Man Overseas Podcast

Melanie Boudreaux is an Assistant Professor at Nicholls State University—she teaches Human Resource Management. She's also Faculty Advisor for the Society of Human Resource Management and works as HR Director at Environment Safety & Health Consulting Services (ES&H). And just in case Melanie found herself with free time—she's also enrolled at University of South Alabama, where she will soon finish her PhD in Business Management.

In lieu of eating and sleeping, evidently, Melanie enjoys being a wife to Benny Boudreaux, a mother of 6-year old twins, and paints Louisiana-themed crafts at Brushed by BouDreaux.

When I asked Melanie why she puts so much "on her plate," she said it's because she loves to learn and help people. Plus, being an HR Director enables her to bring practical knowledge from the corporate world to her students. I love that.

In this episode, after a brief story Melanie tells about declining her mom's calls so she could get a much-needed break from kids, we discuss a Youtube video where a grandmother lectures college students on "texting etiquette."

I didn't realize when I mentioned the lecture that it was Melanie's mom in the video, Ms. Mary. A few examples in the video were LOL funny. One hilarious instance was when Ms. Mary encouraged students to be mindful of how a text is going to be received. To illustrate her point, she told a story of receiving a text from her sister, "T," that said, "I'm in the hospital."

Immediately, Ms. Mary called T's workplace to find out when she left [for the hospital], because she presumed her sister wouldn't answer the cell phone she just texted her from [if she's in the hospital].

But when Ms. Mary called T's workplace, her sister answered the phone. So Ms. Mary said to her, "Hey T, I thought you were in the hospital."

That's when T told Ms. Mary to have a closer look at the text—what she'd actually sent was a screenshot [of someone else's text to her]. She was simply sharing news that someone they knew was in the hospital.

The texting etiquette lesson was this. Be careful sending texts, because you don't know how your text is going to be received. Meanwhile, I'm rolling on the laughing floor, and said to Melanie, "That's something my mom would do."

So that's how the episode begins. Then we get into advice for sending emails in a professional setting. Great examples shared in the video (and on this episode). Additionally, Melanie & Ms. Mary provide a helpful list of words not to be used in the workplace.

Melanie & I also chat about how she prepares her students for the real world. She says they do face-to-face and Zoom mock interviews, which she records so the class can watch.

Students hate mock interviews, at least at-first. But later Melanie gets so many "Thank You" emails because her students say role-playing in class helped them to land their dream job.

Come to think of it. My favorite professor when I was in school had us role-play as part of the final exam. Dr. Chris Cox, former Department Head (Management & Marketing) would setup a tripod mounted with one of those old-school giant video recorders in the corner for a mock "sales call"—he was the Buyer.

Brandt Quick is a Fully Integrated Business Coach (FIBC) & Certified Health Coach. He's also CEO & President of BQuick Athletic Development, a health & fitness company, and CEO & President of BQuick Nutrition, maker of natural sports nutrition energy, endurance, and recovery vitamins/supplements, which aim to improve quality of life.

A former Kansas State football player who later transferred to Tulane University, Brandt is currently a triathlete and well-regarded trainer who's competed at very high levels. He brings practical experience & knowledge not just to athletes, clients, and businesses, but also to himself & his coaching colleagues.

In this episode, Brandt & I discuss author Eckhart Tolle, specifically The Power of Now, a book about the power of “living in the present moment” (vs. dwelling on the past or trying to figure out what the future will look like). Brandt believes Tolle's done a great job simplifying concepts so that the lay reader can understand what he’s saying and hopefully implement his ideas in their own life.

We also discuss each of the first 6 rules from Jordan Peterson's book: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. For example, I ask Brandt what "Stand up straight with your shoulders back" means to him. This leads to a discussion about dominance hierarchies and how to move up in the "pecking order."

Brandt discusses his Catholic upbringing. He was baptized and confirmed Catholic. He recalls going to church every Sunday as a kid, and thought Catholic mass was the most boring thing in the world. It wasn’t until Brandt went to Jesuit High School in New Orleans that he experienced "an amazing faithful transformation," crediting his Jesuit education for teaching him to be a "free-thinker."

Great conversation with a high-caliber guest. BIG THANKS to Phillip Clement for recommending Brandt. Any expectations far surpassed!

Hope listeners learn as much as I did.

My guest is Richard Cuicchi. He's a New Orleans baseball historian and the founder of the Metro New Orleans Area Baseball Player Database. Born in Shaw, MS, he has spent most of his adult life in New Orleans, and says he's now a true "New Orleanian."

After graduating from Mississippi State University, Richard came to New Orleans to work for the local utility in IT. As a husband & father of four, he took the traditional route to retirement. That is, 40 years of living within his means, staying out of debt and diligently contributing to a 401K.

After retiring in 2011, he wrote his first book, Family Ties: A Comprehensive Collection of Facts and Trivia About Baseball's Relatives, which constitutes 20 years of research about baseball’s family relationships. He also started doing research and writing for SABR (Society for American Baseball Research), contributing to sports-related websites and a few magazines.

Additionally, he maintains The Tenth Inning website, which contains all his research, writings, and baseball interests.

In this episode, we talk about how he first started writing. Richard used to keep various lists of things about baseball—one in-particular about families piqued his interest. Once he realized just how much baseball family ties information he had, he started trying to put it in writing, which is what eventually led him to self-publishing his first book.

We also discuss what led him to write about my grandfather, John “Fats” Dantonio. A SABR member asked him to do a piece on "Fats" as part of a book on "replacement players" during World War II. He says that was the first time he'd written a story about any baseball player.

If you love baseball, this episode is for you!

Gee Cassard is the Head Baseball Coach at Ascension Catholic High School in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. We first met when he recruited me to play baseball at Nicholls State University, where he was the Assistant Coach / Head Recruiter at the time.

Coach Gee gave me a chance to play Division I baseball, and for that I'm forever grateful. I don’t know how my life works out if he doesn't give me a shot.

In this episode, we spend significant time swapping baseball stories. We recall games & road trips we shared at NSU at the turn of the century, which included "the bus trip from hell"—we went up to UL-Monroe for three games, west to Dallas for a rest stop, before driving up to Kansas to play the iconic Wichita State Shockers. Then we drove south to Texas State University for a controversial series that ultimately took us out of contention.

We reminisce about Rondon Anderson's "walk-up" song: Project Chick by Cash Money Millionaires. Also, we discuss Rondon's moonshot homeruns and the whip he could generate with the bat ala Bryce Harper. And I share what Matt Overman (former Nicholls St. Ace & Miami Marlins signee) remembers about Coach Gee.

I tell the story of a game we struck out 17 times against Lamar University pitcher Clay Hensley. As a San Diego Padres pitcher, he gave up Barry Bonds' 755th homerun, before getting suspended by MLB for steroid use. Gee & I also discuss how much steroids were part of baseball's culture in those years.

We recall a game at Turchin Stadium against 9th-ranked Tulane [at the time], in which I was ejected from the game after arguing whether I should be allowed to take first base after getting hit by a pitch (HBP). I had never heard Coach's perspective on that game, which is forever etched in both our minds due to the homeplate umpire's outlandish behavior. My first-ever collegiate grand slam was overturned due to a beta boy umpire named Eddie Newsome.

Additionally, we discuss Nicholls State's lack of resources during those years. Coach Gee said we weren’t on equal footing. "There were times when they [athletics] weren’t fully funded. [Nicholls State] didn’t have the budget for recruiting, operations, and at times, [11.7] scholarships.

We also discuss Coach Gee’s colon cancer diagnosis & how he survived. He says he rejected symptoms initially, thinking nothing was wrong with him. It wasn’t until he was referred to a doctor that he found out he had not one, but two tumors.

His advice to listeners is to always monitor your health, listen to your body, and go see a doctor if something doesn’t feel right. He says colon cancer is not an old man’s disease and could happen to any of us—women included—regardless of age.

Gee's wife, Courtney, was amazing throughout his ordeal. He tells the story of when they first learned of his diagnosis—their parents were crying in the hospital waiting room, and Courtney stood up and said, "Look, we're not crying. We're gonna kick cancer's ass."

And they did.

Insightful discussion with a man I greatly respect & admire. Gee might be my favorite guest of all time.

My guest is Eric Richard—he's on the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) path. In July 2019, he quit his full-time job to become a location-independent entrepreneur.

He learned about FIRE in 2015 and immediately began making positive life changes. First thing he got serious about was personal finance. By following the principles of financial independence, he soon had enough savings & investments to leave his job and began living the digital nomad lifestyle.

Dreams do come true!

Eric is also the host of the Nomad on FIRE podcast. On his show, he talks about the digital nomad lifestyle and FI. He interviews digital nomads, early retirees, entrepreneurs, freelancers, world travelers, and many others. Even Man Overseas made an appearance last year!

In this episode, we talk about world travel. Eric has traveled to 16 countries, including Latin America and Southeast Asia, but says he's never touched down in Europe. I advised him to take a train through Europe to double his country-count. But also warn him about how expensive it can get if waits till the last minute to book train tickets.

We also discuss Chiang Mai in-depth. Eric loved how laid back it was. He said living there was easy—super cheap, great food and great co-working spaces setup. He instantly felt like home the first day he walked around.

We also talk about Bali, Indonesia, his last trip before he came back to the US because of COVID.

Bryan McGeHee is my guest. Together with his brother, Mitch, they started GATR Coolers in 2017, selling coolers with only three available sizes to mostly family & friends. Four years later business is booming—they've expanded to drinkware, apparel, accessories, and replacement parts in addition to various coolers!

In this episode, we discuss GATR's explosive growth—from conception till now. First, Bryan tells me why they named the company after alligators. Answer: trapping [alligators] has been a huge part of their life. He loves the culture around the swamps, and wanted the company's spelling to be a play on the word "gator." Makes sense to me.

Before Gatr, Bryan and his wife, Emily, had been traveling the country, living in a camper down by the river. They bounced between campgrounds and hotel rooms for seven years. Then his big break.

Brother (Mitch) contacted he and the otha brothas via group text saying that he’s been thinking about starting a cooler company. Bryan replied and offered to help, loaning him $50K.

And the rest, as they say, is "all to the good pop" (where "they" is me). Had a great afternoon recording with Bryan in NOLA—hope you enjoy!

Mark is the author of the Finance and Fatherhood Newsletter. He's also a single dad of three teenagers who has a full-time job in Accounting and three (3) profitable side-businesses—all while studying for the Life Insurance & Series 6 exams to be a financial advisor.

In this episode, we discuss Mark's best days on Twitter. Recently, he says the controversial and chaotic revolt of "Redditors" against a prominent Wall Street hedge fund was one of those best days. It was modern-day class warfare, so-to-speak, for a digital world.

The reason for the revolt, Mark says, is that people have been fed up with "the establishment." They're sick and tired of sizable wealth transfers taking place in our country that leave many people out. As long as hedge funds get rich and people get bailed out when needed, he imagines this sort of backlash will continue.

We also discuss how the year 2020 has impacted Mark’s life. Being an introvert and having three kids at home 24/7 has been the most mentally challenging time for him. Interestingly, he always thought he’d want to spend infinite amounts of time with his teenagers, but later realized that more time doesn’t always mean better time. He says it’s much more important to have quality time with them and set an example rather than worry about quantity of time.

This was a fun and enjoyable discussion for the same reasons I enjoy Mark's writing. He's easy-going, relatable and insightful. Neither of us could believe two hours went by so fast. Hope you enjoy, and learn something from this discussion. I sure did!

My guest is Brent McDonald. He is the Principal at Summer Creek High School in Houston, Texas, and former Head Baseball Coach at Cypress Falls High School. He & wife, Angie, have two kids, BreAnna, 17 & Dominick, 15.

"Coach Mac," or "Mac," as his number is saved in my phone, is someone I've always respected & admired. For over 25 years, he's been a real-life influencer—not one of these social media wannabe "influencers."

As a former baseball coach at Cy-Falls High School, he had a big influence and impact on my life. Therefore, he'll always be on my Wall of Gratitude, which I discuss in the Intro.

Coach Mac was the Varsity Assistant Baseball Coach when I was at Cy-Falls. In 1999, the year after I graduated, he became Head Coach. His stories from those days are incredible—he coached two first-round draft picks in the same year (2002) and took many Cy-Falls teams deep into the state playoffs.

In 2007, in an effort to impact more kids' lives, Mac accepted a position as Assistant Principal at Cy-Falls. Timing of the career change suited he & Angie as they'd just started a family. His new administrative job meant getting home earlier to spend time with them.

In this episode, we spend considerable time talking baseball and Coach McDonald’s coaching career at Cy-Falls. We recall the incident in 1998 involving Kyle Rutherford, our quarterback & star pitcher. Rutherford was benched in our final playoff game because of something he'd allegedly written in the yearbook about our Head Football Coach & Athletic Director. A lawsuit followed that was mentioned by Bob Ley on ESPN's Sportscenter.

Coach also discusses how kids are quick to transfer schools now when they don’t play Varsity as a sophomore. He says kids manipulate their mailing addresses in order to enroll in another school.

Also, since I'm a new parent, we discuss the most valuable thing you can give to your children: time. Mac says time is the biggest gift he’s given his kids. That resonates with me big-time. You cannot buy kids things that would replace your presence in their life. Toward that end—we discuss investing strategy (for college, equity buildup & a long retirement).

It was an honor to have Coach McDonald on the podcast. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

My guest is Jerrard Parfait. He’s a friend of fifteen years who enjoys risk-taking. In fact, we spend the first hour of this episode talking about poker, decision-making and emotional intelligence.

Next we discuss politics & parenting. Parfait, as I call him, lives with his wife, Carolyn, and son, Luke, in South Louisiana. We reminisce on our college days here—playing poker & blackjack at "Grandma Harrah’s" in New Orleans. He believes poker sharpens your skills because of its competitive nature. And much like playing golf, Parfait says, "you must put in a lot of time in order to be good at it."

We also discuss screen time & social media. While I envision a future where social media is stigmatized as a low-class activity, Parfait believes otherwise. He says people are way too consumed with showing their best life on social media to abandon it.

This conversation was a blast. If you enjoy poker, parenting & politics, you'll enjoy this discussion.

Other topics discussed:

• Poker vs deer hunting

• Tourists that are good for poker

• "Sizing-up" your opponent

• Benefits of having a casino close to home

• Emotional intelligence in poker

• Short-handed poker (6-handed) vs full table (10-handed)

• Table-banter that's good (and bad)

• Live vs online poker games

• Poker’s "Black Friday" (2011)

• Why Brad doesn't play online poker

• People who play poker for a living

• How Ben Mintz & Playboy Marty landed at Barstool Sports

Today, I, Brad Dantonio, better known as Man Overseas, am the guest on The Joseph Wells Podcast. I'm forty years old and have been retired for five years. I took a year off to travel just prior to my 35th birthday and never returned to work.

In normal times, you can find me and Lady Overseas traveling the world, living off passive income from rental properties and other investments in the US. In COVID times, "Lady O" & I have temporarily settled in New Orleans while we await the birth of Baby Overseas!

Joseph and I became fast-friends about two years ago when he quoted me on Twitter. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Joseph in New York City, and we talk on a regular basis. I often look to Joseph for advice on business and investments through a Millennial lens. I've always emphasized the importance of having good friends of all ages. It's not often you meet someone on the same path as yourself, only 12 years behind. Joseph knows it takes a special persistence and determination - or a "Mamba mentality" as I call it. In this wide-ranging discussion, Joseph and I discuss financial freedom, journaling, parenting, social media, and much more.

Please enjoy!