From Pro Basketball To CEO feat Anthony Ireland

We sit down with Hall of Fame athlete Anthony Ireland to trace his path from Waterbury, Connecticut to Loyola Marymount University to pro basketball in Europe and back home as a YMCA CEO. We talk honestly about being first-gen, getting mislabeled early, and turning adversity into a practical leadership skill.

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Welcome And Meet Anthony Ireland

LT 0:02

So Sam, I'm so excited that this season is turning out to be about career journeys. And even though we didn't really plan for that, here it is. And so why don't you welcome folks to this new episode? I'm so excited for this. We're gonna talk about some things I haven't said out loud . . . in a good way.

Sam 0:27

I'm so excited for this episode, but first I want to say I'm so . . . like all things that LT touches. This is Smart Girl, the podcast. This is based off of your memoir that is about first-gen experience, journey through grad school to career, etc. Part one, I'll call it, of that journey. Like all things LT touches, your smarts and intuitiveness around how to put stuff together means magic happens in the background that we weren't even thinking about for the foreground. I know, this isn't the LT love fest, but I'm trying to say, it turns out everyone's talking about how they got to where they got, career-wise, college-wise, etc. Even when we were like, okay, let's give up, not give up on the memoir, because of course we're always talking about the stuff related to the memoir, but let's let's move on. Let's be the culture nerds we are, let's make it the sports season. So it's so thrilling to be here today with another former student, conspirator, collaborator of yours who has an amazing story and has already spoken on the record to say amazing things about the transition from sports and athletics to career and professionalism. Take it away. Take it away, LT.

LT 2:17

Folks, I'm so excited to welcome thee Anthony Ireland, Hall of Fame athlete, president and CEO of the Waterbury, Connecticut Greater YMCA. Anthony, thanks for joining us today, in the middle of your day. We know you've been doing presidential things, but please say hello.

Anthony 2:37

First of all, thank you. Thank you guys for thinking of me. Thank you guys for giving me this opportunity. Really excited to join in conversation with you guys. And I'm all for kind of you know, sharing and giving the blueprint of how you can navigate from sports into corporate, from sports into kind of like my second career. So I'm glad this is one of the topics, and you know, it's much needed in our community. I feel like it's that's something . . . that's it's a tough transition to go through, a lot of soul searching but I feel like I've been able to navigate that pretty well the past four or five years. It's not easy. I still have moments where I'm just like, oh man, I just want to go play basketball in Europe and all I gotta do is just go to practice. I don't have to do meetings. I don't have to prep. I don't have to do that. All I have to do is go to practice. That's my daily routine. So again, I'm just excited to be here, excited to join the conversation and looking looking forward to to seeing all the all the things, the beautiful things that we discuss.

LT 3:50

Absolutely. So for reference, we want to hear about your time as a Hall

Waterbury Roots And Hometown Pride

LT 3:56

of Fame athlete and basketball player at Loyola Marymount University, which is where our paths crossed. But first, can you tell us about your hometown in Connecticut? You are a big hometown guy, so tell us a little bit about that and how was your transition from Connecticut to Los Angeles?

Anthony 4:16

Yeah, so Waterbury has been a very unique place for me. It's my foundation. It's one that kind of [has] given me my grit, given me my work ethic. You know, I think the good thing about Waterbury is that it's very diverse, right? Like it's like a microcosm to the melting pot. So I grew up with Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Albanians, Italians, Irish, you know, a very diverse set of just people, you know? So I've always been thankful for that. Even going out to LA or traveling the world and Europe and throughout Asia, I was always used to just different, diverse group of people. And then Waterbury, like in terms of basketball, my growth in that space, it's a basketball, it's a sports town. You know Friday nights football, Friday nights basketball games, you'll get 2,000 people out there and it's very unique because people rally around sports. I was one that gravitated towards sports, and the people poured into me, people supported me throughout middle school and throughout high school, but we just had a lot of outlets. We had a lot of basketball and sports-related outlets, so that helped me, that helped my growth, and having various mentors at all the levels that I went to. Waterbury is a special place. Just to give you guys a little bit of fun facts, during the World Wars, Waterbury was where all the brass came from in the world.

LT 6:01

No way.

Anthony 6:01

They call it the brass mill - - Our nickname is the Brass Mill Center, so all the brass, all the guns and bullets and cannons, all came from Waterbury. So it was a thriving, thriving industry, as you can imagine, 50s, 60s, 70s, with all the factories and then all those went away. The war stopped, so we didn't necessarily need to do all that stuff. And because of that, the economy has been down, I'd say, because we still feel the after effects of that. During that time period, huge apartment homes were built for the workers, and you can still see the offspring of all those things, but we're now we're getting to a point where you know getting out of recovery mode and being proactive with things. And we have the mayor, Paul Pernerewski, who's really doing a great job in spearheading that. So just to give you a little bit of context of Waterbury, it was a bustling, bustling town, but after the wars, then those businesses went abroad. Things changed. So I've traveled the world and always wanted to come back to Waterbury and do something with the community, do something with the kids, pour back into the next generation. That's essentially what I'm doing. I feel like that was my calling and looking to expand that. But yeah, Waterbury is near and dear to me, and I love it here.

Getting To LMU From Connecticut

LT 7:38

Take us back to young AI who was about to graduate from high school and was considering colleges. How did LMU get on your radar? And what was it literally like for you? What was that transition like from Connecticut from the East Coast to SoCal?

Anthony 7:59

Yeah, so initially, so I went to public school for four years, graduated, did well. We won state championships. Yes, yes, yes. And we - -

LT 8:13

Wait, did I hear championships? Did I h ear more than one?

Anthony 8:17

No, sorry. So we won one championship my senior year. I missed a shot at the buzzer to take us into overtime. So we won one championship my junior year.

LT 8:26

Okay.

Anthony 8:27

And so I then I wanted to open up my recruitment, continue getting recruited. So I went to prep school, went to the [ ] school, which is a boarding school, and that gave me the foundation to help me go into college because it taught me . . . I mean, we didn't have any other choice. There was study hall from seven to nine every night, suit and tie, like the typical boarding type of like schedule. Obviously you guys don't deal with the snow in Cali, but there was no snow days off. There's none of that because you can walk to your class. And I was on a trip. I remember my last season at AAU that summer before going into prep school. I was on a trip out to LA. We had our last tournament, we won the Vegas championship, and then we go out to LA to play, but it was also a time to kick our feet up because we had such a crazy summer. And I remember talking to our program kind of director at the time and just mentioned like, man, what schools are out here? I'd love to come out here. It's beautiful. We're at Venice Beach at the time with my team. I'm like, man, this is a different world. So then I actually took an unofficial visit to go see Max Good and walk the campus. And one thing that he said to me is he knew me, right? Like he knew of me. He was coming to my games. And the one thing that he said to me - - he was recruiting me at the time. The one thing that he said to me when I walked in his office, and if anybody knows Max Good, he's completely blunt, and he's off the wall. So he was like, " Hey, who the F is this short mother effer coming in my office? So that's the first thing that this guy has like said to me.

LT 10:16

This is the head coach, you guys. The head coach.

Anthony 10:18

The head coach of Loyola Marymount University at the time. This is what he says to me at my first meeting. But you know, it was interesting because you don't get that, right? Like you get the "Oh, great. Thank you for being here. It's a pleasure, it's our pleasure to have you tour our campus." And they tell you all the nice things until they get you on campus, and then it's like, now you're gonna hear my mouth. But Max Good, his approach was reverse, so he would always have this saying, "I'm gonna say the worst things to your face and the best things behind your back," and he did exactly that. And he was a huge part of my growth at LMU. And then so I committed, and throughout that time, Chris, one of my mentors, Chris Farr - - he's an Oakland guy. He was the coach, he was like the trainer, and he would come. I was still at prep school. He would come and it was probably not not okay to do this, according to the rules, but now they could do whatever they want. But he would he would come and and train me and and work me out, you know, go to my come to my prep school. Like, and my prep school is in the middle of nowhere in the border of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. So, you know, I got this guy coming from Los Angeles taking his time out, spending three or four days with me before I even step on the court at LMU. So that's something that I always had [that] in the back of my mind. And then after going through my prep school season, I did really well, and then had a bunch of offers for high major teams, but [I] didn't really want to open my recruitment back up. I felt safe with LMU and Max Good and Coach Farr and Coach Shoal, so ultimately chose to go to LMU. That was the only place that my mother came with me on my visit, so she was sold. As soon as we landed and she sees the palm trees and the ocean, she was sold. She was like, This is where we want to be, and she had a great relationship with Coach Good and Coach Farr, so that was a bonus. So yeah, that's how everything went down.

LT 12:25

I'm so glad your mom went with you. That just really important, yeah. Okay, all right, Ant, so the timeline:

Almost Not Admitted And TLC

LT 12:35

I started working at LMU spring of 2010.

Anthony 12:41

Okay.

LT 12:41

I don't know if you were there or if you came in the fall of 2010.

Anthony 12:45

I came . . . Yep, in the fall of 2010.

LT 12:49

Okay. This matches up to what I thought. So at the time, it was like the Learning Resource Center. I ended up changing the name. So the people tell me, because you know, there's a star on the team. There's a star. Oh! So Sam, here's the thing. The athletes or certainly the basketball players had to come go to tutoring, right? And they had to come to the Learning Resource Center, which is like in the cut, right in the back. And so then what I hear is, "Oh! Anthony's here. He's a star, but he's not happy, and we don't know why. And I'm like . . . "We think he's first gen to college." And I was like, Anybody ask him? Has anyone talked to him? And from my perspective, it felt like you were in this bubble - - that you have been put . . . Let me be clear: You have been put into this bubble, and I wasn't supposed to talk to you. I could see you, you were in the Center where I worked. We said hello and things like that, but it wasn't yet a level of engagement. Do you remember that? What's your memory of that? Coming to the Center and all that? Yeah, go for it.

Anthony 14:16

It was . . . So I had a rough start at LMU. My grades weren't as great coming into LMU, and so not many people know this story, but I'm all set to go to LMU. It's the summertime. It's August. Okay, got my bags packed, everything's ready. I get a call from Coach Good, and he's like, Anthony, we couldn't get you in. We couldn't get you in academically, and I'm like, what? Like, I've been committed to you guys for seven months. You know, my mom's crying? This is like the day before I'm leaving. You know, my bag is packed, you know, got my ride already. Max Good called me and said, "Anthony, we can't get you in the school." And we're like, wait, what? What? My mom's crying, and she's like . . .

LT 15:10

Oh, my God. This is like the moment in the movie. This is like the moment in a movie.

Sam 15:14

It's terrifying just to hear the story years later. Yeah, yeah.

Anthony 15:22

And so they're like, okay. But it wasn't the president, it was Lane Bove. It was Lane Bove.

LT 15:31

She was Vice President of Student Affairs, y'all.

Anthony 15:33

Yep, vice president, and she was out of the country, and she was the only person that can like okay me coming. And I'm just like, listen, I don't know what you guys think I am. I'm not a bad kid. My focus was on basketball and [I] went to a public school. Didn't have a lot of . . . The support wasn't there, you know. So I ended up going . . . so Lane ended up coming back. She okayed it. I'm on a flight out there, and another stinker was, "Okay, because it was harder to get you in, we want you to be a part of this TLC program called The Learning Community."

LT 16:12

Oh my goodness, this is so good! This is so good. Yes.

Anthony 16:15

This program is only African Americans. You know, kids that get together a month before school starts, and we kind of like travel LA, we taste different food, we build like a community, but the the catcher is I had to stay and be involved in this program while the rest of the team got to go to Spain and play in international games. I'm the highest, the biggest recruit coming in for incoming freshmen. I don't get to go and I gotta sit here and be hot and be in this small dorm? So yeah, I was pissed. I was very angry at the time. So I'm like, you guys knew I was coming and I can't go to Europe. Like what? All the rest of the freshmen are going, but I'm the one that's excluded? But part of that was like, okay, we're gonna get Anthony all this support and extra help, so then that brought me to the Resource Center, and I had access to tutors, I had access to recordings, I had access to like extra notes if I needed it, and it was just the right support that I needed at the time. But they had like this preconceived notion that I was a bad kid, and Anthony's coming in here . . . Obviously, that went away, like after about two months of me being out at LMU. And so that's how things started. And I remember like, I don't know, I would have to go to the Resource Center twice a week to get tutored and to get this and to get that, and it was very helpful. It was very helpful, but as a 19-year-old freshman, it wasn't something that I wanted to be doing, you know? So I gave people a hard time and voiced that, but I ended up getting with the right people and and the right support. And you know, now I'm a Hall of Famer, and it's like you guys . . . Whatever ideology that you had of me before, you know, I definitely trumped that. So that's how that went down. Those are the stories I have of like the Resource Center and being upset going there, but then after being there, it's like okay, oh, these people are cool. They're helping me, and they're supporting me. I had great experience with that.

LT 18:37

I appreciate your honesty. So do you identify as a first-gen student? Did your mom go to - - have a college degree?

Anthony 18:46

Yeah, no, I am yeah. I think my dad went for like a year and then my mom never went to college. So yeah. I was a first gen.

LT 18:56

Yeah, so Sam and I, before you came on, we were joking about this. It was like, why was it a mystery? Because I was saying, I said, Did y'all ask him anything? And it was like, oh no, we can't. We can't say anything. And I'm sure you don't know this, Anthony. So I'm there. You guys, I'm right here. I'm a Black woman. He might want to have a connection with me while I'm here. And it's like, no, no, no, LT. No, athletics has this. But around that time . . . So Anthony, that fall is when I started the First To Go program, and I wasn't hired to do that. But this idea of students who aren't coming from college-going backgrounds, wanting to find one another and wanting to find community was really important. It had nothing to do with grades or people being bad students. It was just like helping students find one another, right? And part of what I was responding to was what I knew of your experience, like you in particular. So I made some policies. I put some things in place to help counter some of those things, so we renamed the center because I was like, no one wants to come to a Learning Resource Center. We named it the Academic Resource Center. We redecorated, and I actually had a good relationship with Sherilyn and Matt over in the Athletic Department. It's just that they, I would say they knew one way to do things. And I said eventually - - this was years after you graduated - - right before I left, we actually were able to do something together with Athletics and the First To Go program, so that it didn't feel like it was a whole separate thing or that was forced on students at the same time. So I learned a lot from watching your experience and hearing how people talked about what they thought was going on with you.

Anthony 20:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it was again, it was like, I don't know who placed this projection on me. But you know, through time, people are gonna see that whoever did that screwed up and I'm gonna come out on top, you know, and that's kind of how things transpired. And now, any time I'm on campus, they show me a lot of love. It's water under the bridge now, but I definitely felt that when I came, right? I felt like, damn, why are they . . . ? They think I'm just a bad kid, so yeah, it was interesting. But you know, we got through it and we're better for it.

LT 21:48

Absolutely. And I remember . . . and I know Sam's gonna jump in. Did you end up with sociology or Afro-Am? What did you end up majoring in?

Anthony 21:56

African American studies, and I minored in psych.

LT 21:58

In psych, okay. Yeah, I love that. Okay, awesome.

Building First-Gen Support On Campus

Sam 22:04

Thank you for being willing to be vulnerable with us and also to relive that period. So even when you were describing it, I could feel your own sort of like, what's happening? And to be able to be like, I'm gonna get through this year, and then in not too far hindsight, be able to say, I needed the support, but the support shouldn't have to come at the expense of me being labeled this thing.

Anthony 22:40

Exactly.

Sam 22:42

Yeah, which was crazy. So I was gonna ask, LT. I was about to jump in and be like, is that why you renamed the center? But you knew, right? That is right. I hope you see the way that you changed it for everyone by being yourself. And not just getting over on that rep, but being like that's a projection, and I need you to know I'm displeased with that.

LT 23:10

I just wanted to say, Sam . . . I'm sorry, but we didn't want it to feel like it was punishment, right? Like, oh you gotta go here.

Sam 23:17

Like a loss of autonomy kind of thing. Again, we've seen this. We saw this at UCLA, LT, when we were in a program, a similar summer program that LT and I both work for, and LT eventually had a shaping role in the organization that ran it. We saw all the time the way student athletes were tracked in and the way the perception was not just by staff and faculty, but also by fellow students, and the strict rules and the loss of autonomy that athletics already entailed with the level of practice, the level at which you had to show up, and at that point had a job that you could not be compensated for in any possible way while balancing your work without a lot of sense of what support could look like in an affirmative way rather than in a punishing-controlling way. So I think we've seen that. Would you say that, LT, across institutions?

LT 24:32

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

Sam 24:33

Yeah, yeah.

Life Lessons From Pro Ball

Sam 24:35

So fast forward, although I don't really want to fast forward. I want to ask you, tell me about the choice to play in Europe. Tell me, after missing this same trip your freshman year, you end up playing around the world. How did LMU and did it prepare you for that experience? And tell me about the choice to do that at all.

Anthony 25:08

Yeah, no, LMU definitely prepared me for it, just like being able to be away from home, being able to figure things out on yourself. I mean, I had the support of coaches and staff, but you know, not that family structure, so I was missing a lot of birthdays, right? All that stuff. And mostly, a lot of dudes that go to LMU. . . I mean, the landscape is different now, but most of them that were there when I was there were all from California or all from Los Angeles, right? So I was one of those guys that was not from the area, you know. And what was the . . . ? Oh, yeah, so I did well at LMU and finished third all time in scoring, and I signed . . . Sorry.

Sam 26:01

We were doing our . . . No big deal, just third overall .

LT 26:06

J ust third overall. Hank Gathers, that's all.

Anthony 26:09

Right, right. So after LMU, I had to sign with an agent, so I get with an agent, and agents are tricky, right, because they're lawyers and they know what to say, so I really wasn't prepared for that kind of phase going into my pro career. Played it pretty much a year, played summer league with the Lakers, and then played probably four or five months with them, as well, leading up to the season, training camp, mini camp, veterans camp, all that stuff, and didn't get drafted, so it was hard for me to get with the team and have them look at me as like, Okay, we're willing to invest in this kid. We're gonna pour it into this kid because we think it's gonna pay off in a couple years. So I went out to France my first year in this place called Elan Chalon and that taught me so much, like in terms of just time management, discipline, finding other hobbies, soul searching because you know, we'd be out there for about 10 months, and it's only . . . Yes, we had practice twice a day, but I'm home, other than that. I'm just handling practice and handling the business of the games. And so I was there my first year. My second year went to Greece, then I went to Germany, Poland, Portugal, Germany, back to Poland, so traveled quite a ways, but I like to think that leaving high school to go to boarding school prepped me. Then going from the East Coast all the way to the West Coast prepped me for this type of move for me to be out there long term. So, you know, had the opportunity to bring my family out there. My brother, my dad. They all saw the Eiffel Tower and my mom, and it was just a dream come true. And then 2021-22, I started thinking of how I'm gonna pivot and what that looks like. And then, finally ended up making that full pivot in '23, which was my last year in Poland. And it was a good decision.

Transferable Skills That Outlast Sports

Sam 28:38

I forgot I was muted. So, you move back. I don't know if you know how much LT's family has been invested in the Y and still is, right, as an org? I want to quote something back to you before we talk about your journey back to the U.S. and back to your hometown. So you have said, "As an athlete, I believe we develop certain life skills that can be easily transferable into many career fields. Being able to nurture a passion and work relentlessly toward that goal, despite the adversity of winning and losing, is something that comes natural in our daily lives. Understanding the importance of working together, timeliness, interdependence, and conducting yourself as a professional despite the results is a skill." Floored. Tell us more about sports and transferable skills from your perspective and experience now, post-2023.

Anthony 29:53

Yeah, I think the two biggest things that always stand out to me, and I harp on the kids every day, every time I see them is how you present yourself, you know, how you walk, how you talk, clothes you wear. We live in America, and people are judging you, so you have to realize that, and there's a saying, don't judge a book by its cover, but everybody's always judging you, right? That's first and foremost, just being able to speak, being a people person, being able to speak to everybody, being able to hold whatever or various conversations with folks. And I did . . . That was something that wasn't . . It's not to like recognize those transferable skills, but then also the big one and which one I always touch on is just the adversity, right? There's so much adversity that goes into a basketball game, right? And in real time. It's not like you have time to fix things or the coach can hold back. It's like, No, Anthony, you messed up, so I'm gonna get on you. And it's the same thing with the corporate world, same thing in the nonprofit world, right? It's like, adversity's gonna be there. There's gonna be times you're not seeing eye to eye with your colleague, and how do you get through this phase? And adversity has been a huge tool in my life that I've been able to capitalize on. So for me, like I tell the kids, you want to welcome adversity, right? Because that means that you're on the right path, and that means that you know you can do it, right? Like you can do the work. If the universe or God is putting this hurdle in front of you, that means you can figure it out. Adversity, being punctual, and body language is huge.

LT 32:06

So you're now president and CEO of a local YMCA.

From Player To YMCA CEO

Speaker 2 32:13

Can you tell us about that transition to the nonprofit space? Was there anything specifically from your education at LMU that's helped you with that? We just talked about you being an Afro African American studies major, psych minor. Or not. They don't necessarily have had to play a direct impact, but we'd like to know more about that transition to . . . Working in a nonprofit is very different than being a professional athlete.

Anthony 32:45

Very different. I'd say . . . What was your question again?

LT 32:56

What was it like now working in a non-profit having been a professional athlete?

Anthony 33:07

Time management, having a vision, being a leader, holding people accountable, holding yourself accountable. Those are all things that I learned from the game of basketball, right? And now, when it comes up in my day-to-day life, I can recognize that and lean on my instances I can lean on that experience from situations that I've had to make a hard decision or have a hard conversation, so all those. It's the same conversations, same way you want to hold accountable to one of your colleagues is the same way you want to hold accountable to your your teammates, and we're humans at the end of the day, and everything goes hand in hand. I enjoyed that experience. To your other question, African Americsan Studies definitely did me a lot of justice. When I iwas nEna te Arican or ancient African history, Kemetic history, and dove deep into that. And that was an eye-opener, right? Because you know, we learn how to eat, how to talk, how to walk, how to think from America, from that lens, right? From that lens, you know. But when you're taken out of that lens, there's just so many things that the world has to offer. o um A nd working with in an inner city and working with the kids, right? Like so the African American Studies major comes and helps becausIe actively working with that demographic of kids. Um and then the psychology portion helps as well, right? Because there's the psyche behind all the decisions these these kids make, and um, whether they're they're hurting or they're grieving or they're missing someone, there's always the reason. So um, but yeah, that's what I would that's what I would say.

Manifesting Goals And Final Laughs

LT 35:13

Sam's gonna close out with the last question, but I just want to say I wouldn't be surprised if you are the mayor someday. You mentioned the mayor earlier, but you just have that sort of inclination, and it's so clear how much your city means to you. I just wouldn't be surprised.

Anthony 35:31

Thank you. You're not the first person that mention that.

LT 35:33

No? There you go. Don't run.

Sam 35:35

And true and truly, just even from the beginning when you're giving us this kind of like post-war collapse of industry narrative, right? About the city and how long it actually takes to rebuild and what the long-term repercussions of that are. Like you have such a deep knowledge, and you shouted out your current mayor for trying to fix it, and I love that. You were like, shout out! You're doing great. So you're also supporting the team, so I want to point that out, too.

Anthony 36:10

That's nice.

Sam 36:11

Yeah, so we're closing this season's episodes out with a question that might be so loaded for you. By the way, I love how you talked about studying African history while you were in Europe and getting that different lens. It's really amazing, especially coming from a place where African American Studies just got collapsed and shut down: UT Austin. Can you tell us what we should be watching? What's on your playlist, either that you teach or that you watch or that you love? Favorite sports movie or TV show or book that that the people listening can get a hold of?

LT 37:00

Sports!

Sam 37:02

Sports, sorry. Sports.

Anthony 37:06

Like I said earlier, I'm a Knicks fan, so excited about the playoff run and the championship run that they've had. Let me see. Remind me of the question one more time. Sorry, I'm gonna get it.

Sam 37:28

What's one of your favorite sports movies or TV shows? What do you go back to? Yeah, I forgot to say sports in the front because that's me right now.

Anthony 37:39

Sports movies. That's tough, that's tough, that's tough. Well, I'd say one movie that I always recommend, a movie that I love, and it's very correlated with sports. I'm someone that's . . . You know, I like to say I'm pretty tapped in with my spiritual side, and I'm a big believer in manifesting things and visualization and talking things into existence, so one movie that I recommend to anybody, and I do this for the kids when I go to speak to them, is called The Secret. And it's basically, your thoughts become things. What you think about most manifests, what you think about most happens, but there's gotta be actionable items and actionable goals behind said goals. The secret is something how I live my day-to-day life. I'm constantly being mindful of my thoughts and the things I'm saying. So , in terms of a movie or favorite movie, that's that's the one I'd go to.

Sam 38:45

Is there any movie that you ever screen for the kids or that the kids seem to like? You don't have to.

Anthony 39:00

No, no. I don't.

Sam 39:01

No, no. There you go. They find their own stuff, I'm sure. They always do.

LT 39:07

Anthony, thank you so much. We know you're busy. I appreciate the time that you spent with us today and sharing more insights into your story and your journey, which is an incredibly insightful and inspiring one, as well. So give my best to your family and your baby. Your baby is getting all big now.

Anthony 39:32

So sad, so sad.

Sam 39:35

How old?

Anthony 39:36

He's 18 months right now. I love this age. He's ripping and running and doing all the crazy stuff, banging his head everywhere, jumping.

Sam 39:45

Oh, yeah, yeah. They're on death watch. Toddlers are on death watch, man.

Anthony 39:50

Literally, literally.

Sam 39:51

So yeah, yeah, but they're kind of awesome. We saw a toddler today, and my son and I, who's who's now 12, I was like, he's just like a little drunk person. Like a little drunk person.

LT 40:06

Well, kiss your little drunk person for us. All right, take care.

Sam 40:11

So nice to meet you.

Anthony 40:14

Yeah, keep me in the loop when this drops, and you know, I'll do