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Audio digitally transcribed by Otter.ai

Introduction 0:03
Welcome to the #PirateBroadcast™, where we interview #interestingpeople doing #interestingthings. Where you can expand your connections, your community, #kindnessiscool and #smilesarefree. Let’s get this party started.

Russ Johns 0:22
And you know, we're out here in the Christmas land here. We got white Christmas in some areas. Nick, you have white Christmas. He's on mute now. You're on mute.

Nick Gemmell 0:37
Big time. Snow brother.

Russ Johns 0:40
Yeah, I saw your pictures, man. Wendy. I know you have a white Christmas out there.

Wendy Weiner Runge 0:47
Walked you outside. It was perfection. Two days ago. It was just stellar. And then it just started to come down. Thanks, Nick for commenting, by the way, on my video. I appreciate that. It's all good.

Russ Johns 1:03
Wendy did a video? Can't believe it.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:08
Oh, look, Russ. Look what you get for Christmas.

Russ Johns 1:14
I love you Wendy.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:15
Ho, ho, ho. I'm not saying that. I am just like giving that officially. I'm a Jewish girl. I'm like official Christmas cheer here. That's all cheer. I don't see you drinking any Christmas cheer. Good morning, everybody. Good morning pirates. How are you?

Russ Johns 1:35
So we're just having fun when we decided to get together and have a blast and talk about what are we talking about, Wendy? You said it so wonderfully.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:44
A few days ago, I'm like, Russ puts up his promo. And it's like, December 25. It's just the #PirateBroadcast™ And like that is the suckiest thing ever. Like, you know what? I'm just gonna sit in front of a camera for half an hour and talk and I was like, and it's great. I love when you do it. I love the free flow information. I learned so much. I was like, Well, that doesn't like I don't know what Christmas feels like, but I don't think that's it. So I said, you know, hey, wouldn't it be great instead of everybody talking? Everywhere you go, everybody's talking about how 2020 was a dumpster fire. Like that's the you know, catchphrase? You know, a poop sandwich or whatever. Like, that's a verb seven. I learned so much in 2020. And I said Russ, like work. I said, I was like, Russ, what do you think about 2030? He goes, Oh, I learned so much. I was like, okay, let's talk about that. Let's shift the focus from the dumpster fire, although dumpster fires are always interesting and fun. But let's talk about but you know, whatever, it stinks and it leaves a residue for the next year. Let's talk about what we've learned this year. And so and then Nick was like, oh, that anyway, then we drag Nick into it. Because why not wake up someone in earlier timezone and get them.

Russ Johns 2:59
I think he jumped in front of the line for you know, he did jump in.

Wendy Weiner Runge 3:07
Like in an arm wrestle contest. There's no way I could take in it. But I'm just saying like this, you know? So I'm so happy to have you because I learned so much from having a conversation with you. And that and the fact that it just became shockingly clear to me right now. That if your beard was Wait, there's some character in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer that you look exactly like Who is it? Oh my gosh, somebody pop up the room Ranger. Because there's something with the beard, Nick that you look just like...

Russ Johns 3:39
It's the shape.

Wendy Weiner Runge 3:42
It's the shape of the beard?

Russ Johns 3:44
Yes. The shape of the beard. It's a no the it's...

Wendy Weiner Runge 3:48
maybe it's Santa like the light on you like that?

Russ Johns 3:51
I think it's the elf.

Nick Gemmell 3:53
Yeah, Cornelius.

Russ Johns 3:55
Cornelius with the...

Wendy Weiner Runge 3:55
Oh my God, that's right. That's who it is. Do you are you often told you look like Cornelius from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?

Russ Johns 4:04
Just on Christmas.

Nick Gemmell 4:05
First time, Wendy. First time.

Wendy Weiner Runge 4:10
So when I start calling him Cornelius gonna be like, stop it. It's July. Stop it. So we want it. So cool that people are jumping on. That's great. We want to know what you learn this year. Like that's this. If education sucks, and it's expensive and we talk about it all the time. But this is so great. We want to know what you learned. Lessons share them. So maybe, I think in my experience, if you really can emotionally relate to somebody who's had to had a really intense lesson, then you don't have to go through it yourself. So let's not put each other crap. Let's let's talk about what we what we got out of 2020 and if and, and the thing financially necessarily, if you like oh my Gosh, I found a niche. That's great. Well, how we built us up? Where our muscles, where are we growing from? 2020. And I love it. Oh my gosh, I can't wait for it to be over. The fact is, we don't know what 21 2020 one's gonna be like, so I'm, I'm not like, I'm not gonna make time pass any slower. I'm not. I'm not into that. Let's talk about it. Let's just have this conversation.

Russ Johns 5:28
So let's start off, Nick. What? What are the big lessons that you have acquired over the last year? in all of this? All of this process? You muted your mic again.

Nick Gemmell 5:57
Tech to

Wendy Weiner Runge 6:00
He learned technology

Russ Johns 6:01
He learned technology. It keeps popping off. We got quite a few people, Annie Leaves in the house, Mike is in the house.

Wendy Weiner Runge 6:15
Let's just talk about Annie her video or so. And not stop staring at her beautiful eyes. Like everything she's saying is so impactful. But the fact that her the way her eyes are, she's so genuine Annie. Every video I'm just riveted. It's so fascinating to talk about the just the process we love and what the process the process, but the way to do it is just mesmerizing. So thank you, Annie for teaching each other and sharing. It's super important.

Russ Johns 6:48
Love you, Annie.

Nick Gemmell 6:53
I think my mics. Good. Now every what I learned is patience. There's a lot of patience, Wendy, that's what if you want to know,for 2020. And this technology stuff I got going on right now is a to a tall learning. But for me, honestly, consistency. And it wasn't what I did yesterday, that made a difference. It's what I started a year and a half ago with this movement, that I you know, that it's all starting to come now. And with COVID I wouldn't have the connections that I've made this year without COVID I wouldn't have met Ross, I wouldn't have met the OG gn and then I ultimately wouldn't have met you. But it goes much bigger than that. It's just everything. Yeah, all the new connections. And that includes with my kids as well. I got to be able to be present with them way more this year. And, and make a lifetime of memories. When I probably wouldn't have been able to if everything was booming, you know you're at work. Three 300 out of 365 days, which I've done before. And seriously, it's consistency, but it was taking that first step. And then in the changes that I'm making.

Wendy Weiner Runge 8:19
I'm going to tell you what I've learned from you that totally shifted my thinking, you're ready. I'm ready. Um, I learned you said one day and he kind of threw it out there. And maybe it's kind of a tagline for you, whatever. But you said it was such emphasis that I was like, Man, you know, when you get the win. I always think it's like that. You ever had one of your kid toddlers have a tantrum. And then you kind of they're flailing around and they kick your head with it. Like it's that feeling. You're like, wow, that didn't really hurt. But Damn, I'm gonna remember that. Here we go. But you said how does what I'm doing now serve me in the future? Like how? And I was like, Oh my gosh, that is so huge. That is such a life changing perspective and everything on Am I gonna run today? Am I gonna? Am I gonna have a cookie? Like any anything in between? Like, am I going to make this phone call and I deal with this or I'm going to whatever it is, it's so life changing. And it's such a simple statement was such complex stuff we put behind it. And it just until he right away. That changed me like like, that was really cool. So thank you for your insight in that. Thank you for opening that door for me. It was mind blowing.

Nick Gemmell 9:39
It's seriously what we do today echoes in the halls of eternity. So if you choose to be an asshole today, like it could definitely resonate to the to your neighbor to their kids to everyone else because they took it a certain way. Right? And it's it's much bigger than that, but that's essentially the essence in that statement. Right?

Wendy Weiner Runge 10:01
Gotcha. That's just it's, it's just great. So I hope that resonates with the crowd. I know, Russ is managing the board there. He had everything to do Russ man, it's just incredible. So what have you learned from Nick, Russ?

Russ Johns 10:16
I learned that I'm the biggest thing that I want to I want to share from lessons learned this year, especially from Nick is the fact that you know, people that don't feel they can change, or they can shift their, their mindset or their, their attitude, or where they're going or the direction you can make decisions, you can decide to make a choice, you can emphasize, and adjust your direction. And a lot of people in Nick's situation, and you know, and I've been in the exact situation where you think if I just work a little harder, everything will be a little better. And I think that that shift from you know, spending time creating memories, rather than creating dollar bills is a huge, a huge opportunity for many of us in how we want to live our lives and how we want to create memories in the future. And Nick has delivered that gift over and over again and in what he's doing, what he's, who he's helping, and how he's helping. And so, as a huge gift, Nick, appreciate you.

Wendy Weiner Runge 11:29
Very much so. Denzel Washington has a great quote. He said, I never saw a Hearst, head into the cemetery with a u haul behind it. We don't get to pick stuff, you know, memories, for sure. And those memories, if they're positive, hopefully, breaking the cycle, maybe other things go into our kids and to their kids, even if it's not articulated that how you felt then goes that far. So. So that's huge. Russ from you personally. Russ has the greatest phrase, like, how we even got connected. I remember. I know, I like to think I became a pirate in April or so I was you stick to very specific date. And what I learned it from what I've learned from us over and over again, is this is Russ. Yep. We can do that. Things are ginormous to me....yeah, we can do that. 11 segments like, what else? Well, you know, yeah, yeah, that's great. Yeah. Saying yes. People are always saying, Oh, no, we'll be protective of your time. And I get that, like, I get that. Because you do have to be Merry Christmas, everybody. Um, I do have to be like, protective of certain, whatever. Like, yeah, we can do that is a great way to go well, because even here, like all the things he's analyzing in his head at the same time, and whether he can or can't not figure it out.

Russ Johns 13:07
I'll figure it out.

Wendy Weiner Runge 13:09
And I love that attitude. Like someone present the opportunity. Sir Richard Branson said, someone offers you an opportunity. Take the opportunity. Figure it out later. Yeah. That's how parenting. I'm like, shocked. My kids are alive. I just sent you a video, Russ, of a dad. It's like super pile of the snow, Nick. And it's on the car. And you see the dads wiping off the car. And then when he shakes it up, and he's got the toddler, he's all bundled up in the snowsuit and a dad's just wiping the car off with.... I said, Peter, why don't we do this? He looks at me. He goes, we did do that. Do that.

Russ Johns 13:58
We did do that.

Wendy Weiner Runge 14:02
That may not be a memory for the kid.

Russ Johns 14:05
Or the kid was the kid who pray having a blast. I get to play in the snow.

Wendy Weiner Runge 14:11
Dad's gonna pick me up and wipe off the car with me. Well, I'm not scarred at all. Anyway, so. Um, so that's, I think this is a great time. Do we have folks to jump in? No.

Russ Johns 14:25
I sent off a couple of links here.

Wendy Weiner Runge 14:29
I'm shocked. see anyone Okay, I'm shocked.

Russ Johns 14:36
Merry Christmas, Mike says. you know, the one thing that I want to I want to recognize too, also is from the pirates, all the pirates I've learned community is more powerful than what you imagine it could be. And all the friendships and all the conversations I've had and the development that has taken place over the last year. hear some #PirateBroadcast™. It's just the people, it's the people, it's the engagement is the opportunity. You know, it's so amazing to think that we can actually come together as a community. You know, if you watch the news, life is over, it's done. Or we're out of here. However, if you talk to the people that sandwich. Oh, yeah, it's like, okay, I folks, you know, this is what this is what they're telling us, this is what it is. And if you take a moment, and focus on what you have, instead of what you're losing, sometimes what you lose is something you need to it needs to be gone from your life, you know, you can release some of that stuff, you know, holding on to things that are no longer serving, you has never been a valuable tool in your toolbox. You know, it's like, okay, that baggage that you carry around.

Wendy Weiner Runge 16:07
You become a tool.

Russ Johns 16:09
Yeah, don't be a tool. Yeah, there's so many, so many lessons, you know, the small things like, Nick, you said, consistency, you know, showing up every day like this has been really powerful tool for me. And it's really been a powerful lesson to see how we can actually achieve results by just being in the moment every day.

Wendy Weiner Runge 16:34
And you have no, there's no analytics to say, all the pirates and who's reached out to them, who saw them to happen from that point? where, you know, where did that go? Like, are there partnerships or collaborations that Oh, my gosh, that now we're taking place that never would have happened? Had there not been a community. So that was something that's really like, I love the Jewish community. And so I know, like, yeah, you know, my new company, whatever. But I in that kind of supposed to go. But I and I've been on LinkedIn for a long time. We didn't understand that. Do you did that? I didn't understand the power of it. Did it surprise you, Russ?

Russ Johns 17:17
The power of the community? No, actually, it didn't. And the reason why, and the reason why is I've done it before, I've grown communities before and just to watch it happen. And it's almost like this ripple effect goes through it. And you could see the imagination of others taking off because of a seed that was planted. No, you nurture that seed, you put that up. So that was my you know, my goal. You know, the fact that it's grown to the degree that it has is surprising. The fact that it's grown isn't surprising, the fact that it continues to grow isn't surprising. It's, it's the quality of the and the caliber of the people that are in the pirate community is amazing.

Wendy Weiner Runge 18:12
And and then picked by you, right? I mean, a lot of people, I recommend people, Oh, my gosh, you got to talk to so and so or what have you. So it's like, what do you think dictates that I have an idea, but what do you think dictates that level of quality?

Russ Johns 18:31
I think it has to do with the people that are standing out and willing to put themselves out there and actually share something valuable. You know, they're not, they're not the people that say, Hey, I'm not going to share this because somebody might take it away from me. It's the people who say, I'm gonna give this to as many people as I can. So I can help others along their way. Because I it was valuable to me and it's valuable to someone else.

Wendy Weiner Runge 18:55
I think it starts at the top, I think it's your abundance mentality. It's like, you know, we talked early on, like, I'm gonna monetize this, or what, how to make this work, and then it's scrubbed. With that said, it has to start from the leader, the one, the admiral has one who has to be the leader has to be the one who says, look, we're gonna live in abundance. It's not a fear based thing. It's, it's, it's a motivational thing. It's an energetic thing. So I think if it didn't trickle down from you, so...

Russ Johns 19:29
and part of that is, you know, think about, think about a pirate ship. You know, it's, it's even more than a company, it's even more than an organization because everybody has a job. And if you're not doing your job, everybody notices.

Wendy Weiner Runge 19:47
Well, you've walked the plank.

Russ Johns 19:48
You're walking the plank You have to make sure you're doing your job.

Wendy Weiner Runge 19:58
There's guys in the basement in chains like...

Nick Gemmell 20:04
Oh, I would say that it was it's that Russ. But honestly, I think, and man looking at life this way, I've never done it, but like the vibrational state, right, like, I never thought it was, but as soon as I get to a certain place and like actually balanced, which had never knew what that word meant before, and, and just operating at a certain frequency within myself, those other things, other people and things that are at the same rate are showing up, dude, like, you know, like not to toot my own horn, but this is what this is about. Like, it happened. I interviewed a guy that last week that I never, ever thought would ever answer, like, message. Right? And it was just amazing, you know, and it was just I was operating in a certain level he was, I totally think that that's the thing.

Russ Johns 20:56
That is the thing. You know, there's gaining access to people. I mean, everybody's human. You know, there are people with the do superhuman feats. And there, there are people that, you know, walk and talk just like we do, right?

Wendy Weiner Runge 21:16
So here's the thing, what you do Russ, by bringing them into our laptop or phone or our by radius, you give us permission to reach reach the level, they're at, oh, I can do that. And then we plug into them. I probably I don't know how many pirates over the year past year, that I've had the privilege of getting in kind of connecting with and having conversations, but it's because you give us permission by saying here's an intro. I like them. I find them interesting. You know, maybe you will, too. Who would have ever thought like Nick and I would have like, what do we have a two hour conversation? Probably, which probably Nick spoke. Seven minutes and I spoke. Yeah, so that's right. So it beeps I've turned everything off. Okay, so um, so funny. Everybody's texting me Merry Christmas. That's so cute. Thank you so much all anyway. Um, so, but that was it. Like we had this great conversation. And I wouldn't have had permission to do that. Had you not, brought... Russ, I'm like slathering you with compliments. And you're like, wonder woman, like you're just? Yeah, yeah, that's community.

Russ Johns 22:47
Well, I appreciate that, Wendy. I really do. I am so humbled. I am. I am so humbled this year, because, I mean, my my year hasn't been exactly pain free or smooth. You know, and I, there's actually this little twinge of, I won't, I won't call it guilt. I don't know what word to use that. It's been a very productive year for me. I've been able to make some connections, amazing connections that have impacted my life. You know, dad passed away. I broke my hip. You know, things just place the same week almost.What was interesting, it was after we buried himthat I broke my hip.

Wendy Weiner Runge 23:43
How did you break your hip, Russ?

Russ Johns 23:46
I was on a photoshoot with my son. So it was like, not very dangerous. We're 20 I don't know 20 miles in the outback and mountains and four wheel and, you know, I jumped out of the truck to take a picture because he was up on this mountain. And I came down this mountain a little too quick. And at the bottom, there's gravel and I just smacked the pavement. It wasn't pavement, but it was hard dirt, hard pad dirt. And so it was it was less than comfortable.

Wendy Weiner Runge 24:24
What did he do right away, Russ?

Russ Johns 24:27
My son?

Wendy Weiner Runge 24:28
Yeah. What do you do right away?

Russ Johns 24:30
He started laughing at me.

Wendy Weiner Runge 24:32
Then what did he do?

Russ Johns 24:33
And then he took pictures.

Wendy Weiner Runge 24:36
You sent me a picture of you laying on the ground going, Oh, this is not good. I was like, Oh, must not be good. And then you're like, yeah, I had surgery today and I want to send you the video.

Russ Johns 24:51
Yeah, I had...so that was in Utah. So we had dad's service, I broke my hip. Saturday I had surgery. Sunday we drove back to Arizona.

Wendy Weiner Runge 25:08
And Monday, you did a broadcast.

Russ Johns 25:11
Then I did a show on Monday

Wendy Weiner Runge 25:13
From the car. And you were stoned out of your mind on painkillers. You go back and cut some of the highlights of 2020. Really? It was like a it was like verbal diarrhea. It was probably would have said this. I love this. It was one big vowel movement. Like I'm like, wow.

Russ Johns 25:42
One big vowel movement.

Wendy Weiner Runge 25:47
And so it was like...

Russ Johns 25:52
the guest didn't show up.

Wendy Weiner Runge 26:00
Yeah, you're still doing the show. Yeah. Why wouldn't you?

Russ Johns 26:08
Mike's trying to get in but his sound isn't working. I think it's working. It's working. Okay. Working Mike.

Wendy Weiner Runge 26:17
Hi Mike.

Mike Padurano 26:18
There we go. What happened was after my live yesterday, somehow I misplaced a wire because I don't know if anybody caught it. But Sid was attacking me during it.

Russ Johns 26:27
That never happened.

Mike Padurano 26:28
No, no, no.

Wendy Weiner Runge 26:29
I hope Sid's not your wife.

Mike Padurano 26:31
No, Sid's, my three year old.

Wendy Weiner Runge 26:33
Oh, that's cool.

Mike Padurano 26:34
She was throwing stuffed animals at me and attacking me and bringing me toys and naked dolls while I'm sitting there on the live. So it was quite entertaining.

Russ Johns 26:44
That's awesome.

Wendy Weiner Runge 26:45
A real dad moment.

Mike Padurano 26:48
Well, it's a single dad moment. Right? So you got to juggle the best you can. And it's just a real life. It's single parent life.

Wendy Weiner Runge 26:57
I can't imagine how difficult that is. How challenging.

Russ Johns 27:03
Lisa says, Sorry, you broke your hip. You know, it's not 100% sorry to hear about your hip, Russ. I didn't make I don't want to make this about me. It's like, okay,

Wendy Weiner Runge 27:13
Well I made it about you, Buster. So you're really, really....but he Yeah, he's doing, I get photos. When you're like, I'll call you. And then I'll say and then we'll send a picture of you on your bike. You're out there biking. So you're back in the saddle. And we're back on the bike. Okay, so Mike, tell me how was this the best year of your life and what did you learn?

Mike Padurano 27:39
Well, it's okay. So I had a bunch of pivotal moments in this this year. And it could have been easily the worst year of my life by far. Um, I was removed from my children for 18 months. And on February 18, I got physical evidence of them being abused by their mother and her boyfriend. So I drove 1200 and something miles from South Florida to Arkansas, filed paperwork on emergency custody March 6, and I've been stranded in Arkansas since. I'm still in an Airbnb. And I could have, I didn't get paid for eight months. And the list can go on, right, because I'm dealing with three abused children. And I was abused as a kid. And I could have easily have collapsed under all this. And instead, Annie Lieb introduced me to gratitudes. And from that point forward, I started just running with it, right. And it went from gratitudes daily to Berne brown work and getting rid of the guilt, blame, shame and guilt, it went to finally releasing all my emotional trauma and everything with trauma therapy withSherry luuk. And going through her one on one thing, and then going through a group thing. And it is by far the best year of my life, because it's the first time in my 41 years that I've ever had myself.

Wendy Weiner Runge 29:11
Isn't it amazing how much you could do with your when you put down your baggage. Like, you know, it's an amazing thing when you can create who you can help when we just put it down.

Mike Padurano 29:24
But, but it's more than that because you've got to be willing to walk through it right? You've got to be willing to fight through it. And it's and it's not as simple as that in my mind. And I understand and I've been very I've been very avid about documenting the good and the bad the whole way. My YouTube channel has, you know, lives that I just cried on my YouTube channel has days that I was just happy as can be. It had days it was just it days of address block. And I've been sharing my journey as I've been going through this process with a emotional, physical spiritual transformation in every way possible. And now I'm just on my path, and I'm sharing it with the world.

Wendy Weiner Runge 30:05
And how are your kids?

Mike Padurano 30:07
Um, as I heal, they heal, right because they feed off me so and and because I was born an empath and an have been an awake for a long time and I've been a true empath, I'm able to help them through that as well. Because I feel what they go through, and I and I physically experienced pretty much what they went through. So I'm able to relate to them. And as bad as what I went through was horrible as a child, I also look at it now as a blessing, because I'm able to be there for my children in the best way possible. Their gifts, it's knowledge, it's wisdom, it's it's learning experiences, you know, this year has been very difficult for everyone and losing people and grief and mourning, and so many others.

Wendy Weiner Runge 30:50
And that being displaced and things that you never, you never think like last year would be so cool. You'd never think, Oh, I'm going to sign up for this. Yeah, this is great. Oh, yeah, I'm gonna do that. No, we never would have thought that way.

Mike Padurano 31:05
But well, I think it's a combination, right? We never want to think the worst, right? And we never want to think that it's going to be hard. So we always try to have this optimistic hope. And going into a new year. The reality is we have to take everything for what it is good, bad, indifferent. And we just have to be our best selves through the whole process, no matter what the year is. And, and I think this year has taught us a lot of things, right? We don't have to physically be in front of somebody to be close to them. You don't have to, we're never really alone. You know, and that's a big one. Because I always felt alone, whether I was speaking at un events, or whether I was signing government contracts, or, you know, no matter what I was doing, I always felt alone. It just didn't matter.

Wendy Weiner Runge 31:50
So the question is, do you think the for the three of you? Do you think that the #PirateBroadcast™ in any in the community itself could have been as powerful as it is, in our lives? Had we not had COVID? in that?

Mike Padurano 32:06
No, not even a clue? Not even close?

Wendy Weiner Runge 32:10
Isn't it crazy that something so bad could be, you know, turned to something so good? We don't get we don't get to see. Now, again, it's bad a lot people have terrible losses and financial and emotional people. And I get like, I'm not, like question, a question. The idea is like, how do you grow, you can't grow unless you're thrown into something that is beyond your conception, and adjust your sails and work your way through it. And that's it. That's, that's, that's the key to everything. I mean, every nobody says, You know what, this will be easy.

Russ Johns 32:42
Every challenge brings opportunity. And that's the reason people seldom see it as an opportunity, they always see it as opposition challenge, you know, here's my goal is make and I think when you take that attitude, you don't move through it like my, like, you were saying, My, you have to move through it, you have to push through it, in order to get to the other side. And those deep, dark challenges that we've all been through it to different degrees, have allowed us to become different people. And we are the accumulation of our experience in if we take it as a growth experience. Even if it's a painful at the time, it has to become an opportunity that we can actually relate to, can grow from

Wendy Weiner Runge 33:31
Going back to Nick, you know, how I was asked when I speak how to diamond, how are diamonds formed? Heat and pressure over time. There's no way without a lot of a lot of pressure. And a long time can a diamond form. So if we want to be diamonds, you got to embrace the pressure, there's just no other way and be patient with yourself.

Nick Gemmell 33:57
Oh, and there was a couple other things with Mike there was when he was chatting is just kind of my take away. It was like you're, you're you can't have darkness without light and the opposite, right? So when you can't have the polar opposite, or whatever is in between of that. And then so you stepping into that pain, right? has allowed you to see what's important, right? And it's I do single parent, like it's the same thing, right? And I didn't till I step into that pain, could I realize, you know how I was actually operating in a probably way different than you but I was operating as an asshole in my life, like just one dimensional go make money, right? And so it's a different path. But I realized in that that I needed to step up as a father, I needed to step up in industry, I needed to do what I needed to do, and that's the cool part. But without that darkness, and then COVID I didn't have that chance to actually grow. So that's awesome, dude.

Wendy Weiner Runge 34:56
So that that's a great point. Nick, let me ask you this. Did your father do that? Was he the kind of guy who was like, just make money and do this? Where did that from?

Nick Gemmell 35:07
Yeah, well, the old school like anyone around 40, you know, the 40 to 50 range, right? That's what you saw was just go make money and come home and provide and everything will be good. And, and there's nothing wrong with that. But it creates a whole set of challenges where you're not present like you don't. And you just want to make your next dollar. And that's all you're focused on. But what through the work that I went through, and you know, Mike found Bernie brown and all of that. So I've, I went through and found my gurus and in along the same lines, and now we can express the gratitude and express love and be able to be four dimensional, where actually, I come first, right, which sounds very bad when you say it out loud. But it's it's not right, Mike, like when you deal with yourself.

Mike Padurano 36:02
I mean, that's where I'm still stuck a little bit, right, it's putting myself first and I'm such a selfless person. And I've always, you know, been selfless. So trying to understand that concept and a fully align myself mentally, emotionally and spiritually, right. And being comfortable within that align space, to be okay to make sure I'm first so that I can better serve others, including my children, and everything else is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. And I'm still struggling with that, right. And then what I realized over the last few weeks, that's really escalated, everything that I'm doing is my core values and identifying them, and living within them and stepping into them. And it means sometimes doing things that don't make sense, right? It means sometimes doing things that most people would never normally do, you know, calling up and apologizing to somebody for something that you never even said in public. But you have to do it because you need to clear your site at a conscious, you can't walk into something with mal intent or negative intent or negative energy behind it. So I, you know, and that's where I'm really focused on today is aligning myself completely, fully stepping into my core values, and living that way for the rest of my life. You know, I mean, I was, I'm 41 years old, I've been sober on 41 and a half, because I'm sure Andy probably said that somewhere. And I've been sober 14 and a half years, but I never did the emotional work until this year. I have never done emotional work. And I always, I was never aligned, right? Like sometimes I was spiritually and mentally sometimes I was emotionally and spiritually. But I was never able to learn all three because I never cleaned myself out. I never released it. I never processed it. And I'm still learning what my emotions are today. I mean, I'm not great at it. I'm really not. And I'll be the first to admit it. I don't understand. Or before. Oh, I'm better than I was yet. I'm better than I was yesterday. Like, I'm better than I was before I got on this on this. You know, it's a constant evolution. And then one thing that I'm going to say about 2020 before I have to jump off because my three year old will be up soon. And then Christmas starts. Um, but I but it was good because I actually manipulated my eight year old into getting into the bathtub. So that's works. Um, so you got to use what you got 2020 Okay, so I think going into 2020 people lost the idea of what real connection was. And no one was being present. Nobody was being present anymore, even in their own lives. And I think 2020 has truly forced us not only to be present in our own lives, but to be present for others in unconventional ways. And then look within and fill the voids that we're not filling and confront our darkness in ways that we never expected we'd have to write because I had many vices over the course of even being sober, whether it was a workaholic, whether I was addicted to porn for a while. I mean, like you can go through the list, right? Like I had a list of them and it was always something to distract me. Right. And I always wanted to be out. I always wanted to be in crowds. I always wanted to be with groups of people because I couldn't sit with myself. So what did What did my life turned into being 1200 miles away from my family 1500 miles away from my new home, being isolated in the middle of nowhere where I'm an hour and a half from the closest Starbucks and being a single dad of three kids that are going through emotional trauma. And everything got taken away from me and now what I found can never be taken away from it. Because I found myself and everything else will fall in place on its own. And I just know that today. I know.

Wendy Weiner Runge 39:42
Beautiful, just beautiful Viktor Frankl you know we can this is this... attitude. So you have adapted and I've been watching in the past 10 days, and I'm it's an incredible It's incredible to hear you speak about it because it still amazes you that you're in it. Like, it's amazing to you and that's like really energizing. And there's a little sparkle of Annie there too. And it's like, you're so glad you're where you are, where you're going to be, and what is such a great transformational

Russ Johns 40:19
I think it gives everybody hope. You know, there's hope that that life can be better, there's hope that I can feel different, there's hope that I can be better for my family, my kids, those around me, and improve the life I live.

Wendy Weiner Runge 40:35
And then what flips, if you work to be better. My kids are all out of the house now our kids are and what flips them they start, they start to look at them and go, Wow, you're so much better at this than I was. Like, it's not, you know, and then I know that it's because of their grandparents and what have you like, and it skips a generation, but it's like, what, how are you so good at adulting? Like you rule. I mean, all for my kids are like this. They're super motivated. It's like, cool, like, wow, um, that you'll see, you'll see do some, you'll see God willing, you'll see and it's just, that is the most liberating and anything you want to hang out with them because they're cool. So enjoy your morning with your kids.

Mike Padurano 41:36
I will thank you and I and I learned more from my kids every day than I can learn from anywhere else. I mean, my three year old, because of her non jaded life isms, right? Yes, she's had a jaded life around pain and treatment and neglect. But as far as how she looks at life, she's not jaded towards it. She sees it with a pure heart and pure intentions, and just watching how she intakes things and accepts things and allows things. It's the most magical experience I've ever seen.

Wendy Weiner Runge 42:07
You got a front row seat, dad!

Mike Padurano 42:10
Yes, I do.

Wendy Weiner Runge 42:12
That's very cool. Let's hope she doesn't throw any naked dolls at you this morning.

Mike Padurano 42:18
I'm sure she will be as today I'm on with Annie so that should be entertaining.

Wendy Weiner Runge 42:21
That'd be super fun.

Russ Johns 42:22
We'll tell Annie I said hello.

Mike Padurano 42:25
I will thank you very much for having me guys and Merry Christmas to everyone whether you celebrate it or not.

Wendy Weiner Runge 42:31
Thank you so much.

Mike Padurano 42:33
Have a great day everybody.

Russ Johns 42:38
So many lessons. So many adventures. Expectations you know are a dangerous thing...

Wendy Weiner Runge 42:47
Expectations are a buzzkill. Terrible. Like oh, that didn't really? Someone didn't say goodbye when the left. Really? Yeah, I've learned so much of that from my partner, just he operates in such a different in such a different way. And his silence. And then he'll do something that I was so different from anybody else I know. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, that was fantastic. Like, he'll just send me a picture of the of the beach. Yeah, anyway, that's all I needed. Whatever, oh, you're good here, you're having to get chosen sand. That's all that's that's what do I need. You've got to focus on what we need as opposed what we want. We want beauty.

Russ Johns 43:35
That's the beauty of the world we live in now that you know, those random, those small things, the text that you receive, saying thank you, or the the message you receive, saying, Hey, that was great. I appreciate it. Or, you know, just random people connecting and saying, Hey, I saw you do this on here. And I just wanted to follow up and connector. You know, you don't know where that message is going to land. You don't know where what people are seeing. You don't know what people are doing. You know, and that's why I encourage everybody to put out something, you know, positive all the time. Right? Like, just just be positive, is it it's not that every day is rainbows and unicorns. I mean, I have some crappy days. You know, and it's just like, Okay, well, this too shall pass. Yeah.

Wendy Weiner Runge 44:30
And then again, I want to ask you both, do you get negative comments, like putting out positive stuff? Do you get trolled? Do you get negative comments? How do you deal with that?

Nick Gemmell 44:43
Honestly, oh, yeah, I'll speak first, but um, I don't, which scares the shit out of me, Wendy. I don't. So, so yeah, so I deal in oil field workers and an oil pan and tradesmen right? Like, if we don't like something we'll let you know. Like, that's what it is. And I don't. And that scares me. So do you know? Why did you Why? Because? Well, no, because it just shows me how much people want to express themselves is what the way I take it, but they don't feel somebody wants to hear, right, or they're worthy enough to, to express themselves in that way, right where ideal Mike touched a little bit on values, and, and mission. And in our program, like, that's what we deal with every day, is revisit our values and our mission and why a trigger actually means something to you. Like, why does something piss you off? Or why is something? You know, why are you grateful for something? But when we go back and revisit our values and our mission, can it make sense? You know, like, it's how we interpret it. And that was another big takeaway is actually dealing with that this year, on a daily basis, my values and my mission every day for about a year and a half now. And once you start doing that, you don't get triggered as much as I can in a negative way. Where man, like, you know, that guy cut me off like a few, right? Like, really, it just doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. So but you can make a lot of cool decisions that make sense to you, and push forward when you deal in your values every day. And why does it make sense? So yeah, huge takeaway on that Mike is on that. What's your unique accomplishment, actually, connection and leadership, those are my top three. So if I can choose something like right now, connecting with you, and, and being able to share what I have, is, is leading, hopefully, other people to be able to, they can do their, they can figure that out for themselves. Like, that's what fills me up. And if they're able to, if I'm able to do those two things, I'm actually accomplishing something. So I just in this little broadcast here, I hit all three of my values. Boom, boom, right, it's good day. Yeah, good day. And it's not even eight o'clock yet.

Russ Johns 47:27
I covered my list is not even eight o'clock.

Nick Gemmell 47:31
But not having those negative comments, you know, and I'm sure it'll come one day, but it's being able to. Yeah, Why would that trigger me if I'm doing the things that Fill my cup? What does it matter what you have to say? Honestly, I'm glad that you have that opinion. I really am. Because you get to be you, boo.

Russ Johns 47:53
Yeah, no kidding.

Wendy Weiner Runge 47:54
Russ, do you get negative comments rolled in.

Russ Johns 47:58
I have I've received however, they're more about they're more around the idea that like, why why do we you take me off your notification list. I get so many notifications from you. It's like, I don't have control over that. Like Okay, so

Wendy Weiner Runge 48:25
I wonder I don't get a lot of them here. Okay, there I just talked about I don't really get I wonder if sometimes it's scary. That sounds like so I'm gonna lay it out there. So I'm on my first my first feature film, everybody got a sweatshirt and or whatever, and shoot a cast and crew. And everybody had a nickname and I knew there were nicknames went around, but I wasn't really paying attention to it. I didn't get a nickname. I know nickname back. And I said like, Guys like really? I got executive producer like I was signing your checks. I don't get a nickname. I don't have any. Oh, you have a nickname. I said Really? What is it like? No, we're not gonna tell you I was like your nickname is sledgehammer of love.

Russ Johns 49:31
Sledgehammer of love.

Nick Gemmell 49:33
I guess if you needed a 70s porn name, I guess.

Wendy Weiner Runge 49:39
I was like, Oh, no, that's good. Like who wants to be just had this Gallagher image in my head? We're like heads are exploding.

Russ Johns 49:50
watermelon in the front row.

Wendy Weiner Runge 49:54
I was wearing rubber shoe, you know kind of thing. So I'm like, Oh, so I sometimes take them just so I have a friend who said, Oh, I, I heard I heard you were here. And I was like, and same thing like a big event, whatever. I heard you hear. I said, Well, how did you know? And he said, I heard your testicles clinking as he walked to the to kind of tend to whether or not advocate....

Russ Johns 50:23
What kind of comments do you get? What what comments surprise you Wendy? What interaction is it that has surprised you in the last little while?

Wendy Weiner Runge 50:33
Well, we had a conversation. Yeah. I don't I don't think I get surprised by comments. People think I can answer all their questions. I'm like, Oh, no, no, I'm like, I got a question yesterday from someone.

Russ Johns 50:52
You can you say I know a guy.

Wendy Weiner Runge 50:54
Totally. That's it. Like, a Jewish woman can get anything fixed with one finger. Come here. Like, I can, I can really jiggle the hand on a toilet. They're like, Oh, you know, what do you think about this? I was like, I know a guy. That's my three skills or like, the third I know, whatever. I know that. But so I don't get the negative stuff. And I wonder, I don't get it very often. Thank God. And I wonder like, oh, if someone feels either like go scary, or because I can get scared probably or? Or is like, Oh, I don't want to burst her bubble. I don't want to, you know, you know, my dad always says and rustles. But don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining. Yeah, it means exactly my main, whatever. But it's like, oh, so like I said.

Russ Johns 51:46
Don't shit the shitter. So, you know, one of the things that is kind of around....

Wendy Weiner Runge 51:53
I'm not asking for negative stuff.

Russ Johns 51:56
No, no, no, no, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to send that out to the universe. Now. However, you know, one of the one of the things that I've realized about myself that has not necessarily been as productive as possible, around this subject is always wanting to be liked, you know, not recognizing my value, when it comes to imposing some borders are barriers in my life. And saying, Well, if I don't say yes, they're not gonna like me, and then that's, that's a problem in itself, then it turns into resentment because I'm doing things that I don't necessarily need to do. Right. And so that's, that's another area that, you know, we need to look at, it's like, Okay, well, are we doing things for ourselves? Like Nick says, you don't, I have to put myself first. You know, it's like, the oxygen in the plane, you know, pull the oxygen down for yourself. So you can take care of other people around you.

Wendy Weiner Runge 52:58
Like, I love my money. I like Phil told me, we're playing me the best thing that a family, you know, and then just a necklace, and then I'm like, be like, Okay, you know what, you gotta do it. First. You got to, and you got to partner with people. This is such a huge thing. People in relationship with the Creator, whatever, you'll for me, there have to be people that are you, for me. Because if they if it's 100% the other way, you're beneficial, and that that's like, you know, so I'm gonna do what God wants me to do before I'm going to do but I think I need to do as much as I can.

Russ Johns 53:38
Little act of holding the door open.

Wendy Weiner Runge 53:40
like 10 and 10%. I'm not, you know, I'm not as good as I should be. But yeah, holding the door open. When you hold, gentlemen, when you hold the door open for for a lady for? Does anybody like, what's the reaction? Do theysay Oh, you don't think I can do it? Or they Oh, like, Oh, that's nice. No, I

Nick Gemmell 54:02
Seriously, Russ, because I think it I've never had a negative experience with that. So

Wendy Weiner Runge 54:07
you had that happen? Russ?

Russ Johns 54:08
Yeah. Yeah. It's like, you know, I get the door for you. It's like, they'll grab it. I mean, it's been kind of crazy. And, you know, it's both sides, both sides. But, I mean, I've always been the one to open the door, take the shopping cart back is one of my really, you know, it's like, okay, I'll just grab a shopping cart and take it back. Yeah. You know, it's just that intent that you're putting out to the universe. It's the intention. It's the it's the idea make you not someone else's job. Everybody has an opportunity to contribute. That's the whole point very much though.

Nick Gemmell 54:45
Yeah, no, but in the us right now, and it's everywhere, but it's so you can just see it with your guys's political system. like not to get on that topic. But you have you have Yeah, but you have a bunch of creators and yeah Have a bunch of takers, and everyone just wanting a handout right? And it's man, it's people like when you creating yourself creating and it's not just having that handout, and it's and it's so frustrating being in that system like that socialist system where Yeah, and it's not working out well, because many when small businesses are taking over, or getting pushed out for for big business, it's not like go and create man like, once we take that away from us, we're nothing

Wendy Weiner Runge 55:34
100% that there's such a strong pull to create, and there's always something good that can be created. Or Yeah, people. There's a great meme that goes around all the time. It's like, if you think you have ideas have no value at all. Think about the guy who invented the pool noodle.

Russ Johns 55:54
Yeah, yeah. Simple, simple to see.

Wendy Weiner Runge 56:01
Oh, like, look at this people. Okay, whatever. So it says all the time where there's a need to see, like, look for James out of church, I has a rate. Um, I don't know concept where he says, If you can't think of something great to do creative to do, just make a list of 10 things. thing doesn't mean I'm gonna do this, like 10 things. You know, here's a hipflask I got a conference. Like make a list of 10 things. And every day, Fidelis aside, and after 10 days, you have 100 things. And then you take the list, and you kind of merge them together. And you look at things and go Wow, he calls it idea sex. But he said you have that new like, Okay, look at that. Oh, you know what, that's a really interesting idea. What if we had x, chia pet pet rocks, people have invented things you're like, need this. And every year they come out with a new chia pet. And it's like a big deal baby Yoda one this year, whatever. Like, I've never had a chimpanzee I don't. I'm not good plants. issues. So but, um, so but that's like a thing. We can create things. And it doesn't have to. It doesn't have to destroy somebody else's thing. And then, when you're so busy creating, you don't have time to pee on someone else's leg. Like it just doesn't. doesn't have to happen. Nope. Have a tear down when somebody else did.

Russ Johns 57:23
You know. So I have to ask you a question. Wendy. How do you go about deciding who you start a conversation with? In this process?

Wendy Weiner Runge 57:34
Really?

Russ Johns 57:36
Well, I know you talk with everybody.

Wendy Weiner Runge 57:39
I don't actually I don't. So.

Russ Johns 57:41
So what's the path? What do you think about? Or what do you find interesting that prompts a conversation.

Wendy Weiner Runge 57:49
My kids asked me this all the time. And I'll talk to someone for 15 seconds tops. I ain't doing that ever. For so my dad never been a stranger. My dad talks to everybody. Yeah, I was a great support staff. So in that, so she's great. That said, my kids asked me, does she shine? Does he shine? Like after I've had a 15 second conversation with them? Yeah. So I can't describe to them that there's there are people who just shine. They're just there's a thing. It's it's the the energy is at such a level I can't describe it may or may not have. You know, let's talk about Zach mestler for a second. Like, Zach, is it just a genius, crazy, creative, wonderful guy. And he posted things on LinkedIn. Like, five years ago, probably. I started following him up this is really interesting. And then I got a watch that he wasn't seeing his own shine. I just called him Gabriel. I called him Amy blaschke just called her I don't know, where just said, you know what we should really, I would love to have a conversation. I'm sure they're like, oh, gosh, I'm nothing wrong with it. No, no, I don't know. Like, I don't know. And then every time they're crying, I'm like, I'm talking like you understand how what greatness you have, and you need to do this. I have no, an English literature degree, which means I know how to use the Oxford comma. Like that's the scoop. I don't have like, oh, psychology that's shrink, you know, whatever. Like, but you don't you don't you shine Do you know that you shine? And they're like, No, I mean, wait. For some I had this company with Amy actually in San Francisco and No, and I would serve Cisco. And she wept in the I cried, and the people the next table cried and poor Noah, my partners, and they're like, well, I've been I have a sister. I'm a mom. Yeah, I can just think of this stuff. You know, endure. This is awesome. She is awesome. She's so awesome. And she was not blink. She didn't think she could be big. She didn't think she could and Hello. And so she co authored our first novel with us. She's great and compassionate, and was wired to she's a pirate and she's the bomb and so we Did it our house that we work and then we go to San Francisco just to work with her, and we put the dog and some of the pool and just like just, she just had a way. So that's it. If they shine, then I connect, establish call, just pick up the phone and call them. Which is not really a lost art. But it seems to be like, I don't want to leave a wizard answer. Don't answer. That's not my business. It's just that if I seek them out for a two hour conversation, so sorry, Nick, but it was so informative was so great. Like I, he knew already, Nick knew already how great everything he knew. He saw his own, like, Oh, I could really change the world. I could really do this. I and moreover, I don't have a right not to do this. I gotta. And that's when he you know, and that was not such a beautiful thing. So that's, that's my deal. I can't quantify them. But if they shine, I'd love to give a formula or recipe. I'm not. I'm not that good. I don't have one. I just know. It's quick.

Russ Johns 1:01:11
Cool. Well, I admire Nick for recognizing in what he's done. And you know, I'm so grateful for our connection windy, because, you know, there's so many times in my life that I really actually could have should have would have been dead. And I'm thinking I'm still here. Not a not a limb on my body that has been broken. But that makes me feel alive in what I'm doing now. Because I know that there's, there's a bigger mission in place. And I have a lot more work to do.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:01:45
And it's exciting. It goes from being crud to Oh, wow. So I always ask people like what pulls you out of bed in the morning? What's your thing? What what makes you happy? And I was in Seattle with my parents last week. My dad kind of slow morning kind of comes to the table, the kitchen counter and sits down. And he said, You know, I always look forward to seeing you in the morning. Now my dad is full of great stuff. And then and I was seriously I was shocked. I noticed when someone says that to you. So I'm going to say to you Russ, I look forward to seeing you every morning. Even when I'm on the west coast and it's just a clock and it's

Russ Johns 1:02:34
it's painful at 6 o'clock.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:02:37
I just go to bed.

Russ Johns 1:02:40
Well I don't even know when you sleep wendy. So

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:02:43
it was a creepy isn't it? Yeah. times calls us the sleepless elite. Ah, creepy. You go ahead. Um, I know. I used to torture my sisters. I am amazing. I just want to give a shout out to my sisters. So Mindy and Julie fantastical ones in New York ones in Seattle. Thank you for not killing me in my sleep as a teenager. That's that's all they coulda shoulda not to.

Russ Johns 1:03:16
I enjoy my sleep For years, I was like what Nick had described, you know, it's like, oh, just run and run and run. I lived on about four hours of sleep for about seven years there for quite a while. So

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:03:30
were you crabby? Was it difficulty for you to adjust? Did you?

Russ Johns 1:03:33
Oh, I was I got to the point where I was depressed and suicidal.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:03:40
And that's bad. Just kidding.

Russ Johns 1:03:47
It was a bad place. It was bad place. So it was just like this idea. I was working for the American dream, but it became a nightmare. So you know, it wasn't wasn't all that good. never spent time with the family or the kids or anything like that. And I remember. I remember the kids were young. I used to get up on Sunday mornings and make breakfast and they don't you know, I asked him about it years later. And it's like, yeah, we don't remember that dad. It's like, we're just remember you always working. It's like, Okay. And I'm like working. I love what I do. I spend a lot of time working on what I do now. And it's However, it's I think it's a little different because you know, I'm creating all the time. And maybe it's just me, maybe it's just the way I live maybe it's just

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:04:40
creating all the time is the American dream. Yeah, the other one that they kind of sold you is like make bank and you know, bigger house and denona that's not the American dream. Being able being a power to create all the time.

Russ Johns 1:04:55
I work hard so I can create more

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:05:00
You feel that way, Nick. Be a comedian. Oh, yeah.

Nick Gemmell 1:05:05
Though it's huge. And it's, but for me, yeah, I want more all the time. And that's where I've had to rein back where I do where I want to expand is, it needs to make sense. So yeah, the bigger house doesn't make sense to me now. Like why I needed that. The $100,000 truck. did that. Did that serve me at all? Sure.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:05:29
100 grand? Oh, yeah.

Nick Gemmell 1:05:31
My first house was 117,000. Canadian. And my I had a truck that was close to $100,000. At one point, yeah. Are you kidding me? Right. So but did that? Did it make me happy? No. Like, so this whole year, like back to the urine review? like totally for me, like that's, you know, that's stuff does not serve me, like the big shiny things. It really has to go back to my values. It is it? Is it accomplishing something? No. Like having a big truck doesn't accomplish anything for me. And same, so yeah. So once I operate in that, then it makes sense, but totally. Yeah, the big shiny things the American dream like the Canadian dream, like we did. It's never been taught like that ever. We don't have a Canadian dream.

Russ Johns 1:06:19
It's always been the American dream. Who am I kidding? Like, yeah, you have a dream. You guys Canadian.

Nick Gemmell 1:06:29
I set the precedent. Now there was this frickin American dream the white picket fence. You guys set that and we just adopted it. And

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:06:38
you don't even Canadians don't even have the gumption to say let's pick your own damn dream. Come on. Really good friend in a minute. He's a radio guy. But a radio guy forever does coast to coast. So he's a professor of at Kansas State University now. And he always want to hear it as an international radio show like coast to coast. There's a lot of stuffing. And he says, you know, welcome to the tasty Canadians. Tasty Canadians. Reverse y'all. So what I was like, what's with the tasty Canadian thing? He said, if aliens descend upon Earth, I want them to go to Canada first. Because the idea that they're there, you know, tasty, you're up there that will be will have a chance to get away. I was like, oh, hasty Canadian. So y'all, if you're just UFO dreams.

Nick Gemmell 1:07:33
I'm just gonna say it right now. any single moms want to have a tasty Canadian? I've never done that before but now I'm gonna use it. Totally.

Russ Johns 1:07:46
Yeah, you can totally own that, Nick. Yeah, me too. Tasty Canadian. You sign up here?

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:07:54
Sounds like back bacon and beer?

Russ Johns 1:07:57
Yeah. We're getting to Florida. Tasty Canadian. You got a party?

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:08:09
Right? If you're hundry for breakfast yeah, that's,

Russ Johns 1:08:13
you know, it's so it's so amazing to, to think we can live, survive and thrive in this arena. Because, I mean, I had been, you know, promoting this idea that you are the media you are, you know, you can control your future with your content. And you can produce results, you just have to pick it up and get started. And every single year, you know, technology comes out just like this platform. We're live streaming around the world. And people are watching it and seeing it and we're getting on and getting off and creating this amazing stuff. And people, I don't think a lot of people really appreciate the value that it brings to the world and putting out something positive. And and I think if more people really appreciated the things, the gifts and the value that it brings, I think I think it would be a much kinder place you know, less polarization.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:09:16
I love that. So when I asked you this question, which leads directly so many people refuse to do it because they say, I can't put it out there unless it's perfect. So I wonder what you your gentlemen, what's your take on perfectionism?

Russ Johns 1:09:29
It's a lie.

Nick Gemmell 1:09:32
Done is better than perfect.

Russ Johns 1:09:34
Amen, brother.

Nick Gemmell 1:09:36
Right?

Russ Johns 1:09:38
Perfect is a form of procrastination.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:09:41
Okay, yeah. So many Altair.

Nick Gemmell 1:09:46
So many people these days get caught in I'll call it mental masturbation, where we have all of these thoughts going through our head and not. And then one thing, we just don't do it. We don't pull the trigger because we're scared. We're scared that other people are going to think we're scared with. Yeah, even family like, but who cares back to the values if it fulfills you pull the trigger, pull the trigger and so much more cooler shit can be. Whoo. Wow, come from Wow. So much cool stuff can happen.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:10:21
Here's the question. If you do a split video Oh, I've got this idea in your head and you should do it. How many takes will you do for like 01? You do one take you do, you'll shoot it and then you send out?

Nick Gemmell 1:10:38
Yeah, literally my podcasts I send it to an editor but all he does is clean up the little gaps that are in between he doesn't edit it at all. I just want everything as raw as possible. And that to me that that's, you know, that's authentic. And it's kind of like it's Russia show like this live stream. Like I just dropped an F bomb oops. And I do apologize. But it's it's just the reality of just....

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:11:07
off the show.

Nick Gemmell 1:11:09
But what people just see that rawness and they see that you're being authentic, it gives them back the permission to be to be authentic. And that's when cool, really cool stuff happens.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:11:21
Right? So, one take route, you're done. You're good with that? Um, you Russ, how many? How many? How many times will you give an idea how many times like, okay, that's just gonna send it out that way. Cuz

Russ Johns 1:11:36
the only time I edit, like, like edit is when I'm creating a course. And I just need to make sure that the the content is clear. Because I have a tendency to ramble.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:11:47
I don't.

Russ Johns 1:11:48
I've never recognized that, Wendy.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:11:52
Ramble means you have to stop at some point and take a breath. I've eliminated that part. I've just like whatever. The other thing is, by the way,

Russ Johns 1:11:59
what about you, Wendy, Nick, I think how many times do you edit?

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:12:03
One time? No. First one, I'm out. Nick, I think you need to add to that dating profile for single women. Raw tasty Katie.

Nick Gemmell 1:12:13
Whoo. Yeah. Okay.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:12:16
There you go.

Nick Gemmell 1:12:17
Changing that right after we're done here, whatever.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:12:20
So I have I, I will shoot, if I have an idea in my head that I have to get, get through. I get night I write and then I've always got my like colored cards by my bed, which is annoying as hell, but I have my color cards. like okay, and right then and then the mornings that video like, whatever I was thinking that I before a lot of people get or something just abstract. So I'll take three, four, take a look at go back and look at them. Like the first one was the most genuinely could feel it. Like see my eyes like I was thinking, if I stutter if I got ever something, you know, the doorbell I don't care. Like that's just what happened. And then put it down to just do the first take. But I have to be so like, it's just more powerful to get it out there when it really means the most to me. You know, once I've said it three times, I'm bored with it. So and that was reflected in the way.

Russ Johns 1:13:13
Yeah, it doesn't have the same energy does it

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:13:15
It doesn't so that's what I try to do. And they're flawed. I am an incredibly flawed human being. And so I might what I feel is flawed. So yeah, I'm, I'm, I have adapted to that. And to know, I mean permission to be flawed. I'm, I'm really good at that.

Nick Gemmell 1:13:35
Oh, man, when I came out of I was coming out of rehab, not for drugs or alcohol, but just for not feeling anything. Like that's why I went away. It's short, little intro there. But when I was reaching out to a buddy a week out before I flew back from Thailand, you know, he's like, Where were you? I'm like, I was in rehab. He's like, man, I thought you were doing so good. Like with the wife, the kids everything. Meanwhile, I'm getting divorced. Like, we're separated, you know what I mean? And it does social media is just it can be at your detriment when you use it that way. Right? And it's not all roses, and it's fine. Right? But that's where we that's where we go to our default is just perfection back. Right? Like,

Russ Johns 1:14:20
There's a fine line too, because, you know, depending on whether or not you're a victor for living and surviving through it, or you become a victim. And there's, there's so many so many times I I have a hard time being around people that always complain about stuff, you know, it's like, I need separation from people like that. I know it exists. I know. Life has problems, everything. You know, it's like, I can go down the list of all kinds of problems. But that's not what I'm focusing on. I want to focus in on moving forward in a positive way. That makes makes a difference makes it matter,

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:15:02
right? The first time someone complains, you need to vent, I get it. That's great. The second time you complain, you're just bragging. You don't really want help.

Russ Johns 1:15:12
Well, it's really okay. You know, I've had to leave people behind that. They want to complain about their situation. And they continually do nothing about their situation.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:15:25
Right? At some point in time, it's like all those Charlie Brown cartoons, you know, kids with,

Russ Johns 1:15:31
I didn't get to watch cartoons when I was a kid. I was underprivileged.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:15:34
Would you like to go into therapy for that? I

Russ Johns 1:15:37
No, I like to own that.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:15:40
Permission granted, um, there is Charlie Brown. So let me thank you, Charlie Brown were small people who spoke like adults. However, in the cartoons, when the adults would speak to them. All you heard was Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah. And, as a filmmaker, I have to interpret that as what, I don't have any more value than what the kids were saying to each other. They already knew what to do. They just all that being said, there are people who like to complain, and then it just turns into Wah, wah. And after five seconds, or 20 seconds, whatever, it's just tedious. And it's, you know, oh, I want to do this, I want I want to have a plan. Kevin, what's action, and I don't want to have I don't want to have that conversation with them. I'm not gonna be their accountability partner accountability partner on. Conversely, if someone says to you one time, something is a beautiful thing, like my partner, my business partner said to me, and my husband would never say this, because I would rip out his heart and eat it for pleasure. If he said this, to me just saying, There's like, bounders, my business partner or alluded to this, my business partner said, I need you to be healthy for us. What an empowering, fantastic statement. Yeah. So got back on the, you know, God's taking care of myself, you you can't falter, I need you to be healthy for us. Yeah. That's a big, that's a big thing. So it's about how critical analysis is given an input spirit is given when back to the, you know, the trolls and stuff, and how much gravitas you give those comments, I think if a stranger from Poughkeepsie tells me that I'm bad, you're right. I don't care what you think. So like, I was like, it's not anything I'm gonna have this conversation with you about, it doesn't affect you. And I'm doing what I'm doing. And it's all going the right way. I think we give so much credibility, the people who say, oh, it wasn't perfect.

Nick Gemmell 1:17:41
Oh, then those people reaching out to you. When do you like that? When that does happen? Or you don't to anybody, it's just them triggers something that you said, triggered in them. And that's their response to it. Right? Like, something meant something to them? Like, honestly, like, yeah, your videos at some inspired them. And it triggered him like, I can't have this or, you know, or I'm not worthy of this. And and then you act out. And that's just crazy.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:18:09
Right? Um, it's so they're, they own their trigger. So I got a dog in that fight.

Nick Gemmell 1:18:19
Yeah. But it also means that you're pushing, you know, you know, your message, you're pushing your message to the limit. Right when that happens, and it's only creating a stronger sense of yourself. Yeah. Yeah. I that's my thought on it. Anyway.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:18:35
Have you ever put out a deal that afterwards, you're like, wow, I changed my mind. You didn't pull the video, but you're like, you put something out there. And then you're like, wow.

Nick Gemmell 1:18:45
No, I haven't. So obviously, I haven't pushed far enough yet.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:18:51
No, I mean, no, changing your mind. No, that's, I mean, that's cool. You're speaking your truth. That's really empowering. But we do. Situations change. We do like, wow, I just didn't see it that way before.

Russ Johns 1:19:06
I used to do a lot more random videos than I do currently.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:19:14
Just like pop in for 20 seconds.

Russ Johns 1:19:16
Yeah. I'm not really sure why I haven't done more.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:19:21
Well, because you work all the time.

Russ Johns 1:19:24
Possibly.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:19:30
Because I am extremely high maintenance, Russ. Is that a reason? Like, yeah, I mean, I go. So often, I'll call Russ. And he's just like, laid down your bloods dead and he's in bed, and he's just like, it was normal. It just became the norm and it's, like, all time, respectful now. It's become the norm that it's like, you know, it's like, well, I'm gonna I'm gonna Oh man. I'm exhausted. I'm gonna take a rest and then like some little, like chemical reaction happens my brain like I'm gonna come that's gonna call him is like a like he's just laying there hanging out

Russ Johns 1:20:15
just relaxing.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:20:16
Just chilling. Oh yeah. I'm like you know, and then we laughed so hard in ridiculous kind of my head but when you're with creative people don't you find when you're that vibration when you're with creative people the doors open? So yes Do you find that?

Nick Gemmell 1:20:41
Well that and as soon as I started investing like, you know crossing the money line on myself and paying people that are those creators right that I won't I aspire to be. And that's when the real cool stuff happened was. But yeah, but until I you know it, that accountability of pushing the envelope for myself and investing in myself is hard and that's the thing right? So now you know I have business, I'm in a, you know, a business mastermind and inner circle, right? Yeah. And also in a coaching program where I get coached. And as soon as I did that, and it is scary to cut that check every month, right? They're just like, man, there's so much else I could do. But it handcuffed me not investing in myself all these years. Right, like, taking a taking a course at work. You know, didn't cut it. It you know, because that was for something I felt I had to do. And now I get to choose something to do like, man, I don't know how to market. Well, I didn't and now I still kind of don't. Right. But there's so you're moving in the right direction, though. Yeah, we're because it makes sense to me. And man is that's just life changing. And if more people and that's why, you know, whether, you know, we should should we need coaching? Should we need somebody to suggest something to us to do? No. Like we should. But we don't know what we don't know. You don't know what you don't know. So this is, yeah, like reaching out

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:22:19
Tha'ts the ultimate truth. Ultimate Truth of this year? We don't call it we did. We didn't we don't know. No, we didn't know what we don't know is that like, here we have the community and it's like, oh, you're a pirate. Let me ask you a question. And you hear someone speak and it's in a non, you know, non judgmental way. It's like, Oh, they do that? I don't even know. When didn't like I didn't know when you like I didn't know, because I haven't been around a lot of oil. You know, oil workers. I didn't I didn't know. Then unbelievable niche. Nisha, you found and the neither you fell. I didn't know that. Like, Well, how about COVID that apply to me, or trying to wait that I needed to have turned on? And that was really cool. Again, so this year at all about seeking answers from people who are going to ask, who are going to actually respond and have an and not just respond, but then following up? Are you doing? Reggie? Reggie? Great guy Warren great guy texted me weeks ago on a Monday morning. So this week. Wow. Why didn't I think to do that for myself every Monday morning. Now I do. I do like for a long time. But like, Okay, how this is what steps you're gonna take. And I wasn't doing that as effectively as I could. And I saw someone suffer from the side. That That was great. My son Jonathan lunghi is so our number one son number two child. He's so freakin smart and compassionate. I don't I don't really know how this one. They're all amazing. But whatever. Like I'm so in love with it. That said, I was speaking on outliers. I just read it like way late in the game. And he quoted entire paragraph to me is I love that book. That's like, well, that's great. What did you read? What did you read it give in front of you know, what did you read a year and a half ago. But that paragraph when in fact, like there was information out there, but he might have said to me all I heard that you should read this mama herders won't walk won't walk because I wasn't ready to hear it. Yeah. And all of a sudden that goes from the, you know, the clan or whatever to Oh, how's it serve you? Oh, I was ready to hear it. What's the expression that's a Jewish expression? When the student is ready, the teacher will come late. Isn't that profound? I mean, I just love that idea that we have to be ready. And sometimes it's just a quick you know, snapshot with the Pirate broadcast is like I didn't even know I needed to do I don't know but anyway, so My 97,000 dissertation. Yeah, Nick, you're right. Let me clip for you boys. Yeah. Yeah. So it's true. Um, Russ, what do you think was the hardest thing you've had to learn this year? The most difficult, like you struggle with it fought against had the most profound. I don't want to I don't wanna. Okay. What was it for you?

Russ Johns 1:25:30
Learning to value myself?

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:25:35
What flipped the switch for you?

Russ Johns 1:25:38
People like you.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:25:41
Okay. I knew this was gonna happen. So that's really nice. Thank you.

Russ Johns 1:25:52
Yeah. You know, it's it's people showing up asking me to help them. And when enough people ask for help

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:26:03
Wait, us ask? Really?

Russ Johns 1:26:08
either way. asking for advice, asking for your input, asking for, you know, some, you know, brainstorming ideas, just being involved in engaging and, and finding value in the conversations that we're having. You know, and it's really about the

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:26:27
We saw value in you, you saw value in you, is that how it works?

Russ Johns 1:26:30
I felt I offered value. In the conversations and the interactions that I've had this year, my value for my own opinions have increased my own advice, my own abilities have really been more focused in what I'm doing and in what I've done is, is create an environment where I have to focus on one thing long enough to get better at it. And, you know, live streaming every day has taught me a lot about focusing, and paying attention to what I'm doing.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:27:09
Same thing, Gabe says the same thing that live streaming has taught him so every day, that commitment has taught him so much. Hmm. So that's huge. That's how does it feel on the other side of that, oh?

Russ Johns 1:27:25
oh, that's a little bit scary, and liberating, because one of my only dreams is like, you know, what Nick alluded to earlier is like, I want this, I want this freedom to create more. And in order to create freedom to create more, I have to get out of the mindset that I can only exchange my time for money. And I can do more to help people in a in a much bigger way. And so, you know, we've had conversations around this, it's like, right, there's no reason why an individual that is creative and productive, and has some amazing abilities can't create something that, you know, it's like we said, residuals, you know, there's residuals out there,

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:28:14
you know, I talked about this a few months ago, you're like, well, like, all the pieces I'm doing, I'm gonna have to find a way to monetize this. Like, I know that there's a there there, I just not sure what it was. And then, like, we talked about it, kind of an energy shift, I felt like you let and all of a sudden, the calls were coming into, you know, like, Oh, I smoke. Oh, this one. Oh, and then you're like, Oh,

Russ Johns 1:28:38
I'll give you a perfect example is like the trigger switch for me. Because I have, for whatever reason, whatever reason it is and I'm, and I don't know if I even need to describe it. I have no issue whatsoever getting people on my podcast five days a week. I'm booked into February. I actually have people booked into February now. And, you know, I know that

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:29:06
snuck into this one Nick. Booyah!

Russ Johns 1:29:10
Yeah. And, and so creating those introductions in those conversations, just like you Wendy is an easy process. For me. It doesn't seem difficult. It seems like it's okay. Hey, I think this is a great thing. love to invite you, I think you need to meet so and so, you know, teaching people how to get introductions. And then now that I'm doing it for other people, you know, it's it's, I'm using live streaming, I'm using the community. I'm using the networking piece of the puzzle, and then make connecting those dots. That's incredibly valuable. And, and business owners are asking me now Hey, can you do that for me? That's like, Well, yeah, of course. That's like

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:29:56
a syndicate right here.

Russ Johns 1:29:58
I got a #PirateSyndicate™. It's all over here.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:30:02
Just add water. It's like kool aid.

Russ Johns 1:30:04
yeah, it's like the chia pet, you just need to

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:30:08
get on there. And one of the things, you know, that's very sharp just show, you always say just show up,

Russ Johns 1:30:16
see, cuz the thing that we have to realize is we only can understand where we are, from our history really take, it takes the leap of faith to understand what we can be in our future. Right. So planting seeds and nurturing those ideas and imagining a different outcome is is something that it's a process and, you know, I've had some years to think about it.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:30:46
You go all the time in traction, but think,

Russ Johns 1:30:51
Oh, I should send you a picture of me. When I'm in traction and in I probably could bring it up here, but it's like I was looking at it the other day.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:31:02
Like, yeah, remember that?

Russ Johns 1:31:04
Yeah. Remember that? Okay.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:31:07
Okay. Nick was the hardest thing you learned all year? What was the one that really like? You just put up all the roadblocks to not happen, then you have to like, fine.

Nick Gemmell 1:31:19
Oh, I have zero control. Zero control over my life? Hmm. The only thing that I have control over is my actions and reactions 100% 100% to external to internal, like how I interpret things like what's going on? Seriously, zero control. Get all

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:31:43
your thoughts, or is that a reaction reaction reaction?

Nick Gemmell 1:31:46
Oh, yes. Zero control over your thoughts? Right. 00 control? What's going to come through? Like, just sit like anyone who's meditated? Just sit? And just do you think you control like that? That shitty thought of your ex or something, some traumatic event? Like you did not choose for that to come through your head that just came through? Because you're only picking up like, what is it like three 5% of your thoughts right now, like 30,000 thoughts a day. So you're not going to be one of those Not you. That's why you didn't sleep? Well, you don't sleep. But no, seriously, but how I act and react, that's the only control that I have.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:32:36
so I think we can control our thoughts or how we process our thoughts, you process

Nick Gemmell 1:32:41
them and how you That's what I mean, how you react to your interpretation of the thought going through your head. And the same with the you know, if you lose your job tomorrow, and it was because of COVID you've had zero control over that. Now, if you have even if you had a crappy performance leading up if you did not have you did not have control over what the people above you thought of you. Right? Right, because you could be the best employee ever. And it's happened and you get let go. Because there's, there's cuts, right? You had zero control. So how you act and react over that. That's it's massive. So yeah, that's the biggest lesson that I've had and it created a lot of space.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:33:28
Are you familiar with Viktor Frankl quote, between stimulus and response, there is a space in that space, our power to choose our response, in our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Russ Johns 1:33:46
Yeah, yeah. You know, so back to you, Wendy. What, what is what is the scary truth that you navigated through?

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:34:01
Um, you know, it's sometimes you trust the wrong people. And as much as I pride myself on like, interpreting things and knowing and whatever, sometimes you you know, you fall for the sexy smoke and you're just sure and then it doesn't you know, and you have expectations because they've set expectations and then it doesn't come to fruition and you know, and then you say, wow, I made a mistake. And now and I I didn't think that was you know, gonna happen and I think that's it like I don't I don't like to be wrong on my, my gut feeling on somebody. Know what is almost never wrong. I seem to partner with people. So when we partnered with a few people ever, and one of my former partner Steven is one of our you know, it's a great investor, huge investor of ours and invested emotionally and physically and, and, and he was my mentor. Part of years and years ago, and I find that I work really well. So I grew up in like that really loving family like you're great. This is you can do anything you want to do kind of people. And my partners have tradition, business partners have traditionally been people who came from really crappy backgrounds, really hard, abusive backgrounds, like physically, emotionally, addiction issues in the family, whatever. they emerge from that. And those people shine brighter to me. And they're, I call them thrivers. They're the victim is a victim mentality, we people live in, oh my gosh, I'm this way. I'm the board this way, whenever I can't get out of it. Okay, there's the survivor mentality. It's like, No, I'm going to that's what what was put on me. And I'm going to emerge from that I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to pull out of that, and I'm not going to repeat that cycle. That's great. Those few amazing people that you encounter in life who come from that, and could easily fall into either category, but they've I call them thrivers. Let's say, it's happened to me in the past, I'm going to, I'm going to take it further. And I'm going to help other people, I'm going to pull others out of the primordial ooze, because I would have I wanted someone to do it for me, and nobody did. And so I do it for myself and had to find the resources to get it done. And I'm going to I'm going to be helpful. I'm there thrivers. And my business partners have been thrivers. And my closest allies have been those folks who are constantly aware of the surroundings, not because they're like, oh, or they're super aware is because they crap happened to them from the back, you know, and they had to be aware, and I'm like, blah, blah, you know, I'm a little out there. I'm a little, I'm a little out there. And they, they're super protective and super aware. No one seemed like, a lot of these are really, in that mindset, like, we're always going to be on the defensive mode. And then they have to let their they have to become vulnerable to me and to what we're trying to do and how and, and, and they have, I mean, thank god and but those tend to be the people that I I'm closest to because I'm safe. I'm like, I'm a grandmother and I'm kind of squishy, and I'm built for comfort, not speed. And no, we always have this conversation. Like if we're in the woods somewhere and a bear attacks. Noah is like a gazelle, like 63 and say, I don't have to be faster than the bear. I just have to be faster than you. Like, oh, you know, but those are but but that's it other than bears, you know, then it's always an awareness around me. And so I had to, I saw, I believe that I could always do that. And that's not true. Sometimes I'll make wrong choices. And I'll get sucked in. And that's emotionally harder. That's ego. Ego talking. I thought, No, I got screwed.

Russ Johns 1:37:59
Sometimes the ego talks louder than the business.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:38:03
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's like, oh, and then you go back and look, again, that rearview mirror lesson. You go and you look back and you're like, wow, why didn't I see that coming? Yeah, it was a huge sinkhole. What in the hell were you thinking? You know, I love it enough. If I put it up into it, you know, that said, so.

Russ Johns 1:38:24
So what's the biggest, biggest intent? Because I'm not really sure I want to go about goals. But I want to I want what's your intention? Your your largest or most stretch? goal? Your stretch intention for 2021? Wendy?

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:38:45
I was interviewing you, Russ. So I was like, so I can't help it. I know, right? You can take the man out of the interview chair, but you can't take the energy out of the man. So it's a great question. So I'm a great project. I love the series. I love this, these probably going to television. I love the people we brought into it. I would very much like my goal is to go into production. And with this project in 2021, that's my goal. And with it, I have this really, again need where there's a need, there's a seed, and I had the opportunity. I was overdue to give blood and so I went to the Red Cross or actually whatever Memorial whatever I went online, and the more blood centers and they had a one and I'd like tomorrow I'm just gonna go tomorrow. We go to buy a new it's a blizzard coming like I knew I drove through Blizzard or like whatever. Like and I knew that that would be urgent. And this and there's a couple things that happen there that were so amazing to me. And the woman's this, this woman said, you know we are one day ahead. Usually we have weeks of blood or we have tried to have like, several weeks of blood in supply because it doesn't last a long whatever. She said one day, they're their patients in hospitals right now, we have to say hang on the day, we don't have any blood for you. Like, that's how desperate The situation is currently. Now around COVID, around the whatever. And I, the project we're working on this, as Russ knows, is called my golden blood. I believe it's a great platform to empower young adults to be getting become blood donors. Why? Because the smallest, the 10% of all the people who donate blood in the country. And only 3% of us can and do in this in the United States. And the smallest group are the young adults that that 16 to 2030 year olds. And the need is so great. They need Young Blood is basically what they and that's truth. So when I went to, and I'm fast, like boom, like whatever. And it was so powerful to me to hear that, that there are people in hospitals waiting. And so this woman was across for me. And she was that was our first time making the donation. And she said, I got a little dizzy, but I you know, I got over, it wasn't so bad. I really had a good experience. And she set up from this from the chair. And she's all I can think about it. I could I just saved three people's lives 1.63 people, and the way she said it was exactly what I want power. Certainly the series will be successful, and we all that good stuff, and blah, blah, blah, Hollywood, blah, blah, blah. I want to empower people to sit up and say, I didn't think I could do anything. I didn't think I had any value. What good am I, I walk into a walk into an hour later, I've contributed a pint of my blood. I've saved people's lives. And the key is ever get to know where those people are. It's all anonymous. No, they can be in the team. They can be the TSA agent, they can be someone in labor, literally, you just don't know where they are like you don't know, you walk around the rest of your life. They can wow, you know, I've given X amount of blood. I've saved 24 people, whatever. And it's such a powerful empowering thing. I am not worthless what I have to offer. Even when I think I have nothing, I have no money to give, I have no food to give to food banks. I've got nothing to tell anybody that's going to educate them or empower them. But there are 24 people or two people or whatever it is that are walking around right now. Nope. They're alive today because of something I did three weeks ago, three months ago, three years ago. And we want that for the youth. We want that so it's a huge thing campaign. SOS are walking around. And them lead obviously there's a component to it. And the flow of them. The guide kind of tricked me in and he said he said now what studios, what is it? I said I produce feature films. And he said, Oh, what are you working on now? And I said I have a project that I'm passionately involved with a love with. And it's called my golden blood and the phlebotomist like the ketevan looks just what I said. It's called my golden blood. Have you heard of golden blood? She said, I just drew blood from a woman with golden blood. Like it said, there's like 50 or 100 in the in the world. They're way more people just haven't been typed. But this, I'm sure of it. But it's it's they have it's not positive or negative. It has no antigens, right. And she said, there's a woman who comes in to and wherever she is, she gets a notice from the government that they need to do or doing research on her blood. And she comes in, she donates a vial of blood. She contributes a vial, two tablespoons equivalent of and they pay her $200 for that vial of blood. And they do all kinds of research on it, and what have you. It's like, Oh, my, like I met somebody who just drew blood from a woman who had golden blood, like in the last couple weeks. That was huge to me, because again, it's allegedly so rare. It's so good. It's a real thing. And it's a real thing. And I knew that when Noah discovered it, we talked about like, dang, I never knew. Now I like to spend this year I like to get into development and into production, and start to roll out this idea of empowering people to understand that their blood is a very valuable resource. I'm not talking Twilight and vampires, I'm talking about real people walking in the streets today are alive because somebody took a half an hour, lay down on a chair in a company and couldn't return one. So that's what I my goal with this year would be to be able to get far enough into the process of producing this show, in order and then on the other side of that scenario. We were able to empower people to recognize that they have the opportunity to do this kind of amazing thing. So that's what I'd like. That's why 2021 How about Nick?

Russ Johns 1:44:48
What about you, Nick.

Nick Gemmell 1:44:50
Oh, so mine is a little. I'm in the process of futuring it right now in the next week. Future Yeah, futuring my next year and the next week, so yeah. And as Wendy was talking, I was trying to process how that was going to go. Right, I keep tweaking it, but basically, it's along the same lines of the empowerment. So even though, you know, I don't like to think of saving any, anyone. And it's a little bit different message than yours windy, but the empowerment for sure. So I want to empower more people to take accountability for their lives. So how am I going to do that? Right. So I create, like, we teach four dimensional life, right, so when my body I want to do a CrossFit, I want to compete in a CrossFit Games of some type, and or competition, right with COVID. Super, who knows how that's gonna go. But that's, that is what I want to do this here, right? And, and then business wise, business wise, I want a podcast sponsor, because in that, in that space, I get to create more. And in that space, I also get to hopefully, empower more people with my message. And that's where I go with, where I'm going with 2021. And a lot of the decisions that I'm making now in business and in life, push me towards that. So when I get what I want, which is fulfillment, by creation, and feel fulfillment, by connection, and in that, hopefully, I get to empower more people to do what they want to do. And that's how I feel about it. Because I, again, I can only do me, and how I act and react, I can't choose if someone create is ready to listen for that message. Right. Wendy, as you touched on, someone has to be ready to be able to hear that.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:46:59
So what I'm hearing from you is that you're ready to step into the leadership role by leading by example. Yep. To that to the CrossFit challenge. And leading by example, that will just put in the universe that I'm sure you'll secure a sponsor, and the universe, the fact that the more the better. A sponsor empowers you to deliver return from Incheon, which in turn empowers the people. And that creates that emotional connection between the sponsor and that the effective emotional connection between the sponsor and their their chosen chosen market like so. So you're willing, you're willing to step into the leadership role that you probably always knew you should? Just the shackles the stuff? You're carrying the stuff? Oh,

Nick Gemmell 1:47:50
yeah, I mean, yeah, like leading at work taking in positions of an escalating up that corporate ladder, I guess you would say right is one thing. But now I get to do it with intent, with intent with my, with my own fulfillment. And in doing that I can hopefully empower more people to take to take responsibility for their lives, because no one is going to effin save you. Like no one is going to FNC you. Right, right. Right. Right. We are on Christmas Day. And, and, and I know Wendy, right, right with with that. But you all have, we all have somebody that is bigger than us. And we all have somebody, there's, you know, we're floating on a magic rock, and we can breathe. Like there is something bigger than us. Right? In that in this world. No one is going to come save you when you choose to hide under a rock. Right? Like, and that's where I want and that's my, my message to everyone is just go out and just and go create because no one's gonna do it for you and asking for a $600 handout is not gonna save you. I hate to tell you.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:49:07
All right. Yeah, asking for it. That's what you're offering.

Nick Gemmell 1:49:14
In the crazier part, right? But yeah, that's where my boy in 2021 is more and then in that space, right? And it all leads down podcast sponsor, I get to create more, and then I can and then I can create more coaching for coaching as well, right? which eventually then it leads at all leads down to the point where I get to stay at home more and I don't have to leave to go for work as much as I love the oil patch. And I love leaving, right? I don't need to leave. I can choose to stay with my kids and I get to choose right so what I'm doing is fulfilling myself and it's a chain reaction is what is what that all leads to.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:49:55
How does it How does the fulfilled leader behave?

Nick Gemmell 1:49:59
just as in alignment with yourself, right with your value to your values in your mission, right when you know what your values are, and you create man creating an actual mission statement of your life, which is constantly evolving, and that's the cool part about it, right? As you change your, your values won't change, your core values will change, right? But how you perceive that, and that mission statement is very cool to tweak. And that's what that part that I love, like it's constantly changing. And then and then

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:50:30
Backspace, Backspace, backspace. It's a little more like, yeah, you know what that works for. But you know, I'm thinking, thinking, thinking, I tried that and didn't feel like I was, but if I do,

Russ Johns 1:50:46
it's kind of like the entrepreneurial journey. You know, it's like, it's never a straight line.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:50:51
it's crazy. And people who get tired of that juggernaut are entrepreneurs, you just know, you know, you're not an entrepreneur. And that's okay. intrapreneurs, whatever, that's all good. I mean, you have to do you, that's the thing. If to do 50 you and there's no cookie cutter, there's no Oh, you're this and you said, you were very cheap tied back in fourth grade, therefore, you have to be an engineer. Don't be a creeper. Oh, I know so many people who shifted, and then anything you want. And then there's those beautiful people like Russ, seriously, who I'm keeping it on again, you can just start shoveling off if you want to. But there are people who have creative side. And they're there their business side. Or they're so intertwined. That they're I call them functioning visionaries. Because that's such a precious thing. And when you see someone that who can create and actually manifested into something, that's a that's that you got gobbled up by God. Like, that's an amazing thing. So people who, like Russ who can do that, who can not figure it out, you know, whatever. business that's, that's big. So it's beautiful to see that emerging in Munich like to see that you recognize your value. Now. It's just a matter of putting out the university. I hope like holy Heck, we so dope it because someone saw the broadcast that you do, like sponsor hell, how much do you want? Yeah. And then do yourself a favor, show business talk say, let me get right back to you. Right away? Don't be like,

Russ Johns 1:52:36
when you get off mic, and you go, yeah, yeah. You know, I'm writing number down the web.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:52:45
Because your number, you're like, Oh, my gosh, it's so much they'll be like, that's it. I'm not gonna write a check for that.

Russ Johns 1:52:51
Let me write a check for that.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:52:52
Yeah. Or I'm not even too small. I'm not gonna I see more value in it. You know, let's see, you asked me to answer that question with a question. That's very kind of Jewish like, so how are you? How do you want me to be like that? say, Well, what have you paid for these in the past? And when they give you a number and your head rolls, their eyes roll back into your head? You're like, I'll get back to you on that. Yeah. Boy, and then you, you know, so just saying, Hollywood. Okay. And Russ yours? What's your, what's your 20 2021? Boom, at the end of 2021. You'd be like, Damn, I'm glad I did that. Here's more stuff.

Russ Johns 1:53:38
This has been my intention for a while now. And it's it's, and it may not seem as big as it could be. However, it's a stage because I'm, I have a strategy here. So my 2021 is I'm going I'm building the pirate syndicate out to where I can I can help produce 100 programs for individuals. So 100 programs, and I'm doing that by putting my camera's overheating. So it's going to shut off here pretty quick. So I still got audio, right? Yep. Okay, so so my 2021

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:54:18
we blew out his camera, Nick, isn't that cool?

Russ Johns 1:54:22
Yes. 2021 is I want to bring on a group of producers. I want to teach people that want to produce shows for other people, and do courses and training and webinars around teaching that process just like I've taught other people on how to bring that process together. And then I want to help business owners produce results in their business by producing content and the creative that will allow them to actually be seen be heard and be talked about. And it goes back to what Wendy said, you know, the creative process is half of it, but the business Part of it is the other half of it. And in order for this to come together, it's going to take people supporting me like Wendy and Nick and and others in the pirate community. So I built a pirate community as a as a as an incubator for the #PirateSyndicate™. Now build the #PirateSyndicate™ out to help more people in that arena live streaming, podcasting, production, transcription. So that's, that's my goal. I'm building out 100 programs to help people out there. So throwing that out to the universe, and if you want to be involved and engaged, talk to me.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:55:38
It's just like, I look at a lot of creative agencies and creative and they don't, I don't I don't see their podcasts listed. And I thinking your creatives, like, you know, talk to you, whatever, like, I'm understand, like, why are you not doing that? Because then people get to know who you are and how you speak. And what your what your process is, like, stuff their stuff.

Nick Gemmell 1:56:05
Yeah. Yeah. Wendy, I just, I encourage everyone to do this. And it's gonna bring bring up some, you know, possibly negative feelings, but go and search your own name on Google and see where you show up.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:56:22
Oh, my mug shots show up. It's so

Nick Gemmell 1:56:29
I challenge everyone to do it and see where you show up in the rankings of Google man. And if you're a creator, that's going to trigger you to pivot and start to to make things happen. Right. And because you think you're doing everything right, you know,

Russ Johns 1:56:44
but here's a perfect example, Nick is if you search, hashtag #PirateBroadcast™. There's several 1000 listings that go out there. And this is only been a very short period of time. So it's not necessarily a difficult process.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:57:04
....your #PirateBroadcast™?

Russ Johns 1:57:06
What's up?

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:57:06
People hijacked your #PirateBroadcast™?

Russ Johns 1:57:08
No, that's how many times I show up in

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:57:11
you. Yeah, there's like 1000s of like what fakers? Okay, no, no, no,

Russ Johns 1:57:17
I mean, I have. I have, and, you know, by some standards, SEO standards, that's not a lot. You know, it should be 100,000 listings, you know, it's like, okay, whatever. However, the My point is that every buddy that wants to create and start showing up in there, you know, because when people you ask people to do business with you, and they type in your name, and you don't show up, do you really exist? I mean, that's the that's the analogy that you can use. It's like, okay, it used to be that, oh, I don't need a website, because that's not how people find me. And then it became everybody needs a website, or so yeah, let's say that was like, they need something online to be showing up. And just like you said, Nick, you type in your name and see where you show up. And if you don't show up, then you know, what, what authority Do you have to help other people create their content?

Nick Gemmell 1:58:17
Mm hmm. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I just turned on the chat there. And like Laura's going crazy.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:58:23
I didn't even I didn't even think the chat.

Russ Johns 1:58:28
Warren's there. Snap. Mary Mary.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:58:33
Got some great stuff today. Thank you so much, Laura.

Russ Johns 1:58:39
Angie, Merry Christmas. Are we fielding questions? Yeah, we'll field some questions. We're on for two hours. My camera shut off. For good.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:58:53
I haven't gone to the bathroom yet. Which is shocking. I had four big babies,

Russ Johns 1:58:58
we can we can. Well, we need to wrap it up cuz I got...Mel's....

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:59:04
because it's Christmas. Like people and you got stuff and you gotta stop.

Russ Johns 1:59:07
Yeah, good stuff.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:59:09
I got wontons to make, juice, nice food, Christmas. It's a thing. It's a thing. It is.

Russ Johns 1:59:15
I love it. I love it. Well, this has been incredibly valuable and encouraging. And I know that there are a lot of people out there that you know, may or may not have this as their favorite holiday or their least favorite holiday. Or somewhere in between. However, I really this is not my favorite holiday.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:59:38
Mine, neither, what about you, Nick?

Nick Gemmell 1:59:41
Oh, I love it. single dad. I'll see my kids later, maybe. Yeah, you know, so. Yeah. So I enjoy it. But it's different these days. I'm guessing all of that. So yeah.

Wendy Weiner Runge 1:59:59
It's a different scenario when I first proposed this to Russ when I saw his lonely ass promo.And I was like, I had this idea. And I did not know that Christmas was difficult for you, because from the outside world, there's life and there's every Christmas caroling or whatever, and you don't really know. Actually, I've never even seen A Christmas Carol. But I'm just saying, like, you know, you think oh, oh, that's every is the most wonderful time of the year, I've listened to the songs, right? Well, so I would never have thought and he's an immediate reaction to me is, you know what, that's a great idea to deliver some value. Because it's, it's, it's hard for me, it's hard for some people. And it never dawned on me. I was just, you know, I was thinking maybe we could do something a little different. And not even thinking about that. So I'm so I'm always so appreciative for you, Ross and all that you give me constantly against, as I said, I am high maintenance. And we have a lot of conversations. Yes, we have the weirdest one yesterday, every day off camera will talk about it was so crazy. That's it. Um, but I'm so grateful to open your studio, open your heart and let all of us, you know, you hold space for all of us. So absolutely. You know, may or may we continue to do this for many long years, we can make this a Christmas tradition, if you'd like. And we can always look at the idea that wow, you know, next year, I always hit people. People ask me like, Oh, you know, should I do this? Should I do this? Asking me I'm like the risk taker all time, right? And I say, Well, let me just ask you, how old do you say I'm 50? Let's say and how old Will you be in your next birthday? And they're like, Oh, that's if I'm stupid. Like, I'll be 51 huh? So you're not gonna be 50? Again, like you don't get another chance. Do this do it? You got to do it. Like what's what could happen? mestler always says the same thing. What's the worst that could happen? Yeah, put that in perspective, like, maybe COVID you know, whatever, don't eat like bats or whatever, whatever, rotten bats. But what's the worst that could happen? So you always you come at it from a totally different perspective, Russ, what's the best that can happen? And thank you for gift for giving us permission to think that way. So yeah, he truly

Russ Johns 2:02:19
is in the big scheme of things. You know, like we're like, like next is we're traveling on this big magic rock through space and we're gonna be dead a lot longer than we're gonna be alive. So let's make the best of the time we have is about a second....

Wendy Weiner Runge 2:02:35
That is the most pessimistic, optimistic thing I've ever heard. You're gonna be dead a lot longer than you'll be alive.

Russ Johns 2:02:43
It's true. Merry Christmas.

Wendy Weiner Runge 2:02:47
Could you put up the piles of crap in the bottom? Just one time? like if someone came up with this really hard story, you know, whatever. And then we were like, Oh, I said like flashing if it's all if we have this great conversation, you know, and then we can have all the like, dancing Happy Christmas people, reindeers reindeer and you know if someone says Oh, my license the whole years been a crap sandwich. We're like, oh, that we he designed all these this nice little emoji. Thing is Yeah, the whole purpose was we would just flash that. So everyone know like, oh, here comes a crap sandwich. We'll do those and take it you're gonna hear it. But I didn't. We didn't have any of that. So thank you, Nick for your time. Hope you have a great time with your kids. Enjoy.

Russ Johns 2:03:38
Yeah. Thank you to both for being in my life. Love you both. Thank you so much. And, you know, I don't know about New Year's. You know, New Year's might be another time we can connect and catch up in Seattle.

Wendy Weiner Runge 2:03:55
You betcha. You bet. We could do that. I know. Nick's plans are, but we could probably you know, some people really drunk. So they'll be og What the heck? Yeah. That kind of encompasses every single thing. So anyway, I

Nick Gemmell 2:04:21
appreciate you for having me on. This is great. Love this combo. Oh,

Russ Johns 2:04:25
I'm on in an hour. No stay. I'm gonna go run away and catch up with my sister, my mom and let you guys take care. And Merry Christmas, everyone and hope you're having a fabulous day.

Wendy Weiner Runge 2:04:45
Really? Could we be worth three more different people really? Like Really? You know, but we came together so nicely. So yeah, but a pleasure. So thanks, everybody.

Russ Johns 2:04:57
Thank you guys.

Wendy Weiner Runge 2:04:58
Wait, how much do smiles cost?

Russ Johns 2:05:03
#smilesarefree. And #kindnessiscool.

Wendy Weiner Runge 2:05:06
Oh, there you go. Coulnd't let you go without that.

Russ Johns 2:05:09
#kindnessiscool, #smiles are free.

Wendy Weiner Runge 2:05:11
And we blew out your camera. Have a great day, everybody. Thank you. Be well.

Russ Johns 2:05:15
All right. Enjoy

Exit 2:05:17
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