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Clinton Smith
You know, I think that mentally and I think that people would agree with this that have gone down that route of growing mentally and spiritually, that it is not like there is a right path to go down. We're all one, you know, we're all connected in some way. There's someone that you see is going through something that you don't understand.
Galen Bargerstock
I think that at the end of the day, you just have to buckle down and think to yourself that, yeah, this happened, let's get over it and let's move on and find some happy places.
Narrator/Intro Voice
Galen Bargerstock and Clinton Smith are strategic, service driven and client focused financial executives and the president and CEO of gcs. Combining a deep commitment to service with comprehensive wealth management expertise, they help individuals, families and public employees seamlessly navigate their benefits and retirement goals, empowering them to build a foundation of long term economic stability, informed decision making, and enduring peace of mind.
Clinton Smith
You know, there's a lot of things that happened to us growing up, Galen and I both, that we didn't know how to deal with back then. So we just did the best that we could. And as adults together, we've grown and changed together through doing these things and like, you know, a couple out there. And I think that you would agree with this if you're a couple and you have a partner,
Interjection/Background Voice
it spans the
Jason Tyler
globe like a super high cold Internet.
Interjection/Background Voice
Elvis. Brandon, Today Apple is going to reinvent the farm. It's not over until I win.
Jason Tyler
The Living youg Legacy podcast.
Clinton Smith
For those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary.
Interjection/Background Voice
The impossible has. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan, open Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest master on the planet. You can live your dream.
Jason Tyler
Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of the Living your Legacy podcast. I am your host for today, Jason Tyler. And I am joined by Clinton Smith and Galen Barterstock. Welcome, guys, to the show. How are we feeling?
Clinton Smith
Feeling great. Feeling good.
Galen Bargerstock
Yeah.
Jason Tyler
Now, you guys are a unique case in our clients here at Inside Success in that you're not just doing one episode of Operation CEO, but you're doing two. And we're covering not only Clinton, your story, but we're. Galen, we're also covering your story as well. Clinton, we just finished filming your episode. What would you say are. What is the audience going to learn about you in your episode?
Clinton Smith
I think the audience will be surprised to understand that I'm going to share a lot of my childhood trauma and talk about the things that happened to me growing up that shaped me into the person that I am.
Jason Tyler
Today, it was. It was a glorified therapy session in there, guys. I will let you know. Tears were shed. Yeah, but we don't need to talk about all that. And Galen, as you sort of. Right.
Galen Bargerstock
We.
Jason Tyler
Right when we just finished filming, you sort of added in your piece to Clinton's story. Talk to me a little bit about, you know, just how you two guys met and how GCs came to be formed.
Galen Bargerstock
Yeah. So, I mean, Clinton and I met on the Internet, you know, back when, before all the apps. It was dial up almost. It was dial up at my dad's house, actually. So we met on gay.com and we had a couple conversations, and I.
Clinton Smith
Shows how old we are.
Galen Bargerstock
Yeah, I went back.
Jason Tyler
I was about to say. I was like. It was almost the times of, like, AOL Instant messenger even. Was it. Was it before that?
Clinton Smith
No, we. We. We met on gay.com and then our relationship in its early, early days progressed to AOL Instant Messenger.
Jason Tyler
That for me, AOL Instant Messenger. I don't feel like, as a society, we don't talk about that as much as we should. We were doing outlandish shit on AOL Instant messenger back in the day. But I want to take a second here to just kind of highlight GCs. What is it as a company? And who is. Who are you guys helping?
Clinton Smith
So GCS is, you know, we're a financial advisory firm. We're independent, so we aren't tied to a large box company that you would get most other places. We started our company working primarily with federal employees, so VA and postal employees. So our company originally was Government and Civil Employee Services. That's what GCES stands for. But we're now working with anyone, anyone that is interested in having a better retirement, bettering their finances, or investing in their future.
Interjection/Background Voice
Mm.
Jason Tyler
Mm. And now I want to take a step back. Let's talk about. I mean, both of you guys were. You grew up in Pennsylvania. You both went into the military. There's so many, you know, narrative through lines between Galen, your story, and Clinton, your story as well. How did. How did those narrative through lines come together in the form of your relationship?
Clinton Smith
I mean, I think everyone recently watched Boots, and our episodes are going to be like that, but a little bit. A little bit more exciting, I will say. So, you know, the cool thing is that Galen and I, you know, we built this company together, and we have a lot of the same. You're going to see a lot of the same stuff in my episode. You're going to see a lot of the same things. In his episode. But it's all trauma based off of us being gay and growing up gay in western Pennsylvania that really has shaped us both, even through different experiences. Even though we lived 15 minutes away from each other our whole lives or a half hour away from each other, it was a lot of different experiences, but all because we were gay in Western Pennsylvania. So that's a lot of our trauma that matches up the same.
Jason Tyler
Interesting how that works out, being like 30 minutes away from each other your whole lives, but not, not meeting until, you know, whenever. Whenever the universe deems it time. You know what I mean? I find that so interesting how like the universe will kind of just time things on its own and you just get, you. You just get to deal with it as you deal with it. Yeah, I think one of the, one of the really interesting parts about listening to your guys story and you know, hearing about how not only did you went every. You went through trauma. Right. And I feel like that's something that the audience out there, they're going to be able to relate to, but it's how you guys turned that around. Right. And I want to take a second here to just kind of talk about the work that you've done to not only address that trauma, but to be able to come out better on the other side of it. So, you know, the manifestation, the meditation, doing the ayahuasca trips. Talk to me a little bit about that.
Galen Bargerstock
Yeah, so I mean, meditation for me is the easiest way for me to relieve stress. You know, with working in finance, I do get hit hard with a lot of heavy hitting questions about helping people solve their lives. And they're very hard to deal with sometimes. So the meditation actually brings me down to where I don't have to bring that home with me. You know, even though sometimes I'm at home working from home. But I don't want that to mix into my daily life. And you know, the meditation definitely helps bring me to a place where I can separate work and business and appreciate both for what they are.
Jason Tyler
I dated a therapist one time and she did not have that ability to separate. So kudos to you if you're out here, if you're out there watching. I hope that we've moved past that point. There's another part to this though that I want to talk about, which is being able to go through Clinton specifically, since we just finished filming your episode. Being able to go through your experience coming out of the military, which was a traumatic experience in and of itself, like battling through addiction and getting to meet Galen and having him kind of nudge you in the right direction. What does that sort of trajectory mean for, like, where you are now? Like, looking back on that? What does that trajectory mean for you now?
Clinton Smith
You know, I think it's cool. We've talked about a lot of things in our episode today. You know, we started out watching the Secret and that led us into meditation, and that led us into working out, and that led us into going to Costa Rica and doing ayahuasca. So, you know, I think that mentally and I think that people would agree with this that have gone down that route of growing mentally and spiritually, that it is not like there is a right path to go down it. Everyone has their own path. Do you know what I mean? My path has been progressing a lot over the last couple years where, you know, I turned 40, I went and did ayahuasca and Costa Rica. I haven't drank since then. That is 355 days ago, you know, so that is. It's really cool to see it grow. But that's the same thing that. That's why I wanted to do this episode is because I'm hoping that this reaches someone that is struggling because they're gay and. No. And they think that there's something wrong with them that, you know, I have a lot of tools in my tool belt now that I didn't have when I was 19 or 20. And I did a lot of things because I didn't know how to cope. Do you know what I mean? I didn't know how to deal with all of that trauma. Now as a 41 year old, I think I turned 42 soon.
Galen Bargerstock
42.
Clinton Smith
I turned 42 in a couple days. All right.
Jason Tyler
It was the quick point out. It's all right.
Galen Bargerstock
I just turned.
Jason Tyler
I turned 33, like three weeks ago, and I refused to tell anyone. I'm going to. Hey, editor, strike that from the episode. But to your. To your point, though, you know, you go back and you look at it and you did not have those tools when you were growing up. We mentioned this a couple of times in the episode, but before kind of going and doing the work, you didn't even realize it was trauma or what to call it, right? We didn't.
Clinton Smith
We didn't realize it was all of these things. Like, the Secret is all about manifesting. And transcendental meditation is a lot about, like, relieving of stress and getting rid of stress in your life. The ayahuasca trip that we went on, we went to this place called Rhythmia. In Costa Rica, you can look them up. There's a ton of stuff online about this place. I mean, they're doing some amazing things there where, you know, you go and do the ayahuasca, and it's not just doing ayahuasca and having a great time. You're going there to. To really, the first step is show me who I've become. And that is a way to look at what you do as an adult because of your childhood trauma and to. In the ayahuasca ceremony, to relive that trauma and experience it all again so that now, as an adult, you can deal with the things that happened to you with those tools that you now have in your tool belt. You know, there's a lot of things that happened to us growing up, Galen and I both, that we didn't know how to deal with back then. So we just did the best that we could. And as adults together, we've grown and changed together through doing these things. And, like, you know, a couple out there. And I think that you would agree with this. If you're a couple and you have a partner and one of you is like, hey, I'm gonna start going to the gym. And the other one's like, okay, high five. See you later.
Interjection/Background Voice
Be tough.
Clinton Smith
That would be a really hard relationship for me to be in. And he's my best friend. He's my battle buddy. We do everything together. So, like, when he said, I want to watch the Secret, I was like, yeah, I want to watch the Secret too. You know? And he's like, hey, let's meditate. I'm like, I don't want to, but I will. You know that.
Jason Tyler
I think it's that willingness. Right. I think a testament to a lot of great relationships out there is willingness to do the things that you're uncomfortable with it. You're bringing up. Now we're bringing up trauma in my own relationship.
Clinton Smith
Yeah, let's talk about it.
Jason Tyler
No, actually, no, we're not going to talk about that. But it does stand as a testament to, like, how strong the relationship that the two of you have built is. Right. That willingness is. It's no small thing. It's the willingness to say, hey, you're my partner and you want to go do this thing. And I might not share that same desire, but I'm going to do it with you so you don't have to be alone in this. At no point in my. In your relationship should you feel alone in something.
Interjection/Background Voice
Yeah.
Galen Bargerstock
It's the whole point. I can't really get him into yoga. I've tried. He doesn't really like it. Or breath work.
Clinton Smith
I am not a very stretchable person.
Interjection/Background Voice
Okay.
Jason Tyler
And you know what? That's fine too.
Clinton Smith
Yeah, yeah.
Jason Tyler
You know, we talked a little bit about having your episode be a message out there or just a testimony to someone who might be struggling with the same things. If you could give a message to somebody right now who might be watching this podcast and thinking, wow, I resonate with Clinton and Galen's story. What message would you give to that person?
Galen Bargerstock
I would say that you just have to really be yourself. I mean, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what anybody thinks about you, but how you view yourself in the reality that you live in. And it's very, very important to love yourself because it doesn't really matter if anybody else loves you because they're not getting that experience and they're not paying your bills or helping you, you know, with that car that might not be good enough or that house that you live on that might not be good enough to you. They're not helping with that. That's you. So I think that at the end of the day, you just have to buckle down and think to yourself that, you know, yeah, this happened, let's get over it and let's move on and find some happy places to be.
Jason Tyler
And what does the practice of that self love look like? Because I feel like I hear. I'm sure plenty of people hear this in social media and online all the time. Like, oh, you gotta love yourself, you gotta love yourself. But there's just that one missing piece in between of like, okay, how.
Clinton Smith
Yeah, I think that the biggest thing is listening to yourself in your head. Do you know what I mean? With meditation you learn a lot about having a conversation with yourself inside of your own head. Do you know what I mean?
Jason Tyler
I'd be arguing with that motherfucker constantly.
Clinton Smith
And that's fine. Yeah.
Jason Tyler
Me and him inside my own head be button heads. Like, it doesn't make sense to me. But I've also understood that, like, having that conversation is the point, right. Of the meditation of understanding, like, who that voice is. Because once I understand that voice now, I understand deeper myself.
Clinton Smith
Well, I think it's more so to the. Of what you're talking to yourself about. Do you know what I mean? Like, a lot of us have self doubt. You know, a lot of gay people out there have grown up and been conditioned to think bad about themselves, to think that something's wrong with themselves. So, you know, for Me, I have this like, every once in a while I will just be like this debilitating, like, thing in my head where I'm thinking to myself, I'm stupid, no one likes me. I'm not worthy of not a good person. And I have to remind myself and bring myself back. And it's those little thoughts that happen inside of your head that you're planting seeds of self doubt and you're reiterating those things by thinking that in your head. For me, my biggest thing is making that switch where, you know, I don't give a shit what anybody thinks. Like, I don't care. I know that deep down I'm a good person and that I would help anyone that I possibly can and give them the shirt off my back if I could. Do you know what I mean? So give yourself some grace and some kindness. I think that people are too hard on themselves and I think that you have to have a positive mindset and you have to think about yourself positively in your head. That is my biggest thing to impress upon people. And that's the same thing that you're saying is just give yourself some credit and love yourself.
Jason Tyler
Yeah. Give yourself some grace.
Clinton Smith
Yeah.
Jason Tyler
You know what I mean? I. This might be a smaller scale version of the Ayahuasca experience, but I did a. I did. I had a mushroom trip recently and like, in that I was going back and forth with my inner voice and my inner voice was saying some stuff that was like, oh, it's, you know, the typical brain response of, you're not good enough, you're not worthy, you're not this, you're not that. Just kind of having an identity crisis. And I literally, my, my response back while I was on this mushroom trip was, who gives a shit? Who cares? Who cares about any of that? Who cares what car I drive? Who cares what house I live in? Who cares what status I've achieved or what accomplishments I've made? I'm the only one that really cares about that stuff. And if it's on me how I feel about it, then I choose to feel great about it. Cool.
Clinton Smith
Yeah.
Jason Tyler
And then, like, I just came to that resolution and then I went to sleep.
Clinton Smith
Yeah.
Jason Tyler
And that was pretty much the whole trip.
Clinton Smith
I will say if you're a bad person, though, you should think negatively. So, like, bad people, like, there are people that are inherently bad.
Interjection/Background Voice
Yeah.
Clinton Smith
Do you know what I mean? If you're a bad person, I don't want you to get that inner peace. Do you know what I mean? You can sit there and Some of
Jason Tyler
you don't deserve the inner peace.
Clinton Smith
Yeah, bad people.
Galen Bargerstock
No, those still, they still need love. But I think that for those people, they need to really embrace their bad, you know, and realize the. The bad things that they do and what it does to other people. You know, everybody deserves a life. So I can't agree with that.
Clinton Smith
There's a. I think we're all one. Honestly, like that. We talked about this, too. This all goes into the whole ayahuasca journey thing that we went on. You know, we're all one. You know, we're all connected in some way. There's someone that you see is going through something that you don't understand.
Jason Tyler
A lot of times, you know, it's funny, it brings up. There's a school of thought that I somewhat subscribe to that you mentioned. We're all one, right? Have you guys ever heard of a cosmic egg theory? So cosmic egg theory posits that there is only one soul in the universe, and that that soul is going to be in. It's going to inhab across all time.
Clinton Smith
Yes, I have heard.
Jason Tyler
And then the theory is that the universe is an egg. And when that soul has gone through every variable of experience possible, the egg will hatch and that soul will become what we know as a quote unquote God. And that the God that created this egg created it because they were lonely and they wanted another to experience and be next to them. Yeah, that's like kind of the whole thing. But I kind of live my life under the assumption that, like, I'm speaking to a version of myself that I will one day later be inhabiting. So, like, if I'm talking to you, eventually one of these days I'm going to come back and I'm going to be sitting in your seat talking to me.
Clinton Smith
Yeah.
Jason Tyler
And so how would I want for me to be talking to me? Yeah, so. And every conversation that I have, I try to approach it from that vantage point, if that makes sense.
Galen Bargerstock
Yeah, we all come from the same source, you know, no matter how anybody wants to think about it. You know, us being gay people being straight, you know, child trauma, things like that. We're all from the same place we have to be, you know.
Jason Tyler
And with that, ladies and gentlemen, if you guys are still tuned in at this point in the episode, I want to make sure that you guys keep a lookout for Clinton and Galen's episodes of Operation CEO, which will be coming out shortly after this podcast episode drops. Make sure you guys stay tuned for that. To get a more in depth episode version of their story so you can know the ins and outs of how GC ES was created, how they've achieved the level of success that they've been able to achieve. Fellas, it has been an immense pleasure having you guys on the show. Any final messages for the viewers out there?
Clinton Smith
Don't forget to tune in. You're gonna laugh, you're gonna cry, you're gonna laugh again, and then you might cry again.
Jason Tyler
We were.
Narrator/Intro Voice
We were.
Jason Tyler
We were having a ball in studio. We were cracking up.
Galen Bargerstock
Yeah.
Jason Tyler
All right, guys, thank you so much, man. Of course. Thank you. It has been a pleasure.
Galen Bargerstock
Thank you.
Jason Tyler
And will we. Well, you guys will be right back with me or tomorrow to. To film Galen's episode. So it's not like we're going anywhere.
Clinton Smith
Yeah.
Jason Tyler
But for you guys out there, thank you for tuning in. Where can people find you on social media? Where can they find your business on the world wide web?
Clinton Smith
So our website is GCS us. You can find me on Instagram. Clinton K. Dot Smith.
Galen Bargerstock
I'm just on Facebook. I don't like Instagram.
Jason Tyler
And you know what? You are justified in that. All right, guys, this has been another episode of the living your legacy podcast. Again, I've been your host. Jason Tyler. I will catch you guys in the next one.
Host: Jason Tyler (guest hosting for Rudy Mawer)
Guests: Clinton Smith & Galen Bargerstock, co-founders of GCS
Date: July 22, 2026
This episode dives deep into the intertwined personal and professional journeys of Clinton Smith and Galen Bargerstock—two veterans, life partners, and co-founders of GCS, an independent financial advisory firm. Through candid discussion, they explore how growing up gay in rural Pennsylvania, trauma, their time in the military, and transformative healing practices shaped their lives and inspired their business.
The conversation traverses themes of identity, mental health, self-love, entrepreneurship, and the deliberate creation of a life beyond trauma. Listeners gain not only heartfelt personal stories but practical wisdom for navigating adversity in both life and business.
(02:12 - 05:53)
Notable Quote:
“We built this company together...all because we were gay in Western Pennsylvania...that really has shaped us both, even through different experiences.”
—Clinton Smith (05:06)
(05:53 - 12:09)
Memorable Exchange:
“I turned 40, I went and did ayahuasca in Costa Rica. I haven't drank since then. That is 355 days ago. It's really cool to see it grow...I'm hoping that this reaches someone that is struggling because they’re gay...I have a lot of tools in my tool belt now that I didn’t have when I was 19 or 20.”
—Clinton Smith (08:18)
“He’s my best friend. He’s my battle buddy. We do everything together.”
—Clinton Smith (11:51)
(13:07 - 16:35)
Notable Quotes:
"You just have to really be yourself...it doesn't matter what anybody thinks about you, but how you view yourself...give yourself some grace and some kindness."
—Galen Bargerstock (13:29) / Clinton Smith (16:35)
“A lot of gay people out there have grown up and been conditioned to think bad about themselves...for me, my biggest thing is making that switch...I don’t give a shit what anybody thinks.”
—Clinton Smith (15:07)
(18:10 - 19:51)
Memorable Moment:
"We're all one. You know, we're all connected in some way. There’s someone that you see is going through something that you don't understand."
—Clinton Smith (18:10)
“I try to approach every conversation from the vantage point that I could be the person on the other end one day.”
—Jason Tyler (19:27)
(19:51 - 20:56)
Notable Quotes:
“You’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry, you’re going to laugh again, and then you might cry again.”
—Clinton Smith (20:24)
On shared trauma and background:
“...all because we were gay in Western Pennsylvania... that really has shaped us both, even through different experiences.”
—Clinton Smith (05:06)
On transformation after healing work:
“I haven’t drank since then. That is 355 days ago... I'm hoping this reaches someone that is struggling because they're gay... I have a lot of tools in my tool belt now that I didn't have when I was 19 or 20.”
—Clinton Smith (08:18)
On self-love and not caring about others' judgment:
“I don’t give a shit what anybody thinks... I know that deep down I'm a good person...”
—Clinton Smith (15:07)
On interconnectedness:
“We're all one. You know, we're all connected in some way. There’s someone that you see is going through something that you don't understand.”
—Clinton Smith (18:10)
On partnership and mutual encouragement:
“He’s my best friend. He’s my battle buddy. We do everything together.”
—Clinton Smith (11:51)
Message to listeners:
“At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what anybody thinks about you, but how you view yourself... give yourself some grace and some kindness.”
—Galen Bargerstock (13:29)
The tone is warm, candid, and inspirational—honoring both vulnerability and resilience. The guests model openness about their histories and challenges, peppered with humor and mutual support. The hosts and guests maintain a conversational, accessible style throughout, with honest reflections and practical advice.
Listeners walk away with both the inspiration to build their own legacy and concrete reminders that authenticity, healing, and connection are at the heart of lasting success.