The 3 Mantras Podcast
A podcast for Manifesting, self-care and based on the principles for the book The Three Mantras by Paul Hughes
The 3 Mantras Podcast
Why Calm People Always Win (Even When Everything Is Chaos)
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On this episode of The Three Mantras Podcast, I’m joined by Ritchie Blair, Founder and CEO of ALYST Health, for a funny and insightful conversation about perception, calm reactions, and what really matters in life. Drawing from over 20 years in the recovery field, we explore how staying calm can de-escalate chaos, help others in crisis, and turn stressful moments into clarity—and sometimes even laughter.
Because we both work in the business of helping others, we share how calm reactions have allowed us to de-escalate intense situations, soothe people in crisis, and turn moments of chaos into moments of clarity and success. The lesson is simple but profound: when you stay calm, you stay in control.
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Yes. Good evening and welcome to Montreus Podcast. I am your host, Paul Hughes. Welcome, everybody. Thanks for being here and hello. And of course, I have an established, well-regarded, wonderful guest. His name is Richard Blair. He goes by Richie. He has a company called A List. Is that how you say it?
SPEAKER_00:A-List.
SPEAKER_01:A-List, which is not like a list, it's A-List one-word A-L-Y-S-T.
SPEAKER_03:That's good.
SPEAKER_01:It's a big uh recovery company, sober companioning, helping you world company. It's a big deal. He is the CEO and the founder, which we will get into in a bit. But more importantly, he has been my friend for almost 25 years. And I am honored to have him here. He is a uh well-regarded human in my world and in a lot of my worlds. He's one of the guys that I think is almost as funny as me, sometimes funnier. He's a great speaker, in a lot of ways, a better speaker than me in the world and in the things and the stuff that we do. Any of those impeccable tan of the well-to-doers, you know Richie B, you know Richie Blair. He's up there, folks. He gets out there, he entertains the masses, and he is just a fucking well-regarded person. Without further ado, I would like to say, ladies and gentlemen, Ricky Blair. Wow.
SPEAKER_00:Wow. Man, I've had some intros before. That pops them all. Yeah, dude. I'm feeling pretty good. Let it fucking rip. Yeah, dude. Thanks for having me out, man. Thanks for being here, man. Great to see you as always. I like bumping into you regardless. And then this is more structured. Structured. Feeling good. Dude, do you have the new school Forrest Gumps on?
SPEAKER_01:I do.
SPEAKER_02:I like those.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I do well, Richie. I got a shoe game. I put all the money in the shoes.
SPEAKER_00:Smart.
SPEAKER_01:Smart story. I'll give it to you, Richie. About 14 years ago, I was helping a young man. You know, when we're doing in our business of like, hey, little Johnny's fucking around. Go help him. So I go meet this little Johnny and I start helping him. And little Johnny looks at me and he's kind of like a hip-hop kid. And little Johnny goes, I got a tip for you, bro. And I said, Okay. He goes, because you're getting a little older and you can't like wear all the loud clothing and the things or the that. He goes, My advice for you is you put all your energy into your shoe game. And if you have a badass shoe game, you can relate to anyone on the planet.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Especially cool people. And and you know, because we work with a lot of athletes, rappers, hip-hop, all these people. So I started doing that where I'd have like a very subtle top, Richie, and cool shoes. And I'm telling you, the coolest guys on the planet are always like, hey man, I like those shoes.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Good kicks.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Do you know what I mean? Yeah. And not white guys from Boston.
SPEAKER_00:No.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, people outside of that. We'll leave it at that because we don't want people going, huh.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Reputable types.
SPEAKER_01:Reputable types for what matters in life in a shoe game.
SPEAKER_00:Kind of second guessing my choice on shorts here.
SPEAKER_01:Well, they look.
SPEAKER_00:I went short. Um, it's hot.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:It's hot this Saturday. This Saturday. 80 degrees, Richie. It's a little toasty. It's hot. In LA. Summer's back.
SPEAKER_01:So you it's so so uh you decided this morning, you're like, you know what, it's hot, I'm gonna wear shorts, but put on a long sleeve shirt.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, because it was still brisk in the morning. This was like the perfect kind of get out there kind of vibe. Get on the Viore shorts. Oh, those are nice. I cop the new, the new but old Mauian son.
SPEAKER_01:So cool.
SPEAKER_00:So cool.
SPEAKER_01:You also live on the LA's prestigious west side, so you kind of gotta have that like you know, you gotta kind of have the look of the well to do.
SPEAKER_00:It's different. You can see there's an east side vibe and a west side vibe. The what east side vibe is just dark, mysterious. I don't care, but I care. Don't care. Right. West side is I care a lot, right, but I don't care. Right. Yeah, it's it's the same thing. Viore fits you. Yes.
SPEAKER_01:I'm a big Viore fan myself.
SPEAKER_00:Man, I wish I could afford more.
SPEAKER_01:I know. You know, you want something secret? I got a good I had a friend, a guy that worked out with for a while who had a deal because he was a trainer. So I used to get like 30% off. So he's like, Do you want any Viore? And I was like, I do. Yes. And I would like text him orders where I think he was even like, who does this guy think he is? Do you know what I mean? Like, I'm like, Do you mind? He's like, uh, okay, you know, it is like 13 things, and then it's like a couple of things for like female friends, and he's like, Really? You're a small female blouse?
SPEAKER_02:I'm like, yeah, you know, it's uh don't jump my sister yet, right? 2026. 2026, man. Why don't you get off me? I didn't get off me.
SPEAKER_01:Come on, get off get off me, dude. Another good one when someone bothers you. Just get off me, dude. Dude, you know what year it is? Nobody does.
SPEAKER_00:Dude, what's going on? So much is happening, and you're worried about my my you know, small brawl it.
SPEAKER_01:Seriously.
SPEAKER_00:What a small brawl?
SPEAKER_02:2026.
SPEAKER_01:Is it finally calming down a little bit?
SPEAKER_02:Ah you know what it is?
SPEAKER_00:It's not. I am. I haven't talked about it. Yeah, man. I've got a choice. What happens is I get caught up in the world. Yep. And I'm not well at that point because I'm so caught up, and there's no solve. And then it's should I speak up about what I believe in? And then, well, what does that do besides just put my you know bullshit into the world? Am I backing it up? Am I doing something behind that? Do I need to say anything? If I'm gonna back it up, what am I gonna do to back it up? Can I make a difference? What does it all mean, Paul? It doesn't make a difference. That's a great question. Yes and no. I don't think it's in the way that I thought. I thought that I could change the ills.
SPEAKER_03:Boom.
SPEAKER_00:But the reality is I can change me and help others dive in and hopefully each one teach one. I light my candle, my candle lights another. That Buddha's saying, right? The light of the candle is not shortened by lighting other candles. That's the gold band.
SPEAKER_02:Whoa.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, dude. Yeah. Teach one teach one, dude. I'm like, and I don't have it down. I get pissed. I'm dealing with, you know, the ex and the stuff, right? And then, you know, dad life, two kids part time, you know, halftime.
SPEAKER_01:Two kids halftime. That's a lot, dude.
SPEAKER_00:Doing the business and then like, you know, life and social and you know, dating and like everybody else. Right. But somehow I get in it and I go, oh, and if I get away from the source, if I get away from what keeps me on the up and up, instantly the world is wrong.
SPEAKER_03:It's not well.
SPEAKER_00:It's not is it calming down? No, it's not. It's getting worse by the moment. Yeah. And that has nothing to do with the world, it has everything to do with it. Right. But what I know for a fact is I go I talk to certain people and they instantly they go, This is the most divided our country has ever been. And I go, No, it's not. What are you even talking about a civil war? Civil war. Correct. Do you remember there were there's so much stuff that we've been through? It's not fun right now. We're not used to this. Because in our time, this is uncomfortable. In my 46 years on the planet, I go, Whoa, oh, you know, like this is this is different. It seems like people are at odds. Very vocal about being at odds, and we have platforms like you know, social media and all these things to like let people know our opinions. And um, but is this the worst that's been done?
SPEAKER_01:No, no, smart.
SPEAKER_00:And if I keep my eyes on my own page and do the candles, I'm doing alright.
SPEAKER_01:And you know what's amazing? I always tell people, and by the way, brilliant. Everything you're saying is brilliant. Not mine, but thank you. Correct. We know, but but I'll give you the credit because you look great. That's a great color. Is that pink or is that like off?
SPEAKER_00:I would say it's like a mauve. Oh, it's a good color. You have to say it with an accent. Mauve.
SPEAKER_01:Mauve. Mauve. Mauve. It's a good off. Mauve. Last week's podcast, which I know obviously you watch because you watch them all and you've read the book. Yeah. Yeah. On Saturday. Happy Saturday, everybody. Tomorrow, Super Bowl Sunday when the Patriots win. Just get ready for that.
SPEAKER_00:Should have been the Rams with you.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I'm sorry, bud. Now maybe you'll get them next year. Listen. Listen. Yes. Last week was all about calming down. And my whole point was the Minneapolis thing. I don't care what side you're on, but the girl in the car and the guy screaming at her, both sides, you just need to calm down. If everyone calms down, we'll be okay. The trauma, the this, the that. If we just calm down, which is kind of what you're saying. And nobody wants to calm down. Everybody just wants to get loud. They want to tell you their opinion. They want to this. And a lot of times when I hear opinions now, I just kind of smile and go, hmm, interesting. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. No, I didn't see that he did that. You see what he did? You know, because there's always somebody you're like, I yeah, wow. Okay. This angle shows this. Right.
SPEAKER_00:Right. Yeah. Okay. All right. And there's probably another angle that shows another thing. Right. Perception's a funny thing.
SPEAKER_01:Perception's a there you go. Very weird. Go.
SPEAKER_00:And what happens is I see, and this is why I try not, I don't, I personally, and there are views on this, and I have my own issues with it. Like I said, do I speak up? First of all, my issue with my speaking up, me personally, not others, I am not fully typically don't have all the information. Correct. And so my voice is inaccurate. Right. And I'm very well aware of that. And so it looks as if I am playing the silent part, meaning I'm not picking a side, which is you hear from some, that's worse than anything. That's like not voting. Yes. It's like right now. Right. Those people. Right. Yeah. Right. And then you're going to, you know, and like the Wilfred Brimley's and the whatever.
SPEAKER_01:Wilford Brimley. Great. Great.
SPEAKER_00:You know? And so, and I what I realize is, yeah, there is something there. At some point, I do agree that silence is complicit. At some point, I am adding to the problem by not saying anything. Are we there yet currently? No. And does that mean I should be more informed? Probably. But what I've found for myself is when I become too informed, I lose my sanity. I don't feel calm to what you're talking about last week on Saturday. You know, the calmness, you know, the peace. I don't have peace because I'm so caught up in it. And now I'm on a side and you're wrong and I'm right. Yes. And now we're at odds.
SPEAKER_01:That's the ego.
SPEAKER_00:I can't hang, dude. I can't. That's the whole book. What's funny is I love it. Yeah. Oh, when I'm in it, oh, dude, the rush is.
SPEAKER_01:I love them being an idiot. Oh, it's lovely. What the F are you doing? How do you drive like that? Your ex, what is wrong? Oh, your ex.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, you blew it. Oh, wow. Yep. You know, and that whole thing. And I go, and I get caught up. I don't want to sit here and say, like, oh, I get it, so therefore I don't fall into the trap. I don't pull that loose thread and untangle the whole thing. You know, I do. But I've gotten better about increasing awareness so that I can catch myself, hopefully, quicker than I have in the past.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:You know, and then sometimes actually not pull the thread. Right. I just like, oh, let me grab some thread to slip the tag.
SPEAKER_01:Because it's because most of it, I mean, like, look, it's real, we get it, and people feel it's real, but none of the most of this drama and nonsense that we worry about and perceive is not real.
unknown:No.
SPEAKER_01:Most of the biggest issues I've had in my life, biggest confrontations, biggest fights, everything I've had, I've misread. I've misread a scenario. It wasn't real.
SPEAKER_00:I'll go a step further. Please, Richie. What's the quote? I forget who the person is. Uh the biggest issues in my life have never happened. Bam. They've all been right up here. Dude. And I'm like, well, why people will gather? We'll do like the socias and the greasers. You know what I mean? Yeah. And we'll meet up and do the alley and the knife thing. But I've got who's backing my play. And then you've got your back. And it's like, where am I? Where am I? Right. And what's funny that none of that ever happened. I called I called a mentor, someone I look up to uh the other day, because I wanted to run something past them. I'm getting better about that. I've gotten to a space in my life where I feel like I know some things, but I don't need to, I don't want to burden anyone. I also feel like I should at this point I should know. You should know.
SPEAKER_01:You're 46.
SPEAKER_00:46, you know.
SPEAKER_01:You've been living a good life for 25 years now.
SPEAKER_00:Come on.
SPEAKER_01:You're doing it.
SPEAKER_00:You know? And so my head goes, No, but I've I've stepped that up, I've changed it recently. And so I reached out, didn't get back to me until the next day. And it goes, hey, what was that thing? I don't know. It was real important in the moment. Yeah. Which tells me everything. That's what I'm saying. Like, yeah, it doesn't even happen. Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. When it's urgent, it's not important. 20 minutes later, a day later, four days later, whatever it is, it's gone. It's a new thing.
SPEAKER_01:No.
SPEAKER_00:That's why the chase doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_01:Here's a good one for you. I had this conversation with a guy. God, I don't know how I can see this because YouTube's been on me lately and they've been they've been blinding me on things like or shadow banning me when I say certain things. A guy was basically talking without getting too. I think I can do it this way. I was talking to a guy having a very nonchalant conversation about him being very sick and him not really wanting to deal with it and maybe going to Switzerland where they can take him off the planet for good. And I was talking to him, like, yeah, I get it. Like, if you don't want to like all the money and the pain and the agonies, and like whatever, and blah, blah, blah. And we're talking, I'm like, great, cool. All right. Well, listen, I gotta get to yoga.
SPEAKER_02:Like, and even he was like, Yeah, man, I'll touch videos with you later.
SPEAKER_01:And it's like, you're if if there's if there's ever a conversation to maybe take, like, well, this seems serious. And it wasn't that I was being flippant or cavalier. I mean, but I had it the same urgency with that is is my guy Drake May's quarterback the shoulder, is he gonna be okay for the Super Bowl? Probably more worried about that because I'm like, this guy seems like he's made up his mind. All right, well, let me just make him comfortable until the end, I guess.
SPEAKER_00:Back your play, probably.
SPEAKER_01:Back your play. And so my point is, and my question for you, and I'll and for me too, is I I'm trying to think if you and I could come up with the last time something happened that really it was important. Okay, so let's think. Went through a breakup last year. I guess that's semi-important, but not really, because relationships come and they go. We had a good run. My breakup comment to my girl at the time when we were ending, I was like, hey, we had a good run. She's like, Yeah, you're right. That was it. Like, we had a good run. Hugs and kisses. We'll see you down the line. We'll see you down the road.
SPEAKER_00:KIT, have a bitch in summer.
SPEAKER_01:KIT, have a bitch in summer. Off the listen to Kat's Eye. Gnarly, gnarly, gnarly, gnarly, best band ever. Global superstars, not just K-pop, global superstars. I was watching the Grammys and I was like, oh, hello. I have a new favorite band. The Maria's? Nope. No. Cat's eye. Check them out, and you'll go, oh, nice. Good for them. Great, great songs.
SPEAKER_00:There's a song. Actually, my daughter plays one. She has a great list.
SPEAKER_01:You guys, let's go see them.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:For my daughter. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll get us tickets. Thanks, Paul. Um, yeah, I don't. Those big ticket items, I don't get to worry about them because they show up when they do. And what's funny is everything surrounding them, it's almost like, oh, you know, it's a great analogy. My ex-wife is pregnant. Congrats. Was. Got it. So with our with our first. Gotcha. And I remember during so there's contractions and they like exponentially they get closer and closer, right? And a bit more intense because the baby's coming, the whole thing. What happens is we're gearing up for the contraction, and I'm hearing the midwife, right? Water birth the whole bit. Um so uh I'm hearing her and she's saying, I know you're not having a contraction right now. She goes, but you're tensed up like you are because you're in prep for it. The big ticket items I'm always in prep for. And I'm like, no, but it could go and uh and I'm risk assessment, and no, but if they do that, but then I'll I'm broke, homeless, I'm dying of a fatal illness. It's all over. My kids are now turning tricks at, you know, yeah. It's all bad.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's all bad. The Carl's Jr. on Le Bray and Santa Monica Boulevard.
unknown:Bad.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, bad, tough, and no judgment. No judgment, but bad. I mean, this maybe maybe go up to sunset, maybe make more. Santa Monica is not as much road traffic, better heels, better heels.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I uh I'm always in anticipation for the what ifs and the what ifs for some reason or not, dude. What if I find a million dollars? Right. No, it's what if it all falls apart? Correct. It's all bad. Did I I didn't even write a last will and testament? I'm not prepared. I go down on a flight, my kids are left with nothing, all my stuff goes to who? Oh no, this is a problem.
SPEAKER_01:Are you a flying? Do you like the fly or do you get scared? And a 30-second question about that. Are you a guy that like turbulence? Oh, I don't.
SPEAKER_00:I'm not like, yeah, turbulence. I'm just like, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01:I get stoked for it. I'm like, if this thing goes down, we're I'm gonna we'll live. I'm gonna live. I'm one of those guys. Like, I think there's the great big challenge in that to play. Yeah, totally. Like, I'm like, I'll be fine. We'll be fine. People are like, what are you what are you talking about? I'm like, this will be great. I got this. This is my thing. I've actually talked people into it because most people that we deal with in our world are terrified flyers. And I'm like, yo, yo, this is one of the Paul uses really good at flying and like plane crash stuff.
SPEAKER_00:Baby, let go. What are you gonna do anyway? You flying?
SPEAKER_01:No. And no one's ever said, can you produce your plane crash good at it resume? Because I don't have, I mean, like, there's none. I'm just like, no, just trust.
SPEAKER_00:In the moment.
SPEAKER_01:Trust. Let it go. Because that's what we it's funny. Like in our work world, you know, you and I I've I'm sure you've been brought into chaotic situations as well as I have. Our whole job is, hey, let's take a deep breath and relax. De-escalate. That's all we do. That's really what we're good at.
unknown:Be here now.
SPEAKER_01:Be here now. Ram Doss. It's on the three mantras reading list, by the way, folks, in the book. Yeah. When you get to, I know you're an audiobook guy. We're doing it now. Don't worry.
SPEAKER_00:No, no, I read through the whole thing.
SPEAKER_01:You loved it.
unknown:I loved every mother.
SPEAKER_00:Happy Saturday, man. Come on. Let's go. What are you doing right now?
SPEAKER_01:No big ticket items. A lot of people listen to this that, like, I have a lot of friends and family that have like real jobs. Not that we don't, but like, you know, that have like 401ks and own ties and button down. I don't know what any of that is, man. I get called for these like speaking arrangement things. A buddy of mine's wife called me a while ago. It's a true story. And I don't know where I was in Europe. Somebody said, Hey, can you come speak at this thing in Pasadena? I'm like, sure. And she's like, and we just ask you to wear a tie. And I was like, a tie? Like, I'll wear a coat or a button, which I also don't really like any kind of dress code, but okay, I get the respect thing. Like, respect what you're doing. I'm like, all right. And she was like, well, no. And I'm like, I don't think I own a tie. Right? I did that. And there was a pause in the other end. And like my buddy's wife is a little is younger than him, and she sounds very sweet on the phone. And she's like, well, you know what? I'll here's what I'll do. I'll ask, I'll ask so-and-so if he can get a tie for you. And at that point, I was like, What are you doing, Paul? The poor thing. Like, and I was like, hey, I'll find a tie. Like, you don't have to do that. But I just felt like such an ass. Like, how far are you going to take this bullying some poor 30-year-old girl asking you to come speak at her thing? And I'm just reading the thing. Yeah, I'm just trying to be like, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just excited and I'm I'm terrified. And you're an asshole. You're an asshole. Like, don't be an asshole is a great Dave Kushner quote him. Hey, Paul, as we saw last week was wonderful. Lovely. Don't be a dick.
SPEAKER_00:That's it.
SPEAKER_01:Don't be a dick, dude. Dude, your hat says it.
SPEAKER_00:My hat says it.
SPEAKER_01:Give me that hat.
SPEAKER_00:I want to take it.
SPEAKER_02:Don't be a dick. Look at that. Is that yours? No.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. I mean that's cool. That's my hat. I bought it. Don't be a dick.
SPEAKER_00:It's a dick.
SPEAKER_01:How many times in life have you been a dick and you're like, what am I being a dick for?
SPEAKER_00:My name's Richard. I'm a dick.
SPEAKER_01:When okay, by the way, what age do you change it to dick? Because that's coming.
SPEAKER_00:It's not age. Salt. When the salt outweighs the pepper.
SPEAKER_01:Got it. And then you don't and you give up on the dying machine or the mechanisms?
SPEAKER_00:It's coming.
SPEAKER_01:Dick Blair.
SPEAKER_00:Dick Blair.
SPEAKER_01:Kind of gotta go into politics at that point.
SPEAKER_00:I want to put a tattoo on my con. Can I just write Blair? Dick Blair.
SPEAKER_02:Mom? Is there an editing button? Yeah, that part's gonna be like, here we go. Mom, my mom listens. My aunt re-read, the lovely mom. I am so sorry.
SPEAKER_00:It's easy to cut it.
SPEAKER_02:My mom, my mom. Oh, he's such a lovely young man. I don't even it's 2026. I don't even have a penis.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's just I don't even know what time it is.
SPEAKER_01:And we're back. We took a little break. It's still Saturday. Still Saturday. So good. I love this. We've been kind of rolling down. So here is here it is. The people that listen to this podcast, the three monstrous podcasts, most of them are trying to just be entertained, but they're also learning about life. I love the theme that you kind of kicked off today, which is it's all perception. Like, because I because we kind of tried to find like where is something serious in life actually happening where we need to take it seriously. And I found maybe you agree with me, there's no scenario that we walk into where a serious overreaction or demeanor is needed. Ever completely agreed.
SPEAKER_00:But is challenging if I haven't put in effort to change my reaction. So what happens is there's two parts. I feel as if I've done certain work over a period of time to alter my reaction to the circumstances of life. Yep. Big ticket and little ticket. And perceived big ticket, right? Where I think it's all big ticket. That's where I used to come from. Everything's a big ticket. Big ticket. And so, of course, these big, exaggerated, you know, sort of reactions. So over there's work involved, and then there's a balance. And this is where I don't know if you relate to this, but I find it difficult to be aware. Because it's important for me to be aware. Is there a big ticket item that like am I in danger?
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_00:But also, like, at what point do I just kind of go with the flow and say, you know? Like, am I okay? Trust that. Am I making stupid moves? No. So then do I really need to worry about this misstep or that? There are no missteps. Right. It's it's all learning, it's all process, it's all moving towards whatever some goal that I don't even know. Like it all unfolds. That's the fun part, you know? And so between awareness and the work to not the side, it's the gym. I love that analogy. I'm not a big gym guy, but I do understand the analogy that if I let up on the gym, I'm out of shape. If I want to stay in shape, I have to stay consistent. It's not the workouts I've done for years. No, it's what I'm doing today, tomorrow, the next day, and just calm down. To just stay consistent. Consistent consistent stuff.
SPEAKER_01:Dude.
SPEAKER_00:Consistent stuff.
SPEAKER_01:The morning meditation and the whatever and your vitamins and that's vitamins, you're safe. And your protein bar and the protein shakes. Yes, yes, exactly.
SPEAKER_00:And the workouts basic food groups. Five. Five. I think it's like twelve.
SPEAKER_01:Right. And people that take like vitamins and meds. I mean, I it's like I do vitamins, I got supplements. There's a lot of them. That takes me every Sunday I have to put them all in the little thing for the daily thing.
SPEAKER_00:Same.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, more at those.
SPEAKER_00:I have travel one and I have the home one. Look at you. The travel one I can take out certain days. Ooh. I can take them with me just those days because I like that. They're not big enough because I take so many. I know. I want to live forever.
SPEAKER_01:I have to put them all in baggies. Sometimes I go away for two, three months at a time.
SPEAKER_00:I'll show you the travel one.
SPEAKER_01:Appreciate it. The rainbow.
SPEAKER_00:That's beautiful.
SPEAKER_01:I like, and you know what? I like to support the rainbow color. So that means a lot. That means a lot to me.
SPEAKER_00:Well mate.
SPEAKER_01:It means a lot to me.
SPEAKER_00:I was wearing mauve.
SPEAKER_01:You look great at mauve. Thanks, man. How about this for no big ticket? It was uh May, it was Memorial Day, May 2020, which of course was back in COVID, Los Angeles. I had been gone. I was out in Colorado for a few months, spending the time in the pandemic, which was lovely. Then I had to come back to Los Angeles. Memorial Day weekend, if you remember, there was a little incident going on called a gentleman by the name of George Floyd. There was a huge incident going on, and there was tons of riots in Los Angeles. So I was on my couch, probably doing nothing. And a friend of mine called me and goes, Hey, dude, are you all right? And I said, Yeah, I'm fine. He's like, uh, I don't know if you are. Turn on CNN. And I go, why? He goes, There's a live CNN report right now. And so I turn on CNN, there's a live report, and on fire was the corner store. He goes, Isn't that store at the corner of your street? And I go, Yeah. He goes, There's chaos going on outside, bro. And I was like, oh shit. So I go outside and like there used to be an Adidas store right there that was completely looted. And there's neighbors outside and there's people sprinting up and down this road. And it's kind of chaos. And all my neighbors like, do we need guns, bats? What are we doing? And I was like, hey, hey, we don't need anything. It's fine. They're not after us. We're good. Plane's going down. Plane's going down. We're good, right? And so someone says, What did you do in that moment? I said, Well, I did what any normal adult would do that's like trying to calm the moment. I said, Anybody got me 10 and a halves?
SPEAKER_02:Got me 10 and a halves? You got the easy in that bag? You know? But I could have gone. Oh my god, we need guns.
SPEAKER_01:Let's get bags. And going out there, what are you doing? And then chaos goes, they're gonna attack us. And then I was like, nothing's wrong. We're fine. And and my neighbor's like, yeah, I guess you're right.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, Diaz has an insurance policy.
SPEAKER_01:Diaz insurance policy. I like that. That's that's that's where it starts.
SPEAKER_00:People getting hurt?
unknown:No.
SPEAKER_01:No. All right. I'll tell you who's getting hurt, the guy that goes in there to try and stop it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, see, no. You know what I mean? I don't want to be the person looting. I don't want to be the person stopping the looting.
SPEAKER_01:No.
SPEAKER_00:I'm not again, I don't like the size.
SPEAKER_01:Right. And and right. And the looting that's right. And I took a glance in the mirror and go, you're probably not the guy to go out there and have a chat with any of them right now. So you might want to keep it down. Which I do I understood. I was here for the LA riots back in the day. I'm a riot veteran. You are too. Yeah. And I no one really wants to hear from me in those moments. Social causes and me, we can I can keep quiet.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. You know, with the white cis male.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No one's like, hey, what does Man Bun think in those moments? You know, the streets, the love. Hey Moff. Hey Moff, Man Bun.
SPEAKER_00:What's your consensus?
SPEAKER_01:Sweep VR, bro, with the new Cortez shoes.
SPEAKER_02:Like, hey guys, did you pull up in an Audi?
SPEAKER_01:Literally slow. There's nothing about your European cars and lifestyle that we like, oh, you travel for months at a time.
SPEAKER_00:Premium guests.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, exactly. Please tell us about your flight to Perth and how long it was. Did you have to stop in Sydney? They don't have directs. I'm sorry. It's true, ma'am. And I can do all of that. I can enjoy all of that. And also, which by the way, see the reality of that of like, yeah, dude, if I was on the other end of some of these things, I wouldn't want to hear from a guy either, like me. And I can keep quiet. And it's and I have zero offense. There's nothing personal. I'm totally neutral. Who cares?
SPEAKER_00:It's all good.
SPEAKER_01:I I would feel the same way.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I used to really have a challenge with live and let live. You know, like I love the concept. I'm like, no, when it pertains to me, let me live. Yeah. But let you live. Like I have I have opinions. You know, like I don't like the way you're doing it and that. And so of course I speak up. But I found and there was, and then I got better. And then there's that thing that happens online. Someone has, and I'm like, I can't let this in. I have to comment. And then I get into this slew of back and forth. If I see you, blah blah blah blah, it's on site.
SPEAKER_01:I'm like, dude, if I see you, it's on site. That's so good.
SPEAKER_00:I don't, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01:You can't take the bait. Comedically, I spend half my day trying to get people to take the bait on something. Yeah, of course.
SPEAKER_00:It's the best thing. That's gotta be great. Oh, it's the best. I watch and I feel like comedy's coming back. It makes me I don't know if you you know what I mean. Yeah. I feel like we're like people are realizing you can't just cancel.
SPEAKER_01:No.
SPEAKER_00:You have to like this is the forum. And it's not it's not abusive. If it's abusive, you'll know. It's not.
SPEAKER_01:Just be funny. Just be funny.
SPEAKER_00:That's it. Don't be mean.
SPEAKER_01:The last few years, comedy's coming back because it wasn't that funny the last few years, and we want to laugh.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:Shane Gillis is extremely funny. Yeah. Go laugh at guys like that. That guy's funny. And you know what else? He doesn't care.
SPEAKER_00:No. And that's the not caring.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's why I'm like, you know, this podcast, we gotta get weird, man. Okay. Gotta get weird.
SPEAKER_01:Those shorts will help us get there, man. We can just give us the angle.
SPEAKER_00:Just the like a little pooch that I'm still working on.
SPEAKER_01:Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Come on, man.
SPEAKER_01:This is great. Oh, don't get dick. Weird. Um, you thought you reminded me of a story that's that's I was training a kid about 12 years ago to do the work we do, which is a lot of times I don't specifically know if you're in the world I'm in as much of like, hey, this guy's we got a rock star in the Hollywood Hills who's literally in psychosis. Can you go up and talk him off a ledge? So I got a call like that. So I said, this kid was this kid's guy, this guy's name, I'll call him Tyler. Was Tyler was with me. I go, come on, we're gonna go up and we're gonna go up and talk to this guy and get him to talk him off a ledge. I knew the guy a little bit. So we go up there, right? And he's like, all right. And I said, Have you ever done really done this before? So I go, just follow my lead, stay back. And just like, you know, when you walk into these realities with someone that's been in cocaine for five or six days, up, they're crazy, they're wild. Our whole job is to just keep everything calm and normal. And whatever they say, it's an improv exercise. We just roll with it. Yeah, and we just want to kind of find out what we're looking at. He goes, Okay. So I go in the house with him, and the guy was like in the bedroom, and he was, I think he was naked or something. And uh, and he came out first in just like a a uh uh uh uh uh yeah comfort. He's like, hey man, hey man. He's like, hey, hey. I said, All right, dude, I go, how are you doing? He goes, Hey, how do you do and the guy's just standing there? Guys completely freaked out, of course. I'm like, hey man, relax. But another thing, just act like this is normal. It's just we're having fun here.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I go, hey, what's going on? He goes, Yeah, I go, I go, you've been tired. He goes, Yeah, I go, long night with the ladies. He goes, Yeah. I go, how many got in there? He's like, two. I'm like, great. I go, are they sleeping? He's like, yeah. Like, all right, well, let's go in the room and let's take a look at what's going on there, right? And I look at the other guy and the guy's like, there's two girls now? I go, I look at him like, there's no girls in there, but yeah. So I go in there, right? And that's the best thing. And then this is when the guy actually said, Hey, why don't you fall back? Because when you walk in, the room was chaos. Oh, TV, because by the way, when people do a lot of like, you know, that late night Tony Montana stuff, first thing that goes is TVs get smashed because they don't like videos. You know, like security cameras and all that, they all get like taken down because they're like, Who's in the bushes? And they start outside with a gun and they're shooting in the hills, and you're like, dude, I talked about this thing. Long story short, Lawrence, I bring all this up. As I say to him, I go, hey, buddy, he's like, Yeah, I go, couple of questions. Got a lot of stuff on the ground here that I just I just want some clarity. I'm like, we got some food and stuff, and it smells obviously horrible and it's horrific. I said, couple of puddles of blood. He's like, Yeah, yeah. I go, listen, I go, just for me. I go, just two guys talking here. Do me a favor, okay? Just if you can remember, my only goal here is you tell me hopefully. I mean, I'm hoping this is the case. Is this your blood? And he's like, I don't know, man. I go, well, really try and help me think here. Because if it's your blood, that'd be great. If it's not, we're just gonna take a deep breath and try and go from there. And he's like, hey man, I I ah, and he spent like five minutes thinking, like, I think it's mine. And I said, Thank you, buddy. I go, that's all I wanted. Thank you. Thank you. Good. We can go from here. We can go from here. Your blood. This is a we're already having victories. All right, we'll celebrate the wins. We'll celebrate the wins, right? And I think this kid saw that and we went back in the next day. He's like, I don't think I can do the shop. I go, I don't think you can do it either, man. Yeah, you know, all over again. This is not for the faint of heart, you know? You have to walk into those scenarios like it's fun. You have to have a thing in you like the cop eating the hot dog over the dead body. You have to, there's gotta be part of you that's excited to be in there because you and I know on the other end of it, this person's either gonna get recovery and the life's gonna be wonderful, or they're gonna be in the ground. Either way, we've made peace with both solutions. I hope for the recovery, but if it's the ground, it's the ground. That's not my, I'm not, I have zero out of my control. I don't have zero nickels in this game. Yeah. So that's so that so that's the kind of stuff that I think that people don't understand, like in our makeup, that that's what makes it weird and makes it fun, is our world and our job is that I walk in every scenario like that. I'll go into the 7-Eleven like that when people are acting up, I'll be like, oh, this might pop off. I love that. Great, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Great, calm, calm. It's the weirdest thing. I think calm. There's yes. There's a there's a sense of like uh nailed it, enthusiasm. I look at that's what it is that need that sense of enthusiasm for what you do. And that's there's this part in uh The Prophet by Khalil Jabron where it talks about it. Great book. Yes. And which at the at the the you know, what is it, the gate of the temple and collect alms. Love what you do. Otherwise, like just beg. Because ultimately, like if you don't do what you love, you'll if you're uh you know baking the bread but you don't love it, you'll bake a bitter bread that feeds half the man's hunger. And like, you know, they go on super poetic. But I was uh it reminds me I was training someone, uh, me and a friend, of course. I like to go in tandem because you never know.
SPEAKER_03:Smart.
SPEAKER_00:Always I prefer it. Some people don't. They I think it's an ego thing, personal opinion. Right. Don't know, regardless. It's hacky.
SPEAKER_01:I like professionals go with someone for sure.
SPEAKER_00:Have someone and just see and assess big protocol guy. And I like the not good cop, bad cop, but just if what I'm saying isn't catching, you can fill in the blanks and then we can work off of each other.
SPEAKER_01:Really smart.
SPEAKER_00:It works well. Um, so we're working with this guy, and at first I'm thinking because we've been reported from other parties' loved ones that you know he's out there. And we're talking, he's not out there. Right. And he's on point. Interesting. Oh man, this is a first. I was like, could mom and dad do that often. He's like, what do you what's going on, man? What are you looking at after this? Is like you've probably been there like 12 years old and you named him sober insane. Sober insane. I'm like, man, this would be nice. I go to work, I do this, I do that. And they're like, Yeah, go to work. Yeah, we gotta do it. Okay. He's staring at a blank wall, no pictures, no nothing. I'm like, what's up? And he goes, maintenance game. And I'm like, let's go, baby. Let's go. They came the other week and said they were fixing the and he does quotes, he does little rabbit ears, they were fixing the the holes. And I'm like, yeah, he's like, they put they put one, and I'm like, put one what? He's like, we'll put the hole. I'm like, flat wall.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, this is great, as smooth as this. Oh, beautiful, clean as babies behind.
SPEAKER_00:And I'm sitting there like, oh, this is great, keep going. All of a sudden it's like, hey, had a conversation, you know, just really quick. Like, hey man, do you remember those days where you first started? And there was that guy in the group that was just on one, I'll never let it dude again. Yep. And like all love, bro, zero judgment.
unknown:Right.
SPEAKER_00:So let's, you know, and next thing, you know, hugs style back or whatever, we're in the elevator, we're leaving, we're heading to you know, greener pastures. And it sleeves up a little bit. And you can see he's got carvings in his arm, but like he carved. But it looks like letters. And so my boy just looks at me and goes, What you got going on there? Most people, I think, would be like, oh, nothing, nothing. Oh no, not our guy. Pride. Lifts it up. I don't think anyone could guess what it said. Fuck ice. Sports chalet. Carved it into his arm. Here's why. Um if he, the FBI, there's a whole investigation, it involves sports chalet. If he sticks with it for a year, he becomes an agent and also gets a million dollars. Great. And I'm like, dude, of course you do. I was like, dude, how how far into the year? You know, you just like you said, you just like dude, tell me what's going on. Three months in the sports chat. Yeah, and he's like, oh, next thing you know, goes to treatment. He opted for treatment, which was great. Whatever we said kind of helpfully, hopeful, hopefully helped. Um and uh called us later and it's like, dude, you guys like saved me. He's like, I'm looking at my arm and he brought it up. We were like, yeah, we looked at your arm too, man. That was fun. Uh, but it's those weird moments where like if you don't love it and you're looking at dollars, you're looking at like what's in front of you, you know, anything other than loving it, get out.
SPEAKER_01:You have to be built for it.
SPEAKER_00:Get out. Yes.
SPEAKER_01:It's shit you and I would do for free and have done for free for many, many, many years, and I still do for free, and I do it all the time. I'll walk into any scenario which probably legit logically is not a good idea. Right where people like, you probably shouldn't go to that place and see that. I'm like, it'll be fine, I'll be okay.
SPEAKER_00:I have a special set of skills. Oh, yeah, yeah, Liam Neeson. Yeah, you know, it's like we are in a very unique position having our background and our expertise where most would go, What is happening? And they would freak or not even show up. We show up chilling.
SPEAKER_01:It's funny, like you would probably know this. Like, I tell people, you know, like when you're just having casual dinner conversation, one of the things that come up, like if you ever been a level four psych ward, they always have the same people in there. I always talk about this. I don't know how many I've been. Uh let's say I've been in 10 different ones over the years for different reasons. Something I've noticed about level four psychoards, there's older, oh, there's always the older guy that's kind of friendly and helpful in there that's nice that you think actually works there, but he's just a completely lost. There's always one or two women in their 30s that are extremely attractive, yeah, that are in there for one reason or another, probably from trauma as a child, God bless their hearts. Like it's there always are the same people in there. Yeah, the same archetypes. It's unbelievable. And I went once to visit a buddy of mine, and his brother was with me, and we went, and he was, I think UCLA was in like the like the the top level, you know, the really gnarly one. But his brother's kind of a big shot, so he got us to go in and visit him, and he had been there for like three days because we got him 51, 52, 50, so he'd be there for two weeks because he was out of his mind. And we go in there, and this is such a great story. You know, because you walk in, they're like, hey, we're serving cookies in 15 minutes, there's all these weird, safe activities. But the funny thing is, even in this high-level psychword, they're still kind of letting people just wander around. So stuff could go south. Like, yes, there are cameras in the bathroom and everything. One time I visited a kid where he's like, Hey, you like her? I could hook you up. I'm like, the girl, the level, like I go, we're I go, thanks, man. We're good. You know what I mean? The kids like, you want me to see if I can get her number? No, I don't need the poor girl's number in the site, buddy. I appreciate it. I'm here working. So my buddy is there, I'm with his brother, and this older guy walks by, right? And the older guy just walks by, kind of maybe smiles or acknowledges him, keeps going. And he looks at me and he's like, What was that guy? What's he doing? Why is he looking at me like that? And he's like, Can you believe that guy? The way he just looked at me, like he's eyeballing me, like, what's his problem? Like, why is he doing that? And I go, I don't know, bro. Maybe it's because you're in a psych ward and everybody's crazy, including you, and you weren't a month ago.
SPEAKER_02:You're literally legally obligated to be here.
SPEAKER_01:And my buddy in that moment looked at me and then started laughing. He got it because he's like, right. And that's what we also have, because in those moments we're so calm. We don't go, oh, it's nothing. Don't worry. Like, I'm not worried about things popping off. Like, oh no, it's okay. Hey, everybody, pacify, pacify there. I'm like, hey, bro, it's because you're in a lockdown psych ward at UCLA because you can't stop putting Yeah up your you know what.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Fun times.
SPEAKER_00:Do you do you think that you know humor and comedy have they change the game, change it? It's bonkers.
SPEAKER_01:I feel like I can good humor and good comedy, not bad low-hanging fruit banter that people do nice hat, nice mauve shirt, loser. Not that stuff.
SPEAKER_00:The low-hanging fruit like caveman.
SPEAKER_01:No, but they're like, hey, uh, we're going to Nantucket later with Richie. He's dressed for it.
SPEAKER_00:That that works. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You have to know the situation. So that level of like wit and improv and being okay with it popping off. Right. Like at that point, it's like, dude, I'm good if it pops off. If it needs to, if that's what you need to do, because he's eyeballing you, great. That's what that is. We're here. We'll be fine. There's repercussions to it. Yeah. I was uh I was at the airport, some guy I could tell he was wasted, drunk, drunk, drunk. And uh pissed, he's gotta call his parents. It was one of those airports where the rental car, you have to take like a like a tram, anyway, winter, there's snow everywhere. And so we're on the payphone, back payphone, so and he's payphoning parents, uh, and he's starting to get upset because they're not caving. Like go in to bang the phone and I stop him because I had already seen the officers walk by with the vests and like legit officers, and but they just had vests on as well. And I said, Hey bro, this is federal. This is not this is this is a much bigger problem than you think. This is not your normal overnight stay. This is federal. It becomes a much bigger issue for you, your family, and the whole thing. I go, I would just I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just saying you got options, but you can bang that phone and break it and get weird, and we'll we can see what happens. But just understand it's federal. And he was like, and I could see this like dismantling of gears and just like a slowing. And he went, and he saw because the cop was watching it. This was a female cop, and of course, he probably has female issues and army stuff, and and so he just goes looks at her dead in the eye, goes all slow and exaggerated, hangs it up, and I was like, victory, victory, hey bro, we're not going federal. I was like, you know what? We're gonna rental and let's just get somewhere, dude. Let's just see what happens, man. And next thing you know, we're buddy, I was like, dude, you want taco bell del taco? What are you feeling? Yeah, and just go that route. And I know who I'm dealing with. You want the jack and the crack too for 99 cents? Can we please, bro? I'm like, I not my jam. No, this thing's a temple, you know, but I know who you are. My temple can take some some some some poo every so often. Ah, dude, I love it, man.
SPEAKER_01:And this thing is, is you didn't like you that you just masterfully uh presented the art form of not telling someone not to do something, just but like excitingly encouraging them, hey, this is the fun thing to do.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And he they and because they know what they're doing. I think most of the time we're dealing with these psychos, they know what they're doing. I've seen people go from licking paint on a wall to go out and sing 10 songs straight. I've done with plenty of rock stars that are like, you know, there was a oh god, he passed away, so I don't want to say anything, but there was a guy that was notorious for that, would be in the floor, next thing you know, he'd pick up his you know, megaphone, he'd be on stage crushing it. Unreal. And you're like, wait a minute, this guy was not alive five minutes ago.
SPEAKER_00:Like that's the weirdest part to me, because I forget sometimes. I I wasn't at their level of success or what they accomplished. And so, you know, I worked with this guy that created a global entity and longer with us the whole bit on the floor, incapacitated, and next thing you know, he's on the phone, speaker phone. So I'm hearing both sides, and he's creating deals worth tens of millions of dollars with real estate and you know, retail and the whole bit, and it's all happening. And I'm like, and he's just looking at me like, see? And I'm like, no, dude, that's not the win, bro. No, you know, but like back to your point, like I look at the perception, and it's the perception shift. I'm not here to tell you don't do that. Right. If I hold the line, now we're at odds, right? It's a power struggle. I can't, I can't get involved in the power struggle. What I have to do is hopefully present just a different perspective perception, at which point you can then say, and just think. And at that point, the ball's in your court, man. You want to bang it and get weird? Okay, great. I'm right here. Great. I don't want to snowing. I like snow. Whatever, I don't get to see it all.
SPEAKER_01:In fact, I'll get the night off because you're getting locked up.
SPEAKER_00:I'm still getting paid, man.
SPEAKER_01:I'm getting paid either way, my guy.
SPEAKER_00:And that's all good. And then you know what? I want to see you do well. That's the other thing. Yeah. If I can let them know there's genuine care, like, dude, if I'm just here for a paycheck, what happens is if that's all you think, then I would let you do what you want to do. And just get paid. The reality is I want to see you do well, and I always say that. I explain it to them and say, dude, I would just let you do what you want, collect a paycheck, man. And you win, I win, I gotta win. I actually care, dude. I'll work my way out of a job. I'll call it and just say, dude, I want what's best for you. You know, and if you need me to go because that doesn't work for you, I totally understand, man.
SPEAKER_01:And you nailed it too, because it's like my number one job when I'm with these guys is like when I meet little Johnny or I'm with little Johnny, I I gotta convince little Johnny that I'm his guy. And it's not even convincing, like, I'm loyal to you, little Johnny. I'm gonna shoot you straight. I'm gonna be honest with you. I'm not gonna F you. Yeah, I'm not gonna screw you over. And yes, your parents are paying me, and Dr. So-and-so is calling me too, and he's a very famous person, and he's blah, blah, blah. And he's like, Okay, so what's going on, little Johnny? And make sure little Johnny doesn't smash the phone and this and that. And I can and I also know how to talk to Dr. So-and-so. Yes, sir, because I it's you know, because it's also like this is Dr. So and so, or Senator you know who, or so and so. From there are all these people that you I can't believe I'm on the phone with, right? But they take us seriously because I don't I because I'm very honest and authentic with them. Yeah, and I said, Look, I'll do my best. And your approach that you just described is the best way to get little Johnny to not smash the phone, but they'll have the they've already had. The Harvard people and the this and the that and the other thing, and all these people and all of them failed, and the phone got smashed. But you're like, hey, dude, two choices here. One, you smash the phone and you're going to jail all night, which will be a bummer for you. Fine for me. Two, you don't, we can get some del taco. I'm voting for one balls in your court. I'll do that with them sometimes. And they'll be like, is this guy fucking with me? I'll be like, dude, I'm kind of rooting for one because she's right there and she's gonna cuff you, and this is gonna be great. But all right, fine, del taco. Like, I do that sometimes, and those are sometimes you're like, oh, inside, I'm like, oh, please don't smash the phone. You know, because ultimately Dr. So-and-so is like, How'd you let him smash the phone? I'm like, Well, I can't physically stop him.
SPEAKER_00:Plane's going down, man.
SPEAKER_01:And they're like, Well, you could physically stop him. You're like, look, you want me to physically stop people. That involves us having about six guys all the time, and four of them are Navy SEALs. There's there's there's a price tag for that. I've had people that are like, I just don't want, I want my son to be watched at all times. I'm like, your son that has a minimum wage job, you want to be watched around the clock 24-7. Oh, okay, okay. So you want to pay four times what he will make as his job a day to have these highly trained individuals sit in a parking lot at like a video store. Yeah. Okay, fine. It's your money. Fine. It's at the end of the day, we also were doing a concierge surface for people. It's like none of my business. Like, is that how you want to do it?
SPEAKER_00:It works for you.
SPEAKER_01:It works for you, great. I'll go sit in a car all day. Like, I tell people another thing you you learn in this business, you learn how to go on no sleep. It's a tough one. It's not my fave. Not my fave. And you learn how to occupy yourself for hours on end in just sitting somewhere doing nothing. When people are like, I started working at 10, I didn't see the guy till four. I'm like, so what? Like, well, that and they start thinking they can come at noon. I'm like, no, you know, did you get there at 10? Like, get on your phone. Your job's a job. They're like, yeah, it's like the job is entertaining yourself. Like our job is waiting.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. You know, have you noticed a lot of people that do what we do uh become not in the sense of you know, uh the the drinking or the usage, but they become prima donnas.
SPEAKER_01:Oh my god, they get worse than the clients.
SPEAKER_00:And what they expect as far as as far as dollar point output and effort, yeah. I'm lost. I don't get it. Who are you?
SPEAKER_01:I don't get it.
SPEAKER_00:Do you know what you're here for? And it's just like, well, I do this and I but and I go, oh wow.
SPEAKER_01:I'm like, you're terrible.
SPEAKER_00:You will never work for us.
SPEAKER_01:I'm like, we're educators, we're basically clinicians. We're we're educated, like you're if you're in this job for anything other than that, you're you're it's the wrong goal. Like if you're here to be rich, this isn't the business for you. Go away. Go away. Go do go get on stage with the people you're watching. If you're so great, yeah, go write these songs. Go get your show, do your do your thing. We get it.$100 t-shirt, cool.
SPEAKER_00:You know, like did you make 17 grand last month?
SPEAKER_01:That's impressive. A lot of people do with real jobs, and it ain't ending anytime soon. They're like, huh, but you made it, and now you know have all the answers. Yeah. I a lot of people in New York are like that. A lot of people we deal with the New York big shots, you know, and they tell you how important they are. That's actually true.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, they're looking. There's how much we charge over here.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we're clients, and we do this, and it's client thing, and I'm worth worth is great. I'm worth like what does it really matter? What's a few hundred dollars one way or the other? I just laugh at people. I'm like, quality of life, and and ultimately I don't know, I'm sure you're the same way. I want to help people. Yeah, I'm not really interested in just like bailing out because I used to do that, I talk about this in the book a little bit, but I when I was younger, and Ray Donovan had a great quote of all things, the TV show, which we are not Ray Donovan's, but like I like how people always like to say, I'm the real Ray Donovan. Cool, you can be that. We don't want to that. Ray Donovan said, I'm tired of helping people that I don't like or want to help. You know, I'm tired of bailing out people that don't deserve to be bailed out. Because that's a lot of times you get in these VIP situations with people that sometimes you I don't know about you, but I've worked with people that are tremendously unlikable, that I don't care for, especially kids of famous people that are just so entitled. And it's just like, I don't really want to help this kid. I'm not trying to bail you. I'm not trying to, you know, you just I like I'm on a flight and I see some, I hear the alarm going off in the bathroom as the kid's sprinting, you know, and you're like, and you're like, he just vaped in the bathroom like an idiot. I told him not to smoke in the bathroom. And of course he comes and he sits down, he's like, ooh, you know, and I'm just like, what was that? I'm like, dude, just just just put your head down and be, but like, I don't want to bail these little Johnnies. It's so not what I'm in this for now, you know. I want to help people, I want to see people succeed and get better. Yeah, that's the win.
SPEAKER_00:That's the win. That's the win. That if it's not based in that, if it's not rooted in the helping and like the getting off on that, what's the point? Find something else.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we're good. God pays us. We're gonna get paid, we're all gonna make a living. It's fine. But that's that's where it's at. Dude, you've been great. How the else is everything else good?
SPEAKER_00:Life is good, man. I got a great life. We got two beautiful, healthy children. Uh boy and a girl.
SPEAKER_01:That's a good combo.
SPEAKER_00:Girl first, boy second, girl first. Both are awesome. Um, I'm actually headed to Warner Brothers with my daughter shortly. Uh, after this, I'm heading over there.
SPEAKER_01:She's in the car now. We locked her in the car, we didn't bring her inside. Yeah, it's 80. She's saying it's only 82. She's not a long sleeve shirt, folks.
SPEAKER_00:You heathens. We're matching Mauve. We're headed to Warner Brothers for the field trip. Stop it. Yeah, we don't have no idea what is like in store. But I just know that there was only a couple slots, so I tried to be quick with it so that I could be a chaperone and didn't tell her. And then I told her a couple days ago, I was like, hey, guess what? Like, you excited for the field trip? She's like, Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, what are you guys doing even? And she goes, I don't know. Uh huh. I go, I'm I'm coming. She's like, I go, yeah. She goes, Oh my god! She got so excited.
SPEAKER_01:So it's her and her classmates are going with.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And she's so stoked her dad's going. And I go, and I'm so stoked at her dad's like, I just get to do these things. And I go, you know what? Show up and see what happens. You know, show up and see what happens. Um my head's like, I gotta get all these other things done. I gotta focus on this, I gotta worry about that, I've got employees, I've got this, I've got you know, workers compared, I gotta fill out the thing in the bottom. You know what? There's a thing that your daughter would love you to be at. See what happens, you know, and so I don't know what it is, and it goes into like a little bit, and I'm gonna try and catch, you know, up with some friends after, and you know, but big picture, uh, she's stoked and I'm stoked, and we're gonna share an experience.
SPEAKER_01:And we're stoked her dad's coming too, man.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Richard Blair, you've been phenomenal. Thanks, man. I can't thank you enough. I will post all his socials and everything. You want to look him up or check him out. If you all need help, his company is a great one to help with. You'll get all the information on there. Richie Blair, you are a dear friend. I love you, and thank you so much for doing this. Appreciate that, Paul. Three mantras. We love it. Happy Saturday, everybody. Happy Saturday. Take care, you all.