Turn Pain Into Purpose — Nate Green & Stephen Rhodes on Leadership, Legacy, and Living Unstoppable

In this powerful two-episode compilation of The Burn Podcast, Ben Newman sits down with two dynamic leaders whose stories prove that adversity can become your greatest advantage when you choose to rise from it.

First, Nate Green shares the lessons that shaped him into an award-winning CEO, best-selling author, and leadership performance coach. From overcoming a career-threatening health crisis at just 23 to building an eight-figure business and landing on the Inc. 5000 list four years in a row, Nate’s story embodies resilience and relentless growth. He breaks down the principles behind his book Suck Less, Do Better and the frameworks he teaches through programs like Built Unstoppable—all designed to push individuals toward decisive action, personal transformation, and unlocking the potential they already have within.

Then, Stephen Rhodes, CEO of Signify Wealth and author of Make Your Money Matter, joins Ben to discuss the mindset that drove him from humble beginnings to becoming a trusted financial advisor to families, businesses, and professional athletes. Stephen reveals the “never again” moment that fueled his tireless work ethic, the passion that helps others see their own value more clearly, and why legacy isn’t something you leave behind—it’s something you live daily. From prioritizing family to redefining impact, Stephen challenges us to make our lives, our money, and our leadership truly matter.

Together, these conversations highlight what The Burn is all about: turning passion into purpose, adversity into fuel, and today’s decisions into tomorrow’s legacy. This episode is for anyone ready to elevate their leadership, deepen their impact, and live unstoppable.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PDcbiCOnP0U
Listen on all platforms: https://www.theburnpodcast.com

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Chapters

• 0:13 From Police Academy To Entrepreneurship
• 1:23 Surviving Misdiagnosis And Finding Purpose
• 2:55 One Day At A Time And The Burn
• 4:38 Loss, Hope, And Showing Up
• 6:08 Coaching, Accountability, And Unrequired Work
• 7:09 Sponsor Message: Q-Logics
• 8:32 Silence The Noise And Set The Standard
• 9:51 Invest In Yourself To Create Choice
• 11:14 Morning Routines And Readiness To Give
• 12:21 Fear, Ownership, And Self-Discovery
• 14:58 The Outcome Equation For Results
• 16:01 Origin Story: Poverty, Grit, And Team
• 18:43 Never Again Mindset And Its Limits
• 20:01 Niche Focus And Serving Athletes
• 22:23 Family, Legacy, And True Motivation
• 32:53 Closing: Keep The Burn Alive

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:13

You were a police officer who then transitioned to becoming a business owner who then has exited multiple business, including eight-figure exits. How in the hell does a cop become a business owner to exiting to a best selling author? Sometimes when I look at your bio, I'm like, Nate isn't old enough to do all of the things that he's done. So I'd love to just start there and then uh I'm sure we're gonna capture your burn and people are gonna hear how amazing your story is.

SPEAKER_00: 0:46

No, I appreciate that. Yeah, it's crazy because I was just talking to somebody over the weekend. I'm like, man, I feel like I've lived like three different lives. And it's it's crazy because you know, going back to when I was 19 or even 18, I got accepted into police academy as an exception. I was too young. And they allowed me in because I guess I just had really good articulation skills. And so they all they allowed me into the police academy, and then I was hired as a cop at 19 years old. I couldn't even buy my own bullets. My lieutenant had to go buy my practice rounds for me so I could actually go to the range and shoot. It was it was absolutely crazy. Um, but yet I could, you know, arrest people and do everything else, but I couldn't buy bullets. And so, yeah, uh, when I was 23 years old, uh I actually had a car accident. I was paralyzed from the waist down for about three months. And then right after that, uh, my brain and my heart didn't work well together. They they considered it a form of heart failure because I just kept on passing out, my heart kept on stopping. Um, and then the doctors thought it was a degenerative issue uh for about six months. I lived with this belief that I was dying in 10 years. They told me I had 10 years to live, they didn't think I was going to hit my 34th birthday. And that realization, man, that that that lights a fire inside of you. That that shakes you up. And even though six months later they came back, they're like, Mr. Green, we apologize, we misdiagnosed. There's something about that. When that hits, you can't take that back. And even though I just in case anybody's wondering, I'm 40 now and I didn't die at 34. So, so we're good. We're we made a pass in case there's any confusion. Um, and so in that process, it was great. God gave me some great wisdom when I was a cop before all my heart failure, and and he told me to dig deeper into me. So I pushed hard into trying to figure out who I was, what I was built for, what I could take on in life. And then that's when the transition happened post this retirement, you know, when I was 23 years old, I immediately went into the financial industries, which obviously you are familiar with the financial industries, but I started on the other side. I started in the accounting and the tax side of the coin, building and scaling businesses on that side. And then we crossed over and scaled a financial wealth management firm as well.

SPEAKER_02: 2:55

So help us understand the importance of what one day at a time means to you, because I know you've gone through being paralyzed, just like you had mentioned, to who getting that second life after the medical diagnosis to now living beyond 34, to where you have to imagine now you're in the sixth year of living beyond whatever they thought you would. How important is one day at a time? Where does the fuel come from? Where does the burn come from? Do you feel like you're living on borrowed time almost in some regards?

SPEAKER_00: 3:32

You know, it's it's living on blessed time. And that's kind of the way I think about it. It's like every day is this opportunity to go beyond what I ever thought I could, or whatever the doctors thought I could, or whatever, you know, life thought I could. And that goes beyond just outliving this 10-year mark. It goes beyond the expectations that were put on me as a child, my ADHD and all the other issues I struggled with. For me, it was pushing beyond and showing up like the best version of myself could to be a demonstration and a hope to other people. And that has been what you call the burn, that fire inside of me, everywhere from law enforcement all the way through. Is how could I show up today? And sometimes it's even moment by moment. How can I show up in this moment to be a demonstration of hope? Show people that we have purpose beyond. How can we show up to give people that glimpse, that light in that very moment? And as you call it, your burn, man, I tell you what, that is so incredible. You know, part of my burn started all the way back when I was 13 or 14 year old. Um, I lost a few friends to suicide during that time. And it was very tough. One was a few years older than me. She was deaf, and she felt like she was the outcast, just not good enough. And through all of our relationship, all of our friendship, um, you know, there's that season where you hope that you show up enough and you should and you hope that you demonstrate enough. But in the end, when they choose to go to that extreme, you're left with regrets. And in those moments, it's like I never want to be the guy that doesn't go far enough again. And and that comes by actions, that comes by talking to the person that that you're not sure. Hey, I just want to run in and grab my coffee. No, take the moment, take the time. And then it comes down to how do you show up every day? How do you live your life? You know, you with how many days, your 2,000 and some changed days of your constant, insane, uncommon workout, which is incredible. I love that the unrequired. Um, and and that dedication, how you show up, gives people hope to show up again. And that's where I hope to be that connector to give people hope every single day to go beyond even what doctors say, even what your parents say, even what the teacher said, even what the people around you said, and show up like only you can with that grit and determination.

SPEAKER_02: 5:57

And I think that's the beautiful part of your story. It's the almost the continued challenge, the continued adversity, the continued fight, the continued having to connect to that burn. There's so many other personal challenges where you've had to step in as a protector for family and loved ones. And it's just it's extraordinary what you have persevered, which is one of the reasons why I think it makes you a great coach. It's why I knew because of your example and what you'd been through, that you would be an incredible addition to our coaching and speaking family and to become part, you know, of Uncommon Live. Because for the first four years, it was Sean O'Brien and I were the ones who were coaching and delivering content. And now you, as an additional arm of accountability, have been an additional voice of adversity challenge and the strength that we build during those times. I know one of the main concepts of the book is limiting our excuses to become unstoppable. Once people identify that burn, they start to realize pain can be a strength. What are some of the things that you recommend for people to stop making excuses, to stop listening to the self-talk, to really live that unstoppable mindset with great action? This episode of The Burn is brought to you by our dear friends and partners at Q-Logics. Now, you know I don't co-sign things I don't believe in, and I believe in John Chirondo and the team at Q Logics. He's built multiple nine-figure businesses, real integrity, real character, the kind of guy you want in your corner. But here's what happened. All that expertise, all that knowledge, it was just his. Locked in his head, his decisions, his team. You couldn't access it. So John created Q-Logics. He basically said, How do I make everything I've built available to people who actually need it? Here's what that looks like. Q-Logics helps you see the blind spots in your business, the gaps you don't even know you have. You don't know what you don't know. They're your tour guide through that. Q-Logics helps you build systems that make your business work better or they ask better questions so you're approaching it in the most effective way. And Q Logics has access to a network of businesses and resources, real connections, real synergies that can accelerate what you're building. If any of that resonates, go to Q-Pyph-Logics, L-O-G-I-X.com forward slash Ben. Fill out a form. Their team will research your situation personally, then they'll tell you straight. Can they actually help? Thank you to our friends and partners at Q Logics. Make sure you find out more about Q Logics and your opportunity to win more with them today.

SPEAKER_00: 8:32

Man, it's silencing the noise every day of the week. I mean, how many times do we wake up? And sometimes, like those are the days that you don't want to do the work. Sometimes you might feel insecure in that day. You know, as you speak on a preach on, I mean, it's the standard. How are you going to show up each and every day? And in my life, you know, it's not about feelings, it's about focus. And so that's really where having that focus and having that dedication of not just who you want to become, but exactly what you want to achieve. And showing up every single day, shutting out the noise of comparison of all these different aspects of who other people want you to be, you know, what your parents said you could or couldn't be, but shutting down that noise and silencing those voices and sticking to the truth of who you can become in each and every day chasing after that moment by moment.

SPEAKER_02: 9:23

I've got a quote that I I want to run by you because I I think everything you said kind of speaks to this. And I'm just gonna go for it. You and I are guys, which I think is one of the reasons why we like coaching is you're not getting a bunch of sugarcoating, you're not getting a bunch of fluff. Like we want to get into the details and really help people. But if you don't invest in yourself, then nobody's gonna want to invest in you. And I think that's kind of a profound statement. We could go many different directions, but somebody who has coached and consulted mergers and acquisitions, selling your own business, helping other people do that, why is it important for people to invest in themselves? I'll let you take that whatever uh direction you want to go, because there's many different connotations of that. But why is it important that when you stop making the excuses, you start leaning in? Why is it important? And a lot of times it scares people because the world says it's not the time and the markets aren't good, and this happened and that happened. Why do we have to continue to invest in ourselves, whether it be our businesses, our lives, saving money? Why is that so important? Because I believe it provides choices, and we all want the power to choose, but if we don't invest in ourselves and our work, if we don't invest in ourselves financially, it's pretty hard to ever have the power to choose the things you want. Why why is that important?

SPEAKER_00: 10:50

This world is gonna rip from you, it's gonna tear from you, it's gonna pull from you. And you think about it from from the day, from every single day when you wake up, there's needs. Needs from the people you coach, needs from the family that you have, needs from the people from your past, from your future. Everybody has needs, and there's needs for you to show up in so many different ways. So, how can you keep on pouring out if you're never pouring in? And that's the way I look at it is every single day you got to show up and you got to pour into yourself. You got to feed it before you deplete it. And so every single day, morning routines are absolutely vital. You know, whether it's your your workout, your stretches, whether it's, you know, for me, it's audiobooks, it's reading the Bible, it's walking through and diving deep into filling myself up in every different way I can. I get up at 4:30 because I love it. Any day that I, if I don't get up early, man, I feel like I miss something. I feel like my day isn't right. I feel like I'm not ready to pour out that day because I didn't get the time to feed it. And that's for me, you know, with coaching, with having, you know, audiobooks and reading and basically just constantly pouring into yourself from every different aspect, man. If you don't do that, you're not gonna be ready to give. And that's for me, you know, you can talk about that from investing. You know, if you're not willing to save, you're not willing to invest in yourself on the saving side of the coin, then when opportunities present itself, you're not gonna have the funds available. It's exactly the same across the board. If you don't take the time to feed yourself, to feed your savings, to feed your health and nutrition, you're not gonna be ready on the other side.

SPEAKER_02: 12:21

What can you share with us for maybe that individual who wants to start a business? That individual who they've made some of the right choices, that individual who's maybe scared to step in and take that next level of ownership. What do you typically share with those individuals who might be fearful? They've had success, but they fear that next step. They fear that next phase of ownership.

SPEAKER_00: 12:48

I tell people pause and discovery. You take a second, you figure out what is holding you back, you start uncovering all the greatest aspects of you, and then you really get to know you from a different perspective. Not the way we're told to know ourselves, not the way that we are told to compare ourselves, but really understanding who you are. Personality tests, career tests, cognitive tests, really understand your strengths, everything great about you, connect with them, understand them, and then make sure that every single thing that you're moving forward with connects to what you want to achieve, but also lets you leverage the greatest version of you.

SPEAKER_02: 13:27

And that greatest version of you is that version where you become unstoppable. And I know that unstoppable individual that you like to talk about. And I, you know, I think a lot of times people hear things like that and they say, Well, that's so trite. You know, it's, you know, how do you ever become unstoppable? Yet there's plenty of examples in the world of people who have done it. Well, how did they do it? They did it with great discipline, they did it with great consistency, they did it with tremendous belief. They just took the action and did more than others were willing to do. And then they did, as we like to talk about, that unrequired, that extra work that others are completely unwilling to do. They didn't want to talk about, they didn't want to see it. That the high performers make a priority. What would be the top one, two, or even three things that you share with people in your work? Consulting, growth, pushing the envelope, getting people to get uncomfortable in order to suck less and do better. And yes, if you didn't capture it earlier, that is the title of his best-selling book. He may, just a little foreshadow, be working on another book. So make sure to follow Nate, which we're going to make it easy on social media in the caption as well. Make sure you grab a copy of Suck Less and Do Better. But to become unstoppable, what are the one or two or three of your favorite things that you share in the book, even though still people still need to go by and read the whole book? What are one or two or three things you'd love to leave with our listeners so that they could immediately implement attacking what it looks like to become unstoppable?

SPEAKER_00: 14:58

So I would love to talk about what I call the outcome equation. It's a very simple, I'm a nerd, kind of like you, you know, the financial side makes us a little bit of a nerd. So put a little equation behind it. It's very easy to understand. It's the core of who you are, plus the fuel or the burn, plus the lighthouse, the goal that you're chasing after for the rest of your life, the deathbed goals. Those three times the multiplier, which is focused action, equals the outcome that you will receive. No doubt about it. And that's what I love is if you get your core dialed in, you get your fuel or your burn locked in, and then you set your lighthouse, man, you just keep on going after that every day, every day, every day. It doesn't matter how you feel. It's all about that focus. And as you start going every single day, moment by moment, doesn't matter what insecurities pop in, what feelings come in, you keep on chasing after it with the standard of how you show up, and then you will constantly move forward and chase after that and create a reality.

SPEAKER_02: 15:58

Where does your work ethic, your passion? I obviously I'm a big believer as we've talked about together in the past, balance and running a business, taking care of your team members, taking care of family, but like you're somebody who really does that. You live that. Where did discipline as an athlete growing up, discipline as a hard worker growing up, discipline as a student, where did your discipline, where did your burn, where did your fire, where did your example come from?

SPEAKER_01: 16:23

Yeah, man. Um, so I I think with a lot of people, when you look at their story and where they they end up, like you said, it starts in a place. And for me, uh it started with a lot of uh, I would love to say it was it was like all roses, but it wasn't. So I'm one of five, uh raised predominantly by a single mom. I had a dad who loved me, but also um was kind of abandoned by his dad. So he grew up, he was on his own since he was 14. And so um, when he got a chance to be a dad, he made the best decisions that he thought were good decisions, but they ended up not being really good ones. And so he spent some time incarcerated. So I was raised predominantly by my mom. So a lot of what you see now with the burn really was born out of um a lot of it was some anger, like, why is my dad not here? Why is he not around? Uh we grew up in poverty, food stamps, the whole nine. And so uh a lot of this was like, and also a lot of it was survival. So it was literally like, hey, I don't like the circumstances I'm in. Um mama's boy, I love my mom. I don't love the fact that she has to work two or three jobs just to try to make ends meet. And so um, so a lot of it was literally like, all right, well, if I get an opportunity to change the trajectory for myself and my family, then I gotta be all in. And so um sports became like a uh an outlet for me. Like it was like, you know, there's a lot of chaotic stuff happening in the home life, but it was I'm in the locker room, I'm with my buddies. Um, it I love the fact that it was um clear, clear objectives. We all had a role. Uh actually, I still missed about that about life, man. Like some of the stuff you're like, damn, I wish life was more simple, right? Uh you get some of that in business, but it's not the exact same. And so um, so I I just really love the idea of being a part of a team, of us like going all in on a particular thing, um, and really pursuing excellence, and knowing that like if we all did that collectively, then we can just do some stuff that you know um might seem impossible. So that's so a lot of it came out of like, hey man, like I don't really honestly I don't feel like I had a choice. It was either like become what a lot of people in my neighborhood would become, which is guys and folks that are just kind of like had a bunch of potential, squandered it, none of it, you know, uh was materialized, or um, to be the one to sort of break some of those cycles, man. And so early on, that was it was instilled in me because also in addition to that, I saw my mom work, man. And my dad was a hard worker too. Like he's a mechanic, he's a gifted guy, he works hard, he he um always uh did that. And then my mom, obviously, when in the circumstance, man, she again worked two to three jobs, is like the most delightful person you would meet. Like, she's the mom that everyone, um, all my buddies were like, Man, I wish my you know my mom was like your mom, right? And so um, so I saw her, like she would work all day, she'd go out and and uh do sales and sew like cosmetics and did all these different things. So I saw her hustle and saw her grind and sacrifice. And so some of it was internal, and some of it was what I just sort of picked up, you know, just from from observing it in her.

SPEAKER_02: 19:29

So when you're going through the day-to-day, be it sports, you know, being a student, having a vision for the things you wanted for your life, what you just described in terms of a burn, a lot of times I refer to that. It's like a never again mindset. When you think of your mom, like two to three, like I'm gonna work so hard that never again will my mom do that. Never again will the family feel that. And there's so many, you know, so much of your work today, as we'll get to, is with some of the highest performing professional athletes in the world. And a lot of athletes, it's the same thing, it comes from the same place. It's it's I will change the landscape of my family forever. Never again will it be that way. How would you think about that when you're in the moment? Whether it was competing, whether it was school, whether it was your drive? Was it just kind of in you and you didn't think about it? Or was there an intentionality of directly thinking about it?

SPEAKER_01: 20:17

Yeah, for me, it was not, it was a little bit of both, but it was primarily me not thinking about it. Because I literally was in the mindset of like, this has to work out. Like this is this is it. There's no plan B. There's only the plan A. Uh, and so so there was definitely those moments where it's like there's no other option. Like the idea of, but I think some of that was also me being so fed up and so um not wanting, I knew I knew clearly what I did not want to happen, right? So, like the idea of like um repeating some of the mistakes that my dad made or winding up like some of these other different folks, like that, I was like, there's no way that that's gonna be the case. I I do not I will do anything besides that. And so some of it really felt like like after I made that level of commitment there, everything else just felt like, well, this has gotta, you know, this is what I have to do. There's really no need to spend a lot of time sort of intentionally thinking about it. Um, but there are some of those moments when it's tough, when things aren't working out, when like I'm you're not seeing the progress as fast as you hope. That I've had to go back and remind myself of like again, what's what's my burn, what's my why, say, oh yeah, right. And now the part that no one prepared me for is that that mindset, we can probably get more of this a little bit later, that mindset of like I'm never going back to that again, works at least worked for me for a period of time. Uh, because then all of a sudden you get to a certain level, whatever level you're pursuing, like I don't want to be here, I want to be there. But then when you get there, right, that mindset that got you there actually won't sustain you allow you to get to the next one. Because now, if the mindset was avoiding something, right? Well, if I'm here and I've arrived at a place that nobody else typically arrives at, um, the motivation kind of goes away. Because then really the probability of ever going back there is right, it's not even possible. So then what sustained you, right? So that was a piece that I wish someone could have prepared me for, and that took some additional adjusting to get to to come up with a new mindset.

SPEAKER_02: 22:11

So this answers the perfect segue for the story that I wanted to share. And I'm gonna make you talk like all the specifics of this story because I think when people look at success, and I just want to frame this that at Signify Wealth, you and your team, it's extraordinary what you've done. You know, I think of the five years that I spent at Alabama and the amazing relationships that I've built. And, you know, when we got reconnected, you know, a lot of it was, man, like, you know, I've had the opportunity to wait, what? Like, you know, there was all these joint like individuals we've been able to help and have these great relationships with. And then you go around from multiple sports and multiple leagues and football and basketball and what you've done. I think people see that and they say, oh man, like I want to be there. But people don't realize, and and a lot of times I like to remind people, and your story is so powerful for this, you have to be engaged in the chapter you're in of your life. Yes. You know, it's like people want to read your chapter 20, and they're like, I'm gonna have that. And like you absolutely can have that, but like you better be getting after it in your chapter one if you want Stefan's chapter 20. And so I like to tell a story. We have another mutual friend here in St. Louis. Shout out to our boy Kenny Powell, KP3. K KP and uh so Kenny, we went to high school together, and you shared a story with me to where you were a growing up in the business financial advisor, had no idea you'd be sitting in this chair doing the things you're doing today. You were trying to find, like, man, you're trying to piece it together to pay the bills what you didn't know who your clientele was. Yeah. And Kenny had always done a lot of work in sports as well, and he invited you to spring training. Yes. I mean, all I'm gonna say is this man knew nothing about baseball, and he gets invited to spring training. So I want like the specifics, the card, like just tell us the story, because I think this is important for those people who want what you have or where they just read a book about somebody, I want that, but they're unwilling to have the long obedience in the same direction with the aggressive patience that you've had. So tell the story, have fun. Please don't hold back.

SPEAKER_01: 24:21

All right, so to before we get to spring training, I mean that was a miraculous piece of it. I think the backstory is even more miraculous, right? Because my context was uh when I first started in this line of work, I worked for another company, wasn't Signify. Um, and one of the things we'll talk about a little bit later about the benefit of um uh being in the niche, uh, this company had a niche, but their niche was not professional athletes, it was public school teachers, educators, right? Uh, and so um that's who our clients were. I think I've you know you've I've told you this part of my story after uh business school, before I got into this line of work. Um at a I was blessed to actually be able to work in education, working in alternative school. Um, and um, and so I was a teacher, right? Have a master's in education, all those different things. So their model was everyone who worked for the firm was either current or former teacher, and that's what their speciality is like teachers helping teachers, teachers teaching, teaching, teachers teaching teachers about money. That's kind of the model. So the reason I say all this is because that's my niche. I'm there, I'm working, you know. Uh man, I think the f year one, like we we made a big faith move. My wife and I were both working um in education. Um, we got pregnant with our first child, um, and I left education to go into financial advising, and my wife left to come home. So we went from two, you know, guaranteed salaries to like nothing, right? And I I bro, I think I made like literally like two grand the first year. Like it was like rough, right? Um, and part of it was I'm trying to figure out who I am, who I am I'm looking to serve. Um, but we're working with teachers, right? And so I end up getting referred to uh a teacher in the Ledue school district, and and I start I kind of like spread like wildfire, I started helping all the teachers there get ready for retirement. One of the teachers that I get referred to is Kenny's mom, right? Uh and so I don't, you know, don't know it at this point in time. And so she was uh still pretty far away from uh from teaching, and the company that I was with was a company that basically like charged like a commission for products. She didn't need any of the products, she just needed a lot of education, right? So um I probably helped her probably like for two or three years, right? Free of charge, just giving her advice. She was a super sweet lady. Uh almost felt like a second mom. And so um this is in the this is January of 08, before we have like our sort of our final meeting. Prior to that, I'm doing a lot of soul searching, I'm praying, like Lord, like who do you want me to work with? Um and I remember reading um the book Good to Great by Jim Collins, um, phenomenal read and uh a classic. And he talks about the hedgehog concept. The companies that go from being good companies to great companies figured out this hedgehog concept, which is the where do three things overlap? They basically said they found out uh things that you can be passionate about, things that you can make money in, and things that you feel like you can be best in the world in, right? And those companies figured out where the concentric circles, the three of those things overlap, and they put all their focus there, and that propelled them from being good to being great. And I remember reading this been, and I don't have these moments, but there's been a number of times in my life where I literally feel like God is like it almost feels like an audible voice. I remember reading that, and and when I got to the part where you think you could be best in the world, for some reason it felt like the Lord just laid in my heart, like, I don't think I I don't know if I can be best in the world at helping uh C-suite execs, you know, that work for Fortune 500 companies. I don't know that world, but when I read it, I thought, man, I can be best in the world helping athletes. Didn't say it out loud. It felt the it was the weirdest thing because at this point, bro, I have zero athletes. My only clients are teachers. I'm running a credit card deck, right? And I'm helping people and not getting paid, right? But it was just one of those things that like it like it was like a thought that like exploded in my head, in my heart, and I was like, okay, this needs to be my focus.

SPEAKER_02: 28:23

One of the things that I I really admire about the growth, the success you've had, and then for everybody to hear your burn, your journey, how you've gotten to where you've gotten to, is how not only have you taken that never-again mindset, and financially, you have been able to change the scope of the future and provide great education for your children, knowing that you got a great education similar to my wife, watched you. That's like the Harvard of the Midwest, for those of you that don't know. That's like as good as it gets in terms of education. But now you have four children, one child in college, another one on the way, two other children behind. And family is so important to you. And you mentioned when you shared your story that growing up was tough. Times where dad's incarcerated, mom working two to three jobs. I admire for you that you've been able to continue to make family a priority. I mean, the number of times I'm in here, whether it be trips or even today, before we hit record, you're like, man, it's AAU, and you could easily tell your wife, hey babe, you do the AAU trips and I got work I need to do. Right. You've maintained that family is so important to you. Why has that been so important to you?

SPEAKER_01: 29:33

Yeah, I mean, I think it's some of what I mentioned beforehand. Like, I I've never been a person, even though I didn't want to go back to where I came from, um, life to me is is never been just about money. Right. And so that's why a lot of people are motivated. And I'm not saying that that that's not it's it's unimportant. I mean, we gotta put food on the table and all that sort of stuff for sure. But for me, it's always been like what does a person's legacy look like? Right. When it's all said and done, right, 50 years from now, 75 years from now, somebody else is gonna be in this office, right? Hopefully the work that we're doing is still uh around and people know about Signify and so on and so forth. But if they if they do, it'll be because there are people who were touched and who were impacted. And so um, so for me, when you think about like why do you do it, it's it's to actually leave a legacy. And I think about my kids, you know, I know the impact of what it was like growing up not having certain things, and so what I have wanted to do as much as what as as God would allow me to do is to to do whatever parent wants. Like you want to give your child a better opportunity um in some ways than what you had, and now that can be complicated with a lot of for a lot of reasons, but but for me that the the family has been important because if not, why are you doing what you're doing? Right. And so uh I love the work, um, I love to use my gifts that talent that God has given me, um, but I also have to have a reason for why I'm doing it. And my wife and I were just talking about um this uh by watching a podcast. We were 21 years in marriage now, and um we're just talking about some of the science around what happens um in a mom when um uh a baby is born, like some of the some of the genetic and biological things that like uh come to the surface for a mom and desire to to to to to nurture a child. And what the podcast was also talking about was that uh that same thing, potentially not for all guys, but uh really turns on the switch of like I gotta protect, I gotta provide. And so for me, um my my my desire to grow signify has always been to be able to say, like, hey, I want to be able to provide for my family. Um and I always love the idea of like having a place or space that if they desire to at some point in time they want to come back into the business. That's great, but I just it's always allowed me to remind myself that the primary reason I'm doing is for them, right? And so it feels weird because it means that like, okay, I gotta travel and potentially be away from them, right, to provide for them, but it's always with the eye of I'm doing it for them and I want to be able to get back to them as quickly as possible. And so the idea of the accolades and the lights and the and the fame and the money was never the motivation. Um, and so it just allowed me to be able to try to keep the main thing the main thing, you know, throughout it. So that legacy, that family is the most important thing. I mean, at the end of the day, what do you have if you have all the money in the world and you have your name on all the articles, but you don't have anyone to spend that time and share it with.

SPEAKER_02: 32:42

So this has been the burn. And remember, the burn is so important because that's what ignites that why and purpose and causes up this causes us to show up on the days we don't feel like it, and especially after we win. Share this episode, and we'll see you next week on the burn.