Changing the Narrative with Cecil Grant Jr.

In this short and special episode I share our Declaration of Independence. It’s interesting how the words penned in 1776, seem to be words we need to act upon today. Be sure you stay to the powerful end of this episode

Being a father is a gift no man should abuse or take lightly. The survival of your family depends on you being the father your children need. It's a tough job. The success of the next generation of men is in your hands.

This was originally recorded in February of 2022 before Mr. Simmons 86th birthday. I thought it’d be great to re-release. this podcast as we celebrate Mr. Simmons special day, 4 years later.

-It was an honor to share some time with my father in law who tells great stories and is a story of success. From humble beginnings to becoming the patriarch of an amazing family, Mr. Simmons is living his best life at 85 years old. Enjoy!

Let’s stop looking at retirement as “checking out” . We need to view it as “checking in” to a new way of life with a renewed sense of purpose. It’s okay if we slow it down just a bit, because we’ve earned it. But slowing down doesn’t mean stopping, it means moving forward with purpose instead of pressure. Retirement isn’t about stepping away from productivity, it’s about stepping into purpose. Maybe this is the moment to redefine what success looks like. It’s no longer about a paycheck, it’s about peace, good health, joy and the freedom to give back.

In the end, the best measure of a good retirement isn’t how much you’ve earned, it’s how much life you’re still living.

If today’s episode spoke to you, share it with a friend who’s approaching retirement or someone who’s already there and trying to rediscover their purpose.

Remember: A man isn’t old when his hair turns gray; he’s old when his dreams fade away. Let’s keep dreaming and let’s keep living and enjoying life!

In our podcast, John Harris and I discuss matters of race as well as being biracial. We were unable to share these photos while recording the podcast, so I’m sharing them here.

The top left picture is of John’s mom and dad.

Beside that picture we have John with his sisters and their mom.

The picture directly below that is of the extended family he and his sisters have created and are now a part of.

John added a picture of him with friends from the Air Force Academy showing the culture he and I grew up in, which may in some ways dictate why we are the people we are today.

Our podcast dives into what it is to be biracial as well as having dark skin but being raised in a predominately white culture.

I created the title of the podcast from a question John asked me during our discussion.

As you look at his extended family photo, the question I asked him was at what point will your family stop trying to label new family members by race/skin color? He provides an interesting answer.

Our conversation could have continued for hours. There are many parts of this subject matter we did not address, but I believe what you’ll hear is an honest conversation between two friends about a topic that is not discussed a lot. Being biracial or multicultural is tough and attempting to put a person into a race/color box based on what you see is not a good thing.

I made the mistake of putting John into a “color box’ at the beginning of our podcast.

Culture is more than skin color. My belief is we all need to learn and embrace our family culture before we get caught up in the “culture” of a group solely based on skin color.

I hope you enjoy our podcast and will share it with family and friends. Talk about what we have said and let us know if you have any questions for us concerning this matter.

We’re not trying to tell you what to think, we just want you to think for yourself.

John and I are both recently retired. In this episode we discuss things people don’t talk about regarding retirement. Retirement anxiety, the mental shift one needs to make retirement enjoyable, and finding your purpose. Is your retirement all you thought it would be or is everyday a Saturday? Does your retirement feel like a continuous “Spring Break” or do you feel like your dog who sleeps all day and does nothing all day? This is a serious and fun episode. We both feel if you have a boat load of money but no purpose, retirement could very well be a bust.

Let me know if you enjoy my interaction with John as our agents are negotiating deals for future collaborations.

Many of us on Substack, have written a book or plan to write one. In this episode, I speak with a classmate and friend, Brad Gann, who wrote a very interesting novel titled, “Nothing Ever Changes: A Story of Survival, Risk, Bravery and Compassion”. You can find his book on Amazon. We discuss his writing journey, some interesting aspects of his writing as well as life lessons we can all learn from.

If writing a novel is on your to-do list, hopefully this episode will help make it a reality. I look forward to your feedback.

In this episode I share my personal perspective on mental health issues. As a close friend told me, we all deal with mental health issues from time to time. We need to be kind to each other and recognize we are all living different experiences which can cause anxious moments. The views expressed in this episode are my own. I’m not a professional in this field. I believe what I share in this episode should cause you to stop and think about the state of your mental health. Thank you Rachael for starting this month with such an important and informative interview on mental health issues.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. With the effects of the pandemic, and our volatile social and political climate, this is a good time to hear a great episode about a delicate and often ignored subject. Honestly answering the question “How are you feeling?” could save or change your life. I learned a lot from this episode, so lie down on your couch and get educated on this very important and often misunderstood topic.