The Alimond Show
Welcome to The Alimond Show --join us as we share our entrepreneurial guests' stories, uncover their secrets to success, and explore the unique paths they've taken to build thriving businesses in our community.
In each episode, our host, Aliyah Dastour, sits down with a diverse group of local business owners, from the corner cafe to the boutique shop, from tech startups to family-run enterprises. We peel back the curtain to reveal the trials, triumphs, and transformational moments that have shaped their entrepreneurial journey.
Discover the passion, perseverance, and innovative thinking that fuels these businesses, as well as the challenges they've overcome along the way. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking inspiration or simply a curious listener interested in the stories behind your favorite local spots, The Alimond Show has something for everyone.
Our guests share their experiences, insights, and valuable advice that can empower you to turn your own dreams into reality. We discuss topics like marketing strategies, customer relationships, community engagement, and much more, offering practical takeaways you can apply to your own business or career.
Join us every week as we celebrate the unsung heroes of our local business community and explore the vibrant tapestry of entrepreneurship in our area. Tune in to The Alimond Show and get ready to be inspired, informed, and motivated to support and nurture the businesses that make our community thrive.
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The Alimond Show
Norman Barnes Founder & President of N3 Global Solutions LLC
When loss and hardship pave the paths of our lives, it's the triumphs over these adversities that define us. Our latest guest, Norman, a Richmond, Virginia native, unveils his heart-wrenching yet inspiring journey through personal tragedies, monumental achievements in the world of basketball, and his transformative impact in a maximum-security prison. His story isn't just one of a sports hero; it's a deeper narrative of how education and leadership can forge a trailblazer who empowers communities and reshapes futures.
Venture with us into the life of a man who reshaped the face of leadership in his field, broke down color barriers, and dared to assert his voice in a sphere that often resisted change. Norman guides us through his ascent to becoming a sergeant, his influential role in law enforcement accreditation, and how he channeled his strategic acumen into the launch of his consulting firm, IN3 Global Solutions. His entrepreneurial spirit and determination to tackle global issues with local sensibilities not only redefine success but also pave the way for profound societal impact.
In a world rife with inequality and disconnection, Norman's insights into the human condition remind us of the enduring power of community, understanding, and the bonds that unite us. He passionately calls for stewardship of our planet and each other, emphasizing the imprint we leave through our actions and interactions. This episode is more than a mere conversation; it's a call to action, prompting reflection on our legacies and the world we shape through empowerment, engagement, and genuine connections. Join us as we share in Norman's wisdom and explore how each of us can contribute to a legacy of change and hope for humanity.
Tell me a little bit about your background. Oh my God, how much time we have. We got as much time as you need, huh.
Speaker 2:Well, wow, the story we starting already.
Speaker 1:If you're ready.
Speaker 2:OK, the story. Let me tell you a little bit about this guy. This guy named Norman, it's me. I'm originally born in Richmond, virginia, son of Norman, senior. He's passed away and asked to both pass away, and they were middle class, working class family. My father he was a laborer moved himself up and worked himself to become a painter, started his own business until he was decorating, and my mother started as a housekeeper, which started herself and worked her way up to being a nurse. I have a sister, had a sister she passed away to. She was two years younger than me, covid-19,. She passed away in 2020.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she was first one, so that was very devastating for me. I was the first one in my family to go to college. Obviously, I played sports, I played basketball. I was blessed with that gift I called it a gift so I was able to get a scholarship. I went a little different route. I had several scholarships to go to Division I schools, but it wasn't school I wanted to go to, so I had opted. I had a coach call me. He said my mom said well, go there. I went to a junior college. He said why you go to a junior college? I had grades to get into Division I but I wanted to develop my skills and develop more options. And this is all about options.
Speaker 2:So I went to this new school, brand new school out in Texas, west Texas, out in the Tumbleweeds they used to call it Snyder and it turned out to be great because at the end, when I graduated, well, a couple things happened. We won the national championship, national champion. We also was able to represent the part of our team, the United States team. I was on the USA basketball team and we went to South America, brazil, argentina, a couple other countries and we won the gold medal, gold medal cup. So all Americans. So that worked out well. And the third part we all graduated. And then the next part was that my options came. I had 64 offers, different division I schools and I opted to go back home. So I went to school in Richmond, virginia, commonwealth, went there scholarship, did pretty well. Coach changed so I transferred to another school, graduate school at that time, southern Mississippi.
Speaker 2:During that time there was a lot of stuff going on. I got married Very young, very young kid. So I got married and it didn't work out. But it did work out. We had a child, daughter, blessed daughter. She actually just had a birthday on the 16th of December and have two grandsons. So I just got back, matter of fact, I just got back Monday. I was out there for Christmas so we had spent time and she got a job. She was staying at home, mom, they got a job in Las Vegas and she worked with one of the major entertainment agencies out there Doing well, had a good time out there with them, got to do a little business wise out there, made some contacts, which I do. Everywhere I go I make contacts and stuff like that. So I'm back directly from there and, of course, talking about a little bit of the story.
Speaker 2:I had some situations out there that occurred to me happen, had a job offer Actually I got a contract, matter of fact, for my business to do some work in West Asia. My background a little bit. So I'm telling you about the family part of it. But for me and myself, during the time after I finished college I played a little basketball, more basketball, but then again family had to take care of family. So I started work and I started work for the Commonwealth of Virginia as a counselor at the prison State Farm in Richmond I don't know if you know about it, it's the prison system there.
Speaker 2:So I went there as a lay counselor, slash recreation supervisor, slash coach, so it was kind of fun. I stayed exactly 18 months. I went in. My approach was a little bit different. I was an athlete person going in so I was able to immediately draw attention from the inmates. We had some good situations, we had some bad situations, but at the end of the day we had respect. I was able to have a basketball team. I was able to take the first. Now this is a maximum-secured prison. I was able to take the first team off this site to another site to play a basketball game. So we went to the Richmond Penitentiary. We had a big tournament game. Of course we won the tournament. Of course, of course, of course we won the tournament. So the guys was. I was like you remember the old movie. It was called the Great White Hope, the Great uh.
Speaker 1:I remember the movie, I don't know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, it was something, but it was the basketball game. So the guys put together a team and I did some of the plays and stuff. So I put together this rag tag team. I had this guy, almost seven-foot white guy, looked like Sasquatch, he had a big old, long hair, he had a hook shot and he was very clumsy. He was there. Then I had this other guy who was probably NBA player he could have been Then a couple other players and a lot of role players. So we ran and went down there and the funny part is that Sasquatch, the big guy. So we gave him the ball. He got the ball the first shot and from the top of the key he turned around to a hook shot and everybody went crazy. After that, everything went crazy. So he got hyped up and playing everything else. So it was a big part of that. That light was on the way back on the bus. Everybody was clapping, high-fiving this and that Even the goss was happy. Everybody was joking. So that worked out pretty well for a while and then I said, well, time to move on to do different things, because I started learning real question of what this system was about, the penal system, whatever. So I made a decision.
Speaker 2:Actually, I had an offer to come. I got into law enforcement, believe it or not, and it was at a different type of law enforcement. It was law enforcement at a university level. So I got into higher education. I call higher learning law enforcement. So I got an offer back at my university of ECU to work in the police department there.
Speaker 2:Well, I went to the academy police academy. It's a state certified state academy. I went to the academy and I said, ok, let me try it out. I tried it out. So I went there. Well, I finished time for first in class, six months of cadmium. I came out with a. Actually, my GPA was like, let me see what was it? 4.0 on the 4.8 scale was 4.97. Gpa Only missed one score. I remember that one test was like one answer on a legal question. So everything else 100%. So I said, ok, we graduated, we did that, went into training and I didn't expect I'm just going to be an officer, I'm just going to be an officer.
Speaker 2:I went on to an officer and he said oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I got to field training and he and me said well, I got something for you, norm. I said what do you mean? He said I want you to be head of our training department. I said I'm just a rookie. He said now I want you to be a training officer. So I became a field training officer. So I wrote the first manuals I could write apparently I could write. I wrote the first manual on field training and it went well. Went well for a while and then another promotion came up. Was, you know, second in charge of the squad? You had a commander, ship commander, then it was the officer. So I was a voted appointed to be officer in charge.
Speaker 2:I did that for a while and then opportunity came again, a lateral transfer and a federal job situation came up. So I was applying for jobs. So this was about five, six, seven years I was in it and I applied and got both, of course got both positions. One was a working for the department of Navy as an investigator in Chownock Lake and the other one was to go lateral transfer up to Northern Virginia, which came up here. So the position opened up at a new university called George Mason University. So I said, okay, let me do lateral transfer or do I go to California? Well, I took the lateral transfer. One reason one I got a pay hike because Northern Virginia has a difference. So I got a big pay right and I had seven years in. So I did a lateral transfer. So I came in at a higher scale than so. I got a meeting boost in that Okay. So I came up, did a lateral transfer. Well, once again, six months into the thing, the chief called me and said we want to promote you. So a position came up as supervisor sergeant and the chief promoted me to sergeant. So I became a sergeant after six months on the job and me taking in mind the people who were training me now was their supervisor.
Speaker 2:Some people liked it and some people resented that, and particularly, as you know, a man of color. I was the first one to be promoted like that. Well, for me it wasn't a big deal. Some people and my, being a Capricorn and being an athlete, I had a. My approach was this is how we're going to do it and let's do it. And some people want to negotiate and groups I said, no, understand, appreciate that, but this is how it's going to be done, let's do it.
Speaker 2:So some people didn't like that. Some people. But they adjusted, got along, but I had, like you know, matter of fact, in your face as well. You know I'm six foot eight. You know very, very aggressive and very assertive. I said well, I am who I am. I thought she said what a guy said well, you know, you've intimidating. I said no intimidation. You know the word intimidation me, intimidation self in out. It's not me, I am who I am. If they're intimidated that means they have something to do. I say have to deal with me, but understand, I'm just a guy. Thank you for the feedback. Thank you for the feedback.
Speaker 2:So I work with my type, you know, whatever, and he's all same time. So doing that time. You know I had a very, a lot of things happen. You know I got promoted to a sergeant. Start working me. I'm a big community police and guys.
Speaker 2:So because of that experience I had been in a Washington national metropolitan area. I am a very gregarious guy. I like to meet a lot of people. So I met people. So the chief started sending me out to different departments. I was doing assessments, I was doing promotion boards, I was on committees, I was doing stuff, I was doing stuff in DC and whatever. So of course during that time I'm meeting everybody, engaging everybody and stuff like so I made lots of connections, lots of connections, and I took advantage of training. I'm a big training guy. I was head of the training division. I was one of the jobs I had. I was the director of training. I became the. It's a process called accreditation law enforcement accreditation. I was appointed the accreditation manager for the department and also came a national assessor. So I went out to different agencies all over. So I was all over the place. They had me going all over the place.
Speaker 2:So she said, well, I'll put you on these committees to do stuff. But every committee he put me on, I tend to gravitate to being either the chairman or someone close, how I've liked that. So I just meet people and whatever. So no, we think you should be in charge each other. I said, okay, okay, whatever, let's do it.
Speaker 2:So got to a point where I was like I was doing more committees and doing stuff outside than I was in the 80s and she said, well, wait a minute, we got a. I said, well, you know, you sent me there, you put me there, you sent me to DC and it's what we wish. Want you to go to the information? No, they made me the head of it and I was like, okay, let's, you know, let's, let's deal with that. So at the same time I'm taking those meeting people and doing, you know, doing stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So, um, in the same time I'm also, you know, we have our work in a university environment, so I was also engaging with the students, faculty and staff and so, of course, um, the administration wanted me to turn to a faculty and staff administrator, but I was a state employees, so they had to create a new position. They called me. I was, uh, I got another promotion to like another promotion, lieutenant, so they made me a campus administrator. So I was in charge of the uh, george Mason had several campuses. You know, the Fairfax campus excuse me, but they had all the campus, you know Prince William, the Arlington, the Law School with them. So they made me the administrative of all of the campuses. So I was a uh head of safety, public safety, security and stuff at all the other campuses. So you know, I had police forces there. You know you've made with the law school. I started the law school. You made with the um, prince William campus. It's a place there called the Center for National Biodefense. I started that.
Speaker 1:Oh nice.
Speaker 2:Yes, uh, I was in charge of developing and putting all the together with the security, law enforcement and stuff like that. So I saved. I'm still meeting people doing different things. So, um, that went on. I stayed. I retired from the state system in Georgia you know everything in the state system in 2013. So I accumulated about 39 years 38, 39 years in that field.
Speaker 2:So three years before that retirement, I decided I said, well, I got a plan, I'm a plan. I got a plan what I'm going to do the next step, because I'm not going to, you know, at the end of this, I'm you know, I'm not going to do it. So I just started to have my own, start my own little business, a consultant business, uh, take advantage of all these things. So I said, well, let me just start as a private consultant. And, uh, I had an epiphany one morning. I woke up three in the morning, went downstairs this 2010. And I said, well, something told me to start writing. So I'm starting writing stuff. You know how they've done three o'clock meetings. I work, I start writing in the morning and they see, you know, a sunrise.
Speaker 2:So by the time sun rose, I had a new company and I call it in three global solutions. And I said, well, how do you come up with that name? I said, well, I'm on address. The issues I want to address is dealing with global solutions, but my mindset is local connections, providing a global solutions to local connections. And what do you mean? I said, well, everything Washington DC, everything comes in Washington DC, everything affects everything else. And it just stopped at 9 11. And that's another story to after 9 11. It was everything affects everything. We had a, you know, after 9 11, we had everybody went crazy. Everything was. I was actually 9 11, exactly 9, 11. I was an acting chief of police. My chief was in California, so I was actually managing everything and I noticed there was a whole lot of stuff and a whole lot of issues dealing with personal work, like people were acting each other Act. Now we still, we do a stuff. Right now we're going on in the Middle East.
Speaker 2:But anyway, I was able to come up with this concept, idea of helping people. How can I help people? And I had the concept. I said we three things I can do water, energy, education. And so why them three things?
Speaker 2:I said they're the pullers of a community. I'm talking about a social infrastructure. We want to develop the infrastructure. Why Well? The village, the community is an essence of everything else. That goes on.
Speaker 2:We don't, and I noticed that we don't go back to the basics of developing the woman is the family that they are charged with. The family, the man got in hunt. The women take care of the family in the village. The children is our generational offspring. We have to develop it. So we don't start the foundation of that at the ground level. The rest of it you can't catch up. I'm noticing you don't get it in high school, you're not going to get in college, so you have to start before they get there, because you know you can't train an adult. Once again, on the adult, they got that way certain period, after seven years old, you start developing patent stuff. So you want to catch them before they get to a level.
Speaker 2:So what we talking about? Well, you can go out and get a job. People go get jobs. People get degrees, go to school this and that, whatever like that. But they end up working with somebody at the end they're not fulfilled. They're just working on my term Plantation, a plantation.
Speaker 2:People say well, why use that word? I said well, I mean you work, give up your dreams and you work with someone else and they pay you for that. They're profiting from your, your, your skills and ability and it's and in the day you may just get a pension check or you made. You may not even live through it, but you're gonna get a few dollars. But in at the day you're never gonna fill your dreams.
Speaker 2:So the key is to start something where you can start your own business, learn a skill. Well, they don't teach much of that. You know, I got down with the business school or whatever like that but they never teach you how to start this. Teach you how to do business, work for somebody, but never to start your own business. And, as we know now, the most profitable we call wealthy or the people who have things, they can do things, they have their own business. You have to find something that is unique to you and everybody has a unique, special skill. Enhance that through training or whatever like that. Have a good mentorship and Engage in that in an environment where you're comfortable in. So you have to do that at home, in the village level. The mother, the father, the community all supports that and you start nurturing that. You start with the skill, what they do best, and then you enhance with education, training and everything else. But the end of the day, you have that entrepreneurship mindset, what I'm gonna do for myself.
Speaker 2:So my Concept is the basic is to work with these communities, mostly the underserved. No use mess with. You already there, you there, you got your mindset, you already, you already making it, you already doing, you, whatever you do. But we want to start from the beginning and get people in the mindset Well, I can do, I can develop, I can develop my own and all the other things comes along. We know with the network and now with communications, ai and everything else is no reason you can't communicate with anybody else around the world. I do it every day.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's no way. So you have a unique, special skill. You should be able to enhance that. Do like minding people on the path of the world. You may be thinking this and someone else is thinking exactly the same thing on the other side of what. I seen it. I done it. I do it every excuse me. Every other day You're thinking this and someone else is thinking the same thing, but the only thing is y'all haven't communicated. So you want to cool communicating, create these networks, these hubs, and work together on finding solutions. I Think a lot of stuff is going on today could be resolved if we start communicating.
Speaker 2:I have friends, well, in Gaza, have friends in Jerusalem, and they've been. I'm talking, I'm talking to these people every day and they've been living to give, each living with each other for 40, 50 years. But we got a walk going on. These are same. There are up. They got to choose. They've been working. Their kids work together, they go to school together, they have bakery, they share stuff. But they said this whole thing is political stuff. But that's another story. We get in. That's another story.
Speaker 1:We can talk about here for it yeah that's another, that's a whole story.
Speaker 2:It's a it's. It's going on, is it's? But the people, when I'm saying the people, are still people.
Speaker 2:Yeah and they do work out things and whatever. And you said what would you mean work out? I say the answer that is look at each other. You here, I'm here, we are all springs of somebody else. So they had to do something successful in order to get here. They had to work it out, they worked it out. We are living testimony because we are here, proof. So why can't we get this thing done? So I'm working on stuff with that. I'm working with the different Focus groups are working with different governments on stuff like that. The whole point is basically get back to the basis. We need to learn that human, human. We need to work things out at the ground level and take the politics out or the self-serving.
Speaker 1:You say take, as I said. What do you say? Take the politics out.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, it said, we have people who have self-serving, there's certain self-serving.
Speaker 2:Agendas agendas that's the word agendas out there. That is not conducive to the People we're talking about. I'm talking about the people who don't have. There, you know, you have the group of people who have, who want to maintain their issues, to sustain and maintain, and everybody else is trying to obtain. There's the issue I'm trying to get something, you're trying to keep it. So the issue we're dealing with now in the world is basically the ones who have, don't want to lose it, they don't want to share, don't want to give it up. They think they got some. But the problem is, once you have something and you don't, and you attain it through other means I can say fraud me, but other means and you don't Spread it across and let it grow, you always have to be looking behind your back and what's going on, or losing it, because if you lose it, you don't have anything. You don't have anything and and you don't want to go back Because you have done certain things to get there and it's payback. Common is payback come back, it's okay, it's a payback.
Speaker 1:Isn't that kind of the root of a lot of big issues that have happened in the world?
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm still oh, my goodness, that is that, is that is that is it, that is that's it. I mean it's very, it's that simple, but it's that complicated, self-serving issues. My background I'm giving you my background working I have a little bit more knowledge on that. Most people I work in counterterrorism. That's part of the stuff I was doing here in Washington. I work with the three letter agencies I still do some stuff with them and the.
Speaker 2:If the issue is there's a genders and Then there's the people. In any situation, the people always suffer from a genders. Ukraine I got people in the same thing. Ukraine, that whole thing you notice your crane is tying in with the Middle East. Middle East it's tying in with everything else Taiwan, yemen, as we saw today, everything is all linked together. It's all on the genders. The people are suffering. The people always suffer in the war. You know we go back anywhere. You know, do time Wars it was before between the two leaders would be, it would be okay, but it's the people who suffer. That's what war is the robbery lease. Their war is hell and and it is because the people suffer. The people start the war. They usually go off somewhere else, start something else and whatever like that. You know. But we have to get back to a point where the people need to, and particularly now, with Communications, we can communicate. People are knowledge. They know more.
Speaker 2:The autumn spring I don't you know about the how that autumn spring Uprising Egypt happened years ago. The community it was based on. Two College students went together, one one went school together, one went back home, one didn't go back home. They found like, hey, I'm making money, I'm suffering, this is not working. That's what uprising start. So the whole point is peace of mind Families need to take. If everybody could take care of their families. This basic stuff, mars Lowe's basic stuff food, shelter, eat People don't care, it doesn't matter. But if you don't have the basic stuff, people are not going to now tolerate that. I'm driving a Bentley, I'm living in a ditch same neighborhood, same government. It doesn't work anymore. People are not gonna accept it and everybody has a Right to their own space. And I getting to do what's going on. Everybody should have their own space and shouldn't be oppressed by other people, and that's basic human rights. Basic human rights. I want to live and take care of my family and I don't care what else you do.
Speaker 1:That's basically what we look at it right now, so we have to get to that and how do you feel like I know you just gave me a good idea of your background. Yeah, why do you care so much about this? I?
Speaker 2:care because I am. I been blessed and it was a sin. You know the ones who been blessed has great responsibility. So my responsibility particularly. I noticed when I was in South America and Brazil. I noticed how people had so little but they gave so much.
Speaker 2:And my thing is, why can't we help these people do better, least have a decent life? They don't want much a decent life, and all your needs are basic things that need proper skill, training skills and access to. We don't have to give, we don't have to tell them everything we did that show him and give me access to. I have people in Africa we don't want the money we don't want, so we don't want to give us the, the ability To show us how to do and we can take care of ourselves. So my whole thing is we want to get out of the colonial mindset, the colonialism mindset. We come in, we tell them what to do and this and that that doesn't work. Show me what's going on. I know what's going on.
Speaker 2:I've been here 100,000s of years. I know what my community needs. Give me the resources, give me the access to training resources. Train me and leave me alone and let it happen and teach them how to the mindset of starting their own business and you start your own business. A whole lot of different things happen. Economics happen. I can take it myself, I can do internet stuff. Now I can trade. The mind is great. You got a great mind, but the ability and the access to that is very limited because of the agendas.
Speaker 1:I was going to say why do you think that we keep giving people fish versus teaching them how to fish?
Speaker 2:Why are we Well, now you're going to get into it. It's a term I call you ever turn called global south and global north. It's a term you're looking up after, but basically the global north is basically the countries or the agendas that have the resources, technology, funds, whatever like that. The global south is the ones that do not and they are basically the workload. They are the ones who are able to provide the global south. The global south has been kept in that situation because they have the raw resources.
Speaker 2:They have the raw resources, and I mean human and resources. The global north benefits from that, all right. So, thinking about that, I said well, what's the difference? Well, I have all the resources, I have the recent pay, but I don't have the control. Why is that? Well, it's a way of controlling, because I can give you a fish, but I'm not going to teach you how to catch it and I'm going to teach you how to cook it, and I definitely not going to teach you how to sell it, because if you did that, that means I can sit at the table for you. Or, a matter of fact, I have my own table and you don't need, I don't need you, and so you lose control. So it's all about controlling.
Speaker 2:Somebody always want to be on top, someone always got to support them, but we're, even if we're at an even level. Now we got an issue because, now it comes out, I have more ability to you than you do. All you have is control. You don't have skillset. Once we get to the mindset and that's when we get to that you have the ability, the natural ability, to do that. You don't have to be serving anyone in it and the people who are currently holding the throne or holding the crown don't have the same ability. They know that, so it's controlled.
Speaker 2:They, they worried about being treated and they and it is the funny part, the people who do not have don't have the mindset of once I get it, I'm going to put you down. They don't care, they want to everybody be happy. But the other ones who don't have the ability, who has control, worried about that. They think like I do. I think like well, if I let him have it, he's going to make me start washing dishes or he's going to put me in the dumpster. He's going to know it's not about that. The table is big enough for everybody to eat. Well, and that's, and that's the part, and that's the issue.
Speaker 2:When you have, you have and you worried about losing versus giving and attaining. That's a different mindset. So we got to get people to see him as hey, I'm equal, you equal, I'm just like you. You just have options. I don't have options, one. But we say the only difference for money, benefit of money, is it gives me options. And a lot of people don't understand that. What that mean options? Options that mean I can spend the money, I can do this, I can do different things that I can't do if I don't have options, and that's the difference. Options is not the ability, is not the skill set, is not your birth, where you was born. It's the option, and that's the only difference. In wealth that's it.
Speaker 1:That's that's so how do you get people that? How do you start to shift that mindset, that, or is it possible? I know that sounds like you're dedicating your yeah it is.
Speaker 2:It's a. It's a. It's a cause or mission is my, is my I guess I've been. That's my mission is to get to get it across the people and you have to start at the low level, at the village, community level, to get people thinking and get the. My thing is the generational. I'm talking about stuff. What we doing now was playing 20 years, 40 years ago. I'm talking about the next 20, 30, 40 years to get the kids and the mindset and the families in the mindset that, hey, you need to start your own business, you need to get you, you know, get the right training, and that's certainly. You need to network, you need to think about your fellow man, you need to start thinking about mankind or humankind. How am I going to leave this place? How am I going to make it better? Because you're living for the day Tomorrow, what are you going to do? Yeah, it's not going to be here. Where we're going right now, we're burning up more real estate than we have and we're not going to have anything and we're not catching up training and development ourselves. We're just living day by day and the technology is going to move and replace workload. Right now we're already seeing that workloads working If you don't have a certain skill set.
Speaker 2:Your college agreed on me and anything your work experience on me. If you don't have certain skill sets you out because machines are taking place. So where are you going to be? You're going to where you're going to be. There's no place for you, there's no need for you.
Speaker 2:Then we get into the real dark stuff that we don't have any place for you. So what do we do with you? Covid, stuff going on we can go on to a whole lot of stuff going on there that is not necessary for you to be here. We don't need you. We can't feed you. You're taking up space we don't need it's no longer so a certain number of people that's are in support. So you have to understand. You have to find your place Now.
Speaker 2:Take in mind everybody born with a certain skill. You have to define on what that is. You need to develop that at a very young age and work towards that. Don't wait until you 20, 21. Oh, I'm going to find myself 30. Well, it's done, because already a place for you. You're going to be working for somebody else on that plantation. I call you. You're going to be working somebody else and you're not going to like it because you're going to be able to live within that scope of that area, and that cause frustrations and a whole lot of stuff. We going on right now because people losing that mind, because they don't know that place.
Speaker 1:Do you feel like your views are very controversial in your field, or is it more widely accepted?
Speaker 2:It's very controversial, but that's okay because I'm a change agent. My whole point is change. You know people's like, you know I said well, my scope is funny because when I talk about this stuff, a lot of people get real quiet.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's because I could have conversations with you for a long time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, people get very quiet.
Speaker 1:I want to give you the mic because I don't want to take it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah I don't want to hear that. I want to hear that because it's a comes. If people get very quiet, very quaint and I'm a very one of my colleagues, to ease the norm my face is what. You see, I, if I like you, I like you If I don't, you know it, I can't, I can't conceal that. He said I go in a room and I know it was two minutes. I was in Vegas with some friends and we walked in the fountain, the new fountain, blue. He said know, I'm your face, said at all. I said what do you mean? He said your expression, said your whole body language says well. I said well, I just can't, it is, it's no, I don't have a poker face. I said, as you know, I don't like that.
Speaker 1:I love that For me. I'm saying this because I don't hear this type of conversation often. You know, most of the times when we've got some time in between guests, this girl over here has to listen to me rant and rave about whatever is going on and well.
Speaker 2:Well, that's, that's why I asked me. I talked to people all the time, I asked them what your background is, because basically, you know, I do a lot of training, I teach it and basically my approach is, basically I need to know who you are so I can make my approach to you, because I want to know exactly who you are, because it no use me talking to you if you're not going to listen to me or understand me unless you know that I care anything about you.
Speaker 2:If I don't care if you don't know, feel that we're not going to have that proper interaction. We need to share and that's where it needs to go. Everywhere I go, all over the world, I start out finding out exactly who you are and what you are.
Speaker 1:When I said my father should be rock, he said she gonna care about this Gaza situation right now.
Speaker 2:Well, no, it's a mindset, because I like to say I'm becoming the authority, I guess an authority of the and I use the term West Asia and people don't know what that means. You know what it means. It's that whole region, not the Middle East. I guess Asia, that whole West Asia, whole mindset. And I was in South America and I got an office in Paris I doing stuff in Africa, but the mindset outside of the continental United States it's a whole different mindset on how we approach each other and like that. So my approach is a little bit different. It's more of a global approach to different things. And I look at things how did that global approach affect how we do things locally? And now, you know, even here in Ashburn, leesburg, we're now global. It's no more. No, we all from somewhere else, we're all part of something. We're not from somewhere else. Our families or somebody else's associates or everything that happens in the world affects everything that we do today and so we have to start thinking that way and that's one approach. I have people say, well, man, that don't affect us, that don't happen. I say, okay, until then you found out what happened on 9-11. It happens now. It affects everybody. Everybody was affected that way. Somewhere they knew somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. If it wasn't, then you're a direct family. So we want to lead touch away from being involved. We engage right now. Today we got stuff going on today that's going to have effect. I just been appointed a position to represent a company, a Japanese company, that deal with renewable energy resources solutions, and I'm assigned to represent them as a business development executive.
Speaker 2:In West Asia Do stuff there. They're very particular who they want to use it. They're currently using this stuff. We have ability to take garbage and turn it into energy, everything that's awesome, yeah, but they don't want to give it to everybody because everybody will not, you know, it will misrepresent them, they'll abuse it and what that. So they have a brand, a 20-year brand, and they're very particular about who they want to introduce this to and whatever, which I respect because you got to have a purpose.
Speaker 2:What's the outcome? It's not about making money. You notice I'm saying anything about making money. Money comes, flows in and the money comes from and the wealth comes from training and developing the people. The people will go out and do what they need to do. You will benefit from everything they do. 10-fold, trust me, 10-fold. It has happened, it's happening. But you got to get the people in the right mindset that they can do for themselves with the proper resources, and so that's what I'm approaching. I've done things in Africa. I've got things going on right now and we use private funding. Some government stuff comes in with attachments, but the goal is to empower the people to take care of themselves, and we got sustainable energy resources. Now we got technology, now the AI stuff.
Speaker 2:People don't understand how that affects. It can be a blessing or a curse. A blessing or a curse. Either way, it depends on how we approach it. It can replace you or can enhance you. It depends on how you decide. You want to be on and most people lazy. Most people lazy. They want to take the short way out, but they don't understand. But you got to engage, you got to be involved. I use the term either you evolve or you dissolve.
Speaker 1:It's good.
Speaker 2:And just that simple. You want to be here, you want to do something. You have a legacy or an end of the day. I look at I just had a birthday last Friday and what is your legacy? The question is, what do you want to leave behind, what do you want to pass on? And I ask most people. I say what's your legacy At the end of the day? What do you want people to tell you, what do you want people to say about you when you're not here? You say what do you mean by that? I say well, I say two things. I'm telling you I'm an old guy now.
Speaker 2:There are two things that we are very limited of my time and my energy and don't waste it. I can't waste it. So everything I do has to have a purpose, has to have a focus. So you ask me why I'm doing this. I say have a focus because the legacy has. You know, I got grandkids and everybody's got grandkids and whatever. So I want to go there one day, sit on a palm tree, drink something more spicy than this on a palm tree and watch the world go by. And I don't want to be disappointed that all everything I know didn't happen and could have happened.
Speaker 2:Knowledge, because human beings are creatures of habit. You take 10,000 iterations to change a bad habit. 10,000, I do training to change a bad habit. We have to catch them very young because when they get into the mountains they're not going to go back to the same habits. We're doing things that our great great grandparents, you're doing things now that your great great grandparents did and you don't even know why. It's in your DNA. So we have to focus on what we're doing, be conscious of what's going on and not repeat the same issues that they have. They struggle, they survive. We may not because of we've been replaced with automation technology. We may come unnecessary.
Speaker 2:Then what? Then what? You're talking about aliens coming with, aliens been around, and all I said well, we're aliens because everybody else has been going on. We just discovering that we're not here alone. And people think, oh, you think you're the only one, you the first one, and see, that's the mind. Well, that's a. I don't see American minds that most people don't. You know other people don't think that you the only one, you survive.
Speaker 2:Well, we can go to another story about the history. You talk about your neighborhood, my family, the first families of the Virginia. Well, you know the talk to talk all the way back to Jamestown for that Virginia's rich in history. But we also, we started this country, started here in Virginia. A lot of stuff going on and a lot of stuff is still being repeated because we don't know our history, we don't care about history. A lot of stuff we don't know. So people don't. You know people. It's a lot, it's a story out there.
Speaker 2:So part of the education and I say education, yes, the former, but it's the education who you are, got to know, who you are, where you come from, so that on the way you can move forward, you got to know your roots. You don't know where you come from. How are you going to do anything? Yeah, you don't know where you come from. You just evolved, you just, I just was born here on a rock today and I said, oh, you think you're the only one. No, no, it doesn't happen that way. Evolution doesn't happen that way. So we have to, we have to come conscious of what's going on and slow down a little bit and start looking and seeing the grass grow and appreciating this and talking to each other, because that conversation you learn more about yourself. In that conversation.
Speaker 1:And as I'm learning more, just keep my mouth closed. That's conversation.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm just sharing with a little bit. That's just a little bit. I'm just a guy. I tell people. I just a guy. I've been around, I've seen a lot of people. A lot of people engage me on different. I'm a official, I'm an advisor, I advise people. I advise a lot of important people and I talk to them just like I'm talking to you. You know, I talk to people you wouldn't believe. And we have the same conversation. And they said, well, ask me, how are you dealing with that? I said, well, you do what's natural.
Speaker 2:It's very simple, that's basic. Break it down human to human. Would you treat him the way he's treating you? Will you treat him the way what is the right way? And everything else after that comes very simple, is basically I'm a human, you're a human. How do we treat each other? And all the rest of stuff don't matter. Ancul interests, because there's enough at the table, because right now we weren't about losing or getting something. I'm worried about losing something versus Something you really didn't have, but you don't have anything now and getting in that store too.
Speaker 2:We born, we came here by ourselves. We're gonna leave by itself. Trust me, everything you think you have Is on loan. It's not yours. Yeah, all you have is your skin, and that is not yours. It was your parents that gave it to you. It's not sure you don't even own your skin, so how do you expect to have Everything else? You don't even own it. It's not yours. It was getting into the. You do ever source it. You didn't have anything to say about that. So what we want to do With what we have, we got them. We got the moment. We got a very short period of time on earth. We think we got a lot of time. We don't have that much time and we got a very limited time on doing it. So we need to start. Getting back is very simple Talk to each other, get to the people, figure out what's going on, figure out what your skill sets and go for. Put together a plan.
Speaker 1:Who are the, besides the three letter agencies that you work with? Who are the different types of people that you work with? Groups, companies?
Speaker 2:I work with private companies, I work with governments.
Speaker 1:What are the problems that they're having before they engage you?
Speaker 2:Usually they excuse my French they're in a cluster. They're in a cluster. They don't know what's going on. They try different things. They try different gimmicks. They try different things and most of the time I gather they are political issues. They're political that they are. They are politicians who are in virgin, losing their office because they haven't addressed the issues of a people.
Speaker 2:I'm a political commentator for a news service in a country in Southeast Southeast Asia. She just got reelected. I mean, I'm in a country I work, yet them and they got tremendous issues and what they do, in matter of fact, they are looking on how to resolve the issues with the people and basically all I'm saying is what I told you the same thing. You got to address the needs of the people, not the needs of your agenda, and they looking for ways on doing it, and that's the way it's not. You know, you talking to me, you already know, but you don't, you don't understand what's going on because of you've been privileged, you've been Giving certain things and you lost touch with the people. Yeah, so it's so. They're the main ones, the main ones. You know. I got stuff in South America same situation, governments. I got stuff in West Africa West Asia, africa, same things.
Speaker 2:The leaders have not Maintain their level of touch with the communities.
Speaker 2:Some of them has taken money from other places To make themselves look good.
Speaker 2:But the end of the day, now it comes to the point where now we getting uprisings, we getting governments now being you know these, these coups and stuff going on, and it's all because because somebody has been bought, sold and paid for and I'm driving a Bentley with the Brooks Brothers suits and I'm got a guy who's Taking a poop in the street right now and living off, you know, living off of us, you know you're cigarette ashes and it doesn't have to be.
Speaker 2:And all that person one is a way to take care of themselves and the family, and they don't care what you do. That's and it doesn't and you know what. It doesn't take that much. So they want to come in now and approach people like me to give them solutions, and Solution is basic. Get back to basic. Put programs in place where you empower the people to take care of themselves, give them the resources and, once they start giving the resources to take care of themselves, you good, yeah, you good but, they're worried that these people who underserved Will get the answer and the trigger and the special question and take over.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it doesn't work that way. See, they weren't about they like them. You know. You know I'm, I'm like this way. So everybody think the same way I do. No, they all they want to do is take care of their family and their neighborhood and put food on the table and after that, that's it. That's very simple. I can take care of myself, I can. You know, I can get, I can drive and car, I got heat, I got lights in the house and I got running water. The rest of it you can do what you want to do. And I'm trying to base II, with which we are trying to convey this to them.
Speaker 2:But their trust level is very distrusting because they don't trust themselves. They think, well, they're gonna, you know they're gonna cut our heads off and some cases that may happen, but most cases, if you treat people right, they'll treat you right. That's the common sense. Treat people. They got to care back to again. People want to listen. Once they figure out that you care something about them, how you doing Well, my kids are not gonna be able to trust me.
Speaker 2:I got kids who have special needs. I have food on the table. I Don't have enough money to get medicine. I don't have enough. My grandmother don't have anything. You know place to go. I can't get in the met. You know I can't. I can't get resources for them. I can't. You know I don't have. I don't know what I'm gonna do tomorrow. I don't know what I'm gonna do tomorrow. I don't know what I'm gonna do tomorrow. You know I don't have. I don't know what I'm gonna do tomorrow. Eat the day. I don't know about tomorrow. Next week I need medicine for my situation. I don't have shelter, you know I don't. You know stuff like that, very simple, basic stuff, and it's okay we give that to them. They don't want you to give that to. They want to get at them. So they want to have the basic. You're still a human being. I want to have that, you know, dignified. I'm dignified him. I can take care of myself. Give me the resources so I can take care of myself and that's it. That's it.
Speaker 1:It's cool, all right, so to wrap this up, what is one message to kind of summarize your mission? And Wow, like if you had a microphone where you could speak to the entire world, what would that message be? I?
Speaker 2:Think we as a people Need to recognize that we need each other and we need to Get rid of all the external stuff and get down to the basics. I Need you, you need me, and let's get together and do this. That's it. A lot of stuff goes on in there, but basically people, people and we need to realize that. Sit down, have a conversation. I do it all the time, different people. I said, wow, I had that same thought. I'm on a different part of the world, different language or whatever. The same idea, but we get down till we've stopped talking. If you know, you know the conversation. Once you have the conversation, you have more similar than you have differences, and once you realize that everything else can be worked out, everything we hear on earth for a reason, we won One human group.
Speaker 2:You can come from a dark side, come from the light side, cold side, this side, whatever, but we all the same thing we inhabit the crust of the earth. We inhabit the earth. We're not there, we doesn't have. We're supposed to be stewards of it and take care of everything else, but we some reason think we the one, and only we're not. Evolution will prove that.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not Thank you so much. Thank you, the LM on show. I feel like I just you know, Scored with having you here on this show. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this one, it was a pleasure.