Real Talk with Benny T

Sean Baute (@sbauteWAVE3) is a reporter at the NBC affiliate WAVE3 News in Louisville, Kentucky, and he’s also a friend and former classmate of mine from UK. I really enjoyed speaking with Sean and listening to him share his firsthand experiences as someone who’s been in the field covering all of 2020’s major events from the murder of Breonna Taylor and the subsequent protests, to COVID-19 and the impact it’s had on the community, to the presential election and the events that unfolded in Washington DC.

We also spend some time discussing breaking into the media business and flipping that first package (6:58), how to balance covering stories while trying to safely maintain social distancing (8:12), whataboutism and the omissions we make as people (15:50), managing social media when you work in the media (33:50), balancing life as a reporter (47:35), planning a wedding and getting married amidst COVID-19 (51:49), and best life advice he has to share (53:33). Enjoy!

It feels great to be back, man. I've been waiting 6 weeks to drop this episode and now that it's finally here, I'm excited and relieved. What a road it's been, but we're back on and bringing you Uber Stories Pt. 21. Stories in today's episode include:

First Ride Back (13:08): A bit self-explanatory but find out which current NBA All-Star's brother made it such a great ride 🏀

The Lucky One (27:14): A guy who's loss was actually a very fortunate win 🍀

Best Rapper Alive (36:51): A man claims his son is the second best rapper from Louisville. Who's number one? Him, of course 🎤

Great Parenting (56:50): The most hilariously savage parenting hack I've ever heard 👨‍👩‍👦

HIV Positive (59:47): A man talks openly about what it's like living with HIV and drops possibly the realest quote in the history of the show 💯

Aye, please take two seconds and drop me a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts if you haven't yet, and follow me across social media @bennytomp18, including my brand new TikTok account that I'll be using for the show. Cheers, my friends 🥳

Guess what guys... I got my car back, which means back to the streets I go 😈

I literally just got it back, though, so no Uber Stories this week, but finally, the highly anticipated Uber Stories Pt. 21 will drop and we will be back on a normal schedule. Thank God 🙌🏼

Other than that, I share a few quick announcements for upcoming guests that will be joining the show over the next several weeks, but that's all I got! Be well, my friends, and come back next Wednesday for Uber Stories Pt. 21 😎

🚨🚨 Please take 2 seconds and help a brother out by leaving me a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts 🚨🚨

Kicking things off with a quick car update (1:40), I’m told that the plan is to have the car back to me by Friday, which means Uber Stories will be back next week 🙌🏼

Then I follow-up on some big news I teased last week (5:56) and go into a little story time and why this episode got its name ✌🏼

Later (16:32), some real talk on personal reflection, celebrating progress, identifying emotional triggers and their root causes, and how shifting my mindset allowed me to have a better perspective and be at peace with a current situation ☮️

And finally (28:16), I share a quick story about me calling some dude out last week at my gym for the shit he was talking 💯

Enjoy my friends, be well, please subscribe/rate/review on Apple Podcasts if you haven’t yet, and I look forward to being back on road next week 🤗

Alright my friends, I’m overflowing with excitement on this one because of a handful of things that I’m very excited to share with you 🥳

The first is a quick update on the car (5:32), including the latest on when I’m being told it might be done and I’m able to get back on road 🚘

I’ve also got some big news to share with you that I briefly touch on (7:25) and hope to be able to fully share in the next couple weeks… Major news. Exciting news. The biggest update this show has ever seen! And that’s one of the main reasons you’ll hear how excited I am on this episode is just because I’ve got something that I can’t wait to be able to share with you all very, very soon 🤗

Now, the other reason I’m all jacked up on Mountain Dew is because I recently got to hang out with my little brother that I’ve been matched with through Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I spend a big chunk of this episode talking about how that went, why I’m so excited about it, and why I feel we’re such a good match (17:09) 👨‍👦

Then at the 1:10:46 mark, I shift gears and spend the last part of the show following up on some thoughts from last week’s episode, last week’s events in Washington DC, and the hypocrisy of the people who were all about Blue Lives Mattering up until the moment that they didn’t 🤡

Uber Stories will return very soon, my friends, but in the meantime, enjoy these updates and keep riding with me because the 2021 revenge tour is off and running 🏃🏻‍♂️

You guys are not even gonna believe what's happening with my car... It's still hard for me to believe. And unfortounatley, no car = no Uber Stories 🙃

In lieu of that, after I share the latest developments and drama unfolding, I take a trip down memory lane at the request of some of you listeners and play a few of my old segments from back in my intern days at various places, plus read a collection of some of my oldest and favorite writings. Enjoy ✌🏼

Isn’t it amazing what we’ll share with a complete stranger?

It’s like this thing with people we think we’re never gonna see again… we’ll tell that person anything!

Things we wouldn’t even share with our closest friends and family. I should know…

As a former journalist turned Uber driver, I talk to people all day long and you wouldn’t believe the things they share with me.

Real people, real stories, REAL 👏🏼 TALK 👏🏼

Hey, how ya doin? I’m Ben Tompkins and this show, Real Talk with me, Benny T! is all about the people I meet driving for Uber.

Do you remember that old HBO show Taxi-Cab confessions? It’s basically that meets Dr. Phil.

I ride around all day long and I gas my people up and I do it because I never want anybody to feel as shitty or as alone or as abandoned as I have at different points of my life.

New episodes drop on Wednesdays everywhere podcasts are available…

Check out the videos I’m doing with my riders on TikTok @bennytomp18, or, the show page is on Facebook and Instagram @realtalkwbennyt

And by the way… Send me your best Uber stories! I know you’ve got ‘em, so send them to me and I would love to get those featured on the show and get that segment rolling.

Buckle up and come along on this ride with me, my friends… it’s gonna be one hell of a journey 💯

This episode is the longest, deepest, realest one I’ve ever done, but I’m in a really great place right now so here goes nothin’ 😌

I start by opening up about a question/feeling that has haunted and driven me all my life — why am I not good enough? 🤷🏻‍♂️

That’s going to be a reoccurring theme throughout the episode (as it’s been in my life) as I explain where that comes from and how deep it goes for me 💯

I give a quick update on the car and on the upcoming episodes (27:03), then I share how my Christmas Day went (34:10) and what made it one of the best Christmases I’ve ever had 🎅🏼

I also share what complicated my Christmas Day, including why I had to give my family the Irish Goodbye after dinner (58:20)✌🏼

Then (1:24:51) I share some thoughts on why we use drugs and alcohol to escape our realities, drug/alcohol addiction vs. drug/alcohol abuse, which category I fall into, and a rock bottom moment for me that led me to court-mandated AA meetings and forced me to confront my relationships with drugs and alcohol 🍻

Another reoccurring theme of this episode is the phrase, ‘Emancipate Yourself,’ and I share where that comes from and why Christmas ‘08 was the day I emancipated myself and became a man (1:34:24) ✊🏼

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to go through a divorce in a Catholic, Italian family, I break it down (1:57:57) and explain what it’s like being blackballed by your Grandma, Godparents, cousins, aunts and uncles 👤

And speaking of being blackballed... I share another life-changing experience that I had to go through when I was blackballed by my fraternity (2:21:35) 🔞

I talk about why that happened, why proving people wrong has been such a powerful and motivating feeling for me, and how I took a 2.2 GPA to multiple Dean’s List finishes, dual majors, created internship opportunities for myself, my own radio show, and getting paid to tutor student athletes 📚

Later (2:41:20), I share some other stories from past Christmases, including what it’s like partying in Las Vegas on Christmas, what it’s like to pass out in a Los Angeles church on Christmas, and what it’s like totaling a car and spending Christmas morning in the Emergency Room 🚑

Finally, I wrap up with a quick New Year’s story and why it’s one of my favorite memories (3:00:41), plus setting my goals for 2021 👀

Enjoy, my friends, and have a happy New Year 🥳

Friends, fam, colleagues past and present, riders, I'm wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas 🥳

No Uber Stories this week, but I recently shared an update via social media that I wanted to take some time expanding upon and opening up about. I recently began taking a new medication to help me better manage my symptoms and struggles with Bipolar Disorder and I can't say thank you enough to those who reached out because the response was overwhelming positive.

I discuss in-depth the journey of how I got to this point, when and what led me to want to get tested and eventually diagnosed, what my manic and depressive episodes look like, the medication I'll be taking, and the goals I hope this will help me accomplish.

If you or anyone you know suffers from Bipolar Disorder, or any mental health issue, feel free to reach out to me and I'd be happy to talk with them. You could also send them this episode and I bet hearing someone else speak openly and honestly about the ups and downs and struggles with mental illness will be refreshing.

I promise to always give you me, the real me, because after all... HOW AM I KEEPING IT REAL BY KEEPING THIS SHIT TO MYSELF???

Connect with me!

Twitter/IG: @bennytomp18

Facebook: @realtalkwbennyt

Email: [email protected]

I've got some good news to share, I've been matched with a little brother and we just had our first virtual outing yesterday so I lead with that, plus some thoughts on people reaching out in response to the podcast and the boosted posts, good and bad. Stories on today's episode include:

Call 'Em Out (31:40) - I g checked an old man into his place when the old man is way outta line with some remarks in the gym.

Spray 'Em Up (41:12) - A rider recalls a funny fight scene from his job involving two of his co-workers.

Waffle House Waitress (43:48) - A couple get in and the woman shares 7 mini-stories of the best fights she's ever seen and the drunkest people she's ever had to deal with working as a waitress at Waffle House.

1-Star (58:33) - A rider gives me a one-star rating, but was it justified? You be the judge.

Hustlaz Ambition (1:09:52) - Success comes in many forms and is totally subjective, kinda like the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder thing. But this is a podcast that celebrates the successes of others, no matter how different they look from our own.

Plus the fastest two minutes in sports to wrap up the show. New episodes Wednesday's, be well, my friends.