When Bosses Meet 3

Stepping into the multifaceted world of Rebecca, a Motor T Marine who's been steering through the challenges of military life and single motherhood, this episode unfurls a tapestry of endurance and ambition. As she navigates her eight-year journey with the Marines, alongside raising two kids and chasing a master's degree, her story is one of relentless drive and the quest for balance. Our conversation peels back the layers of co-parenting and personal growth, revealing the intricacies of Rebecca's life as we chart her voyage through reenlistment choices and the pursuit of her own identity beyond the uniform.

Ever wondered how deep the bonds of camaraderie run within the military community? This episode celebrates the enduring relationships that outlast service time and rank, thanks to guests like Nina, a Marine from New York with an array of ventures and a refreshing take on the evolving role of female Marines. We discuss the art of networking, not just for career gains but for the rich, vibrant connections it fosters. From themed networking events to the tales of shared hardships and triumphs, we uncover the true wealth that lies in human connections, as they weave the fabric of our professional and personal lives.

As we bid adieu to the uniform, we plunge into the complexities of life after the Marines, illuminated by stories of transition and the significance of leadership within the Corps. We share leadership insights and reflect on the importance of maintaining a solid identity, with or without the military backdrop. The episode underscores the pivotal role of preparation and support systems in smoothing the path to civilian life and stresses the value of personal values and integrity that guide us through life's unpredictable turns. Join us for a journey through the heart of the Marine experience, where we shed our uniforms to reveal the strength of character that defines us.

Relationships Worth More Than Money by Tweezy Kennedy & Marcus Alland
available on all streaming platforms!

Chapters

• 0:00 Marine Corps Mom Juggles Life
• 8:52 Networking and Building Relationships in Business
• 14:43 Networking at Bosses Meet Event
• 27:46 Building Relationships in the Marine Corps
• 37:25 Life After the Marines
• 43:19 Marine Corps Leadership Insights
• 46:50 Maintaining Identity Beyond Military Service

Transcript

Marine Corps Mom Juggles Life

Speaker 1 0:30

Yeah, here you go, here you go, let's get that Okay Ready for you, welcome. Welcome to Relationships Worth More Than Money. I'm Tweezy, and who I have here?

Speaker 3 0:39

My name's Rebecca.

Speaker 1 0:40

Rebecca, where you from?

Speaker 3 0:42

First, st Lucie Florida, south Florida, south Florida. You drove all the way up here. No, I'm actually stationed in Maryland when Indian Head In the morning I am Motor T.

Speaker 1 0:55

Motor T yeah, motor time yes, let's get it. Let's get it. That's what's up. So I know Kadeem was doing things for every model. What was your thing?

Speaker 3 1:11

So I picked between the 1930s to 1950s. Okay, yeah, it was last minute.

Speaker 1 1:15

Yeah, it was last minute, last minute, that was last minute, so how many outfits you got?

Speaker 3 1:18

I just brought one today, okay.

Speaker 1 1:20

Okay, order T. How long you been in?

Speaker 3 1:23

Going on seven. I'm going on eight years. Okay, how you meet Kadeem.

Speaker 1 1:26

When I moved to Maryland he reached out to me for a photo. Help build his portfolio. Yeah, okay, nice, nice, crazy.

Speaker 3 1:38

Relationships, you how relationships work.

Speaker 1 1:39

It's crazy, right it is. I have some stories, yeah, yeah. So, um, how long you been in the Marines, going on eight years, eight years and you, uh, staying there long, yeah, I'm about to reenlist again.

Speaker 3 1:55

I haven't decided if I'm going to go off the route or stay where I'm at. Okay, I mean, do it, do it, why not? I'm about to work on my master's degree in October. Yeah, have associates in science finishing my bachelor's in psychology.

Speaker 1 2:05

Oh yeah, you're running it. You ain't got to worry about nothing. Yeah, I'm a single mom.

Speaker 3 2:09

Honestly, honestly, this place has been great, and I say that because I came from a wing unit. That just was really toxic.

Speaker 2 2:15

I'm a single mom of two girls.

Speaker 1 2:19

Yes, sir, yeah, swinging with the wind. Yeah, that's what's up. So you're a single mom. What?

Speaker 3 2:28

are some things that you like to do outside of the Marine Corps. Honestly, school. I try to pour more into my kids just because I take away from them so much by being active.

Speaker 2 2:37

Okay.

Speaker 3 2:37

And I always like to better myself. So, whether that's school, I've enjoyed this. It's been really hard for me to get out of my comfort zone. I haven't really found something that I'm connected to Right, but I really do enjoy traveling Okay.

Speaker 1 2:50

Traveling, your first duty station was where Okinawa, japan. Man, I wish I went to Oki. I wish I went to Oki. So I was supposed to go to Oki. When I came back from Iraq in 08, when I was, I was literally about to get married, but because I I wasn't married, I didn't have point orders to go over, so I just got stationed in Quantico in 09 when I came back. So yeah, that was then.

Speaker 3 3:15

So did you ever get married?

Speaker 1 3:17

Yeah, we got married. Oh, okay, then we got divorced.

Speaker 3 3:19

Oh, that's how it was. No first round error.

Speaker 2 3:22

But that's still my homie, though you know what I mean.

Speaker 1 3:23

So we still, we great co-parents, great co parents. So you know what I, but yeah, what else?

Speaker 3 3:34

What do you want to talk about?

Speaker 1 3:35

We can talk about whatever your sport. You like sport.

Speaker 3 3:38

I do. I was a competition cheerleader. I played softball for 14 years. I was going to get on the All-Marine Corps softball team, but I haven't been able to find help with my girls, so Really, that's funny.

Speaker 1 3:50

I coached my daughter's softball teams All three, four of them you got four daughters, I got two daughters, but they play on four teams.

Speaker 4 3:58

You're busy. You're busy, no, I ain't busy like that.

Speaker 1 4:03

But no, they busy. I literally. We had a game at nine this morning, then my youngest had one at 11. It's full, oh, it just stopped. We still good, though I still got the what's the name, but yeah, at nine. Then we had a game at 11, but I had. Then they had a game at 345. So I was like yo, I can't make the 345, but I'll make sure I do these these first. First. But yeah, it's been dope softball. I play baseball too, so so you have a good co-parenting relationship.

Speaker 1 4:35

Yeah, yeah, yeah we both we there, we at the game, we coaching, we both kind of coaching. You know what I mean. So it's dope. It's great to have a co-parenting relationship. I don't do the drama, you know what I mean. I ain't with all that, but it's. It's great to have less of headache dealing with.

Speaker 3 4:56

You know what I mean I don't know what you mean. I have headaches, see and that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 5:00

So it's, it's a different, different type of game. When you get out, um, because she was in too, she was a marine too. Um, she got out before me, she did eight years, I did 11, so it's, it's. The understanding is there. So the good thing is we were friends first.

Speaker 3 5:18

So if y'all weren't friends first, a lot of times you're gonna run into that we were friends first, um, and then, when I was pregnant with my first daughter, he got another woman pregnant two weeks apart. Yeah, and that's not the only one, um, and I was pregnant with my second daughter. From what he told me, he got four other women pregnant. Yeah, I guess they didn't keep their babies, but yeah, he was. He was a friend and now he's. I'm not gonna say he's an enemy, but we just have different grounds.

Speaker 3 5:44

Um, when I gave birth to my first daughter, I came back to the state, um, he had when I was in labor. So so I came, he flew from Japan to Chicago Right, had a hookup with a girl, then came to where I was giving birth. I gave birth, he went back during his labor flight, had another hookup, wow, and then flew back out to Japan. And that was just my first daughter. The second one's even worse, jesus. But that's when I knew and I just left. Yeah, yeah, yeah, my dad had to pick me up from the hospital. Once my dad picked me up from the hospital, that was it. That was it.

Speaker 3 6:17

I walked away and then 2022, december 17, 2022, he just came back into their lives. Yeah, so we're working on it, we are. I mean, I don't have nothing against him. I'm really into my spiritual journey right now. Just connecting back with God. That's something that I do enjoy. I go to all these like concerts Tasha Cobb, sarah Jigrob, sarah Robert Drake that's how I hang out with Nina, too. At the end of the day, like I can't change what happened. I can only move forward.

Speaker 1 6:44

Yeah, you only can move forward and just take the positive things with you. Because a lot of times like people just want negative going and keep it going.

Speaker 2 6:51

Agreed and the energy.

Speaker 1 6:52

When your energy's like off, I don't even want to be around it, Right? And that's why I was like when Kadeem do these events, it's always great energy. So I'm always open to like meeting new people because the energy is always high. It's at a high level at all times. It's like boot camp all over again. You know what I'm saying? Boot camp, right, but boot camp all over again. You know what I'm saying? But the energy level was high.

Speaker 3 7:15

Not with a bunch of females.

Speaker 1 7:16

Well, I don't know about y'all, but on the men's side, you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 7:22

But you know, I heard they, they integrated. Now they integrated. I want to say they integrated two years ago.

Speaker 1 7:26

Which is. I wonder how that is.

Speaker 3 7:33

I don't think it. Social media, TikTok everything's taking over a lot. The one thing that I've noticed is a lot more people are speaking out about sexual assault, sexual harassment, things that just should not be happening, so I think that's a positive. I mean it's not a positive that they're happening, but it's a positive that people are willing to come forward people coming forward. Right.

Speaker 1 7:51

Because that definitely was a thing back in 2004, all the way until I got out and it still is. Yeah, it's really a good thing because people have a voice. Now it's not like you're shunned or you put away. You know what I mean. They sweep it under the rug and I never was a, never was a fan of that, so it's dope people still try it.

Speaker 3 8:13

But you know I'm a firm believer in everything comes to light at one point for sure, yeah, everything.

Networking and Building Relationships in Business

Speaker 1 8:20

And that's the thing I always tell people like it's gonna, it's gonna come out right you know what I mean. It could be 10 years from now just when yeah, it's only a matter of time.

Speaker 2 8:29

You know what I'm saying?

Speaker 1 8:30

that something's going to come out, but yeah, this is the relationship worth more than money and I appreciate you for coming on for this quick short you know what I mean Short, but it's going to be short but sweet but it's going to be different clips.

Speaker 1 8:46

Like you know what I mean, like you know what I mean Everybody and I want to make sure I everybody, make sure you give me your social media. Yeah, I got you. Make sure you give me your social media and we can stay connected, because I mean Motor T. You know what I mean.

Speaker 3 8:59

Gotta stay connected.

Speaker 1 9:00

Yeah, gotta stay connected, but for sure, for sure, I appreciate it though.

Speaker 3 9:03

Absolutely. Thank you no problem.

Speaker 5 9:06

Hold on you ready. I'm whispering so nobody hear what I say.

Speaker 1 9:12

I just did so. We back Relationships worth more than money when bosses meet Three. Who we got here today?

Speaker 5 9:23

Nina, okay, you can put it right here, okay, nina. Where you from, nina. I'm from New York, new York, yes, mount Vernon.

Speaker 1 9:32

Money earning, Okay, money earning burning Okay, how long have you known, kadeem?

Speaker 5 9:43

I want to say I've had him on Instagram for a while, but he did a lot of photo shoots for my friends and then I saw him through Instagram and then I reached out to him actually to do like a shoot for my one of the events that I had, Right, so I would say, about two years.

Speaker 1 10:02

What event was that? Was that the all girl event?

Speaker 5 10:04

The Galentine.

Speaker 1 10:05

Yeah, yeah, I remember that one. I remember that one. Okay, so two years. And Was your friends in the military or no? Yes, it's crazy because it's just. We always say that the military is a small community, right, and you never know who you're going to bump into, and we always end up running into fellow military, doesn't matter what branch.

Speaker 5 10:29

That's true.

Speaker 1 10:30

But mainly Marines.

Speaker 5 10:31

The best.

Speaker 1 10:32

The best. You know what I mean, so we always got something. You know what I mean, so we always got something. You know what I mean and I think it's dope that you know what I mean. Like it's more women Marines, so we can kill that stigma about oh, it ain't no Marines, it ain't no female Marines, that's in the Marine Corps. That's like cool and this, this and that Because that and this, this and that, because that used to be the statement back in the day. I don't know if you know, but you know we owe. We've been in back in 04, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 10:58

We are a great asset to the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps would not run like a well-oiled machine without female Marines. Yes, yes, and I agree. What's your MOS? I'm dispersing so finance. Oh, you was the girl we used to go get the money from Money and yes, we combat ATM machines, that's exactly what y'all are.

Speaker 1 11:20

No, yes.

Speaker 5 11:20

We got the cash. How long you been in? I've been in 12 years. You tuning it out or we gonna see Whatever the Lord put in front of me, we gonna, one day at a time.

Speaker 1 11:33

Okay, so today, what was your era or theme that you had to come in?

Speaker 5 11:39

So I had 2020. 2020? Yes.

Speaker 1 11:42

Okay, all right, that's dope. So how far did he go back?

Speaker 5 11:47

I don't know. We got people from every year.

Speaker 2 11:49

I see the 1920s. Yeah.

Speaker 1 11:51

And the 30s All right, cool In the 1920s.

Speaker 5 11:59

Yeah, in the 30s?

Speaker 1 12:00

All right, cool, cool, cool. All right. What's next for you as far as After, like are you stationed here or anything? Marine Corps are you doing outside businesses?

Speaker 5 12:06

entrepreneurship so I do a little bit of everything, just to see what works and what doesn't work. You're not going to be successful in everything, so I do try to. I do try to bring my dreams to life, and if it doesn't work out, then at least I know I tried. So I currently have an airbnb okay, um. And I have a investment property in new jersey um, no one is in fort lauderdale, one is in. No one is in Fort Lauderdale, one is in New Jersey, they're in B&B in Fort Lauderdale.

Speaker 5 12:36

B&B is in Fort Lauderdale, investment property is in Jersey. Okay, so I do that in the military and then I just started a hair business. So I do a little bit of that. So your hair business, yeah, yeah real estate yeah, yeah got a property in Fort Lauderdale.

Speaker 1 12:54

Yeah, got a property in Jersey. Uh huh, why not fitness?

Speaker 5 13:00

why not fitness? Yeah, you always working out so I do always work out, but for me it's like, um, it's my passion and it's my like escape. So I feel like if it's around me 24 7, I'm gonna lose that passion. Yeah, because it's gonna. It's gonna feel like a job, you know, and I do it now just for, like, it's like a form of therapy, you know. So I want to keep it as that, something that makes me happy all right, I got that.

Speaker 1 13:29

so have you networked with people here Like so far? Have you like, met some new friends, met new people At the event?

Speaker 5 13:37

Yeah, yes, we haven't all exchanged any handles, but met, talked to pretty much everybody here. All right, all right. This is a great networking environment.

Speaker 1 13:47

So what's as of right now, what's the best thing that you've witnessed being at this event?

Speaker 5 13:52

Oh, people that don't know each other talking.

Speaker 1 13:54

Crazy right.

Speaker 5 13:55

Love it. I love coming to events like this. Yeah, yeah, I love not knowing anyone Granted because it's, you know, small world. You know a few people here and there, but I literally love coming to events like this.

Networking at Bosses Meet Event

Speaker 1 14:08

And that's one thing that I will say about Kadeem Like he's the southern hospitality, he the unk, yeah, he gonna make sure everybody good, but he gonna make sure everybody communicating.

Speaker 5 14:20

Yeah, he definitely the unk he been like that since day one.

Speaker 1 14:23

So it's like it's like every time he have an event or we have an event, like it's always a vibe, absolutely Because we make sure everybody is welcome, no matter what color you are, what facet of the earth you come from. None of that. So, okay, I like that Dope. I appreciate you, appreciate you for coming on. Okay, you tried to fight it, tried to fight it. We 15 minutes in and you little.

Speaker 5 14:50

Wow, just make sure y'all follow me at bomb underscore Nina. That's bomb underscore Nina. Oh yeah, all right.

Speaker 1 15:00

At bomb. Bomb underscore Nina. Yes, huh, I know it's recording it stopped. It probably did, but I got the watch Right here.

Speaker 5 15:17

Yeah, okay, I'm about to say I thought he was going to have to do it again.

Speaker 1 15:23

I was like hold up, even if it did stop. I got the pod. Oh right, right right. So that's the most important part. Right, right, right I'm going to chop up everything, so make sure everybody get their love and they shine Okay.

Speaker 5 15:41

You are very welcome, thank you, that's my heart.

Speaker 1 15:45

We back, we back, we back. There's so many dope people here, first time meeting you, yes, and so far, you can go ahead and state your name. There's so many dope people here, first time meeting you, yes, and so far. Go ahead, you can go ahead and state your name.

Speaker 4 15:57

Hi, so you can call me Diana, Diana Diana.

Speaker 1 16:02

What's your social media?

Speaker 4 16:04

It's Diana Blaze.

Speaker 1 16:06

Diana Blaze.

Speaker 4 16:06

Like a fire. Flame, yeah, like a flame. One word together. All right, so Kadeem was doing themes.

Speaker 1 16:13

What was your theme?

Speaker 4 16:14

So my theme was the 1960s and I totally failed that. Really, I failed the mission. Yeah, okay, my hair is too curly. The beehive did not stay. 1960s was what it's? Patricia, elvis Presley White yeah, or it's Priscilla. There you go so her hair. This is who I was looking up. Yeah, I was like trying to tease it. I was like Trying to like get that thing up Like this. It's so curly, the hair was too curly.

Speaker 1 16:39

Too much, so so far how you liking the event.

Speaker 4 16:45

The event is perfect For meeting new people. Yeah, all these beautiful people here With so many different visions, so many different colors. Everybody's outfits are like all different kind of levels and it's just fun. It's like vibrant and the macaronicheeseisbombcom.

Speaker 1 17:03

Yo shout out to Kwee Cuisines.

Speaker 4 17:05

Yeah, it's good.

Speaker 1 17:07

Yeah, that joint was crazy. So you said you failed the 60s.

Speaker 4 17:12

I failed it, I did how many outfits did you bring? This is I brought about five. This is number three. Okay, so you still got two more. Still got two more.

Speaker 1 17:20

Okay, all right. When did you meet Kadeem?

Speaker 4 17:24

So I met Kadeem at a promotion and I am, I figured it out at the end, but he was like coming all the way around. I was kind of like in a scene and afterwards I was like, oh damn, like who was that? Who was taking all these pictures? Like they came out dope and I had to find him. So I'm like seeking him out, I'm like who is this guy? Who is this guy? Who was the one taking the pictures? And then I found the network. I was able to pinpoint who knows this person, who knows this person. I think that's what brings this event. It makes it so special.

Speaker 1 17:56

How long ago was this event? It was on 5 April.

Speaker 4 18:01

Not that long ago, so literally recently this month, I was like three weeks ago.

Speaker 1 18:06

This is your first event, mm-hmm, and how do you like the event so far?

Speaker 4 18:12

It's nice. So at first it was a little bit weird, right. It was like, coming in, everybody's already dressed up. I'm like, all right, I need to get my right outfit. Everybody's like outfits are like top line. I was like I need to catch up. I need to like be on their level. But yeah, it's nice the whole thing.

Speaker 1 18:33

everybody is just very welcoming, everybody is just very open um we're getting a lot of different ideas and this whole space is just bizarre. Yo, shout out to this space is bizarre, yeah, space. I know you probably found it on peer space. So shout out to the to the people um, that the owners of this home is super dope they're super welcoming and it's crazy because I mean there's so much going on. We got people taking pictures behind us.

Speaker 4 18:54

We got people to the right we got videographers, we got everything, everything, and the main thing is just networking.

Speaker 1 19:01

You know what I?

Speaker 2 19:01

mean relationships, work for them, and this is the prime example right here, like you're beating people.

Speaker 1 19:07

you know what I mean, not only just photographers and videographers, but you're actually beating people. You know what I mean, not only just photographers and videographers, but you meet actually good people everywhere around, right? You know what I mean. I think this joint is about to take off. It's only the third one.

Speaker 2 19:19

He do them every quarter, so it's definitely about to take off Right, right and I feel like everybody that came and that's going to still come, is going to take off with us, because that take off with us because that's what it is.

Speaker 1 19:30

It's just building, building with each other. I think it's super dope.

Speaker 4 19:37

The best part is everybody brings a different perspective to the party. One of the photographers we were able to intertwine with one another. I already met someone that I'm like. Wait, I really like working with you. I know that future collabs are going to be outstanding. They're going to be something to look forward to and they're going to work.

Speaker 1 19:58

It's going to be crazy. I appreciate you for coming.

Speaker 4 20:01

Thank you. Thank you for your time. It's so nice to meet you.

Speaker 1 20:04

It's nice to meet you too. We're definitely going to work some more. Everybody's here. Like I said, we everybody's here. Like I said, we're building a family. You know what I mean it's just adding on, adding on all positive energy all positive energy.

Speaker 4 20:17

I love it and you know, keep it going.

Speaker 1 20:20

Tweezy, tweezy, that's you Tweezy that's me, tweezy, that's you I love it thank you, shit.

Speaker 7 20:25

That's where my my phone went on sleep mode. That's where it was. Yeah, for the music. Well, it's been doing that the whole afternoon. Yeah, it's been going in and out.

Speaker 1 20:35

So we here with my brother JJ, the sponsor of this whole, when Bosses Meet. So how long did you know, kadeem?

Speaker 7 20:47

Me and Kadeem met back in 2012, 13, on the drill field. We were both drill instructors together and then the first time I met him that was his hand, by the way, that went across the camera. That was Kadeem Walker, just heads up. That was Kadeem. Anyways, it's impromptu, we'll go with it, but the first time I met him was in DI school and he was on a drill instructor panel and he's up on the stage with his voice and he's like Morning.

Speaker 5 21:13

My name's Drill Instructor, sean Walker, and all I can tell you is the man, the man, the man.

Speaker 1 21:19

So that was you and Riley in them. Yeah.

Speaker 7 21:21

That was the first time I met him, me Serger Young Guns. Like all of them, that was the first time I met him, and then we've been close for I think, about eight years. But the past three years that I've lived here in Stafford Quantico area, me, him and Alex are really close.

Speaker 1 21:37

That's dope man, but yeah, it's going about 10 years strong. Just crazy man like how we all connect some way through the thing.

Speaker 7 21:46

Yeah, everybody, the six degrees of separation. So everybody in this room between six people, especially a lot of us are Marines. Like I didn't know that you knew her and her brother. I didn't know that.

Speaker 2 21:54

They're my police, and then she was her hat during a time frame Because she was like what's her name?

Speaker 1 22:00

And I was like that's.

Speaker 7 22:01

Biddle. So it's just that six degrees of separation, they say seven, they say six.

Speaker 1 22:13

But I mean that we all are linked in some way somehow. So you, you, you in a transition right now.

Speaker 7 22:15

bro, you ready for?

Speaker 1 22:15

it.

Speaker 7 22:15

Yeah. I say that now uh, I've been mentally preparing for it, um, but I guess it'll. It'll hit me once I'm like legit out out, you know, um. So I'm ready for it. I'm ready for the new challenges, trials for trials, tribulations, failures, successes. I'm ready for it all. I'm ready for it. Why?

Speaker 1 22:34

you. I got a question for you. Why do you think relationships are important?

Speaker 7 22:38

So my doctorate, so I'm working on my doctorate in business, and the focus is strategic leadership with emotional intelligence, right. So I think relationships, so an individual person can achieve a lot, right, but we as a human being, human beings as a species, we achieve everything together, you don't I'm a big believer of. It takes a village, so it takes a village to raise somebody, it takes a village to support somebody, it takes a village to just be. There's a difference between being alone and being lonely, and you have to, you have to understand that. And hey, kadeem, in the background, again.

Speaker 2 23:14

He's in the background again. Hey, just heads up, that's him right there.

Speaker 7 23:17

That's him, right there, man. He can do whatever he want. Man, I'm a legend, but relationships are the foundation to everything.

Speaker 1 23:24

It is, it is man. I try to push that and I always tell tell people it's kind of just about the money, because whatever relationship that you're having is positive, build it, it's going to bring you emphasis on the positive though, because you can be in a relationship that's very taxing and negative and toxic, but you stay in it.

Speaker 7 23:43

So I always say step forward for progress, back for comfort. So if you say four, four, step forward for progress, yeah, backwards for comfort. So if you were raised in a hard community, if you were raised in a toxic family, if you were raised in an abusive family, you're going to be attracted to that naturally because you're comfortable in it. So that's why you see a lot of people in these relationships that are very taxing on them, because that's all they know. So they don't know how to step out of that comfort zone.

Speaker 1 24:18

And that's a lot of the things that I've learned just through therapy and my studies on how to step out of that comfort zone. And that's a lot of the things that I've learned just through therapy and in my studies on how to do things. What's up, just stop, it's fine. I mean, because it's a video. Little you out, you out out, right safe. Oh, oh, we back with relationships worth more than money. Who I have to my love? Oh, they call me.

Speaker 6 24:34

Rod Rod, yeah, okay, you got a social media handle. I mean, I do got social media, but it's not crazy. Okay, no IG Rod.

Speaker 1 24:42

We don't go with no IG Rod. I used to go by that back in the day. So look man, how did you meet Kadeem?

Speaker 6 24:53

I met Kadeem through my wife and then just some. I guess you could tell he's a real one, because I knew leaders in my military career that knew him as well. So I guess it's just You're in the Marines too. Yeah, I'm still active right now. Oh man, we just keep running to each other, man.

Speaker 1 25:04

So me and Kadeem, we've been knowing each other since boot camp, oh really, since boot camp. Mct Motor T Cali.

Speaker 6 25:14

Man. What you know about Motor T. What you know about Motor. T you Motor T too, yeah, I am Motor.

Speaker 2 25:17

T yeah.

Speaker 1 25:19

But hey, that's what I'm saying, man. It's crazy because we operate on a positive level. Oh, yeah 100%, and every event that he does, it's always dope man, and I always tell people you gotta come to these events because it's more than just photography, it's more than videography.

Speaker 6 25:41

I can agree with that, kadeem. He was speaking to my wife about it and everything. It was like oh yeah, you got 2,000. Then they threw me in here, they had me down back. I was with the 5XL t-shirt, you had the Tims.

Speaker 1 25:54

I seen you. I seen you with the Tims on.

Speaker 6 25:56

They had me out in my comfort zone. But once we started shooting everything, you could see the vibes was natural.

Speaker 2 26:00

Yeah man, that's all it's about.

Speaker 6 26:01

It was genuine, so we was able to move forward is like we move together, but it's always some static somewhere.

Speaker 2 26:12

You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 26:13

Like it might not be with us, but it's wherever we go. And this, to me, it's like this event is just always positivity building relationships, friendships, like just meeting new people, like I'm at home, I'm just meeting you. You know what I mean.

Speaker 6 26:39

I'm meeting so many people and it's like crazy, like we all were in the Marines or we're affiliated somehow from military or whatever, but what you think about the event so far, I mean so far, I think it's a good experience, it's beneficial. One and two, just like you said before, just the networking.

Speaker 6 26:49

Once you see, like you know, everybody can let their guard down, you know speak and you can see, like, the relevancy that everybody has, whether it's through military pictures and all that other stuff, modeling, like. You see all these kind of things that you can relate to and you can benefit off where it's networking, and then one thing turns to another and it goes from opportunity to job offerings and stuff like that so it's good that you know it creates that environment for everywhere where it's like it's a growing thing.

Building Relationships in the Marine Corps

Speaker 6 27:12

You know you can see certain different postures, positions, stuff like that Different angles. You know you can pick each other's brains and stuff like that. So it's a great.

Speaker 1 27:20

Like you said, it's a beneficial environment and that's why, like when I started this podcast which it was because of that, because I was thinking about all the things that me and Kadeed we've been through and how many relationships that we really created from either- the Marine Corps or living out in Cali or being stationed, wherever we were stationed at and how we still kind of bring it all in and keep it going.

Speaker 1 27:46

So you had 2000s. You rock it with the whole concept of how everybody yeah, you know what I mean when your birthday cause you said. You said you was really kinda like tryna figure it out, like when you had 2000s.

Speaker 6 27:59

Nah, I just turned 27 in March, so I'm a March 30s baby. So, okay, I was a 90s baby. Yeah, yeah, I was a 90s baby, so around 11, 12 years old.

Speaker 1 28:09

You know, I had the G-Unit baggy t-shirts on, so I ain't about to look it up. Remember the G-Unit the tank.

Speaker 6 28:14

Yeah, I had the G-Unit tank.

Speaker 1 28:16

you know the three colored one, the colored drink yeah With the G-Unit sneakers or the Sean Carter's.

Speaker 6 28:22

Oh no, I kept the white ones that was in those uptowns.

Speaker 1 28:26

The uptowns you had the little blue jean dots, yeah yeah, we called them the ones back in Detroit, so like, yeah, that's dope man. What do you plan on doing when you get out?

Speaker 6 28:40

Right now. I got two boys right now, so I just plan on just seeing it. I think Roy Jones said it best one time where he just said you just got to ride that horse.

Speaker 1 28:50

Yeah.

Speaker 6 28:51

You got to make up your mind and just ride that horse. Whenever you feel you're where you need to be in life, you get off. I feel like that's why it is with everybody in the Marine Corps especially. People will do four years, people will do eight. There's people who make a career out of it. There's people who go way past the 20. You got what I'm saying. Like you just got to ride that horse and that's where I'm at right now. You know, with my kids and everything I want to build a nice strong foundation and then from there, whenever I'm ready to go, it's still recording, that's cool.

Speaker 1 29:19

We still recording here, that's fine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's good. As long as I get the audio we good, go ahead. I don't know how to keep saying full, like 256 gigs.

Speaker 6 29:32

It's going to be crazy, but it's still good, yeah, no, my question for you, though, to ask you a question Do you feel like you feel like you're like you said the Name Me A Podcast, right yeah?

Speaker 1 29:42

Relationships worth more than money.

Speaker 6 29:43

Relationships worth more than money. Do you feel like you got? You learned that through BMO. Learn that through BMO to T Like in the Marine Corps.

Speaker 1 29:49

I think so, man, like just from being in the Marines man, because me being from Detroit and playing, you know when you're in the sports you're building relationships through teamwork.

Speaker 6 29:58

Oh yeah, 100%. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 29:59

Building families through that and I think when I joined the Marines I started understanding it ain't about what you know. Oh yeah, you know what.

Speaker 1 30:07

I'm saying I mean what you know can help you, but who you know is going to get you to the next level, and that's always been the thing, man. It's just like you know what I mean building good relationships, positive relationships with people and learning from them. Negative relationships that you was in, because you know, hold it man. I think, yeah, it's definitely from the Marine Corps. You know what I mean and plus my family.

Speaker 6 30:26

You know what I mean. My family was always together. So that's what made me love the Marine Corps more, because once you get in, bro, like you know what I mean it's unique. I say the Marine Corps is definitely unique because you got so many different sides of it.

Speaker 6 30:56

Yeah, Every side of the earth, I hate to say, because you know there's a lot of people that come to Quantico specifically. Quantico is a place that you come to first and it's very I feel like it should be like a second duty station for a lot of people.

Speaker 1 31:09

It should be a first.

Speaker 6 31:10

Because a lot of people judge it like I went overseas as my first order and granted, you know, there were some hard times there, but through hard times is where the best brotherhood has come about, you hear what I'm saying Like over here in Quantico. You know you get in your car, drive off, see your family and everything like that when you overseas you ain't got no cars. You ain't got no family. All you got is people who love to ride you. That's all you got.

Speaker 6 31:33

So you got to make what's best for you, and I feel like that's where all the memories really come from?

Speaker 1 31:37

Yeah, and it's crazy because I went to my sister's retirement. She just retired my boy, hardy. That was Motor T. You know what I'm saying, my bro. So it's like those relationships never go away. You know what I mean? A hundred percent, they never go away.

Speaker 6 31:55

And we there, like we, always there, we stay locked in. I was just in.

Speaker 1 31:59

Cali in April for her retirement, you know what I mean. Came back home. So it's like I don't like, bro, I'm coming to the DMV, like you still there. I'm like, yeah, oh, yeah, that happens, all the time that happens all the time with people.

Speaker 6 32:13

It's like literally I think it's just one dude and we all play football. Because I played overseas, I played professionally over there with them and literally it's like he was a drill instructor. He came back, another one who's a corpsman from Greenside coming back and it's like oh yeah, I, yeah, I'm in North Carolina. You know, whenever you come through, link up and it's just like you said, it's just nonstop relations that you just build, that you never get rid of. So I feel like that's just something I'll always take and cherish from them.

Speaker 1 32:39

Yeah, because it's definitely worth more than money, man, and I tell people this all the time. Just because I'm saying that it's not saying you can't get no money. The relationships can build you higher. Whatever you thought you was going to make, they can put you in a bigger position or a better position. Oh yeah, you know what I'm saying and that's yeah, I know I know it's not. It keeps saying fool, but I'm recording here though. Yeah, thank you. But yeah, man. So yeah, I always say that man, relationships, relationships, are going to always be greater Because money it come and go, money do come and go.

Speaker 1 33:14

Relationships. When you're building them right, they're there forever.

Speaker 6 33:18

I value. I don't know. It's probably just the way I was raised, being from New York in Brooklyn with my mom. What part of Brooklyn? I was in Williamsburg, bushwick, and then I originally was raised in the Bronx over by Fordham and then I moved down to Brooklyn.

Speaker 1 33:37

Yeah, I had some homies from Canarsie. Oh no, you got trouble being with you.

Speaker 4 33:42

The Marines, the Flossies.

Speaker 2 33:43

Yeah yeah, yeah, those were the Flossies days.

Speaker 6 33:48

You know how it is. We used to be with the bros. That's why we used to play. We used to play in the gyms.

Speaker 1 33:51

I was a recruiter in Jersey. Damn, yeah, right across the street in Hackett, like in Berkman County damn so.

Speaker 6 33:57

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was great, that was a flossy. Yeah, canarsie man, I used to pull up on them all.

Speaker 1 34:05

We go to South Jamaica Queens, we go to the Bronx, we go everywhere. So my thing, baseball is my favorite sport. Yeah, so I made sure I went to the Yankees stadium before I left. Really Fire, bro, when they first built that new one. Yeah, no with us. I mean it's right, there, we was always like low.

Speaker 6 34:24

Our family was always low working class, so the way we used to see the Yankees play, we used to watch the Mets play, because you know the Mets suck you used to always get free tickets.

Speaker 2 34:31

Yeah, you used to always get free tickets, so we used to go and see them over there and I used to see the Yankees play.

Speaker 6 34:36

Because the fun thing though my freshman year, my freshman year I never got to see the Yankees play. But I was on a varsity baseball team. I played for Grand City Campus over in Bushwick and then from there we ended up going to the championship and we ended up playing in Yankee Stadium.

Speaker 2 34:52

But that was just like something that was crazy, that was like a different level.

Speaker 6 34:56

Yeah, that's dope, that's dope, that's something I'll always cherish. And then, like once I got, once I had my son, I was able to you know, obviously I'm Yankee Stadium for the first time with him and it brought back memories. It was like damn, we didn't even come here as kids.

Speaker 1 35:11

Yeah, yeah, he loved it. I know he loved it yo. So, yeah, man, because I played in a Tiger Stadium for Comerica Park my senior year. I made it to the All-Star Game and I never played outfield, bro. They put me in an outfield. Somebody hit that joint out there, bro. They put me in the outfield. Somebody hit that joint out there, bro. I'm like, In what position were you really? I played short, short, third.

Speaker 6 35:35

I played the whole infield, but short and third was my main too, and I was jealous of y'all and I picked it. I was jealous you were sitting there first. No, I was left-handed.

Speaker 1 35:45

Oh yeah, I yeah, I played them all. Man Catcher, pitcher. I played everything infield, I did it, but never played outfield Even my youth years bro I never played outfield, I always played infield.

Speaker 6 35:57

Outfield is a very unique position, specifically because it's kind of like with the Marine Corps You're the last line of defense. That ball get by you, it's a wrap.

Speaker 1 36:07

Yeah, your whole team is on you, your whole team is on you.

Speaker 6 36:08

Your whole team is on you. Because you got high knees and high step boy, you got to go after it. So I mean the pressure was always there being in the outfield, especially those line drives that came right over. Second, you had to charge it, but you couldn't charge it too much. You charge too much, you get burnt. There it is. That's extra base. So it was always especially like when them dudes I used to purposely slow down, wait for them to round second and then just let it go fire. I was arrogant when we used to never hit, cut off.

Speaker 1 36:34

Yeah just let that joint loose.

Life After the Marines

Speaker 6 36:36

I used to let it loose 100% rounds down range I used to always just send them, so that was a good time. Yeah, man, that's dope man. If I had one last question before we get out, can you name a time where you feel like whether it was in the military or outside the military that you felt relationships what was that? You said, worth more than money? Yeah, relationships worth more than money, you felt like saved you and it kind of like was your proven point, if that makes sense.

Speaker 1 37:05

I'll give you one. It's a lot actually, but I'll give you one. When I got out, man, I wasn't trying to get out, no, I was a. If you remember, in 2015, they had that that service limitation going on. Yeah, what left? Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I had um before I got out, man, like I had a hard time Because they forced me out. I didn't do nothing wrong. I was a fucking top of the line Marine. You know what I'm saying, took care of the Marines, made sure everybody was taken care of, and it was just my service limitations and I did recruiting so I can bypass that and get promoted and all that stuff. But for unforeseen reasons, in Jersey, I didn't get promoted. When I was doing my thing out there, I got to penalty and literally I put in my reenlistment package and they were like no bro, you can't reenlist. And I'm like what you mean? They're like you gotta pee. I'm like I never was in zone.

Speaker 1 38:15

They're like you was in the below zone. I'm like, yeah, but they never said they moved the zone up or anything. And that, right, there is what crushed me. I'm trying to do. This would have been 20 years this year.

Speaker 6 38:27

January 2004 to January 2024 would have been my 20 years, and it was just like a reenlistment issue or like you wasn't able to transfer out to different branches.

Speaker 1 38:37

No, so I could have transferred out to different branches, man, but at that time it was like ring corps was all I knew. I joined at 18. 100%. I felt that that's how it is with me. I.

Speaker 6 38:46

Someone would tell me that and I'm like yeah, I could have done that. Like I was setting myself up, I could have put another uniform on.

Speaker 1 38:51

Yeah, I, was setting myself up and I was going to college, while I was in everything and then it was just like boom, and I just had a. I just had my second daughter. Yeah, Like a couple months before that. Like four or five what I'm going to do now. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 39:08

Can't go back to moms, if it wasn't for Coco, my homegirl, coco Lampson, and Tina Tina turned up, my homegirls and my brother, my brother Shannon, like, and Rivera, like they kept me. They kept me straight. Like you know what I mean, I was going through it.

Speaker 6 39:28

Like you know what I mean I was going through it Like cause, bro, I like I, literally had.

Speaker 1 39:31

I had a month to get out, to figure, figure everything out.

Speaker 6 39:33

A month, bro, I tell that to all my dudes when they be saying like, oh, yeah, you know I'm going to get out. I'm like what's your plan? Yeah, oh, language, but we don't give a fuck. He was a marine at all. They really don't like my boy was doing.

Speaker 6 39:54

One of my mans was straight up, like straight up, told him like yo, he told all of us. He over there, like hey, you know, give him some motivating words. You know, guys, dd214. And he was like hey, why are you getting out? And he's expecting the captain's expecting him to say something like motivate. He was like I want to get out so I can smoke some weed straight up, like that. And he was like I want to get out so I can smoke some weed Straight up, like that. And he was like all right, cut it. He got out, he was doing good, he was working as a, he got engaged, he was working as a coach for like a volleyball team and then life hit him two months later and he was maxing out credit cards. He got laid off because of COVID, because of the whole COVID situation. Was he at NY2?

Speaker 1 40:29

Yeah, laid off because of COVID?

Speaker 6 40:29

Yeah, because of the whole COVID situation.

Speaker 1 40:31

Yeah, wasn't he at NY2? Yeah, yeah, it was super heavy over there. Yeah exactly.

Speaker 6 40:32

He completely got laid off. Now he's living off credit cards. The financial stress caused him to split and now he was stressed out, maxed out, trying to figure it out. All the homies that we all got matching tattoos Right, we all re-up, we all. We all re-up another four. Some of us are staffed, some of them even went to warrant officers. You know, I'm still doing my thing. And then it's like damn, if I knew everybody was going to do what y'all did. I would've just so imagine from his point of view where it was like, where him? He even had the choice to re-enlist and he turned it down, especially with us being Motor Seat Motor Seat's probably one. Emma West is out there to this day. Yeah, bro, we're second largest. We're second largest bro.

Speaker 1 41:10

So it's like you gotta have, you gotta have a plan man, like you gotta have a plan A, b, c and D, and I always tell people like plan. A like you know how you do all the motivating oh I'm staying, da-da-da-da, that's my only plan. Them I mean backing me. They always like kept in touch with me, man, because you know what I mean. That's when that mental health really kicked in, like all the PTSD from being deployed. You know what I'm saying. All that shit really kicked in, but it's like.

Speaker 1 41:39

Now it's like I'm in defense mode and I shouldn't be that, but I had to go through that, but it made me better man, it made me better and when I get out man, I always tell even Marines I run into at 8th and 9th or wherever I'm at. I always talk to them and ask them like, what's your plan, what you going to do If you ain't been to the?

Speaker 6 41:56

you know what I mean to the BAS, or you know what I'm saying. You need to go MSU. You can go out of junior rank. You get your TS clearance. It's three years. You get to go travel. You got your chef, you got whatever it is you want to do and if you don't want to re-up, you got a TS clearance and you got your degree and you can stay over there or you can come over here.

Speaker 1 42:19

A hundred percent In the National Capital Region and work anywhere Easily. It's active. Oh, let's get him. You know what I mean.

Marine Corps Leadership Insights

Speaker 6 42:29

So one last thing I know we're going through on time. We just ended up diving deep in and just kept it 100. But that's what it is when you get genuine vibes. If you was to stay in, what would have been your actual reason as far as like what kind of leader you thought you were while you was in? I think I was Because you know we all had those like oh hell, no, I can't wait to pick up, because I ain't going to be like that dude.

Speaker 6 42:55

I was a sergeant for eight years bro, damn Eight years, so I'm on two.

Speaker 1 43:00

Yeah, I was a sergeant for eight years. So eight out of my 11 years I was doing my thing. So I would say I'd have been that same leading, motivating but understanding sergeant that I was. Yeah, I kept it real with them. You know what I'm saying oh, 100%. With the junior Marines, but I also like, I also like gave them leeway until they messed up. In other words, you gave them their grown man.

Speaker 6 43:30

You gave them their grown man respect. You gave them their grown man respect.

Speaker 1 43:33

It was submarine. That was like like I had one marine shout out to my bro, devoe. He was the same age as me but he was a PFC because he joined late.

Speaker 2 43:42

Yeah, so I wasn't going to talk to him any crazy yeah.

Speaker 1 43:47

We was at record school together.

Speaker 6 43:48

You know what I'm saying? I'm a sergeant. Yeah, back in Missouri.

Speaker 1 43:50

Yeah so it's like we still tight to this day. You know what I'm saying. It's because it's like I understand, like, yeah, that Marine Corps weight is one thing.

Speaker 6 44:00

Man, that's a grown man.

Speaker 1 44:01

This is a grown exactly what's crazy.

Speaker 6 44:04

You got a 19-year-old mandatory corpor his room. He's like hey, open the door. I'm talking about hey, fix yourself.

Speaker 1 44:10

That's a grown man.

Speaker 6 44:11

Especially when these boys be putting up weight.

Speaker 1 44:13

Now I'm going to put it like this when I was a PFC, I had to put my corporal on his neck. Yeah, you know what I mean. And ever since then, everybody had the respect, like hey, and it has to be like that, but I'm glad that it still brings like you.

Speaker 6 44:33

you know what I'm saying oh yeah, Shout out.

Speaker 1 44:34

Appreciate it.

Speaker 2 44:35

You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 44:36

That's holding it down, man, because it's always a good thing to hear, yeah, that I mean it's still going in a way, and the questions that you ask are good questions. Nobody never really asks me questions. Yeah, which I'm cool with. Really ask me questions.

Speaker 2 44:47

Yeah, which I'm cool with because it's a dialect you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 44:50

It's a dialogue, so we having conversations. So you know what I'm saying. At the end of the day, yeah, man, it's just I still would have been. I honestly think I still would have been in after my 20s. Yeah, believe it, or?

Speaker 6 45:00

not the new one, the new Sergeant, major Brinkhall. He's one of those ones. Like he's one of those ones.

Speaker 6 45:11

I first said I first seen him in Quantico. Yeah, and I'll never forget this story. Everybody was there, everybody was lost. But it hit me in my soul Like he was like hey, you know, great job, you know regular. He was like y'all can say what y'all want, correct me if y'all want. Took his cover off through it. We outdoors, we outdoors.

Speaker 6 45:36

He's talking to the stadium. Now they got OCS, they got OCS recruits like cadets and stuff. So they sitting in the bleachers and stuff and just the kind of leader that we all were. He's like, hey, good morning, how's everybody? And then obviously them being recruits, like come on, sergeant Major. He's like, oh, so we got recruits here. And they're like, yeah, sergeant Major. He's like good, everybody get up. Now sit back down. So he starts messing with them.

Maintaining Identity Beyond Military Service

Speaker 6 45:58

And then he really got down to it. He was like, hey, shout out to the leadersverick. And everybody's all confused and stuff. And I'm like yo, what is this dude talking? He's like good, if you're really a maverick, you're probably not even going to have your hand raised. And he's like I'm talking, those mavericks are those ones that they lead with a more compass. They lead with who they are, who they were raised, and genuinely what's right and what's wrong, not just black and white. Black and white is there, in my opinion, I feel like black and white is there to give us guidance, right, that's what it's for. And then, with your, your moral compass, how you was brought up, you, you coincide with that, right, and that's what makes you the leader that you are. You get what I'm saying because at the end of the day, you know, uh, shout out to he ever sees this, he always.

Speaker 6 46:51

He sparked a big controversy throughout social media where he, straight up, was like hey, I don't know who to hear this and I quote you're not a Marine 24-7. And what he mean by that. He's not saying like come 1630, my phone's on, do not disturb, I'm throwing it off, no, but at the end of the day, you know, especially for you example, like you say, you did recruiting, right, right, and you got kids right, right. So you recruiting and everything. You go to these schools and everything like that, and you recruiting. You know, oh yeah, I'm Sergeant so-and-so this, that and the third, that's cool, but now you at your son's baseball game, he don't want to see Sergeant, so-and-so Right.

Speaker 6 47:26

He don't want to see his dad and he want to see him Supporting he don't want to see that.

Speaker 6 47:30

Sorry, you're not about to sit there when he takes that strike out. Or you know, those hard times come up and you're going to sit there and it's like, hey, listen, double dog, fix yourself first. No man, like You're not a Marine 24-7. That don't mean If you don't call I'm not going to answer it, just specifically mean that know who you are. This isn't all you know, right, because eventually, like you said, whether you ready or not, they could take that from you easy and who you are without you even like, knowing, like, because that's what happened to me.

Speaker 1 48:02

It went like that and then it was like alright, now what you gonna do.

Speaker 6 48:04

You know what I'm saying that's what it really come down to is like who are you really right when, when, that?

Speaker 2 48:11

adversity hit who you. Are you really?

Speaker 1 48:11

When that adversity hits. Who are you really?

Speaker 6 48:12

That shit hit the fan. That rank can be taken by any means. That's it. In the blink of an eye you can risk it all, and then what? That's what I'm saying, yeah man, for sure.

Speaker 1 48:22

No, IG Rod man. I appreciate you man. I appreciate you man. I'm going to be looking out for this. Yeah, man, I'm going to put it out shortly. Some of the videos are going to be like little chops and stuff like that.

Speaker 6 48:34

Yeah, nah, nah, so chill.

Speaker 1 48:36

But I got the audio, so the audio is definitely going to be on there, nah.

Speaker 6 48:39

I got to follow this. I got to follow it when you at on Instagram RWMTM.