“I’M ESCAPING THE SYSTEM”

Summary

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Therapy Gecko – “I’M ESCAPING THE SYSTEM”

Podcast: Therapy Gecko
Host: Lyle (Therapy Gecko)
Guest: Braze (DJ/Hustler)
Date: December 7, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Therapy Gecko takes a call from Braze, a multi-talented 25-year-old who’s leveraging a work leave of absence to experiment with alternative hustles—from day trading and 3D printing to DJing in Texas nightclubs. The conversation unfolds as an honest exploration of unconventional ambition, financial survival, family complications, loneliness, risk-taking, and the longing for community. Braze shares his story of “escaping the system,” revealing both his innovative drive and the hardships he faces, while Lyle listens, challenges, and relates, infusing signature humor and warmth.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. “Escaping the System”: Paid Leave & Side Hustles

[03:18 – 13:20]

• Paid Leave from Bank Job:

  • Braze explains using a work mental health policy—leave of absence supported by a therapist’s note—to step away from a stressful banking job, while still getting paid.
  • “I’ve been off for the last like two months. I’m supposed to go back end of this month, but I’m trying to see if I can get it extended to longer.” [03:44]
  • Lyle muses on the motives of corporations, questions the bank’s generosity, and suggests using the paid time to build a more fulfilling life.

• New Ventures & Hustles:

  • Day Trading (Forex Challenge):
    • Braze is learning to day trade and is participating in a simulation-to-real-money challenge with a prop trading company.
    • He describes the challenge and the gambling aspect:
    • “You pay this company $500, and then they give you $100,000 of fake money. And if you can turn that into $110,000, they’ll give you $100,000 of real money.” [08:41]
    • Admits it’s “calculated gambling.”
    • “I always tell people who are interested: it’s always a 50/50 chance... it’s kind of that simple.” [09:52]
    • Lyle draws parallels to casino gambling:
    • “What is the difference between this and just going to the casino with fake money to get real money?” [10:33]
  • 3D Printing & Trade Shows:
    • Braze sells 3D-printed novelties and accessories at local trade shows.
    • “I’ve been 3D printing... Santa hats, earrings, wallets... cheesy little stuff people will buy as gifts.” [14:58]
  • DJ Gigs (Club and Celebrity Events):
    • Regular DJ at local venues, with a background in celebrity gigs (Jamie Foxx, 50 Cent, Netflix).
    • “I’ve done a whole bunch of different events for celebrities like Jamie Foxx and shit like that...” [13:20]

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2. Work, Identity, and Discontent

[15:38 – 17:49]

• Bank Job Anxieties:
  • Braze recounts why banking made him anxious and “like a loser,” observing older coworkers stagnating.
  • “The people I work with, they’ve been with the company for 30–40 years… I know I’m meant to do more than this.” [15:42]
  • Lyle affirms using loopholes to escape soul-crushing jobs:
    • “If you can get a bank to pay you for three months of not working, you should totally do that.” [16:59]
  • On calculated risk:
    • “You’ve mitigated your risk and increased your upside. I respect that…” [18:11]

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3. Personal Circumstances: Housing Insecurity & Family Betrayal

[19:31 – 24:16]

• Housing Instability:
  • Braze is technically homeless—the result of poor credit due to his mother’s financial misuse.
  • “My credit is shot thanks to my mom… I got a car repo’d in my name for her, and I got like $40,000 in due rent for this place that she kind of screwed me on too…” [21:32]
• Mother’s Influence and Social Media Obsession:
  • His mother prioritized her own image and business over his financial well-being.
  • “She’s just trying to be like an influencer… she’ll go TikTok Live and go to Pilates…” [22:28]
  • The fallout: strained relationship and financial hurdles.

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4. Community, Loneliness & the Search for Connection

[24:16 – 34:17]

• Isolation in Texas:
  • No close friends or family nearby; socializing mainly restricted to professional contexts (DJ gigs, acquaintances at the Makerspace).
  • “It’s just me and my pets against the world, man… I don’t really have anybody I can just call or just shoot the sht with…”* [25:39]
• The Importance of a “Third Space”:
  • Lyle reflects on the crucial role of regular communal spaces outside work/home.
    • “The times where I didn’t have something like that, they just were cold, you know? You need somewhere to be, where there’s other people around…” [29:44]
• Makerspace as Creative Outlet & Nascent Community:
  • Braze is teaching DJ classes at the Makerspace, using it for income and light social contact.
  • Lyle and Braze discuss the value in even just being surrounded by acquaintances:
    • “I almost think it’s better to have a lot of acquaintances… it makes you feel like you exist.” [32:35]
  • Braze: “It feels good when I’m there… being around other people who are creative.” [33:51]

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5. Philosophy on Hustling & Gaming the System

[34:17 – 36:23]

• Strategic Use of the System:
  • The two agree on exploiting opportunities companies make available to maximize life outside traditional employment.
  • “The company offers it… if they approve it, it’s kind of out of their hands.” [34:39]
  • Lyle: “You get one life… You should do what you want. Figure out some way to do it that requires the least amount of your energy.” [34:57]

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6. AI and Modern Hustling

[36:23 – 41:17]

• Braze uses AI for networking and gig outreach:
  • Automates finding venues, customizing email pitches, etc.
  • Lyle gives practical advice about personalizing outreach.
    • “If you’re gonna use AI to mass make your emails, change at least one part of it to make it be like, hey, this is for you.” [36:59]

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7. Creativity, Social Media, and Validation

[41:17 – 42:53]

• Braze is not naturally a “social media guy” but recognizes its importance for artists and DJ hustlers.
  • Lyle: “You can’t really be like, ‘I’m not a social media guy’ anymore… if you want people to see your work and make money, social media is the way.” [39:01]
• The value of real-world connection trumps views:
  • “You can get 10 human beings in real life to perceive your work… that feels more real than getting 20,000 Internet views.” [41:56]
  • Braze: “I get paid either way… but obviously I prefer to spin for people…” [42:37]

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8. Wild Hustle Stories & Reflections on Life

[44:54 – 53:36]

• Gigs at Strip Clubs, Netflix Parties, Jamie Foxx’s House:

  • “DJ’d for Netflix at an opening party, for Jamie Foxx at his house, for 50 Cent…” [45:39]

• Craziest Gig: TGI Fridays Abandoned Party Raid:

  • Abandoned TGI Fridays party in LA gets shut down by SWAT and police helicopters.
  • “We broke into this TGI Friday’s that was abandoned… the SWAT team showed up, police helicopters… I just got my mixer and I dipped.” [46:48]

• Sugar Mama Stories & Brush with the Adult Industry:

  • Multiple relationships with older, generous women—including a porn star he met through a physical therapist after a car accident.
  • “She wanted to pay me for some sugar… she ended up offering to pay me like 20 grand to put a baby in her… it just got kind of weird.” [53:08]
  • Brief participation in adult videos, found the experience awkward:
    • “It’s hard to stay bricked up with eight people in the room and a guy with a camera over your shoulder…” [51:26]

• Braze prefers the unpredictable hustle (“side quests”) over conventional paths.

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9. Lyle’s Meta-Reflection on Callers and Truthfulness

[63:50 – 66:58]

• Lyle addresses skepticism in his Twitch chat about Braze’s story, asserting that the wildest stories are often true if you’re open to experience.
  • “If you’re a person who puts yourself out there and says yes… life is really, like, weird and crazy.” [65:08]

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10. Closing Reflections: Perseverance & Redefining Success

[57:06 – 61:35]

• Braze and Lyle reflect on the meaning of self-created work and the inevitability that every hustle eventually takes on its own obligations.
• “Everything you create for yourself becomes its own… obligation. And if you’re always trying to escape, you’ll escape one thing by creating something else and then try to escape that. That’s how life evolves.” –Lyle [58:00]
• On continuing to “hack at it”:
  • “I genuinely do believe… it is a bit of a matter of just like… continuing to hack at it… if you just keep hacking at things.” [57:13]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On creative hustling:
  “I’m just running a whole bunch of side quests, honestly, man... DJing, 3D printing, day trading, whatever I can to not go back.” —Braze [13:20]

• On risk and hustling:
  “I’m young right now, I’m in a very unique position to where I can take risks like this. So I’m trying to take all the risks I can… to not have to go back to work.” —Braze [19:17]

• On community:
  “Community is really important... the times in my life where I had something like that, I can distinctly divide in my life—the times where I didn’t just were cold, you know?” —Lyle [29:44]

• On using the system:
  “If the company offers it and they approve it, it’s kind of out of their hands. You get one life… If you can tell the bank you’re anxious and make the downside of taking your swings lower, you should totally do that.” —Lyle [34:39, 18:11]

• On self-employment obligations:
  “Everything you create for yourself becomes its own... obligation. You escape something by creating something else, and then you try to escape that…” —Lyle [57:48]

• Funny closing:
  “Just fucking Catalina, wine mixer boats and hose swag.” —Braze [63:35]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:18] – Braze introduces his paid leave and side hustles.
• [08:41] – Explanation of the “FOMC Challenge” in Forex trading.
• [12:07] – Comparing anxiety in banking vs. day trading.
• [15:42] – Braze on workplace anxiety and feeling stuck.
• [21:32] – Detailing how his mother’s actions ruined his credit.
• [25:39] – Discussing loneliness and lack of support network.
• [29:44] – Lyle on the importance of community “third spaces.”
• [34:39] – Hacking the system and the logic of exploiting corporate loopholes.
• [41:56] – Debating the merits of real-life versus online audience engagement.
• [46:48] – Braze recounts his wildest gig (abandoned TGI Fridays).
• [51:26] – Describes the awkwardness of shooting adult videos.
• [58:00] – Lyle on perpetual restlessness in ambition.
• [63:35] – Braze’s sign-off: “Catalina wine mixer boats and hose swag.”

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Tone

The episode balances honest, sometimes vulnerable discussion with playful humor and existential reflection. Braze and Lyle speak candidly, often with self-deprecating wit but also moments of inspiration and encouragement. Lyle’s easy, conversational coaching draws out Braze’s story with compassion and authenticity.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode of Therapy Gecko is an in-depth odyssey into modern-day hustling, risk, and reinvention. Braze’s story—by turns wild, funny, and poignant—shows a deeply human response to institutional dissatisfaction and social isolation: create, connect, and keep moving forward. Lyle champions the courage to seek unconventional paths while grounding the conversation with reminders about community, self-acceptance, and the realities of escape.

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Find Braze online:
Instagram/TikTok: @brazjhannn
(“B-R-A-Z-J-H-A-N-N-N”)

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Memorable moment:

“At the end of the day, I'm just trying to beat this economy, man… use this time to my advantage… running a whole bunch of side quests.” —Braze [13:20]

“You get one life. You should do what you want… Figure out some way to do it that requires the least amount of your energy.” —Lyle [34:57]

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Transcript

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Hey folks, if any of you guys are creators on TikTok, you're gonna wanna know about this. TikTok is putting on a celebration spotlighting creators from all over the world called Live Fest 2025. I know a lot of people who listen to the show are creators of some kind. And whatever it is you guys do on TikTok, doing it with TikTok Live is a great way to engage with your community and grow your audience. So check out LiveFest2025 on TikTok to find out how you can be a part of this global celebration. Let's elevate Live together. Hey folks, I am very excited to finally have a therapy sponsor for this podcast that takes insurance. Rula is a healthcare company that makes getting therapy from a licensed professional easy and affordable. They accept most major insurance plans and the average copay per session is only 15. Head on over to rula.com gecko that's R-U-L-A.com gecko to get started today. After you sign up, they will ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and let them know that therapy Gecko sent you. Go to R U L a dot com GECKO and take the first step toward better mental health.

[Sophie Cunningham]

And today, this is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or osa, in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at. Don't sleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly A Medicine company.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Hello?

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Hey, what's up, man? What's your name?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Oh, shit. No fucking way, dude. My name is B.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

B, what's going on? B?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

How's life, man? Life, bro. Hold on. Sorry, I'm geeking. I didn't. Dude, I've been listening to you for years. I never thought I would have seen your name pop up on my phone, bro. What the fuck? Yeah, this is crazy. This is crazy.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Well, B, we're here.

It's December. Whatever, the year, who cares? And we're both alive at this very moment. And we're connected now via.

A system of Internet. Yeah, via a thing that is so deeply beyond our comprehension as to how it works, that it would take us a lifetime. Maybe not a lifetime, but it would take us more time than either of us care to invest. To really understand the technology behind how you and I are connected now. But it doesn't matter who care. We don't have to think about that stuff. All we have to do is.

Be in this moment with each other. So let's do that.

What's going on with you, baby? What? Tell me about your life.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, there's a lot going on right now, dude. Honestly. But.

I mean, yeah, there's a lot going on. I mean I dj, I'm just, I'm hustling on the side. I got three months paid off of my work as well, so that's, that's been just been going great.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

You got three months paid off of your work?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Hell yeah, dude.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Are you a teacher?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

No. No. So I work at the bank and I found out about this program that my company offers. One of my co workers told me about it. Like everyone in the company is taking it almost. But you can file like. It's called a leave of absence. I've been going to therapy actually thanks to your show for a while and they told me that since I do go to therapy I can just have my therapist sign up on some papers that saying that like I'm too anxious and I can't work and everything. So yeah, files. At least I've been getting paid. Yeah. Yep. I've been off. I've been off for the last like two months. I'm supposed to go back end of this month, but I'm trying to see if I can get it extended to longer.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So you can get a note from a therapist that tells you that you're too anxious to work and then that your job has to pay you for three months, correct?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

At least three months, yeah. They pay you 100% of your of your rate for three months and then after that you can get it extended, but it's only going to be at like 80 or something like that.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

What is that? Is this like a. Whose program is this? This can't be the bank's program. Is this like a government program?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

No, no, it's through the bank. But the bank companies partners with the third party.

Company that does it and they're the ones who approve it or don't approve it. But my therapist pretty much just gave me the papers and was like, here, just fucking. Just tell me what you want to say, I'll sign off on it.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Wait, what's the incentive of the company to do that.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Literally nothing, I guess, just to provide like a. Like a.

I don't know, honestly, just to provide time off for their employees who genuinely do, like, feel too anxious and shit. Because it is stressful working in the bank. You think we just like, kind of punch numbers and give people cash and take cash from people and stuff like that, but it's so much deeper than that. There's so many different rules and regulations and we go do audits and shit like that. It actually is.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah, no, I'm sure it is. I guess my one. My thing is I'm just like.

It's a nice thing to do, but I don't know if banks are in the business of kindness. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, what is the. There's got to be something behind it of, like, why they're doing. I'm just curious, you know, what's the third. What's the third party that they're getting with?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I don't want to say the name of the company and blow my spot up because I'm not even supposed to be, you know, supposed to be. I'm supposed to be in my little hidey hole in my room, away from the world, trying to. Trying to.

Trying to get better and not be so angry.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

All right, well, whatever. We don't have to talk about capitalism. We can talk about you.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah.

It'S been going great during this time off. I just been hustling, man. I'm. I'm learning how to day trade. I'm 3D printing and I'm reselling it. Actually had a trade show here in about, like, two hours. I gotta head over there to go resell some 3D printed. And I DJ too, as well. I just been. I just been kind of moving and grooving, man, using this time to my advantage.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

You're learning how to day trade?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah, Yep.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Like crypto.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I'm doing, like, foreign exchange.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So, like.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Okay, so you ever. You ever look at, like, the rate of, like, US Dollars to, like, Euros, like that exchange rate?

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

No, I know, I know, I know. Forex. So you're like. You're like watching the chart of, like, how many. How many, like, Zimbabwe dollars are going up and down and then trade them for. Okay, do now.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Because you can make money on that. On that value that changes all the time. You can make money on that.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Have you. How much money have you lost doing this?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, trading overall or just in Forex? Because in trading, I mean, I've done. I've gone Anywhere from, like, doing stock to crypto to commodities like silver and gold. And I've traded for a while, but with. With Forex, I just started not too long ago, but I haven't. I haven't lost any real money in Forex yet. I'm, like, trading. I'm trading with a simulated account. I'm doing a challenge. They gave me an account with like, 100 grand, and I have to make 10 grand on it in, like, 60 days. And then I get to keep 80% of the profit that I make on the account.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay, slow down. Who first? Who's they? And then is this real money?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

It's not real money in the account yet. And they. It's called fo. It's called. It's called a FOMC. So they. They, like, you pay 500 bucks and they give you an account with. With like, 100 grand in it of simulated money. And if you pass this challenge of making 10 grand in the account, then after that they give you, like, a real account with real money. And then any money that you make in that account, then you get to keep 80% of it.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

You pay this company $500, and then they give you a SIM. They give you $100,000 of fake money. And if you can turn that $100,000 of fake money into $110,000 of fake money, then they will give you $100,000 of real money that you can turn into real money.

That you can turn into real money, and then give them a percentage of the real money.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Correct? Yes, sir. That is right.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

That's fascinating.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Yeah, it's dope as hell. It's called the FOMC Challenge.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Now.

So basically, they give you this money to be. They give you this fake money to be like, all right, are you. Are you good at trading? And then.

Then they're like, okay, here's some money to trade with. But then. But then. Okay, but here's the thing, right? Isn't a lot. Okay, Forex, right? And a lot of this trading stuff isn't a lot of it, like luck, you know? So couldn't you, theoretically, with your fake money, get lucky and then when they give you the real money, just lose it all?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean. Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, I always tell people who are interested in it, it's always a 50, 50 chance either it going your way or not. Because what you're really doing is just betting on. On. On. On your currency or whatever you're trading going up or down at the end of the Day. That's what it is. So you always have a 50, 50 chance, but it always depends on like how many confirmations or how many things you can stack in your favor to give yourself a better chance, whether it be like an 80, 20 chance. You know what I'm saying? It's, it's, it's, it's, it's kind of that simple. Honestly, it's simple. It seems complex just because people see red and green candlesticks and there's charts and all over the screen, but it's actually very simple.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

No, but what I'm asking you. But what I'm asking you is, is it, what's the difference between this and like, what is the difference between this and If I was like, all right, here's a thousand fake dollars to go to the casino with, and if you can make that into a hundred and ten thousand dollars, I'll give you real money to go to the casino with.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, I, I mean, I guess in that logic it's kind of the same thing. Pretty much the same.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay, all right.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

So I just.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So it is.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So it is still kind of gambling.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah, I'd say, I'd say just more calculated gambling. Just because again, I'm looking at different type of what we call indicators to kind of stack the odds in my favor versus, like the house pretty much always wins. You know, with gambling, the house is pretty much going to win a majority of the time. But I mean, there's people who make who, who are like 80% accurate and they're making the killing. But I don't, I don't think you're ever going to be 80% accurate at the casino unless you're counting cards or some truck.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay, so you're tra. And are you. I guess, I guess. Are you lifetime up in trading?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I'd say I'm pretty break even. I'm not like a professional. I don't do it for a living. I mean, but I'm just, I'm just doing on the side, just trying to make some money trying to beat this economy, man. I'm trying to stack up as many things as I can to help me out. And thankfully I met a guy who, who, who has made it, has, who does do that for a living. And he believes in me enough to be able to like, fund me. And I'm saying he bought that account for me and everything, so he's been kind of mentoring me.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

This ironically sounds more anxiety inducing than working at a bank.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, it's, it's A different type of anxiety, I guess you could say. I mean, because having to deal with people and dealing with their problems and you know, people, people hold their money to a certain standard and when shit is like not right in their account, they freak out and they flip out in front of everybody in the bank. That, that can be, yeah, that can be a lot too because I've had like six year old women come in and be like, I had $100,000 in this bank. What the you got? They're charging me a three dollar fee. I'm like, bro, it's, I can't help that. I don't make commission off of this. I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't get joy in telling you that you got to pay US$5 a month to keep this going.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

You're like that guy from south park who's like, okay, we'll take your $100,000 and put it into a money market mutual fund. And it's gone.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

And it's gone. Yeah.

Kinda. Yeah, that's what banking is pretty much.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay, so you're trading. Okay, so you, this is, I'm so fascinated by your situation. So that your bank. So you got a note from a therapist that tells your bank that they have to give you three months paid leave off and you're using it to trade commodities. That's the first thing. And then what are the other things?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I'm just running a whole bunch of side quests, honestly, man. But I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I've been 3D printing like a whole bunch of cheesy hollow holiday stuff. So like Santa hats and earrings and stuff like that. So I'm just 3D printing items to resell at a trade show. And then I'm DJing too as well. On the side. Well, I've been DJing for like 10 plus years. I've done a whole bunch of different events for celebrities like Jamie Foxx and shit like that, but I just, I've been, I've been, I moved states from California to Texas, so I just been kind of trying to grow my name out here and it's been working. So yeah, just, just, there's 3D printing stuff and then DJing.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

What? So you said you used to DJ for celebrities. How did you get involved in doing that?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Just living in la. Honestly man, just, just word to mouth. I mean, I hate to toot my own, but I'm pretty good at what I do, DJing. So a lot of people just. They'll come up to me and be like, oh, hey, I got this gig. Do you want to spin for this and this and that? I'm like, yeah, of course I'll do it. And then usually from there, again, it's like a domino effect. Like, I'll do one gig and then I'll get another gig from that gig. Or like someone that followed me on Instagram from the gig or something. It's kind of just. It kind of just snowballs from there.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay, so what have been your recent DJ gigs.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Last night? I've been. I've been. I've been a regular at this place out in Fort Worth. I spin there every Friday night. And then from there I met the owner of, like, one of their. One of their other companies that the guy owns. So he wants me to start spinning there on Saturdays. But tonight I gotta go DJ there after I finish selling this 3D printed stuff at the show.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

What are you 3D printing?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Just a whole bunch of holiday stuff. So I got like, like reindeer headbands. I got like, snowflake earrings. I got like, Christmas tree earrings. I got.

I printed out like a little like, six, seven. It's literally just like a pair of numbers. It says 67 and a half. Like, can. And like, you can kind of flexible with the leg, so it's like a little like. Like a little action figure, I guess you could say. I print out, like, little mini Christmas trees and stuff like that. Just cheesy little stuff that. That people will want to buy for their kids or for as gifts. I printed out, like, wallets too, as well. Like little card holder wallets.

Yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So what are you. What are you anxious about?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

It was honestly just my job, man. It's just. I don't know, while I'm there, I feel like. I mean, for a lack of better words, I just felt like a loser, dude. I don't know. Just like the people that I work with, they've been with the company for 30 years. 30, 40 years in the same position. And I'm like, dude, I. I know I'm meant to do so much more than this. Like, I don't want to be stuck, you know, I'm saying, waiting for. Waiting for. For wire confirmations, and I just DJ for Jamie Foxx last year. Like, you know what I'm saying? I feel like such a loser there. So it's just while I'm there. And then again, the customers that you got to deal with are kind of unbearable. Like, people come in pissed off and the systems are down. Or like a lot of. A lot of. A lot of old people still come in the bank. So a lot of them are just senile and, and wondering where this came from or wondering where their money goes or like, like one of my last days, I remember while I was there, I had to stop this guy from sending out a hundred thousand dollars to PayPal. I was like, why the hell are you sending PayPal a hundred thousand dollars? And he was like, oh, they overcharged me for something from McAfee, so I'm sending the money back. I'm like, bro, what? So he told me the whole story and he ended up almost getting scammed because some guys, they took over his computer and a whole bunch of stuff. So I ended up stopping, that there was some fraud going on. And it's just. It's just a lot, man. It's a lot. I think in the center, it's a lot.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Listen, by the way, I just wanna. Just so you know, I'm so with you if. I'm so. I'm so with you because if. Because for real, like, if you can get a bank to pay you for three months of not working, you should totally do that. You should. You should totally do that. And then you should totally.

Spend those three months trying to figure out how to make enough money that you don't have to go back to work at the bank. I'm very. I think you. I'm. I'm totally with you. I don't. I think. I don't. I think this, everything you're doing weirdly makes a lot of sense to me because I think what's everyone. Because we. Everyone knows. Everyone knows that.

That and it. You gotta be careful with it, I think. But like, everyone knows that people are out there making all sorts of crazy money doing whatever the fuck, Forex, crypto, whatever the fucking bullshit, whatever thing is. I mean, you gotta be careful that you're not.

What is it? You're not like, gambling away all of your savings and money. But, yeah, but you're smart because you're like, I'm going to get some fucking. I'm going to do this simulated money, whatever the fuck thing, so long as you're not risking a lot. Like. Like, you seem like you've mitigated your risk and increased your upside. So I respect that. I respect that. Because you got to know, that's the thing, right? Is if you want to not be like that guy who's been working at the bank for 30 years, you got to make some swings. I Respect it. And if you can. If you can get the. If you can tell the bank that you're anxious and make. And make the downside of taking your swings lower, you should totally do that shit.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Oh, exactly.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

I respect.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Sometime I'm trying to reduce my nut and increase my. My income, so.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah, well, it's hard out there, right, because you need money to do everything that there is. And then.

You know, I don't know. You're putting. Yeah. Like, you're taking swings. I like it.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Yeah. Dude, I'm trying. You got to. I'm. I'm young right now. I'm in. I'm in a very unique position to where I can take risks like this. So I'm trying to take all the risks that I can. You know, I'm saying to be able to. Again, like you said, just not have to go back to work if I don't want to.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

You told me you said that you're homeless. You said that in a text.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, so. So technically, I was supposed to move out of my place, like, last week or two weeks. Yeah, like, last week. And my credit is shot thanks to my mom, so I can't really get approved for anywhere else. So they. They. Technically, I think they were supposed to kick me out last week, but I've been talking to them to see if I can just resign at my place now because they wouldn't have to do a credit check, and I can just. I can just move unit, but they haven't got back to me, so I'm kind of just like. I'm kind of just waiting on them to kick me out or, like, if they're gonna talk to the office people about, like, letting me stay longer or something. So, I mean, I. I don't really know. I don't really know what's going on with it. I'm kind of just waiting.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

How did your mom up your credit?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

That's a whole nother story too, man. She's. She's done a lot. So when. Back in, like, what, like, during. During, like, covet time a few years ago, she was, like, pretty suicidal and like that. And then on top of that, she had just had her card, like, repoed. And she. My mom is very, like. She's not a typical mom. Like, she doesn't sew and knit and make hot chocolate and bake and like that. Like, she's kind of like a young mom. She's had me young. So she's more or less worried about, like, her. Her image on social media and to her Friends and shit. So she. She needed a car right away and wanted to get another car, but she couldn't, obviously, because she. Her credit was shot. She just got a repo. So she had me put a car for her under my name, which I was already kind of skeptical about. But she. I was like, I mean, it's my mom. You know what I'm saying? I gotta help her out with all the stuff that she's gone through and she's been through for me. So I signed my name for a car for her, and it went well for a while, but then I started getting calls and saying that she was like, late on the payment or that she had missed a payment and everything. So the car ended up getting repoed and that dinged my credit really hard. And then as well, on top of that, during COVID time, I don't know if you remember, but.

They were doing some type of, like, rent assistance program. So it's like, you couldn't pay your rent. Air quotes. They would cover your rent during COVID if you did all this paperwork and talked to the leasing office, did all this extra. And apparently she was. She was doing that, but she never finished up the process. So once we moved out, I got a ding on my credit for like $40,000 and, like, do rent because she didn't finish the paperwork and all that. So it's like, technically on paper, I got. I got a car repoter in my name for her, and then I got like $40,000 in, like, due rent for this place that she kind of screwed me on too, as well. And on top of that, she took out like three or four different iPhone lines in my name and just kind of kept the phones and never, like, returned them. So I got. I got dinged for that too.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So you said she's obsessed with social media?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah, she's. Yeah, she's on TikTok Live and shit like that.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Like, what's she doing?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

She. I mean, she just. She's. She's just. She just wants to be an influencer. I think she owns, like, her own medical spa, so she's like, kind of advertising for that. But I think she kind of just got lost in the thoughts and now she's just trying to be like an influencer. So she'll like, go tick tock live and go to Pilates and shit like that.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay.

I mean, is it working for her or is it like a detriment to her existence and yours?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, I don't really know. I don't really ask her if she's getting paid from it or anything like that, I just, I just know that she's doing it. She's talked to me about it before. I was like, okay, it's cool. It just. I don't know. The credit has stopped me from doing a lot in my life. Like I wanted to get a new motorcycle because I ride bikes and I wanted to get another one, but I can't obviously because no one will approve me. I wanted to trade in my car and I can. I wanted to move into a new apartment. I can't. So it's like that she's done. Is really kind of hindered me like a lot actually.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

How's. How's your guys's relationship in general?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

It was good. It was good. But I'd say after this and like another incident that happened, it just. I don't know, it's not the same. It's not the same. Like, like we're all right. Like she'll. I'll call her randomly and she never answers, but then she'll text me and like say what's up? And like that. But I mean, it's cool. I mean she, she sends me from like money for groceries and if I really, really need it because I hate asking for help. Like that's one thing about me that I need to work on. But I, I hate asking for help, but I was just super down bad one one day and I was like, look, I don't have any groceries in my house. You know what I'm saying? I can't eat. I need to get some food. So she sent me some money for groceries. So I mean, maybe she's trying to get better or trying to be there for me, but it's just, I don't know, she's. She's, she's. She screwed me in a really big way that like it's hard to just do life, you know what I'm saying, where it's kind of hard to forgive her for all that.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Are you only child?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I have a stepsister that I don't. I've never really got along with, but. Yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So your mom's remarried?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Nah, nah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Was your dad's remarried?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

No, no, my real dad was locked up and then she met this one dude who's been in my life piece of. But yeah, he was in my life since I was born and he had a kid with my mom and then they got divorced and then we moved away and then. Yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay, so you're half sister?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Yeah. Yep.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

And she doesn't Live where you live?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

No, my whole family is kind of pretty divided, so. I mean, we don't really. That's another thing. Like on holidays, I'll just spend them by myself and shit, but not. She lives out Louis in Louisiana. She goes to lsu. My mom was out in Houston.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Mm.

Your mom's in Houston? And where are you?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I'm out in like, the. Like a DFW area.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

All right.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

That's not that far, but yeah, I mean, it's a whole city away.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, like, it's like a five hour drive.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah.

So do you. So do you have like, any your friends, family, like, who's around? Who's around? Around Dallas?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, honestly, just kind of just me and my pets against the world, man. I don't really. I don't really. I mean, I. I have some. Some people, like, I'm cool with, but I don't really. Like, it's no. There's nobody in my life that I can kind of just call and kind of just shoot the with. You know what I'm saying? That's just. I'll see people. I like my DJ gigs and I'll be like, oh, hey, what's up? Like, we'll be cool. But it's nobody that I can just go, I don't know, just go to the movies or go paintballing with. You know what I'm saying? There's nobody in my life, like, that I had. I had a girlfriend, but that. That shit went bad, that situation.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Why? Did you grow up in dfw?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

No, I grew up in.

I grew up in L. A, like, Los Angeles area.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay. Yeah. Why'd you move to Texas?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Kind of just to get away, man. Honestly, it's just. I just. I saw the. I just. Everything was just getting so expensive, and I knew a guy that was making like six figures a year, and he was still living paycheck to paycheck, so I'm like, I don't know. I don't know how the hell I'm going to do this. So I kind of moved away just to kind of. Yeah, do that. And obviously Texas was the promised land. After Covert, everybody was like, I'm moving to Texas. So I kind of. I joined. I'm a transplant.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

And what happened with your girlfriend.

Man?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

A lot, A lot. Honestly, she just. She just. I mean, the latest update is she's just crazy, like, abusive. So she. She caught herself, like, putting her hands on me and so I could call the cops. After the third time, like, the first time, I was like, okay, Maybe, you know, I'm saying I kind of put the blame on myself, but I knew it wasn't okay for her to be putting her hands on me because, again, I grew up in a household that was. That was full of domestic violence. That's the reason why I said my stepdad, because he was like that. So I know what that situation is like. So for. So for her to put her hands on me was kind of like a lot. And then she did it a second time, and then she did it a third time. So I'm like, nah, screw that, dude. I called the cops. So.

Yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So how old are you?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I'm 25.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

25. Okay. Did you. Did you. So you don't have any, like, whole. You don't have any sense of community out there because you're doing a lot of stuff, right? Like. Like, you talk about, like, seeing people. Seeing people at the DJ gigs. Like, how is that? You know? Are you, like, build? I like. You're out, right?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

You know, I mean. I mean, I'm out, but I'm not really, like, out. You know what I'm saying? So. So I go to the spot every Friday night and I dj, but it's just me behind the booth. I'm just by myself playing music and stuff. And occasionally I'll get like a drunk girl to come up and be like, oh, the dj. And I'll take videos with me and shit. But I mean, at the end of the night, I'm still sleeping by myself. I don't really have, like, a sense of community when. I mean, I did when I was riding motorcycles, I would go to a motorcycle meet, like, damn near every day. So that community was pretty deep. But I mean, now that it's cold, it's too cold to ride. Everybody's kind of just in hibernation or they're just hanging amongst, like, their own kind of people. And it's just kind of me, I'm just here, here, just doing my side quest, man.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

This in general. I mean, the next four months in general kind of just suck because it's cold.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, there's still stuff to do. I mean, I'm a pretty weird guy. I'm into weird stuff. So I'll. I've been seeing a whole bunch of different events that I want to go to. Like, there's a sumo wrestling event out in. Out in Texas I want to go watch. It's a huge sumo fest that I want to go watch. And there's also, like, Ren Fest and stuff like that. So I can. I'll find stuff to entertain myself. It's just. I don't know, I. I lack that sense of, like, community. Even, like, with family and with friends, I don't really have, like, a community around me. And I mean, it's. I mean, it gets lonely. But, I mean, I'm here. I tough it out. I got my. I got my pets to kind of keep me company.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

But, wow. What pets do you have?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I got two cats and two dogs. I got a pug and a Frenchie. Mmm.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Very cute.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Yeah. My little guys.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah. Community is really important. Having people around you is. I. I have noticed, I think, over. Let's see, I'm about to turn 28, and I've been thinking about.

My life and things I've learned. And one of the things that I have learned, at least for me, and everyone's kind of different, but I've learned over the course of my life the importance of, like, having somewhere to go.

A third space, as they call it. Because the times in my life where I've had something like that. I can distinctly.

Divide in my life times where I had something like that and times where I didn't. And the times where I didn't have something like that, they just were cold, you know? Like, you got to have somewhere to. Somewhere to be where there's other people around. I mean, you know, I've talked about this a bunch on here, but, yeah, it's very important. And they're. They're out there, you know? They're out there.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Yeah. I just. I just gotta keep. Keep looking. I mean, I find a whole bunch of cool stuff to do, but like you said, it's just the community part. I gotta. Gotta figure out where to go to find people that are as weird as me. So, I mean. I mean, I found this one place. It's called the Makerspace. It's out here where it's like a giant. I don't know if you know. I don't know if you know what a makerspace is, but yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah, they're a chain, aren't they?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I don't know. I don't know if this place specifically is a chain, but a makerspace is. I mean, a makerspace. Yeah. In general. Yeah. Typically is like a thing that's in different cities, but the one I go to specifically, I think it's just that. Just that company, you know, I'm saying. But. But. But there are other maker spaces. Yeah. Correct.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah. I mean, I'm kind of. I'm sort of part of A maker space. Because there's a lot around New York where it's like whatever you pay, you pay some kind of monthly fee and they have like equipment that you can use and shit like that.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yep, exactly. Yeah, that's the reason why I'm running. Yeah, it's dope, dude. And they have classes on everything. I'm actually teaching a class on how to DJ on Sunday for tomorrow.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Teaching a class?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Yeah, that's great. That'd be pretty cool.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

That's great.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, that'd be cool.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Great.

That's awesome.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So you just, you just joined to this, you just joined to this makerspace?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

No, I've been a member there for a while, but I just, I kind of used it previously as like a, as like a means to start a business. So I was doing powder coating there. Now I'm doing like 3D printing. And I think next I'm going to start this whole DJ class adventure because that's where the real money is too. As well as like teaching people how to do, how to do DJing stuff. I feel like a lot of people be interested in that. So.

I was using the space to make some money, man. Honestly, you haven't.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Have you made any friends at the space or at least like acquaintances?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, I've met some acquaintances and for sure I'm on like first name basis with some people. But it's not like, it's not. Again, it's not anything that's going to be like, oh, let's go grab a beer or something like that. It's more or less like you see each other in the space, like, oh, hey, what are you working on today? Okay, cool. I'm gonna go do my thing now.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Dude, I'm about to drop an unpopular opinion.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

What's up? Hit me.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

And I actually don't know if I believe in this, but this is just, I feel, I, I almost think it's better to have a lot of acquaintances.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

You think so?

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Oh, I, oh, I don't think so. I almost think so. I'm. Because like if you have like two for like, I think like if you can go into a place, right, and there's like 20 people and you're fairly friendly with them and you see them every day and you know, you hang out with them. But like when you go home, you're alone and maybe, whatever, maybe there's like a social event and you're there, whatever, versus like a couple people that, you know, you get. I don't. I guess ideally you have both. Ideally you have Like a couple people who you're like really, really close with and then a lot of acquaintances. But I. Weird. I think you know what it comes from is like I just like having like a place where you go and you have like a bunch of people. Like, like back when I did like open mic, stand up and stuff, that was a big thing. It's like you just go, you have a bunch of acquaintances because you're just around this thing and even like being part of like a makerspace. Like again you have a bunch of acquaintances. I'm almost like it makes you. And it makes you feel like you exist.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah. It is dope being surrounded around other people who are creative and they're working on things too. Because it's a very, I don't want to say it's like a niche thing to be creative nowadays. It kind of is. A lot of people are just, are just boxed and just walk around just going to work, waking up, going to work, going to sleep, waking up, going to work, going to sleep. Like people are lost in that loop. So it's kind of cool to find people and be around people at least acquainted with people who are also being creative too as well. I mean that it, it does, it feels good when I'm there.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah, well you're, I mean, yeah, you're. I like what you're doing because again you're gaming the system which you have to do. You have to do that in some way shape or form to evolve anything.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Like the company offers it. I mean it sucks. Your manager obviously doesn't like when you're missing work for three months because they're short staffed already. But I mean, hey, if the company offers it and they approve it.

It'S kind of, it's kind of out of their hands.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah, yeah, but you get one life. You know what I mean? You should to it too. You get. What is weird, right? Because you get one, you get one life. And on one hand that's like there's something very.

There'S like a great challenge to that of like, oh shit, I get one life. I should make my own existence. But you have to, you have to do that in spite of the fact that.

You need, you need a lot of money to just exist. So you have, you know, so if, look, if you can get the I need the money to exist thing.

As under control, as under control as possible without as under control as possible using as little of your finite time and energy as possible, then do it, you know, whatever. On go on welfare. Fucking steal from other People don't do that, you know, don't do that. I mean, ideal. Look, ideally, ideally we live in a system where our basic needs are.

Met more easily. But I guess I'm always like, I'm always like, I'd like to. It would be cool to live in a system where people didn't have to do that. But as long as we do figure out some way to do it that requires the least amount of your energy.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah, I agree, I agree. And with the way that AI and robots and shit is going, we're gonna be in wall er iRobot soon, so we won't even have to work, I guess.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Do you do use AI for anything?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, I use AI to find a bunch of different places out in like the DFW area where I can DJ at and I'll have it write me, I'll have it get the contact information for those places, give me their emails and a list and I'll copy and paste their emails into like a, like a mass blast email. And then I'll use the AI to write me like a short and sweet introduction.

Interest email to send out to them to see if I can DJ there. So yeah, I mean, I use it a little bit. I use it in my favor, stuff like that.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

That's cool. Do that, do this though, because I get all kinds of like a. I get. So I get a ton of fucking emails to my inbox that are like, where I can tell that they're AI or I can tell that they like, I'll get like, hell, I'll get a lot of emails and say like hello therapy. You know, like they just like scan, you know what I mean? They just like scanned like the first thing, whatever. So like if you're gonna use AI to mass make your emails or whatever, change the. At least the. Change at least one part of it to make it be like, hey, I am sending this email to you, you know, because I fucking hate when I get. I hate when I get something that I can. But whether it's. Whether it was written with AI or even if it's just like a. Someone sharing a meme with me, I hate when I get something where it's like, I can tell you I'm just one of like 100 people you fucking sent this to, you know that ship is.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah, I'll change up the verbiage and every now and again. So if I'm like sending out emails to strip clubs that I can dj, I'll change like the, I'll change the Subject line and like a little bit of like the examples of gigs that I've done or if I'm sending out an email to like some skating rinks that are near me that I want to DJ at, I'll change up like the gigs and the examples of something of music that I play and stuff like that. So I'll tailor it to the, to the audience. The people that I'm. That I'm emailing out to, I'm just using as like a marketing tactic because I mean that's half the battle is trying to find people that, that do want to book you. Because I can, I can keep a gig for sure. I mean, I have no problem with that. I'm again, I'm pretty good at what I do, so once I get the gig, I'm good at keeping it, but it's just getting the gig, it's like half the battle.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Do you like.

Do you, do you post your own mixes on online and stuff?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, I'll go live on Tick tock every now and again. It's just I'm not that big of like a social media guy to like try to go in and edit videos and set up tripods and like that. It's not really like my thing. I mean I, I know within D.J. you kind of need to do that, but. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah, you do. It's unfortunate. Well, that's, you can't really be like, I'm not a social media guy anymore. You know, what's hard is like there's a. And I'm gonna. Here's the thing is there's, it's not going anywhere. Well. Cause you have, do you have to make concessions in some way, shape or form? Because it's like you can. If like, if you're like an artist of some kind and you wanna be like a bit of a purist, it's like, it's like a, like if you're an artist, you probably, I mean not everyone. Right, not everyone. Some people are totally okay with just like making the thing for the thing's sake and that's fine. And you know, I, there's even some virtue to that, I think, in my, in my soul. I think there's some virtue that I have a lot of respect for people do that. But most, I think the majority of artists or the majority of people who like are working really hard to make something, they would like to a. Make money doing it so that they can keep doing it and so that they can, you Know, do the things that you need to do. A, make money doing it and B, have people see it. Right. Because, like, you work so fucking hard to make videos, make music, make paintings, make whatever like you want, you want you and you, like, you're making these things because you are trying to express you. You're trying to make your existence valid in some way, shape or form by creating. And so you want people to see it. You know, it's like very natural to want people to see your work if you're working hard on it. And the main way to accomplish those two kind of directives of an artist are through social media.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah. That's another layer too as well. While I'm kind of off of work. I think once I get my moving situation kind of planned out, that's what I planned on doing too as well. It's just like, you ever, like, roll across on those TikToks where it's like a DJ in like a random place with like a kitchen or in like their apartment or something. They're just kind of just vibing with a few friends and DJ and shit like that. I'm thinking about doing something like that. Just setting up, like, my mixture of like my island in my kitchen.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

And just playing for like a little kickback kind of thing and using that as, like, content to spread out. I'm thinking about doing that.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

And also. And you also actually bring up a good counterpoint to everything I'm saying now that I'm thinking about it is like, in a weird way with something like what you do. I actually, actually I'm gonna completely take back everything I just said. Maybe not everything, but I'll be like. Because what you do, right, where you DJ and you can, like, throw parties or like, whatever, if you're an artist and you, you know, throw a little gallery or whatever, if you can get 10 human beings in real life to perceive your work, or if you're making a movie or a video, you can get 20 people to like, sit in a room and watch it.

That actually, that weirdly feels more real than getting like 20,000 Internet views. And then if doing what you're saying, if you can combine those two things, it's cool.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah, that'd be ideal because, I mean, I've DJed for a Coliseum, like a stadium worth of people, and then I always find out that, like, it feels more intimate, it feels more good when I'm teaching for, like a small, intimate crowd of people. So, I mean, yeah, I, I agree.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

With what you're saying, yeah, so maybe you don't need social media. You just. Maybe you just need five people willing to listen to your thing.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah.

I mean, I, I get paid either way. At the spots that I dj, I get paid if five people show up or five people, hundred or five hundred people show up. So, I mean, it's not matter to me. But obviously, I mean, a dj, I prefer to spend it for people who would. For people. Not for. For the crickets.

[Sophie Cunningham]

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[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Hey, folks, if any of you guys are creators on TikTok, you're gonna want to know about this. TikTok is putting on a celebration spotlighting creators from all over the world called Live Fest 2025. I know a lot of people who listen to this show or call into this show are creators of some kind. You guys do all sorts of stuff. Life coaching, making funny sketches, making music. Whatever it is you do on TikTok, doing it with TikTok Live is a great way to engage with your community and grow your audience. And this year's Live Fest is a great opportunity to show the world whatever it is that you do best. You can take home real trophies and walk down the red carpet at TikTok's annual awards ceremony. So whether you're just starting out on TikTok or already growing your community, check out Live Fest2025 on TikTok to find out how you can be a part of this global celebration. Let's elevate live together.

[Sophie Cunningham]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points.

You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000. This is where mindset comes in. Someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down. This is trainer games.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Watch it on prime video starting January 8th.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Now tell me about these strip club gigs. What are they like?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, they're cool. They're cool. I've DJed on multiple different, like, types of gigs, but strip club gigs are cool. I mean, you get the dancers that come up to you, like, request a song or, like, they'll Tip you to play a certain song and stuff like that. I mean it's, it's a cool, it's a cool vibe.

It's pretty cool.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

That's pretty cool.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

And you get a good shot while you're DJing.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So what's the, what's your, what's your craziest gig you've ever done?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Craziest as far as like who I've DJed for or just like crazy like the amount of people or like the events that occurred in the, in the, in the gig.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Go? Both.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean I get. I've DJed for, for, for Netflix before for one of like their movie screening kind of opening parties. I DJ for Netflix. Yeah, I did get for Netflix for, for Jamie Foxx at his house a few different times. I DJed for 50 Cent at A, at an opening of a show that he was doing for Power. He had like a little pop up kind of event. I DJ for. I got to see him and say what's up? And like that DJ for celebrities and stuff like that.

So on that end. But the craziest, I mean, I guess I'd say I've DJ like a warehouse out in la. Actually. No, craziest probably that I've done was at this TGI Fridays in my hometown. When I was growing up, they had shut down and these people that I knew, we were just kind of desperate for money. So they were just kind of breaking in and just doing gigs anywhere that they could. So they. We kind of. We broke into this TGI Friday that was abandoned and it still had power. And we broke in there and then we set up my whole DJ said we had people like come and party in the, in the abandoned TGI Fridays. Like the SWAT team showed up and, and they kicked us out. We had the police helicopters coming out. I just got my mixer and I did.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Wait, you had a police helicopter kick you out of the TGI Fridays? What the.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, and like the SWAT team came and in their big ass bearcat. Yeah, they kicked us.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Why'd they call they. Why. Why did they bring in a helicopter?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I don't know. I mean, I mean in LA, I, I DJed a lot out in LA and they're kind of famous for that. Like all the house parties stuff that have got shut down that I've DJed for, they. They usually bring a. Hell, bring a police helicopter. I don't know why that is. But yeah, almost all the house parties that have ended like kind of crazily have ended up with the, with the police helicopter. Coming to shut it down.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Why did you? I. I am, I am curious. It sounds like you had a pretty good thing going to la. Why did you move to Texas if you had more connections over there?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, just because at that time I was young, I was making a lot of money. I had a sugar mama and shit like that. I was young, making a lot of money, but it's just again, I knew a guy who was making six figures and he was living paycheck to paycheck. So I was like, I got to get my shit together. I need a 401k, I need a savings account, I need health insurance and stuff like that. So I kind of matured in that sense. But like, now that I'm in it, I'm like, damn, that sucks. I'd rather just be DJing at TGI Fridays.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah. So you die?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, kind of. Kind of, yeah. I kind of touched 22 on that, I guess.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

I'm sorry, you had a sugar mama?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Yeah, I've, yeah, I've had, I've had like two or three of them in my lifetime.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Tell. What does that entail?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, I mean she, she was a, she was a porn star and I had met her and she, she wanted to, she wanted to pay me for some sugar and she did for a while. And I was making really good money actually too as well, making really good money with her. We would just hang out, kind of shoot the shit a little bit, run a hotel room and then do the thing and go my separate ways.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

I have a lot of questions to follow up to.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

This.

I'd imagine.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

How did you meet this porn star?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

So I had gotten to a car accident.

Some years ago. Yeah, I had gotten into a car accident and I had to go to physical therapy and my physical therapist there was kind of hitting on me. And again, I don't mean to toot my own horn, but like I'm, I'm 6 5. I'm, I'm athletic, I'm a good looking dude. I've been told a few times. So my, my physical therapist was kind of hitting on me a little bit. Like, she would massage me like a little bit longer than she really needed to and do these extra exercises with me. And she was like, one day she randomly came out and said it. She's like, you know who I am? And I was like, no. And she was like, google my name. And she gave me her name and I googled it and she was a porn star. I was like, oh. I was like, that's you? No, Way. And she was like, yeah. She's like, would you be interested in getting into like that industry? And at that time I was like, dude, hell yeah. It's like every dude's dream. Yeah. Hell yeah. I was like, I was like, 18, 19, 20. I'm gonna get paid to do what I'm trying to do all the time anyway. Hell yeah. So, I mean, yeah, I. I took the dive. I went into it at. And at one of the like auditions I think she had me show up to was like a test run and just kind of see what it's really like behind the scenes of like a porno.

I had went and there was this lady who was shooting a scene and immediately, like as soon as she saw me, she said to the director guy, she was like, I want to him. She said he was like, who is that? He is gorgeous. And I heard her say it and I kind of like blushed up. It was weird. I never had like a grown ass woman just outwardly say that to me.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So I ended up.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

We ended up kind of shooting the shit. Got a number and everything. And then we hung out a few times and she told me about.

She told me she was cool with like making an arrangement with me to pay me for. For my time. So that's how that started. I met her on a set of a porno.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Damn. Wait, so this. And that was. And this was a second lady. What happened with the physical? So the physical therapist lady got you into porn, huh? And then you met the sugar mama on the set of this porn thing, correct?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. Yep.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So how. So how deep did you go into the porn world?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

I mean, I dipped my toes a little bit. I mean, I did like a video or two, but it was just. I don't know. It's weird. Like it's. It's very weird because it's like it's not all hyped as it is as it seems to be. Like it's very like you got a guy like, I'm trying to do my thing and there's like the cameraman over my shoulder, kind of fucking embracing me all up on me. And he has like a camera over my shoulder while I'm starting to do my thing. And like, it's kind of. I'm already kind of like, I'm not that outgoing. I'm kind of shy when it comes to stuff like that. It was like kind of weird to stay.

Like, for a lack of better words, it's hard to stay bricked up like that when there's. When there's. Like eight people in the room, and you got this guy with a camera over your shoulder and, like, behind your butt like that. It's weird. So I did. I didn't continue it, but I did, like. I did like, two or three videos, and I got paid for it. It was cool, but it's just. I don't. I don't think I would ever. I would ever do it again.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

You'd rather be trading forex?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, I'd rather be. I'd rather be. Just be running a whole bunch of side quests, man. Just trading forex and DJing and hustling. Honestly, I just. I fell in love. I fell in love with the. With the. With the thrill of the chase.

And.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So what, this sugar mama, like, you said you had a. You said you had a few. I'm curious. Okay, so the sugar mama thing, like, this is an attractive woman.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, she's all right. I mean, I'd give her.

She was an older woman. I mean, she wasn't bad looking. She had plastic surgery, and so she choose. All right. I mean, I give her. Out of 10. I'd give her. I gave her like a 7.8. She was all right.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

How. How old was she?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

She was late 40s, I believe.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Oh, okay. It's not that bad.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, late in her 60s.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Interesting. No, I guess I won. Well, I guess. I guess I was wondering, like, that lady could probably just, like, have sex with some guy without paying him. But I guess. I guess she. I guess she wanted specifically you because you're six five and beautiful.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, I guess so. I guess so.

For me.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay, so why did that.

How did that dissipate? Or it just kind of. Kind of ran its course?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

It just kind of just ran its course. She just. She. She kind of realized she was getting older and everything and she didn't have kids. And I was kind of in it just to do my thing and make some money and go my separate ways, but she ended up offered to pay me, like, 20 grand to, like, put a baby in her. And I was like, yeah, I want to do all that. So we. We hooked up maybe like, two or three times after that. But it just got kind of weird because I know that's what she wanted. So I can't. I can't do this anymore. It ran its course.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

You said you had a few of these?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, I've had. Yeah, I've had like. I think I've had, like, two or. Yeah, I've had like, two or three. Yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

How did you find the other ones?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

The other one, I was working at this job, and, like, a pretty. I was working on his corporate job, and there was, like, this older lady. She's probably, like, mid. Like, mid-40s, too, as well, but she seemed, like, kind of young and fun and hip, and so I kind of. I kind of, like, started to form a little attraction for her. So we hung out a few times. I got. I invited her out. She was reluctant, of course, because I'm in my 20s and she's in her 40s. She was kind of, like, reluctant to kind of hang out with me, but I finally cracked her one day. I cracked her. I got it to go out to drink with me, and we kind of just. We kind of just hit it off from there. We started hanging out, and she started buying me, like, work clothes and like that. That's. That's one thing, too, I will say about, like, dating older women, which I kind of prefer, is like, they'll. They'll. They'll take care of you, man. They really, really will take.

Women my age. But, yeah, these older women, man, that's. That's. It's the wave, man. I'm telling you, they know the women is the way.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

So I get. I guess. Are you. How do I say this? Are you gonna continue monetizing.

How beautiful you are? Like, are there, like, could you be a model or something?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Nah, nah, I don't. I mean, I've been. I don't really feel that way about myself, but I get told it a lot. But it's just. I don't know. I don't know. It's weird, man. Like, I have my days where, like, I'm feeling myself. I'm like, damn, I do look good. But majority of the time, I'm kind of just. I don't know, I keep my head down. I'm not really trying to. I'm saying, do all that. I'm just. I'm just here. I'm just trying to find a hustle, man.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Are you. Are you dating at all?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Not at the moment. Since that last situation went kind of bad. I mean. I mean. I mean, yeah, no, I'm not really dating them. Yeah. I mean, I'm on the apps, but they all go to. I mean, you send out a. Like, out into the universe and doesn't go anywhere. So.

Yeah, I'm not. I'm kind of just focusing on the. On the time that I have off right now, just trying to hustle and make it so I don't have to go back to work if I don't want to.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

You sound like you've had. You sound like you've had a cool, fun life so far.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, Yeah. I mean, it's been all right. It's been all right. I've had my ups and downs, but I can definitely, uniquely say that I've done a lot of things in my lifetime that a lot of people have never got to do. So, I mean, I take pride in that. I look back at my memories, my photos sometimes. Like, damn. I was really. I was really 16, skipping school to go DJ at the Coliseum in LA and to go. To go DJ for two chains and then had to go to school the next day and walk around like, you people don't even know what the hell I just did yesterday. Like.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah, so.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

No, I've had a lot of time. I've had a lot of.

Like, that in my life where I'm like. I mean, I'm. I feel really blessed. I've gotten to do a lot of really cool things with my life in the last, like 10 years, you know?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, you're like, I agree. You haven't had to like, work an actual job, which sucks. I mean, it's cool. I mean, this is a job and like, of course you have like your ups and your down days, but you're in a very unique position to where you don't, you don't have to. You don't have to deal with other people's like on a day to day and have to clock in and have to do all that. You're in a very unique position. That's the reason why I listen to you. I think it's very cool. Like, I respect people who are hustle and who want to work for themselves. And you've kept it up for a very long time. It's inspiring.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

I appreciate you saying that and I listen. You sound like you're on your way to.

Your version of that. Because I genuinely do believe with this kind of stuff, it is a bit of a matter of just like.

Continuing to hack at it. I mean, of course I have survivorship bias, but.

I feel like it is almost inevitable if you just keep hacking at things. I mean, I don't know. I mean, shit, man, even I guess in my own life, even though things have been going well with the podcast and stuff, I'm still. Everything you create for yourself becomes its own.

Prison's not a good word, but its own.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Oh, yeah.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Capsule.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Like it's on. Yeah, like it's on. Obligate. Obligatory how you said, like, it's on.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

It's. It's an obligation. Yeah, it's on obligation. And I. You know what's funny is if you're the kind of person who's always. I. I feel like I'm the kind of person. I'm always trying to escape, you know, even. And. And like, I. You escape something and by creating something else, and then you try to escape that. Like, a good example is, like, I'm always, like, thinking about, like, oh, once I. I'm gonna. I'm gonna escape this city and move to this new one. And then you keep. That goes on like, an infinite thing of, like, one day I'll move here, and then what? Like, I, like. It always just keeps going, you know? But that's good. That's how, like, life evolves. That's how you stop staying. That's how you stop. You know, that's how you get to a point where you're fucking 70, 80 years old and you're like, damn, we. We ran the gamuts. But also. But it's also. But it's also how you get to 70, 80 years old and be like, wow, I have no family and friends and it was all for nothing.

Sorry. Yeah. Find that. I thought you would find that funny and not depressing.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

No, I mean. I mean, that's. That's the goal. I mean, again, I would rather have my obligation and my prison be working for myself than having to work at a company where I'm there and not really progressing for 30 years. Like, I would much rather pass my prison that. That I'm a. Interested in and that I want to do versus doing something that, like, I have to do, you know?

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Of course. Of course. Prison's not a good word. Prison's not what I meant.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, I know what you mean, but just for a lack of terms, I was throwing that term back at you. I know exactly what you mean.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah. Yeah. But it's good. I mean, I think. Well, because. Also because the. The kind of people who do, like. Like, such as yourself, who do have this thing in them that want to keep evolving, I don't think it. I don't think it goes away. You know what I mean? So, like, you'll start. So, like, you'll start like. Like, maybe one day, one of your 3D printed prints will pop off and you'll be making 3D prints, you know, and you're like, okay, great. I finally escaped the rat race. I make a living off 3D prints. But you're gonna have something in you that's like, oh, but I want to do this too. And I want to do this too, you know, because it. Because you have a thing within you that makes you want to just keep evolving and, you know.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Correct.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Yeah, but that's good. That's good. It's a good thing to have.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, I think it's a good thing to have. And I think it's. It's very dope to continue to chase that because then again, I. I have scatterbrained. I have so many different ideas and thoughts and everything. And it's dope to actually, like, when I put. When I put some, some effort towards, like, the thought that I had that I think would be a good idea. It's always rewarding.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Well, yeah, man, I, I'm rooting for you. I think it's all really cool. I think you're. I think you're a cool guy. I think I have a lot of respect for you, that you're, you know, like really making a good life for yourself after, you know, dealing with some difficult circumstances and shit. I got a lot of. I got a lot of respect for you, man. I think it's cool. I appreciate you sharing all this stuff with us.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, thanks, man. Yeah, it feels good to kind of talk about it and kind of like reflect on the crazy cool shit I've done. Because I get down sometimes. I'm like, damn, I don't really have anybody. I'm not really doing like enough. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough like this sitting here talking to you on the phone. I'm like, damn, I've lived like four different. Four different crazy ass life.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Well, that's what it takes because. Yeah, of course. Because that's what it takes is to like. Because you only. Yeah, no, once you start like, like really, like reflecting on your life, it can kind of bring out, like, it can help you sort of thwart whatever narratives you've.

Created for yourself.

Do you want to plug your. Do you have like a DJ thing you want to plug? I don't know if after. I don't know if you want to identify yourself, but if you do, it's fair game.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, I will. Screw it. Yeah, I'll do it. It's just. It's just my name, so it's just spelled out. It's on Instagram and it's on Tick Tock and everything. But it's Grey John. It's my name, so it's B, like boy R, A Z, like zebra J.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Wait, say this.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

B. Yeah, I got a long weird ass Name. I got a long ass name, so it's B like boy, R a.

Z, like zebra, J, H a N. And that should pop up right there. I'm pretty sure I'm like the only person.

Yeah. Yep.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Oh, it's the one you have. Your name is written in Arabic, right?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Oh, this is.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Okay, this is definitely not you.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah. B, R a Z, J, H, a, N, N, N. There's three.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Oh, okay. I only had put one N on there.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, three. I thought one would have been enough. Yeah, three.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Oh, there we go. Okay, look at this. Oh, this is. You look cool, man. Hell yeah.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah. Thanks.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Sick. Yeah, I love this picture of you djing with the orange and shit. That looks cool.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Yeah, yeah. One of my buddies took that shot. I was like mid me DJing at a club out in LA. That was pretty good night.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Cool, man.

Well, Brejon, this is great talking to you, man. I'm inspired. I'm inspired by the hustle. I'm inspired by this. This was a. This was an enjoyable conversation for me. I appreciate you sharing everything.

Is there anything else you want to say to the people of the computer or talk about or whatever else about life before we go?

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Nah, man, just fucking Catalina, wine mixer boats and hose swag.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Thank you, Braze. I'll. Good luck to you, man. I'll see you around the universe.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

All right, thanks, Gag. See you later, man. Good. Plus.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

I liked that guy a lot. I liked that, you know, clearly he's got. Clearly he's facing, like, a lot of challenges, you know, with like, his fucking family situation and fucking, you know, the general mental anxiety that comes with being alive on the planet. And I don't know, I like the way he's. I like the way he's doing it. I have a lot of respect for it. I saw, like, while I stream these phone calls live on Twitch, and I saw people in the chat saying that he might have been making all this stuff up. And I was thinking about this.

Just in general on this podcast about, like, oh, are people making stuff up? You know, like that. Like, I posted a clip from the woman who talked about.

What is it? Who talked about.

Meeting that homeless guy on the street and sleeping in the train station with him. And everyone was like, it's fake or whatever. And listen, I'm telling you, as the per. For a lot of things, as the person taking all these phone calls and talking to all these people, I really very rarely, if ever.

Like, if p. Like, I really rarely think that people are making stuff up. Um, personally, no Offense to anyone, but I'm gonna throw this out there. I think the people who tend to go on the Internet and be like, this person's story is fake are people who haven't really lived a lot of life. Uh, so, like. Cause if you. If you're a person who puts yourself out there and says yes to things and tries and, you know, whatever. Like. Like this, you know, like. Like this guy, brazen, you know, he. Someone's like, hey, she tried porn. He's like, yeah, okay. Or someone's like, you know, hey, go to Jamie Foxx's house. He's like, yeah, okay. You know, he's saying yes. He's putting himself out there. He's trying. If you're someone who does that, you know that life is really, like, weird and crazy, or like, the woman who slept with the guy on the train, like.

Like, shit. Fucking shit happens. You know what I mean? So I really. I believe 99.999%. But sometimes a guy calls in and is like, yeah, I fucked my cousin. Actually, one time a guy did call in to talk about fucking his cousin. I did believe him.

But, like, things happen. I believe every word of what this guy was talking about. And the other, like. Like, I don't know, man. Shit is just.

Like, I think light. Like, people. I don't. Like, if you go out, like, life is crazier than you think it is. So I have no real reason to not.

Believe the. You know, not only the, like, empirical events that people talk about on this show, but, like, their feelings about them. Like.

You know, it's. It, feel it. It's very. It feels real. That's just. That's my perspective on it. But anyway, I appreciate Brazen for calling in and sharing his story. Hey, folks, if any of you guys are creators on TikTok, you're going to want to know about this. TikTok is putting on a celebration spotlighting creators from all over the world called Live Fest 2025. I know a lot of people who listen to this show or call into this show are creators of some kind. You guys do all sorts of stuff. Life coaching, making funny sketches, making music. Whatever it is you do on TikTok, doing it with TikTok Live is a great way to engage with your community and grow your audience. And this year's Live Fest is a great opportunity to show the world whatever it is that you do best. You can take home real trophies and walk down the red carpet at TikTok's annual awards ceremony. So whether you're just starting out on TikTok or already growing your community? Check out hashtag live fest2025 on TikTok to find out how you can be a part of this global celebration. Let's elevate live together.

[Sophie Cunningham]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points.

You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000. This is where mindset comes in. Someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down. This is Trainer Games.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Watch it on prime video. Starting January 8th.

[Sophie Cunningham]

Decluttering is everything. It clears your space, your mind. And now it can give you shopping power with Trashy. Trashy is the EAS way to clean out and donate all that clutter you've been meaning to deal with. Eventually, just buy a trashy bag, fill it with anything you no longer need. Any brand, any condition. We take everything, then ship it free and earn trashy cash points instantly guaranteed. Keep earning points when you shop exclusive trashy deals and redeem them for gift cards to brands you love or even donate them to charity. It's simple, it's satisfying, and it's the same sustainable since 95% of what you send gets reused or recycled. So you know those excuses that keep you from decluttering? You don't have time, you don't know what they'll take. Trashee solves all that. Just get a bag, fill it, send it. It's never been easier to turn clutter into shopping power. Buy your bag and start decluttering today at Trashy IO that's T R A S H I E I.

Hey, what's up folks?

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

It's Lyle here. I just wanted to give you a little bit more episode and thought I would read just a few geck mails, maybe a couple, maybe just one. I don't know, whatever I'm feeling today, just to you know, give you guys a little bit of bonus gecko time. So I have some emails in front of me. I'll read one or two of them before we go. I hope you guys enjoyed that. That call that we just had with our young DJ hustler friend. I really liked that guy. All right. Okay. Yeah, let's read a few emails. Let's see. Ah, here we go. This is one. This is from Bray.

Subject line Femboy Identity and dealing with Self perception problems. Hello Mr. Gecko, I am Bray. I want to quickly get the fanboy stuff out of the way. I've listened to your podcast since I was 16 and it's been a huge part of my day to day. Very much helped me cope with many quiet periods of my teenage life. I love your show and your takes on everyone's issues and I want to say you're awesome. I was a top 10 listener on Spotify this year btw. Thank you Bray. Also thank you to everyone else who I got a lot of really nice messages about.

Spotify wrapped and because I know they do a podcast one. So thank you to everyone who has listened to even one single minute of me doing this. I saw some guy in.

Fuck Spain or some guy in some non English speaking country logged like a full month of the podcast.

This year so I I appreciate that guy. So yeah, thank you guys very much for sending me that stuff. Anyway, anyway, back to Bray I've always been lost in terms of identity and self perception. I know everyone goes through life changing and developing their version of self and creating a vessel, but I've never been sure of who I am and especially how I'd like to appear to the people around me. Since last year I've been experimenting with my feminine side, dressing up as a stereotypical femboy in private. I normally like appearing androgynous and going against typical manly behaviors, having long hair, doing a bit of eyeliner and makeup and also skincare. It makes me feel comfortable and confident, but I struggle with how I perceive myself versus how others see me.

I'm a relatively average looking guy, but I take really good feminine photos. I think these photos fool me into thinking I'm more feminine than I really am. I'm literally oblivious to how I look, which is ruining my mental health and identity that I've made since I was a kid. Huh?

Why is being oblivious to how you look ruining your identity? Alright, hold on. I have. I have thoughts, but I'm gonna finish the email. I have dabbled in posting pictures of me in feminine clothing on Reddit, but the compliments I receive online haven't ever really felt good or meaningful. I don't get confidence from online interactions, nor do I feel engaged with them either. At this point I live by the confidence I receive from the mirror and the days where I'm not confident in how I see myself are some of the most depressing moments in my life. All in all, I'm a boring emo looking boy living in Australia who's deluded himself into thinking he's cute and is just wondering how you deal with your own self perception and identity, how you cope with negative thoughts or how you Deal with anxiety from being self conscious. Thanks, Bray. Um, lot of stuff in here. A lot of stuff in here. Um, there was one line where you were like, I'm oblivious to how I look, and that's ruining my mental health. I'm wondering why. Also, like, you're oblivious to, like. Okay, you're saying that. You're saying you're. I assume you're saying you're oblivious to how other people are perceiving you.

So I'll tell you a few things, which is.

How other. The knowledge of how you are being perceived by others is only helpful when it's helpful. You know what I mean? I've talked about this before, but there's like a. I believe in, like, a strong spectrum. I believe there's an optimal place to be on the spectrum of, like, conscientiousness, right? Because you don't want to completely disregard the way in which you come off to other people, because there's valuable information in there, right? But you also don't want to be too obsessed with it, because at a certain point, it's moot how you come off to other people, because there's infinite people and you only have your one life, so who really gives a fuck? It depends on what you're trying to do and how you're trying to live your life and all these things. But, I mean, look, man, here's the thing about, like, your identity. And Also, you were 16 when you started listening to the podcast, so I'm gonna assume you're probably, like.

18, 19, something like that.

Your identity can be whatever you want it to be, you know? I mean, if you want to dress up like a girl and take photos of yourself as a girl, and that's. And you feel to yourself that you are cute and that makes you feel good, then fucking do it. You know, I feel like I'm. I feel like I haven't gotten into the full crux of this issue, okay? The confidence I received from the mirror is where, oh, I live by the confidence I receive in the mirror. That's great. That's good. That's a good thing, Bray. That's a good thing. If you build up your identity on. And I know this because I do it. If you build up your identity from, like, Internet likes and, like, comp. And, like, external validation, you're ma. You're building a fucking castle of sand, you know?

And everyone knows that.

So good. I think that's good. I think it's a healthy thing to not really feel that much from compliments on the Internet. It'd be way worse if you were to. If you were telling me like, I can only feel good about myself. Other people on the Internet are telling me that I'm attractive and amazing. I'd be like, that's a bad thing.

But. So I guess this is more about like a self perception. Hmm.

Oh, okay. I'm an idiot. Okay, no. Okay, this person is posting pictures of himself being a girl on the Internet and people are saying that he looks cute, but then he is looking in the mirror and he. And he doesn't see what the other people are seeing. Okay, that makes sense.

I think, I think that's it.

I'm a boring emo looking guy in Australia who's deluded himself into thinking he's cute. I mean, think whatever you fucking want about yourself. I believe that.

Like I do believe in manifestation in some regard of like whatever narrative you want to play into, like empowers your actions, I suppose. So like if you walk around thinking that you're cute, then it does kind of rub off, you know.

To an extent, of course, like you don't want to be like completely delusional, but.

I don't know, man. Believe whatever. Believe whatever you want about yourself. Bray.

I'm a big fan of fake it till you make it and maybe we will all one day make it.

Okay, let's read like one more.

This is from Bailey. I'm 30 and still having nocturnal emissions.

Uh, okay. I'm 30 and on occasion I still have wet dreams or nocturnal emissions as they are called. I'm not exactly sure when this first started, but I would say that this has been a thing for about half my life. And to quantify the frequency, I would guess this happens at least once a month. Maybe on average a little more. Sometimes it has happened twice in a night. Thankfully it hasn't happened in over a week or two. I have never talked to a doctor or a therapist about this and I don't really want to. It seems my problem is dream induced. So something freaky might be going down in my dream leading me to finish finishing. As soon as it happens, I wake up and then the feeling I have when I wake is that I have to pee. So in an attempt to prevent this, I try to cut off drinking any fluids at least an hour or more before I go to bed. I also read that sleeping on your back helps, so I try to do that when falling asleep to embarrass myself further with this issue. I have a long time girlfriend, however. Thankfully she has no idea about this. But this has happened when I've stayed over at her place because it seems like it is unpredictable. I pack extra underwear whenever I am not staying at my place, and when it happens, I wake up, go clean myself up and change. When this has happened and I am at her place, as I'm getting back in bed, she will ask if I'm okay since I keep getting up in the middle of the night. I believe I have her thinking I have bladder issues or an upset stomach, which is good. I don't really have anything specific I'm looking for from you other than your thoughts on this matter. I don't really want to consult a doctor on this as I'm embarrassed by it. I don't want to think I am a sex addiction. What the hell does this have to do with being a sex addict? While I did see that masturbation and sex can reduce this from happening, I'd like to refrain from watching porn if you read this on your podcast. Thank you. I'll be listening for your reaction and any words you have on this matter.

Okay, Bailey, first of all. First of all, I can tell that you're carrying way too much. You're carrying way, way, way too much shame about this, my friend. You're carrying like, it's alright, brother. It's alright to come. It's our biological imperative. It's okay to come. Your girlfriend doesn't care that you come in your sleep. A doctor doesn't care that you come in your sleep. You're not a sex addict because you come in your sleep. You're okay, brother. I wanna. I wanna go into this guy's brain and make him realize that he's fine because he's clearly freaking out about a thing that's really not that big of a deal.

So, I mean, that's the main thing I would say is, like, you're definitely taking this thing and making it into much bigger of a deal than. Than it is.

Like, what if your girlfriend. Your girlfriend doesn't care that you come in your sleep? Dude, are you peeing your sleep? You coming in your sleep? I think you're coming in. I think. I think you're coming in your sleep. Yeah. Wet dreams. Yeah, I think you're coming in your sleep. How much are you.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Because I.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

Because I think everyone comes in their sleep a little bit. But I'm curious. How much are you coming in your sleep? Are you, like, full. Are you coming full loads in your sleep?

I cut off drinking fluids at least an hour before I go to bed. So. Are you. Are you peeing in your sleep or are you coming in your sleep?

I try to cut off fluids. Fluids at least an hour or more before I go to bed. That reads that you're peeing, but the sex part of it makes leads to your. I'm gonna assume you're coming in your sleep now. I'm gonna assume you're coming strong liquidy cums in your sleep. Does that happen?

Go to a doctor. Man. There's no. You don't need to be ashamed of this.

I'd like to refrain from watching. Do you? Wait, hold on. I don't want myself to think I'm a sex actor or anything, but I did see that masturbation and sex can reduce this from happening. I'd like to refrain from watching porn.

There's so much. Do you have. Do you not have sex or masturbate ever? If you don't have sex or masturbate ever. Then. Then yeah. Then. Then yeah, Something's gonna do. The fucking dam building up and something's gotta go at some point. You don't have to watch porn to masturbate. You can just do it. Do you and your girlfriend not have sex?

It sounds like you have shame about having sex and masturbating too. Bill. I. Billy Bailey. Billy.

Billy. Release the shame and fucking have sex and masturbate and come in your sleep like it's fine. There's no. You're putting value judgments on this thing for just no reason. Maybe you had a religious upbringing. Maybe you just are scared. I don't know. But that's my main thought is you should relinquish the shame and just. You know. Because look, you either Jack. Your body is telling you you either need to jack off while you're awake or jack off or. Or it'll jack off for you while you're dreaming about.

Lola Bunny or Salma Hayek or whatever your thing is. Do you watch tv? You're seeing this kind of. Seems like the kind of person that thinks that watching TV is sinful and maybe wouldn't know who Lola Bunny is.

It's okay. It's okay for you to watch Lola Bunny Hentai. Billy. You're all right. If I could be the. If I'm the. If I could be the first person in your life to tell you it's okay to come. I'm honored to do that. So don't. Don't be embarrassed by it. Man. Just fucking go to the doctor. If you need to tell a girlfriend. Nothing wrong with the only. The only thing that's. I Gen. You know what's funny is. Is contradictory, contradictorily. It's more.

Weird to me that you find this weird than that this is occurring.

So let yourself live, Bailey. That's all I gotta say. Alright, I think that's. That's the end of my Geck mail reading. But there's more emails here. But I'll Fuck. My voice cracked. Okay. I'm alive. I'm okay. See, that was kind of embarrassing. But I don't care. I'm gonna own it. I'm alive.

There's more emails here, but I'll read them on another episode. I hope you guys enjoyed this. I hope that.

You are enjoying the podcast. I hope you liked the conversation that I had with the caller. I. I did.

Maybe some of you will get into forex trading. I didn't. I didn't tell you about that. That was someone else.

Go to therapy gecko tour.com. i'm planning my live shows. I'm excited about them. Give me your email or phone number or whatever. Or don't. I mean you. Or do you should. Should. I want you to come. I want you to come to my show and I want Bailey to come.

On a towel or wherever he wants to come. This was the Therapy Gecko podcast. Thank you again for listening. Thanks for sharing your Spotify raps with me. And here's to many more years of talking into this microphone and talking to people and being a gecko and living life. Geck bless.

Therapy kept goes doing it right, teaching.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

You how to live your life.

[Therapy Gecko (Lyle)]

But he's not really an expert.

[Sophie Cunningham]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points.

You are the fittest of the fifth. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000. This is where mindset comes in. Someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down. This is trainer games.

[Braze (Caller/DJ Hustler)]

Watch it on prime video.

[Sophie Cunningham]

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