The Mens Round Table Series - "Work-Life-Purpose Pt. 1: The Grind vs. The Gift"

What if pressure isn’t a problem to avoid but a forge to enter with intention? We sat down with Marines, coaches, creators, entrepreneurs, and dads to explore the push and pull between work, life, and purpose—with honest stories about rank, revenue, identity, and the moments that reshape a man.

We start by asking when work stopped feeling like purpose and started feeling like pressure. The answers take us from military responsibility to corporate exits and fragile creative seasons. One theme rises: pressure can form diamonds or burst pipes. The difference isn’t the weight—it’s our response, our boundaries, and our perspective. That leads us to a hot-button myth: work–life balance. Some call it subjective and seasonal; others argue that chasing a tidy 50–50 split breeds mediocrity. Our shared ground is presence: be 100% where you are when you are. Block time for your spouse and kids like any board meeting. Let your calendar reflect your values, not your guilt.

We also dive into identity, money, and metrics. Men admit how quickly self-worth latches onto titles, rank, downloads, or paychecks. A veteran talks about the shock of taking off the uniform and losing the label. A podcaster shares the hit of being deplatformed and rebuilding from scratch. The pivot is purpose-first living: seek God, put husband and father before job title, and treat work as a vehicle for service rather than the source of value. It’s practical and spiritual—time blocking, clear boundaries, and a north star that isn’t for sale.

Finally, we reclaim sacrifice from martyrdom. Coaches give nights and weekends to shape teenagers. Founders trade short-term income for long-term impact, letting their kids watch them struggle with dignity. Every yes is a no to something else, so say yes to what builds legacy. And don’t wait on algorithms to save your city—pull thr

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intros And Panel Roll Call
• 1:00 Setting The Topic: Work, Life, Purpose
• 7:19 When Purpose Becomes Pressure
• 18:54 Pressure As Refinement, Not Enemy
• 27:25 Is Work–Life Balance Real?
• 35:43 Presence Over Balance And Boundaries
• 40:03 Identity Tied To Work And Rank
• 49:43 Money, Ego, And Self-Worth
• 57:43 Sacrifice, Seasons, And Legacy
• 1:09:43 Coaching, Community, And Impact
• 1:13:43 Faith, Exchange, And Walking By Purpose

Transcript

SPEAKER_09: 0:23

Welcome to the men's Ron Table Series Podcast. I'm your host, Mr. Yu in the house. We got some warriors up in here, man. Today, we did a poll on the topic that we're doing today: work, life, and purpose, the grind versus the gift. And this was the runaway winning the poll. Smash all the other options that I put out there. I'm like, wow, these guys want to talk about this. So guess what? That's what we're gonna do, man. So we got guys coming in through. Good to see you guys. Chance, good to see you, BC. What's up, man? Going on, fam. Have you guys in the house? Up in the right-hand corner of your screen is a QR code. If you want to be a panelist on a future episode of the Men's Ground Table Series podcast, click on the QR code. We get the interview going, get you in the box, man. But besides that, you guys can do quick intros. You know how we do it, who you are, where you're at, and what you're doing. Be as quick as you can, and we're getting to our topic for tonight.

SPEAKER_05: 1:19

All right, I'll start. Steve Maynor here in Greensboro, North Carolina. Uh founder of uh Communicate the League Consultant and Strategies. It's a new venture I'm getting into. Congrats, bro. I'm thankful. Uh co-author of a book. I'm a full-time communications instructor, husband, dad, grandpa.

SPEAKER_09: 1:43

So basically you killed it.

SPEAKER_05: 1:45

Yeah, I'm trying.

SPEAKER_02: 1:48

I heard that. Good. Who's next? Should I go, man? I'm Dustin Margusa, aka D L the Low Life. I'm the host of the Low Life Show, where we talk about war on pride and uplifting humility around the world, man. I'm just a servant to all a master of none. And I'm just here to be a brother and walk with whoever's watching this and walk with my brothers right here on this panel, man, all the way to the finish line where the Lord says, Good and faithful servant, well done.

SPEAKER_09: 2:15

You're one of them, brother.

SPEAKER_01: 2:17

Thank you, man. Who's next? I'll jump in. Uh I'm Jacob Seabach. I'm the founder of Modern Manhood. I'm a I'm a coach for men. I loved seeing guys who are willing to step into their purpose, their fullness, become better husbands, better fathers, better connected in their lives, and better leaders in their communities. So I'm happy to be here.

SPEAKER_09: 2:44

That's a real man right there, y'all. Next.

SPEAKER_07: 2:49

Welcome. I am uh Rod Corbett, also known as Ariel Corbett, right here in uh Charleston, South Carolina. I am an analytical chemist for an engineering lab. Um also, I'm just uh I just like to motivate people. I I try to do three things that's to cultivate, inspire, and achieve. I've been doing that for a while, just trying to help people be the best version of themselves by unlocking that gift that's on the inside of them. Um, so that's basically what I just push positivity all day long. All day long.

SPEAKER_09: 3:25

That man is positive, man. Who's next? I'm Brian King.

SPEAKER_08: 3:31

And uh I'm I'm down here in uh beautiful Santee, South Carolina. Um, I'm the owner of Palmetto Procurement, and um we are in in uh commercial industrial power generation. And um I am a husband to a wonderful wife, very beautiful wife, and uh I'm a papa as well, two grandkids, you know what I mean, and and I love them to to to to life. And uh I enjoy these conversations. Um, iron does sharpen iron. And uh brothers need brothers, men need men, and we need each other. And I appreciate the community that's being created here. So I'm looking forward to the conversation. Yeah, you're a big part of it, man. Thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_09: 4:17

Who's next?

SPEAKER_06: 4:23

I'll go back.

SPEAKER_09: 4:25

Come on, here what y'all doing?

SPEAKER_06: 4:26

I'll go. Uh Chancellor K Jackson is the name. Um, out of Atlanta, Georgia, best selling author and publisher, educator, high school football coach, um, content creator. You know what I'm saying? Wear a lot of different hatches, like a lot of y'all. So consider myself a jack of all trades.

SPEAKER_09: 4:45

So glad to have you here, man. But that man's the most sought-up the man in America. I thought he was high. He's here. So, chance, thank you for jumping in, brother. Love appreciate you, man. All right, BD, you're the last person in here, man.

SPEAKER_03: 4:59

So just don't need to wait. Let's go, man. What you got? My name's Brent. I'm men's relationship and podcaster. Oh, I can't even introduce myself today, bro. My name is Brent. I'm a men's relationship coach and podcaster. I am the host of four different podcasts, and my entire company is built around just helping men grow into the lives that they're meant to lead. And I'm excited to be here, man. I love hanging out with you, you know that.

SPEAKER_09: 5:27

Man, this is a fun topic, man. So you guys don't get confused. I already felt like I forgot something in the intro. I did normally if you watch this podcast at all and you follow us, which you sure. If you don't, what's wrong with you? What's your problem? If you are following us, you already know we do one monthly uh broadcast every month. Well, every month, one one a month, right? This month, it's a little bit different. We do in two, so this is gonna be a part one. I know it's gonna be a banger and celebrate by the topic, so it's gonna be a part one. Part two is gonna air on the 22nd, live at 10 a.m. EST. If you're on the panel, but you're not in that box. Jump in the live chat, still help us out, man. It matters. You're getting eyes on the product, man. That's all that matters, man. I got a buddy of mine coming in from Cali. My guy double A is in here. What's up, fam? Thanks for jumping in, man. You need any uh questions or comments you have from the topics, man. Jump in and we'll put them on the screen and shout you out. First chance we get. All right, so we're talking about the topic that you guys wanted me, you guys fought for. I'm talking about blood and storage. You guys pull out the worst, get this topic to go. This is it work, life, purpose. Love to hear from you guys a few things on the topic, but we'll get into some questions about this. You guys are gonna bring the heat confidence about it. But for me, I feel like when we talk about this kind of stuff, when men talk about it, just talking about men right now, it seems to be a tension between what we do, who we are, and why we do it. So, we're talking about your why, purpose, identity, and then the actual work and why, if it does at all, why does it matter? So, I want to get into some of that. So, here's my first question for you guys to think about when did work stop feeling like purpose and start feeling like pressure? When did work stop feeling like purpose and start feeling like pressure? I ain't got no Jeopardy music, you're on your own, guys, right? So, come on, what you got?

SPEAKER_05: 7:29

Well, I'm I'm a retired Marine, and uh there was never a time I didn't feel pressure because if you were two E1s, two E2s in the same room, somebody's responsible, somebody's in charge. So I live my entire adult life feeling uh feeling that pressure. It's almost ingrained in Marines uh your why or your purpose, and everybody kind of gravitates towards you know the direction that their life is gonna take them. Uh say later on in my career, the higher I uh I got up in rank, the more times I got promoted. Uh I felt I felt the why. I always knew the why, but I felt the purpose. Once I started seeing the people that I had trained thriving and excelling and getting promoted and getting recognized, now it's like, okay, it ain't about me no more. It's about them. Because you know, you know, fruits are known by you know the saying, right? That's how I feel seeing those folks that I trained that I held to a standard that I was super hard and strict on, trust the process and make it through. So that's there wasn't a specific time when my when my when I felt that purpose, but I knew it when I started seeing those kind of results. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 9:01

Yeah, that's good. That's good. Um, I agree with that when we look outside. I I would say for me, um it becomes pressure when our why is found outside of ourself. Um, and when I say that, it's kind of like like what Steve was saying, you know, when we forget about our why, when our why becomes, okay, now my why am I doing this is to keep up with the person next to me or to keep up with the person ahead of me, right? Because then you're no longer identifying who you are, you're finding your identity in a bar that somebody else has set, right? You're not, it's not you anymore, you know. And it's not to say that that it's not a good thing to look outside of yourself, right? We don't want to be completely self-centered where we're the only one that we're focused on. But if we forget about our why and our why becomes because I want to be better than the next person, when it becomes a competition, right, then all of the joy goes away. All of the, you know, the reason that that first feeling that gave you fulfillment where your heart was full and I enjoy doing this right now, it's it's like if you don't measure up to someone who might be more naturally gifted than you, someone who might be a little bit faster than you, who might be just better at these things, right? You find yourself miserable and the pressure just never stops mounting until it becomes crushing. Um, so I would say that, man. That for me, if I if I start to compare and compete and look anywhere else other than you know, within my heart and find the fulfillment there, within God and find my fulfillment and my joy there, right? In his presence, there's fullness of joy. When I find it anywhere else, all I'm finding is is a weight that I can't bear.

SPEAKER_09: 10:47

Interesting thought there, brother. Next, when did work stop feeling like purpose and start feeling like pressure? That's the question on the floor for us.

SPEAKER_06: 10:57

For me, I would say um just constantly wanting to continue to elevate. Um, I had a lot of success when I dropped my first book, 14 Days in Beijing. For those that don't know about it, it's about my experience getting locked up in China for 14 days. Um, I'm pretty sure that probably didn't shook the room with me saying that. I get that shit all the time. But um I had that was like the I want to say the highest I've ever had or I've ever been in life. Um, especially just creating. I always played football my entire life. So I identified as a student athlete, as a football player. Once I took that as far as I could, which was Division I football, I knew the league wasn't gonna be in the picture. So now I was like, okay, how can I redefine myself? Who am I really? You know what I'm saying? So just that whole identity crisis, um, and then going to China, getting locked up, writing this book, and then the book having a huge success. I was like, okay, how can I continue to just build on topic? You know what I'm saying? Wrote more books. They didn't do as well as 14 Days, um, because 14 days is just a just a staple. Um, so it's like, okay, well, what else can I do to, you know what I'm saying, keep the momentum going? Because I ain't writing books left and right, you know what I'm saying? They're coming out periodically. Um like, well, coaching people through the writing publishing process had success with that a little bit, but it's still a lot of inconsistency and inconsistencies with that. So it's like, okay, that a lot of people want to write books, but a lot of people are not really serious about writing them either. You know what I'm saying? So how can we all right, what can we take from this and apply it to something else? Or what's gonna be the next thing? Started content creating, was slow at first, started doing numbers, and then it's like okay, people just got used to just seeing my face regularly, you know what I'm saying, on their time, on their timelines, and it's like wasn't engaged, starts just the engagement started decreas more and more. So, okay, well, I was it felt purposeful at first, but now it's like okay, people not really even responding to it. It's like, do I need to revamp it or do I probably need just need to take a break from it? You know what I'm saying? Just that whole that whole process of just constantly trying to elevate and try different things and put yourself out there to try to see what sticks and and build all on top of that.

SPEAKER_09: 13:12

That makes sense. We're gonna do work, stop feeling like purpose and stuff feeling like pressure.

SPEAKER_07: 13:18

I'm gonna speak on that, but uh, I'm gonna go in reverse. Work for me has always been pressure from the beginning, meaning, uh, you know, you go to school, and the reason for going to school is so you can get a good job, and you get a good job so you can provide. So pressure has always been there to be able to be that provider, especially once I got married and once I got had a child, we had a child, the pressure intensified. I need to be able to provide for their needs, I want to be able to provide for their their wants. I do not want my family to know lack. I do not want my family to, I basically want to break generational curses, you know, break poverty mindset. So the pressure has always been there and it only intensified. However, it began to switch when I stopped chasing profit and I started chasing purpose. At that point, then it began to switch. Okay, what message am I leaving? I don't know. And I always said it's a good thing to study history, it's a good thing to read history, but it's even better to make history. So what legacy am I leaving for my son? What inheritance am I leaving for him? So then I began to read more because outside of wealth, knowledge. So if I can teach him how we we have a goal that by the eight, by the time he's 18, he's gonna be buying his first house. You know, he's gonna be debt-free. No, you know, he's gonna go to school for free. But we're starting to make those changes now. So now that's my purpose, you know. He is my why, my wife is my why. Purpose outside of that. I'm also chasing, okay, God, what do you have for me? Okay, I have ability to write, I have ability, uh, you know, there's books inside of me. I need to get those out because if I can reach one person, that one person may reach a thousand. And it's all about getting his purpose out, which has become my purpose. Uh, so it's like I say, it started out as pressure from the beginning because that's what, as men, that's what we ingrained. You ingrain that you are supposed to provide, period. You're supposed to protect, period. So you go to work to do those things. A man don't work, he doesn't eat. Pressure has always been there, but now it has shifted from chasing profits to chasing purpose.

SPEAKER_09: 16:41

I love it. And great comment from you uh in the comment section, uh Pains Enlightenment. Trying your value to the outcomes. That's we make that first mistake for sure.

SPEAKER_03: 16:50

All right, who's next? You can I jump in here for a second, and uh one of the comments caught my attention. It was pressure starts when you give resistance a negative meaning. And while we're on this looking at this topic, I want to pose the idea why does purpose and pressure have to separate? Why is pressure a bad thing? Men thrive under pressure, the majority of men, and we're talking broad, broad spectrum, right? We can't obviously get everybody, but the majority of men function better with pressure. Pressure does not have to negate purpose, it doesn't have to separate you from purpose, right? I left my job in the corporate world to pursue something that I'm more passionate about, something that is in line with the purpose of who I am. And there are days that there's a lot of pressure, right? Being a content creator full-time, being a podcaster full-time, there's a lot of pressure and making income. I do a lot of freelancing on the side to help pay the bills, yo. Uh, and so there's a lot of pressure all the time, there's a lot of financial pressure all the time because I stinking well do not. I'm trying not to swear on your show, I do not make near as much money as I did working corporate IT guys. I know, I'm trying to be good. My mom's watching, but uh I I try so hard, but it's like the financial difference between doing my own thing in the corporate world is huge, right? So the pressure is always high and it's always there, but it's not a bad thing. Pressure isn't this evil thing that's sent to derail us, it's this thing that is sent to refine us, right? That's a straight-up biblical precedent. I like it. We are built under pressure, God puts us in pressure to refine us into something better. So if you're feeling pressure instead of purpose, it doesn't mean that you've lost your way or that it's a bad thing, it just means that you aren't you're trying to let the two separate each other, but it's not necessarily this or that.

SPEAKER_09: 19:05

I like it, and there's a comment from Payne Enlightenment's pressure bad, diamonds were formed in pressure. It's really hard to uh argue that, but at the same time, you know, for some reason we seem to avoid it. I think our very first podcast together, our very first broadcast, we were talking about while we avoid some of the hard things in life, and that was probably our most popular episode. Men were coming out the world, I was getting texts and emails from everywhere, so it's like it's obviously a touchy subject, but we still keep doing it for some strange reason. No one hurt.

SPEAKER_03: 19:41

I'm sorry, go ahead. No one wants to hurt. That's why, right? It is a base core neurological reaction. Our brain is designed to keep us away from things that hurt mentally, emotionally, it doesn't separate it. The same thing happens in your brain, whether you get a physical cut or you get an emotional wound. The same exact thing happens in your brain. Our brains are hardwired to keep us away from it. So we feel pain, we withdraw. It's that simple. No one wants to hurt, but sometimes you you got to change your perspective and look at you know what is pain really a bad thing all the time?

SPEAKER_07: 20:25

Yeah, yeah. There you go. I I agree with you on that point. And I say the thing with pressure is like you said, pressure is not necessarily a bad thing. Actually, like you said, it's uh it's a necessary thing. The problem is, or the question is, is how do we respond to the pressure? And I think that's that's the key. Pressure does make diamonds, but pressure also bursts pipes. So, how do you respond? Do you know when to relieve the pressure or how to relieve the pressure? Do you know how to use the pressure to motivate you to uh to use it into something constructive? So it's all about our response to the pressure.

SPEAKER_02: 21:06

Yeah, yeah, I want to just add really quick because Brent kind of touched on it, uh, perspective too, right? It's super important. How are you defining the pressure? What do you define as pressure? Because, yes, like you just said, Ariel, pressure makes diamonds, but it bursts pipes, right? You know, when we think about pressure, we can look at muscles, right? In order to build a muscle, it takes a stretching, it takes a little bit of stress on it, right? It takes a little bit of that tension, that pressure, right, in order to build it. And I love what you said, Brent. Why do we have to separate the two? Right? Why do we have to? I think we have to because we are creatures of comfort, first and foremost, right? We look at separating the two because who wants to be stressed out? Who wants to be pressed for anything? Like if I'm naturally gifted at something, I'm gonna just go in that direction. If something's a little bit too hard, naturally, I'm like, uh, let me go over here. You know, uh, we talked about this before. It's like, it's like walking things out in God's will, right? You know what? I know you're there, God, and I know you want me to do this, but it's way easier to do wrong over here. So I'm gonna do that because it makes my body feel good too. I don't have to hurt, I don't have to stress, I don't have to sweat, right? So I think the the perspective on it is super important. Um, because if we're looking at pressure from a negative lens, yeah, we're gonna run from it, like you said, Brent. Like you said, or like everyone is saying here, we are gonna run from it because we don't want to do that. Like, nah, I don't got no time for that.

SPEAKER_09: 22:42

Well, you had your mic open. Were you gonna say something?

SPEAKER_00: 22:45

Uh yeah, if I can. And I I love what you guys are talking about right now. I think some great points have been brought up here. The um, you know, the only thing I want to add uh in terms of just maybe a little bit different perspective on it is the um where the pressure comes from. And you know, with me, I'm from that older, you know, Gen X hustle and grind type of thing where your value is intrinsically tied to how long you're working and what you're doing and everything else. So putting in an 80-hour work week is a badge of honor, you know, for people who have that mentality. And that's that's how I've always been. So part for me, it in order to have value to the people that you know that I love and to myself when I look in the mirror, I've always put more pressure on myself to go out and do that than anybody else was ever going to put on me. And now, healthy or not healthy, we can have that debate all day long. But you know, when you're looking at facts, that that was a really big deal with was pressure in my life. Uh, even you know, now I mean I'm self-employed, I do this full-time, and I'm still working 12 to 16 hour days by choice now because it makes me feel like I'm getting the job done and like I'm doing something of value. And you know, that it's a hard, hard thing to to fight, and it's a hard thing to kind of counteract when you've been in that soup for so long. But the pressure, you know, for me at least, comes from me more than anybody else.

SPEAKER_09: 26:48

Be you guys help with something on this next piece right here, because there's a lot of debate about this, and I hopefully this goes well. You're putting this out here. But tell me, in your opinion, what is work-life balance, and do you believe it's actually possible or is it a myth? What is work life balance? Is it is it a real thing or something somebody made up?

SPEAKER_05: 27:13

What do you think? Uh in theory, uh, it it sounds good to say that, um, but in reality, it's it's so subjective. Uh, everybody on this panel, what our definition is of work-life balance is exactly that. And we have to be our own gauge and not uh measure ourselves about what somebody else is thinking about. You it is it's too subjective to say it's you know it's black and white, yes, it it is, or no, it's not. And I think at various stages in our lives, uh we may find it. And then there are other stages in our lives where we won't have it. Uh my instance is my time on active duty, the the Marine Corps came first. My wife understood that, my kids understood that, and it sucked. Then when I transitioned to the retired side, I did make a choice to do something that I really, really enjoy doing, which is teaching. It fulfills me. I don't make nearly enough or as much money as I could have if I had chosen another path. But I feel fulfilled now. And the all of the comments that you guys mentioned about pressure, pressure, yeah. It you just you gotta find how much pressure you could take and how much pressure you can't take, and not measure yourself against how much weight somebody else is carrying. Your the gym analogies were really good. I'm not worried about the guy next to me benching 400 pounds because that ain't me. That ain't for me, right?

SPEAKER_09: 29:03

No, I tried that. Nah, I'm good.

SPEAKER_05: 29:08

Yeah, and we do that to ourselves all the time. It's self-induced, uh, you know, most of the time. Like, but what you got going don't have no bearing on me, you know. God bless you on your journey to get there, but I know what my load can bear. So I I digress.

SPEAKER_09: 29:25

I love that. No, that's good, that's good. All right, work-life balance, real thing, myth. What are we doing?

SPEAKER_03: 29:30

Somebody, you might as well have yelled fight, dude. Like, I mean, you might as well just like throw that out and be like, fight. Uh, because you're gonna get a different take on that from any given person. Uh no way, Steve Row entirely. Um, and I'm gonna say is not after hundreds of interviews, talking to people in every walk of life, the only time work-life balance actually truly exists is if you want to live a life of mediocrity. Oh boy. Ouch. If you want to be mediocrity, mediocre and never excel at anything, then work-life balance is possible. Can somebody put that in the comments? Is that possible?

SPEAKER_09: 30:16

Can we somebody put that in the comments?

SPEAKER_03: 30:19

I know I just like kicked a few people, but all around the country, right? But but let me let me work this out for a second. The reality is been cast the best you can do is to be present in any given moment. So I'm I'm a huge fan of block scheduling, uh, because that's how I function my day, right? You and I have talked in the past. I have time for my daughters. I have two daughters, I've got an 11-year-old and almost 14-year-old. And on Monday nights from four o'clock till they go to bed, there's nothing else on my calendar, and but it is blocked. You cannot schedule on my calendar. That night is theirs exclusively, right?

SPEAKER_09: 31:04

I can't do that.

SPEAKER_03: 31:06

I do the same thing with my wife. When we put down a date night, right? That's on my calendar just like any other meeting, and that is exclusive. No one else can touch that. The best you can do is be a hundred percent where you are when you are, right? Make sure that when you're spending time with those people you love, you are 100% with them, and be the best you can be in that moment. When you're at work, when you're working on whatever you do, be 100% in the moment. But if you try and spread yourself and balance, you will never be great at anything. You won't be a great father, you won't be a great husband, and you won't be a great whatever you do.

SPEAKER_09: 31:54

I know everybody wants to go ahead or go ahead, boy. Why would you why would you even why would you even try to come behind that? But go ahead.

SPEAKER_00: 32:01

Honestly, because I'm I'm just so happy right now, I can't even contain myself. Um, because I thought when you asked this question, I was gonna be the only guy that was, you know, um having my uh point of view so far, though. Uh Steve and Brent, both you guys uh love what you both had to say. Uh I'll be honest with you, and I'm gonna throw this out there. I think that by and large, not every time, not every time, but by and large, what I've run into and what I've seen um is it's an excuse. And I hate it. And the reason I say that is because I don't see men doing what Brent's talking about, which is what needs to happen. And that is you have a work-life balance and you say, I'm going to be uh, you know, really here. I'm gonna focus, I'm gonna be purposeful with my time. What I see is guys going, you know what? Uh, I need my me time, man. I uh I gotta get to my softball league, uh, I gotta go, you know, do this for me, I gotta get to my bowling night. Hey, you know what? I I need some time, man. I need a little time to watch Netflix and chill alone. Oh boy. You know, that type of thing. And that's what I see, unfortunately, too often is that it's not taken the way it's supposed to be taken, and it becomes this excuse. And the bottom line is look, you know, I'm not gonna say don't take care of yourself and don't take your me time. But if you haven't done the them time first, then you have no right to your mean time. You have no right to time for you if you haven't taken care of the people who depend on you. And that's always been a big thing of mine, and I just you know absolutely agree. That the fastest way to mediocrity and to not taking care of the people that are depending on you is to put yourself first in pleasure and things like that. So I just can't stand the work-life balance. Your work-life balance is whatever it has to be, so that you can take care of the people that you have to take care of.

SPEAKER_09: 33:44

And that's I'm shocked that you're shocked that we didn't have your back on this topic. That's what that's what shocked me.

SPEAKER_00: 33:49

I just didn't know, brother. I didn't know. It's been a long day.

SPEAKER_02: 33:54

Can I say uh can I say I I agree with all of that, minus the mediocrity part, only because of this. Steve said it first, it's very subjective. Very subjective. Meaning, what if work is 90% and life is 10%, but they weigh the same? You know what I'm saying? What if you put in all of this work, but your life is so smooth that it doesn't weigh, you know, it doesn't carry that much weight in a way that it would require that much effort, require that much time. Um, I'll share something that my father taught me long ago, and this is like something that I kind of hold to, and it speaks to subjectivity. Definitions are attached to people, not to words, because through our experiences, we define everything differently. Through our backgrounds, we define everything differently. We might find one thing on this panel that we can all agree on, and I'm pretty sure it's God. Aside from that, there's gonna be some nuances that are gonna be different. Aside from that, there's gonna be some different lenses and different perspectives. I mean, that's what makes this panel so great, I think, because we have so many different types of people who all will have the same goal. We're here trying to uplift men, build each other up. But at the end of the day, like I look at it like that. I mean, if we look at a fulcrum, right, we can put imagery to it. If we look at a fulcrum, right, the board doesn't have to be 50-50 split for it to be balanced. The weight just has to be the same. You know what I'm saying? It could be longer on this side, so we might spend more time over here. But if the weight's the same, then there's a balance. Um, so I would say that, man. Like if we're looking at it at like it has to be 50-50, then yeah, then that is a very fast way to mediocrity. Very fast way. Um, but if we're looking at it from our own personal lenses, like me, my work actually is part of my life, you know, like I podcast, but I'm also a case manager helping people, and that's my heart. So it fulfills me in every way, shape, and form. I mean, it happens to pay, you know. So, and I don't find sorry, Brent, uh, but I don't find myself mediocre. I I don't, you know, but I do agree with if we're looking at it as a 50-50 split and we're saying, okay, it has to be balances, everything has to equate metrically, then yeah, that's a really easy way to be mediocre. Um, but for me personally, you know, the metrics don't equate in that way.

SPEAKER_03: 36:26

Can I tell in on that, Dio?

unknown: 36:28

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03: 36:29

You can be really good at something. But the measure is greatness, right? If you're not willing to be a little bit selfish when you're focused on a project and just be on that project, you will never take that project as far as you could possibly go. It's not that you can't be good, it's not that you can't do great work, but you will never be achieved greatness in any said thing.

SPEAKER_02: 37:01

Okay, I could agree with that. I could agree with that 100%, right? Right, because the it's taking it to that next level, right? So yeah, I agree with that.

SPEAKER_09: 37:10

All right, Brian, what you got, brother?

SPEAKER_08: 37:14

I mean, uh first of all, I'm enjoying the conversation, man. This is great stuff. You want to just say it like that and not say nothing?

SPEAKER_09: 37:23

You know about it.

SPEAKER_08: 37:24

Listen, man, listen, I'm enjoying listening to you guys, but um I think you I think it's um I know for me personally, uh I I I like what um what Dustin just said, you know, it's it's and uh Steve, it's it's subjective. It is subjective. And so, but for me, it's to always be aware and mindful of the fact that the life part of me feeds the work part, and I do need both. Without the life part, I'm not gonna be great over here. So that's where my balance comes in, is understanding where both parts fit together and how they connect, and and and always, always being mindful of the fact that I need both. And then when you when you live life being mindful of the fact that you need both, then you understand where both come into play. And it's up to you. It's not going to be the same for another brother that it is for me. It's up to him to find that. But for me, I know what it is, you know. And um, it's it's really it's and I think Brent was the one that said this being present in the moment. You know, we might not we might not get it perfected, but if we understand every moment and what needs to be in every moment, then we can find that um that balance at times. It may not be there all the time, but yeah, we just need to stay mindful of that.

SPEAKER_09: 39:03

I love that. I got a few more questions. I gotta get in, man. These are so good, man. This one's gonna be probably the vulnerability question of the broadcast. We always have at least one of those. In what ways has your work shaped your identity as a man, negative or positive? In what ways has your work shaped your identity as a man, either negative or positive?

SPEAKER_08: 39:32

Um for me, it's in a positive way, it really is really putting me on the fast path of creating legacy. It it gives me it gives me a sense of purpose. It it lets me it, you know, I I understand why I'm doing what I'm doing. I'm not just out there working. Because if you're just out there doing things, then you're toiling, you're not working. That's where you know you're you're really finding your you're gonna burn yourself out. But the more you're working with the mindset of creating something for somebody else, and and you you find your purpose in that. Because as men, I really believe that we were built and created to meet to um to solve problems. You understand? That's what we're created for. I believe we we are designed to to fix things, and and so with me and my work, I'm solving a problem for someone else, and now I can use that to create something for my for the generations after me, and that's where it's a positive impact on my life. Okay, thank you, sir.

SPEAKER_09: 40:43

Who's next? You asked that question again, will you? Of course. In what ways has your work shaped your identity as a man, either positive or negatively?

SPEAKER_03: 40:54

My work shaped my identity as a man negatively because I mistakenly accepted that as who I am.

SPEAKER_09: 41:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_03: 41:06

90% of men, I'd say 97% of men, that's that I make up numbers here, full disclosure, uh derive their self-worth based on what they do. They define themselves based on what if if I walk up to if I was to walk up to you one of the guys, right, as a complete stranger, and I was like, RL, my name is Brunt. Tell me about you. The first thing you're gonna lead off with is you're gonna tell me what you do for a living. It has taken years, years of my life to start to separate, and I'm still working on it. This is a work in progress. I was just having a good conversation with my brother Oliver the other day, he's a podcaster, and we were talking about this very subject. I I'm doing well, my family is well, I'm healthy, uh, we're in a great place. Business wise, we're struggling, right? Finances, we're struggling. I've achieved more like my podcast. I got deplatformed last year, I basically got shut down and started over, went from a top 1% podcast to starting over, basically. Um explanation, right? The hit to my ego, the hit to my self-worth was epic to go from 20,000 plus downloads a month to four or 500 after four years and hundreds of shows. I'm approaching our right at 400 episodes on my main show. I have four shows. I'm approaching, I think I'm right at 400 episodes on my main show. There's a 1.3% chance of that happening for most podcasters to get to 400 episodes.

SPEAKER_09: 43:06

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 43:07

That is the that is the industry statistics, right? So yeah, I got there, but my podcast is struggling, right? I'm not struggling. Brent, Brent is good. I've been married for 24 years. I have good healthy children that love me and love to spend time with me and want to be with me. I am blessed. My business is struggling, right? And this is the problem. Men get their self-worth from what they do for a living instead of seeing themselves as value. It's the whole reason I have a show. You are innately valuable because you were born. Let me say that to all the men listening. You have value for this world, to this world, because you were born. You were made for a reason, and the world needs you to get there. What you do for a living does not define who you are, and it does not certainly define your value.

SPEAKER_07: 44:21

I love it. Anybody else want to chime in here? Well, sir. I'm gonna jump on the end of that. Um, because you know, you uh, Mr. Yu, me and you recently just had this conversation. Um, to where I've been in the science field doing organic chemistry for about 20 years now. And it all when someone calls me a scientist, it's like I don't identify with that because it's like that's what I do. That's not who I am, and my job, and I get frustrated, I'm at a point of frustration now, but though I'm successful in what I do, it provides for my family. The frustration comes because I always felt like, okay, I'm doing this, but it's not who I am, and it doesn't align with my purpose. So there was always a struggle there. And like I said, me and Mr. You just had this conversation. And um, and I always felt it was in my purpose, it bugs me so because that's my purpose to help people find their purpose. And I always tell people that what you just said, Brent, I always say that you are born on purpose, with purpose, for purpose. And everything that you need is already inside of you, it's not outside. And we have social media, we have culture and everything that try to define and tell us who we are or what a man is supposed to be. When the first place you have to go, you have to go to God. And God says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Then you have to ask, Well, where is the kingdom? He already told you the kingdom inside is inside of you. So I need to look inside of myself, his righteousness, what does he say about me? And then I define my purpose that way, and I live through that. Not by what I do, not by my occupation, but what was inside of me that needs to come forth. Because all the creation is waiting for the manifestation of us. You know, there is a purpose inside of us, God's purpose, that is for the masses. And I and I think that's why my frustration was coming because, like I said, though I excel in the science field, it doesn't align with my purpose, so to speak. Although I do find my purpose in there because I'm helping people while I'm there. So I'm with you on that all day, Brent.

SPEAKER_05: 46:55

I love it. I I would I would tell you guys, and if there are any active duty members or veterans watching this, this is a great question because military guys, military people oftentimes identify themselves by their rank and their billet, and transitioning from being wound so tight in the military because you address each other by your rank and your name, right? Or you just address it by the billet itself. But man, uh I had to find and I kind of was always grounded on I'm Steve Maynard first. I respect everybody and their rank and their title, but I'm Steve Maynard at the end of the day. And I try to never lose myself in being defined uh by my rank. I am a Marine. I'm gonna always be a Marine. But that don't, that's not all I am. I'm still a regular old dude that's struggling to try to figure it out and you know unwind this the mindset that a lot of military people have, and you have to have it in order to wear the uniform. It just comes with the territory, right? But man, when you make that transition and as confident as I was in myself, knowing who I was outside of the uniform, boy, when I took that uniform off, it was rough because I'm I'm trying to find how do I identify myself. Now do I identify myself as a husband first or a professor first? And as I have the longer I have been away from the uniform and doing what I do now, the more I identify first as a husband, dad, granddad. Because those priorities really had to come back in focus because I couldn't give that to them while uh fully while I was wearing the uniform. And I just hope somebody listening to this understands that their value is not in their rank. Because when you take the uniform off, people do not give a shit what rank you were, they don't care. Thank you for your service. Get in line. You're a regular old Joe, and the faster transitioning vets get that through their heads, the better off they'll be. And I think the mental health of uh of veterans and the large number of suicides we have in the veteran community will go down if we start teaching these guys not to stop identifying themselves solely as a Marine and their rank and their title.

SPEAKER_02: 49:54

Sure. Hey Steve, thank you for your service, bro. I forgot to say that at the beginning of this thing. Sorry, Mr. U. I just was really excited to jump in. RL, thank you for that scripture. I live my life on that, Matthew 6 33. Uh, you guys have been talking about purpose for the listener out there, man. That is a good way to start finding your purpose, seeking ye first the kingdom and its righteousness, and all the things would be added unto you. Um, I want to just speak to one thing, a negatively impacting thing for me when it came to the job was money, man. I made a lot of money. And so when I stopped making a lot of money, I stopped feeling like I had any kind of value. Right. So the person out there who who might identify with the dollar signs on their paycheck, stop it. Stop it. You're more valuable than a seven-figure paycheck. Right. We've talked about this throughout this, the whole course of this thing, man. You are so much more valuable than that dollar sign. And the problem is, is we have a media, we have social media, we have the news, we have all of these different things that point at statistics that involve money. You know, money makes the world go round. Yes, money is important. We need it for things, we need it to buy things, but that does not define who we are as people. I went through a probably a 10-year stretch after, you know, I made disclosure. This is not a boast, but I had a six-figure income and it was great. When I lost that, I went on the biggest downward spiral of my life. Granted, there was a lot of loss involved in that, but it started there because then I started being upset with everything that I saw. I'd look and I'd see someone doing well, and I was no longer happy for them. I was unhappy for myself because I didn't have that. So it became a thing where I became covetous. I wanted all the things that I once had. And it was like, okay, all I got to do is get back to that six-figure paycheck, and I'll get there. But no amount of money was able to get me there. Um, so the person out there who's who's impacted in this way, man, just know that. You've heard it time and time again throughout the course of this panel discussion here. You're way more valuable than any amount of money can can provide you. You know, there's an old song, a wise person once said, more money, more problems. Just consider that, man. You are so much more valuable than that price tag, though.

SPEAKER_09: 52:20

Thank you so much. Seabok.

SPEAKER_01: 52:22

What's going on, guys? Man, I'm uh I'm soaking it in this evening. I'm learning a lot of stuff. I love all the different perspectives here. What's really interesting, though, despite the the different perspectives, is that there is this unifying thread through all of these men. Uh work is definitionally part of who we are. It was part of, I'll speak for myself, my inheritance as a young boy. You know, my dad, one of the things he taught me a lot of stuff I don't want to remember, but there was one thing he taught me that I really do, and is that a man provides for his family. You know, it's it's in my definition of what it is to be a good man. And there was never any question that that's what I was going to be. I was going to be a provider. Um, DL, what you were talking about was really interesting because for me, one of the negative side effects of the work that I was doing is that um I was making good money in my last job. And that job was also sucking so much of my time away that it was keeping me away from my purpose, from the creative uh urge inside of me that is unique to who I am, that need that I had to get out and and work with men, to uh to come alongside them, to walk alongside them, and to bring them to um the place where they truly could be. And it was one of those things that I almost had to to struggle to separate those uh those labels, right? That that job is that that my work is only about providing, but actually finding a way to turn it into a creative conduit and to allow it to be an extension of the expression of who I am as a person. And uh, you know, we were talking about work-life balance a little bit ago, and I realized I haven't thought about work-life balance in a really long time. The last time I thought about work-life balance is when I felt like the work I was doing was draining me instead of energizing me. And um, you know, if if we're asking that question, if we're trying to do the avoidance mechanisms, if we're uh seeking out pleasure um instead of doing the work, I think maybe it's a signal, at least it was for me, that the work you're doing maybe isn't the highest calling you could have for yourself. So work is definitely a vehicle for me, but I don't see myself as a coach. Uh, I don't see myself, I you know, first and foremost, as the work that I do. I see myself as a creative force, a vehicle for uh for love and impact in this world. And the money that I make is a direct measure of how impactful I'm being.

SPEAKER_09: 55:10

I love it. We're in the bonus round, gentlemen. Last question for the night. I want to hear from everybody on this one, all right? Uh, and just think about the people who are listening and watching that potentially need to hear what you have to say. Frame it with that in mind, if you don't mind, please. But here's the question. Hopefully, I won't, it's gonna be clunky. I know what I want to say, but it's just clunky in my head right now. But we've we've we've normalized so many sacrifices in the name of success, things that we had to give up, or things that we had to or that we found ourselves neglecting. Was it worth it? Think about all the things that were sacrifices on the road to success, whether it's good or bad. Was it worth it? Kind of share what those things were, what the uh response was from those around you who watched you make them sacrifices. How do you feel about it now? Kind of just get into that, wherever your personal story kind of uh intersects with that. So, what sacrifices have you normalized in the name of success? Was it worth it? Was it not worth it? Go ahead and share. Going to start whoever's first. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00: 56:20

All right, I'll jump in on that one. Please. Um yes, 100% it was worth it. Um I don't spend any time on regret. Uh, it's an absolute waste of time because we can't go back and change anything. Um, you know, if I could have done that, would I have done some things different? I don't think so. Um, because all the decisions that I made, and whether they were bad or good, they shaped who I am, they shaped who my children are. And um, as a father of grown children, I have you know three fantastic grown kids that have wonderful lives. They're all uh fearless, they're all out there fighting. And with all of my kids, if they encounter any kind of adversity at all, I don't have any doubt in my mind that they learned something from watching me suffer all these years that will help them overcome it. Uh and so, you know, yeah, it was worth it. We're not perfect, we're never gonna be. As parents, we do the absolute best that we can with what we have. And uh, so yeah, absolutely worth every single minute, no matter how painful it might have been.

SPEAKER_09: 57:27

Thank you, sir. Before the next person jumps in, drop this comment real quick from our friend and fellow uh round table panelists. I believe that there are segments where you have to sacrifice home life, time for a season to complete certain goals. On the flip side, I also believe that that plan should be the exception, not the rule. That's our brother Mark Hughie, one of our panelists on the men's roundtable series podcast. Thanks, Mark, for jumping in. Appreciate the comment. You guys respond to the comment, or you can go ahead and just make your point in regards to the sacrifices.

SPEAKER_03: 57:56

Okay, I'm I'm with 100% into it, man. It's I I'm in season of sacrifice. Like I said, I went from a very successful in the world's eyes, like I made a good living. My wife didn't have to work, my kids, you know, we weren't rich, but my kids didn't want for anything. And uh the last several years have been hard since we chose to pursue this. My wife and I prayed about it, we thought about it, and we talked about we have sacrificed, right? Financially, from an outside perspective, we are in a horrible place. But the trade-off is I'm at home and I'm helping men all over the world. My podcast, I know at one point we were in 53 countries, and my wife and I said from day one, if our episodes, if one episode helps one person, right? If I can reach one brother out there and say, and it's what they needed to hear in that moment to take that next step for them, then it's worth it. When you can say that you've been blessed to reach 53 countries and hundreds of thousands of downloads, right, all over the world. I can't help but say I'm blessed and that it's absolutely worth it because somewhere out there, somebody is closer to their wife, somebody is showing up as a better father, someone is showing up as a better human being because I got to do this, and yeah, it's hard, but at the same time, my children, my children are still learning, right? I hear them laugh. We homeschool our kids, so I'll hear them laughing, or they'll come show me a test while I'm in here working. Uh, and I get to be a part of that, and that's amazing. But they also get to see me in the struggle. My children are gonna learn more about life, more about success, seeing me deal with the struggle than they will ever learn from worldly success. So it's a hundred percent worth it because when I meet my maker, I can say I did everything I can to try and make the world a better place, to further the kingdom, to help other people, and to set the example I was supposed to set for my kids.

SPEAKER_09: 1:00:21

Who's next? I'll uh I'll go ahead, R. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_07: 1:00:26

Okay, I was just gonna say I'm gonna address this comment there at the bottom. Are you sacrificing mindset? As Dustin said, it's the meaning you give, the words, it's what God gave us choice. Uh, I agree with that. And uh and just as uh my man was just speaking, because I don't see sacrifice as anything negative. I see sacrifice as something that is necessary. You will not succeed in anything in life unless you're willing to sacrifice. That's whether you're looking at your purpose, your employment, your relationships. You're gonna have to be willing to give certain things up. You're gonna have to be willing to mitigate, uh, well, put a little more time over here, less time over there. Whatever the season calls for, you have to be willing to make that sacrifice if you want to see success. If everything is always comfortable for you, you're never gonna grow and you're never really gonna amount to anything. You have to be willing to make the sacrifice. It is a necessity. There's no success without sacrifice. That's that's basically what it boils down to.

SPEAKER_09: 1:01:35

Thank you, sir. Who's next?

SPEAKER_02: 1:01:37

Uh I want to agree with that and I want to offer a suggestion to the listener. Maybe we're looking at sacrifice and confusing that for martyrdom. Maybe we're looking at it and confusing it for martyrdom, right? Because, like my man just said, sacrifice isn't always a bad thing. And like for me, for me, on the outside, it might look like sacrifice. You know, I might be giving up time that I would rather be doing doing something else, right? Uh, I'll use podcasting as the example, like Brent, right? I spend a lot of time, I do it all. I edit the the audio, I edit the video, I have to curate the content, I have to do all of that. And it takes time when I could be out hanging with the fellas, right? My service in the church, it takes time, and and and I would rather be doing other things at times, right? But all of that to say there are 1,200 facilities across the country, jails, prisons, and juvenile facilities right now that get to hear the gospel because I sacrifice that time and I would do it every second of every day of every week to set people free even when they're behind bars. So is it sacrifice? Yeah, but it's not martyrdom because I do it joyfully. I call it willing obedience, man.

SPEAKER_09: 1:02:55

I think Brent wants to unmute so he can scream.

SPEAKER_05: 1:02:58

I think he is that's a really good perspective on sacrifice. Uh everybody is gonna sacrifice something, and we all have a threshold to how much we're willing to sacrifice to achieve those goals. Uh and to answer the question, I wouldn't change a thing. I have zero regrets. I the The Marine Corps gave so much to me and I sacrificed so much, but I was willing to do that. I was willing to do things some of my colleagues wasn't willing to do to get to the rank that I wanted to be. Education-wise, I sacrificed a lot, and it was good because I couldn't be doing what I'm doing now if I didn't sacrifice time and energy writing papers, recording speeches, doing all of this stuff in order to achieve my educational goals. So absolutely not. And I think we as men set the kind of work ethic example for our kids to emulate. It was in my DNA working, providing all of the things that the gentleman have said earlier that we are programmed to do. I got an extra boost of it for my dad. And I wear it with a badge of honor. It's just trying to find how much sacrifice am I going to self-impose in order to achieve those goals. And without the help of uh therapy, and absolutely without the help of my wife, I I couldn't have made those sacrifices because then she turned around and sacrificed over and over and over and over again for the well-being of our family. So no. RL, kudos, brother. Sacrifice is necessary. That was well said.

SPEAKER_01: 1:05:14

Thank you, Stu. Seba. Yeah, you know, when I hear the word sacrifice, what I really hear is uh prioritization, right? I think that one of the most important things I ever heard is that every yes is a no to something else. So be very intentional with what you say yes to. Um, I think the question I ask myself is what life do I want to create? And I have to understand what components uh of that future that I'm manifesting right now are the ones that I want to be there and which are the ones that I don't care for. Um so yeah, I guess you could say that there are things that I'm sacrificing, but I don't even really see those anymore because they're not part of what I want. Um if if I find myself in the place where I feel like I'm sacrificing, I think that's a moment. It's a it's a signal for me to go back to the drawing board and say, hey, do I need to reprioritize? Is there something that's changed? Um, but yeah, as far as I'm concerned, every sacrifice that I've made has been worth it.

SPEAKER_09: 1:06:23

Thank you, sir. Shanston Cape, it's a tug of war between you guys. Who's gonna take the uh taking the flag here?

SPEAKER_06: 1:06:33

Um for me is just with coaching, you know, coaching high school football, I coach six A football down here in Georgia. And if you know about Georgia football, we take this very, very serious. Um it takes a lot of sacrifice, you know what I mean? Especially in season, it's crazy. Seven days a week, literally. Like Monday through Wednesday, we practicing Thursday, JB plays, Fridays, varsity, Saturday. We gotta watch and grade and break down film, and then Sunday we meet as a staff to put together a game plan for the next opponent, and it's just a repeat cycle for weeks. You know what I'm saying? I've been going hard since July, late July. Um, and this is crazy, you know what I'm saying? Especially for high school, it's like you don't really get paid like that for real. You know what I mean? Um it's just all out of the love for the game. Um, but it's like the impact you have on the kids. That's what you know what I'm saying, it's most important. Like plenty of y'all spoken or said earlier when y'all were speaking, is those that you are impacting, those you have effect on, you know what I'm saying? That's what keeps you going. That's what's purposeful, you know what I mean, especially for the youth. You know what I mean? Not to discredit anything that y'all do with, you know what I'm saying, other grown men, but it's like the youth is the future. So it's like being able to have an impact on them. And then of course, you know what I'm saying, you coach high school football, you're still a teacher at the end of the day, you know what I'm saying? So you're still dealing with a lot more kids and teaching curriculum outside all of that. So yeah, it is a handful, especially unfortunately for me, I don't have a wife or kids, so I get to live, enjoy my life a little bit more, you know what I'm saying? And I'm probably the youngest cat on this podcast too. So, yeah, I mean, it's it has its pros and its cons, and it's it balances out well for me. Um, so but like I said, it's it's very time consuming, but it's all working at the end of the day, you know what I'm saying? Doing this seven years, and we've had classes come and go at this point. Um, so it's been a revolving door. Um, and it's like I meet and run into former players of mine, you know what I'm saying, playing flag football just in life. And it's like, man, it's just crazy to see them out and thriving and just doing their things. Some of them joined the military, some went on to play college ball, some just entered the workforce, some of them fell short too. You know what I mean? You know what I'm saying? That you ain't gonna reach everybody, but it's those that you do have impact on that's makes it all worth it at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_09: 1:08:56

Thank you, chance. All right, Brian, because you wanted the mic drop moment. You wait, you waited for this, so you waited it out.

SPEAKER_08: 1:09:01

Well, I know for me, um, I'm and I'm just thinking about me walking away from my uh when I was in the Air Force and um thriving career, making rank, doing all of that stuff, and and I remember, you know, the Lord telling me to just walk away from it. It was challenging. And I'm not saying it was easy for me, but that was challenging because I knew my career was taking off, but then God was dealing with me to do something else. And so, yeah, I I I for me when I think about that in in the sense of sacrifice, I think about exchange and I think about what I'm giving up, but but also to get what is in the hands of God, and and I think about it as an exchange. And so for me, I I let I walked away from that career to step into something else, and what I stepped into is so much for better, didn't feel like it, didn't seem like it in the moment, right? But as I walked with God, he began to show me, you know, so much better. And so this is for me, I just encourage men to look at it like this, you know, stay connected with God, and your sacrifice is just an exchange, you know. You're you're you're putting something down to pick something else up, but what you're picking up is gonna be so much better, and you're gonna see your purpose in and the journey, and God is gonna walk with you, man. So be encouraged in it, be encouraged in it, and move without fear, walk by faith, not by sight. Trust God the whole way. You're kings, you're kings.

SPEAKER_09: 1:10:40

Amen. Oh, you guys are kings in my eyes, man. Thank you guys for jumping on here and doing this. I notice a lot of meat left on the bone. It's about competitions about legacy and cultural norms about masculinity and purpose and providing for our families. I mean, there's so much meat on the bone, so we're gonna grab this thing on the 22nd at 10 a.m. EST and finish this thing off, hopefully with a bang. There's just so much more to talk about. We're gonna reframe the work on the 22nd. But thank you guys for jumping in here and doing this for you guys watching and listening. Of course, if we want to be a panelist in the future on this podcast, the QR codes in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, grab it and be happy to have a chat with you. See if we can get you in the box with us, man. But you guys have been fantastic, man. Thank you for doing all thanks for all that you guys put into this uh podcast. I want to just say this to you guys why I got you here so you can hear this from me personally. I hope hopefully I sent a message from the beginning what I was trying to accomplish with this. I wasn't at the analytics, I never mentioned data, I never mentioned likes or subscriptions, right? I said the only goal I wanted to see happen was that every day when you walk around in your neck of the woods doing what you do, it is three to five people that are men that are walking past you. I just want you to grab them, keep them off of the ledge, keep them off of the bridges, let them know that somebody actually cares about them. That's all I wanted from this whole podcast from the beginning. And I'm about to get emotional, so I'm gonna shut it down real quick. But I've been getting testimonials so much lately from you guys that are panelists. You start in groups in your neighborhood. Men are being pulled out of the fire theoretically and probably literally, too. And and you are, I didn't say that you're telling me that they're hearing this stuff, they're hearing these conversations and it's changing their lives. What can I say or do, man? I just want to say thank y'all for doing what you're doing, doing your part in your naked woods, man. We can rely on algorithms and rely on having reach through podcasts and social media, or we can put boots to the ground, get the song out your head, put boots to the ground and try to do something where we live, where we have community, where we have a sphere of influence. So for you guys that are doing that, thank you. If you guys are having me doing it, I'm counting on you, man. Thank you guys for being a part of the Men's Round Table Series podcast. You know I love it. If you don't know though, now you know. Love you guys, have a great day. Follow us on YouTube, Facebook, and wherever you get your podcast from. We're out of here. Enjoy the music. I love you.