Latest / Story Scaling / Authenticity Wins: Why You Aren't for Everyone With Alex and Dom from Invitation to the Cookout

Transcript

Authenticity Wins: Why You Aren't for Everyone With Alex and Dom from Invitation to the Cookout · Story Scaling

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Our dads and grandfathers' generation didn't grow up talking about feeling emotion.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: I feel that um in a healthy manner.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I think like it's also our responsibility, man, to help them navigate their feelings and not have as much trauma as we have at our age.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Storyscaling by Podcastvideos.com, where creators share the truth behind the content, the grind, and the growth.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am Bang of PodcastVideos.com, and this is Story Scaling.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember with some good brothers, I got the Alex Mac, got Dapper Dome in the building.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: Man, thank you guys for joining me, man.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate you asking me.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, man, yeah.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: Of invitation to the cookout.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I know we're gonna get there, but like y'all know we're trying to follow your lead.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_03: Usually we on that side.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_03: We just follow your lead.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: Nah, man, these guys have a dope, dope podcast called Invitation to the Cookout.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: I want to thank you guys so much for joining me.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: Also, while we get into it, thank you for liking, subscribing.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: You guys share this with your friends.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, this is a space for people to come, chop it up about what they do, and share some tips, insights.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: If you find something that moves you, let us know.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, if you want to see somebody on the show, let us know.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so Man, I'm gonna get into the bio.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: We jump in straight in.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: This is what the streets are saying.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_03: Let's watch the streets say.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: We want the streets.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Man, it says today's guests are Alexander McGowan and Don Wilkins, the voices and visionaries behind Imitation to the Cookout.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: This isn't just a podcast, it's a cultural bridge in Northwest Arkansas designed to foster authentic dialogue, celebrate black excellence, and invite the broader community in the conversations that are often kept behind closed doors.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: Alex McGowan brings a sharp strategic perspective to the mic with a background in business development and community advocacy.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Alex is known for his ability to navigate complex social landscapes while keeping the conversation grounded in truth and hospitality.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: He's a connector who understands that progress starts with a seat at the table, or in this case, the cookout.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: Dom Wilkins balances the duco, the duo, excuse me, with a deep-rooted commitment to community leadership and professional excellence.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Dom, known as Dabradom, has an aesthetic and high energy with his presence.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: Dom has built a reputation in the region as a leader who leads by example.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: Whether he's working in the corporate suites or engaging in community outreach, Dom is showing up in style and substance.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: Friends, this is Dom and Alex invitations to the cookout.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_03: Man, it was three things.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: Look at that.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, that's whoever did that for your little money, man.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_03: I got something to live up to.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_03: You know, hey, that's that's you guys.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I'm saying?
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: Man, what we like to do on story scaling is give the flowers, you know, like you guys are in the community.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, man.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's an honor to recite that to y'all.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Because like I said, that's y'all.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't have to put no extras on it.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't have to cap on nothing.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, when you, I'm asking both of y'all this, when you hear that bio about, you know, what you've done or what you do, what kind of sticks out the most to you?
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Probably a community piece for me, man.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like I want to be in the community, you know what I mean?
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, whether that's working with our community, like we, as African Americans, like we knit, you know what I'm saying?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Tight, tight knit around here, but also too, like, I like working with the kids too, man.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so bridging both of those things, man, is what sticks out to me as you read my bio.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, man.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, man.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_03: You are what about you, Alex?
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_04: Community definitely was one that that um stuck out to me, man.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_04: I I think, you know, and as you talk through the piece, like it was really about like what do I have that I can give back?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_04: Sure.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_04: What talents, what knowledge, what things that do we feel like maybe people don't have access to, places that we've been, um uh tables that we've set at, people that we've interacted with to be able to take that back and and um you know, really leave a legacy, right?
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_04: Like I think we've done a episode about that, like, hey, when when we're gone from here, what were the foot's footprints?
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_04: I actually think that's the episode, like I think.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that was you know, hey, go check that out.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_04: Check it out, yeah.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_03: Check that out, check that out.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_03: He's gonna lace us up at the end.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we're gonna make sure you're gonna be able to do that.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Man, when when you think about community, we we diving straight in.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I look, I don't know.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: I don't got no 10 stuff coming.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like, we just chopped it up.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like, let's talk.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: When you think about community, both of you guys speak about that as a pillar.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know, where did that come from?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: Talk to me about even go back, you know, childhood.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like, where what if this this this sense of community kind of?
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I think for me it's it's twofold.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I grew up in a in a small town, I guess I would have said, you know, shout out to Carbondale, Illinois.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and for me, it was just always being interwoven into the community, whether it was church stuff, you know, my father was an educator, so everyone knew him, you know, he was kind of deep rooted in community.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_04: So just seeing that example and seeing the the things that that a community will do for you, right?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_04: Like it's a mutual relationship, right?
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_04: So you you you give and you put in, and then they they give back to you in ways and you kind of keep that, you know, cycle going.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_04: And then the second piece I will say, and I'm very vocal about it all the time.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_04: Like I I'm a product of HBCU, you know, shout out to Alabama AM.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_04: So for me, that was, you know, learning the history of HBCUs and what they were about, and people kind of going there and then bringing their talents back to their communities, whether that was back home or their newfound hometown from being in college, um, just really impressed upon me the idea that, you know, what I have is not mine, you know, to keep, but it is to give.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: So that's that's my piece.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Man, same thing from a small town, Camden, Arkansas.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, aka Queen City, baby shout out to Queen City.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, same thing, man.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Church, grew up in the church, man.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also just community there was small.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, they talk about like it takes a village.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you got aunts that's not your aunts, you know what I'm saying?
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: You got friends, moms that become your second one, and they help raise you, and hey, they see you not doing what you're supposed to do and correcting you, and I think like that being instilled in me um and made me who I am today, you know what I mean?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm not back home, but I think I take that piece of me wherever I go.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I also think, man, just to be honest, um, I think it's even more important that we live in Northwest Arkansas, and us being black men or African Americans, whatever you want to call it, um, and around people that don't look like us.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I I think like it's also my job, man, to help bridge that gap and have those conversations.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: You feel what I'm saying?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: So um getting in spaces to give a different perspective or understanding because you might not know, hey, what it what it was like to grow up black, or just be a black male in general.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, hey, you only see one view of the world.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think, man, just being out there, not only like coaching, but I think it's just more so like, hey, I've I've if I can, if I can have somebody say, like, oh man, I've I've had a relationship with a black male and they gave me this perspective, they taught me this, and I didn't know it.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I they can go tell their collectors, like, hey, we never thought about this because we never had this viewpoint, man.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think that's another reason why I just want to be in this community as well, not only for us, our people, but help bridge that gap.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we know the landscape of the US today, bro.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it's just yeah, trash to say the least.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, feel like it's um part of my duty, man, what can I do in my community to kind of help bridge that gap.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's real.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: I love it, man.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: Man, what is community?
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like now it's a buzzword.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like, when you think about whether that's, you know, growing up in church or growing up around, you know, a certain group of people.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, even like you talk about cousins and brothers and sisters, to some degree, that's community.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: And so if you could sum it up, I know this is a very broad question, but but in your definition, what would you say, you know, it's it's it's easy almost to be like, man, you need community or you know, go build community.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what is what does that actually entail?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: What are the I what word probably might be, man, for accountability.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm gonna hold you accountable because I I might even see something in you that you don't see.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Just like people who we grew up with saw stuff in us and spoke life into us.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so accountability comes to mind with me, man.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna hold you accountable, making sure that you do the right things.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm saying that I'm perfect.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I that's why I need community to say, hey bro, you out of pocket for that.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: So accountability comes to mind for me.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's good.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_04: For me, um, as I kind of thought about that, I really think about it being a mirror, right?
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_04: Like a community is about being a mirror.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_04: Um we both work with youth, right?
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_04: So I think it's about giving people a glimpse of you know what they could be, right?
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_04: And I, you know, ironically, we both, you know, do that through sports, right?
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_04: But I think the biggest thing is, you know, being able to show, you know, we don't play sports, we don't we don't do anything professionally with sports.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_04: And a lot of the kids that we work with, you know, without a doubt, their hands, you know, all kind of go up when you're talking about being in a pro.
• 9:35
  unknown: Yeah.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_04: But also showing them a mirror of, hey, you know, success can look like this.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_04: Because there's fundamental things that you can learn in sports, whether it's discipline, whether it's hard work, whether it's perseverance, all of this different attributes are transferable to things that we do, you know, whether it's, you know, at work corporate, whether it's in relationships, whether it's, you know, in this business, you know, reaching out to someone and someone saying, Hey, I don't know if your podcast is a fit fit for me.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_04: So rejection, right?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_04: So I think being able to show a mirror of there's different points of view in terms of what success looks like.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_04: It's not just one linear, hey, I I went pro, I've been training and doing all this, I went pro or I didn't, boom or bust type of thing.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_04: It's so many different ways to be able to define success in your life.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_04: And hopefully us being able to be mirrors of people that is like, hey, I'm not doing that, but I'd like to think, you know, my experience and the people that I've been in front of will lead me to someone to feel like has had some um amount of success.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I love what both of y'all said.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: I I grew up in a in a neighborhood where you saw a little bit of everything.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: So humble beginnings, you got the the hoopers over here, you got the ones in the streets over here, you got the ones walking a straight line over here, and that representation was important.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: You know, when we didn't see those guys that were working the good jobs who weren't athletes, like when we didn't see that, we didn't realize that that was even a path to take.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it wasn't even attainable.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Or you or you see people that do have the money, but they don't come back to the hood or the community.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like both of y'all speak about, you know, working with the youth and being that reflection.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: How important is that?
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know what I mean?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, I I think that, you know, to maybe back up a little bit, like what that's why what you're doing is important through this form, through story scaling, right?
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_04: Because this wasn't available when you were growing up.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_04: You know, you had cable, right?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_04: Or you had, you know, what whatever.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_04: If you didn't have cable, you had antennas, whatever local stations you had.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_04: You were and that was your mirror.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_04: So the we've all seen the same thing, you know, shown to us.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_04: That's right.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_04: Hey, either, you know, you're an entertainer or you a athlete, but there weren't a lot of mirrors of people that were, you know, doing journalism, that were doing science, that were doing, you know, and now because of the way that media works, there's really no boundaries to it, it's important to reach in all of those different corners and to be able to show, like, hey, this is a story, this is a mirror of something that maybe white uh mainstream media is not talking about, but we know that there's examples of it.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_04: For me, the youth part of it, that that question uh regarding the youth, man, uh to me, that's you know, that's the generation that is going to, you know, take things over when, you know, we're both old in rocking chairs, yeah, you know, drinking lemonade tea on the porch.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_04: Like they're gonna be the ones that, so you're hoping that you're instilling things in them and really being part of the solution, right?
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_04: Like I think there's a lot of people around, like, hey, this generation is, you know, soft and they they can't do that, but what are you doing to help with that?
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_04: Like, if you're just sitting on the sideline, you know, just being old and grouchy, then you're not, you know, making any efforts to to kind of help with that piece.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_04: And I like to think that, you know, we're both trying to be a part of the solution with this generation.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, man.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um to piggyback off what you're talking about with the youth, man.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think um it's our responsibility too.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: We and we've talked about it on our podcast before, on our our dads and grandfathers' generation didn't grow up talking about feeling and emotional in a healthy manner.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I think like it's also our responsibility, man, to help them navigate their feelings and not have as much trauma as we have at our age.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think that's a huge big piece of it, that mental piece.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, saying, um, are you a healthy individual?
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: Because I want you to be mentally strong as a husband, as a wife, um give you the mental tools or even just coping, being able to cope with hey, uh, I lost this job where like the kids are struggling.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you instill those habits of like how to process your emotions in a healthy manner as you get older, like that's gonna help you navigate through life.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think like that's the big piece, man.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm more on the mental piece.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, I tell parents all the time, I'm more um focused on developing the person at the player.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because you're gonna have way more life as a person than you are as a as an athlete.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: So like that's real than um talk to the person, yeah, not the athlete.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: That's real, man.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's real.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: When uh when y'all speak, I I think uh y'all familiar with Jason Wilson?
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the gentleman that got the cave.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, man, but you know, we're we're human beings, not human doings.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: And like you said, the the person is significantly more you know what I mean, impactful than than just you know being a player.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: Man, let's talk about the cookout.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: Let's come on.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_03: Let's let's talk.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_03: Let's get into the cookout.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: And before we before we go to where you guys are now, I'm really excited about this portion of the conversation because I met you guys with when y'all had an idea.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like you ain't have everything all lined out to what it is now.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: Now y'all popping out like rappers.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: Got the channel, got the, you know what I'm saying?
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_03: Now y'all popping out like rappers, but back then, you know, y'all was y'all just had the beginning.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: But all jokes aside, man, you I remember when y'all came and you were like, man, this is what I see, this is what I want it to be.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so realistically, I want y'all to talk about the entire process of where the idea came from, the name.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then, you know, you get boots to the ground and you start putting stuff out, and it ain't no traction.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then you gotta you gotta diversify your outreach and you gotta change up your strap.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like, let's so let's go to the beginning, man.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: Talk about the idea, how it came about, and and why each other.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, yeah.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um just gotta go tell them, man.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_04: The beginning, um, and I had been sitting on that idea for probably um at least two to three years.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_04: That wow.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_04: It was something that just kind of came to me.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_04: Honestly, it was a it was time that I was having to be uh introspective and reflective, right?
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_04: I had just uh lost our third son.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_04: He had just passed away.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_04: So I was off from work, and I was just like, you know, really kind of in my head having that conversation about like, man, like when it's my time, what are people gonna say?
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_04: What are people gonna say about me?
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_04: And it wasn't I didn't have an answer, to be honest.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_04: Like it, I didn't think that it was anything bad, but I was like, I didn't, you know, feel like it was one of those things where it was like, man, like he did this, you know, and so I just started thinking about, you know, you know, what talents did I have?
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_04: And it really started to come around uh rep rep, not not so much representation in the media, but I would say misinformation in the media.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_04: So for those of you don't know, I'm a food scientist by trade.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_04: I've done product development, work with all different kinds of brands, and you would see on social media um that people were, you know, making these reels and things about, hey, like this is this is what healthy means, or this is, you know, what this is what goes into a hot hot dog.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_04: And actually a funny story about about that piece is I was driving home uh from work, and around that time I was uh I would always kind of listen to Swain the Morning.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_04: And he has these different segments on, and around that time they actually were talking about like just what were in the foods that we eat, but it wasn't like factual, right?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, that day I was just like I know your skin crawling, like my skin was crawling like, man, like we have to do better.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_04: And just off the cuff, I was like, man, I'm gonna call up there, but I doubt that they I doubt I even get through.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_04: And I actually did get through that more because they when you call in, they scream.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_04: That's like, so I was like, I'm actually like I do this for a living.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_04: So I think that's probably what got me on in the morning, and just like I was able to get on the airwaves and just explain to them, like, hey, this is not what it is that you think.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_04: And so for me, kind of merging those two things together around like I feel like my legacy is really about how do I arm people with the right information while showing them somebody that is uh showing them someone that's in a profession that is not largely talked about, and there's not many that look like me.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_04: So those lanes kind of merged, and I was simmering on it and and kind of taking notes.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_04: And then him and I started working together about five years ago in 2021, and I saw him at work around lunchtime, and he would have his you know stuff out and what he was eating.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_04: No, I'm he was working on stuff.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, okay, okay.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_04: And I was just like, I just was curious.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_04: I was like, man, you know what you working on?
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_04: And he he's like, man, I'm studying.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_04: I'm studying for this uh you know test.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_04: He was kind of working on his uh all his training, training certifications and stuff.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_04: And so certifications.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_04: So a couple days went by and then boom, just like they say, the light, I was like, because I had been thinking like who can help me get this message?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_04: Because I'm very big on credibility, right?
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm a food scientist.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's my lane.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_04: My lane is not to talk about healthcare, my lane is not to talk about training and coaching because I'm not, you know, I'm not, I don't got that blue check mark right in that space.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_04: I got a blue check mark in what I've done.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_04: And so it was just like, man, I think this is the guy.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_04: And so we start talking and we just got close personally first.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_04: And then some months had passed, and I was just you like we had been talking about stuff, and I just was like, hey, this is an idea that I'm thinking about.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what do you think?
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what would you and then he said the name, but he was like, I already got a name.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, What's the name?
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, imitation to the cookout.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_03: I said, Oh, yeah, that's fire.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I was like, that's fire, bro.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that was that was really kind of how it got birth from there.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_04: And then we had start talking, and and I'm a planner, so we'd start, you know, going through all of all kinds of stuff, and we kind of hit a dead end.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_04: And we were like, Man, I don't know.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_04: And then we actually were both here in this complex um to see a uh football game.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_04: There was the Lions and the Cowboys that night, and and then I came downstairs to my car, and I you guys had the podcast video, you know, signage up, and I was like, and we had been looking for months to find a place, and we were just like, maybe we'll buy our own equipment.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_04: And that was really just like the I called him and was like, hey, I was like, and he was like, we were saying this because it was around New Year's.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, so it was it was actually right around um, like we he saw it was, I think it was right before New Year's, but then like we talked maybe like the first couple days after the New Year's.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: We said, hey man, like, you know, I saw that spot.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, man, um, you know, I'm not a big resolutions guy, man.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: He was like, man, but like my word just keep popping in my head, it's action.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, mine too, bro.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, like I was store too.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: He was like, man, I think we just need to start.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think we're thinking about it too much.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let's let's see, you know, what they do, and then let's just just start, man.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: We'll we'll figure it out, you know, as we go.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, that's how it was just like he he connected with you guys, man.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so um we connected with y'all and y'all kind of told us, kind of gave us a little, like, hey, let's let's get a few episodes.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think we shot like Six before we actually aired.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: Because it was like we want you guys to give time, give you guys time to continue to get your content.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: So you can be consistent with your time.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so like that's how it got started.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: And we still learn it, man.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: We still grow.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and like naturally, we actually took a break the first year.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: Because unexpectedly, uh, me and my wife got pregnant with our third uh well, our second but total third son.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: So he was like, Man, we'll just take a break, man, while you um get your bearings on the new key.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: And then we started back new, um back again, like did like Christmas episode, and then got back rolling.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: And then this year, I think we just decided since last year we took a little break during that September the Christmas time frame that maybe that may be our natural break.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't know how well whether we're gonna do that going forward.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: Because like I said, man, like we want to be consistent with the audience.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and we don't want to lose that engagement um and traction that we have been getting.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I I would jump way ahead, man.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: But um, but no, it's been it's been a journey of it.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um I don't know whether you have any questions, but I was.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: No, this this is good.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: I w I want to I want to kind of hear naturally where you go.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: And and I also want you to specifically speak about, speak about that beginning process.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm saying?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: Like, because now they see you shining, but they didn't see you when you was grind.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like, talk talk a little bit about some of those first, you know what I mean.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I would say, man, anybody who's probably just trying to like decide whether they're gonna start a podcast or whatever, um, your voice matters.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: And you have an audience, you know, everybody's not gonna like your show.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I think sometimes I know for myself, I don't know about for Alex, that I think about that too much.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, like, what's somebody gonna think if I say this?
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_00: Or what's somebody's opinion going to be about the topic that we're talking about?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: But gotta realize you ain't for everybody.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: And so just being comfortable is like, hey, this is my message, this is what I want to put out.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: And as long as it's factual, right?
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: Especially if you're trying to give advice about something, like as long as you have facts to back that up, then just start.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I I'm I'm with Dom.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_04: Like I've heard similar stories of people that are like, hey, I had this idea, and you just kind of paralyze yourself with like, hey, what if no one tunes in, or what if I only get five views, or what if I you know, my biggest thing is just really understand what you're bringing to the space.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, right.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_04: Like there are a lot of people out here with with mics and cameras.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_04: Um and we used to talk about this when we work together, like understand what what makes you unique, right?
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_04: Like that was our biggest piece, is what makes us unique, right?
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_04: And so we, you know, ironically enough, as two people that work in sports and are big into sports, like we didn't want to go that lane.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_04: And it's not not to that.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_04: It's just when you're doing your research, like there are a lot of sports podcasts, and there's a lot of black men that are heading up those sports podcasts.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_04: And I think the whole thing that we wanted to be was like you can be successful in life without having your identity attached to sports, right?
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_04: Like you can work corporate, you can be an executive, you can, you can be a lawyer, you can be anything, you can be in the trades, right?
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_04: And be an entrepreneus person and an entrepreneur.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_04: But I think we felt our unique selling point is that you have somebody that's uh a scientist, right?
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_04: That probably we don't see a lot of black men.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um I think we also have in our mind imagery that's being being reinforced on us, right?
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_04: So the image has told us that a scientist looks like this.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_04: They look like this way and they dress like this way.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and we wanted to be big about being authentic to ourselves.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_04: They got no flying.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_04: You know the limit drop, you know, other scientists with the limit on the other side just could never put that on.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_04: But it's about authenticity, right?
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_04: Like it's about because that was one of the things, you know, for me, you know, growing up was uh and being now what being now is that I want to be authentic to myself.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_04: I don't want to be like, okay, I mess around my kids and my wife.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_04: Like I don't, I don't dress like a dad.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I don't dress like someone that's a dad or the dads that I have seen, or even what the imagery that we've seen, right?
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_04: But I think it's about being able to show kids like you can be authentic to yourself and still be able to reach the magnitude of success that you want.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and so I think that's why we were and and we'll talk about it, we'll say we got to keep the main thing the main thing because that's what makes, that's what's going to continue to make us, you know, relevant in this space, is what I believe.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: I seen the coolest thing when y'all got started because y'all were on one accord about everything.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm saying?
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like, man, we we gonna come this day, we're gonna do this, we're gonna put our shorts, all right.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: They're not working, we're gonna check.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like it was always kind of growing and evolving.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so now they say the top of one mountain is just the bottom of another.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: So now y'all done started the show, y'all got it rolling, and and you at a point now.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: So now looking back, what would you tell first episode, Alex and Dom?
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like, from this place that y'all in now, like what would you, you know what I mean?
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what what advice, insight, you know, would you give your early podcast creator?
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: I say, I say I think um what he said, man, just be your authentic self.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like, don't try to be just because these cameras on, like, don't try to be somebody else and you feel like somebody else is gonna like.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like, just be yourself.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: I ain't gonna quote Bernie Mac right now.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_04: I was kind of going in that same realm in terms of I would kind of say, like, don't worry about being perfect.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_04: Like, don't, like, I know we again are we're very big on trying to, you know, make sure that we are bringing good, you know, facts to the table, right?
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_04: And so I know there's been some, I think the the story, like when we first started, is like we would try to pretty much go all the way off the top of the dome with everything, everything, right?
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_04: Introduction.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_04: Facts and stuff.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm like, shooter, I've seen people pull stuff up on their phones and check stuff.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_04: And it's like, but that's that makes us feel relatable, right?
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_04: Because there's also always times when this you're telling a story, you're like, man, oh man, I forgot that rapper's name, or I forgot this name.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_04: You bring your fucking Google it up.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_04: So I think it was like at the beginning, it was like, man, we gotta be buttoned up and and we gotta, you know, go down these points.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_04: And it's like, man, just let it flow and like let our care, our natural character show.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_04: And, you know, hopefully, as people have tuned in, um they've seen our credibility, but it's also about understanding that, you know, because we're not trying to be perfect, we are going to mess up.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we might say something wrong, but hopefully we've accrued enough credibility that people are like, hey, we we want to rock with these people because of you know what what they believe in and what they have behind them, right?
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: Talk about the process because I agree with you.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: I think everybody has a voice.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: And because everybody has a voice, we we sometimes think that anybody could just come up here on the mic and talk to them.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: And they don't realize, like, nah, bro, it's it's a little work that goes into it.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's just like anything else.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so Yeah, um, I I think what you just said, like understanding, like, hey, you're not just up here talking.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you need to figure out, like, all right, this is gonna be an idea for episode one, have an idea for episode two, three, four.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: That way, like, there's some structure to your podcast or your show, you know.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, understand like who do I want on as a guest or what do we want to talk about?
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, have some type of I outline, you know what I'm saying?
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: Use that that business mindset, that strategy, like, hey, what do we want to do this year?
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: And just have a plan in place.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_00: Not saying you can't pivot, right?
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: But at least have some type of plan in place instead of saying, like, hey, I'm gonna go in the studio, we're gonna talk this week.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, two weeks later, we're gonna come back, we're gonna, we're gonna talk, whatever comes top of mind.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so having some type of structure in place, yeah, um, for sure to start.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I've I mean, I I think you definitely, to me, I again, like, I like to plan, right?
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I think there's a balance between not being perfect and being sloppy.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_04: You know what I'm saying?
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_04: To me personally, right?
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_04: So I do think that you do have to have a balance between, hey, I'm I'm I've done my research, I've um I understand what this guest is about and and areas that they want to be there.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_04: There definitely is a a planning process that I think that you should go through.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_04: But I think it also has to be tied to what are your goals with your product, right?
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_04: Like if it's just a hobby and you just you don't care if you don't want to be.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you just want to be cool.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_04: If you're like trying to grow this into something that's recognized, if you're trying to get deals, if you're trying to get all the right, all of that, then you gotta put a little bit more, you know, behind it, right?
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_04: And I think it goes goes back to the stuff that we try to talk about in the work that we do.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_04: Like it takes discipline, like it takes you know, perseverance, it takes, you know, all those different things.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_04: It takes social skills, right?
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_04: Being in being able to talk to people, it takes uh negotiating, like all these different things that we've learned and different stops we're using, you know, as we as as we run, you know, invitation to the cookout.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what podcast are y'all on?
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: What number?
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think we're close to we have to be around 30.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: Something.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, right around, right around that, that third, yeah, low 30s uh number.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: So you know, 80% of podcasts don't make it to episode three.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_01: 80%.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_01: Really?
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: 80.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: And it might be higher now.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_01: But we talk about like podcasting as though it's the super oversaturated market.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody have a podcast.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_01: No, like you should see the number of podcasts that don't even get past that episode three.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so you guys, by and large, are in the minority of what we would consider successful podcasts, just because I mean, it's not even about metrics analytics, like you guys made it past that.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: You're still doing it, you know.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_01: And so we as podcastvideos.com love working with you guys because it's been like, like you said, consistent, even with your breaks.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like y'all come in, y'all show up, y'all got y'all plan, y'all, you know, know what you're doing.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: Talk about for you, because y'all do the editing, you know what I mean?
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_01: And and the shorts, yeah, you know, and we got the space and y'all record, like, talk about almost the relationship between being able to work with us, but also what y'all have been able to own and do on your own, and how that's either helped or what you've grown in that process.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I I think, man, um, speaking from my perspective, um y'all been really like we've been growing together.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like, as you guys try to do new things, and we kind of like, well, we think about like shooting this podcast at the barbershop.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like, y'all bring y'all mobile, mobile cameras and mics.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let's let's learn, like, um, because I mean, even like me thinking about that episode, we kind of figured out like we had a window that we needed to like close.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's learning together.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's good.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: Being able to use, you guys got three different spaces.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we've well, this is our first time in this one, but now we've been in all three three spaces.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and just you guys bring a versatility to where it's like, hey, if we're trying to shoot with somebody who's not here, we got their room in there.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, we love the lounge, man.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I just feel like that's just home.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_00: Look, this right here feels super official too.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I'm looking after the game press.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_00: Next question.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um So I think we've just both been like just flexible.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_00: And even with the breaks we've taken, you guys were like, all right, you know, whenever you guys get ready to start back up, let us know we'll get back rolling.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_04: I think uh I think for me, um the word I think about is partnership, right?
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_04: Like it's it's it that's what it feels like, right?
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_04: Like obviously, you guys are business, right?
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_04: So we have to make sure that we're fulfilling the the business part of the relationship, but there's a lot of flexibility, there's a lot of like what he said hey, we have this new equipment, let's try this out, you know, even the conversations around um utilization of the spaces and what you guys are thinking about in the future, and it kind of helps us, you know, think about our vision and how we want to get things done.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_04: And I also think, you know, we're able to learn from some of the things that you guys are doing, whether it's how you guys are using your social media, what what resources and tools and websites and apps you guys are using different things, you guys have been really good about being open and sharing and saying, hey, like you can, hey, you can use this.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_04: And so I know that's been a big part of our process from especially starting at the beginning, yeah, to now like just being able to get a little bit more efficient with with the editing and and scheduling and all those different things.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_04: So I I think it's been um a very fruitful partnership between the two of us for sure.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_00: I love it, man.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: We're about we're about to go place in 2026.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_00: Look, I'm telling you, man.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna take off like X and A.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_03: I've already known from X and A.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: We're about to do numbers.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm already knowing.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, hey, hey, hey, man, I I wanna Hey, thank y'all for y'all time, man.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: Appreciate you inviting us, man.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thinking about us.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_01: Before we even get out of here, I want to know for you what's your biggest tip?
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_01: You, your biggest tip, insight, encouragement.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: You've been in this 30 episodes, you started it from zero, and now you're at a place.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_01: So for that person that's watching this that wants to say something, wants to start a podcast, wants to, you know, insert anything, like what do you say to that person of or man, keep this in mind, or or be mindful of this, or you know, what's that, what's that?
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_01: I know it's a lot of gems you could give, but but if you could kind of put it in a nugget, what would the main thing be?
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think what I talked about earlier, man, like start with some type of structure, but then don't be so um tied to it that you can't pivot.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: So um have some structure, be flexible to pivot.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like you said, like oh, like we're learning, like sometimes like post are the things and get just getting drawing the most audience.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, it's it's real.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_00: See what I'm saying?
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, now you gotta put music behind.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_00: So understand, like being able to pivot, like what's going to attract the most um the views and what's gonna get people to my page, like understand and be able to pivot when those things happen.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's real.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's really that's that that's that's a good one.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_04: I think for me, man, do your research.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_04: Do some research.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, right.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_04: Like, don't let it prohibit you from starting feeling like you have to have everything, but I I do feel like you know, there's some things that you want to know at the beginning, right?
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_04: And and it could be just as simple as just some questions around like, who am I?
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_04: What am I, what am I, when I get behind that mic, what am I wanting people to hear?
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_04: When I get in front of that camera, what do I want people to see?
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_04: Because I think it helps you understand how to be true to yourself, yeah.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_04: Right?
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_04: Like, and and we've had conversations about that behind the scenes.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_04: Like, we're not here trying to be anyone else.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_04: And we respect a lot, we we look at and listen to a lot of other podcasts and probably pull a few things, but right at the end of the day, we have to be ourselves and you gotta catch yourself when you feel like you're you're drifting to try to achieve something else, right?
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_04: And it's easy.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's easy to be like, man, we only got 25 views on this thing.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_04: Like, maybe we should talk about something controversial.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_04: We're not, we're not shock jocks.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_04: We're not we not here to be talking about, you know, what's wrong in the dating world.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_04: Like, that's not our that ain't our lane.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_04: And so just being comfortable with that piece and understanding, I would probably add another piece into that is is understanding to you what does success mean?
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_04: Because it keeps you, you know.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_04: We in Black History Month, Martin Luther King said, keep your eyes on the prize, it keeps your eyes on that, and you don't start veering and saying, Oh man, they're doing this, like this is viral.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_04: Like, yeah, let me go over here and get you know 10,000 views.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_04: It's like, no, let's because I do eventually believe that you will be rewarded.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, because the right people will find you, right?
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_04: There's so many, I don't know how many people there are in the world, but I know it's billions, right?
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_04: So there's enough for you know, a billion is a lot.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_04: So if you could say, hey, each podcast, you know, you can have a hundred thousand viewers, a hundred thousand people that subscribe on a scale of a billion, that don't sound like a lot.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_04: But if you, I mean, you go to a college football stadium and you get a hundred thousand people in there, you'll see that that's quite a lot of people.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_04: So I think it's sometimes we get caught up in that comparison of, oh man, they did a million on that, on that view, or they're talking about this, and we don't think that's about nothing, but they're exploding all over the place.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_04: Hey, who am I?
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, what's my voice?
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, what am I trying to say?
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_04: And and and stay on that path while being flexible, but staying true to who you are.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_00: Man, you what you just said reminded me of.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_00: I seen um somebody say, you know, we just caught up, it was like, I post something, like, oh man, I only got 25, 30 likes.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_00: It was like, but what if 25 or 30 people told you they liked your outfit?
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody just said that to me.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_00: In in real life.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_03: You'd have a crazy day.
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_03: You'd be like, hey, you know how many words and really change your mind.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's what that's gonna change some stuff for me.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but like, yeah, yeah.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's exactly what it is.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_01: Man.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, I wish I had a little, you know, sound machine.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_01: I would draw this final.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_01: Man, where where can we follow y'all personally?
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: Where can we follow the page?
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_01: What's next for you?
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_01: Put it all out there.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, invitation to the cookout.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I appreciate you'll probably put the tag up there, but it's it's invitation number two.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_00: The cookout.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm dapper dumb.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_00: 24.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_00: Let me let me.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_04: Why while he's getting that right then?
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_04: Because we ain't trying to be perfect.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_04: Uh invitation to the cookout everywhere.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_04: We're on we're on TikTok.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_04: Um, we're on Insta on IG.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you can find us uh visually.
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_04: So we do visual podcasts uh through YouTube.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_04: You can find us um through the earwaves, um uh Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, YouTube, all of the above iHeart.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe to all of them.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody to all of them.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody's gonna be able to do it notifications too.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: Every way you ain't even got like subscribe.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, if they posted something, it's gonna let you know it.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it is Dapper underscore dumb24.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's my personal, yeah.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_00: Find me at the Alex Mac.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_01: Man, this was a a blessing to have you boys.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we'll do it again.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, man.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_03: Much love.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_03: Appreciate it.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_03: Appreciate it, man.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see y'all again, man.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, sir.