Discovering Your Edge – From Setbacks to Success with Jeremy Haselwood

Brad Minus: [00:00:00] Hey, welcome back to life changing challengers. I'm really excited today. I have. Jeremy Hasselwood. He is an accomplished two time best selling author with books like, The Unbroken, which is his first one, and his latest one, which is called Finding Your Edge. He's a digital marketing genius, and he's got a great story to tell us.

So I am really excited. How are you doing today, Jeremy? Doing great, Brad. 

Jeremy Haselwood: Thanks for having me on your show today. Looking forward to our conversation. 

Brad Minus: Oh, the pleasure is all mine. Jeremy, can you tell us a little bit about your childhood? Where you grew up and what was it like to be Jeremy as a kid?

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah. So my childhood is, it was pretty, I guess I could say simple. I'm from Oklahoma and the product of divorced parents. So I was back and forth between Oklahoma city. And Guthrie, Oklahoma. They're about, 40 minutes from each other. But when I was a kid, it seemed [00:01:00] like it was an eternity from each other.

But now living in Atlanta, like that's regular commute just to go to the grocery store. , I have a few siblings, two older brothers. Two younger sisters that came along a little bit later. So in Guthrie raised really from, age five till maybe junior high-ish, like out on a farm, like we had some animals and stuff like that.

And drove into town each day to go to school and then moved into town in middle school and, you know, very tight-knit community in Guthrie in the summertime, I'll go to Oklahoma City at my mom's house, had some friends there in the neighborhood. But no household wise, like, you know, parents raised me even though it was different households, very similar values, just respecting each other.

A lot of love in the family, a lot of love between our siblings, a lot of encouragement and support. My mother sold insurance. My father became an attorney. My stepmother was a. Educator, a teacher. [00:02:00] So, you know, just had a lot of different influences there. So life was cool, man. And then in high school ended up moving to my mom's house because my dad and stepmother moved and kind of started a new life.

That was a really big moment because all of my, schooling was done in this town and kind of knew everybody. Everybody knows each other and I moved to a brand new school and started over and it was really difficult. So that's where, you know, I guess kind of like the first kind of ripple as far as socially came into my life and how to deal with that adversity.

Brad Minus: What kind of student were you in high school? 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah, student. Like I was always focused on the books. Like I had high standards for myself. I mean, even my parents, you know, they would like give us money for like A's and B's. I don't think C's got us any money.

It's always trying to get A's and B's and like it was important to me though. Like I wanted to do good for myself. Like, you know, being the youngest of three brothers, to me it was a competition. So I'm always like trying to Have straight A's if I can. And even [00:03:00] though it didn't always happen, that was the goal.

So student was good. I played basketball, you know, really up until I didn't play in college. I quote unquote, I wasn't good enough to play college, even though I feel like I could have played at a small college, but I'm not going to dwell on that , yeah. Life unraveled and I'm really proud of what my journey has been so far.

I think if I did play basketball in college, it wouldn't look anything like it does now. So having hindsight, I was disappointed that I didn't play college ball, but man, I'm so thrilled with how my life has been up to this point with all the ups and downs. 

Brad Minus: All right. So Guthrie was kind of this small town.

And then you moved to Oklahoma City, which is talking about big city. And you said that that was a big culture shift there. Yeah. Was it because you didn't know anybody or was it, was it simply like, was it just a big, 

Jeremy Haselwood: like, I mean, it's still Oklahoma City, so it's not like a big city, you know, but, you know, it's still kind of like suburbs of Oklahoma City, but the biggest part was just like the social isolation.

So going from where, you know, everybody to [00:04:00] a new school, like the friends that I had in the neighborhood, like they didn't go to that school or they were older. So, you know, they, we just weren't at school together. My brother, who was a year older than me in school, like we, we both went together.

So, you know, I have my brother and I'd see him maybe at lunch. And we actually had a couple of classes together when we first moved. But outside of that, it was like my first year at this high school was really lonely. Like I was the dude sitting at the lunchroom table by myself, tuned into my Walkman. Yes, I'm the Walkman generation. And that's really when I started writing rhymes and started writing poetry and kind of got me took me to this whole different journey with music. So, Like that was my sophomore year. Like junior year, I picked up more friends. Senior year, I picked up more friends and I still have some friends, from that high school, but it was definitely a very different situation, but it also kind of made me, it built a lot of resilience in me and showed me a lot about myself.

Brad Minus: Excellent. So then you said you went to school. You went to college. Where'd you [00:05:00] go? 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah, I went to University of Oklahoma. So I went there for 3 years, majored in marketing and all that time while I was in college, a friend of mine from the neighborhood. We actually started a rap group. So, you know, we were doing studio time on the weekend here and there.

And by the time I finished my junior year, like we had done some little shows locally and everything and, got a little, you know, we appeared in like some local hip hop magazine and we're having some, I'll call it a minor success or maybe a big success for Oklahoma city. I don't know. And so it got to a point where I was like, I want to leave Oklahoma because if I'm really trying to pursue music, like this is not where it's happening.

Unless I was doing country, then, you know. It's a hotbed for country music artists, but you still got to move to Nashville or something. So I 

Brad Minus: was just about to ask that. So first of all, I got to know what the name of the group was. 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah, it was Below the Surface and I see my, my, it says Jeremy Hazelwood, author, speaker, coach, rapper.

Brad Minus: I just saw a YouTube video that's [00:06:00] not too far from now. It looks, you still look the same. So I'm thinking it hasn't been that far off. 

Jeremy Haselwood: My, my family lives to be in their nineties. So I feel like we're a family of vampires.

So I probably look the same now, or, you know, a few more Arctic blondes than five to seven years ago. But yeah, anyway, I hear 

Brad Minus: I hear you. The last three grandparents that I ended up burying one was 89, one was 96, one was 98. 

Jeremy Haselwood: The jeans, 

Brad Minus: got the jeans. So where did you end up going from Oklahoma then? 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah, so kind of had a decision. It was like New York, L. A. or Atlanta. And New York is just too cold for me. And L. A. was a little too Hollywood. And Atlanta, like I, I had, I still have an aunt that lives out here.

And it was around the time like OutKast was coming out and you know, the music, Atlanta hadn't really defined its sound yet, but New York had a sound, L. A. Had a sound, but Atlanta was still figuring itself out. And the kind of the basis of our group, like we, we weren't really following trends. We kind of had our own unique sound and we felt like the [00:07:00] best shot we had would probably be Atlanta.

So we moved to Atlanta for a summer, just to try it out. Like it was school got out like in may, I think June 8th of 19. So it's a previous century. So I'm going to sound like an old man back in the 1900s. Moved here in 1998 to Atlanta. And it was June. We're like, we're going to try it out for a summer. See how it goes. If we like it, we'll stay. And if it's a disaster, we can always move back home.

So we actually, have gratitude for my aunt. She let me live with her and my friend and I live with her for the summer for 90 days. And the first show that we did in Atlanta was like an Apollo style show where they'll move you off the stage if they don't like you. So we were a little nervous, but we were also very confident in what we could do.

It was sponsored by, the biggest hip hop radio station at the time. So we entered into this contest and we actually won the contest. And so we're like, okay, this is game changer. We don't have these opportunities in Oklahoma. So we're going to figure out a way to make this [00:08:00] whole thing work.

So from that point. went back to Oklahoma just to like grab all of our stuff and moved across the country. You know, got an apartment, got a job, actually finished up school at Georgia State, downtown Atlanta. It was a fun time of life because I followed my dream and found my purpose, I didn't find the purpose until much later, but following this dream of just believing in myself, believing in the work that we were doing as a group open up so many doors for me, but it doesn't pay the bills, especially as a small independent artist.

It costs money because there's studio time and you got to pay for everything. So, I worked at a telecom company for about, I think overall maybe like 10 plus years. So working there during the day, finishing school, use some of my student loan money to buy equipment. So we had a studio in our apartment.

And so that was great. Cause we didn't have to pay for studio time anymore. And we were just making music all the time, performed it like no exaggeration, almost every venue in Atlanta. [00:09:00] You could perform at, at the time, like wherever there was a mic, an open mic, a stage, like we were performing there. So we continued that path until like my late twenties and, kind of the pinnacle.

And I don't know if this is the video you saw, was when we performed at Showtime at the Apollo. Is that the video you saw? 

Brad Minus: No, no, no, it was the, it was your, book release.

Jeremy Haselwood: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, so it was, that wasn't that long ago. That's true. I still got it in me.

I still have, I still have it in me. But no, we performed at a Showtime at the Apollo, in Harlem and got booed off the stage on national TV and it happens. We, we had a lot working against this though. I mean, you know, hip hop doesn't really do well on the Apollo anyways. And then two white dudes don't really, you know, It's just, it's a recipe for good ratings, but disaster for the artists.

But shortly after that, my partner that was in the group with me, he got married, and so then it was just kind of the group disbanded. And we got into like during that, probably 10 years that we were really involved in music. You see a [00:10:00] lot, you see the good, the bad and the ugly.

And we saw how the ugly piece was really ugly and it became a job that I really, or it became to feel like a job that I really hated. Like I love creating, but I hated the business side of the music industry. And so it was kind of like, do I continue to go after this dream or do I exit it?

And that's, I decided to, to just leave it, you know? 

Brad Minus: I just want to step back here. We're just small and I'm going to ask him for an example, I coach cross country with high schoolers. So they have all got there at this point where you were, where you just, they like are gathering their dreams.

Yeah. Can you just give me a couple of examples of what you call the ugliness of the music business? Just so, you know, we can give some examples to people that, Hey, you're thinking about this. This is what you're going to have to go through. 

Jeremy Haselwood: At least a couple of things.

No, for sure, man. I'll tell you the things, but, um, high level, it's like, these are the things, you know, when you get in the music industry, you hear about this, but you're like, eh, I'll deal with that. Or it won't happen to me, but it [00:11:00] was really just like the people, like there are some good people in the music industry.

And I've met some really good people that I still keep in contact with, but a majority of people that I experience, the agendas, it is a very. What can you do for me now? And what have you done for me lately? And people who you feel like you're building authentic relationships with, you're really not. It's they're basically interested in you because of what they think you're going to do or who you're connected with.

People were answering calls, they were setting meetings. But then when that person, you know, long, no longer was working with us, people stopped calling, people stopped holding meetings.

So it was very much like, you know, kind of crabs in a bucket. They chew you up and spit you out. Like on the way up, everyone's praising you like industry insiders, people who kind of see you've got a little bit of momentum behind you, but then, you know, When things start to fall a little bit, man, it is a lonely place to be.

So I'm like, yeah, this is kind of the cliche that they said. It would be a lot of, cutthroat. And I just [00:12:00] felt a lot of emptiness from the people in the industry, 

Brad Minus: You get this big rush when you finish something or when you start something.

And I imagine for you, you had created some music and all of a sudden it was like, oh my God, this is going to be huge because just because it felt so good when you get it. And then all of a sudden you've got to contend. With these obstacles that they put in front of your path maybe this song would have made it if someone would stop be thinking about themselves and just said, I'm going to give these guys a chance and maybe I'll get something on the back end.

They want it all on the front end. 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah. It's a very greedy industry. And even like the rush of just performing a song, like you feel like it's good. And there's songs that you may think are good that don't perform well. And then songs that you think are okay and you perform it and they just crush it.

But it's like, okay, people see that they see the response. And so everybody wants a piece. So by the time everybody wants a piece, you're left with nothing. It's like, we want to, you know, own your publishing or 50 percent of your publishing for perpetuity or for the next five years. 

But if I do this, then I'm going to want this in [00:13:00] return. And the good thing about our music was like, we wrote everything, we produced everything. It's like, we were very self sufficient. So our ownership in it from the get like was everything, but we still didn't want to just give up ownership because we created this and we understand how the business works, but we didn't necessarily like the model.

And it just, it is very like greed driven. And what can we suck out of these artists? And because at the end of the day, the artists are the last people to get paid unless the artists own their catalogs or something like that. It's like, the label has to get paid, the distributors get paid, the producers get paid, the songwriters get paid, and here's the artists, they get paid.

So it's like, you're the first one making the music, but the last one getting paid. And I'm like, it didn't seem right.

Brad Minus: I mean, that's, that's the whole Taylor Swift thing, right? She had her whole catalog, she ended up, you know, her agent ended up selling it, and now she's, she ended up re recording all of it.

All of it. Right. And you know, it's just a little bit changes just enough to say it was changed so that you can get it [00:14:00] back.

Exactly. 

So, yeah, that was an interesting story. But I can, so, you know, that's exactly what she wanted. It was what you wanted. So you guys were smart. You're ahead of the time. Your partner got married and unfortunately, yeah. It kind of fell apart. Plus, the extenuating circumstances of dealing with the industry kind of gave you a bad taste in your mouth.

Yeah. So what did you do after that? 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah. And honestly, like in hind sight, I don't even want to say, unfortunately, it's like, it just fell apart. It was its time, you know? But once that happened and once the, group disassembled, it was like.

Okay, what do I do now? And, you know, one path, and I actually ended up putting out a solo album afterwards, but it was for me, like, this is what I wanted to do since I was that kid sitting at the table by myself at lunch in high school, like, I wanted to do music. And here I am fast forward, like almost, you know, 15 years later and I'm like, this isn't what I thought it was going to be.

I went after it and I have no regrets with that. Like it made me [00:15:00] so much of who I am. It made me everything that I am today. I learned a lot, like what I do now with writing and marketing and consulting, all of it is from what I learned in the music industry and that journey I went through.

But I did go through a few years where I was like. I don't even have a passion, my passion was music. And so I'm like, I don't know what I want to do. I wouldn't classify it as depression, just kind of lost, because I still, was happy with life.

I just. Didn't know what it was that I'm supposed to be doing. Cause everything that I thought I was going to do was music. My whole plan was set. I was 15 years old. I'm going to be an artist by the time I hit my mid to late twenties, I'm going to own a record label or a music production company by the time I'm in my thirties or forties, I'm going to fall back and just put out artists like Quincy Jones or somebody, and sit back and go on my vacations.

So now I get to be like at about 30 years old and I'm like, I don't really know what I want to do. At the time I lost my job, so I'm unemployed. Music has gone away and I'm just like, I don't [00:16:00] even really know what's happening right now. This is a really difficult season of my life. Jobs that I was applying for, I did have a degree, but a lot of jobs I was applying for was like, you know, a bachelor degree required, a master's degree preferred, and I didn't have a master's degree Things that I learned with marketing, like all through my 20s with music that you just don't teach in a classroom, but it also, you can't really put it on your resume.

So I knew I had like more marketing credentials than a lot of marketing roles I was going after, but I would like, and I tracked it in my book. I think it was like 500 and something jobs that I applied to. Right. I may have only got like a handful of interviews and it was really frustrating. So I ended up going back to school, got my master's degree.

That took about a little over a year and a half, and that was life changing as well, because that opened up a lot of doors for me in terms of my network and also my credentials. And it allowed me to get a job at a marketing agency, which. Led to another marketing agency and another marketing agency to [00:17:00] where I started my own marketing consulting, organization.

So that's kind of the path that I went on and my book that I put out last year, Finding Your Edge is really the culmination of the hardships that I went through. The things that I learned about myself feeling like I discovered my purpose, but recognizing that, okay, this wasn't my purpose and how to dig out of that and how I can get my life back on track and really tap into my purpose.

So that's the whole premise of my book. Finding your edge is the different tips and tactics and tools that I use to help me and things that I've discovered for myself during the journey and helping other people with that. 

Brad Minus: So just a quick question. So when you said you were having problems finding a job and I thought it was like 587 jobs you applied for and didn't get employed.

And I was like, wow. I mean, that's crazy. Especially because you did have a degree, you did have life experience. So what did you do while you were getting your master's? 

Jeremy Haselwood: I was actually working, so I did work at that time. And even with that, [00:18:00] like when I did get back in the job market, Like this was after like the great recession.

So, you know, jobs were few and far between. So I ended up like I have, I had a son, still have a son, but you know, had a little son, so I had to support him as well. So I ended up just doing like a, an inbound telemarketing job actually knows the outbound telemarketing job. So for a lot of my, I think I ended up getting a different job while I was in grad school, but for a lot of my time in grad school, like, I'm calling businesses and trying to sell advertising.

So not a glamorous job at all. Very, cutthroat is very low base pay and commission wasn't even that great. But. After going months and months without a job, I had a friend that worked there and said, Hey, we're hiring. And at first I was like, no, I don't want to do that. And then like a month past, and I still didn't have a job.

And they call back. It's like, Hey, we're still hiring. I'm like, all right, you know, let's do it. So you got to break yourself down, man, and do the things that you. Don't want to do you have to go backwards because that was certainly going backwards for [00:19:00] me. But, you know, it all paid off. And I remember just going to work every day, like, looking up at that building, like, all right, just get through the day, you know, get through the day and you focus on, What the goal is, you know that you're still alive and breathing and you're here today.

So let's do the best we can for today because we're building a better tomorrow and it's going to happen. , 

Brad Minus: That's a great message. And I appreciate you putting that out there. Cause I think there's a lot of people right now, that are like, and I hate dispelling this to generations, but I see a lot of like Gen Z right now.

It's like, all right, well, if I'm not making what I think I'm worth, then I'm just not going to work, right? It's like, where can you do that? What world are you living in? You know, , I've, yeah. And it's, it's so interesting to me that this is the case. And if you see some of the things that are rolling around on YouTube and stuff in these people that they're in their cars and they're like, I've gone to five different applications.

I have a degree. I have a master's degree, blah, blah, blah. And no [00:20:00] one will hire me. What am I supposed to do that? And, I'm just going to go bankrupt and move back in with my 

parents. And I'm like, no, you do what Jeremy did. And you find a low paying job that you can at least sustain yourself while you're looking for something else, or while you're educating yourself in something different and you, you, you grind it out.

Is it going to suck? Oh, God. Yes. Been there. You know, I delivered pizzas. I had a paper route after when I was 22 and 23. So I get it, you know, and, summer is coming home from school. I literally was at McDonald's at 5 a. m. to make the biscuits and the salad. Work till noon, took one hour off and at one o'clock until midnight, I was at a movie theater, working in a movie theater.

So, you know, you do those crap jobs to learn something to grow and it may build character. So, yeah, 

Jeremy Haselwood: it does. Even with all that and I talk about a little my book like [00:21:00] I did end up having to file bankruptcy because I was out of work too long and the money I was making wasn't replacing what I did before and I had so much like shame in that at the time because I'm like I mean, I don't, you know, I come from like middle class and it wasn't like, whoa, it was me, but it's just like, that's not, that was never the plan.

You know, you start to second guess. Like I left home in Oklahoma to follow a dream. And now I'm ended up like with no money. I was never homeless. I always had like. Cause I bought a home early in my twenties, but it was like having to experience that whole process of bankrupt and the shame involved with that.

And it's like, man, like I'm so embarrassed about it. It was just life circumstances, but I'm still. Regardless of what it is like, I'm going to find work one way or another and do what I need to do like every day when I didn't have a job, like, I'm waking up and I have a plan.

Like, I'm reaching out to this many people. I'm submitting on this many jobs. You know, I'm tapping into my network, but also, you know, I [00:22:00] need like some time for me. I would, I would like watch the office every day. I'd watch two episodes of the office. I'm like, I just need to sit back, get some, you know, some humor and then let's do the things that we don't want to do and let's grind because ultimately we need a job.

But on the other side of that, it's like, here I am, like no regrets, man. Like I can be a testament. No, you can fall on financial hardship, but still bounce back from that. And a lot of this, I've been watching him go back and forth. He's really cute. Yes, I actually, that is a hundred percent and it's that plan.

Brad Minus: Right. Like you said, it's the same thing I do with my athletes, I have an athlete that, you know, hypothetical that wants to hit a certain time at a certain distance. Well, the plan is okay. Well, if you want to hit that time at this distance, then we need to do this. And then hopefully at this checkpoint, you're going to be at this time.

And at this point, you're going to be running at this time. So when we finally get to the race, you're going to have all the tools necessary to hit your goal and be successful. [00:23:00] Exactly. And it sounds like you did that. That's the way you went about it now with what you.

Accomplished and the environment. Now, if you were to meet someone that kind of in that same situation where their dream kind of fell apart, they realize it's not their dream anymore. And they're what you called, which was a great word lost. What would be the advice you would give to that person?

Jeremy Haselwood: I mean, I have a whole coaching program for that. So I'd say let's talk. You know, but if you can't afford the coaching, cause it's not cheap, you know, it's, it's definitely just to provide hope. And I feel like my work here, like my purpose is to be a messenger of hope because of what I've gone through and because of loss that I've experienced.

And everyone's Situation and circumstances are a little bit unique. So, you know, I want to listen, like, tell me, like, what's really going on because I also find that oftentimes we give advice to people before we really understand, you know, and I've certainly done that before. [00:24:00] Like, I'll start to give advice and someone will say, well, you like, let me finish telling you about what's happening.

And I just have to, like, Yeah, let me, let me, I'm sorry, like I don't, you know, that's disrespectful to you. So let me respect your space and your story and your journey and really hear, hear you out. But I would say like, you know, there's always, to me, there's always hope. As long as you're alive, you're breathing, you're here today.

You're not six feet under or ashes. Like there's always hope and this trouble or the, this season of difficulty that you're going through, can actually birth something amazing in your life. And I believe more times than not, it's a lot of it is perspective on the other side of these. Tragedies or hardships, you know, it's kind of like it can either build us up or destroy us.

And this may be lofty to say, but a lot of that I do think is with our our mindset. You know, if we look at some disaster that happened and we get taken by grief and we can't bring [00:25:00] ourselves up emotionally to rise out of that, then it will just be this anchor that continues to tear us down.

But if we look at this difficulty or this hardship and look at us on the other side of it, like we're still here. Like, what did I learn about myself with that? Like, let's honor what happened because we just made it through some stuff. We made it through this storm that I didn't think I would make it through, but I'm here.

So why am I here? What did I learn from that? Let me honor today. Like, I've made it through. What was I supposed to learn from this that maybe I can help somebody else with? Or maybe, I went through this to really set me up for the next chapter of my life. Like for me, when I look at the other side of music and unemployment and having to work these jobs, I hated like on the other side of that, man.

I'm so happy. I have joy in my life. I've stuck by what I believed I'm put here to do, which is just, putting good words out, encouraging people, inspiring people, providing hope, like I have so much happiness. The world around you is going to follow [00:26:00] suit. If this is the path that your purpose is, you're going to see doors open that you never thought would open.

And if these doors aren't opening, then it's probably not your purpose. You know, but give it time. Cause I think people expect doors to open quick. Like, Hey, it's my purpose. And I didn't, this didn't happen this week. So maybe this isn't my purpose. Like, no, man, it's like. You're still going to endorse some hardships, but you're just going to, you're going to get that validation as you go through experiences to know you're on the right path.

Brad Minus: That's a great message. There's always hope. There's always something around the corner. But you've got to, you know, endure it, but while you endure it, there's going to be some suffering, right? It's the same thing in endurance sports, man. 

Jeremy Haselwood: Do endurance sports. I'm not cut out for that kind of suffering.

Brad Minus: Right? And I get it, it ain't been dirt sports, but I know, but see, so the Ironman is a 2. 4 mile swim followed by 112 mile bike followed by a marathon, 26. 2 miles. And when you get into the community and you start delving in more into it, you find out that Ironman really [00:27:00] doesn't start till mile 80 on the bike.

That's when things start to come up, because that's when the suffering starts. And that's kind of where I lead people is like maybe in that sit, when you say, Hey, you know, you'll find your purpose. My message to people is defining that one thing that's bigger than yourself.

And you know what, you're going to find your purpose in your world, providing people with that purpose and that potential finding and exceeding their potential could be found in finding that one thing that's bigger than yourself and going after it, that desire to get there.

Yeah. 

Yeah, that actually, when I think about it, that could be a good partnership. We should be thinking about, 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah, I think Brad, let me say this too, because, when we have conversations like this, it's like, we talk about purpose is really this big thing and I also want to validate people who maybe feel lost because they're like, well, I don't know what my purpose is.

And really not everybody's purpose is to be like a world changer. Your purpose may be just to be kind to people and [00:28:00] provide. You might be that person that someone interacts with in passing that just needs a smile that needs to know that there's still good in the world.

That might be your purpose. It may not be to be like a CEO of a big multinational company or, to be an author or, to run marathons it might just be something small. So let's not overthink purpose. Let's just think about what are the skills and talents that you have, because I believe we're all given something unique about us that we take for granted.

Like there's things that I'm good at, that you're good at, that we don't really recognize we're good at because it's just built into who we are. But I think if we start there, then we can kind of start to uncover that a little bit and see if we're supposed to be doing more with that. 

Brad Minus: Agreed that is that's profound right there.

So it could be the small stuff, right? And that will lead you to the bigger stuff. 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah, 

Brad Minus: which is interesting. So, a friend of mine went on a retreat just recently and this is the kind of the thing and she's been a little lost. But she went on [00:29:00] this retreat. And they were partaking in a ritual. And it came to a point where you go into a certain state, and sometimes that state doesn't allow you to, you know, you're kind of going after a vision quest. Let's call it that. And, you know, find, find spirit animal and all that good stuff.

And it doesn't allow you to leave that state. Well, while she was in that state, she found some things that were being, unethical and all she wanted to do was, protect and hear this is going on. And then all of a sudden I started talking to her and 

she goes, I am going to start my own retreat company and make sure it's purely ethical and that it does good for everybody. So I can bring attention to some of this stuff that's going on. That's not ethical and we can rid that. But she found that just by going to try and find what her purpose was.

Yeah. So she's in the middle of getting everything together. She's going to have her first retreat here soon. 

She told me [00:30:00] about it. And I said, great. Check it out. Go for it. So I encouraged her. I supported her, but I didn't have any major influence on her going, she decided that this was something that she wanted to try. And in the midst of it, she was like, Oh, I'm not going to let this happen ever again.

That became at least one of the reasons why she felt she was put on this earth. 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah, well, that's it's kind of like answer the call, you know, and I don't know you familiar with the whole heroes journey. Yeah. Like, I'm a huge fan of that. And to me, just answering the calling and so many people don't.

And I think it's fear base that will hold people back. It's like, well, what happened if I go after it and I don't succeed. Some of it could be what would happen if I go after it and I do succeed and what if it does completely change my life and it takes me from this life I have now, will my relationships be the same?

Will I live in the same area? Will this status quo that I've created for myself be the same? I don't know if I'm ready to change. Well, what will people think about me? What will I think about myself? But I'm like, man, just, I like to say, like, move forward without fear.

Like [00:31:00] I always see like F W O F like forward without fear is like, I always see that line. And so I'm like, just move forward without fear. Because like you said, like I've experienced. When you answer that call, like it may not take you where you think you're going to go, but when you answer it like it's going to take you where you need to go and it's going to put you on the path that you need to be on.

Brad Minus: Going to, I'm going to add on to that because I love this or get forward without fear, but fear sometimes is is instinctual and it's not something you can just say, hey, I'm just not gonna be afraid of it. Yeah, but you could be brave. Yes. Now, what is the definition of bravery, courage in spite of fear that you can do that you can decide to be brave. 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah. 

Brad Minus: So that's where I would, that's the only thing that I would, just one step further. 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah. Because, you know, I talk about, it's easy to say, oh, don't be [00:32:00] afraid.

But when you reframe it and say, here's what you can be, you can be brave. You can be courageous. Like, okay. Because if I take fear off the table, it's like, Well, okay. What do I do now? But using that kind of, you know, the vernacular be brave, be courageous.

Like, no, I love that. Great. 

Brad Minus: Oh God. I love when this happens in a podcast and a conversation where you started like these ideas start coming up. But so again, let me just, overemphasize here. We got Jeremy has two books out. It's finding your edge, how to unlock your, your talent and purpose, your talent and purpose. I'm just looking at this and it got cut off on me. Yeah. How to unlock your talent and purpose.

Jeremy Haselwood: Yes. But my first book was the Digital Fundraising Blueprint, how to raise more money for your nonprofit online. And it's more of a marketing book for nonprofits. 

Brad Minus: So what, where, where did you come up with that? 

Jeremy Haselwood: That actually came from when I did work for marketing agencies.

My role with them was to lead digital strategy for our clients and our clients [00:33:00] were nonprofits and I would go in all these meetings. And, you know, I'm thinking that people were all on the same wavelength. We know about email, we know about social media and websites. And I start meeting with these nonprofits and I may as well be speaking a foreign language to them.

And I'm like, wow, okay. I need to really dial this back. So there was a lot of educating that I was doing when I was meeting with. clients. And so I was trying to find a book, like maybe I can recommend a book. So I'm looking on Amazon and Google trying to find a resource that kind of gives the whole gamut of like digital marketing and fundraising for nonprofits.

And I couldn't find any books. I could find like social media for nonprofits or email for nonprofits, but nothing that incorporated all of them. So I was like, I'm going to write the book. So initially, I actually created an online course of the same name, the Digital Fundraising Blueprint. And, you know, I had several different courses inside of it.

And essentially, I just use that outline [00:34:00] of my courses to write the book. And I put that, I think 2018 and I was looking yesterday and it's still like, you know, It was like number 15, on Amazon for nonprofit marketing and communications books. So it's still relevant. There've been a couple of books that have come out since then, that are similar.

I haven't read them, but I've seen their titles. So, there's still not a lot being said about it, but this is such an underserved population of nonprofits who are really trying to do a lot of good in the world. They need tools and resources. So that was a way for me to create a tool that I could point them to.

Brad Minus: That's. That is such a great story. And I've heard that story a couple of times from other people that just like you have then rolled that into something else, you know, that taught them by writing that and helping other people that got them into a mindset to then go further, which you did. By writing, Finding your Edge: How to Unlock your Talent and Purpose.

So I'm going to make sure that there is a link to that directly into the [00:35:00] Amazon, in the show notes. Also, we have Jeremy Haselwood. com where you can some videos, his coaching courses on there. You can get the book on there. It's actually a very, very well put together website.

Hire him as a coach. He's got a great coaching program, as you've already heard. So check that out. I will also have a link to that in the show notes. Also, what's your most used social, 

Jeremy Haselwood: Instagram, I'm building that up. So Jeremy dot Haselwood on Instagram, you can find me there and also LinkedIn.

So, you know, reach out to me there. 

Brad Minus: Great. And I'll have, I'll have a link to all his socials, but I'm going to put Instagram and LinkedIn first, because that's where he seems to be spending most of his time. But he does have. All of them. I don't see truth social on here, but the rest of them, he's got, 

Jeremy Haselwood: yeah, and you won't truth.

I don't knock it, man. Like, I'm 

always like, stay in my lane. You do you and I'll do me because the world is not as evil as we'd like to [00:36:00] think it is. 

Brad Minus: That is a great way to end this show. The world is not as evil as we think it is people. So, Hey, Jeremy, thank you so much. This has been a blast. I've learned a lot.

I'm in the audience has learned a lot. So thank you very much for being with us. 

Jeremy Haselwood: Yeah. Thanks, Brad. I appreciate it, man. 

Brad Minus: And for the rest of you, make sure you check out jeremyhaselwood. com and you'll have the links to all that in the show notes and to both of his books. If you're looking at this on YouTube, please go ahead and hit the share and subscribe and, hit the little bell.

So you'll know when the next one's coming up. If you're on apple or Spotify, please leave a review. And you know what, if you didn't like this episode. Go ahead and leave a bad review and I get feedback so I can make it better. So let us know. But other than that, Hey, listen, everybody, I appreciate you.

I appreciate you listening and we will see you in the next one.