Facing Speed Bumps with Joel Clelland

Hey guys, welcome to the show. I’m Carol Carpenter, and that’s my co-host, Travis. Making those faces and being silly like he always is and highly inappropriate at times. Our special guest today is Joel Clelland Joel is a cereal entrepreneur and influencer who has had several successful businesses. He has most recently served as Centric’s CEO, and I believe he mentioned 18 months, and see, Centric is dual Token cryptocurrency system that is working to stabilize prices and provide a global borderless medium of exchange that only goes up in value with purchasing power. I hope I spit this out correctly.

That was great.

You got everything right, but his last name. I know Cleveland, Clelland

Speaker 4

It’s all good.

That’s one for me, you. Let me get away with it for a few years then.

He’s just happy that you’re talking to him. Let’s. Be honest. Yeah, that’s true.

I know. All right, so Joel also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Project Boon, a nonprofit community organization in Southern California that assists underserved children, individuals, and families with food security and connections to needed services. Welcome, Joel.

Perfect. Thank you. I’m glad to be here.

Yeah, I always forget about that project. “Boon” thing, but that’s like, that’s how we got connected years ago.

True, originally, yeah.

No kidding, 

Why don’t you tell the story, Travis?

So actually, I don’t remember who introduced us, but I met Joel a couple of years ago and he was a guest on my old show, the nonprofit architect podcast, and then we hit it off, and before I knew it, I was inviting him places, and him and his son, Paul, drove across the country for my retirement party. Shoot, just really have a grand old time together. We even hung out for a week. All three of us at a Ranch in Texas.

 True, and that was earlier this year. That was awesome.

Yeah, life-changing moments got to me.

 You say earlier this year, but this podcast doesn’t come out till like April of. Next year, people like

I know.

Earlier than April ****, that’s a.

That was January, you know. You know, I met you on Facebook. You and I are Facebook friends. That that evolved offline, it’s true.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, we were, and CC, we were moving and shaking, if you will, in the nonprofit space on Facebook, and I introduced Travis to the co-founder of Project Boom because I was the board chair at that time, and I think Chris was on your show, wasn’t he?

Travis, Chris. Chris was on the show. We have got to talk about Project Boon. And how did they do Thanksgiving during the pandemic in LA? The list was just brilliant, the way that they’re doing that. I love, love, love everything Chris is doing with Project Boon. It’s not often that I get to say that because I talked to a lot of nonprofit organizations that are doing this, and I’m like, OK, good luck.

Yeah, that’ll last about three weeks.

Oh, I get it.

No sustainability.

There are these nonprofit organizations that seem like they’ll just jump out and down. Be like, it’s so amazing. It’s so wonderful that none of us are even taking a paycheck. None of you are paying by taking a paycheck. I wonder just how long that organization will stay together.

Exactly, it’s not sustainable.

I’ve got to ask you, Joel. I already know the answer because I’ve known you for a long time. time, but I want it. To know what makes you a Titan?

Can I share something that I talked to myself about two days ago? I was on my daily walk. I walk every single day. I believe in “move it or lose it”. And I was thinking about my day, and I’m not talking about the day. Two days ago, I was just like every single day, I think what makes me a Titan is the fact that I’ve got certain things I do every single day. I meditate, I pray, and I dial things in. I started doing daily affirmations a little while ago. That was fun. Mike and I share our favorite one. Yeah, that’s pretty sweet. My worth is innate and cannot be taken away.

I like that one.

My worth is innate and cannot be taken away. 

In addition to the movement and the daily routine that I have, I am also pretty focused on the gym. I believe that being laser-focused on health is extremely important because there are always these things that seem to want to steal my or our time. And it’s easy to say no. When you’ve got a ****** schedule that’s dialed in, you’ve got your time blocks and you’re like, “No, nobody is taking this away from me. This is my time to be who I want to be and get better every day, and I believe that just sticking to my daily routine, especially from like 5:00 or 6:00 AM to about 10 or 11 every day. That block is mine.

Yeah, you have to. Be fierce about keeping that time for yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anybody else. You’re really good for anybody else you know. In the day, what do you do? Speaking of discipline, I tell people all the time, you know. When it comes to fitness, I’m of a certain age; don’t ******* talk about it, Travis. 

Please see our older episodes for that answer.

But you know, we will talk About this, people sit there and say, “Oh, you. You look great for your age. You know how you do it? I treat it every day.

You don’t look great for your age, Carol.

You just look great.

You look great. It’s not great for your age.

Thank you. But that being said, it comes down to discipline, right? I mean, know that to maintain it, you have to do it daily. So, when people talk to me about working out, I say, “Oh yeah. But what happens when you Don’t have time? I go, you make time.

You know exactly what?

You make time for things that are important in your life, and that includes family and friends and things. So, you sit there. and say I don’t. Have time, you know, if you don’t. You have time for the basics. How do you have time for the big things? In your life. Exactly, mostly it’s not. It’s absurd to give any kind of discount. It was for nothing. So, I tell them all the time. It’s like brushing my teeth every morning. You have to brush your teeth, right? 

Well, treat it like brushing your teeth after working out. Make sure you eat well.

I was thinking about that again two days ago because I was reviewing it. I was considering giving up some of my mornings. We were doing something else.

And I’m like, “What are you thinking? Dude, no, no freaking way.

Well, well, well, we’re on the show. What was it you were Considering, maybe we can round table this thing?

Simply put, poor cash flow. And I’m like, “Yeah, I’m not going to give up. I’m not going to give up this because I know that’s not going to get me where I want to go. My morning is getting me where I want to go. It makes me the person that I am, and it keeps my energy levels up.

Creativity goes further when those creative juices flow. Like I don’t know. I don’t know about you, but it’s usually when I’m working out or when I’m doing something else right, and it’s for me that I don’t laugh. My epiphanies always come in the shower, and I could be working out. You know, I’ll be thinking about things, but then the dotting, the eye part comes in the shower. I wish I could have a recorder in there.

You should.

You can.

Right? 

You can get your phone close, and it’s got a voice recorder.

Yeah, I just like, that’s my personal time. I hate it because I’ve done speeches. In there in my head, I’m like, “Oh ****. That was great. I should have put it in the notes. It’s turned into something different, you know, ****?

Well, so if you’re listening to this right now, we want to know where your epiphanies come from. Is it in your morning routine? Is it in the shower for me? 

If I’m listening to an audiobook and doing another. I like completely innocuous activities like riding a bicycle or driving a car, which I will have to do. I will pull over, pause my thing, and write down whatever the thing is I just did. I thought of it because it blocks out all that chatter. I’ve got a lot of **** going on up here. 

I know, I know, there’s a lot of, you know, jovial BS and back and forth and stuff on the show. But like this thing is always ******* working, it’s always working. You have to find a way to get it to quiet down to allow your inner self to shine. 

As if some people would. Meditation I do metal. When I was younger, I had a no-kidding-do metal on my way to work so I could feed the rage monster within me and be mad instead of the people at work making me mad. This was a long time ago in the Navy. I’m not that person anymore.

Awesome, right?

It’s not often that Carol is stunned into silence.

Rage monster

Is that because you can’t picture me doing that? way at all.

No, I can’t. No, I really can’t.

It’s an evolution that’s funny.

Because we’re still the same people we were. when we were born. We just keep evolving. Yeah, like with my wife. The gal I married. She’s a different girl today. I mean, she’s still my wife. She’s still the same gal, but she’s changing every day. And I can hold her in place and tell her, “No, you have to stay here,” you know. I married a 28-year-old goddess. I can say no, you’re growing, I’m growing, the river is flowing. This is all good.

 Yeah, are you?

Hopefully, we’re getting better soon.

What exactly are you saying? That she’s no longer a goddess? Do I need to send this interview to her?

You can send it to her. She’s a goddess.

There you go.

She’s just not a 28-year-old goddess.

So, there’s a reason we’ve kept trolling’, and I like myself better now than I did in my twenties.

Yeah, no, that’s not a joke. I was talking to my dad when he was older, and he said he had some cute little things sniffing around. I was like, so are going to do it, this is… this was many, many, many years ago. If his current wife is listening way before you, I promise. … And I was like, “What do you think? And he was like, “What the hell? Why would I do that? I was like, “What do you mean he’s like? Let me deal with the same problems. I dealt with that 20 years ago. I haven’t got time for those problems.

All you do is change. problems because, at the end of the day, guess what? Those girls want the same thing. What’s your girl? So, you’re just exchanging, that’s it, and then you have to train them because it’s true. Also, on our end, for girls, it’s like you sit there and you go. Oh, that looks like a lot. I am at work. I’m up for it.

I don’t want to train anybody. I just want to model.

We are no longer closed to new projects. What do you mean, you guys stopped working? I’m like, I’m talking about people.

Yeah, yeah, my program. I usually call it my stray cat, right? How many squirrel nuts are you collecting? And I’m like “****,” and she goes What’s your new project I’m like, ah ****, I guess you guys all know me. You know because you see the little stray cat. And you’re like, “Oh, I’ll help you. I’ll take care of you, and next thing you know, there’s like three or four more, and you’re like your friends. I think that’s right.

because you are.

Yeah, well it consumes your time, so learn to say no. It’s really important. You know, kind of going full circle back to Joel. And you know, this is protecting your time.

It’s vital, yes, critical. What other synonyms can we throw in? I mean, it’s so important, damn. You’ve got it, you’ve got to. You’ve got to be so firm that no one can penetrate it with their minor ********

Yeah, well.

Because that’s what most of it is, and most of it just kind of slides away because it’s theirs anyway, it’s not mine.

You must fiercely protect those times. I mean, I have a boyfriend that lives in Canada, right? And he comes down for certain events, such as racing or track days. But we spend a lot of time away, so when he comes down, sometimes you know he’ll say, “Well, why don’t we do this? Or why do we do that? And I’m like, “No, because the time you have here is so limited. And I’m fiercely protective of our time because I know we don’t have that much time. So, quality time is a huge issue, and you know when you start saying, “Oh, let’s go have dinner with so and so this night and then meet friends the next night and you’re like, “Well then where’s their time with just us. Because I know once he goes back, it’ll be another two or three weeks before either I go up there or he comes down here, and there was a period. It was six months before we saw each other. So, you’ve got to be fierce about protecting that time.

I like that word, yeah?

Yeah, if you’re keeping track, our fierce counter is up to four on this episode today.

Are you counting? It’s fierce, fierce, fierce, fierce, fierce.

He almost got us up to 10. It’s as simple as that.

So, it’s one. Of those things, I did as an instructor. When I was teaching for the Navy, you always end up doing, uh, a corona counter or it ends up being a filler word counter, and fierce isn’t a filler word, but through our conversation, if someone likes, uh, words repeated, I’ll like it.

I just ping it in my head. If I hear it again, I’ll ping it. I’ll write it down, and depending on what it is, I’ll start making hash marks. I was in a meeting with a friend of mine. He was the boss, but he outranked me, and we were running out of time. I mean short things like 15 minutes. He was talking about the UM counter getting to 115 because he said it comes before and after every sentence, and sometimes two or three times in the middle of a sentence. And I showed it to him. I was like, “Dude, you gotta stop. You’re killing me right now with these arms.

One of our Toastmasters was like that a few weeks ago. He’s new to Toastmasters. He’s a genius. But you know, when I told him at the end, I said, “You know what? I just stopped counting. He was probably like listening to you all. No, I don’t know about that. Hey, we’re just not aware of the things that we do unless somebody lets us know charitably, in a kind way.

OK, hopefully, hopefully.

I got to take notes. I’ll take that for myself, in a charitable way.

But at the end of the day, if people don’t tell, I mean, what’s a better thing to do for people: to tell them the truth or just not say anything? If you can see that as what you can do, like you did this, Carol. It’s like you tell people in such a way that they know now. 

Now it’s their responsibility if they want to get better.

So, it’s how you frame it too. At the end of the day, I mean, like, think about this growing up in California. What’s the filler word in California?

You know, so like, yeah, mine is and.

You never did that.

I did have big, long annnnnds

And the and is always on the ceiling, right?

That’s a really funny fart. Holding on to that and feeling like you’re being, oh, you’re thinking and you’re deep in thought and you have this great answer coming out until you answer. And then everybody was like, “Yeah, he was stumped” 

Did we wait for that?

You had us on the edge of… That’s what you came up with, seriously, yeah?

Right, right? So yeah, let’s talk about centric, and that’s actually when we all met originally. Joel was the CEO of Centric at that time, and I was not. I’m going crazy about it. And of course, I am like an idiot when it comes to cryptocurrency, so I remember sitting there talking to you. I’m just not getting this ****. It’s just so. Beyond me and what you said about the whole thing, it’s OK, you’ll. Get used to it, I’m like. Guess what, I’m still not used to it?

This is a great time to be looking at it and learning. I know this probably isn’t going to come out until the middle of next year or whatever. We’ll probably still be in crypto winter by then.

It’s cold out here in crypto winter, yeah.

However, for those interested in investing, this is not investment, financial, or any other type of advice. But like you would with traditional stocks in publicly traded companies, learn about crypto. And look at accumulating it, because you know, like Buffett Buffett’s accumulating Fortune 100 companies right now, people in crypto are accumulating crypto.

You call it the future?

Yeah, the future of finance and I think what’s going to happen And I mean, you can quote me on this in ten or twenty years when we look back on this podcast. There are two very distinct forces in finance that are growing right now. 

There’s the traditional side, which is like your central bank world. Banks and governments throughout the world are trying to develop, you know, outside of the one world order, a one world currency that will be electronic. 

And that’s being marketed now in places like China and Nigeria, even in the Bahamas, where there’s a Bahamian dollar. It’s called the sand dollar their electronic version of the dollar in the Bahamas. It’s one-to-one. 

The issue that a lot of us have that is on the kind of more libertarian anarchist side is that we see that as a wide scale. Surveillance, and so what? What about these governments and these central banks? And of course, you know the World Bank and the powers that be. What they can do is turn on and off your money. And for a lot of us, that’s a big concern. I don’t want anybody to lock me out of my bank accounts or lock me out of my money.

Well, you know what happened in Canada?

Yeah, so and so.

And but that’s not the only place where that’s Wait, wait, wait…

Wait for our listeners that don’t know what happened in Canada.

Go ahead, Joe.

Well, I want to find out what you’re specifically talking about because there are like two or three things that happened up there.

Well yeah, but it had everything to do with the truckers, right?

OK, that’s what I thought you were. We were talking about, yeah.

The fact that anyone had anything to do with them? They froze their bank accounts.

Yeah, they froze the bank accounts, but they also did that because what was happening was that a lot of the donors were trying to send cryptocurrency to these truckers to help take care of their needs. They shut down all of the Bitcoin and other crypto transfers, but that’s just one example. I mean, there are a lot of countries throughout the world that are like that. 

I believe there was something else as well. Go Fund Me. They had raised millions of dollars and had gone into funding. They said we don’t agree with your cause, so we’re not going to give up. To the truckers, it isn’t that ********. But they’ve done it more than once.

But you see, that’s where the other side of it is. This is free. Community-based currency, which is true crypto, is an alternative to that where it’s like OK, I think it’s fine. Both can coexist. Hopefully, we will know what we know. History probably tells us something different, but at the end of the day, it’s just another way to make money, and Carol, to your first question, I see it as Because economies are already starting to develop, markets are developing around crypto. And so, what’s going to happen? I think what we’re going to see, like I said, in the next 10 to 20 years or so, is that we’re going to see parallel economies. We’ve always had black markets, but I think we’re going to have fully independent autonomous markets.

Well, I choose a lot, like Eastern Moose and Western medicine. There’s an alternative in crypto.

Yes, that’s a good Metaphor.  So, there you have it.

And now, yeah, no. At the end of the day, it’s not there. right or wrong with either one of them, but

That’s what I believe if

 I have a problem with that if we go completely cashless.

Yeah, well, I think it’s right because everybody that grew up from an older generation, like our parents, grandparents, and stuff, can’t even get their heads wrapped around cryptocurrency, so they would stick with the traditional form, and I hate to say it, but the traditional form is like they’re, they’re ******. As with fees.

However, many of the older generations have a problem with these. And now they’re all, now they’re all using smart devices.

There are a lot of people. There’s a huge part of the country, let alone the world, that doesn’t have smartphones, and there is a houseless population that doesn’t have electronics.

Right, so currency could be a problem for individuals…

Not necessarily, because the thing is, what we’re starting to see is that you might have different statistics than I do, but we’re starting to see that there is a flood of smart devices globally and even in some places where you wouldn’t think they would have a smartphone, like some Indigenous village somewhere in the third world, they do. And so, it’s an opportunity for people around the world, the global unbanked, which is about 2 billion people or so. To have another way to access money and not to feel like, hey, there’s this huge disparity between the haves and the have-nots.

Cryptocurrency also has merchant fees too, which are equivalent to things like banking fees.

Those tend to be lower, though that’s the other piece that makes it attractive for merchants, and in most cases, there aren’t any chargebacks, which is very attractive to merchants.

Oh yeah.

So obviously, that is evolving, and I think what’s going to end up happening in that sector is that there’s going to be some type of way to have chargebacks, you know. Hey, I didn’t want this and be able to return it. Get your group back. But at the current time, merchants are very happy to accept crypto because they’ve got two ways they can take it. They can either just take the cryptocurrency right to their crypto wallet or hold it there. Again, no chargebacks or they can get paid out in their local Fiat currency, whatever it happens to be, the USD, euro, or whatever, the customer can pay in crypto, and the merchant can get paid out in fiat. But Travis I did. I think you have some data that I don’t have, but you’re also asking about cash, like why don’t you want cash to fully go away, I’m just kind of curious.

I don’t particularly care, but I know there are people in the US that are homeless that may not have access to that. Then they aren’t going to stand out on a corner and someone’s going to go by with their NFC on their phone and tap their phone and give them… Do you know what I mean? My only worry

Yeah, I agree with you.

 I don’t mind whatever the currency is like Oreos or some ****. I don’t care, right, but if a population just simply can’t have access to it, then it’s not any different than what we’re experiencing now with the governor’s ability to shut it off.

Right, I think what we’re starting to see, too, is the whole shared-share economy of the Gen Z millennials and then Gen Alpha, who are very much into sharing everything. They are not possessive of things or money. And you know, you see this with rideshare and all kinds of things, so I don’t know how to own anything. I just want to be able to get from point A to point B.

I think what’s going to end up happening is that there are enough charitably minded people out there that will help fill in the gaps. There are always going to be issues where people aren’t getting the services they need, but I believe that people like us are going to show people. There’s another way you know this person is hungry. We got them food. This person doesn’t have clothing, or they don’t have shelter. Let’s take care of that.

But don’t you believe this is a two-edged sword? I mean, we grew up together, you know. Where our parents taught us, you work hard, you make money, and you don’t depend on the government. You don’t depend on anybody, right? Being self-sufficient and if we are helping people, what is their motivation? Do you know? And so that’s how I’m feeling. We are doing them a great injustice by not giving them a reason to be better than they are. Because if you want to, if you live in mediocrity or even less than that, you can do that. But there are pros and cons to everything.

It’s kind of like, it’s kind of like a paycheck versus being an entrepreneur.

Right, absolutely.

I know. But what I’ve been having in these conversations here recently is not the fact that they don’t want to buy a house, buy a car, buy any of that stuff. They just grew up hearing the generation as you mentioned, you know, work hard, and save your money, and then you work for a company for 30 years. You can maybe pay off your home and they’re looking at it and saying, “That’s great and all, and I’m glad you are saying that. But this **** isn’t working. So why would we follow your advice? It’s not the right model.

Right, well, but that’s why we chose to be entrepreneurs, right? We don’t want to take the conventional route at the end of the decade. We know it doesn’t work.

Right, that’s for us, but not everyone listening is an entrepreneur.

That’s right.

Changing people’s mindsets maybe.

Everybody needs clean water, though.

Yeah, very true.

And food, right?

I don’t know how California is struggling with water. Have you guys seen what they’re doing in Israel? With their desalination plants, Israel is a tiny sliver of a country with their desalinization.

 Oh, cool, yeah.

They’re taking the salt out of the Mediterranean water right there and running it through purity as if California is almost entirely reliant on the Colorado River, and as if there’s no effort to desalinate the water that’s up and down their coast that they have access to

I know I agree. I agree. Sometimes I wonder about the leaders in our state and our country. And in our world,

I think we all do.

Are you thinking about the people you “serve”? Are you thinking about the big picture? Why or are you just getting endorsements?

Well, that’s not happening. I mean, some lobbyists are doing things for financial reasons, right? was speaking to Ben Lloyd. I don’t know if you guys know Ben Lloyd.

I’ve met him.

OK, so he is in with Alpha Water, and they do a lot of water purification to build cities. good drinking water for their citizens, right? They’re locals, and he is struggling to help the guy from Alpha Water, you know, go to the mayor like Mayor Robert, right? And they get it done because they can’t get over the sticker shock, but the sticker shock is a lot less than in other places.

So, it begs the question, why are you going with a higher ticket product? That might not necessarily work. Then go for another one that’s less, but you’re going to complain about sticker shock unless there’s somebody involved, like a family member or somebody, that’s, you know.

That’s a quick visit to the news media.

Right, It’s interesting to me why people like it. This Alpha water can’t go to this government municipality and say hey, this is the best option for you guys because you’re struggling with being able to provide enough water for yourself. Know your city, state, or whatever. It’s interesting to tell you that they can’t get the **** done.

I agree. You’re preaching to the choir, Cece.

Yeah, yeah, just saying.

At least my choir

So, as we mentioned earlier, we met when you were the CEO of Centric, and now you’re no longer the CEO. How did you find the transition from being the CEO of a crypto company to no longer being the CEO?

It’s going well. I think the fact that I spend so much time focusing on what I have versus what I don’t have, I think is probably half the battle for me and having my dreams. I still have massive goals. I was getting ready for this show, and I was thinking about Nutty Big. I think if I put off the nuts after the big one it doesn’t sound right, but nutty big goals. Having nutty big goals is super important, yeah.

I mean, there are things that my wife and I want to do. There are things that I want to do, and I think kind of focusing, laser focusing on the things that I want to do is what keeps me moving. But yeah, I mean, it was a lot. It was a letdown, but it’s like I’m not dead. I’m here. I’m here to do some work, and why am I here to answer that question?

Let’s discuss this. I mean, that’s a speed bump, right? I mean, everybody in life goes through speed bumps and times and periods of transition. And if we can view it from a place of abundance versus scarcity, scarcity. Right, I think so many things can happen because there’s a reason, you’re going through that speed bump.

Maybe there’s something bigger and better around the corner. Maybe it’s going to allow you to refocus. Find that one thing that you want to create. This was your period, kind of, maybe collaborate with people, get those ideas intact, and then really go for it. whereas if you had continued working for the company, I would have had no time to even think. So that’s about it, so there are reasons for all. These things happen. So sometimes, instead of thinking about oh shit, this suck. You know what? Yep, 

Opportunity

opportunity exactly.

Yep, I agree. It’s interesting. I found out on a Monday, and on Thursday before that Monday, I started a nine-day course that I was in. It was like a high-level training course, a mindset course, and I found out right in the middle of that course that I was being replaced. 

So, you know, I’m sure you’re never surprised at that level. You know, companies go in a different direction if you will, but I spent the next four days or so on that particular course. I was in training, just kind of reflecting that I was like, this is cool. This couldn’t have happened at a better time because I’m actually in this situation with people and they weren’t our people. However, they were people that are like us in a lot of ways, and they kind of approach life differently. It’s like things are happening for me, not to me. 

And yeah, we have a friend named Aaron, and he talks about things flowing into him and through him. It’s like I’m part of this existence. Since then, but I’m an active participant, I’m not a spectator, yeah, and so I spent those next few days thinking, well, what do I want to do? What don’t I want to do? Within the C-Suite Next time I’m in a role like this, do I want to be a CIO or a CFO? 

No, I don’t. I want to be a CEO. Or a COA COO with an amazing team. Yeah, and there are some things that I’m working on, which is kind of fun because it’s like I can continue to tinker. While I continue to reflect on my dreams and then find ways to monetize them, that’s something I’m working on too.

Yeah so. Well, that’s the goal for everybody, to monetize those dreams. So, you could make your dreams your life, things that you are passionate about, to have a company or an idea that you can make money from because it’s a passion of yours. But you are never really working because this is what you do.

So anyway, it’s good. It’s good. I mean, I think we are right now, two months ago. Two months ago, I was. I was told that things are changing. And I’m like, things are always, always changing. So, but I don’t, yeah, but I’m. I am still on as an advisor in the background, working with Censo and assisting them as I can. I still try to get a workflow for them if it comes to me and it’s for them, you know. I try to make those connections since I’m friendly with the founders.

Yeah, I do. I’d expect that because I don’t expect you to be unfriendly to anybody. But just because I

I know you. So, are you in Essence, like a consultant for them?

The project we use the term “project” in cryptography, but the company has several advisors. I’m one of those. kind of a silent one. So, as a silent advisor assisting the CEO, he and I have a good working relationship. We talk periodically. I’m still very well connected with the C-Suite and the founders, so we’ll see. What is the future? It adds a cool factor. The cool thing about centric is that it’s just what it’s a massive undertaking that’s this year. Even though they have a fully deployed and, you know, executed product, it’s going to have a lot of moving parts in the coming years. And I suspect I’ll be involved with Centric in some capacity, probably indefinitely, but I’m doing my things too.

Yeah, I know we’ve talked. We’ve talked offline about stuff like what you’re doing and stuff, and I find it interesting. Do you want to divulge some of it?

Sure, I mean, I can go to a high level. I have a couple of people that I’m working with within the background that are still kind of I know I won’t be very specific about what that is, but I’m still open to speaking before groups on Web 3 and educating people on crypto and blockchain, the metaverse.

I also have two script-writing teams that are pitching their scripts to film and work with motion pictures, and I haven’t been in that business previously, but I know a few people. And I’m doing what I can to assist those two teams. It’s cool too because they’re both different genres, one is more like a drama, and the other a contemporary romance. It’s got some of that mixed in. And then the other one is kind of like a Marvel Comics type of thing. I mean, it’s like this dystopian future world with, you know, animation and voice actors that make it, you know, like a murder thriller slash dragnet. 

So, imagine taking something like dragnet law enforcement and combining it with robots and blood. That’s what it’s going to be. But it’s just, it’s kind of cool, like, look at this new world, because I came from the music business. I worked in the rock ‘n’ roll music industry for over a decade, and it’s interesting because one of the two scriptwriting teams was One of the two main guys on that team, we used to play together. And so, as he comes from the music industry, but now he’s fancying himself a writer, and the great thing about both of these teams is that they’ve got lots of projects. They’re not just pitching the scripts that we’re pitching right now, so they’re developing their own like entertainment companies and CC. I know you’ve kind of got some experience with that. It’s just that seeing creative people is fun. People make a good go of it, but it’s not easy work. I’m starting to figure that part out too. It’s not an easy industry.

Yes, it’s a difficult industry to work in.

And you got them to see, hey, what are they looking for? Are they looking for what we’re bringing to the table?

It’s also how you pitch. It’s been framed. I think that’s the key. If you’re looking for it, you know what you know. I mean, sometimes you can make mistakes. They’re a little bit more forgiving if you know somebody when you do the explanation and the pitch, but yeah, it is a difficult industry because they see so much ****. Come through the tape that you have like a second to catch your attention.

Right, yeah, I was. I was at this thing two weeks ago, the gentleman who was presenting… he’s kind of a household name, but he was talking about sizzle reels. And I’m like, OK, I think I know what that is. But yeah, you know how? How is that going to help? Help my team and is it in the budget? You know, just all those kinds of things where it’s like you want to make sure everything is dialed in as good as it is.

 Lights can appear, and it has. Yeah, you know, you know that they’re doing that now for websites, so even with websites, web designers are now doing what they call, quote, UN quote, “sizzle reels. They’re coming. There are just so many things these days because we hate to say this, but. Everyone got a TD. Do you know what it feels like in the world?

for ADHD, right?

ADHD, whatever, whatever. Both just don’t. I merged them.

There are too many options.

You can’t if you can’t catch somebody’s attention, right? What do you think of Instagram? It does so well. Nobody gives a ****. About what are you right? They want to see a video. If they won’t, yeah.

Quick, quick, quick. When you’re explaining The Blood and the Robots, you know there’ll be bloodthirsty robots able to shoot them. It’s like what I’m talking about right now.

We have got these bloody robots overhead, the Hubble Space Telescope and primitive Hubble

Let’s create a dragnet and catch these bloody robots.

thing, and we’re going to get a pint.

Well, you can’t even say Hubble. You must mention Hubble.

Oh yeah, if it were more of the English persuasion.

You don’t say Harry Potter overseas, it’s Harry Potter.

Just like you, sitting there. Laughing in the corner, like, “What the **** Are you laughing? 

About because I mean, thinking about bloody robots, like if someone was offended by me. I have no skill in that, so just deal with it. 

But my wife, my wife went over there for a trip and entered like Harry Potter. Or maybe she was just the gal she was. With her, it’s all about it. She told me this story because the guy was given it like Harry Potter but is for you. Americans like Harry Potter and Harry Potter. 

I love highlighting those little quirks about us. It’s not because it’s good or bad, or I’m picking on anybody because it’s just so much fun. After all, I know that I have them. I mean, I grew up in northern Minnesota and I’ve been living in the South for 20 years. I don’t sound like I’m from either place.

Yeah, you don’t.

You have no idea.

You sound like you are from California or Oregon.

I don’t even know. I don’t know. I don’t even know if I want to respond to that.

He sounds like us. That’s what I’m saying. Diction dialect. People from here and people from here are so egocentric that, well, I don’t have an accent, I’m in California. Everybody has an accent.

Everyone has an accent. Yeah, talk to a surfer and then come back to me and tell me there are no accents in California.

Kwabena yeah.

OK, so we just talked. About the entertainment part of it, there’s also gaming. We talked about gaming going to that.

We can’t, we can. I’ll just kind of throw a little blanket thing out there and then we can move on. See the billions and billions and billions of dollars that are in gaming and how that’s going to go up to trillions and that Gen, Alpha, Gen Z, and generations coming up. Don’t be surprised if half the population isn’t making most of their money from gaming.

Oh, without a doubt. My sons are totally into video games, right? It’s going to be ******* Donkey Louis. Plus, there’s a lot. Of all the educational stuff that’s going into meaning these days, even a Reggie, you know? We’ll talk to you about that. They’re part of that whole movement, also, David.

Yeah, and it’s so young, the whole space is very, very young. We’re still in the early stages, and many people wonder, “Oh, I’m investing in what?” I feel like I missed it and none of that applies here because it’s constantly evolving. 

There’s constant development in that space. And is Zuckerberg going to be the guy who’s the most successful? I don’t know and I don’t think so because there are so many companies out there that are moving forward with different ways that you can gamify life. and to make money. So, there’s that. I mean, there’s a prize to earn. There’s a move to earn. Yeah, there are only about 50 apps for, I mean, Travis, that thing we were. I was out in San Diego a few weeks ago when one of the speakers was talking about this. 

There are about 50 apps that pay you in cryptocurrency just for walking. I mean, there are lots of ways out there to make money on web 3. 

We talked a little bit about what your journey was after centric, which was pretty benign because your mindset is so rock solid that your routines are amazing. Was it always so rock solid and amazing?

What do you mean throughout my life?

Oh, there’s more. There’s more to Joel than the last three months.

We’re going.

There’s at least four months’ worth of material in there.

I’ve had depression. In the past, I was pretty. I’m a pretty positive person and I like to think that things are going to get better because the alternative is so very dark.  Because if I spend time thinking that the future is not bright, it’s not going to get better. I wouldn’t even be on this show with you guys, because I’d just be having a pity party somewhere.

That’s 100%, but there’s…

I can drink without the pity party.

Some things happen when you get there, yeah.

Speaking of drinking, yeah, that’s true.

But speaking of drinking I thought I was an alcoholic. Years ago, I went into an addictionist. And I always tell people if they think you’re an addict but it’s alcohol, drugs, or prescription pain meds. Whatever it happens to be, go talk to a doctor that specializes in that. I went to an addictionist before I put that diagnosis on myself, and I didn’t know this before going to him, but most addictions are classified as such before you go to him. Doctors are addicts.

Most of them, seriously, are either alcoholics or drug addicts. Yeah, so they have the experience. And they can help you sort things out, and for me, they said, “Joel, you’re not an alcoholic, you just drink too much.”

And to you also. When you’re emotional, you drink more, which is not healthy for you. So, he says. So, when you’re in a bad place or you’re emotional or upset or whatever, don’t go to the bar.

That’s where the alcohol is, Joel.

Or the gym, you know, or whatever you know, and you know who. Decide for yourself. How you want to live your life and if you don’t enjoy blacking out. If you don’t enjoy waking up with a headache, you are aware that you have some level of control over that. It’s not something that you need.

Yeah, there are alternatives for sure, but you know, it’s not funny that it’s almost. I think it’s because we grew up in California. I remember hanging out with my friends. What is there to do in your free time? Everyone goes to the bar, shoots pool, and drinks their *****.

That’s not just a California thing. Let me tell you.

California coolers

Oh God, those things gave me. Headaches, man, those things were horrible. Sugar in a bottle.

What does the doctor say in this situation? This is what happened to me last time I was on smack. Is that what the doctor likes? That’s the first thing I pictured. Do you know what he did?

Travis had no idea what he was doing to me. He knew how to talk to me, and I love stories. I love stories, and so he started telling me his story. And I was like, “Well, holy ****. I’ve never had that happen, or, you know, I don’t feel like I need to be drinking.

You know what Joel does when he’s blackout drunk and it’s none of Joel’s business?

Right? 

That’s right, I’m blacked out, but for me, I thought that was helpful to me because he was telling me his story, and in his story, I couldn’t identify myself with his stories and so on, that was just the prescription I needed.

Right? 

I knew that I didn’t identify with that. I’m not an angry drunk. You know, I’m like Kid Rock and some of these other guys, you know, happy, happy, drunk, or whatever.

Oh my God, I hug everybody.

Yeah, but I love you, man, you know. 

But, at this point, at the end of the day, I can decide. What does that mean for me in my life now? I’m preparing for a Spartan race in December. So, I’m like, “Well, I think I’m probably going to be. I drink less, if at all.

Well, and that’s that. For us, like even riding motorcycles, right? We don’t drink during this because even close to a race we don’t drink, or at least one that gives a ****. Don’t drink it because it’s water.

Those who give a s****

So, what exactly was it? right? At what age did you discover that water was an adult beverage?

I think it was once I started having hangovers.

This is the whole thing. Do you want to get up? I aspire to be an adult. I can do whatever I want, and you try, and you’re like, “This is terrible. And then you find out the real adults.

It’s our drinking water.

You know Joe Disina, by the way, from Spartan. We will be seeing the other owner of Spartan.

Not personally.

That’s someone we’ve got to have on the show. Yeah, he’s got a crazy story.

I just know my team is “team determined.”

The team determined the team is German.

And it’s not my team, it’s me. I’m on the team, but I didn’t start it, so I’ll be there helping.

How many people are on your team?

I don’t think we’ll have many more, but we’re doing a 5K sprint, which isn’t. The difficult part: So, the 20 obstacles with the 5K are the result of twenty, uh, articles? That’s where the challenge is going to come in. because you’ve got all these and it’s a coed team. So, our co-ed team is going to be lifting cables together. We’re going to be scaling things up. Steeplechase running, you know, running through mud, I mean, just like all that stuff that you see.

Are you guys training together or are you training separately?

I haven’t gotten any memos on that, so I’m doing my training. I’m, you know, I’m sticking with what I do, which is move every day and go to the gym every other day. So, I do resistance training three to four times a week, sometimes five. I move every day.

Hey, how do you know everybody else is following the same type of trend

I don’t know, maybe I’ll be the weakest link. Maybe I’ll be the strongest link. I don’t know. I’m not worried about it; I’m just working. I’m just concerned about myself. 

Yeah, and so, and I know one of the people in That is one of my coaches. For fitness and nutrition, he and his wife are beasts. So, they’re all prepared. I’ll be keeping up with them. The person who founded the team determines I know she’s pretty serious and she’s done Spartan races.

So, you’re telling me you’re coming in at least fourth. That’s what you’re telling me.

You know, Travis, you can read whatever you want into that.

So, we’ll find out when we post the live results of Spartan.

That’s right, that’s right. The 10th of December, before Christmas. So, and I know this isn’t going to come out till next year, probably. Yeah, it’s going to be fun.

You never know.

That’s true. You guys are in control of the schedule.

Yeah, we can do whatever the hell we want.

That’s right.

I’m running this ****.

It’s ours; we can do whatever the **** we want.

I love it.

It’s great to have you here. It will be the first episode that comes out in 2025.

Hi guys.

Well, this next video portrays somebody who passed away two years ago. Do you want to see his final resting place?

I know a resting place so dark.

You have to go there. God dang it.

I do have a dark side. I don’t say that I don’t, I just don’t. Just don’t reside there. And I will. And you know what? See, I’m not afraid to die. We’re not afraid of death.

Yeah, well, I think at the end of the day we don’t get to choose when our ticket gets punched.

I don’t fear it.

So, if we live every day the way we choose to live it and want to live it, there is no reason to feel sorry about it whenever we go, right? Because you’ve essentially done what you’ve wanted to do up to that point. So, stop thinking about dying or being afraid of dying. You can do whatever you want. Be happy.

Yep, that’s an interesting take on just doing whatever you want to result in happiness.

I guess yeah, depending. That’s what I did.

As a potential alcoholic, Joel didn’t find happiness when he was doing whatever he wanted.

Yeah, but I think everybody goes through those stages. Everybody has stages they have to go through, and it’s you know.

I did disagree.

You don’t think so?

no

We have to go through some. Hardships to go? Yeah, that sucks.

Carol, I think people go through that for self-uh, survival’s sake, but I mean the reason there are diamonds in the rough and the 1% is the one. This is the reason certain people do more of that than others. Some people do it so that they can remain comfortable and alive. Do what they know they need to do and stop doing what doesn’t serve them so they can thrive.

Yeah, OK. 

But that’s just an opinion.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, here at the Titan Evolution podcast we do not care about your opinion. It’s all their show, their experiences, and reasoned opinions.

That’s right, that’s true.

It’s the whole thing.

But Travis, you’re the one who brought it up. You brought it up. You brought it up. Is it always good to just do what you think? Not if it doesn’t serve you. It doesn’t serve you. Don’t do it.

Yeah, absolutely. That’s behavior as opposed to something happening to you.

But do things happen to us or for us?

It depends, for example, on whether or not the child was abused as a child. What is going on with you?

And at what age do we decide things aren’t happening to us anymore?

Well, I know a lot of people of different ages that haven’t made that decision yet. I’d say that right now I can picture them now, working a terrible job, coming home to their dumpy house, earning enough to drink on the weekend, and then wondering on Monday why they don’t have any money and their life s***.

Make a change, buddy. Make a change.

It’s the crown method of Rigel.

Yeah, it wasn’t that. I think you gave us that. presentation, didn’t you?

Yeah, yeah.

Do you remember that, Carol?

I don’t.

She wasn’t there. She doesn’t know about the Crown method, she said. I’m going to stay in Washington. I’m not going.

I thought you shared that one in Texas. Where, when, and what did I see? You do that one for the first time.

Well, I made it up that morning, so … definitely in California.

Oh, right, right, right, right. Right, yeah? So, Carol wouldn’t have seen that.

Carol, Travis was out here in California. It was a couple of months ago, I guess. or something?

Yeah, yeah.

and the crown method.

Three years ago, by the time we

released this week. I know, right? Yeah, it’ll be the first one in 2027. 

Hey, look, it would be the. Then, uh, great show. For our first show in the 30s, absolutely.

I thought your presentation was great.

OK, I want to hear it.

So yeah. So, I started. I was billed to talk about podcasting, but the room wasn’t interested in hearing about podcasting. So, I talked about my story to those listening. If you haven’t listened yet, I interviewed Carol and Carol interviewed with me. You can check out our stories in past episodes. 

We talked about how terrible my childhood was and how all of this stuff happened, but it wasn’t until I made the choice. I want to change my life so that I can take responsibility and own my future. That anything altered It wasn’t until that moment happened the continued dedication to owning my life. So, the C is our choice, R responsibility, because hey, I know we’re in a recession, right? like we are, but that doesn’t dictate.

We are, but it’s going to get worse. I’ve heard

Yeah, but that doesn’t dictate whether you do or don’t have money. It doesn’t dictate what you do or don’t have, health doesn’t dictate how well your business does. It might initially take a hit, but it’s up to you to pivot right and then own the decisions you make going forward. 

When I look at how people can go Because I went through terrible things with my sister, and my life turned out largely pretty well, and hers turned out largely to be a big heaping steaming pile. And it’s because, because of her choices, she never took responsibility. 

For her part, in any of the things that happened, the big takeaway was that there was no magical response. There’s no magical apology. It’s going to come through and be fixed. In your life, no one’s going to come to save you from a dip or turn in the stock market. Your good favor isn’t going to change your situation. Then it has to do with you and what you allow in your life. The same things Joel was talking about earlier. What’s your mindset? What’s your outlook? Where’s your gratitude? Have you created a sizzle reel about your life that gets you excited about how wonderful your **** is it every day? 

When I share with people the most terrible things in my life, I talked to David Carter this week, and he was like, “He’s like every time I talk to you, Travis, time just melts away. We could be on the phone for three hours. I would have no idea because I’m just so captivated by all the stuff that you’re saying and how you tell these terrible stories. You know like I know; you’ve got to smile on your face. That’s a victory smile because you know that it’s not going to get you anymore. 

And that’s one of the main reasons we started this show. And if you’re listening to this and struggling, you’ve got to decide to not struggle anymore. Are you still going to have challenges? Oh yeah, there’s going to be road bumps, you betcha. Is there going to barricade that you might have to go around, navigate, or turn around? Absolutely but. If you let the situation dictate to you, it’s going to be terrible, and you already know this. Because you can see the reason it was so bad wasn’t that what happened was terrible. It probably is. I’m not going to sit down. And then pretend that it’s not.

It probably sucks.

It probably sucks. The big one is that you have lost someone who got

super speed.

abused, some terrible thing.

You know if you keep accepting it. You keep repeating a pattern, right? So, if you take accountability and go, I’m done with this ****. I’m getting off this ride. It’s ******* crazy and I don’t want to repeat it.

But Carol, I can’t say I can’t get my mom out of my life. It’s my mom. Yes, you ******* can, mom. I am not OK with this. This is not acceptable behavior. I love that your mom is, but I’m not talking to you until you get your act together.

By the way, that’s just throwing boundaries 

Yeah, uh-huh yes. But those stories, those things, those situations I hear repeated in perpetuity everywhere I go, I hear, “Well, it’s your mom. You can’t say that. To your mom. What gives them the right to say that? What did they say to you?

Yeah, that’s a tough pill.

Let’s not pretend.

There’s a mentality too. I mean, I joke because I have two kids that were raised by the same parents in the same way. Yet they are opposites of each other, and I always wonder, like my brother and I were opposites of each other too. And I’m like, how the **** what happened?

And my sister and I, without a doubt.

But I have one son that takes accountability for his actions, and then my other son plays the victim card. 

But you know, I tried using my victim card at Walmart and it turns out they wouldn’t let me take the groceries home.

Did they decline you?

Well, I declined because it was a self-checkout. I got to report to my shift later to unload my truck too.

That’s great, yeah, but it’s funny, isn’t it? When you think about it, you have one that’s accountable. The other one plays a victim. Now, if you want to play the victim, go ahead, keep playing the victim, and see how that works out for you. God bless you. What did we say earlier? Well, we’re our basic focus for everybody. Right, uh?

Please keep that *** away from me.

“Good luck,” and then Joel said. So that’s interesting. Oh, that’s interesting, interesting.

Speaker 

Do you know?

And so were carols.

Last blessed

Outfits bless your heart. For those of you who don’t know about the Southern US, if someone says “bless your heart,” it’s not a compliment. They say they’re saying it in the nicest way possible so that everyone understands. You’re the biggest idiot in town. But they don’t say that because of light, so they say

Yeah, they know you don’t want them to bless your heart. You want them to be saved.

Oh, bless your heart, you walk away feeling good.

What else can I do for you? Baby, that’s what you want. Ah, my baby. When people first started saying my baby to me in the South, I thought they were trying to get fresh with me. But that’s just them being nice.

The moment you mentioned that my friend Miss Patty popped into my head. Because that’s exactly something.

She would. That’s what she says.

I have said yeah.

Anything else I can get for you, my baby?

Honey, sweet pea, sweet thing, baby darling. But it’s just the nicest, and I love it. Even though I’m not a fan of the word “nice,” it’s very pleasant.

Hey, sugar-coated very sweet.

It’s very sweet, like their tea. Their tea comes standard with like 8 pounds of sugar in it.

Do you have enough sugar in there?

Well, I mean, I’m from the north; you can get iced tea. You know, sweetening yourself if you want something sweeter down South. This standard tea is sweet.

Holy crap, no thanks.

Yeah, you know, you lift. It up and you will see the granules.

That’s, uh, that’s. It’s called a feature, Joel. I don’t know what the problem is.

That’s true, OK. Sorry, Spartan Race Spartan race

Spartan race – Spartan race 

Hey, focus.

You’ve got to focus on your goals. Hey Joel, if someone listens to this thing and they’re struggling, what kind of advice do you give? What would you have for him?

Remember the power of next. 

If you’re stuck, do whatever comes next. If you’re broke, you’re out. Go find some money like Uncle G. Grant Cardone always says. Go get that, Cheddar, it doesn’t matter how you get it. Hopefully, by legitimate means.

Please use legal terms.

The power of but the power of Next-generation power 

While we were talking, something came to my mind. In addition to the power of the next, “never forget”. Never forget why you are where you are now and never forget what happened in the past. Just don’t live there and do what’s next.

Yeah, I like that there’s always a move forward. There’s a book by Doctor Spencer Johnson and somebody else called “Who Moved My Cheese.”

I love that book.

It is it. It’s a great book.

This is what two rats enjoy. Ham and him. Was it him? And Haw and they go through the maze, and they go to one place. And there’s cheese for them every day. Every day they go there, they eat their fill. They’re happy. They go home day after day, and one day they go there, and the cheese is gone. Who moved my cheese? 

One of the mice, I can’t remember who it is, says, “Well, I’m just going to go further and keep looking into the next night. I’ve got to go find it. The other one goes back and he’s just waiting for the cheese to be there like, “I don’t understand where it went, and he goes back over and over and over again. It’s never there. 

Meanwhile, the other mouse is through the maze onto the next mother lode of cheese or whatever has you. Uh, and the story is like, why is that mouse not going? Why isn’t he going for it? Why is he waiting for that thing to come back? 

You see this In people, right? My husband left. My wife left. I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t. It stinks. Yeah, it sucks, right? But there’s no coming home, no standing. Or, you know, chatter coming back to you. You have to clean the house. Go out and get it. You’ve got to find the next one.

Yeah, power of next.

I adore the following. Joe, where are you working? Can the folks get a hold of you?

I’m on LinkedIn and Joel Clellandis on LinkedIn. I’m not difficult to find, and I believe there are a few of us out there, but I’m the most attractive. And then there’s the fact that I’m also very active on Twitter at Real Joel Clelland on Twitter and would love to connect with you on Twitter. Or not… That’s up to you. If there are any fractional CEO positions out there, I’m willing to work for equity. I’ll deal with you

Awesome. 

Put that in the background there. I like the concept of fractional.

Yeah, I can’t do everything for you. I’ll give you this slice from inside my zone of genius and then you can. Figure out the. Rest.

Yeah, if I like your product, if I like your mission, I can make it my own. I’m down. But yeah, LinkedIn and Twitter. I’m on other social media, but those are the ones I use the most.

Yeah, I can’t tell you how social I use it less than Twitter. I don’t get it. I don’t know why it’s popular; it’s not my thing. I don’t care.

In all honesty, my friend, I had to try it twice before I finally got it. Because the first time, I got it I was in a bad mood. This was like 10 years ago or something, and so I got it. I got on it. I got on it and got off it in a hot minute. 

But then When was it? December 1st, 2019. That’s right, December. What does one do at the end of December, leading into January every year?

by presence.

OK, New Year’s resolutions, right? We know those don’t work anyway, but I was doing one for Twitter and I was like, What the heck. I’m going to try it. I’m going to give it the old college try. I’m going to get back on Twitter on January 1st, 2018, or whatever that was in 2020

Two months later, I was set to be active every day. Because I was at Joel Doug swell, my full name was Joel Doug Swell on Twitter, and two months after that, they rebranded me. The real Joel Clelland

Wow, you had to be that big. What do you have to be for them to rebrand you? The real…

I don’t know. I did a video about it. I thought it was funny, but it’s probably stupid to say, “Well, aren’t there other clones out there that are real too, right? You know, I did that whole thing, but I was the one who got it. I got the marker, so there you go.

Bless your heart, Joel. That’s all for today.

Thanks, man. Thanks.

I look forward to seeing you next week.