Mentoring Young Boys with Jamie Gilmore Jr.

Josh (00:00:02) - Good day, fellas. Welcome to Uncensored Advice for men. This is a cool show because 90% of my interviews are done virtually where I'm using zoom and I'm chatting with someone across the world. But I ran into a dude here at the at a business meeting here in Ocala, and we were talking about podcasts and we were talking about mission. And I was like, man, why don't you come in and come to the studio and let's chat? So like, it's my honor, my, my privilege to have you, Jamie, here in the studio here in Ocala, Florida, to talk about you, your journey, your testimony in what you got going on. So, Jamie, welcome to the show, man.

Jamie (00:00:42) - Thank you for having me. It's an honor to be here. You know, I never take it lightly. You know, when someone extends, you know, a hand to get on their platform, you know, this is something you build up, something you know, you have a community of people, and you're allowing me to come in and speak to that community.

Jamie (00:00:55) - So I thank you for that.

Josh (00:00:56) - Yeah, man. So who are you? Jamie, man.

Jamie (00:00:58) - Good question. So and it's funny I just seen on your arm there it says who am I. And that's really cool man right now. So I go into the latter part of my life. Now the person that I am, I mentor young boys. And that's a two questions. I say there's two questions in life that you need to answer. The first one is who am I? And the second one is where am I going? And to see that on your arm is pretty cool. But Jamie, I'm a man of God. Definitely a family person, grew up born and raised here in Ocala, Florida. I always taught my story off, telling people, you know, I was I was a student athlete. So, you know, like most boys, when you grow up, you fall in love with the ball, especially African American males. You fall in love with a ball. Basketball, football, baseball, whatever.

Jamie (00:01:37) - That was so happy. Mine was a football. And at a young age I always knew I was good when I played in my neighborhood. When I played and went to school, I always knew I was good, I wasn't, I was picked first, you know, it was that thing always was good. And from a young age I always said, you know, I'm going to the NFL. And I shot for that dream. And, you know, fast forward my story. Get to high school and this starts becoming real. I started getting my first offer at 10th grade, so I know I'm going to college, but at this amount of time, it's just, where am I going at this point? I mean, they're going to Temple University, which is in Philadelphia. So again, I just told you, I'm from Ocala, Florida, and I went to Philly. So big culture shock for me going to the big city. I've never been further than Georgia at that time. And I went up to Philly.

Jamie (00:02:18) - Um, but that that sparked a lot of who I am. So the person that I've become is through exposure. And when I say exposure, you have to leave outside of your environment and experience and know that there's a world bigger than where you come from and through me going to play football up there, that allowed me a lot of different experiences, and one experience in particular that I'm going to share. I'll never forget. People will hear my accent. So they were like, where are you from? And I would never say Ocala because I'm like, no one knows what Ocala is. But this older white gentleman, he was persistent. He was like, well, where are you from? I said, Central Florida. And he asked again. He said, well, where? And I still didn't say, well, I'm like an hour outside of Orlando. And then he finally said, what, where? And I said, oh, Cal, Florida. He was like, oh, horse capital of the world.

Jamie (00:03:00) - And I was like, I shrugged my shoulders, like, yeah, I guess we got a lot of horses. And this man said when he said Horse Capital World, I called my mother. After that interaction, I said, mom, you know, we're horse capital of the world. And she's like, yeah, boy, you didn't know that. And I was like, no, at this time I'm 18 years old and I did not know this place as horse capital of the world. But again, that wasn't, you know, my world again, I'm from here. But on my side of town, there aren't no horses. Again, when I drive around, I see horses. But that wasn't my word. I didn't know anyone that owned any horses. So again, it strikes a lot of conversations of what I do now. But the environment you're in, you only know what you know and that just makes us who I am. I know a little bit, but that encompasses who I am today.

Josh (00:03:38) - Jamie, have you ever been on a horse?

Jamie (00:03:40) - I have, I have, so I was about to say no, but I do have a little picture. When I was a kid and my mom having us on horses, I dress up at cowboys. But then as of late this year, I got on another horse. We took our boys out to the Marion County Therapeutic Riding Association. Yeah, and we took our gentleman out there to get that experience and got on a horse that day as well. How did it feel.

Josh (00:04:00) - Being on a horse?

Jamie (00:04:01) - Oh man, it's kind of empowering you on that big thing. You know, I had to talk to him, though. My horse was a little he was a little stubborn. So I had I was a little concerned, but it ended up well. Yeah. Yeah.

Josh (00:04:10) - What was your horse's name?

Jamie (00:04:10) - Do you remember? Get it? I forget, I want to lie, but I forget his name. But he was a stubborn guy. He won't really want to move.

Jamie (00:04:15) - When I wanted him to move, he was on his own time. So. Yeah.

Josh (00:04:18) - One of my biggest dreams. I grew up here in Ocala, but I was from Fort Lauderdale. I moved here when I was 15 years old, so I came here with silk shorts, flip flops, board shorts, stuff like that, and people like, and this is, you know, country kind of town back in the seconds. They're like, where are you from? So I totally didn't fit in here. And I couldn't wait to leave Ocala. So I moved to Jacksonville, Dallas, New York, Orlando. We moved around a lot, but being outside of Ocala was for me. It was it was such a culture shock going into a different place. So here you are growing up in Ocala. Yeah, small pond, big fish and small. You know, you're very talented in football, right? And then you moved to Philly. You said it was a culture shock to you. It was a shock to the system.

Josh (00:05:03) - Now you're in a much bigger place. What was that like for you?

Jamie (00:05:07) - Man, it was life changing because I was able to experience things that were different. Little experience. I'm walking on one of the main streets in Philadelphia. It's called Broad Street, and I was walking with some of my teammates, and it was just like this that went under my feet and I like, jumped up and like, when the world is that it was a subway going underneath my foot. But it's like little interactions like that. It just it just made me grow. So and even as far as I always share a lot. So I had a muslim roommate, um, I never really interacted with somebody at that level of another faith. You know, I'm from the South, you know, a Baptist Christian. But so when I grew up here, that's really all I knew. And it's funny. So, you know, guys like Malcolm X and all these different figures, but it never resonated to me that it was Muslim and until I had a roommate.

Jamie (00:05:54) - So I mean, we were the same. We liked the same things. We did the same things. He just bleed, you know, we had different beliefs in that sort, but it started making me question like, okay, what makes him right or me right or wrong, you know? So I start questioning a lot of things when it came to that. But I think those things helped me grow. It helped me see the world differently. Like people are different. Weird. But that's okay. That's okay. Like we're all different, but we all have, you know, as long as we're, you know, your heart, your mind is in the same place. You know, we we can we can work together. But like your to answer your question, it just helped me grow. It helped me being able to get outside there and the things that really helped me because I would come back and I would be able to see Ocala for what it was when I left, like you said, when you want.

Jamie (00:06:33) - I wanted to leave because Ocala was always taken from me. You know, I lost one of my closest friends when I was graduating high school in 2012, and my closest friend, one of them, lost his life here, right in this city, you know? So it was always take, take, take. And I wanted to escape that. But as I would come back, I would I can see the okay, this is pretty cool. This is pretty cool. And it allowed me to enjoy what we have here. Yeah, I.

Josh (00:06:54) - Couldn't, I couldn't wait to get away because I felt something similar to you is I gave, I gave, I gave, and it felt like the reciprocity didn't return. But what it was for me is I just didn't see how much there was to offer here to receive. But I had a problem with receiving as a dude, as a man. I want to be the guy who gives. I want to be the guy who's, like, writing the checks and and doing the outpouring.

Josh (00:07:19) - And I had to moved back Ocala and I had to, for the first time in my life, had to receive. And then once I started learning how to receive, man, Ocala became my favorite place in the world out of all the places I've ever been. And this is where I raised my family and I'll hopefully be here for a long time, God willing. But you know what brought you back to Ocala? Because for me, it was failure and I was forced to receive. And then I, I received more than I have ever imagined in my dreams. But what brought you back?

Jamie (00:07:47) - Yeah, man. Simply put. God. God brought me here. I know it was his divine power, but, um. So I was at a point in my life I left in 2012, and so. Me too. It's seriously my.

Josh (00:07:57) - Brother. Yeah.

Jamie (00:07:57) - Seriously. Yeah. So I left in 2012. That's when I went off to college. I did four years out of Philadelphia, then I did another four West, four years out in the Midwest.

Jamie (00:08:06) - So outside of Chicago land area. But at that time, I went and did my graduate work out in Illinois, and I was chasing things. So I was always a go getter. You know, I says, as dudes, you know, we I see something, I go get that a young girl, you see a girl, girl you like, you go get her, you go for a goal. You you go get it. And that's who I was. I was just chasing, chasing, chasing and football stop for me at 2017. So I played football from the time I was 6 to 23, and that was one of the like most shocking things in the world because it's like, what do I do now? You know, who? Like, who am I? Yeah, you had to re-identify yourself at this moment because if somebody would ask me before, who am I to say I'm a football player? But now I don't have that anymore. So what do I say now? Who is this guy? And so that was the most one of the one of the most transformative, transformational stages in my in my, in my story.

Jamie (00:08:53) - So at that time I started I had the opportunity. So when you play football, you have a fifth year option. So I went out to Illinois to fulfill my fifth year option, and I started my graduate work in sports management. So one of the things I always say, I didn't want to play sports, I'm going to work in sports. One of the sports was my world. That's all I knew. So it was one or the other. So I started on the journey of working in sports. I finished my graduate work around 2018. I got an opportunity at that time. This was why I would like to intern with the Saint Louis Cardinals. This was a baseball, so I was like, I play football, let me try baseball.

Josh (00:09:26) - Same thing. Yeah. Right? Right.

Jamie (00:09:27) - Yeah. Right. Right, right.

Josh (00:09:28) - One sport, same thing.

Jamie (00:09:29) - Right? So I was like, I'm gonna try this. End up not liking it. It's like, no, this really isn't for me.

Jamie (00:09:34) - So the next thing up was I was doing work in higher education. I was working with a group called Beeman. Well, working in a Gwendolyn Brooks Culture Center, which was in a multicultural center on campus of Western Illinois University. I specifically work with a couple of student organizations, but one that really touched me was called Beamon Black Male Achievement Network. At this time. This was just like a get by situation. It was like, okay, I'm just trying to finish my degree. I'm working in the center, but I didn't know God was working on me. In those moment, I'm still thinking I'm going to go on a team or working with an NFL, working the team somewhere. I don't know what it looked like. Yeah, a lot of my mentors at that time, and this was this moment in my life, man, I the school that I went to, the president of the university was an African American man, the vice president of the university, African-American, most of the head of the departments.

Jamie (00:10:22) - They were African American males. You don't know how empowering this was for me to.

Josh (00:10:26) - See dudes like you like.

Jamie (00:10:27) - Me in high in positions like that, man. I mean, it changed. It changed my life because I'd never seen a man really wear a suit unless he was going to a funeral to church or something. Man, these guys would get dressed up so nice. And, you know, I was I was invited in different rooms because of the access I had. Because of them, I was invited in different conversations, because of the access that I had to them. And it was so empowering because now I'm able to know. Okay, like this example. One of my mentors, he was able to tell me, like, all right, the people that hired me to do my graduate assistant position, they just hired me. And I had I was working, working, working my one of my mentors pulled me to say, hey, you didn't know that. You they got, like, money aside for you to go travel to do a conference and blah, blah, blah.

Jamie (00:11:10) - I'm like, no, I didn't know that. So now I go ask these questions. You know, like little information. People that access, they give you the access. Now I'm in Canada for free two times a year. You know what I mean? On conferences, pay for everything expenses. But I'm able to go see the world because of the access that was given to me. So those situations changed my life. And but again, back to be man black male treatment network. It was a group I worked with. Um, play sports. Always a tough guy. You bring you you know, you got to approach every situation. Being the tough guy in the room, these gentlemen were the opposite. They were dudes that didn't play sports. They were. You would look at them. And when you play sports as the nerds, the nerds.

Josh (00:11:45) - Right? Right. Academics.

Jamie (00:11:46) - Right. But they love school. And they love, like, being on campus, doing different things. And but they worked on me so much because one thing I would see these like we would have, we call them barbershop talks.

Jamie (00:11:56) - We sit like in circles. And these dudes really, like, start talking about their feelings and stuff. And I was like, whoa, whoa, what's going on here? Like, I never seen dudes, let alone black man, talk about their feelings. And I'm like, wow. So and start making me a question like, what does it really mean to be a man? You know, and I'm hearing like, bro, I need you right now, bro. Like, a lot's going on at home. I need you and then start making me. Man, I literally it was a time in my life my grandfather passed and I was in college. I was in a room full of my friends. We were playing video games. My mother called me to tell her. I literally left the room and went in my room to be by myself. Just like, because I'm not going to share my feelings with them, I'll go deal with it myself. Yeah, but me seeing these dudes do this and be able to have the men around them, you know what I mean? I was like, wow.

Jamie (00:12:42) - So I know, like, stuff like that was just like changing my life, you know? So all that was happening 20, 20, 20 hit. I was up in Illinois. A couple of things start. I start bumping my head, like you say, rough things. I was chasing higher education, trying to work and be like, my mentor is working high education. 2012 happened. I was applying for jobs, wasn't getting them, and then God finally, you know, knocked on the door, says, time to go home, come.

Josh (00:13:05) - Come back home. I came back in 2022. Yeah 2020 as well. Yeah. Also yeah. So I don't know if you could tell but I got a pretty good tan. But I'm white right. Yeah. And you're African American. We're two different dudes right. Different skin, different backgrounds, different, you know, upbringing, different cultures. Right. But we're here talking about feelings together. Yeah. This is weird, right?

Jamie (00:13:26) - Yeah.

Josh (00:13:27) - I grew up as a wrestler. Right. And you grew up as a football player? I tried football, but I sat the bench. I was a receiver, but I was £110 and I couldn't run. Okay, right. What position did you go back? You liked hitting people? Yeah. You could run through people. Yeah, but, you know, if you would have told me, hey, one day you're going to be sitting around talking about your feelings with the dude on a radio recording this for the world to see. Man, I would freaked out because I had this persona of being a tough guy. I'd get in fights anywhere. I was the guy who would go and I could hold my own. The Jewish Hammer was my, you know, my fighting name and but like, letting guard down, especially sharing this recording freaked me out. One day God said, you're going to share, you know, share your journey and you're going to help some dudes. And I was like, whatever, here's how I made $1 billion, right? Like I thought.

Josh (00:14:14) - But it was it was a lot of failure. And then I had to share my feelings and then my fears and all that stuff. So you're sitting around these black men, right? And your guys are talking and they're talking about their feelings, right? What's going through your head? And when's the first time that you cracked and you started sharing your feelings with other dudes? Yeah.

Jamie (00:14:31) - So in that moment, what was going through my head was like, wow. I was able to see a person that needed help reset like that, help that he needed. And then I'm looking like, hey. And like the moment I share, like, man, I wonder if I just would have told my friends like, hey bro, I need you. Yeah. You know, and I start questioning myself. Like I said, what does it mean to be a man? You don't have to be the tough guy all the time. So in that room and I was. So I'm the advisor of these young man.

Jamie (00:14:57) - Yeah. We're roughly around the same age, but still it's like I'm the advisor, so I'm still like taking back and I'm like, wow. But it took like after meetings after me and now I'm getting involved in the circle. I'm starting to circle. We're getting, you know, we're getting involved and I'm opening up and I'm it's therapeutic. I'm realizing that, man. It's okay, bro. Like, it's okay not to be the tough guy. You don't have to walk in here all macho all the time. Like, let your guard down, talk about what's going on. You were up here in Illinois. These. Most of these gentlemen are from here. But like, now, I'm able to share. Man, I sometimes I miss, I want to be home, you know, but I'm up here and they're able to say, yeah, you know, but be able to get that help you need. And, and it goes into the work that I do now.

Josh (00:15:34) - I miss mom's food, right? I miss my friends, I, I miss I miss the camaraderie of being on a team.

Josh (00:15:41) - Right, right. So here you are. And you're you're in these groups. And I like that. The black male achievement network. Right. You're part of a group that exposes you to a different world. You moved out of Ocala, moved to a new world, and experienced a different world where you started seeing black men who were successful, who are powerful, who are smart, who were in touch and knew their feelings. Right. Like, did you grow up with that?

Jamie (00:16:06) - No. My man and I grew up with. So I had my dad. So that's one thing that's awesome. And I tell you, that's my truth. And my rock star. My dad is my superhero. And so I have a solid foundation. So I'm a product of teenage parents. My mom and dad met each other and, you know, in high school and, you know, had me and my older brother. So I had two kids by the time they graduated high school. So I come from a solid rock foundation that's helped me and supported me to get to where I'm at right now.

Jamie (00:16:30) - So I never was a young man that had to look outside my house to figure out what a man was, but still, I come from a dad that was one of those hard workers, man. He he put his his boots on. He went and got it. So it was still things that even though I had him and I had his support that I like other man. Like I say, the gentleman that I saw that I needed to see from them, that I actually I didn't get that visual from my dad. But when it comes to be what a man was and how to be a man, I got that for sure.

Josh (00:16:56) - Yeah. One of the things. So my dad, you know, you'll see Purple Heart stuff around here. My dad was a badass dude. But there's things that I didn't get from my dad. My dad taught me how to be tough, how to take a punch, how to work your ass off, outwork everybody. How outrun everybody, how to how to put in hustle.

Josh (00:17:11) - And my dad taught me that my dad did not teach me certain things. Financial literacy. Right. How to how to lead and manage others, how to, you know, how to share your feelings. My dad cried to me. You know, I've seen my dad cry twice in my lifetime. He's passed on now, but I didn't learn that from my dad. So one of the big shocks that I had is when my dad had a big failure in life. My hero crumbled, and then I went, fuck it, I went wild. Sex, drugs, rock and roll and lots of women, right? So like, that's where my run to was this morning in our Bible study. They were saying, what are you what are you running from and what are you running to? I was running towards some type of validation to say that I'm a man. And it was. I tried to do it with money. Josh, Josh the this or I try to do it with women or I try to do it with all sorts of different things in your journey.

Josh (00:18:02) - Right. You had this one instance of what it is to be a man, and then you saw other men, and then you start to piece it together. Right? So if I asked you that question, what is it to be a man and, you know, maybe give some insights as to some of the guys from different people that you've pieced together to help you formulate your thoughts?

Jamie (00:18:21) - Yeah, yeah. So it's I am not going to say it's complicated, but it can be answered in so many ways of what it means to be a man. But what it means to be a man for me is that provider always comes to my mind. That's always the first thing I say being a provider and being. Being what you need to be. As simple as that. Like being what you need to be. Because every every situation doesn't, doesn't, doesn't require the same thing, you know. So you may deal with, you know, in the sense of kids, you know, your one child may need one thing and the other need something else.

Jamie (00:18:58) - But as being a man means you need to be able to be a self-assured self, aware of yourself so that you can be that person that you need to be for everyone else. If you'd asked me that question a while ago, I would have said that tough guy, be that macho guy that you know, that stern and but now the more I grow, the more I learn and be the guy that's tapped into your feelings, to your emotional side. Being a guy that's more being a man, that's being tapped into you, who you are so that you can be what you need to be for the people that you know that are looking up to you.

Josh (00:19:28) - Yeah, I think that describes responsibility. Right? What is man, I think, you know, like scientifically, this is what it means. You know, I could show you guys a picture of it, but, you know, you all know what that looks like. But scientifically, we know what it means to be a male, right? But being a being a man is is so much beyond that it goes into.

Josh (00:19:48) - What you need to be, the responsibility, what you need to be in that moment, what you need to tap into your feelings, what you need to be the provider, the protector, the the thing. When you were sitting in that room with your Muslim roommate and you started questioning your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions with these other men, and then your belief system, like how did you formulate it all together to what you believe in today?

Jamie (00:20:12) - Yeah, because it still was, like I say, that foundation that I come from, I know where my, my, my help comes from. I know where my strength comes from. And I always know what works for me. And I seen it work for others. I come from a praying family, had a praying grandmother. I seen, you know, that going to church, making sure we're up and God being, you know, I'm a strong believer and I know, but I know you have to do your part as well. You know what I mean? Faith without works is dead.

Jamie (00:20:36) - But my me being able to see him, you know, in that time, I'm not going to say because it makes you sit back. I think everybody goes through that stage where you just sit back and like, man, you know. Okay. Do I need to start looking at other things? Do I need to find something else that may be out there that works for me? And I started reading different books and looking into what was the book I where it is by, um. It'll come to me later and not Malcolm X, but it'll come to me later. But anyway, I started looking into other literatures and different things, but not looking into them to say I'm looking to change, but just looking to see what else out there, you know, being inquisitive, being, you know, just trying to figure out what's going on. But at the end of the day, I always know my strength comes from I always had my Bible. I always laid back on my faith. And even in my tough times and those in those moments, you know, I know where my strength came from.

Jamie (00:21:25) - So that's what that's what helped me.

Josh (00:21:27) - What you and I have. We have multiple things in common, but one of the strongest things that I would like, oh, all of my life in existence to you and I both had praying moms, praying grandmas, right when, when, when my dad was tough on me or when he was being crazy or whatever. I had a praying mom who loved and who brought me back to the truth. So we share in that man. Um, so you moved back here in 2020, struggling, thinking through like, what's this? Maybe I'm assuming struggling. Right? But you come back here because, you know, you were doors were closing up there and the world was falling apart in 2020. Right? Covid and all these things. And, you know, like when you came back here, what was your mindset like? What was what was going to be? What's next? What options did you have in front of you?

Jamie (00:22:11) - And when you say struggling, I was thinking about it may have been struggling, you know, in a in a mindset kind of way because at that time I was thinking, man, I had finished my master's degree and I have a master's degree.

Jamie (00:22:21) - So they taught you to go to school and get your degrees. And I got two of them. So what's the rush, baby? To do anything I got this, I got in, let alone my black man. So I know I'm a black man with a master's degree. Let's go look up those statistics. There's, you know, it's slim to none. So I'm like, I know opportunities appreciate it and I appreciate that. But I'm like, opportunities should just be coming my thrown at me at this point. And like I should have too. I should wake up and emails. Here's my degree. Right. Give me money. Give me money. That's what they told me. But so at that time I come home. I'm still not okay. I was too small for me. This is what I'm saying because I've been in big city. I just know this is what I. This isn't what I want for myself. I'm thinking in my head, I'm going to move down to Orlando or Tampa.

Jamie (00:23:01) - I'm gonna come home for a little bit, you know, till this little pandemic thing or whatever blows over. And then I'm headed down to Orlando Town because this is just too small and there's nothing here. That's what I'm thinking. There is nothing here. But at that time, my mom, my mom works in the school system. What she did at the time, working the school system. At this time, she was a she was in a dean or an intensive principal, one of them. But she. There were some boys at Evergreen Elementary at that time. The school isn't no longer up. She asked me to come home and speak to these. They were getting in trouble, but she wanted me to come. Me and my older brother, she wanted us to come out and talk to these young men. These young men were verbally able to tell me what they did and why I was wrong. So for me, the distinction from someone knowing something's wrong and still doing it is accountability in the middle.

Jamie (00:23:43) - Because when I was a child, there's certain things I did and didn't do because I knew my dad was going to whip my butt if I did it. So I didn't do those things. So for my for myself, I was like, I got to do something. I got to build something to hold these boys accountable. So in the time that I'm still thinking that, okay, Orlando or Tampa, that's my mindset now. Wait to get out of here. Can't wait to get out of here. I'm just volunteering with young men, and in the midst of me volunteering, it's like, okay, I need to fill this void. And in the midst of me trying to fill that void, cut different was birthed. And then that gets me to work. So I never left. I thought I was going to Orlando, Tampa. But I'm here now. I don't plan on leaving. Yeah.

Josh (00:24:17) - Man. What started out as. All right, mom, I'll do you a favor. Right? Y'all okay, mama? I'll help.

Josh (00:24:22) - Right. And then you see these young boys? Who were you 20 years ago? Right. What age boys for?

Jamie (00:24:29) - So these young men I was talking to at this time, they were for fourth and fifth graders, and they're getting in trouble.

Josh (00:24:33) - Trouble makers. They're cutting up. Right. The name of your nonprofit, it's called what Cut different?

Jamie (00:24:38) - Yeah.

Josh (00:24:39) - These boys were cutting up, right? They were getting themselves into trouble. And you said they knew what they were doing was wrong, but they still chose to do it. So you said that there was a gap, and you filled the void. There was a problem, and you were the man in the situation of saying, I'm going to do what I need to do and be what I need to be to fix that. When you first did that, you stood in front of these fourth graders. Were you nervous.

Jamie (00:25:02) - Not say, nervous because I've been there before, man. Like when you see, you know, you go work and say, I was you.

Jamie (00:25:08) - I could see myself in you. So it's not nervous. It's just more so doing, doing your part, you know, like I'm going to here to do my part. So when I go in, I'm more nervous when I'm, you know, I may speak to someone that I feel may not understand me. I know you understand me. These little kids look at me like, man, you you look like you could be my my dad or my brother or my uncle or something. So there's there's always a level of comfortability in that situation. But nervous. Definitely not nervous. It's just more, more so eager. You know, I was eager for those moments because I like you and I and I have I learned your heart through a couple of times. I heard you speak. I was, you know, hear somebody speak. You learn a lot about them. And as I heard you speak, you aren't shy about saying that you love man or. Working with men or helping me. I love helping dudes.

Jamie (00:25:49) - You're getting. I'm saying so. I'm the same way, man. There's something. You know, I love our young ladies. And I want ladies to be to be, to be uplifted. But, man, I just love the same thing. I love working with dudes.

Josh (00:25:59) - Just the dude helping the dude.

Jamie (00:26:00) - Dude. Yeah for sure. Yeah.

Josh (00:26:02) - So man, I love your story. So you're standing in front of the pretend I'm the the group of kids cutting up, right? You know, take me to that moment. And what's that one thing that you think these boys needed to hear, feel or see or. What's that? What's that void that these boys needed that you stumbled upon?

Jamie (00:26:21) - Yeah, I understand you the first. I just like bro, I get it. Like, I don't even know you all, but I know you're dealing with something. I know there's something going on right now. I don't know what it is. And you may not even want to talk about it, but.

Jamie (00:26:37) - Just because you're dealing with something doesn't allow you to freedom or the the privilege to come here and act out in the way that you are. There's other ways. There's other ways to go about, you know what I mean? Expressing yourself or getting out the hurt that you are. These are the direct conversation I have with them. And there are fourth graders and fifth grader.

Josh (00:26:56) - You talked.

Jamie (00:26:56) - About. But and it's a funny thing, man, we live in a different day and age and I. And I'm not going to I hate to say I hate, but I do hate it. I hate when people try to like, talk down to young people. These, they're so advanced like they know everything they got. We're living in a social media, social, digital, day and age. They know everything. You know, we when used to be when you were a kid, you have to go to your parents and the level of intelligence or smart however they were. Your parents were too smart.

Jamie (00:27:21) - You were because you. Hey, mom, what is this? And whatever they told you, that's what you ran with and you went with it. And that was the answer. Now we live in the day. They skip the middle man. They don't have to ask you anything. They're going to get on their phones and they're going to Google it. So it's like they're getting information right now. Yeah. And they're getting, you know, good information. I'm good. Some bad, real good, some good, some bad. But what these young man so we were talking we talk we talk. Right Adam. We don't I don't try to dumb anything down. I'm having serious conversations with them and just letting them know I understand you, but let's figure out what's going on so we can get past it. Yeah.

Josh (00:27:53) - Man. That's powerful. The first time I heard a badass dude like, man, this was late in my in my in my journey, I'm 42, 40. I just turned 42.

Josh (00:28:05) - And I'm interviewing. I've interviewed like 2000 people, but I'm interviewing this Navy Seal badass dude, right. Like for sure. Elite war.

Jamie (00:28:11) - Yeah.

Josh (00:28:12) - And like we're talking and he's like talking about his missions and some of the things he's been through. And I'm like, man, this guy is tough. And I'm looking up to him. And he goes, you know what it is? I go, he goes, I just wanted to be a part of a group. I just wanted to feel special and feel important. I'm like the most elite warrior in the world. Just told me that he strove to be a Navy Seal and to work, to be a part of a team, to feel special, to feel important, to feel like he was a part of something. And I thought about that and it like it cracked me a little bit because I realized that. When you're sitting in front of those for, you know, not for a fourth graders and these young men that you're mentoring. They just want to know that they're special.

Josh (00:28:55) - They want to know that they're a part of something. They want to know that they're made for something better than whatever they see. They need to be exposed to that. So, man, I think what you're doing is really cool because if they never had you or your crew, man, I saw your crew. You guys are rolling deep, man. You got a lot of guys. I appreciate it, but if they didn't have other men coming in. Getting on the same level, not talking down. Oh, you should do this and let's make promises that you'll never do that or whatever. But having men that go, hey, this is me, this is my story, and I understand we could work through this. That's really cool.

Josh (00:29:29) - Yeah.

Josh (00:29:30) - So out of that moment that, you know, your mom brought you in, you started mentoring these boys. At what point did you say, Holy crap, I stumbled upon my purpose. This is what I'm supposed to do. Yeah.

Jamie (00:29:43) - It wasn't right away, but it's something I knew I was going to do, but I knew I was walking in my purpose at the time.

Jamie (00:29:50) - I knew I was going to do something about it. Just didn't know how. So. But we man, we went right to it. Like we went start setting sessions, man. At that moment we were to. It's funny because it's like I say, me and my older brother, our co-founders, are cut different. He pulled one of his closest buddy in. I pulled one of my closest buddy and man, we were having meetings, weekly meetings like we're a corporate 500 company man. But like, literally, you know what I mean? Is that your.

Josh (00:30:12) - Brother this morning?

Jamie (00:30:13) - Yes. The one, the gentleman. What color he had a red shirt on.

Josh (00:30:16) - So, yeah, at first I thought that was you.

Jamie (00:30:18) - That's that's your. That's probably Rory. That's the other gentleman. The taller gentleman. Yeah. That's not my brother. But people do. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So but we were corporate 500 meeting man. And like we, you know got this right. Ideas.

Jamie (00:30:29) - Everybody throwing in ideas chopping and chopping at it. And it's funny man. We started right in 2020 man. And we we had a summer program that year. You got to think man this is pandemic time summer program doing community feedings. We're going to different neighborhoods feeding the community. We just got right into us. But as we start going along those things, I was like, this is where I'm supposed to be. And I knew God put me here. I knew this had nothing to do with me. I couldn't take any credit for it.

Josh (00:30:52) - Yeah, dude. So powerful. So talk to us about some milestones. So like 2020, you and your brother going at it. Started bringing in some other buddies going for it. Cut. Different was built. Where'd you come up with a name?

Jamie (00:31:07) - So. And that's a great question. So the name came from back in before 20 2019, during the time I was just telling you. So when I was up in Illinois at that stage of my life, again, a lot of the mentors and gentlemen told you at this campus, they had a lot of influence on me again.

Jamie (00:31:22) - So they were guys with PhDs and doing all great things and, you know, working in higher education. So I was like, I want to get a PhD and I want to work in higher education. It works for them. I know it can work for me. And they were encouraging me to do that. That's where they were pushing me to do so. Chasing a PhD. Lord knows I don't want to go to do the more school. I didn't even want to do the school and I got it just was free. So, you know, I was able to get it done. So now I really don't want to do it, but this path looks like the next again you get out of. We're just we just want something. We want to be successful. And that was the next thing that came to my plate. So I jumped on it. At that time, I knew I did want to work in higher education, so I was applying for different jobs. Funny experience I had.

Jamie (00:32:01) - It was a job out in Missouri, somewhere in Missouri, outside of Saint Louis, Kansas City, and I'm out there and it's a small town, and Lord knows I do not. I can feel where I'm at. I'm like, I don't want it, but I just need an opportunity. And if this is the next, I would take it.

Josh (00:32:18) - I'll go for it.

Jamie (00:32:18) - I'll chase it, I'll do it. I'm doing an interview. I had a great kill to interview, and I knew I was great for that position. There was a the guy that was hiring me to interview me. He was a black man. I mean, we were having great conversation getting in dev telling me, like really going there, really like, like being dudes getting emotional with each other. So it's like, but and I just knew I just knew what he was going to come and say, you got a job. We just hit it off too. Good for that not to happen, end up not getting that job.

Jamie (00:32:45) - And I honestly think that man did not give me that job because he knew that wasn't a place I needed to be.

Josh (00:32:49) - He cared enough about you. Because it would benefit him to hire you, right? But he knew that he cared enough about you to say, no.

Jamie (00:32:58) - This isn't where you want to be. And I know that's what it was. And I always thought about calling him to ask him, but I didn't know how to. But I knew that's what it was. So that that happened. And I was really I was really upset about that. I had drove from Illinois over to Missouri and like I say, so I was upset about that. So driving back, man, I'm like, man, what's going on? So at that time I had been filling out applications for forever, doing interviews, online interviews and doing all these different things and not like hitting walls, not getting what I want. So at this point in time in my life, you know, I got this is the first time I literally stopped and I asked God.

Jamie (00:33:31) - I said, God, what do you want for my life? Like God, you literally you get in the driver's seat, I'll get in the back seat. You drive the ball. I never the first time I ever paused, that was one thing. That's what got me back here. It's cut different comes from this same interaction. I got back to Illinois and I went to one of my closest friends. I went to his, you know, his his house. And I called my mom to I call my mom on the way home. She was just telling me different things, like, you know, trying to pet me up, get me back in good moods. I got to my friend's house and he was saying, I promise that exact same message my mom was giving me. He gave me in the messaging what he said to me. He say, you know why? You know why you're not getting these? Because you cut different. He was like, you're cut different. That's why you're not getting these opportunities, you know, and people, you know, people see you and you know, they may be, you know, afraid to bring you in because they don't want to let you down.

Jamie (00:34:19) - But he was just he said that word to me, say, you're cut different. And I said, ooh. And it's funny because I recorded this moment. This is a recorded moment. Don't put it out one of these days. Yeah. Share it with us. Man. I held on to I was recording him because he always. He's one of those friends that always stays with you. Like he's a funny guy, but he always says something you need to hear. So I record him. I like, speaks the truth. Right? And in this moment he said, cut different. I said, oh, I'm gonna do something with that. But I didn't know what. But I knew I was going to do something with name, but that's where the name came from. All right.

Josh (00:34:45) - So I think, man, oh, that's so cool. I think every man needs to hear this, right. I understand. Right. Because then we could go, whoo! Okay. I'm with someone who might look like me.

Josh (00:34:57) - Might be like me, might have a same, similar experience. Might just understand that maybe they don't even look like me. Who knows? But they understand. Cool. Now we're on on the same page. And then I think every man needs to have what your friend and your mom did for you pour into you and go, no, this is how God wired you. This is what you're good at. This is what you're. I believe in you. Because when someone does that for you, because a lot of times, man, we're failing. We're going out applying for all these jobs, trying to build all these businesses, trying, trying and trying chase and chase and chasing. And you get beat up by the world, right? You get beat up. And then when you're driving in that silence or at 10:00 at night. That's when the noise starts going. You're a failure. You're a screw up, man. You're going to you're you're worthless. So I think we all need that.

Josh (00:35:44) - Someone who goes, I believe in you, right? And you know, I understand you and I believe in you. Let's, let's when you're when your friend says you give a shout out to your boy, what's his name?

Jamie (00:35:54) - Dominique Prater. So Dominique Prater, he's out of it, actually call him CYP. So he's from Mississippi. So you call him, we call him sip. So I met him up in Illinois, so. Yeah.

Josh (00:36:03) - So shout out to sip. When? When he's sitting across from you, he's built trust with you. Right. And he's speaking into your world, the tough guy versus a guy who's open and you know, who has humbled himself. How would that message be received if you were a tough guy back in high school or back in college football? The running back who could run through brick walls and stuff like that, how would you have received that message then?

Jamie (00:36:30) - I wouldn't even had that conversation. If I was, that tough guy. Wouldn't have been vulnerable enough to go to him in that time.

Jamie (00:36:36) - Like, I knew I needed him. I knew I needed to go to him and just be open and say, bro, I need you. I need you, bro. Like I'm done. Like this moment I beaten up, I need you like, what's going on, bro? That would never have happened if I was that guy. That tough guy was just went home. Probably got back on my computer, start looking for some more jobs, you know, and as we just push.

Josh (00:36:55) - Through it, rub dirt in it. Right.

Jamie (00:36:56) - It just going.

Josh (00:36:57) - Yeah, keep going, keep going, keep going man. So this guy standing across from you and he's speaking into you. What was. So he said, you're just cut differently now. Tough guy or defensive guy could have heard that and go, man, you know, and maybe been defensive about that. What are you saying I'm different. What are you saying? Like, you know, am I broken or like, the insecure guy could have really run with that.

Josh (00:37:21) - You took it. As a as a blessing instead of a curse. And you took it and you ran it, and you built a mission around cut differently because there's boys in this world and men who are different, who are cut different, who look different, who feel different, who have backgrounds that are different. And you're reaching them. Guys that I couldn't reach. Yeah, right. But you are so, so one thing is the tough guy, you have to humble yourself and you got to ask for help, right? Like, hey, bro, I need you. That's got to be something that's got to be on the lips of every man. Everybody needs to practice that. But now you're standing in front of him and he's saying stuff. Did that hurt your feelings when he was saying some of the things? Not at.

Jamie (00:37:58) - All. I needed it, you need to it. And I knew I needed it. So in the person that he was. So again, we built relationship.

Jamie (00:38:04) - I knew he was I knew he would never, you know, say anything ill to me. So I was open to whatever he was going to say. In that moment. I was open to whatever he was going to give me. And and you think about it. So think about this. Think about. I was willing to be open. I was I was taught, I guess at that moment, to be okay, they'll get help or receive help. And I open myself up to allow my friend to say a word to me. That triggered something that is blessing hundreds of boys. You get what I'm saying? So. But that a lot that moment came from me going through life and knowing that it's okay. Like, you don't have to be tough, bro. You don't have to be the toughest man in the room, the big guy. Be open, sit back, ask for help. You need help. Everyone needs help.

Josh (00:38:52) - Everyone needs help.

Jamie (00:38:53) - And now I'm able to receive this help.

Jamie (00:38:55) - And this man gave me, like, one of the biggest blessings of my life. You know, just being open and willing to get help cut differently.

Josh (00:39:01) - So for for people out there and you said you've helped hundreds of boys man. Like and this is this is fairly new. It's a new organization. Talk to us about some of the impact that you've had. Yeah.

Jamie (00:39:11) - Yeah. So now I mean I love it. So what we do we work with young men fourth to eighth grade. So in the space of prevention again, I think a lot of times when you think of nonprofit, most nonprofits are reactive. So a nonprofit is a place when somebody needs help. They go to the nonprofit and it gives them help. We want to be proactive. We want to get in front of the problem so we get boys age, just fourth to eighth grade and again, fourth, eighth grade. Just off that conversation I had with those little guys earlier, it triggered that. And so we figured out, okay, we get in front of the problem.

Jamie (00:39:39) - And the same thing you got right there on your on who am I. Self discovery work. We can help these young boys figure out who they are and where they're going. So we do a lot of self discovery work every day. Our boys come in man. We do self discovery journaling. So we start all our sessions off with Self Discovery Journal. We get a journal question again who am I? Where am I going? What makes me mad? Why do when I get mad my head hurts? Start get like questions of having them get up and write in journal? You got to write five and they had to get up in front of the group and read. Now you got to open Room of Man reading journals to each other and hearing, oh man, he's dealing with the same thing I'm dealing with. Oh, I'm I'm normal. It's normal for me to do this. We do self discovery journaling and then we do mental health checks. Right after that we do mental health check in. So we say from a scale of 1 to 10, how are you feeling.

Jamie (00:40:27) - And able to say ten? Had a great day. This is why I had a great day or one bad day. Mom's tripping or my teachers and we open the floor for them to be vulnerable. Yeah man, you don't know how impactful this is because you have a group full of boys that are okay with sharing. And you know, first, when they first come in, they'll be little until they start seeing everybody else sharing. And it's like now you can't stop and they can't wait to come in and tell you how their day was and what they're dealing with. So we're open the floor for young men to be vulnerable. The same thing. I had to wait till I was 23 to be okay with. We got fourth graders and fifth graders, you know, running around expressing themselves and being okay with it. And that's what we're doing, man.

Josh (00:41:07) - I'm going back to so fourth to eighth grade. That's when I back in the 90s got exposed to gangs, violence, pornography, girls, drugs like these kids.

Josh (00:41:21) - Man. You're right. We got being proactive and get in front of it. Because by the time, you know, I started going to youth groups or whatever, like, man, I've already. Yeah, my eyes were already open to the world. And, you know, the forbidden fruit, like, I saw all it. And it's hard to go backwards on things, you know, like, especially once you, once you go down a path. But, man, if I were sitting across from you and I was a pretty tough kid, you know, sixth grade, and you come in and you're like, today we're going to talk about our feelings and we're going to journal. I'd call you a bad word and we'd get in a fight, you know, like, but how impactful that is, seeing that as an example from a tough dude, right. You look like a tough dude I appreciate that.

Jamie (00:42:03) - Yeah.

Josh (00:42:03) - You're welcome. But like, if a if a weak man came in and tried to do that to me when I was a kid, I wouldn't pay attention.

Josh (00:42:10) - But if someone who's tough like you came in, you'd have my attention, because I was afraid that maybe you'd beat me up if I didn't listen, right. Yeah, but, man, I really appreciate what you're doing. So for for the dudes out there who are excited about what you're doing and who want to learn more about your organization and maybe how they can support you, like, where's a good place for them to do that?

Jamie (00:42:27) - Yeah, man. So I would love our website. That's that's one of the main platforms we send people to cut different.org. You can go on our website and see exactly the things that we're doing. We have three different programs that we run through cut different. One is the empowerment program. So we partnered with the Marion County Public Schools. We provide mentorship on the campuses of five public Marin County public schools, one elementary, four middle schools. We literally have mentors on the campus during the day. So during the day you have we see different boys and one on one sessions, group sessions.

Jamie (00:42:58) - We also have mentors going inside the classroom. Each kid is different. Each school is different. So we have some schools that are one up. So for example, one of our boys maybe struggling in science class, we'll have a mentor go going science class with them, help them out, be there and make sure he's focused. You may have a teacher that reach out and say, hey, well Johnny isn't focused in my class. Can he, during this period, can you pull them out? And you guys do the work together? So we literally they're the ed those kids have or they best need help. So we bring one individualized mentorship to to that campus. And we get I always tell my guys we just want to make the place more vibrant, be what they need us to be wearing them. When classes changes, we're in the hallways dabbing kids up, I don't care. Again, most people think we just work with African American kids. I mean, our things. We're focused on African-American males, but not limited to we love boys.

Jamie (00:43:44) - I don't care what color you are. We want to work. We want to make men. We want a great man, and that's what we're doing. So and then it's funny because we actually start building great relationships with the young ladies, because we do we do a lot of great work with our social medias and our YouTubes. So we get the the kids following it, and we know we know what day and age we're living in. We know how to get their attention and that's what we're doing. So we do have that empowerment program. We have ask after school enrichment. So we run after school programs in two different locations, one of our main location. And then we partnered with the hospital district. And we were on another session over at Howard Academy Community Center. And then we have the best summer program you'll ever see, eight week summer program. And we do so many great things. We go on exposure trips. So we again that word exposure. So exposure. We introduce our participants to people, places and things that they normally don't have access to.

Jamie (00:44:32) - So again, taking a person outside of their environment and showing them, not just telling them what they can be with showing them during that summer program. And we do book, we do a book club. We had computer science and computer science and coding course. We do financial. We call it a millionaire mindset. But financial literacy courses, we also do social and emotional learning, focusing on anger management and conflict resolution. We have workshops, so we do like tire change workshops, oil change workshops, all types of different workshops teaching.

Josh (00:44:59) - The trades and.

Jamie (00:45:00) - Trades. Are we big on that man? We big on showing them that there's all the opportunities that are available to them. But but again you can find us on that. On our on our website. Our Instagram is cut different underscore Inc and on Facebook cut different Inc. So those are the platforms you can follow those cut cut. So cut different. So it's funny it's funny when I first saw that that day when I told you the story of my friend telling me you're cut, I literally I knew I was going to do something with that.

Jamie (00:45:28) - I went home and I literally started sketching up a logo like ASAP and what I did, I took some scissors and made the k. I knew I wanted to be a cake because it was cut, because it was different. So it was that that stuck out to me. So I got scissors to make the K and UT, and I took it to a designer and he looked at me. He's like, hey man, you know, people are going to think you're a barber shop, right? I was like, I thought, are you right? So we changed it up. But yeah man. So it cut different with a K cut.

Josh (00:45:54) - Different with the K cut different. You guys got to learn and it's the.com.org.org website or.

Jamie (00:46:01) - Yeah.

Josh (00:46:02) - So guys could go there. Learn more about you and find ways to help support. What kind of what kind of needs do you have.

Jamie (00:46:08) - Yeah. So finding needs a nonprofit. So you always need funds. So we do a lot of great things and it cost money to do those things.

Jamie (00:46:16) - So financial support. And when I say money money and time those are the big things. Finding dudes that are willing to give their time, willing to come out. I do want to start creating. Circles have. I don't know the terminology for it, but even like leaning into our businesses, I was literally just at a conference this week up in Tallahassee. It's I'm a part of a group called Leadership Florida, and it's a group where leaders from all over the state of Florida come together from different different sectors. But we all our goal is to make Florida a better place. During our sessions, we learned more about the history and what's going on currently in Florida. And I don't want to say his name. I believe it's Mark Wilson. He's the CEO. He's heading the commerce of Florida. The I know we got the chambers of the economic first, but it's. Commerce. Florida initially does something with Florida, but he was just speaking about and it touched me. So he says over the whole state of Florida.

Jamie (00:47:09) - But he was talking about education was big on him. And you get a lot of like people in politics and stuff, and they got their different what's important to them. And this, this, this fellow was really like he was like education. He started pulling up statistics that I'm aware of about kids third grade reading level and how that determines their success. And we're pretty we're pretty much like at a 50% level right now. Like 50% of our kids are above and 50% or below. And statistics like that stick out to me because if 50%, you know, that's f, that's not good. It's terrible actually. So I want to build like when you hear statistics like that, I'm pretty sure they're the same here. If we looked at it individually for Marion County, I want to build a level, something with our businesses. There's no reason that we should be okay with that. So if you have businesses in our community, there's no reason that they should have at least a days out the week, or being able to give volunteer hours for certain employees to go into our schools for a certain amount of hours throughout the day to provide support to our kids.

Jamie (00:48:06) - Give help, aid the schools because it's needed. If we're, you know, we always say the kids are our future leaders and we need to start showing that if they really are.

Josh (00:48:14) - Yeah.

Josh (00:48:15) - Now I volunteer and I give in support like prison ministries.

Josh (00:48:19) - That's good.

Josh (00:48:20) - Right? In a way that's proactive. Because one day these these men are going to be leaving their right. So we want to help equip them and build them and invest in them and their kings behind bars. But we man what you're doing is man, we're, we're we're being we're investing. Right, right. Rather than like, hey, let's work through some things and make some changes in such. You're, you're going on the front on the front line and investing in these in these young men, building men. Really good work man. So cut different cut different dawgs. Great place to go. Guys, I want to encourage you I want to challenge you to do this. Is whatever you do after this is go to that website.

Josh (00:49:01) - Just check out what they're doing. Just be exposed to what they're doing. And then you know, they'll his contact information, Jamie's contact information will be in the show notes below. So you could always reach out to him that way. But if you have ideas, if you have connections, if you've got some money, if you've got, you know, anything that you'd like to help encourage Jamie and his crew with, you could always head on over to Uncensored Advice for men. There's a quick form there, or my cell phone number (352) 274-4500. Just shoot me a text and I'll make the connection, or I'll provide the feedback or whatever, whatever it is you guys need. And and maybe if you have a mission or some words of advice you'd like to share with men. Same place, uncensored advice for men. Fill out a form and we'll get you there. But Jamie, last question, ma'am. Are there any questions? That man you wish I would have asked you during our time together?

Jamie (00:49:52) - Oh, no, man, I think we covered it at all, man.

Jamie (00:49:55) - Again, I just appreciate you extending a gratitude, but I kind of want to ask you a question. I want to turn it around. So I get that that tattoo really sticks out to me. I want to ask you what what what what what what what's the decision behind getting a tattoo? Who am I on your arm?

Josh (00:50:10) - Yeah, dude, forget the year I cashed out my government pension. I went all in to build a technology fitness technology company, and I completely failed on my face, like, flat on my face. And, man, I thought one day I was like, man, I'm going to be a billionaire. And I was cranking and I was doing something that was good and good for people and good for the world. And I was trying so hard. And, I mean, I was I was working from four in the morning till 12 at night, you know, just cranking and trying to learn this stuff. But it failed miserably. And we just had my wife and I just had a baby, and I had to I had to get on food stamps and welfare, and I had to get support from, from people and borrow money from mom and dad.

Josh (00:50:54) - And, you know, I'm walking around, I wasn't sleeping, dude, when you're stressed out about money or about life and new baby, and where am I going to get baby formula and diapers from when you're stressed out? Man? For me, I didn't sleep and you could really start going crazy when you're not sleeping. So I'd wake up and I didn't want to wake up the baby because then moms get in a fight with me, right? So I'm like, I'm just going to go for a walk. So I was walking around Jax Beach for hours every day. Mean I'd walk ten miles or something, and I'd listen to to Bible teaching or self development things or whatever, but it didn't feel like it was cracking my ear. It was just like kind of noise. But I remember walking over one of the Beaches Bridge in Jacksonville Beach, and I remember staying on top of the bridge, thinking of jumping off. And I was a medic. I was a firefighter medic. So like, I've seen tons of people dead, right? So like, I knew what that would look like.

Josh (00:51:45) - The response would look like the call to my wife would look like the stories and the funerals and the stuff, like, so like I was sitting there just contemplating and and I just, like, just pause for a moment, man, it's the sun hasn't even went up yet, and I'm here. Nobody's even awake. I didn't feel like I had anybody to talk to, and I felt like killing myself. And I felt like, God, say this little tiny voice. Say, who are you? I'm going to I'm going to cuss for a minute. He said, who are you? And I said, God, I don't know who the fuck I am. And he goes, figure that out and you're going to help a lot of dudes. So I got a just a little breath of oxygen. I didn't know what that looked like, and there was still ten years of struggle and getting my ass whooped after that, but had a little sip of oxygen and I just kept on going, who am I, who am I, who am I? And that sent me on a crazy journey to read all of these books on identity, on purpose, on mission, on on my skill sets, on my strengths, on my weaknesses, to really understand God.

Josh (00:52:44) - How did you build me? Because the Bible says he wove us together in the womb. But I felt like he screwed up with me because I'm cut different, right? I'm different. I don't think the same way as other people. I can't fit into a corporate box. I can't do certain things, man, no matter how hard I try. And, you know, some of my leaders and even my dad at some point was like, you're broken. You know, like, figure this out. You got to fix yourself. And I couldn't because I'm different. And but I walked away from that moment. Who am I? And I got it. True to my arm shortly after that. I don't remember the exact time, but I said, this is an important enough question and I have it pointing out at other dudes. So when I shake them, shake their hand, or hug them, I want them asking that same question who are you? How did God, why are you? What are you passionate about? What drives you? What motivates you? What are you afraid of? What hurt you? What you know, like we got to know who we are.

Josh (00:53:35) - So that way we could give ourselves and our best to other people. So that's. I appreciate you asking. Yeah, I love talking about it because it points me back to my creator. God.

Jamie (00:53:45) - Yeah, yeah. No, I love it, man. We have a lot of coming. Like you said earlier, I could just share it. Like I say, the small pieces that, you know, I hear from you and even just the stories on line, man, we do have a lot in common. And I love that man. I would like to, to, to to figure out how we can collab work together even in the space of, you know, my heart is younger dudes. Yeah. But you know, I don't know if you ever did anything as far as first thing come to mind, obviously podcasting. How about we do.

Josh (00:54:10) - A podcast together?

Jamie (00:54:11) - Yeah.

Josh (00:54:11) - We're doing it right now. You're right.

Jamie (00:54:12) - Podcast that we could. But podcasts or even like what come to my mind is like creating a course or something or I'm in action activity where we can get some young people and show them that this is an opportunity for them.

Jamie (00:54:22) - You get what I'm saying? So creating something I don't know, we can brainstorm what that is, but I love the collab with you to do something for cool.

Josh (00:54:28) - I'm in and guys in the audience. What I need from you is I need ten dudes to help us with this. So hit me up. You got my cell phone number. We need some dudes that are willing to give time, money. Yeah. And you know, their their wisdom to to other boys. Maybe to boys that don't even look like them.

Jamie (00:54:46) - Yeah, yeah, man, we all hit me up. Say we give a game, man a game. Game. Guidance, attention, motivation and education.

Josh (00:54:52) - Boom. All right, guys, love you too. Talk to you all on the next episode. Appreciate it.