Latest / Nightmare Success In and Out / Millionaire before 30 begins nightmare to prison- Branden Coluccio

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Millionaire before 30 begins nightmare to prison- Branden Coluccio · Nightmare Success In and Out

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What happens when he works here? Becomes your reality.
0:04
Hi? I'm Brent, Cassidy.
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Welcome to the nightmare success.
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And Now podcast, we explore how to overcome your fears and
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Nightmares is set yourself free. We're going to be exploring this
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topic with guys that was in Leavenworth with and others who
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survived their own nightmare. These stories can be inspiring.
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Sometimes sad, there's some humor but hopefully, you can
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come away with a nugget of something that will help you
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knock down some of the prisons you've built.
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Get up in your own mind. All right, now I'm more
0:37
successful listeners. We're back, I'm back.
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I took a week off and just got back from family vacation which
0:44
was great killed, my family hostage for a week.
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Awesome. I have, we all come here for,
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you know what happens when your worst fear becomes your reality?
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How do you adapt survive set yourself free?
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Well, I have a, I have a great guest and Brandon colicchio, who
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I've been doing a little bit of research.
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I It was funny how we all got connected because Justin
1:10
Bethany, who is somebody that I follow and he does White Collar
1:14
advice helps people through the process of getting out of their
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Nightmare and smoothing the ride.
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Anyway, we emailed him till he make a great guest so he put his
1:26
Brandon and Justin a million in a group email and said Brandon
1:31
would be a great guest also. And so Brandon reached out
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Through the email and said, yeah, I'd love to do that.
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So we have connected and I want to congratulate Brandon.
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He just became a dad for baby girl on, was it Thursday branded
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Thursday at June 8th. Thank you awesome.
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So he joins the girl, dad, father's.
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I've got three and I studies told him it's awesome.
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You'll love it a little bit about Brandon.
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I mean, the cool thing about Brandon's story is he was doing
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a lot. A lot of cool stuff before is
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Nightmare happened. How he handled his crisis.
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I think everybody who's listening can take away tips
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nuggets of information of how to get through a crisis and how to
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handle it. You know, Brandon was he had
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early success. He had a Healthcare company that
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he sold for multi Millions before the age of 30 is 29 years
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old, that, that ended up to getting in a Twisted nightmare
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that came back on him. And He's written a book, it's
2:37
called looking forward and he did that while actually, he was
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going through the process when even he was getting ready for
2:43
his pre-sentencing report, but his, his attitude is what
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really? I thought, you know, captured
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me. I just thought it was just a
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great way that he handles himself now how he handled
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himself through the crisis and what he was doing it for some
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Now, we start with Brandon Brandon.
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How you doing, man? I'm awesome.
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Brent, thank you so much for having me, man.
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I appreciate it. And thank you for the nice kind
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word, and a warm intro. Well, I appreciate you being on.
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And You know you have a fascinating story because you
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know it and I want you to take us back a little bit Brandon if
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you know sure because you're kind of into Parts but as your
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as you were growing up, can you kind of lead us back into what
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Brandon what life was like your family life siblings, all that.
4:28
Yeah, I had, I had a really wonderful childhood.
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I have two amazing parents, I have great mentors and role
4:35
models, and my family. So pretty much all of my family
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members are small, business, owners and entrepreneurs.
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So my grandparents owned restaurants.
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I grew up in the back of restaurants, sweeping floors and
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washing dishes as a kid. My dad's a high-end home
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builder. And basically, all you would
4:53
ever let me do is sweep for but anyway, so I was always working
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These like odd jobs, as a very young kid for my different
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family members businesses and I was always fascinated by the
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dialog at our holiday dinners and just we're very family
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oriented family and so we spend a lot of time together and
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they're always talking about their businesses and instead of
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kind of sitting with the kids, right?
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I always wanted to be with the adults having these big boy
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conversations about their companies and hearing about all
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the problems. Interesting things that we're
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going on and I just grew up fascinated by it and was lucky
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enough that they would expose me to it at a very early age.
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And so, you know, got that entrepreneurial bug pretty quick
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and interesting thing up with branded, how when kids grow up
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with entrepreneurial parents or in that family, it's funny how
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that borns out entrepreneurial kids because they see it.
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They understand the risk part of it.
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They understand the rewards of it.
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It's you see it over and over again.
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Yeah, I couldn't imagine life any other way and I won't get
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ahead but it was kind of interesting how I developed as a
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young man as well route. You know, my my later teenage
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years in my early twenties which I'll probably get to but just,
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yeah, really, really great time growing up the only adversity
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that I really ever faced in my own, with my life was in my
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sister was somebody who struggled deeply with mental
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health and substance? It's and so that started when I
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was third a little later in my life.
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I was probably about 17 or 18 years old when she was starting
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to go through it. So I was pretty much right off
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going to college at that point. But I started to see the change
6:43
occur, certainly to see the stress and the change in my
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parents and you know substance abuse is something that touches
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all of us and I grew up in an area.
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I think we can all probably say this now but I grew up in an
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area. Where it was really prevalent in
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high school. You know, I had kind of friends
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and classmates who were overdosing and dying and
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suicides and all this other stuff.
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And I was really, really difficult.
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I was always wondering like why, why isn't anybody doing anything
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about this? This seems to be getting worse.
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I knew nothing about the landscape of treatment centers
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and what options were really available.
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But I just remember seeing my parents like struggle through
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trying to find the right help and how incredibly expensive it
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was and also the stuff anyway. So, yeah.
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So growing up was just wonderful.
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And I knew from a young age, like I said, you know, in those
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conversations with my family members.
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I always would be asking them, you know, kind of funny
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questions like, well, you know, why don't you guys go acquire
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another business, or why don't you franchise your restaurants
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or you know, why don't you doing these, you know, 150 200 200
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unit, you know, track home developments and my they would
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look at me and be like Brennan. You're like 13 years old but
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what are you talking about, right?
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You don't know what you're talking about.
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And so I would read, you know, I was a big reader, I still am and
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I've just would read about what all these other entrepreneurs
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and developers and folks were doing.
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And so I would go back to them and ask them those questions.
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And so, you know, I decided that their them shutting me down.
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I was like, well, fine, I'm going to go build big businesses
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that and that's what I want to do.
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And the way that I thought you did, that was to go through the
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will call the Wall Street Route, which is, you know, kind of the
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investment banking private Equity world.
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And there I think there's some truth to that.
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But anyway for me I think, you know I'm I'm kind of a cross
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between at this point in my life, I'm a cross between a
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corporate finance like private Equity trained type as well as
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an entrepreneur. And so I think there's an
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advantage to that combined skill, set that I've developed
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over the years. And so, you know, once I went
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off to school that was that was the route that I wanted to go.
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And I eventually battled my way into I'll call it management
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consulting. M&a advisory work for small
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boutique group, outside of Philadelphia, focusing on
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biotech and pharmaceuticals and then eventually battled my way
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into private Equity. So I didn't go to Harvard.
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I didn't graduate with a 4.0 right.
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Was very difficult for me to break into this world of private
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Equity. So I end up working for a
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they're very well established firm.
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But they're they're not well known.
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They do a lot of real estate like tons of it and then the
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other side of it. This, they do private business
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Acquisitions. And so, I worked on that side of
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the company straight underneath, the managing director.
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And so, as a 24 year old kid, you're getting exposure to
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companies that are, you know, making 25 million dollars of the
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you get done. You're, you know, you're behind
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the scenes, you know, going to board meetings and talking to
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CEOs and cold-calling, CEOs, they try to buy their companies.
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I mean, it's a really wild experience as a young man to be
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in those conversations, when you You have no business even being
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in the room, right? Like, I'm a knucklehead like,
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why did somebody, why did you let the in here?
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And, but anyway, it's there's no better place.
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In my opinion for like a young person to develop their skill
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set. Both the ability to articulate
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going to difficult Concepts in a high pressure situation.
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Yeah I've been. I've been kicked out of board
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meetings before that was maybe another story and then also the
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ability to you know really have to build this certain level of
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like a gem. Agility because in private
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Equity, you're like, okay. We've got a portfolio with like
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eight businesses in it and you've got to be able to jump
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from this company to that company, to that company, which
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could be in completely different industry, sectors, different
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problems. And you have to be able to
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switch that like very quickly and then only Acquisitions side.
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The ability to get up to speed on a business, very, very fast
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and how it all works. Like you have 24 to 48 hours,
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kind of figure it out. And so it's just such a great
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training, around my opinion for For entrepreneurs and so yeah.
10:59
So I then eventually was a our firm was approached by a couple
11:04
of Executives from the healthcare space substance abuse
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and they wanted to go off. They turned around a treatment
11:12
facility or I guess it was a chain of treatment facilities.
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It was struggling and they kind of revamped it revived.
11:19
It brought a new Staffing, you know, improve patient
11:22
acquisition and all this other stuff and they went to the
11:26
owners of that group. And said, hey, we like fixed
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your business here, can we have some Equity please?
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And they said no. So these gentlemen were
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operating Capital trying to do their own thing and that's how
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we got put together and the deal didn't work out with the firm,
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but they called me and said, hey Brandon, you know, you're young
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sharp guy. You know, would you potentially
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have interest in helping us raise the rest of this capital
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and if you're successful in doing so we would be willing to
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give you, you know, bring you in as a partner and A partnership.
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You have a third of the company. That's a big deal.
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Brandon. What?
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How old were you at that point? I was 26 years old.
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Yeah, 26. I mean you know and it's funny
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too because I was in your shoes at that point and at 25. 26 you
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you think that I think there's something is happens.
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Like when you're when you get into that Rhythm and flow and
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you start seeing the behind-the-scenes stuff and you
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start seeing things that can grow, you think you can?
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Do anything. And, you know, that at that age,
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I'm sure you thought you had seen enough, you know, 25 26
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years old. Hell yes, I need to be in here.
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I've earned my way to this spot. I can do this and I can do that.
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I'm really good at sales. Absolutely.
12:43
Yeah. That's a fact that there's
12:46
actually something interesting. I remember saying to my, now, my
12:51
wife, when I got into private Equity, I was like, I thought
12:55
that I would be more impressed. I thought it was going to be, I
13:00
mean, it's definitely high level saying it's not but I was I was
13:03
ready for, you know conversations, I couldn't
13:06
understand anything. People were talking about and I
13:08
was keeping up pretty well after a few years, I was like, man, I
13:12
can do like what you guys do? Yeah, I can totally do this.
13:15
And so this when that opportunity presented itself for
13:21
to me, I was like, wow, this is, this is my moment to sort of,
13:25
you know, kind of quench that thirst.
13:27
For entrepreneurship and then also apply my, I'll call it my
13:31
corporate development skills, on the private equity and
13:34
fundraising side. And so you know this is this is
13:37
like my moment. I felt like it was a moment for
13:39
me and it was a moment to do some good.
13:42
Right? I did I've explained, you know,
13:44
kind of the challenges that I've faced you know both with
13:48
Substance Abuse and Mental Health and my family.
13:50
And you know a lot of people that I know so I was like, wow I
13:53
can this is going to be an opportunity to do some good out
13:56
there and so, you know, That step into this entrepreneurial
14:00
version of myself. And so we were, we were quite
14:02
successful. We went out, and we raised
14:04
raised all the money we need it. And when we were off and running
14:08
and they had a whole team ready to go, and we basically just
14:10
poached all the, all the eight players and, you know, we were,
14:13
we were Off to the Races and so, you know, built a business up
14:16
over a period of about. I'll call it like, 18 months and
14:23
at the, at the end of 18 months, we had an offer.
14:27
Private Equity Firm, 445 million dollars and yeah, in a very
14:31
short period of time. And it was like, wow, this
14:34
thing's not even raining, we didn't even think about selling
14:37
this thing, right? But the we hit it, just at the
14:40
point where private Equity became very acquisitive.
14:44
And it's that Industries now at darling of private Equity, but
14:47
this was a little earlier on, in that cycle.
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And so there were a lot of guys out there just, you know,
14:53
snapping up firms. And we were so young that I
14:56
didn't think anybody would. Find it attractive, but they
14:59
did. They did, we had a few offers
15:01
and ended up taking another one. Not that one, it was an offer
15:04
for about 60 just under 67 million dollars and so that deal
15:09
closed in December of 2017, December 11th.
15:13
Yeah, I was 29, 29 years old. So what's going through your
15:17
mind? Now Brandon you've conquered
15:21
something that most people don't conquer when they're you know,
15:25
60 years older ever. What are you thinking in your
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mind at this point? Well, I'm thinking man, now I
15:34
can finally get started serious. I remember calling
15:39
walking-around money to really build something.
15:42
Exactly. Exactly right.
15:43
I was like, you know, wait till ice wait till you see what I
15:46
build. I remember calling my dad and
15:48
he's like, look just go slow, like, slow and steady like you.
15:51
You don't have to prove anything to anyone, right?
15:53
Like, we all know you're capable and so I go off and co-founded a
15:59
real estate development company called Casa de capital Partners
16:02
we were doing, you know, Class A Self Storage projects in
16:06
Philadelphia and and Florida, we did really well we developed
16:09
probably about all. If you add them all up, probably
16:11
about 40 million dollars in projects in our first year, we
16:15
did Philadelphia's largest class a self-storage facility that was
16:18
sold to cube smart. It a couple deals down in
16:21
Florida. Those were sold off as well.
16:23
I also was in the prior, I bought another business and then
16:27
I was in the process of buying a another company, a labeling
16:30
company. Label like food, packaged
16:32
product products, and things like that in pharmaceutical.
16:35
And so I was on the eve of closing that deal and you know,
16:40
the I just you know, got all the financing in place and we're
16:44
ready to go and I could have probably flipped this business
16:46
for five, but I had it under agreement.
16:48
Preapred could have flipped it for five or six pretty quickly.
16:53
If I wanted to and write about on the eve of closing I find out
16:58
that I'm going to be indicted, I get this phone call from my
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lawyer. Sure, I'm in my real estate
17:02
development office and I get a call and he says brand and I
17:05
have some, some terrible horrible news.
17:08
You know, the government has decided that they're going to
17:12
take a firm position here. They want to make an example,
17:14
out of your case and pretty much everybody involved.
17:18
And you were the CFO. You also are, you know, educated
17:23
articulate intelligent individual, and they know that
17:26
and you're quite the trophy. And so, That was it, how long
17:32
would a phone call? How long did you have Brandon in
17:35
that process of knowing that they started to look?
17:39
Because is we all know it? When it starts out?
17:43
It doesn't seem like much to it and then, you know and then
17:48
sometimes you, I've talked to so many guys where they say, well,
17:51
almost seems like they forgot about it and then they get the
17:54
phone call. Yeah.
17:55
What was your, what was your process like mine was my I've
17:59
heard like horror stories, like it takes Like five years for
18:02
them to do anything ours, moved relatively quickly.
18:06
So we'd heard some Rumblings of call it like investigation prior
18:12
to even the transaction, and the buyers were aware of this, okay.
18:16
So nothing was ever hidden from the buyer.
18:18
There were no issues with the transaction whatsoever.
18:20
The issues were, you know, operational in nature and so
18:26
we'd heard some things about it. We had some lawyers, do some
18:29
digging, and nobody could really Find anything out like, hey,
18:33
this is probably nothing, they haven't moved.
18:36
No, no. Subpoenas were issued at that
18:38
point so that was pretty much it.
18:40
We kind of said, okay, well we, you know, we've done what we had
18:42
to do. We just closed everything to
18:43
everybody and as far as we can tell, we have the most expensive
18:47
Health Care. Lawyers Philadelphia.
18:49
You could find. They're like yeah I mean
18:52
everything's fine. So great anyway, so we just, we
18:55
just move on and then after the transaction closed, probably six
19:00
months or so. We got a first subpoenas and
19:04
what they started to do was they were interviewing employees
19:08
first and they went in and you know, subpoenaed probably 20
19:12
employees and nobody really mentioned me.
19:16
The, I wasn't brought up until the end when they interviewed my
19:23
she's the director of our billing department, somebody
19:25
that reported to me and when they asked her who she reports
19:28
do she said my name and apparently they Their response
19:32
was well who is that? And so that was how my name got
19:36
thrown into the ring. And, you know, she obviously had
19:40
she was under oath. She had to explain who I was and
19:42
what I did and all that stuff. So yeah.
19:46
So that was it. And then I would say probably
19:49
this is probably 20 18 now. So I would say about a year
19:53
later is when and I was also been subpoenaed shortly
19:58
thereafter, maybe a couple months and then within a year
20:01
Year. Yeah, that was when the
20:02
indictment came down. What was your thought when you
20:05
got that call from the attorney? My life is over.
20:10
You know, everything I've built my wonderful reputation, you
20:14
know, I literally like and I'm not saying this to try to like
20:17
relive the past but it's just true.
20:21
Yeah, they would call me boy, wonder around the office like in
20:24
private equity and I would literally have these private
20:27
Equity guys sitting me down. Introducing me to people, like,
20:29
as Brandon, like, hey, you got to know this case.
20:31
Future billionaire, like you just really got to get to know
20:34
him. And I like that fills you up for
20:37
sure that mattered to me. That's what I was getting at.
20:39
Is that built my ego up into something that was so fragile.
20:44
Because I identified myself as all those things, you know,
20:49
smart intelligent capable successful, you know, wealthy.
20:52
All this stuff is all this stuff that I thought was important and
20:56
is to an extent, but I had overvalued that and I had placed
21:00
all of my I work in those things and so when all of that
21:04
crumbled, you ask me, you know, how did I feel?
21:07
I felt like I was nothing. I felt like I suddenly like and
21:12
it happened like that, right? And I don't know how it was for
21:16
you, but it was just all the sudden it was gone and I in, am
21:19
in that moment, I went into my partners offices and I resigned
21:23
from our rely, relinquished, All My Equity.
21:27
I just said, look, just, you know, write me a check for what
21:29
I have into it and you guys keep the ppf.
21:31
We had big institutional capital, I didn't want to seem
21:33
to come back to them all my other businesses.
21:36
I've resigned from deals that I was aware in process.
21:39
Got shut down. So immediately I went from a guy
21:42
going, you know, 100 miles an hour like really like Enterprise
21:45
Kingdom building. If you will like building real
21:47
Enterprise Value to a guy sitting on his couch feeling
21:50
sorry for himself like that, like like a light switch is your
21:55
at that point. Relationship-wise you weren't
22:00
you weren't married. Right at that point.
22:02
But you do that was I was you want to just gotten, I'd just
22:07
gotten married, my wife and she knew and I had soon as we got
22:11
subpoenaed I told her something like something funny was up and
22:16
all of the lawyers that I talked to said, Brandon like you're
22:20
probably fine. Like we can't really see
22:23
anything necessarily that ties. You all that well to this
22:28
situation from what we know they're looking at.
22:30
But Again like you like you said, some of the other folks
22:33
have mentioned like you don't really know a whole lot.
22:36
They don't tell you much and So eventually we found out that you
22:41
know that advice was not correct and but my wife knew she knew
22:44
that this was possible. I told her straight up I said
22:47
look I would cfo's company if you look at any active
22:50
investigations that have a result CFO is always part of it
22:53
somehow. And so you know I could be fit
22:57
we could be facing a difficult challenge here and she said I
23:00
don't care. Are I'll go through whatever we
23:03
have to do with you. So when I think you bring up a
23:06
good point there too, because in in the world of taking titles,
23:11
you know, that a lot of people don't understand that when you
23:15
take on those titles when when a federal investigation comes your
23:19
the way that it does like a tidal wave, Whether you know or
23:24
don't know you're in a responsible position to know.
23:28
So correct your intent doesn't necessarily mean that I, you
23:33
know, willfully intentionally did this, you were in the
23:37
position that you were supposed to know.
23:39
And so it's that can be a really confusing time period because,
23:43
you know, I I look back at our situation and absolutely, there
23:48
was a lot of things that I should have known because I
23:52
enjoyed the And I was in I like the big title but there was a
23:56
lot of laziness in my part of not doing what I needed to do
24:03
holy and my position. So that's one of those things
24:07
that you really don't really. I don't know you learn that on
24:12
the job once you get indicted that you know it's getting that
24:17
really fancy title. Also comes with a lot of
24:20
liability if things come there the way.
24:23
That the fact that I did not even realize that a little bit
24:26
and I had I think more training than most do, you know coming
24:31
from the private Equity World about, you know, kind of
24:34
corporate responsibility but I didn't fully appreciate it.
24:38
And I also was somebody who struggled deeply with imposter
24:41
syndrome. I think some of that was due to
24:43
my age but also I think I just a part of me in this is getting to
24:48
be a little little too deep into the psychology of it, but yeah.
24:53
Growing up in the shadow of a highly successful father, right?
24:56
You're constantly wanting to impress that person you know,
24:59
the feeling inferior. And so when I was in the
25:04
situation that I was, I found myself in that.
25:06
I didn't I put myself there, right?
25:08
I did it intentionally partnering with these guys.
25:11
I I caved I think in certain situations where I could have
25:17
questions more, I could have pushed harder, I could have held
25:20
a firmer wine. And instead I just said, Okay.
25:23
Yeah, I trust you. I believe you like yeah, I got
25:26
you. I'll back you up on whatever and
25:28
like that, I did that. I said I said those things and
25:30
so you know at the end of the day I was forced to take
25:33
accountability for it and I did and I do and I'm much wiser as a
25:40
result of all I think here's what I think is really
25:43
interesting about. There's a lot of things
25:45
interesting about your story Brandon.
25:47
But I thought when you found out Yeah.
25:51
And how you found out? A lot of times people go into
25:57
like a fetal position and it all just kind of swims over the top
26:01
of them. I thought what you did was
26:03
interesting from how you handled your crisis.
26:06
Because, you know, one of the things with Justin wanting you
26:12
to be incorporated into our email, is it how you handled?
26:16
That was a lot of what he talks about to, but You went active
26:21
and started taking action against.
26:23
What can I do to for mitigation, for myself in a situation?
26:29
Where I know that there's going to be an outcome where I'm
26:33
indicted. I'm probably going to do a plea
26:36
and how do I best make that happen?
26:39
And it's can you walk us through how your whole thought process
26:42
was on that? I think it's just helpful for
26:44
everybody. It's going through a crisis,
26:46
100% it. I think it applies to You know,
26:49
any any sort of moment of adversity that people face in
26:52
life, not just this situation, but I wasn't strong immediately.
26:59
I had like I said, I ended up as a guy sitting on my couch or for
27:03
about three weeks and I just was sulking.
27:06
You know, that's the hope the poor me roll.
27:08
The, you know, why is this happening?
27:10
I don't deserve this. Not fair, you know, all this
27:13
just don't stalk that we have very, very selfish kind of
27:17
thought process. And I remember just sitting
27:22
there going, I'm 31 years old. What the, what am I going to do
27:27
with the rest of my life? Like I have theoretically like a
27:30
long road ahead and I was consuming a lot of alcohol.
27:35
I was self-medicating badly, I was, you know, out of shape.
27:40
I just my whole world had kind of Fallen apart and I'd allowed
27:44
myself to go with it. And eventually I got to the
27:49
point Point where, you know, I was sitting there one day and I
27:53
said, I can't do this for the rest of my life.
27:57
I have to make a choice and in that moment, I just decided that
28:02
I needed a big objective. I needed a big Target and a big
28:06
promise to hit. And so I said, I don't know how
28:10
I'm going to do this, but I'll figure it out and I'm going to
28:15
take this moment, right? This?
28:17
This awful event in my life. I'm going to find a way to take
28:21
the energy from this thing and apply that energy towards
28:25
something good. And I'm going to do it in a way
28:28
that lifts up the spirits of people that I interact with.
28:31
I love that. And this was like my big, my big
28:33
scary. Why, right?
28:35
And I made that promise but I prefer belies it.
28:38
I said to my wife like this, I'm doing this for us for you and
28:43
for myself and that if at any point I falter here, I need you
28:48
to really hold me accountable Verbal and that was it, I
28:52
reached out and I've got support.
28:54
I found mentorship from individuals who battled through
28:57
the situation that I was going through.
29:00
I've always found success in finding people who have done the
29:03
thing you want to do or something.
29:05
Very similar and done it successfully and go learn as
29:09
much as you can from them. So, I did that and I started to
29:15
give back, I did did a speaking engagement at a university.
29:19
I wrote a book, I wrote a book, I wrote a little self-directed
29:22
course, along with that book, and then license it to a company
29:25
called prison professors. And then they, they provide
29:28
educational materials to prisons and jails around the country.
29:31
And so, my material which was it was interesting timing because
29:35
as you said earlier in the interview, I would still going
29:38
through the process. But so I was still learning how
29:42
I was dealing with struggle but all I did was document how I was
29:45
doing it in my thought process and so anyway my Material was
29:49
already being disseminated, you know, before I ever went away
29:53
and was already like benefiting people.
29:55
So I got to see quick wins with in probably six months.
29:59
I'd really taken to some positive steps.
30:01
I also immediately like really poured myself into physical
30:05
exercise. I got a therapist I I tried to
30:11
slow my drinking down at which I did Sam, I successfully.
30:16
But yeah, it was, it was really like a reinvention My cell, if
30:20
you look at it, and I think it's, you know, we got two
30:23
entrepreneurs here, talking to each other.
30:25
So, too far into the weeds. But I think one of the things
30:30
that, you know, I love to hear and it because it always is,
30:34
right at your lowest point. You chose Survivor instead of
30:38
victim and at the at that point you set a goal.
30:42
So putting yourself on the map again you know you your goal.
30:47
Gave you a destination and then You sought out mentors that were
30:51
people, that really give you the answers to the test before the
30:54
test, and that's something that an entrepreneur earn, learns
30:57
early on, who's doing this, who's getting this and let me
31:01
talk to them, so that I don't have to reinvent my wheel here.
31:05
I'm just going to do what they do because it'll give me
31:07
confidence that it works. So you did those things at your
31:10
lowest point and as far as your connection that you made with,
31:20
With Justin and then and then with Mike Santos was that just
31:25
searching the internet like will you just check it out?
31:28
What, what's out there? Yeah, you could help me.
31:32
I told my wife actually I said have found this guy on the
31:35
internet and he's got a lot of followers by the way.
31:38
That's how I feel. He's got a ton.
31:40
He's got hundreds of thousands of followers.
31:42
I think these guys are the best in the country.
31:46
I mean, hands down. No questions there.
31:49
Stars and they are wonderful people to work with.
31:53
And I told my wife, I said I found this guy on the internet
31:57
who I think might be helpful and she's like like we talking about
32:01
right and you don't you don't need that you're going to be
32:04
fine you know like we're still sort of telling you so internet
32:06
going. Yeah.
32:09
And so I waited and my biggest regret this day was actually
32:13
like that. I waited that long.
32:15
I wish I had brought him in sooner because just the the Org,
32:19
as I said in the mentorship, what that does for your personal
32:23
development in your mental health, to have somebody who is
32:25
speaking from a position of experience.
32:28
Yeah, to guide you through. And I talked about this in my
32:31
own content now and my clients like the value of mentorship is
32:38
so important, huge and so for me I just wish that I brought them
32:43
in sooner but yeah I found them on the Internet and they were
32:46
wonderful and they're both good friends to this day.
32:49
So Brandon you, you're going through this process, your wife
32:54
is going through this with you which I also think so huge deal
32:57
because it gives you somebody to bounce things as you're going
33:00
through and you know, an ear. When did you start hearing from
33:06
your attorney? What they were going to do and
33:09
prison time and all that. As you like, what did it just
33:13
continue to work? Its way because I think I
33:17
remember you saying there were there were talking about a lot
33:19
of time to begin with and yes started making itself down.
33:23
I don't know if that was before your PS are after, but you you
33:28
continue to get yourself into a better position.
33:32
It was a weird situation because it started out as a state case
33:36
and then the federal government had originally passed on it and
33:40
then they decided Well you know if you're going to pursue it we
33:43
don't we don't want to, you know, get out shine here.
33:45
So that's pretty much what happened and so I was charged at
33:49
the state level initially when I got that phone call that was I
33:53
was charged with the state level and so we were like, we actually
33:55
we got a good judge and we were like you know what?
33:57
Like we might want to take a shot here at the state level.
34:02
And then basically, what happened was the Federal
34:03
Government, I haven't been charged at the federal level.
34:06
The state charges were no list is quite long, but anyway, that
34:10
it always starts out that way and so we were, we were on the
34:15
eve of trial like ready to go and my lawyers like, you know,
34:20
Brandon, you might want to consider a plea deal, you know,
34:24
half a million dollars in legal fees later.
34:26
I wish you would've told me that earlier.
34:28
But anyway, you know, The whole time.
34:32
This is what they do is telling you, you know, you know.
34:34
Yeah, we got great chance, you know, food case, you know,
34:37
Wonderful character, great background.
34:39
It's going to be a good story to tell.
34:41
I'm like, okay, I trust you and then on the eve of trial, he
34:45
says, he might want to consider a plea deal.
34:47
You're a young guy. And oh, by the way, we don't
34:50
know what the federal government is going to charge you with, but
34:52
if they match the state charges, they're going to add up real
34:55
quick. You could end up, you know, in
34:57
the 10 to 15 year range. And like, wait, what did you
35:01
just say? Say that's a decade, right?
35:03
Yeah. And he's like I don't want to
35:05
see you do that and I was like no I thank you.
35:08
Of course not. Right.
35:09
Like and so I had to have that conversation with my wife and
35:14
say look like this is this is where this could go if they
35:17
decide to penalize us. And basically, if the position
35:21
the federal government had taken, when we told them we were
35:23
right? We were willing actually go to
35:25
trial, they said that's great, like go ahead.
35:28
We're going to be in the audience watching your state
35:30
case and regardless of if You win or lose.
35:32
We're going to be standing outside the courtroom ready to
35:35
charge you when you're done and I was like, oh boy, right?
35:38
So we could end up fighting the same case twice and they have
35:41
all your ammunition right? So we were checkmated at that
35:45
point and so we went to them and said fine you know will consider
35:49
a deal and that was when they came back wasn't much of a
35:52
negotiation they said, 37 months, 3.1 million dollar fine.
35:57
We went back and said, look, I'll you know, I'll take a
35:59
misdemeanor and I'll be willing to do jail time for an exchange
36:03
for a misdemeanor, they said, absolutely not the whole, we
36:07
tried everything and they just they just stood there, they dug
36:10
their heels in and that was it. And I went with my wife, what
36:14
was the charge that came against you, with Brent?
36:16
Brendan one, one count of conspiracy to commit Health Care
36:21
fraud and it was like, can't remember what section it is
36:24
anymore, but it's like the lowest one.
36:26
It carries a 5, Beer cap. But anyway, it's still, it's
36:30
still a felony and still got Pete.
36:32
Yeah, yeah. So you you've settled on that,
36:39
you go and you go to your sentencing hearing, do you
36:45
pretty much know that that's that's the deal on both sides by
36:48
3 we would be deeply. Yeah.
36:50
So for anybody listening, a see plea is when you're basically
36:53
the both sides have negotiated a deal already.
36:57
Typically it's a range, but this was like an actual number.
37:01
All the numbers were negotiated and we agreement was they will
37:04
not negotiate for more, which typically the prosecution
37:08
argues, for the highest possible sentence and then the defense
37:11
argues for the lowest, the Judges usually ends up somewhere
37:14
little, in this case, basically, both sides went in, we're not
37:19
going to negotiate at all. We're both in agreement that
37:21
this is it. The judge would either agree or
37:24
disagree with the the deal and Stamp it and in that case she
37:28
did so. And at this time, I can't
37:31
remember. I think we talked about this
37:33
before you got on, but your pre-sentencing report was a big,
37:36
I think he and in your the process because I think the way
37:43
that you went about that and the connection that you made with
37:47
your pre-sentencing report officer probably because that's
37:52
that's something you know, I don't know if they're judges
37:55
read the letters, I hope they do.
37:56
But I know that they probably take a look at that
37:59
pre-sentencing report and a lot of you and I were talking about
38:03
this Brandon is a lot of attorneys even if they're really
38:06
really good attorneys some of the best defense attorneys.
38:09
They don't know anything about what happens with this
38:12
pre-sentencing report and how that becomes your Bible in the
38:15
moon, what happens after that and then how that affects your
38:18
case manager how you get jobs in prison, how do you get out
38:21
earlier all those things really stem from that pre-sentence
38:24
reports. So what you were talking About
38:27
early. And I can't remember if we were
38:28
talking before, this are we were talking in the interview but
38:31
getting your narrative in there about who you are and you're not
38:35
this one thing you are so many things, leading up to.
38:38
This is so key to letting you be a human being and and not what
38:44
just the you know the federal government is trying to sting
38:47
you with. It was huge.
38:50
It was it was absolutely massive.
38:52
And my lawyer basically said prior to that meeting maybe a
38:56
Weeks ahead of time knowing that it was coming up and being about
38:59
to be scheduled. He said yeah, it's no big deal.
39:02
Should take, you know, ten fifteen minutes, you know, just
39:06
be yourself. He's going to ask you a couple
39:08
questions and on that that it's nothing really to worry about.
39:11
Okay. And then you know, fortunately I
39:14
had good advisers and they were like that, not true.
39:17
This is the most important thing, probably that you're
39:21
going to do prior to your sentencing.
39:24
And so I was He's very prepared. I had already had a draft
39:31
manuscript of my book and the work that I was doing the
39:34
coursework that I was developing at the time it wasn't completed
39:38
but I brought a manuscript of everything with me to my PS are
39:41
and or to my pre-sentencing interview, excuse me, and he
39:48
absolutely the officer my pretrial officer like loved it,
39:52
he was very willing to give me time.
39:56
To explain my story and talk to him about my objective.
40:01
From the start was always to help people.
40:03
And I'm not going to let this situation deter that objective.
40:07
I'm just now going to be forced to help people in a different
40:10
way than I had originally expected to do so, and from a,
40:14
from a different context. And so, you know, he really
40:17
that, I think that message resonated with him and I also
40:20
shared all my upbringing and background story and marriage
40:25
and everything. And we had a really Long
40:27
conversation ended up being, like two hours long, right?
40:29
Does it turn? And if it's 10 15 minutes,
40:32
right? So it was a really, really long
40:34
conversation. The PSR came back, great made
40:38
recommendations for for our bath and other programs and really
40:44
like wish me well along the way actually stayed in touch with me
40:49
throughout the process. And you know I'd said to me said
40:52
Brandon you know there's like very few people come through
40:55
this situation. And are willing to take the same
40:58
approach that you have and you have clearly have a gift for
41:03
trying to help others and you have great education experience
41:06
and all this other stuff. These are share that gift when
41:10
you're there, right? There's a lot of people that
41:11
would benefit from that. And so I stuck to that and I
41:14
did, I did all of those things. I was I volunteered in the GED
41:17
Department. I call guys how to read an
41:19
interesting thing, teaching, grown men, how to read, and I
41:24
thought entrepreneurship classes, I taught Thought
41:27
thankful literacy courses? Let's let's talk about that
41:30
because I mean there, yeah, there's nothing like a voluntary
41:36
surrender at the gates of wherever you're going.
41:38
And yeah, if I remember, right? You went to a low instead of a
41:43
camp and, and there's a big difference.
41:46
Now, I was 11. I was at Leavenworth.
41:48
So we did have the fence in the razor wire and all that because
41:51
it was supposed to be a low and didn't get accredited, so they
41:54
just kept it, you know, looking that way.
41:56
But but you actually went to a low and there's a lot less
42:02
Freedom like, you know, I would get out and walk to the Food
42:05
Warehouse, a mile and a half every day, beyond the fenced
42:08
area and in a low you you have scheduled moves on the hour,
42:14
every hour and it's a different different environment.
42:20
The day of, can you kind of walk me through the day of Being
42:24
there. Absolutely.
42:25
Yeah. So my first day, I Surrender, my
42:28
wife walked in with me. I walk up to the front Gates and
42:32
I right I'm working on a new book.
42:34
I write this this whole experience in great detail and
42:38
when you pull up to a prison that you're about to walk into
42:41
the only thing that I could, I can attribute it to particularly
42:44
if you're someone like me, I've never been in any trouble.
42:46
I've never been to jail. Never been.
42:47
In fact, the police car and ever been in handcuffs like this is a
42:50
terrifying moment. Yeah, it's sort of Like facing
42:54
your executioner. It's a way that I've explained
42:56
it to people. I think your body's like, kind
42:59
of triggering the exact same, you know, fight or flight
43:02
response and do you walk up and it's the full-on deal.
43:06
There's you know, turrets and you know, double razor wire
43:09
fencing. Reservoir on the ground, razor
43:12
wire up high. You know there's a woman's
43:14
prison right across the street so they were like women, like
43:17
yelling at me while I was like going into the facility and I
43:22
kiss my wife. The last time and they start
43:24
like cheering and yelling and stuff.
43:26
It was just it was quite the experience so I walked in and
43:29
they were actually quite respectful.
43:31
You know go through processing the everybody warned me of the
43:37
The Squat and cough, right? So I go in and they stripped me
43:42
you know strip everything down or they're just kind of butt
43:45
naked and the guys over in the other room picking out your
43:48
shoes and your clothes which don't fit and he comes back.
43:52
And I'm like ah Alright, this is it.
43:54
I know what's coming next and so and so I'm like, I kind of like
43:59
start to like bend over and I like end up in this like weird
44:03
squat, like crossed its position.
44:06
And he sees what I'm doing, he's a no no no, don't do that.
44:10
And I'm like, what? And so I like I freeze.
44:13
He didn't ask me to do anything. I'm just so nervous that like, I
44:16
just started to like, you know, show my ass off and he's like
44:20
no, no stop. And he's like he goes, show me.
44:23
Bottom of your feet. And I was like, what Chuck are
44:27
you supposed to be like, looking in my ass right now?
44:29
It has, I didn't want to remind him, but anyway, so I lifted up
44:32
my feet and I got through without the squat and cough.
44:35
Well, I'm like the first person I've ever met.
44:37
That's actually gotten through that situation.
44:39
So anyway, that happens and finally, get dressed.
44:44
And, you know, I've got, you know, pants that are like, you
44:47
know, up to my knees. It is just interested while
44:49
experience and they because I went in during covid They sent
44:53
me straight to quarantine, which is, that's what I wanted you to
44:57
talk about, because I can't imagine that type of entrance.
45:01
And I think you're the first person I've talked to her went
45:04
through at covid B. They put you, when you say they
45:07
put you in quarantine, that means that you were put in
45:09
solitary confinement. I was putting Schoo.
45:12
Yeah, that's that's straight out of the gate.
45:14
That is unbelievable. How long were you in there?
45:16
Twenty three straight days. That's a long time for some of
45:20
the just like hours ago, kiss. If their wife at the gate and
45:25
thought you were walking into, whatever your life was going to
45:27
be and then you go into the hole.
45:30
Change me? Yeah.
45:32
It's it's a wild wild experience.
45:35
I remember the like that. Not the sound, it makes but the
45:39
finality of the deadbolt. Yeah.
45:41
When it locks behind you and you're like, there's no, it's a
45:45
heavy door. And if the heavy deadbolt and
45:48
it's like, man, there's like how did my life end up like this,
45:53
right? How did I end up here is like
45:55
where you start to sew and you're like, I can't get out of
45:59
this room. Umm, like there's nothing.
46:01
I can scream, I can yell, I can kick the doors, I can do
46:04
whatever I want. Nothing I can do to get out of
46:06
here, and it's like, it's everything you said you had a
46:09
little claustrophobia, was it going in so that did, ya
46:13
couldn't couldn't get into elevators?
46:15
I couldn't, you know, I didn't like tight spaces.
46:18
I would get anxiety attacks on airplanes, and all this other
46:20
stuff. So, like, I went into that
46:22
environment and I dug deep, right?
46:25
And you get to a point when you see the Bob Marley quote, but
46:28
like, you get to, you know, you dig.
46:30
Enough and all you can find left is strength or something along
46:33
those lines, and I had to just had to find it.
46:38
I had to just find that strength.
46:40
And what I did was I would think of guys like Michael and, you
46:43
know, some of the other folks that I knew that had gone
46:46
through a solitary, like extended periods of solitary.
46:49
And I just kept telling myself. Look, if they can get through it
46:52
and they're alive and they're doing well today, I will get
46:55
through this and I would just repeat that over and over and
46:58
over again, in my head. Until I believed it and I would
47:04
I would do lots of physical activity.
47:06
So the way I would sort of distract myself at first, was I
47:09
would read and every chapter. I would drop to the floor.
47:12
I would get a workout in. I would walk back and forth as
47:14
much as I could. Look at, look out the window a
47:17
little bit. I mean, but it was nasty, we're
47:20
in July. So in summer, no air
47:23
conditioning. The window opens about that much
47:26
and they let you out maybe every two or three days for a shower.
47:30
And it's like 20 minutes and I had no didn't give me anything.
47:34
I had no utensils. I was eating with my ID card, I
47:38
had no towel the towel. They give you like a washcloth
47:41
so I would like to have to you know, clean myself, no shower
47:44
shoes. Let me no shoes, no shower, and
47:49
everybody loses their mind. When I say that I did what I
47:53
could with what I had but it was it was really hard but at the
47:58
end of it I walked out of that and was like, well, I just did
48:00
the It is possible? Yes, thank you.
48:01
Do everything else. It was, it was interesting.
48:25
So I did, I was moved from my journey was crazy.
48:29
If we have the time, I'll share all of it.
48:30
But like so 22 days in solitary, then I moved the general
48:33
population which is like a dormitory and that is a
48:38
different way of living. Right, once you get used to
48:41
solitary, it's not so bad. So wife is actually better than
48:45
the one life in my opinion, having done both.
48:49
And so you get in the dorms and it's there's an etiquette to
48:53
follow. I got the worst bunk I got the
48:55
phone right by the bathroom. You know I got the the bunkmate
49:00
below who was challenging and so I just tried to keep it keep to
49:05
myself, read my book exercise like a like a maniac and that
49:11
earned me a lot of respect. I would just like, I would go
49:13
right up to the guys working out hard and I'll be like, looks let
49:16
me jump in to let me keep up, I would beat a lot of them.
49:20
And so, you know, that really helped me earn some respect in
49:24
the community, and I ended up, you know, becoming buddies with
49:27
a lot of those guys and just because that we had, we were
49:29
United by the common interest of exercise.
49:31
And so that really got me through in a lot of different
49:34
ways, both socially and just mentally for myself.
49:38
So I was there for maybe a couple weeks and then I was
49:43
admitted to the our death unit and that's what covid overalls.
49:47
Yeah. Real world where and so for
49:51
covid protocol, though, every time you switched, you went in
49:54
the facility, the overall prison or out of the facility or if you
49:59
switched units you had to do. Quarantine.
50:02
Oh man. So I went right back into
50:05
quarantine again and I did another I think I did this one
50:09
was shorter like 20 days or 20 to 21 days a little bit shorter
50:13
that time but I had a bunkmate this time I wasn't alone which
50:17
is actually work. Worse.
50:19
If you imagine imagine locking yourself and Claws a bathroom.
50:24
Yeah, wait yeah. Or closet with another man for a
50:28
long time for three weeks, it's weird right?
50:33
Like you know you got people going to the bathroom and like
50:36
right next to each other. Disgusting.
50:37
It's crazy. So yeah, it was quite the
50:41
experience, but then I get over to our tap and that was a
50:44
different different world. I assimilated pretty quickly, I
50:49
Did that I was going to invest 100% in the program and that I
50:53
was going to become a leader of the community and I did and I
50:58
did it not like through brute force or trying to be a tough
51:03
guy. I wasn't trying to pretend to be
51:05
something that I wasn't. I did it from the perspective of
51:09
I just want to bring value to this community and I want to
51:11
help these guys who want to do better to actually do better and
51:16
to share what I had with them. And so I approached everybody
51:20
with the same level of respect and and I think it earned me a
51:23
lot of support in the community. And so, I was fortunate enough
51:28
to be in a leadership position, very early on.
51:32
And I, like I said, I posted regular workshops on financial
51:36
literacy and Investments and Entrepreneurship and it goes
51:41
like that minded, that the guys like, yeah, they loved it.
51:45
Oh yeah, I would get shout out to the community all the time.
51:48
Like man, you put That's amazing.
51:49
Workshop, I learned so much. Thank you for doing that.
51:52
I would get that all the time. Yeah, but it was for me, it was,
51:55
it was rewarding because when I would talk to a lot of these
51:58
guys, I became friendly with them and learn about their past
52:01
and their struggles, and the things that they faced in life,
52:03
like I grew up in a white amazing, but bringing some of
52:06
these guys that I met had horrible stars.
52:09
Like really, really, really tragic story.
52:13
And so when you would, I would sit down with them one on one
52:17
and we would have really good conversations.
52:19
Nations and you learn that, all I want to do is just be able to
52:21
support their family and try to be better men but they don't
52:25
know how that had. No, there's never been any sort
52:27
of meant positive mentorship or leadership in their life.
52:30
They were talking to deal drugs in a lot of cases that, you
52:33
know, like 10 years old and so it's their kind of screwed from
52:38
the start. And what I tried to do was just
52:41
share with them that, you know, that that life is not
52:44
sustainable, use it. And I learned how much money you
52:47
can make dealing drugs. They would tell me, And I'm like
52:49
holy shit, it's really incredible.
52:52
And that's what's so tempting to better.
52:54
I can make I can make 100 Grand in a weekend or whatever it is.
52:57
Why am I going to go work for $12 an hour?
53:00
Why would I do that? And I'm like, look man, do you
53:03
make a lot of money but it doesn't count but you're going
53:05
to get caught and you're gonna end up in prison and every
53:07
stretch is going to get longer and longer and you're never
53:09
going to be able to take care of your family.
53:11
So honest work is good work. And so I would just try to share
53:15
these lessons with them but also show them that, you know.
53:19
Ownership can be a very freeing thing financially and can put
53:23
you in a position to be able to support your family and become a
53:26
millionaire. I would break down the basically
53:29
compound interest math. I would do it on the Whiteboard
53:31
form and I would show them like every man in this room if they
53:35
dedicate themselves to honest good work.
53:37
You start a small business eventually build it up to the
53:40
point where you're earning six figures a year is very doable,
53:45
you can be a millionaire in your lifetime and you can build and
53:48
share generation. Well with the people that you
53:50
love and you could do it in a way that's sustainable and
53:52
honest. And so I think a lot of guys
53:55
resonated with that when I would share that message with them and
53:57
like show them exactly that it was possible and yeah, it was
54:02
just super rewarding and I still do that work today.
54:05
I'm an entrepreneurship coach for a group, probably made to
54:07
entrepreneurs and so they teach, you know, formerly incarcerated
54:11
individuals how to build and start.
54:13
I love that grow companies for less than $1000.
54:16
So, it's a lot of, you know, you know, home Um maintenance, she
54:20
Landscaping cleaning businesses like stuff that he's, you know,
54:23
pretty low, low capex to start. So it's just it's incredibly
54:29
rewarding work and then I, you know, do it, I monetize.
54:32
This is essentially the same skillset through my coaching
54:35
programs. And so it's through all of this
54:38
negativity. I found a deeper part of myself
54:44
that I didn't know existed. I didn't know that, I was a
54:46
teacher, I didn't know that I made a good.
54:49
Good coach. I didn't know that I could lead
54:52
people in my darkest moment. Lead people who are, you know,
54:56
tougher than me. You are from work background.
54:59
Yeah, I did it from a place of love, it's all.
55:02
It was I just wanted to try to help and do better.
55:05
It's great. I love that.
55:07
It is a brand of walk me through you.
55:10
Get you get done with your yard that program for those those the
55:14
our debt programs, really the only program in the federal
55:16
system where you can earn time off a year or it depends on what
55:20
you know with the facility is. Sometimes it's nine months lot
55:24
of times it's a year but it's a pretty hard core program.
55:27
Nine months of, you know, really adhering to you know it's
55:31
behavioral thinking why you do what you do and all the
55:34
different things that That are related to that rational
55:38
rational thinking behaviors, but it's if taught properly, it
55:42
should probably be taught in schools.
55:43
I mean, it's something they've been excellent program makes
55:46
sense. So you getting close to the door
55:49
Brandon you know and everybody gets a little bit nervous with
55:53
that because you kind of get into this world of prison and
55:57
then you know that you're getting to the door and then you
56:01
know what's changed. What's going on out here?
56:03
What was going through your mind?
56:07
So believe it or not and it's funny.
56:08
You said that like everybody gets nervous.
56:10
I I was afraid to leave. I kind of felt a little guilty
56:15
for leaving, which is it not a feeling I expected?
56:19
Yeah, right because and I'm sure you know, with people who are
56:22
listening are probably like yeah, you're crazy.
56:25
It's a weird thing that happened.
56:27
You adjust, you get used to it, you build relationships, you
56:30
build a routine and you get you get comfortable again, right?
56:35
And you know, the mine is an amazing ability to adapt and so
56:38
you adapt to your surroundings and then you're going to have to
56:42
re-enter the world and that thought can get a little crazy
56:47
because it's like, okay, well in prison it's easy.
56:50
I don't have to think about what I'm going to do next.
56:52
I'm told when I'm going to move, I'm told what to where I'm told
56:56
when I'm going to eat. So what I'm going to eat, right?
56:59
I don't think about anything except really myself.
57:03
And you know what book am I going to Even when, what am I
57:06
going to work out? You know, what am I going to
57:09
write about today, right? Like these are all positive
57:12
things but all of a sudden you're going to have to go back
57:16
to being an accountable human and that shifting in your
57:20
mindset is tricky. So I did actually get a little
57:23
bit nervous, but I had a release plan already built.
57:27
I had kind of my next few years of my life already laid out, and
57:30
what I wanted to accomplish. So I just went back to my planet
57:34
and Really was ready to get focused, but it was definitely a
57:39
weird feeling. It was a really weird feeling,
57:40
but also I felt grateful the end.
57:42
I didn't want to complain because, you know, I did
57:44
technically I did ten and a half, 11 months on 37 months
57:48
sentence. So, I was the beneficiary of a
57:50
lot of good luck along the way and a lot of people would have
57:54
killed to be in my place, right? So, I don't want to sound
57:57
ungrateful, but it was it's just a weird emotion that happens
58:02
when you're at the end of your sentence.
58:03
It is there's a Say line in Shawshank Redemption where Reds
58:09
telling Andy, you see, you look at these walls.
58:12
And when you first get here, you see that there to keep you in
58:16
and he said when after you look at them for a while and you've
58:19
been here longer he said they're like the arms that hug you for
58:23
comfort and it's a weird phenomenon but I think it's
58:27
because you get into these crazy routines and the reason I think
58:32
you get into routines as you want to be in control of
58:34
something, when you really Don't have control of anything, but
58:38
there are a hardcore, you know, set routine.
58:40
So, you know, they're going to turn the lights off at 10:00 and
58:42
that's all there is, but When you got out walk me through your
58:50
life now. And what what?
58:52
Because you haven't been out that long brand and you've
58:54
accomplished a lot. Yeah.
58:56
How did you enter the world and what was life like friends and
59:00
family and all that? I mean, my life today is
59:03
amazing. I'm just like blown away and
59:07
grateful and blessed and it's just the fact that I am where I
59:12
am right now. Having this conversation with
59:15
you. When I was You know, just a few
59:17
years ago, couple uneven couple of years ago.
59:19
I was, I was, you know, behind double razor wire fence.
59:23
It just blows my mind. But you know, the initial
59:26
transition was tough. You know, the halfway house is
59:29
not a fun place. So I told my wife, you know,
59:32
like they're after the first night she came to drop a couple
59:34
things off for me and I just I was broken down.
59:36
I didn't sleep and I had a moment of weakness and I was
59:39
like, I just want to go back and just want to go back to prison
59:42
because Prison is a thousand times better than that.
59:46
And yeah, the halfway off of terrabona, made her cry.
59:49
I felt awful right side that moment of weakness.
59:51
Where I was just sure I was just selfish, right?
59:53
I didn't think that she was now seeing me for the first time in
59:57
11 months, I haven't seen her no station.
59:59
And she's like, wow, you like want to go back to that and I
1:00:03
can't see you, right? So I didn't think how that would
1:00:05
make her feel and I had that moment.
1:00:07
I rarely get break like that and I did and I'm it's like an
1:00:10
embarrassing moment for me, but that probably tells you how bad
1:00:15
the halfway house is. Sure does.
1:00:18
Yeah they're they're terrible I would have taken in isolation
1:00:21
all over again. Anyway so got through it though
1:00:24
a couple months they're really not much.
1:00:27
You can do when you're in a halfway house and let's get work
1:00:29
release. We were not allowed to have
1:00:32
visitors because of covid-19 protocol.
1:00:34
So anyway I've got home. Got moved to home confinement
1:00:38
and eventually found work for a friend who owns a biotechnology
1:00:44
company and he's like I got a spa Out for you.
1:00:46
Let's go. And so he brought me on and
1:00:49
we're still actually works that company.
1:00:52
And I also do started really leaning into coaching and
1:00:57
business mentorship as well as personal development mentorship.
1:01:00
So I have coaching brand on Instagram, my brand is White
1:01:04
Collar Savage, and it's I share a lot of content around all
1:01:08
kinds of stuff, you know, Business Development, personal
1:01:10
development, really good. You can everybody should check
1:01:13
that out as white collar Savage, I've did a deep dive Stock on
1:01:17
Stocking on brand and it's good stuff that you got on there.
1:01:21
Yeah. Try to try to make it somewhat
1:01:23
entertaining and interesting and it's really like the fitness
1:01:26
mindset business. Yeah, themed if you will and you
1:01:30
know, it's it's really just me trying to build a brand around
1:01:35
who I am. And the person that I've become
1:01:37
become that, you know, kind of White Collar, Savage that
1:01:40
strong, you know, individual that I don't think I ever was
1:01:44
and the, The contrast between the person I am today and the
1:01:48
person I was even though I was wealthier and you know the world
1:01:52
would perceive me as more successful then I was, you know,
1:01:56
I like I said I was out of shape.
1:01:58
I was you know really like I was an alcoholic.
1:02:00
I was you know, not disappoint. I would wake up late today.
1:02:04
I'm sober. I'm in the best shape of my
1:02:06
life. I deeply invested in, you know,
1:02:09
serving other set of just serving myself.
1:02:12
I have a beautiful marriage or just had a beautiful baby like
1:02:16
We just moved to the gorgeous home.
1:02:17
Like, I'm just like, what, how is it my life?
1:02:20
I'm just so grateful, man. Like that.
1:02:22
You get the good stuff and that's for sure.
1:02:26
We have these seasons of winning and losing in life, right?
1:02:29
And I'm, I'm, I'm entering a winning season and I'm grateful
1:02:33
for it and I'm enjoying it. So it's just just been
1:02:36
wonderful. Let me ask you this.
1:02:38
If you have to look back and through everything that you've
1:02:42
gone through, what do you think is your greatest takeaway of out
1:02:45
there to the Runners. So, you have so much strength in
1:02:52
you that you will surprise yourself, but, but Those dark
1:03:01
moments are not always instructive, you could cave,
1:03:06
people do cave to these things. I will share another example on
1:03:10
my way out of quarantine for the third time and the guy in the
1:03:15
cell. Next to me, slit his wrists, he
1:03:18
broke. Now, what's the difference
1:03:21
between that guy and me? Choice.
1:03:26
Right choice. I chose to drop to the floor and
1:03:29
do burpees and to, you know, really focus on thinking the
1:03:33
right thought I chose to develop mentorship to seek mentorship
1:03:39
from others. I chose to try to serve other
1:03:41
people first before trying to before allowing myself to go too
1:03:45
deep into myself, right? That, that's a very selfish
1:03:49
action. And so there are small things
1:03:52
that you can do that are not their small but Agnes, can't.
1:03:57
And you know those are really the big takeaways for me was you
1:04:01
know I had to make the choice to choose strength, over weakness.
1:04:06
It is absolutely a choice and that choice lies within right in
1:04:10
here and your mind. Absolutely, and your mind.
1:04:13
Yeah, man. That's good advice.
1:04:16
Brandon. And you live it.
1:04:17
And if you follow, Brandon on on his Instagram, you'll see it.
1:04:23
But it and there's a couple of books, we need to promote
1:04:26
There's, there's looking forward which obviously, this is what
1:04:31
Brandon you get that on Amazon. You can get nightmares success
1:04:36
my book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
1:04:40
If you guys like the show and share it, if you get anything
1:04:45
out of it, you know, the whole thing about this show is for
1:04:47
people to get just nuggets of wisdom.
1:04:49
And this one, this particular episodes got so many nuggets of
1:04:51
wisdom in it from Brandon. I know it's a hassle for
1:04:55
everybody but But, you know, if you got time on Spotify or apple
1:05:00
leave a review because it just it helps put the show on
1:05:03
steroids, go to Brick kasa.com. That's where I keep all my
1:05:07
stuff. Remember?
1:05:08
I spell Cassidy wrong. It's not like Sean and David
1:05:10
it's with at ey. And as I used to say, when I was
1:05:15
writing my e-mails back and forth when I was eleven worth,
1:05:19
stay strong, I'll do the same Brandon.
1:05:22
Thanks so much for your story today.
1:05:23
I appreciate it man. Absolutely.
1:05:26
Thank you Brett. I really appreciate your time.
1:05:28
Not more success in and out. Thanks everybody.