How a Military Veteran Turned Stories Into Legacy

Summary

Living Your Legacy – Episode Summary

Podcast: Living Your Legacy
Host: Rudy Mawer
Guest: Steven Mancini
Episode: How a Military Veteran Turned Stories Into Legacy
Date: August 10, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Living Your Legacy features Steven Mancini—military veteran, award-winning podcast host, filmmaker, and CEO of Steven Mancini Productions. The conversation explores how Mancini's military discipline shaped his entrepreneurial journey, his passion for storytelling, and his personal philosophy about legacy, faith, discipline, and media. Mancini shares insight into the transition from serving in the military to building impactful media, his commitment to recording overlooked stories, and his motivations for choosing purpose-driven over profit-driven work.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Military Discipline and Entrepreneurial Resilience

• Discipline as a Foundation
  Mancini discusses the parallels between military discipline and entrepreneurship:

  • In both, "you should be your toughest boss" ([00:00]; [04:26]).
  • Military experience instilled a relentless mindset—meeting deadlines, self-motivation, and not waiting for others to make things happen.
  • "If you start your own business and you're not your toughest boss, you won't make it." (Mancini, [00:00]; reiterated [04:26])

• Mindset and Self-Talk

  • Entrepreneurs transitioning from high-discipline backgrounds often become self-drivers, mimicking the external demands they’re used to.
  • The routine of early mornings and meeting objectives translates directly into business.
  • Notable Quote: "It's all about being willing to lose it. That's exactly what it is...people that can get up early and go work out, in my opinion, are the people that are going to be successful." (Mancini, [06:03])

2. Balancing Purpose and Profit

• Purpose-Driven Work

  • Mancini is transparent about wanting business success, but desires impact over simple monetary gain.
  • "Let's not pretend when you start a business, you want to make money...But I don't want to be greedy. I don't want to live for the material things of this world. So how do I balance that?...I chose [to create] movies that are something that's going to kind of benefit humanity." (Mancini, [00:42]; [19:34])

• Legacy over Materialism

  • Reflected on choosing to make content that benefits others over what simply sells.

• Faith as Compass

  • Mancini describes growing into his Catholic faith more deeply in recent years, letting faith guide his sense of purpose and ethical boundaries in business decisions.
    • "I've really, really embraced my faith...praying, reflecting, reading different scripture and saying, to your point now, saying, hey, is what I'm doing right?...I know in my heart I'm just trying to do the right thing." (Mancini, [19:34])

3. Storytelling as Legacy

• Giving a Voice to the Voiceless

  • Mancini’s documentaries focus on marginalized or unheard voices—specifically mentioning WWII survivors and their families.
  • Powerful passage details interviewing survivors in their 90s, some telling their stories for the first time.
    • “They were literally crying because they wanted just somebody to listen. And now when they die...someone will be able to hear their stories.” (Mancini, [13:40])
  • Illustrates the importance of remembrance and how media can preserve stories beyond an individual's lifetime.
  • Notable Quote: “Nobody wants to die alone...Nobody wants to die forgotten...These folks now know...they have a legacy now. They're remembered. And that's huge, man. That's huge to me.” (Mancini, [15:34])

• Impactful Anecdotes

  • Tells of a 95-year-old woman whose childhood under Nazi occupation armed her with lifelong gratitude and resilience—a stark contrast to modern comfort and entitlement.
    (Mancini, [14:55])

4. The Pitfalls of Modern Attention and Media Algorithms

• Dopamine & Intellectual Laziness

  • Mancini critiques today’s dopamine-driven, click-bait culture, urging listeners to “do some thinking, do some research before you just look at the headline.”
    • “We've become so intellectually lazy. I'm not asking everyone to be a Ph.D. engineer. But man, do some thinking, do some research before you just look at the headline.” (Mancini, [10:51])
  • Notes dangers of idolizing individuals who may not be credible proponents.

• Advice and Authenticity

  • Recounts advice: “Never take advice from someone who's not in a place I don't want to be.” (Mancini, paraphrased at [12:27])
  • Encourages discernment about whom to listen to, especially in noisy online environments.

5. Reflections on Legacy and Living Intentional Lives

• Legacy as Life Review

  • “At some point, your expiration date is going to come...you're going to reflect. Right? One day, you're going to look back and you're like, man, what was my life like?” (Mancini, [06:03])
  • Advocates for making each day count: “There is no tomorrow...like, what are you waiting for?...let me do what I can do.” (Mancini, [08:03])

• Living in Alignment

  • Strives to create “movies that are...going to kind of benefit humanity...if I'm successful, I know in my heart I'm just trying to do the right thing.” (Mancini, [19:34])

6. Media, Isolation, and Truth

• Views on Media Bias
  • Reflects on six years overseas in the 1990s, with limited access to news:
    • “You basically get one channel for news. At that time...it was CNN and that was it. If you watch one news channel...you're gonna be biased by the end of it...And if you're away from America...I'm thinking, are we about to break out in civil war?” (Mancini, [16:48])
  • Highlights how media consumption distorts reality and perception.

7. Actions and Final Thoughts

• Discover, Connect, Inspire
  • To learn more or connect, listeners can visit stevenmanciniproductions.com
    • “Just go to Steven Mancini Productions dot com...” (Mancini, [21:30])
  • Mancini expresses gratitude for being part of the show and commends the work of the podcast and its community.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you start your own business and you're not your toughest boss, you won't make it.” (Mancini, [00:00], [04:26])
• “People that can get up early and go work out, in my opinion, are the people that are going to be successful.” (Mancini, [06:03])
• “Nobody wants to die alone...Nobody wants to die forgotten...these folks now know...they have a legacy now.” (Mancini, [15:34])
• “Never take advice from someone who's not in a place I don't want to be.” (Mancini, paraphrased at [12:27])
• "Let's not pretend…you want to make money. But I don't want to be greedy...So how do I balance that?...I'm just trying to do the right thing." (Mancini, [00:42]; [19:34])
• “We've become so intellectually lazy...do some thinking.” (Mancini, [10:51])
• “There is no tomorrow...what are you waiting for?...let me do what I can do.” (Mancini, [08:03])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Mancini on military discipline and self-motivation | | 04:26 | Host parallels entrepreneur and military mindset | | 06:03 | Discipline, comfort zone, and building a legacy | | 08:03 | Making time count, “there is no tomorrow” philosophy | | 10:51 | Dopamine, modern comfort, and laziness | | 12:27 | Discernment in advice and media characters | | 13:40 | Why Mancini tells “the stories of the voiceless” | | 15:34 | The importance of remembering and contributing legacy | | 16:48 | Reflection on media bias and isolation overseas | | 19:34 | Role of faith in discerning purpose and business | | 21:30 | How to connect with Steven Mancini Productions |

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Final Thoughts

Steven Mancini’s episode weaves actionable wisdom for entrepreneurs—rooted in discipline, authenticity, and service—with the powerful imperative to record true, often-unheard stories for future generations. By embracing faith, humility, and drive, Mancini not only builds a purposeful business but uplifts others, helping listeners reflect on their own legacies. As the show underscores, legacy isn't reserved for the famous—it’s constructed by every story preserved and every conscious choice to do good.

Transcript

[Steven Mancini]

In the military, no matter what rank you are, you start out at the bottom and you consciously have somebody telling you what to do. And you constantly have deadlines to meet. It's not like you're like, I think I'm going to sleep in today or yeah, I'll get to. It's like, no, no, no. You should be your toughest boss. If you start your own business and you're not your toughest boss, you won't make it. I don't want to do a lot of the things I do in life, but I know that if I don't do it, who's going to do it for me if it's my life?

[Narrator/Host Introduction]

Steven Mancini is a military veteran, filmmaker and award winning podcast host dedicated to telling stories and purpose. As the CEO of Steven Mancini Productions, he creates films and podcasts that preserve history, spotlight human experiences, and give powerful stories the platform they deserve.

[Steven Mancini]

Let's not pretend when you start a business, you want to make money. Nobody says, listen, I want to start a business, but I really don't want to make money because it's not a good thing to do. So now you start weighing, well, okay, I want to start a business, I want to make money, but I don't want to be greedy. I don't want to live for the material things of this world. So how do I balance that? I said, well, what kind of movies am I making? Am I making, you know, movies that are, you know, kids can't watch? Or am I making movies that are something that's going to kind of benefit humanity? And I chose the latter. And as a result, now I don't feel so bad if I'm successful because I know in my heart I'm just trying to do the right thing.

[Podcast Host]

Do you feel like being someone that has served and now is an entrepreneur? Do you feel like you have an advantage because your brain is just, you know, ticking differently?

[Steven Mancini]

Oh, great question. I'll tell you what it is. So it spans the globe like a super high cold Internet Elvis.

[Additional Voice/Interjections]

Ready for free.

[Steven Mancini]

Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.

[Additional Voice/Interjections]

It's not over until I win.

[Steven Mancini]

The Living youg Legacy podcast. For those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary.

[Additional Voice/Interjections]

The impossible has been. Oh, that is successful. Sensational. Jordan Open Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream.

[Podcast Host]

So welcome back to another amazing episode of the Living your Legacy podcast. Joining me today is quite a science project, if you will, but I'm in safe. I'm in safe hands because I am in the, in the sights of another operation. CEO Stephen Mancini. Did I, did I get that nice Italian flair in there for you, Sir Ray?

[Steven Mancini]

I'm saddened that. I figured you'd get it right, but at the same time, you did it just the way every other American does it. So good for you, my friend.

[Podcast Host]

How does a proper Italian say your wonderful name, sir?

[Steven Mancini]

Mancini.

[Podcast Host]

Mancini.

[Steven Mancini]

That's the problem is if you, if I try and change it now, people think I changed my name.

[Podcast Host]

So I'm like, ah, man, just blame it on me. People usually blame everything on me. So welcome, man. I gotta say. How did you feel filming your episode, seeing your first episode live, going from phone call, audition, interview, editorial to now your episodes live on the platform. So this is another first. We've never, we've always done the podcast before premiere. So what does it feel like, man?

[Steven Mancini]

No, great question. I'll tell you what, it's kind of awesome, to be honest. Shout out to the editorial folks, the post production guys, because I have a production company that's kind of my spiel is that I make documentaries. So from a post production, like, I get it. I get all the, you know, all the little nuts and bolts that got to go into making something come out. When I saw it, I was like, wow, these guys freaking nailed it. And the trailers were awesome and I got a lot of compliments. So truth be told, I don't want to see Moggly face on tv, but thanks to you all, it's not so bad. So.

[Podcast Host]

All right on. Right on. Yeah, I had nothing to do with it. I was just there at the very beginning when. When it was just Rudy and me, Rudy and I and ground level. And now we're so proud that we scaled so and now we're entering to our second season of production. Operation CEO is essentially such a. Such, I would say, an evolution of the brand and platform. There's so many stories when you look at entrepreneurs, you look at CEOs and you look at their track records or their KDA as gamers like to see, say they're very similar. The brain pattern, a heartbeat pattern is very similar to someone that's in the trenches and a CEO. Do you feel like being someone that has served and now is an entrepreneur? Do you feel like you have an advantage because your brain is just, you know, ticking differently?

[Steven Mancini]

Oh, great question. I'll tell you what it is. So in the military, no matter what rank you are, you start out at the bottom and you consciously have somebody telling you what to do. And you constantly have deadlines to meet. It's not like you're like, I think I'm going to sleep in today or yeah, I'll get to. It's like, no, no, no. You're going to get up nice and early and you're going to get this done. And what that teaches you to your point now is you should be your toughest boss. If you start your own business and you're not your toughest boss, you won't make it. So what happens in the military is because they, I'm going to say this kind of jokingly, but kind of not jokingly, they beat you down to the point where you're either, you know, you're, I shouldn't say you're either mentally tough or you're out, you know, so you're kind of tough. So what happens is you're not afraid to ride yourself because you're like, I'm used to somebody yelling at me. So instead of like the crazy man looking in the mirror yelling at you, you're at least you, you know, motivated enough to. I got to get my ass up early. You know, I got to get busy on these tasks. I got to take care of stuff. So the mindset is there because on one hand, when you're in the military, it's someone else telling you when you're running your own business, you're so used to being told what to do that when you're the boss, you're kind of riding yourself as if it's a third, you know, another person. And, and you have to do it if you want to be successful.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, absolutely.

[Narrator/Host Introduction]

It's.

[Podcast Host]

People will think you're crazy because you're just constantly talking to yourself. And then when you're talking to yourself, you're not giving yourself. You know, you're never like, good job at waking at 6 in the morning and going for that 6 mile. Good job. Pals like, no, do it again and faster while you're in flames and prep yourself that mentality because you're designed to just bulldoze through walls. And it's just like, it's comfort.

[Steven Mancini]

It's all about being willing to lose it. That's exactly what it is. Because, you know, insane. Who the hell wants to get up early and exercise on their own? Like, you're, you are. So people that can get up early and go work out, in my opinion, are the people that are going to be successful because that means, oh yeah, you'll, you'll break the comfort of your Nice, warm, cozy bed. You know, you're tired. You know, you might be Mr. Sandman out of your eyes, and you're. But, you know, you're like, no, I got to do this if I want to get in shape. If I want to do this, I got to do it. So you do what you got to do, and that's discipline. And, you know, like I said, I don't want to do a lot of the things I do in life, but I know that if I don't do it, who's going to do it for me, if it's my life? And people don't think like, oh, for sure. They just. They're just content to not do it. And it's like, well, you know, at some point I said this in the show. I said, look, we all got an expiration date. At some point, your expiration date is going to come. And I think deep down, when we, you know, when we naturally kind of get older, there's a point where we all reflect. You're. You're going to reflect, right? One day you're going to look back and you're like, man, what was my life like? What's. To put it kind of bluntly, what was my legacy? So the whole. That's. That's kind of why I like what you guys are doing, because you're giving a lot of people the opportunity, you know, whether they're famous or not. So famous, just start not. And you're saying, hey, I'm going to give you a chance to go in from the microphone. The world's going to meet you. And. And basically, you know, what's the legacy that you want to leave behind? Because these videos are going to last beyond me. But at the same time, you know, kind of going back to my thought, when you're older and you're reflecting, I'm telling you, which is, oh, you're going to wish you spent more time with your family. You missed.

[Podcast Host]

You do.

[Steven Mancini]

Well, they could have.

[Podcast Host]

What a.

[Steven Mancini]

Shoulders are gone. Whether you want to spend time with your family or not is irrelevant. Whether you want to get in better shape is irrelevant. So if you don't do it now, like, when are you going to do it? Because, I mean, I know this is crazy, but I love this line. And it's Rocky, man. You cannot go wrong quoting Rocky. I want to just go on.

[Podcast Host]

Rudy and I worked with Stallone. We worked with this team.

[Additional Voice/Interjections]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

We helped them launch the. We helped him launch a store on site.

[Additional Voice/Interjections]

Yeah, go.

[Podcast Host]

I'm sorry.

[Steven Mancini]

Oh, no, no, no. Because because Rocky 3, you know, and the guys is like, there is no tomorrow. And that's so true. Like, you like. Like, what are you waiting for? You don't know that this is your last day on earth or not. You don't.

[Podcast Host]

Sir.

[Steven Mancini]

It doesn't mean you live like a fool, but it means. It's like, listen, I. I was good Lord gave me whatever he gave me, and today I'm supposed to live right now and not worry about tomorrow because. Because I don't know what's picking up problems today. So let me do what I can do. Let me get my ass up, let me get to the gym, you know, let me get over. Let me take care of this business. Let me get on that call. Let me do this. And at the end of the day, you sit back and you look at me. I got a lot of done today. Now you're tired. You know, in 100 years, maybe nobody cares. But you know what's not about what other people think about you 100 years from now, it's gonna be about what you think about you right now. And, you know, like I said, you don't waste it, but at the same time, don't sit around picking your nose, doing nothing, you know, Otherwise, you know, what are you doing?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, dude, because. Because that energy of just that. That slob, or everyone's. That's the new term, AI slop. And I'm like, what are you talking about? Slop has been everywhere. You go to a grocery store, it's like, what shade of macaroni would you like the. The pink ones or the blue ones? You know, like that slop of, like, the human comfort is a dichotomy. And you can see it in Americans. And it's not because look at this guy shooting at us like, no, I've got my weight. But now I also got a little bit of capital. And the first thing I did was I got myself a treadmill. Because at six in the morning, when I'm up and on, up and out, I'm going, why am I pacing around the house? I have all this energy. What am I doing? You better start, because that's your body going. Time to transform, motherfucker.

[Steven Mancini]

No, that's exactly right. That's exactly. You were given some, and you can either waste it or use it. And believe me, I love. By the way, I love running. And I mean, I like running. And people think like, what's the matter with you? Are you crazy? And I'm like, yeah, I'm crazy. Anyways, next question. Rudy's always running.

[Podcast Host]

Rudy's always running. Rudy is always on the road. You'll catch.

[Steven Mancini]

He looks like, you know.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah. But I met him when he was double the Rudy, and now he's just so. It's just like, good for him. I use that as my North Star mike. If the Red Prince can do it, so can I.

[Steven Mancini]

The Red Prince.

[Podcast Host]

That's what I call him. But back to your point, there is a dichotomy and the comfort of, you know, click, buy dopamine high. You know, I just made that up. That's what I do.

[Additional Voice/Interjections]

I do.

[Podcast Host]

And now you and I are kind of looking back going, we grew up on movies. We grew up on books, comic books. We grew up on heroes that have been warning us. And now we have these devices with these clowns and these fake heroes that are trying to tell us what it's like to do this. They're charging us these astronomical amount of money to be in a room with them and tell us, this is how it works. How do you combat that? Especially someone that works in media. So someone that is very visual and knows, hey, this is going to be a Funnel because the 6G antennas are coming and video 4K video is going

[Steven Mancini]

to be, zip that.

[Podcast Host]

Zoom in another six months.

[Steven Mancini]

So you're in a prime spot. That is a great. That is absolutely the $64,000 question. And I think there's a couple pieces to that. One of the problems with a lot, and you nailed it. That touch dopamine high, and off we go. We've become so intellectually lazy. I'm not asking everybody to be a freaking PhD engineer. But, man, do. Do some thinking, you know, do some research before you just look at the headline. You know, Trump ate six kittens today. Oh, my God, he ate six kittens. Just kidding. I mean, and I'm just using that as an example, like.

[Podcast Host]

But no, but what I'm saying, he bit into it. He'll just throw it out there and be like, look how ridiculous you all sound.

[Steven Mancini]

Yeah, exactly. You're gonna think deeper.

[Podcast Host]

I'm like, you all don't think like politicians. This is chess. Stop.

[Steven Mancini]

That's exactly right.

[Podcast Host]

It's click, Stand back and watch this win. You will watch him do it.

[Steven Mancini]

And he did.

[Podcast Host]

Sorry to drink.

[Steven Mancini]

No, no, no, no, you're right. But that's. But that's what people are doing. You talked about these people that are getting a room. So when I, When I left the government, I was actually government when I worked for Homeland Security. I work for Homeland Security. But don't worry. I was on the cyber side. I wasn't on the enforcement side in case my.

[Podcast Host]

My sister's married to one of. One of. One of the homies on the. On the border. So.

[Steven Mancini]

All right. I used to say people, these government officials would leave their jobs, like, oh, so. And so was the director of xyz. And I'm like, yeah, but did they actually do a good job? And that's the problem. You, like you said, you get people in a room saying, oh, you know, I was the. I was the, you know, the coach of the, I don't know, the Cleveland Browns. It's like, Cleveland stunk. You're not exactly somebody I want to take advice from. And I think that's the problem is people are looking at these, quote, people that did it, but what they're not seeing is, but did you do it? Well, and I think that's the question. Just because the name is out there doesn't mean it's somebody I want to take advice from. My nephew gave me some great advice years ago. He said, I never take advice from someone who's not in a place I don't want to be. And I thought, man, so if the person you're listening to hasn't actually done something that you can look at and go, man, they did that. Well, that's. I want to know more about that versus, to your point, hey, you know, I hate my own vomit on social media now. I've got a million followers. And now, now pay me because I

[Podcast Host]

made you feel something like. And subscribe and to feel your fire. I'm like, Operation CEO. There's a new war out there. And I'm just like, well, we have to turn into these bigger than life characters, especially on social media, or as I like to call it, social theater, to gain attention. But it's not negative attention to feed them, throw into the fire. It's just like more than ever, folks like yourself that are preaching, that have their own personal, like, ministry called Operation CEO. You have your media company. Let's talk positivity here. Like, what are some mountains you're shifting? What are some stories? Tell me who you. Who you've inspired.

[Steven Mancini]

Well, I appreciate that question because that's kind of the whole point of what I do.

[Podcast Host]

Yes, sir.

[Steven Mancini]

What I try and do is give a voice to what I'll call the voiceless. So the last couple of documentaries I filmed, they were international, and I interviewed a lot of family members of former prisoners from the Second World War. And. And then this last one I Actually interviewed survivors from the war. And you know, and I'll give you the most recent ones but in a chante, the innocent ones. It's kind of out, kind of not out. I'm still working some post production on it, but I interviewed some, some family or maybe some members that were alive during the war. These people in their mid-90s, in some cases, they've never told anyone this story. So there were, they, they were literally crying in some cases because they wanted just somebody to listen. And now when they die and, and I hate to say it, you know, they're in their mid-90s, it ain't, you know, the clock's really close now. They're going to be remembered and now someone will be able to hear their stories. And the stories are, you know, we talked about that comfort thing. You know, these are stories about people where it wasn't the comfort and now they look back and those are the kind of people that appreciate the little things in life. The problem is I don't want everyone to go, have to go through hell. But at the other hand, if you can't get out of your comfort zone just for a little bit, you're not going to appreciate your comfort zone. And I'll give you a good story. One of the ladies I interviewed, I think she's like 95 years old. She was 12 years old when the, when the German forces came into her town to occupy it. And what they did was they, they took her, her father, they took him off to a mine to go work. He escapes the mine and comes back. The Germans find him, they beat him up. Now they're pissed off so they're going to punish the whole family. So they're going to blow up the house. One of the German soldiers grabs the three year old sister and throws her into the house before they blow it up. A different German soldier who was actually a Polish because a lot of them kind of got forced into the German army. He sees it, saves the little girl, then the Germans blow up the house. Now think if you're 12 or 13 years old, you go through something like that. Are you going to complain about shoveling the snow? Hell no. Thankful you. And again, I don't want any, I don't want everybody to have to go through that but with the most. But you asked about the positive. The positive is now she is now 90 something years old and she's going to be able to say like I, I got that off my chest, I told that story. And you know, people are going to remember, you know, I want them to remember what I went through. And, and that's, that's the true magic here, is that we. Nobody, nobody wants to die alone. Unless you're like, crazy. Nobody wants to die alone. And the truth be told is nobody wants to die forgotten. You know, people can say, I don't care. I don't care if people don't show the truth that is deep down in your heart. Nobody wants to. Nobody wants to go out like that. And so these folks now know that again, steal yalls line. They have a legacy now. They're remembered. And that's. That's huge, man. That's huge to me.

[Podcast Host]

It's awesome that, you know, we're aligned when it comes to where we are in our lives. You know, what are some things that we're going to learn about you for folks that are listening or watching to this podcast before they jump on board and watch your episode?

[Steven Mancini]

A couple of things is one, I was one of those kind of young, dumb person that joined the military very young. I literally had to get parents permission to sign. And I shipped off right after 18. And I actually spent almost six months straight years overseas. So when I was over, I was over. So it was funny I was overseas so long and you know, this is in the 90s, and funny that you asked about social media stuff because when you're overseas, you basically get one channel for new. At that time in the 90s, there was no Internet, so your news was coming from one news source. And at that time it was cnn and that was it. If you watch one news channel one, I don't care what you say you're gonna get, you're gonna be biased by the end of it. And two, since news only focuses on the. If it bleeds, it leads, something you see is gonna be bad. And if you're away from America, to your point, like, you kind of. We were talking before the show started. People are like, what's going on in America? And. And I'm in the military going, oh my God, are we about to break out in civil war? This is the 90s. And I'm thinking, are we? Are we? What the hell am I going back to? So after almost six years, I go back and I'm like, okay, I'm waiting for like, you know, the blue and the gray battlefields and cannons. You run back and you're like, the same old crap.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Steven Mancini]

And that was. That was kind of one eye opener. But I think they're also going to learn that, you know, you know, a lot of years in the military, retired. And this whole. This whole business that I started really did start on, you know, a simple conversation again with an older gentleman who has passed away, and he mentioned a little story about some, you know, quote, Italian prisoners in Pennsylvania, and then shortly thereafter, he died. I'm like, what that's about. And the next thing you know, I'm in Italy filming a documentary interviewing family members of the prisoners. I mean, it was like he died in December, and by. I think it was May or June. We were in Milan filming, and I was like, holy cow. So it's crazy. It was crazy how fast, you know,

[Podcast Host]

a lot of folks. I. I just recently learned that some people don't have an inner monologue. And that's very bizarre to me. It. It's very interesting how folks interpret life. You know, some folks are colorblind, and they see green as blue or blue as red, et cetera, et cetera.

[Steven Mancini]

With.

[Podcast Host]

With. With your knowledge and your training, you know, how. How do you know you're on the right path? Is it a voice? Is it manifestation? Is it numerology? Like, I apologize to get a little new age here with you, but I almost cur. I'm curious. As someone that has served, you must see the patterns in reality. You must see how markets react, how production flows, how. How they call it algorithms these days. But it's really the intuition, you know, Rocky was very, very aware of how that works when he was bothered. And weaving. How do you translate your energy into knowing that you're on your path?

[Steven Mancini]

So that. Actually, that's a very interesting question, because over the last few years, I've really, really embraced my faith. I've always. I mean, I'm cradle Catholic, like Aldwood Catholics. You. You were good. If you went to church every Sunday, went to confession once a year. Congratulations, you're a good Catholic. But then in the last few years, I sort of learned there was more to it than that. And. And as a result of that, I have been, you know, now kind of praying, reflecting, you know, reading different scripture and saying, to your point now, saying, hey, is what I'm doing right? And I'll give you kind of a good example, you know, doing all of this. You know, ultimately, let's not. Let's not pretend when you start a business, you want to make money. Nobody says, listen, I want to start a business, but I really don't want to make money because it's not a good thing. So now you start weighing, well, okay, I want to start a business, I want to make money. But I don't want to be greedy. I don't want to live for the material things of this world. So how do I balance that? And you asked a great question. How do I know I'm on a good path? Well, I said, well, what kind of movies am I making? Am I making, you know, movies that are, you know, kids can't watch? Or am I making movies that are something that's going to kind of benefit humanity? And I chose the latter. And as a result, now I don't feel so bad if I'm successful, because I know in my heart I'm just trying to do the right thing. And that's what makes me feel like I'm on the right path. Because I'm saying, you know what? I'm not trying to screw anybody over, you know, I'm not. I won't do anything for a buck, you know. You know, after 20 years of the military, seeing a lot of bad things, you're like, you know, I've seen the worst of humanity, and, you know, I don't want to be. I don't want to be in that, in that, categorized like that. So I'm going to do the right there, going to treat people right, you know, and. And that's what makes me feel like I'm on the right path.

[Podcast Host]

Right on, brother. What. What are the coolest and quickest ways people can learn more about you, you know, after they watch your episode or listen to this podcast? Is there a website, social media handle? What's the best way people can access you?

[Steven Mancini]

I do go to social media, but I'll tell you what the best way to go is. Just go to Steven Mancini Productions dot com. That's Steven Mancini Productions dot com. I got. I got to do my little radio voice. Steven Mancini, man P H E N M A N CH MAN C I N I But you can do it.

[Podcast Host]

Just Google, back in the day, that would be. That would be called the radio id, right?

[Steven Mancini]

Yes,

[Podcast Host]

sir. Oh, yeah, man. You got a great voice for radio, my friend. I'm glad we did this also for video. So we both have nice mugs for video as well. Yeah. But I can sit here for another hour and just shoot the shit with you. But I really appreciate your time and energy. I appreciate you taking the patience while we gobble this together to create a remote experience that is almost as unique as.

[Steven Mancini]

You know what I want to congratulate all of you on. I know the sounds cliche, but it's not. Congratulations to all you guys on all the success, because I know there's a lot of people signing up for it. I know there's auditioning for it. I was on the call. I saw a lot of other veterans on there. I've seen the other side. Success. At the end of the day, you guys are doing some good work and, you know, you ought to be congratulated for that. And I appreciate being able to be a part of it.

[Podcast Host]

Right on, brother. I appreciate that. I'm going to use that little bit as a testimonial and share this with our. With our team. For our team. Yeah, I'm going to. I'm going to slate you out. And Stephen Mancini.