A Year of Charging Forward: Amazing Lessons One Guest at a Time (Part 3)

Thank you for sharing in our journey in the Charge Forward Podcast. 

Let me first say that I apologize that we have missed you the past 4 weeks. I took a pause due to the recent loss of my Best Friend, Hero and Mentor, my Dad James M. Cripps. He was a guest 4 times in our first season and I wish he could join us again as he loved the podcast. 

To our fans: Thank you for hanging in there with us during this difficult time. Jim 

Every conversation this year pointed to a simple truth: real progress happens when we choose people over shortcuts and purpose over applause. From an 84-year-old owner who turned down a massive buyout to protect 500 employees, to a Dog groomer who says no to unsafe cuts because “humanity over vanity” comes first, the season became a map for building a life you’re proud of.

Featured Guests & Highlights:

• Larry Schmittou – Nashville Legend & Business owner who keeps turning down a massive buyouts to protect 500 employees.
• Jordan Grubbs – A fresh voice redefining leadership through empathy and consistent action whild building your brand.
• Nick Hiter – Building brands with integrity and reminding us that confidence is earned daily.
• Clayton Geiser – Data visionary proving structure and creativity can grow any business. (Please keep Clayton and his in your prayers)
• Eddie Knight – Helping business owners create lasting financial freedom through smart financial planning.
• Holly Hartley Davis (Groom Garage) – “Humanity over Vanity” — where passion meets purpose for your pets.
• Clarence Darkwa & Johnnie Robinson – A powerful story of immigration, perseverance, and leading with gratitude.
• Tim Leeper – Building business is one thing but taking up the mission to fight for those who can't is his purpose. Kylan's light the fight to end the wrongs by Private Prisons. 
• James & Melissa Smith – A marriage built on faith, family, grit and the love of great cars.
• Elmer Richardson & James Cripps – Veterans working to help other veterans and to hold evil doers accountable.
• Grant Burrow – From court to classroom, teaching leadership through discipline and heart.
• Zade Morgan – Young entrepreneur / Special Operator who is now helping others like him adjust and be able to enjoy life with family again.
• Dr. Michael Meighen – Regenerative medicine, peptides, and the science of true healing.
• William Arnold – A wrongful conviction overturned - resilience personified.
• Rhiannon Hiter – The heartbeat behind every great team, leading with grace and balance.

Every guest brought a lesson in courage, purpose, or reinvention.

If one story, one insight, or one spark made you better this year—mission accomplished. 

New episodes every Thursday.
Subscribe, review, and keep charging forward with us.

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Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: 

Charge Forward Solutions – Merchant Services Sense Development – Executive & Data Services Sense-Leads – Wholesale Lead Services HitLab Studios – Podcast Production
Rosemary Salazar – Virtual Assistant Services

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Year-In-Review Setup
• 0:22 Larry Smetto: Purpose Over Payout
• 2:59 Jordan Grubbs: Consistency Beats Aesthetic
• 5:09 Heider + Geyser: Humanizing Data And AI
• 7:12 Eddie Knight: Money, Risk, And Balance
• 10:24 Holly Hartley: Humanity Over Vanity
• 12:40 Clarence & Johnny: Building Fiore Vodka
• 15:33 Tim Leaper: Prison Reform And Kylan’s Light
• 18:18 Driving With Melissa: Work, Cars, Legacy
• 21:04 VA Advocacy: Elmer, Dad, And Accountability
• 23:08 Primrose Leadership: Joy In Education
• 26:05 Regenerative Health: Dr. Mike & Zayd
• 28:50 William Arnold: Wrongful Conviction Insight
• 31:30 Rhiannon Haider: Insurance That Actually Protects
• 33:20 Season Two Tease And Gratitude

Transcript

SPEAKER_15: 0:00

Hey, good afternoon, team. Jim Cripps here with the ChargeFord Podcast coming to you from HitLab Studios here in Nashville, Tennessee. Now, I have something different for you today. This is a look back over the past year. So we've had a year's worth of episodes and we've had some amazing guests on this show. So without any further ado, I want to dive in. So then we had Larry Smetto on. Larry is I don't even know what words to describe, Larry. I'm so thankful for Larry because uh I actually got kicked out of one of Larry's bowling centers 20-something years ago. Now, to paint this picture, Larry is 84 years old, still shows up to work six days a week, uh, owns 18 locations, uh 18 bowling centers, with and those bowling centers are usually two or three different businesses because you have the bar, you have a restaurant, you have a fun center, you have bowling, all those things under one roof. And he's still kicking butt and taking names. Um, but it's just great to hear his story, how you know he went from being a high school coach, then a college coach at Vanderbilt, then he and Conway Twitty and a couple of others really kind of putting in together and getting a Major League Baseball here back in Nashville, and then worked for the Rangers for some time, then came back and was back at the Sounds, exited the Sounds, and then now owns 18 bowling centers. And how passionate he and his family are about the sport of bowling, and how passionate they are now not just cashing in and you know taking the easy way out, but they want they want to continue to foster a great place for young bowlers to come in and uh experience the sport of bowling. So, Larry, hats off to you. Thank you so much for spending some time with us. Check out that story and uh just see how much he lights up when he talks about his wonderful wife. Um yeah, just a great family. Uh try to do a little paperwork at home. Sure. But there's plenty of people that would that would say, you know, I'm gonna put my feet up. Um but I think it's that work ethic. I think it's the the passion that drives you, is what keeps you going.

SPEAKER_05: 2:13

Well, uh, I've had opportunity to sell at company Bolero now. They've been trying to buy everybody. And uh I've known the head of Bolero since he only owned one center. Very smart man, Tom Shannon. Uh, but I've turned him down twice. I mean, I yeah, I could have walked away with a whole bunch of money. But I'd like to see my company survive after I'm long gone. Sure. And I think it means so much to number one, it would disrupt my 500 and some odd employees that that count on us for a paycheck. Sure. Uh they've been loyal to me. Why shouldn't I be loyal to them? That's right.

SPEAKER_15: 2:58

Then we had Mr. Jordan Grubbs on the show. So if you are, if you have a business, if you're doing social media content, that kind of thing, and maybe you're not quite ready for a podcast, maybe you're quite not quite ready for uh consulting work to create more content, but you just want some tips and tricks, check out that episode with Miss Jordan Grubbs because she's fantastic. She comes from a family of uh, I don't want to say serial entrepreneurs, but they're all entrepreneurs. And so she was very forward-thinking when she was in college, she was already uh building her business so that when uh she graduated college, she was she just walked into continuing and growing her business, and it's just it's great to see.

SPEAKER_09: 3:38

But that is the number one thing. If you cannot get that down, you have no business trying to learn these expert level tips because you're not gonna use them. You have to be consistent online. And if you can't be consistent but you need the social media in life, that's where outside help comes in. That's where a freelancer, that's where an agency, that's where hiring somebody comes in. Um, and I another mistake I see if you're a brick and mortar business and don't have your at least the city you're in in your bio, that always throws me off too. Because I I all the time I'm scrolling, I'm like, oh, this looks like a cool place. I wonder where they are. Click, don't see it, don't follow, because I don't know. So having your if you're a brick and mortar and rely on local business foot traffic, or you're like a photographer wanting like Nashville clients have your service area in your bio on social media somewhere, easily seen, easily accessible.

SPEAKER_15: 4:35

That's a great tip. That's a great tip. What is something else that you see is just overlooked?

SPEAKER_09: 4:40

Um it's really easy to let me think real quick. I'm sorry, I'm I'm I'll try not to do like three minutes of this. Um I think what's overlooked is trying to be too polished online. There was a time a couple years ago where being the most aesthetic and the most beautiful and having the most beautifully curated feed was like the thing to do. And I think a lot of people are still stuck in that.

SPEAKER_15: 5:09

Uh episode 37, I had uh both Nick Heider and Clayton Geyser on, and that's an interesting mix. We we do great business together. So Clayton is a business partner of mine. Uh Nick and I do a lot of business together, and it was great us all just being in the same room because the energy that's kind of created in its base and the the ideas that we come up with, and the uh kind of being able to flesh out whether something's a good idea or a bad idea, just just amazing. And uh I learned something every time I'm in the room with those guys, and and they say the same thing. So um, who do you have in your world that that kind of challenges you or uh fosters that creative environment? Because I would encourage you to find people that do that for you and with you, because I gotta say, that is absolutely the case with both uh Nick Heider and uh Clayton Geyser. It's it's just fun.

SPEAKER_11: 6:02

And that is, you know, whether it's AI or data, at the end of the day, it's communication between humans. And you make sure that that is front and center, that these are people that that are that are that are being considered here, that are on the line here. These are these are all data, is it's it it's it's on a spreadsheet and it's names and all this, it's birthdays and all this other stuff, but it's people. And AI is so you guys have a unique way of humanizing something that that that is quickly forgotten that it's that there's humans involved.

SPEAKER_13: 6:35

Right. Well, I mean, we're talking about AI doing prospecting, you know. I think the timing factor is gonna be huge. You know what I mean? So making sure that it's it's reaching out when it's supposed to, and and all those things that make humans good with it, and also make humans bad, it's gonna pick up on the sh uh, it's gonna leave off the shortcomings and it's gonna add something new. So with that, you know, you've got to be very deliberate and intentional in who it's reaching out to, what it's trying to accomplish, what the what the main goal is. Yeah. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_15: 7:12

Then I had Mr. Eddie Knight. Uh Eddie is a um he operates in the the insurance space as well as the uh financial space, and just kind of picking his brain on finances and how he teaches people people about money. And you know, I have my own perspective. Um, you know, we we argue a little bit from time to time just because uh, you know, I've I've been all the way down the Dave Ramsey rabbit hole, and I I am so thankful that we did. We've my wife and I have done every course that Dave Ramsey offers, and we're absolutely better for it. Uh, I also do see uh, you know, other financial advisors, I do see their points as well, and I think uh at some point a hybrid is is probably the best fit for most people. But just how Eddie and his family raise their kids, how they look at money, how they uh how they think about things, um it's just they're great people, very in tune with them. And uh I I love referring people to Eddie and and his company. Uh just yeah, they're just great people. And so if you want to learn more about money, absolutely dive into that. And you know, he he's had some really tough experiences when it comes to um life insurance, and some of those have turned out well, meaning he recommended a certain amount of coverage, they did that, and and good, bad, or ugly, um you know, that person did expire. And he in one scenario he tells the tale of when he was able to essentially present them with that check and how it made a very tough situation much much easier. And then also he's been it in those situations where they turned down coverage and then something happened and it did not turn out so well. And so uh that's a that's a tough one to watch, but I I guarantee you uh it's worth your time. So check out Eddie Knight.

SPEAKER_02: 9:09

Um but finding an advisor that is looking for the potential loss places in your world and plugging the holes in the bucket, if you will. I mean, it doesn't matter, you have the greatest rate of return in the world, but if there's holes in your bucket and you're losing more water than you're putting in, the bucket's never going to fill up. You're never gonna achieve those goals. So we find, again, goes back to that balance. If we make sure that we're avoiding um unnecessary things that disrupt our financial world, uh, whether it's taxes, fees, you've still, I mean, it's amazing when we've gone through planning process with people, the stuff that they uncover, and I'm like, hey, what's this all about? And they're like, oh, that's something I bought back, you know, when I was 24, 25 years old at my first job. And I'm like, do you know what it does? And they're like, I don't know, can you tell me? It's amazing how many times that happens 20 years down the road, and they've been spending, you know, a couple hundred bucks a year on it. And it's like, well, does that really add up? It does eventually. Especially with compound interest. Oh, goodness. It's like, well, that little$500 a year mistake. You know, if you factor in inflation, the rate of, you know, if you'd have kept it in your world, you could have done something with it to grow wealth. That number gets really big really fast. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_15: 10:24

This one was so much fun. So Holly Hartley, uh, of Groom Garage, she was on the show. And so Holly goes to the same CrossFit gym that I do. Uh her fiance, Will, is at the same CrossFit Gym. In fact, it was really Sylvia that that talked Holly into doing the show. And it was a fantastic episode. I learned things about Holly that I didn't know. Uh, I didn't know that she started her first business when she was 23 years old. And she exited that business at 33 years old, and she moved to Tennessee and then right in the middle of COVID and really kind of started dog grooming again out of just an ability or want to help her uh her neighbors. And now she's got another thriving business. She's also an education center, so she teaches dog grooming, and she's just got an amazing group that works with her. Uh, her and Will and their their family, they're they're all passionate about health, and um, you know, that they that they pay attention to growing and uh strengthening their body and also kind of looking at life that same way. And I think of of all the episodes that we've done, that one resulted in the most clips. Not necessarily the highest viewed clips, but the most clips that people loved. Um so it's just a just a uh a great episode to have Miss Holly on, and we talked business and we talked. Um my favorite line that she shared was um humanity over vanity, talking about how sometimes what an owner wants their dog to look like is not the right fit or is not good for the animal, and they won't do that. Um and just the love that they have for for pets in general, it's fantastic. You should follow them on social media. Uh nobody ever gets mad at a at a at a good puppy video, so uh or a good puppy picture. So check out Groom Garage on uh on social media.

SPEAKER_10: 12:24

Like, you know, it was something that's important to me is humanity over vanity, right? So we need to do what's best for the dogs, period.

SPEAKER_15: 12:34

Oh, please say that again.

SPEAKER_10: 12:36

Humanity over vanity.

SPEAKER_15: 12:37

That's fantastic.

SPEAKER_10: 12:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_15: 12:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_10: 12:40

So if a dog like and there's situations where we'll get a dog in, and you know, it's matted, it has hasn't been groomed in a long time, and they show you a picture, they want it fluffy, and you know, well, we need to do a fresh start. This dog is not, you know, it's a past due, and um let's let's do what we need to do for the dog, the dog's health and the dog's safety. And you know, we're using sharp objects on dogs, and I'm not gonna sit there and pull and yank on a matted dog. And something that, you know, I I kind of I teach them like, yeah, it's might might not look what the owner wants. And I and I'm also very transparent with the owner. You know, that's great. We that's a goal we can get to, but today that's not happening. Sorry.

SPEAKER_15: 13:32

Then we had Clarence Darqua and Johnny Robinson on the show. And uh so Johnny and Clarence and I, we all used to work together. And Clarence uh his family moved here from Ghana, and his his bla brother went on to be in the NFL, and you know, Clarence talked about how tough it was because his family left him in Ghana when they moved to the United States, and so he lived there and kind of how what the challenges were there living with family. Then when he moved here, he expected to kind of be welcomed back in as the number one son, and that really they already had a life here, and there was a brother, and he was the number one son, and um, you know, just the the the tough things that he went through and um at the same time what how it made him resilient and how he's growing Fiori vodka into this wonderful brand and the hot spots where it's already very popular, like St. Thomas um is a wonderful place, and they are they they love Fiore Vodka there and just some of the other things that they're working on and doing, and uh Johnny Robinson's just a rock star guy, so for them to be working together, I know it's gonna be successful, and just yeah, great guys. Check out that episode, check out the resilience, and you're probably gonna learn something.

SPEAKER_14: 14:53

And so, and to be honest, like it was good, but it wasn't great, right? And for me to come on board, honestly, that was one of the first things. I was like, dude, it'd be hard to sell just an okay product, but it's easy to sell a great product. Yeah, and so when you know it it's like a staple in my house and and several other people that we know, is because it's just a really good product and going through all of that. So again, like the product that he has now, I think he truly understood that it was great when you start winning awards like 97 points on taste and flavor. Yeah, right. Something like that. Like, that's not us saying it's good, that's the award show saying it's good. That's right. When you're winning gold at several of the award shows, right? That's what set it apart. And then you see all these other people who have, you know, something like a hemp product, um, and they're not even winning those gold standards and high level of praise from the award show. So again, it just it I think it goes back to the testament and the hard work that he was putting in to make sure that he had a quality product.

SPEAKER_08: 15:53

I love that. It's a you know, as much as I love the product and I know I have a good product, it's not the product that drives me, it's the challenge of being able to walk into a store and say, I'm right there amongst those that are, you know, that are sitting on the shelf. It's the beauty of the process. It's it's opening up a new market, having that person that's standing in front of me loving it so much and doing that's what it drives me. So I would say if you're gonna do something, find the part that drives you and just go for it. Yeah, that's as much effort as you get up in the morning, take a shower. Hopefully, you take a shower in the morning and do what you have to do, use that same thing to drive you. And just understand that those challenges, those road bumps, road bumps are gonna happen, but I'm willing to go over them. And the feeling that you get afterwards is what you're chasing. And I love it. I love it. I mean, I just going back in like 2020 when I lost the scooter business with the uh the tornado and the party bus shut down, and I brought the scooter business back and then it got stolen again, and I brought it again and it got stolen again. I haven't quit. We actually are about to launch it next week at uh Marathon Music Works. Uh, we're gonna have our scooter business there. So if you're ever in Nashville and want to ride some mopeds and stuff like that, Dash Scooters is out there.

SPEAKER_15: 17:10

I will say the the next episode was a tough one. Um so that was with Tim Leaper of Tim Leaper Roofing, and he's he's making some big changes in kind of how the corrections facilities are doing business. And the reason for that is private prisons in Tennessee have overstudied their welcome. And the reason I say that is they account for an absurdly large amount of the deaths that happen in Tennessee prisons. In fact, I think it was over 60% of all the deaths were in just four pri uh private prisons of the I think 13 or 14 total prisons. So think about that. Of say 13 or 14, over 60% of the deaths come from just four. It's absurd. And so they have signed into s into law some legislation that will hopefully put some more stricter uh or some boundaries around that, but even that's not enough. Um we absolutely need change in that in that regard. And um yeah, it's he he lost his son. Um his his son was in prison and um he had to bury his son, and just some of the things that go on uh just should not be. And it's kind of the idea that um not every prison sentence should be a life sentence, uh, where too often it is, especially in private prisons. So check out that. Uh he also has a uh a mission and a uh uh a nonprofit called Kylan's Light, K-Y-L-A-N, Kylan's Light, and that was his son's name. And um, yeah, just an amazing mission. So, Tim, keep going, keep doing great work out there, and uh, we're cheering you on, brother.

SPEAKER_03: 18:56

Um and the way that we treat people should have changed and improved along the way, and so we still have an archaic system that needs to be revised, it needs to be overhauled. Now, can I say that there are good things about the system? Of course I can. And I don't think we need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but we need to have an honest assessment of what we're doing to how we're doing incarceration in our state and how we're doing rehabilitative opportunities. What are we doing to help the people that get out? And that's not even back to your point, that doesn't even speak to the number of people that are innocent in our prison system because they happen more than you realize.

SPEAKER_15: 19:40

The next episode was uh James and Melissa Smith of Driving with Melissa, and James is a great guy. Uh Melissa is just a fantastic lady, and uh they have a passion for cars. And just through some of my friends and through some of my my clients, uh, I'm kind of in that in that world a little bit. And James and Melissa have a great story, and the some of the things that I took from their story that I think you should or reasons you should go back and look at that is they talked about how you know these days some people are kind of jealous and they say, Oh, well, it must be nice to have that big house, or it must must be nice to have those luxury cars. And James is like, It is but you're just looking at the end result of 30, 40 years of hard work. So they met um in kind of like post-high school and they got married and they moved to Nashville instead of going to their reception. Like they had to be at work the next day in Nashville, so they moved from Huntsville area up to Nashville instead of going to their reception and started their jobs. They both made five dollars an hour back then. We're talking about 1987, 1988. And James started work at the company that he now owns, making five dollars an hour. And it's about, you know, he was working his way up and he'd go to school, he'd learn a new skill, he'd like he just did not take anything for granted and kept working. And so did Melissa. And so they've built this amazing life together. Uh they've got an amazing daughter, and just now they can play a little bit. And so they they have this uh channel called Driving with Melissa, you should absolutely check it out. Uh they're known as the Jag People, uh, because they've got uh three really limited production uh Jaguars that are absolutely fantastic, but they are car people and they love car culture, and it's just they're um they're great to be around, they're just fun people. Uh, but James is also very excited about the things they're doing at work. He runs, uh, he owns uh he and a partner own American Heating and Air. And he's like, you know, a lot of what I do, a lot of the people I work with are people in car culture. He's like, so it's this, you know, I'm I'm glad to show up to work every day. I'm excited to show up and lead people in our company. And so it's great to see them passionate about what they do still. And this guy's been working in this job since 1988. Started at$5 an hour. Now he is an owner in the company. And they've got it all planned out. Like they've got the succession plan and all those things already laid out. They're very forward thinkers. Um, but they're just great people to be around. You should absolutely check out that episode with James and Melissa Smith.

SPEAKER_07: 22:40

And so I started now. This is this is where all this gets twisted is it's driving with Melissa. That's what it's called. And my intent from I when I said I was going to do this with Melissa, I said, uh, what do I call it if all we're doing is basically I'm out driving with Melissa all day long. So I called it driving with Melissa. It's not Melissa driving, although Melissa has driven everything but the 06, right?

SPEAKER_04: 23:08

Right.

SPEAKER_07: 23:08

Uh yeah. Um, so she she does drive and she does drive the sports cars or daily's a F-pace SBR, a 500 horsepower horsepower SUV. Um, but it's more about our experiences together driving. Right. Um, and and it has kind of evolved into uh like we have a condo in Cabo, so we'll do a we'll do a week in Cabo. If it if that's where we're at, that's where the content comes from. Uh sometimes she'll do like clothing try ons and things like that. And if that's what it happens to be, that's what it is. Uh if we go to we were in Mota, Miami a month ago, well then that's what it is.

SPEAKER_15: 23:49

Elmer Richardson and my dad. So this was the third time my dad was on the show, and uh Elmer is an interesting case. So Elmer um is looking to sue the county and the VSO um over the gross misconduct in regard to his VA claim. So Elmer is filing his VA claim. My dad helps him kind of sift through what was done right, what was done wrong, get dot all the I's and cross the T's, and even goes with him to submit it. They go to the VSO office, they're in Cheatham County, and the VSO reluctantly takes his claim, then sits on it for over five and a half months, does not submit it until five days after his intent to file is up. So that cost Elmer an entire year of back pay. So not only did she delay it, she delayed it in what seems like intentionally and maliciously until after his time ran out. That easily cost him somewhere between twenty and fifty thousand dollars. Uh they also she did not submit the whole claim. Um and there's some email back and forth acknowledging that she understood the entire claim, which is really dirty. Um it's also about you know, some some people there trying to cover it up. Um, so that's probably gonna be a lawsuit, but uh it's just great to see my dad absolutely out there still helping veterans and um making a difference. And so I would challenge you. Are you making a difference? Or what is what you're doing today helping somebody? Um it's great to see my dad helping other people.

SPEAKER_04: 25:35

We'll see how far they might get in court. We warned them. Yes, we did. Now I went to that office one day prior to Elmer ever going up. And I told the service officer, the director of the Cheatham County service officer, I said, things are not going just right. I said, You're not filing claims, especially for hundred percent veterans, which seems very targeted to your USVA group. Well, in the in that the United States Veterans Alliance is the largest veterans organization in Cheatham County, it's the most active in Cheetham County, it's the most knowledgeable in Cheetham County. We're 99%, 100% veterans or better, up into the letter awards.

SPEAKER_15: 26:41

Uh the next episode was with Grant Burrow. So Grant and his lovely wife, Susan, they run a Primrose uh locations, a Primrose School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. And I worked with Grant for a few years, and he's an interesting character in that um, you know, he came from a background with two educators. Now he's in education, and I gotta tell you, he is absolutely where he is supposed to be. Um, I worked with him, he was our CFO, and don't get me wrong, he was great at that, but um he is a different person. He is a different person working in that school, making a different coat, making it a difference, coaching and uh helping mold young minds. Uh it's just great to see. His I mean, his face lights up. They're so passionate about that school, and it shows because they actually just spoke at the National National Convention for Primrose Schools across the nation. And um you don't do that on accident, it's because uh of a couple things. One, what a great program they have, but two, it's also about uh them able to retain top talent. Some of their people have been with them 13, 14, 15 years, and you do that because you care about people, and so it's great to see them thriving and doing what they're meant to do. And Blaine, their son, is now working in the business with them, so now it's a family business, and it's just an inspiring story. And it, you know, his dad was in the NBA, his brother played for Vanderbilt, uh um Grant played college ball, just they're just great people. So check out that episode. It was a lot of fun. Well, and having worked with you uh at at a company, and then you know, obviously don't work with you in this industry, but at the same time, we still talk and we we still use uh some video communication, and you just look happier.

SPEAKER_00: 28:33

Yeah, without a doubt. I mean, you know, we were in the wireless industry. It is we did well. I mean, we we did a good job, we had fun with it. It changed a lot over the years, but we did well, and the the the tension grew year by year by year, and as we got bigger and bigger and bigger, I think we ended up 58 stores in different states all scattered around, and 200 plus employees, you know, the bigger you get, the more you have on your shoulders. And so um doing this, just seeing children and molding children, I mean, having them um learn the things they want to learn, and if and and and we test them quarterly to see where they are once they're a little older. And if they're not there, then working to get them there and seeing them advance in so many ways. And then I get to be a big kid, I get to be outside and teach them you know how to swing a whip, and you can't do anything crazy with a with a bat or anything, but we'll have the wiffle ball or football or basketball, and we teach them all the sports, which a lot of the dads like because in a lot of the child care, there's not men. And so me being there and getting on the playground and working with them on that is it's fantastic. And I mean it puts a smile on my face every day.

SPEAKER_15: 29:49

Um, then we had a couple episodes, and we've got a couple more episodes coming out that are uh really tied to health. And so we had Zaid Morgan and we had uh Dr. Mike uh come on. Into a couple episodes. Dr. Mike Meehan is my favorite doctor. He's in regenerative medicine. He kind of pointed me on the path of getting my knees fixed with stem cell therapy and uh a few other things in regenerative medicine. So check check out that episode of how Dr. Mike and I met and kind of what his path was. And then Zayd Morgan was another former special operator in the military, and his body was beaten and bruised. And then from a mental health standpoint, uh he was having some challenges connecting with his family. And so he met Dr. Mike and they did uh the spirit ganglia um therapy, and uh what amazing results that they've gotten. And now Zayd is working with a couple different companies in order to help veterans and some foundations. Dr. Mike works with some foundations that are doing things to help our veterans and our first responders uh kind of um deal with PTSD and some things that are in that space, and uh just again, amazing group of people.

SPEAKER_06: 31:05

So um past two years I've been working with a foundation that would send us special forces military folks and their spouses or significant others, and basically what we would do is you know do a pretty robust lab and or assessment before they came down, kind of getting ideas and thoughts about what their main challenges were, what some of their main difficulties were, but also you know, some of the things that they felt like they had dialed in, and then trying to help enhance their overall metabolic health.

SPEAKER_15: 31:43

And William Arnold. William Arnold is we go back a ways. Um William was an employee of mine and then friend of mine, and he was wrongly con accused and then convicted of a crime that he did not commit, and served almost seven years. Yes, you heard me correctly, seven years for a crime he did not commit. And then it was overturned because of the gross misconduct by the DA that was handling his case. And but because she's now a judge, she's kind of untouchable, and so it's that r it's a really ugly story. Um, but it is inspiring because he never lost hope, and a lot of people would have lost hope. His grandmother not didn't lose hope either. In fact, she told him that he was going to get out. And it's just a tough pill to swallow, but I I want you to I want you to understand that I would encourage everybody to watch that episode because you think that couldn't happen to you. And I knew William and I knew there was no way that he was guilty of this crazy crime, and yet he was still convicted because of some errors and because of some issues inside our judicial system and some bad actors. And it's a shame that that bad actor, specifically that main bad actor, the DA, is not being held account uh uh uh being held accountable. But it just goes to show you that you gotta bring your A game. He he in fact he shared that one of the regrets that he had is he thought there's no way I'm gonna be convicted of this crime that I didn't commit. So he had a little bit of arrogance about him. He had a little bit of like, hey, I didn't do it, so nothing to worry about. Until literally he was expecting to go back home and went to jail, went to prison instead. And so I would encourage you to watch that show, watch that episode and uh take from it what you will, but it's um it's a powerful story.

SPEAKER_12: 33:49

July 12th, 2013. I'll never forget it. Uh I just had a five-day trial. Uh, it was a Friday. Uh started out, you know, I went to the YMCA that morning at downtown where I worked out. Uh just just knew I was going home that evening. Um, trying at about four o'clock. And the jury deliberated for about seven and a half hours. Um and then about 11:30 that night, they came back with guilty on four or six charges. Um, I was instantly uh handcuffed, uh taken into custody. So my car was still sitting there with my sweaty clothes in it, my, my, my desk at work was the same, home. So it wasn't, it wasn't about getting my affairs in order. I was instantly uh taken into custody and then sentenced to 25 years in prison at 100%, no chance of parole. That's insanity.

SPEAKER_15: 34:40

Last but not least, we have Miss Rihann Haider. And so, how fitting it is that we have uh Rihannon as our last episode of the year and rounding out that first year of episodes when she's the first person that I met in the studio. Uh Rhiannon is just a fantastic person. She's uh raising a great family with Nick, and she's kind of the rock. She's the rock in that in that family. Uh Nick is kind of the free spirit, and absolutely he's after he's going after it. But you've got Rhiannon, kind of calm, cool, and collected. Uh, she does great business. She helps a lot of people with their insurance needs. In fact, if you need insurance, you guys should absolutely call her. Um, but she's just she's a joy to be around, and um it's just great seeing them do great things. Um, I'm just I'm grateful that they're in my world.

SPEAKER_01: 35:37

She went to this company because it was cheaper, even though I showed her all the things. Um, one of their biggest things is that company has no look back, period. So that means that they can go back into your medical claims 20 years ago. If you told a doctor 10 years ago that you smoke cigarettes and you're diagnosed 10 years later with mouth cancer, this happened to this client. They will not cover that claim. And that is one of the biggest reasons. And and she called me, you know, very upset. And, you know, I'm trying to still help her kind of advise her what she should do moving forward. And that's why I'm so passionate about when people say, Oh, I went with this company. I'm like, well, just remember, here are the things because I mean, hopefully nothing happens and you don't have to use it. But if you do, I guarantee they're gonna call me and say you're right. Like, and I don't want to be right. I want you just to do right on the front end. So yeah.

SPEAKER_15: 36:35

Some things to be looking forward to. Uh kicking off season two. Uh, I have my lovely wife and my son coming in, and you get to spend some time with them and uh and see their episodes. And every single guest I take something away from. Every single guest, I I am a better person because I know them. I'm a better person because we've shared. I'm a better person because uh of the things that we've uncovered that maybe you can use in your life. And so I'm super excited about the coming episodes. I'm super excited about the things that are on the horizon and just I'm excited about life. As I've told you many times, I'm incredibly grateful to be here with you on the Charge Forward Podcast, coming to you from HitLab Studios here in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm incredibly grateful to our sponsors, HitLab Studios, Sense Development, Charge Forward Solutions, Find a Way with Rose, and so many others. Thank you so much. And until next time, I'm Jim Cripps. We'll see you later. Team is Jim Cripps here with the Charge Forward Podcast. I just want to tell you I love you. I appreciate you listening. I appreciate you for subscribing and sharing the Charge Forward Podcast with people you know and you love because that's what we're here for. We are here to share the amazing stories, the things that people have been through, the ways that they were able to improve their life so that you can take little nuggets from theirs and help improve your story and be better tomorrow than you were today. I hope that this is the tool you needed at the right time and that you find value in the amazing guests that we bring each and every week. Thanks so much, and don't forget new episodes drop every Thursday.