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- [00:03]
A
Welcome to It's a Good Life, the podcast for entrepreneurs where it's all about growing yourself and your business. Here's your host, founder of America's largest business coaching company, Brian Buffini. Well, the top of the morning to you, and welcome to It's a Good Life. I'm your host, Brian Buffini. As the man said today, I am fired up. You know, over the years, I was thinking about it, over the last 30 years, we've had over 500 guests at our seminars and podcasts. And over the years, a few of those people have turned into friends and then a few of those have turned into special friends. And the guy I'm gonna interview today is a special friend. He's a special man with a special story. I hate saying that to him because we're both Irish and we love to give each other a hard time. In fact, how special is he? Well, when we started the podcast almost 10 years ago, the first guest on the second episode was the great John O'. Leary. So if you really want to get the full dose of the John o' Leary story, go all the way back to the Brian Buffini Show, Season 1, Episode 2. And the man is there today and very, very excited to have him on today because this amazing story that he shares, this amazing life that he's lived is now coming out in three days time as a major motion picture. Long overdue in my opinion. And so I couldn't be more fired up for people to see it. I think it's an inspirational story that's going to just really, really impact people all over the world. I've used up all the flowery stuff I can use. O'. Leary, John o', Leary, my great friend. It is great to have you on the program today. Thanks for joining me, Buffini.
- [01:40]
B
I fell asleep a couple minutes ago. You'll have to remind me what you were just saying because I don't. I didn't hear most of it, but it's an honor to be back and, and to make sure that people don't completely now turn me off thinking he's just a jerk. Here's what I want to say. My father is my hero, is the guy that I want to be when I grow up. He had Parkinson's disease for 33 years. Some of your followers know my dad's story and our love. And recently he came down with an illness. He was not going to recover for the last three days. We knew we would lose him. And so I canceled everything. Everything was canceled for those three days so I could Sit by my dad and hold his hand. I took one call during those three days and it was from my friend Brian Buffini. And the only reason I took it is because we weren't going to talk about real estate or coaching or podcast or that kind of stuff, which is all great stuff to talk about. I knew my friend and I were going to talk about life. And at that point in my life, I needed a friend to talk with. So when you were doing that beautiful introduction of your friend, I realized, man, I'm looking across the screen of my friend. I love you, Brian. I'm grateful for you and grateful for your life. I'm proud of what you built and I'm excited to share this story with your followers.
- [02:54]
A
Well, it was a privilege to be there. If anybody knows our relationship right now, our wives are probably falling off their chairs because we are like brothers from a different mother. We love to give each other a hard time and kid each other all day long. But they say about the Irish, they're a great friend behind your back. And so John o' Leary's been a friend behind my back and I've been a friend to him for a long, long time and the real deal. And that's why, you know, our relationship has become what it is. Because when you find something that's authentic with the motivation, that is nothing else from a pure call of God to go and bless other people, that's what I have. That's what you have. I don't talk about it very often. I'm trying to help people all day long. But I wouldn't be doing this thing if I didn't know the Lord hadn't called me to it. And I wouldn't have stuck with it all these years. There was a lot of other things I could have done than build a coaching company, which is bloody hard work. And I've turned down a lot of opportunities because of that. And I've seen you do the same. I think maybe after our first day you ever came to Buffco for us to do a sit down and kind of do a little coaching session on your business at the time, I think maybe five minutes into the conversation I go, why in the world don't you have a movie made? And you were like, you're out of your mind, Buffini. That was kind of your response. And now here we are. So mainly I wanted you to be on here today so that you could just say out loud, you were right, Brian, I should have listened to you 15 years ago. That's really what I'M sorry, there's too.
- [04:16]
B
Much static on the call. I've heard again, nothing you said over the last couple minutes, Brian. Here's, here's again to shine light where it's deserved. You brought me in as a speaker when I was undeserving of that stage in my mind. I wasn't quite there yet, I don't think. But you helped guide me toward becoming worthy. And then before the, my first book came out, it's called On Fire, you brought me out to the organization, your group, to talk about the book, but more than that, to talk about how do you do a book well, how do you impact lives through that book? Why write it in the first place? What does success really look like? And it was all these far longer ranged questions than I'd been previously asking. So important to ask right and answer properly. So that was huge. To spend 24 hours with Buffini man, early in my development, that was mighty. But you helped me cast a vision not just for that book, which became a number one national bestseller. And then a second book again, another success story, then the podcast. But the first person probably to see within this, this Irishman from the Midwest that he might have a film one day done about his life was Brian Buffini. And here it is 15 years or so later, it's come to pass. Sony picked up the opportunity. They filmed it, stars William H. Macy, and it rolls out in theaters around the country and around the world. And ultimately, like, how is that possible? Well, it's not because of Buffini or o'. Leary. Our work is informed by a God who loves us enough to work through the broken. And that's what's happened in our careers. It's what's happened certainly in mine. And when I look at this, the film Soul on Fire, I'm not the hero of it. About the only thing I did well in the movie or in my life is I blew up a can of gasoline. I did that part. And after that, what happens is just mercy upon mercy of individuals showing up in my life. What they did, what they taught and what we can learn about it in our lives.
- [06:17]
A
Well, for those who aren't maybe motivated to go back or a little lazy to go back and listen to episode two or want to hear right now so they enjoy this particular episode. Give me the three minute version. I've heard you give the one hour version. Give us the three minute version of John o' Leary and what happened to you and where you are.
- [06:33]
B
So what happened to me is at age 9, I witnessed kids in my neighborhood, playing with fire and gasoline and monkey see, monkey do. In life, you become like the people you hang out and party with. So I'm hanging out, hanging out with these kids, Brian. I figured if they could do it, so could I. On a Saturday morning, with mom and dad gone, the house was mine. Made my way into the garage, bent over a can of gasoline, try to pour a little bit of gasoline on top of a flame. Before the liquid came out, the fumes came out of that container, created a massive explosion that split the metal in two. Picked up the nine year old, launching me 20ft against the far side of the garage, setting my world on fire. Long story. Even that morning made very short, I find myself about an hour later in a hospital room with doctors and nurses and caregivers rushing around me. And the entire time as they're doing this, the only thought going through my mind is, why are they even doing this? Do they not know? When my father finds out, he's going to kill me anyway. My father is going to be irate that I burnt down the family home. That was the only thought this nine year old had. And then I hear my dad, who passed away just a couple months ago, but I hear my father's voice clearly today. And I heard it clearly back then. And what my dad was saying to some nurse is, where is my boy John? Where's my boy John? And I hear the echo of that roar, thinking, my gosh, he's come to finish me off. And this poor nurse does me no favor. She brings him back into the room, pulls back the curtain, my dad walks in, points down and says, john, look at me when I'm talking to you. So I look up and then he adds, I have never been so proud of anyone in my entire life. And my little buddy, today, this morning, I'm just glad to be your dad. And then he follows it with I love you and there's nothing you can do about it. And Brian, that's the beginning of a love story that required a mom to show up and some siblings to show up and some doctors and nurses and therapists and radio announcers and hall of famers, the Pope, Brady, Billy Graham. I mean, people started showing up for this little boy.
- [08:51]
A
What percentage of your body was burned? Just to give the people a little perspective on this, think of a higher.
- [08:56]
B
Number than you got in grade school and then go way up from there. So 100 of my body was burned. 87 is third degree in 2025. As you and I record this, that that is a Death sentence. You don't survive that. And in 1987 when it happened, there's no earthly chance. But a little add on to this, my mom came in right behind my dad and I said, mom, am I going to die? And Buffina, you and I have talked a lot about your mother lately. We talked a lot about mine in the past. And I looked up at my mom, looking for hope. You know, I expected she would tell me everything would be all right. And instead she looked back at me, she took my right hand in hers and she said, baby, do you want to die? It's your choice, it's not mine. And I said, mom, I don't want to die. Geez, I want to live. And her response was, good, good. Then take the hand of God, walk the journey with him, and you fight like you never fought before. Your dad and I will not leave your side. But do your part, John, and fight. And on January 17th, man, 1987, a nine year old boy with no chance at living took the hand of God, walked the journey with him, fought like he'd never fought before, but did none of it by himself.
- [10:12]
A
And it's an extraordinary story of people who've come alongside and nurses. And it's an amazing story. It's an amazing movie. It stirs the soul and stirs the heart. The beautiful thing about your story, John, is how many ordinary people stepped up in an extraordinary way. You know, from nurses and physicians, people who don't necessarily think of themselves as heroes in any capacity, all made this difference. And then it leads all the way to the great Jack Buck. And you being a fanatical baseball fan. And for a lower tier team like St. Louis, it was amazing that you're that loyal to them. And then to have maybe one of the top three greatest announcers in the history of American sports take such an interest in you. Just take us to the end. Just tell people a little bit about Jack Buck and his role in being that inspiration for you.
- [10:59]
B
So whichever sport you may have followed growing up, whoever that person may have been, who brought that live into your bedroom or into your family room, the biggest voice in our family was Jack Bug. Brian said he's top three. Historically, I believe that to be true. I think he's in seven hall of Fames, he's outrageously successful and busy, and he was my childhood hero. He's the one who each night would tell me what my St. Louis Cardinals were doing on the radio. And on January 17, the day I was burned, Jack Buck by chance, went off to a Charity auction. This guy was always serving, always making a difference in the community, using his voice for good. He's downtown working. He finishes up his part. He's told over the dinner that a little boy was burned and was going to die. Like what. What do you do in that situation when you're told that someone you've never met is going to die? You know, if I'm being real, at best, I pray for them. And that's. That's not bad. That's a good start. Jack Buck leaves the party in a tuxedo. He goes out to a burn center in St. Louis County. He never heard of John O', Leary, never heard of our family. We're not people of notoriety. He just went out because he knew he might be able to make a difference. Walks into my room, sits down next to a child who is wrapped from head to toe with bandages, dying, and brings light into my darkness. When he says the words, kid, wake up. You are going to.
- [12:30]
A
With the voice that sounds like the voice of God, by the way.
- [12:32]
B
It still does. I mean, it is the voice of God. I mean, that's a good.
- [12:36]
A
Yeah, that's true.
- [12:37]
B
I'm so sick of us waiting. I hope they do something. Man, when will God show up? When will somebody do something about that thing over there? Well, maybe it's you and maybe it's now. And Jack Buck recognized the voice of God's not tomorrow, it's now. The time to act isn't next week, it's right now. He left it party, man. He left comfort to go serve. And in the film, it shows it so brilliantly because they don't show his face at first. They show these pretty black shoes. Walk into a room and you see. Drag a chair across and you're not even sure who it is. And then all of a sudden it fades up and you see that beautiful, beautiful face of Jack Buck. It's William H. Macy in real life, but it's Jack Buck in the movie. And what Jack says, the voice of God. That's a great tangent is, kid, wake up. You're going to live. Keep fighting, John o'. Leary. Day at the ballpark will make it all worthwhile. See you soon. He leaves. He's told that I'm going to die. And then the following day, Bryony comes back. And the wild thing about Jack Buck's generosity and all he did while I was in hospital and for decades afterwards was he never told anybody he did it. It's. He's. There were two autobiographies about his Life John o' Leary is a whisper mentioned, but it. It shows up in such a manner where he felt blessed to be able to be of assistance. Like it was never about. And then I did this and then I did that. He just was blessed to be of assistance.
- [14:05]
A
We need more of that, you know, in the freaking world we live in today, man. Whatever it is, you know, influencer driven and all that stuff. And there's a benefit to that and there's joy in that. My kids have exposed me to a lot of that stuff. But the generation of. I just do things behind the scenes and I don't need credit for it, and I don't need anybody to know it. You know, the scriptures say, when you give, don't let the left hand know what the right hand's doing. And he was that. You know, I. I would encourage people who aren't as familiar with Jack Book to go on YouTube. Jack Buck at the ballpark, right after 9, 11, he stealed the whole country together. And the whole country was just frazzled. We'd just been attacked. The towers had come down. The Pentagon had happened. People were terrified there was going to be another attack. And he comes out to the ballpark, and the ballpark's fell in.
- [14:50]
B
Should we play? Should we be here?
- [14:53]
A
And it was like, man, I wanted to run through a brick wall. I was ready to sign up for the military. You have to listen to that guy talk. But he took his emphasis towards you, and he did it in practical ways. And as a guy that has invested in the discipline of note writing and my company produces, I don't know, 8 to 10 million notes a year for our customers. He made you write notes. Your fingers were gone. Right. He made you write notes. Explain that whole deal.
- [15:18]
B
I will, but I will let you know what led to it. Well, I'm going to end the story first. So I was with Jack Buck on. On September, maybe 17th, 2001, in the booth. And so I was in the game that you were watching online or on ESPN or wherever it might have been. And to see this man near the very, very, very end of his life. He had just months left.
- [15:41]
A
You were there that day.
- [15:42]
B
I was with him.
- [15:43]
A
I didn't know that.
- [15:44]
B
Yeah, I mean, we don't talk about why. Why talk about it, but this is worth talking about because how did he steal a nation together? Well, let me tell you a little bit about him. He's from the Great Depression. When Pearl harbor occurred, he volunteered to serve. He picked up a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge. He came home wounded, but not broken and humbled, but hungry to serve again and again and again. And he never forgot how fortunate he was. No one ever discovered how Jack Bug voted. We lead these days with politics. So how did a man bring us together? Because it wasn't about that. It was about one. It was about one. Jack was in the ultimate unifier of. One more story about Jack and then I'll talk about the baseballs. But there was a game when Mark McGuire was pursuing 62, and on the first pitch of the game, Mark McGuire argued bars, balls and strikes and was thrown out. So there was this revolt in Busch Stadium that day and an online revolt afterwards. And so it was, the next game was about to begin. Jack Buck comes to the mound. This is a radio announcer, a nobody, who says, it's come to my attention. And he goes through what happened yesterday, what's happened online. And then he said, ladies and gentlemen, here's my ask, I insist, when these men in blue come onto the field today, you do what they have earned. You applaud them for their good work. And this whole tension, this whole stadium that came ready to riot when the boys in blue took the field, took their positions. The umpires, we applauded the umpire, we applauded the umpires in blue because one man had earned over a lifetime of service, the respect of everyone gathered. So, yeah, he did a lot.
- [17:26]
A
Who he was spoke louder than what he said, obviously. And I think that's who we can all be, right, as we grow our character and focus on that in a world that's. You can be as famous as you want if you have no shame. But the truth of the matter is, if you'll develop your character and become all of who God made you to be, that's where the influence is. That's where the strength comes from. I can't believe you were there. 2001. That is. That's unbelievable to me, because we were.
- [17:50]
B
Trying to show a group of terrorists that they did not win. They didn't get the last word. And I think all of us were nervous. If you place yourself back in that time, I mean, we were pretty sure there were other things about to happen.
- [18:02]
A
For sure.
- [18:03]
B
It's been decades now, and very little has happened, at least in the United States, but, my gosh, we knew it was happening. And what better event than baseball, what better place to attack than 50,000 happy.
- [18:14]
A
Fans in the middle of the country? Would have been perfect. Yeah.
- [18:17]
B
So my sisters and I voted with our presence. And then we wanted to thank Jack for his, his words of wisdom and encouragement and where that friendship grew, though. Yeah, we were in the hospital together, Jack Buck and I. He came to visit me. He had John o' Leary Day at the ballpark, as he promised in August that summer.
- [18:33]
A
And here's this fanatical kid, been listening all day and he's promised you. We're going to have John o' Leary Day. We're going to have John o' Leary Day to bring you back to life. That the whole ballpark is going to celebrate John o'. Leary. What a great carrot and what a great motivator.
- [18:46]
B
I'm an easy sell man. You know, if you sell the my, why, I'll buy it all day long. So he tricked me into John o' Leary Day at the ballpark. It worked. I fought for that moment and he lived into it. Rolls me around the stadium on the, on the base path in a wheelchair. What a moment. Then takes me upstairs.
- [19:03]
A
How long after the accident was John O' Leary Day?
- [19:05]
B
So I was burned on January 17th and the day at the ballpark was August 26th. Eight months. Wow. That night, Brian, we, we broadcast the ball game. He did his part, I did not do mine. I was not called into a world of motivational speaker or podcasting back then because I didn't feel worthy of. Of life. And I don't think you need to be burned to sometimes wonder if you are worthy of the life you have. So I, I didn't feel worthy for decades, even after General every day at the ballpark. But he learned that night. I had a goofy, happy grin on my face and little else. I could not stand up and walk yet. Couldn't use my hands yet. So he put another carrot in front of me. The following day I had in my mailbox a baseball signed by Ozzie Smith that said, if you want a second baseball, write a thank you letter to the man who signed the first. And as I told you earlier, I'm an easy sell man. So. So with the help of two therapists, they pushed my hands together. They broke through scar tissue. We wrote the note. Listen to the pronouns. It ain't me, it ain't I. We did this work together. We mailed it off and two days later we got a second baseball with a note that read, kid if you want a third. Which was followed by kid if you want a fourth, and kid if you want a fifth. And at the end of that summer, Jack Buck had sent a 9 year old boy in a wheelchair 6 days. Baseballs 6, 6, 0. And in doing so had received 60 thank you letters for the balls which influenced my ability not just to write again, but to live again.
- [20:44]
A
It gives me chills, you know. It gives me chills, you know, growing up in Ireland, you know, I don't care the rest of the world and how the world talks today. The rest of the world admires America. Just a fact, it just is. And growing up in Ireland, you know, you'd see John Wayne and you'd see the Clint Eastwoods and you'd see the American space program and you'd see these larger than life characters. It was just an aspiration. You watched American movies, you listened to American music. I mean, you go all over the world, they all know American music, they all watch American movies to this day. And one of the things that just really always inspired me was these strong characters and women who are behind the scenes who just did extraordinary things. And you know, like today, can you imagine, it would have been a 60 day profile in character, this profile in service. And it's just a model and it's just for all of us, for me talking to you today, for us, you know, remembering this guy. And then here's the other part of it is, you know, how many other people did he do this for? How many other people did he serve? How many? You know, I know on the day of his funeral, they couldn't find a church big enough. But here's the other part of it. This little nine year old boy grows up and still to this day deals with the challenges of the physical limitations of that day. In January 17th. When did you know that you were supposed to tell your story? When, when did you know that? I mean, you were kind of shy, you were physically beat up, you had all this doubt. When did you think, I need to go share my story with other people?
- [22:13]
B
So I'll tiptoe into that by saying, when Jack Bud passed away, the radio station that carried him opened up their lines for three hours to say if, if he ever influenced you, would you, would you bless us by calling in? Can you pry? You might be able to do this. I don't know anyone else though, who could do three hours of open air call in and talk about his influence in your life. Three hours. It went on for three days. And then one more thing. John o' Leary or his family never called in because this was our private story and we didn't want anybody to know about it. It was too sacred and too raw. And so if we didn't call in, how many others did not call in during those Three days of open air. So it's a remarkable life, well lived, of, yes, profound success. And you coach around this, but ultimately it's towards significance. And this was a man who became radically successful because he chose significance first. So you also asked, when did you begin recognizing John? You have a call to share this story. For me, it was, you know, I know we, we come from all faith walks on your podcast and then your channel, but I'm in the back of a Christian service. I'm in the very, very back row. My arms are crossed. I'm bored by the message, if I'm being honest with you. And the pastor's talking about the gift of talents. And I don't remember at all, but I remember he ultimately said, and for those of you who feel like you have no talent, I'm like, all of a sudden, I perk up. He says, listen to me. Your life is a precious, priceless gift. You got one job. Say yes to being used for good. So I'm 28 or 29. I've never spoken. I've never told anybody how I got burned. I'm working construction of all jobs. You know, you got a guy with no fingers cutting two by fours. Like, what am I doing, man? But that, that's what I'm doing with my life. And while in front of a pickup truck with blueprints on it on a Monday afternoon, my phone rings and a little voice says, Mr. O', Leary, will you speak at my school? In any other situation, Buffini, I would have said no because I'm. I'm ill equipped. I have no message. I'm scarred and broken and I'm inarticulate. And yet the day before, my pastor said, john and family gathered. If you feel like you got no talents, listen to me. Your life is a precious, priceless gift. You got one job. Say yes. So I said yes. At age 28 or 29 to 3 Girl Scouts belly flopped the landing. It was not a very strong keynote, was not paid even a box of samos for the effort. So this was not killing it. There was no revenue. I'm not worthy of coaching any of your people up. But I did just enough to be invited by one of the dads in the room to speak at his Rotary Club. And in that Rotary Club, there was someone from Qantas. And what you're hearing here, listeners, if I haven't yet rocked you to sleep, is not a strong business plan or even a strong why yet. It was a desire to be a service. And I spoke, I think five times in that first year for free. Maybe 18 in year two for free. And then it started getting busier. We started scaling up. I hired a coach and then another coach. We started casting a vision. In the remaining 18 years since I have spoken 2,700 times, 50 states, dozens of countries, millions and millions of people. And if you're like, well, about what succinctly. Your life is a precious, priceless gift. You got one job. Say yes to being used for good. That's my job. I somehow get paid to do that. How? We come and go in and out of organizations, out of prisons or hospitals that, you know, we change the way we deliver it. But at the end of the day, what I recognize in this world we live in is we need the same reminder I received 21 years ago.
- [26:09]
A
It's amazing. You know, I've had a front row seat to this, but I'm sitting here and it's kind of, you know, we're all busy. One of the reasons I reached out to you that day to talk to your dad was like, hey, man, you know, I just have too many relationships that I've been busy for. It's been the busiest year of my entire career. And yet I've made a more of a reach out and a commitment to reach out to relationships than any year in the last 20. In many ways, as crazy busy as it's been, it's been the most rewarding year I've had in decades. And that magic moment happened. You know, we scheduled the time to talk, you know, not knowing that your dad was going to be in his final days and so on and so forth, but it's just doing the right things for the right reasons in the right way, I've had a front row seat to this. And as much as I had a desire to see this be made into a movie, and I think nothing will ever beat the original. But you know, you go from a guy that didn't feel worthy to charge for a speaking fee to speaking all over the world, writing best selling books, and now you find yourself as an executive producer for the movie Soul on Fire. You know, the thing about Irish people, we have more chops than we do brains. There's just no doubt about it. How in the world did you go about being an executive producer in a movie?
- [27:17]
B
Oh, I mean, it's all God's hand. And that sounds like John do own your part of it. And I think I am. I just, I just did. It is just saying yes to his will, not yours. I was speaking in Las Vegas and Brian, you. You really cast a vision to say, john, do you realize the gift you have as a speaker? And the reality was, no, I was one of many is how I viewed myself. A lot of competition out there. One of many. And you reminded me I was one of one. What a cool thing to know and not know. Like, yeah, okay, but like, no, you are one of one, man. Your message moves hearts and minds. You keep people moving forward. You don't just help them in their business, you help keep them alive. You're one of one, John. So that was influential to me years ago when you shared it. And it allowed me to scale up the speaking business significantly. It led to speaking at a conference at the MGM grant. So there are 28,000 people gathered. There's this long book line afterwards. And one of the women who comes up to me in that line was a gal named Linda. And Linda says, have you ever thought about turning your story into a film? And I said, no. So she says, would you mind if we tried? And it took me back to church a decade earlier, and I realized, dude, the answer is yes, even if you don't feel like it, because most days I don't feel like doing anything other than laying in bed. But the answer is yes. So I gave this woman my yes. We met a month later. We started working through a plan. We created a little bit of seed funding. We hired a guy to write it named Gregory Poirier, who's written more than a hundred screenplays that have been turned into film. It's excellent.
- [28:57]
A
What are some of the movies he's been involved in?
- [28:59]
B
Like six Nicholas Cage films. So if you like Nicholas Cage, you'll love Gregory, A bunch of Al Pacino movies. So most of this stuff is around more like the fast paced action based stuff. This is the one of the very first inspirational films he's done. But it was picked up then by a guy named Sean McNamara.
- [29:19]
A
So McNamara, of course, how the Irish Save Civilization.
- [29:23]
B
One life at a time, man. One mistake at a time. Moving forward. So Sean did a film called Soul Surfer.
- [29:29]
A
Yep. Oh, yeah.
- [29:30]
B
And Sean did a film called Spare Parts in a miracle season, a volleyball movie that your girls would love. And Sean did a movie last summer called Reagan. Sean loves telling stories of true life heroes, how their life came to be, what ultimately was the impact of it and what it means for the viewers. That's. He just wants people to leave you. And I love Rocky, man. He wants people to leave with that song in their mind, ready to take on the next Apollo Creed. Whatever that looks like. So he got a hold of this script and he's like, man, I. I'm in. So forward from there. We had to raise a whole bunch of money to get the thing done. We had to hire actors.
- [30:10]
A
Hey, I'm not going to let you shortchange this because you always play it down. I heard you had to help raise 10 million bucks to make this thing go. Is that right?
- [30:18]
B
And, you know, 10 million is. It's nothing for Buffini and the family, but it.
- [30:22]
A
How did you go about doing this? I remember you, you know, not charging the Boys and Girls Club for speaking engagements when I first met you. How in the world did you go from that to being Mr. Executive Producer, asking people to invest in a movie, Right?
- [30:34]
B
You taught me years ago to hold on to relationships as if they're precious and not to use them to get. Get the next speech or sell the next house or earn the next transaction, but to love the one in front of you sincerely, for them. And so for decades, Brian, I'm not trying to sell anything, man. I try to serve my clients. I try to make them part of my family. And so if that's truly how you treat them, not only do they bring you back for speeches and introduce you to their friends. I'm preaching to the choir here. But when you re. Approach them and say, hey, Joe, I've got this wild idea. Can we sit down and have coffee? They take your. They take the time to sit with you. They usually will bring a partner or spouse because they're so invested in your life story. And then you say, here's the deal. Hollywood has come knocking. They want to turn this story into a film. We've got to raise $10 million. Can you help us do this? And when you invite someone to help, even if the answer is no financially, it's always yes in some way. So I never heard a hard no. If not them, they would connect me to someone else they thought might be able to. And in almost every live meeting, the answer was yes to some degree or another. And the most miraculous of them was near the end, we'd raise maybe $6 million. And I had a meeting with a guy who's with Worldwide technology here in St. Louis. And I said, joe, he's like, what else can I do to help? And I said, well, unless you know the governor, I don't know anything. And he goes, well, it's coincidental, but I don't believe in that. He goes, it's coincidental that my business partner is having lunch with him on Sunday. What can I do to help? And I said, well, Joe, for 13 years, the Missouri tax credit has not been in play for films made in Missouri. Man, that's 30% of the budget back. If we can get this thing back into law. He said, well, let me see what I can do on Tuesday. This is now five days after our coffee meeting. On Tuesday, the governor of Missouri signs back into law something that had not been there for 13 previous years, allowing us to greenlight Soul on Fire, filmed here in St. Louis, Missouri, which is meaningful for a million reasons. I put 500 people back to work in my own backyard. The home where the little boys burned is the home where mom and dad still live. The dorm room where I met my wife is the dorm room where they filmed it. The clock tower on St. Louis University's campus where we had our first dance is the clock tower where they film where they filmed the church. The Shrine of St. Joseph is the church. The people, man, row two of that church is my mom and my dad. The people gathered behind them are my friends who were there 20 years earlier. So it was not only cool financially to get the film done, that's good. It not only put 500 people back to work in my state, which is awesome, but it allowed us to be authentic in this film, to tell the story right with not only the right characters, but the right backdrop.
- [33:30]
A
And I know you were kind of maniacal about making sure that it was accurate. Like, this is. Hey, I want to preserve accuracy here, right? Hollywood has to tell a story. And look, I'm an Irishman, right? I mean, our gift is the ability to tell stories, right? And you got to add a little color and a little flavor. And, you know, people are coming to see a movie. But the truth of the matter is, the movie is so. Your story is so amazing, it'd be hard for any movie to do justice to it. But you kept the pedal down on, making sure that it stayed accurate to the. The actual events that took place.
- [34:00]
B
This is Inside Baseball. I'll probably lose my job as executive director after I share this, but who cares? As an Irishman, I always ask for forgiveness rather than permission. They were testing the film as is, and it was testing very positively. But then they added in at the very, very end, the actual characters who are part of John's story. So you'll meet that nurse who helped teach him how to walk again. You'll see the pictures of Jack Buck and little John o'. Leary. You'll see the picture of John throwing out the first pitch, you'll see the pictures of John and his family and his wife and they overlap the real story with the Hollywood story. And then you realize as a viewer, holy cow, you're telling me that it's real. And it went from being a very positive film to now 90% positive ratings, which in this world is impossible because somehow we offend everybody with what we do. And I think, Brian, the reason why this matters so much now is Hollywood is a democracy. Contrary to what we believe what you vote for with your time and your dollar will give you. And when you vote for Superman, guess what they give you. Superman Part 47. And when you vote for squirrels who use laser guns and shoot and curse, they'll give us Guardians of The Galaxy Part 94 and more. Coming this next summer, we've generated an honest, faithful, family friendly story about a little nobody kid who got blown up. And then hero after hero after hero hear about it, they show up for him. What they did is heroic. And the life they breathe back into that little boy and then eventually that young man and then eventually that fledgling speaker, it's overwhelming not for what they did in their lives, but for your call to say yes to it in yours.
- [35:46]
A
So good, so good. Well, it comes out in three days. We are fired up to be part of the launch party. We're so excited. It's very unusual for me. I mean, I've loved the movies Rudy and Miracle and Soul Surfer and I've met all the people involved in all of those movies, but I never had a front row like I had a front row here. I just like say as we're chatting here today, I mean, we know each other a long, long time. But just even recount and Jack Buck story and the inspiration. Like I was going to ask you the question, what do you hope people walk away with? I'll just tell you what I'm walking away with today. I'll tell you what I got from my time with John O'. Leary. You know, I've been 30 years leading buffining company impacting and improving the lives of people. I chose the harder path. I chose the path of coaching people. Having a business that was dependent on individuals instead of technology, working in a difficult state to do that in California doesn't make it easy. And then working in the hardest industry of all. You know, an industry that has 85% turnover every five years and that this is my fifth, basically real estate recession I've worked through. And there's a great verse that says, you know, be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. So let us never grow weary in doing good. And I will say this on occasion, I have grown weary in doing good. And just listening to this today has just been a reminder to me of the path I've been on for decades. And what I'm getting from our time together today. And you especially telling the Jack Buck story is just. Brian, keep going. At the end of the day, you're doing it for an audience of one. And just listening to your story today, John, has been. You've reinvigorated me personally. And how great is that? I would love to know. What do you hope people get walking out the door of this movie? When they're leaving, what do you hope they get?
- [37:36]
B
You were with me in my mind on my hardest day when I was saying goodbye to my dad. It happened to be the day before I said my final goodbye. But I hated that day too, Brian. And you breathed faith and hope back into me. You talked about your mom, the conversations you shared, and you reminded me that this moment is a gift. And it just changed how I perceived what was going on in my dad's room right there. So that was a big deal. Then six days later, I had a chance to eulogize my dad. And I wasn't sure yet what to say. And I wasn't sure exactly who would be there because my dad was non verbal for 10 years. And when you're 81 and you pass away, how many friends do you have left? And when you haven't worked in 20 years due to a disease, how many friends do you have left? And when you aren't able to cut a check for charities or to pick up a tab anywhere ever, how many friends do you have left? And when you haven't been able to say, you look great today, how many friends do you have left? So how many friends came to his funeral? And the answer is almost a thousand. How does that happen? Because my dad never wearied with sharing joy with people in front of him. Never even in the midst of agony, Parkinson's disease and struggle. My. My dad never wearied by being a man of joy. So I had a client here who wanted to send 3,000 of their people to the film Soul on Fire. But they wanted to see it ahead of time to make sure it was worthy. So their executive team came to this film. I had to go with my team to meet them. And I realized at the very end maybe I should bring my mom and my dad. You know, they'll see it in October at the great premiere. Like, they'll be at all the theaters with their friends, but why not sneak them in early in May? So I. I snuck my mom and dad in, and they. It's a little bit like sneaking an elephant and a giraffe into a room. Like, they're loud. The wheelchair greets. My mom knows everybody. It's obnoxious man. But I snuck him in. I sat next to my dad in his wheelchair, and I knew I'd have him for years afterwards, but I wanted to have just this moment with my dad. So the lights dim, he takes my hand, and he holds my hand for an hour 40. And as the lights come back up and people are applauding, I lean over and I say, dad, what do you think about your film? Because it really is as much my film as his and our families, what do you think about your film? And he leaned over and whispered, what a gift. What a gift. Those were my last words I ever heard my father speak. He went home that day. I went out of town for a few, came back, dad got sick, got sicker. Never heard him speak again. So the last words I heard my dad said in my mind, Brian, was not a review of the film. It was a review of his life. What a gift. So you said o', Leary, what do you hope people receive? Dude, I hope they don't walk out of there thinking o' Leary's a stud. What, What a. What a bad man to fight through the burns and end up with a pretty girl and four good looking kids and, oh, he built a business. My goodness, what a hero. I hope they walk out of there and they wipe their tears and they wipe their popcorn on their blouse and they say, my gosh, as they look into their mirror. What a freaking gift. I'm sick of playing small. I'm sick of saying I'm tired and doing the right thing. I'm sick of giving all my joy to our politicians and to our friends on the other side of the aisle who tell me it's never been this bad. I choose to live joy now. I choose to recognize that my life is a gift and the best is yet to come.
- [41:06]
A
You're ripping me up here today, Olaire. You're not supposed to do that. We're too old and grumpy and know each other too well. The movie is called Soul on Fire. So I have 300,000 people tuning in here today, and all of you have friends, family, and many of you have databases. And here's my challenge. I've never done this. In nine years of podcasting, I've had a chance to see this. It's unbelievable. It is an inspirational, amazing story with great actors and a great script and a great true story. You will be fired up. You will be moved to tears. You will be inspired. So my encouragement to everybody listening is tell your friends, tell your family, get to see the movie, and then talk it up. We need more things like this in the world. And here's what I'd love to do. I'd love to see this thing. Actually have people have a communal experience in a movie theater with other people, not just freaking streaming on Netflix late at night. Tell your friends, tell your family. Get to it first so you can refer it honestly. And then that first week this movie's out, just talk it up, tell your friends and tell your family, tell your database. The soul on Fire is something all of us can be. And there is an inspirational message there for everybody. Everyone in the movie theater will be able to identify with a character in the movie. Everyone in the movie theater will be able to see, you know what? I can do more. I can be more. And I can leave a legacy that's even more significant than I realized. And I just need to keep on keeping on. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see this thing blow up all over the world. And no better man, a humble servant that you are a great guy. It's been a privilege to see you grow. And now I just, you know, just remember to take my phone call when you're walking down at the Oscars, okay? Just remember, not forget little old Buffini, the little real estate trainer. Now that you're a big time, but you're a beaut. This is going to be awesome. We're going to get everybody we know to get out and see this movie because they're going to be inspired. They're going to be fired up. They're going to go back to the movie theater more than once to watch it. And I can't wait for it to happen. John, thanks for spending so much time with me today and for reminding me of how great this life is and how serving people is still the best way to go.
- [43:16]
B
Buffini, you are one of one. I love you and there's nothing you can do about it. And I appreciate you, man.
- [43:22]
A
Appreciate you. Well, as I talk with Johnny boy about my mom, we always finished with my mom's Irish blessing. And him being a Paddy himself, he's always enjoyed this. I have the privilege of keeping my mother's tradition alive by finishing off with our little Irish blessing today. So may the roads rise up to meet every one of you. And may the wind always be at your back. May the rain fall soft upon your fields and the sun shine warm upon your face. And until we meet again, I hope we all know that God has us right in the middle of his hand. We'll see you next time.