What if one life-changing trip could ignite your passion and lead you to your true calling?
That's precisely what happened to Eric Villarreal, owner of Dominion Training Camp in Bowie, Texas. Join us as we sit down with Eric and learn about his incredible journey from working in the oilfield to becoming a small business owner driven by the desire to help people evolve, fight, and emerge.
Ever wondered how a love for boxing could lead to a thriving business?
Eric shares how he built Dominion Training Camp from the ground up, expanding it from a mere 900 square feet to an impressive 10,000 square feet space. Hear about the challenges he faced along the way, and how he persevered through difficult times, including the pandemic, with resilience and determination.
Ready to witness the power of passion and the impact it can have on a community?
Discover Eric's transition from fighter to promoter, the development of the Dominion Fighting Alliance, and how he's been instrumental in promoting combat sports in Texas. Learn about the role martial arts has played in combating bullying and building confidence in local kids, proving once more that small businesses are vital to creating positive change in our communities.
Don't miss out on this inspiring conversation with Eric Villarreal!
Music by: Kim Cantwell
Bowie Mural: Located at Creative Cakes
Connect w/Aaron: www.aarondegler.com
What if one life-changing trip could ignite your passion and lead you to your true calling?
That's precisely what happened to Eric Villarreal, owner of Dominion Training Camp in Bowie, Texas. Join us as we sit down with Eric and learn about his incredible journey from working in the oilfield to becoming a small business owner driven by the desire to help people evolve, fight, and emerge.
Ever wondered how a love for boxing could lead to a thriving business?
Eric shares how he built Dominion Training Camp from the ground up, expanding it from a mere 900 square feet to an impressive 10,000 square feet space. Hear about the challenges he faced along the way, and how he persevered through difficult times, including the pandemic, with resilience and determination.
Ready to witness the power of passion and the impact it can have on a community?
Discover Eric's transition from fighter to promoter, the development of the Dominion Fighting Alliance, and how he's been instrumental in promoting combat sports in Texas. Learn about the role martial arts has played in combating bullying and building confidence in local kids, proving once more that small businesses are vital to creating positive change in our communities.
Don't miss out on this inspiring conversation with Eric Villarreal!
Music by: Kim Cantwell
Bowie Mural: Located at Creative Cakes
Connect w/Aaron: www.aarondegler.com
What happened to my hometown. It seemed so different. When I look around, it's funny how things have changed since I was young. What I wouldn't give to go way back and take a long look into my past.
Speaker 2:I remember this town, the way that it used to be. Welcome to my hometown, our little town on the map and home to the world's largest, jim Buena. To show you around our beautiful town is our tour guide, aaron Degler. Aaron has a love for road trips, taking the opportunity to stop along the way in small towns across the US, just like our very own, buoy, texas. We spend a little time with Aaron each week as he takes you around Buoy, sharing the value of the small businesses, the organizations, the history and, of course, the people that make up my hometown. After this podcast is over, make sure you give it a like, a share, and please subscribe and review this podcast. I would now like to introduce to you your tour guide for today in my hometown, aaron Degler.
Aaron :Welcome back to my hometown. Thanks for taking a little time to visit with me today. Please welcome my guest today. 12 years ago, the oil field and ministry brought him and his family to Buoy. After leaving the oil field in 2018, he became a small business owner, which was led him into other roles that have helped people in our community evolve, fight and emerge. Please welcome my guest today the owner of Dominion Training Camp, eric Villarral. Thank you, eric, for joining me today. I'm here in the training camp a part of it.
Aaron :It's a big space so we couldn't Yeah. So thank you for taking a little time to visit with me today. About your mission, about your purpose, i'm excited to hear all about it and share it with our community. I know the reaches go far beyond our community, out into our great state. So let's go back a little bit to what really brought in the interest of the ministry and oil field. We kind of know what brought you here, but what about ministry? How did that impact your move to Buoy?
Eric:So, yeah, we were first brought up here from, we were attached to where central Baptist is now what used to be River of Life, a non-denominational church. That was our home church. So Pastor Chris Dunn, carla Dunn, who's my spiritual dad they somehow we connected with them when we lived in Jacksboro And the spirit of God was working on us then and somehow we just we fell in love with that church And that was our church home and we lived in Jacksboro at the time. So I was working for an oil and gas company down there and so I transferred up to Buoy where they lived and we moved into their house with them with their three kids, and we lived in their shed in the back with my two kids. So Sean and I it was a little one bedroom apartment Jojo and Emery had bunk beds and Sean and I had the other bedrooms.
Aaron :So Emery Jojo just graduated high school, Yeah, And Emery she's in junior high, Yeah, So she was young then.
Eric:She was little, very little We were just. We came up here because of that church and then, you know, we fell in love with it and just we felt God brought us here and that was the move. And so we put everything in that and I had no idea what the plan was and it was just that's how it started. And so we worked in the church. We, you know, really raised our family in that church and then the church split and so then we were just kind of just Okay, how are we going to continue this ministry? And so that's kind of how it started with Dominion boxing. That was like the continuation. Honestly.
Aaron :And so we've known each other for a long time. Well, actually, you know, started out at Synergy, started running together. Yes, yeah, doing events, racing together. You're always the fastest one out there, man, it was tough. I don't yeah.
Aaron :So, and I remember I think there was a time I don't remember it was a conversation about a supplement company, something that you and Chris and I had a conversation about. I remember we were sitting in Synergy and we had a conversation about it. So I mean, that's been and that's still, when River Life Church was right next door. Right next door, yeah.
Eric:Yeah, So the connection between that and the gym, it just all made sense.
Aaron :So you know River Life Church splits Now Chris, did he? he was still the pastor then. Yep, he was up with River Life Church and still continued your ministry helping out in the church through those years still in the oil field.
Eric:Yeah, We were in church in our home for a little bit and just doing everything we can to keep it going and then boom, you know lay off 2018 rolls around. Yeah, And you know, you, just you never think that you know that so much goodness can come out of chaos. You really don't, you don't see it, You don't know, you don't know the plan behind it. But I am so thankful for that day looking back.
Aaron :With that lay off, because you and I have known each other for a little while so I do know some, some more insights. So there was a trip that you took that kind of spurred on your passion and your plan for Dominion really, yeah, i mean, it was a, it was a big trip, it was.
Eric:It was a. It was a very big trip. It was my first connection back with my pastor and you know he just calls me and says you need to go to Uganda with me. And you know what we started in Bowie, you know we're doing over there, and I said, okay, i'd never been out of Texas before. So we made a trip out there.
Eric:And you know, prior to leaving, you know my daughter Emery, she had asked me that she wanted to try boxing And I had. You know, at Synergy I was a TRX instructor, you know, and did like some P90X and some insanity stuff And that's all I knew. Right, that was my life And I did that before my real job. Right, i'd just do that and go do my real job and that was our life. And I never knew anything about fighting, never knew anything. But she had asked me and I said okay, because now it was Emery at this time She was in about eight, she was about eight at the time And so, and you know, at that time she was having emotional problems, self-esteem problems and you know the thing of living in the shadow of your athletic sister, kind of it's a thing, you know it's a thing You try to get your kid to find their thing, their niche as parents, get them to find their place in the world.
Eric:And sometimes it works. You can't force it, you know. So she had asked me if she wanted to do boxing. So we went up to Wichita Falls to the only gym we could find, and we walked in there and me just being a fitness guy and kind of, you know, having an idea of how to punch and kick, but when I saw those heavy bags and those chains, it's like it kind of gets intimidating. And so they had kids class on one side, the adults on the other, and wrapped up my hands, gave me some gloves, and I mean I fell in love with it. I knew that was what I was supposed to do, i just knew it. And I mean I was swinging like an idiot, like a crazy man, like an angry man, you know, and we would just go twice a week. And then, and then Emery just got to the point where she was like you know, we need to have this in Bowie, and I said, yeah, you know, that'd be nice. And so then that's when we left to Uganda And I had really prayed on it and I just felt it that I'm supposed to do, that I'm supposed to bring that here And you know, sometimes you think it's God talking to you or sometimes you think it's yourself.
Eric:So you just kind of shut it off and like there's no way. You know, i'm in the oil field, i'm going to retire, right, there's nothing. Why would I want to do that? Why would I want to do that? So, yeah, we went to Uganda on a mission trip and we were deep, deep in the bush, and we were in Mithiana, uganda, and we were, we were so deep, you know, they barely see vehicles, they, they, they're, they're in awe of like anybody that's not black, white, brown, they're just in awe of them and they kind of treat you like a God. They're more, deeper.
Eric:You go, and I remember I had just felt that nudging of the spirit just saying you've got to do this, and so I told God, i said, look, if I'm supposed to do this, i need an absolute sign, an inevitable sign that I cannot argue with, that I'm supposed to open a boxing gym in Buoy And I'm not kidding. We came to this marketplace. You kind of come to these marketplaces where you can get water and fruit and stuff like that, and, yeah, i look over to my left and there's, there's the boxing gym. There's these kids in a makeshift ring made out of leaves and tree stumps and they have clothes just wrapped up, clothes on their hands as gloves, and they're I mean, they made a ring and they're doing it. And I will never forget that day, ever, ever, ever, ever.
Eric:So I said, ok, i'll do it. I don't know what I'm doing, i don't know, I just don't know. And so we, we, we did our ministry and it was amazing, we connected and I had just felt God move within me and within these people, and just to connect with the kids out there. I'll never forget it. And so that's when I came back to the States and had a conversation with you, and I'll never forget that, because I walked into your office and I was like, hey, man, i think I'm supposed to start a boxing gym And I don't know one thing about boxing And I said God told me to do it, and I'll never forget that. You said. You said, well, if God told you to do it, you need to do it. Yeah, he's like I'll, i'll give you that 900 square foot room right there, and I'll never forget it. He said you, you build it out, you design it And if God told you to do it, do it. And I mean, i was hoping you would say don't do it The wrong person to come to.
Aaron :if you're not, you're looking to not do something.
Eric:Because I was comfortable in my life, You know. I mean, I had a. we were just, we were comfortable And you know, I had no clue that God was setting me up for this layoff and for something to fall back on and then something to actually build from the ground up.
Aaron :I had no idea because at the time you've just been to a few classes, yeah, and I mean it's not.
Eric:Well, i just was like, well, where do I start? What do I do? So you know, we had some money saved aside and I was like, ok, we'll, we'll do it, we'll put, we'll put some money into it. And you know, i'm still working at the time And so I'm like I don't have. You know, the time I had, it was like, ok, i loved it so much that I would. I would just you know which it all falls. I'd go to DFW, i'd go to as many gyms as I could and just ask questions Why are those? Why do you use those bags? Why are there so many sizes and gloves? How do you wrap hands? What's the? why do you? what kind of flooring? I mean? I asked every question I could and I just researched the whole, the whole industry. And then I started to look at the rack systems and I designed a rack system and found the best bags I can. And those bags are still hanging here.
Aaron :These are some of the original. Ones are the original ones.
Eric:That's why I was like I need something that's going to last for years. And here they are still hanging. And so designed a 22 bag rack system and put some hanging arms in And I just ordered what I thought would work, made a, made a retail store of wraps and gloves And I just adopted that title boxing model, which was, you know, non contact, boxing for fitness, kickboxing for fitness, cardio boxing, cardio kickboxing. Because it was non contact, because I'm not a fighter, you know, and it was like I, you know what a good way for somebody to transition into that without getting hit, but to have the same emotional product, that confidence that you would fighting, you know. So I that that that's what, that's what changed Emory, that's what changed me. Is that just the confidence, the skyrocket in it and what it does in kids?
Aaron :just, i was addicted to it And so and to give people a perspective 22 bags, 900 square feet. Right now we're sitting at about 10,000 square feet. Yeah, building Yeah, space that you are in now. Yeah, you know that was 900 square feet, yet 22 bags, yeah, if anybody's seen the old gladiators gauntlet, that's about how close the bags were I know. There's just enough room for those on one side and just enough room to an open space for classes and to do some other stuff.
Eric:We used every square inch of that place. I remember just late nights in that room, aaron, just wanting to give up The laying the rubber flooring you remember that And it's like and just drilling the holes into the cement.
Eric:Yeah all my drill bits breaking and I'm just like I just I don't want to do this, i can't do this, what am I doing? There was so many nights of just discussed and and just failure and I'm like, what am I doing? I can't do this? And somehow somebody would walk in the room say, hey, man, get me on that drill, or hey, you know, and I would just get help. And it was just. It's just amazing when you look at where everything started, and of course, the story just gets even crazier as we go.
Aaron :And at the time, you're still working, i am still working. We launch classes we launch classes, do a soft launch and you're doing classes before work after work, Yeah yeah working all I mean working till eight, nine o'clock tonight, going to work at five o'clock Doing classes before Yeah, yeah and that's all we do is just kind of give other synergy members an option.
Eric:Right, that's all I mean. It's just like okay, because you know, without your umbrella I would know what to do without your guidance and mentorship, and you know, because I didn't, i didn't know how to run a gym, you know, i'm like I'm running Goyle and Gaswells and like it's totally different and I love that, like that's my life, this is my hobby. right, this is just my hobby, this is what keeps me fit, this is just this is me time, and I never thought it was going to be a business ever. I just it was always going to be a hobby and something for my kid to do, you know. And so then then, yeah, the layoff happens, and then it's like what?
Aaron :what? At a nowhere.
Eric:At a nowhere It's not like you know you had a couple months and, oh man, yeah, it was uh, and it was uh, i remember it was 23 of us and uh, we're talking about 23 angry men that, given their lives, you know, and I that that was my identity and you really don't know, like the. You know, when you've given 12 years of your life to a company and you've put everything into it and you know it's like there's, there's an identity shift that happens for a man, right, and it's, it's, it's a crisis, it's uh, it's not fun and and that manifests in different ways. And so I had two choices Put everything into Dominion boxing, which, you know, maybe made, you know, five to eight grand a year when knowing I have a moment and now you have a family to support.
Eric:Right, because I always like I would always let kids and people you know for free, and the pricing was never. It was always to make it affordable, because it was just like, well, you know it's buoy, you gotta, you gotta make things cheap and I'm like. So that was my mentality, was it was never about making money. It was just always about okay, this is here to help. It was never about making money, never.
Eric:And uh, when that happened, it was like, okay, put our resume out and go get on a rig or something you know, uh, you know, because I you know, i have a checkered past and and what God did for me with with that company was a miracle for me to make, for me to be a company man from a contractor was impossible, so I took that.
Eric:As this is where I'm supposed to be for my whole life, i'm gonna retire her because look at what you did. You don't just turn somebody like that into this. And so when that happened, you can imagine just the emotional, just roller coaster, and it's like, okay, who am I? now? you know it's, it's now. You have to re completely recreate yourself completely so, so how scary was it.
Aaron :So what made you sad to go all in on Dominion?
Eric:Box yeah, it was my kid, yeah, and uh it was. It was about 70 percent, my kid. This community, right, mm-hmm, i'd say 80 percent this community, uh, our members, right, uh, the impact on the kids and then also it was like it became this outlet for, like, anger. To be honest, you know you can punch things and and not go to jail. You know it's a cool thing.
Speaker 2:Here's a cool thing and you can.
Eric:You can kind of. So. I didn't know that at that time. Everything there was a plan in motion and I was slowly starting to find recreate my whole identity. Dominion boxing was a cardio model, right? mm-hmm, we weren't, we weren't the, we weren't the fight thing.
Eric:Yet yet and so we, we ran that, you know, for several months and uh, all I, all I would do is just keep visiting gyms and learning and asking and getting as much information as possible. And then and then, yeah, one day, uh, we have a MMA guy walking, you know, and that that changed everything. That changed everything. Uh, i had never heard of smoker fighters ever. I had never heard of, you know, i had just heard of, like the UFC and like what you see on TV because a lot of gyms you're going to to ask questions, all that war the non-contact fitness gyms.
Eric:Yeah, they were title boxing clubs and like and like the place and so title boxing clubs no contact, no contact, it's just for fitness for fitness and on contact and and so then you know, and that's the thing about, you know, fighting gyms is that you know, when you're trying to run a business out of a fighting gym, you have to look at what's profitable.
Eric:You know, fighting gyms are profitable when you have fighters that are actually winning and and you know that takes time and money and sponsorships, and so you have to have, like this fitness model to kind of buffer that where it's non-seasonal, it's not based on whether a fighter wins or loses, it's not based on a fight camp, it's just anybody can walk in and and have a workout. You know. So that that that model is profitable, you know, because it just it goes across the board, it's not specific to this type of person. So that's what everybody told me and I learned that, i really learned that. And so then I you know, we had this, we had, we had the moment where we were introduced to the real fighting part of it and you know that changed, that changed everything.
Eric:We and, as you know, if you were in synergy back in those days, the music just got louder because really the atmosphere changes it did, it did the atmosphere changed and, uh, you know, the element changed, the, the customer changed, and so then I was like introduced to these fights called smoker fights that they hold, uh, hold, there was one, there was a big one in in in north Dallas, there were some in central Dallas, and so, uh, i was introduced to these to where you can go fight somebody 100, full contact, and you know, there's, there's, no, it doesn't go on your record, it's just for practice. So I was like man.
Eric:So then I was like okay, so we bought a mat, which is still here today. Uh, that little room we had in the middle was now a mat and sometimes you had to pick it up and put it down right, yeah, yeah, we had to roll it up and put it up
Speaker 1:it's a good size mat and it is, and it's a branded mat, so it had it logo.
Aaron :It is so well, well, let's hold there for just a second. I want to talk about Dominion, the name, yeah, yeah, where's it? and and your logo, because your logo's changed your logo's a little different now than it was right. I mean, you still incorporate, so let's go back. Where did Dominion, where did the name come from?
Eric:it came from Genesis 126, which was uh, you know, let us, let us create man in our image, according to our likeness. You know, let man have dominion overall the fish of the sea, the fall of the earth, over everything that creeps and crawls. You know that that word, dominion, was the first mandate from god to man in the beginning, and it's still active today. And I I fell in love with that word because that was what we were preaching on in Uganda, in Miteana was, uh, you know, the, the core, uh, hebrew meaning of that means to rule and reign. So when, when god was mandating that he was, he was basically saying let man rule and reign over the earth, over all of it, and so that instruction is still valid, it's still active, you know, and it's not, you know.
Eric:He didn't say let you know, let man become victims and become a weak and become failures. He's that let them rule and reign, you know, and take dominion. So that's why I've always held to that is that it's, and, and out of that, out of that one scripture came, came our main statement for our fight, promotion, which is evolved, fight and emerge, but and we'll get to that later but that that all stems from dominion. So dominion is it's, it's a way of life, it's um, it's understanding that there is.
Eric:You have an inheritance yes, you know and, uh, it's, it's your job is to is to learn and to go grab it and and to evolve through it. So dominion, to me, uh, symbolized so much strength and power and dominance. Uh, so that's why and then it was actually in a dream where I saw the logo, i saw a lion, i saw a tiger, and the lion represented, uh, you, uh, africa, which was because dominion is, is the ministry. It's kind of, for me, it's the continuation of river of life for me and my family. So it is that, it is that living from your heart ministry. So the lion represented the entrance into Africa to preach this message, which we did. And then the tiger and this is, this is where it gets really cool, because I would have never known.
Eric:The tiger represents Thailand, okay, and um, and you know, god said he's like you're gonna go to Thailand and you're gonna have a huge impact in that country, uh, just as much as you did in in Africa. And so taking those two, uh, those two animals as being like the highest, uh, you know, the lion being the highest predator in in his environment, and the tiger, it was like, okay, that's, that's dominion, but that's also my, my mandate, but those are my, those are, those are where he said to go next, you know, so, taking those and then making that, that, that was my logo. And so the lion represents ruling, the tiger represents raining, so it's it's ruling and raining from your heart. So that's, that's the core of it. So, and that's the ministry, and that's, uh, that fighting is just a platform. That's all it is, it's just, it's just that it's that boat that Peter used to fish in, it's that table that Matthew was tax collecting off of. You know, it's, it's that, it's just that thing that God uses to reach, you know. So, uh, all I can do is just be the instrument, you know, be the vessel to do it. So, yeah, dominion is it's it, it it resonates.
Eric:But again, this is, this is something he's put in motion, you know, and I, but out of everything, from beginning to end, i can stand on this one statement that I still, i still don't understand it, but I've learned that if, if you understand it, then you know how to undo it. So, understanding, kind of the fruit of that can, can breed control in pride. Understanding a all the way through Z, and I live in a, in a, in a in a moment to where nothing is understood and nothing is the same. Everything's always about change, and that's that's what you need to be. It's a very uncomfortable place, but to to succeed as an entrepreneur or as a somebody that's really wanting to change things, you've got to live in the uncomfortable and then he kept putting you in uncomfortable.
Aaron :God kept putting you in the uncomfortable, from losing your job to okay, do I go full-time, what do I do? yeah, what do I go? um that now we move into MMA smoker fights yeah, something you've never done before, never even really had a clue about. No, until one person walks into your yeah, yeah, and it was a boxing and you go whoa, there's this whole world out there yeah, i've always learned that you know when something is is is destiny, there's always going to be a counterfeit to the original.
Eric:You know there's always going to be something that comes into your life that replicates, that counterfeits the original thing that God is really intending to bring you. And and it's it's a replica because it'll, it'll offer you the same emotional product, what God is really trying to give you. But it's usually it's, it's it's. It's characteristics are that it's fast, it's it's repetitive, it's it's kind of loud and it has it's just very, very youthful kind of thing.
Eric:You know, and it's and and that you know and it always. It always makes you become something that you're not you know, and so we always fall for the bait, because a counterfeit can be somebody in a relationship you know, it can be a girl, a guy, it can be, you know, and it's like we all fall for the bait because we're we're carnal people, you know, and so it's like it's not that you failed, it's just that God is merciful still you know, and I can't tell you how many times I have failed and how many times I have swung and missed, but where I'm standing right now is a miracle in absolute.
Eric:But what I've learned is that you're the miracle you know it, it's not a miracle we're the miracle it was in you the whole time, right so? so we started fighting. Because, why not? we're all angry, you know, i don't know really um so.
Aaron :So we've gone from this guy that just walked into a boxing gym at a title boxing gym with his daughter, just, uh, because she wants to go. Yeah to, you know, now, now get in a ring, get hit yeah, yeah, and and learning learning how to fight.
Eric:Learning how to fight, uh-huh without getting getting a record this is the stupid part. You ready, i'm 40 years old.
Aaron :I want to put some gloves on and Started fighting at 40.
Eric:And that's the stupid part But I can guarantee you, man, is that I, looking back now, i started at competitively fighting at 40. I'm 45 now And I've got 27 fights under my belt. I mean, who does that? I mean who goes and learns how to fight by getting hit and getting the crap kicked out of you Every I mean weekend. I mean we would take fights anywhere, we would go fight anywhere Because we were just this fight club And so. But that's how I learned.
Eric:I learned martial arts through fighting, like just brute, uncontrollable, angry fighting, and then I was able to be, i was able to be coached along the way by some great coaches, like really good coaches, and so We did that for a while in Buoy. Every Saturday was sparring day Roll the mats out, you know, rolling around, rolling around I mean kicking and throwing and And it's like There was no safety. There was no. It's just like Just let's get after it. If you get hit, you just keep your guard up, and so it was.
Eric:It was one of those things that, looking back now, being a licensed official, i'm thankful for that, because now I can, I know what to look for safety-wise, like you know, because I I ref fights. I officiate fights now and I'm licensed. So it's like If I hadn't gone through that, i wouldn't understand The amateur mind, i wouldn't understand the angry mind, i wouldn't understand what angry fighting looks like, you know. And so I'm thankful for that, i'm very thankful for that. And so then We do that for a while, and then We, we grow, we just start growing.
Aaron :At a crazy rate And because now you're mixing the two with With, with fitness boxing, yeah, classes, and now we've got fighters. Now you're adding more fighters, more people, your coach and those, those fighters. Now it's just not you in the ring getting beat up, but you have other fighters you're training to. Jump in the ring and Yeah, and do it, yeah, and so you're growing, so you really grow out of that space. You do, yeah, we moved in here, yeah.
Aaron :And so that was What were you there about two years About two years, a couple years. Yep, then been here three Yep, three years, yep. So when you move, you're growing. What kind of changes as you moved into the new space, did you come in contact with? you know what kind of challenges, oh, man, you know. I mean, when you go from a 900,000 square foot space into an enormous space, there's a lot of challenges.
Eric:There is This is It, was It was. It's overwhelming And that's the main variable in my life is what is overwhelming is the trigger for me that I'm going the right way, because if it scares the hell out of you, go right for it. And everything I look at scares the hell out of me Because it's something I've never done And somehow it's just It ends up working.
Aaron :So at this time when you move here. So two years of Dominion Boxing in Synergy really moved to a full time.
Eric:Yeah.
Aaron :What it produced, the amount of income you wanted to. Oh gosh, no, no it wasn't. I mean because a lot of Because one of the reasons I started my hometown is because small businesses in our community people have the impression, if they're not in a business or an entrepreneur or run a small business, set man, you can make your own schedule and you just make a money. Hand over fist, oh man.
Eric:Geez.
Aaron :Yeah, and that really wasn't Even when you moved here. Yeah, in your space. Now it's not really the case, right?
Eric:Right, and you know that's I will say is that that is. That's the trap, as a small business owner is thinking you need to expand, get more bags or get more inventory, and you know, no, i needed a bigger building because we need to get more people. No, no, no, no, no It's. You know, looking back now, now, this is It's too big because of what the other companies are doing, and so you've got to appreciate small beginnings and you've got to take out your feelings. You know, and for me it's, was there challenges?
Aaron :Yeah, Because, because you get to the point where you love your small business the same as you do your daughters, yeah, yeah, i mean, and you get hurt when somebody talks bad about your business, or people don't want to come, or they stop a membership, or you know what do I do? Yeah, and I had.
Eric:No, you know my business partners I have now they're just, they're amazing, like I am, God sent me two of the best people that I could. They're my anchors, like they are. I was, i mean, i was a sinking ship, i mean, and actually they're my sails And they just put fresh wind in me and it's like I had no business understanding, you know, with my memberships and you know, like I wasn't on top because I was, i wanted to fight. Yeah, you know what I mean. So it being a business that was profitable and producing just wasn't a big deal to me, because I loved fighting so much, i loved the feeling of it And I just wanted to build. I wanted to make Bowie a fight town.
Aaron :Not kidding, because you also brought smoke or fights.
Eric:Yeah, yeah, so that was the first start of it. So then we move in here. Gosh, it was a lot of work. It was a lot of work.
Aaron :I mean you've done a lot, It just was a 10 space.
Eric:It was bad And I'm thankful for the owner helping me out. You know, he's still a very good friend of mine. He's still, you know, we're sparring buddies. So he's like, yeah, man, i got this building. He's been sitting vacant for two years. It's like it's yours. I mean, you know, we'll just clean it up. Yeah, and this has been the shopper. It's been a car dealership, i mean, and there's still the oil stains in this concrete. I mean it was a lot of work to make this into a gym And so it made no sense on paper.
Eric:It made no sense. It's like everything is just too much. But we did it And we I put everything I had in this place And then, and so we ramped up classes. And then that's when the news came out from Wichita Falls and did an interview Channel 6, right, yes, yep, and I still have that on my phone And I listened to myself And I'll never forget it. They were like so what do you see in the future? I'm like we're going to be holding fights. You watch, one day we're going to be holding sanction, fighting And saying that, yeah, you're thinking I have never no idea That's going to happen, But it was just in me I was like you watch, we're going to be a sanction fight company.
Eric:And I was like, yeah, we're going to be at the community center And then we're going to Wichita Falls And then we're taking over the world. Then it was crazy, because I just believed it so much, so much, and fighting was in my blood. The fighting became this way to auto correct and to accelerate healing on an emotional plane and a psychological plane.
Aaron :Saying that would you say in a way, you're kind of addicted to that outlet. I was.
Eric:It replaced a lot And it was a buffer, just like many vices are, and it was something that God should have filled. It was a vice And it was just something that allowed being not to look at reality for a little bit And somehow, off of all that darkness, god just built this amazing thing And I would have never known what he was doing. And so we move in here and we're doing all this And then COVID hits And remember, i put everything into this.
Eric:You know, yes, i could. I mean oil fields. Everything was just done. It's like what do you do? And so So.
Aaron :COVID only what. It was only about six months, seven months after moving here that you know you have this bigger space and COVID hit, all the gym shut down.
Eric:For me, what really drove me into the next phase of the business was I couldn't fight anymore because there was no more smoker fights. So what do we do? We buy a boxing ring and we start having smokers here during COVID. And I mean I was doing I was doing like the home video thing for a little bit, checking out body postboards and doing workouts on a camera and everything, and it wasn't enough to support my family. So we decided to just have fights And it was. It's crazy looking back, because it was like this underground fight club, you're not kidding. And here's what's crazy about it is that people started coming from all over Texas to fight here.
Aaron :You're parking a lot building be full, Yeah, Yeah.
Eric:And I mean Fighters or spectators, and it was just. It was like a Netflix movie man, i'm not kidding, because we had gyms come from all over, because people felt and thought just like I did. I'm a fighter and I don't want to lose what I have. You know there's no sanction, fighting happening. What else do you have? Nothing. Your gyms shut down, especially if you're in the Metroplex.
Aaron :Yeah, i mean they're, i mean they're done.
Eric:Yeah, they're filing bankruptcy, they're. I mean, they're, they're just done. But you know, you come to Booey, nobody cares about a mask, you know, and it's like, hey guys, we're going to have a smoker here. And they started coming, and that that was the start of the Dominion fighting alliance. Is that out of COVID fighting? And that was that was the uh, the introduction of that. And so we, we were having fights and we would charge people, and that was how I survived, That's how my family survived, was those fights. And so then we, we created this pool of fighters from all over because we made it a production in here. I'm like, oh my gosh, that's why we have this building.
Aaron :There's lights, there's music.
Eric:There's why it's so big. It's a venue And I had no idea about that. I had no clue. That's what I'm like. Oh my gosh, this is a fighting venue. Like we're going to make this the best experience for this fighter as possible, and everybody fell in love with it. Everybody fell in love with the experience, cause as a fighter, you can you can train combinations and and and technique and cardio and skill, but nobody's going to teach you how to, how to walk out under the lights, how to walk out in front of a crowd. That's real, those are real nerves that people don't have training for the production value of it and being recorded and all these things.
Eric:And we were able and my travels in the MMA world before I was able to take a little bit of the production value of MMA and and bring it to the smoker world. And all I did was just it's just where I've seen and what I've experienced. I just brought that here. And so we did that. We did a smoker fight every month and then came out of COVID and then that's when the state of Texas called me, the Texas the, the, the TDLR, the department of licensing and regulation, and they said, oh well, they said you're, what you're doing is illegal. Oh, thanks Yeah.
Eric:We've all been there. They said you need to shut it down now.
Aaron :So again we heard about your little smoker fight.
Eric:Yeah, you know, you begin to make a ripple effect in the fight world.
Aaron :I made some noise in the state of. Texas.
Speaker 1:It's fine, not how you're thinking about it at the time when you get that phone call. I know.
Aaron :So then what happens? they say hey, you got to shut it down, Yeah, they did. So what?
Eric:So then you know I'm not really much to move on because I was like number one, i'm not. I'm not a licensed promoter.
Eric:You know this is private property And and so you know, i have a lot of friends in the fight world and they were kind of like, yeah, you know, these guys are you. Just you don't want to cross them. You know they'll come in and shut you down. I'm like how are they going to walk in? and like is the Bowie police department going to lock the doors? Like how are they going to shut me down?
Speaker 2:You know, it's like.
Eric:I don't see it And so it's like and so a friend of mine that was an attorney, he was like you know he's, it's in the wording there. I got to change the wording.
Eric:You know you can't certain words you can use, certain ones you can't. And I was like, okay, that's no problem, i can do that. So then, yeah, did that and so change the wording, just change the wording, and that's really it, and it's like so. Then the state and I we had a, we still had a good real. You know they would call me every single time I'd have a fight because my flyer would come right across their desk that I post. And they're like, yeah, we see, you're doing another fight, eric. And I'm like, yeah, okay, well, you know, because you know smoker fights with these exhibitions they do get a bad light from like backyard fighting. There's some organizations and people that do them and there's people that have died. And that was on the heels of these phone calls is that there were some deaths down in Houston And I just kind of fell in that pool, even though we have multiple nurses here, you know, and I mean I'm, i just think that we do it safely And it wasn't just that brawler fighting anymore.
Aaron :So, and you still continue those smoker fights. We just started.
Eric:Actually, this Saturday is going to be our first one since since here, and that's that'll be the, that'll be our number, our 24th one Smoker fight here. Smoker fight We've done 22 of them here in Burie.
Aaron :So so how do you kind of so now you've kind of transitioned to, so now you're promoting your license official, So kind of explain, you know, going into that, how did you kind of start promoting? Because now you're in the Metroplex, right, Well, so which all falls.
Eric:So the smoker fights happened for about a year, you know, about over a year. We ran that train for a while while still doing classes here, So then we had this model. It's like, okay, you I'll train you and you just fight here, you know? so then it was just it's very rare to have a gym and to have the opportunity right there, right here.
Aaron :You don't have to go out of town.
Eric:Yeah. So that was. That's what kind of made us the smoker of North Texas, of the whole state, like everybody knew about the Dominion smoker. They knew that we did the production well, we were organized and we were very well respected in the fight world. So so back to the conversation with the state. It finally got to the point where I was just a thorn in their ass not, not gonna lie, it was. They were like you've got to stop, you've just got to stop. And I'm like I don't look, this is on private property and nobody's getting heard. I mean, this is what we're going to do. They're like what do we need to do to get you licensed? That?
Aaron :was the conversation.
Eric:So I said, look, I mean I don't know, I mean I'd just help me out, I guess. And they're like, look you, just you just need to become a licensed promoter Because of what you're doing is on such a big scale, We don't want anybody to get hurt. I'm like I can, I can respect that. So I mean, this is over a year of just being the state And we have a great relationship now. But it's like it was. It was tough for a minute.
Eric:So, yeah, God sent me some amazing, amazing partners into my life to basically run the business while I be the promoter. And so we we filed for a license. I became a licensed pro promoter and an amateur promoter for combative sports in Texas. So it made sense to go to Wichita Falls. We were going to do our first sanction fight because we had all the fighters And that's the. That's the most difficult part about being a promoter is having a pool of fighters. But we had already done that over the last several years. We had gyms that were committed to us. We had kind of unknowingly, unknowingly, just fell into it.
Aaron :It makes sense.
Eric:It's like, okay, why don't you make it into a real, real business and actually change things? So we did, and we bought an octagon, paid off our ring and filed and had our first show in Wichita Falls And an octagon that you put together, take down wherever you're.
Aaron :Yeah, yeah, portable, it's where it goes with us wherever we go.
Eric:Again, this is a whole other thing, overwhelming. I have no idea what I'm looking at. I have no idea what to do. I have no idea how to do it, have no guidance, have no direction. Just go go through it And you'll learn. On the other side of it And I mean, i was scared to death because now you're talking about money, a lot of money, but you're looking at things you have in place. As far as you're just coming out of COVID, there's no promotions. They're all dead. There's the UFC and there's maybe one more, but what an opportunity to come in out of COVID and capitalize on fighters that are just hungry for opportunities And so it made sense And so is this when you came up with Dominion Fighting Alliance.
Eric:So that's when. That's when, like during the smokers and all that. That's when this changed to Dominion Training Camp, because we were no longer just boxing. We were everything.
Eric:So we were mainly more of a camp where we hosted fights, we did full MMA training, had a great great staff, great great people, And so then, yeah, when we filed for the license, that was the birth of the Dominion Fighting Alliance, That was the DFA Same line and tiger you know just different to different form. You know, same Dominion meaning Nothing changed on that, It's just it organically happened on its own. The state called me I would have just still been doing buoy fights, right now They hadn't said right.
Aaron :what can we do to make this?
Eric:And again it's that same. You know, dad, i wish there was a gym in Buoy. You know well. You know, eric, if God told you to do a gym, you better do it. You know, and it's like it's just, there's always these connecting, confirming dots, every step.
Aaron :I make, and so how has that changed the place we're now? How's?
Speaker 2:that? How's that, You know?
Aaron :you still have classes, do you still have? Yeah, yeah, so we've we still do classes.
Eric:Obviously, my time table has completely changed. We have two promotions now, so I run two promotions And this gym full time, so two promotions as in.
Eric:we have a we have a MMA promotion, which is the Dominion Fighting Alliance, and we have a new one that is actually the most exciting thing in my life right now, which is the Dominion Muay Thai championships, which is the only promotion in Texas that platforms the WBC, which is the highest gold stamp, it's the highest sanctioning body in the world, and that that just happened a couple months ago, and that is that is something that has just blown me away in my wildest dreams how that connected. So we, we tried our first sanctioned fight in Wichita Falls and it was expensive And it did it. Obviously you're not going to profit, but you do want to grow And I take that very seriously. It didn't, it didn't really do like we did. The show was great, fighters love the experience.
Eric:So we did a second show, same thing, showed a little growth, but it was just not a fight town for us, and so I had no idea that there was another big thing on the horizon. So I am, you know, so I'm doing classes here full time, you know, did two shows up there, learned, you know, understood how to do. I finally understand how to make a fight, which is totally different than than here, totally different when you're dealing with state protocols and deadlines and medicals, and there's just, you know, insurance and there's so much to it. There's and just the costs and the vendors and it's a production And it's just me.
Eric:It's just me and my wife, and that's it. We're, we're, we're setting up the cage, we're tearing it down, we're. I mean we're doing it all from from back end to front end. Doing it all Because I want to know it all, you know, i want to understand all the ends and outs of this industry. So, knowing the grassroots there, i was like man, we can't, we can't do another show there. It's just not going to work. So we just let some time go by.
Eric:And then I'm like I get this call from this guy in Irving who has a venue there And he had heard I'm because we were looking for venues cheaper, cheaper rent, better, better relationship. We needed a business owner, not, not not a city venue. So I get a call from this guy in Irving who owns Southern Junction And it was just. He was like yeah, you want to take a look at it. I'm like, yeah, i'm going to take a look at it. And it was raining. That day I'll never forget. So a friend of mine. I was like, man, it's raining, i'm not going to go. So he's like just go, i'll go with you. Okay, this ride changed everything Because again, i'm just we need another venue. We got to we're in the wrong town, right, not going to work there. So then we I'm driving there And then it's raining And then I get a call from and he's close friend of mine now.
Eric:His name is Bobby Peake And he is the supervisor for Texas for the WBC And he calls me. He's like you know, we know each other through like mutual fighters. He's had fighters fight for me and stuff in the past And so it was like Hey, eric, we're, you know, we're, we're looking to bring the WBC in the Texas And we're looking for a promotion to platform this. And he's and I said he's like we want you to create the Dallas market. He's like we kind of already got, you know, austin, houston, san Antonio market somewhat established And we want to create a Dallas market. I'm like, oh my gosh, i'm on the way to Irving right now to look at a venue. So that was like, wow, you serious? He's like, yeah, i was like I'm on my way to look at a venue in Dallas right now.
Eric:So, that started it. That was the start of our new promotion, because the DFA was was MMA, kickboxing and Muay Thai. It was a hybrid of all three, which is what and this is this is my mandate on, on, on, on what, what I'm trying to impact going through those shows in Wichita, right, and? and you know, my gym is a Muay Thai gym. This is a kickboxing gym. That's the martial art. This gym is that's that. That, that's what we love. So, yes, we train boxing, we do striking, but if you were to ask me what, what is your gym specialized in? it's, it's Muay Thai kickboxing. That's our love, that's that's our. That's what we're, that's what we fought, that's what we do.
Eric:We weren't really in. I mean, we had MMA here. It just really wasn't, and and I'm so grateful for the people that benefited from that but it just wasn't in my wheelhouse. So Muay Thai changed my life. That helped me find me again, it bridged me back to reality.
Eric:And so the system in Texas is somewhat flawed as far as combative fighting, and it needs to change. So you go to a traditional fight anywhere in Texas and this is just Texas Number one. It's very hard to succeed in Texas. There's not, there's very few promotions here. Number one because of the cost And number one two because of the. You know the competition. So it's hard to evolve in a in a in a in a system where the officiating is it needs, it needs updating. So if you go to a fight, you can watch an MMA fight, a Muay Thai fight in a kickboxing fight, all together in the same night. Here's the kicker is that it's all, it's the three, it's the same three judges. So it's like how is that fair to somebody that's just been training Muay Thai, you know? and the fight right before yours was an MMA fight, which includes it's a whole different martial art.
Eric:So there needs to be officials trained specifically for that sport. To make it fair And Muay Thai is a huge sport- So so how do you go about getting those officials?
Aaron :Is that something you're working on? Yeah, we actually did it.
Eric:And you bring. You bring the WBC Muay Thai from Thailand, you bring them into Texas, which has never been done before, and we did it.
Aaron :What was in your dream? It was that you were going to be going to.
Eric:It was, it was So. You know, Muay Thai is birth in Thailand. It is, it is their football, It is their everything. It is a sport that I have loved, fallen in love with, i continue to it'll, it'll. It's in my blood forever.
Aaron :So so how's this affecting your gym now? I mean, are you still teaching classes?
Eric:Yeah, Yeah, still teach classes in mornings and nights. I am just not that point to where I am like fight team training. You know I'm, i'll, i'll train. You know. It's just, my time is so limited that if I have like two or three, that's really all I can do, but a whole team. I just don't have the time anymore because it's just me. Yeah, you know, sean handles the weightlifting side of the gym, i handle the combative side. So I am. I have been ushered into this position of creating opportunities that have never existed, helping revise an officiating system that needs updating for our state and for our athletes, making sure there are safety protocols implemented in exhibition fighting that
Eric:have never been there. So my position has changed as far as all around the whole state of Texas and for the sport, helping fix the officiating problem, giving true authentic Muay Thai officiating, and so that's what. That's what our other promotion is about, specifically WBC, just Muay Thai, and you know you fight for us. It's like you're going to get a true authentic Thai scorecard And that is going to create so much opportunity because people are going to want to go to that, and so that's why we made so. That was our first fight in March and our new, our new venue in Irving just outside of conjunction.
Eric:We've done two fights there. They went great. We had our first pro fight in May. I gave away my first two championship belts for the DFA And so, yeah, there's two people that hold championship belts with the lion and tiger on them And they have to defend them later. How?
Aaron :good does that feel? Oh, you have no idea, man, starting it out in 2018. Yeah, you know, from a trip to Uganda to a dream to see those lion and tiger in the name being presented as a championship belts, and you know, and all coming from Buoy, yeah, being a birthplace of, of really an impact that that start here in our community I talk a lot about. We want to change the world. We want to change the world, but oftentimes we don't think about changing our world. And that's where you started. Sure Was changing. What can I change in a 900 square foot room? What people's lives going to change? What people's lives going to change in a 10,000 square foot building? What lives going to change in our community of 5,000? Now, what lives going to change in the state of Texas, which is going to go beyond, far and beyond our?
Eric:state.
Aaron :But it starts small and it starts with a passion, starts with a heart, starts with being uncomfortable, god telling you go there?
Speaker 2:I don't know why.
Aaron :I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm flawed, i don't have the resources, i don't have the know how, i don't have the experience Right. You know I've said it before that that God doesn't call those that are ready, he calls those that aren't ready. Sure, that's the calling he calls those that aren't prepared, and we just have to listen and follow Sure. Over the we've talked about, we've had a lot of successes in our community for sure, from people coming to the smoker fights to coming to classes struggles, from COVID to being laid off.
Aaron :And you've turned those challenges into lessons, into successes. Yeah, you know what can we do. This is our problem And I think it's a good point for any small business owner, especially in our small community. You had the same challenges as the rest of us. Why did some go out of business and some have really succeeded Now you've succeeded far and beyond a class.
Aaron :Now you're holding venues in the Metroplex and growing through the state and changing the way it's done in the state, because you look for opportunity to make those changes and lessons. And you've worked to find out. I don't know this. You went around, checked out what don't I know. Let me find out what I don't know. Let me get my hands dirty, set up and take down the ring. So when there's going to be a day when you don't do that anymore, there's going to be a day when you don't teach classes anymore, there's going to be a day that people go. You used to teach classes. Now, what does Dominion training camp have to offer, buoy, if somebody comes in and says you know, what do you have to offer me? What do you have to offer? I'm not looking to be a fighter, but what can I expect?
Eric:Yeah, it's kind of gone back to the grassroots of when we're in synergy. Honestly, it's kind of gone back to that You're gonna get. I would say to the adult first and then to the kid, to the adult first you'll get, because I just don't wanna say a workout because before it was just a workout. But being a licensed official for the WBC, i look at Muay Thai and kickboxing as okay, you're walking into the only gym for a while that teaches true, authentic Muay Thai kickboxing based on the WBC scorecard, which is very, very rare And we're not talking about the only gym in Texas.
Aaron :We're talking about the only gym in Texas.
Eric:Yeah, i mean there's. You go down south, that's where you'll find them, And there's some in the Metroplex, but it's like for this area, you know. It's like, do you not? just you know, and this just isn't about a workout, it's like you're gonna learn from the ground up authentic Muay Thai kickboxing. I mean the fitness and the workout that'll just come along with it, but it's the confidence And it's the knowing that, okay, my coach is a licensed official. I'm not just this angry guy anymore you know what?
Eric:I mean And that's my heart, that's truly my heart is that I can put somebody on the bag, i can teach them how to strike and I explain every combination, every scenario in a scoring environment. right, and that to me means a lot, because I'm not just gonna let you sit here and wail on this back. I'm not gonna let you sit here and kick it incorrectly. I'm not gonna let you hurt yourself. You're gonna have self-control, you're gonna do it. Everything you're gonna do is gonna be based on yeah, you can sit here and just punch on the bag and never fight your whole life.
Speaker 2:and that's great.
Eric:But I want you to learn the right way. You know what I mean, And it took me years to get to that. So to me, if an adult walks in, it's like yeah you're gonna learn this way, not just like the default Texas way.
Eric:You're gonna learn this way. That changed me And if that's for you, great, if not, that's it. And I would say our main growth right now and the Dominion training camp in Bowie are my teenagers. And I've got a great group of teenagers here and it's big. I mean every bag in here will be full on Tuesdays and Thursday nights My kids' class and they've been with me for a long time and I would say Bowie has a big bullying problem.
Eric:It always has and it's always gonna be there, and that's the whole thing of getting started with Emory. And all this is that I have parents call me and they're like we just don't know what to do. We've taken them out of school because the bullying's so bad and we're just homeschooling now because we don't know what to do. We just drop them off. Just drop them off and don't try to figure it out, because I've seen what this can do And I have for a kid that's going through that or a parent that knows somebody or even is going through that same situation themselves.
Eric:Martial arts is the way to go And it's not about fighting people. It's about knowing how to defend yourself, getting the confidence on how to do it and being able to make mistakes in a safe environment and being able to learn the basics, start sparring safely and then let the kid express themselves through the bag. And that's the one impact that I am so grateful for. Regardless of everything shuts down tomorrow, i am so grateful for the impact that this gym has had on these kids in this community.
Eric:It is profound and it is long lasting, and even the adults that have come and gone here I mean there has been a lot of fighters that have come through this place, a lot And if I was able to offer, you know, six minutes in that ring that changed their life, my job's done. If I was able to offer them a season in their life to where they looked at something in themselves, took responsibility for it and grew from it, that's great, you know, and I would say the impact and the thankfulness I have for this community is that it's fresh ground, you know, and there's people that need this, there's kids that need this, you know There's not a million and it's like my brother, you know, and my friend Tyson, who was my real MMA guy that came in after the counterfeit came in and he came in and he's like family and Calvin, and they opened a gym down in Jacksboro And it's like that, that's the way of Dominion.
Eric:They were with me for years, you know, through every smoker, fight, cornering, helping, teaching, holding pads, walking out with and they opened their own gym. And Jacksboro doesn't have a gym. that's it. They created it and I could sit back and just be like I am so thankful for that If everything was to end tomorrow. I am so thankful that now they can do that. now they can go be the Dominion wherever right, wherever they're at, wherever they're at.
Aaron :and then now what I'm doing on the state level is different, but And so Dominion offers that for the kids, for adults, for boxing, muay Thai, kickboxing, then also you have classes and they're all. And then what you said, sean takes care of the gym side, strength side, so then they can also join that be a part of that in addition to boxing, or just that, or Yeah, yeah, you can just do personal training with her, or you can do membership here, which gives you striking classes, kickboxing classes, muay Thai classes, and it's just a matter of what you want and you just gotta move in And this place is designed to where it's non-intimidating, to where you have your own bag, because I've been through those gyms where it's like where do I go, where do I stand?
Eric:And I've been to those gyms where there's a pecking order and there's an alpha you have to go through, and if you're not a fighter, they just put you in the corner, they don't care about you, and it's the worst feeling ever And I went through that a lot and I said I will never make anybody feel like that that walks into this place. I want this to be inviting and you have your own bag. that's why there's so many in here. So just a couple more questions.
Aaron :One, the last one moving here 12 years ago from Jacksboro. what makes Bowie you call Bowie my hometown? Yeah, what about Bowie makes you call Bowie my hometown? Oh man, it has been this incubator of just change.
Eric:It is for me, it is like this to me, it's rest, it's also chaos, it's a school room, it's just this place of just preservation that the Holy Spirit has and that there's just a level of grace that is just unmerited out of this town. And I have felt it and that's why we moved here 12 years ago and I'll never forget that. I'll never forget the mission of helping. I'll never forget the mission of teaching people how to live from their heart, which is a very, very hard thing to do, and I think that's the most important thing and knowing that this is the place, this is my galley.
Eric:This is where every temptation is about, every vice is about, but there's more grace that's abounding than sin, and it's like. I am grateful for the people. I'm grateful that my daughter graduated and it's off to college. I'm grateful for our home it's the first home we ever bought and we still have it and I'm grateful it's a place my girls can always come back to. I'm grateful that my wife's business is great. Her clients are. She impacts their lives on a level that I'll never understand, but she does. She does a lot of work between her personal training and running a home and running three kids and Skyler being gone my oldest and she's back and forth all the time. But yeah, i couldn't do any of this without her. There's just no way. She's at every show it's she and I. She handles the box office, i handle the back and it's the same thing when we get here.
Eric:I handle up here, she handles over there, and it's just like I couldn't ask for a better partner.
Aaron :And what's the best way for people to connect with Dominion? Dominion Training Camp? what's the best way to connect?
Eric:Yeah, i would say locally just walk in, walk in. And I want people to walk around here, cause there's just so much history here. This place is like a museum at this point. There's been so much historical things that have happened here and I just like I like people to visualize themselves here first, other than the Facebook page, because everything I have is on a Dominion Training app. So I like everything to kind of be more inclusive in here and walk around, look at it, cause once you're in here, you'll immediately visualize yourself just like at the gym it's like oh yeah, i can see myself bench pressing that or curling that.
Eric:You gotta get them in here. So connect with this by walking in, of course, our Facebook page. But I would just say this is a wheel. This is a wheel to a much larger, larger machine. It's one of many, many wheels that is making a much something bigger go, and anybody that could be a part of that. I think it's a magical time to be a part of something that big, because these promotions they're gonna be national, and I can say that now cause I don't know again, i don't know how it's gonna happen. I don't know right now we're regional, but it's gonna become a national brand.
Aaron :You watch and yeah Well, thank you, eric, for spending a little time with me and sharing your heart, sharing Dominion, the journey, what's meant to our community, what it's gonna mean to our state, what's gonna mean to our country, things all over the world. So, thank you, i appreciate that You got it, man.
Eric:And good luck Appreciate it brother, you're welcome, thank you man.
Aaron :Thank each of you for stopping by and visiting with us on my hometown. We're looking forward to seeing you around my hometown.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to today's podcast. If you would like to connect with Erin, you can do so by going to erindeglercom or find him on social media as Erin Degler on Instagram, facebook and YouTube. Once again, we greatly appreciate you tuning in. If you have enjoyed this show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcast. We greatly appreciate that effort and we will see you around in my hometown teacher from my memory, Jack off-sail and win his football.