Wake Up to Wealth - Living a Life of Purpose and Impact with Bubba Almony

Episode Date: February 21, 2024

In episode 13 of Wake Up to Wealth, Brandon Brittingham welcomes Adriano Almony, best known as Bubba Almony - Celebrity bodyguard, Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Martial Arts Hall of Fame, Advocate, awareness raiser and giver. They share their experiences in overcoming struggles. Bubba mentions his involvement in community work and volunteerism since a young age, from volunteering at events to bringing the Ali family into the community to speak about bullying prevention and more. He also discusses his work with nonprofits, mentoring at-risk teens, and providing support to the homeless.Tune in to hear about his journey and his dedication to making a positive impact in his community. SOCIAL MEDIA LINKSBrandon BrittinghamInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mailboxmoneyb/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandon.brittingham.1/Bubba AlmonyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bubbaalmonyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bubba.almony/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriano-almony-b46b13178/WEBSITEBrandon Brittingham: https://www.brandonsbrain.org/homeBubba Almony: https://www.bubbaalmony.com/

This is Wake Up To Wealth, a podcast dedicated to helping you change the way you think about wealth. And now, here's your host, Brandon Brittingham. All right, what's up, everybody? We are in the Wake Up To Wealth studio today, and I've got a really special guest, also very interesting guest. And it's just funny how the world works. You guys know I believe in law of attraction. We're sitting here talking about just a couple things and find out we both went through the

same struggle of autoimmune. So it's just wild how some of that stuff happens. So today, I want to welcome a very special guest today. Bubba, thank you for joining us today and thank you for taking the time to come in here. Yes. Thank you so much. You know, I appreciate you having me on this platform and also would like to give a special shout out to Brandon Hudson, who I know he connected us. Yes, sir. Thank him so much. So man. So just looking at your social media and just talking with you over here, man, you've done a lot of really cool things. But man, I saw like, you got a word from the

white house recently. Like, tell me about that. Like, how does that even happen? Like that's, I mean, that's amazing. Thank you. And you know, so since a very young age about, you know, since a teenager, I've been, you know, involved in the community works, volunteerism. You know, I started, I'm sure many people remember the Winter Fest of Lights in Ocean City. And, you know, just volunteer my time there at the hot chocolate stand all the way to now to, you know, being able to bring the Ali family into this community to, you know, speak about bullying prevention, manners, etiquette, kindness, respect, you know, visiting Stephen Decatur High School, Middle School, you know, Glen Avenue School in Salisbury. And, you know, just a lot of different things, you know, with working with nonprofits and, you know, troubled and at-risk teens, mentoring them, and, you know, just,

you know, doing a lot of community outreach, you know, helping the homeless, you know, giving out meals, you know, winter essentials, different things of that nature. And, you know, just being somebody, you know, being the best leader I could be. And I was able to accumulate in that span from a teenager to now over 4,000 hours community service in my lifetime. Wow. And was recognized by the president and received a, they call it the president's call to service award or the presidential lifetime achievement award for my leadership and my over 4,000 hours community service in my lifetime.

And that was in December of 2022. So that was a really big honor. And some most like the most notable people that have received that award um because very few americans have received it are most notably uh the the founder of make-a-wish foundation and also the founder of chick-fil-a that's awesome man so uh you know another really cool thing lots of cool things just looking on your social media so you're a celebrity bodyguard yes right um a lot of cool celebrities i saw like how did you know was that like that was your dream as a kid this is what you wanted to do like you know did you just say one day i want to do this and then how'd you get there yeah so um you know since since i was young you know either i had

kind of had three dreams when i was growing up. I either wanted to, you know, like go to college for basketball, you know, or become a police officer or become a bodyguard. And, you know, you know, when I was younger, I started very young. You know, it's not typical that many people start at 17. I started at age 17 in the security industry. And, you know, I started at the Dew Tour. I'm sure many of the, you know, listeners remember that was a major BMX concert at a skate venue on the beach in Ocean City. And, you know, I just got an opportunity and it was it was strange, you know, like right away I was just able to discover that was what I wanted to do in life. Like and it was early in my experience

within the first day or two, you know, I worked like 20 hours straight. And, you know, I just remember my sister picking me up from there and I just fell asleep in the backseat of her car. And, you know, because I just, I was so passionate about it. And, you know, God just put something over me that, you know, that was going to, that was going to be my passion, purpose, and divine calling in life. And, you know, when you can discover that in life, especially at a young age, it's a very beautiful and powerful thing. And, you know, above just as important as protecting people and property, I understood at that age as well, a very mature mindset of, you know, I can make a difference. You know, I could show people that, you know, oftentimes, you know, sometimes maybe security might have an ego. But, you know, just show people you, you know, oftentimes, you know, sometimes maybe security might have an ego, but,

you know, just show people you have a heartbeat, you know, just humanize yourself, even if you're working in security, because, you know, life is all about people, you know, they won't teach us that at, you know, Harvard or anywhere fancy in life, but through everything, whether it's investors, clients, you know, relationships and life networking um you know teammates whatever that is you know you have it's all about people and it truly matters how you treat them and um yeah so then my first bodyguard experience was about at 19 years old uh vinnie guadagnino from the hit show on mtv's jersey shore yeah and um i was the security manager at the Princess Bayside next to Secrets. And I just remember him like walking through our parking lot. And in my mind, I'm like, oh, wow, that's Vinny, you know. And then I came up to him, introduced myself, you know, and then I noticed like the lobby he was getting ready to go into in the hotel on our south building on our Bayfront, you know, it was a lot of people coming out of secrets. And I said, hey, you know, I have the keys. I can get you up the stairwell, get you to your room. And he, you know, he appreciated that. And just off of that, every summer when he would come back

to Ocean City on vacation, you know, him and his entourage would reach out to me to bodyguard him. And, you know, so that was a blessing. And then a little bit after that, I found myself in the New York, New Jersey area and came across Cardi B's music producer, Swift, from Love & Hip Hop New York. And within just literally the first day I met him, within minutes, within probably 10 minutes or less, you know, he was like that he wanted me to work for him. And the first day I had already went to the mall with him to start bodyguarding him and his girlfriend. And so that was a blessing. Yeah. And then so where did it translate from there? Like, I think I saw one of your memories, Grant Cardone at Live, a bunch of other ones I saw.

Like, you know, so did it just spiral from there? You know, you just got you got into this world and then more and more people start asking you to help them. Yes. You know, in that industry, it's a lot about word of mouth, you know, especially when you're around people with, you know, large followings, influence, you know, that, you know, different things of that nature that, you know, when you go above and beyond for them, they'll recognize it. And to tell you a little story about how I ended up working with Grant. So I reached out to him because I seen like just different opportunities that were coming up for his 10X, you know, conferences and, you know, things of that nature. And I had reached out and, you know, submitted like a 60 second video about myself and what I felt the value that I could bring to him. And, uh, you know,

I just, you know, I just wasn't, it wasn't even about the money for me. It was about the opportunity. I saw, you know, like I saw the value that I, that could be brought to me as well, being around somebody of his caliber. And, um, you know, I, I, um, long story short, they replied back to me like either his assistant or the COO, Sherry Hamilton. And eventually I found myself having a meeting with her, Miss Hamilton, at his offices. And I believe it's Aventura. And, you know, like came in and everything with myself and another bodyguard. And just remember, like, you know, we walked into her office, like, um, as we're walking through, like she just like, um, she said, everybody welcome Bubba. And, you know, the other person

I was with everyone like started clapping and just like, it felt very welcoming. And, and, you know, we're in a, we're in a career respectfully that is like thankless, you know, um, we're often the times, uh, we're the first looked at if something goes wrong, we're the last thanked if everything goes right, respectfully. And, you know, just sat down, had a meeting with her. And before you know it, we, you know, I was able to be the head of security for the 10X Growth Conference while I was in Miami. I believe that was a few years back.

And, you know, it just shows like, you know, when you see opportunities in life, you got to be, you have to reach out, you know, like there is your shot. Absolutely. You know, like I'm, I'm a firm believer in stay prepared. So you don't have to get prepared. Um, and you know, anytime you feel that, you know, like I pray often. So like, it was just in my prayer channel, like something, you know, I asked God to bless me and opportunities there, you know, I asked God to bless me. The opportunity is there. You know, you got to pray and go get what you pray for, you know. And, you know, through that in a few days was able to make over $12,000, you know, with working with him and his family. Was able to be around him, Elena, the children, and also was able to be around these powerhouse titans, you know.

Alex Rodriguez, people from Shark Tank, you know, Alex Rodriguez, people from Shark Tank, you know, female billionaires. And you got to go to live. Yeah. Which is a pretty cool place too. And yes, went to live with him and 50 Cent and, you know, things of that nature. So it was, you know, got to be on a yacht with him at Fat Joe and all these just different experiences.

And again, you know, because I saw an opportunity, I reached out, you know, there's opportunities in life. They're not always going to come knocking at your door, though. You got to you got to go out and get what's yours, you know. So you've been I'm a huge I'm a huge believer in like getting around people like that. Right. That, you know, let me learn from somebody that's farther ahead of me in life than than I've than I've gotten to so you've you've hung around um a lot of famous celebrities a lot of wealthy people a lot of people that have done some really cool things like it's probably a ton but if you could give us like what what's one lesson you think you

kind of glean from being in that circle of like what you've picked up? Yeah, I would just say, you know, you know, something I learned from the Ali family is just like. And this is Muhammad Ali's family. Yes. Yes. From from his former wife and the mother of his four children. Dr. Khalil Ali is just pray every day. And also, you know, just just to be humble, you know, just to be humble, you know, like,

you know, when you are humble in life and you help others and you are inspiring the youth and just different things, I mean, that's like you're opening yourself to a world of, you know, you're opening yourself to so many blessings and, um, you know, the, the right people will at the right time, we'll see those things. And most importantly, God will see those things. And, um, you know, just every day, just, you know, like, like I said, just pray and, um, be good to people, be kind, you know, be kind always. And, you know, the, the universe just has a way of, um, you know, what you're putting out, It's going to come back to you in tenfold. So correct me if I'm wrong.

I think I saw something else. You're also in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Yes. Yeah. How did that happen? Yes. So I was recently honored with that in December of 2023 and kind of how that came about. I've been training for approximately two decades in American Kenpo, Taekwondo, and the art of the ninja. I'm advanced level in those, and I'm also a three-time national martial arts champion

in sparring, weaponry, and forms. And I was reached out to one of my close friends, Mike Tyson's trainer, Aaron Snowwell, and he was like, that he was that, you know, he was recommending me, you know, for the Hall of Fame. And, you know, that meant the real, you know, to for him to, you know, say I was a champion. And most importantly, I was a Hall of Fame person. You know, that is something that, you know, I'll forever be grateful to him for. And, you know, kind of how that came about is, you know, mostly as a martial artist, like I really stepped up on the leadership side of, you know, like going out to speak to tens of thousands of children from private schools, public schools, sports programs, national nights outs and instructing them about bullying prevention, personal safety, situational awareness, things of that nature to really just also pour into their dreams. You know, like that same kid I visit, you know, that could be a white belt today, but that could be a master in, you know, 15, 20 years.

They could be the next UFC fighter. They could be the next, you know, president, whatever it is, their heart desires. And, you know, it's very important. Man, to get to the Hall of Fame of anything is remarkable for a couple of reasons. Number one, you only get there if you're one of the greatest. And number two, it's forever. Yes. I mean, it's forever once you're in it.

And that's remarkable. You've had an incredible journey in a short period of time. Like, what do you think, you know, it's something you're doing, right? What do you think, just one thing you think that has helped you along your journey as to how you've gotten here? Cause you've done a lot in a short period of time and you've done it at a really high level. Yes. Thank you. And, um, you know, I would just say, you know, um, for me personally is having a strong faith and, um, also, you know, just being good to people, you know, I would just say, you know, for me personally is having a strong faith and also, you know, just being good to people, you know, like, you know, being being good to people and going above and beyond, you know, like whether I'm training or whether I'm, you know, bodyguarding a client like, you know, those those relationships will forever be, you know, like money spends once, but knowledge and connections monetize forever, you know, so we can go into the gas station and say, Hey, I want $20,

you know, on pump two, you know, we can never get that money back though. We can't go in. Say that one more time. Cause that that's, you should quote that. Money spends once, but knowledge and connections monetize forever. So, you know, like for example, you go into the gas station, You should quote that money spends once, but knowledge and connections monetize forever. Yeah. So, you know, like, for example, you go into the gas station, you pay for twenty dollars of gas on pump to you can't pay for that pump the gas and go back in and say, hey, can I have that twenty dollars back, even though I filled my tank up?

Right. But knowledge and connections, you know, nobody can take them from you. Those are they will always work for you. The only person that can ruin those connections is you, you know, if they're strong enough. And, you know, like, I just, I'm just a firm believer in that, like, you know, and really too, like sometimes, you know, I can't always even explain how good God has been in my life. Like, you know, you know, to be around certain people and things of that nature is just, is really just his goodness. You know, it's like, it's, I'm just using the tools, resources, and skills he gave me and really he belongs with the glory.

So I'm going to ask you two more, two more questions. I don't, you know, we don't call it a favorite, but you've hung out with a lot of celebrities. You've bodyguarded a lot of them. Like what, what's one of the ones that you just really enjoy being around? Yeah, I enjoyed, uh, there's a couple of them. I, I really enjoy Grant Cardone, you know, just to be around that knowledge and energy. Yes. And like, he's the type of person he's in. And, uh, I say this respectfully is like, my mindset is kind of like his in the sense, you know, like I remember he talked about a story one time, like he was doing an event during Superbowl weekend. I don't know. You may have heard this. If you keep up with him or other people may have heard like, and they told him like, don't do that. You're, you know, you're competing with the Superbowl and he ends up doing this event,

sells out people from all 50 States over 60, uh, over 60 countries come to this event. And I'm the same, you know, like I could have people tell me like there could be dream stealers, haters, naysayers, but you know, whatever your dream is in life, you got to hold on to it. Whatever your aspirations and ambitions are in life, hold on to them, protect them and never let them go. Like that's yours for a reason. It's not those people, you know, like, and only have people around you that love you, pray for you, inspire you, empower you. And you know,, that whether whatever your dream is, even if you say, I want to be governor, I want to run this Fortune 500 company, whatever it is,

you know, that they believe in you just as much as you believe in that dream. And don't just be around good people, be around great people that are, you know, phenomenal people. Yeah, it's funny you say that, because I was having this conversation with somebody the other day is like, usually it's the craziest people until they're not. The people that change the world are the ones that invite you into their dream. What I mean by that is Elon Musk, we all drew a version of the Cybertruck in school. This guy went out and created it. You can't start a car company. You can't send people all the crazy things in school. Right. And this guy went out and created it. And how many,

you know, you can't start a car company. You can't send people, you know, all the crazy things that he's done. I'm glad you made a point of that because that, that is so profound and powerful is a lot of times a crazy idea sounds crazy until you prove that it's not right. And how many crazy ideas have shaped and changed our world. So that that's profound statement that you made. Another question I ask everybody is we call the show waking up to wealth and that has nothing to do with money. It is just, I just believe we've been taught a lot of things wrong in this world about

education. You know what to do with money, just things of that nature. So my question that I ask every guest is like, what is waking up to wealth mean to you? And it has nothing to do with money. It's just your version of it. Yeah. I will say, waking up to wealth means to me is a great question. Your mindset, your discipline, your health, just, you know, just, you know, just, you know, going to sleep in prayer, waking up in prayer, linking your subconscious mind to your conscious mind,

you know, and, you know, waking up to wealth is like, you're awake, and you're the type of person that you could dream a dream, you vision it, and you go after and you chase that dream, you're, you're, you're the type of person that you could dream a dream, you vision it and you go after and you chase that dream, you know, every day, no matter what cost. And eventually one day you'll wake up to that wealth. And like you said, it's not always just about the money. It's about, you know, saying that you did something that nobody could ever take away from you when you fulfill those goals and those dreams and those ambitions. And that inspiration goes to our children. And this is a powerful thing. Powerfulful man. Well, um, we'll wrap it with that. Cause you dropped a lot of good stuff today.

I, number one, I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to be here with us today. And number two, thank you for pouring into our audience and giving us the knowledge that you did today. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you for having me. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of Wake Up To Wealth. We sure do appreciate it. If you haven't done so already,

make sure you're subscribed to the show wherever you consume podcast. This way we'll get updates as new episodes become available. And if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast and tell your friends about the show. It is how new people find us.

Until next time.