Spark Launch: Neurodiversity Ignited

Living Eponymously: Creativity Over Conformity w/ Bradley Lewis Foster

Episode Summary

Mike and Chaya sit down with Bradley Lewis Foster, a creative force in the marketing world who discusses his experiences as a neurodivergent entrepreneur and the often-misunderstood traits associated with ADHD. Brad shares on leveraging neurodiverse thinking through different artforms, leading to greater understanding of both himself and the larger world.

Episode Notes

Mike and Chaya sit down with Bradley Lewis Foster, a creative force in the marketing world who discusses his experiences as a neurodivergent entrepreneur and the often-misunderstood traits associated with ADHD. Brad shares on leveraging neurodiverse thinking through different artforms, leading to greater understanding of both himself and the larger world.

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Quotes:

About Bradley Lewis Foster:

Bradley Lewis Foster is originally from a small town in Montana and spent over 15 years in marketing for some of the best brands in the world including companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Disney, AT&T, MillerCoors, and The Oscars. He has also helped hundreds of small businesses and developed a marketing training and mentorship program. He currently runs a full-service ad agency called EPONYMOUS that brings the science and methodologies used by top brands to businesses of all sizes.

Connect with Bradley:

Episode Transcription

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Hello there. I'm Mike

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I'm Chaya.

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And toda we're excited to
welcome Bradley Lewis Foster, an

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adhder and seasoned marketing
professional with over 15 years of

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experience at industry giants
like Amazon, Microsoft, Disney and

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many more. He has used this
experience to help hundreds of small

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businesses and developed his
own training and mentorship program

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emphasizing the power of
creativity and storytelling in both

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marketing and personal growth.
Currently, he runs a full service

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ad agency called Eponymous
that brings methodologies used by

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top brands to businesses of
all sizes. Welcome, Bradley.

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Thank you for having me. Good
to be here.

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Welcome. Brad, your bio said
you are, you have ADHD and then you

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have all these
accomplishments. So why don't you

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start off by talking some of
the challenges you might have experienced

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as being an adhder and then
how you overcame and where you are

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today on your journey?

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Sure, I guess, like, for me, I
never considered my particular wiring

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to be something that I focused
too much on. I think everybody probably

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has their own, you know,
wrinkles. So I just thought that's

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just normal. Right. Because
that's just how my brain works. I

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just figured that's how
everybody's brain works. I figured

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everybody's a night owl who
stays up till 2 or 4am because that's

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just like, why wouldn't you,
like, be more productive? And so

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there's obviously some
drawbacks to it and I think everybody

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probably has a different
experience. But for me, like, I think

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it can kind of be a superpower
if you have figured out how to harness

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it. And it took me a while to
figure out how to harness it, but

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I think just like anything in
life, it's a matter of like, over

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time you will figure out who
you are. And that's, that's one of

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your missions in life, is to
get to know yourself really, really,

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really well. I think it's.
It's essentially your duty is to

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figure out who you are and you
can do that in a lot of ways. Traveling,

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for example, can do that.
Going and being out in nature, finding

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your tribe, as people say,
like going and being around others,

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meeting other people. Seeing
how they see the world and how they

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approach their, their own
problems. But I never thought of

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it as, oh, I've got this
problem and oh, this is, you know,

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my burden or something. No, I
just, it doesn't. What I figured

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out in life in order to be
successful, it does not matter. And

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what I tell people in my
mentorship is if you spend your time,

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or I should say it this way,
you are better off spending your

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time not trying to change the
rules of the game that you're playing.

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Like, if you're playing a
board game and you're trying to change

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the rules, that is a big waste
of your time. Instead, you should

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figure out how should you best
play the game. And the sad truth

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is, in life, we're all going
to start out at different places

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and some people are going to
have every advantage in the world

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and some people are going to
have none. But you can't change the

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rules of the game. So you're
better off accepting this is the

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game we're playing and putting
together a really good strategy for

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how you can win, whatever that
means for you. And everybody has

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a different version of what
winning means. So for me, you know,

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maybe I had trouble staying
focused on one task. Well, that's

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awesome because that means I'm
going to accomplish a whole lot of

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things if I put in a whole lot
of effort. Yeah, it could create

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some issues with focus. And
maybe I wasn't the most organized

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when I was younger, but as I
got to know myself and I went on

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that journey, I figured out,
okay, Brad, that's part of how you're

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wired. This is just how you
are for whatever reason. So what

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are you going to do with it?
Are you going to try to change the

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rules to the game or are you
going to accept this is how you are

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and how do you manage it? And
so these days there's, you know,

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so many more options and
there's so much more exploration

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into it and I think less
stigmatization towards any sort of

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wrinkles, as I call them. You
know, any kind of different wiring,

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whatever that means. I don't
think there's any normal wiring.

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I think everybody has
different wiring. But I think now

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that people are much more open
about these private matters. And

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so I think that that actually
really helps people because it's

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okay to even recognize it
within yourself, which I think a

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lot of people have trouble
doing because they don't want to

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acknowledge it. So that's a
really long answer, but I think that's

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kind of how I approach It.

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I think everybody has
challenges, right? However, your

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situation is, what kind of
family background, where you're born,

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all of that is so different
from one another. But I think in

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life we all have challenges.
And you mentioned knowing yourself.

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I think that is key. Figuring
out who you are, your authentic self,

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and not listening to the noise
of the external world and believing

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in yourself and in your own
journey and going along that journey.

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And of course we're going to
have bumps, different kinds of challenges

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along the way. That's part of
life and that's where we need to

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embrace fearlessness. And life
is a mystery. Let's just accept that

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nobody knows what's going to
happen next. So if we embrace that

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not knowing what's next part,
we'll. We'll get to where we need

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to go.

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I completely agree. And by the
way, it's okay to make a whole bunch

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of mistakes. I think if you
have a mindset of living in fear,

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you will not make many
mistakes, but you will also not accomplish

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much. And I don't mean like
from a career perspective or business

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or finance or anything like
that. I mean that sacred duty of

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learning who you are, because
that's the key to everything. Like,

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it's like the expression, you
can't love someone else until you

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learn to love yourself. It's
that same thing. Like, how could

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you go be successful in
something if you don't even know

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the. Like you haven't read the
user manual to yourself, which you

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will never fully read because
you're constantly getting to know

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yourself and we constantly
change and grow and all these things.

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So I think if you live in
fear, you. You're trading that security

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for realization and
accomplishment and ultimately fulfillment.

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And I always tell people that
we focus too much on happiness and

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not enough on fulfillment. And
the truth is that the more you focus

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on fulfillment, the happier
you will be.

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In your bio, I mentioned the
role art and storytelling play, both

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personally and in your career
as a. As a marketer. And going off

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of what you were saying, how
does art forms sort of connect to

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that and how. I guess in some
ways, at least how I view life. Life

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itself is an art form and you
can play it a lot like that and curious

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how that goes for you.

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Sure. Well, life is the
ultimate creation. Yeah, I think

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so. I have no idea if it's a
nature or nurture thing for me, but

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I'm a very creative person, a
very artistic person. I have no idea

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what the combination was that
led me to that. My brother's also

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extremely creative as well.
He's in film. Why are we this way?

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I have no idea, you know, but
so I actually intended first. Like,

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my first love was not
marketing. It was music. And I taught

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myself guitar. And I've been
playing probably since I was 13 or

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maybe even younger. It's a
great way to express yourself. It's

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also like, I think everybody,
like, meditates in their own way.

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For me, it's like writing and
playing music for me is very meditative,

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and it's a very helpful thing.
It's like a. A tool essentially for

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me. And so I actually wanted
to be a musician before I ever wanted

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to be a marketer. And I went
into marketing because I was like,

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I don't know what else to do.
I'm creative. And back in Montana,

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there weren't many
opportunities. So I was like, well,

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go into business school. It's
kind of a safe thing to do. And so

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I was like, well, what's the
most creative thing that I can do

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in business? And that's
marketing. And so it translated very

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well. And then when I was
right around 27, I started writing,

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which is now my. My greatest
passion outside of marketing. But

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I think that I have this
expression that I like to say, which

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is marketing is the art
gallery of economics. And so I think

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the secret to being a good
marketer is being well studied in

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economics. And it's kind of
the secret because it's the study

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of incentivized behavior. And
so the marketing is just the facade

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that we see behind actual
economics. And so if you can be both

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an artist and an economist,
you'll be very successful at marketing.

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You talked about creativity,
and creativity is not taught in school.

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It's not the art class that
you take in class and. But how did

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you find that creativity?
Because I have my own creative journey.

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How did you find creativity?
Because what you're not good at in

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school and the things that
they tell that you're not good at

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is what leads you to
creativity. I mean, there's a whole

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connection of not following
the rules, especially not following

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the rules, because we adhders
are always dinged for that, not obeying

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the rules. But if you have
that creative gene in you, you are

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not going to follow the rules.
And so on my journey, I had to embrace

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that. So how did you figure
out you were creative?

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I think my teachers would
probably say I was too creative.

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I like to talk a lot and
easily distracted and distracting.

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So, yeah, I mean, I. I think I
always had a really good sense. I.

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I've always been really good
at reading people. And I have no

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idea, you know, specifically
where that comes from. I think part

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of it is growing up in
Montana. But I've always had a good

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sense of where the line is
with people, especially teachers.

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So I knew how far I could push
them before I would go too far. And

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sometimes I would, but I've
always found that. And I think part

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of it is just a fascination
and, like, social experiments, maybe.

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But what a great question.
Where does creativity come from and

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what sparked it for me? I
think my parents would tell you that

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I've always been creative. I
was always telling jokes as a kid

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and telling wild stories.
Sometimes I would tell wild stories

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that would get me in trouble,
that adults wouldn't be able to tell

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if I was telling the truth or
not. So I think I've just kind of

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always been that way to some
degree. But I think part of it is

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that I've always had a big
sense of humor. And they say that

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comedy is rooted in truth.
And, you know, the best art is art

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that is, you know, uncovering
a truth or that it's. It's saying

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something. So I think really
where it took off for me, though,

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is when I started playing
guitar and my mom played, and so,

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like, she gave me a book and,
like, taught me some of the basic

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chords, but it was very
difficult. I don't know if you ever

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tried to learn guitar. It's
very difficult at first. And so I

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quit three different times
before I finally stuck with it. And

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I'm really, really glad I did,
because once I did, then my creativity

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really took off. But before
that, and maybe this is a good lesson

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in creativity. Before that,
what do we. What do we all do to

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see if we're creative or not?
Well, we. We draw, right? And I can't

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draw to save my life, so. So
if I was to. If someone said, oh,

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are you creative? And I would.
I would own. The only thing I had

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before guitar is my drawings.
I'd be like, no. But it turns out

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I am extremely creative. It's
just the medium was critical that

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I had to try different mediums
before I figured out where I'm creative.

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And, you know, like, it amazes
me how people who can draw or paint

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really well. Just, like, how
does your brain do that? Connect

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your perception to your hand?
I have no idea how that works and

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why you're able to do that and
why other people aren't. But it just

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goes to show that that's why
you have to go experiment, get to

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know yourself. You have to try
everything, to figure out what you

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love in this world. Because if
I never picked up a guitar, that

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would be such a shame for me
because it's brought me so much joy

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and fulfillment and like I've
grown so much through that. Like,

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I've learned so much about
myself and my philosophies and everything

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else through it. So try
everything. And it's a, what a what

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an important outlet for
people. Like for me, just a great

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outlet.

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Yeah, what a beautiful point.
Creativity exists everywhere. Not

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just art, not just music. It
exists in your marketing, it exists

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in business. It exists, it
thrives in freedom. So we need to

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find that space to splash that
paint or whatever that is and make

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mistakes. Because creativity
is all about making mistakes. Trying

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out this, trying out that, and
what resonates with you, with your

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heart. And that's how you
create anything. Allow yourself to

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make mistakes which, which
unfortunately in the real world it's

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not presented. Institutions
don't present making mistakes. You're,

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you're penalized for that.
And, and so we have to seek our own

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freedom and allow ourselves
to, to create that environment where

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we can create.

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I agree very much. And I would
also say something you're alluding

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to earlier ties in with that,
which is what we're taught in schools

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is essentially preparing us to
be good little workers, but they're

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not preparing us to be
critical thinkers or entrepreneurs.

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And that's too bad. I also,
and maybe it's, maybe it's a product

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of being from Montana, but I
also think about what about the real

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world skills that we never
really learned. Like I think we learned

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how to grow one bean, you
know, but like what a real world

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skill? Growing food. What
could be a more important skill?

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Certainly things like
finances, investing, taxes, things

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that you will actually be
doing as an adult. When you're responsible,

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like autonomous, you're not
taught those things. You're taught

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how to have a safe, secure,
employee minded job. And while that's

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great, it's, that's not an
inherently bad thing. It's just like

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you said, it's restrictive and
it doesn't give you the freedom to

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pursue the thing that you
really care about. And actually something

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that you said at the beginning
kind of struck me too, which is I

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heard the story of this. A gal
who really struggled in school, was

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not getting good grades, could
not pay attention, busy body, you

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know, really struggled in
school. So her parents came in and

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the teacher's like, you know,
this student really struggling. And

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the parent, well, what are
they doing? And they said, well,

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she's dancing all the time.
She's constantly dancing. And she's

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always kind of, you know,
playing all. She just loves to play.

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And it's. It's kind of a
problem. And so then they talk to

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the principal, and who knows,
I'm probably getting some of these

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facts wrong. But they talked
to the principal who said. They asked

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the child and they said, well,
why don't you want to do the schoolwork?

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And she's like, because I love
to dance. And the principal goes,

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you have a dancer on your
hands. Like, you have some. You have

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a very creative child on your
hands. So you're trying to turn them

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into like an engineer or
something, but they're a creative.

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They're getting the complete
wrong structure for themselves. So

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she went on, and I wish I knew
her name, but she went on to be like

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00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,888
this incredible, like, costume
designer for Broadway. And she's

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like, won all these awards.
Like, she's this incredibly talented

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00:14:52,912 --> 00:14:55,974
person, like, very well
esteemed. But it was all because

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one person in authority
recognized, you know, who's supposed

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to be developing children
recognized. Yeah, we're taking the

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00:15:02,382 --> 00:15:04,454
wrong approach here because
we're trying to do a one size fits

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all. But think of all the jobs
out there. It makes no sense. So

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I would love more creativity
in schools and more critical thinking

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as opposed to just go memorize
this stuff. Trust me, I'm right.

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Instead, you know, it'd be
great for people to not only fundamentally

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understand how things work,
because I don't really like this

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idea of, oh, you don't need to
know how things fundamentally work

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because you can just go Google
it or go on chatgpt. You should fundamentally

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understand how things work,
but also go pursue what you really

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care about. Because even
though I have done so much math in

259
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my career, I have never used
trigonometry. What was the point

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of that?

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00:15:37,932 --> 00:15:42,916
So much of it is antiquated.
So much of it is, as your story pointed

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out, stuffing people into a
box. You know, you have to go do

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this because the test you took
pointed towards you are, you can

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be a mail delivery person, you
can be a police officer. You can.

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And this is true of all kids.
But I think neurodivergent people

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in, in general are all kind of
are very starving artists in a lot

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of ways. You said a lot of
education is geared towards the employee

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mindset. It's very worker B,
which is sad on a lot of different

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levels and, you know, can be
helpful to a certain degree. But

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when you are getting people
whose brains function more like Us,

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we don't interface with that
whole idea as well as maybe some

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others. We tend to be able to
go off on our own or work better

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on our own, or are able to
create in some form, even if it is

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something that is, you know,
like she wanted to be a dancer also

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great costume designer, you
know, and. And they're related, but

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it's also using another piece
of creativity that she's able to

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find on her own. And for us,
we. That's why so many, I think,

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neurodivergent people also
make really good entrepreneurs and

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business owners. Which is
funny since most people would peg

280
00:16:56,442 --> 00:17:00,842
them as having difficulties
with dealing with the minutia of

281
00:17:00,866 --> 00:17:05,060
that. But it's different when
it's in our control and it's something

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we were actually able to focus
on and have a passion for. It's all

283
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the other stuff, you know, I
can probably apply algebra if it's

284
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related to my own business
practices. If you just asked me to

285
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do an algebra question, I
would tell you to get out of my house.

286
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There is needing to be like
that change of practicality and real

287
00:17:25,660 --> 00:17:29,412
world application to nurture
those kind of minds who want to go

288
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out and go off the beaten
track a little bit.

289
00:17:32,100 --> 00:17:34,954
I totally agree. I mean, I
think if it's almost like the more

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00:17:35,042 --> 00:17:38,282
differently that you're wired,
the more original your thoughts can

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00:17:38,306 --> 00:17:41,994
be. One thing that I talk a
lot about in music is, you know,

292
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a lot of musicians, there's
kind of two mindsets. It's either

293
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this is a vehicle to make a
lot of money and fame, or it's a

294
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vehicle to express myself
through art. And if you want to go

295
00:17:53,250 --> 00:17:55,626
make a lot of money, you would
think, well, let's just go sound

296
00:17:55,658 --> 00:17:59,108
like everybody else. Because
we know that that's popular and that's

297
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the trend. So I should just go
do what they do because you know,

298
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that will make me a lot of
money. But in reality, how to make

299
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the most money is to be
original. Because when Led Zeppelin

300
00:18:09,732 --> 00:18:13,380
came out, let's say nobody
asked for Led Zeppelin, but they

301
00:18:13,420 --> 00:18:16,212
showed up and said, here you
go, and everyone went, whoa, this

302
00:18:16,236 --> 00:18:19,796
is incredible crazy music I've
never heard before. I had no idea

303
00:18:19,828 --> 00:18:22,724
that I wanted this sound. So
if you're just constantly listening

304
00:18:22,772 --> 00:18:25,420
to what everybody else is
telling you to do and telling you,

305
00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:29,356
be like everybody else, take
the safe road, then honestly, you'll

306
00:18:29,388 --> 00:18:33,692
probably be way more likely to
fail because it's redundant. What

307
00:18:33,716 --> 00:18:37,484
is the point of being someone
else? They already exist. Go be yourself.

308
00:18:37,612 --> 00:18:41,964
I remember years ago, I was
watching A panel with famous voice

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00:18:42,012 --> 00:18:46,604
actor. And it was kind of like
a workshop panel, sort of. So it

310
00:18:46,612 --> 00:18:50,412
was a lot of aspiring actors
and stuff. One of his pieces of advice

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00:18:50,476 --> 00:18:53,772
was he gets a lot of people
who send him demo tapes of, like,

312
00:18:53,796 --> 00:18:57,198
doing Fred Flintstone or Homer
Simpson and stuff. He's like, yeah,

313
00:18:57,214 --> 00:19:01,470
they're all good. They already
have people who do that. So, like,

314
00:19:01,510 --> 00:19:04,718
you can't like, sending that
in as an audition piece. Doesn't

315
00:19:04,734 --> 00:19:07,950
get you anywhere because.
Cool. You did that voice we already

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00:19:07,990 --> 00:19:11,694
have an actor for. And I think
a lot of that kind of already applies.

317
00:19:11,742 --> 00:19:14,478
You have to kind of find
yourself and be yourself. And what

318
00:19:14,534 --> 00:19:17,342
are you trying to express with
what you're doing?

319
00:19:17,446 --> 00:19:19,294
Absolutely. Yeah. That's a
funny example.

320
00:19:19,342 --> 00:19:23,614
I like that going off of that
as far as what you're communicating

321
00:19:23,662 --> 00:19:28,302
emotionally and from yourself,
regards to your art. What are you

322
00:19:28,326 --> 00:19:29,822
trying to say with that stuff?

323
00:19:29,886 --> 00:19:33,054
I mean, it really depends on
the piece, right? I tend to be pretty

324
00:19:33,102 --> 00:19:36,686
philosophical. I think one of
the reasons why we're here is to

325
00:19:36,758 --> 00:19:41,742
pursue truth. And I think the
kind of the catch to it is that you

326
00:19:41,766 --> 00:19:44,942
have to know going in is that
you'll never get it. But I think

327
00:19:44,966 --> 00:19:49,280
it's your job to get as close
to it as you can. And so I think

328
00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:54,064
I enjoy exploring those kinds
of concepts, but it really just depends.

329
00:19:54,192 --> 00:19:59,136
Just like anybody, I, you
know, write about love or betrayal,

330
00:19:59,248 --> 00:20:02,800
disappointment, excitement,
things that are just out of reach.

331
00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:08,752
You know, what is God, Why are
we here? I love reading. I love referencing

332
00:20:08,816 --> 00:20:12,448
history and art and tying
things into my music and my writing.

333
00:20:12,544 --> 00:20:15,168
But I also enjoy tying that
into my marketing. I think having

334
00:20:15,224 --> 00:20:18,112
a really good memory, which is
one of my superpowers. I don't know

335
00:20:18,136 --> 00:20:21,836
why, but I have a tremendous
memory. It really helps me in marketing,

336
00:20:21,948 --> 00:20:26,108
which I've talked to. Like, I
remember in an interview with Amazon

337
00:20:26,204 --> 00:20:29,212
there, that's one of their
common interview questions is, you

338
00:20:29,236 --> 00:20:31,692
know, what would you say is
your superpower? And I said, well,

339
00:20:31,716 --> 00:20:34,988
I have this crazy memory. And
they were like, that's not a superpower.

340
00:20:35,004 --> 00:20:37,804
And I said, well, actually it
is, because, you know, good marketing

341
00:20:37,852 --> 00:20:42,620
ties into zeitgeist. And even
really good marketing can create

342
00:20:42,660 --> 00:20:46,252
its own zeitgeist, like the
caveman commercial from Geico, which

343
00:20:46,276 --> 00:20:50,972
they've recently brought back.
Good marketing can create, as I think

344
00:20:50,996 --> 00:20:54,236
about diamonds, like, we have
our own opinions of diamonds simply

345
00:20:54,268 --> 00:20:57,612
because of the marketing, and
the price tag reflects that. So.

346
00:20:57,716 --> 00:21:01,788
So the more that you have both
the ability to recall and integrate

347
00:21:01,884 --> 00:21:06,092
history, art, all of society,
the better your marketing can be

348
00:21:06,116 --> 00:21:08,940
and the more it can resonate
with people. So they rejected that

349
00:21:08,980 --> 00:21:12,108
answer, which I tried to
explain it is. And I go, okay, fine,

350
00:21:12,124 --> 00:21:14,412
it's my, it's my super
creativity. And they go, okay, now

351
00:21:14,436 --> 00:21:15,922
we're talking. Okay.

352
00:21:16,066 --> 00:21:22,210
I think memory is
misunderstood in many ways. I feel

353
00:21:22,330 --> 00:21:25,986
what they test in school is
not real memory. That's the working

354
00:21:26,058 --> 00:21:29,954
memory, that's the short term
memory. And I suck at that even today.

355
00:21:30,042 --> 00:21:35,362
But I remember deep
conversations. I remember which table

356
00:21:35,426 --> 00:21:40,546
we sat at in a restaurant 10
years ago. I have no idea how that's

357
00:21:40,578 --> 00:21:46,630
going to be useful, but there
is an emotion attached to it. Maybe

358
00:21:47,030 --> 00:21:50,990
that's how you remember
things. Something that triggered

359
00:21:51,070 --> 00:21:53,438
in you for you to remember
that well.

360
00:21:53,494 --> 00:21:56,510
I mean that's a fascinating
topic unto itself. Because where

361
00:21:56,550 --> 00:22:00,430
is memory stored in the brain?
It's stored everywhere and nowhere.

362
00:22:00,510 --> 00:22:03,710
There isn't a memory center of
the brain. I think there's areas

363
00:22:03,750 --> 00:22:06,718
of higher concentration, but
there isn't one center. And they've

364
00:22:06,734 --> 00:22:09,886
done tons of experiments
around that. I even talked to a NASA

365
00:22:09,918 --> 00:22:12,686
neuroscientist about that
because I read it and I was so curious

366
00:22:12,718 --> 00:22:16,044
if that was true. And she
said, yes, that is largely true.

367
00:22:16,092 --> 00:22:19,196
And we don't really understand
memory. And it begs this question

368
00:22:19,268 --> 00:22:22,764
of is this world of projection
and our consciousness exists at a

369
00:22:22,772 --> 00:22:26,268
deeper level and our body is
just projecting this consciousness.

370
00:22:26,364 --> 00:22:30,700
Who knows, maybe that's kind
of a weird exception to this world

371
00:22:30,740 --> 00:22:34,636
that we think we live like a
Newtonian universe. That if it's

372
00:22:34,668 --> 00:22:38,236
a Newtonian universe, then how
can that be true? That memory doesn't

373
00:22:38,268 --> 00:22:41,622
really exist in any single
place. So it just raises a lot of

374
00:22:41,646 --> 00:22:45,414
questions about consciousness.
So I think memory is super fascinating

375
00:22:45,462 --> 00:22:48,038
and I love this question I
heard before, which is if you could

376
00:22:48,094 --> 00:22:51,382
go on a vacation for a month
and it's your dream vacation, but

377
00:22:51,406 --> 00:22:54,838
you wouldn't remember it when
you got back, would you go and it's

378
00:22:54,854 --> 00:22:57,766
like there's no right answer.
It's just it, it brings up the point.

379
00:22:57,838 --> 00:23:00,950
Yeah, if we don't remember
things, then what is, what really

380
00:23:00,990 --> 00:23:04,118
is the point? Because memory
serves such a critical function for

381
00:23:04,174 --> 00:23:05,718
growth and self identity.

382
00:23:05,814 --> 00:23:10,838
I would answer that by saying
I think it's stored in my body. Even

383
00:23:10,974 --> 00:23:15,446
though I might not consciously
remember it, it's somehow become

384
00:23:15,518 --> 00:23:18,550
a part of me. And for that
reason I would go.

385
00:23:18,670 --> 00:23:21,926
I would go too. Yes, absolutely.

386
00:23:22,038 --> 00:23:24,630
It's always been an
interesting conundrum that I've,

387
00:23:24,710 --> 00:23:27,158
ever since I was a kid because
I've always been very philosophical

388
00:23:27,174 --> 00:23:30,806
and existential and I think a
Lot of neurodivergent people tend

389
00:23:30,838 --> 00:23:34,082
to be naturally. I always kind
of joke that we can all kind of just

390
00:23:34,106 --> 00:23:37,666
see the strings of everything.
And I've always been sort of obsessed

391
00:23:37,698 --> 00:23:41,922
with the idea of, like, are.
Of whether or not we are the collected

392
00:23:41,986 --> 00:23:46,754
sum of memory, or we exist
also outside of that memory equally.

393
00:23:46,882 --> 00:23:50,994
And are we someplace in the
middle? You know, if can. If memories

394
00:23:51,042 --> 00:23:54,786
were then replaced, do I. Am I
still the same individual? You know,

395
00:23:54,858 --> 00:23:57,122
because I think I mentioned
this on the podcast before, on my

396
00:23:57,146 --> 00:24:01,046
favorite kind of philosophical
exercises is the ship of Theseus.

397
00:24:01,158 --> 00:24:04,230
Like, I just kind of love that
idea of taking the ship and then

398
00:24:04,270 --> 00:24:06,902
slowly removing parts of it,
and then is it still technically

399
00:24:06,966 --> 00:24:10,038
the same ship once it's all
new parts? And I think about that

400
00:24:10,094 --> 00:24:15,750
in regards to myself and how
also easily memories can necessarily

401
00:24:15,830 --> 00:24:20,758
be altered by events in your
life or even by other people in certain

402
00:24:20,814 --> 00:24:26,260
ways. And what. Like, how can
the core of you remain amidst all

403
00:24:26,300 --> 00:24:26,644
that?

404
00:24:26,732 --> 00:24:30,560
Yeah, our own bodies,
ourselves, replace themselves. So

405
00:24:30,860 --> 00:24:34,564
we are literally not the same
person we were when we were younger.

406
00:24:34,692 --> 00:24:37,684
So, yeah, it's a great
example. I mean, it's even true for

407
00:24:37,692 --> 00:24:38,052
us.

408
00:24:38,156 --> 00:24:42,596
Talk about your marketing a
little bit as well, as far as the

409
00:24:42,668 --> 00:24:47,844
strategies you implement. How
has your neurodiversity shaped that

410
00:24:47,932 --> 00:24:48,612
approach?

411
00:24:48,796 --> 00:24:53,704
Well, I think. Well, the joke
that I make to people, because it's.

412
00:24:53,752 --> 00:24:56,744
It's common, people will want
to hire me as a consultant. And the

413
00:24:56,752 --> 00:25:02,920
joke that I make is that
people rent my brain. So. So essentially,

414
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:07,000
whatever wiring that I was
born with, that I've received or

415
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:11,928
that has developed therefrom
is in demand. So it serves a purpose.

416
00:25:12,024 --> 00:25:17,714
It has, I guess, some inherent
proclivities that people find useful

417
00:25:17,842 --> 00:25:22,642
when combined with my
experience. So, yeah, I. It just

418
00:25:22,666 --> 00:25:26,962
kind of happened that way. I
don't know why, but one thing I would

419
00:25:26,986 --> 00:25:29,922
say about that is, and again,
this is something that I teach in

420
00:25:29,946 --> 00:25:34,370
my mentorship program is we
think about the gym as a way to get

421
00:25:34,410 --> 00:25:37,762
into good health and to
strengthen our bodies. And the next

422
00:25:37,786 --> 00:25:40,770
time we go to the gym, we'll
be stronger, we can lift more weight,

423
00:25:40,850 --> 00:25:43,778
but we don't think about our
brains in the same way. And that's

424
00:25:43,794 --> 00:25:48,410
a shame, because I remember
what I was like, like, my intellect

425
00:25:48,490 --> 00:25:53,562
before and my curiosity before
I started reading heavily and after.

426
00:25:53,666 --> 00:25:56,506
And it did not take many
books. And I mean, difficult books,

427
00:25:56,538 --> 00:26:00,842
not just like cheap, easy, fun
books, books that make you question

428
00:26:00,946 --> 00:26:04,842
things, books that use words
you've never read before. I remember

429
00:26:04,986 --> 00:26:08,874
the before and after of that.
And so I think both through my experience

430
00:26:08,962 --> 00:26:13,572
and my own intellectual
pursuits, I have spent a lot of time

431
00:26:13,676 --> 00:26:18,372
at the gym for my brain. And
that's why it's worth renting it.

432
00:26:18,476 --> 00:26:21,124
So if you don't do the same
thing, why would anybody want to

433
00:26:21,132 --> 00:26:23,444
rent your brain? And isn't
that something you should want? And

434
00:26:23,452 --> 00:26:25,860
if you had to choose between
someone renting your body or your

435
00:26:25,900 --> 00:26:26,948
brain, which would you choose?

436
00:26:27,044 --> 00:26:30,532
What a fascinating thought.
And that's why it's so important

437
00:26:30,636 --> 00:26:37,220
not to be on autopilot and
just keep doing things in an automatic

438
00:26:37,300 --> 00:26:41,908
way, but to actually exercise
your brain. Exercise, not blindly

439
00:26:42,004 --> 00:26:47,892
exercise, exercise it filled
with passion and with the love that

440
00:26:47,916 --> 00:26:50,004
you want to do. You should
enjoy it.

441
00:26:50,092 --> 00:26:52,452
Absolutely. And it goes back
to what we were talking about earlier.

442
00:26:52,556 --> 00:26:54,932
The more that you exercise
your brain, the more you will find

443
00:26:54,956 --> 00:26:57,204
what you like. And the more
you find what you love, like the

444
00:26:57,212 --> 00:26:59,972
more you can go find what you
love and pursue it in depth. And

445
00:26:59,996 --> 00:27:03,372
people make entire careers out
of things that they love. So for

446
00:27:03,396 --> 00:27:05,948
people who are unhappy with
their jobs, which is probably most

447
00:27:06,004 --> 00:27:09,452
people, go read a bunch of
books, go explore things, go do things

448
00:27:09,476 --> 00:27:13,244
you've never done before,
because you may not ever know in

449
00:27:13,252 --> 00:27:15,692
your whole life what your
passion really is if you don't do

450
00:27:15,716 --> 00:27:19,420
that. Probably the best way to
figure out what you should be doing,

451
00:27:19,460 --> 00:27:22,652
your mission in this world.
Like, I like to talk about potential

452
00:27:22,716 --> 00:27:27,020
a lot and I think about this
idea that you were given certain

453
00:27:27,060 --> 00:27:29,998
gifts when you were born, and
maybe they're physical, maybe they're

454
00:27:30,014 --> 00:27:32,878
intellectual, maybe they're
both. But if you don't try a bunch

455
00:27:32,894 --> 00:27:35,326
of different things, you will
never find out the thing that you're

456
00:27:35,358 --> 00:27:38,590
best at in this world. For
example, I might be the greatest

457
00:27:38,670 --> 00:27:42,638
fencer in the world, but I
have never tried it. And so I will

458
00:27:42,694 --> 00:27:45,934
never know. But what a shame
that it would be that somewhere in

459
00:27:45,942 --> 00:27:49,486
the world, and I actually
think that this applies to many things,

460
00:27:49,638 --> 00:27:53,246
that somewhere there's the
greatest fencer that never tried

461
00:27:53,278 --> 00:27:55,790
it. Somewhere there's the
greatest dart player that ever tried

462
00:27:55,790 --> 00:27:59,018
it, but never tried it. And so
the people that we have at these

463
00:27:59,074 --> 00:28:02,074
things, who we think are like
the all time greatest, may actually

464
00:28:02,162 --> 00:28:06,266
be third or fourth or fifth.
But it just goes to show, like, go,

465
00:28:06,338 --> 00:28:09,482
please explore and figure out
who you are and what you love to

466
00:28:09,506 --> 00:28:09,786
do.

467
00:28:09,858 --> 00:28:14,490
Yeah, I think there are clues.
The universe puts, gives us clues

468
00:28:14,650 --> 00:28:20,058
and this is where we have to
tap into our instinct and our intuition

469
00:28:20,234 --> 00:28:26,250
to actually go try it out.
Right. If the fencing opportunity

470
00:28:26,330 --> 00:28:30,970
was not in your radar, you
probably were not meant to be a good

471
00:28:31,010 --> 00:28:35,498
fencer. That's just my theory.
But we are always given hints and

472
00:28:35,554 --> 00:28:41,962
clues. So we, I think to. To
bravely tap into those hints, we

473
00:28:42,146 --> 00:28:47,146
have to stop listening to the
noise from others and just trust

474
00:28:47,258 --> 00:28:51,450
ourselves and just go after it
and try it out. You don't like it,

475
00:28:51,570 --> 00:28:54,272
that's fine. You've actually
learned something about yourself.

476
00:28:54,386 --> 00:28:57,668
Absolutely. In fact, that's an
important lesson in entrepreneurship

477
00:28:57,764 --> 00:29:00,772
because it's. It's very
common. There's a lot of instances

478
00:29:00,836 --> 00:29:03,140
of this. The one that I can
think of off the top of my head is

479
00:29:03,180 --> 00:29:07,524
bottled water. That the guy
who created bottled water, supposedly

480
00:29:07,652 --> 00:29:12,612
he created it as his master's
thesis, and when he presented it,

481
00:29:12,636 --> 00:29:15,300
he was laughed at and said,
why would anybody buy bottled water?

482
00:29:15,340 --> 00:29:17,780
And he's like, why? Based on
my research, I think it actually,

483
00:29:17,820 --> 00:29:20,382
there's a big demand for it.
And they laughed at him. And, you

484
00:29:20,406 --> 00:29:23,294
know, look at bottled water
now. In fact, think of all the evolutions

485
00:29:23,342 --> 00:29:26,430
of bottled water to today. And
it's something that I tell entrepreneurs.

486
00:29:26,510 --> 00:29:30,494
There is a cycle that happens
when you decide to split off from

487
00:29:30,502 --> 00:29:34,718
the pack and take yourself out
of the kind of employee mindset and

488
00:29:34,774 --> 00:29:37,966
say, I have this passion and
I'm going to go pursue it. In fact,

489
00:29:38,038 --> 00:29:41,518
some of this is bolstered by
Chris Gardner, the figure behind

490
00:29:41,574 --> 00:29:45,278
the Will Smith movie Pursuit
of Happiness. When I worked at AT&T,

491
00:29:45,334 --> 00:29:49,120
he was our spokesman for
Business Circle, this small business

492
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:52,768
community that we created. And
he's one of the most inspiring people

493
00:29:52,824 --> 00:29:56,128
that I've ever talked to, ever
met. He's an unbelievable person.

494
00:29:56,264 --> 00:29:59,712
He was talking about how the
struggles he went through, which

495
00:29:59,736 --> 00:30:01,840
were portrayed in the movie,
which in real life were actually

496
00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:04,032
even more difficult than what
the movie showed, if you can believe

497
00:30:04,056 --> 00:30:06,832
it. But he said, as an
entrepreneur, and then just in life,

498
00:30:06,856 --> 00:30:09,776
he said, don't listen to
anybody. And I found what happens

499
00:30:09,808 --> 00:30:12,912
when I. Because I. I've worked
with hundreds of entrepreneurs, what

500
00:30:13,016 --> 00:30:15,952
happens is when you split off
and you take yourself out of the

501
00:30:15,976 --> 00:30:19,102
employee world, people will
question you, they will laugh at

502
00:30:19,126 --> 00:30:21,998
you, they will think you're
crazy. They will lecture you, they'll

503
00:30:22,014 --> 00:30:24,814
call you and be like, are you
out of your mind? Are you okay? Like,

504
00:30:24,902 --> 00:30:28,078
everybody will tell you not to
do that because it's not safe. But

505
00:30:28,134 --> 00:30:30,846
it's important not to listen
then, because what eventually happens

506
00:30:30,958 --> 00:30:33,342
now, not every time you're
successful at that, but that's actually

507
00:30:33,366 --> 00:30:36,686
not a bad thing because you
learn from failure. And at Amazon,

508
00:30:36,718 --> 00:30:39,966
that's part of the culture
there, by the way, that Amazon views

509
00:30:39,998 --> 00:30:42,382
failure as opportunities to
learn. And it's the only place I

510
00:30:42,406 --> 00:30:45,822
ever worked where they did not
punish failure. They actually. We

511
00:30:45,846 --> 00:30:47,758
would have meetings on it.
We'd say, okay, what did we learn?

512
00:30:47,774 --> 00:30:50,622
That didn't work at all? So
what did we learn? What can we do

513
00:30:50,646 --> 00:30:53,838
with this information? Like,
it was a very positive approach to

514
00:30:53,894 --> 00:30:57,342
failure. Which. It's. Everyone
should do that. It's. It's brilliant.

515
00:30:57,406 --> 00:31:00,430
You should do it in your own
life, too. So even if you fail, what

516
00:31:00,470 --> 00:31:04,302
ends up happening? Inevitably,
always, every single time, eventually,

517
00:31:04,366 --> 00:31:07,950
if you stick with it, you will
succeed. And those same people who

518
00:31:07,990 --> 00:31:11,070
questioned you and laughed at
you and did not support you, even

519
00:31:11,110 --> 00:31:14,190
take 10 seconds out of the day
to write you a review or the most

520
00:31:14,230 --> 00:31:16,510
minute thing. Your best
friends in the world, your family

521
00:31:16,550 --> 00:31:20,766
members, anybody. It's very
common. The second you become successful,

522
00:31:20,878 --> 00:31:23,262
they'll tell you how much they
believed in you all along. And they

523
00:31:23,286 --> 00:31:26,846
want to, hey, can you give me
a job? Can I come along for the ride?

524
00:31:27,038 --> 00:31:30,542
Every single time? But don't
forget that. Don't forget those people.

525
00:31:30,646 --> 00:31:33,214
Don't forget. More
importantly, though, don't forget

526
00:31:33,262 --> 00:31:36,244
who supported you, because
those people will be very rare.

527
00:31:36,342 --> 00:31:39,656
Yeah. There are people who
support you and the people who don't

528
00:31:39,688 --> 00:31:43,352
support you who cannot see
your vision. Right. But I think the

529
00:31:43,376 --> 00:31:48,104
people who cannot see your
vision are actually pushing you to

530
00:31:48,272 --> 00:31:52,952
believe in yourself. So I
actually am very grateful today to

531
00:31:52,976 --> 00:31:57,288
the people who have rejected
me. I've forgiven them because they

532
00:31:57,344 --> 00:32:02,376
were indirectly telling me
it's there in you, you know? So there's

533
00:32:02,408 --> 00:32:08,090
always lessons, and we need to
learn those lessons from rejection

534
00:32:08,250 --> 00:32:13,226
and implement that. And it's,
I think, filling up the shadow side

535
00:32:13,298 --> 00:32:17,242
of ourselves and then keep going.

536
00:32:17,346 --> 00:32:20,810
I think it's a beautiful
perspective. I totally agree. I think

537
00:32:20,850 --> 00:32:24,410
it's important to see the
positive, even in negative people.

538
00:32:24,530 --> 00:32:27,370
There's essentially two people
in this world. There's the yes people

539
00:32:27,410 --> 00:32:30,394
and the no people. And the no
people will always be skeptical,

540
00:32:30,442 --> 00:32:32,874
and they'll always tell you
why an idea won't work. And then

541
00:32:32,882 --> 00:32:35,552
there's people like myself.
I'm a yes person, that if I think

542
00:32:35,576 --> 00:32:37,712
it's a good idea, then I'm
like, well, then we'll figure out

543
00:32:37,736 --> 00:32:40,192
how to make it work. If it's
the right idea, then there's got

544
00:32:40,216 --> 00:32:44,080
to be a way we can do it. We
have to bet on our ingenuity. But

545
00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:47,376
no people are so fast. Like,
that's stupid. That won't work. You're

546
00:32:47,408 --> 00:32:51,120
done. What? And it's so. It's
great to View that as. Thank you

547
00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:54,540
for that, for that feedback.
That only fuels me more.

548
00:32:54,840 --> 00:33:00,112
Yeah, the, I see the no people
as people who see obstacles and there

549
00:33:00,136 --> 00:33:03,926
are people who see the way.
Right. I see myself always seeing

550
00:33:03,958 --> 00:33:08,742
the way. So. And the people
who see the obstacles could be in

551
00:33:08,766 --> 00:33:10,806
your inner circle. That's your challenge.

552
00:33:10,918 --> 00:33:14,790
But they're important too.
Like you need, you need that. It's,

553
00:33:14,870 --> 00:33:18,838
it's important to not always
have that yes brain on. Like, it's

554
00:33:18,854 --> 00:33:22,774
not that it's inherently bad,
it's just that your default setting

555
00:33:22,822 --> 00:33:23,830
should not be no.

556
00:33:23,950 --> 00:33:28,214
Yeah. Because that's a lot of
self projection, honestly. And a

557
00:33:28,222 --> 00:33:31,342
lot of, you know, you should
be able to be able, you should be

558
00:33:31,366 --> 00:33:36,190
able to be objective to pretty
much anything and be open minded

559
00:33:36,270 --> 00:33:38,830
when you're presented with,
with ideas. I think when it comes

560
00:33:38,870 --> 00:33:43,646
to a lot of no people, a lot
of it is sometimes insecurity, projecting

561
00:33:43,678 --> 00:33:47,262
that insecurity onto you.
Sometimes it's a bit of a know it

562
00:33:47,286 --> 00:33:51,870
all thing. People enjoy tell
saying no to others and telling them

563
00:33:51,910 --> 00:33:56,254
why they're wrong. And it's
not a good place for growth or actual

564
00:33:56,302 --> 00:33:59,922
learning. Because when it's a
no, that comes with some sort of

565
00:33:59,946 --> 00:34:03,170
lesson, that's to me, that's a
little bit different, that's constructive.

566
00:34:03,250 --> 00:34:05,810
That's all right. You're
actually helping me figure out this

567
00:34:05,850 --> 00:34:09,474
problem when it's just, no,
you're an idiot. That's just a brick

568
00:34:09,522 --> 00:34:12,370
wall. There's no fork in the
road there. You're telling me like,

569
00:34:12,410 --> 00:34:16,066
oh, I should go over on this,
on this side. Cool, thanks. You're

570
00:34:16,098 --> 00:34:19,698
just saying like, there is no
road, just turn around. So it is

571
00:34:19,754 --> 00:34:24,826
a little bit of rewiring your
brain in how it reacts to rejection

572
00:34:24,858 --> 00:34:28,698
and how it reacts to failure.
And that's really with any facet

573
00:34:28,714 --> 00:34:32,250
of life, not just
professionally, but just with relationships

574
00:34:32,330 --> 00:34:37,146
and rewiring yourself. So
whenever you are met with a wall

575
00:34:37,178 --> 00:34:40,842
that's been thrown up by
somebody, you don't take it as gospel

576
00:34:40,906 --> 00:34:44,186
and you don't take it as oh
no, I shouldn't have said anything.

577
00:34:44,298 --> 00:34:47,946
And I think that's kind of
maybe our default. This is teaching

578
00:34:47,978 --> 00:34:52,186
me that if I do try something,
I'll be rejected and then everyone

579
00:34:52,258 --> 00:34:56,434
will think I'm an idiot.
Everyone will think I'm lesser. So

580
00:34:56,522 --> 00:34:59,730
I'm not going to put myself
out there. I'm not going to turn

581
00:34:59,770 --> 00:35:05,570
myself inside out and show all
the parts that, that make up me in

582
00:35:05,690 --> 00:35:10,210
this idea or anything else and
having to rewire that. So you go,

583
00:35:10,330 --> 00:35:12,322
okay, you're Just not the
right person that I should have told

584
00:35:12,346 --> 00:35:15,378
that to. I'm going to continue
to do that. I will take it under

585
00:35:15,434 --> 00:35:19,202
advisement. Thank you for
your, your assessment of my work.

586
00:35:19,306 --> 00:35:22,702
I completely agree.
Absolutely. I found that too because

587
00:35:22,726 --> 00:35:25,646
you were talking about the
insecurities and I found that exact

588
00:35:25,678 --> 00:35:29,518
same thing like, or people get
jealous or certainly some things

589
00:35:29,574 --> 00:35:33,630
are like, there's more at play
than what seems at the surface. And

590
00:35:33,670 --> 00:35:37,790
one of the weird phenomenons I
found is when I would apply, like

591
00:35:37,830 --> 00:35:40,990
after I'd work for all these
big companies and I go apply for

592
00:35:41,030 --> 00:35:44,174
a job at another big company,
one of the difficult companies to

593
00:35:44,182 --> 00:35:47,766
get into, I would be very well
respected, I would be treated, did

594
00:35:47,838 --> 00:35:51,078
very well and we'd have very
good conversations. And of course

595
00:35:51,134 --> 00:35:54,822
individual interviewers can
sometimes be more or less fair, have

596
00:35:54,846 --> 00:35:57,894
their own issues and maybe it
doesn't feel like a fair interview

597
00:35:57,942 --> 00:36:01,382
or something and their issues
are seeping through. But on the whole,

598
00:36:01,446 --> 00:36:05,142
the interviews I felt would be
very good and fair. But then when

599
00:36:05,166 --> 00:36:07,670
I would go interview at a
small company, they would treat me

600
00:36:07,710 --> 00:36:11,302
horribly. And I found that so
often and I was like, what is that

601
00:36:11,326 --> 00:36:14,646
about? And what I figured out
is that a lot of times I'd be talking

602
00:36:14,678 --> 00:36:17,582
to someone who had not
accomplished much in their career

603
00:36:17,686 --> 00:36:20,622
in marketing. And so when they
would talk to me, they would try

604
00:36:20,646 --> 00:36:24,254
to talk down to me. I even had
one CEO yell at me and tell me I

605
00:36:24,262 --> 00:36:27,214
was a liar because there's no
way I did all the stuff that was

606
00:36:27,222 --> 00:36:29,982
on my resume and I've never
lied on my resume in my life. And

607
00:36:30,006 --> 00:36:32,366
I was like, that's what I've
done. I don't know what to tell you.

608
00:36:32,438 --> 00:36:35,742
And he's like, no, you're just
a pencil pusher at a big machine.

609
00:36:35,806 --> 00:36:39,566
You know, you're just a cog.
I'm like, this sounds like your stuff,

610
00:36:39,678 --> 00:36:42,542
my stuff, because I did all
that. I don't know, like I don't

611
00:36:42,566 --> 00:36:45,464
know what your deal is, but I
found that at a lot of the smaller

612
00:36:45,512 --> 00:36:48,424
companies that that would
happen is that these people who have

613
00:36:48,432 --> 00:36:52,072
their own insecurities, it
would start leeching into our conversation.

614
00:36:52,136 --> 00:36:55,592
And I'm like, this seems like
a win win for everybody to have me

615
00:36:55,616 --> 00:36:58,200
come work here, but okay, I
definitely don't want to work with

616
00:36:58,240 --> 00:37:00,856
you. And you would think it
would be the opposite, that I'd be

617
00:37:00,928 --> 00:37:03,912
big leagued at the big
companies, but actually I think I

618
00:37:03,936 --> 00:37:06,616
could say pretty reasonably
that I was treated with more respect

619
00:37:06,688 --> 00:37:09,520
at Amazon than at any other
company I ever worked for.

620
00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:13,856
Great Point. It took me this
long, this many years to figure out

621
00:37:13,928 --> 00:37:18,560
that people were projecting
their insecurities on me. And. But

622
00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:22,960
once I figured that out, I was
like, oh, my God, that's. But they.

623
00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:28,144
But they said it with such
confidence and plus their position

624
00:37:28,312 --> 00:37:34,608
in the job. I believed it was.
I blindly believed the system of

625
00:37:34,664 --> 00:37:38,378
power, because the world is
built that way. You know, nobody

626
00:37:38,474 --> 00:37:41,786
tells you that you have to
figure it out yourself. And that's

627
00:37:41,818 --> 00:37:47,178
when I realized, oh, yeah,
they. They might have been seeing

628
00:37:47,274 --> 00:37:52,922
me from a very colored lens.
And. And it. But nobody told me it

629
00:37:52,946 --> 00:37:57,082
was up to me to figure that
out. So there is that beautiful self

630
00:37:57,146 --> 00:38:01,914
and everybody. And as you
mentioned, Brad, every single person

631
00:38:02,002 --> 00:38:05,208
has something beautiful to
offer. Right? It's not just about

632
00:38:05,264 --> 00:38:09,896
career. It's in relationships.
It's in just interactions, whatever

633
00:38:09,928 --> 00:38:14,552
that may be. But it's up to us
to find that. And once we find that,

634
00:38:14,656 --> 00:38:19,288
we should offer it to others.
And maybe you can call it a job,

635
00:38:19,344 --> 00:38:23,352
it can be volunteering. And
that's where you find inner happiness.

636
00:38:23,496 --> 00:38:26,504
Absolutely. One thing I
remember I was talking to someone,

637
00:38:26,592 --> 00:38:29,096
this is a long time ago, and I
was talking about entrepreneurship.

638
00:38:29,128 --> 00:38:31,876
And they said, well, not
everybody's cut out for entrepreneurship.

639
00:38:31,908 --> 00:38:35,332
And I said, well, most people
actually are. It's just, I think

640
00:38:35,436 --> 00:38:39,300
in the world that it exists as
it is now. It just doesn't seem like

641
00:38:39,340 --> 00:38:42,228
it because everybody just goes
and gets jobs with other people,

642
00:38:42,284 --> 00:38:44,788
which. There's nothing wrong
with that. If you spend your whole

643
00:38:44,804 --> 00:38:47,028
career working for other
people. Absolutely nothing wrong

644
00:38:47,044 --> 00:38:50,804
with that. I fully promote it,
but I do push back against the idea

645
00:38:50,852 --> 00:38:53,668
that most people aren't cut
out to be entrepreneurs because we

646
00:38:53,724 --> 00:38:56,942
have so much time on this
earth. I mean, it's very short, but

647
00:38:56,966 --> 00:39:00,958
it is also very long. And so
it's impossible to spend it without

648
00:39:01,014 --> 00:39:04,318
becoming an expert in
something. Like if. If you're completely

649
00:39:04,334 --> 00:39:07,982
unemployed, you've never had a
job, and you're 30 years old, and

650
00:39:08,006 --> 00:39:10,942
all you do all day is watch
the Price is Right every single morning.

651
00:39:11,046 --> 00:39:14,574
Congratulations. You're a
renowned expert on the Price is Right.

652
00:39:14,662 --> 00:39:17,262
You could create an Instagram
account around it. You could create

653
00:39:17,286 --> 00:39:20,334
a blog, you could write a
book. Like, you are an expert in

654
00:39:20,342 --> 00:39:23,722
it. You're an expert in
something. Like, it's just we spend

655
00:39:23,786 --> 00:39:27,338
so much time doing things,
even if it's just eating Taco Bell.

656
00:39:27,434 --> 00:39:30,746
Like, you are an expert in
something, you just may not realize

657
00:39:30,778 --> 00:39:33,482
it, and you're not doing
anything with that knowledge. And

658
00:39:33,506 --> 00:39:36,010
some knowledge is just more
valuable to society than others.

659
00:39:36,130 --> 00:39:39,546
But you will become an expert
in something in your life, I guarantee

660
00:39:39,578 --> 00:39:39,818
it.

661
00:39:39,874 --> 00:39:43,146
Yeah, and we're such a
negative reinforcement society that

662
00:39:43,218 --> 00:39:47,818
it's not valuable to society
because of a lot of archaic rules

663
00:39:47,914 --> 00:39:53,100
and ideas of what's important.
Like you said, being an expert in

664
00:39:53,140 --> 00:39:55,612
anything is honestly
impressive. I don't really care what

665
00:39:55,636 --> 00:39:58,268
the subject is. It's
interesting. I love hearing people

666
00:39:58,324 --> 00:40:01,772
be randomly experts in things
I've never even heard of before.

667
00:40:01,876 --> 00:40:05,516
Just like, a lot of my special
interests are in weird offshoot history.

668
00:40:05,588 --> 00:40:09,420
Things like, sure, people can
teach history on like World War II

669
00:40:09,460 --> 00:40:12,236
or something like that. But
yeah, I can tell you a lot about

670
00:40:12,308 --> 00:40:16,046
like, medieval England. Just
like we heard, like, not super useful

671
00:40:16,078 --> 00:40:19,550
to my life, but it's kind of
cool that I, you know, I got that

672
00:40:19,590 --> 00:40:23,246
information and everyone has
like an equal opportunity to absorb

673
00:40:23,278 --> 00:40:26,222
information and use it in a
positive way. And like, like you

674
00:40:26,246 --> 00:40:30,030
said, I think nurturing that
in a positive way instead of saying

675
00:40:30,070 --> 00:40:32,542
that one thing is more
important than the other, like one

676
00:40:32,566 --> 00:40:36,334
thing might have more uses,
but doesn't mean that the other thing

677
00:40:36,422 --> 00:40:39,566
doesn't have any use. And
hell, it may just have a use to you,

678
00:40:39,638 --> 00:40:42,432
which is still impressive.
Like, what's wrong with that?

679
00:40:42,526 --> 00:40:45,564
That's the whole idea behind
fulfillment that I was saying earlier.

680
00:40:45,652 --> 00:40:49,788
Fulfillment is unique to you.
Specifically you. It has like, it's

681
00:40:49,804 --> 00:40:52,684
not a team sport. It's not
judged by anyone else. It is purely

682
00:40:52,732 --> 00:40:55,644
what makes you happy and feel
like you are living your life's purpose.

683
00:40:55,692 --> 00:40:59,068
And if that is being an expert
in Taco Bell or medieval history,

684
00:40:59,124 --> 00:41:01,868
which sounds awesome to me, by
the way, I enjoy reading a lot of

685
00:41:01,924 --> 00:41:05,260
different periods of history,
so I totally get it. Then by all

686
00:41:05,300 --> 00:41:09,084
means, do it. Like, it doesn't
matter what anybody else thinks about

687
00:41:09,172 --> 00:41:12,818
what fulfills you. But that's
why it's so important, is because

688
00:41:12,954 --> 00:41:17,394
whether it pays or not, that
is the point of life. Like, you cannot

689
00:41:17,442 --> 00:41:20,546
take the money with you either
way. So we know that that doesn't

690
00:41:20,578 --> 00:41:23,794
matter. So are you growing?
Well, what's the way to grow? Well,

691
00:41:23,882 --> 00:41:26,914
thing that you care about
doing, becoming fulfilled and learning

692
00:41:26,962 --> 00:41:29,842
yourself. So I agree. I think
that's one of the beautiful things

693
00:41:29,866 --> 00:41:33,762
of life is there's countless
things to go explore. And who knows,

694
00:41:33,906 --> 00:41:36,546
there may be something you
enjoy even more than that you haven't

695
00:41:36,578 --> 00:41:40,642
even gotten into yet. Very
likely so for me too, because, like,

696
00:41:40,666 --> 00:41:43,538
I really enjoy, like,
paleontology and I like ancient history

697
00:41:43,594 --> 00:41:46,722
and like all these random
things. And it's like, you know.

698
00:41:46,746 --> 00:41:49,810
But I know before I started
getting into those things, which

699
00:41:49,850 --> 00:41:52,130
means what's ahead of me. I
can't even imagine.

700
00:41:52,210 --> 00:41:56,450
And I think fulfillment keeps
changing, right? That, that our interest,

701
00:41:56,570 --> 00:42:02,194
interest based nervous system
that we adhders have it. What fulfilled

702
00:42:02,242 --> 00:42:08,234
us, what satisfied us one time
might not satisfy us in this moment.

703
00:42:08,362 --> 00:42:14,250
So we need to make that
physical shift and, and get on the

704
00:42:14,290 --> 00:42:20,282
new lane to pursue our next
passion. And I think a lot of people

705
00:42:20,386 --> 00:42:22,602
just are fearful to do that.

706
00:42:22,706 --> 00:42:25,786
I completely agree that that's
the importance of not living in fear.

707
00:42:25,898 --> 00:42:31,122
Yeah, definitely, 100%. So as
we wrap up, I wanted to ask you to

708
00:42:31,146 --> 00:42:35,410
tell us a little bit about
eponymous and how that got started

709
00:42:35,450 --> 00:42:36,946
and your kind of mission
statement with that.

710
00:42:37,018 --> 00:42:39,826
Yeah, essentially it's like
you said at the beginning, I created

711
00:42:39,858 --> 00:42:43,442
the company to help people
because I know how difficult it is

712
00:42:43,466 --> 00:42:46,738
to be an entrepreneur. It's
very difficult. It's stressful. It's

713
00:42:46,754 --> 00:42:49,362
a burden that you never have
as an employee. You have different

714
00:42:49,386 --> 00:42:52,514
burdens as an employee. It's
like, let's say you're unemployed

715
00:42:52,562 --> 00:42:54,946
and you're employed or
unemployed, you're equally stressed.

716
00:42:54,978 --> 00:42:57,560
It's just about different
things. Entrepreneurship is just

717
00:42:57,600 --> 00:43:00,008
as stressed. It's just about
different things, but it's a very

718
00:43:00,064 --> 00:43:04,488
stressful thing. And I admire
people who are willing to step out

719
00:43:04,544 --> 00:43:10,136
and do things on their own and
embrace their own destiny and overcome

720
00:43:10,168 --> 00:43:14,856
that fear and be constant
problem solvers. So what I wanted

721
00:43:14,888 --> 00:43:19,224
to do is create an ad agency
that, as you said, brings the science

722
00:43:19,272 --> 00:43:23,188
and methodologies that I used
at the big corporations to businesses

723
00:43:23,204 --> 00:43:26,612
of all sizes. And I don't
think people really understand how

724
00:43:26,636 --> 00:43:30,548
much science, how much data,
how much philosophy is used at these

725
00:43:30,604 --> 00:43:35,268
big corporations. The ads that
you see by McDonald's, Nike, Amazon,

726
00:43:35,364 --> 00:43:38,372
they're not an accident. And
they're not just, oh, we'll just

727
00:43:38,396 --> 00:43:41,556
buy a whole bunch of media.
There is so much data. There's business

728
00:43:41,628 --> 00:43:45,460
intelligence teams, there's
social listening war rooms. Like

729
00:43:45,500 --> 00:43:48,196
you cannot imagine the amount
of science that goes into the marketing

730
00:43:48,228 --> 00:43:51,926
at these big companies. So I
wanted to bring that to as many companies

731
00:43:51,998 --> 00:43:56,646
as I could. And so my team is
largely composed of former big tech

732
00:43:56,678 --> 00:44:00,390
people, former agency, like
big agency people. And so I only

733
00:44:00,430 --> 00:44:03,958
work with really positive,
really great, top expert people.

734
00:44:04,094 --> 00:44:09,078
And so I've got a great team.
And I look for clients who are looking

735
00:44:09,214 --> 00:44:14,310
to grow and who are unafraid
and want to have the best. Because

736
00:44:14,430 --> 00:44:17,544
one of the other things that
unfortunately has occurred for a

737
00:44:17,552 --> 00:44:20,440
lot of small business owners
is that they deal with very bad ad

738
00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:24,152
agencies. Ad agencies that rip
them off, don't help them it's not

739
00:44:24,176 --> 00:44:28,344
uncommon when I come in for
consulting work to perform an audit

740
00:44:28,392 --> 00:44:33,240
on the contracts with their ad
agencies. And the contracts are practically

741
00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:37,144
unethical, if not literally
unethical. I mean, they are horrible

742
00:44:37,192 --> 00:44:39,912
contracts that some. Because
these business owners just have no

743
00:44:39,936 --> 00:44:42,472
idea what agencies should be
charging them. They don't know how

744
00:44:42,496 --> 00:44:45,262
often they should be meeting
with them, you know, what kind of

745
00:44:45,286 --> 00:44:47,854
work they should be getting.
So what I say is, I want to be the

746
00:44:47,862 --> 00:44:51,870
best agency that you've ever
worked with. And most agencies only

747
00:44:51,910 --> 00:44:54,654
stick around two or three
years. I want to be the agency that

748
00:44:54,662 --> 00:44:58,558
you want to have forever.
Because we actually do a good job.

749
00:44:58,614 --> 00:45:02,878
We do. We do good work. We
listen, we. We do what we say we're

750
00:45:02,894 --> 00:45:05,198
going to do, which is a big
problem with ad agencies. So that's

751
00:45:05,214 --> 00:45:07,646
what we're trying to do. And
you know, speaking of fulfillment

752
00:45:07,678 --> 00:45:10,618
earlier, it's very fulfilling
work. And if anybody wants to check

753
00:45:10,634 --> 00:45:14,858
it out, it's eponymous agency
is the website. And find me on Instagram

754
00:45:14,954 --> 00:45:18,634
at Radley Lewis Foster, they
can find me on LinkedIn. I have my

755
00:45:18,642 --> 00:45:21,562
own personal website. Bradley
Lewis foster.com. pretty easy to

756
00:45:21,586 --> 00:45:24,058
find me. You know, I'm happy
to help anybody and I take calls

757
00:45:24,074 --> 00:45:27,306
with anybody because I
literally just want to help people.

758
00:45:27,378 --> 00:45:30,442
And it's not uncommon. I help
people for free. Sometimes even I

759
00:45:30,466 --> 00:45:32,378
just want to provide useful information.

760
00:45:32,514 --> 00:45:35,770
That's. That's awesome. That's
what we need more of in, in this

761
00:45:35,810 --> 00:45:38,552
world, particularly from the
business side of things. Need more

762
00:45:38,576 --> 00:45:41,896
of the helping hand and
actually doing positive work in these

763
00:45:41,968 --> 00:45:45,448
particular sectors. So thank
you for, for doing that. I hope everybody

764
00:45:45,544 --> 00:45:49,496
checks you out and sees what
you're offering and just follows

765
00:45:49,528 --> 00:45:52,504
along with you for what you're
doing and, you know, any of your

766
00:45:52,512 --> 00:45:54,888
writing or anything like that
as well. Love for people to check

767
00:45:54,904 --> 00:45:55,624
that stuff out.

768
00:45:55,712 --> 00:46:00,120
It was an absolute pleasure
and fun. We touched so many different

769
00:46:00,240 --> 00:46:01,500
random topics.

770
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:04,264
Absolutely. We really did.

771
00:46:04,432 --> 00:46:05,036
Yeah.

772
00:46:05,128 --> 00:46:07,780
Yeah. Thank you so much for
having me on. This was great. Yeah,

773
00:46:07,860 --> 00:46:08,340
it was great.

774
00:46:08,380 --> 00:46:11,660
Yes. Thank you so much. And we
will see you all next time.