Andy Speer - Cancer Changed Everything, But Not How He Showed Up as a Dad

Today will be one of the most powerful episodes you will listen to in my seven-year journey as a podcaster.  We welcome Andy Speer, Head, Business Execution at Randstad Digital North America.

Pain in his shoulder. A little shortness of breath. Then a monitor full of “hot spots” and a same-day referral to oncology. Andy Speer joins me on the Quarterback Dadcast and tells the story of being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, what treatment has been like, and the one part he says is harder than everything else: telling his kids. If you’ve ever wondered what real resilience sounds like when the stakes are high, Andy brings it with honesty and a steady, hard-earned optimism.

We also zoom out to the full Speer huddle: how Andy meets his amazing wife, Rose, young; why her “let’s go where the wind takes us” mindset shapes their marriage; and what it looks like to raise four athletic, driven kids across multiple moves and life chapters. We talk practical parenting values for dads, including why trust matters more than control, why letting kids fail is part of loving them well, and why Andy’s best “dad game” advice is to stop being so serious at home.

On the leadership side, Andy breaks down his long career in the staffing industry, why he thrives on complexity, and what Ranstadt Digital offers customers seeking precision talent solutions. Along the way, we keep coming back to gratitude, belief, and the kind of family culture that holds up under pressure. If you care about fatherhood, family leadership, cancer mindset, and building relationships that last, this conversation will stick with you.

Subscribe to the show, share this with a dad who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these stories.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hi, I'm Riley.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

And I'm Ryder. And this is my dad's show. Hey everybody, it's Casey J. Cox with the Quarterback Dadcast. Welcome to season seven. Can't wait for this season as there's a lot of great guests ahead. If you're new to this podcast, really it's simple. It's a podcast where we we interview dads, we learn about how they were raised, we learn about the life lessons that were important to them, we learn about the values that are important to them, and really we learn about how we can work hard to become a better quarterback or leader of our home. So let's sit back, relax, and listen to today's episode of the Quarterback Dadcast. Well hey everybody, it is Casey J. Cox with the Quarterback Dadcast. We are in season seven, and uh this next gentleman um is a beast in the staffing industry. Uh I met him recently. I was I was lucky enough to spend some time with my friends at Ronside Digital in a lovely little sunny destination, and uh I met this uh Sonoma State Seawolf in a uh in a in an auto well, I can't auto term more of like a theater where I was I got asked to speak briefly. But he spent he spent 23 years at Ronside Everybody from many different executive roles. He's moved all around the country, impacting the lives of many, not only the internal employees, but the customers. Um he is a uh just an overall great guy, and I and he's got a great haircut, but that's not why we're having him on here. We're gonna we're gonna talk to Andy Speer to learn about how he's working hard to become the ultimate quarterback or leader of his household. Uh so without further ado, Mr. Speer, welcome to the quarterback deckcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

Wow, thanks for that opening.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

You bet. Not worthy. When's the last time you got uh a shout out to the uh the seawolves?

SPEAKER_02 1:46

It's been a long time. Well, you know, when I graduated, they were the Cossacks. Oh, really? Yeah, so uh I I didn't have the luxury of calling myself a seawolve. What is a Cossack? It's a like a Viking.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Okay. Interesting. I have like this weird fetish with uh uh mascots. I don't know why. I just it just I love like surprising people with a little bit of research when you get on get on these episodes.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

That was good.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

All right, anyway, we always start out each episode with gratitude. Uh so tell me, what are you most grateful for as a dad today?

Meeting Andy And Starting With Gratitude

SPEAKER_02 2:22

Oh gosh. Uh well, I'm super grateful for being here, of course. Um I'm grateful that I picked the right person uh early on in life and that all our dreams came true. We raised four great kiddos. So uh I'm oozing with gratitude for that.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

So good. I was lucky to meet your lovely bride. Um, you you did pick a winner. She's she was super so easy to talk to. Yeah. A yoga instructor, everybody. If you're looking for yoga in the Atlanta area, yes. Let's hook up Rose Spear. Um, I tell you what I'm most grateful for today is we are recording in March, end of March steps, so we'll come out in a few weeks. My son is home uh for a long weekend, and uh he came, he had a golf tourn this week. But it just so happens my afternoon's gonna be free, and he and I are gonna go play golf this afternoon with grandpa.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Thank you. And he's a collegiate golfer, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:19

He does. He plays golf at Southern Oregon University.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

So I hope he kicks my ass today.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

But sometimes, right? Well, sometimes dad can get him, and he does not like that. But it's I uh you never know. But I uh he he went and played yesterday with a family friend, shot 71. So he's holy cow! Yeah, he's he's and it's what's crazy. A guy and his team out of the blue, this kid just like flipped a switch because Ryder and him are about the same. He goes out, this his buddy shoots 67, 68, 70 to win the tournament.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

Unbelievable.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

And then goes to Pebble Beach with his family and gets a home one.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Yeah. His skills. I can't even dream.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Maybe today's my ace. Never know. If I get a home one, I'll let you know.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

Keep me posted.

How Andy And Rose Met

SPEAKER_01 4:03

Um, all right. Well, bring me inside the spirit huddle. You're the quarterback. I'm sure Rose is the general manager, but uh bring me inside. Tell us how you and Rose met, and then a little bit about each child.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Yeah, I'd love to do that. Um so uh we met in school. Uh I was going to Sonoma State. She actually chose a trade school path, and uh, but we were in the same area, and I was working at Red Lobster, putting myself through school. Yes. And she Red Lobster. She got hired to be a host, and I fell in love immediately. Uh, super sweet, uh, very like she's a shy uh person. I think that's kind of her normal disposition, but a doer, you know, if it must be done, she will do it. That's kind of her uh what she's all about. Uh and yeah, instant love meant uh we got married super quick. And uh we didn't know really what the life journey was gonna be, but she made it really clear let's go where the wind takes us. And so the wind took us uh actually through this great industry that I'm in, uh, from the Bay Area in uh California to Seattle, to Chicago, to Little Rock, Arkansas, and then we've been home in Atlanta uh for you know over a decade now. But uh I had my oldest, Abby, in Seattle, and uh she works for Uber. Uh she's actually on uh uh an investigative team for uh human trafficking, so she's got a big job there, and she's in Phoenix, uh ASU grad. Uh my number two is in DC. She's in the industry, uh, so she's an account rep doing what we do, and uh, she's doing a great job. And she lives with her fiance. Uh, and uh they are getting married at the end of this year, and uh couldn't be more excited to have him join the family. And then my number three is at the College of Charleston, Annabelle, and she is studying archaeology. And then my little guy, uh, who's not so little, is Anderson, and uh he is a junior in high school, and he's probably the most passionate person I know about sports. Uh, he absolutely wants a career and jump on that journey somehow, somehow. Uh, he doesn't know if it's gonna be in broadcasting or if he's gonna be an agent or he's gonna be a general manager someday, but you know, that's that's what he's all about. But uh Rose and I got super lucky uh with uh you know, every kid that joined our pack, of course. And um all of my dreams came true. You know, it's uh it's been just a fun ride, and um they are all my best friends.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

So good.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

So is um are they are they athletes by nature? Uh they're they're all athletic. Um my number one was a soccer player, my number two was a competitive dancer, my number three was a gymnast, and my number four was a soccer player. So they were all very athletic growing up, very competitive. Um actually uh neither Rose nor I um I would say uh grew up kind of in well, that's not true. We played competitive sports, but uh we weren't the athlete, you know what I'm saying? Uh but some of the kids have turned out to be that. So uh it's that's uh a far drop from their dad.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

There you go. Um, why do you think uh is it Anderson? Anders, you said Anderson, yeah. Anderson. What where did the love of him wanting to get into sports come from, you think?

SPEAKER_02 8:09

I don't know. I think you know, Rose is super competitive, so um I think there's that mindset in general, but also I think most of the kids were drawn not for the sport itself, but the community, you know. I think they loved learning, they loved winning, they loved traveling, they loved training. They, you know, when you're that age, you see progression pretty quick. I think they enjoyed that. Um, so all of the above.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Uh, is he would you say soccer's his favorite sport?

SPEAKER_02 8:41

Uh no, I would say college football is his favorite sport. Okay. But being in Atlanta football player. Being in Atlanta, are we a big SEC fans? Absolutely. Yeah, my number two went to Georgia. Uh, and uh, you know, she's got a couple of national championship rings by being a student during that time, you know. So, oh man. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

It's it's been a good time. That's um, I've heard people who go to uh the SEC games who said it's it's like another experience.

SPEAKER_02 9:10

Oh yeah, it's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

I met um, I had someone on the podcast recently who um I want to say there's I can't remember Alabama, maybe can't remember what school. But they this guy, his nickname was Fireball Chuck because he literally it was. I go, I can probably guess why the fireball. He goes, Oh, you that was I brought all the fireball to the tailgates.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

That's hilarious. So well, you got to get there early in the morning. Fireball helps, I suppose.

SPEAKER_01 9:38

There you go. Um, okay. Well, the reason the reason I asked, so there's a form one of my buddies. Um, I think I shared this with you when we met, but like one of the things that fills my tank is um I teach this thing called being a boomerang. Um and just obviously trying going always out of my way to help others without keeping score. So um maybe I'll put this homework. So one of my former guests, I'm gonna throw this out there just to see what we put it in the universe, is a buddy named Craig Weibel, who was a general manager of the Seattle Sounders and the professional sports. And um, one of my other buddies played in the MLS for shoot, three, four years. I mean, sorry, 13 or 14 years. He now works um at he still works at K Force. Um, actually took over a lot of the work I used to do. Then now he's doing something completely different, but stud. But um, I'm more than happy to try to help connect your son with those guys if it would help him.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

Um, that's so neat. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

Um put it put in the universe. That would be a dream for sure. All right. Well, Andy, bring me back. Uh I want to rewind the tape, and bring me back to what was life like growing up for you and talk about the impact mom and dad had on you now that you're a dad.

Growing Up Loved And Grounded

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Oh uh, I'm gonna tell you I'm lucky a lot uh throughout this. Yeah, I mean, my mom, uh, you know, you feel the love. Uh, you know, you I couldn't do anything wrong. Um I worked, I grew up in a very loving place in uh central California, just outside of Sacramento. My dad was, as long as I could remember, a state employee. Uh left the house early in a suit. We'd meet him at the bus stop at the end of the day. Um just great family environment. Uh grew up, I was a big brother, so I had two little guys uh who humbled me super quick. Uh both were athletic, uh, both were super smart. Um, both had lots of friends early on, you know, just uh all these things happen in life. It's like you're you're you're loved like crazy by your mom and your dad, but you're humbled by your brothers. You know, it kind of creates like the perfect platform for life, I think. Uh so I got pretty lucky that way. But um my child journey was a pretty normal one in the 70s. Uh I was definitely a dreamer. Um, I definitely like to imagine. I definitely spent a lot of time by myself or with my brothers, you know. But um yeah, growing up was uh was great, was a great town to grow up in. And uh then, you know, after junior high or whatever high school, you kind of find your way and you meet your friends and you know, you kind of advance and figure out your personality and uh it just kind of happens, but you can't do that without kind of the platform that your your parents and your brother set for you, you know.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Now, was mom a stay-at-home mom? Mom was stay-at-home, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

She ended up working later. Um, but uh yeah, it was definitely a priority to uh be there for us, and she certainly was.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

So I'm I I literally had the vision mom with four three kiddos, and you're at the bus stop. Like, was that just a way to greet dad and say hello at the end of the day, or was it just was what one car family or uh it was a one-car family for sure.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

Um my dad was, you know, like the baseball coach, everyone knew him in town. Uh you know, my mom was a protective mom. And uh, you know, we we ran the neighborhood and you know, we were always out and about, and we lived right on the outskirts of town. So, you know, if you went behind our house, you went into town. If you went across the street from our house, you were in the middle of fields, you know, in the valley, out of town. Uh, so we had tight reins on us, but uh really had a chance to you know experience California in the 70s, you know. It's great.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Now we were talking like Spicoli type uh 70s.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

I I would say uh that was probably my you know top fives for sure.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

We just dated ourselves, everybody. If you don't know who spicoli is, Google it. Yeah, exactly. Um why why were you a dreamer?

SPEAKER_02 14:07

Uh I don't know. I I mean my the gift I was giving is I am super comfortable with myself. Like I am, it was, you know, especially later in life, uh, which became so important. Um I'm just I'm I'm comfortable thinking, I'm comfortable, you know, getting through worry pretty quick. Um I'm comfortable, you know, problem solving, you know, just I that's just I don't know. I know it had to have been from childhood. Um you know, I wanted to be an adult so bad, but at the same time, uh I remember being embarrassed, you know, when friends would come over and I'd quickly pick up army men, you know, because I would like set up for days and plan battles and imagine, you know, carpet to me was you know, a beach head. You know, it was just I just had this ability to build and play movies in my head, you know, and uh all of a sudden that became more of you know, applying it to work and settings and of course dealing with things, you know. So uh I don't know how I got there, but but I did and I'm thankful for it.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

I think it's such a gift that parents can give either kids or is to the power of dreaming big and a mindset of why not why not me? Let's go do something big. And that's why I mean people you can't see us as audio only podcast, but there's a believe sign behind me um from Ted Lasso, but it's actually from a Seattle Mariners game I got years ago. But I that's believe is one of my favorite words. Yeah, uh it's such an undervalued word, it's such a um uh so I think it's a word that many people don't think about.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

Totally agree, Casey. You know, totally agree.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

But when you have belief, um it impacts your psyche, your mindset, you can see vision, you can see. And um, it's funny, I had a one of I've said this before in multiple episodes, but I don't think I've shared this with you. When I one of my best friends, Steve, um, his son is my son writer, is one of his really good friends. And um, when when they were both when they were young, we were coaching the the teams, like all the sports team they were on. And my son's buddy, his son was named Riley, and Riley was convinced he was gonna be in the NHL, MLB, and then when he'd have off weeks, he'd go play in PGA tour events.

unknown 16:33

Jeez.

SPEAKER_02 16:33

And his dad's probably doing just that, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:36

He's still he's playing hockey right now in like the juniors, like these like junior programs. He's trying to like um work his way up to college. He'll be a he'll be like a really old college student when he once he gets there, but he's playing like a junior league. He he moved out like at age, well, like at 16 or 17. He went to Idaho and then he went to New Hampshire for two years. Now he's living in Wyoming playing junior level hockey, but like he has this utter belief, and his mom or dad never said no. He just said perfect. Um so I think it's it's something that I definitely have taken to heart, and I think I think of so it's cool that you can reflect on on being a dreamer because I'm sure that's helped you in business. Yeah, absolutely. Tell me the the values that were most important to mom and dad when they were raising you guys.

SPEAKER_02 17:22

I mean I was it was instilled upon us, uh due unto others. Um and yeah, I mean I'm I'm certain I I wasn't the best example of that, you know, throughout all the decisions in my life, but um I always reflected on that. My dad, you know, what used to say to my brothers and I, you know, if you don't have anything nice to say, why are you saying anything? You know, and then in later years I realized, gosh, my dad's awfully quiet, you know. It's like this guy's really uh chewing his own meds here. Uh so yeah, I think it's great lessons, you know, it's just how you're raised, and it's not necessarily words, but just you know how they treated other people and all, you know, you just grow up like that, become that.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

Yeah, you can see that's one of those ones that's better taught than said. I mean you how uh just how you interact with people. It's if it's genuine, if it's authentic, people know you're not full of part of my friend's bull of shit. It's like oh, he or she seems like they're legit and they really do care about me or about that person, or they actually did go out of my way, his his or her way, to do something nice. Yeah. Um seems like common sense, but most people sometimes don't do it. Yeah. You know? And like that, when I was researching my book, I had to be self-plugged there, but like there's a dude I met named Orson Sweat Martin, who was in the 1800s, 1850s, 1850s. He wrote a book called Pushing to the Front, um, that he lost the first manuscript in a fire. Uh, he rewrote the second manuscript. Um, he started a magazine called Um Success Magazine, which still is around today. Wow. He had like 500,000 subscribers way back in the past. That's crazy. And one of his biggest reasons of why he was successful was um that I mean, at least in the his the research I did on him when I found him, was he treated people with respect. He was nice, he went out of his way to be nice, and uh he he he he was the power of like you know, doing to others as you you want to be done to you, and so yeah, it's funny how success leaves clues in life. Sometimes we forget to to follow those clues, like yeah, you're so right. You know, like people have been being curious forever, yet yet people aren't curious. People have been being nice forever, but we're we feel like there's a shortcut. And like these things still win and you don't need AI to be good at them. Absolutely right. Um what other values were important? Be nice, obviously, treat others well, which is like a foundational one. Um what else as you kind of reflect, maybe through a story where you had to learn a value, did anything come to mind?

SPEAKER_02 20:10

Oh well, I mean, you know, I I I was a good kid for sure. Um, you know, and I don't know if it was because I wanted to be a good kid or just, you know, you be you're raised to be a good kid. I guess sometimes that just falls into place. Uh, but uh uh I don't know how this occurred, but like I was by myself in the neighborhood walking around, and for some reason something compelled me to pull a box out of someone's mailbox. I took it home with me. I was maybe eight years old or something. And I'm laying in bed, and I said, I gotta see what's in this package. So I open it up and it's a book of checks.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

And uh, you know, I was like, okay, gosh, what can I do with this? You know, and uh fall asleep that night, wake up the next morning, you know, go to school, uh, bring one of these little, you know, checkbooks with me, you know, show people what I have and get home the next or later that day. And then that night guilt started setting in. You know, I was like, I stole something, you know. So I my dad was sitting in his chair, you know, watching, you know, Hawaii 500 or whatever he was watching. And I said, Dad, I gotta tell you something. And he just looked at me and I said, I uh took these checkbooks out of someone's mailbox, and my dad got up like right away. He says, Go get dressed. We walked to these people's house. He knocked on the door and stood back. Uh-huh. And the guy opened the door. We didn't Talk about what I would say or anything. Just my dad's like, deal with this, you know? And so I was like, I stole your money, you know, and they're like, what? And I said, well, I took these and they're like, did you use any of them? You know, I'm like, no, I didn't use any of them. They're like, all right, you learn your lesson, you know. And um, you know, my parents gave me a talk in two afterwards, and I know I got in a lot of trouble, but you know, just it was a great way to set a foundation for you're not only are you dealing with this, but you got to determine how you're gonna deal with this. And I thought that was a great lesson.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

Wow. Uh, are mom and dad still with us? They sure are. Yeah.

unknown 22:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:50

I lost my dad in uh December 29th, 2021. Um sorry. Yeah, she was just just short of 80. My mom, 76. She's she's still with us, fiery as hell. Love you, mom. Uh my mom close by? She's yeah, she's in Eastern Washington. So a couple hours. Okay. Um last night was like, you know, like the remember this uh Seinfeld Costanza's parents?

SPEAKER_03 23:14

Of course.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

I swear I hate to air my mom out, but I'm gonna last so the new MLB TV package, it's it's like not super confusing, but it's kind of you got to get the MLB app, and then you have to like go to your smart TV and then watch the Mariners TV, whatever. It's like it's not that confusing, but if you're in the 70s, it can be a little bit tricky. And so like they could not figure it out. They signed up for the wrong thing in the wrong area and they're calm and and like, god damn it, Alan. Like and my son's laughing. I'm just like, I finally said, just how about you guys don't talk? Just we'll play a game. You don't talk at all for like give me like three minutes, just zero words. And let me just specifically make this really, really, really easy, and I'm gonna get you back on. But I was like, I feel like I'm talking to the freaking Costanzas. But anyway, we got them, we got them going. But oh Jesus. But it's funny, that story you said, it reflected. I mean, I have unfortunately probably way too many stories of making those bad decisions. Like I I remember my sister and I, we were had to have been under eight, and we thought, I got a great idea. Let's let's maybe I was influential back then as even a seven-year-old. I said, Ham, come with me. What we're gonna do, we're gonna take these apricots and we're gonna just fire some fastballs at this guy's house and just pelt them. It'll be fun. Come on, let's go do it. She's like, I don't know if there's a good idea. Come on, let's go. Just just destroy this thing. Thinking, you know, typical boy, we're idiots. Girls are way smarter. Yes, I'm airing us out, boys, and men. Uh, thinking my mom and grandma aren't gonna realize that where's this massive box of apricots? And it's two doors down, and they're all this guy's house. Like, but my grandma's like, where are the apricots? I'm like, what are you talking about? Completely lie, completely. And then I'm like, oh God, this is not looking good for me. And so I had the same thing. I had to write, I had to go knock on their door, same thing, eat it, tell I had to clean their house, I had to write a letter, and then I had to like on a chalkboard, I will never throw apricots house again. I will old school, you know. But it's those moments where you reflect and you, you know, and I think sometimes it's fun to I don't know if you've ever told your kids those that story.

Sponsor Message Staffing Dashboard

SPEAKER_02 25:21

Yeah, I I don't know if I've specifically told them that one, but it's a memorable one for me, you know. Yeah. They've got their own stories. I try to focus on.

Diagnosis And The Cancer Fight

SPEAKER_00 25:31

Hey, quarterback dadcats listeners, Dan Morey here, co-founder of Staffing Dashboard. And before I get into the software, I want to give a quick shout out to Casey Jacks. I recently hired Casey to keynote the Staffing Sales Summit because his message about winning relationships instead of just chasing deals is essential for our industry now more than ever. And the feedback from attendees was absolutely incredible. Leaders and producers walked away thinking differently about how they build trust with clients and how they grow those accounts. And if you haven't checked it out yet, his book, Win the Relationship, Not the Deal, is a great resource that teaches from that philosophy. Now, if you're in a staffing agency, let me ask you a simple question. Can you confidently answer whether you are on track to hit your revenue target this year? Most staffing leaders can't. Despite being buried in ATS reports, data, and spreadsheets, they're still left guessing, which is exactly why we built staffing dashboard. It's kind of like a GPS, but for your staffing agency. You set your year-end goal, and every week it recalculates exactly how many new clients, job orders, placements, and billing headcount you need to stay on track. The preloaded KPI tiles will turn green when you're on track and red when you're not. So in a matter of seconds, you know exactly where to focus. One of our customers noticed a red KPI tile around average weekly value of headcount. And when they investigated, they discovered a hidden attendance issue at a major account. They worked with the client to fix it, improved production, and got back on track with their financial goals. We've also added an AI-powered insights so you can literally ask the dashboard questions about your business and get coaching style answers based on your real data. If you want that kind of visibility into your staffing business, go to staffingdashboard.com and book a demo. I'll walk you through the staffing dashboard, sales dashboard, and our AI insights tool. Again, that's staffingdashboard.com. Click book a demo.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:42

So we're now in Atlanta. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

Uh we got we got kids that are they're getting older. Um, and I I wanna I want to transition um to some adversity that hit you in your life.

SPEAKER_02 27:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:57

Um for for what you're comfortable sharing, maybe maybe let us bring us in behind the curtain on on um when when the the path of life, so we're gonna give you a little turbulence and and maybe share a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_02 28:10

Yeah, absolutely. You know, I don't talk about this all that much. Uh, so I'm not sure how my body will react as uh I kind of go through the story, but um, you know, I was am probably the happiest person you'll ever meet, you know, just genuinely happy about every path, you know, that we've taken and stuff. And I, you know, I was in the middle of just, you know, getting the last two out of the house. And uh Rose and I, you know, still date every week, you know, just life's really good. And uh after COVID, I had uh, you know, we drank a lot of beer during COVID, you know, we were playing like pickleball tournaments and you know, just having a great time. So I'm like, all right, I'm gonna stop drinking beer. Uh, I needed to condense my, you know, time to work out. So I started doing HIT exercises and uh was always very active, uh, but now I was kind of more intense active. And uh it lasted about a year, and gosh, I was in pain. And and I am, I do not have high pain tolerance. You know, I'm the guy that if I like my fingers get super glued together, I'm a wreck, you know. And so what I assumed was, you know, just pain because I'm a bit of a weakling, um, it started really impacting me. And the pain was in my left shoulder, uh, right between my, you know, right back of my head, neck, lower back. Uh I'm like, geez, this is like, I can't even like sit at dinner, you know. I was just really having a rough go, and my brothers have had, you know, shoulder surgeries and back surgeries, but you know, these guys were athletes, you know, they're throwing a thousand pitches a week. I did not do that stuff. And um I uh went to the doctor, um, just my you know, primary care doctor, and uh he was going through some checks and he noticed, you know, I was having trouble breathing where I was a little bit uh I guess winded, you know, so I had an x-ray done, and uh I told him about the pain in my shoulders, so I, you know, got an orthopedist involved. And uh it was June 23rd or 22nd of 2023, and Rose and I had an anniversary uh date. Um and we had like a fun night in a boutique hotel, great like restaurant. And I said, Hey, the next day I gotta go see the results from this orthopedist. And she's like, I'll go with you. So, first time ever, she went to a doctor's appointment with me, ever. And uh this orthopedist says, Hey, you know, I need to show you something. So he pulls me out of the office, and Rose is kind of like, and he's like, You can come. And she's like, Okay. So he showed us this monitor. It was like between like the front desk and the where people are sitting, and you know, it was very strange. And he said, Um, hey, see all these you know heat spots, and it was all throughout my body, and I said, Yeah, and he's like, I need to send you to an oncologist. Uh, you have an appointment uh like this that afternoon at noon or something.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 32:00

And he says, I don't want to suggest anything, but this is like you know, in your soft tissue and your bones, and there's something going on here and kind of left it at that. And Rose and I went out to the parking lot and you know, ironically, I locked my keys in the car, and we just kind of held hands and walked around the parking lot for a minute and uh I was like, holy shit. Holy shit. And we held each other. She, of course, was like, do not worry, we're gonna get through this. You know, she's like the strongest person in the world. And long story short, uh, turns out I had stage four lung cancer, and it spread to my soft tissue and my bones. It was, you know, directly where I was feeling all the pain. Uh, we had started in one hospital, and uh the bulldog roses, she got me into uh, you know, Emory Windship, uh, which is you know, best decision I ever made or she ever made for me. And uh knew that we were gonna have the battle of our life. But even to today, uh the only thing that was difficult about that whole journey, Casey, the only thing was telling my kids. Yeah. It was uh I don't know, you know, you it's personal, obviously, they're conversations, but uh you realize that not the cliche that things can be taken from you in a flash, but that uh the earth kind of becomes flat because you can only see so far all of a sudden, like literally, you know. And uh when you can only see so far through them, it was like you know, holy shit. So went through uh a napalm session over more than a year, uh, had the good fortune of being part of a great company uh who was patient with me and a great leader, as that you know, Greg. And uh I got through it all. Uh cancer's still with me. Um, they can't eradicate it totally, it'll come back, we'll have to deal with it again. Um it's uh hasn't grown, it's kind of still in one spot of my lung. And um I'm as happy the day before I got diagnosed to you know how I am today. Um I'm very, very lucky. Um just as appreciative as I've always been because I'm so appreciative. Uh, but you know, you see things a lot clearer, and um it will it's been a wild ride, but I'm also honored I had a chance to deal with something I didn't want to deal with, and got through that adversity with my family, and uh we're here, you know. So it's been wild, uh, but it's all part of the journey you go on and deal with, and uh really proud of how we've all kind of dealt with this thing and continuing on today.

SPEAKER_01 35:51

Well, I was glad I was able to see you get recognized um for the award that you you won, and it's it's no surprise based on how you just shared that story, and you're to say inspiring is an understatement. Yeah, thanks. And um I'm I'm just curious where does your um this just strength of positivity and where does that come from?

SPEAKER_02 36:18

Well, um I mean the the upgrade the upbringing that I described certainly uh you know gave me that foundation. Um you know, I took attributes from my parents, of course. But um how could I not be the happiest and most opportunistic or optimistic person in the world based on who I married and you know what we built. Uh so I just you know I'm super fortunate uh to have found uh Rose so early, but uh even more fortunate that uh it's just been so such a magical ride. I mean, I just super happy all the time, you know.

SPEAKER_01 37:11

Yeah, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 37:13

It's also great, you know, that what the career path I chose, um, I had a a bit of a unique skill set in that uh complexity is kind of where I thrive. Um, so I'm not a social person. You know, I um sold for a period of time, uh, was nowhere near your caliber. Um, but I was always really worried about, you know, is what I'm selling to my customer gonna be as beautiful as you know, I painted for them. And and I was so anxious about that, I had to, you know, start building and designing and ensuring. And I love that much more because it was such a gap for so long uh that not only was I happy when I walked out the door, but I was just as happy throughout my days and then you know, even more happy to come home, you know. So it was just life's good, man.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Well, I think that the power of back to the word belief and power of just like bringing positivity. Um, it's not always easy to be positive. I think we're all flawed humans, we have that in common, but um do you think your attitude and how your mindset is, you think that helped fight off some of the cancer?

SPEAKER_02 38:44

Uh I don't know. I think um my doctor, one of the first things that she said actually was um you know, attitudes, you know, I don't remember the percentage she quoted, but you know, it was a high percent of success here. Um and Rose and I kind of looked at each other like, okay, that won't be a problem, you know. But it also, you know, as much as it took from me, it gave me a lot. Um it gave me a ton of perspective. Um, even though I've always been appreciative. Um I probably didn't have always the right perspective, so it provided me that. Did not enjoy the empathy. Uh I was really uncomfortable with that. Um, there were some really bad times, you know. It's like, okay, horizon's not looking so hot. Um, and I was really uncomfortable, you know, with the amount of empathy, empathy, and sadness, you know, that people were expressing. But then when I kind of got through it, I just appreciated it so much. Um, you know, so I think those things got me through it. Yeah, more than just, you know, you're you you battle because you you you want to stay in the game, so you do everything you can, and there's not a person I know that wouldn't do that, you know.

SPEAKER_01 40:17

Yeah. Well, you are a humble man, and I don't know you that well, but it's it's uh just a blessing getting to know you more today. And you you called yourself a weakling, I think, earlier, and you said you have a low pain tolerance. I think you're full of shit. I think you're full of shit.

SPEAKER_02 40:33

Trust me, buddy.

Parenting Values And Missing Little Kids

SPEAKER_01 40:34

Hey, I don't think I don't listen. Okay. I to do what you've done with your attitude is so freaking inspiring, man. So I think you're tougher than you think. And I'm not thinking you're gonna go wrestle Hulk Hogan this afternoon, I wouldn't do that, but uh um, and and the fact you're you're you're back working and making an impact at a big, big company in a big, big way. And the number of people that I've I've been able to to meet at at uh Ron Stad and then to the way they speak about you, it's really really cool. So I'm even more grateful for you today that you've allowed you join decided to join us, talk about fatherhood and talk about your story. Um I hope that people that don't know you, this is gonna be a um the conversation they they'll have for the rest of their lives, and they'll always they'll always they know who you were and they'll get to know you better. So I'm I'm grateful for that. Um okay, so you and Rose, you got four kids. You you've you we're we're almost almost an empty nester here. I'm which I'm gonna be empty nester too here very, very soon, which is just as crazy to think about. Um, but also exciting. Um when you guys were raising your kids, um were what were the if you had to say that the top two or three values that were most important to you and Rose with your kids? Well tell me what comes to mind.

SPEAKER_02 41:52

Yeah, I mean well, we we really wanted to ensure that um our kids trusted us. Um I think that was always something that was really important, you know. Trust us, we're we're guiding you in the right, you know, way for a reason. Trust us, we're letting you um fail because you you need to learn to deal with this. Trust us, uh, we're always here, but we want you to engage, you know. So we just that wasn't like a plan or anything. Um, and you know, I really, really wish there was a parenting manual because I definitely would have read it a front to back. But um I think the fact that we just enjoyed uh every minute uh of every day throughout their entire journey um that just gave them the the value of support and family and you know all the things that you look for. Do you know someone asked me the other day, I guess it's been a couple of months now because I've been repeating this, but they uh say uh they uh he asked me what what are you jealous of? You know, are you jealous of anything? And you know what I'm jealous of, Casey? And I I love right now, but I am so jealous of young families. I am so jealous of seeing families push strollers at Disney. I'm so jealous of you know, dad's taking the kid to the bathroom to change the diaper in the middle of a game. I I am so like just miss that so much. Yep. Uh but I know, you know, this next phase, especially when they, you know, move on and they have kids and I'm gonna be able to participate in that. Uh I know there'll be a time while I'll be Jealous of that stage too, but um I think I just loved that time of my life so much. Um I don't know, I'm just really envious of those that get to go through it, you know, or going through it.

SPEAKER_01 44:16

It's amazing how like the cliche in life, which is, you know, man, enjoy it. Time goes by so fast. It's true. I mean, as you said, that I literally had the vision of my of my son and a baby bjorn. Uh, I remember he was like six weeks old, maybe, and taking him for a walk with my wife around the neighborhood. And one of the neighbors said, I've said this before, so it's all like you're gonna say this again, everybody. But uh, she's like, Man, enjoy this time, it's gonna go fast. And then I'm like, Man, chill out, lady. Like, I just he's six weeks old, and I just enjoy the moment. Seriously. And my son's gonna be 20 in a few weeks. I'm like, what the hell? And I mean, when you then when you turn 50, it like really makes you think about things like, man, 50. You know, and I'm not like, oh my, you know, depressed and freaking out. But it's like, it's a big number, it's it's cool because I feel like I'm a young 50, at least I like to think I am. And um, but you're just like, you know what, case?

SPEAKER_02 45:16

Yeah. You you have I mean, I got to see you in action on stage, but um you have a tremendous amount of wisdom that you uh share on stage. Uh and it's the wisdom of a 75-year-old man. Seriously. It is it is very topical. Um, it's tangible, like we can all do something with it, but uh yeah, you I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 45:50

It's great. I thought you were gonna say I am very wise with 80s movies in Avengers of the Nerds, and I said, You're right. Like I'm on a group text with the guys we're doing a golf trip at the end of the month, and a guy he makes, he writes this, and shout out to Nick if you're listening, probably he's not, but if he is. He says, Hey guys, I got some glow in the bark balls. Glow in the glow in the dark balls for night putting. Night putting. And so for anybody who knows Caddyshack, you know exactly where I'm going. I'm like, there's a one-liner from Caddyshack says, you know, night putting? Yeah, putting at night, 15-year-old daughter of the dean. I was like, I couldn't resist that one-liner on the on the group text. I'm like, sorry guys, like, is anybody else resisting Caddyshack quotes right now? And then he goes, There it is. I waited for you to what took you so long? I'm like, I've been wanting to send this text for three hours, but I was trying to be mature.

SPEAKER_02 46:35

Exactly. Restraint. You also have restraint.

SPEAKER_01 46:39

That's good. Well, it's um, I tell you, man, I think, I think there I appreciate you saying that. I think what I'm what what what's continuing to continues to fill my tank is learning from others and realizing this mindset of you're you've never arrived. And you're that's why I love the game of golf. You're chasing something you're never gonna be really, really good at. Um, my college football coach, shout out Bo Baldwin, he goes, he he remember he told me he said he goes, if you ever have to tell me you had a really, really great game, a really, really good game, you're not that good. But when you've had a great game, I'll tell you. And that mindset of just staying humble and realizing that you the business is gonna, specifically the staffing industry, will humble the shit out of us.

SPEAKER_02 47:19

Yeah, no doubt.

SPEAKER_01 47:20

I mean, number of times I've had to lay off, unfortunately, completely out of my control. Client loses budget, you have to lay off 50 to 60 people overnight. Not fun. But it doesn't define me. I'm still the same guy.

SPEAKER_03 47:31

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 47:31

The years you get to put 100 people to work, still the same guy. Nothing's changed. If you but if you let it change, you will change it. But um, and I that's what used to just drove me. And I think like at age 41, I talk about this a lot with people I work with now, is that's where I met when a mentor in my life that really opened my eyes to the phrase of being consciously competent versus unconsciously competent and understanding that do you want to be someone that just lands the plane and doesn't know why, or do you want to be someone that lands the plane but you know why every single time? Um, and so I don't know, and I just I learned a lot about that rat that like really unlocked my curiosity, which I love teaching, I love teaching my kids, love teaching people in the business world. Um, and I joke people often, I say, you know, how when you when you when you decide to get really, really curious and then apply this stuff to your own business, I go, guess how much more money I'm gonna make.

SPEAKER_03 48:25

So true.

SPEAKER_01 48:26

And they're like, I don't know. I go, let's see, carry the one plus six, times it by the square root of four, it's still zero. But I get paid in this currency called karma that's legit. Um, which why I mean to get the phone call to join you guys, it was like, you gotta be kidding me. What? You know, but it's a massive, and I that those moments in life humble the you know what out of me. So that made a real difference.

SPEAKER_02 48:49

That was that was uh probably the the the most feedback we got. I'm sure you've received this already, but was on that session.

SPEAKER_01 49:00

You know, appreciate you saying that, man. It's um it was fun, it was fun, and um okay. Um, is there an area? It's one question I always like asking dads is uh an area your dad game because you when you mentioned the manual. To become a dad, you you'd think there would be a test to take or you know, a license to get, but really you just have to have sex. There's no manual. I know. But there would sure should be a manual. You have to you have to get a license to be a boat driver to get your license, but just go have sex and you become a dad. It's easy. Yeah, but like we impact so many. That's why the jails are full. You know, heavy sevy sarcasm. But like, um, so I like asking dads, what would what would be an area of your dad game that as you reflect, like, man, if I could give advice to a younger dad, I wouldn't be X, or if I could change one thing about my dad game, I'd be like, Yeah, maybe I wasn't the best year, but I but I but I learned from it and I became a better dad because of fill in the blank.

SPEAKER_02 49:54

Well, this should really be coming from my kids because I don't even know how they would react to this, and my colleagues at work would not believe that I'm saying this. But don't be so damn serious, you know, and at home there is little to no seriousness, uh which is a sharp contrast from how I operate outside it. But uh I I can always get my kids to smile, I can always get a hug. You know what I mean? Just no matter what's going on. Uh so yeah, I think that's kind of my my vibe.

SPEAKER_01 50:44

It's a that's a freaking great answer. My mine, I swear having this podcast, I've interviewed almost 350 dads. My goal is to get to a thousand. Wow. And um I my dad, Rest in Peace Pops, was was super impatient. He used he could say the Andy the best. God damn it, Casey. And it would make me and my sister laugh. He just cracked us up. But and I found I never didn't drop a lot of GD bombs in my kids, but there's times, you know, just like all of us, we're busy, we got work stress, you get busy, and then you overreact, like, damn it. But this podcast has helped me make more patient, more patient. And um, the power of, you know, this humble, vulnerable, curious mindset that I do work on every single day, it's helped me with fatherhood. Because, like, you know, like examples this week, I I I probably picked the wrong environment to give some feedback to my uh one of my children about one certain thing. Don't air about in case they hear it. And my wife's like, probably not the best environment to do it. I found myself getting defensive. And I'm like, why am I getting defensive? She's right. But my ego was in the way, and then the next day I had to say, I apologize to my wife, apologize to my child, and said, Hey, not wasn't the best version of dad right there.

SPEAKER_02 51:59

Yeah, I mean, I'm really glad this podcast isn't about all the parenting mistakes I've made.

SPEAKER_01 52:08

Um tell me how you got into the wide world of staffing.

SPEAKER_02 52:13

Man, cool journey. Uh, I had uh my the first lady that hired me, uh Diana Smith, was just an outstanding mentor. She ran a branch up in Seattle, uh mid-90s. Microsoft's on fire, Starbucks is on fire, Amazon's on fire. So, you know, got to uh start as a recruiter up there, and uh again, solving problems, uh created regional recruiting structures, capacity, uh, got a chance to manage uh the Portland branch, so got some chops, uh, had chance to sell, uh, had chance to kind of be a SME in certain capabilities. So kind of, you know, developed a little bit of a of uh broad shoulders in the space. And then I got tapped on the shoulder uh because I was doing some what was considered uh innovative things at the time. I got tapped on the shoulder to say, hey, do you want to apply for this uh global recruiting leader role? Well, national. And I'm like, what? You know, and they're like, it's would be a corporate, you'd be reporting to the president. I'm like, holy smokes! And this is like, you know, six years less than that, and I got the dang job. Wow, and uh it was so fun, uh, had another great leader and uh learned so much. Uh probably didn't get as humbled as I should have gotten, um, but was humbled. And uh then that journey through just a really interesting story that I'll tell you some other time. Uh ended up meeting my best friend now, uh, the kind of the temporary CEO of the place that I was at, uh, introduced me to uh this guy that's known in the industry, Michael Wynwood, and uh had a chance to you know work on his executive leadership team and uh worked with him for many years. Uh he and I moved to Little Rock together, to Atlanta together, you know, have a lot of war stories. He's got uh three great boys and a beautiful little girl, similar ages to my three girls and my boy. Uh the wives are close. We do a lot of close family things, and it's like, gosh, in retrospect, it was the best decision I ever made from a personal perspective, because I couldn't have learned more from anyone else at that time. But then uh, or from a professional perspective, and then from a personal perspective, it was just like how does this happen? You know. So thanks to the industry, thanks to, you know, back to the quote my wife gave me when we first got married. Let's go where the wind takes us. You know, let's just say yes a lot, let's see what happens. And that was my career journey. Just yes, yes, yes, let's do this, let's go, let's solve for that. Uh, put it on my shoulders. It's complex. I'll try it out. Uh need someone to carry the pressure. I want that, you know. And uh yeah, eventually that company got acquired and I became uh proud member of the Ronstadt family, and you know, global complexity, big business is where I belong. You know, that's that's my skill set. Uh so been hanging out here, playing a whole bunch of roles and having a good time.

SPEAKER_01 56:05

Wow. One thing I love about that story and being able to meet Rose, it was funny serendipitous that we got sat next to each other that first night. Yeah. And um, and how you just described her statement about how the you know, take us, let's we'll go where the wind takes us. That to me is all about belief.

SPEAKER_03 56:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:26

And um there's a I think it's so wives, if you're listening, I'll speak for me. Like when when my wife shows like belief, or it just like not she doesn't believe, I mean, she definitely believes in me, but like, hey, I got your back, or hey, man, I can't believe we're you got you did this for us. Holy c it like it's like a fill in the tank again of like it not only not from my ego, but more from just like a feeling responsible. Like, let's let like I want to do more help. And um, I there's a gentleman by the name of Casey Bell who I interviewed early, he's a buddy of mine. His dad, it's a great story of when a wife believes in a husband. He he started his cabinet business business a long time ago. It um he got into some situ some of his partners got were like, you know, bad, bad eggs, got into like legal issues, lost almost everything. Guy's like on the on his kitchen floor in a fetal position, almost crying. Wow. And his wife came over to him, puts his arm around her, and he goes, Hey, I'm betting on you. I believe in you.

SPEAKER_03 57:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:26

And it like snapped him out of it. And he now he's I mean, they have a crazy successful company here in the United in Washington, and they do cabinets worldwide. But it's funny when just you feel that belief, and I think we as dads, we get to give that same gift to our kids.

SPEAKER_02 57:42

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 57:43

We as businesses are.

SPEAKER_02 57:44

That's all it's all it takes, you know. No one believes in me more, of course, than Rose, but no one checks me more. And when I say check, I mean checks me, you know, more than Rose. Uh, so yeah, it's a it works out. And you know, I can imagine uh your friend just having a rough go. It's like you only need that person to trust you. You know, you don't need anybody else to trust you, just no, you know, your partner, man.

SPEAKER_01 58:15

So I think we also have that in common. My wife definitely checks me. She should be in the penalty box for all the frickin' roughing penalties and body checking she does, but she's always frickin' right. Pisses me off.

SPEAKER_02 58:25

Yeah, it's very frustrating.

SPEAKER_01 58:28

But I've I've decided to just like a sometimes I am right, not very often. But one of the best pieces of advice I got at age 23, shout out to Doug Arthur. He goes, Casey, I'm gonna give you some advice I think is gonna help you in life. All right, what is it? He goes, Do you want to be right or do you want to get what you want? I go, I want both. He's like, Now you gotta pick one. Which one do you want? I go, Well, I want to I want to get what I want. He's like, Okay, good answer. He's like, why? Well, because I said if I if I want to be right, that probably means my ego's in the way. He's like, You're right. And that piece of advice, Andy, got me through every day in staffing. Wow. Every day. That's awesome. That day, but also I think it's why I've been married 27 years.

SPEAKER_02 59:05

That's impressive.

What Ronstadt Does And How To Connect

SPEAKER_01 59:06

You know, so um, if people have no idea who Ron Studd is and they're now intrigued, like, I want to learn more about these cats. Like, what tell us, tell us, like, give us your your high-level elevator pitch and and how can people how can we make it really, really easy for people to learn more about Ronstadt?

SPEAKER_02 59:25

Yeah, absolutely. So Ronstadt is a talent-first company, and they're broken up into specialties. And I happen to have the privilege of working in the digital specialty, uh, which is kind of our technology platform. And what Ronstad, no matter what your dilemma is as a customer, is really unique in that we provide precision solutions for our customers. So whether it's access to the labor pool in our ecosystem of millions of people through the new uh platform Powered by Torque asset that we have, or it's adding all these unique delivery models and contract constructs to make sure that what we solve for a customer is precisely what they need, when they need it, meeting them where they are. And it is an absolute joy to be able to, you know, A, say I work for Ron Stad, but B, have so much confidence in our ability to do what I just articulated. And uh we hear that from customers, you know, all the time. Uh, but we also work in a space that I know you know uh as well, if not better, than anybody, that it is evolving so fast, so uh much. So we're also fortunate um to have some real brilliant people to help us evolve just as fast and a little bit ahead of market to help you know pull customers. So it's great. Um, how you get a hold of us? Well, one benefit of ours is what you're doing uh as a partner of ours, and that's making uh all of our account managers out in the field uh as confident as they can be in how they're articulating what we do, uh, but also uh being relentless and building relationships and earning the right to hang out with that customer forever. And that's one of the differentiators of uh Ronstad. So uh connecting with us, obviously, uh going through LinkedIn or going to our website is uh easy access or pinging me directly, and I'll get you in the right hands.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:49

Love it. We'll make it really easy, everybody. We will tag and link Andy. We'll link Ronstad. We'll link Ronstadt Digital, make it really easy. And we hope that we get some more unique visitors to um uh to their their website and learning more about that. The one thing I have learned in a year and a half, some freaking fantastic people. Um, and that's the that's the one thing I've learned because I, you know, I'm working at K Force for as long as I did, and then you you don't you forget there's 23,000 or so companies that do what we do, and you don't realize you you kind of get put in this little eye joke. I was, you know, I was in the K Force jail for 20 years, and then you you get put in this worker leaves program, and then you're out in the out in the wild now. And you're like, wow, there's some really freaking cool people out there, some smart people. And it's like, I mean, I've met so many cool people, companies I've never even heard of. They're like billion-dollar privately held staffing companies. And uh it just it just I think learning of that has further um cemented a mindset of abundance.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:48

It's an important space, it is a really important space, and I'm honored to serve in the industry. You know, it's it's really great.

Lightning Round And Favorite Things

SPEAKER_01 1:02:58

Love it. Okay, um, it is now Andy, time to go into what I call the lightning round. This is where I show you the negative hits of taking too many hits in college, not bong hits, but football hits. Uh, your job is to answer these questions as quickly as you can. My job is to hopefully get a giggle out of you. Okay. Okay. Are you ready? Ready. Okay, true or false. Uh you were once a diving champion for Sonoma State. False. Okay. Uh, true or false, you sometimes will wear a speedo on casual Fridays at around Sad.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:30

Also false.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:33

I just laughed my own joke. I think I lose. Um, if I came to the spear household tonight, what would we have for dinner?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:41

Uh, we're having a date night and we are planting strawberries tonight, and we're gonna have wine and chips and guacaboli. God, that sounds fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:50

Homemade guac? Uh well, I do cheat a little bit, but she'll never know. Um, favorite comedy movie of all time is Napoleon Dynamite. Uncle Rico.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:05

Uncle Rico.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:06

That's right. You've not, I don't know if you know about this, me, Andy, but when I I have my longer keynote I delivered, there's a I actually have a video from Uncle Rico that I play.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:14

You're kidding me.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:15

Swear to God.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:16

What scene?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:18

Um, when he's when Kip's having the steak on the on the porch and he takes it and he goes, watch, and he hits it to point in the face. And he talks about I could have been a could have been all steak, soaking up in the hot tub of my soulmate. Yeah, that's how I that's how I break the ice with the audience.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:35

I thought you were gonna say, see those mountains over there? I could throw a football over those mountains.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:41

Well, that's the same scene. It it's it goes into it. I let it go for about a minute. So great. Yeah. Um, favorite book you've ever read.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:50

Uh I'm more of a James Patterson guy, but I uh I just finished. Well, no, it's been a probably a month or so. Uh I reread Steve Jobs' biography.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:04

Holy smokes. Special man. Yeah. Unbelievable story. I don't know if I've ever read it. I'll put that on my list. It's incredible. Incredible. You definitely got to check it out.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:17

Okay. I'm making I'm making homework. My book list right now is um I have like five books in queue. I'm finishing one right now. Um, it's a really powerful book. Um uh if you were to take Rose on vacation right now, no kids, sorry kids, you're staying home. Just you and you and the little little yoga beast, where are you taking her?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:37

Lake Tahoe.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:38

Okay. Uh, if there was to be a book written about your life, tell me the title. Happy. What is it? Happy. Happy. Okay, well, I love that. Um, Andy, uh, believe it or not, every bookstore is sold out of happy. Amazon's sold they can't print them fast enough. Um, Barnes Nobles, they're sold out. Every airport, they're gone. And so now Netflix and Hulu are gonna argue, they're arguing and they're they're fighting over this, and one of them's gonna get the rights to make a movie. You are now the casting director. I need to know who is which Hollywood studs gonna star Andy Spear in this critically acclaimed hitney movie, Happy.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:16

You're putting me on the spot, but you know who comes to mind is John Hedder. Okay, Napoleon Dynamite, you know. I I wish it was Uncle Rico playing me, but that's not the case, brother.

Final Gratitude And Listener Requests

SPEAKER_01 1:06:29

Wow. Okay, and then last and most important question, tell me two words that would describe Rose. Oh my gosh. Strong and beautiful. Boom. Lightning rounds complete. I lose because I I laughed at my own dumb dad joke that made zero sense. And he doesn't wear a speedo, but why would I encourage him to do so? That's up to him to decide if he wants to this weekend. It's 85 there. He might be comfortable. Uh, this has been an absolute honor. Um, I'm grateful for you. I'm grateful for your time. I'm grateful for um our new friendship. I'm grateful that um our paths across in this universe. Um, and I'm and I'm just humbled that you you decide to spend an hour with me to talk about uh this challenge that you're kicking ass, brother. And I'm gonna be one of your biggest cheerleaders on the sideline, cheering you on. And um, I hope we get to see each other again in person soon. Um, and everybody, if this episode has impacted you, please share it with a friend. Um, and if you've not taken time to leave us a review wherever you consume our podcast, please do. Helps me keep this thing going. Um, and this is probably one of the most fun journeys of my entrepreneurial career is just serving other dads and sharing stories like this to help us all become better, uh, better dads. And that's really the goal out of each episode. So, Andy, thank you again for your time, man. Appreciate you and hope you have a fantastic date night with Rose tonight.