Episode #50: Meet Robert Sibole

On this episode of the Banning USD Real Talk Podcast, we are joined by Robert Sibole, Blue Zones Banning Organization & Well-being Lead. Robert is a dedicated community member, a proud parent within the District, and an active leader helping guide the Blue Zones Project in Banning. During this conversation, we explore the work taking place through the Blue Zones Project to support Banning’s journey toward becoming a recognized healthy community. The discussion highlights why this effort matters for our city and how schools, families, and community partners can play an important role in creating a healthier future for everyone.

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SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to the Banning Unified School District Real Talk Podcast, a space dedicated to amplifying the voices of our vibrant school community. Here, we shine a spotlight on the stories, achievements, and experiences of students, staff, and families across the Banning Unified School District. Join us as we explore meaningful conversations about education, community initiatives, and the topics that matter most to our district. In this episode, we sit down with Robert Sibole, a dedicated community member, a proud parent in our district, and an active leader in the Blue Zones Project here in Banning. We will explore the work being done throughout the Blue Zones Project to help Banny become a recognized, healthy community and why this effort matters to our city, and how schools, families, and community partners can take part in building a healthier future for everyone.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Okay, we are back. We are back in the house, we're pumped up, and we are ready to dive into the banning real talk podcast. It's been a while since we've recorded, but we're back in the flow, and we are excited today to welcome no one other than Robert and or aka Robbie Seibel, who is actually born and raised here. I think he's gonna run that down for you in a long time. And the word here is an active community member in banning. We need those. And so we're gonna talk about a lot of things. He's got some projects going on, some things that are exciting, and that's why Mr. Seibel is here. So we are ready to have you light it up for us. So, Mr. Seibel, welcome and please tell the world. This isn't just banning, this isn't the area, this isn't just the nation. We have listeners across the world who are listening, just finding out what's going on. So please tell the world who you are.

SPEAKER_03 1:56

Wow, that introduction. I don't know if I can live up to it. I'm gonna try my best, uh, Mr. Davis. But uh yeah, my name is Robert Seibel, and um I was born in Madrid, Spain. My dad was a uh is is a veteran and was uh in the military, in the Air Force in uh in stationed in Spain when I was born. Um and so I spent the first two years of my life in um Spain and then moved back here uh where my both sides of my family, the Seibel family and the Lara family, have uh multi-generational uh here in the city of Banning. And so um moved back here so that uh you know we could be together with uh my grandparents and uh my uncles and aunts and and all my family members. So that's uh the main reason that we moved back here. Actually, also my my mother was a uh teacher, so she spent uh one year teaching here in Banning, I believe, before she moved to uh Spain. Um, and then when she came back, she wanted to obviously pick up teaching again. So she taught here, well, I say here central school, which is where the district office is, and she uh stayed here for 44 or 45 years as a teacher.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

40 plus years as a teacher in Banning.

SPEAKER_03 3:11

And please tell the world what your mom's name is. My mom is uh Juanita Cybel Church. People call her mama Cybel. A lot of people call her their favorite teacher that they ever had. Um, I have people I'd say at least three or four times a week will stop me and say, Your mom was the best teacher ever. She taught me how to read, she's the only reason I I know how to read now. Um, and so yeah, she uh she's she legacy to live up to uh with my mom and my dad. But uh that's that's really the reason why we came back here. And then ever since then, I've pretty much been here, uh, resided here in Banning and raised my family here in Banning.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Okay, so just a couple follow-ups. So 40 plus years. Now I'm I've met your mom, I've talked to her several times. She every time I see her and talk to her, it's almost like she just embodies comfort. She's just, she's she's happy, she's smiling, she's ready to go. It's just a good feel. So when you talk about 40 plus years and you've been here, you have something different. You have some different types of roots in our community. And I mean, those are deep roots that go down, go across, and and I I can't even imagine what that feels like.

SPEAKER_03 4:20

Yeah, I tell people all the time that we have skin in the game. You know, my uh I have two uncles that work for the school district. I have two cousins that uh teach here at the at the high school. Actually, three. Well uh two at the high school, one at Nicolette. Um, and we have a uh a lot of people in our commun in our uh family that have served here and continue to serve our community. And that goes back to my grandparents. Uh my grandma was uh, we just lost her maid. She was 96 years old, but she was a very active member of our community. She started with some other uh uh families, uh Mexican families, uh the Mexican American Scholarship Um Fund. So I remember growing up, and we'd be at the community center, and we'd have 15 or 16 um uh students from the high school, and they would all get some sort of scholarship to their higher education. And my my grandma and my grandpa were both uh heavily involved in that.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Okay, so this I think my this is the last follow-up to what you said, but we're gonna move on. Because this is what happens, we just kind of flow. But you also, uh, outside of being a community member being here, you have current students who are in the school district, right? So you're also a parent.

SPEAKER_03 5:28

Yeah, absolutely. My uh my 16-year-old, he's soon to be 17-year-old, he is at Banning High School, and he is uh uh on the varsity baseball team. So he is very excited about his education that he's getting here, and then also the the different um uh levels of sports that they have here and uh the coaching and the facilities that we have. We didn't have when I was going to high school, but uh they are there now and it's amazing. So he's very excited about it. I'm excited about him um being in banning um and uh and really uh thriving in banning.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Okay, so that's a that's a lot. That's that's yeah, you boom, and and that's not even one of the reasons why you were selected to come on.

SPEAKER_04 6:12

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Uh we're gonna get into that now, but but that is that's pretty dynamic. And you said you have cousins that teach at the high school. You're and I'm you've never called me and said, hey, can I get this or that? That's awesome. Yeah, you just let it flow. That's good.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

Absolutely. I um, you know, I'm I really love talking about my family. Uh, we have a very close bond. Um, my cousins were more like my brothers and my sisters than they were my cousins, and we've grown up together. And what's exciting now is that our cousin, you know, I have kids, I have grandkids now, and they're growing up in together as family. And that's something, a dynamic that um that uh you don't see a lot. Um, and so that's something that's very exciting because you know, these kids get to grow together, they can rely on each other. Um, you know, my cousin is one of the baseball coaches uh at Banning High. Um, and so to be able to coach, you know, my son now is just it's it's awesome. It it's why I love this community. It's why I haven't left this community, is because it is so uh uh such a family-based um community, and um it's still there, you know. It's it's kind of uh different than what it used to be growing up, but it's still there, and I believe we can bring it back like we we we did have it in the past.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

Absolutely. You said something about grandkids? Yeah, you have grandkids? Yeah, you look younger than I am, and I don't, you know, I I try not to get into age, but it always comes up. Yeah. Uh you have grandkids?

SPEAKER_03 7:34

I just turned 50.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Yeah, started young. Okay, I'm a I'm still the oldest in the room. Yeah, not by much though. A little bit.

SPEAKER_03 7:43

Grandkids. Yeah, I just uh welcomed number five on Thursday. Whoa. Yeah, Owen. He's uh he's all he's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

So what do they call you? What are your grandschids? Uh Papa.

SPEAKER_03 7:52

Papa. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Yep. Okay. Have you listened to the show before? Uh I've watched a couple of them, yeah. Okay, okay, a couple of them. All right. That response was it was okay. We're gonna have to get you in there. I'm gonna binge watch.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

Okay, yeah, definitely. No more Netflix for me for the rest of the week. My my nine-year-old just had his tonsils out yesterday. So I'm I'm gonna be stuck at home for uh for a few days. So I'll I'll binge watch all of them.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

And you're gonna listen to this and send this one one out to your family. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. So here's a question for, and this is kind of how this all came about. For those that may not be familiar, uh, you're working on this project in the city of Banning called the Blue Zones Project. And for those of you who don't know what Blue Zones is, uh, Mr. Cybel Robbie's gonna talk about it. But what actually is the Blues Blue Zones project?

SPEAKER_03 8:45

Yeah, you know what? Um, it's it's there's there's tons of different levels to it. But what I love about it is that it's community-based. It is the city of banning base. So our project is specific to the city of banning. And for all of my banning people that are born and raised and have been here forever, um, we we haven't always had, especially lately, a banning project, right? With things that are that are happening here in banning. Usually it's the pass area, usually it's you know, Sangonio Pass, but this is specific to banning. And really, what what uh blue zones has been around for about 20 years, um our founder Dan Butner uh worked for National Geographic and done had been was doing research and noticed that in um certain areas, the amount of people that lived to be 100 plus years old was at a lot higher rate than what it was here in the States. So when he started to look at why some of these things, why these people were over 100 years old, they had some commonalities. Um, and so he put those together um and uh came up with the blue zone project or the blue zone steps to living a longer life. Um, if you if you really want to know what about blue zones, is um there's a great Netflix uh series. There's four episodes, gives you really kind of the heart and passion of what blue zones is. Um he's been around with it's been around for 20 years. They developed all these different things and and and and put it out, but but really it's it's being able to live longer, not necessarily through going to the gym five days a week or eating, you know, um only eating this or not eating that or whatever the case is. Um it's really about um purpose, you know, it's mentally, spiritually, physically. It's it's no nobody in Okinawa, Japan lived to be a 90, 97 years old that were running marathons once a week or in the gym seven days a week. Uh these people just move naturally, you know what I mean? They rode their bikes to work, they um they gardened so up and down, you know. Um uh these people uh uh uh came together as family at night, which is something we growing up always did was we always had to make sure we were in before the street lights, you know, when the street lights came on because mom was making dinner and the family would get together and and talk about their day, what's going on, no phones, no iPads, no fast food. It was, you know, coming down a home cooked meal where we we got together and spoke about how our day was to release some of that tension, that stress, um, to get advice, you know, um multi-generational. So you had grandma and grandpa that were at dinner with you, or you had aunts and uncles that were at dinner with you, which is what happens in all these other blue zones areas that that he had he had uh um researched. And um, so a lot of those things are are uh at the heart of what blue zones is and what we really want to bring to banning. We want Banning to be a safer, healthier, more productive place. Um, you know, growing up, I tell people all the time, I remember we're down when downtown Banning and the city of Banning was the peak of everything that was going on in the past area, right? There was a shift 30 years ago for whatever reason. Um, you asked some people to be this, some people that, but um, it moved to the west of us, right? And um, and and you know, I believe we still have the bones, the structure to to the families here that want to do better in this community and can rise rise this city back up. Um, and so that's really what Blue Zones is about, is just having a healthy place to live in in all aspects. And that's, you know, I think especially in maybe since since COVID, uh, the COVID crisis, that uh, you know, mentally and emotionally our kids have really taken a hit out of maybe because of the two years of just being stuck in the in their in their you know rooms or the houses or because of in social media or you know, whatever the case is. Um, and and how do we get those kids to fill that purpose? How do we get those kids to fill the community that um that we all felt growing up? Because I think that's that's what is missing in in a lot of our kids.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Okay, so before you jump in here, Angel, I just have one follow-up to that because you said a few things. Um, you talked about your grandmother, 96 years old, and then you talked about kind of uh the lifestyle, if you will, of like blue zones. And so uh my mom passed away a couple years ago, a little over a couple years ago. Since that time, I probably talked to my grandmother who lives up north uh two to three times a week. She is 96 now. And in the two years, I've learned this that the habits that she's had, this goes back to blue zones. She had a couple things that she did. One was she always cooked her own food. So greens, you know, whole foods, uh, good meat. She did that all of her life. And she did crossword puzzles. And that's why at 96 her mind is still, for the most part, sharp. And so basically going back to blue zones, it's the habits that you do consistently over time that assist you in living. So you're talking about how do we be, how do we be? How can we be more healthy? Uh wellness, and that is going to promote our longevity. And so that's just really powerful stuff. And I and I see it now given my conversations with my grandmother. So that I just want to say that because that's really important. Yeah, those habits. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

Yeah, no, most definitely. So, Robert, how do you see schools in the school district playing a role in improving the community's health and wellness?

SPEAKER_03 14:17

I believe we have to start somewhere. So I uh uh joined Banning Pass Little League and Lions Park. Um I've played there, coached there, and been a board member there pretty much my whole life. My grandparents were uh were presidents back in the day in the 50s. My uncles have all been coaches and presidents and on the board back there. So there's a legacy there, right? So um I, me and and and you know, the great board that I was a part of, um, we really wanted to bring the the absolute best for our kids. And I believe that's kind of where we've missed the mark in the last 10 years. Um, and I believe it happened here at school, I believed it happened in our community, I believe it happened in our sports where we're a lower income community, and let's just give them the scraps to get by, right? We don't want to spend a lot of money, we don't want to put a lot of effort into it. Um, let's just give them what we can to get by. Um when we took over four years ago, we decided, and nothing wrong with whatever everybody was doing before, no knocks, but I wanted to our kids to have the absolute best. I wanted their to be great uniforms, I wanted them to have great equipment, I wanted them to um have something to be proud of. We've done $350,000 worth of improvements down to that park thanks to all of our sponsor. Major sponsor was a Morongo band of Mission Indians. We love them. Um and and we changed the mindset of that place. I wanted people from Beaumont to say, hey, I want to come to Bandy to play, right? Which started happening because we've lost so many kids going the other way. And when I think of the improvements we made at that park and and what's happening there now in that league, I see the exact same thing happening here. I believe the leadership and has it, you know, it it goes downstream. The leadership is positive. They believe in what they're doing, and now our schools are the exact same way. I've talked to in the last year, I'd say 50 school employees, staff, teachers, um, parents, maybe more with the parents, but and all of them have the same mission. We want the absolute best for our kids, and we're tired of just here, you know, oh, they're passing. Cool. We're we're talking about college, we're talking about doctors, lawyers, um, you know, and giving those the the chefs, you know, mechanics, well, all these things that that um I feel like we've lacked in the past, and somehow we we just missed the mark there. Um, but they're getting it back. And the kids are excited, the kids are the the the kids are positive, um, the kids are seeing the change, the staff is seeing the change. It's easy to be a leader with vision, but if you can't get your people to buy into that vision, you're you're good, you can't do it alone. That's right. You can't do you can't run eight schools on your vision. That's right. You got to have everybody else that believes in your vision and says, let's go, let's make this happen. And everybody I've spoke to, I spoke to every single principal, uh, uh, a lot of vice principals, you know, and every single one of them, they preach the exact same thing. And I kind of go in, like, so tell me how it really is. Man, you know, you know, there that there's no cracks in in the armor. And I love that because that's how you change. And that's a long story back to that's why I believe that um our community uh improves based on our uh schools. And so I want to pour in a lot of what I do and what Blue Zones does into our schools, uh, which we're already doing. Um, but that's that's really uh, you know, I uh just like uh Superintendent Davis sees our vision in Blue Zones, we see his vision and your leaders' visions uh for the school district, and we want to partner with you, and just like I know you want to partner with Blue Zones. So that's really um, and and once you change that, man, that's that you know, you can impact a a kid at baseball. You know, I t I tell all of our coaches, you might be the only role model that kid ever experiences, right? Mom, dad, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, whatever, grandma, grand, whatever the case is, you might be the the only positive role model that person. So do so make sure you are that positive role model, you know, at all costs. You winning doesn't matter. Uh, you know, my job is to make young men and young women better, just like it is at your school at your schools, you know. I we want them to be better than when they walked in these doors.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

So the uh and I know Angie, you know, I was I was I'm ready. Like I you're fired up, I I got it lined up. So, first of all, I'll say you said a bunch of things in there that give me goosebumps. Yeah, um, and secondly, uh Robbie, Mr. Cyber was not paid to do any of that, okay? Because I'm like, but but I'll say this you you're you're you're spot on. And and what you are talking about in terms of talking to the staff, that that's awesome. But from the lens that I sit at, I see it unfolding. I don't have to go and talk about what we're doing. It is unfolding, and it's this is my sixth year in the district. I've never seen it like this. This is my 28th year in education, and I've never seen a school district and the staff and the team center around some common theme and vision, and that is we want the best for our kids, and we're gonna bring it to them. And that's high 90% that I see. And it is the best feeling in the world. So given that, I think you're ready to take over. I do. I I do, I do, I do.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

No, like just as Terrence was saying, um, you know, that we've really instilled the we are banning. And I a lot of behind that is it it takes all of us, you know. It um parents come to, you know, school site council or come to the schools, and they are essentially greeted, you know, by the principal, by staff, by teachers, and it's just like what we're trying to build is a welcoming environment for all. And um, I'm doing a lot of community engagement right now, um, doing different classes, and and it all starts with the school, and they talk about the school is what creates the community. And it's so impactful to see that our staff, you know, because Terrence is right, we're not, you know, making it mandated that you need to say this when you see a community member that we are banning, but it's authentically flowing down. And it starts, you know, from Terrence on down, and just to hear that it's all the way at the classroom level is just it's so inspiring.

SPEAKER_03 20:43

And you can't buy that, yeah. You can't demand that. It it's either there or it's not, it's real or it's not. And and everything that I've experienced is it's definitely real. Um, and you know, uh, I my mom is a uh, you know, she's a banning through and through. My so my my uncle John, who uh was uh head maintenance uh for the school district for a long time, uh his daughter teaches at the at the high school, his son teaches at Nicolette Middle School. Um he still goes to um Beaumont High because my little cousin played Beaumont High football. He goes to Beaumont High with his banning Bronco jersey on. And they're not playing banning, they're playing, you know, somebody else. But he he will, and you know, when I joined Blue Zone, he said, nephew, why why why does it have to be blue? You know, so it's the name of the the the the the brand, Uncle. But um, you know, they preach, you know, banning has good educators, banning has good schools, um, you know, you don't need to go somewhere else. You know, it it it we we're changing that mindset of people like, well, we gotta go here, we gotta go there, I gotta sign my kid up here, whether it be little league or whether it be school or whatever the case is. Um, they're seeing the changes here, they're seeing the test scores go up. They're I know now. Just awarded a big uh schools to watch schools to watch. That's that's amazing, right? Um, and so uh though those things are all all um are all apparent and and we're bringing those kids back. You know, I want those kids to come back here.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

What uh what I'll add to that is that at least in the past two years, the narrative of our district has shifted. And it not it hasn't just shifted within the city of Banning. We have done tremendous work outside to let people know what we are doing here, to let them know we have excelling middle school, we have, you know, our Florida Street Discovery Center. We're we're investing into our schools, into our teachers, into our students. When we say we will prepare, inspire, and educate our students, we mean it. And a lot of um people outside of our district are seeing that. Um the other day, um our Dr. Merlose, our director of student services, he told us that we have over 800 or 900 students that don't live in banning that come to school here. That's awesome. That's awesome. Almost a quarter of our student population. Yeah, that says something. Sure.

SPEAKER_03 23:12

And that's how you see test scores go up. That's how you see more engagement from parents, from students. Um, and uh so yeah, man, it it's the the the tide has turned. You know, a couple of years ago, two years ago, uh Banning Pass Little League hosted a state tournament for the first time in 50 years. So we had schools from Gilroy, I mean, uh uh leagues from Gilroy, uh Santa Barbara, San Diego, um LA, Orange County, and they all came here and they were blown away by our facilities, by our volunteers, by by our um umpires, you know, like they're like, man, these this place is awesome. You know, we when we heard we were going to banning, we were like, oh, you know, we got here and this place is awesome, you know? And so you're right, perception is different than reality, right? And how do we change the perception of, you know, and it takes that's that's a that's a whole team. That's blue zones, that's banning Unified School District, that's the city of banning, that's right, the electric department, that's everybody that can, the chamber of commerce, the churches, everybody that can can you know, holler that that you know, banning has changed, banning is getting better, new things are happening here, there's growth here. We have all the population increase with the different schools. Um, and this is a good place to go to school. This is a good place to eat lunch. This is a good place to open a business. This is a good place to thrive and grow. Um, because it used to be it, you know. I remember downtown when it was just packed full of, you know, different cool things to do. And, you know, we had a bowling alley and we had the movie theater and we had candy shops and we had JC Pennies and we had all these cool things that, you know, I'd ride my bike down and and just hang out downtown all day long, you know, and we we have to uh we have to fill those. And I know the city is working hard to do that. Um, I know the Chamber of Commerce is working hard to do that, and I know um per changing that perception, you know, versus reality. And I think that's why it's I I try to stay so involved in in the different aspects because you know, you can you can live in negativity your whole life. That's right. You know, you can win a million dollars and be like, man, I gotta pay taxes on a million dollars. You know how much that is?

SPEAKER_01 25:19

That's right, you know, more than half your money.

SPEAKER_03 25:21

Yeah, or you can say, you know what, man, I I went and volunteered at the school, and those guys are doing it. You know, I I was part of a blue zone project, and man, they, you know, they're doing it. Um, and and that's you know, it's I I see Facebook every day and I, you know, listen to people, and it's all negative, negative, negative. And and it's like, man, what are you what are you doing? Are you are you out there helping? You know, are you making an impact? Um, you're never too young and you're never too old to get back and and help and and make an impact in our community. And and you know, I think that's what what Blue Zones Project Banning and the school district, why we align so well and why we can the partnership that we're we're doing is is so uh helpful because we're able to bring, we have volunteers from Sun Lakes to come out here and and be in our schools. We have you know volunteers to help at the chamber, we have volunteers to help pick up trash, we have volunteers to, you know, uh mentor youth. We're we have volunteers that are gonna come in and help with some of our community gardens that we're working on with the school district and different organizations. Um, so that that partnership is is what's key and how we're gonna get to the next level and how we're gonna get the word out. You know, I want everybody in Sun Lakes. I used to have people from Sun Lakes say, you know, we give money, and which is awesome. They 100% give money to different organizations and help. I said, but what we really need is for you to come out, mentor our kids, you know, make connections with with our schools. And when they did, they took that challenge, they loved it. And and they keep coming out, you know, and they keep doing more. Um, and we we have a uh we just awarded at our um end of year dinner the other night um our our volunteer of the year, and her name is Janie, and she um uh lives in Sun Lakes. She's a retired educator from Redlands. She actually works at the Hammerling School Volunteers uh and does PE, and she is a superstar, right? And she brings all her friends to do all these different things, right? So um she's at all our hikes at our our at our different Moai's and and uh different things that she's come out to. But, you know, we need those people to spread the gospel of what bannings do it, what our schools are doing, what Blue Zones is doing, what all of our organizations are doing, um, out to Sun Lakes because there's 6,000 professionals out there that have been educators, that have been administrators, that have been business leaders, that have, you know, we there's I know Major League Baseball players that live out there, um, golfers that can help our golf team at the high school, different things like that. That um that uh I feel like the partnership of linking those people to to our school districts um and our schools is uh is really uh a great thing that Blue Zones is able to help and partner with.

SPEAKER_01 28:04

Well, I think you need to get your own talk show. Okay, that's one. For me, Superintendent Davis, yeah, because people tell me I can talk, but I think you have me beat by far. Um so I look at the good Lord gave me the gift of gap. That's that's that was I was gonna use those same words. And actually, we have a lot of commonalities. Um, but I'll say this all the stuff you said in the beginning of that, I want our staff for the school district. That was a shout out to your work, to what you do, and you show up every day every day. People see that. The the work that you're doing with the past league, yeah, you know, the work with the city, all of these things are coming through. I just actually I was driving in and I passed the park up the hill, which is um Repler. Repler Park, made the turn, and I saw people cleaning up like the service. And in our space looks cleaner, yeah, our schools look cleaner, and that says something that's sending a message that says, hey, we value our stuff. And so kind of going back back to the blue zones uh kind of realm, if you will, before I get to this next person, I've made an observation about you, Robbie. Oh, is that personally, I think you've had some type of physical transformation dealing with health and wellness. And I think we are very similar because I've gone through this same transition in the past year or so. So that's gonna lead us to the next question. But what what have you been doing? What's going on with you and why? Is it because of blue zones or is it because you hit five zero or what is it?

SPEAKER_03 29:38

Uh there's a couple different things. Um uh blue zones has been a big part of it. Not that um not that I I can follow it every single day, right? And they don't want you, they they want you to be real, right? What what you can do, they're not telling you to only eat plants and vegetables, right? Or plant-based diet. It's encouraged, and when you do eat meat, it should be for like a celebration, right? So I try to focus on that. But my big thing is one of the power nine of blue zones is uh 80% rule. So I eat 80% of what's on my plate. I've I've portion control. Okay, my plates are smaller, which people don't think like that's a big deal. It is. Um, and um also spiritually, I was raised in the church and um, you know, fallen away, got back. Last seven months, I've really rededicated myself to to uh God, and part of that thing was giving up drinking, and so it I never felt like it was a problem, but I I kind of felt like maybe it it got a little too much, and so I stopped drinking seven months ago. So that helped too. So I've I've I've in the last year coming up on a year, I was at 278 and uh now I'm around 222, 225. Yeah, and I I try to go to the gym three days a week, four days a week, but I also just moved naturally. You know, I live by uh Sylvan Park, so I'll take my dogs for a walk every day, um, play basketball with my son. I have a 10-year-old that uh uh just he doesn't stop playing sports and he loves it. So he's part of the SoCal Outlaws, which is our local banding team here that plays at Nicolette. Um he's part of uh the the basketball team for Parks and Rec. So he's here playing uh uh basketball there and he plays little league and he just never stops and he loves it. Uh and so I want to make sure that I'm able to get up off the couch and and play basketball with them and whoop them because right now I can still whoop them. Uh but before long, it will not be long before he's whooping me. But um just being able to, I kind of just changed my mindset of, you know, Sundays was usually around eight or nine hours of watching football all day long, you know. And my son was just kind of, you know, dad, can we go play ball? Oh, we gotta wait until the game gets done, you know? And and this season I didn't watch one complete game, uh bits and pieces, but I want to do stuff with my family. I want to do stuff with my kids. I wanted to go hiking. I wanted to, you know, go to a museum, I wanted to read, I wanted to play basketball in the front yard. So, so really it's it's just kind of been a healthy, overall healthy well-being for my mind, my body, uh, my soul, my spirit. And that's really um uh led me to uh just kind of this transformation that that I feel like uh God's been able to do in my life right now.

SPEAKER_01 32:23

And it and it probably and everything that you're saying, I can um, I don't even know the word for it. I was lost. Um, I can identify with because I've had the same experience. And one of the things that I've seen and happened, and I don't know if it's the same for you, is it has provided clarity for me. You can see things more clearly because you're not, you you feel better. Yeah, and you you're you don't have all the other stuff to guide you away.

SPEAKER_03 32:51

Yeah, uh, it gives me more time to read. So I've been able to to grow just you know, uh my education. Um, I'm actually uh going to go to a school, uh, the uh one of the churches that I've uh been taking a class through. They offer a um an AA in uh Christian counseling. So I I I I am great at telling people what, you know, some giving people advice. I'm not really good at receiving it, but everybody always tells even my I I have a therapist now, and he's like, man, you are the easiest case I've ever had because you're just open, you're real, you're honest, right? Um uh and so you know, I I that's something that I how do I help people? How do I continue to help people? Which is why I got involved with blue zones in the first place, but that's something that I I'm focusing on. Um but even you know, Ruben, uh my executive executive director for for uh Blue Zones, he he tells me, he's like, Man, you your thoughts are a lot clearer. Yeah. What you're trying to express, you know, because you know, your your mouth mind isn't clouded, um it I can tell a real difference. And you're you're absolutely right. You know, I'm I'm present with my kids, I'm present with my family, um, and present at work. And uh so that's that's really it's that's really been the big change in my life.

SPEAKER_01 34:09

Because we all can't look like Angel and just wake up. Some of us have to work at it, uh, but Angel just wakes up and looks like this.

SPEAKER_03 34:16

I think my left leg weighs as much as Angel does, so I probably could never look like Angel.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

And so along that you kind of answered this, but I'm finally getting to the question, and I don't think I'm gonna have a follow-up. Is as a parent, and you talked about it a little bit, how do you incorporate blue zones and or other ideas into your own family's daily life? And you talked about it a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 34:37

Yeah, you know, I've been trying to be very uh intentional about um my family time, which is a big part of blue zones. It's one of the power nines, is is loved ones and connecting there. Um so being a lot more present, putting these amazing tools that that we stay connected to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, um, putting it down when we're eating dinner. Um, you know, when I'm spending time with my kids, just be there. You know, if they're at sports, I'm there. Um uh, you know, we we have uh moais, which means uh come together. Um and so we do a moai once every couple of months. And so we've done a hiking moai. We've done a um, and a moai is is uh we kind of like you sign up and different people come and and we'll walk together or hike together, or we we had a board game moai where you know people came out. It's just to connect different people from the community um and get to know different people from the community and share your you know your ideas and your thoughts with different people in the community. So um my kids have been a part of that and and doing that. Um and and something I love about our our local project is we're a family. Um we uh we my my my teammates are Ruben Gonzalez, who's an executive director. He has kids that um that go to school. His wife's an educator. Um Ashley Radke, who um I've actually known before she was born, uh, which is is awesome. And uh her husband is is a is a cousin of mine, and her kids go to school here. And um, you know, they they and then Kevin Saunders, he's he just joined us. He's from um uh sent him at Sanicento, but we just everybody's about family, everybody cares about each other. Um, you know, my son just had surgery yesterday for his tonsils, and Ashley's like, hey, I can drop off um Jell-O. I can, you know, uh Ruben, hey, how's he doing? Um, all of them just they just care, you know, and uh that's why I love about blue zones in in total, even in a nationwide. Um when my grandma passed, national team sent a bouquet of flowers for my grandma, you know? And um, and I worked in a of a corporate job for 25 years that, you know, as soon as I left, they had somebody that just filled the rule the role, right? Uh I didn't get, you know, congratulations on 25 years. We appreciate you. Um, you know, but make sure you come back tomorrow, whatever the case is. Um, and so uh working for an organization like Blue Zones when it's just such a family-oriented and and community-oriented um organization is is awesome. So it makes it easy. Uh they make it really easy to be with your family. You know, I I would never miss a doctor's appointment or a sporting event due to work. They want you to um make sure you are at those events. Um, and if that means one of my teammates steps up or um or you know it just gets done the next day, that that that that's they want your family is number one. So that's that's huge. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 37:38

Wow. Yeah. Um the next question, I'm gonna kind of re um change it up a little bit because I really want our listeners to understand you talked a lot about being present and being intentional with your time. And um in our community, we have a lot of people that um are commuting for work, right? So they can't make you know that five o'clock time if we're having a meeting or it's very hard for them to participate. And you know, we as a district, we're trying to analyze and take that into consideration when we are doing things to okay, we need to shift it later. We need to be mindful of this. But um, with knowing that, can you explain a little bit more about one of those power nines of having that parent spend the time with their student with being present, whether it's helping them with their homework, um, going out playing basketball, um, just to really hit on that point because I think it's very important for our community, because it's a little bit what we struggle with.

SPEAKER_03 38:36

Yeah. Um, you know, part of our power nine, a couple of them that I think kind of tie into that is um your purpose. Okay. So what really is your purpose? A job is not your purpose. Um, even if it's a career, it's not your purpose necessarily, right? If you have a family, that's that's really where your purpose is. Um, downshift time. So, so we want you to be able to um, you know, work hard, but then relax, you know. So um being able to take that time to read with your kids or um uh or you know, be at his their their game or you know, helping them with their homework. Um, you know, and and people always say, I don't have any time. Well, when people tell me they don't have any time, I say, Can I see your screen time on your phone? Because your phone will tell me that's right how much time you have. That's right. Right? I don't have time to read the Bible, I don't have time to be at my kids' school, I don't have time to, you know, help out at the school uh district, right? Okay, well, let me see. Wow, you spent eight hours on your phone on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. I don't think any of those are bringing you any more purpose, right? I don't think your son feels more wanted or loved or cared for your daughter because you spent eight hours on TikTok, right? Um, and not saying that I don't struggle with that, but but that's a that's a that's a a time thief. That's you know that's reality. And um, and uh, you know, all the years that I was in corporate and all the games that I missed and all the you know school events that I missed, even though I try to make as many as I could, um, that didn't mean anything to my company, but it meant everything to my family. Yeah, and so just putting those things in priority, you know, um, I think is is huge. Um and so I I think you know, those are some things that that allow us to be present for our families. Um you know, uh some of the other ones are uh we call it wine at five or friends at five. So making sure that at a at you know, as much as possible, you're having those those connections with family, friends, dinner together is huge. Um positive pack. So making sure that you have a good group of friends and family. I always say um anytime my friend circle has gotten larger, my quality of life has gotten worse. You know what I mean? I don't know if you get it.

SPEAKER_01 41:01

Yeah, no, you gotta keep your circle tight.

SPEAKER_03 41:03

Yeah. The people that are my real people, my real friends, I call them family. Those people don't let you off the rails, right? They keep you on the rails. Sometimes when your friend, your pack gets too big, you get off the rails, right? Because then you're trying to impress people, you're trying to hang people that really don't necessarily care about you or care about your family. They care about what else, you know, just hanging out or getting, you know, partying or whatever. Um, so positive pack and and you're uh keeping your loved ones first. You know, that goes back to their they are your loved ones, your family should be your top priority.

SPEAKER_01 41:38

Well, you're speaking truth. You you're you're you're speaking truth, not to just right now, to the world, my friend, to the world. So, this is the last question that I have. And I'm gonna make it a compound because I gotta make compound questions for you, Robin. Um so our theme started last year, and what I'm feeling is like that's what our community, our school community wants us to be known for. We are banning. What does that mean to you, given your deep roots and your deep history? That's one. And if you can weave in there, like what one thing of all the the nine that you have, or whatever else, what is one thing that people can do to improve their lives? If they want to start on one habit, what would that be in conjunction or maybe even separate? So what does the we are banning mean to you?

SPEAKER_03 42:27

So uh we are banning um means that we take pride in what we're doing, right? Um we want to be proud that we're from banning. And there people there's a reason people go to school somewhere, college somewhere else, right? And get their degree and then come back here and serve, whether it be in the city, whether that be in the schools, uh, whether that be in, you know, Blue Zone Project or different businesses, lawyers, whatever the doctors, um, whatever um uh there's a pride that comes from banning that I don't think you get everywhere else, you know, um because there is so much family, there is so much history here, documented history here in the city of banning. And um, you know, I I hear a lot of people that that commute here for work or whatever the case is, and they're like, man, we love banning, you know. And I say, Man, if you love banning now, wait till you banning in five years, right? Or or because it it it truly is an amazing place to live. Um so you know, the pride that we take, and like I said a little bit earlier, of of giving our kids the best, not just giving them what we can give them or the scraps, you know, but the absolute best, which I know you're doing here with the schools, um, I think is key. You know, we need to change that mindset of well, they'll just take what we give them, you know, because that's not a winning mindset, that's not a victory mindset. Uh that's how we stay where we're at for the next generation, right? Um, and so you know, with blue zones and with the schools, I want to change it for the next generation. I want my son to grow up in the banning that I grew up in. Uh, and that's my motivation with Blue Zone. That's my motivation with the school. That was my motivation when I was part of Little League. Um, is I want our our this city to be what it used to be. And it it um and have that pride in our community and and make sure our kids are proud that they go to school here. Um and so what's the one habit? So the one how you know for me, I I've learned so much on purpose. You know, um when things get tough, when you know you're struggling, you know, like a lot of our our kids do, a lot of our community do, if you can hold on to that purpose and what your goals are, um that is uh is is key for me. You know, that that's kept me out of some dark places, that's kept me um on track when a lot of things were going off the track. Um, and so I think, you know, all of them are very important, but but to be able to have that purpose and and really strive for whatever that that is, that's that's important.

SPEAKER_01 45:10

And and that's the guiding force. And I actually came to this analogy lately in that whether it's the purpose or the goal, we are always going somewhere. We're going to work, we're going home, we're going here, we're going there. When are we ever going towards our purpose and our goals? So I I envision that like on a horizon and things move. If you don't have your purpose anchored, yeah, first you have to know what it is. And that's not easy to do. But once you have that, when things happen in your life and you're talking about going off the rails, right? Things, things are gonna happen for you and to you. Yeah. And you may, if you don't have a purpose, if you don't have a guiding force, that's gonna take you somewhere else. But if you have your purpose anchored, when you fall off, you get back on, but you know where you're going. Yeah. And that's one of the most powerful things, I think, that can help people move forward. And then it's developing the habits that assist you in your goals to get to your purpose.

SPEAKER_03 46:06

I think it's important something that I've learned recently is your goals will change. Your purpose won't. You know what I mean? So however whatever your purpose is, that's gonna be your purpose. But your goals can change, right? Because you hit the goal. Okay, well, now I gotta get another goal, you know, or or hey, that's not my goal anymore. Let's let's let's focus here. Um, but your purpose should stay the same. Um, so that's uh that's something that that I've uh I've realized the last um last six months.

SPEAKER_01 46:34

I think it's five-o. I I think I think once you're thinking about it. I think I think it's coming out. So, Angel, why don't you uh wind us down here before we close out?

SPEAKER_02 46:43

All right. So in this part of the podcast, we do what's called a guest spotlight. It's a series of questions that we ask you just so the audience can kind of get to know you a little bit more. So, what is your favorite activity, hobby, or show on TV? I'm I'm I've one oh, I'm excited for all these answers here.

SPEAKER_03 47:03

My favorite hobby, you know what, to be honest with you, just being involved in my kids' uh athletic uh endeavors. Um, you know, all uh my oldest son is 32, my youngest son is 10. Wow. Um yeah. Uh and um they've all been in sports, right? Different levels of it, whether it be, you know, old uber competitive, where you know, I had a son that we traveled to Colorado, uh, Arizona, Nevada to play baseball, um, because he was at that level. And then I I've had, you know, some of my kids played little league all the time, soccer all the time, which is awesome, you know. Um, and uh, and you know, just being involved in and encouraging them. I've learned in the last seven months the word grace. And I've I've appreciated the grace that I've received, and I have to give those that same grace to other people. So uh that's something I've I've really focused on with my kids is just giving them a lot of grace and just continue to show them love. But being involved in their sports is a is a big thing for me. That's wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 48:07

So, what favorite song, music, genre, or artist do you have in rotation right now?

SPEAKER_03 48:12

Man, uh uh my uh I I praise and worship all day long, bro. I don't, there's nothing that people get in my car and they're listening to some praise and worship. That's all we do right now, right? I need that. I I you know, because the enemies he works on me and I gotta keep filled up with uh with uh praise and worship. So uh Forrest Frank, who's very popular, uh he's a a Christian artist that uh it just he's awesome and he is true to who he is. Uh we actually uh I bought tickets for um for my son to go, we're gonna go see him in New York in the summer because it was like triple at in LA to go see him, and I couldn't get his tickets uh together, so I was like, you know, let's go to New York. It was always want to go to New York with them and and see the Statue of Liberty. I've been and it's amazing. So uh force Frank, sorry. I I'll go down. I mean squirrel. I'm a rabbit hole type of dude. It happens.

SPEAKER_02 49:10

So the the next one is are you working on anything exciting now or in the near future?

SPEAKER_03 49:16

Um, you know, the the blue zone project is we year one was a lot of research and and making connections. Year two is making it all happen. So um I've met with seven of our eight principals, still waiting on one. Uh, but um we've already I'll put another blast out there. Um we've really been seeing some things happen, right? We we've been able to help with some projects. We have uh we've we've uh been able to help with projects for um three or four of our schools to have community gardens. Um we are doing the well-being challenge with all of our schools that's coming up uh at the next week. So we're gonna start. So just being able to implement these Power Nine and the principles of Blue Zones with our staff uh is is exciting. Um we're gonna have our first uh uh restaurant approved for blue zones um in the uh next couple of weeks, which will be nosotros. They are uh a great community partner, they're very active in a lot of things, so they're going to be our first approved um blue zone restaurant. We're very close to getting that done. Um, and you know, we are so far. We uh we have a steering committee meeting tomorrow, uh, which uh Superintendent Davis is a part of, but um, we're gonna go over what our targets were for year one. Year one ends March 31st, and we're gonna talk about where we're we're at, and you're gonna be blown away by what we are doing in year one. Everybody in the in the in the um uh Blue Zones team is just there, they every time I talk to them, they're like, man, we can't believe what you guys are doing already. And it's because we have those connections, you know. Ruben and I were on the chamber together. Ruben, myself, Ashley were um part of Banning Pass Little League together. So we have all those connections, right? We we had the connection with you guys before we started Blue Zones. So being you guys believe in us, we believe in you. So when we say, hey, we're doing blue zones now, let's let's see what what what what that's about and let's bring that. So we have a lot of those projects that are happening, and um that's really uh it's a huge focus. I the the the community is ready for change. Um Riverside uh launched there's five uh uh projects in our county that were launched at the same time Riverside, um uh Mead Valley, Banning, Palm Springs, and Coachella, all which they've never done. Blue Zones has never done anything like that. Um and we had almost as many people at our kickoff event last year as the City of Riverside project had. And City of Riverside has 385,000 people, and we have 38,000 or 34,000, whatever the case is. So the our community is hungry. Every time we do something, people are are showing up and showing out. So um there's there's a lot of excitement, and that's what I'm focused on. Very exciting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:59

So what book, TV, or movie character is most like you and why?

SPEAKER_01 52:05

This is a hard question. You gotta give this one some some some some thought, man. Because this is challenging. But it really does tell a lot about a person. Give it to me one more time.

SPEAKER_02 52:20

So, what book, TV, or movie character is most like you and why?

SPEAKER_03 52:25

You're gonna get it I you know what uh uh I there's so many characters in the Bible that are me, right? Okay uh that that have fallen and rose back up, right? Uh that weren't perfect, but God used, and that's really where I'm at right now. I'm definitely not perfect, but I believe God's using me to make an impact on my community, to make an impact on my family. Um, and I've gone through the bad times, you know, that a lot of these these uh men of God have have gone through. Um, and I uh and and I he's still using me, you know, and so that's that's kind of where I feel right now is that I'm just I'm being used. So yeah. Maybe David from the Bible. I ain't killed no Colias yet, but Okay.

SPEAKER_01 53:14

I love it. I love it. That's that's that's a different perspective that we got, but I love it because that means that you it's it's in you, you embody it. And that's the most authentic thing ever. Yeah.

unknown 53:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 53:25

So lastly, do you have any shout-outs?

SPEAKER_03 53:27

Do you want to uh recognize anyone or kind of just uh you know what I want to shout out, uh, and this isn't paid either, but Superintendent Davis, right from the beginning, he's just been a huge encourager of our project and has been open arms of this is something that can help change our schools. And um, and so he's been you know very encouraging. Um, our our uh our Blue Zones team, Kevin, Ruben, Ashley, um, have all been amazing. Like I said, we're family. Um, they're doing great things. There, I I want to mention that they're they're working, our Kevin is our policy lead, and he's working on uh some tobacco and alcohol policies that need a change in this city because we have way too many liquor stores and and and uh smoke shops and not enough restaurants and retail and you know uh different things like that. So he's working on that with our our youth council, which I know there's a lot of the Benning high uh uh students that are on part of that, um, and with the Boys and Girls Club, which I know a lot of our kids go to the Boys and Girls Club at all uh as well. So that's exciting. Um my my church, Pastor Todd at Thrive Church, he does amazing that church does amazing things in the community. They do the back to school bash that I know you guys have been uh promoting and been a part of. So that's that's a big thing. And then just my family, my my parents, my um my family, my kids that have supported me through tough times and kept kept me focused. Um, those are those are the people that matter and and um that that really keep me going.

SPEAKER_01 54:57

Well, this is a pretty impactful uh exercise uh exercise episode. Well, how how long have we been on, Angel?

SPEAKER_02 55:04

We've been on for a while. A while it's all beneficial. You usually go like five minutes and then you bring me in and I have 55 minutes or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 55:12

Angel, any last words before we close out?

SPEAKER_02 55:15

Um I do. I I have a couple, and I'm gonna kind of steal a little bit of what Terrence does when he talks about people.

SPEAKER_01 55:21

Everybody always stealing my stuff, but it's okay because it's not mine. We give it into the space so that we can improve the space.

SPEAKER_03 55:27

Yeah, if you keep it by yours to yourself, man, it's not beneficial ass. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 55:31

So um there's one word that really stands out to me, and you said it at the beginning of the episode, and it was multi-generational. And that ties in with you being rooted within Banny, and it just shows. And everything that you're talking about, you know, it it's just we talk about like the tree and the roots and how they just kind of expand and expand. You talk about the school, you talk about the city, you talk about you know the restaurants, and it just shows in who you are, and I can just see it. Um, and it's just amazing to hear the things that Blue Zones has planned or what they already are doing because um the community needs it and they want it. Like you said, it's just something that has been needed here. Um, and it's so great to hear that they're gonna be able to get that. For me myself, um, I don't live in Banning, but when I was offered the position to come here, one of the reasons why was because of the tight-knit small community. I had worked in large systems where it was a lot of disconnect. And so I can definitely relate to all the things that you're saying of just like, you know, riding your bike at at night until the light comes on, or you know, all those different things. And it's just it's amazing. Um, and we as a district we're happy to partner with you because um we want best for our students.

SPEAKER_03 56:49

Yeah, absolutely. I I definitely see uh, you know, when I go to visit these schools, I love it because my mom does the same thing. Um, you know, my mom was teaching grandkids of the people she started teaching in the 70s, right? That's how long she was there. But I go to your schools and I I uh Dr. Thomas, you know, she's like, Jimmy, slow down. Bobby, where's your lanyard? Uh, you know, Jessica, uh, make sure you're sitting over there, you're supposed to eat your lunch, you know what I mean? And and uh, and that happens at all the schools I've gone to, right? I don't want to go through every single school, but I love that, you know? It's like you you have how many students, but you know every single that's that's what changes kids' lives. That's right. Because you care about it.

SPEAKER_01 57:25

See me. Yeah, yeah. I'm not invisible and you care about it.

SPEAKER_03 57:27

Yes, you're not a number, you're just not student 38, 26. You know what I mean? Like you are somebody, and I love that. Um, and like I said, I've witnessed that at every single school I've been to. I but I was just at Dr. Thomas's at um Nicolette Middle School last week. And uh, but all the schools do that. So I I love it. And and you know, being an educator is not a job, right? It's it's a lifestyle, it is something you have to love and and be passionate about. And for a long time I felt like we had a lot of people that it was just a job. Now I see it's a lifestyle, people there that actually care about their their students and uh and our city. And so, you know, I that I love that about what what is going on here in the school district.

SPEAKER_01 58:10

Well, I got a few words for you. Just a few. I like to end the show like this is you are a sharp cat. You you're sharp, you you worked on your wellness, you have a lot of energy. Um legacy comes to mind. And because I just just embarked upon that thought about legacy. What are you leaving behind? You're leaving behind something no matter what you're doing, good or bad, but you're leaving behind a great legacy, not only for your family, but what you are actually doing. You're actually a very strong leader. And let me correct that, not actually, you are a strong leader, sorry. Strong, yeah, strong. You are gonna take over. I already see it. You're striving for excellence. And and I'm just the whole part about purpose and goals, that's that's what's come to my face lately. And I'm I'm trying to live that. So, like I said, we have a lot in common. I just I'm really honored to have you here with us in our conversation. I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts, sharing that to the world. And I want to thank our audience for keep coming back because we are here and we're not stopping, and we are banning.

SPEAKER_02 59:18

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Banning USD Real Talk Podcast. We hope you enjoyed the conversation and feel more connected to the heart of our district. Don't forget to follow us on social media and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Until next time, stay inspired, stay connected, and always remember we are banning.