Bonus Episode! Host Jamie Bateman Reviews the Stories and Lessons Found in the Show’s First 12 Episodes

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 What's up everyone? In this episode of the form adversity, to abundance podcast. I am going to deviate a little bit from the norm, and I am not going to interview anyone. It's just going to be me yours truly. And what I thought I would do today is walk through the first 12 episodes that we have gone through and kind of hit on some of the key highlights of those episodes that way in the off chance you have missed one or two, you will know what they're about and you go back and listen to those. I just want to say I am super excited. Did that we have made it this far? It's not that far, but I am excited that we have got 12 episodes out. So we have been doing this for I guess about three months. Now, we have a lot more in the hopper, and I am really excited for the guests that we have got scheduled and recorded, and I am happy with the direction. This thing is headed and hopefully you are to inspiring stories of real people. Overcoming incredible odds to live life to the fullest. We are all guaranteed. He to face hardships. How will we handle the adversity? Join us to be moved by every day, people who have turned poverty into prosperity and weakness into wealth Be Inspired as these relatable Heroes, get vulnerable and former counterintelligence investigator Jamie Bateman puts his interviewing skills to the test, restore your faith in humanity as you experience. True Cinderella stories of average people turning surreal struggle and deep despair into booming, businesses and Financial. So Fortune take ownership of the life, you are destined to live and turn your adversity into abundance. Episode number one was Mark Owens, Chris Avenue, and I had interviewed mark on The Good Deeds show. Actually, it was just me. Mark, was interviewed on The Good Deeds. Note investing podcast and it blew me away. Seriously, blew me away. There was the reason really was The main reason, I started this podcast, I had no idea what I was getting into with that interview and Mark story is amazing. It's one of those where I sent that episode to so many people, you know? And I am like how could you possibly be doing anything else other than listening to this Mark Owens episode right? Now obviously I understand people have other things to do but Mark goes into his crazy but true stories of his early years in Baltimore. Where he got into, you went down a dark path of drugs and crime and eventually that led to bank robberies and even prison time. It really was not good. He's a really good Storyteller, which makes the episode that much more entertaining but it's a wild ride and it's obviously all true. Mark did an amazing job of turning his life around what he did was he To listen to it. There are several I think he about three key moments where he made decisions to take control of his life. There was one that was a critical time when he said that's it. Enough is enough, and he turned his life around became a successful, real estate investor and now doesn't have to work, which is pretty awesome. So he's really an awesome fantastic guests for the show. Tons of adversity whether self-inflicted or not and tons of abundance. And very just a very inspiring episode number 2, I kind of cheated, let us be honest, I stole, like, I took the Ryan Harris episode from The Good Deeds. Note investing podcast where I had interviewed Ryan Harris who was at, is a 10-year veteran of the NFL, and he won the AL Super Bowl with Peyton Manning and You know, certainly faced a lot of adversity through his career. He had nine surgeries over the course of his professional football, career and drops a lot of knowledge bombs and a lot of really good inspiring information in this episode. He is a real estate investor a business person and you know, very well-spoken, it's very, very professional episode. He drops, you know, talking. But mantras such as I can, I am, I will, he's extremely passionate about helping and inspiring others. Educating those who are not educated in particularly, with financial literacy. He talks about how it's your right to be extraordinary and that we need to embrace that right on an individual level and then commit to educating ourselves and our communities. And essentially, be the change that you want to see in the world. Episode 3 is a special one, Chris 70 got really vulnerable, Chris and I are business partners on some Ventures. Such as a mortgage, note fund that we run together and by Phi Loan Servicing and Chris has been a mentor and now a close friend. And to me, and we have worked much more closely together in the last couple years. In the real estate and mortgage note investing space. And, you know, people are often amazed at how much Chris can get done in a day, in a week, a month. And you know, he's managed to have a full-time well-paying job while he is, you know, at any given time managing 250 to 300 mortgage notes along with some rentals and oh, by the way has a family and you know, is happy and healthy so it's pretty impressive. What he can get done, but the part we get into that. A lot of people were not familiar with Is his wife and his wife comes out of the adversity that he's faced and particularly he's been through in a couple month period. It was divorced major debt like a quarter million dollars in debt linked to his divorce and then later some serious health scares which some of those were more recent but All of those examples of adversity, led to Chris defining his purpose and Outlook and really understanding and appreciating the value of life and not taking any day for granted. He's not always super serious, but he's very driven and a ton of fun to be around. Has a ton of energy, expect inspiring guy and a good friend of mine, it's definitely one. It's very relatable and those are pretty unfortunately, pretty common things that people deal with divorce, debt and health scares. But you know, that all happened in a very short period of time. Most of it did for him and it's been fantastic to see him rebound and experienced so much growth in abundance. Matt for episode 4 is a real estate, investor a podcast host. He's not a, not a, he's a part-time real estate investor. He has a sales job that he does well in. And so he invests part-time in real estate and mortgage note funds and things, but friend of mine, and we dive into a lot of the adversity that he's faced. Such as the death of his older sister, who was mentally disabled she died about three years ago and It's obviously not an easy thing for Matt to talk about and also Matt growing up with his own learning disorder and then some of the challenges he faced there and then a big one for him was he was about to receive he was promised a life-changing commission check years ago from his previous sales job. He's actually told me the number. I am not going to tell anyone the number but it's a big number. And unfortunately, his company, essentially legally, but immorally, I think unethically yanked that out from under him, and he didn't get that check that he was about to receive so, you know, major life change their and that's actually what was the impetus for Matt to? I think he had been planning to. Okay, what do I do with this money when I get it? Then he didn't get it, but he was already underway in his real estate investing career. And also I think that, you know, major the critical point in his life helped him realize that he can't Bank on the company works for mean there's no such thing as job security really. So might want to start looking into, you know, alternative Investments and things like that. And I know he does infinite Banking and some different things. Fuquan. Bilal was episode 5, he's a really accomplished author investor business owner. He invests in numerous asset classes. And including mortgage notes multifamily. He runs a fund raises capital for that, and he's always adding value to different communities, including the communities in New Jersey that he's from years ago. In 2001 fuquan was shot, five times in a botched robbery, which is I mean, I guess he didn't even talk about this publicly until somewhat recently. You know, I can't even imagine and then seven years later in the mortgage meltdown. He lost two million dollars of his own money, which obviously means he was doing pretty well. And I guess we dive into the, the kind of logistics or the mechanics of how that happened, but he did not file for bankruptcy. Worked his way out of that. And unfortunately did go through a divorce and a difficult custody battle and I know he has to two sons. We talk about family a lot and relationships you know and really how the adversity that fuquan has been through has helped him be less materialistic and helped him go deeper within himself. It's a really he's a, he just is a valuable person to listen to He actually kind of calls me out a little bit and tells me it's a mistake that I need that. I am not in a mastermind group that I need to be intentional about joining some type of Mastermind or something, where, you know, I am not the smartest person in the room not saying that I am always or anything, but he challenged me. So that was good, and I am still working on that. But for Kwanzaa really, it's he's just You don't, it's someone you want to listen, he's someone. You want to listen to when you get the chance. Number six was Shante. Duffy. I work with jeante. Fairly regularly. We are business partners, she is a budding entrepreneur and investor herself. She runs by Phi Loan Servicing in New Jersey. They are mortgage note. Servicer of which I am a founding member And she runs the day-to-day of that company and does a phenomenal job. I am not going to call her a rock star but I may say that some people refer to her as the queen of Loan Servicing in. And you know, we talked about her early years how she spent years in foster care and then eventually was adopted and I think she didn't, you know, didn't realize that she'd been adopted until she realized Know what age. But, you know, she realized that her skin was a lot darker than her, her family's family members skin. And so there were some racial Dynamics there and then Shantae ended up dealing with an unexpected pregnancy, excuse me, and ended up keeping the child who obviously she loves dearly and her son is a huge part of her life. He's the primary focus of her life. Now, and he does have special needs. So he that chat that presents some challenges in and of them in and of itself. You know, Shante basically says that she has two kids, her son and by Phi Loan Servicing. So, those are kind of two things that are critical or really important to her priorities. Anything the adversity, she went through helped her Define her priorities and so it's kind of nice having Knowing what your priorities are and it really helps smaller and lesser decisions kind of fall into place. So it's a very, you know, relatable episode for a lot of people. I think she's still on her way to financial abundance. I will say but definitely on her way, and she's just crushing it, and she's on her. She's on the rise for sure. Dr. Terrence Johnson was episode 7, and he's an intern. Innovator, and a mental health. Professional. He started. I progress with his business partner and you know, I met Dr. Johnson on Facebook online and didn't know him really well, but it was a very enjoyable conversation. We go through a lot of the adversity he's been through such as the passing of his father. His father was sick for. I think ten years and Terrence and his father, previously didn't have a great relationship, but then they ended up being very close. And Terrence spent many years caring for his father before his father passed away recently. So, you know, probably something that many people can relate to. And he also talked about some of the challenges that he's dealt with helping others in his profession. As a mental health professional and then some of the kind of career challenges that he's worked through himself. And one of the things key takeaways from this episode was that even though you're trying to do a good thing, sometimes it may not be the right thing. In other words, sometimes helping others serving, others can go too far and then you end up being unhealthy, kind of to yourself and I think Terrence is Always been a Helper, but he had to take a step back and create space and now he's living a much more. Abundant healthy holistic life where he's able to actually help others. I think in a more quality fashion least that's the impression that I get so that's definitely a maybe an atypical episode but one you don't want to miss Number 8 was, Brent Bowers. I am actually recording this the day that this episode came out, Brent is a, he's got a cool story. We have actually had a lot in common. He is a former Army officer, like I am he deployed to Afghanistan. I am not sure. Maybe more than once, I am not sure I deployed to Iraq. His wife's name is Emily. So is mine, we both had To run a lawn and landscaping companies before. But we work, we talk through some of the real challenges that Brent faced early on, he was married previously. And then was getting into real estate and then 2008 happened, and he was had some rental properties and was starting to kind of live the dream a little bit. You know, you can tell he's a hustler, he was doing wholesaling and doing real estate while he was working 13, 14, hour days in the, in the military. You know, so, not somebody who's afraid of hard works. I think you still get up at 4 AM every day. So, but in 2008 things really went South for him and you know, we he got divorced, he lost a lot of money, he was his credit score, was 590 and humbling Lee, he had to move in with his in-laws in a Square foot home with I think five four or five adults and you know I guess that just he realized that's when things kind of hit rock bottom. And then he went through the divorce, and then he quit real estate all together. And So eventually he went green to Gold went to college and was able to refocus remarry, re-energize his life and now he's absolutely crushing it in real estate. The land flipper, he's done wholesaling. He's got coaching through wholesalers Inc, I believe it is. I may have that wrong but actually I was just on his podcast, so I should probably get that right and but just he's just a fun guy who definitely dealt with adversity and bounced back in a big way and now is remarried, you know, live As in Florida, is really just an action Taker and does very well financially and is working on some really big deals right now, actually. So he has a bias toward action, and he just repeats the, the importance of teamwork. And I think they have a team of about 10 for his business, and he, you can tell he loves pouring into his team members and, and just adding value. To those around them. Number 9 is Luis Miranda Louis. I have been helping through some our mentorship program at Labrador, lending in a mortgage note space, and he's bought several notes himself now. And, so I have gotten a know, Louis kind of on a one-on-one level, which has been awesome. And the more I got to know him, the more I realized, hey, You know, Lewis you'd be a fantastic guest on my new podcast. What I didn't realize is how much adversity he's been through. And you know, this episode is actually one where it might be better to watch on YouTube if you get the chance. Because wow, I mean, he shows the form Google Earth. I guess you could call it street view, but it's not even a street the where he grew up, which is actually nicer looking Now I guess than it was at the time, but he grew up in Peru with no running water no electricity, he dealt with molestation physical abuse you know, incredible instability and lack of safety and a lack of trust for his entire childhood. I think all the way through 18 or something. So you know, I am glossing over a ton there and I mean, you know, No, I just it's hard to I know people. You don't want to get in a comparing but this is some serious adversity that he's been through and eventually he made his way to the u.s. Bounced around. Our foster care system in the US and but still was suffering from a lack of Direction and hope and no one of the things I took away from this episode is that the path to abundance is not always a straight one because Louis, About how he kind of had made it at one point and was dealing after, that was felt a good bit of a lack of happiness and a lack of fulfillment. So, that's one of the things, you know, we need to be careful about, I think, is, Setting our sights, you know, on big goals, and if when I get here, I am going to be happy when I do this, I will be happy. Not only because that takes away from living in the present and appreciating a present, but you may not be and then what, and I think he dealt with, you know, now what and I think he is, he talks about how he had serious thoughts of taking his own life even after he made it. And so, we talked about how he's dealt with that, and he's now a Zen practitioner and really an interesting one. It's pretty different from the rest of them. So I would check it out. Episode 10. I interviewed Beth voice. Oh, Koontz I always said wah, so I am not sure I did take friends for seven years so thought that might, you know, finally have paid off. But she says boy, so I believe. Anyway, Beth is the vice president of JB Lloyd & Associates, which is a thriving insurance company, and she's an accomplished growth-oriented businesswoman with an abundance mindset Beth like Chante has faced an unexpected pregnancy at a young age 17, then she faced a divorce, then she faced serious health challenges, not with her own self but Both her ex-husband and her current husband. I had a potentially life-threatening child health challenges, and I am not going to go into that too much here but you should definitely take a listen to it and listen to how she dealt with that. Will come out of this episode for me is Beth's incredible faith. And you know, the way she appreciates life and how life is not all about Beth, it's really about doing whatever you need to do to sacrifice. For those you love Beth talks about how there's a plan. There's always everything happens for a reason being able to see life's challenges as blessings. I know that's easier said than done, and then she also dropped some really good book recommendations and some health tips actually which is pretty cool toward the end to more episode 11. Matt is oh i-i have been Young Matt on Twitter for a little bit now and man, he is super inspiring. I really enjoyed this episode. Matt has lost 75 pounds three times, so I mean he should almost, you know, Market that as whatever it is, 225 pounds but This third time, he's kept it off for 5 years and the third time is clearly different, this you could tell is a real transformation. That's permanent, and he's now training for an Ironman. I think he's done a half Ironman, if I am not mistaken already, I think his Ironman is fast approaching here and it's just crazy. If you go on Twitter, check out Matt's a before and after pictures its awesome and it's not just the weight, it's the weight is a big part of But actually he talks about how, you know, previously for many years, he found himself in an unhealthy and depressing environment, where he felt stuck and think he didn't even know that. That was his default mindset. It's like you just that's what it is. And he that's how he viewed life, and then he talks about how and these are his words for a while he hated himself because he was fat. But then he realized that it's not that he hated himself because he was fat, he hated himself, and he was fat. So he hated himself in and of itself. In other words, it wasn't until he addressed the underlying mental and emotional issues where he was able to that he was actually able to make a permanent change with regard to his physical health and so again it's not all about just losing weight quickly and looking better. This one really goes into this episode is really geared toward a whole Approach of getting healthy. And he, I mean he just really is super inspiring. I just I really enjoyed talking to him because you just feel energized. In fact, he uses the word energy, probably five times or more in this episode energy is so important, and he just, you know, he just turned his life around and stop drinking. He, I have all these bullet points in the summary on this one because he's just has so many quotes. Oats and so many positive and inspirational messages. It was a really good one. His girlfriend lost about 100 pounds as well. Basically, by just watching his example, and I am sure there was a lot more to it. It's not an easy thing, but he talks about how, you know your actions speak louder than words, the inside reflects, the outside and the outside of reflects the inside, and he's just feeling life a lot more now than he used to. He's feeling emotions and energy, and He talks about how 25 years of growth created this transformation and so, you know, it's a long time coming, but it's really exciting to see. I mean, I again, I just started following him getting to know him a little bit, but he's a businessperson now, and he's a fitness coach. So if you're looking for any kind of, you know, particularly he's doing Long distance, endurance training now, but I think he wants to get into some other Fitness stuff for himself, but, you know, just I don't see how you can walk away from dealing with him and not be inspired, so I definitely recommend reaching out to him. And then episode 12, Chris, Larson of next level income. Chris also has a phenomenal story and unfortunately, sad and but also extremely inspiring and Chris is doing very well in real estate, he's got a book out or more than one, and he manages multiple fun funds. They do multifamily investing this their go to, and then they also do Self Storage as well as car washes. Some big stuff, I think they have raised like 50 million dollars. I am not really sure if that's its a big number and but, you know, that may sound all impressive and everything, but he gets really vulnerable on this episode. And we talked a lot about the human element of, you know, growth in life. And we talked about the deaths of his parents. His father died, when Chris was five and from in a plane crash and then his mother died of cancer. Answer and I believe Chris, and his mother, still had some unresolved issues. And then his the biggest one as far as from what Chris says is as far as the impact on him was the tragedy of the loss of his best friend. And his training partner, also named Chris. They were training for bike races, long distance, bike races, I believe. And best friends. All through high school and it just sounds like one of those like, out of the blue, your best friend dies and something, he's never going to be able to replace. And so, how does he deal with that? And, you know, and it's really inspiring. I think he realizes now that the people has loved ones that who have passed away. I would want him to be crushing. Anyone want him to take every day you know live it to the fullest, and he's definitely doing that. Yeah I mean he you know he says the loved ones would want him to live his best life. He truly understands the value of time he thinks the earlier in your life that you face challenges, the more resilient and more successful, you can be, and he talks about some that there's data to back that. At up actually. And you know that you shouldn't judge someone based on not knowing their story and, you know, it's a really, really good episode. So definitely a high-quality guest for sure. Perfectly fits the profile, the guests for our show. From adversity, to abundance certainly Chris is still going to deal with adversity, but He is absolutely living an abundant life and in very, very intentional life. That's another thing that I took away from that one, he's his life is very intentional and you know he's I am sure he can have a good time and be funny and all that, but it's like he's definitely making an impact and living and doing well and living it. Just living successfully. And so yeah. So that wraps up the summary for these 12. Again thank you for listening. I am really excited about this. This new podcast we have got going and you know it is meant to be real estate and business focused, but we are going to Branch out and get some different, you know, Fitness or mental health professionals and things like that. And will always bring it back to real estate and business. But ultimately, you know, the human element is what we care about. I mean, that's what we all deal with these issues or some type of adversity. And so, is it going to make you stronger or, you know, how you're going to handle it? And so, I just love these, these episodes are inspiring for me. It's really somewhat selfish doing this in that. I get to learn a lot, expand my network. And but hopefully you all are benefiting as well. And Please, if you do, enjoy the show, please give us a rating and review, hopefully a positive one. It really does help. And please share the episode with your friends and family members and Associates and peers. We really do appreciate it and check out our website, Labrador lending.com, and thanks for listening. Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the form adversity to abundance podcast. If you're enjoying the show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts, that helps others find the show, and we greatly appreciate it. Thanks again for listening, and we will catch you in the next episode.