Keep Hope Alive Podcast
Keep Hope Alive through the power of knowing who you are as a person and expressing self-love. Life is a journey and with the blank pages we create our story. Keep Hope Alive is about the power of knowledge in today's world. ALL topics are welcomed.
Keep Hope Alive Podcast
From Mental Hellness to Wellness: A Journey of Hope with David Woods Bartley
What if hope could be the bridge between mental hellness and mental wellness? In our latest episode of "Keep Hope Alive," we bring you the incredible journey of David Woods Bartley, affectionately known as Woody, and his loyal pug, Lexi. Woody recounts his life, filled with both heartache and triumph. From losing his father to lung cancer and battling severe depression, to becoming a father figure to his partner's children, Woody's narrative is a testament to resilience and the power of hope.
Join us as Woody bravely discusses the darkest periods of his life, including his struggle with insomnia, reliance on Ambien, and the trauma of abuse at a young age. Despite these challenges, Woody and his wife have successfully run an animal sanctuary, offering a sanctuary not just for animals but also for their own souls. Woody sheds light on the importance of self-care practices, from diet and exercise to the life-changing impact of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). His story underscores that seeking treatment is an act of courage, not weakness.
This episode doesn't just stay rooted in Woody's experiences; it also honors the extraordinary musical achievements of Richmond, a professional violinist with an illustrious career. We celebrate his journey from Juilliard to playing in front of massive audiences. Through these deeply personal stories, we emphasize the significance of compassionate support, connection, and emotional awareness as pillars for overcoming life's hardships. Tune in for an episode rich with hope, resilience, and the sheer power of human connection.
Brice Harney
Life On Record
Miles of Smiles Entertainment
Richmond Punch
TK Hair Salon
Ogden Ventures LLC
CEO of Ogden Ventures LLC
SnappBandZ
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Love & Light - Keep Hope Alive
hello and welcome to keep hope alive. Today we got a wonderful guest. His name is david woods bartley. He is a speaker, but he is gonna be speaking on a lot of stuff. His dog, lexi, is there too. She's a cute little pug. You see her every now and then, but but welcome to Keep Hope Alive. I'm so excited that you're on the show.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much for having me, and you know, as you'll find out I don't know if you know hope is a foundational principle in all the work that I do, so that's why I was so I like being probably annoyingly persistent, like please, let me on the show.
Speaker 1:No, that is fine, that is fine. I do get people that want to be on the show and it's so funny. Just recently, I think, there's been four people and they said, oh, your calendar is not working right and they're like I need to get on. And I was like I wish I could clone myself as my answer, because I work a full-time job too, and I was just like but it's such a good message to people. That's the thing, and I want to do more. I think I might be adding Tuesdays, trying to do one after work as well. So I'll have three days and then my Sundays I try to do three. Sometimes it goes into four, but I'm trying to figure out. So it's a lot of stuff and it's a great topic. I love dogs. No, sorry, go ahead, you go ahead, okay. Well, my first question for you is off topic how many weddings have you been to in the last 15 years?
Speaker 2:That's a good question. You know, I think I average about a wedding a year, so I'd probably say I think 15 is a good number.
Speaker 1:Okay, cool, that is a good number, so well. So let's say you're going to a wedding, it's a ceremony part. You're walking through the doors. Usually there's something there to sign that the bride and groom will know that you were there. What are they signing?
Speaker 2:they, and I think it's called different things. But you know, for me it's a guest, a guest registry. You know, you gotta let them know in case they didn't see me Like look, no, I was there. Look, I signed the book.
Speaker 1:I signed the book. Yes, well, one of our biggest sponsors is Life on Record and what they do instead of doing a book, they have a vintage rotary phone. They put out there and your guests pick it up. They can leave a message Congratulations on your big day, now pick it up. They can leave a message Congratulations on your big day. Now you can leave a five minute, 10 minute, 30 minute message. But please, if it's a wedding, no 30 minutes. And then right next to it is a QR code. So if there's a line forming and it's long, you can take out your mobile device and scan that code also. But I think everybody likes to pick up the phone and leave the message. But you can use your own phone for before or after. And I think this is such a great concept because it's like the gift of voice. They will get all these messages and you can have it either burned on a 12-inch vinyl record or they will do it on a keepsake speaker that they call a little boom box. So let's say it's their one-year anniversary, sitting back eating that top layer of cake and sitting back and listening to all those messages. So that's a really great concept. I like it better than a book I don't know how many people actually go back and look at the book than a book.
Speaker 1:I don't know how many people actually go back and look at the book, but I would definitely always go back to hear the recordings. I know that for a fact. But you get this phone number. I said the phone number. You got to return the phone, but you get the phone number for one year. And it doesn't matter what kind of event it is. I always use a wedding as a sample, but like family reunions, graduation parties, birthdays, like big milestone ones, whatever the occasion, you can definitely use that. So plans $99. You get the phone number for one year. So even if it was a wedding, I tell people okay, right before the one year anniversary, call back that number and say happy anniversary. So you can capture that too. So but to find more information about them, go to wwwlifeonrecordcom. All right. So my first question of this interview is going to be who is David Woods?
Speaker 2:Bart bartley you know, that's kind of interesting question. So I'm 61, youngest of four boys. I adore and I adore my three older brothers, jim, tom and john, and they're six, nine and eleven years older than I, and we lost our father. Um, our father, james hamilton bartley everybody called him Ham died when he was just 42. And unfortunately it was that evil lung cancer. But he was also saddled with horrific clinical depression.
Speaker 2:And I mentioned all that for a couple of different reasons, but the most important of which is that at the time that my father died, my eldest brother, he really moved in and from that point to this day really has continued to be my dad.
Speaker 2:And I say all that in that at 61, I've been on the planet for six decades and I've made this journey that continues, as they say, from mental hellness to mental wellness.
Speaker 2:And really now it's about trying to live my life to make my brothers proud, to make my beloved proud. Kids came into my life as little as seven years ago, my first wife, who I adored and still love very much, and we're friends and very, very good friends. We never had children. We took care care of animals, which we can talk about later but my beloved, my sweetheart now came with her three beautiful children, and I'm learning and I think I really I needed some more time on the planet to to be able to be reasonably competent as a bonus dad, and so every day it's it's about and I love what you, what you're all about, nadine it's just trying to offer some positive contribution to the world and and hope it is, but it is my mantra um yeah it's, it's in the work that I do as a speaker is the foundation is connection creates hope, and hope saves lives.
Speaker 2:Yes, and it's so. I mean that's kind of a little taste of who I am.
Speaker 1:Gotcha, I was looking at, I think, your Facebook page and I saw hope and I had to snag it from you because it was like hope pain ends, or something, and I was like, oh, that is the story of me too. So I was like I need that picture.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's hold on, pain ends.
Speaker 1:Yes, hold on. Pain ends Love. That I was like, because you know I've been going through chronic pain ever since, like 2000. So and I just recently got diagnosed I always say it wrong, I call it MP, but it's neuralgia, parathesikia, whatever it's called but I have no feeling in my left leg. It's called, but I have no feeling of my left leg and it's something that is done by a nerve, but it's been untreated for like a year and a half to two years. So I'm just at the point like, oh, just rip out that nerve. Like I want to be able to feel my whole leg. I'm only 46. I could not imagine being in this much pain going to 80 years old. Like I have a granddaughter, I want to be at the park with her and you know, having fun. My youngest, he's 12 and he plays football, so mom has to be able to move around.
Speaker 2:Mom go out for a pass, come on.
Speaker 1:I do, and you know what. We were out to see my friend yesterday. We went out by Oklahoma. We were swimming in our pool but we didn't have a football, so we used a water bottle and I'm like throwing it, just having a good time with him, you know. So I have to be that super mom, parent to do all that with him and everything so. But I love football and football is just amazing. He's really good at it, I mean for his age, playing wide receiver and doing touchdowns.
Speaker 2:I'm like Whoa, this is cool, exactly Right on brother.
Speaker 1:Yeah so, but definitely so, like with your journey going through all this whoo, I read your bio. You've got a story to share and I'm going to let you lead this and I'm going to have some questions along the way, so I know, that.
Speaker 1:So I know you use the word hellness and, yeah, seems like that's what you went through. So, guys, if you want tissues, bring them out, but you know, every illness there's hope at the end and a learning lesson. So I want to hear everything that you had to go through, but what you learned from it also.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I think that the best place to start would be that on August 31st 2011,. I tried to kill myself, I tried to end my life by suicide, and I did that because what I believed not what, not what was factual, but what I believed was I was worthless and useless and stupid and pitiful and grotesque and ugly, and the world will be better off without me. All those different things. Beliefs are not necessarily true, but they're powerful. They are powerful.
Speaker 2:By that point, at 48 years old, nadine, I had lived with depression for almost all of my life. The famous chef David Chang battled bipolar. He has this incredible quote about depression that he has battled, as mentioned, in which he says when you're depressed, you're convinced that everything you think is true and it's just like oh, chef michael, it's exactly right and so. But my life was safe. God, in the form of a police officer, stopped me from jumping off a 730 foot tall bridge in Northern California and I was taken off the bridge and to an emergency room and into a psychiatric ward where I would spend the next 15 days and had an incredibly positive experience. But when people found out where I was and why, nadine, they couldn't figure it out. It made no sense. They're like what wait, david? And my middle name is Wood. Most people call me Woody and they're like wait, woody. Woody is depressed. Woody thinks he's useless. Woody Woody thought the world would be better off without him, and what really confused him was I was married, as mentioned before this beautiful, amazing woman, and we ran an animal sanctuary, and the animal sanctuary was phenomenal.
Speaker 2:It was called A Chance for Bliss, named after the first two 12 and 13-year-old brother-sister pair of Boston Terriers that we rescued and, ultimately, nadine. We had 100 animals. We had 25 horses, 23 dogs, all of whom lived in the house. We had nine pot belly pigs. We had goats and sheep and ducks and geese. We have 15 different species and because of the mama you have turtles.
Speaker 2:We did?
Speaker 1:We did have turtles. I always have to ask for turtles.
Speaker 2:We did have turtles and because of the mama bear heart of my former bride. We took the ones nobody wanted. So if you were an animal soul to come to us, you had to be sick, you had to be dying, you had to have been tortured, abused, missing limbs, deaf. So we did no adoptions. So animals stayed until they made, as we like to say, their transition. And on June 2nd 2010, we were the half-page cover story in the life section of USA Today.
Speaker 2:And yet, 14 months later, I was on a dark spot on a tall, tall bridge, one heavy thought away from killing myself. And the question people say is like dear God, brother, what happened? And what happened was I stood at the confluence of two things. One was genetics my beloved father. I don't have a lot of memories of him, but my three older brothers talk about how depressed dad was and my grandfather had killed himself. So I'm in the line, but my brothers don't have any depression Like what happened to Woody. Well, woody, at 12 years old, was raped, was sodomized on repeat occasions by a Boy Scout leader, and every time this thing did that to me before he would let me go, nadine. He would look at me and he'd say David, don't forget, these are initiations and all the boys go through it. What? But we don't talk about it, and so I didn't, and so I can tell you what I can tell you.
Speaker 2:When the monster of depression and I began our relationship and it's it's since august 31st 2011. It has been. Life has put me into the proximity of and he had before, but in terms of of, the question becomes well. How do you, how do you become well? And it is care of body, mind and spirit, however you define that, and it's about it's about diet, it's about sleep, it's about exercise. It's about diet, it's about sleep, it's about exercise, it's about time outside. I'm on four meds. I take them every day and it's a thing that I still fight, even at 61 years old, and I'm very compliant. And at the end of last year, I fell into a recurrence of crippling depression, the likes of which I had not had in decades, and was actively suicidal again. And my beloved dad, my eldest brother and my sweetheart, my beloved Summer I put my hands up like this because they're my two North Stars.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They guided me into ECT, or electroconvulsive therapy, and what I can tell you, nadine is 34 sessions later, the most recent of which, like two weeks ago, it's changed my life. Oh wow, it has been unbelievable what it has done.
Speaker 1:So that's like with the brain right.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So what they do. So what I do is every so. Now I'm just at once a month. When I started it was three times a week, and there's so much.
Speaker 2:They deem misconception, fear, stigma, yeah. And yet the efficacy rate of this is as a therapy is like 60 to 90%. But people are like, no, I mean, wait, you're going gonna shock me and cause me to have a seizure. How in the heck is that gonna help me? So here's what happens.
Speaker 2:So I go in, I see my beloved psychiatrist, dr, dr marasa, so we catch up she, as while she's talking, she's putting electrodes around my head. And then jo, the nurse, is putting a blood pressure cuff around my left ankle, and then the anesthesiologist is putting the IV in my right arm and then, right before he's ready to give me the general anesthesia to put me completely asleep, he says the same thing all the time Are you ready for your nap? I say yes, I am. So as soon as I'm asleep, you ready for your nap? I say yes, I am. So as soon as I'm asleep, then he gives me another drug that completely paralyzes me.
Speaker 2:Completely, because what they don't want to happen is when I have a seizure. If it becomes too vibrant, then I might hurt myself. But I always wondered. I'm like why is Joanne putting the freaking blood pressure cough down on my ankle? What they do is they pump that up so that my left foot is not paralyzed, so they can watch my toes to monitor. They know when the seizure is happening in my brain and the seizure goes for like 30 to 45 seconds.
Speaker 1:Then when it's done, 45 seconds, so it's like a partial seizure.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's no more than a minute. Then they then they, then they reverse the paralysis. Then when I'm I'm caught, you know, then when I'm just normal, then they put me into recovery. So I'm in recovery for about an hour hour and a half and then I go home, start to finish. I'm at the hospital for about three hours and I've had 34 sessions and it is a seizure with each session.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, that's exactly. And what happens is they say, well, why, how does it work? Well, what happens is it's basically like re, the, the seizures, and the activity that goes on in my brain as a result of the seizures rewires my brain and it floods it with neurotransmitters. It just it. I mean, I am a different person, I'm a better person as a result of this procedure and I'll I may have it for the rest of my life. I I don't know that's, I really don't care because it works.
Speaker 2:And like you similar to you, I won't say like you this has been a hard year and I have bone on bone on my left hip. I have no cartilage. It hurts bad, yeah, and my business has struggled, which I don't understand. It's just like last year was like people couldn't get a date, and so the only reason I say that before ECT, if either of those things would happen, nadine, I am going down depression alley, like you were, like who and what. I can tell you, I have both of these happening right now. I still I'm not going to have a new hip for another three months and it's not like my calendar is full yet. So I have both of these happening right now I still I'm not going to have a new hip for another three months and it's not like my calendar is full yet.
Speaker 2:So I have both of these happenings and you know what I can tell you I'm not depressed, it's amazing, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1:You see, okay, I grew up with epilepsy. I still have it to this day and it stinks for what I go through because I'll get something. It's called Aurora, so it lets me know before my seizure comes like 30 minutes to an hour, and I'm like, oh, here we go. But I've been trying to figure out ever since I was a little girl.
Speaker 1:The last time I had a lot like this, I didn't know I was diabetic, and so I guess I need to see if I'm diabetic again, because I'm starting to get them and I'm like, oh, I was like so that and flickering lights back in when I was well, video games did cause a seizure, but I was at a casino with my friend like two years ago, and the lights even though I was winning money like good money, I was like I don't freaking care. I was like she was driving back so I could get my car and I was an hour away, but my whole intention was to drive back home that night and she's like she goes. You said something's not right and you started convulsing in the car and I was like, oh no, you know, it's just like. But I've had where I've jumped out of my body before with seizures. So like for me to hear.
Speaker 1:I was like, oh my gosh, I really hate seizures, but if it's helping with depression, that's a good thing. So because whatever they give us like what is it? Zoloft, or there's so many other brands out there oh, you're going to get this. Now I hit depression and they told me the depression was because I now, with my surgeries, I will be anemic and have iron deficiencies and iron deficiencies. It hits you like this, but depression is so fast. I remember calling, going I don't know. Like all of a sudden I'm at work and I want to hurt myself for some reason, don't know why, I didn't learn I need iron infusions. But what is going on? And my doctor knew she was people get depressed very fast and I never knew that.
Speaker 2:So yeah I, I I'd never heard the the relationship between the two.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know I'll share something again, and I love serendipity. My beloved niece, jordan, has lived with epilepsy her entire life, so I am familiar with the incredible difficulties and challenges that you and my beloved niece live with. In fact. So she just had a surgery and I know there's a medical name, but it was basically she. They implanted a particular device in her brain that is that is designed to in like, like you experienced with, uh, with, however you do, aurora, thank, this device will ultimately do that for my niece. Oh nice, yeah and so, but my niece is amazing. I mean, what she has been through, oh, I guess. So I get the epilepsy thing, I do.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, yeah, it's not fun. You know it's weird because I started when I was like six years old, so I thought it was only going to be bad, like when I was a kid, but no, it's actually getting worse as I get older. So, and I was just, I had a podcast with a neurologist, but we were talking about sleep, because if you don't get sleep, you can have a seizure.
Speaker 1:And it's like, oh man, like I hate it because they put me on a sleeping pill, because my brain goes a mile a minute. I want to create so many new companies. I can't shut it down. They're like here we're going to give you Ambien. So it's been like five years I've been on Ambien, but that's a whole nother podcast of stories. But you know, once I'm off of it, I can't sleep the next day and I'm like, oh no, it scares me. Am I going to have a seizure?
Speaker 2:because of this.
Speaker 1:I get it. Yep, I'm sorry you have to deal with that. So I want to go back to when you were on the bridge really quick, okay, you didn't jump, or?
Speaker 2:you didn't, no, no, no, I didn't, no, you couldn't survive.
Speaker 1:So they got you before it could even happen Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, because that's a 730-foot drop. You're not surviving that.
Speaker 1:Oh man, yeah, yeah. I'm glad somebody did find you and get you the help and everything. So you know a lot of people if they go to a psychiatric place. I hated it and you know you don't hear many people say I've learned a lot about me and I'm a better person.
Speaker 2:Oh, my gosh. Oh, I mean, I remember my roommate. My roommate's name was Daniel and I remember we came from two entirely different socioeconomic backgrounds, and yet I remember at one scene we had these single beds and my beloved dad, my brother. Here's how great he is, so he stands. Oh, I cry a lot more, since I've got had ect, by the way, so anyway, um, my brother sends a care package to me in the psych ward. Okay, no one else got care packages in the psych ward, but here's how great my brother is. Not not only that, he knew I had a roommate. He made sure that everything that he gave me he had one for him as well oh like that's.
Speaker 2:That's the lineage that I come from and my other two brothers, jim and tom, are just the same, they're that great.
Speaker 2:So I remember I just was just marveled at the staff, and and then in all the you know, all of the counselors and the therapists and the support groups and the and the various doctors and the different methods and modalities of treatment, therapies and everything else that I've treated, that I've yeah, that I've yeah, that I have been exposed to. I've never met a person in the, in the paradigm of mental health, that wasn't a badass. They were just like, yeah, just like a great person, and and and this is at like at the county level and at the, at, you know, at the, the private for-profit level, you know. So I've touched the, the system, nadine, in a lot of different points. Yeah, I mean, you know, I, I from being on food stamps to private, um, uh, ketamine transit, uh, infusions, I mean so it's just, but it's just yeah. So I'm Marvel at and and and.
Speaker 2:Where I go now for my ECT treatments is a psychiatric hospital called Sutter Psych and I said to this, to the, the crew who I've gotten to know really well after 34 sessions, I mean it's in a very intimate environment, and I said, I said you know what, in all the times I've been here, I've never felt like a psych patient. That's good. I really. You guys, you know like when they open up the door and they're like David, it's so great to see you. And I had one of the nurses I was in recovery. Her name is Amanda and this was like two treatments ago and she said, david, I was in recovery, her name is Amanda, and this was like two treatments ago and she said, david, I got to tell you. She said, of all the patients, of all the patients that we've had, we were pulling for you the hardest. Don't just be like.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Just like you want to talk about hope. I mean, yeah, that that it's. And so when I do my talks like so, I just, as mentioned, I just gave a sermon today at a church and it was patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue and really the sermon was for me. But but I so for me, I oftentimes will, in an early part in a talk, will read the definition to whatever I'm going to talk about, because I'm fascinated by definitions. So do you know what the definition of hope is? You're going to love this if you don't know it. This is like so great, it's amazing.
Speaker 1:Well, I learned another one today from you, so go ahead, and this is right out of the dictionary.
Speaker 2:So hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had. Yep, that's yes, it's doable, it's achievable. I can have it. It's within my reach's achievable, I can have it, it's within my reach, I see it. I just like and I love that it starts with the feeling, not the thought, not the belief the feeling we know how powerful feelings are.
Speaker 2:That's why I'm like, oh, and so I think it is. It's just, I mean, what you talk about, I and so in my work, in the work of suicide prevention, is connection creates this thing called hope. Yeah, when someone, someone is in that space. So I come to you, I come to nadine and I'm feeling suicidal. Nadine creates, which, at its core, is the experience where I feel seen, heard and valued, like okay, yeah, okay I'm, of course, I'm going to feel hopeful there. So I'm suicidal Nadine, because because of Nadine is Nadine, I feel seen, heard and valued. Thus I experience hope and my and what is it that I want? I want my pain to end. I experience hope, and what is it that I want? I want my pain to end. In the space of Nadine, I feel like my pain can end, like it's doable. So, in other words, then I'm not going to kill myself when I feel hope.
Speaker 1:Exactly, I might do it when I feel other things, but I'm not going to do it when I feel hope. See, and that is the key right there, because not a lot of people I don't think they truly understand with depression and feeling suicidal you know I hate to use the word judge, judge, oh well, why would they do that? And why are they thinking that we're not asking? And I say we're not, we're not asking for that. It comes to us and anybody it hits us, whether we want it or not. So it's just like you think it with your brain. You can control it not to have those thoughts, but you, it's hard, you don't want to have them, but you don't know what to do. I remember, going through all my pain levels, they gave me some Bolta but nobody told me don't cold turkey it. Like. They didn't know that, like with Lyrica, I just said no, this is not working, I don't want it. Like, but I did that with some Volta and that was the wrong thing to do and I didn't know it. And I am talking.
Speaker 1:It took maybe hours and I was like why do I feel like I want to kill myself right now, like I wanted to do anything? And it wasn't voices or anything, it was just this weird coming off the medication, feeling like I want to say like the devil was right next to me, going, hey, just do it, it'd be fun, and that's what you know. It's like no, it wouldn't. Why is this happening? So the struggles if you know somebody who is going through this and they don't want to talk about it because they're scared to be heard, really, guys, stop and listen. Just listen. Let them talk. You're saving a life too, because it's not the person doing it, it's just happening.
Speaker 2:It's just something like a chemical that goes to your brain and just wants to change you no, so you're right, and and I'm a freak about quotes so there's a wonderful doctor named dr rachel naomi remen, and this is this will go perfectly with what you just said. So dr remen says our listening creates a sanctuary for the homeless parts in another person.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very true, very very true.
Speaker 2:People say I don't know what to do, Just listen.
Speaker 1:Well, that can't do anything. Yes, it can. Yes, it can.
Speaker 2:Because you feel heard.
Speaker 1:Thank you. You see, my friend, she just passed. It's almost going like on two years, but we would talk almost every day right after I got off work at five o'clock, and it was always about being heard this is way before the podcast.
Speaker 1:We wanted doctors to hear us the guys we were dating, our friends, whether it was something to do with our kiddos. We talked about everything under the moon. It's like, why do I feel like I had to keep explaining myself to a doctor? I feel like they're going in and just talking to Alexa. Nobody gives a crap about what I'm experiencing, or I'll never forget. I had a doctor and I said I had a decompression surgery, my back is hurting really, really, really bad, and that doctor goes. I think it's time we talk and I was like what are you talking about? And she goes. I think you need to go to a psych org and work this out. And you know what? She kept me there for an hour trying to convince me of that and I was hurt. I was so sad but I didn't believe her because I knew I didn't need that. I know my back was really hurting. So I ended up going to a CBD shop to see if there was like any miracle thing. And they go why don't you go? It's about 30 minutes drive from here. Go to this chiropractor. They're going to do stuff your average Joe Blow doctor will not do. So the chiropractor did an x-ray of my back and she goes oh my gosh. And she looked at my back and she got a pencil and circled it. Hurry up, go to a back surgeon. They did the decompression wrong. It came out. My bones were rubbing on bones. So I will always reflect on that one doctor who didn't give a crap, who just told me I was crazy basically in the head, and I wasn't. I had a surgery. I have three screws in my back right now due to that.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I was like being heard is so important. Relationships, too. Stop picking up your phone unless you have kids. If you're out on a date, actually listen to your date on a date, actually listen to your date. So not everything is like, oh, who's dinging me next? They always call that the grass is greener on the other side. Don't go to the bathroom and just look at your phone. While you're on a date, too, people want to be heard, even if they're just going to be a friend basis or whatever. So it's common courtesy. We didn't have these cell phones back in the day. And look at these people that are older than us, still happy, still married because, that did not interfere.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I agree with you, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I mean, you know, when you also touched base, what happened to you. I've talked to several people who've gone through that and that is the hardest thing to go through and I don't think honestly I'm going to just say it. You can go through so much therapy and I don't know has this actually helped you get thoughts away too? I got to ask because you got depression from what happened to you. Are the memories, the trauma, has that lingered away a little bit too?
Speaker 2:No, it has, and I think it's been a lot of therapy, um, and then the other thing there was an incredible maybe we have time. I'll tell you a quick story. Okay, because this this probably did as much. I'm reaching to grab something over here, okay, okay, anyway. So I do a lot of work with the army and help them as much as I'm reaching to grab something over here, okay, okay, anyway. So I do a lot of work with the army and help them as much as I can, which is great, because my eldest brother, my dad, did 42 years um enlisted, became a two-star general. He's my guy, so I love working with the army.
Speaker 2:So I was working with this, this unit, it's about a year or so ago and at the end and I've been there for three days and at the end the commander, who was a Colonel Lieutenant, colonel Daniel Trouse, said David, would you please come? Would you please come to my office? I said, yes, sir, absolutely. He says so. I sit down and he says, david, I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done over these last several days, your, your viewpoint and your perspective on this, and what you've shared with us in terms of what. What can we do to help create hope is is very unique and it has made an enormous difference.
Speaker 2:But he said, david, I gotta be honest with you. I am so angry and I'm like, oh, and I had that same kind of reaction, nadine, and then I. So I said oh, no, and he said, david, I'm not angry at you. I said he said, david, what happened to you and the Boy Scouts? I can't accept that. I can't, I can't, I can't process that, I can't let that go. He said, david, I was a Boy Scout, david, I was an Eagle Scout, david, the best parts of who I am as a father, as a husband, as a, as a, as a commander, as a human being being I learned in becoming an eagle scout.
Speaker 2:And then they, he reached behind him and he pulled out his wallet. They pulled out, looked like a credit card and I'm like I'm so confused. And he said, david, when you become an eagle scout, they give you one of these. And he turned it around and it was. He said it's an eagle scout car. So you talk to Scout, it doesn't matter what age they are, they have their car.
Speaker 2:David, I got this car on November 3rd 1998. He said it's, it's, it's, it's sacred. And then and then he gave it to me and I held it and I was like, wow, so that's you know, that's that, that's, that's it's I. I get thank you for what you said. And I get it. And, nadine, I go to give the card back and he says, no, you keep it, you've earned it. So I have the colonel's card and I cannot tell you how many times I have given a talk and at the end of the talk an Eagle Scout will come up and they'll take their wallet out and they show me their card. That man, that soul wanting to try to heal, gave me a part of himself, and that act, along with everything else that has been done in support of me, those things make it where I don't linger on that thought anymore. Yeah, oh, my gosh.
Speaker 1:Thank you for sharing. I know that was a thought anymore. Yeah, oh my gosh. Thank you for sharing. I know that was a hard question. You got me to cry.
Speaker 2:I'm like all teary eyed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the first time I had tears coming out on the podcast.
Speaker 2:Colonel Trouse is. I stay very closely connected with him and he is. I always say, you know, I'll text him. I say, hey, sir, you know I'll text him. I say, hey, sir, you know, I can never thank you enough. And he says you're the one doing the hard work. Yes, he's. He's a guy like my, like my brother, he's that kind of mix.
Speaker 2:He's that kind of man. So I just. I was in new orleans two weeks ago and a young captain in the army came up showed me his card. Oh wow, it's good stuff it is. It really is Makes me cry, but that's okay, you know it is okay.
Speaker 1:It is okay to cry. Tears are the best. It is okay. It is okay to cry Tears are the best.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, ect it is just. I don't know what it is. It's always emotional. I was aware of my emotions and had access to them and could express myself, but my goodness, Since ECT.
Speaker 1:It's going to bring more awareness and everything.
Speaker 2:I know my little turtle hair. It's actually good. Bring more awareness and everything. I have my little turtle here.
Speaker 1:It's actually good, so anyway, I want to jump in really quick. Have you ever because we're just like on this topic have you ever heard of snap bands? I have not heard of snap bands Well you know what I want to say. I have so they look like this All right, then I have yes.
Speaker 1:I have my Pandora bracelet over it. I get it. Yes, yeah, it says hope on it. Yes, mantra word they call it the mantra word. So on the back it has this gentle elastic.
Speaker 1:So, like in the world today, it's a stressful place. So, with school relationships, work, health issues, finances the nightly news is another one there's anxiety every freaking day. So negative thoughts can keep popping into our head over and over again I'm not good enough, I'm not worthy of anyone loving me, bad things are always happening to me. So if you ever have these type of thoughts, you're definitely not alone. More than 40 million Americans are diagnosed with anxiety disorder, and anxieties, worries and fears can stop you from finding that inner peace and achieving your true potential. So you really do deserve to live the best life. Now they came out with SnapBand, which helps you reduce anxiety, control OCD and calm stress. And I'm going to throw PTSD in there because, yeah, it's helped me with the medical part of PTSD. So these are cognitive behavioral tools based on proven brain neuroscience, and the way these work is amazing. So with a gentle tug, you'll go and just kind of gently pull it. It will hit there, but it sends a way to rethink with your brain and they have all these mantra words. Think with your brain and they have all these mantra words. So they have now eight. But they have believe, blessing, dream, fearless hope, love, peace and faith. And I'm going to tell you about faith really quick, because you can only get that with the code KHA. You know what that stands for, right? Kha? Keep hope alive. It's their promo code. You get the word faith. Now they come in all different colors. They're made out of vegan leather. I get mine wet all the time I take a shower. I'll go swimming with it. I've had mine on for a year and it's just been wonderful. All proceeds will go to organizations that help with you know, anxiety or depression, to help clear that out. So they want to snap it out. But I want you guys to go visit their website. It is wonderful, and just to be able to get that off your chest using the mantra words.
Speaker 1:I use mine a lot for when I'm at the hospital. I will pray over, basically, the person that has to find a vein in my arm because I get missed. I'll be on my eighth one. We just can't find it. We need the machine. I've had a bunch of men stand around me and I was a class all of a sudden, just for an IV because I had bad veins. So I hope my nurse can find it and I'm always clinging on to this and I wish I could have it on the way as I'm rolling into surgery and then take it off because I'm using it nonstop. It's like, okay, don't let me think of this. So yeah, now, whenever somebody has to do a biopsy on me, it's because I got cut open wide away. No time for anesthesia and yeah, I had cellocitis. I could have died, but they had to get it out of me very fast and I was just like, but it hurt, it hurt bad. So now when I go to the doctors, I'm freaked out like a hundred percent. So I want to get back and you know, I think we also talked about I asked you if you were writing any books about the lessons you know and everything you've been.
Speaker 1:I don't even want to call the hell you've been through. So, basically there, but there are lessons and learning, finding hope in them too. So so, yes, you have a book. I'm going to let you talk about that.
Speaker 2:Yes, so it's called. The book is called the Blue Elephant and it is basically an autobiography of me Written. It'll be marketed probably as a children's book, but it's one of those children's books that any adult can read and find value. So the text is done. I'm just right now looking for an illustrator and then we'll move forward, but I would imagine my hope is my hope is it would be done by the end of the year, in time for Christmas.
Speaker 1:Yay, that is so cool.
Speaker 2:It's a really. It's a really. I give credit to the universe, because the story that came through me is there's just some parts that when I read it I'm like that's such a good part, just one part. So it's not me, it's the universe, so yeah, so that'll be forthcoming very soon.
Speaker 1:That is so cool. I'm so happy for you. That is wonderful. So do you do other podcasts, and did you ever think about having your own podcast as well? I?
Speaker 2:don't think. I don't think. I mean, I'm occasionally a guest on on other podcasts, really, and my hope is just to give a different perspective to this whole thing around suicide prevention and yeah and I just want to offer something different. Um so, and I love to speak, uh, I do a lot of speak. I do a lot of speak speaking for businesses, um, for education, from kindergarten all the way up to to graduate school, and then a lot within community organizations and the military, of course gotcha.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely when. Yeah, definitely. When you said military earlier, I was like thinking you said eHarmony, but I think you said the military and I was like he works at eHarmony. I was like what is he talking about?
Speaker 2:Speaking is my full-time gig, that's what I like, and I don't use powerpoints and I don't use stats, it's story, story, story, story yes, yeah, I wouldn't want to do that either.
Speaker 1:So, you know, I I kind of interview that way and I'm not gonna study, I just want to talk. You know, it's just like let's have fun, let's find out who we are, share, share it with the world.
Speaker 2:Thank, you so much for having me on.
Speaker 1:I know I loved it and I'm going to bring you back on. And definitely, guys, when the book comes out I will link it up into our store so you can get it, which is amazing. Just a reminder if you do have any questions for David, you can always give us a call at 833-780-HOPE and you can also go onto the website at wwwkeephopealivepodcastcom. Now also, I would like to thank you. Know what I have to go by memory? Oh my gosh, oh no, here it is. I'm all scrunched around, but I want to thank to our other sponsors that Keep Hope Live floats.
Speaker 1:As we mentioned, life on Record was your interactive guest book for events that collects the voice messages. You can find them at wwwlifeonrecordcom. And then we also talked about Snap Bands at wwwsnapbandscom, which is the bracelet that will help you fight the depression, anxiety and OCD the Depression, anxiety and OCD. Our next one is Ogden Ventures LLC. Mr Marcus Ogden is a former football player, podcaster and best-selling author. He has a wonderful show he puts on and his speaking is down to the point, which is amazing. You can visit www and I'm going to spell this out M-A-R-Q-U-E-S-O-D-G-E-Ncom. Our next one is Bridal Shows Inc.
Speaker 1:Ms Naomi. She's been doing bridal shows for so many years now and people from the United States are always coming to visit too, even though it's based in Dallas, fort Worth. But if you want to meet your photographers, videographers, caterers, bakers, whatever it may be and see a beautiful fashion show, she is the one to go and see. So our next one is Bryce Harney at wwwbrycemagiccom. You probably might've seen him on TV this last year, but Mr Bryce Harney is a mind mentalist and a magician who is fantastic with the corporate events. He also does church. He'll interact with the sermon too, like whatever it may be. So I just tell people to jump on there and take a look at that.
Speaker 1:Our next one is milesandsmileseventscom, ms Deborah Rose. She does handwriting and lipstick readings and she's very accurate, fun lady to have and down to the point also. So, but check out her information and she can do any event for you. And our last one is richmanpunchnet Richmond graduated from the Juilliard's Top Honors. He is a violinist. He's been doing this for over 30 years. He had performed in front of a million people before I think that was actually a funeral and then he had two spots on Lifetime shows and now he's out and about doing tours, which is amazing, so I'm so happy for him. Now remember, wherever you guys find your podcast that's my blooper of the day you can find Keep Hope Alive, and if you would like to be a guest, just send us an email also. So, but once again, thank you so much for coming on to the show. I'm very excited. Thank you so much for having me. Yes, definitely so. Until next time, guys. Love and light, bye-bye.
