Joe Quattrone  00:36

Welcome back to the FUZZEE’-ish podcast. I’m your boy Joey Q. As always, we’ve got JMG and today we’ve got a special guest Rich Cardona. Rich, welcome to the show.

Rich Cardona  00:48

What is going on? Good to see you guys.

Joe Quattrone  00:50

I had to bring my energy levels up a little bit. Because we’re talking to a podcasting pro podcast reading. I have the one and only Richard downer, who’s interviewed many famous celebrity from Gary B to a bunch of other dudes and ladies out there rich, introduce yourself to the folks and give everybody a quick little 15 Second 32nd spiel about and then what you got going on, in particular in the media.

Rich Cardona  01:12

Yeah, thank you. So we produce right now two of the top world’s top 10 Business podcasts, I’ve had to globally rank the podcast top 50. Before I loved it, I started out with video content. But there was just an element of authenticity that accompanies podcasting, as you guys know, which is why you’re doing this that I fell in love with, we kind of pivoted there. And then the media company is a full podcast service agency. And, and that’s what we do, and I absolutely love it.

Joe Quattrone  01:37

Man, you couldn’t have picked a better time to get into it. What’s it like kind of being an expert in a field that’s growing. So kind of massively in something that’s honestly becoming the right hand of every executive out there that wants to have a personal breath.

Rich Cardona  01:51

What I’ve noticed, we had a huge uptick right at the beginning of 2023. And some of the people that signed on are no longer with us. And it was just one of those things where I think sometimes people think podcasting is super easy, but they’re just like a commitment thing when it comes to creating content of any kind, but long form content like this. If you’re a CEO or entrepreneur, or some of the people that you know, I work with those people to make time, but if this is an idea, they usually just don’t work out. People, people or something always comes up, life always comes up. But here’s what I will tell you. This is a stat just from this morning that I saw. So Apple, Apple has 2.6 million valid podcasts right now, that just means that they exist to purge some that have been, you know, have issues or anything like that. But over the last 90 days, only 17% of that 2.6 million, which is like 440,000 have actually published a single episode. So it’s like the like, just look at it that way, right? That’s crazy, because I heard some

Joe Quattrone  02:47

stats somewhere that said, like, 90% of podcasts out there don’t make it past seven, seven episodes or something. Yeah, about like, five to 10, which is like a hurdle that most people can’t get over mentally, or maybe that’s the point where they realize it’s harder than I thought they would give up.

Rich Cardona  03:04

I think that people think it’s the low hanging fruit, or they’re like, well, Instagram is so hard and YouTube. So hard, podcasting is gonna be easy. And then the five episodes and they’re like, forget it. But I’m glad you guys are doing it. If you talk to the right people doing it for the right reasons, it has a chance for sure.

JM Guthrie  03:19

Well, your brain doesn’t accept

Joe Quattrone  03:22

all things. Take the point of this podcast. And what we’re doing here, you know, we are sober is not the right word. We keep kind of dancing around this term sober. We don’t really like to use it. We don’t partake in alcohol. But we also don’t condone other things like the use of cannabis and other things. I know you’ve been on this walk of sobriety or being alcohol free for a while. Tell us a little bit about your journey with being alcohol free.

Rich Cardona  03:47

Yeah, so it’s there’s a story and I don’t like prep this story, but I’ll tell you how it came to be? Well, I’ll tell you the history, the history of I’ve been drinking since I was 13. I haven’t drank in three years. But I was drinking when I was 1312 years old. I have a Latin American family, all my uncles and aunts and everyone would be over the house every weekend partying, my dad had a full bar. And it was not uncommon. Just like a lot of people just be like, here you go, like, here’s, let’s see what happens if you take this shot or have a swig of this beer or whatever it is. So I never thought anything of it. And then when I’d visit family and Columbia, where my dad’s from, I mean, I was a teenager just getting smashed, like smashed and no one cared. It was just like, whatever. So that’s kind of how it was. And then I was in the military and the culture there is just like, drink, drink, drink. And I mean, I was an aviation engineer. So it’s like, you just don’t mix those two things, but it was part of the culture. A lot of squadrons have a ready room and it is like your mug there. And on Fridays you drink. I’m like, Dude, what are we doing right now? But I would do it. And then eventually, I started podcasting and I had a quick stint at Amazon. I quit my job. This guy Gary Vee really made me think I should probably do something for myself and I quit my job. moved in with my in-laws. So I started podcasting. And I went to Austin, and I flew to Austin to do a podcast interview with this author. And Austin is where I had worked at Amazon. And during that time I was at Amazon. I was miserable, dude, I was getting blackout drunk. I mean, I was like, warm, like warming up before you go out. Like, I’m talking like six old fashions before I went out and then more, you know, like craziness. And I was not stingy with my stuff. So that’s when I was in Austin. But then I was living with my in-laws. So it’s not like I was getting smashed or anything. But when I went back to Austin for that interview, I did the stupidest thing I could possibly do. I met up with old Amazon friends. And guess what they talked about how fucking shitty Amazon is. Guess what I thought about binge drinking and being toxic? Yeah, so it’s like I literally put myself back in this weird place. And I didn’t even realize I was getting hammered. Next thing I know. It’s the next morning. I smell my breath. The alcohol on me. I feel like it comes out of my pores.

Joe Quattrone  06:02

I could smell it right now. Basically, they’re

Rich Cardona  06:03

sorry. Yeah, dude. I mean, like, and I’m like, okay, so I go to this beautiful hotel in Austin. I get there probably an hour and a half early before the guest shows up. And they have a cafe. I got like two sausage, egg and cheese croissants. I was drinking Powerade Gatorade, I was doing all the things. I was absolutely desperate because I’m like, I’m gonna get exposed. And I didn’t want to cancel it. I mean, I freakin flew to Austin. So we went with the interview man. And we go in the whole time, I’m like, she’s gonna discover me any second now. She’s gonna be like, hold on a second. And that moment never happened. And as a matter of fact, at the end of the interview, she was just like, I’d love to take you out to lunch. And my husband could join us and whatever. I’m like, fuck no. Like, maybe.

Joe Quattrone  06:49

Maybe she can smell what’s going on to

Rich Cardona  06:52

the allergen. Oh, like she said, was the best podcast she’s been on. And I was like, This is crazy. So you could do one or two things with that information, right? You could be like, I guess this is what I gotta do every time or you could realize you have a problem. And at that moment, guys were on as kind of a new entrepreneur, even though I had no business yet. And as a new podcaster I knew how much it meant to me. And I was like, That can never happen again. So I stopped. And 17 days turned to 30 days, those 30 days turned in a couple months. And then the streak continues. I mean, like it just, it was never the intent to just kill it. But after a while, as you guys know, you don’t want to, you don’t want to go back. Like there’s not a single party that wants to smell it, drink it or go back. And maybe those times come but it is a lot easier to abstain. So that’s kind of how it went down for me, man.

Joe Quattrone  07:37

That’s great. So how many had well, so how many years? Is it now that you’ve been sober? It’ll be four years in April, which is pretty close. Yeah, I’m creeping up with five. And the JVM here has been alcohol free for what is it? Like 600 days? Almost champ.

JM Guthrie  07:50

Yeah, almost August will be two years. But I’m nice. That story. That story resonates with man. And I’m sure you can kind of think about the things that started as that 17 3060 days, the things that started to get easier. And now looking back about just how clear everything looks three years later. That’s awesome, man. Congrats.

Rich Cardona  08:09

Yeah, clear is like the ultimate word when it comes to this. I mean, I know you guys know. But for the audience, you’re on the fence. Or if you are like us, it’s undeniable that there’s just less fog, right? Like, there’s just like less of those mornings where you wake up and you’re just like, or I’m gonna go get some greasy food and hope this goes away. Or I’m gonna have another drink to make sure that I don’t feel the actual hangover, all of that stuff. Dude. It’s gone. Like there’s no fog,

Joe Quattrone  08:38

right, listen to or make it consume TikTok the other day? I think it was. I forget who exactly what was one of these motivational speakers, one of these neuroscientists, people, they were talking about how actually the science behind why people drink and why people didn’t drink is really just because they need to figure out a way to cope with some sort of some form of anxiety. And so one of the reasons why it’s so hard to give up drinking is because then you have to, for the first time, really confront that anxiety, learn to live with it and learn to be calm. Yes. And that’s why I think, and that’s why so many people struggle with it, because they don’t want to come face to face with the things that they fear the most. Be when they do. It’s really, really hard. It’s really gnarly. Like, you might have done some shit that is really fucked up. And you might have to actually come face to face with that and ask forgiveness of somebody, including yourself for those things. Yeah. Yeah,

Rich Cardona  09:33

I think the two categories of fucked up shit you might have done like can just be like, stuff you did when you were sober. And you just were a super poor decision maker. You know what I mean? Like maybe it’s like cheating on a spouse or something. I mean, you know, who knows, maybe you stole something or maybe you lie to get out of work all the time. So there’s that category. And then there’s like, the mistakes you make when you’re drunk. And somehow some way like, because you were drunk is like you You feel I used to like wipe my slate clean. I was like, Oh, I was drunk. I mean, like I was drunk. But if I didn’t have that outlet, then I would have had to deal with those other decisions that were made when I was sober. And I’d have to sit with it, like you said, and no one wants to sit with that, dude, you don’t want to look at yourself and be like, What a fucking piece of shit. Like, why did I do that? Even if 90% of your life is lived? Well, and good morals and all that good stuff. So the outlet is awful.

JM Guthrie  10:25

I think the thing you just mentioned about who we are and chalking it up to drinking or chalking it up to being drunk. Do we have kids? Yeah, what I’m going back to your clarity item. When I was drinking, I didn’t realize how much of a sponge they were about everything. Because I was drinking even just a few drinks, just that amount of blur, didn’t allow me to truly understand how much they were observing everything that we do in every interaction that we have in every way that we speak to them. And so when you talk about remembering everything, there are so many days when I was drinking that I would wake up in the morning and regret something that I said to one of my kids. And I was never physical with them or but like the way I handled them felt wrong the day after. And that was so hard for me. And something I really struggled with, and was not necessarily the impetus for moving in this direction that we have now of not drinking. But it’s such a moment and a spot of gratitude about how clear that is now, right? Like how much I appreciate and it resonates the responsibility of being a father and being a representation of what is right in this world and creating a better version of ourselves, right? I mean, that that seems to be what we’re on this planet for. And I feel much, much more prepared and tasked to be able to do that without the bottle myth. And it’s even thought about as part of this until you’re here two years later. And there’s that enormous amount of clarity.

Rich Cardona  12:05

So when you were talking about how you handled some things, when I lived in Austin, my one daughter, I think she was only 18 months old when we left there. But there were a couple of nights where I put holes in the wall, my fist, you know what I mean? Like, didn’t wake her up or anything like that. But what if she just happened to be up? Right? Like, it would be so completely out of the realm of the year for you that they would just be so confused. And like, can you just imagine you confusing them like that? You’re being physical? Are you being short? are you swearing at them or something crazy, then I don’t know if you guys can comment on this. But like, I have a friend who’s like, a while ago, he had kids way before me. He’s like, Hey, dude, I’m just gonna give you some unsolicited advice. I’m like, what he’s like, never be hungover around kids. He’s like, your wife’s gonna be like, Here you go.

Joe Quattrone  12:58

Well, I think it’s also interesting because I’m about to turn 44 Next week, and I’m in my early 40s on the 23rd of March. And, Joe, thank you so much life that it’s hard to remember half the stuff we’ve lived, whereas kids, my daughter is eight, she’s lived eight years. And she doesn’t remember where it was like when she was two. So most of the sessions on photographic memory, like from three till now. There’s not a single thing sneaked by my daughter. Yeah. So yeah, good luck with any of that stuff. Try to be hungover around her kids, they will know what’s going on.

JM Guthrie  13:32

Actually, I have a question for I mean, so one of the challenges I have recently is, we’re really trying to be inclusive in our mantra around this thing, right? We’ve been talking a lot about me totally being kind of the vibe that we’re going for, and the feeling that we get as part of what we’re pursuing, not drinking. I’m struggling, my kids talk a lot about drinking. Now, when somebody is having a drink, they’re like, almost are quick to judge in a way that is not the intent of what I’m doing in my model. But what are your guys’ thoughts on, you step out into society, everybody’s drinking, you’re representing yourself at home in a certain way that’s having its impact on them. And then you get in a room with people that are drinking. And it’s almost like they are representing what we don’t want to be here by questioning or condoning the people that are drinking and then reflecting back on us. It’s a real struggle for me right now. I’m interested in if you guys ever sort of come across that or have any perspective on how best to handle it.

Rich Cardona  14:35

I’ll be quick and I’ll kick it to Joe but like I have not. I have not had to be in that position yet because I don’t go out enough really, or at least like the social people we have like we have people over from church or neighbors or whatever, but no one’s drinking, especially because we don’t have anything here. You know what I’m saying? But I could completely understand how that’d be kind of perplexing. I mean, I guess the only way I would approach it is The same way when they see someone smoking. I’m like, yeah, it’s not that great for you. Yeah, I shouldn’t, you know, I don’t like to judge so to speak. But I talked about how it could adversely affect your health. Yeah, but I’m not even ready mentally to have an alcohol conversation. I’m so glad you brought that up, because I have to get prepared for those moments. But, Joe, what about you, I don’t even know what to say.

Joe Quattrone  15:19

I mean, for me, it’s just, you know, even though I was probably the late most of my crew, you know, I used to drink pretty heavily, but I was always outmatched by almost all of my friends. And even when I was drinking, there would be plenty of nights where I didn’t drink because I didn’t want to drink and drive or whatever the case may be. And I remember always having a sense of like, I don’t know, family sense of connectedness with a lot of my friends and wanting to be the person that was there for them in their toughest times. Yeah. So I think the way I would kind of counsel my kids is similar to the way my mom grew up around alcoholics, my grandparents were drugs. Her sisters were on drugs when they were young. And so my mom and dad from a young age, they never drank, like, they never picked up a drink in their entire life, because everybody around them was drinking all the time. And so they had to learn how to be the parents, to their sisters and brothers, like at a young age. And so they never really regretted any of that; they never really blame anybody. They never took out any feelings on their parents or on their sisters and brothers and stuff like that. And I always thought that was very noble, very honorable. It’s like, you know, I don’t know, these people are in your life for a reason. Yes, they’ve got some problems. Hopefully, they can overcome those problems. But all you could do is love it. All you could do is be there for them. And hopefully it works out. And so that’s probably how I would probably consult my kids on it. Because we do, we have friends that drink around us around our kids. It’s like we were out with a party. So it hasn’t become uncomfortable. Because right now our friend group are all like amazing adults, but maybe one of these days will be a problem.

JM Guthrie  16:58

Yeah, interesting. What’s

Rich Cardona  16:59

that? Like for you guys? When you’re around other people who are drinking? Does anyone ever ask you Why not a couple times? Or do you ever feel like you know what, tonight’s the night?

Joe Quattrone  17:10

Yeah, people ask me all the time, why I don’t drink. And my typical response is I don’t, I’m actually better off not to me. It was a health reason why I stopped drinking. It’s not because I was like, entered into rehab, I didn’t crash your car and kill anybody. I just had that I was gonna have the Gout if I didn’t stop drinking. And then I just figured it was not worth it. You know, I don’t want to be in pain my whole life. It’s just not worth drinking and getting drunk. I didn’t really care about it that much in the first place. But now being around people, I think the interesting thing is the dynamic is kind of shifted, because there’s so many other options on the market. You don’t have to get drunk. If you don’t want to get yours you can always look like you’re drinking, but not drink. It’s true. So it’s not as awkward as it was back in 2018. When I stopped drinking, it was very awkward, because all that was on the market was like, oh, tools was about it. Now it’s commonplace to have a non-alcoholic drink. What do you think of jam? Yeah, I

JM Guthrie  18:04

I mean, the reality in closing the loop on the kid thing, one of the things I’ve learned is like, not to talk about it as much as it’s really not something that needs to be discussed. And it’s like, you don’t need to self fulfill for yourself through your kids that you’re doing this. And I think as the time goes by, that gets easier. Same thing with other people asking, right, but one of the big things for us is that as soon as you say you’re sober, or don’t drink, people are immediately putting you in the 12 steps or that you screwed up your life somehow some way around alcohol. And for me, it was just I didn’t have a good relationship with it, right. And there was a lot of family history. And there’s a lot of people still in my life that have challenges with their relationship with alcohol. And I kind of stumbled into it, as we’ve talked about many times on this show, going into a diet not being able to stop ice cream and beer at the same time. And then got done with the diet and was like I need an ice cream. And then I was like, well, maybe I’ll keep going with drinking for a little bit and sort of rich to your point. Every month that went by I felt better. I felt clearer. I felt more sort of absolute in the decision to not drink and just have kept it going. I think that the answer for most of the people that ask these days is like it’s not a sober thing. It’s not even a not drinking thing. It’s just the right thing for me personally. And it allows me to live the life that I want to live in the way that I want to live it and with my heart on my sleeve to some degree even more than it was before because it’s so clear in the in the picture doesn’t have that fuzziness that we’ve talked about previously, even today. And it’s interesting because now it’s not even just when you’re not drinking it’s Haman, something’s changed. When you’re not even in a drinking environment. It opens up this opportunity to talk about the path that we’re walking down as part of this show, and really in our life in a way that’s so much more meaningful and so much less about alcohol and more about living. This life that feels truly fulfilled and tempered around excellence are excellent throne temperance through

Joe Quattrone  20:01

to ID segue jam is so rich one of the things that we built this podcast for, aside from just opening up the kimono and not drinking and stuff like that was giving people that are just coming into this journey. That example or multiple dozens or hundreds of examples of people that are really successful in life that don’t drink so that we can kind of tear down the stereotype that being sober or being alcohol free is only for designated drivers and stuff like that. So speaking to you and your career and your business. You’re a young guy, you’re down in North Carolina. You’re a young dude, you got your business. Where’s this headed for rich Cardona and rich Cardona media? Like what’s it? What’s, what’s the Empire look like? And like, what are yours?

Rich Cardona  20:48

So I’m starting another podcast here shortly. And I’ll plug it here not and it’s not even doesn’t even exist yet. So I’m not plugging it. But I just want to share the title, its brilliance in the basics. I have found that everything really positive has kind of been jump started, or kick started from the decision to stop drinking, or at least abstain, right. And I feel like ever since then, like personally, and professionally, things have just kind of started to escalate very nice and steady. No major ups, no major downs, it’s just kind of like on the grand scheme of things. It’s up and to the right. Part of that is like, I get up early, and I’ll work out like, you know how many workouts I would miss if I was still drinking, or even just if I had an IPA the night before, I would wake up and be like, I smell it. Nope, I’m not working out like this. So little things like that. And then on the business side, it’s just like, I post a lot on my stories about like, some of my routines so that way, anyone who is a prospect, they could look at content for the content, but they could also be like, Okay, what’s this dude about, there’s a discipline to him, there’s a consistency. And coming from the Marine coral, though, you know, it had the kind of culture that really exacerbated my desire to drink, or at least, like, quell some of the anxieties or things I’ve been through at the same time. Like, it also allows me to be like, have that. That consistency aspect that discipline, like this dude takes his things seriously. So they’re not going to see a story of me like, at the bar with my friends or anything like that, which would be fine. But so I would say, I’m going to continue this flow trajectory, like I have, I always say, I have no idea if I’ll never drink again, like there’s a total possibility. There’s been like, a couple nights where I’m like, with my wife, I’m like, this has been such a beautiful night, like, I would absolutely, like, have a drink with you. And then I’m just like, am I saying that in my head? And then I’m just like, nevermind. But I wouldn’t, you can’t put a price tag on what you get, you know, once you once you’ve kind of just seen the light. So Joe, I would say progress, like progress. I just feel like it’s just continuous. I want to be better in all aspects of my life. And if you know you, you kick that domino over the one we’re talking about. I know you guys know, like, you look at other things, and you’re like, Well, if I did that, like, I could do this, like, I could walk 30 minutes a day, or I could read 10 pages a day, whatever it is that you’re trying to make a habit. If you’ve knocked alcohol. That’s like a big freakin brick. That’s a breakdown. That’s a big foundational piece.

Joe Quattrone  23:24

That is a big one. So you brought up a little bit about and I know we’ve talked about this in the past, but just for our listening audience, you got into the military a little bit. I know James has some family history in the military. Why don’t we dive into that a little bit, talk to us about how toxic the culture can be inside the military. And then kind of dovetail into a little bit about what you, what you miss about it, what you don’t miss about it, give the listeners a little bit of a baptism, the understanding of the Marine Corps.

Rich Cardona  23:53

I mean, so the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps is intense. It’s small. We have the smallest budget of any, you know, we have a small size and the smallest budget of any of the armed forces. So we’re used to doing more with less. We have a very, very particular reputation. And I’ll say it I mean, like we have that Mystique like we’re badass. It’s like, you know, like the Marines like, Army. I was like, hey, ready for Marines? Yeah, that’s what the Army means, you know, like all the things Okay, so there’s certainly an arrogance or cockiness confidence representing kind of spree decor along with that is that we know how to party like we know how to party our asses off and we know how to get in trouble because of that, so the culture revolves around just no one’s super happy when they’re in I guess, is what I could say. Like, we’re very proud to be Marines. But no one’s super happy right? The hours are ridiculously long around the same bunch of dudes, for the

Joe Quattrone  24:50

most sought out some out. So you just described pretty much every company, every corporation in America right now. That’s you’re proud of where you’re at, but you’re not happy while you’re Minutes.

Rich Cardona  25:01

I mean, like, dude, no one admits it. It’s so funny that you tie that together, but that’s how it is. What do you do when you’re around the same people all the time and you know everything about them, you take it to another level and just get drunk with them. I mean, it’s so stupid. It’s like dude, I cannot even tell not until I went to flight school that I noticed some people were not all about that and they would just like to be at home reclusive and studying, learning, aircraft knowledge, weather, knowledge, all that kind of stuff. So the culture is that way. Now throw in some casualties. Some aviation mishaps are your squadron losing eight people in one night? Those are the types of things that will put you on edge. And we had an aviation mishap. As we were preparing for Afghanistan, we were about two and a half months out, and there was a mid air collision. And we lost seven of our squadron including our executive officer, including a friend of mine from college. Dude, it’s like, there’s no coping. I will never forget my dad’s like, Are you guys still deploying? I’m like, Yeah. And it is such a fair question. It’s such a fair question. But for us, it was like, Dude, we didn’t have time to process. So like, I’ll never when I got to Afghanistan, it’s so funny to picture when we got to Afghanistan. When I was looking at it, I was so heavy. Because I’ve been coping ridiculously. We all liked coping as much as possible. So then you have that some of those memories don’t go away. And then you have combat and then you have after combat and more deaths and more things. So it’s like the culture by nature, it is that way, right? Like it could be toxic. But then, obviously, as we’ve discussed, like, Dude, we’re not the type of people who are like, Oh, let me figure out all the different ways to cope. I’d rather cope by drinking and laughing with my best buds, because humor is an absolute absolute, like, Savior, so to speak. You know, when it comes to that, it’s just when you’re in ridiculous situations, you’d be surprised at how much you could laugh things off around the right people. So that’s what it was like, man. That’s what I was like. So what I don’t matter. What I miss, though, is obviously brotherhood and sisterhood. And I mean, you just serve with some of the people who could perform at the highest levels you’ve ever seen. I mean, like, I was a mediocre pilot, at best, in my opinion. And some of the people we lost were absolutely phenomenal. Rock Stars in aviation, especially attack helicopters. So you miss that kind of talent. And this isn’t a dig on, like the civilian world or anything like that. But when I got out, I was like, dude, who am I supposed to look up to, especially at a company like Amazon, and just like, I’m not shitting on Amazon right now. I’m just saying like, there was no one at the organization where I was in the enormous fulfillment center that I was like, I want to be like them. Nobody. So that was a challenge, right? So it’s a trade off, there’s good and there’s bad, but I would never know everything about me that is positive. A lot of it came from the Marine Corps, I would say,

Joe Quattrone  27:44

What do you think and jam open up to you for questions on this too. But what do you think the one thing is that you use from the Marine Corps in your everyday life that most? What aspect? Or what monitoring or challenge or what like, What approach do you take to life every day that you got from the Marine Corps,

Rich Cardona  28:00

the sense of urgency, like my wife hates how fast I walk, you know what I mean? Like stuff like that, like with the business especially, that’s one of our core values is like, move with a sense of urgency. So it’s like if a client slacks us like, it’s a double edged sword, as you know, right? Like, you could respond right away, and they expect it, or you could respond during your normal hours, or whatever it may be. But we respond and we act quickly. We’re all about the quick when we want people to know we’re moving fast. There’s no like, think about it. Anytime you go out. Drinking, if you are having a drink and someone took 90 seconds to make an amazing old fashioned drink, you’re gonna appreciate it right, like versus a person who takes 20 minutes, and there’s hardly anyone else at the bar. So moving with a sense of urgency is probably one of the biggest things that I think helps us separate ourselves from other people that do what we do.

JM Guthrie  28:50

I’m sure about the structure aspect too, right? I mean, that you talked about having a structure to your life and living within that structure. My grandfather was a four star officer in the army. I think we’ve talked about that before. And the guy had literally a template to his life. He lived within a structure, the days that he was in and the days that he was out. And that was something that I always really respected, certainly felt like it was instilled from that part of his life. And it sounds like the same for you. Yeah,

Rich Cardona  29:16

It’s good, it’s good, it’s good exposure to have to have all those kinds of characteristics from the military.

Joe Quattrone  29:22

So what we’re trying to think now, what are the military focus podcasts for Richard? Fernando gonna come? Are you doing anything to support the vets out there with your gift of gab and your gift to podcasting?

Rich Cardona  29:36

No. So like, you know, the beginning when I got in front of Gary a few times, a lot of it revolved around the fact that 25% of veterans want to start their own business, but only 2% Do something like Oh, let me help. Right. I’m like, let me help. Well, let me tell you guys something. The funny thing about where the funny thing about this stage of life I’m in right now is I would love to be like gung ho helping veterans left and right, but I don’t. And the reason is like, I don’t even care, I’ll say what I need to on this podcast. But sometimes we cling to each other when we need to actually be exposing ourselves to Joe’s and jams, right. And like, like people, things that you’re unfamiliar with, like, I don’t want to have the same conversation for the next 15 years. And I don’t want to lean on my military buddies or anything like that. Second thing is that or other reason I’m not necessarily doing anything is because like, I want to be exceptional in business. And I think, Joe, you and I have talked offline before, but like, it could take forever, but like, I want to be exceptional to the point where I can contribute in a massive way not to minimize like, what good LinkedIn posts or YouTube videos or podcasts about the military can do. But I want to be able to help it a little bit in a more major way, because I document the journey people could see being like, okay, like, otherwise, I mean, there’s just a lot out there. It’s kind of saturated, and I’m just not Mr. Velcro Stars and Stripes beard at a dip. I’m just not that.

Joe Quattrone  31:06

I think that’s perfect. It’s kind of in line with our mentality around building this podcast to help people give an example of what life shouldn’t be like. I think you’re doing the same thing and the way that you put yourself out there every day. And while you’re not necessarily connecting with veterans and helping them on a daily basis, the broader spectrum of like, what you’re doing, and a high high level is probably gonna help more people than you’ll ever understand. You know,

Rich Cardona  31:31

hope? I hope that’s exactly it. Yeah, I

JM Guthrie  31:35

mean, so. So it’s interesting, you say that, because you said, there’s a lot of saturated out there, you’re not a beard with a dip. And it kind of goes with what we talk about all the time about how a lot of the content that’s out there is so tailored and so explicit, and so specific to a group of people a lot of times, and you can look at it across the world. It’s tailored towards these, like very specific things that are so far from one another that’s driving this division, right across every aspect of our lives at a world culture, World Politics, geopolitics level down to even just the relationships that our kids have in schools, etc. One of the things that we’re working on here is inclusion and not being discriminatory. Totally. And so that’s not always as easy as taking a really like sort of rabid loud perspective on something. What are your thoughts on how do we move this world to one where they’re cool with being inclusive, and are thinking about how to drive some sort of central ground sort of kindness as the theme versus this disillusion? Because I don’t think it’s as quick to get to your success. I think it takes longer. I think that no journey is harder by doing it that way, right?

Rich Cardona  32:49

I mean, I was thinking about what Joe said earlier about, like, how it wasn’t 2018 with a no duels verse now, like, we I have seen that there’s been enough progress where there’s very much an amount of inclusivity that can exist between people who drink people who don’t drink, or people who might be trying to take it down a notch or people who are ultimately trying to quit. So I think the inclusivity thing, it’s almost like, in this weird way, guys, it’s almost like we have the upper hand, it’s like, we’ve already kind of seen the light. And we’ve been able to experience all the good things. And when you experience something like that, that can change your life. You want everyone to know, by you, all three of us, I’m sure we’re not just going in the bars and being like, hey, short about that drink. Like we’re not doing that. Right. So how can you be inclusive is just, I think, living and living a life that sets an example without saying so much, right? Like, this is kind of like something you guys are starting up. It’s like, it just needs to make a ripple. Right? And then if the ripple goes, and who knows. But, I mean, there’s all kinds of mocktails out there now like Joe was talking about, there’s so there’s so many different options. And I think, I really think that people who drink are not as critical as they used to be. I don’t know if you guys agree, but I just don’t feel like they’re as critical as they used to be about people who don’t. And I also think, Joe, you said you get asked a lot but like, I don’t get asked anymore. You know what I mean? It’s just that no one ever puts me in a position to have to explain myself. And that probably means I like surrounding myself with good people, because they want me to win. That shows me they want me to win. If they’re like dude, haven’t dude Come on, like it’s the draft? Well,

Joe Quattrone  34:25

I think to clarify that a little bit. I think that nuance there is that it’s not so much people are asking because most of the people in my life know I don’t drink now. Sure what happens because the masking is so good, because there’s so many options out there. I get asked more often. Hey, I thought you quit drinking because they drink alcohol. People like I thought Why are you drinking and drinking again? No, it’s not a drink that has no alcohol in it. It’s an athletic Brewing Company or whatever. But

JM Guthrie  34:54

yeah, yeah, I mean, I think that I think this has a lot to do with what we’ve been trying to really zone in on Year, which is like, here I am this person who’s on the fence or is seeing something disruptive or something that that I don’t like about my drinking, I want to consider potentially scaling it back or maybe stopping altogether. But I don’t want to be seen as the square. And the guy in the room that has a problem with drinking, when society whether it’s shifting some which it absolutely is, you’re seeing more content around it, you’re seeing more data. society still is not accepting of people that aren’t drinking the same as people that do drink and drink a lot sometimes. So creating a community and a comfortable place to have that conversation. And to make it more

Joe Quattrone  35:39

I think a lot of the reason why that is the jam is that people don’t want to have you become a buzzkill. Right, so they’re just worried that you’re gonna drag them higher, you’re going to drag down their buttons. And I think the more we as non drinkers can be, like our fun carrot, fun, charismatic personalities that we are with or without alcohol. The more we can give a better name for ourselves, the more people want to be around us. It’s not that big of a deal. Don’t look at me as a buzzkill. I’m not a buzzkill. I never wanted those killed.

Rich Cardona  36:08

This is so interesting, because I’m glad you said that because you both nailed it. But I think they’re, you’re right about the buzzkill par. And the reason that makes sense is because how many times have you guys thought of I wish I was the loose, maybe just loose or courageous or just like more fun? How many times have you said to yourself, like, I wish that was a result of alcohol. You’re like, I wish I was like that sober? You know what I mean? Like, and that’s personally, I guess I didn’t even think about sharing that. But like, I always wanted to get to a place where I was just kind of living like I didn’t want to be influenced by alcohol. But it’s like, why can I be that charismatic or fun? Sometimes without all the nonsense, but like, why can’t I be that outgoing? sober? And you’re right. So it’s like, if you’re afraid of interactions or afraid to be yourself, then yeah, you might come across as a buzzkill. For sure. And that’s exactly what people don’t want. And then to JM to your point, it’s like, why does it continue to thrive? Or why are people like that? Why are people critical of non drinkers? Because it’s, there’s a freaking massive business, as we all know. And when you see guys like the rock and his tequila, and Kevin Hart and his tequila or whatever, it’s just like, dude, these people are able to carry on these massively successful careers, and still enjoy their alcohol responsibly.

JM Guthrie  37:27

My challenge is, it’s not my challenge. That’s because that’s what the world knows. Right? So yeah, why should tequila because that’s what the world knows. And that’s the thing that excites me the most here is that the world doesn’t know that there’s another life. And it’s not even not the buzzkill as much as like, there is a world out there that doesn’t include alcohol, where you can have maybe a more fulfilled life and be accepted by society that doesn’t exist today. Period, you’re always going to get a question, there’s always going to be a suggestion. They’re going to ask what happened, or you know, even what we’ve talked about today. And I think the thing that’s so exciting about this is that there are so many people that are hurting and are considering this and don’t feel comfortable to even suggest that they have a problem or are thinking about not drinking. And that’s a big deal. Right you’d

Joe Quattrone  38:17

Rich, before we do a wrap up why don’t you go ahead and share any last parting thoughts you want to talk to our audience about how they can find more content from Rich Cardona?

Rich Cardona  38:27

I’m primarily on IG and it’s at rich Cardona and then LinkedIn as well, a podcast will be coming out soon. And then just like I would say, final thoughts. If you’re someone listening to this episode, who’s been sober or trying to get sober, I don’t think we could have emphasized it enough, especially JM just now there is a completely different light life that doesn’t include alcohol that for whatever reason, we can’t see it. Until we’re actually there. You could see your trip to Vegas being absolutely fun because you know, you’re going to be with your boys and your girls and hanging out and going to the club and drinking but you can’t see the clarity part. You can’t see how much more fulfilled you could be. But I would encourage you if you’re struggling or trying to get there. I don’t like to say one week at a time or one day at a time just to see what the street looks like. And when you get to a really good point be like should I continue and I just asked myself to keep it simple, and I wish you nothing but the best. I’m really really honored that you guys had me on like I cannot thank you enough. Awesome.