#1836 - Kevin's Story

Have you ever felt like giving up when life gets tough? In today’s episode, Kevin Palmieri reveals his hardships, from childhood struggles to reaching his lowest point as an adult. Hear how he transformed his life, the role of mentorship, and why he never quit. This inspiring story reminds us that no matter where you start, with grit and support, success is within reach. Join us for a heartfelt conversation on resilience and finding your true purpose!

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We love connecting with you guys! Reach out on Instagram, Facebook, or via email. We’re here to support you in your personal and professional development journey.

Instagram 📷
Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/
Alan: https://www.instagram.com/alazaros88/

Facebook ✍
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email 💬
Kevin@nextleveluniverse.com
Alan@nextleveluniverse.com

LinkedIn ✍
Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-palmieri-5b7736160/
Alan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc/

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Show notes:
(02:12) Discussing the value of being interviewed and how it changes dynamics
(03:34) Kevin shares his personal story, beginning with his childhood struggles
(11:20) The turning point: Losing a relationship and facing financial struggles
(15:52) Kevin’s rock bottom moment

🎙️ Hosted by Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

Next Level University is a top-ranked daily podcast for dream chasers and self-improvement lovers. With over 2,100 episodes, we help you level up in life, love, health, and wealth one day at a time. Subscribe for real, honest, no-fluff growth every single day.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

I'm a really good number two, but I'm not a leader. I'm not supposed to lead a large group of humans. That's not my thing. That's not what I'm supposed to do. That's not my strength. I'm a good operator. I'm good at showing up every day and doing things.

Speaker 2 0:17

Have we lost sight of how hard it is to build a life that you actually love? Have we you and I personally, but also just we collectively have we lost sight of what it really takes to build a life that you really do love?

Speaker 1 0:32

Welcome to Next Level University. I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri.

Speaker 2 0:37

And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.

Speaker 1 0:40

At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Speaker 2 0:46

Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health and wealth.

Speaker 1 0:53

We bring you a new episode every single day on topics like confidence, self-belief, self-worth, self-awareness, relationships, boundaries, consistency, habits and defining your own unique version of success.

Speaker 2 1:09

Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free.

Speaker 1 1:15

Welcome to Next Level University, next Level Nation. Welcome back to another episode of Next Level University, where we help you level up your life, your love, your health and your wealth. Today, for episode number 1,836, alan is going to interview me about something, and I don't know what it is, but that's something we did back in the day, I mean years ago. It started with me interviewing Alan. That's kind of how this whole podcast started. Alan was the first guest ever on the Hyperconscious podcast and then we partnered up and then we started doing this full time and we would intermittently interview one another about stuff that we were going through. Or if somebody came with a topic maybe growing pains one person would kind of talk about their growing pains and the other person might interview them on those growing pains. So I guess that's kind of what we're in the flow for today.

Speaker 2 2:12

Emilia interviewed me on the Conscious Couples podcast earlier. The title was A Male's Perspective on being in a Growth Relationship, something along those lines, and I remember thinking why don't Kevin and I interview each other more? It's a different dynamic, it's nice and, by the way, I think that's why you thought I was going to do the intro is because you're being interviewed.

Speaker 1 2:34

That's very positive. I just default to ah here we are. It's a different seat, right, I think it's easier. You think it's easier, you think you don't? Well, yeah, you host. Yeah, I think conscious couples.

Speaker 2 2:46

Today was easier because emilia got to drive and I got to sit in the passenger seat.

Speaker 1 2:52

It's easy being interviewed is easier than than hosting agreed, because you don't have to think about anything. You just people ask you questions and then you hopefully have an answer for him 100% Okay.

Speaker 2 3:02

So we did not prepare. Sorry, we did not prepare for this, but I wanted to. So Kev goes on podcasts often he is the podcast guy and he a lot of times in a podcast you provide context. Obviously we have a show where you're on the journey with us. So you kind of know Kevin and I pretty well. Well, depending on how long you've been listening some people have been listening for five years, some for three, some for two, some for a couple days, a couple months, a couple months, a couple days.

Speaker 2 3:34

So, kev, there was someone on the nlu team who came into our orbit five years ago. Her name is christina. She's now the chief operations officer of next level university, the company, and she is beyond wonderful in every regard, huge freaking fan. And she said that she found you and she resonated deeply with your story about suicidal ideation and, and I realized in that moment, one of the reasons why I know Christina is because you had the courage to tell your story. And I also realized when she said that, wow, we really don't go back and tell our stories that much on this podcast. So would you be willing to share your story? Sure, and for those of you who have heard it. Stick with us, because there's more to come.

Speaker 1 4:33

What version of the story would you like? How many minutes? Ten, ten minutes. Ten minute version yeah, okay, okay. Minutes. 10 minute version yeah, okay, okay. It's very interesting because I have done this so many time, so many times on other podcasts. But I'm nervous to do it in front of you, not because of judgment or anything, but because I know alan is going to critique, for lack of better phrasing, the delivery of the story.

Speaker 1 5:03

So just something to be aware of if I get a little weird, if I have smiles on my face, all right cool, I always I always say for context I was raised by my mom and my grandmother didn't know my dad, didn't meet my dad with the understanding that he was my father until I was 27. Obviously that plays a role in a kid's life a child's life but I'm sure it still plays a role in my life today as a 35-year-old man. Not having my dad around Grew up lower middle class. It was often talked about how we didn't know how we were going to pay rent. That is a conversation I remember having often. I remember when I was working at the gas station and I was probably 18, I had to loan my family money. I don't remember how much it was, but I remember going to the bank. I remember I don't know what I was on for social media at the time, but I remember I did a video of when the day comes when it's time for you to be a man, because I was taking out money of my, taking money from my account and giving it to my family so we could pay the bills. So a lot of scarcity, not a lot of success around me.

Speaker 1 6:15

Outside of that, childhood was fairly normal Good at sports, rode bikes with my friends Just yeah, fairly normal childhood. But what I always tell people is it's weird and, alan, maybe you had this experience, I don't know it's weird when you're raised without your father, because all of your friends' families kind of try to adopt you and they try to create normalcy. So all of my close friends, their families, would always invite me over for dinner and sleepovers. And do you want to go on vacation? I always felt defective and I think that's where a big piece of my deep wounding comes from is. I always felt like a charity case. I felt like people were just trying to make sure that I didn't crash and burn and that became part of my identity. That became part of my identity in high school. I knew pretty early that I didn't want to go to college. It didn't make sense. I hated school. I wasn't great at it, didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, so it didn't make sense for me to pay however much money every year to help for somebody to help me figure out what I wanted to do. So after high school I got a job at the gas station and I would work from 6 am until 2 pm and then I would go to the gym and I would lift weights and then I would go train jujitsu and that was essentially my life for a couple years.

Speaker 1 7:35

After the gas station, I went and worked at a hospital. I worked overnights, 11 to 7. I would clean bathroom floors, toilets, sinks. I would clean all the bathroom. We would do the beds. I'd clean the beds when people checked out or passed away unfortunately. I would mop the hallways, run the machines in the hallways.

Speaker 1 7:55

I was considered a project person but I was a housekeeper. Technically. I did that for like a year overnight. It was brutal, just especially the overnight piece. My goodness, you want to have a social life, do not work 11 to 7. And just being looked down on by so many people there Doctors, nurses, patients that was a true test in self-worth for sure. Then I was a personal trainer, truck driver, forklift operator, construction worker, tiling, on-call firefighter for a very short period of time. Many of us have heard that story. We can go into that story at another time.

Speaker 1 8:30

But eventually I got a job in an industry called weatherization and essentially I went from making $15 an hour as a construction laborer to anywhere from $60 to $120 an hour at this new job. And I was in my early 20s I'm 23, I think when I got this job 22, 23. And I remember thinking, okay, I made it I never thought I was going to be any level of successful. I have overcome the odds and I am now going to be successful. And I remember and I don't usually tell this part, but I just think it's super powerful I met my boss for the second time. We got in his Subaru Outback and we drove from Boston, massachusetts, to Wilmington, delaware. I moved into an Airbnb with like seven other people I'd never met before, sleeping on an air mattress in a room with two other people I'd never met before proceeded to wake up the next day and then go do a job that I had never done before. And that was my first week at this new career. And I remember I got my first paycheck and I made 50 bucks an hour for like 38 hours and I was like holy shit, no way, this is real. No way, this is real Mind-blowing. I remember I bought an exhaust for my car, I think, with my first paycheck, and the exhaust was only like 500 bucks and I think the paycheck was whatever $1,400, $1,500. It was wild. So I was convinced I made it, I made it. This is amazing.

Speaker 1 10:06

So if you fast forward a couple of years, when I was 25, I had this high paying job. My girlfriend was a model. I had a sports car. I was quite literally in the best shape I will ever be in because I was prepping for a bodybuilding show and from the outside, looking in, it looked like I had it all. I was crushing it. Life was awesome.

Speaker 1 10:25

How could you possibly be miserable? Internally, I had zero self-belief. My self-worth was in the garbage. I was extremely self-conscious. I was not a supportive partner, because when you're struggling to pour into your own cup, it's really hard to pour into somebody else's and my mental health was just not in a good place.

The turning point: Losing a relationship and facing financial struggles

Speaker 1 10:48

So one day, my girlfriend at the time sat me down and said hey, I'm leaving and you've made a lot of promises. You said that you were going to do this. You said you were going to do that, and none of that has happened and I feel like I deserve better. And the truth is she did and I don't know if I've ever told you this, alan, I don't know if I've ever said this on this podcast. She actually said to me I was going to leave a couple months ago, but I thought you might kill yourself if I did. And I was like Jesus. How did I let it get that far? How did it get to this point?

Speaker 1 11:20

So she left and that was my initial rock bottom bills. Doubled work got slow. My landlord at the time wanted to take my ex to court because he's like her name's on the lease. If you don't pay rent, if you don't find a way to make this work, I'm gonna have to take her to court. And I said I'm gonna make this work. I promise, don't worry about it, I'm gonna find a way to dig my dig my way out of this. And I thought that if I just made all the money in the world, all the problems would go away. I just hadn't made enough money yet. That was what I convinced myself of.

Speaker 1 11:51

So the next year starts. She left in October. November, december were kind of I was down in the dumps. But the next year starts and I get a promotion at my company, which means I'm running jobs. I'm working a ton of hours, biggest year we've ever had as a company.

Speaker 1 12:13

So I proceeded to spend the next 10 months living on the road because all of our contracts were in other states. I would work Monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, in a different state. I would come home Friday night or Saturday morning. I would take my clothes out of the suitcase, throw them in the washer, take them out of the washer, put them in the dryer, out of the dryer, back into the suitcase, and then Sunday afternoon I left. So I was usually home for one day a week, did that every week for 10 months straight.

Speaker 1 12:37

Got to the end of the year I was standing at my kitchen table because my ex-girlfriend had taken the chairs. They were her chairs and I was never home, so I didn't get new chairs. So I was standing there hoping my final pay stub Did. We do it. The goal was to make six figures. If I can make $100,000, I think that's probably the line that will make all these problems go away. And I opened my final pay stub, scrolled down to the bottom there and I remember nothing changed.

Speaker 1 13:08

Internally I didn't feel any different. I was still wildly insecure. I still really had no idea what my future was going to look like. I had very low self-belief, very low self-worth and honestly, I felt like I wasted the previous year. I grinded my face off to do this, thinking it was going to fix all my problems and it didn't fix. It fixed circumstantially finances. Yes, I had more money in the bank. That's good, but in terms of mental health it didn't help at all. So I realized shortly thereafter that for most of my life, and especially that year, I'd lived unconsciously. The opposite of unconscious is hyperconscious. I was interviewed on alan's youtube channel somewhere in the mix and I said imagine if you could do that for a living. So all these things kind of culminated nicely.

Speaker 1 13:56

2017 I started a podcast called the Hyperconscious Podcast. I fell in love with podcasting, deeply loved it. As I fell out of love with my job, I realized that I've already reached the pinnacle of what I'm going to do with this job. I don't want to travel and have to do that again to make the same amount of money. I don't want to do it, and this always gets a good giggle from podcasters. Alan, you'll also resonate. But, as you know, in the beginning there isn't a line out the door saying Alan, you have a wonderful idea. How much money would you need to just do this full time? How much money could we give to you? That ain't the case and it definitely wasn't the case in 2017.

Speaker 1 14:37

So I had to keep going to this job and I just hated it. And it sucked and it sucked and it sucked and it sucked, worse and worse. And every time and I still deal with this to this day when I pack to go and travel, every time it would be Saturday or Sunday and I'd be packing my suitcase I would already be anxious, I would already be homesick, I would be sick to my stomach before I left. Every time and I still get that way, just less, which is I'm grateful for. So I start calling out of work, leaving the job sites early, showing up late. I am a terrible employee. I used to be really good, but now I just don't care.

Speaker 1 15:11

And it just kept getting worse and worse and worse. And I didn't know what to do and I wasn't putting time into the podcast because I was traveling and making excuses and there was a piece of me that didn't think it mattered anyway. And eventually it led to me waking up in a hotel room in New Jersey. I was there for the week to work. Alarm clock went off at 5.15 or 5.30. Sat up, I slid to the edge of the bed, I laced up my work boots, as I had done a thousand times at least before then. But that morning there was ten televisions on in my head at the same time and everyone was on a different station.

Speaker 1 15:52

And one is saying you're stuck here forever. You have to understand. I didn't think I was ever going to be successful. So the fact that I got this job and I was, quote unquote, successful I could not imagine a world where I could somehow be more successful than that. It does not exist. There's no way this is ever going to happen. You're never going to get an opportunity like this. Do not fuck this up. Lack of pardon, my French lack of better phrasing. If you ever did leave, what would your friends think? Make more money than all of your friends, except for Alan? I didn't really. I didn't make more money than Alan did, but we weren't that close at that point, so it wasn't it. I didn't make more money than Alan did, but we weren't that close at that point. So it wasn't. Well, we were, but you had already left your job. It's a whole thing.

Speaker 2 16:32

Trust me, you were making more than me.

Speaker 1 16:33

Yeah, well, at that point, At that point.

Speaker 2 16:37

Not hard to make more than zero dollars More than zero.

Speaker 1 16:41

Sometimes I wonder. Sometimes I wonder what will your family think was another one. I made more money than anybody in my family ever had. My mom used to take my car to work to show it off to her friends my vehicle. As a young man, it was like there was a lot of significance there. And then the loudest voice for me was what do you think you're going to do? You're going to be a podcaster. That's it. I didn't have a plan A. All my plan Bs fell through. I'm on plan C. I don't know if they make a plan A. All my plan B's fell through. I'm on plan C. I don't know if they make a plan D. What are we going to do here?

Partnering with Alan and starting the podcast journey

Speaker 1 17:14

And it was in that moment where I sat at the edge of the bed thinking to myself if I was just to take my life, I would take my problems with me, and that was my rock bottom basement. It doesn't get much lower than that. I snapchatted Alan. That was my rock bottom basement. It doesn't get much lower than that. I Snapchatted Alan and I said something along the lines of hey brother, remember how we've talked about that really, really dark place that you get to where there's nowhere else to go, something like that. And Alan and I had a conversation and I don't remember all of what Alan said, but I remember he said Over the last couple years, your awareness has changed a ton, but your environments have remained the same. I think it's time for you to change your environment. That's the only thing I remember you saying. I don't even know if you actually said that. I might have made that up. I might have thought you said that. I don't know. I'll have to go back and look. I think you did. Sounds like something you would say yes, it does.

Speaker 1 18:15

And then I left that job. Two or three months later, alan and I partnered up and then we began the journey of being extremely broke entrepreneurs, podcasters, trying to figure out how to make all this work. Somehow, life got harder, actually, when I left and I burned through all the money I had. 2019, I couldn't buy Christmas presents for my girlfriend now wife Car broke down, couldn't get it fixed. It literally would literally shut off at red lights. Brutal. Brakes didn't work Brutal. I got a letter in the mail one day from a collection company because I didn't pay my car insurance, so I got sent to collections. That was absolutely brutal and Anxiety, panic attacks on the floor, just brutal shit, like some of the hardest experiences of life. Came after the suicidal ideation somehow. But then eventually we got clients and we figured out how to do this and we built an amazing team and now we're looked at as quote unquote successful.

Speaker 1 19:24

But my life is harder now than it's ever been, but I am the most fulfilled that I've ever been, and I always say I think one of the most common misconceptions of humans is where somebody is today is where they must have been forever, and where I am today is where I will be forever. And the truth of the matter is neither of those are true. Where I am today is just where I am today. I wasn't where I am today yesterday, and I wasn't where I am today yesterday, and I wasn't where I am today when I left my job in 2018. No, no, no, no, no. And where you are today is not where you're destined to be either. And that's my story.

Speaker 1 20:03

Next level nation. What is happening? If you've thought to yourself, I want to try coaching, but you don't really know where to start. Group coaching would be a wonderful place for you. That's really why we created it in the first place. We start a new round every 90 days. So if you're hearing this, go to the website nextleveluniversecom, and we have the landing page where you can actually hold your spot right now. Even if there's a group going on right now, you can still lock your spot for the next one. The biggest thing that we've seen is, as we get closer and closer to the date, unfortunately, some people end up missing. The group fills up and they can't do it, and then they end up regretting that. So please head over to the website. The link will be in the show notes and we would love to see you there.

Speaker 2 20:47

My goodness, strong work, brother. I appreciate it. Thank you, you're welcome. That's the first time I've heard that Years In years. It's definitely come up and that was definitely the 20-minute version.

Speaker 1 21:00

But I'm grateful that you went. We're 19 minutes in. I think I was probably around, yeah, probably around 16. Maybe that was a long one.

Speaker 2 21:07

It's good, though. So for every listener, you now understand the mountain that was climbed for Kevin to get to where he is, and on this podcast we've talked often about how the three quick steps and all that kind of stuff and we do episodes where it's three things to change your life I get it, I'm not making that wrong, but I think that when you tell your story, it shows where you started and where you are now, and when you're honest about how challenging it is to sustain and to keep climbing, I think it's really important for people is to sustain and to keep climbing. I think it's really important for people Because I think a lot of people feel particularly alone, and I had a moment while you were telling your story where I was wondering to myself we can never. Have we lost sight of how hard it is to build a life that you actually love? Have we you and I personally, but also just we collectively have we lost sight of what it really takes to build a life that you really do love? And the metaphor here that I use is my relationship is beyond my wildest dreams Genuinely. My relationship is beyond my wildest dreams genuinely. I mean at one point I was with kevin in the studio in the basement of my mother's home saying I don't think this exists, I might have to be alone forever. And but what I forget sometimes, because I've been with Emilia for five years now almost in October and what I forget sometimes, and I need to pinch myself, remind myself it took me 30 years to find a relationship that I considered magnificent, a relationship where I knew that I wasn't settling, a relationship that was actually a dream come true, and so you have achieved your dreams.

How grit and mentorship played a role in Kevin’s resilience

Speaker 2 23:17

You said this to me earlier. I have to burp, I'm sorry, earlier. You said I think this was off air. You said episode seven. I wanted to have a podcast. I wanted a podcast for a living. I wanted to go to the gym when I wanted, wanted. I wanted to do this for a living, full time, and I have achieved my dream. And I think the important thing to remind ourselves and to remind everyone about is how much work, how much discipline, how much grit, how much heart, how much never quit, which you have a tattoo of, how hard it actually is, how hard it actually is, despite what it looks like on social media. And I think my question for you would be how did you never quit. And how are you still never quitting?

Speaker 1 24:13

You, you, I wouldn't have made it without you. No way, not a chance. No, it's it's hard to say this because it sounds it does sound arrogant. I understand it's hard for me to know that I'm not going to lose and I'm not worried about losing. You know, like we were talking, alan and I had a very deep conversation right before this. I'm not worried about losing. I know I'm going to be way more successful than I ever would have been without you and it's just weird. It's weird to say that. So you, I've had a mentor and a coach and a best friend and a brother for the last seven years.

Speaker 2 24:57

You, how so you? Obviously one of the things that's very I mean, this is very uncomfortable for me I know that's it and I appreciate it, I do.

Speaker 2 25:20

that's not what I was expecting, necessarily. I, uh, I wasn't necessarily not expecting it, but it certainly was not what I was expecting. What? And and I'm trying really hard to sit in the discomfort of this moment how do you know I? I it's such a weird thing and I I also want to make this very clear that I also know that this will sound probably arrogant.

Speaker 2 25:47

I also feel strongly that we will find a way and I've always felt that way. I never once felt like it would be easy. I never once felt like it would just happen. I never once felt like it's going to be oh yeah, no, no problem, done deal. However, I did always feel very strongly and think very strongly and believe very strongly that we would find a way, and I believe that to this moment, and I know that we will. So, from your perspective, where does that come from? What is that? I think number one, where does that come from? What is that? I think number one, what is that like? And I think more importantly is why I don't think it makes any sense to me.

Speaker 1 26:46

I feel like it's very easy for me to have Never quit tattooed on my arm and be the never quit kid. But you're better at not quitting than I am and I think that's why this works so well, because I'm close. I don't know if I'm close. I'm higher than average In terms of my ability to suffer, for sure, but I'm not as good at suffering as you are. That's how I know you set the pace. I would go slower if it wasn't for you. I would go slower, I would do less, my standards would be lower, I wouldn't be as consistent, I wouldn't be as smart that we.

Speaker 1 27:28

One of the reasons I'm doing my morning routine again is because I asked you and you told me what to do that I just ask you what to do and you tell me I'm a really good number two, but I'm not a leader. I'm not supposed to lead a large group of humans. That's not my thing. That's not what I'm supposed to do. That's not my, that's not my strength. I'm a good operator. I'm good at showing up every day and doing the things.

Speaker 2 27:53

Well, one of the things that I would have said, had you interviewed me of how had you asked me the same question about you, not about me. I would have said grit and humility. You actually me the same question about you, not about me. I would have said grit and humility. You actually had the humility to be a number two. I knew it would be worth it and to be okay with that I knew it would be worth it.

Speaker 1 28:12

Again, I know I sound like a broken record. I keep saying that, but I knew I would be more successful holistically as number two with you than number one anywhere else. That's all it is. That's it. That's the thought I told Bianca and Emilia. They're similar to us in the way of. Emilia is a visionary leader and Bianca is a really good operator.

Speaker 1 28:38

And I told B I said B, all you have to do is not fuck this up and you will be way more successful than you can imagine. Just don't mess it up. That's all you have to do. Just show up and just don't mess it up. And I don't mean that in a negative way. I'm not saying you don't have a ton of value to bring. I don't mean it in that way. I just mean you have to remain humble, have grit and just keep showing up. And as long as you do that, you're going to be very, very successful. Not because you couldn't have been successful on your own. You're just part of something that is different. It's just different and that's all. That's awesome, good, that's. That's been the key to my success. Just don't get fired. That's like the key.

Speaker 2 29:16

Be a part of something bigger than yourself. For, for the listeners, what is the, what is the thing that would help them to achieve their dreams? As someone who has achieved their dreams and and it's still the beginning, because we're only seven years in I I often I say, as business owners, we're still toddlers, I'm playful, but we're only seven running around figuring it out, and I also say that with a duality of knowing that we do a really good job at a lot of things. I don't think we focus on that because, quite frankly, that's not what needs to improve. We don't focus on that nearly enough, even in this moment. I think, when times get hard, it's really important to look at how well we've done. We've stayed consistent. We've helped people every step of the way.

Speaker 2 30:08

I had a listener tell me recently that you guys are so genuine. She was at a podcast event and she said they're just. They said something along the lines of if you don't have at least 7,000 listens per month, you're not even worth my time, or something like that. And she said you and Kevin are so genuine, you email me right back and it's. We really are trying to help people and we've never not done that.

Speaker 1 30:33

Well, I think that's the difference. I didn't start this to get rich and famous. I like money. Yes, I do. I like money. I like things I do. But that's not why I started this. I didn't start it for that reason. I didn't start it to work less. I didn't start it to make passive income. That's not why I started it. I didn't start it because podcasting was sexy. I didn't know anybody podcasting in 2017. Joe Rogan I started podcasting as a Joe Rogan. That was it. If I can make this my life, that would be awesome. I didn't really think much beyond that, but it always is. That's why it's the hard thing when people say, well, why didn't you quit? It's like because what else am I going to do?

Speaker 2 31:15

The alternative is worse.

Speaker 1 31:17

What else am I going to do? I'm not going to be able to impact as many people doing anything else. What am I going to do? No, this is why I started. I started it so I could help people. That's why I started and that's why we do an episode every day, because if I'm going to tell you you can get a little bit better every day, I better be leading the charge by showing up every day. I want to help. That's why I don't want to do sponsorships. I don't want to. I don't want to. It doesn't make any sense to me.

Speaker 2 31:42

I don't want to do it that way I want to do it this way. So we've talked for seven years about.

Speaker 1 31:48

We have three minutes just to play.

Speaker 2 31:50

Oh yeah, holy crap, you're on a podcast at four. Oh yeah, okay. So like one minute, okay, one minute. We One minute.

Speaker 2 31:58

We've talked for seven years on periodic episodes about getting around people who are ignited, motivated, getting around better people. You're the sum average of the five people you spend the most time with. We used to start and end with principles like that that are so fundamental to what it takes to change your life. Emilia asked me on a podcast earlier I know we have to go. She asked me on the podcast Conscious Couple.

Speaker 2 32:23

She said what would you say to a man who's out there struggling with an incredible empowered woman who's growth oriented? And I said go get around a man who makes you feel uncomfortable at the ego level. Go get around another man who actually cares more about getting better than looking good. That is my advice and ultimately, at the end of the day, I think that that's what you've done, is you've you had the humility to say, okay, I'm lost. And I'm going to ask someone who appears to be more found than me and I would say that I have.

Speaker 2 32:59

I am working on myself all the time and I'm certainly far from perfect in every regard. Genuinely, I'm not just saying that I really, really, really struggle with a lot of stuff, particularly being relatable and not hurting people's feelings and X Y, z. But what I will say is I feel very direction and consistency and figuring out a formula to build a dream life, a life of positive virtue. I think I'm on point with that, and so you had the humility and the grit to stick around and and to be a student, and I think that that's such a huge thing, for I mean, without that, none of this would be possible. So I appreciate the honesty, I appreciate this. This was awesome.

Speaker 1 33:39

Likewise, I I appreciate the opportunity, I appreciate the holding space for the vulnerability and I always dig these episodes.

Speaker 2 33:47

This is it, man, this is the stuff. Well, I was going to say it's one.

Speaker 1 33:50

maybe the least takeaways in terms of this is bullet point one. This is both, but this is like the real stuff, this is. I think this is the real stuff that I would like to get back to, the real stuff, as more often I would say more often yeah, you could interview me every day for the rest of your life if you want. I don't know if every day is good.

Speaker 2 34:07

I'd like once a month.

Outro

Speaker 1 34:08

If you're game, I'm game, all right I gotta go because I'm on a podcast with a wonderful human second time being on her show. Just a wonderful, wonderful human group coaching starts october 5th sorry, october 8th 5 pm Eastern Standard Time. And if you like this show and you like the reality and you feel like surrounding yourself with positivity and knowledge and aspiration and consistency and all that stuff is valuable, make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an opportunity to get to the next level. As always, we love you, we appreciate you, grateful for each and every one of you at NLU. We don't have fans, we have family. We'll talk to you all tomorrow.

Speaker 2 34:40

Keep after it.

Speaker 1 34:43

Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Speaker 2 34:50

We mean it when we say family. If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. Everything you need to get a hold of us is in the show notes.

Speaker 1 34:59

Thank you again and we will talk to you tomorrow.