She Protected Lives—Now She’s Changing Them with Business: Special Interview w/ Nadia Clark

Summary

The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex
Episode: "She Protected Lives—Now She’s Changing Them with Business: Special Interview w/ Nadia Clark"
Release Date: April 5, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of The Level Up Podcast, host Paul Alex Espinoza engages in a profound conversation with Nadia Clark, a military veteran, former police sergeant, author, and serial entrepreneur. Nadia shares her transformative journey from law enforcement and military service to entrepreneurship, offering deep insights into her experiences, challenges, and the resilience that propelled her forward.

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Nadia Clark’s Background

Paul Alex begins by introducing Nadia Clark, highlighting her extensive background in law enforcement and military service. Nadia confirms her credentials, mentioning her first book, "Things I Think About and Other Works", as a significant milestone in her journey.

Quote:

"I spent a lot of time in law enforcement, military, and just living life out here as a black woman in America. And so going through some difficult times in my life, I needed to express myself. And one of my outlets, one of my things that brought peace and joy into my life was writing."
— Nadia Clark [02:00]

Nadia elaborates on her upbringing, noting that both her parents were Marines from the South. This military environment inspired her desire to serve, initially aiming to become a drill sergeant in the Marine Corps. However, she first pursued a career in law enforcement, joining the Oakland Police Department (PD) at the age of 24.

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Law Enforcement Career in Oakland

Working in Oakland, one of America's most challenging cities, Nadia describes her role as a beat cop in a highly volatile environment. She recounts the adrenaline-fueled days and the necessity of constant adaptation to survive and protect her community.

Quote:

"Chaos was just life at that point. Just as fast paced as Oakland moves internally. Internally and externally. You have no choice but to adapt because if you don't adapt in an environment like that, you're gonna get swallowed up and eaten alive."
— Nadia Clark [05:04]

Nadia reflects on the complexities of policing in Oakland, touching on the heightened violence during the 2008 housing crisis and the subsequent impact on the community. She also shares her decision to join the military reserves as a backup plan amidst economic uncertainties.

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Transition to Military Service

After three and a half years with the Oakland PD, Nadia transitions to the military, enlisting as an officer in the Army Reserves. She discusses the rigorous training and the challenges of integrating into a predominantly younger cohort.

Quote:

"They try to retrain you how to be a soldier. We're training you how to take orders, take directions, be very clear in your mission."
— Nadia Clark [09:30]

Despite initial doubts due to her age and existing career, Nadia perseveres, drawing on her structured background from both her parents and her law enforcement experience to excel in the military.

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Traumatic Incidents and Mental Health

A pivotal moment in Nadia’s career occurs in 2016 when she is involved in a severe car collision as a police sergeant. She describes the harrowing experience of being nearly murdered on duty by a young man armed with a Glock.

Quote:

"I was stuck in my vehicle. There was a gun at my only escape. And this man was standing there, staring at me with void in his eyes."
— Nadia Clark [00:00]

This incident not only marks the end of her law enforcement career but also catalyzes her struggle with PTSD. Nadia opens up about her mental health challenges, including nightmares, depression, and the difficulty of coping with the traumatic events she witnessed.

Quote:

"I was drinking, I wasn't sleeping. I was having continuous nightmares. I was trying to go to therapy, but was reactivating over and over again."
— Nadia Clark [25:53]

She emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and mental health, noting how essential it was for her to understand her identity beyond her professional roles to begin the healing process.

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Insights on Human Trafficking

Nadia shares poignant stories from her time in Oakland PD, highlighting the pervasive issue of human trafficking and the exploitation of young girls. One particularly impactful encounter involved a 12-year-old girl whom Nadia found in a vulnerable state, a memory that continues to haunt her.

Quote:

"I found her, she was a 12-year-old girl, stripped, raped, and beaten. That image resonates in my brain to this day."
— Nadia Clark [18:18]

She discusses the systemic failures in addressing such crimes, including the lack of sufficient resources and support for law enforcement, which hampers efforts to combat human trafficking effectively.

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Transition to Entrepreneurship

Following her traumatic experiences and the end of her law enforcement career, Nadia embarks on a journey of entrepreneurship. She candidly discusses the challenges she faced, including failed business ventures, financial setbacks, and the difficulty of securing employment despite her extensive experience.

Quote:

"I know I wanted to do something for myself. I want to make an impact. I want to be challenged, and I want to do something that's going to feel like I still have purpose in this world."
— Nadia Clark [41:18]

Nadia attempts to start a security company and later explores corporate roles, only to encounter repeated rejections and betrayals, such as business partners stealing her money. These experiences reinforce her determination to forge her own path rather than conforming to traditional career structures.

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Overcoming Challenges and Building a Business

Determined to succeed, Nadia invests in personal development and business coaching, seeking to bridge the gap between her structured past and the dynamic demands of entrepreneurship. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity and vulnerability in building meaningful relationships and trust with clients.

Quote:

"Authenticity is what wins. Authenticity, vulnerability. That's what gets you in the door. That's what builds relationships."
— Nadia Clark [48:20]

Nadia highlights the critical role of mindset transformation, acknowledging that true success in business requires a thorough understanding of oneself and the ability to present authentically to the world.

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Final Reflections and Moving Forward

In the concluding segments, Nadia reflects on her journey of healing and self-discovery. She underscores the significance of forgiveness—both of others and oneself—and the continuous effort required to maintain mental well-being while making a positive impact through her entrepreneurial ventures.

Quote:

"Forgiveness allowed me to forgive not only him but myself, because I fought myself a lot. I felt guilty about what happened to me."
— Nadia Clark [38:44]

Paul Alex commends Nadia for her resilience and determination, reinforcing the podcast's overarching theme of empowerment and personal growth.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Level Up Podcast offers an inspiring narrative of overcoming adversity and redefining one’s purpose. Nadia Clark’s story serves as a testament to the power of resilience, self-awareness, and the relentless pursuit of one's true calling. Listeners are encouraged to explore Nadia’s book, "Things I Think About and Other Works", to gain deeper insights into her experiences and the wisdom she imparts.

Final Quote:

"Authenticity is what wins. Authenticity, vulnerability. That's what gets you in the door."
— Nadia Clark [48:20]

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Key Takeaways

• Resilience in Adversity: Nadia’s journey underscores the importance of resilience in the face of traumatic experiences and professional setbacks.

• Mental Health Awareness: The discussion highlights the critical need for mental health support for first responders and the importance of self-awareness in healing.

• Authenticity in Business: Nadia emphasizes that authenticity and vulnerability are essential for building trust and meaningful relationships in entrepreneurship.

• Importance of Mindset: A transformative mindset is crucial for personal growth and successful transition into new ventures.

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Join the Conversation

For more inspiring stories and actionable insights, subscribe to The Level Up Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to leave a five-star review to support the show and help it reach more listeners.

Connect with Paul Alex:

• Instagram: @PaulAlex
• Website: www.OfficialPauLAlex.com

Connect with Nadia Clark:

• Book: Things I Think About and Other Works

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Remember: Empowerment meets entrepreneurship on The Level Up Podcast. Get ready to level up your life and business!

Transcript

[Nadia Clark]

I was almost murdered on duty in 2016. A young man came on my passenger side of my vehicle holding a Glock with an extended mag and started firing at me while I'm stuck in my vehicle. My seatbelt had locked in place during the collision, so I couldn't even feel it. I just know I got hit. I couldn't move. Now there was a gun at my only escape. And there's this man standing there, and we're staring at each other. We're not that far from how we're sitting right now. And I could see his eyes, and it wasn't as if he was angry, happy, sad. It was like just void, like something just wasn't there.

[Paul Alex]

Hey, guys, and welcome back to level of Podcast. My name is Paul Alex, and I'm here with another guest. Guys. Now, you know, these interviews have been crazy, guys, thank you. First off, for making us the top 10 business podcast in the United States. Currently, guys, we are trying to get to the number one spot, okay? So if you want somebody to motivate you, if you want somebody to keep you accountable every day of what you got to do in life to make it happen, guys, live life by design, guys. This is the show you need to promote, okay? So share with a friend. Share with someone you like. All right, so for our guest today, she goes by the name of Nadia Clark. She is straight out of California, guys. She is a military veteran, former police sergeant, man has done incredible, incredible things in law enforcement, guys. And now she's a serial entrepreneur going into merchant services, AKA the credit card machine business. Nadia, how are you doing today?

[Nadia Clark]

I'm doing all right, Paul. Thank you for having me.

[Paul Alex]

No, absolutely. And Nadia, I forgot to mention, she is the author to this book, Things I Think about and Other Works. This is your very first book, Nadia.

[Nadia Clark]

That is my very first book.

[Paul Alex]

I love it. I love it. And just to give them the cliff notes about this, anybody that's hearing, listening, watching right now, what is your book about?

[Nadia Clark]

So, as Paul said, I spent a lot of time in law enforcement, military, and just living life out here as a black woman in America. And so going through some difficult times in my life, I needed to express myself. And one of my outlets, one of my things that brought peace and joy into my life was writing. And what came together from my writing was this book. And it's a series of stories that have happened to me that I've witnessed. And just parts of my life that I wanted to share with the world that I pray and hope bring impact to whoever reads It.

[Paul Alex]

I love that. I love that. Then that's the whole point of this podcast. You know, I tell people, yeah, I raised him for a career law enforcement, you know, ton of different experiences. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to self help. You got to motivate people. You got to get the right mindset right. In order to go ahead and kill it in business, you have to get your mind right. And I'm a big believer in that. So let's go ahead and get started. First question, tell us a little bit about your background, where you come from. What motivated you to even start in the military?

[Nadia Clark]

Well, both my parents were Marines, both from the South. I grew up around Devil Dogs my entire life. I watched them serve and I wanted to play a part. I actually wanted to be a, a drill sergeant in the Marine Corps.

[Unknown]

Nice.

[Nadia Clark]

With the Smokey Bear and do all the yelling and the pointing with the, with the knife hand. I, I saw it and I was just enamored with it. So it was a natural fit for me to go in the military. But I actually went into the police first.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Nadia Clark]

I went into the military, went to the Army. Went into the army in the reserves as an officer.

[Paul Alex]

Wow.

[Nadia Clark]

So I went to basic training while I was a full time police officer.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Nadia Clark]

Yeah. At the age of 27.

[Paul Alex]

That's amazing. That's amazing. So at the age of 27, how long were you in the police department at that time?

[Nadia Clark]

I started 24.

[Paul Alex]

Okay, 24. So about three years and then three years in. Obviously you have some experience. And what department did you work for?

[Nadia Clark]

Oakland. Oakland pd. Oakland, California, baby.

[Unknown]

Oof.

[Paul Alex]

One of the roughest cities in America.

[Nadia Clark]

Facts.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. How was it working in that city?

[Nadia Clark]

Oh, man, it was. It's hard to encapsulate in, in just words, especially for this, this podcast, but it was the most exhilarating, dangerous, vulnerable. Any adjective that you could bring into to describe just fast paced, unknowing type of activity. That's Oakland straight up.

[Paul Alex]

Okay, so how did you do and like, how did you feel in that environment? Like, did you get used to the adrenaline rush? Did you get used to just the controlled chaos? How, how were you on a daily basis doing that job?

[Nadia Clark]

Chaos was just life at that point. Just as fast paced as Oakland moves internally. Internally and externally.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

You have no choice but to adapt because if you don't adapt in an environment like that, you're gonna get swallowed up and eaten alive.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

Period. So it was incumbent upon whoever put on that uniform to just make Adjustments in not only professional, but your personal life in order to survive that place.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Paul Alex]

And what did your parents say when you first joined the police department? Were they happy? Were they proud?

[Nadia Clark]

It's funny, I didn't tell them until I was all the way through getting hired.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Nadia Clark]

Yeah. I kept it. I kept it from them because I didn't. I wasn't sure what their response was going to be. I just felt. I felt the call and I just wanted to go through with it. And I didn't want any other distractions, and I did not want anybody's extracurricular noise in my ear.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Nadia Clark]

So I wanted to go in it without any sort of doubt. Nothing. Yeah, so I didn't want to tell anybody.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, no, makes sense. You know, a lot of people talk about what they're going to do and then they don't end up doing it.

[Nadia Clark]

That's facts.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. So you did it and then you talked about it, which is the right way to do it.

[Nadia Clark]

Yeah, I love it. I love that.

[Paul Alex]

Okay, so three years into the department, and during this time, were you like a beat cop? What were you doing in the department?

[Nadia Clark]

So right after ftl, which is field training, I went right to the beat. I went to one of the crazy beats in West Oakland at the time. Cut loose with what we call it in Oakland by myself, working one of the most dangerous parts in Oakland.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

Mlk, West Street, Marcus Street. Just a lot of old school gangs, a lot of old school activity.

[Paul Alex]

Was there a specific name for that part of Oakland?

[Nadia Clark]

Ghost town.

[Paul Alex]

Ghost town. Okay, so. So for all my Bay Area people in California, if you know what ghost town is, make sure to share this with people from California so they're able to be like, wow, ghost town. Right. So, okay, so you're in ghost town three years in, obviously you're loving the job. And then what made you, like, go back to the day where you were like, you know what? I gotta go to the military. So what made you execute on that?

[Nadia Clark]

It was something that I always wanted to do.

[Paul Alex]

Okay.

[Nadia Clark]

And something caused me to pause the trigger. To pause pulling the trigger after high school. Cause I almost went into the Air Force after high school. Same thing. When I graduated college, I was going to go in the army. I was. I wanted to go and be an officer. It was the height of the invasion of Baghdad, actually. And my parents, like I said, they were both marines and they're both still live near one of the bases.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

So they were working on base as well. I don't know what they were seeing. And they never really tell me, don't do something. But for whatever reason, whatever they were witnessing, they actually asked me not to go.

[Paul Alex]

Wow, okay.

[Nadia Clark]

And so I was like, well, I'm just gonna join the Oakland Police Department then.

[Paul Alex]

Close enough.

[Nadia Clark]

I'm not gonna tell anybody about it either. You know, I'm just gonna go do my thing. And so around the time I went, it was, I signed my paperwork in September 29, 2010. So it was about three and a half, four years in, because I started in 2006 in Oakland. And at that time it was economically not doing well.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Nadia Clark]

That was the. What was that collapse called in 2008? The housing crisis of 2008. And it's just the trickle down effect was. I'd never seen anything like that. You were talking about people losing jobs left and right, cops losing homes, homes abandoned all over Oakland boarded up and just homeless. And then the violence picked up. It was, it was a wild. It was like the wild, wild west at the time.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Nadia Clark]

And so for me, I was kind of sitting on the cusp of getting let go. And there was 85 that eventually were let go. And we weren't sure how far deep they were going to go into my class. So I wanted a backup plan. And it was something I always wanted to do. So I was like, why not? Yeah, you know, yeah, I wanted to keep serving. I wanted to do it the highest capacity I felt at the time. And so I was like, I'm going to sign this paperwork. I'm gonna, I have my college degree. I'm gonna go be an officer in the United States Army.

[Unknown]

I love that. I love that.

[Paul Alex]

And then how was the training once you enter there? Because like, typically when people go to the military, they're like, they're young buck. They're like from 18 to like, I think max 21. So you already being at, towards the end of your 20s, did they look at you like, what are you doing here?

[Nadia Clark]

Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Paul Alex]

I can imagine.

[Nadia Clark]

I remember there was one drill sergeant, she, she's like, she's like, clark, you're not no spring chicken anymore. Some kind of run. And I remember that like, dang, she's so right. Because I'm, I'm surrounded by 17 year olds, 18 year olds, 19 year olds, and I'm in here in my late 20s with a full time career. I've been to college, I've lived life already. I was playing college hoop, like making money, all the things. And I put it on hold to go serve my nation and it was, it took a lot to hold my, my composure because there's a lot of, there's a lot of mind games. When you go to boot camp, of course, because they're trying to, they're trying to retrain you how to be. We're training you how to be a soldier. We're training you how to, how to take orders, take directions, be very clear in your mission. And so I was already, I was already there because I, I grew up again, my parents are black and Southern, so I had that, I had that going for me. They were both marines and I was with the Oakland police departments. So I was already structured and ready to go. So for me, it wasn't as difficult as I was witnessing some of the 17, 18, 19 year olds. I remember our first day of boot because there's zero days, what they call it, it's when you get off the bus and you start going into your actual boot camp and they do something called smoking. So they smoke you where they bring you into whatever area or unit you're a part of. Carrying your duffel bag full of your crap, your shoes, all your gear, and they have you put it over your head and start exercising with it. So you're running a place with this big duffel bag over your head. And we're just going between that and dropping down, doing push ups, doing sit ups, doing all kind of calisthenics. I remember There was a 17 year old kid, I think he was on the verge of turning 18 or he just turned 8, something like that. And he starts breaking down crying and I'm just like, oh, yeah, they're not ready for this, you know, and it dawned on me like, I'm like, I'm gonna be all right. Yeah, I've, I've cried my tears over this kind of hardship. Hardship?

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. You know, this is, it's nothing new.

[Nadia Clark]

It's nothing new. Nothing new under the sun. I'm here to just do a job and get the skill set that I plan to get from the military.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. So that makes sense why you transitioned into entrepreneurship. Because I think for most people that do great in entrepreneurship are typically people that have that level of discipline. And you have to be proactive and you have to be a self starter. Right. And you also have to take imperfect action.

[Nadia Clark]

Yes.

[Paul Alex]

You can't be a perfectionist with this, you know, this 100%. And I think it's the same thing being that we both have experience in law enforcement. I mean, in law enforcement, you go to a critical incident, you go to Any type of situation. And you got to think on your feet.

[Nadia Clark]

Facts, you know, Police.

[Paul Alex]

The police academy. Yeah. Oakland, they train you on some of the most severe and common, you know, penal codes and crimes that happens in the city of Oakland.

[Nadia Clark]

Right.

[Paul Alex]

Like robbery and burglary and, you know, all that stuff.

[Nadia Clark]

Shootings and all that stuff.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Paul Alex]

Which is common in Oakland. Yeah, But. But at the end of the day, you still run into something you may not know.

[Nadia Clark]

That's correct.

[Paul Alex]

Right. So you're able to think on your feet. So it makes sense why they call that activity in the military. You said smoking.

[Nadia Clark]

Smoking.

[Paul Alex]

Smoking, yeah. Because they're literally smoking out.

[Nadia Clark]

Yes.

[Paul Alex]

The people that are not built for it.

[Nadia Clark]

Yes.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Nadia Clark]

And it becomes evident really fast.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, yeah. So let me ask you, so how long did you end up serving in What? In the military.

[Nadia Clark]

Military. 11 years.

[Paul Alex]

11 years.

[Nadia Clark]

So 2010 to 2021.

[Paul Alex]

Wow. Wow. That's quite a while.

[Nadia Clark]

Quite a while. I actually left as a captain.

[Paul Alex]

I love that. I love that. Okay, so let's go ahead and go back into your law enforcement career.

[Nadia Clark]

Okay.

[Paul Alex]

Okay. So in law enforcement, how did being a law enforcement officer shaped the way you view the world? Now?

[Nadia Clark]

I have to say I was completely, completely naive into the way the world worked. I grew up a bit sheltered. I grew up in the desert out by Joshua Tree. Yeah, My. My dad was gone a lot because he was always serving, always overseas, back and forth. I don't know what he was doing over there, but he was doing stuff. You know what I mean? And so it's just me, my mom, and my sister. So. So we had our little unit, and like I said, they were very strict. So I did not have a lot of experience being anything outside of my little bubble in the desert. So going out into the world, especially a place like Oakland, I'm now exposed to an urban environment that is ripe with history, ripe with violence, ripe with culture. It's just beautiful. Architecture, paintings, and also a lot of sadness.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

You're talking. I don't know what I can say or not say to get.

[Paul Alex]

You can say whatever you want.

[Nadia Clark]

Okay. I mean, you're talking about maiming, raping, the shoot. The amount of shootings, burglaries, robberies, home invasions, the homicides. I could not believe this is how we're out here doing each other.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

We're treating each other. And it was mind blowing. And then to see the politics that are involved and then wanting and feeling this desire and pull to want to help and save, and finally realizing that you Can't, Can't. There's nothing, Nothing you can do.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

And it almost feels by design.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely.

[Paul Alex]

I remember I had a very similar feeling towards the middle of my career. And I always use the concept of just imagine if you were in a boat and you were the only one in that boat and the boat was sinking, right? The boat's sinking and you're trying to. With a bucket, go ahead and take out the water and you have a little bit of progression, but at the end of the day, the water's gonna fill up the boat. And I feel like that's how it is to be a police officer, specifically in Oakland, because there's so many good cops that do good. Great work, great work, great work. And they put their passion into it and they're about it and man, stories, stories for days, for days.

[Nadia Clark]

But.

[Paul Alex]

But when it comes down to it, it's just. There's not enough. There's not enough cops, there's not enough support, there's not enough morale, there's not enough people backing up the police. You know, and then people realize, you know, now, especially in 2025, they're like, why is crime gone up? Why is, why is, why is there homeless tents everywhere? You know, what's happening to all the cities now? You know, besides Oakland, you know, it's happening all over California and all over the United States. Right. So to go into that, let's go deeper into your career. Okay. What was something you would say you witnessed in your law enforcement career that still lives with you till today?

[Nadia Clark]

Can I touch on a couple things?

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, of course.

[Nadia Clark]

So my first. I'll tell, I'll tell, I'll tell it like this. My first interaction with human trafficking, I encountered a 12 year old girl. We had something called the Hostroom out in Oakland. And I don't know if that's still the same term when you came through.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, international.

[Nadia Clark]

International. But I was in West Oakland. It was San Pablo.

[Paul Alex]

Oh, okay. Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

So San Pablo used to be a major hostro. While the girls of the night will come with, the women of the night will come out and do their thing, pick up the johns, do whatever it is that they do. Yeah, return them back.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

So there was one night I was driving into the office and one of, one of the things that they don't. One of the things that senior ros. Are, sorry, senior police officers tell you is don't drive the major thoroughfare, something's gonna pop off. I was on my way in for the night and I decided I got this. I drive down San Pablo and there was a bus stop over on 32nd in San Pablo where all the girls used to hang out. And it used to be thick, but for whatever reason, this night there was only one standing there. And she stood out to me. And there was something about the lighting and that, it's beyond me.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

And I know that was, that had to be divine for me to see her. And especially under the light in the way I saw her, because it illuminated in such a way that I'd never seen before. It was almost like a spotlight was directly on her. And something in my stomach turned and I was driving the opposite direction. So something told me to turn around. So I flip, flip a U turn. I pull up on her, I walk out of the car. And as I'm walking up to her, as I'm approaching her, the closer I get as her face becomes clearer, she gets younger and younger and younger. She's caked with makeup, she's half dressed, it's cold outside and she's shivering as I walk up on her. I ask her. Well, actually before I reached her, before I started asking her, I could smell her.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

I was like, what is this stench like? It smells like she hadn't bathed in a while.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

So I walk up to her and I ask her, I said, how old are you? She says, I'm 12.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Nadia Clark]

And I said, when was the last time you bathed? She said, two weeks.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Nadia Clark]

So where are you from? I got snatched out of a group home. And I said, when's the last time you ate? She said, I don't know. This young baby girl, little caramel complexion, looking like somebody could be in my family, staring at me on the verge of tears. And I said, let's go take her to McDonald's. Get her her little few favorites. Take her down to ysd, which is our youth services division. I check her in and that was the last time I heard about her.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

And it's still, she's still in my heart today because that was my first encounter with this very gross, just depraved activity that goes on on her streets, that goes on. Just. I don't know if people care. They talk a big game, but to see this 12 year old in action, like, I don't know how much you can really care to allow this kind of thing to go on. I know other people saw her.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

And she's been gone two weeks. That means she's been there right? Off and on for two weeks. And no one even thought a Thing. And there's grown men taking turns with this young girl. It almost caught me right now talking about it, because that. The smell of her, the look of her, the makeup, the sound of her young voice, it resonates in my brain to this day, in my heart to this day. I can't even look at a child without that image coming back in my head, you know, and it's just amazing that we have a culture that participates in such depravity. You know, that was just one of many that I encountered after that.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. Situations like that. You know, it's. Human trafficking has. Has been around for such a long time, and I think up until recently, they just started coming out with movies like the. The Sound of Silence or the Sound of Freedom. I'm sorry. And it. It was regarding HSI human or was a Homeland Security Security investigating human trafficking of kids in Colombia. And then that's when they made it a big thing here and specifically in Miami. But that's when I found out about it. I found out about it a few years ago. And, you know, you got people on social media talking about, oh, stop human trafficking. But realistically, what are you doing besides making a couple posts on social media while you're comfortable at work, while these kids are getting trafficked?

[Unknown]

Right.

[Paul Alex]

Are you actively going out there and actually trying to help these kids at group homes? Because that's typically what happens, Right. I worked vice for a few months after I came back from Narcotics Task force back around 2018-2019, and I saw horrific. I mean, exactly what you were talking about, Nadia. Horrific things. Majority of the prostitution that happens in Oakland are juveniles. Are juveniles. And they're ranging. I mean, I never heard 12, which is crazy to me, but I would encounter 15, 15 and up so many times during our operations where they actually look like they're in their 30s because of the makeup, the amount of makeup. But then once you wipe that out and you start asking them questions. They're kids. They're kids. And you're like, where's your mom and your dad? They're like, I haven't seen them in months. Or they do connect with the mom and the dad, but the mom and dad don't care. Right. And they're usually from another city. Right. So at the end of the day, this has been a big, big problem that I think more resources should be put towards something, you know, more resources, more officers, you know, and the politics that plays behind this is insane. I mean, I remember when we were going ahead and doing our operations to get you know, the, the pimps, the guys that were actually traffic these young girls into this. And the DA wouldn't prosecute because why they're so overloaded with cases. So they have to take the ones where it's basically like a layup of here. Literally. We saw him kidnap her and put her in the car, which never happens. You never see that as a police officer. Right. It's usually her word against his and yeah, it's just not enough in court.

[Nadia Clark]

Definitely. They actually changed some of the laws. I don't remember when it happened, what the exact actual change was, but the sentencing change for the males, the pimps. And there was protections, there used to be a lot of protections for the young, young ladies, the women and those disappeared as well.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

I'll speak of another incident. There was a 17 year old girl I used to talk to, she was on the stroll. She said her mother started her out young and one day she just didn't show up. I found out a week later she was found in a nearby park, stripped, raped and beaten and left naked in the park dead. And these are the kind of stories that no one talked about and these are the kind of things that are happening. You're talking about, you're talking about on a daily. On a daily.

[Paul Alex]

On a daily. No, for sure, 100%. I mean, I remember being in field training and during my last week of field training, same situation, we saw a juvenile, she was stripped, she was raped and she was left in the middle of the street. And we roll up, we're like, what happened? You know, she tells the situation and we'll grab the coat, wrap her up and then, you know, get her some assistance. But at the end of the day, this is something that the media doesn't go ahead and broadcast.

[Nadia Clark]

Wow.

[Paul Alex]

You know, it's crazy to me, the amount of illegal activities that happens like this, like human trafficking, the shootings, the murders, it's almost like the politics play a big role to cover this up.

[Nadia Clark]

Huge.

[Paul Alex]

So it doesn't scare tourists, it doesn't scare businesses from coming into the city until they actually come into the city. They get their businesses burglarized or taken advantage of and then they end up going right. Like majority of what's happening to the.

[Nadia Clark]

Bay Area right now.

[Paul Alex]

Right. But man, that's, that's some insane stuff. And you know, guys, you might be listening to this, you're like, paul, why are you so calm listening to this? Guys, I was in law enforcement, you know, I know Nadia for quite a while now. So I'm Yeah, I'm pretty familiar with a lot of these things that happen in the world, so. Okay, Nadia, so let's go ahead on to the next question. How did you actually. And this is a big question, because a lot of people are like, didn't you get PTSD from this, Nadia? Like, how are you, like, coping with this? So let's go into that. Mental health is huge, especially for first responders. A lot of first responders don't get help until it's, like, too late. And they're like, dude, like, what am I doing? Right? Almost happened to me where I'm like, what am I doing? Like, I'm killing myself for this job. I'm barely seeing my family. My relationship at that time was crap. You know, you're just going down a spiral, a black hole, right? And a lot of police officers, they find themselves in the same situation. You know, a lot of people don't. Don't talk about the suicide rate with police officers as well, which is huge. And that's something that the media doesn't cover, right? So how did you end up coping with all these events that happen in your life? Because you're seeing stuff that most people in this world will never encounter, right?

[Nadia Clark]

So it took me a while to figure out how to cope. And it was actually after I left, because when you're in the fire like that, you can't put it out. It's hard to heal in a place that got you sick, right? Period. And this is. I'm gonna tell a little bit of this. This story. Reason why I'm not even a police officer anymore. Like, I was almost murdered on duty in 2016. I was nearly executed. I was. I guess Paul said it. I was a sergeant at the time. I was responding to a call to help out another sergeant. I got t boned by a drunk driver. On my driver on my driver's side. Push. He hit me so hard. I was in an suv. He was in an suv. He hit me so hard, he pushed me three lanes onto a light pole, almost into a building right there on the corner in East Oakland. And as I'm in this car trying to figure out my exact location, because I was just completely rattled. A young man came on my passenger side of my vehicle holding a Glock, who I thought was a Glock when an extended mag and started firing at me while I'm stuck in my vehicle. And so that was one of my biggest turning points of my life. And the moment after all that settled, I realized I had not been coping at All I was drinking, I wasn't sleeping. I was having continuous nightmares. I was trying to go to therapy, but was reactivating over and over again. You're talking about wrestling with naked men.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

You're talking about. That's an interesting story. A couple of those. You're talking about again, the homicides, the shootings. I've had people's brain matter on my boots, on my uniform, on my skin. And I'm just supposed to go home and just be okay and live a normal life. And the other thing they don't talk about is men and women hold things very differently. So I'm watching my male counterparts be okay for the most part, or at least pretend to, or.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, appear to, appear to, appear to.

[Nadia Clark]

And I'm trying to uphold that same image while slowly dying inside. And I could feel it because I'm witnessing all this just horrors and not being able to do anything except put a little band aid on an arterial wound and not understanding why I can't do anything. And so it wasn't until almost losing my life that it made me sit down and take inventory of what was actually going on and take inventory. And that, excuse me. And that inventory led me to find. Finally realized I had no idea even who I was. So if I don't know who I am, I don't even know how to begin to cope. So the beginning of coping for me started with knowledge of self. Who was I in this world? Who was I as a woman? Who was I even in that uniform, the military uniform? Who was I outside of all that? And it turns out I wasn't even separated from any of it. All of it bled into one thing. And I was just trying to move through life as my identity as a police officer, a military officer, and a black woman. Because that's what everybody's telling me I am. Everybody's telling me I am. And the one person that didn't ever ask was myself, like, who are you? So that was the beginning of the coping is coming to awareness, acknowledging and then holding myself accountable for all the things I was doing with not coping properly.

[Paul Alex]

So, Nadia, thank you for sharing for that, sharing that with us. I mean, that's a crazy chaotic experience that anybody would go through. During those moments where the suspect was shooting at you in the car, what was your thought process? Were you like, I'm actually getting shot at or like, like, you didn't react or.

[Nadia Clark]

Well, it was wild. So initially I got hit by the car. I got T boned.

[Paul Alex]

Yes.

[Nadia Clark]

So I'm sitting on this I'm sitting at this corner and I remember the dispatcher asking me, where are you? I said, I'm at 73rd. And I couldn't remember the name of the street. I was knocked. My head was just knocked around. I went out a little bit, came back and just trying to figure out where I'm at. And then looking over to my passenger side and seeing that gun barrel, it was like, is that a gun?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

Like you were shocked.

[Nadia Clark]

I was shocked. Like I just got. I just got the shit knocked out of me.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

From this. From this suv. And I'm trying to figure out where I'm at, and all of a sudden now my driver's side door is completely smashed in. There's a cage in the back. Airbag. Airbag.

[Paul Alex]

So you're stuck.

[Nadia Clark]

I'm stuck. And the other thing was I could not move at the time, and I couldn't figure out why I had my seatbelt on.

[Paul Alex]

Oh, wow.

[Nadia Clark]

My seat belt had locked in place during the collision.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

I had my vest on, of course, so I couldn't even feel it. I just know I got hit. I couldn't move. Now there's a gun at my only. At my only escape. And there's this man standing there, and he had the drop on me.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

And we're staring at each other. We're not that far from like how we're sitting right now. And I could see his eyes and it wasn't. It wasn't as if he was angry, happy, sad. It was like. Just void, like something just wasn't there.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Nadia Clark]

And so I'm trying to piece all this together and put out on the radio where I'm at. Where's my gun? Is he going to be able to get in this car? What do I have to do right now? Like just so many thoughts just. Just running through my head. And everything actually was. Was kind of wild. Everything almost felt silent. I could hear every single breath, the inhale, the exhale, leaving my nose, exhaling out of my mouth. It was. It was chaotic, but it was calm all at the same time. It's like I couldn't make sense of it. Is this. Is this. I was watch. About to watch myself die in this filthy patrol car. And I remember the thought of my. Because I'm not married, no kids. I remember the thought of my parents being given an American flag, folded up, and that was the only thing they would have left of me. So those were the kind of thoughts that were going through my head at the time.

[Unknown]

Wow. Wow. Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

So from there that incident happens. Does he end up getting arrested? Does he end up getting caught? What was the scenario then?

[Nadia Clark]

So what I found out later was, so my incident happened on a Saturday night. It was July 23, 2016. It was actually amongst a rash of police shootings in the country. There was, I think New York, then five in Texas, and then I think three in Louisiana. Mine happened right after that. And so he did what he did. He left the scene and he was, I guess he went to Stockton. They found him on a. On the following Thursday, eight hour standoff. Two kids were held hostage. Two kids were held hostage. Hostage. Excuse me.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

And they were able to. He was, he came out after. I think I said, I think it was about 8 hours. Locked him up. And he is in now, he's now in prison today.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

So it's. That's how they end up finding him. Everybody told him. Everybody. No one even showed up for this man's trial.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

So it was from my understanding, the community wasn't happy about what he. What he did. They thought it was messed up.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

So did it ever come out? The reason, like his thought process on why he did it?

[Nadia Clark]

Yes. But here's the kicker. It never made.

[Paul Alex]

Never made the media.

[Nadia Clark]

Not like that. It hit a couple papers in the bay. I heard it hit one of the national ones, but it was like one of those brief little run ins and that was it.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Nadia Clark]

So it turns out he had just been released from prison. He had just did a bid for. It was either home invasion or regular robbery. I don't remember that part. He was 29 years old. He had a disdain for police. He had been writing on his social media. He wanted to kill a cop.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Nadia Clark]

He wanted to be part of the movement that was going on at the time, the BLM movement. And he was very caught up in the extreme portion of that.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Nadia Clark]

He saw an opportunity with me and he took it. Cuz apparently this was on the. This was in the police report. He was yelling obscenities and, you know, I'm gonna kill this cop. F the cops. F police. Before he started shooting at me.

[Unknown]

Wow. Wow.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. I mean, this is an insane story, but it gives me some type of, you know, thought process on. On back then, then during the time that. That happened with the BLM movement, absolutely everything. And it's just, to me, it's crazy how a lot of people in society follow a trend that they know nothing about. Right. Because with the whole BLM movement, I mean, those founders, they ended up scamming everybody that invested into that organization. Right. So, I mean, to have somebody go ahead and. And be an extremist of an organization like that against the police that actually try to help people is insane to me. But I'm glad things worked out. So after that, did you continue police work? What was. What happened next?

[Nadia Clark]

That was my last day ever.

[Paul Alex]

That was your last day ever?

[Nadia Clark]

My last day ever was me being in a hospital bed, being stripped of my uniform, my gun belt. So it felt symbolic.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

I never went back. I never cleaned out my locker. I never cleared out my desk.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Nadia Clark]

That was it. I was in a lot of pain. Like, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually, just destroyed. They talk about the straw that breaks the camel's back. My back was broken.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

There's some things in life that you'll never be sure if you recover from. I thought that was one of those moments for me. I was not sure if I was going to make it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to make it. I remember thinking and being pissed at God, like, why didn't you just take me out? So I don't have to live through this. I don't have to live with the knowledge of what people do to each other out here. I don't have to live with the knowledge that this black man that looks like me, even though I know it's not personal, there's so much more behind that. Tried to murder me, execute me at one of my most vulnerable points. And all I wanted to do, again, he doesn't know me. We've never interacted. And all he wanted to do was end my life. To me, something was very disconnected. And I came to the conclusion, like, just because you do not see the yoke around somebody's neck, it does not mean they are not enslaved, period. Whether that's rhetoric, propaganda, poverty, you name it. We're walking around in times where people don't even know that they're enslaved. And so for me, I was very, very angry. And I had to do a lot of reconciliation with myself in order to even think about him and think about everything that transpired in my. Technically, 10 years on the job there. And I was left to just pull the pieces back in slowly, little by little. One percent of the time. There would be days, Paul, where I would go three steps forward, a thousand steps backwards. And a lot of it was alone.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

And so it's like I. I still think about him today.

[Paul Alex]

Of course.

[Nadia Clark]

I think about him all the time. He's actually in. He's close. He's in prison kind of close to where I live. I got the paperwork not that long ago because I get notifications of when he moves. And I think about him and I think about me and I think about culturally, like where we are as black people out here. What led him to doing that? What in his mind, what in his history, what in his conditioning pushed him to that point where he wanted to end the life.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

And it.

[Paul Alex]

You.

[Nadia Clark]

You asked me about coping, asking those questions, being in, being able to ask those questions, allow me to forgive not only him, but myself, because I fought myself a lot. I felt guilty on leaving the streets. I felt guilty about what happened to me. I felt guilty that he didn't kill me. Was wild. And I just. I just don't know. You know, I tried my best to help as many people as I could in that timeframe in that uniform, but I realize now that that was not my calling and purpose. That was for that particular season. To prime me for whatever comes next.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

To prime me. To even have this discussion today. You know, it's heartbreaking what goes out there, what is going on out there on the street. It's heartbreaking to know that someone wants to end a life, that someone wants to put a 12 year old on the streets to be pimped out, that somebody is so disconnected from life, they just. They shoot themselves up with poison just to not feel their existence.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

So, yeah, that's a, that's a as real as it gets. It really is. And I resonate with all that. As much as you guys know about my background in law enforcement, everything, I still back the blue. I still have a lot of friends which I consider family that still work in law enforcement. I have the most respect for all law enforcement officers out there because you guys are doing a job that most people will not be willing to wake up every single day to do. So kudos to you. Keep doing it. Keep doing God's work, because that's what exactly you guys are doing. So to transition from now law enforcement, military back to law enforcement and having a critical incident that changed your view in life. Okay, let's start talking about now, your entrepreneurship career that you have going on right now. I want to talk a little bit about your book and then I want to talk about exactly what you're doing right now to actually help you and fulfill you and, you know, how you're touching lives and changing lives right now. So let's get into it.

[Nadia Clark]

Okay.

[Paul Alex]

Okay. So question one. When did you start transitioning into entrepreneurship? When did you Start transitioning, where you're like, you know what? I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna write my book. I'm gonna go ahead and start looking into business.

[Nadia Clark]

So part of the wake up that I had from that incident led me to. That led me to the book, led me to entrepreneurship. I knew I didn't want to go backwards. I knew I didn't want to work for anybody ever again. Especially going through the military, going through the police. You know what it is? There's some people that I remember wanting to promote because I don't want to work for you. I know how you get down. I've seen your action. I'm good. You know what I mean? Same thing in the military, same thing in the corporate world. I wanted to carve out a lane for myself. I have all this experience of all this, the skill set. I'm like, where does it go? I tried actually to work in corporate America a bunch of times. I had somebody design my resume. I think it's called a CV now. Put it out. Rejection, rejection, rejection. I couldn't believe it. I'm just like, I have all this experience. I was a military officer, super qualified. No one cared.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

So I was like, forget this. I'm gonna do something for myself. I want to make an impact. I want to be challenged, and I want to do something that's going to feel like I still have purpose in this world. And so, for whatever reason, sales was just like. Like a blinking light over and over again. Insurance actually came to me first.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Nadia Clark]

And I wanted to.

[Paul Alex]

What year was this, Nadia?

[Nadia Clark]

So my incident happened in 2006. Oh, I forgot about this. I actually tried to start a security company. This was crazy. I was pretty.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. No disrespect, guys, but pretty cliche for a former police sergeant to be like, hey, you know what? I'm just gonna open a security company. That's like the number one side hustle that cops do.

[Nadia Clark]

Yes. So it was. Had to be 2017. 2018. So right after, I was just, I gotta keep moving because I'm. I'm like, fighting myself. Like I said, I'm fighting myself.

[Paul Alex]

Keep yourself busy.

[Nadia Clark]

I had to.

[Paul Alex]

Especially when you work in Oakland. I mean, a lot of police officers there, they end up coming back when they leave to another agency because of the amount of work.

[Nadia Clark]

Right.

[Paul Alex]

It keeps you busy.

[Nadia Clark]

It does.

[Paul Alex]

Right.

[Nadia Clark]

So I'll even touch on, before I forgot about this, that before that happened, I was actually enrolled at the Berkeley Extension, taking classes, become a cfp, a certified financial planner. I knew I. My body was. My body was breaking down. I could feel it. I would. Like I said, 10 years. At that point, I was just like, I gotta figure something out. I was about to buy my third home, and I had tried to do another couple businesses, but they had money stolen from me. And I was just like, what is going on?

[Paul Alex]

It happens. It happens in business. Happened to me last year, man.

[Nadia Clark]

So just thousands of dollars, all that hard work just gone like that, and there's nothing I can do about it. What am I supposed to do? Sue this guy? He stole from me. He doesn't have any money.

[Paul Alex]

Exactly.

[Nadia Clark]

So what am I going to do for.

[Paul Alex]

What are you gonna sue for?

[Nadia Clark]

And so I remember after that, when. After I had my incident. So 20. So 2016, I officially left. I tried to start a business. Like I said, it was 2017 or 2018, with a fellow police officer who then stole money from me.

[Unknown]

Oh, my God.

[Nadia Clark]

So I was just like, forget this. I actually went to work for a. I think it's now Fortune 100 company. And again, I was there for about a year and a half, two years, and again, I was just like, what am I doing? I don't want to do this. So I looked back into insurance again.

[Paul Alex]

So it didn't fulfill you at that time?

[Nadia Clark]

No, nothing.

[Paul Alex]

Okay.

[Nadia Clark]

Nothing. The entrepreneurship route, I kept hitting the wall. It's just like, something's not fitting, something's not right. I feel like I need somebody to follow. I need somebody who's done it, who can prove it to me and also has results in the space. And everybody I was coming across was like, something about it. Like, I don't believe something about the spidey senses we get that we call in police work or just that little thing goes off, like, gut feeling.

[Paul Alex]

It's always a gut feeling, you know, if something don't feel right, like, do your due diligence, you know? You know, it's just like.

[Nadia Clark]

So you run into people, especially online. It's just like, there's something about you that's just not fitting. Like, you're saying this thing, but what kind of life have you lived? Like, what made you become. How did you become a coach?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

How did you get this money? Is that your Lamborghini? Like, yeah. There's so many questions I can't have answered. And it's not like they answer you. They're not really transparent.

[Unknown]

No.

[Nadia Clark]

So. But I knew I wanted that. I actually went into a lot of different coaching programs to just to even improve upon myself so I could. I needed to bridge the gap on my discernment, because there was a. There was a big gap because I was coming out of police work and military being told what to do. And now what people don't understand about going into entrepreneurship, that's a whole nother skill set, a bunch of soft skills and little bit of hard skill. Making that transition to going to work for yourself.

[Paul Alex]

Absolutely.

[Nadia Clark]

And I understood because like I said, it took a lot of inventory that I needed to fill that gap before I could even think about going into entrepreneurship.

[Paul Alex]

So just to clarify on that, Nadia, are you saying that you had to take care of a lot of personal things first, like things that you were still dealing with and coping with from your law enforcement, military career before you can even think about starting a business? Is that. Is that basically, like, what you're saying right now?

[Nadia Clark]

Yes. So apologize for that. Yes.

[Paul Alex]

No. And you're. And you're fine. It's just, for me, I have to run it through my head in order to, like, just clarify. But then also my audience, you gotta. You gotta think about it. Like, a lot of people that watch this, they're. They're trying to get into entrepreneurship, right? They're like, just think about, like, the humble beginnings of, like, when we first started, like the first business, even if it failed, even if. If you want or whatever. But at the end of the day, a lot of people are not able to go ahead and actually execute on the business because they're dealing with a mindset problem. And that's what it comes down to. A lot of times, it's the mindset problem. So I respect that. I respect the fact that you were able to acknowledge that before you even got into entrepreneurship. Like you, I have to fix myself. With me, when I was building one of my first businesses, guys, I'm going to be real. I was depressed. I was working. I was. I was, you know, I was. I was drinking a ton of caffeine. I was like, man, am I gonna have a heart attack? My doctor was like, dude, you're not gonna have a heart attack. You just, you know, you gotta be. Cool off the coffee and stop eating big meals. I was like, all right, all right. So, you know, it just depends. It's knowing you, right? And that comes with experience 100%.

[Nadia Clark]

And my experience was I had no idea who I was, so how could I even help that person? How do I pour into somebody when I can't even pour into myself? So I knew I needed to, like I said, bridge that gap from where I was to where I wanted to be. And that required, first and foremost, working on who I was and how I wanted to show up. Because I couldn't do it. I could fake it till I make it, but again, I'm running into people who are doing that same thing. And it's very transparent to me that that ain't it. Authenticity is what wins. Authenticity, vulnerability. That's what gets you in the door. That's what builds relationships. That's. People get. People want to know you before they buy your product.

[Unknown]

Absolutely.

[Nadia Clark]

They want to know you before you quote, unquote, sell them on anything else that you may or may not have that you may or may not can give them. So it's like, how do I go and sell insurance? How do I go. What was the. I forgot what other thing I tried to do. How do I go do anything in life without first presenting myself in such a way that people would even want to respond to me? People will want to talk to me. People will want to reach out to me and pick at my knowledge and ask me questions. And so first things first. Like you said mindset. My mindset had to be 180 because I'm coming. You're talking about heartbroken, depressed, drinking, just YOLOing. I don't. Do people say YOLO anymore.

[Paul Alex]

I don't even know YOLO. Yeah, Emilio on the back, he's like.

[Nadia Clark]

Did we say that shit?

[Paul Alex]

He's like, for all the youngsters right now, yolo means you only live once.

[Nadia Clark]

You only live once, baby.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. You only live once.

[Nadia Clark]

Yeah, I dated myself.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, it's all good.

[Nadia Clark]

It's all good.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Nadia Clark]

So. But I'm sitting here living life like that because my life almost ended. So I just like, I'm just going to live like that.

[Paul Alex]

And I'm also a big believer in leveling up your mindset as well. Good stuff, Nadia. Like, I really appreciate that. So, guys, we are running out of time. Once again, thank you for tuning in. Nadia was awesome. Unbelievable story, guys. From being a police sergeant to being a serial entrepreneur and even an author, guys. If you haven't read her book yet, Things I Think about and other works, check it out. We're going to have the links in the bottom of this video. And if you're listening on Spotify and Apple, make sure to leave a review. Leave a five star review to help us out. Reach out to number one, guys. We've been the top 10 business podcast for the past six months now in the United States. This is the Level up podcast with Paul Alex. I'll catch you guys on the next one.

[Nadia Clark]

It.