An Army of Normal Folks - Cheri Garcia: Hustling for Second Chances (And Cornbread) (Pt 2)

Episode Date: July 11, 2023

Cheri used to be gripped by meth and alcohol. Even during her own struggles with addiction, she helped formerly incarcerated Americans get jobs. Today, Cheri’s been sober for 4.5 years and her second chance staffing agency Cornbread Hustle hired more than 1,000 returning citizens last year. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an Army of Normal Folks. Let's get started with part two of our conversation with Cornbread Hustle Founder, Sherry Garcia, on her Teenage Meth Addiction, right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. I got to ask you and it's just my curious nature, but I don't understand the problems. My mom was married in divorce five times. Okay? My, my four dad shot at me down a hallway with a 38-calibre pistol. My father left when I was young and I had no relationship with him. I had lots of trauma coming up.

Fortunately, I don't have an addictive personality and I didn't go down the drug thing. I'm not saying I didn't drink and get drunk, but there's stupid stuff when I was younger because I did. But I keep hearing that you were trying to escape some of your realities and all of that, but I don't hear what the horrible realities were for you. I mean, Oh, for me that now it sounds trivial, but it was having a 430 credit score entering into my adult life.

It was the fact that I didn't even take my SAT test. It was the fact that I didn't even know where to start for college and is college even for me. It was the fact that while all my friends went to college and got their lives going, I was literally selling and doing drugs. Re-feeling like a loser? Absolutely.

So it was self-hate. Yeah, a lot of self hate. And really, honestly, it was just me not wanting to do the hard work to fix my life. And meth felt good. It's that simple. So the cop basically convinced you that you're going gonna look like Mrs. Potato Head by the age of 30 and that was that, but you still drinking. Yeah, and yeah, to me, I felt like alcohol, it was legal and oh well, like to me and... Well, I mean, let's be honest, if you're a complete methodic, then you're able to put it down.

And then you can certainly justify while I can handle alcohol. Yeah, yeah, definitely didn't handle it too well, but that's the justification. I get it. Yeah, I'm like, and you're proud of yourself. Hey, I kick Beth, give me a handle of vodka.

I'm good. So I ended up, I didn't go straight to, of course I was getting drunk pretty right away, partying though. Normal, young girl, going out to clubs, partying, having a good time, partying though. Normal, young girl going out to clubs, partying, having a good time, the hangovers.

I wasn't drinking all day every day or anything or drinking any every day at first. I wasn't at all. Um, where what replaced my method addiction was work a hallism and, um, seeking validation through success. So I ended up getting a job in the newsroom. I worked really hard to get the job in the newsroom like really hard. I even what kind of job. So I wanted to be a reporter. And that's what I was doing. You don't have a degree in journalism. Exactly. So that's what I was doing in high school.

That's funny. And this is going to be a good story. I can't wait for you to do this. Go ahead. You have no degree in journalism. You just leaned over like a little teenage girl already. Like you should put your life up behind you. You have no degree in journalism and I don't look anything like a teenage girl. You have no degree in journalism and you have basically spent your junior and senior

on meth. Yeah. And you want to work in the newsroom. Yep. And you just told me you got the job in the newsroom. How'd that happen? I got two jobs in the newsroom, but it took a couple of years. Two jobs in one newsroom.

Two jobs in two separate newsrooms. So I basically, I've always gone the unconventional route as it relates to getting. I'm shocked. I'm sure our listeners are like, wow, that's a shock. I got to hang out with you. If I can stuck out here, the math cheerleader proclaiming she goes the non traditional route. There's a there's a news flash for our news repression. Yeah, breaking news. Yeah. So, um, anyways, I ended up watching the news relentlessly taking notes. Who's the reporter? I'd go to Facebook, add them. I'd reach out to them. Hey, I'm an aspiring news reporter. Can I just shadow you? I went to an event that Mark Cuban was hosting

for the media once. And I was like, hi, I'm Sherry. I'm trying to be a news reporter. You said this to Mark Cuban? Yeah. Of course you did. Why not? Yeah. And he was like, okay, well, here's a media pass. Let's see what you got. Do write some blogs. And so I literally created like my own little news station world. And I was making demo reels. I was, I learned everything about being a news reporter. I did a 12 week program where I really applied everything I was learning where they basically, it's 12 weeks. They're out of business now. They were charging people like 10 grand for 12 weeks and you're probably asking how did you get the 12 grand my aunt? Co-signed a credit card for me. So I used a

Sally Mae credit card to pay 10 grand to do like a 12 week program where I learn From news reporters how to write a new story how to do a a demo reel. And so I just kept trying and trying and trying and trying. And I was that girl that was calling every Friday like, hey, how's your kids? Sherry, we're not going to hire you. Like, okay, I finally, I was driving all over the place. Do you have an auditory problem? I don't think so. Well, just, I mean, I clearly you couldn't hear no.

So you keep calling and asking about their kids or my kids are fine. We're not hiring you. Look, I go back to Golden Corral. I just go back to Golden Corral. Dang it. I just thought that they'd changed their mind. And they did. Thank you very much. Wow. Because it was on accident that I got creative. It was because I had no gas money. And I was driving around and hand delivering my resume.

So I called a pizza hut that was right next to the CBS 11 and Fort Worth. And this is back when you could still facts, digitally facts something. And I said, I have a favor that if I ask you to do a favor, will you do it? And they're like, okay, said if I fax you my resume, will you tape it on a pizza box? I just need a regular cheese pizza because I was like, what if she's, what if she's vegetarian? You know what, like, I don't wanna offend anyone. So a regular cheese pizza,

and I put, they put my resume face down on the pizza, and I had them right on the back of it. If you hire me, I will deliver. Oh my gosh. And I finally got the job. Hold it, that's great. That now that is, that's, that's, okay. So nice pun, and they hired you.

Yes, they did. So I became because they like cheese pizza. So the guy that hired me swore like that was a joke. Sherry obviously didn't know because they like cheese pizza. Well, not because they like cheese pizza, but I knew the pizza got me in, but he swore up and down. I was a fit for the job and it wasn't the pizza. And I was like, okay, but y'all called me right after I sent the pizza. And told me no for two years. Exactly. So, um, I mean, they had already gone through different news directors.

How long I've been trying to get a job there. So that's why I kept calling. So you got a job at the newsroom in the fifth largest market. When everyone told me that Sherry, you can't even get a job in an entry-level Poe-Dont town if you don't have a college degree because every pretty girl in the world wants to be on TV and be a news reporter It's a prerequisite just to have a college degree and I was like let's see Not only did I get a job in the fifth largest market at CBS 11 as an assignment editor, I got a job as a producer at KXII in Sherman, Texas, the other CBS affiliate. So every single day I drive, I lived in Frisco.

What do you or both jobs? I worked both jobs seven days a week, four days at CBS 11 in Fort Worth and three days at KXI. That's a great story, but you're still sucking down the vodka, aren't you? Well, I didn't even, yes, I was, but as a party girl, like I wasn't, okay, I wasn't, it wasn't problematic yet. I was a workaholic, remember?

I traded them at for work. Yeah, you're right, I got you. For work, okay. That's what kept me from feeling my feelings, the success of being like, being able, oh my gosh, like, it was the perfect job for me. Because my life is... For people like home, like,

how did that meth cheerleader, no college girl get that job? Probably, I don't know. I think everyone, when I look back at my yearbook and all the things people wrote to me, they all wrote that I'm going to be very successful. And I'm because remember I was the girl that I started a new station in my high school and became the anchor, the new, the sports anchor because I wanted to try to be a news.

It's just such a, it's just such a like this double life, the meth girl and then this hyper successful girl living this double life, it's fascinating. So you got the job at the at the new stations, but you're not news anymore. What happened in the new station jobs? So I got bored. I got bored. I did. I got bored. So at first, it was perfect for me, because it was chaotic.

I got to listen to all the scanners, 180 different scanners, trying to listen for the words DOS, which means dead on scene, listening to everybody's business, what's going on, getting to look up people's backgrounds. And I was like, I mean, for a girl that likes to gossip, that was the job. Like I loved it. I got to launch the chopper and try to tell people where like watch the car chase

and tell the reporters which way to turn. I was trying to learn how to read a map score, which failed, but I was trying, and it was chaotic, and it gave me that thrill. So I didn't need math anymore. I was high on the new, high on news, and anybody that works in the news business. And you know, okay, but to sit here and listen, you say all that and then here you say, well, I got bored. I did. So because I invented a product on my night shift, so I was working the overnight shift and I had an idea for a tanning bed. I wanted to invent, I hate those flimsy rafts where you get in the pool and the water's halfway up your sides anyway and your tanning

lotions coming off. So I wanted to invent something that keeps you up above the water and accelerates your tan. So picture a aluminum taco is basically what I invented. An aluminum taco. Yeah, it's pretty embarrassing. This is the sounds like it would crisp your skin. Yeah, that was the point. Okay, so yeah. But how did an aluminum taco float out of the water? It was an

inflatable. And the inside of it was lined with mylar and the outside of it was lying. What's mylar? It's like a reflective material. Okay. The aluminum taco. Yeah. Right. And so but the outside, but it was had a big enough base at the bottom that it floated out of the water. So you can tan all months of the year, all summer long, even all year long, even whenever it's cold. I remember, I did an infomercial as seen on TV and everything. Yeah.

Yeah. I'm not laughing at your invention, but I just can imagine like it being a hot dog and a bun. Dude, yes. And, and in and up looking like a hot dog when you come out of that thing. And think like it's so weird

because now that I've achieved a different level of success, I look back and I'm like, how was I not embarrassed? Like, meth girl invents aluminum taco. Like I bet my high school friends were like, just laughing. Or they just said, yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. I don't know what, I guess it's God. I don't know what kept me moving forward,

even though I was doing outrageous things that... I just have to ask you. So you quit the newsroom, did you beg for a job? I did not quit, I got fired. Okay, see, the story, the plot thickens. have to ask you. So you quit the newsroom. I did not quit. I got fired. Okay. See the story, the plot thickens. You said that you were doing the newsroom thing and you got bored and you invented the hot dog taco crispy thing. But did you get fired because they heard about the aluminum taco and thought you were nuts? No, they were sometimes my bosses would get annoyed because I was so passionate about.

So you can I just interject real quick and tell you how? Like it's your first time. Oh, well, you know, sorry. It's like the story is so easy to follow. There's tens of thousands of people listening to this that are trying to follow along because basically we've got a girl that grew up started with the perfect life that we now unfold a high school cheerleader methodic to got a news job from a pizza box and then invented a taco. I'm sorry to trying to string that together. So the, I am so taken by how willing you are to be candid about all of your failures thus far. And I found that refreshing.

How come it's so easy for you to talk about this? Or is it easy for you to talk about this? Or is it easy for you to talk about this? It is easy to talk about my failures. What has never been easy for me. And maybe it's easy because I've always amplified my failures to protect my dad. And so what's not easy for me, and I keep like even sitting here, I'm like, I hope tens of thousands of people don't listen to this because I just don't want. I, my dad, I love my dad so much. And I don't want to villain, like I don't want my dad to be a villain

in this story. He was a broken person that had unresolved trauma that just didn't know how to cope. And I... You said that and I think, honestly, all, all, no kidding at all, they're broken people everywhere. And more than, there's a large percentage of people listening to us right now that are broken. And to hear a daughter take up for her very broken dad is full of redemption and grace. So I mean, I wouldn't worry about that. I don't think it's so clear you're not throwing your dad under the bus. But what is also so clear is you're so willing to laugh at your past failures, which I think is so important because without struggle, there's never progress and you are a living embodiment of that. And I still don't know why you got fired from the newsroom. Oh, man, you know what, if I were to ever start drinking again, I'd want to drink with you.

Oh, well, thanks. You know, I really appreciate that. But, like, you just seem like the guy to have a beer with, you know? Yeah, I mean, I'm a man-hatten guy. So not much beer, but, um, yeah, and I guess if I was ever to try meth, you'd be a blast to do it with. Thank you. Yeah, anytime. How'd you get fired from the newsroom?

So um, that pesky reply all but is what did it. So it wasn't even a reply all. It was a forward. So there was a guy that was a great friend of mine who by the way, he told me there's no way you're going to get a job here, Sherry. It's the fifth largest market. There's just no way. There's no way there's no way.

I will never forget walking into that newsroom and tapping them on the shoulder. I was like, Hey, and I showed them my badge. And he was like, what? So that same guy ended up moving on and getting a job at a much larger network. And it was the weekend and he emailed me and was like, hey, do you think the news producers will want this awesome footage, it was footage for something.

And I was like, sure, that'd be great. Well, he had, for whatever reason, replaced the subject line, even though we had a text thread going back and forth of how I felt about my coworkers. And I thought I was like, haha, I'm giving them all this awesome footage, but what I accidentally did was forward the entire newsroom,

including like the GM and the news director, whole thread of, I mean, basically, I'll tell you exactly what the email said if you want. Yeah, but you do. It said everyone here sucks big balls. And you sent that to the entire newsroom. I did. The recall button does not work, by the way. I frantically tried to recall it when I had a colleague come up to me and said, what did you just do? So that sucked. Literally big balls. But I worked the next day. They had me come in and work the next day and everyone. Yeah, because you told them they sent big balls and they wanted to fire you in person.

Well, no, it, it works. Or you'll up in your taco and burn you. Well, hey, it wasn't invented yet. But I, it was invented. I was waiting for the inventory to come in from China. But I was like, man, everyone's. I can imagine right now a garage full of boxes of these things that you're trying to figure out how to sell. Yes, I have a picture of me standing in front of all of them and I sold every single last one of them.

First of all, I was kidding. I can't believe that's really the truth. I do believe you sold all of them. Yes. I bet you didn't make it down, but go ahead. You got that right. That's that's failure. My next failure we We'll talk about it. Next failure is the non-profitable floating top.

Non-profitable. And it was only non-profitable because I didn't understand profit margins and retail versus wholesale by the way. So it was ignorance. It was why it wasn't profitable. Not the desire of my customers wanting my product. You live in your learn. Yes.

Anyways, the next day was the 2011 Mav's championship. So I came to work and I wasn't fired and I worked and I was treated great. Everyone treated me great. And I was like, ah, I guess I'm gonna get some respect around here, you know. I just couldn't believe it. I was like, wow.

And then at the end of my shift, because, wow. And then at the end of my shift, because it was a Sunday, at the end of my shift, she was like, I need you to come in tomorrow so we can have a discussion about that email. And I was like, okay, on my day off, but fine. So I drove in and then they said, you know, we're gonna fire you. And I was like, well, why didn't you fire me yesterday? And they're like, it was the Mav's championship on a Sunday. We needed you Like, thanks. Oh My gosh. Yeah, so How old and I do have a picture of me on my last day of work. You can probably find it on my Facebook

I'm holding up a peace sign like in front like holding up a shirt or something like celebrating the Mav's winning Because that was my last day in the newsroom. How old were you? So 2011, I don't know. It's not that long ago It seems like ages ago. I'm 36 now. Okay, so you're 20 six five something like that So so about to it was 10 years ago so you get canned and you and the next day a whole month early I couldn't believe it a truck backs up with all the inventory and I posted a picture the next day with a thumbs up in front of all my inventory and to this day, my colleagues from CVS, they're like,

are you sure you didn't do that on purpose? Did you just, like, leave with an attitude? I'm like, dude, I would have done something less humiliating. We'll be right back. So, I'm trying to understand the transfer from the newsroom to the floating tacos to What you do now, okay, so floating tacos ended up So you're right. I did not make a dime and that was tough I have to I have to let you know that the minute you told me the idea

I assumed she didn't make any money Yeah, I did not because it cost me $30 to manufacture and I was selling them for $99.95. But what I didn't realize is that all my customers would actually be like Lesley's pools or like retail. And I guess I just was young and dumb and didn't realize the whole like they want it for half the price of what it will retail Yeah, they want to make money. Yeah So and I thought that was rude, but yeah, so that was Yeah, okay. Yeah, so yeah, I was it but I did make money if I so that's why I was trying to like literally go door to door and I even remember

getting a I've made I've made so many stupid decisions and it was all for pride. Again, I was trying to seek validation through success and prove to everyone especially from high school like I'm not a loser anymore look and so I really do get that. I think I know what would have made it go. What? I think I know what would have made it go. What? Had you included one free jar of peanut butter syrup with every purchase? Hahaha.

That's what would have done it. That would have made it work. That would have done it. Gosh, see? They could have scrubbed that on inside the taco and you could have just sun bathed in that sort. Or you don't even have to get a real tan. Just rub this crap on you and you'll look tan.

Yeah, pretty much think that's kind of a vendagram of all your bad ideas at watch right there. Okay, so you sold them. I sold all my money, but you got out of them. I was doing what, so what made me. So I'm not going to go back in time just to prove you wrong, but I do feel like if I would have kept at it with just like anything else, determination would have made it. I would have made it.

But I was like, this sucks. It's not making money. And I found where I was making a lot more money was PR because being in the newsroom, I got really good at trying to get my friends on the news without my news director knowing that they were my friends. And I didn't realize that that's essentially just PR convincing the news stations by a business and networking.

Beyond the news, yeah. So. And clearly you have that bit because the hire me and I will deliver on a delivered pizza. That's clutch. Yeah. So you got that. So yeah.

And so there was- And you're also only 25. You're just a kid. Yeah. I was. So there is this guy that always sent us ideas. He was a PR guy. I reached out to him and I was like, I need money.

I think I can be a PR person. And he was like, well, a lot of people think they can be a PR person. And it doesn't always translate. And I was like, just let me take a crack at it. Give me a list of all your clients. I think I can get them on the news. 20 bucks an hour. And he was like, well, how many hours do you want to work? I was like 40. And so he was like, okay, I came back a few days later. I think at the time he had like 30 clients and I was like, okay, and I had a check mark next to each one that I had in the works of getting on the news and making a story for it.

And almost all of them, I had something in the works. I didn't know that that was good. I just was, I was just to say him, that's what you were supposed to. I was disappointed in myself for not having them all on TV. And so it was, within that year, I was making six figures and vice president of that PR firm. Amazing. Yeah.

So, um, and why'd you get fired from there? I didn't get fired. Oh, okay. That's good. First time. You left that one. Actually, the newsroom was the first time I ever got fired from any job.

You didn't get fired from putting math in the master's title. Is it going to grow? No. Well, that tells you something about going for a while. So anyway, you left there, though. I did. And looking back like a good little entrepreneurial lesson, he was an amazing boss and I could have, I worked from home, I had my own schedule, the job was, for me it was easy. PR's. I tried it scores coming up.

Yeah, PR's very easy for me, but it was my pride. I wanted to be an all in 100% entrepreneur. So I wasn't gonna try to be. You wanna do it for you. Well, I wasn't going I didn't want to be a one-traper. I didn't want to work a job and try to I'm an addict. I was I wanted to be zero Or all in looking back. I could have and he was such a great guy. He's still a great guy We still talk he would have allowed me to build the company. I'm trying to build while producing results for his company, but it was my pride. So I started volunteering with the

Prison Entrepreneurship Program. Okay, there we go. Now we're getting toward Cornbread Hasselhoes. Yes. Explain that program. So that existed before you. Yes, absolutely. So I ended up through, it was a client through the PR firm. I was interviewing him and prepping him for a news interview and I had somehow, I hadn't told anyone about the meth stuff yet. I didn't tell anybody at all. And I told him a little bit about my story

and he was like, I think you'd really like the Prison Entrepreneurship Program. And I was like, wait, hold up prison entrepreneurship. Are you kidding me? Yeah, when I first heard that, I was like prison entrepreneurship program. I mean, first blush, that just teaches him how to make a better drug dealing operation when they get out of prison or take your drug dealing skills and put it to the next level put it towards entrepreneurship. I'm telling you, do you not hire any former drug dealers? I don't know. They're great employees. I have hired many formerly incarcerated people and some are some

and I can think of three right now that are long term Great employees, which is one of the reasons why I was so interested in your story because I too have people to work for me that have been in jail and a number of them for a number of them for things like DUI's and drugs and things like that, but also some very, very, what manslaughter. And I have been so amazed by their appreciation for an opportunity to just be treated like a normal person improve themselves,

after they've paid their debt to their society. And um, which is why I was so drawn to your story, but we're getting ahead of ourselves because people don't even understand what you do yet. So we're going to unpack that. You, there was this prison entrepreneurial, what's it called? Prison Entrepreneurship Program. Prison Entrepreneurship Program. And you had a PR client that suggested that it might be something I'm interested in. And you did it originally as a volunteers. Oh, yeah, that's it. Volunteer. So in my mind, I was like, holy cow, like, because I knew I should be in prison with all the activity, which is so important for people to understand why we unpacked all of that up the beginning of

this Conversation is that all of that gave you a Reality for this and I knew I mean you've been arrested and everything But you never really served time in prison, but you felt like you had earned prison. You just avoided it. A lot of grace, a god, I guess. Yeah, a lot of grace. So, um, where are we? Oh, prison entrepreneurship program. So I felt like I knew these people would be resilient. Like you at you told me you're like cherry, you're unconventional, like non-traditional route,

like you're wild. I knew that these people, unfortunately, I had the wrong mindset back then, and I talk about this all the time. I thought they'll be just like me, they'll seek validation and not quit as long as they're winning. I'm going to show them how to win. That was my goal. That's interesting, but that's assuming they're all addicts, right? If you, I don't

want to blanket anybody because I do hire a lot of it. We hired a thousand people in the last year. And, but I will say that if you've done prison time, it's most likely you have unresolved trauma and it's most likely that you are going to want to feel like you belong to something that's hoping you feel successful. That makes complete sense. Yeah. So tell me about the first person you helped. So I go into the person. As a volunteer. Yeah, so as a volunteer, I'm in there. And so I reached out to PEP,

the prison entrepreneurship program, like, hey, I know how to do PR. That's how I ended up on the Steve Harvey show. What? You go from one to 50. You didn't tell me about the Steve Harvey show. We had him talk about Steve Harvey show. Well, we're talking about it now. Okay, well, okay.

Let's hear about the Steve Harvey show. That was the first. You were on Family Feud? It was Family Feud. Oh. I would have lost. Can you imagine? Your family when you were in high school on the Family Feud? No. The methane. God. Can you imagine how funny when you were in high school on the family few no the

Methane God can you imagine how funny that would have been I wouldn't be funny it'd be horrible it would have been horrible Yeah, it'd be funny now Steve Harvey would have fun with it true We'll be right back So, how did you end up on the Steve Harvey show? So that's when I decided to share my story for the first time about math. I never shared it. But I was inspired through volunteering with the Prison Entrepreneurship Program. I was still working for the PR firm.

But that didn't explain it. You've got on the Steve Harvey show. There's a lot of people volunteering at the Entrepreneurial thing in prison. Something I ended up talking to some casting lady. I can't remember how it happened, but I shared my story and she ended up convincing me that Steve Harvey shows a good platform to put it out there.

He's hilarious. Yeah. He's also much deeper than people give him credit. I think he's a can a they think he's all a comedian, but he's he's a godly man for sure. He is he's a good man. And he's really good with his family. So who's the first guy you helped? Sherry. His name was Benny and so I had been volunteering for a couple of years because it takes time for them to get out of prison. Right. So a couple of years later, people started getting out of prison and I was at the transition house, the PEP transition house. Is that like people get out? It's a half way house. It's just a more kind term to say transition house. So we're in the transition house and he's like, man, he been

he been he is like, I got to get a job. I remember it used to make me laugh so hard. You would have fun hanging out with people on their first day out of prison. So I remember driving and him being like sticking his head out the window about to throw up because think about the motion sickness of somebody who's been in prison for 20 years. Right.

And him trying sushi for the first time, not knowing what Google is. Hold it, Tom out. You're telling me a guy gets out of prison and you take him for sushi? I did Not knowing what Google is. Hold it, Tom out. You're telling me a guy gets out of prison and you take him for sushi. That's so weird. All right. So anyway, would you please tell me how you helped him? You know what I did. Okay. You want to know my favorite thing that I probably make. I mean, did you make him take his shoes off and sit Indian style on the little pillow and all that. I hate sushi. Can't stand it. If I ever go to prison and in you or are produced over your Alex picks me up,

do not take me to get sushi. Okay. So ridiculous. But that was the whole funny thing about it. Can you imagine how funny it is? A person coming out of prison and looking at sushi and trying to use chopsticks. After he almost got nauseous on the ride home, no, I can't imagine any of the seconds. It wasn't after the nauseous, okay? I think it was a sushi that made him nauseous.

Because sushi sucks. I hate sushi. So you still hadn't told me how you helped him so far. You've told me how you made him nauseous and got them sent. Yeah, we did. We look, I had a lot of fun with these guys and girls. There's a lot like you ask me, how do you laugh at yourself and talk about your failures? That's how like community we have fun. We don't see everything is like a grind and there's a lot of laughter. So which by the way, one of the guys

who I'm very good friends with right now, I couldn't help myself. It was a prank. He thought the wasabi was avocado. Oh. He's, that's the eating it once. Oh my God. So he goes, oh wait, I hope-

I'm gonna tell him to listen to this just so he knows that I'm telling the story. He pointed up my plate and he was like, you're not gonna eat your guacamole. And I felt the horns come out from my forehead. I was like, what, you like guacamole? He was like, yeah, what are you talking about? Of course I like guacamole.

And I was like, prove prove it eat that whole glove So I was in Chicago about 25 years on the sales trip and It was an international trade show and there were these two Italian guys one spoke Decent English those others spoke almost nothing and they'd been on an all-night flight to get Chicago and met him in the lobby and the hotel lobby bar. And we were sitting there having a beer and some nuts or drink or whatever. And the day and it didn't speak very good English at all was sick. I mean his nose was running, his eyes were running, he was sneezing, I felt so sorry for the guy. And it was a nice lobby and it had one of the,

like a store over the side of the lobby where you can go get, you know, coax and, you know, Tylenol and all that. And he wanted some nasal spray. So he went over to the, to the, to the commissary to get some nasal spray came back to our little table, which was kind of a couch and two chairs and this nice lobby and we're drinking and he unwraps it and I don't pay much attention to him. He sticks that thing in his nostril and holds his finger with his other nostril and squeezes and sucks it up and you know, because it's nasal spray and there's about a three second delay. And Italians are dark, complex guys.

And in about four seconds, he was as red as someone who got stuck in one of your tacos. And his started sweating and he started shaking and everything. And I grabbed it and it was binaka. Do you know what binaka is that you put on your car? Really? and it was Banaka. Do you know what Banaka is? That you put on your car? Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God. He sucked half a banaka. Banaka, one of his nostrils because we had an attack and not speaking English, tried to bust up the story and he sucked all thing of a rock. I thought he's going to have a coronary right front up.

My brother accidentally brushed his teeth with the icy hot once. Thank you. accidentally brushes teeth with the icy hot ones. Thank you. He was, he was, it was when we were younger and he was watching the TV with his mouth open, trying to bring, trying to cool down his teeth. That was the funniest thing. So, just to be clear, you hazed a returning citizen from jail by making him eat. Do you take everybody to sushi?

Listen, you're going to get me canceled, okay? I'm not going to get you canceled. You're going to get yourself canceled because that's hazing. So to be fair, they haze me back. I'm certain they do. What did you do for Benny? So Benny, he was very discouraged with his job search and he said, I'm just going to go get a job as a dishwasher. And I was like, well, why do you

sound so upset about it? He was like, because I got to take what I can get and I'm a felon and it's all that I'll be able to get. And I said, well, what's your dream? Like what's your dream job? What would like if you could do anything right now and you didn't have a well, what's your dream? Like what's your dream job? What would like, if you could do anything right now and you didn't have a felony, what would you do? And he was like, share him. Remember when we were driving, when I had my head out the window about the puke, I saw all those murals in deep elm.

He said, I can do that. I'm a great artist. And I said, let me see some of your work. And his work was amazing with nothing. He taught himself how to draw in prison And so I was like, all right, so who's to say you can't have that job He was like, because I'm a felon. I said, I don't know I got that so this is where the dots connect Because and you say why do you talk so candidly about your failures?

Because I got that job in the newsroom. I knew that there's no barrier that can hold anybody back from anything as long as you really put your mind to it. So you learned that for sure. Yeah, so I said, let's just first of all, I got to show them what Google was and how it works. So we went to Google and I typed in Dallas mural painting company and I called the number on the first one that popped up and I was like, Hey, my name's Sherry. I'm volunteering with an organization and I didn't say which one yet. And I said, I have a guy here who's really interested in working for you. And I see some of your work on your website, his drawings, or just as good, man, not maybe even better.

Like he's a good guy. He's gonna be an asset to your team. And if you have an open position, he's willing to work for just $10 an hour because the job he was going to take was only $8 an hour as a dishwasher. And so Vinny was thrilled to even have the idea. Plus, it's something he actually going to take was only $8 an hour as a dishwasher. And so Ben, he was thrilled to even have the idea. Plus, it's something he actually blighted to do. He wants to do and

because I remembered what helped me get off meth was sharing on social media all my achievements. Again, remember that wasn't the right way because we're going to talk about some more of my failures on not getting to the root cause and seeking all the validation. But because I knew it worked for me, I thought maybe this will work for him. And so the guy was like, well, yeah. So what's the catch? And I was like, well, he just got out of prison after serving 20 years for a violent crime. But he's a really great guy.

And if you're interested in interviewing him, I'll meet you at a Starbucks. I still have the picture of him sitting at the Starbucks being interviewed. And if you don't hire him, no harm, no foul. Maybe you have a good story to tell somebody, but I'll come there so you don't have to be afraid. And so I sat there, he interviewed him, Benny got the job on the spot. And- What Benny bring like his artwork with him and show the yeah, right? Yep. And he got the job.

And what I thought happened ended up happening. Benny was posting on Facebook, all of his work and how proud he was of it. He was doing the kids, murals in the hallways at churches. It's really cool at churches. Yeah. He was he was doing all the paintings in the churches for the murals. And just out of curiosity, is he a faithful guy to? Yes, he is. And that's something. Yeah.

Fast forward to today, he earned six figures. He's doing amazing. And he did start his own mural painting company. And that was my goal was to help people reverse engineer what their dream is, but do it through entrepreneurship and learn while you're getting paid and get on your feet. Sure. If that was the only story we were going to talk about, all of your failures would have been worth it. Because my guess is if Benny had gone to Washington dishes, a mundane thing he hated. Now there's nothing wrong with Washington dishes. If you like

working in kitchens and around food, it's a great place to start, work your way in kitchen, but that wasn't his passion. If he'd gone to do that, can you see a pathway for him to have had fulfilling life or I mean that's where recidivision comes from, is that very thing. And instead, this guy is a tax paying productive member of society that has started his own company. And that all came from just a normal person who had her own failure, seeing a place where she could help and saying, hey, I can do it. Yeah.

Well, that's worth all the failures to get you to that point. Just that point is a phenomenal success. So now you see why I can talk about them so easily because my failures literally have made other people's lives better. years literally have made other people's lives better. Wow, my failures literally make other people's lives better. I cannot think of a more poignant quote to illustrate what servant leadership is really about. That's powerful.

And if you're not finished getting inspired by Sherry's story, join us for part three. It's available right now. And I hope to see you there. you