The Example Podcast

Trent Schwab is a Des Moines native, real estate agent and just completed The Example program.

Trent came to me knowing that he needed stronger systems in his life to align his actions with his ambitions. He felt that he was under performing his potential at home and in business.

We spoke about cultivating a grateful perspective appreciating how far you have come, the difficulties of balancing home life and business and how small daily decisions compound over time to affect your life in a major way.

Trent has put in so much hard work into managing his thoughts and emotions, raising his self esteem and confidence through evidence he is who he says he is and giving himself the grace he deserves as a young man truly doing his best.

Trent is The Example.

Brian Springer is the Vice President of his family founded business Universal Printing. Alongside his sister they celebrated 60 years in business and we filmed in his grandads original office. Brian is also the head boys soccer coach at Des Moines Christian.

Brian has total clarity on who he needs to be for his family and loved ones. This has allowed him to design his days and life in a way that puts him in the best position to be his best self.

But it doesn't stop there. In his coaching role at Des Moines Christian Brian recognizes his responsibility to guide and teach young men how to be in the world using soccer as the vehicle to do so.

We spoke about creating small habits that precede the ultimate habit, the importance of having a true life partner when it comes to raising a family and maintaining an attitude of gratitude through it all.

Brian Springer is The Example.

This week I sat down with the president of Bison International Group, Steve Walsh. An Iowa native Steve was raised on the values of hard work with a family farming background. However he was the only one at his high school reading the Wall Street Journal as he walked the halls.

Steve has built companies into the multi millions, written two books and has a beautiful office in the 801 Grand building in downtown Des Moines. This conversation is focused much more around Steve the man than his business prowess. A man that has a deep love of learning and growth and isn't afraid to look like a beginner, a man that is ready to invest more energy into finding the right partner, a man that cares for the success of Des Moines as an entire community and a man that has learned he is enough exactly as he is.

Steve breaks the stereotype of a successful business owner being over weight and stressed out. He insist his mental and physical health are non negotiable and he makes the choice to prioritize both.

Steve Walsh is The Example.

James Eaton is the owner of Project Lean Nation in West Des Moines. James is the sort of man that makes you feel like you have known him for ages. This is a gritty conversation about the true ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. James has lived and worked all over the USA, been an extremely high performer in whatever he turned his attention to. However reaching for more eventually cost James not only significant amounts of money but his health as well.

We spoke about if entrepreneurship is for everyone and how James's specific path was forged, how his focus has changed to investing into experiences with his family over material things and his personal mission to motivate, uplift and inspire as many people as possible.

James is a real provider, real grafter and as authentic as they come.

James is The Example.

A native of Rio De Janeiro Brasil, Youri felt he behaved as a spoilt boy growing up. Not fully understanding the effort that was being put in around him to provide. He matured quickly, earning and raising the money for a soccer scholarship to the US. At college he discovered that you get out what you put in when it especially when it came to studying in a second language. His mother then had to sell the car and apartment she had worked so hard for to continue to fund Youri's college education. Youri displayed incredible resilience, adaptability and perseverance through out college and into the working world where he switched career paths in two major twists.

We spoke about being adaptable when it comes to consistency with your health and habits, his unwavering faith in God and how finding a communication style that works for your relationships is essential.

Youri has a relentless gratitude for people and life. He makes others feel so loved. He appreciates his wife on a level all men should aspire to. A big man with a big heart.

Youri is The Example.

I first met Dylan in 2022 when I returned to Des Moines. We coached the U11 girls soccer team together at Sporting Iowa. Immediately I knew he was a special man the way he threw himself into caring for the young players each practice and game. He didn't need to be there financially. He was there because he loved being of service and loved soccer. I got to know Dylan better as a man the next few years and it has been nothing short of a blessing. I am so incredibly delighted he said yes to being on the podcast and so happy for you to hear this twisting and turning story of a life well and truly lived so far. Expanding from Iowa to California to Bolivia and eventually home again Dylans path feels like 4 lives twisted into one great adventure.

We spoke about the value of out working your competition, finding someone just a few steps ahead of you on your journey you can learn from and saying yes to what life has to offer you.

Dylan has a deep sense of calm, men can only wish to embody. Driven by purpose, faith and service he allows others to feel completely safe and cared for in his presence. Becoming a new father is the next challenge he embarks on and I know he will blow it out the water.

Dylan Martinez is The Example.

This week I sat down with former Pararescueman Mike Brown. In his military career Mike carried the responsibility of entering danger when others were retreating - rescuing injured service members, civilians and allies from combat zones, disaster sites and impossible circumstances. 

To become a Pararescueman you must complete seven of the hardest and longest training schools in the U.S Military.  As you can imagine less than a few who start on this journey ever finish the training pipeline. 

Serving as a Pararescueman is one of the most respected and most elite roles in military special operations. It represents a life long identity defined by leadership, sacrifice and the ability to perform when lives hang in the balance. 

But when that career is over, what happens to ones identity?

In this episode Mike reveals how the reality of returning to a civilian life made him feel like he was constantly holding an inflating beach ball under water. Fighting between who his ego was demanding he behave as and the real Mike Brown underneath the mask. 

Financial success, physical prowess and genuine war hero stories made it easier to keep up appearances but internally a battle was raging. 

When it all became to much Mike found Ibogaine and DMT or it found him. 

Then the fee for freedom was due. 

What followed next is an indescribable experience that tore Mike back to the foundation. 

So he could rebuild.

No mask.

No ego. 

Mike Brown.

The Example of a great man.

Luis Solis grew up in Des Moines with two first generation immigrant parents. He watched and learned as his dad worked to provide him and his siblings every opportunity he could.

Luis ended his college soccer career early to fulfill his responsibilities as a father. Throughout this interview it is incredibly clear what that role means to him and how much he loves his family.

We spoke about what it took and how it felt to assume that responsibility early on, the lessons he hopes to pass on to his kids, why it's important for men to have good men around them and how genuine relationship building is the back bone of his business, Loans with Luis.

Luis is The Example.

Starting life in LA and finding his home in Des Moines at 18 in 1989. Ahman has had a 33 year career as a fire fighter, including being fire fighter of the year in 2023.

But this interview is about the husband, the father, the man Ahman Douglass. As he enters retirement, Ahman dispels an incredible wealth of wisdom, experience and ability to tell a story that has you on the edge of your seat.

We discuss the importance of community and how it all starts with self responsibility. The emotional success and shortcomings of being a father to 4 awesome kids. Making the switch the NA beers (his favorite is Guinness) and how not everyone was Kung Fu Fighting.

Ahman has an indescribable aura about him. I only hope you get can a tiny feel for who he is and whats its like to be in his presence through this interview.

Ahman is The Example.

Ross Moffat is our first guest that has been through The Example program.

He truly does it all: Play guitar, coach olympians, former professional soccer player and now helping hundreds of men as a licensed therapist. Not to mention he is working on his first book.

In this incredibly raw and vulnerable episode Ross explains how many men are carrying childhood circuitry and behaviors into adulthood at their detriment. He perfectly explains it as "Men are bringing a chainsaw to hang a painting. Its not that a Chainsaw isn't useful, its simply not the correct tool for the current moment" He goes on to explain the core concepts and reasons behind his book that will be titled "Adaptable"

Through openly sharing personal experiences around divorce and being a single dad, Ross makes you feel you aren't alone in whatever you are going through.

I simply can not express enough that if you are seeking a therapist there is no better option. Ross's booking page can be found below:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/ross-stuart-moffat-west-des-moines-ia/1194151

Ross Is The Example.