By the time Roger Smith was a teenager he was living on the streets of Santa Monica and addicted to drugs. He dropped out of high school, ran into trouble with the law, had his best friend shot right next to him while running away from a failed robbery attempt and, at one point, was so down and out and desperate for a fix in his early thirties that he walked into the Pacific Ocean expecting never to come back.

Being an entrepreneur as a young child selling comic books on the streets of New York, he was no stranger to hard work and sales. He ascended the corporate ladder to become the CEO of American Income Life Insurance Co, National Income Life Insurance Co. And Liberty National Life Insurance Co. He is also the recipient of the Yitzhak Rabin Legacy Award, Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, Healthcare For All Champion Award, Sol Stein Award, as well as numerous other awards and publications.

He is the father of 5 adult children (Nicole, Conrad, Emily, Adam, Amiah), proud grandfather of Maggie Mae, and currently resides in Florida with his wife Demi and his 2 dogs Penelope and Chrome.