#39: Your Beginning Doesn't Define Your Future | Ron Cox on Leadership, Mentorship & Resilience - Ron Cox

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18 quick favor.
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If you're getting value from Legendary Lectures, hit below right now on the platform you're listening from.
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It helps more than anything.
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I genuinely appreciate your support and thanks for being a part of the journey.
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Let's get into it.
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Welcome to Legendary Lectures, where everyday people share extraordinary stories and knowledge.
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Everybody has a story.
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Everybody has something to teach.
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In this inspiring episode of Legendary Lectures, Ron Cox shares his extraordinary journey from childhood bullying and life-threatening health challenges to becoming a respected leader, author, and mentor.
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Ron's story is a powerful reminder that your beginning does not determine your future.
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We explored the importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe in you, whether that's loving family, great mentors, or friends who challenge you to grow.
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Through powerful stories and practical leadership lessons, Ron shares why resilience, trust, service, and lifelong learning are the foundations of lasting success.
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Whether you're leading a team, building a business, or navigating difficult seasons in life, this conversation will inspire you to keep moving forward.
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Please welcome Ron Cox to Legendary Lectures.
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Good morning, my side.
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Good evening, Ron Cox.
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How are you today?
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I'm doing great.
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How are you?
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Good.
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I'm well, thank you.
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And welcome to Legendary Lectures.
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It's a pleasure to have you on.
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Well, thank you for the uh opportunity.
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My pleasure.
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Uh today I have Ron Cox on.
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He's the CEO of RC Development Solutions, a leadership coach, best-selling author, and a man whose journey is defined by resilience and purpose.
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Ron has built a highly successful career helping organizations grow through strong leadership, trust, and strategic thinking.
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Beyond the business world, he has also survived three life-threatening health crisis experiences that transformed his perspective on success leadership and life itself.
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Ron, welcome to Legendary Elections, and let's get into it.
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Ron, can you tell me about Bullied to Boardroom?
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It's a journey that I've been on for uh a few decades now.
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And from early childhood, I didn't have the best situation and the best environment.
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I really was raised in a house of abusive adults, and primarily it was my stepfather.
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And from being a toddler all the way up to nearly sixth grade during that first decade, probably two to ten, twelve years old, he really liked to participate in overserving himself and then making bad decisions.
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And I was the consequences of that.
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He would physically abuse me, mentally torture me, tell me I wasn't good enough, tell me I couldn't do things, didn't encourage me.
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I wanted to get more involved in community activities, youth sports, um, engagement with other kids in my school, my class, my neighborhood.
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And he just really discouraged that, wanted me to stay private, stay at home, not be involved.
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And just physically, if I did something wrong, I didn't have basically the opportunity to make it right.
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And those early childhood in elementary schools is when you learn.
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Um, I wasn't allowed to learn and make mistakes because every time I would wake up and start my day off in a positive mood, and by the end of the day, I'd be uh verbally tortured, physically abused.
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I got constant beatings, um, just wasn't performing, wasn't doing right, wasn't thinking right.
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And so I wasn't allowed to make a mistake.
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And so it was very stressful during that time.
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And I didn't have the ideal childhood until sixth grade.
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That went on for almost eight years until finally my neighbor had caught him hitting me with a shovel out in the driveway trying to remove snow and ice, and I wasn't doing it to his satisfaction because I wasn't strong enough.
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I was a young child, and he got arrested, and I got taken to the emergency where I ended up with stitches.
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And the uh juvenile courts here removed me from the house, put me in protective custody, and then eventually I was adopted, saved, and raised by my grandparents.
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They rescued me, and to this day, uh my grandfather's idolized him.
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He's the strongest, best male influencer that I've ever met.
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My grandfather is really who shaped who I am today, and he had the mindset.
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He just said, Cheryl, if you ever want to see your child again, then you'll get rid of that loser.
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And or you're not welcome at my house to visit your own child.
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And she said to her father, I still remember, I will never leave my husband.
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And her dad, my grandfather, said, Those are choices that you're gonna have to live with.
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Went from a negative male role model, and then your grandfather, who was the positive male role model in your life.
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Those early years, how did that affect your identity?
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It really made me pretty insecure.
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And the fact that I had a lot of self-doubt and I wasn't quite sure what the right thing to do, and the and I certainly didn't understand how to respond to others because the way I was being tortured and taught was you're supposed to take a beating, I guess, if you make a mistake, instead of having a positive older male role model who was there to nurture and to encourage and to uh teach you this is the right way of doing it.
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I had the privilege and the honor of meeting a very good role model in sixth grade, and in that transition from sixth grade to middle school, as you continue to grow and your brain adapts and physically you're getting bigger.
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And so having the ability to do more, um work harder, be smarter.
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I had a um my grandfather who was a World War II guy, and he had that mentality of servant-minded.
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Servant-minded at the time was to take care of his grandchild, me.
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And he coached, nurtured, taught, supported, and he was the opposite of what I was used to.
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He brought me out of that shell of everything I do is wrong, to hey, you do it differently and you can do it better, and here's how.
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And he showed me through positive examples.
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And how did those experiences shape the leader you'd become today?
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Well, I'll tell you a quick story.
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I was a young kid, still in school, and I was playing baseball, and I was encouraged to be involved in team activities, work with others, encourage others, support, be part of that environment.
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And my grandfather, he saw me sitting on the porch and I was in high school, and he came out there and he said, What seems to be wrong, grandson?
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You've been out here for a couple hours sipping on a nice tea.
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And I said, I got a real hard decision to make.
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And he said, Well, what's that?
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And I said, All my friends that I go to high school with and live in the neighborhood and I hang out with, we play baseball together, and I love that opportunity to get to connect during the summer when we're out of class.
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And we played in a tournament last weekend, and we did really well.
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And I was a pitcher and I pitched pretty well.
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I caught the eye of some of the competitive traveling teams and coaches, and they said, Hey, would you come play for us?
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A lot of our high school kids go on to get scholarships and go to college and have people help pay for their education.
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And that's a great opportunity because we didn't have a lot of money.
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And I was from a family being military and we're budget-oriented, and we didn't have a lot of slack.
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And I looked at him and I said, I'm struggling with playing with my friends for fun or playing for a competitive traveling team for the opportunity to go to college.
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And he goes, That's what's been bothering you for the last two hours.
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And I said, And he said, That seems an easy decision to me.
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And I said, Well, what's the easy decision?
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And he said, Let me tell you about a hard decision, and then you figure out why I said that.
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And he said, I played on a team one time right out of high school.
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And he said, I had the opportunity to go out there and be all I could be.
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I trained with this team.
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We learned how to fight as a team, we learned how to defend as a team.
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And he said, we ended up swearing and taking an oath to each other that we were there to serve and protect and honor each other.
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And he said, I went straight into a battlefield that we were invited to join at Pearl Harbor.
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And he said, Grandson, I was at Pearl Harbor that day that the Japanese soldiers came in, dropped bombs, and was raining on my team in the harbor on my fleet.
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And we instantly joined World War II that day.
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And through my training and confidence and allegiance to each other, I had to make a decision.
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And my decision that day was I get to decide by my efforts who lives and who dies.
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And he goes, That's a hard decision, grandson.
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And he said, Go out there and have fun.
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And I said, Okay.
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And he goes, Besides the fact you need to talk to your grandma.
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She's smarter than either one of us.
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I went into grandma and I said, Grandpa said that this isn't a hard decision and I shouldn't have spent two hours on it.
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And she said, He's right.
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I said, Well, what does that mean?
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She said, Let me tell you what it is to me in my mind.
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She said, It's a business decision.
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And I said, What's a business decision?
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Grandma, I'm 16 years old, for goodness sakes.
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I don't own a business.
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And she said, We don't have the resources to pay for you to go to college.
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If somebody wants to have you play for fun, compete, and join a team, and somebody's going to pay for your college, that's a business decision.
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Your friends will always support you.
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Practice games, come home, have fun, hang out on the weekends.
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She goes, I would follow the business decision and get your college paid for if somebody's willing to invest in you.
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Is that the route you took?
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I did.
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I took the competitive sports route and I ended up going to college on a scholarship and had a great team.
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And it doubled the size of my friend network, if you will.
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I all my friends from the neighborhood, she was right.
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We still, I'm still friends with some of them today.
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Some of them messed it up with me on my wedding day.
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Wow.
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And what university did you go to or college?
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I ended up going to Emporia State where I met my wife as a freshman.
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It's all it all works out, hey.
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That's a good that's amazing.
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And what did you study while you were at university?
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I went in, I was going in studying construction, engineering, had a passion for building stuff, and I left with a business degree in finance because that influence of my grandmother, smartest person on the planet, she said, You should probably learn how to manage your checkbook.
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And there's going to be a thing that you're going to have to learn how to manage that as well and be responsible.
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And I said, Responsible.
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She said, Financial responsibilities will be the key to success.
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And she said, It's called a credit card.
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And I go, What?
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And she goes, There's credit cards out there that people I let you deficit spend as long as you pay this thing called interest.
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And it's not fair.
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I don't encourage you to use it.
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It's an insurance policy.
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And she goes, Learn how to manage your finances, grandson.
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I said, Yes.
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And I went into finance.
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And then this is where you came to the boardroom.
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I did.
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I learned a lot about financing and businesses.
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And right out of college, I had the opportunity, which is probably the best thing that ever could have happened to me.
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I ended up going into a not-for-profit.
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And so I volunteered.
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I worked at a not-for-profit organization, evenings and weekends.
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And during the day, I worked for a government entity.
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I ended up working for a city, a municipality.
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And obviously, we know that they're not profit centers, and they have to justify every cent of every dollar spent on a good or service for the community.
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Best thing that ever happened to me.
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I ended up working for a local community.
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I didn't know it at the time.
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I was too young.
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It was the fat, it had a title of fastest growing community in the state.
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And you talk about transitioning from being a small town to a pretty modern city.
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I had the opportunity to learn and grow with that city.
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And in that experience, using my finance degree and experience, I ended up working on capital improvements.
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I learned how to build things such as infrastructure, including roads, bridges, storm sewer, sanitary sewer, water lines.
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I expanded an airport, an airport three times.
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And having that experience by working with a limited amount of money, it helped me grow intellectually in the fact that, hey, this is uh more important that you learn that hey, saving money is making money.
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I thought, okay, what's some saving money techniques?
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Those are operational savings.
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I didn't have to year over year go back and ask my neighbor, the citizens of this small community, for a tax increase.
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We started looking at and investigating ways of saving money.
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And through that, I transitioned from the municipality into the local school district.
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And I really had that servant mentality of my grandfather.
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I thought I want to give back to our community.
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I want to have a positive impact on my neighborhood.
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I want to create an environment that we could raise our family and have kids and we can be proud of.
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And it's safe.
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The schools are top performing.
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Our kids will have a great opportunity to be competitive in the job market upon graduation or go to the university that they choose.
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And so I really took that mantra, and my wife kept reminding me we're doing this for our kids, for our future and our community.
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And so we ended up taking on this project.
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It's an interesting story.
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One of our largest out-of-pocket expenses as a district was fuel.
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And ironically enough, fuel costs today are surging.
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Well, they're doing the same thing in the 90s.
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And we said, how can we cut money on our fuel and our operational costs?
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We went around the country.
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I visited with a lot of very smart people who had done a great job on the um basically on the energy side.
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And Ste Boon Pickens was a name.
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He was an oil and gas guy, made billions by producing oil.
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And then he made billions on taking the byproduct of that process, natural gas, and harnessing it.
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I went to Dallas.
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I met with him and I just said, hey, I need help.
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You're a diesel guy, you're a gasoline guy.
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That's our fleet.
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That's how we operate.
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That's how we pick kids up.
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That's our school buses.
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We operate about 150 buses.
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I got to cut that cost.
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We're paying$300,000 a gallon.
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We're driving tens of thousands of miles every day.
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And I said, we got to figure this out.
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I did the math.
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$22,500 miles a day on our fleet, three for gas, four for diesel per gallon.
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How can we take three dollars and four dollars a gallon?
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How can we reduce it?
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So we ended up applying for a federal grant.
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We got some federal money to help buy equipment that didn't operate on gasoline or diesel, but I operate on natural gas.
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I asked T-Boon Pickens, I said, can you help me create a fuel system in our district that would charge or discharge natural gas into these units?
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And he said, Why would I do that?
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And I said, Because it's the right thing to do.
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And I understand you have this incentive by the government to create this natural gas highway across America.
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I would be a great positive role model and test for you as we provide transportation for education.
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It's a great story, great headline.
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He said, Well, what's it going to cost to do that?
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And I said, about$2.2 million.
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And he said, Why would I give you$2.2 million?
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And I said, Because I promise you that we will show, we will buy that equipment, and we will utilize your natural gas.
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And as a win-win, you can put a royalty on that surcharge on that gas.
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We ended up negotiating about a 5%, a five cent per diesel gallon equivalent.
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And he ended up, we thought he'd get paid back on a pretty modest return of 5% on his money to front all the costs to put in the infrastructure.
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We put three, five, seven years, depends on the cat, the cost and the operational, how many units we were going to run.
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And he ended up getting paid back in about 18 months.
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We were the largest conversion in North America, and we did 150 units.
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And at the end of the audit for our first 12 months of operation, our diesel gallon equivalent costs were about almost 25 cents a gallon.
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And what state was that?
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Was in Missouri.
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We went from three to four dollars a gallon to 25 cents operational savings.
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Was that duplicated across the country?
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It was.
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They did that.
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Just in the Kansas City metropolitan area, there were two or three districts that did that.
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I know that a lot of the larger fleets, UPS, FedEx, they all went in to compress natural gas vehicles because of the operational savings and the unpredictability of fossil fuel.
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You got the fluctuation.
00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:20.480
Well, we locked in on a five-year fuel agreement, and we were getting natural gas per gallon equivalent at the same cost.
00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:25.359
We had a modest escalator for years four and five for 36 months.
00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:26.319
It was very predictable.
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:37.039
And why is why do you see the fluctuation other than wartime in uh not in fossil fuels when you could be doing something like that across the whole country?
00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:42.720
I think a lot of it is really a couple things is the cost of equipment is higher.
00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:48.160
Whenever you want to buy a motor that operates on compressed natural gas, it's going to cost you more.
00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:50.240
Startup costs, if you will.
00:18:50.559 --> 00:19:12.000
The government doesn't provide the grants, which when I converted my fleet, they gave me money because there was a huge campaign from the president's office all the way down state, county, local governments to put a flag out front, if you will, for lack of a better term, that says we're going green.
00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:16.880
We're saving the planet, saving the world for our kids, our grandkids.
00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:21.200
Is there anything we can do to reduce the emissions?
00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:24.000
And they really put a lot of money behind it.
00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:29.920
I think today people are, first of all, the equipment costs more, and they're like, I'm not putting that capital investment on the front end.
00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:35.759
And then second of all, gasoline, until lately, has been pretty predictable.
00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:39.119
Cost of a barrel of oil 80 to 100 bucks.
00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:48.960
And so it hasn't fluctuated, I say that, until the last six months, because of the supply chain disruption in the Gulf and trying to get through the strait.
00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:54.720
Do you think that with America being the largest producer of oil now, that they'll see that go down?
00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:56.240
Absolutely.
00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:57.519
I think it'll go down.
00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:03.039
B it'll be more predictable because there's not so many foreign influences over the commodity.
00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:08.319
If you can control the production of the pipeline, the predictability is far more stable.
00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:09.599
We'll see what happens.
00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:10.160
Interesting.
00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:16.160
Australia has a lot of natural gas as well, especially on the West Coast.
00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:25.839
And our fuel prices went up to$3 plus, which I wouldn't know how to convert that to American dollars.
00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:34.640
Usually it would be around Australian dollars, maybe a dollar sixty, and uh it jumped to three going towards four uh dollars.
00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:41.119
And then we did deals with Japan and Singapore, and we were buying their oil.
00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:48.960
We must have done something in regards to trade with our natural gas, and it's come down now to a dollar seventy.
00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:52.880
It has come down, someone's missing out somewhere, another country.
00:20:52.960 --> 00:21:03.920
So it's just interesting how while Australia managed during this period, and I know it's the Gulf War hasn't finished and nothing's come to an end.
00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:04.960
We'll see how we go.
00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:25.920
Well, and in even in the United States, even though the barrel of oil is somewhat contained by supply chain and government restrictions and use of force, if you will, to ensure that we still had some state governments that said this is a way to make money because everybody has a car, everybody drives to work, everybody needs to burn fuel.
00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:36.079
California has probably got the worst reputation in the United States because they really tax, they add a state tax on the cost of the commodity.
00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:49.759
And out there, even though you might see$3 a gallon in Kansas City, you could still maintain a$5 a gallon steady cost out there just because that's a state tax that they put on the commodity.
00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:59.519
Australia also had a tax on fuel, and the fuel excess is a fixed tax.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.400
Charge per liter of fuel regardless of fuel price.
00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:07.759
GST is 10% in that charge on a final pump price, which includes a fuel excess.
00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:11.839
This means motorists effectively pay GST on the fuel.
00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:15.680
A normal fuel excess is 52.6 cents per litre.
00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:25.519
And the government had a relief for July with motorists continuing to receive that they taxed, they put a 10% tax on fuel in Australia.
00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:28.640
The government took it off during this period.
00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:32.079
Just was telling you that fuel went up to$3 Australian.
00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:35.440
That's about$2.08 in the US.
00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:38.400
I don't know if that's expensive over there.
00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:40.000
That's per liter.
00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:42.079
I think it is.
00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:47.920
It's what I would say is unseasonably high and it's somewhat imposed.
00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:55.680
Some of it is somewhat controlled in the fact that you could not, you said you could waive or suspend a tax.
00:22:56.480 --> 00:23:03.920
The free economy, free world bringing in the fuel, that's less controllable by the government.
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:07.759
In this case, the foreign governments or producers.
00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:10.559
I think they're still producing as much of the commodity.
00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:14.720
The ease of flow to get it to the end users, very restricted.
00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:37.039
Matter of fact, it's restricted if you're seeing governments' use of force now through the military, which is again another cost to the citizens through a tax, because now all of a sudden we have planes being deployed, fuel being burned, weapons being discharged, all that stuff associated with just protecting the commodity.
00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:38.160
Yes.
00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:42.720
Do you have anything else you want to touch on before we move on to our next question regarding that?
00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:44.240
No, I think good.
00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:45.599
I think we have a good flow.
00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:46.960
Yeah, great.
00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:49.119
We're going to move on to your coaching.
00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:55.440
The question is you've worked alongside the principles of Stephen Convey and coach leaders for many years.
00:23:55.680 --> 00:24:00.079
What's the biggest leadership lesson you learned that you believe most people still overlook?
00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:01.920
Well, I think one of the things that Dr.
00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:22.960
Covey taught me early on is, and it's through today, and a lot of the great leaders that I've had the opportunity to meet and work with and in the business development side, is he always said, Ron, if you are the smartest person in that boardroom, then you're in the wrong boardroom.
00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:32.559
Because he said, I will tell you that it is absolutely exhausting pulling people, regardless of the direction, 24-7.
00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:43.680
Every time you get your head off the pillow in the morning and you go to that boardroom and you have to show up and you be positive and inspire and coach and teach, he goes, it can be exhausting.
00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:52.640
If you want to have success that's sustainable, then you need to make sure you're absolutely not the smartest person in the boardroom.
00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:56.400
And I thought at the time, I'm young and I'm trying to figure this out.
00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:57.680
What does he mean by that?
00:24:57.920 --> 00:24:59.519
This was 1999.
00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:01.680
And I thought he is right.
00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:06.319
If I have to do it, it's doing digging a hole or doing anything else.
00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:09.279
If you're doing all the work, it's exhausting.
00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:12.880
If you pull your own weight, then it's refreshing.
00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:18.799
And if you see other people with a better practice and they're more efficient, learn from that.
00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:23.359
That's encouraging and that's exhilarating for me to learn from others.
00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:25.680
And that was one thing that stuck with me.
00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:29.920
Number two, I had that great opportunity of meeting Dick Hoyt.
00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:35.599
And Dick Hoyt is a military guy, learned a lot about his style as a parent.
00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:44.000
And Rick Hoyt, he had a quadrilegic son who was born with an biblical cord around his airway, restricting it.
00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:47.359
His brain was fully functional, his body was not.
00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:55.920
Early on, they thought you should institutionalize him, you should put him in a hospital, let train medical professionals, raise your son, and take care of it.
00:25:56.160 --> 00:25:59.519
And for years, Dick was, man, I could see it in his eyes.
00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:00.799
He's emotional.
00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:03.519
He's up, he's down, he's a normal child.
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:06.319
He loves this, he's discouraged by that.
00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:13.759
And finally, he worked with some technology people to create an environment where he could touch a keyboard and put down things.
00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:19.119
And to Dick's credit, he's a huge hockey fan, Dick is.
00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:24.400
His kids would go watch the TV and be around him during the Stanley Cup season.
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:28.960
And at the time, I believe it was uh might have been Detroit or Boston.
00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:30.160
I think it was the Bruins.
00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:31.680
He was a huge fan.
00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:33.359
They were in a cup.
00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:48.240
And so the emotionals up and down of competition and doing that, well, he finally got to the technician who said, Okay, Rick, we're going to try to help you transition your thoughts into words and characters on this monitor.
00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:54.799
And his into Dick's pleasure and excitement, the very first words that came out of his son's mouth was go brew it.
00:26:55.039 --> 00:27:05.279
And learning from that and hearing that story about just that servant mentality and having Stephen Covey say, Don't be the smartest man in the room.
00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:09.680
And yeah, people the coits be proud of and service to others.
00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:11.200
There's no greater cause.
00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:18.240
And I think that's what makes a great leader is one plus one could be exponentially greater than two.
00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:18.960
Dr.
00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:23.599
Covey used to say, one plus one is greater than two, trust me.
00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:27.039
And he said that the most positive thing about that is, and I said, What?
00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:28.319
He said that word right there.
00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:29.440
And I said, What word?
00:27:29.599 --> 00:27:31.359
And he said, one plus one.
00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:33.599
A plus is a positive sign.
00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:35.839
And it could be positive.
00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:37.440
It's exponential, Ron.
00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:39.680
It's one plus one plus one plus one.
00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:41.039
Let's go on forever.
00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:44.880
And the plus one is your partner, your teammate, your colleague.
00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:46.640
It could be your client, Ron.
00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:49.279
One plus one is a positive.
00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:50.640
Let's look at that.
00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:53.200
It's exponentially, it's not limited.
00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:56.640
And I use that mindset even when I coach and teach.
00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:58.799
It's I don't know what the end result is.
00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:02.160
I know it's going to be positive because that's our mindset.
00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:04.720
Your mind creates your reality.
00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:05.200
I agree.
00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:06.720
What's your mission?
00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:08.559
What's your life work?
00:28:08.640 --> 00:28:14.079
What are you what are you wanting to achieve in the next coming decades years?
00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:17.359
Well, to be honest with you, um, it's a great question.
00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:18.880
I have thought a lot about that.
00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:33.200
And the reason I say that is because we started our conversation with I don't know anyone else, at least in my uh group of friends, that's ever had a situation where they've had a medical professional tell them that you're terminal.
00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:40.240
And so I'm probably honored and privileged to be in a unique less than 1% club that's been told that three times.
00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:45.599
And so to answer your question, I've had that conversation internally and also with my wife.
00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:50.000
And what's next for me is I do have that servant mentality.
00:28:50.160 --> 00:28:51.759
I do want to help others.
00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:56.799
I take pride in teaching and coaching and trying to help the youth.
00:28:57.039 --> 00:29:00.640
And I have two boys, I have a 32-year-old and a 27-year-old.
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:11.440
And my goal is to help them understand, and they have the exponentially the opportunity to do what they want in a great culture and climate.
00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:19.519
One of the things that we reiterate all the time is, and we go back to that team, surround yourself with people that will make you better.
00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:23.279
Empower them to tell you the truth.
00:29:23.680 --> 00:29:25.519
Have candid conversations.
00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:29.279
Don't run away from those, embrace those and respect those.
00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:42.480
Even in my career, from an administrative assistant to the president to the board to the chairman, I've always had this approach that please be transparent, please be open and honest, and tell me.
00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:51.200
I empower you to judge me, to critique me, and tell me, if you want to tell me my highest day, great.
00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:52.960
I appreciate the accolades.
00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:54.720
Tell me my lowest day.
00:29:54.960 --> 00:30:05.759
And I have literally, unfortunately, I've been set aside and pulled outside after a board meeting by my executive assistant.
00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:07.440
And I said, What's going on?
00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:08.480
She didn't seem happy.
00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:10.400
She goes, surprised by you.
00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:11.839
And I said, Surprised by me?
00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:12.640
What did I do?
00:30:12.799 --> 00:30:14.720
She said, Some of the things that you'd said.
00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:16.720
And I said, Was I negative?
00:30:16.880 --> 00:30:18.480
She said, Yes, and it's not you.
00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:25.759
And she said, I know your number one pet peeve is your team will not and should not ever lie to you.
00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:39.440
And I know, because in that meeting in that situation she's talking about, I had text messages from a client who had said one of our employees embellished the truth and was overstating some stuff.
00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:42.160
And I called him out on it in front of other people.
00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:44.559
And she said, that's not the right way to do it.
00:30:44.640 --> 00:30:45.920
That's unprofessional.
00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:47.200
And that's not like you.
00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:50.960
I know your number one pet peeve is never lied to me.
00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:53.440
I get that, and that's honorable.
00:30:53.599 --> 00:31:01.200
The way you address an employee that created a falsehood and told that in front of a group, you need to do that privately, Ron.
00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:03.839
And I learned a lot from her that day.
00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:05.119
And she was right.
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:06.480
I was emotional.
00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:16.240
I was disgusted and disappointed in the behavior that I didn't let my, I couldn't control my emotions, and I addressed it in front of others, and I shouldn't have done that.
00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:17.759
And I tell them that.
00:31:17.839 --> 00:31:20.480
I said, you need to make sure people can hold you accountable.
00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:23.279
Get into places where people are smarter than you.
00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:28.480
Surround yourself with people that are transparent and hold you accountable.
00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:29.759
These are two good lessons.
00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:37.119
Do you want to talk about your three life crises and those journeys and then how you overcame them?
00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:42.319
First of all, my very first one is I had I had a medical diagnosis.
00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:44.319
I had Rocky Mountain spottic fever.
00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:47.519
And this was in the 80s, late 80s.
00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:49.119
Matter of fact, it was in 87.
00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:51.599
And I just gone back from a summer vacation.
00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:54.880
I came back home and I was really sick, fatigued.
00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:59.759
And I went into the doctor and they found, of all things, they found a tick bite on my ankle.
00:31:59.839 --> 00:32:03.039
And I had his tick bite 30 days prior.
00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:06.799
And I just, it just started wearing me down, cutting into my immune system.
00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:09.039
My autoimmune system was shutting down.
00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:10.160
Went to the doctor.
00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:13.359
There were two people diagnosed in the same hospital.
00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:16.559
It was a regional hospital with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
00:32:17.119 --> 00:32:18.799
My brain was swelling.
00:32:18.880 --> 00:32:22.640
And it was just, yeah, at that point in time, it seemed irreversible.
00:32:22.799 --> 00:32:26.400
And they said they don't, they're not sure if I'm going to make it through.
00:32:26.720 --> 00:32:31.279
They ended up inducing me into a coma to stop my brain swelling.
00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:33.759
And so I was in a coma for a number of days.
00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:41.279
Came out, thank goodness, through prayers from God and not knowing a lot about Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the 80s.
00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:46.799
My body had won the battle and overcome and fought off the infection and the disease.
00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:50.240
And I was one of two, and the other person didn't make it.
00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:51.920
And it was older than me at the time.
00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:54.319
At the time, I was 18 years of age.
00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:56.559
And so I was pretty healthy.
00:32:56.720 --> 00:32:58.240
I think that helped me.
00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:04.480
Got it somewhat early in the in the stages of the disease and the infection.
00:33:04.559 --> 00:33:05.920
And so I overcame that.
00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:13.680
I came out of that with knowing here's my family who was beside me every day and supported me through that.
00:33:13.920 --> 00:33:16.720
And they were encouraging me every step of the way.
00:33:16.799 --> 00:33:18.640
They never gave up or gave in.
00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:21.200
And so I learned that perseverance.
00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:26.000
There's going to be things in your life that how are you going to overcome this?
00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:28.400
You're going to have to develop some resilience.
00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:34.000
Your body will have to develop resilience, your brain, your mental attitude, your aptitude.
00:33:34.160 --> 00:33:37.039
And again, by surrounding yourself with the right people.
00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:43.359
And then fast forward, and we had our first child in '94.
00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:49.839
And in 1997, decade later, if you will, and I don't know what it is about these once a decade.
00:33:49.920 --> 00:33:52.000
I was again struck with fatigue.
00:33:52.079 --> 00:33:54.240
I got up in the morning, I was tired.
00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:56.480
My wife says, Do you not sleep at night?
00:33:56.559 --> 00:33:58.079
I said, I felt I slept really well.
00:33:58.240 --> 00:34:00.079
I didn't get up in the middle of the night.
00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:01.440
Um I was really fatigued.
00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:10.320
And so I went to the doctor, they did blood work, and it came back and they said, I think we have an issue in your liver causing fatigue.
00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:12.079
Your body's working in overtime.
00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:14.400
It's not shutting down when your brain clicks off.
00:34:14.480 --> 00:34:17.840
Your organs are working, and so it's creating this fatigue on your body.
00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:26.400
They ended up sending me to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, supposed to be one of the world-renowned best GI clinics in the world.
00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:29.199
They diagnosed me with Wilson's disease.
00:34:29.360 --> 00:34:33.440
And so Wilson's disease is a genetic disease.
00:34:33.599 --> 00:34:37.440
And sure enough, my body was unable to process copper.
00:34:37.679 --> 00:34:40.320
Some people have iron issues, iron deficiencies.
00:34:40.480 --> 00:34:41.360
On me, it was copper.
00:34:41.519 --> 00:34:49.920
And so my body was in my brain was trying to figure out what to do with this copper, and it was putting it on my organs, and it'll attack your brain, your eyes, or your liver.
00:34:50.079 --> 00:34:50.800
It's a magnet.
00:34:50.960 --> 00:34:54.400
Once it starts depositing it there, it will always deposit there.
00:34:54.559 --> 00:35:00.480
And they decided to that my liver was a good filter to clog and to really make dysfunctional.
00:35:00.639 --> 00:35:02.880
And so I didn't know this at the time.
00:35:03.039 --> 00:35:05.199
Copper was my number one food source.
00:35:05.519 --> 00:35:07.360
I love copper, apparently.
00:35:07.519 --> 00:35:10.400
And people go, What did you eat pennies as a kid?
00:35:10.639 --> 00:35:11.760
And I didn't.
00:35:12.079 --> 00:35:16.559
Whole grain cereals, very rich, 20 to 22 percent copper.
00:35:16.719 --> 00:35:23.840
And it's because it grows in the soil, and the copper's in the dirt and absorbs it, it goes into the food and then into my system and in my tissue.
00:35:24.400 --> 00:35:30.239
And I'd wake up with my grandmother saying, Hey, here's your weaties, here's your grape nuts, ingest.
00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:30.960
And I did.
00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:36.079
I went to bed, and my grandfather always said, Let's have a little bit of vanilla ice cream with grape nuts on top.
00:35:36.239 --> 00:35:37.039
And I did.
00:35:37.280 --> 00:35:40.960
And then throughout the day, I would snack on copper.
00:35:41.199 --> 00:35:44.559
Some of the snacks that I would have would be dark chocolate.
00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:46.079
Dark chocolate has copper.
00:35:46.239 --> 00:35:50.079
Pork, because the pig, they live in the dirt, they waller in the mud and pork.
00:35:50.239 --> 00:35:51.599
I love to eat a lot of pork.
00:35:51.679 --> 00:35:55.679
I ate a lot of hot dogs, I ate a lot of ribs because I'm from the Midwest.
00:35:55.840 --> 00:35:59.280
And so I was eating copper two, three meals a day.
00:35:59.519 --> 00:36:01.760
So my absorption rate was off the chart.
00:36:01.920 --> 00:36:03.280
I go there, I'm terminal.
00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:07.039
Kansas City doctors had given me 36 months to live.
00:36:07.760 --> 00:36:10.880
I asked the male clinic specialist, what can we do?
00:36:10.960 --> 00:36:12.719
I went in for three procedures.
00:36:12.960 --> 00:36:14.239
They removed tissue.
00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:18.079
Your liver is a sponge, it can rejuvenate to a certain point.
00:36:18.400 --> 00:36:19.119
Went through that.
00:36:19.599 --> 00:36:21.119
Obviously, I changed my diet.
00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:22.880
I stopped eating copper.
00:36:23.039 --> 00:36:26.079
And I went to the one of the God's creations.
00:36:26.239 --> 00:36:27.280
I went to the Great Lakes.
00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:29.199
I went up to my in-law's place.
00:36:29.360 --> 00:36:32.400
I sat on the shores of Lake Superior.
00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:34.960
I just looked up in the sky and I prayed to be God.
00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:38.719
I said, God, if this is it, I've already been told once you're not going to live.
00:36:39.039 --> 00:36:41.440
I'm one of two that survived.
00:36:41.679 --> 00:36:42.880
Now what are we going to do?
00:36:43.039 --> 00:36:44.480
You tested me here.
00:36:44.559 --> 00:36:51.679
You gave me a son, lovely child, a beautiful wife, a great life, and you're taking it all away from me.
00:36:51.920 --> 00:36:54.719
Am I supposed to be your hands and your feet?
00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:57.280
If that's the case, I have to do that on earth.
00:36:57.360 --> 00:36:58.400
I mean, what was heaven?
00:36:58.480 --> 00:36:59.039
What does that look like?
00:36:59.280 --> 00:36:59.679
I don't know.
00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:02.639
Somewhat spiritual, not fully committed.
00:37:02.880 --> 00:37:05.599
And so it's just give me, give me the answers, man.
00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:10.639
Please help me understand why I'm terminal again, what you want me to do.
00:37:10.880 --> 00:37:14.000
If you spare my life, I will commit to helping others.
00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:17.840
And sure enough, I started getting better, I started feeling better.
00:37:18.079 --> 00:37:20.079
I stopped ingesting copper.
00:37:20.239 --> 00:37:23.199
I started doing some over-the-counter holistic stuff.
00:37:23.440 --> 00:37:25.119
Next thing I was okay.
00:37:29.679 --> 00:37:30.239
I met Dr.
00:37:30.320 --> 00:37:35.920
Covey and yeah, within the first year of Wilson's, I went and got certified.
00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:36.800
I listened.
00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:37.360
I learned.
00:37:37.519 --> 00:37:45.360
I learned from what I thought was the greatest teacher at the time, professor BYU, wrote a book called Seven Habits, Highly Effective People.
00:37:45.599 --> 00:37:47.599
I thought, man, I got to change my habits.
00:37:47.840 --> 00:37:49.280
Seek first to understand.
00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:55.840
And then I just started putting it in my brain was okay, there's a reason God gave us two ears and one mouth.
00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:58.639
You got to be a better listener, right?
00:37:58.880 --> 00:38:00.719
And then begin with the end in mind.
00:38:00.880 --> 00:38:02.639
I literally had the end in mind.
00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:04.960
I was at 36 months to live.
00:38:05.280 --> 00:38:06.000
What do I?
00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:07.920
How old was I?
00:38:08.079 --> 00:38:11.599
I would have been about probably late 20s, early 30s.
00:38:11.760 --> 00:38:14.159
And to answer your question, it's a long answer.
00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:17.119
I thought, okay, I'm going to put this in perspective.
00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:18.480
I'm going to help others.
00:38:18.719 --> 00:38:21.920
God just you gave me, you put me in front of Dr.
00:38:22.079 --> 00:38:22.639
Covey.
00:38:22.719 --> 00:38:24.000
That's my listening mode.
00:38:24.239 --> 00:38:25.760
Begin with the end in mind.
00:38:25.920 --> 00:38:27.360
All right, here we go.
00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:30.079
My end is in mind, and how can I help others?
00:38:30.239 --> 00:38:30.960
And so I did that.
00:38:31.119 --> 00:38:39.360
Well then, fast forward, April 1st, which ironically wasn't April Fool's for me.
00:38:39.440 --> 00:38:40.079
I thought it was.
00:38:40.320 --> 00:38:42.239
April 1st of 2019.
00:38:42.800 --> 00:38:45.440
I'm rushed to the ER hospital.
00:38:45.920 --> 00:38:49.280
Okay, I've got excruciating pain in my abdominal region.
00:38:49.920 --> 00:38:51.039
I can't breathe.
00:38:51.199 --> 00:38:54.400
I'm in and out of consciousness, feeling I'm fully present.
00:38:54.480 --> 00:38:54.960
I'm not.
00:38:55.119 --> 00:38:59.280
They run blood work on me again, then they run an ultrasound, a CAT scan.
00:38:59.760 --> 00:39:02.639
They came back and they said, This isn't good.
00:39:02.880 --> 00:39:05.280
You have uh pancreatic cancer.
00:39:05.840 --> 00:39:10.079
And I thought, okay, I'm looking on this cell phone to see what pancreatic cancer does.
00:39:10.239 --> 00:39:12.960
I see Stave Jobs, the richest man in the world.
00:39:13.280 --> 00:39:15.760
He can't buy one, he can't fix one.
00:39:15.920 --> 00:39:16.960
What am I gonna do?
00:39:17.119 --> 00:39:20.000
I don't have his resources, connectivity network.
00:39:20.239 --> 00:39:26.079
Then I see of all things, Patrick Swayze, this actor, this influencer, and he passed away.
00:39:26.159 --> 00:39:28.079
And I'm well, I'm pretty much screwed.
00:39:28.239 --> 00:39:30.159
And I said, What are we gonna do?
00:39:30.320 --> 00:39:33.440
Pancreatic cancer, uh, how are we gonna fight this?
00:39:33.679 --> 00:39:36.559
Of course, my wife is with me all the way.
00:39:36.719 --> 00:39:43.760
And two oncologists come in, they study, they said, let us do some more testing, let's research it, let's figure this out.
00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:53.280
And they came back and I was there for a week, and then I think at the end of the week, they came into our my um hospital room and they said, Well, we got good news and bad news.
00:39:53.440 --> 00:39:55.760
And I said, Man, let's leave on good news.
00:39:55.920 --> 00:39:57.119
Give me the bad news.
00:39:57.280 --> 00:40:00.159
Your pancreas is 80% destroyed.
00:40:00.480 --> 00:40:00.800
Jeez.
00:40:01.199 --> 00:40:03.440
I said, Whoa, that didn't sound good.
00:40:03.599 --> 00:40:09.760
Um, especially for me, because I forgot to mention I'm a diabetic and I need I need insulin.
00:40:10.400 --> 00:40:11.679
And so type two.
00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:18.480
And so I need insulin, obviously, to be regulated to sustain my life or at least quality of life.
00:40:18.880 --> 00:40:20.480
I lost 80% of my function.
00:40:20.639 --> 00:40:22.159
I said, Okay, well, what's the good news?
00:40:22.320 --> 00:40:25.360
She said, We're taking you off the cancer diagnosis.
00:40:25.599 --> 00:40:30.239
And I said, Well, that's good, because that seems terminal for sure.
00:40:30.559 --> 00:40:37.039
She said, You're it's called glimiperside, and it's a it's a pharmaceutical drug.
00:40:37.280 --> 00:40:39.440
I ingested it on a regular basis.
00:40:39.519 --> 00:40:41.599
She said, Did you do your uh testing?
00:40:41.760 --> 00:40:42.559
I said, I did.
00:40:42.719 --> 00:40:45.119
I did my trial, 30, 60, 90.
00:40:45.360 --> 00:40:47.119
I went all the way up to 180 days.
00:40:47.199 --> 00:40:50.000
I was cleared, no pancreatic problems.
00:40:50.159 --> 00:40:53.440
And they put me on a full-blown dosage, and I've been on it for another year.
00:40:53.519 --> 00:40:54.719
I saw it about 18 months.
00:40:54.960 --> 00:40:57.519
And she said, read the fine print on the pharmaceutical.
00:40:57.679 --> 00:41:01.440
I turned it over, may cause acute pancreatitis.
00:41:01.679 --> 00:41:04.800
Well, bottom line, that's pancreatic failure.
00:41:05.039 --> 00:41:13.760
And she said, You have acute pancreatitis that's been going on for a number of months, and that's what's caused the damage to your pancreas.
00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:16.880
And you're almost at a point of no return, Ron.
00:41:17.119 --> 00:41:19.760
And so I said, Well, how can we fix this?
00:41:19.920 --> 00:41:22.480
And she said, Ron, your body's gonna have to heal.
00:41:22.559 --> 00:41:28.880
We're gonna have to put you in what I called adult daycare, monitor my fluid, my food, everything.
00:41:29.199 --> 00:41:35.360
They want to put me on a feeding tube and check me into adult daycare where I have trained medical professionals.
00:41:35.599 --> 00:41:38.800
Now, this is something I'm probably not the most proud of.
00:41:38.960 --> 00:41:44.719
I did lie, and I said to the both oncologists, I said, with all due respect, I appreciate that.
00:41:44.880 --> 00:41:45.840
I'm not going to do that.
00:41:45.920 --> 00:41:46.480
I'm going home.
00:41:46.639 --> 00:41:48.559
My wife's a trained nurse.
00:41:48.880 --> 00:41:53.039
She's taking care of me through far worse things than this my entire life.
00:41:53.280 --> 00:41:55.840
I met her when I was 18 years old.
00:41:56.079 --> 00:41:59.519
I don't know anything other than her care and tenderness.
00:41:59.679 --> 00:42:01.360
She will help me heal.
00:42:02.239 --> 00:42:04.719
Well, they just said, okay.
00:42:04.800 --> 00:42:05.519
They didn't know what to say.
00:42:05.679 --> 00:42:08.079
My wife's sitting on the bed next to me in the hospital room.
00:42:08.400 --> 00:42:12.880
One of them threw the chart and she said, You're on your own.
00:42:13.199 --> 00:42:14.400
You're okay.
00:42:14.639 --> 00:42:16.719
Well, my wife is not a nurse.
00:42:17.039 --> 00:42:22.239
Um, she is a salesperson and she works at a large company here in Kansas City.
00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:28.000
They left and she just looked at me, she smacked me on the back of the head, and she said, Why would you tell her that I'm a nurse?
00:42:28.079 --> 00:42:28.719
I'm not a nurse.
00:42:28.800 --> 00:42:33.519
I said, You're not a licensed care provider if you are my nurse and you are my caretaker.
00:42:33.599 --> 00:42:45.920
And I feel far more comfortable in your arms and your care because I know you will help me get through this than I do some person I've never met before in a facility I've never been to before.
00:42:46.159 --> 00:42:47.440
I'm still scared.
00:42:47.519 --> 00:42:49.199
You're the one that's going to help me get through this.
00:42:49.440 --> 00:42:50.719
And how did she save you?
00:42:51.519 --> 00:43:02.480
She I 100% maintained my uh daily intake of water, clear food, bland bread, some crackers.
00:43:03.039 --> 00:43:04.639
What's clear food?
00:43:04.960 --> 00:43:08.559
Oh, for me, it was healthy stuff that I would never participate in.
00:43:08.960 --> 00:43:10.000
Chicken, white meat.
00:43:10.159 --> 00:43:13.920
I had chicken on a regular basis, turkey on a regular basis.
00:43:14.079 --> 00:43:18.960
I did occasionally have some fun with iced tea that was brewed, no carbonation.
00:43:19.119 --> 00:43:25.119
All my lifestyle had changed and evolved around chicken, turkey, water, period.
00:43:25.280 --> 00:43:27.519
Bread cracker on occasion.
00:43:27.760 --> 00:43:32.800
18 months later, I passed my first blood test and they started going.
00:43:32.960 --> 00:43:41.119
And I failed to mention, I had to suspend the issue that got me into the situation, which was my diabetes treatment.
00:43:41.280 --> 00:43:43.440
I couldn't do anything for my diabetes.
00:43:43.599 --> 00:43:46.800
For 18 months, I didn't do any pharmaceutical.
00:43:46.880 --> 00:43:50.159
I couldn't take anything other than that clear food.
00:43:50.480 --> 00:43:55.840
18 months I passed my first blood test when the doctor said, Okay, you're trending.
00:43:56.000 --> 00:43:59.199
And I think that day I celebrated with a Diet Coke.
00:43:59.440 --> 00:43:59.679
Yeah.
00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:01.840
Oh, I get something carbonated.
00:44:01.920 --> 00:44:03.199
Hey, thank goodness.
00:44:04.079 --> 00:44:05.840
That was my third time.
00:44:06.400 --> 00:44:13.440
And then just for a little side comment here, and uh it's 2016.
00:44:14.480 --> 00:44:16.559
I've passed the curve, everything's going good.
00:44:16.639 --> 00:44:18.800
I'm hitting that decade milestone.
00:44:18.880 --> 00:44:22.000
And okay, I went on a long bike ride.
00:44:22.239 --> 00:44:27.519
I had just changed my lifestyle, the clear fluids, the turkeys, the chicken.
00:44:27.679 --> 00:44:28.480
Started biking.
00:44:28.559 --> 00:44:30.159
I was up to 100 miles a week.
00:44:30.239 --> 00:44:34.800
I was biking, maintaining my activities, red light treatments, and all of that.
00:44:35.039 --> 00:44:40.400
I came home and I said to my wife, I'm really struggling with my legs, cramping.
00:44:40.719 --> 00:44:42.000
I don't know if I overdid it.
00:44:42.480 --> 00:44:43.199
It's just the heat.
00:44:43.440 --> 00:44:44.400
I got in a hot tub.
00:44:44.480 --> 00:44:48.800
I was in the whirlpool and I was really trying to get my legs to decompress.
00:44:49.039 --> 00:44:50.239
And I passed out.
00:44:50.400 --> 00:44:51.440
It was 10 a.m.
00:44:51.599 --> 00:44:52.159
in the morning.
00:44:52.239 --> 00:44:56.639
And my wife said that I started having seizures and I was underneath the water.
00:44:56.719 --> 00:45:01.920
I come to and she has me my head, my head above water, and she's screaming.
00:45:02.000 --> 00:45:04.800
And what had happened was my blood pressure had tanked.
00:45:04.880 --> 00:45:07.840
It was roughly 87 over 50 something.
00:45:08.400 --> 00:45:10.480
And it caused me to be unconscious.
00:45:10.559 --> 00:45:12.079
And so she's got a hypo.
00:45:12.719 --> 00:45:13.360
I'm sorry.
00:45:13.519 --> 00:45:14.400
Is that a hypo?
00:45:14.639 --> 00:45:18.400
Is that a diabetic hypo or is it a blood, it's not blood sugar, it's blood pressure.
00:45:18.639 --> 00:45:18.960
It is.
00:45:19.039 --> 00:45:24.239
It's related to my blood flow and the blood issues, and I'd overdone it on that bicarite.
00:45:24.480 --> 00:45:35.599
And between the blood pressure and the medicines that I was on, it really tried to fight off the erratic blood pressure, if you will, and it really caused the reverse problem.
00:45:35.679 --> 00:45:36.639
It tanked it.
00:45:36.800 --> 00:45:41.440
Just my diabetes, my blood sugars may go up, may go down.
00:45:41.679 --> 00:45:45.519
Depends on what I'm doing, my activities, what I eat, what I drink.
00:45:45.599 --> 00:45:46.880
It's all related.
00:45:47.360 --> 00:45:50.079
And that's the fourth episode that I had.
00:45:50.239 --> 00:45:57.760
I don't talk much about that because my wife was kind of saying, Well, stuff happens.
00:45:58.639 --> 00:46:01.760
And she's that's why I call her name is Raquel.
00:46:01.920 --> 00:46:02.800
I call her my rock.
00:46:02.960 --> 00:46:03.280
Lovely.
00:46:03.360 --> 00:46:08.719
That's a beautiful story that you met your wife early at 18 and you stayed together for so long.
00:46:08.880 --> 00:46:14.559
It's would have taken a lot of uh love and communication, etc.
00:46:14.880 --> 00:46:17.679
You don't hear stories that often good for you.
00:46:17.840 --> 00:46:22.079
And I'm working Raquel for putting up with you.
00:46:22.400 --> 00:46:24.960
These four these four death experiences.
00:46:26.480 --> 00:46:28.320
She sounds like an amazing woman.
00:46:29.599 --> 00:46:33.440
What was the biggest shift of life?
00:46:34.159 --> 00:46:39.519
After these four experiences, I know probably each of them had their own different shift in your view on life.
00:46:39.679 --> 00:46:43.599
What was your biggest shift in life after those four events?
00:46:44.079 --> 00:46:48.400
I would say that when I get my head off the pillow in the morning, I open my day.
00:46:48.559 --> 00:46:50.320
I don't want to get too faith-based.
00:46:51.599 --> 00:46:54.159
My day and daily scripture with my wife.
00:46:54.400 --> 00:46:55.840
We end our day with prayer.
00:46:55.920 --> 00:46:59.679
And we try to summarize the daily activities.
00:46:59.840 --> 00:47:05.119
We start off with God, we're looking for you on our journey today.
00:47:05.440 --> 00:47:08.719
Maybe be open-minded, clear consciousness, a CU.
00:47:09.039 --> 00:47:14.559
And then at the end of the day, we thank God for the people they put in our lives and the experiences we shared that day.
00:47:14.719 --> 00:47:17.039
And so I think that's been my focus.
00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:22.719
We have implemented a foundation, and my wife and I wrote a couple books.
00:47:22.960 --> 00:47:25.199
We don't sell the books to make money.
00:47:25.920 --> 00:47:30.880
We give 100% of the proceeds and profits of the books to Education Foundation.
00:47:31.039 --> 00:47:42.639
And so I was fortunate, and unfortunately, my brother lost his son in 2009 in Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom.
00:47:42.960 --> 00:47:58.960
My nephew was on a second tour, and he was uh in an MRAP, a military vehicle, and it was there was uh somebody who remote detonated a bomb, and the improvised explosive device blew up, killed two, killed him, and another person in his vehicle.
00:47:59.119 --> 00:48:00.880
My nephew was the driver.
00:48:01.519 --> 00:48:15.840
And through Daniel's life and giving the ultimate sacrifice, we try to educate people in the fact that less than one of Americans raise their hand and volunteer to serve because it's a voluntary army.
00:48:16.079 --> 00:48:18.400
And he is inspiring.
00:48:18.639 --> 00:48:24.800
He is obviously braver than me, or probably the most bravest person that I've ever seen.
00:48:24.960 --> 00:48:28.000
At 18 years old, he raised his hand and he went in.
00:48:28.320 --> 00:48:31.599
And by 23, he had passed away.
00:48:31.760 --> 00:48:36.800
And so we live our life knowing that freedom's not free.
00:48:37.039 --> 00:48:41.440
And brave men and women out there have created this environment for us.
00:48:41.679 --> 00:48:53.920
They want us to thrive, they want us to be successful, and they just they want everyone, not just Americans, they want everyone to have the opportunity to thrive, not just survive, thrive.
00:48:54.000 --> 00:48:57.199
And we're appreciative of him and his team.
00:48:57.440 --> 00:49:03.039
And it really ties back to my grandfather in in World War II and being there at Pearl Harbor.
00:49:03.440 --> 00:49:09.199
We would not have these opportunities as humans, as Americans, as people, if not for those brave men and women.
00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:11.840
It's our financial resources and our capital.
00:49:12.000 --> 00:49:16.159
We steer toward education and encouraging people to serve.
00:49:16.480 --> 00:49:19.679
How does what's the educational side of it?
00:49:20.320 --> 00:49:22.639
For us, it's the scholarship programs.
00:49:22.800 --> 00:49:28.400
Me, when I was 18 years old and I had that conversation with my grandfather and my grandmother saying, go to college.
00:49:28.559 --> 00:49:29.599
It's a business decision.
00:49:29.679 --> 00:49:33.119
It'll help you balance your checkbook for God's sakes or whatever else.
00:49:33.280 --> 00:49:46.559
For us, with Daniel's foundation and his scholarship, kids that graduate high school and go on to higher ed, whether it's technical school, junior college, four-year university, we help offset the costs.
00:49:46.719 --> 00:49:48.400
We provide scholarships.
00:49:48.719 --> 00:49:52.960
And in exchange, they have to be in this program called ROTCs.
00:49:53.519 --> 00:49:56.960
Well, ROTC says you'll do two years of service.
00:49:57.360 --> 00:49:58.880
You'll join that team.
00:49:59.039 --> 00:50:00.239
That's your team.
00:50:00.480 --> 00:50:13.039
And you'll be out there and they'll develop a culture of giving, trusting, developing, and supporting your community, your team, your country, the nation, the world, whatever the mission is.
00:50:13.280 --> 00:50:21.760
And so that's the teaching part is we want him to go on and be more in our I'm sorry to hear of the passing of your of your nephew.
00:50:22.079 --> 00:50:23.599
He worked too early.
00:50:23.840 --> 00:50:24.320
Yes.
00:50:24.559 --> 00:50:32.400
And it's a beautiful thing that you can create this organization and these opportunities for other young people in his name.
00:50:32.559 --> 00:50:34.000
So commend you for that.
00:50:34.400 --> 00:50:35.280
We appreciate it.
00:50:35.440 --> 00:50:38.880
You can learn more about his story in our book, They're Unbroken.
00:50:39.039 --> 00:50:43.199
I have a chapter in there and I talk a lot about him and the things that he's taught all of us.
00:50:43.440 --> 00:50:48.000
And if anyone is interested in reading that book, all the links will be put at the bottom of the podcast.
00:50:48.960 --> 00:50:49.920
You can grab it from there.
00:50:50.159 --> 00:50:53.679
Ron, I'm gonna move on to the some business questions.
00:50:53.920 --> 00:50:57.280
I have some of my students listen to my podcast.
00:50:57.519 --> 00:51:09.920
Also, this relates to anybody with your finance degree, and your grandma taught told you that you need to learn to manage your finances or have a great financial literacy.
00:51:10.239 --> 00:51:15.280
What are some easy steps that you could give to people to help them with managing their funds?
00:51:15.519 --> 00:51:22.400
Well, first and foremost, uh I would say, just from my experience in the not-for-profit, you need to set a budget.
00:51:22.559 --> 00:51:26.320
And the budget has to be, you have to live within your means.
00:51:26.480 --> 00:51:29.679
And what I mean by means, that's your money.
00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:38.400
I would encourage you early on, at 16 years of age, whenever you get that first check, that first job, come up with a budget.
00:51:38.480 --> 00:51:43.280
And then what I do in what I recommend is in that budget, you have categories.
00:51:43.519 --> 00:51:46.880
There's certain costs you can't avoid taxes, for example.
00:51:47.039 --> 00:51:50.960
If you want to buy a vehicle, then obviously you got to pay for the cost of that.
00:51:51.119 --> 00:51:52.639
There's operational costs.
00:51:52.800 --> 00:52:02.000
So runtime expenditures, categorize, then put in the ongoing, recurring costs, whatever that might be, insurance, fuel.
00:52:02.239 --> 00:52:06.559
And then once you do that, you have to prioritize what you can afford.
00:52:06.800 --> 00:52:15.039
Do not have that credit card mentality that says, I can buy up or buy bigger or buy better and put it on a payment program.
00:52:15.599 --> 00:52:20.320
Because that's turns your mindset to think you can afford things you really can't afford.
00:52:20.480 --> 00:52:26.320
If you want to outspend, outkick to your coverage, then that's not the right mindset.
00:52:26.559 --> 00:52:34.480
And then if you develop that business, that budget, and you want to, for me early on, I was okay, I want to be an entrepreneur, some of that stuff.
00:52:34.639 --> 00:52:40.800
And it was simple stuff mowing yards, putting together, okay, well, now I need equipment.
00:52:41.039 --> 00:52:42.559
How much equipment do I need?
00:52:42.719 --> 00:52:46.400
Well, then you factor in that equipment cost into your budget.
00:52:46.480 --> 00:52:48.239
And so I started learning how to do that.
00:52:48.400 --> 00:52:53.519
And then what I realized is if I could take on more jobs, I can't get them done in a day.
00:52:53.920 --> 00:52:55.920
Let's look at hiring somebody.
00:52:56.159 --> 00:53:10.159
And if it evolved in the financial stuff early on, 18 to 22 years of age, I was okay, I already kind of operate a business, I kind of have a lawn care business, I kind of have an ice and snow removal business, I kind of do this.
00:53:10.400 --> 00:53:18.159
Well, from that, I realized my number one expense is probably going to be people, human capital.
00:53:18.480 --> 00:53:20.239
Human capital is important.
00:53:20.480 --> 00:53:27.840
I had to learn how to hire people at the right time because I knew that would cost me the most amount of money.
00:53:28.079 --> 00:53:37.519
And then we'd have conversations about how much money on the revenue side can I create to offset that expense side, which is what he or she's going to cost.
00:53:37.920 --> 00:53:49.519
And that really transitioned from that early lawn care business all the way up to I was CEO of an organization, and we were fortunate enough, we were doing a million dollars a day in revenue.
00:53:49.679 --> 00:53:58.559
And when we finally sold the company, we sold the company seven times our EBITDA, which is about a$40 million EBITDA, it's roughly about$280 million.
00:53:58.800 --> 00:54:01.920
And all that started with that mentality of what's the cost.
00:54:02.000 --> 00:54:05.199
And I realized human capital was the most expensive part.
00:54:05.679 --> 00:54:08.880
For example, I will tell you one of the tricks.
00:54:09.039 --> 00:54:12.880
I started at that organization before we were doing a million dollars a day.
00:54:13.039 --> 00:54:16.639
My first year there, they had lost$2.56 million.
00:54:17.599 --> 00:54:31.039
And most of that I learned as I went and dove down into the books, the cost of doing business was the fact that we had a 39% retention of employees.
00:54:31.679 --> 00:54:36.639
Any size company, you realize and go back to, you got to hire the right people.
00:54:36.800 --> 00:54:38.079
You got to retain them.
00:54:38.239 --> 00:54:41.039
To retain them, you got to take care of them.
00:54:41.280 --> 00:54:44.079
And to take care of them could mean a lot of different things.
00:54:44.320 --> 00:54:47.679
Single people probably don't need family health care.
00:54:48.000 --> 00:54:50.719
Married with children probably need family health care.
00:54:51.039 --> 00:54:56.800
One of the things they all needed was a culture that encouraged them to learn more, do more, be more.
00:54:56.880 --> 00:55:03.360
We put in things tuition reimbursement, family health care, probably most importantly a 401k.
00:55:03.519 --> 00:55:06.880
We said if we hit all our revenue goals, we want to give that back.
00:55:07.039 --> 00:55:11.840
3, 4, 5% of your money, I'll match that with our money.
00:55:12.000 --> 00:55:16.400
We put in a matching program for investing employees.
00:55:16.719 --> 00:55:22.559
In 24 months, our we did a study and our retention was 93%.
00:55:23.280 --> 00:55:25.840
It's funny that the numbers are identical.
00:55:26.079 --> 00:55:43.119
39, we reversed it to 93 and realized HR was we're not placing ads, we're not doing interviews, we're not wasting all of our leadership team going embedding and interviewing 13 candidates for a vacancy.
00:55:43.280 --> 00:55:44.639
We don't have vacancies.
00:55:44.880 --> 00:55:50.960
We have a stack of applications for positions that we created for expansion jobs.
00:55:51.199 --> 00:55:53.119
And it was a far different mindset.
00:55:53.199 --> 00:55:55.519
And HR was just thrilled.
00:55:55.760 --> 00:55:57.519
We didn't lose employees.
00:55:57.760 --> 00:56:01.360
We grew employees by growing our clientele.
00:56:01.519 --> 00:56:06.880
And so the way we did that is we constantly surveyed our employees.
00:56:07.119 --> 00:56:08.079
What did we do right?
00:56:08.159 --> 00:56:08.960
What did we do wrong?
00:56:09.119 --> 00:56:10.079
What can we do better?
00:56:10.320 --> 00:56:17.360
Because me sitting in a boardroom or sitting in my CEO chair, I wasn't necessarily face to face with the clients.
00:56:17.519 --> 00:56:21.920
I wasn't seeing the struggles out in the field, the adversities we had to overcome.
00:56:22.079 --> 00:56:24.000
I asked them, what can we do better?
00:56:24.159 --> 00:56:27.519
What piece of equipment, what type of person, who do we need to hire?
00:56:27.679 --> 00:56:29.440
Who do we need to consult with?
00:56:29.679 --> 00:56:32.960
If it's a subcontractor, let's get an industry expert.
00:56:33.199 --> 00:56:40.639
Subject matter experts cost that for me, they pay for themselves because they cost less than the learning curve.
00:56:40.960 --> 00:56:45.679
We bring them in, and oh, by the way, the customer will be retained because they're satisfied.
00:56:45.840 --> 00:56:50.800
And I surveyed our employees on a regular basis, then I started surveying our clients.
00:56:51.039 --> 00:56:53.039
What can I do to retain your business?
00:56:53.199 --> 00:56:54.960
I need recurring revenue.
00:56:55.119 --> 00:56:56.880
I want to build a relationship.
00:56:57.119 --> 00:56:58.559
I want you to trust me.
00:56:58.800 --> 00:57:00.880
Be open, honest, and transparent.
00:57:00.960 --> 00:57:08.239
I asked the same of my employees, and sure enough, that we were doing a million dollars a day in revenue within a short period of time.
00:57:08.559 --> 00:57:09.679
What was the business?
00:57:09.840 --> 00:57:11.360
And what was the product?
00:57:11.679 --> 00:57:13.199
For us, we sold service.
00:57:13.840 --> 00:57:16.800
The highest contributor was transportation.
00:57:17.039 --> 00:57:19.280
Of all things, you're gonna love this.
00:57:19.760 --> 00:57:25.280
Of all things, we transported parents' kids to school.
00:57:26.320 --> 00:57:28.719
Their number one commodities, their family.
00:57:28.880 --> 00:57:30.320
They trusted us.
00:57:30.719 --> 00:57:33.599
We were the number one provider.
00:57:33.840 --> 00:57:39.199
We picked up kids at the curb and took them to the building, and then we took them back home every day.
00:57:39.519 --> 00:57:44.159
In the manufacturing world, Freightliner made a lot of school buses.
00:57:44.320 --> 00:58:02.639
At one point in time, we were doing 4,000 units a year just in Freightliner, from deploying buying buses, selling buses, running buses, operating buses, taking kids to and from school, sales and services school buses, transportation of children to and from K-12.
00:58:02.880 --> 00:58:05.599
Those were our two biggest revenue generators.
00:58:06.079 --> 00:58:11.599
Parents trusted us, school teachers trusted us, administrators trusted us, and we were thriving.
00:58:12.239 --> 00:58:16.960
And this is a different company to the compressed natural gas company.
00:58:17.360 --> 00:58:22.000
Yes, compressed natural gas was equipment we bought for our local school district.
00:58:22.800 --> 00:58:24.000
This is going down the line.
00:58:24.159 --> 00:58:26.559
So you okay.
00:58:27.519 --> 00:58:27.920
Wow.
00:58:28.079 --> 00:58:29.920
It's interesting that it was around buses.
00:58:31.440 --> 00:58:38.480
It started with compression of natural gas and then you've moved into is this a private bus company or is these the yellow buses you see in the movies?
00:58:38.800 --> 00:58:39.840
No, it's private.
00:58:40.320 --> 00:58:51.199
In the United States, I would say majority, 75% probably of school districts have their own bus drivers, their own equipment, their own shop, garage, mechanics, they maintain it.
00:58:51.440 --> 00:59:06.880
25% say, and this is my opinion because I've been in a lot of boardrooms, school boardrooms, they don't want lunch ladies, custodians, bus drivers, those three categories, they put them into the other side of the room.
00:59:07.039 --> 00:59:11.199
They don't want them competing with in-class expense teachers.
00:59:11.760 --> 00:59:16.559
Teachers come in and want a salary increase, they want a salary schedule, they want better health care.
00:59:16.880 --> 00:59:17.920
They're okay.
00:59:18.159 --> 00:59:21.760
They touch kids every day in the classroom.
00:59:22.159 --> 00:59:25.199
These people, not much seasonal, whatever.
00:59:25.360 --> 00:59:34.000
Some schools have this mindset, I believe, that they say, I want to focus on education, curriculum, student test scores, and achievement.
00:59:34.239 --> 00:59:36.880
I don't want to have any of these other distractions.
00:59:37.119 --> 00:59:44.480
A lot of public schools, they'll outsource lunches, they'll have a food services company come in and run it.
00:59:44.639 --> 00:59:49.599
They don't want to do their own cleaning of buildings, they'll have a cleaning service come in and be the custodian.
00:59:49.760 --> 00:59:54.159
Well, that now they don't want to operate buses and have drivers and bus drivers.
00:59:54.239 --> 00:59:56.000
So they'll outsource transportation.
00:59:56.239 --> 00:59:58.800
About 25% of the districts will do that.
00:59:59.039 --> 01:00:05.760
Well, we go and bid on those contracts because we think we can buy the equipment right because we have a dealership.
01:00:05.920 --> 01:00:08.239
We get the equipment from the manufacturer.
01:00:08.400 --> 01:00:12.239
We're one of the number one buyers and resellers of school buses.
01:00:12.400 --> 01:00:14.480
We ought to be able to buy equipment right.
01:00:14.800 --> 01:00:15.760
Let's bid on it.
01:00:15.920 --> 01:00:19.199
Then we have to go out and hire drivers and teach and coach.
01:00:19.440 --> 01:00:22.960
You have to have federal license, commercial driver's license.
01:00:23.119 --> 01:00:27.440
Then we have to build a shop to maintain the bus, do the oil changes, tires.
01:00:27.599 --> 01:00:29.440
We do that with school district.
01:00:29.679 --> 01:00:34.079
Well, their core principle is focusing on student achievement.
01:00:34.239 --> 01:00:36.000
And we take care of the rest.
01:00:37.280 --> 01:00:39.280
Well, what got you into that business anyway?
01:00:39.519 --> 01:00:40.880
Why did you decide to go there?
01:00:40.960 --> 01:00:46.719
And how did you pay a million dollars because people around the whole country paid for the service?
01:00:47.599 --> 01:00:57.679
Of all things, when I was working in the not-for-profit and the government side and the school district side, I had a conversation with the private, you said private business.
01:00:57.840 --> 01:01:01.519
And he was, of all things, he was a Navy guy.
01:01:01.679 --> 01:01:06.400
He came from the military, he went back to school, got a certification, started teaching.
01:01:06.559 --> 01:01:10.400
I believe he was a seventh grade level teacher in math.
01:01:10.559 --> 01:01:20.559
And he had there was a story where he goes, not only was I teaching, all of a sudden I got asked for an extra five, six hundred bucks a month to coach.
01:01:20.719 --> 01:01:21.599
We started coaching.
01:01:21.679 --> 01:01:23.440
I think it was, what did he say?
01:01:23.599 --> 01:01:23.840
Coach.
01:01:24.079 --> 01:01:25.280
I think it was basketball.
01:01:25.440 --> 01:01:28.960
And the coach had to take the team to and from games.
01:01:29.199 --> 01:01:31.519
He's like, I had to get a license drive a bus.
01:01:31.599 --> 01:01:33.679
I'm a school teacher in seventh grade.
01:01:33.840 --> 01:01:35.679
I'm a coach in seventh grade.
01:01:35.840 --> 01:01:39.199
Now I'm a driver of a bus taking my team to and from.
01:01:39.360 --> 01:01:42.639
And then he realized this equipment, I don't think it's safe.
01:01:42.800 --> 01:01:43.920
It's not operational.
01:01:44.000 --> 01:01:44.639
It breaks down.
01:01:44.800 --> 01:01:45.679
I'm on the side of the road.
01:01:45.760 --> 01:01:46.639
I got all these kids.
01:01:46.800 --> 01:01:47.679
They should be a better way.
01:01:47.760 --> 01:01:52.639
So he went to the school and he just said, hey, what if I bought brand new equipment?
01:01:52.719 --> 01:01:54.639
And I started picking up the kids.
01:01:54.800 --> 01:02:03.119
And in the United States, the state helps pay for transportation from for kids from their houses to school and stuff.
01:02:03.199 --> 01:02:08.159
And he goes, and I'll just contract and have the state pay me to pick up the kids and do that.
01:02:08.320 --> 01:02:11.599
The school district again was, okay, I'm just focused on student achievement.
01:02:11.679 --> 01:02:13.360
All that stuff behind the scenes, you'll do it.
01:02:13.519 --> 01:02:17.920
Well, that's the guy who reached out to me one day and he said, What are you going to do when you leave the school district?
01:02:18.159 --> 01:02:19.199
I said, I don't know.
01:02:19.440 --> 01:02:21.199
He goes, You and I need to team up.
01:02:21.280 --> 01:02:28.719
We can combine our superpowers and work together, and we can make sure we create a good culture and a safe environment for our families, our students.
01:02:28.880 --> 01:02:33.039
Um, because he said, the one thing you and I have in common, we both have kids and they both ride buses.
01:02:33.519 --> 01:02:34.159
That's true.
01:02:34.320 --> 01:02:37.760
He goes, Why don't we make it the safest environment we can and the most efficient?
01:02:37.840 --> 01:02:39.599
We don't have to keep raising taxes.
01:02:39.840 --> 01:02:41.440
And I said, Well, that's true too.
01:02:41.679 --> 01:02:43.199
I came from the not-for-profit world.
01:02:43.280 --> 01:02:44.639
I understand how that works.
01:02:44.800 --> 01:02:46.239
And he said, Let's do it.
01:02:46.400 --> 01:02:54.960
I was recruited by a former teacher who had started his own transportation company to provide those services.
01:02:55.039 --> 01:02:58.159
And he had been in business for 52 years.
01:02:58.800 --> 01:03:02.559
And he lured me away to the private world for the first time.
01:03:02.719 --> 01:03:08.320
And I had a lot of respect for him and his family, and his son worked in the organization too.
01:03:08.559 --> 01:03:13.519
And just the experience he had, I knew that I could learn a lot from him.
01:03:13.599 --> 01:03:22.079
And he knew it was a passion project for me because anything you say and do and say, hey, I want to make a safer environment for our kids, I'm I'll raise my hand.
01:03:22.239 --> 01:03:26.960
I I'm a parent, I coach kids, I get it, let's go.
01:03:27.679 --> 01:03:30.880
And that was the business that you sold for 280 million.
01:03:31.039 --> 01:03:31.280
Yes.
01:03:31.519 --> 01:03:34.239
And that how long had that family been in that business for?
01:03:34.559 --> 01:03:36.000
52 years.
01:03:36.800 --> 01:03:38.000
And wow.
01:03:38.159 --> 01:03:39.199
What a legacy.
01:03:39.440 --> 01:03:44.320
Also to come out at the end of it to be able to make that much as well.
01:03:44.719 --> 01:03:45.360
Absolutely.
01:03:45.519 --> 01:03:51.760
And I said for 52 years, I mean, he was awesome at it and he understood and he was had this mentality.
01:03:51.920 --> 01:03:56.800
It's create a safe culture for our kids and our and take care of our drivers and all that.
01:03:56.880 --> 01:04:00.159
Because I'd come from that school side, and I was that's the mentality that we have.
01:04:00.320 --> 01:04:06.639
And I'd coach for 20 years since I worked with kids after school and on the weekends, and I got it.
01:04:06.800 --> 01:04:09.440
I mean, as a parent, you're just passionate about that.
01:04:09.760 --> 01:04:12.159
What's your definition of success?
01:04:13.119 --> 01:04:27.679
I think my definition of success is when you uh get your head off the pillow every day, you're excited, you uh want to continue to learn, you're humble, you're kind, you want to understand that there's so many people, Dr.
01:04:27.760 --> 01:04:33.039
Covey said, that are so much smarter than you, that I just want to be a lifelong learner.
01:04:33.119 --> 01:04:40.719
And if I can learn something new and or I can coach and teach others, then I think that's the definition of success.
01:04:40.880 --> 01:04:49.199
I am very proud of the fact that I have been able to coach and teach and maybe impact in a positive way some young adults.
01:04:49.360 --> 01:04:50.480
And so that's success.
01:04:50.639 --> 01:04:52.159
I don't really say money.
01:04:52.800 --> 01:04:55.760
Money's not my motivating factor, it's just helping others.
01:04:55.920 --> 01:05:01.199
It's interesting because a lot of people chase money and they and maybe they don't really help that many people in doing it.
01:05:01.440 --> 01:05:05.119
My wife said that we'll never be rich because of everything you make, you give away.
01:05:05.360 --> 01:05:08.239
Well, that's lovely legacy for you too.
01:05:09.199 --> 01:05:11.840
And it's beautiful to hear.
01:05:12.400 --> 01:05:14.159
I've got a couple more questions.
01:05:14.400 --> 01:05:15.039
Yep.
01:05:15.440 --> 01:05:18.400
You've written Unbroken and Me and My Best Friend.
01:05:19.039 --> 01:05:25.360
If there was one chapter from your own life that every listener could learn from, what would it be and why?
01:05:25.599 --> 01:05:30.800
I think from for me, wow, that's a tough question because they're two different books.
01:05:31.119 --> 01:05:33.440
The first one, Me and My Best Friend.
01:05:33.760 --> 01:05:46.480
The one thing I would definitely say that I learned through that is especially today's world, is man, log out, clock out, and then hang out with your best friend.
01:05:46.719 --> 01:05:52.400
Create memories, memory, and tangible items, real memories that you can pass on.
01:05:52.480 --> 01:05:53.760
That's your legacy.
01:05:54.079 --> 01:05:58.400
Having those experiences that you could share with your best friend or your family.
01:05:58.639 --> 01:05:59.679
That's one of the things that.
01:06:00.079 --> 01:06:06.960
That I would pass on to all your listeners is with technology, man, you see people on their phones all the time.
01:06:07.199 --> 01:06:12.480
With laptops, you see people taking them on vacation to family functions and events.
01:06:12.639 --> 01:06:19.519
It's no hang up that phone, log out of that computer, hang out with those people that matter most.
01:06:19.679 --> 01:06:21.519
That's your family and your friends.
01:06:21.760 --> 01:06:23.280
And that's kind of that whole book.
01:06:23.360 --> 01:06:24.400
It talks about that.
01:06:24.559 --> 01:06:26.239
Create those experiences.
01:06:26.400 --> 01:06:30.400
It's not about the house and the car, it's about telling that story.
01:06:30.639 --> 01:06:34.480
Man, we have some unbelievable experiences that we've shared in that book.
01:06:34.639 --> 01:06:37.519
Me and my best friend, we're the same age.
01:06:37.760 --> 01:06:45.840
I think that's the important message to the younger audience is create those experiences, man, with someone else.
01:06:46.159 --> 01:06:50.480
On the unbroken, man, it's perseverance.
01:06:50.880 --> 01:06:55.360
It's you're gonna you're gonna have some really bad setbacks.
01:06:55.679 --> 01:06:56.960
You can overcome.
01:06:57.199 --> 01:07:02.320
You can overcome if you surround yourself with the right people, they're gonna lift you up.
01:07:02.480 --> 01:07:04.320
They're also gonna hold you accountable.
01:07:04.559 --> 01:07:07.760
And you're gonna share those good times and those bad times with them.
01:07:07.920 --> 01:07:10.079
The one thing that won't change is how they treat you.
01:07:10.239 --> 01:07:12.880
And that's the that's the lesson I got from Unbroken.
01:07:12.960 --> 01:07:20.000
And not to get too far off track with faith, man, you gotta you gotta place those burdens at God's feet, man.
01:07:20.079 --> 01:07:25.039
You gotta just share it with them and say, help me through this, help me out, show me the way.
01:07:25.199 --> 01:07:27.840
I'll be your hands and feet, I'll do your work.
01:07:28.079 --> 01:07:29.360
And I want to give back.
01:07:29.519 --> 01:07:32.239
Whatever days I have left, it's gonna be in service to others.
01:07:32.480 --> 01:07:33.360
Good message.
01:07:33.679 --> 01:07:37.519
A good message, and one that takes us to our last question.
01:07:37.840 --> 01:07:47.920
Imagine someone is listening today who's facing one of the hardest seasons of their life, whether it's poor health, financial pressure or struggle, or personal adversity.
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What's the message you'd want to leave with them through everything you've experienced?
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For me, I think the message to those people that are going through a trying time in their life is you need to not do it alone.
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I think the most important thing is to share that struggle with others, to celebrate that win with others.
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One of the things that I will tell you you will not be successful and you will not have the best outcome if you do it alone.
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You have to do it with others.
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Do not bear that burden by yourself, share it with others.
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And it takes a lot of uh vulnerability, and in the moment it could be really hard.
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It's worth it.
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Don't carry the burden by yourself.
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Reach out to friends and family or services that are available to you.
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Absolutely.
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Ron, do you have anything else that you'd like to share with our listeners on legendary lectures before we wrap up?
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Just the fact that, man, you took me on a long journey.
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You dove deep, we got personal, I teared up a little bit.
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Uh, I apologize for the emotion.
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No, that's it.
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It's real.
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I guarantee it.
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You dug deep, man.
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You went deep and it was real.
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I appreciate that.
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And uh if there's anything you need or any anyone needs, just feel free to reach out to me.
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Thank you, Ron.
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I appreciate your time, and it's been lovely to connect.
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And uh I look forward to staying in touch.
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Sounds great.
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Thank you.
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All right.
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Cheers, Ron.
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Thank you.
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Bye.
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Cheers.
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