WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.960 Welcome to Behind the Shield, my name is James 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:05.280 Geering and this is episode 13 of the show and 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:08.019 my guest this week is professional wrestler turned 00:00:08.019 --> 00:00:12.019 motivational speaker Mark Miro. Now Mark is probably 00:00:12.019 --> 00:00:14.800 best known aside from his wrestling career for 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:17.300 some of his viral videos that have gone around 00:00:17.300 --> 00:00:20.879 on the internet where he's touring high schools 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.100 and giving presentations about depression, suicide, 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:28.570 anti -bullying, that kind of thing. The reason 00:00:28.570 --> 00:00:32.950 why I really wanted to talk to Mark was twofold. 00:00:33.030 --> 00:00:36.490 Firstly, we have an issue in our professions, 00:00:36.609 --> 00:00:39.390 in the police, in fire, in EMS, and then the 00:00:39.390 --> 00:00:42.750 associated professions, medical examiner, CSI, 00:00:42.770 --> 00:00:44.329 whatever you're dealing with. If you're dealing 00:00:44.329 --> 00:00:50.070 with trauma, he has some great insight into depression, 00:00:50.310 --> 00:00:54.030 into suicide, what we would call PTSD, all these 00:00:54.030 --> 00:00:57.880 different areas. We really delve into that a 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:00.100 little bit. The other side, though, is most of 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:03.880 us are also husbands and wives and parents. And 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:06.060 a lot of us are raising children, our own children, 00:01:06.180 --> 00:01:11.280 stepchildren, foster children even. And the side 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:14.319 of it where we address bullying, whether it's, 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:16.620 are you raising a bully? Are you raising a child 00:01:16.620 --> 00:01:19.200 that's a victim of bullying? How do I identify 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:21.799 that? I really want to expand more in some of 00:01:21.799 --> 00:01:24.599 my interviews on the family side. Not only... 00:01:25.549 --> 00:01:28.750 specifically pertinent to husband and wives of 00:01:28.750 --> 00:01:31.549 first responders, but also just in general, being 00:01:31.549 --> 00:01:35.769 a dad, being a husband, a wife, and how that 00:01:35.769 --> 00:01:38.609 affects us as human beings as well as first responders. 00:01:39.010 --> 00:01:41.370 So the interview was a little bit shorter than 00:01:41.370 --> 00:01:43.829 some of my other episodes. There was a slight 00:01:43.829 --> 00:01:46.969 miscommunication between us, but also Mark was 00:01:46.969 --> 00:01:50.049 about to embark on a huge national tour. So again, 00:01:50.150 --> 00:01:52.489 I am... extremely grateful that i got the time 00:01:52.489 --> 00:01:54.450 that i did with him but i will definitely hunt 00:01:54.450 --> 00:01:56.790 him down he's in orlando so we will do a part 00:01:56.790 --> 00:02:00.969 two to this uh interview as well uh so we start 00:02:00.969 --> 00:02:03.969 off talking about his early career um his life 00:02:03.969 --> 00:02:06.730 as a boxer then a wrestler and then how he transitioned 00:02:06.730 --> 00:02:09.969 to the amazing uh things that he does now in 00:02:09.969 --> 00:02:13.270 high schools around the country i as a dad was 00:02:13.270 --> 00:02:17.090 very very moved by what i saw um in the presentations 00:02:17.090 --> 00:02:20.569 that were online and i really wanted to bring 00:02:20.569 --> 00:02:22.949 his knowledge to everyone that listened here 00:02:23.550 --> 00:02:25.050 We're not talking about firefighting. We're not 00:02:25.050 --> 00:02:27.349 talking about being a police officer. This particular 00:02:27.349 --> 00:02:30.150 episode is more about being a human and the humans 00:02:30.150 --> 00:02:33.629 that we raise as parents. So I hope you guys 00:02:33.629 --> 00:02:35.789 enjoy this episode. I really want to touch base 00:02:35.789 --> 00:02:38.210 with Mark again. It was a very passionate interview, 00:02:38.389 --> 00:02:41.069 and I also did it face -to -face, my very first 00:02:41.069 --> 00:02:43.689 face -to -face interview. So I apologize if the 00:02:43.689 --> 00:02:45.289 sound is a little different. I don't think it's 00:02:45.289 --> 00:02:47.330 bad, but it's different than the other episodes 00:02:47.330 --> 00:02:49.629 because we were both using the same mic, which 00:02:49.629 --> 00:02:52.620 I'd never done before. But that being said, I 00:02:52.620 --> 00:02:55.800 think it was fantastic and I hope you guys enjoy. 00:02:56.259 --> 00:02:59.460 And without further ado, I present to you Mark 00:02:59.460 --> 00:03:19.780 Miro. All right, welcome to Behind the Shield. 00:03:20.750 --> 00:03:23.569 I am James Gearing and this is Mark Miro. Welcome, 00:03:23.650 --> 00:03:25.889 Mark. James, thanks for having me on your show. 00:03:26.050 --> 00:03:31.050 No problem. Obviously, you have become familiar 00:03:31.050 --> 00:03:33.710 to a lot of us that weren't wrestling fans before 00:03:33.710 --> 00:03:36.469 because of your Mother's Day video that went, 00:03:36.569 --> 00:03:38.469 I think it's an understatement to say it went 00:03:38.469 --> 00:03:42.099 viral on the internet. So I want to talk about 00:03:42.099 --> 00:03:45.000 all the things leading up to that. But the feature 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.219 of that is obviously your mother. So can you 00:03:47.219 --> 00:03:49.319 start by telling us what your childhood was like 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:52.699 and where you were raised? My parents were divorced 00:03:52.699 --> 00:03:58.159 when I was eight years old. And my mother took 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:00.680 me, my brother, my brother, my sister and I to 00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:03.219 we moved into the west side of Buffalo, New York, 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:05.439 which was one of the worst drug and gang infested 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:09.509 neighborhoods. And it was a. A horrible childhood 00:04:09.509 --> 00:04:12.270 growing up there. I mean, the gangs and the violence 00:04:12.270 --> 00:04:16.209 that we witnessed at such a young age was incomprehensible 00:04:16.209 --> 00:04:21.170 for anyone to see that, you know. And I just 00:04:21.170 --> 00:04:24.350 remember my mom trying so hard, working two jobs, 00:04:24.569 --> 00:04:28.370 trying to keep us out of trouble, trying to do 00:04:28.370 --> 00:04:29.990 the right thing. We were just so poor. We just 00:04:29.990 --> 00:04:32.509 had no funds to live in a nicer neighborhood 00:04:32.509 --> 00:04:34.670 or go to nicer schools or anything like that. 00:04:35.350 --> 00:04:38.410 And we were getting beat up a lot. going through 00:04:38.410 --> 00:04:41.790 a lot of hard times. I remember there was nights 00:04:41.790 --> 00:04:45.069 that we didn't even have food. And when people 00:04:45.069 --> 00:04:46.569 said, well, your mother worked two jobs. They 00:04:46.569 --> 00:04:50.810 were very minimum jobs. She would even try to 00:04:50.810 --> 00:04:55.110 make clothes and sell them. And she bought most 00:04:55.110 --> 00:04:57.810 of our clothes at garage sales or yard sales 00:04:57.810 --> 00:05:00.370 because we just had no money, which made it even 00:05:00.370 --> 00:05:02.529 harder going to school. When you went to school 00:05:02.529 --> 00:05:06.269 with hand -me -down clothes, it was just embarrassing. 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:09.360 Yeah, it's funny. I lived in a big farmhouse. 00:05:09.379 --> 00:05:11.240 Everyone thought we were really wealthy, but 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:15.680 the money wasn't going to those, so I had secondhand 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:18.639 clothes, too. You know how that feels. Yeah, 00:05:18.660 --> 00:05:21.579 yeah. Actually, there's a funny story. I used 00:05:21.579 --> 00:05:24.019 to think Edward Jackson was a brand name, but 00:05:24.019 --> 00:05:25.560 actually it was a name tag of one of the guys 00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:30.439 to hand it down to us. So I can relate. But you 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:33.000 moved to Florida after that. Is that right? Well, 00:05:33.060 --> 00:05:36.069 I mean... Moved a few times before. Obviously, 00:05:36.110 --> 00:05:42.069 Florida came into my life because I was building 00:05:42.069 --> 00:05:44.329 swimming pools. And there was a company in Florida 00:05:44.329 --> 00:05:46.649 called Pacific Pools that I was able to get a 00:05:46.649 --> 00:05:48.810 job with. So it was an opportunity to move to 00:05:48.810 --> 00:05:51.910 Florida. And I jumped at the chance to do that. 00:05:52.990 --> 00:05:56.110 But, you know, getting involved in drugs and 00:05:56.110 --> 00:06:01.250 alcohol and just living a very... Just a paycheck 00:06:01.250 --> 00:06:03.889 to paycheck lifestyle and then dealing drugs 00:06:03.889 --> 00:06:07.089 to support my habit. And just falling in with 00:06:07.089 --> 00:06:09.189 the wrong people and getting into a lot of trouble 00:06:09.189 --> 00:06:12.850 and then getting involved in dealing drugs and 00:06:12.850 --> 00:06:16.550 then overdosing. I overdosed on drugs on three 00:06:16.550 --> 00:06:19.209 occasions where I should have been dead. But 00:06:19.209 --> 00:06:21.790 I just believe I was kept here for a reason. 00:06:22.069 --> 00:06:24.709 Yeah. Now, when did you get into the alcohol 00:06:24.709 --> 00:06:26.930 and drugs? At what age? Well, it really started 00:06:26.930 --> 00:06:30.160 when I was younger. It was right before I had 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:33.360 my first professional boxing match. And two weeks 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:35.259 before my first professional boxing match, I 00:06:35.259 --> 00:06:39.660 was training up to that. And I had my nose shattered 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:42.240 in an accident, and I needed reconstructive surgery. 00:06:42.819 --> 00:06:46.459 And it was in that time off that I just fell 00:06:46.459 --> 00:06:49.339 with the wrong people and really started, you 00:06:49.339 --> 00:06:50.800 know, kept saying to myself, I'm coming back 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:52.500 in a year, I'm going to be champ of the world. 00:06:52.600 --> 00:06:54.379 And I kept doing this over and over again and 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:57.540 thinking I would come back. One year became two, 00:06:57.639 --> 00:07:00.019 and two became four, and four became ten. Next 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:03.500 thing I know, I'm a full -blown drug addict. 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:08.540 And I lost my career in boxing. Were you doing 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:11.740 pretty well up to that point? Yeah, I was very 00:07:11.740 --> 00:07:14.279 successful in sports, in football, hockey, and 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:17.360 of course boxing. I won the New York State Golden 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:19.839 Gloves a few years in a row. I was a gold medal 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:22.100 winner in the Empire State Games. Then I was 00:07:22.100 --> 00:07:25.720 a member of the USA boxing team. did very well 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:28.579 in sports. And then I looked at my dream come 00:07:28.579 --> 00:07:31.300 true of finally being able to buy my mom a house. 00:07:31.339 --> 00:07:34.240 And all the little things I wrote down as a little 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.120 boy that I thought would become a reality in 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:38.939 my life, becoming rich and famous, were going 00:07:38.939 --> 00:07:40.860 to happen through boxing. And then, of course, 00:07:40.939 --> 00:07:45.139 through my bad choices led to destruction on 00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:48.199 my life. Right. Was it the pain medication that 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:50.980 you kind of spiraled down with? No, it was, you 00:07:50.980 --> 00:07:53.379 know, back then it was pain medication came later 00:07:53.379 --> 00:07:57.100 on when I became a wrestler. But the other, the 00:07:57.100 --> 00:07:59.660 drug of choice back then was cocaine. It was 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:02.300 very prominent. Yeah, yeah. That probably wasn't 00:08:02.300 --> 00:08:04.699 too good for your nose either. No, no, not at 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:07.740 all. All right, so how did you transition into 00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:10.519 wrestling? Well, I had some friends over at my 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:13.600 apartment one time. But he was flipping through 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:15.199 the TV channels and he landed on professional 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:17.779 wrestling. And I made the statement, man, I could 00:08:17.779 --> 00:08:20.600 do that. And my buddies busted out laughing because 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:23.079 there was some big guys on television, you know. 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:25.540 They said, look at the size of those guys. Those 00:08:25.540 --> 00:08:27.279 guys will pick you over their head and throw 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:29.579 you right out of that ring. I said, no, I'm telling 00:08:29.579 --> 00:08:31.420 you, I can do that. And one of my other buddies 00:08:31.420 --> 00:08:34.240 goes, Mark, you're 30 years old. What do you 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:37.220 do, start a pro career now? And I said, yes. 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:40.789 And it was at that time. I found out there was 00:08:40.789 --> 00:08:42.970 a wrestling school in Tampa, Florida, which was 00:08:42.970 --> 00:08:44.809 about 60 miles away from where I was living. 00:08:45.129 --> 00:08:47.610 So I started driving there like after work and 00:08:47.610 --> 00:08:50.669 on weekends, cleaned up my life and got into 00:08:50.669 --> 00:08:53.870 professional wrestling. And it was only a year 00:08:53.870 --> 00:08:56.429 later that I signed my first really big contract 00:08:56.429 --> 00:08:59.769 with WCW Wrestling as the character Johnny B. 00:08:59.870 --> 00:09:04.590 Bad. And my life, my... I mean, it just took 00:09:04.590 --> 00:09:07.389 off. It was incredible. But then again, falling 00:09:07.389 --> 00:09:09.850 in line with the wrong people, you know, the 00:09:09.850 --> 00:09:13.809 party life. Now you're going to traveling all 00:09:13.809 --> 00:09:16.610 over the world and every, you know, the bar owners 00:09:16.610 --> 00:09:18.570 are leaving the bars open all night. There's 00:09:18.570 --> 00:09:23.049 all kinds of women and drugs and everything that 00:09:23.049 --> 00:09:27.509 led me into that dark place again. And only now 00:09:27.509 --> 00:09:29.570 I have all the money in the world to buy anything 00:09:29.570 --> 00:09:33.679 I want. So it was very convenient for me. And 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:37.299 again, spiral out of control. Yeah. Yeah. It's 00:09:37.299 --> 00:09:40.360 amazing how, you know, people get to where, where 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:42.440 they dreamed of only to find that happiness isn't 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:44.399 at the top of that. And they're, you know, reaching 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:47.220 for the wrong coping mechanism. Absolutely. Yeah. 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:50.320 Now you have publicly admitted to using steroids 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:53.480 in the past. I know some of your peers weren't 00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:55.740 happy about your insight into that, but I think 00:09:55.740 --> 00:09:58.669 that's very important. And we have. We have first 00:09:58.669 --> 00:10:01.110 responders that do. I understand, especially 00:10:01.110 --> 00:10:03.649 in law enforcement, when your life may be at 00:10:03.649 --> 00:10:05.110 stake and you want to be as strong as you can. 00:10:05.250 --> 00:10:09.110 But what did you see in the wrestling world as 00:10:09.110 --> 00:10:11.269 far as the negative effects from your eyes? Well, 00:10:11.289 --> 00:10:15.590 I mean, like anything, you know, steroids is... 00:10:16.379 --> 00:10:18.419 get you big and strong. But see, with wrestling, 00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:21.440 it was a lethal cocktail. It wasn't just steroids. 00:10:21.659 --> 00:10:24.299 It was, you know, the party life, the drinking, 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:26.639 the drugs and everything else that went along 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:28.740 with it where your heart just couldn't take it. 00:10:29.019 --> 00:10:31.259 And steroids alone could kill you. You know what 00:10:31.259 --> 00:10:34.179 I mean? Some people get addicted to it in a sense, 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:40.019 maybe not a physical addiction, but a... looking 00:10:40.019 --> 00:10:41.480 at themselves, not wanting to see themselves 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:44.299 smaller, you know? And of course, when you're... 00:10:44.490 --> 00:10:46.049 a bigger than life character. I mean, you look 00:10:46.049 --> 00:10:48.850 at our action figures, we got traps coming from 00:10:48.850 --> 00:10:53.529 our ears, you know? And you live that life of 00:10:53.529 --> 00:10:55.309 people and all of a sudden they see you thinner 00:10:55.309 --> 00:10:57.169 or skinnier or gone. They're like, what happened 00:10:57.169 --> 00:10:59.110 to you? Are you sick, you know? But it's only 00:10:59.110 --> 00:11:02.750 because you're not doing the steroids. So it's 00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:05.990 kind of a, like I said, lethal cocktail in the 00:11:05.990 --> 00:11:07.909 professional wrestling industry that killed many 00:11:07.909 --> 00:11:12.370 wrestlers that died from drug overdose. Yeah, 00:11:12.370 --> 00:11:15.470 yeah. I mean, it's certainly, The combination 00:11:15.470 --> 00:11:17.610 is certainly having its effect on the wrestling 00:11:17.610 --> 00:11:22.009 world. I'm not well -versed in wrestling, but 00:11:22.009 --> 00:11:25.909 you just see over and over again these men dying 00:11:25.909 --> 00:11:28.549 in their 50s, which really shouldn't be happening. 00:11:29.250 --> 00:11:32.730 Another area that I've been delving into recently 00:11:32.730 --> 00:11:35.190 is TVI as well, and you guys had a lot of that, 00:11:35.230 --> 00:11:38.850 didn't you, from all the hits? You know, it's 00:11:38.850 --> 00:11:43.480 just becoming... So, I guess... Open now, you 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:45.759 know, because we're seeing the effects of people 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:48.940 that have had concussions or had trauma over 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:54.159 the years. And I mean, I remember a I remember 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:56.960 a match I had. It was at the Omni in Atlanta. 00:11:57.059 --> 00:11:59.379 I'll never forget it. And I was wrestling a guy. 00:11:59.940 --> 00:12:02.379 His name was at the time he went by the character 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:04.480 called Scotty Flamingo. And I got knocked out 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:06.779 during the match and I was supposed to win the 00:12:06.779 --> 00:12:12.000 match. And, you know, somehow. I came back to 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.299 in the match, which I don't even remember. And 00:12:14.299 --> 00:12:16.539 he basically put me on top of himself to pin 00:12:16.539 --> 00:12:18.899 him, you know? I couldn't remember anything. 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:20.539 And after the match, I don't even remember walking 00:12:20.539 --> 00:12:22.179 to the ring. I don't remember anything. So, obviously, 00:12:22.179 --> 00:12:25.600 I had a serious concussion. But I didn't miss 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:27.559 the show the next night, the next night after 00:12:27.559 --> 00:12:30.179 that, after that. And it was just not part of, 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:32.870 like... concussions were part of the game i mean 00:12:32.870 --> 00:12:35.529 if you got your bell it's called a bell ringer 00:12:35.529 --> 00:12:38.350 you know and uh you but you never would miss 00:12:38.350 --> 00:12:42.590 a show or something like that and uh so i never 00:12:42.590 --> 00:12:45.750 really knew how many concussions i may have had 00:12:45.750 --> 00:12:48.470 or other wrestlers had during their careers but 00:12:48.470 --> 00:12:51.789 when you think about we're doing around 250 cities 00:12:51.789 --> 00:12:56.169 a year and you times that over you know you know, 00:12:56.169 --> 00:12:59.049 14 years back and forth in and out of wrestling, 00:12:59.210 --> 00:13:01.570 how many matches I've had, thousands of matches, 00:13:01.629 --> 00:13:04.470 and, you know, getting hit over the head with 00:13:04.470 --> 00:13:07.429 a steel chair. You know, people will say, well, 00:13:07.450 --> 00:13:09.590 wrestling's fake. I'm like, those steel chairs 00:13:09.590 --> 00:13:12.029 are real. I mean, we really hit each other, you 00:13:12.029 --> 00:13:14.470 know? You just not want to hurt the guy, so you 00:13:14.470 --> 00:13:16.549 hit him flat with the chair and don't turn it 00:13:16.549 --> 00:13:18.210 or something. We're going to, you know, bust 00:13:18.210 --> 00:13:24.110 him open. But, you know, it's just... I think 00:13:24.110 --> 00:13:26.309 it's good that it's coming out now that more 00:13:26.309 --> 00:13:27.870 and more people are getting involved and figuring 00:13:27.870 --> 00:13:31.250 out more about this and what we can do to curb 00:13:31.250 --> 00:13:34.330 the head trauma that we're seeing in professional 00:13:34.330 --> 00:13:36.610 sports, whether it's in football, whether it's 00:13:36.610 --> 00:13:38.950 building a better helmet. You know, there's always 00:13:38.950 --> 00:13:42.750 the technology is now catching up to what we 00:13:42.750 --> 00:13:45.509 need to do to help save these people. And the 00:13:45.509 --> 00:13:47.549 way they're, you know, they're protecting players 00:13:47.549 --> 00:13:51.450 from head hits, you know, helmet to helmet hits. 00:13:52.250 --> 00:13:54.909 And in professional wrestling, I commend WWE 00:13:54.909 --> 00:13:57.789 that has now a very strict drug testing now. 00:13:57.889 --> 00:13:59.830 We're not seeing the wrestlers die like they 00:13:59.830 --> 00:14:03.470 did back when I was in the industry. So there 00:14:03.470 --> 00:14:07.210 are steps that have been taken to protect many 00:14:07.210 --> 00:14:10.549 lives. Yeah, that's going across all sports. 00:14:10.629 --> 00:14:13.789 I know in kickboxing, I believe now, in boxing, 00:14:13.870 --> 00:14:15.909 they're looking to remove the headgear because 00:14:15.909 --> 00:14:18.149 they realized it was adding weight. you know 00:14:18.149 --> 00:14:20.350 to the head when it was getting hit and uh and 00:14:20.350 --> 00:14:21.929 there's been arguments even for football when 00:14:21.929 --> 00:14:23.629 they look at rugby i think they have a lot less 00:14:23.629 --> 00:14:26.490 head injuries in rugby because you can't spear 00:14:26.490 --> 00:14:28.309 you can't go helmet to helmet right you don't 00:14:28.309 --> 00:14:30.870 have a helmet you know yes yeah i mean it's interesting 00:14:30.870 --> 00:14:32.509 and was taking some of the gear away to make 00:14:32.509 --> 00:14:35.679 it safer as well But what we're seeing in our 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:39.200 profession that mirrors TBI, I mean, first you 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:42.419 have TBI, especially the policeman and the fireman 00:14:42.419 --> 00:14:44.419 using the tools and those kind of things. There's 00:14:44.419 --> 00:14:47.500 an impact there. But the sleep deprivation actually 00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:52.080 mirrors TBI. So again, we're having this ridiculously 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:55.139 high increase in suicides and first responders. 00:14:55.500 --> 00:14:59.220 And I think sleep deprivation is a key. And obviously 00:14:59.220 --> 00:15:01.960 the PTSD that they're harboring, all these things 00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:04.029 that they're seeing. But I think... the result 00:15:04.029 --> 00:15:06.649 is the same as the rest of as the football players 00:15:06.649 --> 00:15:08.750 that they're they're ending to a point where 00:15:08.750 --> 00:15:12.750 you know these suicidal thoughts are so strong 00:15:12.750 --> 00:15:14.389 that they can't resist them anymore we just lost 00:15:14.389 --> 00:15:16.870 a fireman in california that leapt over a freeway 00:15:16.870 --> 00:15:19.529 bridge i mean that's not a conscious calm decision 00:15:19.529 --> 00:15:25.629 you know yeah so yeah um all right so Before 00:15:25.629 --> 00:15:28.490 I move on to that, in the wrestling world, was 00:15:28.490 --> 00:15:31.169 there a lot of abusive painkillers as well? Because 00:15:31.169 --> 00:15:33.250 you guys must have got banged up. Yes. I mean, 00:15:33.330 --> 00:15:37.549 the thing was that you wrestle injured. I mean, 00:15:37.590 --> 00:15:40.190 here's the thing is that on television, there's 00:15:40.190 --> 00:15:44.830 only, let's say, maybe 25 spots. But if you're 00:15:44.830 --> 00:15:49.090 not ready to go that night, there's 100 ,000 00:15:49.090 --> 00:15:52.289 guys behind you who would love your spot. so 00:15:52.289 --> 00:15:56.190 you wrestled injured you wrestled hurt and what 00:15:56.190 --> 00:15:58.590 helps you when you're hurt obviously pain medication 00:15:58.590 --> 00:16:02.549 and many of my fellow wrestlers got addicted 00:16:02.549 --> 00:16:06.250 to it including myself that made it easy to go 00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:08.710 to the ring when you're hurting not to feel anything 00:16:08.710 --> 00:16:11.190 you know but little do we know we're making some 00:16:11.190 --> 00:16:13.809 of our injuries worse and of course the addiction 00:16:13.809 --> 00:16:17.809 that comes along with pain medication and and 00:16:17.809 --> 00:16:21.120 the you know And it's like drugs lead to other 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:24.159 drugs, too. You know, sometimes when you're doing 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:26.200 pain medication, also, like you mentioned, the 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:29.679 sleep deprivation that now you need somas or 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:31.840 something to sleep on, Ambien or whatever it 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:34.720 would be to sleep that night. So it becomes this 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:38.039 vicious cycle that you're in. And sometimes when 00:16:38.039 --> 00:16:39.799 you're drinking on top of that, you forget if 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:42.019 you even took your pills. And then you take more 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:44.299 pills. And many guys have overdosed because of 00:16:44.299 --> 00:16:46.039 that. Yeah. That didn't realize they already 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:48.019 took them, you know, or some game to them at 00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:51.580 the bar. And they took them again later at night 00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:53.179 thinking I need to go to sleep, but they already 00:16:53.179 --> 00:16:55.399 took them, you know? Yeah. And that's happened 00:16:55.399 --> 00:16:59.159 quite a bit. Yeah. I'm sure most guys out there 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:02.000 will relate to this, but I think of the opiate 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.079 overdoses that I've had, I would say probably 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:06.579 only 20 % were street drugs. The other 80 % were 00:17:06.579 --> 00:17:09.819 prescribed medications that people took. And 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:12.420 because I'm at schools, I'm seeing this happening 00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:15.460 younger and younger. And it isn't just the kid 00:17:15.460 --> 00:17:17.099 in the alley. I mean, we're talking about our 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.200 football players, our cheerleaders. I mean, kids 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:21.920 that are responsible, students that happen to 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:25.640 try it. And the addiction is incredible for opiate 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:29.920 abuse that happens. And I meet more parents now 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:32.220 that have lost their kids to overdose. And it 00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:34.940 just breaks your heart because it's a pain. I 00:17:34.940 --> 00:17:37.220 mean, with Christmas coming up, many parents 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:39.460 have lost their kids this year alone. you know, 00:17:39.460 --> 00:17:43.400 or last year, 10 years ago. It's every Christmas, 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:45.519 every birthday, every holiday without their loved 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:49.519 one that died over taking an overdose. And it's 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:51.019 not like they want to kill themselves, you know. 00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:53.539 It's that they just want to get high. Yeah, yeah. 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:55.319 And the other thing with the ones that are in 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:58.440 pain, there's very little education on how to 00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:00.720 get out of pain without meds. You know, using 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:04.180 the PT and a lot of modalities out there and 00:18:04.180 --> 00:18:06.259 strength training in the right way to take the 00:18:06.259 --> 00:18:10.359 pressure off your joints. But sadly, the medication 00:18:10.359 --> 00:18:12.980 is the quick fix. And it's in two ways. A lot 00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:15.599 of times the patient wants it too. Well, you 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:17.359 talked about schools. Let's get into that. So 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:21.039 what got you to transition from wrestling to 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:23.559 this incredible program, Champion Choices, that 00:18:23.559 --> 00:18:25.500 you have now? Well, you know, I always believe 00:18:25.500 --> 00:18:27.140 there's two types of people. There's people that 00:18:27.140 --> 00:18:29.960 say something needs to be done. And then there's 00:18:29.960 --> 00:18:31.690 a person that says... I'm going out there and 00:18:31.690 --> 00:18:34.150 doing something. I think for many years, I was 00:18:34.150 --> 00:18:36.269 guilty of saying, why don't they do this about 00:18:36.269 --> 00:18:38.809 this? Or why don't they do this about that? And 00:18:38.809 --> 00:18:42.869 you can talk all day long. Your opinion doesn't 00:18:42.869 --> 00:18:45.309 change the world. Your action changes the world. 00:18:45.950 --> 00:18:48.069 And I decided to go out there and do something 00:18:48.069 --> 00:18:50.569 about it, to speak about, you know, and it isn't 00:18:50.569 --> 00:18:52.349 going about blaming someone else. It's about 00:18:52.349 --> 00:18:54.670 saying, hey, this is me. This is who I was. This 00:18:54.670 --> 00:18:57.410 is what I did. And I don't want other people 00:18:57.410 --> 00:19:00.049 to have to go through the same thing I went through. 00:19:00.390 --> 00:19:01.950 There's an old saying, you get wisdom from one 00:19:01.950 --> 00:19:04.289 of three places. You get wisdom from like a mentor, 00:19:04.529 --> 00:19:07.789 a coach, a teacher, parents. You get wisdom from 00:19:07.789 --> 00:19:10.609 books and DVDs, or you get wisdom from mistakes. 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:14.420 I'm the king, okay? And much of what their kids 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:18.599 get or students or people get, they're, for my 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:20.700 mistakes, they make their own mistakes. Hear 00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:23.420 my story. Hear what happened to me. Hear how 00:19:23.420 --> 00:19:26.619 I lost my mother, my father, my brother, my sister. 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:30.019 Hear the many wrestling friends, many of the 00:19:30.019 --> 00:19:31.640 guys that I wrestle against. I think it's over 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:34.200 like close to 40 guys I've wrestled against that 00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:38.539 are no longer on this earth. And so I share these 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:42.059 stories and I really see many people that, Lives 00:19:42.059 --> 00:19:46.079 have been changed or saved because of our presentations 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:48.640 at schools, churches, and corporations around 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:52.079 the world. Right. Yeah, I saw a very moving interview 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:54.980 with the mother of Daniel Briggs that you guys 00:19:54.980 --> 00:19:58.980 have on your site. Amy is just an amazing friend. 00:19:59.579 --> 00:20:03.359 And again, she says, I will never get over this. 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:06.059 Her son that was only 16 years old took his life 00:20:06.059 --> 00:20:11.140 last year. She goes around and speaks about it. 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:13.339 And from a mother's point of view, many kids 00:20:13.339 --> 00:20:14.640 that kill themselves, they think no one's going 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:17.359 to care. No one's going to miss me. They have 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:20.660 no idea the trauma and the pain that's left behind 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:24.720 after they've taken their life of this Lady Amy 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:29.940 or her husband or her other son. Christmas this 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:32.920 year, I can't even imagine. I mean, his book 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:34.819 bags the day he took his life are still sitting 00:20:34.819 --> 00:20:38.180 on the counter. They never moved them. They're 00:20:38.180 --> 00:20:40.380 there and they may be there forever. I don't 00:20:40.380 --> 00:20:41.920 know, but they've never even taken him apart. 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:45.019 His room's exactly the same as if he's coming 00:20:45.019 --> 00:20:49.400 home, you know, and I just, my heart just breaks 00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:53.660 when I meet parents that go through this and 00:20:53.660 --> 00:20:58.700 students that just, you know, when they think 00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:00.859 nobody cares and they don't realize how loved 00:21:00.859 --> 00:21:03.240 they are, you know, and because it's in the moment. 00:21:03.299 --> 00:21:05.420 I really believe that most kids took their life, 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:08.240 did it in the moment where, If they could ever 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:09.980 have that moment back, they would take it back 00:21:09.980 --> 00:21:13.000 in a heartbeat, you know. But it's just to spur 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:17.579 the moment. Another young lady that took her 00:21:17.579 --> 00:21:20.599 life, you know, she shot herself in the stomach. 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:22.180 She waited for her boyfriend to come up because 00:21:22.180 --> 00:21:23.819 they got in an argument and he pulled up and 00:21:23.819 --> 00:21:25.460 he shot it. Now, I don't think she tried to kill 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:27.680 herself. I think she just wanted to make a statement 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:30.500 that I'm really hurting, you know. But she ended 00:21:30.500 --> 00:21:34.599 up dying. And, you know, meeting with her parents. 00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:37.859 and seeing what's left behind there is just horrible. 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:42.599 Yeah, and I think that's the same place that 00:21:42.599 --> 00:21:45.460 the suicides are coming from in soldiers and 00:21:45.460 --> 00:21:47.779 first responders is, again, they feel like they 00:21:47.779 --> 00:21:49.299 can't talk as well, and that's something that 00:21:49.299 --> 00:21:54.660 we're trying to change. PTSD was a great acronym 00:21:54.660 --> 00:21:56.640 and a great movement initially, but now it's 00:21:56.640 --> 00:22:00.019 almost got this connotation of weakness, and 00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:03.450 it shouldn't. It's sad, yes. If you're a compassionate 00:22:03.450 --> 00:22:07.250 human being and you've seen suffering and you 00:22:07.250 --> 00:22:09.309 look in the mirror and can't acknowledge that 00:22:09.309 --> 00:22:10.890 that's going to have an effect, the same way 00:22:10.890 --> 00:22:13.730 as wear and tear on your body. I mean, I was 00:22:13.730 --> 00:22:17.109 extremely healthy, did yoga, did CrossFit and 00:22:17.109 --> 00:22:18.430 all kinds of stuff and did it the right way. 00:22:18.470 --> 00:22:21.069 I didn't do the terrible CrossFit. And then one 00:22:21.069 --> 00:22:22.950 day I was lifting a patient and my back went. 00:22:23.089 --> 00:22:24.569 And that's just wear and tear. That was just 00:22:24.569 --> 00:22:27.269 some poor movement pattern that I've been doing. 00:22:27.849 --> 00:22:30.069 and i didn't know i was completely unaware until 00:22:30.069 --> 00:22:32.829 it failed and that's how these guys are you know 00:22:32.829 --> 00:22:36.809 mentally is they can't reach out so it's building 00:22:36.809 --> 00:22:38.769 and building and building and one day you know 00:22:38.769 --> 00:22:40.529 they're so desperate that they walk to the woods 00:22:40.529 --> 00:22:42.569 and you know carry a gun or whatever whatever 00:22:42.569 --> 00:22:45.690 it is they do and i think with the with the kids 00:22:45.690 --> 00:22:47.849 with our sons and daughters and then with with 00:22:47.849 --> 00:22:51.309 adults as well we have to be able to talk to 00:22:51.309 --> 00:22:52.509 each other and let them know that what they're 00:22:52.509 --> 00:22:56.269 feeling isn't you know, weakness. It's compassion. 00:22:56.529 --> 00:22:58.470 It's strength. It's desperation. It's, you know, 00:22:58.470 --> 00:23:02.069 real human emotion. I could not agree with you 00:23:02.069 --> 00:23:03.529 more. And I think that's one of the things that 00:23:03.529 --> 00:23:06.369 we do at our presentations. We get people to 00:23:06.369 --> 00:23:08.309 open up and talk about it. And that's why we 00:23:08.309 --> 00:23:10.250 often get hundreds of letters after a presentation 00:23:10.250 --> 00:23:13.190 from students with a common theme is this changed 00:23:13.190 --> 00:23:15.670 my life. But we also get students that finally 00:23:15.670 --> 00:23:17.569 have opened up about something they're feeling 00:23:17.569 --> 00:23:19.650 or going through that otherwise would not talk 00:23:19.650 --> 00:23:23.289 about this because it's like a volcano. And sooner 00:23:23.289 --> 00:23:25.210 or later, that volcano erupts. And many times 00:23:25.210 --> 00:23:26.750 it erupts in negative behavior. It could lead 00:23:26.750 --> 00:23:29.869 to alcohol, drugs, could lead to horrible relationships 00:23:29.869 --> 00:23:32.849 with your spouse or your family or your parents. 00:23:33.329 --> 00:23:35.650 And it could lead to self -harm, burning, cutting 00:23:35.650 --> 00:23:38.170 yourself, or at worst case, the suicidal thoughts 00:23:38.170 --> 00:23:40.930 or taking your life. And that's why it's so important. 00:23:41.109 --> 00:23:42.930 It is not a sign of weakness. I think it's a 00:23:42.930 --> 00:23:45.450 sign of strength to say, hey, man, I'm going 00:23:45.450 --> 00:23:47.369 through a really hard time. I need some help. 00:23:47.569 --> 00:23:49.910 We've all been there before. I'm the first one 00:23:49.910 --> 00:23:52.730 to admit, man, that... There was a time in my 00:23:52.730 --> 00:23:54.490 life that I wanted to end it all after losing 00:23:54.490 --> 00:23:57.430 my family and my ex -wife walking out the door. 00:23:58.210 --> 00:24:02.130 I just felt there was no reason to continue. 00:24:02.509 --> 00:24:06.910 All the years I lived were the best years I already 00:24:06.910 --> 00:24:08.910 had. Nothing's going to ever be good for me in 00:24:08.910 --> 00:24:12.380 my life, and I just wanted to end it all. thankful 00:24:12.380 --> 00:24:15.079 every day. I just am so thankful I didn't end 00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:17.559 my life. I never would have known all the great 00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:20.359 things that were coming, you know, a new marriage, 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:23.660 new friends, a purpose. Oh my gosh, every day 00:24:23.660 --> 00:24:25.839 I have a reason to get up in the morning and 00:24:25.839 --> 00:24:28.519 go and present at a school, a church, a corporation, 00:24:28.700 --> 00:24:31.039 but I never would have known that. I never would 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:32.440 have known all the great things that God had 00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:34.200 for me in my life. Just like anybody that's listening 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:37.099 to this, man, don't ever give up hope. You know, 00:24:37.140 --> 00:24:39.789 it's... I think hope is so important to have 00:24:39.789 --> 00:24:42.309 every day, dreaming big, you know, and many times 00:24:42.309 --> 00:24:44.869 as adults, we feel like, you know, those were 00:24:44.869 --> 00:24:47.930 the days. No, these are the days, man. These 00:24:47.930 --> 00:24:49.970 are the days that we could learn from past mistakes. 00:24:50.029 --> 00:24:52.109 We could learn from maybe failed relationships. 00:24:52.150 --> 00:24:54.589 We could learn from things in our life that say, 00:24:54.730 --> 00:24:56.869 hey, let's do something a little different, you 00:24:56.869 --> 00:24:59.970 know, and rekindle a relationship with an old 00:24:59.970 --> 00:25:01.589 family member we haven't talked to, you know, 00:25:01.609 --> 00:25:04.150 start a business, write a book, do something 00:25:04.150 --> 00:25:06.029 that's all you've always dreamed about doing. 00:25:06.940 --> 00:25:08.680 Those weren't the days. The rest of your life 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:11.460 will be the best of your life. And you have to 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:14.440 believe that. And I think that's what's so important 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:17.539 now in my life is that anybody listening to this 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:20.740 right now, please, we all go through adversity. 00:25:20.839 --> 00:25:25.160 Man, I've been there. I've been down that dark 00:25:25.160 --> 00:25:29.839 path. I can only say this, and I promise you, 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:32.819 don't give up. It will get better. After every 00:25:32.819 --> 00:25:36.519 storm, the sun will eventually shine. It will 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:39.619 eventually shine. Well, thank you, Mark, for 00:25:39.619 --> 00:25:41.259 those words. I'm sure that's going to resonate 00:25:41.259 --> 00:25:44.579 with a lot of people. I know your time is short, 00:25:44.660 --> 00:25:45.740 so I'm going to wrap up with just a couple more 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:50.210 questions. You are addressing... um on one side 00:25:50.210 --> 00:25:53.089 the the people who are receiving end of bullying 00:25:53.089 --> 00:25:56.930 now i am just disgusted and blown away you know 00:25:56.930 --> 00:25:59.230 some of the videos that cross the the facebook 00:25:59.230 --> 00:26:04.150 feeds and use the youtube on uh children and 00:26:04.150 --> 00:26:05.750 grown -ups that are being bullied they're being 00:26:05.750 --> 00:26:08.710 attacked and someone's just standing there recording 00:26:08.710 --> 00:26:11.690 it other people are cheering it on what do you 00:26:11.690 --> 00:26:14.630 think makes a bully because i mean i i can't 00:26:14.630 --> 00:26:17.460 think in my wildest dreams of me ever being anyone 00:26:17.460 --> 00:26:19.400 other than the person throwing myself in between 00:26:19.400 --> 00:26:22.460 even if you know heaven forbid something bad 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:24.259 happened to me that's another human being being 00:26:24.259 --> 00:26:26.440 attacked and yeah they could die at the end of 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:29.940 it so what what are you seeing the other side 00:26:29.940 --> 00:26:32.680 of how maybe these kids are being raised or educated 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:36.200 to become these these these negative you know 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:39.500 bullies you know that's a it's a great question 00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:42.000 and more important though we just had this election 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:44.700 and more important than who's in the white house 00:26:45.339 --> 00:26:47.859 It's who's in our house. What are our parents 00:26:47.859 --> 00:26:50.180 doing? What are we teaching our kids? What is 00:26:50.180 --> 00:26:53.200 social media showing? You know, I mean, we look 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:55.480 today, what are our role models? The housewives 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:57.940 of Orange County? You see parents and adults 00:26:57.940 --> 00:27:00.380 act like fools? You know, the way they swear 00:27:00.380 --> 00:27:03.839 and scream and fight each other and that's cool? 00:27:04.519 --> 00:27:07.480 What are we, how are we raising this next generation? 00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:10.039 You know, it takes some really strong people 00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:11.980 to say that's wrong. That's not how you treat 00:27:11.980 --> 00:27:14.440 people. You know, bullies are really insecure 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:17.829 people. They get their joy out of other people 00:27:17.829 --> 00:27:22.589 laughing or jumping on their bandwagon on how 00:27:22.589 --> 00:27:25.990 they treat someone or a power struggle that they 00:27:25.990 --> 00:27:28.809 need to be powerful because they're stronger 00:27:28.809 --> 00:27:30.950 than this other person. They can take advantage 00:27:30.950 --> 00:27:33.529 of that person. That's a really insecure person. 00:27:33.730 --> 00:27:36.269 And it's really sad because one thing I notice 00:27:36.269 --> 00:27:39.109 about, and a lot of times parents bring their 00:27:39.109 --> 00:27:40.710 kids over here and I meet with parents and their 00:27:40.710 --> 00:27:42.890 kids. And one thing I realized about bullies 00:27:42.890 --> 00:27:46.349 is... They've often been bullied or hurt in their 00:27:46.349 --> 00:27:49.049 life and they find someone a little weaker than 00:27:49.049 --> 00:27:50.890 them or someone that they could pick on that 00:27:50.890 --> 00:27:54.190 maybe isn't fighting back. And it's like, you 00:27:54.190 --> 00:27:56.890 know, it's a way of getting even with someone 00:27:56.890 --> 00:28:00.430 that they couldn't fight back against. But oftentimes 00:28:00.430 --> 00:28:03.009 bullies are very insecure people and they often 00:28:03.009 --> 00:28:05.289 end up sitting here in my office crying and saying 00:28:05.289 --> 00:28:07.849 how sorry they are because they don't often realize 00:28:07.849 --> 00:28:10.089 what words or actions can do to another person 00:28:10.089 --> 00:28:12.750 because you never know what someone else is going 00:28:12.750 --> 00:28:14.839 through in their life. Maybe their parents are 00:28:14.839 --> 00:28:16.599 going through divorce. Maybe there's been a death 00:28:16.599 --> 00:28:20.039 in their family. Maybe they go on a medical issue 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:21.859 that we know nothing about, or they lost their 00:28:21.859 --> 00:28:24.759 pet or something that they're so traumatized 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:26.660 by. And all of a sudden they hear, you're ugly, 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:29.039 you're stupid, you're worthless. And then that 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:30.940 becomes a moment in their life. They're like, 00:28:31.039 --> 00:28:33.079 I don't want to be here no more. Again, when 00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:35.019 we talk about that moment, that if you can take 00:28:35.019 --> 00:28:37.279 it back, and that becomes the moment that they 00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:39.819 may end their life, all because of words. And 00:28:39.819 --> 00:28:43.920 we're seeing this more and more. I often tell 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:45.559 students, man, if you're sitting around watching 00:28:45.559 --> 00:28:48.140 a kid bully, you're just as guilty. Man, stand 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:50.259 up and just say, hey, come on, leave them alone. 00:28:50.420 --> 00:28:51.960 They're my friend. You know how much that would 00:28:51.960 --> 00:28:54.339 mean to that person? You know, they may remember 00:28:54.339 --> 00:28:56.539 that the rest of their life. They may become, 00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:58.920 you know, old and gray and they'll remember the 00:28:58.920 --> 00:29:00.759 day that someone said, hey, leave them alone. 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:03.119 They're my friend. Because no one else was sticking 00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:05.319 up for that person, you know? Or seeing these 00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:09.839 kids that eat alone at lunch or because their 00:29:09.839 --> 00:29:12.160 lifestyle is different than somebody else's. 00:29:12.930 --> 00:29:15.170 or they're a different color, or whatever it 00:29:15.170 --> 00:29:18.210 would be, it just breaks my heart. Because the 00:29:18.210 --> 00:29:20.289 one thing that, love is the greatest gift that 00:29:20.289 --> 00:29:23.450 God's ever given us. And when you love on someone 00:29:23.450 --> 00:29:26.529 and you make them feel special, and that's what 00:29:26.529 --> 00:29:27.970 I, when I go to these schools, man, those are 00:29:27.970 --> 00:29:30.170 the kids I gravitate to. Kids that maybe are 00:29:30.170 --> 00:29:33.569 a little different than the kids that maybe haven't 00:29:33.569 --> 00:29:36.190 marched their own drumbeat or whatever it would 00:29:36.190 --> 00:29:38.910 be, you know? I applaud those kids, man. And 00:29:38.910 --> 00:29:41.250 I just want them to know that they're listening 00:29:41.250 --> 00:29:44.390 to this podcast, that they are loved, and they're 00:29:44.390 --> 00:29:47.769 special, and they're meaningful, and they're 00:29:47.769 --> 00:29:52.890 just so needed in this world. And don't ever 00:29:52.890 --> 00:29:57.670 give up. Don't ever, ever give up. Yeah, I agree 00:29:57.670 --> 00:30:02.309 completely. There's one word that I use to raise 00:30:02.309 --> 00:30:04.730 my son, and that's kindness. And that resonates 00:30:04.730 --> 00:30:07.390 with me. Every area. I mean, I point out even 00:30:07.390 --> 00:30:09.109 when we're driving, you know, if someone's riding 00:30:09.109 --> 00:30:11.650 your ass in a car, are they being kind? No, because 00:30:11.650 --> 00:30:13.109 if we have to stand on our brakes, they're going 00:30:13.109 --> 00:30:15.150 to kill whoever's in the backseat. You know, 00:30:15.170 --> 00:30:18.950 I mean, every area. But being kind feels so good. 00:30:19.109 --> 00:30:21.690 Being a bully can't feel good. As soon as you 00:30:21.690 --> 00:30:23.630 walk away and those kids stop cheering or stop 00:30:23.630 --> 00:30:26.809 laughing. And, you know, I think I train him 00:30:26.809 --> 00:30:30.150 to be the one that steps up. And luckily he does 00:30:30.150 --> 00:30:31.589 jujitsu as well because he needs to have some 00:30:31.589 --> 00:30:35.640 skills. Good for him. But yeah, I mean, you need 00:30:35.640 --> 00:30:37.460 to be the wolf, not the sheep. I don't mean a 00:30:37.460 --> 00:30:39.539 wolf in a negative way, but you need to separate 00:30:39.539 --> 00:30:41.680 yourself from the flock. And if all the kids 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:44.180 are jeering, you might be the one that you said 00:30:44.180 --> 00:30:46.980 to turn the flock. And now the bully's isolated 00:30:46.980 --> 00:30:50.579 and you've sent a positive message instead of 00:30:50.579 --> 00:30:52.380 a negative one. But I think you're right. Social 00:30:52.380 --> 00:30:56.400 media is, I'm sure it's a small percentage of 00:30:56.400 --> 00:30:59.319 human beings, but... Just like the news, you 00:30:59.319 --> 00:31:02.200 get the false impression that most people are 00:31:02.200 --> 00:31:04.480 like that. If you see a school fight, you should 00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:06.619 all get your cell phone out and laugh and jeer 00:31:06.619 --> 00:31:09.980 and put it on instead of stepping up and being 00:31:09.980 --> 00:31:13.019 the one with real courage and separate it and 00:31:13.019 --> 00:31:16.559 tell the person that's not right. I can't agree. 00:31:16.660 --> 00:31:18.859 There's no greater joy than helping someone else. 00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:21.160 And that's what I found in my life and what I 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:25.759 do. I love helping these kids, especially kids 00:31:25.759 --> 00:31:28.180 that are going through adversity or being bullied 00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:30.420 or abused in some way. Those are the kids that, 00:31:30.460 --> 00:31:34.380 man, I live to help those kids. And I want to 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:37.839 encourage other kids to stand up and realize 00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:40.099 that their joy in their life is going to be helping 00:31:40.099 --> 00:31:42.380 someone else. Well, thank you. And I hope that 00:31:42.380 --> 00:31:44.859 platform will be accepted no matter what their 00:31:44.859 --> 00:31:48.960 age. All right, so to wrap up then, so where 00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:50.940 can people find your work? How can they book 00:31:50.940 --> 00:31:53.240 you? Oh man, just go to our website, which is 00:31:53.240 --> 00:31:58.000 thinkpoz .org, thinkpoz .org. And you can always 00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:01.160 find me on Facebook under Mark, Mark is with 00:32:01.160 --> 00:32:04.039 a C, M -A -R -C -M -E -R -O. And I have my own 00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:06.859 Facebook page, Mark Merrill page. All right. 00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:08.359 Well, thank you so much for your time. I'm sure 00:32:08.359 --> 00:32:10.480 it's going to resonate with the grownups and 00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:12.539 certainly with every parent out there, you know, 00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:14.380 keeping an eye on their kids and their kids' 00:32:14.460 --> 00:32:16.039 friends and everyone else that they interact 00:32:16.039 --> 00:32:19.440 with. And a special shout out to the first responders, 00:32:19.579 --> 00:32:23.000 man. This world would be empty without you guys. 00:32:23.400 --> 00:32:26.599 You know, sometimes I see some of our police 00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:28.940 officers or first responders, whoever painted 00:32:28.940 --> 00:32:31.220 with one brush. And I got to tell you something, 00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:33.579 man. You have no idea what this world will be 00:32:33.579 --> 00:32:36.200 like without you guys. I cannot thank you enough 00:32:36.200 --> 00:32:40.079 for your efforts, your tireless efforts to save 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:42.960 lives, not only in my community, but all over 00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:45.039 the United States. Thank you, guys, and I love 00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:47.640 you. All right. Thank you so much, Mark. We appreciate 00:32:47.640 --> 00:32:51.980 your time, and good luck with your 2017. Thank 00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:52.160 you.