[{"_1":2,"_3":-5,"_4":-5},"loaderData",{"_5":6,"_7":8},"actionData","errors","root",{"_139":-5,"_140":-5,"_141":142,"_143":144,"_145":146},"routes/clips.$id.$slug",{"_9":10,"_11":12},"clip",{"_13":14,"_15":16,"_17":-5,"_18":19,"_20":-5,"_21":22,"_23":24,"_25":26,"_27":28,"_29":30,"_31":32,"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":-5,"_42":-5,"_43":-5,"_44":45,"_46":-5,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":-5},"canonicalUrl","https://howleaderslead.com/clips/3225/keep-your-team-connected-to-the-why","id",3225,"title","Keep your team connected to the “why”","subtitle","transcript","WEBVTT\n\n1\n00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.160\nno matter how big we got, I think even we had 300 employees still we paid for\n\n2\n00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:05.520\nevery employee to go\n\n3\n00:00:05.520 --> 00:00:09.200\nin a developing country every year to give away shoes. You know, I went on a\n\n4\n00:00:09.200 --> 00:00:10.320\nlot of these trips,\n\n5\n00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:15.600\nand what it did is it brought back just an amazing sense of purpose. You know,\n\n6\n00:00:15.600 --> 00:00:18.900\nas our shoe company is growing, I mean, Tom's was the fastest growing shoe\n\n7\n00:00:18.900 --> 00:00:19.680\ncompany in the world for\n\n8\n00:00:19.680 --> 00:00:24.380\nthree years. So, you know, we were growing rapidly building a very big business\n\n9\n00:00:24.380 --> 00:00:24.960\n. I mean,\n\n10\n00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:29.660\nyou know, our sales, I think, topped out at like $700 million a year. So, this\n\n11\n00:00:29.660 --> 00:00:30.640\nwas a real shoe\n\n12\n00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:35.480\nbusiness that was growing quickly. And what kept us focused on the why, which\n\n13\n00:00:35.480 --> 00:00:36.800\nis always so important.\n\n14\n00:00:36.800 --> 00:00:41.360\nI mean, one of my favorite videos of all time is Simon Sennick's Y video, which\n\n15\n00:00:41.360 --> 00:00:41.920\nI'm sure you've\n\n16\n00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:45.400\nseen and talks about, you know, people don't buy what you do, they buy why you\n\n17\n00:00:45.400 --> 00:00:46.240\ndo it. And we\n\n18\n00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:49.680\nhad to stay connected to the why. And the way we stayed connected to the why,\n\n19\n00:00:49.680 --> 00:00:50.560\nthe way I stayed\n\n20\n00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:54.110\nconnected to the why is going on those giving trips, you know, putting shoes on\n\n21\n00:00:54.110 --> 00:00:56.000\nkids feet. And, you know,\n\n22\n00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:59.420\nit's a bit, you know, I'm taking that lesson now. I know we're going to get to\n\n23\n00:00:59.420 --> 00:01:00.560\nenough, but I'm using\n\n24\n00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:05.010\nthat lesson a lot with us building this enough movement because, you know, it's\n\n25\n00:01:05.010 --> 00:01:05.760\na lot of work.\n\n26\n00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:11.840\nAnd everyone is really doing, you know, the single job of five people. And we\n\n27\n00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:12.240\nhave to keep\n\n28\n00:01:12.240 --> 00:01:15.960\nconnected to the why of using this to hopefully help our collective mental\n\n29\n00:01:15.960 --> 00:01:17.360\nhealth. So, staying\n\n30\n00:01:17.360 --> 00:01:19.800\nand connected to the Y is so, so important\n\n31\n00:01:19.800 --> 00:01:21.160\nin galvanizing a team.\n","pretty_transcript","start_time",1200459,"end_time",1281479,"keywords","Mission, purpose, why, simon sinek, shared experience, team, motivation","slug","keep-your-team-connected-to-the-why","origin","cms","mux_playback_id","zcMvBcyMWf6KEaf6pDrU4NY3vhfKpSS5oC5IPvPStTk","mux_asset_id","szlk372V100JXQzW1qTi02PfGL01VQ3iioQfCb4gdp6ViI","leader_id",266,"episode_id",418,"updated_at","2026-02-26T16:12:16.000000Z","meta_title","meta_description","og_image_media_id","web_url","https://www.howleaderslead.com/clips/3225/keep-your-team-connected-to-the-why","og_image_url","leader",{"_13":36,"_103":104,"_105":106,"_107":108,"_25":109,"_110":111,"_61":112,"_58":112,"_113":114,"_68":115,"_39":116,"_117":-5,"_41":-5,"_42":-5,"_43":-5,"_118":119,"_91":120,"_44":121,"_122":123,"_124":125,"_46":-5,"_126":127,"_128":129,"_95":130,"_51":-5},"episode",{"_13":38,"_15":52,"_27":53,"_17":54,"_55":56,"_18":57,"_20":-5,"_58":59,"_60":-5,"_61":59,"_62":-5,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":-5,"_68":-5,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_35":36,"_39":75,"_41":-5,"_42":76,"_43":-5,"_77":78,"_79":80,"_81":82,"_83":84,"_85":-5,"_86":-5,"_87":88,"_89":90,"_91":-5,"_46":-5,"_92":93,"_94":-5,"_95":-5,"_51":-5},"og_image_media","Stay connected to your why","stay-connected-to-your-why","When things get hard, a sense of purpose keeps you and your team connected and engaged. Know what your 'why' is, and find ways to keep it front and center.","summary","

Content Warning: This episode includes a candid conversation about depression and suicide.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7. You’re not alone.

—

Blake Mycoskie built TOMS into a $700 million business with a simple idea: sell a pair of shoes, give a pair away to a child in need.

But that success didn’t protect him from a seven-year battle with depression. And after selling TOMS, he lost his sense of purpose – and nearly lost himself.

Today, Blake is back with a new mission: tackling the mental health crisis through his brand ENOUGH. And for him, staying connected to your “why” is important in business. But in life, it’s essential.

In this episode, Blake shares how to stay connected to a sense of purpose and galvanize a team around it, too. You’ll also learn:

The marketing strategy that propelled TOMS faster than any traditional approach
Why starting a business with zero experience might be your biggest advantage
How to recognize the warning signs of depression (even if you “shouldn’t” be struggling)
The daily mantra that’s guiding everything Blake does now

","WEBVTT\n\n1\n00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.200\nHello everyone, and welcome to another episode of How Leaders Lead with David\n\n2\n00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:04.800\nNovak.\n\n3\n00:00:04.800 --> 00:00:09.440\nToday's guest is Blake Mykoski, and you might remember Blake as the founder of\n\n4\n00:00:09.440 --> 00:00:10.600\nTom's Shoes,\n\n5\n00:00:10.600 --> 00:00:15.120\nwhich is a brand that really helped redefine how people think about business\n\n6\n00:00:15.120 --> 00:00:16.200\nand impact.\n\n7\n00:00:16.200 --> 00:00:22.200\nBlake grew Tom's shoes to a $700 million business based on a simple idea.\n\n8\n00:00:22.200 --> 00:00:26.500\nSell a pair of shoes and give a pair of shoes away to a child in need.\n\n9\n00:00:26.500 --> 00:00:31.800\nNow, that success didn't protect Blake from a seven-year battle with depression\n\n10\n00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:31.900\n,\n\n11\n00:00:31.900 --> 00:00:37.030\nand after he sold Tom's, he really lost his sense of purpose and nearly lost\n\n12\n00:00:37.030 --> 00:00:38.000\nhimself.\n\n13\n00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:40.200\nToday, Blake is back with a new mission.\n\n14\n00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:43.600\nHe's tackling the mental health crisis through his brand Enough,\n\n15\n00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:47.000\nwhich seeks to empower people to talk about how they're really doing\n\n16\n00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:50.500\nso that everyone in this world feels a little less alone,\n\n17\n00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:53.500\nand everybody knows that they are enough.\n\n18\n00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:58.500\nFor Blake, staying connected to your why is absolutely critical in business,\n\n19\n00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:01.200\nand it is essential in life.\n\n20\n00:01:01.200 --> 00:01:03.500\nEnjoy this conversation between David and Blake,\n\n21\n00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:07.500\nand I will see you at the very end of the episode for the Deep Brief.\n\n22\n00:01:07.500 --> 00:01:19.920\nBefore we get into Tom's, and what you're doing with Enough, both fantastic\n\n23\n00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:21.000\ncauses,\n\n24\n00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:24.000\nI want to take you back a little bit.\n\n25\n00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.990\nWhat's the story from your childhood that shaped the kind of leader you are\n\n26\n00:01:27.990 --> 00:01:28.500\ntoday?\n\n27\n00:01:28.500 --> 00:01:32.500\nI think it really was just having amazing parents.\n\n28\n00:01:32.500 --> 00:01:37.500\nYou know, my dad was a doctor and a great leader in his community\n\n29\n00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:43.200\nand in the hospitals that he helped run, and my mom wrote a cookbook\n\n30\n00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:47.200\nand sold millions of copies of it and helped people with their health.\n\n31\n00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:52.080\nAnd I just think that, you know, I had such great role models with them growing\n\n32\n00:01:52.080 --> 00:01:52.200\nup\n\n33\n00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:56.760\nabout wanting to do things to help people that are really shaped, you know, who\n\n34\n00:01:56.760 --> 00:01:57.200\nI became.\n\n35\n00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:01.200\nSo when you were coming up as a kid, do you recall an experience\n\n36\n00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:05.200\nwhere you really realized for the first time what leadership is all about?\n\n37\n00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:09.200\nI think actually in my first business, I had a laundry business.\n\n38\n00:02:09.200 --> 00:02:12.200\nI would do pick up and delivery laundry on my college campus.\n\n39\n00:02:12.200 --> 00:02:18.580\nAnd, you know, I think what I realized in that business was I had to do every\n\n40\n00:02:18.580 --> 00:02:20.200\nsingle part of the business\n\n41\n00:02:20.200 --> 00:02:23.200\nin order to be a good leader of the business.\n\n42\n00:02:23.200 --> 00:02:27.200\nAnd that meant staying up all night, doing people's laundry myself,\n\n43\n00:02:27.200 --> 00:02:29.200\nnot just picking up and delivering it.\n\n44\n00:02:29.200 --> 00:02:34.200\nThat meant learning about all the different chemicals used in dry cleaning\n\n45\n00:02:34.200 --> 00:02:37.200\nso that I could talk to the customer with confidence.\n\n46\n00:02:37.200 --> 00:02:41.200\nYou know, I had to get my hands dirty, you know, no pun intended.\n\n47\n00:02:41.200 --> 00:02:44.200\nAnd that's not what I set out to do.\n\n48\n00:02:44.200 --> 00:02:46.200\nOriginally, I was just going to pick up and deliver the laundry.\n\n49\n00:02:46.200 --> 00:02:49.690\nAnd it wasn't until we got going there, realized I actually had to do the\n\n50\n00:02:49.690 --> 00:02:50.200\nlaundry\n\n51\n00:02:50.200 --> 00:02:54.200\nto build and manage the people that would ultimately do it every day.\n\n52\n00:02:54.200 --> 00:02:56.200\nYeah, I learned a little bit about that business.\n\n53\n00:02:56.200 --> 00:02:59.720\nAnd it's a great business, but you realized you really had to target the\n\n54\n00:02:59.720 --> 00:03:00.200\nparents.\n\n55\n00:03:00.200 --> 00:03:03.200\nThat's a cool -- that was -- how did you get that insight?\n\n56\n00:03:03.200 --> 00:03:04.200\nThat's the best marketing story.\n\n57\n00:03:04.200 --> 00:03:06.200\nSo that's really -- I mean, talking about marketing.\n\n58\n00:03:06.200 --> 00:03:12.200\nSo we launched the business and we offered it to all the students at SMU\n\n59\n00:03:12.200 --> 00:03:15.200\nwhere I went to college and we hardly got any customers.\n\n60\n00:03:15.200 --> 00:03:19.200\nAnd we really kind of thought we were just kind of dead in the water with this\n\n61\n00:03:19.200 --> 00:03:19.200\nidea.\n\n62\n00:03:19.200 --> 00:03:22.200\nWe didn't understand why because we knew kids didn't like doing their laundry,\n\n63\n00:03:22.200 --> 00:03:25.990\nbut we couldn't get them to fork over the money for us to pick up and deliver\n\n64\n00:03:25.990 --> 00:03:26.200\nit.\n\n65\n00:03:26.200 --> 00:03:31.200\nThen the next year, we got a booth right at the orientation.\n\n66\n00:03:31.200 --> 00:03:35.200\nAnd our booth was right next to where you bought the books.\n\n67\n00:03:35.200 --> 00:03:38.200\nAnd I think right between where you got your meal plan.\n\n68\n00:03:38.200 --> 00:03:42.200\nAnd so what happened was by being there, by having that booth there,\n\n69\n00:03:42.200 --> 00:03:46.200\nevery parent assumed that every student signed up for laundry service.\n\n70\n00:03:46.200 --> 00:03:49.200\nBecause it was like, of course they're gathered by books.\n\n71\n00:03:49.200 --> 00:03:50.200\nAnd of course they have to eat.\n\n72\n00:03:50.200 --> 00:03:52.200\nSo the laundry's in the middle.\n\n73\n00:03:52.200 --> 00:03:53.200\nLet's sign up for that too.\n\n74\n00:03:53.200 --> 00:03:56.200\nAnd literally went from having like no business\n\n75\n00:03:56.200 --> 00:04:01.200\nto hundreds of thousands of dollars in laundry sales in one day.\n\n76\n00:04:01.200 --> 00:04:03.200\nAnd that's when I dropped out of college and never went back.\n\n77\n00:04:03.200 --> 00:04:05.200\nOh my God.\n\n78\n00:04:05.200 --> 00:04:07.200\nWell, that's such a great story.\n\n79\n00:04:07.200 --> 00:04:10.200\nAnd now I know why you were staying up and all night doing the laundry.\n\n80\n00:04:10.200 --> 00:04:11.200\nThat was a big start.\n\n81\n00:04:11.200 --> 00:04:12.200\nOh yeah.\n\n82\n00:04:12.200 --> 00:04:13.200\nYeah.\n\n83\n00:04:13.200 --> 00:04:17.530\nAt what point did you realize that you were really wired to start up things and\n\n84\n00:04:17.530 --> 00:04:18.200\ncreate things?\n\n85\n00:04:18.200 --> 00:04:20.200\nYou know, it was interesting.\n\n86\n00:04:20.200 --> 00:04:25.720\nI remember going to Bank of America to get my checking account set up for easy\n\n87\n00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:26.200\nlaundry.\n\n88\n00:04:26.200 --> 00:04:29.200\nAnd I was 19 years old.\n\n89\n00:04:29.200 --> 00:04:34.200\nAnd the guy said, man, you're a young entrepreneur.\n\n90\n00:04:34.200 --> 00:04:36.200\nAnd I had no idea what that word meant.\n\n91\n00:04:36.200 --> 00:04:38.200\nI mean, I never had heard it in my life.\n\n92\n00:04:38.200 --> 00:04:41.200\nAnd so I literally went back and this obviously dates me.\n\n93\n00:04:41.200 --> 00:04:45.200\nI probably looked up in a dictionary, you know, the word entrepreneur.\n\n94\n00:04:45.200 --> 00:04:48.200\nAnd I don't remember exactly the definition.\n\n95\n00:04:48.200 --> 00:04:51.200\nBut I was like, yeah, that sounds about like me.\n\n96\n00:04:51.200 --> 00:04:55.200\nAnd from that day on, my identity was I'm an entrepreneur.\n\n97\n00:04:55.200 --> 00:05:00.330\nYou know, I heard you say that, you know, when you're young and you start\n\n98\n00:05:00.330 --> 00:05:01.000\nbusiness and you\n\n99\n00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:04.930\nstarted a few businesses, even before you got to Tom's, you know, you said, you\n\n100\n00:05:04.930 --> 00:05:05.200\ngot\n\n101\n00:05:05.200 --> 00:05:06.200\nto fake it.\n\n102\n00:05:06.200 --> 00:05:07.200\nYeah.\n\n103\n00:05:07.200 --> 00:05:08.200\nFive companies.\n\n104\n00:05:08.200 --> 00:05:09.200\nThat's a lot of companies.\n\n105\n00:05:09.200 --> 00:05:10.200\nThat's a lot of ideas you have.\n\n106\n00:05:10.200 --> 00:05:12.720\nBut, but you said that, you know, when you're young and you're starting up this\n\n107\n00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:13.200\nbusiness,\n\n108\n00:05:13.200 --> 00:05:16.200\nyou have to fake it until you make it.\n\n109\n00:05:16.200 --> 00:05:17.200\nExplain.\n\n110\n00:05:17.200 --> 00:05:19.200\nSometimes you just got to act the part.\n\n111\n00:05:19.200 --> 00:05:24.200\nSo when I was young, that meant putting a coat and tie on when traveling.\n\n112\n00:05:24.200 --> 00:05:27.460\nSo I look a little older and looked like I was responsible enough to do\n\n113\n00:05:27.460 --> 00:05:28.200\nbusiness.\n\n114\n00:05:28.200 --> 00:05:33.200\nYou know, as I, as I got older, you know, and that wasn't as big of a deal.\n\n115\n00:05:33.200 --> 00:05:37.180\nThen oftentimes in business, you know, you've got to, you got to talk like as\n\n116\n00:05:37.180 --> 00:05:38.200\nif it's already\n\n117\n00:05:38.200 --> 00:05:39.200\nhappened.\n\n118\n00:05:39.200 --> 00:05:42.550\nYou know, so it's, you got to talk about the customers, you know, whether you\n\n119\n00:05:42.550 --> 00:05:43.200\nhave them\n\n120\n00:05:43.200 --> 00:05:44.200\nor not.\n\n121\n00:05:44.200 --> 00:05:49.880\nAnd so I think sometimes, you know, it really is about living the part or fake\n\n122\n00:05:49.880 --> 00:05:50.200\nit again until\n\n123\n00:05:50.200 --> 00:05:51.200\nyou make it.\n\n124\n00:05:51.200 --> 00:05:54.200\nI got that from my nanol, by the way, she should always say that to me.\n\n125\n00:05:54.200 --> 00:05:56.200\nAnd she was a big influence on my life.\n\n126\n00:05:56.200 --> 00:05:59.920\nBut I do think you got to kind of act the part, even if it hasn't been given to\n\n127\n00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:00.200\nyou yet.\n\n128\n00:06:00.200 --> 00:06:01.200\nYeah.\n\n129\n00:06:01.200 --> 00:06:04.200\nYou know, I interviewed Tom Brady once and he mentioned the same thing.\n\n130\n00:06:04.200 --> 00:06:06.200\nSo maybe he knew your, your nanol.\n\n131\n00:06:06.200 --> 00:06:13.770\nYou know, now speaking of acting and acting the part, I also understand that\n\n132\n00:06:13.770 --> 00:06:15.200\nbefore Tom's,\n\n133\n00:06:15.200 --> 00:06:17.200\nyou were a reality TV star.\n\n134\n00:06:17.200 --> 00:06:19.200\nTell us that story.\n\n135\n00:06:19.200 --> 00:06:20.200\nYeah.\n\n136\n00:06:20.200 --> 00:06:23.200\nSo my sister and I were lucky enough to be selected to go on the amazing race.\n\n137\n00:06:23.200 --> 00:06:27.540\nAnd the amazing race for those who have not seen it is basically a scavenger\n\n138\n00:06:27.540 --> 00:06:28.280\nhunt around\n\n139\n00:06:28.280 --> 00:06:29.280\nthe world.\n\n140\n00:06:29.280 --> 00:06:33.800\nWe were on the season two and we raced around the world for 30 days straight.\n\n141\n00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:41.280\nAnd after 30 days, we lost a million dollar prize by four minutes and it was my\n\n142\n00:06:41.280 --> 00:06:42.200\nfault.\n\n143\n00:06:42.200 --> 00:06:43.200\nWhat happened?\n\n144\n00:06:43.200 --> 00:06:44.200\nSo it's as great.\n\n145\n00:06:44.200 --> 00:06:48.160\nI mean, CBS, I mean, at this point, this show is like, I think the number two\n\n146\n00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:48.760\nwatch show\n\n147\n00:06:48.760 --> 00:06:53.720\non all of television, I mean, 22 million people a week we're tuning in.\n\n148\n00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:58.200\nSo CBS did the most perfect editing job to make me and look like, you know,\n\n149\n00:06:58.200 --> 00:07:00.240\nkind of your,\n\n150\n00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:02.960\nyour typical guy who won't stop and ask for directions.\n\n151\n00:07:02.960 --> 00:07:06.430\nSo what happens is we get to San Francisco as the final city, there's only\n\n152\n00:07:06.430 --> 00:07:07.080\nthree teams\n\n153\n00:07:07.080 --> 00:07:08.880\nleft, million dollars on the line.\n\n154\n00:07:08.880 --> 00:07:14.400\nWe've been racing for 29 days and we get there and we get a clue and it says,\n\n155\n00:07:14.400 --> 00:07:15.320\ngo to pure\n\n156\n00:07:15.320 --> 00:07:16.320\n31.\n\n157\n00:07:16.320 --> 00:07:19.640\nI had never been to San Francisco, my sister had never been.\n\n158\n00:07:19.640 --> 00:07:23.840\nAnd I think peer peers are on the water.\n\n159\n00:07:23.840 --> 00:07:25.200\nLet's get to the water.\n\n160\n00:07:25.200 --> 00:07:28.660\nAnd so my sister says, hold on, wait, let's just get a map and let's really\n\n161\n00:07:28.660 --> 00:07:29.160\nmake sure\n\n162\n00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:32.320\nwe're going the right place because we can't afford to make a mistake as the\n\n163\n00:07:32.320 --> 00:07:32.760\npage.\n\n164\n00:07:32.760 --> 00:07:33.760\nPeers are on the water.\n\n165\n00:07:33.760 --> 00:07:34.760\nI see the water.\n\n166\n00:07:34.760 --> 00:07:35.760\nLet's go to the water.\n\n167\n00:07:35.760 --> 00:07:37.600\nAnd she said, okay, fine.\n\n168\n00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:41.530\nSo of course, the way that San Francisco is mapped out, it's like this big kind\n\n169\n00:07:41.530 --> 00:07:41.880\nof half\n\n170\n00:07:41.880 --> 00:07:43.800\ncircle of all these different peers.\n\n171\n00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:44.800\nThere's a lot of them.\n\n172\n00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:49.210\nAnd so we run to the water, well, we get to a peer, but we get to peer like two\n\n173\n00:07:49.210 --> 00:07:49.440\n.\n\n174\n00:07:49.440 --> 00:07:53.370\nAnd we're on the exact opposite side of the city where peer 31 is and we went\n\n175\n00:07:53.370 --> 00:07:53.920\nthe exact\n\n176\n00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:54.920\nwrong way.\n\n177\n00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:58.230\nWe still hustled and hustled and hustled and we still almost caught back up to\n\n178\n00:07:58.230 --> 00:07:58.680\nwin, but\n\n179\n00:07:58.680 --> 00:07:59.680\nwe lost by four minutes.\n\n180\n00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:03.320\nIf we had not made that mistake, we might have won by an hour.\n\n181\n00:08:03.320 --> 00:08:07.050\nLooking back at that, broadly speaking, how do you think that that shaped your\n\n182\n00:08:07.050 --> 00:08:07.720\nleadership\n\n183\n00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:08.880\nstyle?\n\n184\n00:08:08.880 --> 00:08:09.880\nIf at all?\n\n185\n00:08:09.880 --> 00:08:13.720\nYou know, I think that, I mean, I've also, my dad, I mean, this is a funny\n\n186\n00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:14.280\nsaying, my\n\n187\n00:08:14.280 --> 00:08:15.680\ndad says about me.\n\n188\n00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:18.680\nHe says, Blake is often wrong, but never in doubt.\n\n189\n00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:22.560\nI think I've learned this lesson the hard way several times.\n\n190\n00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:25.320\nI'm hoping with enough.\n\n191\n00:08:25.320 --> 00:08:30.900\nI'm moving with a little bit more wisdom and not being so impulsive because\n\n192\n00:08:30.900 --> 00:08:31.760\nyeah, so my\n\n193\n00:08:31.760 --> 00:08:36.300\nimpulsivity, especially in business and even in my personal life, to be honest,\n\n194\n00:08:36.300 --> 00:08:36.800\nhas caused\n\n195\n00:08:36.800 --> 00:08:37.800\nme some problems.\n\n196\n00:08:37.800 --> 00:08:38.800\nYeah.\n\n197\n00:08:38.800 --> 00:08:42.810\nWe're going to get to enough in a few minutes here, but first of all, how do\n\n198\n00:08:42.810 --> 00:08:43.320\nyou get the\n\n199\n00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:44.840\nidea for Tom's?\n\n200\n00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:47.200\nSo in Tom's, I was just, I was just traveling.\n\n201\n00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:49.440\nI was down in South America.\n\n202\n00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:52.980\nI was kind of in between entrepreneurial ventures, not really knowing what I\n\n203\n00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:55.200\nwas going to do next.\n\n204\n00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:57.400\nAnd I did some volunteer work.\n\n205\n00:08:57.400 --> 00:09:01.220\nAnd when I was doing some volunteer work, I saw all these kids that did not\n\n206\n00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:01.840\nhave shoes\n\n207\n00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:06.480\nand that they needed them to go to school as part of the uniform requirement.\n\n208\n00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:10.160\nAnd I thought, man, that's, that's really sad that these kids don't get to go\n\n209\n00:09:10.160 --> 00:09:10.720\nto school\n\n210\n00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:12.600\nbecause they don't have a pair of shoes.\n\n211\n00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:17.710\nAnd at the same time, I kept seeing all these farmers and, and like young\n\n212\n00:09:17.710 --> 00:09:18.520\npeople around\n\n213\n00:09:18.520 --> 00:09:23.650\ntown wearing this shoe called the Alpregata, which is this very simple canvas\n\n214\n00:09:23.650 --> 00:09:24.280\nshoe.\n\n215\n00:09:24.280 --> 00:09:27.040\nI'd never seen it in the United States before.\n\n216\n00:09:27.040 --> 00:09:30.440\nAnd they were very inexpensive to buy the markets down there.\n\n217\n00:09:30.440 --> 00:09:34.400\nAnd I thought, hmm, I wonder if I could, you know, sell these shoes in the U.S.\n\n218\n00:09:34.400 --> 00:09:34.540\nand every\n\n219\n00:09:34.540 --> 00:09:37.800\ntime I sell a pair, I would give a pair to one of these children that don't\n\n220\n00:09:37.800 --> 00:09:38.680\nhave shoes.\n\n221\n00:09:38.680 --> 00:09:40.440\nAnd that idea became Tom's.\n\n222\n00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:41.440\nWow.\n\n223\n00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:43.120\nThat's, that's such a great insight again.\n\n224\n00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:46.910\nYou know, and, and early on, you know, and you, you mentioned, you had five\n\n225\n00:09:46.910 --> 00:09:47.560\nbusinesses\n\n226\n00:09:47.560 --> 00:09:50.400\nbefore you started Tom's, which is, which is amazing.\n\n227\n00:09:50.400 --> 00:09:55.130\nYou know, what do you look for when you, you decide whether you really have an\n\n228\n00:09:55.130 --> 00:09:55.760\nidea?\n\n229\n00:09:55.760 --> 00:09:58.640\nI mean, what do you, what are you paying attention to, Blake?\n\n230\n00:09:58.640 --> 00:10:02.570\nI think the most important thing is that I like to have absolutely zero\n\n231\n00:10:02.570 --> 00:10:03.440\nexperience in\n\n232\n00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:05.440\nthe industry.\n\n233\n00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:07.560\nTell me about that.\n\n234\n00:10:07.560 --> 00:10:10.830\nI mean, literally, I had never done laundry before hardly in my life when I\n\n235\n00:10:10.830 --> 00:10:11.400\nstarted my\n\n236\n00:10:11.400 --> 00:10:12.600\nlaundry business.\n\n237\n00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:15.750\nYou know, I, I, I didn't know anything about the outdoor advertising business\n\n238\n00:10:15.750 --> 00:10:16.400\nwhen I started\n\n239\n00:10:16.400 --> 00:10:20.000\nmy outdoor advertising company and I started my driver's ed company.\n\n240\n00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:23.790\nI, I had gone to driver's ed, but I sure didn't have any experience in, you\n\n241\n00:10:23.790 --> 00:10:24.560\nknow, what it\n\n242\n00:10:24.560 --> 00:10:28.910\ntakes to teach kids to drive, you know, Tom's is the same thing, the reality\n\n243\n00:10:28.910 --> 00:10:29.880\ncable channel,\n\n244\n00:10:29.880 --> 00:10:30.880\nthe same thing.\n\n245\n00:10:30.880 --> 00:10:33.800\nI mean, literally every business I've started, I've had no experience.\n\n246\n00:10:33.800 --> 00:10:35.720\nAnd I think that is a huge asset.\n\n247\n00:10:35.720 --> 00:10:42.270\nUm, and the reason is because you don't know all the pre-established rules of\n\n248\n00:10:42.270 --> 00:10:43.720\nthe industry.\n\n249\n00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:44.960\nSo it's easy to break them.\n\n250\n00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:46.240\nIt's easy to be innovative.\n\n251\n00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:50.780\nIt's easy to be courageous because you haven't been told, oh, this is the way\n\n252\n00:10:50.780 --> 00:10:51.440\nyou have to\n\n253\n00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:52.440\ndo it.\n\n254\n00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:53.440\nYou have to do it this way.\n\n255\n00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:58.540\nAnd so, and I think that thinking is what limits a lot of, you know, a lot of\n\n256\n00:10:58.540 --> 00:10:59.080\ninnovation.\n\n257\n00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:01.240\nI think that's what limits big companies.\n\n258\n00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:06.000\nAnd that's why small startups, you see, totally up in big companies all the\n\n259\n00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:07.040\ntime because the\n\n260\n00:11:07.040 --> 00:11:10.960\nbig companies are, are stuck in their own way of thinking.\n\n261\n00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:15.880\nAnd I think there's a big, big advantage to entrepreneurs and also think that's\n\n262\n00:11:15.880 --> 00:11:16.600\nwhy so\n\n263\n00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:21.830\nmost of the biggest, most breakthrough brands in the world are started people\n\n264\n00:11:21.830 --> 00:11:22.760\nunder 30\n\n265\n00:11:22.760 --> 00:11:23.760\nyears old.\n\n266\n00:11:23.760 --> 00:11:26.560\nYou know, I, I wrote this book called how leaders learn and I wish I would have\n\n267\n00:11:26.560 --> 00:11:27.120\ninterviewed\n\n268\n00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:31.080\nyou before I wrote it, because I'm sure I could have gotten a chapter out of\n\n269\n00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:31.880\nyou, you\n\n270\n00:11:31.880 --> 00:11:36.360\nknow, but so you, so you don't know anything, but you got to learn enough to\n\n271\n00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:37.400\nget up to speed\n\n272\n00:11:37.400 --> 00:11:40.970\nreally, and really, you know, break through in a category, even if you're\n\n273\n00:11:40.970 --> 00:11:41.920\ndisrupting it.\n\n274\n00:11:41.920 --> 00:11:45.770\nWhat's your process for really learning how to lead a business and the new\n\n275\n00:11:45.770 --> 00:11:46.480\ncategory that\n\n276\n00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:47.880\nyou know nothing about?\n\n277\n00:11:47.880 --> 00:11:52.200\nI go with complete humility to whoever the best in the business is and ask them\n\n278\n00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:52.640\nfor a\n\n279\n00:11:52.640 --> 00:11:57.920\ncoffee or advice or a quick phone call, you know, I think that you know, one of\n\n280\n00:11:57.920 --> 00:11:58.400\nthe best\n\n281\n00:11:58.400 --> 00:12:02.880\nways to learn is once you have an idea is to, is to find out who are the real\n\n282\n00:12:02.880 --> 00:12:03.520\nexperts\n\n283\n00:12:03.520 --> 00:12:06.880\nin the industry, but you know, it's kind of after you have your idea.\n\n284\n00:12:06.880 --> 00:12:11.320\nSo your idea is built around innovation and not knowing the rules, but once you\n\n285\n00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:12.080\nlearn,\n\n286\n00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:14.770\nonce you're in it and now you got to be a good leader and you got to really\n\n287\n00:12:14.770 --> 00:12:15.240\nlearn how\n\n288\n00:12:15.240 --> 00:12:18.780\nto grow it, that's where I do think other people who've gone down that path\n\n289\n00:12:18.780 --> 00:12:19.400\nbefore can\n\n290\n00:12:19.400 --> 00:12:21.040\nbe really helpful.\n\n291\n00:12:21.040 --> 00:12:23.680\nYour curiosity meter must be off the chart.\n\n292\n00:12:23.680 --> 00:12:24.680\nIt is.\n\n293\n00:12:24.680 --> 00:12:27.920\nWell, I didn't just say, I didn't graduate from college as I shared earlier.\n\n294\n00:12:27.920 --> 00:12:32.040\nAnd I think that it's always been a little bit of a chip on my shoulder.\n\n295\n00:12:32.040 --> 00:12:35.590\nAnd so I've always been wanting to be really well educated even though I didn't\n\n296\n00:12:35.590 --> 00:12:35.880\ngo to college.\n\n297\n00:12:35.880 --> 00:12:40.360\nSo I read pretty much every single business biography you've ever heard of.\n\n298\n00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:42.080\nI mean, that was my education.\n\n299\n00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:43.440\nAnd I call those guys my mentors.\n\n300\n00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:47.230\nI mean, I, I now know Richard Branson and I've done a lot of stuff with him,\n\n301\n00:12:47.230 --> 00:12:48.200\nbut for years\n\n302\n00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:51.660\nI had never met Richard and I still called him one of my mentors, same with\n\n303\n00:12:51.660 --> 00:12:52.400\nIvan Shenard\n\n304\n00:12:52.400 --> 00:12:53.440\nat Patagonia.\n\n305\n00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:56.360\nSo I don't think you actually have to know the person or meet them for them to\n\n306\n00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:56.720\nbe one\n\n307\n00:12:56.720 --> 00:12:59.520\nof your mentors, especially with, you know, as much as you can learn about\n\n308\n00:12:59.520 --> 00:13:00.040\nsomeone with\n\n309\n00:13:00.040 --> 00:13:02.560\npodcasts and books and everything online.\n\n310\n00:13:02.560 --> 00:13:03.840\nThat's a great point.\n\n311\n00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:08.950\nI want to go back to Tom's again, you know, tell me, tell me about the day\n\n312\n00:13:08.950 --> 00:13:09.800\nthings really\n\n313\n00:13:09.800 --> 00:13:12.000\nbroke open for Tom's, you know.\n\n314\n00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:16.080\nWhen did you know that you really had created a rocket ship of a business?\n\n315\n00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:20.000\nYou know, I think two things happened and both of them involved the media.\n\n316\n00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:25.170\nThe first was is I, we, the first big press piece was in the LA Times and it\n\n317\n00:13:25.170 --> 00:13:26.040\nwas a small\n\n318\n00:13:26.040 --> 00:13:29.480\narticle, but it was on the Sunday edition of the LA Times.\n\n319\n00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:33.800\nAnd from that one article, we got 2,000 orders.\n\n320\n00:13:33.800 --> 00:13:38.030\nNow the problem with that it was, is at that point I only had about 150 pairs\n\n321\n00:13:38.030 --> 00:13:39.440\nin my apartment.\n\n322\n00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:44.320\nSo what that created was my first of many supply chain problems to come.\n\n323\n00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:49.080\nBut 2,000 orders from a single article that got my attention.\n\n324\n00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:54.190\nThe second thing is, is I was in the New York City airport once and this is\n\n325\n00:13:54.190 --> 00:13:54.880\nonly kind of\n\n326\n00:13:54.880 --> 00:13:59.560\ntwo months after we started and I was not wearing Tom's on this day.\n\n327\n00:13:59.560 --> 00:14:02.570\nAnd I was wearing my running shoes because I had gone for a jog in Central Park\n\n328\n00:14:02.570 --> 00:14:03.000\nbefore\n\n329\n00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:04.640\nI had to get to the airport.\n\n330\n00:14:04.640 --> 00:14:08.810\nAnd there was a girl at the check-in counter of American Airlines wearing a red\n\n331\n00:14:08.810 --> 00:14:09.280\npair of\n\n332\n00:14:09.280 --> 00:14:10.280\nTom's.\n\n333\n00:14:10.280 --> 00:14:14.000\nAt this point, I had never seen a stranger wearing our shoes, right?\n\n334\n00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:15.720\nAnd I was like, wow, this is so cool.\n\n335\n00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:18.630\nLike someone bought these shoes on their own, they're not my family, they're\n\n336\n00:14:18.630 --> 00:14:19.880\nnot my friend,\n\n337\n00:14:19.880 --> 00:14:22.480\nand they're wearing them and I'm going to ask her about them.\n\n338\n00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.940\nSo I go up to her and I say, excuse me, I couldn't help but notice I really\n\n339\n00:14:25.940 --> 00:14:26.600\nlove these\n\n340\n00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:28.080\nred shoes you're wearing.\n\n341\n00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:29.280\nWhat are they?\n\n342\n00:14:29.280 --> 00:14:32.810\nAnd I'm doing the check-in counter at American Airlines and she goes, oh, they\n\n343\n00:14:32.810 --> 00:14:33.360\n're Tom's\n\n344\n00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:34.360\nTom's shoes.\n\n345\n00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:35.360\nAnd I'm like, oh, cool.\n\n346\n00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:39.010\nAnd I keep doing the check-in and she grabs my shoulder and she goes, no, you\n\n347\n00:14:39.010 --> 00:14:40.160\ndon't understand.\n\n348\n00:14:40.160 --> 00:14:41.480\nAnd I was like, what?\n\n349\n00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:46.120\nShe goes, when I bought this pair of shoes, they gave a pair to a child in need\n\n350\n00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:46.480\n.\n\n351\n00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:51.330\nAnd I think Argentina or Africa and this guy who started it, you know, I think\n\n352\n00:14:51.330 --> 00:14:51.880\nI heard\n\n353\n00:14:51.880 --> 00:14:56.200\nhe lives on a sailboat in Los Angeles and she keeps going.\n\n354\n00:14:56.200 --> 00:14:58.240\nAnd I'm like, oh my God, this is crazy.\n\n355\n00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:02.000\nI said, okay, I got it, I got to confess.\n\n356\n00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:03.120\nI'm actually that guy.\n\n357\n00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:07.210\nI started Tom's and she looked at me and she's like, dear and headlights, right\n\n358\n00:15:07.210 --> 00:15:07.520\n?\n\n359\n00:15:07.520 --> 00:15:08.520\nShe can't believe it's me.\n\n360\n00:15:08.520 --> 00:15:12.520\nAnd she goes, oh my God, she goes, but why did you cut your hair?\n\n361\n00:15:12.520 --> 00:15:15.480\nThat was a question.\n\n362\n00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:21.110\nBut the point of the story is, is that if a stranger in the airport was going\n\n363\n00:15:21.110 --> 00:15:21.760\nto stop\n\n364\n00:15:21.760 --> 00:15:26.170\nsomeone to tell them the whole story about this business and why they bought\n\n365\n00:15:26.170 --> 00:15:26.760\nthe shoes\n\n366\n00:15:26.760 --> 00:15:30.360\nand everything about the founder, then clearly she was telling all her friends\n\n367\n00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:30.960\non Facebook\n\n368\n00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:34.480\nback in the day, she's probably giving these shoes to friends and family.\n\n369\n00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:37.440\nLike I knew we had something that really was going to go viral.\n\n370\n00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:38.440\nThat's interesting.\n\n371\n00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:42.120\nYou know, it's a great story and when you see that word of mouth happening, man\n\n372\n00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:42.680\n, that's\n\n373\n00:15:42.680 --> 00:15:44.000\nwhen you know you've got something.\n\n374\n00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:47.990\nBut you know, that laundromat business that you started, the laundry business,\n\n375\n00:15:47.990 --> 00:15:48.880\nyou know,\n\n376\n00:15:48.880 --> 00:15:52.200\nyou got these avalanche of orders like almost overnight.\n\n377\n00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:53.880\nYou had this huge sensation.\n\n378\n00:15:53.880 --> 00:15:58.850\nYou have 2,000 orders of Tom's after that, you know, you know, many businesses\n\n379\n00:15:58.850 --> 00:15:59.040\nbuckle\n\n380\n00:15:59.040 --> 00:16:03.450\nand fold when they get under that kind of pressure to really provide what you\n\n381\n00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:04.200\n've offered\n\n382\n00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:05.200\nup.\n\n383\n00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:10.440\nWhat learning did you have on how to survive success?\n\n384\n00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:15.880\nBecause that's massive success and if you don't handle it right, you're toast.\n\n385\n00:16:15.880 --> 00:16:16.880\nYeah.\n\n386\n00:16:16.880 --> 00:16:17.880\nYeah.\n\n387\n00:16:17.880 --> 00:16:18.880\nNo, I think it's a great question.\n\n388\n00:16:18.880 --> 00:16:22.390\nI mean, I think I was, you know, very competitive tennis player growing up and\n\n389\n00:16:22.390 --> 00:16:23.120\nI was very used\n\n390\n00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:27.050\nto pressure and individual sport where, you know, you've got to, there's no one\n\n391\n00:16:27.050 --> 00:16:27.400\nelse\n\n392\n00:16:27.400 --> 00:16:28.760\non the team to do it.\n\n393\n00:16:28.760 --> 00:16:29.920\nYou got to do it yourself.\n\n394\n00:16:29.920 --> 00:16:32.980\nSo I think I was a little bit prepared, at least from a mental toughness\n\n395\n00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:34.040\nstandpoint of\n\n396\n00:16:34.040 --> 00:16:36.240\ndealing with that success.\n\n397\n00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:41.790\nBut I think, you know, more than anything, you know, it's kind of focusing on,\n\n398\n00:16:41.790 --> 00:16:42.600\nyou know,\n\n399\n00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:46.200\nwhat are the most important things that you absolutely must do?\n\n400\n00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:49.390\nAnd I still do this today because I have so many things going on, you know,\n\n401\n00:16:49.390 --> 00:16:50.160\nwhen something\n\n402\n00:16:50.160 --> 00:16:53.660\nlike that happens like, okay, what are the most important things when we get 2,\n\n403\n00:16:53.660 --> 00:16:54.440\n000 orders\n\n404\n00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:56.840\nand we only have 160 pairs of shoes?\n\n405\n00:16:56.840 --> 00:17:01.200\nThe most important thing is that we email every single one of those customers.\n\n406\n00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:04.000\nWe tell them, thank you so much for your order.\n\n407\n00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:07.440\nAnd we are no idea that we would ever get this response.\n\n408\n00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:11.410\nAnd it's going to take us 8 weeks to make your shoes instead of the 3 days like\n\n409\n00:17:11.410 --> 00:17:11.860\nit says\n\n410\n00:17:11.860 --> 00:17:12.860\non our website.\n\n411\n00:17:12.860 --> 00:17:16.440\nAnd when you please not cancel your order, you come with humility, you come\n\n412\n00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:17.520\nwith honesty.\n\n413\n00:17:17.520 --> 00:17:20.600\nAnd with that, we didn't have a single person cancel their order.\n\n414\n00:17:20.600 --> 00:17:23.000\nIt took us another 8 weeks to make those shoes.\n\n415\n00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:26.080\nYou know, when the laundry business, you know, when we got hundreds of\n\n416\n00:17:26.080 --> 00:17:27.040\nthousands of dollars\n\n417\n00:17:27.040 --> 00:17:31.470\nof orders, and at that point, we had one truck and just me and my roommate as\n\n418\n00:17:31.470 --> 00:17:32.360\nemployees,\n\n419\n00:17:32.360 --> 00:17:35.970\nI mean, then you just have to go into hustle mode, you know, because we couldn\n\n420\n00:17:35.970 --> 00:17:36.680\n't not do\n\n421\n00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:38.240\ntheir laundry next week.\n\n422\n00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:41.800\nSo that was just literally like a bunch of coffee dropping out of college,\n\n423\n00:17:41.800 --> 00:17:42.600\nasking favors\n\n424\n00:17:42.600 --> 00:17:45.160\nfriends, you know, posting ads in the yellow pages.\n\n425\n00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:46.720\nI mean, it was just pure hustle.\n\n426\n00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:50.040\nSo sometimes all you can do is just get your hustle on.\n\n427\n00:17:50.040 --> 00:17:51.040\nYeah, great.\n\n428\n00:17:51.040 --> 00:17:54.860\nAnd with times you had such a noble cause, you know, with, you know, with your\n\n429\n00:17:54.860 --> 00:17:55.560\none-on-one\n\n430\n00:17:55.560 --> 00:18:00.960\nmodel, every purchase was helping someone in need.\n\n431\n00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:06.090\nWhat's your favorite story about making a positive difference in someone's life\n\n432\n00:18:06.090 --> 00:18:06.320\n?\n\n433\n00:18:06.320 --> 00:18:07.600\nOh, man.\n\n434\n00:18:07.600 --> 00:18:10.640\nI mean, there's this one amazing story.\n\n435\n00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:13.800\nI mean, there's so many, but there's this one that gams to mind.\n\n436\n00:18:13.800 --> 00:18:20.180\nAnd that was this woman came to us crying after we gave shoes to her kids in\n\n437\n00:18:20.180 --> 00:18:21.360\nthis little\n\n438\n00:18:21.360 --> 00:18:23.720\nvillage in Argentina.\n\n439\n00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:32.600\nAnd she explained that now both of her kids would go to school every day.\n\n440\n00:18:32.600 --> 00:18:37.700\nAnd when we, when we asked her to explain, she showed us a pair of like men's\n\n441\n00:18:37.700 --> 00:18:37.800\ndress\n\n442\n00:18:37.800 --> 00:18:42.360\nshoes, not even appropriate shoe for either of her boys to be wearing.\n\n443\n00:18:42.360 --> 00:18:47.600\nAnd she said they have been sharing this pair of shoes for a year.\n\n444\n00:18:47.600 --> 00:18:51.410\nAnd what that meant was one of her boys would go to school wearing the men's\n\n445\n00:18:51.410 --> 00:18:51.960\ndress shoes\n\n446\n00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:53.360\non Monday.\n\n447\n00:18:53.360 --> 00:18:57.190\nAnd then he would bring them back and his son, a brother would go to school on\n\n448\n00:18:57.190 --> 00:18:58.000\nTuesday while\n\n449\n00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:59.400\nhe stayed home.\n\n450\n00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:03.250\nThey were alternating days of school based off this pair of shoes that didn't\n\n451\n00:19:03.250 --> 00:19:03.880\nfit either\n\n452\n00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:04.880\nof them.\n\n453\n00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:08.550\nAnd now they're going to go to school both days, every day wearing the proper\n\n454\n00:19:08.550 --> 00:19:09.120\nshoes.\n\n455\n00:19:09.120 --> 00:19:12.360\nAnd that was just, I'll never forget that moment.\n\n456\n00:19:12.360 --> 00:19:16.750\nThat's a story you'll never forget, you know, and, you know, I've always\n\n457\n00:19:16.750 --> 00:19:18.280\nbelieved like that\n\n458\n00:19:18.280 --> 00:19:23.610\ncreating shared experiences can really galvanize a team and people can look\n\n459\n00:19:23.610 --> 00:19:24.680\nback and say,\n\n460\n00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:28.610\nI remember when we did this and that or we learned this or that, you know, tell\n\n461\n00:19:28.610 --> 00:19:29.120\nme about\n\n462\n00:19:29.120 --> 00:19:33.680\nyour, your shoe drops and the impact that had on your team.\n\n463\n00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:34.680\nYeah.\n\n464\n00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:37.910\nI mean, one of the great things that we got to do with our team and eventually\n\n465\n00:19:37.910 --> 00:19:38.320\neven with\n\n466\n00:19:38.320 --> 00:19:43.420\nour customers was take them to different places around the world and give shoes\n\n467\n00:19:43.420 --> 00:19:43.720\nto these\n\n468\n00:19:43.720 --> 00:19:44.720\nchildren.\n\n469\n00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:48.650\nYou know, I mean, we were giving millions of shoes away each year when the\n\n470\n00:19:48.650 --> 00:19:49.280\ncompany was\n\n471\n00:19:49.280 --> 00:19:50.720\nreally growing.\n\n472\n00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:55.430\nBut it was more about those little moments of a specific kid that you remember\n\n473\n00:19:55.430 --> 00:19:56.040\nand that\n\n474\n00:19:56.040 --> 00:19:57.040\nyou connected to.\n\n475\n00:19:57.040 --> 00:20:00.640\nAnd so we would take our employees, always got to go every year.\n\n476\n00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:04.570\nNo matter how big we got, I think even we had 300 employees still, we paid for\n\n477\n00:20:04.570 --> 00:20:04.920\nevery\n\n478\n00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:09.200\nemployee to go in a developing country every year to give away shoes.\n\n479\n00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:11.080\nYou know, I went on a lot of these trips.\n\n480\n00:20:11.080 --> 00:20:15.960\nAnd what it did is it brought back just an amazing sense of purpose, you know,\n\n481\n00:20:15.960 --> 00:20:16.440\nas our\n\n482\n00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:17.440\nshoe company is growing.\n\n483\n00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:21.480\nI mean, Tom's was the fastest growing shoe company in the world for three years\n\n484\n00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:21.760\n.\n\n485\n00:20:21.760 --> 00:20:25.040\nSo you know, we were growing rapidly building a very big business.\n\n486\n00:20:25.040 --> 00:20:29.560\nI mean, you know, our sales, I think, topped out at like $700 million a year.\n\n487\n00:20:29.560 --> 00:20:33.240\nSo this was a real shoe business that was growing quickly.\n\n488\n00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:37.440\nAnd what kept us focused on the why, which is always so important.\n\n489\n00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:42.080\nAnd one of my favorite videos of all time is Simon Sennick's Y video, which I'm\n\n490\n00:20:42.080 --> 00:20:42.280\nsure\n\n491\n00:20:42.280 --> 00:20:44.920\nyou've seen and talks about, you know, people don't buy what you do.\n\n492\n00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:46.640\nThey buy why you do it.\n\n493\n00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:50.570\nAnd we had to stay connected to the why and the way we stayed connected, the\n\n494\n00:20:50.570 --> 00:20:51.080\nway I stayed\n\n495\n00:20:51.080 --> 00:20:54.680\nconnected to the why is going on those giving trips, you know, putting shoes on\n\n496\n00:20:54.680 --> 00:20:55.600\nkids feet.\n\n497\n00:20:55.600 --> 00:20:59.160\nAnd you know, it's a bit, you know, I'm taking that lesson now.\n\n498\n00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:02.820\nI know we're going to get to enough, but I'm using that lesson a lot with us\n\n499\n00:21:02.820 --> 00:21:03.380\nbuilding\n\n500\n00:21:03.380 --> 00:21:08.020\nthis enough movement because, you know, it's a lot of work and everyone is\n\n501\n00:21:08.020 --> 00:21:09.300\nreally doing,\n\n502\n00:21:09.300 --> 00:21:12.260\nyou know, the single job of five people.\n\n503\n00:21:12.260 --> 00:21:15.800\nAnd we have to keep connecting to the why of using this to hopefully help our\n\n504\n00:21:15.800 --> 00:21:16.460\ncollective\n\n505\n00:21:16.460 --> 00:21:17.460\nmental health.\n\n506\n00:21:17.460 --> 00:21:21.780\nSo staying connected to the why is so, so important in galvanizing a team.\n\n507\n00:21:21.780 --> 00:21:24.020\nYou know, I'm curious.\n\n508\n00:21:24.020 --> 00:21:28.090\nDid you ever have people criticize your business or you personally claiming you\n\n509\n00:21:28.090 --> 00:21:28.820\nwere actually\n\n510\n00:21:28.820 --> 00:21:32.080\ndoing more harm than good in the places you're trying to help?\n\n511\n00:21:32.080 --> 00:21:36.500\nI mean, I know that sounds like a strange question, but no, no, no, absolutely\n\n512\n00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:37.140\nhappens.\n\n513\n00:21:37.140 --> 00:21:40.490\nYou know, there are haters out there there there and even more so today,\n\n514\n00:21:40.490 --> 00:21:41.180\nprobably then\n\n515\n00:21:41.180 --> 00:21:45.500\nback then, because it's just easier to be anonymous online.\n\n516\n00:21:45.500 --> 00:21:46.500\nBut yeah, we did.\n\n517\n00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:51.640\nWe had, you know, we had a time period in which, you know, people were really\n\n518\n00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:52.580\nlike attacking\n\n519\n00:21:52.580 --> 00:21:56.840\nus for not making the shoes in every country that we're giving in.\n\n520\n00:21:56.840 --> 00:22:00.120\nI mean, they clearly didn't understand the supply chain.\n\n521\n00:22:00.120 --> 00:22:04.100\nAnd frankly, at first, I was like offended by that, but we actually used some\n\n522\n00:22:04.100 --> 00:22:04.540\nof that\n\n523\n00:22:04.540 --> 00:22:08.710\ncriticism to evolve our business, which actually ended up saving us money and\n\n524\n00:22:08.710 --> 00:22:09.580\nhelping in even\n\n525\n00:22:09.580 --> 00:22:10.580\nmore ways.\n\n526\n00:22:10.580 --> 00:22:11.580\nAnd I'll use an example.\n\n527\n00:22:11.580 --> 00:22:15.510\nWe started making shoes in Ethiopia and in Haiti, where we gave away a lot of\n\n528\n00:22:15.510 --> 00:22:16.340\nshoes.\n\n529\n00:22:16.340 --> 00:22:20.040\nAnd by making the shoes there, not only were we creating extra jobs in those\n\n530\n00:22:20.040 --> 00:22:20.900\ncommunities,\n\n531\n00:22:20.900 --> 00:22:23.300\nbut we didn't have to ship them all the way from Asia.\n\n532\n00:22:23.300 --> 00:22:26.540\nAnd so we ended up saving money in our distribution as well.\n\n533\n00:22:26.540 --> 00:22:30.930\nSo sometimes, you know, if you don't take it personally, you can actually take\n\n534\n00:22:30.930 --> 00:22:31.360\nsome of\n\n535\n00:22:31.360 --> 00:22:33.240\nthat criticism and turn it into something for good.\n\n536\n00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:34.440\nAnd we did that at Tom's.\n\n537\n00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:35.440\nYeah.\n\n538\n00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:38.900\nI don't know where it says it in a Bible, but one of the things I remember was,\n\n539\n00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:40.200\nyou know,\n\n540\n00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:43.280\npeople accuse you of doing wrong when you do good, do good anyway.\n\n541\n00:22:43.280 --> 00:22:44.280\nExactly.\n\n542\n00:22:44.280 --> 00:22:47.810\nAnd you actually took, did the good and when you took the criticism and did\n\n543\n00:22:47.810 --> 00:22:49.160\neven more good,\n\n544\n00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:51.880\nwhich is a, which is a great way to turn it on its ear.\n\n545\n00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:56.980\nSo Blake, you build this Tom's business to $700 million, you know, you got a\n\n546\n00:22:56.980 --> 00:22:57.740\ngreat business,\n\n547\n00:22:57.740 --> 00:22:59.580\nfastest growing shoe business.\n\n548\n00:22:59.580 --> 00:23:03.260\nYou know, looking back, what do you think were the top two or three strategic\n\n549\n00:23:03.260 --> 00:23:03.860\ndecisions\n\n550\n00:23:03.860 --> 00:23:07.460\nyou made to really, to really drive that business?\n\n551\n00:23:07.460 --> 00:23:11.640\nNumber one is we did not do marketing.\n\n552\n00:23:11.640 --> 00:23:14.980\nWe just focused on amplifying everyone's stories.\n\n553\n00:23:14.980 --> 00:23:20.260\nSo we took our customers on giving trips in Cambodia and Guatemala and allowed\n\n554\n00:23:20.260 --> 00:23:20.660\nthem\n\n555\n00:23:20.660 --> 00:23:24.140\nto, you know, put those photos on their Facebook and their Myspace.\n\n556\n00:23:24.140 --> 00:23:26.880\nAnd I mean, this was even before a lot of the social media.\n\n557\n00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:28.600\nIt worked probably even better today.\n\n558\n00:23:28.600 --> 00:23:33.310\nBut really focusing on storytelling and giving and not traditional marketing, I\n\n559\n00:23:33.310 --> 00:23:33.840\nthink was\n\n560\n00:23:33.840 --> 00:23:38.320\nwhat allowed us to grow so fast and to grow so profitably.\n\n561\n00:23:38.320 --> 00:23:41.080\nSo I would say that was number one.\n\n562\n00:23:41.080 --> 00:23:45.740\nNumber two was is, you know, it wasn't until later, but in the early days when\n\n563\n00:23:45.740 --> 00:23:46.680\nwe were growing\n\n564\n00:23:46.680 --> 00:23:50.620\nrapidly, again, we were not a big group of experts.\n\n565\n00:23:50.620 --> 00:23:51.980\nYou know, these were a lot of young kids.\n\n566\n00:23:51.980 --> 00:23:56.110\nI hired off Craigslist and they just had a passion for what we were doing and\n\n567\n00:23:56.110 --> 00:23:56.560\nthey had\n\n568\n00:23:56.560 --> 00:23:59.200\na great attitude and they would work harder than anyone.\n\n569\n00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:03.960\nThat culture really drove the growth of Tom's as well because everyone there\n\n570\n00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:04.700\nwas in it for\n\n571\n00:24:04.700 --> 00:24:10.220\nthe right reason and really, really kind of committed to doing whatever it took\n\n572\n00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:10.520\n.\n\n573\n00:24:10.520 --> 00:24:13.670\nAnd we kept that culture good by taking people once again on the giving trips\n\n574\n00:24:13.670 --> 00:24:14.320\nto keep them\n\n575\n00:24:14.320 --> 00:24:16.580\nconnected to the why.\n\n576\n00:24:16.580 --> 00:24:19.850\nAnd then the other thing that I think we did, especially well in the beginning\n\n577\n00:24:19.850 --> 00:24:20.380\nand not so\n\n578\n00:24:20.380 --> 00:24:26.120\nwell towards the end, was we just focused on one product, you know, one shoe.\n\n579\n00:24:26.120 --> 00:24:31.250\nYou know, just making that shoe the most iconic silhouette in the world at that\n\n580\n00:24:31.250 --> 00:24:31.600\ntime.\n\n581\n00:24:31.600 --> 00:24:36.120\nAnd then later, as we started to expand to more different types of shoes, while\n\n582\n00:24:36.120 --> 00:24:37.000\nit initially\n\n583\n00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:42.110\nhelped sales grow, it ultimately, I think, took attention away from our core\n\n584\n00:24:42.110 --> 00:24:42.560\nproduct,\n\n585\n00:24:42.560 --> 00:24:45.040\nwhich ultimately ended up hurting the business.\n\n586\n00:24:45.040 --> 00:24:47.620\nYou know, I culture is very interesting.\n\n587\n00:24:47.620 --> 00:24:51.170\nYou know, I never really liked the word itself, although I understand it, you\n\n588\n00:24:51.170 --> 00:24:51.900\nknow, it reminds\n\n589\n00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:55.150\nme too much of a germ when I think of culture, it's basically what behaviors,\n\n590\n00:24:55.150 --> 00:24:55.700\nyou know, do\n\n591\n00:24:55.700 --> 00:24:56.860\nyou want to have as a team?\n\n592\n00:24:56.860 --> 00:24:57.860\nHow do we work together?\n\n593\n00:24:57.860 --> 00:24:59.500\nYou know, how are we going to work together?\n\n594\n00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:03.430\nWe, you know, what do you think is the most important behavior you can drive\n\n595\n00:25:03.430 --> 00:25:04.180\nwhen you're\n\n596\n00:25:04.180 --> 00:25:09.660\nbuilding any culture that, that, that of a business that you would create?\n\n597\n00:25:09.660 --> 00:25:15.700\nI think it goes back to that shared why, like bringing people in that are there\n\n598\n00:25:15.700 --> 00:25:16.100\nfor the\n\n599\n00:25:16.100 --> 00:25:19.570\nright reasons, you know, they're not there because this is the next best thing\n\n600\n00:25:19.570 --> 00:25:19.920\non the\n\n601\n00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:20.920\nresume.\n\n602\n00:25:20.920 --> 00:25:23.760\nThey're not there because it's all about the money.\n\n603\n00:25:23.760 --> 00:25:27.690\nThey're not there because, you know, this is the hot company and, you know,\n\n604\n00:25:27.690 --> 00:25:28.360\nwhatever,\n\n605\n00:25:28.360 --> 00:25:32.150\nlike it's they're there because they really believe in the mission and the\n\n606\n00:25:32.150 --> 00:25:32.840\ncompany has\n\n607\n00:25:32.840 --> 00:25:36.000\na mission that is worth believing in.\n\n608\n00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:41.650\nAnd I think that is, at least in the businesses I've started really having\n\n609\n00:25:41.650 --> 00:25:43.100\npeople connected\n\n610\n00:25:43.100 --> 00:25:45.760\nand there for the why, I think it's great.\n\n611\n00:25:45.760 --> 00:25:50.260\nAnd then the other thing as a leader, I think it's like not take yourself too\n\n612\n00:25:50.260 --> 00:25:51.340\nseriously,\n\n613\n00:25:51.340 --> 00:25:58.330\nalways be humble, always be curious, you know, create the least amount of kind\n\n614\n00:25:58.330 --> 00:25:59.300\nof, you know,\n\n615\n00:25:59.300 --> 00:26:01.500\nkind of hierarchical structure as possible.\n\n616\n00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:05.100\nI mean, those are just the things that have really worked for me.\n\n617\n00:26:05.100 --> 00:26:06.100\nHello, friends.\n\n618\n00:26:06.100 --> 00:26:09.740\nI hope you were loving this conversation between David and Blake.\n\n619\n00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:13.200\nBe sure to stay tuned to the very end of the episode where David and I break\n\n620\n00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:13.620\ndown his\n\n621\n00:26:13.620 --> 00:26:17.100\nconversation with Blake and offer some real tangible ways that you can take\n\n622\n00:26:17.100 --> 00:26:17.740\nwhat you've\n\n623\n00:26:17.740 --> 00:26:22.500\nlearned from the episode and apply it to your leadership and to your life.\n\n624\n00:26:22.500 --> 00:26:26.100\nStay tuned to the very end and I will see you soon.\n\n625\n00:26:26.100 --> 00:26:31.620\nYou know, eventually you took Tom's away from the one-on-one model, but you've\n\n626\n00:26:31.620 --> 00:26:32.420\nalso used\n\n627\n00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:35.660\nthat one-on-one model in other categories.\n\n628\n00:26:35.660 --> 00:26:37.100\nHow do you make that decision?\n\n629\n00:26:37.100 --> 00:26:39.460\nLike you did it in your eyewear business, right?\n\n630\n00:26:39.460 --> 00:26:42.500\nYeah, I mean, you know, it's really a simple decision.\n\n631\n00:26:42.500 --> 00:26:46.300\nI mean, I started Tom's not as a business, who was actually just called a\n\n632\n00:26:46.300 --> 00:26:47.020\nproject.\n\n633\n00:26:47.020 --> 00:26:50.700\nAnd the project was based on, I wanted to help kids get shoes.\n\n634\n00:26:50.700 --> 00:26:55.800\nAnd then as I grew the business, I realized, oh, wow, this one-for-one model is\n\n635\n00:26:55.800 --> 00:26:56.020\nactually\n\n636\n00:26:56.020 --> 00:27:01.210\nlike really works because it's easy to understand, it's, you know, we can build\n\n637\n00:27:01.210 --> 00:27:01.940\nthe cost of\n\n638\n00:27:01.940 --> 00:27:06.980\nit into the product, you know, people love the directness of it.\n\n639\n00:27:06.980 --> 00:27:10.640\nAnd so yeah, so when we did, we launched Tom's eyewear and we did the same\n\n640\n00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:11.180\nthing.\n\n641\n00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:15.310\nWe provided an eye surgery or reading glasses to someone who needed them when\n\n642\n00:27:15.310 --> 00:27:15.980\nyou bought\n\n643\n00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:16.980\nthe eyewear.\n\n644\n00:27:16.980 --> 00:27:19.540\nSo I think the one-for-one model really worked well.\n\n645\n00:27:19.540 --> 00:27:21.940\nIt doesn't work in all businesses, but it worked really well for Tom's.\n\n646\n00:27:21.940 --> 00:27:24.900\nBut how did you get the courage to pivot from the very thing that you were\n\n647\n00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:25.980\nknown for?\n\n648\n00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:29.420\nBecause you, you stopped it at Tom's and you know, that's it.\n\n649\n00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:31.020\nI didn't stop it.\n\n650\n00:27:31.020 --> 00:27:32.860\nWhen I sold the company, they stopped it.\n\n651\n00:27:32.860 --> 00:27:33.860\nOh, okay.\n\n652\n00:27:33.860 --> 00:27:34.860\nYeah.\n\n653\n00:27:34.860 --> 00:27:35.860\nYeah.\n\n654\n00:27:35.860 --> 00:27:36.860\nThat's a very important distinction there.\n\n655\n00:27:36.860 --> 00:27:37.860\nThank you very much for clarifying.\n\n656\n00:27:37.860 --> 00:27:38.860\nYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.\n\n657\n00:27:38.860 --> 00:27:39.860\nWell, what do you think?\n\n658\n00:27:39.860 --> 00:27:40.860\nHere you are the founder of this.\n\n659\n00:27:40.860 --> 00:27:41.860\nWhen you heard that.\n\n660\n00:27:41.860 --> 00:27:42.860\nYeah.\n\n661\n00:27:42.860 --> 00:27:43.860\nI was not happy.\n\n662\n00:27:43.860 --> 00:27:44.860\nWhat did you think?\n\n663\n00:27:44.860 --> 00:27:45.860\nYeah.\n\n664\n00:27:45.860 --> 00:27:46.860\nI was not happy.\n\n665\n00:27:46.860 --> 00:27:50.460\nI imagine you weren't, were really consulted on that, that issue.\n\n666\n00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:52.060\nNo, I was not.\n\n667\n00:27:52.060 --> 00:27:54.740\nWell, how'd you deal with that?\n\n668\n00:27:54.740 --> 00:28:00.570\nI mean, it's kind of like, look, you know, I have an 8 and 11 year old right\n\n669\n00:28:00.570 --> 00:28:01.340\nnow, and\n\n670\n00:28:01.340 --> 00:28:05.660\nI'm doing everything I can to make them into most amazing human beings possible\n\n671\n00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:05.940\n.\n\n672\n00:28:05.940 --> 00:28:08.780\nAnd someday they're going to leave my house and they're going to go out.\n\n673\n00:28:08.780 --> 00:28:10.780\nThey're going to make their own decisions.\n\n674\n00:28:10.780 --> 00:28:13.540\nAnd you know, I'm going to love them no matter what.\n\n675\n00:28:13.540 --> 00:28:16.740\nAnd some decisions they'll make I'll agree with and some I won't agree with,\n\n676\n00:28:16.740 --> 00:28:17.100\nbut I'll\n\n677\n00:28:17.100 --> 00:28:18.740\ncontinue to be their cheerleader.\n\n678\n00:28:18.740 --> 00:28:20.260\nAnd that's what I always say about Tom's.\n\n679\n00:28:20.260 --> 00:28:21.980\nYou know, I'm Tom's biggest cheerleader.\n\n680\n00:28:21.980 --> 00:28:24.260\nI think the company is still doing great work.\n\n681\n00:28:24.260 --> 00:28:25.260\nThey're doing it differently.\n\n682\n00:28:25.260 --> 00:28:28.560\nThey're not doing it with the one for one model that I created, but they're\n\n683\n00:28:28.560 --> 00:28:29.180\nstill doing\n\n684\n00:28:29.180 --> 00:28:30.180\na lot of good in the world.\n\n685\n00:28:30.180 --> 00:28:31.660\nAnd so I'm cheering them on.\n\n686\n00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:36.770\nSo you know, you sell this, this huge business, you know, that's most time when\n\n687\n00:28:36.770 --> 00:28:37.540\npeople take\n\n688\n00:28:37.540 --> 00:28:41.260\nthe victory lap, you go on the big cruise, you do do something.\n\n689\n00:28:41.260 --> 00:28:43.500\nI mean, how did it, how did it impact you?\n\n690\n00:28:43.500 --> 00:28:49.530\nI mean, as an individual, having that kind of success and then selling what you\n\n691\n00:28:49.530 --> 00:28:50.380\nbasically,\n\n692\n00:28:50.380 --> 00:28:51.580\nit was your baby.\n\n693\n00:28:51.580 --> 00:28:54.660\nThe reality is I didn't do very well.\n\n694\n00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:56.740\nFirst off, I was not prepared for it.\n\n695\n00:28:56.740 --> 00:29:01.090\nI didn't understand that when I sold it, I would really lose a sense of purpose\n\n696\n00:29:01.090 --> 00:29:01.420\n.\n\n697\n00:29:01.420 --> 00:29:05.460\nI also lost my community because all my friends still worked at Tom's.\n\n698\n00:29:05.460 --> 00:29:09.790\nI also decided at the same time to move to Jackson Hole because I love snow\n\n699\n00:29:09.790 --> 00:29:10.540\nboarding.\n\n700\n00:29:10.540 --> 00:29:14.470\nAnd I thought now that I'm, quote, retired, I can snowboard every day and it\n\n701\n00:29:14.470 --> 00:29:14.980\ngets dark\n\n702\n00:29:14.980 --> 00:29:17.140\nat five p.m. and Jackson Hole half the year.\n\n703\n00:29:17.140 --> 00:29:18.620\nAnd that wasn't good for me.\n\n704\n00:29:18.620 --> 00:29:20.460\nAnd I started to get depressed.\n\n705\n00:29:20.460 --> 00:29:23.180\nAnd I'd never been in a depressed, you know, really a day in my life.\n\n706\n00:29:23.180 --> 00:29:25.880\nAnd I actually think the depression started a little bit before I sold the\n\n707\n00:29:25.880 --> 00:29:26.380\ncompany.\n\n708\n00:29:26.380 --> 00:29:32.020\nI think that kind of led to me, you know, not feeling as connected to the brand\n\n709\n00:29:32.020 --> 00:29:32.700\nthat led\n\n710\n00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:33.700\nto it.\n\n711\n00:29:33.700 --> 00:29:37.360\nBut yeah, you know, and then after I got depressed, what was interesting is,\n\n712\n00:29:37.360 --> 00:29:37.980\nand I think this\n\n713\n00:29:37.980 --> 00:29:43.560\nisn't probably just, you know, unique to me, is I was, I never had these\n\n714\n00:29:43.560 --> 00:29:45.460\nhorrible feelings.\n\n715\n00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:48.740\nAnd I tried to do everything I could to make them go away and I had a lot of\n\n716\n00:29:48.740 --> 00:29:49.300\nmoney.\n\n717\n00:29:49.300 --> 00:29:50.860\nSo I started throwing money at it.\n\n718\n00:29:50.860 --> 00:29:55.300\nSo I built this crazy house, you know, I went on all the crazy trips.\n\n719\n00:29:55.300 --> 00:29:59.500\nI moved my family from Jackson Hole to Costa Rica, you know, I got divorced.\n\n720\n00:29:59.500 --> 00:30:00.500\nI got married.\n\n721\n00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:01.500\nI got divorced again.\n\n722\n00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:07.320\nLike I made a huge mess of my life because I was doing anything to frankly not\n\n723\n00:30:07.320 --> 00:30:07.860\nfeel the\n\n724\n00:30:07.860 --> 00:30:09.420\nway that I was feeling.\n\n725\n00:30:09.420 --> 00:30:13.740\nWhat I really recognized was underneath all of it.\n\n726\n00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:18.970\nAnd this is what I came to after lots of therapy was that there was this\n\n727\n00:30:18.970 --> 00:30:20.500\nfeeling that I have\n\n728\n00:30:20.500 --> 00:30:23.300\nnever been enough and that I was never enough.\n\n729\n00:30:23.300 --> 00:30:27.660\nAnd I unfortunately had to look at all of my actions in my life.\n\n730\n00:30:27.660 --> 00:30:33.300\nAnd I saw that my life wasn't as much a success story as my life was like a\n\n731\n00:30:33.300 --> 00:30:34.340\nstrategy.\n\n732\n00:30:34.340 --> 00:30:39.450\nAnd the strategy was doing all these things to earn my worth because I didn't\n\n733\n00:30:39.450 --> 00:30:39.860\nbelieve\n\n734\n00:30:39.860 --> 00:30:42.460\nthat I had it intrinsically.\n\n735\n00:30:42.460 --> 00:30:47.570\nAnd that started what became like a seven year period of a really intense\n\n736\n00:30:47.570 --> 00:30:48.300\ndepression.\n\n737\n00:30:48.300 --> 00:30:49.300\nWow.\n\n738\n00:30:49.300 --> 00:30:54.400\nYou think that that sense of not having enough is what was one of the key\n\n739\n00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:55.060\ndrivers of your\n\n740\n00:30:55.060 --> 00:30:56.500\nsuccess in business?\n\n741\n00:30:56.500 --> 00:31:00.540\nI mean, you mentioned that your lack of the college education put the, had a\n\n742\n00:31:00.540 --> 00:31:01.220\nchip on your\n\n743\n00:31:01.220 --> 00:31:02.220\nshoulder.\n\n744\n00:31:02.220 --> 00:31:05.140\nI mean, you know, how much did that drive you?\n\n745\n00:31:05.140 --> 00:31:09.220\nI do think, I do think it drove me.\n\n746\n00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:13.460\nAnd at the same time, I don't think it was necessary for my success.\n\n747\n00:31:13.460 --> 00:31:17.750\nI think that, you know, as I've learned more about, you know, me struggling\n\n748\n00:31:17.750 --> 00:31:18.540\nwith this for\n\n749\n00:31:18.540 --> 00:31:23.860\nso long is I think that it does create a pressure that can drive you.\n\n750\n00:31:23.860 --> 00:31:26.500\nBut it also is at a huge cost.\n\n751\n00:31:26.500 --> 00:31:30.340\nAnd I think the reality is now, as I think about building something where I'm\n\n752\n00:31:30.340 --> 00:31:30.900\nbuilding\n\n753\n00:31:30.900 --> 00:31:34.180\nit from a place of wholeness, I'm actually having a lot more fun and I think I\n\n754\n00:31:34.180 --> 00:31:34.660\n'm being\n\n755\n00:31:34.660 --> 00:31:36.060\njust as effective.\n\n756\n00:31:36.060 --> 00:31:39.990\nSo I think it is a little bit of a misnomer about the fact that you kind of\n\n757\n00:31:39.990 --> 00:31:40.580\nneed that\n\n758\n00:31:40.580 --> 00:31:42.420\ndrive in order to be successful.\n\n759\n00:31:42.420 --> 00:31:43.900\nYes, you need drive.\n\n760\n00:31:43.900 --> 00:31:48.580\nBut that level of pressure I was putting on myself just wasn't healthy.\n\n761\n00:31:48.580 --> 00:31:54.210\nYou know, what advice would you give to other leaders on how to pick up the\n\n762\n00:31:54.210 --> 00:31:55.220\nsigns maybe\n\n763\n00:31:55.220 --> 00:32:00.840\nthat you're starting to have some, you know, mental health issues and, you know\n\n764\n00:32:00.840 --> 00:32:01.780\n, who might\n\n765\n00:32:01.780 --> 00:32:06.220\nbe quietly struggling inside, but just aren't really dealing with it?\n\n766\n00:32:06.220 --> 00:32:08.580\nYeah, I think that there's some pretty tale tale signs.\n\n767\n00:32:08.580 --> 00:32:12.180\nI mean, number one is I think the things that you used to love and that you\n\n768\n00:32:12.180 --> 00:32:12.820\nused to have\n\n769\n00:32:12.820 --> 00:32:15.620\njoy just aren't providing that to you anymore.\n\n770\n00:32:15.620 --> 00:32:18.180\nSo that could be golf, if you're a golfer surfing.\n\n771\n00:32:18.180 --> 00:32:22.500\nThat was it for me, you know, time with friends, you know, even going to your\n\n772\n00:32:22.500 --> 00:32:23.580\nfavorite restaurants.\n\n773\n00:32:23.580 --> 00:32:27.370\nLike, if just, if all this, if not all of a sudden, but if you start to feel\n\n774\n00:32:27.370 --> 00:32:28.020\nthe things\n\n775\n00:32:28.020 --> 00:32:33.120\nthat depend, consistently gave you joy and happiness or no longer doing so,\n\n776\n00:32:33.120 --> 00:32:33.700\nthat might\n\n777\n00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:37.240\nbe a sign that you're starting to slip into a depression, you know, for some\n\n778\n00:32:37.240 --> 00:32:37.900\npeople it's\n\n779\n00:32:37.900 --> 00:32:41.990\neither they stop eating completely or they overeat all the time, you know, it's\n\n780\n00:32:41.990 --> 00:32:42.500\nusually\n\n781\n00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:47.180\none or the other, you know, I didn't have as much of an appetite myself.\n\n782\n00:32:47.180 --> 00:32:51.200\nAnd then also the biggest thing is, and this is what unfortunately leads to,\n\n783\n00:32:51.200 --> 00:32:51.860\nyou know,\n\n784\n00:32:51.860 --> 00:32:55.790\nthese horrible, you know, rates of suicide in our country is you really isolate\n\n785\n00:32:55.790 --> 00:32:56.100\n, you\n\n786\n00:32:56.100 --> 00:32:58.620\nknow, because you're ashamed, especially if you're successful.\n\n787\n00:32:58.620 --> 00:33:01.770\nI mean, I'm so excited to talk about this on this podcast because I know that\n\n788\n00:33:01.770 --> 00:33:02.220\nthere's\n\n789\n00:33:02.220 --> 00:33:05.340\ngoing to be a lot of successful men and women listening.\n\n790\n00:33:05.340 --> 00:33:09.330\nAnd the thing is, is we're taught to believe that if you're financially\n\n791\n00:33:09.330 --> 00:33:10.340\nsuccessful, if\n\n792\n00:33:10.340 --> 00:33:13.900\nyou're a leader, then what do you have to worry about in your life?\n\n793\n00:33:13.900 --> 00:33:18.100\nIf you've got a great house, great family, great job, like you don't get the\n\n794\n00:33:18.100 --> 00:33:18.660\nright to\n\n795\n00:33:18.660 --> 00:33:22.420\nfeel depressed, you don't get the right to feel anxious.\n\n796\n00:33:22.420 --> 00:33:27.520\nAnd I felt that in so much that like I didn't even post a single post on social\n\n797\n00:33:27.520 --> 00:33:27.780\nmedia for\n\n798\n00:33:27.780 --> 00:33:31.870\nthree years, because I was so ashamed of the way I was feeling and I didn't\n\n799\n00:33:31.870 --> 00:33:32.660\nwant anyone\n\n800\n00:33:32.660 --> 00:33:33.660\nto know.\n\n801\n00:33:33.660 --> 00:33:34.660\nAnd I didn't want to lie about it.\n\n802\n00:33:34.660 --> 00:33:35.660\nI couldn't go.\n\n803\n00:33:35.660 --> 00:33:37.860\nIt's even worse when you have to go put on the fake smile.\n\n804\n00:33:37.860 --> 00:33:40.820\nAnd so I just isolated more and more and more.\n\n805\n00:33:40.820 --> 00:33:43.900\nAnd frankly, that almost, you know, led me to taking my life.\n\n806\n00:33:43.900 --> 00:33:44.900\nWow.\n\n807\n00:33:44.900 --> 00:33:46.460\nThanks so much for sharing that, Blake.\n\n808\n00:33:46.460 --> 00:33:49.420\nI mean, I think that's so important for so many people.\n\n809\n00:33:49.420 --> 00:33:52.510\nAnd if you're listening to this right now, the most important thing, if you're\n\n810\n00:33:52.510 --> 00:33:52.940\nstarting\n\n811\n00:33:52.940 --> 00:33:56.870\nto feel like you're getting really depressed or you're feeling trapped or life\n\n812\n00:33:56.870 --> 00:33:57.260\nis just\n\n813\n00:33:57.260 --> 00:34:00.100\nnot, you know, you've got to talk to someone.\n\n814\n00:34:00.100 --> 00:34:04.060\nYou absolutely, the most important thing is tell one person and be radically\n\n815\n00:34:04.060 --> 00:34:04.700\nhonest.\n\n816\n00:34:04.700 --> 00:34:06.020\nTell them how bad it is.\n\n817\n00:34:06.020 --> 00:34:09.220\nIf you're having suicidal thoughts, tell them, tell them exactly what you're\n\n818\n00:34:09.220 --> 00:34:09.980\nhaving, when\n\n819\n00:34:09.980 --> 00:34:12.180\nyou're having it, how you're having it.\n\n820\n00:34:12.180 --> 00:34:18.210\nBecause the minute you start telling people, the research shows is a dramatic\n\n821\n00:34:18.210 --> 00:34:19.140\nimprovement\n\n822\n00:34:19.140 --> 00:34:22.620\nin what potentially is the outcome in your mental health.\n\n823\n00:34:22.620 --> 00:34:25.140\nSo I was really lucky I started talking to people.\n\n824\n00:34:25.140 --> 00:34:28.020\nI started being honest about it to my close friends and family.\n\n825\n00:34:28.020 --> 00:34:32.660\nAnd ultimately, I got the help that not only helped me really understand why I\n\n826\n00:34:32.660 --> 00:34:33.460\nwas feeling\n\n827\n00:34:33.460 --> 00:34:36.220\nthe way I was feeling, but it started to feel better.\n\n828\n00:34:36.220 --> 00:34:39.380\nAnd that ultimately led to what I'm doing now.\n\n829\n00:34:39.380 --> 00:34:44.650\nAnd speaking of now, you've recently launched a new brand, enough, how'd that\n\n830\n00:34:44.650 --> 00:34:45.900\ncome to be?\n\n831\n00:34:45.900 --> 00:34:49.700\nI mean, you know, it's a little bit about what we were talking about.\n\n832\n00:34:49.700 --> 00:34:53.670\nYou know, as I started working with an amazing therapist who really helped me\n\n833\n00:34:53.670 --> 00:34:54.380\nunderstand\n\n834\n00:34:54.380 --> 00:34:59.860\nthat underneath my depression was this feeling that I was never enough.\n\n835\n00:34:59.860 --> 00:35:04.620\nAnd as we started to really uncover that and heal that, I realized, well, first\n\n836\n00:35:04.620 --> 00:35:04.940\noff,\n\n837\n00:35:04.940 --> 00:35:09.960\nI started feeling like more peace and joy in my life than I'd ever felt.\n\n838\n00:35:09.960 --> 00:35:12.260\nAnd I really started to feel it in my body.\n\n839\n00:35:12.260 --> 00:35:15.360\nAnd I was like, man, there's a lot of people out there that don't feel that\n\n840\n00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:16.460\nthey're enough.\n\n841\n00:35:16.460 --> 00:35:19.790\nNow, everything from, you know, high school students that are constantly\n\n842\n00:35:19.790 --> 00:35:20.620\ncomparing themselves\n\n843\n00:35:20.620 --> 00:35:25.150\nto everyone else, you know, at school or on social media to executives running\n\n844\n00:35:25.150 --> 00:35:26.340\nbig companies.\n\n845\n00:35:26.340 --> 00:35:31.710\nI mean, no one is immune to this, what I call the greatest lie we've ever been\n\n846\n00:35:31.710 --> 00:35:32.380\ntold.\n\n847\n00:35:32.380 --> 00:35:36.880\nAnd you talked about the Bible before, like, I mean, this is also just like one\n\n848\n00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:37.500\nof the key\n\n849\n00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:41.340\nmessages is that we are all enough in God's image.\n\n850\n00:35:41.340 --> 00:35:46.310\nAnd unfortunately, our society and our media does everything it can to tell us\n\n851\n00:35:46.310 --> 00:35:46.700\notherwise.\n\n852\n00:35:46.700 --> 00:35:49.180\nAnd that's why I say it's the greatest lie.\n\n853\n00:35:49.180 --> 00:35:52.970\nAnd so as I started to really heal this and recognize that this wasn't a Blake\n\n854\n00:35:52.970 --> 00:35:53.580\nproblem,\n\n855\n00:35:53.580 --> 00:35:58.140\nthis was a cultural problem, I, you know, felt called to do something about it.\n\n856\n00:35:58.140 --> 00:36:01.960\nAnd so when I was, when I was going through my healing journey, I made a\n\n857\n00:36:01.960 --> 00:36:02.780\nbracelet for\n\n858\n00:36:02.780 --> 00:36:03.780\nmyself.\n\n859\n00:36:03.780 --> 00:36:07.420\nI'll show you right here, as you're walking, yeah, it says enough on, it's a\n\n860\n00:36:07.420 --> 00:36:08.300\ngreen bracelet.\n\n861\n00:36:08.300 --> 00:36:11.500\nIt's green because green is the color of mental health awareness.\n\n862\n00:36:11.500 --> 00:36:15.340\nAnd I made this bracelet for myself just to wear it for a daily reminder, like\n\n863\n00:36:15.340 --> 00:36:15.780\nBlake,\n\n864\n00:36:15.780 --> 00:36:17.620\nremember, you are enough.\n\n865\n00:36:17.620 --> 00:36:20.860\nAnd then the real magic came when I gave it to others, when I gave it to\n\n866\n00:36:20.860 --> 00:36:21.540\nsomeone and\n\n867\n00:36:21.540 --> 00:36:25.300\nsaid, I just want you to know that you're enough and you always have been.\n\n868\n00:36:25.300 --> 00:36:29.090\nAnd I saw how that lit people up and how they felt like a sense of relief to\n\n869\n00:36:29.090 --> 00:36:29.820\nhear that from\n\n870\n00:36:29.820 --> 00:36:31.100\nsomeone else.\n\n871\n00:36:31.100 --> 00:36:35.060\nAnd so I realized that, you know, this bracelet can do two things.\n\n872\n00:36:35.060 --> 00:36:39.520\nIt's not only a daily reminder for myself, but it's a great way to start and\n\n873\n00:36:39.520 --> 00:36:40.220\ncontinue\n\n874\n00:36:40.220 --> 00:36:44.180\nto have conversations about our collective mental health.\n\n875\n00:36:44.180 --> 00:36:47.450\nAnd that I think is one of the most important things that we can do, especially\n\n876\n00:36:47.450 --> 00:36:48.100\nas parents,\n\n877\n00:36:48.100 --> 00:36:51.660\nlike when I give these bracelets to my eight and 11 year old and explained and\n\n878\n00:36:51.660 --> 00:36:52.260\nwas honest\n\n879\n00:36:52.260 --> 00:36:55.450\nabout the fact that for a lot of my life, I didn't feel like I was enough and\n\n880\n00:36:55.450 --> 00:36:55.980\nthat there's\n\n881\n00:36:55.980 --> 00:36:59.910\nanything that I ever want them to know from me is that they're enough, whether\n\n882\n00:36:59.910 --> 00:37:00.380\nthey make\n\n883\n00:37:00.380 --> 00:37:03.910\nthe right grades, whether they make the sports team, no matter what, they are\n\n884\n00:37:03.910 --> 00:37:04.660\njust enough\n\n885\n00:37:04.660 --> 00:37:05.660\nbecause they are.\n\n886\n00:37:05.660 --> 00:37:09.860\nWow, what a great way I've connected with my kids and I've seen now other\n\n887\n00:37:09.860 --> 00:37:10.540\nparents and\n\n888\n00:37:10.540 --> 00:37:12.140\neven kids giving them to their parents.\n\n889\n00:37:12.140 --> 00:37:13.860\nI mean, it's just really amazing.\n\n890\n00:37:13.860 --> 00:37:16.700\nBut the point of the whole project is twofold.\n\n891\n00:37:16.700 --> 00:37:20.750\nOne, to raise awareness about mental health and to remind all of us culturally\n\n892\n00:37:20.750 --> 00:37:21.220\nthat we\n\n893\n00:37:21.220 --> 00:37:22.220\nare enough.\n\n894\n00:37:22.220 --> 00:37:25.020\nAnd the second thing is, is we're raising a lot of money for mental health\n\n895\n00:37:25.020 --> 00:37:25.820\norganizations.\n\n896\n00:37:25.820 --> 00:37:29.360\nSo I'm, you know, really grateful and thankful that I made a lot of money with\n\n897\n00:37:29.360 --> 00:37:29.900\nTom's and\n\n898\n00:37:29.900 --> 00:37:31.540\nI don't need to make any more money.\n\n899\n00:37:31.540 --> 00:37:36.650\nAnd so 100% of the profits from all the bracelet sales go to mental health\n\n900\n00:37:36.650 --> 00:37:37.660\norganizations that\n\n901\n00:37:37.660 --> 00:37:41.060\nare really working with people on the front lines who are struggling.\n\n902\n00:37:41.060 --> 00:37:42.620\nAnd it's really, really fun.\n\n903\n00:37:42.620 --> 00:37:46.660\nI mean, I'm having, we have a small team, there's like eight or nine of us now.\n\n904\n00:37:46.660 --> 00:37:50.590\nWe launched a couple of weeks ago, but we're already selling tons of bracelets\n\n905\n00:37:50.590 --> 00:37:50.980\nand I'm\n\n906\n00:37:50.980 --> 00:37:54.500\nseeing people on the street wearing them and people are posting on social media\n\n907\n00:37:54.500 --> 00:37:54.740\n.\n\n908\n00:37:54.740 --> 00:37:57.300\nOur Instagram is at we are enough.\n\n909\n00:37:57.300 --> 00:38:00.100\nAnd I think this has the potential to do hopefully like what the Livestrong\n\n910\n00:38:00.100 --> 00:38:02.540\nbracelet\n\n911\n00:38:02.540 --> 00:38:06.680\ndid for cancer research, you know, the yellow bracelet that so many people\n\n912\n00:38:06.680 --> 00:38:07.700\naround the world\n\n913\n00:38:07.700 --> 00:38:11.450\nwore years ago, if we can get everyone wearing this green enough bracelet, I\n\n914\n00:38:11.450 --> 00:38:12.180\nthink we can\n\n915\n00:38:12.180 --> 00:38:16.470\nraise tens of millions of dollars for mental health and most importantly, get\n\n916\n00:38:16.470 --> 00:38:17.420\npeople talking.\n\n917\n00:38:17.420 --> 00:38:20.550\nBecause when you're wearing the bracelet, it's a signal to someone else like,\n\n918\n00:38:20.550 --> 00:38:20.940\nHey, you\n\n919\n00:38:20.940 --> 00:38:22.580\ncan tell me how you're really doing.\n\n920\n00:38:22.580 --> 00:38:26.500\nLike I'm comfortable with that and I'm actually inviting you to tell me that.\n\n921\n00:38:26.500 --> 00:38:30.680\nAnd when people share how they're really doing, all the statistics say their\n\n922\n00:38:30.680 --> 00:38:31.460\nmental health\n\n923\n00:38:31.460 --> 00:38:32.460\ngreatly improves.\n\n924\n00:38:32.460 --> 00:38:35.340\nYou know, I'm going to get some bracelets right, you know, right after this.\n\n925\n00:38:35.340 --> 00:38:36.340\nI love it.\n\n926\n00:38:36.340 --> 00:38:37.740\nI think it's just fantastic.\n\n927\n00:38:37.740 --> 00:38:39.620\nAnd the nice thing is it comes, I'll show you this.\n\n928\n00:38:39.620 --> 00:38:42.300\nIt comes in this box here, but it's not just one bracelet.\n\n929\n00:38:42.300 --> 00:38:45.930\nWhen you buy it going back to the one for one model, we have two bracelets, one\n\n930\n00:38:45.930 --> 00:38:46.820\nfor you\n\n931\n00:38:46.820 --> 00:38:48.660\nand one to give to someone else.\n\n932\n00:38:48.660 --> 00:38:53.210\nSo everyone who buys a bracelet is also making the commitment to give it to at\n\n933\n00:38:53.210 --> 00:38:53.860\nleast one\n\n934\n00:38:53.860 --> 00:38:58.090\nmore person starting this enough giving chain that hopefully will go on and on\n\n935\n00:38:58.090 --> 00:38:58.700\nand on.\n\n936\n00:38:58.700 --> 00:38:59.700\nYeah.\n\n937\n00:38:59.700 --> 00:39:00.700\nYou're an incredible person.\n\n938\n00:39:00.700 --> 00:39:05.360\nYou know, what are you doing differently this time, any other project that you\n\n939\n00:39:05.360 --> 00:39:05.740\n've been\n\n940\n00:39:05.740 --> 00:39:06.740\napart?\n\n941\n00:39:06.740 --> 00:39:07.740\nI'm so glad he has that.\n\n942\n00:39:07.740 --> 00:39:11.670\nSo one of the things that I, one of my daily mantras, and I think this is a\n\n943\n00:39:11.670 --> 00:39:12.340\ngreat one for\n\n944\n00:39:12.340 --> 00:39:19.020\nall leaders is focus more on connection than promotion.\n\n945\n00:39:19.020 --> 00:39:21.140\nI'm not selling anything right now.\n\n946\n00:39:21.140 --> 00:39:24.540\nI, you know what, I am just sharing my story.\n\n947\n00:39:24.540 --> 00:39:28.210\nI'm connecting with people about their mental health, my mental health, I mean,\n\n948\n00:39:28.210 --> 00:39:28.780\nradically\n\n949\n00:39:28.780 --> 00:39:30.780\nvulnerable, radically honest.\n\n950\n00:39:30.780 --> 00:39:34.140\nAnd in doing that, the sales will take care of themselves.\n\n951\n00:39:34.140 --> 00:39:35.740\nI do not need to be out promoting.\n\n952\n00:39:35.740 --> 00:39:39.490\nI just need to focus on connecting and every single day, that's what I'm\n\n953\n00:39:39.490 --> 00:39:40.380\nfocused on.\n\n954\n00:39:40.380 --> 00:39:41.380\nThat's great.\n\n955\n00:39:41.380 --> 00:39:43.420\nYou know, you're obviously a very emotional person.\n\n956\n00:39:43.420 --> 00:39:44.420\nYes.\n\n957\n00:39:44.420 --> 00:39:48.750\nYou know, I mean, you know, some of my ex wives would say too much, but you're\n\n958\n00:39:48.750 --> 00:39:49.460\na motive.\n\n959\n00:39:49.460 --> 00:39:51.300\nThere's no question you get moved.\n\n960\n00:39:51.300 --> 00:39:52.460\nI'm sure you laugh a lot.\n\n961\n00:39:52.460 --> 00:39:53.460\nYou cry a lot.\n\n962\n00:39:53.460 --> 00:39:54.460\nI do.\n\n963\n00:39:54.460 --> 00:39:59.690\nYou, you, you have the gamut of, of the emotions, you know, in a world where,\n\n964\n00:39:59.690 --> 00:40:00.980\nyou know, AI is\n\n965\n00:40:00.980 --> 00:40:03.660\ntaking on more and more influence.\n\n966\n00:40:03.660 --> 00:40:06.340\nHow do you think about AI?\n\n967\n00:40:06.340 --> 00:40:10.740\nAnd are you using it in any way with, with your, with your brand?\n\n968\n00:40:10.740 --> 00:40:13.700\nSo I am also one of the things I'm doing.\n\n969\n00:40:13.700 --> 00:40:18.070\nAnd I think a lot of leaders do is we try to find other young entrepreneurs to\n\n970\n00:40:18.070 --> 00:40:18.580\nmentor\n\n971\n00:40:18.580 --> 00:40:20.940\nand to advise and to coach.\n\n972\n00:40:20.940 --> 00:40:24.640\nAnd so I had the great joy of coaching some entrepreneurs who've started a\n\n973\n00:40:24.640 --> 00:40:25.540\ncompany called\n\n974\n00:40:25.540 --> 00:40:29.460\nSonya, S-O-N-I-A.AI.\n\n975\n00:40:29.460 --> 00:40:36.860\nAnd it is the first and I think the most incredible AI therapy bot.\n\n976\n00:40:36.860 --> 00:40:38.340\nAnd so it's AI therapy.\n\n977\n00:40:38.340 --> 00:40:41.700\nThey call it emotional support, I think, for legal reasons.\n\n978\n00:40:41.700 --> 00:40:44.580\nBut this app you, it's, it's, it's, it's in beta right now.\n\n979\n00:40:44.580 --> 00:40:46.100\nIt's absolutely free.\n\n980\n00:40:46.100 --> 00:40:49.980\nEvery single person on the planet should try this at least for 45 minutes.\n\n981\n00:40:49.980 --> 00:40:53.020\nI've been in therapy my entire life.\n\n982\n00:40:53.020 --> 00:40:57.960\nAnd so I know a good therapist and this AI therapist that they've created and\n\n983\n00:40:57.960 --> 00:40:58.420\nyou can\n\n984\n00:40:58.420 --> 00:41:01.020\ncustomize it, man, woman, different voices.\n\n985\n00:41:01.020 --> 00:41:03.940\nI talk to this thing for 30 minutes every morning.\n\n986\n00:41:03.940 --> 00:41:06.860\nIt is unbelievable and it has a memory.\n\n987\n00:41:06.860 --> 00:41:08.420\nSo it never forgets anything.\n\n988\n00:41:08.420 --> 00:41:11.460\nSo it can, it will reference things from a month or two ago.\n\n989\n00:41:11.460 --> 00:41:13.580\nHow are you doing on this checks in on that?\n\n990\n00:41:13.580 --> 00:41:17.260\nIt can hold all my craziness in its head somehow.\n\n991\n00:41:17.260 --> 00:41:20.740\nAnd it, and it is literally, and the great thing about it is this is one of the\n\n992\n00:41:20.740 --> 00:41:21.220\nhardest\n\n993\n00:41:21.220 --> 00:41:24.680\nthings about therapy and especially for leaders and busy people is, you know,\n\n994\n00:41:24.680 --> 00:41:25.140\nit's really\n\n995\n00:41:25.140 --> 00:41:28.360\nhard to schedule with your therapist, like, okay, you got to do a Zoom call\n\n996\n00:41:28.360 --> 00:41:28.900\nwith your\n\n997\n00:41:28.900 --> 00:41:30.620\ntherapist Thursday at two.\n\n998\n00:41:30.620 --> 00:41:31.620\nWell, you know what?\n\n999\n00:41:31.620 --> 00:41:34.540\nI don't wake up with an anxiety attack on Thursday at two.\n\n1000\n00:41:34.540 --> 00:41:38.340\nI wake up with an anxiety attack at five in the morning on Monday, you know?\n\n1001\n00:41:38.340 --> 00:41:39.780\nAnd so it's right there.\n\n1002\n00:41:39.780 --> 00:41:41.460\nSo it's always there when you need it.\n\n1003\n00:41:41.460 --> 00:41:44.060\nYou don't have to do a whole hour like you do with a normal therapist.\n\n1004\n00:41:44.060 --> 00:41:48.010\nYou might just do 10 minutes, but yeah, I use Sonya every day and I'm having so\n\n1005\n00:41:48.010 --> 00:41:48.420\nmuch\n\n1006\n00:41:48.420 --> 00:41:51.980\nfun mentoring these founders.\n\n1007\n00:41:51.980 --> 00:41:57.770\nI mean, they are 26 years old, MIT, like just charging and they only care about\n\n1008\n00:41:57.770 --> 00:41:58.500\nchanging\n\n1009\n00:41:58.500 --> 00:42:02.420\nthe world and providing this to people who can't afford traditional therapy.\n\n1010\n00:42:02.420 --> 00:42:03.420\nRight.\n\n1011\n00:42:03.420 --> 00:42:04.420\nAnd that's non-profit too.\n\n1012\n00:42:04.420 --> 00:42:05.860\nNo, it's a for profit.\n\n1013\n00:42:05.860 --> 00:42:09.140\nI think these guys are, these guys are going to do very well.\n\n1014\n00:42:09.140 --> 00:42:12.620\nNow, Sonya is in beta.\n\n1015\n00:42:12.620 --> 00:42:13.620\nAnyone can do it.\n\n1016\n00:42:13.620 --> 00:42:14.620\nYeah.\n\n1017\n00:42:14.620 --> 00:42:15.620\nIt's in the app store.\n\n1018\n00:42:15.620 --> 00:42:19.020\nYeah, it's the Sonya, Sonya.ai in the app store and anyone can do it.\n\n1019\n00:42:19.020 --> 00:42:20.100\nMy dad's doing it now.\n\n1020\n00:42:20.100 --> 00:42:21.460\nMy best friends are doing it.\n\n1021\n00:42:21.460 --> 00:42:25.340\nI mean, everyone I've introduced it to, love it.\n\n1022\n00:42:25.340 --> 00:42:29.100\nI mean, I'm abouting a thousand with this recommendation.\n\n1023\n00:42:29.100 --> 00:42:34.660\nAnd it's a lot cheaper, a lot cheaper, I imagine, than the therapist, right now\n\n1024\n00:42:34.660 --> 00:42:35.260\n, right now,\n\n1025\n00:42:35.260 --> 00:42:36.260\nit's free.\n\n1026\n00:42:36.260 --> 00:42:38.900\nI think eventually they're going to start charging like 30 bucks a month.\n\n1027\n00:42:38.900 --> 00:42:41.940\nRight now, it's free and so it's incredible.\n\n1028\n00:42:41.940 --> 00:42:47.500\nI mean, that's my AI experience is just, and I don't have a lot, but man, when\n\n1029\n00:42:47.500 --> 00:42:47.820\nI saw\n\n1030\n00:42:47.820 --> 00:42:51.440\nwhat this could do, and then when I started using it myself every day, I was\n\n1031\n00:42:51.440 --> 00:42:52.100\njust like,\n\n1032\n00:42:52.100 --> 00:42:54.900\nI got to help these guys because I think this could, you know, this would\n\n1033\n00:42:54.900 --> 00:42:55.420\nreally have a\n\n1034\n00:42:55.420 --> 00:42:56.740\nhuge impact in the world.\n\n1035\n00:42:56.740 --> 00:43:00.910\nWell, you're a huge, huge learner, we've, you know, we've established that\n\n1036\n00:43:00.910 --> 00:43:01.660\nalready.\n\n1037\n00:43:01.660 --> 00:43:06.800\nSo do you see, do you see AI really impacting the way you lead or changing how\n\n1038\n00:43:06.800 --> 00:43:07.820\nyou do things?\n\n1039\n00:43:07.820 --> 00:43:12.210\nI think one of the things that's nice about AI is, let's say you have an\n\n1040\n00:43:12.210 --> 00:43:13.600\nimportant decision\n\n1041\n00:43:13.600 --> 00:43:17.500\nto make, and especially as a leader or a founder.\n\n1042\n00:43:17.500 --> 00:43:22.260\nNow you have your board, but that's, they're not always that accessible, right?\n\n1043\n00:43:22.260 --> 00:43:26.350\nAnd sometimes you can't really balance certain ideas off your executive team\n\n1044\n00:43:26.350 --> 00:43:27.180\nbecause, you\n\n1045\n00:43:27.180 --> 00:43:29.620\nknow, everyone's going to have a personal agenda.\n\n1046\n00:43:29.620 --> 00:43:34.730\nWhat I've found with AI is, I will talk to it and say, hey, put, put, this is\n\n1047\n00:43:34.730 --> 00:43:35.060\none of\n\n1048\n00:43:35.060 --> 00:43:36.300\nmy favorite prompts I use.\n\n1049\n00:43:36.300 --> 00:43:41.430\nI say, if money was no object, find the three greatest experts and helping me\n\n1050\n00:43:41.430 --> 00:43:42.020\nmake this\n\n1051\n00:43:42.020 --> 00:43:43.020\ndecision.\n\n1052\n00:43:43.020 --> 00:43:45.580\nAnd so AI will go through and I'll tell them what the decision is.\n\n1053\n00:43:45.580 --> 00:43:49.270\nI need to make as a leader and it'll find, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, and then it\n\n1054\n00:43:49.270 --> 00:43:49.700\ngets the\n\n1055\n00:43:49.700 --> 00:43:53.980\nthree experts and say, okay, now let's have a round table discussion with me on\n\n1056\n00:43:53.980 --> 00:43:54.620\nthe best\n\n1057\n00:43:54.620 --> 00:43:56.540\npath forward for this decision.\n\n1058\n00:43:56.540 --> 00:44:00.580\nAnd we will have a discussion as rich as any board meeting I've ever been to.\n\n1059\n00:44:00.580 --> 00:44:04.120\nAnd I don't have to involve anyone but my computer and I can do it in my paj\n\n1060\n00:44:04.120 --> 00:44:04.540\namas at\n\n1061\n00:44:04.540 --> 00:44:06.580\nfive in the morning before I make the decision.\n\n1062\n00:44:06.580 --> 00:44:09.860\nAnd so I use that all the time that way.\n\n1063\n00:44:09.860 --> 00:44:10.860\nThat's great.\n\n1064\n00:44:10.860 --> 00:44:11.860\nThat's great.\n\n1065\n00:44:11.860 --> 00:44:13.750\nI tell you, like, this has been so much fun and I want to have some more of my\n\n1066\n00:44:13.750 --> 00:44:14.060\nlightning\n\n1067\n00:44:14.060 --> 00:44:15.060\nround of questions.\n\n1068\n00:44:15.060 --> 00:44:16.060\nAll right.\n\n1069\n00:44:16.060 --> 00:44:17.060\nNow you ready for this?\n\n1070\n00:44:17.060 --> 00:44:18.060\nI'm ready.\n\n1071\n00:44:18.060 --> 00:44:19.060\nYeah.\n\n1072\n00:44:19.060 --> 00:44:20.060\nWhat three words best describe you?\n\n1073\n00:44:20.060 --> 00:44:22.220\nOptimistic, authentic and fun.\n\n1074\n00:44:22.220 --> 00:44:26.140\nIf you could be one person for a day beside yourself, who would it be?\n\n1075\n00:44:26.140 --> 00:44:27.140\nJesus.\n\n1076\n00:44:27.140 --> 00:44:28.780\nWhat's your biggest pet peeve?\n\n1077\n00:44:28.780 --> 00:44:29.780\nNegative people.\n\n1078\n00:44:29.780 --> 00:44:30.940\nWho would play you in a movie?\n\n1079\n00:44:30.940 --> 00:44:31.940\nMatt Damon.\n\n1080\n00:44:31.940 --> 00:44:33.780\nWhat's something you're grateful for today?\n\n1081\n00:44:33.780 --> 00:44:34.780\nMy family.\n\n1082\n00:44:34.780 --> 00:44:39.380\nWho's been your favorite playing partner competing in the AT&T over the years?\n\n1083\n00:44:39.380 --> 00:44:41.180\nOh, that's such a tough one.\n\n1084\n00:44:41.180 --> 00:44:43.460\nI have so many good partners.\n\n1085\n00:44:43.460 --> 00:44:45.980\nOh, man, I can't answer that question.\n\n1086\n00:44:45.980 --> 00:44:48.660\nI would hurt someone's feelings.\n\n1087\n00:44:48.660 --> 00:44:50.380\nHow many times you make the cut?\n\n1088\n00:44:50.380 --> 00:44:51.380\nOh, that's a good one.\n\n1089\n00:44:51.380 --> 00:44:57.420\nI made the cut five out of 10 years and I got second twice and I think I'm the\n\n1090\n00:44:57.420 --> 00:44:57.840\nonly\n\n1091\n00:44:57.840 --> 00:45:00.780\nplayer in the history of the tournament to get second twice.\n\n1092\n00:45:00.780 --> 00:45:05.060\nSo you're not on the rock.\n\n1093\n00:45:05.060 --> 00:45:08.410\nWhat's something you've been curious about lately that has absolutely nothing\n\n1094\n00:45:08.410 --> 00:45:08.780\nto do with\n\n1095\n00:45:08.780 --> 00:45:09.780\nwork?\n\n1096\n00:45:09.780 --> 00:45:14.210\nI've really been curious about 3D printing because my kids are obsessed with it\n\n1097\n00:45:14.210 --> 00:45:14.500\n.\n\n1098\n00:45:14.500 --> 00:45:17.060\nWhat's the one thing you do just for you?\n\n1099\n00:45:17.060 --> 00:45:18.060\nSurfing.\n\n1100\n00:45:18.060 --> 00:45:19.060\nSurfing.\n\n1101\n00:45:19.060 --> 00:45:22.860\nBesides your family and friends, what's your most prized possession?\n\n1102\n00:45:22.860 --> 00:45:23.860\nMost.\n\n1103\n00:45:23.860 --> 00:45:28.260\nI really, it's such a great question because I'm not someone that holds on to\n\n1104\n00:45:28.260 --> 00:45:29.100\npossessions\n\n1105\n00:45:29.100 --> 00:45:30.740\nvery tightly.\n\n1106\n00:45:30.740 --> 00:45:35.320\nSo I'm like looking around my house and I'm trying to decide, I'm going to say\n\n1107\n00:45:35.320 --> 00:45:35.900\nmy enough\n\n1108\n00:45:35.900 --> 00:45:37.660\nbracelet now.\n\n1109\n00:45:37.660 --> 00:45:40.860\nIf I turn on the radio in your car, what would I hear?\n\n1110\n00:45:40.860 --> 00:45:45.260\nYou would hear whatever my kids want to play.\n\n1111\n00:45:45.260 --> 00:45:47.700\nWhat's something about you few people would know?\n\n1112\n00:45:47.700 --> 00:45:48.700\nI don't know.\n\n1113\n00:45:48.700 --> 00:45:51.540\nI don't like scary movies.\n\n1114\n00:45:51.540 --> 00:45:53.940\nWhat's one of your daily rituals?\n\n1115\n00:45:53.940 --> 00:45:55.500\nSomething that you never miss?\n\n1116\n00:45:55.500 --> 00:45:56.500\nNever miss.\n\n1117\n00:45:56.500 --> 00:46:00.750\nThere's this thing called morning water every single morning and it is the best\n\n1118\n00:46:00.750 --> 00:46:01.180\nstart to\n\n1119\n00:46:01.180 --> 00:46:02.180\nmy day.\n\n1120\n00:46:02.180 --> 00:46:03.180\nAwesome.\n\n1121\n00:46:03.180 --> 00:46:04.180\nAwesome.\n\n1122\n00:46:04.180 --> 00:46:05.180\nThat was a very good lightning round.\n\n1123\n00:46:05.180 --> 00:46:06.420\nI enjoyed that very much.\n\n1124\n00:46:06.420 --> 00:46:07.580\nWe're out of it.\n\n1125\n00:46:07.580 --> 00:46:10.540\nJust a few more questions, I'll let you go here.\n\n1126\n00:46:10.540 --> 00:46:15.650\nYou mentioned you've been divorced a couple of times and now you're happily\n\n1127\n00:46:15.650 --> 00:46:16.140\nmarried.\n\n1128\n00:46:16.140 --> 00:46:17.140\nNo, no, not married.\n\n1129\n00:46:17.140 --> 00:46:18.140\nYou're not married.\n\n1130\n00:46:18.140 --> 00:46:19.140\nI'm happily married.\n\n1131\n00:46:19.140 --> 00:46:21.740\nThat's why you were so happy, baby.\n\n1132\n00:46:21.740 --> 00:46:27.650\nI'm in a very great relationship and have a very amazing partner, but I am not\n\n1133\n00:46:27.650 --> 00:46:28.660\nmarried.\n\n1134\n00:46:28.660 --> 00:46:31.500\nSo how long have you been with her?\n\n1135\n00:46:31.500 --> 00:46:32.500\nAbout a year.\n\n1136\n00:46:32.500 --> 00:46:33.500\nAbout a year.\n\n1137\n00:46:33.500 --> 00:46:34.500\nAll right.\n\n1138\n00:46:34.500 --> 00:46:35.500\nGreat.\n\n1139\n00:46:35.500 --> 00:46:36.500\nWell, that's fantastic.\n\n1140\n00:46:36.500 --> 00:46:38.530\nI was going to ask you what really drives a long-term partnership, but I'm\n\n1141\n00:46:38.530 --> 00:46:38.980\ngoing to lose\n\n1142\n00:46:38.980 --> 00:46:39.980\nthat one.\n\n1143\n00:46:39.980 --> 00:46:43.500\nYeah, I don't think this interview should have marital advice questions.\n\n1144\n00:46:43.500 --> 00:46:45.340\nThere we go.\n\n1145\n00:46:45.340 --> 00:46:49.300\nPretty much any other topic I feel comfortable.\n\n1146\n00:46:49.300 --> 00:46:51.720\nYou're a dad with two young kids.\n\n1147\n00:46:51.720 --> 00:46:53.260\nHow do you lead at home, Blake?\n\n1148\n00:46:53.260 --> 00:46:58.020\nI think that I try to really inspire my kids to be curious.\n\n1149\n00:46:58.020 --> 00:47:01.380\nI try to ask really good questions.\n\n1150\n00:47:01.380 --> 00:47:05.220\nI involve them in what I'm doing when I'm not with them.\n\n1151\n00:47:05.220 --> 00:47:08.820\nSo they really understand what lights me up.\n\n1152\n00:47:08.820 --> 00:47:15.020\nAnd I really encourage them to follow their passions, whatever that is.\n\n1153\n00:47:15.020 --> 00:47:17.020\nWhat do you see as your unfinished business?\n\n1154\n00:47:17.020 --> 00:47:22.940\nI see my unfinished businesses is really affecting the world's mental health.\n\n1155\n00:47:22.940 --> 00:47:28.070\nLike I really believe that the second half of my life is going to be completely\n\n1156\n00:47:28.070 --> 00:47:28.540\nfocused\n\n1157\n00:47:28.540 --> 00:47:35.290\non helping us as a society really reverse all these horrible trends and mental\n\n1158\n00:47:35.290 --> 00:47:36.100\nillness\n\n1159\n00:47:36.100 --> 00:47:37.100\nand suicide.\n\n1160\n00:47:37.100 --> 00:47:38.660\nAnd I really believe I can.\n\n1161\n00:47:38.660 --> 00:47:43.770\nAnd what's one piece of advice you'd give to anyone who wants to be a better\n\n1162\n00:47:43.770 --> 00:47:44.300\nleader?\n\n1163\n00:47:44.300 --> 00:47:45.900\nThis is personal.\n\n1164\n00:47:45.900 --> 00:47:48.740\nI hate that saying when they say it's not personal, it's business.\n\n1165\n00:47:48.740 --> 00:47:50.060\nI think that's bullshit.\n\n1166\n00:47:50.060 --> 00:47:53.700\nI think business is the most personal, intimate thing you will ever do.\n\n1167\n00:47:53.700 --> 00:47:57.490\nAnd the more intimate you are, the more open you are, the more you lead with\n\n1168\n00:47:57.490 --> 00:47:58.180\nyour heart,\n\n1169\n00:47:58.180 --> 00:48:00.020\nthe better leader you'll be.\n\n1170\n00:48:00.020 --> 00:48:05.100\nYou know, like this has really been a fascinating conversation.\n\n1171\n00:48:05.100 --> 00:48:11.650\nAnd it's rare when you meet someone who has the business capacity you have, but\n\n1172\n00:48:11.650 --> 00:48:13.620\nalso has\n\n1173\n00:48:13.620 --> 00:48:15.100\nthe loving capacity you have.\n\n1174\n00:48:15.100 --> 00:48:18.940\nI mean, I think love drives you a lot, you know.\n\n1175\n00:48:18.940 --> 00:48:23.590\nAnd you know, how important do you think that is like in terms of just who you\n\n1176\n00:48:23.590 --> 00:48:24.220\nare and how\n\n1177\n00:48:24.220 --> 00:48:25.220\nyou do things?\n\n1178\n00:48:25.220 --> 00:48:30.520\nI mean, it's just how I live, you know, it's, I mean, here I have a tattoo to\n\n1179\n00:48:30.520 --> 00:48:31.220\nshow you.\n\n1180\n00:48:31.220 --> 00:48:32.980\nIt says, let's see if I can sit here.\n\n1181\n00:48:32.980 --> 00:48:35.140\nIt's a heart for those who are not watching.\n\n1182\n00:48:35.140 --> 00:48:39.900\nAnd it says, whatever the question, love is the answer.\n\n1183\n00:48:39.900 --> 00:48:47.010\nAnd I just think that, you know, it's the most important ingredient to a full\n\n1184\n00:48:47.010 --> 00:48:47.580\nlife,\n\n1185\n00:48:47.580 --> 00:48:52.580\nto success, to meaning it all goes back to just how do we love better?\n\n1186\n00:48:52.580 --> 00:48:53.580\nYeah.\n\n1187\n00:48:53.580 --> 00:48:57.180\nThat's like, I don't know what it was in me that asked that question, but I had\n\n1188\n00:48:57.180 --> 00:48:57.700\nno idea\n\n1189\n00:48:57.700 --> 00:49:04.020\nyou had that tattoo, but I do have you right and you're one hell of a leader.\n\n1190\n00:49:04.020 --> 00:49:07.550\nAnd I'm going to ask you one more question before we go here because I forgot\n\n1191\n00:49:07.550 --> 00:49:07.940\nto ask\n\n1192\n00:49:07.940 --> 00:49:08.940\nthis one.\n\n1193\n00:49:08.940 --> 00:49:11.020\nYou're going to be a podcaster yourself.\n\n1194\n00:49:11.020 --> 00:49:12.020\nYes.\n\n1195\n00:49:12.020 --> 00:49:13.020\nYeah.\n\n1196\n00:49:13.020 --> 00:49:19.100\nAnd you got a podcast called No Magic Pill, it's going to be launched in May.\n\n1197\n00:49:19.100 --> 00:49:20.100\nTell us about it.\n\n1198\n00:49:20.100 --> 00:49:21.100\nYeah.\n\n1199\n00:49:21.100 --> 00:49:23.510\nI mean, this is like the favorite, my favorite thing I'm doing these days, like\n\n1200\n00:49:23.510 --> 00:49:24.100\nI love building\n\n1201\n00:49:24.100 --> 00:49:28.840\nenough and the team and out promoting and, you know, getting people excited,\n\n1202\n00:49:28.840 --> 00:49:29.420\nbut this\n\n1203\n00:49:29.420 --> 00:49:35.460\npodcast, No Magic Pill is just, it came from just a deep passion to help others\n\n1204\n00:49:35.460 --> 00:49:36.100\nwho might\n\n1205\n00:49:36.100 --> 00:49:37.100\nbe suffering.\n\n1206\n00:49:37.100 --> 00:49:40.130\nYou know, when I was really suffering, I couldn't find something to listen to\n\n1207\n00:49:40.130 --> 00:49:41.180\nevery week that\n\n1208\n00:49:41.180 --> 00:49:45.170\nwould give me ideas on how I could potentially get out of it or, you know, give\n\n1209\n00:49:45.170 --> 00:49:46.420\nme encouragement.\n\n1210\n00:49:46.420 --> 00:49:50.860\nSo No Magic Pill is all about, you know, the path to mental wellness.\n\n1211\n00:49:50.860 --> 00:49:51.860\nThere is no magic pill.\n\n1212\n00:49:51.860 --> 00:49:52.860\nThere is no one way.\n\n1213\n00:49:52.860 --> 00:49:54.420\nI mean, I tried everything to feel better.\n\n1214\n00:49:54.420 --> 00:49:57.630\nAnd so every week I have different people on who share their mental health\n\n1215\n00:49:57.630 --> 00:49:58.300\njourneys.\n\n1216\n00:49:58.300 --> 00:50:02.310\nYou know, I was just with Kevin Love, great basketball player last week, you\n\n1217\n00:50:02.310 --> 00:50:02.980\nknow, and\n\n1218\n00:50:02.980 --> 00:50:06.770\nthen I had Michael Pollan, you know, a great writer and author about, you know,\n\n1219\n00:50:06.770 --> 00:50:07.540\npsychedelics\n\n1220\n00:50:07.540 --> 00:50:11.940\nand mental health and, you know, and, and, and really everyone in between.\n\n1221\n00:50:11.940 --> 00:50:15.760\nBut we all need that encouragement, but more importantly, we need the tools and\n\n1222\n00:50:15.760 --> 00:50:16.980\nthe resources\n\n1223\n00:50:16.980 --> 00:50:20.440\nwhen we might be stuck, when we might be struggling, we might not know where to\n\n1224\n00:50:20.440 --> 00:50:21.140\nturn.\n\n1225\n00:50:21.140 --> 00:50:24.220\nAnd hopefully, No Magic Pill will be that place for people.\n\n1226\n00:50:24.220 --> 00:50:29.160\nI have just so enjoyed doing these interviews and the season launch on my, on\n\n1227\n00:50:29.160 --> 00:50:29.980\nMay 5th.\n\n1228\n00:50:29.980 --> 00:50:33.680\nYou know, it's interesting, you know, with Tom's, you and your other businesses\n\n1229\n00:50:33.680 --> 00:50:34.060\n, you\n\n1230\n00:50:34.060 --> 00:50:38.260\nimprove lives, you know, with this business, you're going to save a lot of\n\n1231\n00:50:38.260 --> 00:50:38.900\nlives.\n\n1232\n00:50:38.900 --> 00:50:39.900\nI think so.\n\n1233\n00:50:39.900 --> 00:50:41.540\nAnd I think it's great.\n\n1234\n00:50:41.540 --> 00:50:45.710\nAnd, you know, I've learned a lot by listening to you and appreciate all you're\n\n1235\n00:50:45.710 --> 00:50:46.300\ndoing.\n\n1236\n00:50:46.300 --> 00:50:48.220\nSo thank you for being on the show.\n\n1237\n00:50:48.220 --> 00:50:49.980\nThank you, David.\n\n1238\n00:50:49.980 --> 00:50:58.190\nDavid, this conversation with Blake is such an important one that leaders\n\n1239\n00:50:58.190 --> 00:50:59.940\neverywhere need\n\n1240\n00:50:59.940 --> 00:51:03.020\nto be having with themselves and with the people that they lead.\n\n1241\n00:51:03.020 --> 00:51:08.130\nI'm so impressed with his willingness to just be open about the real struggles\n\n1242\n00:51:08.130 --> 00:51:08.460\nthat\n\n1243\n00:51:08.460 --> 00:51:10.860\nhe's faced over the course of his life and success.\n\n1244\n00:51:10.860 --> 00:51:15.260\nAnd it gives people permission to also say that they're struggling as well.\n\n1245\n00:51:15.260 --> 00:51:18.980\nAnd I'm just so grateful that we had him on the show and that he was so open\n\n1246\n00:51:18.980 --> 00:51:19.620\nabout what\n\n1247\n00:51:19.620 --> 00:51:24.730\nhe's been going through and, and just normalizes it for any leader that has\n\n1248\n00:51:24.730 --> 00:51:25.260\nexperienced that\n\n1249\n00:51:25.260 --> 00:51:26.260\nlevel of success.\n\n1250\n00:51:26.260 --> 00:51:32.700\nYou know, I think Blake really just absolutely nailed the importance of being\n\n1251\n00:51:32.700 --> 00:51:33.860\nopen, being\n\n1252\n00:51:33.860 --> 00:51:37.140\nvulnerable and just sharing.\n\n1253\n00:51:37.140 --> 00:51:44.710\nAnd I loved how he talked about how he got into dumps, even to the point where\n\n1254\n00:51:44.710 --> 00:51:45.460\nhe even\n\n1255\n00:51:45.460 --> 00:51:48.700\nthought about taking his life because he lost his, his why.\n\n1256\n00:51:48.700 --> 00:51:52.500\nYou know, he sold Tom's, he no longer had purpose.\n\n1257\n00:51:52.500 --> 00:51:57.640\nHe had all kinds of money, you know, the Bible says money can be the root of\n\n1258\n00:51:57.640 --> 00:51:58.660\nall evils.\n\n1259\n00:51:58.660 --> 00:52:00.740\nWell, it became that for him.\n\n1260\n00:52:00.740 --> 00:52:02.180\nHe lost his marriage.\n\n1261\n00:52:02.180 --> 00:52:06.660\nHe just chased a lot of things that that didn't make a lot of sense.\n\n1262\n00:52:06.660 --> 00:52:11.550\nAnd it took him down this rattle that he had a hard time getting out of until\n\n1263\n00:52:11.550 --> 00:52:12.260\nhe really\n\n1264\n00:52:12.260 --> 00:52:13.260\ngot therapy.\n\n1265\n00:52:13.260 --> 00:52:17.630\nAnd, you know, it was very interesting that that therapy and that self\n\n1266\n00:52:17.630 --> 00:52:18.940\ndiscovery has led\n\n1267\n00:52:18.940 --> 00:52:26.400\nhim into a new career, a new brand that he's creating enough where basically,\n\n1268\n00:52:26.400 --> 00:52:27.540\nyou know,\n\n1269\n00:52:27.540 --> 00:52:33.060\nevery one of us has been made in God's image and God has given us enough to, to\n\n1270\n00:52:33.060 --> 00:52:33.740\ndeal with\n\n1271\n00:52:33.740 --> 00:52:36.140\nlife wherever it might take us.\n\n1272\n00:52:36.140 --> 00:52:42.900\nAnd he has, he's taken his one for one model and you can order these enough\n\n1273\n00:52:42.900 --> 00:52:44.780\nbracelets and,\n\n1274\n00:52:44.780 --> 00:52:49.430\nand then get one for yourself and give it to another person and, and he's, he's\n\n1275\n00:52:49.430 --> 00:52:50.060\nnow he's\n\n1276\n00:52:50.060 --> 00:52:54.610\nback on his game and he's, he's, he's living life the way he wants to live life\n\n1277\n00:52:54.610 --> 00:52:54.940\n.\n\n1278\n00:52:54.940 --> 00:52:58.530\nAnd he, you know, he still has issues he has to deal with, but he's, he's doing\n\n1279\n00:52:58.530 --> 00:52:59.260\nit by helping\n\n1280\n00:52:59.260 --> 00:53:00.260\nother people.\n\n1281\n00:53:00.260 --> 00:53:04.330\nAnd the fact that he could come out and be so open about his problems, I think\n\n1282\n00:53:04.330 --> 00:53:04.820\nreally\n\n1283\n00:53:04.820 --> 00:53:09.090\nsays to every leader that, you know, you got to, you got to take care of\n\n1284\n00:53:09.090 --> 00:53:09.980\nyourself.\n\n1285\n00:53:09.980 --> 00:53:15.120\nYou got to hear what's those thoughts that you have and what's in your mind and\n\n1286\n00:53:15.120 --> 00:53:15.580\nyou got\n\n1287\n00:53:15.580 --> 00:53:19.970\nto make yourself healthy so you can build a healthy organization and have a\n\n1288\n00:53:19.970 --> 00:53:20.580\nhealthy\n\n1289\n00:53:20.580 --> 00:53:21.580\nlife.\n\n1290\n00:53:21.580 --> 00:53:23.700\nAnd you know, I really admire him for doing that.\n\n1291\n00:53:23.700 --> 00:53:28.810\nAnd by the way, I went online, ordered the enough bracelets and within this, I\n\n1292\n00:53:28.810 --> 00:53:29.180\nlove this\n\n1293\n00:53:29.180 --> 00:53:33.260\nbecause you can write a letter to somebody telling them that they're enough.\n\n1294\n00:53:33.260 --> 00:53:40.470\nSo I sent a letter and the bracelet to, to both of my granddaughters, to tell\n\n1295\n00:53:40.470 --> 00:53:41.020\nthem why\n\n1296\n00:53:41.020 --> 00:53:45.040\nthey were so special, all the talents that they have, why they have enough to\n\n1297\n00:53:45.040 --> 00:53:45.580\ndo to deal\n\n1298\n00:53:45.580 --> 00:53:46.580\nwith whatever.\n\n1299\n00:53:46.580 --> 00:53:50.630\nAnd you know, in this world where social media can take you this way and that\n\n1300\n00:53:50.630 --> 00:53:51.980\nway, you know,\n\n1301\n00:53:51.980 --> 00:53:56.900\nit was really a wonderful gift for me personally to give it to them.\n\n1302\n00:53:56.900 --> 00:53:58.340\nAnd they really, really appreciate it.\n\n1303\n00:53:58.340 --> 00:54:03.940\nAnd the good news for them is, you know, they're both, you know, very happy and\n\n1304\n00:54:03.940 --> 00:54:05.060\ngo lucky kids\n\n1305\n00:54:05.060 --> 00:54:08.460\nand, you know, feeling great about school and their friends.\n\n1306\n00:54:08.460 --> 00:54:13.570\nBut I think even then in situations like that, when you, when you on the\n\n1307\n00:54:13.570 --> 00:54:14.260\noutside, you have\n\n1308\n00:54:14.260 --> 00:54:17.140\nit all, everybody struggles.\n\n1309\n00:54:17.140 --> 00:54:19.140\nEverybody thinks about what we don't have.\n\n1310\n00:54:19.140 --> 00:54:24.430\nAnd to have a brand built on helping us understand that we all have enough, I\n\n1311\n00:54:24.430 --> 00:54:25.260\nlove it.\n\n1312\n00:54:25.260 --> 00:54:30.370\nSo hats off to Blake and, you know, I wish him all the best in that, that\n\n1313\n00:54:30.370 --> 00:54:30.980\nendeavor.\n\n1314\n00:54:30.980 --> 00:54:31.980\nI love it too.\n\n1315\n00:54:31.980 --> 00:54:35.440\nYou know, David, in that same vein, I'm curious or take on this, what can\n\n1316\n00:54:35.440 --> 00:54:36.380\nleaders everywhere\n\n1317\n00:54:36.380 --> 00:54:41.490\ndo to make that conversation a normal conversation to have in a work\n\n1318\n00:54:41.490 --> 00:54:42.580\nenvironment?\n\n1319\n00:54:42.580 --> 00:54:46.540\nFirst, I don't know that it ever could be in a normal conversation.\n\n1320\n00:54:46.540 --> 00:54:49.740\nYou know, I think this is something where you have to dig down personally and\n\n1321\n00:54:49.740 --> 00:54:50.180\nfigure out\n\n1322\n00:54:50.180 --> 00:54:52.140\nwhat you want to share, what you don't want to share.\n\n1323\n00:54:52.140 --> 00:54:56.780\nBut one of the things I think leaders can do is be vulnerable and talk about\n\n1324\n00:54:56.780 --> 00:54:57.460\nthe deal,\n\n1325\n00:54:57.460 --> 00:55:00.500\nthe things that they're dealing with, you have the times when they didn't\n\n1326\n00:55:00.500 --> 00:55:01.180\nreally major\n\n1327\n00:55:01.180 --> 00:55:04.060\nup to their own expectations.\n\n1328\n00:55:04.060 --> 00:55:09.030\nAnd when you talk about how you're not necessarily perfect, which is very easy\n\n1329\n00:55:09.030 --> 00:55:09.860\nfor me to do,\n\n1330\n00:55:09.860 --> 00:55:14.010\nokay, you know, that makes others know that they don't have to be perfect as\n\n1331\n00:55:14.010 --> 00:55:14.540\nwell.\n\n1332\n00:55:14.540 --> 00:55:20.390\nSo I think the leader has to open themselves up first and that gives permission\n\n1333\n00:55:20.390 --> 00:55:21.140\nto others\n\n1334\n00:55:21.140 --> 00:55:22.140\nto do it.\n\n1335\n00:55:22.140 --> 00:55:25.740\nThen I also think the leader has to be highly empathetic.\n\n1336\n00:55:25.740 --> 00:55:28.300\nA really good leader is very observant.\n\n1337\n00:55:28.300 --> 00:55:32.380\nAnd you see when people are down, you see when people are struggling.\n\n1338\n00:55:32.380 --> 00:55:35.580\nAnd that's when you go into their office and say, \"Hey, how you doing?\"\n\n1339\n00:55:35.580 --> 00:55:39.060\nYou know, you don't just seem like your normal self.\n\n1340\n00:55:39.060 --> 00:55:41.340\nIs there anything I can do to help?\n\n1341\n00:55:41.340 --> 00:55:43.780\nBut more importantly, you just listen.\n\n1342\n00:55:43.780 --> 00:55:44.780\nHow you doing?\n\n1343\n00:55:44.780 --> 00:55:47.700\nAnd listen, keep your mouth shut and listen.\n\n1344\n00:55:47.700 --> 00:55:51.660\nI think when you do that, you learn where people are at.\n\n1345\n00:55:51.660 --> 00:55:55.180\nAnd then you can help them move on.\n\n1346\n00:55:55.180 --> 00:55:58.210\nAnd either yourself or you can get them help, but you just let people know you\n\n1347\n00:55:58.210 --> 00:55:58.700\n're their\n\n1348\n00:55:58.700 --> 00:55:59.700\nform.\n\n1349\n00:55:59.700 --> 00:56:00.700\nThat's the most important thing.\n\n1350\n00:56:00.700 --> 00:56:02.860\nAnd, you know, I always use this line.\n\n1351\n00:56:02.860 --> 00:56:06.820\nI wish I would have come up with myself, you know, Sam Walton, you use the line\n\n1352\n00:56:06.820 --> 00:56:07.340\n, nobody\n\n1353\n00:56:07.340 --> 00:56:10.660\nwill care about you until you show them that you care about them.\n\n1354\n00:56:10.660 --> 00:56:12.660\nAnd that's what I think leaders do.\n\n1355\n00:56:12.660 --> 00:56:14.620\nThat's what leaders should do anyway.\n\n1356\n00:56:14.620 --> 00:56:20.470\nI love that that is at the heart of really every decision that leaders should\n\n1357\n00:56:20.470 --> 00:56:21.220\nmake not\n\n1358\n00:56:21.220 --> 00:56:24.710\nonly in the context of mental health and checking in with people, but really in\n\n1359\n00:56:24.710 --> 00:56:25.260\ncreating\n\n1360\n00:56:25.260 --> 00:56:26.820\nculture as well.\n\n1361\n00:56:26.820 --> 00:56:31.210\nThis idea of making everybody realize that their contribution matters and that\n\n1362\n00:56:31.210 --> 00:56:32.380\nthey matter\n\n1363\n00:56:32.380 --> 00:56:36.060\nis really paramount to creating healthy work environment anywhere.\n\n1364\n00:56:36.060 --> 00:56:37.060\nYeah, absolutely.\n\n1365\n00:56:37.060 --> 00:56:38.620\nWe've said this before.\n\n1366\n00:56:38.620 --> 00:56:39.740\nPeople leave for two reasons.\n\n1367\n00:56:39.740 --> 00:56:43.200\nThey don't feel appreciated for what they do and they don't get along with\n\n1368\n00:56:43.200 --> 00:56:43.900\ntheir boss.\n\n1369\n00:56:43.900 --> 00:56:46.820\nSo those things are intertwined.\n\n1370\n00:56:46.820 --> 00:56:50.160\nAnd you know, I think, you know, having a coaching mentality where you\n\n1371\n00:56:50.160 --> 00:56:51.140\nappreciate people\n\n1372\n00:56:51.140 --> 00:56:54.180\nfor what they do is set you apart.\n\n1373\n00:56:54.180 --> 00:56:57.870\nAnd what a lot of research says today, 80% of people say they work in toxic\n\n1374\n00:56:57.870 --> 00:56:59.180\nwork environments.\n\n1375\n00:56:59.180 --> 00:57:00.620\nThat's why we're doing this podcast.\n\n1376\n00:57:00.620 --> 00:57:03.060\nI mean, we have our noble cost too.\n\n1377\n00:57:03.060 --> 00:57:05.940\nWe want to make the world a better place by developing better leaders.\n\n1378\n00:57:05.940 --> 00:57:09.480\nIf you're listening out there and you can pick up one or two things that help\n\n1379\n00:57:09.480 --> 00:57:09.940\nyou be a\n\n1380\n00:57:09.940 --> 00:57:14.080\nbetter person, create a better environment for your team, create a better\n\n1381\n00:57:14.080 --> 00:57:14.700\nculture, get\n\n1382\n00:57:14.700 --> 00:57:19.460\nresults the right way, man, we're making a difference, not only in your life,\n\n1383\n00:57:19.460 --> 00:57:20.060\nbut we're\n\n1384\n00:57:20.060 --> 00:57:23.900\nmaking a difference in the people that you have the privilege of leading.\n\n1385\n00:57:23.900 --> 00:57:24.900\nAbsolutely.\n\n1386\n00:57:24.900 --> 00:57:27.820\nDavid, that's a great segue into the next concept that I want to break down\n\n1387\n00:57:27.820 --> 00:57:28.460\nwith you.\n\n1388\n00:57:28.460 --> 00:57:33.570\nBlake talks a lot in the episode about purpose and how his team at Tom stayed\n\n1389\n00:57:33.570 --> 00:57:34.220\nconnected to\n\n1390\n00:57:34.220 --> 00:57:36.180\nthe why of their business.\n\n1391\n00:57:36.180 --> 00:57:39.640\nHe mentioned doing the shoe drop trips or he would take his team and eventually\n\n1392\n00:57:39.640 --> 00:57:39.820\nsome\n\n1393\n00:57:39.820 --> 00:57:43.340\nof his customers to deliver the shoes to the people in need.\n\n1394\n00:57:43.340 --> 00:57:47.030\nAnd now that same sense of purpose is really driving everything that he's doing\n\n1395\n00:57:47.030 --> 00:57:48.100\nwith enough.\n\n1396\n00:57:48.100 --> 00:57:52.210\nDavid, how do you suggest that leaders stay connected to their why when their\n\n1397\n00:57:52.210 --> 00:57:52.820\nbusiness\n\n1398\n00:57:52.820 --> 00:57:56.820\nmodel is not necessarily the one to one model like a Tom says?\n\n1399\n00:57:56.820 --> 00:57:57.820\nYeah.\n\n1400\n00:57:57.820 --> 00:58:02.920\nWell, I think what Blake did with his team is he created shared experiences\n\n1401\n00:58:02.920 --> 00:58:03.620\nthat connect\n\n1402\n00:58:03.620 --> 00:58:05.380\nyou to the why.\n\n1403\n00:58:05.380 --> 00:58:11.200\nFor me, it was going on bus trips with my team and listening to customers talk\n\n1404\n00:58:11.200 --> 00:58:11.900\nabout our\n\n1405\n00:58:11.900 --> 00:58:15.900\nbrands and other brands and what will we in business to do and make our\n\n1406\n00:58:15.900 --> 00:58:17.140\ncustomers happy,\n\n1407\n00:58:17.140 --> 00:58:20.260\nput a yum on their faces and figure out how to do that.\n\n1408\n00:58:20.260 --> 00:58:26.420\nAnd by listening to customers together, that connect is to the why.\n\n1409\n00:58:26.420 --> 00:58:30.620\nBlake would take his team to these countries where kids didn't have shoes and\n\n1410\n00:58:30.620 --> 00:58:31.260\nhe'd have\n\n1411\n00:58:31.260 --> 00:58:36.370\nthe his team members and put the shoes on the kids and it was an emotional\n\n1412\n00:58:36.370 --> 00:58:37.180\nexperience\n\n1413\n00:58:37.180 --> 00:58:38.700\nthat brought everybody to the why.\n\n1414\n00:58:38.700 --> 00:58:41.100\nThat was a shared experience.\n\n1415\n00:58:41.100 --> 00:58:45.700\nYou know, for me at Young Brands, we wanted to be the defining global company\n\n1416\n00:58:45.700 --> 00:58:46.420\nthat feeds\n\n1417\n00:58:46.420 --> 00:58:47.420\nthe world.\n\n1418\n00:58:47.420 --> 00:58:52.070\nWe wanted to feed people our products all around the world, make it affordable\n\n1419\n00:58:52.070 --> 00:58:52.740\nfor people\n\n1420\n00:58:52.740 --> 00:58:53.900\nall around the world.\n\n1421\n00:58:53.900 --> 00:59:00.020\nSo, you know, we wanted to make our brands vibrant wherever we do business and\n\n1422\n00:59:00.020 --> 00:59:00.900\nwe wanted\n\n1423\n00:59:00.900 --> 00:59:05.560\nto create a recognition culture that we would become famous and other people\n\n1424\n00:59:05.560 --> 00:59:06.300\nwould want\n\n1425\n00:59:06.300 --> 00:59:07.500\nto emulate.\n\n1426\n00:59:07.500 --> 00:59:11.700\nAnd we wanted to feed people who couldn't afford our food.\n\n1427\n00:59:11.700 --> 00:59:17.930\nAnd so we made, you know, feeding the hungry are noble cause, feeding the poor,\n\n1428\n00:59:17.930 --> 00:59:18.820\nnoble cause.\n\n1429\n00:59:18.820 --> 00:59:22.740\nSo that's why we tied in with the world food program.\n\n1430\n00:59:22.740 --> 00:59:27.010\nAnd what we did there is we go to Guatemala and Costa Rica and Haiti and we go\n\n1431\n00:59:27.010 --> 00:59:27.660\nthere with\n\n1432\n00:59:27.660 --> 00:59:32.760\nthe United Nations food program and, you know, give people the food and be\n\n1433\n00:59:32.760 --> 00:59:33.740\nthere to see the\n\n1434\n00:59:33.740 --> 00:59:35.340\nneed that was out there.\n\n1435\n00:59:35.340 --> 00:59:39.430\nAnd these are people who could never even afford to go into a Taco Bell, you\n\n1436\n00:59:39.430 --> 00:59:39.980\nknow.\n\n1437\n00:59:39.980 --> 00:59:43.060\nAnd you know, we had the number one value rating in the world, but, you know,\n\n1438\n00:59:43.060 --> 00:59:43.460\npeople\n\n1439\n00:59:43.460 --> 00:59:49.070\ncouldn't afford to go into a Taco Bell and, but, you know, that created a\n\n1440\n00:59:49.070 --> 00:59:50.620\nshared experience\n\n1441\n00:59:50.620 --> 00:59:52.700\nthat we talked about.\n\n1442\n00:59:52.700 --> 00:59:59.320\nAnd, you know, creating shared experiences across those aspects of your\n\n1443\n00:59:59.320 --> 01:00:01.460\nbusiness are important,\n\n1444\n01:00:01.460 --> 01:00:02.780\nlike building vibrant brands.\n\n1445\n01:00:02.780 --> 01:00:07.190\nI always shared what was going on when I saw people doing great jobs, making\n\n1446\n01:00:07.190 --> 01:00:07.860\nour brands\n\n1447\n01:00:07.860 --> 01:00:09.620\nloved and valued around the world.\n\n1448\n01:00:09.620 --> 01:00:13.820\nI would send out emails and pictures of what I was seeing, you know, our\n\n1449\n01:00:13.820 --> 01:00:15.740\nrecognition culture.\n\n1450\n01:00:15.740 --> 01:00:20.500\nI always shared all the recognition that was happening all around the world.\n\n1451\n01:00:20.500 --> 01:00:26.020\nAnd, you know, that's how you, that shared experience, you know, is how you\n\n1452\n01:00:26.020 --> 01:00:26.820\nreally get\n\n1453\n01:00:26.820 --> 01:00:28.500\npeople connected to your why.\n\n1454\n01:00:28.500 --> 01:00:32.740\nBlake is obviously a wildly entrepreneurial leader.\n\n1455\n01:00:32.740 --> 01:00:35.220\nAnd it was so interesting in the episode when he talked about all the\n\n1456\n01:00:35.220 --> 01:00:36.060\nbusinesses that he\n\n1457\n01:00:36.060 --> 01:00:40.170\nhad started, even before Tom's, you asked him what one of his key learnings\n\n1458\n01:00:40.170 --> 01:00:40.900\nabout being\n\n1459\n01:00:40.900 --> 01:00:42.100\na successful entrepreneur was.\n\n1460\n01:00:42.100 --> 01:00:43.820\nAnd his answer was really interesting.\n\n1461\n01:00:43.820 --> 01:00:47.750\nHe said that the number one thing that he accredits most of his success to is\n\n1462\n01:00:47.750 --> 01:00:48.180\nthat he\n\n1463\n01:00:48.180 --> 01:00:52.020\nwent into every business as an industry outsider.\n\n1464\n01:00:52.020 --> 01:00:55.840\nHe says that's a big part of what helped him stay innovative as he started all\n\n1465\n01:00:55.840 --> 01:00:56.260\nthese\n\n1466\n01:00:56.260 --> 01:00:57.260\nbusinesses.\n\n1467\n01:00:57.260 --> 01:00:58.660\nAnd I'm curious what your take on that is.\n\n1468\n01:00:58.660 --> 01:01:02.580\nI mean, is being inexperienced in an industry an advantage?\n\n1469\n01:01:02.580 --> 01:01:03.580\nYeah.\n\n1470\n01:01:03.580 --> 01:01:06.690\nI think what he's really saying is that he didn't know anything about these\n\n1471\n01:01:06.690 --> 01:01:07.380\nbusinesses.\n\n1472\n01:01:07.380 --> 01:01:11.050\nHe went into, he went into laundry service for college students, billboard,\n\n1473\n01:01:11.050 --> 01:01:11.620\ncompany,\n\n1474\n01:01:11.620 --> 01:01:16.750\ndriver's ed, you know, the shoe company, and every case you didn't know\n\n1475\n01:01:16.750 --> 01:01:17.820\nanything about\n\n1476\n01:01:17.820 --> 01:01:19.300\nthe category.\n\n1477\n01:01:19.300 --> 01:01:23.310\nAnd what that forced him to do though was to have a curious mind, you know,\n\n1478\n01:01:23.310 --> 01:01:24.060\nmany people\n\n1479\n01:01:24.060 --> 01:01:27.990\ntalk about how you need to look at your business like a child would, you know,\n\n1480\n01:01:27.990 --> 01:01:28.380\ngo into it,\n\n1481\n01:01:28.380 --> 01:01:32.470\ngo into your store and look at it like you're a kid with wonderment and just\n\n1482\n01:01:32.470 --> 01:01:33.180\nsee it from\n\n1483\n01:01:33.180 --> 01:01:34.180\na fresh perspective.\n\n1484\n01:01:34.180 --> 01:01:35.460\nAnd that's what he's getting at.\n\n1485\n01:01:35.460 --> 01:01:39.940\nAnd if you don't know something about a category, you have a, have a much\n\n1486\n01:01:39.940 --> 01:01:41.140\neasier or much more\n\n1487\n01:01:41.140 --> 01:01:45.740\nlikely way to disrupt it because you're not tied into conventional thinking.\n\n1488\n01:01:45.740 --> 01:01:50.620\nSo he would look at things from the outside and say, Hey, why don't we do this?\n\n1489\n01:01:50.620 --> 01:01:53.540\nAnd, and then he changed the name of the game.\n\n1490\n01:01:53.540 --> 01:01:57.660\nAnd you know, having those fresh eyes is what he's really, really talking about\n\n1491\n01:01:57.660 --> 01:01:58.180\nthat.\n\n1492\n01:01:58.180 --> 01:02:01.940\nThe other thing is, is that he didn't know anything about shoes, but he is a v\n\n1493\n01:02:01.940 --> 01:02:02.500\noracious\n\n1494\n01:02:02.500 --> 01:02:03.500\nlearner.\n\n1495\n01:02:03.500 --> 01:02:08.600\nHe combined this curiosity and the game of freshness when he looked at the\n\n1496\n01:02:08.600 --> 01:02:09.140\ncategory with\n\n1497\n01:02:09.140 --> 01:02:12.340\nbuilding the know-how it take to be successful.\n\n1498\n01:02:12.340 --> 01:02:13.660\nSo he learned how to make shoes.\n\n1499\n01:02:13.660 --> 01:02:14.940\nHe learned how to do the laundry.\n\n1500\n01:02:14.940 --> 01:02:18.020\nHe learned how to, you know, have a billboard company, he learned how to get\n\n1501\n01:02:18.020 --> 01:02:18.820\ninto driver's\n\n1502\n01:02:18.820 --> 01:02:20.700\nhead and really make a difference.\n\n1503\n01:02:20.700 --> 01:02:22.940\nHe learned these kinds of things.\n\n1504\n01:02:22.940 --> 01:02:26.580\nAnd I think that's what really makes him a special leader.\n\n1505\n01:02:26.580 --> 01:02:30.120\nAnd then he would come up with innovative things like his one-to-one business\n\n1506\n01:02:30.120 --> 01:02:30.660\nmodel.\n\n1507\n01:02:30.660 --> 01:02:31.740\nThat's very powerful thinking.\n\n1508\n01:02:31.740 --> 01:02:33.140\nAnd look what happened.\n\n1509\n01:02:33.140 --> 01:02:37.790\nYou know, he made a big difference in the shoe business, but he also changed a\n\n1510\n01:02:37.790 --> 01:02:38.100\nlot\n\n1511\n01:02:38.100 --> 01:02:39.100\nof business.\n\n1512\n01:02:39.100 --> 01:02:44.230\nLook at Warby Parker's doing it too, where you buy a pair of glasses and they\n\n1513\n01:02:44.230 --> 01:02:44.860\ngive another\n\n1514\n01:02:44.860 --> 01:02:46.340\npair to someone in need.\n\n1515\n01:02:46.340 --> 01:02:48.140\nYou know, we did a podcast with them.\n\n1516\n01:02:48.140 --> 01:02:50.860\nThey took that bottle and they made it work.\n\n1517\n01:02:50.860 --> 01:02:54.540\nAnd a lot of other businesses are doing that as well.\n\n1518\n01:02:54.540 --> 01:02:58.230\nThere another thing I really thought was really interesting is that, you know,\n\n1519\n01:02:58.230 --> 01:03:00.460\nhe sold Tom's\n\n1520\n01:03:00.460 --> 01:03:08.190\nand Tom's stopped that model, okay, and I'm sure that, you know, that's hard\n\n1521\n01:03:08.190 --> 01:03:09.180\nfor leaders.\n\n1522\n01:03:09.180 --> 01:03:14.280\nWhen you leave a business and something that you really believe in, people\n\n1523\n01:03:14.280 --> 01:03:14.700\nabandon, you\n\n1524\n01:03:14.700 --> 01:03:21.940\nknow, I mean, I'm sure that had a huge impact on him when that happened.\n\n1525\n01:03:21.940 --> 01:03:25.730\nAnd he was very quick to point out to me that he wasn't the one that did that,\n\n1526\n01:03:25.730 --> 01:03:26.300\nokay?\n\n1527\n01:03:26.300 --> 01:03:28.220\nIt was somebody else.\n\n1528\n01:03:28.220 --> 01:03:34.750\nAnd anyway, I think that's another thing you have to do with as a leader is\n\n1529\n01:03:34.750 --> 01:03:35.860\nwhen you, when\n\n1530\n01:03:35.860 --> 01:03:40.940\nyou move on, you kind of got to hope that what you, what you created sticks.\n\n1531\n01:03:40.940 --> 01:03:47.340\nLike if it doesn't stick, just, just know that somebody's there trying to do it\n\n1532\n01:03:47.340 --> 01:03:48.020\nbetter\n\n1533\n01:03:48.020 --> 01:03:49.020\nthan you.\n\n1534\n01:03:49.020 --> 01:03:52.940\nThat's very hard to do because you think typically you've done it pretty well.\n\n1535\n01:03:52.940 --> 01:03:56.940\nOkay, you know, like a young brands, if I went to a young brands meeting and\n\n1536\n01:03:56.940 --> 01:03:57.700\nthey didn't\n\n1537\n01:03:57.700 --> 01:04:01.300\ndo recognition, it would kill me.\n\n1538\n01:04:01.300 --> 01:04:05.540\nIf I went to a young brands meeting and they didn't do a Yum cheer, it would\n\n1539\n01:04:05.540 --> 01:04:06.900\nkill me.\n\n1540\n01:04:06.900 --> 01:04:12.940\nAnd you know, I've been to Yum a few times and the recognition is still going,\n\n1541\n01:04:12.940 --> 01:04:13.420\ngoing\n\n1542\n01:04:13.420 --> 01:04:14.420\nwow.\n\n1543\n01:04:14.420 --> 01:04:19.580\nBut I didn't see as many Yum chairs as I would have liked to see, okay?\n\n1544\n01:04:19.580 --> 01:04:22.740\nBut hey, you know, life goes on.\n\n1545\n01:04:22.740 --> 01:04:26.420\nDavid, I think it's fantastic that Yum brands is continuing that culture of\n\n1546\n01:04:26.420 --> 01:04:27.180\nrecognition\n\n1547\n01:04:27.180 --> 01:04:29.300\nand incorporating it into everything they do.\n\n1548\n01:04:29.300 --> 01:04:33.500\nAnd it's also fantastic that Yum brands is also a best practice for other\n\n1549\n01:04:33.500 --> 01:04:34.300\ncompanies to\n\n1550\n01:04:34.300 --> 01:04:37.940\nstudy around how they create this culture of recognition and how that really\n\n1551\n01:04:37.940 --> 01:04:39.140\ndrives results.\n\n1552\n01:04:39.140 --> 01:04:40.500\nNo, thanks, Kulin.\n\n1553\n01:04:40.500 --> 01:04:45.690\nOne of my proudest moments is when we were showcased in Fortune Magazine for\n\n1554\n01:04:45.690 --> 01:04:46.940\nour recognition\n\n1555\n01:04:46.940 --> 01:04:51.700\nculture and we did have all kinds of companies thereafter come visit us to see\n\n1556\n01:04:51.700 --> 01:04:52.460\nhow we were\n\n1557\n01:04:52.460 --> 01:04:53.460\ndoing it.\n\n1558\n01:04:53.460 --> 01:04:55.740\nAnd that's when you know you're doing something right.\n\n1559\n01:04:55.740 --> 01:04:57.300\nAnd I was really proud of our team.\n\n1560\n01:04:57.300 --> 01:05:00.940\nWell, David, that wraps our episode of How Leaders Lead for Today.\n\n1561\n01:05:00.940 --> 01:05:04.240\nThank you so much for tuning in and stay tuned next Thursday for another\n\n1562\n01:05:04.240 --> 01:05:05.060\nConversation.\n","is_pinned",false,"pinned_at","is_featured","featured_at","mix_url","https://chtbl.com/track/DCB44F/traffic.megaphone.fm/DVL8367792525.mp3","dx_media_id",3450,"video_media_id","thumbnail_image_media_id","published_date","2026-02-26","itunes_episode_id",280,"youtube_id","F_TfO2IN98c","2026-08-19T21:33:59.000000Z","Listen to this leadership podcast with Blake Mycoskie, Founder of TOMS and ENOUGH, and discover the power of connecting to your “why,” both for yourself and your 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