KGCI: Real Estate on Air - Sit There and Grieve or Get Up and Succeed with Major Ed Pulido.

Episode Date: May 13, 2024

What's up, everyone. Welcome to the Unleash Your Inner Legend podcast with your host, Holly Kitchens. This is a podcast with a purpose to inspire entrepreneurs to take action and unleash their own inner legend. Today's guest is absolutely, I mean, I'm going to definitely not even do you justice, but you're absolutely such a genuine, very well respected, very inspiring and really connected man. So I can't wait to dive into his story today. welcome Major Ed Pallito. Well, thank you so much for having me. And what a great day to be an American and what a great day to be on your show. I like the title, Unleash Your Inner Legend.

All of us have legendary stuff in our lodge. And certainly the great work that we've done in the past and the great work we're doing in the present. And for you, congratulations on what you're doing in the future because this is really remarkable. and powerful to be talking about some great subjects and certainly something that you're passionate about. Absolutely. Well, yeah, I agree with you.

It is a great day to be American and it is a great day to, you know, be on a podcast called Unleashire and a legend, right? So let's hop into it. Like I said, you are such an inspiration. And for those who aren't familiar with your story because, of course, we are not only just, you know, across the U.S., but we're a global podcast. Let's talk about your story. and really what got you to where you are today?

Well, I want to start out by just kind of telling you where I came from, because for me, that's really where everything started. I am an immigrant of this country. My father was Colombian. My mom was Puerto Rican. Even though I got my citizenship when I was born in Puerto Rico, I will tell you that my father was really the instrumental individual, my hero, my friend, and somebody that I missed.

actually lost them about two years ago on Thanksgiving. And it's been very, very, you know, what I would say hard on me just because he was the individual that I could pick up the phone, ask for advice. And when you're talking about your inner self, he was the building block for me to join the United States Army at age 17. And I would see him put on his combat boots. He was a Vietnam veteran. He understood the power of service.

and sacrifice. Also didn't really speak that language very well, but he worked his butt off to make sure that he provided for his family and that he excelled. And he started as an enlisted service member, became a worn-off, chief warnaissance, and grew through the ranks. And when I was able to witness some of this in my early years of life, I witnessed a man that had the highest integrity, but also knew that serving his nation was what it was all about. And so I took the oath of office at age 17. And the great thing about it is that I never

looked back because at 17, I spent 20 years in the United States Army. And I have a story to tell. Not a story about, you know, just any story of what you do in service, but a story of what I call challenge, which was sitting on the battlefield and almost losing my life. Triumph, which is the first step after an amputation. And then change is living a down. knowing that I changed forever. And the things that I went through is what has shaped me to be the person that I am today in loving people, respecting individuals, but respecting industries and what they do, as opposed to sometimes where in the political climate that we're in, we tear down industries.

And what we should be doing is lifting everyone up. 100%. Yeah, 100%. So let's dive. mean, because like you said, it's not just, you know, just a story. You really had a, you know, a moment in your life where you had the decision of either like, you're just going to be defeated and, you know, kind of allow that that incident or that occurrence in your life to really stop you from gaining traction versus, no, you took another path. And like I said, you are, I feel like every time open Facebook, you're with some celebrity of importance. You're doing something awesome. But the key thing, though, too, is not even just like you're with a celebrity, but you're

out there advocating for that trend. You're advocating for people, you know, who are facing that adversity. So if you don't mind just sharing a little bit of that, because I think, you know, that's going to resonate with anybody, right? Not necessarily that, you know, people have going through that process of amputation, but it's that process of you. Something happens to your life where you really, think that this is this is the end of the road like this is it for me what was some of those things and thoughts that kind of helped you progress and keep going and not just keep going but just keep going like you just shot straight up and then really leverage that to help you make a positive change not only to yourself but to really so many different groups that you advocate for well i got

to tell you it all started on august 17th of 2004 when i hit a 250 pound roadside bomb that would changed my life forever. And if, and if you don't think about unleashing your inner self at that particular time about what's going to happen next and the chaos around everything, one of the things that I always tell people that was so instrumental in saving my life on that day is number one, everyone took their training seriously. Number two, well, and let me back up. I live by some guiding principles. Those guiding principles are my love for my faith in God. my love for my country and my love that I have for supporting my family. I mean, I have to say it that way.

And everybody says, well, why are those three? You know, why is it family number two? In my case, when the government owns you, your government property. So I always tell people that they look at it from a perspective of, you know, your faith and you're serving your country and then your family. And to me, all of those three things really kind of kind of, inside. So really what happened to me on that day when I hit that roadside bomb, everyone on my team was very well-versed and was very well trained. And that is really what got us out of that

situation. When the combat medic pulls me out of the vehicle, puts me on a hundred and twenty-eight degree pavement. And what he says to me is, man, major, you're her bad. You know, if you've ever taking CPR, don't ever tell the patient that much. You know, it was so funny because, you know, this is chaotic. And the thing about it is that this individual took his training series. seriously, 22 years old, young man, and I'm so glad he took his training seriously, because one of the things that we sometimes miss is sometimes we have to do a training. I guess I had to do a training on sexual harassment and those kind of things in the workplace. But in reality, those are things that, you know what, sometimes we train for those things so that we can be prepared for those types of situations that may happen. And for me, that's exactly what I talk about on my story is that we were prepared for what was going to happen because we had rehearsed and rehearsed it.

And the great thing about all of that is that it really created this metamorphosis in a way. I don't know how to say that. But it made me, because of this experience, learned so many things about my inner self, my guiding principles of leadership. how I would respect everyone that came in contact with me, how it would make people feel good about who they are and what they're all about, trying to stay positive and staying away from the negativity or the chaos or the uncertainty of things, and trying to live a faithful life with passion and with understanding of whatever industry I represent

that I'm going to get my 110%. And those are the things that I learned from being on that. battlefield from going through the experience I went through 17 hours of surgery, blood transfusions, and finally an amputation on October 1st, that, you know, it was my mom who would come in my room and say, you know what, you can sit there and grieve or you can get up and succeed. My point to that is there's always a defining moment in our lives where somebody may be that catalyst for hope for you. And whether someone's going through a cancer bout, a divorce, a health, a health,

related issue, maybe a mental health issue, whatever it may be that these circumstances of life create these obstacles that we can overcome them by having an attitude that we look at her inner self and we say, you know what, I'm not going to quit. And that's why I think this podcast is so important, not just to talk about real estate and the things that are going on, but to have a life that You're passionate about your work. You're passionate about your life outside of work. But how does that all integrate together? Because we miss that.

Some people say, well, I'm signing off at 5 o'clock. That's great. But most people that are really powerful people don't ever sign off because they're passionate about what they do. And that is where I come from is I'm passionate about the work that I do. I'm passionate about the people that I meet. And what I want to do is really be. a catalyst for making sure that everyone that I come in contact with provides that output that says,

hey, this is the best that I am. This is the best I can be. And I'm going to be the best that I'm going to be in my industry because, you know what? I care. And I'm passionate about what I do. I've literally had, as soon as you said what your mom had shared with you regarding, you know, are you going to sit there and grieve or get up and succeed? I literally got goosebumps.

So, wow. This is exactly what I was saying. I was not going to get to you justice in that quick intro because you are just amazing. And you're so spot on because when it comes to us as entrepreneurs, you know, we can't just turn off that five o'clock. We can't just be like, okay, we're done with work for the day. No, like it spills into our family or friend dinners. It spills into bedtime that you're going to trying to close your eyes, but then you have a million things going on your mind about what could have went right today, what weren't wrong today, you know, things like that. And I think with that passion, obviously there's also going to be some low spots too, right?

Because we're so passionate. Our heart is into whatever it is that we want to do. And whenever things aren't going right, it's not necessarily like, oh, I'll just go look for another job. No, like that is like part of your being. It's in your DNA. So you're so spot on. It is definitely about, you know, having that clarity and that awareness of when things go wrong, this isn't the end of it. it's just part of the journey and learning how to fall in love with those failures and learning to fall in love with them as long as we take them as lessons learned versus defeat.

I think that's definitely going to be key. Well, I want to tell you something, Dick, because you brought up a great point. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. One of the things that we do here in America these days is we're not real. And sometimes you have to be real. And let me give you what real means to me. when I was in the hospital, I can't tell you that and be dishonest and say I wasn't suicidal or that I wasn't thinking about, hey, man, my life is broke.

This is not good, especially when the amputation occurred. And then even today, you know, there may be something that doesn't go right. But I learn now to put things into perspective. And the reason I put things into perspective is that, you know, at the end of the day, when I hit that bomb, that was a bad day. me not making this lie to be in 10 minutes late, that's not a bad day. And I think when we put things in a perspective like that, and as entrepreneurs like you stated, you have to think 24-7 because your livelihood is on the line.

And if you give up, there may be other ramifications that go along with that. The family doesn't get taken care of. I mean, I have two girls right now. One just graduated college. I'm about to put another one into college. and graduate her from high school. And my thing is, is that, you know, I'm looking at what did it look like in the past when I put my first one in? And what is it going to look like in the future as I put this next one in?

I learned so many things from my first experience to this experience. And my point to all of that is that's what I'm doing every day. I learn, I'm learning this industry, a first American title, the commercial side. You've been in real estate. And I've had the utmost of respect for you, because I've, I've known you from, you know, when you were, I believe, in Lawton. Lawton, yeah, way back in the day. And we are both from, you know, I lived in Lawton and graduated high school.

But here's what makes me, what I'm going to tell you something that makes me proud. I don't, you know what? I can pat myself on the back every day. But the thing about it is what I've seen you do is grow. Grow into who you are. Grow into your industry. Yeah, there have been obstacles because we talked about those. But at the end of the day, that's not what defines you.

what defines you is your thought process and your futuristic thinking and your visionary thinking of where you're going. Because that's the mission focus that we should always concentrate on is where are we going, how are we going to get there? When we get there, you know, what are we going to do with it? And one thing that I want to end on on that piece of it is that we don't, one of the things that I do every day is I do measure some of my, weaknesses, but I also pat myself on the successes because successes make you feel good inside. And that to me is what I try to cultivate in other people and in myself. Yeah, 100%. You're so spot on. And you know, you're right. Those things that happen to you or, you know, whatever it is that, you know, those low points of your life where you feel like you're

defeated, though that's not what defines you. What defined you is your character. And your character is how you respond to not only just the good things, but those bad things, too. So you're clear the definition of you and your character is like, you know, out the roof for me because of, you know, all the things you've overcome and then all the things you continually still do to this day. So that leads me to my next question. I know you're heavily involved in a lot of foundations. You actually, in fact, have founded a foundation. Do you mind touching real quick on those and sharing with people kind of those foundations that you're involved with? Well, it's interesting because I wrote a book, Warrior for Freedom.

And in that book, everybody asked me, why did you write that book? Number one, I wanted to help people by telling my story. And then number two, I wanted to talk about the work that I'm doing from a philanthropy perspective. And the reason that that's important to me is that we all have a philanthropic spirit. In fact, if you're in business today, this is very important. You should have a philanthropy focus.

in your business. As an entrepreneur, it is very important to have a philanthropic focus because people in America today gravitate to that. They gravitate to the fact that you're doing great work, but what are you doing outside of that? Maybe it may be in church or maybe in some other things. And so the work that I do is really focused around some guiding principles. And those guiding principles for me are integrity, perseverance, resiliency, and making sure that people have a healthy, mental, physical, and wellness approach to how they do things. And so when I wrote the book, I wrote it around the benchmarks of the organizations that I represented, like holds of honor, which was an organization that I was with 14 years. I retired from them. we raised $250 million for deserving military families so that they could have scholarships to go to college.

How great of an idea that was. I work now with Warriors for Freedom, which does mental, physical and wellness here in the state of Oklahoma, making sure suicide prevention, making sure that they have their benefits, making sure they're connected, and we're advocating at the state level with advocacy. And then part of the lion is my other charity that I'm doing some work with. And I'm actually about to embark on another one too. But that one is focused on the celebrities that we work with. We use them to empower and support their local approach for what they want to do,

philanthropy-wise. And we create these avenues where they can get engaged and do the great deeds to support those causes that their heart lies into. And that to me is what's so powerful is that you give people an avenue of approach. And that's what I do is I'm giving people a menu of, hey, you can support one of these organizations and you can support a veteran, a first responder, a child, an elderly person, a disabled individual, whatever it may be, but that there's a menu for people to choose from and that has been very successful as a model for you know what really as you run on these organizations this is an entrepreneurship basically but it's in a different way it's in the

nonprofit sector because everything now is it's so business oriented with the IRS and the regulations and everything that goes along that you have to follow all of these things so that is like unleashing my inner self in philanthropy and something I'm passionate about and then of course you take it to another level. And then now I'm doing work with First American Title, which is so awesome because I can do both, but I can also be interconnected to something that's in the corporate side of the house and the entrepreneur side of the house when people are building things

or people are putting houses up and people are getting connected to all of that. Well, I'm definitely can't wait to dive into the First American Title, but I'm going to pause that real quick because I want to put a boat on what we just talked about because, you know, really what you have done is you have, you know, turned something that could have been devastating and then you turned it into something beautiful. And you really did a great job of creating a platform that you have. And now you're using that platform to allow other people with their platform and really just creating one huge, powerful platform coming together for, like you said, all the different opportunities to help those that they're very passionate about. Which, you know,

on this podcast, a lot of our listeners of, like I said, there are, entrepreneurs and when I speak to people, you know, after speaking engagements, things like that, they always come up to me and they're like, wow, like it's so great to hear your story. I always want to share my story, but they're almost kind of reluctant, kind of shy, if you will. Do you mind sharing with listeners what are some strategies or resources that you used in order to find the courage to share your story to really advocate for those important causes? Because a lot of people are just kind of maybe shyness, maybe they're just nervous, maybe they think no one's going to care or listen. What were some resources and strategies that you can share with

us that kind of helped you, you know, launch that and kind of put your, amplify your voice so that you could be where you are today? Well, you, that's a great question. And I haven't been asked that question a long time, but I'm a graduate of the Carnegie School of Public Speaking. And one of the things, here's what I learned from that, okay? I did learn how to public speak with them. But I learned this. In any public speaking environment, you have to have a an intro, an icebreaker, a body, and a conclusion. But you also have to be able to tell a story. And I love what you said.

If you're not a good story, we're all good storytellers. But the thing about is that we never cultivate those things. And I know that you use it in your craft because a story tells so many, tells a thousand things. And it doesn't because when you tell your story, of whatever it may be. It may be a story of how you became an entrepreneur. And you know how powerful that is when somebody hears that message and says,

wow, I want to follow that blueprint or I want to follow those steps. And when I do my public speaking, I always try to personalize it. I always look for someone in the audience that I can connect with because I know if I can connect with them and use them as part of my presentation, People are very attentive, and they're also very aware of why we're telling this story. And I think that there's a lot of people that do public speaking these days and really miss that mark. They don't really tell that story. I'll give you an example of somebody that is a good storyteller and is very powerful.

If I've been doing it a long time is Pastor Craig at Life Church. You've ever seen him speak? that man doesn't miss a beat. And the power behind not missing a beat is that there's a connection that's made with the people that you're talking to. That is so important to connect with them with storytelling and with, in his example, he uses biblical principles and biblical stories and biblical verses to really kind of shape the stories that he's telling. But one of the powerful things that he does is that he's not talking about, all the past he's talking about what's going on in the present and what you're dealing with in this present culture structure and whatever it is and i my point to that is i have learned from a lot of great

speakers through that seeing them interact how many times do you say um or or just little things like that and how do you sequence and you change and you transition and when you you were able to see these great speakers do that, that is why they're up on that stage doing those talks because they perfected the art of speaking, but they do it with their heart. And that's the difference with a lot of speakers. If you can't, I always tell people, I don't use any notes. The reason I don't use any notes is because I just want to talk from my heart. And I'm well versed now to be able to do that.

And it's actually a gift. and but it was also hard work to get to that point and that's what I've seen with a lot of speakers that are really talented is that they can shape their speech and connect with that audience that's so big and hopefully you guys listening in are taking notes because I actually I just did myself that's what I was doing over here but you know what it is and I always tell people you know that ask me they're like how did you find because honestly like I grew up super poor in Rush Springs Oklahoma I had waterbelly the world water bill capital of the world all 1,300 of us.

And I had a speech impediment. I was bullied. Like attention was something I just didn't want because that you usually came with the whole bullying, right? But it was that moment to where, like you said, like a lot of people, they have those fears and they may not realize it, but those fears are selfish in the sense of they're focusing on, you know, themselves. Now, instead of thinking about, oh, what about me?

What if I look silly? what if I stumble or what if I say something. Instead, you know, what you just shared is a great way to put it. It's finding a way to connect with the audience. Don't put the focus on yourself. Put that focus on the audience because at the end of the day, you know, public speakers, you guys, we're doing what we're doing because for the benefit of people, not for ourselves. You know what I mean?

So I think that was just so huge. And that was just a great way to put it out there. So thank you so much for sharing that. That was huge. And don't you think that. with you, boy, you just made an outstanding comment. I was talking to somebody at lunch today. And I remember being a little Hispanic kid that was learning the language.

And people made fun of it. And they made fun of me because when I spoke, I had broken English. And my mom and dad still do. Don't get me wrong. But one of the things that I perfected in my life was learning how to be able to communicate more. effectively and to get away from that. Now I still have now I have a little southern twang to me. But the great thing is I know what you're saying is that, you know, our our abilities and we are the worst critic on ourselves. I still critique the speeches that I do. I'll give you an example right

after COVID because I wasn't out doing public speaking. I was kind of off. Yeah. And I had to kind of get back in the saddle. You know what I did? I ended up going to a couple of schools. to speak into the kids because I felt like if I mess up there then I'll be okay and I'll get back into the rhythm and it's just like anything else if you don't practice you can't perfect the art and that to me has been something that's very important perfection there's nothing wrong with that the thing is we ought we try we should strive to be as perfect as we can the thing about it is that we're going to fail and we're going to create and sometimes we're going to be our worst critic But you can't let that get you down.

What may get you down, there's other things that can get you up. And remember this. When you tell your story, you might be helping someone in that audience. And that to me is when you know that you've changed, you know, the footprint or the battlefield or whatever we want to call it, you're a game changer there. And that to me is a very powerful tool for people to understand, especially entrepreneurship. prenewers because you have to have great communication skills. 100%. Yeah, absolutely. And you know, you made up a good point too because it's like, obviously you've got to start somewhere and you've got to practice it. You made the comments

about not taking notes, which I'm laughing because I remember the first time I ever spoke on a stage. I literally had a scripted piece of paper and I was like a robot like reading every line from line. And now, you know, you might want to like look over some talking points before you go on stage, but you definitely don't want to bring your paper off on there. But of course we start somewhere. right we have to start somewhere yeah but i always tell people to you it's like it's like going to the gym it's building that muscle and like you had said though too like you had all these experiences and speaking to all these crowds but then covid hit and then you were like i've kind of lost a little bit of that so you had to get back into it so it's like you know we can all relate we hit the gym really

heavy and hard we're feeling great and then we almost get comfortable that we're feeling great and then we stop going well then what happens you go back to the gym you're not able to lift or you know as much as you used to do run as fast as you used to can run so it's it is that muscle and you've got to continually pour into it and I always tell people you know when you're sharing your story always you always want to be two things you want to be ordinary you know you want to share your messups you want to share all those lows because that's relatable right like you said that one story that you share that one piece of information could really change somebody's life in the audience so you want to be ordinary and then you want to be extraordinary then you want to show like

how you know to why you are on that stage and why you have that platform to speak to them so that's some fantastic tips for those who are listening in and they're thinking about like how can I share my story where do I start I mean you just got to start somewhere and start start small local especially if you're a real estate agent like you know local boards they have so many speaking opportunities to go in I know I mean how many events do we run into each other all the time because of that there's so many speaking opportunities there start there you know craft your story how are you ordinary how you're extraordinary how is your message going to share you know how maybe how you got into real estate maybe maybe it was a big deal that went bad in your real estate.

state career, something that defined a moment of time that really changed the trajectory of your life. I think that's key. But yeah, sorry, I can definitely be on my weird box about public speaking and like really showing and sharing who you are. But I do want to touch on this last thing before I let you go on this fantastic day. You know, given that a lot of our listeners are entrepreneurs, obviously a significant of that portion, they're involved in real estate. So we're about to speak their language. Could you share some insights? insights into your involvement with First American Title and how your leadership collaboration aligns with your mission and your advocacy work. Well, it's interesting because I've learned one

thing in life and that means, and this is it. You don't have to have it. Now, unless you're a doctor, an attorney or somebody like that for veterinarian, you don't have to have experience in anything. You know, I have all of this educational background and do I use it all? No, but I have it. And it's important. But one of the things that I've learned in unleashing my inner self, because this is what the podcast is all about too, as an entrepreneur or as anything, is that I've taught myself a lot of these industries. I know stuff about the car industry. I know stuff about, you know, now I know some stuff about residential housing in that industry, banking, and now I'm working on commercial and I think for me commercial is very innovative in today's world especially where we

live because Oklahoma City and its surrounding areas of the Metro are expanding rapidly and commercial business is thriving right now I don't care what anybody said just look around in all the building that's going on in the inner city and in those neighborhoods that were dilapidated at one point in the investment capital that's going around. My point to all of that is that I use words as investment. I use words as, you know, from when you build a building, you know, you're also employing people. There's a lot that goes on with all of that. When you're closing a deal, there's investors that come from out of town and want to invest in different things that are going on in the community, buying land, purchasing, you know,

real estate that really kind of may need fixing up, but all of a sudden you're putting some sweat equity into it and some investment dollars into it and also being key analysts in keeping up with everything that's going on, like what areas are hot and which ones are not, and investing your dollars in all of that. And so I think for me, when I came to work for First American Title, it wasn't just about the residential side of what goes on every day, but also the commercial side and how all of that sort of inner blend. So for those individuals that are in the real estate world, it behooves you to keep up with the commercial side if you're a residential person.

And it's behoos you to be a commercial person keeping up with a residential because all of this sort of kind of flows and intertwines. And when you have a community, people look for shopping centers. They look for hotels. They look for where am I? I'm going to go and basically work out? I mean, where am I going to, where am I going to go eat? I mean, if you notice what's going on in Oklahoma City, it's a really great renaissance. Now, there's other issues that you may look at and say, we have a homeless problem that needs to be addressed.

We have some poverty areas that need to be addressed. But again, it all goes back to taking risk, being an investment individual that can be a visionary, creating a portfolio of things. So you, like my good friend, Daniel White, I always talk about him. You know, he's in the moving business. He's in the real estate business. He's diversified his portfolio. And the thing that what I learned from COVID was that if you don't diversify yourself, you're going to be stagnant.

And now that's why I'm here at First American Title doing some great work here because I didn't, wanted to diversify my work. If COVID was to hit again, and hopefully it doesn't, I want to be prepared because the thing is, maybe my philanthropy is not going to do very well. And so I've looked at other avenues of it. Now I'm investing in some things. And if anybody learned anything about COVID is that you better diversify yourself because if you don't, you're going to get left behind. And that's not where you and I are at in life. My dad taught me that. My dad taught me that. the older you get, you build more wealth, you build more opportunities, you build more prestige, more respect, more loyalty, and you create an atmosphere that at the end of life, you could say,

here was my legacy. And that to me is what I strive for every day. So anybody out there listening, what is your legacy, what is your passion, and what is your purpose? And if you can put those into a portfolio, it will enhance the work that you do each and every day. That is a fantastic piece of advice. And I just appreciate you sharing because you're spot on, you know, maybe COVID might not happen again, but COVID taught us an important thing that like you can never be prepared for the unexpected because that came out of the left field. And it wasn't just here for, you know, a month or two like we initially thought.

I mean, we're still filling the effects of it. You know, what was that? Four years later does not seem like it was 20, 21. was just four years ago, but you know what I mean? Like, you have to be prepared because you never know because if you have a thriving business on in-person events, I mean, you saw how quickly the event space had to pivot, you know, everyone was using Zoom all of a sudden. Everyone was on virtual. Everyone was doing things and having that ability to adapt. But then also, you know, having the ability to be prepared and having, you know, like you said, diverse portfolio and having all those different

ways to kind of pour your passions into where you can to build that portfolio. I think that's fantastic. Well, Major Ed, thank you so much for being on today and sharing your incredible story, being such a motivator and just an outstanding person. Thank you for having me on the show and congratulations of what you're doing and to everyone out there. Boy, you're a superstar, but again, Major Ed, thank you so much. It's always an honor and joy speaking with you. You are amazing. You are too. God bless. Hoorah.