Freedom Town USA with Patrick Dearborn

Summary

The Determined Society with Shawn French

Episode: "Freedom Town USA with Patrick Dearborn"

Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Shawn French
Guest: Patrick Dearborn

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Overview

This episode of "The Determined Society" sees host Shawn French sit down with community leader, fire commissioner, and realtor Patrick Dearborn. Their conversation explores the continual quest for self-betterment, the true meaning of unity and determination, and the impact of living with purpose in an increasingly divided world. The tone is authentic, upbeat, and motivating, as they dig beneath surface platitudes to share hard-won lessons, personal stories, and their determination to encourage and unify those around them.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Division in Society and the Need for Unity

• The episode opens with a frank take on polarization—political, social, and cultural—and who benefits when people are set against each other rather than working in solidarity ([00:00], [08:54]).
• Patrick Dearborn:
  "There is something, some force going back to the dawn of time that wants to keep us at each other as opposed to for each other." ([00:00], [08:54])
• Both men agree this dynamic has deep historical roots, but is amplified in the current era by media, algorithms, and social platforms that feed into division.

2. Personal Responsibility and Agency

• Shawn and Patrick underscore the importance of focusing on controllable internal factors, rather than blaming external circumstances such as politics or the economy ([01:00], [12:03], [13:52]).
• Shawn French:
  "Stop looking for excuses of why you're not making it because who's in charge. It doesn't matter..." ([01:00], [12:03])
• The discussion pivots to the value of daily habits, self-discipline, and refusing to fall into victim mentality.

3. Authenticity and Real-Life Struggles

• Both men reveal vulnerabilities, confessing struggles at home, professional setbacks, and the daily grind that social media doesn't show ([03:07], [47:28]).
• Patrick Dearborn:
  "I'm imperfect and I'm flawed and I make mistakes all the time...The best way to get beyond all that is to come together." ([08:54])

4. Unification over Division: Popsicle Stick Analogy

• Patrick shares a memorable analogy about popsicle sticks to illustrate the power of unity; one stick breaks easily, but together, they're nearly unbreakable ([10:02]).
• Patrick Dearborn:
  "If you get eight or nine together and they're all very thin and you put a rubber band around them...you're not breaking those popsicle sticks." ([10:02])

5. Faith, Community, and Being an Encourager

• Faith is a guiding principle for both, yet the discussion is inclusive—emphasizing shared human experiences across diverse backgrounds ([14:04]-[14:59], [15:46], [20:15]).
• The importance of being an encourager and role model in the community, rather than focusing on labels and differences, is a recurring theme.

6. Habits, Self-Discipline, and Setting Standards

• Early wake-ups, gym routines, and non-negotiables are explored as tools for winning the day and staying consistent even when motivation flags ([34:51], [36:25], [39:26]).
• Shawn French:
  "The one thing that you struggle with, take care of that thing and make standards and processes and systems around that to insulate you from all risk..." ([37:19])

7. Service, Local Pride, and First Responders

• Patrick shares his motivation behind serving as fire commissioner in "Freedomtown USA" (Naples, Florida), emphasizing the honor of supporting first responders ([27:58], [28:54]).
• Both express pride and gratitude for their community, recognizing the often overlooked daily sacrifices of police, firefighters, and EMS ([30:11], [30:49]).

8. Purpose, Growth, and Future Aspirations

• Shawn discusses his goals for the podcast and brand, emphasizing impact over fame—wanting "The Determined Society" to be a place that truly empowers people ([49:31], [49:56]).
• Shawn French:
  "I want to empower society to chase their damn dreams, no matter how they feel emotionally at the time." ([49:56])

9. True Determination and Commitment

• In a powerful exchange on the meaning of determination, Patrick reveals his origins as an abortion clinic survivor, linking his survival to an ingrained never-give-up attitude ([56:01]).
• Patrick Dearborn:
  "Doing things, the right things, even when nobody's looking and the lights aren't on...that's a determining attribute." ([56:01])
• Shawn French:
  "Determination to me is just doing what you said you were going to do long after the emotion wears off." ([58:36])

10. Cherishing Family and Small Moments

• A grounding segment details Shawn's joy at spending a simple evening doing parent pickup, dinner, and board games with his youngest daughter—affirming that family, not achievement, is the ultimate reward ([59:28]-[61:12]).
• Shawn French:
  "I moved forward as a human being and as a father yesterday. And, you know... that's determination." ([61:27])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Unity in Diversity:

“I think we have more in common than we do apart. I don't care if your name tag says Muslim. I don't care if it says Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Christian. You're still a human being.”
– Patrick Dearborn (14:04)

On Social Media's Influence:

“Everybody looks awesome on social media… Hunky Dory… But we don't have it all figured out.”
– Shawn French (03:07)

On Facing Adversity:

"On top of the mountain. Didn't fall there."
– Patrick Dearborn (02:30, reiterated at 20:15)

Overcoming Fear and Moving Forward:

"You can't be better for everybody if you don't take care of yourself first. And that is not a selfish thing."
– Shawn French (36:24)

Faith as Strength, Not Perfection:

“The disciples were...imperfect and flawed, just like we are. Yet Jesus was patient and he already knew… and yet he still loved on all of them and kept him as his core group."
– Patrick Dearborn (21:00)

On True Determination:

"Doing what you said you were going to do long after the emotion wears off."
– Shawn French (58:36, quoting Dan Tuffarello)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Quote | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Patrick opens: societal division and personal vulnerability | | 03:07 | Reality vs. social media: “We don’t have it all figured out…” | | 08:54 | Patrick discusses unity over labels, reflects on faith and imperfection | | 10:02 | Popsicle sticks analogy on unity and strength | | 14:04–14:59 | Patrick on finding common ground, not focusing on differences | | 20:15 | On learning from setbacks: “On top of the mountain. Didn’t fall there.” | | 27:58 | Why Patrick serves as fire commissioner | | 34:51 | Early routines and first-thing-in-the-day habit setting | | 37:19 | The importance of standards over goals | | 49:31 | Shawn’s vision: future growth and impact of The Determined Society | | 56:01 | Patrick defines determination, shares abortion survivor story | | 58:36 | Commitment: “doing what you said… after the emotion wears off” | | 59:28–61:12 | Shawn’s story of family, presence, and daily victories |

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Conclusion

This episode radiates with encouragement to take ownership of one’s actions and mindset, to unify rather than divide, and to keep moving forward with authenticity—especially when nobody is watching. Both Shawn and Patrick model humility, humor, and heart, challenging listeners to support each other, be encouragers, and build community from the inside out. Whether discussing local pride in Naples, transcending political echo chambers, or the grind of personal transformation, their message is clear: determination means showing up for yourself and others, choosing growth daily, and never forgetting the simple blessings right in front of you.

Transcript

[Patrick Dearborn]

It's okay not to be perfect with finances. Experian is your big financial friend and here to help. Did you know you can get matched with credit cards on the app? Some cards are labeled no Ding decline, which means if you're not approved, they won't hurt your credit scores. Download the Experian app for free today. Applying for no Ding decline cards won't hurt your credit scores. If you aren't initially approved, initial approval will result in a hard inquiry which may impact your credit scores. Experian. They're wrong. They're bad. Whether it be the liberals, the Democrats or the communists or the socialists, there is something, some force going back to the dawn of time that wants to keep us at each other as opposed to for each other. We've all got the same issues. We've all got kids and bills and stress. And then on top of all that, we got politics. And this side wants this and this side wants that. There are things that go on every day that President Trump does I don't like, but I never hated the other guy who was in.

[Sean French]

But see, that's the problem right now. The fact of the matter is, no matter which way the pendulum swings when America speaks, that's my president and that's what I deal with. And I just know also too, that I control my own day. Stop looking for excuses of why you're not making it because who's in charge. It doesn't matter what abilities and talents and blessings that you have waiting for you. If you get stuck on the extrinsic factors that you cannot control, you're done.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Man, I can't stop looking at that shirt. I mean, dude, I'm serious.

[Sean French]

Hey, this is a drop that I'm one of one that has gold collar. It's really can't mention it but October, there's a massive collab coming off. You have one on too. You just got the T shirt.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I just got a lousy. My buddy went to goding got a brand new shirt. All I got was this lousy T shirt. Now I love.

[Sean French]

I got a lot of shirts, man. I love Kevin's dope.

[Patrick Dearborn]

But you're locking arms with them. I love. No, I love their brand.

[Sean French]

Yeah, no, they're great. We're going to be doing some merch collabs too.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Awesome.

[Sean French]

I got the. You saw the proof. Show the thread.

[Patrick Dearborn]

This logo is fire, man.

[Sean French]

Right.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I mean, I'm not going to lie to you. I. I love it man. Than love it.

[Sean French]

Thank you, Kevin man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Kevin Van Duer and go to man. And Red State Golf. Doing great things for sure. All right, shout out to my guy Colin sitting over here, too. I got my boy Colin in the room. We're doing some cool stuff with AI Just hired him to take my real estate stuff and social media to the next level.

[Sean French]

Come on, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

We're trying to get to Sean French's level, so we're going to get there. Baby stuff.

[Sean French]

I mean, do you have a lot of tears? Because that's what it took me, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

We talk about that.

[Sean French]

We. I mean, come on, man. Let's be real, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

On top of the mountain. Didn't fall there.

[Sean French]

No, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Blind. And they kicked you in the freaking head every step of the way.

[Sean French]

I do, honestly. And I still feel like I'm getting my teeth kicked in, like, daily. Right. I mean, because it's just part of it. Right? It's just to me, it's like, give.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Me their names, give me their names. Address their names.

[Sean French]

But the thing is, is, like, you just. I mean, there's always another level, right? And there's always another proof that you belong at that level. Yeah, Right. So it's just a constant churning, and it's like this undercurrent of movement that no one sees. Right. They see the show. They see everything what we're doing.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Everybody looks awesome on social media, but, yeah, hunky Dory.

[Sean French]

And again, I'm like, the first one to admit, like, man, we don't have it all figured out. And, like, I'm not perfect. I have my problems at home. You know, I got a great wife, three beautiful children. But it's still stressful.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Absolutely.

[Sean French]

You know, so we go through those things, and, like, a lot of times it does feel like a donkey kick right in the nuts. But. But, dude, like, I'm super happy to have you on the show, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Thank you, brother.

[Sean French]

We've been friends probably for going on about a year now. Like, just. But really started to get really, really close. And I just value you, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

So I'm good people. Back at you, man. It's funny how you lock arms with people. That law of attraction, whatever that is. But I'm drawn to people. Like, I was drawn to Colin. I saw a social media post with Bigfoot in Naples. I'm like, that's a cool little thing. Who's doing this? And I kind of researched and. And sought him out. I love what grit does, man. I still think that clip I did with them way back. I mean, these guys are. They're young. They're just aggressive, great dudes. They Want to share people's stories, whether it be that my favorite comedian in the world, Jim Brewer, or now my second favorite podcaster, because Gary Brca, I have to say, is my favorite. But you're my second favorite podcaster with Determined Society. I went through and rewatch a lot of your shows, man. I did. I'm sorry, but no, dude, people you've had on your show, man, from Jamie Kennedy to I heard you got Fat Joe coming up here soon.

[Sean French]

Like we're hoping.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah. You have a variety of people.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And this theme is always the same. We're trying to help people just be better.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

With their lives. And you. And you pick out nuggets. You get a great way of getting things out of people.

[Sean French]

Thank you.

[Patrick Dearborn]

To share with your audience about how we can all get better, man. We're all trying to get better. I want to be better today than I was yesterday because yesterday I sucked.

[Sean French]

I mean, yesterday I had a bad day yesterday too, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I sucked.

[Sean French]

What was the greatest day? But you know what, man? You need those days, too, because without darkness, there's no light. Right. And it's crazy because you talk about the wide variety. Right. Of that the show brings it. I don't, I'm a unifier. And you and I had this conversation the other day. You know, if you're about, if you're a unifier, you have to have some type of unification. So I don't care who you are. For people you know, watching, listen, the show now, like, I don't care what your views are. I, I, I, I actually love people. So when you come on the show, you're never going to get bombarded by me. I'm gonna seek clarification, I'm gonna ask questions, and if I have a different, a differing opinion, I will give it. But it's gonna be in a respectful way because like you mentioned earlier, you were talking to somebody from Fox earlier today and you realize that two completely different religions, but you guys had a lot more in common that than you thought you did. And that's what I think the world is missing, is missing dudes like you that are out there actually doing it. People can talk about it behind a camera. People can talk about it with the phone in front of their face talking about unification, but what are their actions showing? So, you know, have you always been that way?

[Patrick Dearborn]

That's a great question, man. So, you know, no, I, there's still moments every week where I get sucked into what they want us to do, which is they want me to dislike you.

[Sean French]

Yep.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Because of the color of your shirt, the color of your skin, your religious beliefs, your sexual orientation. Did you get vaxxed or not vaxed? Whatever your name tag says, they, Whoever they are, they want us at odds.

[Sean French]

Where do you think it started? I. I have an opinion. I. I personally feel everybody talking, we talked about COVID I know it's like old news, but, you know, there's a lot of people affected, impacted by that. We love talking about it. But. But here's the thing. Like, everybody thought that that was the ceiling. I thought that was the. That was the baseline of the division that was about to transpire for the years to come. So that's my opinion. It may have started way before then, Sean.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And this has been going on since. Since literally since Adam and Eve. I'm just telling you there's always going to be evil in the world. And I think evil figured out that, man, if I get everybody at each other, because if we all get together, you've seen amazing things. When groups come together, unfortunately, it takes something very traumatic, very horrible to happen. I'm gonna go back to 9 11, 9 11. I remember the statistic. More people went to church the Sunday after 9 11, 2001, than had been to church, I think, in the last 40, 50 years. And the point was. And again, whether you're for church or not for church, I'm not. That's not here to. I'm not here to tell you to go to church. What I'm here to tell you is that this division, whoever's behind it, they love us because we're weaker. When you and I are not locked on, when you and I lock arms. When you and a Gary Breca lock arms. When, when. When you and John Huffman and you and Derek Carlson and you and Jeff Delaney. Think about that day I met. We. We were on the same panel almost a year ago.

[Sean French]

Yeah, January.

[Patrick Dearborn]

But I just got so excited to be there to hear. I picked up like seven or eight great little nuggets for myself. And then locking arms with you and. And following you ever since then. And then all of a sudden, we crossed paths again at the 2:3,9, live. It was God's way of saying, hey, you two need to get together.

[Sean French]

Yeah. What's your problem? You guys need to.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah, we do.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And right away, we had a lot of common things, and I like to unify. But getting back to your question.

[Sean French]

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[Patrick Dearborn]

They're wrong, they're bad. Whether it be the liberals, the democrats or the communists or the socialists, they're all labels. But on a daily basis, I find myself because if I hadn't to peek at the news, if I hear something on the radio, I see something on social media, or I see friends of mine who are screaming at the top of their lungs, the exact opposite of what I think I stand for, I start to get caught up in it again, of course. So my best days are when I turn that stuff off. I spend time, quiet time just meditating. I spend quiet time reading my Bible app. And for those that are watching right now, yeah, I read a Bible app. I know, shocking to some of your people out there. But you know what? I also go to church. I'm a believer. But you know what else I am? I'm imperfect and I'm flawed and I make mistakes all the time. You said that earlier. All of us are imperfect and flawed. All of us have issues. And the best way to get beyond all that is to come together. So again, I go back to. There is something, some force going back to the dawn of time that wants to keep us at each other as opposed to for each other.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And I use this analogy. I taught a kid's Sunday school class a long time ago and I use these little popsicle sticks, those little wooden things.

[Sean French]

I love this story.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And these popsicle sticks, you take one popsicle stick, you can easily snap it. Easy. Take two sticks, you can snap it. You're strong, you probably snap three or four. But if you get eight or nine together and they're all very thin and you put a rubber banner, which the rubber rubber band stands for, unity, whatever. It's unifying those people together. Try to break it. I don't care. The strongest guy in the world, Big Mike could be here. You're not breaking those popsicle sticks. And the moral of that story and that Sunday school lesson to those kids was together we can do so much with God. All things are possible. And that's okay if I keep messing up, because God knows my heart whether I admit it out loud, whether I or I. Whatever. If I'm thinking it. God already knows. So why not embrace that and go, man, I'm imperfect. I'm flawed. I'm broken. How can I help other people.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Get through their times? And that's what I've. That's. That's the biggest reason why I want to come on your show, is I saw people opening up and sharing with me, regardless of their celebrity status, that we're all in the same boat. We've all got the same issues. We all have struggles at home, like you said. We've all got kids and bills and stress and family members that drive us crazy. And then on top of all that, we got politics. And this side wants this, and this side wants that. And even though I consider myself a true conservative, there are things that go on every day that President Trump does I don't like.

[Sean French]

No, absolutely.

[Patrick Dearborn]

But I never hated the other guy who was in. There was no hatred. That's why I don't understand the hatred. I never hated Obama. I never hated Joe Biden. I would pray every Sunday. Please, God, pray for our president. Let him. Give him discernment to do what's best for our country and for all of us. And. But if your guy doesn't win, you know, I don't just pack up my toys and go home.

[Sean French]

But see, that's the problem right now, right? That is the removal of the Popsicle sticks, Right? Because now it's two sides. Like, it's. It's very clear that if you didn't vote for Trump, you hate him and vice versa. And I just don't believe in that. You know, I like to think of myself right down the middle, and I'm, you know, common ground. Common ground, man. Like, I could go either way, but the. The fact of the matter is, no matter which way the pendulum swings when America speaks, that's my President Absolutely, like, 100% like that. That's who I have for the next four, maybe eight years. And that's what I deal with. And I just know also, too, that I control my own day. I control my own economy within my home. And the thing that I. And this is for you guys watching that I really want you to key in on. Stop looking for excuses of why you're not making it, because who's in charge? Because interest rates are too high, because my home prices are dropping. Like, guys, this is a normal cycle that we're in, and if you allow it to beat you, then you will be beaten. But if you dig your damn heels in. And again, theme of the show determined, you Stay determined to win and do things the right way. Not win at all costs, do things the right way, but really dive into the what makes you and what's going to make you successful. Focus on that, not what you see on Instagram. I think I love social media because it built my brand, but at the same time that. I mean, listen, man, the social media platforms are so freaking powerful because, dude, it goes on interest. It goes on interest. Everybody wants to know what the algorithm is like. No, it goes on what you click on, what you like, what you look at on your search engines. You know, it doesn't matter what it is. But if you choose to allow that to reign your day.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

Then you're going to lose. It doesn't matter what abilities and talents and blessings that you have waiting for you. If you get stuck on the extrinsic factors that you cannot control, you're done.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah. Wow.

[Sean French]

Wow. That's a rant.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I'm not gonna. We buy the word extremes. That's a good. That's a good word, man. Big word. But look, your message is so powerful. I agree. I could not agree more. And I wish I was more middle of the road. I'm definitely an outspoken guy when it came to things like Covid and mandatory vaccines and. Yeah, so I had that rebel in me. I like to challenge authority. I've been that way from the day I was born. So, anyway, but again, the good side of me, the. My heart always wants to find a way. Like with the news reporter today, he's Muslim. He told me he was very proud. I'm like, man, that's awesome. I gave him fist bump, gave him a hug, because again, I think we have more in common than we do apart. I don't care if your name tag says Muslim. I don't care if it says Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, I still want it. You're still a human being.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah. You still have a family, you have a wife, you have kids, you have problems, you have issues, you have bills. We're all in the same boat, man. So, again, I love the fact that you are a unifier. I want to be more of a unifier. And let's find common ground to bring us together, not what political issues or what other issues we have apart. Yeah, I get caught up in it, man. I get sucked up into it sometimes. But I promise you, by watching. By watching this podcast, the Determined Society, and watching other podcasts, like a Joe Rogans, like even a Gary Breakus, where it's focused on health, focus on positive Things, man. Making an impact. What's wrong with being the better, the best version of ourself? The ultimate, determined version of Shawn French? I can guarantee you this. The ultimate, determined, best Shawn French, because the grace of God is unstoppable. Meaning that you could lead so many people down in much brighter path. You're an encourager, man. So I love encouragers. So we need more people to be encouragers. Gary Breck is an encourager. He encourages people to be the healthiest them they can be. He's not reading that in the wheel, Right. He's giving you common sense facts in a way where it's easily relatable. Joe Rogan does the same thing. Joe Rogan wasn't even a Trump guy. He interviewed Trump. He liked Trump. Bill Maher was an anti Trump guy. And I've. I use Bill Maher because Bill Maher hated Trump. And yet he still, out of respect, went and met with the President of the United States. I think Kid Rock set that meeting up. And he came out of that and said, you know what? He's not as bad as my perception, because our perceptions of people, my perception of a. Of a big podcast superstar like yourself, and I'm saying that fictitiously, there's no heirs about you, man. You are as down to earth as anybody ever met in my life. And yet you have a. You're blessed to have a hugely success, successful and popular podcast show. I want to get there where I can reach more people and. But you're what you're teaching me. And when I'm learning from you and by watching your shows, I'll get a lot more influence and impact and can encourage more people by being more of a unifier. And that's what it's all about. And I mean that. So I'm all about wanting to find out how I can become, how we all can become more unifiers, more encouragers of each other.

[Sean French]

The thing is, is like, you're already on that path, right? Because. Because when I look at some days. Yeah, some days, right. We're not. None of us are perfect. But when I see you at the 239 live, we're automatically. We're in one place. So it's like, okay, we automatically belong. So when we talk about unification on a very broad societal scale, yep, it's almost impossible. That's just like saying, day one, first time I drop a show, I want to have the top 10 podcasts on Spotify and Apple. Like, that's a tall order. That's a tall order, though. Think about that, like, that's realistic to think that on day one. But did you. No.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Was that your goal?

[Sean French]

I don't know what my goal was. Just to interview local people that have maybe won state championships and, you know, you know, good sales. Just like.

[Patrick Dearborn]

So you started out as, like, Pat Nemerstar. That's like the grit guys. Yeah.

[Sean French]

Like, I started out because I wanted to understand someone else's recipe for success and then give it to people so they had a blueprint to wake up in the morning and do this shitty sales job that they don't want to freaking do. I love it because the emotion's gonna tell em to not go do it. It's gonna, hey, stay home, have a bad attitude. Oh, man, I gotta go door to door. This sucks. Well, maybe it does suck, but where's the joy in it? What's it gonna create for you? What are you building? What type of discipline and resilience and determination are you building by doing that even though you hate it? Yeah, but my point is it starts in the community.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

Not at a massive societal level. It starts at your in. In your. In your home base. So when I work with my team here with grit, you know, I mean, yeah, we have our point. They're amazing. Do we have our. Our moments? Like, but. But it's. Nothing's ever said or done out of harm.

[Patrick Dearborn]

We.

[Sean French]

We give our opinions. We usually land on the same spot, you know, and. But the thing is, is understanding other people, and when you do that with all your guests, they become entrenched of like, saying, oh, wow, here's the thought process. That was the most fun interview I've ever had. Thank you for that. I really appreciate that. That does mean a lot to me. And then when the show comes out, they share it like crazy. They put it to their mailing list like Brad Meltzer. 12 out of 12. Best. Best New York Times bestseller. 12 out of 12. Multiple genres. Multiple genres. Now he's in kids books. You know, he's just dropping another one called the Viper. Dude's a massive hit, dude. That show got 63,000 streams, that one show. And it's. What's his message? Kindness is a superpower. Like, guys, there's a reason that people read his books. There's a. He's a very talented author, don't get me wrong. But when people get behind the man or the woman, because they know that that man or woman is about what they say they're about, people go to war for them.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Oh, yeah.

[Sean French]

And that's what I've Tried to create here and again, still trying, right? We're still. I won't say try, but we're. We're executing. You're getting there, but we're getting there.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah, man. On top of the mountain. Didn't fall there for sure, man. So that's awesome. You know, it goes back to what you and I were talking about before earlier. I was sharing with you some. Some of my background. I know we share a common faith, right. We're both believers. I. I don't personally use the term I'm Christian because Christian means Christ. Like, and I can tell you and those that know me and my friends and family know I'm. I'm. There are times when I'm not very Christ. Like I'm a follower of Christ. I'm watching the Chosen again, rewatching it. I'm on season four or five, and it's just so good. And I'm not here to promote a TV show, but if you wanted reading the Bible for all. I'm almost 57 years old. Reading the Bible, I get lost sometimes or it goes over my head. Seeing this show in contact, I'm a visual person. The Chosen has really shown me how imperfect and flawed, just like we are. The disciples were. Yet Jesus was patient and he already knew, this guy's going to betray me. This guy's going to deny me three times. This guy's going to do this, this guy's going to do that. And yet he still loved on all of them and kept him as his core group. And it just, it teaches me, number one, that we are who we hang around. We are who we hang around. Number two, we are the sum of not just our experiences growing up, but we're the sum of who we hang out with the most. So when I hang out with great people and Con and I have had this discussion, there's a verse in the Bible, Proverbs, and I can't quote many, but Proverbs 27:17. Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another. So you got to get around those kind of people. You got to say, hey, you're a man. I'm a man. I'm a father. You're a father. You were a son. I was a son. And. And you share the struggles that we have. Listen, it ain't easy being a heterosexual, straight, white, Christian Christ following conservative male in today's society. And I spoke those words. For me, it ain't easy.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

But I can tell you this. I gotta quit focusing on and worrying about am I getting my Fair share. Am I getting my just rewards? Am I getting my just desserts and focusing on how can I make everybody around my circle better?

[Sean French]

That. That. That's it, right? That, that, that is. That is the cheat code. If you want, if you. If everybody wants a silver bullet, right, of what's it going to take to do whatever it is that you want to do. I don't care at what level. I don't care if you're a beginner or an expert.

[Patrick Dearborn]

The.

[Sean French]

The path to greatness is make people better.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Thousand percent.

[Sean French]

It's value. It's value based. It's. It's. It's driven with value. If you can't provide the value and people aren't picking up what you're putting down and there's maybe some disconnects in there with what you're saying, what you actually do, well, then. Then it's a completely different. Completely different story. You said something, and I, I don't want to glance over it because, you know, you talked about, you know, all the disciples and Jesus and. And he knew that person was going to. Done I am. Three times. He knew that.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Betray him.

[Sean French]

Portray him just so.

[Patrick Dearborn]

But you're watching the show, getting angry, like, right? Don't you know he's gonna put you there?

[Sean French]

You know the deal, man. What are you doing, Jason?

[Patrick Dearborn]

Crazy.

[Sean French]

But here's the thing. If he could do it, why can't we? Because all the. All too often people go into interactions and conversations and business conversations or whatever it is with, like, if I give something, it's always a quid pro quo. But why can't you just back, like, why can't you just be like, what? I didn't have any intentions of going other than, you know, Pat and Tim asked me to come on. I'm like, dude, that sounds like a fun time. Like, it's something different. I haven't done a live show in a long time.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That was fun.

[Sean French]

Let me go. Let's go. Have a blast. But then when you give all your attention and all your. Your poise and your focus to that one activity, things come out of it. Things always come out of it. When you lead the right way, when you lead with your heart and just being excited to be around people. And that's what drives me crazy. It drives me crazy when people don't think that way. And again, I'm not here to judge y'. All. I mean, because I don't have the same worldly view or. Or the same paradigm as maybe three people that are listening right now pissed off at. What I'm saying is I. I see you, I got you. Follow me. Hold on is I don't have their perspective so I can't intelligently speak on that. But what I can say, what I can say without a shadow of a doubt, if they just tried to operate out of a value based and. And a giving energy, their day would be much better and they will start to knock down some of those goals that they have set that thousand. There's a major block, right? There's a major energetic block. When you want something very massive but you hold it so tight. Not just finances, not just your success, but when you hold so tight that you close people off, you are. You are cutting your knees out from underneath you thousand percent. Got to be open, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah, yeah. You know he asked earlier about that song. It's been on my head. I got roads I read. Got a verse in there that says there's a lot of great verses. It's about. I relate to it because of the. The words. But one of the verses is every sinner has a future, every saint has a pass. And we were on that panel last year and I didn't pre plan this but it just came to me where there's a reason why the rear view mirror is this big and my windshield get out in front of me.

[Sean French]

I remember that. I remember that.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And we focus so much on the past and I'm just going to be real. Whoever they are that want me and you at each other, they don't want us getting along. They also like us to be fearful and focus so much on our past. Like how you can't, you can't. I can't talk somebody about my faith because look at all the bad things I've done in my life. Look at what I did last Saturday at that pool party. And that's what Satan whispers in your ear. You're not worthy enough. You're not good enough. You're not worthy enough. I used to always. People would ask me how you doing? And I always had this pre. I heard it from somewhere and I thought it was a cool response. Better than I deserve. And along the way someone pulled me aside, goes stop saying that because you deserve. We deserve a phenomenal life. Goes back to what you just said. We are the biggest cause why we don't have those phenomenal lives because we caught up in that rear view mirror. And I get caught up in my side view mirrors going what's this person doing? What's that person doing? As opposed to staying in my lane and Looking out through my windshield going, I got all this. Look at all these people I can impact. Look at all these people I could ask to come to my men's group Tuesday morning at 7:30 at see the table, look at what I can do with the kids in immokalee and the things that we do and give them back and you do the same thing. So the point is not to be a do gooder and wear that shirt that says I'm here to save the world. No, we want to listen. Being an encourager, being a giver is not a trumpet call to self importance. It's not a trumpet call to flex your muscles, throw out your chest. Being a giver, being a follower of Christ, being an encourager means it's a trumpet call to serve. That's why I ran for fire commissioner. Fire commissioner by the way, pays $500 a month. So I didn't do it for the money.

[Sean French]

Right?

[Patrick Dearborn]

And I'm not making fun of $500 a month. I donate that salary to worthwhile causes. But I did it because I was never a firefighter. But I love what firefighters do. Yeah man, just in general, they run. When I was in the military, we ran towards the fire, we ran towards the gunfire, we ran towards danger. And you can't teach it, you can't learn. It doesn't mean I'm better than other people. But for some reason God made me where I have that knack where if there's gunfire, I'm running towards it and pulling my, my, my glock out and we're gonna put down a bad guy. And I pray every day I never have to do that when I carry my concealed carry. But man, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, period. But I run towards it. These firefighters here, we have locally every day Greater Naples fire rescue, they respond into car. You know how many car accidents on a given day we have?

[Sean French]

That would, that would be the hardest part about that crazy dude in 100.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Degree heat and they're fully loaded up and they're, they're EMT certified, they're there for every call, every 911 call. The elderly population in Collier county, man, they take the wrong medication. I'm having heart palpitations. You don't know which 911 call. They're getting ready to die or they're dead. And they got to show up and try to do life saving measures. So shout out to Amina to not just the Greater Naples Fire rescue firefighters and EMS and the Staff. But to all of our first responders, man, I was so honored today to be requested to come to the Collier County Board of County Commissioner meeting. And I got to lead a pledge of allegiance and give a shout out to. I love Livid in Collier county because. And we've nicknamed this town Freedomtown USA because we love our first responders cops. We don't spit on our cops in this town. We respect our law enforcement. We respect and love and appreciate all of our firefighters, all our ems, all of our nurses. Listen, first responders and essential personnel can go beyond teachers and dentists. And I mean, it goes on and on and on, but let's focus on those first responders. I love living in a town where as a community, we love and cherish them. And that doesn't happen every community.

[Sean French]

Well, there's a lot that goes on with first responders. Right. Like, my uncle was a firefighter, retired out in Woodland, California. Idolize them when I, when I was growing up. But, you know, with first responders, there's always the things that they do, like running towards the fire. You know, our police, our police department keeps us safe. And they don't know which traffic stop is going to be their last and.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Or someone's going to pull out a gun.

[Sean French]

That's what I'm saying. Right. You don't know when it's going to be your last one. I mean, it could be, right?

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

But then you look at the other side of the coin. They have families at home that are worried about them every single day that they go to work. So why would we not edify these people Thousand percent? You know, that's a great point, man. That's a great point.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And that's why I ran. I didn't run. Listen, I've been asked to run for other political offices. And I'll say the same thing, and I'll say it right now. I have no interest in any other thing. I love being the fire commissioner because, a, I just love giving back to our community and really helping these people have great lives. And I love our county. Yeah. So to me, I'm an encourager. Right. So I want to encourage our firefighters. I want to encourage our taxpayer, my fellow taxpaying citizens. Look, we all got to pay a little bit extra to make sure our firefighters and their families are taken care of and our police are taken care of, and that's how you have a great county. We walk around all the time bragging about how awesome Collier County. I mean, a week doesn't go by, we're in Naples or Collier county doesn't end up number one, number two on some list, best places to live, healthiest place to live, happiest place to live. Well, those are all true. We love it here.

[Sean French]

But why super clean too.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And that's.

[Sean French]

That's not a lord.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That, that doesn't involve politics, that doesn't involve anything else. Religion. It involves people caring about each other and caring about our community. And I'm blessed. We're blessed to live here. We have low crime. We have the best first responders. We have low crime here. We have great supermarkets with locally grown, healthy organic stuff. We have the beach and our grassy yards year round. No snow, no frost. You can walk outside and walk barefoot on the earth and ground. It's good for you. You can walk outside and breathe fresh air every day. You can walk and take a dip in the ocean with manatees and sea turtles and dolphins every day. And that's free. Yeah, free.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

So imagine living here. We can do that year round. So again, I feel like people forget sometimes as we work our job, we put our heads down, our blinders on. You forget the Gulf of America is literally a mile and a half that way. You forget that seed the table where the. Where the vegetables and fruits are grown 8, 10 miles east of here, out there in the farmlands of Immokalee. And shout out to Alfio. It's one of my good friends and just a great, great guy for our county. So much history here. Give so much back. So we appreciate you and love you, Alfie. But I can go on and on and on. The local businesses here and people that have built. John R. Wood may rest in peace. John R. Wood started the company I work for, my day job being a realtor in 1958. And that guy is a short. He was a short little guy, the funniest guy ever. Always made people laugh. He became an icon. He helped start multiple things like St. Matthew's House and Supported them. And there's some. Some housing places, Justin's place, that John or Wood, Mr. Wood started himself because he wanted to give back and he wanted to pour into the town that he loved in 1958. This town wasn't that big of a deal back then, but guys like him put this town on on the map. And that's why everybody wants to live here. So realtors like me and businesses like everybody else benefit because we live somewhere where everybody wants to be here. How awesome is that?

[Sean French]

That's pretty darn cool, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And I don't care the 10 command the front of the government door or not. It's still Freedomtown usa. It's still an awesome place to live. I hope they pass that today because it's referring to our history of our ten Commandments, not a religious statement. But again, at the end of the day, I gotta focus on, turn off the news, focus on positive things, get around like minded, positive people. Listen to podcasts, learn things, get better mentally, physically and spiritually. And the rest is. Rest is cake.

[Sean French]

Good segue, right? Really all, all great things. You know, we talk about getting better mentally, right? Physically, you've been looking great. Looking great, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

You know, did you just be honest between us and your, and your followers and your watchers, did you do biceps today, man, before?

[Sean French]

No, I had, I had. No, man, I had back today.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I don't like.

[Sean French]

No, I had today. It was bad.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Is there some. Yes. Some weights back there, man?

[Sean French]

Little baby girls, real five pounders. No, today was a back day and it was at 4:30 in the morning. So my pun is gone at the pump's gone. Thanks Ami.

[Patrick Dearborn]

4:30Am yeah, man, I thought I was early at 6:30.

[Sean French]

Well, see, here's the thing, right? It all bleeds into the conversation. All these things that we're wanting to get better at. Whether it's a job, doesn't matter. My marriage and your marriage.

[Patrick Dearborn]

My marriage, my relationship with my son.

[Sean French]

Yeah. My kids.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

It.

[Patrick Dearborn]

All my co workers.

[Sean French]

It all starts with the first decision you make every day. And so when people say to me like, dude, you can work out at 9, you're your own boss. I'm like, if I work out at 9am I have my publicist blowing up my phone. I, I mean I have so many different things. I have my partners that, that need me. I have my, I have grit that needs me. I have my wife that needs me, my children. I need to be present. I need to be focused. So for me, for everybody listening, everybody has that one thing that they struggle with. And that's usually the first thing that you need to take care of every single day. For me, for a long time, I got out of the gym, I got in really bad shape. So I said, okay, I need to get up at 4. I need to be in the gym parking lot by 4:25, 4:30. And then I go do the damn thing that I don't want to do the most in my life. And then when I get home, Daddy's lit up. Daddy feels good. He had a 45 minute lift. I just, I just sat in the sauna for 25, 30 minutes, chopping it up with dudes that, that, that have the same type of energy that are there doing the work in the morning. I get home and I'm like, everything else is easy. The breakfast, the making the snacks for the kids, helping my wife get them ready for the morning. Because she's up there getting ready for her day. She's a teacher, God bless her. Right. And so, but, but my point is you can't be better for everybody if you don't take care of yourself first. And that is not a selfish thing.

[Patrick Dearborn]

No.

[Sean French]

But now here's the other flip side of it.

[Patrick Dearborn]

If I want second. Yeah. The key at that first takeaway and they're done yet you do something right at the gate, you wake up, you go do something you don't want to do.

[Sean French]

Bundle and safe.

[Patrick Dearborn]

With Expedia, you were made to follow your favorite band. And from the front row, we were made to quietly save you. More Expedia made to travel savings vary and subject to availability. Flight inclusive packages are at all protected. Hey, do something you don't want to do every day. And you want to have, you want to make sure your kids are going to be okay when they get older and can adapt to this crazy society in this world. Make your kids do something they don't want to do every day. You know what? You're preparing them for real life.

[Sean French]

Yeah. How about that?

[Patrick Dearborn]

Anyway, yeah.

[Sean French]

No, so I just think it's important, man. I, I don't know where I was going with it outside of that, but every.

[Patrick Dearborn]

You were telling me how you start your day sets off your whole thing, right?

[Sean French]

It's, it's everything but you have a.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Choice to do that. Right?

[Sean French]

But then when I don't do it, those are the days that I'm, I have lack of patience. Those are the days that I'm snippy with my wife and my kids. Because you know why it's not their fault is because I broke my word to myself. I broke my standard. And goals are one thing, but when you have a standard and you hold to it, that's where the growth happens. It could be physically, it could be mentally, it could be financial. It doesn't matter. Everybody has to have a standard. And the one thing that you struggle with, take care of that thing and make standards and processes and systems around that to insulate you from all risk and get really good at that. Guess what else happens to everything else? It takes care of it itself. Because now you operate in those relationships and those other verticals. The same way you do when you wake up at 4 o' clock in the morning, you have your butt in the gym.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That's it. Bam. I'm not doing 4:30 the gym. But same thing. Non negotiables. You gotta be consistent. Mind, body, spirit. This episode is brought to you by LifeLock.

[Sean French]

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[Patrick Dearborn]

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[Sean French]

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[Patrick Dearborn]

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[Sean French]

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[Patrick Dearborn]

Visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off terms apply. I love again, you're getting up. Who wants to get up at 4am and go to the gym at 4:30? No, that's not a natural thing. No, it's no different than jumping into a three minute cold shower or a three minute cold plunge. Your body doesn't want to do that. That's natural. And yet you make yourself do it.

[Sean French]

Brain is wired to keep you safe, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

And I remember this morning I was telling Kyle over there is I. You know, I woke up at 4 and I laid at this. I laid in the bed and looked at.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I know Kyle was not before.

[Sean French]

No, Kyle went up. Okay, cowboy, and get up at 4. Young buck, handsome little kid.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Leave me until 11.

[Sean French]

Yeah. No, I'm not. They would kill him here if he slept 11. But no, dude, like I was laying there, I was telling him what every part of me right now, it was never off the. It was never on the table for me not to go.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

You know what I always do is always drape a leg over. Because if I drape a leg over then I'm so uncomfortable, I can't fall back asleep.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That's the trick.

[Sean French]

But I was like, I was like, you know, left leg out. But then I'm like, man, this is gonna be a rough lift. I might, if I move right now, I might pull a muscle. Like that's how much I hurt this morning.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Wow. And I said, okay, gotta call T clinic usa.

[Sean French]

Dude, I'm all hooked up with tea clinics, bro. He's great, dude. Just all the support, great people. Education to products to execution to community.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Right. That's a thousand percent.

[Sean French]

But I said to myself like, okay, I might break in half right now. But my point is with this, you just have to make the next step. So for the next step is putting Both feet on the ground. And then it's taking my gym clothes inside the bathroom, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, walking downstairs, filling up my water with my electrolytes. That's it. With my creatine, have my protein shake, and then I get in the gym.

[Patrick Dearborn]

If I get arms like that, I'm gonna start doing all that stuff. Give me that whole list. Give me that list.

[Sean French]

It's crazy.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Love them arms, Sean. French arms. Let's go. Let's look. I'm serious. Doesn't mean I met you a year ago to now, brother. Unbelievable, man. It's inspiring. I mean, it's looking awesome, brother.

[Sean French]

Keep it up, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

But again, there is no status quo where you could coast now, right? Big podcast, show all these celebrities on your show.

[Sean French]

But that goes away if I.

[Patrick Dearborn]

If I coast a thousand percent.

[Sean French]

But that's the thing. That's what they. That's what.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Coasting is so easy, though, so relaxing. This coast.

[Sean French]

This is going to create some hard road, but it's going to create some massive roadblocks, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Exactly.

[Sean French]

And so that's the thing. It's like, just do the next natural thing, right? Get in the vehicle and push the starter. If you still have a crank. Cool. Crank to start, whatever it is. I haven't seen one in a long time, but I got old school. Yeah, but. Yeah, but you know, that's. That's vintage, baby. That's at the blue license plate, dog. But, like, you do that thing, and then by the time you get to the gym or to crack your book open and read, you've already done five things that you don't want to do.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

And it's so important to understand and honor those small things that you did, like putting both feet on the floor and brushing your teeth and getting dressed.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

Like, that's. That's three or four things right there, man. Because today I was just like, dude. And you know what? My lift wasn't great. My lift wasn't great, but I did it.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

And now those hard things that I have to do the rest of the day, I'm not going to cheat myself on. I'm gonna pick up the phone and do the reach. I'm gonna pick up the phone and do the thing. I'm gonna send the hard email. I'm. I'm. I'm gonna. I'm gonna record the show. And if I hadn't done that this morning, the conversation wouldn't be as good as it. As it is right now.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That's awesome. So I was like that, only different. I. I Woke up at 4am super excited because I'm like, I'm not kidding. I'm like, I get to be on Sean French's amazing Determined Society podcast and I'm being dead serious. So I went. Had a killer freaking workout. I went extra hard. Should have done arms. Didn't do arms a day, but next time. And just so excited. Had a bunch of other stuff before I got here and was. Was really excited to be. To be back here with the grit guys. But more importantly, to be with you, lock arms with you to be on this show, man, this podcast studio is amazing. The Determined Society is amazing. Your freaking logo is amazing.

[Sean French]

Thank you.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I need a logo.

[Sean French]

Pat Sickens.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I need a logo. Something like that. It's just cool, dude. It's simple.

[Sean French]

I mean, look, man. And it's numerology. It's a seven and a seven.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I know, but the hat. I saw that. But like the hat logo, it looks just.

[Sean French]

I can't wait for that mic. Dr. I can't wait for that.

[Patrick Dearborn]

All right, so can I. I'm going to put it on the spot. Could I get some free swag, man, when that stuff comes out?

[Sean French]

Yeah, I think, I think you know the guy. I think Kevin. But no, I, I mean, like, listen, it's, it's, it's all part of it, you know, like. But. But again, there's certain steps in. In the process. Like, I wanted a merch brand a long time ago, but nothing worked out. Or isn't it funny? Nothing worked out. And then you introduced me to Kevin Van Dusen. We knew of each other.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Some of God's greatest gifts are on answer your prayers.

[Sean French]

Come on, man. And then, and then we meet. Like, we. I did a show and that was fun, bro. He's a really good interviewer, Patton. I am going to edify him on the air. Like, he is a very skilled interviewer. Yeah, very skilled. Enjoyed that. Then we went to. To hq.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

And then he took.

[Patrick Dearborn]

No, don't load the shovel there. They just moved. But where? It's going to be like another month from now.

[Sean French]

It's sick.

[Patrick Dearborn]

It's unbelievable. It's the products that. That's true. I'm just telling you, it's a different fan when you put on one of their shirts. And I'm not a golfer.

[Sean French]

My wife. Nuts. When I put these on, dude, I'm.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Like, they just go off. And the way the sleeves and then they do the untucked.

[Sean French]

Yeah, they.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And in the back of that, I think yours has the Exodus 20 verse 20. Verse 20. And then verse three.

[Sean French]

Yes, three. Yeah, but.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And then some of them have the Psalm 90. They just have really cool spiritual meaning behind it. But the quality. And I just love their whole mission statement, which is there's been lots of goats. Right? Look, I'm just being real. I'm not here to kiss your butt. But Sean French is a goat. I think Gary Breca, the ultimate him, is a goat. I think Jeff Delaney's a goat. In tea clinic. He's done the tea clinics. I think Tom Brady is a goat. I think Michael Jordan's a goat. But who's goated? Who is the greatest of all times?

[Sean French]

Well, how about the.

[Patrick Dearborn]

How about. How about God, who created all of us?

[Sean French]

All of us?

[Patrick Dearborn]

And that's what I love. Behind the. It's. It's. It's the. What. What do I stand for? What does determined society stand for? What does Patrick Dearborn as a realtor or Patrick Dearborn as a fire commissioner stand for? You can do all the lip service you want, man. You could talk on this show all day long, but that logo means something because of the trials and tribulations you went through to get here.

[Sean French]

And there's that. That's the thing. I demand that from everybody within my company and everybody I work with, because here's the thing. The brand is the brand is the brand. Like, we all have to live this. And it's not. I'm not asking anybody to do anything crazy, but if you're having a bad day and you're feeling like a victim, stop it. You're alive. God didn't take you.

[Patrick Dearborn]

No.

[Sean French]

You have time yet for right now, you have time to impact your day, right? And we live by a certain set of values, man. And if I don't live them in my life, then I can't do it on the show, you know? And I think that for a long time, there was a disconnect, right? To where, you know, I was. I'm gonna say it. I was a fat mess. I was 31% body fat in December of last year, man. I was £230, bro.

[Patrick Dearborn]

What was your go to, man? What was your cheap. Was it Culver's? Was it burgers? Was it fast food?

[Sean French]

Oh, I love ice cream. I'm not going to. I'm still not giving up ice cream.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Good.

[Sean French]

Like, don't kiss my ass. I'm not giving it up.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Listen, I'm pro ice cream.

[Sean French]

Pro ice cream.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Pro ice cream.

[Sean French]

Since I will eat a concrete mixer in one sitting and not feel bad. About it.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Because you got up at 4am and dropped that leg off the bed.

[Sean French]

Yeah, come on.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And drug your butt down to the gym.

[Sean French]

Exactly. But like yesterday it took my, my youngest to get a mixer. I didn't have one. I, But I can, I can now go. Okay, I don't, Yeah, I don't need it, nor do I want it right now.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Right.

[Sean French]

But on the, when the, when the, when Saturday comes and it's. And it's ice cream day, then, dude, I'm all about it.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Ice cream day.

[Sean French]

I don't know. It's usually Saturdays. It's usually.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I love sandwich night. I love ice cream, I love it all.

[Sean French]

But so, so, like, you know, for me, like, man, it was just like a multitude of things. It was stress. It was moving from corporate America to determine society full time. Financial struggle turned into, you know, temporary depression, which turned into laying on my couch all day unless I had to shoot a show. See, a lot of people don't understand, as always, want to talk about it. And I'm gonna say it right here. When I first came over with Grit, I was upstairs recording. And those were the only two or three hours I was off the couch.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Damn.

[Sean French]

Broken, bro. Broken. And there was this disconnect of what the brand was saying and what I was doing right in my own personal life. The moment I fix that, like, I'm like hanging off a back of a freaking train. I'm like, can you slow down just a little bit so I can catch my breath? But every time I think it's going to slow down, like, it just goes. And I'm like, okay, so now I have a choice. I can feel my body, I can feel my mind, I can feel my soul with good things. So I can keep doing this or I cannot. Everybody has a choice.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That's it.

[Sean French]

You all have choices. I hate to break it to you guys, you all have choices. But, you know, and not the choices that, well, I can't do this because my dad's gonna make fun of me or I can't do this because my best friend's gonna make fun of me. Do you mean people patronized me for doing this? Oh my gosh. It was, it was crazy amounts of people. Not only that, when I left teaching to go into sales, my, my old coaching buddies and my old, you know, co workers at the school. Who does he think he is leaving school to go be a salesman, make all this money? He'll be back.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Wow.

[Sean French]

No, I didn't go back.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Behind every great plan is if people are Telling you it's not going to work.

[Sean French]

You know, it's that then you go harder. You, you like, you run towards the fire.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Thousand percent.

[Sean French]

And I feel as though we've done that here.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Right?

[Sean French]

We have ran, I have ran towards the fire and a lot of times my wife would say, okay, you need to run a little slower to the fire. I support you, but run a little slower. You're going too damn fast, too quick. But I'm a visionary. I don't have much strategy, you know, Now I've gotten so much better over the years. Right. Especially the last year of understanding process, understanding strategy. But this all ties in, right? This is all a part of. This is the unsexy, boring part of building something pretty cool. Yeah, yeah. All the things pretty cool. All the things that nobody wants to do.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

At least for an extended period of time.

[Patrick Dearborn]

So where's Sean French? So I want to put a date right now, one year from now. I want to meet back here. Where's Sean French going to be a year from now, man?

[Sean French]

I think by a year from now we'll have a steady, a steady list of a list people on the show consistently. I believe we will have our rookie deal by then, meaning, you know, a multi year deal with a big platform that, you know, me and the team can look at each other like, dang, we execute that and then we go for the $250 million deal in about five, six years.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Love it.

[Sean French]

You know, but, but more than that, what I really hope.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

Outside of all the flashy things, because we need that in order to be successful and to give society the show and, and to keep it going, to keep getting better and better and up leveling it. You know, what I'm hoping by then is that the show is the focal point for everybody. And what I mean, everybody, you know, I'm hoping the determined society becomes the brand of something like a Joe Rogan, something like a Gary Breca, because that means people are going there to learn. People are going to the show to be fulfilled. That's what I ultimately want. I want to empower society to chase their damn dreams, no matter how they feel emotionally at the time. Also an hq. Okay, I want an HQ with a gym in there.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That's awesome.

[Sean French]

You know, clothing store, clothing store. Maybe even a cold, maybe even a concrete mixer machine.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Oh, come on, let's go do it.

[Sean French]

Culver, that's awesome. I'm calling you out.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I mean, Culver's.

[Sean French]

Yeah, come on.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Product placement.

[Sean French]

No, but I just think that, you know, Having an HQ can bring so much joy, man. So much joy to be able to get out of the house even when I'm not recording, swipe the fob, walk into my own gym and then hop in the shower there, hop in the cold plunge, whatever it is, man. I just. Massive, massive goals, man. But you know what? We'll never get there if we don't provide the people what they want, which is great conversation in a place where they can feel welcome and not judged. Yeah, yeah, that's where we're at, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That's awesome. I recorded everything you just said for one year from now, man. Listen, you're gonna hold yourself to it, absolutely to it. And I cannot wait to see you just, just keep being great, great, great. And again, the best thing about you is I love that you're an encourager. You're a bright light in a dark world. We need more people like you, man. I mean that and you're giving me some confidence and encouragement to go out and try to be more of an encourager and a light like you're doing. So I want to reach more people. I want to encourage more people like you do. And I'm just thankful that God put you and I together same, man. And we locked arms, you know, through the John Huffman event on that panel with Jeff Delaney and myself and you and Lauren Maxwell was on there to the two three nine, show to here we are now with grit and you. And I'm on the Determined Society podcast. Going through. To see all the people you've had on here was just pretty awesome. So I was a little bit nervous. I don't get nervous, man, but I got a little bit. Yeah, man. I went home and changed outfits two times.

[Sean French]

Yeah, it doesn't bring out my eyes.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

So you look good, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah. Well, listen, again, I got on that program, combination of Ultimate Human protocols and Gary Breca and then of course, locally, here I go see Jeff for. For all the guidance and for all the stuff. And he got us on a program and it's been game changing.

[Sean French]

I gotta change my life, dude.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah, we're making. We're making 57. Great again for sure. You're a young buck, man.

[Sean French]

I'm 40. I'm almost 47, dude. I mean, I'm getting there, man.

[Patrick Dearborn]

10 years older than you, man.

[Sean French]

Crazy. That's crazy.

[Patrick Dearborn]

It's awesome.

[Sean French]

But I mean, you don't look 57.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Thank you, buddy.

[Sean French]

You don't. I mean, I thought you were 55. 56 and a half.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Okay, cool. No, no, I'LL take it.

[Sean French]

I mean, I thought you were.

[Patrick Dearborn]

You know, I'll take 48.

[Sean French]

50.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Listen, you know why I. I share with you a little. We won't go into today, but just to sit here right now, I mean, my journey could have ended back in 1968, man. So, man, by the grace of God, I'm here. I'm trying to get through this day and not disappoint my creator. I'm trying to be better in a variety of ways. I don't want to fall short. I'm sure. Sure. But what'd you just say? Don't give up. Don't surrender. Be determined. Keep plugging away every morning, no matter how I feel, no matter what life's throwing at me, no matter what Satan's whispered in my ear. I'm not worthy enough. I'm not good enough. I'm a failure. I gotta take that leg.

[Sean French]

Take the left leg. Depending on what side of the bed.

[Patrick Dearborn]

You sleep, I'm on the left side.

[Sean French]

Same side?

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah, I'm on the same side. So I go left leg out.

[Sean French]

Okay.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I still lay there for like, another second or two. Re. Alarm goes off. Yeah, man. Then.

[Sean French]

Well, dude, I didn't get out. I didn't. I didn't roll out of bed till 409. I laid there for nine minutes.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

It felt like two seconds.

[Patrick Dearborn]

And the alarms went.

[Sean French]

Well, just one. I only set one.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Okay.

[Sean French]

I only said. And I never hit.

[Patrick Dearborn]

So you. So you only hit once? You don't hit snooze?

[Sean French]

Nope.

[Patrick Dearborn]

But you still lay there for night without falling back asleep?

[Sean French]

Yeah, I did. I didn't fall back asleep because. Because here's the thing about Mikey's going.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Back because every five minutes.

[Sean French]

Because here's the thing about commitment, right? It's like I set the intention the night before, and everybody can, you know, say, I'm going to go to the gym in the morning. You know, if you're going to go to the gym in the morning, you know, if you're going to get up in the morning and read, you know, you're going to wake up in the morning and make your kids lunches or Drive to 7 11. You've already made that determination. So stop lying to yourself the night before and make the commitment. Like, make the damn commitment. So for me, it was just like, there's no falling back asleep because my Jiminy Cricket is firing constantly. Right. It just. That's okay. Yeah.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah. I can't wait to be back here a year from now. I'm gonna see A bunch between now and then, but. And see this podcast going to even greater heights, man. So super excited to see all. That's freaking awesome.

[Sean French]

Yeah. I like to get tied in with the community a lot more, too. I want to get out there, and I want to do some live shows, and I want to.

[Patrick Dearborn]

We'll get you plugged in.

[Sean French]

Yeah, I want to get plugged in, man. I'd love to do something at se to table. I think that'd be really fun.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Be awesome.

[Sean French]

I think that'd be really fun, man. I just. I just want to keep doing what I'm doing.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Me. Me and Colin will make that happen, man. We'll get you on there for sure before have you on there.

[Sean French]

Let me ask you one more question.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Go ahead. I'll stay. Right.

[Sean French]

I could literally talk to you for, like, a thousand more hours. This is such a great conversation.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Wow. But when we talk about.

[Sean French]

We've been throwing the word determination around a lot. Right. You know, but what is your definition of. Of determination? What does it look like for you? It's. It's deeper than people think because it's not gritty. It's not sexy.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Determination to me, means a couple things. One, doing things, the right things, even when nobody's looking and the lights aren't on and the newspaper's not there and the iPhone's not recording it for social media. And yet I'm still being the best me I could be. That's a determining attribute. It also means never surrendering, never giving up. And that's just woven in my fabric. Look, I'm an abortion clinic survivor, meaning that by the grace of God and thanks to my birth mom, I could have been wiped off and thrown to a trash can back in 1968 in Washington, D.C. and. But God had another plan for me. So ever since then, I've been. And I found out about that even before I found out about that and my birth mom found me 53 years later, I still had this thing instilled inside me, which was a never give up, never surrender attitude and a determined attitude of I want to make everybody around me better, encouraging, et cetera. I've always been that way, and I've always felt blessed to God for whatever reason. Being stabbed, being shot, going through windshields of cars, spending a night in jail. All those things have happened to me. And those were all things that God put me through to make me always feel like, man, God has given me so much, so many blessings. I'm not rich. I don't ever want to be rich. I've never asked to be rich. What I asked to be is just, I'm fat. Is to give me the ability to speak and to be able to praise him and to give thanks for everything he's given me. And he knows my heart now. Look, I'm a wild man. It is what it is. God knows. Only God knows. But I'm a wild man. But God knows my heart. And my heart always wants to do things for other people, regardless of who's around, who's looking. And that, to me, is part of that determined thing. But again, being an abortion clinic survivor and being here by the grace of God gives me a perspective very unique and very determined to keep pushing forward, to not feel sorry for myself ever, and to make sure and be determined that I make everybody around me even better. And that's. That's my definition.

[Sean French]

I love it, man. You know, because determination isn't about the hustle culture, right?

[Patrick Dearborn]

No.

[Sean French]

You know, and when I first started flashy.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That's flashy.

[Sean French]

It is flashy. It's click cool and cool, man. I fell into it at the very beginning.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yep.

[Sean French]

You know, TikTok, it's. It's neat, but it's not sustainable. And determination to me is just doing what you said you were going to do long after the emotion wears off. My good friend Dan Tuffarello, he was my boss at Paychex, turned into one of my best friends ever. We still talk constantly is not enough, though. Actually, not enough. Dan, the true definition of commitment to him was doing what you said you were going to do long after the emotion wears off. And I. Commitment, determination, resilience, it's all one big ass umbrella. It's like if you can still move forward every day, no matter if it's a little bit. Right. Cause some days are going to be better. You're going to have bigger leaps and bounds. You're going to feel like an Olympic triple jumper.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah. Some days you're likely to get an someday.

[Sean French]

Yesterday, I'm like, oh, man. You know, I. I can't even really function very well today. And it was a frustrating day. But the cool part about yesterday was, and I'm going to share this with you, I want to share this with the audience. It was the first day in years I was able to do parent pickup line for my little one. And so I said to my wife, I'm like, hey, that's awesome. Do I pick her up for aftercare or parent pickup? I'm like. And she's like, well, preferably, I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah. But, you know, I got some things to do. She goes, you're always gonna have things to do. Can you not pick her up from parent pickup? Or do you just want more time to do some things for work? I said, you know what? I'm gonna do parent pickup.

[Patrick Dearborn]

You're right.

[Sean French]

Great. Good job.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Holding you.

[Sean French]

She's amazing, dude. She's. I mean, she sounds attractive. She holds my ass down, bro. But, you know, so I picked, I picked her up and I, I took her right home. And, you know, I immediately. I did the, the shower routine with her. Did her hair, brushed it. Then we read her book for school. And then she did her math. And then she helped me grill burgers.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Wow.

[Sean French]

And then I took her to Culver's to get her little mini mixer.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

And then we played Sorry when we got home.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Wow.

[Sean French]

And then it was just almost amazing to me how easy it was to get her down for the night. At 7:15, she was out. She. I cuddled her. She put her chest right here. And I, I, I stayed there until, you know, she was asleep. But, but dude, that day, like, I needed that day with my littlest one. I, I needed it so badly, and I didn't even know.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yeah.

[Sean French]

Like, I just, what, What a great day it was. So the day, the, the daytime was stressful. I didn't get everything I wanted to get done or I don't feel like I. But I moved forward as a human being and as a. And as a father yesterday. And, you know, and, and that's determination.

[Patrick Dearborn]

It is.

[Sean French]

You know, because there's a whole bunch of little sticking points, like, I don't know if we should play Sorry. And she wanted to do all four. All four colors, just us two, so that the game of Sorry was like a damn game of Monopoly. It took forever. She ended up winning. She won both. She won both. So anyway, that sounded like the rest.

[Patrick Dearborn]

The best day ever, though, so. Right. So, you know, Colin and I talk. He goes and picks up his kid. I missed that. There's been days when. Because my son's home. My youngest. My son's graduated from college. He's home right now trying to figure out his next steps. And he's written some great scripts. He's got a minor in film and a degree with honors from Florida State University. And finance. All his heart and passions, film and writing scripts. Sounds like five registered already with the Screen Actors Guild. And so anyway, we'll see how that. That journey takes him. But the point is, I would. There's days When I would give any amount of money, any big real estate commission, any accolades. Any accolades, anything to have just one more night of coaching him in peewee football, basketball, one more night of playing a board game. Like we would play Stratego, which is the, you know, me against you. Like a chess game with bombs and flags and generals and different ranking people and. And. Or just. We still watch movies together. But I miss those times when they're young like that. So I'm glad to hear you're cherishing those moments and that you're determined to never let that go to make sure you're gonna make time. So what I heard is your determined society moment is. And your pledge to yourself is, I'm gonna always make time for your kids. And I love that, to me, is really the biggest thing you can do.

[Sean French]

It really is, man. And again, you know, to clarify, no.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Amount of money, no watch, no car, no podcast guests, no nothing will ever play out. Ever.

[Sean French]

And I do the breakfast, the snacks, the lunches, the dinners. Like I'm. I'm. You're there. I'm there.

[Patrick Dearborn]

You're present.

[Sean French]

I'm home.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I'm, by the way. Doesn't mean it's easy.

[Sean French]

No.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Because life and. And you trying to blow up the determined society and all that stuff is not easy, man. It ain't easy for anybody in this room. No. That's what's cool is we gotta always remember everybody's in the same rat race. Yep. So we got to lean on each other, man. Iron sharpens iron. It's okay to tell somebody, man. I'm really struggling with. I hate car line. Where, oh, I gotta sit there and bumper to bumper traffic away from my kid. It drives me crazy. And the lady outside is so slow. This is me, not you. Back in my day, I would like.

[Sean French]

I would always have to pee in parents.

[Patrick Dearborn]

I want to get out of car line and reorganize car line because car line wasn't moving fast enough.

[Sean French]

Exactly.

[Patrick Dearborn]

That's me.

[Sean French]

Have you ever had to pee in car line?

[Patrick Dearborn]

Yes.

[Sean French]

It's the worst, bro.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Horrible.

[Sean French]

It's. It's like the worst pain ever.

[Patrick Dearborn]

You know my problem is?

[Sean French]

What's that?

[Patrick Dearborn]

I can't mind my own business, so I gotta get in everybody else's business, including the car line people. Why can't they run a better job? Why can't everything run like chick fil a drive thru? Yeah, man, it's the best run, drive through operation in America. Why can't school line run like that?

[Sean French]

Why not?

[Patrick Dearborn]

Why can't Chick Fil A. Go conference them and teach them and train them how to run a school.

[Sean French]

Chick Fil A. Chick Fil A Or another show. Oh, man. Well, dude, thank you, John.

[Patrick Dearborn]

You've been awesome.

[Sean French]

Thank you, brother. Thanks for having a pleasure. For those of you watching, go check out my boy, Patrick Dearborn. All stuff will be in the links in the show notes. Go check them out. Doing some amazing things. Amazing friend. I thank you so much.

[Patrick Dearborn]

Thank you, bud.

[Sean French]

And until next time, guys, stay determined.