How Getting Sober Can Radically Change Your Life: Kenny Baden - Blue Collar Baller PCR Roofing

SPEAKER_01 0:04

This is the Beyond the Story podcast. A show that goes way beyond the story. Stop let's do Ken Baden.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Welcome to the show, dude. Hey, thanks, man. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Full circle moment here.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Yes, full circle.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

You're officially a podcaster. Now you're on my podcast. I'm going to be on your podcast that I helped you launch. Yep. That's what it's all about. A lot of this happens, you know. That's what it's all about. But you've done a lot. I mean, it's you and I first connected, gosh, about six months ago. Uh, some guy named Ryan Stuman linked us up. Yes. And um you're working pretty close with the guy, have been for the past six months, and uh new to the Apex, newer to the Apex world, not as new anymore. So uh, and you said, hey man, I want to start a podcast. But um a lot of the stuff that we didn't talk about when we launched your podcast was a little bit of your backstory, which has been pretty crazy, but then also like your core business, what what you know, what you really contribute to all of your success. So I was like, let's get you on the podcast, dude. I want to hear the backstory. That's what we do here on this show is tell people's backstory of how it all kind of came together and got you to where you're at right now, present day. So for context purposes, let's let's back up a little bit to the beginning of the story. I know that there was a there was a pretty rough start for you and uh some some challenges and some problems and a couple of addictions and de all the above when life just shows up on here, but and all that stuff is completely irrelevant now because you've been able to push through it and do something with it. But let's back up a little bit. Let's go to the beginning of the story where it all started, and uh, you know, as far as you can remember, uh, and then really we'll kind of unpack things to where you're at present day. You've been able to uh amass a pretty decent amount of success with your business and continue to. So I want to know a little bit about that too. But let's let's go back to the beginning of the story.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Yeah, I mean, really with uh the the point that I think is relevant, which shaped me, because you know, I was raised well. Um, you know, I really didn't, it's not like I did drugs or anything crazy like that when I was growing up. I was just you know, I was pretty normal, but I got in a car accident. That car accident, um, I was on painkillers for I think three years. This is back when they were giving those things out like Skittles. Yeah. So, you know, I I barely made it through college, and that's because it's recruit it's a progressive thing, man. Like the longer you take those things, and honestly, man, just full disclosure, I have whatever that it is you can go into a debate, like disease, whatever. I don't give a shit. It's whatever it is, I've got it. So I gotta deal with it. So, like I've got that, you know, and I can see that in everything I do. I'm I've only got one speed. So a guy like that with those, plus I joined a fraternity, man. It was kind of a recipe for like, you know, disaster. So that's kind of when things started to, you know, I started abusing them, if you will, because I was showed that I could even do that. I didn't even know you could do that. And uh, next thing you know, a year later, man, I got three rehabs in jail, you know, and and that's the fast forward version, but that's how quickly that progression happens. And um, you know, college graduate, a year later, I'm a felon, you know, and um doing crazy stuff. Um I'm a shadow of how I used to be. And then that was a 10-year, a 10-year period of up, down, up, down, in, out, you know, and when I say in and out, I mean like in and out of rehabs, in and out of institutions, in and out of sobriety. And for whatever reason, man, um, you know, I found my way in the sales, the sales game, kind of by happenstance. I uh my senior year of college, when this stuff was starting, unfortunately, but you know, I had an internship that fell through at the last minute. That internship saw me kind of get bailed out, and my professor was cool with it with a buddy of mine who owned an insurance agency, his dad. His dad was like, Look, I'll sign off one. He always wanted me to work for him anyhow. He thought I had something, you know what I mean? And so, I'm gonna make you into a star. You're gonna be a state farm agent, right? And so, but I was in no shape to do that, dude. You know what I mean? I was just uh he didn't know what he was getting into by any means, but on the surface, I looked okay still, but uh I was a mess. So that didn't last very long. I saw an ad for selling windows and I was gonna make a million bucks. That's what the ad said. Like, it was like income potential, zero, a million. And I was like, oh, dude, well, I'm sold. You know what I mean? I'm like 24, I'm gonna go make a million bucks. So I joined the window world because back then windows were roofing. And if you understand what I mean, everybody we're in a we're in a um mastermind together, and there's probably what 20 different roofers. Uh, but but in those days in 08, windows were roofing. They called it white gold. They were literally just there were shows about them, there were energy credits, windows were the hot lick. And so I was a window salesman, and then I was pretty good at it, man. So I kind of just every time I got some some semblance of sober sobriety, I'd run back to that because I knew I could do that quick, right? I could lose everything, get back on my feet, sell some windows, make some money, get back on my feet quickly, lose it again. And it's just I played that game for a decade, man, until I was beat down bad enough. I'm a hard-headed son of a bitch, man. I I am, and no, us, what I you know, I don't know if you can hear that.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

I don't know if I can hear it. Oh, it does. Okay. I heard that the uh window business is a big pain to be in though.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

No pun intended. There we go. You have a yeah, you have a fun thing there all week, folks, twice on Sunday.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

So you got in the window business. Did you did you make the million bucks?

SPEAKER_00 6:00

I was I wasn't there long enough to make a hundred bucks. Uh I did, I sold my first job. It canceled because I broke a rule. Uh, I did well, and they were really good to me, man. The place that I worked at, I really was blessed. I worked at the best, one of the biggest remodeling firms in the United States while they were new. I was trained uh to be a shark. I loved it. I just was in a bad place, man. So I did well quick, and that was kind of my theme. I had short-term success, but blew that up and I was in and out of remodeling companies. And dude, I would even get to the point where I'd have like, I would then I went to jail. Uh, you know, I got bad enough to go to jail, uh, 08 to 2010. So 08 to 2010, I go to jail in 2010, I come out in 2012. Um, and it's just, you know, I'm so like, well, I'm just gonna drink. And again, dude, I do everything a thousand miles an hour. And so I gain a bunch of weight, I'm fat, I'm gross, I'm you know, but I'm not hurting anybody. You know, I'm still selling now. I'm a sales manager. Uh, you know, I've moved up in the world. Um and I'm doing okay, but I'm living in grandma's basement and I'm sneaking Crown Royal bags in my work bag and sleep, you know, lit literally drinking by myself uh every night. And uh eventually it was so bad that I was like, you know what? I'm gonna, I'm gonna do it. This is ridiculous, but I'm gonna do pills on the weekends to stop the booze during the week. I was just a mess, dude. I was so lost. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to be sober. You know, I'd gotten to a point where I just didn't, I was uncomfortable being sober. I didn't know what to do. And I had been shown what to do in recovery and things like that. I just was like, no, dude, I I don't know, man. It's it's crazy the lengths we have to go to finally accept something. But for me, it was 10 years and losing absolutely everything, every document that supported I was a human. In the end, I found myself sleeping outside and I'm a felon. I've lost every document that says I'm a person, birth certificate, social security card, identification. My license was suspended, vehicles were repo'd. I'm locked out. All the families got locks changed, no one's talking to me. I had nothing, no cell phone. I mean, literally nothing. I'd given away or burnt down everything. And I had that was the choice that that's how low I had to go for me to finally say, okay, let me let me get some help. And that was a break.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

That was a breaking point. That was the breaking point. Yes. Yes. Well, you know, it's gonna take as long as it's gonna take, right? To be able to arrive. Some people don't, but but some people don't arrive at the breaking point either. Some people don't arrive at that place. Yeah, exactly. So congrats on being able to to to to arrive there. So what happens? Okay, cool, breaking point, get out of get out of jail. You you have a big, you know, you realize that you're at the absolute bottom of the barrel and it's it's it's decision-making time.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

What what did that all look like? Get out of rehab this last time, but it either way, it makes no difference. This time, the only difference was I again, I was low enough to where I was like, okay, dude, this is I was I'll tell you what it looked like. I was I was finally beaten enough that my stubborn ass was like, I'm gonna take some of these suggestions that I've been given the last 10 years. Yeah, but now they sound a little more appealing. So uh what do I'd you pay?

SPEAKER_01 9:12

How'd you pay for rehab if you were broke?

SPEAKER_00 9:14

State was one of the state does, okay. There's a lot of wonderful, there's a lot of wonderful programs that are available now. Uh Hogan did a lot of that, um, especially for opiate opiate. Uh there was a time early on where they would give you like five days, and brother, you're still kicking, you know what I mean? Yeah. So good luck. But they gave me 90 days, and I took every I took advantage of I couldn't get out of there quicker. This time I stayed till 90 days. I ended up in a halfway house that was also paid and funded through. Dude, I was uh people might judge me, man, but I was taking everything. I was food stamps, assistance. I mean, I had no bank account, I had nothing. You know, I I didn't have much of a choice, man. And I was very grateful for those things. Sure. Sure.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

So you you get out, you you have this, you know, awakening moment, if you will, and you're like, something needs to change. So what what did that change look like?

SPEAKER_00 10:12

I would say again, I I took suggestions, but ultimately I stopped trying to fix everything overnight too. You know, I was always like, I was it wasn't even just fixing everything. I always had these big grandiose dreams, and I was gonna do all of it tomorrow. You know what I mean? And so in this case, dude, I sang in a band and I was gonna be a famous singer. Then I was in college, I was gonna be on ESPN, or I was gonna be a cartoonist, or I was gonna be, I was there, was never a time in my life where I was like, I'm gonna go get a job and have a house and pay a bills. So this time, man, it was just so bad that I was like, how about not declaring bankruptcy? That would be a win. And um, and I even tried to do that. And if my fiance is who I met up with as an attorney, and she was like, dude, this is like 60 Gs. I know this seems like a lot to you, but you can get out of this. And if you file bankruptcy, you'll this will follow you for seven years. I wouldn't have had my businesses, I wouldn't be with her, and I wouldn't have the house and the things that we have now. So it's crazy how like the synchronicities, man, and ultimately the biggest thing was that I was just committed to one one day at a time doing whatever I needed to do right then. So even if that meant like, brother, you need to worry about getting a job, whether you can be paid or not, like paid under the table by some dude, then and I say some dude, this guy was very kind and like picked me up and put me to work. But then the next job is a real job that's paying me on a green dot card. And then that job allows me to save up enough money to get a truck, and then that truck allows me to get a raise at the job I'm at, and I save up enough money to fix the truck. And it was just little by little, man. You know, I was just committed to doing what I had to do, no matter how insurmountable it seemed. But I would suggest the biggest thing was instead of looking at the whole thing, it was, I would tell you this, Sebastian, it was so overwhelming that it was impossible for me to do what I normally did, which was like, I'm gonna fix all this. I couldn't see how I was gonna fix it all. So I had no choice but to like one step at a time it. You know what I mean? And not even six years later in August, three businesses, um, a house, my first house, technically two houses with my fiance now. We remodeled her house, so technically two houses, multiple vehicles. I had no vehicle, I couldn't even get financed for anything. Eastern Motors, if you're familiar, I don't know if you have something like that there, but there's this place here. It's like the the jingle is at Eastern Motors, your job's your credit, and it's like the most you know, ghetto. And I they turned me down. They were like, dude, no way. Everybody else, your job's your credit, but you're a loser. No, we can't help you. So, like, my job wasn't my credit, that was that bad. So, like the Eastern Motors turned me away. So, uh, and I got financed for a vehicle at 22% interest when I finally had enough credit to even get anything. And a year later, I refinanced it at 10. That was a so it's little moves like that, dude. Like I just kept plugging away, kept plugging away, kept plugging away. And then finally, I want to say two years ago, I got out of debt, and here I am. You know, uh, it's crazy how much this happened in that six years. I've literally come back from the dead to just like be able to breathe and like I don't know, have some peace. And now it's like, okay, now we're gonna thrive, dude. You know what I mean? And much less, much less, much more. I'm gonna take some dudes with me that are that are eager to learn, and they don't have to come from where I come from. You know what I mean? It could just be anybody, but like if you want to learn and grow and build the best version of yourself, dude, I'm fucking with it. I want to be a part of that and let's go.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

You know, it seems like and I met a lot of guys like you. I mean, not when I say like you, that have had, you know, challenges in the past, but like radical overcomings at the same time and actually parlayed that into a tremendous amount of success and are now doing great things on here. But I I often find that the the individuals that are helping people the most have had the craziest uh backgrounds and backstories on on what they're doing. Now, now, while everyone is capable of helping everyone on here, I think that the relatability factor really comes into play because when you can speak these people's language, it's like I've literally been there, worse, close to it. I get it. And the common denominator is you know, sobriety and living a productive life and being a can you know contributing member of society? And that's really like the the goal there. And that's what we you know, what's been able to play out for you now. Um when it comes to the sobriety stuff, like is it still it has to be like I don't think your brain changes that radically. Like, is it still like an everyday day in and day out? Like to like Ed Milette used to say about his dad. It was like I don't know drinking it, you drinking today, not today.

SPEAKER_00 15:02

Yeah, and I and I get I resonate so much with Ed, man, because he says those things, and I and I wanted and I met Ed that was a really cool part of being with Ryan early, was I got to meet Ed and Brad and these guys, and I wanted, but I just didn't, you know, I wasn't like shell shock. But it is a daily reprieve, is what they say we have. And you try to put that like, oh yeah, you know, I'm gonna be sober the next 10 years, just stay in the day, man. And I've really to be honest with you, the parallels between sobriety and the things that we need to do, and really a lot of these different sales methodologies and like the gurus and what they say we need to do to be successful, they're just they're there. And so I don't think it's a coincidence that like a lot of us end up succeeding in the sales world because the gratitude that's required, right? The why to get up and go and grind, and and usually that X factor that makes you maybe then a little bit more successful than the next guy. Like these are things that we've gotta have in order to survive. Yeah. You know what I mean? Have you ever relapsed? I mean, this time, no, uh, millions of times before, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:06

How do you why do you think you've been able to to to to stay above water and not not relapse again on on this time around? Is it there's gotta be something that's that's anchored in you now?

SPEAKER_00 16:15

Yeah, there is. I mean, I still do the things that I did I did, and I will continue to do the things that I did for the rest of my life because for me, I've reached a point where it's like, let's say you work out and you like the way you feel and you like the way you look. If you stop working out, are you gonna continue to look that way? So I like the way I feel, I like the results that I'm getting. So the things that I did to get me there, you know, I belong to there are lots of 12-step groups and lots of uh they're anonymous. So like I'll respect that. But there are a lot of things that are available to people and they work. And I still have that firmly entrenched in my day-to-day. It's never not been as busy as I get, I still make that a priority, and that has to be my priority because everything else stems from that. So yeah, that's priority number one.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

Can that can that become an addiction too?

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Yeah, probably anything, man, can be, but you know, there are there are worse addictions. So, you know what I mean? But yeah, I'm sure you know, anything really can probably be, but like to what extent, right? Like, what are the consequences?

SPEAKER_01 17:16

So right, right. Not many at all. I've if anything, there's benefits, right? A beneficial addiction. Imagine that.

SPEAKER_00 17:23

Well, and I mean families and stuff, but most of them as far as time and time spent, but really we've got to invest that to be there for people. So it's it's for me, I've got it down to a couple days a week, but uh, you know, I take I go back to rehabs, I do things like that, and I still do that. And uh, I'll never not do that. I don't, I hope not.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

I I see a lot of that, you know. I I I didn't even know that about you, but that makes absolute, complete perfect sense. And what you know, what you're doing here with blue-collar ballers and your mastermind and stuff that you're creating above and beyond your your existing businesses right here. Like I think that, you know, you being able to really continue to do what you've always done, to be able to show up at these rehab centers and speak truth into these people's lives and be able to watch them enter a similar path and then in turn end up in your sandbox uh to be mentored and coached and in community and have same core values and understandings and rituals and things that you do on a daily basis that I really see that starting to unpack at scale for you. Yeah, you know, not to say that you're gonna be doing seminars and rehab centers, but I know you'd probably be down, you know.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

I would definitely be down, first of all. And I do do things like that, but I am trying to transition to the stage now and and the ballers group, the mastermind, you know, it's a a paid-for group, but it's also a passion project because you know, as much as I want to do all these things, and and like first of all, that whole side of me is completely free, completely, it's just that that's something I do to feed my soul.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

Yeah, continue to do, you know, and uh oh, but don't be surprised that you know big things come out of that because that's what happens when you just show up and go, I don't need a damn thing. All I need to know is that somebody's leaving different. That's all I need to know.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

Yeah, well, I just wanted to preface, you know, with with the ballers, it's you know, obviously there are there, it's I'm I'm invested in that a good bit now, right? So, like, um, but we're also trying to to help some people scale and focus and and build the best. It's not just about the business aspect, but like, dude, you want to come in and build the best version of yourself. I have seen the worst version of myself, I've lived my worst nightmare, I know what that looks like. As low as I was, that's as high as I want to get. So I got a long way to go still. And you know, I've got a uh what's the word I'm looking for? Just a passion for life now, man. That like when you've existed, and I don't know if you know what I'm saying, but like yeah, when you get to a point where like you exist, you don't you're not alive anymore. You exist, you exist, and your existence hurts people that you care about, right? You fucking know that. You know that. Yep, you know factually they'd be better off without you. That is there's there are fates I wanted to be dead, you know what I mean? So there are fates worse than death. That's one of them. You know, every day you're hurting people you care about, even just by worrying them, but like stealing and all so, anyhow, coming back from that creates a fire. And frankly, I'm I'm thankful because I have a purpose. You know, I want to help people, but you know, I'm that much more driven to give back. My dad works with me, you know what I mean? He had to kick me out. I've only seen that man cry a couple of times ever in my life, and that was one of them. And like now I'm able to contribute to his potential future and trying to secure an exit and be able to say, Hey man, I told you we were gonna do this here, you know what I mean? Um, it's just it's just awesome. Things today, man, are just I'm so grateful, and gratitude is such a big part of it.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

But yeah, it totally is. So you you never have you ever wanted to like just go pound some crap crown royal? Just be like, I need a beer.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

No, and I get a lot of people, even last night I met up with Wayne Zell, and uh he was like, you know, a lot of people apologize, like, oh, I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to like, but I'm like, dude, I don't care, you know what I mean? Because no, I don't, and I'll tell you why. Like, and I've met people, but early on, sure, but like it's been six years, August. For me, I'm experiencing so much upside from living that way. Yeah, it's the same reason why I don't want to pound funnel cake or something like that. Like, I like the way I look, I like the way I feel. Sure. I don't I'm 37, 38. I'm 38 now. Like, I don't, you know what I mean? I've I've I have drank and partied enough for like two lifetimes. Like sure, I don't miss feeling hungover. I know I'm gonna feel like shit, I'm gonna look like shit. Yeah, it's gonna bring me down. I'm high performing. I'm all about like, no, dude, that's gonna, that's not bringing me anything positive. So really, it's not desirable, man. Not now, but it could be if I stop doing the things that I do right on a daily basis.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

Sure, sure. Yeah, I I think you gotta you you absolutely have to get leverage on yourself 100. If you don't get leverage on yourself, creating that leverage of Cause and effect, you know. Um, I I work through that a lot. I wouldn't consider myself sober by any stretch of the imagination. Um I drink tequila and craft beer. Um but but there's days that I wake up and I go, You you chose to maybe indulge a little bit too much. You feel like shit, your brain's cloudy, it's holding you back, you're not feeling any better. It didn't work out. I don't go down this list, and that list far outweighs the desire to just completely want to you know get out there and get after it. And it's the older that we get, it's not doesn't get any easier. I always joke the recovery time ain't what it used to be. No, you know, we're not yes, we're not spring chickens anymore. And is it really worth it on here? And I think we're also entering into a space where sobriety is cool and it's hip.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

Yeah, yeah, it's weird, man. You're right. It actually like I was so scared to share that on Facebook, and now I'm like, I don't, I think, I don't know. I it's almost I don't know about good thing, but to your point, like, I don't know. It seems like everybody's going to rehab or something.

SPEAKER_01 23:03

Right. Well, that's that's that's the best part about apex. I always joke. Like, I, you know, you never see the bar packed at Apex events because half the room's in rehab, the other half's doing 75 hearts. So uh, which is true, but you know, it's it is a very um, I would say I've I don't think I've ever been exposed in an Apex setting space event ever to full-blown ragers. Have we had some late nights at the Renaissance bar? Sure, but I don't recall, it's just not what winning looks like. I went to another event earlier this year, I think I told you about it, and the the after party, not the after party, but like that first you know, day one tonight. We're doing an after party slash dinner, was completely dry. I walked out, it was all the Pepsi and Mountain Dew you could possibly drink with a full buffet of food on Miami Beach. Yeah. And I thought, holy cow! And I actually, here's here's how here's how powerful being in that environment is. I literally went before the party uh down to the hotel lobby and had a beer. And I looked around, Kenny, and there was no one from that event at the bar. I was the only asshole drinking a beer. I literally almost poured the beer out and just dipped. But I literally I let that quick check-in real quick. Like, really, is that where we're at? Nobody else is here. I don't understand if there's a deal. You just met somebody, somebody's chatting podcast. Hey, can I buy you a beer real quick? Like, sure. But I went back out there and out of a couple hundred people, nobody cared. Now, granted, the guy hosting the event, you know, his large exit and claim to fame is exiting from his rehab sober living houses uh up in New Hampshire. Uh, so it kind of made sense. He's definitely sober. Uh, in fact, the reason I ask you that question is I heard him on a podcast uh not too long ago, and someone said it was Brad Lee uh had Eric Spofford on. And Eric said, uh he said, Do you ever want to drink a beer? You ever think about it? He goes, Yeah, my friends ask me all the time. And I'm like, listen, if I drink this beer, we're gonna make a deal right now. If I drink this beer, you're gonna fucking babysit me for the next six weeks because I don't stop after this one.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

Right.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

This beer, I will require absolute babysitting for the next six weeks because I know myself, but I'm just kidding, I would never go there. And I thought about that. I'm like, man, how much awareness! And he always uses the reference of I'm free. I'm absolutely free now, and there's nothing that would ever disrupt that freedom at all. You know, and we've got no continue to go like and I just somebody asked him too, because we went to another event with him on his yacht. Imagine Miami Beach, you're on a yacht day, and there's a big giant ice bucket full of all the Red Bulls and Gatorades you can drink. Yeah, the whole mine, but there's no boot, it's no like whoa, whoa, and everybody's present, everybody's in a conversation. And I heard they were shooting a documentary that day on the on the on the yacht, and I heard the kid ask him a question, and he said, you know, alcohol just makes people do really stupid shit, but it also they act differently, they speak differently, they're not showing up in the same. And I thought, man, there's a lot to be said with that. Yeah, really is, and it's not this is not a bad thing at all. I mean, I'm so grateful that these opportunities are being created, awareness, you know, being able to go and you know, and what's being done with you know, holistic medicine and PTSD and all these other like ketamine and all these other like what used to be referenced to as drugs are now being utilized to radically transform and save some folks, you know?

SPEAKER_00 26:30

Yeah, yeah, the ketamine thing. I've seen that, like you said, holistic, but I also have a young man that used to drop those in his eyeballs.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

So I'm like, Yeah, maybe, maybe not yet, but uh right, yeah, right, right, right. No, I get it. But I'm I just kind of like a point of reference of like where we're at these days with a level of you know, again, it comes back to awareness. Yes, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

And you you say that, and I think it's funny. I have a buddy of mine that's an owner of a company that we were talking about. We were prepping for a talk, and he's done some speaking, and finally he's like, I had to ask him because I knew he used to be like me. I'll leave it at that. And I was like, bud, can I ask you, like, why is it so important to you? Because I know the potential consequences. Why is it so important to you that you like casually drink? And I'm not judging, I just genuinely want to know. Like, because I know for me, dude, like, okay, how bad do I have to have want to be able to control my drinking and casually drink to risk? Okay, maybe this works, and maybe I'm able, what's the upside? I'm able to casually drink here and there. What's the benefit? What's the possible other outcome? I fucking burn it all down. Yeah, all of it, every relationship, everything I've ever owned, my business, all my people that are here, all their lives ruined. And I'm talking fucking quick. And so, like, it blows me away to see someone in a similar position. And he he literally was like, dude, to be honest, I don't know. You know, and it was the most honest answer you could have given me. And the end of the conversation was like very positive because I don't think it ever framed it like that. Like, what is it that's so important to be able to control that for you? Like, what are you getting from that? Like, you still think we're like 22, or you know what I mean? Yeah, because I can tell you right now, I never wanted a couple of anything. It was the effect I was after. I was never, you know, social well.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

I mean, what's a numbing, it's a it's a numbing mechanism. I mean, we when you don't want to feel and you don't know how to feel, and you're not in touch and you don't understand, you you keep running in this vicious cycle, and then you realize it's all your fucking fault, and you're the only one that caused everything, and it will continue to be your fault until you actually do something about it. That's a that's a tough place to finally arrive at, you know. Thankfully, you got there. Sure. And you know, and now it's your job to lift as you climb and continue to help others, you know, through you know, what your your mess turning into a message as cliche as that is, does impact. I think it's that chain link of uh effect where you know I was where you were at. And I can tell you right now, I I got the tools and resources if you're ready, you know what I mean? And I think that you know, that that crossover between you know life and and business of you being able to help people, um, I think is is an absolute 100% total game changer and going to be a continue to be a gigantic part of your success. I mean, it's no mystery why you've amassed this amount of success in a short amount of time. Six years is like two days. Yeah. But it's because you made the conscious decision to choose Ken and step up and then go, hey, listen, I'm gonna go back and help help the guy. Well, that again, that's a great life motto. Help the person that you used to be. Yeah, you know what I mean? Well, Ken, dude, it's it's it's great to to dig in here, man. I know that we uh we chop it up uh, you know, frequently and uh we did the podcast thing, and you know, we chop it up about being in the same mastermind group, but it's great to hear your story, man. Thanks for being vulnerable and being brave to share it and really be in your lane. It's clear that you are so settled into your story and where you're at and where you've come from that uh it's pretty remarkable and it's and it's also um commendable as well. So continue to do what you're doing, let that light shine as bright as it fucking can because the world needs it. More importantly, the the old the the old Kenny's need it, you know? And I think those I think those guys are gonna continue and gals are gonna continue to reveal themselves, you know, accordingly. But uh I appreciate you taking some time out of your day to to hang out with me on my show here and tell a little bit about your story.

SPEAKER_00 30:25

Any final thoughts for our listeners? Ah man, I mean, I would just say final thoughts would be stop procrastinating and go fucking get after it. Because that's the one thing that drives me nuts. I have a very real appreciation because I know the fragility of life, having lived like that, and it frustrates me when I see like these guys that I'm working with sometimes kind of sandbag, and I can tell what they're doing because I used to do it. Like they think there's next week, next month, whatever. Dude, no one is guaranteed anything. You don't have to be a drug addict or an alcoholic or anything to you could get hit by a bus. And I'm not trying to be morbid. What I am trying to say is life is precious, realistic. Yeah, yeah, it's a gift. Fucking go live it to the umpteenth degree. You don't have to be a billionaire if that's not your idea of success for me. Like that's why I'm so passionate. That's why it's now. I gotta go now, now, now, now, now. I pissed away a decade of my life. I'm fucking coming for all of it. I'm coming for all of it now. I suggest you get to live in now.

SPEAKER_01 31:23

Yeah, absolutely. I love it, dude. Hey, man, keep doing what you're doing, bro. It's a privilege to call you a friend and a brother. I believe in what you're doing, I believe in you. And uh, man, we just continue to uh to surround ourselves with like-minded individuals that want to win, go places, and impact people's lives. And I think it's an absolute win-win scenario. So keep doing what you're doing, my brother. And thanks again for your time. Thank you, brother. Until next time, friends. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of the Beyond the Story Podcast. Be sure to appreciate it. If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show. This way you'll get updates as new episodes become available. If you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Be sure to appreciate it. Signing off from the podcast, launchlab.com studios. We'll talk to you next time.