1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,300 My main business now is two books that I've written but I'm still the a non-executive chairman of a company called high vista 2 00:00:06,300 --> 00:00:09,660 which manages about the 20 to 10 billion dollars of 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:13,560 various kinds of money institutions and individuals 4 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,940 Wow, okay and the books I sort of seen some of them. Don't you? 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:21,640 You have two out there, correct? 6 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:28,820 The books one called on the road less traveled which was essentially an autobiography and the second one was a fable called 7 00:00:28,820 --> 00:00:36,220 the island of the four peas and the the the on the road that travel has the 8 00:00:36,900 --> 00:00:42,020 subtitle of an unlikely journey from the orphanage to the boardroom and the 9 00:00:42,820 --> 00:00:44,180 and the 10 00:00:44,180 --> 00:00:49,540 Island of the four peas under title is a modern fable about preparing for your future 11 00:00:49,540 --> 00:00:55,640 I've been always fascinated by fables and it's the fable of basically the 12 00:00:55,640 --> 00:01:00,680 Input in the fable is basically something that I believed in all my life and used all my life 13 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:06,680 I put it into a fable because the fable tends to transform ideas much better to a much larger audience 14 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:12,440 And I understand that there's the fable and then there is it's it's a two-part, right? 15 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:17,280 It's your and then your stories involved in it and then it's sort of also in the fable 16 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:21,520 I wrote the fable first and put a thumbnail such of my faith my 17 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:28,040 My basic autobiography and I sent it out to 15 people and they all came back said you better write your part of Bargara first 18 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,880 So I stopped everything and spent another three years writing my autobiography 19 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,240 But once I got that out that I was able to have the table pretty easily 20 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:41,640 And there's a third book which is going to be the lessons on the road less traveled or the lessons on the unlikely journey 21 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:46,840 the orphanage to the boardroom all of this by the way is a total pivot for me because I spent 22 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:50,480 50 years or 60 years on Wall Street with it with the 23 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:57,400 With the moniker to live happy was to live hidden stay out of the press stay away from talking people like you 24 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:03,840 Stay out of social media and of course in the last three years in order to carry out this next mission 25 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,660 I basically had to violate that particular principle 26 00:02:06,660 --> 00:02:11,520 I'm finding it quite scary but quite fun and quite interesting and quite rewarding actually 27 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:18,520 That is that is so funny as you can tell this big smile because it's funny to be happy is to be hidden and that 28 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:20,480 Was pretty much the world, you know what? 29 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:27,000 I mean, it's just but we also didn't have social media and things like that back then, you know to be able to the press 30 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:33,960 And you had radio and television and I was a Wall Street CEO and everybody wanted to know what I thought and I said 31 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:37,880 I was either gonna become a public figure and do a crappy job of running my company 32 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:43,080 Or I was gonna run my company really well and not have be a public figure because I didn't have the capacity to both 33 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:49,480 I found that people some people got away with but a lot of people that started to what I call drinking and starting to see 34 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:56,240 There what want to see themselves in print and on television turned out doing a not a good job with their companies because the company was a 35 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:02,280 Very difficult experience during those days. Now we during my period of running a medium-sized investment bank 36 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,720 75% my competitors went out of business. So it was not an easy time 37 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:13,920 You know that's in and you're right I can only imagine and to actually be faced with press and to have that conversation 38 00:03:13,920 --> 00:03:22,160 Is completely different from right now where we can relax and feel comfortable in our own setting and not feel so out of the pocket 39 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:29,880 Well, I'm not running, you know, not running a company that has a half a billion in sales and 800 employees or I'm not basically 40 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:37,240 You're running a university with 40,000 employees. I have now a privilege of somebody I quote Verdi 41 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:42,680 But you know, I don't think it's true, but I try to find his quote was that I'm 80 years old 42 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:48,360 My internal fires are out. I can begin my life's work. That's kind of one of the things I'm living with right now 43 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:54,360 I really truly believe I can play do things now that I could never do before because I have the time and the ability to 44 00:03:54,360 --> 00:04:01,360 Put certain energies in these kinds of things and also the the kind of satisfaction you get from this kind of work is totally different than 45 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,840 In an organization where you're trying to make a profit or try to overcome competition 46 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:13,080 So that it's I find that just very different because you know, a lot of people say 47 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:22,120 You only live once right or live your best life now and I guess if I can ask do you 48 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:28,440 Do you wish you would have started this earlier or done this a little bit earlier in your life? 49 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:37,160 Where you'd still have that freedom, you know to be able to have these conversations and to write these books sooner than now 50 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:42,760 I read a book very early on in my life by Levinson called the phases of a man's life 51 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:50,040 The famous a person's life. I believe each phase has its own at characteristics and you can't can't mix up the characteristics 52 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:55,960 I always kid about the fact that you know when I was a teenager my passion was math and science 53 00:04:55,960 --> 00:05:00,680 Baseball and basketball and girls and of course, you know that morphed over time and changed 54 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:05,000 So there's a time for everything and I don't think you have to have what I'm doing 55 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:10,040 You have to have had been there and done that, you know, I've been I've got too many years on the planet 56 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,040 I've worked in just about 57 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:17,320 Every possible job you could think of on Wall Street at least and I also was an engineer 58 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:21,240 I was in plastics before Deslen Hoffman. I was a naval officer 59 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:26,360 I I I married for 51 years with three children and eight grandchildren 60 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,280 If I didn't have that experience, I couldn't possibly do what I'm doing right now 61 00:05:30,280 --> 00:05:33,320 I couldn't basically couldn't speak with authority anyway 62 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:38,280 You know, I have all these experiences and when you have eight grandchildren, you know one of each you 63 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:42,120 To learn a lot about life and if you have three children, you learn a lot about life 64 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:44,680 Have you stayed married to one woman for 59 years? 65 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:48,680 Have you stayed married to one woman for 59 years just get a little out life? 66 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:54,920 So that's why this phase of my life is what I'm doing is good. Also, I've been totally committed to education 67 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:57,480 and this is a time in my life when I 68 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:04,200 Can actually make not only you know verbal and you know written contributions. I can make financial contributions 69 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:08,520 to educational institutions and that carries you a long way because I have a 70 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:11,720 Mission right now and this is presumptuous 71 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,840 Maybe I shouldn't bring this up to you because you think i'm a little bit overdone 72 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:18,920 But I truly believe I want to add a dimension to college education 73 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:20,840 I feel that 74 00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:25,080 There's a man named john trullo adams that quote him the two kinds of education one 75 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:28,840 That teaches you how to make a living the senate second one to teach you how to make a life 76 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:34,680 I think institutions today do a decent job of teaching how to make a living but very few do a good job of teaching 77 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:35,640 How to make a life? 78 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:39,880 I want a freshman to start to think about who he or she is 79 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:45,800 Where they want to go how they're going to get there and why they're going where they're going and start that as a freshman 80 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:48,120 and when they graduate they'll have a 81 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:53,000 Life design along with a diploma life design will be written in pencil so they can erase it 82 00:06:53,240 --> 00:07:00,760 But they'll have something and they'll have during that four-year period, you know testing and I this comes to my own personal experience 83 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:05,720 I you know the word like being a physicist in my sophomore year. I wanted to be a physicist 84 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:11,800 So I took advanced physics and I found out boy that wasn't for me, but luckily I thought about it 85 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:14,920 I looked around you get a kick out. I looked around that class. I said 86 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,440 These guys and gals are not my not my people 87 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,360 They wanted to work a lot harder than I did, you know things that I didn't understand and so forth 88 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:29,160 So, you know, that was the kind of thing that that I believe young people should do and I 89 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:31,080 Come with that, you know 90 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:37,800 Never waste the summer and in a four-year prison also people in transitions can use my capabilities and I had 91 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,000 an enormous number of transitions relative to my 92 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:45,400 My my particular period of history. I I went from being an in 93 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:50,040 A college student to a naval officer to an engineer to a business school student 94 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:54,620 I went to wall street took all the different steps. I was an analyst a portfolio manager 95 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:59,160 I ran it not if I ended up being a ceo of a company which we 96 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,360 Grew over over a you know, a period we did from you know 97 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:07,560 20 million dollars to half a billion and from 70 employees to 800 we sold it we bought it back 98 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:13,560 We sold it again. So, you know these kinds of things that I've gone through and then I created a golf course from nothing 99 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,760 We I started a golf course up in nantucket from you know 100 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:21,960 Binding the land selling the memberships and so forth and we turned the golf course in I was just there this morning 101 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,800 We turned the golf course into an institution without the largest charity on the island 102 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:30,840 So these experiences allow and long answer a short question each period 103 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:37,080 Of your life you have certain capabilities which you've accumulated and you can bring them to bear on that particular thing 104 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:40,840 You're doing at that point in time and I don't think I could ever do what i'm doing now 105 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:46,760 If I didn't spend those, you know 80 plus years doing all the things that i've done. Well, luckily or experienced 106 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:49,960 Yeah 107 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,200 And and i'm i'm totally intrigued it's so funny because i'm really 108 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,720 Ever like just cheesing and stunned, you know because 109 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:04,760 You you have a wealth of knowledge and a wealth of experience, you know, and and and I I really want to 110 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:09,640 It's crazy because as I read your about about me about ed 111 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:13,720 I i've seen that you were in an orphanage and 112 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:21,320 You know and now now you're in a boardroom and now you're owning and building businesses and 113 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:23,820 Educating as an orphan 114 00:09:24,460 --> 00:09:29,580 Where did where did this drive come from? How how did you get started to to? 115 00:09:30,300 --> 00:09:32,300 Choosing this this this road 116 00:09:33,500 --> 00:09:37,580 Well, you know it it it they I had had a very difficult childhood my 117 00:09:38,140 --> 00:09:41,180 My father kidnapped me when I was three told him i'm gonna died 118 00:09:41,820 --> 00:09:43,820 He went to war I went into 119 00:09:43,900 --> 00:09:45,900 Foster homes that was in five foster homes 120 00:09:46,460 --> 00:09:48,940 And then after the war we spent a year together 121 00:09:48,940 --> 00:09:50,940 one of which 122 00:09:50,940 --> 00:09:53,660 Part of which was in the ymca on 34th street in new york 123 00:09:54,220 --> 00:09:58,220 And then then he had to go back to sea so I went I ended up in two different orphanages 124 00:09:58,780 --> 00:10:04,460 So well what happens during that period and I make this a point to young people is that although you know 125 00:10:04,460 --> 00:10:08,460 It was difficult. I gained those disadvantages. I had became advantages 126 00:10:09,020 --> 00:10:12,860 In other words if you have to go through, you know, and as I did five different 127 00:10:13,580 --> 00:10:16,860 Catholic foster homes and five different catholic foster homes 128 00:10:16,860 --> 00:10:21,200 And five different catholic schools and five different catholic schoolyards 129 00:10:21,740 --> 00:10:25,520 You learn how to become pretty adaptable to various difficult circumstances 130 00:10:25,820 --> 00:10:31,820 You'll learn to overcome something you get resilience and perseverance and you get quite a bit when you get through that you 131 00:10:31,820 --> 00:10:33,820 You get a certain amount of self-confidence 132 00:10:33,820 --> 00:10:39,660 And so that those disadvantages there weren't there were some real disadvantages that hung on because I was I was an angry young 133 00:10:39,660 --> 00:10:45,820 Man for many years because I kept asking myself why me but that that's how I grew up and it was 134 00:10:45,820 --> 00:10:49,260 It's difficult. I didn't have a mother. I didn't have I didn't have had no relatives 135 00:10:49,820 --> 00:10:55,580 People say describe your life in one sentence. I can very easily do that. Nobody came to my 136 00:10:56,380 --> 00:10:58,940 Grammar school graduation. Nobody came to my high school graduation 137 00:10:58,940 --> 00:11:03,180 Nobody came to my college graduation and nobody came to my graduate school graduation 138 00:11:03,180 --> 00:11:08,700 So, you know, I grew up alone and you know, that's and that gave me some, you know 139 00:11:08,700 --> 00:11:14,780 Great deal of self-confidence gave me a lot of other negative characteristics for many years. I never trusted anybody 140 00:11:14,780 --> 00:11:21,500 I was always angry to some extent. I took it out by throwing, you know golf clubs and rackets not not 141 00:11:22,060 --> 00:11:25,980 People so but I got rid of that it took a while and this is what I want 142 00:11:25,980 --> 00:11:30,700 I want young people to solve these kinds of problems a little earlier than I solved it 143 00:11:30,700 --> 00:11:36,540 But I don't want any do-overs. I don't you know, I think do-overs have unintended consequences, you know, you don't know 144 00:11:36,620 --> 00:11:40,860 Yeah, I'd like to do this a little differently. Well, if I did a little differently, what would happen? I'm not sure so 145 00:11:40,860 --> 00:11:45,420 That is wow, I mean I'm truly inspired I know that 146 00:11:46,140 --> 00:11:54,140 After you mentioned no one came to any of your graduations, but you still kept moving forward that that right there is 147 00:11:54,860 --> 00:12:02,140 Is is is unbeknownst to to our days now because when we feel like we don't have anyone in today's 148 00:12:03,020 --> 00:12:05,660 Life it it's it's a different turnout 149 00:12:05,660 --> 00:12:12,620 You know it could either hinder you or or make things happen and for you you you chose to keep keep the drive 150 00:12:12,620 --> 00:12:19,420 And and I tell you that that that's that's not the norm. It's rarely the norm right now 151 00:12:19,420 --> 00:12:22,060 So that's my best one my book 152 00:12:22,060 --> 00:12:27,100 Don't people read my book and listen to me because I want to convince them that anything is possible to start off with 153 00:12:27,660 --> 00:12:31,180 The second thing I want to convince them that education is a solution to everything 154 00:12:31,180 --> 00:12:37,340 And the third thing which I think is important to what you're just talking about is that never be a victim if you can help it 155 00:12:37,900 --> 00:12:38,620 Yeah 156 00:12:38,620 --> 00:12:43,500 That energy use and being a victim take that energy and place it on what's next 157 00:12:44,060 --> 00:12:48,220 That's hard enough to decide what's next and to pursue it. That's what I that's one of my secrets 158 00:12:48,220 --> 00:12:52,460 I always I never was a victim. I mean I I was a little tiny guy beat up people beat up on me 159 00:12:52,460 --> 00:12:56,700 I didn't wait. I didn't weigh 100 pounds until I was 14 years old. I went 160 00:12:56,700 --> 00:13:03,260 When I was 11, I was four foot six sixty six pounds. I mean so and I was always getting pushed around but you know 161 00:13:03,740 --> 00:13:09,500 But you got it. Don't focus on being you know, a little guy don't focus on being a particular in a particular situation 162 00:13:09,820 --> 00:13:12,460 Focus on what's next always and if you get that 163 00:13:13,020 --> 00:13:17,500 Habit in your head then I think you've got a greater chance of being successful 164 00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:22,540 Nothing's easy and there's no way nobody nobody goes through life. I mean I talk about what about you 165 00:13:22,540 --> 00:13:25,340 You haven't told me about yourself. I want to hear what you've got to say about that 166 00:13:25,340 --> 00:13:28,700 You haven't told me about yourself. I want to hear about you. I bet you got a story, too 167 00:13:31,260 --> 00:13:35,260 You didn't grow up with a silver spoon in your mouth I did not you know, it's so 168 00:13:37,580 --> 00:13:43,260 You know, it's so funny. I want to tell this story real quick is because my my family and I just went to a 169 00:13:44,140 --> 00:13:46,780 family reunion in Georgia and 170 00:13:47,340 --> 00:13:52,700 One of our nieces came up to us and well I went up to her and I was like hey, how's it going? 171 00:13:52,700 --> 00:13:57,980 And then she's like, oh, it's okay. And I was like, oh my gosh, you've grown up so much and she's like, yeah 172 00:13:58,060 --> 00:14:00,300 I was like, well how's school and she said 173 00:14:01,340 --> 00:14:05,420 It's good. I'm about to be a senior and I was like, okay, but her face 174 00:14:05,900 --> 00:14:12,460 It was just very straight no emotion. No nothing and I just couldn't figure it out and she said I'm scared 175 00:14:13,020 --> 00:14:16,780 And I was like, well, what are you scared for? She's like, I don't know what to do with my life 176 00:14:16,780 --> 00:14:23,180 And I'm like what I mean it just touched me. She's like this is the moment where I have to make the decision 177 00:14:23,740 --> 00:14:27,900 Because now I'm graduating but I don't know what to do and ed 178 00:14:27,900 --> 00:14:32,380 I was I was taken back like I didn't know how to answer that, you know 179 00:14:32,380 --> 00:14:37,820 Just to ask those leading questions of what do you want to do? What's your passion? What's your vision? You know, and 180 00:14:38,380 --> 00:14:41,980 She she went taking my course. You've been ahead. Yeah, yeah, right 181 00:14:41,980 --> 00:14:46,540 And I was like, oh my gosh, and so I'm I'm a person of 182 00:14:47,100 --> 00:14:52,780 passion and belief and and and seeking the answer rather than trying to seek it from someone else and 183 00:14:53,100 --> 00:15:00,300 And so what you just said was was amazing is the solution for everything is education, you know, go go back to where you 184 00:15:01,340 --> 00:15:06,780 Where you were not scared if that was ever a point and so using now I have something to say to her 185 00:15:06,860 --> 00:15:08,700 Let me just end it with that 186 00:15:08,700 --> 00:15:12,540 Now I have my book i've read my book and he has to answer the questions 187 00:15:12,780 --> 00:15:17,980 And you know you when you have a passion and it has a word at that good pursue it physics, you know 188 00:15:18,220 --> 00:15:23,420 Pursue it international business. I was going international businessman. I pursued it turned out to be a bad idea 189 00:15:23,660 --> 00:15:27,180 On to the next thing and you keep doing that by the time you're a senior 190 00:15:27,580 --> 00:15:32,300 You'll figure out at least a general path. You won't figure it. You know, by the way, we're not going to get everybody 191 00:15:32,620 --> 00:15:37,980 We're not trying to get everybody. You're a fool. I mean don't let the not the good don't the perfect 192 00:15:37,980 --> 00:15:39,820 You know effect of good, you know 193 00:15:39,820 --> 00:15:44,380 Because you're going to try to do as much good as you can and you know people say why are you doing what you're doing? 194 00:15:44,380 --> 00:15:47,580 Well, I got a letter from omen who said her daughter read the book 195 00:15:47,660 --> 00:15:51,020 She was planning on not going to college and now she's a freshman in order to name 196 00:15:51,580 --> 00:15:55,980 Yeah, that paid for my writing the book, you know, I mean that's you know, that's that it took care 197 00:15:56,220 --> 00:15:58,620 I've affected one one one one one life 198 00:15:59,100 --> 00:16:02,860 And this is the the goal you have when you're in certain ages as i'm usually doing 199 00:16:03,180 --> 00:16:07,260 I think if you can and it is painful. I mean, I just spent two days on the road 200 00:16:07,260 --> 00:16:11,420 Talking to people about this and you know, it's not something I have to do 201 00:16:11,420 --> 00:16:14,780 I'm you know, you could play golf and and uh eat ice cream, you know 202 00:16:14,780 --> 00:16:20,940 But this is something i'm a little crazy and I I really enjoy, you know having this interplay and 203 00:16:21,820 --> 00:16:25,340 Yeah, you can see yourself. You're you're starting to think because of our conversation 204 00:16:25,340 --> 00:16:28,700 You think so sudden you just came up with your niece which is something that you know 205 00:16:28,700 --> 00:16:33,100 Maybe we can solve that we call up your niece and say hey, you know, let's talk about your passions 206 00:16:33,100 --> 00:16:38,460 Who your principles what are you who your partners, you know, let's write a plan put it. Let's write it down 207 00:16:38,460 --> 00:16:42,940 You know one thing that's about writing is that as you know, you start writing things down 208 00:16:43,500 --> 00:16:49,100 Yeah, this is what I really believe. This is really you know, it's you know, it's a it's an important experience 209 00:16:50,060 --> 00:16:52,060 anyway, absolutely 210 00:16:52,060 --> 00:16:54,060 I'm telling you 211 00:16:54,140 --> 00:16:57,180 You started off with you you didn't tell me the rest about you 212 00:16:57,180 --> 00:17:04,220 Okay, so about me. Hmm. I'm originally from denver catarato born and raised and um 213 00:17:05,100 --> 00:17:11,660 Ventured into some other states. I went to jacksonville for a couple of years. I am a young parent 214 00:17:12,220 --> 00:17:15,200 Uh, I was I had my first child at 16 215 00:17:15,740 --> 00:17:18,860 Um, I can't yeah. Yes, I really can't 216 00:17:19,820 --> 00:17:23,420 No regrets no do-overs. No anything. I tell you 217 00:17:23,420 --> 00:17:29,260 I didn't play victim. I didn't do anything. All I did was I seen that there was a 218 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:36,060 Staircase that went up there was no staircase that was stagnant or that went down. It just went up for me 219 00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:41,980 and so as I got to I became um very involved in 220 00:17:43,100 --> 00:17:44,860 just doing 221 00:17:44,860 --> 00:17:49,100 What do you call it where you don't actually have to have a temporary jobs? 222 00:17:49,100 --> 00:17:54,940 I I got myself involved in a temporary job and I only wanted to do that because I wanted to figure out where 223 00:17:55,260 --> 00:17:59,580 I was going right? Of course, I could have utilized college which I did later on 224 00:18:00,460 --> 00:18:02,620 But I ended up at a location 225 00:18:03,900 --> 00:18:05,900 And I was to read 226 00:18:06,620 --> 00:18:08,620 I was to be um 227 00:18:08,700 --> 00:18:12,460 Oh my gosh, I was to be as an assistant. That's all I was 228 00:18:12,540 --> 00:18:15,340 That's that's what the temporary job was was an assistant 229 00:18:15,340 --> 00:18:20,540 So I got to the job in and next thing, you know, i'm reading autopsies. So I was like 230 00:18:22,140 --> 00:18:29,420 Yeah, where in the world am I and so I after I read that autopsy I sort of now knew I was like, okay 231 00:18:30,060 --> 00:18:31,740 bone donation 232 00:18:31,740 --> 00:18:38,540 Now i'm speaking to families to see if they can donate their bones from their loved one that just passed and the company that I 233 00:18:38,620 --> 00:18:39,660 worked for 234 00:18:39,660 --> 00:18:45,740 They melted the bone down and injected it into individual spine so that they could sit up straight 235 00:18:45,740 --> 00:18:50,540 And so I did that for about three or four years the company was shutting down and they said 236 00:18:51,100 --> 00:18:53,980 My one director said when I make it big i'll find you 237 00:18:54,860 --> 00:19:00,380 Five years later. He made it big found me in denver, cotter atl and I now live in san and 238 00:19:00,460 --> 00:19:03,420 Antonio, texas and have been there for about 20 years 239 00:19:03,420 --> 00:19:10,700 Yes, so I went from organ tissue and eye donation talking to people over the phone having four hours to reach 240 00:19:10,940 --> 00:19:14,380 people for organs and 24 hours for for bone 241 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:22,460 uh educating them on the benefits of it and then I went into the field of hiv aids substance abuse and mental health 242 00:19:23,020 --> 00:19:29,340 And I did that for about 10 years made it to coo and I tell you I was drained with stories 243 00:19:29,340 --> 00:19:36,220 Uh, but I wouldn't be who I am today if I did not experience all of that speaking to all walks of lives 244 00:19:36,700 --> 00:19:40,560 Not meeting any victims, but but victorious individuals 245 00:19:41,100 --> 00:19:45,840 And choosing to now be in real estate because that's the complete opposite 246 00:19:46,780 --> 00:19:48,780 of everything 247 00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:50,860 You're the proof of my pudding 248 00:19:50,860 --> 00:19:56,300 What i'm telling them people like you is basically in most people my life my grandfather or great grandfather 249 00:19:56,300 --> 00:20:01,660 Not mine, but people went to work for general motors or in exxon. They stayed there for the whole the whole life 250 00:20:01,980 --> 00:20:07,500 Today in today's world people are gonna have to constantly pivot because things are gonna go out of business people gonna change 251 00:20:07,820 --> 00:20:12,140 It's gonna be it's what you die real estate. You're a perfect example of what i'm talking about 252 00:20:12,140 --> 00:20:19,420 You'll pivot again somewhere down the road. You wait and see good. Well ed i'm doing a podcast. I'm a co-host on a podcast again 253 00:20:19,980 --> 00:20:21,580 totally different 254 00:20:21,580 --> 00:20:28,220 Respective or or interest but I believe the more that you become involved in life and what it has for you 255 00:20:28,540 --> 00:20:34,780 It's okay to take different avenues and I I mean i'm sitting here speaking to a man who was on wall street 256 00:20:35,500 --> 00:20:39,100 Who's now, you know probably has a street. Do you have a street yet? 257 00:20:41,340 --> 00:20:47,660 I'm sure you got a street named after you somewhere, but I have I have I have better than a street. I have a statue 258 00:20:47,660 --> 00:20:54,060 I'm the only person my neighbor with a with a not eight foot statue of bronze statue on the campus 259 00:20:55,740 --> 00:21:02,700 I believe it. I believe it. You know what and at this point you can do anything, you know, like i'm truly 260 00:21:03,260 --> 00:21:09,500 Possible. I mean who would you know, how could have a less than 100 pound, you know 14 year old and you know with 261 00:21:10,300 --> 00:21:14,060 Four feet 11 and then you know 50 years later. You got a statue on the campus, you know 262 00:21:14,060 --> 00:21:17,340 And a school named after you, you know, so that's it happens 263 00:21:18,140 --> 00:21:22,140 And I see do you have a scholarship you were working at a university? 264 00:21:22,860 --> 00:21:25,520 I've scholarships at 10 different institutions 265 00:21:26,140 --> 00:21:30,540 Mainly the university of rochester is my biggest one but i've at harvard. I have a university of mont 266 00:21:31,820 --> 00:21:33,820 brunswick school 267 00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:36,960 Middlesex schools university denver university 268 00:21:37,900 --> 00:21:42,220 Some of the largest some of the small my main contribution is university rochester where 269 00:21:42,220 --> 00:21:46,380 I graduated from I had i've had well, I must have 200 270 00:21:47,660 --> 00:21:51,900 Scholarship students over the last 30 or 40 years and that's my main gov 271 00:21:52,060 --> 00:21:55,580 but young person gets to 17 or 18 and the only difference between 272 00:21:56,700 --> 00:21:59,500 Them and getting you know going to higher education is money 273 00:21:59,740 --> 00:22:03,500 That's where I want to put my money because those are the people that you know, they've gotten through it 274 00:22:03,740 --> 00:22:09,500 I can't handle a five-year-old or eight-year-old has got problems. That's that's another group of people are going to handle that person 275 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:15,980 Yes, we just need that little extra take them and also i've become a very strong proponent of what they used to call vocational education 276 00:22:16,220 --> 00:22:19,980 Which I call professional education nurses marine engineers 277 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:23,900 hospitality workers public safety workers, you know divers 278 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:30,940 Carpenters electricians. I think that we can start training those people who basically won't be put out of business by ai, by the way 279 00:22:31,340 --> 00:22:38,560 They'll be here forever. And so i've got a couple scholarships started in that and my country club now gives 415 of those scholarships 280 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:40,560 a year the local high school 281 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:49,280 Professional scholarships, you know, we have level I want to have 100 people in school next year. We have at 75 right now 282 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:55,840 This is a that's another story that we've converted the golf club into a the largest charity on the island 283 00:22:56,080 --> 00:23:01,680 It now gives 25 scholarships a year. So it's it's you know, we've changed we've changed the whole island 284 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:04,160 The whole high school situation 285 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:09,280 It's really a it's something that I get goosebumps thinking about me to those 25 kids sitting up on stage 286 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:15,200 And we've just done all that and it's it's a golf club, you know, and these people are just so generous. They're freaking kids. Yeah 287 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,680 Thank you for being here today. I'm really happy that you tuned in to vision pros live 288 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:24,640 I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions as these episodes continue to move forward 289 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:26,320 This is going to get more and more fun 290 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,240 We'll have more and more engagement as well 291 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:32,560 We'll invite people to participate in the show and thank you for giving us your time and attention 292 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:36,900 Have an excellent time building out your vision and becoming a vision pro yourself