WEBVTT
00:00:00.959 --> 00:00:03.120
We all know the movie version of security.
00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:06.480
The agents, the high-risk missions, dramatic moments.
00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.359
But real protection starts long before the action.
00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:15.199
It's the preparation, the discipline, the judgment, the quiet decisions most people never see.
00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:22.239
Welcome to Risk and Readiness, a podcast from Draco Group, hosted by Ariel Siegelman and Celia Cortez.
00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:25.519
Each episode pulls back the curtain on the protection world.
00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:32.399
How professionals think, prepare, stay calm under pressure, and manage risk before everyone else sees it.
00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:34.079
This isn't a secret.
00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:40.799
It's a mindset for leaders, organizations, families, and anyone responsible for keeping people safe.
00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:01.359
There's no no big risk.
00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:02.159
No pressure.
00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:06.079
I mean, they they try to put pressure on you, but it's like all artificial.
00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:06.959
Not high risk.
00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:09.200
If you're not in war, there's no pressure.
00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:15.280
So we're in the desert, hot day.
00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:16.319
It was tough.
00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:17.439
We're tired.
00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:20.560
We're uh probably thirsty, definitely hungry.
00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:22.879
So I remember we finally had a break.
00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:32.480
Um we're all all these soldiers sitting in the shade, the little bit of shade that we could find, and um some guy, Jobnik, right?
00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:39.519
Like a guy who's not a not a combatant, he's a logistics soldier, and you know we always like to make fun of the those guys.
00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:42.480
I've learned I've learned since then how important we need those guys.
00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:43.680
Yeah, we need those guys.
00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:51.680
Um, but anyways, this guy brings a big box, cardboard box, filled with half sandwiches, right?
00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:53.040
To very hungry men.
00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:55.120
Yeah, right, to a bunch of hungry soldiers.
00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:56.799
So we're starving.
00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:00.480
It's almost like enough food that you just remember how starving you are.
00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:08.800
So, like, I get my little triangle slice of sandwich, and there's a bunch of guys there, and so each one of us is like eating our little sandwich.
00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:11.120
Um, I even remember what was on it.
00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:12.560
Not very memorable.
00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:13.439
No, no, I don't know.
00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:14.879
Oh, you do remember what was on it.
00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:16.879
It was very memorable because I was so hungry.
00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:21.840
It was some slices of cucumber with some some hummus, as they say it in America.
00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:31.680
So uh, so I eat my sandwich, the box you can see in the box there's two sandwiches left.
00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:33.520
Little pieces.
00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:40.719
And this guy sitting next to me, he's like, You wanna let's let's take those two little pieces of sandwich.
00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:42.240
I'll show let's share them.
00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:49.199
And I think to myself, I look around and I'm like, God, there must be like 60 other soldiers here.
00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:53.919
Am I the most hungry guy here?
00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:59.120
And then I thought, you know, there's like 60 guys here.
00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:19.360
Are all of them here, or is somebody stuck like maybe some officer is talking to one guy, or maybe somebody was finishing something over here, or maybe those two sandwiches are for two guys who didn't make it here yet, and they're gonna get here, and if I eat that last half a sandwich, then they don't get to eat.
00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:21.199
So this is what's going through my mind, right?
00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:25.199
So I turned to the guy, I'm like, nah, no, man, that's uh uh we we should leave him.
00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:32.080
And you can see like the guy's kinda uncomfortable, but I don't think he wanted to be the only guy to to eat the last sandwich.
00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:34.800
So he was like, uh gets up and walks away.
00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:37.039
So there's another guy sitting there.
00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:44.240
He kind of leans over and he says, he's like, Man, who is that guy?
00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:48.960
I knew the guy from civilian life, actually.
00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:50.159
I was like, why?
00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:51.759
He's so and so.
00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:53.919
He's like, he never finished the training, did he?
00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:55.280
He didn't get tabbed, right?
00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:58.400
Like, when you finish your training, you're a warrior in the unit.
00:03:58.560 --> 00:03:59.840
He's like, he's not a warrior.
00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:01.039
That's what he said to me.
00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:02.560
He's like, that's not a warrior.
00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:04.400
And I was like, what do you mean?
00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:08.400
Turns out that I knew that the guy had fallen out of the training.
00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:12.240
He had not he'd not finished the the training.
00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:16.000
Um so I was like, Well, yeah, that's actually true.
00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:16.879
How did you know that?
00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:22.560
He goes, Because a warrior would never eat the last sandwich.
00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:25.680
And that stuck with me.
00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:32.959
Because I didn't even realize that my feeling of like, no, I couldn't possibly be the most hungry guy here.
00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:43.120
But it stuck with me because I I realized that there are certain kinds of people in the world and that f again, it go maybe goes back to self-discipline.
00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:46.720
It goes back to thinking about others as well as yourself.
00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:48.639
Like you have to take care of yourself in this world.
00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:51.600
Who else is gonna take care of you if you don't take care of yourself?
00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:57.279
But if you only take care of yourself, then what kind of a person are you?
00:04:57.519 --> 00:05:00.639
As a man much greater than me has said before.
00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:10.240
So so the people I think who we want to be around are people who would never eat the last sandwich.
00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:16.959
That's a lesson I try to teach all of our guys, and definitely a lesson that I try to teach my children.
00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:19.120
Well, yeah, since we're on the topic of food.
00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:19.759
Sure.
00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:25.199
Um, so it reminds me of another experience that I had that again seems silly.
00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:27.920
Uh maybe it's just because I'm a philosopher at heart.
00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:30.240
Right.
00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:32.319
So here we are.
00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:36.800
Me and my colonel traveled the world together many times.
00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:43.680
Um we ended up in London at one point, and I didn't used to dress like this ever.
00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:43.839
Yeah.
00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:46.800
Except for, you know, I had like a suit that didn't fit me right.
00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:53.759
So here I was in my uh in my cheap suit that didn't fit me right for a meeting in London with these posh Brits.
00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:57.360
We're staying with this guy who uh does not have the same kind of background as us.
00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:57.759
Yeah.
00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:04.000
And so we we we didn't really get along with this guy that well, but that's a different story.
00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:06.399
So we're in his house, nice enough guy, why not?
00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:12.240
Um he opens the refrigerator, and we're my colonel and I are kind of in the other room, but we hear like crash.
00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:17.839
And we hear this guy in his British accent, he's like, Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.
00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.519
So me and my colonel come running.
00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:21.120
Running in some emergency.
00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:21.839
What is it?
00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:23.600
It's a must be an emergency.
00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:29.920
So we look, there's soup had fallen out of the refrigerator, and there was soup spilled on the floor.
00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:32.720
So this guy's like, oh my god, the soup.
00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:38.720
My colonel's like, David, it's just soup.
00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:49.199
He turns to me and he's like, he goes, You know, it is very important in this world to know the difference between soup and something serious.
00:06:53.759 --> 00:07:00.560
It leads me to think a lot about um what is the difference between something serious and something not so serious.
00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:09.360
And I think that um the more that we can make distinctions in our lives and in our situations, the more prepared we are to be serious people.
00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:25.439
So if everywhere I go, I'm at a heightened level of readiness, and I'm at a heightened level, if everything is like the equal level of risk and the way I treat it is with an equal level of threat, how can I operate in my life like that?
00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:44.879
I mean, I think it's much better to be able to recognize that there are certain things that you go through that are more risky and certain things that are less risky, and there's certain places that innately have more risk and certain places that have less risk, and that you're able to assess your situation at all times.
00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:47.680
You're doing a field assessment all the time.
00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:51.439
Um, and and it doesn't have to just be in this industry, right?
00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:58.319
It's like, what am I going through in my life that I need to really get like hyped up about?
00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:02.560
And everything else is probably something I can be relaxed about.
00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:06.720
You know, it reminds me of uh again, going back to our kids.
00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:09.839
Our son's car breaks down on the side of the road.
00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:13.519
We get this phone call like, oh my god, my car broke down on the side, oh my god, what should I do?
00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:14.720
He's a new driver.
00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:16.480
First time car breaking down.
00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:17.439
No problem.
00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:19.199
What a great opportunity.
00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:20.000
That's right.
00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:21.839
So, what was the first thing I asked him?
00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:23.199
Tell us.
00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:25.040
Are you in danger?
00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:27.600
Is anyone bleeding?
00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:29.680
Well, no, nobody's bleeding.
00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:31.600
Okay, are you in danger of bleeding?
00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:32.960
Are you safe?
00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:34.639
Well, yeah, I'm I'm safe.
00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:35.519
Okay, great.
00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:37.440
Who else is in the car with you?
00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:38.399
Are they safe?
00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:40.159
Well, yeah, they're safe.
00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:41.120
Okay.
00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:43.440
Then you can take a deep breath.
00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:49.679
And he was like, Oh yeah, I can take a deep breath.
00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:51.279
Everything's gonna be okay.
00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:53.759
Now we can start assessing the situation from there.
00:08:53.919 --> 00:09:03.840
And so, you know, I I think about these kind of things because even though it's not an exciting, you know, shoot 'em out event, it is a mild emergency.
00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:07.120
There's there's a moment of lack of control.
00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:22.480
And so being able to exercise those muscles of that that are the principles of security allows us to be more controlled and better warriors in everything we do in our lives.
00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:26.320
I think about it as a a warrior doesn't eat the last sandwich.
00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:30.799
A warrior also is someone who doesn't freak out over little things.
00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:46.159
In fact, a warrior is someone who probably doesn't freak out over anything, because the true professional is the individual who is able to operate out of intellect even during highly emotional situations.
00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:52.720
Emotional situations are that's what's happening inside of us.
00:09:53.759 --> 00:10:01.840
And so how do we how do we take what's happening outside of us that may be chaotic and still have peace within us?
00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:04.080
And you can work quickly, right?
00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:08.240
You can work with urgency, but you don't have to have chaos within you.
00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:16.320
Certainly in this industry, there are many uh many aspects of life that I feel like add to what it is that we do in the security industry.
00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:20.240
There's also many things that we experience in our business that add to our lives.
00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:20.799
Yes.
00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:32.320
Um, everything is kind of a culmination, but certainly my military service added a lot to the way that I see the world, the way that I operate in the security field.
00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:37.600
It also adds a lot to how I operate with um giving advice to people.
00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:39.919
You know, like our own guy, we we work with people.
00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:40.480
That's right.
00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:49.120
So like we'll give advice, we're we're leading and we're leading our own personnel to be a certain kind of human being.
00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:51.600
And sometimes we have to give advice to our clients.
00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:54.480
Sometimes they do things that are maybe risky for themselves.
00:10:54.639 --> 00:11:13.519
Our values, you know, it's interesting to kind of consider where where our values come from, because usually they will have come from some sort of a uh problem or like some sort of a serious problem that we may have dealt with in the past, where we're like, oh, this is something I never want to have to deal with again.
00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:15.519
This is this is unacceptable.
00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:16.240
Yes.
00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:22.879
Um, you know, so uh so we have zero doubt as a as an one of our core values.
00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:28.480
And I would say that it comes from having experienced problems where there is a doubt.
00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:32.480
And you know, what's funny to me, uh I I was in the army, right?
00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:37.279
I spent a good amount of time dealing with um pretty significant problems.
00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:44.799
And uh part of being in the army is, you know, anybody who's in in the military can probably identify with this.
00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:54.559
There's always those guys who are and sometimes you're that guy, who like you're looking for a way, you don't want to be called out not doing the job right or you know being a little bit lazy.
00:11:54.720 --> 00:12:06.639
But like, so you want to do whatever it takes to look like you're doing the job, but it's really it's really easy to fall into that mindset of like, why do I want to work so hard?
00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:07.440
Sure.
00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:22.240
Um so as you rise up in the ranks and you start dealing with guys who are, you know, you're now your leader in in certain scenarios, you are very keen on that because you're like, wait a second, I know exactly what's going on here.
00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:23.919
You're not doing the job right.
00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:26.159
Other people now have to carry your weight.
00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:29.039
And we're in a situation where people's lives are on the line.
00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:30.320
And and we have children.
00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:39.600
So uh, you know, it's funny to watch how our kids grow with these sorts of um, even if they don't know every story, every experience that we've had.
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:42.879
Uh certainly those things show, I think, in the way that we treat them.
00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:46.080
And we instill that in them along the way through all these lessons.
00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:46.879
Yeah.
00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:51.279
So, you know, recently our our son was on the Appalachian Trail.
00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:51.759
Yes.
00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:54.240
He hiked for 15 days.
00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:57.279
Um, the first week, it didn't stop raining.
00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:00.799
He was soaked for days.
00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:01.200
Yep.
00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:06.720
So we get this phone call, he gets dropped off, he and his friend are walking.
00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:10.320
Um, eight hours in, we're sitting on the couch.
00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:18.080
Yes, get a phone call, and he's like, Dad, um, you know, this is it, it hasn't stopped raining.
00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:21.759
And like, my my friend's feet have blisters on them.
00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:26.720
And I hear, yeah, and I hear the the other kid, he goes, uh, what'd he say?
00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:29.440
He goes, We're gonna need an extraction.
00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:33.519
And I'm like, an extraction?
00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:36.639
I'm like hearing helicopters, you know?
00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:39.120
Like, oh yeah, for sure, man.
00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:40.960
An extraction, yeah.
00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:42.799
Um, so so what do I do?
00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:52.080
I'm I'm like, okay, um, well, maybe, maybe you guys bit off a little more than than you can chew.
00:13:52.240 --> 00:14:05.039
You know, it's funny because when you look at a map, 10 miles on a map or 20 miles on a map looks much easier than it does when you have a backpack on and it's raining on you and you're on the ground.
00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:09.279
And so I was like, man, maybe uh maybe you guys need to not walk 20 miles tomorrow.
00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:11.360
Maybe you need to think about walking 10 miles.
00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:16.000
So this kid says, uh, he's like, no, we can't just replan our trip.
00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:17.440
We need an extraction.
00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:22.320
And I was like, oh, well, have you I'm trying to walk them through like maybe problem solving.
00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:23.039
Sure.
00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:26.799
Um, finally I get to the point where they're, you know, arguing with me.
00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:28.000
And what did I say?
00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:29.039
Tell us.
00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:32.080
I'm like, oh, yeah.
00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:33.840
No, that makes sense.
00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:35.679
Probably this is impossible.
00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:40.480
Probably no one else has ever accomplished this on the Appalachian Trail, you said.
00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:41.039
Yeah.
00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.840
I don't think anybody's ever hiked the Appalachian Trail.
00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:44.639
You're right.
00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:50.799
After eight hours of your planned 15-day trip, you probably need an extraction.
00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:52.320
And we could hear crickets.
00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:57.600
It was fantastic because you could hear their wheels spinning, like, oh, dang it.
00:14:57.840 --> 00:14:59.120
Dang it, he's right.
00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:04.879
When I talked to our son about that, you know, weeks later, I'm like, so what was that like?
00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:10.480
He's like, he's like, dude, when my friend was saying that, I was like, no, please shut up.
00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.480
Don't you know who you're talking to?
00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:13.759
Not to my dad.
00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:15.120
To my dad.
00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:16.159
Oh god.
00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:20.879
So it's funny because um they were successful.
00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:28.080
They were successful, pushed through blisters, yeah, pulled muscles, all kinds of stuff.
00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:37.279
15 days, no joke for for some teenagers to be out there on their own for 15 days in the rain and uh planning their food and their stops and their camps.
00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:38.159
It was incredible.
00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:42.320
But I'm not sure that they would have been successful without some like tough love.
00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:42.879
That's right.
00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:44.399
And that's what it comes down to, right?
00:15:44.480 --> 00:16:01.360
I mean, it's like when you I think that maybe today in society I hear a lot of people um making excuses for failure and and utilizing saying that, like, oh, this is how much I care about you.
00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:03.519
I don't want you to have to work hard.
00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:07.360
I don't want you to have to go through anything difficult.
00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:14.799
And I think that maybe what we're forgetting is that um overcoming difficulties is actually a wonderful thing.
00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:17.919
It's actually something that builds us and makes us more resilient.
00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:22.799
Avoiding difficulties makes us into less resilient people.
00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:28.639
It makes it so that um something small be seems like something big.
00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:35.360
And so why is it important to be like, hey, I'm gonna I'm gonna say something that's gonna make you feel like an idiot right now?
00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:44.720
I'm gonna say something that, like, oh, you need you're going through some difficulties, and you're gonna give up after eight hours.
00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:48.559
I love you, and I know that you're tougher than that.
00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:49.840
I believe in you.
00:16:50.559 --> 00:17:03.360
And so having allowing that teenager or allowing anybody in your life who you love, including your own people who work for you, to be like, Man, are you really gonna give up now?
00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:06.400
Can you take one more step?
00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:12.799
If you could take one more step, then do that, and then reassess and ask, can you take one more step?
00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:13.759
Yes.
00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:19.599
You having that zero doubt in them instilled that zero doubt in themselves.
00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:21.359
They're like, okay, I have no doubt.
00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:34.480
Okay, if he believes it, and after they came off the trail, that was one of the things our son said was if at any point dad would have told me, it's okay, you guys can can bail, I would have bailed immediately.
00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:38.480
But because he even said he's like, I would have been like, oh, thank God.
00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:44.480
But he said it was because you kept telling them you guys can do this.
00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:48.319
People have done this, they've suffered through worse weather conditions.
00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:52.799
It might suck, you're soggy, you probably have blisters, you can do this.
00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:56.880
It was that zero doubt you were instilling in them that gave them that zero doubt in themselves.
00:17:57.200 --> 00:18:04.400
In some ways, maybe it was even like it was even like pushing back on them, asking, Do you have doubt in yourself?
00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:07.359
Like, do you think this is the hardest thing?
00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:08.160
Is this it?
00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:10.880
Is this the hardest thing that you can ever overcome?
00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:12.240
Is this gonna beat you?
00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:17.440
Are you gonna allow this to be victorious over you, or are you gonna be victorious over this difficult situation?
00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:21.680
And they're like, God, who am I?
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:22.960
Who do I wanna be?
00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:23.599
That's right.
00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:25.039
And now create yourself.
00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:30.960
They'll tell the story the rest of their lives of what they managed to overcome, because it it wasn't a trivial thing.
00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:37.359
The weather, the conditions, the um the snakes, the venomous snakes they came across.
00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:39.119
So push through.
00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:40.079
Serious stuff.
00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:41.119
Very cool.
00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:46.799
It'll it'll travel with them for the rest of their lives because it's a serious situation.
00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:47.759
That's right.
00:00:00.959 --> 00:00:03.120
We all know the movie version of security.
00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:06.480
The agents, the high-risk missions, dramatic moments.
00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.359
But real protection starts long before the action.
00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:15.199
It's the preparation, the discipline, the judgment, the quiet decisions most people never see.
00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:22.239
Welcome to Risk and Readiness, a podcast from Draco Group, hosted by Ariel Siegelman and Celia Cortez.
00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:25.519
Each episode pulls back the curtain on the protection world.
00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:32.399
How professionals think, prepare, stay calm under pressure, and manage risk before everyone else sees it.
00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:34.079
This isn't a secret.
00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:40.799
It's a mindset for leaders, organizations, families, and anyone responsible for keeping people safe.
00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:01.359
There's no no big risk.
00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:02.159
No pressure.
00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:06.079
I mean, they they try to put pressure on you, but it's like all artificial.
00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:06.959
Not high risk.
00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:09.200
If you're not in war, there's no pressure.
00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:15.280
So we're in the desert, hot day.
00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:16.319
It was tough.
00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:17.439
We're tired.
00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:20.560
We're uh probably thirsty, definitely hungry.
00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:22.879
So I remember we finally had a break.
00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:32.480
Um we're all all these soldiers sitting in the shade, the little bit of shade that we could find, and um some guy, Jobnik, right?
00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:39.519
Like a guy who's not a not a combatant, he's a logistics soldier, and you know we always like to make fun of the those guys.
00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:42.480
I've learned I've learned since then how important we need those guys.
00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:43.680
Yeah, we need those guys.
00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:51.680
Um, but anyways, this guy brings a big box, cardboard box, filled with half sandwiches, right?
00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:53.040
To very hungry men.
00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:55.120
Yeah, right, to a bunch of hungry soldiers.
00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:56.799
So we're starving.
00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:00.480
It's almost like enough food that you just remember how starving you are.
00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:08.800
So, like, I get my little triangle slice of sandwich, and there's a bunch of guys there, and so each one of us is like eating our little sandwich.
00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:11.120
Um, I even remember what was on it.
00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:12.560
Not very memorable.
00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:13.439
No, no, I don't know.
00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:14.879
Oh, you do remember what was on it.
00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:16.879
It was very memorable because I was so hungry.
00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:21.840
It was some slices of cucumber with some some hummus, as they say it in America.
00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:31.680
So uh, so I eat my sandwich, the box you can see in the box there's two sandwiches left.
00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:33.520
Little pieces.
00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:40.719
And this guy sitting next to me, he's like, You wanna let's let's take those two little pieces of sandwich.
00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:42.240
I'll show let's share them.
00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:49.199
And I think to myself, I look around and I'm like, God, there must be like 60 other soldiers here.
00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:53.919
Am I the most hungry guy here?
00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:59.120
And then I thought, you know, there's like 60 guys here.
00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:19.360
Are all of them here, or is somebody stuck like maybe some officer is talking to one guy, or maybe somebody was finishing something over here, or maybe those two sandwiches are for two guys who didn't make it here yet, and they're gonna get here, and if I eat that last half a sandwich, then they don't get to eat.
00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:21.199
So this is what's going through my mind, right?
00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:25.199
So I turned to the guy, I'm like, nah, no, man, that's uh uh we we should leave him.
00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:32.080
And you can see like the guy's kinda uncomfortable, but I don't think he wanted to be the only guy to to eat the last sandwich.
00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:34.800
So he was like, uh gets up and walks away.
00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:37.039
So there's another guy sitting there.
00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:44.240
He kind of leans over and he says, he's like, Man, who is that guy?
00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:48.960
I knew the guy from civilian life, actually.
00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:50.159
I was like, why?
00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:51.759
He's so and so.
00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:53.919
He's like, he never finished the training, did he?
00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:55.280
He didn't get tabbed, right?
00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:58.400
Like, when you finish your training, you're a warrior in the unit.
00:03:58.560 --> 00:03:59.840
He's like, he's not a warrior.
00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:01.039
That's what he said to me.
00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:02.560
He's like, that's not a warrior.
00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:04.400
And I was like, what do you mean?
00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:08.400
Turns out that I knew that the guy had fallen out of the training.
00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:12.240
He had not he'd not finished the the training.
00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:16.000
Um so I was like, Well, yeah, that's actually true.
00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:16.879
How did you know that?
00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:22.560
He goes, Because a warrior would never eat the last sandwich.
00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:25.680
And that stuck with me.
00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:32.959
Because I didn't even realize that my feeling of like, no, I couldn't possibly be the most hungry guy here.
00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:43.120
But it stuck with me because I I realized that there are certain kinds of people in the world and that f again, it go maybe goes back to self-discipline.
00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:46.720
It goes back to thinking about others as well as yourself.
00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:48.639
Like you have to take care of yourself in this world.
00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:51.600
Who else is gonna take care of you if you don't take care of yourself?
00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:57.279
But if you only take care of yourself, then what kind of a person are you?
00:04:57.519 --> 00:05:00.639
As a man much greater than me has said before.
00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:10.240
So so the people I think who we want to be around are people who would never eat the last sandwich.
00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:16.959
That's a lesson I try to teach all of our guys, and definitely a lesson that I try to teach my children.
00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:19.120
Well, yeah, since we're on the topic of food.
00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:19.759
Sure.
00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:25.199
Um, so it reminds me of another experience that I had that again seems silly.
00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:27.920
Uh maybe it's just because I'm a philosopher at heart.
00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:30.240
Right.
00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:32.319
So here we are.
00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:36.800
Me and my colonel traveled the world together many times.
00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:43.680
Um we ended up in London at one point, and I didn't used to dress like this ever.
00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:43.839
Yeah.
00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:46.800
Except for, you know, I had like a suit that didn't fit me right.
00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:53.759
So here I was in my uh in my cheap suit that didn't fit me right for a meeting in London with these posh Brits.
00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:57.360
We're staying with this guy who uh does not have the same kind of background as us.
00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:57.759
Yeah.
00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:04.000
And so we we we didn't really get along with this guy that well, but that's a different story.
00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:06.399
So we're in his house, nice enough guy, why not?
00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:12.240
Um he opens the refrigerator, and we're my colonel and I are kind of in the other room, but we hear like crash.
00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:17.839
And we hear this guy in his British accent, he's like, Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.
00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.519
So me and my colonel come running.
00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:21.120
Running in some emergency.
00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:21.839
What is it?
00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:23.600
It's a must be an emergency.
00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:29.920
So we look, there's soup had fallen out of the refrigerator, and there was soup spilled on the floor.
00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:32.720
So this guy's like, oh my god, the soup.
00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:38.720
My colonel's like, David, it's just soup.
00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:49.199
He turns to me and he's like, he goes, You know, it is very important in this world to know the difference between soup and something serious.
00:06:53.759 --> 00:07:00.560
It leads me to think a lot about um what is the difference between something serious and something not so serious.
00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:09.360
And I think that um the more that we can make distinctions in our lives and in our situations, the more prepared we are to be serious people.
00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:25.439
So if everywhere I go, I'm at a heightened level of readiness, and I'm at a heightened level, if everything is like the equal level of risk and the way I treat it is with an equal level of threat, how can I operate in my life like that?
00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:44.879
I mean, I think it's much better to be able to recognize that there are certain things that you go through that are more risky and certain things that are less risky, and there's certain places that innately have more risk and certain places that have less risk, and that you're able to assess your situation at all times.
00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:47.680
You're doing a field assessment all the time.
00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:51.439
Um, and and it doesn't have to just be in this industry, right?
00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:58.319
It's like, what am I going through in my life that I need to really get like hyped up about?
00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:02.560
And everything else is probably something I can be relaxed about.
00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:06.720
You know, it reminds me of uh again, going back to our kids.
00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:09.839
Our son's car breaks down on the side of the road.
00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:13.519
We get this phone call like, oh my god, my car broke down on the side, oh my god, what should I do?
00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:14.720
He's a new driver.
00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:16.480
First time car breaking down.
00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:17.439
No problem.
00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:19.199
What a great opportunity.
00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:20.000
That's right.
00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:21.839
So, what was the first thing I asked him?
00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:23.199
Tell us.
00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:25.040
Are you in danger?
00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:27.600
Is anyone bleeding?
00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:29.680
Well, no, nobody's bleeding.
00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:31.600
Okay, are you in danger of bleeding?
00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:32.960
Are you safe?
00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:34.639
Well, yeah, I'm I'm safe.
00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:35.519
Okay, great.
00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:37.440
Who else is in the car with you?
00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:38.399
Are they safe?
00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:40.159
Well, yeah, they're safe.
00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:41.120
Okay.
00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:43.440
Then you can take a deep breath.
00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:49.679
And he was like, Oh yeah, I can take a deep breath.
00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:51.279
Everything's gonna be okay.
00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:53.759
Now we can start assessing the situation from there.
00:08:53.919 --> 00:09:03.840
And so, you know, I I think about these kind of things because even though it's not an exciting, you know, shoot 'em out event, it is a mild emergency.
00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:07.120
There's there's a moment of lack of control.
00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:22.480
And so being able to exercise those muscles of that that are the principles of security allows us to be more controlled and better warriors in everything we do in our lives.
00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:26.320
I think about it as a a warrior doesn't eat the last sandwich.
00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:30.799
A warrior also is someone who doesn't freak out over little things.
00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:46.159
In fact, a warrior is someone who probably doesn't freak out over anything, because the true professional is the individual who is able to operate out of intellect even during highly emotional situations.
00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:52.720
Emotional situations are that's what's happening inside of us.
00:09:53.759 --> 00:10:01.840
And so how do we how do we take what's happening outside of us that may be chaotic and still have peace within us?
00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:04.080
And you can work quickly, right?
00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:08.240
You can work with urgency, but you don't have to have chaos within you.
00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:16.320
Certainly in this industry, there are many uh many aspects of life that I feel like add to what it is that we do in the security industry.
00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:20.240
There's also many things that we experience in our business that add to our lives.
00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:20.799
Yes.
00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:32.320
Um, everything is kind of a culmination, but certainly my military service added a lot to the way that I see the world, the way that I operate in the security field.
00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:37.600
It also adds a lot to how I operate with um giving advice to people.
00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:39.919
You know, like our own guy, we we work with people.
00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:40.480
That's right.
00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:49.120
So like we'll give advice, we're we're leading and we're leading our own personnel to be a certain kind of human being.
00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:51.600
And sometimes we have to give advice to our clients.
00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:54.480
Sometimes they do things that are maybe risky for themselves.
00:10:54.639 --> 00:11:13.519
Our values, you know, it's interesting to kind of consider where where our values come from, because usually they will have come from some sort of a uh problem or like some sort of a serious problem that we may have dealt with in the past, where we're like, oh, this is something I never want to have to deal with again.
00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:15.519
This is this is unacceptable.
00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:16.240
Yes.
00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:22.879
Um, you know, so uh so we have zero doubt as a as an one of our core values.
00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:28.480
And I would say that it comes from having experienced problems where there is a doubt.
00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:32.480
And you know, what's funny to me, uh I I was in the army, right?
00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:37.279
I spent a good amount of time dealing with um pretty significant problems.
00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:44.799
And uh part of being in the army is, you know, anybody who's in in the military can probably identify with this.
00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:54.559
There's always those guys who are and sometimes you're that guy, who like you're looking for a way, you don't want to be called out not doing the job right or you know being a little bit lazy.
00:11:54.720 --> 00:12:06.639
But like, so you want to do whatever it takes to look like you're doing the job, but it's really it's really easy to fall into that mindset of like, why do I want to work so hard?
00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:07.440
Sure.
00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:22.240
Um so as you rise up in the ranks and you start dealing with guys who are, you know, you're now your leader in in certain scenarios, you are very keen on that because you're like, wait a second, I know exactly what's going on here.
00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:23.919
You're not doing the job right.
00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:26.159
Other people now have to carry your weight.
00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:29.039
And we're in a situation where people's lives are on the line.
00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:30.320
And and we have children.
00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:39.600
So uh, you know, it's funny to watch how our kids grow with these sorts of um, even if they don't know every story, every experience that we've had.
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:42.879
Uh certainly those things show, I think, in the way that we treat them.
00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:46.080
And we instill that in them along the way through all these lessons.
00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:46.879
Yeah.
00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:51.279
So, you know, recently our our son was on the Appalachian Trail.
00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:51.759
Yes.
00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:54.240
He hiked for 15 days.
00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:57.279
Um, the first week, it didn't stop raining.
00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:00.799
He was soaked for days.
00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:01.200
Yep.
00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:06.720
So we get this phone call, he gets dropped off, he and his friend are walking.
00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:10.320
Um, eight hours in, we're sitting on the couch.
00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:18.080
Yes, get a phone call, and he's like, Dad, um, you know, this is it, it hasn't stopped raining.
00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:21.759
And like, my my friend's feet have blisters on them.
00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:26.720
And I hear, yeah, and I hear the the other kid, he goes, uh, what'd he say?
00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:29.440
He goes, We're gonna need an extraction.
00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:33.519
And I'm like, an extraction?
00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:36.639
I'm like hearing helicopters, you know?
00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:39.120
Like, oh yeah, for sure, man.
00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:40.960
An extraction, yeah.
00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:42.799
Um, so so what do I do?
00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:52.080
I'm I'm like, okay, um, well, maybe, maybe you guys bit off a little more than than you can chew.
00:13:52.240 --> 00:14:05.039
You know, it's funny because when you look at a map, 10 miles on a map or 20 miles on a map looks much easier than it does when you have a backpack on and it's raining on you and you're on the ground.
00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:09.279
And so I was like, man, maybe uh maybe you guys need to not walk 20 miles tomorrow.
00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:11.360
Maybe you need to think about walking 10 miles.
00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:16.000
So this kid says, uh, he's like, no, we can't just replan our trip.
00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:17.440
We need an extraction.
00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:22.320
And I was like, oh, well, have you I'm trying to walk them through like maybe problem solving.
00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:23.039
Sure.
00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:26.799
Um, finally I get to the point where they're, you know, arguing with me.
00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:28.000
And what did I say?
00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:29.039
Tell us.
00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:32.080
I'm like, oh, yeah.
00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:33.840
No, that makes sense.
00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:35.679
Probably this is impossible.
00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:40.480
Probably no one else has ever accomplished this on the Appalachian Trail, you said.
00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:41.039
Yeah.
00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.840
I don't think anybody's ever hiked the Appalachian Trail.
00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:44.639
You're right.
00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:50.799
After eight hours of your planned 15-day trip, you probably need an extraction.
00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:52.320
And we could hear crickets.
00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:57.600
It was fantastic because you could hear their wheels spinning, like, oh, dang it.
00:14:57.840 --> 00:14:59.120
Dang it, he's right.
00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:04.879
When I talked to our son about that, you know, weeks later, I'm like, so what was that like?
00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:10.480
He's like, he's like, dude, when my friend was saying that, I was like, no, please shut up.
00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.480
Don't you know who you're talking to?
00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:13.759
Not to my dad.
00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:15.120
To my dad.
00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:16.159
Oh god.
00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:20.879
So it's funny because um they were successful.
00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:28.080
They were successful, pushed through blisters, yeah, pulled muscles, all kinds of stuff.
00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:37.279
15 days, no joke for for some teenagers to be out there on their own for 15 days in the rain and uh planning their food and their stops and their camps.
00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:38.159
It was incredible.
00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:42.320
But I'm not sure that they would have been successful without some like tough love.
00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:42.879
That's right.
00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:44.399
And that's what it comes down to, right?
00:15:44.480 --> 00:16:01.360
I mean, it's like when you I think that maybe today in society I hear a lot of people um making excuses for failure and and utilizing saying that, like, oh, this is how much I care about you.
00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:03.519
I don't want you to have to work hard.
00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:07.360
I don't want you to have to go through anything difficult.
00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:14.799
And I think that maybe what we're forgetting is that um overcoming difficulties is actually a wonderful thing.
00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:17.919
It's actually something that builds us and makes us more resilient.
00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:22.799
Avoiding difficulties makes us into less resilient people.
00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:28.639
It makes it so that um something small be seems like something big.
00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:35.360
And so why is it important to be like, hey, I'm gonna I'm gonna say something that's gonna make you feel like an idiot right now?
00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:44.720
I'm gonna say something that, like, oh, you need you're going through some difficulties, and you're gonna give up after eight hours.
00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:48.559
I love you, and I know that you're tougher than that.
00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:49.840
I believe in you.
00:16:50.559 --> 00:17:03.360
And so having allowing that teenager or allowing anybody in your life who you love, including your own people who work for you, to be like, Man, are you really gonna give up now?
00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:06.400
Can you take one more step?
00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:12.799
If you could take one more step, then do that, and then reassess and ask, can you take one more step?
00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:13.759
Yes.
00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:19.599
You having that zero doubt in them instilled that zero doubt in themselves.
00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:21.359
They're like, okay, I have no doubt.
00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:34.480
Okay, if he believes it, and after they came off the trail, that was one of the things our son said was if at any point dad would have told me, it's okay, you guys can can bail, I would have bailed immediately.
00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:38.480
But because he even said he's like, I would have been like, oh, thank God.
00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:44.480
But he said it was because you kept telling them you guys can do this.
00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:48.319
People have done this, they've suffered through worse weather conditions.
00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:52.799
It might suck, you're soggy, you probably have blisters, you can do this.
00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:56.880
It was that zero doubt you were instilling in them that gave them that zero doubt in themselves.
00:17:57.200 --> 00:18:04.400
In some ways, maybe it was even like it was even like pushing back on them, asking, Do you have doubt in yourself?
00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:07.359
Like, do you think this is the hardest thing?
00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:08.160
Is this it?
00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:10.880
Is this the hardest thing that you can ever overcome?
00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:12.240
Is this gonna beat you?
00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:17.440
Are you gonna allow this to be victorious over you, or are you gonna be victorious over this difficult situation?
00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:21.680
And they're like, God, who am I?
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:22.960
Who do I wanna be?
00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:23.599
That's right.
00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:25.039
And now create yourself.
00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:30.960
They'll tell the story the rest of their lives of what they managed to overcome, because it it wasn't a trivial thing.
00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:37.359
The weather, the conditions, the um the snakes, the venomous snakes they came across.
00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:39.119
So push through.
00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:40.079
Serious stuff.
00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:41.119
Very cool.
00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:46.799
It'll it'll travel with them for the rest of their lives because it's a serious situation.
00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:47.759
That's right.