I Never Left God… I Just Drifted | CEO MattyJ | Social Proof Podcast

Summary

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Social Proof Podcast — Episode Summary

Episode: I Never Left God… I Just Drifted | CEO Matty J
Date: August 4, 2026
Host: David Shands
Guest: CEO Maddie (Matty J)

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Episode Overview

This episode features renowned entrepreneur and global nomad Matty J, who returns from an extensive world tour to reflect on his evolving journey—personally, spiritually, and professionally. In a candid, insightful conversation, Matty J opens up about navigating transitions in his business, faith, and relationships, sharing how drifting from spiritual disciplines impacted his marriage and mental state. He also dishes on practical strategies for entrepreneurship, the power of global networking, viewing luxury as an asset, and the nuances of life at the top—and what it means to come “home” again.

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Core Discussion Points

1. Coming Home & Community Roots

• Matty J’s return from touring: Matty describes feeling "welcomed" by friends and associates after time abroad (01:26).
• Importance of peer events: Discusses the significance of events like Circle CEOs and Invest Fest as “family reunions” for entrepreneurs (02:21).

2. Entrepreneurial Evolution & Business Pivots

• From cars to passive digital income:
  • Early success teaching car rentals via Turo (04:02), pivoted to long-term rentals for time freedom (04:36).
  • “Luckily for me, I had other avenues and streams…teaching about how to turn your assets on wheels to making deals.” — Matty J (04:03)
• Digital streams: Playbooks, digital products, and a lucrative referral deal with Shopify dating to 2014 (05:19–06:44).
  • Matty gets 20% monthly from referring brands to Shopify, some earning up to $2,000 monthly in commissions.

3. Perception, Branding, and Business Reputation

• Brand association challenges:
  • Some clients uncomfortable with Matty’s public association due to fears it might undermine their own authority (07:08–08:03).
  • Valuable lesson: “Our competitors shouldn’t be looked at in that way. We should figure out ways to be unique.” — Matty J (09:33)
• Focus on substance over perception: It’s better to develop core business strengths (logistics, support) than focus on appearances (09:37).

4. Spiritual Journey, Marriage, and Personal Growth

• From party promoter to spiritual leader:

  • Baptized in 2015; early marriage years defined by intense Bible study, church service (12:26–13:14).

• Pandemic exposure and platforming:

  • “I was the guy behind the scenes…wasn’t fans, it was peers who respected me. You were the first to really platform me.” — Matty J on David’s influence (13:52)
  • The breakout moment with Clubhouse and Social Proof (16:19).

• Drifting from spiritual disciplines:

  • Admits business success and socializing after pandemic led to neglecting core spiritual practices (17:40–18:23).
  • “Wasn’t doing anything negative, just less of the things important spiritually…less Bible studies, less serving in church.” (18:24)

• Marriage lessons—On missing romance:

  • Realization, after a double-date with Tamar Braxton, that he’d never learned to do “typical” romance (dates, gifts), focusing instead on spiritual partnership (19:30–24:23).
  • “You have to give people you love the opportunity to show you love in a way that is traditional.” (25:39)

• Hyper-independence drawbacks:

  • Tends to refuse gifts/outings, prioritizing self-sufficiency but unintentionally robbing others of the chance to give—insightful anecdote about finally enjoying spas thanks to Neo (27:17–30:28).

• Humility and maturity:

  • Humility means listening deeply to loved ones, not simply apologizing after the fact (32:08).
  • “100% humility comes with maturity.” — Matty J (32:27)

5. The Nomadic Entrepreneur: Networking & Global Hustle

• Transition to solo life & international living:

  • Separation led to a period of adventure—“Minister of Enjoyment”—but also to being misperceived as “outside” living recklessly (34:01–36:06).
  • Narrates how traveling solo as a well-dressed man led to many encounters and opportunities, and how perception is everything.

• Making luxury assets work:

  • Clothes as assets: buys luxury clothing to develop relationships, then resells, rents, or barters them (47:42–52:08).
  • “When you start viewing your clothes as assets, the world is yours.” — Matty J (49:18)

• Maximizing value in global settings:

  • Strategic relationships yield hotel discounts, access, business deals (41:59–44:38).
  • Perception, appearance, and networking open doors (52:20–57:00).
  • Tactics for getting into events—patience, relationship, the power of social proof (55:23–56:18).

6. The Wish to Settle, Faith, and the Prodigal Son

• On longing for spiritual alignment/settling down:

  • “I don’t wish singleness on no man…” (58:09)
  • Desires a life that’s spiritually aligned, not necessarily “average,” but “what would Jesus do?” (59:19)
  • Grapples with the notion that—even if not misbehaving—the club/social scene isn’t spiritually right for him (60:28).

• Reflection on purpose, faith, and return home:

  • Compares himself to the prodigal son—never “left God,” just “drifted” (68:08–69:50).
  • “When somebody has a realization, that’s something to be celebrated…” (69:29)
  • Re-commits to a routine that puts spiritual alignment and God’s will at the center.
  • Plans to make Georgia his home base once loose ends are tied overseas (70:10–70:14).

7. Cultural and Relationship Insights from Africa

• Reflections on global travels:
  • Strategic moves from Dubai to Ghana/Nigeria reveals the contrast between “behind the scenes” corruption (US/UAE) and “in your face” corruption (West Africa) (72:57–76:26).
  • Africa’s communal culture: contrasts family-oriented African women with more independence-minded American women (80:53–82:27).
  • “In Africa, if you’re going to entertain a woman, you have to treat her—she’s your wife now.” (82:27)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On business pivots:
  “Most people don’t ever make pivots when it’s necessary…The cream of the crop always rises to the top.” — Matty J (03:47)

• On humility:
  “You have to give people you love the opportunity to show you love in a way that is traditional.” — Matty J (25:39)

• On spiritual drift:
  “Wasn’t doing anything negative, just less of the things important spiritually…” — Matty J (18:24)

• On re-entering faith:
  “I never, like, strayed so far away…it was just a little bit different. And my favorite parable is the prodigal son.” — Matty J (68:08)

• On branding and substance:
  “Our competitors shouldn’t be looked at in that way. We should figure out ways to be unique.” — Matty J (09:33)

• On living abroad:
  “When you start viewing your clothes as assets, the world is yours.” — Matty J (49:18)

• On relationships and independence:
  “The struggle about being hyper independent…you have to give people you love the opportunity to show you love.” — Matty J (25:39)

• On networking:
  “Smiling and greeting first…that’s probably the most effective play I use when I go out and meet people.” — Matty J (85:18)

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Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |----------|------------------------------------------------------| | 01:17 | Matty’s return, club reunion, community reflections | | 03:13 | Business pivots, car rentals to digital income | | 06:44 | Shopify deal explained | | 11:39 | Spiritual transition, reputation among peers | | 17:40 | Drifting from spiritual practice | | 19:30 | Marriage, missed romance, and maturity lessons | | 25:39 | “Give people opportunity to show love”—insight | | 32:08 | Humility, reflection on apology and growth | | 34:01 | Minister of Enjoyment: life post-separation | | 41:59 | How strategic relationships enable luxury living | | 47:42 | Clothing as asset, leveraging relationships | | 52:20 | The power of perception in networking | | 55:23 | Event access, the doors that open via status | | 62:17 | On being present, setting boundaries spiritually | | 68:08 | The prodigal son—spiritual homecoming metaphor | | 70:10 | Plans for returning to Georgia | | 80:53 | African vs. American dating and family dynamics | | 85:18 | ‘Word of wisdom’: the secret to real networking |

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Final Wisdom & Takeaways

• Smiling, greeting, and being approachable are the ultimate networking moves (85:18).
• Give loved ones the opportunity to show you love in their way.
• Faith and spiritual alignment are the real foundation for sustained personal and professional success.
• When traveling, appearance and proactive networking open doors—literally and figuratively.
• The journey is ongoing: “Never left God, just drifted," but returning is always welcomed.

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Episode in a Sentence

Matty J’s journey is a masterclass in balancing entrepreneurial acumen, global opportunity, and the relentless, humbling push toward deeper relationships—with God, loved ones, and the world.

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Follow CEO Maddie J on Instagram. For more insights and entrepreneurial plays, stay tuned for future episodes!

Transcript

[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Maddie J]

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[Maddie J]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Interviewer/Host]

All right, today we have CEO Matty J off his world tour back in the States. Welcome back, Matthew.

[Maddie J]

We back, man.

[Interviewer/Host]

How you feeling?

[Maddie J]

I feel welcomed.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, man.

[Maddie J]

You know what I'm saying?

[Interviewer/Host]

We got.

[Maddie J]

We got good people. Family, friends, close associates. When they see you, the energy is there. You feel missed.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. Randomly popped up, like I just. Yo, we. Surprise, surprise. Here's the thing. I would not have seen you because one, I don't. I wouldn't have. I would have went anyway just to support the guys, but I normally wouldn't be at the club, like, Avenue. And I'm walking around, I brought Dre out, you know, support the CEO event. And I look on the stage or the DJ booth, I'm like, matthew, Maddie J's in the building. And I was excited. I was like, yo, I ain't seen you in person. Well, I saw you at. At Afro Tech. Yeah, yeah. But I was like, man, I ain't seen my boy.

[Maddie J]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

What brought you that?

[Maddie J]

What brought you out the event? Circle CEO. Listen, Circle CEOs, invest fest. Those are family reunions.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's a fact.

[Maddie J]

These Are our peers.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right?

[Maddie J]

We love and respect each other. So when we got the opportunity to get in the same room together, I run, I gotta run the flight play.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, man, look, I. I got a lot of conversations to have. One, how you do all this with the traveling. And we're gonna talk to the people who think that Maddie don't have a job. Nobody knows what you do. Probably.

[Maddie J]

People probably think this.

[Interviewer/Host]

I brought.

[Maddie J]

I know you.

[Interviewer/Host]

And I always, I'm like, yo, what did Maddie do, bro? Because I know you were doing the cars for a while. He's like, yo, I gave up all that, and I'm not doing that. And now you just travel. And I'm like, yo, he's living a lifestyle, so we're gonna get into all that. But so tell me about the last couple years, man, what you've experienced last couple years.

[Maddie J]

Let's start with three years ago. Wait, let's start from right after, you know, the pandemic wave. Everybody is doing their thing, making the most money in their life.

[Interviewer/Host]

Money was raining from the heavens, from the gods, yo.

[Maddie J]

But it was funny, was you could tell when it wasn't the same. Like some people, like some people got hit earlier than others, but it slowed up for some people, especially in the coaching space.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

[Maddie J]

So for me, luckily, there's a term, the cream of the crop always rises to the top. Right. If you do things haphazardly or you do things with no, like no substance, it's always going to break down eventually.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

But if you really build things from beginning with a good foundation, no matter what weather that comes through, you're going to be good. So luckily for me, I had other avenues and streams other than the initial one during the pandemic, which is teaching about how to turn your assets on wheels to making deals.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, we did the episode. That joint went absolutely crazy. So you have a fleet of cars, then you're teaching people how to have a fleet of cars.

[Maddie J]

Of course.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right. So you're making a bag from that.

[Maddie J]

Of course, of course.

[Interviewer/Host]

But then you stop both of them.

[Maddie J]

Yeah, well, I'm. I transition. But that's another thing that most people don't do. They don't ever make pivots when it's necessary. So at the time, I was doing short term rentals via Turo, and then I started doing private rentals. But once I realized that things were slowing down, I moved into long term rentals. So instead of renting my car one or two days at a time per person, I rent my car One to three months per person and eventually a year. Three year contracts with people so I can then free up my time because I didn't need the income or the cash flow that came directly from it. I just needed to make sure that these cars were in other people's responsibilities.

[Interviewer/Host]

Why didn't you need the income?

[Maddie J]

By God's grace, we have other players in flow. We have like the digital products, my playbooks, we have some of my passive income. I've been getting paid from Shopify since 2014 every month. Like, like the government, like a government check.

[Interviewer/Host]

What are they paying you for?

[Maddie J]

So in 2014 they had a crazy deal because it's brand new. Shout out to Damon John for putting me on to. So Shopify will give you 20. I don't know if they still doing it, but Shopify will give you 20 if you moved somebody from WordPress or at that time, joomla. Their website onto Shopify. So I was able to convince a lot of successful brands to move to Shopify. And I've been getting 20% of what they pay every month. So if they pay $2,000 a month, I get.

[Interviewer/Host]

I was about to pay $2,000 a month for Shopify.

[Maddie J]

Yeah. So yeah, bigger brands, that's how much they're paying per month.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, I never

[Maddie J]

see there's like the 14.99 package is a 2999. The higher the price you pay per month, the lower fees you, you get. So it makes sense for them because if they're doing volume of a million dollars per month, it's. They're not paying the regular 3% transaction that Shopify would charge. They're only going to pay 2%. But in order to get access to 2% or 1%, you're paying a thousand dollars a month flat fee or 2.

[Interviewer/Host]

So you got, you have a bunch of people on there, a bunch of

[Maddie J]

them by God's grace. 20 each, huh? Yeah, some big names too. Somebody, one of them was so mad that I was getting so much money from referring them that they asked Shopify to just buy me out.

[Interviewer/Host]

Really crazy. But what does that have to do with your money?

[Maddie J]

Nothing. They, I guess because one of the biggest things is that I realized with some people once they, once their audience or demographic finds out that I was involved with their brand, they think that people now discredit their authority on them building the brand because they know that I help people build infrastructure. So once they say oh Maddie helped you do this. Oh, so you weren't the one that built it. That's the mindset that they craft up in their head.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Versus, no, you're the boss and you hire the best to do certain things. But this is your brand. This is my brand. So for one particular person, they didn't want any association. And I understand it psychologically, it can be like torture to know that this person that helps you, she has no ill against me, but she just feels like the people don't respect her because my name was attached to her. Her Shopify account.

[Interviewer/Host]

Is this some, I guess it's somebody. Is this somebody you had a business relationship or you're just cool with?

[Maddie J]

Both. Oh, yeah, man. So at first it was my name being on the website. That's how people knew your name was on the website.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Like I might have my signature at the, at the bottom of the website. Designed by. That's.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, designed by.

[Maddie J]

Yeah, that's a regular thing.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh yeah.

[Maddie J]

Powered by or designed by. And then when you click on it, it'll go to my website.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

So early on nobody ever had a problem with that.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

But for this specific, specific client, her competitors will go to that link and they will hire me. And I didn't have a like non compete clause where I don't work with any of your competitors or exclusivity where I didn't work with your players. So she's one of the top people in this specific industry. So of course the people who wants to be like her or better are they're going to try to figure out how to get the same thing that she has. Yeah. So if it's a website. Oh, if you hire this person to do a website, they're going to do my website too. So now I'm being tied to her feeling a certain type of way towards her competitors. Like I'm helping a system. I am in a sense. But we shouldn't be insecure on those things. So I teach people all the time, man, that our competitors shouldn't be looked at in that way. We should be figuring out different ways to be unique. And it shouldn't be based off of how your website looks. It should be based on how your service is for sure.

[Ryan Reynolds]

For sure.

[Maddie J]

Your customer support is your logistics, how fast you ship and get your clients their products. Those are the things that really separate brands. And because a lot of people don't focus on business development, they focus on perception.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. But I, I, I don't even know who it is and I don't think I want to know who it is

[Maddie J]

because I definitely, I definitely want it.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. I hope I don't, I don't like

[Maddie J]

to paint people in the back because I understand her plight. I don't. I'm not saying.

[Interviewer/Host]

But also, there's always two sides too, because it could, it could be. What you're saying is the name's on the website. I don't like that your name's on there. Right. But I don't know what a back end conversation between why she's feeling this way or whoever's feeling this way about you. So that could, it could be another play at hand here. But let's move on. I want to get into how you are able to travel because I want the information, but man, oh, man, I have to. I want to talk to the people who, who know you, who've known you for a while.

[Maddie J]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

Where we. We know your story on paper.

[Maddie J]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

You early in the Internet space, helping a lot of celebrities, working with a lot of celebrities. CEO millionaire shirt dapping Santa all at you. Your hands are in that. And then at some point it turns a corner where for the people that know you, it's Maddie got into the church really, really heavy and conducting Bible studies at your condo and things of that nature. Right. And you know, just, just the whole, the whole nine. That is Maddie with suits every day, even in the summertime. I'm like, why are you wearing a suit in the summertime? But then, but then it took a turn after the pandemic where it's like, Maddie is outside now. And the reason I'm saying that is because there have been people that came to me. She's like, yo, so it's your boy, he go to church, yo. However, yo, I. I can't count on my hands how many times I've heard that from different people.

[Maddie J]

That's funny.

[Interviewer/Host]

So from your perspective, for those that know you, because the people that are just getting introduced, they don't know this.

[Maddie J]

Right, right, right. For sure.

[Interviewer/Host]

I want to get what your perception has been.

[Maddie J]

Okay.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Okay.

[Maddie J]

Yeah. So first and foremost, people's perceptions are valid. What they see is valid, which is why we have an opportunity to have these conversations where, okay, this is what I see. The key thing is to ask, okay, what is another point of view and what is the context so we can be able to form our opinions based on that. So when it comes to the development of my day to days, obviously I started off heavy with throwing parties, entrepreneurship, all that good stuff. And then in 2015, I got baptized by God's grace. Thanks for all my.

[Interviewer/Host]

And yo, you know, we got baptized around the same time, too. I remember we were sitting next to each other and we had.

[Maddie J]

Yeah, what'd you get? Yeah, we had to walk up and introduce ourselves.

[Interviewer/Host]

I remember.

[Maddie J]

Yeah. So 2015, I had to lock in. I got so excited with the information, the history, the spiritual alignment that had to lock in. And there was so much to learn in abundance that allowed me to, like, just get rid of all distractions. Getting married, studies every. Every day down near, going to church. Everything was in alignment, full alignment. And then the pandemic came. Somebody introduced me to. Invited me to a podcast called Social Proof.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, my gosh. Hold on. Don't put this on me, bro.

[Maddie J]

Listen, I was the guy behind the scenes. I had 30,000 followers. I had influence, but it was a cultivated niche of people. It wasn't fans. It was people who. My peers that respected me. Right. And then was platformed. You were the first person to really, really platform me consistently when I first came to Atlanta. You had a. You had a speaking event at Sweet Lounge.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yes, bro, I remember. Yo, this is my first time hearing this story from your perspective. I didn't even think about that.

[Maddie J]

Yes, bro. I still got the pictures, everything.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

And once I was able to share my story, specifically Davin Sound, as CEO millionaires, I got to see the impact it had on their view because they'll approach me after. After the speaking engagement and share how much it impacted their clothing line. And I'm like, oh, wow, what we doing? Not just. Just brings in income. It doesn't just bring influence for myself, but it creates a lot of impact. I love this.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Right?

[Maddie J]

So most people don't ever get that chance. A lot of successful business owners, they don't get to see how much impact they have on other people because they don't get platformed on situations like yours where they get to speak and engage with their supporters and people who are watching. So once I was able to have this interview with you during the pandemic, it goes crazy. Everybody wants to learn how to rent out cars. Everybody learned during the pandemic that their current situation isn't as safe as they thought. Their current job isn't as safe. So it was a. As you know, a great influx of people who wanted to learn how to become entrepreneurs, how to secure the bag. Plus, they. They actually got some assistance from the government to invest any of these opportunities. And then, of course, I come to mind, they have the money, they have the mindset, the will, and now they just need the information. They know I've been teaching information in business for Years, I was already prepared for this. So I was just tapped in. So for the people who already follow me, they're tapping in slowly by, surely. But the people who didn't know me, they were introduced to me by U. Eyl Gilly and Wallow. All these different platforms where now I'm creating so much impact. I'm going to the. The airport, people screaming my name. Super Celeste. I'm not used to this. And then Clubhouse comes out crazy. Clubhouse blew up during the pandemic. And what was amazing about Clubhouse was people who I used to do work for years ago behind the scenes. It became a trend to tell people in the rooms that Matty J. Was the one who helped me to the point where people were just pretending that I helped them build their business. Just associate with me. It became a trend, bro. Oh, yeah. Maddie did this for crazy. And then I became one of the most referred people on Clubhouse. They added me to. Like, when anybody signed up to Clubhouse, I would automatically be added to anybody who just made an account. So I'm blowing up on there. I'm blowing up off the podcast. Our podcast is doing numbers. I'm blowing up on Instagram, Twitter, all these different platforms. I'm now getting a lot of attention and attraction. And I had something to follow up with it when they go to my page. Like, all this dude is kind of entertaining. He got a little swag. He got a little situation going on. He's married. He got a girl. He looks. He's a decent, decent guy. My guy's grace. So what was the turn? A turn of events.

[Interviewer/Host]

This story is getting good.

[Maddie J]

The turn. Okay, so what happens is when you're getting a lot of attention, that tension can turn into distraction if you don't have a clear, intentional plan that aligns with your spiritual life first and foremost, everything starts with your spiritual life, and then you develop your physical life off of that. So because my spiritual life at. Before the pandemic was so high, and then once the spiritual. I mean, the physical, like the physical stuff, Business, business, business, money, money, money, go out, go out, all these things start to rise up way past the spiritual. Right. Is it became. I wouldn't say a distraction. It just wasn't managed. I didn't manage it properly. Right. So.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay, so. So what is that at the time? Do you see this happening? Do you feel it happening? Or it's just. You're justifying.

[Maddie J]

I'm justifying it because. And I still do. Because I think everything happens for a reason.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

And a season.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

So at the time I wasn't feeling like I was crossing any lines or boundaries when it comes to my spiritual integrity. I wasn't doing anything that I wouldn't do in front of if God was with me watching what I was doing. Like, I wasn't doing anything like that. So. But the problem was I was doing less of the things that I was proud of doing spiritually. Right. It wasn't, I was doing negative things. I was doing less of the things I, I, I know is important spiritually.

[Interviewer/Host]

Less of the things. What is that?

[Maddie J]

Less Bible studies, less serving in church, Stuff like that. Right. I was just doing the basics, like a, a lay member, like anybody who's basically wants to be served, not served. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that was the issue. And I'll justify it because a lot of times when I go out and meet people at these events, I'll talk about my faith, I'll talk about some of the things I subscribe to spiritually, and they will, they'll join in and tap in as well. So. And I was bearing a lot of fruit. People were getting baptized during this process still. So this is the justification. Right? So, yeah, so that's, that's what happened. That. But then what happened? Oh, I go on a date. A double date. Me, Erica, your wife at the time. Yes, yes. Tamar Braxton and her husband.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay.

[Maddie J]

We go on a date and she says, when's the last time you guys been on a date together, just y' all two? I was stuck. Stuck like Chuck.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, wow.

[Maddie J]

Stuck like Chuck.

[Interviewer/Host]

How long have you been married at this time?

[Maddie J]

This is 2003. We got married in 2015. So eight years.

[Interviewer/Host]

So 23 is when this happened.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay.

[Maddie J]

Yeah. So she was that. Eight years.

[Interviewer/Host]

Eight years, yeah. 2015 to 2023.

[Maddie J]

Yeah, exactly. So she, the thing about me is when I got married, I didn't learn about romance in the way that most people are aware of it. Like going on dates and doing all these things, the flowers. I did things that most people don't do, which I thought was more way important, which is build our spiritual life. Right. Build, go to church together, pray together, study together, fellowship together, all these things. I thought this romance, lovey dovey stuff was just like in the, for the

[Interviewer/Host]

movies, that African culture.

[Maddie J]

No, it's actually the opposite. No, no, no, no. An African culture is balanced spirituality. All that is tied together for me. That's just how me personally, how I was, how I invest in life was a little bit different because I was hyper independent. When I graduated high school, I was making $14,000 a week. I was doing something that most people were never doing, which was making money online from social media.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

It's making money from MySpace. I was making money from Twitter. I was making money from Instagram. I'm making money independently. So a lot of the social skills that people have when it comes to dating and all that other stuff, I developed it differently. I'm in the house. I didn't even learn how to drive until I was, like, 24.

[Interviewer/Host]

Really, bro?

[Maddie J]

Because I never needed to think about it. What's the reason why people need to learn how to drive?

[Interviewer/Host]

So you can go places.

[Maddie J]

Like where?

[Interviewer/Host]

I mean, go to work.

[Maddie J]

Work, school. I worked from home.

[Interviewer/Host]

Go hang out.

[Maddie J]

And I created an environment where everybody came to my house. I always lived in the top condo in the most busiest area. So everybody used to just come to my house everywhere I lived, so I never needed to go anywhere. But when we did go out to, like, spaces, they'll just come to my house. We parlay at my house, and then I'll hop in their car and we'll go there. That was how it was. Even when it comes to food, they'll either bring me food or order food. I never went to restaurants like that to, like, wine and dine and do stuff like that.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

That wasn't my experience. So in marriage, those things are important, I'd say.

[Interviewer/Host]

Obviously. Right.

[Maddie J]

So.

[Interviewer/Host]

So I want to stop this, too, because as you're. You're married, you're just expecting to be served in that way by her too.

[Maddie J]

No, that's the problem. I wasn't. That's why I'm not picking up on the things I'm not doing, because I don't expect it.

[Interviewer/Host]

What do you mean?

[Maddie J]

Like being served? And in what manner?

[Interviewer/Host]

Like you're saying, yo, I live in this place. Everybody come to me. You drive me here. I get.

[Maddie J]

Yeah. Well, the thing is, they're coming to me because I created an environment where it's accommodating to them.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

It's not. You come to me because I don't want to drive.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Or because I don't want to do something. You're coming to me because I had the spot to be at.

[Interviewer/Host]

But are you saying in your mind, in terms of marriage itself, this is really helping me too. You created an environment where your wife almost. Or you. You're thinking, yeah, she's happy about this environment that I created for her.

[Maddie J]

Yes, exactly.

[Interviewer/Host]

So I don't have to go on a date.

[Maddie J]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Interviewer/Host]

Sheesh.

[Maddie J]

And she Wasn't like, I'm doing some of the things that cause somebody not to complain. So that's why it was never like on my radar. Yeah, right. She might have brought it up here and there, but it wasn't like, oh, I need to change this or I gotta pay attention to this. So when we went on this double date and she said, when's the last time you went on a date? That question made me say, hold up. Sounds crazy. But what she did, Tamar Braxton did, that most people don't do, is even though everybody you judge, there's nothing wrong with judging people.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right.

[Maddie J]

But it can't be self righteous judgment. And that's what most people do. They judge because it makes them feel uncomfortable. She judged because she wants me to be comfortable.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

She wants me to make the right decisions and also for, for her. So what she did was she actually set up the dates for us.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, wow.

[Maddie J]

Yes. These five star restaurants. And once I started going, I'm like, oh, so this is what I've been missing. Hey. So this is why people. I'm at the table, white cloth, eating

[Interviewer/Host]

with your wife and just having conversations.

[Maddie J]

It's feeling good. But the problem was it was too late. Years, seven, eight years pass where I'm now realizing this.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

And then it made me reflect on other things I was doing that are similar. Like my birthday. I do not care about celebrating my birthday. And I have to understand the psychology behind why I feel the way I do. There's a lot of people who might watch this too that feel the same way I do when it comes to not wanting to celebrate their birthday. For me. I know hundreds of thousands of people on my birthday. I feel like a secretary because I have to reply to thousands of messages. I have to cater to everybody. And of course they're trying to show love. But at the scale and the amount of people I know, it comes too overwhelming. That's why I've never done an event, never hosted a conference, never had a birthday party because it's just too overwhelming for me. And of course there's people there that will be there to say, yo, I'll just set it up for you. Just show up. Right. But then again, it's like even that thought process, still responsibility. It's still a responsibility there.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

I like to celebrate other people and I feel the love through giving.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

And that's enough for me. I don't need to be received the love through my birthday, those special events. But I also. Here's what I missed. You have to give people you love the opportunity to show you love in a way that is traditional.

[Interviewer/Host]

You're talking good, bro.

[Maddie J]

Bro, I was being selfish, yo. Without even realizing.

[Interviewer/Host]

Hold on, I got. You got to give me a minute, bro. Because I'm thinking. And this is like, this is me in real time. I'm thinking, I don't need my wife to do something for me. Right. So I don't ask you to do anything or I expect anything. But that mindset is robbing her of the. I'm. I'm thinking. I'm. Yo, first off, don't ask me to do nothing because I don't want to have to go through it. And love for me is saying, yo, babe, we ain't got to do nothing. I'm like, yes. So if I provide that for you, that should be love. But what you're saying is, we have to give people that opportunity to provide love for that is a heavy bar, bro.

[Maddie J]

And when you line it up to. Everything we do should be lined up to what God exemplified through even the Bible. Like, God commands his disciples to preach. God can just simply download information to everybody or preach himself to everybody, but he wants us to have the opportunity to preach so we can learn how to receive love and how to give love. So once I realized, I'm like, okay, I'm. I've robbed my close friends and family the opportunity for them to celebrate me, to gather on this special day. And it. It took years to realize that it was, like, too far gone.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

To the point where I don't want to throw anybody under the bus, but the reactions that I was getting from my realization, because when I realized something like, yo, I'm. I'm apologetic, so I apologize for not realizing this. And I'm like, I've been told you energy was the one I received. I didn't receive. Oh, thankfully. You get it. Let's.

[Interviewer/Host]

You didn't like that.

[Maddie J]

Exactly, bro. I'll give you another example. For my birthday, I received a free spa day. I never cared about spas and massages at all.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

So when people buy me things that I'm not going to use that I know is expensive, I'm like, yo, get your money back.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's a dumb answer. Retarded.

[Maddie J]

In my mind, I'm thinking I'm doing them a favor at this time. Oh, please, man. I'm not going to. I don't need that. And that's another thing. The struggle about being hyper independent. A lot of things I ever wanted, I already received it and got it Because I've always had the resources, whether it's money or the relationship, to get it. I never needed anybody to do something for me. And I started early when my dad. When I was asking my dad for things and he was telling me I gotta wash the car for it, and I didn't feel like washing the car. I started my candy business. I started selling candy so I don't have to ask nobody for some money. So I started early. So when it came to the spas, the specific, specific gifts, I'm like, yo, you should get it back. I was not considering how they felt. I didn't consider what the process was for them to think about me to go purchase it. Oh, my God.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Idiots.

[Maddie J]

This guy's evil. When I look back at it. So I'm realizing. Then this is how I realized. Shout out to Neo. We after we played basketball, you was actually there. We all played basketball at LA Fitness. Afterwards. Neo was like, yo, let's all get massages. I'm like, nah, I'm good, man. I see y'. All. I'll see y' all later, man. I don't care about massages. Listen, at this point, I was never getting massages. I don't think I've gotten a professional massage. So I'm good. This man said, no, you gots to go. Like, he, like, encouraged, enforced the issue. So I went, me, Neo, Justin. I remember Justin Owens was there. Marcus Rozier was there, a couple other guys. I forget. So we go, and I feel the vibes. I hear the music. This is crazy as a grown man experiencing this. And this is why people don't connect with me when I be sharing with this. They're like, yo, you are so smart in this area. You've done so much in this area. These are basic, common stuff. So when I respond a certain way, they can't accept it. Like, this is common sense. There's no way this is real. So when I go to the spa, I'm sitting down, they first massage, they clean my feet first. I'm like, what? What's going on?

[Interviewer/Host]

What is this? What is this?

[Maddie J]

It was. I started. I started recording what was going on. And then I was like, hold up the feeling I'm getting. I don't want to thank Neo for it because people have been inviting me to go to the spa. I don't want to post on my Instagram that I'm enjoying this. The day of life after I've told people I don't go to spas. I hate it. The first thing I thought about Was my. My wife Erica, because she tried to get your. Yes. Plenty times. So before I posted the Instagram story of me getting my massage, I'm like, I gotta apologize to her.

[Interviewer/Host]

Hold on, let me get. Let me. Let me just guess the vibe. Have you guessed the response?

[Maddie J]

They gonna kill us in the comments? No, no, no.

[Interviewer/Host]

I. I get. Bro, My. My wife would do the same thing. Because it almost feels like now we have our spouses competing with other people. I mean, rightfully so. Because if I tell you, yo, Maddie, bro, you gotta get these sneakers, bro. You gotta. You gotta. They're just too comfortable. You're like, yo, I don't wear no sneakers. And then you go buy them and you like, bruh, Ben told you. Ben told you.

[Maddie J]

Exactly, bro.

[Interviewer/Host]

So. Especially the ones that's closest to us, because they already feel like they are second to this other world or life or our friends.

[Maddie J]

And in a marriage is worse because they're supposed to be priority special. Their. Their thoughts, their. Their care should be the highest valued.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

And it kept happening from dates from spa. Like, so many different small micro things in my mind added up to why she responded or why people were giving certain responses that I was like, hold up. I'm now realizing I'm apologizing, but that's not good enough. You think that apology is good enough? You. Your realization is good enough. The damage was already done, bruh.

[Interviewer/Host]

As you're listening, I'm so glad we're having this conversation because now I gotta go home and apologize to my wife. Because when they respond that way, I get irritated.

[Maddie J]

Yes, bro.

[Interviewer/Host]

And I'm expecting not to respond that way when that's a natural response and we're being a clown at the time. You know what I mean? Literally, you should at least be like, neil, I'm not going. Let me go get my wife to do this first, and then I'll come. Yes. That's mature.

[Maddie J]

That's the play right there. That's the play. Play in my mind, like you said. I'm like, okay. Oh, yeah, I'm gonna apologize. Everything's gonna be good.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Of course.

[Maddie J]

And you don't get the response you did. Now I'm in defense mode.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Versus. Let me listen. Let me understand why they respond the way they respond and have 100 humility.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

100 humility comes with maturity, though.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Oh.

[Interviewer/Host]

Time and growth, bro. So this. This is where it starts to happen.

[Maddie J]

Yeah. So all these little tests and life lessons, we go through these things for a reason, bro. Some might look at somebody's life and think that they're taking 10 steps back. But sometimes you have to take 10 steps back to take 20 steps forward.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, for sure.

[Maddie J]

And if you like, like I always refer to, like, situations in the Bible, these stories of people doing certain things that are looked down upon or against God's will, their comeback story is 10 times better every time. From Paul, Apostle Paul, who at a point of his life was hunting Christians.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Peter denying Christ three times. All these different David, you would think he's the. The worst sinner of them all, but he was loved and honored by God. So all these different examples give people like myself hope of all right. When I do something that's not fully gracious or fully righteous at the moment, I got to look at the silver lining of why did I go through it and how I can develop and learn from it and impact others.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. So after you leaving, it seemed. Well, I mean, it seemed like you were just on a.

[Maddie J]

Just a voyage, exploration, adventure.

[Interviewer/Host]

Would you call yourself the administrator of Oz or something like that?

[Maddie J]

The Minister of Enjoyment.

[Interviewer/Host]

Minister of Enjoyment. So you are partying, having a time over last.

[Maddie J]

So I'll explain what's really happening.

[Interviewer/Host]

Talk to me.

[Maddie J]

All right, so I'm separated. I'm now doing things that are not requiring the approval of my partner, which is going out to certain events, traveling certain things. We used to travel, obviously, and go to events together. But it's different when you're doing a single, single, solo dolo. Yeah, right. And if you're showing up looking single, women approach you as a single man. And if they're going to give you. They're giving you compliments that you haven't heard, energy that you haven't received in so long. You start to key, key. And people notice that energy from afar. They say this dude, Mary, what's going on over there?

[Interviewer/Host]

What's going on?

[Maddie J]

All these questions. And I'm just intrigued. I'm just entertaining it.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

I'm just trying to. You know what I'm saying? That's another thing about romance. Romance, how I define romance is what would you do for your partner that you would not do for anybody else. Like, it's supposed to be special activities, special conversations, special tasks that you only do for this one person. That's what separates your. Your romantic partner from any other friend that you love.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

The problem for me before was I'll just do whatever I loved to do for people, for everybody. I never had a special thing for my partner and my partner only. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And I have to learn these things on the back end. On the back end. And so I'm outside at different. The only difference is I've always. A lot of people have the wrong perception or facts. I've always been at events outside. It's just. You would see me with my partner.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Now it's by myself. And because I'm by myself, I'm getting approached by women and men. But people only notice the women for some reason. Old dancing daddy, listen, I'm very social and I spread my love.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow. Wow.

[Maddie J]

I spread my love to everybody. I spread my. This is how I know it's true. I spread my appreciation and my energy to everybody so much that even homosexual men, they'll think I'm gay because I'm interacting with them. I'm like, oh, no, no, no, we're cool. Reviving. I'm not gay, my boy. They're like, no, you're gay. They'll be texting me. Yo, the craziest thing.

[Interviewer/Host]

How do they get your number, man?

[Maddie J]

You have my number, you have my Instagram. I'll be giving it out. I like to socialize, my boy. Everybody has value.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, God.

[Maddie J]

I gotta kept the boundary. But again, like I said, I'm super social. But for some reason, people only notice it when it's. When I'm with women, I'm walking with a guy. You just assume that's your friend. You walk with a woman, don't let her be attractive.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Oh, that's who you're messing with now

[Interviewer/Host]

can I breathe?

[Maddie J]

Can I have associates, man?

[Interviewer/Host]

So, okay, so I, I thank you for clearing that up. Because, I mean, you've seen, we've seen the journey and I mean, just at the top at this time, you're single and you just. You don't live anywhere.

[Maddie J]

No matter.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yo, you're nomadic. Like, I see you here, then Ghana and France.

[Maddie J]

Yeah, I had to go to Ghana, bro. Ghana. Eyl hosted a. An event there.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

So that gave me a reason. Like, obviously that shouldn't be the, like, main reason to go to visit the motherland, but that was the influence. So once you get to the motherland, you're like, oh, I'm mad that I haven't been here this whole time. Yeah, you get to see your culture and I'm Nigerian by descent, but I haven't been to Nigeria because Nigeria is like, it's a little rough. Yeah, right. You gotta have, you gotta know how to navigate it. It's not the same as. Ghana's a little bit more peaceful, a soft landing for the D4. And I experienced it. And it's amazing to experience a country you never been with familiar faces. EYL brought thousands of Americans to Ghana. Plus, it was a weekend called or not weekend. It's like a month long, two months long called Deady December. Called what dey December.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

It's a time period where a lot of the Nigerian diaspora visit Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya. So you'll see some of your peers that you either grew up with that second generation, all in the motherland, together, vibing the Afro beats. And I'm a piano. It was an amazing experience. That's my. I love.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, it's crazy if I go there, bro. I don't even know what to do with my hands, bro. Like, it. Like last night we was in the club. I am so thankful because people will come up to me like literally every couple minutes. Yo, what's up? Yo, what's up? Let me take a picture. So I'm cool there, but if I'm sitting there and it's just music, I'm

[Maddie J]

like, I feel you, bro. It could be real awkward, but I love to dance.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, for sure. Hold dancing.

[Maddie J]

I love dancing. You know what I'm saying? So from being in the motherland, the music, the business, entrepreneurship, and then me documenting my process of being in Ghana, my story engagement probably tripled. I'm getting a thousand views. It's now 3,000. Because people are just intrigued to see what's Maddie doing in Ghana. For sure, I'm doing the same things. I'm going to the gym, grocery shopping, networking, doing all these things. But for some reason, the fact that I'm doing the same things I'll do in Atlanta or LA or Miami or Houston, but I'm doing it in Ghana. People were mind blown. They thought just like when I show Speed did his. His run in Africa. People were so surprised at what Africa had to offer.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, for sure.

[Maddie J]

And I was becoming a. A platform to show the other side of Africa that somebody like me can live there. So if Maddie can live there, oh, maybe I can. So let me test that out. So I had so many people DM me and say, yo, I'm coming out there, man. It's enough is enough, man. I've seen enough stories. I'm coming out for sure. Because originally I was in Dubai. Dubai attracted me first. I was in Dubai for a year.

[Interviewer/Host]

But isn't Dubai expensive to stay, bro?

[Maddie J]

Listen, when you're a playmaker, you run plays. Yeah. With no delays.

[Interviewer/Host]

Talk to me.

[Maddie J]

Listen, man. No, I Have relationships. A lot of people, especially who are big on business podcasts. Some of the top business podcasts like Social Proof, they come here for information on how to change their income, sometimes in their mindset. However, a lot of people miss the fact on how to change their relationships with people. How could I gain more relationships so I can gain more access without having to spend the money? I think I mastered it. So Dubai, you think? Most expensive place, Monaco, super expensive places. Europe, America, super expensive. However, when it comes to subsidizing your car costs, your living costs, food costs and shopping costs, I figured how to do it for all four. So for lodging and accommodations, I have a relationship with employees that work at Marriott. Marriott employees, by God's grace, they get benefits. They are allowed to add friends and family to discounted rates. So instead of paying $300 for a hotel for the night, Marriott's employees can offer for friends and family rates at a hundred dollars. And in Dubai, the rates are amazing, way higher than most other countries. So a 700 room, you can get it for $80. And I'm thinking back in Atlanta, I'm paying 6,000amonth, which is like more than a hundred dollars a day. But I'm in Dubai for 80 a day.

[Interviewer/Host]

No brainer,

[Maddie J]

no burner, not even close. And people are just shocked that I'm out here so long. Because when people travel, they're used to people seeing them out of the country for a week, three days a weekend. They see me there for three months, they're like, oh, this guy's different. There's something he's doing, something that's a

[Interviewer/Host]

fact, that's a branding play.

[Maddie J]

For sure.

[Interviewer/Host]

For sure elevates you amongst completely different

[Maddie J]

perception and a level of different authority. So when it came to lodging, I'm now hotel hopping. And while I'm hotel hopping, I'm staying at the nicest hotels doing hotel reviews, showing people the hotel, posting the hotel, tagging the hotel. They're even giving me more accommodations.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yo, real quick, what are you doing with the clothes?

[Maddie J]

Oh yeah, yeah, the clothes play.

[Interviewer/Host]

Cuz I don't understand. You are in Dubai.

[Maddie J]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

You obviously didn't bring your whole closet.

[Maddie J]

Yeah, right, right.

[Interviewer/Host]

You shop when you get there, right?

[Maddie J]

Sure. That's the play.

[Interviewer/Host]

It seems like the bag get heavier and heavier each hotel we go to.

[Maddie J]

For sure. It is crazy. I have to figure that out too. So shopping for me is very important.

[Interviewer/Host]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile now. I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited premium wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment

[Narrator/Advertiser]

of 45 for 3 months, $90 for 6 months or $180 for 12 month Plan required 15 per month equivalent to taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes me slow when network is

[Maddie J]

busy See terms because I believe how you dress is how you're addressed and I am a living case study of how your appearance Opens up doors for you and saves you money. So I have relationships with some of the top European fashion houses and African fashion houses and black American. So I'll give an example for Louis. Prada, Dior, Gucci. When you shop with them, they allow you to create a profile. Actually, all stores allow you to create a profile. But when it comes to these designer fashion houses, your profile allows you to be treated differently. So what happens is, when you spend a certain amount of money and you build a relationship with a specific sales advisor, they start inviting you to private shows, they start inviting you to private events, private listings, and early access to products that it's not for everybody, Right. For example, during the pandemic, I probably purchased 30 pairs of LV trainers. These shoes cost 1500 each, right? Some people like, how would you spend all that money on shoes? I'm not paying for shoes. I'm paying for my membership. So when fashion week pops up, I get an invite to get flight, flew out to Paris to meet Pharrell, to meet a Pusha T. And then I. Those relationships give me opportunities to do business in other areas, right? And then when it comes to, like, these. These profiles. Early access. When Louis Vuitton did a collab with Nike, with the Air Force Ones, Virgil Abloh did the collab. I was selected to be able to purchase a shoe at retail. Retail was about, like, probably $3,000. Selling the shoe after retail was $20,000.

[Interviewer/Host]

What? Yeah, bro.

[Maddie J]

Those shoes sold for 20,000, $30,000. To this day. I was just in South Africa. The shoe I purchased, I asked him, how much is it? He says, 23,000. I paid $3,000 for that shoe.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

And the only reason I got access, early access to that shoe is because I had stock in the company. I have relationship stock. You know what I'm saying? The same way people get IPOs, pre IPOs, access is based on relationships. So these clothes are assets. They're not. We're not buying overpriced clothing. These pieces are just tools for specific relationships.

[Interviewer/Host]

What do we do with all of it, bro?

[Maddie J]

Because that's the next question.

[Interviewer/Host]

You have a hat.

[Maddie J]

Once I collect all these clothes, what am I doing? Especially with the fact that I'm not wearing it more than probably three times, right? So I had to create a system like, yo, this is not. Yeah, it makes sense to pie it to get access to other relationships, but what am I going to be doing with these clothes? So I'm going to tell you what I do. So you can either sell your clothes, rent your Clothes. Barter your clothes, use it as collateral for other deals, or the last one is rent it. You have five options. When you start viewing your clothes as assets, the world is yours. And I was able to look at clothes differently because I've already experienced that with Airbnb. My condo is an asset. My driveway is an asset. My cars are asset. I'm already used to renting out my utilities to peer to peer.

[Interviewer/Host]

How do you find the people to. All right, let me get that jacket. Let me wear it for a night and then, right, I bring it back on.

[Maddie J]

These people, people compliment the thing. I just came from them all. I probably record. If I had my meta glasses on, I probably could have recorded 20 people saying, that's a nice jacket.

[Interviewer/Host]

It is a nice job.

[Maddie J]

The moment. Thank you. The moment somebody compliments you, it needs to trigger an opportunity. Most people, what they do, when they hear somebody compliment, oh, thank you. Appreciate it, and they move on. They miss the play. They miss the opportunity to introduce themselves. Because when you introduce yourself, you then let them know who you are, what you do, and how you provide value. The last piece is your offers. When you let people know what you have to offer, opportunities come where they say, oh, I know somebody who does that. I just met them at the mall. He had a dope jacket. Here's his Instagram. Follow him on here. And that could have been a business opportunity. So those are the small little things that open up the doors for that. So when it comes to renting, because some people say, well, I don't have a lot of followers, how can I find somebody to rent? You just have to make enough offers for people to find out. A new restaurant. Nobody knew who that restaurant was at one point, but they set up the sign, set the chairs out, and put the offer out. The menu.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

One person sat down, looked at the menu, looked at the prices, enjoyed the meal, and then word of mouth starts to spread. That's just how it works.

[Interviewer/Host]

But you can't be renting out most. Like, I guess most of it you're selling. Right. Because you can't carry all this stuff. You can't get it back from all these people and all that.

[Maddie J]

No, no, no. I have storage units that set up,

[Interviewer/Host]

like, storefronts in different countries.

[Maddie J]

Yes, literally. Literally. That's how it works. But my main. My main place is Atlanta, so I typically, I'm wearing my clothes in those countries. And then I just. Like yesterday, I just flew in for France yesterday. I brought five bags, huge bags, extra large bags with me from shopping for the last three months.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

I'm putting in storage. I'm going to have one of the brothers take a picture of all the clothes, itemize it, and then the marketing begins. The marketing is not selling or renting clothes. Renting the outcome of what happens when you have these clothes. So I have a whole layout. This jacket. I saw Dwyane Wade wearing the same jacket. I'll take a picture of Dwyane Wade wearing the jacket. I'll put the pictures together so people can see this is the look, this is the style, this is how it's being styled. And then I need to target the people that can actually afford it. So not everybody. This jacket cost about 5, almost 4,000, 4,500. Not everybody can afford that, but they can afford to rent it for a day. It's only 250 to rent the jacket. So that's what it comes down to. And there's people who can afford the jacket but rather rent it because they're not going to be wearing it. Yeah, they don't care.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, that's smarter. Because I don't think anything I spent, if I bought a, I don't know, fifteen hundred dollars sweater, two thousand dollar sweater or something like that, I don't remember wearing it. Because you can't overdo it, right?

[Maddie J]

And here's the thing, bro. I went to Monaco F1 based off a bunch of Instagram posts. I'm like, yo, why is everybody in Monaco? All my high level business people, I'm flying out Monaco. I didn't have a ticket, I didn't have a hotel accommodations. I knew I was just gonna figure it out. So I got, I packed my bags. I knew based on my appearance, doors would open. And that's exactly what happened. Soon as I land, I'm walking. Oh, I love your outfit. Oh, thank you so much. What are you doing in town? Oh, I just landed. I'll show you around. Immediately.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

Immediately. Dang. So she's showing me around. This is a French girl.

[Interviewer/Host]

How's she look?

[Maddie J]

She's a little fat. Sent by God. It's an angel from God. So we're walking, we're walking and people like, yo, who's this tall guy, glasses, fancy, loud outfit with this short French girl? Now everybody keeps looking and looking and it's attracting more people, trying to figure out who we are, what we got going on. And it attracted a photographer. So now I have this short French girl named Juju that I just met. And now I have a photographer following me. I'm looking like some Celebrity. And then people are walking up like, who are you?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

What do you do? Are you a rapper?

[Maddie J]

Are you a actor? Are you a basketball player? What do you do? I'm just me, man. Let me get your Instagram. Let's take a picture. All that energy. All that energy is turning into a doorman. Seeing it and saying, oh, yeah, you good. Not even asking me if I have a ticket. Not even ask me if I have a wristband. Letting me inside. Crazy. This is literally what's happening. And I've been experiencing this for the last 15 years. It's not nothing new. I actually. I don't. I want to say I expect it with, like, a pretentious mindset, but I'm not surprised at all. So even though when it comes to shopping, there's a specific area where me just walking up wasn't gonna fly, right. It was like, oh, where's your wristband? Oh, no, you can't come in here. I go into Louis. I start shopping. I was going to be shopping anywhere. I get bags. I'm walking around with the bags. I go to that same area. He just lets me in. Perception is crazy, yo.

[Interviewer/Host]

I. We were in. We were in Houston. Yeah. For Afro Tech.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

And somehow I think somebody gave me, like. Or no, I didn't even have a ticket. I don't think to this event. And you're like, yo, let's just go. Anyway, see you. If you were a witness in my mind, I'm like, man, we need tickets. The whole ride there, I'm like, I'm just unprepared to get turned around. You start talking to the lady up there, and then you're like, all right, we're good. I was like, yo, hold on. What'd you say to her? That's Yo. That. It was. That was. That's crazy to me. No, no, no. Or, like, I think I. I had. Somebody sent me a ticket. And then you came back later or something like that.

[Maddie J]

No, you were good. You had.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, I went in and then I'm in. And I'm like, dang, man. Maddie couldn't come in to eat my food. I turn around.

[Maddie J]

I've had this experience, like, bro, every time. Even Neo and him. 500. We were going to Grant Cardone's VIP party. Did not have any tickets. So we walk in. Of course, security, they don't know who we are. And we can't just say, oh, I know the owner. I know this. We can't always name drop. Right. But I'm not tripping. I have patience. So as I'm waiting, I'm like, I'm just.

[Interviewer/Host]

Don't worry.

[Maddie J]

Somebody's gonna walk past sooner or later and recognize us and won't let us in. But at this time, I was trying to throw Neo under the bus, but he wasn't. He wasn't patient at all. He's like, oh, man, we should just pay. We gotta pay the plane, you know, just pay the ticket.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm like, rich friends.

[Maddie J]

He end up leaving left, right. Not even. Probably five minutes later, Grant pulls up full authorized. Hey, Maddie, come on. I called the. I'm like, bro, I told you. Just waited. Now I'm in there with Nelly and Florida. I'm in. This is a room that cost $10,000, but based on relationship, I didn't have to pay anything by God's grace. And I'm still utilizing the space to build relationships based on good energy, smiling, being of value in some shape or form, and then that relationships I built in that room turn into other opportunities. It's just like a domino effect.

[Interviewer/Host]

Incredible, bro.

[Maddie J]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

This. The lifestyle that you're living right now. Do you. Do you miss the settle down lifestyle at all?

[Maddie J]

Yes, absolutely.

[Interviewer/Host]

Really?

[Maddie J]

Yes, for sure. But I've again, I believe everything happens for a reason. I need the experience that I'm experiencing that I have been experiencing as a tool for inspiration, education, proper alignment. Because when somebody asked me, yo, I was in a similar situation. What do you think I should do? I can share through real experience. Not chatgpt. Play by play. Step one, you should do this tattoo. No, I'm just telling my story. I'm gonna do a real experience here. And based on my storytelling is going to impact you emotionally enough to make a decision that I hope will be in your best interest. Your best interest. Not mine, not anybody else. Yours.

[Interviewer/Host]

So what do we do about this?

[Maddie J]

Which one?

[Interviewer/Host]

You said you let me find out. This is the settle down. Yeah. Lifestyle. But it seems like you're having a good, free lifestyle. Oh.

[Maddie J]

What needs to change is. I don't wish singleness on no man. No man should be single. Of course, in the early stage.

[Interviewer/Host]

First off. Okay, hold on real quick, real quick, real quick. Because I. I low key, like, got proud of you a little bit because, like, you reached one of your goals. I remember maybe a couple months ago. It was either a couple months ago or maybe. Yeah, it was a few. It was months ago before the time that I'm about to talk about. You're a video. You're like, you have this video of this DJ or these DJs, you're like, oh, my gosh, I love them so much. It was so. It was something like, yo, I. Oh, my gosh. I. He said, I don't really fan out like that, but, oh, my gosh, I'm in love. And then a few weeks ago, I saw you was with them doing y' all little dances together. I.

[Maddie J]

That's how I beat, man. But those are just all fun and games, entertainment, man, all these situations.

[Interviewer/Host]

But, I mean, there's no reason. Well, I'm asking you, is there a reason to give that up for a more average lifestyle?

[Maddie J]

I want it. I definitely don't want average, but I definitely want spiritually aligned. I want to make sure that everything I do, I'll be able to do it. If God was with me, like, in the flesh, I wouldn't be scared or acting weird that I'm doing it. I want to be comfortable. That's my. Basically my. They got a term called what would Jesus do? That. That phrase is so important, because if you don't believe Jesus would do it, why are you doing it?

[Interviewer/Host]

But, I mean, so is something wrong with that? I mean, there are people that are like, so. Let's say young. Miami. Miami. Yeah, yeah. So they're like, yo, what makes you God's favorite? Or something like that.

[Maddie J]

Oh, yeah, I've seen that. I see that.

[Interviewer/Host]

She's wild for this moment right here. We got the number one song in the country talking about.

[Maddie J]

God didn't approve that. Which got.

[Interviewer/Host]

Actually, she's like, yo, this is my. So my. So somebody will say to what I'm saying, yo, managers in the club, dancing. Right?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Right.

[Interviewer/Host]

It's cool. Like, why. Why wouldn't God be approved of that?

[Maddie J]

Right? Right. Actually, I don't believe that I should be in clubs. If I'm fully righteously aligned, I shouldn't be in the clubs. There's something. One of the missionaries in church mentioned that it was a game changer. Right. Even though I'm not drinking, I'm not smoking, I'm not hollering at women trying to do deviant activities. I'm just not. Your life. Having fun, Right.

[Interviewer/Host]

Ministering the fuck, right?

[Maddie J]

In my mind, it's. It's. It's harmless.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

The missionary told me this. He said if a fight broke, broke out, right. And you just doing your thing and you get hurt or you witness somebody get hurt next to you, whatever the case may be, you're now involved in a situation. The number one question that somebody who is spiritually locked in would ask isn't why are you hurt or why are you affected in the situation? Why were you there in the first place? After 10 o', clock, why were you even a witness? Just imagine if I was on the news, I witnessed something and I'm just. Just on a camera telling people what I witnessed. Why were you there to witness it?

[Interviewer/Host]

Right. But. But I guess some people will still say it's nothing wrong with dancing.

[Maddie J]

You could always. Here's another thing. Yes, you can always there always be that response.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Not only is okay if something's not wrong, right? If you're at one place, the next question is, why are you there? And if you're there, where could you be at? Where should you be at? Because if you're in one place, that means you're not in another place that it could actually be more productive. Yeah, that's what it comes down to.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yo, so I went last night and I actually felt good about this because I'm like, I was thinking and contemplating, am I going? But I'm like, yo, these are my guys. They support. They support coming to Podcast Summit. They're going to support something that I do. I want to support what they're doing for sure. And I told my wife, I was like, yo, so we just webinar and it was like, super late in here. I was like, we still gotta. We still gotta catch at least the end.

[Maddie J]

Yes, yes. So you are a perfect example of how to do it in a very mature way.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, look, I. I bring my wife because my wife likes to get dressed and go out. So that part, we bring her and we only there for like 30, 45 minutes just to say what's up? To the guys? Right? But what I was more excited about was the fact that when I showed up, people were surprised. It was like, yo, what are you doing here? And they're like, what you doing? I heard that once. I heard a thousand times, what are you doing? They're like, it's having his friends, yo, gay's here. It's a ghost.

[Maddie J]

I feel that, bro.

[Interviewer/Host]

And I was excited about that because I was like, I'm able to shape my brand. And it's not that I don't go because I don't want to. I really don't want to go. And there's nothing I. There's nothing I could do. And it's one girl, bro. This don't normally happen to me, so. So, yo, can I take a picture? She's telling me all the stuff that, you know, like, I inspire, all that kind of stuff. And she grabs my head and tries to lock my joint.

[Maddie J]

Hey, I'm like, yo, yo, back.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm off to you, you philistine. You moabite. Get out of here.

[Maddie J]

Unhand me. Brookie, seize her.

[Interviewer/Host]

Unhand me. Yeah, but that doesn't normally happen to me.

[Maddie J]

And I was like, oh, see, those. Those are the things. And it gets. Here's the thing, though. I think certain people, like, there's special ops, there's special. Like. Like military people who are able to be in certain spaces that most people shouldn't be. Right. I've actually received that education before, but there's always a line. You have to be aware. You have to be intentional. You have to be really good at communication. Because just a simple situation like that where you had no control of her locking her ass,

[Interviewer/Host]

right?

[Maddie J]

Could, like, sis could. I saw that and been mad at you, and you didn't even do that.

[Interviewer/Host]

She would have definitely been definitely my fault.

[Maddie J]

Your fault?

[Interviewer/Host]

I see you locking hands. I didn't lock hands with nobody.

[Maddie J]

See, I don't. I don't like to blame the tv. I like to blame. Like, a lot of people say, well, TV's bad for you. No, TV itself is not bad for you. Yeah, you need to change the channel sometimes.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right.

[Maddie J]

Or it's the person who's perceiving the tv. Because I can watch the same exact program as somebody and get completely different results, completely different result. And there's examples of that even in the Bible. But, yeah, when it comes to awareness of where you are, why you're there, and what purpose you're doing it for, those things are very important to ask. Because even doing car rentals, driving luxury cars, and then showing up to church in a Lambo, a Range Rover the next day, a Rolls Royce the next day, a G Wagon the next day, it wasn't sitting right. Like, am I why you think it arises?

[Interviewer/Host]

Jealousy.

[Maddie J]

Yeah. In the beginning, I'm like, yo, this can cause somebody to stumble. You know what? In order for me to be prosperous, like Maddie, I must acquire Maddie's doing good in church. I must have it. There's always nuance and context, and the person doing it always has to be prepared to answer. Like, if somebody questions you, can't be mad at them. Like, why are you driving that type of car while going to church? You shouldn't be offended. You should just simply and humbly explain.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Like, even Jesus, when Jesus was getting questioned by the leaders of the church, he always was able to answer the questions in a way that made them say all right, you got it. Like, why are you doing this on the side? Why are you doing this? Okay.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Okay.

[Maddie J]

Here you go. Why you should we stone this woman? He who cast the. Who has the. Who hasn't said cast. All these little plays where the mature way to respond to something that people perceive in a certain way can be easily corrected.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. Let me ask you this question as we wrap, man. Are you. Are you coming back to the States?

[Maddie J]

Yeah, I need to. Like you said, setting them down is key. Having a routine, I needed to. Huh?

[Interviewer/Host]

You can't do that overseas.

[Maddie J]

I can, but I. I think in my heart, if I'm getting geared towards a specific home base, because, again, because I document my life, I analyze. Where was I at my height of my spiritual journey? What was I doing? Where was I at? So I'm using these different data points to be able to tap back into it.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right.

[Maddie J]

And then another thing, again, if it's God's will, it's God's will. If it's not God's will, it's not God's will. Right. So being locked into a relationship, right back to the spiritual activities consistently is super important. And because I'm not fine like people. A lot of people struggle with spiritual development because they're folk. They're, like, trying to survive physically. Right. But they don't realize most people are struggling financially because they're not locked in spiritually. They try to. They try to get situated physically first so they can lock in. Spiritually is backwards, and we can go into a whole nother layer on why that's the case. But for me, I had to tap back into, okay, if I want everything in my life to be properly lined and you start with the source, that's just how that works.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

You know what I'm saying? And mind you, I didn't. I never, like, like, strayed so far away. Right. It was just a little bit different. A little bit different. And my. My favorite parable in the Bible is the prodigal son.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Anybody who studies the parable of the prodigal son, I can relate with that story.

[Interviewer/Host]

Tell the story.

[Maddie J]

But the biggest part of it was, well, the son part of the family. Right. But he wasn't satisfied with being with the family, so he went out in the world, did his own thing. Right. I wasn't gambling and doing drugs or nothing like that, but that's what. That's what the son was doing, was out in the world feasting, doing his thing. And then once he realized that that wasn't the Lifestyle that wasn't in alignment with him and what is what he was brought up doing. He returned home and his dad threw a party for him. Yeah, right. Welcomed him with open arms. While the brother. His brother that didn't leave was so confused on why is he getting all this love and appreciation. He's the one who left. I stayed. Well, in the story. The point of the story was when somebody has a realization, that's something to be celebrated, that's something to be appreciated. Right. And that person needs to be felt like they're welcomed home. Right. So for me, by God's grace, even though I had many different distractions, God would never, by God's grace, never has allowed me to stray away from the core of finding home and finding a centerpiece so I can be a good example. And I know my purpose here is on this earth. My mission is to understand God's love and display it and be in God's image. So that's where I'm at. That's my path now.

[Interviewer/Host]

So is this. This trip home? Like, you're not going back or you're.

[Maddie J]

Yeah, so I have to go back to. I got clothes in Kenya for sure. Rwanda, I got. I gotta wrap all that stuff up, and then within probably a month or two, I'll be locked back in the States.

[Interviewer/Host]

And what city you think?

[Maddie J]

Definitely Loganville.

[Interviewer/Host]

Are you coming back to Atlanta? I mean, Georgia?

[Maddie J]

Yeah, for sure. Again, I don't know what God's will is. I can have my plan all I want, but all that really matters is making sure that I'm. My focus is on doing God's will and pleasing God. That's what. That's my goal. I don't care where it's at, where who I'm with. It's whatever aligns with answering the question, are you doing God's will? Yes or no? It needs to be yes.

[Interviewer/Host]

The prodigal son has returned from the streets.

[Maddie J]

That the title of this video, bro. The story of the prodigal streets.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, my God.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

All right.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, man. No, but it's. I. I think. I think you have an incredible story. I know you have thousands of stories to tell, bro, from your explorations around the world. Before we wrap, I want to have. I want one of those stories, bro. Like, the craziest story. Like one that people will think you're making up.

[Maddie J]

Nah, man. I got some crazy stories without the full hour context. They're gonna look at me crazy.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Look at me.

[Maddie J]

Give me, bro. For the last three years, I've been through the Craziest situations.

[Interviewer/Host]

Give me one of the stories and they will come back and expound on it. But I want to hear what are the stories that doesn't incriminate yourself. No, bro, I can't do it, bro.

[Maddie J]

These are crazy. These are crazy.

[Interviewer/Host]

Only one you can tell on camera.

[Maddie J]

For me to be considered crazy, it's literally. It falls in the category. You can't tell it on camera.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

That's what.

[Maddie J]

That's the category. That's the framework you're putting me in. Other stories. Like what?

[Interviewer/Host]

Just give me a good story, Okay?

[Maddie J]

A good story from your exploration where you.

[Interviewer/Host]

You realize something. And he was like, yo, this is wild.

[Maddie J]

Oh. The main thing was the transition to Africa. So I initially, like I said, I initially went to Dubai. I was hyping up Dubai. It's the next golden land vest, no tax, everybody. It was trending, and I happen to be a person on ground. Everybody was talking about Dubai, and Maddie was in Dubai. So my authority, my influence increased. So while I'm in Dubai, I positioned myself super early. I'm already living there for cheap. Because the relationship with Marriott hotels, I'm living in luxury hotels. I can take Ubers for nothing. And the Ubers there are either Lexuses, the newest Toyota, or the Mercedes vans. For cheap. Super cheap. I took an Uber from the airport to buckhead. It cost $70.

[Interviewer/Host]

Welcome back home.

[Maddie J]

Welcome home in Dubai. It would have been like 13.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

For the same distance. So I increased my net worth by moving to a place with high network earners. It's crazy. Just off of the lifestyle. But then, anyways, so I'm hyping up Dubai like, yo, y' all should move here. And I'm seeing, based on my influence, based on my post, people are visiting Dubai, having the same experiences, and I'm seeing more people actually move there. But then I get a call from somebody. He said, hey, bro, I see you in Dubai living your life, but why are you hyping up the Middle East? You're African. You need to be. Where in Africa? This man was cutting me up.

[Interviewer/Host]

Really?

[Maddie J]

Oh, my goodness. He was so disappointed. I'm over happy. I'm thinking he's about to.

[Interviewer/Host]

Is this somebody? Like, when you appear somebody you really

[Maddie J]

respect, somebody really respect, that travels, really travels. I'm over here hyping up. Hey, man, Dubai. So amazing. He says, you're African first and foremost. Your name is not Muhammad. Your name is Matti J. Not Matti Ali. Your name is Matthew J. You need to be in Africa. All right, cool. I'm Nigerian. But everybody says if I go to Nigeria, I'm gonna get kidnapped. Like, there's no attraction.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

From growing up. Even my own family members don't even, like, hype it up. So why should I go? He gave me all the reasons. Again, it's going in one ear, out the other, and then again, that's when EYL had to event. That's when Dirty December starts. I'm starts to see the timeline of people going to Africa and them having a time. So I'm being. What do they call, positive propaganda that I should go to Africa. So I end up flying there. I said, oh, my God, this is definitely amazing. This is definitely home. So I go from Ghana. Nigeria is only an hour flight away. So I'm already here. Might as well go to Nigeria. Oh, it's not as bad as people think. I can't live here, but I'm here experiencing it. So I was in Nigeria for like four months. I was in Ghana for a almost two years.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Right.

[Maddie J]

This is like a span of four years. Then my visa runs up. I didn't realize how powerful the US passport is. I just pop up and you're good. Golden.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

But when my visa expired in for Ghana, I was scared. I'm like, yo, what happens if my visa expires and I don't leave? It's like, man, in Ghana, you can pay for anything. This is why I got introduced to corruption. You can literally pay for anything. Yes, the US is corrupt, every country is corrupt, but it's behind the scenes corruption. Ghana, Nigeria, west, most places is up front. In your face. Yeah, pay me if you want to do this. You got to pay me up front.

[Interviewer/Host]

You can pay for anything.

[Maddie J]

Anything. So I'm like, yo, my visa's expired. Oh, don't worry about it. Just pay me when you're ready to leave. What you mean, pay me when I'm ready to leave?

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

So ain't no fines. Hear me when you're ready to leave. So I'm like, in my mind, I. I'm playing around. I want to consider corruption, but relationships, it becomes. That's the relationships who, you know, you get catered to. So instead of me staying for only three months, which my visa says that I'm allowed, I end up being there longer. And then I said, all right, man, it's time to go up. I don't want to go to the embassy or I don't want to go to the airport. And they seize me because I listen to somebody say. Say that they're going to Take care of me. Don't worry about it. Gonna be in jail in Ghana.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right.

[Maddie J]

Not happening. So I was, all right, let me. Let me check out and explore Africa, because Africa is huge. There's 50 plus countries in this continent.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

So I end up going to the next soft landing, South Africa. I say South Latin because it has a lot of infrastructure, what I'm used to in the Western world.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Fully developed South Africa.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Obviously we know why. If you study the history. But I go to Cape Town first, amazed, first at the airport, I just show my password is going. No questions. No. It was such an easy access. The power of that blue password is amazing. So I go in, I see the amazing views. I'm in between the mountain and the ocean. And people are just like, yo, Maddie's everywhere. Now I'm building this Persona around Maddie's worldwide, Maddie's Global. And that's again, increasing my value, increasing my credibility, increasing my status, all these things and income. Because people are then going to ask, how's he doing it? When you're doing something amazing, the next question is how? And then that's an opportunity to offer a product or service. Digital teaching. Playbooks. Exactly.

[Interviewer/Host]

Got it.

[Maddie J]

All my Playbooks document everything I do in FAQ format. The question you're going to ask me, I already have answered in the question format. The question you're going to ask me, it's going to be listed, and here's the answer to it. Not no dialogue, not no narrative story. It's just Q and A. And then I went from South Africa into Ethiopia. By God's grace, I had a stopover. So here's the play. When you travel, when you travel, sometimes it's best to go to another country and visit that country for a day before moving on to another country. So I got to experience Ethiopia in that manner. So because I only have a day, I got to figure out the way to maximize those 24 hours. And I did. I said, y' all want to be in Ethiopia? Anybody who's here hit me up. Somebody followed me. They took. Took me everywhere. I felt like I was there for two weeks. I did everything in one day, 24 hours. Then I got on the plane and then went to Kenya. I'm experiencing Nairobi. I'm going to the jungles, doing safaris. Like real life, natural experiences that you don't really experience anywhere else. And then I'm meeting people because I'm staying at the prime hotels. Other travelers, other businessmen are there. I'm networking with them. They invite me. They Say, hey, come to Rwanda with us. Why? Why go to Rwanda? Just come. Because I have the resources that just come. I just came. I went with them.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

So I went to Rwanda. Crazy experience. The cleanest country I've ever seen in my life. Clean, organized. And then they have a very special tourism attraction called gorilla trekking. You get to trek for two hours and get to see gorillas in the natural habitat. It's literally the number one experience I ever had. I've done everything.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

So I was able to do that. And then while I was in Rwanda, I just happened to be there during BAL weekend, which is like the NBA of Africa. And I got to be able to, again, network, network, meet people. And then as I'm networking, me, people, I go on my timeline. Everybody's in Monaco F1. That's how I ended up in France. So I'm just bouncing and nothing. None of this was planned, yo. None of this.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

It's just going with emotion, being organized, having the right resources, and documenting the process. That's another piece I'm documenting to the point where now our boys have a networking event. I hop on a flight, I show up. Hey, man, I saw you in this country. I saw you. Now you get to tell a story in person. And you see the real life impact that has been having.

[Interviewer/Host]

So you're gonna give up all that for Atlanta, Georgia.

[Maddie J]

Come right back.

[Interviewer/Host]

But you experienced it. And now you guys.

[Maddie J]

I feel like I experienced. I got real good experience, bro. Of Europe, Asia, Africa. I haven't done South. South America yet. But that's not. That's not worth.

[Interviewer/Host]

Last question. Answer it as. As surface level or as deep as you like. The. What is the difference in the women there versus United States in Africa?

[Maddie J]

Oh, man. So the culture. So the culture difference. So specifically, he said, oh, the culture.

[Interviewer/Host]

This guy said, oh, the culture. Culture. Go ahead. I'm sorry.

[Maddie J]

Listen. So Africans. Oh, man. The way Africans are raised is family in, unfortunately, black American culture in the US or just a lot of Americans. When we turn 18, 19, we're ready to move out and do our own thing. And the problem with that is it affects the whole entire economy when you go from everybody being under one household to now having four different households.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

So your brother moves out, you move out, your sister moves out. What was once under one household, as far as bills, now you need your own apartment. That means in order for you to sustain your life, you now need more money from this job. Right. And now you're doing that times three. And now everybody in the world is doing so that's why it's so expensive in America. In Africa, everything is communitized. So they don't need as much money as people in America because they are working together.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

Right. They're under one roof. Right. And that completely influences how you interact with other human beings. So women, specifically women aren't independent. They know they are dependent on a man. They need a man. In the US it's not the same. I'm just. Sorry. Women have experience living their life independently. Right. But in Africa, in order for you to, like, engage with women on a certain specific type of level, this person needs to be your wife.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, really?

[Maddie J]

Yes. You can't. You can't play around out there. If you're going to entertain a woman, you have to treat her. She's your wife now.

[Interviewer/Host]

So it's not. So it's the same thing. It's similar to a committed girlfriend, but you don't have just a little random.

[Maddie J]

Correct. That random stuff.

[Interviewer/Host]

Escapades.

[Maddie J]

Yeah, yeah, escapades. Exactly, exactly, exactly. Also the differences is a little bit of like, obviously there's a culture difference as far as how things are perceived and how you react to certain things. Obviously. Right. But like I said, I need to go back home.

[Interviewer/Host]

Welcome back. I'm so. I'm so glad you had. That's crazy. I'm so glad, Manny. Thank you, man. I appreciate you coming through again.

[Maddie J]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

Again. I saw you last night and I was so excited, man.

[Maddie J]

You know, I love my brothers, man.

[Interviewer/Host]

Ever, bro.

[Maddie J]

And people see this too, when they see us interact, they're like, yo, these guys genuinely love and rock with each other.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. 100.

[Maddie J]

It's not fake funk.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. It's different layers because, you know, you got some business relationships and you got some different types of relationships, but, you know, we've done a lot of spiritual work together, studies things of that nature, spend a lot of time together. So I appreciate you coming through, man. Is there anything else that we didn't talk about? We talked about a lot, man.

[Maddie J]

We can literally have an episode, new episode every day with entertaining stories, perspectives.

[Interviewer/Host]

When you get back. When you get back. We might have a weekly joint. Let's run it. Let's run it, man. Conversation.

[Maddie J]

Let's run it, bro. I got. I could get real deep in these stories, bro.

[Interviewer/Host]

I know it.

[Maddie J]

These lessons.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. When we turn the cameras off, I need to hear something.

[Maddie J]

I got. I got some prison stories, bro. Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

You were locked up.

[Maddie J]

Oh, man. Oh, man. Like I said, extortion is a serious thing.

[Interviewer/Host]

Tell me.

[Maddie J]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Like I said, we're gonna have to talk about it later. Bro.

[Interviewer/Host]

What country was.

[Maddie J]

Was in three different countries.

[Interviewer/Host]

You've been locked up in three different countries.

[Maddie J]

Me, People I know, like, I have to bail people out. Crazy situation. I've been locked up. I got locked up here the day before Passover. I got. Bro, I got a bunch of stories, bro. A bunch of stories for you.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Maddie J]

Business stories. Just life. Anything. Anything that can go wrong in somebody's life, I experience it. You just can't tell for me, because I embrace it in a different way.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

I accept it. I'm like, oh, this is interesting. And I'm like, what's God's will? And I navigate it in a healthy manner. And what's crazy is everybody has a crazy story. It's just. They just bit. They just allow it to traumatize themselves.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, for sure, Maddie. I appreciate you, my brother. Make sure y' all follow them on Instagram. CEO Maddie J. Yeah, man. Leave it. Leave us with a. With a word of wisdom before we wrap up.

[Maddie J]

Like I said, the most important skill trait that most people don't talk about is two things. Smiling and greeting. First, that's probably the most effective play that I use when I go out and meet people is for me to be approachable, I smile. And for me to make sure that approach starts into a icebreaker is I compliment them and I introduce myself. A lot of people, they meet somebody in an elevator, and it's dead silence. How many times have you even in your own apartment?

[Interviewer/Host]

For sure.

[Maddie J]

You go to elevator, you just standing there, just waiting for that door to open. That's the perfect opportunity to say, hey, man, I live on apartment 14B, and I do this and this. Oh, I do this and this. And now you are creating a commute, a real community. Imagine, you know, how many people live in an apartment building, don't know who their next door neighbor is. That's just crazy to me. And that's why people wonder why they're not in the financial position or the business position that they could be in because they're not squeezing the juice out of the opportunities that are already in their closest proximity.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well said, my brother, man, thank you so much. Look, man, y' all do me a favor. Go send a DM to CEO Maddie J. If you enjoyed this episode, let them know you enjoyed it, but also go get you some social proof. Meaning go build something and build it really, really big. But come back to your community and teach them how you did it. It's the only way our community.

[Maddie J]

Oh, I got a message for all these online coaches, too. I got one message. All the. All these online coaches. Not even I got a direct statement, matter of fact.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay.

[Maddie J]

A lot of online coaches and entrepreneurs who are teaching people how to do what they do is very important to not get caught up in the lifestyle of advertising. Your lifestyle versus just living it. I was able to be able to be in these countries and not have to do the point of videos. I'm recording my experience not to sell you an ad. I'm recording my experience because I want to share how amazing the experience is for me. Right. So a lot of people I know, they get caught up in it.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So.

[Maddie J]

So this is a reminder.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Maddie J]

When we get to travel, when we get to meet people. Remember when everything doesn't have to be monetized.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. I love it. We getting right there, man. We out of here. Peace. You want to know what's crazy? I meet entrepreneurs every single day who have amazing business ideas, but they're sitting on those ideas for six months, a year, sometimes even longer. And they think that they need the perfect logo or the perfect website or the perfect business plan before they start. Listen, none of that's true. The truth is you just need to start. And that's why I love Shopify. They already have everything you need to launch your business from day one. And when customers are finally ready to buy from you, Shopify checkout makes it so easy to actually convert those people who have intention to buy to actual sales. And then when they come back later, their information is already saved. So buying again makes it fast and easy. And here's what I really, really like. Instead of spending all your time trying to figure out websites and payments, Shopify handles all of that. So you can focus on what actually grows the business. Meaning you can create content or serving your customers and making more sales. And they power millions of businesses, from people just getting started, all the way up to brands like Mattel, Gymshark. Listen, family. With Shopify, nothing stands between your idea and a real business. So go make it one. Start your free [e-mail] Social Start your free [e-mail] Social hey, it's Bubba Wallace from 2311 Racing.

[Maddie J]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

VGW Group voidware prohibited by law.

[Maddie J]

21/plus, terms and conditions apply.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Interviewer/Host]

Evening. Buyer's remorse. Buy a new car.

[Maddie J]

I'll be moving in. Let's get started.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You what?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah. Great price. I even have seven days to love it or return it.

[Interviewer/Host]

So there's no.

[Ryan Reynolds]

No.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

No Buyer's remorse. More like buyers rejoice.

[Interviewer/Host]

I guess I'll let myself out. Congratulations. I mean it.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Buyers rejoice. Buy your car today on Carvana. Limitations and exclusions may apply. See our seven day return [e-mail].