Vernon Davis, Ex NFL Tight End | Super Bowl 50 Champ & Pro Athlete Turned Actor

Welcome to the Success Story Podcast. I'm your host, Scott Clary. On this podcast, I have candid interviews with execs, celebrities, politicians, and other notable figures, all who have achieved success through both wins and losses, to learn more about their life, their ideas, and their insights. I sit down with leaders and mentors and unpack their story to help pass those lessons onto others through both experiences and tactical strategy for business professionals, entrepreneurs, and everyone in between. Without further ado, another episode of the Success Story Podcast. Thanks again for joining us today on the podcast. We have Vernon Davis, who, if you've been living under Iraq and don't know, he was a football NFL tight end. He played called football Maryland, was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2006, 2009. He led, co-led the NFL in touchdowns and receptions, whatever we'll just say, led, and consequently earned his first two career pro-ball selections. In 2011-2012, he was playing with the 49ers. He caught the game winning touchdown pass from Alex Smith against New Orleans Saints, referred to by fans and media as the catch three, and in 2015 he was traded to the Broncos, where he won Super Bowl 50 with the team, and then he signed on to the Washington Redskins in 2016, where he played until his retirement in 2019 last year. So thanks a lot, Matt. I appreciate you coming onto the podcast, and I'm excited to unpack your life, your story, what's next, and all that. Yeah, it's good to be here. I'm just right now. I'm just working my way. Just pretty much putting everything that I put into football into life after. I say that because it takes a lot of dedication, heartwork, dedication, planning to reach the heights of success that you're playing for. But I know that without that, nothing's possible, so I have to stay on top of it and keep going at a good pace. Yeah, I feel you there, because the professional sports, it's all consuming. Like literally your entire life, everything you live, breathe is put into this sometimes, especially when you're first starting out, and you're coming from high school, then the college ball. So when you started going into obviously your career as a football player, what was the end goal, or did you have an end goal, or was this something that you were like, you jump and then you learn to fly on the way down, and then you'll figure out what's next as it comes? Yeah, it's just one of those things. You just figured out, you just go day by day. I remember when I made it to the pros, I always said that I wanted to play seven years and I said I wanted to play 10 years, and when I got to 10 years, I just said, I'm going to play until I feel like I don't want to do it anymore. So that's one of the things that I find in life. It's always good to plan, but you're planning, sometimes it goes this way and that way, you have the ebb and flows of ideas and goals. It just takes you in so many different directions. When guys come to me and they don't have a plan, I just say do what you feel that there's this necessary and let it take you to places you've never imagined. I love that because I think that that's very important being that flexible. Why don't you, I just ran through a pretty boilerplate, quick little overview of what you've done over your career. Give us a background for people that don't know, walk through high school, college, your pro career and then we can go into a little bit more of what you're working on now to sort of tee it up. Okay, yeah, sure, no problem. When I walked into high school, the first place I went was to the basketball coach and I wanted to try out, but when I walked in, they had these guys that were six, six, six, seven and here I am, six, three. I'm like, wow, this is in these guys where they were really good and I played basketball my entire life. So I was thinking to myself, I was like, ah, it's going to be a long shot for me. So maybe I should try football. I feel like I'll have more of an advantage if I play, if I try football. So I walk into the office and I tell a coach, hey, I want to try out. It's like, what do you want to play office of defense? I said, offense, I want to do something where I could school touchdowns. So that year, they were amazed by my speed, my strength and everything that I brought to the game. So I had college recruits started to recruit me. University of Maryland and Virginia were the first ones. So after that year, I just blew up. So when I looked at, by the time of 11th grade rolled around, I was like, wow, this is, this must be the game for me. So maybe I should try this and just go with it. So I went with it. Then by the time I was a senior, I committed to the University of Maryland. And I knew from that point on that football was for me. So I started to put, become more dedicated in and just put my heart and soul into it. So when I walked into college, I, I tried out, no, they put me at Yverseer and then I went to tight end. And from there, I started to just go places because of the hard work, the dedication that I was putting in. It took me places I'd never imagined. Next thing you know, I was drafted to the San Francisco 49 six picking the draft. That's, you know, do you, when you're living that, because I think that anybody that's gone pro, when they look back, they realize how crazy and how much dedication and effort they put into their career. But when you're living that and you're going from, you know, high school to college and then you're drafted by the 49ers, do you realize how much effort and how much I just guess consistency it takes to make it at that. And, and the reason why I'm pointing that out is because that level of dedication that a professional athlete can show, you can take, like we can speak about it in a second, like what you're working on now. If you took that same dedication, if most people took that same dedication that a professional athlete is required to take to be pro, they would be successful at whatever they choose to be. So when you were doing that, was it like a, like what drove you? Was it like a passion or was it just like you knew that this is the amount of work you had to do? It's an incredible amount of work for most people to get to that level. I feel like you let your past be the catalyst for what you're trying to do. For me, not having my mom and dad around really gave me that that spark that I needed to pursue everything that I wanted in my life. All the desires of my heart, I let that be, be that point. And I've always always went back there whenever I wanted something. But subconsciously, it was always on my mind. It was just, it was something about it. I was just, I was hurt. I was embarrassed. All of the above. So all of that built up into me, made me, gave me the, the steam that I needed to be where I am today. And I'm very thankful for it. But as a young guy, you have to learn how to channel those emotions. And that's what I did. When I was in San Francisco, you probably remember or you, or you may not, but head coach Mike Singletary sent me to the locker room because he said I wasn't the leader that I was expected to be. I need to be more for my team. I need to put my teammates first. And he was right. So once I learned how to channel those emotions, I was better for my teammates. I was better for the team. And I was better for myself, ultimately. So I started, my career started to take off. And those are the, those are the moments we live for life. It's nothing without them. So if I go back in time, I have to really be thankful for everything that I went through in my past because it was definitely the catalyst. So you know, the, the situations that you, that you use to sort of fuel are not easy. They're very tough situations that people have to deal with. And I think that people crumble with a lot less stress than the, than the stuff that you, the stuff that you like went through growing up. So how did you, how did you effectively use that for good and not just let it, you know, just break you down and, and stop you from achieving anything? Because if people that men, like people lose a job, if God forbid, they lose their parents, people lose a job they can't go on. They can't, you know what I mean? Like, how do you, how do you keep your head and, and sort of just keep going forward? Well, because, because you'd have to know it, like I said, you, we talked about that angle, you'd have to know what you want out of life, you know? And we find, when we're doing, when you're seeking, when I'm not going to lie, my entire career, I've always had fear, I've always had doubt, but you fight those things by replacing it with the joy, those joy, those joyful moments in your life, the joyful moments to come, you know, when we think about the things that we want, and you're so, you have so much faith, being sure what you hope for, certain what you do not see, you can, you can feel that, you can see it, and you know it's going to come into fruition. It gives you the strength and the ability to just keep going even further. And that's what I would use. I would always go back to those joyful moments that I've had and the joyful moments to come. And it gives me, keeps me in that place where I know I have to achieve this certain thing, because if I don't, I won't see those moments to come. And the moments that I did have, they'd be worthless. So I always kept it, kept it right there at the forefront. That's good. And now that's what you're taking. Obviously, you're taking the same mindset into what you're doing next. So I have no doubt you'll be successful. But how did you know when it was, I guess, a point in your career where you were like, hey, this is enough, because you mentioned the amount of years you want to put into playing football. But how did you know that this was enough? You know, I have what, like, you had a Super Bowl, you had, you had two pro bowls, 2013, your second team, all pro. You, again, 2009, you were leading the league in touchdowns. And then you were a consul American 2005. You have a whole bunch of these really great like accolades resume under your belt. How do you, one of you is just like, that's, that's good. Next stage of my life. How do you make that call when you're sort of like, you know, you're killing it every single year? Because you can't be complacent. You can never be complacent in life. You have to always want more. And it's not a bad thing to want more, wanting more as long as you're humble about it and you're grounded and you keep your, your heart in a good place. Then that's all that matters. But, but if you don't want more than you don't want anything, you know, I just can't stop just because I become the best broadcaster in the world. I shall also want more from a broadcast perspective. Maybe I want to go do something achieve greater heights in the broadcasting casting world. Maybe I want to go and be an actor, you know what I mean, you just can't stop here. You have to always have options. Never limit yourself to anything because you never know. You know, I always give yourself room to grow and the platform to prioritize heights you've never imagined. Like I said before. Now, see, I, so that makes a ton of sense to me and I love that. And I think that's what you're saying is very smart. When, when you're at the level like that you're at, you know, you have some, you have some notoriety and fame. You have some successes. Like what you're transitioning into now is this are people throwing opportunities at you and you're just figuring out like what to do next or are you yourself like trying to go figure out like I want to go into film. I want to go into entertainment. What is the, what does that actually look like for someone at your level? Yeah. I mean, people are throwing different things. You have a lot of a ton of opportunities that come your way. Like for me, since I've been retired, I've not spent my retirement. I've had people come from every direction throwing this opportunity, that opportunity, but you really have to vet it just like you're doing business. You have to vet these opportunities out and make sure it's something that, that really that, that, you know, that makes sense for you, you know, make sure the synergies there. And if not, you might, you probably want to pass on it, but I like to take my time and think about things. I don't act on the moment, just off of impulse, because you have to make sure you have to be really cognizant of what you're going into what you're about to do. Yeah. And make sure it makes sense. Use it, taking the people that you have working for, working for you like your manager, your agent, and let them look at, you know, ask your friends and your buddies in the industry and see what they think about it. Just, you know, as long as you're inquiring and dissecting, I like to say, I like to look at myself as a detective, you know, detect those break things down, right? And that's what it is. You just breaking things down, dissecting it, getting all pieces of information into you have it right here, and you can really see it, right? It really looks, it's vivid. You can vividly see what's going on. And, and then you can, you can put yourself behind it. So what, so what, what are you working on? Let's, let's speak about what we're, like what you're working on now. And then I kind of want to understand like why you chose what you're, what you're looking into, you know, post NFL career. Okay. Right now working on a partnership with the studio in Fistro, Atlanta. They have like 40 acres and they want to build, they're building out these, this massive studio where they have hotel for the cast and crew to stay at when they, when they, when they're filming, tons of real estate on the property as well, but they're already moving. They brought me the opportunity to come in and join them. So I'm actually trying to formulate that deal as we speak. And then there's another film that I'm working all called a message from Brianna, which is going to be pretty cool. It's a horror film. It's about a couple of those into this house. And now their baby is possessed by a spirit. Yeah. Now they have to figure out how to get rid of this, this, this demon in their one year old and continue to how to keep continue to work on a relationship in this situation. Would you know, now their backs are against the wall. They have to figure it out. They bring in a pastor to help them and life goes on. So it's, I can't tell you the end of the story, but no, no, but they got, they got all their best parts. They got a scary ass kid. They got a family moving into a house. They have no business moving into it. No, it's good. That's really, so and like when you, you know, when you think about this stuff, like, where do you learn to go act or is it just something that you're throwing yourself into? Because that's tough too, because it's not like, you know, what you're, you're used to. It's not your thing. So eventually it will be, but well, over time, I, well, when I was back in 20, I'd say 2013, I wrote in a class at the Shelton Theater of Art in San Francisco, California. And I learned how some of the keys and the tools to acting, it was an improv class. But I learned a lot. And then from there, I started making appearances on shows and finding different short films and things of that nature. And then what happened between, between now and the last three years, I started taking acting classes right now. That's all I've been doing. I take a, I work in my coach three times a week right now. We go over the, the message from Brianna script and we go over other material. But usually when I get a script, I'll take it to my coach and we'll start breaking it down. Those, those things that you do behind the scenes behind closed doors, working on scripts and working on the tools and techniques that you've been equipped with. That's what make you better. Just like in football, you, you take the tools and and techniques that you learn. You continue to continuously work on them throughout every, on a weekly basis, right? And then all of a sudden you're, you're getting better. You find yourself getting better and better and better. So you're just preparing yourself. It's the preparation just like anything else. So that's where the tools and techniques come from. No, I like it. And I wanted to, I wanted to bring that out because I know, I know you're doing something. You're not a guy it just doesn't do anything and just jumps into something and hopes to be successful. You know, that's not the way it is. But I think that, I think that a lot of people that not, not just, you know, an athlete transition into acting, they just see the end result. They see the repeated success, right? Oh, this guy, you know, I want a Super Bowl. Now I can go do a blockbuster and they're like, oh, whatever life's easy. But it's not when you unpack it. Like life is never easy for anybody. It doesn't matter if you want a Super Bowl. Yeah, maybe you have an agent that can get you, but you can still, you can still suck if you don't put in the work. So, but that's, that's awesome. I don't know. I've never, I've never, I've never taken an acting class. It's so far from what I know, but good on you for doing that. And I think that that's the way the transition. So, so what are you like with this, with this new movies, is this like the direction that you want to go? Is that something like you, you think you're going to enjoy or? Yeah, I think I'm going to enjoy. I just finished my lead role in a film. We finished shooting two months ago in Denver. Yeah, a film called Red Winter. I was the lead character, character playing a, a guy named Daniel. And my significant other was Carla. So, Red Winter is about two couples who go on a snowmobile retreat to work on their relationship. Once they arrive, they find that their, once they get with the group, they find that their tour guide is missing. They witness him being murdered. Now they have to run from the bad guys. Not only is Daniel working on his relationship with Carla, but he also has to stay alive. Keep her safe. And he has to prove her dad wrong. Her dad thinks that he's a no good guy for his daughter. He's no good for his daughter. So, at the end of the movie, you'll see that Daniel has fought so much to not only win Carla, but to prove her dad wrong and stay alive along this journey. So, that's going to be a great way for you to see it. I feel like I, I put my best foot forward in that in that film. I made great choices. I can't wait for people to see my performance. No, it's good. And how do you choose? Like, how do you choose a movie that you want to get behind? Like, you know, like, what's, what's your thing that sort of gets you excited about this? Well, if I read the script, after reading the script and I, if I love it, and I'm like, wow, this is great. Usually after reading so many scripts, over time, you just, you know, what sounds good and what doesn't. And it has to, if it, it will make sense for it to relate to your life. Does this, this, this story relate to my life? Can I see myself in as this character? You know, how, how can I make great choices being this character? You know what I mean? So, yeah. Yeah, that's what, uh, that's what it's about. And when I say choices, a lot of people probably don't know what I mean by choice choices is being confident in and what you're pursuing, right? If you're, if you want to be, um, your, your need, your wants, like what you want from this character, make a decision on what you want based on each scene and go after it and make great choices on your responses. You know, that, that's, that's what making great choices mean, um, just being confident in your work and, and what you want from the character because it's about, and every, every scene is all about, and every, every, um, every film is all about what that character wants. Knowing what's his state, um, and going after, you know, having that objective, that overall objective and then each scene going after that overall objective, because it all adds up to that overall objective, based on what you're going after in that scene. Do you feel like when you, um, when you take on a role in acting, if you don't, if you don't believe, if you don't believe in the story, do you, and I know you're going to say like, well, actors can act, but do you, the way you're describing it, it's, it's almost like if you don't believe in the story itself, it's hard to actually commit to doing a good performance. Is that, is that something you'd say is accurate? I would say so. You have to know was, you have to, you have to, you have to really, um, know that you can break this script down and build on it. You can create your backstory. Uh, backstory is everything that happens before the script even starts. Like, that's something you come up with. You, you, the, the script doesn't, the script can give it to you. After you read the script and you find clues like you're, like I said, being a detective, you find those clues that you need to create your backstory and then you create it. Um, it's, it's pretty interesting, man. Just the, just the journey that you take, take in, in breaking down the script and playing that character in the movies. I mean, you go back to your substitutions and you use real life situations that you've been through that you've encountered throughout your life and you add to the text. It's, it's, it's pretty awesome. I think it's pretty neat, pretty cool. And do you think like, are you, are you like, uh, obviously you've done one, you're doing another, like, you're feeling, is this going to be like, like, do you think Vernon Davis is going to be synonymous with actor? Is that like being goal or like, what do you, what do you hope? What do you want to get out of this? Well, I know life is totally unexpected. So I'm just going to, I'm just going to put my best foot forward. I'm going to put everything I can into, uh, creating really, uh, the craft, right? Yeah. And it happens. I'm going to explore the craft and let everything else take me where we want to take, you know, just go with the flow. And I got, I got two other things and I was looking on your website. Um, it's a beautiful, beautifully done website, but there was two other points that I saw. I saw, uh, Vernon Davis, the artist, and I want to know what that's about. Um, because I can't draw anything to save my life. And then, uh, you know, Vernon Davis, the philanthropist, and I guess like, what do you, what do you care about? What causes are important to you and why? But what it, what's, what's up with the Vernon Davis, the artist? So what are you doing? Um, what, what is that? The hobby? Is that something that you're passionate about? Well, I see it's what I'm doing now, the acting. That is okay. Not not art is in like, like, painting art is in like, yeah. So when I was in college, I changed my major from criminal justice to art studio, not knowing where I was going. I just did. I felt like I wanted to do it. So I did. I changed it. Came an artist. When I arrived in San Francisco, I opened up an art gallery in San Jose, California. Yeah. Well, we would use local artists, uh, to display their art, their work. I had a curator and the proceeds 56, 50, 40% of the proceeds would go back to the artist, 60% would go to the Vernon Davis foundation for the art. So that's where the art came from. It came from my college days and then I implemented that throughout my career of playing football. Recently, well, last three years, between now and the last three years, I had been focusing on everything. I switched behind the focus of my foundation on, um, home helping homelessness, um, uh, focusing on the importance of reading, you name it. And I wanted to do that because I felt like that's where my life was taking me. You know, when it comes to philanthropy, that's what I love. I love helping people. So I just can't focus on, now I can focus on arts. I can focus on homelessness. I can focus on, on, uh, literacy. I can do it all. And that's what the meaning of my foundation is. That's what it stands for. Um, you name it. I'm there to help get that raise money for it. Yep. Whoever needs it. No, and, and this is something that I've always noticed and I want you to take on this because you know, okay, this is what's up. You're doing you were pro footballer. Uh, you're now starring in in blockbusters. Uh, you had an art gallery and you're in philanthropy. Why is it that people, um, that seem to be successful can take on literally everything and they're never busy? Because we talked about being, uh, becoming complacent. I'm never complacent. I want, I always want more. It makes me, I feel like I can really, I thrive off of more off of doing, you know what I mean? And I take time for myself. A lot of people might say, well, how are you so busy doing this? You're doing that. But, you know, I focus on my breathing. I know what I want in life. I take my time. I'm moving slow. I'm not moving fast. And I prioritize. I have three kids. I have a family. And I know what comes first. You know, my, my thing is always God family. And whatever I'm focused on, right? Yeah. And that's my process. That's how I, that's what I believe in. That's what I pursue. And I just take it one day at a time and move slow. Good. And, and for, for my to be what, what are you, what are you working on now? Um, for the Vernon Davis Foundation? What's like your, your cause of, of, uh, I don't know, the moment is not probably not the best way to say it, but whatever is top of mind right now for you. Oh, man. This is great timing because I just partnered with a, a, a Indian cuisine group called Rasa, the restaurant, uh, trending restaurant out of Washington, DC. Pretty cool, very modern. Their food is extremely flavorful. I mean, if you think of Indian food, you think of just like maybe mundane, um, hand food, just like, yeah, yeah. You're right. But no, this is not it. It's more of like the collars and, um, the, the Chipotle's that kind of fast casual, really flavorful, very good. I mean, when I tried it for the first time, I was like, wow, this is incredible. And yeah, I just, I make it, I, I went, well, before the pandemic, I was making a stop at Ross and not just because, um, I know the guys, but because the food is really amazing. I recommend if you're ever in Washington, DC, please try it. But I'm partnering with Rasa, the Vernon Davis Foundation is partnering with Rasa. We are raising funds for medical workers and kids who need our help. It's very important that we do this because we know how important it is to give back to those who are on the front line. They're risking their lives to save lives and there's only right that we come out and we help. All we're doing is raising funds and people have a chance to contribute five dollars. Uh, that five dollars will cover one meal. Yeah. And if you, basically, if you're, if you're donating ten dollars, you're covering two meals, right? So we're asking people to, to jump on, um, help support admission, give back, and help save lives. Is that, that's, it's, it's, it's a beautiful initiative. Is that in relation to the pandemic or just because it was something that you were already working on? No, it's something that just came up because of the pandemic. Uh, I'm always thinking, uh, Rasa, I got with Rasa and we, we decided to come up with this idea because I mean, they're cooking all the food. They're doing a lot of the work. And these guys, the reason why, another reason why I wanted to work with them, not just because the food was good, but because of what they stood for, right? When, when we sat down, they talked to me, um, about like what they wanted to do from a philanthropic standpoint. And not only did I, am I an investor in the group with the group? I'm also a partner when it comes to philanthropy, right? And the synergy is there. And that's what I like. I like, I, there's nothing like working with people who have the same synergy that you have who believe in the same things that you believe in. And that's what caught my attention. I said, these are honest, straightforward, transparent guys who not only want to do well in business, but they also want to help others. And I knew what I was getting into. So when we set that down, I had this call about, um, raising funds so that we can feed the medical workers and kids who need our help within the district of Columbia area. I already knew that that was coming. I knew something was coming. I knew where we're going to think on the same wavelength. And here we are about to make this thing happen. I mean, everything's in place. Everything's already. All we have to do is raise the funds. And we're fortunate enough to have our first donor donate $10,000. Oh, good job. Congratulations. I'm building funds towards the cost. So, I mean, we're looking pretty good. We're ready to go, man. Yeah, I think, I think it's important because I, you know, like I mentioned before, we started chatting. I'm in Toronto. And yeah, it's tough for everybody, but I see a lot of people in the States, a lot of medical workers, a lot like everyone's having a real tough time. You know, the, I'm not sure what DC is like, but I do know like if you look at like the New Yorks and whatnot, like you're getting here. Yeah, really hard right now. So yeah, we do as much as we can, man. Every penny counts, every person who contributes, it counts. Yeah, I mean, yeah, you never know, man. I mean, this world is so big. I mean, it's enormous. I mean, so there's, there's people everywhere that need help, man. Yeah, never know. It's beautiful that, and I think it's nice that you realize that because obviously, you know, you had a great career in the position to help people. But at the same time, like you're opening it up so that you built a vehicle that, you know, you don't have to be a multi-millionaire to be able to help $5 is not a lot of money. And also the fact that this restaurant, who you're partnering with, like restaurants are already hard hit, like it's good on them to take this on now because they have the means, they have the capability, but like restaurants are not having an easy time during coronavirus. Like those are probably the ones that are probably hit the hardest. So, you know, that's very impressive on them. Yeah, yeah, no, I appreciate them. And that really tees up like what you're working on now. And that's really what I want to unpack. And I like that, I like the transition. I like that, I like that you're sort of taking that same, like, you know, like put everything into it, attitude that you had that brought you success in the NFL. You're putting it into the philanthropy. And it's not meant to be like a, you know, like a super promotional podcast about, you know, like what you're working on now. But I believe that people can learn out a lot when they understand that things don't come easy for anybody. And they have to put more of themselves into it to get more out. And I don't think people, enough people put in the work and they complain about not getting the results. And like, you know, like that thing, you're taking like, at like three times a week, whatever, maybe more acting classes to be a successful actor. This is not like you're just jumping into it. And like everything, you know, you have like the steps and you have the process. One thing that I like to do to that sort of, I guess, uh, TV's up, close these up, you just get some like, like, they're very high level, like life, life lessened questions from you. Um, they're, I like to bring out, you know, like the insights from the best and people that have made it. So one question I like to ask is if you could tell your younger self something, um, like one lesson, what would that be? If I could tell myself one, one lesson, what would that be? Um, my young self, your younger self, yeah, something that would like get you, um, it could be business. Reading. Yeah. Reading. Reading. Do you feel like? And listen, read and listen. I will tell my younger self to read and listen, get a jump on it, read more. Of course you, you read, you know, you have to read in order to make graduate from high school and all that stuff, but, but reading more, putting the same effort that I put into football, into reading and listening. I would have told my younger self that. That's good. And that's, it's simple, but it's something that still not a lot of people do. And, you know, how many people just watch TV and they're not consuming, uh, and I'm 100% on board. I feel the same way. Um, I think that if you're not reading, you're not growing, if you're not learning, it doesn't end to give a little context. It doesn't have to be like physically a book. It could be like an audible. It can be, like, it could be podcasts. There's like, you know, there's ways to consume that don't require it, but also just reading is good. But, um, and then where do you, like, if you're, who are your mentors, who are your people that you look up to that you think other people can learn from? Well, I've a guy named Anthony Hirschman who I've dealt with over the last seven years. He's been in my mentor. He's been not only my visualization coach, but man, he's been everything. He's been everything for me. He's been that go-to guy that I could always go to when I needed some help, some clarity on life and just whenever I started to doubt myself or because you doubt yourself, your mind, every morning that we wake up, the first thing our mind do is harbor, uh, self-pity, hatred, doubt, fear. That's, that's what it searches for automatically. That's why we have to, that's why it's important. That's why it says imperative for us to read and enlighten ourselves, educate ourselves and be surrounded by positive people and positive, uh, creativity in general because that's what we need. It blocks out all of that fear and doubt that we had. It just mitigates it. It, it, it makes it, um, smaller decreases the amount that we take in. You know what I mean? So, um, that's why I've always done that. That's why I've been big on visualization and just retaining information as much as I possibly could. Good information. No, it's good. And, and it's, like, is that somebody that other people can learn from? I don't know. I don't know him that well. So is that somebody that other people can learn from or is that like that thing that's just more for you? Yeah, no, he's awesome. Anybody anyone can learn from? He's that, he's that great. I mean, you told him he was dying tomorrow. He probably tell you that he's learned. He, he's smiling. Even if he was dying, he'd tell you that he's just super optimistic, great energy, great character, very enthusiastic. Awesome. That's very important. Um, is there anything I, I'm gonna, I'm just gonna ask where people can like, you know, reach you or whatnot, but is there anything that we didn't chat about that you wanted to bring up? Um, I, uh, no, well, there's a, there's, uh, there's another group that I'll partner with called Pathwater. I'm curious right here. Pathwater. Pathwater's mission is amazing, right? Their mission is to mitigate single-use plastic water bottles because of everything that's going on with the ocean, uh, all the animal, uh, the creatures that are dying under, under the waters. Um, that's where they come in at. I mean, people don't have really have an opportunity to see it, but if you can go see what's happening in the ocean with all the plastic polluting our environment, it's outrageous. I mean, if you can just see it firsthand. So that's where they come in to mitigate the plastic and they're doing a great job, a wonderful job. They've just taken over, um, San Francisco Airport, which is amazing. You go in San Francisco, you'll see nothing but Pathwater, uh, they just came up with their Aqua Line, up 9.5 pH alkaline water, also sparkling water. So, I mean, they're killing it, especially they have a, they have a huge presence on the West Coast. And I'm all about helping. I'm all about saving the world, uh, making the world a better place, and that's why I jumped on with Pathwater because of their mission and what they stand for. So, if you don't know about them, check them out. We're not encouraging you to buy the water. We're encouraging you to refill, uh, instead of landfilling, uh, which is, uh, imperative. So, yeah, no, you know what I, you know, just the point, like I like that everything that you, that you promote, like, there's like, there's a story that you're passionate about. Like, you know, like, when you're telling me, I'm not, you know, we already wanted to, but when you're telling me that, um, like when you do your research, like you act detective and you do your due diligence and you, you know, you look under the hood, you aren't, you aren't bullshitting. Like, you, you know, you really, you really do have a reason to care about this, the stuff that you stand behind, and I like that a lot, you know, it's not just a, like, uh, you're shilling a product. It's like, it's a product that actually matters something you care about and something that we all should all care about. But, uh, no, I respect that a lot because a lot of people just stand behind products that don't care about. And I think that that's not a good thing, right? Especially if you have influence, it's not a good thing to do. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Of course, if you build in the businesses, I mean, you're, you're, you're, it's, it's profitable, of course, right? But, but, what about a mission with, with, if you're going to do it, if it's going to be profitable, why not help something or, or, or, or make a difference in the world? Yeah. Also, in effort to being profitable, you know, you know what I mean? It's just, you know, that's what, that's what I like, man, that's what I like. So, yeah. No respect. Um, uh, how do people, uh, get in touch with you, reach out to you, check out what you're working on now if they want to, uh, what's the best way? Yeah. I have a YouTube channel I just created, which is cool. I create, I've been creating these funny skits, um, have skits on there and I have, I really want to focus on uh, skits, um, acting, um, and fitness, health and fitness on this YouTube channel. I'll give it to you all, man, a lot of the stuff that I do on the daily basis, stuff that I believe in, that I focus on and just share some of these skits with people and just going on a journey, man, of what I believe and what I do and, and hopefully, uh, this can really inspire people from the different sectors that I have on there. Um, and just, just giving it to them, just giving it to them, showing them that I'm, I'm a real person, I'm organic, I'm transparent. This is what I love to do and just giving them that raw, just part of me, you know, and I mean, they can also follow them. Bernie Davis 85. What's, um, and that's the, that's the YouTube, Bernie Davis 85. Uh, just Bernie Davis, uh, you can just find me, it's just Bernie Davis on YouTube, but okay. My Twitter and Instagram handle is Bernie Davis 85. Yeah, no, I was looking on your, on your Twitter before and I saw one for like, uh, home workout tips and I'm gonna have to check that out because, man, I'm, I'm, uh, I need to go to the gym and like, and like, now I'm stuck in my condo because of, uh, because of the pandemic. So I think that stuff's useful. Um, that's all I got man. I appreciate the chat though. That was really, yeah, I appreciate it. It was, it was great. Thanks for having me. That's all for today. Thanks again for joining me on another episode of the Success Story podcast. You can download or stream this podcast wherever podcasts are available, including iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, I Heart Radio and many others. You can also watch this podcast on YouTube. If you haven't already, please subscribe and share this podcast with your friends, family, co-workers and peers. Please leave us a rating on iTunes. It takes about 30 seconds as it allows other people to find our podcast and let's our amazing guests reach even more people with their message and remember any rating is fine as long as it contains five stars. I'm Scott Clary from the Success Story podcast signing off.