S1E2 - Defying the Odds of Absent Parents to Reaching Unbelievable Goals (Zach Sigmund, Boys & Girls Club Director)

Zach Sigmund is living example of why setting and reaching YOUR goals can change your life. Raised in a household with parents who abused drugs and alcohol, he found support through the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis. In 1997, he became the Youth of the Year. His ambition caught Finish Line's attention and he was featured in the company's magazine as a Youth Success Story. He put himself through college, built a family and currently is LeGore Club's program director.

Connect with the host on Instagram @sarajmcinerney, visit www.saramcinerney.com to bring the Facing Fear workshop to your organization and leave a review below!

Transcript

spk_0:   0:13
Hello there. You're listening to facing fear with me, Sarah McNerney on this podcast, I talked to individuals who have stared down their fears and are living unapologetically authentic lives and defining success on their own terms. We are here to share vulnerable stories, get riel and motivate you to think about your own fears and how to conquer them. So let's get started. So this is the first interview I ever recorded. And when I made all the plans for this podcast, I immediately made a list of people who I wanted to reach out to and be able to connect with to tell their story because I know they had an incredible story. And ironically, this guess that you're about to hear from did not make my list. And Zach did not make my list simply because I didn't know him yet. I came across Zach at the Boys and Girls Club Gala, where we were both speakers throughout the night, but we did not get the opportunity to me in person. But Zach's story was so vulnerable and incredible that I knew I had to reach out and get his story if I could, and I thought he'd make a great guest. Um, funny enough, the first time actually met Zach was when I set up an interview with him. So thanks to Zach again for being so open and willing to trust me and to meet me for the first time and let me pry open his life. So I really appreciate that. Zak, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for being here.

spk_1:   1:43
I said, how are you?

spk_0:   1:44
I am great. We're actually sitting in a boys and girls club right now. Can you tell me a little bit about where we're at?

spk_1:   1:50
We are in the computer lab right now, and there's about 10 computers and this is the most unformed ole and formal room you could ever do a Bacchus in. So what, you got the picture? This? It's a bunch of old posters and a little bit of plants and some old chairs.

spk_0:   2:06
And there's three balls and purple. Can you give me an elevator speech? So, in, like, four sentences or less about who you are,

spk_1:   2:15
I would describe myself as someone that came from nothing that wants to leave a legacy in his community and try to teach kids that are in the same environment that they don't have to be a product of that environment. That's something I'm very passionate about. My daily motivations kind of fit into that goal.

spk_0:   2:33
And where did you grow up? Indy

spk_1:   2:35
Global, More seal, poverty stricken area. My parents were it to lack of better words. Drug addicts, drug dealers

spk_0:   2:44
break that down a little bit because that is a very unusual circumstance for probably a lot of people who are here in this. How old were you when you knew this may not be the best situation.

spk_1:   2:53
The one thing I remember is there early child is police kicking our door and arresting my parents for marijuana and me being taken away from my family and my little brother being taken away from her family so happily I kind of realized like, this isn't the normal experience. This isn't what everybody lives like. This isn't you know the right way to do things. So I was mad at the police. Be amended the police for taking my mom and dad away as I got older as a matured as I started to realize right or wrong decisions and how the world works. That was really my parents. That would put me in those situations.

spk_0:   3:26
House there, brother. How many years? My brother

spk_1:   3:28
is two years younger than me. So we're I was five and he was three. And he is hearing impaired. He has a disability. You went toe special schools his entire life, so he didn't quite understand everything that was going on. And I'm five. Obviously, I didn't either. I just know that we're living with somebody that's not our parents somewhere that we don't know as well. You didn't really know when you were gonna have that contact again. And when you were gonna be back at home when they did come home and we did get back with him, I'd like to say like, Oh, they learned their lesson. I got there, slap on the wrist. But no, that's what we got evicted from the place we were living at because of what happened. And that's when we moved to tomorrow. Still Maywood. It's a dead industry, you know, and I like to tell people a lot of dead and opportunities. A lot of people are very goal raining. Um, and they just picked up kind of where they left off. You know, they went right back to doing the things I do. My dad is abused alcohol his entire life, and my mom's is abused pills and marijuana my entire life, you know, they worked on and off way, didn't have a lot of money. They weren't clean people whatsoever. When I say not clean people like we were dirty people. And now I can say that, But looking back on it, that was one of the worst things for me. You don't know me well, Sarah, but I am a clean person. I am a tidy human being.

spk_0:   4:43
Yeah. I mean, you rolled in here this morning after a workout and a full head to toe Nike outfit, which I very much vibe with, but that I'm sure wouldn't we do things with the club? The request that we get from kids is they just want a brand name. And I'm sure that something that you did not grow up with that also hand

spk_1:   4:58
me down clothes was what I was raised in. I think a big thing for me well, is it wouldn't even the brand of time and this and this is really trivial. For most people you talked about how some people don't kind of identify with what you've been through. It was food, food. I was hungry. You know, when you when you picture being a child special early child and you're I'm going to bed hungry all the time. You know your parents don't cook you meals like that. That wasn't a thing like I grew up on snacks and sometimes of snacks from my neighbor's. A lot of times my attendance would be perfect at school simply because they fed me at school and I had good relationships with my teachers. Sometimes, you know, they would give me certain things, but I was always fed. If I went to school, I was always guaranteed a mill. I always had things going on in the back of my head. I think it was always, ah, level of paranoia. The wind was the next bad thing gonna happen as a child. Kind always haunted me, Say that's kind of what kept me in school, got me down the road. We'll get my education, you know, And I got better. As I got older, I would say 4th 5th grade, I started to mature and started understanding. Well, this is what I had to do. What

spk_0:   5:59
do you think being the oldest sibling played on your own To that? Because I'm the oldest of floor. And I think a lot of my maturity and problem solving skills and being a leader come from being the oldest, which was the greatest blessing in the world. Do you share that?

spk_1:   6:12
I say, I don't. I hate to say I hate to say this, but I wasn't a very good big brother. I don't want to make an excuse, but I say I was kind of just trying to take care of myself. Yeah, I was trying to keep my head above water for me. It was, you know, I get If I don't do this for myself, who's gonna do it? Especially as a young child, I would leave my house. I'll be a neighbor's houses or on the basketball court. You know, I never wanted to be home, but a lot of times I went to a neighbor's house is an obvious I like them, but also is Tiu. Yeah, me and my brother didn't have a lot of those things in common, so he was never really with me.

spk_0:   6:45
How close they

spk_1:   6:46
are now. Yeah, yeah, he is. He's definitely a big part of my life. He text me when I got here. He's never allowed his disability to kind of holding back. Ah, he's a father, too. He's a great father. He's a real religious man, and he's definitely nothing like my mother or father, either. And I know he was motivated differently as well. Because of them, we definitely didn't grow up in your atypical household with I say these things to Sarah and I know you don't know me, but I came to the Boys and Girls Club after college because I wanted the kids in this community to kind of see my story. I wanted him to hear my story, and not because I want anybody to feel sorry for me. That's the last thing on Earth you want. I promise you, sir. I'm sitting pretty now, you know, and I feel like all those experiences kind of turned me into the man I am today. That absolutely, but I wanted the kids here that I serve in this community now, which is over 200 a day. It's something we're super proud of. I just wanted him to hear that no matter where you start, no matter how bad things are right now, you know, just kind of stayed driven. Stay focused. Find a goal. You know, just work, work towards something, and eventually you can get there. You don't have to have it all right now. And that Sze something I'm extremely passionate about.

spk_0:   7:54
Yeah, I think a lot of people are trying to that reach success or however they wanted to find out. The one thing they want to give back is that it doesn't matter where you come from and if you I know that your life as a child probably seemed very, very long because it wasn't playing outside and having fun and very mindful and strategic. And one thing I want to talk to a lot of my guests about is when fear fails. I think for you, when you were a child, there was probably a lot of fear. So how did you overcome that? To keep your head on straight? There was a lot of excuses you could have thrown out.

spk_1:   8:25
I hate to say I had every reason to not do good you know, there was never anybody. Tell him. Hate you. D'oh! Hey, wake up with you. I

spk_0:   8:32
just recall all the times that my parents were there to do homework with me. And, gosh, my dad would make us in class. He will. Obviously, he wasn't there, But he would encourage us to go through our test and then go through would take the whole test again just to double check ourselves. He was in my head at school, so he wasn't you had there, but he was in my head, you know? What do you attribute Thio Either yourself or others around you for overcoming that fear and those possible failures that you could have had

spk_1:   8:58
The fail in general was learning about the boys and girls clubs Existence Great. I was 13 years old. I'm in seventh grade and one of my friends the time told me, Hey, we go here and we played basketball to school every day. And I'm in love with basketball. It's it's it's always been my number. One passion in this world

spk_0:   9:14
is your team.

spk_1:   9:15
And, uh, well, the Pacers are my team. But I played a Franklin College three. Promise you I wasn't anything impressive, but I absolutely love.

spk_0:   9:25
That's amazing. Now you ve accomplishment itself. You want to do before does not matter.

spk_1:   9:30
I was introduced to the club, and that is kind of where I found there's more to the world. There's adults that care about you. I mean, I've always had teachers that I felt like cared about me. But as a teacher, you've got a deal with the other 30 kids in the class. You can't really have that one on one time. You can't really share your story and kind of talk to them about it as much as you would like. You know, I had some good teachers and ended, but when I got to the club, I really built a relationship with unit director two times. Name's Tim, Fred's and he kind of stepped into. My life is a is A is a father figure, you know, he was definitely somebody that, you know, show me what it was like to be a man. He showed me right and wrong so many things that I was not being taught as a kid. Things that I think a lot of us take for granted, you know, When you talk about your father standing over your shoulder, you're ready. You're prepared, Tim. Kind of did those things for me. This is simple. Hey, how's your day is? Goes a long way for you. Never had making sure my homework is done. You know, checking in on how sports they're going. Tim was real good about all those things. If I didn't have a ride home, he provided it, you know? And then a lot of the staff here gave me rides home. A big part of why I started coming here has that relationship, Bill. I grew as a person, and I started to become a product. This environment, you know, something I felt like was going in the right direction. And I grew off.

spk_0:   10:42
Did you say the club until you're 18?

spk_1:   10:44
Stated the club tone 37

spk_0:   10:47
today. I never stopped. I

spk_1:   10:48
started when I was 13. That's way too Ben Davis High School. In 2000 I went, went to Franklin College. I graduated in 2005 so I set out from 2002 other one. So I left for college. I went to Franklin, apply friend calls the only school I applied for.

spk_0:   11:01
Did you end up putting yourself through college?

spk_1:   11:03
Yes. Yeah, yeah. And I didn't get to share that at the gala, but that was, Ah, big part of my story, too. There's a couple things that are really big defining moments for me. No one was getting a door kicked in as a child. That's a bad one, you know. And then another. Another crappy one from Iwas. My mom had left my father and they never had a really good relationship. But my mom had left my father in the same week I moved for college. She moved out. But I honestly Sarah, I feel like she was waiting for me to leave. I was She was there because I was there on did the moment she left. Here's what happens. And this is what was hard for me. And like, this is where my college experience is different from most kids. College experiences. I didn't hear from her for six years. 666 years of birthday. Six years of Christmases. I don't know. She was dead or alive. Didn't know she was going down the wrong hill on drugs Or if she was, you know, with somebody or where she was living. I had no contact time. Cell phones weren't really a thing, and I had no idea where she went. Nor did my father. That was tough. So I left for college. First time ever being away from home.

spk_0:   12:03
Yeah.

spk_1:   12:04
You know, I'm a poor kid from inner city Indianapolis.

spk_0:   12:07
Let's sail away from this away from

spk_1:   12:09
Oh, well, it was I'm not here. I'm not around anymore. I'm not. You know, I don't got the club to kind of fall on it. And now it's all me. There's 100% Zach Sigmund responsible for Zach. Sigmund might

spk_0:   12:21
be part of that freeing since, you know, growing up, it was constantly trying to find food or, you know, getting yourself to school. And now you're in college and you have a dorm room and, you know, you're finally on your own journey. Was any of that free

spk_1:   12:33
in the beginning? It wasn't as I started to get comfortable, you know, as I started to figure out, things were so where I was going. And absolutely I took off from there, like, you know, I realized, as they're at an early age, always go to class. They tell you to read something. Read it. And that's what I did in college. I just took those principles to the classroom there, and I was pretty successful. Honestly, like I did better in college academically than I did in high school. And I think it's because I got out of that environment at home. I slept on the floor and I slept in a corner of a room and there was mold on the walls. I can I'm not coming. There was a blow, my walls for sometimes black. You know, it was a disgusting environment. I mean, and I hate that. It's embarrassing to say, especially then, but there was cockroaches. There's mice. My bathroom floor was plywood. You know, you just can't. You can't. You can't envision it like, yeah, you know, they were Maur like hoarders, you know? Then then anything. And that's not who I watched like that. Always. You know, I was like, I got I got to get out of this. I wanted my rooms to myself. I wanted the solo.

spk_0:   13:35
Yeah, you do.

spk_1:   13:36
And you know, any of my friends from college will test any time they came in my room. It was always spotless, always clean. Yeah, you know, things were well maintained, and that was kind of my first opportunity to kind of be in that environment After I started to get used to it and be away and figured things out and realized, Hey, Mom's not coming, You know, Dad's not gonna help. You know, there is no support system here, like I've got to get this done. And then it became very free.

spk_0:   13:59
I know that you do this a lot on a daily basis because you work at the club. You could tell other kids coming from your situation. You know, one piece of advice that if they have a similar situation to you that you graduated high school, you went to college and are successful functioning adult, I think for a lot of kids, it's overwhelming to think that they could ever be, you know, on the same level as you are anywhere near and, you know, a functioning adult in the future. So what's something that you tell kids to just keep them going on a daily basis to brighten their day or to give them hope when they may not have it.

spk_1:   14:29
That's a definite I want them to be driven. I want them to kind of figure out what direction they want to go. I want them to find a goal. Every kid's different, obviously, and every everybody situation's different. I want don't understand the importance of consistent action. I want them to understand the importance of the reps. You know, whatever they want to be good at, you know, And for some of these kids trying to find that vision, it's hard, and that's where they're here. And they got us preaching to him when they got a showing in programs, and we're doing different things so they can kind of open their eyes to the world. Some of them, they just haven't crashed on, you know, to whatever that vision is that you wanted to podcasts. You know, I want to be a basketball trainer. You know, a kid may not find whatever that passion is yet, but I want them to know whenever they do find that they just got their work really, really hard at it, they can't let the things that are weighing them down right now. If there are things weighing them down and now hold them back. They can't use any negative in their life as an excuse. That's something that the world is. Don't care. They don't care. They're

spk_0:   15:26
not. That is not going to adjust what's

spk_1:   15:28
not, No matter what, me and you interfered Interview for a position they don't care what my backstory was. Your backstory was. They want to know what I can provide for them in the interview and how qualified I am and prepared I am for the interview

spk_0:   15:42
you as a person, sincere, whole background because, yeah, that's so true that the world does not adjust for people, and I think that sometimes it's hard for people to face that. But you just got to keep chipping away because you can figure out how to make what you want to work work for you. So, speaking of hope and talking to kids, you shared this piece of information during the gala that about knocked me out of my chair. So at finish line, we recently have rebranded. So if you remember the old finish line logo, which is actually still very present in many of our most are on the country, it's finish line with this little logo in between, and it's a guy who looks like he's running. We called him for years. Spike. We recently retired Spike about. Think it was two or three years ago along the spike. We used to have something called the Spike magazine. I only know about Spike Magazine because my first job job at finish line was working in corporate communications and they had access to a lot of finish line history, and they needed it organized. So I had to go through all of this finish line history. And so I'm finding all these weird, you know, nineties 80 70 stuff. And it was really cool to look at and for me, as I was just starting to work out finish line. Just getting to know the company different versions of Spike Magazine and you have a story with Spike Magazine. So can you tell everyone about

spk_1:   17:00
that? One of the one of the coolest things that ever happened to me is a teenager for shore, like so temperate. So I told you he was a unit director here. Hello, Gore. Me never closed. Hate approached me and asked me to write a short story about my goals. And as I shared at the gala, I didn't think about my goals a ton, you know, short term or long term. You know, it's time. I'm just kind of focused on day today, trying to get through life. And so I said now, you know, I took it serious. I wrote down a couple of long term goals couple short term goals, and I had submitted it to Tim and Tim in return. I had no idea at the time, but timid and returned submitted it to finish line.

spk_0:   17:36
Now what? It was.

spk_1:   17:37
Yeah. Yeah. Hey, didn't tell me that. He just said Hey, put this on paper.

spk_0:   17:41
Yeah,

spk_1:   17:41
and then finish line. Reaches out to him in on a week or two later. Whatever it waas and I hate we want a meeting. We wantto put his story in our magazine and then even more. We want him to come downtown and do this photo shoot. Surprised me with this information. Of course. I'm not saying no to anything. Yes,

spk_0:   18:00
e i e I

spk_1:   18:04
want to do that.

spk_0:   18:05
You

spk_1:   18:06
know I want to be there. So he took me to this, like warehouse downtown. Were like It's what you would picture like it's a It's a huge open building, and and they take times and tons of pictures of me and and, you know, they treat me like a king. And I'm just like, man, I didn't know this was even a part of the world and

spk_0:   18:23
I didn't know existed, you

spk_1:   18:25
know? And it was just the most amazing experience. And at the time I got I know I wrote the article and I know they're taking pictures of me, but I guess I didn't really, You know, I'm like, 16 years old and I'm not really thinking about what's gonna happen with these photos. You know, a little bit of time goes by. I don't know. However long it takes to produce a magazine, I open up a mailbox, you know, whatever month or two later, there's a spike finish line is the Spike magazine. My mailbox is a finish line magazine. Kevin Garnett is on the cover from the Timberwolves, and I am in the magazine and there is a full layout. Just I got the whole page. I got a whole page by myself there and my stories. They're my smiling faces and I'm in there with orange Nike shirt and I'm telling you like when I hit it school, I thought I was the man I thought I was absolutely like, you know, on top at that point. Like it just it just felt amazing, you know, for that whole year, you know, I kind of just bragged and rub that in. That

spk_0:   19:20
was that was my

spk_1:   19:21
little That was my little, like, my little two seconds of fame. In my opinion, How was the Boys and Girls Club doing that for me?

spk_0:   19:27
Yeah.

spk_1:   19:27
No, that was finish line doing that for me. That was the world showing me that there was Maur out there Maur available than this kid's sleeping on the floor trying to find a meal

spk_0:   19:36
and saying we see you, you matter in your story matters. Yeah, When I heard that, I was just like, Oh my gosh, I obviously totally remember that magazine from looking at old things that no longer exists. Of course, because everything is digital on our website has come leaps and bounds since then, but we've had a long standing relationship with boys and Girls Club and giving kids hope, I think, is the most impactful intangible saying that we can do with this partnership. And I just thought that story was so cool. I didn't ask the marketing team if they could find it. Unfortunately, they couldn't. You have at least texted we're going to go walk over and see it after this. But I asked to employees who have been with finish line for 15 plus years, and they were like, Oh, honey, that that magazine predates us. And I was like, Okay, just kidding. Okay. Alright. School. We'll go look at it. My

spk_1:   20:30
little gold gold hoop earrings. You know, hairline at a hairline. You gotta picture this bald guy has had a little bit.

spk_0:   20:41
So speaking of style, as I mentioned earlier, is that and I were talking before we started recording, but he's in a full Nike get up. Very finish line appropriate. I noticed you also have a full sleeve. Tell me about your some of your tattoos and what they mean to you. I

spk_1:   20:54
do. Obviously, it's more on the religious side. First of all, like I'm really into the culture like Loved had to have some of my chest, my arms on my side, all of them. Except for the one over here. Kind of means something to me. I first got my first time too, when I was 15.

spk_0:   21:13
Oh, my God. Hey, D'oh!

spk_1:   21:16
You grew up where I grew up. It wasn't It wasn't. It wasn't a good tattoo party.

spk_0:   21:20
It was like it was no one on the street. No studio.

spk_1:   21:25
But he's got a tattoo. Do it for you if you want. I'm just stupid. Kids don't get tattoos until you could pay for a nice ones. Never, ever paid for a crappy tattoo because

spk_0:   21:37
that's a great lesson. Things

spk_1:   21:39
turned into this cross was Ah, cover up. That was my first time, too was across. I was really, really trashy and really bad. And I hated I loved because I always wanted to present myself, you know, in a way that, you know, I felt was clean and I liked and I was proud of to describe my tattoos. You got family first on my wrist. Obviously, my family is my number. One thing in this world. I got two little boys. I got a fiance named Cassie and then my son I got a 10 year old son named Nash and in a seven year old son named Gray. And there is absolutely the best nice that ever happened to me.

spk_0:   22:11
Cool names. I'm with unique names in Ashton Passionate Grayson Way Love Nash in great way.

spk_1:   22:19
Stick with it for surely we're big fans of their names. We want names.

spk_0:   22:24
Yeah, no offense to my parents but they named us Sarah. Sam. Cindy. Matt. So we'll have to go. I want my kids to have really unique names. Although to their credit, our last name McInerney is now only difficult to pronounce but difficult to spell. So I think they even it out right away. But cool National.

spk_1:   22:39
Yeah, Nash in gray. And then as you kind of work up this leave, you got the serenity prayer. So when I got the serenity prayer, I was injured. I was hurt, you know? And I talk about basketball live. I still play basketball. I still teach kids basketball. Still run basketball leagues like that's the seven days a week thing. I ain't had a day off from basketball, and I can't tell you how long you know I have got the serenity prayer cause I was gonna do some injuries. And honestly, I was physically unable to do anything like I did a year off from, like, really being able to walk. I had a severe back injury. I have a pretty serious surgery and college post college. But it was during college when I got hurt in college. I was just kind of getting stamped there before practice. Ugo is your Band Aid, and then I have made it worse. You know, I didn't do things that I was supposed to take care of them, definitely blaming college or anybody else

spk_0:   23:27
in their injuries were just mentally not only physically hurt you, but mentally to I've definitely been there myself.

spk_1:   23:33
When you love something, as much as I love playing basketball, you

spk_0:   23:37
don't want to give it us here. And I'm missing time. Yeah,

spk_1:   23:40
he's missing anything like it was my life. So, yeah, I made the injury worse, but so I got the serenity prayer, and then you kind of work your way up and you got the doves and the angels. You got the in God's hands with the praying hands. Get the chair apps. You know, it was for me. I wanted something that didn't look like I was trying to be a tough guy, but I definitely wanted to have tattoos and I wanted to show those. So I tried to find a really good tattoo artist. The same guided him all shout out Chris Taylor,

spk_0:   24:08
the

spk_1:   24:09
owns in therapy, in playing field. He's a hell of a guy if you want to say in a chair with somebody for eight hours, suggesting

spk_0:   24:16
I have one tattoo myself and it's probably three inches across 2.5 down and I love it to its family is an infinity symbol and then family through it. There's five letters or six letters and family F am I. Oh, why there's six of us. My parents are separated and divorced, so they each get 1/2 loop I got in college when I was 21 with my sister. It's on my upper left ribs, which is closest to your heart when it was really difficult. Going through a separation like that and sometimes being mad at the both of them are being mad at one and then being, you know, team Dad are being met. A dad. I mean, t mom and I got it because I think catches a really cool too. And I wanted something to always have that would last beyond. You know, the relationship within the six of us. And then you go into my own family one day and they will always be the most five solid people in my entire life. I got to have one done, so I'm good. Mind probably took 13 minutes, and my sister went with me. My wonderful sister Sam and I laid on the table and I was just like sweating when I got up. Because you're his age and you can't do anything about 24 hours. It's not respect, but I'm good with my one e

spk_1:   25:25
Tell people all the time if I ever win the Powerball, which I don't play. So, yeah, I would be covered. Yeah, other than, like my face like I was doing my face. But I would be absolutely attack to mess. And, you know, my girl proves so

spk_0:   25:40
Yeah, that's that's a good thing, Thio. So let's go back a little bit because now you work full time for the Boys and Girls Club, specifically the logo or club, and we're on the southwest side of Indy. So tell me about your role here.

spk_1:   25:52
But here I am, the program director. I am the number two in charge. I guess what I tell people a lot of times on the vice principal. I've been in the same position for 13 years. I know a lot of people were like, What is he doing with his life? Why isn't tryingto why hasn't he tryingto set a higher goal? Do another position going to another club, find something else?

spk_0:   26:11
Especially now, because I feel like the tradition of holding a job for 567 10 plus years is kind of going away, which I'm totally for. If you're if you're not happy, move on, move out, move up like whatever you need to do. But if you are happy, there is also ah, lot to say for having a job for that long. And I have a lot of friends who have gone from job to job and rightfully so because they're looking for what they're happier passionate about. And I'm coming up on five years at finish line and may never did. I think that I would hit five or even beyond that, and I definitely see myself going beyond that. So

spk_1:   26:44
So maybe just make sense. This makes sense for me. Yeah, I'm proud of who I am. Here. I feel like I'm looked at were respecting my community. I feel like right now I'm able to still make a difference and still building relationships with the kids that are here. My kids were here, my own Mike Nash in Great come here every day

spk_0:   27:02
and it's called, You

spk_1:   27:02
know, it's It's just a matter of getting to leave a legacy in my community like they left for me when Tim was here and and I really idolized that individual. And I wanted to become somebody that would look that like him and, you know, try to treat it with a new opportunity to kind of reach a kid. And I hear all kinds of different stories when I work with these kids. And then I started to realize how much they need me, how much they need some continuity, how much you know how valuable time could be for them. You know, it just be being therefore checking in with them, just like the club did for me. I like to find out how their day is. You know how the how school's going out sports are going, another relationship going. I like they let them vent to me if there's an issue at home or you know what their best friend. But honestly, Sara, I look forward to being here every single day like I just never, ever a time. And I talk about this with people all the time being Juan have talked about it. Me and my boss, Kim, where I grew up with here. We talked about it all the time. We just feel so blessed to be ableto to be in this position. I don't take it for granted. A lot of people are like How do you do it for the money like That's not why I'm here like I believe in this organization. I believe in the Mission toe. Be a part of this, and I want to continue to help the kids in my community on that makes me feel like I'm doing something as a man. You know, that makes that gives me a sense of pride. I guess since the ownership and that's the same thing we're trying to do with the kids You know, we're trying to give us enterprise sense of ownership. That's what the club does for me. And I'm hoping the club does the same for them. You know, I definitely look at myself as a leader trying to impact the staff's lives, just like I want to help the kids. You know, I wanna make sure we got good relationships with schools in the communities, you know, make sure partnered up with people that want to work with us and, you know, really showing appreciation to the donors that do a lot for our kids. To me, that's the thieves. This is the best job in the world. I'm not. I'm not rich and and I'm not gonna be rich, but, you know, we were eating every day, and my kids are happy healthy for that. I'm extremely proud.

spk_0:   28:53
I think that's an awesome passion over paychecks story for sure. So when you left college, did you come right back? I don't want to come back

spk_1:   29:01
what they did for me. I did my internship here. I knew I was It wasn't even a thing. So here's like like, this position wasn't even available when I was in college. Like I'm thinking. Like, I gotta find another job and hope that one day I can come here. It was always a part of the plan. I didn't know how it was gonna work out, but it was pretty much as soon as I graduated. A couple of months went by after my graduation from college, and this job became available, you know, and I couldn't wait to get here. You know what I mean? Like, yes, let's do it. You know? And I interviewed with Kim Crash niac. She was a beautiful person, and she was the unit director at the time. And, you know, there was a lot of the people of the interview, and there was, you know, some people that were really qualified Well, and they ended up choosing me. Thank God. Been here ever since. Trying to prove my worth ever since trying tow, you know, make him proud. Make the club around, make 10 proud. Try to leave my imprint. Yeah, this organization.

spk_0:   29:52
So I've been in the finish line club a lot, and I've been there when it's kids are there and I've been there when it's not and it's mostly organized chaos, which I think is a lot of the club. So what do you D'oh! You know, outside of taking care of your family and outside of working here with kids all day, every day, too, you know, for your mind and really give back to yourself, because that's important to, you know,

spk_1:   30:13
Cassie, my beautiful fiance. We've been together. Something worked here, just got engaged last year to summer first. Congratulations. But we've, you know, we've had a house and kids and we've been together. She's pretty much been my wife. Beautiful moms, you know, growing up like that, you heard this story like we weren't taking family vacations. So I wasn't on the beach, you know, we were going to different places in the world. But when I got with Tennessee, you know, she had different feelings on things, that she loved the ocean. She loved the beach. She started organizing vacations. And here I am like a Ford that we can't do this. And now Yes, let's go literally. I'm swear it's fairly. We take three trips to Florida year now saying, but you know, we did 10 days Orlando for my son's basketball team. Now me and her went to Miami by ourselves, and then we just we just went to, Ah, Gulf Shores. That's kind of my getaway. She kind of decides, like, Hey, we all need a break. You know, whether it be fall break, spring break, summer break and we try to head to the beach and try to take some time for ourselves. Other than that, Andre was important, too, because this is what I do daily to help myself and and I've mentioned it the time. But just being in the jump, Jim, whether whether it be me, hit the treadmill in the morning or lifting weights or doing basketball workouts with kids, those are the things that define me, and those definitely show who I am and what I do every single day. You know, I talked about consistent action earlier. You can pretty much said it like that's what I'm going to be doing. And those are the things that I do every day. And if I have a rough day here, you know, if I have an issue, you know, normally, basketball fix that. Going home to

spk_0:   31:45
the gym is my usually a long time or wait time from things, too. And a lot of my job is working on a phone or on a computer and just get your eyes off the screen or in your situation. Thio, you know, kind of drowned the noise. A little bit of everyday club life. It's really important. You

spk_1:   32:00
know, it's funny because almost every parent that I would talk to look at me like, How do you do? Exactly. And I'm like, What do you mean, what e don't even notice?

spk_0:   32:10
I mean, especially for so long. Now I

spk_1:   32:15
see these kids running around smiling, having fun with the big guys as long as it's safe and safe is the number one thing that comes up my mouth with any parent and or any volunteer like it's always safe and kids having fun. The noise does not the noise not affect the louder the better.

spk_0:   32:32
No thanks. I'm good. I'll stay in my office in my queue. So fun, because I totally thought like, Oh, no, I'm not going to ever work in an office or a corporate situation, and here I am, And I do love it because I have grown to realize how much I love alone time, and I get a lot of that at work. So, you know, along with working with other people and so on and so forth, but too good relationship. We get a good dose of kid craziness when we do some of the club, and it's good to have I don't

spk_1:   33:02
feel like I ever get a long time like I am. Yeah. I mean, like, I'm a people first. People. Yes, even if I go to plan a fitness like they talked my ear off there, you know? And I've been in this community for so long, and I've served so many kids, and I met so many parents like I really I run into people everywhere I go on and nurse conversations always to be had. So, really I mean, unless you're counting that you know, that treadmill time that z a little time nobody ever interrupt you on the treadmill

spk_0:   33:31
because that would be slightly dangerous. I think you and Awkward is there anything else that I didn't ask or anything else that you wanted to mention?

spk_1:   33:40
There is actually. And it is finished. Long time. There is a program, you know?

spk_0:   33:46
Yeah. Funny story about Becca. when I laughed corporate communications because the finish line you foundation job open. She was hired. And it was the best thing that ever happened for the both of us. Because obviously my passion was with the nonprofit event planning and doing all of that. And this girl has taking that position and totally resident to the next level. And she recently became a senior which, you know, at our level she's about my age, too. We didn't think was possible for her. And we used to be a team of three. And now it's only a team of two. And we thought, Oh, they're not gonna probe back other Probably hire somebody else. And so Becca is wonderful and she has totally, totally hustled Thio make that position for her. Yes, those

spk_1:   34:27
ladies are there. My favorite and

spk_0:   34:30
third place. You can definitely be in third place. You're gonna

spk_1:   34:34
understand why you are in third place. They do something called the finish line Ball Kid. Cult hit us up for the Colts. Pretty much every home game we talk about providing opportunities for kids like this is the number one thing that we can really offer. Kids. Go boy, or a little girl 10 years old, you know. And there on the floor with the Pacers a good opportunity to rebound the ball on, give it to the coach, and they're on the watching Those n b A. Players prepare for the game. They get to sit on the floor of the entire time. You know, they get a picture with a Pacer player. They autograph that picture, not to mention a halftime. They put on the Jumbotron and they talk about him being the finish line. Honorary ball kid like these kids feel like they're superstars magazine thing like you got your parents posted everything on social media and these kids just feel like they're on top of the world. That is like the coolest thing that we do and that comes from finish line.

spk_0:   35:26
Just showing a kid we see you, you're important. Matter is picking a kid. Zach Story started with talking about his childhood and what he went through and ended with how he's providing kids with many opportunities. So they feel seen, heard and loved, and I just thought it was a perfect place to stop and really bring his story full circle. Thank you so much for listening. Let me know what you think by writing a review or dropping me a few stars if you scroll to the bottom of this podcast, if you are interested in bringing this podcast toe life and in person, I host a workshop called Facing Fear, Created to impact diverse audiences toe live unapologetically authentic lives. We will interact. Hafun share some stories and everyone will walk away with tangible tools on how they can face fear and get to that next level success however they see fit.