Joshua Smith's Journey from Despair to Empowerment

Rich Bennett 0:00
So my guest, Joshua Smith, is actually right up the road from me. He is based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He's the founder of Your Speaking Voice, a company specializing in life coaching and public speaking. His venture into personal development began in 2012 with Toastmasters International, where he rapidly climbed the leadership ladder and was recognized twice as a distinguished toastmaster. Apart from his business, Josh is a dedicated community leader serving on the board of the Shalom House and Harry's Productions that raise Shalom, Shalom, Shalom, Shalom House in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an academic at heart he holds degrees from. Oh, God, I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. Holds degrees from Al Vernier and Shippensburg University with professional experience spanning over 12 years in various roles at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

Wow. 

12 years? 

Joshua Smith 1:03
Yeah. Actually, we're approaching 13 here. Yeah. 

Rich and Josh 1:07
What? Really? Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:09
And you started. When did you start your speaking voice? 

Joshua Smith 1:12
I just. I started it in January 2023. So just this year. 

Rich Bennett 1:16
Okay. Yeah. Okay. And how long you been with Toastmasters? 

Joshua Smith 1:21
I've been doing that. It will be my 12th anniversary in April. 

Rich Bennett 1:24
So that's 12. 

Joshua Smith 1:25
Years? Yeah, there's like, 12 and 13 is flying around. 

Rich Bennett 1:33
Which you do start to speak, like, right after high school or something. 

Joshua Smith 1:37
So it's actually a weird story. I had a friend that was doing Toastmasters in the Redding area, which is where our Virginia is located at. And she said, you know, you've been struggling a lot with connecting and socializing things of that nature. You should check out this because it really has helped me. And since you're moving out to call an area and all that, you should really check out one. Now, there wasn't one in Carlisle when I started. But I went to Harrisburg, and when I went to Harrisburg, I ran into a bunch of people around my age. I was in my twenties. So this was after college, had my first job with state government in Pennsylvania, and that's all she wrote. I really loved it so much that it continued to help me with so many different things with public speaking. Right. Leadership development, because that's a big tenant of what Toastmasters is about. But it isn't just about what you get from a local level. It's what I've gotten out of it from an international level, which it's really changed everything about me. 

Rich Bennett 2:39
Yeah. When I met you before, we talked briefly because I've always wanted to join Toastmasters, but the only one here meets on the same night that our Lions Club meets. 

Joshua Smith 2:48
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:48
I mean, being president, I have to be the lion. 

Joshua Smith 2:52
You know? You do. But they. They almost have a alignment with their missions quite well, because with the lions, we're more civic based and providing a lot of different opportunities. Toastmasters is more educational based, but also has that ability to mingle and socialize. That's because we do it in small groups of clubs. Usually about 20 people is the ideal number. So that you have that opportunity. 

Rich Bennett 3:19
Huh? Interesting. Yeah. Maybe one of these days, if somebody ever steps up and becomes president to replace me. 

Joshua Smith 3:27
Maybe it might be another toastmaster. 

Rich Bennett 3:30
I've got one of my going on eight years now. Eight years, I think, as president. Nobody wants to step. 

Joshua Smith 3:39
I think you're doing a good job. That's might be why. 

Rich Bennett 3:42
Nobody wants to help expose what? 

I'm joking. There's not a lot of headaches. I'm not. No, as I said, not a lot. Not. All right. So with Josh, let's let's let's go back some time back in high school. What was your 

what was your goal? You know, because know, everybody has to have a goal in high school. We know everybody should know what they want to be. 

Joshua Smith 4:07
Oh, yeah, I had it all. I had all written down. I was like, this is full steam ahead. Right? 

Rich Bennett 4:13
Well, I know I was going to be a rock star. 

Rich and Josh 4:15
Yeah. Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 4:16
Well, hey, you know, you might have that one hit yet wonder. 

Rich and Josh 4:19
Yeah, that might come out. 

Joshua Smith 4:21
But that when you say high school, it conjures up a lot of different things for me. But the one thing that it does bring up is that I wanted to be a lawyer. And the reason why is I and this is even going back before high school, I was teased a lot for my weight. I was teased a lot with some speech development issues. I've had educational issues which I had overcome by that point, but I was about, yeah, I want to represent those that are struggling and those that are going through such a hard time. I want to defend them. Like I almost felt like being a public defender at one point because I didn't have the heart to prosecute people, although some of those some of those are they really got under my skin. I would. But so there was that. And then there was the other thing in which my step grandfather, when he was alive, he would say to me, Josh, you're going to be the medical doctor of the family. I can tell. And I'm like, No, I'm not. I can't. 

Rich and Josh 5:19
I can't stand blood. 

Rich Bennett 5:21
So that would make it kind of hard. 

Joshua Smith 5:23
Yeah, Yeah. But I, I kind of moved away from that. I was like, and, yeah, I'm going to be a lawyer. So that was my career track. 

Rich Bennett 5:30
Well, what happened? Because you're not a lawyer. 

Rich and Josh 5:33
Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 5:33
Matter of fact, not even close to that. 

Rich Bennett 5:36
I mean, when you finish high school, did you go to college to become a lawyer? 

Joshua Smith 5:40
I had the willingness to go to school, to be a lawyer, let's put it that way. But I did take like political science and communications because I thought, you know, you need to be a good writer. You also need to have a good stance on civics and being able to make a good argument. And the school I went to Virginia really did provide that. I had a awesome professor. She still teaches. She's associate by the name of Dr. Victoria Williams life changing person for me because she really helped me to understand and think about how to view the world constructively with making solid arguments. 

Rich Bennett 6:18
Interesting. 

Joshua Smith 6:18
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 6:20
So you now did you do four years in college? 

Joshua Smith 6:24
So I was one of the few that did a four year college degree and four years and even being a double major. And I also had a minor in business. Mind you, I did it all in four years. I don't know how I did it because some people you hear that sometimes a four year degree is actually five years because of some things that happened, because of people changing paths or things that nature. I actually was probably one of the few that didn't change their major. They added on to their major because I originally just set out with one major, the poli sci, but then moved into those other areas. So that was really a blessing. But wow. But the biggest thing happened to me that affected a whole generation of people my age in the millennial generation, which is the Great Recession of 2008. So, so, so when that happened, I was eyeballs up the debt with debt with having all those things that come alongside of it, student loan payments, things that nature and there was no jobs. So trying to find something and I kind of at that point said, no, I'm not going to be a lawyer, because I kept reading in the news that, A, they were offered this ability to go to law school and then they were rescinded or law students were offered jobs at firms and they were rescinded. I said this, I'm not going to be, you know, a half a million dollars in debt down the road and one day try to do that. So I actually stayed in school and I got my first masters, Albania, which is my my master's in business administration. 

Wow. 

Rich Bennett 7:59
Well, which comes in handy when you own your own business. 

Joshua Smith 8:02
Yeah. Yeah, it has. And it's funny, Rich, because 13 years later, I'm, like, pulling out my textbook. I'm like, Oh, what's a business plan? I know I learned about this, and I was like, Oh, all right. I was right here. I did one of these. Okay? I was like, I know what I'm doing to do that build, build capital and be able to get what I need to get. Yeah. Okay, cool. Thanks. Thanks. 13 years ago degree. 

Rich and Josh 8:25
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 8:27
They got you saved their. 

Rich and Josh 8:28
Book, right? Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 8:29
Thank gosh, I wasn't one of those kids that actually sold their textbooks back at the end of each semester. I actually kept them, and it did come in handy. Especially. I knew that that was going to be helpful. 

Rich Bennett 8:40
Yeah, that's something I never understood is. 

And now. Now I think you can. What random. 

Joshua Smith 8:47
Yes, you can rent them and even electronically you can rent them so you never even have a physical book in your hands. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 8:54
And what good is that like in your instance 13 years later, you needed that. 

Joshua Smith 8:59
Yes. And that's the value of having something that is hard bound. And I am on that cusp of the generation where I see the benefits of having paper, but also see the benefits of having something electronic. So I see the best of both worlds. I don't think there's a generation since me that has been able to see that even the Gen Z ers. 

Rich Bennett 9:20
So I when you finished 

finally finished college, you got your degree because you didn't start your business right away. You went to work somewhere else, right? 

Joshua Smith 9:33
Yeah. So that's when I started my career with state government and my grandmother was actually a caseworker with Social Services, with the Snyder County Department of Public Welfare, which, you know, they had their own county office where people go in for food stamps and all that. It seemed like I followed her footsteps because my very first job was actually working as a clerk within a county assistance office, but in Berks County. So that's when I was getting wrapping up my first degree. I mean, excuse me, my second degree, my master's. That's when I entered the doors of a county assistance office for the first time and was exposed to state bureaucracy. 

Rich and Josh 10:15
Because it was. 

Joshua Smith 10:16
Essentially one of those doom and gloom sort of situations that you think, Man, I'm one of them. I don't know why I'm here in the first place. Like, I feel like I, I don't know how I ended up here, but I have to say, I learned so much in the year and three months that I was there about not only how it works with red tape, but also why people get frustrated. 

Rich Bennett 10:38
With great we met, why people get. 

Rich and Josh 10:41
Free government. 

Joshua Smith 10:43
I know, right? Who would have thought somebody that is going through that you. 

Rich Bennett 10:47
Know it's hard to believe. 

Joshua Smith 10:49
Yeah, it is hard to believe. 

Rich Bennett 10:50
She's. Mm. Okay. So you were only there for a year and a half. 

Joshua Smith 10:56
Yeah. So once I finished up my masters, that's when I was able to get my first job in management, which was Department of Transportation and Harrisburg. And that was the that was the stepping stone into the adventure that I have been on, on my own for over a decade. 

Rich Bennett 11:14
Okay. So you still kept the government job? 

Joshua Smith 11:16
I, I still kept the job. I still work for state government. I have went through a lot of different trials and tribulations to get to where I'm at. I still have it. I still have a job today. I love what I do. I feel like I'm making a contribution towards helping the citizens of Pennsylvania with what I'm doing. Despite this is by all the all the things I've said about the red tape and all that, I feel that once you get past that, I feel like there's a lot of good things and there's reasons why we have it. I think it's I think it's really sufficient to say there's a reasons why. 

Rich Bennett 11:49
Well, unfortunately, Josh, even in the corporate world and sometimes even in small businesses, there's a lot of red tape. 

Joshua Smith 11:56
There's a lot of overlap between both of those. Absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 12:00
But the good thing is you're still with this with the state. And now I don't know if Pennsylvania is the same as here. What do you need 25 or 30 years before you can retire? 

Joshua Smith 12:12
So it's about 35 years for Pennsylvania to retire now. Depends on what kind of job you have, what kind of union represents you. But the standard is usually 35. 

Rich Bennett 12:24
Okay. Which I mean, you started young. So then, I mean, that ain't nothin. 

Joshua Smith 12:29
Oh, 58 and a half years of age, I will be able to retire from the Commonwealth if I continue going 22 more years. 

Rich Bennett 12:38
Well, yeah, you might retire before then because you're business in your pocket is going to blow up and you're going to become a full time job for you anyways. 

Joshua Smith 12:48
You know, Rich, that is an excellent point, which if you give me a moment, I need to I need to describe that because, you know, we we think that we enter into something that we want to do or want to achieve, thinking that we're going to go down this path because it's what is been told to us. Growing up and we were literally just having this conversation before we started about, yeah, it's going to be sunshine, rainbows, lollipops and, you know, good times because we're going to be able to do what we're going to do because that's what our parents have done. That's what the our educated teachers have said. They are great mentors. Those are the wise women and men, But it doesn't turn out to be that way. So, I mean, I've been on that sort of journey myself to get to where I'm at. I don't the same person that started in state government thinking, Oh, I need to have something stable realizes that living a stable life isn't always everything that you think it is either. 

Rich Bennett 13:44
Oh, yeah, I know. Now, of course I didn't. Well, I guess you could say I went to college. U.s.m.c.. Although it's not a college. Yeah, but, I mean, when I. And actually I quit my senior year, went into the Marine Corps when I got out of the Marine Corps. So I did go. I got my I became I went to school, became a professional mixologist, 

did that for a while, then started deejaying, then went to broadcasting school and actually got my degree in radio. Didn't like radio, 

but I guess in a way, I guess it helped me with what I'm doing now. 

Rich and Josh 14:25
If you think so. 

Joshua Smith 14:26
Because I think I figure you're doing. 

Rich and Josh 14:27
A great job with what you're. 

Rich Bennett 14:29
Doing. But I mean, I had so many different careers because when I left the one radio station I was doing sales and I sold cars for 

ten years. I guess, 

and then got into the computer field when that was hot, that's when if you were in a computer field, you interviewed the company. Company didn't interview you, you interviewed the company and you were getting top dollar and then it became oversaturated and 

yeah. 

Rich and Josh 15:08
Well, even today. 

Joshua Smith 15:09
Even to this day, I really was just joking with a coworker the other day, my full time job, and I was saying, you know, I picked the wrong career. I should have been a coder because they're still in demand. And many aspects of some of the things that we interact with, especially with artificial intelligence, don't even get started with that because there's just so many plethora of app opportunities when it comes to that expansion. 

Rich Bennett 15:31
So I tell you one thing that is when it comes to AI, you know, people keep thinking that AI is going to take over the world and people are going to lose their jobs. Yeah, people will lose their jobs. But you look at grocery store, not just grocery stores, stores where you have the self-checkout lines, same thing. But a lot of people don't want to work. But guess what? With the A.I., you're still going to need the coders. And everybody is only as smart as you make it. Yes, as you put in there. So you're still going to need people. A.I. is going to I think it's going to help the workforce more is I'm going to take it over. It's going to help it. 

Joshua Smith 16:16
And it's really about controlling what the destiny of that is, which we keep hearing about the ethics of it. Well, it's really in our control to be. It will do it. It is always going to be bad players. I mean, look at the development of the atomic bomb. I mean, since with, you know, we've seen Oppenheimer, the movie that's out in theaters, I mean, that's really about hey, you know, I know I'm creating something that's destructive, but at the same time, what was its intended purpose? Well, you know, to really have no cost whatsoever. You know, we want this war to end, right? We need to develop deterrence. But now we have this that other countries getting it into their own hands, that creates some of those issues that we are faced with today. 

Rich Bennett 17:00
Oh, yeah, Yeah, definitely. Without a doubt. I mean, you look at when computers first came into the workforce, people were scared to death about that. Yeah, same with robotics. Yeah. And politics has taken over. 

Rich and Josh 17:14
Like, well. 

Joshua Smith 17:16
And I remember my first, the first personal computer that our family had, it was a, it was a Packard Bell. So it wasn't Hewlett Packard, it was the Packard Bell, right? It was a personal desktop computer. Windows 3.1, 2500 some bucks. It had all the bells and whistles, you know, like two two megabytes of RAM. But but it it, it was my first exposure to the fact that I could use this for good or I could use this for evil and that for me has helped me so much to embrace technology, to get to where I'm at today, to. 

Rich Bennett 17:52
Now I'm really sure my age now because my first computer was a Commodore 60. 

Joshua Smith 17:56
Four. Oh, my word. Yes. 

Rich and Josh 17:59
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 18:00
My first video game pong. 

Rich and Josh 18:04
So. 

Joshua Smith 18:04
So you actually had a little the bars that went up and down, the whole thing that go back and forth. 

Rich and Josh 18:09
Okay. 

Joshua Smith 18:10
Yeah, I saw I saw videos of it. 

Rich Bennett 18:13
I then Atari came out. We're like, Oh my God, look how these graphics are awesome. It's like you look back, it it's like, what? 

This looks so realistic. No, pull it. That's it. 

Joshua Smith 18:29
Well, that's where I got to give my mom some credit. I loved video games growing up, and she will always try to get me the latest and greatest system. Like the last system that she would ever get me was a PlayStation two. So like having all those different games to play growing up was really a lot of fun. I think that was the happiest part of my childhood. 

Rich Bennett 18:48
And here's the funny thing, because, you know, so here we are talking about people being afraid of A.I. to taking over stuff. Look how many gaming professionals there are. Yeah, how many look, how many people are actually making money from being a professional gamer? 

Joshua Smith 19:05
Yes, There are literally colleges that have a gaming team like it's a sport and I find it so incredible that they're. Where does this fray? Where is this coming from? All these sponsorships and all that. But B, what a novel idea because you're teaching some skills that oftentimes are overlooked in other sports because it's more about competition, all that. But in that you're actually working as a team sometimes to achieve an objective, to achieve whatever needs to be done in that simulation. So it's it's really incredible. We have come a long way when it comes to that. And it's it's awesome to see that. 

Rich Bennett 19:44
Oh, yeah, big Tommy time. And I remember when, you know, my son kept saying that's what he wanted to do. I was like, Dude, come on, man. I did. Really? Boy, was I an idiot. 

Actually, I don't even know if he plays video games anymore. He might. I don't know. 

Joshua Smith 20:03
Well, you, your son and I need to talk then, because I need to get back in the game. And that's one thing I miss. I. I feel like I work all the time and I haven't played a lot of video games. I need to. And like, I hear these new games, I'm like, What is this? 

Rich Bennett 20:16
I know my best friend plays them all the time and I. I mean, I'll do the computer games. That's it. But as far as, you know, gaming like Call of Duty and all that, if you put a controller in my hand now these things have like 20,000 buttons. I said when we talked before and you told me something which floored me and I was really shocked. So share your story with everybody because I, I still find it hard to believe. 

Joshua Smith 20:48
Yeah. So I let me give let me give some context here. First, you asked me you have asked me about Toastmasters. You have asked me about my career. You know, you have asked me about my degrees. Yeah. Those are all awesome things. I think anybody that hears this today, your listeners, they're probably going to say, Wow, you've done a lot, man. Like, that's that's incredible. Like, how do you balance all this? And I, I would tell you a very unhealthy person. The unhealthy Josh was balancing all that. And what I mean by that is I was truly not happy with myself and I was always trying to do something better. I was always trying to build something and myself thinking, if I just do one more thing, if I just do one more thing, I feel like I'm going to be able to finally get that recognition. See, my problem was that I was looking at what other people thought of me or viewed me as so. Fast forward to 2020, literally about three weeks before COVID happened, and this would have been before my 33rd birthday. Okay, so 32 evolve and don't ask me why I was on my own the day before my birthday. Maybe there was some sort of trigger with that being that I was getting a little bit older, but I woke up with the most horrible feeling in the world, in my heart, in my chest, in my head. Just feeling that I can't go on like this. 

And I felt like bricks like and I describe this I've described this on other shows I've been on. It is I feel like it's bricks that were starting to just be pressed on my back, like I don't know what I was doing, some sort of levitating, active or juggling act of all these different things that I was trying to feel secure about. So I had all these bricks juggle around like a juggle as to how to do it. And so that day I just couldn't carry them. They kept on hit me on my head, and as I went through my day, I had a part time job. At the time I started to feel like I can't do this anymore. I feel like I'm living on everyone else's expectations. I felt like I was trying to be something that I'm not. I can't continue going on with life like this. I want to frickin die. Like, I had that thought in my head, like, I want to frickin die day. I can't do this. And I, like I had have had suicidal thoughts all throughout my life up to that point. But this was the day that I was like, I'm going to do it. I was dead set on it. So like there was people reaching out to me that were concerned because of some of the things I was saying on social media. It wasn't saying, Oh yeah, I'm going to do it. But, but I was like, Yeah, you guys warned because you guys really hate me. Like I had this vision that people like, I was almost like paranoia. Wow. And so I remember going home, walked right past my landlord because I lived with somebody that I rented from Satan in the rooms in which I rented. And I was like, I was having a nervous breakdown. It almost felt like if I like I was like, really ready to plan, kill myself. 

Rich Bennett 24:00
Jesus. 

Joshua Smith 24:01
So two people from Toastmasters, I have never said their names. I don't want to embarrass them because they because they have been tremendously helpful. So I always withhold their names. But there were two Toastmasters that they they saw what was happening. They reached out to me and I said, Hey, you know, is everything okay? I'm like, No, I'm going to kill myself like that. It's great. Why? I was like, and like, they were like the woman that that was reaching out to me. She was super upset about it and she called the cops. What I come to find out is that there are three other people that also called the cops at the same time. So there were like four different people reaching out to get me immediate help. 

Rich Bennett 24:41
Whoa! 

Joshua Smith 24:42
Two police officers show up, knocked on my door, Landlord answers it. Of course, he has no idea what's going on. Right. And he's like, Is Mr. Smith here? We need to see him. We want to make sure he's okay. And so they, you know, he they came back where I was like, All right, come on, we're going to go we're going to go to a hospital. Like, we want to get you checked out as begrudgingly, like fine. First time in my life, Rich, I was placed in handcuffs because it was just standard procedure and for safety to get put in the back of a police cruiser. I was heading to the hospital, the police officer driving, and there was something that they the officer asked me that I will never forget. He asked me, Dude, is everything really okay? Like, you're really young to be doing this. Like what it is. You seem like you got your stuff together. Like, unlike other people that I've had in the back of the car. And I'm like, and I. And I said to him, Yeah, it may seem that way, but I really don't know. I really don't feel right. So I went to the hospital. They evaluated me. Unbeknownst to me, the two people that reached out to me were at the hospital talking to the person that was on duty to decide whether I go to a mental hospital or not. They said, yes, they so they told that I'm sorry. They told the story of like, what happened. Lady comes in and says, all right, you have no choice. We're going to send you for observation for 72 hours. Went to place in Marilyn Ward that specialized in kind of observations of that nature, which I. I really had to wait. Baltimore Well, not Baltimore, but it was towards Hagerstown area. I can't think. Oh, okay. Yeah, but Rich, I have to tell you, those are three days that would change my life. I literally had on the I only had like my clothes I was wearing on me, my cell phone and all that to really get around. I saw people that actually tried to do it. They tried to cut themselves. These were kids that were, you know, 18 to 22. I've seen people that were going through schizophrenia, and I had a serious wakeup call. I was like, I got to get my shit together. All right, I'm going to end up back here. It's going to be much worse. Now, I turned 33. During all that I got released. They said, oh, yeah, you got to be all right. I'm going to put you in. 

Rich Bennett 27:13
You're in there doing your birthday? 

Joshua Smith 27:15
Yeah, they got me a birthday cake. Wow. Wow. 

Rich and Josh 27:18
And that's why. Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 27:21
Yeah. The mental hospital, I should say. Yeah. So, yeah, they they were like, Oh, it's your birthday. Well, what can to do something special for that? And, and I'm like. 

Rich Bennett 27:30
Actually good though. 

Joshua Smith 27:32
Yeah. It was. But at the time I was like, I want nothing to do with my birthday. Like, I can't believe I ended up here. Oh, my birthday. So because, like, they're even, like, date of birth. Well, it's today's date. 

Rich and Josh 27:44
Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 27:46
33 years ago. So there you go. Put that on your chart. I laugh about it now, but I'm like, at that time, I'm like, I was really pissed to be there. I was. But it was because I hated myself. I really hated myself being that low. Okay, So I got out, took a Uber back to my landlord's house. I had to talk to him about what happened. He's like, Dude, I wish you would have told me what was going on. I wish I would have been able to help you. 

I said I wasn't in that mindset to be helped and to be honest with you, I was starting to go through the motions of, you know, they assign me a therapist. I've been seeing the same therapist for the last three and a half years. Wonderful, awesome lady. I can never repay her for what she's done to help me get to this point. But three, three weeks later, COVID happened. So what happens with COVID? She's everything spikes all over again in my life. So I've had these ups and downs. Cops were called again because I was still like kind of, you know, feeling really uncertain, unsure about myself and all that. But there was one saving grace and what was happening afterwards. I have a friend, this person I do mention because I can't thank him enough. His name is Christopher Hulse, somebody that I met in Toastmasters. And I really feel that he's been an inspiration and influence on me. He he reached out to me shortly after I got out and he said to me, Hey, is everything okay? Like, I can't believe what happened. Like, what's going on with you? And I told him everything and he said, Dude, I want you the next several weeks. I want you even for a half hour. I want to check in with you like I want to make sure you. Okay, good. So as a result of that, that started the shift. My mindset of the path that I needed to take in my life. Now I still to this day, which I think most people like, even be an alcoholic or being on drugs, you had those relapse and you have things that happened in your life that kind of trigger some of those moments. But what I was what I have been going through is sort of a transformation in my life of why are why, why was I carrying those bricks? I have a lot of self-worth and I want to give that to people that deserve to have that self-worth. And they're ready to embrace that. Right? So I said to myself late last year, I've been putting this off, I need to do this. So that's what led into opening my business, which I'll pause here because I'm sure you might have something to ask me, but that's when I opened my business because my mission now, which is the mission, my business is to find our voice. I use voice in quotation. 

Rich and Josh 30:25
Works. 

Joshua Smith 30:26
In this ever changing world, and I use the word voice because it isn't just about what we talk about, which I've been trained to be able to do the last decade. And also because of my work. But I feel that the actions that we do, the things that we're able to accomplish is through the nonverbal, because that's what's also what speaks volumes for people. So my mission is to help people. I do not I don't even want my worst enemy to ever feel the feeling that I had of just completely wanting to die. Yeah, I didn't want anybody ever feel that way because we all have a place in this world, even even those that are completely radical in nature. They have a place in this world. They challenge or viewpoints. They challenge the way in which we think. I think that's really important, and that's what I'm trying to set myself, not trying I am doing. I am setting myself that mission to help others in that way. 

Rich Bennett 31:22
And that's good therapy for you as well. 

Joshua Smith 31:25
It's been a journey in itself because here's the wrinkle to this story. All those thoughts and feelings I had about myself, which, you know, being bully, being ridiculed, growing up and telling that I'm not good enough and having those voices be what was shaping me, which weren't healthy to begin with. I found out three months after I opened my business why that was happening. Because one day someone at I someone shared something about autistic burnout. Now, for your listeners, you have to right? Yeah. You ought to read about this as a it's a it's an interesting concept. Autistic burnout. So autistic burnout is when your body essentially physically, mentally, emotionally, socially shuts down. And I said to my therapist, This sounds like what happened to me. So do why have autism? She's like, We need to get you tested right away. Never came up in the two years I was meeting with her, but we're like, We need to figure this out. 

Rich Bennett 32:23
Well, even when you were in the hospital, it never came. And you kept telling them you just felt like. Yes, everything was pushing down on you. 

Joshua Smith 32:30
Yes. Which which I found out in March of this year that I have autism. 

Rich Bennett 32:36
You found out in March? 

Joshua Smith 32:37
I only found out in March and has been a three decade struggle because of failed educational system, let alone having all this knowledge. Now, I say failed education system because I had to go back and realize that, oh my God, they told my mom when I was a kid, when I wasn't socially developed and all that, you know, you know what the term was for it. I'm sure you might know this. You know, what they call those sort of people that couldn't adapt that way. 

Rich Bennett 33:07
So she'd be inactive, I would think. 

Joshua Smith 33:09
Mentally retarded. 

Rich Bennett 33:11
Oh that. Oh. Mm. 

Joshua Smith 33:13
That's what I was labeled. 

Rich Bennett 33:14
I hate that word. 

Joshua Smith 33:15
I do too. It is such a stigma and I, even since then I have grown really negative about that terminology because we all have different ways in which we learn and adapt. 

Rich Bennett 33:28
But yeah. 

Joshua Smith 33:30
Going all the way back to that, it took three decades to finally get an answer. I can't tell you how mad it was. I literally was punching things around the house. I was literally like, Why world? Why did I only just find out now? And but then I said to myself, I'm glad I found out now, because now it's given me a new purpose in my life. I do not want anybody ever say that we are not capable of doing what we were able to be capable of doing because we all have that potential to do so. 

Rich Bennett 34:03
So, you know, something I've always said to people, you know, I hate the term disability as well. I like differing abilities because no matter what and I always, 

always think back to my cousin who had Down's syndrome. 

Amazing. But there's so many people that I know that have Down's syndrome and other different abilities that can do stuff that I can never do. 

Rich and Josh 34:31
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 34:32
And it's just amazing. And you people need to 

they need to look, I don't want to say through the person that, well, they need to look at everybody as if, well, that they're fine, that they're everybody's got something special about them. No matter what. You can learn from anybody, you know. And you know, you. Last March. 

Joshua Smith 35:04
Yes, just March, six months ago. I can't tell you what kind of journey that that has been for me to realize where that is. But what's been beautiful about it is that the very same tools that I use for my clients, I'm literally using for myself, because obviously if you're going to if you're going to show something and you're going to sell it, you better darn well have done it yourself. But it has given me new purpose in utilizing the same tools to help get my life together in a way that has been nothing short of a turnaround. 

Rich Bennett 35:39
So, you know, you sit and you can use this very well. And like I mentioned earlier, it's therapy for you. 

Joshua Smith 35:46
It is. 

Rich Bennett 35:46
But you're helping other. 

And it's I always I always think about like in the addiction world with you have peer recovery specialists. Those are people that have gone through it. Yeah. They were in addiction as well. Who better to help somebody that out and is going through it? Who better than you have you know, you have going through it. You're living it to help other people out. And to top it off, trust me, it would be a trust. Mr. Minister. 

Joshua Smith 36:19
The master of Toastmasters. 

Rich Bennett 36:24
Oh, no. Was it the is there different levels when it comes to that? 

Joshua Smith 36:27
I you read some of my intro. I mean, the highest individual educational award that Toastmasters bestows is Distinguished Toastmaster Award. Who's done it? I've done it twice. I've known people that have done it 12, 15, 20 times because they are so committed to what this organization has. Now. Some of them have been around for 35, 40 years too, so they have really reaped the benefits of what it's about. But for me, it isn't about the recognition as much as it has been about learning a little bit about myself and being able to tell my story because and even for those that are struggling with that even now, I think it's really important to know when it's time to open up because the longer you hold it in, you're going to end up like me, and I would not want that to happen. Well, what happened to me, I should say, because I would not want that to happen to anybody else. 

Rich Bennett 37:23
Yeah. All right. So you started your business? Yes, I started the podcast. 

Joshua Smith 37:29
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 37:29
When are you going to start the book? 

Joshua Smith 37:33
I've many people actually asking me about, hey, you're building this this awesome journey for yourself and for others that want to experience that. When you get to write the book, I will tell you that that's been swirling in my mind the last maybe couple of months because people have been asking about the story that I undergone because I think it would really help to explain some of the more intricate details as to, well, how did an autism diagnosis happen or how why did the education system fail you? I'm sure there's other questions with that. But the book, if I were to write it, I would wanted to write it with that being that I'm authentically honest and open about it, just like I'm trying to be authentically honest and open about it now. 

Rich Bennett 38:19
But you have to. Yes. You know, and you think of AA, you have the podcast, which technically in a way is a book. 

Joshua Smith 38:29
It is. I've been and do you mind if I talk about the podcast? 

Rich Bennett 38:33
I want to save that for later. 

Rich and Josh 38:35
Okay. 

Now, if feel like we'll leave it on the bedside. Oh, yes. 

Rich Bennett 38:42
Because I want to talk about the business first. Okay. You started what year did you start the business again this year? 

Joshua Smith 38:48
So I started I started January of this year. So it's been over nine months now since I've been. 

Rich Bennett 38:52
Over nine months. Okay. And you decided to start a business to help other people? 

Joshua Smith 38:58
Yeah. So it's about helping other people go through some of those basic struggles of life. I, I have been blessed, have been able to be certified a number of years ago with life coaching. I'm going back through some certification myself, but have had some of those experiences. But I also use some of the model that I've been through to help clients that I see work through some of their own issues. But I also specialize in the professional development side of it. So doing interview preparation, resume writing things like nature, but by Cup of Tea, which I really love doing, is public speaking. So helping people find that actual voice to be able to communicate. 

Rich Bennett 39:37
All right, so you're doing the life coaching, the public speaking, which is important, 

but with your degrees, have you also thought about doing business coaching? 

Joshua Smith 39:48
I actually just started to go into that niche a little bit, too, given that I've have over a decade being with state government, I love to people with figuring out whether the best solution to a problem that they might have. So I am currently building out my website right now to feature that still a work in progress, but I wanted to at least do more of the individual side of it. But also I am open to working with businesses and organizations as well. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 40:20
And I take it the podcasts are this is where we're going to talk that. So the podcast is that also part of the business? 

Joshua Smith 40:30
It is. So the name of the. 

Rich Bennett 40:32
Different name. 

Joshua Smith 40:33
Is a different name. The podcast name is called Speaking from the Heart, which when you try to Google it, you'll probably find hundreds of other shows of it. But I will guarantee you that this is the more updated recent one because I've been publishing episodes. But the purpose of the podcast because some people ask, Well, why do you start podcasts? Like what does that have to do with the business? So it is a business podcast. Yeah, it has everything to do with it. So it is a part of the business, my, my business, your speaking voice. But the main premise of it is to have authentic conversations with individuals so that we can have more of a dialogue about the personal professional struggles that we have to get to the other side of life. So I not only do conversations or interviews, but I also have monologue episodes in which I discuss some of the things that are often misnomers about coaching. But I've have some episodes in which fair warning to your audience that they're very risk averse to suicide and all that because of just experiences as a family. I do talk about my own personal struggles and I intentionally am open about it because and I talk about this or one of my episodes is about being that lighthouse. If you ever think of a big lighthouse, having that big beacon of light, I want to be able to help people load those ships, guide themselves to where they need to be. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 41:54
Well, now you then when you do that, it helps your listeners become more attached to you as a host. 

Joshua Smith 42:02
Yes. And I want people to know who I am because I'll be honest with you, I was ashamed of who I was for many, many years. 

Rich Bennett 42:11
A lot of people I go through that are. 

Joshua Smith 42:13
Yeah. So as much as I love listeners, I would love that everybody listens to my podcast, listens to, you know, your show Rich, which I know you have a awesome following yourself as a the purpose, the real purpose has been for me to and I would have never told you that starting out, the real purpose of it has been the fulfillment of knowing that I'm not alone in this world because of the awesome people that I have met along the way that even now, like I'm already 31 episodes into the podcast, I've opened it as at the end of May, I have felt this life changing moment happening in my life that has continued to reinforce that I'm finally back on the I'm finally on the right track. 

Rich Bennett 42:59
Awesome. 

Joshua Smith 43:00
Yeah, it makes me feel really good inside knowing that I'm getting that additional therapy. 

Rich and Josh 43:06
Of helping of. 

Joshua Smith 43:07
Other people. But in the same token, I'm putting my message out there all in. 

Rich Bennett 43:11
When people contact you because you help them. That's the biggest reward. Yes. It's not the downloads, it's not the money. It's when you help somebody, even if it's one person, then that means you made a difference. 

Joshua Smith 43:27
And not only that, it has helped me build relationships with people that I would have otherwise not interacted with. 

Rich Bennett 43:35
We wouldn't have. 

Joshua Smith 43:35
Met. We would have never met. Absolutely. So that to me means more than any sort of monetary amount. 

Rich Bennett 43:42
You would actually, if you don't mind, tell everybody how we met. 

Joshua Smith 43:47
So am part of community of podcasters that Rich happened to be part of and. 

Rich Bennett 43:52
I still am. 

Rich and Josh 43:53
And you still are. Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 43:55
I talk like we're past tense. You still are. But one day I'm having one of those moments because we all relapse. And I said, Oh man, everybody. I don't know if I'm doing a good job. I feel like my podcast is doing well. I have this only many listeners and many downloads. I just feel ashamed of myself, and I don't know if I'm really making an effective outreach to everybody. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, what's happening. So like I have my big sob story that I put in this group of other podcast content creators, and. 

Rich Bennett 44:26
There was an asshole. 

Joshua Smith 44:27
There. I'm sorry. Yeah. Yes, there was a big one. 

Rich Bennett 44:31
Now I have to say, matter. 

Joshua Smith 44:33
Of fact, doesn't his name also have a nickname of Dick? 

Rich Bennett 44:38
Hey, wait a minute. People might think that was me because that's my. You know, my name is Richard's. 

Rich and Josh 44:43
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. No, no. All kidding aside. 

Joshua Smith 44:48
All kidding aside, Richie reached out to me and we had an awesome conversation. We exchange stories about, you know, what some of the struggles are, but what what really helped me to understand what is really this big world of podcasting and even even somebody that is listening is still on the fence of doing it. I'll tell you, I had three months, literally, so I knew somebody else that that had started their own podcast. His name is John SHUKMAN. He's been rocking it. He just recently got 50,000 downloads after doing it for three years total. He's like, Dude, you need to do it. You need to share your story. You need to put stuff out there. Let the world know you got a great story. You need to do it. You need to do it, you do it. Finally, I said, All right, John, I'll do it like I like it. Finally, the voice in my head is like like because it was like John talking, like you had to do it. So I did the best move I've ever did. And that was that was what was more important. And this isn't about the downloads. It isn't about the people are listening. I would love that more people listen to it, though, because I think that it has some meaningful content. But I also know that there are some great 

points being made about what we're talking about that often you don't hear and another context. So I think it's always important to share that message no matter what you think of it is because I thought I didn't have a message. Rich That's why I struggled for years, decades. And I finally said I had enough. And I realized, like some of the people that had that saw this change in me, they would tell you, Yeah, this is not the same Josh that I know. As a matter of fact, literally just the other day I was literally having a conversation about the fact that the Josh that wanted kill himself, he probably did die, but because he's not the same. Josh And I know that sounds morbid in a way and kind of like, well, yeah, does sound a little weird, but in truth, that part of me had died and that I can never thank for the fact that I've had a great support system. Like I said, the therapist I've been seeing and other people that have surrounded me along the way, if it wasn't for them, I won't be half the man that I am today. 

Rich Bennett 47:04
It's the rebirth of Joshua Smith. 

Joshua Smith 47:07
And there's many of us we've met. 

Rich and Josh 47:09
It's the same name. 

Joshua Smith 47:11
But this one, this was the middle initial D after my dad. Douglas is definitely heading in the right direction. 

Rich Bennett 47:20
Good, good. The 

so with the we may 31 episodes in. And when did you start it? Well. 

Joshua Smith 47:28
I started in May so I've had my normal schedule is two episodes a week but I have been doing some shows that you know might be a two parter because we've done really we had a good conversation with some of my guest, which I've had a few so far, and I've also been special in showcasing some different businesses and things like in this month of September being able to do that. But I have been wanting to do a lot more of that content to get more stories out. So sometimes you might see some fluctuations in my schedule, but I will always have something on Tuesday or Thursday. 

Rich Bennett 47:59
And I just got to say, you know, first of all, 

I'm proud of you because you started a podcast during the slowest time of the year for podcasters, summertime is it's a trend. You always see summertime, the numbers drop off. And remember what I told you when we first met, Ignore the downloads. Yes, the listeners are what's important because you could have one download, but that one download could be 1020 listeners. 

Joshua Smith 48:36
And you know what's so funny about that is that every time I put something up, I notice the people that are listening. Obviously, I don't know who they are to see the number, but I see who those active followers are and that's really good to see. So for those that are following along and even listening to this, thank you. I acknowledge you. 

Rich Bennett 48:54
There's an even I mean, I've been doing mine since, what, 2000, 15, 16 or whatever, and I'm still learning stuff. And because of the way podcasts and is changing, you know, you have to learn more. But I did share so that was on at a madam showed you we recorded an episode the other day he he has a podcast called the Podcast on podcasting as our businesses grow your was guru your Yorker.com he helps other podcasters. But I pointed out to him and I'm sure you probably seen it all over social media is I think it was on PA news where listenership has for podcast has passed radio Wow more people are listening to podcasts. They are radio now in the US. Yeah. So you're getting you're jumping on the bandwagon at the right time. 

Joshua Smith 49:54
Yeah, at. 

Rich Bennett 49:54
The right time. The other thing and I may have told you this to the well you're already doing it to, to help grow your podcast, you know, on other shows. Yeah. That's very important I guess I wish I had more time to do that, you know, but. And just don't give up, man. And you're putting out great content, you're telling your story, and that's the important thing. And you're, you're consistent, you're dropping an episode, would you say, every Thursday. 

Joshua Smith 50:30
Tuesday, every Tuesday and Thursday. 

Rich Bennett 50:32
Every Tuesday and Thursday, which is the important thing. I found out the hard way when I first started. I was dropped from one episode a month and I didn't have certain days. I just dropped it whenever. Then when I went to once a week, it was the same thing and then somebody said, You need to do it the same day. There is no time trick, there is no day trick. It's whatever you want. Now, I started dropping it every Monday. Now is Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and I'll stay with that I five days a week. But I have found out if you're doing it once a week, right? Yes. That's been that's going to help you more than doing once a month or even once every other week. Yes. And you're staying on the same schedule if you drop special episodes, that's just a plus. 

Joshua Smith 51:22
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 51:22
You know, so keep doing that, man, because it's I get Yeah. 

And like I said before, I mean, the biggest reward is you're helping people and I'm sure you well, you say, did you tell you has somebody reach out to you? They heard it. 

Joshua Smith 51:39
I had somebody that had reached out because of another podcast that I was on. And it's a we've been actually ongoing conversations. I can't really get into what it is right now. But but just to know that somebody had listened to something that I've been on and it's like, Hey, we actually have a need for you based on what you shared. I can't tell you how much that means to me to to have that impact. Even if it didn't work out. You know, I feel like that need is just not only heartwarming, but it just fills your soul and it fills my indeed. 

Rich Bennett 52:17
Now, when you go do the public speaking, do you have anything that you can give people that has, you know, something for your podcast on it? 

Joshua Smith 52:27
Yeah. So yeah, I do. I actually I'm in the process of, like I said, consolidating a lot of things. So I, I'm hoping that in the very near future we're going to have everything in one place. And also my business cards and all that have all of that information as well. So that's been a work in progress just because of just the time of year, things going on. But we're in that stage, right? I'm in that stage right now. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 52:51
Good, good. Yeah, I because I mean, if your podcast I can see it being a well top podcast, first of all. Wow. 

Joshua Smith 53:01
That means a lot coming from you, Rich. I want to say thank you for that. 

Rich Bennett 53:04
Oh, my pleasure. But what I'm being honest, man, you're you're putting out good content. Ignore what the naysayers say. They're just assholes. I always look at it this way. Those are people that are jealous. Yes, plain and simple. And, you know, if they don't want to help out, there's a reason. They don't want to help out, right? They're scared. Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 53:27
So it's true. 

Rich Bennett 53:28
Yeah. I mean, it's just. Yeah, Sometimes you just want to reach out, just let them play it. Oh, God. Is Josh, is there anything that you would like to add besides, of course, telling everybody where they can find your podcast, your business, how they can reach out to you if they want you to come and speak. 

Joshua Smith 53:53
Yeah, Yeah. So anything you would want from in terms of services, consulting, coaching, things of that nature. Visit my website. It's your speaking voice, all one word dot biz. Your speaking voice stop is So if you go there, you'll be able to fill out some time. I always do my first my first consultation for free, like most people do, are unlike others where they do like 1530 minutes. I give an hour. And the reason I do that is that I want to give you a little bit of what who I am. Get to know you two. I feel relationships are so important, so that's why I do spend an hour. So when you set it up, be prepared for that. But I also walk you through everything that I have and for a good fit. I always the I always say it's it's a two way street. I might not think you're a good fit for me. You might not be a good fit for you might say that I'm not a good fit for you. So that's totally okay. But you can reach out to me. You can contact me if you just have a general question. My phone number, contact form, all that's there for my podcast. Like I said, I'm in the process of merging everything together right now, but you can find my podcast speaking from the Heart on all major platforms. If you see the Your Speaking Voice logo, you have found the right one. But if you want to go to speaking from the heart and you hyphenate each word Captivate FM, that's where you going to find my homepage for the the podcast and that has all 31 episodes with more episodes to come. But to add on, since you asked me the question, I got this to say, If you're out there and you're listening to this and you're struggling and you think that there's no hope whatsoever in this world and you feel like you're stuck in a rut and that there's no way given to how our economy is and given what things are in the United States, maybe even beyond, if you're in a different country, know this, there is hope. And I look forward to hearing from your heart very soon. Just as I always say at the end of each of my podcast episodes, because your heart is really the most important organ of your body that pumps the blood into our ability to lead and live and talk and do all those things. So I want to hear from your heart very soon. 

Rich Bennett 56:03
I love that man. Damn. You know, usually how I always 

ask my guest a certain question, 

but since you really haven't been on a lot of episodes yet and you're new at this, well. May Ah, yeah. Mark May. I'm going to do I'll do like what I do. If the Chamber podcast that I host, I'll turn it over to you in case you have any questions for me about podcasting. 

Joshua Smith 56:40
Hmm. You know, Rich, I think you probably get this question quite a lot. I mean, I know that, you know, you have this established network of sponsors and people like that and people always asking, well, how do you get the money? How do you get the money? Right. Yeah, this is that is not my question. I'm actually going to take a step back. Maybe people have done this already, but I'm going to take a bold risk here. What have you done? The form, the relationships that you had with people to get to being able to have sponsorships, What have you done? What's your secret sauce? 

Rich Bennett 57:13
Just be myself. Mm hmm. Actually. And. And talking. I love talking to people. Mm hmm. And I actually told this to Adam the other day, but when it comes to sponsors, I am picky. I if I've had people or businesses actually contacted me, I to become a sponsor. And I turned them down. I don't look at the money thing. I'm looking at the business itself. Because if it's a reputable business, my name's going behind them and yet if I'm promoting them and they're doing bad business, that looks bad on me. Yeah. So and the other thing is all my sponsors, I use them or I plan on using them, their services, you know? 

So yeah. Did I answer that question proper? 

Rich and Josh 58:05
Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 58:05
No. 

Rich and Josh 58:05
You know, you did. 

Joshua Smith 58:06
Yeah. You did know you did. It helps me. 

Rich and Josh 58:09
Yeah. Yeah, that helps me. 

Rich Bennett 58:11
Get through me off, man. Wow. I wasn't expecting that. 

Joshua Smith 58:15
I. I know you weren't I? That's why I love the question, because everybody wants to go. Where's the money? Where's the money? No, I want to know how you got to the point so that you could ask for them. 

Rich Bennett 58:25
Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 58:26
I think that's always the step behind it. That's the question we should really be asking. 

Rich Bennett 58:30
Yeah, because if you chase the money, you're going to get poor sponsors, and it's just it's going to sink you. Yeah, it's going to sink you because it's going to make you look bad. Yes. Get reputable sponsors, people that you use, people that you trust. And that's that's what's going to help you. And the other thing is whatever you do, make sure you help them. Yes. Yeah. I mean, I told this to Adam, too, because he he asked me that one restaurant since day one has to have them. What I do for him, all my if I have a meeting with a prospect or even with a current sponsor, I always go to that restaurant. That's where we meet. I'm. I'm. And I told people to go there. Yeah, yeah, you have to my roofing company, you know, I'm always pushing them and I get. I get pissed if I see a you know, somebody that I know gets a roof from somebody else. And I told them, say, what in hell? I told you call Tar Heel. What the hell's wrong with me? 

Rich and Josh 59:35
Oh, I do, I do. 

Rich Bennett 59:37
I get so I actually so are you know how you get the, the um, the salespeople coming through the neighborhood trying to sell you solar. Yes, Yes. We're all and I live in a cul de sac, so we're all sitting outside the other day, and these two guys come through and I'm at my neighbor's house and his wife right away points to me, says, You, you need to talk to him. So they start going to give you. I said, Look, dude, I'll be honest with you. I said, First of all, do you have solar shingles or is it panels? I know we're doing panels. I said, Nope, I don't want panels as I'm strictly solar shingles. Oh, Tesla. I said, No, that's a good buddy of mine, Joe or Tarheel Construction Group. I said, That's what they do, solar shingles. They got everybody here in the Corp, man, 

and they turned around and walked out the court. 

Rich and Josh 1:00:28
I was like, Oh, by the way, here we got we got no way about 

it. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:35
Yeah, forget it, man. You're say we went. I mean, all my sponsors, I do that. I'm going to do everything I can to get them business because I trust them. Yeah, I trust them. So man, that was a long answer. Any more questions for me? This feels weird, man. 

Rich and Josh 1:00:52
Yeah. 

Joshua Smith 1:00:53
No, I think. I think I'm good. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:55
It's good because I felt really. 

Rich and Josh 1:00:57
Weird. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:59
Through it that. 

Rich and Josh 1:01:00
You had an out-of-body experience. I could tell. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:03
Yeah, but I'll let you know this. So when you come on again, be prepared, because this is always the question. And I asked my my guests, 

out of all the people you've talked to, all the guests that you've talked to are all the hosts that you've been interviewed by, is there a question that you wish that Hirsch would have asked you that they didn't? Oh, and if so, what would be that question? What would be your answer? 

Joshua Smith 1:01:30
Oh, that is a really good question. I'm going to have that now. I I'll say that for next time as I get more people. 

Rich and Josh 1:01:36
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:37
So you remember that next time you come on my show, that's what I'll be asking. 

Joshua Smith 1:01:42
I will. That is a great question. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:45
Josh, I want to thank you so much. May God bless you. Continued success. Keep doing what you're doing. Don't give up, brother. And you know, if you need me, you need anything. Reach out to me. I'm here. 

Joshua Smith 1:01:59
Rich. Bless you, man. You doing such a great thing. And I really appreciate your time and being part of this. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:06
Hey, you're going to have to come back on when we do a virtual roundtable for mental health as well. 

Joshua Smith 1:02:12
Please. I'm ready for it. I would love to talk about that with your with the audience. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:17
That you got it. You got it, brother. 

Joshua Smith 1:02:19
All right, man.