IF 97 - The 90-Day Rule for Running a Business — and a Household: With Cam Lawson

Cam Lawson shares his journey from high school sports star to landscaping, moving to Nashville, working in nonprofits, and ultimately achieving his PhD in Strategic Communication with a focus on social media's impact. Cam reflects on the importance of presence and intentionality as a father, balancing work and personal life, and the value of maintaining curiosity and empathy in a digitally polarized world. He also offers actionable advice for fathers on how to incorporate physical activity and personal development into their lives while being active and present with their families.

Cam Lawson - LinkedIn 

00:00 Introduction and Catching Up
00:23 Landscaping Memories and Reflections
02:23 Career Journey and Transitions
06:20 Family Life and Parenting
07:13 Diving into Social Media Research
17:31 Embracing Cultural Differences
17:52 The Power of Curiosity in Conversations
19:54 The Impact of One-on-One Interactions
20:35 Modeling Behavior for Children
21:32 Challenges and Rewards of Remote Work
28:18 Balancing Personal Health and Fatherhood
36:22 The Importance of Community and Support

Follow Kenny Johnson on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
YouTube

Schedule a call with Kenny

Transcript

video1137340318: 0:00

At the end of the day, I think being present with your kids, like my parents did a great job of this. I will never forget my mom missed my senior year of high school. I had a baseball game, Uhhuh, and that was the first game she ever missed. Oh, wow. And she cried. Wow. And that was like meaningful to me because it was, it meant that much that they were there. You know what I mean? Yeah. And so, and she made sure my grandpa was there. So like there was someone in my family that there, um, but that. Became a core part for me to, like, when I had the opportunity to go remote, like I reserve, you know, 3 34 o'clock to like seven o'clock. That's like family time. I wanna be present with him, go outside, play with him, you know, interact, play, and sometimes I am just beat at the end of the day. Yeah. And it's not to say sometimes we do just sit on the couch. Yeah. We just veg. Yeah. But that presence, right. Of being able to, hey, you know, I think later this year we're gonna, they're gonna go on a trip with me, which I used to go on trips with my dad on business trips, but that, like, I want him to feel that I'm there. Cam Lawson in the studio today buddy. How are you doing today? I'm doing so good, man. Thank you for having me. Yeah, it's been a long time. Cam, we, we have gone back, uh, many years. High school days. Yes. In fact, I can recall, um, you being the, the star goalie. Oh, okay. Um, so I think this is high school. But, uh, anyway, thanks so much for joining us at today. Um, so. I know that you've had sort of a fun, similar, in a way journey with some previous jobs. Um, I did landscaping. You've done landscaping. In fact, we were joking. I don't know if it'll, it'll reach the daylight on what we were saying, but some fun stories about, uh, just doing, doing tree work and stuff. Uh, are you, have you, do you still enjoy landscaping? What's the status there? Yeah. No, it's, it's, I, I do okay. And I, every once in a while I envy. Somebody just sitting on a mower with their headphones in just making grass look awesome. And then being able to turn right around and see the work. Yes. That was done. Yes. Yes. And so, um, sitting riding lawn mowers, right? The one that, that's right. Absolutely. You got the music, you forget a push mower on the side of a mountain that Yes, I was, uh, I was. Telling. Before we were rocking in, I was up at the cliffs and we used to work up there, did a lot of work in a high end residential. And, um, it was funny as I was going in, I was telling the guy that I was eating with a story where we were working and I, I, I remember it was a semi-truck of mulch that came in and I will never forget that watching that semi-truck go up. And just the mulch like just kept falling down and it was like, please be done. And then it pulled off and it was just this mountain of mulch. And that was the moment when I realized maybe million keeping is bad for me. Uh, but it's. Every once in a while I do, I tinker around the house. Yeah. You know, make it look good. Yeah. But, um, we're gonna get into, expert subject matter of what you've recently, um, completed in your, did you get your PhD? Is that right? Yeah. And um, that's gonna be about social media, Facebook comment section specific. So. Um, listeners will definitely enjoy that because actually I think, I don't think I've had a expert subject matter, um, on the show yet. So this is great. Oh man, you're number one, man. I don't know about that. So that's, that's exciting. So I know you spent a lot of time into that. Um, before we go there, um, give us the high li the high level, um, career journey. Yeah. Sort of, and we know the landscaping, but what's been the la last couple? Um. Jobs or job And, uh, where are we at today? Yeah, so landscaping kind of goes a little bit into it. Um, so right out of, um, college actually worked alongside Kenny. Um, and so we did landscaping and then I had moved up to Nashville, Tennessee. Um, and so did a little bit of the music thing. I just needed to get out of Greenville. Mm-hmm. Was born and raised here. I needed to spread my wings and fly. Yes. And um. Up there. It was great. Super fun. Glad I did that. Made some really dumb decisions and flew right on back to Greenville and came into a structured environment, which was good for me. Um, but during that time, started working in actually nonprofit. So worked from nonprofit called Miracle Hill. Um, I was in therapy at the time actually, and was working at Miracle Hill. Really cool moment in my life. Yeah. Um, much needed and don't make a ton of money in nonprofit and so had two jobs, so I was also working at the Y oh. During that time, um, a couple of the leaders took me under their wing and said, Hey, you've got some potential. And I went through college thinking I wanted to be a pastor. Yeah. I was dead set on that ready to go. Yeah. I think even at the time that we were working together, I think I was getting my MDiv. Yeah. Okay. Um, and so then throughout that I had somebody challenge me. They were like, Hey, you can still have an impact in people's lives. Not necessarily being in a pastoral ministry. Mm-hmm. He said, in fact, you'll probably have more of an impact because oftentimes you'll get the best of people in the church. He said, you're gonna be able to meet people where you're at in the business world. Mm-hmm. Mental shift for me. Yeah. That did not happen overnight. It was a lot of, you know, just am I leaving my Colleen kinda thing, right? Right. And so, but felt, hey, if there's something here, you know, what does this look like? And so the CEO of the YMCA Greenville said, Hey, you should get an MBA. All right, cool. Let me do that. And so then ended up transitioning off. They had done, they kind of made some positional cuts and so ended up transitioning off the Y and needed a job. So I knew a guy that I worked at church. I was like, I'd done landscaping before. And so that's how I ended up getting to the another landscape company. Okay. And started out as just a crew guy. Yeah. Just needed to pay the bills. I was like, this is a summer thing. That's it. Yep. I'm doing it. Yep. And then worked my way all the way up five years later, all the way up to the senior leadership team, head of marketing. Okay. And so during that time we implemented EOS, which is the Entrepreneur Operating System. It's just a framework for how to do business. Yes. We hired a coach that came in. He came in, we did that, and he introduced us to a platform called 90. Okay. And so. Went through that whole implementation in two years. Started to realize finally, after looking at the mountain of mulch, many times I was like, I don't know if landscape is a long-term plan for me. Got it. And so transitioned off, worked for an agency for a little while, and then ended up having to transition off. They just made a cuts, a lot of reduction in force for the agency and ended up needing another job. Mm-hmm. And so I had been a fan of 90, the tool that we had used Yeah. For a long time. And so I just happened to reach out to the CEO on LinkedIn and just said, Hey. I have been an evangelist for you. I brought it to many companies, yes. Would love an opportunity to work here. And he said, this is awesome. Here's who you need to talk to, and they hired me. Wow. So was that, that's how I got to 90. So that was, let's see, would've been late 2022, early 2023. Okay, cool. So you've been there since? Yeah. Okay. So. And what's your role in 90 right now? So I work in strategic partnerships. Okay. So we have our end consumers, which are typically small businesses, typically CEOs, leadership teams, and then additional teams as they go down and roll out to the rest of the organization. But that's kind of our primary audience. And then we also have a channel, which are business coaches. So business coaches that come in and work with leadership teams on how to implement a specific system. Yes, I work in building that, that shape. Okay, dude, that's great. Yeah. Now, um, shifting into the family life. Yeah. Uh, wife, kids, what's the status there? Yeah. So got a wife. Awesome. Okay. Her name's Olivia. She's a teacher. Okay. She is first grade. Okay. Do not know how she does that all day. Okay. I, uh, God bless all the teachers out there. Yes, that's right. They should give more money. Um, no. And then we also have a 4-year-old. Okay. So he just turned four. Okay. Uh, the day of this recording, it was last week, so, okay. Awesome man. We got, um, a 3-year-old and 8-year-old. And the fours, um, are you sleeping yet? Are is it? Yes. Okay. That's the wind. Yeah, absolutely. He was a, he has been an awesome sleeper, but it is, my mom always jokes with me. She said You were 12 hours on, 12 hours off. And those 12 hours on we're on very on. And I was like, got it. I understand that now. Ah, I have a son. Yes. Yes. Um, okay. So I wanna go into the, the Facebook stuff Yeah. Because you didn't really mention that along that career journey. Yeah. So I know you were still working on that. Right. Give the audience, um, why did you, why was, um, tell us what it is that you, that you are. I. You studied? Yeah. And then why that? Yeah, that's a good question. So the PhD was around 2020, so I was actually still in landscaping at that time. Okay. So my dad has his PhD and I don't know, you knew me in high school. I was not the, I was not a star student. I, uh, I, I love the athletics and just being a goofball. And so school just. It was a thing, right? Yeah, yeah. Just make sure I was good enough to play. Right. And then really, I think once I started, like it was tail end of my college career started to get a little more serious. I think it was because I started to study things that were specific to my degree. Right? Yeah. It was like I. Not just gen ed classes, it was like, oh, learning is actually fun when you learn about things that you wanna learn about. Right, right. And um, and so that's what, then the MBA did very well in that program. And then in 2020 I just got this itch, like I finished the MBA about 2018 or so. Okay. And then in 2020 felt this itch to like. I continue to like, just level myself up. Yeah. And differentiate myself. And so the only thing left was a PhD. So I was like, yeah, why not? Okay. And, uh, and so the degree is in a, uh, it's strategic communication. So the long-term plan for me was always to get into like consulting or coaching. I was just, I fell in love with that. And so I felt that this would help give a little bit of credibility behind my name.'cause I'm 32. I'm not, I mean, I'm not. Getting some gray hairs. Right. Right. But I, you know, I, I, I still have life to live. Yeah. And so it was like, okay, well maybe I can front load a little bit of academic credibility mm-hmm. To maybe not necessarily speed that along, but just give myself a little bit more of a foundation, if you will. Yeah. Yeah. So that's really what it was then. And then for the PhD, I had to basically decide what I wanna focus on with the sky's the limit on that. Right. I mean, do whatever you want. Right. I mean, there's some of the dissertations you read, it's like. Right. That's a thing. Is that even right? And so I like to be relevant and so I decided to do Facebook and it's kind of influenced. So I really, it started with this idea of social media, which I love social media. Um, I kind of grew up with it. I'm that millennial or I mean similar age. We grew up with that. We were know enough to where we can remember life before that, but also grew up with it, which is a really unique position for people our age because. It, it's like a bridge between the ones that knew life before and then the ones that don't know life without. Right. Which is a unique place for us. And so I think that's probably a little bit of my interest in it. Mm-hmm. But I've always been fascinated with the role social media plays in society. Mm-hmm. You know, I think with the last, you know, political elections and a lot of just stuff going on in the world, like, it just makes for an interesting topic. Mm-hmm. And so I wanted to start understanding, okay. Is. Somehow social media impacting that in some form or fashion. Mm-hmm. Most people would say yes. Yeah. It's kind of hard to argue that. Yeah. And then I started to get a little bit narrowed down'cause my dad gave me some wonderful advice that said, Hey, you just need to finish your dissertation. You don't need to solve world problems. Yeah. And so then it started to narrow it down. Okay, let's narrow it down to. Facebook, one individual platform. Let's talk about the comment sections of how they influence, you know, the experience you have. Yeah. So when you go through and read a comment section, there's an algorithm that's feeding you information where you might see a certain comment. I may see a different one. So it's a different experience, and so then it starts to go in what's most relevant. Mm-hmm. And so that then leads to engagement, which then I started to find. Okay, there's probably some correlations into. Hey, polarizing uncivil, dramatic content, emotional content. Mm-hmm. It's probably ranked pretty high, therefore it's putting it at the top, which then just feeds it. Mm-hmm. So it becomes a cycle. Mm-hmm. So that's what I dove into in my, my research to figure out, okay, is there a there there with that? Is it influencing us and how is it influencing us? Yeah. So the common section, um, social media being sort of like very relevant to today's, and I totally agree. The, the knowledge of what it was like before. Mm-hmm. And after it is a unique position. Yeah. And as dads, I mean, we're seeing screens right. Every turn. I mean, I know you got a 4-year-old. Yeah. But it, it is a constant, at least in our family, it is a, a topic of like how many Screen time are we having? And also like, I don't like it when he sees me on my phone. Like there's a definitely sense of, like, I think I've heard someone joke jokingly, like they're hiding phones behind books. Like, so that the kids don't even like see like Yeah. You know, the, the, the parent doing it or you're kind of hiding it. Yeah. Like, you know, and the kid walks in or whatever. So, um, so I definitely think that's a, that's a major issue today with a lot of dads is like, how are we doing screens as well as social media? Yeah. Um. So what were, I guess, some of the discoveries made from what you found that maybe could be an application? I mean, awareness I think is number key. Is number one of just like, yeah, this obviously, like you mentioned uncivil. Yeah. Um. Just, you know, the, the hate speech and all that stuff that everyone kinda looks at, and if you kind of fall into it, it, it can be a very slippery slope of like, what are you trying to gain here? Yeah. But, um, what were some maybe things that you discover, number one, and things that we could maybe apply as dads that would help us be better dads? Yeah. It's a, I, it's a great question. Um, I would say. One of the key findings, um, were really, you know, everybody thinks like the troll, right? It's the troll that's just the, like the social media troll. Right, right, right. Yeah, right. And um, and there's a lot of truth to that, right? But what I found was there are actually different. Call it like versions of that. Mm-hmm. So there's ones that are, I call it the passionate partisan. So those that are just like their belief system, their ideology, they're just gonna go out of their way to like promote that, share that. And you've totally see that, right? I believe this. I will die on this note. And like we're coming out of a presidential like Right. It's obviously like that's of that, that's amplified during that time. Yes, yes, yes. So that was one. And then, um, the cynical joker. Was another one. Okay. Um, which was more, it was interesting. It was, it was a version of like uncivil communication that was very snarky. Okay. Like very pointed, almost an intellectual level. Okay. Which is different than just a, this passionate partisan, it's like this ideology. Yeah. It was a lot more like. Almost just rude. Like, like undercut little. Yeah. Like that kind of thing. Jabbing punch. And then the last personality was the agitator, which is your traditional troll. They're just trying to like egg people on. Okay. You know, like kind of ash, like each one of those is different. Okay. Right. They're like a different type of personality. And we group them all together into just this troll thing. Okay. But I think that does this a disservice because you don't need to, you're not gonna interact with somebody that's just trying to egg somebody on versus somebody that has an ideological belief that they really hold onto. Mm-hmm. And they're just. Acting like very brashly with that like, so I think from that standpoint, that was probably my biggest like gift to the academic community, if you will, because now people can have an understanding, whether you're a social media manager or really just trying to understand it. Mm-hmm. You can see these things. So I think the biggest thing for me that was probably a takeaway mm-hmm. Was the awareness. Just kind of understanding that this is influencing me, you know, this platform is designed. To get me. And it's almost like, you know, the gladiators like going, we wanna like see this drama. Yes. Like that's what social media is now.'cause like I find myself getting sucked into these comment sections. It's like, yeah, oh man, I know this is gonna be a good comment section. You go in and it does not disappoint. And so, and you know, then you're sitting there for 30 minutes. Right. And you're reading just the scum of the earth going at it. It's like, I dunno if that's really healthy. And so I think that's a big thing for me is understanding. Okay. If I'm getting looped into this, I wanna make sure that I'm in control with my brain, that I understand. Mm-hmm. I can look through this and if I have, what's my motivation for going to this? Am I going to be entertained? Mm-hmm. Am I going to whatever I'm trying to find in there? Yeah. Right. And so I think that's a big thing. And then understanding that it's rewarding that engagement. Okay. So the, it's, it's an echo chamber, right? What it's gonna do is it's gonna give you viewpoints that you agree with, and then it's gonna give you the polar opposite of that. Okay. Life has lived in between. Yeah. Like we probably disagree on some things, but we're friends and we get along. We have an awesome conversation. Yeah. It's the same thing with people that you may not know, and I think what it does is it makes us think that we're all crazy and everyone is just this, you're rather on this side, this side. It's like, no, that's, that's I think the worst thing that found just through comment sections, which then I think tends to bleed over into real life. That's, yeah. And so I think that was probably the biggest thing for me. Okay, so as, as dads, um, the awareness is key. Um, you know, one of the things I was thinking of is, and I'm glad you said it, like you got this, you know, behind the screen, you're kinda safe. You can say whatever you want, but then it does kind of obviously translate to like, okay, now my mindset thinks this person is this way. If it's someone that you, you know, go to church with or something, and now I rather identify them or classify them as a certain position and. I just see divide happening, and of course there's probably some attraction happening as well, but I think the divide is much more, um, seen. So, um, you know, I guess advice to dads on this, on this front, any, any type of application or, or. Things that can be said, number one, for ourselves, but also our kids. You know, it's, it's a, I feel like it's a very fine line because, especially depending on the age, like formative years, right? Mm-hmm. Like, but I think there is a level of, and this is the way that I'm, I really am trying to lead my family. I'm not, I don't think I'm perfect at this. Mm-hmm. And I mean, it's a 4-year-old is different than like, when, you know, is 15, right? Like, it's just gonna be different. Right. But at the same time, my parents did a really good job of allowing me to travel with them. Mm-hmm. And go to other places and see other cultures and understand that there are other ways to do things. Hmm. And being able to hold that, that maybe that's not how we do it as a family, but we can still respect that. Mm-hmm. And then being able to hold those things in almost a loose way in our heads. It's like, okay, that's different. Doesn't mean it's bad, right? And so I think as we go and encourage our kids to understand, hey, you can differ with somebody, and then leading with this curiosity, I think that's lacking in American culture, but I probably the world. Um, but this idea of, hey. You really believe very strongly about that. Tell me more on why you believe that. That aspect, I think opens it up because then you start to realize this person went through so many experiences that then influenced them to believe that. And when you have that understanding, I may still disagree with you. Sure. But I have so much more respect for you. Instead of just writing them off, like it's so easy to do in a mm-hmm. Facebook comment section. Mm-hmm. It's like, oh, you're wrong, blah, blah, blah. It's so easy to do that. Mm-hmm. But when you're sitting across from somebody and asking them and they're sharing their experiences, it makes a whole lot more sense. And I think that gives you more empathy and curiosity to dig a little bit. So I think that's probably the biggest thing that I would encourage. Dads as they lead their family to lead with that curiosity. Because if you open things up, nobody's ever gonna get upset at somebody asking a genuine question. Yeah. Yeah. I think when you, this is, this is really good because by being curious about someone else's beliefs, you're at least allowing yourself to consider that what they're saying is right. Yeah. I'm not saying you were like, oh, because I asked, I have to really believe what they're saying, like you said. But, um, how are we ever gonna change ever our mindset unless we are. At least absorbing and listening to other people. Um, and unless, you know, we feel like we're in a perfect position, which I would hope that no one thinks that way, um, we're never gonna change either. So I like that. I would say the, I mean, I, I've always thought this even before I did my dissertation work, but. The, we tend to overestimate the power of these. You know, you go to a conference, you have a conference high, you're super excited, you got awesome speaker, you're pumped up on something, or you go to a rally and people are like, yes, let's go. Right? And then it dies off. I think we overestimate the power of that more group based things and we underestimate the power of one-on-one conversations. I think there is. That is where the true healing of a society comes down to these one-on-one conversations. If more of us lead with curiosity. I think there's something to be said. There's a lot of power in those one-on-one conversations Yeah. To change the world. And I just, I fundamentally believe that with my soul all about, go to a rally, believe what you wanna believe, get excited about it, but don't neglect the one-on-one conversations. Yeah. No, I, I love that in person too. Yeah. I feel like that's huge. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, neighbors. Yeah. Right. Um, obviously. You could go to church, uh, but you know, the diner, you know, wherever, restaurants, the waiter, um, just the interactions that we have, we have such a unique influence, um, in those per, uh, face-to-face conversations like you're saying, that are outside of the, you know, social media, LinkedIn, whatever communities, um, that I think are crucial. And as, especially when our kids are younger, they're watching us, we are able to model that. Where you, what does my son see me doing on the computer? Well, I could be, you know, changing the world with, you know, all these nice posts and whatever, content creations. But when he sees me talking to a neighbor or you know, the contractor, whatever it is, he's getting so much more. Right. So, um, here, here, that's, that's great. Yeah. One of my questions I do like asking is that, um. The idea of like, what are most dads missing today? Like, what are, what's kind of the problem with that? Maybe you've seen, um, but I feel like you're, you're kind of in that, you've somewhat already answered it in regards to like that lack of curiosity. Anything you don't, you wanna go deeper there or add to that? Yeah, I mean, I think the curiosity is a huge part and I mean, that's still something that I'm learning. It's so easy to. Uh, there's a, an example, I mean, I, I had my son home, so I work from home. Yeah. Which is, we can dive into that if you want. Just the pros and cons of that. Yeah. Um, but the, there was one time where I was kind of getting, just finishing up something with work, and then I came around the corner and he had put a bunch of stickers on the back of our like, love, see, and like I felt that emotion, like, dude, what is, what were you thinking? And then like. He was like so excited to show me.'cause like I saw it in his eyes. It was like his masterpiece, you know? Yes, yes. And in that like, I'm proud of this and this is not me every day, but I was pr like I was able to take that emotion down and then go in and like I. Oh dude, that, that's really cool. Like here, let's, like, I pivoted and had this like three ring binder and I was like, look, let's decorate this. You know, this is where we can kind of put on instead of the couch and like redirect that energy. Yes. But I go with, it was a curiosity. Like, instead of letting my emotions take over and like, run with that, like, and like push him down mm-hmm. For. I mean, he was really proud of like how he, you know, he designed it right and like put'em together and like Right. That would've like stifled his little creativity. And so like, I'm so glad I had that moment where like, I pivoted. But I think the other thing is, is presence. I see that, you know, there's a lot of, especially in the C era, I feel like it kind of forced families to be together. Mm-hmm. And which. Hopefully that's a good thing. Yeah. Um, but there's a lot more of like even the rise of remote and hybrid work. Yes. At the end of the day, I think being present with your kids, like my parents did a great job of this. I will never forget my mom missed my senior year of high school. I had a baseball game, Uhhuh, and that was the first game she ever missed. Oh, wow. And she cried. Wow. And that was like meaningful to me because it was, it meant that much that they were there. You know what I mean? Yeah. And so, and she made sure my grandpa was there. So like there was someone in my family that there, um, but that. Became a core part for me to, like, when I had the opportunity to go remote, like I reserve, you know, 3 34 o'clock to like seven o'clock. That's like family time.'cause my wife is a teacher. Yeah. She gets home, he Cooper goes to a daycare right near where she, so they get home three 30 ish. And so I wanna be present with him, go outside, play with him, you know, interact, play, and sometimes I am just beat at the end of the day. Yeah. And it's not to say sometimes we do just sit on the couch. Yeah. We just veg. Yeah. But that presence, right. Of being able to, hey, you know, I think later this year we're gonna, they're gonna go on a trip with me, which I used to go on trips with my dad on business trips, but that, like, I want him to feel that I'm there. Yeah. You know? And that doesn't always necessarily mean. Undivided attention because I think there is some, like sometimes you do need to take some time for you. Yes. But having that dedicated time, like I know four to seven I. We're gonna be out playing, interacting with people. Yeah. And that's just a pivotal moment. So I think that's something that I just wanna see. I'm not that, I think dads nowadays do a great job of that. Yeah. You know, and I think some of it comes from the hybrid and remote world. Yeah. But that presence is just a big thing for me. Yeah. I, um, I, I've talked to the show a little bit about what I would call, well the book, um, the Intentional Father. Mm. I dunno if you've heard of that book. Um, but they have these classifications of dad. And one of them is the involved dad. Yeah. And the next one up is the intentional dad. Mm. So I always consider myself the involved dad. Before I read this book, I was like, yeah, I'm, you know, making breakfast. Yeah. I'm, you know, throwing the ball. I'm, I'm, I'm with my kids. But, um, sort of that like eyeopening moment for me was, there's a world where there's like an intention and you've talked about it in regards to like, you're bringing them with you on this family and, uh. Um, even like reserving that time four to seven. Yeah. Like there's intentionality behind this thing, um, where we have a plan, you know, we have a direction we're trying to bring them. Um, versus just kinda like, well, which way's the wind blowing today? Okay, let's just kind of go there. So, um, you know, I feel like vested fathers, whatever we're, we're putting in our minds for how to level up business, marriage, whatever. I think there needs to be. My, my passion is the intentionality to be like the best dad. How are we getting there? Yeah. And um, it doesn't just happen. It doesn't just like, well I'm a dad because I have a kid. It's like, well, you're, yeah, that's, you know, I guess technically right, but what is, what are you doing as a dad that's leading? So, um, I think that's, that would be my little soapbox of what, what I'm passionate about. Um, tell me, cam, I, I feel like this is always sort of like pulling back the curtain, but um. You know, you only have a one, one kid. He's four years old. But tell me some hardships, if you don't mind, on just like, okay, we had a career, sort of pivots along the way. Mm-hmm. How long you been married now? Yeah. Coming up on, coming up on seven years. Okay. Seven years. Um, and then you've been with this recent company for like two years now? Yeah. So one of that. That topic of, I even hate saying the word work-life balance, but like the crossover behind, um, business and fatherhood. What are some things that you has been a struggle that either you're still facing today or you've seen some victories happen, you know, that the audience can maybe relate with? Yeah, man, I would say the balancing the remote work. So, and, and being a dad, so like. You know, I'm getting off a strategic call, you know, and then my commute home is a 32nd walk down the stairs into World War iii. Right. You know, and I think from a mental shift standpoint, that's so hard. Mm-hmm. You know, and so sometimes I've started to like, okay, end that call and just take like five. To just sit and like, just decompress a little bit. Get out of that. Like, I like it. Boom, boom. Yes. Like you're like, goodbye. And then you're like, like I go upstairs and help my wife right there because is that motivation to like, you know, you hear him downstairs and like going nuts and like, oh my gosh, let me get like, you know, just give Olivia a break and. Sometimes you do need to prioritize, because then if I'm just snapping out of a strategic call, or maybe it went kind of bad. Yeah. Or you know, and I'm not in the best mood. It's like give myself just a second to like, it's good. Breathe. It's good. And so that's been, I would say, an ongoing struggle. Mm-hmm. I think I'm starting to be a little more aware of it. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Just understanding the value of that and the importance of that. Mm-hmm. Um, and then I think, you know, just the understanding. Like how to take care of myself personally. It's so easy to like just start checking things out. Like, all right, I gotta get the laundry done, gotta get folded, gotta gotta go pick up, you know, and all these things. And then starting to prioritize like my own health, mental, spiritual, physical, like all of these things. Mm-hmm. And so figuring that in from a schedule standpoint of like, okay, you know, it works really well, like. They, you know, Olivia, they, she has to be into school at seven 15 in the morning. Mm-hmm. You know, so she's leaving at like six 30. She teaches kind of a little ways away. And so that gives me time in the morning to be able to go to the gym. Mm-hmm. You know, be able to get some exercise or go walk or do something like. Mm-hmm. So it's starting to prioritize that a little bit more.'cause it's so easy to get into just let, letting life, I think you, I mean it's intentionality. Mm-hmm. And I think from a fatherhood standpoint, absolutely. But then I've also started to like. Hey, if I'm gonna go to the gym, you know, like Sunday afternoon, like Coop and I have started to go swim. Yeah. He loves that. Yes. Getting in the pool. So like inviting him in on those things. Mm-hmm. But then allowing him to kind of like start to see that modeled a little bit mm-hmm. Has been really rewarding. I used to think it was just like, all right, that's my time. Right. But then I can start to, on certain occasions, invite him on things, which has been a lot of fun too. So, yeah. No, I, I love this topic. I, um, my son has these little, uh, physical therapy. Exercises he has to do. Yeah. And what I've learned is I would go to the gym and you, whether it be a leg day or what, I'd be tired. But then he's like, Hey dad, you wanna do this exercise with me? And it's like the last thing I wanna do, it's like I just did my legs and you're like doing, you know, these lunches and everything. I'm just like, it's really hurting. Like I'm really in pain now. But we're doing it together and it's, and it's now, I'm not even doing it for me. I'm just like. He's seen me. I, you know, I want him to see me actually like, struggle. Yeah. Like, I want him to see me, like, push through it, because I, that that's, that's a big thing for us right now is like that delayed gratification versus immediate gratification and these, you know, video games, whatever, it's all just like ping, ping, ping. But what happens when you're trying to like, you know, get stronger? Yeah. Or get faster. Like, it doesn't just happen. You have to get it, you know, over and over. So, um, love that. Incorporating the kids even at a younger age. Um, and then you said just like schedule, maybe go a little deeper on. Like the intentionality of bettering our health.'cause I, I, I had someone on the show von Bethel, and he was like, you can't help anyone else until you've really helped yourself. Yeah. And just sort of like, that's, forget how he said it, but it was something like that. So, um, so anything else there that you, that you've seen as like a, oh, this is something I've been lacking just from being busy. Yeah. So I. Yes. To that. I mean, you have to prioritize yourself. I mean, it, it goes a little bit counterintuitive, right? Than I think some cultural things that maybe from an upbringing standpoint or whatever you're taught, it's like others first, you know? Right, right. Um, but there's a lot of truth to it. Like, if I don't take care of my health, right, I'm gonna die. I'm gonna exist anymore. Like, I can't help anybody at that point. Yeah. And so being able to go in and prioritize yourself is crucial. And so what I did was actually I need someone to yell at me to like run. Mm-hmm. Or chase a ball Yeah. To run. And so hired a trainer. Yeah. Which was a great investment Yes. For me to go in and have somebody like, organize something based on my goals and just make me do things. Yes. Awesome. I just know myself. Yes. I'm a very disciplined person. Yeah. When it comes to business and, and some things, but like with. Sports and like physical stuff. I am not gonna run if I don't have it. Right, right, right. No, I love it. Yeah. I was a goalkeeper, you know, I don't wanna run. Um, and so, and then the other thing was I actually hired a, a growth coach. Okay. Which was interesting. So, um, through, uh, Stacy, shout out Stacy Geisel. Um, she's also, she's local to Greenville, um, but she's a holistic health and like stress coach. Yeah. And so what she's done is she's really helped me kind of just design my life. And that has been so helpful. Cool. Dude. The, I had a session with her earlier this morning and we just talked through all these different facets of my life, but really just kind of main stressors for me and just from personal and professional, that has been by far the best investment I've ever made. Awesome.'cause it's helped me. I kind of went into it thinking like it's just gonna like solve some things for me, but like what it's does make me really more introspective and like started to learn myself and my tendencies. And I think those are the ways that you start to take care of yourself and you don't have necessarily go out and like hire a personal trainer and you know, like, but having that willingness to dig deep into, alright, what are some weak spots in me? What are some areas that I need to improve on? And then starting to build, I love. Again, I work for a company called 90, but I love the power of 90 because there's so much that you can accomplish in 90 days when you start to build your world around a 90 day world. Mm-hmm. You can start to go in and start to accomplish, you know, all right, here's some key things that I want to go after and here's some, you know, KPIs. Yeah. You know, or tasks that I need to get done in these specific times. Like you can start to build out that way. So I. Basically follow that path, all right, Hey, in this 90 day period I wanna do these three things and I'm gonna execute on that. Mm-hmm. And I'm gonna start to reverse engineer what needs to happen on a weekly basis for me to get there. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So it's just like, I'm running a business, but I'm running my life. So that's how I've started to kind of think through it that way. That's great. I've, I've started that book the 12 week year. Yeah. I don't, it's probably very similar to how you guys train it. Um. And it's a different mindset shift, you know,'cause there's like the yearly goals and just that idea though of, how are you getting to an end goal? 90 is a great number. And, um, dude, the, the, how long have you had this trainer or this um, this life coach kind of growth coach? Uh, coming about a year. Okay. Yeah. And you've just seen, like, since that started, like, yeah. Wow. For sure. Yeah. No, that's great. I, I love that message mean in marriage and fatherhood and my personal Yes. Just individual life. Yeah. My professional life, like, yeah. Cam, thank you so much for your time today. Absolutely. You, you've dropped so much good insights. Uh, you know, the thing about Vested Fathers, this PO podcast, my goal is I just wanna create a space that dads, it's, it's not a right or wrong. This is what we're doing and how can we grow together from it. So, um, here's some of your struggles and some things you've learned have been very helpful for me. Uh, cam, if people wanted to kind of follow what you're up to, give them some, give us a way to track what you're doing. And then any closeout, um, words of wisdom you'd wanna share? No pressure. Right. Got the word. And the church man. Um, yeah, no, I mean, I think if people wanna maybe connect, um, I'm on LinkedIn, I'm all over LinkedIn. Um, I strategically have limited my social media, um, just when you dive into the scum of Facebook makes you not necessarily wanna be on that very much. So that was just a personal decision, just to like limit and be present with my family just to limit some things. But I'm on LinkedIn, um, if people wanna get in touch with me via about 90 that's fine. Happy to talk about that fatherhood. I mean, whatever. I'm an open book. Yeah. So, um, but you can search Cam Lawson. You should find me. I think it's like, I think my actual UR was like Cam Lawson 90. Okay, cool. So cool. Um, and then, yeah, I mean, as far as a closing word, um, what, I mean, what comes to mind is the power of this kind of community. I think being a. Father can be very lonely. Mm-hmm. And by nature, men are very competitive and a lot of times we want to push down because we wanna be the best. And that has gotten us probably far in life. But I think there's tremendous value in having these kinds of conversations and having more community. I'm very fortunate to work alongside two other guys who are also dads at 90. We're all kinda the same position, and it's been funny hearing some of the wives talk. They're like, you guys like just throw out, you know, just compliments and like you aren't afraid of that. You're like secure in that, and it's like, mm-hmm. Yeah. That's the way it should be. Yeah. Like we should, if we see, you know, Brandon, do something awesome, I'm absolutely gonna tell him that. Yeah.'cause he needs to hear that. Yeah. Because I know he doesn't, he's probably not feeling it. Yeah. And so I think more of that in the male community is just so powerful because then it creates more momentum. Mm-hmm. And I think goes to your ultimate vision. So that's what I would say more of. More of this. Cam, thank you so much. Um, and for all the other invested dads out there, keep going. and invest wisely.