 Check it check it check it. It's a unique house. It's your boy e ceo, and I'm here with the lovely official mr. Makeup Well gone. Hey, what's going on with you? Say man, we got a special guest in the house today, man Say the man, you know, I seen a ward he got man. I believe it was with AT&T And the guy seemed like he really you know was being praised now I don't know what's going on over there, but he about to get us into it today, man It's a David Williams. It is David C. Williams. That's right. Hey, man. One of the baddest dudes to come through. Hey So AT&T that's that's the whole pillar of the conversation, right? Like he he gets on he does things that help the culture Diversity all that I heard him speak and the ladies was going wild Yeah, yeah, yeah on the on the TV on the television, right? And I was like, what is they all excited about today? Look, all right, you know, I'm saying I'm doing my thing You don't need to try to measure Say David, what's up, man? What's going on, man? Man, I mean, I thank you for coming on the show. Hey, I look I love the vibe in here, man. Hey, man. We try we try man. We love God. So I know it's right. Hey, that's all you need So what's up self talk to my man David, so You're an engineer with AT&T Actually, I'm not an engineer by trade and yeah, get it right. Yeah Well, I mean if you're gonna go around the horse, so I'm not in I'm not an engineer by trade Actually, I went to school for marketing, but The award is not just an AT&T award. It's a national award. And so many corporations had nominees and candidates submitted and The engineering deans of the HBC use all the HBC use Lockheed Martin and US black engineer and Information Technology magazine were the selection panel and they selected me as the winner For the 2021 Rodney Atkins legacy award at the black Engineer of the Year awards stem global competitiveness conference. Let's be what it is to measure Thank you the qualifications of the award. Oh, man, you can check in my math Okay, all right, so a little bit about it. Sure. So well The nomination phase of it Was crazy. I had a four CEOs Submit letters of recommendation on behalf and so that's wow. Yeah, it's crazy You know, I mean folks from all around the world CEOs in other countries Um, and you personally know all of these CLs. Wow, how long have you been doing what you're doing? Of course you won Let's go. Right I've been doing robotics process automation for about three years now. So I'm still a new to it. Awesome Robotic process automation. What what comes with that? Yeah, so that's the technical term in Public we would just say bots and so in most people's minds when you think about bots It's like the stuff when you see folks on The gram or Twitter and they get a bunch of likes or views or whatever those are bots sometimes doing different things, right? You know, that's how I mean, I don't know if I'm social media if it's that way But work through the work environment what we can do with that is Imagine there's a mountain of work that no one can ever get to okay Well, we can assign we can build bots to go handle that work that elbow grease wasn't enough to handle it or imagine You know In the mobility space, you know, it's so competitive And so as other companies are dropping their prices, we have to compete, right? And so we have to find ways to do things more efficient And so maybe what we were doing before manually, maybe we can automate that so that we can go do something else more important manually You're taking away jobs. You know, you're Restructuring exactly The first thing people think about when you think about bots people like oh you trying to get rid of my job to go Robot. No, no, we haven't we haven't fired anyone from something like that. Yeah, but you said you got thrown into this so because you Did marketing? How did you end up in this? Yeah, so I'm an anomaly, right, okay, and I would argue that Boss talk 101 shake it is an anomaly, okay, right a lot of folks may not have expected, you know I'm from Dallas. Yeah, you know, I'm familiar with what Elon road looked like 15 years ago me too, right? Very few people could have guessed accurately that such a successful podcast Would be held from This particular area Say that right, right that's saying a lot. That's in a lot Just the fact that it existed anyhow. And so As an anomaly, right, you don't always fit the mold, right? People don't know what to do with you, right? You're kind of not in the right. You're a square pig in a round hole, right? Yeah. And so I've always found different ways to Make it happen. I guess, you know My mother would say make a dollar or 15 cents. And so when I mentor people in the corporate space I say look, you know, if you wound up in a mentor circle with me God know your story because he definitely don't mind. And so, you know, I know it's probably been rough on you Wow, if you're here with me, yeah okay, and so My goal is to give you some insight on some things and hopefully you can skip some of those potholes that I've run into myself and When I think about that look if a CFO could make a dollar out of 15 cents for one or two quarters They be CEO, but we live with that our entire lives. We go to work. Do we take it in though? Yeah, often we do not we leave all that insight all that ingenuity and wisdom at the door Yeah, I would encourage folks to take it inside that corporate office with you Wow, just convert it a little bit so that it fits the corporate protocol give an example if I told you hey, um Let's have dinner sit on the floor across your legs and eat with your youths. Hey, man What's wrong with this dude? Okay, well if we're on the other side of the world, that's how they I was about to say I was about to say that's the Indian style That that's the protocol and so Just take what you know and fit it into that protocol and I think you we can be successful at that I like it man I like the fact that that that you found your niche like that you yeah, yeah You found what what what really you fit and you you have to enjoy it. How long have you been over there? 20 years 20 years. Yeah, that's a long time. Yeah. Well, what are you doing before the box? Oh my god Oh before bots before the 20 years Wait, wait, wait before the 20 years. I was eight years old Okay, so um Yeah, you were young But um before by oh my god So before that I was the same company you're it is and so I've changed jobs a lot of a lot of times before that I was doing I was in a social media Um chat and tech support group and although it was technical I started a sales program that drove about 10 million dollars the first year we launched it Before that I was chief of staff for all mobility customer service about 60 call centers. I flew around every week. Wow Every we have kids. I have one son. He's um 22 now shout out to the 22 year old Alex. How are you? Wait a minute? He's like, yeah, don't put that boy out there like that Yeah, no, no, no David ain't trying to hear that You know when you talk about flying around that's why I was asking about kids because you know normally kids Usually be like needing that time and then you're gone all the time. Oh my gosh. Yeah So there was one job that actually turned down. This was a very lucrative job, right? It had a um A very What's it politically handsome? Very handsome, right when you get some handsome money some different money. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah I really heard the stress like that, you know handsome handsome money. Yeah, that's luke. Luke on the next one Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah turn down some really handsome money. Why so that um Because it was a job I would have I would have had to take out of state and at the time my son and his cousin were both living Under my roof and so I didn't want to yeah, I didn't want to leave his mother there with You know Two boys to raise Let's go all the way back when you came into AT&T When you first started, you know, what what drove you to go to that location to look for a job Oh, man. Okay. So I got to keep it real. Yeah Shout out to denise Gibson. Denise shout out baby. We on boss talk 101. Yep. She she she turned me on the AT&T Um, it was sbc at the time. I got uh, I went into the role. It was non management and um It was working in a call center. I was doing central office operations. It was kind of technical It was cool, but it didn't pay a whole lot, but I was happy because it was, you know, it was a corporate job It was a lot of calls people calling in by complaints. Yeah, it was stuff like that Mostly technical, you know, kind of fixing stuff. Oh, yeah, y'all dealing with that twisted pair. Right. Exactly. All right. Okay Okay, I've been doing it between it but No, I just I've been on mine like that too. So, you know, uh, we we kind of kind of compared us But at the end of the day, I remember when y'all came out with the v-rads and everything. Okay. I had to go investigate that I got you. I got you. You know what I'm saying? So, I mean, I've been doing it for a long time Man, I'm with you and I'm I was gonna write a book man You should two of the only black guys in the room. You got to help me with that He's like that's a series When do we start let's do it I'll do it with you because I've been knowing it for my job 20 some years like you And you know how exactly how that feels exactly where I'm coming from. Oh man. Was that heavy? You know, I've been thinking about it a long time. I've been doing it for a long time. Oh, man I started in 89 though. Okay. So I'm ready. Yeah Yeah, yeah You know, it's it's a trip you you bring up a good point about the only two black guys in the room. Yes, sir Somebody might still I did we all bet not because we coming for you But somebody y'all can't we did this and I'll say this, you know It's one thing you say two black guys in the room, but you know, I feel like sometimes In the black community, man, we have to deal with racism on both sides That's why I wanted to talk about it from that angle, right? And so, you know, there's races every race will have to do with racism in some way, right? There's race from outside your race, correct Right for some reason people are afraid or fear Competing with you living with you whatever, you know, and then there's Racism within and right. We call it colorism. Correct. Right. And so, unfortunately, it's like school days has never ended. Yeah, right. We have You know short versus tall like versus dark, you know, all these things and then we have folks that you know, maybe you're too corporate For the hood to accept you correct But when you go to work, you're too black. I could tell you some stories For your mind The upper echelon maybe to accept that's right. Even if they're the same color, right? And I've been there You know, sometimes, you know, I once heard someone say it best, you know, sometimes when folks live that Duopoly they they run into a place where they want to be the only person in the room. Yeah, the only person I've seen it Right because they've had to live alone So they feel more comfortable, right? They couldn't be and so, you know And then once that person gets in a position of power, how many people don't get to break that glass ceiling? Yeah Because they feel comfortable in the room by themselves And so I say that for you know black people, none of us have come far enough None of us are winning enough That all of us aren't afraid when the police pull us over. That's real. I don't know how much money you make Don't you call somebody when that knows where you have to right because you're worried, right? Okay. So if that's the case if all of us are still in that space How can we compete against each other? We're still in the collaboration phase if you're a starting quarterback with a backup quarterback In high school that backup quarterback's job is not to hate On the starting quarter is to help the starting quarterback go get the biggest contract Recruitment college whatever they can and then when that starting quarterback gets on In college not waiting until the end of time when he gets on His job is to go back and help that backup quarterback man Man, you talking now Right and now check this out now both of them are in college having his conversation versus both of them Never making it to college because they hated each other out of both of the jobs Each one help one. Yeah. Yeah. I I just love I love you. I love your uh, your spirit your energy You know, I like the way you um the way that you You engage about I can see your I can feel your passion, you know, and and that's what it's that's what it takes to Understand how to how to evolve through change Right. See a lot of people don't understand how to evolve through change And I've seen those obstacles where doors shut and then doors may be open But those same things that you were expressing I seen how you could be categorized Like I said, I could give you some cold scenarios because I've been in those rooms And I had to make decisions that sometimes I Didn't quite understand or like but I did it and then sometimes I I just I just basically was being me and and got Ostracized because of that. So, you know, I've been by my own people not just yeah. Yeah. Oh, man. Oh, man It don't just be the other coach. I've I've been told. I mean, I've been told some some hurtful things call some hurtful things I mean and and I um I held it down Yeah, I held it down and I was I think I paved the way I could remember working At tci many years ago. Okay in off of Broadway and Centerville and I was there And I started helping to bring the itt Students into our realm and there was people that looked like me and I was proud of that because I was the only brother there For like five six years, right? So it made me feel like I had accomplished things the same thing go with the job I'm at now for the last 20 years. I seen that wave change. I was the first one But I didn't end up the only one and I think that was the reason why I was able to open those doors Because I'm the one that could speak the language to the upper echelon And then I could speak to the brothers from from the bottom. So I bridged the gap I I didn't build a wall. I pretty much extended a bridge We are so much better together. Look, I call it the cheat codes, man. Look my math I bring my best self You bring your best self Let's get it and let's put one and one together make 11. That's it. Okay. Let's do some exponential together Let's get to the end of the line. Let's skip all this other stuff It's not one and one makes two not one and one. We're gonna get three. Uh, one and one. We're gonna make 11 Bring your best self. Wow. I'll bring mine Let's go do some exponential together. That's what's up, right? And so Having someone like-minded who is reaching back to help, right? I mean those young folks can see those newcomers can see Right and hey, man, I'm getting this insight from this guy But man, maybe if I partner up with him, we can go do something And we'll both get out of this department and go to the next one. Yeah, yeah Or we can hate on each other and you know figure out how that goes Yeah, I got a cousin over there with your name Kevin Smith, man. Shout out to Kevin Smith That's my guy been at AT&T for over 20 years. All right. And uh, we both we we have conversations. Yeah, and um, just Just something man, when you when you've been dealing with something for so long and you got somebody you can pick up the phone And they can relate to you. That's that's something on a whole another level I mean sometimes my wife can't can't give me what you or Kevin can give me because of what we've had to deal with in these corporate offices Yeah, man, you know, and so you bring up such a wonderful point. So like When I think of the black culture, right? Um, Unfortunately, a lot of that culture was lost. Um Um Crossing over right for sure right one continent to another Um, but one thing remains in the black culture Right, it's hard to really figure. Is it the dancing? Is it the clothes? Is it the jewelry? Is it the There's one thing in black culture that remains. I don't care all these other fans. The one thing that remains is Walk past another black person They don't speak to you kind of rubby some kind of way. Oh, yeah Like what was that? Yeah Even if you don't say nothing Yeah, what was that? Yeah, right because it it rubs our culture wrong because our culture is to communicate Correct But somewhere along the way we lost our way. Yeah, you stop communicating and then when you get black men to stop communicating Right now you're talking about the head of some things that are not You know coming together and forming to unite I've been at a lot of lunches with a lot of people now always if I see you it's like that every time Every time it's going to be acknowledgement Even when I'm with I'm the only brother and I got so many people at lunch with me And and I'm the only brother and I come through and I see you sitting over there. I'm gonna be like What's up? You've seen me do it over the time I do it every time because I have to acknowledge It's in your culture. It's part of your blood Even in Chicago wherever it makes you feel wrong. Yeah, right, right? It's part of your blood and so I feel like you know We have to start to communicate with each other more and the internet's done a lot Podcasts have done a lot zoom has done all these things the kind But we got to find a way to start building on some things Yeah, you know, it's nothing wrong world starters. Do you think have fun all this cool? But we got to find some ways to communicate so we can build Right. How did the pyramids was it the alien or did some folks just go build something? Have you ever asked yourself sometime that being in a in the communication field Some some kind of way We have the worst time trying to figure out communication We do Yes It's a it's a slightly a running gag that It's something that that we I talk about it all the time with a lot of the guys that I've worked over The years to be like man for us to be in communication. It seemed like we have the hardest time trying to put it together Yeah, you know, um and a lot of things get in the way Right, you know things I feel like they get in the way or when you get a really large Corporation people become insulated from the customer. Yeah And so something I tell folks at times, especially in a personal meeting I may bring an extra seat up to the table On purpose and they say well, what's that for I say well, that's the seat for the customer That's hot Right, let's make sure we keep them in mind about this conversation. We have it Because sometimes mechanics just want to turn wrenches. I I lead an automation team Yeah, yeah, right. I have to be mindful to make sure that we're not just building stuff for the sake of building stuff Yeah, right We're building something for the sake of driving a specific goal that aligns to the whole corporate goal Which is number one the service folks who need the stuff we need at the best price ease You know ease of doing business If you're not thinking about that then you just start building a bunch of stuff and it's like, why are we even building this? Yeah, right, but you may you know be at a certain level and you feel like life should go this way and you know, you just want to You know Build out your fiefdom and say I got this much stuff I've built. Yeah. Yeah, that doesn't serve anybody, right? Yeah, and so sometimes I think you know in the corporate worlds Folks are insulated from that competitiveness That customer touch you can't talk to a customer any kind of way Hey, you better. Hey, wait a minute. Somebody walk me. Wait a minute. Talk straight now. Yeah, yeah, right? This is this is for all the cards, right? This is for the dollars. This is the reason. Okay. Yeah, that's who pay our bill Right. This is how the lights are going to be. Okay. That's right. Okay. Yes, ma'am. How can I help you today? Yeah, yeah, right, but internally do we talk to our internal customers that way? Yes, ma'am How can I help you today? We have to get there We have to um, that's one of the things that we we're challenging ourselves with I can say on my on where I'm at because of the way that um We have broken out in the last uh, so-called year two years and we had to get back to that You have to get back to where you put the customer first I remember like I say I always reflect back to tci or Optil but one thing that tci catered to was the customer first Analogy it was always a customer first and then it was a family and then it you know It would go up it would it get to employee, but they had a building block. But check this out think about this And I'm not condoning but just and I'm not judging either but either but think about this how many Folks that come from underprivileged communities Right living under served neighborhoods Making a way their own way They know this This is not something that needs to even be taught to them. They know this Intimately And so that skill is transferable 100 percent in the corporate space But do we always think of it that way? Right? That's actually a competitive advantage Right, but do we think of it that way or even you know folks talk about code switching And they you know try to make it sound bad all you talk like this and where you talk like this wait a minute if um You spoke two languages a lot wait if you spoke English and Spanish and French would somebody look at you crazy Because you're able to speak to three different cultures And communicate effectively with them. They don't look at They typically pay you a little bit extra if you can speak those extra languages Exactly, but who's who's so why is it that when we do it we speak in Two different dialects or if we understand two different Cultures or maybe even know how to mark it to two different Demographics I don't understand the purple. I think a lot of times it's just I mean and I think that's what separates the men from the boys you have to be able to be a One who who who doesn't shy back when it comes down to understanding Those two different words. Um, I think that's what's held held me for so many years Is being able to understand, you know being able to see through that because I never I never wanted to be like anyone else But I wanted to be a better me for god, right? I really never cared I mean I was going to do it because I had the first vibe to feed my kids and my family But at the end of the day also to use the right dialect and the correct English the correct grammar I mean that's just a part of I think it's professionalism. So I don't trip when people have an issue with that. I mean I mean, that's cool. You know, but I understand they're on on levels too That's the one thing we got to get, you know, because certain people are just not on your level Correct, you understand if there's levels to this like me meals. Oh, yes You know what I'm saying? There's levels. So we can't treat it like just because a guy Don't get us maybe somewhere down the line. He can evolve too But you got to keep being the best you you can be in this correct, correct Correct. And that's that goes for folks on both sides. Yeah, correct point, right? That's esoteric folks trying to look at who the folks crazy. That's who the folks trying to look at educate vice versa And and we have to we have to get there. I mean, I think we've come a long way from where I know where I come from We've we've we've crossed a lot of different Different if you look at the children of of Israel in the bible and how they came over into the wilderness And when they was in the wilderness, they was roaming and roaming and and then finally they went over to Jordan And now they're in the promised land and then when they got there They still had battles and then they keep traveling and then Babylonian captivity comes somewhere down the line But you keep seeing the changes and I think that we are moving in the right direction as a culture But I think it's moving At a slow pace, but you may not we may not Martin Luther King say I may not get there with you Yeah, you see it. I was yeah, I may not get there with you But I think that we're moving the needle and I think that's something that we have to enjoy I do I think um look you have to be passionate about whatever it is that you're doing You know, I'm into technology. I'm also into mentoring um, I also um You know, I'm very passionate about um diversity and inclusion, right? I do a lot Um in the community or with my corporation related to diversity and inclusion Um, I was so proud of you when I looked you up because I know that I know the challenges that you faced It hit different when you'd know when you're in the process I knew that I didn't say nothing to my wife. I'd say I'm gonna get him there And I'm gonna just see where where this thing go because at the end of the day I understand the challenges that you had to face in order to even be Just out with it like that. Yeah to be out with it and do it in a way to where people can accept it That's the part of you that I love. Yeah. You understand what I'm saying? Because everybody can't do what you're doing it well I feel like people can But I appreciate what you're saying I don't everybody can because they don't have the it's something God put in you in order for you to be able to Tackle the things that you're tackling. That's all I'm saying Some people didn't have those those situations to where the education system that you went through Are the process the mothering though? I don't know about your father and mother, but I can't tell you there has to be something that Stimulated this in you. Yeah, so you know Man, I'm from South Dallas. I know I get it and so Um, it wasn't easy and then on top of that, you know, um My father, um, he committed suicide. I was seven. I get it and You know growing up without a father was tough you know and you know on top of all that was going on and You know finding a way out of no way making a dollar out of 15 cents, um one in one make 11, um You know, all of these we're in a collaborative phase not competing against each other all of these things right, um were I don't want to say taught but they were just a part of my Culture of my upbringing, you know, and so the fact that you know, I didn't have a father that money was short and we had to figure out a way to make ends meet and Um, you know, I used to catch the 44 Oakland up to Roman and go to st Anthony and you know all of that, you know and and and and mama working overtime and I've watched her work overtime in the morning The evening on the weekends and I saw it all and so um that experience coupled with some God bless them mentors, you know big brothers and sisters. Um, Kenneth Gwen my big brother, um, you know Those mentors has meant so much to me and helped to shape Me to who I am, you know, because nobody's born knowing this stuff Nobody's born knowing how to get it right from the jump The thing I can say man is that you you know, um You can tell man that that like I said earlier, we're moving in the right direction Not not at the pace we would like, you know Um, I listen to a lot of different people read a lot of great books, man But the thing I can say is nothing teaches you like life. Oh man You know what I mean? Oh, yeah And life is something that that it'll teach you and and and the fact that you didn't have a father figure in your life Because at seven you don't hardly remember what's going on with who your father is but I can say that you know I went through some things of dysfunctionality because that's what you're talking about and Except for the difference was yours was like, uh He's not here. He committed suicide. Mine was like my mama shooting at my dad and fighting every weekend And me trying to be a child and trying to develop in that environment right Trying to find north Exactly. So it's I talk about this often on the show because it affects you in two different ways Then you ripped apart from your father and you you love your father now. He can't come around when he does He's crying or he's pretty much drunk or drinking and alcohol is taken over him And then you would a stepfather and then you know, you travel him because he's in the military This is dysfunctionality, right? You understand what i'm saying the same except for you're going through a situation where You're feeling that disconnect and you're creating that why? This is your why is what you're talking about me. I'm looking at it and I'm learning things and so inquisitive as a young man trying to figure out As a 13 10 10 13 Okay, if I do this this happened not being told it by a mentor But really looking at my stepfather just you know, I'm more look at you and find out what I'm who I am You know, okay. Yeah, he did that but I could do this and you know my dad I'm going back and then I get back to my pops and you know, he's gonna stop drinking So people go through phases but all of these phases wrapped up in one is me Right, you understand what I'm saying? So I'm looking at all of this and you dealing with what you're dealing with and it affects us because we never did Have anything to cure us when we went through all our ancestors went through the stuff they went through So now we're trying to understand different things and financial financial things We don't know because we're not being talked about we're tossed to and fro correct So we have so I'm gonna tell you when I hit rock bottom was when my mother passed away and I was able to bump my head enough to where Once she passed away I didn't I didn't have no safety net. I felt no more. So I was able to I got in the word to be honest with you and it said if any man being crises a new creature old things are passed away I was able to change my narrative by saying that I didn't have to go by where I come from any longer Yeah, you see what I'm saying. So I was able to clean that up in the fact that god gave me a second chance Is the way I look at it man. I tell you when you turn around Do you see where I'm coming from? Oh, yeah, listen, let me hear me on this. You gonna know I feel you when you turn around and you see Those footprints in the sand. Yeah And you see that one set of footprints that never left you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah Oh man, it gets real. Yeah, because you buy yourself and now you got a hug on towards real The real heaven the father the real father that holds you is where we go where I'm going with that I love what you just see. Yeah. Yeah, that's the real father. And I think that's what helped me to understand That I had a spiritual father. I'm being real. I'm talking about a real spiritual father Some that that wasn't gonna never leave me in office. Say life will try to convince you that you don't have one Oh, no, no when you when Life will try to convince the mentor that came in your life. Did anybody ever Relate that to you at a young age as far as having a spiritual fire being that the that the god was your father Yeah, so you see where I'm coming from. Yeah, I do. I do, you know, um My my mother started me off really young in church and my father was really big in church It was crazy when he committed suicide because I remember he would go to dixon circle and talk to people who had You know been in violent crimes and You know prison and you know, he would break up fights and you know, I would be with him You know and you see him. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I seen him, you know pull the His beautiful Cadillac over get out and go stop two men fighting in the street. Wow Don't know them from Adam. Just stop them Get back in the car and let's go Wow, he was that kind of guy, you know, that's what's up. Yeah, you know and so, um, but um I think I lost my train of thought but um, um, let me ask you this With your father, are you losing your father at such a young age and to suicide? Yeah Did you ever get counseling or anything like that after the fact? Absolutely. So directly after that, um We went to counseling for about a year. I'm my family Mom sister myself went to counseling and it helped You know, um, I have no Maybe that's where I was but I have no issues with the fact that my father's gone at the end of the day I'm a grown man. I have to realize that hey, he made a decision might have been sick Made a decision and he actually did leave, you know, that's the truth of the matter And I had left him some crazy ways and I understand the circumstances But that was what it was and so as a father my son, I'll never leave, right? That's like the thing that I probably took with me the most other than that my father was the man I love him. He's superman Right. My mother didn't talk down on him And I have no issues with her or him. You know what I'm saying? I love him both and and the older I get I see His spirit his drive his will my mother's Might and will and intellect in me Because the crazy thing that is coming to my mind not crazy But the thing that I'm getting from all of this is the fact that and the reason why we do this Is the fact that there's so many people out there who are suffering silently Living their life supplying for their kids their wife everything and put on a face And you will never know that they're hurting on the inside. You know what I mean? So the reason why we do this is that we bring yes, we bring people on here, but we always touch on the mental Health side of it because to let people know they're not the only ones who are going through things They're not only ones who have to move on and I've met people Mainly women who have had whether try to kill themselves or had was in depression and to me who Never gone to that stage and I'm looking at them and I'm saying but you have kids to live for you have So much to live for how can you not think about that when you're going through these? You know mental stage and they say that you just don't think about it right like an echo chamber Right like if you if all you did was listen to msnvc all day Or if all you did was listen to fox news all day Then you would have one side of the story Correct whether you like the other side or not. You just only have one side of the story. And so I think when folks are going through depression Unfortunately, whatever perfect storm they've wound themselves up, you know found themselves in found themselves in It's created an echo chamber where they just can't get out of it And so it's just one bad thing after the other and it starts to ring in their mind Do you think it's people that's trying to be perfect trying to Put off that energy like everything over here is fine, you know, nothing is wrong and Not and not feel like it's okay to say I am stressed or I am going through that or try to find help Yeah, but you know usually these folks are I can't say usually sometimes I think that happens because There's maybe something a little deeper. Maybe something from um, they say if you don't Solve the pains of your childhood you lived them the rest of your life, right? I agree. So You know often it's those kinds of things. It's you know, somebody Wasn't the favorite child and they got shunned Right and they no one ever atoned for that. They've had to carry that their entire lives. That's rough You know, somebody made them feel like the black sheep Right for whatever reason you were the bright when everybody else was dark Right or whatever whatever reason that is right. Yeah, you know, um and people have carried that stuff on and then You know, you On comes life and adulthood Beals credit Oh your skin's dark. Uh, you you credit may not be up your loan up your house You know, oh, you got some kids and you know And here we go, you know think they could just build up on you, you know, unfortunately and and that's you know That's that's it's a sad case, but it's a stereotypical world You know, like we live in like everybody profile you in a way and it's sad because it's a challenging thing to get past Especially when you got this on you But I think you know what I mean, it's it's not it's not an easy fix now Because you gotta you gotta go and improve yourself that stereotype thing is big though Yeah, so check this out. Would anybody have guessed 10 years ago that a canadian jewish light skinned guy Would be at the pinnacle of hip-hop No, would anyone have guessed 15 years ago that a Child from new orleans would be one of the greatest lyricists Of our era little Wayne or some, you know A child who's fiending for themselves from some New york projects called marcie Would you know birth one of the greatest businessmen's and greatest writers of our era, right? Stereotypes almost curse Stereotypes can go somewhere, you know because I mean honestly you're taking the easy way out. You're not even getting to know somebody Right, you're judging from the cover How many I mean, let's take another one mackayla the prince A black girl Who's skin she has a skin discoloration, right? She's born in Sierra Leone in the middle of civil war her insides cut out She sees other people killed in front of her. She's thrown into an orphanage Right. She's the last of the orphanage kid. She gets the she's the run of the litter She gets the last clothes the last food the last everything She is a world-renowned beautiful ballet dancer Right, I mean You would be hard-pressed to find someone better Wow You know and so stereotypes right somebody would have wrote her off in a heartbeat in a heartbeat No, I would say that the greatest prison in this world is the one that people put themselves in their In their mind that people put themselves in worried about what other people think of them Correct. Some people flip it and use it as motivation that stereotype to prove them wrong to say I'm going to be somebody I'm going to get somewhere No matter how much you try to put me into this box I will not remain in this box because you have no control If I can't get to where I can I want to excel right here. I will get Somewhere else correct because what God has for me? Nobody I think about what y'all both are saying and I I relate everything to scripture, of course Um, so as a man thinks then it's hard so easy So you're able to break bonds, you know what I mean? And I think you know The thing you was talking about About the mind thing it's casting down imaginations and every high thought that exhausts itself against God So you look at these scriptures for me, right? And I put them into play in my mind of how to cast down those imaginations those things are Be transformed formed by the renewing of your mind I just look at things from a perspective of always fighting Fighting with what God gave me he says he says that I'm a peculiar people He says that I'm a chosen generation No matter what anyone else tells you if you have you have to feel your spiritual void If you don't feel your spiritual void, then you can get caught up in the mishap of what people spoke into your life So that's the whole game you got to be able to counter act to anything that someone comes up against you with With something that I deal with with the word of God, right? And you have to know it in order to fight you have to know it And to me it's a war zone your mind, right? So anytime something comes up it first comes to your mind to attack you and then as you Continue to fight you become a better soldier. Correct. Correct. Yeah, you know, scripture is the bottom line. So um, you know, it just doesn't get any more Matter of fact and that for me, you know, um You know, like I say when you look back at those footprints and you realize, yeah What God has done for you all this time. Oh, yeah, right? You wake up And it's like, okay now you're really woke. You're not sweet walking. You're not claiming you woke and you really not You're really woke. Yeah, do you pray for your enemies? That's something right? Do you pray for people who look at you to see you down? Right? You have to you have to learn to say if you really knew what you was dealing with You would be standing on the top of it saying, oh, that's what this is. Correct That's that's the attitude Correct So you have to take that approach in order to be able to understand when things come at you It ain't even on a level to even deal with you. Yeah, and that's where that's the game Yeah, I mean, yeah, yeah, look it's deep, you know, if you um I'm fortunate enough. I've been able to um sit with some ceo's right and some cto's and some cto's You know, I'm upset with a couple and so um one thing that I noticed when I'm with Those folks is they they talk in in Terms of themes. Yeah, right. They think of things in in trends Right and they do that because they understand that history repeats itself. Yeah into some degree life is cyclical And sure things are always going to keep changing. Of course, there's going to be innovation But if you can understand the trends Then you can anticipate you can get ahead of it Right and so you can use it as a competitive advantage and that's just coming with wisdom. Yeah, and so um For me, I try to look at those trends As you said to stand on top and have a kind of bird's eye view to see things So that you can say look, you know, I've been making mistakes in this area Let me get better here or hey, you know what I could do better there. Let me do something here You know those kinds of things or um to see hey, look, you know, these folks don't mean me well. Yeah. Yeah Yeah, I've been you know the thing I'll say just add to what you're saying You know when you walk in a room and and you have this august panel of people that are sitting around and you I mean you it's on that cup of you in the room. So you walk in I became comfortable with that Because because I felt like I was at an advantage because I've done it so many times Yeah, so I look at it totally different and then a lot of the cto's and a lot of the ceos and And and and the cfo's and the people that I sit with when I sit there and then you look I'm friends with Steve madden and every I dealt with so many different people They don't even realize it. Yeah, and they be talking like they are just in this spot And I'm looking at them like stereotype and you would say yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's not really even to me It's like they're in they're at a disadvantage Because of what I've known and what I've seen and what I've gone through Right, so it's like I'm looking at you like you're talking but to me it's so Beneath the way I think and then you talk to somebody I've been in evaluation I never forget it and at the time we own seven stores and the guy had no idea and he said You know what you're not a people's person And I'm looking at him like man our bills are so high money if you were your only new How many people I have to deal with? It's it's because they don't understand who I am or again those stereotypes are making assumptions Like we really got to know somebody for you just you know make that kind of judgment You never know who's an artist who's a technologist who's a scientist who's an engineer, you know You never know you you just don't know that Michael Jordan didn't make his high school basketball team Let me say this one more time right Michael Jordan Who every little three year old right now? wants a pair of his shoes And his mom or her mom is probably behind him right now on amazon Buy it now right Hasn't played basketball in 30 years and they still buying this stuff. He didn't make his high school team You could have counted him out a thousand times In college they his coach played games with you could have counted out a thousand times He refused to go away. He was the anomaly. Wow When you hear his um hall of fame expect acceptance speech you kind of get it, but he was the anomaly Mm-hmm You know it happens man Shannon sharp the same way these guys come from nothing man All of them do everybody and not only them. I have to say this my brother always tell me say Because I'll say something like Eric Thomas got a good story. You heard me say that before and my brother said But your story is way deeper. You know, we come from a place where there wasn't no electricity And all we had was kerosene lamps and we carried water every day So so when you look at where I'm from a country boy They don't even know what I came through when when when I came to Dallas for that 750 an hour Yeah, because I was making five in the country And I got here and got that 750 and they told me all I had to do was go up in a attic or something That was the most simple thing. I was like, where is it at? 750 is pretty good at one point. That's right Yeah, this was a long time. I was like, man, I'm thinking and I and I and I don't have to be outside in the hot sun Uh cutting wood At director positive nations bank off buckling. Come on. Oh man off Centerville. It was there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Right down Centerville, baby. You know, when I when when I finally realized that, you know, because sometimes We really can't see the picture from being in the picture Right, you know what I mean, right? And so you really don't know how good you got it and you probably could tell some stories being from Jamaica Where people take things for granted. I remember when we was over there and one lady was like, man, they don't have this They don't have that, you know over here, but a lot of times people can take things for granted, man We are blessed. I'm gonna be honest with you for you to be here Some of the guys that you traded past in the south did not live in anymore It's a bunch of oh, yeah It's a bunch of them that your daddy jumped out to help the ones he helped But it was two or three more on the other side killing people man. Yeah, I know about the south Yeah, I come up here and I I was amazed but I won't say I was amazed. I was amused By the south because I'm a hustler Yeah, yeah, I was I was amused by it It's way different, you know, but but definitely shout out to you for making it out And I say making it out because you're still here Not that you don't go in the hood or nothing more But you made it out because you're still alive to talk about things. There's a There's a there's a gift in you I appreciate, you know, I think that um the thing that I think about when you talk about trends or themes um I think about some of the things I believe in like one-on-one makes 11. Yeah, I like it. I feel like, um You know as a people black people We're in a collaborative phase not the competition phase When I think about You know Our culture our our own demographics, you know black men black women You know partnership Yeah, that's division. It's not how you go up. It's how you go down and so, um We have to Communicate at least on that level so that we can go to the next level and communicate, right? Somebody heard about dojo coin Yeah In 2019 And for those that did You may not know what the cabbage page is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah Shout out to run a shout out to Robin Hood. Hey, man Yeah, I think like I said, I think at some point man We bridge the gap even more. I've seen some things happen during covet that changed a lot of things, you know I didn't you know far as the job thing, you know far as our jobs. It got more aggressive because of what we do um, but the thing I can say is Culture barriers is going to take some time to break but I think they're breaking I think you're seeing things that never happened in this country before happening And I think it's just a matter of time before all of those walls some come tumbling down like a Jericho Yeah, you know, it's just something you gotta realize we can't sit back and not acknowledge the process man Just to having a good day. Yeah going through the day saying this was a great day This is a day that the lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it Well, you have to have that mindset in order to keep going and keep going because really it's not about you It's about that seven-year-old. It's about that. It's you see what I'm saying It's about that that that 13 and 15 year old the next generation It always been about the next generation And and that's why we gotta we gotta we gotta be privy to that and we gotta do things like this because we have something That that my mother nim didn't have We have something that we control correct this communication thing is taken on a whole another level And I think a lot of times our people are not acknowledging that and taking advantage of it on these type of platforms But I I I plan to make a difference you may you bring up a point about you know, it's about the next generation Of course, I agree with that But I think that it's um You have to keep it in perspective. Okay. So if you think about you know What is the ultimate measure? What is the number one ruler? There's so many ways to measure something. What is the ultimate of all measurement It's time You went to super bowl great. You got five of them You wanted five times five years You have four championships jordan you have six Right time every I don't care what you you were ceo for how long or you were ceo for how many decades time Right, it's all time. It all runs back. You're the the mayan empire brand for how long the egyptian empire ran for The british empire It's time it's the measurement everything and so if you get that's on a macro level you look on a micro to a family And passing on to the next generation Right, I don't care even if it's just I mean you could get tacked really science and You know sales passing on other sales, but still there's the point remains It's passing on knowledge insight wisdom passing on dna code whatever passing on To the next generation but the thing that we have to do when we pass on to the next generation So you have to prepare them not spoil them. That's true I mean Having a 13 year old and a 15 year old and being here for 15 years and them growing up in this story Is all the process we need especially the way you talk about your dad and how he broke up to fight So they watch the process. I have pictures from all the way up the reason we we done this It wasn't because we had to but we had to because of the fact of Being an example to my children because my father was an example to me and being his own, you know having his own I seen the part where he worked for somebody But then I seen the part where he had his own It wasn't like mine, but he still had his own right and therefore I had to instill that in my children And how do you do that? Well, my wife comes she says 15 years ago now almost 16 I want to have a baby. You see what I'm saying even though I had my older children. I was like dang Count too old for this You know what I mean, but But I was like man won't he do it. I said, you know what? God he had to help me on this So he you know, he put this together because I wanted to give And it helped ignite something in me that helps all the children too because they got to see something that you pulled out Thank you. Yeah, and don't get me wrong Yeah, one You know and just to close that point but to hit this one don't get me wrong You know giving your kids a lot of stuff and what that's all wonderful I ain't nothing against it. It's just make sure it's a risk reward. They understand the value. That's right But the point that you just made man. I mean y'all are living example of what Um Of what black excellence is man, thanks, right? You have you have partnership That is priceless Wow Partnership what can you do with partnership one-on-one collaboration that we just talked about right, sir Exponential growth the cheat codes get to the end for fast for you right skip all the drama We're gonna skip past the twos and threes and four five. We're gonna get straight to the left double digit growth That's partnership, right? You do and you said 16 years like Yeah Many of the 18 both had the children 16 year old she'll be 16 That's compounding exponential growth, right? So you you can't lose like that in partnership, right where you're working together For a common goal versus um Maybe not working together. Yeah Yeah, not talking Communication is yeah, all of that, you know, but that's the that's the that's the I mean, that's the perfect example of what black excellence is. Yeah sure. We all love obama and michelle Absolutely for sure. And again, nobody would have guessed that a black man Middle name who's saying post iraq war would ever be elected president, correct, but um Right, but partnership Yeah, I got it. Yeah, we we definitely working at it. It ain't nowhere as near easy I mean nothing if it was easy everybody would be doing it, you know, I think um, I mean Two is better than one One fall the other one to lift up and a three fold card is not easily broken Right, so I think that's the whole game like you have to you have to have a foundation built in god for me Right, that's just how I feel and I'll continue to say it because without that Is it it's nothing you don't even enjoy life. I can't see how I would even enjoy it I remember how I did it when I was drinking and smoking and hustling Yeah, but it was a phase because at the end of the day it wasn't true happiness Because because I couldn't I couldn't even figure out how to get some sleep a lot of times But it's a piece that surpass all knowledge and understanding when you come into grips with who you are self-awareness Is very very big and I'm gonna go back and say How many people who didn't have a whole lot of money? Didn't have a whole lot of house Didn't have a whole lot of resources Had a whole lot of god and they family wow Those again, I'm gonna say these are transferable skills that will fare very well Whatever profession Definitely, they choose to go into I just truly truly believe it man. Thank you so much, man So how can people what if uh, let me ask you this man. I gotta ask him the top three question I was about to pass right by it man. You watch the show man He was talking about Music I get it I was gonna pass you up on it, but you the one put your foot in your mouth when you say lil wane, man Top three artists of all time man dead or alive any genre any genre dead or alive Yeah, see we get that same reaction every time I love the reaction man. I'm that I'm just upbeat man I listen to a lot of music. It doesn't matter. I don't need three and that was a three Dead or alive. I can't understand why it's so hard for people to speak. They just say Can I do five? Can I do five? Can I do top three number one? Michael Jackson I said you ain't gonna say that money Mike. You did thrill on these your mics just so you know The mics you talking to me You like whatever number two I mean his song is like synonymous with halloween like, you know, I'm saying. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah that whole thing is serious Yeah, you got a whole holiday I'll be like yeah, you took a holiday. He killed the game man 30 years later. He killed the game. Gosh. Um, Look, if I go with Mike, I gotta go with prince man. Come on play 27 instruments Pay 27 instruments. Did you know that? I actually met prince. Did what? Oh, yeah, we should have talked about that. That's a good story It's a charlie murphy story actually What happened? I met prince in south dallas He came to the south Come on maybe i'ma come on. You're showing a lot to you. Dang that's heavy. I never knew what did you say to him first? I'm you met him What I said is one thing what he said was the crazy part. What was it? So look, um Erica Was throwing a party. Um her birthday party. She used to do them in person. You know what i'm saying I guess she um, you know bomb factory all of that but before then it was like a private event Okay, and so you know, it was at her spot on mlk You know, she had to spot right all the black ikees up there with the bow ties, you know come through the door Whatever and so it was amazing, you know, it's like kovace and um Mowen or something on every table or something, you know, it's it's it's nice A bunch of stars there at roi air shaka khan Bilal, wow, that's heavy big gip. That's heavy his wife joy. Wow And uh prince and good mom big No, I just get was there. Okay. It was just oh kamen was there. That's hot Kamen was checking out erica way back then. Yeah, yeah, let's go and so Shaka khan and prince came together in a stretch rose royce roadster where the pipes come off the engine Right never saw one before after right right in front of it in a little okay, and so Shaka khan she's so nice. Hey, baby. Y'all having a good time, you know, it's like oh my god Exactly Prince he was the only person there to have bodyguards He had three bodyguards. I never seen humans this big before I bet yeah, I agree. They look like and he's not that big Listen, these bodyguards look like the cowboys offensive line when we went back to back in 95 I'm talking about okay You be tripping these dudes is huge. Okay, so I'm I'm ear hustling just a touch trying to go just a touch I'm not in this conversation. I just can hear that his conversation has ended and so I was a little thinner. I slipped between the two bodyguards and I just turned to him. I'm like look I'm standing here with a couple of my partners. I'm like, ain't no way in the world prince coming to south dallas And not gonna speak to me. It's like it's like a players club Um, I see what what I lean in I say I lean into him. I say, um, what's up? Man, I turn around. I said that to prince like what's up Man prince turned around. He looked at me man. He was like Just don't laugh don't laugh. He looked at me. He was like No, I wasn't like that Hello What did you say look all my home what my home was looked at me kind of funny like and I was like He from minnesota. That's how they say. What's up? It was different wasn't it You that but that's prince. Hey, yeah, so charlotte murphy was there as well. No, no, no It was just a I'm gonna tell you that story off there. Okay the other prince story. Wow Wow, man, it's it's crazy because you know, like I said to be in the presence of that I wish I'd have been able to be in the presence of that story That is so let's get the top three was what was michael jackson prince and who's the third? I forgot Seriously who i'ma give it to give it to him. I have somebody in my head that I think you're gonna say but Okay, let's see Man if I got to give it to anybody I want to give it to a dude, man, but on the coup Beyonce I work all these kids. I'm sorry I agree. Yeah, I agree. I agree and she's from Houston. So that that that got him that kevin I'm a wane jay-z. All of that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah b. Yeah. Shout out to the queen b. Stop playing I for sure And Beyonce man, I mean now you know, I love all of them But yeah, yeah, have you seen Beyonce? But did you see when she fell in them heels and come on knock it up? Yeah, man. Come on. Come on. Come on. Listen, it ain't the heights how you do it It's how when when things go wrong and how you handle that. That's definitely man. So, you know, if you Ever got somebody that you want to send on boss talk 101 because I know you meet people and you like me You know, if you feel like this would be the platform from please let us know Absolutely, and I'm gonna give you my number. We're gonna exchange the information man And uh, hopefully we can have that conversation about the book. I wasn't just kidding I really am looking to do that because me and you can do that Well, you know, I I really hadn't had nobody else to do that. I could do that. You thought you could do it No I believe Wholeheartedly that one and one make 11. All right, let's do it. That's what's up, man Thank you so much for coming on the show, David Um, anything you have anything up man. We appreciate you. Oh, I had one more question. Okay, go ahead Where do you see yourself in two more years? Okay. Just two just two Because five is like Two years in two years I plan to Shake up the marketing and advertising world Wow Wow, that's good stuff. Um We appreciate you. I appreciate you We love you. We always tell our customers. I guess that because at the end of the day, man Um, you my brother. Yeah, and we shouldn't be afraid to say that or that I love you or that you are my brother And I wish the best for you. Correct. Right. That tomorrow is not promised for anyone. Correct So you always have to say these things while people are in your presence given us giving out these roses while that's right. That's right Thank you so much. Thank you. It's been another great segment of boss talk 101 and we out