He Was Ready to Quit Until This Happened

Summary

Podcast Summary: "He Was Ready to Quit Until This Happened"

The Determined Society with Shawn French
Episode: He Was Ready to Quit Until This Happened
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Host: Shawn French
Guest: Jeremy Anderson, Entrepreneur, Author, and Creator of Next Level Speakers

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of The Determined Society Podcast, host Shawn French welcomes Jeremy Anderson, a renowned entrepreneur and motivational speaker. Jeremy shares his transformative journey from adversity to success, offering profound insights into personal development, discipline, and the power of perseverance.

Guest Background

Jeremy Anderson brings a wealth of experience as the creator of Next Level Speakers, a seven-figure speaker enterprise, and the author of multiple books. He is also a dedicated husband and philanthropist, actively impacting thousands through his speaking engagements and community initiatives.

Notable Quote:

"[...] You shouldn't ask me what I do now. You should ask me what I had to overcome to have this estate."
— Jeremy Anderson [04:08]

Struggles and Overcoming Adversity

Jeremy delves into his challenging upbringing, marked by the absence of a biological father and growing up in poverty. His early life was fraught with anger, substance abuse, and repeated failures in school, including a diagnosis of ADHD. Despite these hurdles, pivotal relationships with supportive teachers inspired him to turn his life around, leading to high school graduation and college attendance.

However, Jeremy’s path was not linear. He became entangled in the drug trade, running two nightclubs and indulging in reckless behavior. This period of his life was characterized by excess and a lack of purpose, ultimately leading to significant losses, including his businesses and personal relationships.

Notable Quote:

"I was renting a different luxury exotic car every week, just like, wasting money, throwing parties with rap stars and getting drunk and high."
— Jeremy Anderson [04:48]

Jeremy recounts hitting rock bottom, driving an old, unreliable car, and facing immense personal loss. It was during this low point that his grandmother's heartfelt encouragement led him to embrace his faith and find purpose through Christianity.

Notable Quote:

"I gave my life to Christ... October of this year will be 16 years walking with Christ."
— Jeremy Anderson [06:10]

Transformation and Success

Embracing his faith marked the beginning of Jeremy's remarkable transformation. He overcame addiction, rebuilt his life, and established multiple successful businesses. Jeremy emphasizes that his current success is deeply rooted in the struggles and lessons learned during his darkest times.

Notable Quote:

"The most brilliant thing I ever did, bro, is I didn't give up."
— Jeremy Anderson [11:15]

Key Insights on Motivation vs. Discipline

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the distinction between motivation and discipline. Jeremy argues that while motivation is fleeting, discipline is the constant force that drives sustained success. He illustrates this through personal anecdotes, including moments of doubt and emotional struggles that he overcame through disciplined routines like early morning workouts and mental training.

Notable Quote:

"I often tell people when motivation runs out, dedication has to click in."
— Jeremy Anderson [20:37]

Shawn complements this by sharing his own experiences with persistence, highlighting that true determination often involves continuing efforts despite setbacks and lack of immediate rewards.

Impact on Others

Jeremy discusses the profound impact his story has had on his audience, including life-saving moments like convincing a seventh-grader to choose life over suicide. This specific event propelled him to commit fully to his speaking career, leading to the creation of Next Level Speakers and expanding his ability to help others.

Notable Quote:

"This young lady wants to speak to you. She's in tears saying... I want to live."
— Jeremy Anderson [17:31]

Upcoming Events

Jeremy promotes the upcoming Next Level Speakers Conference, a three-day event scheduled for June 6th through 8th in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference promises to be a transformative experience for aspiring and established speakers, featuring top names like ET The Hip Hop Preacher, Inky Johnson, Rachel Joy, and Lisa Nichols. Attendees will gain insights into marketing, branding, storytelling, and leveraging AI for public speaking.

Notable Quote:

"It's going to be the biggest conference for speakers. It's going to be epic."
— Jeremy Anderson [38:00]

Conclusion

Shawn and Jeremy conclude the episode by reiterating the core message of determination and resilience. They encourage listeners to embrace their struggles as catalysts for growth and to maintain discipline even when motivation wanes. The episode serves as a powerful testament to the human spirit's capacity to overcome and thrive.

Notable Quote:

"If you're going through something that hurts so bad right now... you could overcome the hardest things in your life and become a massive success."
— Shawn French [43:34]

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Key Takeaways

1. Embrace Adversity: Personal struggles can be transformed into powerful catalysts for growth and success.
2. Discipline Over Motivation: Sustainable success is rooted in disciplined habits rather than fleeting motivation.
3. Faith and Support Systems: Strong support systems and faith can provide the foundation needed to overcome significant challenges.
4. Impact Through Sharing: Sharing personal stories of adversity not only empowers the speaker but also inspires and saves others.
5. Continuous Self-improvement: Ongoing personal development and self-care are essential for maintaining success and peace.

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Upcoming Highlights

• Next Level Speakers Conference: June 6-8, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. Use promo code TDS for a 20% discount. nextlevelspeakersconference.com

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This episode of The Determined Society Podcast offers listeners an inspiring narrative of resilience and the importance of discipline in achieving lasting success. Jeremy Anderson's story serves as a beacon of hope and a practical guide for anyone striving to overcome their own challenges.

Transcript

[Sean French]

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[Jeremy Anderson]

I went to the school to speak and motivate and everybody's pumped up and excited. A high five on the kids and the principal brings his girl to me. She's like, this young lady wants to speak to you. And she's in tears saying, Mr. Jeremy, I plan on committing suicide. Today I slipped out the back door of the school. They caught me and made me come to this stupid assembly. But I'm so glad I did because of your message. I want to live. I want to live. And bro, she runs off the class. You know, my heart was just tore up, bro.

[Sean French]

A lot of people say that there's no other, there's no higher power. That was, that was an intervention from God.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Absolutely, bro.

[Sharp French]

Sharp, French. What up? This one luck. I let the pain inspire me. I put my all in everything I'm doing up until it's done. I'm me for the entirety. I put it in overtime. I'll be working. Just know I'mma go for mine cause I earned it. They watch and I know it's time I confirmed it. The whole society determined determine.

[Sean French]

What'S up everybody. Welcome back to another episode. I am your host, Sean French. And today I have with me an amazing dude, an amazing entrepreneur, the creator of Next level Speakers. He founded the thing. He's a seven figure speaker. He's been in the trenches. He's been through the depths of darkness, and he has risen up, and he's now impacting many people. He's also an author, an amazing husband, and. And a philanthropist. I have my boy, Jeremy Anderson with me. What's up, dog?

[Jeremy Anderson]

Sean. What's up, family? How you feeling, man?

[Sean French]

Man, it's just good to see you, man. It's good to see you. You know, this ain't a bad Friday. I get to hang out with one of my brothers and have a great conversation and. And just. And just talk, man.

[Jeremy Anderson]

No doubt, no doubt. Glad to be here, man. Thanks for having me on the show, bro. I'm excited.

[Sean French]

Oh, it's an honor, man. Thank you for being so gracious and excited to be on. Um, it's.

[Jeremy Anderson]

It's.

[Sean French]

The feeling's mutual, my friend. Absolutely. So, man, I. I just, you know, it's one of those things where when I know so much about my guests, it's. I always have to rewind, right? Because my audience may not exactly know. So for those individuals that don't know Jeremy Anderson, why don't you give them a little bit of a background on kind of how your story started, where you came from and to. To lead you to where you are now.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Yeah, so. So. So people come. I can't wait till you come to. To. To our property here in Atlanta, bro. When people come to our house, whether it's Amazon or. Or FedEx or somebody dropping off food, the first thing they ask is, what do you do for a living? And I'm like, you shouldn't ask me what do I do now. You should ask me what did I have to overcome to have this estate? Like, what did I have to fight through? What pain, what suffering, what tears, what rejection, what depression, when anxiety, what blood got spilled to get to where I am today, brother. You feel me?

[Sean French]

And so I do.

[Jeremy Anderson]

You know, like a lot of people, I grew up without my biological father. You know, my mom had me when she was 16 years old. She had to drop out of school and get her ged. Grew up in poverty. A lot of anger issues, bro. A lot of rage. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's turned to passion now and purpose. But at that time, a lot of rage. A lot of blaming cops and blaming teachers and blaming everybody else. 10 years of drug and alcohol abuse, repeated failure in school, a diagnosis of adhd, bro. I went to three different schools for the ninth grade. I kept getting kicked out and kept funking and failing, and I finally got my act together. I came across some teachers who really connected with me. They really spoke life to me. They really helped me see the greatness that was inside of me, man. And long story short, bro, I. I grinded hard. I caught up with my right grade. I graduated from high school on time. I went to college, and it's like things were on the up and up. But then I got mixed in with the wrong crowd. And long story short, man, I started selling drugs. I was selling weed about the pound. I was pulling kick doors. I was robbing other dope dealers, you know what I'm saying? And I was running two nightclubs. One was for the grown and sexy, where you had to wear a suit. The other one was just, like, you could wear your hat to the back and baggy jeans. And I was getting all this money, and I wasn't living a life of purpose. I was squandering the money. Sean. Bro, I was renting a different luxury exotic car every week, just, like, wasting money, like, throwing parties with rap stars and getting drunk and getting high and just living this wild, reckless lifestyle. So when people see me today, author and CEO of four different companies and seven figure speaker, and how helping thousands of other speakers become six and seven figures, and all this positivity, they hear me preaching the gospel and sharing my testimony, they see all this positivity. I'm like, yeah, but y' all don't know from what I've come from. Long story short, bro, I had to lose everything. You know what I'm saying? My mom, though my biological father wasn't in my life. Can I talk about my faith, my brother?

[Sean French]

Yeah, come on, man.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Though my biological father wasn't in my life, man, God blessed me with a dad. He married my mom, and I was like 8 years old, and I was like, so you're gonna be my daddy? And he said, yes. And he began to, you know, grow with me and groom me over the years. And I realized now the great things he was doing for me. Didn't realize that at the time, but he was praying a prayer. In the height of my success in crime and all the crazy stuff I was doing, he was like, God, whatever he's doing that doesn't bring you glory, I pray that he fails at it. And, bro, within a week and a half, we end up losing both nightclubs. My coconnect got caught up with the feds. So I literally have. Because I made all my money from the dope game and from two nightclubs, and I was selling in one of the nightclubs that was the more hood, kind of more urban. It was like a wings place during the daytime. And so while I was moving work drugs out of there so people will come in like they're getting like a to go bag of wings and fries, but it's really a whole pound of weed. So I had this whole enterprise, and I thought it was so brilliant, but by the grace of God, bro, I ended up losing everything. And I really ended up getting, like, hitting, bro. When I take rock bottom, like, rock bottom. Driving a 1987 Nissan Stanza wagon. And I had to drive with the windows rolled down, crank the crank issue, and the exhaust was in, man, I got humbled. I lost everything. And I had this crazy experience with my grandmother, and my grandma was just like, you know, what happened to my grandson? That was doing positive things. I was like, people change. She said, baby, God can change you back, and God can still use you, and God has a plan for you. And. And I felt something in that moment, bro. And, man gave my life to Christ, bro. End up getting baptized, brother. October 17, 2009. So October of this year will be 16 years walking with Christ. And so I went through my. My transition, my road to Damascus moment. And. And I am where I am today because of all the things I had to struggle through. So I'm g. Stop right there. But that's the origin I love hear them now. They're amazed, bro.

[Sean French]

I love it, man. And that's what the audience. I want the audience to really key in on that. Right. Because you mentioned in the very beginning. And first of all, I want to say I grew up without a biological father until I was eight as well. Okay. And then my mom married someone that as my dad. And, you know, so we have a lot of similarities. You know, I didn't get caught up in, you know, the. The nightclub and the selling drugs, but I got caught up in as being a baseball player and out womanizing and drinking. You know, I was in college, man. I was at lsu, bro. I was in Baton Rouge. And we were the. We were the big dudes on campus because that was back when football wasn't winning. Like, we. We were it. We had the run of Baton Rouge, bro. Anywhere we went, road trips, didn't matter. So. But the. The. The. The bottom line is, is a lot of people to the point when FedEx comes, Amazon, whatever, who, you know, comes to your house, says, man, what do you do for a living? It's like, man, it ain't about what I do. It's what did I overcome. And for the audience, for you guys watching and listening, I want you to think about your life right now because, you know, we all want these flashy things. We all want, you know, to be a 7.7figure speaker or a CEO of a company or a top show host. And we have this. This big idea and this big mountain, right? The Mount Kilimanjaro, the peak of that dang thing. And we think that's the. That's the. That's the treasure. It's not. That's not the treasure. It's all those moments in between. I talk about this very often, right? Is. Is those moments of pain, of shedding blood, crying when no one's around. I mean, I can tell you up, up to about a year ago, when no one was home, I was sitting in there, in the. In the office, when I was recording at home, in between podcasts, crying because I was so depressed and miserable. No one knows the struggle, but those are the moments that made me. Those are the moments that made the show better. Those are the moments that made me a better husband, a better father. Right? And so, like, I just think that's something to be said, and I just love how you touched on that. Right. Because you can't be an effective speaker if you don't understand that. You can't.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Right, Right. And. And a lot of people. A lot of people struggle with that, Sean. Most people overcome something, and. And it's like, okay, I'm not in that season no more. I don't want to tell nobody. And I'm like, no, tell the world. Shop from the mountaintops. Let them know what you went through, how you overcame, what you experienced, how you fought through your perseverance, bro, people pay me 45 to $50,000 every time I speak to share my perseverance, to share my story, to share my grit, to share my passion. Like, to share the mindset that I had and the.

[Sharp French]

The.

[Jeremy Anderson]

The action steps that I put in place to make it over. And so I tell folks all the time, shauna, you know this all too well, bro. It's just like everything you've gone through, it's actually working out for your good. It is actually strengthening you. And so even when I went through, bro, I just came out one of the. It's crazy to hear where you were feeling emotionally and mentally a year ago, bro. I just came out of one of the heaviest and most challenging seasons, one of the most confusing seasons of my life. And when I stand on stage and I speak and I'm sweating and my body temperature Is like, going up and I've got all this passion and people think I'm just motivational. Nah, I'm just. I'm just persuaded by the pain. Like, the challenges, the heartbreak, like, the struggles. Like, all of that stuff makes us and informs us. And if I could just tell your audience anything. The most brilliant thing I ever did, Sean, is I didn't quit. The most brilliant thing I ever did, bro, is I didn't give up. And I know it's the same with you. Go for it.

[Sean French]

But that's the thing, man, you know? Like, it. It bothers me so much when someone's like, man, I tried that. It didn't work. How long did you try it for? How long did you try it for? Come on, like, you. You're going to tell me you tried something for a year and it didn't work? That's not your checkpoint. This show was nothing for three and a half years.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Come on.

[Sean French]

Nothing. Now we're top eight trending on Spotify.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Crazy.

[Sean French]

It's because all of a sudden, you know, people say, where'd that come from? That was overnight. No, it wasn't overnight. You're just now seeing it. But. But I was sitting there doing the work in my. As I started it in my car, then I went to my den, and it was painful every time because I knew it wasn't it. I was like, this isn't the final landing spot. I don't have. I don't have this, I don't have that. I don't have everything that I need in order to make this thing really great. But what I did have is the presence of mind not to stop. And I always. I always said and shout out to my beautiful wife, she goes, you have everything you need. One day someone's gonna see it. And I'm like, that's not how it works in this business. And, baby, you were right. I'm sorry. You know, it's like you just keep going because those moments of pain and heartache, and even though it hurt so much, like, there was times, man, I'm sure you could relate to this, Jeremy. You know, bro, like, you wake up in the morning, you put your feet on the ground, you're grateful that God woke you up, but you're also like, damn, this hurts. I can't today. I can't. Literally. And I tell myself that to this day. Sometimes there's days where I wake up, like, I can't do this. Today I woke up, I'm like, there's no shot I can get a Good lift in. So you know what I did? I would have got a good lift in because I take whatever pain I'm going in and I stared in the face and I lean right into that crap. And now I can overcome.

[Jeremy Anderson]

And. But, but, but that's, that's. That's where greatness comes from, right? Like, that's why you are who you are. That's where you are in life. That's why you are who you are. That's why you have the wife, the kids, the life. You were determined. Pun intended, right? You were determined. And I just really got to a point where I was just like, I need to start believing this. Like, I need to start believing that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. I'm more than a conqueror. I. I need to start believing, Sean, you know what I'm saying? That if he. He'll never leave me nor forsake me. I had to start believing, you know what I'm saying, that I can really do all things through Christ. I really start believing, you know what I'm saying, that everything I was going through was going to make me stronger. I had to start believing. Like, I. All the things I was reading and all the quotes and all the books, I looked at other amazing people who went through hard times, and I realized there's one common thing they didn't quit. And so I, like you, brother, was determined to keep fighting. And then you look up years later, and we got the whole next level brand. So Next level living, Next level student curriculum, Next level speakers Academy. Like, all things next level. So I, I, I shake the addiction. I shake the drug and alcohol, bro. I was smoking two, three blunts a day, a pack of Newport today in the fifth of Henny, bro. Like, I'm up to the power. You know what I'm saying? Like, Don Julio, patron. Like, that's. I was just. And I set myself free, bro. Do you know, out of 15 and a half years, I haven't t. Not one drop of liquor. I haven't taken not one puff. And for anybody that enjoys it, like, cool. But for me, I was addicted to it. So I realized I'm not disciplined enough to have a cocktail or two. Because basically, I know I'm trying to buy the bar and I'm getting wasted and my boys are carrying me out or I'm lashing out or, or getting a DUI or something. And so I real, like, I gotta. I gotta cut all of this out. And people say, jeremy, how did you go without a Nicorette patch? Or, Or AA meetings. Like, I took it one day at a time. Yeah, I was determined every day, Sean. Like, I want to win Friday. I'm not worried about Saturday. I'm let Sunday worry about herself. Thursday is done. I'm determined to win on Friday. And then I went from one level to the next level, bro. And long story short, man, got a good job, began to travel and speak here or there, going to schools and churches, and had a great career. And me and my wife bought a house, and I'm giving 20% and 30% to my local church and charities because I just. I wanted to start giving the little bit that I had, right? Because I was just so grateful to have this new life and eventually quit my job because I met a little girl, pretty red hair and freckles, seventh grade, that told me she was going to commit suicide, bro. But because of my story, she wants to live. Showing a little seventh grader in Alabama changed my life. I went to the school to speak and motivate, and everybody's pumped up and excited. I high five all the kids, and the principal brings his girl to me. She's like, this young lady wants to speak to you. And she's in tears, saying, thank you, thank you, thank you. You saved my life. I'm thinking, like, my story was not good. She said, Mr. Jeremy, I plan to commit suicide today. I slipped out the back door of the school. They caught me and made me come to this stupid assembly. But I'm so glad I did because of your message. I want to live. I want to live. And, bro, she runs off the class. You can. You know, my heart was just tore up, bro.

[Sean French]

Night, dude. My. I'm speechless on that, bro. And, bro. And it's so funny when. When, like, not funny comical, but it's. It's. It's crazy to me because there's a lot of people say that there's no other. There's no higher power. That was. That was an intervention from God.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Absolutely, bro. Absolutely, bro. I went home, told my wife, and I was like, babe, I need to quit my job and go full time. I'm not just motivating people. I think I actually just saved this little girl's life. And, bro, my wife's so gangster. She quit her job, too. She was like, you. She was like, you still got adhd. You be all over the place. So I'm gonna quit my job, and we gonna build it together. Are you sure about that? Because she worked for the government. We went all in, but we were charmed. We were determined, brother.

[Sean French]

It's wild.

[Jeremy Anderson]

So when people see the way we live now and how we travel and the kids were able to put in college, our foundation, we put 60 kids through college since 2020, and we see the housing young children every week in South Africa.

[Sean French]

Wow. Wow.

[Jeremy Anderson]

So I'm bringing in a lot of revenue. I'm also dishing out a lot.

[Sean French]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Blessing a lot of people.

[Sean French]

So.

[Jeremy Anderson]

So my message to others is like, anything is possible to every person listening on this podcast. Like, when you were determined, you surround yourself with good people, man. Brother. Possibilities are endless, brother. I'm. I'm running my mouth too much. Let me stop.

[Sean French]

No, man, you're good, bro. Hey, you're on a roll, man. I absolutely love you, bro. Here's the thing, dude. You know, you're. You're saying all. You're. You're. You're telling your story. And the one thing that I want to point out to the audience, man, because I always like to talk to them when. During the shows, right. Because I want them to connect. So a lot of people think it's motivation, and none of it is. None of it is not. I know. You know, they label you as a motivational speaker, and, you know, at times people go, sean's a great motivator. I'm not a great motivator. I'm just telling my story. And I tell you what, I'm not a very motivated individual. Like, I. I mean, straight up, like, there's moments of motivation. Like, don't get me wrong, like, if. If an idea hits me, I get excited. I'm motivated. But what takes me through is discipline and what I want. What I'd like for you to do is talk to the audience on the difference of how you see motivation versus discipline. Because to me, they're two different things. Because, like, for instance, someone comes to your. Your event in Atlanta in June, right? I'll be there. Can't wait. We had a special gift for you audience. So make sure you hang out and wait to listen and then also check the show notes. But, you know, the bottom line is I could go there and I could watch all these amazing speakers, and I could be so motivated at that point. Then I get on the flight, and something happens. Me and my wife get in an argument, right? Or something happens to one of my kids. Where'd that motivation go? Is gone. So what? Most people shut down at that point instead of following through with what they said they were going to. So I'd like for you to speak on that, man.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Yeah, so I often tell people when motivation runs out, dedication has to click in, okay? And so, and so for me, in my mindset, I realized in order for me to dominate, I've got to be super disciplined, right? So I'm waking up 4 o' clock, 5 o' clock in the morning. I have my one on one time where I can meditate, I can pray, I can read, I can grow as a person so I can be the husband for my wife Tracy, so I can be the father for Jackson and Jewel. Because if not, and I'm just on some me stuff, it's not going to be pretty, right? So I'm working on my character every day, bro. It's like I have to kill the old Jeremy. I have to kill the average Jeremy. I have to be super duper disciplined, right? So there are certain websites I can't go to, it's certain people on social media I can't follow. It's certain conversations I refuse to have. Like I've just got super, I've got to be super, super duper disciplined in order to go to the next level. Because I am not super duper motivated. People think because I work out five, six days a week like you, Sean, you super fit. When they probably think like, you love going to the gym, bro, I'm not a gym buff like that. I don't like going because I'm disciplined. I would much rather be at home kicking it or in the backyard going for a swim. But I'm in the gym hitting that iron, you know what I'm saying? Like hitting the weights, like in the sauna, I go in the cold plunge. I hate the cold plunge. They talk about all the great benefits. I'm like, that's great. This is cold as hell though, you know what I'm saying? But I'm in there because I'm disciplining my mind.

[Sean French]

Yep, yep.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Discipline my soul, my spirit that says, commit yourself to this pain. Commit yourself to this torture. It's mental. Jeremy, control your breathing. Five seconds inhale, five seconds exhale. You were stronger than this cold water. There are people that do this every single day. Don't be physically strong, but mentally weak. So I'm putting myself through this process to be disciplined. Talk to me, brother.

[Sean French]

So don't be physically strong and mentally weak. That, that to me resonates, right? Because you know, we can be physically strong and we can look a certain way, but if our mind is mush and we don't push ourselves and if we give in to too many victimhood mental, too much victimhood mentality, Somebody else's fault or whatever. Like, the. Your mindset is the only thing you can actually control. And for those of you listening right now and saying, no, because I just lost my job, I cannot control my mindset. My life sucks. Well, what if you lost your job because God's trying to show you there's something different for you? You know, I'll give somebody a very simple. A very simple example. Okay? You're on the interstate and you have somewhere to be, and all of a sudden there's an accident in front of you or you're late. Maybe here's a better one, because this happens, right? You know, this. You live with a woman, you live with kids, they'll make you late for stuff, man. Yeah, me and wife say we want to be out the door by 8am It's 9:45. I'm like, what the hell, man? You know, we. We're out. It's not that late, but maybe 40 minutes late. Then we go down 75. We get. We get to, like, you know, Sarasota, maybe there's a massive accident that could have been us. So I want the audience to really challenge their paradigm or perspective, because if you're late for something or if something shifts in your life, maybe it's saving you from something pretty catastrophic.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Facts, facts. And I think a lot of people, you know, don't realize, like, everything is going. There are certain things we can control and certain things we can't control. And it's like, okay, you're rushing here, but that could have been you on the side of the road. Like, that could have been you having that crazy accident. So, like, be grateful. And so for me, even when bad things happen, when the door closes, I'm like, that just wasn't my opportunity. When a deal doesn't come through or they didn't sign the contract, they want another speaker. Well, obviously, that's not what I'm supposed to have or. You know what I'm saying? So if the plane was late, okay, well, obviously, I'm not supposed to be in the air at that time. So I don't even get caught up on. On that. I'm at peace with it. And I'm chasing one thing. I was talking about our mutual friend et Dr. Eric Thomas, et the hip hop preacher. Jeremy, don't chase peace. Chase perfect peace. So I'm in a place tonight. I want to tell every man, every woman that's on, that's listening to the show, that's watching the show right now, like, I'm chasing peace now. Someone like, bro, I've had so much trauma. I've had so much turmoil. I'm chasing peace now, though. I'm super passionate and loud, like, energetic. But ultimately, bro, I want. I want peace. And so I'm trying to find a way now. Even when bad things happen, I'm at peace. Even when the door closes, I'm so funny because it's not working out how I want. I'm at peace.

[Sean French]

It's just the thing, man. Like, before we hopped on the call, I got word that I didn't get a certain gig that I thought I was gonna get. And I looked at it, I said, bet good. Let. Let them choose somebody else for this. That's fine. It wasn't the room I was supposed to be in. It's okay, you know, And I'm not gonna lie, right? Initial knee jerk reaction, low level. Sean kicks in. Like, seriously, come on. Like, what the heck, man? Like, this sucks. I really needed to do this. This is a great opportunity. Like, hold on. Wasn't for you. Shift, all right? And I think that it's so important, and I know a lot of people probably listen like, hey, I just can't do that. I just can't do that. Well, then start small. Start small. Like, if you cannot do that on a massive level yet, then start with one thing that you can control. Just one thing, like, get up and go for a walk. What people don't understand is everything's connected, right? And the biggest thing, where you find peace, this is my opinion, right? This is for me. And I want to hear what you have to say, too. But I find I can achieve peace when I'm living, right? And that is very, very broad. So I'm going to break it down. It's called alignment. So when I think of when I get to heaven's gates and God is. Is going to introduce me to some man, and I'm gonna be like, who is that? Because, well, that's you. That's the vision I created you in. You don't recognize him? Scares me. It scares me so badly, right? So for me, what is that higher self? What do I want out of this life? What is my purpose? I feel my purpose was this. My whole life. I could speak to all walks of life. It didn't matter if you're a construction worker, a doctor, homeless person, it didn't matter. I was able to find something relatable to have a conversation with somebody about. And when I turned 42, I found the mic, right? And I started, and it was good, but I wasn't in complete alignment yet, right? So I was just talking to my team before the show. I was like, I can remember as early as to. It's funny because they, Sean, you're super fit. Well, in June, I'm not sorry, In December of 2024, I was 30 pounds heavier. I was 31% body fat. Sloppy, sloppy. And look, I was talking about. My show was called the Determined Society, right? And we had great show analytics, we were doing, well, all this kind of stuff. But it's like here I am talking about determination and discipline and I'm showing it in one area of my life, just one, which is the show. And I, I can look, I could at that point can look at myself in the mirror that one day and I go, how dare you talk about this? How dare you talk about discipline? How dare you talk about determination? Because you can't even be disciplined on what you put in your mouth or if you're getting up and go to the gym. You know what I'm saying? So, so this is what's crazy. The moment I started being aligned and making decisions that are in line with that individual that's going to become one of those top level hosts, right? The, the chasing of the Joe Rogan, who I think is a goat, right? Like chasing him, getting that same conversation of these bigger names, like, I had to be the best me. So I started chipping away at it. I started chipping away at it. I'm not going to chase them. I'm gonna be the best me. I'm gonna control my diet, I'm gonna get in the gym, right? And, and so that's where we're at right now. I'm two. I, I go from 198 to 200, right around in that two, two, two pound range, right? And you know, on a caliper, I'm measuring 10.7%.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Come on, come on. I mean, so, yeah, wow.

[Sean French]

Again, I find peace and alignment with who I'm supposed to be. That, that's for me, that's what it is.

[Jeremy Anderson]

That's it. You know? You know, when I think about the Determined Society, I think about like having a determined mindset. I heard this quote by my brother Inky once that says, I don't want to be a public success, but a private failure.

[Sean French]

Come on, man.

[Jeremy Anderson]

So what I, what I am always doing is, is I'm taking a deep audit in my life, right? And so I realized something. This gonna sound crazy, you get it? But your audience might feel like, wow. As I began to work on my character, my money went up, you know what I'm saying? Like, as I began to work on myself internally. And so I realized, like, I'm giving so much attention to my companies and my business and my stage and my branding and my community. I don't want my family to suffer. And so I began to put more work in. So now me and my wife, we get marriage counseling. We're getting stronger, we're being more intimate. And I used to think intimacy was just, like, physically, but now it's, like, emotionally available. And I'm really opening up my heart and breaking through some of those traumas and really availing myself to her. And now I see my wife, like, blossoming and blooming like a flower I've never seen before. And I'm more impressive with my kids. I just. Bro, be. Right before I came on the show, I just went across town to go to my son's school for field day and had lunch with him and came right back to be with you. Right. My daughter, I helped her become an author. She wrote her book Jules Adventure in South Africa. Now she's working on her adventure that she took when she went on a trip to Paris with my wife. Like, I'm just finding new ways to pour into my kids. And so. So I'm in my wife. And so I'm really working on myself. I've got my own counselor, I'm doing my own therapist, I'm doing the yoga. I'm doing what I gotta do to be the best me. And so when you talk about, like, alignment and really having that perfect piece, like, that's it. Because years ago, Sean, I was running on fumes. Yeah, man, I didn't realize it. And I was just taking care of everybody else. And my counselor says, you know, Jeremy, like, you gotta take care of you now. Now, Now, Sean, what. What you got? What kind of vehicle you drive?

[Sean French]

I'm sure you guys, I drive a trx.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Okay? So if you're in your TRX and you're. And you're driving and whether it's a full tank or Whether you got 10 miles, you can still get to 100 miles an hour, right?

[Sean French]

Quickly.

[Jeremy Anderson]

After when. When the miles hit zero, you're going to go instantly from 100 miles an hour within two minutes to 90, 80, 70, 60, 10 miles to putting on the side of the road. That's where I was years ago, bro. I was matching the gas. Super determined, super disciplined, super focused, taking care of everybody else. But I wasn't taking care of myself. So when you Talk about. And I almost found myself, like, on the side of the road of life. So when you talk about, like, value system and really making sure that, you know what I'm saying, that you're at peace with yourself and that. That perfect piece and really kind of making sure that you are in the best space and you're taking care of you on the inside so that, you know, I'm saying you can really live that life of purpose. Like, I relate to that a lot.

[Sean French]

Yeah, no, I appreciate that, man. You know. You know, I've been on that side, you know, the side of the road in life, too. Right. And it's. And it's really about being honest with yourself, man. And I think the things that we have the opportunity to do every single day. Just like you said, you went to field day. Like, I had lunch with your son. I get to do that a lot. You know, I went to my daughter's. This. This one. Can I tell you a story real quick?

[Jeremy Anderson]

Yeah, come on.

[Sean French]

So my daughter goes. My kids go to this prep school, and it's a really good school. My. My wife teaches there, praise God, because it's 30 grand a year to go there, and we don't have to pay that. So that's nice. It's like college. So. So she's in kindergarten, and she comes home to me, and I. And I hear, you know, my wife come through the door, and, you know, my daughter. Chit chattering. And she goes, go ask your daddy. Go ask your daddy. And so she goes, you think he'll do it? You think he'll do it? Just go ask your dad. Go, go, go, go. So she comes up to me and she goes, daddy. She hands me this packet. It's an entrepreneurial competition packet. Will you do this with me? I go, Mia. Say less. Like, absolutely. Come on, let's go. Well, you know, it's like, oh, you can make trinkets, you can make something. You can make stuffed animals. What do you want to make?

[Jeremy Anderson]

Right?

[Sean French]

Because I want to help people, dad. I'm like, how you gonna do that? She goes, same way you do. I'm gonna start a podcast. I'm like, I'm, like, right now getting emotional about it, right? So I'm like, well, what. What are you. What are you going to do? And she goes, well, I just want to help kids. I said, okay, well, let me. Let's back up. What do you want to call it? Because I know one of your. One of your favorite things is pandas. Yes. We can call it Panda Show I'm like, how about, you know, we search some names? Like, how about Panda Paws, right? You know, and because. Because the premise is that she says, I want to help kids that are my age deal with their big emotions because sometimes their adults don't understand when we have them. Wow. So she created this, you know, she's. She's a witch, bro. Like, she's so smart, dude. So I'm like, all right, cool. So, you know, I had to build out revenue streams with her and, you know, processes and all that kind of stuff. Long story short, she ends up, you know, going in my old office where I used to shoot my show. She gets on the mic, you know, I fire up the computer. I get her on Riverside. I'm taking photos. She's got all the deal, and we do everything. And she placed, you know, she took third place, man. But it's because of those moments that we poured into our children that we have the opportunity to pour into our children during the work day when they're at school and be a part of it. It creates for some great moments like that, which give us peace.

[Jeremy Anderson]

For sure. For sure. And that's what it's all about, you know? That's what it's all about, man. I have to come back and go deeper into the framework that I created years ago called occupational integrity. And it's really operating at the highest level with integrity in all the spaces you occupy as a human. So I just spoke for SpaceX a few about a month ago. I was looking for a company, like, when I'm with all these big companies, they're like, jeremy coming and teach on your framework of occupational integrity, because nobody's ever heard of that, but that's something that I created myself. And so most people, it's like, okay, this is where you learn how to operate with integrity at the highest level at work, in your occupation. No, you occupy this space, Sean, as a husband, as a father, as a speaker, as a podcast host, as an author. Like, you occupy multiple spaces. So I really. My.

[Sean French]

My.

[Jeremy Anderson]

My life, my purpose in life. Yes, Helping people speak and help them become successful. They'll monetize their message. But in addition to that, I want people to operate at the highest level in every aspect. And it's possible, but not possible if you don't take care of you. So are you listeners like, you hear what Sean is saying? Sean is saying the adjustments he had to make, I'm sharing adjustments I have to make. And, yeah, I've accomplished some things, but I'm really trying to Let the audience know, like, I struggle and I made a ton of mistakes, and I'm getting counseling and therapy trying to figure it out. But we're determined to win, right? And I just, I just, I just, I want. When every time I grab the microphone, I find a way to let people know. It is possible for you to win and to win big in every aspect of life. But you gotta be, as you often say, determined.

[Sean French]

You gotta be determined. Determination doesn't look like what everybody thinks it looks like. And everybody thinks it's like this sexy, gritty, fighting type of thing. It's just sometimes it's putting your shoes on when you don't want to, you know? And, you know, metaphorically speaking, as we land the plane. Dude, we got to talk about the event, man. June 7th through the 9th. I'm gonna be there. I'm gonna be there with you, Inky. ET I know my boy Brandon Burns is gonna be there. My girl Rachel. I'm super excited to see everybody. So, you know, talk to, talk to the audience about that. And by the way, for those of you listening, special code for Next level speakers is code TDS. You get 20% off. So it's gonna be in the show notes with a link to their website. Click that when you check out code word tds. All right? You better be there. Especially my Atlanta folk.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Yes, sir. So, Sean, so I started the Next Level Speakers Academy five years ago. I've had guys that used to play in the NFL, the NBA, and women that was retired from NASA. People send me dms. Can you coach me? Can you mentor me? I follow you, I follow etf, follow Inky, and I never had time. But when the pandemic came and all my virtually my events were virtual, I was like, well, I have time to create a program. And so we have one of the top motivational professional speaker programs in the world. And we have an annual conference, our Next Level Speakers Conference. And so I'm glad to know you'll be in the building kicking it with us, et Inky Johnson, Rachel Joy, Lisa Nichols. Like, bro, we've got power. House speakers is a three day conference, June 6th through 8th. Everything from the marketing, the branding, storytelling, how to get the engagements, how to get the corporate contracts, like how to put together your website, how to integrate AI. If somebody wants to be a thought leader, they want to learn how to effectively communicate or they want to learn how to jump on the stage like me and you, you know. Next Level Speakers Conference. So I'll tell everybody, go to next levelspeakersconference.com a three day event, June 6th through 8th. Truly life changing. You'll see, brother. I'm excited to host you. We gonna spoil you, bro. We're gonna take great care of you. It's going.

[Sean French]

You're gonna spoil your boy, huh? That's. That's dope. I love it. I'm excited.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Yeah, it's gonna be good, man. It's gonna be good. And so like upstairs for everybody that's a part of the, the, the determined society. You get a 20% off and type in TDS once for the promo code and nextlevel speakers conference.com, bro. So I am, I am excited, man. It's going to be here in Atlanta, Georgia. A thousand people in the building. The biggest conference for speakers. It's going to be epic, man. I'm excited.

[Sean French]

That's going to be great, man. It's going to be kicking with y' all. I haven't seen. I saw. I was with ET In July.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Okay. So.

[Sean French]

I can't believe it's almost been a year.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Wow. Yep.

[Sean French]

Yeah. Yeah, a year. We were at Traverse, Michigan.

[Jeremy Anderson]

That's where y' all were in Traverse, Michigan.

[Sean French]

That's. Yeah, that's where we linked up. Traverse, Michigan.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Wow.

[Sean French]

At Glover U. He did a big keynote there for that, that real estate conference. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a beautiful city, bro. That's beautiful town.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Really. I haven't been.

[Sean French]

They call it the Bahamas of the. Of America. Like it's clear water. It's just strange. Like Sleeping Bear Dunes. Like Lake Mitchell. When you, when we get down here, go Google that. Like it is. It's beautiful, bro. It's beautiful. It's gorgeous. But, but no, man, I just want to thank you so much for coming on today and sharing your story and really connecting with the audience and really not just speaking, you know, to them, speaking with them. I feel like you, you look the audience in the eye today and you got heart to heart with him and really explained your story, you know, on, on what you went through and what you had to overcome to get there because. And you started it off perfectly. Talking about everybody sees how you live. It's like, what do you do? It's not about what I do. It's what I had to overcome to get here. And so the audience, like, guys, you know, there's. If you're, if, if you're going through something that hurts so bad right now, you know, whether you're, you're thinking about, you know, an attempt on your life or things like that, reach out to somebody, man. Reach out to somebody. Hell, reach out to me. Because the bottom line is you're going through this. And if you get through that one moment, you're gonna be stronger than you've ever imagined. And that's what it's going to take, right? It's what it's going to take for you to get to achieve your dreams is to become really strong and overcome things that you don't think you can. But the bottom line is God wouldn't give it to you if you couldn't.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Can I, can I add something to that, brother?

[Sean French]

Yeah, man, come on.

[Jeremy Anderson]

You know what I love about what you said is people don't realize the stuff that they're going through, like how it makes them that much stronger. Well, we've got a community of thousands of speakers who have gone through pain and tests and trials and tribulations, but they learn how to package it. They're profiting from their pain. They figured it out, they cracked the code, you know, and so I often tell folks, Sean, it's like, okay, well, because there are some people that say, I want to be a motivational speaker, but I'm going through a really dark time right now. Well, that's because God don't want you out here capping and lying. Like, go through something so that you overcome it. So you've got some weight behind your message. Right? And so come on to anybody that's listening that, that, that has thought about maybe sharing their message, like sharing their story. Like people are profiting and able to create additional revenue from sharing their story and their message and their pain. It's not a testimony if you don't testify. I am such a big supporter of people saying, hey, this is the mistakes I made. This is the, the met, the screw ups and this is the challenges I had. But I made it over and I, I didn't quit, I didn't figure it out. And, and I'm looking forward to helping individuals, man, like trying to take back their pain, take back that shame and really lean in to help other people. Because on your show, people drawn to you because you're open and you're vulnerable and you're transparent. You literally just told them, you know, saying how you were 30 pounds of weight. 30, you know, I'm saying body fat, like in a funk a year ago, dealing with depression. Like the average person, as you know, Sean is not really sharing that.

[Sean French]

Yeah, but that's power.

[Jeremy Anderson]

That's your strength. He's like, yeah, I was there, I'm not there. Right now, but that's where I was, and this is where I am now, and that gives people hope, man. And so, yeah, just grateful to be on the show, man, and grateful to be building with you, brother.

[Sean French]

Well, dude, you're welcome back anytime. We can have you. We can have you back a little bit later and talk about, you know, your other thing and. And how it relates to everything. But, dude, it's just. It was just a pleasure, man. I just. I'm so grateful to be connected with you now. And, you know, I can't wait to see you guys in June. It's gonna be awesome. So, again, thank you, brother. Thank you for the audience. I want to thank you for listening. Please do me a favor. If you know anybody that. That needs to hear this message, please share it with them. Please share the show, share the message, connect with us. Let us know what you loved about the show, you know, and really dive into this message, because there's a lot of great things said today that if you just leave the possibility open that it may be true, not just true for us, but true for you, too, you could overcome the hardest things in your life and become a massive success, and you could have peace and alignment at the same time. All right, guys, so I love y' all. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay determined.

[Sharp French]

Sharp French. What up? This one luck I let the pain inspire me I put my all in Everything I'm doing up until it's done I'm me for the entirety I put in no B time I'll be working Just know I'mma go for mine? Cause I earned it they watch and I know it's time I confirmed it the whole society determined, determined.