Joe Lara (00:00)
you it.
Scott Schimmel (00:12)
One daughter takes baths all day. I that's probably something you got to escape having boys. But the dollar amount that I spend on baths every year must be in the thousands. And so I've been joking that I'm gonna start charging six dollars a bath. Just take it out of their accounts. You don't I'd love to take a bath, take three baths. I'm just gonna take six dollars. Water money.
Joe Lara (00:36)
Just
don't drain the water, duh.
Scott Schimmel (00:39)
I know. That'd be great. Cause one time I used
Joe Lara (00:40)
I mean, dude. Phil
Scott Schimmel (00:43)
their bathtub to take a shower. And I was like, I took a long shower. And at the end of it, like the bath was like, you know, maybe an inch, inch and a half. It's like a 15 minute shower. Like an extraordinarily and I was like, and you guys do like you like to get it all the way up. It's insane. All right, Joe, good to see you, my man.
Been a it's been a few weeks. It's summer. So I know you've been working on your tan, I've been working on Mambod, Beach Muscles, which is why we're off we're off schedule here. But in all seriousness, we continue to work with lots of veterans in transition, and you've been hosting these live asthma chats. So if you don't know this, we have these three times a week live Zoom calls. We call them asthma chats, checking on your direction,
Joe Lara (01:34)
Yeah.
Scott Schimmel (01:35)
your trajectory.
It's just a a chance for people who've already gone through a program to keep connecting, keep thinking about life. If you are going through the program, it's the perfect venue to come and say, all right, here's how I'm doing, here's what I'm thinking about. And then if you haven't started yet, it's also the perfect venue. So we have what five hundred and ninety-three veterans the other day you said in one Zoom meeting, which sounds like chaos. It's not. It's it's actually a really deep, thoughtful conversation. So you have been
kind of floating this concept that I'd love for you to share.
Joe Lara (02:09)
Yeah, it's it's been it's great. So I tried it out. it's a question that I actually borrowed from Matthew McGonhe's Green Lights. It's a good book, definitely recommend it. Rada Rada Rad. And
Scott Schimmel (02:18)
All right. All right.
Joe Lara (02:22)
and so the idea was I wanna say the the premise was a relative asked him, younger Matthew, who's your hero? And he just kind of and I don't know if this is true or not, but he says it in the book, you know, he he's like, My twenty five year old self, or something to that effect was his answer.
He was so wise as a young boy. but but that's what kind of spurred this question, which I asked the veterans on this one call, is if the 10 year old version of you could see yourself today, what would what would they say? And you never know what's gonna what's what's gonna who's gonna unmute and raise their hand and share something and what they're actually gonna say. But what was really neat, this one gentleman
Yeah, he's finishing his military career. squared away, like super articulate, just polished, sharp, young, married, kids. And and he said, I'd be shocked. And as it goes, I'm in a you know, I'm I have a clean apartment, I have a beautiful wife, kids. what you don't know is that when I was ten, I was living in a car with my mom. We had nothing.
And I'm like, holy cow. I'm expecting, you know, something a little bit lighter. And he went there. And it was amazing for him to kind of share. He was so proud. He was so like excited at that question of a young version of him asking or like looking ahead at himself today. And and that was like a continuation of the call. And it was
So much positive energy. Again, you have over 500 people on a Zoom call and people are taking their turns, raising their hand, unmuting, sharing their thing of man, I never would have thought I could lead people. I never would have thought I could travel the world the way I did. I
Scott Schimmel (04:17)
Uh-huh.
Joe Lara (04:17)
never would have thought and just fill in the blank is whatever you can come up
Scott Schimmel (04:20)
Yeah.
Joe Lara (04:21)
with. And it was so let's just say, man, like you and I get this privilege of hearing these conversations. Like we do this
Scott Schimmel (04:28)
Yeah.
Joe Lara (04:29)
because we want to see veterans transition well.
But also we're served a healthy portion of awesome responses from really great people.
Scott Schimmel (04:36)
Yeah. I know.
Joe Lara (04:38)
Dude, it's incredible. Yeah, so.
Scott Schimmel (04:40)
Yeah, you'd pay I I would pay money, honestly,
to go. especially as as we've had people when they complete Vector or the Honor Foundation course get up and share their life story. Like, I mean, that what a beyond a privilege. It's it's valuable to sit and listen to someone articulate about their life. I'm trying to think
Joe Lara (05:03)
Yeah.
Scott Schimmel (05:03)
for me, 10-year-old me, certainly be shocked to be on a podcast.
and and not because they didn't exist back then, but but I just never never saw myself as a communicator. I didn't raise my hand in class, I didn't aspire for leadership. And so a big chunk of what I do is communicate, like facilitate, lead, speak. and that was just what have been so bizarre. And then also I think my imagination for life as a grown up.
involved an office, involved a suit and tie and a briefcase. And I think I've only had an office for like 45 minutes, you know, in 25 years of a career. that's what have like, you do what? You do what for work? And I'm like, I have Zooms. And they're like, what? or I get in my car and I drive and meet people for coffee. Like, what? That's work. So
Joe Lara (05:59)
Yeah.
Scott Schimmel (06:00)
I think there's just there's there's certainly that. And then there's there's plenty about family
and wife and kids,
Joe Lara (06:07)
Mm-hmm.
Scott Schimmel (06:07)
that would have been like that would be like I get to. And it would be nice to have known that. Like she's gonna be pretty and you're gonna have three kids. And totally,
Joe Lara (06:16)
I know, right? Like, man, I hope they're pretty. I hope they're pretty.
Scott Schimmel (06:19)
I just literally thought of a girlfriend the other day that I had I think when it was a sophomore in high school, I hadn't thought of in years. and I was like, man, like why was I why did I date her? I think at the time I was like, 'cause you just don't know. You don't know if you just you're just kissing frogs.
Joe Lara (06:33)
You don't know what you don't know.
Scott Schimmel (06:34)
She was not a frog, but
yeah, you just it would have been nice to be like, hey, look, the next five years, ten years, just don't don't worry about it. You're gonna be okay.
Joe Lara (06:43)
Yeah.
Scott Schimmel (06:44)
Like that would have been really helpful. How about you?
Joe Lara (06:46)
What's what's
what I like well what I like about this exercise is is hearing people's responses. So so it's funny that I it and Matthew McCone wasn't 10 years old, I think. I I think he was much older. My mind just went to 10 because I'm thinking if I choose 18, you're not quite an adult, but you're still thinking a little bit more probably about achievements, about about
Scott Schimmel (07:05)
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Joe Lara (07:08)
accolades or like the office or the car or p those things. I think ten year old version.
I would be thinking about the family dynamic. Like, wait a minute. I
Scott Schimmel (07:20)
Uh-huh.
Joe Lara (07:21)
have two sons that actually I know. I actually know them and they know me. And
Scott Schimmel (07:24)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
Joe Lara (07:28)
like the relationship piece. Wait, you're still married, like you're married to this one
Scott Schimmel (07:33)
Right.
Joe Lara (07:33)
person for going what almost 30 years? Like
Scott Schimmel (07:35)
Yeah.
Joe Lara (07:37)
what? You know, that that's just a different dynamic.
Scott Schimmel (07:42)
Yeah.
Joe Lara (07:43)
and and so it's more like okay.
Much less of like you probably wouldn't understand the military thing, would maybe be surprised. Wait, military, that's weird.
Scott Schimmel (07:52)
It's not
Joe Lara (07:52)
Like were you driving a tank? You know, or you know, thinking 10 year old mind. But
Scott Schimmel (07:55)
Mm-hmm. Huh.
Joe Lara (07:58)
much less on accomplishments and more about maybe the relationship side, like like the fact that I got people like you, you know. because I I was kind of a loner kid. Like I I I th I play outside with
Scott Schimmel (08:10)
Yeah, me too.
Joe Lara (08:11)
with
with kids in the neighborhood, but not like every day. And it was super rare. I
Scott Schimmel (08:14)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Joe Lara (08:16)
was mostly by myself playing with Legos or drawing or something. Right.
Scott Schimmel (08:19)
Right. Right.
Joe Lara (08:21)
And so to have relationships at this level
Scott Schimmel (08:23)
Yeah.
Joe Lara (08:24)
that I'm in Dallas and you're in California right now. And we're, you know, it's just that's that's cool. That's awesome. So that's kind
Scott Schimmel (08:27)
Right. Friends. Yeah. That's so
Joe Lara (08:32)
of where my mind goes.
Scott Schimmel (08:33)
I want to hit on that because I think there's a lot of people now that are being really nostalgic about the 1900s, like before cell phones particularly. And there's always like memes and videos of like, what was it like in the mid nineties to grow up and there's no phones and everybody was hanging out and watching movies together and riding bikes together? And I have all those memories too, but I think what you just said just struck me. I I I too ha was playing onside. But
The majority of time was by myself, waiting for kids
Joe Lara (09:00)
Mm.
Scott Schimmel (09:00)
to come home or just, you know, do my own thing, baseball cards, reading. and that was not fun. That was like that was so there was a lot of loneliness. And I I think
Joe Lara (09:11)
Mm.
Scott Schimmel (09:12)
that's I think that's relatively common, like a common human experience of that time of life. And so I I agree the fact that I would have close relationships, friendships, and not like I always felt
kind of desperate for somebody to want to play with me or like hang out with me. Yeah to know that that's so yeah, I think if I can go back in time and hang out with a little 10 year old me, that'd be a piece of it. Like this this loneliness is good for you know it's additive to your life. It's good. Enjoy it. Because
Joe Lara (09:42)
Yeah.
Scott Schimmel (09:43)
you're gonna have it's you're not do not worry about are people interested in you? Do you have value? Do you have what it takes? Like those big questions. It would have been nice to have a hope hopeful answers.
Joe Lara (09:56)
What was neat too about that conversation with the veterans, and I guess, you know, any veterans that are listening to this, they hopefully they do the exercise when they when they hear about it. even the hard stuff. So not everybody that raised their hand to share was all positive. It was some challenging stuff. And in their own, they didn't skip a beat. In the same breath, they said, I'm stronger for it. I'm better for it. I'm resilient or whatever. You know, it's all it was all positive in the outcome as far as they got through something.
And I thought, man, that's so good for everybody to hear. Because again, I'm going to the positive things in my life. But I'm sure if you reflected a little bit on yours and I reflected on mine, we went through some challenging moments. And if the 10 year old got a glimpse of that, they'd be horrified. They'd be scared. They'd be worried. But
Scott Schimmel (10:43)
Yep. Yep.
Joe Lara (10:46)
you're still here. You're like you made
Scott Schimmel (10:48)
Mm-hmm.
Joe Lara (10:48)
it. You're on the other side of it. And
And I think that's the story that I think we don't we really don't think about our stories that way. We just kind of take it for granted, or we're looking at the next thing, or we're nervous
Scott Schimmel (11:01)
Yeah.
Joe Lara (11:01)
about the next thing, and the next thing hasn't even happened yet. It's it's it's it's it's make believe. It hasn't happened. So what are we nervous about? Like be confident in what you've done. Notice the pattern. And I think that's the other thing that we do with stories is just patterns. It's not like
Scott Schimmel (11:16)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Joe Lara (11:17)
we're starting from zero and
So if you have a pattern of finding success, you've been through all these chapters and now you're you not maybe not found success or whatever you want to call it, but you're in this new stage where you can be proud of what you've done. Well, guess what? You got more to do and follow the pattern. Follow follow the pattern. You already
Scott Schimmel (11:36)
Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Joe Lara (11:39)
have a good template. Keep it going. Yeah. Yeah. That's cool.
Scott Schimmel (11:41)
That's right. Yeah, this all matters
in transition. But I think some people are like, what? Why you know, why would I do this? Why would I engage in this? And what we have found is obviously when you're leaving the military, there's these like pretty I don't know, pressure-filled questions. Where am I gonna live? What am I gonna do? How am I gonna pay the bills? And those will cloud out a lot of the other stuff. And what we're trying to do, and what I think Vector is designed for is
Help you slow down, not to put that on pause, not forever, or or in a way that's gonna hurt you, but actually take a slight little detour to this introspective path. Because the output, this is what happens now hundreds of times, if not thousands of times. getting a little introspection, get connecting those dots, seeing those patterns, and then to go back to those conversations about now what kind of life do you want to have? Where you want to work? What kind of career do you want to have? It just is, you know, you're able to see, you're able to see.
kind of through a series of lenses and a a clearer way of what the what the way forward could be could be for you. So we highly encourage I think that's why we had these episodes to to more or less demonstrate, you know, what this all does. And if you want to test that exercise or come give Vector a test, you are welcome to join us in an asthma chat Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, eight AM Pacific Standard Time, for an hour. And you just jump in on Zoom and keep your camera off if you d don't feel like participating or you can
Raise your hand and jump in. So any final words, Joseph?
Joe Lara (13:13)
No, it's just it's just cool doing this work and seeing it work for so many veterans. you know, we we were we were had this idea way back when we knew it worked with with with smaller groups of veterans, now we're doing it at scale. And
Scott Schimmel (13:26)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Joe Lara (13:28)
what's cool is to think about how we can grow this even more. So anybody also listening saying, Hey, how can I how can I add fuel to this to this amazing thing, man, reach out, let us know who you are and we'd love to have a conversation.
Scott Schimmel (13:42)
Thank you. Alrighty. See you soon, Joe.
Joe Lara (13:45)
Yeah, but
