Lasting Impact
Welcome to "Lasting Impact," the podcast that dives deep into the stories and insights of extraordinary individuals who are leaving an indelible mark on the world. Here, we'll explore the transformative power of their actions and innovations in the realms of business, ministry, and community. Our guests are the change-makers, the visionaries, and the unsung heroes whose unwavering dedication and passion have not only made an impact but a lasting one. Prepare to be inspired, informed, and empowered as we explore the stories behind the lasting impact these remarkable individuals are creating.
Lasting Impact
The Collapse That Changed Everything
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Success can look airtight from the outside, right up until it isn’t. Alfredo Madrid and I go back to the exact moments that shaped his life, starting with growing up in a Mexican family where English was his second language and the bigger challenge was cultural. We talk about the insecurity of not knowing how things “work,” the pressure of being the oldest, and how that discomfort can either shrink you or forge resilience.
From there, Alfredo shares the mindset that’s powered his leadership in the mortgage industry and beyond: do it afraid, take the step, and figure it out on the way down. We dig into the difference between healthy preparation and the kind of over-preparation that becomes a cover for fear. If you’ve ever waited for the perfect timing, the perfect tools, or the perfect confidence, his diving board analogy will stick with you.
Then the story turns. After years of growth and momentum, Alfredo describes a season where his identity was tied to performance, and an ambitious move triggered an overnight collapse. Team members didn’t come, debt piled up, and he faced a brutal internal question at a stoplight: maybe I’m not who I thought I was. What brought him back wasn’t just a new business strategy, but a new foundation and a real relationship with Jesus, marked by surrender, prayer, and peace before outcomes.
This conversation isn't just about business. It's about identity, surrender, resilience, and discovering that your greatest setbacks may be the very thing God uses to reshape your life. If you've ever questioned your purpose, battled fear, or wondered whether God was still working in your story, I think this episode will encourage you.
If it encourages you, would you do me a favor? Share this episode with someone who needs it. And if you're enjoying Lasting Impact, I'd be honored if you'd subscribe and leave a review. It helps more people discover these stories.
The Stoplight Moment Of Doubt
SPEAKER_01And I remember the exact stoplight. It was on Peoria where I was like, maybe I'm not the man I thought I was. But that's the year that I that I finally surrendered palms up. My way didn't work. What you got? It's just how you treat people matters, even if it's the smallest little interaction.
Meet Alfredo And The Real Story
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the Lasting Impact Podcast. I'm your host, Mark Marklin. Join me as I sit down with remarkable individuals making a meaningful difference in business and ministry. We'll explore their stories, challenges, and successes, all with the goal of encouraging you to go out and make a lasting impact. If you love what you hear, don't forget to rate, review, and share. Welcome to Lasting Impact. If you enjoy stories of perseverance, faith, leadership, and transformation, then you're going to love today's episode. My guest is Alfredo Madrid. I've known Alfredo for more than 23 years. We started together in the mortgage business, and I've had a front row seat to his journey from a young loan officer finding his way to becoming a partner in one of the fastest growing mortgage companies in our region. But this conversation isn't about mortgages. It's about family, it's about faith, it's about influence, and it's about what happens when life doesn't go according to plan and God starts writing a better story. Alfredo, welcome to the Lasting Impact Podcast. Thank you. That was a great intro. I appreciate that. Yeah, man, I just want to, and I'll I'll do my best to not overdo the over-honoring you and try to hold the motion back. But as you know, you're one of the most influential people I've had in my life. And uh it's such an honor to be bros with you and and uh be alongside you. And so, yeah, man, I'm glad you're here. Um, you have such an amazing story. You do. It's I think you're one of the most fascinating people I know because of everything that not just been through, but like your background, um where you've come from, what you've done, what you've become, and and really where you're heading. Um so just uh, I know we can't be here forever, but I do want to start from the beginning a little bit.
Growing Up Between Two Cultures
SPEAKER_00I know your your parents were born in Mexico, they're from Mexico, you're born in the United States, uh, but English was your second language. Correct. So I'd like to hear a little bit about the start. Like you're you're born here, but you're born into a Mexican family. They don't, you don't know English, you start school. Um, tell us a little bit about that, and even on top of it, what what if people don't even understand what that experience is like? Man, Mark, first of all, thank you.
SPEAKER_01I love being here. You know how much I love you, and uh you you're such a key person in my life, and especially in my faith side of things, which is the most important part. So super thankful for you. Man, this is such a good question. When I you gave me some of the questions you were gonna ask. Man, I thought, man, we could spend a whole podcast just on this because it's something I don't probably get asked a lot, uh, don't speak a lot on, um, but it's something I've thought about a lot throughout my life. Um, because most people just relate it to the language. Yeah. Like it's not easy to show up and you don't spake a speak a lick of English, right? You're just Spanish and you're having to learn a language. But to me, the biggest part probably was the cultural piece of it. Um, the little town I grew up in, I mean, I was maybe one of two, three Hispanics in my class that didn't speak or whatever it is. And um I just didn't know how things were done. My parents didn't either. So I didn't really have any kind of guidance and what it was supposed to be like. And I was just kind of stumbling my way through, and that creates the insecurities that you know that that creates. Um, I don't like to talk about it as like a negative, though, it's like something that's holding me back. I think that's one of the areas where I gained a lot of my resilience from. Um, that's one of the areas where I gained a lot of my desire to be the underdog. I do so much better as an underdog in any situation. Sometimes I paint my own picture as the underdog uh internally so that it gives me that motivation to kind of claw myself out of the situations that I'm in. But it was something that you struggle with along the way, that you have to process, that um, you definitely feel treated differently at times. Um, you see your parents be treated differently many times, and that you have to process and use it as fuel instead of hold you back. I just hear so many people that I'm not this and I'm not that because of this, this, and this, instead of saying, I am these things and I accomplish these things in spite of these setbacks, in spite of not knowing the language, in spite of not fitting in very well at first. So again, we could unpack that probably. We don't have time, yeah, to be honest with you. Um, because but but one thing that I'm I'm always been deathly afraid of is um being felt sorry for. So I I've always tried to not let it be a crutch. Uh I I never want to speak up and be like, well, you know, poor me, you know, that I couldn't do it because this and that. So that that's given me that fight in any situation, not just in this situation, but in any situation.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I think I love that we started there because as I'm hearing you talk about how you were as a little boy, it's like, yeah, that's who you are. And like you from an early age, God built you to, I mean, that resilience was being built inside you. And and I think you probably had some weight, maybe it was an unknowing weight. You are the oldest of your siblings, and um, you know, I could I could just see it now. It's like somehow I could just see you as a little guy taking on some responsibility, whether it was asked of you or not. I just know you that well that I think God was forming you, even as a little guy, to be like, you're going to take on responsibility here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, 100%. I mean, I remember, and a lot of people in my shoes are in the same boat. I mean, I remember at a very young age having to interpret things for my parents, but not just interpret them, they're like asking me questions about what I thought about it, you know, because I am going to school and I do know the culture a little bit better than them because I'm at school and things. But something you said a while ago about like that fear that that we all have to keep in mind. And I kept in mind back then, or whether I realized it or not, is we're all afraid. We all have those fears. Like we all have that fear, and you have to decide to do it with that fear in you, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm gonna do it anyways. And uh some people let it get to them. And yeah, and I think that's why it's that fear is just made up. It's just in your head. Like you're just we're just afraid of what could. If you think about it, if you really sit down and think about it, Mark, most of the time we're just afraid of what could happen, right? Not what is happening. Yeah, right. And that's what cripples us, that's what holds us back. And once we realize that, I mean, we can just squash it and we can just do it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, fast forward to just examples of life. A lot of my um, so if I'm sure if anybody listens to this knows both Alfredo and I, but if someone happens to listen to this and they don't know who we are, um I'm a loan officer, a mortgage loan officer at Alfredo's office. So he's my boss. Uh, this guy's not one, not only one of my very best friends, but he's he's my leader, he's my boss. Um, so with that said, I think of over if I think of myself over the years going to you, I can see a lot of times I'm like giving you my fears of what could possibly happen if that person quits, if that should fall apart, if if if and if, and you're having to manage me or speak to me off of things that haven't even happened yet and may not happen, but it's already holding me back, like paralyzed. And, you know, not to get into cliches, but it's it's that I feel a lot of times in life and in business and ministry, whatever it is, there's the difference of like the person who gets paralyzed and just stops right there and like I can't go any further. I'm afraid, I can't make the calls, or I'm too embarrassed or whatever. I have too much stacked against me. And there is truth to that, and they can accept it and just live with it to the person like you who is like, there is truth to this, but I'm gonna make a new truth. I'm gonna make a new, like I'm just gonna barrel through it. Like I just go it, do it afraid, like we talked about.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, and and I would rather fail but find out. Yeah. Okay. I'd rather if if I'm taking a step, I'm just gonna take it and I'm a uh build the airplane in the air kind of guy, right? I know you are, yes.
SPEAKER_00Well, that's why I like talking. I'm gonna let you finish, but like this is why I like talking to you because when you know someone who's really that way, like you're didn't get all of this stuff because you started watching Instagram one day. Yeah. Like this, you were doing, you were, you were operating in a lot of these um power moves or just perseverance moves before we were getting motivated by someone, before there was an inspiring story out there. Like you were really living
Do It Afraid And Take Action
SPEAKER_00this out.
SPEAKER_01Well, I have this visualization in my head that I've had since I was really young as a kid. And it's really simple. But um, we used to go every single summer day, it used to cost a dollar. And we'd me and my brothers would get up and we'd look through the couches for four quarters so that we can walk to the city pool and they'd let you in for a buck in there. When we used to go to the pool all the time. Well, when you get to the pool, no matter what day of the summer it is, when you jump in, it's cold, right? And you so you hesitate like, should I go my toe in at a time? Should I just jump in? Well, I always kind of chose to go to the diving boards, and I would tell myself, if I can just get like once I hit the spring on the diving board and I'm in the air, I can't turn around. Yeah. Like I'm already in the air. I got to figure this thing out. Like I'm about to go into cold water. And um, that's how I look at a lot of things. Like, if I just get myself into the pickle, if I just get myself into the situation, I'm gonna find my way through it. And so my job is to just get myself into situations. Yeah. Right? Like I just get myself if I see something where uh this is where I feel I need to be, I just get in there, and then once I'm in there, I'm gonna fill it out. But yeah, is there fear and failure? Absolutely. I've I've failed at many, many, many things.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you're well, it's hard to see. People are hard to see that, but I do see what you're saying. And I do like how you said when there's a situation you feel you need to be in, you go for it. That's right. Um, which is a big difference for just like, you know, ding-donging around or something. Sure. Little practical situations that we faced. Like I remember you had a guy work for you, uh, and he just wouldn't write any note cards. He wouldn't write any thank you cards to our clients or realtor partners until you bought him stationary. Like until it was all and I was like, man, let's just, and I like I'm not you. So like I I do struggle with the whole, like, man, I'd like to be completely prepared. I think there's wisdom in a lot of that, but at the same time, it's like we deal with people who over-prepare and never take any action. So on the I've just remembered, I know we've been around people are like, well, when Alfredo gets me the stationery that has the right everything on there, then I'll start writing them. And uh, you know, those type of personality just doesn't last very long in our business.
SPEAKER_01Well, let me be clear on that. Uh like I think sometimes you could argue that I'm not giving any value to preparation and those kind of things, right? Uh, because I'm just a big activity guy. Just do it, just do it, just do it. My theory on it is more about like that there's levels, meaning like, sure, if everything's perfect that and you can do what you're doing, uh, go ahead and do that. But something that's if you don't have this, if you don't have the perfect everything, the next best thing is to just do something with nothing. Right. That's the next best thing, right? Yeah, uh what is not an option for me is just to do nothing. Right. Right. And so I would rather go into someone with no business cards, no thank you cards, no pens, uh, no knowledge, no whatever, but just kind of, you know, have activity for now than to just stay paralyzed because I don't have that one thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And I and to to back you on that, things that I'm thinking about is like setting up uh uh a lunch or or be say accepting an invitation to go speak, let's say at a realtor office, and you're saying no because you don't have slides. Right. You're like always said, yes, I'll figure out the slides later, or I'll show up without slides and we'll we'll figure it out. And um like that's the sort of stuff where move forward. Well, I don't want to get in the weeds on a lot of that, but I do like setting that foundation of like from a tiny little guy already being that champion. And it was God was already forming you.
First In The Family To Graduate
SPEAKER_00Um, I want to zip a little bit into making it through school and you go to Oklahoma State University, um, first one in your family to be a college graduate. I don't know if your your your brain and heart could wrap itself around it back then and what that but I don't want to speak for you, but take me back to you like I'm going to go to Oklahoma, I'm going from this little town of Texas, I'm gonna go to Oklahoma, a major university, sure, Oklahoma State, and you graduate.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, you know, baseball was my favorite sport uh going in through high school. And um the reason it was my favorite sport, not necessarily because I love playing it from the start, is because I had some friends that just idolized baseball. And I wanted to be in so bad on those that I just decided that I wanted to be that way. And so I was a chameleon back then. It goes back to the very first question. You know, part of my way to fit in was to become a chameleon and fit in and make the things that other people liked and compete with them at those things. And so, you know, I got the opportunity to have my out-of-state tuition wave, got accepted to Oklahoma State. I went and visited campus, and then I went there and I I've always just taken kind of that next step. Like, what's that next step? What am I supposed to be doing next? And like I said, it just got me there, and then I had to figure it out while I was there. But it's kind of neat because um I was the very first one in my entire family to graduate college. Yeah. You know, that was that was a big accomplishment um for my mom. Yeah. You know, she was super, super proud. I still remember the day of graduation, that she was very emotional that day. Um, I'll never forget that. And um, it just goes to show you that, like, you know, if you get around the right people and the right support system and the right, you might not have started there, but if you just get that, that's gonna direct you and lead you one way or another.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I think when I think, when I'm thinking of that moment, so I remember when years ago, oh, I don't know, this was a picture in your cubicle, or when you got into an office and I remember just hanging out in your area and you had a picture frame of you, your graduation day or whatever, like all the family, like just tons of people around you. Well, at the time I didn't really think anything of it because I I didn't know uh your brothers and hadn't met your mom and dad and and everybody else. And not that I've met everybody, but like your core people over the years now. I've got to know them. And and so later, in in of knowing you for a long time, I meet your bros. And I think it was George and I talking, your youngest brother, and we happened to be at that picture or talking about it, and he talked. I remember him talking about how much of a big deal it was. And where I think I want to go with this is like you've just been a dude that paves the way. You've just been a guy that goes first. And whether it be I'm gonna, and you might not have been thinking like I'm gonna go to college and be a graduate so that people after me know that it is possible. You could have just been a kid taking the next step, like you said. But what was really forming what I believe what God was forming in you was the guy that does things and others follow. Yeah. And that you show it is possible. So, like when you started blowing up in the mortgage business, uh front row seat, there I am. You know, you're you're just doing great naturally, and then you really start exploding. And those were things you had heard of. A coaching company you had heard of, loan officers out there mysteriously, there's no way they can do that many. They must have cheating, blah, blah, blah. But man, you start doing it and others start following you. So I think that was such a groundbreaking moment for your life that you're like showed a way, like, I can, I'm gonna do this. Maybe you again subconsciously, you weren't thinking this, I'm doing this because other people show that it can be done. But that was a ripple effect for your family, for you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think we underestimate how much influence we have on people. And there are situations absolutely where you have a little bit even more than you think you do, because you know, I don't think I took stock of this till way later in life, and I wish I wouldn't have. Um, because I think people are paying attention to the things you do, but they're also paying maybe even more attention to the things you don't do. And um, I I do agree that I had influence, and that that was one of my main motivations. It's one of my, it's probably top few motivations right now in life, the the road I'm paving for them and the example I'm setting for my brothers in particular, and my my sons and daughters now, and people I work with, you know, I I want to set the bar high in a lot of areas, but looking back, I didn't take stock on how much potential damage I was doing by getting into things that I shouldn't have been getting into, making choices that I shouldn't have been making. And uh I just want everybody to take stock of that. It's not just you on the line um when you are choosing the way you live your life. Yeah. Um, and this isn't a sermon to like condemn anybody or anything like that. I just think it's when you realize that, it's a really cool thing to realize. Right. When my motivation is my brother's well-being, my friends' well-being, my family's well-being, um, that my that my actions influence that, it's it's it's a really cool feeling. Like, right? Like it matters, like what you do matters, what you don't do matters. And so, yeah, absolutely. Do I feel like I had a responsibility, you know, at one time felt like a burden to carry that and to pave the way? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um, and we don't have to get into all this, but a lot of people, those who are close to you know that you know, you just did carry a lot of weight throughout the years for a responsibility that you took on for helping your brothers, um, how whichever way you could. Um, man, let's start digging into your career a little
Success, Ego, And A Shaky Identity
SPEAKER_00bit. Um, young gun in your 20s, college grad, get into the mortgage business. Uh, I I mean, I don't remember everything, but you started rolling and doing well. Um, I don't even think you needed to be managed that much, to be honest with you, because I think somehow, somehow, your talent was probably exceeding our leaders. And man, you just became one of those guys in our town that we could look to. The company that you worked for looked to when things were kind of starting to fall apart. And uh, I think you were singled out from a consulting company or whatever the myth goes, or leadership saying, like, man, this dude is the guy that you should kind of really center your loan officers around because he's he's doing it. So you have a career that is going well, and you at some point, I know you have the stories of, you know, it was hard, and the stories of, you know, the desk leaned up against the bed to make it. Um, but that could be a lot of people's stories. And you persevered through and you began to become a really great earner and big earner and building a team and teams and other offices. Like I remember, I and I'm going somewhere here with this, but I remember visiting you in Dallas. At some point, you moved to Dallas and start start laying foundation out there. And I went to go visit just to hang out with you. So I went to go work at the office, and I'm in a cubicle outside of your sitting outside of your office in Dallas. And um, I remember you getting off the phone and I walk into your office and like, well, who was that? What's going on? And you're like, oh, it's just an office in California that I'm getting going or something. I'm like, California? Why are you talking to those guys? You know, it just was like, you're not even in my head, like wasn't even what I was thinking. And then there was the Colorado one and Arizona, whatever else, you were just like, man, I just knew in that moment, like, whoa, I just think these things that centered around me, and you were already thinking things outside of a region. Where I'm going is, man, you were really doing well in the world in our world's eyes, and our company's eyes, of like, man, you've got the success. And it's not like you were um an evil person out in business. You know, you're just uh you know, doing what it takes, hard worker, making it, becoming successful. And you're doing well. But at some point, you hit a season where that starts crumbling a bit. And I'll let you take it for whatever point you want to go to, but let's take it to a somewhat of a pinnacle of success that you live in Dallas now and you're running a Dallas office, you're running a Tulsa office. There's other offices. You have lots of loan officers being like, I want to be this guy. He's our leader. Uh, but we you hit a moment where pretty abruptly that starts crumbling. And so we have this pinnacle, and then all of a sudden things are starting to fall apart. And I'd like to hear about that season from your point of view.
Overnight Collapse And Starting Over
SPEAKER_01Uh, yeah, I mean, I had been in the business 10 years. Um, really thought I had made it. Um, I was very um, oh, what's the word I'm looking for? Egotistical, I would say, um at that point in time because I was like, I got it figured out. You know, I remember a coaching, this coaching mentor guy that had a program call me one time and trying to pitch me on, and I'm just like, I don't need you, man. I got I think I got this. I mean, I lived on the golf course, I checked all the boxes, I lived on the not golf course, um, had the stuff, you know, I had had a couple little kids by that point in time. I felt like I had the position, and um it it was it was it was tough because my entire identity was all tied up in that. Uh, you know, I definitely believe that God gave me some talents of influence and of persuasiveness and and of leadership, and I was using them all the wrong way. And um, so it was doing really well, thinking about expanding. And uh one day when I decided to make a move, I actually moved companies at the time. And the reason I was moving companies is because I was gonna do even better. I was gonna even make even more money, and I was gonna grow even bigger. And so signed a big lease at a office space uh down there on Cherry Street in 15th. I remember I remember that 5,000 square feet. Man, they wanted an arm and a leg for it. But I'm like, hey, I'm good, trust me. And um overnight, just you say it was a season, it didn't feel like a season, it felt like an inning. Uh overnight, just lost it all. Just one by one. I remember um each loan officer calling me to tell me they weren't coming with me. You know, uh, remember the underwriter that was gonna come with me, that did come with me, went back to where they were going. Um, I remember having to sell my house and I wouldn't sell. So like my credit card went through the roof. I I racked up a bunch of debt. I had to move back into like a little rental that I had that was just a piece of junk. Um, I had to kick the guy out. It was just it was just miserable there. I remember at one point we were living out of one bedroom and one bath. Um, I we had to let everyone go. You were with me, which I appreciate to this day. We had to let all the staff go, like three days before Christmas. Like I remember having to call each and every one of them just saying, I'm I'm sorry. It just didn't work out. I know you followed me here and doing that. And I remember the exact stoplight. It was on Peoria, and I remember the exact stoplight where I was like, maybe I'm not the man I thought I was. Maybe I'm not the husband, the father, maybe I'm not the produce, like the salesperson, producer, leader that I thought I maybe I'm just not him. And I just remember being like in a zoned out, and all of a sudden this car behind me honks, and I'm like, oh crap, I you know, I gotta go. And so I drove off, and then like as I'm driving off, I said, you know what? I'm gonna figure this out. I'm gonna figure this thing out. And um during this season, um, and I did, and I'll come back to how it got figured out. During this season, I was also very torn, like my soul, like my entire identity has just been ripped away from me, and I just didn't know where to turn. My wife had been getting us to go every once in a while when I would go to the to a church in Dallas, and um, you know, we were taking turns going to church. We'd go Catholic one week, hers the other, and um and we went to hers one time, I remember, and I just remember getting fed. Like I just remember like, I need this right now. Like it was the only place in the world I had peace. And that year was one of the hardest years of my life. Like it was one of the career hardest years. But looking back, it had it actually was probably the best year of my life because that's the year like I really found Christ. Like my mom always pushed it, and that foundation was huge for me. Um, but that's the year that I that I finally surrendered palms up and just goes, my way didn't work. What you got? Like, I'm doing it, I'm doing everything you tell me to do. And so my life changed spiritually, which is the most important part. Thanks to you too. You were always there just telling me, like, you know, he's waiting for you. And um, that's how I treated my business. I just remember I'm gonna do the same thing with my business. And so I went to this coaching seminar and they taught me this tactics, and I didn't care what they said. I didn't care anymore. I'm just like, you just tell me what to do because I don't want to do what I did anymore. Um, and just tell me what to do, and I'll do it. I was I was just desperate. People would ask me, How do you like being back? I had been back like a year and a half. Uh, how do you how do you like being back in Tulsa? And I remember telling them, Great, I love it. But I remember thinking to myself, I don't even know. I've been looking down for a year and a half now. I've been walking with my head down for a year and a half, just in in my own head, in my own, my stomach and knots, like losing everything. Um, and that's what led me to just go, you know what? To use the exact same blueprint that the Bible tells us to use, to use that in my business. And from then on, everything changed. I mean, like, everything changed. Everything I do now is based on that year, that season of my life, how I treat my business, how I treat life, how I treat my kids, my family. Um, everything is around that. And that is that we have to have a blueprint. We have to have something we depend on because we can't count on our own judgment. We just can't. Like the person I was 10 years ago, I look back at that guy and I'm like, what an idiot. You know, like how why did he think that way? Um and guess what? 10 years from now, I'll probably look back now and go, like, that guy didn't really know much either. Yeah. And so, how how could we ever count on our own judgment and intuition at the end of the day? I mean, we should have some, but it should be based on a really solid foundation, like, you know, the word.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, to your credit, and I was definitely no angel in that season. Um, one of your strengths, and maybe some people would say it's one of your weaknesses, but like you said, nothing to any but like there, like I you just wouldn't have known you're going. So I think that's a that is a good sign of leadership because like the people underneath you, you weren't crying to and sobbing to, and how are we going to make this work? Like, we just continued, we just watched you continue to chip away and go. And God was doing this internal work inside you. And so I know you look back and you had all those things up that you were feeling and going against, but um, that stoic person that you were, and maybe it was good, maybe it was bad. It just like you didn't no one wanted to could tell. I remember you came up one time to the office and um you just got in town from Dallas or something, and you had boxes and boxes of monitors and computers or whatever. And um I just wanted to order some pizza and maybe we'll open up these boxes and and let's just hang out a little bit and take our time. And you just like ripped open a box, fired up a computer, and went to work. And I was like, oh, okay. Hi. But like that's what like I'm like, when I think of that moment though, and I was just like, dude, wake up. This guy is driven, like he doesn't have time. I mean, it's not like you were mean to me or like we were what's up. But you know, I've thought, like, well, we'll just take our time and just get some of these monitors set up or whatever. And you just come in, just get down to work and start doing business. And I was like, dude, yes, that's why he is what he is. He's not messing around, he's very efficient with his time right here. Um, man, of course, you know me. I want to spend a little time on this um palms up. And I love how you took that. Uh well, it's like you got to be open to the blueprint. Because like the blueprint was dangling in front of you earlier in a conversation with that coach. It's not like he changed his blueprint. He had the blueprint and he thought he felt you were a good candidate. Someone had told him, told him about you. And at the time, you're just like, no. So the blueprint didn't change, just like your heart attitude changed towards it. And I think what most what happens most of the time, and you probably see some of the most successful people you rev shoulders with in that coaching program were in desperate situations. They were probably the the breadwinner in their family, and they were piled in debt and had to make some big moves to make it happen. So if they said everything you're gonna do, you're gonna be the most uncomfortable in your life. And it's just like, okay, I'll just be uncomfortable. This is what you this is what it's gonna take. Um, man, I'd love to hear a little bit about your relationship with Jesus in those moments of surrendering to him and starting to go to church.
Surrender, Prayer, And Finding Peace
SPEAKER_00And I love how you said, I went to this church and I was being fed. As, you know, you didn't know how hungry you were. And God put you in a place where, boom, there you are, you start getting fed the word. I would love now you're, I mean, dude, all these years later, dude, you're mighty man of God, loving family man, faithful husband. But in that season, I'd like to hear a little bit about like, what was that like going from not pursuing God, not have not having any interest in a personal relationship with Jesus, to I need help, come to my rescue. He does. But at some point in there, there's a there is a heavenly father and son relationship starting to develop. I'd love to hear a little bit those, if you can remember those early stages of like developing a relationship with Jesus.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, man, that's a heavy question. That's a that's a tough, that's a tough one. Um the only f place, the best way I could put it is the only place I found peace was with him. So good. That's the only place I had peace. I we have to be careful what we're in it for. You know, we think we're in it. I thought I was in it to get through my problems. I thought I was in it for the money, uh, to to bring the branch back, to grow it again, to get myself out of debt, to do all those things. And that's in the time in the time, um, that's what you're praying for. Yeah. But what I really wanted, now I realize is peace. Like I wanted his peace. Uh, there's there's a there's a scripture is commit your actions to your Lord and your plans will succeed. That I prayed a lot, and I prayed it from the wrong perspective originally. Commit your actions to the Lord and your plans will succeed. To me, back then meant that I was going to close X amount of loans and that I was gonna pay my debt off. And that then if I just do everything else, he's gonna he's gonna repay me by getting me out of these messes that I'm in. And I don't see it that way. My commit your actions to the Lord as your plans succeed means my plans is gonna change. Because my plans are gonna line up with his plans, yeah. And so that's changed a lot for me in that area. So I would say that's probably the biggest thing is that like that's where I found peace. The way he attracted me to that peace is by saying, you know, let me, let me be side. It wasn't let me help you get out of these problems, let me be side by side with you with these problems. That's how I looked at it. Though there was this little window we had up there, and you can see the cross from St. John's, and I'd get there before anybody because back then I'd, you know, I wasn't as open about my faith. And I would just sit there and I just pray. Yeah, I pray with them every single morning. And I always felt like he just had, I couldn't see it, but I just had faith that he had solutions to my life coming. I didn't know what form, I didn't know how he was gonna do it. Um, and that's what's cool to this day is yes, I don't know how he's gonna do it. I don't know what the next thing's gonna happen. I don't know how he's gonna use this one for good. This one doesn't seem like he'd be used for good, but he's gonna use it for good somehow. So yeah. Um, I think that probably was the biggest thing is just finding that peace in uh just being being in prayer, being God.
SPEAKER_00What I love about God, one of the things is that like the meeting you where you're at. Like even if you were in a season where, like, man, if you bring my business back together, if you heal my mother, if you do, you know, line these things up, this is why I need you. God's perfectly fine with your reason of why you you'll find out later of like, oh, that was actually kind of minor to the relationship I have with you now, Lord. But where you were, and a lot of people are, and kind of circle back to that, some of that stuff. Like, I need you for these things. And little by little I'm feeling that it's more than just you're gonna give me these things, I'm developing something with you. But if it starts with, I'm uh I just need you for this, God is perfectly fine with that and then takes it from there.
Emotional Intelligence And Being A Chameleon
SPEAKER_00One thing you've said is the the chameleon thing. And I mean, I'm just like it's so true. Like you're, like you said, lived on the golf club, you're a great golfer, you've been a country club guy in the past. Um, and like it's you're not out of place there. You're you are you belong there, man. Like you're not out of place at a country club, you're not um I I've I've just you're very elegant in your speech in Spanish, you're very elegant in your speech in English, you know, and just um you kind of knock people's socks off sometimes of how well you can speak to whoever is in the room. And it's really cool, you know, where you just belong. And and it's really effortless, too. You're kind of that that guy that people don't see coming. You haven't, you haven't, um, you haven't mentioned on this podcast that we're filming in your studio in the building that you own. Like you're don't, you're not that type of guy that just parades that, you know. So two things. One, I I uh that that soft, quiet personality that you really don't see coming, and this chameleon type of like, man, every walks of life you fit in well. Um, man, where's that? I mean, you might have talked about it already, but like you're how are you so good at this?
SPEAKER_01I mean, it goes back to that little kid. Yeah, you know, it comes from total insecurity. You know, one of one of my big things when when you don't fit in culturally, when you don't feel like you fit in, I'm constantly looking for facial confirmations that someone likes me, that they like what I'm saying. And I'm constantly reacting when they don't. And I think that you're always being prepared for something, and then all things can get used for those things. So I feel I'm I'm like I'm really conscious of what the people in the room are feeling and how they're taking what I'm saying and how they're reacting to what I'm saying. It all stems from those insecurities, man. I'm telling you, like um, I I look at a lot of context, I look at that kind of stuff. So it's always I look back and that's really helped me out because I think emotional intelligence to me is it's more important than actual intelligence, than book smarts, right? Like how you treat people and how you handle people and how you talk to them. And um, you know, again, it goes back to my securities, but one of my favorite things is to be liked. Yeah. You know, we all like to be liked. And so if if that takes a little bit sometimes of me maybe swallowing my pride in that moment or you know, catering to somebody um with the right intentions, I mean, that's called a servant's heart. Yeah. And I think that um I that that's really helped me in life, though at the moment it seemed like a defense mechanism.
SPEAKER_00So today, man, you're uh you have five children,
Fatherhood And Understanding God’s Love
SPEAKER_00yeah. Ages ranging from close to 16 to five years old or something, something in there, I'd imagine. Um, wonderful wife, Mindy, who I love, and um your your awesome husband, man. I think a joy that the your friends, um, it's it's a pleasure watching you raise these boys, just because we're probably I mean, I'm sure you're great dad to your daughters as well. Um, but these boys, it's you come to life with coaching them and being there for them. And you know, they're great athletes. Yeah, I'm thinking of your two oldest right now, and and um I know your your third guy is stud too. Um, but it it's they're great kids, man. Your oldest is uh fun to be around. He's been he's worked kind of interned here before, and um it's been really cool to see you be an awesome father to these guys. Thank you. And um, I know you instill so much into them. What has becoming a father and being a father? Like, how does that change who you are?
SPEAKER_01And what man, that's another podcast. Um, first of all, Mindy's amazing. She's the couldn't couldn't ask for a better, better partner. She completely changed my life changed because of her. You know, I'm probably where I am in my faith because of her. Yeah, and so I'm very thankful for her. Um man, what has changed? Everything has changed. Yeah, I'd say the the biggest takeaway since you know, especially since we're on a faith-based podcast here, is that I I never truly quite understood God's love for me till I had my my sons and my kids. Yeah. Like I don't like I understand so much more of that selflessness, yeah, the unconditional love, the um directing them by by what you give them and what you don't give them. That's a big one. Like, you know, you always ask for stuff, but sometimes things are like I hold things back from my own. Like people laugh at me because you know, we do pretty decent here, but my my oldest son's gotten into golf and he has the raggetiest, worst set of clubs ever. And even my brother makes fun. He's like, Why just get him some clubs, dude? And I'm like, I'm not just gonna get him everything they want. So I think that's just such a big lesson in life, anyways, is that like just getting handed everything. Sometimes things are withheld for a reason. Yeah. Um, so I think that that's probably the biggest lessons is just to understand that my my relationship with my God has improved, my heavenly father has improved so much since I understood fatherhood with my kids.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I mean, I just from a distance, you can just tell the the deeper relationships you have because of being a dad is has been there. I think you've um led differently and better because of your of being a dad, uh, a father, and um, you know, we're constantly tested as dads. We're never gonna be perfect, we're never gonna when I I want them to be proud of me.
SPEAKER_01Like I think it I think a testament is like if they ever talk to somebody that I'm when I'm not around, whether I'm not here any longer or I am still here, but we're just on the same room, I want them to be proud of what's getting said about me. Yeah. And uh I think that's a good litmus test for how you treat people and what you do and all those kinds of things. If you put it like that, that they'll they'll never be in a room where somebody said, Man, your your dad's he's a thief or he's a liar. You know what I mean? Or he I want him to I wanted people to say I'm a good guy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, I'll I could go deeper and long in and I won't continue to respect your time. Um we can do number two. Yeah. So yeah, I would I want to talk about fatherhood with you because you're such a great dad and you're an awesome husband too. Um your your wife's awesome and she loves you. So the podcast is lasting impact.
Lasting Impact Through Small Kindness
SPEAKER_00And my last question to all my guests are what does lasting impact mean to you?
SPEAKER_01What does lasting impact mean to you? It's just how you treat people matters. Like it matters. Um you can really have you have to take stock of what influence you have, even if it's the smallest little interaction. I just went to this wedding with uh for my brother, and um, this guy that's now gonna be his brother-in-law. I get there, and the guy immediately is just like, hey man, you need anything? Just shakes my hand. He's just the most welcoming guy, very serving, had a piece of trash. He goes, Let me take that for you, I'll throw it away. And he was just so kind and welcoming and everything. And and I only interacted with him probably a total of like four or five minutes. But I was just thinking about that as an example of this. What I'm trying to say is that that that impacted me. Like it was like, man, that like that's motivating to me to me to treat people because even the smallest interaction can make a difference in somebody. And I've left him a message the other day because I wanted to call them and let them know that um and just how you know much I thought of in the little time that I spent with them. So I would say that that just how you treat people matters. And uh it's not always about getting ahead, it's not always about what you can get out of that person. I think if you treat everybody like how can I add value to this person, um, that has lasting impact.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's great. Well, man, thank you again for being on here. Love to do it again sometime to just draw
Final Thanks And Subscribe Request
SPEAKER_00more wisdom out of you. Uh, this is Alfredo Madrid, and he is making a lasting impact. Thank you. Love you, brother. Love you too. If you like today's conversation and want to hear more, hit that subscribe button. Don't forget to leave a review and share your thoughts. Your feedback keeps the impact going.