Today, we have a real treat as we sit down with my good friend and esteemed executive protection professional, Joseph LaSorsa Jr. from LaSorsa Associates and Executive Support Logistics. While Joe keeps a relatively low profile in the industry, he opens up about his life's journey and the core values that drive him both professionally and personally.

In this candid conversation, Joe shares insights into the EP world, including the importance of continuous learning, servant leadership, and making a positive impact on those around you. He reflects on the weight of carrying on his father's legacy in the family business, and the struggle to let go and trust his team as the company grows.

The discussion takes a personal turn as Joe provides a rare glimpse into his life outside of work. From being a devoted family man raising triplet daughters, to his simple pleasures of boating, fishing, and enjoying cigars in his waterfront home in North Carolina. Joe's humility and even-keeled nature shine through as he shares anecdotes that reveal his priorities of work-life balance and quality family time.

Michael and Joe also touch on deeper subjects - overcoming egos early in their careers, the value of mentorship, and developing resilience in an ever-changing world. Their friendly banter and mutual respect create a warm atmosphere as they discuss everything from career sacrifices to their favorite drinks and clothing choices.

It's an insightful, candid, and at times lighter episode that reminds us of the importance of living with purpose while still enjoying life's simple pleasures. So settle in, pour yourself a drink, and join us for an unfiltered look into the world of the respected professional, Joseph LaSorsa Jr.

Find Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephalasorsa/

Special thanks to this episodes sponsors, Premier Body Armor! Be sure to head on over and check out their incredible products that I stand by! ↙️

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About Michael Julian & Down 'n Dirty with Michael Julian:

Michael Julian is a distinguished security and investigations professional with a career spanning over 30 years. Michael's extensive security training encompasses a wide range of critical areas, including behavioral threat assessment, active shooter survival, executive and asset protection, self-defense, defensive and evasive driving, close protection, aviation security, interview and interrogation techniques, protective and counter-surveillance, and covert protection. He imparts his knowledge by teaching courses in Executive and Asset Protection across the United States and serves as a trusted security consultant for organizations, specializing in personal and asset security solutions, workplace violence identification and reaction, and active shooter survival.

Michael is a renowned speaker and Best-Selling author, having penned "10 Minutes to Live: Surviving an Active Shooter Using A.L.I.V.E.". His innovative Active Shooter Survival philosophy, A.L.I.V.E. (Assess, Leave, Impede, Violence, and Expose), has been widely embraced since its inception in 2014. The online e-Learning version of the A.L.I.V.E. Training Program, launched in 2019, is now an integral component of corporate security training programs worldwide.

With guests from entertainment, business, sports and beyond, Down 'n Dirty creates an atmosphere of vulnerability and honest conversation. Julian's insightful interviews reveal how our most difficult life experiences can ultimately forge our biggest strengths and successes. SUBSCRIBE today to our channel for access to all our latest content.

What's up, everybody?

Welcome to Down and Dirty with Michael Julian.

I'm your host, Michael Julian, and on this

show, we're getting raw, real, and leaving no

stone unturned.

Each week, I sit down with some truly

remarkable people who have overcome immense challenges and

adversity in their lives.

Whether it was childhood trauma, discrimination, mental health

struggles, or any other obstacle thrown their way,

my guests aren't just survivors, they're warriors who

took their pain and turned it into power.

They'll share their unfiltered stories and the life

lessons that helped shape them into the forces

they are today.

So get comfortable because we're about to get

down and dirty.

You'll hear firsthand how our darkest moments can

unexpectedly light the path towards our greatest growth

and success.

Let's dive in and prepare to feel inspired.

Joseph LaSorsa, Jr., how are you, my

friend?

I want my viewers to find out more

about Joseph LaSorsa because you're a little bit

of a mystery in our industry because you

keep a little profile, you keep your head

down, you do your job.

You don't talk shit about everybody, like so

many guys in our industry, and you're a

family man, and you work hard, and that's

it.

So not a lot of people know a

lot about Joseph LaSorsa except your social media

presence is freaking awesome.

You do a great job, and if I'm

not mistaken, you do your social media yourself

still, or do you all of it?

That's shocking to me, frankly, great job.

I could not possibly do the job that

you do on social media.

I have to pay somebody to do online.

Thank God, because I'm not good at it.

And frankly, I don't like doing that stuff,

but I just like showing pictures of me

on the golf course, fucking scars.

But before we get into all that stuff,

tell us about Joseph LaSorsa.

Give us a snapshot, 30,000 foot view

of Joseph LaSorsa.

I like to live simple, my personal life.

I like simple things.

I'm in the typical stuff that a guys

are into, cars, boats, and whatnot, but everything

pretty much revolves around my family when I'm

home.

I live in a small town, most people

are shocked by that.

North Carolina, South Carolina, all the way by

the coast.

It's right near Emerald Isle.

If I sit the town in Newport, nobody

knows what that is.

It's like 13,000 people, but I like

that.

When I'm home, I'm home.

Yeah, I post on social media with my

kids and stuff like that sometimes, but mostly

just keep that kind of private.

That's for me when I'm home.

I don't have to worry about traffic.

I don't have to do any of that.

I'm doing my thing, and that's what shocks

most people.

They think I live in New York City

or something like that.

So I really enjoy the family time.

I really do.

I travel a lot.

So when I'm home, I like to be

home and take my girls to school, pick

them up from school, take them on a

boat, stuff like that.

Everybody knows me for work.

I run the sourcing associates, my dad's company,

and built it to what it is.

We've got something new going on as well,

but those are the professional fronts.

That's a big part of my life because

that's everything that I do to support my

family, everything else, obviously.

But the biggest thing that I just enjoy

about all of that, and a lot of

people come to learn this about me, is

I just want to be that person that

changes.

We change our lives together.

And I think that I've just learned to

embrace that, and that's what's gotten me where

I am.

And that's just kind of the heart of

what I am.

I like to work together with people and

make a friendship and, like I said, change

our lives together.

I want to be that person that you

never forget that you met and worked with.

My trajectory changed when I worked with Joe

kind of thing.

And that's what kind of drives me.

Okay.

And that's why you're on the show because

my podcast is called Down and Dirty with

Michael Julian.

And what you just said about having a

positive influence or helping someone change the trajectory

of their life, whether it be personal or

professional, is at the core of what this

is about.

Because I want to talk to people with

stories.

And you don't have a lot of dramatic

or traumatic stories.

You didn't have some big horrific event in

your life that you're like a crisis that

you have to overcome.

You've had a very, I don't want to

say simple, but a very stable, even balanced,

you know, evolution in your life.

But what you said about wanting to affect

other people in a positive way, that is

what this is about.

And that's now what my life is about,

and that's why I'm doing this.

So I love that.

And in true, Joe, the source of form,

you did not get into the anything.

You did not want to make this about

yourself.

And that's one thing that I've always respected

about you.

There's, you know, guys in the executive protection

industry are typically drawn, many are drawn to

this industry because of their egos.

You, I guess in myself, were you were

born, kind of born into or you evolved

into this industry because of our fathers because

we both worked for our fathers.

This was a natural path.

They could have owned gas stations and we

might have been gas station attendants.

We just happened to, you know, evolve in

this industry.

The difference between you and I is I

don't think you have ever had a big

ego.

And I started out with a gigantic ego

and have learned how to taper that and

control that.

Thank God for everybody's sake, especially my own.

Yeah, people helped me with that, keeping me

in check, you know, working with my dad.

You know, obviously he kept that in check

big time.

You know, there's always something to learn is

what I've learned.

Right?

You know, there's, what is it, the Dunning

-Kruger effect, right?

You know, you think you know everything and

you learn real quick that you don't.

I learned that real early on, so I

got that out of the way.

Okay.

Great example of that for me that I

can relate to, you know, I had been

doing EP, small time little stuff for my

father's company until 2003.

And I decided to go through EPI, Executive

Protection Institute.

And I spent seven days learning how very

little I knew about the image.

Yeah, exactly.

Turns out I didn't know shit about Executive

Protection.

And boy, was that humbling.

So yeah, I completely understand what you're saying.

Yeah, and I feel that, I try to

feel that as often as I can, honestly.

Just working yesterday with Christian.

I mean, I, I, I jokingly say is

that, you know, the Jedi Master, you know,

and just working with him and seeing the

way he handles things, talks to clients.

It just kind of, it's humbling, you know,

and I enjoy that so much.

And a big thing that keeps me learning

is teaching, you know, and I think that,

um, it's really helped me actually having kids

kind of, I get the enjoyment from seeing

them do stuff and it carries over into

work.

I get, last night I had the opportunity

to step in and, and run the actual

personal protection part of the detail that we

had.

But instead I looked at a couple of

the guys, a couple of the ones that

were doing good.

They, you know, acted part, looked apart, spoke

the part.

And I could see that they were eager

to learn.

And I said, Hey, come here.

This is what you're doing.

And they got a wide eye.

And we're like, yeah, this is how you're

going to do it.

And I showed them and I walked them

through it.

And I was watching them work last night.

And I actually just enjoyed, I feel like

I enjoyed it almost more than if I

was doing it.

You know, I love working, I love working

in that aspect doing personal protection, but I

really enjoyed watching them do it.

You know what I mean?

Yep.

And, uh, well, not just doing it, but

showing that they were doing what you just

taught them to do because they absorbed it

and now they're emulating it.

That's satisfying.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And it's little things.

You know, I just took my kids in

the boat recently and we go fishing in

here.

And it's almost like if I hook a

fish, I want to hand them the rod.

And I enjoy that more watching them do

it.

You know, and that's what I'm trying to

say is like that, that has just driven

me to, you know, work.

I think, um, are driving me to be

more successful in the professional side because I

enjoy working with other people and seeing them

work with me.

I don't know if that makes sense.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's just kind of where I'm taking it.

But that whole ego thing that you talked

about, I mean, I'm glad I got that

out of the way early.

You know, ego, well, ego can be a

tremendous driver, but it can also be our

worst enemy.

Oh, it's still there.

You know, it's still there.

You know, it's a, it's still part of

me, but it's the, I'm glad that I

got over that, you know, negative side.

You know, there was a, that early part

when I was more focused on everybody else,

you know, and talking about what they're doing.

And all that.

And then I quickly got over that and

just focused on what I'm doing and how

I can help people and how they can,

if I help them, they're going to help

me.

You know, it's going to go hand in

hand.

And it's a win, win, which field?

Yes.

Yes.

Now you mentioned Christian.

We're talking about Christian West, a very close

mutual friend of ours.

So let me back up a second.

You, now you, your father kind of, he

was a secret service agent, correct?

Yeah, 76 to 96.

Yeah.

So he kind of, he started your company.

You were born into an involved in it.

So that's how you ended up in this,

in this industry.

Now, I want to ask you one thing

that I know a lot of people that

we know together, myself included when I heard

the news that I was like, wait, how

does that work?

I've always known Joe LaSorsa of LaSorsa Associates

being you.

I knew you.

I never, I've never met your father.

So you were the LaSorsa to me.

And then, you know, Christian sold his company

and he went through his non-compete.

And the day came when he's thinking, what

the hell do I want to do now?

Do I want to stay retired or do

I want to start a new company?

He starts a new company and I understand

that you guys form a company together and

I'm thinking, wait, how does that work?

You've already got your company and now you're

going to partner up in something.

But my understanding is, and explain on this,

please, you, you, your father's company is really

hyper focused on the training side of things

more than anything.

Is that correct?

How does that work?

Yeah, I mean, it actually, it's kind of

grown into that because that's just something we

do very well.

We're mostly just focused on, I would say,

more like boutique level service.

So we didn't want, you know, to grow

big.

We wanted to be very much involved with

every client, handle things ourselves.

That's just kind of the model that my

father built and it's worked very well.

So instead of changing that, well, I mean,

I can include that.

We started doing training as well.

That's something that I was passionate about when

I got out of the Marine Corps back

into this.

The internal training that we were doing, we

made that more open enrollment and it's just

built into what it is.

And then that's been awesome and I enjoy

that so much.

And so that being said, the training side

is working.

The way we run the business works very

well for what we do.

Didn't want to just up end that and

work a different model.

Say, for example, with the sourcing associates, if

we get a big invitation to respond to

a big RFP, particularly don't.

We just don't.

That's not the business that we're looking for.

We're not looking to hire 100 people and

have a big apparatus with the HR and

the whole bit.

It's just not how we do it.

And we just never have.

So natural progression of what I wanted to

do was more along those lines as well.

And I didn't want to rebrand or change

what the source was doing.

So a couple of years ago, I started

executive support and logistics.

And at that same time, Christian has always

been a...

I call him like an unofficial mentor.

One of those guys that obviously you watch,

you see what he does.

Learn from it.

Ask questions whenever you can.

I know I always probably bothered the hell

out of him every time I saw him

someplace and we were out hanging out somewhere.

And I'd be like, hey, so what do

you think about it?

Then I'd bring it to work.

He was always patient with me and we

would talk about it.

And then came down to a point where

I asked him.

I said, how do you build what you

did and how did you go through that

process?

Because that's what I'm looking to do.

And I remember the night he just said,

well, we should do it together.

And I was like, okay.

So it just kind of clicked.

And so he came on board and we

was right at the early stages of that.

So when I say that I started it

was because I was the first one to

put it together.

But it was really us co-founding it

really.

And now that's just taken off.

So that's great.

Yeah, that was very interesting.

Well, I heard that was going to happen.

I'm thinking, how does that exactly work with

the...

You have your existing company and your dad

and now he's involved.

Yeah, and it goes in and in because

of that.

So if something is kind of for lack

of a better explanation, too big for the

source that fits perfectly with ESL.

And if it's too small for ESL, it

fits perfectly with the source.

And then we have the training side, which

the training side that I had plus the

EP access that the Christian has.

It's awesome.

We got the in-person training at the

physical training or the video and virtual training.

And all of that builds an awesome initial

and sustainment package that we can now collectively

offer through ESL.

So it's fantastic.

So tell me, what are your offerings?

Because you guys offer now between the two

of you.

You guys offer a lot of stuff.

So what is the menu?

Yeah, the main thing is just that I

don't want to say just corporate EP because

we know obviously family offices, everything else.

But everything that was balls around that is

what ESL is going for.

We've got a few clients now that that's

the clients that we didn't go after with

the source up and everything that goes along

with that.

It's kind of pulling from our other brands

from EP access, from the source up.

So we've done things for clients like private

little training courses.

And it just all feeds itself.

I don't know if that makes sense.

So yeah, the biggest thing that we're doing

with ESL is just focused on that aspect

of it.

A large company wants to build an EP

team, for example.

We can handle that.

It would be on the consulting side of

it, building through the compliance, the embedded versus

contracted versus hiring, and guiding them through the

process, helping them build that out.

That's what we just do very well.

But you guys, you offer classes in TSCM.

TSCM, you have technical surveillance countermeasures.

You have an actual EP course, like your

training side of things.

That's a pretty big deal too, because I

swear you are constantly traveling to teach classes

here and there.

So it's not just EP small and large.

You guys literally train other people.

And when people ask me, hey, who do

you recommend, you're always one of the top

three that I recommend for EP courses, because

I've never heard anything about great things about

your class.

We put a ton into it.

You're not going to get what you get

out of our course anywhere else, simply because

it's an open book.

You're going to get everything.

And I tell every class.

They think I'm being a little egotistical when

I say it, but I said, you'll never

take a class like this.

This is going to be a one and

only for your career.

This is going to be the class that

you came and got more than you thought

you ever would.

And that's the way I design training.

And we train on what we do well.

So EP, everything that goes with that, EP,

medical, defensive tactics, driving, shooting.

We don't do that in open enrollment anymore.

The shooting part of it, because most of

our teams that we're training 70% are

more unarmed.

But we do shooting training on the private

side, private courses that is.

TSEM, consulting, investigations, we do all that.

And we do a lot more private courses

than we do open enrollment.

So we do open enrollment, I would say,

half a dozen a year overall.

But like you mentioned, traveling all the time,

we do training.

We do at least two private courses a

month, I would say.

I didn't even know you're doing the private

course.

Those aren't on the schedule.

A company says, hey, we've got six guys

to train.

Can you come and do it here?

And based on how they want it, if

we can, we will.

And so we do that, at least two

a month that we're doing.

And I didn't even know you're doing that.

So that's why I say you were constantly

moving and shaking, teaching, doing EP.

In fact, the reason you're here today is

because you guys just did a huge event,

massive event.

Lots and lots and lots of people, lots

of living parts, lots of agents running around.

I understand that went very well.

Yeah, that was awesome.

We had an awesome local partner.

We brought in our whole management team and

had over 40 people working a private concert.

And it was fantastic.

We had every piece of it.

We had other vendors that we were working

with too.

So even over that amount of people, we

had canines and EMTs and everybody else.

So the whole apparatus was ours, which was

great.

Client trusted us with that.

And Christian and I have been planning it

and building it for the past three months.

And yeah, just all culminated last night.

And I went fantastic.

That's awesome.

Glad to hear it.

So professionally, we've gotten a pretty good snapshot

of things.

Now, where did you grow up?

So I was born in Annapolis, Maryland.

My dad was working at the White House,

actually.

Then we relocated to upstate New York, Saratoga

Springs.

So he was working out of the Albany

Field Office.

Retired there.

So I was at seven years in Annapolis,

seven years in upstate New York.

When my dad retired, we moved down to

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which is where I went

through high school and college.

And Marine Corps brought me to North Carolina

seven years later.

So I did seven years in Annapolis, seven

years in Saratoga, seven years in South Florida.

And then since then, North Carolina.

Awesome.

Got married.

Yeah.

So in the Marine Corps, that kind of

speeds things along.

You know, you get tempted with the B

.A.H. and everything else.

So I did what most young Marines do,

get married early.

Go from not being able to have kids

to do an IVF in the Marine Corps

and end up with triplets.

So triplet girls.

Oh, yeah.

Wow.

Oh, yeah.

Triplet girls.

Yeah.

I remember that call.

You know, I was actually training in infantry

officers course.

And it was really cool.

I told the instructors that we had that

test coming because it was forced.

When you have triplets, there's no like optional

timing for your doctor's visits and tests.

It's all scripted.

It's a high risk pregnancy.

So they said, you know, we're going to

check the sex of the children and tell

you and all this.

And so I was in the field.

And so, you know, wife at the time

told me and I had to tell the

instructors, you know, I gave them a cell

phone.

You know, in this part of the training,

we weren't allowed to have cell phones or

anything.

We're in the field for a week.

And they understood.

So they said, you know, have a call.

We'll answer.

And so they gave me the phone and

the field.

And I remember they said, okay, first one's

a girl.

Second one's a girl.

Oh, third one's a girl.

Oh, my gosh.

It's a, yeah.

I remember that feeling.

I just got the goose bumpies.

That's so great.

Yeah.

So that was a zero to 100, you

know, having triplets?

I was, yeah.

Yeah.

So most people, it's challenging having a child

and then having three all of a sudden.

That's crazy.

Yeah.

So luckily my parents were in a position.

They came up to visit and help out.

They rented a house and then in North

Carolina and then went back after they rented

a house.

They went back three weeks later and moved

back up to North Carolina.

So they sold their house and moved up

in three weeks time.

I mean, it was crazy.

And so they moved up to North Carolina,

you know, five miles away to help out.

I mean, it was just, it had to,

you know, that's a, that was a nice

little support system.

Oh, yeah.

I mean, I was active duty at the

time and it was just crazy.

So, you know, it had to.

So we had that wife at the time

first when we went up, you know, going

our separate ways, but I got the girls

full time.

So it was, it was magic there, but

that kind of forced my hand in my

life.

So you were a full-time dad of

triplets.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

So, so I had, I want to say

at a time, three months left or so

in the Marine Corps when that happened.

And so basically had to make the decision

then, you know, it's can't be a full

-time father of triplet girls and be active

duty, really like that.

So, yeah, made a decision to be done

with the Marine Corps and like I said,

got the girls full-time and got right

back into what I was doing with my

dad that just worked out.

And, you know, reinvigorated that drive to build

the business and get into the training side

of it, get more mixed into all facets

of it because we do consulting and investigations

and everything else.

And just grew from there, you know, and

shortly after I met my current wife, Kelly.

You know, she's, she met the girls when

they were 11 months old, so she's, she's,

she's mom, you know.

Now I met her in Vegas, didn't I?

Yeah.

Sweet lady.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Very cool.

I got a question for you.

How would you feel about smoking a stowie

right now?

Yes, do it.

Yeah.

I mean, you were kind enough to bring

me this whole box with some, some Cuban

cojibas.

Yeah.

And what do we got here?

Lega Pravada.

Yeah.

I don't know how to say it, but

they're good stuff.

I don't know.

But it smells delicious.

But you brought these for me.

So I'm going to be selfish and keep

these.

I've got a whole box of them.

So I'd like you to choose what you

want.

All right.

Summer Daily Smokers.

Some are the LaGlorious Series R.

Maduros are one of my favorites.

And then of course we've actually got Warren

here.

I think, let's see, what do we got?

Oh, these are just some little guys.

That's the, oh, this is a deep, oh,

Brick House Maduro.

That's not a bad one.

Choose what you want, buddy.

All right.

And we'll, I'll keep asking questions.

Okay.

So personal life, we're back up.

Now we're two, we're two, you're married, second

marriage, you got three beautiful daughters and you're

living in North Carolina.

Thank you, sir.

If you don't like that, put it out.

We'll fire up a new one.

That's not a problem at all.

And now what, because you work your ass

off, you travel all the time.

I see pictures of you in these big

luxurious first class fricking pods where you can

kick back and take a shower and all

that stuff.

What, what is, what does Joe do for

fun?

What's the, what's the fun side, because you

got to have balance.

Now you seem very even keel.

Unlike me, if I work too much, at

least my mind, I get angry and people

don't want to be around me.

I don't see that side of you.

What do you, what do you like to

do for fun that keeps that work-life

balance?

And so mostly when I'm home, I like

to kind of check off.

I, and say last year is over, you

know, 200 days going, traveling.

So when I'm home, I like to check

off and do something kind of like on

my own family.

So we do a lot of outdoor stuff,

do a lot of boating, do a lot

of, we, I also have whiskey.

If you end up wanting some of that,

we'll see what we get.

Yeah, good stuff.

So I, mostly I would say if I

could choose, you know, something with my kids,

we go on the boat all the time.

And that's kind of what we do.

In Eastern North Carolina, what we live on

the beach is my house is on a

marina, first of all.

So I can walk the house on the

marina.

Yeah, it's awesome.

So I face the, the sounds, it's called

Embridal Sound and my backyard overlooks the marina.

So it's awesome.

I can walk 50 feet out in my

back door and there's my boat.

Yeah.

So you're going to set up.

I don't know.

You a coffee drinker?

Yep.

So you do your morning coffee on the

boat sometimes.

So that's my, honestly, my, my end end

all be all is going to be, I

got a place at the river.

That's all fine and dandy.

But I'm only out there a few weekends

a year.

I want a place on the water with

the boat and the dock so I can

walk down there with my morning coffee or

my evening scotch and smoke to cigar.

That is heaven for me.

And yeah, yeah.

And my marina's got the little stations with

the lights on them too.

So it's wonderful early morning or late at

night.

So just got that glow.

You know, it's, it's awesome.

But anyway, so that's, that's, that's what, if

I could choose, that's what I'd like to

do.

And then, and then travel, obviously, you know,

traveling a lot.

I'm lucky that it hasn't kind of burnt

me out to it.

I still enjoy it.

I still enjoy the travel.

So what I like to do, I've come

pretty good at it.

When I'm, when I'm actually traveling for work,

I kind of make a plan of how

to come back.

If you know what I mean?

Yeah.

Like, you know, if I go to Europe

or something, I set up another Google Maps

list of all my favorite spots and everything,

the places I could afford versus where my

clients go.

You know, and, and so, you know, we

try to set up something else.

So, and for example, Kelly and I, we

went to Europe over Christmas break.

Where'd you go?

We went to Prague, Budapest and Vienna, most

of it.

So yeah, it was awesome.

It was awesome.

But setting that up, you know, it just,

it's easier when you've traveled so much for

work and you can just set that up.

So that's, that's it.

I mean, just, you know, everything kind of

revolves around my girls and, and, you know,

Kelly's amazing when I'm traveling.

I don't have to worry about back home.

You know, she's got it handled.

That's your partner.

That's the one that takes care of the

home life.

So you don't have to worry about that.

I'd use that way.

You can focus on your job, which is

kind of like what's important about our industry

is as EP guys, we can focus on

our clients safety and security.

So they don't have to worry about that.

They can focus on what they do best.

Yeah.

And that's what allows me to, you go

to what I do because I can focus

on that.

Well, I'm going, oh, no, no, it's, it's

a blessing.

And, uh, and like I said, I just,

I like to be home when I'm home.

You know, obviously I'm tied to my phone,

you know, that's something that we just can't

get away from us.

It's just tied up, you know, almost get

jealous.

We were watching an older movie.

Kelly and I recently and, um, it was

before phones.

And the, uh, I remember the wife and

husband they were leaving for the day.

And they kind of talked through where they

were going to be throughout the day in

case they needed to call each other.

They could call each other, you know, at

the restaurant, they were planning to go to

for lunch.

And I was like, you know, Kelly is

like, I can't imagine living like that.

I mean, I would love living like that.

Like people not being able to get audio

and you can just do your thing.

Wouldn't that be nice?

And for a control freak, like I'm finally

learning.

My girlfriend said the other day we're sitting

on the couch.

She goes, honey, where's your phone?

I go, oh, no, no, she goes, are

you okay?

Is, are you sure?

What, what, do you have a headache or

so?

I go, you know, I don't fucking care.

I'm relaxed.

I'm enjoying my time with you.

We're watching Resident Alien or Ted Lasso or

something like that.

I don't care.

If anybody needs to get ahold of me,

they can call somebody else that can take

care of what he's been taking care of.

And that's, that's a blessing.

Yes, that's awesome.

Good for you.

I mean, it's a very, very, actually the

most challenging thing I'm, I'm going through right

now is not doing everything.

You know, I've done it.

It's when your business has your name on

it, you know, and it's just something that

you're, you're dad built and handed to you.

You know, you, you have a certain connection

to it, a certain, you know, you're not

going to let anybody else, you know, screw

it up for you.

You kind of feel that you're not just

protecting something you have created, you're protecting a

legacy that your father could.

You've got to honor him.

So there's exactly a little bit of pressure

in that.

And I get that, but it's also, it's

also my honor to be able to actually

do that hopefully successfully.

And I think we have so far, but

that is one thing, you know, I can

relate to people in the industry because we

do the same thing.

I could relate to you better than them

because you and I both have our father's

legacies and the business they created.

So there's a little bit of weight on

our shoulders and there's some, you know, there's

some footsteps that we've got to walk in

or, you know, a shadow a little bit,

but, you know, my father passed, obviously, like

25 years ago.

So, but weren't we're doing that, you know,

coming from the same industry, guys that created

that and we're taking that hopefully to the

next level.

That's the goal anyway, right?

Yeah.

And it's just something that I'm having to

learn to let go of with on the

ESL side because I can't do everything.

No, you know, times two businesses, yeah, for

sure.

Yeah.

But then also the way that business is

structured and the business for brand, you know,

I just can't.

Yeah, it would be a severe limiting factor.

Absolutely.

Do that.

And it's just not working out.

And it's just so hard for me to

let those reins go, you know, and and

be, I've always been what I call like

a servant leader.

You know, I want to be in the

lead.

But I'm going to help everybody do everything

and do it form if I can, you

know, and so now we're trying to like

let that go is, I don't know.

I have such an internal struggle with it

because I almost feel that it's not about,

you know, if someone's going to screw it

up, it's, it's I'm not helping if I'm

not in it and doing it and sure

I'm working on it with them, you know,

sure.

So so many ways I want to go

with this.

Now, I have no problem being controversial.

I don't give a shit.

I've, I've kind of made it as far

as I'm concerned.

So if anybody out there in our industry

doesn't like me, that's fine.

That's, that's okay.

That's comfortable with that.

Yes, I'm very comfortable with that.

So can make everybody happy.

So let, let's talk about something that I

feel very strongly about something that bothers me

tremendously.

And I want to get the nice, sweet,

humble Joe, the source's opinion of this.

And I might take you out of your

comfort zone because you're always a nice guy.

You never talk shit about anybody, but I

want to know there are a lot of

guys in our industry, or there's a handful

of guys in our industry for whatever reason.

I don't care.

It doesn't matter that are constantly negative, are

constantly talking shit about other professionals and always

looking for flaws or always looking for, you

know, in competencies or something that they can

highlight and go, Hey, everybody in the industry,

look at that guy.

He's an idiot.

He dresses funny.

He talks this way.

He should be more of that.

He's not one of us, like we're the

quiet professional and we're always able to lead

everything wrong.