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Welcome back to the Iron Sights Podcast. Today's After Dark episode is a powerful one. I'm sitting down with John Constantine — a 23-year veteran of the United States Secret Service, with 15 of those years spent on the elite Counter Assault Team. From post-9/11 Ground Zero to protecting presidents around the world, John's career has been defined by service at the highest levels.But this conversation goes deeper than tactics, leadership, or high-risk operations. It's about what happens when your values and goals no longer align with the environment you're in. It's about facing the shadows within, owning your truth, and finding your way back from the edge.John opens up about courage, redemption, and the battles we fight inside ourselves — the ones that shape who we are far more than any mission or assignment. This one is raw, real, and worth every minute.Timestamps:00:00 Intro04:47 Career Start & Secret Service Insights12:22 Counter Assault Team Overview14:49 Reflections On July 13th Incident21:08 Personal & Professional Impact34:17 Adapting Under Pressure53:24 Self-Reflection & Integrity59:54 Self-Esteem Vs. Self-Worth01:05:15 Leadership & Personal Values01:25:54 Standards & Accountability01:37:41 Psychology, Philosophy & The Dark Self01:42:55 Professionalism & Performance01:53:50 The Value Of Leadership02:01:25 Future Plans & ProjectsRed Dot Fitness Training Programs:rdfprograms.comOnline Membership (Full Access To All Programs & Virtual Coaching):https://www.reddotfitness.net/online-membershipVirtual Coaching:https://www.reddotfitness.net/virtual-coachingSelf-Guided Programs:https://www.reddotfitness.net/Self-Guided-Programs1Connect With Us:Website - https://ironsightspodcast.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ironsightspodcast/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/
When animals are exposed to toxins and environmental changes, mutations will likely occur, sending a concerning signal about the impact on DNA in animals and, ultimately, humans. This all sounds like mad science fiction coming true, as movies from the 1950s and beyond discussed how the release of toxins and radiation could impact an ecosystem. And what do we know about mutations that have matured into monsters that lurk in the shadows? Perhaps there's some truth to the stories of the Chupacabra, Bigfoot, and other mysterious cryptids. Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #mutation #cryptids
The latest campaign by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aims to promote a future in which all Americans wear biometric health-tracking devices. Under the guise of public health and personal empowerment, this initiative is nothing less than the normalization of 24/7 bodily surveillance, ushering in a world where every step, heartbeat, and biological fluctuation is monitored not only by private companies but also by the government. We must ask ourselves, when surveillance becomes a condition of participation in modern life, such as employment, education, and healthcare, are we still free? Or have we become, as in every great dystopian warning, conditioned not to resist, but to comply? Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860.
Motivation and Inspiration Interviews with Professor of Perseverances
Dr Chad Scott nearly lost everything—his health, his marriage, and his identity— now he guides others through stories that help them confront pain, discover purpose, and grow stronger on the other side of struggle. A therapist, author, educator, and liver transplant survivor who persevered through personal adversity into a mission to explore the world's most emotionally powerful and historically significant places. His critically acclaimed book, Beyond the Darkness, dives into dark tourism—not to glorify tragedy, but to uncover what sites like Auschwitz, Ground Zero, historic cemeteries, battlefields, and former prisons can teach us about healing, resilience, and what it means to be human. BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Darkness-Transformative-Journeys-Through/dp/1917523009/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 Websites: https://www.drchadscott.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chadscottauthor/ You may also contact him through email, Jamesperduespeaks@comcast.net
President Donald Trump said his administration is going to look at deploying the U.S. military to other American cities, including Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, at a press conference today. He also announced taking federal control of the police department in Washington, D.C., and deploying 800 National Guard troops there to crack down on crime. It is becoming increasingly obvious, and unfortunately, the predictions about the new police state are unfolding — and people do not seem too alarmed by it. An evil empire thrives on shedding blood, and it enforces its will through deception and demonic control. Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #policestate #nationalguard #federaltroops #washingtondc
On April 13, 2029, an asteroid named Apophis will pass closer to Earth than our communication satellites. For the first time in human history, millions of people will watch a mountain-sized space rock race across the night sky. NASA says we're safe, but Apophis is just the beginning. Scientists estimate 25,000 city-killer asteroids cross Earth's orbit, and they've only found half of them. The other 13,500 remain completely hidden, somewhere in the darkness of space. Every three days, fragments from ancient comets bombard our planet. Just 12,800 years ago, a cosmic impact reset human civilization and triggered a freeze that lasted over a thousand years. The evidence is buried in rock layers across four continents. Today, we have the technology to fight back, but time is running out. The question isn't whether another impact will happen—it's whether we'll be ready when it does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-yXhTmSSro
HaunTopic Radio: Haunted Attractions | Haunted Houses | Halloween | Haunters
Halloween Hollow Haunted House in Silver Point, TN, Has Everyone Screaming From Nashville to Knoxville, Tennessee, With Its Massive Outdoor Halloween Event! We answer your questions to the owners, Carroll Lee Moore III and Erica McElroy, as we discuss what it takes to own and operate the most unique haunted attraction in Tennessee. Start and grow your haunted attraction at HauntersToolbox.com Stalk the Halloween Hollow at HalloweenHollowHaunt.com Reward, recognize, and retain your scare actors and staff at ScareItBadges.com
The salesmanship of peddling food alternatives is turning out to be successful because of what can only be called "Hunger Games." The games are simply the roller coaster of prices that keep Americans from finding nutritious, cost-effective foods to maintain health. Fear from global instability kills critical thinking—think 2020's pandemic panic, but on steroids. Economic desperation breeds conformity when you're broke. They are planning on you wanting a handout, and they expect you to eat whatever food they put on the shelf. In essence, you find yourself starving in a psychological cage, designed to make you a docile cog in the globalist machine. Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #hungergames #food #health
Could the latest cosmic sensation, 3I/Atlas, be the New Jerusalem as mentioned in the Holy Bible? Images from the James Webb Telescope reveal that this interstellar object is a shape-shifter, appearing in light as geometric and ranging from a pyramid to a curious cube formation. Some ancient texts depict that the future arrival of a deep space artifact is a large cube the size of a city or a pyramid that will position itself over the Earth and reveal the true messiah of the cosmos. This may show the spirituality of Christ's salvation and the materiality of geometric and physical forces. It appears to bridge the divide that many feel separates science from religion. Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis tonight from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #3IATLAS #NewJerusalem #tesseract #metatron
In this episode of Unstoppable Mindset we get to experience a story of a man who demonstrates what real unstopability is really all about. I hope you will be inspired and that you will learn some good life lessons from what you will hear. Our guest, Kijuan Amey grew up around Durham North Carolina. After completing high school, rather than going to college, circumstances brought him to an Airforce recruiter. He scored quite high on his tests which resulted in his recruiter showing him a list of jobs including working as an in-flight refueling expert. The job was demanding, and it requires significant intelligence. After pondering and speaking with the recruiter Kijuan signed up for the job and spent the next 6 and a half years refueling aircraft in flight. In May of 2017 Kijuan was struck by a motorcycle and suffered a significant number of major injuries. Of course, his career as a refueling expert ended. He actually spent the next 3 and a half years healing and eventually deciding to move on with his life. Kijuan describes himself as someone who always likes getting answers and moving forward. This he did as you will discover. You will hear the story of Kijuan Amey in detail. Today he teaches and he is a coach. He also wrote and published a book. What I haven't told you to this point is that one of the things that happened to Kijuan as a result of his injuries is that he lost his eyesight. As he will tell you, however, “I may have lost my sight, but I have not lost my vision”. Kijuan today is a keynote speaker talking to many audiences and helping people to discover how they can move forward with their lives no matter what befalls them. About the Guest: Kijuan Amey, the visionary behind Amey Motivation, hails from Durham, NC, where his journey of resilience and success began. After graduating from Southern High School, he dedicated a decade of his life to the US Air Force, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant as an In-flight Refueling Specialist. Medically retired, he transitioned into academia, earning a degree and founding Amey Motivation LLC. Formerly served as the vice president for the Carolina regional group of the Blinded Veterans Association, Kijuan is also a mentor and ambassador for the Air Force Wounded Warriors program. Beyond his remarkable military career, Kijuan is a man of many talents, boasting over 25 years of drumming expertise, onstage acting, and now, an upcoming bestseller, “Don't Focus on Why Me.” However, life took an unexpected turn on May 5th, 2017, when a motorcycle accident claimed his eyesight. Yet, as Kijuan profoundly states, “I may have lost my sight, but I did not lose my vision.” Now armed with an inspiring story of overcoming adversity, Kijuan has become a motivational force, empowering others to reach their highest potential. Whether addressing a crowd of 1,500 or engaging in one-on-one sessions, Kijuan is well-equipped for any speaking engagement. He's not just a speaker; he's a catalyst for transformation, ready for the task ahead! Contact him at (919) 641-8150 | kijuan@ameymotivation.com | AmeyMotivation.com Ways to connect with Kijuan: Website: ameymotivation.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kijuan-amey-783889121?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/167F8mGMfR/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kijuanamey?igsh=NmZtNHRqbW1meWNy&utm_source=qr About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Hi, everyone. I am Michael hingson, and you are listening and or watching our podcast. Unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. And for those who may not really understand all of that, we start with inclusion, because if you talk to diversity people, they typically leave out any discussion of disabilities, and today, especially, that gets to be important, because our guest Kijuan, Amey, is blind, and I, of course, as many of you probably know also, am blind, and so we're going to talk about blind, and who knows what else we'll we'll get into all sorts of adventures. There's another thing that Kijuan and I have in common, and he doesn't even really probably know about it, and that is that in my book thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog, and the triumph of trust at Ground Zero, there's a section called guide dog wisdom. And in the section of guide dog wisdom, number two, the main point of that one is, don't let your sight get in the way of your vision. And that was published in Thunder dog anyway, we'll talk about whatever comes along. But Kijuan, I want to welcome you to doing a stoppable mindset, and thanks for being here. We're glad to have you, Kijuan Amey ** 02:42 Michael, I truly appreciate you allowing me to come on your platform and share my story. Michael Hingson ** 02:47 Well, no allowance necessary. It is all all about people conversing and telling their stories and why they do what they do, and showing that they're unstoppable, so that we can show everybody else that they're unstoppable as well, or really ought to consider themselves more unstoppable than they think. But anyway, we're glad you're here, and looking forward to having a great conversation with you. Why don't we start by you going back and telling us kind of about the the early years of Kijuan, the early years of Yeah. Let's start with the beginning. You know, you know, like they, they always say you gotta start at the beginning somewhere. So might as well start at the beginning. Kijuan Amey ** 03:29 Yeah. So back in the 90s, born in Durham, North Carolina, where I was, of course, raised there as well. I don't live too far from there. Now, honestly, I'm only maybe 2530 minutes from there, so I still consider myself right here in it. Michael Hingson ** 03:48 And of course, having grown up in Durham, you must be a major basketball fan of some sort. Kijuan Amey ** 03:55 What? Why would you say that there's no basketball around here? What Michael Hingson ** 03:58 are you talking about? Yes, 25 miles away from you. Yeah, I am definitely a, a Kijuan Amey ** 04:04 true Understander of the rivalry UNC versus Duke. Okay, oh gosh, and and then I might be from Durham, but I'm actually a UNC fan. Michael Hingson ** 04:16 I was in Carolina once and Northern Carolina, North Carolina in Durham, several years ago to do a speech. And we came in on a Thursday night, and I got to the hotel was pretty tired, but I thought I would unpack and watch TV. And at the time, there was a show on CBS called without a trace. I kind of like the show, so I turned it on, and at eight o'clock, when without a trace was supposed to come on, there was suddenly an announcement that says that without a trace will not be seen tonight, because we're going to be presenting live the basketball game between North Carolina State and University of. North Carolina to see which one is going to go to the chip college championships. And so if you want to watch without a trace, you can watch it Sunday morning at two in the morning. I wasn't going to do that, but anyway. But anyway. So yeah, the basketball. It runneth hot there, obviously, Kijuan Amey ** 05:22 yeah, so it's pretty interesting. There is a meme for those who understands what that is, but it's a depiction. There's North Carolina State, Duke and UNC, all standing on top of a mountain, all of the mascots, and North Carolina State says, I'm going to do this one for my team, and they jump off the mountain. And then UNC says, and I'm going to do this one for my team, and then they kick Duke off the mountain. Michael Hingson ** 05:59 Listen, I'm telling you, man, it is serious around I know it is really serious. It's so serious. So, yeah, Kijuan Amey ** 06:05 no, I grew up in a UNC household, um, grandmother, mother, I mean, dad, hey, listen, if you they even worked at Duke and still were UNC fans. It's just the way it was, you know, and it's hard to when you grew up in it was hard to go against, you know, Unc, when they have such a amazing teams with Michael Jordan, Antoine Jameson, all these guys that came through there, you just like, gosh, these guys were really great. And so it's just one of those things. But, you know, kind of growing up with that lifestyle, you had the two games during the season, and you you hope they met in the in the in the ACC tournament, right? Because you wanted to see if there could be a clean sweep, well. And so this past year, Duke got to sleep. They rightfully, rightfully so, because their star player is going to be drafted number one this year. So they rightfully got it Michael Hingson ** 07:12 another year. I was in brether County, Kentucky to do a speech, and it was the day of the NCAA championship. So one of the two teams was the what Wildcats of Kentucky, and I forget who the other one was, but I was to do a speech that started at 6pm and I was told it was at a high school. And I was told this speech has to end absolutely latest, at 6:30pm because by 631 the gym will be completely closed and and everyone will be gone because everyone wants to go home and see the Wildcats. Well, I did the speech. I ended it at 630 and everyone was gone. By 631 they were flooding out. Boy, I couldn't believe how fast they all got out. I'm Kijuan Amey ** 08:09 telling you. Man, those, what we call them is blue, blue bloods, yeah, and these are the big, the biggest, you know, college teams that that impact that sport. So for basketball, of course, you got your UNC, your Duke, your Kentucky, your Kansas, those types of teams, you know. And football we already know is kind of shifting a little bit, but hey, it's just the way it is with all this nio money now. So yeah, and that's kind of what's going on nowadays. You got to have some money. And the difference between UNC and Duke, one's a private school and one's public. There you go. Well, so tell us. So tell us more about you. Yes. So me, besides me being a Tar Heel fan, I personally, you know, went after high school, graduated from Southern High School here in Durham, and then went on to the United States Air Force. I actually was going to consider going to North Carolina State, but it was not to become a fan. It was because they had one of the better engineering programs in the state, and better than UNC, huh? UNC doesn't really offer engineering. They offer computer science. And I didn't want that. And the computer science is kind of boring to me, yeah? And I mean, I'm just being honest, yeah, that's okay. And so I wanted to do either software or computer engineering, and the two best schools in the state were North Carolina State University and North Carolina agriculture and Technical State University, which we shortened for North Carolina A and T. So those two schools are the best here in North Carolina, which actually get a lot of great funding for engineering. Yeah, by the way. So yeah, that was what I was planning on doing, but there were admission hiccups. And so I said, you guys can have your admission hiccups. I already can't afford you. Anyway, I'm gonna take a different route. And so I have a really heavy or, shall I say my family has a really heavy background in the military, and mostly navy. Jeez, maybe seven, I think maybe six or seven Navy members, and then one army, one Marine, one went from the Navy to the Coast Guard. And then you have me, who kicked off the Air Force journey, and then my youngest brother is now carrying that torch, so he's out there in Italy. Man, I'm a little jealous about it. It's okay. I never got to see Italy. It's all right. It's all right. But anyway, I went into the Air Force and became an in flight refueling specialist. So what does that mean? Exactly, yeah, yeah. That's what I was getting into. I can't just say it without not telling so what that means is, I do refill aircraft, but I do it in the sky. It's basically like airplanes pulling up to a flying gas station, Michael Hingson ** 11:28 which can be very tricky, tricky. Kijuan Amey ** 11:30 That's a That's an understatement of the year. It's dangerous the first so when I was going through school, the first warning that they had in the book says flying two planes in close proximity is inherently dangerous. You think there's no way that's possible. No couldn't be Who are they telling this to? Like, man, it's almost like a five year or five year old needed to read that or something. So I'm just like, okay, the way to scare me. Appreciate it. And anywho I did that job for on paper, 10 years, three months and 17 days. That's how long the military counted. I Yeah, say, six and a half Michael Hingson ** 12:22 years now. Why did you decide to do that, to go into the military? No to to become an in flight? Oh, Kijuan Amey ** 12:31 that's because, well, first, yeah, yeah, you're right. That's a good question, because I had no clue that even existed. Didn't even know until my recruiter showed me, because I scored so high on the ASVAB, he said, I gotta show you something. And I was like, Okay, what is it? And so, you know, when you're going into the military, you're kind of skeptical about them trying to sell you a dream. And you know, so I'm like, and again, I have plenty of military families, so they're all telling me about this. They're like, don't let them sell you no dream. Make sure you pick a job before you go to basic training, because you don't want to go in open general and all this stuff. I said, okay, cool. Well, when he shows me that video, I start giggling. I said, Okay, all right. And he's like, what? I'm like, yeah, that's pretty cool. But what's the actual job you're going to show me? And he's like, this is the job as it that looks like a video game, man. He's like, he was like, I know it's crazy, but you qualify for it Michael Hingson ** 13:40 now. What, what, what characteristic did you have, or what was the scoring on the test that made you qualify for that? Kijuan Amey ** 13:49 I don't know what the exact cutoff is, but I score an 87 on my ASVAB out of 100 so that's that's high. Um, you needed a 50 to get into the Air Force. And I scored the 87 and he was so happy and elated. He called me as soon as he got my score. Not like, waited a day or two, no, he called me as soon as he saw the opening of the email. And he was like, When can you come in? That's all he said to me. He didn't say nothing else on the phone. And I was like, um, I could be there tomorrow. He was like, I'll be here. I said, okay, but anyway, that's literally how excited he was. He didn't even tell me why until I got there, so I had no clue, until the day I arrived in his office, and he was, he pulled out this stack of papers that he had stapled together, which was a was jobs, listing of jobs. And it was like eight pages, front and back, listings. And I'm like, Okay, what is this? And then I get close to it, I read. And I'm like, Oh, these are jobs. He's like, Yeah. He's like, go ahead. You flip through him, if you like. And I'm flipping through he's already started highlighting some and I knew there was something I wasn't gonna do. I mean, there was one of them that wasn't highlighted that I thought I wanted to do, which I'm glad I didn't, because I told it basically been me working on, like, Humvees and trucks and stuff. And he was like, You are way too smart for that. I said, okay, but that's what I know. That's what I just came out of high school doing, you know, because I went to a high school that had vocational trades and stuff. So I loved cars, I still do, and worked on mine until, literally, I couldn't see anymore, and so, you know, slowly becoming a lost trait. But hey, somebody's got to do it anyway. Yeah, that's how I got into that job. He showed it to me on a computer screen, and I was like, What the heck he's like, I've never, I said I'd never seen this before. He's like, you're not gonna see it as a civilian, because only the military does. Michael Hingson ** 16:09 So why is it the military essentially said you did it six and a half years and you said you did it as 10. Kijuan Amey ** 16:14 No, opposite. I said I did it six and a half. Oh, okay, rather, okay, 10, right? Because that was the day they retired me, the six and a half is the day I had my injury, and I never showed back up to work. Basically, what was your injury? My injury was a motorcycle accident where a car pulled out in front of okay, yeah, yeah. Sustained my eyes, my eyesight loss, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, spinal cord injury, broken, both legs, everything. What do you want to know? The only thing that didn't get, I guess you say, didn't have a surgery on was my arms Michael Hingson ** 16:55 got it, but they, but they kept you in essentially, well, you were, you were in the military, so you stayed in while you were healing, or what? Kijuan Amey ** 17:06 Yeah, so it, what happened was the reason it took so long, nobody really knew what to do with me and I, and I'll get you to why, or an understanding of why. So I did four years active, but now, at the time of my accident, I'm a reservist. I'm not active duty anymore. So fortunately for me, I was on an active duty, or in an active status, is what we call it, in the reserves, because I was in a travel status that day of my accident because I had to work that weekend, and on the day, which was May 5, 2017 that was my travel day. Okay, thankfully, because had it been may 4, 2017 I wouldn't have any of this, literally just one day. Wow. And so they were trying to figure out how to process me. They didn't know what to keep me, to let me go, to drop me off a cliff, like they didn't know what to do. And so as we were trying to file every piece of paper known to the what do you call it? DOD, Department of Defense. We had no clue what to do. Medical didn't know what to do. My leadership didn't know what to do. I definitely didn't know what to do. I mean, I never dealt with an injury, you know, or seen anybody deal with an injury, especially as substantial as mine. Yeah, of course, you were in the hospital. Well, even after getting out of hospital, you know, we were still dealing with this the whole entire time until I got retired, you know, up until the point where they eventually put me, it's kind of like they were trying to out process me with an honorable discharge, but they saw that he has an injury, so we need to get him some, you know, stuff done, and then he put me on a casualty report, and which means, you know, I was very badly injured. That's basically all that means. And that put me on a another piece of or or track, shall I say, which got me connected to a headquarters in Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, which is the Air Force Wounded Warriors Program. Now, when they saw my name pop up on the casualty report, they called me, and I'll never forget Connie Sanchez's voice, because I was like, What the heck is this? But she said, Hi, I'm Connie Sanchez calling from the Air Force winter Warriors Program, and I was trying to reach a key one Amy. And I'm like, You're who from where, because I had never heard of a program. Mm, hmm. So are you trying to in today's society, the scams that go on, you know? Yeah, I don't know what's going on. Who you? Who are you from? Where I'm I've been been in the Air Force for a while now. I've never heard of an Air Force. When the Warriors program, what are we talking about here, you know? And so she's doing her best to explain it to me and keep me from from being skeptical, as she says, I saw you pop up on a casualty report list, and we help airmen who have been wounded, ill or injured, you know, and and I said, Okay, well, what do you what are we we talking about? Like, what are mean you supposed to be talking about? She's like, Oh, I'm gonna help you get medically retired. I say, you gonna help me who? These are the words I've been looking for. You know, you gonna help me do what? Oh, I'm gonna help you get medically retired. I said, Where have you been for the last three years? And so anyway, that's how that whole thing got started. The ball started getting rolled to get Michael Hingson ** 21:14 rolling so you were injured in 2017 Yeah. What was your attitude like after the injury? How? How did you move forward, or what? What were you thinking? Was it? Were you? Were you just totally devastated? Did you think you're going to just off yourself, or what? Kijuan Amey ** 21:38 Well, let me preface by saying this, I told you I had a traumatic brain injury. The damage to my brain is most severe in the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe houses a lot of emotions, and so yes, there was devastation, yes, there was sadness. Yes, there was, well, what am I going to do now? Yes, there was anxiety, there was anything you can think of anger because of the guy who hit me or pulled out in front of me. Shall I say? You know, there was so much that was going on at one time, because, you know, I'm stuck in the hospital for, oh, by the way, I was at UNC hospital. Okay, so that's pretty cool. Uh, that I'm a Tar Heel Fanning and I got, you know, Life Flight of the UNC hospital. But back to what I was saying, there's so much that was going on that one time, because I'm stuck at a hospital for two months now, granted, the first month I know nothing about. I was in a medically induced coma for the first month, so from May 5 until June the sixth. Don't ask me any question. You know what? I mean, I literally know nothing, because that's when I came to I came out of my medically induced coma, and so I'm just trying to figure out where I am. I cannot see already, like my vision was already gone. This is not a gradual loss, as some might think or might be wondering. I could not talk at the time because my jaw had been broken, so they wired it shut to keep me from damaging it any further then I didn't realize it yet, but I also could not smell, and the reason I didn't realize it is because I could breathe just fine. The only time I noticed I couldn't smell is when some is when somebody said, Man, you smell that? It smelled good? No, no, I don't know. I don't know what you're talking about. What What smells good, you know? Or if I you know, yeah, something smell bad. I don't smell it. What are you talking about? And so anywho, um, all of these different things are going through my mind, and even after I was told what happened to me, because I, of course, don't remember. I have no recollection of the accident. So after they told me what happened now, I am sitting there with these thoughts in my head for basically, I don't know, 12 hours because I stopped talking or communicating with anyone after that, and I just wanted to be alone. Because, as the saying goes, I just got hit with a ton of bricks. Yeah, you know, so I'm literally going through all the emotions, the sadness, the net, the potential, thought of never being able to see again, never being able to fly again, refill again, see my, my girlfriend, see my, my nieces, nephews, a family, uncle, anything possible. My, I don't even have kids. I never get to see them, you know. So it's. It was one of those things. And I, I mean, I took a lot of pride in the things that I saw, because it was things that a lot of people would never see. And this is also why, you know, on some of my social media, when I did do air refuelings and things of that nature, or or went to really nice locations, or even some that weren't so nice. I would take pictures and post it, because some people will never get to see this. Yeah, so I want you to live vicariously if you want to say it through me, they're like, man, that's cool. That video, that was awesome. You you did the other day. Hey, I appreciate it, man. Hey, it's my job, you know? It's just what it is. It's all part of the Michael Hingson ** 25:49 game, you know. And all that was taken away Kijuan Amey ** 25:53 Exactly. And so when I tell you I used to have and I wouldn't even be sleep, I would be daydreaming, and could see so vividly, like airplanes that I used to refuel, like the F 22 Raptor, the C 17, you know, it's it's things like that. The views I used to have looking down at the ocean from 20,000 feet in the air, looking down at the coastline, flying over the North Carolina and Virginia border, where you can see literally go from land to water to land, because there is a tunnel that goes underneath the water for ships to pass over, I could literally see that stuff from the air and to now go from not seeing that ever again, the thoughts that you sit with were just like beating me up alive. And so I finally had to come out of crazy mode, because that's what it makes you do. It makes you go crazy when you do think about all these thoughts. I had to come out of that mode, because if I didn't, I probably would have really went crazy. And I finally started asking all the questions to get answers, instead of trying to formulate my own questions that I had no answers to. And so that is what you know, got me the information and how the accident happened, where I was, where I was coming from. I do remember the day that I had before that, like not not may 4, but like what I was doing before I had the accident. I do remember all of that, but the thing is, when it came up to the accident, I don't know nothing about it, it's like it completely erased that entire moment. And that's a protective mode that your neurological system does for your brain. So it's so, it's so. It's so empowering that your your mind, can do something like that. But it's also a benefit, because I would never, I do not want to relive that dream or that nightmare, shall I say, over and over. Right? Michael Hingson ** 28:22 But you made the choice to move on, to get out of the crazy mode. What? What caused you to do that? Just you decided enough was enough, and it's time to move on, or what? Kijuan Amey ** 28:39 No, I'm a man of answers. I need answers so. So when I think the military kind of did that to me too, but I've always been that guy who asked questions to you, even when I was younger, I was at, man, will you just sit down and we'll get to it, you know? So the military made it worse, because I became an instructor, and as an instructor, you tend to ask questions, so you can see what the person is thinking, how they're thinking, you know, making sure they're processing the information correctly. And so I am now doing that to everybody. I've put my instructor hat back on, and I'm going to asking questions that I need to know the answers Michael Hingson ** 29:21 to so, how long after the accident, did you start doing this? Kijuan Amey ** 29:25 Oh, no, this was a Maybe the day after I woke up from my medically induced coma. Okay, so, so the day I was informed of the accident, which was June the sixth, when I woke up out of my medically induced coma because I hate the panic button, basically not being a receipt or talk, you know what I mean? So, so I needed to figure something out, and that's when I asked the question, Well, what happened to me? Or what is the question I asked was, What? What is this motorcycle accident dream you guys are talking about? Because somebody, it was just people in my room talking, right? And they were like, Oh no, that's not a dream. That's what happened to you. And that was when I went into that shutdown period. And how long were you in that period? That was, that was the like, 12 to 16 hours or so that I didn't talk okay? And so the next day, June the seventh, is when I was like, hey, hey, I need to find something now. And that's what happened to me. What really happened? Michael Hingson ** 30:30 So when that occurred? So now, on the seventh of June, did you just basically decide fairly quickly you got to move beyond from this, or did? Was it devastating for a while? Kijuan Amey ** 30:44 Yeah, no, that's when the devastation and stuff really kicked in, because it made me say, What the heck, man, like, you know, somebody did this to me, you know, and I can't get back, none of that stuff. Yeah, that was taken away from me. I have all these different parts inside of me. I got metal plates in my head, screw rods and screws in my back, rods in both legs, a screw in my foot, like I even have two different sized feet now. Michael Hingson ** 31:16 So how long was it before you started to decide you gotta go off and do something else with your life, and you're not gonna just let all of this rule you Kijuan Amey ** 31:28 let's see when, when did that kind of transfer that it took me a little while, because I had to get acclimated to the new right life, you know, at first. So I think that would be around maybe I know I went on my first plane ride as a visually impaired person in 2018 So December of 2018 I went to my first blind rehab center. Where was that? In Tucson, Arizona. Okay, okay. The one for the V The VA has a couple of them. I can't remember how many it is, but that was the one I went to, because that was the first one to accept. I didn't want to go to the one that was closest to me. I've been to Georgia. It's okay. I wanted to go somewhere I haven't been, you know what I mean? And not no no shot at Georgia. I just wanted to go somewhere different, you know, yeah, and so that's what I did. And at first I wanted to go to Mississippi, but they took way too long to respond. And so anywho, I'm trying to get this done today, not next year, you know. And so I went there from December of 2018 until February of 2019 okay, I'm a pretty fast learner, and everything, when you go to those to the VA blind rehab centers, is at your own pace. You're fully embedded like you know, you're there the whole time. You got a room, you got everything, so they fully submerge you into this program, and you leave when you're ready. And so it only took me, and it wasn't even a full two months, is but, but I say two months because December to February, but anyway, I learned what I needed to learn, and I got out of there. I even learned stuff that I didn't know I wanted to learn, like copper tooling, wood working, you know, what's the other one? What's the leather? What's when you do leather? Yeah, but yeah, I I've even done stuff with leather, and that's so cool. It's pretty cool to do that stuff, but, yeah, I did all of that stuff, man. It's amazing. And, you know, come back home to show everybody what I learned, and they're like, Wow, you're like, a whole nother person. I said, Well, you know, I did pick up few things. And so once I got that under my belt, you know, the ability to know how to navigate, I still was not, like, really stable, because I hadn't. I hadn't, I didn't start lifting weights, or, you know, doing any like physical training, training, like legitimate training, until right before the pandemic, I was going to the YMCA and swimming, because, as we know, swimming is a full body workout, and so I was hitting the lap pool with a recreational therapist. And so what, man, that was the worst when that pandemic hit in March of 2020, yeah, because, trust me, I'll never forget it. That was when everything was looking up for me. I was like, Oh, this is so amazing. I'm I'm getting stronger, you know? I'm able to move a little bit better, get more confident in my life. And then, bam, shut everything down. I said, What? We can't go out. Wait. Everything's closed. Oh, okay, it'll only be two weeks. Oh, okay, that's okay. I could wait for two weeks. That's not that bad, yeah, but it'll be another month. Well, you said three months, six months, okay, I don't like this. So yeah, that's when everything started to come down. But then it went back up in 2021 Michael Hingson ** 35:25 Yeah, later in 2021 it started to lift Kijuan Amey ** 35:28 Well, I mean, for me, for me in 2021 it was when I started actually working out by actually lifting weights again. Michael Hingson ** 35:38 Now, were you still in the military? Swimming? Were you still in the military at this time I Kijuan Amey ** 35:43 retired? Or was literally, uh, like, officially, medically retired, June 3, 2021, but again, I had not been to work since May. No, I understand 17, you know. So there's nothing that I'm doing at work. And when I did go down there, it was just kind of the just kind of a visit and hang out with those guys for the day. Michael Hingson ** 36:07 You mean, they wouldn't give you a long cane and let you go ahead and continue to refuel aircraft, because you could just find the the appropriate place with the cane. They Kijuan Amey ** 36:15 they would have had to switch it to the left hand, because I'm left handed, and they and they make you do that with the right hand, that refueling side, I'm way better with my left hand. Well, but hey, I would have gave it a shot, but, but Michael Hingson ** 36:29 you don't move, yeah, but you, but you, but you had to make along the way the decision that you were going to move forward, which is what it sounds like you, you were doing. And certainly by June of 2021, when you retired and and so on, you made the decision that you were going to do your best to continue to to advance and do something else with your world. Oh Kijuan Amey ** 37:00 yeah, yeah, no. I mean, the pandemic actually was a part of good and bad. I mean, yes, it made me upset because they kept pushing the timeline and stuff back. But October of 2020, that's when I started writing my book. So that was in the pandemic. I started writing my book. You know, I learned how to use a computer again in September. And then once I got that down pack, hey, I'm going to the next thing. What's the title of the book? Don't focus on why me. From motorcycle accident to miracle. Got it Okay, so that's the name of it. Yeah, that's the name of it. And, excuse me, like I said, I wrote the book, or started writing the book October 2020, but I wanted to publish it in May of 2021, because of the accident. You know, the accident was in May. I wanted to publish the book in May. Well, it didn't quite happen like that, because timelines get pushed back, because you got to get an editor, you got to get a book formatter, you got to get it covered. Oh, it was taking a long time. And so anywho, it got published in June of 2021, which is my entire retirement month. So I was okay with it. I retired and I published a book, a self published, by the way, a book in June of 2021, which is a big month for me, so I celebrate both good Michael Hingson ** 38:32 so you did that, yep. And were you? So you got retired in June. And when, what did you decide to do? Or when did you decide to find work? Kijuan Amey ** 38:47 Well, I don't, I don't really consider what I do work, and I'll tell you why, so as we will from what you're about to find out, I am the proud founder, and I call myself a chief motivational officer, not a CEO of Amey motivation. Now Amey motivation, I do keynote speaking motivationally based most of the time, and then I also am a trusted mentor and a resilience coach. So I don't feel like I'm working. I feel like I'm actually doing a service and giving back, right? I'm sorry, go ahead. No, I agree with you when I'm when I when I said a job, I kind of put it in air quotes, but anyway, I got you, but yeah, no, that's how I feel in my, you know, giving back. Because I almost feel like this is a type of ministry, a type of healing, a type of journey that not only benefits me, but benefits others. And it doesn't even feel like I'm working when I do this stuff. It just feels like I'm having a conversation. It feels like I'm building. It feels like I'm helping others, you know. And I. I couldn't even dare say that I feel like I'm working, and it's not even because I'm making good money. It's not because people are paying me, it's not because I travel to do this. It's because I really just don't feel like this is work, sure. Now, when I was in the military, that was work, you know, that felt like work. But this really does not. It's enjoyable, you know, and that's the beauty of it. And I love what I do. Michael Hingson ** 40:34 But when did you decide to start motivating people? Kijuan Amey ** 40:38 Well, that started back before the pandemic, too. And my first speech, like official, big speech, shall I say, anyway, was May of 2019, that's when I came out and told everybody, you know, kind of what, what happened to me, my story. Because, you know, everybody was hearing what happened to me on Facebook. I can't stand when I see a post of something bad happening to somebody on social media. Let me tell my story. And so that's what I did. And the title of that, that, uh, that speaking engagement, was, why not me? And everybody, I'm sure, was like, Wait, what the heck? Why is it called that? And I said, you're gonna have to come in to find out. You know, so anywho I told my story, and I do have a snippet of it on my website, Amy motivation.com Michael Hingson ** 41:33 and Amy is spelled, a, yeah, Kijuan Amey ** 41:36 A, M, E, y, right. So, you know, I did tell my story about just being the vulnerable side of what happened to me, how I feel, how I got through it, what I went through, what I was dealing with, you know, and man, when I tell you it was, you could literally hear a pin drop, and we were on carpet. Okay, so it was so quiet in there. Everybody was very attentive. It was a packed house, to say the least. There was not one empty seat, except for behind me, because, no, I didn't want anybody behind me. I wanted everybody to be out front. And so that was the only spot where there was an empty seat. I had people on the right side of me, people on the left side of me, people in front of me, everywhere. And so anywho you know, it was just an amazing speech and an amazing time, because a lot of people there, I knew some people I didn't, but a lot of people there I knew. And after they heard it and came up and talked to me after the speech, they were like, Man, I didn't even know you were going through that. I didn't even know this happened to you. I didn't even know that happened. I said, that's why I had to tell it, because what y'all are hearing on Facebook is partially true, and it's part of the story. It's not the whole story. Let me tell the whole story. So yeah, that's where all that started. I also did before that speech. I also did a couple of talks at high school, local high schools in Durham too. So my high school, Southern high school, my alma mater, another local high school called Jordan High School. So yeah, you know, just different things like that, Michael Hingson ** 43:31 but you still ultimately were the one that you made the choice to do it. You made the choice to move on, which is so cool, because I can think of any number of people who, if they had the same sorts of things happen to them that happened to you, would give up, and you clearly did not, Kijuan Amey ** 43:50 absolutely not. I think the hardest part for me is I can't sit down. Yeah, so, so me giving up is basically like me sitting down so and I can't do that. I'm like a person like the Energizer Bunny. As soon as you put a battery anywhere near me, I'm gone Michael Hingson ** 44:09 well, and it's so much more rewarding to do that, I know for me after the World Trade Center attacks and so on, and we started getting calls asking me to come and talk about September 11 and what people should learn. My wife and I decided that selling life and philosophy was a whole lot more fun and rewarding, which is really probably the biggest issue, rewarding psychologically, was much more rewarding than selling computer hardware and managing a computer hardware sales team, which is what I did. So, yeah, it became also a a path and something that was worth doing. And I agree it, it is. It isn't work, right? Not. Not in the same way, but that is also in part because we've chosen to structure it and make it work that way, that it's not work. Kijuan Amey ** 45:09 Yeah, yeah. You know what is. By the way, I love your story. I did hear it on another podcast that I listened to, who that I was interviewed by. And so the the so the day of the World Trade Center and the attacks, the plane that I used to fly on the KC 135 was actually the first plane to come check it out. That was the actually the first plane to come report what had happened, because it was one already airborne, nearby, and then when they look, they loop back around, and they were like, wait, the second one's on fire. Yeah. When did that happen? Like it was basically just like that. There was a Michael Hingson ** 45:52 Air Canada flight. We met, well, I didn't. My wife did. Met the pilot. We were out in San Francisco, and I was doing a presentation, and she told me about it after the speech, but she said she was coming down on the elevator, and there was a pilot from Air Canada, and they got to talking, and she explained why she was there and what what we were doing. And he said that his plane was the first passenger plane over the world trade center after things happened. And as she said, the FBI must be, have become one of your favorite friends, right, or one of your best friends? And he said, Yeah, they sure did. But Kijuan Amey ** 46:38 I don't want to get that knock, Michael Hingson ** 46:40 but it's but it is a choice, and yeah, for for us, the other part about it was that the media got the story, and I feel so blessed, ironically, given how everybody likes to abuse reporters in the Media, but I got so many requests for interviews, and clearly it made sense to do what we could to try to educate and help people move on from September 11, so we accepted the interview requests. And for me personally, what I really learned is something, well, I kind of rediscovered and it got reaffirmed, was that, in reality, talking about something that happens to you like that is the most important thing, because talking about it gives you the opportunity to think about it and move on. And I got asked so many different questions by reporters, some intelligent, some not some in the middle. But the bottom line is that by talking to literally hundreds and hundreds of reporters, that made me talk about it, which was a very good blessing by the time all was said and done, Kijuan Amey ** 47:54 right, right, instead of internalizing, yeah, no, listen, I also have to say, I'm glad you were in some shape, because what it was 78 floors, yeah, golly, hey, I don't want to hear you say 10, you know. But 78 floors, Michael Hingson ** 48:15 it was going down. So that's pretty good. As I tell people, I do understand, but as I tell people, the next week, for the next week I was starting, actually the next day, I was stiff as a board. The adrenaline ran out. And, oh, it's horrible. And, yeah, you know, my wife was in a wheelchair her whole life, and we were in a two story house we built so there was an elevator. And I swear, for the next week after September 11, I use that elevator a whole lot more than she did. Kijuan Amey ** 48:43 Ah, that's funny, Michael Hingson ** 48:46 but, but, you know, it was just kind of the way it was. But it is a choice, yes, and the bottom line is that we we move on you. You certainly had lots of things happen to you. You lost a lot of things. Did you ever get your sense of smell back? Or is it still gone? Kijuan Amey ** 49:01 No, no. It was damaged during the reconstructive surgery on my face where they had to input the two plates. Yeah. Okay, yeah. So that's where that came from. So now it happened, shall I say? So Michael Hingson ** 49:13 now getting back to something that we talked about at the very beginning, as you point out, you lost your site, but you didn't lose your vision. So tell me more about that, what that means to you, and why you say that. Because, as I said, that's something that that I've thought and talked about a lot. And of course, when thunder dog was written, we put that into thunder dog. And by the way, if you don't know it, Thunder dog and and all three of my books actually are on on Bard, so you can download them, or you can help a poor, starving author and go buy them, but, but, you know, Kijuan Amey ** 49:50 come on, I think you will off. Mr. Steve Harvey, No, I'm joking. But anywho. So, as I mentioned before. Four, you know, when I was talking about my business, I don't necessarily feel like I'm working. I feel like I'm helping and and what I mean, the reason I even preface that is because when I say I may have lost my sight, but I didn't lose my vision. Sight, to me, is the physical, the vision is the mental. And so my mental was helping others, and it's always been that way, whether it was me playing sports, I had to help in some way, because I played team sports. Now, did I play any individual? No, I played all team sports. I did bowling, I did football, the basketball and ran track. All of those are team sports. And so you can roll in singles, but at the same sense, some point you're going to be doing either doubles or three or four person teams. So most of the time I was doing teams and doubles. But anyway, I was always doing some kind of helping. I grew up with siblings. I had to help somebody. I, you know, I grew up with without much, so we had to help each other. Hey, you don't know how to cook. Let me show you. You don't know how to fix this in the microwave. Let me show you, you know. And so, um, when I got to the military, I had to help, you know, when I was became an instructor, I was helping teach the people who are coming in new and all these different times I'm helping people. And now I get to a point where, not only I have to help myself get back to where I can have some kind of normalcy of life, but what really is a normal life? You know what I mean? Yeah, I had to help others understand that if I can make it through this, you can make it through what you're dealing with as well, and be there to help you. Michael Hingson ** 51:57 How about going the other way? Though you needed help too, yeah, yeah. And were you advanced enough in your thinking at the time that you were perfectly willing to accept help as well? Kijuan Amey ** 52:12 Uh, no, I had my moments. Um, there. There's a chapter in my book I called, uh, it's called the depression set in, and that was when I was at one of my lower points, because not too long after depression, where the suicidal thoughts, the suicidal thoughts, luckily, didn't take me out and I never attempted, because I was able to think my way. I'm a very critical thinker, Problem Solver kind of guy, so I was able to think my way out of even having those thoughts again. And I said, Hey, man, this is not you. I don't know what it is, but it's not you. And so instead of me continuing to have those thoughts, I started asking people questions, what can I do? Because this is not like, it's not working, whatever life is not working for me, right? You know, and I'm a faith believer. So my grandmother, I was living with her at the time, and the first she's a faith believer as well. And the first thing she says is, you know, just pray. You know, just pray about it. I said, Grandma, we pray every day. Hear me clearly. I didn't say, some days we pray every day this obviously, and I'm not saying it's not working, but it needs something more. And so she was, well, I don't know what to tell you. And then eventually she goes in her room and thinks about it for a minute, and she said, Why don't you call your uncle? And I said, You know what? It's not a bad idea. And he, by the way, he's a senior pastor at his church, and so I said, that's not a bad idea. I didn't think to call my pastor because I didn't want to bother him. It's kind of one of those things you just felt like, I don't want him to think about that. I've had it on his mind, you know, stuff like that. And so I called my uncle, and I was telling telling him how I was feeling, and all I heard him say was, hold on key, I'm on the way. It was like eight o'clock at night, so for him to be like, Hey, I'm HOLD ON key, I'm on the way. That's what they call me Ki, my family. Some of them call me kiwi, but some call me Ki. But anyway, just as long as they don't call me late for dinner. And so I was like, Wait, he he's coming over here, you know? So I said, Okay. And I hung up the phone, and my grandma's like, Well, what did he say? I said, he said he's on the way. She's like, he went. I said, Exactly. That's what I said. And so she said, Oh Lord, well, let me put on some clothes. I said, let you put on some clothes. I need to put on some clothes. And. Yeah, and so anyway, we both get dressed somewhat. I wasn't, like, fully dressed. I just put on, like, some, you know, some basketball shorts, a shirt, yeah, you know, stuff like that. Because I'm thinking, we're just going to hang out at the house. He's going to talk to me. He's like, Hey, man, you want to throw on some pants and, you know, go out and put on some shoes. I said, Where we going? It's like, for a ride. I said, Okay, uh, yeah, uh, grandma, and she came back in there, she's like, Yeah, he's like, we're gonna go for a ride. Um, can you get my sweatpants from over this here? Because I knew where everything was in the room, and you know how it is, we know where everything is, where we put stuff. We know exactly where it is, right? And so I knew everything was get my sweat pants from this drawer and get my shirt from that drawer. And I said, No, it's the second drawer, not the third and stuff. So we I get dressed, we go for a ride, and he's talking. No, no, I'm talking first. He let me talk. He said, So key, tell me what's up. I said, I ran through the gambit of what I was going down with me, how I had the depressed thoughts, how I had some suicidal thoughts, but I had to bring myself back out of this, and I just could not figure out why this was coming over me like that. And he was like, Uh huh. And then, you know, I just stopped talking for a while. He said, You know what key I said, What's that? He said, I'm surprised it took you this long. I was like, What do you mean? He was like, Dude, I thought this would have happened to you a long time ago? He said, I've been waiting on this. And I said, that's crazy. Like I'm sitting there thinking, man, what the heck? You know? I'm thinking. People ain't thinking about me. Nobody's like, really, can't they see me smiling, laughing, giggling and all that stuff. So they're probably not even thinking about it, you know. But he was actually prepared. He's prepared for what I call the breakdown. And he said, Keith, I think the best thing you can do, and this is when we pulled over somewhere and start talking. He said, The best thing I think you can do with this situation is you're going to have to embrace and confront the issue. And I said, Can you explain that a little bit more? He's like, Yeah, yeah. He said, what it is, I think, is your the hope that we all have is for you to regain your eyesight. But the real realization is you don't have it right now. So I need you to live like you don't have it and hope that one day you'll get it. So don't keep dwelling on the hope part. Just live like you don't have it, and that way you'll keep moving forward versus thinking you're going to get it, because these thoughts are taking you down. Every day you wake up, every time you wake up from a nap, you think you're gonna open your eyes and see something that's gonna keep bringing you further and further down. I need you to embrace this thing and don't live in the denial phase of it happening. And that was when I started to come out like that was when I really started to gain some strength and a stronger mindset. Very wise words, oh, yeah, no, these are all he is, trust me, I'm just regurgitating them. I'm sorry. Oh, I said, yeah, these were definitely his words. I'm just regurgitating, Michael Hingson ** 58:46 yeah, well, but, but certainly some, some good wisdom there. But you also then chose to follow, which is great, and probably whether he's surprised it took so long. It sounds like it all happened at the right time, because you are also willing to listen, which is great. So you you moved forward. When did you form your company? Kijuan Amey ** 59:12 I mean, on paper, it was like two years ago, okay, um, but like I said, officially, I started speaking in 2019 right? I understand that, yeah. But so I always count 2019 because I really believe as soon as you start doing something, you're doing it, right, yeah, you understand and and the legality side of it, hey, you can have that. I don't care. But yeah. So that's how I view it. Michael Hingson ** 59:44 So how did 10 years, if you will, even though some of it was less active, but how did 10 years in the military help prepare you for public speaking and what you're doing today? Kijuan Amey ** 59:56 Oh, wow. I mean, well, first off, like I told you, the resilience coaching. Mm. Um, that's part of it, and that's all they used to talk about in the military, being resilient. We used to have, like, a training, I think it was every year, is it every year or twice a year, or something like that, but we used to have training on that stuff. Um, speaking, I I never really wanted to be a public speaker. I'll be honest. Um, I do have to stay that, say, say that, because I was not one who wanted to be in the spotlight. But if the spotlight found me, I'm okay with it. You know that that's that's what I was okay with. If it found me, that's fine, but I'm not trying to take over it. Don't put it on me, shine that light somewhere else and so, but what happened with that? Okay, yes, I took, I was in college for a while, and I did take a public speaking class with the instructor. Upgrade. You have to do public speaking, because you have to give presentations going through the pre training and the actual training, the certification training. So those were different. And also the the group sizes were different. Size you might be talking to one person you might be talking to an auditorium full. Mm, hmm. So there, there was that. And, you know? So these different things, I speak for different things at my church, you know? And so it started to kind of snowball again. Different things were building me up to that point, and as I got and you'll, you'll appreciate this here, as I got into my vision, or the eyesight loss, I understood that I have a superpower. Now, yeah, and I know people like a superpower. What are you talking about, man? So I can't see you so the the looks on your faces don't affect me, the fact that I'm looking at, or supposedly looking at, engaging an audience of one to 10 to 100 to even 1500 because I have spoken to over 1500 people before, it does not affect me, yeah? And that is like us to me, my superpower now. So that's how I've changed all of this to be fitting for me. Yeah, Michael Hingson ** 1:02:32 yeah. Well, so let me ask you this. We've been doing this for a while, but I want to ask you one more question. Other people are certainly going through challenges. They're experiencing difficulties in their lives, and maybe some life altering kinds of situations. What kind of advice would you give them? Kijuan Amey ** 1:02:54 Oh, the first one I can easily give you don't give up, and it's easily easy to give, but it's not easy to do. So I do have to say that you but if you keep that in the back of your mind, don't give up and you keep saying that to yourself, make it an affirmation. Put it on your vision board, put it in as a reminder in your phone, whatever you need to keep you grounded in that concept of, don't give up. And so that's one thing I would say. And for myself, I say this a lot, my situation, whether it's me being blind, me being having a traumatic brain injury, me having emotional, you know, flare ups, spinal cord issues or lack of mobility, what, whatever it is my situation that doesn't define who I am. I define who I am. Michael Hingson ** 1:03:56 So that's what I'll leave people with. And that is so true for everyone. Your your conditions don't define you. You've defined you, and you can choose how you want to be defined. Which gets back to, don't let your sight get in the way of your vision. Yep. Well, key one, I want to thank you for being here. I hope that people take this to heart, and I hope it will generate more business for you, if people want to reach out to you, maybe for coaching or for speaking and so on. How do they do that? Yeah, Kijuan Amey ** 1:04:33 and I appreciate you saying that. So again, you can go to my website. That's Amey, motivation.com A, M, E, y, motivation.com you can also find my book on there. So don't focus on why me from motorcycle accident to miracle. You can also go on Amazon, Kindle Apple books as well as audible to find my book as well. So I do have audio versions out there for those who like to listen to their book. Books and for speaking engagements, feel free to click that book me link you can speak book me for a convention or conference or an event, a gala, high school, college, whatever you want me to come speak for. Come get me because I am all over it. Michael Hingson ** 1:05:18 How many speaking events do you do a year. Kijuan Amey ** 1:05:21 I don't count. Okay, if I try to count, Michael Hingson ** 1:05:24 you know what I mean? I know the feeling, yeah, Kijuan Amey ** 1:05:27 I just do Hey, hey. That's, I think that's what Nike said. Just do it, man. Michael Hingson ** 1:05:31 Yeah, exactly right. Well, Kijuan, thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you who are out there listening or watching. Really, we're grateful that you're here. I hope that what we've talked about today not only inspires you, but it gives you some good life thoughts that you can go use. Because certainly, everything that we got to discuss today is relevant, not just if you are having a challenge in your life, but it's something that is important for all of us. Life lessons like these don't grow on trees, and I hope that you'll enjoy them and use them. Reach out to key one. I'd love to hear from you. Love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at Michael H, I m, I C, H, A, E, L, H i at access, A, B, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, or go to our podcast page, www, dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, and Michael hingson is m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S O, n.com/podcast, love you to please give us a five star rating wherever you're listening. We love your reviews and your thoughts, so please do that, and as I also love to do, and that is to ask you, if you know of anyone else who ought to be a guest on this podcast. And Kijuan you as well, love to get your thoughts. Feel free to reach out, introduce us to anyone who you think ought to be a guest. We're always looking for more people who want to come on and and share their stories and help us all become more unstoppable than we think we are. But again, really appreciate your time today, everyone and Kiju, especially you. Thanks for being here. This has been wonderful. Kijuan Amey ** 1:07:15 Thank you again. I really appreciate you having me on to tell my story. Michael Hingson ** 1:07:22 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.
Remember the time when we thought martial law was imminent and unmarked black helicopters would be seen, panicking people who thought they were about to be taken away to a FEMA CAMP? Well, we have confirmation, not from any conspiracy theorist or renegade guerrilla journalist but from the government itself. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says "Alligator Alcatraz" will serve as a model for state-run migrant detention centers, and she hopes to launch a handful of similar detention centers in multiple airports and jails across the country in the coming months. Potential sites are already under consideration in several states across America. Welcome to the Police State sponsored by the New World Order. Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #FemaCamps #NWO #PoliceState
And finally, we get to it. ____________________________ Purchase our adventures and player options for D&D 5e here: https://ghostfiregaming.com/dungeons-of-drakkenheim/ MONSTERS OF DRAKKENHEIM is 300+ pages of eldritch horror inspired monsters for 5e by the Dungeon Dudes. Coming to Kickstarter March 26th: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dungeondudes/monsters-of-drakkenheim-5e Join our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/dungeon_dudes Get our custom t-shirts: http://bit.ly/dungeondudesmerch
In this episode of the Cashflow Academy Podcast, Andy sits down with retired NYPD Captain and bestselling author David Atkins to explore how one decision can change everything. From first responder at Ground Zero to six figures in debt, David's journey took a dramatic turn when he and his wife decided to take control of their health and finances. Their decision led to a thriving business, financial freedom, and a new life of impact and purpose. Whether you're facing a turning point or just trying to get started as an investor or entrepreneur, this conversation is a reminder that success is often one decision away. What You'll Learn in This Episode - The difference between inconsequential and defining moments—and why it matters - How one bold choice sparked David's transformation from debt to financial independence - The role of vision, faith, and personal growth in making high-stakes decisions - Why the fear of disappointment often stops people more than actual risk Resources and Links Get David's book: One Decision Away at davidatkinsspeaks.com Learn more: cashflowbonus.com
Welcome to episode #54 of the No Conference for Old Men podcast and the first in our offseason coaches chat series. Coach K.C. Beard (UH MBB Assistant Coach) joined us for this show, and we cover things far and wide as we dive into his journey into coaching through the Video Coordinator path, and how his role has evolved over the 10+ years on the UH staff. We bring a depth and insight into K.C.'s background and perspective that you won't find anywhere else! - No Conference for Old Men is available for free via Spotify / Apple Podcast / SoundCloud & the GoCoogs.com website; we're also available via the Republic of Football Podcast feed from the folks at Dave Campbell's Texas Football as their only basketball-centric offering. - Intro / Exit music: Ground Zero provided by FreeBeats.io - Please follow us on https://gocoogs.com/old-men Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to the 1st episode (#54) in our offseason "Coaches Series" on the No Conference for Old Men Podcast.The 3 Old Men had the privilege to sit down and chat with Coach KC Beard (UH MBB Assistant Coach). We cover things far & wide as we dive into coach's background, his journey into coaching through the Video Coordinator path, and how his role has evolved over the 10+ years on the UH staff. We bring a depth and insight into Coach's background / perspective that you won't find anywhere else!- No Conference for Old Men is available for free via Spotify / Apple Podcast / SoundCloud & the GoCoogs.com website; we're also available via the Republic of Football Podcast feed from the folks at Dave Campbell's Texas Football as their only basketball-centric offering- Intro / Exit music: Ground Zero provided by FreeBeats.io- Please follow us on https://gocoogs.com/old-men/
It's Wednesday and Sam is hosting solo today On today's show: On CNBC Donald Trump told people to watch Harry “Emden” on CNN to see how great his approval ratings are. So, we checked out Harry Enten and it turns out Trump was lying, his approval ratings are barely above second term Nixon's. On the 80th anniversary of the US dropping the atom bomb on Hiroshima, we are joined by filmmaker Greg Mitchell to discuss his new film: The Atomic Bowl: Football at Ground Zero and Nuclear Peril Today. The documentary explores a football game that US service-members played on ground zero of Nagasaki. Associate Professor of Political Science at Stanford and publisher of On Data & Democracy , Adam Bonica joins us to discuss his piece The Mothership Vortex: An Investigation Into the Firm at the Heart of the Democratic Spam Machine In the Fun Half: ICE is staging arrests for photo ops in a disgusting display of fascism. Donald Trump rambles to Joe Kernen about how migrant farm workers are born to do that kind of work.”They don't get bad backs, if they get a bad back they die.” Andrew Cuomo goes on the Brian Lehrer Show to spread more lies as he takes credit for universal pre-k. Sen. Liz Warren excitedly supports Zohran and sees Democratic Socialism as the future of the party. But Big thinker, Bill Maher thinks that Zohran and socialism will guarantee President JD Vance. All that and more plus phone calls an IMs. The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors DELETEME: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/MAJORITY and use promo code MAJORITY at checkout. NUTRAFOL: Get $10 off your first month's subscription + free shipping at Nutrafol.com when you use promo code TMR10 BLUELAND: Right now, get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/majority SUNSET LAKE: Right now at sunsetlakecbd.com, Use coupon code “Left Is Best” (all one word) for 20% off of your entire order. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com
Just five months after the US bombing of Nagasaki in World War II, the US military played a football game at ground zero. Greg Mitchell is the writer and director of "The Atomic Bowl: Football at Ground Zero-and Nuclear Peril Today", and he joined Amy and Chris as the world remembers bombings 80 years ago this week. The documentary is available through PBS and companion book is available now.
Transhuman science is not all about machines. It is also about creating human intelligence or life artificially. We now have the technology to create synthetic human sperm, meaning that while it can be used in humans and made from human stem cells, it was created outside of the human body in a laboratory. A central Ohio couple has made history after becoming parents to a baby who was frozen as an embryo more than 30 years ago, setting a record for in vitro fertilization deliveries. Could this be seen as the oldest baby ever born? This means that the embryo was frozen before the parents were even born. Is this a miracle? Or is it a blasphemy against the natural progression of life? Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #transhumanism #embryo #invitro #organtransplant
In episode 316, Memphis blues artist Singa B joins us in the studio for a wide-ranging conversation and live performance before his show at Ground Zero in Biloxi
An observatory has tracked 660 unidentified orbital tracks synchronized with Earth's rotation. These are not satellites. They move like an autonomous surveillance network. Additionally, there are trillions of tiny, layered alloy objects scattered across our planet that have been detected, which can self-reconfigure and even cool down their surroundings. If these three pieces of evidence are connected, they could form a planetary-scale Möbius field. (A Möbius field is a continuous loop of energy and information with no inside or outside, like a Möbius strip in geometry). The orbital tracks could act as the ‘framework', while the trillions of microscopic objects function as ‘nodes', linking ground and orbital layers into a single coherent system. Could they be deflecting or absorbing cosmic threats, such as meteoroids or extreme solar activity? Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and UFO researcher, Anthony F. Sanchez, from 7-10 pm pacific time. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860 on groundzeroplus.com. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #mobius #orbit #ufo
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia, triggering tsunami waves that reached Japan, Hawaii, and the US West Coast. Wednesday's earthquake occurred along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a series of seismic faults surrounding the Pacific Ocean, where most of the world's earthquakes take place. This significant tremor may have been caused by a planetary realignment, an attempt to correct the wobble and the magnetic glitch we experienced earlier this month. Another is expected on August 5th. The Earth again reminds us that we live on a violent planet as Mother Nature shows her fury from time to time. Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #earthquake #tsunami #magneticshift #tectonic
Another mysterious interstellar object is blasting through our solar system. 3I/ATLAS was first detected on July 1, 2025. traveling at over 130,000 miles per hour. Measuring an estimated 15 miles in diameter, it is larger than Manhattan and unlike any ordinary comet. While initially classified as a comet, experts suggest it could be an extraterrestrial surveillance probe. Its unusual trajectory and acceleration patterns raise concern about advanced alien technology, sparking debates on planetary defense and potential extraterrestrial intentions. For now, 3I/ATLAS is likely just an unusually fast, old, and icy visitor from a distant system. But it also serves as a test case: a chance to refine the way we search, observe, and ask questions about the universe. Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860.
During the Cold War, tests were conducted on soldiers and unsuspecting cities. Anything from biological spraying to nuclear tests in Nevada, the spread of fallout to parts of Utah, which resulted in various cancers in people downwind from the test. The majority of U.S. nuclear tests occurred in the middle of the Western desert, at the Nevada Test Site. This site is now within the parameters of the Area 51, Groom Lake facility in the Nevada Desert, an hour and a half from Las Vegas. Hundreds of men in the service of their country have died because of this invisible enemy, and this sends a very poignant message. Not only are we ignoring our hardworking servicemen, but we are also sealing up the truth about what it means to be a nuclear superpower, with cancers and damage to DNA that are happening under the guise of plausible deniability. Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860.
Keith discusses the impact of inflation and interest rates on real estate investing, emphasizing passive income strategies. He highlights the Florida housing market, noting a 26% increase in listings post-pandemic. Investor and Florida homebuilder, Jim, joins this episode to explain the overbuilding in the emotional market versus the underbuilt workforce housing. His company focuses on new construction in areas like Ocala, offering 40-year loans with 5.25% fixed rates, and boasting an average tenancy duration of over three years. They also provide two years of free property management and a 10-year builder warranty. Resources: Schedule a free strategy session with a GRE Investment Coach to evaluate the opportunity at GREinvestmentcoach.com Show Notes: GetRichEducation.com/564 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments. You get paid first: Text FAMILY to 66866 Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review” For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript: Automatically Transcribed With Otter.ai Keith Weinhold 0:01 welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, what control do you have over inflation and interest rates? Then, with the Florida housing oversupply and resultant attrition and price levels, wouldn't it be interesting to talk to a prominent Florida homebuilder? That's just what we do today on get rich education. Speaker 1 0:27 Since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads in 188 world nations. He has a list show guests and key top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki, get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast, or visit get rich education.com Speaker 2 1:12 You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education. Keith Weinhold 1:28 Welcome to GRE from coral, Illinois to Cape Coral, Florida and across 180 nations worldwide. I'm Keith weinholden. You are inside for another wealth building week. This is get rich education, the voice of real estate investing since 2014 with inflation on the upswing and is currently approaching 3% again, the formula is small. Down payment. Bank buys you the house. Tenants pay down the loan. Property Manager handles nearly everything. You collect cash every month. Inflation builds you massive wealth, and that's real estate, all right. And no one really knows what's going to happen with inflation and interest rates, those two positively correlated indicators, but at times we have an illustrious guest that will make a prediction. And GRE episode 224, from January of 2019 has been getting some attention lately. That's back when interest rates of all types were really low, and when I interviewed legendary investor Jim Rogers in Singapore, listen in to what he told you, and I on that episode, then Speaker 3 2:49 you ask me, we're now headed up again, and interest rates are going to go go much, much, much higher over the next few decades, and it's going to ruin a lot of people. I hope none of your listeners get ruined. I hope I don't get ruined, but rising interest rates are here for a long time. Keith, be worried. Be careful. Keith Weinhold 3:08 Yeah, some real Jim Rogers prescience there in Episode 224 he has seen some cycles. Now as investors, we've got regional phenomena and national phenomenon mortgage rates. They're a national one, because more or less, whenever you finance property anywhere in the nation, your rate is going to be the same nationwide. Perhaps you feel then like you don't have any control over your mortgage rate. Well, I've got two points to that. First, understand that today, mortgage spreads are almost back to normal. Now, what does that mean? Mortgage spreads from listening to the show, you probably know that the mortgage rate you pay is dictated more on the level of bond yields than it is the Fed funds rate that your own Powell controls. Well, 30 year mortgage rates are historically almost 2% above the bond yield, meaning they're 2% above the yield on the 10 year T note, okay, that's the bond yield. The spread was recently above 3% now it is down to about two and a half. To be clear, mortgage rates are now just about two and a half percent above bond yields in this narrowing, that means there's more investor confidence in the mortgage market, and that suggests that lenders are willing to offer loans at competitive rates without succumbing to volatility. So lenders are less concerned about the risk of you quickly refinancing out of the loan that they just worked to make for you, the translation is that this opens the door to make it easier for mortgage rates to fall to 6% and they've been nearly seven for a while. Though I don't predict rates. I'm speaking about probabilities here. Now some people want to lock up property before rates fall, because when rates fall, many think home prices will surge because more people can afford property than higher demand. And I think we all know that the conventional wisdom is to lock in your price now and then if rates fall, you refinance. Conversely, if rates go higher, well then you'll be glad you bought today when rates were lower. But today we're talking about how you can really control the mortgage rate you pay when you work with a builder that won't only see that your mortgage rate gets bought down, they'll ensure that they are the ones paying for the pie down, not you. That's key, as we talked to a home builder in Florida today, a state that makes headlines for being overbuilt, it's a case study in how a market gets to an overbuilt condition, or does it really get overbuilt? It depends on this segment of the real estate market that you're focused on as an investor, as you'll see today, let's meet this week's guest. Keith Weinhold 6:05 I'd like to welcome Jim onto the show today. He's one of the founding partners of a prominent Florida home builder. They built over 9000 residences, and they have 120 plus full time employees, and it's been such an interesting time in Florida home building and the real estate market, so that's why we're chatting today. Hey Jim, welcome onto the show. Keith, great to be back. Thanks for having me. Let's talk about the problem statewide. Florida has about 26% more listings, more available housing inventory, as compared to pre pandemic levels. That's created some problems, some price attrition. Talk about, why did Florida get over built? Or are they not truly overbuilt when we segment that by product type. Jim Sheils 7:02 Well, like you said, Keith, product type is really important to decipher here, because it does help dissect the problem a little more clearly. There's a lot of different markets happening, but two of the main things that I've seen that have caused the softening of certain segments of the market is one insurance if you are buying a 1957 home in southwest Florida, a few blocks from the beach, it is possible that your insurance has gone up four to five times. Yeah, the annual thing. So that is going to really start to shake people who own those properties. They're going to feel a little triggered to sell, and it's going to be more difficult to sell, because if you have an agent go and show that property and they ask for a good faith estimate from a lender, and they say, Well, what's your current insurance? That can really scare people. So that type of property normally properties older before 2004 when the rules changed, with higher insurance, that can change it. The second thing is, the emotional market always seems to take a hit, Keith, and I've heard you talk about this before. Now, the emotional market that I talk about is we have our median value in any of the real estate markets, right? And you go about 25% above the median, maybe 30% above the median values. That's what I call the emotional market. These are the really nice houses that are fun to visit. You know, nice to stay in, nice to live in, but they are emotional. This is an emotional market. The cash flow numbers have never worked. They're not on the ultra high end that those people normally own cash and they don't really care the fluctuation. It's that level above the median where I see the emotional market really take the hit, because when the emotion comes out, while the people it's harder to sell to find the buyers, especially with the rates jumping the way that they have over the last two years, there's not the ability to sit back and say, Well, you know what, Keith, I'm just going to hold this and rent it, because their negative position, their negative cash flow every month, begins to sink them quickly, and so that's where you see that pressure downward on that emotional market. If that makes any sense. Keith Weinhold 9:06 did Florida really get ahead of itself with the increase in pandemic migration? Was there more building because they projected that high migration rate to continue, and it just didn't. Is that why areas of Florida are overbuilt. Jim Sheils 9:22 What I believe happened was the migration was there, Keith, but again, you have to look at the sectors of the market. Now, when you're looking at a large national home builder, their goal is to sell the property with the greatest profit spread. It's just that simple, and those are the properties when times are good and times are hot, this emotional market, you know, 20, 30% above the median value for an area that's a very easy time to promote and to sell those types of properties and make the best spread for them. And so, yes, in that area, they got ahead of themselves, because it was easy to market to, easy to promote to. And again. In. Some people untrained investors, or people just emotional and saying, Well, I'm gonna have a second home in Florida, and I'll get there more often than I think I will. That causes that issue now, but going to the lower segment, like the workforce housing, like you and I have talked about, well, that has been underprepared for the migration and affordability. That is my word of the year, affordability, the affordable housing, the workforce housing. When you look at the stats, I think it was last year we found the stat that for every 25 workforce housing, new construction workforce housing, there's 100 renters. And so the workforce housing has been underdeveloped, and why? You know, we're a niche builder. It's very rare for a builder like us to focus on workforce housing. That's not the focus of many of the larger builders. They're on that more emotional market. So that's where we focus. But with builders like us focusing on that, no one else that part of the market, Keith has been under supplied, actually in the last few years, because the net migration didn't need those emotional houses. They needed the workforce housing. Keith Weinhold 11:05 This is a great distinction. We can look at a stat like there's 26% more available housing inventory in Florida statewide than there was pre pandemic, but you've got to parse that by product type, workforce housing, which you specialize in, including build to rent, housing has not been oversupplied, not nearly to that same extent. It could even be undersupplied, depending on where you're at. These are the properties that make the best long term income properties. I hope you the listener caught it there. Jim gave an important date. 2004 is a key year when there were changes to building codes, which results in what your insurance premiums are going to be. Tell us more about that. Jim Sheils 11:50 Yeah, 2004 right through Punta Gorda, Florida, where we build now. There was Hurricane Charlie came through. My dad's cousin, I have actually lived there at the time. I mean, that place got decimated. Keith, it got absolutely decimated, and the government called timeout. They said, timeout. Okay, we got to stop this. New rules. Moving forward, we're going to change the structural design requirements. We're going to change the elevation requirements. This is the big one. So you know, back in the day, you and I, if we were back in 1962 in Fort Myers, Florida, we could build a house at two feet or three feet above sea level. Those days are gone. If you're going to build a property like going back to Punta Gordon, now today, you have to build it 13 to 14 feet above sea level. So that means builders like us got to bring in a lot of dirt, and we grumble and complain about it until a storm goes through and we have no flooding on any of our properties. But that was a requirement, then stronger fasteners and structural design, because they just didn't want that risk or this type of damage. And it's been interesting, because they've been two hurricanes, you know, since 2004 that have really gone right over the eye. The main power of the storm has gone through. Punta Gorda. I've actually showed this on some videos that we've done on YouTube, like the flyover the next day, and you would think, Oh, well, maybe there was like a strong wind that went through, because there's palm fronds down and some fencing, but the houses are intact, and it's because things had to be rebuilt to today's standards. So I always tell people, hey, you know, we'd love to help you get a house, but if you're just going down there to find a house, I would highly recommend you look at the elevation and look if your house was built before the year 2004 or after, because that is really when things started to change. Not that a house earlier might not have what you're looking for, but elevation is such a key component when you're near coastal areas in Florida, the elevation of your home. Keith Weinhold 13:41 Is it that simple? Pre 2004 you're likely to pay substantially higher insurance premiums on your Florida property than you are if the build year was 2004 or later. Jim Sheils 13:52 It's a main component, Keith, another component will be to that is, you know, how close are you to the beach? If you're within, you know, a half a mile of the beach that can have an on lower ground of an older property, those combinations for risk analysis for an insurance company will come up not in your favor, and so you have to put that into account too. Again, the further you move inland, especially the further you move north, and the further you move inland in Florida, the insurance premiums go down because the risk assessment of the last 100 Years of hurricanes has been so much dramatically lower of actually causing issue. Keith Weinhold 14:29 We'll talk about the Florida areas that you build in later. But first, let's just pull back. Talk about statewide. How bad is it? How bad is it with the overbuilt condition in some segments of the residential market, and how that's led to price attrition, a lack of rent growth or rental occupancy rates that are hurt potentially. Can you speak to that? How bad is it now, Jim Sheils 14:54 again, going to the segment of the emotional market, so we're talking 20 to 30% above the median. In price in an area that's going to be bad, that's where you're going to have to have downward pressure. You're going to have to your property may have appreciated Well, if you did in 2020, but you're not selling a peak pricing. You're going to have to come off your numbers a good amount, because there's not as many buyers. And also, you got to remember, coupled with that pricing coming down, it's also the interest rates we got pretty spoiled. You know, three and a half percent interest rates, two and a half percent interest rates for some homeowners, that's just not the norm now. So when you're going off those numbers, the affordability, the ability to make that payment, has really been affected. So that emotional market, I think we're going to see a continued softening in that and again, in that emotional market too. To what I saw was, and I own some short term rentals, and I like short term rentals, but what we saw there was a rush, like, almost like a California gold rush, here in Florida, to people coming in and buying what they consider a short term rental, which was not really desirable for short term rent. It could get a few people here and there, but they would buy it, this emotional market, and then the numbers wouldn't work out. Now that, as well, is starting to put pressure on people saying, Oh, I'm losing so much money every month. Let's just sell and again, that emotional market, that area, 20, 25% 30% above median value. That's where we're seeing that. So you're going to see some pressure downward of that, I'd say at least another 10% because there's already been a dip in some areas 15 to 20% so there has been a correction in those and I think we'll continue to see that until some of this stabilizes. Keith Weinhold 16:32 Talk to us about how the rental segment's doing, statewide Jim Sheils 16:36 rental, we saw a stagnation for about a year and a half to two years, and just in the last six months, we've seen an increase in some of our main markets here. Again, when I say they main markets here, I'm always speaking, because that's what we stick to, the workforce housing. So we've seen workforce housing some of our main central Florida markets and some of our Northeast markets go up another 50 to $100 which was great, because it was stagnant for about two years. About two years. And then you'll see a continued dip of probably, you know, 10 to 15% on some of that emotional market rentals, because now there's a rush to try to rent them, and again, there's not as much of a demand for that segment of the market. Keith Weinhold 17:17 We're talking with a prominent Florida home builder about Florida's temporarily overbuilt residential housing type. We've already learned that 2004 is a key year for what your insurance rates are likely going to be. We've also learned about how you need to segment these residential housing markets between workforce housing and the emotional side of the market. You're listening to get rich education more when we come back on Florida real estate, I'm your host, Keith Weinhold. Keith Weinhold 17:46 the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your pre qual and even chat with President Chaley Ridge personally while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lendinggroup.com that's Ridge lendinggroup.com. Keith Weinhold 18:18 You know what's crazy, your bank is getting rich off of you, the average savings account pays less than 1% it's like laughable. Meanwhile, if your money isn't making at least 4% you're losing to inflation. That's why I started putting my own money into the FFI liquidity fund. It's super simple. Your cash can pull in up to 8% returns, and it compounds. It's not some high risk gamble like digital or AI stock trading. It's pretty low risk because they've got a 10 plus year track record of paying investors on time in full every time. I mean, I wouldn't be talking about it if I wasn't invested myself. You can invest as little is 25k and you keep earning until you decide you want your money back. No weird lockups or anything like that. So if you're like me and tired of your liquid funds just sitting there doing nothing, check it out. Text family tp 66866, to learn about freedom. Family investments, liquidity fund, again. Text family to 66866, Kristen Tate 19:29 this is author Kristen Tate. Listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream. You Keith Weinhold 19:46 welcome back to get rich education. Jim is with us, a prominent Florida home builder, and it's so interesting to talk to a home builder today because you think a Florida is overbuilding Ground Zero, even though, paradoxically. Nationally, we're still in a somewhat under built condition, where there's somewhat of a lack of available housing supply. Now, back on our April 28 show, exactly three months ago today, which I know that you listened to Jim, that show was titled, is Florida real estate doomed? And the short answer is no and I gave a number of reasons for that. You don't want to catch a falling knife as an investor. One prominent reason that Florida real estate is not doomed, and you're not catching a falling knife, and this is so close to being 100% predictable, is the fact that the growth is going to be there. It always has been in Florida, the in migration has been remarkable. If you go back and look at every census over about the last 200 years, since 1830 Florida has grown substantially every single census, oftentimes and usually at a rate greater than the national average. So in migration is almost certainly going to continue, which, over the long term, will put upward pressure on prices, upward pressure on rents, and help with rental occupancy as well. When you have a vacancy, that next incoming tenant is going to be there, I think that's about as close to predictable as it can possibly get. So talk to us more about the dynamics in Florida and the in migration. Jim Sheils 21:26 It's funny, Keith, last year the net migration, and you can check through all the stats out there. The net migration number for Florida, that means more people, obviously coming in than leaving, and the surplus was just about 470,000 so we still have a growth of 470,000 and people have set up. Florida. Net migration is over. And I'm going, well, it was pretty superb during the pandemic, but to say it's over when it's about a half million up from last year, I think would be a misconception for at the very least. So we feel the people are still coming, and we're asking, what kind of housing do they need? Do they need that higher end, emotional market housing? Not what we're seeing, what they're needing is affordability. They're going to areas where there's still great job source, there's still great affordability, and that's what we look for. Where can we still build a new construction, single family home for under $300,000 and have great job source close by. That's one of the things that we look for. Also, where is there that under supply of that workforce housing? There are very key markets in Florida that you know about that we build in. We're saying, yeah, there's lots of stuff on the market up there, but there is no supply of this workforce housing. We're going to keep building. And as you know, we have not stopped building the last two years, when a lot of people have run for the sidelines because they weren't in our sector of the market. Keith Weinhold 22:48 Of course, you're very strategic about where you build geographically. Talk to us about where those places are Jim Sheils 22:54 right now. Keith, my pick of the year has been the greater Ocala region, and I know we've been working with a lot of GRE folks in that region. Couple of reasons why, still had the strongest migration of any area in the US. And you can look that up. U haul had it as number one destination place. This was when I say greater Ocala. I look at Ocala, citrus springs, Inverness, that central Florida area. You know, still in some of those markets, Keith, we're building homes for 200 60s, 270,000 that's new construction, and enabled to get great rent and great financing, which no we'll talk about. And the job source is remarkable right now. In fact, interesting statistic, Keith, I know you watch this closely. In Ocala, the median price of a home is just around 300,000 main Ocala, you can get cheaper when you go out to citrus springs and Inverness, down to the 260s 270s but the median family income is 72,000 and when you look at that, that is a very good affordability index. That's very high average family income compared to a low median price, and that's bringing in more jobs. That's bringing in more security. Couple that with Central Florida being one of the lowest hurricane risk zones in the state. It's the highest ground. It's the furthest inland, in fact, to ensure a single family home on average in that area, about $65 a month for full coverage, wow, for a duplex, $105 a month, full coverage. And that's the advantage of new construction buying in the right areas or low hurricane risk zone and great job source coming in. So my favorite market right now, Keith, is that Central Florida, Ocala, citrus springs, Inverness, that's where we're building. Oh, that's also when people say it's overbuilt. Well, no, because we know that we're actually building for a few of the big institutions that have way bigger analysis departments than we do, and they're seeing that it's so behind on housing that people are finally going in. It was kind of an overlooked market all through the pandemic for the most part, and now it's finally getting people's attention. Keith Weinhold 24:58 A couple months ago. On the show, I shared how a close friend purchased a new build Ocala duplex through you, the rents he got were even a little higher than you projected, and his insurance premium is $694 again, this is for a duplex. I forget. I think the purchase price was 400 to 420k on this new build property. Jim Sheils 25:23 Yeah. And it's funny when people, we have lots of investors coming from all over, but I was in California's, know, for years. And when people hear a quote like that, like that, you just said 650, $6 they think that's for the month. And I say, No, no, no, that's for the year. And again, that's the misconception now, but you could pick up and you could go to a coastal area again, like I said in a 1952 duplex built at two feet above sea level that's had hurricane issues before, and your insurance could be $8,000 a year. Yeah, that's where you have to really shop before you actually pull the trigger on property. What are the taxes? What are the insurance? I mean, this is going back to core play, core strategy, but it's something you really have to look at Keith Weinhold 26:07 talk to us about the product types that you're offering, all new build, and what percent of single family, duplexes and larger Jim Sheils 26:15 the main majority of what we're building right now is single family and duplex. The numbers work great. They're in high demand. You know, duplexes are a pretty interesting product, Keith, because you can put them in single family home neighborhoods, and, you know, families that couldn't normally rent, afford to rent a full house there, can avoid an apartment building, still feel like they have their own home and afford to be in that neighborhood. So I'd say 80% of what we're doing is a combination of single family home and duplexes, and then, as you know, we still are building some of our quads, our four unit buildings in some areas of northeast Florida, like Jacksonville, Keith Weinhold 26:50 expenses have obviously been on the mind of real estate investors. More so since interest rates doubled to tripled in 2022 you're selling to investors. Investors need the numbers to work. Since they're not in the emotional market, we're in the market where we're looking at numbers, and that biggest expense, of course, is your mortgage principal and interest. So you found a way to deal with high insurance premiums, because on most or all of your properties that you sell to investors, those insurance premiums are excessively low. Talk to us about what you've done with the mortgage rates, for investors Jim Sheils 27:27 it's such an important point here, Keith, I remember hearing a warren buffett thing years ago saying, Well, I'm not really in the real estate and that, but for me, when I look at it, a house is worth what it can rent for. And that always stuck with me being Warren Buffett, even though he's not heavily invested in real estate like we are. But for get his sage advice on that that's always stuck with me. So when you're getting a property, yes, you want to have fair price, but the terms around it that actually produce the cash flow, or what's the condition of the property, where is it? But then the other fundamental numbers, what is your insurance? What are your taxes? And then the final big thing is, if you're leveraging, which I encourage, what's your mortgage? And so as you know, we're probably as obsessed with financing as we are with building right, cuz that's our model. We gotta build right. We gotta finance right. So we're always looking for the most advantageous programs where we can team up with banks. They'll allow us to pay an abnormal amount of points, which means discount points that we will pay, not the buyer, we will pay for our buyers to get the rate the lowest and most advantageous. We don't like short term teaser loans, where your rate's going to adjust in 18 months or two years. We saw a lot of people get in trouble with that, at least I did back in the Oh 708, days. So we want long term financing and low interest that's going to produce a cash flow, even though it's new construction from day one. And so right now, our newest program, as you and I have been talking about very excited, is actually a 40 year loan. It's a 40 year loan. We're paying the rate down. Right now we're at five and a quarter. A few weeks ago is at 4.75 so it does fluctuate back and forth. But here's what's exciting, Keith, you're leveraging into a new construction property that has longevity and durability. The first 10 years. Interest only the next 30 years is a 30 year AM, 30 year fixed at five and a quarter. So when you start to do the numbers and go through it, we're almost doubling cash flow on our single family homes and duplexes for people in areas like Ocala, and that makes such a difference to getting them off on the right foot. Keith Weinhold 29:32 This is a key distinction. Rather than focusing on slashing the price and your properties are already affordable, you buy down that rate by purchasing discount points to buy down that mortgage rate for the investor at the terms that you just described. Builders often like this more. They don't want to cut their prices, because that can become a comparable and lead to a downgrade in values. And investors actually like it more as well, because rather than discounting the price. A little more. It helps the investor more. When you buy down that rate and you do it for them, they are not the ones participating in the rate. Buy down you, the investor. You're paying the closing costs like origination fee and title insurance and things like that. Okay with those 40 year loan terms like you laid out fixed interest only for the first 10 years, and then after 10 years, it transfers to a 30 year fixed, amortizing loan, still with that same rate locked in. Is that right? Jim Sheils 30:29 That's correct. So there's no sometimes people think, oh, then it's going to trigger upwards several percent. It stays the same the whole 40 year term. We just go from interest only to principal and interest and again, you know, because you talk about the leverage all the time, the most important time to really solidify the strength of an investment and get cash flow going. The most pivotal time is in those first few years. Yeah, we feel we're really giving people that strong foundation to get a cash flowing right off the bat and be able to look long term. The great thing about new construction is people say, Could you hold it that long? I said, I'm planning to with some of my new constructions. Hopefully I'll be a little old man or my children will own them. But you can look out that far and know that you're jumping your cash flow in those initial years when a lot of people may be falling backwards. In fact, when we talked about those emotional markets where people bought higher end properties because they looked good and they felt good to walk through, and then all of a sudden they're bleeding month in, month out for a year, two years, three years. That's when they're ready to wave the white flag. We find with our model, with getting that rate really low, we're accentuating the cash flow forward those first few years, Keith, so they're ready to keep going after a few years, instead of raise the white flag. Keith Weinhold 31:41 Yeah, when we think about how you're helping investors here while moving product at the same time, the number of problems that are solved are remarkable because you're solving the higher mortgage rate problem by buying down the rates. You've got a low rate, you've got a low insurance premium, you as the investor are almost certainly going to have low maintenance and repair costs since it's new build. And what else do you do when it's new build? The tenant, when they move in, they're the first person that's ever lived in that property, which probably means they're going to have a longer tenancy duration, because it's hard to move up and move into something better than the product you're offering, especially with low affordability for first time homebuyers. In fact, tell us about your average tenancy duration Jim Sheils 32:21 yeah. So as you know, Keith, I did a ton of fixer uppers. First 15 years of my career, I wore that rehab badge on my shoulder with pride. I loved rehab and old houses. And look, that's great. That's a great way to get going. But I transitioned into new construction a decade ago, and so we've been able to do a lot of comparisons. And you know, back in the day, when I was fixing up lots of properties and renting them out, the older properties, my average tenant would stay about 13 months. It was a little over a year, get them for a year, and then there was move. But that was the average 13 months. Looking back now, and we've been doing this almost a decade. When you look at our new construction model, that went from an average of about 13 months to just over three years with our new construction product. So as you know, if all of a sudden we're pushing back that first move out from a year or 13 months to over three years, that's a tremendous way again to get the right footing and directional on your investment. So that was a really pleasant surprise. I did not expect going to new construction, but jumping from a year to three years has been a nice surprise. Keith Weinhold 33:24 This brings to mind for you as a passive investor, it's sort of analogous to buying an existing business or starting a new one from scratch yourself, whether it's a rental car company or a tomato farm. You know, a lot of people wouldn't think about getting into business, they think about buying their own business, starting it from scratch, and that's really difficult to do when you're an investor. This way, you're not doing a fix and flip yourself, which is analogous to starting your own business from scratch. You get to buy someone's existing business. You're buying an existing property, a new build one, in this case, and that way you can look at all the financials already and have it be done for you in that all done for you sort of way, just like it is here. Well, Jim, do you have any last thoughts about the Florida real estate market today, especially with the lucrative product type that you're offering to investors? Jim Sheils 34:16 I would just remind people do your homework, because there's apples and there's oranges, and you gotta compare the two, and you have to do the homework on which segment of the market is healthy and which one is not. I wouldn't recommend you invest in the unhealthy segment of the market, but look where the fundamentals are working. And go back to that term, a house is worth what it can rent for. And if you can look at that, and also couple with stability of new construction, this is where we've seen ourselves make the most money most success with the least amount of time for our investors. So I highly encourage that recipe for anyone out there. Keith Weinhold 34:53 In addition to being a builder, Jim's company also holds properties under management. For investors, just like you, they offer that for you. For the long term, they have over 1000 current investors, many of them are GRE listeners. You can learn more about the provider at GRE marketplace under Florida statewide, but to get a free strategy session about the latest in what they have for available inventory, and also to compare this provider to other providers, the highest flex, the highest ROI move that you can make yourself as the listener for your due diligence is to connect with a GRE investment coach. It's free at GRE investment coach.com, oh, it's been valuable. Jim, thanks for coming onto the show. Jim Sheils 35:38 Thanks for having me. Keith. Keith Weinhold 35:46 Oh, yeah, hearing it straight from a builder today. And you know, a lot of builders create these nice looking, emotional Type homes, the same ones that appeal to owner occupants. They build those higher end homes because they create more builder profit. Well, that's the segment that has become overbuilt today, this build to rent provider we're talking about here is dealing with a public that reads these articles about the Florida slowdown, though things are still good in this workforce housing market. Well, because the public reads headlines, this builder still has to step in with incentives. So really, this is a case study on what a home builder needs to do to adjust to public perception more so than the reality. That's why Jim and his company keep building when others are they keep building because they keep selling to savvy investors, including you, the GRE listener, conversely, the overbuilt emotional market segment, that's where Florida single family home prices are often about 500k or more, and many of them have stopped building. It's that here, with this workforce housing, brand new, single family rentals sell for the high 200k to 300k range in the three hundreds and duplexes in the four hundreds. We've been working with this provider for nearly a decade, and I've asked them, what can you do for GRE listeners? And these are the best incentives yet, is they basically are making discounts in your favor to deal with this public perception. And they are an interest rate buy down that they make for you, like we mentioned, currently to five and one quarter percent. They're also giving GRE listeners two years of free property management, a rental Protection Program, a six month eviction guarantee and a 210 builder warranty. When you see a builder warranty expressed that way, that means they cover two years on the small stuff, 10 years on the big stuff. The latest pro forma that I saw for their single family rentals had a purchase price of 325k and a cash on cash return of nearly 7% when you include all those generous incentives. So if you're looking for a new market to expand into the time and place could very well be here and now, some people wait for blue sky and everything to be perfect before they act well, that never happens. This is about as close as you'll get today. You'll either keep what you've got or change what you're doing here, Jerry, we constantly shop the nation for you. Our coaches help show you where those deals are that they found. And this is a potential opportunity. Here you can get on the calendar of one of our investment coaches for free. And if you like, start by asking about Florida new build property with all the incentives that you heard about here on GRE podcast, 564 at GRE investment coach.com until next week. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream. Speaker 4 39:09 Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC exclusively. Keith Weinhold 39:32 You know, whenever you want the best written real estate and finance info, oh, geez, today's experience limits your free articles access, and it's got paywalls and pop ups and push notifications and cookies disclaimers, it's not so great. So then it's vital to place nice, clean, free content into your hands that adds no hype value to your life. That's why this is. The Golden Age of quality newsletters, and I write every word of ours myself. It's got a dash of humor, and it's to the point because even the word abbreviation is too long, my letter usually takes less than three minutes to read. And when you start the letter, you also get my one hour fast real estate video, course, it's all completely free. It's called the Don't quit your Daydream. Letter, it wires your mind for wealth, and it couldn't be easier for you to get it right now just text gre to 66866, while it's on your mind, take a moment to do it right now. Text, gre to 66866 Keith Weinhold 40:48 The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth, building, getricheducation.com
Send us a textWhat if entrepreneurial success didn't have to come at the expense of your health, relationships, and happiness? Michael Erath, founder and CEO of Next Level Growth, challenges conventional business wisdom with a revolutionary approach born from personal experience.After watching his manufacturing business crumble when his partner embezzled half a million dollars in 2008, Erath rebuilt from nothing to create a thriving consultancy with a powerful "just cause" - entrepreneurs deserve more than just financial returns; they deserve a meaningful return on life.Through his work with hundreds of businesses, Erath has identified five core obsessions that separate elite organizations from the rest: great people, inspiring purpose, optimized playbooks, a culture of performance, and growing profits and cash flow. Unlike prescriptive operating systems that force companies into rigid molds, these principles provide a flexible framework that adapts to each organization's unique culture and goals."Most entrepreneurs achieve ROI at the expense of their friendships, family time, physical health, and emotional health," Erath explains. "With the risk they take and the leverage they have to take on, it doesn't seem fair." His firm tackles this injustice by guiding business leaders through customized growth strategies that prevent common pitfalls like outgrowing early-stage talent, failing to document crucial processes, or treating financial success as merely a byproduct.What truly sets Next Level Growth apart is their commitment to practicing what they preach. They require no contracts, take all financial risk in new relationships, and only get paid if clients find value - resulting in relationships lasting nearly a decade and an impressive Net Promoter Score of 81.Whether you're struggling to scale beyond current limitations or simply want to reclaim your life from a business that's become a prison, Erath's five obsessions framework offers a path forward that honors both your ambitions and your wellbeing. Discover how to build an elite organization without sacrificing what matters most.Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest marketing trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates from us, be sure to follow us at 5starbdm.com. See you next time on Follow The Brand!
The 2025 Washington State Labor Council Convention took place July 22nd - 24th at the Vancouver Hilton. As The Stand put it (https://www.thestand.org/2025/07/convention-2025-our-voice-our-power-our-movement/) those three days "strengthened bonds of solidarity, grew skillsets, and celebrated the powerful resiliency of a movement by and for working people." Over the course of those three days Harold hit the Convention floor and talked with other Delegates including Ryan Andreas (USW Local 289m - https://usw.org/) Joe Bond (IBEW Local 48 - https://www.ibew48.com/) Ava Claridge (AFSCME Local 443 - https://www.wfselocal443.org/) Rik Desken (SAG-AFTRA Seattle Local - https://www.sagaftra.org/seattle) Dustin Hysmith (SMART Local 16 - https://www.smw16.org/) C Moline (NALC Branch 79 - https://nalc79.org/ - and Washington Young Emerging Labor Leaders - https://www.instagram.com/washington_yell/) Nate Omdal (AFM Local 76-493 - https://local76-493.org/) Chuck Pirtle (AFSCME 1181 - https://www.facebook.com/WFSELocal1181/ - and the Kitsap County Central Labor Council - https://unionhall.aflcio.org/kitsapcountyclc) Tony Zemple (IUOE Local 302 - https://www.iuoe302.org/ - and the Northwest Washington Central Labor Council - https://www.nwwclc.com/) about the big moments that stood out to them during the event, their impressions of Vancouver, and why working people who aren't in a union (yet) should care about what happens at state Labor Federation Conventions. If you'd like to hear some of the speeches the Delegates mentioned when they talked to Harold, check out TVW's coverage of Day 1 (https://tvw.org/video/washington-state-labor-council-constitutional-convention-2025071064/) and Day 2 (https://tvw.org/video/washington-state-labor-council-constitutional-convention-2025071065/) of the WSLC Convention. This episode is sponsored by Union Plus's Unions Power America Sweepstakes, which offers union members across the country the chance to win $40,000.00 and a dream trip to New York City! No purchase is necessary; find out all the details and official rules at https://unionpowerusa.com. Remember working people in Southwest Washington, this is YOUR podcast! Email us at podcast@swwaclc.org and let us know what you think about the show, and what you'd like to hear in future episodes! We're a proud member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network - find more radio shows and podcasts that speak to working people about working people's issues at www.LaborRadioNetwork.org.
The human heart is Ground Zero for the choice between living from the power of love or the love of power.
The technocratic overlords have more power now than our elected leaders do, and consequently, we are seeing the all-encompassing control being realigned as laws have been passed to allow for what can only be called the Nerd Reich. A growing number of Silicon Valley elites are pursuing a vision of power not rooted in the common good, but in profit, a feudal hierarchy, and total dominance over the platforms that define daily life for hundreds of millions of people. They have been ever-present in making decisions about war planning and the medical surveillance state, and the same names and businesses are connected to anything from designer babies to weather control. Listen M-F on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis at 7 pm Pacific Time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #tech #nerd #surveillance #SiliconValley
Humans are born with it?... Puma and Adidas story…ChewingTheFat@theblaze.com TikTok still could go dark… Animals in the news / Bullfighting banned in Mexico City… Edinburg TX is Ground Zero for radiated flies… Squirrels attacking other animals… Mountain Lion attacks little kid… Largest turtle nesting site… Endangered crocs born at Ft Worth Zoo… Hug a Zookeeper… Star of The Seas Cruise ship is coming…www.blazetv.com/jeffy Promo code Jeffy… Gladiators in NYC… Who Died Today: Hulk Hogan 71 / Chuck Mangione 84 /George Kooymans 77… Game Show: What's The Lie? Contestant: Returning Champion / Mark Higginson… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Last Friday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released damning evidence against the Obama administration, which she says exposes how they “manufactured the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment that they knew was false, promoting the lie that Vladimir Putin and the Russian government helped President Trump win the 2016 election.” In doing so, they conspired to subvert the will of the American people, working with their partners in the media to promote the lie and to undermine the legitimacy of President Trump, essentially enacting a coup against him. Wouldn't this be considered treason? Are we savvy enough to understand that we have been fooled yet again by politicians who wish to do whatever is necessary to gain control? Listen M-F on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and parapolitical researcher Chuck Ochelli at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #steeledossier #tulsigabbard #treason #BarackObama
Ozzy Osbourne, known primarily as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, passed away yesterday at the age of 76. He had a long and often contradictory relationship with themes of heaven, hell, God, Satan, and salvation. Much of his public persona and lyrics are steeped in dark, controversial, or provocative imagery. Osbourne had often played with occult symbolism for shock value or artistic metaphor. Still, his own words repeatedly disavow Satanism and affirm a belief in God and some form of final judgment. He often spoke of guilt, redemption, and the hope of mercy. Though not doctrinally consistent or grounded in Christian theology, his statements suggest a man aware of his moral failings and uncertain about where he stands with God, yet hopeful for grace. Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860.
Babies no longer need a woman to be born as the egg and sperm can be brought together in labs and nurtured with "good" and "approved DNA." With every perfect baby chosen, many embryos are thrown away. For now, this approach has been adopted mostly within an elite social circle. But one day, maybe not far off, it could change the way many babies are made everywhere, posing new moral and political questions as reproduction could increasingly become an outcome not of sex but of genetic preselection and data-mining. Both eugenics and transhumanism aim to replace traditional/religious morals and norms with “science-based” strategies for repopulating society. Listen M-F on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #DNA #Genetics #ClydeLewis #eugenics #transhumanism
Welcome to another "Special Edition" offseason Episode (#53) of the No Conference for Old Men Podcast. Two of the 3 Old Men had the privilege to sit down and chat with Alvin Franklin (Sr Associate Athletics Director / Executive Director of Development at the University of Houston). The landscape in college athletics has shifted beneath our feet with the House Settlement finalizing on June 6th, and fans and listeners have questions amid the ensuing confusion. We spoke to Alvin about all things NIL, revenue sharing, and the Deloitte-led Clearinghouse as it relates to UH. Our questions went far and wide, so hopefully we hit the mark in clarifying some questions for folks (as well as dispelling some of the myths that are out there). - No Conference for Old Men is available for free via Spotify / Apple Podcast / SoundCloud & the GoCoogs.com website; we're also available via the Republic of Football Podcast feed from the folks at Dave Campbell's Texas Football as their only basketball-centric offering. - Intro / Exit music: Ground Zero provided by FreeBeats.io - Please follow us on https://gocoogs.com/old-men/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Don't Whistle At Night welcomes Korey Curly Date: July 20th, 2025 EP: 13 Topic: The Navajo Nation- Ground Zero- From Werewolves to Little People. Korey will be discussing his various experiences of "highly strange" events, encounters and sightings throughout the different places that he has visited, including "Ground Zero" on the Navajo Nation - The discussion will include and not be limited to Forest Giants, The Little People, Dogmen/Werewolves and more! About Our Guest: -Korey Curly is no stranger to the obscure events which are very much a part of Navajo Lore. He is an Oldest Twin ( Monster Slayer) and is of The Clan Towering House People ( One of the original four clans ). Korey grew up as a Christian and became “Traditional” at the age of 18. He eventually went back to his Christian Faith. He's been a Journeyman Lineman for the past 25 yrs and works as a Quality Manager in California.
Amid the wildfire around 15 miles outside of Area 51, the DoD is sweeping over where above-ground nuclear testing occurred. Some worry that the particulate from the fire may spread radioactive contamination into the air. It is being reported that current and former security detail at Groom Lake are suffering from unknown diseases and illnesses after being exposed to what is being called "An Invisible Enemy." There were also reports from whistleblowers that some scientists were exposed to radiation from so-called alien ship wreckage, resulting in many being taken off the base and sent home to their families. What is the government's response to these stories? Sadly, nothing. Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and UFO researcher, Joe Murgia, at 7 pm pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #Area51 #GroomLake #nucleartesting #radiation
Welcome to another "Special Edition" offseason Episode (#53) of the No Conference for Old Men Podcast.2 of the 3 Old Men had the privilege to sit down and chat with Alvin Franklin (Sr Assoc Athletics Director / Executive Director of Development at the University of Houston). The landscape in college athletics has shifted from under our feet with the House Settlement finalizing on June 6th, and fans & listeners have questions through all the confusion that has ensued. So we're here with Alvin to talk all things NIL, Revenue Sharing, & Deloitte-led Clearinghouse related as it impacts UH. Questions submitted went far and wide, so hopefully we hit the mark in clarifying some questions for folks (as well as dispelling some of the myths that are out there).- No Conference for Old Men is available for free via Spotify / Apple Podcast / SoundCloud & the GoCoogs.com website; we're also available via the Republic of Football Podcast feed from the folks at Dave Campbell's Texas Football as their only basketball-centric offering- Intro / Exit music: Ground Zero provided by FreeBeats.io- Please follow us on https://gocoogs.com/old-men/
Today, of course, we'll check out what's happening around your neck of the woods before an awesome HANG OUT, literally with Chewbacca, aka Chewy the sloth, at the Hattiesburg Zoo Sloth Experience with trainer Stephanie Buckley, before a final sit down with Grammy Award Winner, and the bridge between blues, soul and R&B, Dexter Allen to talk blues and his upcoming show at Ground Zero Biloxi and more! Stay tuned, buckle up and hold on tight for your Next Stop, Mississippi!"What's Happening Around Your Neck of the Woods" Event Listing:Christmas in July Demo Day @ MS Craftsmen's GuildUnion Market @ Union StationNardo Blackmon: I Ain't Even Posed To Be HereWatch this episode on MPB's YouTube Channel: Next Stop, Mississippi | Hattiesburg Zoo Sloth Experience & Dexter Allen @ Ground Zero Blues ClubNext Stop, Mississippi is your #1 on-air source for information about upcoming events and attractions across the state. Get to know the real Mississippi! Each week the show's hosts, Germaine Flood and entertainment attorney Kamel King, highlight well-known and unknown places in Mississippi with the best food, parks, music and arts. Check out our Sipp Events calendar to help plan your next trip! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The AI trend of technological intervention in humanity now threatens our ability to make choices. Automation narrows and eliminates the space for humans to make their own decisions, locking society into a deterministic future. Through scientific and mathematical precision, the force of mechanization tries to remove possibilities for error, and by doing so, it deprives something essential about human beings. Being human in the future will not be about individual survival or escape - it will be how we live together, fighting against our cybernetic overlords. Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and guest, Matthew James Bailey, from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0850. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #AI #transhumunasim #robotics
Most of the media focus on Jeffrey Epstein's list of clients is all that people want to see, but what is equally important is who was financing the eugenics experiments that he was carrying out. The New York Times did a deep dive into Epstein's scientific beliefs in an article titled, Jeffrey Epstein Hoped to Seed Human Race With His DNA. The pedophile, pimp, and intelligence asset, mentioned using his sprawling New Mexico ranch as a base of operations, and it was said he planned to impregnate up to 20 women at a time. His fixation on improving the human race genetically dovetails with Nazi experiments on promoting "racial purity" - a program initially created by SS officer, Heinrich Himmler, called Lebensborn. Could this insidious project be continuing today under the guise of "transhumanism?" Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #lebensborn #JeffreyEpstein #eugenics
Remember the X-Files depicting the mysterious "black oil" as an alien virus? Well, the popular sci-fi series serves as Revelation of the Method because a black, gooey substance has now been found on a boat docked near Cleveland, Ohio. Curiously, it has all the traits of an organism containing the building blocks for life, yet alien to our planet, according to DNA tests performed by scientists. This also reminds us of the film Prometheus, where the "alien god" or "engineer" consumes the black oily matter, which breaks down his body into single cells. The black oil may hold the key to our origins and our purpose. Perhaps it is the beginning of the organic singularity. Listen tonight from 7-10 pm, pacific time on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and host of The Secret Teachings, Ryan Gable on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #blackgoo #xfiles #DNA #prometheus
Here we are in 2025, and since the attacks on 9/11, we have been seeing our freedoms being taken from us for the sake of "safety." In Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, billions of dollars have been set aside for the building of new prisons and to fortify and militarize local and state police, and of course, ICE. Even US citizens are now being interrogated on the streets about their citizenship as we see ICE agents in apartment buildings knocking down doors and National Guard troops on the streets blocking traffic. The new Police State will come to your workplace, your home, your neighborhood, your park, in a very visible way and intentionally so. Listen tonight on Ground Zero from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #ICE #PoliceState #BigBeautifulBill
Last week, the European Space Agency revealed that its Planetary Defenders are tracking a fast-moving "interstellar object" zipping through the solar system. It's still unclear whether A11pl3Z or 3IATLAS is a rocky asteroid, an icy comet, or something else entirely. But its size, some say, is at least 25 miles, which is amazing. In other cosmic space news, ISRO activated Chandrayaan-3's ground-penetrating radar, designed to peer beneath the lunar crust. What it found sent shock waves through mission control. Beneath the rover's wheels, several meters down, a massive hollow void was detected, but it wasn't random. The radar returns revealed geometric formations, straight lines, symmetrical angles, and repeating grids. Could the Moon have a functioning system or be an active artificial structure? For the first time, scientists began asking the unthinkable. Did we just uncover an ancient alien base or, more alarmingly, a forgotten human one? Listen tonight from 7-10 pm, pacific time on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and guest Richard C. Hoagland on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #moon #InterstellarObject #spacestation
Recent news headlines say there is no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein ran a blackmail operation against the politicians, or that a “client list” existed, or that he was murdered in his jail cell. Are we in a different timeline? Are we witnessing a Deep State compromise? This is becoming a poor excuse for a Mandela Effect that is, in reality, a cover-up. It's truly becoming parapolitical due to the underlying evil being manifested. Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and Private Investigator, Ed Opperman from the podcast, Opperman Report, starting at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #JeffreyEpstein #mandelaeffect
During the 4th of July weekend, devastating flash floods caused by unprecedented rainfall in central Texas claimed numerous lives, with many still missing. Meanwhile, a wildfire in central California has increased in scope and has become the largest one in the state this year, surpassing the devastating blazes that ravaged the Los Angeles metropolitan area earlier this year. From frequent news stories and advertisements, to apocalyptic TV storylines and government announcements, the message about the impending climate catastrophe is almost relentless, as current greenwashed policies are being sold by tugging at the emotional heartstrings of the public. "Climate instability” is really geoengineering, and extended into weaponizing the weather. In other words, a crime against humanity. Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and Dane Wigington, founder of geoengineeringwatch.org. It's from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus.com #ClydeLewis #texasflood #Geoengineering #californiafires
This special 4th of July Progrum features the fellas reminiscing about their favorite American moments and traditions. They share personal anecdotes and iconic historical clips, from the Wright Brothers' first flight to the Miracle on Ice, discussing moments that embody American ingenuity, resilience, and patriotism. Join the fellas as they count down the greatest moments on film, and watch their analysis of unforgettable scenes, like Trump's assassination attempt. PLUS your comments and a fond farewell to the beloved Spaghetts. Good luck, Nick! 00:00 - Happy 4th of July & Patriotic Beginnings 08:00 - Iconic American Moments: NASCAR & Creed 12:15 - The Great "First in Flight" Debate 18:15 - Defining Moments: Miracle on Ice & Bin Laden 29:57 - Trump's "Fight, Fight, Fight" & American Resilience 36:00 - Iwo Jima, Moon Landing 45:30 - Your Comments from YouTube 54:30 - A Fond Farewell to Spaghetts Our Sponsors: -Help Trump get his big, beautiful, bill. Go to https://protectprosperity.com/ -Find out the true power of America's oil and natural gas. Go to https://lightsonenergy.org/
Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim Democratic Socialist, has won the primary for his party in the race for mayor of New York City. It appears all of the talk about a third party in the United States has led us to this moment where disenfranchised individuals with a bone to pick with Republicans, and a bigger bone to pick with democratic fragmentation. Are we now beginning a civil battle over "progressive" issues? As people are losing faith in the American political system, are they willing to take a chance with socialism or even communism? Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and guest, Michael Rectenwald, starting at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the live show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #politics #communism #socialism
Have you ever felt like time is speeding up? Many people are experiencing what is called Tachysensia - a distortion of time and sound. It is reported to consist of time moving fast or slow, or a combination of both, in which a person may feel like they are moving in slow motion but everything around them is in ‘fast forward.” Sounds can also be altered, where there can be an amplification of sounds, in which everything appears very loud, or also muffled. This can be very troubling for those experiencing it. What could be causing this phenomenon? Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis at 7pm, Pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the live show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #tachysensia #time #sound
It was recently reported in Popular Mechanics that scientists have discovered a new creature existing between life and unlife. Additionally, a new paper published on the bioRxiv server says researchers in Canada and Japan have identified a new cellular entity that appeared to straddle the typical definitions of virality and cellular life. Could this be an alien biosignature, or something that did not manage to climb out of the primordial soup and has been waiting for its moment to evolve? Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis tonight at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the show: 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #alien #biosignature #virality #life #cellular
There is an alarming number of ChatGPT users who are developing all-consuming obsessions with the chatbot, spiraling into severe mental health crises characterized by paranoia, delusions, and breaks with reality. The consequences can be dire. Many spouses, friends, children, and parents have been greatly concerned about their loved ones who are caught up in what's being called "ChatGPT psychosis," which has led to the breakup of marriages and families, the loss of jobs, and sometimes, a slide into homelessness. Is this a fade that will eventually fizzle out, or will it grow exponentially? Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis and functional wellness practitioner, Dr. Matt Chalmers, starting at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show: 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #chatgpt #psychosis
The World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions (commonly known as ‘Summer Davos') is taking place in Tianjin, China. Discussions are turning to China's economic outlook and AI strategy, with key speakers exploring how the world's second-largest economy is navigating its next phase of growth. Perhaps the underlying agenda is how to effectively use AI against the U.S.and other superpowers. Knowing how to manipulate the algorithms is necessary to groom the next generation for the communist model of world order. Listen tonight on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis at 7 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show: 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #ai #China #WEF