wet, crinkled up, and on the outside of the paper it 641 00:35:03,492 --> 00:35:04,815 simply read thank you. 642 00:35:04,815 --> 00:35:11,063 And when he opened it up on the inside it said when your values 643 00:35:11,063 --> 00:35:13,045 are clear, your choices are easy. 644 00:35:13,045 --> 00:35:18,521 When your values are clear, your choices are easy. 645 00:35:18,521 --> 00:35:22,682 And when you share stories like that, coach, that right there 646 00:35:22,943 --> 00:35:27,820 for me is a reminder that when we face those moments that we 647 00:35:27,860 --> 00:35:31,916 have to make decisions tough decisions that when your values 648 00:35:31,976 --> 00:35:39,420 are clear, your choices are easy , easy, powerful story coach. 649 00:35:39,530 --> 00:35:41,498 Before we wrap up, give me a. 650 00:35:41,498 --> 00:35:43,766 We got a lot of kids that'll be watching this that want to be 651 00:35:43,847 --> 00:35:44,090 leaders. 652 00:35:44,090 --> 00:35:46,780 They want to aspire the leadership. 653 00:35:46,780 --> 00:35:50,755 Give me three leadership tips. 654 00:35:50,755 --> 00:35:54,630 If you could plant the seeds of leadership tips, what would you 655 00:35:54,630 --> 00:36:03,461 tell kids to become better leaders three things listen, 656 00:36:03,782 --> 00:36:06,326 listen, listen, got it. 657 00:36:07,347 --> 00:36:10,251 Speaker 3: That's the only way to let people know that you care 658 00:36:10,251 --> 00:36:11,297 about them. 659 00:36:11,297 --> 00:36:12,000 Right? 660 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,291 I see it all the time and you do too, aaron. 661 00:36:15,291 --> 00:36:17,958 We get in there, we talk to people and some people ask how 662 00:36:17,978 --> 00:36:18,460 you doing. 663 00:36:18,460 --> 00:36:21,186 Well, you tell me they really don't want to hear it. 664 00:36:21,186 --> 00:36:26,143 Right, they really don't want to hear what you got going on, 665 00:36:26,164 --> 00:36:28,728 because they want to talk about what they have going on. 666 00:36:28,728 --> 00:36:33,025 And when you sit and you listen to a student, they know you're 667 00:36:33,045 --> 00:36:33,365 listening. 668 00:36:33,365 --> 00:36:38,818 I don't know how many times students had come from talk, 669 00:36:38,878 --> 00:36:43,001 come to me, coach kids that I've coached, kids in totally other 670 00:36:43,061 --> 00:36:47,764 sports, kids that's in my room, kids who knew me from other 671 00:36:48,065 --> 00:36:51,347 students talking about me, kids who I coached that I wasn't even 672 00:36:51,347 --> 00:36:54,369 their position coach would come to me, come to my room and say, 673 00:36:54,369 --> 00:36:56,632 coach, I have a problem. 674 00:36:56,632 --> 00:37:08,172 And when they finished they said, coach, I came to you 675 00:37:08,192 --> 00:37:08,954 because I knew you would listen. 676 00:37:08,954 --> 00:37:14,132 How many lives do we touch, aaron, just saying, just 677 00:37:14,153 --> 00:37:14,355 listening. 678 00:37:17,708 --> 00:37:23,050 Speaker 2: Just listening, what a powerful mentorship that is, 679 00:37:26,614 --> 00:37:28,264 because if you can learn to listen, there will always be 680 00:37:28,284 --> 00:37:29,250 somebody that needs to be listened to. 681 00:37:29,250 --> 00:37:30,074 I remember Tom Ziegler. 682 00:37:30,074 --> 00:37:32,461 He tells a story about his dad. 683 00:37:32,461 --> 00:37:37,067 He said, tom, how do you know somebody needs encouragement? 684 00:37:37,067 --> 00:37:41,561 And he said I don't know. 685 00:37:41,561 --> 00:37:44,402 And he said if they're breathing they need 686 00:37:44,443 --> 00:37:45,144 encouragement. 687 00:37:45,144 --> 00:37:50,384 And we're all going to go through seasons of life. 688 00:37:50,384 --> 00:37:55,780 I had a lady once and she was really just sharing some really 689 00:37:55,840 --> 00:38:00,128 heartbreaking events that she's dealing with and I just listened 690 00:38:00,128 --> 00:38:01,157 , like you said, coach. 691 00:38:01,157 --> 00:38:03,322 I just I didn't have the answer . 692 00:38:03,322 --> 00:38:07,378 I just listened and I finally looked at her and I said I'm 693 00:38:07,418 --> 00:38:07,858 sorry. 694 00:38:07,858 --> 00:38:14,215 I said, by the way, I said if you want a place that it never 695 00:38:14,277 --> 00:38:15,599 rains, I can take you there. 696 00:38:17,304 --> 00:38:18,226 Speaker 1: And she said what do you mean? 697 00:38:18,266 --> 00:38:21,440 Speaker 2: I said sounds like you've had some storms and I 698 00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:24,545 said but I can take you to a place that never storms. 699 00:38:25,226 --> 00:38:26,429 Speaker 1: And she said really, I said yeah. 700 00:38:27,476 --> 00:38:30,643 Speaker 2: I said, it's called a desert and nothing grows. 701 00:38:30,643 --> 00:38:31,907 Nothing grows. 702 00:38:31,907 --> 00:38:35,923 But you show me somebody that's had a little rain, a little 703 00:38:35,985 --> 00:38:39,940 storm, yes, and with the right mentors, with the right 704 00:38:39,981 --> 00:38:43,619 encouragers, with the right seeds, with the right 705 00:38:43,782 --> 00:38:44,873 encouragers, with the right seeds, with the right 706 00:38:44,893 --> 00:38:48,139 stewardship, I'll show you somebody that's bound for a 707 00:38:48,199 --> 00:38:49,041 bountiful harvest. 708 00:38:49,041 --> 00:38:53,588 Awesome, so so awesome. 709 00:38:54,030 --> 00:38:55,898 Coach, I can't tell you thank you enough. 710 00:38:55,898 --> 00:38:58,264 I will never forget the first time we met. 711 00:38:58,264 --> 00:39:01,940 Obviously I knew a little of your story before we ever met, 712 00:39:03,001 --> 00:39:05,757 and sometimes you meet people and you wonder is the story as 713 00:39:05,818 --> 00:39:08,224 good as the person behind the story? 714 00:39:08,224 --> 00:39:12,443 And I've got to say, coach, not only did you meet that 715 00:39:12,543 --> 00:39:18,657 expectation, you exceeded it and I value what you do, I value 716 00:39:18,699 --> 00:39:21,943 what you've done and I value more what you're going to do, 717 00:39:23,436 --> 00:39:27,199 because I know God's not finished with you and there's 718 00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:28,483 still a lot of work to be done. 719 00:39:28,483 --> 00:39:32,032 There's a lot of lives to be touched, a lot of people to be 720 00:39:32,092 --> 00:39:35,684 encouraged, a lot of people that need an example in the 721 00:39:35,724 --> 00:39:36,326 mentorship. 722 00:39:36,326 --> 00:39:41,036 So I just want to thank you, but you don't get out of here 723 00:39:41,056 --> 00:39:42,137 without a fun question. 724 00:39:42,677 --> 00:39:43,119 Speaker 3: Yes, sir. 725 00:39:43,378 --> 00:39:45,342 Speaker 2: So everybody that's been on the show gets a fun 726 00:39:45,382 --> 00:39:46,443 question at the very end. 727 00:39:46,443 --> 00:39:59,023 So the question is this Coach Nate Hearn, dr Nate Hearn what's 728 00:39:59,023 --> 00:40:02,054 the best concert you've ever been to? 729 00:40:02,074 --> 00:40:11,981 Speaker 3: Oh my yeah, the best concert you know. 730 00:40:11,981 --> 00:40:16,523 To tell you the truth, the best concert I've ever been to, I 731 00:40:16,543 --> 00:40:17,306 put it together. 732 00:40:20,516 --> 00:40:21,099 Speaker 2: Let me hear it. 733 00:40:23,675 --> 00:40:25,559 Speaker 3: I was asked after I retired. 734 00:40:25,559 --> 00:40:31,927 I was asked to see if I would be a chaplain in the prison 735 00:40:32,289 --> 00:40:32,809 system. 736 00:40:32,809 --> 00:40:35,463 Yeah, exit to Portland Criminal Justice Center. 737 00:40:35,463 --> 00:40:35,625 Yeah. 738 00:40:35,855 --> 00:40:39,447 So I said no problem, because I want to go in there and help. 739 00:40:39,447 --> 00:40:41,275 Right, that's my whole thing, that's right. 740 00:40:41,275 --> 00:40:43,903 God says, hey, where were you when I was in prison? 741 00:40:43,903 --> 00:40:44,324 Right? 742 00:40:44,324 --> 00:40:47,056 So I'm saying I'm going to be here, right, I'm going to do 743 00:40:47,097 --> 00:40:47,960 what you asked me to do. 744 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:53,038 So I know to touch souls sometimes music is key. 745 00:40:53,038 --> 00:40:59,057 If you got the right music, if you're a pastor and you got the 746 00:40:59,117 --> 00:41:03,056 right music and it's hitting and you see the Holy Spirit coming 747 00:41:03,076 --> 00:41:06,083 down, you don't even have to keep you. 748 00:41:06,083 --> 00:41:10,875 If you can humble yourself, you don't need a message, Just 749 00:41:10,954 --> 00:41:11,795 extend the invitation. 750 00:41:11,795 --> 00:41:13,416 The Holy Spirit's already working. 751 00:41:13,416 --> 00:41:14,097 That happened. 752 00:41:14,097 --> 00:41:18,199 I brought a gospel fest to a prison unit. 753 00:41:18,199 --> 00:41:24,445 Fifteen different groups of all genre, of all ethnicity. 754 00:41:24,905 --> 00:41:25,405 Speaker 2: Wow. 755 00:41:25,746 --> 00:41:30,648 Speaker 3: Blacks, whites, browns, just every kind of music 756 00:41:30,648 --> 00:41:31,269 you want to hear. 757 00:41:31,269 --> 00:41:35,552 And the inmates had to make a request to attend. 758 00:41:35,552 --> 00:41:43,807 1,100 men on the unit, 700 asked to be to their tent and 759 00:41:43,847 --> 00:41:44,628 the group got up. 760 00:41:44,628 --> 00:41:49,706 They had the full ensemble all five instruments. 761 00:41:49,706 --> 00:41:54,585 They had background singers, they had a lead singer and they 762 00:41:54,644 --> 00:41:56,860 started and they were really really good. 763 00:41:56,860 --> 00:42:03,175 They were really really good and 700 inmates in white, just 764 00:42:03,215 --> 00:42:06,085 picture this thing right 700 of them. 765 00:42:06,085 --> 00:42:10,286 The music is Christian and it's flowing. 766 00:42:11,034 --> 00:42:16,380 A little bitty guy about five foot three on the very back in 767 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:18,525 the middle row outside seat. 768 00:42:18,525 --> 00:42:21,945 He stood up and he just said Jesus. 769 00:42:21,945 --> 00:42:28,559 And then he started doing four rows and when he got to the 770 00:42:28,619 --> 00:42:34,119 front he said Jesus and all the other inmates stood up and they 771 00:42:34,139 --> 00:42:36,063 just Jesus. 772 00:42:36,063 --> 00:42:40,559 They're clapping, they're dancing, and some are on their 773 00:42:40,599 --> 00:42:44,780 knees, some hands extended, some just circling. 774 00:42:44,780 --> 00:42:48,664 You hear this, the CO's correction officer. 775 00:42:48,664 --> 00:42:51,237 You hear those radios start cracking and go Major, major, 776 00:42:51,277 --> 00:42:52,081 you want to lock him up. 777 00:42:52,081 --> 00:42:55,139 You want to lock him up and the Major goes yes, lock him up. 778 00:42:55,139 --> 00:42:58,521 And then the warden says leave him alone. 779 00:43:01,666 --> 00:43:05,019 Leave him alone and then, there's a pause there and then 780 00:43:05,061 --> 00:43:09,112 she says that's the Holy Spirit. 781 00:43:09,112 --> 00:43:16,739 But that moment, aaron, the Holy Spirit ascended, came 782 00:43:16,940 --> 00:43:20,623 descended down on those men and all that pin up. 783 00:43:20,623 --> 00:43:22,880 You know, in prison there's a lot of things going on. 784 00:43:22,880 --> 00:43:32,431 All of that emotion came flowing out of them and they 785 00:43:32,451 --> 00:43:32,833 began to praise God. 786 00:43:32,833 --> 00:43:36,980 Wow that was nothing but a God moment. 787 00:43:36,980 --> 00:43:39,923 And I still I get goosebumps telling that story, aaron, 788 00:43:41,226 --> 00:43:44,449 because I saw it real, it was real. 789 00:43:46,275 --> 00:43:46,996 Speaker 2: I saw it. 790 00:43:46,996 --> 00:43:48,438 Well, let me tell you something , coach. 791 00:43:48,438 --> 00:43:51,880 What you just shared Number one , that was incredible. 792 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:55,545 And when you talk about a concert, that was incredible. 793 00:43:55,545 --> 00:44:01,150 But in closing, you also made another point that I like to 794 00:44:01,190 --> 00:44:07,199 share with people, and that is this you can never argue with 795 00:44:07,239 --> 00:44:09,202 somebody's testimony Never. 796 00:44:09,202 --> 00:44:12,809 You can never look at somebody and say that didn't happen to 797 00:44:12,909 --> 00:44:13,028 you. 798 00:44:13,028 --> 00:44:17,791 So, folks, what you just heard from the coach, I have every 799 00:44:17,871 --> 00:44:23,432 reason to believe, down to the detail, that what you just heard 800 00:44:23,432 --> 00:44:25,273 was the best concert that man's ever seen. 801 00:44:28,456 --> 00:44:32,038 Far enough, ladies and gentlemen , thank you for joining us for 802 00:44:32,077 --> 00:44:33,704 another episode of Growing Our Future. 803 00:44:33,704 --> 00:44:38,260 You know, I like to tell people that our country's got three 804 00:44:38,695 --> 00:44:42,836 vital and renewable resources, that's, young people and 805 00:44:42,978 --> 00:44:48,596 agriculture and leadership, and we combine all three and we get 806 00:44:48,635 --> 00:44:53,306 to bring guests on that say, hey , let me tell you what I found 807 00:44:53,346 --> 00:44:56,422 to be successful, let me share with you what I found to be 808 00:44:56,503 --> 00:44:57,045 encouraging. 809 00:44:57,045 --> 00:45:01,885 Let me share with you some seeds that helped me grow a 810 00:45:01,925 --> 00:45:02,907 success in life. 811 00:45:02,907 --> 00:45:05,503 And they're here sharing those seeds with us. 812 00:45:05,503 --> 00:45:10,302 And today we were honored, we were blessed by coach Nate Hearn 813 00:45:10,302 --> 00:45:14,737 , dr Nate Hearn and coach again, thank you so much. 814 00:45:14,737 --> 00:45:18,005 We appreciate you, we appreciate all of you that 815 00:45:18,065 --> 00:45:23,065 stopped by today and until we meet again, go out and do 816 00:45:23,146 --> 00:45:24,710 something great for somebody else. 817 00:45:24,710 --> 00:45:26,858 You're going to feel good about it. 818 00:45:26,858 --> 00:45:30,193 More importantly, you might just be the example for somebody 819 00:45:30,193 --> 00:45:31,777 else that's going to go out and change the world. 820 00:45:31,777 --> 00:45:34,224 Thank you so much for joining us today. 821 00:45:34,224 --> 00:45:35,367 We'll catch you down the road. 822 00:45:39,976 --> 00:45:41,960 Speaker 1: We hope you've enjoyed this episode of the 823 00:45:42,001 --> 00:45:43,606 Growing Our Future podcast. 824 00:45:43,606 --> 00:45:46,193 We hope you've enjoyed this episode of the Growing Our 825 00:45:46,353 --> 00:45:46,914 Future podcast. 826 00:45:46,914 --> 00:45:51,000 This show is sponsored by the Texas FFA Foundation, whose 827 00:45:51,019 --> 00:45:52,164 mission is to strengthen agricultural science education 828 00:45:52,184 --> 00:45:54,291 so students can develop their potential for personal growth, 829 00:45:54,653 --> 00:45:57,844 career success and leadership in a global marketplace. 830 00:45:57,844 --> 00:46:00,221 Learn more at mytexasffaorg.