1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,800 Exactly. All right. So today, vision wise, company wise, family wise, etc. What are you 2 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:14,320 most excited to talk about? 3 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:23,920 I think I'm most excited to talk about how our vision has developed and how the vision 4 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:30,280 is not easy, but the fact that it's not easy doesn't make it any less worthwhile. It's 5 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:39,480 actually a pretty difficult vision, to be honest with you. And it causes a lot of headache 6 00:00:39,480 --> 00:00:44,640 and frustration for that reason at times, but then the wins along the way to fulfilling 7 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:50,800 the vision, I guess, are that much more fulfilling as you notch them, if that makes sense. 8 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:57,680 Yeah, it makes perfect sense, especially for us. I mean, one of our rally cries is we're 9 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:05,320 creating a full appreciation of family and personal well-being within the workplace. 10 00:01:05,320 --> 00:01:13,740 And that's on a global scale. And we're creating our second rally cry is bridging the economic 11 00:01:13,740 --> 00:01:19,120 gap between North America, South America and the rest of the world. So no, it's not easy 12 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:25,160 by any sense of the imagination. It's not as fun as a ludicrous concert or going to 13 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:31,560 South by Southwest. But there's tremendous amount of purpose and value and for me, peace 14 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:37,720 in the process. So when I saw what you were up to, I was like, well, it is deep and it 15 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:42,220 is a big deal. I'm going to pull the screen up and share it while you talk about it. Forward 16 00:01:42,220 --> 00:01:49,520 family services and helping these families of children, the experience you guys went 17 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:55,080 through with COVID on this as well. But I'd love to hear in your words, what did you create? 18 00:01:55,080 --> 00:02:04,560 What are we about to talk about? Well, these are families with various behavioral 19 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:13,300 and mental health challenges. And what I, you know, my background is actually in finance 20 00:02:13,300 --> 00:02:20,080 and insurance, where I've worked for auditing companies that have, you know, basically developed 21 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:25,280 financials for hospitals and healthcare. And when I thought about what I'm going to do 22 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,920 with my life, how I'm going to contribute to the world and the kind of company I want 23 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:33,520 to build, I wasn't, I wasn't big on developing or building financials for the rest of my 24 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,960 life, even though I've developed that skill set. I wanted to be involved with something 25 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:45,580 more fulfilling and meaningful than that, but still use my skill set. And over long 26 00:02:45,580 --> 00:02:51,480 story short, behavioral mental health and I were at a crossroads where I realized I 27 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:57,960 could use my skill set to help families as far as the insurance side goes, where I'm 28 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,760 not sure what your experience is with behavioral mental health, but any family that goes through 29 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:06,900 it, trying to get their children in these kinds of services, it is very frustrating 30 00:03:06,900 --> 00:03:13,120 to say the least from an insurance standpoint to get your children authorized and validated 31 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:18,440 to get these kinds of services. So I've made it a mission of forward to be an advocate 32 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:26,020 for these families and to do everything we can with our resources to help these families 33 00:03:26,020 --> 00:03:30,640 not only, you know, be a place where these kiddos can get these services here, but to 34 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:34,460 really work with the insurances and pick up the ball for the parents so that they don't 35 00:03:34,460 --> 00:03:40,240 have to be on 20 phone calls with insurance or fill out a very frustrating packet or get 36 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:45,440 told different things by an insurance company on the phone. That's, that was kind of the 37 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:49,140 start of forward dealing with it a little bit in my own personal life and with other 38 00:03:49,140 --> 00:03:54,560 family members, you know, that have had these similar struggles. We wanted, I wanted forward 39 00:03:54,560 --> 00:04:00,080 to be a place where families felt relief from the second that they were looking for these 40 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:04,480 services for their kids. And I'm not just talking definitely from the, definitely from 41 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:08,240 like the behavioral side, but also from the insurance side and the paperwork side, I guess 42 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:14,240 you could say that that is far more daunting for many of us. Um, you know, I can, I can 43 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:19,120 deal with challenges, emotional vulnerabilities and things like that pretty well. I'm, I'm 44 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:26,080 certainly have my limits as well. Um, you know, but to have to find, to have to dive 45 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:32,640 into the unknown of that system that is just so awful to deal with. Um, you know, it is, 46 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,920 I told, I would have been a great realtor. I would have done very, very well from an 47 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:41,200 emotional standpoint, from talking to people, but I would have never touched it because 48 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:46,840 of the amount of paperwork that just intimidates me. It makes me feel completely powerless 49 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:52,000 to have to deal with all that paperwork. And you take that to a 20 X level when you're 50 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:57,440 dealing with insurance and bureaucracy related to it and the fees and the stress. That's 51 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,440 awful. So you're, you're helping. That's amazing that y'all get involved in that level 52 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:05,640 too. Um, all right, so we're going to be diving in a lot deeper into this vision and 53 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:11,000 talking about family at the forefront, no matter what, putting our families first, um, 54 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:16,920 and the idea of family first too. Before we do, what are three resources that you recommend 55 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:25,240 for other leaders and visionaries out there? Three resources. Um, I'm like reading. It 56 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:30,160 could be a book. It could be a movie, uh, YouTube videos, but three resources that will 57 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:35,880 help visionaries and leaders continue on their path to, uh, to move their purpose forward. 58 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:44,540 Um, I'm a pretty big believer, um, in leadership and self deception. Um, that's not a new one. 59 00:05:44,540 --> 00:05:51,160 That's an old one. But what I love about leadership and self deception and just that, that Institute 60 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:59,120 and their model is no matter how you try to spin it, no matter how you, whatever the situation, 61 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:04,480 ultimately the way that you decide to interact with people is what you need to hold yourself 62 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:10,200 accountable to. You cannot, you cannot try to pin it on other people's shortcomings or 63 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:15,200 behaviors. Ultimately you have to take accountability for how you interact with other people. I've 64 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:20,400 just learned over time that that's, that's very valid and a very true way of thinking, 65 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:26,240 at least in my experience. So I'm really big on leadership and self deception. Um, another 66 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:31,440 one I'm Arvin, right? Yes, that's right. Yeah. I'm in the middle. So I was looking back here 67 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:35,600 cause I was looking for it and I was like, wait a second. That's why I stopped there. 68 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,840 I need to put this on my desk because I was in the middle of it and then I moved from 69 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:48,440 my apartment to where I'm at now and to my duplex and I fell off my desk. Yeah. And they 70 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:54,280 have a series it's, and it's not, it's not a intimidating read. Um, there's just, it's 71 00:06:54,280 --> 00:07:00,920 just, it's very practical in my view. Oh, it has super, super high ratings and a lot 72 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:06,200 of leaders that I've talked to, um, that's, that is one of their go-to favorite resources 73 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:11,760 as well. And it's like, we, you know, you, you can ignore perhaps the popular opinion 74 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:17,320 out there. Um, you know, like, oh, you should watch this reality TV show. The right amount 75 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:22,000 of leaders talk about a resource over and over that have, you know, made it to where 76 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:28,680 you have, um, and beyond it's like, wow, okay. Um, I need to pay attention to that. No, absolutely. 77 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:36,360 Um, another one, uh, that I'm, I'm a pretty direct individual and there's, there's many 78 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:40,680 variations on, on this, but the one I probably mentioned that people are most familiar with 79 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:49,240 is radical candor. Um, that's, that's a really good book. Um, just, I think what radical 80 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:55,420 candor is good about is taking, if you are a direct individual, taking you and helping 81 00:07:55,420 --> 00:08:02,280 you to be a direct individual in a healthy, in a professional way. Um, but I think I, 82 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:07,340 I do think that direct feedback is just important. I think if you're going to succeed in any 83 00:08:07,340 --> 00:08:15,880 organization and any business, I believe strongly that feedback must be unfiltered and unfettered. 84 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:20,920 Um, but I, what I appreciate about that book is that she's very, I think she's very good 85 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:26,640 about making sure it's respectful, professional, and it's considerate. Um, but, but not, but 86 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,640 not at the expense of mitigating the direct feedback, if that makes sense, which I think 87 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:31,640 is important. 88 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:35,360 A hundred percent. Well, it does to me because I'm a radical, I knew exactly what book you 89 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:41,060 were going to say. Oh, I said the same time because, but I haven't read that one. Um, 90 00:08:41,060 --> 00:08:48,040 I am a radical candor person as well. Um, and my, my, one of my best friends who was 91 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:54,840 a, a student of mine previously, um, he ended up coming into my company as my right-hand 92 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:59,440 man, a few years later after moving into the, he was getting to the business school, the 93 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:04,520 Marriott school of business at BYU. And he had shouted at me for about four months and 94 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:09,040 I was freaking out because I was like, dude, like, why do I have this effect on people? 95 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:14,360 Like, how do I, why does they, why is she so hurt? Um, you know, by what I said, and 96 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,680 he's like, Jackson is a guy, get what you mean. But sometimes when you speak, it's like 97 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:23,920 you hit people with a steel bat. Um, and I was like, I know I was like, but I don't know 98 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:28,200 how to fix it. Um, and so I, I went on a several year journey with him and others trying to 99 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:35,320 figure out, okay, how do I, how do I become more diplomatic, you know, more. And so now 100 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:40,800 I gotta read the book because I've still absolutely. And, and to take it a little further, sometimes 101 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:47,000 what I realized is no matter how much I work on it, no matter what some, in some situations, 102 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:52,440 I'm just not the guy. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I do have to just send one of my lieutenants 103 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:57,200 or one of my, that they are the guy for that conversation. Um, and I just have to acknowledge 104 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:02,520 my shortcoming and that it's just not best coming from me. That's been a hard lesson 105 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:07,960 to learn sometimes, but I've had, I've just had sometimes to acknowledge that, no, it's, 106 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:13,160 this is just not, and it's not a cop out. It's, it's out of, it's out of respect. Yes. 107 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:17,880 Yeah. Yeah. It's the same thing. If I don't speak Chinese, what am I doing? Trying to 108 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:22,360 be a Chinese diplomat. Right. You know, that's kind of how I look at it. I'm just like, look, 109 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:29,720 I love you and I want you to be happy. I'm obviously not the guy who can happen. There's 110 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:36,560 that to it too. Um, the other one, um, last one, I guess I'd recommend, and again, there's 111 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:46,600 variations of it, um, is, um, the one minute manager. Uh, I, I, I own and operate, you 112 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:56,120 know, four different businesses. Um, and it, it can be done. Um, teams matter a lot, which, 113 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:00,360 you know, a couple of the books I just mentioned talk a lot about teams and teamwork, but the 114 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:06,960 second thing, I think the single most valuable experience that I had in my graduate school 115 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:14,040 experience at Fresno state, um, was a professor that just gave us one hour, didn't, didn't 116 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:18,800 tell us the assignment was happening. We sat down and we just had a paper with like 57 117 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:23,760 different items on it. And he just said, okay, you have one hour, get, get your 57 items 118 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:31,480 done. And the idea of the, the exercise, some were really quick and easy. Others were projects 119 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:35,640 that would take in a normal world, like a week or more, but the, the moral of the story 120 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:40,880 was prioritizing your time and knocking out the right things with the one hour that you 121 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:45,920 had on short notice. I, at first I remember thinking, this is, I don't understand why 122 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:51,720 here we are at this grad school. This seems kind of silly, but I look back, you know, 123 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:58,360 12 years later on that experience on that particular, you know, assignment that, that, 124 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:03,800 that's very real, especially for me now more than ever is just the, the convulgence of 125 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:11,960 my family at home, my personal life, my faith-based life, you know, uh, my kids and it, you know, 126 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:16,600 prioritizing your time and effectively doing it while still being respectful and not dismissive 127 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:22,080 of others. Um, really big on the one minute manager and their approach to that and how 128 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:28,600 you manage your time effectively, uh, while still making sure things get the needed attention. 129 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:33,360 Ken Blanchard is one of the OGs to me, the man who wrote that book. Um, you know, it 130 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:38,040 changed everything for me. And just like you said, um, and I happened to read right after 131 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:43,020 it raving fans. So that's a good one. Yeah. Big books. And yes, they, I would, I've got 132 00:12:43,020 --> 00:12:50,360 these books on my shelf in order. The lower shelf here is an order of like what I recommended 133 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:55,200 people read, um, for their path through leadership and entrepreneurship, with the exception of 134 00:12:55,200 --> 00:13:05,320 my mouse pad. And that mouse pad is the reason like I need to remember to be effective. And 135 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:10,800 it's the same concept of know thy time, right. And prioritizing Jake Larson, video power 136 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:17,760 marketing. Um, I think you'll appreciate this. He, he turned me onto a YouTube talk about, 137 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:26,800 or about, uh, juggling versus plate spinning and how we often refer to life as a juggling 138 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,880 act, but it's more like plate spinning where sometimes you got 20 plates going and that 139 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,480 plate spinner has got one particular plate that's kind of out of whack. Um, in order 140 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,840 to need a little bit more attention than others. And sometimes we got kids, any more attentions 141 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:42,720 than other kids, and it's not about fair. Um, you know, it's not about equality in 142 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:46,960 essence. It's about who needs the attention at the right time or what needs the attention 143 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:52,200 at the right time. And then, and what's the effective mode of communication? Like it, 144 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:56,720 can it be done in it? Can it be done in an email? Can it be done in a, in a call? I, 145 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:00,400 I have so many, you know, staff or others are like, they're calling a meeting and I'm 146 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:05,480 like, you have to politely help them realize this doesn't need a meeting. You know, you 147 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:10,080 can, honestly, a text message would have suffice for this. That's why I also love the one minute 148 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:15,880 manager is it really focuses too on the modes of communication. Um, and when they're appropriate, 149 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:21,200 you know, that, that helps me. It helps me a lot. Yep. It is. It's, it's super fun that 150 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:26,420 we, that design behind me, that is from the five dysfunctions of a team. We have a similar 151 00:14:26,420 --> 00:14:30,920 design that we've created for our culture around the one minute manager game plan. Uh, 152 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:34,320 so we can always reference it and showcase, here's what we're doing. Here's what we're 153 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:39,080 doing. So I walked through it. Here's how we train people. They're, they're really, 154 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,960 really helpful concepts. I mean, couldn't do it without, without Ken Blanchard and that 155 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,940 case or Patrick and Tony. Um, got to learn from the, we're standing on the shoulders 156 00:14:46,940 --> 00:14:51,480 of giants as they say. Um, so we'll be right back guys. Those of you listening in, soak 157 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:55,560 up those resources, maybe pull out your Amazon account. Um, I've got a marketing list on 158 00:14:55,560 --> 00:15:02,000 mine and every time a leader recommends a book, I, I upvote that book or reprioritize 159 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:06,280 it based on the quality of leader I'm talking to, what they've done, who I've heard references 160 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:11,520 to and then it eventually makes it into my audible account if it has that, or I grind 161 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:16,600 it out and read through it. So we'll be right back and dive into Aaron Tucker's vision quite 162 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:22,400 a bit further. All right. Welcome in to vision pros live with Jackson Calame. I'm your show 163 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:27,440 host. We'll be doing interviews for visionary entrepreneurs and guest leaders who are building 164 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:40,040 fantastic visions out there. Hey, what's up? I'm welcome into another show vision pros 165 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:44,880 live. I'm your show host, Jackson Calame founder and CEO of first-class business. I'm excited 166 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:50,440 to have Aaron Tucker on with me today. Um, I'm labeling him a little bit. I'm a stereotype 167 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:55,040 a little bit. He's got a reverence and a calm to him that just kind of, it doesn't even 168 00:15:55,040 --> 00:16:00,800 harmonize with mine. It's kind of like exactly how I like to be most of life is reverent 169 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:06,000 at peace. And so this isn't going to be as dynamic of a show, but this is going to be 170 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:11,440 very, very profound. We're going to be talking about his business forward family services, 171 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:15,400 his other businesses a little bit that he has, how he got into that and family and why 172 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:20,720 family, uh, you know, we want to inspire people to keep family at the forefront no matter 173 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:25,480 what, because there's so much that, uh, that can get in the way of that. Um, speaking of 174 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:30,880 my four kiddos are downstairs and I'm excited to interact with them right after this show 175 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:36,320 to how do you balance family and podcasting and running businesses? And you know, as a 176 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:40,880 single father, um, you know, it's, it's one of those things where we're not intentional 177 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:45,840 about paying attention to that. It can slip away before we know it. And, uh, I never want 178 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:50,520 that to happen for my priorities in life. So before we bring Aaron Tucker on, I always 179 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:55,820 want to give some resources to a few visionaries out there that I think are extremely valuable. 180 00:16:55,820 --> 00:17:00,320 One of them is the law spot with Melissa Gray. Melissa Gray came onto our show. I almost 181 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,840 canceled it because I don't like most lawyers and how pretentious they can be in condescending 182 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,280 and they kind of speak over your head and they know their supply and demands in their 183 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:11,640 favor. So you get the short end of the stick. I couldn't have found Melissa further from 184 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:16,520 that stereotype. She's a fantastic listener. She truly cares about people. We've had a 185 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:21,280 lot of fun working with her as well on the development of our own brand. Um, we've been 186 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:26,080 developing her brand and she's got this new blueprint to help people understand that your 187 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:31,120 attorney shouldn't just be somebody who can protect you, but can also expand your network 188 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:35,240 and your partnerships. So I highly recommend touching base with her. Uh, I went through 189 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:40,760 a $20,000 trademark lawsuit before I realized the importance of having the right counsel, 190 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:47,080 um, for the legal activities that may come your way. She's also got a resource, um, for 191 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:53,360 an audit for your own legal, uh, potential needs. So feel free to check out that too. 192 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:59,760 Then there's the healing and do with Pramila Param. Um, Pramila is, um, she's got some 193 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:03,920 tenure and that's what I appreciate most about her. She's got a ways to go to build this 194 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:08,640 international wellness community out from a digital perspective, but don't let the digital 195 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:14,400 disrupt the reality of the decades she's put into finding healers and therapists and coaches. 196 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:18,960 What she's building with us as an opportunity for those entities to come together into a 197 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:24,080 filtered community and hub so that the clients, potential clients who might come into this 198 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,680 and say, you know what, I don't quite know what type of help I need. I just know I need 199 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:31,880 it. She's creating a place for everybody to come together and provide their services in 200 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:37,320 harmony so that those people who need help can get it. Um, and all of us have different 201 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:43,120 levels of needs for help. Um, I'm surprised at how many people say I already have a coach 202 00:18:43,120 --> 00:18:48,760 and ignore the fact that people like LeBron James and Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos and name 203 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:54,240 any one of your favorite mentors out there have loads of coaches, loads of people helping 204 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:58,480 them do what they do. We can always expand the depth of the mentors in our life. Um, 205 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,080 I recommend checking out what she's up to. Then there's the water project. The water 206 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:06,960 project is something that, uh, you know, it's funny, Aaron Tucker's program, family forward 207 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:13,000 services reminds me of a similar opportunity. I have never been thirsty in my life to the 208 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:17,400 extreme where I was worried about where I might get my next source of water. So when 209 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,920 I found out that there was millions of people who don't have access to clean drinking water 210 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,480 and their kids have to leave school to go get water for the community, the parents have 211 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:29,600 to leave work in order to go get water for their kids and the water they're getting isn't 212 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:34,480 even necessarily safe. Um, I just wouldn't let myself forget it. Um, and I was like, 213 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,720 you know what? We can do more. We can raise some awareness around this. We can give back 214 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:42,400 to this as well. What I love about the water project is the transparency. You get to choose 215 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:48,760 a community that you provide to and you get to see the outcome and result of that donation 216 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:53,360 or effort. Um, so if we can, if we can get together and help the 8 billion people in 217 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:57,240 the world, that's awesome. Again, back to family forward services. Uh, I don't know 218 00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:01,880 what it's like to have a child with special needs, um, or to have a child with learning 219 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:07,800 disabilities or to just need extra additional help beyond, um, my family and friends. And 220 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:11,880 so when I learned about what Aaron was up to and how he's showing up in the world with 221 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:17,120 his team to help families and what they went through during COVID to continue to support 222 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:22,760 people the best they could, I was like, wow, this guy has a vision that is helping people 223 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:28,240 that are often forgotten about by people like myself. And, uh, man, I gotta bring them on 224 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:32,040 the show. So without further ado, Aaron, man, thank you for being here and joining me on 225 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:37,760 vision post-life. Absolutely. I'm happy to be here. Thank you for having me. 100%. Now 226 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:44,160 we did, we did get some recordings regarding the vision. Um, uh, early on we did a couple 227 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:48,680 of pre-show segments, but I still want to dive back in to make sure people understand 228 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:54,880 where this came from. So you launched right before COVID with a desire to help families, 229 00:20:54,880 --> 00:21:01,320 um, with the education development of, of their children. And then COVID hits and the 230 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:05,960 world wants to shut down the school. Um, you know, the world wants to shut down your ability 231 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:11,800 to help these individuals who could benefit from a reprieve. I know with my kids, I can, 232 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:17,640 you know, I need some time sometimes to just be me. Um, right. I can't do it 24 seven. 233 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:22,280 So can you walk us through that? What, what did you launch? What happened? How did you 234 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:28,000 overcome the obstacles when so many others would have shut down in your scenario? Yeah. 235 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:33,960 Um, thank you for that question. Uh, and it, you're very, you're very nice to describe 236 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:39,600 me as reverent. That was not a reverent time. Um, it was a very, it was a very stressful 237 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:48,240 time. Um, and, uh, it, well, there's so many ways I guess I could, I feel to answer that 238 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:57,000 question. Um, first and foremost, right before COVID there's, there's just too many people 239 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:02,000 who need the services that we provide. That's, that's part of why I got into it. And there's 240 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:09,440 two, there's so many people that so many, so many places that I respect anyone that's 241 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:13,920 in this industry trying to provide services for those with behavioral mental health needs. 242 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:20,920 And so, um, I think that's a very important part of the, of the, of the, of the, of the 243 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:29,040 industry. Um, due to the insurance dominance of the, um, industry, getting services and 244 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:33,000 the way with which services are trying, you know, are trying to be onboarded, like I said 245 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:37,640 earlier is often frustrating for families. And so we, if we were going to do this, we 246 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:41,320 were going to be better. We were going to approach this with customer service, with 247 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:46,480 a chore to get them the services that they need, which is often what families experience. 248 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:55,280 And then, so that's the vision. And then COVID hits and you're trying to onboard families 249 00:22:55,280 --> 00:23:01,800 with dignity. It's already difficult to, to go through the authorization process with 250 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:06,960 insurances. I will put your listeners to sleep, um, trying to explain what that entails. So 251 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:13,120 I won't do that. Suffice it to say, it's just a very long involved process. And then when 252 00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:18,560 you throw COVID in the mix of that, and my whole, my vision is I'm going to do better 253 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,440 than what these families typically experience elsewhere. And somehow I'm going to execute 254 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:29,920 on that, like during COVID. Um, it, it was very intimidating really from, from the start. 255 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:37,800 Um, but what we quickly realized was so many of our, of other providers that do behavioral 256 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:44,880 health services were opting to shutter and not provide services that my initial fear 257 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,720 was, man, we're not going to do this in the way that I wanted to for my vision. And that, 258 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,880 that, that's a not, if you're a founder or a CEO that's in a place where you're not going 259 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,840 to have your vision, that's a non-fun place to be. I mean, your vision is what drives 260 00:23:56,840 --> 00:24:01,720 you. It's why you do what you do. Um, and I'm pretty OCD. I don't like not doing things 261 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:06,240 to the way that I want to get them done. What I quickly had to put my mind at ease at though 262 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:10,600 and realize is when, once you look around you during COVID and you see what everyone's 263 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:16,020 going through, what I realized is, you know what? I'm just setting myself apart by staying 264 00:24:16,020 --> 00:24:19,800 open at all because there's so many others around me that aren't even making, that they're 265 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:23,680 just deciding, you know what, we're not going to try this. This is too much. And so what 266 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:27,840 I quickly realized is however imperfectly or however difficult it was going to be with 267 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:32,880 COVID, um, we were setting ourselves apart just by being open and still seeing kiddos 268 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:38,640 at all. And the feedback I quickly got from the families that we were taking on was just 269 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:45,000 how simply grateful we were for making that effort at all. And so I kind of had to let 270 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,960 go of the vision, not, not that we weren't struck, not that we weren't striving for my 271 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:57,840 vision. That's not what I'm saying. Um, but I had to, I had to let go of the, you know, 272 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:03,160 striving for perfection and execution. COVID just blew all that out of the water. It was, 273 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:07,440 it was trying to just make sure families had a place to go and we would give them the best 274 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:12,200 service we possibly could while trying to figure COVID out. And the grace that families 275 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:17,760 afforded us during that process was really appreciated. And, and truthfully what happened 276 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:23,040 was we still grew in spite of not executing perfectly on my vision from the beginning. 277 00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:27,880 Like once again, because we were willing to give it a try and still be open during COVID. 278 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:33,240 Um, and you know, um, it's not a small thing to provide these services that I would argue 279 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:39,560 are, uh, very necessary and vital for these kinds of families, these kinds of kids. It's 280 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:47,480 like oxygen breathing air to them. Um, and so we just, we adapted and we overcame and 281 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:53,120 my team was flexible and we made it work. And, um, over time, I think like anyone else 282 00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:59,040 realizes, you know, you do the things you get, you get the, uh, the, uh, PP, uh, PPP, 283 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:04,200 you know, grants, you, you do some things to help you get by and navigate. Um, eventually 284 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:09,480 the COVID restrictions kind of lesson and things seem out. And I think what's been, 285 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,840 was a blessing while it was really difficult to be open during COVID and to time it that 286 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:19,720 way. Operating during COVID versus operating now, I guess, once you've been there and then 287 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:24,840 when things kind of normalize, it be, it's easier than it was a few years ago in certain 288 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:30,640 ways that you're grateful for having had that experience because it's kind of hard to Trump 289 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:37,320 opening a new business during COVID. If I'm being honest. So, so, um, really difficult 290 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:41,920 at first, but then in retrospect and having pushed through that, the discomfort of that 291 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:47,880 and the inconvenience of that, I think has been good for me and my team and my company 292 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:52,980 and helped us to shape us. And I think it's communicated to families that we are committed 293 00:26:52,980 --> 00:26:57,000 to this. You know, we're, we're serious about doing these from the get-go, you know. 294 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:01,680 Oh, it's huge. It's absolutely phenomenal. They're the quote that often gets pulled out 295 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:05,960 of context. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Um, I think in this case is a very, 296 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:13,080 very important applicable quote. Um, you know, you talked about not derailing from the vision 297 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:16,880 and I think a lot of people get a little bit linear about that aspect. So I want to, I 298 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:20,880 want to highlight the truth and reality of that. That's there's the tunnel vision aspect 299 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:27,140 of having blinders on. There's also the reality of being flexible and pivoting and pivoting 300 00:27:27,140 --> 00:27:32,160 doesn't always mean turning the exact opposite direction, but even then it's like a U-turn. 301 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:36,400 I used to live in an apartment where the only way to get to go the direction I needed to 302 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:42,520 go, I had to drive a mile in the wrong direction first, um, to get around to my destination. 303 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:47,640 And we face that in the physical world. We sometimes don't realize that we're not necessarily 304 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:52,000 stuck and can't do our vision just because we need to turn left before we turn right. 305 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,520 It's just part of the process. Um, and you emulated that. Now you also talked about, 306 00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:01,220 um, I appreciate your joke about reverence, but I do want to bring it full circle. One 307 00:28:01,220 --> 00:28:05,400 you at least honor mine. And that shows it as a leader, you're willing to adapt. But 308 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:10,360 to that anger that you fell to that frustration and the difficult challenges you had in that 309 00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:15,800 experience reminds me of righteous indignation. I had to look the word up while you were talking 310 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:19,520 by the way, but I was like, I gotta make sure I got this right. But that's that reality 311 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:24,680 that you know what? Sometimes, you know, the best, sometimes to me, the most important 312 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:30,000 forms of reverence are standing up for what you know is right, even though it's not popular, 313 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:35,040 even though other people don't want it. You know, 96% of entrepreneurs lose within 10 314 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:40,300 years, 4% beyond that. They don't just succeed. They're not the rock stars. Most of them are 315 00:28:40,300 --> 00:28:46,560 still surviving. They're still just trying to figure it out. And talking about that doesn't 316 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:52,760 mean like, Oh, what was us? I hate life. It's the reality of we have some, a sincere amount 317 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:58,120 of work to do in order to make this right. Let's put the work in and get it done. Um, 318 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:03,520 but it doesn't to me interfere with the idea of, of reverence or respect or sacred or, 319 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:10,880 Hey, let's still enjoy life in the process. So thank you for that. Um, what are your, 320 00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:15,040 what was that? What was that like for your family and your family life? Having to go 321 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:23,040 through that and what are some lessons perhaps we can learn from that experience? Um, it 322 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:28,600 was a very stressful time. Um, it was really challenging for our family. We had, uh, we 323 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:34,640 had just bought a house two months prior to that and relocated. Started a business and 324 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:39,440 bought a house and go, Oh my gosh. Yeah. We had just recently relocated from Baton Rouge, 325 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:46,600 Louisiana back to Fresno is my hometown. And, um, yeah, it is just, you know, I'd kind of 326 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:51,520 sold my wife on the vision and, and we felt good about making the move. And then it's 327 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:59,640 just kind of like, as you're getting into it, uh, it's just like, wow, it does, it couldn't 328 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:08,540 have felt more not good timing, uh, in so many ways. Um, but I think what my wife is 329 00:30:08,540 --> 00:30:13,600 really good about, she grew up in the military, um, you know, and in her family, I'm, I'm 330 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:19,680 like a hometown boy. I grew up in the, you know, the same place, same friends. I think 331 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:25,400 what I appreciate about my wife, uh, is she's used, she's very used to adapting. It comes 332 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:31,620 very natural to her. And I, my observation has been that families, military families 333 00:30:31,620 --> 00:30:36,920 in particular, I think they're kind of used to, uh, being derailed or kind of rolling 334 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:43,520 with the punches. And on top of that, my wife was raised by very good parents, uh, that 335 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:50,280 I think just from her experience and her upbringing, she, she, yes, she goes through frustration 336 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:54,620 or grief just like anybody else does, but it's very quick to like, okay, this isn't, 337 00:30:54,620 --> 00:30:59,720 this isn't anything we can't solve. And so let's talk through it. Let's, you know, think 338 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:05,320 about what we can do about it. That's in our control. And you know, so we're, she's very 339 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:11,000 practical in solutions based that way. And then, you know, it sounds, I don't know cliche, 340 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:15,800 but like at the end of the day, you know, you have to have something that keeps you 341 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:20,720 centered. I am a religious person. Everyone has variations on that, but like I do, I am, 342 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:24,560 we are, me and my wife are believers that like, if you're passionate about doing something 343 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:30,480 and you committed to it, um, and you're going to put in the effort to do it, it will work 344 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:36,360 out if you're committed to doing it and really, you know, putting in the effort and time that's, 345 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:43,680 that's necessary and adapting, like I just talked about. Um, so certainly having her 346 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:51,400 and that kind of wisdom and that kind of experience with me, uh, was very helpful. And, uh, it 347 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:57,360 turned quickly into a couple of days of, man, this is hard to, Hey, we're here. We just 348 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:02,200 got to figure this out. Like everybody else, we will figure this out. And you know, we 349 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:07,120 just, we just talked it out, made plans and took it a day at a time. I think that's the 350 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:12,800 other thing I would just say about that time in COVID is it's, it's too, if you, if you 351 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:18,480 take a step back and look at the monster that's, that's ahead of you, um, that only adds to 352 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:25,440 the stress and, and the panic and, and it just, it just hazes the vision and creates, 353 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:31,400 you know, displacement. I think you have to focus on small things, little victories. Um, 354 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:36,000 you just got to make your list, knock out your list, and then the momentum becomes a 355 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:43,120 real thing. Um, and that, that was effective for us, if that makes sense. So it makes perfect 356 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:47,280 sense. I had a friend call me out once. It wasn't very long ago, actually. Um, and he 357 00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:52,280 told me about the story of the bison and the cow and how, when the hurricane or the storm 358 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:57,360 hits the cows run from the storm, so they're in it longer. And the bison runs at the storm 359 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:02,280 and runs right through it and gets there faster. He's like, Jackson, you're being a cow. I 360 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:09,840 was like, oh man. I'll take it. I need to look at, look at where I need to improve on 361 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:15,680 this. Um, but having, having relationships and friendships like that, um, um, religion, 362 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:19,840 you mentioned that, um, I won't force you to dive in any deeper on that, but I will 363 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:25,840 second to your, your style on it. I'm on, I'm unapologetically Christian. Um, and it 364 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:31,200 took me a while to learn how to be that. That was what I needed for me was to find that 365 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:36,280 centeredness and groundness. Like, okay, look, like I, I'll be listening in that aren't religious. 366 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:41,280 You're welcome to hear where I'm at and provide your own perspectives too. Um, you know, I, 367 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:46,920 I embrace that and I want that. And I'm not going to be quiet about mine while I'm also 368 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:52,600 not going to be forceful about it. It is the secret weapon for me of knowing that, okay, 369 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:59,560 I've got God on my side at all times, no matter what, even when I screw up and I can turn 370 00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:05,640 to him for help. And I also know all things work for my good. I know that even when I 371 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:09,360 didn't want to doubt it or think, no, no, this meant, this is meant to be, what am I 372 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:15,480 supposed to learn in this? And I also know that the best blessings usually come after 373 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:21,120 the most extreme trials, if you stay focused and committed. So those are principles for 374 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:27,280 the leaders and visionaries out there. Um, you know, if you have them own them, if you 375 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:32,400 do not maybe consider exploring it, it might help you get through some tough times, but 376 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:38,320 don't take my word for it. Do your own work. Absolutely. So let's go to, um, the traditional 377 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:43,520 question I usually lead with, um, we talked about this in some different angles, but what 378 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:47,600 does the outcome look like? What's, what's your vision for those you serve? I mean, I 379 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:52,760 know it feels good to have the paperwork done, but you know, what are some of the other benefits 380 00:34:52,760 --> 00:35:00,080 that these families receive working with Ford family services? Yeah. I mean, so for me, 381 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:03,560 like I said, on the, on the front end, it's great to help them with the strain of the 382 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:08,360 process of just getting in. But then the real, the true fulfillment, you know, and the part 383 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:15,920 that really is the, is it is the best part is, is seeing the impact of the types of services 384 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:21,840 that we offer on their actual behavior and on, on their lives. Um, and we specifically 385 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:28,680 at forward, we work with applied behavior analysis. That's ABA therapy. So ADHD, developmental 386 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:35,160 delays, autism. Um, we also do psychotherapies to think like individual counseling, uh, family 387 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:41,280 marriage counseling. Uh, and then we also are involved in a, uh, emerging space, which 388 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:47,640 is, um, like addiction recovery and other behavioral type, uh, challenges. So intensive 389 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:54,080 outpatient treatment as well as, uh, residential detox treatment. Um, and just to be clear, 390 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:59,440 these, these services are, these are not all interconnected. We have different families 391 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:04,160 that we offer different services to, and I employ different professionals that provide 392 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:08,560 different services, these different kinds of services, but ultimately they all fall 393 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:13,680 under behavior and mental health. And what's his outcome. So yeah, go ahead. You got, I 394 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:20,520 think you're getting there. Okay. So what's rewarding is, you know, um, families that 395 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:25,040 come to us, like say a child with autism and often it's two or three kids. When you actually 396 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:29,840 have a kiddo with autism, it's not uncommon to have more than one and they're just desperate. 397 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:35,680 I mean, not only do they need childcare, maybe mom and dad are both working jobs, but like 398 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:39,620 they don't use their child like cared for. They need their child taught. They need their 399 00:36:39,620 --> 00:36:46,280 child's behavior, you know, curbed and, and funneled and, and, you know, direct redirected. 400 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:50,840 Um, and they're desperate for that. And, you know, with residential detox or IOP, we're 401 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:56,200 talking kiddos that might be borderline suicidal. Um, you know, obviously there's addiction, 402 00:36:56,200 --> 00:37:01,400 which I think plenty of people are familiar with various types of addictions to, to see 403 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:09,360 families go from like the worst kind of stress that you've probably ever seen to gradual 404 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:16,440 relief and like gratitude, um, for the services you provide. I mean, yes, I do this provide 405 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:21,000 for my family, but I don't think, I don't think I can do justice to like the feeling 406 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:29,680 you get when your services literally have, have made a 180 impact on a family's life, 407 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:37,000 um, in such a, in such a way that we're talking just, you know, commonly tears of gratitude 408 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:41,620 and, and, um, just where they thought there was no options, they thought there was no 409 00:37:41,620 --> 00:37:48,560 true permanent, I guess, um, changes that could be made to really help their life go 410 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:54,040 differently when, once they found them and you go through that process with them, it's, 411 00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:56,800 it's hard to top that, I guess, if that makes sense. 412 00:37:56,800 --> 00:38:05,640 Yeah, it is. It makes perfect sense. The, the process of providing for your family, 413 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:10,800 um, and, and then combining with this vision of how you're helping others, it makes me 414 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:17,040 think about like the reality that a lot of us as parents, we, we pretend in our imagination, 415 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:20,720 you know, we would love to just be with our kids and our family 24 seven, you know, what 416 00:38:20,720 --> 00:38:25,760 if we could go to Disneyland every single day with our family and spend the entire day 417 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:32,400 there, you know, would that truly be what would be most beneficial for our children 418 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:39,040 or for our relationships as spouses? Um, you know, is, is life all about consumption 419 00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:47,000 and in that sphere? Maybe. Um, I don't know. I've never done it before. Um, but the, the 420 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:53,520 reality is I, I, for me, I think it's very important for my family to have a little bit 421 00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:58,160 of a distance. So family at the forefront, no matter what, does that mean Disneyland 422 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:03,560 all the time or are there, are there breaks in it? What are your thoughts on, on what 423 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:08,820 that looks like? Do we, you know, should we indulge 100% of our time into our children 424 00:39:08,820 --> 00:39:15,880 or you know what? Well, I don't know how to even format the finishing touch on that question, 425 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:19,320 but you know what I mean? People, it looks like that on Instagram. It looks like that 426 00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:26,120 on Facebook. Yeah. We bad fathers for not doing that. No, I mean, sometimes I am. I 427 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:31,320 have to be honest with you. I think I am, but family at the forefront, I think to me 428 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:39,720 is that, that my, my values, those family values, um, truly are at the forefront of 429 00:39:39,720 --> 00:39:46,680 whatever I do. Um, it's not it to me, I guess it's that first and foremost, I'm not a CEO. 430 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:52,080 Like I'm not a, yeah, whatever the title is, I like to say I'm a husband and a father. 431 00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:56,920 Like literally, if you look on my LinkedIn, that is my first title. Um, because to me, 432 00:39:56,920 --> 00:40:02,560 that's, that is what I put first. Um, no matter if it's at work, you know, if it's at home, 433 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:08,120 if it's a church. So I guess it's not family first to me is to your question, which I think 434 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:14,040 is somewhat about like physically being with our children. Of course, to me, it's important 435 00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:17,760 to guard that time and to make sure you're in, like you said earlier, intentional with 436 00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:26,440 it. But more than that, I have, I've had former mentors, um, and, and people also that I've 437 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:34,760 worked with and, or, or, you know, trained that, that turned out to be, um, I wouldn't 438 00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:42,100 say that they prioritized family values in the way they conducted themselves in business. 439 00:40:42,100 --> 00:40:46,100 To me, it's always about being the kind of man and the kind of father, however, I'm acting 440 00:40:46,100 --> 00:40:51,760 in business that my kids will be proud of. Um, whether I'm in a, in a room with just 441 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:55,000 me and another individual that I'm having their performance evaluation and no one can 442 00:40:55,000 --> 00:41:02,480 see me, or I'm standing in front of all 150 of my staff, uh, conducting an all staff meeting. 443 00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:06,880 So I guess the premise to me is like twofold. There's the actual being with your family, 444 00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:12,480 which is absolutely important that you're getting at. Then the other part is, am I the 445 00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:19,040 kind of father and husband, no matter where I am or what I'm doing, that my kids are proud 446 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:24,920 of my conduct and how I operate my business and how I interact with people. I think to 447 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:34,040 me that is family first, if that makes sense. Absolutely. My, uh, one of my favorite quotes, 448 00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:39,560 and I'll quote it often cause it's long, um, is a man filled with the love of God is not 449 00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:44,320 content with blessing his family alone, but Rangers to the whole world, angels to bless 450 00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:49,800 the whole human race. Um, I heard that in my teenage years from Joseph Smith, um, junior 451 00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:56,360 and, and it just hit me. Um, I was like, wow. Um, like, okay. Um, and I don't know why it 452 00:41:56,360 --> 00:42:01,520 just sunk in though. And, um, you know, before I had kids, before I had a family, I was in 453 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:05,880 your wife for two years. Um, but even after, you know, coming back from that, establishing 454 00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:11,320 the family that became, it was still like, this is still, it's so important for me. And, 455 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:17,160 and, uh, same time you're, yeah, I get why the bromance is so strong. I don't think I 456 00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:21,800 saw that about your LinkedIn profile, um, where you talked about husband and, and, and 457 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:27,200 being a husband and father first, I think Ang found our connection, but on my Facebook 458 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:35,040 profile since my daughter was born, I've had this little title here. DAD is greater than 459 00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:43,960 CEO. Um, and then the whole doc, Dr. Seuss fanatic as well. Um, it is super important. 460 00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:49,440 So, um, you know, it's, but you, but you're right. They know my kids know how important 461 00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:54,280 our work, my work is, um, as they've gotten older, I've gotten them a little bit more 462 00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:59,200 involved too, in, in conversations about what we do, why we do it, who we're supporting, 463 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:03,520 whom I'm on the phone with and why, um, I would never take a project on that would be 464 00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:08,280 one that they wouldn't be proud of if they learned about it and cared, you know, most 465 00:43:08,280 --> 00:43:12,240 of them, I'm not working with something super exciting. So they don't yet, but there will 466 00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:15,920 come a time where that matters. Go ahead. You got to thought. I agree. Yeah. And I, I 467 00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:23,360 would also just add along the lines of your question. Um, what I love about children is 468 00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:30,640 I got in this mode where as a businessman, um, it's almost too intentional. You're, you're 469 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:36,680 so intentional that you don't leave, you don't leave room enough for the unplanned or, or, 470 00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:44,720 um, what just happens spontaneously. Um, and, um, there's another book I really love. I 471 00:43:44,720 --> 00:43:49,320 think it's, um, I'm going to botch it, the power of moments or something that affects, 472 00:43:49,320 --> 00:43:54,360 um, there's like literally lightning in a bottle on the cover. Um, but one of my favorite 473 00:43:54,360 --> 00:44:00,760 quotes is that moments are the molecules that make up eternity. Um, and what I love about 474 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:09,200 my children is that they have, they've purposed me more to value at work, um, or anywhere 475 00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:15,360 that I am and appreciate how important the small interactions are day to day, um, with 476 00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:21,200 just people in general. Um, because I think over the long term, people are going to feel 477 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:28,880 more of that, that buy into your vision. Um, and you know, that, that loyalty to you when 478 00:44:28,880 --> 00:44:32,960 they connect with you and they see and feel that you're a person, you know, like they 479 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:41,680 are. Um, and being a father, I think has helped me to also prioritize that. And to me, the 480 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:47,760 appreciation for small moments and when they happen, not ignoring or skirting over them, 481 00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:53,240 but embracing them, I think is important also to a family first approach. 482 00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:56,800 You nailed it. And they nailed the book name by the way. Um, I think it was Chip and Dan 483 00:44:56,800 --> 00:45:01,960 Heath when I just looked it up. Um, I got one of those names, right? So, um, your, your 484 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:05,840 team right here that we're looking at, at to me is a tremendous evidence of what you're 485 00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:11,680 talking about. Um, you can, you can tell a lot about somebody by their smile, um, and 486 00:45:11,680 --> 00:45:18,960 how their smile meets their eyes. Um, not that anybody not smiling, you know, gets a, 487 00:45:18,960 --> 00:45:26,120 it's not a end all answer to how somebody feels or who somebody is, but, or when we, 488 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:32,760 when we try to divide team from family and we don't have a lot of clarity around that, 489 00:45:32,760 --> 00:45:37,800 it can create a, um, a lack of clarity amongst the culture within the business. Like can 490 00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:41,960 I talk about my family? Can I not? Is it appropriate here? How are people going to feel about this? 491 00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:48,640 Um, I just don't see how cultures can create a good feeling amongst team members without 492 00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:54,240 having that inclusivity of, or, or integration of family and business. I wouldn't, I just 493 00:45:54,240 --> 00:46:00,720 never want to know what that feels like personally. So we, we build with all of that being important 494 00:46:00,720 --> 00:46:05,440 and being on the table to discuss within work. Um, and thank you for sharing the insight 495 00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:12,880 about being flexible, right? Um, not having to complete the agenda, so to speak. Um, today's 496 00:46:12,880 --> 00:46:17,480 an example of that. This show is so different than what we normally do. Um, and we're always 497 00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:24,080 evolving as a podcast. We stuck with one question. Um, and I would be the, the bulk of the vision. 498 00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:28,360 I would personally love to have you back here. Um, I'd love to go through the rest of some 499 00:46:28,360 --> 00:46:32,720 of our questions today. We're not going to cover, to cover your most powerful lesson 500 00:46:32,720 --> 00:46:36,520 for visionaries. Today, we're not going to cover the best and worst leadership experiences. 501 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:42,880 Um, we're just going to soak in the value that you've given, uh, the tremendous lessons 502 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:48,160 that you've showcased. Um, the example, um, you know, it's, it's authentic. Plus you've 503 00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:54,960 subliminate subliminally, uh, incepted us and thinking you are like Warren Buffett. 504 00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:59,280 Every once in a while you look up to the right and he's behind you. They're going to say, 505 00:46:59,280 --> 00:47:03,800 Oh, this is a Warren Buffett guy. Um, I'm going to put my Elon Musk face onto you and 506 00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:09,440 try to, um, but, oh no, anyway, this is a lot of fun. And, um, do you have any final 507 00:47:09,440 --> 00:47:16,440 thoughts for the audience before we wrap up? Um, yeah, I mean, you mentioned, you know, 508 00:47:16,440 --> 00:47:20,320 the folks behind me, they're actually there for a reason. And that is, um, the only thing 509 00:47:20,320 --> 00:47:24,680 that they have in common to me, actually they're all very different, but they did it their 510 00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:29,200 way is what I admire about these people. The ones, some of the names you just mentioned 511 00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:36,160 behind me. Um, and I don't mean that in a selfish or a condescending way. I mean that 512 00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:40,640 they embraced what, you know, what and who they are, what their strengths were and the 513 00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:45,200 vision they had. And I mean, like what you mentioned earlier, whether it's COVID or whatever 514 00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:50,760 the challenges were through it, under it, around it, nothing was going to stop them 515 00:47:50,760 --> 00:47:57,840 from achieving that vision. And that's, you know, to me, that kind of passion, um, as 516 00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:04,720 well as finding ways to bring people there, there's a professor that I had that, you know, 517 00:48:04,720 --> 00:48:10,120 his whole thing was if you can find a way to, to, to bring, uh, you know, value or make 518 00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:16,400 yourself, uh, different that, you know, sit out with people. But I think as long as you 519 00:48:16,400 --> 00:48:22,800 can do that, um, while also treating people with respect and dignity and, and, you know, 520 00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:28,400 seeing them for who they are. Um, I think you still have to keep that humane side with 521 00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:34,280 you while doing that. Um, I, I hope that that comes through, you know, for those that I 522 00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:39,400 guess see my journey, uh, that's, that's what I try to be mindful of. So I appreciate the 523 00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:44,840 humility when you teach, um, it's, it's awesome. And not that you lack it elsewhere, but you 524 00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:50,200 know, I'm not trying to, trying to butter you up or, and I, I apologize. I didn't mean 525 00:48:50,200 --> 00:48:54,000 to keep us from getting other things you wanted to touch on today or anything. So sorry if 526 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:59,560 I did. But no, no, no, no, no, we go with the flow. Um, you know, we very much appreciate 527 00:48:59,560 --> 00:49:05,260 that it's, um, there, there's been a structured process in the past and that we've gone through 528 00:49:05,260 --> 00:49:10,440 and it's not that we didn't follow the structured process. We're always optimizing. Um, you 529 00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:13,400 know, we're always looking at, all right, how do we get the most out of these experiences 530 00:49:13,400 --> 00:49:18,280 for the listeners? And, um, that means, you know, following that intuition at times, um, 531 00:49:18,280 --> 00:49:21,960 and saying, you know what, now we got, we got a new production crew, like a whole, we've 532 00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:27,240 got three new people helping on production in addition to our existing team. So the distribution 533 00:49:27,240 --> 00:49:34,400 of these episodes is ramping up and, uh, their capacity to take this live experience and 534 00:49:34,400 --> 00:49:40,240 turn it into evergreen content, um, so that people can benefit for this for 10, 20, 30 535 00:49:40,240 --> 00:49:45,920 years, um, is continuing to increase. So as this is perfect, um, those of you listening 536 00:49:45,920 --> 00:49:50,000 in, we're going to have, um, of course we'll reply to any comments that you have, any questions 537 00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:53,600 that you have, don't hesitate to put those, um, on the social media channel where you're 538 00:49:53,600 --> 00:49:57,720 watching. Also, uh, on the landing page, if you're there, just look down below us and 539 00:49:57,720 --> 00:50:02,320 you'll see the action steps that you can take to get involved with Family Forward Services 540 00:50:02,320 --> 00:50:06,680 to get, uh, to follow Aaron as well on his journey as he goes from four companies to 541 00:50:06,680 --> 00:50:11,640 4,000, you know, Richard Branson style, or just to see where he continues to, you know, 542 00:50:11,640 --> 00:50:18,320 to, to focus on his life. Um, why do we do that? I do it because I'm always looking for 543 00:50:18,320 --> 00:50:22,280 examples personally. I'm looking at like, all right, is somebody, are there people out 544 00:50:22,280 --> 00:50:26,600 there who are living the type of lifestyle the way I want to live my lifestyle kind of 545 00:50:26,600 --> 00:50:31,240 validates and helps me see that, okay, I'm, I'm on the right track with what I do. Also, 546 00:50:31,240 --> 00:50:36,320 I just want to learn from wisdom, the wisdom from people who've done things, um, in a way 547 00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:42,360 where it's like, man, I, I'm not worried about the outcomes I'm worried about or dedicated 548 00:50:42,360 --> 00:50:48,200 to how can I maximize my own life? And that usually comes in the form of other human beings 549 00:50:48,200 --> 00:50:52,360 trying to do the same thing. So Aaron, thank you for all that you've done for us today. 550 00:50:52,360 --> 00:50:55,480 Vision Pros we'll see on the next episode. And if you'd like to be on the show and share 551 00:50:55,480 --> 00:50:59,160 your vision of how you're helping and serving others and click on the button that says be 552 00:50:59,160 --> 00:51:02,920 our guest and we'll see inside. Take care of everybody. Bye bye. Thank you for being 553 00:51:02,920 --> 00:51:06,720 here today. I'm really happy that you tuned into Vision Pros Live. I'm looking forward 554 00:51:06,720 --> 00:51:11,320 to seeing your reactions as these episodes continue to move forward. This is going to 555 00:51:11,320 --> 00:51:15,240 get more and more fun. We'll have more and more engagement as well. We'll invite people 556 00:51:15,240 --> 00:51:19,460 to participate in the show and thank you for giving us your time and attention. Have an 557 00:51:19,460 --> 00:51:34,640 excellent time building out your vision.