Podcasts about top living

Aaron Walker, founder of Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind and author of View From the Top, has spent over four decades empowering individuals and communities. After a life-changing accident at 40, he shifted focus from financial success to personal significance. Known for his authenticity, Aaron’s journey of resilience and reinvention has inspired many. Through his masterminds, he has helped countless individuals achieve balance and purpose in both their personal and professional lives. Today, Aaron Walker shares his life-changing experiences, including a tragic accident and the creation of his Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind group. He discusses personal challenges, vulnerability, and the importance of being present for loved ones. This episode offers valuable insights on personal growth, accountability, and true significance. Takeaways: Forgiveness is freeing Evolve through mentorship and coaching Always be present at all times Sound Bites: "What I'm trying to teach men today is to be very successful, but don't do it at the expense of your family." "Forgive that person so you can go on and be the person you were called to be in your life." Connect and Discover LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop Instagram: Instagram.com/isimastermind Website: www/viewfromthetop.com https://www.isibrotherhood.com/ Podcast: View from the Top Author: View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance

The FAN's Dave Sinykin and Trent Tucker are back, and they break down the latest with the NBA, talk some SCF, and the best living baseball players.

The FAN's Dave Sinykin and Trent Tucker are back, and they break down the latest with the NBA, talk some SCF, and the best living baseball players.

Join Wynn and Stephan on FABUTUDE for Episode 3 of the 'New Year, New Queer' mini-series, where the journey of empowerment, identity, and vibrant living reaches its crescendo. This episode is more than a conclusion; it's a celebration of living a life that's larger than labels and expectations. In our 'Word of the Week' segment, we dive into a lively discussion on 'Over The Top,' exploring what it truly means to live a life unbound by societal norms. This sets the stage for an inspiring conversation with our special guest, Norman J. Liverpool IV, an entrepreneur, speaker, and LGBTQ+ advocate. He shares his journey of living unashamedly and unapologetically, empowering others through his program 'Over the Top Living.' Don't miss our 'Dear Fabby' segment, where Wynn and Stephan respond to listener questions with empathy and flair. Hear their advice to 'Curious Casey' on embracing queer identity and to 'Bashful Bailey' on navigating life as a non-binary individual. Step into the fabulous world of empowerment and self-expression with this transformative episode. Discover how to find your voice, choose your impact, and own your story. And remember, your queries get a sprinkle of Fabutude wisdom. We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts, stories, and questions using #NewYearNewQueer and connect with us on social media @Fabutude. Tag us in your 'Over The Top' moments. Stay connected and engaged with the Fabutude community. Don't forget to follow, subscribe, and explore more resources for celebrating and supporting the fabulous diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. Useful Links: - Learn more about Norman J. Liverpool IV: [http://overthetopliving.com/] - Check out Fabutude Connect for more resources and community connections: [https://www.fabutude.com/] - Explore the Las VeGays community and events: [https://www.vegays.com/] Tune in next week for another episode full of inspiration, laughter, and all things fabulously queer. Until then, keep embracing your fabulous self! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fabutude/message

We welcome you to today's broadcast. Billy Lambert will be sharing insight from God's word. This broadcast is part of a nationally televised series sponsored by the churches of Christ. Please sign up for our FREE Bible correspondence course and check out our YouTube channel to see all the latest shows. Our goal is to encourage you to get to know your Bible. Have you watched Getting To Know Your Bible? Please check us out on Dish Network or Direct TV. Click here to find out where you can watch in your area. Our goal is to encourage you to get to know your Bible. #TelevisionMinistry #spreadthegospel Getting To Know Your Bible blogs are available on Spaces by WIX, the GTKYB social media pages, and on our website. Follow along with Billy's weekly podcasts and posts to be encouraged. #TelevisionMinistry #spreadthegospel #GTKYB #BillyLambert #Bible #study #summerdale #churchofchrist #Jesus #NewTestament #church #encouragement #podcast

Successful business owner and creator of the Mastermind Playbook, Aaron Walker shares why retiring at age 27 was not fulfilling and how to live a life of significance. Guest Biography For over 45 years, Aaron, has been a small business owner, committed husband, devoted father, and community leader. He got his first taste of real accountability in a business Mastermind group where he developed genuine friendships and grew alongside Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Ken Abraham, and others. He currently serves as founder and CEO of View from the Top where Iron Sharpens Iron Masterminds, business coaching, and events all coordinate to achieve the mission. This episode is brought to you by Yaahdy.com. Use coupon code 'money' for 10% off your entire order. In this episode, you'll learn: Getting any situation to a YES Money lessons learned from 27 years in pawn shopping The benefits of building boundaries in your life and doing the right things. Show notes: http://www.inspiredmoney.fm/260 Find more from our guest: www.viewfromthetop.com LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Instagram   Mentioned in the episode: Chris Voss Dave Ramsey Books: View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance Thanks for Listening & Watching! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter or Facebook. Join us at the Inspired Money Makers groups at facebook and LinkedIn To help out the show: Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser.com, or wherever you listen. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Are the tangible assets you're pursuing worth the relational capital you're spending?Just because you are providing for your family financially doesn't mean you're meeting all of their needs. Yes, you may have a pocket full of money, but you must realize there is no greater gift than the love of family.Aaron is a professional coach, mastermind group facilitator, and author of View From The Top. For 42 years, Aaron has been a successful businessman and owner of fourteen lucrative businesses. He got his first taste of real accountability in a business Mastermind group, where he developed genuine friendships and grew alongside Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Ken Abraham, and others. Now, as a life and business coach, he uses his experience to help grow people's success and significance. Topics Covered:00:00 Introduction 03:20 How Aaron maintains youthful vibrance 12 years after retirement04:27 Challenging parts of Aaron's early life07:15 How Aaron let go of his big ego09:39 Real strength lies in the intersection between transparency and vulnerability13:23 How Dave Ramsey's mastermind transformed Aaron's life17:51 The value of being in an active mastermind group21:04 The people you need around you for long-term success23:17 Stop taking advice from everybody24:09 Aaron's core values27:55 Using core values as a filter in everything you do30:24 Tips for deciding the right opportunities to pursue32:13 Why you need to turn away from some opportunities 36:38 Financial provision is not all it takes to meet your family's needs40:12 The kind of legacy Aaron would like to leave behind42:12 Parting thoughts Links and Resources MentionedAaron's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/Book - View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance by Aaron Walker - https://www.amazon.com/View-Top-Living-Life-Significance-ebook/dp/B01N7O802FAaron's website - https://www.viewfromthetop.com/

Aaron Walker was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and he identifies himself as a native Nashvillian. He is a businessman, life coach, and author that helps others. He has written the book “View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance” and established a program called “Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind.” He had dedicated to helping others and motivated people via his leadership, mentoring, and guidance.  He believes in the power of experience on how it can affect and influence your life. He personally experienced this when an accident impacted his life, eventually leading to the path he has today. On August 1, 2001, Aaron experienced what changed his life. It was a great morning in Nashville. He was on his way to the office when a man suddenly ran in front of his car to cross the road to reach the opposite lane. It was an accident that no one wanted to happen, but it had a significant impact on his life that he couldn't easily move on from. Episode 213 of The Beyond Adversity Podcast is for those who are going through adversity in their life and trying to overcome them.  In this episode, Aaron explains how he developed into who he is today by going through challenges in his life. He was able to survive his difficulties in life and became an inspiration to people. Despite all these challenges his faced, his faith in God remains strong. "The Beyond Adversity Podcast with Dr. Brad Miller is published weekly with the mission of helping people "Grow Through What They Go Through" as they navigate adversity and discover their promised life of peace, prosperity, and purpose.  https://www.viewfromthetop.com/ (https://www.viewfromthetop.com/) Book: https://www.amazon.com/View-Top-Living-Life-Significance/dp/1683502604 (https://www.amazon.com/View-Top-Living-Life-Significance/dp/1683502604) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachAaronWalker/  (https://www.facebook.com/CoachAaronWalker/ )  Twitter: https://twitter.com/VFTCoach (https://twitter.com/VFTCoach)  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/)

The view from the top is beautiful…if, you're not watching it alone. I had the privilege to have Aaron Walker on the show, Founder of View From the Top and Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind, author, speaker, life and business coach, and a veteran entrepreneur. For years, he's been inspiring men to live a life of significance and make a difference in their respective fields. He built a safe place for them to gather and support one another, to be authentic and vulnerable, and grow in accountability in all aspects of their lives. If you're looking for a community where you can be your most authentic self and not fear being judged, mocked, or laughed at, and find the support you need to go after your goals, he might have the best place for you. “If you want to go fast, go by yourself, but if you want to go further, you need to go with a community.” - Aaron Walker In This Episode:Uncover real strength that lies in vulnerabilityLearn all the benefits of having a mastermind group Unveil the greatest gift that comes from being in a communityStop avoiding conflict to be a level 5 leaderHow to be an “available” dad who can say YES to success without damaging the most valuable people in your lifeFind out when is the best time to build a relationshipResources Mentioned:View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance by Aaron WalkerJeff HoffmanConnect with Aaron Walker: WebsiteJoin the Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind GroupConnect with Cam Hall:FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInYouTubeEmail - cam@dmdpodcast.com

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the greatest sermons ever preached. What would happen if we really lived to follow the message of Jesus? We welcome you to today's broadcast. Billy Lambert will be sharing insight from God's word about "Mountain Top Living." This broadcast is part of a nationally televised series sponsored by the churches of Christ. For more information please visit our website at www.gettingtoknowyourbible.com. Please sign up for our FREE Bible correspondence course and check out our YouTube channel to see all the latest shows. Our goal is to encourage you to get to know your Bible. Have you watched Getting To Know Your Bible? Please check us out on Dish Network or Direct TV. Click here to find out where you can watch in your area. Our goal is to encourage you to get to know your Bible. #TelevisionMinistry #spreadthegospel Getting To Know Your Bible blogs are available on Spaces by WIX, the GTKYB social media pages, and on our website. Follow along with Billy's weekly posts and be encouraged. #billylambert #encouragement

Hosts of the KSL Home Show Heather Osmond and Lindsay Aerts walk you through an open house of Utah real estate. With up to date information for both buyers and sellers, the KSL Home Show show covers everything the Utah real estate market has to offer. For more information about Heather Osmond and Osmond Designs, you can find them at https://www.osmonddesigns.com/ or their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/osmonddesigns/. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a world where so many are seeking their place in it all, entrepreneur Aaron Walker learned early that prioritizing the pursuit of significance increases your impact and value-added to other's lives ten fold. Aaron founded over a dozen businesses over the last 40+ years and has used his gifts to teach others the value of accountability through Mastermind Groups. After retiring and selling his first business at the age of 27, Aaron quickly learned that there is more to life than building wealth. He never says wealth is unimportant, but that it cannot be our sole pursuit. For over a decade, Aaron was privileged to be one of a handful of men who met weekly with Dave Ramsey. Under Ramsey's mentorship, he learned the importance of building a brotherhood of trusted and respected friends who will speak openly and honestly into each member's life. Aaron has written a wildly popular book called View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance, as well as The Mastermind Blueprint. Currently, Aaron's Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind organization hosts 19 Mastermind Groups with international reach. He is active on LinkedIn and other social media platforms posting content that helps transform men and women across the globe. Aaron desires for us all to move beyond meaning and purpose to discover a life of deep significance that will leave a lasting legacy for future generations.In today's podcast, we talk about marriage, business, entrepreneurship, faith and overcoming life-shaking interruptions to discover significance. Aaron Walker's WebsiteIron Sharpen's Iron Mastermind WebsiteBook: View From the Top: Living a Life of SignificanceMastermind Playbook ResourceThe Interrupted Podcast WebsiteThe Interrupted Podcast Instagram PageSteve's InstagramThe Interrupted Outdoors Facebook PageInterrupted Outdoors Instagram Page

Hey, friends, you are in for a treat! Tune in this week; as I interview Mr. Norman J. Liverpool IV, Entrepreneur and Speaker. He's a dedicated professional with a passion for spreading awareness for the LGBTQ+ Community and the issues that plague this community! Norman is also the creator of a signature mentorship and coaching program designed for the LGTB+ community, Over the Top Living.

Norman was born in California and raised in Chicago. He moved Las Vegas for 13 years ago. Freezy talks with him about the younger years and how it lead him to Las Vegas when he was 21. Join them as Norman shares his experience of his BIG "coming out" to Vegas! He has done it all hunny starting all the way back to when Krave was in Planet Hollywood! All this time in a place away from where he grew helped him realize the meaning of friendships and relationships in Las Vegas preferring quality over quantity. Like his grandma Evalyn says "I'd rather have four quarters than a hundred pennies." Listen or watch the interview at lmnop.me/fnf1 Find out more Frankly Freezy at FranklyFreezy.com

Norman grew up Black and Gay, from a Black Church family, attending Catholic Schools in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago. Bullied by family beliefs and expectations, and called a f@g in grade school when he didn't even know what it meant, Norman's journey led him to multiple unsafe situations. Now he has learned to take what has always been unique about himself and he is celebrating it, and encouraging others to find their “unicorn” power! This podcast is part of a project by the Borderland Rainbow Center in El Paso, Texas to bring non-traditional Queer, Intersectional healing arts to survivors of trauma. https://www.borderlandrainbow.org/ Facebook @borderlandrainbowcenter Instagram @borderlandrainbowcenter Twitter @BRainbowCenter YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa4GRplymPUJBnfEn9zbPJg Contact Brian@RainbowBorderland.org This work is funded by TAASA on behalf of the Department of Justice.

Isaiah 11 1-10, 12 1-6 Luke 9 28-36

Norman J. Liverpool IV (he/him) is an Entrepreneur and Speaker and a dedicated professional with a passion for spreading awareness for the LGBTQ+ Community and the issues that the community faces. Normal is the creator of a signature mentor-ship and coaching program designed for the LGBTQ+ Community, called Over the Top Living which explores the challenges of coming to terms with who you are and living your best life now. In this episode we talk about how the struggles in his youth as a young gay black man, inspired him to want to take the lessons he learned from his journey, to help other queer millennials find their purpose and live their most authentic lives possible.

Aaron appeared in 2,000 different podcasts sharing his voice and story online. He is a Professional Life & Business Coach, and Community Leader. Aaron has built his community which he called “Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind Group” that helps and motivates ordinary men to become extraordinary. He is visible on Facebook and Twitter with over 3,500 followers, Instagram with 500+ followers, and a YouTube channel with 460 subscribers.    He authored the book View From the Top: Living a Life of Significance, wherein he shares his journey and talks about how you are in control of your steps, that even in failure, you can adjust with personal grit to achieve success.    “It's building those relationships intentionally. And people ask me all the time, “what would you do better, faster? If you had to do it over?” And it would be, I would spend 25% of my time every day, nurturing and building new relationships.”   A lot of people have been struggling and some are becoming stagnant in life. Failure, fear and negativity devour their minds, and so their motivation and drive to move forward is becoming a blur. They would probably take a step, but it’s a step they take alone, thinking they can do it on their own.    “I just want to encourage everyone to think, ‘Hey, I can be hugely successful, but I can be significant all along the way.’”   But Aaron, in this episode, emphasized the importance of intentional sharing and how your story can transform other people’s lives — how joining communities can help one thrive up the ladder. Think of how you can make an impact, and the relationship you can build from doing so.   “These relationships serve you well,” says Aaron. You manifest your good side to people and they’ll do the same. You encourage them, and you’ll receive the same thing, too. Sometimes, even much better. Aaron isn’t wiping out earning money from the picture, but he realized that money is just a byproduct of serving people well. Money in our bank accounts won’t last long, but relationships do — pure, genuine relationships. www.whyinfluence.com 

Norman J. Liverpool IV is an entrepreneur and speaker, with a passion for spreading awareness for the LGBTQ+ community and the issues that community faces.He's also the creator of a signature mentorship and coaching program designed for that same LGBTQ+ community called Over the Top Living. Prior to accomplishing so much not only for himself, but others as well, Norman left his home in Chicago and relocated to Las Vegas in 2007, that he began his journey to finding himself. By 2008, this journey led him to the realization that he was gay. Then identifying as a gay black man, he would spend the next several years in and out of varying versions of himself. This process has spanned for over 15 years. We're here to talk quite a bit about that. Show Notes Follow Norman on Instagram | Facebook Theme music by: Ruel Morales Audio Transcript Brian Schoenborn 0:01 Hello, hello. Hey everybody. Our guest today is an entrepreneur and speaker, the passion for spreading awareness for the LGBTQ plus community and the issues that community faces. He's also the creator of a signature mentorship and coaching program designed for that same LGBTQ plus community called over the top living prior to accomplishing so much not only for himself, but others as well. Norman left his home in Chicago and relocated to Las Vegas during this time in 2007, that he began his journey to finding himself by 2008. This journey led him to the realization that he was gay. Then identifying as a gay black man, he would spend the next several years in and out of varying versions of himself. This process has spanned for over 15 years. We're here to talk quite a bit about that. Give it up for my friend, Norman J. Liverpool, the fourth. Brian Schoenborn 0:55 My name is Brian Schoenborn. I'm an explorer of people, places and culture. In my travels spanning over 20 countries across four continents, I've had the pleasure of engaging in authentic conversations with amazingly interesting people. These are their stories on location and unfiltered presented by 8B Media. This is Half the City. Brian Schoenborn 1:21 What's up, man? How you doing, Norman? Norman J. Liverpool IV 1:23 I'm good as another day in paradise, that's for sure. Brian Schoenborn 1:25 Another Day in Paradise. You are absolutely right, man. Now, I gotta tell you, man, I've so I've known you for quite some time. What is like, 10? Norman J. Liverpool IV 1:33 Yeah, we met we met back in '08. Brian Schoenborn 1:36 yeah. 2008 That's right. You know, when I first saw you talking about what you're up to now, I got…Well, I was really interested, of course, but I was also really, really impressed with how far you've come in the last, you know, 12, 12-plus years. You know, it's really inspiring, you see, to see people growing and changing like that, you know, like, like the way I see things is everyone's kind of a collection of our moments, right, where and how we respond to it. So everyone's unique, you know, 8 billion people, which is why I named my company 8B Media, and everyone's got a story and everyone's perspectives and frameworks and everything like that are all unique to their experiences. So I'm interested, if you can kind of tell me how, how you went from Northern Liverpool, coworker, to kind of to discovering that you're a black gay man, and then kind of coming into your own a bit. Norman J. Liverpool IV 2:35 Well, it started back actually in 2007, when I moved to Las Vegas from Chicago. And a huge reason that I decided to move is because my family back home were extremely religious. And I was still trying to figure out myself, I was trying to come into adulthood. And I just didn't feel like I could do that with All of these influences around me. So I got a one way ticket and came to Las Vegas in December of 2007. And I got the job at Metro right away. But then again, I was still like a baby, you know, I'm 21 years old. I didn't know up from down. I didn't know what expressing myself and living as a gay man what that actually meant, because for so long I was told that it was wrong, I'm going to hell, all of that. Norman J. Liverpool IV 3:32 So when you and I met, I was going from one extreme to the next because I did not know like where to even begin. So I remember back then, like I would have like long hair and carry big purses and have you know, like all of that and then because that's what what when you look at media, you know, that's what I saw. And I did not know that that I didn't have to be anything but myself. And so I spent quite some time kind of acting, if you will, trying to figure out what being gay means. And what, what it meant for me. Brian Schoenborn 4:16 Mm hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 4:17 And, oh, it was years of of turmoil and going up and down and in and out of relationships, and it was just like a lot of craziness. And then I got into property management back in 2012. And that really shifted things for me because prior to that, you know, I was working, you know, as you know, at Metro PCS, and then I was also a part time bartender. You know, I did drag shows and I was doing all these things. And then when the property management came on the table, I didn't have time for all of that because now working nine to five I have really important responsibilities and duties and so that was kind of like the catalyst that kind of started a lot of this, just because it changed the way that I had to interact professionally. And then from there, I just really started doing the work. I started writing, journaling, and really doing the work, you know, get in touch with myself and figure out what the heck that even meant. But to be completely honest, it wasn't really until last year, where things begin to shift focus for me, and my my vision and my purpose became a little bit more clear. Brian Schoenborn 5:39 That's interesting. I um, kind of similarly, um, you know, like, I've lived with PTSD for like, almost 20 years at this point. Norman J. Liverpool IV 5:50 Right. Brian Schoenborn 5:51 And, you know, because of that, I've spent a lot of time searching for my self, my purpose and all of that as well. Right. Norman J. Liverpool IV 6:00 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 6:01 You know, that that took me to Vegas, it took me to Boston and New York and, you know, China for a few years and all over the place and just trying to find a fit, right? Like, where, where my sweet spot is right? Norman J. Liverpool IV 6:13 Right. For sure. Brian Schoenborn 6:14 And it wasn't until, like, I moved up the corporate ladder, and all this and that, and, you know, at a fairly young age, my early 30s, I was near the top of a major corporation, Jose Cuervo. Living a job of, you know, a lot of people's dreams, that sort of thing. And I was just miserable, you know. And so, finally, at that point where I'd kind of like I'd given up and I'm like, you know what? This isn't sustainable for the next 30 years of my life. Norman J. Liverpool IV 6:39 Right. Brian Schoenborn 6:40 I got to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with my life who am I, you know, and so I started doing the work as well. You know, I kind of locked myself in my bedroom after work for like two months and like, I was journaling, doing skill and ability assessments and you know, things like that. And that kind of set me off on this path of you know, figuring out is something related to communications, international stuff, that kind of thing. But even then it took me a couple of years until I kind of finally realized that it's, it's the storytelling stuff, right, that's that's the stuff that gets me. You know, it's, it's telling my story, it's helping other people tell theirs, that kind of stuff, but but it took a long time to get there. Norman J. Liverpool IV 7:21 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 7:22 Just you know, when you when you talk about doing the work, you know, there's a lot to be said about that. What kind of stuff did you do? Like what was your…did you have a process that you laid out? Or was there you know, certain books that you read, or Norman J. Liverpool IV 7:35 I don't necessarily know that there was a process, I just knew that I was destined for greater. And so then the work became connecting A to Z. Oh, I'm here, but I know I need to go there. Brian Schoenborn 7:49 Hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 7:50 So part of that was me surrounding myself with like minded people. But it's also surrounding myself with people who had already attained certain things that I wanted for myself and professionally, personally. So, I mean, I've read books, you know, but a lot of the work had to do with me letting go of toxic family dynamics, toxic friendships, letting go of the the self shame that I had dealt with being a black gay man, and dealing with that kind of thing. And it was mostly internal, the work that I had to do. It was it was working on myself so that I could allow myself and give myself the permission to be the person that I knew that I'm destined. Brian Schoenborn 8:47 Yeah, no, I hear that and, you know, like for me, you know, so I went through some I had a little bit of process and I kind of figured out, you know, it was a lot of internal processing to, but it wasn't until like, you know, when I, when I made that decision to go to China, gave up everything. You know, I said, hey, I've got to do something international something communications, but I don't know what it is not leaving China till I figure it out. Norman J. Liverpool IV 9:11 Right. Brian Schoenborn 9:13 It was in China that that's when I, that's when I got to that point where I was like, Okay, give up all of these constructs that I that I have learned throughout my life, you know, give up caring about what people think about me, that sort of thing, and allowing myself just to be and to happen. Right. Norman J. Liverpool IV 9:35 Right. For sure. Brian Schoenborn 9:36 It was it was that, you know, a conscious decision. when everything started getting easier, everything and everything started happening, and it was all the stuff that I've kind of always wanted to happen. I just didn't really know that I was allowed to. Norman J. Liverpool IV 9:53 Oh, for sure. Yeah. Yeah, you definitely. I mean, you definitely have to give yourself permission and thing that I don't think A lot of people understand, you have got to give yourself permission to say no to everything that is not leading you to your best self and your best lines. And that was really difficult for me because I'm a yes person, you know, I will help everyone I want to do everything for everyone. But as my mom always says, you know, when the airplane, you know, when they're doing that kind of spiel, when you get into an airplane, they say, if the mask comes down, put yours on first. And so as, the 2019 was the year of me putting my mask on first and to self care, self love, and even being a little bit selfish, and I know we try to steer away from that that term, selfish, but I really had to be I had to be selfish with my time. I had to be selfish with the energy that I was allowing myself allowing you know myself to put into other things and so Yeah, it really was the year of me putting my own mask on and just kind of finding my own footing and setting some new boundaries, you know, for others as well as myself. Brian Schoenborn 11:08 Yep. Yeah, hear that. I mean, you know, like for me, again, cuz so the last probably two, three years it's been really where I've been like, okay, all the way. But you know, it wasn't until I found that found that sweet spot, figured out who I was and then once I got it I'm like there's no way am I letting this go, you know, bury my head in my work you know, the only the only thing that I can do is think about this and like, push this forward you know that whole thing. Curious you just kind of backing up a little bit. You mentioned you mentioned talking about living as a black gay man. Right so like, you know, I'm neither black nor gay. Norman J. Liverpool IV 11:48 Okay. Brian Schoenborn 11:48 So so I don't understand necessarily the you know, the micro cultures of us or how they how they are you know how how that intersection, that intersectional micro culture might be, but I know that like, you know, over the last 15-20 years has been so much progress made as far as, you know, rights within the LGBTQ community, as well as, you know, general acceptance, and everything else that's that's happened over the years. You know, I feel like there's like our society in general, is a lot more open and welcoming to people of pretty much, you know, any intersection. I know, there's a lot of work to be done. Norman J. Liverpool IV 12:33 Oh, yeah, for sure. Brian Schoenborn 12:34 But there's a lot of ground that's been made. So I'm just wondering, like, you know, what the difference between being a gay man is maybe versus being a black gay man, or even a gay man that grew up in those religious constructs. Norman J. Liverpool IV 12:47 So I'll tell you, I have a quote that I love, and it's from a movie called great that's on amazon prime. And it says being a black man in America is a reality that should never be justified. So you can Imagine being a gay black man. And so the way that I liken it is being black and this is just being, you know, completely transparent. You're born with a strike against you already. Okay? Brian Schoenborn 13:15 Yeah. Norman J. Liverpool IV 13:16 And, and it's the sad reality that we've definitely made some strides in leaps and bounds, you know, for more of a closer inclusive type of thing. But, I mean, if you're born with that, you know what I mean? And I've seen it, you know, my dad is a black man, my uncles are black men. And I've seen the struggle and it's, and it's almost something that is internalized and passed down generationally. It's, it's really bizarre. So, when you're dealing with the construct of what a black man is, you know, there's stereotypes there's the reality there's all these different things that that that people think about being a black man, but one of those is not being gay. Norman J. Liverpool IV 14:03 So, the the difference for me and you know, this is my, my experience is that it's literally like, I'm wearing a scarlet letter before I even open my mouth and I'm the type of person that people know, I can tell that I'm gay right away, you I'm not…I've never been one of those people like I've been over the top my entire life. And so, to walk into a space and immediately trigger whatever people's responses are to black people or to gay people, or to gay black people, whatever, it almost is, like you have to be on the defense. And, you know, I, I felt like I was having to choose what events I was going to go to. I learned how to ignore certain things. So that way, it didn't affect me, you know. But to be completely honest, a lot of the stuff that I had to work through came from my family. Brian Schoenborn 15:02 Huh. Norman J. Liverpool IV 15:02 And it wasn't so much from the outside world, you know, which I mean, I got that. But I think what it was is the rejection from my family and the hesitation for them to really know Norman and so that really shaped my, my, my perspective because I looked up to, you know, various family members who were men and so that to have them say some of the things that they said and did some of the things that they did, it really it showed me Okay, yeah, you're you're black and gay. Because it's like, now these like, these black people are going to point out that you're gay. And so it's literally just having just, like, almost like a clown. Like it's whenever you go somewhere. It's like, Oh my god, who's gonna say something about this or who's gonna say something about that? And what's ironic is that the whole kind of discrimination about me being gay happened well before I can consciously remember being discriminated against for being black. Brian Schoenborn 16:11 Hmm. Interesting. Norman J. Liverpool IV 16:12 And the discrimination and again part of it is my like maybe my obliviousness to discrimination as it was happening, but I don't really recall a whole whole lot of discrimination for me being black when I was younger. That happened, quite honestly, within like the last five years where I have kind of experienced some some of those types of things. But the the gay thing that that that started long, long time ago, and what's funny about it, is it started before I even knew that I was gay. Brian Schoenborn 16:55 Hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 16:56 So it was like, you know, classmates were calling you gay or fag or whatever you know, and so it kind of pushed me into trying to figure out what and who I was. And it didn't happen organically. Because these people were telling me, this is what you are. And so I, it confused the hell out of me, it…And it's funny to this day, I still am in contact with one of my classmates who was the first person to call me gay. And I told him back in 2010 I said, you really messed it up for me. Because y'all didn't know what gay was. But you were putting this off on me. Now I don't know maybe because I was different. Maybe it wasn't because I was black. Maybe it was because I was creative and had like, you know, I was good in the arts and stuff, but it really started, for me, the discrimination for me just being me. I can recall that going back all the way to fourth grade. Brian Schoenborn 17:59 Wow, okay. And, and because you because you said you're like a creative artistic type person or Norman J. Liverpool IV 18:05 Well, it was a lot of things like, people didn't like me because I said I talked to you white. Or you know i, talked too girly. You know, the other kids they didn't understand like because again, back in this time I was the we were the first black family to live on our street. I was I was the only black student in my class for several years. We lived, you know, in a predominantly white, Caucasian area. So yeah, it was it was just really crazy. Norman J. Liverpool IV 18:41 And looking back at it is one of the reasons why I started over the top living because there's a lot of people that have gone through that that have taken their own lives. You know, pick up habits that are unsafe and things of that nature and some just don't want. I want to do my part to prevent that from happening as much as possible. Because it really it really could have gone the other way for me, because it wasn't just that I was getting it from outside, I was getting it from within my family. Well, literally forces you to a place where like, Okay, well I'm gonna make this happen on my own. So that level of independence that kind of grew from that is what allowed me to finally branch out and and do what I'm doing. Brian Schoenborn 19:34 Yeah, that's amazing, man. Kids or kids can be cruel, dude. Yeah, kids can be especially when you're not when you're not getting that love from the family, either. I mean, that's like, Where do you get a break? Where is your peace, you know? Norman J. Liverpool IV 19:48 And you know, the thing is to what I've recently realized is that the various things that happened with me and my family wasn't coming from a place of malice. It wasn't, you know, a place that, for me, I'll go back and say from my immediate family, but it wasn't coming from that. It really was coming from a place of fear. It was coming from a place of naivety, it was coming from a place of ignorance, it was coming from a place of what I see on the news is real life and it's gonna be your that's what's gonna happen to you. And so for a long time, I held resentment against my parents. Because, well, I mean, specifically kind of with my mom, because she now is my greatest supporter, but she was literally scared for me. You know, it wasn't that she wanted anything bad to happen. But when all you see and here are bad things happening to a group. Brian Schoenborn 20:46 Mm hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 20:46 And then someone that you love and care about says, oh, by the way, I'm a member of that group of people. It's almost like you go into defensive mode you go into like mama bear, and unfortunately, you know, with our relationship They caused us to be estranged for a while. But you know, now we both have done the work and she's my biggest champion, but it was it was time to go there for a while because I look to her to be like my source of happy, joy, all these positive things and I experienced that from her after literally just trying to allow her to know and love the real me was very difficult. Brian Schoenborn 21:29 I think it's one of those things. It's like, ignorance leads to fear. Fear leads to like fight or flight. Right. And, but that's that's where a lot of the friction in the world comes from. I think it's ignorance. Norman J. Liverpool IV 21:45 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 21:45 Right, like, I mean, I'll tell you what, man growing up. You know, I grew up in this small town in Michigan, right? Probably 90% white people. And, and a lot of them don't. A lot of those people. They live For generations, they don't leave that little area. Norman J. Liverpool IV 22:03 Right? Brian Schoenborn 22:03 It's fine. It's a good life for them, you know, they have all the things they need friends, family, food, all that stuff, right? But you're not exposed to the various things that life in the world has to offer. And you don't you don't understand it and you don't get, you know, you don't get to humanize, you know, people or or understand, you know, cultures or anything else like that. Norman J. Liverpool IV 22:31 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 22:32 Then as far as you know, it's whatever is being propagated to you from the news, right or Norman J. Liverpool IV 22:37 Right for sure. Brian Schoenborn 22:37 Or whatever other source that you hear it from, and, you know, if you don't take time to, like, get to know people or experience, things that, you know, are not things that you've always known or that you're used to. You don't grow. Norman J. Liverpool IV 22:53 Right. Brian Schoenborn 22:54 I think I think that's kind of one of the big things here is by kind of, I guess, educating people, but also like, you know, getting to know people that may the, the certain listeners may, you know, may not otherwise be exposed to. Norman J. Liverpool IV 23:08 Yeah, and I think that's huge. Because it's, it's, it's kind of like my whole situation like when I came to Las Vegas, I came from Chicago, which is a huge city. But the way that our kind of our family construct was, it was like, we did everything together and with my extended family, so my grandmother was a pastor. So we all my whole family, we all went to that church. And so I was very much sheltered. As part of the reason why when I came to Vegas, I was wilding out. Brian Schoenborn 23:43 Right. Norman J. Liverpool IV 23:44 Time. I could do what I wanted. When I wanted, I didn't have to answer to anyone. So if I wanted to go out in this, you know, go out with a wig on or go out with how I mean whatever it is, I was able to do that. But it really prompted me to get to know a wide variety of people. I learned tons of lessons, you know, good and bad. And I think that you hit the nail right on the head, you know, when we're not exposed to certain things. It's scary. Brian Schoenborn 24:16 Mm hmm. No, absolutely. Like I just, I go back to this thought like when I, you know, I lived in China for almost four years. And when I the first time I came back from Beijing visited my family in Michigan. I ran into this lady that I grew up with. She was she was the guitarist at my church or something like that. So I knew her pretty well. She I bumped into her like this local store, and she's like, oh, what are you doing? And I'm like, Oh, you know, I'm just I'm living in China just doing my thing. She's like, oh, China, China, right? What are you doing there? I'm so scared for you. It's communist. Baba, Baba, Baba Baba. stuff. Are you safe? Are you safe? Are you safe? And I'm like, yeah, it's actually you know, I feel just as safe there. If not safer than in America and Norman J. Liverpool IV 24:59 Right. Brian Schoenborn 24:59 warm and welcoming. And, you know, there's I'm having a great time over there. And she's like, oh my god, I can't even believe it, Brian. I'm scared for you and like, but that's the thing because, you know, China's I mean, that's an example where it's the opposite side of the world, you know, China's always in the news, right? As the existential threat to American domination, you know, all that. When all you hear is this doom and gloom, or like naysaying sort of things then, you know, that's the picture that you have painted in your mind about someone or something or whatever, right someplace. But until you actually expose yourself, you're never gonna really know. Norman J. Liverpool IV 25:40 No, you never know. Mm hmm. Brian Schoenborn 25:43 Tell me So you said I think you started kind of kind of started coming into your own and like in 2019. How did the…how did that start? Something about a Powerhouse Academy? Is that what that was? Norman J. Liverpool IV 25:57 So it actually you know, and I have to give credit where credit is due. It actually started a little bit prior to the power house. I was involved in multi level marketing. And on top of everything else I've got going on. And one of the foundations of the organization that I worked with was personal development and growth. Brian Schoenborn 26:20 Hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 26:20 Oh, in addition to our sales and all of that, we would get up in the morning and be book clubs at five in the morning. We would, you know, we promoted healthy lifestyle. We promoted reading, writing all of that. And that situation really put me in the room with like minded individuals. From there is how I met Chandra Brooks, who is the founder of the Powerhouse Academy because she was actually invited as a speaker to the group that I was working with. Brian Schoenborn 26:52 Hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 26:53 And, you know, while we're talking and you know, I was doing some research on her and about this academy and it was specifically geared towards women. And so I didn't even think like that, you know, it was something that I could even consider. But then I began to look at Chandra's roster. And I began to see the list of politicians, authors, podcast hosts. Just these these powerful women and, and high ranking positions. They have access to all these different tables and like, I need that. And I reached out to her, and I, whatever it is that you're giving these women in Powerhouse, I need that. And the Powerhouse Academy is a leadership and development and business coaching mentorship, like it's all that kind of wrapped into one. And it's a six week program, eight weeks, eight week program. Actually, we actually went a little bit longer, but it if it wasn't for the power house, I would have never kind of honed in on exactly what my vision was, because you can be good at a whole bunch of things, but you can't do a whole bunch of things at one time. So what the Powerhouse taught me was, okay, what are you passionate about? And what are you good at? And can we put those two things together in a package that will allow you to touch lives, allow you to make an impact, but I mean, also, you know, allow me to make money? And so that really is like that's what took it over the edge. But kind of my I was kind of already getting in that that groove and the powerhouse just literally, it truly changed my life. Because I went from the mentality of always being an employee to now being an employer. I shifted my mentality to you know, my limitless potential. I shifted my mentality from always being okay being mediocre to pushing bnack to become my very best. Brian Schoenborn 29:02 What? So just kind of curious about, like, what is the powerhouse? I mean, you said it's like an eight week course. Are there things in there like, I mean, cuz it sounds like there was a major transformation that happened during that period. Of course, going back to the thought process was that the process was it like what? What was the thing? Norman J. Liverpool IV 29:23 It was the process but it was that having a coach that held me accountable for example, if you know so we would have group calls every week, you know, we would have print subject matter every week, we'd have group calls, individual calls, and she would give us homework. And so throughout the week, now literally to this day, she still watches everything I do. If I if I post something on Facebook, she's like, Oh, you need to change the words you know, to do this or, but it was really having access to the resources. That's number one. And that's one way to advocate you know, having a coach because she has already Been there. And so she already had a multitude of resources that I now have access to. She kept me accountable. So if I said that I was going to reach out to Xyz Corporation, you know, for a speaking engagement, or if I was, you know, whatever it is that we had planned, she was on my ass about it. And so it basically was a catch and switch in my mentality from inactivity to activity. Brian Schoenborn 30:27 From that. So from those lessons in the shifting of the mind, the accountability, and the action, how have you taken that and kind of roll, ran with it? Norman J. Liverpool IV 30:39 Well, I have launched my speaking tour, which I've always considered myself a good speaker and I always consider myself a wordsmith and someone that it was able to articulate. But it wasn't until I owned my whole story. And that was one of the things That Chandra pulled out of me because I was nervous to talk about my family to talk about my mom, you know, one of my speaking topics is you won't live to see 30 words from your mother, you know, so and be very transparent and vulnerable. I wasn't ready for that. But when it was put into the perspective of Norman, there are people who need you and don't even know it yet. There are people who are waiting for the services that you're going to provide. It shifted my mindset to being a little selfless. And so I had to have a conversation with my family and say, This is what my new my venture is. And it just so that you know, the things are going you know, are going to come out, but it was, it was a kind of a package of the accountability, the resources, and also the other women that were in my cohort. You know, we offered a ton of support for each other. And that's really what catapulted me into wanting to speak. And then from there, she pushed me, okay, reach out to these people reach out to these people. And so speaking engagements started coming in, things started changing, things started shifting. And, you know, that's that's literally how it happened and it happened very fast. Brian Schoenborn 32:24 Wow, that's awesome. So, um, what are what are some of the things that you're speaking so you're talking about you won't live until 30? Norman J. Liverpool IV 32:31 Yeah, so that's one of my speaking topics. Um, and basically that was, I mean, it just explores my family dynamic. You know, my mother was a single mom for majority of our upbringing, and my younger sister is gay as well and it's just the two of us. Now, mind you we didn't come out till much later. But that was challenging because I would have to imagine as a mother, she would have seen something or or been able to pick up about something and so, when I came out, she didn't think I would live to be 30. And it wasn't that she wanted me to die or, you know, anything like that. But in her circle, you know, the people that came out and live the openly gay lifestyle, they were involved in things and and, you know, drugs and, you know, extremely promiscuous and, you know, obviously back then, you know, AIDS was, you know, very it was in the spotlight, you know. Brian Schoenborn 33:34 Yeah. Norman J. Liverpool IV 33:34 It was very new, it was newer. And so in her mind, she was like, Well, if you are going to live this way, there's no way that you're going, you're going to live past 30. And so, I talked about that and talk about how our relationship has completely transformed into the beautiful mother son relationship that we have today. My second speaking topic is Be You Boo, and it's living unapologetically and unshamed. And it says exploring coming into your own self, accepting yourself learning to encourage yourself, you know, I feel like as human beings we get so caught up in this outside validation, that we don't realize that everything that we need is already inside of us. So we talked about that. And we talked about some of the Over the Top Living hacks that I've kind of created, which will be, you know, coming out in my book that'll be released later this year. But we talked about some Over the Top Living hacks that you can just catch that that thought and switch it to something, you know, more productive or positive. My third speaking topic is Double Trouble, my Black Experience. and so that explores my journey as a black man who's gay. And I kind of talked about the unique challenges and how internal and external influences ultimately brought me to where I am. And it talks about not just my professional development, but my personal development as well. Brian Schoenborn 35:01 Hmm. So I mean, it sounds to me like you definitely put the work in. You know, that's a lot of, you know, there's a lot of deep self reflection, you know, working through certain kinks, you know, that kind of stuff, getting to that point, man, that's, that's great, dude. I mean, you sound like a very, very whole a whole person right now. Norman J. Liverpool IV 35:23 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 35:24 Fantastic. Norman J. Liverpool IV 35:25 For the first time. Brian Schoenborn 35:27 That's great, man. I'm so so proud of you, man. What about I'm also curious because again, going back to that kind of the the black gay dynamic as well as with your with the religious family. You know, what did it take to talk about your mom for second, like, what did it take for like, how did she come to terms or come to grips with everything and and ultimately accept you and your sister? Norman J. Liverpool IV 35:56 So it's funny you asked that because what I'm getting right to share with you I just found out last week. When I came out, my sister saw how the family reacted. And at time that I was coming out, she was going through the same thing. But I found out, she just shared this with me last week, that she was terrified to come out after seeing what I had gone through. Brian Schoenborn 36:21 Hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 36:22 And, you know, essentially what happened is my mom basically said, I can't deal with this. You are, I'm giving you back to God, essentially. And we didn't speak for quite some time. Now. I don't remember how long it was that we didn't speak. To me. I thought it was like eight or six months. My sister said it was over a year. She was living in Illinois at the time and she shared with me that my mom's husband and my sister were one year begging and pleading my mom to call me for my birthday. Brian Schoenborn 36:55 Wow. Norman J. Liverpool IV 36:56 Um, and and she just couldn't or wouldn't But it really took knowing what I know now, it really took my sister and my stepdad, to really kind of step in and and, and say this is still your son. And so we started talking again, I want to say we started talking via email at first. And then, you know, she started to come and visit. I think that what it was is when she saw that I am, as you said, a whole person. I wasn't living in a bunch of lack. You know, I'm still the same Norman from before. And as she began to interact and insert herself more into my life, she thought, Okay, this is these are my kids. And it was that initial shock. And I think that in some ways now that I'm, you know, speaking of it, she was trying to protect her heart. Brian Schoenborn 37:58 Mm hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 37:59 And so once she came and started involving herself in my wife, involving herself more of my sister's life at the time, I think that's when it became easier for her. And it was a no brainer at that point. Because she sees Oh, wow, I raised great kids. It was it was definitely a process. Okay. It was a process that took years. But part of the success of this relationship is that I had to set boundaries on what I was willing to accept, what I was willing to hear, where I was willing to, to see all of that. And so we had, you know, we set these boundaries, and now we interact as mother son, but as adults. And so it's a completely different dynamic now, and I'm really blessed that, I'm really blessed to have the support of both my parents, but I'm really, really proud of where me and my mom are today. Because, again, it was touch and go. Brian Schoenborn 39:11 Yeah. That's, that's interesting, you know, say I think about, like, you know, every kid, sorry, every parent wants what's best for their kid. And but at the same time, the reality of it is, you know, as a parent, it's easy to get inside of this bubble, you know, you're raising the kid for, you know, 18 years, whatever the case may be, and this has always been your little boy and all that stuff. And then life starts happening. Right, reality starts happening and out and a lot of times, you know, parents don't really know how to respond to that. You know, for example, you know, I kind of like I said, I've had PTSD for almost 20 years. I was actually I was drugged and raped by a man in the military. Right? And so that that's fucked me up for a long time. There's been in my parents have known about it since early on and they've been, you know, try to be loving and stuff. But I remember probably must have been like five years ago, I think. I was taking a road trip with my dad. And he said he goes, Brian, just get over it? Why don't you just let it go? Norman J. Liverpool IV 40:23 Right. Brian Schoenborn 40:24 And it's, you know, like he just doesn't understand like what's going on inside of my head with with experiences that I had and you know, everyone's different. Some people can let things go, you know, some people experience a traumatic event and develop PTSD. Like that's how it works. You know, whether they want to try to discount you or push you away, or whatever the case may be, you know, they're always they love you and they care for you and they want what's best for you. Norman J. Liverpool IV 40:48 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 40:49 And also, they're, if they're discounting it or whatever. They're just trying to like, in their own way, I think make it right. But Norman J. Liverpool IV 41:02 It's a sense of control that that you have. And you're dealing with, you know, your parents, they want to protect us. They want to keep us safe. They don't want to believe that anything bad can happen to us. And when something does that is completely outside of their control, what I have found is it sends them haywire. There's something in the brain that just does not allow them to like to accept the fact that I don't have control over this situation. This is something that happened is that my child is going through and I've got to give them the space and time to move through it. Brian Schoenborn 41:40 Yep. Norman J. Liverpool IV 41:41 I think that that's the biggest thing that I've learned, at least from my parents. Is that it all it all came from a very loving place. But when you're dealing with your kids or anyone you love, sometimes that loving place can manifest itself something completely different Brian Schoenborn 42:04 in so many ways to I mean, this, you know, this, you know, again, whether it's whether it's being you know, whether it's whether it's having a certain orientation or having, you know, maybe you have certain beliefs about religion, maybe you join a church and your parents weren't or maybe you left something or whatever, you know, or also there's countless other things that can kind of send them that way. You know, like, Oh, you know, I was raised Catholic. Oh, you didn't marry good Catholic girl. or whatever, right? Um, you know, it's just so stupid. It's so stupid, you know, but it's but you're right, it sends them haywire and I think it's a control thing, too. is probably probably gonna stay that way for the rest of time. Because you know, everyone says they're gonna do things differently. But, you know, you get wrapped up in that bubble and you know, it's the nurturing instincts. I think, rght? Norman J. Liverpool IV 43:00 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 43:02 But it's it's great that a great to hear that she was able to work through it, you know, finally accept you for that man and it's and not only that but like to the max right like, like it's crazy. Norman J. Liverpool IV 43:14 And you know and I have to you know because I know my dad is gonna listen to this and actually give him credit because I asked my dad on Saturday, I knew we were preparing for this and I have some other things that I'm preparing for and I said, Dad, how did you react my came out? And he said, I'm still waiting. And so I didn't realize that I never officially came out to my dad accepted me and we rolled with it. Now mind you when I lived when I first moved to Vegas, and I was working with you at Metro I was living with him. Brian Schoenborn 43:49 Okay. Norman J. Liverpool IV 43:49 Oh, I, in my mind. I thought that I would have had to have told him. Brian Schoenborn 43:54 Yeah. Norman J. Liverpool IV 43:55 But no, he said I never came out. He said I'm still waiting. I just have to give him that, that that credit and not to discount you know from either parent. They're, they're both amazing, but I was really I was really proud at that moment. And I'm proud of both of my parents because I'm proud that my dad just kind of rolled with it. So super proud that my mom worked through her own bullshit and own stuff and her own whatever was in her mind or from society to get to where we are today. Brian Schoenborn 44:34 Shout out to mom and dad. Is that three? Norman J. Liverpool IV 44:36 What? Brian Schoenborn 44:37 Is that Norman three? Norman J. Liverpool IV 44:38 Well yeah, that's Norman the third. Brian Schoenborn 44:40 Shout out shout out to Big Three. Norman J. Liverpool IV 44:42 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 44:45 So he talked a little bit about like some of the speaking engagement stuff, kind of shift gears a little bit. This is all related to Over the Top Living? Like what is what is Over the Top Living? Like how did you get to that point, you know, decide to create whatever, you know, what this is? Norman J. Liverpool IV 45:02 So Over the Top Living, the way that that came about I actually had this business name for years. Oh, probably since 2012. Just because my mom is very much like, prepare, have your documents in order. And I always knew that I was over the top, but… Brian Schoenborn 45:27 Yeah, no shit, huh? Norman J. Liverpool IV 45:30 I decided to take it from a negative and turn it into a positive. A lot of people were saying, Oh, you know, Norman is over the top, and it was in a bad way or a negative connotation. And I'm like, you're right. I am over the top. And so basically, the over the top, it's multifaceted. So it's my personal brand, as well as my signature mentorship program. So my speaking and basically everything I'm doing right now is some way tied to over the top living. So, right now I've recently, two weeks ago I was sworn in as a member of the governing board of the Southern Nevada Health Department over there at the Community Center. Brian Schoenborn 46:19 Nice, man huge. Norman J. Liverpool IV 46:21 Yeah, yeah. Huge, huge. That's also an extension of over the top living. My speaking engagements are an extension of over the top living. And, you know, my coaching and mentorship program is one is a part of that as well. Brian Schoenborn 46:39 Right on, man. And so how do you how do you live over the top like that's, I mean, I know you Norman, and I know you've been, you know, you've been over the top, extra, as far as long as I've known you. Norman J. Liverpool IV 46:51 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 46:51 How like, how do you how does one go about living over the top like, lay it on me. Norman J. Liverpool IV 46:56 It's two things for me, which are multi layered, but the cacth and switch attitude. So what I mean by that is I catch any negative thought or anything and I switch it with something that's productive. I switch, I catch my inactivity and switch it for activity. But the main thing was you do the work. Okay. And then once you've done the work you live, unapologetically and unashamed period. That's how you live over the top. Your version of living over the top may not be as loud and in your face as mine, you know, a client that I'm working with who she is, she's definitely over the top but in her own way, and over the her was changing her mindset that she can start her own business and do herself. So it really is what you make of it, but it is catching and switching those negative, non non productive thoughts and behaviors for something positive and productive. It is changing that inaction for action word, and then it's just simply living in purpose, on purpose. It is very intentional. Brian Schoenborn 47:24 Mm hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 48:14 And it's living, unapologetic, and unashamed like you mentioned earlier, when we stop caring about what other people think. If I was caring if I still cared about what people thought I wouldn't even be able to be sitting here doing this podcast with you like, well, oh my god, you know, I'm just, you know, I'm Norman, like, who wants to hear from me, you know, but I had to throw that out the window and really just live my truth and purpose on purpose. Brian Schoenborn 48:58 Hell, yeah. I love that living in person, on purpose. Like that's a I love that. That's a great a guidepost. What else you want to talk about? Let's go, so you mentioned that you were on the governing board of the Southern Nevada Community House. Like, how did this happen, dude, like this? I mean, just because that's a big deal. You're still young, right? You seem awfully young to be a board member of something so big. Norman J. Liverpool IV 49:27 Yeah. From your lips to God's ears. Brian Schoenborn 49:29 I mean, how did this happen? Dude, tell me about this. Norman J. Liverpool IV 49:31 So, again, I'm gonna, I'm gonna circle back to the Powerhouse, because it, it has a lot to do with a lot of the things that I'm doing right now. So essentially, I was asked to be on the board. And because of, you know, I've been in Vegas for since 2007. I, you know, previously back in the day, I was on the Las Vegas pride board and, you know, I was an entertainer and so I know the community here very, very well. I kept saying no, oh I'll think about it or, you know, whatever. And then the individual that that had been, I don't want to say pursuing me, but had been encouraging me to join. He literally looked at me and said, this is your community. Do you care about it or not? Brian Schoenborn 50:24 Wow. Norman J. Liverpool IV 50:25 And what was crazy about that, Brian, is when I went to get sworn in there was nobody that looked like me on the board. Brian Schoenborn 50:36 Hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 50:37 Um, there were no wait, hold on. Let me take that back. There were no black gay men. Brian Schoenborn 50:45 Hmm. Norman J. Liverpool IV 50:47 There's a couple gay guys. And I said gay guys. I mean, these are high ranking. You know, you know, the the mayor Pro Tem for North Las Vegas is on my board and and he's not gay, but I I'm just saying that these are huge, heavy hitters. I didn't see anyone that looked like me. I didn't see a young professional. I didn't see, you know, the young, gay person, I didn't see a black gay person. And so in that moment, I knew that I had a responsibility to be on that board. I knew it, right then. Brian Schoenborn 51:25 Yeah. Norman J. Liverpool IV 51:25 And so, you know, it was, again, allowing myself the permission to be myself in this room and accept the fact that I belong there. Brian Schoenborn 51:40 That's an interesting situation too right? Like, when you start Well, first of all, I'd say representation matters. Norman J. Liverpool IV 51:49 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 51:49 So you know, that's, I mean, whether it's, whether it's like on screen or whatever, but like, but you know, it also matters in the local community, right? Because that's, that's how you, that's how you tailor policies or whatever towards everybody, you know, be inclusive like that, it starts there. But also like, when you're in the right spot, right, like when you're, you know, like when you know you're in the right spot things just they work, right? Like the guy in um, so, so in addition to this, you know, I'm developing some other projects, film TV and stuff like that. And over the last couple of years have been introduced to a lot of award winning producers. I you know, I did an event with some professional athletes. And you know, the amazing thing to me is like that like that stuff all started happening once I figured out what my path was, my purpose, Norman J. Liverpool IV 51:57 Right. Brian Schoenborn 52:01 And everything started coming together and you know, I meet these people and we just hit it off and like we've no, no others. These producers are these celebrities are these professional athletes. We just hit it off man and like, and it's good, you know, it's the creative juices flowing, it's respecting each other. You know, it's having a good time. But it's just a fit. Norman J. Liverpool IV 53:11 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 53:12 You know? And I mean, I even think like back to and, you know, when we worked at Metro shout out to Metro PCS, shout out the metro. But when we're working there, you know, like, I struggled man, like, I mean, I could do the work. I got along with a couple of people, but I fucking hated it. You know, and I was and I was a cog in a machine, and that's how it was most of the most of the way through my corporate career before I decided to go and never work for anybody again. You know? But it's that point, right? Like, you know, once I, I did the work, I get, you know, I changed my mindset and a lot of things. And, you know, figured out what my thing was, and that's…again, everything starts falling in place, and then you realize you're standing around, maybe at an event or something and you're looking around and you're like, I'm surrounded by a bunch of high profile powerful people. And guess what? They're treating me as one of them. Norman J. Liverpool IV 54:15 Right? Because you are. And that's the crazy thing about it. Brian Schoenborn 54:21 And you're like, Really? Norman J. Liverpool IV 54:22 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 54:23 Hold on a second. Me? Come on. Norman J. Liverpool IV 54:27 Yeah, yeah. It's, it's, it's crazy that the rooms that I'm in now, just by aligning myself with my purpose, you know, and before I even spoke, they booked me for the graduation of May. Brian Schoenborn 54:45 Oh sweet! Norman J. Liverpool IV 54:46 Yeah, it's crazy. I'll be the keynote speaker at the lavender graduation may 1. It's just the room that I'm in at the table that I'm at now. Really positioning me to do some huge good, you know? Not just for the LGBTQ community. I mean, as that's my focus, but I mean for everybody. Brian Schoenborn 55:06 A big respect to that dude. And I mean, I'm not sure if you know, but like, so again, going back to my PTSD stuff, like, I'm also in the process of developing writing a book and developing a show around my experiences with that, you know, I've done a lot of work on myself. I've worked through a lot of I still live with it, I've learned to manage it. Norman J. Liverpool IV 55:25 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 55:26 But the problem with like, PTSD, for example, is that, you know, so many people have it. And nobody ever wants to talk about it. Right? So so even by just saying, okay, you know, what, Hey, I'll come talk about it. I'll write a book about it, you know, I'll make a show about it or whatever. For me, that's, I'm trying to help those people because, like, let's face it in the military. I mean, there's a there's a number number 22. There's 22 military, active duty or veterans that kill themselves every single day. And a lot of it has to do with PTSD related stuff. Norman J. Liverpool IV 56:05 Wow. Brian Schoenborn 56:05 And yeah, and those are, those are things like those are internal battles that you're fighting with yourself every day, right? Nobody wants to talk about the event, because it's the most horrific day they've ever experienced. Right? Because they don't want to talk about it. No, but their family and other, you know, medical professionals, whatever, they don't know how to respond. And it's just kind of a, it's a it's a, it's a, like a downhill downward spiral kind of sort of thing, right? It's the opposite of a virtuous cycle. Norman J. Liverpool IV 56:39 Sure. Brian Schoenborn 56:40 It's just all bad. And you know, like for me to see all that kind of talk about stuff like that, you know, and I've been told by some some people that you know, doing what I'm doing is going to save lives. Norman J. Liverpool IV 56:51 Oh, I believe it. Brian Schoenborn 56:52 No, I mean, that's that's kind of what keeps me going. And But still, I'm just like, wow, like, you know, if I I've been living with this for damn near 20 years. I could have. I mean, I could have done something about this long before that. But I think you have to wait until you become that whole person, right, until you until you work through your stuff. And, you know, if you're the type person that wants to have that type of focus or platform, you've got to wait until the time is right. Norman J. Liverpool IV 57:27 Oh, you have to, you have to timing is so crucial. Because especially doing what like what you're doing. It's emotional, and constant because not only are you living with it and managing it, but you're talking about it and you're sharing it consistently. And so if you're not in a mental or emotional place to manage that also, it's it's actually does more harm than good. Brian Schoenborn 57:57 Right? And so that, and that's exactly right. Like I've had other people that have had similar situations in me, like reach out to me that I've never met before they're like, oh I wanna share my story. I'm gonna share my story. I'm like, No, you don't know like, not not No, you don't, but you don't right now, like, take some time process through this stuff, try to get some sort of grip on it. And then you can make the decision if you want to share it. You can if you want, you don't have to, either way. But, you know, somebody's got to talk about various situations. Because that goes that goes back to the exposure thing, right? If we don't, if we're not exposed to it, we don't know about it. And that which we don't know, we fear. That which we fear we cause harm to, right? Norman J. Liverpool IV 58:43 Yeah, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 58:47 So I'm just over here doing my little part. Norman J. Liverpool IV 58:51 You know what, I'm glad. I'm glad that you are because especially learning that figure of the military personnel that take their own lives, that that's huge. And I'm glad that you're here to tell it. Brian Schoenborn 59:03 Yeah. Appreciate it, man. I think we're at a pretty good spot to wrap it up. I think it feels pretty natural. Norman J. Liverpool IV 59:10 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 59:11 Do you have anything else you want to talk about before we wrap it up? Norman J. Liverpool IV 59:14 Yeah, you know, no, I'm just again, I just want to get across, you know, from everyone that can hear me. You are enough. I want to challenge you. I want to challenge you that thing that you've been putting off that thing, that that book that's been in the back of your mind that song that you've been wanting to write, that business venture, that contact that you've been wanting to reach out, I want you to be intentional with that. I want you to begin to live in purpose and on purpose. And then just do you, as I say do you boo. And live unapologetically and live unashamed, in your truth. Brian Schoenborn 59:53 Hell yeah, man. Hell, yeah. Anything else you want to plug? Norman J. Liverpool IV 59:57 So definitely all day long. I will always plug the Powerhouse Academy but you can go to Chandra-Brooks.com or you can just YouTube Powerhouse Academy is all over there and then also Over the Top we will have our official launch on April 18 here in Las Vegas, I'm really excited about that. Our website is currently under construction just so that we can bring some, you know, fresher content just you know follow you can follow me on Instagram @theMrLiverpool I'm on Facebook overthetopliving so I just invite any of you that even if you have any questions just feel free to be able to connect with me on my speaking engagements, my speaking tour, or on my signature mentorship program. Brian Schoenborn 1:00:41 Right on man appreciate it appreciate the time as well. Been been a good one. Good catch up and learned quite a bit man. I you know, I'm really like I said I'm really proud of you know the person you've become over the last few years, man, you've really come into yourself. Norman J. Liverpool IV 1:00:55 Well, I appreciate it. Thank you. Brian Schoenborn 1:00:57 Give it up for my friend Norma Liverpool everyone. You've been listening to Half the City with Brian Schoenborn, presented by 8B Media. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast, share it with your friends and leave a solid five-star review to ensure these stories get spread far and wide. For more information, as well as listen to other shows, including Relentless: a Survivor's Search for Passion, Purpose and Inner Peace, and Beyond Relentless, be sure to check out 8Bmedia.com. Thank you for listening. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Related Episodes 8| Superstar Recording Artist & Global Entrepreneur DJ Chozie Ma 1| Green Beret Lt. Col. (Ret.) Chris Schmitt 5| Elite Performance and Learning Expert Dr. Joseph Trachtman

Norman J. Liverpool IV is an entrepreneur and speaker, with a passion for spreading awareness for the LGBTQ+ community and the issues that community faces. He's also the creator of a signature mentorship and coaching program designed for that same LGBTQ+ community called Over the Top Living. Prior to accomplishing so much not only for himself, but others as well, Norman left his home in Chicago and relocated to Las Vegas in 2007, that he began his journey to finding himself. By 2008, this journey led him to the realization that he was gay. Then identifying as a gay black man, he would spend the next several years in and out of varying versions of himself. This process has spanned for over 15 years. We're here to talk quite a bit about that.

Norman J. Liverpool IV is an entrepreneur and speaker, with a passion for spreading awareness for the LGBTQ+ community and the issues that community faces. He's also the creator of a signature mentorship and coaching program designed for that same LGBTQ+ community called Over the Top Living. Prior to accomplishing so much not only for himself, but others as well, Norman left his home in Chicago and relocated to Las Vegas in 2007, that he began his journey to finding himself. By 2008, this journey led him to the realization that he was gay. Then identifying as a gay black man, he would spend the next several years in and out of varying versions of himself. This process has spanned for over 15 years. We're here to talk quite a bit about that.

Fellow podcast host and author of View from The Top: Living a Life of Significance, Aaron Walker, is our guest today. Aaron has an amazing story of being able to retire at age 27, which did not turn out how he thought it would. Aaron built and owned over 12 businesses, but one single event had him unable to work for nearly five years. Listen to the show to hear his full story. Now, Aaron is focusing on helping others build a life of significance through his mastermind groups and process. To learn more about Aaron and his company, go to www.viewfromthetop.com. He also has a free gift for listeners at www.viewfromthetop.com/secretsofsuccess. During the show, we discuss the importance of living a life of significance and serving others. That is possible when you are living your core values, which are foundational to our success and purpose. To that end, CRG is excited to announce our powerful online course experience for you: What Do You Really Value? (using CRG Values Preference Indicator). We take you through a step-by-process process to help you clarify, confirm and then live your values to increase your fulfilment, engagement and success in life. To learn more and register, go to https://courses.crgleader.com/what-do-you-really-value/. If you want to take yourself to the next level, personally or professionally, consider our Professional Mastery & Assessment Certification workshop. This three-day in-depth experience will transform your life. To find out more, go to: https://www.crgleader.com/certification. Thank you in advance for subscribing, sharing and posting a positive review and/or comment as we expand our impact to encourage and inspire others. Until next time, Keep Living On Purpose! Dr. Ken Keis

Fellow podcast host and author of View from The Top: Living a Life of Significance, Aaron Walker, is our guest today. Aaron has an amazing story of being able to retire at age 27, which did not turn out how he thought it would. Aaron built and owned over 12 businesses, but one single event had him unable to work for nearly five years. Listen to the show to hear his full story. Now, Aaron is focusing on helping others build a life of significance through his mastermind groups and process. To learn more about Aaron and his company, go to www.viewfromthetop.com. He also has a free gift for listeners at www.viewfromthetop.com/secretsofsuccess. During the show, we discuss the importance of living a life of significance and serving others. That is possible when you are living your core values, which are foundational to our success and purpose. To that end, CRG is excited to announce our powerful online course experience for you: What Do You Really Value? (using CRG Values Preference Indicator). We take you through a step-by-process process to help you clarify, confirm and then live your values to increase your fulfilment, engagement and success in life. To learn more and register, go to https://courses.crgleader.com/what-do-you-really-value/. If you want to take yourself to the next level, personally or professionally, consider our Professional Mastery & Assessment Certification workshop. This three-day in-depth experience will transform your life. To find out more, go to: https://www.crgleader.com/certification. Thank you in advance for subscribing, sharing and posting a positive review and/or comment as we expand our impact to encourage and inspire others. Until next time, Keep Living On Purpose! Dr. Ken Keis

Aaron Walker has founded more than a dozen companies over the past 41 years. He attributed much of his success to having surrounded himself with his Mastermind counterparts. Aaron spent a decade meeting weekly with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Ken Abraham, and five other amazing entrepreneurs. Aaron is the founder of Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind Group that now hosts 15 groups with national and international members. Aaron is the author of View From The Top: Living A Life Of Significance, a must-read book to fully understand how to live a life of success and significance. He is also a founder of the Mastermind Playbook which is an incredible resource for starting, running and scaling masterminds. Aaron lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with Robin, his lovely wife of 40 years. He has two incredible daughters and five beautiful grandchildren. When time allows, Aaron enjoys hunting, fishing, golf, and is an avid reader.   “We have all these plans, yet we're not promised tomorrow. I encourage you to live today like there is no tomorrow in a good way. Surround yourself with honorable, trustworthy people.” Aaron Walker   My Worst Investment Ever Story It started as a success story At a young age, Aaron Walker wanted better for himself. He came from a family of six and grew up in about 600 square foot house with barely little to survive. While still in night school, he was working during the days and never stopped. When he turned 18 years old, he impressed one of the largest insurance agencies in the country at that time to invest with him. After signing a $150,000 loan, Aaron opened up his first retail outlet. It became a success, and in 36 months, he was able to pay off a 10-year loan. He kept doing what he had been doing, and soon young Aaron Walker had already opened four stores in Nashville. He got a call from a Fortune 500 company, and they made an offer he couldn’t refuse. At the age of 27, Aaron Walker had made enough money to retire. A tragedy turned his life upside down After 18 months of doing nothing, Aaron had come to a reality that he needed to get back in there, lose some weight and find a new job. So he went back to the company he started with when he was 13 years old. Now, at the age of 40, the company had grown four times bigger than it was 20 years ago. Aaron never stopped working from then on. He thought his life couldn’t get any better. He had his beautiful family, a steady job, vacation home and a big house on the hill. Until a tragedy turned his life upside down. While he was headed to his office, he ran over a pedestrian, and eventually, the head trauma killed the man. Even though it was not his fault, Aaron suffered anxieties because of stress and pressure after the accident. He took a break for five years. The painful realization For more than 20 years, Aaron wanted nothing more than a better life. But sometimes, life slips through a backdoor, and had it not been for that ugly turn in his life; he would not have realized what had been missing–a legacy. Would he want to be just another rags to riches story? No, Aaron wanted more than that. He wanted to have an impact on other people’s lives. So, he changed his focus and started thinking and looking outward rather than inward. He wanted to help people accomplish their goals and dreams. Ultimately, he wanted to transform lives. Lessons learned Build relationships intentionally In today’s society, people hide behind the screens and completely obliterating the importance of human connection. These intentional relationships we create every day gets us out of our own head and lets us focus outward instead of inward. Success comes after gratitude When you are grateful, you build good relationships with the people around you. As a result, natural reciprocity comes back to you. Learn to prioritize A lot of people try to live a balanced life, which is a myth. What needs to be done is to be very out of balance in the right places. Focus on the things that are meaningful, with purpose and that are lasting. Andrew’s takeaways When tragedy strikes, you can never avoid it Tragedy will strike you one way or another. Through these darkest times, the relationships you have with your family and friends will carry you out. Create a legacy that lasts We get so caught up with life and all its craziness that we sometimes forget what our legacy is. How will you leave an impact on other people? How will your existence inspire others to transform their lives? Start with a mantra of helping one person to step towards achieving their goals and repeat it every day. People are intrinsically motivated That management of companies these days have shifted away from judgment to metrics has lead to less focus on relationships. But people are intrinsically motivated, and many times, when we try to put on something extrinsic like a KPI to guide them, it's like you ruin the whole joy of work. Actionable advice It’s really important who you spend your time with. We should be very selective about the people that we spend time with because our time is very important. No. 1 goal for next the 12 months Aaron Walker’s goal is to get as many as possible to visit Mastermind Playbook so that he can continue spreading the message of how to live a successful and significant life. Parting words   “Most people in life today just want bigger, better, shiny, or faster things. Let me help you to really think through with clarity, how you can live a very productive life, how you can keep the focus, and how to have great levels of success and significance simultaneously.” Aaron Walker   Andrew’s books How to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock Market My Worst Investment Ever 9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Transform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 Points Andrew’s online programs Valuation Master Class Women Building Wealth The Build Your Wealth Membership Group Become a Great Presenter and Increase Your Influence Transform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 Points  Connect with Aaron Walker LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube Podcast Website Connect with Andrew Stotz astotz.com LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube My Worst Investment Ever Podcast Further readings mentioned Aaron Walker (2017) View From the Top: Living a Life of Significance  

It would be safe to say that Aaron Walker is a veteran entrepreneur. Having started over a dozen businesses during his four decade journey has been pretty awesome. Beginning at 18 years old and selling to a Fortune 500 company just nine years later set Aaron on an adventure of a lifetime. The secret sauce for Aaron can clearly be identified with these four attributes: grit, authenticity, determination, and perseverance. The glue that holds it all together is his weekly involvement in Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind groups. Aaron is also the author of “View From the Top: Living a Life of Success and Significance. In the book, he shared practical insights and wisdom on how one can find inspiration and hope. Aaron started masterminding 20 years ago with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, and several other notable Nashvillians. With his leadership and transparent lifestyle, he continues to inspire countless entrepreneurs and helps others to become better versions of themselves. Today, he spends time with his wife, two daughters, and five grandchildren.

It would be safe to say that Aaron Walker is a veteran entrepreneur. Having started over a dozen businesses during his four decade journey has been pretty awesome. Beginning at 18 years old and selling to a Fortune 500 company just nine years later set Aaron on an adventure of a lifetime. The secret sauce for Aaron can clearly be identified with these four attributes: grit, authenticity, determination, and perseverance. The glue that holds it all together is his weekly involvement in Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind groups. Aaron is also the author of “View From the Top: Living a Life of Success and Significance. In the book, he shared practical insights and wisdom on how one can find inspiration and hope. Aaron started masterminding 20 years ago with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, and several other notable Nashvillians. With his leadership and transparent lifestyle, he continues to inspire countless entrepreneurs and helps others to become better versions of themselves. Today, he spends time with his wife, two daughters, and five grandchildren.

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Aaron Walker. Aaron is an almost 40-year entrepreneur veteran. He started his first business at 18 and sold it by his mid-20’s to a Fortune 500. He went on to start over a dozen other businesses and started Masterminding 20 years ago with people like Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller and others. This led him to start the Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind group – one of the most renowned and successful groups of its kind. Aaron is also the author or the best-seller “View from the Top – Living a Life of Significance.” Aaron has seen it all, done it all, and has succeeded through grit and determination. But what also has made him so successful and one of the biggest reasons I wanted him to come on the show and to share his wisdom with you, is his straight forward authenticity. Aaron teaches in way to easy to understand, learn, and implement. And it’s the lessons he’s learned in building businesses and Masterminds that I've asked him to give you in this episode. www.ViewFromtheTop.com Aaron has lived in Nashville his whole life and has built all his businesses from there. He grew up poor in an 800 sq. ft. house with 4 kids. His dad was a general contractor, but not a great business man. Aaron started working at 13 and fell in love with business and decided that he was going to be an entrepreneur. He put in extra studies and night school and graduated at the beginning of his junior year. He met some people with money to invest and opened his first store. He got married 2 weeks out of High School and he and his wife went on to build several success companies – selling the first one at 27 years old to a F500 company. That gave him the ability to do some other things and set him up financially. He then went back and bought the company he worked for at 13 and grew it by better managing it and better selling the services. He was 40 years old, working 3 days a week. He had it made. One morning he was driving to the office and a pedestrian stepped out in front of Aaron’s truck and was killed. His life came to a halt. Aaron wasn’t at fault, but when you are responsible for the death of someone, it changed everything. It devastated Aaron. He couldn’t handle the stress and the knowledge that, even though it wasn’t his fault and he was not arrested or anything, a man died by his truck. It ate him. Over the next few years, he sold the business, took 5 years off, moved to a different area, sought counseling, and really changed most of his life. One day, his wife came in and told him he had to get going and do something. Aaron had gained almost 50 pounds. So, he did. He started a construction company, built it to great success and sold it at 50, retiring. At that point, Dave Ramsey and Dan Miller suggested that he coach. He started helping other entrepreneurs and doing Mastermind groups and is now launching his 15th Mastermind in 8 different countries. What do you think is the reason God/the universe, etc. put you in the situation with killing the pedestrian? What was your biggest takeaway after years of thinking about it? At the time of it happening, you don’t see anything that can come up. You just think your life it over. It was a total blindside that disrupted his entire life for years. The truth is that we are all just one second away from being blindsided in some way. Our life can change in a Nano-second. Here’s what he learned. His legacy would have been – Poor kid form Nashville, makes enough money to retire by the time he is 27 and nobody really cares. Aaron realized that he had no significance. His life was not impacting the lives of others. He asked God for another chance and promised the act outward instead of inward. To that point, it had been mostly inward. Now, he hopes to be remembered by people as “my life was different after having known Aaron.” He thought about it and said that to himself you can do both – you can both success and significance. Define what significance means to you and for others… Each person must identify what success means. For Aaron, it the ability choose his schedule and how he runs his life and being financially independent. Money is a great thing if it is not your master. Having a clear conscious is critical. We can be content, but not complacent. Don’t ever be complacent but seek contentment in what you do. You also must have meaning and purpose. Lastly, Aaron wants to leave a legacy of wisdom. Significance is a different thing. To Aaron, significance is meeting the needs of others. Focusing on them and being present with them, truly listening. It means taking the time, even when you are busy, to sacrifice and help others. At the 25 min mark, Aaron talks about “Gratitude Day…” What are your best principles and thoughts on how to succeed in business? People must get over their sense of fear. The 18/30/60 rule. When you’re 18, you think everybody’s talking about you. When you’re 30, you find out it’s not true. When you’re 60, you don’t care. Read the book The Big Leap and learn how to push through those “upper limit challenges.” You also must have a written plan for how you are going to reach your goal and what you are going to do. Then all you have to do is execute. Focus on the task and not the goal. Establish 3 goals every 4 weeks. Be consistent. It takes a certain length of time to reach critical mass in anything you are doing. Delay gratification. There is real truth in the statement that you are the sum of the 5 people you spend time with. The wrong people are an anchor around your success – get rid of them. Get people around you that encourage you, hold you accountable, point out your blind spots, give you the truth, and support you and help you. Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people! What are some of the key components of a successful Mastermind Group? You must have a genuine group You must have a set of shared core values It must be consistent (weekly, monthly, etc.) It needs to be all encompassing. 60% professional, 30% personal, 10% spiritual is how Aaron’s groups breakdown. How does someone start a Mastermind group and find the right candidates? You must first decide on your core values and make sure you group is built on them. Nowadays, virtual groups are easier and allow for more transparency. You must determine what it is you want to accomplish with the group and be clear on it. One word of caution for “in person” groups. Go slow and give info over time to see if they can be trusted. Don’t give everything out right away. Decide on the type of group you want to have. Men or Women focused, gender neutral, etc. You can buy the Mastermind Blueprint book from Aaron. At the 49 min mark, Aaron shares some final pieces of wisdom… When Aaron was growing up, his mom would tell them not to use the word “can’t.” She would say “Can’t couldn’t do it and could did it all.” Build a mindset of “you can.” Find ways to do things. Fear missing an opportunity more than you do failure. Failure is in NOT trying – NOT in being unsuccessful because you tried.   Best Quote: “Can’t couldn’t do it and could did it all...”   Aaron's Misfit 3: Show empathy and be empathetic to those around you. Be transparent to a fault – with a few. Authenticity is the thing people are starving for the most – be authentic.

Aaron Walker is a life and business coach, author, and mastermind facilitator. Aaron has been successful all his life with business all over Nashville. From the outside, it appeared he had everything together. He did all the right things like going to church, reading his Bible, and praying every day. His life took a dramatic turn on August 1, 2001 when his car struck a pedestrian sending him into a five year dark night of the soul. Aaron opens up about the darkness of that period and the way it deepened his relationship with the Lord. Today, Aaron mentors men through mastermind groups and coaching, a significant impact he may never have reached without going through that difficult experience. Listen to Aaron' story now! Stories Aaron shared: Growing up in a Christian family in Tennessee Giving his heart to Christ at a revival in 1970 How his life changed when he hit a pedestrian in his car on August 1, 2001 What his life was like before the accident Why he was angry going through the dark night How he learned prayer is not just asking God for things Learning to memorize Scripture in his morning routine How he ended up in a mastermind with Dave Ramsey How he helps people with Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind Groups Great quotes from Aaron: There's no way I would wish that on my worst enemy, yet I wouldn't take anything for it because it pointed me in the right direction. If you have total clarity you don't need faith. I want to give my life to something bigger than me. Isolation is the enemy to excellence. Resources Aaron mentioned: Aaron's website View From the Top Apply to join Aaron's mastermind View From the Top: Living a Life of Significance by Aaron Walker Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. The post Aaron Walker from the Valley to the Mountaintop appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Aaron Walker is a veteran entrepreneur. Having started over a dozen businesses during his four decade journey has been pretty awesome. Beginning at 18 years old and selling to a Fortune 500 company just nine years later set Aaron on an adventure of a lifetime. The secret sauce for Aaron can clearly be identified with these four attributes: grit, authenticity, determination and perseverance. The glue that holds it all together is his weekly involvement in Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind groups. Aaron started masterminding 20 years ago with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller and several other notable Nashvillians. Today, he spends time with his wife, two daughters and five grandchildren. Resources View from the Top (official site) View From the Top: Living a Life of Significance (book) Aaron Walker on LinkedIn Aaron Walker Previous Marketer of the Day Appearance

It would be safe to say that Aaron Walker is a veteran entrepreneur. Having started over a dozen businesses during his four-decade journey has been pretty awesome.   Beginning at 18 years old and selling to a Fortune 500 company just nine years later set Aaron on an adventure of a lifetime. The secret sauce for Aaron can clearly be identified with these four attributes: grit, authenticity, determination and perseverance -- and the glue that holds it all together is his weekly involvement in Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind groups.   Aaron started masterminding 20 years ago with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller and several other notable Nashvillians.   Today, he spends time with his wife, two daughters and five grandchildren.   Coming In and Out of Retirement  Aaron has had the opportunity to do something that many people has not been able to -- to retire and come out of retirement for a staggering eight times.   He’s been working since he was thirteen so he kept telling himself that he’d retire after just one last venture -- although we all know how that went.  It was during one of those retirement attempts that Dave Miller told him something that he’d never forget that eventually changed the course of his life.  Starting a New Chapter  When Dave Miller found out about his nth retirement option, he called it “a selfish move.” He said that the world needs mentors, and by retiring a “final time,” Aaron is keeping other people from benefiting from the wealth of knowledge and experiences he has accumulated over the years.   Dave then invited him to do “Innovate” (a coaching program) and handle its Entree Leadership Mastery course. He initially thought it was not a bad deal considering how it was easily worth $10,000 at that time, but, surprisingly, he enjoyed the gig a lot more than he thought he would, and attendees of the event even called him later to ask him to mentor them.  Dave encouraged him to give it a go, he did, and the rest is history.  Living a Life of Significance  You’d think someone who’s had a very colorful business career as Aaron has wouldn’t have any room for doubts, but when the idea of writing what would eventually be his book, View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance, was pitched to him, he didn’t really want to do it because he thought that no one’s going to read it.  However, Ken Davis, author of ‘Fully Alive,” changed his mind by telling him that he’s writing for the wrong reason. That even if only one person’s life changed for the better because of his book, then it’s definitely worth it.  Working for the Greater Good  “Do for a few what you wish you could do for everybody,” so says one of Aaron’s favorite quote, and he does try to live by this tenet as much as he can -- applying it not only on his personal life, but on his business as well. [Text Wrapping Break][Text Wrapping Break]“People think we need to do multiple things to be successful, but we just need to narrow our focus.” Look at the greater good and find ways to make the most impact on the most number of people possible.   Maintaining Razor-sharp Focus  Aaron says that “If you’re really going to be successful, you need to have extreme focus.”   The problem is people tend to put too much focus on the goal instead of focusing on the task at hand -- leaving them even more distracted than ever.  To avoid this trap, Aaron recommends taking things one step at a time. Set your priorities, plan your course of action, then implement. If you keep working on each task with the same razor-sharp focus that you use on the others, you’ll exceed the goals you’ve set before you even realized.  Dealing with High-Stake Situations  Of course, this is something that can sometimes be easier said than done, especially in situations where important things are at stake; however, no matter what the problem is, Aaron says that communication is always key, and to do that, you need to develop a level of empathy.   “People only remember you for how you made them feel.” Every conversation has something of value to add, so take time to listen to what other people have to say.   Expressing Gratitude  Aaron can say this because he’s a living example of how much you can learn from other people regardless of whether you’re actively trying to do so or not. Because of this, he’s been able to look forward to each and every day because of its potential to change someone’s life -- and for that, he’ll always be grateful.  Favorite Book  Like many others in the expertise space, Aaron highly recommends “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. He explains this is because it teaches people how to genuinely care about others and it should be required reading for everyone  Resources  Aaron is one of the driving forces behind the Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind Group and you can join it by visiting https://ironsharpensironmastermind.com/. He also runs a personal website, https://www.viewfromthetop.com/, which you can visit to listen to his podcasts, read his blog, or drop him a note.

Those who gather Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton's Maude St Mall each month have long been enthusiasts of shop-top accommodation as the tighter density of our towns and cities will play a key role in helping our urban areas build the resilience they need to negotiate the difficult times ahead as the world's climate worsens.Geoff and Prue Dobson have joined those who have taken the lead in living above a shop and today Geoff said both he and Prue had surprised themselves in how quickly they had settled into their shop-top unit and how much they enjoyed living there, right in the heart of the city.Geoff is a former City of Greater Shepparton Mayor and the present mayor, Cr Kim O'Keeffe was among those who listened to today's conversation.

‘The enemy to excellence is isolation.’ Aaron Walker contends that if you surround yourself with the right community, a group of people who care enough to tell you the truth, their insight can truly change the trajectory of your life and help you move from ordinary to extraordinary. Aaron is the founder and president of View from the Top, a premiere life and business coaching resource committed to helping men grow in success and significance. A serial entrepreneur, Aaron has bought and sold eight successful companies over the past 37 years, and he is part of a long-standing mastermind group with the likes of Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller and Ken Abraham. Aaron’s new book, View from the Top, motivates readers to live a successful and significant life, regardless of current circumstances. Today, Aaron sits down with Emerald to discuss his background as an ambitious entrepreneur and the inspiration behind View from the Top. He describes his approach to living with intention and explains how he supports clients in discovering their WHY. Aaron explains why he fears missing an opportunity more than he fears failure and how his spiritual gift for encouragement informs his work as a coach. Listen in for Aaron’s insight on community as the source of success and learn how mastermind groups changed the trajectory of his life! What You Will Learn Aaron’s background as an ambitious entrepreneur The accident that put Aaron’s life on hold for five years How Aaron was inspired to start a coaching practice Aaron’s approach to living life with intention How Aaron helps clients discover their purpose Why motivation is an exhaustible resource The idea of prioritizing your priorities Aaron’s spiritual gift of encouragement Aaron’s insight on community as the source of success How mastermind groups can change your life’s trajectory Why Aaron fears missing an opportunity more than he fears failure Connect with Aaron Walker View from the Top Resources View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance by Aaron Walker The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks PhD Suggest a Guest If you (or someone you know) are one of the worlds Magnificent Men On Purpose who should be considered for a guest spot on the show APPLY HERE: bit.ly/PitchMen Connect with Emerald GreenForest Emerald’s Website Emerald on LinkedIn Emerald on Twitter Email: listeners@menonpurposepodcast.com This episode is sponsored by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Men - Is it time NOW for you to make your mark? Visit timetomakeyourmark.com to apply for an invitation-only consultation.

Aaron Walker               Where Does the Grit Go When You’re Blindsided by a Bus?  Are you plowing forward toward what you want to achieve in life, or are you holding your breath hoping that luck will make it happen for you? Success requires living proactively, not reactively. You can’t be reactive to accomplish your dreams. Dreams require an intent with a plan, goals, and execution every day on those goals. When someone says, “You can’t do that!” do you return the challenge, “No, YOU can’t do that! Watch me go do it!” When you are fired up with grit and determination, anything is possible. But what do you do when a bus stops you dead in your tracks? Do you keep plowing forward, or do you retreat? Aaron Walker did it all – sold a business by age 27, found financial security, got bored with money and went back to work for greater accomplishments. And then he was hit by a proverbial bus – or rather, he was driving the car that hit someone else. What do you do when the wind has been taken out of your sails? Dig deep for the grit and determination, just like Aaron. If you need a big dose of motivation and some OOMPH to get back at it, listen to this podcast that takes you from the highest of ambitions to the lowest of defeats, and find out how to end up with a life of significance.   Learn more about Aaron Walker and his work by clicking here.  Remember to download the three free documents he offered.  Also, you can check out his book, View From the Top: Living a Life of Significance by clicking here.     Click here to check out our newest leadership development tool – LEAD – Leadership Education and Development            Steve Caldwell is an executive mentor and coach to managers and leaders who desire to excel in their career and become the leader others want to follow. Steve is a leadership expert, host of the Manager Mojo podcast and author of the book Manager Mojo – Be the Leader Others Want to Follow. (www.ManagerMojo.com) Steve also coaches his followers not only on how to become great leaders, but how to effectively coach and lead their employees to find satisfaction and fulfillment from their jobs and life. Having started his work career at the savvy age of 13, Steve is also currently CEO of Predictive People Analytics based in San Francisco, CA, a firm specializing in helping leaders increase sales, reduce turnover, and attract key talent. (www.PredictivePeopleAnalytics.com)  

“Live like no one else today, so later you can live like no one else.” -Aaron Walker On this episode of the Circuit of Success, Brett Gilliland welcomes professional life & business coach and author of View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance Aaron Walker. Brett and Aaron sit down to talk about... The post Aaron Walker Joins the Circuit of Success! appeared first on The Circuit of Success with Brett Gilliland.

Aaron Walker (@VFTCoach) has almost four decades of successful entrepreneurship under his belt; he rejoins us to talk about his new book, View From the Top: Living a Life of Significance. "I'm always looking for a way to make it happen, not excuses why it won't work." -Aaron Walker The Cheat Sheet: Aaron grew up with nothing; discover what significant mindset shifts along the way changed his own results. Understand why we should fear missing opportunity more than we should fear failure. The importance of living proactively instead of reactively. The value of participating in a mastermind group. How a personal tragedy led to an entirely new way of thinking for Aaron. And so much more... Show notes at https://theartofcharm.com/631/ Find out more about the team who makes The Art of Charm podcast here! SmartMouth is the only activated oral rinse clinically proven to eliminate existing bad breath and prevent it from returning for a full twelve hours per rinse. Visit SmartMouth.com to get an in-depth, scientific analysis of how SmartMouth is able to deliver such incredible results! Distinctive style meets unique spirit in the all-new crossover Toyota C-HR. Check out Toyota.com/C-HR to learn more! With pain-free invoicing, FreshBooks helps entrepreneurs and freelancers save time and avoid a lot of the stress that comes with running a small business. Try a month of unrestricted use for free here (no credit card required)! Enter "ART OF CHARM" in the how you heard about us section. DesignCrowd helps startups and small businesses crowdsource custom graphics, logos, Web design -- even tattoo designs! Check out DesignCrowd.com/Charm for a special $100 VIP offer for our listeners or enter the discount code CHARM when posting a project. Does your business have an Internet presence? Now save a whopping 50% on new webhosting packages here with HostGator by using coupon code CHARM! Free yourself from typing notes, reports, and documents by going with the transcriptionists we trust here at AoC: TranscriptionOutsourcing.net -- 99% or higher accuracy guaranteed! HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! If you dig the show, please subscribe in iTunes and write us a review! This is what helps us stand out from the crowd and help people find the credible advice they need. Review the show in iTunes! We rely on it! http://www.theartofcharm.com/mobilereview Stay Charming!

Businessman and Life Coach, Aaron T. Walker, has inspired many through his leadership, mentorship, and consistent pursuit of excellence. He enjoys helping others and believes experience is a great teacher. Aaron sold his first business to a Fortune 500 company at 27 years old and has been a serial entrepreneur ever since.  35 years of entrepreneurship and marriage have given Aaron a wealth of experience to pull from as he is on a mission to help more men around the world go from success to significance. He is also the author of View From the Top: Living a Life of Significance The Inner Changemaker is proudly supported in part by HelloFresh, the meal-kit service dedicated to making cooking fun, easy and convenient. For 50% off your first box, visit https://www.hellofresh.ca/tasty/ and enter promo code CHANGEMAKER50 when you subscribe.   LINKS -- Join the Legacy Driven Entrepreneurs Community (it's FREE): http://www.theinnerchangemaker.com/tribe Are you enjoying the podcast? Listen to the episode here and leave us a review: Apple: http://apple.co/1JUHcG9 Android: http://bit.ly/2nuoGpl TuneIn: http://bit.ly/2BjY0gU Breaker: http://bit.ly/2BRwOCb iHeartRadio: http://bit.ly/2BhMr9L Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2BbuWEg Want to grab my NEW audio training? Grab a FREE copy of "How To Be The Leader You Truly Are": http://www.theinnerchangemaker.com/leadership Launching a podcast? Grab my Podcast Creation Roadmap: http://www.theinnerchangemaker.com/roadmap

In this episode, Aaron talks about the importance of having a group around you to help boost you, support you, stop you from making bad decisions and hold you accountable. He also discusses the importance of character, honesty and moral values and how he got his start as a coach and mastermind facilitator. Aaron shares the lessons learned from his journey and what he's accomplished as a result of being a regular member of a mastermind group with members like Ken Abraham, Dave Ramsey and Dan Miller among others. Aaron also shares advice for living a life of success and significance and not sacrificing family and what is important to you just to make money. Finally, Aaron shares insights from his new book, View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance. Special gifts from Aaron: Visit viewfromthetop/hotseat for two special gifts: A free personal assessment and 25 Questions to get the Life you want. Other authors or books mentioned in the interview: The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, Procrastinate on Purpose by Rory Vaden and Fully Alive by Ken Davis. For information about coaching with coaching and mastermind groups, check out Andy's website

Justine lives in Wales, is 35 years old and started kayaking 12 years ago with a local canoe club.  When she was at university Justine loved team sports and represented England in hockey, only discovering walking, mountain biking and kayaking when she left university.   She started a career in television at about the same time she discovered kayaking, and she soon gave up her job to pursue sea kayaking adventures and film them to make a living.   Following her passion, was challenging and difficult for the first four years - people refused to believe that sea kayaking could be exciting! Justine soon changed their minds once they saw her movies. Justine is an avid and accomplished sea kayaker and has explored many of the world’s best paddling spots - New Zealand, Newfoundland, Norway, Tasmania, the Queen Charlotte Islands, Alaska, California...the list goes on! Show notes How she discovered the outdoors and fell in love with the mountain The challenges she faced of wanting to follow her passion Why it did come down to luck and her determination How she came to make her first sea kayaking video Remembering the important first steps and why she learnt to ask for what she wanted Why its important to share your goals and why you need to give 100% to your goals The expeditions that have stood out for Justine and why she kept upping the challenge after every adventure.  Taking on the Aleutian Islands, “the birth place of the winds” with Sarah Outen  Why she decided to say yes the adventure and why for her attitude is more important than skill Being told the crossings they wanted to do were impossible! (It wasn’t!) Being prepared to give it a go and being prepared to work hard and to wait for the weather 5 months for the planning and training Dealing with the long crossings and how she keeps on going The addictive feeling from from being on an adventure Dealing with the fear and worry in your head Mental tricks she uses while out Kayaking What she’s learnt from making mistakes  Dealing with fear and how she turns it into action Future challenges! Focusing more on - Fun, Family & Friends! Why she named her company - Cackle TV! Advice for women who want to get into Sea Kayaking Connect with Justine - Visit her website  & Say hi to Justine on Twitter @cackletv  Sponsor the Tough Girl Podcast!! Become a Patron!

Businessman and Life Coach, Aaron T. Walker, has inspired many through his leadership, mentorship, and consistent pursuit of excellence. He enjoys helping others and believes experience is a great teacher. 35 years of entrepreneurship and marriage have given Aaron a wealth of experience. Aaron continues to reach new heights and broaden his perspective of the terrain by examining his experiences and growing from them. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/aaron-walker-business/ What You Will Learn in This Episode What the loss of his father taught Aaron about relationships and his net worth. How introverted people can develop more confidence. How to develop a passionate following through videos, even with messy hair and unprofessional backdrops. How the "Give, Give, Give, Ask" method can grow your business. Why Aaron believes chasing work-life balance is a fallacy.   Resources Mentioned Aaron's free "Personal Assessment" and "What Do I Want?" guides View From the Top: Living a Life of Significance by Aaron Walker

Wanda introduces herself and shares the inspiration for creating the podcast about living in joy, love, peace, health, and financial prosperity.  You will know what to expect and how you may contribute to the podcast.  She discusses the benefit of mind, body, and spirit alignment.  She discusses the show’s format.  Wanda's team is working on scholarships opportunities and providing several platforms for organizations to gain awareness and funds for their causes.  

Show #126:  We take it easy today with just Dave and Adam.  Short show but entertaining I’m sure.  What did they talk about?:  Plumbing Woes, Top Living and Dead Celeb earners, Biebers Troubles, PBA Bowling update, Ryans Geek News and more you know!  awaoapodcast@gmail.com Show #126: Another Waste Of A Podcast Sounds: Dave Adam pre […]