Episode Transcript
<p><!--block--> Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of Couple of Nukes. As always, I'm your host, Mr. Whiskey, and this is an episode of dual celebrations, three years out of the military and the beginning of season 10. Now, while the first three seasons, I believe, or first couple seasons were not as many episodes, the last few seasons have been 50 episodes each, so this is huge. Ten seasons, or, well, the start of the 10th season, so we've already completed nine seasons now, most of them 50 episodes at least. So it has been an amazing journey, and today we're just gonna go over and reflect a little bit about these past three years. You know, it has been... It, it doesn't feel like three years, and it feels way more than three years at the same time. Now, this episode was actually supposed to come out on May 9th, which was the actual anniversary date of three years of leaving the military, around 1700 in the afternoon there. But I have been busy moving, which is one of the things I've been reflecting on. I'm moving for what is probably the sixth or seventh time in the past three years. It has been a lot of moves, and looking back even beyond the three years, it's an interesting progression. Right now I'm moving from Georgia to Florida, and I've realized that I've slowly gotten further and further down south. I was born and raised in New Jersey, and then I went down to Goose Creek, South Carolina, for, you know, training as a nuclear operator, United States Navy, and then I got stationed in Virginia, which, uh... Well, I was supposed to be stationed in Japan. Due to COVID, a suicide epidemic, and other issues with the ship I was stationed on, the longest refuel in history and, uh, longest refuel and overhaul in history, you know, it was, uh, delayed almost two years from going to Japan, and so I got stationed in Virginia. And then I moved down to Georgia when I got out, and now I'm moving to Florida. So with the exception of going back up north for Virginia, I have slowly gotten further and further down south. Uh, but a- as you cross from, as you go from, like, you know, past Georgia into Florida, it goes from less Southern to more... Or it goes, it becomes less Southern culturally. So it, it is an interesting progression, 'cause, like, the Southern culture is kind of between North Carolina and Georgia, and then it kind of, like, fades into whatever Florida is. It's a crazy melting pot of different types of people and stuff. So definitely an interesting progression. But I was reflecting on in, in three years I've done, I guess, a lot more than I thought, but not as much as I would have liked. Though, you know, reflecting on it, I've been looking at all the opportunities I've had. I'm extremely grateful to God for everywhere he has taken me and all the amazing people I've met along the way. I mean, I recently crossed 300 episodes now, so I have literally interviewed and met hundreds of people through just the podcast alone, not to mention, uh, thousands of people through multiple conferences. In the past three years, I have kind of gone from conference to conference, trip to trip, and gotten to meet so many people from around the world. I've even traveled internationally. So it has been such a journey that I would have never imagined when I left the military. You know, a lot of us who leave the military, we kind of form somewhat of a plan or no plan, and even what we do kind of formulate in our head just doesn't play out the way we expect it to. So it has been such an interesting journey that God has guided me on, and I'm excited and thankful for all that has happened and that all that is to come in the future. I never expected to be a podcaster, let alone an international speaker or, you know, performing comedy, all these things that have kind of built upon one another. The podcast had started as a hobby focused mainly on comedy, and it moved into a movement for mental health, suicide prevention, addiction recovery, and military matters. Top of some charts, uh, even small tier, uh, online awards, and then of course, opportunities to speak on stage, to be part of community building and different collaborations, and it's led me down a very unexpected path. Growing up, I wasn't even allowed to have a phone until later in high school, and to now be someone who's always on social media for work, it's just blown my mind to go from someone who took almost no photos to now taking photos every single day of different things for work, and it really has just been such a change. I know a lot of people have commented on my growth, and I've gotten to see it myself. And a lot of times I don't even recognize the man I am now, nor the man I was. Uh, both of them don't necessarily seem like me, if that makes sense. And so it's, it's really crazy. You know, the part of me that is still who I was doesn't recognize the man I am now, and the man I am now doesn't recognize some of the parts of me that were me before now. So it's been a very interesting journey, as I've mentioned several times already. Gotten to speak on stage at events like Podcast Movement and performed comedy at PodFest, at the Podcasters Cruise later on, rebranded to the New Media Cruise, performed again, and then recently at Military Creator Con. I've gotten to speak on stage on panels and solo talks. I've gotten to record tons of content with great people, and I am just so blessed for that. I think it really speaks to a lot of things. I feel like I've done nothing and not a lot, and then at the same time so much. And it has really opened my eyes to what we do with our time. I look at the three years that I was in the military, what I did with my free time, how I prioritized, you know, my different responsibilities compared to now, and it is such a difference. During this time, these past three years, I've also held several different job positions, uh, in the civilian world separate from podcasting. So I've gotten to work in the food and hospitality industry as a server and waiter and even as a cook, and then also, a sulfuric acid worker, utility, a- acid utility operator. Diff- a bunch of different, uh, positions, you know, both blue collar side and then food and hospitality service. And again, doing the work now as a podcaster, which entails so much more than I thought. It's not just podcasting, but it's been stuff like email management, social media management, marketing, promotion, all these coordinations and all kinds of stuff that I, I'd never expected, you know? Again, I certainly never expected a podcast to lead me to speaking on stage. And I think it's amazing how our passion for something at its lowest level can lead to such huge opportunities and really build upon itself. And I'm really thankful for the people I have met who have become great friends. You know, people I have met who are in other countries but we meet online and people who are from different states across America. Some of them I see a few times a year in person, some of them I only see once a year. And during all this time, like I said, I have moved multiple times. Uh, and, and so it's been three years of instability really, financially, geographically, and then just always nomadically somewhere. And these past three years are also the three years that I have spent on the road more than any other, sometimes up to 30, 40 hours a week on the road, and it's definitely taken a toll. You know, as much as I praise and am grateful for all the success of the past three years, it's also been challenging in terms of mental health struggles with depression and anxiety and suicidal ideation, depending on different circumstances and events. And I'm fully transparent about that because a lot of people see the success, but there's a lot more behind the scenes that happens, you know, between the podcast episodes, the interviews with the guests. I will say that this entrepreneurial journey has been just as lonely as it has been accompanied by so many great people. You know, when the Zoom calls are over or the conferences are over, there's follow-up for sure, but at the same time- You find yourself alone, working on all these different projects and collaborations, but mostly by yourself. And it's been a struggle as well to balance everything, definitely looking at every time I try to finish one project, I start two more. You know, there's just so much to do and so little time. But, you know, one of the conversations that really stuck with me was with Steve Wright. Shout out Steve Wright, Managers Who Lead Facebook Group founder, and he runs the One to One Thing podcast, as well as a virtual water cooler meetup. I believe it's every week and, you know, I don't make it every week, but he's recorded on my podcast twice now with me, and we did a great episode about managing your time. He follows a 12-week year schedule that he's experimenting with right now, and we were talking about New Year's and everything. And he talked about people overestimating what they can do and underestimating what they can do in a given time slot, and I've really been looking at that. And, you know, I think that sometimes when we get pulled in so much of a quantity that we lose the quality. And so pacing and cadence is a huge part of the journey that I am still working on and getting used to. But I have so many projects still coming up, different speaking opportunities that I am super honored to be a part of to make an impact, and just things have grown so much. When I first started the podcast, it was mainly military mental health and highlighting veteran stories, and now it's branched into things as recently as now human trafficking awareness and prevention, being a part of those spaces, collaborating with different nonprofits and groups and attending different events. So it has expanded in ways beyond my, you know, predictions or understanding. And honestly, the interconnection of everything I do has been so beautiful and also shocking to see how connected addiction, suicide prevention, uh, you know, mental health, domestic violence, sexual violence, pornography, social media, parenting, all of this stuff, how interconnected it is. It is both beautiful and scary to see that how small of a thing can completely change everything for both good and bad. And it's also been so amazing to be able to, for lack of better words, pick apart the brains of people from around the world, some people who are extremely intelligent, some people who have just lived unique, unique lives, people from time periods long before I was born, people from my generation with different perspectives, people from Vietnam. To the, the Vietnam War to, you know, the Middle East conflicts, to people just here stateside across different branches of the military service, and then just different entrepreneurs, business owners working with men, women, white, Black, Hispanic, Asians, just all kinds of different people, all varying ages. It has just been phenomenal. And through my work, it has really brought about just such great lamentations over what humanity is, and then also a sense of pride and love, and it is so complicated. And, and that's what we feel in a lot of our relationships. I've been exposed to some of the horrors of this world, people committing homicide and suicide and cleaning up dead bodies and trying to bring back their, their spouses who committed suicide, but I've also seen people rally together to support someone or to make an impact in a huge way. I've, I've seen people who have had their lives saved, you know? And so it is such a balance. And through the podcasting, through the in-person connections, I have struck up conversations with people that have really changed my perspective a lot. I'm really grateful for the past three years in the sense that I grew up in an abusive, controlling home that raised me in a very specific bubble, uh, a bubble that was xenophobic and racist and closed-minded and very sheltered. And traveling for the military and then going on this podcasting journey has been very scary at times, very new at times, but I'm so grateful for how much my mind has been opened to other parts of the world, to other people and cultures. And it has just been so amazing to be able to experience that and, and see. And there, I know there are so many people who, like me, are being raised in a very specific way, and I just pray that they get the opportunities to branch out or meet people who will change their life. I think it's really important that we all experience one another, uh, when it comes to culture and, you know, identity and customs to really understand one another more and to learn to foster love for one another and take care of one another in a world where I have also experienced, as I've mentioned, so much hatred and racism and sexualization and violence and gore. So it's something that podcasting has really highlighted more than anything. And you don't have to be a podcaster, but even just listening in on some of these conversations from time to time can really change your perspective on everything. And that's one of the most powerful lessons I've learned. If I had to share one less- one lesson, it would be the power of a single conversation. My podcast can be traced back to a single conversation. That's how it started and what it's led to speaking on different stages across the world in, in different countries, on, on cruise ships, on stages and different platforms to- You know, seeing someone's life changed by a single conversation, me personally having prevented suicides, uh, you know, through conversation and through different means of reporting or not reporting of different levels of communication, so it has been such a journey. And again, there's nothing super special about this episode. You know, I, I have been looking back and there are plenty of bad memories, too. There have been falling outs. There are people I have met who had bad intentions, who were not good people. Just like any industry, whether you're an entrepreneur or work in corporate or in the military, there are a lot of sad things, like the fact that I've interviewed m- military veterans from as far back as Vietnam and even almost World War II era to modern veterans just getting out now and hearing some of the same issues across decades. You know, it has been as heartbreaking as it has been elevating. And so I say all that to say that there has also been periods of time, as I mentioned, where bad memories were brought up or things were opened up. A lot of my past is being looked at with a different lens now because of the conversations I've had on the podcast and the conferences, so it's been a, a crazy, unexpected journey and I'm so thankful to God for all these opportunities. My, my journey of faith I would say is one of the biggest things that has changed over these past three years, past three years and 10 seasons. Uh, you know, and I, I even talk about, you know, I've started several podcasts during this time. A Couple of Nukes is obviously the one that has stuck, but at one point I was co-founder of Generational Bro- Bridge Builders, which was a podcast I had to ultimately shut down because of a uncommitted partnership on the other end and a difference in ideas. I have started even, uh, Radiating Faith was originally its own podcast. Now it's a sub-series on the Couple of Nukes podcast. I've got another podcast that, uh, is already created but has not been launched yet, so there's been a lot of different projects that were started and stopped. There's been a lot of projects that were started and scrapped, a lot of projects that were started and have been successfully launched or are still being worked on. Some of the books that I was working on got put on hold because of time management and just having so many different things, so it has been a whirlwind. Uh, like I said, sometimes on, on the road for hours at a time and, you know, finding ways to fill that time to be productive has been, uh, difficult. There's only so much you can listen to while driving, you know? But luckily I've been able to fill that with different podcasts from both people I've met or have interviewed to just new podcasts, to different sermons, and that has helped shape my journey of faith as well, building in that sermon listening time. Trying to work on my sermon style and creating different solo sermons to just help spread the faith and, you know, hosting great conversations. During this time, I've also encountered some people who don't take kindly to a declination of guesting. So some people have tried to be on the show who weren't in alignment with what the show is or its purpose, and unfortunately, they didn't accept that, you know, they were not a good fit for the show. So I've had some, uh, insults and, and disrespect from potential guests, uh, as well as hate comments online. You know, I've had some terrible insults online. I've had some pro-human trafficking people hate on me for doing human trafficking prevention awareness. I've had a lot of people who are atheists or, uh, you know, non-believers attack me for my faith-based content. I've had people attack me for talking about, you know, not coping with drugs and alcohol in excessive negative ways. So I've gotten hate for pretty much any type of content you can imagine posting it out there. And that is one thing we've talked about, is when you put yourself out there, uh, you are more vulnerable to attacks. But one thing I've learned is that, you know, the hate always comes from people below you. People who are more successful than you will usually critique you in a polite or respectful way, or understand because they went through the same thing. So that has been reassuring, and I know that the more I do the Lord's work, the more attacked I'll get. That's just how it works, and that is what is written in the scripture, in, in God's living, breathing word. So that's just part of it. As for the future, like I said, it is the start of season 10. I've already got a couple episodes after this one recorded and some follow-ups from Military Creator Con, as well as just some people I've met online. As I've been moving, season 10 has kind of gotten pushed to the side. But I do plan on hosting another 50 episodes for that season and, you know, over the next two seasons, we'll be passing 400 episodes, which is amazing. I remember when I first started out, almost... The, the podcast itself will be, uh, you know, like I said, I guess, I guess the podcast is more than three years old now, too. So it's, it's been quite the change. The podcast has had multiple different logos, uh, multiple seasons. It's kind of had a rebranding a few different times. And so it's been an amazing journey with the podcast as well. And in the beginning, I used to look at the downloads every 15 minutes. I used to be on the edge of every review and every episode and, you know, "When are we gonna get to 100? When are we gonna get to..." And then after that, I w- I, I stopped checking the cadence so much and focused more on the consistency and the quality, um, because, you know, it isn't a quantity game necessarily. And I realized that I, I was so focused on the numbers, but it's about the impact. One of the greatest moments in the past three years has been a young woman from Malaysia who wrote in about an episode of the podcast changing her life. And I've gotten some other commentary and feedback from different episodes and, and that's the real impact, you know? If it reaches millions of people but there's no engagement, it doesn't matter. So adjusting to this mindset and learning about that through trial and error and really this podcasting journey has been really important and not easy to do. But as I continue to podcast, to speak, to do comedy, to preach, to write, uh, it- I just wanna continue to make an impact and do good. You know, that's the whole purpose of the podcast. It w- wasn't, I didn't create it to make tens of thousands of dollars, to be monetized right away or to, you know, be famous or be a celebrity. For me it was about the impact, you know, highlighting mental health and suicide prevention, addiction recovery in the military, and it's branched out to self-improvement for a much larger populace. And it has become so much more important than I would've ever expected, right? Originally it was just supposed to be a comedy with some life advice. Now it's become a life advice with some comedy. And I am really thankful to God and all the people who kinda set me on a straighter course and a more serious course. You know, if it wasn't for outside intervention, I think the podcast may have stayed something that was just a hobby and something that was just kind of a show where people BS'd. Uh, but it's become an impactful mission now and, you know, it's not what I expected, but it's a calling that I'm answering and I'm eager to continue to expand and develop upon and improve my craft. And I, I hate seeing old videos and old interviews and old episodes and being like, "Those are crap compared to now." And I know that even this episode looking back I'm gonna be like, "Man, that was garbage compared to what I do now." Uh, but it is about growth, you know. I didn't research beforehand. I am doing this all trial and error. I didn't get a podcast producer or coach or nothing. I just said, "I have an idea and I'm gonna run with it," and that's what being a creator is about a lotta times. And I'm thankful for all the help and support along the way, and I'm grateful for the solopreneur journey I've had. Again, it's just me. I do everything myself outside of collaboration, so all the guesting, the scheduling, the emails, the social media, the marketing, the creation, the editing, everything is done by me. And I look for- forward to expanding all of that at the rate that I can sustain. I've learned to not try to meet these expectations that no one really put on me. I put it on myself that by this conference or by this time I see this person I wanna have ABC done, and maybe I only got XYZ done. But that's okay because none of these people are really going to judge me or have it be the end of the world if I didn't publish the book as quickly as I said I was going to or I didn't record as many episodes as I said I was going to. I realize that all these expectations are ones that I've put out on myself and I put them out in a way that was perfectionist or going to burn me out. So I've learned to just accept that I'm doing what I can do and what will get done will, will get done and what has to be done a different day will be done a different day. Uh, nothing is so important that it can't wait, uh, at least when it comes to what I'm trying to create, you know? I do think that everything I put out is another chance for impact, but I also think that, uh, it shouldn't cost me, myself or my family or my friends or my time. And so that has been the hardest lesson to learn, honestly. You know, is just pacing myself and not being a perfectionist and not trying to meet these unrealistic expectations. I know as a young entrepreneur, one of the things I've struggled the most with is looking at other people and where they're at now that they're in their 40s or 50s or 60s and trying to catch up to them in just a, a few years what took them decades to build. And I know that looking at where I am right now, about to turn 24 years old and I've already become an international speaker and I perform comedy and I, I've, uh, was featured in six books this year or may- uh, seven. I, I don't even keep count anymore. You know, and I don't say that to brag but, you know, looking at that has been really inspiring to me to see that. And I've seen people younger than me doing more than me, you know? And I hope that my presence will be an inspiration for people, whether they're a young veteran or a young entrepreneur or someone getting out of high school who wants to pursue something or make an impact. And I have found that podcasting more than anything is a platform where anyone of any age or any financial income or any creed or race or whatever it is can make an impact or build a community or share a message, and I think that is so beautiful. One of the most beautiful things about technology and podcasting. And so as we move into this 10th season of The Kapooj Newks, as we move into what is to come with all the projects as far as writing and comedy and preaching and speaking, I am just super excited to continue to expand, to provide more resources to make an impact, and to just make more connections and more collaborations and meet more people and build more communities. It's just about more and more and more in a good way. The world is constantly telling us more and more and more when it comes to consumption and materialism and distractions, and I try to put out more and more and more- Of, of good, impactful things. And so I look forward to that journey. I thank you for being a part of it, whether this is the only episode you've ever listened to and will listen to, or if you've listened to a few episodes, been a longtime follower, whatever it is, you know, I thank you for being a part of this journey, for sh- whether it's sharing this episode, leaving a review, mentioning it to someone, or just reflecting upon what I said today, thank you for that, for the adding to that impact and that community. And as I wrap up this episode, like I said, it's just a brief little overview and summary. I am super excited for what the future holds. Like I said, a bunch of episodes coming out over the course of the next few days for Season 10's start, and a lot of speaking opportunities and different social media content and other written works coming out over the course of the summer. So super excited for that journey, and I thank you for being a part of it, and I look forward to everyone who's gonna be a part of it in the future. </p><p><!--block--><br><br></p>
