An Army of Normal Folks - How to Build a Life That 10,000 People Show Up For

Episode Date: April 24, 2026

A 24-year-old man dies—and over 10,000 people show up to his funeral, revealing a hidden life of quietly showing up for others. This Shop Talk explores how Pier Giorgio Frassati built that kind of life—and how you can too.Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, everybody. It's Bill Courtney with an Army and normal folks. Welcome into the shop. You're gone crazy today, huh? It's a long, long bell run. Hey, Alex, how you doing? I'm doing great, Bill. Welcome into the shop. How are you? What's new? You got a girlfriend. You know what's so funny? I was going to bring this up to. Or after the recording today, she decided you were a geek and she broke up with you. So, yeah, you accidentally met her today. There was not on purpose. Yeah, I was like, hey. So this morning she texted me, hey, her friend, like, started vetting me.

Oh, boy. So she started, like, checking out the podcasts. Oh, boy. And apparently found all the shop talks where we talk about my love life. Oh, boy. She's like, what is wrong with this person that they talk about it in every episode? And I'm like, Bill asks me every time. This is not me bringing it up.

You're getting bet stopped. I know. By a friend. I was actually kind of impressed, though, that you found. She texted like, what was so complicated on April 10th, Alex? Because I barely said, like, you asked how I'm doing and I'm like, complicated. How would you remember why you said that? I don't know.

And then she said she almost emailed you saying, I'm moderately interested in a really kind, hardworking, successful guy with four beautiful children who lives in North Mississippi, which is what you said. Email me if you're interested in that person. Well, why didn't she? Because I don't know, apparently. Well, if she's got a shop talk, she might as well respond to my request for emails. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. I won't mention her name yet in case she dumps you in the next two weeks, so we can talk about it later.

Oh, my gosh. That's terrible. All right, everybody. That's the update on Alex's life. And he does as for just beautiful children. This is Shop Talk number 101. You got any 101 ideas? Dalmatians.

That's right, Phil. I didn't think you would get that. Yes. All right, any others? 101, 101 proof whiskey. Is that a thing? I don't know. I don't know.

Sounds like it. So Route 101, like the 101 highway? Yeah, that's, oh, Route 101. Sure. Sure. And then 101 introductory courses in college. Oh, I guess that's right. Oh, yeah.

All right. Well, yeah, but so I think it's 101 Dalmatians. That's the one. All right, little kid. Okay, everybody. Today's shop talk is the life nobody saw. And we'll get to that right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. This is Amy Roboc alongside TJ Holmes from the Amy and TJ podcast.

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Or we could paraphrase it in the life that everybody sees of Alex and they get, uh, they get, uh, weekly updates. They get, they get podcast stalked. to see if they're okay or not to date your friends. Wow, that's a good friend that did that. That's hardcore to, like, go back, like, four to six weeks of episodes. Yeah, just to check out just how messed up everybody is in the world. A good friend or a, I don't know, a stalker friend.

It's a little much. Okay, here we go. Shop Talk, the life nobody saw. All right, let me tell you the story, and it starts with a funeral. So it starts at the end. Turin, Italy, July 1925. A young man has just died. He's 24 years old.

His name is Pierre Giorgio Frasotti. You got it. Good job. Thank you. His family is wealthy, influential, known. His father owns one of the biggest newspapers in Italy. He's a senator and a public figure. So, the family expects a certain kind of funeral.

respectful, dignified, and full of important people, but that's not what happens. Instead, the streets fill, not with politicians, not with elites, with the poor, thousands of them. Over 10,000 people show up, pushing forward, crying, trying to get close, and his family is standing there confused, because they don't know these people. Then the stories start, one by one, they came forward. He paid for my medicine. He brought us food. He visited my husband when no one else would. He found me a job when I had nothing.

A woman says he was my strongest support. Another says he baptized my child and made the gown himself. And suddenly his family realizes something. They didn't even know their own son. Not really. Because he lived a hidden life at home. Pierre Giorgio looked like a pretty normal guy. actually not really even exceptional.

He struggled in school. He felt Latin at one point, but who doesn't fell Latin at some point? And he had to switch schools. His family thought, he's just an average student. He loved hiking in the mountains, laughing with friends, playing jokes.

He had a group of buddies called The Shady Guys. They'd go climbing, singing, messing around. He memorized poetry. He loved art. He went to the opera. Just a full, but very normal average life. But then there was the other side,

the part no one saw, including his family. From the time he was a kid, the instincts were there. One day a poor woman showed up at his house, holding a barefoot child without saying a word. He took off his own shoes and socks and gave them to her, then shut the door before anyone could stop him. That never stopped. As he got older, that instinct became a way of life.

Every day, he would leave his house and go somewhere his family never went to the poorest neighborhoods in Turin. He'd walk into cramped dirty homes, places people avoided. And someone once asked him, how do you stand the smell, the dirt? And he said, don't forget, even if the house is filthy, you're drawing closer to Christ. He didn't help the poor.

That's the thing. He didn't see the poor as a category. He saw people. He used to say, I am poor like all the poor. not above them. I'm not helping down. I'm simply standing alongside. And it cost him something. This wasn't convenient. This wasn't when I have time. He gave everything. He was constantly broke. His sister later wrote, he was always late to dinner because he had given his tram fare away or his jacket to someone who needed it more. He'd beg his own family for money, but not for himself. He begged to give it away.

And still, nobody knew. His family thought he's just out with friends. They had no idea where he's going, no idea what he was doing until the end. In 1925, he got sick, polio. It was fast and aggressive. And it likely came from where he spent his time, caring for the sick. Two months before graduating, he's dying. And even then, even on his deathbed, he's not thinking about himself.

He's writing notes, not about his pain. not about his life, but about the poor, reminding people where things needed to go who still needed help. That's how he died, not building something big, not leading a movement, just caring about people until the very end. And then the funeral happens and suddenly the hidden life becomes visible. Now here's where this hits us, because it's easy to hear the story and think, well, that's a saint. And yes, the Catholic Church declared him a saint last year. But don't miss it. this. He didn't live like that to become a saint. He lived like that because he saw people, he saw need, and he simply responded. And he was busy too. He had school, friends, family pressure,

political involvement, social commitments, clearly a family. He even got arrested once defending his group's flag at a protest. This wasn't a quiet, empty life, which is exactly where we get stuck because today we think, I don't have time. I've got too much going on. I'll help later. But here's the truth. He didn't have extra time. He just didn't separate service from life. He didn't think, when can I volunteer? He thought, who needs me right now? And that's what we've lost. We've turned service into something scheduled, something optional, something organized. And again, that's not bad. But we've lost the simplest version. noticing people, noticing need, and doing something.

Because that's all he did. He didn't try to change the world. He did name for impact. He wasn't trying to get an award. He didn't do it because it was part of his social construct. He just showed up over and over again. And it added up so much so that when this young man died, 10,000 people who his family never knew showed up to say,

thank you. That's the army of normal folks, not a few heroes, no big institutions, just normal people doing what they can consistently. So here's the question. Where are you walking past something today? Right now, because I guarantee you are. We all are. Someone overlooked. Someone struggling. Someone who just needs a little help. Because in the end, the reason those thousands showed up, wasn't because he was important, it's because he showed up for them. And if enough of us start doing that, not dramatically, not perfectly, not consistently, and not seeking sainthood, that's how things change, not from the top down, not expecting someone else, the government, all the smart people to do something and make some massive systems,

but from the bottom up by an army of normal folks doing what we can, where we can. That's the example he set for us. Do you hear about this in church or something? Because he just got sainhood? Because it's a Catholic thing, right? Yeah. Yeah, just, I don't know.

Last year I heard about it. I thought this would be a pretty cool shop talk. It's a great shop talk. I mean, the 10,000 people at your funeral and your family's got no idea. It's insane. It's funny. And obviously, I mean, obviously, yes, he's Catholic,

but the story is relevant for everyone. It's funny. The line in there that says, said, you know, how do you stand being around them? They stink. They're revolting. And I go back to my story, which is a true story, but it's so telling because it's just so obvious and simple is that in biblical times, the nastiest people on earth were fishermen. They stunk.

They didn't bat. They washed in hot sweat and surf, and they were out all day and all of it. And then they got to cultivate their catch. which is fish guts and scales, heads, and just nasty. And that's exactly who Christ surrounded himself with. So as we think about the poor, the disheveled, the stinky, the nasty, we need to think about how the greatest leader of our time migrated there and built his church there and his disciples there.

And that's exactly what this guy did. I like this line, too, of, I am poor, like all. all the poor, not above them, not helping down, standing alongside. Standing alongside. That's it. And we all got her on brokenness, too. Oh. It may be a different type of brokenness, but...

Listen, man, I filled up with diesel. We did a recording earlier today, and on the way back here, I was on fumes, and I filled up with diesel, and there was a dude sitting right by the door, and, I mean, I smelled them when I walked in the door, and he didn't ask me for anything, but it was obviously, you know. And normally I would have just paid for my diesel, got my Diet Coke, got my pack of BCs enrolled, but I thought about it and I thought about this and I thought about all the people we've talked to. And so I bought a bottled water. I bought some muffins. I bought a chips. And I bought two chicken breasts, put it in a bag. And I just, as I walked, he didn't say a word

to me. As I walked out, I just held it out. He looked at me and I said, it's for you. He grabbed it, he looked in it, and he smiled. And then I just left. And honestly, you know, that $10, that's just not anything to me at all. But that guy may not have eaten in a couple of days. I don't know. Maybe he threw it away. Maybe he sold her for $5 and went out of beer.

I don't care. And I'm telling you, I don't know that I've done that much in the past. And when you think about whatever circumstances leading that guy to be sitting there like that, why not give a little something that's not going to take a scuff off of you to put a smile on another very broken human being's face so the story is an example of helping where you can and how you can pretty incredible i do like how some of our recent guests who have said ask their name like nobody's asking their name and so it's something i've been intentionally doing more to and i do think it's also an opportunity to have a conversation like in the memphis here there's the hospitality hub, you know, that helps people get resumes together and try to help them get a job. And so at least, yes, even if you're helping their need in that moment with the food, at least, you know, I think it's an opportunity to have a conversation to encourage somebody, you know, to try to find a better path. It's true. And actually, who was that that said,

asked their name? It was so pointed. It was probably Jonathan Kumar from Samaritan. I think it was Jonathan Kumar. I have actually since then a couple of times when somebody asked for money or something. And if it didn't look a little crazy, I would say, hey, what's your name? And it's amazing how taken aback each of them have been when you say, hey, what's your name? And put some humanity into it. So, I mean, honestly, an army of normal folks is not about buying a homeless guy, a piece of chicken. It's about so much more. but it does start with dropping the blinders

and dropping the boundaries and opening yourself up to think of the people that need help the most as just human beings. And remembering that there's very, very, very few people on the face of planet that choose to be in a position and there's probably an enormous amount of dysfunction and trauma in the background of these human beings lives. So anything we can do helps.

Two other things. His humility, too, not to tell his family all this, right? Imagine helping these 10,000 people and telling no one about it. Almost hiding it. Yeah. And then a couple of service club updates. So we actually did our first giving circle on Oxford yesterday. How much?

So we gave just shy of $2,000. But, you know, we haven't had too much time to promote it. So hopefully it'll grow. But even at that level, like, I think everybody had an awesome experience with it. So we gave around 1,500 of this group called Leap Front. and they help with literacy. Obviously, we've talked to me on the show a lot, the big problem there.

And they have a great after-school program where they get tutor. Or like third, second-third graders. Yeah, and it's one-on-one tutoring. And they're helping these kids, you know, get on grade level. That's awesome. Yeah, so helping them.

And then the team also decided to sponsor one bed as part of the Sleep and Heavenly Chase work. So, yeah. And even just, it was really cool. I think people really enjoyed the opportunity to hear from leapfrog. So one of their board members came. And it's like an interesting way

to learn about nonprofits and communities. needs that you would otherwise not hear about. And it's very possible that people in a service club hear about that opportunity and think, well, there's somewhere I could volunteer. And so it activates people as well. Yeah. And I've heard that from Lydia and from, I think, Michael Lignos, too, at their clubs that people have gotten involved in their army activations.

And, hey, I want to come back here and do some more. Lydia is Memphis and Michael was Atlanta for those listening. Yeah. So, yeah, Michael just sent an update. I think they did a big old bed build not long ago, didn't they? Yeah, I think he did that personally, but they did something. at the soup kitchen, like mission in Atlanta. Well, Lydia is definitely having a Giving Circle giveaway.

Yes, this Saturday. Yeah, soon. Tomorrow after this episode drops. Yeah, they're going to give just shy of 5,000. Do they have a list of people they're thinking about? Yeah, there's six applications they've gotten. That's awesome. That's great.

So join a service club, y'all. Get involved in the Giving Circles. Keep listening to Army and normal folks. and if you enjoy this episode, please rate it, review it, subscribe to the podcast? No, join the podcast. You don't subscribe. You don't subscribe to a podcast

and you join the Army at normal folks. Yeah, do that. So we're only three years in, guys. Well, I'll remember it eventually. Or maybe I won't. I got you to correct me. All right, that is Shop Talk number 101. Until next week, do it you can.

And for those of you stalking my producer, he's a good dude. We'll see y'all next week. On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dick and Poll show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers, but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand. Better version of Play Stupid Games, win Stupid Prizes. Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift, who said that for the first time. I actually thought it was.

I got that wrong. But hey, no one's perfect. We're pretty close, though. Listen to the Nick, Dick, and Paul show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Saturday, May 2nd, country, country stars will be in Austin, Texas. At our 2026 IHard Country Festival presented by Capital One, tickets are on sale now. Get yours before they sell out at Ticketmaster.com. That's Ticketmaster.com.

Hey there, folks, Amy Robach and T. T.J. Holmes here. And we know there is a lot. of news coming at you these days from the war with Iran to the ongoing Epstein fallout, government shutdowns, high-profile trials, and what the hell is that Blake lively thing about anyway? We are on it every day, all day. Follow us, Amy and TJ for news updates throughout the day. Listen to Amy and TJ on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us.

From IHeart Podcasts, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. It's for Vietnam. They're pouring patril all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.