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Rebound, Rally, Reinvent | US Navy SEAL Ret. Ty Smith | JP Dinnell Podcast 126
01:37:05
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- [00:01]
A
Good morning. This is a JP N podcast, episode 126. I am JP Nal and as always, I have Lucas with me today. We are back with my buddy Ty Smith, who is actually on episode 124. So if you haven't listened to that episode, make sure you go back, listen that episode. Come back to this. Ty and I were. We went through buds together, SKT together, served in the SEAL teams together. We were actually BUDS instructors together for a little bit that we did not get to talk about. He is a black belt, Jiu jitsu. Did over 20 years. I'm sorry, exactly. 20 years of service before he retired. Honorable service to our nation. Incredible frogman. There's Navy SEALs and there's frogmen. He was a frogman and he's a father, business owner, CEO to multiple different companies. So you need to go back, listen to that episode, learn a little bit about Ty. And today we're going to dive into a few different things that I know Lucas and I wanted to open the doors to. I know I would like for us to talk about, just know the dynamics with his. With being a father, the leadership lessons that he has over the years of being a father, the wins and the losses over the years of being a father, which I know we all have those. How he's growing as a Christian man, growing as a father, as a CEO. He's also got a podcast that he's just launched to provide more value and impact, does leadership consulting as well. And I really look forward to this episode. Ty, I appreciate you taking the time to get back on here. I know your schedule is dynamic and, man, I'm glad that we're able to do this.
- [01:34]
B
How are you, man? I'm doing great, brother. Thanks for having me back. I couldn't wait anytime that I get to hang out with you, man, whether it's in person or virtually sign me up, we just, we have such a long and stellar history together, bro. This is awesome. Thanks for having me back.
- [01:49]
A
Yeah, absolutely, man. So what? Let's just jump into, like, faith. When did. When, like, has faith been a part now I know there's like, yes, I believe in God and I love when people like, I believe in God. I'm like, yeah, so is the devil. It doesn't mean that you have a relationship with God. It doesn't believe that, you know, Jesus is your Lord and savior. And so where.
- [02:13]
B
Where.
- [02:14]
A
Not where, but what has your faith journey been? What was it like growing up? What was it like in the military? What was like, what has it Been like, since you've been out?
- [02:24]
B
Yeah. This is an amazing question. Thank you for asking. Because it really gives me an opportunity to highl like, God's grace in my life, right? Not how cool I am or how I was able to figure out this dire moment in my life, but no God's grace in my life and him pulling me through all of those difficult times. Some of those times, you know exactly what they look and feel like as you endure them, too, right? So I was raised in a church, just like most people. I was raised in, you know, Southern Baptist Christian Church, and I've always had a relationship with God. I can tell you, though, brother, it was during my first deployment in the SEAL teams that I started distancing myself from my relationship with God. And it's really important that I word it that way because it's never the other way around ever, Right? It was me that sort of turned my back and said, hey, I'm going to go this way. And it was primarily because, honestly, brother, it was because I was. I was hurting. I was in pain because of that situation that I spoke about on, you know, the first episode that we shot of me breaching this doorway and nearly trampling these two little baby girls and how much that that situation harmed me. Like, it hurt my heart and confused me to the point where I started to lose my faith. Like, man, like, what are we doing here? What am I doing here? Like, I don't feel God in this. I almost stepped on two little kids. Like, I likely would freaking shot myself later on that night if I'd have hurt those little girls, right? And that situation hurt me so bad that it caused me to start going the other way. And you know the deal. Like, once you start down the other way, the devil makes it easy for you to continue down that path and feel like you're just doing things on your own and life is supposed to be this way. And, like, I didn't become, like, an atheist or anything like that, but I certainly wasn't devoted to my relationship with our Creator the way that we all always should be. And honestly, you know, my. My. That distance stayed between me and my relationship with God for years and years. And I don't think that it was until two to three years into my retirement, bro. You know, So I ended up going my entire career again, still with belief and faith in God, but probably more doubtful than faithful. And so two to three years into my retirement is when I, you know, God's grace really started to dawn on me. It really started to dawn on me that, how do I say this? First and foremost, like, I'm a pretty strong guy. We, we, we, we've gone through a lot that have proven that, that we are tougher than the average bear. But as a result of that, our nation sent us forward into harm's way. And then we went through experiences that affected me, at least in a way that showed me, hey, you're strong, but you're not as strong as you think you're. You're strong in this physical body, you're strong on this physical planet, but when it comes to matters of the heart and spiritual warfare, nobody's that strong. The only way you get through that is with a relationship with your creator. In two to three years, years into my retirement, when the post traumatic stress and the traumatic brain injury, all that stuff started catching up with me, bro, and I started going downhill fast. And I did find myself, you know, a couple nights sitting on the edge of the bed with a gun in my hand, holding a gun to my face. You know, those are those moments where there literally is only one person that can get you out of that kind of fire, and that's God. And so it started to dawn on me that, hey, you're not going through this alone. You likely would have checked out long ago had you been going through this on your own. And you just saw what happens when you raise your hand, you ask for help, people start rallying around you, more people than you even thought, right? And it's because you have this connection with every single person around you by way of the one creator that created every single one of you. And so it was two to three years into my retirement from the Navy that I really started to become curious again. And it's not that, like, then all of a sudden, my faith went through the roof. It was like, no, I. I became. I started becoming curious again, which means I started seeking again. Reading and going to church and talking to people about how I feel and talking to people about my questions, and more than anything, talking to people about why I'm so angry. This is why I'm so angry all the time. Like, no, you don't, you don't understand the stuff that we saw over there. Things that human beings do to one another, things that grown men do to children. You don't understand why I'm so angry. And after I started externalizing some of that is when it was almost like I gained more discernment or it was easier for me to hear God communicating back to me. And once that starts, I mean, for me, it's like, that's a page turner. Like, once that starts, it's like taking a shot of crack. Like, you're never going to get away from that, at least for me. And you just stay on that path of seeking, which I think that we should all be on. The last part I'll say about this is I want to be very clear in what it is that I believe, though, especially now in 2026, given the fact that I've spent the last several years since we left the Navy seriously seeking and studying the word of God and trying to understand what in the world is going on with. With all of these people around me and what's going on with me. I have come to my own conclusion that I'm not religious. I don't. In fact, I don't even subscribe to religion. I don't believe in it. I don't think Jesus taught religion. In fact, I think he taught anti religion. And I can say that wholeheartedly because I've actually read the Bible cover to cover. And I don't think that. That he was supporting religion. In fact, I think that he was telling people, no, stay away from those religious leaders, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, that brood of vipers who's only going to request that you bring money to their temple. Like, no, no, no, no, no. I'm going to lay down my life for you, cover you in my blood so that you have protection from Satan and the sin of this world while you're in this physical world. And you no longer need to go to synagogue to be with me. I'm going to be with you 24 7. So I believe in spirituality. I do not believe in religion. I think religion is something that man created to control other man. And I don't think that we need religion. I think that we need a spiritual connection directly to our Creator. And that's what I spend my days seeking now. So I tell people I don't seek results anymore. I don't seek outcomes. I seek alignment with God's frequency and his will for me.
- [10:20]
A
That's awesome. So when you're talking about spirituality, you know, there are a lot of people that could hear that and take it the wrong way. Of course, there's other people that, you know. I mean, the devil twists and manipulates things. You know, he can't create anything. He can only corrupt things. And so there are people that, you know, use the term spirituality, but it has nothing to do with, like, an actual connection with God and understanding, like the relationship that we need to have with God and understanding that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. And so if somebody was to ask you, and, you know, Lucas as well, please chime in on this, like, hey, you know, I'm. I'm a. I'm not a religious person. I'm a spiritual person. You know, I believe in a higher being, but they're missing the mark. Would you agree with that? Like, oh, I'm a spiritual person. It's like, well, no, this is about having a relationship. A relationship, yes.
- [11:17]
B
So if. If they stop at belief, then, yeah, I agree with you. They're. They're missing the mark. It is all about having that relationship. I like to say to people that there should be nothing. And of course, again, I'm being a little facetious when I say this, because, of course, there is nothing happening in your life that God doesn't already know about, but I say this to people anyway. There should be nothing happening in your life that God doesn't know about. Which means that it takes communication. You gotta talk to your creator. You gotta build that relationship by communicating with him. And it takes a relationship, not just belief in God, but a relationship with God, in my opinion, for you to really open yourself up. Your heart, your frequency, your vibration, to the point where you can receive those downloads directly from our Creator. And that's why I believe so much in prayer and meditation. I do it multiple times a day. Meditation, specifically. I mean, just like most people, I pray literally all day, whether it's three seconds or it's three hours. But specifically, sitting in stillness and knowing that God is God and he's going to do his thing, and his will for me is always good. I try to do that at least a couple times a day.
- [12:42]
A
That's. That's freaking amazing, man. And the.
- [12:46]
B
It's like you said, it's about building the relationship. So how do we build a relationship? We got to stay with one another, right?
- [12:54]
A
That's why we have such a strong bond after all these years. How many, like, hours have you and I spent together in the SEAL teams? Like, you couldn't even calculate that.
- [13:04]
B
Like, you can't even ask.
- [13:05]
A
You, like, really wouldn't be able to. And so, man, that is a really good reminder for myself and our listeners is like, hey, I mean, this is better than nothing. But if you're just opening up the Bible app and reading the verse of the day, okay, that's. That's good. Better than nothing. But if that's all you're doing, you're. You can't actually build a relationship that way. You actually spend time. You know, it's like when I was dating Amanda, I could not get enough time with her, you know, like, you know, spending all night on the phone, like, like, okay, I got to be up at 6:30 in the morning for work, and it's 5:15. I don't care. That means I have another hour and 15 minutes to talk with this girl
- [13:46]
B
that I just love.
- [13:48]
A
And unfortunately, like, I know that me as a husband, I've gotten complacent with that, like, where there's been times that my wife and I are just coexisting or, you know, where she's brought to my attention that, hey, I feel like this is just a transactional relationship. And she was right because I was just going through the motions and I wasn't being intentional with talking to her and pursuing her. And, you know, those are things that I'm trying to work on. And it's the same thing with God. As you're. As you're saying these things, I'm like, man, I wonder how many of my interactions with God are transactional, where I'm just like, lord, please help me. Please help me, Lord, help me, help me, Help my daughters, help my son, help my wife, help instead of me. Like, if you were to look at the ratio, and I'm speaking for myself, I know that ratio is out of whack because I have taken more than I have given back to him. Now he's an. He's a. You know, he's a loving father that, you know, it's endless, the love that he has for us. But man, that's that. I appreciate that conviction, my man, because I needed to hear that, and I know our listeners do as well.
- [14:52]
B
No, I appreciate that, bro. Again, that's why I love meditation. And here's the great thing about meditation is you get to actively spend time in the presence of your Creator, just you and Him. That's it. And you don't need any instruction. You don't need somebody telling you what to do. It doesn't need to be a guided or a mindful meditation. It doesn't have to be specifically transcendental meditation. No, just meditate on. I'm just gonna be still. And I know that my Creator is here with me because the kingdom of heaven is right here in my heart. That's what Jesus told us. That's why he was laying down his life for us. And so it's very easy for me to just do what the word tells me and just Sit still and know that I am God. So it's very easy. I try to do it at least a couple times a day for anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Because like we were saying, you have to invest in building that relationship, which means you need to spend time in the presence and communication of our creator. And I'll be honest with you, bro, this is where I'm gonna real deep and real honest with you and. And Lucas and the audience here. I think that over the last three years, my relationship with. With God has become even tighter simply because I spent the last three years in the fire. Like, there's nothing like a humbling that that pulls you closer to your creator. And again, I had a tight relationship with God going into this. But. And when I say going into this, what I mean is going into this season, what I didn't realize over the last few years is that I was coming out of one season in my life and I was going into another season. A season of hell fire and brimstone. A season of being removed from the top of the mountain and being placed back into the middle of the valley of the shadow of darkness by myself. I had no idea this was coming. But God does everything for a reason. He knew it was coming, so he started preparing me for it about six months ahead of time. And so about three years ago, my entire life blew up, bro. My entire life blew up. I literally lost nearly everything. Like, nearly everything. My biggest business that I raised several million dollars of venture capital to grow was implod and preparing to wind down. Right as that was happening, my ex wife, you know, decided that she wanted to go separate ways. And that situation became even more painful and brutal than I ever would have thought. And so I found myself in a custody battle, you know, fighting just to continue being a father to my daughter. Things got really, really bad, really, really bad. Really dark for me. And I say nearly everything I lost because I didn't lose my life and I didn't lose my faith. I was still able to wake up and get out of bed on my own two feet, my own two legs every morning. So I didn't lose everything. We both know a lot of people that can't do that anymore. I think of Elliot every morning when I get up out of bed, and I'm thinking, God thinks that I still got feet and legs. I could get out of bed on my own because, you know, I got friends that can't do that anymore, you
- [18:14]
A
know, and his ability to not just speak like we have.
- [18:19]
B
Right.
- [18:20]
A
I Could not imagine having the same mental capacity that I have, but not being able to communicate.
- [18:27]
B
Right.
- [18:27]
A
Like, to me, I'm just. I mean, he is. He's a stronger man than I am.
- [18:32]
B
Yeah, we got so much to be grateful for. So much to be grateful for every day. And so going through the last three years, I mean, again, there's. There's nothing. There's nothing like standing in a pool full of gasoline and watching somebody drop the matches in there, you know, to bring you closer, your creator. Because you know that that is the only thing that is the only person that's capable of getting you out of the fire that you're in. And so I'll answer any questions that you might have on that. I don't want to be too long winded, but, like, yeah, man, the last three years, I got my ass handed to me by life really, really hard. Um, and went from, like, I, like. Like, I lost several million dollars over the last three years alone. Like, I. I'm seriously, like, I started all the way over, bro. And glory be to God, I'm. I'm fine. You know, I'm. I'm back. I'm good to go. But that three years that I spent. It wasn't three years of rebuilding to get back to where I am now. No. It was three years of me just trying to survive, knowing that someday I'd be back on top of the mountain and fortunately holding onto my faith. Because I'm like, okay, I've ridden this roller coaster enough times to know that what goes down is going to come back up. But, yeah, man, it was really, really difficult. And so for me, I purposely reclused, but in a very positive and purposeful way. I didn't recluse because I was depressed. I reclused because I was like, okay, nope, I've got some maturity under my belt. I've got some discernment now. I know what's going on. I am in spiritual warfare right now. I am entering a season of spiritual warfare. And not a few days, but this is about to be a season. This is going to last a little bit. This could last a few years. And it absolutely did. And so I was able to level set and go, okay, no, you need to protect yourself. This is where you really sort of not go into hiding, but you go into protective hibernation with just your creator. Like, no, no, no. This is too sensitive for anybody else to have their hands in it, man. Like, you need to go and be by yourself with your creator if you want to survive the Season that you're entering right now. And that's what I did, and glory be to it, you know, it worked out for me. His will for us is always good. And I am breathing much lighter and sleeping much better at night now.
- [21:16]
A
Good. Yeah, I definitely don't want to go into the details of the past because one, those are your details and I don't want to, like, I don't want people to get bogged down in those details. But, you know, there's lessons from that. And before we go into what I'm about to ask you, I know Lucas has some questions as well. But the one thing I want you to think about, and maybe Lucas might touch on this, is when you went into that season of seclusion, did you communicate it to people so that they knew, like, hey, this is what I'm doing. I'm okay. And then were there people on the outside that, you know, were reaching out because they recognize, oh, ties. Not. This isn't the normal tie that I have. This. I don't have the interactions. I don't have these things. And they, they see you going to seclusion, which from an outsider, that could raise some red flags. I could be concerned. I might think you're going through depression. Is he suicidal? I know you've lost all this stuff. How did you balance the communication of like, hey, no, I need to go into this season of seclusion. Did you communicate it? And if so, how. How so?
- [22:27]
B
Yeah, both, actually. So I was very communicative with a small, tight knit group of people.
- [22:35]
A
Okay.
- [22:37]
B
But I also realized several months into it that there were people that I hadn't communicated with. And they were starting to pick up the phone and call me and go, hey, you okay? What's going on? Haven't heard from you or, hey, I just listened to this video that, that you put on LinkedIn and you don't seem like yourself. Is everything okay? And it's like, okay, well, you're sure? This is what's happening in my life right now? But I am okay. I don't want you to worry about me. I'm okay. I'm protected, I'm provided for. But yeah, I'm kind of going through some things right now. So it was a little bit of both.
- [23:11]
A
Okay, cool. Lucas, what'd you got, bud?
- [23:14]
C
Man, I don't even really know where the best place is to start on this, but I think just kind of picking up where we're at right now. So you said the, the last three years have just been a crazy season. At the end of last episode, we talked about all of the new business ventures that. Well, I say all. We talked about several of the new business ventures. I know there's stuff in the works that, that we haven't discussed that you've got your, your hand in. So I guess that I've got a two part question and so just start with, with part one is what is the process in before you even rebuild, right? And you, and you start to do those kind of things. What is the process for gaining your confidence back so that you have the strength to rebuild in a situation like that? Because what you're talking about, the life instances that you have are not just ego breakers for some people, but they will completely destroy a person's self image to where like the rebuilding of, of confidence or ego or anything doesn't seem like it's even a possibility. So let's, let's just start with that. Like, how did you rebuild that, that confidence and stuff so that you could get back on your feet?
- [24:29]
B
Phenomenal question. That is like the magic hour question, bro. Thanks so much for answering that. I think it starts with what I just said. It starts with the realization that, hey, something's going on. This feels a little different from the kind of effective fire I'm used to to getting from the enemy. This feels a little bit more intimate. This feels a little bit more like, hey, you're, you're not strong enough to withstand this kind of storm on your own. I think it starts with the realization of, okay, this isn't normal warfare. This is dark, this is heavy. This is spiritual warfare. Right? Which means that I need to enlist tools and resources that are also spiritual. I need fighters that are not of this world to help me fight this particular battle. And I think that once you realize that step number two is going into that, that sort of spiritual hibernation with your creator, it is doing what I did in that, like, no, no. I love all of you and I know all of you want to help me. Thank you so much and I will come back to you for that help. But for right now, I kind of just need a cleansing. So I'm just gonna go over here and be by myself with my creator for a little while first. And then I'll come back to you and let you all know, like when I'm ready to come out and you know, kind of be amongst people again. But I think first and foremost, once you gain that awareness that what you're going through is so hard, that even you, who is uncommon amongst men, you're not strong enough to carry that kind of weight on your own. Not a single one of us is strong enough to carry that cross on our own. And once you realize that, you had better do what I did and run to your Father in heaven just as fast as you can. And so I think it starts with that awareness and then being purposeful about going, okay, I need to go and be with my creator and just simply be, just be protected and provided for by him for as long as it takes. And of course, I was going through a whole lot of other stuff as I'm doing that. Like, I'm reclusing, but I'm purposely spending time, and I mean like real time, like 30 to 120 minutes at a time in just stillness and prayer and meditation. Phone on, do not disturb. All sounds off. You know what I mean? Like, not leaving my apartment, but just purposely spending a significant amount of the day in prayer, meditation, reading the Word, educating myself on what in the world is going on within me, around me, why, how do I navigate this? How do I ask God for help and for his provision and protection? It was almost like I had to go, hey, everybody, I'll be back. I need to go to Sunday school for a few months and then I'll come and let y' all know when I'm ready to make friends again. But it started with that awareness and the awareness leading me to the understanding of, okay, your next move needs to be, you need to go sit in your father's house away from everything and away from everyone for as long as it takes.
- [28:01]
C
So the, and I said this is going to be a two part question and now I'm a liar. So the, you've, yeah, you've got this, this moment now where you've realized some things about yourself. You've, you've spent time with, with God and you've realized the growth in that relationship and you're ready to, you feel like maybe you've got personal permission, permission from the Lord, but like you're, you're back centered and ready to take that next step out. You mentioned that there's a lot of people who have reached out to you. How do you evaluate coming out of the first part of this new season? So, right. The first part of this new season is going in and what you said, you're, you're realizing being honest with yourself about where you're at, what you're doing. How coming out of this season do you determine who you do and don't intentionally invest in, in those relationships coming out as you're rebuilding and getting ready for those next steps. Because I think this is another thing that. That people struggle with is like, maybe, you know, you hit rock bottom, you start to come out, and then they're not. Let's say they. They just don't have the discretion to know who to let back into their lives and at what level, for whatever reason. So how did you start to make some of those decisions?
- [29:28]
B
By realizing that I shouldn't lean on my own discretion. Rather, I should lean on God's discernment. So that's why spending time in prayer and meditation is so very, very important. Because what you do is you start gaining wisdom from your creator, you start downloading God's discernment. And so I've sort of pressed the easy button on my life coming out of this season over the last several years because I finally realized that, like, yeah, God was giving me the easy button the whole time. I just, I. For some reason, I wasn't getting it, but he was giving me the easy button. He was like, dude, it's very simple. If it's important in your life, just give it to me first and it'll be okay. It doesn't matter what it is. Your kids, a promotion at this job, having to pay this bill, if this girl is gonna go out with you or not. It doesn't matter if you think it's important to your life, all you gotta do is give it to me first, and whatever it is, you will succeed. And so I think that me purposely spending all that time in prayer and meditation, I sharpen my own discernment by aligning my frequency with God's frequency. So my dialing loads are coming from him, which means that I should be confident in listening to myself or what some people would say, my higher self. What I like to then say, yeah, God, because your thoughts, sure, they're your thoughts, but honestly, do you know where they're coming from? You don't know where they're coming from? I don't even know where my thoughts are coming from. I only know that they're in my head and they're in my voice. And so if I humble myself and look at this particular thought and go, man, that thought. Because I activated on that thought because faith without work is dead, right? But because I acted and executed on that thought, it made me a million dollars. That's crazy. So why on earth would I inflate my own ego enough to believe that? Oh, yeah, I did that. I came up with that thought on my own because of me. Because of me. I came up with a thought that made me a million dollars. It's like, dude, are you crazy? You don't even deal in those kind of numbers. Only God can deal in those kind of numbers and bigger. And so that tells me that, okay, that thought was a download from my creator. So even though that thought, it seems like it was mine, it was in my head, it was in my voice. I have to have the ability to humble myself and go, no, that was God giving me that gift. And so I don't even view my own money as my own money anymore. It's like, no, that's not my money in the bank. That's God's money. That's his provision for me. And I just borrow it whenever I need it. It's a resource. And not really money, it's a tool. It's a resource that I can use to be a vessel for him and I can go out and do his will. But in order for me to do that, I gotta align myself with his frequency, which is where that prayer and that meditation comes into play. And that's where I get that confidence. Because I know that, hey, if I'm doing this or I'm making a decision to do this or to say this, it's not really coming from me. I, it's, it's coming from my Creator. Because I've completely opened myself up to his will being done in my life, which means that I have to trust my actions, I have to trust my feelings and my words, which ultimately means I trust him because I am in him, he is in me. We are connected. We are one, we are inseparable. And so I think that everyone and I put out a piece of content online over the last 24 hours about what I'm about to say. Because I think men in particular, especially these days, like we've been hammered so hard, masculinity has been crippled so hard over the last four to six years in the United States of America that men in particular have to rediscover their self worth. And I think that the fastest way to you discovering or rediscovering your self worth as an individual so that you do have that confidence behind everything that you do, every place that you go, everything that you say, is by having that relationship with your Creator and therefore knowing whose you are, if you are fully fluent and in belief of whose you are, that you belong to our Creator in Heaven, you are his and he is Yours and you are one, then why on earth would you ever doubt yourself? Because that means that you're doubting your creator. So if I can't believe in me, then that's saying that I don't really believe in my creator in heaven and that I'm redeemed and that I belong to him and that I can move mountains with just my thoughts. And so that's where my confidence comes from. Lucas, is everything that I've said, but especially that last three years of being in the fire and understanding that I was in the fire and that the fire was burning on me, but yet. Yet. And still I was fully faithful and expectant that things will work out for my highest good, and then watching them do exactly that work out for my highest good. I mean, gosh, like, what kind of man would I be if I didn't have that kind of confidence? Now, you see, I went from feeling like I had it all and having all this money and I'm running this big tech company and blah, blah, blah, blah, to all of a sudden. And I thought that that was everything, right? And God was like, no, no, no, no, you're not right. Give me this, and it goes away. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. I feel like I just lost everything. And God's like, no, you didn't. You didn't lose anything. So here are your dreams. Here's this one little tech company that you think you're running. You think you're going to be so successful, and I'm going to take this away from you, and you're going to cry because you think that I'm hurting you. But what you don't realize is I took this away from you so that my will for you could come in and completely shadow what you thought was good for you, right? And so me being in that fire, you know, and allowing it to. To burn on me without losing my faith and then coming out the other side to go, wow, like, why? Like, is there really a better story than the story of Job? You know what I mean? Because I feel like I just went through that, you know? And so it taught me that, like. Yeah, just. Just be still, Ty. Just be still. I don't. Like, I don't care how bad it hurts. I don't care how scary that appears to be. I don't care how dire the situation appears to be. In fact, the more dire the situation appears to be, the more likely it is that you need to sit down and be still and know that he's God and he's going to do his thing. And I think that the faster you can wrap your mind around that and your heart and fully believe in that and do that. Just sit and be still and know that God is going to work it out. The faster you will get through those things and the bigger, better, faster and stronger you become as an individual. Case in point, like he, that business went away and I thought that I was losing the world and on and on and on. And you fast forward three years from now and it's just like, yeah, I was. I was running that business, but I was super stressed out. I didn't even realize how it was possible for people to run multiple businesses because that one business was just stressing me out more than I've ever been stressed out. You fast forward three years. I went through all this stuff and I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm one of those dudes now. I run six different businesses. I'm really happy with where I am in life now. I've learned a lot. I've got a lot of confidence. I know that I can go through the fire, literally and figuratively, and I am going to be okay. But that confidence came from me purposely reclusing and just hiding away in the presence of our creator.
- [38:07]
C
All right, so you got your confidence back. You're figuring out how to bring people back into your life and who to bring back into your life on what level, because the proximity that you have to God, you're getting wisdom and discernment directly from him. Let's talk about the. The comeback. Or maybe we don't call it a comeback because you were never gone. If I can quote a wise man from the 80s, you've got. You've got Vigilant risk assessment. You got Hero consulting, the Hero Chronicles podcast. You're working with a tactical watch group, which I want to talk to you a little bit more about that that you ment Beauty and Precision Firearms. You get this new loan operator experience that you're doing. How. How do you go from the person that you just described that is getting their confidence back to now this guy? Walk us through that piece of. Of the story. How does the. How's the black Phoenix rise through the ashes, man? Like, walk us through this?
- [39:11]
B
It is true surrender, bro. It is true surrender. I don't resist in life anymore. I don't fight. I simply flow. And so currently, so Vigilance Risk Solutions was my first company. I've since exited that company. And then I started CommSafe AI and that was the company that ended up. I sunset it in the middle of last year. That was the company that just didn't work out the way that I thought it would. Right. And so now, currently, I'm running Hero Consulting, right, Which is a baby twin brother of what JP and Jocko and the team are doing at Echelon. Front. I'm running the watch company with Mike, the one that you were just talking about. We also launched the Hero Chronicles podcast over the last month. Really excited about that. Getting ready to record episode two, Beauty and Precision Firearms out of Mesa, Arizona. And then also the two stealth tech companies, the one in San Diego and the one in New Mexico. All of those opportunities came to me, except for Hero Consulting. Hero was. Was always going to be my segue out of CommSafe and into coaching, whether ComSafe was successful or not. It's like, hey, I've learned a tremendous amount. I gotta go give this stuff to people. But outside of that, all of these other opportunities came by way of me simply surrendering. I went, I'm not going to worry about anything anymore. Because if I worry, that's me saying, I don't believe God's will for me is always good. So I'm not going to worry. I'm not going to have anxiety. It's just like Jesus said during his sermon on the mountain of olives, that you won't add a single hour unto your life by being anxious. You know, about what you're going to wear, what you're going to eat. Like, no, you can't add to your life by being anxious. So I just learned to let all of that go and surrender and realize no matter what's going on, that everything will be okay. It's like Jocko says, good. This just fell apart. Good. That's going wrong. Good. Like, for me, it's like, this is an opportunity for me to share, showcase to my father how much faith I have in him. I'm going to go dancing. You know what I mean? Like, I don't. I don't care if that's falling apart. I'm going to go to the range and do some shooting. I'm going to have fun and enjoy my day. And so I learned to surrender. I'm like, oh, hey, I'm. I'm trying to go this way, but I feel like I'm getting some resistance. It's like, okay, well, all right, I'm not going to find out. I'll go this way. And the next thing I know, I look up and just like, hey, glad you came over here. We wanted to talk to you. We think you'd be perfect for this opportunity that we have. And next thing you know, like, like, all right, I'm running a weapons manufacturing company now. And like, okay, I've just taken the CEO role at this new tech startup. I didn't go look for any of these opportunities. And here's the thing, man. When I was shutting down CommSafe, I was a little bit guilty of beating myself up a little bit when it came to entrepreneurship, in that I was like, okay, well, maybe I should just go get a job. Like, maybe I'm not supposed to be an entrepreneur. Like, I did well with one, but I struck out with the other. And it pretty much erased everything that I gained from doing well with that first one. Like, maybe I should just go get a job. And, dude, I must apply for 300 plus jobs. And like, I. Like, I. I've got four college degrees, dude, including two PhDs. I of.
- [42:50]
A
Of.
- [42:50]
B
Of 300 something job applications I filled out. I think I got two callbacks. Two. I think I got two callbackS, right? And so it wasn't until towards the end of that process where I was just like, okay, well, like, maybe I'm not supposed to get a job. Like, all right, fine. Like, I'm just gonna. All right, let me. Let me just be still. And then all of a sudden, my phone started ringing because it was. It was. It's just like, God was like, all right, like, all right, you're gonna do that. I'm gonna let you do it because you got free will. But I'm. I'm telling you, just be still, man. It's gonna be okay.
- [43:24]
A
Right?
- [43:24]
B
And the moment I decided, okay, well, like, no, no, no, I'm not giving up because I know that's not what God wants. But let me just be still, my phone started ringing and all these opportunities started flowing in, and it gave me the ability to go, no, I'm gonna pick and choose which one or which ones of these are mine. So it sounds counterintuitive, Lucas, but I had to stop searching for results and outcomes, and I had to start seeking alignment. I put out content online about that a few days ago. People think that, oh, in order to become really financially successful and have financial freedom, I gotta work super, super hard. I gotta work harder than everybody else in the industry. I gotta be the hardest worker on the planet. I don't think that's true anymore. I used to believe that. I don't think that's true anymore. I think that instead of seeking to work harder than the next person, comparing yourself to the next person, when there is no comparison between you and the next person, because y' all are one anyway, right? We're all one because we're all created by the same creator. I think that instead of doing that, you have to come over here into this. This world of your own and go, oh, wait a minute. I just gotta find what's for me, not what I think is for me, because I think that that next person has it or that's what they're doing and that's what they think is cool, or. Because that's what that. And they think that. And I think that that's fruitful for them. So it's going to be fruitful for me. Like, no, you just have to seek alignment. You see, all of us are energy. We are frequency. God knew exactly what he was doing when he made us. Everything on this planet is made up of energy and frequency. And so my belief is that. That there's more that happens in the unseen than what we can see and experience in the scene in this physical world. So you should be spending more time focusing on connecting with the energy, the frequency, the spirit in the unseen than you spend believing in what you can see and hear. And I think that for anybody that doubts that, just take a step back for a few minutes and think about how many lies we are told on a daily basis by mainstream media. Right. It's to the point where I don't believe nothing I see and hear anymore. I am focused on discerning what's happening in the unseen around me at all times. And again, that's where prayer and meditation comes into play. That's where my confidence comes from, because it makes me feel like I'm not making decisions based on what's happening in this physical world. I'm making decisions based on the downloads that I'm getting from the spiritual world.
- [46:18]
C
I dig it, man. And I've. I've got more stuff. I've got more questions, but this is the JP Dennell podcast, so I figure I should let him have a. Have an opportunity to speak before I just hijack this thing.
- [46:32]
A
No, I. I love this tie. These are. You know, there's a lot of really great, like. Like, tangible takeaways that our listeners can reflect upon and apply. And I mean, and which is cool, is like, you know, there's nothing new under the sun. There's nothing new under the sun. And I know people
- [46:54]
B
who have.
- [46:55]
A
Who, like, aren't Christians, but they read the book of Proverbs for the wisdom. And because there's so much wisdom in the book of Proverbs, that you can apply. And so even though we, we, I mean, I know we have listeners that aren't Christians that don't, you know, they don't believe, they don't follow those things, but they listen to the podcast because of what I did and who I work with and, you know, all that stuff. There's a lot of takeaways from what you said that could be applied to all aspects of life, you know, and I couldn't help but, like, just start hearing some of the connections of what you're talking about at the very beginning and just how all these things are connected in life. And I know we're gonna, we're gonna make a. A sharp turn on, on where we're going, but, man, like, how many of, like, how many connections do you see back to, like, your mindset for when you were training Jiu Jitsu and competing in Jiu Jitsu? You know, some of the, some of the things that you just were born with and that you learned through time and SEAL teams and combat and now business, you know, I, like you said, I don't fight. I flow. Some of the best Jiu Jitsu practitioners in the world, they flow. They're not fighting to make something happen. They. They do something so that you do something to allow them to have the advantage and get that sweep, you know, Farmiga that I train under, Hafile Barbosa. Farmiga, you know, for me, his nickname. But, you know, he's one of the best in the world. 14 time Pan American champ, 13 time world champion, European national champions, Brazilian national champion, you know, over 400 gold medals from competition, just as a black belt is known for his butterfly sweep. And he, I mean, he has the best, some of the best Jiu Jitsu out there, and people know it, and they still can't stop it because they're the ones that are trying to fight against what he's doing. And every single thing they do plays into his game. And so what I was hearing, a lot of the things that you're saying is, like, also applies to Jiu Jitsu and business and all these things. So dive into some of your mindsets for, like, when you're training Jiu Jitsu and when you're competing and winning championships, like, what's the frame of mind, you know, thought process that you put yourself into when you're training and competing? A young buck that you are.
- [49:29]
B
Yeah.
- [49:30]
C
And, and by the way, Dr. Smith, let us get away with a whole episode without referring to you properly. Just know that is. That's going on at least one of the thumbnails is going to have Dr. Smith on it this week.
- [49:45]
B
Yeah. So how do I answer this? Because I don't want to sound redundant, but I mean, really it is, man. Even. It's because when I was younger, my mindset around Jiu Jitsu was completely different than my mindset is now. Like when I was younger, I was completely just as ego driven as everyone else in the SEAL teams. Everybody else on the Jiu Jitsu mat. Right. But now that I am older, I have much more mental and emotional maturity and I believe that I am in alignment with God's will. For me, that affects the way that I roll too. And let me tell you a quick story about how I know that affects the way that I roll. So not this past December, but the December of 24. I ended up going down to Mexico with the Vets organization run by our brother and sister, Marcus and Amber Capone. And I committed to doing a week long psychedelic journey with four other veterans. And over that week, you know, we, we did an Indian sweat lodge, which was so spiritually incredible, I can't even describe it. Like, you just gotta go do it. It's something you just gotta do. Especially as a warrior. It's something that you gotta go through. We also went on a long journey with Ibogaine and then we did a journey with 5 Meo DMT at the end of that week. Long story short, the feelings and the beliefs that I had developed over a year prior to me going on that journey, which is what I meant by God knew what I was getting ready to go through. And he started preparing me ahead of time, about six to 12 months ahead of time. It solidified everything that I felt like I knew going into it. And so what I think I was supposed to get out of that experience was the. Was confidence in my confidence. Because going into that experience, I felt like, hey, I'm already there. Something's telling me I'm already there. I keep hearing this voice telling me, stop worrying, you're already there. It's gonna be okay. I know that what you're going through feels brutal, man. Like, and my heart is breaking for you because you're my son and I have to put you through this pain, but I love you. And I'm telling you, just be still. You're already there. And so I felt like that going into that week. And so my experience over that week in the medicine and coming out the other end of was like my confidence got confidence. Like, oh, I guess I'm right. I guess I am already there. Like, this feels totally different. It's a completely different way to live. Like, going into this, I was confident, but, like, it's like somebody just brought in a movie and showed me why I should be confident. And my confidence, everything I was thinking and feeling leading up to this, like, it was true. Like, oh, my goodness, this. This is crazy. It was mind blowing for me. And so as we were leaving that experience and we loaded up in the vehicles and they were getting ready to drive us from Playa TJ back up to the border in San Diego to drive us back over to California. Throughout that whole week, like, they take your electronics from you. You don't have your phone, you don't have an iPad, access to a computer because they don't want you communicating with the world. They're trying to get you to come down from all this craziness out here, right? And so they gave us our phones and stuff back. And so when we got in the vehicle and we're driving up, I was just like, oh, I guess I'll turn my phone on and just take a peek at what's happening in my work email. And so as I fire my phone up, all of the. The emails and stuff start coming through. And immediately my anxiety tries to go through the roof. I'm like, oh, no, turn it. Turn it off. Turn it back off. I don't want to see this as I go to turn it off. The last message that comes up on the screen, it was a text message from a prospective investor who I thought had ghosted me months before and the business really needed the cash infusion. And out of nowhere, he was like, hey, man, really sorry. I had some stuff going on. I had to go focus and deal with this. But I wasn't ghosting you. I'm ready now. I'm wiring funds. I've signed the paperwork. I hope you're doing well. I'll talk to you soon. And I was just like, wow, okay, yeah, turn my phone off. And I just kind of stared out the window and smiled all the way back to California, knowing that that was God communicating directly with me. I couldn't have done that. I couldn't have timed that investment, especially given that we really needed it. I couldn't have timed when I was going to be made aware that that investment was coming in. Like, I knew in my heart that that was God saying, I told you, I got you. Relax. Be still. Know that I'm going to do my thing in your life if you just let me. And so Coming out of that particular situation, it gave me the ability to. And that's a long way around for me telling you that. That gave me the ability to look at. How do I say this? It gave me the ability to look at what was behind me and what I saw was going to be in front of me and really just kind of settle into it and go, wait a minute. If I just stop resisting and I just flow and I just be still and know, like, no matter what's going on around me, if I really believe that God's will for me is good and for me to have hope in my heart and for me to be prosperous, all I gotta do is be still, man. All I gotta do is stop fighting. And that translated directly into my first role as I was coming back from Mexico. So I came back into California. The next day I went back down to Scottsdale, Arizona. That night I walked into Purebred for my first roll coming out of that experience. And I had rolled for a couple of weeks. I'd been rolled for like a week going into it. And jp, when I tell you that I felt different walking into the gym, bro, it's almost hard for me to explain. It was like my heart was smiling because typically what I feel, getting ready to walk on the mat, even just for training, not, not just for competition, but just for training, I would feel like this, this, like this certain level of heaviness, this, this, this levity in the air, this seriousness that like, hey, like Jacko's gonna try to choke me unconscious. Like, no, no, no, you don't understand. I know that's my friend, but that's what we do. Like we're here to learn how to choke one another, to sleep or render somebody's limb. You. So this is a very serious thing that about to do. And it would be my subconscious acknowledging that with a little bit of these jitters and nervousness. Even though I've been doing this for like two decades, like, even though I, like I'm a multiple degree black belt and I'm stepping on the mat, but I still feel like those, those nerves. Well, that day, just walking into the gym, like, I just, I felt none of that. I only felt light and peaceful and like I said, like my heart was smiling and I was just getting in my gi and I was just so happy to there and I just walked out on the mat. And the very first live role that I did was lighter and more effective and more lethal than I believe I had ever been. Even when I won the sbjjf Worlds. Gianoki, as a brown belt, I don't think I was as lethal in my heart and in my mind at that moment as I was in my first role coming out of that experience where I got even closer to our creator. And I gain confidence that, no, you are downloading discernment from God, Ty. So just relax. Flow. Stop resisting. Just be still. And that never went away, bro. It never went away.
- [58:45]
A
So that moment of connection and confidence in your connection with God and the discernment that you had and understanding, like, oh, no, like, the discernment that I have is right, gave you more confidence. And then when you experience this, you know, connection and confidence, that confidence then transferred over to peace in all aspects of your life, because you're okay.
- [59:10]
B
All aspects.
- [59:11]
A
I'm not just confident here. I'm actually confident in all of these things that I have going on in life. And it was probably also, like, a subconscious realization of, like, this is a fun sport. Hurt. You've been doing this for two decades. You're good. Go have fun, you know? Yeah, yeah. What to do. That's cool. Yeah. Because, you know, when you're saying, like, how you felt going, I mean, I, I, I still feel all the time. And I should say the majority of the time, not all the time. There are times I go out and I train, and I feel like you just experienced them. You know, I was just yesterday in, you know, Indianapolis, did an event. I was driving up here to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I'm at, and I stopped in Warsaw to visit my buddy Aaron Price. He's been on the podcast before. He's an Indiana state trooper. Incredible man of God. Just a really strong believer. And was he. He has a jiu Jitsu gym that he started that's in an affiliate under Formiga. And so his jiu jitsu gym is called Five Stones. Jiu Jitsu, as in the five Stones?
- [60:15]
B
That's right.
- [60:16]
A
And he's. He's a. He's a. He got promoted to brown belt under Formiga, and before I got to train, you know, you know, hanging out at his house. And bro, you, Ty, I was thinking about you last night, and I was like, dude, Ty would have loved to have been here, and so would Lucas and a lot of our listeners. But I was just, like, really thinking about you, because right now he's frustrated because it's based out of his garage at his house. But here's what's cool. A hundred yards, if that. Maybe he just built a facility on his property. So he has 12 acres in Indiana. Beautiful, beautiful house, you know, and, you know, he's built this gym because he wants it to be a tool to build the kingdom. And so he's, you know, he's going to be doing jiu jitsu and then some other stuff that he does as well, running his businesses out of there. But the sense of peace that I had at his house in the garage, as we're just talking, and he showed me the building and, you know, got to walk through the building as, you know, it's all framed up and it's still dirt floors and, you know, got all the plywood in there and the beams, and he's giving me the layout. And I was just so excited for him. I mean, it's gonna be a massive thing. But then afterwards, we were talking and we were just working through stuff, and, you know, his brother was there and came to say hi.
- [61:35]
B
And
- [61:38]
A
it was cool because you were talking about, like, you could just kind of feel like God preparing your heart. And, you know, I just felt it. I was sitting there in the garage, just looking at the mats, and it's Aaron, his brother John. And I just sit and talk, and I could feel, like, this stirring inside of me. And I was like, all right, what's about to happen? What's about to happen? What's about to happen? And his brother goes, how are you? You good? And I was just like, no, no, I'm not. And I just had this opportunity to open up and unload to the two of them about some stuff that I'd just been holding onto and trying to work through and trying to deal and. And just, you know, just. It wasn't that I didn't want to share with people. I just didn't know how yet. And things hadn't even developed enough for me to have enough information to actually really process. And it was a cool moment to be able to do that with those guys. And then, you know, of course, you know, in true Aaron and John fashion, we get done talking through stuff, and, you know, I'm angry, and I'm, you know, I'm not angry at God, but I'm just. I'm angry, man. Like, I'm really. And it's righteous anger that I have right now, and, you know, I'm just sharing these things with them. And, you know, true fashion for Aaron and John. They're like, can we pray for you? I'm like, absolutely. You know, and so then they come and, you know, get closer to me, lay their hands on me, and, you know, they're praying through stuff. And just that ability to, like, work through it was. Was awesome. And then, you know, again, you know, another buddy, Jim, shows up. And then shortly after that, and then. And we, you know, go check out the building. We're walking around the property, they're telling me all this stuff, and we go back inside the house, and then people start showing up for Jiu Jitsu. And I'm like, this is the coolest thing ever, man. We're in the garage, they got mats lined up. Aaron's like, I hate that we're in here. Blah, blah. I'm like, bro, where did the Gracie start in a garage in la, you know what I mean? Like, you know, the basement in New York that Henzo started it. You know what I mean? Like, I was like, you got this beautiful building next door that's going to literally change people's lives. This is the coolest thing ever. It was grassroots, just awesome Jiu Jitsu. And bro, in this little garage, they had 14 people show up for class. 14 people. And, you know, in, you know, it's so our buddy Brandon, who's a black belt, and then Aaron, who's a brown belt, and Aaron's teaching the class. And, you know, it was awesome. It was awesome. Jiu Jitsu. And his ability to instruct was unreal. I would say Aaron's Jiu Jitsu instruction. And, you know, I haven't gotten to train as much as you have. I haven't gotten to travel and train with different gyms as much as you have, but I've gotten a decent amount, right. I've gotten some good exposure to different instructors. I would put Aaron's instruction in the top five that I've ever seen or experienced because his ability to teach and communicate is unmatched. And that's a huge trait, which I know you have as well as an instructor and as a black belt and as a leader. But the why I'm sharing the story is that night, you know, I'm still recovering from my torn and detached bicep. Trying to be smart when I trained. I freaking had a little partial separation of my AC joint of my shoulder last week.
- [64:58]
B
And.
- [65:00]
A
But just this sense of peace that I had because of that opportunity to unload and work through some stuff and surrender. Surrender things to God. My Jiu Jitsu was. It wasn't like world class because I'm not a. I don't train enough to be world class. But for me, comparing my Jiu jitsu, it was. It was just. It felt so great. Like, I just was Just, like, I was happy, I was smiling, and I. You know, I didn't have any, like, anxiety. Like, bro, I hide it well. But when I go to Jiu jitsu, I have a lot of, like, anxiety on the inside because I have of this high expectation that I put upon myself and that I also feel like everybody has on me because of my background, and they just think I should be this just killer on the math. I'm like, no, I'm a gunfighter. You know what I mean? Like, I'm pretty dang good with a gun. However, you know, Jiu Jitsu, it's. You know, I'm not. I'm not that great at it. And last night, I felt a shift. I felt a shift in my Jiu jitsu because of that moment of surrender and feeling that burden getting taken away. I was like, oh. And I remember I called. You know, we were going to dinner afterwards, and I called Amanda, and I was just like, just Chatty Cathy with her. And she's like, I'm glad, you know? And then, you know, we go to dinner. Then after dinner, you know, I called her again, and it was. It was crazy to see that shift. And that shift came from a release of this burden that I was carrying because I surrendered something to God which gave me confidence through that peace. And you gained peace through the confidence and the understanding. Like, no, that confidence comes from me, meaning God gave you that confidence and then transferring it over to the other aspects of your life. And then today, you know, I was a little late for us recording, and I called Lucas, and I think that's why Lucas is smiling, because I was, like, just so full of joy because I had this incredible, incredible business meeting today. Like, that's all I can say. It's just incredible. And just seeing that shift and that transfer over, it's. It's pretty crazy, man. It's awesome. So I appreciate you sharing that with our listeners, man. And I know Lucas has a lot.
- [67:16]
C
Well, this. This is the. So I did a jujitsu competition, the only one that I've ever done and maybe that I will ever do. You'll be so proud of me. I finished top 10 in the world, Ty, because I was. I was six out of. And no one else had competed at white belt at my weight group and the thing. But I. So I did. I was. I was top 10 in the world. So my jiu jitsu that day, that was world class, believe it or not. But when. When JP Was getting ready, you know, he's. He's kind of Coached me up a little bit. When I was getting ready to walk on the mat, he was visibly nervous, and I was super loose. But, like, what you guys are talking about, about the. The difference in the approach, that's kind of for. For JP's, that's sort of like where, like, I made a joke about something about how ridiculous. Oh, I handed JP my glasses. I was about to walk on the mat in competition with my glasses on, and I turned around, I was like, I don't think I'm gonna need these whenever I go out there. And JP and I think our miga were also like, what. What is this? But there is. When. When you're truly, you know, walking with the Lord and you're looking at him as your source of strength and confidence and endurance and all of those things that even when you go into something that, for me was, like, a massive unknown, and the guys that I was competing against, I lost to because they're way better at jiu jitsu than I am. There's just no two ways about. I honestly did not belong on the mat with those guys. But that, at the end of the day, like, it didn't change anything about. About me. There's some things about it that I would change, right? Some ways that I can improve and all those kinds of things. But, like, having that confidence in. In the Lord, and it just makes everything else all the way across the board, whether it's performance or whether it's just, you know, the peace that you have. One of my favorite stories about this is Martin Luther. So Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation, huge character in not just church history, but history just in general, that there was this guy who was talking about him, and he goes, you know what? He spends two to three hours in prayer a day, in the hours that are best spent working or that are most useful for working. So, like, the middle of the day, everybody else is doing stuff, but Martin Luther's praying. And he said, you know, he took a lot of criticism for it. He goes, but at the end of the week, he had accomplished more than any of the rest of the men in our parish. And the reason was, is because he was going to the source constantly. And so when the time came for him to actually do the work, he was just able to have peace and to do it. He wasn't dealing with all the frustrations and with everything else. He was just like, nah, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna get it done. And he was able to do more because the time he spent, you know, With. With God was. It's awesome, huh?
- [70:05]
B
It's funny. I've heard that story before. I've heard that tactic being taken somewhere else before. Oh, yeah, that's right. Jesus would do the same thing. Literally the same thing thing. When the disciples were freaking out and they felt like they needed him to be there the most were the moments where he's going to be like, no, I'm going to go up to this mountain. I'll see you guys in a couple of days. And they'll be like, wait, what? Like, no, we need your. Be like, no, I'm going right to source. I'm going to go get the answer again. I just need to be still, and the answers are going to come to me. And yeah, man, I think that I found a way to allow myself, to allow that peace, to infiltrate every different aspect of my life from my personal life, my professional life, my jiu jitsu life, my physical training, my health. I just sort of stop resisting everything, and I just surrendered it all to God's will for me. And so it allows me to even look at a situation that on paper appears to be bad or like, man, this is going to suck. And I immediately look at it and go, like, no, there's something positive about that, because God's will for me is always good. So that initial visceral reaction I have to this situation, that's the human tie. That's the physical body, you know, resisting immediately. That's the physical body and the mind resisting and going, nah, I don't like that. But I learned to immediately go, okay, nope, I got it now. Let me stop doing. Let me stop resisting and just be still. Like, no, no, no, I'm not being an idiot about it. I'm mindful about it. I know that's happening. I acknowledge that it sucks. I don't like it. But now that I've gotten that acknowledgment, that realism out of the way, instead of me choosing to spend time focusing on that stress or the bad part of it, I'm purposely gonna come over here and spend time in the presence of God, which is all love, all good. So I'm gonna come over here and spend time in my faith that even that bad thing is going to result in my higher good. And for me, it's like, yeah, it's like I realized the easy but button. No, just give it all to God, man. In fact, the more it hurts, the more you think it sucks, the faster you better just give it to God. Stop stressing yourself out over it. He'll take care of it. Now, that comes with a caveat. Know that he's going to take care of it according to his will, his timing, and his will for you. So it working out, you. It may not even look or feel or sound like. Like it's working out for your highest good, but if you just be still, eventually you're going to look back and realize that it did in fact work out for your highest good. You just gotta stop resisting.
- [73:09]
A
I like it. How many? As we transfer, as we shift along, and I know Lucas has some more questions and then it's crazy how long we've already been doing. So I have this question and then I know Lucas has something and then we'll wrap it up and I think we're gonna have to do a trilogy with, with Mr. Go man, all these things that you've talked about, I cannot, I cannot not have you shift over to being a father and how you've used these things as a father, the lessons that you've learned as a father and what your intentions are moving forward as a father are going to be. And what are some things that our listeners can also be mindful of.
- [74:01]
B
Yeah, I'm really glad that you asked that because again, it just gives me an opportunity to highlight God's grace and not how cool I am, but how good he is. I think that as a father, bro, I think I've made every mistake in the history of mistakes when it comes to fatherhood, right?
- [74:21]
A
Yep.
- [74:21]
B
Yep.
- [74:22]
A
Preach.
- [74:23]
B
Yeah. I've always tried my best and done as good as I can. And I'm not going to beat myself up. I think I'm a good father. I do. I think I'm a great father, but I've made just as many mistakes as the next person. And I think that where I made the most mistakes is with my boy, my firstborn, my son Ty, you know, the third, he's. He's 27 now, and my daughter, tylist is 25. And now baby Josephine is 6. But with ty, my firstborn, I think I made the most mistake takes with him. Surprise, surprise, right? I was like, I was writing the user's manual as I was trying to figure it out, you know, And I think that with that being said, and like I said, I won't even go down that rabbit hole. Just know that I'm serious when I say, like, guys, I have made every mistake in the book when it comes to fatherhood to the point where if I allow myself to sit and think about all the mistakes I made, I will be. I will become nearly overcome with grief.
- [75:31]
A
Yeah, you can't do that.
- [75:32]
B
Seriously. And you can't. You can't do that, because I. I did that for years, jp. I did it for years. And this is where God's grace comes into play. Because the. I think the biggest gift that I got from God was the realization of his grace. I mean, the. The real realization of his grace. And it goes back to what I was saying earlier in that, you know, one of the coolest sayings I've ever heard. And I heard this recently, it was over the last couple of months, and I think I was listening to someone much smarter than me on a podcast. And. And he said something along the lines of, you know, the cool thing about God's grace is that when he was writing my story thousands of years before I even got to this planet, he had already taken into account all of my stupidity, Right? So when he was writing my story, he already knew all the mistakes I was going to make, and he wrote his forgiveness into my story anyway. Anyway. And so me really coming to that understanding, it allowed me to show the person who needed it the most all the grace in the world, and that was me. I needed to give myself grace because for years, I had just been whipping the ever loving out of myself over mistakes that I made as a young father when I was just a kid myself, just trying to figure it out and being able to level with myself and take it easy on myself and go, dude, I forgive you. It's allowed me to have an even better relationship with my children because I'm not so insecure about it anymore. It's allowed me to have an even tighter relationship with my son because I'm not so insecure about it anymore. And I'm not so egotistical about it anymore. And I can sit down with my son and look at him in his face and go, man, I really messed up. Messed that up. I'm really sorry I did that to you. I'm sorry that I put you through that. That was wrong. I was wrong. I learned from that. And I hope that you learn from me telling you that I messed that up so that you never do that to Kaylin, my beautiful grandson that you've given me, right? Like I'm telling you right now, I messed that part up. That was wrong. I'm sorry. I love you. Now you don't make that mistake with my handsome grandson that you've given me now. So me rediscovering God's grace for me, it allowed me to give myself grace, man, which I think has made me an even better father. Because, again, like, if. If I'm not forgiving myself, that's me saying that I don't believe God.
- [78:35]
A
Yeah.
- [78:36]
B
Because again, we're connected. I'm in him, he's in me. We're one, and he's already redeemed me. So if I'm still beating myself up saying that I don't forgive myself, that's me saying, well, I don't trust and believe that I'm really redeemed.
- [78:49]
A
Yeah, you don't believe that you should forgive. If you can't forgive yourself, then you're actually pushing back on God saying that we need to forgive those. That's not just to forgive other people. It's to be able to forgive yourself. And when you're able to forgive others, others, that's for your growth and development. And when you can forgive yourself, that's for your growth and development. And because, you know, one thing that always, like, lives in my mind is, you know, you'll be forgiven, at which you forgive others. And I'm always like, ooh, man. Like, that's a. That's a powerful thought. And, you know, you know, a lot of people, and I. Obviously, I'm not some forgiveness expert. It's just I've been, you know, it's been on my heart a lot. I've had a lot of conversations about this, and, you know, like, you can forgive people, but you can still set boundaries, you know? And so there's been times in my life I've had to. I've forgiven people, but then I had to set a boundary there to. To make it to where this was not a reoccurring thing.
- [79:51]
B
Right.
- [79:52]
A
And one of the things I recognized is, one of the things I was struggling with forgiveness is it was easy for me to forgive other people, but it was like, I instantly. I just expected, well, because I forgave them or because I apologized, hey, everything should be fine again. No, it takes time to repair the wounds and repair the relationship and fix things if things will be fixed. And, you know, like. So I'll give it, like, a practical example in which I think all of us could probably relate to this as we've been married or we are married is, you know, you get in an argument with your significant other and you recognize, like, okay, you know, yeah, you know, they're right, I'm wrong. And you're like, hey, I'm really sorry. And because you recognize and you're able to take ownership over your mistakes, and you apologize and you're genuine with it. The. The. The little. The little trip or trap that we have to be aware of is like, we're good. Our heart has changed because it's of, hey, apology and ownership. That other person's not going to be. They're not going to have an instant transformation. Because I know there's times in the past when I hurt my wife and I apologized. It took time to rebuild that. That trust and that. And there's been times where I'm like, hey, I'm really sorry I screwed this up. She's like, cool, not a big deal, and we're good, and we move on. There's been other times in the past where it wasn't an instant switch because it was like, no. Well, I need to also prove to. What I'm saying is to be true, and my actions need to follow my words. And, you know, and so, you know, that. That's a hard one. You have to be aware of, you know. And, you know, ashore, we talk about how detachment is a superpower, you know, And I've been saying, like, detachment's a second superpower. I'm sorry. Forgiveness is a second superpower. But forgiveness doesn't come without detachment. I can't forgive somebody if I don't detach from my emotions. I can't forgive somebody. Somebody if I don't find my faults and I don't take ownership because there's been times in my life where something crazy happened and whatever, and I was pissed off, but then I was like, wait, you know what? Hold on. I. I actually see my connection to what happened. And when I was able to detach from my emotions and take ownership over what I caused and. Or played into the situation, man, it made it so much easier to forgive that person. It made it so much easier to truly forgive them. Not just say, yep, I forgive them, but to like, actually be like, hey, you know what? No, take this away from me, Lord, I forgive them.
- [82:33]
B
It's done.
- [82:34]
A
You know, and it's. Man, it's a powerful thing. You know, one of the things I said at a muster was a few musters I've talked about. Your, Your. Your ability to forgive is a reflection of your maturity as a leader. So just take away leader and insert human or believer or whatever you want as father, husband, son, daughter, whatever. Right? It's your. It's a reflection of your actual maturity is at which. How do you truly, you know, forgive somebody? And. And with that becomes. There comes a lot of work, work of like, rebuilding relationships and like you, like you did with your son. And thank you for sharing that of just, hey, you know, you forgave yourself. But it wasn't, it wasn't an overnight fix. It took some work and, you know, and also, you can't get complacent and just think, well, okay, we're good to go. But no, this is something you have to maintain, so.
- [83:40]
B
Absolutely.
- [83:42]
A
Lucas, what other questions or question do you have for Ty, for Dr. Ty Smith?
- [83:47]
C
Well, I, I, I think for Dr. Smith, I'm going to stay thematic with, with where we ended things in that first episode. So does your son or your grandson get the WWE belt in the will? Like, who, who's gonna get to, who's gonna get to walk around with, with the championship belt?
- [84:07]
B
Belt? It's definitely going to go to Kaelin, my grandson. I think that dude's going to be a tank. I think he's going to be a hoss. I'm. What? I'm six foot. Even my son makes me look small. I think he's six, three. And I think that my grandson, I think his son is going to make him look small. He's going to be a big dude. So if it comes down to a wrestling match, like, he, my son's probably going to lose to his son once he comes of age. So I have to put my money on Kaylin's going to get the WWE belt.
- [84:43]
C
Well, congratulations, Kaitlin. And I can't wait to see the Instagram posts.
- [84:49]
A
I know, I know.
- [84:50]
B
My son.
- [84:50]
A
I share this with Lucas and somebody's from the gym. Our oldest son, Aiden. You know, he'll, he'll be 20 next month. He's in the fire academy right now. He wrestled in high school. He trains Jiu jitsu. That gap is closing Ty between him. It's coming quick because not only is he much younger than me, not as strong as me. I, I still got that for a
- [85:17]
B
while, but yeah, you got that muscle maturity on your side too.
- [85:21]
A
You know for sure. You know for sure. And like my dad had for years, and I was always like, I don't understand this. And it's just like, my dad is a strong, strong guy, but you're like,
- [85:31]
B
but I'm an avc. How is he still stronger than me? Yeah.
- [85:36]
A
Which is such a funny, ignorant thought to think anyways, like, now you have all these superpowers, but that was part of the confidence that we needed to go do what we did. But no, Aiden is so super technical in jiu jitsu. Like his jiu jitsu IQ is super high, so I have to be very smart when I run. Very smart. And the downtime from my bicep being torn and detached gave him a crazy advantage because he was training five days a week, bro. Sometimes seven times, you know, or nine times. Nine classes in a week. And was just like, boom, boom, boom. And he's got that wrestling gas tank, and he's getting strong, and then he's starting to go to fire academy. So now he started lifting finally. You know, we've been trying to get that boy to lift forever and now, but, you know, it had to be his idea, and now he wants to lift, and now he's lifting. I'm like, okay. Oh, good Lord, bro. Yep, dude, here he comes. He's 62190. And I'm just like, oh. But now. But now he's in the fire academy. His main focus is the academy, so he's not training as much. And I jokingly told Lucas and a bunch of my friends, I'm like, I'm using this time as my training cap to get some old gap in there. Oh, man. Hey, any. Before we close it out, any desire to compete again in jiu jitsu this year or in the future or just your main focus? Just business and, you know, raising your daughter out there in Florida?
- [87:11]
B
Yeah, I mean, it's a fun question. I have plenty of desire left in me to compete. I just don't think that priority will. Well, it's not even that. I think that it's. I've had so many injuries, you know what I mean? Like, I got two fake knees now, pretty much. Right. I had a partial replacement on my right knee. Knee. I've got four cadaver ligaments in my left knees. I've had five knee surgeries, bro.
- [87:37]
A
Yeah, no, cool. Not a priority.
- [87:39]
B
It's like. Yeah, you know what I mean? For me, the. The. The capstone was. Was when I won SBJJF Worlds Guillanoki as a brown belt, and I knew that that was my path towards Master Barrett finally granting me my black belt. And so I kind of felt like the boxes were checked with that I'd love it if I could. Could still compete. I just don't think it's smart for me to do so because I will likely get on the mat and my competition brain will come back, and I will want to roll. Like, I'm 19, and I've never been injured, and I'll just hurt myself again. But in the spirit of competition, what I am getting ready to do, which I think is Going to be a lot of fun. And I'm doing this as a part of. Of our Knicks go to Market strategy with beauty and precision firearms. I'm going to enter the competitive shooting circuit, my man. So I'm going to. I'm going to get into three Gun, baby. Yeah. Because I still want to compete, and I still got it, and I'm still a shooter and I can still shoot. I can run and gun like it ain't nobody's business. I'm still in great shape. I could go over to Mountain tonight if my country required me to. I'm ready to go. My gear's already packed each even.
- [88:52]
A
Yeah.
- [88:52]
B
So I'm gonna take that competitive spirit and I'm gonna get into two Gun and three Gun and start representing the beauty and precision brand, bro.
- [89:00]
A
Let's. Let's talk after this a little bit more sometime this week, because that's actually one of the things on my list for this year as well, is I. I'm gonna compete in Jiu Jitsu a few times. I didn't get the chance to last year. I was signed up, had a bunch of health issues and then injuries and. And so I still owe my guys. So it was a group of the guys. We did this little. Are you in? Are you out? And that's all you ask. And if they say, yep, I'm in, they're in. If they're out, they're out. It doesn't matter. But if you say you're in and you don't do it, then you can never play the game again. And we did it for Jiu Jitsu, and so I haven't activated that again with a group because I still haven't fulfilled my Jiu Jitsu component because I legitimately could not because of health issues and then surgeries. So I'm competing this year in Jiu Jitsu a few times, but also want to get into some. Actually, some act. Some actual shooting competitions as well. So we'll. We'll have to do some cross training for that, bro. That'll be freaking awesome.
- [90:01]
B
Yeah, for sure. That will be awesome. Let's do it. I'm looking forward to it.
- [90:05]
A
I got some awesome ranges we have access to here in Texas, and then down in Dripping Springs near life, we got an awesome range that we could go. That would be cool, man. You, Leif and I getting on the gun together again.
- [90:16]
B
Yeah, that would be awesome.
- [90:18]
A
We got to do that.
- [90:19]
B
That. So I got to come out and make that happen. I was talking to a couple of buddies in Houston One cop, one team guy just yesterday. And they're like, dude, you got to come out. I was like, you know, you guys are right. I got to come down there. Even if it's for us to have lunch and go shoot guns, I need to just come and hang out with you guys. I have to practice even more balance, right? And if spirit is telling me, hey, go hang out with your friends, I know you work hard, like, go, go have fun too, man. And it's okay to just go be with your friends. Like, I need to do that. So I'm totally down, dude. Let's make it happen.
- [90:52]
C
I'm going to invite myself to both of those.
- [90:54]
B
So, yeah, come shoot guns. It'll be awesome.
- [90:57]
A
I will. Heck, yeah. Yep.
- [91:00]
C
And, and when you guys are on the circuit, you know, say hi to, to Keanu Reeves. He still does the, the two and three guns. And, and you can, you can just put on your resume, beat Neo in shooting sports. So that'll be awesome.
- [91:14]
B
With the everlasting loving out of John Wick in shooting sports, I'd rather be John Wick than Neo.
- [91:19]
C
That's true. That's true. And it would be cool if you got to do both, right? Because the dude, he's, he's legit as a, as a judo practitioner. Well, all that said, if you want to ask Dr. Smith some questions or follow up on what he's doing with beauty and precision arms, I'm still way into this tactical watch thing. I gotta find out a little bit more about that. Then go check him out. He is at coach Ty Smith on Instagram. You can also check us out at at JPD podcast @jpdonell. It's two NS2LS and I'm at Lucas Pinkard. We are kicking back off our hump day health hack series with the folks over at first in Nutrition coming up in March. So make sure that you go follow first in Nutrition. And if you want four free weeks of nutrition coaching, go to firstinnutrition.com jppod Jonathan and Ann are some of the best in the game. And if you want to start compet in a firearms competition and you realize you know what you're at, your sprint speed is not what it was 25 years ago because your your belly done lopped over the front of your belt or if you're in a situation where you know what you need to make way for a competition, go talk to Jonathan and Ann. They can help you get in the game and get after it. They are part of the group that we get to hang out with on the Echelon Front. Extreme Ownership Academy if you are not signed up for the EF Academy, you need to go check it out. We have swapped those calls. They are now at 01:00 Central Time instead of on Mondays. But you also have access to a lot of their online training. How do you implement extreme Ownership in your company? What does it look like to create a culture of extreme ownership? Or how do you implement extreme ownership in your home? All of those things. There's courses for them at the ef, the Extreme Ownership Academy. Go check out echelonfront. Com and if you want JP or one of the instructors from Echelon Front to come work with your company, shoot an email to infochelonfront.com and they will get that hooked up. You can find links to all of that stuff plus little catt on the path printing the stuff that we've got going on there. Jesus in Jiu Jitsu. We're about to be in Hollywood, Florida with Wagner Hocha on March 7, and we've been told that there is a guy, his name is Almeida. He might have a nickname that some of y' all may know. Could be a UFC heavyweight contender that's going to be checking out that seminar as well because he wants to come learn from Wagner and hang out with the team. So make sure that you put that on on your calendar. JP talked about this place that they have near Dripping Springs that's this awesome range and a place where you could go train. It's called Bruiser Arms. They do custom gear packages. They put together stuff like what they would have taken into actual war zones as they were fighting for our freedom. And since technology's changed since then, right? And now that we've got a new friend who is beautiful and precise, maybe we can hook up with some of their gear too. So go check out at bruiser arms, get LinkedIn custom gear packages, custom training, and then, as always, huge shout outs to the companies that make this podcast possible. The folks over at Origin, Pete and Amanda Roberts, have just done an incredible job bringing manufacturing back to the United States with some of the baddest work clothes on the planet and the best jiu jitsu gear that you can get your hands on. Go check them out. And after you get off the mats, and before you get off the mats or on the mats, you're going to need all kinds of fuel. Go to jockofuel.com, use code JP Pod20. Save yourself 20% at checkout on everything that you want. If you're like us and you are a, a seasoned saint. You're getting a little bit more salt and pepper in the hair. Go take a hard look at the krill oil. Look at joint warfare. Go get you some of that collagen and colostrum to, to, you know, tighten up some of that loose skin because you've been smiling so much around those crow's feet but also help with your joints and all that stuff. It's the best is the clean supplements in the game. And remember, use JP Pod 20 at the end. Well, Ty, it's been a blast having you back on, man. You got any final thoughts for us before we close out for today?
- [95:14]
B
Yeah, thanks for asking. I would just ask the audience to be on the lookout for my upcoming autobiography, Don't Ring the Bell. As soon as I get publishing approval by the Pentagon, I will be going to publishing. I finished writing Don't Ring the Bell last August and so I've been waiting for approval since then. I'm sure the Pentagon will wrap it up soon. When it's done, I'm going to publishing. And then right on the heels of Don't Ring the Bell, I will be releasing my next book, a book on leadership specifically for men. It is called the Modern A Navy seal's Guide to Mastery, Meaning and Mission. Again, I think men have had a really hard time over the last four to six years and we could use some positive attention and light. And so that's what I'm trying to accomplish with my writing in these two upcoming books.
- [96:04]
C
Why don't you write a script for a podcast called Don't Bury the Lead. Talking about your books and the last 90 seconds of the podcast. Unbelievable.
- [96:16]
B
That's just the reason for me to come back. Make it a trilogy. And that's right. Yeah. Yeah.
- [96:22]
A
Well played.
- [96:23]
C
Well played.
- [96:24]
A
Yeah. Well, Ty, I appreciate you being here Again, thank you, as I said last time, for everything that you did for our nation, the SEAL teams. And you know, what you're doing as an incredible father and as just as a human and as a man of God, I appreciate it. And again, I'm going to go back to what you said. I don't fight. I fly. Flow. And then another thing that I really like you said I wrote down is find a way to allow peace to enter in all areas of our lives. So with that, I hope this episode has been a reminder to go do the work that is needed to put in the effort to build your legacy and to never settle. This has been the JP Donow podcast, episode 126.