WEBVTT 00:00:00.909 --> 00:00:03.649 Welcome to Leveling Up with Lindsay, the podcast 00:00:03.649 --> 00:00:05.830 where we dive into leadership, small business, 00:00:05.870 --> 00:00:08.470 and everything in between. I'm Lindsay, your 00:00:08.470 --> 00:00:10.910 host and the proud owner of White Beauty Boutique, 00:00:11.130 --> 00:00:13.910 a space created to empower women, build confidence, 00:00:14.070 --> 00:00:16.570 and foster meaningful connections. Whether you're 00:00:16.570 --> 00:00:19.350 an entrepreneur, a mom, a friend, or someone 00:00:19.350 --> 00:00:22.129 just looking for a little inspiration, this is 00:00:22.129 --> 00:00:25.230 your space to feel seen, supported, and inspired. 00:00:25.429 --> 00:00:28.390 Join me as we share stories, strategies, and 00:00:28.390 --> 00:00:30.789 a little bit of life's chaos while While navigating 00:00:30.789 --> 00:00:33.350 what it truly means to level up in starting a 00:00:33.350 --> 00:00:35.829 business, relationship, and personal growth. 00:00:36.189 --> 00:00:39.130 So grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let's 00:00:39.130 --> 00:00:43.729 level up together. On today's episode, we're 00:00:43.729 --> 00:00:46.090 going to talk about just being yourself and how 00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:48.850 authenticity plays a role in business, leadership, 00:00:49.109 --> 00:00:52.070 and service. So I am so excited to introduce 00:00:52.070 --> 00:00:54.770 Benjamin Barrett here with me, who is a financial 00:00:54.770 --> 00:00:58.390 advisor, an active board member on the Indy Foundation, 00:00:58.770 --> 00:01:01.789 and an inspiring leader in our community. Welcome. 00:01:01.950 --> 00:01:03.729 Thank you for being here. Thank you for having 00:01:03.729 --> 00:01:06.010 me. I appreciate it. If there's anything about 00:01:06.010 --> 00:01:09.329 Ben, we've known each other for a few years now. 00:01:09.579 --> 00:01:12.060 And from different roles and different things. 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:15.219 But if there's one thing that I love the most 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:17.599 about Ben, what he brings to the table in his 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:20.700 work, in his service and his leadership is you 00:01:20.700 --> 00:01:23.700 really lead with heart and passion. That's for 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:25.299 sure. All right, Ben, can you share a little 00:01:25.299 --> 00:01:27.500 bit about your background? Let's talk about financial 00:01:27.500 --> 00:01:30.140 advising first. What led you to your career? 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:32.599 What led me to my career? It's super interesting 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:36.599 question because I left home at 18 to go play 00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:39.129 football. I went to college. But the primary 00:01:39.129 --> 00:01:41.549 thing was I was going to go play football. And 00:01:41.549 --> 00:01:44.170 I started with a degree in business and I didn't 00:01:44.170 --> 00:01:46.209 know exactly where that was going to lead. And 00:01:46.209 --> 00:01:48.549 of all things, I failed a course in accounting. 00:01:48.909 --> 00:01:50.590 So I walked into my guidance counselor's office 00:01:50.590 --> 00:01:52.650 and I said, I'm done. I quit. I'm going home. 00:01:52.790 --> 00:01:55.349 I'm taking my ball. I'm going home. And her name's 00:01:55.349 --> 00:01:58.189 Ellen Schultz, still huge with me today. But 00:01:58.189 --> 00:02:00.530 she said, no, you're not. You didn't fail because 00:02:00.530 --> 00:02:03.069 you're dumb. You failed because you didn't try. 00:02:03.829 --> 00:02:07.109 And through that conversation, I got a double 00:02:07.109 --> 00:02:10.750 major in finance and economics, and fell in love 00:02:10.750 --> 00:02:14.129 with telling the story of how to achieve your 00:02:14.129 --> 00:02:18.150 goals through money. That's powerful. I was a 00:02:18.150 --> 00:02:21.110 great advisor, honestly, too. She really helped 00:02:21.110 --> 00:02:24.669 with your entire journey, right? I was very well 00:02:24.669 --> 00:02:26.949 prepared to quit college and go be a construction 00:02:26.949 --> 00:02:28.310 worker. Nothing wrong with being a construction 00:02:28.310 --> 00:02:30.370 worker. Absolutely. But that's where I was headed. 00:02:30.610 --> 00:02:34.389 So you graduate college. Then what happened next? 00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:36.900 then I had to go find a job. And I couldn't find 00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:40.080 one. Really? Yeah. So I did what I do now, which 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:41.960 is I picked up the phone. And I started calling 00:02:41.960 --> 00:02:44.939 everybody I knew that had a job in the financial 00:02:44.939 --> 00:02:46.860 realm. I picked up the phone to somebody I had 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:48.979 actually written a paper about in college. And 00:02:48.979 --> 00:02:50.219 he said, Ben, you're going to hate this job. 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:52.419 But I got a job for you. I said, that's fine. 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:54.360 Just give me a job. Give me anything. And he 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:56.460 got me there. And I moved up the ladder quick. 00:02:56.539 --> 00:02:58.759 I was being a consultant to financial advisors. 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:01.400 They would say, hey, Ben, I've got a guy. And 00:03:01.400 --> 00:03:03.770 I would go find the solution. Like you connect 00:03:03.770 --> 00:03:06.689 the people. I would connect the dots for them. 00:03:06.849 --> 00:03:09.169 I love that. That makes sense with your personality 00:03:09.169 --> 00:03:13.129 too. I saw great financial advisors. I saw average 00:03:13.129 --> 00:03:15.409 financial advisors and I saw ones that I never 00:03:15.409 --> 00:03:18.110 wanted to be. A lot to learn from. And then with 00:03:18.110 --> 00:03:20.389 the good, the bad, I bet you learned a lot too. 00:03:20.569 --> 00:03:22.969 So with what you learned from those, I'm sure 00:03:22.969 --> 00:03:25.389 there's some you looked up to and some that maybe 00:03:25.389 --> 00:03:27.449 you wouldn't. Like tell me about that learning 00:03:27.449 --> 00:03:30.069 process a little bit. It was so interesting because 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:33.580 You could see when people were being true to 00:03:33.580 --> 00:03:36.240 who they were and true to their clients, they 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:38.340 did things for the right reason. And it was never 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:42.340 a sale to them. I know Jimmy and Susie so well 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:44.539 that I'm going to put the best thing in front 00:03:44.539 --> 00:03:47.520 of them, just like it was my mom or my dad. That's 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.360 amazing. I have actually coached sales and flipping 00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:53.330 the script in my earlier career. We were very 00:03:53.330 --> 00:03:55.530 successful in what that looked like was it wasn't 00:03:55.530 --> 00:03:57.710 about the sales. It was about the people connecting 00:03:57.710 --> 00:04:00.090 that really it's home for me. And that's a whole 00:04:00.090 --> 00:04:02.389 different topic I could talk about for a long 00:04:02.389 --> 00:04:05.449 time. I think it's a great thing because it's 00:04:05.449 --> 00:04:07.750 genuine. When you want to get to know people, 00:04:07.750 --> 00:04:09.909 when you want to connect people, there's something 00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:12.150 really powerful about that. When, like you said, 00:04:12.210 --> 00:04:14.050 when you're doing business the right way, tell 00:04:14.050 --> 00:04:16.350 me a little bit about that authenticity. How 00:04:16.350 --> 00:04:18.730 does that help? Authenticity is something that 00:04:18.730 --> 00:04:21.689 I struggled with when I left being a consultant. 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:24.680 and became an advisor, I struggled with it because 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:27.120 I wanted to emulate the people I wanted to be 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:30.500 and I forgot who I was. Through the process of 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:32.920 being a financial advisor, you had to figure 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:35.459 out is it about a sale? Is it about money? Where 00:04:35.459 --> 00:04:37.759 is it? And like you said, to start the podcast, 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:40.490 I lead with passion. If I'm not passionate about 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:42.870 what we're talking about, everybody can see right 00:04:42.870 --> 00:04:44.910 through me. Yeah, it's funny. When you lead, 00:04:45.069 --> 00:04:47.290 I look at you and I always like to say I'm an 00:04:47.290 --> 00:04:49.470 open book. And I kind of feel that with you a 00:04:49.470 --> 00:04:51.550 lot too. Like what you see is what you're going 00:04:51.550 --> 00:04:54.410 to get. I love seeing the real, true Ben. And 00:04:54.410 --> 00:04:57.269 I think you shine brighter because of it. I always 00:04:57.269 --> 00:05:01.250 say when you can bring to the table. Like you 00:05:01.250 --> 00:05:03.670 hone in on your strengths, what you believe in 00:05:03.670 --> 00:05:06.250 and your core values. And when you bring that 00:05:06.250 --> 00:05:08.689 to the table and how you do business or lead 00:05:08.689 --> 00:05:12.889 in the community or as a parent or as a spouse, 00:05:13.310 --> 00:05:15.550 when you hone in on those values and strengths, 00:05:16.170 --> 00:05:18.250 everything else is better because of it. And 00:05:18.250 --> 00:05:20.750 I feel like the universe listens and you know, 00:05:21.009 --> 00:05:23.209 the universe brings people to you that should 00:05:23.209 --> 00:05:25.519 be in your circle. And it's unique because it 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:28.639 took me a while. What you're saying is, I don't 00:05:28.639 --> 00:05:30.839 have to be everybody's cup of tea. I have to 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:33.319 be me. What I've found is that I don't have to 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:35.459 be everybody's cup of tea, but I do have to be 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:38.430 me. And I have to do things the way I do them 00:05:38.430 --> 00:05:41.350 and be authentic to me to bring the people I 00:05:41.350 --> 00:05:43.850 want to work with. I love that. There's something, 00:05:44.189 --> 00:05:46.790 part of the reason I was so excited to have been 00:05:46.790 --> 00:05:48.829 here. You had said to me, you said, Lindsay, 00:05:48.930 --> 00:05:50.870 a conversation that we had changed the trajectory 00:05:50.870 --> 00:05:53.649 of my career. And I don't remember you said that 00:05:53.649 --> 00:05:55.810 we were kind of in the run doing, I don't know 00:05:55.810 --> 00:05:57.670 if it was India or what it was. I was like, what 00:05:57.670 --> 00:05:59.569 does that mean? Talk a little bit about that 00:05:59.569 --> 00:06:02.889 because it was so simple and something that I 00:06:02.889 --> 00:06:06.019 even overlook sometimes like. how important it 00:06:06.019 --> 00:06:08.439 is, but talk a little bit about that. I love 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:11.160 it. I can remember the night incredibly vividly. 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:13.379 We were sitting at the Witt Gallery. I had a 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:15.579 panel discussion with multiple entrepreneurs. 00:06:16.100 --> 00:06:18.920 And you were on it. Your passion for your business 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:21.839 was so high that night. And you were so proud 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:23.920 of everything that white peony had accomplished. 00:06:24.300 --> 00:06:27.540 Me sitting in a chair watching you guys, I felt. 00:06:27.790 --> 00:06:30.250 I just want to be them. And I'm trying so hard 00:06:30.250 --> 00:06:32.269 and I'm working all the hours, making all the 00:06:32.269 --> 00:06:33.910 phone calls, and I couldn't figure it out. As 00:06:33.910 --> 00:06:35.949 I left that event, you walked out at the same 00:06:35.949 --> 00:06:37.610 time as me. I stopped you on the street and I 00:06:37.610 --> 00:06:40.250 said, Lindsay, great job, but how do you do it? 00:06:40.870 --> 00:06:43.290 What advice would you have for somebody starting 00:06:43.290 --> 00:06:45.769 out that doesn't feel like they are enough? And 00:06:45.769 --> 00:06:47.769 you looked at me and you said, just be yourself. 00:06:48.230 --> 00:06:49.910 Easiest thing in the world to do, but to me it 00:06:49.910 --> 00:06:52.050 was profound. From that night forward, my business 00:06:52.050 --> 00:06:54.389 took off like a rocket ship. I love that. Honestly, 00:06:54.389 --> 00:06:56.589 as an outsider, getting to know you a little 00:06:56.589 --> 00:07:00.129 bit then through the last few years, I would 00:07:00.129 --> 00:07:02.769 agree. I see Benjamin Barrett in the community 00:07:02.769 --> 00:07:05.970 doing what you love. And I can feel the passion. 00:07:06.310 --> 00:07:10.990 I can see the genuine you. I am so lucky to work 00:07:10.990 --> 00:07:13.750 alongside Ben at the Andy Foundation on the board 00:07:13.750 --> 00:07:16.550 of directors. And we can get on these kicks with 00:07:16.550 --> 00:07:19.029 conversation about how passionate we are on certain 00:07:19.029 --> 00:07:21.939 topics. But it's genuine, it is very genuine 00:07:21.939 --> 00:07:23.779 and we often get on these topics and I think 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:26.839 it's really fun and fulfilling. My wife always 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:28.500 tells me when I go to an indie event, she's like, 00:07:28.620 --> 00:07:30.040 you're so much of a better man when you come 00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:32.980 back. It's because it is what I genuinely love 00:07:32.980 --> 00:07:35.680 to do. I get to help people every single day. 00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:38.819 And is my job at the Indy Foundation to help 00:07:38.819 --> 00:07:41.560 spread the word of us? Absolutely. So tell me 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:44.079 a little bit like having said that, how do you 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:47.699 think just being yourself translates into leadership? 00:07:47.899 --> 00:07:51.180 So you said your career took off, you come home 00:07:51.180 --> 00:07:53.300 a better person being part of any foundation, 00:07:53.819 --> 00:07:56.500 so just being yourself and truly honing in on 00:07:56.500 --> 00:07:59.019 what makes Ben Ben, translate that into leadership. 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:02.120 Every room you walk into, you have eyes on you. 00:08:02.259 --> 00:08:04.319 Doesn't matter who you are, people are watching 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:07.560 you. When you're true to who you are, your shoulders 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:10.000 are lifted up, you're rolled back, your head 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:12.759 is held high, and people know that the words 00:08:12.759 --> 00:08:15.939 that come out of your mouth... are true and honest. 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:18.939 And genuine. And genuine. When those words come 00:08:18.939 --> 00:08:22.060 out and people can see it in your body language 00:08:22.060 --> 00:08:24.959 as well as your words, they listen. You're influencing. 00:08:25.160 --> 00:08:28.639 You can't fake confidence. I agree. I guess technically 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:30.750 you can for a little bit. But in the long run, 00:08:30.889 --> 00:08:33.029 people will find it. You're right. You can fake 00:08:33.029 --> 00:08:35.090 it till you make it on a day to day, you know? 00:08:35.389 --> 00:08:38.289 On a day or a moment. Like, fake it till you 00:08:38.289 --> 00:08:40.950 make it is a strong phrase. But actually, contrary 00:08:40.950 --> 00:08:43.450 to fake it till you make it, it's like you work 00:08:43.450 --> 00:08:46.029 and you show up. Fake it till you make it is 00:08:46.029 --> 00:08:49.889 one thing. But honestly, it is. that authenticity 00:08:49.889 --> 00:08:53.929 that truly matters. And sometimes you have to 00:08:53.929 --> 00:08:57.149 be vulnerable and open and honest. Say like, 00:08:57.309 --> 00:08:59.830 you know, today is an off day or I don't have 00:08:59.830 --> 00:09:03.190 that answer for you or I'm not to that level 00:09:03.190 --> 00:09:05.730 yet, but I'm going to get there. So tell me like 00:09:05.730 --> 00:09:08.629 with your business and that journey and growing 00:09:08.629 --> 00:09:11.850 in your business and leadership and just gaining 00:09:11.850 --> 00:09:14.049 confidence, what does that look like? Everything, 00:09:14.250 --> 00:09:16.529 every opportunity and everything that I say I 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:18.730 don't know to. or let me find that answer out 00:09:18.730 --> 00:09:21.830 for you is an opportunity. You either get to 00:09:21.830 --> 00:09:24.210 make up something that you don't know is 100 00:09:24.210 --> 00:09:27.690 % as accurate or you can go back and find it 00:09:27.690 --> 00:09:29.889 and learn it. You're not going to become a master 00:09:29.889 --> 00:09:33.190 overnight. Go learn it and deliver it with confidence. 00:09:33.590 --> 00:09:36.830 It is the work that you do. So, you know, being 00:09:36.830 --> 00:09:38.330 authentic and genuine. I'm going to repeat that 00:09:38.330 --> 00:09:41.029 many times throughout this interview is one thing. 00:09:41.450 --> 00:09:42.889 We just talked a little bit about fake it to 00:09:42.889 --> 00:09:45.269 make it, but actually it's not that it's putting 00:09:45.269 --> 00:09:48.909 the work in. I think to step up to the plate 00:09:48.909 --> 00:09:52.990 and your most confident self first is honing 00:09:52.990 --> 00:09:54.690 in on your values and your strengths and what 00:09:54.690 --> 00:09:57.690 that looks like is doing the work. one foot in 00:09:57.690 --> 00:10:00.389 front of the other. It's the work done to build 00:10:00.389 --> 00:10:04.090 your own confidence, to build your own background 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:06.169 in whatever career that looks like or whatever 00:10:06.169 --> 00:10:09.389 you're doing. It's to do the work and your personal 00:10:09.389 --> 00:10:12.690 life as well. Don't you agree? Absolutely. You 00:10:12.690 --> 00:10:14.409 have to do the work in your personal life. You 00:10:14.409 --> 00:10:16.529 have to do the work. So at the end of the day, 00:10:16.889 --> 00:10:19.409 you show your growth when the lights turn on. 00:10:19.549 --> 00:10:21.629 You're not going to be a master at what you do 00:10:21.629 --> 00:10:25.110 right away. Nobody's asking you to be that, but 00:10:25.110 --> 00:10:27.409 what they are telling you. Is it the work you 00:10:27.409 --> 00:10:29.669 do in the dark shows up when the lights are on? 00:10:30.009 --> 00:10:32.330 A hundred percent. Let me ask you this. What 00:10:32.330 --> 00:10:34.509 advice would you give to someone who feels pressure 00:10:34.509 --> 00:10:37.549 to fit in instead of embracing their true self? 00:10:37.929 --> 00:10:39.730 Like for someone with your journey and wanting 00:10:39.730 --> 00:10:42.610 to fit in wanting to be that picture of what 00:10:42.610 --> 00:10:45.129 you thought a financial advisor had to be at 00:10:45.129 --> 00:10:48.009 that point. What advice would you give to someone 00:10:48.009 --> 00:10:51.190 to embrace their true self and really hone in 00:10:51.190 --> 00:10:55.340 on their confidence? Remember who you are. Why 00:10:55.340 --> 00:10:58.100 you started the journey your why that's a good 00:10:58.100 --> 00:11:00.220 one Just because you emulate somebody and just 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:02.279 because you look up to somebody we all have our 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:07.600 flaws. Mm -hmm. Absolutely So be you and be true 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:10.399 to you because people will follow when you're 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:12.720 being true. I love that Let's talk a little bit. 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:14.500 I didn't even have this in my mind. So you just 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:17.039 said this but I do love it We all have our flaws 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:19.740 and sometimes that's a little scary and you're 00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:22.340 vulnerable and this and that and tell me like 00:11:22.759 --> 00:11:25.539 day -to -day in your career, in your personal 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:28.159 life, there are hiccups. Like how do you manage 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:29.980 that? Cause you know, as a financial advisor 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:35.639 too, as a dad, as a dad, as a husband, how do 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:37.940 you manage that and still lead with confidence? 00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:40.539 When it comes to my flaws or things that I've 00:11:40.539 --> 00:11:43.039 made a mistake on, I am the first one to tell 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:47.379 you that's my fault. I don't hide from anything. 00:11:47.500 --> 00:11:50.080 So I have employees, right? Even if my employee 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.899 makes a mistake, that's my fault. I'm not one 00:11:52.899 --> 00:11:55.340 to ever shy away from that because we need to 00:11:55.340 --> 00:11:57.480 make it right. I think you can always make something 00:11:57.480 --> 00:12:00.379 right. But I think it's very important to be 00:12:00.379 --> 00:12:04.659 real and honest. And it's OK. I think the greatest 00:12:04.659 --> 00:12:08.419 leaders own up to mistakes. Absolutely. I think 00:12:08.419 --> 00:12:10.059 the greatest people, we've talked about this 00:12:10.059 --> 00:12:12.740 in other podcast episodes, but to be very mindful 00:12:12.740 --> 00:12:16.299 of forever and continuing your own development, 00:12:16.379 --> 00:12:20.059 but also you're very mindful of, you know, the 00:12:20.059 --> 00:12:22.720 mistakes or maybe shortfalls. I think there's 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:26.279 always room to learn from little hiccups and 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:29.360 then to grow from that. There's a lot of lessons 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:31.360 learned that I think make us the people we are 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:35.029 today. Correct. And I think the flaws are what 00:12:35.029 --> 00:12:38.070 make things who we are, right? Yeah. This might 00:12:38.070 --> 00:12:40.590 be breaking free from the podcast while my grandfather 00:12:40.590 --> 00:12:43.850 was buried. We had to go get a cremation box. 00:12:44.269 --> 00:12:47.470 And we walked through, and we saw this one in 00:12:47.470 --> 00:12:49.809 the back. It had scuffs. It was bronze. You could 00:12:49.809 --> 00:12:52.389 see that was supposed to be beautiful, but it 00:12:52.389 --> 00:12:54.590 had obviously fallen off the truck. And it had 00:12:54.590 --> 00:12:56.570 scrapes and scratches. And every one of us looked 00:12:56.570 --> 00:12:59.059 at each other and we'd go, that's his. Really? 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:03.159 That's awesome. Because our lives put scratches 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:06.620 in us and we change and we get better, but that's 00:13:06.620 --> 00:13:10.259 who makes us us. Yeah, your legacy. Your legacy 00:13:10.259 --> 00:13:13.299 is built. I didn't even think legacy was going 00:13:13.299 --> 00:13:15.120 to come part of this, but I love that you had. 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:18.039 Thank you for sharing that because I do believe 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:22.279 that, you know, our confidence journey are genuine. 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:25.440 life journey. That's what our legacy is about. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:27.720 You know, like I think it's not perfect. It's 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:30.379 not going to be perfect. And that's okay. But 00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:34.039 I do think standing confidently in thinking about 00:13:34.039 --> 00:13:36.139 what your legacy left behind is going to look 00:13:36.139 --> 00:13:37.700 like. Thank you for bringing that up because 00:13:37.700 --> 00:13:41.340 that is one of the more powerful things that 00:13:41.340 --> 00:13:44.240 I think about a lot thanks to my grandfather, 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:48.320 who is a profound individual in my life. So confidence, 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:52.879 legacy, it all matters. Here is a Common denominator, 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:55.080 I think in the world that some people don't like 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:58.259 to talk about but many people struggle with imposter 00:13:58.259 --> 00:14:01.440 syndrome Especially in leadership Ben. Have you 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:04.419 ever experienced imposter syndrome? And if so, 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:07.200 what pushed you through? Yeah, every person who's 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:08.759 pushed their comfort zone has found themselves 00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:12.299 in a position to have Imposter syndrome, right 00:14:12.299 --> 00:14:14.620 you think about the term if you feel like you're 00:14:14.620 --> 00:14:16.200 the smartest person in the room go find a new 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:18.720 room Well every time you find a new room Like, 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:20.460 you get nervous. You get nervous. And you're 00:14:20.460 --> 00:14:22.279 like, why am I here? They're so much better than 00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:23.799 me. They're so much bigger than me. Their businesses 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:26.899 are better. And for me, it's every time I found 00:14:26.899 --> 00:14:29.519 myself in that next room. I spent the last five 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:32.419 years going to find new people and have conversations 00:14:32.419 --> 00:14:35.259 and introduce myself to people and have had it. 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:37.820 But where imposter syndrome comes in, you just 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:40.539 don't feel good enough. I'm not them. They've 00:14:40.539 --> 00:14:42.820 had a business for 20 years. Their revenue is 00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:45.409 X, and mine's only Y. They do all of this great 00:14:45.409 --> 00:14:48.570 things and I just, I'm not them. Sure. And the 00:14:48.570 --> 00:14:50.710 only thing that ever pushed me through was I'm 00:14:50.710 --> 00:14:53.090 in the beginning of my story. Oh, I love that. 00:14:53.409 --> 00:14:55.950 Nobody expected me to be on chapter 20 when I'm 00:14:55.950 --> 00:14:58.389 on page five. one foot in front of the other 00:14:58.389 --> 00:15:01.570 based off what you had said the trajectory of 00:15:01.570 --> 00:15:04.269 your career is something that I hone in on with 00:15:04.269 --> 00:15:07.509 imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome for me has 00:15:07.509 --> 00:15:11.090 come in different waves and in different forms. 00:15:11.409 --> 00:15:14.370 I remember the very first day I became a loan 00:15:14.370 --> 00:15:17.509 officer at the credit union I worked at to an 00:15:17.509 --> 00:15:21.289 executive career to owning a business and actually 00:15:21.289 --> 00:15:23.309 it's something that came from my mom's advice 00:15:23.309 --> 00:15:26.350 she said Lindsay just be yourself and you know 00:15:26.350 --> 00:15:28.480 that There are times, imposter syndrome sometimes 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:30.460 will trick your brain into thinking that you're 00:15:30.460 --> 00:15:32.039 not good enough, or thinking that you're not 00:15:32.039 --> 00:15:33.980 smart enough, or funny enough, or tough enough. 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:36.159 But when my mom's like, just be yourself, and 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:38.720 they'll see. They'll see. So then I had to turn 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:40.539 to myself. I have to look in the mirror, whether 00:15:40.539 --> 00:15:41.960 you look in the mirror, and you have to think, 00:15:41.980 --> 00:15:44.600 like, what makes me unique? And this is hard. 00:15:44.740 --> 00:15:46.340 OK, I'm going to do this for myself. Actually, 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:47.899 I'm going to... Please, please. This is off the 00:15:47.899 --> 00:15:50.039 script. We don't have a script, really. But I'm 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:51.879 going to do this to myself, and then I would 00:15:51.879 --> 00:15:53.879 love you to do this to your own self. OK. So 00:15:53.879 --> 00:15:56.120 if I look in the mirror and even through young 00:15:56.120 --> 00:15:58.860 Lindsay till now, who's still young by the way, 00:15:59.059 --> 00:16:03.299 I am not old. If I look in the mirror at young 00:16:03.299 --> 00:16:06.679 Lindsay today, Lindsay, and I would say what 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:09.259 gets me through that imposter syndrome and to 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:11.720 try to hone in on like kind of turning that confidence 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:14.519 key a little bit. Here's what even unconfident 00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:17.210 Lindsay says. to myself. This is what I bring 00:16:17.210 --> 00:16:20.190 to the table. I have a huge heart. I definitely 00:16:20.190 --> 00:16:23.009 lead every day with passion, and that's something 00:16:23.009 --> 00:16:25.909 not everybody carries. I have a big heart. I 00:16:25.909 --> 00:16:29.350 want to do good things. I'm a good person. I 00:16:29.350 --> 00:16:31.929 want to make the right decisions. I'm not here 00:16:31.929 --> 00:16:34.940 to shirk. cut anybody, I'm not here to ill will 00:16:34.940 --> 00:16:38.379 anybody. I am a good person. I'm really freaking 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:41.100 motivated. Those are three things that, you know, 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:42.779 I've had to tell myself in different ways. Sometimes, 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:44.440 you know, your voice is shaky, but you're like, 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:47.679 no, I am doing the right, I'm one foot in front 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:49.480 of the other and I might not have all the answers, 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:52.139 but I am here to do the right thing, period. 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:55.139 And sometimes that's all I have to do for me 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:57.799 to kind of remind myself. And again, that was 00:16:57.799 --> 00:17:00.179 from younger Lindsay days till today through 00:17:00.179 --> 00:17:02.460 different times. I had that convoys. kind of 00:17:02.460 --> 00:17:04.440 in my head, I had to remind myself that. So if 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:06.700 you, Ben, hadn't worked yourself through a little 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:08.660 bit of imposter syndrome, whether you're looking 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:10.859 in the mirror or not, young Ben, until today, 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:12.440 what would you say to yourself? What do you bring 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:15.400 to the table? I genuinely care about people and 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:18.160 their success. I agree with that. I'm willing 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:22.380 to listen more than I talk. Love that. And that 00:17:22.380 --> 00:17:26.240 third one, at the end of the day, I want you 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:29.099 to be the best version of you. Selfless. It's 00:17:29.099 --> 00:17:31.160 not about me. My career has never been about 00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:34.730 me. It's how do I make you great? That's a really 00:17:34.730 --> 00:17:37.369 powerful leadership statement. Sometimes when 00:17:37.369 --> 00:17:39.009 you're walking in a room with someone who's been 00:17:39.009 --> 00:17:42.170 in business 20 years versus Ben, who's been in 00:17:42.170 --> 00:17:44.230 business, how long have you been? We're going 00:17:44.230 --> 00:17:46.750 on sex. Has it been? Okay. And that's a profound 00:17:46.750 --> 00:17:48.789 amount of time. It doesn't matter the timeframe, 00:17:49.109 --> 00:17:51.450 but depending on where you're at in your day, 00:17:51.569 --> 00:17:53.329 sometimes you have to remind yourself of that. 00:17:53.410 --> 00:17:56.309 And I think that really helps with your confidence. 00:17:56.730 --> 00:17:59.309 Certainly. I think you remind yourself about 00:17:59.309 --> 00:18:02.920 those three things. They stick true no matter 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:05.119 what, whether you're at a peak or a valley. If 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:06.819 you can stick to those three things and look 00:18:06.819 --> 00:18:08.339 at yourself, what do I bring to the table and 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:10.779 what am I good at? Doesn't matter industry, your 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:13.200 length of time in the business. Are you at an 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:15.359 all time high and are at an all time low? If 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:17.599 you can look at yourself and say, I care about 00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:19.920 your success. It's more about you than it is 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:22.500 about me. And I will always listen to you. Those 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:25.119 hold true in every moment in my business. And 00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:27.660 every aspect of your life. And that's my life. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:31.400 I love that. So those, you know, powerful statements 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:34.799 to kind of hone in on, but also like what habits 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:37.019 have helped you stay grounded with who you are? 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:39.460 I've got a five foot four person who won't let 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:43.380 me say anything different. My wife is my biggest 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:46.779 cheerleader, but she's also the person that whenever 00:18:46.779 --> 00:18:50.480 stray from. my authentic self. She's the first 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:52.500 one to make sure that I'm aware of that. And 00:18:52.500 --> 00:18:54.240 I would never be here without her. She's number 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:57.119 one, right? That's you can call. It's not a habit. 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:59.500 She's my wife, but that's number one. Number 00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:02.819 two is. At the end of every month, when I look 00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:04.519 at things in terms of business, at the end of 00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:06.539 every month, what did we do? What good did we 00:19:06.539 --> 00:19:08.859 do? And why did we do it? And that helps me reflect 00:19:08.859 --> 00:19:11.779 back to my three points. Sure. I love that. Surround 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:14.539 yourself with the right people, step one. And 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:16.420 kind of reflection, I think, would be great. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:18.000 Correct. If you really want to talk about it 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:20.579 in that sense, it's who do you surround yourself 00:19:20.579 --> 00:19:23.160 with? What voices are you hearing? Are you hearing 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:25.460 good voices that do things for the right reason, 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:27.539 that align with you? Or are you listening to 00:19:27.539 --> 00:19:29.880 the people that are cutting the corner? Well, 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:31.940 you always say, like, I won't cut a corner, and 00:19:31.940 --> 00:19:33.579 I'm going to do things the right way. And we 00:19:33.579 --> 00:19:36.059 have this conversation about perfection. Yes. 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:39.420 Right? Yes. But if I'm listening to somebody 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:42.839 that is not a perfectionist, or is OK with cutting 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:44.900 a corner, then I'm not going to reflect back 00:19:44.900 --> 00:19:48.480 positively on myself. OK. I like that. And I 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:50.119 kind of have my own way of where this could go, 00:19:50.259 --> 00:19:52.740 but. Team Ben, you talked about having your wife 00:19:52.740 --> 00:19:55.460 as your backbone to ground you and say, hey, 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:58.960 you, be you. But also like what, Team Ben, who 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:02.119 do you surround yourself with specifically? It's 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:05.980 a great question. One of my best mentors is a 00:20:05.980 --> 00:20:08.640 financial advisor. He's out of Oregon and I used 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:10.599 to sell to him. And when I became a financial 00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:13.720 advisor myself, he calls me at 10, 10 o 'clock 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:15.140 in the morning or two in the afternoon. It's 00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:16.940 two hour time. He either calls me at 8 AM this 00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:18.839 time or noon. And we talk on the phone probably 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:22.500 three days a week. He helps me understand what 00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:24.200 are you doing and how are you benefiting it. 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:27.619 So he's probably my number one mentor. Somebody 00:20:27.619 --> 00:20:30.640 in the same industry as myself. Then I surround 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:32.380 myself with really good business owners. Me and 00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:34.559 you talk on a regular basis. Kayla Keenan, the 00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:37.599 founder of Indy, talk on a regular basis. Wendy 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:40.380 Gilk out of Gilk Services. Oh my gosh, she is 00:20:40.380 --> 00:20:42.400 one of the best business owners I've ever met. 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:44.759 I talk to her every week. I'm going to have to 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:46.299 meet Wendy. Oh, you're going to need to meet 00:20:46.299 --> 00:20:49.000 her. She is one of the best business owners and 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:52.359 the kindest souls and so true to herself. I talk 00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:54.880 to her on a regular basis. But how I do that 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:57.500 is with flexibility. Not every person has the 00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:59.759 ability to do that. But once a week, I get together 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:02.039 with other business owners. And we have a genuine 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:04.200 conversation. What's good? What's bad? What's 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:05.779 ugly? What do we need help with? And we have 00:21:05.779 --> 00:21:07.839 these really in -depth conversations, but it 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:10.119 helps you put everything in perspective that 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:12.160 no matter your business or where you're at in 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:14.400 life, we all are dealing with the same things. 00:21:14.539 --> 00:21:16.279 You're not wrong. Actually, I was going to ask 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:19.119 you so, you know, I agree. There's nothing obviously, 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:22.359 hence the podcast that I love more than talking 00:21:22.359 --> 00:21:24.980 business with anybody. I love it. I could sit 00:21:24.980 --> 00:21:27.259 for hours and talk about leadership. I could 00:21:27.259 --> 00:21:28.799 talk about starting a business. I could talk 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:31.130 about it all, but you know, tell me a little 00:21:31.130 --> 00:21:33.430 bit about on a personal level. Who are the people 00:21:33.430 --> 00:21:35.529 that you surround yourself with? And this isn't 00:21:35.529 --> 00:21:38.829 a trick question. I'm very curious. I think it's 00:21:38.829 --> 00:21:40.809 a little different for everybody, but even for 00:21:40.809 --> 00:21:44.470 myself, I have an incredible tribe of people 00:21:44.470 --> 00:21:47.329 from all different walks of life. I think it 00:21:47.329 --> 00:21:50.609 kind of, for me, depends upon. My truest friends 00:21:50.609 --> 00:21:53.009 are the most amazing humans on earth, but you 00:21:53.009 --> 00:21:56.809 do on a personal level. I have my closest go 00:21:56.809 --> 00:21:59.769 -to best friends that you tell everything. to 00:21:59.769 --> 00:22:02.809 and look for advice. There are my group of friends 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:04.990 that I know we're going to talk about leveling 00:22:04.990 --> 00:22:08.220 up individually and on a professional level, 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:11.259 we're going to go there. Personally, I love meeting 00:22:11.259 --> 00:22:13.779 with other leaders in the area because I know 00:22:13.779 --> 00:22:16.140 that I'm going to be inspired and I know that 00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:18.200 this conversation is going to go too long. There's 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:20.519 a little bit of everything for me. I feel so 00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:23.059 grateful for just, I think everyone's tribe is 00:22:23.059 --> 00:22:25.900 a little bit different and it's kind of, I would 00:22:25.900 --> 00:22:27.720 be curious to know who you surround yourself 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:31.000 with and for someone else. That's awesome. My 00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:33.759 closest friends. are people that know everything 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:36.259 about me. But number one, why they've retained. 00:22:36.599 --> 00:22:38.599 Most of my best friends have came from college. 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:41.720 But why they've stayed my best friends is they're 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:44.319 deeply committed to their family. I love that. 00:22:44.680 --> 00:22:47.019 We're all mild workaholics. Did you all play 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:48.500 football together? We all played football together. 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:50.480 Did you? There were seven of us that lived in 00:22:50.480 --> 00:22:52.440 a five -bedroom house. Oh, boy. And we were all 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:54.720 offensive defensive linemen. Great picture. I 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:56.920 don't even want to know what that smell in that 00:22:56.920 --> 00:22:59.940 house was like. Not pretty. Not pretty. But those 00:22:59.940 --> 00:23:03.160 men, they were boys. We met as boys. We turned 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:06.720 into men. And if you look at the seven of us, 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:10.940 families first. That's crazy. Asking for something 00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:13.619 more out of our life is second. And we're all 00:23:13.619 --> 00:23:15.779 dads at this point. So we're all really good 00:23:15.779 --> 00:23:18.799 dads. So you walk into my office, that picture 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:21.720 of all of us, our wives, and our children hangs 00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:24.279 in my office. And people go, are those your brothers? 00:23:25.339 --> 00:23:27.980 Pretty much. Close. Do you guys get together? 00:23:28.319 --> 00:23:30.279 This is off a little bit of a tangent on a personal 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:31.640 level, but do you get together with all your 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:33.259 kids and wives, like all of you? Yeah, there's 00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:34.680 two of us that live in the same neighborhood. 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:37.400 Oh, really? So on Labor Day every year, we all 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:40.480 get together. And so we all get together in the 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:42.240 backyard and grill everything up, and everybody's 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:44.000 family comes together. Throwing footballs everywhere. 00:23:44.359 --> 00:23:46.599 Oh yeah. A game of wiffle ball breaks out and 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:48.720 it's very competitive. Do you guys still got 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:51.940 it? No. I love it. I don't know if I, maybe you 00:23:51.940 --> 00:23:53.960 didn't know this about you, but like I didn't 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:57.420 play sports in college, but I really wanted to. 00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:00.440 And my journey actually stopped for different 00:24:00.440 --> 00:24:02.940 reasons. But anyways, I love playing basketball. 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:06.599 That was my entire life. Growing up, 360 days 00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:08.359 of the year, I'd be playing basketball. Now my 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:10.420 children are playing sports. I did play softball. 00:24:10.460 --> 00:24:12.559 I did play volleyball. Like that was just, my 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:15.900 life was sports. And now that the kids and older 00:24:15.900 --> 00:24:19.140 it's been a while since I've really played they've 00:24:19.140 --> 00:24:21.609 stopped believing that I ever played a sport. 00:24:22.150 --> 00:24:26.049 I'm like, listen here. I am athletic. I can do 00:24:26.049 --> 00:24:29.269 this. It actually motivated me to like, okay, 00:24:29.650 --> 00:24:31.730 now it's time. I played co -ed softball for a 00:24:31.730 --> 00:24:33.789 little bit and there were a few reasons why I 00:24:33.789 --> 00:24:36.190 stopped doing some of the things, but I jokingly, 00:24:36.250 --> 00:24:39.170 but I'm so competitive. One of my old teammates, 00:24:39.509 --> 00:24:41.910 he was a college coach for a long time in a different 00:24:41.910 --> 00:24:45.180 sport and said to Haley, he said, You know, is 00:24:45.180 --> 00:24:47.779 Lindsay your mom? And she goes, yeah. And you 00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:49.420 go, she was a stud in high school. And I said, 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:53.240 see? See? I don't got it. I do not have it now. 00:24:53.259 --> 00:24:55.220 But I did, little girl. That's hilarious. No, 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:56.740 I'm just kidding. It's just kind of funny, because 00:24:56.740 --> 00:24:59.460 I think with sports, it's incredible what that 00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:02.220 does for you. Yeah. You know? That's a whole 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:04.720 other talk. But it's incredible that it has connected 00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:06.700 with you till this day. I don't necessarily know 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:09.140 if it is another talk, though. Yeah, that's true. 00:25:09.140 --> 00:25:12.259 So with sports and being your true self and where 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:14.980 that ever has come through, If you walk into 00:25:14.980 --> 00:25:18.200 a locker room with people that you have, whether 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:19.980 it was basketball that you've run killers with, 00:25:20.099 --> 00:25:22.440 or you've been out in the heat in August and 00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:26.019 on a football field, if you come in and you're 00:25:26.019 --> 00:25:28.079 lip service, and you don't believe it, and you're 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:30.539 not doing what you're supposed to be doing, you 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:33.200 can't get away with it. You're right. Do you 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:37.549 think so? You and I both lead. with very passionate 00:25:37.549 --> 00:25:39.829 hearts. We love connecting with people. Maybe 00:25:39.829 --> 00:25:42.269 that stemmed from some of our sports days growing 00:25:42.269 --> 00:25:44.529 up. Maybe that's kind of where we learned to 00:25:44.529 --> 00:25:47.450 move forward in passion. I think it is because 00:25:47.450 --> 00:25:50.170 when you're trying to lead a group of athletes, 00:25:50.329 --> 00:25:53.009 it's a complete different animal. It is. They 00:25:53.009 --> 00:25:56.630 need to know that you are fully there. And you're 00:25:56.630 --> 00:25:58.650 invested just as much as they are. Yeah. Well, 00:25:58.789 --> 00:26:01.390 that is going to be a whole. The next podcast, 00:26:01.450 --> 00:26:03.170 Ben and I are talking sports. We're going to 00:26:03.170 --> 00:26:05.869 be like our own little sports podcast. I could 00:26:05.869 --> 00:26:07.890 love that. We're down to the bottom here. All 00:26:07.890 --> 00:26:09.690 right. Here's a tricky one. I've got a good question. 00:26:09.950 --> 00:26:12.069 Ben, how do you handle moments when being yourself 00:26:12.069 --> 00:26:14.470 feels a little bit uncomfortable or risky? Have 00:26:14.470 --> 00:26:17.130 you walked in a room where you're a little bit 00:26:17.130 --> 00:26:19.529 like clammed up? It's a great question. Earlier 00:26:19.529 --> 00:26:23.369 on, I talked about how we have to go into rooms 00:26:23.369 --> 00:26:26.250 that we don't always feel comfortable in, right? 00:26:27.049 --> 00:26:29.069 And hair stands up on the back of your neck, 00:26:29.109 --> 00:26:30.869 and you're just like, oh my god, why am I here? 00:26:30.950 --> 00:26:35.109 Nervous and sweating. So is the loud, passionate, 00:26:35.430 --> 00:26:38.950 goofy, intense person going to succeed in this 00:26:38.950 --> 00:26:41.430 room? In those rooms, I don't hide who I am. 00:26:41.549 --> 00:26:45.269 But I do sit back and I observe. And I am intensely 00:26:45.269 --> 00:26:48.220 curious in those moments. Sure. I will be the 00:26:48.220 --> 00:26:51.339 first to ask 15 questions before I talk. It's 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:53.950 not to hide who I am. It's to figure out where 00:26:53.950 --> 00:26:57.269 I fit. I love that. And then I can be who I truly 00:26:57.269 --> 00:27:00.190 am. I think that's a good point. I think as an 00:27:00.190 --> 00:27:03.309 individual, as a leader, it's important to, like 00:27:03.309 --> 00:27:05.230 you said, you're really good at listening. That's 00:27:05.230 --> 00:27:08.809 a really strong skill. And that is advice I think 00:27:08.809 --> 00:27:11.509 that you and I should give to anybody. I think 00:27:11.509 --> 00:27:13.890 everyone can always work on their listening skills 00:27:13.890 --> 00:27:16.809 and become a better listener, whether we're caught 00:27:16.809 --> 00:27:19.369 up in the moment, having the best time in our 00:27:19.369 --> 00:27:22.470 lives. Personal professional or when we're going 00:27:22.470 --> 00:27:25.470 through rough patch, but it is so important to 00:27:25.470 --> 00:27:27.589 hone in on your listening skills So you're walking 00:27:27.589 --> 00:27:30.930 into room and I think that is very like it there's 00:27:30.930 --> 00:27:33.009 nothing wrong with that in any way shape or form 00:27:33.009 --> 00:27:37.089 and I think That more people would connect if 00:27:37.089 --> 00:27:39.049 everyone kind of did take a moment to listen. 00:27:39.190 --> 00:27:40.750 I like that You're mindful of it. I love that. 00:27:40.750 --> 00:27:42.569 You know that that's how you're looking at it 00:27:42.569 --> 00:27:45.599 I was just a sports camp this weekend And it 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:47.859 was like a recruitment camp and it was a D1 school. 00:27:48.259 --> 00:27:51.599 And it was a question and answer for all the 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:54.500 campers. One of the players had asked, how do 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:57.119 you handle being nervous? You know what? I thought 00:27:57.119 --> 00:27:59.960 the best answer from one of the D1 players was 00:27:59.960 --> 00:28:03.519 they have triggered their brain to think that 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:06.880 their nervous is excitement. So they said, there 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:10.319 isn't a moment that you don't step on a D1 turf 00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:13.829 or field or whatever that looks like. that you 00:28:13.829 --> 00:28:16.309 aren't playing the best of the best in all of 00:28:16.309 --> 00:28:19.269 the nation. And that goes to show, I think, with 00:28:19.269 --> 00:28:21.470 business. There isn't a moment where you as a 00:28:21.470 --> 00:28:23.309 financial advisor aren't walking into a room 00:28:23.309 --> 00:28:26.470 sitting with the best of the best. For me as 00:28:26.470 --> 00:28:28.970 a boutique owner or a leader in this community 00:28:28.970 --> 00:28:31.130 with other businesses, there isn't a moment that 00:28:31.130 --> 00:28:32.789 I'm not sitting in a room with the best of the 00:28:32.789 --> 00:28:36.630 best or the best of the best customers. So for 00:28:36.630 --> 00:28:41.500 me, I actually took this player's advice a little 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:44.140 bit. And I was like, next time I'm on stage and 00:28:44.140 --> 00:28:46.920 I'm nervous, I'm triggering this into complete 00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:49.519 excitement. And I think that is going to change 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:53.099 everything for me. But I love that you were so 00:28:53.099 --> 00:28:55.200 mindful about walking in a room and being okay 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:57.799 with saying, I'm going to listen first and then 00:28:57.799 --> 00:29:01.259 I'll find, pave my way. Well, to piggyback off 00:29:01.259 --> 00:29:03.599 what you just said about there's always the best, 00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:06.339 right? You're the best in my profession. Whether 00:29:06.339 --> 00:29:09.880 somebody's trusting me with $5 ,000, $500 ,000, 00:29:09.880 --> 00:29:12.619 or $5 million, that's a lot of money to them. 00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:16.799 And it's my job in those scary moments to be 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:19.460 someone that listens, to take my nervousness 00:29:19.460 --> 00:29:21.480 about that's their money and create excitement 00:29:21.480 --> 00:29:23.960 for them for their future. I love that. I'm going 00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:26.059 to flip the script with what you just said now. 00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:29.500 So you're talking from a financial advisor perspective 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:33.660 in the severity and the importance of dealing 00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:36.220 with someone's money. Well, as a consumer, if 00:29:36.220 --> 00:29:38.779 I were to walk into your office, I got to be 00:29:38.779 --> 00:29:41.640 honest, and I do this today. If I were to come 00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:45.500 sit down at your desk and say, I have this dollar 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:48.420 amount, I have no idea what I'm doing. Let's 00:29:48.420 --> 00:29:52.420 just say this conversation was new. And I would 00:29:52.420 --> 00:29:55.240 walk in as consumer nervous, right? I would walk 00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:57.599 in scared, I would walk in nervous. I would love 00:29:57.599 --> 00:29:59.920 to take just a little minute for you as a financial 00:29:59.920 --> 00:30:04.450 advisor to give advice. on how I, as someone 00:30:04.450 --> 00:30:06.150 coming in to sit at your desk, would work through 00:30:06.150 --> 00:30:08.849 those nerves? Great question. It's like you do 00:30:08.849 --> 00:30:11.130 a podcast for a little, or a story on it too, 00:30:11.349 --> 00:30:16.730 but you know, podcast too. Well, as a consumer 00:30:16.730 --> 00:30:18.710 coming into a financial advisor's office, I can 00:30:18.710 --> 00:30:20.910 always speak for myself, right? Is to know that 00:30:20.910 --> 00:30:22.349 we're going to ask more questions than we are 00:30:22.349 --> 00:30:24.569 going to talk. In that first encounter with you, 00:30:24.650 --> 00:30:26.529 I call it, let's lay out your medical records. 00:30:26.990 --> 00:30:29.390 So you go to your general practitioner, right? 00:30:29.509 --> 00:30:31.009 You haven't seen them in a new, let's say you 00:30:31.009 --> 00:30:33.329 moved towns. and you go to a new general practitioner, 00:30:33.470 --> 00:30:35.509 they don't know anything about you. And you come 00:30:35.509 --> 00:30:37.470 to me, you say you have a headache. They have 00:30:37.470 --> 00:30:40.009 two options. Go home, take an ad bill, or refer 00:30:40.009 --> 00:30:41.910 you to a brain surgeon. And the same is with 00:30:41.910 --> 00:30:44.150 me. I need to ask questions to figure out where 00:30:44.150 --> 00:30:46.509 you're going and to put your mind at ease about 00:30:46.509 --> 00:30:48.950 the process. What's the process look like? What's 00:30:48.950 --> 00:30:51.150 the dollar figure look like? Unpack what your 00:30:51.150 --> 00:30:55.109 goals are and unpack what your past is with money, 00:30:55.130 --> 00:30:57.769 right? I had a father who was always broke, not 00:30:57.769 --> 00:30:59.950 broke, but always said he was broke. I had the 00:30:59.950 --> 00:31:02.049 other side of my family where Either we were 00:31:02.049 --> 00:31:03.589 eating steak or eating bologna. There was no 00:31:03.589 --> 00:31:05.490 in -between. Commissioned parents. That's how 00:31:05.490 --> 00:31:09.819 it ran. So I have to unpack. what you're working 00:31:09.819 --> 00:31:12.259 towards, where we're headed, what your past is 00:31:12.259 --> 00:31:14.440 with money, and why we're here. But that's a 00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:16.480 lot of questions on my side where I'm asking 00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:19.400 for you to give me a glimpse into you so I can 00:31:19.400 --> 00:31:21.099 give you the best advice possible. So I would 00:31:21.099 --> 00:31:23.339 say, for advice of someone coming to set up your 00:31:23.339 --> 00:31:27.599 table, it's less pressure on the individual coming 00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:30.079 in and sitting down. You're alleviating the pressure 00:31:30.079 --> 00:31:33.259 on their shoulders. And you're genuinely curious 00:31:33.259 --> 00:31:35.339 on getting to know them, to connect with them, 00:31:35.960 --> 00:31:38.119 to make this process easier. If someone was going 00:31:38.119 --> 00:31:42.130 to come in, And I believe that dealing with someone's 00:31:42.130 --> 00:31:45.730 financial situation can be very scary. But I 00:31:45.730 --> 00:31:48.890 believe when you are who you are, Ben, and you're 00:31:48.890 --> 00:31:50.769 so good at connecting with people, just sending 00:31:50.769 --> 00:31:54.289 that message out there. Find a good fit for someone 00:31:54.289 --> 00:31:57.410 who you trust that is going to listen and connect 00:31:57.410 --> 00:32:00.230 with you, right? And try to eliminate. That's 00:32:00.230 --> 00:32:02.309 where the stress kind of goes away. Am I wrong? 00:32:02.430 --> 00:32:04.450 The stress, I think, is there's more of a stigma 00:32:04.450 --> 00:32:06.549 in the profession that people are there to sell 00:32:06.549 --> 00:32:08.740 you on stuff. There you go. And I'm not wanting 00:32:08.740 --> 00:32:10.299 to say that some people aren't there to sell 00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:12.420 you on stuff, but when you're looking for the 00:32:12.420 --> 00:32:15.420 right fit for you in your financial situation, 00:32:15.900 --> 00:32:18.000 find somebody who cares about who you are and 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:21.160 where you're going. Mic drop. Mic drop. This 00:32:21.160 --> 00:32:23.059 couldn't have come full circle in what you just 00:32:23.059 --> 00:32:25.240 said and in your business because of that just 00:32:25.240 --> 00:32:28.440 being yourself and genuinely caring about others 00:32:28.440 --> 00:32:31.910 I think is... what makes you such a good financial 00:32:31.910 --> 00:32:34.930 advisor. It's what makes you such a great leader 00:32:34.930 --> 00:32:38.670 in the community. And it makes you an incredible 00:32:38.670 --> 00:32:40.950 board member on the Indy Foundation. Thank you. 00:32:41.109 --> 00:32:44.049 So on that note, do you have any thoughts, final 00:32:44.049 --> 00:32:46.470 words or anything, words of encouragement for 00:32:46.470 --> 00:32:48.230 anybody listening right now? Well, when you asked 00:32:48.230 --> 00:32:49.930 me to be on this, I was reading a book to my 00:32:49.930 --> 00:32:52.029 son and you had sent me a text while I'm reading 00:32:52.029 --> 00:32:54.430 a book to my son and it's from the peanuts. And 00:32:54.430 --> 00:32:56.490 on the last page, I'm actually pulled up here. 00:32:56.829 --> 00:32:59.880 I have to do this. because it feels so true to 00:32:59.880 --> 00:33:01.819 every single person. It says on the last page 00:33:01.819 --> 00:33:03.619 of this book, so take this to heart. The best 00:33:03.619 --> 00:33:06.140 thing to do is be the kindest and bravest, most 00:33:06.140 --> 00:33:08.480 wonderful you. You don't have to get more complicated 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:11.440 than that. Be yourself and people will be drawn 00:33:11.440 --> 00:33:14.809 to you. I love that. The universe literally was 00:33:14.809 --> 00:33:17.390 speaking at the perfect moment for us to come 00:33:17.390 --> 00:33:19.970 together on this podcast. As he's reading this 00:33:19.970 --> 00:33:21.930 book and I ask him and then he sends that to 00:33:21.930 --> 00:33:23.390 me and I was like, you gotta be kidding me. I 00:33:23.390 --> 00:33:26.490 was meant to be, so meant to be. All right. First 00:33:26.490 --> 00:33:28.710 of all, just want to thank you. I love having 00:33:28.710 --> 00:33:30.970 conversations with Ben. Like I said, give us 00:33:30.970 --> 00:33:34.009 a microphone and the rest is history. We'll probably 00:33:34.009 --> 00:33:36.829 do this again. I hope we can do this again. But 00:33:36.829 --> 00:33:39.869 until then, where can people find Ben? If they 00:33:39.869 --> 00:33:41.990 want to learn a little bit more from you, if 00:33:41.990 --> 00:33:45.450 they want advice, if they wanna see what your 00:33:45.450 --> 00:33:48.490 journey is next, how can they follow you? You 00:33:48.490 --> 00:33:50.549 can follow me on Facebook, Benjamin Barrett, 00:33:50.809 --> 00:33:53.509 or LinkedIn. LinkedIn, I do a lot more of motivational 00:33:53.509 --> 00:33:55.630 stuff. It's a Monday morning mindset, just kind 00:33:55.630 --> 00:33:58.529 of what's on my mind on Mondays. Try to be insightful. 00:33:58.849 --> 00:34:01.289 LinkedIn, Facebook are two great ways to do it. 00:34:01.609 --> 00:34:03.470 Google Ben Barrett Financial Advisor, you'll 00:34:03.470 --> 00:34:05.710 find me. Thank you so much for being here. Absolutely. 00:34:05.730 --> 00:34:07.329 I appreciate you. Thank you for having me. I 00:34:07.329 --> 00:34:09.489 appreciate you. Thank you for listening. If you 00:34:09.489 --> 00:34:11.690 found this information helpful, please share 00:34:11.690 --> 00:34:13.630 it with a friend. If you're looking for more 00:34:13.630 --> 00:34:15.869 information on the topics we covered, please 00:34:15.869 --> 00:34:18.829 head to the show notes below. And if you wouldn't 00:34:18.829 --> 00:34:20.949 mind leaving a five -star rating and review, 00:34:21.349 --> 00:34:23.769 this would help this mission and our journey 00:34:23.769 --> 00:34:27.050 to get started. Let's make today and every day 00:34:27.050 --> 00:34:30.349 an opportunity to level up. Until next time, 00:34:30.730 --> 00:34:33.670 keep dreaming, keep striving, and keep making 00:34:33.670 --> 00:34:34.309 a difference.