Latest / The Manly Catholic: Training Soldiers for Christ / Ep 216: Overcoming Distraction and Fighting for Eternity (Todd Dailey)

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Ep 216: Overcoming Distraction and Fighting for Eternity (Todd Dailey) · The Manly Catholic: Training Soldiers for Christ

• James Caldwell: This is the Manly Catholic, the podcast that calls you out of the shadows and into the fight. Here we forge men into warriors for Christ, husbands, fathers, and leaders who refuse to kneel to the modern world's lies. No more passivity, no more excuses, no more lukewarm faith. This is your battle crowd, your call to arms. The time for weakness is over. It's time to fight. Welcome to the Manly Catholic. Let's get to work. Alright, well, welcome everyone to the Manly Catholic Catholic Podcast. Unfortunately, James, the normal host, couldn't be here today when Todd Daly was the Michigan area. so I'm gonna be the interim host today. But we are so privileged to have Todd here with us today. Todd is the CEO of Eternize. He's an endurance athlete. He's a husband and a father of three boys. So welcome to the show there, Todd. Thank you so much. Really excited to be here. Yeah, thank you for making the trip up to Indiana to be here. So appreciate it. So let's begin. James would be really upset if we didn't begin with the Saint Michael prayer. So let's begin here. In the name the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit, Amen. Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Your protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him. We humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. And the Father is the Son with that. And James would also be disappointed if I didn't start off with this question. So if you could be the patron saint of anything, what would you be the patron saint of and why? I would have to say the patron saint of distraction. Distraction. Okay. Distraction. It's something that I have struggled with mightily over the years. And I think it's something that's really prevalent, in society today. And I think it's something that I would just love to solve. we'll get into probably a little bit of that today. but I'd love to be the patron sandwich. Okay. So what what what is for you is your biggest distraction? I would say the phone is a b is a big one. there's obviously ties into you know, we have ties into our phone for everyday life, whether that's maps to go somewhere or whether it's email for work or other things. And so there's so many different things that pull us back into that device that has all kinds of things that can disrupt us w I guess from what truly it matters. What's really important. So I would say that's a big one. you know, I think distraction, depending on how you look at it, I think they're they're everywhere. I I kudos to the social media companies and digital marketing companies, but they've done a remarkable job of capturing and maintaining our attention at unprecedented levels. You know, they've figured out a lot of our weaknesses neurologically and they've capitalized on those. And so whether it's on our device or just things around us, I feel like everyone's competing for our attention. And sometimes that can be in the form of family. Yeah. as well, depending on what you're working on, but all around us. So tell us kind of some of your background, kinda open mic for you here, where you're from, upbringing, kind of your education, work experience, and probably most importantly, kind of your your faith journey and kind of overright at this point. Yeah. Well, I'll just kind of intermix some of that. I was born and raised in Marion, Indiana. So that's in between Freeman that knows Indiana. That's between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. So a small town, thirty thousand people. Saint Paul was the parish there that I grew up at. I actually went to school at Saint Paul through second grade. Okay. it was a K through twelve. In my second grade year, they closed down the high school. And that was a I was a big, big thing for the Catholic community. And a lot of I don't want to say panic set in, but there was a sense of that of, gosh, we're gonna have to transition to the public school system. Maybe we should do it sooner. It'll be a little easier. And so My family, that's kinda how they processed everything. So I went to the public school in third grade and that honestly was kind of started the downward trajectory spiritually for me. I guess just just kind of tying out the spiritual side of things. I ended up getting confirmed in eighth grade, but I would say by that point you were squarely going through the motions. We were going to mass on Sunday and and that was about it. And unfortunately confirmation didn't put me on a path on its own. And so I continued that downward trajectory for the better part of fifteen years. It wasn't until the oldest my oldest was born where I really started to dig back in spiritual. And how long was that when your oldest was That was twenty fourteen. Okay. Twenty fourteen when he was born. So there was a a big gap there. where and again after I got out of high school, it wasn't even mass of a reach. It was a few times a year, maybe there are years rated or more. I I remember in twenty fifteen, I'm I'm kind of a goal setter. I I enjoy setting goals and in twenty twenty fifteen my goal was to go to mass twenty times. So that probably tells you where things we're spiritual. For the year. Twenty twenty years. For the year. For the year. Twenty six and and twenty sixteen. I've tr tried to inch my way back in it and that'll be part of the story. but I went to Purdue. Okay. graduated. No boilers. Boiler up. Boiler up. I started work at Liberty Mutual Insurance after graduating from Purdue. I was in technology there for a long time and then just about eight years ago, went downstream and now part of a independent insurance agency in the North Central Indiana. So where'd you live when you were at at Purdue? lived in Owen Hall the first year. That's where I live. really? Yeah. Yeah. That's where when I was there a lot of the athletes lived there. Yes. So there there's like tons of athletes there. Yeah. It was awesome. that was probably my favorite year of Purdue, honestly, was my freshman year at dorms, a lot of video games and card games and it was a blast. And lived at the fraternity house for a year. And then actually my brother who's four years older than me he had done some co op and had stepped away from school for a little bit. He came back and we dipped together our last two years. So that was not a handy great. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. So Purdue, Liberty, mentioned the insurance agency. Yeah, I think that that kind of covers this. So how was it getting back into your spirituality? Sounds you had goals, kinda getting into it slowly, you know, twenty masses, you know, for the year is the goal, you know, working your way up. So it's so how how was that journey getting back into the faith? Yeah, it was tough. I went to confession for the first time in seventeen years. That was that was an experience. I Went to Christ Renusi's Parish. I did that retreat. that was a a two night overnight retreat, which was a wonderful immersive event. Was that called chirp? Chirp. Yeah, okay. Cause I've heard about that. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Did Exodus 90 in there. I was doing a lot of these immersive events. And one of the things that I really struggled with is I would come out of those on fire, right? As you typically do. Right. And that would slowly fade. I would get sucked back into the vortex of life and all the things to do and trying to, you know, as a new parent and professionally have been always very focused and trying to stay in shape and all the things. And I just really struggled to build on that momentum throughout the work week, essentially. I would I would call it kind of spiritually blackout for days at a time. And I really struggled with that. So I remember, I still remember this kind of defining moment for me. I was sitting at a life group. This would have been almost eight years ago. It would have been eight years ago this fall. I was sitting at a life group. It was a second week in a row where it was just a really powerful session. We would watch a video series and have a discussion, a couple's life group. And I remember finishing that session and just thinking like, this is it. I'm going to turn a corner. Like this is going to be the time. And not two minutes later I got this overwhelming feeling of discouragement of No, you're not. This isn't wow. Confession for the first time in 17 years wasn't it. Christ renewed his parish wasn't it. I mean, they were all God was providing us abundance of inspiration. And I just felt like I was squandering in. And that was that moment when I got that feeling of discouragement, knowing that that feeling was gonna fade too. that was that moment where I just I wasn't going to live in that place anymore. And that was really and shortly after that, that that evening, I remember talking with the host just about how do we keep our head in the game spiritually day in and day out. Like there's gotta be a way. And throughout just that short conversation, we were talking about we've been wearing the same crucifix for hundreds of years, right? But we live in a very different world. And so is there a way that could just like gently nudge you throughout the day? keep your head in the game and that was kind of the start of the ethernized journey. Okay. So now was your wife Catholic or you went through these life or She is not. She's Lutheran. when we got married, as I mentioned, I was kind of in a different place spiritually. But at that point I was I knew there was still Faith was instilled in me at a young age and and I I knew I wanted that to be a important part. So we did we didn't actually get married in the church, but we did get our marriage. We went through marriage grep, Catholic marriage prep and got it blessed by the bishop. So but she is Lutheran, still to the to this day. Okay. but she attends mass with us every week. She goes to Mass with us at our parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Okay. in Carmel, Indiana. So pretty large parish from what understand. Yes. Yes. Real large. been been a wonderful again source of inspiration for us. Okay, so it sound sounds like outer discouragement is how this whole got started. So tell us more about the Etronize story and how the name came about. How did you come up with the name Etronized? Yeah, the name was just this product of like focusing on eternity. Like we we all there are those conversations we all have, right, where we know eternity is a long time and we know This is such a blip on the radar. You can't even, right? You we talk about a grain of sand, you know, on every beach in the world and that still doesn't put it affinity and eternity into context. And so as you have those discussions, yet we find ourselves so wrapped up in worldly life and worldly things. And so for me it was just a a name that really shed light or focused on the one thing that matters, which is where we're gonna spend eternity. I I love it and I love the story too about something that w people wear a lot anyway, where crucifixes, where crosses. Now how can we make that to like interact with us? So so what were some of the the things that you had to do in developing this product? You come up with an idea and then now you gotta bring it out and make a product out of it. So how did that come about with with the the Challenges with technology or and other other things. Lots of challenges. Okay. it was a long journey. As I mentioned, the idea was born almost eight years ago and and we just launched this last fall, really. So it was a seven year journey. and in a lot of that, there's the ideation part of it and bringing a concept to life. We were working with a manufacturing team, an app team, so you could control the settings and things. the technology was really, really difficult. We went through four different prototypes. I mean, the size was the biggest thing. yeah, I've got mine on in between my my layers here. So the first prototype was about twice the size here. And so trying to get it compact enough that would be like the size of a bishop's cross. You know, they have they have pretty big correct. Yeah, and thicker and so getting if I could I could show you the layout of how the technology is in there. It's quite interesting, but getting the battery optimized so the battery life was sufficient for, you know, and then you have And how long does the battery typically last? a couple of different modes. If it's on, I would say a week roughly is the battery life. six six days, seven days. now there is a mode where you can actually power down the Bluetooth and you'll still get your programmed reminders that you set and that that can last a few months. really? yeah, if you put it into that that mode. But yeah, I would say size was big and then communication between the app and the Bluetooth was tricky. That's not anything that I had ever done before. And so working with the app team, some of it was new to them. And then working with the manufacturing team, which are in different locations. So how do you put these teams together? How did you find the people for the apps, the manufacturing? I mean, that's quite the process to go from concept to say, okay, now we gotta figure out how to develop this product. Yeah, I would say networks and relationships and and I I would have to mention at this point to be here sitting here eight almost eight years later, God has made He has made it very apparent the ways in which he has has seemingly bust this to this point. He has seemingly clicked people in the path just at the right time. And whether it was someone who was helping develop and and come up with some aspect of the solution or overcoming some sort of obstacle or just providing support and encouragement and inspiration to what I was doing. That's been really, really beautiful part of my journey. I would say the last several years is like seeing that to come together is has been a being a witness to that has helped my fate tremendously. and so different people have come in at different times, you know, to help work through that. It was a a local friend who did some manufacturing overseas, had introduced me to a couple of people. that ultimately, you know, found us our manufacturing team and they've been wonderful partners. And then on the app side, I had done in my technology days a little more development there. And so I had some connections there that I was able to leverage. Okay. So how tell us how an etronize works. I mean so just walk us through how that works like in the in the course of a day or paperwork. Yeah, sure. So really this was I'll I'll kind of there's two pieces of functionality that I would say primary that this has. And one is what I would call your internal reminders, those those reminders, nudges, pulses, just to kind of keep your head in the game spiritually throughout the day. So there's a the app allows you to set that up however B you want it. Some people love the random. We call that Holy Spirit mode. And five to seven times throughout the day you'll you'll get a vibration that will just and we could we can talk about I would say Terminology reuse at a minimum, just remind you of God's presence. God puts so many different opportunities in front of us and and He's working all the time. And so for us to be able to see the world through that lens, I think is really important. And it's an it's an easy one to lose sight of in the chaos of the day. so yeah, so some people will do it on the liturgy of the hours, some people have it set to She pulse during times of day that they're particularly vulnerable or in a struggle or they're, you know, they get into this in zone. So that's how it works. You set it up kind of the timing however you want it, and then it is completely independent of the phone. And the phone can be a thousand miles away. This has its own memory chip and own obviously vibration mechanisms to where it can operate independently as long as it's charged. as it has a battery. So, you know, throughout the day for somebody that is wearing this, some people will they use it as kind of a ritual at night. They'll they'll put it on the nightstand as the last thing that they, you know, take off as opposed to plugging in the phone, right? They're charging across and the first thing that they take off in the morning. That's been fun to see people ritualize that. others will sleep in it. I have one that has reached out to me and sure that he uses that as a long box. just a gentle nudge there to wake up and start your day off in a in a nice spiritual headspace. So and then again, depending on how you have it timed throughout your day, it's just that reminder of God's presence. And one of the coolest things that I have really enjoyed is the diversity and how people respond. So some people say a quick prayer. Some people it's just to pause and to again make sure they're seeing things through that lens. and feeling God's presence in their life, and within that that's hard. Okay. And and you tuck and so for me, I really love it because I I struggle like the morning prayer time is good, then throughout the day it just becomes a swirl. Mm-hmm. And so I've got it set up for every ten minutes before every hour, I get the little nudge. It reminds me to pray and move. Pray and move. 'Cause I smoking is the or sitting is the new smoking. So Getting that movement throughout the day is good. So I use it for both. But you were talking before we started recording that you know, used to you'd get a bell that would go off every hour or sometimes a chime every fifteen minutes. So I love what you said. This could be somebody's personal bell tower, which is incredible. So Yeah, we don't really live in a society anymore that's governed by kind of the Christian calendar or daily schedule. It's it's a different world we're living in. And so to but to be able to obviously for many, many, many years, that was how people lived. They were around communities that were centered around these bell towers or other reminders that it, you know, it was time to refocus spiritually. and so that's that has been how several people have described it. Yeah. And there's the bell tower at Purdue too, right? They get the bell tower, which is the highest point, so you know where you're at Purdue, 'cause there's the bell tower. That's the exactly right. Yeah. And then so how is this different than other devices? And and I can say personally, I've tried different things for Outlook on the computer. I've tried my phone, but you gotta interact with it to get shut off a phone, you can set alarms, but then you gotta touch it to turn it off. So how do you see this, the etronized device, different in that respect? Yeah, you you hit on some of the things that I really struggled with, which is you'd set an alarm to fray and you'd pick up your phone and then 30 seconds later you're allowing and check emails real quick. I got a couple of text messages, I'm gonna check those, and then maybe I'll check the scores. I just wanna see who won last night and then the next thing you know or several minutes and down a rabbit hole. Yeah. and so I really struggled with cat. So for me, having something that was completely independent of the folio or had the potential to be, was really important. And so that for me was a distinguishing characteristic that I just needed for it to be what I needed it to be for me. Yeah. you know, I would say the other thing that people had mentioned, it's a single purpose notification. So when it goes off, it's not who is that, what is that, do I need to respond, how you know, that's that notification anxiety is real because our devices, when it goes off, can be one of a hundred different things. And so for this, you get that. That nudge right in the proximity of your heart and you know exact who it should be. One person, one purpose only. And that's that's something I struggle with. And you just hit good thing for me, because now with Teams, with with text, with email notifications or whatever, you don't know what it is. You just know it's something. And then you gotta go dig to find out what it is. And once you get in there, at least for me, all bets are off. So kudos to those that are able to manage that better. But something that I've always struggled here. Now has this device kind changes things with your conversations with your boys, your faith technology. Has that how has that influenced that? Certainly. Yeah, they've been heavily involved in this. And I mean naturally I'm spending time on it. And so they're they're curious and they have actually on and off have worn them at times. I know my middle son has I would say some ADHD tendencies and and symptoms. And it's something that he's used at school to kind of try and get his head into a better place when he starts to go off the rails. So they've been able to experience it. And I think the other thing for me from a family perspective is it it's really reinforced that a lot of what is around you is what you make of it. And so technology can be a bad thing. Technology can be a horrible thing, technology can be a great thing if you use it in the right way. And so that's been another, I would say, wonderful byproduct of this as we've discussed is how do we take the things around us and make the best out of it. So coming away is almost technology fighting technology. Sure. And it's a tool to help you with those tendencies to be distracted, to get down a rabbit hole. and it's a different so total total different device, which I think is is key. It's not wrapped in your phone except for the app, which then communicates to to the Ethernet. Correct. I mean for those that it the phone is is a I h hesitate to say wonderful, wonderful source of dopamine. Dopamine can be very addicting and you know, I've used the analogy before. If if someone is addicted to something, you know, if we were to say someone's addicted to drugs and you were to hand them a plastic bag that had, you know, a few good pills in it and, you know, other, you know, drugs in it, hard drugs in it, that that's not a good recipe probably for success. And so I think with the phone that is the analogy that's kind of stuck with me is and note I mean there are some wonderful, wonderful apps out there. Truthly is a wonderful app that I use a lot. Hallow is a great app. So no, you know, those doing amazing things and they're they're time to place, but I I struggle sometimes when I get into the phone to stay. locked in on those good things. Yeah, like you said, the the people that develop those things are really good at keeping you there. Yes. G getting your attention and then keeping you there. Or finding you in your device and pulling your attention back over to, you know, something that you know, not a Hallow or a True Flee or or something. So now was there any other things you talked about the layout of the technology. What were some of the other larger challenges to to get this thing going? Yeah. We've talked a lot from a product perspective, but I think from a marketing perspective, a sales and marketing, it's a brand new market. It's a brand new industry in a sense. I mean, there are wearables, but this kind of with the spiritual foundation and to kind of keep you in a a spiritual headspace. So that's been difficult. they talk about when you're first to market, there's pros and cons. You're first to market, that's great. You're also blazing the trail for an entire industry or attempting to do so. So that's been difficult to get people to kind of understand and conceptualize it. Once you feel it, yeah, it's very easy. You get that. You kind of again, the light bulb goes off. especially when it goes off the first time you're, you know, completely lasered in on something else, not spiritual. And then that brings you back. But I think Conveying that to people digitally, especially, which is how we do a lot of communications these days, has been really difficult. I think, you know, some people will see that as, it's a crucifix that buzzes or, you know, whatever. It can it could be conceptualized into that box. And until you actually experience it, it's tough to to understand. So that's been our challenge. How do we get more video content and more photography to help convey The the potential in the field to people so they can have an appreciation for it. Coffee and prayer. It's the perfect blend. Mystic Monk Coffee isn't just another cup of coffee. It's handcrafted by the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming, roasted with care and infused with prayer. Whether you're starting your morning or fueling your day, Mystic Monk Coffee has you covered. It offers rich, bold flavors that are as divine as their mission. By choosing Mystic Monk, you're not just enjoying exceptional coffee. But you're supporting a community of monks dedicated to their work, to prayer, and to the church. It's coffee with a cause. So what are you waiting for? Visit MysticmonkCoffee.com and experience the brew that's fueling faith and flavor. Yeah, and I think that's the hardest thing is when you get, you know, like Jack Welsh should always say, you want to be a fast follower, but if you're first in the market, you're not following anybody. So you kinda gotta work through that. Certainly some challenges there. Yeah. So what you think is the best way for you to to grow thief and I'd say you have a marketing plan or what are you seeing as is giving the best benefit for people to learn about this and then to to to know about it? I've always loved the phrase, if you focus on being better, the you know your consumers will ensure you get bigger. And so I I think for me that's really lasering out on the experience and making the experience as good as it can possibly be for people. that's really, I would say from a philosophical standpoint, that's where I'm at. And just to continue to get feedback, to continue to incorporate that from, hey, I'd like to be able to use my own necklace, or hey, you know, I'd like something a little bit smaller. Or hey, do you have some more feminine versions? And so just in really hearing and listening for those themes on the app. We didn't talk about the other piece of the app, which is the community side of this. Okay. So one of the cool things that a lot of people have really enjoyed, you can or I can, you know, we're friends through the app. I can send you a prayer that will give you a nudge and let you know that I'm praying for you. wow. And that I'm I'm thinking of you. And so people have really loved that aspect to be able to show someone else that support and encouragement in a particularly in vulnerable times or just again in the chaos of the day. So being able to do that, you know, is another i important thing that people had really enjoyed. Yeah. So I guess hey, I did have a let me see. So what are the things you want to tell us about each and eyes as far as one thing that I really liked what you do is like the packaging is incredible and then the way the cross feels is incredible. So there's a lot of work done in the design and all that. Has there been any other challenges along with the each and eyes? Yeah, for sure. but the package is incredible. I mean, it's a great package. We s tried to spend a lot of time on that because I think That sets the stage, right, for the experience and whether or not someone interprets this or sees this as this cheap little crucifix that happens to vibrate, right? Which isn't kind of where we're going, versus a holistic experience that can really help you develop spiritually. Okay. And so we really worked hard on the packaging. I will say one of the big challenges that we came up with is shipping. So Trying to get everything to stay intact via shipping because it's not laying down flat, right? It's actually standing up when you open the box. and thank you to those that are watching and happen to order. And if your cross happens to show up and the packaging is a bit in disarray, that's one of the challenges we're still actively working through is making sure that it travels well. It seems like it's a pretty tough box. I don't see how it would get damaged in shipping or crushed, but I guess it can't the box it generally holds up pretty well but what happens is inside we need to use a few more kind of pieces to keep the cross here so what can happen is the foam can slide off and then everything you know you can end up kind of when you open the box have a pile apart so there's definitely it's we had one of the other things that was a major challenge was charging and so we had these charging pins that sit in a dock and that's how you charge it. And they were corroding. We ordered we thought we had it fixed. We ordered it, we did a pr production order of a hundred pieces, everything was great, and two weeks later nobody could charge their cross because the piece had corroded on the bottom. And then we did another order and similar thing and it took a lot of engineering to figure out the right coding. To put on the pins in the at the bottom here and in the charging dock to prevent any sort of corrosion and make sure that over the course of years it would continue to charge. So that was another one that we really fought. It was a a a couple year battle before we figured it out. Okay. now also you say you're an endurance athlete. Have you been able to bring some some of that experience into the journey with the eternized has that been beneficial for this and then also for your spiritual life? For sure. my my running journey has been a very spiritual, very spiritual process. And they've definitely complemented each other. Okay. In what way? How's it? How was it compliment? You know, some of it is just experiencing God on some of those journeys. I've I've done some ultra marathons. One was a hundred miler and I would not have finished that race if it wasn't for my faith. Like there are emotions that you go through when you're out there for that long and you get into some dark places. And spiritually to see put you in positions where you have to lean on your faith and lean on God when you're not in complete control and you can't do this on your own, physically or mentally, is beautiful. Certainly my running has has brought some discipline that has also played into to my spiritual life, which is is has been a problem. The the interesting thing about the intersection of these. When I went to confession for the first time in 17 years, I s I still remember what he said. He had it had come up that I had I was a runner and fitness was something. And he said, just like fitness and just like running, you have to work out those muscles. you have to train those muscles. And so he really was a beautiful way for to set expectations for me that I'm not gonna come in and go to confession for the first time in seventeen years and all of a sudden just be flourishing spiritually. Did he give you ideas of what to do to work out those muscles as far as you know, if he did, I I am not sure of what those were. But what it did do for me is it set expectations that this was going to be a journey. And it gave me hope and it gave me in trying times, you know, it's a lot of times two steps forward, one step back. And so during those valleys, it it gave me peace that it was part of the journey and that just like with fitness. So just conceptually, there's been a lot of intersection there. but I would say the other piece that I just touched on briefly was just the discipline of it. to to train your mind, to both rely on God and some of those vulnerable situations, but then to understand that it's that ordinary practice and continual training. That is gonna ultimately get you to the destination you're going for. Yeah. And and I I like that too, the way you started out with being eternized. Think it think Memento More begin, you know, remember that because that's where we're gonna end up, and that's gonna be forever. So yeah, I love the idea of e etronize in there. but you mentioned earlier, you said, you know, to keep us from sometimes you get distraction which keep us from focusing on the things that important. So for you, what is most important? I mean, at the I mean it's my spiritual life and where I'm gonna spend eternity is is at the top of the list. and so i we set that aside for a second, which we shouldn't do so quickly. I think a lot of times we do, we say it and then we set it aside. and so I don't wanna lose sight of that. But that that ultimately is is what we're striving for for ourselves to get to heaven and to get those around us to heaven. I think sometimes that can be overlooked. you in our community there's a lot of talk around particular spouses. You know, that's part of marriage is trying to get our spouse to heaven. That's like the top, you know, at the top of the list there. And so, that that to me is is in its own stratosphere in terms of importance. and then it's just leaving Earth better off than you found it. A lot of people debate from one in four hundred trillion to one in, you know, X number to the However many power the odds of being born are extremely rare. And so to be given that opportunity for me, I'm very oriented around let's take advantage of that opportunity and leave this place better off than we found it and grow the kingdom in the process. And so you're gonna f find what areas you want to leave better than when you found it? So what would be some of the examples of how you could leave that better than you found it? I love the the concept. I think maybe St. Francis is. Preach the gospel when necessary, use words. it just setting that example, setting an example and being an inspiration to people, so that they exemplify Christ. I mean, he just set an unbelievable blueprint out. And to be able to share that blueprint with people and live that blueprint, I think is gonna bring this world peace and point it in. the right direction. And there's a lot of things that i in our world today that are pointing in the other direction. And so to be going against the grain there to the extent that the things that I I personally can do and and has some sort of influence or impact on is really my goal. you know, I think about the virtues, exemplifying the virtues, the fruits of the spirit. you know, trying to instill those, exemplify those and instill those in those around us 'cause I think ultimately there's a lot of fruit in that and again following that blueprint. No, no, no. And I wanna personally thank you too, because I struggle with Outlook. I struggle with my phone. Because like I said, you you start off good in the course of the day, but then it spirals out of the control. And I really see this device as a way to help me focus. And I I love the fruits of the spirit and lot of people think there's nine Calatians five twenty two, but there's actually twelve if you look at C C C eighteen thirty two. But I love the first three. Love joy peace. And I just want to personally thank you too, because that's really helped me throughout the course of the day when I get that little nudge and move and a cray and it it get gets me back to think about what's important. Which is eternity, which is the most important thing, and then getting our loved ones there with us. So Well, I appreciate that. that's reciprocated. I mentioned earlier on people putting You know, and and God seemingly and the perfect architecture that he does, and most of the time we don't see it. Sometimes I like to think that I'd see it, but even your support and encouragement, you've continued to share this with people, and that's meant a ton. you know, certainly just supporting the business in general, but for me and my motivation to continue through the journey to hear the stories and hear how this is impacting people and to have others who are championing this and helping get the work. What are some of the stories that you've had, maybe that you've gotten feedback from Peek Wan? Yeah. A lot of it is just people in day to day life. I I had someone reach out to me the other day. They were in the doctor's office. They had had a eye infection for going on three weeks. They were talking about permanent vision damage and that was the likelihood and the reality of where things were heading in in the middle of that meeting, his crossfare off. And I get Gooseblum's still still talking about it today because he knew in that moment everything was gonna be okay. Wow. and I think that's it. It's Some people will say, Well, you know, was it was it supposed to go off in that time or was God involved in in it going off in that? And to me that's irrelevant. The reality is it went off and it helped him see the world through the lens that God was ripping, right? And that God was gonna be there and God was not going to give him anything that he couldn't handle. And so, that's just one beautiful story, but there there's dozens of those where people are in vulnerable states of mind, stressed out states of mind. My brother has been a wonderful beta tester. And I remember him telling a story when he was as it was after a sports practice that he is he coaches his daughter in and he invests a lot of time and energy and she had had a couple practices in a row that weren't what he had hoped, right? Or expected. And so he was For lack of better words, kind of laying in to her about effort and how important it is to put forth effort in the pros goes off. And he paused and he went in a completely different direction with the conversation, a more supportive, thoughtful, intentional direction that changed the dynamic of how they were gonna lead that conversation. I think this may be just me, but I think a lot of times we underestimate those moments in our lives. And how those compound over the course of a day and a week and a year. And I love the analogy of the plane that starts off going one degree in the different direction. You get to the other side of the country and you're hundreds of miles apart. And I think there's so much if we are intentional in those moments and we show up for those critical moments and we're in the right headspace. I I think it can transform communities and and ultimately transform the destination where people will land. So that's my goal. And I love what you said there because me finding out about this was just happen chance I listened to a podcast that I normally don't listen to. I heard it. I'm like, wow, this is what I'm looking for. And then the other thing I like what you said there too is I just recently read a book, which I know Father Mike Schmitz talks a lot about is he leadeth me. And the thing I took away from that book is being in the moment. And so often we're worried about this reporting that, but are are we in the moment? And I I think that's why I love about what you just shared with your your brother and the other person that was going through the the eye thing. it's that moment. It's just the moment. And that's you you wonder, should I be doing that? Should I doing this? God's will is for us to be right here. This this is God's will, this moment. Yeah. And and can I live in the moment? And I really see that ethernize really helps me live in the moment more. Maybe it should buzz continuously to keep me in the moment like all the time. But It does a really good job of that. So I really appreciate everything you've done with that. And I love the journey of doing that, of believing leaving things better and having the faith integrate through our life. And this is a device that helps do that from my perspective, to line her percent. Would you have any advice for other people that are out there to try to get a product off the ground? If like and and I love the the in your story too, you said in that moment of of you were discouraged and that's when things really started taking off to you. Cause you said that in this moment and then I've got to make this happen. So any advice we'd have for other people that may have a similar idea or go in their f there's a paper light rent time. I would just say embrace the risk. Embrace the risk. Risk's a beautiful thing. I'm I'm part of a a wonderful community called Scent, Scent Ventures. they support Catholic entrepreneurs and they one of the things that messages that they have continued to preach is that risk puts you in a position where you have to rely on God. You can't do it all yourself. And I think That has been something embracing that has been something that's been critical to my persistence in continuing this journey for so many years in a non revenue state is just embracing that risk and trusting the process. Yeah, I think is is easier said than done. I think There's a lot of times I I I want to bring up this this moment as well or this comment. I I got a text message the other day from something I'm subscribed to, Father Jonathan Meyer shout out, does some great little videos, the sub southeast Indiana. and his caption was something along the lines of you may plant seeds today that bear fruit that you'll never see. And to me that hit really hard. I think a lot of times we are doing things day in and day out and we're letting the feedback, whether or not we hear about it or see the fruit, determine whether or not we continue to do it right. Versus have our actions rooted in scripture and know that God's working and and using that behind the scenes. And so for me That continual reminder to let go of having to see the fruit be harvested and just know that we've had a hundred thousand reminders, you know, collectively as a community. A few months ago, we hit a hundred thousand, you know, reminders for people to be aware of God's presence. 99.99% of that I'm not gonna see if it did bear fruit for people and in what way. So I would just encourage people, in addition to embracing that risk, that. you are very likely planting seeds and just because you don't see the fruit right now, that doesn't mean it's not bearing fruit. Wow, right. And and that's incredible because you look at that and a lot of people out there and I've heard this from Matthew Kelly too, says, you know, ten percent you only maybe see ten percent at most, and that may be a very high number of the fruit of the seeds you planted. And so ironic the last two weekends, that's what we've kind of had for our gospels was the parable of the sow of the seed. And I did a homily this past weekend and I was really blown away by you can look at it and the weeds grow so much faster. They are so much more hardy and everything, but you don't see the seeds. And God's never into massive immediate growth. It's the slow growth of wins. And and I love the fact that you did that. So I mean, for other people embrace the risk and don't look at the immediate results, but look at and and the impact of just one person. And and I love what you're doing because it's just impacting so many lives, just one person at a time and you don't See that impact. You'll never know it. You'll never know the destination that you you don't go to, right? Yeah, you know, you just know where you end up. And I like to think optimistically. the other thing that I really appreciate about that gospel is don't pull out the weeds. They're too many because you may pull out the wheat. Yes. And I think that gives us a great disposition of love, right? And kind of orienting ourselves to to try and guide others and show others, exemplify the truth, but do so in a way that do so in a way that doesn't demean where they're at in their spiritual journey. I think that's a that's an easy thing to do when you feel really confident, really righteous in your own spiritual life. There, you know, that can be easy to struggle with others who maybe aren't there. Right. or or where you would like him to be. And so I thought that was another nice twist. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on on that part of it. No, and and part of the thing that I was gonna that I I found out about that too, there's a saying that said the other reason for not pulling up the weeds is to allow them time to get better. so that they can maybe repent. And Father Mike Schmitz in his homily, he talks about FDR. Now F D R he was this guy that had a a family name, he was very successful, very well educated. But he wouldn't be the man he was if he didn't have polio. Cause then when he got polio, then he got really compassionate for other people. So you look at a guy that would have been really productive wheat, but then he had polio, so he kinda looks like a wheat. But that that polio caused him to get better. So a lot of times I love that that aspect of the wheats too. Don't pull out because you they can change that he's we have that. Yeah. So love that. So yeah. Yeah, really good. So where can our our listeners find out more about Eternizer? Yeah, myEthernize.com is probably a best place to learn more. And we've as you mentioned, we've done a podcast with Father Bonaventure on God Splaining. Okay. obviously this podcast. but yeah, I would say myetrnize.com we have attend and will continue to attend some conferences. We attended Seek last year, we'll be doing that again. E6 is a local men's conference in southeastern Indiana, but those are s a few of the forums. Okay. And how how best could we support and and grow and help? Yeah, I I think a few ways. Crayer is always appreciated. and and yeah, that's that's a great way to support if if no other way. certainly just jumping in and giving it a shot, experiencing it. If if you're interested in doing so or willing to do so. And there's a lot of different ways. Some people don't like to wear necklaces. Some people prefer to have it their pocket. we've got the pocket rosary version that we're just doing beta testing on now. but just try and experience it. Give it a shot. And we found so many people that experience it. A lot of people that never wear necklaces before are now willing to do that because of the fruit that it bears. and then and then lastly, just spread the word. If it is something that you enjoy and you feel like has has brought fruit or transformation to your spiritual life, sharing that with others is would be wonderful. I I think both Jeff and James are are fans. I know I've got you've getting a shout out from James says he really enjoys it. I know personally it's been good for me 'cause I struggle with that. Like I said, I and to your point, I think distraction is the biggest thing. And and it's a it's a way to get you back focused. And it's our personal bell tower that we can take around and make it adaptable to our lifestyle. How would we want to do that? For sure. So really appreciate your work, Todd. Appreciate you taking the time to be here to for this podcast. so let's go ahead and let's end it in with prayer. Wonderful. Thank you so much. In the name of the Father and Son, Holy Spirit, Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation. Literature speneval Amen. So go and be in sanct. And it's getting windy here, as we saw the lights kind of flashing around here. So appreciate that. We made it through the wind and it might rain here in a little bit. But the Lord be with you. Thank you so much. It's been wonderful and we really appreciate the invitation. May may Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Go in peace. Brothers, thank you so much for listening to this episode. If the shows add value to your life, I'm going to ask you to do three things. Share it with a brother who needs it, leave us a review, and finally support the show so we can keep fighting. Links are in the show notes. We'll see you next week.