019: Eddie Pinero & Bo Hawkins | This Is What Happens When You Stop Avoiding the Storm l The Matt King Show

Summary

Podcast Summary:

The Matt King Show, Episode 019
Guests: Eddie Pinero & Bo Hawkins
Title: This Is What Happens When You Stop Avoiding the Storm
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Host: Matt King (GoBundance)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode delves deep into the lives and philosophies of Eddie Pinero (viral motivational speaker, founder of Your World Within) and Bo Hawkins (personal branding strategist). The conversation revolves around navigating life's storms, the power of proximity and community, vulnerability in success, redefining impact, and holding onto authenticity in an environment focused on numbers, image, and external validation. The trio explores embracing discomfort, championing real connection, and the transformative effect of service—both to oneself and others.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Relationships & Proximity

• Both guests attribute their success and survival to the people who surrounded them during their hardest times—not cheerleaders, but those who carry you when you’re down.
  • "You are the sum of the people you surround yourself with. Not the ones who cheer when you're winning, the ones who carry you when you're sinking." (Host, 00:04)
  • Bo recalls losing everything young, and only making it through because someone showed up. (Bo, 00:33)
• Impactful relationships are forged not in the spotlight but in private, honest rooms.

2. Confronting & Embracing Life’s Storms

• Bo Hawkins shares losing everything at 23—family, home, hope. He went prematurely gray due to stress and found meaning through persistent effort and community.
  • "I'm in the storm. The only way out is through. So I'm just gonna keep going." (Bo Hawkins, 00:33)
• Eddie talks about “running in the rain” as a metaphor for willingly facing discomfort and adversity to become stronger—both in trivial and profound moments.
  • "Most people aren't gonna run. I'm gonna run in the rain. So you've been in the storm too." (Host, 06:15)
  • "Sometimes you attach winning with suffering ... you just get so associated with fighting, fighting, fighting." (Eddie Pinero, 06:53)
• Acute reflection on how society (Goggins culture, “you gotta suffer”) might glamorize struggle—sometimes, good things can come without constant suffering.

3. Addiction to the Struggle & Importance of Balance

• Discussion about being addicted to suffering, the “storm,” cold plunging, and seeking discomfort as a way to armor oneself for the day.
  • "It doesn't get more comfortable ... But I'm addicted to it ... I started my day doing something really freaking hard." (Host, 07:21)
• They examine how culture sometimes equates achievement only with hardship, and the difficulty of accepting ease or success that comes "too easily."
• Eddie and Bo agree that refusing to avoid discomfort is powerful, but must be balanced with joy and presence.

4. Navigating Ego, Impact, and Content Creation

• Eddie reflects on depersonalizing success metrics and focusing on impact rather than external validation.
  • "If you hang your hat on those metrics, you’re a slave ... you try something, you see what happens ... decompress and move on to the next one." (Eddie, 09:24)
• Bo reminds Eddie and the audience to prioritize depth and artistic fulfillment over chasing viral reach—a recurring mantra: "go deep, not wide." (Bo, 12:03)
• Both discuss redefining the “why” behind content:
  • “If you want to make it big, yeah, but you might have to sacrifice some integrity. But does making it big light you up?” (Bo, 13:24)

5. Authenticity and the Value of Vulnerability

• The right kind of vulnerability—showing real struggles, not “weaponized vulnerability” for attention.
  • "I call it the, like...the weaponization of vulnerability. I attribute Brene Brown for turning it into a very toxic thing where people think, if I’m vulnerable, you’re going to love me." (Bo, 16:21)
• The more authentic and even quirky people are (bull semen stories, family anecdotes), the more people connect.
  • “The more genuine you are and happy...that’s the shortcut for you.” (Bo, 18:45)

6. Service, Giving, and Building Your Tribe

• All agree that a life of service is the thread through every meaningful philosophy and successful journey.
  • “You don’t need an excuse to be a good person.” (Bo, 40:17)
• Eddie shares a pivotal moment when helping Hollywood producer Rod—demonstrating that valuing oneself and entering situations to serve result in reciprocal, sometimes transformative, rewards.
  • “I just want to be around people like you, doing great things...and he took out a check...from now on, you’re never worth less than this.” (Eddie, 37:32)
• Bo and Eddie agree: the rooms you’re in, and how you show up to serve, create the framework for everything else.

7. Navigating Boundaries, Saying No, and Avoiding Burnout

• Both struggle with boundaries, being “cash pinatas” for those who repeatedly take without reciprocating.
  • “At some point, people see that and take advantage of you...Where do you draw the line?” (Host, 45:07)
• Bo: “If someone's using you as a doormat, they must see value in you. If you help them and it makes their life 1% better, I've still won. But...if someone is constantly overdoing that...they back down pretty quickly.” (Bo, 46:23)
• Eddie admits he’s learned to filter his time and projects based on resonance and alignment rather than obligation, protecting creative space at all costs.
• The art of saying “no” is discussed as a muscle, grown through practice and self-honesty. (Bo, 49:44)

8. Mindset, Faith in the Process, and Family

• Both guests have adopted a mindset where every event, good or bad, is “happening in my favor”—a philosophy Bo and his wife live by and use to find meaning in both blessings and adversity.
  • “If you're convinced everything happens in your favor, there's no one who can tell you you're wrong.” (Bo, 69:54)
• Impact of extreme loss or adversity: “When you lose everything, God shows you what’s real.” (Bo, 64:38)
• Eddie and Bo emphasize empathy, recognizing everyone is doing their best, and that makes life better (“This is everyone’s first time at life.” – Bo, 70:45)

9. Modern Anxiety, Technology, and Manufactured Disconnection

• Conversation about “The Anxious Generation” and the effects of device addiction; Eddie and Bo both consciously create boundaries to protect their thinking and creativity.
  • “We have lost the ability to think … my mornings are precious … I think about nothing but what I'm writing for an hour, hour and a half.” (Eddie, 57:54)
• Bo shares a story about losing power in Portugal, experiencing deep connection with neighbors and immense peace, mourning the return of electricity—a microcosm for the respite found away from tech (Bo, 58:15–61:12).

10. Enduring Humor, Human Connection, and Storytelling

• Sharing personal, even embarrassing stories (Bo’s colonoscopy adventure, 71:32–80:15) is not only cathartic but makes people feel less alone; laughter cements relationships.
  • “I've been putting surgery off, I'm in constant pain. And the closest remedy I've found to make life better: I just want to laugh.” (Bo, 81:01)

11. Content, Growth, and the Role of Service in Influence

• Both agree that in any endeavor, making others look and feel amazing guarantees growth.
  • “If you make the guests look amazing, that's how you'll grow the podcast.” (Bo, 88:00)
• Eddie references Donald Miller’s StoryBrand: “You're not Luke Skywalker. You’re Yoda. Your audience is the star—you’re just helping them.” (Eddie, 83:55)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "The only way out is through." – Bo Hawkins (00:33, 04:45)
• "If you hang your hat on those metrics, you’re a slave." – Eddie Pinero (09:24)
• "Go deep, not wide." – Bo Hawkins (12:03)
• "When you lose everything, God shows you what's real." – Bo Hawkins (64:38)
• "Everything happens in your favor." – Bo Hawkins (69:54)
• "You can't seek to inspire others if you're dead inside." – Eddie Pinero (14:40)
• "Service was the Trojan horse to knowledge." – Host (46:49)
• "If someone's using you as a doormat, they must see value in you ... if you help them and it makes their life 1% better, I’ve still won." – Bo Hawkins (46:23)
• "This is everyone’s first time at life." – Bo Hawkins (70:45)
• "You have to dance before the music plays." – Eddie Pinero (25:07)
• "The more genuine you are and happy, the more people fall in love with that." – Bo Hawkins (18:45)
• “You're not Luke Skywalker. You’re Yoda. Your audience is Luke...That mindset totally flips [content creation].” – Eddie Pinero (83:55)

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Timestamps: Important Segments

• 00:00–04:45: Introduction; stories of loss and storms (Bo’s fall & relationship beginnings)
• 06:15–07:41: "Running in the rain" metaphor, addiction to discomfort.
• 09:04–10:46: Detaching from ego & impact-driven creation (Eddie’s process).
• 12:03–14:07: "Go deep, not wide"; new content strategies on YouTube.
• 16:21–18:45: Real vs. weaponized vulnerability; authenticity in content & in life.
• 20:08–20:53: Service as key to access, understanding, growth.
• 37:32–39:34: Eddie’s service story with Rod, self-worth, and reciprocal impact.
• 45:07–49:53: Boundaries, saying no, and protecting one’s creative energy.
• 57:54–61:12: "Anxious Generation," disconnecting from devices, Portugal power-outage story.
• 69:54–71:12: Mindset: "Everything happens in your favor," empathy, and nonjudgment.
• 71:32–80:15: Bo’s colonoscopy story (humor, health, and sharing pain).
• 83:55–88:00: Donald Miller’s StoryBrand, making others the hero, growth through service.
• 88:14–89:45: The origin story of Matt King’s ranch, family motivation.
• 93:42–94:02: How to find Eddie & Bo online.

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Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• Proximity is power — authentic, supportive people are the bedrock of resilience and achievement.
• Storms are inevitable — but growth is found by not avoiding, but going through them. Endurance, not avoidance, is the real lesson.
• Vulnerability and laughter — sharing both pain and humor forges deeper connections than relentless positivity or self-pity.
• Service over self — those who consistently look to serve, without expectation, find doors open and a sense of meaning not available through self-focus.
• Protect your energy — boundaries, saying no, and filtering what you let in are as important as investing in others.
• Authenticity wins — people crave the real; not the highlight reel.
• Content is about impact — focus on changing lives, not metrics; make others the hero of their own story.
• Everything can be a gift — if you choose the right perspective.

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Where to Find the Guests

• Bo Hawkins: Newsletter at bohawkins.com; not on social; lives by word-of-mouth and service.
• Eddie Pinero:
  • Your World Within YouTube
  • Podcast: "Your World Within"

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Tone & Atmosphere

Authentic, raw, self-aware. The episode balances deep, introspective life lessons with humor, vulnerability, and powerful storytelling. The dynamic is open and comfortable, allowing each guest to cut through surface-level answers and offer their true selves—their scars, their passions, and their philosophies for a life worth living.

Transcript

[Host]

These two guys lead movements that reach millions. One is a viral speaker whose words reshape mindsets. The other worked in the shadows, engineering some of the biggest personal brands of the last decade. And both of them built their lives on one belief. You are the sum of the people you surround yourself with. Not the ones who cheer when you're winning, the ones who carry you when you're sinking.

[Bo Hawkins]

I lost everything 16 years ago. Everything. And I was literally. I was on the street. I had nothing. I lost family, home, everything.

[Host]

Most people collapsed there, but Beau didn't, because even in the rubble, someone showed up.

[Bo Hawkins]

I'm in the storm. The only way out is through. So I'm just gonna keep going.

[Host]

Then there's Eddie. Different storm, same truth. The fire didn't make him strong. The people beside him did.

[Eddie Pinero]

Impact is what drives me. And so, like, I love writing this stuff because I do want to help people and do so at a mass scale.

[Host]

They've built massive audiences, but the rooms that changed them were private, honest, sacred. Because real power doesn't need the spotlight. It needs proximity.

[Bo Hawkins]

When you lose everything, you realize the most important thing are just the people around you. If you help them and it makes their life 1% better. I've still won. I get to. The purpose on the planet is to do that.

[Host]

This is Eddie Pinero and Bo Hawkins. Storms, though, when you're in them, you don't realize you're in the storm. You don't want to run through it because you're like, this is so painful. Let me run away. But you know that it's gonna pass fairly quickly if you just man up.

[Bo Hawkins]

And go, there's a reason I'm gray, because I lost everything 16 years ago. Everything.

[Host]

How old are you?

[Bo Hawkins]

23? 24. And I was literally. I was on the street. I had nothing. I lost family, home, everything. And when people are just like. You hear that thing like, stress can age you. Stress can do that. Well, I had long hair, like, coppery brown hair and everything, and within two weeks, went gray.

[Host]

Was it a choice that caused you to lose everything, or was it just circumstances?

[Bo Hawkins]

I was a victim of a very unfortunate circumstance, and it kind of. There was like a nuclear bomb version of what happened. And then I was, unfortunately, in the first ring of the radius. And then that's where I was like, well, I'm not the tallest, smartest, strongest or anything, but I can outwork anyone. And that's all I did. And I did that for 10 years when no one else would. And then that's where we got today. And I think the most valuable lesson with that was when you lose everything, you realize the most important thing are just the people around you. And that's why I got such cool friends who just do epic things.

[Host]

Did you meet your wife at the bottom?

[Bo Hawkins]

Yeah, that's the best part. I remember. I remember meeting her when I had nothing. Oh, so cool. I met her on Tinder before Tinder was a thing, like, 11, 12 years ago. And my friend put it on my phone and he's like, yeah, this is this thing. You swipe this way for yes, this way for no. And I was like, that's bullshit. I don't want that whorish app on my phone with cheap sex potions. And so got rid of that. And the one person that my friend swiped yes to was Stacy. And the radius on my phone, this is. You're gonna fucking love this. Gonna do a speech about it or something. I was sitting in my house in London, and her radius, my radius was set to, like, 5 miles, and her radius was set to, like, 10 miles. But she was in Nottingham, which is like, the middle of the country. The second my friend swiped, she was in the back of a car on the motorway, and it drove and clicked. And when we were messaging, she's just like, why have I matched with you? I'm like, who are you? Stop messaging me. And she's like, yeah, you swiped. I was like, swiped. What is this? What do they do to us? And we met up and we just fell in love instantly. And then we've been. She was with me when I was working, like, getting up at 4am to open cafes, working till 4, then doing another job and working and working. And then there were times I couldn't pay the rent. And she's like, I got this. I got this. And I knew there was something I was going to do. I just didn't know what it was. But I kind of knew that the day before I lost everything, I was backstage at a gig and I met this old guy, and I was just talking to him, and I thought I was the dog's bollocks back then. That's British, by the way, for I think I'm fucking cool.

[Host]

Yeah, it's not from Iowa. That's definitely not from Iowa. Yeah, it's not an Iowa State.

[Bo Hawkins]

And he said to me, I said, I want to do something great in life. And he just laughed at me because I was around affluent people at the time. I was actually backstage at the O2 arena with the Prodigy Band. And he. He's like, you've not been through anything hard in your life. You're never going to do anything great. I shit you not. Like, two hours later, I got a phone call that just changed everything. And then that was the start of it. But I always knew that this.

[Eddie Pinero]

This.

[Bo Hawkins]

Oh, I'm in. Like, we just spoke. I'm in the storm. The only way out is through. So I'm just going to keep going. And I did it and I did it. And eventually Stacy, like, backed me when no one else would. No one believed in me. And then it flipped, and I got able to get her out of a job. She now works in my company, and we've built, like, the greatest life. That's just a Cliff Notes version. I'm not hijacking this podcast. This is you, boy.

[Eddie Pinero]

Awesome. What?

[Host]

No, man, it's really cool, man. It's amazing. I mean, most people. Most people don't have the balls to share that story. Most people have the courage. That's really cool. Do you think you would have made it through without her?

[Bo Hawkins]

Yes. It would have been a very different story.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

But the cool thing is we, like, we've been together 12 years. We got married last year, but we never wanted to. Any reason got married is we just moved to Portugal. And the attorney's like, yeah, if you guys are married, it's easier to get one visa instead of two. And all this. And we're like, oh, well, just. Why not? Then we found out when my dad was there, we're like, at least get him there. So we got married in, like, a civil ceremony, and then we just had our first kid nine months ago, and I'm like, it's a completely new life now, and I wouldn't have tried. I wouldn't trade anything. I would go through it all 10 more times to have the outcome I have now. Yeah, I've won. I've won life in this regard, that I'm blessed and it can't get better. Yeah, sure, it can in other ways. And things don't mean anything, but, yeah, I'm just. Without the people around me, I wouldn't be able to do what I have this story. But, yeah, tenacity's built in.

[Host]

Well, that. That's kind of what helped you take off, is the running in the rain. I mean, that's one of my favorite clips is, like, you got up one day in Boston and it was cold and it was rainy, and you're like, most people aren't gonna run. I'm gonna run in the rain. So you've Been in the storm too.

[Eddie Pinero]

100. Yeah, like manufactured storms, a lot of them, you know, but it's like the most trivial, trivial stuff. I think that's what makes the running in the rain thing so, like, because it. You could easily go at lunch or afterward, but it's like, no, like, let's just go now when it's a little bit uncomfortable and like, the little bit, you know, is what I think differentiates.

[Host]

Do you think we become addicted to the storm at some point?

[Eddie Pinero]

Here's what I think. I think sometimes you attach winning with suffering. And there are some wins when you've worked for a long time. Sometimes the universe just puts them in front of you and it feels, like, uncomfortable or wrong because you're like, I didn't even go through hell for this. And that's an not healthy. You know, you just get so associated with fighting, fighting, fighting.

[Bo Hawkins]

Yeah, but that's the culture, though, isn't it? You get like this Goggins culture, which is like, you don't get anything unless you suffer.

[Eddie Pinero]

Exactly, exactly.

[Host]

Yeah. But then you get addicted to the suffering. Like, I get in the cold plunge every day. It doesn't get more comfortable, at least not for me. Maybe for some people, maybe I'm just weak, But I'm addicted to it. I'm hooked on it. And I know because on the other side of it is this awesome feeling, is this, like, energy that I can't find anywhere else. And it's knowing that I started my day doing something really freaking hard.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah, well, it's like armor. You start. Start your day with that.

[Host]

That's right.

[Eddie Pinero]

Everything else is just a little less intense.

[Host]

How many people do you think avoid the pain but then complain that they don't have the life they desire?

[Eddie Pinero]

I think most people, like, I, I, my. I learned that suffering was a thing in college. Like, I attribute D1 athletics to, like, my light bulb moment where it's like, I thought I worked hard, and then I'm dropped in this environment where it's just straight suffering. Like, I've never worked before. And not only that, you can then race and come in last, and it's like, what? Like, I just did all this and now I'm, you know, there's nothing to gain from it. And you realize, like, that's, that's life. Like, you have to inject yourself into it and there's no outcome guaranteed. Like, I always joke around, like, same thing. Leaving school. Like, I made this acoustic album. You'd throw up if you heard. I mean, it's. It's tough.

[Bo Hawkins]

I love the Panda.

[Eddie Pinero]

It's tough. That's not the Panda song. Panda songs, like, eight evolutions from that, you know, but, like, I spent three months making it, so I'm like, this is. This has got to win a Grammy, right?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Eddie Pinero]

And you just send it every Sunday. Every radio station in Boston. No one cared because it sucked. But, like, in your head, you associate time value, suffering with the result, and that's just. You got to depersonalize it. That's the game of life.

[Host]

How did you lose the ego? Because you talk a lot about. On this journey of the content you've created, you're not really attached to the ego. Like, if you impact one person, you impact millions of people.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Host]

And you post stuff that you think is gonna do great, you share messages that you think are really gonna resonate with people, and they just fall on deaf ears.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Host]

So how did you, you know, detach from that ego perspective?

[Eddie Pinero]

I've gotten better. I mean, I. I wouldn't say, you know, I'm human. Right. But I. Impact is what drives me. And so, like, I love writing this stuff because I do want to help people and do so at a mass scale. But there's the human side, too. That's like, you know, you're looking at the YouTube Analytics. When you're having a bad stretch, it's like, it hurts. You know, it definitely isn't. Isn't the best. But if you hang your. Your hat on those metrics, you're a slave, you know, so it's almost like out of necessity. You have this thing where it's like, you put in a rep, you try something, you see what happens. Okay. Decompress and move on to the next one. That way you can grow personally and impact others the way you want to do.

[Host]

Well, Bo always is preaching. This is. You're not driving for the money, you're driving for the impact.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Host]

And just focus on impacting people, serving people, and everything else will take care of itself.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah. He's a great reminder for that for me, you know, because it's. It's easy to, like shiny object syndrome.

[Host]

Yes.

[Eddie Pinero]

You know, it's like, well, they're doing this or they're doing that, and maybe if I do this, it'll be quicker. There are people that are very successful that are like, Eddie, if you do A, B and C, views are going to go up. I'm like, it doesn't feel right. And, you know, 20 times I've been on the phone with Bo, and he's like, it doesn't feel right because it's not who you are. Be patient. It's like, thank you. Like, I just, you know. Yeah, that's straight and narrow.

[Host]

It goes back to surrounding yourself with the right people, 100%. People that aren't going to tell you what you want to hear, but tell you what you need to hear, 100%. And what you want to hear is how to get the views.

[Bo Hawkins]

Your new content is night and day from what it was. So, like, Fred, I think a big realization. We had a chat about his YouTube channel. You got, what, probably a million people altogether, and that's a big number. But the realization, when I told you no one watches your channel, they listen. But you're an artist and now you want to create. So we're having to train a million people to understand how you present to the world now, because you're. Your world within. It's not faceless. They get. It's Eddie Panero. But there are people who I guarantee have no idea what you look like. But while they're stirring their fucking oat latte and looking at the flower people, they're listening to you.

[Host]

Come on, man. I'm on the treadmill. I'm not drinking an oat latte. It's not a flower person.

[Bo Hawkins]

Now, what I mean is, people have no idea what you're. You're. You're basically training a completely different world now and seeing the genuine happiness in your work. But have you seen his new videos? Like where he falls out the helicopter and lands on the thing?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

I don't know. I don't know how you did that, but it's a. It's the most expressive you've been in years since we've spoken and met about it.

[Eddie Pinero]

Sure.

[Bo Hawkins]

Visually, and people are the ones who like it, are giving you more love than you've ever received. But because we're not seeing what society's conditioning, like, these are the views and whatnot. It's. There's an ego in you that's like, oh, I was. I remember being this. But you're doing something you want to do now. Like, if we wanted to blow you up like these guys. Look, we can do that tomorrow, right? You ain't gonna like it, and I wouldn't be happy. Yeah, you're gonna take your top off, get on TikTok. But it's. There are ways to do it. It's a game. But if you want to win. We spoke about it over coffee today. Go deep, not wide.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Host]

Well, what's interesting about that Is, you know, Beau is coming. He's like, hey, my friend Eddie's gonna come. He's a big YouTube guy. I'm like, who's Eddie? And he sends me the link to your. Your stuff. I'm like, dude, I've consumed probably hundreds of hours of this content, but would have no idea what he looked like. Right. And so to your point, I was always working out, listening to this kind of content. In high school, I got hooked on an Eric Thomas video where he talked about, you know, when he met with 50 Cent and they said, 50, when do you sleep? He said, sleep is for those people who are broken. And so I just got hooked on these, like, little metaphors, these little quotes. And so I started listening to all that stuff while I was working out. And so I've consumed hundreds of hours of your content, but never watched it. I've always listened to it, but now I started watching, I'm like, this is actually really cool content to watch. Like, there's actually a person running in the rain. This is really powerful.

[Bo Hawkins]

And it's a change because people think YouTube, oh, it's just videos and whatnot. And it can be anything you want it to be. But. But you have to define the outcome. So your outcome, is it creative? Is it financial? Is it lots of people carrying you in like a Jesus pose across the world? I think it's whatever you want. But whatever your outcome is, as long as you commit to that, you can't have the accolades of someone else who's doing the work or doing something else and expecting that same outcome. So if you want to make it big, yeah, but you might have to sacrifice some integrity. But does making it big, like, light you up? No, there's.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah, that's. Even to me, that's a bigger prison is like, doing something you don't like and growing an audience in a way that doesn't feel in alignment with who you are. Like, that's. That sucks.

[Bo Hawkins]

You know, I have a client who's got 120,000 on YouTube and he doesn't want to serve them. And he's like, well, how do I turn them into what I want? I said, you never will start again. Oh, I don't want to start again. So what do you want? I'm just going to pull out my fucking ass like you. You are lying to these people. Now it's a different thing. Say Alvida Zane and move on and start something new. And I couldn't think of anything worse than serving a community that you didn't genuinely Love, my goodness. And I see your comments all the time. And we look at your analytics. People genuinely lives have changed from consuming your stuff.

[Eddie Pinero]

Oh, dude, some of the messages are so beautiful. I mean, and that's why you have to keep front and center. Because I do think it's two things. And curious to see if you agree with this. It's like, you have to be happy and in your creative space and feel purpose driven. You can't seek to inspire others if you're dead inside. So, like, you, that has to be a thing. And also, you can't forget the parallel. Your audience and what they love and your value add to them. And so it is sort of. You have to manage both. Because it would be selfish if I'm putting out stuff that, like, I love doing, but it's not helping the people I want to help, you know, so it is like that sort of middle ground. And then, you know, also to your point, sometimes that means step back to leap forward. Like, that means, you know, and we were just talking about the cows in the storm. It's like, you can know that a storm's coming and say, well, I'm a buffalo. So I run into the storm and it's. It's, you know, but then you're there and you're like, oh, my God, it's cold and windy and wet. And it's like, this is. You just stay the course. Just stay the course.

[Bo Hawkins]

Yeah.

[Host]

One of the things that drives me crazy about content is most people only put out the good. And, like, no matter how strong you are, mentally, physically, no matter how much you're willing to run through the storm, you tell yourself that you still get in ruts from time to time.

[Eddie Pinero]

Oh, yeah.

[Host]

And it drives me crazy that these influencers, these stars, you think their life is all sunshines and rainbows. You're like, there is no possible way you and your wife never fight. Like, that's impossible.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Host]

I mean. And so I think one of the cool things about the content you've done or the content Beau's helping us do is, like, just share your life when you're in a rut. Share. You're in a rut because people are in ruts and they're listening to you to get out of a rut. To know you were in a rut, too, is very inspiring to them.

[Bo Hawkins]

There's something else which is like, this is the other side of it, which I hate in this industry, which is. I call it the, like, hey, Mr. Fly. It's the. The weaponization of vulnerability. I can't stand it. I attribute Brene Brown for turning it into a very toxic thing where people think, if I'm vulnerable, you're going to love me, so I'm going to pretend to be poor me. And it's this, it's the weaponization of it that has made the good even more toxic with the bad. And rather than just sharing the journey. So with you, it's interesting. So we're doing this podcast. This is great. I'm sure you were convinced to start a podcast. Someone was like, you like it. But part of you went, if I'm going to build what I'm building, this is an asset to it. So you start doing that, but then you find yourself into it. And then I. Well, I got to make the content that podcasters make. What's that? And watching you trying to. So another reason I wanted you to meet Matt is I've never met someone. So I talk about implicit and explicit branding the time. Explicit is what you try and convince the world you are through ad spend, telling them on social, hey, I'm this and that. Implicit is the conversations people have about you. In rooms you're not in. You are someone I have never. The conversations people have about you are extraordinary. Behind doors you're not in. They hold you in such high esteem. And I get why. I know why. Because we speak all the time. And that's why I was like, you got to meet this guy. This guy's a fucking legend. And the way people speak about you is they know your story. They know what you've come from. And so when you're going on social, trying to convince people it's not the real you. And the real happy version of you is when you're talking about bull semen, when you're talking about your pigs and your family, that's the real you. Now, our thing that we want to, like, help you do is how do we turn that so people see the real you without this motivational bullshit. Like, hey, you got to dream big and you got to, like, tickle your balls and shit to get the dreams. And no, no one cares. The real you. People fall in love with that. And the more you share and there is a difference in your content specifically. And it's weird, like, kind of reaming you on your own podcast about this is the more genuine you are and happy, or even when you're doing content and you're like, I fucking hate this. Like, talk to Hayley all the time.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And it's just like, he does not enjoy this, it's like, you need to put the reps in.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

You're not cameraed. Like, you're. You weren't born for the camera. No one is. Like, how long did it take you to get good gears?

[Eddie Pinero]

It's five years, six years.

[Bo Hawkins]

You're just starting this journey, but the shortcut for you is sharing what you love, because people relish in that joy. And then they share with their friends. Dude, you gotta see this guy, zebra. He's got pigs, you know, Matt King. Like, bull semen all day. What is going on? And sharing that. And then you get known for the guy who's living the life people wish they had. And then they come and ask you, how did you do it? And then you were delighted to share your mindset instead of going out. Hey, you don't know me, by the way, but my mindset is, you gotta dream big. There's no such thing as impossible, and proximity is power. You're just another person in a room. Right. But like, we've walked around your ranch here. It's magnificent. The kind of person who's earned that is worthy of being heard. But you got to see the ranch first before you hear the person.

[Host]

Yes, the bull semen is real, by the way. So the other night, we put our kids to bed, and I was. I was filling out some paperwork, and my wife's like, what are you doing? I'm like, I'm signing up for an account with the semen bank. She's like, excuse me. Like, do you have something you want to talk about? I'm like, we're going to start buying straws of bull semen, and we're going to store it at the semen bank. And then when we want to artificial inseminate the cows, we don't have to own the bull. We just have somebody come out and shove straws in there, and we get whatever bull we want. She's like, you have lost your damn mind.

[Eddie Pinero]

That's the stuff, though. That's the ticket.

[Host]

But you have to learn it too, right? And so the journey you guys were on, you had to put in hundreds and thousands of hours of reps asking questions, doing research, doing it yourself, and then try it and fail a little bit. And I think that's one of the most powerful things that I learned early on. Dropping out of college, being kind of dumb, not, you know, being counted down and counted out, like you said, is nobody thought I could do anything. So it was really easy to just sort of serve my way, Trojan horse my way into rooms I didn't belong in ask questions because they never saw me as a threat. Write down the notes and then go back and implement it. And like, you've done the same thing in the content you've created. I mean, you talk about it all the time, like hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours of repetitions that you now look back and go, wow, that was garbage. But you had to have the garbage in order to get to where you are today.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah, it's, it's a lifestyle. It's inject. So before we sat down and we were, I'm going to digress a little bit. And we were like, I had one of the most beautiful mornings I've had in a long time, walking around this, this ranch and seeing zebras and it was absolutely incredible. And one of the things that stuck out to me was you being like, yeah, like we should have researched the pig a little more before we got the pig. But like, you can't have this if you're that rigid. And so there's just this sort of dive in and adjust along the way and that's how you have the life you have. And that's. Yeah, that's a microcosm of exactly what I try and do. You know, it's reps, but it's also kind of training yourself to do things without knowing how they'll materialize. Yeah, you know, like I'm in a season right now. Like Bo just alluded to where it's like, I'm all in on media, which is the first time I've ever really done that. And it's like, you know, in my own world, it's terrifying. And I don't know what a year, two years from now is going to look like, but I trust myself to adjust. You know, Ryan Holiday says confidence is earned. That's. That like, that rings so true. You jump in, you prove to yourself like you don't have to know the answers, but you can kind of figure it out. You'll figure out how the pigs operate.

[Host]

Yeah, you figure it out. They'll figure it out for sure. They figured it out pretty quick. So do you have like a five year plan? A five year vision? You talk a lot about vision and it seems like you just trust that you have a North Star you're going toward, but you're flexible on the journey.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah, I trust my gut. I mean, Bezos, what did he say? He's like the North Star. The goal stays consistent, but the tactics, you know, don't be so stubborn on the tactics like the vision is through media, you know, in a poetic, inspirational, creative way that lights me up to help people live their best lives. And I think just because I've been in, you know, valleys of despair, and it's always one idea that kind of, oh, it's not that bad, or, oh, I got this. You know, you're always one decision away from a totally different life changing course. Like, I just want to be that for people. And I think, yeah, that, to me, is the goal.

[Host]

What was that one decision for you? That one decision that sort of changed the trajectory of your life?

[Eddie Pinero]

You know, I. It was at 26 years of age, and it was kind of. How do I put it? Like, I lived in a box where it was like I was trying really hard to get good grades, to do the college thing, to move into the corporate world and go up and be the VP of a property casualty change. And, you know, I'd go to bars in Boston with my friends and, like, it was my identity and it wasn't what I loved, but at least I knew who I could say, you know, what I was doing, and felt proud of what I'd done, but I hated it. And so for me, the decision or the big epiphany was like, you don't have to do any of this. Like, you can scrap it all, and you can live life how you want to live, which for everyone at the table probably seems very, very obvious. But it was not for me. Right. It was like marching orders. Like, I got to do this to get this, to do this, to make the family proud, to do that, to do that. And the idea of just, no. Go out in the world and build something break, that to me was like. And it. Yeah. Revolutionized my. My life.

[Host]

And how many people told you you were crazy? Bad idea. Go back to work?

[Eddie Pinero]

Well, see, it's not that. It's almost like the people that love you the most. Right? Like, my parents, who through hell and high water have just been there. My dad knows more about my YouTube analytics than I do. Like, they're just so supportive, but they're like, eddie, you know, you've worked so hard. You know, you went to a good school. You did all this stuff. Like, are you sure? Are you sure? And. And that's where it's heavy. It's not so much. Even your friends that kind of drop off a little bit, or the. The critics online, it's like, am I disappointing the people that love me? Like, that's what kills me.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Eddie Pinero]

But, you know, eventually, like, you know, they're like, okay. And you build it and it starts to materialize and people start to see. That's why I'm always like, you have to dance before the music plays. You have to. You have to. You have to. Because the world can't see it.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Eddie Pinero]

Once they start to, like, you get.

[Host]

That momentum, and your parents aren't telling you not to because it's a bad idea. They just want to keep you safe.

[Eddie Pinero]

They want you safe.

[Host]

That's all parents really want. We just want you safe and happy. So are you sure this is going to keep you safe and happy? You're going to give up all of your income? You're going to go start creating content? Are you sure?

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Host]

And it's not from a bad place. It's actually from, like, the most beautiful place possible. I mean, you know, this with kids now, like, you just want to keep your kids safe and you just want them to be happy. Yeah. But on your entrepreneurial journey, you have to find a way, at least for me to put your parents in the trunk of the car until you build up the mental resilience to put them back in the front seat and say, okay, I'm not gonna let you front seat drive. Even though you're sitting next to me. Cause I know where I'm going.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah. It's almost like, trust me, you know? Trust me.

[Bo Hawkins]

You know Mike Dooley.

[Host]

Infinite Possibilities sounds really familiar.

[Bo Hawkins]

He's in the Secret. Great. He's like a. He's a speaker, but he's a great author. We were together a while ago, and he told me something. It was similar to what you're saying about, like, do you have the plan to get there? And for me, it changed everything. He said we were chatting about, like, what you want to do, make an impact and whatnot. And he's like, well, how are you going to do it? And I was like, I'm going to do it this way, and I'm going to do this and this and this. And he goes. He goes, that's just silly. And he goes, have your North Star. But how arrogant do you have to be to think you know better than the universe the way they're. If you say you're actually. Your goal isn't the star. Your now artificial goal is doing it the way that you think and cutting off. So if it's a pie cutting off 359 degrees of other possibilities that the universe or God knows better than you and you know better and you know better than the wind that's going to take you there. So as long as it's there, it will take you. And you're open to be surprised. It will take you on the most magical journey that if you believe everything's happening in your favor, you'll eventually get there, surpassing Keep going. And that's why I think thinking how you're going to do it, like, this podcast can explode with probably. And I've seen it with, like, we all see it with our. The people we work with. The thing that they think is going to make it for them is never the thing. It's always the most throwaway little video or conversation that goes viral, but it's because that. That was the star and they just kept going, and they just let it happen in their stride. They won. And it's. With everything in life, it's like, how are you gonna meet your wife? Well, I'm gonna do it this. I'm gonna go here to this bar and do it. Do you know how fucking stupid that sounds? No, just let her. Like, I. My neighbor was telling me he met his wife by. He randomly ran into a bar and went downstairs during the rain and then saw this woman in the corner downing one of those big beer boots. And he's like, that's gonna be my wife. That's the one. And it's because the rain threw him inside to a bar he's never been, and he just wanted to get dry.

[Host]

See, that won't happen for Eddie because he wants to run in the rain. He's not going into the bar.

[Bo Hawkins]

She'll be in the rain as well.

[Host]

There you go.

[Eddie Pinero]

There you go. Have to find someone on the street.

[Host]

Yeah, don't do that. Depends on what street.

[Eddie Pinero]

Semantic, guys.

[Host]

You know what I mean? There's some good streets. There's some good streets. I mean, one of the coolest parts about, like, being in this conversation is most people, when I talk to them about my life or what I'm doing, they look at me and say, you're nuts. Or there is this, like, tinge of, like, jealousy and arrogance, and you're an asshole. Like, I can't normally walk around and talk to people about this stuff. How do you guys surround yourself with the right people that are supportive of you on your journey? I mean, you guys are all working in the same space. It would be very easy for you to compete and hate one another and say, wow, that asshole. That. This. You know, he's doing this wrong. But there's just a pure friendship and collaboration that exists amongst you guys. How did you create that? How did you foster that.

[Eddie Pinero]

Well, not having it makes you really appreciate it, because I didn't for a long time. You know, it, it's, you know, not to bring out the world's smallest violin, but it's just the, the reality is like, you know, the first seven, eight years doing this, which is a long time, like, there's no assurance and no success to validate the work that I've been doing. And, you know, at the time, like one or two friends to talk to about it. And so when you find people that have that same mindset and are battle tested, like, it's just precious and it's almost like work. Like, if we never talked about work again, we'd be buddies. Because it's like the work doesn't matter. It's like the mentality and the type of person to endure and support and just understand. So I think that's where it comes from. It's like you see the negative and it's like when you find it, you just want it around you.

[Host]

You just go all in on it.

[Eddie Pinero]

All in. Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

That's back to the cash pinata thing. Yeah, it's the whole. It's the whole thing for me. Okay, I'm not going to go into my story, but realizing that you lose everything. You come back and it's the people you surround yourself for everything. Your whole thing is proximity is power. Who you are around your life is defined by the rooms that you went in. And then you kept going. For me, how it happened was I was in a park one day and I was like. I looked at the people around me. I was like, this sucks. I was like managing a sushi restaurant. I hated my life. And I was like, wait, I keep seeing that meme that you're the average of the four people around you or your net worth is your network. I thought, well, how can I hack it? Because I was big into Tim Ferriss. Like, you could hack everything. And I was like, well, what if I started a podcast and met some of the coolest people there was and I started a podcast and like within, like the first four guests, it was Gary Vee, Wim Hof, Evan Carmichael, and Mel Robbins.

[Eddie Pinero]

That's a group.

[Bo Hawkins]

But to me, I was stupid. I didn't realize that that's difficult to like you with the Pit. You're like, you just do it.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And then Evan was smart enough to be like, how did you do that? And I showed him. And he goes, wow, you have no money, you've no audience, you didn't lie to them, dude, you're Michael Jordan of connecting. That's what you do. And I was like, oh, is it?

[Host]

Yeah. You built the Mount Rushmore of guests. Like, that is quite the group to roll out with.

[Bo Hawkins]

But I kept building it. And then I realized that for me, serving in the shadows was better than being in the light, because I can serve those in the light. There's no right or wrong, by the way. Some people go, hey, Mr. Fly. Some people go, oh, you got to being in the lights. Vanity metrics and all this stuff. And it's like. No, it's like a play. The people behind the stage make the people in the front look amazing. And the people in the front give the people a purpose at the back.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And it's cyclical. Yin and yang, all that. And when I started getting around good people but genuinely being myself, some people get in these rooms, and we know some people who, like, in these communities, they peacock.

[Host]

Yep.

[Bo Hawkins]

Because God forbid someone knows the real them. And we all see that. But when you're yourself unapologetically and you don't give a fuck what anyone thinks about you, you start attracting your true tribe. And we had this exact conversation in the car about your YouTube. You need to start attracting the people who love you unapologetically, not the, well, Eddie Panera does motivation. So he better keep doing that, because if he doesn't, I'm not gonna love him. And so everything in your life, when you start surrounding your true self, the right people come. And I'm blessed here. So we were chatting earlier, like, I've got these guys. You can't see them, but we all work together. We all have our own businesses in the same industry with clients that we could easily harvest off each other and backstab and whatnot. All we do is love each other and collaborate because we realize that the party is so much greater if we're all going to. And we've. The more people are getting involved. I think when I met you for the first time, I knew you were going to be at an event and I just messaged you. I was like, hey, man, I don't know you, but I can't wait to meet you because you seem really fucking cool. And we just hit it off instantly. And people are the most important thing. And I look at you like the people you surround yourself. You got an amazing team. Everyone I meet who speaks about you fucking knows you walk on sunshine. But they know it's not an act, it's who you are. And you're very unapologetic as well. We need more of that in your social where you're not trying to convince people motivation. Just be like, look, if you're failing, because maybe you're a fucking idiot, but you can be an idiot and then learn to be good again. But people are everything. And that's the one lesson that if you're not around the right people, no matter how good you are or how much money you have, you're never gonna make that fulfillment inside.

[Eddie Pinero]

I'm gonna throw 1, 1 * in there because being in Scottsdale has kind of opened my eyes to great place. And, like, I'll probably live there forever. But, like, you know, I agree, people are everything. But there's a huge push, especially with entrepreneurs, to network networking events. Networking events. Networking events. And you can make the argument like, yeah, there's not a lot of depth to that. That fly loves you.

[Bo Hawkins]

Oh, the Iowa.

[Host]

The Iowa.

[Bo Hawkins]

I'm home.

[Eddie Pinero]

But there are so many times where we're sitting, you know, I'd go, and someone would be in the front and they'd say, hey, the person to your left or person to your right could be the person that takes your business to the next level. Like, you know, here's the connection. And so many times I've thought, if every single person in this room just went home by themselves and tried to be better at what they do, that would be more valuable than being in this room. So there is somewhat of a balance where it's like, you can't outsource your future into the people that you're around or think that's going to solve everything. Like, there has to be the deep work and sort of solitude and suffering in silence element. But, yeah, like, I never. I never even thought of that as something worthy of mention till I've just seen it repeatedly. Like, I'm just going to network with millionaires. It's like, what do you do? Like. Like the office quote. What exactly do you do here? Or office space. But.

[Host]

Well, that's one of the biggest red flags I see. Running events for GoBundance. I mean, they take pages and pages of pages of notes, they put the notebook in their backpack, they go home, and then they're pissed six months later, why they didn't change. It's like, well, you didn't open the notebook and do 1, 2, 3, 4, like all the steps you learned. Yeah, yeah. Because they thought, oh, I just did the work, right? And. And I was doing some research recently. Like, that's the predictive mind. Like, when you drink water, you actually don't Receive the benefits of drinking water for more than 20 minutes. But the predictive mind says, you were thirsty, we drank water. We know that we're going to feel the benefits. So you're no longer thirsty. People think that same thing is true in personal development. They think that same thing is true in building business is like, oh, I went to the networking thing. Now everything's gonna happen for me. But you still have to drink the water and do the work.

[Bo Hawkins]

It's the dopamine junkies, the seminar junkies, we call them, the people who go to Tony Robbins and all this stuff. It's my fifth time. What is wrong with you?

[Eddie Pinero]

That is an indictment on the program, sir.

[Bo Hawkins]

So what happens is they. And it's the world we live in because of how we're conditioned now through device and stuff. It's. We go, I'm in the room. And the brain goes, this is a big step towards what we want, which means we've already done it. And that. That being in the room is not enough.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

Or when you see a lot of these rooms where it's the kind of the circle jerk, like, hey, I'm here to take. I'm going to give people my business card, tell them how great I am, and all I'm gonna. That room's gonna change my life. Why don't you go into the fucking room and change someone else's life?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

Very rare. You're the kind of person who does that.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And that's why you're cut from a different cloth. But most of these groups, people go in there to take. What can I get out of this? What can I do? Instead of being like, cool, I'm in a room with 50 people. If I can make one person's life better for interacting with me today, I have served God's purpose of being on the earth. But most people don't think that. They go, I'm here to take notes because this is the networking event. And then they leave and they go, I've got to go back. Because I wasn't paying attention, because the monkey voice is going. Got to get it. Got it. Is that the guy over there? If I convince him to give me a million dollars, I can start my little jazz club or some shit. Instead of being like, hey, you like jazz? I love jazz. Do you want to get a drink? Let's do that. And then real people, next thing you know, they're the godfather to their kid or something, and they've got a business together. And it was very like, the North Star thing. Don't set the route, just set the destination and let the universe take you there.

[Host]

The universe taught me that lesson in a really unique way. I used to work in the locker room at a country club growing up. So, like, you literally sit in this little private shoe room with a little serving window and wait for essentially, naked men to drop their golf shoes on the counter so you can wash their golf shoes. But I recognized in that moment that service was the Trojan horse to knowledge. If I served those guys, I would earn the right to ask them a question or hear their conversation or understand that if we got the spray sunscreen rather than the cream sunscreen, the tips would be better, because none of them like spreading the cream all over their body. They just wanted a quick spray, which now we know aerosol causes cancer, so we shouldn't have done that. But I recognized that that service was powerful. And you mentioned in one of your interviews when you helped a guy write a speech, and he said to you, hey, Eddie, what are you gonna charge? Can you share that story?

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah, that was a turning point, you know. So, long story short, this is. The channel hadn't necessarily popped yet. It was doing okay. But I got an email from this guy, now a friend of mine named Rod, who's a producer in Hollywood, just a very, very accomplished guy, and sent this note. Hey, love your channel. I love what you're doing. I have a keynote coming up. Love to help you. I would love your help writing it. And I was like, absolutely. You know, I sent him back. I'm like, yeah, let's do it. And so he flew from LA to where I was kind of the Fort Lauderdale area. And we're sitting there, and he's kind of going through what he wants and what his speech could look like. And he says, you think you could do that? And I'm like, absolutely. Let's do it. Let's knock it out. He says, all right. What's it gonna cost me? And I'm like, rod, I don't care. You know, I like. I just want to be around people like you, doing great things. And he looks me in the eyes and he's like, eddie, be a fucking salesman. And just took out a check and wrote it for, at that point, more than I'd ever made. Way more. And he's like, from now on, you're never worth less than this. Which is like something, you know, the Hollywood coming out. Cause that's like something out of a movie, you know? And I left. And the crazy thing is, I needed the money, but I wasn't even excited about the money. I was like, holy. Like, I am in charge of my own destiny. Like, if I think more of myself, other people will. Like, the dots just connected, you know? And, yeah, it was just a revolutionary moment. And the guys just. It's special because that. That stuff doesn't happen a lot. Like, people like that don't come around very often.

[Host]

But you didn't take the meeting knowing you were gonna get a check.

[Eddie Pinero]

No.

[Host]

You took the meeting because you were excited to be able to serve somebody that you were excited about. Like, just a guy you were honored to meet somebody that, like, wow, this is a really cool human being.

[Eddie Pinero]

And. And it's reciprocal. The subject line in the email he sent was, how can I help you?

[Host]

Wow.

[Eddie Pinero]

And he just wanted to give and give and give. And there was a point where I'm like, I don't even deserve. Like, why? Why are you being nice to me? You know? But it's a type of person. It's like an avatar, you know? And, yeah, it was cool. It was really cool.

[Bo Hawkins]

There's no coincidence. Look at every religious text, every philosophy, the secret's there, Everything. The path to Valhalla, spaghetti monster in the sky, heaven. Whatever you want is to live a life of service. Some people take it very literally in religions, and they serve God and they become of the cloth or whatever service. If you dedicate your life to service. And that's what changed my life as well. I was with Evan, and he sat me down. I was like, I thought I was gonna be a speaker. I was gonna get Mel Robbins to forward my book. I'm like, I'm gonna make it.

[Eddie Pinero]

I'm gonna be awesome.

[Bo Hawkins]

I. I was fucking miserable. And he goes, yeah. Everything you do is like, how can I get more of this? How can I do that? He goes, go into the world for one week and just serve people. No covert kindness. Because a lot of people like, hey, how are you? And their hands reach around the back pocket.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Eddie Pinero]

Cameras rolling.

[Bo Hawkins]

And he's like, just be of service with nothing with zero outcome attached, no assumptions. And I was like, that couldn't be. And I looked through all of the religious texts, and I looked through all the philosophies, everything. And the word service was there every single time. I'm like, is this it? And I looked at good moments in my life, and it's just because I wanted to, genuinely. A great line I heard recently is that you don't need an excuse to be a good person. I was like, oh, okay. Within one week, I Went from still working in cafes and stuff and I had a phone call that changed my life and I got a position working in a production company in Hollywood. And it was because I went to serve one guy who was like, the guy who's like, oh, not, he's not going to hit me like a pinata. This guy's pretty cool. He's like a leprechaun. Let's have some fun. And so, and it's funny because then you try and like run a podcast. Now we're talking about this and someone's going to be like, great. The way to get what I want is a life of service. And they go out and they start doing it. Is it coming? Is what I want here yet? And they keep looking backwards, thinking that okay, I'm going to go this way, but I'm always looking. And so, yeah, like you understand it, you understand it. Everyone that you respect, who's of whatever field they're in, are just good people. And it's because they serve. And that's the secret.

[Host]

You've done it all. You've built the business, you've made the money. You conquered the grind. You're the lone wolf. And yeah, that got you here. But let's be real, it won't take you to the next level. The truth Most successful people don't hunt alone. They join a tribe. A network of elite entrepreneurs, investors or leaders who challenge them, push them and hold them accountable to their biggest goals. Gobundance is that tribe. Extreme accountability, real wealth building, life changing adventure. And a brotherhood who refuses to let each other play small. So here's the challenge. Stay the lone wolf or run with the pack. The right tribe changes everything. Find a link in the description Apply today. This episode is brought to you by Loletta Birnbaum llc. Doing business justice if you're a business owner, entrepreneur, real estate investor, or a combination of each, you know how critical it is to have trusted legal advisors on your team. Loletta Birnbaum has built a stellar reputation providing exceptional legal services that make a difference as a national business law firm. Loletta Birnbaum provides a wide variety of legal services including general corporate contract negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, intellectual property, commercial litigation, shareholder disputes, real estate and employment. Whether you're navigating a complex business deal, resolving disputes or protecting your brand, their team delivers practical, results driven legal solutions tailored to your goals. For inquiries, GoBundance members should email Loletta Birnbaum at gobundancelaletta.com that's la u l e t t a dot com you can also visit their website at www.la u l e t t a dotcom to learn more about how they can do your business justice. This episode is brought to you by Apex Functional Health, the team behind Age Defying Health Ecobundance. If you're a high achieving entrepreneur, investor or leader, you know that your health is your greatest asset. But the truth is, traditional medicine isn't built for people like you. It treats symptoms, ignores root causes and keeps you stuck in cycles of fatigue, stress and subpar performance. That's where Apex comes in. They do not do band aids and they engineer elite health transformations for men, women and children looking to optimize their health and be proactive instead of reactive. Apex uses root cause functional medicine, advanced lab testing and cutting edge biohacking tools to help you optimize energy, eliminate the root cause holding you back and reverse early signs of aging so you can live, feel and perform at your best. Apex helps you take control of your health so you can lead with power, not burnout. Visit apexfunctionalhealth.com to schedule your free strategy call and see what's possible. When your body finally works for you, not against you, what's slowing your business down? Is it endless emails, scheduling headaches? Repetitive tasks that steal your time? My Outdesk has your solution. Their experienced global virtual assistants handle the busy work so you can focus on strategy, growth and whatever matters to you most. From administrative support to marketing and customer service. They've got you covered at a fraction of the cost of hiring in house. Scale smarter, save bigger, get the support you need. Today at my outdesk, at some point, see people see that and take advantage of you because they know you're just willing to serve and you help and you help and you help and they just keep coming back to the well, coming back to the well, coming back to the well. Where do you draw the line? How do you draw the line? Because in my deepest part of me, I just want to serve and help everybody. But at some point you become that cash pinata where everybody just is coming to you because they know you're going to solve their problems.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah, it's funny, when I moved to Phoenix, this is, I joined Genius and this is one of the first questions I asked Joe. He talks about givers and takers and there's not like a solid answer, at least that I've come into contact with because that happens to me. Right. It's like I assume that everyone's just wants to be buds.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Eddie Pinero]

And like I Get pitched out of, like, nowhere. It's. It's frustrating, but you have to touch the stove a few times to just say, oh, okay. And it's like you toughen up and you learn. I mean, there's no other. I want to say the majority of people, they're not bad people. They're good people, but they're not necessarily of service. And so, you know, you. You don't necessarily go in with the expectation that they are.

[Bo Hawkins]

Right.

[Eddie Pinero]

So that's kind of how I've. I've navigated that. You know, you give them the benefit of the doubt, but you certainly burn.

[Host]

Your hand a little bit.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

But they lose as well.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah, that's very true.

[Bo Hawkins]

Yeah. But also, I'm. Now I'm. I mean, it's nice. I don't care how you feel. Your feelings mean nothing to me because they're yours, not mine. If you are overstepping a boundary, I have no problem telling you in a very polite way, but if someone's using you as a doormat, they must see value in you. You know what? If you help them and it makes their life 1% better, I've still won. Like, I get to. The purpose on the planet is to do that. But being very like, I'm. I joke that I'm an asshole. And I am, because I don't take shit from anyone. And if someone is constantly overdoing that, the one thing. The kind of person who does that is more terrified of being stood up to than anyone else. And so they back down pretty quickly. And it's like. It makes me laugh. The new rule with Eddie is you are not allowed to do any business unless you speak to me. Because I have to go through his business deals now because I've seen people. He's such a nice guy that they treat him like a doormat and then set up camp on the fucking doormat. And then they set up a community on the doormat. And he's just like, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right.

[Eddie Pinero]

That's extreme.

[Bo Hawkins]

But. No, and it's. And. But that goes back to what we're talking about. People around you. You have great people around you now.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And that will not let that happen. There's that great thing.

[Eddie Pinero]

Invaluable. Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

Chris Williamson was on Rogan talking about it. He's like, if you're trapped in the South American, the cartel gets you, and you're in South America, you get one phone call. Who do you call? And I think it's a good way to look at your life. And who you would kind of have that one call to get you out. For me, it's David Bray, because I know he'd get me out.

[Eddie Pinero]

Tim Kennedy.

[Bo Hawkins]

He said Tim Kennedy? Yeah.

[Host]

Who would you call, man?

[Eddie Pinero]

That's a good question.

[Bo Hawkins]

You gotta get out, not feel good.

[Eddie Pinero]

Someone who's gonna break down the door.

[Bo Hawkins]

Someone's gonna kick it in and be like, alvida's in.

[Host]

Yeah, but it doesn't have to be that. They could be, like, super tactful and, like, sneak in at night and very quiet. Like, it doesn't have to be kicked down the door.

[Bo Hawkins]

But you want to see?

[Eddie Pinero]

I'm going to say, my friend Zach. Zach go way, way, way back. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

Why you? You know everyone.

[Host]

Yeah. My life insurance policies are high enough. I might not just make a call. I might just let it be what it's going to be. My wife will be good. The kids will be fine. I'd probably call David. I mean, not David Per, but David whose family office I run. Because I just know he's super resourceful and, you know, he won't actually come to save me physically, but I know he will deploy the units needed to save me.

[Eddie Pinero]

Get it done.

[Host]

Yeah, get it done. You just want people that are going to find a way to get it done. How do you learn to say no? That's. That's the theme of my year right now, is just say no. And I struggle with it so much that I had to hire somebody and, like, literally get a second phone and say, hey, you're in charge of this phone, and your job is to just say no. Because I feel so bad. I mean, even last night, leading up to this VIP event here, tonight, for the event, I had people texting me, like, hey, I know it's sold out, but do you mind if I swing by? I'd love to see your place. I'm just like, sure, sure, sure. And like, the team's like, dude, it sold out. Dude, it sold out. We only have food for 75. Now we're at 82. I just don't know how to say no.

[Eddie Pinero]

A professional no guy.

[Host]

But I have to. I had to hire one. But how do I learn to do it myself? How did you learn to do it? How did you learn to do it?

[Bo Hawkins]

It's the storm again. Saying no is really uncomfortable.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

So you go to it and you find reasons to say no, because you can always say yes again later.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

But the ability to be honest with yourself, if you're lying to yourself, if you feel no. Hey, Matt. Can I come to the event? And inside the, the, the, the kick in your head is, I can't do it. But you're like, but don't want to let them that conversation. You already lost yourself, so you're lying to yourself. And if we live in a world of ethics that we, we, we have to be honest by ourselves and if we're going to take control of our destiny, never lie to yourself. You just honor that. And then if someone's like, well, what do you mean though? You let so and so. And it's like, yeah, but they were here 20 minutes ago. Yeah, you're not here now. So I, in another universe, man, you're already at that event. But I'm sorry, I just, I would love to. I don't even have the resources to move it around. I did fucking tell you two months ago that you could have bought tickets. And you're now calling me because you think I can. I'm sorry. Yeah, and it's running towards that storm of this is going to be uncomfortable. And saying no to someone and looking them in the eye is not easy. Like, you had a call yesterday from a client who was like, we can't do this one thing and you just run at it.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And so that's. For me, that is. Anyway. And then it's a muscle. And then you respect and value yourself so much. Not in an ego way, but you're like, if I'm controlling my destiny, why am I going to let other inputs take that wheel for a second just because I want to make them feel good.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

They don't think about you, by the way, when you leave that interaction, that's another thing to realize. Like, we all think that everyone thinks about us all the time. No one gives a about you. Isn't that so cool?

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And, and it is nice though, when you. Like I make it a point to deliberately check in with people because I want someone to know that, hey, I was on a walk and I saw something. I was just thinking of you because made me laugh or whatnot. I messaged you every day with something and when you get out of that, you realize that that interaction you just had won't exist in their head in five minutes.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah, it is. I mean, it's, for me, it's the same answer. It's. It's a lack of alignment for me is very tough, you know, a big part of. And I almost wish it wasn't this way. Like, I'm very emotional about what I do. Like I have to be excited about It, I have to love it. I have to feel like what I'm doing points to where I want to go and when it doesn't, like, I feel it. And I can't tell you, like I said, how many times I've been squirrel and gone to the left or right or shiny object syndrome. And immediately I'm like, oh, God. You know, like, when I, I, I moved here, I was doing a company with, you know, people that were great and the mission even itself was noble, but it was like this detracts from everything that I've been building. And so to me, simplicity, you know, that's saying it's the ultimate sophistication, like, reaching. It's hard. So from a business standpoint, it's being very clear from, you know, like, I want to help everyone's friend with YouTube questions and podcast questions, and I feel good about that. But having random calls sprinkled throughout the afternoon on a Wednesday when I'm trying to record, like, it does mess up my. And so, like, if I'm not, if I don't protect that and really value that, it derails what I'm trying to do. So it is, like built out of necessity.

[Bo Hawkins]

I feel like.

[Host]

Do you keep your calendar pretty rigid, like, time block and spaced out? Pretty creative space here, workout space here?

[Eddie Pinero]

The exact opposite. I, like, have pretty big chunks because I don't take meetings. Like, there, there are probably some pretty important emails that I've just never read. You know what I mean? Like, and I don't care. Like, I'm willing to make that sacrifice because to me, you know, I just hired one of the most awesome, brilliant, creative people I've ever met. And like, to me, it's like, here's what I wrote. Let's sit down for two hours, let's talk about how to bring it to life in the afternoon. Let's take the camera, let's go out into the desert, and let's make something that's amazing and we'll move people, People. That's all I care about. And, and so, like, everything else is kind of. And it's not like you can totally obviously just mitigate it, but it's getting better at outsourcing and getting help and people on the team that can take care of that. So you can do the things that really move the needle.

[Host]

But do you have things that have you put things in your life where you put your oxygen mask on first? Like, are there non negotiables in your day? Like your morning coffee on the porch overlooking the Mountain or the cold plunge or the sauna or the workout or.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Host]

Do you have things that, that fill you up?

[Eddie Pinero]

My mornings are precious. Yeah, It's. It's coffee. 2, 3, 4. And it's writing like every day. Whether it's a speech or a poem or something for YouTube or whatever it is. And a lot of it doesn't go anywhere, but some of it does. And I think like, one, for, for the business, it's. It matters. But two, it's like personal therapy too. Like, you really learn a lot about yourself writing every day and just going down these rabbit holes of thought. You're like, oh my God, the other day I sat down to write. I forget what the theme was. Ended up writing this letter to my grandfather. I'm like, where did that come from? You know, but it's just what needed to come out. And I think, yeah, I know that and I, I value that.

[Host]

So how did you feel after you wrote to the grandfather is he passed away?

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah, he died like 20 years ago, which is why it's like a random thing, you know, but it was, it was cool. It helped me realize that I, I am trying to emulate a lot of who he was. And so the, the point of the. I guess the crux of the letter was talking about like when he had a brain tumor and he's one of these guys that's just like selfless and very sarcastic and, you know, we'd be like, are you okay? And he'd be like, oh, I'm fine. It's all in my head, you know, how are you? And, and like, to me, especially with all this going on about like, what masculinity is and maybe over correcting and all this stuff, like, to me, that's it. Like being that rock for your family, putting them first, not making it about you ever showing up every day. And you know, I hit the last word in that, hit enter. I'm like, wow, I didn't even know I felt that way. Like, that really means a lot to me. That matters to me. So you uncover that stuff.

[Host]

Do you go back and read it after the fact or you just kind of write it and you're done?

[Eddie Pinero]

Well, I wrote it and then I record it. I released it on, on YouTube.

[Host]

Wow, that's really cool.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Host]

That's incredible. What do you all think of this ancient anxious generation book? Have you heard about this book?

[Eddie Pinero]

No.

[Host]

Oh, my gosh. So this anxious generation is basically saying that because of our phones, because of social media, that we're all becoming like, anxious and worried about how the world is going to perceive us, but also being controlled by other people's agendas. Right. We see thousands of ads a day on social media, on the Internet, on Facebook. And so my wife just recently read this book and she's like, you're addicted to your phone. Okay, that's an interesting perspective. Now, she's right. We all get that dopamine hit when we look at our phones and read the texts or make the posts and get the likes or whatever. But how do we balance still being able to consume incredible content like yours or incredible wisdom like yours without having this anxious generation? Like, you know, that this narrative of this anxious generation. Do we have a problem?

[Bo Hawkins]

Yeah.

[Eddie Pinero]

I mean, I'm speaking anecdotally. I don't have. Have data other than, you know, when I'm with good people or I'm out wandering around in the desert, I'm not even inclined to check my phone. But when I'm home or, you know, working, it's like, yeah, every. I don't even. I don't even want to know how often. So I definitely make that correlation. Cal Newport's book Deep Work was really helpful to me in this regard, where he's like, just put it in a different room. Shut off the Internet. Like, you have to create these walls around yourself, otherwise you can't think. And we have lost the ability to think. I mean, that. That may be why, you know, these morning sessions are so precious to me. It's because I've trained myself to think about nothing but what I'm writing for an hour, hour and a half, which in today's world is kind of a big deal, you know, because we're always. Things are coming and going, and look at AI.

[Host]

We're literally not thinking for ourselves at all.

[Eddie Pinero]

That scares me. Right. It's like a gp. I realized the other day, I'm like, I don't know how to get to Phoenix without a gps. And I've lived in Scottsdale for two years. Right. So it's like, if we outsource writing.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Eddie Pinero]

And sending emails, like, what's going to be left? I don't know.

[Bo Hawkins]

It was cool. You saw in the news last week, Spain and Portugal lost all electric. 50 million.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

I was fighting with my wife because I was like, you broke the blind? And she was, no, I didn't. I was like, the baby needs to go to sleep. The blind's not working. You were the last. We were fighting. It's hilarious. She's like, everything else is off and we realized the power's gone, and I work remotely. We had, like, 36 hours of no power, no communication with the world. It was magnificent, everyone. And it was interesting. All the expats were panicking in places, but the Portuguese just barbecuing with their friends, and they were on the beach signing themselves, like, well, fuck all we can do. We're just gonna go hang out. And I was like, I think we convince ourselves that. So it's very cool in this generation to label yourself as, I have a problem. I'm anxious, I'm depressed, I'm. This. It makes me significant when you realize you're fucking. You're nothing. And then that reset me. And it was like. It was amazing. So my neighbor downstairs was panicking. He's like, dude, I can't check in at work. I don't know what I'm gonna do. He goes, and the stove's electric. I don't know. And I was like, you know, it's gonna be so cool. He's like, what? I said, tonight, because we're on the ocean, the stars will come out, and we will probably, for the only time in our life ever see what this place looked like in the 1800s when the fishermen were here and the stars will come out. And he's like, you just positive all the time. I was like, no, I'm an asshole, but I just think that's really cool. And then we watched as lights in the peninsula, block by block, returning on. And then the sadness as the lights got closer, that we're going to be plugged back into the world again. And it was so peaceful. And then I've kind of taken that with me. And it was. So the phones died. Yeah, you. The phones died, and then the masts ran out of diesel, so the cell signal was going. And I got a ding just before the mast went out, my power died. And it was you saying, this is the worst meme I've seen. Hopefully your phone dies to, this is the last thing you see.

[Eddie Pinero]

I wanted the meme to be the last thing.

[Bo Hawkins]

It was horrific, what he sent me. Our chat's never allowed to be in the world. And I was like, oh, thanks. And the phone just died. That was it. And if they never find us, I'll tell them what Eddie sent me. I'll go public. Eddie. I'll tell them. But. But you're right. It's. Everyone's addicted to stuff. And when you're unplugged like that, it was. You realize this. Oh, we're just buying into it. And we are plugged in. Like, we talk to each other and stuff. But you have the choice to just stop it.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And then you get peer pressure. You can't. You can't be online. I had clients emailing, and I woke up the next day when we got power back and stuff. 60, 70 emails from people. And I didn't care. I was like, I built a business that doesn't put out fires. There is nothing important enough that required me to be there from across the world.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And then it just made everything easier. So I think we should all just do that. All the locals were joking. Like, we should do this every Sunday. Just turn all the power off and watch the stars. It was so cool.

[Eddie Pinero]

It's powerful that there was a sadness when the power came back on.

[Bo Hawkins]

It was. And I didn't expect it. That was the weirdest part. You're like, I was gonna come back and go play my game, and I can do this and that. And it was just like, oh, it's coming back. Oh, we're being sucked back into the matrix.

[Eddie Pinero]

What did they do to us?

[Bo Hawkins]

What would they do to us?

[Host]

Yeah. The question is then almost, how can you manufacture the power going off to the. To the locals point? Because there is so much beauty in just connecting with people and seeing things you wouldn't normally see. I mean, look, Covid was a great example of that. We got to see some crazy stuff because the whole world was locked down.

[Bo Hawkins]

But you see both sides. You see the wild craziness, plus you see the peace. And yes, reason we moved to Portugal is because the family values there and how much they value community and stuff. And to see it firsthand like that. Like, our neighbor was knocking, going, like, trying very bad English, like, you have a baby. We understand you're on electric. We have gas. If you need us to do the food, we'd love to help. And we're like, I've never spoken to you, and you're like, banging. We have two doors and they were banging on the lower door because everything was so quiet. You kind of heard this noise you've never heard before. And I'm like, I think someone's here. And it was just incredible.

[Host]

That's so cool. That's so cool. So let me ask both of you this question. You know, both of you are very successful, hard charging, surrounded by incredible people, good families, good morals, good values. You're still met with hard days. You're still met with challenging days. And there's probably an area in both of your lives that you're flirting with disaster. So my question to you would be, where are you most flirting with disaster? I thought I could get it, dude. I thought if I sat still enough, got through the question and then hit, I'd get it.

[Eddie Pinero]

That might be a blessing. That would have been ugly.

[Host]

That would have been great. That would not have been good. Not have been good. Blood in the eye. Where are you most flirting with disaster?

[Bo Hawkins]

I don't feel I am. I like, I work on myself, like, to get to a point of simplicity and peace daily. And it's why I don't care what other people think of me. It's why I just. I do what. I only do what I love. So there's a. We. We had a big dinner yesterday, and I've had people want to work with me all the time, and I say, no, we'll. We'll give you X amount per month. I don't know. The thought of waking up and your name is on my phone will take away what I'm living in. And I kind of started living by my own rules. So when I started this business, I was like, I only want to work with people I could break bread with and have a drink with and laugh. And I believe in them. And since living on that terms, like, I flirt. Like, for me, I could. Being like a new dad is terrifying. You're just like, I wonder if I can wrap you in bubble wrap, then nothing will hurt you. And then like, the second they're safe, you turn and then bang. Ah. And something happens. There's that. But it's met with. It's part of life. I'm really trying to find something and to, like, give you a podcast clip for what I'm doing, but I try and just live on my own terms and up and. And doing that's part of it.

[Host]

Well, and for you, what you shared at the beginning is you already hit disaster.

[Bo Hawkins]

I think for me, I. I've been very blessed to meet a lot of great people in the world. Not good, but great people. And I've not met one who's not been through stuff, but the ones who've been through the storm. So I had potentially a life storm that could have wiped me out, and I survived it. Everything else is easy.

[Eddie Pinero]

Let me inject this because this is a bow quote that fits perfectly here over coffee.

[Bo Hawkins]

Wait, is it good?

[Eddie Pinero]

I lost everything. It's large ice latte with no. So I lost everything. And when you lose everything, God shows you what's real. Yeah, that doesn't give you chills.

[Bo Hawkins]

I think it's because. And like, I've got the battle scars, the literal, like, people go, you got gray hair. It's like I got like the most amazing wife and stuff. I never have to peacock around to try and get laid or anything. I've won that. When you lose everything, you realize that you're so powerful that no one can do anything. And for me, the attraction is some people go, oh, you. So when, when you're talking about flirting with disaster. I know, like, I was talking to you about this the other day, Zach, which the audience is like, who the fuck are you talking to? There was some anxiety you had about losing a client or something. When you start feeding into that anxiety of losing someone, you're actually like, making it happen. You're manifest because you don't know yet, right? Or no, I have no problem ever not working with someone because one, we met on phenomenal terms and it will never, ever end on bad terms because I live to serve and my goal is for them to win. It's like with us when we work, I just want you to win. And I can be an out. Like, I know that your team get emails from me and they're like, this guy's an absolute prick. But my outcome is I just want them to win. Yeah, we all win. And like, you have an amazing team. And how, what it started from, from you going, I have an idea to build a brand and what we're going to do, and then your team jumping in, being like, cool, this is very new to us, but let's do it. It's so incredible. And like, I love what these guys do, but I don't fear losing money. I don't fear losing anything. Health, yes. And worried because my dad's extremely ill. He's got terminal four lung cancer. He did everything right. Never drank, ate super clean, worked out everything, never smoked. And God's like, nah, you're gonna get this card. And then you're like, so I can live what? Like, I can read every book that everyone's. I can go vegan, I can go carnivore, I can do all this stuff. I can be a good person and I'm still gonna get a shitty hand. Oh, and just enjoy your life.

[Eddie Pinero]

There's nothing you can do that's powerful. I mean, you can try and insulate yourself from it, but sometimes life has a say. And I had a friend, he's kind of joking, but he was like, you know, you're always three decisions away from being an eight figure millionaire and you're always Three decisions away from being on the street, addicted to opiates. And I'm like, well, that's one way to put it. Right? I mean, there's. We. We do our best to maintain control, but again, life has a say, I think. For me, I don't know if disaster is the word, but. Because I love what I do, and I'm so invested in it, you know, there are times where it just consumes me. Like, it's good to be deep in what you do, but sometimes, like, too deep. And it's not like I'm communicating with people all the time. Like, I can insulate myself to write, create, record. And days go, I had an assistant come. Come in, like, last year into the studio, and I've been up all night. And he walks in. First thing he says, he's like, dude, go get in the shower. And I'm like, yeah, I've just been in my own world. And so for me, I'm not necessarily advocating balance because I want the scale to tip in favor of what I love, but it's like reminding myself to make time for my family and friends and the people that mean the most and step, you know, into joy. And, you know, we're talking earlier, like, it doesn't all have to be suffering, and it all can't be. So it's. It's like giving myself grace to live. And I think maintaining that balance.

[Bo Hawkins]

When.

[Eddie Pinero]

I. I'll put it this way, I'll put it in the negative. When I don't maintain that balance, I tiptoe towards something that's not ideal.

[Host]

Right?

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

Right. Here's a really cool thing. I think we spoke about this as well. I convinced myself and my wife does this as well, and is. I think it's how we've navigated life for the last 12 years. We're convinced everything that happens, regardless of what it perceivably is, is in our favor. The amount of times we've been in traffic, and you get excited, you're like, this is cool. It's in our favor. And we. Or we go down a wrong road, and you see an accident, and we saw it happened. We pulled into a gas station. Stacey's like, why are you pulling to a gas? Like, we got fuel. And I was like, I took the wrong turn. But we were meant to be here. We pulled out as a car whizzed past us. We pulled out of the gas station instantly. And in that window, that guy died. We saw him happen as the car flipped.

[Eddie Pinero]

Oh, my God.

[Bo Hawkins]

And where we were would have hit us a few weeks later. We were walking down this street and I tripped up and it's quite late at night. And I laughed. And she goes, oh, everything happens for a reason. I shit you not. A car went right in front of us and smashed into the wall here. And it was the distance that I'd fallen and we would have walked and gone. These are just like extreme examples. But if you convince everything happens in your life. We were on the tarmac for two and a half hours the other day flying here from Heathrow. I loved it. I was like, I'm gonna get to. In my head, I was, I have no idea what this means, but I'm gonna benefit from this. And I did. I got through customs in seconds. I got an extra glass of wine on the plane. I got to watch a film. That's pretty cool.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

So if you're convinced that everything happens in your favor, if. Even if the projector of life is like, this is horseshit, like with. Even with my dad's thing, there's something magical and amazing about it. And I'm convinced it might show me something that's going to change my life health wise. I might be more aware of something and catch something early. And that means I get to be around longer for my kids and stuff. If you're convinced everything happens in your favor, there's no one can tell you you're wrong, by the way. Because another great phrase. I hate feeling like a quote machine. But when we all realize that our parents, our grandparents, our kids, random people around us, this is their first time at life as well. Your empathy just goes, oh, my God. We're all. We all don't know what the we're doing. So no one can really tell you what you believe is right or wrong.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And it's awesome.

[Eddie Pinero]

That's so powerful. Yeah. Everyone's trying their best.

[Bo Hawkins]

Yeah. And if you, if you honestly believe that even when someone's being an to you, they actually. They're not being evil. They think they're doing what's best in that moment because they love something and they're trying to protect it or they're scared. My God. You just this empath. I think empathy is a superpower. If you can put yourself in someone else's shoes and realize that they're just a scared little boy or girl as well.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And they're just at you. You go, oh. Like it's, it's the. It's a shortcut to get through all the bullshit. And it makes life so much more Beautiful. And when you meet people who are just doing their best, we're all the same. We just have different industries, but that's it.

[Host]

We're all just doing the best we can.

[Eddie Pinero]

All doing the best we can.

[Bo Hawkins]

You had a colonoscopy?

[Host]

I haven't yet.

[Bo Hawkins]

Oh, you should. It's pretty cool. He's like. He's like, what are you gonna talk about on the podcast? And I was like, colonoscopy and sumo wrestling. He's like, what? And he's like, tell me the colonoscopy story. And I said, no, I'm gonna tell it to you on the podcast. Yeah, yeah, of course. It's important, by the way, that the rise in prevalence of colon cancer and rectal cancer in young people now because of the diet, is extraordinary. Markham's son, he's terminal with it, and he's, like, every day fighting for it, like, advocating for it. So for me, I'm like, it is important. So I'll give you a background story. Don't worry that you're gonna laugh. About two years ago, my wife woke me up in the middle of the night. She's like, the. Did you eat last night? I was like, why? She goes, it sounds like there are two whales battling in your guts. And she was. I was like, what do you mean? I woke up and I heard this noise. It was like. Like, Shamu versus Jaws. And I was like, what is that noise? Kind of ignored it. It was fine. Kept going, kept going and went on for a few weeks. And I'm like, I think I need to go see a doctor, because I wasn't bloated or anything. Just this noise. I was laughing. And so I went to the doctor and they were just like, yeah, you're. You're fine. They took my bloods. They did all the tests. They're like, you're Grant? I said, what about colonoscopy? They're like, dude, you're like, 36 years old. You don't need a colonoscopy. I was like, yeah, but a friend of ours died not too long ago from colon cancer. I was like, it's very prevalent. He's like, I've been in this medical thing for years. I've never done this to, like, unless someone's, like, convinced they've got cancer. I was like, yeah, but everyone's telling me I'm fine and it's not fine. And so I was like, well, I went to the NHS in the uk, which National Health Service, which is free. Like, it's an amazing thing. In the uk. And so I went to a private clinic and I said, hey, I want a colonoscopy. And the guy's like, fuck, is this a fetish or something? I was like, no, no, bear with me. I've got this noise. I said, like, bowel movements are fine, all this stuff's fine, but just something might be up. And he goes, will it put your mind at ease? I said, yeah. And he goes, cool, we can do it now. I said, cool, I'll do it private. He goes, all right, so one or two options. You can go private. You'll pay like 16 to 20k to get it done or whatever it was. You go to the hospital and then I'll be there and we'll do the procedure. Or you can go public. And I don't want to go public. I don't trust it. Because you hear horror stories. And he's like, well, no, no, bear with me. Because it's specialist. You go to public health care, you get record, you get a. Your. Your note that puts you through. I'm the only guy in the hospital that does it, so you're going to do it through me for free. So how about I save you this money? I'm like, oh, that'll be cool. So I get to the hospital, and in the uk, over here in America, they knock you out, but they don't do it really in Europe, because if they put anesthesia on you, the odds of bowel perforation are much greater because you're. You relax and stuff. And they put the camera and it can go through your bowel and people can lose blood or die. You probably, what the fuck is this? On my podcast. Don't worry, it's good. And so there's two options. In the uk, they can either sedate you, so they put, like, the thing in your arm and they inject and you go, I see the colors. I'm on acid. And they shove a camera up your ass. Or you can do nos. Like a nitrous oxide. Yeah, I was training for marathon running, ultra marathon running. I was watching all the stuff and I was running like 20, 30k with my mouth taped, breathing just through my nose, which creates nitrous oxide. That'd be important later. So I was like, okay, so I can either have a needle in me and do it, or I can do the nos. Well, the way it was pitched to me was like, the. The sedation was for, like, the nervous flyer. They're like, it doesn't hurt. It's going to be fine. And yeah, the NOS is what the normal thing is. So I, I, I get in my gown bare assed and I swaddle in onto the table. I was like, hey, what's up? And the, the doctor's there. And he's like, cool. We got. And there was people in the waiting room ready to go. And they're like, how did you get here? I said, I drove. And they're like, you drove after this? Like, what do you mean I drove? You said no one said anything. It's like, yeah, okay. And so he goes to the chart and he's like, wow, I haven't seen this in a while. I said, oh my God. What? And he goes, yeah, it's been a long time since someone's opted for the nos. The nitrous oxide. I was like, fuck, what does that mean? He's like, yeah, everyone, like, they don't like the laughing guys. They makes it very uncomfortable. And it's like, that's like kind of. I was like, wait. The way I was pitched, it was, that wasn't the David Goggins version. That wasn't the hardcore version. He's like, you'll be fine. You'll, you'll see the car, you'll breathe it in. You'll feel, you won't feel a thing. So they start the procedure and I grab the thing. I'm like, breathe it in. And I'm like, it's not working. And he's like, it's fine, just don't take too deep or you're gonna get sick. I'm like, it's not working. And she's like, oh, it's not working. I was like, I'm like, something doesn't feel right. And he's like, to the nurse, he's like, can you just check the things on? So they took the thing off me. They put another mouth and she breathed in. She's like, oh. And then another nurse had to come in and they're like, yeah, it's on. The tanks are on and stuff. And they get past what they were calling at the point of no return because they have to get to your appendix. As they got the camera and you were watching a screen. He's trying to talk to me and he's like, I bet I'm off your Christmas card list. I was like, fuck off. I was like, you got a fucking camera up my ass? And I'm like. And then cold sweats. I start passing out, like repeatedly, like, oh. And, and I'm like, the NOS isn't working. You need to Inject me. He's like, we can't do it because we're too far into the procedure. He goes, are we sure this isn't just oxygen? And I'm like, no, it's not working. And turns out you can become, like, tolerable to nos. I've been training for months with nitric oxide training, so this has no effect on me because all I'm doing is running marathons, breathing through my nose. And so I have a really high tolerance. I was huffing that thing. Nothing worked. The closest thing I can compare it to. Oh, the screams. I was grabbing him. They were trying to restrain me. I was rolling around on the table like a fucking whale. And the closest thing I can do is imagine what, like, prisoner of war people were going through for. It's a pain I cannot explain. It was the worst thing I've ever experienced. And he's trying to make a joke. He's like, there's your appendix. I was like, I'm gonna knock you the fuck out. I'm a short arse, but you're a cunt. Sorry, excuse my French. I'm Irish. I can say it. And so he pulls it out, gets it out, and he's like. He goes, well, the good news is we found nothing. And I was just like, what the. And I told him and he's like, oh, yeah, the training would have done that. But he's. I got a great story now. And I was like, what? He goes, I've never seen this. So they wheel me back into the recovery room. Like six or seven old guys. Like, what was the screaming? And I was like, don't do the nos. And they're like, okay, so you've had a very stressful thing at your time. We're keep you here for a few hours and stuff. If you can call your wife to come get you. I just walked out, got in the car, drove home. I had fucking nightmares for, like, actual, like, Vietnam flashback nightmares for weeks. I was waking up in cold sweats. It was the most terrifying thing, but I got the all clear. The reason why the noise was happening was I was training twice a day, really hard, but only eating without monitoring my calories. I was just fucking hungry.

[Eddie Pinero]

Come on.

[Bo Hawkins]

Yeah, that was all it was anyway. That's how basic it was. But it is important to do it. I'm not here trying to, like, be co inconsor awareness the way to do it, though, because, like, we don't have to do that. Natural healthcare, There's a new thing where you strap a radio Belt. You don't do this at home. You do it to a doctor. You strap a belt to you, and there's this pill that you can take and it takes like thousands of pictures down over like the course of a day, and it sends it to the transmission thing and then you, like, you poop it out. And then hopefully someone else doesn't use the capsule. And anyway, they do that and then they can diagnose better. So if you do need to do a health thing and do that, it's so important because usually with colon cancer, it's like you will never really hear a story of one or two. It's stage three or four.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

And it's always too late. So that was that story.

[Eddie Pinero]

Wow.

[Bo Hawkins]

I have so many good stories.

[Eddie Pinero]

Roller coaster.

[Host]

But what was great about that that you didn't know in the moment that you know now? I mean, because you just told us that you and your wife have a perspective of. There's something.

[Bo Hawkins]

I knew that I have clarity. So if, God forbid, touch wood, it was cancer.

[Host]

No, no. I mean, not having the NOS work and being in extreme pain and having the nightmares. What was great about all that?

[Bo Hawkins]

What was great? I knew I'd have so much fun telling the story.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah. All for the story. And you were in Learning to walk again.

[Bo Hawkins]

I was in the clear.

[Host]

You're in the clear.

[Bo Hawkins]

But the story. But in the moment, even when I was cursing baby Jesus and everyone else, I knew that whatever happened next, I was going to be clear. And so that anxiety just went away. But I was in a very uncomfortable moment. And people are, you're going to tell that story in a podcast. I told my wife. She's like, you're a fucking idiot. I went, I know. So I'm going to tell it.

[Eddie Pinero]

It feels like medical malpractice to me.

[Host]

It does.

[Eddie Pinero]

It.

[Bo Hawkins]

I. It was a weird hospital. He kind of like crayon on the thing saying hospital. The P was backwards. Didn't look like a dog. He's a clown mask.

[Host]

Maybe that's where the free comes from. Right? Like, exactly. We have to cut some costs here. We're going to go heavy oxygen on the NOS tank. And it might work. It might not work.

[Eddie Pinero]

Come with me, kid. I do these on Saturdays.

[Bo Hawkins]

I just cut these stories all day over beers. I just. For me, I think so. Another thing is what I. And you only found this out yesterday, I live in 7 to 9 out of 10 pain all day. I'm in pain now. I'm in fucking agony. My L4, L5 disc, obliterated it's crushing my nerves. I've been putting surgery off, I'm in constant pain. And the closest remedy I've found to make life better. I just want to laugh. And all we do is laugh. We're crying, laughing at what we send each other. When we're talking stories, inappropriate stuff, I think that's for the human connection thing we're talking about like proximity is power and whatnot. When you can laugh with people, it's the cement that builds those relationships. And I don't think there's not been a non joyful laughing moment in the last two days when we've all been hanging out, having dinners and stuff. And that's another criteria when I work with people. If you can't take a joke or get for me because of my upbringing and stuff, I swear I curse a lot. I'm not everyone's cup of tea, I don't give a. But it's the ability to laugh with someone that allows you into it. And so speaking about social media, this is how I'm going to tie it into what I do. You know, when you, I send you a meme or I'll send you a meme or something, I want to either one, make you feel better because I made you laugh, or two, I want to be responsible for being the person that made your life better because you learned something. So I'll share something. That's why when you're creating any form of content, the metric isn't views, isn't anything. It's like, is this sticky? Will someone's life be better from sharing this or are they going to laugh and whatnot? And it kind of unlocked like the Matrix for me when I realized that I communicate through memes. So I send everyone things to make them laugh and all we do is laugh and it's made us closer. And so if it's media that's doing that, that is the condition for us to grow. And when you. And then it comes into a life of service, I want to make other people's lives better. So for you, creating content and it's working with your team going, what can we send out into the world that's going to be sticky enough for someone to want to share it because it's going to make them look like the dog's bollocks or two, it's gonna make someone's day. Like I was thinking about you and that's, that's the how you actually grow. And then people just start sharing. You get that Brady Bunch effect. It's like, can they tell two people? And they tell two people. And how many people share your stuff? A lot. Yeah. Every day you repost stuff and. And they feel touched that you shared it. And then their relationship now with you is you do the most basic human thing, which is if I'm an Eddie Pinero fan and I don't know you and I posted me working out or something, but I'm like tagged you in it and you share me. You make me feel seen. The next time you say jump, I just say, how high?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bo Hawkins]

I don't say I'm not gonna jump. So I don't want to hijack this conversation.

[Eddie Pinero]

Have you guys read Building a story Brand by Donald Miller? You know, the yo. The Star wars metaphor? That's like one of my favorites on that. I mean, it's a real simple idea. Talks about shareability and think about your audience. It's like we make the mistake. And I made this plenty, especially starting out about me. How do I. How do I put myself in the best light? And you know, he says people think they're Luke Skywalker in the star of the show, but they're not. They're Yoda. And you are taking your audience is Luke. You're taking Luke by the hand and you're saying, you know, how can I help you do what's best? How can I help you solve your problems, live your best life? And that mindset totally flips.

[Bo Hawkins]

You know, it's interesting. I've been like sitting here I don't know how long we're going to speak for. As we're talking, my brain's going, okay, show that to the world in this interview. That'll do. That'll attract this person.

[Host]

The colonoscopy or no, but not.

[Bo Hawkins]

What are you talking about?

[Host]

Just want to make sure the team doesn't capture.

[Bo Hawkins]

Okay, so the camera went in like a formula one car. No, I've been thinking. Okay, so there's a.

[Eddie Pinero]

Was a camera.

[Bo Hawkins]

So the thing that you probably noticed about Eddie, Eddie season did this. He speaks in sound bites. Sahil Bloom did it beautifully. They speak in sound bites. It makes an editor's job so easy. Yeah, when you've got someone, but when you got someone who's umming and arring. But as we're talking, I'm listening to. My thing is like, there was a guy. By the way, like, I have theess in me is hilarious. Where Eddie was on a show recently. I think I shared this with you or spoke to your team about it. Eddie was on a show he was a guest.

[Host]

I watched the episode last night. It was horrible.

[Bo Hawkins]

So he's. And I don't care if you're watching this, because I wrote the comment to you. So he's a guest on a show.

[Host]

Oh, dude.

[Bo Hawkins]

It was horrible. And the clip was about the host, how great he is and stuff. And the only thing of Eddie, and then having the audacity, like, share my clip, was Eddie going, yeah, mowing the lawn's cool. And then it just went on, and the guy's talking about himself and himself and himself. And you just share again. Doormat syndrome. You're a good guy. And you're like, I want to help him, even though he made me look like an absolute dick and it serves nothing. I'm going to use my most prized possession, your platform, Collaborate. And it appears in everyone's feeds because you're a nice guy. And then he goes. I said to him, I was like, you do realize what he's done? You're like, yeah, because my thing is for. For, like, the. By the way, if you run a podcast, this is how you do it. Guest is God. You make them feel, and you make everyone who comes to this ranch feel like, we felt so loved here. And then if you take that to the digital world and create an asset that makes that person look amazing. And the way I know this is I booked Tony Robbins for someone years ago, and their team is like Fort Knox around him. And they're like, tony does not share clips. Tony does not do this. Tony does not do that. I'm like, the fuck does he do? Everyone's gonna have the same conversation with Tony Robbins. The whole, it's boring. I love Tony, but it changed my life. And so, for me, I think you got a bit of this in you as well. It's like, how do I get him to share a clip I can sneak into his bedroom? I was like, guest is God. If I can get something out of him. It wasn't my interview, by the way. It was this client, get the clip that he said, something no one's ever heard, and it makes him look amazing and the value that it will add to his community. And so I remember I knew his email address, and so I emailed the team, but I cc'd him in it. I was like, this. I'm doing it. And he must have seen the clip because they shared that clip eventually. And it just shows that if you make someone. If you value someone, respect them and do it right. It gets done. You. You, shareability goes out. People respect you. And then like you said, you're this. Some of the conversations people have about you in rooms you're not in. Like, the reason this podcast is going to be great is because how you treat people, they don't just leave here and go home. Like, hey, you're in a room with someone. Like, when I spoke to Eddie about this, hey, do you want to be on the show? And I told them about your hands down, yes. Why? Because your reputation is doing that. So if you make the guests look amazing, that's how you'll grow the podcast.

[Host]

And it's not just a podcast. It's all walks of life. If you make others look and feel amazing, you're. Your life is just going to explode.

[Bo Hawkins]

Yeah.

[Host]

Because people are going to want to support you and help you whenever you need help, because you've done that endlessly for them.

[Eddie Pinero]

And the things that make you different too, I mean, this is. I mean, I've been on hundreds of podcasts. I've never experienced this, you know, and it's just so you, like, you were so excited. Like, I keep going back to it because it's not a small thing, you know, you know, how many people are like, what's. Like, I don't know what to do with my life. What's my purpose? I mean, for someone in a personal development niche, like, that's the big question. And you're like a kid in a candy store with some of this stuff. And it's so refreshing and so awesome because. Yeah, it's just not, it's not something that falls into your lap.

[Host]

No. And I mean, the whole ethos of this. What created was like, just wanted to get my in laws to be around the grandkids more like. And so like, the goal behind it was again, to serve. Like, I wanted to serve my kids and I wanted to serve my grandparents or my, my, their grandparents. I wanted them to be around each other. And then, you know, it just has morphed and evolved and grown. And now we have this, this joke with my parents. My parents live here locally, and so every time the kids go to hang out with them, they like, come home with a new toy. And my mom is just like, sick at all the new animals we get. Like every week it's like, oh, got the puppy off of Craigslist. Oh, got a pig on Craigslist. More chickens, chicks coming. And so my new threat to them is every time you get the kids a toy, I get a new animal. You want to stop the animals, you stop the toys. It's pretty Easy. But it's. It's just really been a fun way to. To learn and grow myself. I've met some really cool people with some crazy stories. I've met some absolute scumbag people and saved a puppy's life. Like, we've done some really cool stuff.

[Eddie Pinero]

What if your parents call your bluff and just triple down on the toys?

[Host]

2. Is giraffes on order then?

[Eddie Pinero]

Okay.

[Host]

Giraffe and kangaroo. We actually had. Kangaroo was never on the list, but we had a nanny who worked with us for a short amount of time, and she was like, I'm going to see my boyfriend in Dallas. Oh, that's cool. What does he do? She's like, he breeds kangaroos. I'm like, what? She said, yeah, he breeds kangaroos. I'm like, can you buy kangaroos? She's like, yeah, yeah, you can have kangaroos. I'm like, add it to the list. Possible kangaroo. And my dad's like, absolutely not. Those are assholes. They're gonna punch me. I'm not getting kangaroos. I'm like, okay, so there'll be kangaroo dry.

[Bo Hawkins]

Okay, that would be it.

[Eddie Pinero]

That's leverage right there.

[Host]

So people listening to this, like, holy shit, I want to connect with Bo. Holy shit, I want to connect with Eddie. I want to consume their content. I want to learn more about them. Where can they find you guys?

[Bo Hawkins]

Can't find me.

[Host]

I know you can't.

[Eddie Pinero]

I can't even share stories that I tag you in.

[Host]

No, you can't tag him. Yeah, I try to compliment him and tag him on allowed.

[Bo Hawkins]

There's a reason why for me. So the COVID kindness thing and brand building and YouTube and stuff, if I'm trying to build my own thing within that world, it is covert kindness. So I'm using you as a crutch to broadcast that I'm building. You got my Instagram. It doesn't exist. I don't. And I'm gen. And I. Part of me was like, sadistic, like, can I build an entire business where I never spend an ad dollar and I only use who I am as a person? Because if you're an asshole. No, I'm an asshole in a nice way. If you're a fraud, you don't go very far. Right. People find out very quickly. But if you're the real deal, it happens that you just grow and grow and grow. I've been doing this four or five years now. This specific agency never spent an ad dollar, never needed a social post, never need to convince people who I am. And the Great line that. I can't remember who said it to me. I want to say it was Steve Sims, but I remember I was in London, but it was. He's like, you're like, John Wick. I was like, what the fuck does that mean? He's like, you're the John Wick of Brandon. Is like, most people don't know you exist. The ones that do know you exist hire you for a very specific job to get it done and God help anyone against you. And I'm like, I'll take it. Keanu's a bit better looking, but for me it's more like you've introduced me to some amazing people and there's no kind of work life separation. I just love meeting people.

[Host]

But you have a cool new newsletter you started putting out that actually is helping and serving people. Just tips, pointers, tricks.

[Bo Hawkins]

So I started a newsletter and the only reason I started it is similar to you. It's like everyone just wants me for. And they're nice and they're like, hey, what do you think about this AI thing? Or can I like, get your idea of thumbnail? And I look, it's very easy to get me out. Hey, do you want to go for coffee and some barbecue? I'm like, let's go. Like your friend Drew, he's like, hey, I'm in a. He thought I was in. Lived in Ireland. He's like, hey, do you want to. I'm in Dublin. I've flown over from America. You want to hang out? I'm like, well, I live in a different country, but. But if there's Guinness, yeah. And I flew over and we had a great time. But for me, it's about how can I serve more people without, like, I didn't build the newsletter to be like, I'm going to sell something and stuff. I knew this course is on that I was like, well, if I can. If one person can read that and their life is 1% better, yeah, I've won. And it's really cool that I do coach a lot of people in their newsletter marketing and stuff. But my shitty little newsletter, which is very. Just as I speak about it, talking about Henry Cavill and stuff, is I get so many replies from people being like, dude, that was fire. What do you think about this? Or can you talk about this next week? And I just do it because that's what they want. Yeah, the open rate's exceptional and people just keep signing up. I have no one on my Instagram. The only thing on my Instagram is my link for my newsletter, and I'm getting like 1500 people a week coming through the thing, and I'm like, where are they finding this? So, yeah, if you want my newsletter, it's just bohawkins.com and just read it and that's it.

[Host]

How about you?

[Eddie Pinero]

Mine's gonna be a lot simpler. YouTube or the podcast. That's where I'm totally focused on telling the best stories and putting things out that I believe will make a big impact. So find me there. Eddie Panero.

[Host]

Cool.

[Bo Hawkins]

Or your world within. There you go.

[Eddie Pinero]

Thanks, brother.

[Host]

Gotta be a salesman. Gotta be a salesman.

[Eddie Pinero]

That's right.

[Bo Hawkins]

That's right.

[Host]

I appreciate you all making the time to come out here. It's been a. It's been a pleasure.

[Eddie Pinero]

This was.

[Bo Hawkins]

You're a legend.

[Eddie Pinero]

Yeah.

[Host]

Thanks, man.

[Bo Hawkins]

Thank you.

[Host]

Appreciate y'. All.