Episode 17 Transcript: He was a former drill sergeant and now he’s a motivational speaker. Hear his advice on confidence, leadership, and success.

There’s a Lesson in Here Somewhere Podcast
Episode 17 Transcript
Guest: Al Cook, Motivational Speaker and Former Drill Sergeant

There’s a Lesson in Here Somewhere is a podcast hosted by Jamie Serino and Peter Carucci that features exceptional people that have compelling stories to tell. Whether it’s a unique perspective, an act of kindness, an inspirational achievement, a hardship overcome, or bearing witness to a captivating event, these are stories that must be heard, and from which we can draw important lessons. 

He was a former drill sergeant and now he’s a motivational speaker. Hear his advice on confidence, leadership, and success.

Join us as we speak with Al Cook—former drill sergeant, business and community leader, and motivational speaker—to unpack how confidence is built under pressure, why leadership is an art, and how attention to detail can shape your life. Al takes us behind the scenes of basic training: the controlled chaos of arrival, the initial shock that flips a mental switch, and the quiet satisfaction of watching a scared 18-year-old become a soldier who trusts themselves when it counts.

From there, we chart Al’s path into retail management and entrepreneurship, where he sharpened his philosophy: thoughts drive emotions, emotions drive actions, actions become habits, habits form character, and character sets destiny. He shares practical tools for business owners feeling stuck, including writing clear goals, expecting struggle before victory, building mental toughness, and gathering a coterie of people who are smarter than they are. We dive into the power of visualization and why most people unintentionally imagine failure more vividly than success. Al shows how to redirect that imagination toward outcomes you actually want.

Al blends tough love with compassionate coaching. You’ll hear how to turn “I can’t” into “Here’s my next step,” how to reduce negative inputs and increase positive ones, and why small, consistent wins beat frantic busyness. We wrap with a gratitude practice that resets your day in minutes and a reminder that your greatest resource is people: align them around a vision and watch momentum build. If you’re ready to swap excuses for execution and turn thought into action, press play, subscribe, and share this with someone who needs the spark.

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Transcript

Intro

Welcome to there's a Lesson in here Somewhere conversations with interesting people with fascinating stories to tell and from which we can draw important lessons. Here are your hosts, Jamie Serino and Peter Carucci.

Jamie Serino

Hello and welcome to There's a Lesson in Here Somewhere. I'm Jamie Serino.

Peter Carucci

And I'm Peter Carucci.

Jamie

And we're here today with Al Cook, a former drill sergeant, business church, and community leader, and motivational speaker. Al, welcome.

Al Cook

Thank you, Jamie. Thank you, Peter. Thank you for having me. Thank you.

Jamie

Yeah, thanks for joining us. We always have such great conversations with you, and we're looking forward to our discussion today. So I'm going to jump right into the drill sergeant thing, okay? I I have to say, I always think of full metal jacket. Right. And I hear jokes. I think of stripes, but I really think of full metal jacket. And I'm really curious if you want to just tell us a little bit about what that experience was like of being a drill sergeant.

Al

Well, um, first of all, Jamie, uh, Pete, I did I did 10 years overall in the military. And out of that 10 years, I must say that the most challenging part, but the most rewarding part was when I was a drill sergeant. Um, because you it's not like say you you watched all the movies for metal jacket and officer and gentleman, and the concept that you get is this drill sergeant, this tough guy, you know, that's you know, it's the concept that you get. But you come to learn that it's it's really not about that at all, only to a certain level of respect. But what it's really about is about teaching and training and molding individuals, and and and and that's where the the the real the real um beauty of it is. And to be able to look at a young man that's 17, 18, and his goal is to become a soldier. And my goal is to make sure that he achieves that. And it's it's it's just so beautiful when you teach someone and and they and they finally get it. Because the key that I found, Jamie, was uh being a drill sergeant, the key is to instill in someone the confidence in themselves that they can accomplish whatever they desire. And uh being in part of the military with the some of the things that you go through, you you you do develop that confidence. You know, for example, when I when I first got there, one of the things they told me was um that you have to go into the gas chamber. And they told me you have to put this gas mask. When gas pops, you have to put this gas mask on in nine seconds. I was like, no way, I'm dead. No way. You know, I'm visualizing this. But what happens is when you learn how to do it, and you say, Yeah, I really can do that. So now that individual, you know, so now he he's he's confident in you as his drill sergeant now. And you you have to be able to bring him through the mental part, the physical part, things are different for him. But the main thing I tell him, I say, Listen, what my whole desire is that on graduation day, I want to be able to look into the stands and see your parents looking at you. I want to be able to look into the stands and look at them personally, they say, Wow, that's my son right there. He left, he was just an 18-year-old brat, but look at him now, he's a soldier. And that's the only thing as a drill sign that we look for is at the end, they came as just a training, but now they're a soldier. And that's the beauty of it.

Peter

What happens when they first get there compared to when they leave?

Al

Well, this is what happened when they first get there. Initially, um, we go to what's called the reception station, and uh, you have several drill sergeants then, you have the first sergeant there. And uh we we don't say anything at all to them. The first sergeant does everything, gets the troops together and calls out the names, take roll calling. We don't say anything, we're just there. And once everything gets situated, then we load them up and we're going off to the individual companies, and we put them on these cars, we call them cattle cars. So these cattle cars, they hold about 40, 50 guys. And we don't, and we get there only on the cattle cars with them, and and we don't see anything. And then we ride off, we ride off. And then eventually the cattle car sort of ventures off, and then you start going off into the woods, and that's all you see is just woods, everything disappears. And then you come to the barracks. And once they pull up into the barracks, all hell breaks loose. All hell breaks loose at that point. I mean, we are moving in, we're hollering, we're screaming, hurry up, let's go grab your stuff. And they call this initial, what it's an initial shock treatment. It's not nothing that's detrimental or anything like that. But basically, what it is is it's we're establishing ourselves right from the beginning, establishing them, getting their mind set in a certain way, getting them ready to go through what they're about to go through for the next 13 weeks. And so uh when they initially get there, things are moving, there's confusion, they're scared, they're afraid, you see. So uh it's it's it's quite an experience. It's quite an experience. But you're always nothing to it's nothing, there's nothing that that's done detrimental to hurt or anything like that. Every everything is just uh preparing them because you're gonna go into a total phase of life now, you know.

Jamie

And it's unpredictable.

Al

Yeah.

Jamie

Um, so you're always really good about putting yourself into other people's shoes, and you were doing it as you were talking about um, you know, the the new recruits, because you had, of course, gone through basic training. Yes. So you knew you knew what it felt like. And you also knew what it felt like to achieve it. Right. You know, about them seeing their parents and stuff. Um so can you tell us about when you felt like someone wasn't quite keeping up or they were starting to falter or they weren't believing in themselves, and then what did you do to get them like back on track?

Al

This is uh the this is where the the beauty of it comes in, uh like I said earlier, uh the keys to it to instill that that confidence in them. And so what happens is is when you're when you're a drill instructor, you learn different methods of teaching. Because you'll get some guys, you'll teach them, and they'll get it right away. Some guys you don't, and so you might have to take them what you call the step-by-step method. Okay, there's situations to where you're gonna have a certain um certain group of guys that get it, and you can say, okay, you guys, you go help these guys over here and help them out. Yeah, peers, peers working, you see. But the main thing is is to you're always encouraging them to the point to let them know you don't have it now, but you're gonna get it. Okay? You might not have it, but I'm gonna work with you until you get it. Okay? I'm your drill sergeant. That's my goal, that's my job. You did not come here to fail because I let them know failure, we don't know what that word means. Failure is not an option, and that's what you have to instill in them. Let them know, you listen, you're gonna make it. You didn't come here to fail, and I'm gonna make sure that you do not fail. And and and and and that's what like you're you you're gonna you're gonna get those, you know. You're gonna get those, those that are that they're not confident in themselves. And so you have to build their confidence. And and and what it comes down to, Jim, it's it's it's a one-on-one thing sometimes. You just gotta grab that recruit and talk to him and let them know that, hey, you're gonna make it, gonna be okay. And then when you can develop it to where he looks and he's got his other guys around him, other friends, and they say, hey man, you're gonna make it. We're gonna help you. It's gonna be that's the key right there, you know, to be able to get everyone thinking the same thing, to get everyone thinking teamwork. When you got this guy there, you help him, help him out. And that's that's the key. I'll tell you a situation, gentlemen, I learned when I was um before I became a drill sergeant. I was stationed in Germany, and I was a buckser, what do you call it? Bucksarge, young bucks sergeant, three-striper. And uh go to my duty station, and um I'm a team leader, and I got several men up under me. So I got this one gentleman having a situation with problem with. I said, Cook, you know, problem. I'm gonna go to the platoon sergeant and he'll take care of this guy. So I go to the platoon sergeant and say, Well, I'm having this plumber. He looked at me and he said, Sergeant Cook, he said, leadership is an art. And he walked away. And he walked away. I'm going in looking for him, you know, expecting him to help me out. Leadership is an art.

And he walked away.

And so I'm like, okay, you know, so in so many words, he was saying, you know, I'm not gonna bail you out. Okay, and so I'm saying, okay, so what I what do I do from here? So the definition of military leadership, Damian Peter, it says this specifically. It says that leadership is the art of influencing men in such a manner as to obtain their willingness and obedientness to accomplish the mission or whatever they have to do. But the key thing what it says is that it's an art. Because you you you you have, I'm pretty sure, Jamie and and Peter, you've seen situations where you've got gentlemen there in leadership positions and then and you know, CEO company, they're in leadership positions, but but they but they're not leaders. They don't know how to deal with people. Everything is a ego, an ego thing, right? So what I did was I started looking at other sergeants and watching how they led their troops, what they did to motivate, what was the key, what the key things that they did. And that was the and and and that opened up, first of all, the world to me to understand that you know, you have, in order for you to become a good leader, like I said, you cannot lead until you've been led. In order for you to be a good leader, you have to have been led by a good leader, you have to have that mentor. And so that opened up a whole world to me, right there. First of all, just looking at other leaders and see how they lead. What is it that that that motivates men? How do you communicate? Because you have to communicate differently on different levels. And I found that being a drill sergeant because you've got one kid who's from the cornfields of Iowa, and then you got one kid that's from the Bronx, New York. Okay, and then you've got that one kid that's from down yonder, you see, and then you've got the you see something, you've got all these different, all these different personalities mixed in together, right? You've got guys that they've never slept with other guys before, you know. So it is it is it is definitely an art. But once you you you you you master it, and and and the key what it comes down to is just really understanding people, understanding people the way they think, and then knowing knowing the right buttons to push in certain situations.

Peter

And or a World War II movie or a big like war movie buff, where the guy, you know, does something dumb and knuckle-headedly, and he runs off, and then the sergeant runs in and makes everybody in the whole thing when they do like a hundred push and latrine duty, you know.

Al

Is that real or what Peter don't tell nobody this now? I mean, I can handle the truth. No, no, no, no. Here again, no, that does happen. And the reason why the reason why it happens is to teach them teamwork. Yeah, like to want them to work together, teaching them teamwork. Do they go after that one guy who did that thing, or do they I mean, for example, let's say, for example, we call formation, and everybody comes out the formation, and you got this one guy or two guys, they're a little bit late. Oh, you're late for formation. All right, so the whole platoon, we had to wait for you. So now everybody, so now guess what, guys? Because these two guys were late, everybody gotta do 50 push-ups. That's okay. So now these other 48 guys, they're mad at these two two guys. You gotta get your hands together here. But it's um, I I I tell you another situation when I was uh a trainee myself, there's a thing called uh you do what you call police call, okay? And one of the things that the military teaches you is they teach you what's called attention to detail. Okay, attention to detail. I tell you two situations. Number one, we used to have a thing called police call. Police call is where they line up all the troops. This is every day, and you walk across the entire compound picking up trash. Anything, picking up cigarette bus, picking up, you just cleaning up the place, right? And they have a thing, if it doesn't, if it doesn't grow, pick it up. Okay. So one day we didn't do a great job of this police call. So drill starts and say, okay. Right, huh?

Peter

You weren't sorry, you were enlisted.

Al

I was a trainee, right?

Peter

Yeah.

We had to get on the ground. A little recall.

And every little piece we listen, let me say what that did was so now when we do police call, everybody instead of just lolly gagging a cat, they're looking.

You see. Attention to detail, right? Attention to detail. I tell you another situation. Um say, like with the berracks, every day the bergs get inspected, right? And they have to be like perfect. They get inspected. So I'll give you an example. You know the old mops, those string mops, right? Yeah, yeah. Mop my floor, mop my floor, everything is good, it's perfect. They come through and inspect, and this one little string from the mop is sticking out from the leg of the bed.

No good.

You know, so and and they would go inside and they would inspect the birds, and you look in the window, you see mattresses flying out the window, garbage cans flying out the window. They would literally mess the place up. You have to go back in and do it again and but and and look for perfection. Perfection, like I said, with the bathroom, not clean. Oh, yes, there's been situations. You can't clean it with this big brush we gave you. Try this little brush. You know, and and and you're but like I say, it's a thing to where it teases you attention to to detail, little small, my minor stuff. I had a sergeant one time, he asked me, he said, Sergeant Cook, he said, let me ask you a question. He said, Um he said, have you ever been hit by a train?

I said no.

He said, Okay, you ever been run over by like a buffalo or moose, a big huge animal, anything like that, Sarge and Cook? No, he said, Have you ever been stung by a mosquito? Yeah, he said, Son, let me taste some it's the little stuff that'll get you. You know what I'm saying? The little thing that and he was teaching it. So when so when we do those little things that tends to the detail. When I went to um when I went to airborne school, first of all, it took me nine years to get enough uh gut to drop out of a plane. I'm telling you, I used to look and say, no way, no way am I doing that. But anyway, I finally built up enough courage to go to airborne school. And uh when you go to airborne school, you got captains, colonels, lieutenants, drill sergeant, every everybody of all different ranks is there. But when you go to that school, you are nothing. You are nothing. They have a thing called a black hat, just like they had you in black hats. They're the airborne instructors. So I popped on in there my first day, you know. I looked at me, Drilson, take that hat off, yo. Yeah, and so and they inspect you every morning, inspect you every morning, looking you know, looking at your haircut. So if my mustache, you can't have no hairs coming over the top lip in your mustache, it has to be trimmed. I have one little hair came over my lip. Get in the gig pit, sergeant. The gig pit, there's a guy standing there on the stand, a black hat. You get in the gig pit. The gig pit is all sand. You in the gig pit, you get in the you gotta do a push-up. Roll left, roll right, get up, get down, roll left. Here again, teaching a little attention to detail. So I said, okay, I'll solve this, pal. I cut everything off, man. I cut all my hair off, I cut my mustache, I just I just became an alien. It was bad enough, you know, because I got like this small peanut head and these big ears, you know. I tell people, I'm like a cross between Mickey Mouse and Planners, Mr. Planners, you know.

Jamie

So when you left, um when you left the the armed forces, then you began to work with uh like business leaders, right? And you were sort of turning that skill that you have and like uh let's say bringing up the best in people, right? And you're helping people launch businesses and improve their businesses and stuff like that, right? Could you talk a little bit about like that phase of your life?

Al

Well, what happened when when when I got out of when I got out of the military, um all I really knew was was military, army, you know, because I went in when I was 17 years old. I I I I give an example. I came out and um I tell you how how far behind I was back and then coming to New York, because I'm not from New York, I'm I'm originally from Baltimore. My wife is from New York, so that's how we ended up here, you know. She says, uh, because I met her when I was a drill sergeant in Georgia and I was getting ready to get out. So she says, well, let's move to New York. New York? I never moved there. What? And she said, well, don't worry, we live upstate. Like upstate. What the hell's that? What's upstate? If you never been to New York, you don't hear upstate. You hear Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens. Upstate? Katona, Yorktown, what's that? You know, it's like even, I guess, even um, you live in Jersey, right, Jamie?

Jamie

I do.

Al

There's some towns in Jersey. People never heard, you know, townships, you know, Newark, you know, you know Paterson, you know, you don't know the this township, you know. Um, and so um that's that that's how we end I ended up here in in New York. And so I remember my first thought I was doing constructions that's a little construction job, just to show you how out of touch I was. The guy says to me, he said, we're going to do um, we're gonna do some excavating. I said, What's that?

He said, We're gonna do the whole.

And um, I think my first job I was doing some retail. I said, Oh, five thousand hours, five thousand hours?

Great.

I thought I had no idea. No, you know what I'm saying because New York was it was just such a culture shock, you know. But anyway, I I ended up um getting to the the retail, the retail business, and uh being an end up being a retail manager, and one of my district managers one day he gave me this tape called um the the plus factor. It was a motivation. I'd never heard anything like that before, you know, and that and that really um opened up the world, or opened up a whole new different world to me. And plus, I tell you what was some was was really impactful, because I I was uh in into retail management. So in retail, you're dealing with people, you're dealing with customers, okay? And to to be a post person or anything, you know, you have to be able, you have to have a certain type of personality, you have to know how to deal with people. And while I was doing this, um I ran into a gentleman that was, he was a business, he was a business owner. And he knew other business owners, very successful business owners. And then when I got around these gentlemen, then that opened up a whole new different world to me because uh I started they started exposing me to to the reading of books and and going and listening to other men that were successful, that were successful business owners. And and that's where I learned how how to understanding of people and and helping of people and uh closer, um, closer in all different aspects. So that's um that that that's that's that's where it started at. I started out um working in re retail management, and uh I just happened to make meet this gentleman, and from there, like I said, when I started when I listened to that first tape, and then I opened, and then I started reading books, different books. Um I'm sure uh you remember um Dianetics?

Peter

L. Ron Hubbard.

Al

L. Ron Hubbard. That was like one of the first books that I read, you know. Um the um L. Ron Hubbard, Dianetics, the power of positive thinking, um, the power of the subconscious mind. And so, like I said, being connected to this business, these business leaders, this is what they did. They read positive books, they read those type positive books all the time, constantly reading books like that, um, learning about um self-talk, self-affirmations. When when when you when you when you get to understand that and you can see where you can incorporate that into other people's lives, I think it's I think it's one of the greatest things that that anyone can do. I mean, because when you think about it, you know, I I got something one time he says, what's really the only thing that you can do with your life? You got you give it away. Give away your time, give away your love, give away your experience, give away your your your help, you know, and you know, like I said, I I guess you can see it from uh being a coach, being a father, being uh, or just being a good friend, you know, when when when you help someone out, you know, that's just such a feeling that doesn't, you know, you're not looking for money or anything, but just to know, you know what? Yeah, I I helped this guy out. And because, and as you go through life, and then you know you know you reach a point when you're 50, 60, something years old, you and and you you you look back at how many people's lives are so much better because you lived.

Yeah.

Peter

And Al and I talk about this stuff all the time. We we talk about philosophy and this and that, and it's crazy that you your your first part of your career is helping build leadership capacity and like a kid who's now comes out as a soldier, and you're and then you're in the business world learning how to be successful and motivate uh success through even accessing personality, and and then you you start reading all this stuff. I talk about a book all the time, which I still haven't read, but as a man thinketh, simply because we're we're obsessed, at least I'm obsessed with what Al and I talk about, about how when when you have a thought that all of a sudden becomes a concrete reality, whether it's like an architect drawing a house, the next thing you know, there's a house. And Al, I know we we were talking earlier, maybe we weren't gonna go here, but please go here.

Al

Yeah, yeah.

Peter

A little bit about this kind of thinking.

Al

Um well, basically what it comes down to, like I said, there is a book called As a Man Think Of. As a Man Think of His Heart, so is he. And basically what that says is that everything, everything starts with your thoughts. Everything, as soon as you wake up in the morning, right away we're thinking. So so so every everything starts with your starts with your thoughts. And so what I've learned is that the thoughts that you have is gonna determine the emotions and how you feel. Those emotions and how you feel, then that's gonna determine um the way you talk and the actions that you take. Those actions you take the way you talk, now that's gonna become your habits. And those habits are gonna become your character, and your character and that's gonna become your destiny, whether success or failure. And so what I've learned is that um whatever you think about, it it can become reality. Because if you can see it in your mind, like I said, if you can see it in your mind, then you can hold it in your hand. It's just like I said, the the the the the person, the the painter. The guy that's a painter, imagine this for a second, just to show how powerful it is. Because the the person that's a painter first he sees the picture and then he paints the painting. But he has the building, he sees that it sees that picture in his mind. The guy that's uh the sculptor, even though there's just one big piece of rock there, but he already sees the finished the finished sculptor. The musician, he hears the melody before anybody else hears, because if you can hear the melody, you can play it, right? And so that's that that's that's what really got me interested, and especially when I I was I started reading about the power of the subconscious mind. You know, because you have the mind and then you have the subconscious mind, which is really the really the the the the uh the power behind thinking, you know, period, period, when you get even deeper into it. And then when you come into um, I don't know if you're familiar with with quantum physics. Family with quantum physics, that's uh that's a whole different thing too, but but um basically what I've learned is that the way you think that gives you the power to determine what you want to be, what you want to become. Because I tell people this, Peter, for example, says, um, you have imagination and we have the power to visualize, right, Jamie? And think about this you're born with that. We're born with imagination, and as parents, we don't realize we enhance that imagination from when they're kids. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, right? Right from the time they're little kids, right? Right away, we're enhancing that imagination, and we don't even realize it. We don't even realize it. And and this is the the sap for Santa Claus too fair cartoons, right? Halloween, you look at Halloween, what do they want to be? Batman. Superman. They want to be heroes in their imagination. They've imagined that. And that's a it's a beautiful thing. It's really a beautiful thing. But what happens now is as they get older, then we tell them, yeah, well, you know all that stuff. You have bad. It's really not real. What do you mean? Right? I mean, which is fine. It is true. It is true. But the point I'm trying to get is we're born with that. We're born with imagination. That's why to kids, nothing is impossible. Hey dad, why we can't, well, we can't do that. Why? Well, well, you see what I'm saying? So, um, like I Alvin Einstein said, the greatest nation is imagination. And it is. And it starts up here. Everything that's around you, Jamie, everything that's around you right now, Peter, began in the imagination of somebody's mind. That's how powerful the imagination is. And I always tell people, I thank God for the guy who thought of pants. Because it'd be rough in New York on the guy who was wearing them little skirts until he still, you know. It's that that that that it's it's it's just so it is it's it's just so powerful. And and and that's the thing that when you're when you're speaking to somebody and and and and you want to help help someone with any problems or challenges that they have, whether it's business, whether it's music or whatever, I mean, I can talk to a gentleman who can be a a corporate executive officer of a company. And maybe the company, you know, the the the profits that's not there and so forth. And it's kind of sad because I tell people, you know, you can you can have a master's degree on top of a master's degree. You can have more degrees than a thermometer. Okay. You go in there and they say, man, we're gonna make you the corporate executive officer. Great. You the man. Two, three years later, they call you into the boardroom. Hey, listen, um, you know, we we haven't made no profit in the last three years. I'm sorry, we're gonna have to let you go.

But I've got a master's degree.

I'm sorry. We're gonna have to let you go. So now the point I'm trying to make is that using this as an example, I'm the corporate executive officer. My goal is to make this company profitable. So the most powerful thing that I have to do that, you know what is Jamie? No my P is right here. See? What do I need to do to make this corporate? What can I imagine? What do what do we need to do? We need to hit 8% or 3% or 2%. So what do we need to do to make that happen? So I can visualize that. I can already, I can imagine that in my mind. I can already see the company being successful. I can see what I have to do. And that's where I think uh uh a lot of people don't understand because the power to do it is right here. It's just a matter, you guys know this. Where there's a will, there's a way. There's a way. You see, and we teach these things to our kids, man, from one time when they're young. When there's a will, there's a way. You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. If you put your mind to it, and then what happens, you know, Happy? We tell our kids this, and then when it comes to us, we gotta find these excuses as to why, you know, we can't make it happen. You know? So the the the big difference that I've learned is that it first of all starts with everything is up here. I mean, what else do you have? What else do you got?

Jamie

So as you're working with you know business owners and entrepreneurs and stuff, do you find that you're you're trying to like reignite their imagination or trying to harness that in some way?

Peter

In front of us. It's amazing.

Al

Right, right, right. Exactly. That's Jamie, see the first thing the first thing that I try to do with people and uh even with youth, you know, I I I hear people sometimes, you know, talk about you. Today's youth is fine, they're no different than yesterday's youth. But the first thing that I when when I talk to people, the first thing that I do is I don't talk about the negative. I don't talk about what they can't do, what they should do. You gotta let them know what they're capable of doing. Because right away you hear people say, I don't know, man. I don't think I can do it. Yes, you can do it. Yes, you can. But see, what happens is people need someone to ignite them. So you need you need that but that one person said to make that difference, to make that spark. And so the the the first thing that I try to do when I talk to people, business owners, is I want them to see the vision. And I and I tell them, listen, can you do you have imagination? This is a stupid question. Do you have imagination? Of course I've got imagination. Do you have the ability to visualize? Yeah, of course. I remember just like it was yesterday. They can use it. So what happens is they do use it, but instead of them visualizing success, instead of them visualizing achievement, they keep visualizing the downfall. They speak the problem instead of speaking the solution. Instead of, oh, I don't know what I'm gonna do. No, no, no, no, no, no. Let's figure this out. That's what I tell people right from the beginning. Okay, listen, this is your problem. This is the situation you have, right? So let's think of ways that we can make it better. What what what's some ideas? What's some ways that we can make it better? And see, and and and people, you gotta get that ignited because Peter, Jamie, this mind we have is so powerful. People have no idea how powerful this mind is. Because if you look at individuals that are successful and individuals that are not successful, what's the difference? The difference is in the way they think. It's no difference. Peter, you and I, Jim, we're we're all the same. There's no difference between when you us. We I get up just like you guys get up, you know, problem in those things. There's no difference. The only difference between us three is the way we think. That's the only difference, you see. And so the the thing that I have did when I talk to people is to let them know that first of all, that's where it starts with the way that you think in your imagination. For example, um, you know, Jamie, I asked you um if you'd ever been to Disneyland. Um, did did you say you have have you ever been there? Take taking your kids there?

Jamie

So we no, we're we're gonna go to Disney World next year, but we we went to Paris one time and we took them to Disneyland in Paris. So you you probably thought you were gonna get this quick, simple answer, and I'm like dressing. No, I think so with search. I've been to Disney World when I was a kid. I've never been to Disneyland and California, and my kids have not been to Disney World or Disneyland and California, and then we all went to Disneyland in Paris. Okay. There's no complicated answer. Right.

Al

But the point I want to say, Peter, do you ever take your kids to Disney World?

Peter

Yeah, we have fun. Florida, whatever you want.

Al

You went to Florida? Let me ask you a question. Do you remember how much you paid to get in?

Peter

Uh-huh.

Al

How much is that?

Peter

Ton of money.

Al

That's all. So think about this for a second, Peter. Think about this, Jamie.

You paid a ton of money.

And somebody opened this gate and said, Welcome to Disneyland, because of someone's imagination. See, you go and yeah, you you you look at the look at the story of Walt Disney, they thought he was cool cool. It didn't matter. He had that imagination. And because it was so strong, it was so powerful, there's Disney World's Disneyland's all over. And Paris and Florida, they're all over. And think about this, Peter. When you went to, you you say um you gotta go to Jersey or something, or where you going? Where you say you're traveling to next week?

Peter

Me? Yeah. Oh, I got uh Jersey, Connecticut.

Al

Jersey? Yeah. Um, let me ask you a question. Are you gonna stop by the local livery stable to get the horse that you're gonna need?

No, I'm gonna drive. You're not gonna saddle up, old ginger?

Peter

Yeah, I got you. Yeah.

Al

Because of someone's imagination. Someone's imagination. Yeah. Think about this. Jamie, tomorrow morning when you wake up, there's no phones.

Phones haven't been invented yet. And it's no air conditioners. Air conditioning hasn't hasn't been invented yet. Yeah. Europe. A couple of those items. Can you just imagine? No ATM, there's no ATMs neither. So there's none of that around. There's no refrigeration. Refrigeration haven't been. Oh, and lights, there's no lights, you gotta do the candle thing, right? But just an example, those little minor things that we that's part of our everyday life, it began in the imagination of somebody, somebody's mind, the imagination. You see? So what and so any situation that you're involved in, the first step is to imagine where is it that you want to be? Because I tell people wherever you want to go in life, your mind gets there before you do. Correct? If I was to say to you, James, say to you, Peter, guys, listen, I got tickets to Hawaii. I got some guys can't go. We're gonna be there for two weeks. You don't have to pay nothing, all expenses pay, so forth. Before you get there, you'll be thinking in your mind, oh yeah, I'm gonna be chilling. Your mind gets there first before, you know. So that's the biggest thing that I've learned. That's great.

Jamie

Um, so what are some tips that you give to like a business owner, you know, because like, you know, when they're starting their business, they're gung ho, and they're they probably are filled with imagination and their ideas, and they think everything's gonna go well. They're launching something, and then you know, they hit a few hurdles, or you know, even something like COVID happens, or you know, and and now like they they're feeling downtrodden, they're they're feeling beaten by you know the world or these factors that you know they didn't anticipate. Right. So, you know, in addition to what you're talking about here, like what what are some tips that that you give them uh you know to help them sort of recover that initial enthusiasm that they once had?

Al

Well, I think the first of all, Jamie, they gotta realize is that um when that's why it's so important to have mentors. Because you need to get around somebody that has done what you want to do. You need to get around somebody that's already done what you want to do because, see, they've already been through there. They they they they can tell you the ups, the downs, you know, what to look for, um, what to do, what not to do. And one of the things that I was told when I got around this business on today, they said, listen, you gotta also be willing to fail. You gotta be willing to fail. But you can't let it, but you can't let it scare you. You gotta use that as a motivating factor. Okay? So the first thing that I tell them, first of all, first of all, is you gotta write down your goals. What is it that you want to do? Because, for example, it's it's no use to go and see in a basketball game, you look around and you say, wait a minute, where's the goals? There's no goals. There's gotta be something, there's gotta be something to shoot for, right? So you've got to write down these goals. You've got to realize that before the victory, there's always the struggle. There's always the struggle before the victory. So the business owner, when he goes in the business, yes, you're gung-ho, you want to be successful, but you gotta understand you're gonna hit those pitfalls, you're gonna hit those mountains, you're gonna hit those low points. That's what business is. Just like an investor, an investor know, realize, you know what, you're gonna have good years, you're gonna have bad years. You're gonna have good days, you're gonna have bad days, but he's in for the long haul. He's in for the for the long haul. And so the key to that, what I tell Jamie is what they have to do. That's why it's so important to constantly, to constantly be reading something that's positive, constantly listening to something that's positive, constantly being around those people that that are positive, that that can keep you going, that can help you and say, well, this is the situation, this is how you correct that. But you gotta, but they have to you have to understand that you gotta develop mental toughness. Okay, that's where you gotta understand that you gotta develop mental toughness, and and you have to realize that you you're gonna have these good days, you're gonna have these bad days, but you keep pushing forward. The key, Jamie, is you may have heard this, you have to keep the end means in mind. In other words, you're constantly focusing on where you want to go. You constantly see that finished product, you're constantly going there, regardless of what happened. That's why, like with a um, like with horses, race horses. You ever notice how they have those things on the side?

Peter

Yeah.

Al

You know what they're for? Do you know what they're for? You you you know what they're for, Jamie?

Jamie

Yeah, so they don't get distracted.

Al

Yes, exactly. So they don't get distracted. And so what happens, they're here. And that's how that's how individuals would have have to be, and business owners have to be, you have to still be here. Okay, so and and regardless of what's going on to the left or the right, you keep it moving. When the flood comes, you keep it moving, okay? You just you just gotta keep it and you have to keep it focused. And so I tell business owners the thing is you have to keep that goal in mind, you have to keep the vision in mind. And the key is you have to be able to get the people that's around you, the team that's around you, to capture that vision that you have as well. Because see, when you can get when you can get a group or team of individuals all thinking the same way, I'll give you an example. There's a thing called the mastermind. You familiar with that term? The mastermind. So this is how it works. Let's say, for example, you got a business owner and um the business is not going well or not where it needs to be. So the business owner calls a meeting. So if he's a smart business owner, the people that are around him should be a little bit smarter than he is. Because if you you want people around you that's smarter than you. If you're the smartest guy, you need a new group. Okay. So you got to gather up your guys around, and then what you have to do is now you got to come up. Let's take this powerful mind that we have and utilize it. Let's come up with your ideas, your ideas, your ideas. Everybody has ideas, but we're all heading in the same direction. There's one goal. And although you have eight or ten different minds, so we combine everything together. So now we become what's called the the mastermind. One big mastermind. And so the key to it, Jamie, and in any anything you're doing, whether it's sports, whether it's business, but I tell business owners, the main thing is the attitude that you take. Okay, so what? The business is not where it needs to be. So what do we do to fix it? How do we have to fix it? In your mind individually, you have to say to yourself, it doesn't matter what happens, I'm gonna make this work. I'm gonna be successful at it. I'm gonna do and when you tell yourself that, the mind eventually says, okay. But it has to be a constant thing. It has to be something you got to constantly bombard yourself with it every day. Just the same way we eat every day, we bathe every day. So the greatest investment we got to realize is the investment that we make in, that we make in ourselves. You know, we have so many goals and dreams, but at the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, with everything that I need to achieve, what did I do today to work toward that goal? Did I do anything today to work toward that goal? Or did I just sit and complain about it again? Did I do anything to work toward that goal? Like I said, there's always the struggle before the victory.

Peter

Al, I've seen you, uh whether it doesn't matter who it is, listen to someone's entire problem catalog of why they can't. I've seen you do this. It's amazing. Like they can't, they can't, and you just seem to listen and you listen, and then you'll somehow just switch the switch goes. I don't know how you do this. Well, something like, Well, what do you think you should do about like or something like well? Actually, I probably just need to or I just need to go and do the thing. Oh it's a shift you have, and I don't know whether you've all you were born with it or you've always been this way, or whether the drill sergeant practice in your life, you know, of bringing out greatness in others and you keep doing it. I know you're active in your community and your church and in our friend group and all that stuff. And I know that you want to be or you're a motivational speaker, and that you want to be able to activate like groups of people more and stuff. I I would love to hear more about what that looks like for you. Like why, why, or what, what's what what why why motivational speaking?

Al

Um, I I think because me personally, I've always been the type of person who I've always liked to see people achieve.

Peter

I've always been the type of person that you like to be able to see ideas become concrete realities.

Al

Yeah, you know, and and I've always liked to um you know be enthusiastic and and and and and to see people achieve their goals and that's just something that's I guess just that's always been me. Just love to see people achieve, you know, I said it's just I guess like I say, when sometime you you've been teaching your child how to tie the shoes and they finally get it, like, you know. But I just like to see people who, you know, they they they was in this situation and now they're out of that situation. You know, and just like since I can just say to myself, you know what, I'm glad to say that I I helped that person. Now I was a part of that person's life. It's a it's it's it's a really good feeling. And I think when you do that, because guy told me, he says, when you help other people get what you want, then then you get what you want. You get what you want. And so motivational speaking is because I've I've come to realize why why certain people are where they are in life. And like I said, it just comes down to what is it that they're saying to themselves. Some people they need someone to to to to give them that confidence they need. They that that that boost something, the the that that spark. They need to constantly be around people that are of that same that same way, that same attitude, makes a difference. Um it's just um me personally, it's it's just something that I always just just loved. I love being around people, I love talking to people, I love um um, like I said, admiring people. And it's it's just and I guess everybody has their own love, you know. There's the guy with the the the the love of like I know this one guy, he's a um he owns a restaurant in in Porchester, okay? And not in Port Chester, in um uh New Rochelle. A restaurant in New Rochelle, right? So you know it's pretty, pretty pricey, you know, so forth. Like, but but you know what? But he loves doing charity events. It's just just just the love, he just loves doing that, just just love giving and just loving on people, love doing stuff like that. And that's just the way I am, Peter. Just because I just I just love love on people. And as I talk to people, as I talk to them and I listen to them and I listen to them. Because like early lady says, you know, one half of the world is waiting for the other half to say hello. Because people don't talk to each people don't talk to each other no more. You know, it's even worse now. You get on train, everybody's like this. Everybody's on their phone, everybody's on the on their phone. Right on the phone. Right, but but I know that everybody, regardless of how much money you make, regardless of what position you're in, everybody has situations that they're going through. Everybody has problems that they're going through. You know, they got financial problems, marriage problems, business problems, relationship problems, you know? And I've just been there, once I talk to people and I listen to them talk, to listen to them talk, then eventually I'm gonna find out what's going on in their life. Okay? And then when I say, well, how would you handle this situation? So what that does, Peter, it forces them to think. It forces them to think now. Or I said, Listen, if I was your best friend and I had that problem, what would you tell me to do? You know, because see, like when somebody else has a problem, like Peter, you had a problem, 1015 guys will call you up. Hey Peter, you need to do this. You need to once. Yeah.

Peter

I remember I was like, yeah, I don't really know what to do. And you go, well, if I what if I was your best friend, what would you tell me to do? Best friend had that problem. What would you tell him? And I was like, Well, I tell him, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, Oh my gosh.

Al

Right, yeah, and and we know I said we find like we we always know what's best for somebody else. Well, you should do this, and if you're you're one of your kids got a problem, you need to do this, you should do this, you know, you know. If you got a problem, you go, come at so dad, I've been there, done that. But then when it comes to us, sometimes we we we we we find excuses. And so my one of my goals and my dreams is just to help people to realize that whatever it is in life that you want to accomplish, you can accomplish it. But it all begins and it starts with the way you think. What do you what what are you saying to yourself? What do you what what are you speaking to? You have to also be aware of what you're surrounded around. For example, if you watch a lot of TV, it's a lot of negative all the time, you know. I know people who listen to you familiar with 1010 Wind News? I know people listen to that all day long. All day long. And then Fox News all day. I mean, nothing's wrong that that's what you want to listen, you know, but you're constantly bombarding yourself with negative stuff.

Peter

Problems and problems, problems.

Al

Negative stuff, you know, and and you know, and then you figure you you get up in the morning, you turn on the TV, right away you start listening to the news, negative, negative. You ain't got much time. I gotta hurry up, I gotta rush, and get out there, and you get in traffic and you're speeding, and you got other drivers, and they're cutting you off, and and you're late, and then you run into oh, there's an accident. Oh, now I'm really gonna be even more late. You know, you know, and and we're I feel happens to me every time I drive to one of my gigs. How do you do it? You know, and we don't we we do nothing. You got actions of what what what have I really done today to enhance my life? What have I done today to improve myself? You know, you hear people. This is the biggest one, Peter. Peter, you say, uh, I haven't been able to do that. Oh man, I'm just so busy.

I'm just so busy. Busy doing what? Are you busy succeeding or are you busy failing?

No, you're just busy going through the normal, everyday stuff that you've been doing for the last 25, 30 years making excuses. Right? Let me give you an example. What's the worst day to go to the gym?

Peter

I want to know.

Al

The worst day to go to the gym.

Jamie

It would be right after everyone makes their New Year's resolution.

Al

January 1st. The worst day to go to the gym. It is the biggest joke. You go in there and it's packed. Oh, this is the day.

Oh, I'm gonna do it this time.

Oh boy, I'm going to do, you know. You didn't make it in the net.

Monday is packed, the 2nd of January is packed, the 3rd of January is packed. Now you go into the second week of January, and it's starting to filter out a little bit, you know? Not as many people around, right? Not as many people around, right? And then, so what happens is you hear the message.

Ah, well, you know what? It's I'll I'll I'll wait till the springtime.

You know, I got some job to do. And then the springtime comes around, and then there's another excuse, and then there's another excuse, and there's another excuse, you know? And so what happens, Peter, is we spend our time wasting time. We spend our time wasting time. For example, if I say to you, if I say, Peter, um, how how how's your how how are you physically? You you you work out pretty good three to five times a week?

Peter

Me? Personally, yeah.

Al

Would you would you say you need would you say you need to improve? Would you say you need to improve yourself physically? You need your your physical.

Jamie

Well, he lugs his equipment around, right?

Peter

Yeah, I I I exercise like probably four, three to five days a week for hours, seriously, playing music and logging stuff.

Al

Okay, okay, so that right. So, regardless, you do that, right? You work out you regardless, and there's a focus there. And because that focus is there, you continue regardless, you focus and and and and and you make that happen. Okay, and so like I say when people say, I'm so busy, big, busy doing what? Are you busy succeeding? Busy fit, what are you busy doing? Are you busy working toward achieving your goal? Whether it's the if if it's the business zone and if things are not happening, so what are you doing with your time? Are you working toward the time? Or are you just going home, sitting home and and just planting it, watching the TV?

Jamie

Part of your approach then, and I think we've seen you know a little bit of a spectrum here. This last bit was a little bit more of the drill sergeant. Tough love. But your other approaches were you know, a little softer or a little bit more positive regard, or let's let them talk. Um Peter pointed out a couple of things challenging their point of view, like what would you tell your friend? So all of a sudden you you've asked them to rearrange their mindset. So you have a few different approaches here that I imagine you use certain ones on certain people to bring this out. So, you know, I I can appreciate all that. Just m sort of summarizing here because I I feel like we've seen a few different motivational approaches from you that I think could all work in challenging how one thinks, how one acts, having them look at their life in a certain way, look at what they're trying to achieve in a certain way. So as we look to kind of wrap things up here, what would be some you know advice you would leave for people as you kind of now enter this new phase where you're this motivational speaker? Um what sort of things would you say to people in general about um also I want to comment on the fact that you've remained so positive in your life, right? I imagine you've had ups and downs, right? You know, and and and you know, I could see how you know Peter's the same way. I I I would put myself in the same category. So even though we've had ups and downs, we've remained positive, but you especially are so positive and strong and forceful with that. So just kind of summarizing here and then leaving us off with like some final words from you. What would you say uh advice for people to keep that positivity, keep going forward, challenge yourself, go for what you're you're trying to achieve. What would be some advice you'd give people?

Peter

Well, uh I'm sorry, or would you would you start off with like 10?

Al

No, I I I think what I would do is I I think one of the things sometime is we we don't appreciate the little things in life. You know, we don't we don't appreciate the little things. For example, um like in the summertime, I if it's real warm, I just go sad and just I just want to sit in the sun. You know, just this just to feel the sun, you know. Or sometime I'll go at three or four o'clock in the morning, it's dark and it's just quiet and just looking around and just enjoying nature. So the first thing I would tell people regardless is when you wake up in the morning, right there's a blessing. You woke up, you know what I'm saying? It could have been your last day. You could have looked and said, that woman you've been with for 20, 30 years, could have been the last time you've seen her. So, first of all, if you wake up, you know, that's that that in itself is something to be happy about, you know? And sometimes I wake up and and and and and you know, it's real quiet. I get up for everybody and look, and the wife's okay. And I was Pete, I was saying that the wife's okay, and got a couple of doggies, the doggies okay. Look outside, we're still here, you know. The car, nobody's still the cars, we didn't blow up, you know. So just begin your day looking at the what are the little things that you can be thankful for. You know, the little those little things, you know, to wake up and um, like for example, we we have a few doggies, and I said, Well, you know why they say dog is a man's best friend? Do you know why they say that?

Peter

Why do they say?

Al

Because the dog's attitude never changes. He's always happy to see you, always glad to see you. You wake up, man, the tail is wagging. The dog's attitude never changes. So the first thing I said was when you wake up in the morning, what is it that you can be thankful for? Begin your day like that. What's be thankful for? And then the second thing you got to do is like I say, you have to write down your goals. You have to be able to see what it is that you want to accomplish. Begin your day, be begin your day reading your goals. Begin your day by looking at what is it that I can be thankful for? Okay. What is it, who do I need to get around? What do I need to do to be successful? And the attitude has to be that you're going to be successful. You're going to make this happen regardless. You're going to be, and but the attitude has to be, you have to understand and tell people, you know, the only thing you have you you really have is other people. Your greatest resources is other people and learning when you help other people and you're interested in other people, like I said, you'll you'll you'll get the rewards. It'll come back to you. But the key that I would say, Jamie, is what people have to understand, it's all it's all your attitude. It's all attitude and realizing that this brain you have is is remarkable. It is a remarkable instrument. You're you're thinking 75 to 80,000 thoughts a day. You have the ability to imagine, you have the ability to visualize. So the key that I would tell it all is up here. You know, Jamie, we can get on the computer and you can send the message a message around the world in a billionth of a second. But sometimes we're dealing with people, it takes years to get through this six inches. You see what I'm saying? It takes years to get through the six inches, you know? And so that's the key, Jamie, is for people to realize that they have the power, they have the ability to take their life in any direction they want to do. Understanding, but you gotta you you have the imagination, you have the vigilation. If one guy can be successful, you can be successful. Is this guy with success in this area? You can be successful. He's no different than you. He he wakes up in the morning, you know, and I use one. This is not the greatest. I say, well, you know what? When that guy goes to the bathroom, he has an aroma too. You might have to cut that one out the edit with Peter might take that out of the you might have to take that one off. But that's uh that's that's that that's that that's that's what I've learned, Jamie. And and it is so true. It is so true. Let me give you an idea. I I'll tell you how true it is, just to give you an idea to show you how it works. Two things. One, you ever think about an old friend you haven't seen for a while? Say, man, what I wonder what happened to old Peter Carucci. You ain't seen old Peter in a long time, you know. What happens? I usually smile. No, I'm a simple. When you think of that person, you haven't seen him in a while, what happens? That person shows up, or you get a telephone call. Oh man, I was just thinking about you. Right? Has that ever happened? No, man, I'm I was just thinking about you. You know how powerful that is, you know? Yeah so um the key, um I was saying, is is realizing that you can accomplish whatever you want to accomplish, you know. You want to be able to say to people, when people people say to you, how's it going? It's going exactly the way I want it to go. You know? How's it going? Well, under the circumstances, how come you're always under the circumstances? You see what I'm saying? We say things and don't realize how negative, well, you know, under the circumstances, why are you always under the circumstances? Well, you know, I'm trying. Why are you trying? Just do it. Don't try. You either do it or you don't. Don't try. You see what I'm saying? Those little things that we say to ourselves make such a difference and gotta go back to what you tell your kids. And you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. Okay, Dad, well, what happened to you? Oh, well, you know, I excuse you. So if I had to put it in a nutshell, Jamie, that you have to constantly, constantly keep your mind, you know, focused on um reading and and and and listening, you know, to what is it that you're that that you're filling yourself with? Are you spending your time, lifetime just watching TV, being around negative people?

Jamie

Yeah.

Al

So it's sort of like it's sort of like this, Jamie. Your heart and your you imagine that as being the ground, being soil. And the words you speak, imagine the words you speak as being seeds that you put into the soil. Okay. The soil, does the soil care? Does the soil care what you plant? The soil doesn't care, right? You can plant whatever you plant, it's gonna grow. Okay, so if you if you're speaking words of doubt, words of fear, words of uncertainty, that is what your mind is gonna continue to do. If you say, I don't think I can do it, the mind is gonna say, Great, we're not gonna do it. That's what the because that's the mind's job. You the mind is your servant. But then you can say, you know, I I listen, I know this is the way you feel, right, Peter, in the morning. You might get up and say, you know what? The body might say, Yo, Peter, man, I ain't in for this working out, so forth. But then Peter said, I don't care. We're going to the gym, pal. We're going to the gym, regardless of how you feel. Am I right, Pete? Yeah. Yeah. We're going.

And then once you get there, you've been there about five or ten minutes.

Peter

But uh that's forget my five or ten minutes, and I'm I'm done. It's great. That's a really good point. Uh and um we're just really grateful that you're open to sharing more of your perspective. One world.

Al

One one quick thing that I I know what I forgot to. I know what I forgot to tell you. I know what I forgot to say. This is so important. I've always I and I shared this with you too, Peter. See, I I believe that you know, when when there's something you want to accomplish, that there's a there's a force out there that makes that happen. Okay. I've always wanted to be a motivational speaker for a while. And at one point in time, I'd imagined doing a podcast. Just imagine doing a podcast. It was just you know, wow, that was a way, you know, what I know this popular podcast, but I never thought of reaching out to find right. So the point I'm trying to make is Jamie, whatever thoughts you have, they're like magnets. And when you send them out there, it's gonna hook up with that other thing to bring. So what happens now? This guy, Peter, walks into the store. I've never met him, you know. And we talking, talking, talking. Tell me, got to know each other, got to know each other, got to know each other. Come find out. Lexus, stop. I love music, he loves music, and we're talking, and then he talks about would you like to try something on a podcast?

And I thought it was wow.

Wow. You know, I thought about this, it was just a thought. But that thought went and it came back. So that's a seed that I planted, you know? And so here I am. And so first of all, I want to thank you, Peter, and I want to thank you, Jamie, for giving me this opportunity because it could be a start, you know, and and and and and my prayer, I say, you know, well, hopefully, you know, if if it airs, maybe it'll help somebody, maybe it'll help a couple of people. You you know what I'm saying? That's that that's what it's all about. And so I want you to know, Jamie and Peter, I thank you guys for giving me this opportunity. It's a blessing for me. You know, it's a blessing for me. And so when we turn, I hope it's successful. I hope I can be able to look up one day and say, wow, Jamie, man, we got like over a million viewers every now and then. Because, like I say, I can I can share, you know, the podcast with with all the men that I know. So I want you guys to know, I thank you, you know, for giving me the opportunity, because you know, I'm not perfect, I'm not a public-pay speaker. Um I'm just Al Cook. I thank you. I I thank you so much. I really do thank you guys for giving me the opportunity. God bless both of you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Jamie

Yeah, it was a great conversation. Uh, I feel like we learned a lot. I think the listeners and everyone out there, I think they learned a lot. I think you did help uh people, anyone that that checked this out. Um so on that note, I think we'll uh we'll wrap it up. Um again, thank you, Al. Thank you. Um, and everybody, thank you for watching or listening, and we will see you next time.

Al

Okay. Take care.