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Adopted at 12, Sent to Afghanistan… and Ended Up a World-Record Scuba Diver in Phuket · Babes, how did you get here

• 0:00
  Barrington Scott is the Guinness World Record holder for the fastest person to scuba dive in all seven continents.
• 0:58
  If you want to go back, are we going back? We're going as way back as you want to go back. Let's go back. Let's go back.
• 1:03
  We're going back to when I finished my enlistment in the Marines.
• 1:08
  Okay. That was around like what, 2013, June 2013. I was trying to figure out what was next in my life, that transition period.
• 1:19
  And at the time, I wanted to study medicine. I wanted to study medicine. That was all my, my bucket list of things to do, career wise.
• 1:28
  But life had a set of, another set of plans for me, and I ended up going to coronary school.
• 1:38
  But even before I went to coronary school, how did I feel on my lap? You know, I'm kind of impulsive. I've gotten better. I've gotten better.
• 1:45
  But it started with, I was, I invited one of our friends over. He's a chef. And I make something basic, you know, some candy and some mac and cheese.
• 1:54
  The good stuff, you know, he came over. He has, you know, he has some of my food. He's, oh, this food is really good.
• 2:01
  He's like, you have to about being a chef. I was like, it's a good one. No.
• 2:06
  No, I'm going to be a doctor. I'm going to go to medical school. He's like, no, we should check it out.
• 2:14
  Check out, you know, it's an open house. Okay. And you know, just kind of,
• 2:19
  let's talk about food real quick, because feeding kids should not feel like a burden.
• 2:24
  Even though some days I'm told it does, my course feed like a CEO teaches you how to simplify meals and raise kids who actually eat real food.
• 2:33
  Without refined sugars, without ultra processed foods and without the drama.
• 2:38
  We will cover changing how you think about food, routines and how to raise kids that love food and will eat everything.
• 2:45
  I'm sharing exactly how I feed my twins because I know it can help you bring peace to your meal times.
• 2:51
  So if you're ready to feed your kids and yourself with less stress and more joy, check out feed like a CEO,
• 2:58
  because when you eat well, everything runs smoother, including you.
• 3:02
  Steve, if you survive, I'll tell you what.
• 3:05
  Sure. Why not? Right? Well, it doesn't hurt.
• 3:08
  I ended up going to an open house and I'm like, I'm looking at, I mean, I think it was the art institute, art institute to show it.
• 3:14
  And I'm, you know, I'm kind of moving around the school and it's like, oh, this is awesome, because it's all glass, right?
• 3:20
  And you can see inside of classrooms. I'm looking at like the students is kind of like, you know, scrambling around the kitchen,
• 3:25
  like a chicken with the head cut off and trying to figure out like, you know, we're pots and she see flames and everything.
• 3:30
  Oh, this is intense. Oh, this is fun. Oh, I'm probably going to be part of this.
• 3:34
  I'm up, you know, something that are enrolling for that, that January of 2014, right?
• 3:40
  And I kind of just, that from there just kind of like took off, right?
• 3:44
  So I ended up doing four years, I ended up three and a half years.
• 3:49
  You know, I'm getting my bachelor's in culinary art and business management.
• 3:52
  Okay. Right? I ended up in between. I was working on a little, like, little pop.
• 3:55
  My mom and pop restaurant to my first actual gig was at this scratch kitchen.
• 4:00
  Okay. Charlotte. Yes.
• 4:02
  And it was intense. It was awesome.
• 4:05
  I just felt like we're cooking. I wasn't really good at it.
• 4:09
  I was good at just the cooking aspect, right?
• 4:11
  I wasn't well versed in knowing like the layout of like, you know, the being a lion cook and, you know, being,
• 4:18
  well, you kind of get the sense of that in school, but it's school, right?
• 4:21
  It's not real life until you're dropped into those situations.
• 4:24
  Like, this is, this is the life. Oh, my God. You want some news?
• 4:27
  I can't. You need to sell it.
• 4:30
  You need to sell it. I'm scrambling. So like my jewelry.
• 4:33
  My jewelry was like through the roof, like 12 hours.
• 4:37
  I'm like, so at the end of the end of the shift, I just felt really drained.
• 4:41
  I was like, is this really for me? Like, is this my life?
• 4:44
  You know, so I have to pivot a little bit.
• 4:47
  And so, but I still love cook. I love it.
• 4:50
  I think the professional just wasn't for me, right?
• 4:52
  And during that time, I was like 2017.
• 4:56
  I was in a space. I was in this really dark space because I had, you know,
• 4:59
  I deployed I forget to stand.
• 5:01
  Can you take me back to how you even end up in the Marines?
• 5:04
  Because when I read that, I was just like, really?
• 5:07
  Yeah. All right. So we're going to pin that.
• 5:09
  Let's pin that part. Let's take it back for a second.
• 5:11
  So the Marines, I was high school.
• 5:13
  Okay.
• 5:14
  High school. I think it was 11 grade.
• 5:16
  And I think it was mandatory for all 11 graders to take the ass wrap.
• 5:21
  Which is the entry, entry level test for the military.
• 5:24
  Okay. Right. Each, each branch had their own score or whatever.
• 5:28
  Yeah.
• 5:29
  And so, um, and I'm taking a test on the full and the steep one.
• 5:32
  It's like twice. I wasn't taking the series because I wasn't,
• 5:34
  it was just wasn't a goal of mine to listen to the military.
• 5:36
  Sometimes I'm just going to do this because whatever.
• 5:38
  Right.
• 5:39
  And it was, I think a couple of weeks later, months later, something like that.
• 5:42
  I had a national guard army.
• 5:44
  I recruited, you know, kind of say, hey, are you barring?
• 5:46
  And I was like, yeah.
• 5:49
  You're like, you ever thought about joining a national guard or an army or whatever?
• 5:52
  I was like, I was like, I was like, no.
• 5:55
  I was like, no.
• 5:57
  At the time of that, at that moment, in high school, I went to study architecture.
• 6:00
  Okay.
• 6:01
  Because I loved it.
• 6:02
  I loved to draw.
• 6:03
  Yeah.
• 6:04
  And I was a little secret skill by the time.
• 6:06
  And I'm going to be architect.
• 6:07
  No, I'm good.
• 6:08
  And he's all right.
• 6:10
  Cool. Don't worry. He's just like, all right. No worries.
• 6:12
  All right. So fast for a 12th grade year.
• 6:14
  Okay.
• 6:15
  And by that time, I'm kind of like slacking off.
• 6:17
  I've done webbed webbed to this point.
• 6:19
  I can kind of like relax in my GPA dropped.
• 6:22
  Okay.
• 6:23
  And so I said, okay, well, there goes scholarship.
• 6:25
  Time to let's pivot a little bit.
• 6:27
  This figure was next.
• 6:28
  And so I was, I was something one when I had this recruiter, Marine recruiter.
• 6:33
  Right.
• 6:34
  And he's all dressed up his blues.
• 6:36
  I'm like, what is going on?
• 6:38
  I have like Cuba, good in junior.
• 6:40
  Yeah.
• 6:41
  I was like, oh, the old prestige.
• 6:43
  You're all stoic.
• 6:44
  He's like, his back string, his posture is up.
• 6:46
  I'm like, he's not.
• 6:47
  Oh, this is, he comes.
• 6:49
  He's like, hey, you may hear the bridge on the Marines.
• 6:51
  I said, well, I haven't, but tell me more.
• 6:53
  I like because this right here is good to give him right now.
• 6:55
  It's like me, you know, you know,
• 6:57
  it makes it a little appealing.
• 6:59
  So he's like, you know, we offer this free school distance.
• 7:02
  I was like, wait, what?
• 7:03
  Back up free school.
• 7:05
  Yeah.
• 7:06
  He should, he should have left with that.
• 7:08
  And so, you know, I was like, all right,
• 7:11
  I'm like, all right, sign me up.
• 7:12
  So we ended up doing, you know, I was, he was exercising
• 7:16
  and I kind of doing like little workouts to kind of get me prepared.
• 7:19
  Conditioning, pretty much conditioning for bookamp, right?
• 7:22
  Right.
• 7:23
  And again, it was one of them things where I was scoring a little dude.
• 7:25
  Are you seeing me now?
• 7:26
  I got a little muscle.
• 7:27
  But at the time, I was like a little, I was like, maybe like a hundred,
• 7:30
  thirty pounds.
• 7:31
  Okay.
• 7:32
  Maybe, you know, 160 now.
• 7:33
  It's kind of a reference.
• 7:34
  It's kind of like 155 for reference.
• 7:36
  Oh.
• 7:37
  And so a little score.
• 7:38
  It's like a little nerdy stuff, you know?
• 7:40
  And so when I told, oh, he's like, oh, we need to get your,
• 7:43
  your guardian to sign off because I was 18.
• 7:45
  Okay.
• 7:46
  I was 17.
• 7:47
  So I was like, oh, wow.
• 7:48
  Okay.
• 7:49
  Well, shit.
• 7:50
  I got a, that's my, that's my grandmother.
• 7:51
  Can I, you know, can you sign me up to the Marine?
• 7:53
  Sure.
• 7:54
  That's a whole challenge within itself.
• 7:55
  And so I was like, hey, grandma.
• 7:57
  Oh, well.
• 7:58
  So I'm been thinking, I was thinking, you know, you know,
• 8:03
  college coming up, you know, I'm about to graduate.
• 8:05
  Scholarships are not coming in.
• 8:07
  I need to pay for school.
• 8:09
  And I was like, well, I had to recruit her, you know,
• 8:11
  kind of hit me up and offered, you know, to join the Marines.
• 8:15
  And she didn't really know much about the Marines.
• 8:16
  She just, she just thought like, you know,
• 8:18
  just army or whatever, right?
• 8:19
  Sure.
• 8:20
  So I kind of explained to her.
• 8:21
  So I was like, she's like, okay,
• 8:22
  something you really want to do.
• 8:23
  Sure.
• 8:24
  Let's go for it.
• 8:25
  I was like, all right.
• 8:26
  Cool.
• 8:27
  Now, mind you, I don't understand the gravity situation.
• 8:29
  I don't understand the gravity of the decisions that I make
• 8:31
  at the time of 17, right?
• 8:32
  Okay.
• 8:33
  I'm 17.
• 8:34
  And you kind of, you kind of dangle free schooling.
• 8:35
  Yes.
• 8:36
  I'm going to sign up for it.
• 8:37
  That sounds appealing, right?
• 8:38
  Especially at 17, right?
• 8:39
  We don't want to go to the student loans.
• 8:40
  Sure.
• 8:41
  We'll go through our whole process.
• 8:42
  At the time, I was kind of more wise, kind of,
• 8:43
  but I don't want student loans, right?
• 8:44
  And so fast forward, it wasn't into, I mean,
• 8:47
  we don't did maps, which is like kind of like,
• 8:50
  you don't go to like a, go to the hospital to kind of check
• 8:52
  you out to see if you have physically fit.
• 8:54
  Yep.
• 8:55
  All that good stuff.
• 8:56
  So we did that.
• 8:57
  And it wasn't into, I finally ship off to boot camp.
• 8:59
  Oh, come on.
• 9:00
  I graduated high school in June 2009.
• 9:02
  Right.
• 9:03
  I enrolled into boot camp in July 2009.
• 9:05
  Okay.
• 9:06
  It's a quick time.
• 9:07
  You know, I don't have much time to process.
• 9:09
  So again, I'm one of these yellow footprints,
• 9:11
  which is kind of like the introduction, right?
• 9:14
  Kind of everybody, you know, we got the van.
• 9:16
  We line up.
• 9:17
  Right.
• 9:18
  And I'm like, in this one is like my stomach sunk.
• 9:20
  Like everything's sunk and I was like,
• 9:21
  I'm in boot camp.
• 9:22
  Right.
• 9:23
  What did I sign up for it?
• 9:24
  And it wasn't into, I'm looking around like,
• 9:26
  is anybody else realizing this right now?
• 9:29
  Like we're in boot camp.
• 9:30
  Like shit is about to hit the fan real fast.
• 9:33
  And so I'm looking around.
• 9:34
  It's just a German shirt that was like,
• 9:36
  what the fuck are you looking at?
• 9:37
  It's cruel.
• 9:38
  Not a damn thing, actually.
• 9:40
  You know what?
• 9:41
  Let me look ahead.
• 9:42
  Cause I ain't looking at shit.
• 9:43
  Something came across.
• 9:44
  Yeah.
• 9:45
  Okay.
• 9:46
  Okay.
• 9:47
  Okay.
• 9:48
  So I think that kind of, you know,
• 9:49
  woke me up.
• 9:50
  It kind of made me.
• 9:51
  Okay.
• 9:52
  This is real.
• 9:53
  Right.
• 9:54
  And so, yeah, 13 weeks of that.
• 9:55
  And it was the most.
• 9:57
  And even to just even now, like it was the most intense,
• 10:00
  most challenging, both emotionally, physically,
• 10:04
  mentally, like it hits all those points.
• 10:06
  Cause they, they, the point of boot camp is,
• 10:08
  especially Marine boot camp is that they want to break you down
• 10:10
  and build you back up.
• 10:11
  Okay.
• 10:12
  Baby.
• 10:13
  Can you explain the difference between Marines
• 10:14
  and Army just briefly?
• 10:15
  Yeah.
• 10:16
  Yeah.
• 10:17
  So, like you had the Army, which is like they are considered
• 10:20
  land, right?
• 10:21
  Land.
• 10:22
  You have the Navy, which is considered like the sea.
• 10:23
  Sure.
• 10:24
  The Coast Guard is kind of a branch off that.
• 10:25
  Like I think they just do it up ocean.
• 10:26
  Like, you know, kind of like ocean recovery.
• 10:29
  Or I don't even deal with that.
• 10:30
  I think it's like, I'm not sure what the, this Coast Guard,
• 10:32
  I don't really know.
• 10:33
  Yeah.
• 10:34
  You know, Air Force.
• 10:35
  Yes.
• 10:36
  Yeah.
• 10:37
  And then you had the Marine, which is kind of like an amphibian,
• 10:38
  right?
• 10:39
  Where you can do land and water.
• 10:40
  Okay.
• 10:41
  So, the idea of it is that, safeances, we go to war.
• 10:44
  Yeah.
• 10:45
  We're kind of like front lines.
• 10:46
  Right.
• 10:47
  And we established the line.
• 10:48
  Okay.
• 10:49
  Right.
• 10:50
  And so, that's when we're bringing, after we established the line,
• 10:52
  we're bringing the Army, whatever, to kind of maintain the line.
• 10:54
  Right.
• 10:55
  And that's how I act.
• 10:56
  That's really helpful to understand.
• 10:57
  So, when you're at boot camp,
• 10:59
  are you realizing that you're going to war?
• 11:01
  Because, see, it, so you, you, they give you the idea like,
• 11:06
  yeah, you're prepared for war, right?
• 11:08
  So, you can't get you in that mindset that if she hit the fan,
• 11:11
  we need you, right?
• 11:12
  You got to be ready.
• 11:13
  Okay.
• 11:14
  Right.
• 11:15
  But then again, there's a lot.
• 11:16
  The likelihood of you going to go on the war is slim to none, right?
• 11:18
  Okay.
• 11:19
  You know, especially at that time, and we still had like, you know,
• 11:21
  we're still going up, sorry, there was still the points of Afghanistan.
• 11:24
  Right.
• 11:25
  But it just, they wasn't standing as me.
• 11:27
  It was, right?
• 11:28
  Okay.
• 11:29
  And so, I was like, cool.
• 11:30
  I'm not going to deploy.
• 11:31
  Right.
• 11:32
  Not me.
• 11:33
  So, it wasn't until 2012, right?
• 11:37
  Right.
• 11:38
  All right.
• 11:39
  There was some mix up with a unit.
• 11:40
  I think they was ineligible to go.
• 11:41
  I forgot.
• 11:42
  I don't remember what the details.
• 11:43
  Sure.
• 11:44
  But I do remember being information,
• 11:46
  and they telling us, oh, by the way,
• 11:48
  I think it was a weekend, too.
• 11:50
  They was like, oh, have a good weekend.
• 11:51
  By the way, we can deploy in a couple months.
• 11:54
  Or whatever.
• 11:55
  And I'm like, and I'm like, whoa, whoa.
• 11:57
  You know, it's like, I think I, I think I got like a vertigo.
• 12:00
  Not vertigo.
• 12:01
  Is it vertigo?
• 12:02
  It was a kind of, like, dizzy head.
• 12:03
  It was like, what?
• 12:04
  What?
• 12:05
  What?
• 12:06
  Are you telling me right now?
• 12:07
  And so, um, yeah.
• 12:09
  So, it took me a minute.
• 12:10
  Yeah.
• 12:11
  Because I cried.
• 12:12
  I went straight to my, I went straight to my dorm.
• 12:14
  And I cried.
• 12:15
  I called my grandma.
• 12:16
  I was like, hey, they were just over.
• 12:17
  We had the ploy.
• 12:18
  Yeah.
• 12:19
  She's like, well, as I'm coming home.
• 12:21
  You can't come here.
• 12:22
  You can't come here.
• 12:23
  And I was like, I'm going to die.
• 12:24
  You got vertigo.
• 12:25
  They're going to ship me over them.
• 12:26
  Just shot in the hand.
• 12:27
  I am.
• 12:28
  Oh, my God.
• 12:29
  I was like, I was spiraling.
• 12:30
  Like, you want to see somebody crash out?
• 12:31
  I was crashing out.
• 12:32
  Okay.
• 12:33
  So anyway, fast forward.
• 12:34
  We ended up deploying to Afghanistan.
• 12:36
  He's in Kajaki, which is in some place.
• 12:39
  Is this your first trip abroad at this point?
• 12:41
  Yes, it is.
• 12:42
  It was.
• 12:43
  It was.
• 12:44
  It was.
• 12:45
  How deep.
• 12:46
  How deep was it?
• 12:47
  Just like, for that to be your first trip.
• 12:49
  Just like, for that to be your first introduction to a world outside of what you know, feels heavy.
• 12:55
  You know, honestly, I.
• 12:57
  I was like 19 going on 20.
• 12:59
  Sure.
• 13:00
  Again, you, you don't really process a lot of, a lot of emotions.
• 13:03
  You just kind of go with the emotion, right?
• 13:05
  Okay.
• 13:06
  And even now to later, you realize the gravity of, again, the situation that you've been in and,
• 13:11
  um, your experience and you kind of like, damn, I went, I've been through that bad.
• 13:15
  Why are you in it?
• 13:16
  You don't feel it.
• 13:17
  You know what I mean?
• 13:18
  So I'm just kind of again, they just tell us, because they train you to be like, they train you to do as you told.
• 13:23
  Right.
• 13:24
  Put your head down.
• 13:25
  You know, show up.
• 13:26
  We need to be show up and ask it, right?
• 13:27
  Right.
• 13:28
  And you don't, so you don't really think you just kind of like an autopilot, like a robot almost.
• 13:31
  Yeah.
• 13:32
  You know what I mean?
• 13:33
  And so it was, it was a lot of that, more so.
• 13:35
  And so, um, again, we deployed.
• 13:37
  We had, we had deploying again.
• 13:39
  Again, we had to think of it.
• 13:40
  And so at the first three months, we was getting like pop shots.
• 13:42
  Like, I don't like a little.
• 13:43
  What does that mean?
• 13:44
  I was pretty much, they were just shooting at us.
• 13:45
  Literally.
• 13:46
  They didn't have any.
• 13:47
  Well, we were the targets.
• 13:48
  But again, it was like kind of like they were shooting at just a shoot to kind of scare.
• 13:51
  So whatever.
• 13:52
  Okay.
• 13:53
  You know.
• 13:54
  And again, I was so, it was a period in my time where I was.
• 13:57
  It was the most short time of my life, right?
• 13:59
  Because any given time, anything could happen, right?
• 14:01
  It was a very unstable situation for the six months, right?
• 14:04
  You don't, you just don't know.
• 14:06
  You know?
• 14:07
  And so we was a flacking Cavalar for the first three months.
• 14:09
  You were more.
• 14:10
  Flacking Cavalar.
• 14:11
  So sorry.
• 14:12
  Sorry, babe.
• 14:13
  I have no idea what it was.
• 14:14
  Yeah.
• 14:15
  They helped me the whole time.
• 14:16
  The whole time.
• 14:17
  You know, the whole time for the most part.
• 14:18
  And we was getting like missions off the night.
• 14:20
  So we are, I'll be starting to sleep three in the morning.
• 14:23
  And my little skivis, like pajamas pretty much, right?
• 14:25
  You get it.
• 14:26
  And I haven't had this, this photo on Facebook where skivis is like this little,
• 14:31
  it's pretty much what I'm doing right now.
• 14:32
  Kind of like this.
• 14:33
  Right.
• 14:34
  You probably a little shorter.
• 14:35
  Right.
• 14:36
  Green.
• 14:37
  Little, looking a little, um, little shirt.
• 14:39
  Whatever.
• 14:40
  And they called mission.
• 14:42
  And you three in the morning.
• 14:44
  Oh, this can buy me later.
• 14:45
  Like, what's going on with this orientated, you know.
• 14:48
  And you literally put on your helmet to go.
• 14:51
  You going out to the back, right?
• 14:53
  Okay.
• 14:54
  I was like, and after the whole mission, you take a little picture like this.
• 14:57
  I got a little guy for Joe.
• 14:58
  People like this.
• 14:59
  Mine.
• 15:00
  He's like.
• 15:01
  Hella late.
• 15:02
  Like four or five in the morning at the point.
• 15:03
  Anyway.
• 15:04
  So it was the most short time of my life for me.
• 15:06
  Again, I was so stressed out.
• 15:08
  I actually blacked out most of what happened.
• 15:10
  I just remember like bits.
• 15:11
  Yeah.
• 15:12
  Instantly, if I like really like meditate and kind of like think about it.
• 15:15
  Yeah, come back.
• 15:16
  It's totally come back.
• 15:17
  But a majority is.
• 15:18
  I forgot majority of the experience.
• 15:19
  Sure.
• 15:20
  So moving forward after deployment, you know, um, yeah, got out.
• 15:25
  And then boom, pinned to where I was.
• 15:28
  So I left off.
• 15:29
  Okay.
• 15:30
  Right.
• 15:31
  So I was at a docs, docs based on my life.
• 15:32
  Again, I was kind of like, I didn't have that transition even from like going from like, you know,
• 15:36
  the force of care and like, you know, the whole, the whole trauma and then military and then
• 15:41
  the whole like transitioning.
• 15:42
  I didn't, I didn't feel, I felt like I didn't have time to breathe.
• 15:45
  Sure.
• 15:46
  I had time to process.
• 15:47
  I didn't have time to just decompress, you know, really in, um, get the help that I needed.
• 15:52
  You know, so PTSD, all that, the whole thing, you know, and so I was really dark space.
• 15:56
  And so, um, I was like, I need a break, a little break.
• 15:59
  And so I was like, you know, um, at the time, um, wanted to take like a three week trip to Malaysia.
• 16:05
  Well, I know.
• 16:06
  Sorry.
• 16:07
  A three week trip to Southeast Asia.
• 16:08
  So I was going to start Malaysia and kind of, um, travel over to like Thailand or, you know,
• 16:12
  some other countries around nearby countries.
• 16:14
  And so like during my research, I am like, Google in this thing called Gapley Gapier.
• 16:20
  And again, it's one of the things that Americans, Americans, what's the gap here?
• 16:23
  I'm laughing because I took a gap here.
• 16:25
  See?
• 16:26
  And I like planned.
• 16:27
  When I first heard about gap years, I was like in my gap year because I'm a teenager
• 16:31
  by this point.
• 16:32
  When I finished school, before I like go to university, I'm going to take this gap here.
• 16:36
  Yeah.
• 16:37
  And I was like, I'm going to go to France, Spain and China.
• 16:39
  I had read an article that China was going to be the leading nation.
• 16:42
  I think at the time it was like 2015.
• 16:44
  Right.
• 16:45
  This is back in the day.
• 16:46
  Yeah.
• 16:47
  And I was like, oh, so I need to learn Mandarin, right?
• 16:49
  Because if I'm going to keep up with like who I envisage myself to be, I need to know how to speak Mandarin.
• 16:53
  How old are you?
• 16:54
  When I decided this, I planned this when I was nine.
• 16:57
  Nine.
• 16:58
  Yeah.
• 16:59
  That's crazy.
• 17:00
  And I'm a life when I was nine.
• 17:01
  Okay.
• 17:02
  Yeah.
• 17:03
  And I only realized that 16 that you should review your nine-year-old plan.
• 17:05
  Absolutely.
• 17:06
  But the only thing about that at nine is crazy.
• 17:09
  Yeah.
• 17:10
  I went a bit too, like, structured.
• 17:11
  Yeah.
• 17:12
  But I did go to France for six months.
• 17:14
  Yeah.
• 17:15
  And then basically, opairing didn't work out for me.
• 17:17
  Mm-hmm.
• 17:18
  And then I became Mr. Maker.
• 17:19
  So my gap year, like, got extended to two years.
• 17:21
  But the point is, I was really familiar with gap years.
• 17:23
  And I understood that it's not something that everybody really, really does.
• 17:27
  Right.
• 17:28
  Exactly.
• 17:29
  And then we just went back to the next day where, like, I remember in coach,
• 17:33
  they kind of trained you to kind of be like work, work, work, work, from high school,
• 17:37
  strength to whatever college or a tray school, whatever you're going to do,
• 17:39
  it doesn't include gap years, taking a sabbatical to find yourself
• 17:41
  or what is, you know, enjoy life.
• 17:43
  No.
• 17:44
  No, no, no, no.
• 17:45
  Get to work, back to work.
• 17:46
  You're going to do that when you're 65.
• 17:48
  You know.
• 17:49
  So, yeah.
• 17:50
  I was Googling gap years.
• 17:51
  And I'm like, what is going on with this?
• 17:53
  And like, in...
• 17:54
  I felt like I said, she called.
• 17:55
  I was like, oh, my god.
• 17:56
  What is...
• 17:57
  I could take a year, all.
• 17:58
  Like I can just disconnect from life for a year. Yeah, let's do that. Yeah. So it was at that moment weird. I was like
• 18:05
  My partner at the time. I was like, hey
• 18:08
  I'm taking a gap. Yeah. Right. He's like, what is a gap? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, it's a bad cool. We take it a year of life
• 18:13
  I think I'm gonna get a year of life
• 18:16
  So I'm selling my house
• 18:18
  I'm selling it. I'm selling this car. I'm quitting my job. You guys live together. Yeah, so his whole is gone too
• 18:23
  Yeah, yeah, absolutely like well, you don't got to go home. Right. You got to find a home
• 18:28
  But yeah, I'm selling this house. I'm selling my car. I'm selling this dog. I'm getting rid of this dog
• 18:32
  So by this point you have host car dog
• 18:37
  Relationships stability. Yeah, and you felt that you needed to walk away from that. Yeah, because I wasn't I
• 18:46
  Yeah, because you know
• 18:48
  Externally, I mean, I had the American dream right at the point right at the 22
• 18:52
  That's mad to me like also to come from foster care
• 18:57
  And have like you say yourself those traumas to then go straight into the military
• 19:02
  And to essentially be having these things that adults are working for for years right and you've already ticked off all of those boxes
• 19:09
  And essentially defied the stereotype of coming from hardship to create that so soon
• 19:15
  I'm like at this point you should be living life and enjoying the whole set enjoying those things. So it's really interesting that you were like actually
• 19:22
  I don't want it right because also like you you you get the American dream right you rush to that and then you just like
• 19:28
  Is this the rest of my life is this is it I've rushed to this I've rushed to this point in my life
• 19:32
  Now I was like this can't be the rest of my life, you know, I mean, so it was also a part of that too
• 19:36
  But I also didn't feel I didn't feel secure within myself mentally. I felt like I was slipping, you know
• 19:41
  Okay, I'm into like a dark space where none of this really mattered none of this mattered
• 19:46
  You know nothing what I had all accomplished up to that point and mattered right and I needed to pour back into myself
• 19:52
  Recharge my spirit. Yes, and not just not a little vacation. No, I need to figure out
• 19:57
  Was broken in me okay and figure out what that looks like without how to fix it and which we'll get to that in a second sure
• 20:03
  But um, yeah, I was like yeah, I'm selling all of this. I'm leaving and how did he feel oh he was like because I was like I'm
• 20:11
  Leaving you to
• 20:14
  Everything has to go
• 20:17
  I didn't know how to navigate that. I didn't know how to navigate what this looks like for me
• 20:22
  Because I was like I also came with the ideas like I'm saying a year
• 20:26
  But it could be longer. I know what life has installed for me. I know I'm just going and I need this okay
• 20:30
  And I was like figure out what you're going you got going on. Yeah, oh no wait
• 20:35
  You thought you can do everything so how's that but we're not breaking up. No
• 20:38
  Oh, that's sweet. That is so sweet. I have to go work this out because I'm still going and we need to figure out something right
• 20:44
  He's like, well, so how we had to figure out was that every three months here come visit
• 20:49
  Okay, whatever country I was in okay, like a week or two whatever right so it was great. It was it was actually wonderful, you know
• 20:54
  Um, but man that year is what I need it and then change that changed the whole trajectory of like how my life would have been
• 21:01
  Or what I think my life would have been sure and to now like it's crazy because
• 21:05
  That gap. Yeah, man. I was doing things. I will and I've dreamed of doing you know, I mean or in even doing things
• 21:12
  I didn't think that I would have been doing. Yeah, so
• 21:16
  And I was having a great time. I mean it was
• 21:19
  it was such a
• 21:22
  liberating experience for me and liberate for it and it's so sad because I realized that a lot of people won't be able to experience that
• 21:28
  where you have that
• 21:30
  That year that won't just piece right we uh and just
• 21:34
  You have the opportunity to kind of wake up in the morning like the world is literally your oyster sure
• 21:38
  You can do whatever you want literally want to do
• 21:41
  And that feeling is something I wanted to chase like I wanted that. It's like a drug to me now
• 21:45
  Yeah, I was like this. So this is this is freeing. This is oh my god. This is what life should be
• 21:50
  You know, I mean and all the emotions I associate that's associated with that right right and so again
• 21:54
  I was yes, man meaning I was
• 21:57
  I followed me in travelers. They want to go climb this mountain. Yes, okay
• 22:01
  You want to go rock climbing? Yes, I'm not I've never been rock climbing before at that point
• 22:05
  But it's like yes, right
• 22:07
  Which is yes, and I was and I was loving it
• 22:10
  until you know
• 22:12
  I was for another money
• 22:15
  I don't like this is all good, but um
• 22:18
  Unfortunately, you know I need money. I need more money. I was where did you go during that year?
• 22:22
  So you saw it off in Malaysia and then where did we find ourselves? Oh, I
• 22:26
  Malaysia now I forgot the particular order, but it was Malaysia
• 22:30
  Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau
• 22:37
  Oh, babe, did you win some places? Oh, yeah, Australia
• 22:40
  So yeah, it was yeah, I was I was kind of and during that year was there any point where you felt perhaps guilty for you know
• 22:49
  Breaking away in ways that other people who weren't or did you feel that you were at all setting yourself back or in the sense that
• 22:56
  Coming from the mindset of work
• 22:58
  Achieving ticking boxes and now you've gone completely the other direction and you're not being productive in the way that people view
• 23:04
  Productivity or were you just like actually fuck all of that
• 23:08
  This is solely for me and I feel right in everything that I'm doing. It was a combination of all of that
• 23:13
  You know, I mean because at first it was well, sorry outside of the game. I was never there was never
• 23:18
  There was never time. I felt guilty for leaving. I mean
• 23:20
  That part now. I don't associate that part
• 23:22
  But the whole you know, not being productive. There was a point was like I'm I'm I mean life is a little too good
• 23:28
  Yeah, I should maybe I should be doing something because I'm still young and now it's like I mean
• 23:31
  I should be doing something right okay, and
• 23:34
  That's why I was doing I was still doing for talk. Oh well, I was kind of like branching into photography
• 23:38
  Because I was like maybe I can make a make a little thing out of this right so I had like this little beginner camera
• 23:42
  And I was just kind of shooting the kind of okay, so you know developing a skill set, right?
• 23:46
  Yeah, it's kind of making myself at least learning something new while more than on his journey, right?
• 23:50
  But it was that and then it was like I need this. This is for me. You know, I mean this is literary for me
• 23:56
  and
• 24:05
  I'm trying to find a word um, so
• 24:09
  It was there was also I mean outside of the fun, you know, it was with there's a lot of reflective moments too
• 24:14
  Because I you know also go back to
• 24:16
  You know my life over today, and so this times where I felt like
• 24:20
  Um, because I have siblings right I have siblings where I was like
• 24:24
  And I was older brother. I'm the oldest brother. Okay, so you know, they're still never getting life
• 24:28
  They still yet the time they were young. They're still like you know school whatever and also really trying to figure out like how do I
• 24:35
  How do I build something or how do I
• 24:38
  um
• 24:39
  How can I pass on to my siblings or like how can I and so it was kind of like okay
• 24:45
  How can I bottle this up to kind of like pass it out pretty much right how can I bottle this experience up so
• 24:49
  um
• 24:50
  It was more so it was as more so I'm doing this for me, but also doing this for them as well, you know, I mean
• 24:55
  Because I'm trying to let I want to at the time. I want to well still
• 24:58
  I want to let them know that hey, you can do this too. Yes, you can do this too. You don't got to follow this this you don't got to follow this conventional
• 25:04
  Vote this zone the convention of role map. You can kind of, you know pivot or like you know, whatever
• 25:08
  This kind of make make the best of whatever whatever your life is and I I begin this doesn't terminate endings, right?
• 25:14
  It was a lot of that I tried to pass down to them and they just don't listen any 20s now. So you just like whatever
• 25:18
  It's like I like cool
• 25:20
  You did your part. I did my part, you know, I mean as old as the father and I tried, you know, whatever right sure
• 25:26
  But um, yeah, it was it to the end of the end of my um
• 25:30
  My trip well near the end of my trip near the end of my gap year
• 25:32
  I was like I was down to my like my last two-two grand and um, I met one of the truck
• 25:37
  I stayed in hostels in hostels. Let me tell y'all
• 25:40
  Okay, we were not brag or we were not drag hostels. Okay, hostels has got me through a whole year
• 25:46
  The most interesting people
• 25:48
  Okay, and they have just hold in I hated because hostels had this whole stigma of being like, you know, dirty
• 25:55
  I'm not gonna lie guys. I've never stayed in a hostel and I definitely know never and the idea
• 26:00
  I was even saying to my sister the other day that when my kids get old
• 26:03
  And they tell me that they want to travel more into all of this stuff
• 26:06
  I just need to be in a financial position so that they never need to see the indoor of a hostel
• 26:10
  And now you're telling me because I do I don't know where I got this like notion from but I definitely think dirty
• 26:17
  I think way too communal for like my baby girls. Yeah, yeah, you know, and I think like safety
• 26:24
  Yeah, and but to be honest with you, I've never stepped inside one so like I could just be chatting absolute shite
• 26:30
  No, there was a point in time where again, the stigma was definitely I think it's a thing right
• 26:35
  But now I mean, I've been in some hostels where they kind of rival hotels really in terms of like and they even more unique
• 26:42
  Because they have they don't have that pressure, right? So I've seen some really cool like
• 26:46
  um even here like
• 26:48
  Well, they're like boutique hostels now. They have boutique where they kind of like
• 26:52
  Calling them boutique. Yeah, and is in is they have prior rooms too. They have prior rooms
• 26:57
  The communal part is like having like the social there's a social aspect of it like having like the
• 27:01
  Common areas we have pool tables tv's all that good stuff like it's it's really is that they kind of welcome that community
• 27:07
  We have travelers. We can kind of sit down and change stories right and but you can still go out to your private room
• 27:11
  Okay, they have the dorms where you can choose from like I don't know two four six eight sixteen
• 27:17
  You know literally not a lot to you. It's like a little cubby. It's like in the warm like okay, but it's really cool
• 27:22
  You know, I mean um and again
• 27:25
  A lot of them are like a lot of them are nice like a lot of them are nice now especially nowadays
• 27:28
  We know that's good. So I've been to some really cool ones. Okay, so anyway
• 27:32
  Um
• 27:33
  Where's that going? I lost my trip. You're coming towards the end of your gap here
• 27:37
  So you always stay in the hostels. I was I met uh this traveler and he was just saying that um
• 27:42
  Oh, you know go to Australia. Just make really good money. Okay out there and I said
• 27:48
  Okay
• 27:52
  Ended up getting you know using a lot bit of money to buy my ticket but and I didn't go straight into cornery
• 27:57
  Okay, until like the chef and thing ended up um working on a farm. Okay. Yeah, when they're working on a farm
• 28:03
  What kind of farm? It was a citrus farm. Yeah, he's he's plucking those oranges or whatever
• 28:08
  And it was fun. It was fun until it wasn't you know
• 28:12
  How quick was the fun and then not fun at the two weeks. Okay, you know
• 28:19
  Yeah, because honestly in I was I'm not the brag, but I was well, you know
• 28:23
  I was the fastest picking those oranges
• 28:24
  And maybe it was a little ancestry thing that going going on
• 28:26
  I'm not sure what that what that was, but I was like
• 28:30
  You know, you see me see my back. I got like baskets of oranges
• 28:32
  And he's like I like I got like 10 little baskets and anyway
• 28:35
  So you get paid by the number of oranges that you pick. Oh great. Yeah, that hard work paid off. Yeah, definitely
• 28:40
  Okay, you know, so it's a little bit of sense. It's kind of work fast
• 28:44
  So um it was where it kind of um
• 28:47
  Pivot it was kind of deviated for me is where I saw a snake in a tree and I was like see
• 28:53
  This is why this is Australia and I kind of forgot that I forgot in Australia. It won't happen again
• 29:00
  So I ended up leaving the farm. I was like this is cool
• 29:03
  You know how to move on and um ended up getting this working with this recruitment agency um that kind of hires um chefs
• 29:11
  Okay, the higher chefs um
• 29:14
  And pretty much they pay for your accommodation
• 29:18
  Domestic travel food, so you literally just pocket all the money. Okay, so it's people just contract work
• 29:22
  You know you work with a venue where they are kind of if anywhere for like a couple weeks or a couple months
• 29:27
  Whatever, right? Okay, so that was great. I'm didn't working on this um
• 29:31
  Working at this resort. How could you resort in Darwin? Okay, Australia kind of like fudge more resume a little bit, you know
• 29:38
  Um, I told him I was a executive chef at not a restaurant
• 29:43
  And you weren't an executive chef
• 29:47
  But at this point had you elevated from line cook? Nope
• 29:52
  So not even like I was a sous chef and now I'm like just pretending to be an exec
• 29:56
  You are literally fresh out of culinary schools. Yep line cook, but baby we promoted ourselves. Yep
• 30:04
  It is the confidence for me because it's like I went to culinary school
• 30:08
  I you know as a line cook I've
• 30:11
  So how you know
• 30:13
  Apparations or a good stuff. So I mean we've all watched how's kitchen baby right exactly a couple episodes of that and it's like
• 30:19
  Oh, I know how to run a kitchen. You know, it's easy. What cook?
• 30:22
  whatever food cool, that's it man
• 30:29
  I get to this rest I get to this a resort. Uh-huh, and I'm going in this kitchen. I see like a whole
• 30:33
  See some chefs. I'm like hey
• 30:35
  There's a brigade. Yeah, I'm like hey guys
• 30:38
  I'm be executive chef and I'm like getting
• 30:42
  Dry throat because I'm like I'm nervous because like what you know, I felt like I myself to depend
• 30:47
  Right and man those first two weeks was horrible
• 30:52
  I
• 30:52
  You know, it wasn't the food aspect of it like cooking sure wasn't difficult. It was managing people
• 30:57
  Managing a whole kitchen. I was like whoa. Yeah, you know, so but it was it was it was it was definitely an experience
• 31:04
  And then they're bringing one of my one of my caught
• 31:07
  Well my colleagues sure and um
• 31:10
  I like hey, I need your help right
• 31:13
  Come on actually we pay for whatever you got going on. Let's do it
• 31:16
  She's coming me so we took over that kitchen. It was awesome. So we ended up double in a covers
• 31:21
  Yeah, and it was it was great and except me in the general manager we bump heads sure no and um
• 31:28
  I'm still believing okay, you know, we ended up having a little
• 31:31
  situation
• 31:34
  I'm like I'd increment myself
• 31:38
  But I'm not crazy nothing crazy. I just um
• 31:41
  Slesa little Tio too, you know, I know. Yeah, why not he was being he was he was hella rude. Okay back
• 31:46
  He deserved it right anyway, so
• 31:50
  Anyway fast for it
• 31:51
  Uh, before you fast forward those first two weeks right and you're working and you're managing these other chefs
• 31:56
  Yeah, are they realizing that you don't know what the hell you're doing? I didn't have an inkling
• 32:01
  I didn't have the net idea, but it's one of them thing
• 32:03
  Our shrines our shrines are really they don't speak they mind and they have really they come up abrasive
• 32:08
  But they don't you know me any malice body. They just kind of it's just straightforward, you know, I mean and so
• 32:14
  They'll say hey, um, this is not how you do this. Sure. You know, okay, and I just talk about like oh, I'm just new
• 32:19
  Yeah, you know, I had the my skis was sorry. I do things differently here in Australia
• 32:24
  You know in America. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to find my in my footing, you know
• 32:28
  No, I have no idea what the fuck's going on you know exactly so it was a lot of that so like yeah, just oh yeah
• 32:33
  This is how you order produce oh
• 32:36
  We do so differently
• 32:41
  You know, oh, you know did I get this oh did I oh the quantity did you mean far oh sorry the lot let's
• 32:49
  The way the way layout the layout is so different so it's a lot of that you know
• 32:53
  I do think they gave you this job
• 32:56
  Because of my resume
• 32:58
  That is before
• 33:00
  So the general manager didn't out he didn't know sure because I told him I was like hey, this is my kitchen
• 33:05
  This is my thing sure you or you can manage the the result so you had autonomy over your section. Okay amazing
• 33:12
  And how long did you stay there six months? Okay, so it was great. It was really it was really great again
• 33:17
  It was one of the outside of aside from me bumper heads with him. Yeah, the general manager
• 33:22
  Also again snakes. I was on the toilet and the snake is coming from under the sink. No, that's too much. Yeah, and it was a rectangle
• 33:31
  Uh bathroom, so you had to pass the the sink to get out and I was like so I'm seeing a little head poking out under the sink
• 33:37
  And I said oh hell no, I didn't write my ass. I just like oh
• 33:40
  No
• 33:42
  I got the video on my phone is like I'm standing the door and I see the snake coming out and I was like oh hell no
• 33:49
  Yeah, so much. Yeah, too much. It's darling. It's not all of the danger shit. It's a northern northern Australia
• 33:55
  You know, you have the crack it out. You have the bullsharks. You had the the most venomous snakes in the world
• 34:01
  You have you have everything. I was like I'm good. I'm good for northern
• 34:05
  Australia sure. Yeah, so so at this point you've done your stint you leave that hotel the resort and then do you have a plan in mind what your next move is yes
• 34:14
  So my partner at the time
• 34:16
  Had a temporary job out in Hawaii. Okay, so you know, it's kind of paradise for me
• 34:21
  So I ended up moving to Hawaii for a couple of I think six or a month
• 34:24
  Okay, and that was awesome and they're working as a chef out there too. Okay back to the line cooking. No
• 34:32
  You know what's crazy glad you quit the job the first day and even first day like the first few hours really
• 34:37
  Um because let me tell you
• 34:40
  Hawaii is really casual. Okay, casual and I remember working at this restaurant. I can say no names
• 34:46
  but um
• 34:48
  They um, I think they had some Filipinos working and again, it was language barrier where I came in like six in the morning
• 34:56
  There was nobody in sight. Well, they had like workers, but they didn't I'm trying to figure out like this is orientation
• 35:01
  Like we're going on like how do you what's how to navigate this kitchen? But in no one spoke like much English
• 35:07
  So this is sorry if this woman who she was
• 35:10
  You know speed old lady, mm-hmm, and she's like you know trying like she's I guess she was maintenance or something
• 35:15
  Whatever and she was like I was like hey, what do I do? Like what's going on? She's hands me a mop
• 35:21
  Oh, and I'm not believe I'm not beneath
• 35:24
  And job, but that's not what I sounded for I didn't sound up to mop
• 35:28
  I don't know
• 35:29
  You gotta be messed up bye
• 35:34
  I quit denied I
• 35:36
  My the manager
• 35:39
  Uh calls me say hey um are you coming in? I was like no because yeah, I'm not mopping
• 35:44
  He's like oh, no, there's a mistake. Okay. There's a whole mistake. And so you know can you come back in?
• 35:48
  We have somebody to kind of help you navigate the kitchen. Sure. So it's like okay cool. So I'm doing that couple months
• 35:53
  Um, and from neo stated norm Hawaii, and then we had an opportunity to kind of go back to Australia
• 35:59
  Okay, and so um we end up moving to Brisbane. Okay, and let's nicks. Huh? Let's nicks. We let's nicks. Yeah. We let's nicks
• 36:08
  Um any you know, um Brisbane is um
• 36:11
  Oh
• 36:13
  Is Queensland guys not north. Hey, but I don't know the geography. It's us. Anyway, good good good good. Yeah, it's Brisbane
• 36:20
  Nice little city. Okay city. Um, not as big as Sydney. Okay, but it's nice. You know, you could um, so I loved it
• 36:27
  And but again, I was a travel chef worked all over. Okay. I was sure yes aside from our Tasmania and Melbourne
• 36:33
  Um, but I loved it and then COVID happened and
• 36:37
  Um, pretty much because we used on his sponsorship. Okay, and it was like well, you don't got to go home, but you can't work anymore
• 36:43
  Right. Yeah, so it was a lot of that and so we saw figure out what was next and um, we had opportunity to go to Phoenix
• 36:49
  Okay, and again, I'm still yes man. We had time. I was like hey, let's do it. Sure. Phoenix. I've never been. You know, it could be interesting
• 36:57
  No, oh, okay. No, no, because regret
• 37:00
  Really because regret to say yes. I hate Phoenix. Tell me about Phoenix. It's hot
• 37:05
  It is it is Satan's it is Satan's vacation home
• 37:09
  The why is it? Why is it a spa or earth that's just hot? Is it really hot? It is hot like hotter than than Caribbean than Thailand hot
• 37:16
  Oh, yeah. Oh really?
• 37:18
  117 degrees. I think they just had another record record heatwave for 117 degrees. I don't even know how much is that?
• 37:25
  Celsius maybe like 41 42 or something like that. Maybe a little higher. Wow
• 37:29
  Sentence really
• 37:31
  Is that just a summer flex? Do they have colder months?
• 37:34
  They do they have a winter. Okay. They never went to his cold. Right. But when it's hot, it's hot. Okay
• 37:39
  I have arrived and I'm presuming it's hot. It's hot. Okay
• 37:42
  And I'm like and then I'll feel like a fish out of water because there's nobody awarded me about it
• 37:46
  They have lakes, but I'm not sure they're not late. Okay, you know, yep, and so I was like all right
• 37:50
  This is not the vibe for me and then outside of that is like it's not really it's not really a vibe, you know
• 37:55
  Phoenix is Phoenix wants to be California so bad. Oh really? Yeah, there's like you're not that girl
• 38:01
  You know, so I'm telling my partner. I was like hey, you know
• 38:09
  This is cool, right you can stay here
• 38:12
  I'm gonna go I'm gonna go to Honduras. We're gonna Honduras kind of figure some things out
• 38:16
  And at the time I also transitioned I was also
• 38:20
  Transitioning careers as well. Okay, I was like going back
• 38:23
  To the states I said I don't want to be a chef no more. Okay, you know, I didn't want to go
• 38:27
  I thought I was going backwards because I'm going from making six figures in Australia. Okay to making back to what maybe
• 38:34
  15 20 hours an hour maybe, you know, just about I'm like I'm not doing that
• 38:38
  For more for double the word sure not me. I didn't sign up. That's not that's not my ministry
• 38:45
  So I was like you know
• 38:47
  I was trying to figure out like what
• 38:50
  Skills us ahead like what can I like what's next for me and then I was like you know what's cool diving has always been like
• 38:56
  A stable, you know, hobby or whatever. Oh really? Yeah, so I was kind of a scuba diver
• 39:00
  So I'm a scuba diver. When did you get into scuba diving? Oh, I got to scuba diving
• 39:05
  During the gap here. No, no
• 39:07
  I got in scuba diving when I went on a cruise during military. I went on the cruise. Okay. Yeah, it was after
• 39:13
  Oh, it was after it was after Afghanistan. We're on the cruise
• 39:17
  Um to Bahamas. Okay. I think Bahamas right um, yeah, I ended up doing um
• 39:23
  And they had this discouraging for discover scuba. Okay. It's like kind of intro to scuba
• 39:28
  And so I signed up for that and I loved it right and it wasn't sorry. See I skipped some stuff
• 39:32
  Yeah, so that's why the lakes weren't doing it for you. Yeah, no, it makes sense. I was like
• 39:37
  Sorry
• 39:40
  I love the ocean sorry. Let's try to let's pin that right. Let's try to go back a little bit
• 39:46
  So after the cruise
• 39:49
  Yeah, I was like I was like I'm more of this experience but I was too broke to kind of take a separate trip. Okay
• 39:55
  For you to get your open water, you need to you know go to a dive center take what three four days off
• 39:59
  When you say to get your open water. What does that mean? Oh, pretty much open water certification to be a certainly scuba diver
• 40:04
  Okay
• 40:04
  Yeah, so you can you can pretty much, you know, recreationally go scuba diver
• 40:08
  Sure, right? And so um
• 40:12
  It was doing I was doing a couple like discover scuba's
• 40:15
  And talk about a four actually a trip, which is but I think before I left to my gap year
• 40:19
  2016-2015
• 40:21
  Yeah, I ended up taking a trip to Mexico. Okay, and
• 40:24
  became an open water diver. Okay, so I was diving
• 40:27
  That's kind of open the door for me right? That's that at that point. That's what opened the door for me
• 40:31
  So it wasn't my gap. Yeah, I was I was scuba diver with some Malaysia
• 40:35
  Stayed on this island and
• 40:37
  became all advanced open. I'm sorry. I did my advanced certification. Okay, and then now boom
• 40:43
  Here we go. Fast forward. Yes now
• 40:46
  Honduras. Yeah, so my the intention behind under Honduras is that I wanted to
• 40:52
  Become a scuba instructor. Okay, teach scuba. Yes, and I was okay. We just try this out, right?
• 40:57
  So I went to Honduras work my way up to our instructor
• 41:01
  And this is fun and then up and then go a little bit past that I became a master scuba diver trainer. What does that mean?
• 41:06
  It's pretty much um
• 41:08
  I can teach specialties so I can teach like things like shipwrecks like ship
• 41:13
  Reck penetration. I can teach like deep sea diving. I can do all types of different specialty like
• 41:19
  The propelled underwater like via like underwater
• 41:22
  The eco dpvs is like pretty much it's like little underwater school. You can ride or whatever right
• 41:27
  So I can teach different specialties right and um
• 41:30
  And it wasn't until I was doing my my msdt, which is the mess scuba diver training right and I was assistant on some courses
• 41:36
  And I realized how much I don't enjoy teaching scuba. Oh really?
• 41:41
  Yeah, a couple thousand dollars later. I can't do that realization that I was like I don't enjoy teaching
• 41:46
  So before this point that you realize you don't enjoy teaching
• 41:49
  You were thinking I'm passionate about scuba diving. Let me make this my career because let me do what I love right exactly
• 41:57
  And then you're like, but actually I love it for me. I don't love teaching other people. Right. Why?
• 42:02
  Why don't you like to is it the people is the people is that it's all the people in the comments that I made for things
• 42:07
  The teaching is the people of you know
• 42:10
  And people are in the thing is because it's it's um it's it's it's it's the activity itself right you go underwater
• 42:17
  You can't be you can't be a loop or like you have to be focus focus you have to be storing you know yeah
• 42:23
  And um it is a safe it is a safe sport but however, you know, they are dangerous like anything else right it's not paying attention
• 42:31
  Not paying attention in you know during your
• 42:34
  Uh, yeah, your courses. Sure. Um, not following what you're instruct us telling you kind of going think you can go from your own
• 42:40
  It's a lie. It's a combination and also
• 42:43
  Overconfidence thinking that you can do one thing and you really can't like it's
• 42:48
  Knowing you going to scuba diving doing knowing you actually can't swim
• 42:52
  So once you in it you had never been an open body or before so all the people are signing up
• 42:56
  Absolutely, but they cannot swim
• 42:59
  Absolutely, I doubt to be fair. I'm not gonna lie to you. I wasn't I wasn't the strongest swimmer when I first started
• 43:05
  However, I've been open bodies of water. I wasn't scared of water, you know me
• 43:09
  So people are coming to class what they're scared of water scared of open bodies like open ocean. Yeah
• 43:14
  I mean, I understand the fear. Yeah, don't get me wrong because I went like on a fishing boat for a fishing trip
• 43:20
  And they needed to use the toilet and so I had done like a bougie fishing trip
• 43:24
  Okay on a yacht with a bar through all the things where you're just there for the pictures
• 43:28
  Yeah, not really there for the fishing. I got it. Okay, but then we never catch nothing right and who I was with was really about the fishing
• 43:34
  So then we did a second trip a fishing trip unlike a proper fisherman
• 43:38
  Bought yeah, right. There was no glam babes. This was not
• 43:42
  This was like a brock up board. Yeah, but we caught loads of fish ironically right the point is is that at one point on this trip
• 43:49
  I need to use the bathroom
• 43:51
  The man says there's like a ring the lifeguard ring so he said you could choose the ring or a bucket
• 43:57
  I said a ring or a bucket he opens his little hatch not a door a hatch
• 44:02
  And there's a bucket in there that you could use right or you take the ring and fling out into the water
• 44:08
  And go pee in water. Yeah, no, this what we were so far out first of all you cannot see land
• 44:13
  There's no land nearby and the blue is almost black, right?
• 44:18
  This is that deep like your out out out into water. Okay. I said you want me jump out in that that water would I look a ring?
• 44:25
  Yeah, I said babe I'm peeing in a bucket like real quick. I don't even chose a bucket babe. I chose the bucket
• 44:32
  So I understand the fear of open water because I'm not peeing out there like something could come for me out there
• 44:39
  But then I wouldn't sign up for a scuba class. There you go. Boom. Do you get what I mean exactly like I don't understand the connection
• 44:46
  Exactly and people who do people are doing it and to this day people are still signing up for scuba diving cannot swim
• 44:52
  You know, and it wasn't I think it was this couple. I think it was um, I think it was Korean. I think
• 44:57
  Again, it was one of them. It was a couple where they again kitten. I swim and they get out
• 45:01
  They I think they did up so they finished the the pool show because it's pool right?
• 45:06
  You know, I have been pool, but it wasn't it wasn't until we get out to open ocean anytime for the jump in
• 45:13
  and it's
• 45:16
  What's going on right?
• 45:18
  What's happening right now and it was with it in this in it's for me is kind of like
• 45:23
  I love my life. Mm-hmm. I love my life
• 45:26
  And I have zero patience
• 45:28
  People and especially in this in this environment again, where I think it can get dangerous real fast
• 45:34
  That's like no teachers not for me. I said I'm good. So yeah, wow
• 45:37
  So we've invested the money. We've got the certifications and we're like, yep, no buy Honduras at this point. Yes
• 45:44
  Well, yeah, I stuck around for a little bit, but it was by Honduras. Yeah
• 45:48
  Long story short ended up moving to Atlanta for a little bit because I like anything to kind of avoid
• 45:52
  Going back to Phoenix sure went to Atlanta. Atlanta was not it. Oh, yeah, that's a whole separate story
• 45:59
  Atlanta was not it um if I'm already back to
• 46:03
  Phoenix okay, and again, it was one of them things where I was like what's next was in in between that
• 46:09
  To say some time. I was like I wanted to again going back to wanting to pursue medicine, right? Okay
• 46:15
  And so I was taking someone on classics. I was like, I'm like, I don't want to do medical school right now. Maybe P.A. School
• 46:20
  Right. P.A. School is like physician associate or a physician assistant. I'm not sure. Are you sure me with it? Yeah
• 46:26
  So it's kind of like I like I couldn't I didn't want to invest the time to for medical school
• 46:31
  But I was like P.A. School was kind of like a good middle ground. Sure
• 46:34
  Um, cuz I can yeah, so
• 46:35
  So I'm completing some more online classes and I wake up one day of like
• 46:41
  I don't think I want to do to see them really. I was like, you know what?
• 46:44
  I kind of just want to live abroad and kind of live my life and whatever that whatever
• 46:50
  That looks like sure. So I told my partner again. I was like, hey
• 46:54
  so
• 46:56
  Here we are right in the situation again. Yeah, I was like, well, I want to go move entirely. Okay
• 47:02
  I was like, well, I'm not sure what you want to do, but um, this is what I'm doing. What does he say?
• 47:08
  He's like, well, I knew this. I knew this was coming. Really? Yeah, I wasn't happy. He can tell he was here
• 47:13
  I was really depressed again. I was falling back into that. I was like, no, I need to leave
• 47:17
  Can I just say when you feel these moments these low moments? Yeah. Do you think that they are largely impacted by your environment?
• 47:25
  Absolutely. Okay, cuz it's like deep down. This is not where I want to be, right? Okay. This is not
• 47:31
  I don't want to be stuff the apartment
• 47:33
  doing
• 47:35
  Having a mundane routine. Sure. Going to work coming back. I was like deep. It's like I'm deeply
• 47:41
  It's conflicting. Okay. You know what? What I really want to do and what I have to do
• 47:46
  You know, and it's like I don't have to do this. Right. Especially when you come and especially when you don't have to do it
• 47:52
  You know, I mean, it's one thing that has to do it because you need to make you know survive
• 47:54
  But it's like I don't have to live this particular lifestyle. Sure. So I was like, you know what? No, I'm leaving. Yep
• 48:00
  And so yeah, it was he's like, okay, well he felt it come in. He knew it's time
• 48:04
  What I think is also super interesting is that it's one thing to have that feeling but not have experienced anything else
• 48:10
  So you can kind of talk yourself out of it, right? Because you don't know what the other really feels like
• 48:15
  But by this point you've lived in multiple countries
• 48:17
  You've seen so many things and I feel like it makes it even harder to accept the discomfort absolutely
• 48:23
  You know absolutely. Yeah, so yeah, I'm going to pack myself again in leaving and here I am in
• 48:29
  Forget Thailand. So when you've left this time. What is the relationship plan? We broke up. Oh really?
• 48:36
  Oh, no, this isn't I wanted the love story. I was like you guys have you kept going on the three months coming to visit
• 48:42
  But this time you're like yeah, the love story would have been like you know what? Fuck this too. I'm coming with you. Yeah
• 48:48
  No, yeah, no, I gotta work
• 48:51
  Is that what you were expecting?
• 48:53
  Were you expecting? Yes, I was I was I don't even know you guys
• 48:56
  Yeah
• 49:00
  Yeah, and I was hoping that but it's like you know, you have your you have your goals. Sure. I have mine and it's kind of like
• 49:07
  But we still good friends. Sure. I'm still so talk every day
• 49:10
  Yeah, he I am in Thailand two years later. Okay. This is my second year and I'm loving it
• 49:15
  You know, um, it's been again, it's one thing to visit and I've been here again. I kept going
• 49:20
  I kept visiting Thailand a couple of times before I probably like maybe a couple weeks or month right
• 49:25
  But it's one thing to visit for a short amount of time. I should live here, right? And it's it's been amazing
• 49:29
  I should love it. I love I love Thailand. Okay
• 49:33
  Take me back to when you decided Pouquet was the place to light lay some roots versus other because you've been to so many places
• 49:39
  Yeah, first can you explain to me what is unique about Pouquet?
• 49:44
  Um, well honestly to be honest with you
• 49:47
  I can't even pinpoint why I chose Pouquet particularly. I can't even from when I like when I was like I was gonna move the Thailand
• 49:53
  I don't know why I chose Pouquet. Okay. I think
• 49:57
  I think I was gonna go Pouquet because it was central right and I can branch out to anywhere if I wanted to if I want to go to like
• 50:03
  Check my whatever, but Pouquet had like you know the infrastructure like all of the my crazy conference, right? Yes
• 50:09
  So I got here and I realized oh, I can actually live here again. It was like one of them things where it's
• 50:15
  For me could because I visited multiple countries and like I've I had to like really sit down on myself to feel like okay
• 50:22
  What do I need long-term, right?
• 50:24
  And because I hope you know, I can stay on like a little mini island, you know
• 50:28
  Little beautiful island where it has like just vibes in sunlight. I mean it's the vibes and sun and ocean. Sure
• 50:34
  I'll be bored. Right. What do I actually need to stay long-term versus short-term? Yeah
• 50:38
  And I needed a combination of all of that, you know, where I'm what were some of the things that see you know
• 50:44
  I needed the palm trees. I needed the sun. I needed the ocean. However
• 50:48
  I needed to feel comfortable, right? I needed the I needed the accommodation to kind of also fit that as well
• 50:54
  I needed, you know
• 50:57
  I needed accessibility to things where if I needed even like
• 51:01
  Amazon or like the ones out of or going to the mall to buy little specific items. Yep
• 51:06
  And I needed to be closer to airport or international airport where if I want to go fly I can do it to be easy, you know
• 51:12
  um, I need it to community where again where I don't want to be
• 51:16
  I can easily I could have easily went to a
• 51:19
  Unknown spot in Thailand where it's not as popular, but again community would have been a issue
• 51:23
  So I just felt like isolated, you know, I mean, so it would have felt like it was just really felt alone. I would have felt alone. So I was like I need it
• 51:29
  A combination of that. So I was like pull kit kind of off of that. Okay, you know, um, so
• 51:34
  About chosen spot initially and then again if I want to go off to Ireland to go scuba dive
• 51:38
  I can do that if I want to go to crabby little rock climb. I can take on my bike and take a little road trip
• 51:43
  Sure, you know, so I think that's what
• 51:46
  Ultimately while I chose pookette. Yeah, and then when you come here to
• 51:51
  Live right at this point. Yeah, what are we thinking we're doing career wise because we've done so many at this point
• 51:56
  Yeah, what are we thinking it's gonna be the thing that is sustainable?
• 52:00
  Uh at that point somewhere. I picked a photography more. Okay. Yeah, um and
• 52:06
  Ended up getting really good ended up working with some brands and what kind of photography?
• 52:09
  Travel photography, portrait photography for most part
• 52:12
  Again, like working with different like restaurant. I'm in restaurants. I um like results
• 52:16
  Hotels different like brands. Sure. You know content creating. I guess content creating content creating with photography
• 52:21
  But I'm more of a professional target photographer didn't influence it. I was then I saw a picture of like your penguins
• 52:27
  Yeah, and I was just like
• 52:30
  That is deep. Yeah, I mean not to say for any influencer. I'm very sorry. I am always fashioned
• 52:35
  And so when I hear influencer, I don't think of those penguins right right like that is just photography
• 52:41
  I don't know that level so I completely completely get it. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, so that's what I that's what I've been doing here
• 52:46
  Again, and it's I'm grateful because it's more so word them off now. Okay for my book like portrait photography
• 52:52
  Um, I do hack a hat like pookette photographer or whatever and then you get people. Oh, I see you here. Okay
• 52:57
  Can I you know, can I book a session and it's like this kind of goes up from there?
• 53:01
  I need to book a session. I didn't know you did portraits too. I just thought it was all about the wildlife. Oh no girl
• 53:05
  I guess I guess you want to pay. Yeah, I kind of do it. So yeah, um, and that's been great
• 53:11
  Um, I've taken a step back a little bit. Okay. Um, but before we get to that before we get to this the um, I want to talk about this the
• 53:18
  The Guinness record right the Guinness record, right? So
• 53:23
  Last year, um, it was one of them things where I felt I was kind of I think I was here for a little bit now
• 53:29
  And I'm kind of like I was curing a venture, right? I was like I'm kind of getting a little not stuck
• 53:34
  But I feel like I'm I need to I need something. So shake it up a little bit. She should the table a little bit
• 53:38
  So I was watching a Netflix documentary about this woman coin I add
• 53:44
  And um, it's pretty much
• 53:47
  Her story is that she she was a swimmer at some point in um
• 53:51
  She was like at this point like 60 something years old. Okay, and she decided to wake up and want to be like you know what? I'm gonna swim from
• 53:58
  Cuba to Florida now and start
• 54:00
  Six or something years old. Yeah, baby. Yeah
• 54:04
  So she ended up completely was like 25 hours nonstop of this swimming. She was starting 25 hours
• 54:10
  Let me tell you something real quick. I don't know like
• 54:14
  About you, but I don't really swim for exercise, right? Like when I say I'm going to a beach
• 54:18
  Yeah, and like you just dip in the water you feel the breeze and life is good
• 54:22
  And then one day went to my gym. Yeah, and that's that I'm gonna do some laps
• 54:26
  Yeah, actual exercise
• 54:28
  And then I was like swimming is no joke like as as an actual
• 54:32
  Athletic kind of swimming everything in your body. It works every muscle like everything hurt the day after
• 54:38
  So the idea of being 60 something and swimming for 20 plus hours
• 54:42
  What she can play it now now on top of that she was getting stunned by box jellyfish and
• 54:47
  I'm done you saw you were done with the snakes. I am done done with the jellyfish and the thing was
• 54:52
  She was so determined because the doc that some point was like hey you get stuck one more time
• 54:56
  We can't see if you're like you're done. You're there really she was like huh, okay
• 55:00
  What my my my thoughts exactly. I'm looking at it's like oh my god. I'm not by my nails. Oh my god. She's gonna make it
• 55:06
  She made it and let me tell you. I feel so inspired and I felt so kind of lazy. I was like
• 55:12
  This
• 55:13
  This woman's in her sixties. She's sort of 25. I'm sitting on the couch watching her. Oh, no
• 55:18
  I need to venture my own
• 55:20
  That's it fight under my ass. That is crazy
• 55:22
  Yeah, so I'm calling my friend is like I think I'm telling them about the documentary
• 55:26
  Well, you need to watch it. So they watch it. Call me back. I'm like you see I need an adventure like what should I do right?
• 55:32
  Like why don't you just do a Guinness record or something like that? Oh
• 55:36
  Oh, I never thought about completing one. I'm sure at that point. I didn't know you can actually just sign up sign up
• 55:44
  Go on the website find what whatever you have inter I put a scuba. Okay, and I saw the list of records that hasn't been completed
• 55:52
  I thought oh choose this one. Okay, the fastest harm school but I was having continents
• 55:57
  And there was no one who couldn't so it's crazy is that
• 56:01
  My friend Ed he actually created the record, but he didn't complete it. Okay, so what you do it
• 56:06
  This is your friend who's telling you to do the record. No, this is another friend. Yeah, because what I now stay hit me
• 56:11
  I was like oh, I tried yeah, like they was actually my record. I was supposed to do it because what you can do is with it
• 56:17
  Wait Guinness is like you pay five dollars. You can create your own record. Okay. I created a record too
• 56:21
  Which I can tell by because I'm a complete it
• 56:25
  But it has to do a school oh
• 56:28
  So he had tried he didn't try he just oh, I think he was trying to apply and I think there was some disconnect wait
• 56:35
  He was gonna try but I forgot
• 56:39
  Okay, and um, so when you pick up the thing you want to do you contact Guinness and you're like hi
• 56:44
  I'm about to do this. Yeah, so you you you choose the record. Yeah, and you fill out a little application
• 56:51
  All I want to do without some details and they at the couple weeks they are saying you
• 56:57
  Confirmation along with like the list of parameters right regarding the record right and you just adhere to the record into the parameters
• 57:04
  And you just complete the record
• 57:05
  Um, they'll tell you what they need in terms of like evidence, right? It's like you we so
• 57:09
  Because I was about to say how do they prove that you didn't yeah, they'll tell you like to record
• 57:12
  X amount of like hours from the start to finish. They can tell you all they're good detailed
• 57:17
  And so you just followed up you just follow those parameters and you complete the goal you complete the record and then you say 19 days 19 hours and 14 minutes
• 57:23
  Baby got it done. Yeah
• 57:25
  It was expensive, but again, it's one of them things where I'm young money would come back
• 57:29
  Sure, you know, it was one of them things where I could just like it's the experience where I can always remember it
• 57:33
  I will talk and talk about it. You know, it's like it's I got it, you know, I had the whole I had the whole footage
• 57:37
  So it's crazy. Yeah, when I read it the first thing that came to my mind was yo my mind went to Antarctica. Yeah
• 57:45
  Like it most of been freezing. It was it was really cold
• 57:49
  But it actually it wasn't that bad though. It's cold
• 57:52
  But it's like it wasn't that bad. It wasn't that coming from like New York that brisk cold is crazy
• 57:57
  Like you know, it's it's and I felt like in Antarctica because we we okay, okay
• 58:03
  And it does get cold. Okay, it gets it can get extremely cold, right
• 58:08
  However, in certain parts of Antarctica right like anywhere else like the further south you go the cold is going to get right
• 58:14
  Is that how to go that big that it has non cold parts? I mean the whole thing is cold
• 58:18
  However, it's it's okay, so we use after the most northern southern tip of it all okay, you know
• 58:23
  So it wasn't as far as away from the cold as you could get but it was still cold
• 58:27
  But it was like it was managed to be like 30 something degrees. Okay, it was so it was like you just need a if you go on skiing
• 58:33
  That's him get up. Okay, it was going snowboard and so I literally kept like I literally have my like my ski pants
• 58:39
  Okay, I have like a little ski diving so in the water it's more cold. It's more cold. However, they have installation
• 58:46
  They have this thing called dry suits. Okay, where you put it on it's like it's really thick
• 58:51
  And essentially it keeps you dry you don't get wet
• 58:53
  So you put on what happens is that you put on your insulating insulating layers. Okay, keep your warm
• 58:59
  And then which it can be anywhere from a fleece to like it could be anywhere from like a little thermal. Okay, then a fleece and then your
• 59:06
  Um, so I mean the dry suit right whatever and so yeah, and you it's cold, but it's not to the like I'm like
• 59:12
  I'm just like I mean the Jamaican admin babes
• 59:16
  I get you I don't believe you I get your promise you was that I'm glad that you got it done. Yeah, and I because I hate the cold
• 59:20
  I actually hate it. I actually don't like the cold
• 59:22
  However, I need well I first I need to get this I need to get this record done one, but then two it's like oh it's actually not bad
• 59:28
  It's actually really manageable. Okay, it was times when we can't we was landing on some of some of some of the islands or whatever
• 59:34
  Um, and I'm walking I'm walking up this snowy hill. I'm like taking off my actually taking off my jacket. Okay, I'm like I'm actually pretty hot
• 59:41
  You know, so it's actually really wasn't bad. It was an amazing experience. I definitely want to go back
• 59:45
  To Antarctica. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. It was so beautiful. It was really yeah, it felt like it's it felt like a part of the world that hasn't been touched
• 59:53
  Where it was like you see it's just raw like it's just like you just see snow you see these
• 59:58
  thousands of thousands of penguins and seals and it's like it's amazing. It's like oh my god. This is it's different
• 1:00:03
  Yeah, it's different and it just felt it just felt magical, you know
• 1:00:08
  So yeah, definitely recommend it and then the cruise you say like luxury
• 1:00:12
  The cruises are nice
• 1:00:14
  Some of them be having sonners gems. Okay, I don't have not one. I don't have a bad dish on that cruise
• 1:00:22
  Really you meet so many interesting people you meet people who if all walks of life and just I mean the fact that you guys are in Antarctica
• 1:00:27
  You have to be interesting right like no not everyone just jumps up to go down to go. Yeah, that's crazy
• 1:00:34
  And then when you did that when you got the record yeah, what were you hoping to achieve outside of the record itself
• 1:00:41
  What were you hoping that it was gonna do for you? Was it literally just because I wanted some excitement or was there something deeper
• 1:00:47
  Initially the prime primarily. I wanted the excitement, you know, it was all for me. Yeah, the most part right however
• 1:00:52
  I realized the impact especially you know social media how it influences people right yeah, you know
• 1:00:57
  So you can't negate that I mean people it inspires other people to want to go out and
• 1:01:02
  You know set out whatever goals they have in mind whatever they don't have to be school but I'm well whatever it is
• 1:01:06
  Sure, and to see a black man a young black man from you know a very colorful black background
• 1:01:13
  Go off and you know accomplish this goal, you know, it it's really it's really heavy for some people right and then for me
• 1:01:20
  I take pride in that, you know, I mean so even though it's for myself
• 1:01:24
  Hey, you know, it's probably a lot of people too. Yeah, so I I appreciate that but yeah, I'm not gonna lie
• 1:01:30
  It was for my excitement, you know, I mean, but you can he could kill two birds of one stone. Sure, you know
• 1:01:34
  Um, but yeah, I went off to like, you know
• 1:01:37
  Do a little classroom
• 1:01:39
  Engage me so I was cool. That was really at my art teacher my old art teacher from high school
• 1:01:43
  She hit me up and they held I they had his whole like this little underwater theme and I was like the center of it all
• 1:01:48
  And it was one that's wonderful. They had these kids during like my little my little from like the character from my book
• 1:01:53
  From your book what oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I have a
• 1:01:57
  I have a children's book. Okay, just casually from my book. Yeah, sorry. Sorry. Yeah, so I have a children's book
• 1:02:03
  It's called adventure. It's an educational fun fact book about um marine life. Okay. Okay. So it's it's meant to be part of a series where this young boy he kind of pretty much
• 1:02:12
  Um travels exposed the world right and different, you know
• 1:02:16
  He yeah, so I don't want to make it just underwater. I want him to, you know, maybe you know, travel different countries kind of get like, you know
• 1:02:22
  Fun facts about like, you know, Thailand or whatever different cultures. So that's the intention behind the book. Okay, but yeah, it's been going really well
• 1:02:29
  And you wrote that after you you did your scuba diving. No, I wrote that
• 1:02:33
  Two years ago. Okay. Yeah, it was actually. Oh, yeah, we're not okay. So
• 1:02:38
  There's a period of time where I can't briefly move to Thailand for like a month or like a month and a half to do
• 1:02:42
  movie tie to do a movie tie. What? It's like um, it's a foreign martial arts. Okay. Yeah
• 1:02:49
  um
• 1:02:50
  It was cool. That's how I went to take my I took a month off to to um to study that. Do you still do martial arts? No
• 1:02:58
  No, no, no, no, no, it was again. It was one of them things where I want to try it out to kind of see if I like it
• 1:03:01
  I want to like, you know, study some foreign martial art. Okay. And no, that one is not for me. Why?
• 1:03:07
  It's intense. They really be kicking they really be beating ass and it's like you see me
• 1:03:13
  I'm not I'm too old in fact like this. I'm not doing this. You know, you have like and it wasn't even that
• 1:03:17
  I think it's the prime it's the prime thing because you have like 13 old
• 1:03:20
  What can you ask? And I said oh no
• 1:03:23
  You know, it's not for me, you know, so um
• 1:03:27
  It was fun until wasn't
• 1:03:29
  And I appreciate you know um, I appreciate the movie tie fighters. Yeah, cool. Listen, it's not my team
• 1:03:36
  But um, yeah, I ended up writing a book during that um the time off. Okay. Yeah
• 1:03:40
  um
• 1:03:41
  And so yeah, uh, where was it? Where was I?
• 1:03:44
  We're at the part where you had gone into schools you'd gone to your old school and you were speaking with people about your experience
• 1:03:50
  Yeah, speaking to the kids about the experience and again, it was they was they had like the little um
• 1:03:55
  This um
• 1:03:58
  The activity was
• 1:03:59
  The assignment sorry that assignment was to draw a page at the book. Okay, so that was so that was so warm heartfelt
• 1:04:05
  You know, so again, it was one of them things where what you do is like a domino effect, right? So
• 1:04:11
  Who know? I may have a spider next generation of
• 1:04:13
  A hundred stories or explorers or whatever. So it's like thing like that. You know, I got taken account for so that's crazy
• 1:04:19
  Yeah, so in Puket mm-hmm. No. Yeah, what is the plan? What are we doing? What is the plan?
• 1:04:24
  Isn't that always a thing? You know, it's just saying that you know on the top of every mountain is the bottom of another one
• 1:04:29
  You know, and I felt like after that Guinness record. I was on top of a mountain. Yes. I have accomplished that goal
• 1:04:34
  When it's like okay kind of come right down and try to figure out the next mountain, you know, sure
• 1:04:37
  And I feel like if you got to keep life exciting, you know um and for me
• 1:04:42
  Um, my next I'll have to I had to reflect a little bit as well on like what I want my life to be in the neck my neck
• 1:04:48
  The neck my next chapter of life, you know
• 1:04:50
  Um, and this has been fun like in terms of like doing a whole photography thing and flowing something
• 1:04:55
  I guess content creating. It's been fun, you know
• 1:04:58
  But I'm getting to the point where I want something different now, you know, um because
• 1:05:02
  I was like, why won't that I want to be honest? I'm gonna experience that it's kind of the luxury life now, you know
• 1:05:06
  I want to have some real coin. I want to I want to take those, you know
• 1:05:09
  And there's also like a lot of the things that I like the next set of uh
• 1:05:14
  Goals or I guess activities or bucket list activities
• 1:05:17
  They require a lot of coin. Like I want to I want to explore this cave
• 1:05:21
  Um and Vietnam is the biggest cave in the world. Okay. It's called a song down cave. We could do expedition for five days
• 1:05:26
  And again, those costs like three three four thousand dollars, you know
• 1:05:29
  I want to do I want to go to chaos island where again, it's just we can dive with hundreds of hammerheads
• 1:05:34
  Again, sorry you want to dive with the sharks. Oh, yeah
• 1:05:38
  Really with the sharks. Yeah, why I love sharks. I love but you want to swim with them when the swim
• 1:05:43
  Yeah, I swear I'll swim like 20 species already like 20 different species. You've already been swimming with the sharks
• 1:05:48
  And I'm actually about to leave next month to the more these for my to go swim with some sharks some tiger sharks too
• 1:05:53
  Hold on hold on hold on hold on. I know this is not the point of our conversation. Yeah, but I'm just trying to visualize
• 1:05:58
  So you're out in the sea. Yeah, and there are sharks swimming in the sea
• 1:06:04
  Absolutely, and you can see those sharks in the sea and they can see you too
• 1:06:08
  And then you jump in the water with them
• 1:06:12
  And what just chill just chill. You just sort of just kind of I mean I was the way
• 1:06:16
  Uh
• 1:06:18
  We're anything else you gotta be caught. You know, I gotta be cautious right anything underwater. They are they
• 1:06:21
  I will say they are apex predators. They are
• 1:06:24
  They can be dangerous, but the stigma behind them are isn't true. You know, I mean in terms of like
• 1:06:29
  They're not looking they're not out to get you. You know, I mean
• 1:06:32
  You ought to get from this is what I'm trying to understand. Oh you thought would I get from it? Yes
• 1:06:37
  Just to get to see them in the habitat, you know, it's really I could it's one of them
• 1:06:41
  This kind of those magical experiences where you can just
• 1:06:44
  Yeah, it's really I don't know. I find it exciting with it. The first time you went swimming. I'm sorry
• 1:06:48
  I didn't know this about you clearly
• 1:06:50
  Um, the first time you decided to go and swim with the sharks
• 1:06:53
  Was it just for an adrenaline rush? Have you always loved sharks? You're scared of snakes. I thought we were on the same page with animals
• 1:07:01
  But no, we've gone from fear of like land animals to being cool with jumping in a water with sharks
• 1:07:10
  Okay, so yeah, I have
• 1:07:13
  Okay, so to think of the snakes. Yeah, I had to realize because of an ashraya, you know
• 1:07:18
  They have a lot of venomous snakes. Okay, I don't mind snakes. I actually don't mind animals in general
• 1:07:24
  I like me surprised by them. Okay, because even when I was having an ashraya
• 1:07:28
  I was initially wrecked. I was swimming. I was um swimming kind of over the like uh
• 1:07:33
  I was coming around about a huge bull shark went by me
• 1:07:36
  And again, it was one of the moments where I'm I'm starting because I didn't expect that. Okay, you know, I mean
• 1:07:41
  So again, it was sharks. It's like it's one of those things where um
• 1:07:45
  You have to know again be educated on them, right? Educate on to know. I understand they happen, you know, they're um
• 1:07:52
  Nothing happy test, but they are they're gonna behave. Yeah, they behavior, you know, I mean um knowing where okay, I need to back up
• 1:07:59
  I'm okay to swim like you know, I'm not going up to them like trying to pet them
• 1:08:03
  I'm just kind of I just want to observe them in a in a in a habitat in the environment
• 1:08:08
  And you're not scared they're going to numb you not really really
• 1:08:12
  No
• 1:08:14
  Did you say this is it's normal are most people not surprised that you like to swim with sharks?
• 1:08:18
  Yeah, especially in in especially in the scuba diving industry like the scuba diving like community
• 1:08:25
  You say you know, you tell a scuba dive you saw you saw a shark. I'm so shocked
• 1:08:28
  Okay, so people are surprised. Yeah, it's just I think I think people outside of the scuba diving community kind of like oh my god
• 1:08:33
  You die with sharks, but it's so normalized. Okay. Yeah, but it's not so often you it's you're lucky to see a shark
• 1:08:39
  Because you have to because you have to go to
• 1:08:41
  Areas where almost like your guarantee or is like you it's really common to see them. Oh, well, so
• 1:08:47
  Again, this is areas in the world where you get like Galapagos like a lot of those a lot of those places
• 1:08:53
  We quite a lot of money right and I'm at the point where I was like, I don't have you know
• 1:08:57
  Fathom dollars, you know for the scuba diving, you know, I mean, so again
• 1:09:00
  Where I'm at the point my life where I was like I think for me to level up
• 1:09:03
  I need to change some things around okay, and so
• 1:09:06
  Well decided is that I'm going back to school. Okay, PA school. Okay
• 1:09:11
  I'm gonna do that so I've been knocking on some classes and hopefully by next year
• 1:09:16
  To the program and yeah, I'm where would the program be
• 1:09:20
  Um, it I have a couple schools in mind is it's a couple locations within the state to where I'm looking at um
• 1:09:27
  Looking at Florida. I'm looking at Atlanta
• 1:09:30
  But it's all states side is all states side. It's literally all states side
• 1:09:33
  Is any part of you concerned that going back to the states could perhaps bring those demons with you
• 1:09:39
  I think from a personal perspective. Yeah, um, I've struggled with depression probably since I was about 15
• 1:09:44
  My mother left long story. Yeah, and um, I really connect with you an environment
• 1:09:49
  And like what that means for my mindset. Yeah, and like how I'm able to kind of just stay on the right side of things
• 1:09:55
  Um, and I just wonder if the idea of going back to the states because in the story that you've shared
• 1:10:02
  So much heavy weight seems to come with that. Are you concerned that being in that space again?
• 1:10:07
  Could potentially also bring you to a lower space
• 1:10:12
  This time around no
• 1:10:14
  Because I've been wrote first. I've been mentally preparing myself for this right and then also I think this is a lot different
• 1:10:18
  I think a lot has changed for me even like you know mentally
• 1:10:22
  You know, um, and then the goals are different, you know
• 1:10:25
  I'm actually pursuing something I actually want to do sure in the state of what I mean
• 1:10:29
  So it's not like I'm kind of like
• 1:10:32
  You know, um, 200 my thumbs in the state is kind of like going through like a mundane routine. I ain't about that
• 1:10:37
  It's like I have a goal in my purpose a purpose. I'm going with a purpose. And so it's a lot different
• 1:10:41
  Are we reconnecting with our partner from back in the day that should have come to this to
• 1:10:45
  Sofie's Asia? We'll see
• 1:10:48
  We keep it we keep an alliance open for that
• 1:10:50
  I love it
• 1:10:52
  But yeah, it's it's a lot different my talk said mentality is different, you know, say it goes to different
• 1:10:57
  Okay, I have a purpose. So yeah, it could be a lot different this time around
• 1:10:59
  And so are you then planning to work in the states after you for a little bit. Okay. Yeah
• 1:11:04
  To my goal is we it just couldn't always change but the goal right now what I think the expectation of it all is that I'm a good
• 1:11:10
  P.S. School
• 1:11:12
  After I finished P.S. School probably work at a hospital or something. Yeah, the kind of soak into as much experience as possible
• 1:11:17
  Maybe a year or two if I like it if I really like it
• 1:11:20
  And then kind of transition over to eye contract work where I can you know work for the public six months
• 1:11:24
  Oh, six months off or probably like while I'm abroad do some like telehealth. Okay. You know like a combination of that
• 1:11:30
  Yeah, and see how that unfolds
• 1:11:32
  And I can still live my best life
• 1:11:34
  Sure, and if all that if that doesn't go according to plan my back my plan B is delivering Hawaii
• 1:11:39
  Okay, cuz Hawaii kind of gives me that a bit of both. Yeah. Yeah, so that's my plan B plan C
• 1:11:45
  I haven't thought that far ahead, but you know, let me get to P.S. School first sure
• 1:11:49
  I have something I have something in place. I have
• 1:11:52
  A plan in place sure. Yeah, I have so many questions. No. Yeah, so going back to life in Pouquet
• 1:11:58
  As a black man living in Pouquet. Is there a particular experience that you're having that you don't think others are having
• 1:12:05
  Mm-hmm. That is a good question. Let me give you a lot of thought
• 1:12:10
  Yeah, I'm gonna spear as I'm as I'm thinking sure um
• 1:12:14
  I think for me in general. It is me being me
• 1:12:18
  I have I have different hobbies right in general, right? And so also get that somebody different right where as
• 1:12:24
  Um a lot of okay, let me try to compare the community, right? So I have a community here black bouquet
• 1:12:30
  Um was community of experts black experts from all over Canada
• 1:12:34
  UK like you name it right and we kind of get together and we you know kind of you know do things together karaoke whatever
• 1:12:41
  Um and again, you know how we was talking earlier how they said how you said like they when when experts come
• 1:12:48
  Um move abroad they kind of bring you know, yeah, they're just uprooting their exact same circles. Yeah
• 1:12:54
  I'm just putting it in another place. Yeah, right and that's where I kind of defer because
• 1:13:00
  I'm an outdoors guy, you know, I mean, so I'm going I'm still doing my rock climb
• 1:13:03
  I'm still going out open so I'm doing things that we still unconventional sure and so um and I'm way more open to like
• 1:13:10
  communicating with again locals and I'm saying in culture and sure and so I have that kind of openness to everything
• 1:13:16
  So it's a bit different um so to answer your question as a black man
• 1:13:24
  I want to say the experience is so different, you know, especially here being in Thailand where I felt like it's it's a non judgment to
• 1:13:32
  You know country where again, everybody's parents is different. I just for me. Yes. I just felt like I felt this I feel safe
• 1:13:38
  You know, there's not there was never a moment where I felt like my life was in danger or unsafe or like there was no space for me
• 1:13:45
  You know, it's just
• 1:13:47
  And maybe I'm just used to it too, that's kind of like never getting different, you know, yeah
• 1:13:50
  So for me, it's I'm seen in different perspective
• 1:13:54
  Is there anything living here in Puket that you kind of need to live here to understand because I think that
• 1:13:58
  They're still an impression that being an expert or being from somewhere else living in Thailand
• 1:14:04
  Means that you have this digital nomad life you sit by the beach all day and kind of you know make your money online
• 1:14:11
  And when I speak to people their lives are real lives, you know, they have real like day-to-day things and they're going through that
• 1:14:18
  Others might not appreciate and I just wondered is there something about living here that you think other people wouldn't understand
• 1:14:26
  Um
• 1:14:29
  I think and this is for anywhere right understanding cultures understanding laws
• 1:14:35
  You know people think they're above it because they're from a different country. It doesn't affect them
• 1:14:39
  And it's like so you could come here and feel like they can do anything they want. It's like that's not how it works
• 1:14:42
  You know because you couldn't you wouldn't do their own country
• 1:14:44
  Yes, you know, it's a lot of that and it's like the lack of respect they have for the locals. Okay
• 1:14:50
  um
• 1:14:51
  And and then like
• 1:14:53
  Granny would you say in this very true way to come you know have their little digital nomad thing where they're kind of working on the beach and working on low cafe
• 1:15:00
  Isn't that's their life that's that's very real right um
• 1:15:03
  Something I want to hit on is that people think that could just come here. I think it's the entitlement right and
• 1:15:07
  Expectation that they could just come here and just like live here without understanding that you have
• 1:15:12
  Your Theresa process you have to go through certain channels. Yes, the kind of
• 1:15:16
  You know to stay here long-term, you know, I mean and the people think they are above that as well
• 1:15:20
  Where they don't they feel I have to follow the rules and so anyway to get frustrated when
• 1:15:25
  Things don't go on the plan where they was like oh damn. I actually have to wait you you try you could you leave Thailand and you fight
• 1:15:31
  You mean well you leave the country and you mad because you can't get back in because you didn't follow proper protocols
• 1:15:36
  Sure, and they release of um
• 1:15:38
  Procedures. Yeah, so it's more like that when people come here
• 1:15:41
  They had this idea that I can just set up shop in this that's it
• 1:15:43
  And it's funny. I agree with you so much and at the same time I had to check myself the other day
• 1:15:48
  Because I have a British password and a Jamaican passport. I love my country
• 1:15:52
  But there are very few places that you can go visa-free on a Jamaican passport
• 1:15:56
  You can actually come to Thailand. Yeah, by the way, okay
• 1:15:58
  But in terms of like within Europe for example, you couldn't just turn up with a Jamaican passport and have entry
• 1:16:04
  And I realized that I don't look at what the entry requirements are like when I book a flight
• 1:16:09
  Yeah, I don't check what I need before arriving
• 1:16:13
  Okay, and I had to like check myself and say
• 1:16:16
  But why?
• 1:16:17
  What and it's because I have a British passport. I kind of just presume yeah that I can just turn up right because why not
• 1:16:23
  Yeah, yeah, and I think that there has to be like accountability on the part of the person who's entering someone else's country
• 1:16:30
  That it is our responsibility to check I went to Malaysia the other day and it was during Ramadan
• 1:16:36
  And I swear to I think in part because Malaysia is very diverse
• 1:16:39
  In terms of religion cultures, etc
• 1:16:42
  I didn't think of Malaysia as a Muslim country like it just didn't occur to me
• 1:16:46
  And so ignorantly I was wearing a dress and my aunt there at the time she was like April it's Ramadan
• 1:16:51
  You know, I think you need to change and I love when people check me
• 1:16:55
  Yeah, right and I had this whole thing of why haven't I checked
• 1:16:58
  Why haven't I gone and online and seen you know, what are the current national holidays like what are the local customs that we need to be respectful of and I think that
• 1:17:08
  More and more again because we're seeing people live certain lives abroad. Yeah, we're not doing the work right that is on us to do, you know, and then it's also it's very um
• 1:17:20
  What's the word is that again because of social media they had this um
• 1:17:24
  This idea of what is supposed to be where again, they doesn't okay. I think you have okay. You have a certain sort of responsibility
• 1:17:30
  I think especially when you're traveling you kind of telling people
• 1:17:33
  Especially for like high-file ones right people who have I don't know whatever people are watching you right and this is your this is the space
• 1:17:39
  That you this is the space that you're navigating
• 1:17:41
  I think we have a certain level of responsibility where you travel into these countries to be like, hey, y'all
• 1:17:46
  This is how I did this, you know, these are the you know
• 1:17:49
  Don't think you could just come here and do the same thing. I'm doing or this is the proper procedures
• 1:17:52
  And I feel like they think they just give like the the flowery sure type of idea
• 1:17:57
  Yeah, I think that's what people are following you know, so
• 1:18:00
  Again, I've seen I've seen people come here. They think you could just stay here six months
• 1:18:04
  Yeah, you know probably visas like no, and it's time to get there
• 1:18:09
  They're you know, they kind of fly in immigration like oh, no, not today honey
• 1:18:13
  Yeah
• 1:18:15
  You gotta go back home. So it's a lot of that. So what do you think about the idea of gentrification a lot of people
• 1:18:20
  I've spoken to have have said especially people have been here for years and seeing how Thailand continues to change
• 1:18:26
  Um, what do you think in terms of again as a as a foreigner in Thailand?
• 1:18:31
  Are there's an argument to say that us being here is also making harder for locals right in terms of affording things and doing things
• 1:18:38
  And what do you think that means in terms of being a responsible, you know
• 1:18:43
  Person living and not just Thailand. This applies to so many places. Right. I was gonna say um
• 1:18:49
  This happens literally all over the world. Yeah, even in our home like you know own from from you from, you know
• 1:18:55
  So it's kind of hard to say you know, this would be any different in this movie hand Thailand because I think
• 1:19:02
  Again, he's all live ideas. Yeah, so I think from a ground up perspective where
• 1:19:08
  We all take we all give and take from each other right where
• 1:19:12
  Again, you know, who knows what who can't would have been like if we didn't have a lot of the westerners from different different
• 1:19:18
  The you know, you have people from China and Korea whatever and India coming in and set an up shop and all I guess I'm granted they are
• 1:19:25
  I'm sure they are better ways to kind of go about it because you know
• 1:19:28
  Even for like I don't want to say anything like you have you know have like um communities like Russians and they have like their own community
• 1:19:33
  Sure
• 1:19:34
  And so so far, you know, someone is so forth like we have even the New York you have China town you have you have any of the town
• 1:19:39
  Like you have so many those those spaces. I feel like those are just as important. I just I just feel like
• 1:19:44
  The dangers that I think the and I think about I think the issues with that is when you just isolate yourself from the community
• 1:19:49
  Like you do kind of ice off the
• 1:19:52
  The rest of the world while I only set an up shop within that, you know
• 1:19:56
  You don't kind of you know not give back, but you're a give back or try to integrate integrate
• 1:20:01
  I think I think the I think the issue is integration. Yeah, you know
• 1:20:05
  And you see that is you see that way they kind of be like okay
• 1:20:09
  Yeah, I don't know. I don't know um
• 1:20:13
  I don't know um is it harder to integrate because of a language barrier?
• 1:20:17
  Do you think and people just lazy and they don't try definitely that that's definitely that you know um
• 1:20:22
  I've even for me. I would say I've said I know I've said it a couple times too
• 1:20:26
  I was like, you know, we'd be like you've been in two years
• 1:20:28
  You don't know the two years, but you've been coming back and forth. Sure. Have a couple of times like you have learned the language. I was like
• 1:20:34
  I'm like now and I have said that's like damn
• 1:20:37
  It's hard
• 1:20:40
  And then I found myself like
• 1:20:42
  It's I'm kind of I'm kind of in this this weird this space where I'm kind of like I am utilizing technology where I game
• 1:20:48
  Where I'm using Google translate in these acts is like this is what they're used for you know
• 1:20:52
  I mean because it's impossible to kind of visit you know to travel as
• 1:20:56
  um
• 1:20:57
  As often as we do
• 1:20:59
  And learn every single language that we you know, so it's a it's impossible
• 1:21:02
  Yeah, I just say thank you and hello. Yeah, based on basic meetings go a long way. Yeah, but to count
• 1:21:08
  It's unrealistic to be like although sometimes I'd be like I'm trying my cop con car
• 1:21:13
  I feel like no one's really no one's really impressed
• 1:21:16
  That's a lot right? Like they're very impressed. I have four-year-old twins and they they're impressed with them
• 1:21:22
  Okay, but I know I'm big, but I put some work into that too
• 1:21:27
  The thing I love about your story is all of the shifting
• 1:21:31
  I love the fact that especially coming from someone like myself
• 1:21:33
  I feel like we're so opposite in that way
• 1:21:35
  In the sense that I have love for the impulsiveness the impulsiveness that you say you're trying to tame
• 1:21:41
  For me, it's deeply inspiring. I love a plan as I tell you that nine-year-old plan had me not choke hold
• 1:21:45
  Ages right and I love the idea that you really experience life like your life is about experiences
• 1:21:52
  You don't seem to have any kind of
• 1:21:55
  Like you don't seem to second-guess the fact that you have tried a career
• 1:22:00
  You didn't really like it you like the idea of it when you tried it. It wasn't for you
• 1:22:03
  So you just switched in a way that almost feels effortless like I'm truly envious of that
• 1:22:08
  And I guess also the stage that I'm at in my life right like I close my restaurants and I've taken my children
• 1:22:14
  And I've gone traveling and I'm big. That's huge. I know and I'm trying to really surrender
• 1:22:19
  To the universe and allow like the world to guide me as to where I'm gonna go
• 1:22:24
  But that is not at all in line with my character my character is a planned
• 1:22:29
  pursuing character and I think that to meet someone like yourself who
• 1:22:35
  Not to say that you're not achieving things
• 1:22:36
  But it's the beauty in the fact that you don't seem to be hindered by the need to do something and stay doing it
• 1:22:44
  When you know it's not serving you right and I wonder have you always like been like that?
• 1:22:49
  Or is this something that you have been able to kind of garner over time?
• 1:22:54
  And this is solely for my own purpose because I want to get it
• 1:22:56
  I want to be like you
• 1:22:58
  I think it's a combination of because all the things is that that first decision
• 1:23:02
  Right the kind of like again the domino effect. Yeah, but I think even before that
• 1:23:05
  I think life had kind of set me up for now just for my background of being in foster care. Okay
• 1:23:10
  I my how I started how I started life was never was wasn't stable
• 1:23:13
  It was it was a it was a always a shift
• 1:23:18
  Where you know, I never felt fully comfortable or fully like secure. Yeah
• 1:23:22
  And I think at some point is one of them think you take a weakness into a strength right
• 1:23:27
  And I think as if I'm as I'm thinking about it
• 1:23:29
  I think that's probably where that kind of
• 1:23:32
  Like I guess confident. It might be flexibility. Maybe you know, so adapt
• 1:23:37
  Kind of came in it, you know, and I didn't fully realize it in two
• 1:23:39
  I that the whole thing where I want to you know to that gap you and kind of like
• 1:23:44
  Amplified into what it is now, you know, I mean, so again
• 1:23:48
  Because again that I think that one decision kind of again change the change the change that the trajectory
• 1:23:54
  Of what my life could have been because again, I had this
• 1:23:58
  I was even though I've done a couple things up to the point
• 1:24:00
  I was like, okay, with this in my house. I had this career and this was what this is what I was gonna do
• 1:24:04
  Right who knows what that could look like but again, it's that one decision that kind of has a domino effect
• 1:24:08
  So and it's one of them things they were
• 1:24:11
  When you constantly put yourself in situations where you have to
• 1:24:15
  Come on top you kind of get that you you build that confidence where no matter what happens. I'm gonna land on my feet
• 1:24:22
  I'm gonna figure it out, you know, you know, and I love you don't have that
• 1:24:26
  It's a it's a really great skill to adapt and be flexible in the figure it out. Yeah, you know, so I think I had that down pack
• 1:24:32
  I think I said skill set where I have that
• 1:24:34
  Do you feel that anywhere is home?
• 1:24:37
  No, home is with them myself. Okay, home is home is me. I realize that home is me is where I set up shop and then that's where
• 1:24:44
  It's gonna be, you know, I won't you know, and it kind of shifts to it
• 1:24:47
  I think I think the idea of home kind of changes from you know, I for people in general right for me
• 1:24:51
  I thought home at the point at some point was family. I thought yeah, it was my partner
• 1:24:55
  I thought it was a home. I thought it was a particular country
• 1:24:58
  So it kind of shit, but I was like no the comment that the not the comment that I'm then coming
• 1:25:03
  Denominator is me. Yeah, and it's like I'm home. I'm good. That's amazing
• 1:25:07
  It's also an amazing place to be to be able to find
• 1:25:11
  The source of what you need within yourself
• 1:25:13
  And I think that goes back to again when you go adapt and be flexible again. It's all
• 1:25:18
  You got to have it here. You got to have it here to kind of
• 1:25:21
  Navigate, you know, I mean, you got to have those again. It's oh, it's within yourself. So I don't know
• 1:25:25
  Any regrets so far the only regret I have what to have to regret. I have to
• 1:25:31
  One regret is again moving the Phoenix
• 1:25:35
  That's one to Satan's playgrown
• 1:25:37
  The second
• 1:25:39
  my second
• 1:25:43
  regret is spending my savings on an app on an app. Yeah, what do you mean?
• 1:25:49
  Oh, let me see. There's the period in time and I was on a show. Yeah, I was making good money. Yeah, making good money
• 1:25:54
  You know, so I was you know, when you when you have money, you know, the the choices open up, right?
• 1:25:58
  You get the ideas flowing black and investing. It's just that right
• 1:26:02
  And so I was wanting them like three in the morning type of days where again, it was for my it's from my travel experiences
• 1:26:08
  Where I was like I wanted to do certain I wanted to do like my I had like a bucket list of items
• 1:26:13
  I wanted to do and I found it really I found it really difficult to really find these activities, right?
• 1:26:18
  And I was like, there has to be more streamlined
• 1:26:21
  Platform where I can just like if I want to go how I can put together a list of ideas
• 1:26:26
  And click on you know, maybe to find it yesterday, right? So I was like, oh, you know, what?
• 1:26:31
  I think this I think this I think the name changed a couple times, but I ended up
• 1:26:35
  Staying with bucket list reloading. Okay, you know, where it's your bucket list, but however
• 1:26:40
  It's a bit different because now you can I'm so I created an app. Okay. I invested in the app. I spent like $40,000
• 1:26:46
  Okay, yeah on this app. I hired a third party. Yeah
• 1:26:51
  Company from India right the kind of you know cut course. Yes, and I had zero experiences. I had zero experience creating an app. I was
• 1:27:00
  I didn't know anything about that industry, right? Right, but I had some ideas and I wanted to make that I wanted to
• 1:27:05
  Have somebody kind of make that tangible. Sure. So I was saying you know
• 1:27:10
  Um, I hired them and I told them what I wanted
• 1:27:12
  And god, it was a journey really yeah, and oh man, so it started. It was a great idea
• 1:27:18
  It's great. It's even to this day still great idea. It's nothing on the market that's doing that. I mean you have like things like
• 1:27:22
  Vider and like I think um get your guy like you have those kind of apps, but it's not it's not quite what so this app
• 1:27:27
  The vision is that you can select the activity that you want to do. You will see potential places that you can do it
• 1:27:33
  And you can just book seamlessly. Yeah, okay. I've I literally spent months gathering every activity you could possibly do on this earth
• 1:27:39
  Okay, it's like 115 activities anything from like skydiving and scuba diving and everything between yeah
• 1:27:45
  And you sign up for the app and you click on these activities that you want to do you come back editing right and so the idea is like
• 1:27:51
  It's like a Google map, right? Okay, and so you look at the businesses that offer the activities
• 1:27:55
  You click on it. You can book everything through the app. Yeah, and the app was this sounds great. Yeah, right what happened
• 1:28:01
  well
• 1:28:04
  But so they design app and I think so there was someone with a Q&A and again, I didn't have a lot of experiences to know to look for and I'm just looking
• 1:28:11
  I'm just looking at the app. I was like this is beautiful. Mm-hmm
• 1:28:14
  I held a hand from start to finish or on the design the font layout the color everything icons. I mean you name me that was my baby
• 1:28:21
  Okay, and
• 1:28:23
  It came down to you know uploading it on the market and I was like, you know, it'll have to be perfect
• 1:28:29
  Sure, I mean and I always tweet here, but then I was like this has a lot of bugs like it was so many bugs
• 1:28:34
  And I was like yeah, I got to fix this right and it's like we have well we could fix it, but
• 1:28:38
  You know, it's gonna cost another 20 grand. I was like I don't have my money
• 1:28:42
  Yeah, to call my money to my life savings and I kind of crashed out there too
• 1:28:47
  Oh, and I was like so long story short then that I'm not fixing it and I we end up scrapping the app. Okay
• 1:28:53
  Well, I end up scrapping the app is all me sure
• 1:28:55
  And yeah, do you think it's something that you you'd bring back to life?
• 1:28:59
  If I get bored with life, okay, I think at some point if I have more money. Yeah, and I've done everything
• 1:29:05
  And I was like when I'm gonna kind of get us to swing again. Sure, maybe okay
• 1:29:08
  That doesn't sound like a really regretful. I mean the money side of course
• 1:29:11
  I'm not trying to say that it's cool to lose that kind of money
• 1:29:14
  But I think I mean the idea makes complete sense it also aligns with like who you are and what you love right
• 1:29:20
  I think I regret regret is doing it
• 1:29:25
  Without okay, I think the my regret is
• 1:29:28
  Not doing enough research before not yeah, yeah, not
• 1:29:32
  leaning into my
• 1:29:34
  Network of people I have I have software internet friends. Okay
• 1:29:38
  Develop apps. Why didn't you lean into them? It was one of my lessons. We had to learn where I um
• 1:29:44
  I because up until that point I was like I do everything on my own, right? Okay, it was difficult extra help
• 1:29:49
  Difficult delegating
• 1:29:51
  So it's wondering I guess you know, it wasn't complete regret. I had some life lessons. I didn't get to learn
• 1:29:56
  Um, how are you with asking for help? No
• 1:30:00
  Well, it's it's not as bad. I will I will
• 1:30:04
  I know
• 1:30:08
  It's still isn't don't I know I know it's still working progress
• 1:30:12
  It's still working progress, but I haven't gotten a lot better way I could help. Okay, but it's not a lot of stories
• 1:30:16
  The way it's like I'm finding myself needing help, you know, um, but I think I'm a I'm aware of it
• 1:30:21
  I'm aware of it not doing things in this way it starts
• 1:30:24
  My last question for you if you're in life was a postcard. What would the picture look like
• 1:30:29
  My life was a postcard
• 1:30:31
  What would it look like it will be me
• 1:30:34
  diving
• 1:30:35
  In Japan
• 1:30:38
  With sharks me comoto we're hem heads. Okay, I can see the I can see the vision I can see me
• 1:30:43
  In the in the background, uh-huh, and I can see the hundreds of hem heads
• 1:30:49
  Is well just kind of swimming all around me and I'm throwing up the piece. I
• 1:30:53
  Like you should be here
• 1:30:56
  Thank you so much. No, thanks for having me. This has been awesome. Is there anything that you would have wanted to have said wanted to have talked about that we haven't covered
• 1:31:03
  Yeah, this is one thing. There are things that piece of advice and I think this is one of
• 1:31:07
  You know, I think that like the average life expectancy is about like 75 years 80 years. Okay, right? And so that's like what 75 summers
• 1:31:14
  75 winters 75 falls and we have to realize that you know, that's not a lot of time. It's not a lot of time and
• 1:31:21
  and because once you put it once you once you
• 1:31:25
  Once you put it in those kind of numbers that kind of form you realize that I can't waste time
• 1:31:29
  You know, and I have to endure my life, you know, I mean, so for me that's I think I forgot where I got that from
• 1:31:34
  But it it was one of them reflective moments where I had like transition
• 1:31:37
  I was like what do I want my next the next half of my life to look like sure and so all I'm saying is that injury life
• 1:31:44
  Okay, life is short
• 1:31:45
  Whatever you have in mind go out and get it go out and go go out and go forever
• 1:31:49
  I don't know about the fear you know, whatever and it's it's cliche, but really but it's real go out there
• 1:31:54
  Can I say most people don't their reason is yes internal fear lack of confidence in some of those things
• 1:32:00
  But a lot of it is financial and it feels like in your story, you know
• 1:32:04
  You like ticked off some major milestones very very early
• 1:32:08
  But it also seems like you weren't scared of not having the funds for your next move
• 1:32:14
  And I wondered how do we all get there like how do we get to that point where
• 1:32:19
  We have the the confidence that it will work out and therefore we can kind of still lead with passion
• 1:32:25
  Oh, that's a good one too
• 1:32:28
  Because I'm a big reckless sometimes I'm glad to use I will say I so I mean maybe it may not be the
• 1:32:35
  I mean I'm gonna kind of go to because I'm really I think I come okay. I just want to think I'll figure it out. Yeah
• 1:32:39
  If it came down to it, but I think I will also say I have to be aware of that
• 1:32:42
  I made some really small life like financial choices, you know
• 1:32:46
  At the time where I did my first gap year I had my house and everything and I sold all of that because I had some then I had some money
• 1:32:51
  Yeah
• 1:32:52
  And then it was again running out of money
• 1:32:55
  But it wasn't it was the it even when I was dancing my last couple grand it was like
• 1:33:00
  I will make it back. I would get it. I had to have a skill set. I'm confident myself
• 1:33:04
  And again, I got a job as a chef, you know, I mean it's it's one of the things believing in self-provertizing
• 1:33:11
  Provertizing your whatever you have whatever you want to do right and also for me my lifestyle is very minimalistic for the most part
• 1:33:17
  You know, I mean you see I have the big minimal for the most part you know, I mean I have obviously I have my
• 1:33:23
  Creature conference, but for the most part is it's
• 1:33:25
  Provertizing my travel so my money goes towards saving or whatever in towards travel or whatever so
• 1:33:31
  um
• 1:33:34
  I don't know I think it's just reprovertized. Yeah, you know financial, you know budget or other good stuff
• 1:33:38
  Sure into whatever whatever whatever that fix out whatever that looks like for you. Yeah, you know, so amazing
• 1:33:44
  Yeah, thank you very much. You know worries. Cool