Tommy Richardson: Divine Savagery and the Asset Mindset

In this episode of The Asset Mindset Podcast, Daniel Fielding sits down with Tommy Richardson—a former Marine and Navy SEAL—who shares his journey from a bullied teen to elite operator and entrepreneur. Tommy reveals how a moment of divine intervention at 14 reshaped his mindset, igniting a life built on strength, discipline, and purpose. They discuss the power of mentorship, the grind of self-improvement, and the creation of Tommy’s brand Divine Savagery. This is a raw conversation about resilience, faith, and the mindset needed to overcome life's toughest battles.

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Transcript

Meet Tommy Richardson

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Welcome to the Asset Mindset Podcast, where we don't wait for opportunities, we create them. I'm your host, Daniel Fielding, former Green Beret and author of the Asset Mindset. Each episode, we dive into the mindset, the habits, and the mission-driven thinking that turn everyday people into high performers and real life warriors. This isn't about motivation, it's about transformation. If you are really ready to stop playing the victim, take ownership of your life, and start building the life you were meant to lead, then let's gear up. Because your mindset is your greatest asset. So let's go and meet today's very special guest. We got Tommy Richardson. This guy, man, he's got a story and you're gonna like it because he's got the mindset. He started off as a Marine, so we're not gonna hold him against that because, you know, he became an operator and a Navy SEAL. But also, I worked with uh the Marines and Mars Ok for five and a half years, so you know, I had a lot of love for you, Marines. But why don't you uh introduce yourself, Tommy?

SPEAKER_00 1:08

All right, yeah, no, you I mean you pretty much hit it, man. Just went from uh, you know, somebody being told they're gonna be absolutely nothing and a nobody uh to you know getting bullied and beat down to just transferring and turning all that stuff around, man, joining the military, finding my toughness, finding uh, you know, that uh that thing that God gave me, the ability to overcome. We just went rocking and rolling, man. Did nine and a half years in the Marines in the infantry and then uh and then turned over and did 17 and change uh in the in the SEAL teams, man. And now doing the business owner piece and just rocking and rolling, continuing on, and uh uh also on the side just being a power lifter. So, you know, fun stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

No, that's great. And always moving forward, right? That's what it's all about. That's the mindset you gotta grow and learn. Yeah, we're gonna get older, but you can keep pushing forward. Always, yeah. I'd love to see you new. Slow down, you go down, man. Love it. I love those catchphrases too, man. Slow down. That's it. You go down. That's it. Yeah, move it or lose it, that type of stuff.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

There's all kinds. I got I I got a whole book of them, man. We good.

Suicide Moment And Divine Intervention

SPEAKER_01 2:10

All right. Well, we'll keep rocking and rolling. Hopefully, some of the listeners will steal these nuggets and write them down or use them and apply them in their life. Absolutely. Because those little sayings sometimes, choose your hard, that type of stuff. It's it's so to the point. Right. So let's get into when did you first, what was your big challenge in life that helped you get your mindset shift where you're like, holy shit, I can take ownership of my life. Like, I'm in control more than anybody else.

Fighting Back And Finding Confidence

SPEAKER_00 2:37

Well, you know, the funny thing is that I released control. I thought I had control and I didn't. Um, but uh I would I would say um it got to the point of suicide uh when I was 14. And that was the first time I heard God talking to me, man. And uh he's like, hey, I audibly heard. I had the gun in my gun to my head, could see the shine at the end of the bullet, uh, you know, was taking the slack out of the trigger. And because I was fed up with it all, right? Too much is pressure from every single direction, and I was a lightning rod for bullying, man. Um, and just kept I it just I started believing the believing the negative hype. So I was like, well, why am I around here anymore, anyways? And then, you know, that heard that audible thing of, hey, uh, I got something for you, don't do it. And I went, oh, all right, took slack out, popped the popped the pistol down, and then it was one of those things where that I didn't know it yet, but one of the Marine Corps slogans uh was popping in my head that the beatings will continue until morale improves, right? So um it so it was, you know, I well, obviously I'm not gonna immediately turn into you know somebody that fights, but I can at least fight back and at least instead of running away, kind of run to the problem. So, you know, it was just do what I could do. I started off in martial arts to get a little bit of uh a little bit of confidence, you know, and a little bit of skill set, and uh lost a lot more fights, but then eventually started winning a few. And that brought you know some confidence back into me. And uh I was like, all right, I guess we can stand up and uh and keep going. And uh then I hit the Marine Corps, man, and that we we were off to the races from there. And when they say the change is forever, man, they ain't kidding. And uh and then that was this is pre-9-11 too, right? This is '98. So uh and you know, once the war kicked off, we were off to the right. I mean, I already had one deployment under my belt, and uh we were off to the races and uh hit hit Haiti, combat Haiti in 04, and then hit Fallujah into 04-05. Um, you know, uh, and then after that, it was, you know, we need something a little bit more. And that's when I took a B-billet to the School of Infantry and said we're gonna take it up a take it up a notch and uh decided to do an air service transfer over to the SEAL teams. And then it was just challenges, man, one thing after the other. And I think it was with every single challenge uh that was that I actually started chasing, I got tougher, I got stronger, and I learned more. Um and learned the whole fail forward thing, right? Um, and to understand how to fail, uh, that when you come up with something really, really tough, you don't stop, you keep going, and you don't accept no. Because if you have something that um if you have something that you love and something that you want to keep keep after, if it's worth it, it's going to be tough. And if and if it was easy, everybody'd do it. So you got to keep going. And I mean, of course, there's a series of people along the way that help encourage you, lead you, guide you. Um, and then it's one instance after the other, and you know, the the the trouble comes and all in in all kinds of different ways, shapes, and forms. And it's just how you approach it. And it's it's it's developing that mentality over time. For me, it wasn't inherent, it was not born inside of me. Uh, it was it was developed and built, and I'm still going. Like, you know, the injuries started happening, the you know, got in a couple helicopter crashes, got blown up a couple, three, five times, and then you know, we're just going and going and going and going. You know, up then eventually brain surgery happened, and you know, just all kinds of stuff, man. Um, and it's just overcome, keep going. Uh, you know, keep your eyes set on the good Lord and keep uh rocking and rolling, and you'll find a strength you never thought you had.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Absolutely. Man, what a story. I want to go back to that beginning. Yeah, you're 14 and you have this divine intervention. Talk about how that like just changed you. Did you feel because I know my personal experiences, I've had like the goosebumps and touched by spirit and the rush and feeling the energy. Well what was it like for you, and how did you know that this was something special and that God had a plan for you?

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Because what else could it be? Like I'd experience negativity in like crazy amounts uh uh of ways, man. There was nothing positive in my uh, you know, nothing positive ahead of me that I could see. And to the point to where I was like, why am I here? What am I doing? What's my purpose? I don't have nothing. So when you hear something like that, how do you feel scared? I was I was frightened. I literally was scared to, okay, okay, I'm gonna put the gun down because I literally I mean it was audible. I mean, I still get chills thinking about it, man. Um, and me, because I'm a crayon-eating idiot, I didn't realize that it was him talking to me, you know. Uh but but that was literally the the first, I think, intervention or whatever you want to call it, uh that that I ever actually had with him, and that he had a purpose and a path for me. And then it was just up to me to meet him halfway and and keep and keep and keep going and keep pushing. So yeah, no, it's fear, if if it scared me, but it scared me in a good way. Like kind of like when when when dad brings the thunder voice and it's just like okay, that's it. But I mean it was real dad, you know. Um, you know, you got your you got your earthly dad, but I mean when when pops upstairs talks to you, you bow down, man. Uh that voice will get you. And it it shook me to the core. And I knew something different was coming.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

Yeah. So like take us through like the next day or the next week, and so like that obviously was a big momentum shift. Like, how did that transformation come through the next week or so?

SPEAKER_00 8:23

Sure. So uh you just kind of start looking at stuff differently. Um, and I think I mean you always talk about in the military, the horse blinders, right? Of everything right in front of you. Well, I think the the aperture, the side aperture opened up a little bit and started to see things in a little bit different manner. And it got to the point to where you literally just got fed up. If they're gonna come, that's fine, but I'm not gonna run from it anymore. What am I gonna do about it? Well, I have to do something. So I talked to my parents and was like, hey, there's a karate school down the, you know, like Daniel LaRusso, like, hey, there's a you know, there's a karate school down the way, right? Um, but I had all these Cobra Kai guys coming after me, right? So uh so um it was just a matter of how things were gonna go with them. And uh it was you know the the the I was part of varsity basketball, which is weird. I look like a white Steve Urkel. I mean, that's that was all bean pole legs. Can't picture that right now.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

I'm so you look like grizzly Adams and the lumberjack, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:30

It's that I had that body, I had that transformation, right? But no, man, it was it was I was Coke bottle glasses, suspenders, freaking like uh like the stonewashed jeans, the goofy, I had massively ridiculously large feet, um, and it was just bean pole thin, man, weighed nothing. And I hit 6'4, you know, when I was 14 also, my my current height. So that didn't help either. It was all legs, man. So um I was literally, I was you talking about 80s and 90s, I was a lightning rod for bullying, and it wasn't just, hey, I'm gonna hit the off button and then it stops. Like it was around every corner and it came in the form of beatings. Um, and not verbally, physically, thrown in dumpsters, locked in lockers. Like it was, it was gnarly, man. Um, and it was just one of those things where I just again just got fed up. And like I tell a lot of people, it's it's a crossroads. Just like with anything, man, everything is a choice. And you choose whether to believe what they're saying and let it sink you, or you choose to let it elevate you and make you rise. Now, I'm not saying you ain't gonna take hits, but at the same time, you know they're coming and you can better prepare for them. So that's what I think the martial arts thing at least started to give me a little bit of confidence. Um, when I'd go to the pool, kids would try to drown me and stuff like that. So I actually learned my breath hold, which oddly helped out later. I would take guys, I would take guys underwater and you know, go to the bottom of the pool and they couldn't hold their breath, but I could. And I'd stay at the bottom of the pool and they'd swim off. And then I'd come up, grab a breath, look around, and then go back down. Because you know, back in the day, you ride your bike to the pool or mom drops you off and then she bounces. You know, there was no like helicopter parenting or any of that garbage. It was like you fend for yourself and that's it. And you got to do whatever it takes to get back, right? So um that but the thing is is that I'm appreciative of all of it because it was a it was the it was the quickening, if you remember from Highlander, right? Uh it was literally a forging process. And you talk about, I mean, I know I people most people go swords. I'm kind of an axe man myself, but uh you that's you talk about the uh thickest, sharpest, and toughest of blades or axes or whatever. It how does that happen? The forging process. What's in there? Pressure and heat, but it has to be put in there to come out the other end. So that's where that whole be and I tell people this all the time when I'm talking to folks is that be someone that runs towards the gunfire. And you get that, Danny gets that. It's just that that's there for people that have been there, especially for the the GWAC guys. Um, and we learned it from you know the Vietnam cats. And if you're fortunate enough, you got to talk to the Korea or the um, you know, the World War II guys too, back back in the day. Oh, uh, you know, or if they're still around, but that's where we got all the stories from. You know, we learned our past, and it's just you start getting the military, you start getting that rich military history, you learn what like heroes really are and the the what what the human capabilities are, which is kind of funny too, man, because if you look in the Bible, dude, there it's all there too, right? That's one of the greatest war novels you know written, you know, is is is human history and everything that they did. You know, you talk about going Old Testament on people, right? But um you talk about tactics, you talk about strategy. It's all there, and it's literally just history repeating itself throughout individuals that had the guts to go and do what was right. And those that understood and those that got forged with the heavy training and everything that they went and you know did within the military, and then depending on how you look at it, fortunate, unfortunate, make it over and do it for real. Um you just again, it's it's another forger, it's another forger going into just if you're at that next level, which is kind of cool to come out the other side of that because you can then talk about the awesome things that you saw other people do and maybe maybe were able to do yourself, uh, you know, with the help of your teammates, yes, you you you can talk heroism and you can talk that mentality and you can take it to that nth level and you can speak to people from I mean somebody in a regular regular Joe job, nothing wrong with it, just the way it is, man. Regular Joe job up to tier one operators, people in DC, professional athletes, all that stuff. Why? Because you've gone to the most extreme. So now you can just tailor that to wherever it is that you're at. And people can understand that, and people can and should listen to individuals like that who have been through the fire where there's no reset button.

War, Faith, And Running To Gunfire

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Yeah, there's no respawning. No, yeah, not not at all, man. Yeah, no, I I think it's amazing, and I think you're also touching on what a lot of people realize. Oh, war is hell. Man, I've seen some of the greatest love acts, and I haven't even seen like the most horrific things, you know. But the guys I served with are willing to give everything their life. Like they're gonna do more, and it's like I try and tell people, you know, there is so much evil in the world, but there's a lot of love too. We tend to forget that, and we can't forget that. And you need to be a warrior for love or for God and for goodness if you really want to make positive change in the world or you want to have meaningful change. And that's where we're talking about this isn't just about getting some motivation, this is transformation. Absolutely like you've transformed your life, you did it. You're speaking from experience. I was able to transform my life. I was nobody special, you know, and I've done amazing things. You've done amazing things.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

I'm still not.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

No, you are, and it just your words inspire people. And we never know, you know, that they say butterfly effect or ripples in a pond, like what you're doing, brother. You you're doing a lot of good. Don't minimize yourself. I know it's good to be humble. I try and you know, stay humble myself, but then I have people like, no, you need to share and talk more.

SPEAKER_00 15:35

And yeah, I'm I will, but I'm not gonna give myself glory. It's gonna be God and the people around me that lifted me up and gave me the ability to get through everything, man. Because that's what keeps you grounded as well. You start believing your own baloney and you're gonna go to pay places you probably shouldn't be going. You know, I mean, we just had an incident in the world that proves exactly that, and to show what real love and real goodness looks like after the effect.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Absolutely. Charlie Kirk, rest his soul, covers and and I think that was one of those things when I saw it, I was like, wow, you know, as far as transformation, like to take something that's so horrific and so evil, it's amazing how God can change that huge and make so much love come out. Like, look how many people have come out, supported, changed their mind, are now searching religion themselves, they're seeking out God. Like, there's so much. And you know what? We're all dying anyways. And I think Charlie knew that. He was talking about it the whole time. Like, hey, if I die, you know, I get then that's what happens. But I'm gonna continue to live the way I believe Christ and God wants me to live. That's why we're here. And yeah, you you gotta commend that. I mean, I honor that man so much and respect it's incredible. And so let's get into some people because you mentioned people around you, so you must have had some really good mentors. Let's talk about mentorship.

Mentors, Team Before Self

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Yeah, man. Um, it's it's and it's funny where what direction they come up with, and you you you get your guy, your person or your people, um, when you're not looking for it, right? You have no idea. So I did. Um, I had a guy that trained myself and uh two other people that ended up going to the SEAL teams, and another guy that ended up going your route uh went went in the Green Berets, and then another dude that was a firefighter, a couple of high-end hunters. Um, but he was a he was a local yokel in Conroe, Texas, man. And um his methods were oh, I'll go the Patriot route, brutal, right? Um, but everything that he had really a Vietnam vet, army guy, and um he his his his mindset is everything that an operator should be. And he put that onto us and literally beat it into us. And if you couldn't hack it, you bounce because it's not like we were paying for it. It's just I got invited by one of the twins that you know that ended up going to the teams, they were like, Hey, we got this dude. I hear you, you know, you're into training or whatever. And I had started my you know, Marine Corps path, and he goes, Hey, we got this guy, come on. And I'm going, All right, let's do this. So went there, got my butt handed to me, and instead of running, I was like, give me some more, right? Let's do this. And uh that process and that mindset kind of started with him, and he became our Mr. Miyagi, he became our Mick, right? And we he owned a bed and breakfast, and we would show up twice a week. Uh, as we got closer to, you know, going in the military, it became more often, it was like four or five times a week. Um, but it was twice a week. And on the weekends, we would go help maintain the bed and breakfast, you know, mow the yard and you know, help out his wife and him and if their family needed help or whatever, you got you know, strapping young men to go help help out. And um that kind of taught us the um that humility piece also. And everything was about team, you know, we'd be doing push-ups or whatever, everything was in unison. Um, all of it was, and it was uh well, uh up together, down together, live together, die together, right? And that was that was the mantra. And um, it was if one guy messes up, the other guy picks up the slack. And that causes a lot of internal turmoil, as I'm sure you're familiar with, right? And but it but it really becomes for him a self-licking ice cream cone where he doesn't have to say anything. We just get so mad that it's just like, okay, I don't like this, so it makes you put out harder, but you don't do it for you, you do it for the other guy. And that's where you learn, and that's where I learned that you give everything else for somebody else. And it's not about you, it's about them. And you'll go to the extreme for them because you know that they're gonna go to the extreme for you. And that got amplified once I joined the Marines, but more so within the SEAL teams because you know, no smaller unit, but and you know, this going plate to plate, doing uh CQC for us, CQB for y'all. Um, going plate to plate, I don't have to worry about the guy behind me because I know what he's gonna do, and I know he's got my back, and I know he's gonna go to the death, and uh he knows I'm gonna do that too. And it was it was off of the races, but yeah, I mean he was he was my mentor growing up.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

That's fantastic to have that. And I want you listeners to realize how important that is. You gotta get a mentor or find somebody that's been the road or can teach you because if you're just staying at home and just complaining, you're not gonna get anywhere, you're not gonna learn anything. You have to get out there, you have to surround yourself with good people. You gotta do it. And, you know, Tommy's preaching it, man. He's telling you, he's sharing his story. Look what he went from. He went from like a white Steve Urkel he said to look at him now. You know, it's incredible what you can do if you really want to put the work in and create transformation in your life.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

And you said one of the things about the people around you, right? I always tell folks that you're the sum total of the five people that you keep closest around you. And if you're the top dog, you need to find yourself another circle because you need somebody to bring you up. Because if you're top, you got nowhere to go but down.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

No, I like that. And that's that's where they say like your groups of friends will change as you grow. Your friendship circle is gonna grow and change. And you know, don't be afraid of that change. It's a good thing. Yep. And yeah, sometimes it's gonna suck, it's gonna cause friction with other people or your friends. But guess what? You could be beating the path for them and showing them the way, leading the light for them to maybe later take that next level and change what they need to change in their life. So this is great. And if anybody's liking what we're talking about and what's going down, and you want to learn more about what Tommy's doing, please hit pause, go in the description, and absolutely like, subscribe, check out Divine Savagery. Now, that I just talked about Divine Savagery, let's get into that. That name, how'd it come up, and just share with us.

Building Divine Savagery

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Well, you know, it's one of I about five years before I was gonna retire, you know, it the reality starts hitting you. It's like I got to figure out what I'm gonna do when I grow up, right? And I had no, I had no idea. I was I was one of those guys that's like, man, I figured out. But then I was starting to see people that were in my peer group or a little bit ahead of me starting to retire. And those that had that mentality had the hardest time when they were getting out. Not just with all the other stuff that comes when you step off the train and the train keeps going, right? That nobody talks about. But the fact of the matter is, is that there's so much more stuff that's coming in, the type of individuals that you're going to be that you're you one used to dealing with to the ones that now you're going to be dealing with. And um it it'll it'll hit you like a freaking frying pan to the face, man, if you're if you're not ready for it. And I and regardless, you're still gonna get stomped once you get out. It's just whether you know it's coming or not. So, you know, I was like, all right, I gotta figure out what I'm gonna do. What the heck am I gonna do? And then it's like I'm a gunfighter. Like, what the heck can I do? How does this translate to civilian life, right? And um, so it was one of those things where I I found a love in training and strength and weightlifting and you know, powerlifting strongman. I started out doing strongman and um because I wanted to do something that was gonna make me a better operator. And because I was tall and started to gain some size, strength came with it. And I wanted to do something that was gonna make me a better operator. So strongman made sense, right? Take weird implements and move them. Hey, down man drill, weird. So, you know, you start doing the stones and the logs, and it's like, oh, I really like this. Uh and that was kind of my thing. And I started getting into that. I was like, all right. Well, I also, you know, was never had a problem giving briefs, never always could relate to the guys, and you know, not necessarily the rah-rah, but literally this is the purpose of why it is that we're going out on this mission and make everything mission focused and make sense of things where other people might not have been able to. And I'm like, okay, maybe there's something there. And then it's, you know, you take the from the Marine Corps all the way through is the the leadership piece and the team building. Like, all right, well, I love this stuff. And then it's like, well, okay, shooting, executive protection. I hear that's a thing. It's like a convoy ops. All right, cool, no problem. So I was in a heck of a training session, and I get a lot of good praying done when I'm when I'm under a heavy weight, man. And uh it just hit me that you got to start your own thing. Not that you can't work for somebody else, but it probably wouldn't go so well that I could coordinate and work with people, but working for someone, again, I'd seen a lot of the guys and was paying attention to the dudes getting out and going, it just seems like for operators at least, the entrepreneur thing kind of is the way to go. And it's literally live or die on your own, right? So, and we're kind of used to that already, uh, just to a different degree. And I was like, okay, well, I started researching it. Need a name, need a brand, branding is big or whatever. And uh, I was like, well, I need something that's me, but I need something with God because He got me through all this stuff, and he's because I was gonna be one of those vets that literally was like, I'm just talking with the boys around the fire eating meat. That's all I'm gonna be the quiet guy, just not say a word, right? But yeah, but it was something where it was very uncomfortable to talk about stuff. And I started talking to going to the VFW and talked to some Vietnam guys, and they were just like bitter and unhappy. And I just started talking to them about stories and stuff that I'd been through, and then they start telling stories, and then it's like they started lifting up, and I was like, okay, but then it was what is it that the protectee doesn't know about the protector that they should? And how can the protector go and talk to the protectee and understand the importance of that and do it in a manner that gives honor to God and honor to your teammates and maybe open some eyes to make the world a little bit tougher place than it are you know that than it is. So, especially with the way things are going, at least in this you know, in this country and worldwide too, but at the same time, we need a little bit be a little bit tougher. So, all right, well, take everything with strength, everything tough, all that stuff that did for the military, we're gonna wrap it into a business, gonna make it something with me, something with God, divine savagery. Makes sense, right? It's I'm gonna attack it with everything that I have, and that's what the red is the blood that Jesus spilt, and the blood that you know needs to get spilt in order to get the job. What makes the grass grow? Come on, Marines.

SPEAKER_01 26:55

So uh, you know, um infantry school, anybody knows that.

Strength, Healing, And Westside Barbell

SPEAKER_00 26:58

Blood makes the blood. Hey, man, it's it's a thing. Um you know, I always tell Marines too that get out or whatever. I was like, hey man, you know, it's simplified, do or die, and never forget what makes the grass grow, right? Um and then, but anyway, the the divine peace, obviously it's white, clear, perfect for Jesus, white horse, all that good stuff. And then the trident, not just for the seal thing, but you know, it's you know, Father, Son, Holy Spirit as well. So it's all led towards a little bit uh uh what God is and then what he made me to be. And that just came together, and that's the name and the logo, man. And then we're we're off to the races trying to figure out what the heck we were gonna do, and it's shooting in every direction till you know, just like in Predator until we finally hit the alien, and then it's like, all right, cool, we're going, we're heading this way. And it and it became just like in the military, things of threes, right? So it was it's the speaking, keynote speaking, uh, motivational grit, all that good stuff. But the speaking piece, uh, team building and leadership, and then wellness, right? Mind, body, spirit, doing the doing the strength bit and uh and actually teaching strength that it's one, it's not a weakness. Like, you know, shout out to Mark Bell for that one. Uh, strength is never a weakness. But uh um just realizing that at what point in life did you ever do anything and come out of it and say, Man, I wish I was weaker. Never, right? So why not build something smart? I put myself back together through multiple different injuries, you know, you the pathology of my spine, the stuff with the brain, my knees, joints, all the stuff that we have, right? And literally put myself back together with all of the knowledge that I got from uh training with Westside Barbell up in Columbus, Ohio, right? And they brought me in post-brain surgery because I did a little something, well, stupid, I guess, but something that caught their attention. And uh they just handed me a stack of books, man, and just went through everything, started applying it, did it to my body. Next thing you know, my back doesn't hurt, my knees don't hurt. Oh my word, I can run again. Like all this stuff started getting better. And then I was like, I need to share this. So start sharing it with some of my boys at the team before I'm getting out. Lo and behold, they start getting on board because they're not hurting anymore. And I'm going, there's something here. So um, that's part of the wellness. And then, you know, I also like training executive protection folks because they need help. And uh I because you can't put the guns down, I'll do some concealed handgun or some CQC training with you know, police, fireman, military, whoever, just because it's it's fun. But uh, yeah, the strength piece too is the is the next one. So that's it, man.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

Share us. Share a little bit more on this wellness stuff, like changing, like someone that's because a lot of people get that victim mentality, like I got hurt, I got in a car accident, or you know, hey, I was jumping and I had a bad landing, and now I'm jacked up. I can never be the same. So, how like what were these books, or what what'd you do?

Brain Surgery To 500-Pound Bench

SPEAKER_00 29:50

Yeah, so well, the thing is is that it was it was I went through a bunch of surgeries where I had the opportunity to feel sorry for myself. One of them I absolutely did, and I went south south, but I came out of it. Because again, I got freaking snap blinked and smacked in the freaking head to say, You need you, this is you need to come back. Right. But I had knee surgery and the doc said I'd never do anything heavy on my knee again. Well, with that time, uh, he goes, Uh, I was like, okay, well, bet. Tell me I can't do something, right? So a year later, I sent him a video of me pulling an 18-ton truck in a strong man competition. And I said, Don't ever count me out. And then uh I had three operations. I blew out my shoulder on the Arabian Peninsula, and uh I had three procedures in one, and that's the one where, you know, I can't he goes, You'll never bench press heavy. You shouldn't bench press heavy or do anything like that ever again. I went through an entire year of physical therapy, and it was just my shoulder would not move in the right direction. And, you know, they went back, did an MRI, and they're like, dude, like you need a new shoulder. And I'm going, absolutely not. There's gotta be some way. And but that's the one where I kind of took a downward spiral with that one. And I remember staring into a a bat a one-pound bag of Sour Patch Kids, and the and I was sitting there in the bed just going, What am I doing? What am I doing? Get up, you freaking lazy bum, and freaking get after it. And dude, I put the freaking fat kid shirt on and went to the gym and went back to start lifting, and I started studying a little bit more, and that's where I kind of went into a bodybuilding mentality because who knows muscular musculature and how to make every muscle in your body body work better than bodybuilders. So I talked to a bunch of IPB pros. I started studying up on it, and I, you know, I was like, okay, well, if my arm can move this way and it can only go this far, well, if I mirror it in this one, if I torque my wrist, if I do this, and it was literally just trial and error. Finally figured out how my body worked. Lo and behold, things started working a little bit better. And I'm like, hey, all right, we we got something here. Work myself back into, you know, being full active duty and back into the game, right? Um then I got the big hit with the brain and uh found out I picked up a hitchhiker in Afghanistan, um, had a golf ball-sized tumor attached to the back of my brain stem and a cyst, the biggest as big as my hand on the inside of my skull, pushing my brain forward. And I was, and as it was growing, I was literally just gonna drop dead one day. Um, but I was asymptomatic. I went up to home base, great guys up in Boston, uh, because I was having TBI stuff, right? Because I'd you said I've been a couple Hilo crashes and you know, blown up a couple five times, and it just it got to the point to where the brain fog was bad, and my wife was like, You need to go get looked at. You know, I would go into a room and I'd be like, I know that's called a light switch, but I can't quite place the name. And I'd just forget stuff. I'd start off-ramping and talking about who knows what, just to try to get back on the highway of wherever it is that I was talking to get back to the destination. Sometimes I'd make it, sometimes I wouldn't. So I went up there, the first thing I did neck and brain scan, and they they found it, man. Um, and they monitored it for three and a half years, and then lo and behold, they went in, and that was it. And that was another opportunity to quit, to, to stop and to keep putting, you know, to because you you go in that you go in those cancer clinics, man, and you see all these people that are just like hunched over, dilapidated, like withering away into nothing, look like Mr. Burns on the Simpsons and stuff, like monster scars on their heads. And I remember day one, I just said, I don't care what happens, that ain't gonna be me. And not only is that not gonna be me, I'm gonna use that to inspire other people, to tell them that no matter what you've got going on, it could one always be worse. And two, you're pretty much gonna be relegated to the way you think and your mindset. If you quit, if you stop, that's on you. It's a choice. Just like I said before, everything is a choice. You are choosing to go on and try to improve, or you are choosing to let it be a weight and let it sink you. And I said, not only is that not gonna be me, I'm gonna come out better than the way that I was. I'm gonna come out bigger, faster, stronger, I don't care what it takes, smarter, it's gonna happen. And again, it's all gonna be a testament to God loving an idiot, right? So so we went through and had the surgery, whatever. Um, they didn't tell me that they were gonna have put terminator parts in the back of my head, but they but but uh you know, got to got all the metal and stuff put in there. Um, I had a stroke when I was uh in surgery, and as my head was cut open, one of the sturdy people that were operating on me uh had COVID. So I got put into um quarantine during when I was in my ICU recovery time. So that's cool. But if you're gonna get COVID, you may as well get a man way, right? Um, but I never got it. So there you go. Um and then I when I woke up, I was blind in my left eye. Like, not like you know, I see a little bit of light or it's blurry. Like I opened my eye and it's black, nothing. Wow. Because apparently it was it was wrapped around one of the optic nerves, right? And uh they told me, had told me too, they said you get there's an 85% chance that uh you're gonna need prism glasses because you're gonna have double vision for the rest of your life. And I'm like, eh, let me be all right. But I woke up, and of course, I'm you know, you know us and our humor. They weren't ready for that. So I'm like cracking jokes, like going one, going into surgery just because I'm like, why's everybody so tense in here? You know, um, you know, as I'm seeing them lay out all the scissors and stuff they're gonna have to like open my head up, right? And I was like, hey, all those for me. Uh I was like, You ever see Braveheart? That's kind of what this looks like, you know, at the end. Um and nobody's laughing because they have no idea what you think. But um, but even at the end, you know, I'm you, you know how it is, man. When you get hit, that's sick sense of humor. Yeah, it is. But you like when you get hit or whatever, you're doing the function check. You know, you grab your junk, see if that's okay, you know, first thing. But does, you know, does everything work? Fingers, toes, and you're doing the here. I'm like, all right. So they go, hey, what's wrong? I said, Am I supposed to be blind in one eye? Of course, me, but then they're like, oh what? And they go get the surgeon who apparently never comes down, and they all freak out and everything like that. And we start talking, and I was like, hey man, let's just see what happens, you know, in the morning. Lo and behold, the drugs that they put me on, the gavapin and everything, gave me insomnia. So I only got like an hour of sleep anyway. So that's cool. Um, so anyway, in the next morning, and I it goes from being black to being, I see light, but I don't, I can't see anything other than like dark figures. And I'm going, progress, cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, all right, doc, just let's see what happens. I'll take a little nap, nappy poo. We'll see what happens, and we'll keep going and keep going. I'm I'm literally sitting there calming the staff down, and it just everything's gonna be okay, don't worry. Lo and behold, man, it went back to it, and what is it four days later? I can see fine. And I was back to it. Not only that, but I was at 2010. So I was back to sniper vision, you know, um, which which is cool, and no double vision. It's like sick. Well, you know, they came in, they were like, hey, this is these are the things that you have to do in order to get out. All right, I'll do that, and then I'll get out, whatever. Anyway, make it out. I was like, all right, I'm gonna have two goals. One, I train like crazy to go into surgery because you know, come through studying and going through surgery on my own, the better shape that you are going into something like that, the easier it is for you to heal and you know, come out on the back end. So, you know, I started because it's brain surgery, I started like hitting PRs for everything, like for endurance, for strength, for all this stuff. And the thing is, I wasn't jotting any of it down. They're like, why are you doing that? And I was like, well, you know, I did it for me. So if I die, hey man, I went out with a freaking bang. I don't care that anybody else knew. I knew, and that's what mattered to me, right? So anyway, I trained hard, like I was going on deployment, going to a fight, whatever. And um afterwards, you know, I got a picture of this too. It was day five. Got an ICU and went to the gym in the hotel. Doc said I could only lift five pounds. Like, cool. So I've got five-pound bench press and I'm bench pressing five pounds. And this thing popped in my head, it's like, hey man, you need a challenge. So not only do we figure out how long it's gonna take you to get back to the way that you were, which it took me, I believe it was 14 weeks and two days to get back to the same PR status that I was prior to going in. One guy believed in me, hit the I believe button, and we literally trial and errored it because nobody wanted to touch me back at the command or anywhere because they were afraid of what was gonna happen, right? You know, with the brain stuff, because everybody's like, I ain't touching that. One one human performance guy's like, eh, I'm your Huckleberry, let's do this. And then we literally came up, and I came up with the road to strength. I got it over here, right? Uh, because I was like, well, if nobody's gonna give me a roadmap and the doctor couldn't give it to me, I'm gonna at least gonna have something for somebody else. Of course you go, you take it around, took it back to the surgeon. He's like, cool story, go ahead and keep that. Okay, your job is to get the stuff out, that's fine. Take it to rehab clinics, take it to here, take it to there, take it back to the hospital, take it back to human performance. All I got was cool, cool, all right, yeah, go ahead and keep that. And I went, I'm not like looking to get a book deal out of it. I'm just trying to help. Like, because I wasn't given anything. This is the capacity that a human can have post-brain surgery. This is what they can do. It might be extreme, but this is what's in the realm of possibility. Nobody wanted it. Lo and behold, the only people that said yes, West Side Barbell. Because they're a strength research facility, come to find out, right? Of all the stuff that they've done, they're the strongest gym on the planet for a reason. So, um, but but that wasn't what got their eye. What got their eye was the the goal, the other goal that I made, the challenge. So I said, in one year, I'm gonna go from benching five pounds to five hundred pounds, and I did it in 362 days.

SPEAKER_01 39:36

Amazing, absolutely amazing.

SPEAKER_00 39:39

It's just the if you have a problem and you're telling me you have a problem, let me tell you my story, see if you can match it, and then give me an excuse. So I always say you only need one excuse, and that's the excuse to win. That's it, and that's the only one that's acceptable.

Fail Forward And Kill Complacency

SPEAKER_01 39:57

Yeah, no, that's very powerful. And you you're so on the asset mindset philosophy. This is why I try and tell people the truth is the truth, man. When you get it, you get it. When you can own that power, when you're willing to do the work, you're gonna put the discipline in, you will have the transformation. Everybody can transform their life. Absolutely. You're living testimony to it. It's incredible.

SPEAKER_00 40:20

Yeah. Absolutely. You know, it's it is, man. And it's just, it's just, I'm not gonna give up. No matter what happens, one, I'm not gonna fail. I'm not gonna be a failure. I'll fail. And that's another thing that I say. I always say the the step ladder to success or the ladder to success, every rung is a fail leading to a win. But you have to be able to take those fails. Like you got, you know, one through six up before we got seven up, right? So like you have to just keep going because it's there. And the people that fail, even with businesses, come to find out what that big five-year thing is. I thought it was that they ran out of money. That's not the case. It's they quit. And they're like, meh, this isn't it. But I'm just gonna like, what if at year five and six months, that's when the big break was coming? Right? If you get given that gift, if you get given that thing, that message that says, this is what I need to be doing, that's where your passion and love is, that's what came your way, that is gonna elevate you to whatever level that the good Lord needs you at, then go. Go do it. And you know what? Guess what, man? If anybody could do it, it'd be simple. Everybody'd be a billionaire, and then the world would, the money would meet nothing because everybody's got all of it. Who cares, right? Like, go out, do the work, be consistent, and know that the gunfire is coming. It's just, are you gonna be the one that runs away from it or one run towards it? Period.

SPEAKER_01 41:43

Absolutely. And I think you're hitting on the um same subject as like, oh, people that want to start a business where nine out of ten fail. You know, you don't 90% of the businesses that start fail. Okay, so I only have to do something 10 times before I get a win. Like, hello, or what if number two was the win? Or number four, you know, out of those 10 ideas or 10 things or whatever. So, like, don't focus on that negative aspect. Stop. Don't think of the oh 90% fail. Be like 10%. So if I put enough effort in, I'm gonna be one of that 10%. You can do it. And so that's where I tell people own your power.

SPEAKER_00 42:22

That's right. And flip the script, man. Know it's coming. You know failing is coming. Don't be afraid to fail. That's what everybody else is, especially nowadays. It's like a catastrophic event. Guys, grown men, I say men, males, are sitting there in the corner sucking their thumb because they failed one time. Come on, man. Dude, man up. Take that freaking kick in the junk, learn from it, and next time when the boot comes, dodge it. Learn. Yeah. Right? Catch it. Block it. Whatever. Shoot first. Do something. Right? Don't cave. Don't stop. You have to understand. If you know, if you know and got it in your head, that's the biggest tip I could give somebody, man, is that wherever you go, if it's something that's worth anything, the challenges are come. And guess what? The pain train is headed right towards you. All you got to do is know it's coming. Talk to people that have been there before. Or if you're trailblazing, guess what? You gonna find some stuff out nobody else did. Learn. After action, report those things, man. Like hot wash it. Once you do something, go through an evolutionist, just like on every op that we went on. Did we wait till we clean vehicles? Did we wait till this, that, and the other? Absolutely not. As soon as we roll back in through that fob, we're immediately getting out, dropping the guns, and we're talking about what went wrong. Did you ever once talk about what went right? Absolutely not. Not once. Every after action report that you did in the platoon was negative. Why? Because who cares about the positive? If I don't talk about it, it went great. If I talk about it, why are we talking about it in a negative manner? I don't see it as negative. I see it as assessing, not criticizing. Always assess and analyze, don't criticize. What went wrong? What can I do better next time that's gonna make me not do that again? Because if I get kicked in the junk, I know it hurts and I don't want to do it again. So how can I avoid that when I see and know that it's coming next time? All I gotta do is know it's coming and then prepare for it and go into action. That's it. That's growth. Yeah.

Faith, Humility, And True Strength

SPEAKER_01 44:34

100%. So don't how you grow. Right. That's how I mean you talked about, you know, an axe or sword being forged by metal, but it's the same thing too. People like just isn't a life force. And I can use plants. I do this sometimes with people as I explain. You know, if you have a seed and you plant it in a greenhouse and it's grown and that pea plant or whatever is growing up, yeah, you can't just put it right outside. Right. It's too harsh. You have to harden the plant. You got to bring it out, let it get used to some sunlight because the sun's more intense. It's got to get used to wind because it didn't have wind. You know, you can't have something that's too sheltered. And you gotta get tough. And you just you gotta do it, people. You need to understand that's part of the process. Get out of your comfort zone. Don't stay too comfortable because you comfort is soft. Comfort is unique.

SPEAKER_00 45:26

Yeah, it's just like complacency. That was big in Iraq back in the days, man. That was big in Iraq. I always tell this story too, man. Is I had a master sergeant that um uh when we were in Fallujah, as soon as we exited, we were exiting Camp Fallujah to get on the uh to get on uh Route Mobile, um, he had a body bag that he put right at the freaking head HQ and posted it and then painted it in blood red. We always joked and said it was Al-Qaeda blood, but he's but he he he said complacency kills and wrote it on that body bag. That way we see it every time we head out the door. So no matter what, you never get you never get comfortable because comfort braids weakness. I'm not saying that you shouldn't chill, have a good time, rest, recover, regenerate, which you should, that's how you get to 100%. But when you're constantly seeking comfort, you're literally getting weaker. But if you're constantly seeking and doing what is difficult, and no matter how you come out on the other end, you're gonna come out tougher, harder, more resilient. Why? To prepare you for the next thing that's coming. Because the beatings are gonna come and life will beat you to your knees all the way until you die. Period. Something's gonna come at you. And you have to do the work in some way, shape, or form, even if it's fitness, which that joins us all. That's another thing I love about the wellness piece, is it's something literally every human being shares. And that working out, that exercising, that resistance, what are you doing? You're seeking pain for your body so that way it becomes more resilient to anything. When you slow down, you go down, period. So keep exercising till the day you die. That's when the work ends.

SPEAKER_01 47:10

So true. So true. And I think the audience is, you know, gonna realize how intense you're saying this and how true it is. And I think a lot of our listeners get it. And for those that don't get it, I hope this inspires you because you need that boot in the butt. Like you need to get that push, you need to get that desire, you need to get that mindset. You have to push yourself. I mean, I love your story because you are such an inspiration. I mean, Tommy, like it's just you know, it's not just one thing like, oh, the knee surgery, the shoulder, oh, brain surgery. Like, oh, I couldn't see one eye when I woke. You know, bench prints and 500 pounds, what, one year, 365 days earlier? Well, 362. Let's be correct here. I don't want to mistake. But yeah, like from five to 500. I mean, I've been pretty strong team time and whatever. I never benched 500 pounds, man. God bless you. They and that focus and that that's incredible, that feat. And to do it after brain surgery, like you, an absolute inspiration. I'm so proud of you for what you're doing. That's why you're here, because you have that asset mindset. You realize that you have to be your greatest asset and push. And you know, a lot of people, and especially we've talked a little bit about religion and whatnot. You have to open up to God. Like you have to make that choice. You know, that's just something that I think a lot of times are, well, God's your greatest asset. He is, and he is, but you got to go to him. You still have to do the work. I use another analogy with like a bird. God feeds the birds, you know, there's all the food out there, but he doesn't drop it in the bird's nest. The bird has to go out and catch the worm, like it's out there in the world. You have to get out there in the world, and God will take care of you. Things will happen, but you still have to do the work.

SPEAKER_00 49:05

Right. Yeah, I always tell I always tell people that there's two beasts. There's a beast for evil and there's a beast for good. And whichever one you feed more, that's the one that you're gonna go towards. And that's the one that's gonna dominate you.

Powerlifting, Community, And Closing

SPEAKER_01 49:17

No, I I got that um Cherokee story in my book, The Two Wolves. Which one's gonna live or who wins the fight? The one you feed.

SPEAKER_00 49:25

Yeah, and the thing is, man, once you bring God into the picture, you have no idea how strong you'll be. And that it's a fight on three planes, body, mind, and spirit.

SPEAKER_01 49:34

Yeah, no, absolutely. And that it you realize when you connect with your source and God that you have so much more potential, and you have the support, and you're never alone. And it's just an incredible, incredible thing. And if you look at what so many people have gone through in the world and the strength that God has given human beings, yeah, it's it's you can't even fathom it. It's so it's incredible.

SPEAKER_00 50:04

No, you're gonna be tapped into it, man.

SPEAKER_01 50:07

So I wanna, I know you've shared so many good things. I mean, so many. We could write a giant list. Sure. But if there's something right now, say somebody's just happening, you know, across the asset mindset podcast right now, and they're like, oh, what's what's going on here? What would be the big message that you want them to walk away with?

SPEAKER_00 50:28

Pride kills. That's that's that's the biggest thing, man. It's original sin. Um, it's your absolute biggest detriment is pride and and and and your ego. Thinking you're better, and you've I know you've heard this one before, thinking you're better at what you do and saying and thinking better than you actually are. Right? One of the most dangerous people in the world, and especially on the battlefield, is somebody that thinks they're better than they actually are. Right? So um humility, resilience, strength, those are the things that you gotta take if you want to win. And that's what's gonna get you to win. That servant mentality and then servant leadership, and it was all shown through Jesus, man. All you gotta do is start in the got start in the gospels, start reading. You wanna see what a dead gum man looks like, you want to see what perfection on earth looks like, you want to see what real strength is, that's it. I want to see anybody on this planet take a beating like that dude did, and then do what he did for everybody else that he didn't even know and wasn't gonna know.

SPEAKER_01 51:30

The sacrifice and it's the power and strength, it's love and man, it's wow. All right, you get me a little like fired up here.

SPEAKER_00 51:39

But it's that's why we're here. Right, this is why we're here. Let's go.

SPEAKER_01 51:46

And hey, I will say I can relate a little bit. I didn't turn 6'4 at um 14, but I was 16, 6'4 with like a size 14 shoe, and I was tall and skinny. I was like, you know.

SPEAKER_00 51:57

Yeah, I was a 16 shoe, size 16. The Marine Corps beat me back down to a 14. That's where I'm at now. What do you what do you weigh for 6'4?

SPEAKER_01 52:07

Right now, actually, I've I've lost a lot of weight. I've been trying to take it into the floor. I just uh oh bad weight. Okay. But um, I just did a seven-day fast. I didn't eat for seven days. I started on a Saturday night, had my last dinner. I didn't eat again. Um I'm 228. Okay. So lightweight, dude. I'm not small, but I'm not like I my biggest, I was I think it was 264 when I was on a team.

SPEAKER_00 52:32

Yeah, it's so I was that's yeah, operating 264, that's that's that's huge. Like my that was my operating my operating weight fluctuated between 260 and 270. I'm 310 now.

SPEAKER_01 52:44

Wow. Incredible. That's good to do that. That's all that strongman stuff.

SPEAKER_00 52:47

Yeah, it's powerlifting now. Yeah, it's all powerlifting.

SPEAKER_01 52:50

So we got coming up, we got nationals coming up here. I should hook you up with um a world record holder, um Melody Watson. Do you know who she is? I've heard the name of my female. Yeah, like she's a little powerhouse man.

SPEAKER_00 53:02

It's awesome. Every and that's the thing that's cool about it about Westside, man, is that they got more world record holders than anybody else on the planet. And I I've talked to all of them. I'll have absolutely talk to another one. I'll talk to anybody about strength and lifting, man. Um, but uh it's it's it's it's a passion, it's a love, and uh it's it's another way to help inspire folks, man, and tell them to keep on going.

SPEAKER_01 53:21

Yeah, she's an amazing Christian woman, power, gives glory to God. Like you two would I I gotta shoot me a message or I'll shoot you a message, and we'll we're definitely gonna link up because I think you two would really hit it off well. Cool. What she does with her work and motivating and inspiring people, because you know, she's not the tallest stature woman and whatnot. And she's like, I'll show you woman can be strong. You know, she's incredible. So any of you listeners out there, also check out my friend Melody Watson. She's pretty amazing. Maybe I'll have her on the show sometime.

SPEAKER_00 53:51

Do it, man. Because it's like it's uh Laura Phelps, the the Amy Weissbergers, all those gals, man, that just just just especially like Laura Phelps did 11 times her body weight total. Like you see, he's the only woman to ever do that. It's insane. Absolutely insane coming out of Westside. Unreal. Incredible, super cool, though. I mean, you talk about resiliency and you know, where where the mind and the heart meet, and that's it. And I always say it's a super highway, and therein lies the will, and that's indestructible.

SPEAKER_01 54:19

I I can't thank you enough for being here. And again, listeners, don't forget to like, follow, and subscribe with the asset mindset. Don't forget to check out Divine Savagery. And boy, I just I love this episode. You got me fired up. I want to go to the gym. Let's go. Or go down to the basement. I got the basement. Start punching the bag, man. Do something. Oh, I love the punch bag. That's my actual favorite cardio is to get the heavy bag. Great stuff. It's fantastic. But uh, thank you again. And thank you. Absolutely. You are amazing. You are an inspiration. You have the asset mindset. You are a prime example of what man can do when he's focused. And I just I love it. God bless you. I'm proud of you. And everybody out there, don't forget, own your power.