Burn-Break&Become Unstoppable B3u
“Welcome to B3U, the podcast where we will always speak our truths by Burning pains of the past, Breaking the broken mindset and Becoming Unstoppable, reclaim power all while walking into our purpose . I’m Bree and if you’re here today, you or someone you love has likely faced the dark reality of abuse. First, let me say this—you are not broken. You are not defined by what happened to you. You are here, and that means there is hope, strength, and a future waiting for you.
Here we will be diving into the journey of healing. We’ll talk about the aftermath of abuse, how to reclaim your voice, and the steps toward true freedom and find your purpose . Whether you’re just beginning to process your experience or you’re deep into your healing journey, this podcast is for you!
Burn-Break&Become Unstoppable B3u
Building Legacy Beyond the Field: Brian Hall's Journey of Transformation
Perseverance isn't just about hanging on; it's about showing up day after day when there's no guarantee your dream will materialize. On this powerful episode, former NFL player and Super Bowl champion Bryan Hall reveals how he kept pushing forward as a janitor at his former high school during the 2011 NFL lockout – working without pay for months while training alone, all while family and friends questioned his path.
"Right when you're ready to quit is right when your breakthrough's there," shares Hall, whose determination was rewarded when the Baltimore Ravens called just days after his lowest moment. His story illuminates how opportunity favors the prepared, even when preparation means scraping walls by day and working out alone by evening.
Beyond the glory of his Super Bowl victory, Hall candidly discusses his challenging transition from defensive tackle to linebacker (losing 70 pounds in just months), career setbacks, and his evolution into a financial representative helping families build generational wealth. Now with Northwestern Mutual, he's passionate about expanding financial literacy and creating pathways to economic empowerment.
What separates this conversation from typical sports success stories is Hall's nuanced perspective on mentorship, growth and criticism. Rather than focusing exclusively on youth development, he challenges us to consider how adults model growth: "The youth is actually looking back at you... I know a lot of 40-year-old men that act like they're 19 because at 19, they stopped growing." This wisdom reflects his philosophy of empowering others through awareness rather than prescriptions – showing people their options instead of dictating their paths.
Ready to reshape how you view perseverance, pressure and purpose? Listen now and discover why Hall considers pressure "a privilege" and how transparency about where you truly are creates the foundation for authentic growth. Your breakthrough might be closer than you think.
hello, welcome to another segment of b3u and I am very honored to have mr brian hall on today's show. Brian, yes, I've been waiting patiently to have this interview with you, my friend. Thank you for taking the time out to interview with me here on B3U.
Speaker 2:I'm just glad we started on time. You know what I'm saying. You know, that's all I care about. We started this thing on time On God's time, not my time.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying, God's timing, god's timing, so let's jump right into it. Brian, you are a former NFL player for the Baltimore Ravens. Tell us a little bit about that experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so 2011,. I was signed as an undrafted free agent for an opportunity to play for the Baltimore Ravens, spent some really great years up there 11, 12, 13, and the 2012-13 season won a Super Bowl, had an opportunity to win that with the Baltimore Ravens, got friendships and memories for a lifetime. Forever grateful for that time in my life. Playing professional sports for a total of seven years was definitely a blessing in itself, so I'm excited and grateful for those moments and looking forward to building on top of those.
Speaker 1:OK, so what is Brian doing today?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So now I am a official financial representative for Northwestern Mutual and so I started that journey about a year ago. So a year later, fully committed to it, loving what I do, loving the impact that I'm able to have for a lot of families and a lot of people out here in the world now, just doing financial planning for them, understanding the value of generational wealth and how we get there, planning for them understanding the value of generational wealth and how we get there, and so continuing to build on the things that I've known obviously, you know, being a professional athlete taking some of the tools that I've learned and the experiences, the lessons I've been taught over the last few years and applying those now and giving them back to the youth through, you know, athletic sports, but then also just families, communities, making sure that they understand financial literacy and have a chance to raise their awareness of the value of what it can bring.
Speaker 1:Awesome. I love it. I love it with the kids. So, brian, we all you know Beat Free U is about burning, breaking and becoming unstoppable. Everyone has a story. Everyone has experienced something in their life. We all you know beat for you is about burning, breaking and becoming unstoppable. Everyone has story. Everyone has experienced something in their life that was traumatic, that either they're going through or have been through. So I want to ask you was there a moment in your life where you were carrying trauma? Maybe you didn't know what what it was at the time. What is your story?
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, man, I guess every, every part of the journey is a story, right? Yeah, yeah, you know, uh, obviously, I knew I was going to this call at some point and, um, I just thought you know, whatever would pop up in my head as far as overcoming some things. Um, obviously, football played a major part of my life. I think that there are some glorious things about. Obviously, some of the reasons why we're on the phone today is because of some of the things I have accomplished. There are always stories of how I even got to that spot in the first place. There's millions of guys who train every year for an opportunity to play collegiately, professionally every year. For opportunity to play, you know, collegiately, right, professionally, and for me to be able to achieve the highest of those levels and receive the highest of the honors, as far as when the Super Bowl was the highest that you get in professional football, right, you know stories way before that too, that played a part in even me having that opportunity, and so you know, I guess one of the ones I always think about when people talk about my football career, especially playing a professional, is that you know, I came out in a very unique year, which was 2011. 2011, we had the NFL, the Players Association and the teams, right, they were going through a collective bargaining agreement and then they ended up having a lockout, and so having that lockout meant that there was no football. And so, in 2011, after the NFL draft, there was no football activities going on at all while they worked out a contract. And so, you know, I had a, I had a pretty successful, uh, collegiate career. I was, you know, definitely proud of it. I felt that I was uh worthy enough to get my name called, and I did not get my name called right, and so, uh, after the draft, at that point, you don't know, uh, what you're going to end up doing, because there's no football, no team's going to communicate with you, and so a lot of guys that came up by year never even had an opportunity at all because, you know, from April to July, there was no word of having football at all. You know, close to a canceled season, close to a lot of different things, and so what do you do from April to July? And so a lot of guys lost that on their opportunity by year because of those things, those moving parts that were out of our control. And so, um, like I said, I felt that I had opportunity didn't know if it was going to be opportunity or not and so I ended up, uh, moving back home to my hometown I'm actually in, right now, paducah, kentucky and so, uh, what ended up?
Speaker 2:Moving back home to my hometown, I'm actually in, right now, paducah, kentucky and so what ended up happening was I kept working out, I kept working out. I thought that I did enough. You know, I had an agent. I had other guys I was talking to. I had opportunities to go to, like Canada, the CFL, other, like arena football, were reaching out to me trying to see if they can get me to come out and play. But I was dedicated to knowing that. You know my love for this game always been hitting the highest levels, right, I would. You know, that's what I always wanted to get done. And so I moved back home. You know this is. You know, I got my degree, I got everything I need. You know it's hard to tell my parents that I need a place to stay while I'm trying to work on a dream that had no guarantee would happen, right?
Speaker 2:And so I started working at my old high school, paducah-tibbitt High School I was a janitor, right, which meant I would be up there at like 5 am and essentially like moving on the desk around scraping the wall, repainting the walls, all the projects and things that I guess you never realized were going on during the summer, that the school does to make sure the school year is, you know, ready for the next year, and so I would go from 5 am to 3 o'clock in the afternoon and work this job, and then from 3 to 5, I would work out, and I work out by myself, very humble at times, because it's even crazier that in school system here in Kentucky they hold your first month's check, right, so you get paid once a month and they hold your first check. So now I'm working a job that I don't even realize. I'm not receiving any money in June, right, so it's like there's no money coming in and I won't get paid until the end of July, my first check, and so essentially, I'm working for free for two months. And so, uh, that was challenging to the point where, you know, my parents were like, look man, you gotta get you a job. You know, I know you got this dream of this NFL thing, but it's not happening. They ain't going on today and you ain't gonna be on the route not making no money, even though I had a job, right. And so one of the craziest things was I went and interviewed at Pepsi out here, right, and he was like go get a job. So I go interview with the guy and I'm telling him like you know I'm here, you know I have a degree, I I'm fully capable of working this job, I'm fully capable of doing all these things. But I have to let you know that I'm fully expecting to go to the NFL once they lift the lockout right. And so I was like I don't know how long I'll be here. I may be here for a month, I may be here for two months. I can't tell you how long, but as soon as that opportunity comes, I'm going to take this job. And so Pepsi did not hire me, right. They were like, no, we're not going to take a chance on you. Hey, good luck with that, bro, bring it for Paducah, talking about you want to go to the NFL.
Speaker 2:And so, yeah, I mean there was a lot of hard times, even fighting for that dream. It wasn't something that was easy, in a lot of dark days, because you know you're doing things, I'm training, I'm working my tail off just to be in that position that I didn't even know for sure that I had a chance. I just had a feeling that if an opportunity came I would have it. And I'll never forget man, one of my good friends. He ended up.
Speaker 2:We were out at a bar one night and I was just depressed Like man. I've been working my tail off and you know it's getting crazy in the middle of July. I haven't heard anything. You know I don't know if I have a chance of that. And so you know he let me decompress and unwind. You know we just talked a little bit and then that next week I get a call from the Baltimore Ravens, amongst 13 to 14 other teams what's the NFL lockout lifted, right, and they said they were interested in bringing me in.
Speaker 2:And so, you know, I took that opportunity and ran with it, understanding how hard I had to fight for it, understanding that it wasn't conventional Nothing about my life's been conventional.
Speaker 2:And so, yeah, I took that opportunity and proceeded to have a seven-year career in football.
Speaker 2:So a lot of people see the Super Bowls and accolades and playing with Hall of Famers and all those things, but they don't understand what I had to do and how I had to fight just to be in that opportunity. So I think that that's something that's hopefully beneficial to people out there to understand that you may have something that's been placed in your heart that you have no idea how you're going to get there, but you know it's the right thing to do and it's the right thing to work for idea how you're going to get there, but you know it's the right thing to do and it's the right thing to work for. And so you know, like I said, I have a parent doubt me and you know it's not like doubt, like they didn't believe in me. They even just looking at the reality of everything right, and so it's not necessarily hate or anything like that. They're just like we're just being real. Like you know, you haven't heard from these people in three months. Why do you still believe in it the way you do?
Speaker 1:and like I said I didn't have an answer at any moment, did you? Did you say, did you give up? Did you say it's not?
Speaker 2:gonna happen. Shit. I almost did the week before, yeah, the weekend before that, because I was like man, it was, you know, frustrating and you know, right, when you're ready to quit, man is right when your breakthrough's there. And so, uh, you know, because I worked out, because I was, you know, staying diligent with when I got my opportunity, a lot of guys weren't doing that right, so a lot of guys got sent home and cut and all those things just not being prepared for that opportunity in the same fashion that I was. And so I was able to really ascend based on the work that I'd already put in, right.
Speaker 2:And so, yeah, there are hard times and, like I said, the hardest thing is even explaining why you believe you have an opportunity right, why this thing is even on your heart when there's nothing. Sure that's possible, right? You know you haven't talked to any NFL teams, you haven't talked to anybody in months about this. So how do you even know there's an opportunity still waiting? But something told me that you know that's what you want to do and you got to give it your all. And you know, just so happened that, you know, the phone rang and I had an opportunity to play for the Baltimore Ravens. The rest is history.
Speaker 1:Wow. So I heard you say that you there was some dark, depressing times, you know. You said about a week before you was just about to give up, and I also noticed you said you know you were working out and going to work that did not pay you. So what was some of those coping mechanisms besides just, you know, going to work and working out? You know what? Yeah, I mean wrong. Where was your mind at during this time?
Speaker 2:I mean, my mind was just focused on the opportunity. You know that that I couldn't explain right. You know that that's what kept me going, that's what kept me excited. I mean, obviously as a cat, you know as a kid, as a child, you understand that. You know the NFL is the dream job, right. And you know I put in, I put in work in college. You know I really worked in, I put in work in college. You know I really worked.
Speaker 2:I thought I had a really great senior season. I thought that I had earned that right and so I wanted to see it through. And so and there was nothing else about it, you know there was no only thing I did was put the work in right. You know I went to work, I buckled down. You know I had a job that you know bought up a lot of my time and in the meantime I would just be training and then the rest of the time was just being around my family, right, and working and staying out of trouble and, like I said, just locked in, you know from a you know humbling place where you can't get in too much trouble and if you are getting in trouble because you're too damn bored and you need to be doing something else. And so, just, so, just staying at it and staying focused at it and understanding that you know the NFL will be back one day and when it is, will you be ready? And you know, if you're called upon, if that call does come, what are you going to do about it?
Speaker 2:And I was able to have that. You know I got a great supportive family, a loving family. But you know, like I said, they had realistic expectations, right, which there's nothing wrong with it. They just weren't realistic for me, and so I had to understand that, yeah, it was just something. That was something that's placed on your heart as much as it was for me. There was no turning back, it was just only pressing forward, just to see, right. I mean, I failed a million times in my life and I've always survived it right. So could I survive holding out for a dream of mine? The answer is always going to be yes, right, it's just will it be worth it? And thank God, you know believing and having faith in myself, and God it revealed to me that you know it all was so you know, I'm grateful for it.
Speaker 1:Awesome. So now you finally make it. You get to the NFL and you were a defensive tackle who also transitioned to a linebacker. What was the biggest challenge? Switching positions. Were there any?
Speaker 2:challenges Everything, absolutely. I mean, I'm a guy that's never backed down from a challenge. You know, good or bad, some things have worked out very well, just like holding out the opportunity to play in the NFL. That was something that ended up working out very well for me, and I ended up having the challenge of moving to the Super Bowl. So after the Super Bowl we ended up, I got a call from the head coach and he wanted me to drop down to a linebacker.
Speaker 2:He thought I was athletic enough.
Speaker 2:He thought I had the solid build and was able to you know, be a football player to do it, and I loved the game, I loved my team, I loved everything about it so much that I decided to do it, and so I ended up losing like 70 pounds in like three or four months, got myself in a position to play middle linebacker, and I played middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, for you know a time, you know a period of time, and so it didn't work out to the way I wanted it to, but the fact that I was bold enough to even try it set the standard of who I am as a person today not being afraid to really push myself and fail forward.
Speaker 2:You know, it's not about failing backwards, it's about just failing forward, and so I can look at that today. I struggled a lot with that because I ended up getting cut out the league and ended up going to Canada and doing other different things because of that situation. But because of that situation I was able to get more experience, more opportunities in life, meet really great people along the way and still be able to move forward in my life. And so you know, the tough times, the hard times really defined who I was and who I am today, and so I just continue to learn those lessons along my journey, as I continue to grow.
Speaker 1:What was your most memorable time in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I had to be winning the Super Bowl. You know. Rest in peace to my big bro, jacoby Jones, my frat brother. You know we lost him last year and you know he had. You know he's a hometown kid from New Orleans, grew up there. You know Ed Reed is my big bro. Shout out to him. You know a lot of these guys. Man, we worked extremely hard and we grew together and forged a brotherhood through fire, right. And so you know to work that hard and for it to end up with the biggest prize of it all as far as being a kid, right, you know everyone watching the Super Bowl, to be a part of that and to win it is unbelievable and that's forever etched in stone. This is nothing that can be taken away from me and that brotherhood that was founded in everything that we did still lives on to this day. So definitely grateful for that experience and how it's launched me and my life forward.
Speaker 1:Wow, who were some of the veterans, maybe who helped you through who had a major influence.
Speaker 2:Who were those major veterans?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, there's too many to count. You know I got so many different guys. You know one of my like I said, one of some of my guys, jacoby Jones, big Bro, vontae, leach. A lot of my frat brothers, you know being in a fraternity allows you to, you know, have, you know, common interests with guys really quickly and build on. Am Reid is a big bro of mine to this day Still think the world of him Really showed me the way.
Speaker 2:You know, I guess one of the funniest stories is I'm a kid from Kentucky, right, so I'm a humble, beginner type of guy and I'll never forget going to what's the steakhouse Morton's. We went to Morton's and it was a guy named Corey Redding, right, decided to take all the guys out, you know, night on the town, while we were, you know, in camp or right out the camp, I think we made it to the team and I'll never forget sitting there with like five forks, five spoons and napkins and all of these things. I ordered a well-done steak, right. Most of the most embarrassing times they really let me know just how bad it was to eat a go to a board.
Speaker 2:That's a really nice steak. I have to order a well-done steak. You know what I'm saying. Like it doesn't even happen. Like yo, you're not even getting the good. You're good cuts of meat and you're just burning it up, so you're not even appreciating it. And so you know, guys, helping you not only become a professional athlete, but helping you, uh, to build the makings and the dna of what manhood looks like, uh, like I said, I still carry those, those, those lessons, uh and experiences with me today.
Speaker 1:So so, after transitioning life, after football, did you have a plan for what came next after return, or was it a process of discovery?
Speaker 2:A little bit of both. You know it's never really an and or or, it's usually both. I had a plan. I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I knew I went to school for business. That's another thing about, you know, the opportunity that I had, like, I earned it. But I also earned my degree. You know, after football I went back, got my MBA from Arkansas State, where I played football at it originally, because I had already started it. It only had a few classes left, so I got my mba.
Speaker 2:I knew that I wanted to uh own businesses. When I got out of the league I was uh in car sales. I was a salesperson and then transferred it to a financial manager. Uh, then I got out of that, I owned a gym. I was training athletes and support them and build a non-profit and then, uh, you know. But I knew that I wanted to work for myself.
Speaker 2:I knew that I wanted to have an impact on as many lives as possible. I knew I didn't want to coach just because of so many different things in life. I wanted to coach people in life and business, but not set, not necessarily only being relegated to what football can bring, because that's only a certain amount of people, right? Uh, you know, they say one percent of these people will become professional athletes. And which one is more important, that one percent or the 99 percent? Right, there's a lot more people than the 99, than the one percent, right?
Speaker 2:So you want to be able to learn how to support that, and so what I've always done was staying on track to how can I support as many people as possible with the gifts and the tools that I, the God, blessed me with. And then what does that actually look like? And yeah, I mean, I've been through, you know, lots of different careers and experiences to understand now what I do as far as being a financial advisor or a financial rep for um, northwestern Mutual, um, now, understanding the things that I'm doing as far as with my foundation Life for Up Academy kind of put me into that groove where I'm able to maximize what my skill set is and then also maximize the amount of support that I can give the people that I care about and my community that I love.
Speaker 1:That is awesome, brian. You are, I must tell you I've told you this before but a man at your age, so young, you are very empowering with the things that you do, the young people that you touch. You rather touch the 99% than the 1%, and I love that. How do you take criticism? How do you handle pressure and criticism?
Speaker 2:uh, criticism. You gotta have a certain level of caliber, of even experience in life, to be able to properly criticize me. There's a lot of people that criticize you that have no merit at all in your life to even talk about you. So you know, if you're gonna come to me and talk to me, you know, uh, you know I'm a football player, right. So if it's a football player, uh, there's a guy that knows football that wants to criticize me on football, great. But the guy that wants to criticize me and my business, business, he doesn't have any idea how to run a business or be a part of it. Your criticism doesn't mean much at all to me at all. Right, I don't look at criticism. Look at, uh, you know you're either building me or you're in the way, right. So, uh, you got to be qualified to have a criticism. Right, work something right. If you can do that, then that's cool.
Speaker 2:Uh, pressure, uh, is a privilege. You know. That's one thing that I've learned in in life and sports and understanding that you know what opportunity you have, especially when you're in alignment with yourself, where you're supposed to be at, in your purpose, and if you believe in a higher god. If you believe in a higher thing being besides you, something being bigger than you, then you know that anything bestowed on you like this is an honor. That way you can show and reveal everything you've worked so hard to be your entire life. So I look at pressure as just a privilege and opportunity to really go do some really great things. So I don't run away from pressure. I kind of, you know, indulge in it.
Speaker 1:And that's good. You know that's good. That's what I want to talk about, because if you look in the arena of entertainment football music we see what's going on right now. You know we see what's going on and I think that a lot of people who go in there the reason why I asked about the criticism or pressure is because I believe a lot of people who go into these entertainment realms they're coming from their little states, the little town that they may be in, and then they come, bam, here go the lights, the glitter, the action, and it takes a strong man such as yourself not to get wrapped up. Now I'm not going to go into the ditty parties, I'm not going to go.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to go.
Speaker 1:You know, but I really feel sorry for a lot of things that I see in the entertainment realm, some even in the football. You know. We've seen things Michael Vick with the dog, I mean you know what I'm saying. It's like the stupid things that the media will blow up really big and you know the pressure, the criticism that you guys get and it seems like you stay really grounded with knowing who you are number one, knowing what you wanted to do, and so that's. You know the reason why I asked, like, how do you handle it? Because there is young people out here right now who has the same vision to or the same goal. You know that they want to be the singer, they want to be the football player, you know. So you know you're showing people how hard you had to work to get where you wanted to be and you stayed grounded during that time, even before, during and after. And I know your passion is young people and you said you do coaching too right Something like that oh crash out, oh bam, we're back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can see you, You're good, yeah, yeah, so I do training, I do position training for kids, I do. You know things like that. And I think the number one thing that what you're talking about also is just how to build a foundation, right, and what do you found it in? Where are your feet actually at? Because, with entertainment and all those things too, man, a lot of stuff, a lot of the pressure and the things that you're talking about is all starting up here, right, it's like, is it actually real? And those real things that you're pressure, like what do you use it for all of those things? And so, you know, I've come a long way in life. Like this is the Brian you're talking to today, right, brian, 20 years ago or 15 or even five years ago, you probably get different answers, right, and you know, one of my biggest lessons that I always, you know, talk about is just being maturity, being a lesson learned, right, it's just. Are you learning these lessons so that when these you know opportunities pop up or you still got to go through them every time where they're dictating you versus what you're dictating for yourself, right, and so it's just like I said, me just understanding I got to be able to control what I can control. I still battle those things, right. I still got to work through those things as well. I'm not a finished product with that, but I do have experiences that I can lean back on. I do have wins in my life right where it's put me in a position to know that I can up what I'm capable of. So I've been able to. I've overcome every dark time of my life, right, and that's something I can lean back to. Right, to know that if I've been able to do it before, I can do it again Right. And the thing is, you may not be the way you thought it was going to be, but the fact that you did it in itself is already a blessing If you can see that for yourself, right. Some people don't see that. Some people constantly, you know, beat themselves up and dig themselves deeper, that they don't realize all they're doing is just burying themselves more instead of the opportunity to stop, breathe, consider right and give yourself a chance to grow. So I think that you know we're talking about the kids and you know what I'm able to do with the kids. I'm just trying to raise awareness because, you know, the more awareness you have, the more opportunities you have to choose.
Speaker 2:A lot of people in their lives right now aren't able to choose because they're allowing circumstances to choose for them.
Speaker 2:Right, you know my job is, you know, when guys are going through hard times, I'm a big male advocate in mental health.
Speaker 2:Uh, I'm being a mental health general, right, and you know, one of the things is that a lot of guys kids, youth, adults, everybody you'll hear them say well, I had no other choice, I had no other chance, I had no other, whatever it is, and you know, that's a sad reality to have to live in, to think that everything that you're doing is dictated by everybody else and you don't have an opportunity to change your life. And so when you start putting everybody else to blame, then you give them the opportunity to change you, and the thing about it is no one's going to do that. Right, that's the inside job, that's something you got to take, you know, advantage of for yourself. And so I think that you know understanding that, uh, the pressures, the criticism, all those things like that is just things that we're putting into our heads, and what healthy things are you putting in your head that when things are going against you, you have a way to rise and conquer them?
Speaker 1:and it's I. I so a thousand percent believe in everything you just said and that's the impact of leadership. So you've been through a lot, you've experienced and you shape the way you led and support and you mentor others now, which is a big, a big need in our younger generation. You know, uh, they need to know how to you know it. You know, once they get to that point, how do you stay grounded, how do you stay focused? And you know, because I'm sure that when you enter a realm like that, it could be a wild experience, am I correct?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, it's always funny though, like I said, let me talk it. It's always funny though, like I said, me talking. It's always funny when people talk about, like our youth, of, uh, of people and why they're so important. And you know, like I know you said I'm younger, but I got a lot of people that's younger than me, right? So it makes me older than a lot of people, and so I never really understand, like, where the line is drawn between being in your youth and then being an adult, and why, once you transfer into the adult, the onus isn't just as important as it is for the youth, because, at the end of the day, the youth is still looking somewhere, right? And I think that we put a lot of onus on going backwards, that we forget about the people who are in front of them, right? So I think that you know, you know, having the adults, having having these conversations, right, changing those dynamics people think that you know, like action is the way you learn from people, right? Not about what they say, but what they're doing, and so there's only so much you can do with the youth. But the youth is actually looking back at you, right? So they say, yeah, I know, you're telling me what to do, but you're not living in your own life. So then how can you possibly mean anything you're saying when you're not doing? You're not even acknowledging it in your own life, right?
Speaker 2:So you know, I think it's one thing to say to youth, and I 100% believe in that, but at some point we got to go back and make sure the adults are still fighting for a chance to grow too, cause I know a lot of you know 40 yearold men that act like they're 19,. Right, because at 19, they stopped growing. At 19, they thought they figured everything out. They didn't have a reason to grow. I know 30-year-old women, right, that act like 15-year-olds. You know, I know, you know there's so many different cases that show you that age and maturity aren't on the same level at all, and so I think that you know us having a more totality, look at it, of saying like OK, cool, you want to talk to this 13 year old kid. A 13 year old kid got to go home to somebody that's older than them, that has responsibilities for them, so we can't disregard that piece of it and act like. You know we we're like oh, we'll go save the kids. Those kids have adult parents around them that are the biggest influencers of everything they're doing.
Speaker 2:So our message can only go so far, but it has to include as many people as possible, because we don't know what that wants to get to do for the next generation, for the next people, for the example that they're setting out there, because those are those kids become adults, right, and we can't disregard them at that point, because those kids, they become the adult leaders and examples of our next future.
Speaker 2:Uh, people coming up, and so you know, like I said, I love the youth, right, but I try to find ways, uh, as an adult, as a man, as the people that I'm around, as the influencers, and you know the people who are being the example for us to make sure that they're, they're giving out the best example, and then that's how we help the youth the most because, like I said, we can feed them to the blue of the face, but at the end of the day, they're going to watch your example, they're going to watch the adults and they're not criticizing them, because if you do better, you do better, and if you're older, you have way more opportunities to know better and do better, right? So I think there's a group effort that we all can be better from. I've learned a lot from people younger than me. I've learned a lot from people older than me, right? But it's just the fact that I'm willing to learn that separates me from a lot of people, because I know I don't know everything, so I'm always looking to build and grow.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. So when you talk to other people, especially men or young people, what are your truths that you tell them about trauma, or do you share that with them as well?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I don't necessarily believe in like my truths being more important than what the truth you need to know, right? And so you know, my job at the end of the day is just to try to raise awareness. I don't really do anything past that point because at the end of the day, it's up to you to choose your life, right? So I think we get too caught up in telling somebody what to do, but you don't know the right circumstances. You don't know if they articulate exactly what's going on with them, right, it can be so many different things, and so I just want to show them that there are other options out there other than the ones they're thinking. Right, you know somebody could be, you know, beating themselves up because of college and for some reason, they don't really feel like they need to go to college. Right, they want to go, do something with their hands, they want to do these other different things, and so it could be pointing them to the opportunity of a trade school, right. Or understanding that you know they got unions out here that pay.
Speaker 2:There are people once you're involved in them, and so there's so many different outside the box things that maybe I did or maybe I didn't do right that we want to be able to show those people because not everything that's been in your life was meant for the next person, and so I don't necessarily give my truth on things more than showing them awareness, right of other opportunities and options out there for them and allow them them to decide for themselves. I don't really believe in telling people what to do. I just want to give them more education, more awareness, more information right, so they can make a proper choice in their life, instead of having somebody else choose for them.
Speaker 1:That is good, so let me ask you about your you know what is your peace and your freedom, and how do you protect your freedom and your peace from things that you have been?
Speaker 2:through man. Living in it, you know, living in it definitely helps out. Not trying to separate my life in it, you know, living in it definitely helps out. Uh, not trying to separate my life. Uh, I think that's when things get weird when you try to do these like all cabinets of emotions and whatever's going on. Uh, you know, my peace of mind and my freedom of peace of mind, uh, I think, are very important to me. And when I'm thinking clearly, when my my spirit's okay, when I'm okay with myself, man, life is looking like a glorious place to be right. When I'm down on myself, when I'm not, when I'm allowing other situations and circumstances to dictate me, right, that's when I don't have that freedom anymore. That freedom belongs to somebody else who's able to control it. And then that's where things start to really take a turn for myself. Right, and those are the things I work on to this day.
Speaker 2:I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.
Speaker 2:I'm just a human, just like everybody else.
Speaker 2:We all have our internal battles that we're all going to continue to fight, because one it's worth fighting, because on the other side of it could be something that's not only beneficial for you but the next person as well, and so, you know, I protect mine by being a part of it and recognizing uh, all sides right, and giving myself the best opportunity to choose my life and choose the way I want to be, and having the support around me that allows the same thing.
Speaker 2:And so having the right people around you, um, but you gotta be able to reveal who you really are too right. I think that's half the problem is, you know, being honest and transparent about where you are in this very moment right, it may be ahead of somebody, it may be behind somebody, but at least you know exactly where you're at so you can actually build from that. A lot of people try to build from a place they're not even at and wonder why they haven't made it there. Right, and so you know, I'm able to be transparent with the people I love, and then that gives them the best opportunity to support who I really am, and so I try to be as truthful and transparent about who I really am gives them a chance to support me, and then that's how I continue to cultivate myself and also cultivate the people around me.
Speaker 1:Brian, you, how many times have I said you're amazing? Are you counting? No, I'm not amazing, are you counting? I am so glad to have had this opportunity to partner with you, because b3u is a place where we can be transparent, and I love that you came on here and you would just your truest self, and that's what we try to get people to do Show their transparency, because it's all about the 99% Right. It's all about the 99%. It's all about the 100%.
Speaker 2:The 100%, because you also got to look at it as that 1% People don't look at the world man. 1% of the world controls the entire world Right, and so the oldest of those people in that 1% percent role, they have to understand how their voice amplifies and exemplifies a lot of people out here who don't even have their own right, and so you know that's why someone like you know professional athlete, you know people that people don't recognize and build off of right like it's a part of the 100. I'm just saying that the 99 are usually forgot about because the one percent usually controls the 99 and so the 99 is just trying to keep up and they're trying to fit into the whole of the one percent, not knowing that they'll never make it through that right. And so my job is to let the 99 know there are other options that you can do and you can still be yourself and you don't have to chase what you think the one percent of people are doing, because, quite honestly, you don't know what the one percent of people are doing.
Speaker 2:They're just telling you what to do, right, and they're not even living those same experiences, and that's where a lot of clashes are going on, even to this day. That's why the social media stuff is blowing up. You got influencers that are influencing people to do things they never done. Oh, my goodness right. So it's just there's a lot of different. You know sides of it, and so it's not about just the 99 percent, about the 100, but I just think that 99 are usually forgotten about because the one percent is too big. They're trying to control where they're going instead of giving people the freedom to freedom of choice.
Speaker 1:You know yeah, I agree with that. I agree with that, and you know I like that too, because you know, being um in this, this realm of podcast, and being a motivational, inspirational speaker um, you look at people who are video content creators and there is a thousand different ways to do something and I just realized that you know, you know I take my bits and pieces and then I just kind of be genuine and just do what it is Brie wants to do, how she wants, have been introduced and known each other. I'm 54 and you have taught me you are right. Very Again, I thank you for coming on the show, for being transparent, and I pray for you, my brother, in every step of any, all of your endeavors, anything that you touch. I pray for peace and blessing multitude on you.
Speaker 1:Multitude, you are amazing and I look forward to continue to work with you. I'm really looking forward to partnering together so we can help those that need the help, that need the guidance, that need the direction. This is what B3U is all about, because we truthfully truthfully, it is time. The time is now to save our society.
Speaker 2:I'm about to be self-abrand this whole time. That's the only reason why I did it.
Speaker 1:I guess we learned something new every day. I thought the beef was the only reason I did it. I was saying like you start to be so bright.
Speaker 2:I guess we learn something new every day. I thought the B was for Brian. I thought it was a dedication to me. I was like I ain't cool B3,. I was like I ain't cool Brian. Three times that makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 1:Well, you know what? No, it stands for burn break and becoming unstoppable.
Speaker 2:Well breaking and becoming unstoppable. Well, this should be a Brian at some point. Brian, Brian, Brian.
Speaker 1:That makes a lot of sense. Look, my goodness, look, I appreciate you, brian. I'll look at working it in there somewhere. I'll work it out for you.
Speaker 2:Put me at the back door.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'll put you a little icon in there somewhere. My brother, I thank you. I thank you for your time, I thank you for your knowledge and I look forward to seeing you again. Will you come back?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Yeah, for sure, great, absolutely.
Speaker 1:All my viewers out there. I thank you. I thank you for joining me me myself, and Mr Brian Hall Thank him so much for coming on, and we will see you again on another big reuse that you guys take care of yourself.