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Hey, I'm Wilma Valdorama, executive producer of the new podcast de Maya Bolita. First each week, the incredible Vico Ortiz and fabulous Abuelita Liliana Montenegro will play matchmaker for a group of hopeful romantics.

Right, Vico?

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The number one health and wellness podcast, Jay Shetty.

Jay Shetty, the one, the only Jay Shetty.

Hey, everyone. Welcome back to on Purpose, the place you come to to become happier, healthier, and more healed. I appreciate your ears, I appreciate your eyes. I'm so grateful that you're here right now. And I thank you for investing in yourself. You know that this platform is all about allowing the humans to be human, to give them a space to share their heart, share their mind, and share what's really happening behind the scenes. I think it's so easy in the climate we live in to get lost in clickbait and articles and views, and often that stops us from actually getting to understand someone and see someone for who they are. And today's guest is someone that I've been wanting on the show for years. So I'm extremely happy and extremely present even more than ever, because this has been an opportunity I've been looking forward to. Today I'm talking to the one and only Michael B. Jordan, a director, actor, producer who's recognized as an industry leader, invested in bringing social change to Hollywood through his art and philanthropy. Making his feature film directorial debut, Michael B. Jordan recently reprised the role of Adonis Creed in Creed Three.

I'm a big rocky fan, so when Creed dropped, you knew I had to see it, which had the biggest opening weekend for a Creed film and biggest domestic opening for a sports movie ever of all time. I just need to clarify that. Up next, Michael B. Jordan is set to star in Ryan Coogler's next feature film for Warner Bros. And Michael B. Jordan also was named one of times hundred most influential people of 2023. He's been recognized as people's 2020 sexiest man alive. My team went on about this and one of the New York Times 25 greatest actors of the 21st century. And now he's got a new health drink out. And you know, I'm a big fan of health and wellness. It's called Moss, the first of its kind cmos beverage available nationwide. As you're listening and watching today, welcome to the show, Michael B. Jordan. Mike, it's great to have you.

Appreciate it, man. The introduction is great. I just carry you around with me everywhere I go and just introduce me places. But no, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me, man.

Well, I wanted to add also, like, in the few moments we've spent together, even just walking in, if I can add to that intro, extremely humble, gracious, kind, thoughtful, it's also nice meeting that. And I love that this platform is a space that can come out and we were just talking about that. You were saying that you've almost been looking for a space where you can share that because you don't do a lot of press.

I don't. It's seasons for it. Obviously, when you have a project coming out or something you need to promote, it's a part of that news cycle. But for me personally, I try to kind of say to myself a little bit and very cautious of how you want people to get to know you when you have opportunities to speak and share things about yourself and not kind of be a part of sometimes other people's agenda, but been a big fan of yours for a long time and the work that you've done and you are currently doing and felt like this was a good time to get out and talk and share some things about me. I guess it's been a journey. It's been a journey. So this is a nice little check in point, I think.

Yeah, I love that. Well, I appreciate the trust and I love that check in point because it must be fascinating to look back at something and then think about where you were in life, what was going on in your mind. So I wanted to start with, there was this one thing you said in an interview, and we were talking about this earlier, this idea of written versus being able to explain.

Correct.

And there was this great point you made that I think people wouldn't recognize with the amount of success you've had, the hits you've had, I think people want to know about you and learn about you. But you said, when you come from where I come from and everybody doesn't get those breaks, that luck, you start to question, why am I successful in life? Why did I go this way? And everybody went that way? And I just thought that, that know, again, extremely humble and also representative of where you grew up, how you came up, which way did everyone go, and where did that luck begin for you?

I think coming up in north New Jersey, coming up in that environment, and when you're younger, you're living life, you're taking it a day at a time. You're going to basketball practice, you're going to school, you're going to church. For me, it was taking a lot of trips to New York City, going on auditions at a really young age and just figuring out what that is. Having parents pretty aware and very present in my life growing up, that was rare amongst my family, amongst my friend group, having both parents that was there and very present and aware of my environment as well. Being told to look out for these things and make good choices, to be disciplined, to be focused on things, get your school all the positives in growing up in an environment like that. And hats off to my parents. And to sacrifice so much to make sure their kids were safe and grew up in an environment. Ain't easy making ends meet. Grew up very poor, but didn't feel like it. You know what I'm saying? I think they did a good job at hiding those things. I think as we get older, we look back, it was like, oh, man, we went through that.

That's why we slept in the kitchen that one time with the oven open. Or that's when we stayed at grandma's house for a couple of weeks. So you get that reflection of how we kind of grew up. And I think for me, always having a bigger purpose, I think, or just that optimism. I was a big dreamer as a kid, and I think not just to focus on just the work of it all, but since I was working such a young age, that's the thing that I can kind of point to of booking auditions and getting this job and traveling to this place and experiencing these things and coming back home with these experiences and not having a lot of people who could relate or I could soundboard off of. I think, in feeling like that, you don't want to alienate those people. And this is all, I guess, in hindsight, you don't share these stories as much. Maybe you should, because you don't want somebody to feel, like, inadequate or not being able to have that experience that you might have had. And I think that snowballs as you get older and from stepping stone to stepping stone.

As I continue to be successful at a young age, you start to question, why am I being so successful? And the people that look just like me, that are right next to me in these everyday things aren't necessarily doing that or not choosing to. Just didn't have those options that were laid out to them. And I think you start to doubt yourself for whatever reason or feel guilty for the things that you may or may not have. Even though my parents were people of service, block parties or cooking church dinners, or whenever my house was the house that everybody came to at some point, whether we were going to get pizza that night or dad was going to take everybody camping or going to these things, that was kind of my house within my neighborhood and community. I think for me, being a person of service, kind of, because it kind of comes from how I was raised. And those are the examples that I knew growing up. I always felt lucky, too. As you become more successful and you see less people look like you that are being successful in this realm, and you end up being the one guy that looks like me that's successful, or the couple guys or the usual suspects that you see in the audition room or things of that nature, you start to sometimes question, why are you now?

I feel as though it was my path, it was my purpose and spirituality. And growing up in a household that was very focused on church and spiritual and meditation and just being aware of the world that we live in, I felt I was destined for something, not knowing what that was, but just something.

Wow. Yeah. And, I mean, when. When I'm. I'm hearing that, it sounds like, I love what you said. You were know, they hid. We were poor, and we didn't even see that. But this idea of, like, you sound so when I see you talk about your family, and for those of you watching, you can see it on Mike's face, but there's so much joy and there's bliss and there's, like, a happiness. When you're looking back on that time, like, I can see it's a positive experience because of how you feel. You've been loved and cared for and supported, even though the resources may not have been there or the access or opportunities. And I was wondering, when I was listening to you, is there a memory or an experience from your childhood that you think defines who you are today? Was there a memory or a story that you have in your mind of an experience you went through that you think brings out? Maybe that service element or brings out that purposeful element.

I think this bliss and this appreciation for how I grew up comes, in hindsight. The first time you have a moment where you pick up the phone one morning, you just call your mom and be like, thank you. I get it. And I'm sorry for being that kid at some point, and I'm so sorry for not understanding. I totally get what you guys are going through.

She.

I love you guys. You have those moments when you get older that you just can't really have that perspective when you were a kid. And I think I was very mischievous as well. And I think there were moments when my dad disciplined me for whatever I did at that time. And then my mom would have a conversation me around the why and then being also forced or pushed and nudged into a space where you had to acknowledge your siblings also in that situation and the importance of family and what that means. My parents have different upbringings, you know what I'm saying? And different family structures growing up. But one thing they've always provided us with is just a sense of family over everything and how important that is. And that just kind of kept the groundedness to me throughout. So I think just the experiences of just family.

I like your point about hindsight. I've definitely made that call to my mom, for sure. Yeah, I've made that call to my mom. We were around the same age. So for me, it's like, I've made that call, and I think I made it probably like 25, maybe 26. It was probably around then when I finally made that call. And not that I didn't love my mom before that, of course I did. But it was like that honest understanding of just how hard it was to do what she did. Because she was raising two kids, she was dropping us to school, picking us up. She was the breadwinner of the family. She made us breakfast, lunch, and dinner fresh every day. And you don't recognize that as a kid. You don't realize the sacrifice, the hustle, and always making you feel loved on top of doing all of that. It's hard work. You said that. Now you feel like you've got to a place, that it's your path. What was that switch for you that went from like, I don't deserve this? God, I feel out of place. I'm lucky to being like, no, actually, now I see it as, this was meant to be my path because I think a lot of people and a lot of our listeners will be there.

Like, a lot of people are like, they're making moves, and maybe they're first person in their family to go to college, or maybe they're the first person who started up a business and is an entrepreneur. Or maybe one of our listeners is trying to break generational trauma, and they're the first person to spot it, but then they all live in that space. Like, can I do this? Am I the one to do this? So what was it that made that switch from, like, I'm not sure I'm the guy, but, oh, it is my path.

It's the sum of all things leading up into that point. I think it's all the doubt. It's the impostor syndrome. It's the blessings that you can't really accept fully. And you listen to other people speak who are successful, or you see examples that you kind of feel connected to. Like, man, that kind of feels like me, or what he just said or what she just said, I resonate with that. I feel like that sometimes.

Other people.

Who are looking at you saying, no, Mike, this is what you have. This is what you can be. This is what you. Nah, that can't. No, that's too good. No, that ain't. Know your own presence in a situation where you have to step back and look at yourself and be like, am I this guy right now? Like, oh, man, there's a room full of people who showed up because of something I'm doing and they're in service or in support of my idea, my thing, okay? That looks and feels like I'm the guy. Okay. I'm in the industry where the success of your work and your art has been dictated and validated by other people's opinions, and whether those opinions are factual or projected on you from their own individual perspective, I think it was a combination of all those things. And I've always been curious and walked towards, how do I make myself better? What are the things that I need, the tools that I need in order to improve myself the way I think, how do I maximize myself? So from, I think, getting an executive coach who talks to executives all day and how to create healthy conversations, the right type of conversations to have as you're building a team around you, because, as you know, it's not just us.

We have an entire team of people that surround us, that help us achieve our dreams and get the big idea done. A spiritual advisor, a spiritual coach that I have who helps me do my energy work, my spiritual work, and help sift through the noise and find those things. And I think it wasn't until I had roles that challenged my spirit and myself in a real way. The weight where the attention was so loud that it was deafening and I couldn't see clearly, and these are champagne problems. You know what I'm saying? You know that we're blessed, but the weight is so heavy, and people sometimes think and they see what we have or what we're doing, and it's like, oh, just be grateful, or just, what are you complaining about? Most people wouldn't be able to walk a block in our shoes with this stuff. And I think it was, you have moments where you resent things and you're angry at the feelings that you accumulate for not being clear or not understanding why this. There's a lot of whys, and you're not going to get all the answers, but you want to be able to get to a place where you're clear.

So to answer the question, when did I decide, when did I feel like that? Maybe two years ago, maybe a year ago. You look at where your family has come from and look at your bloodline, you look at your community, you're like, man, there's a cycle there from generation to generation that happens when you get to yourself and you're like, man, can I stop this? Can I change this? I could do this. Once you know better, you got to almost do better. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. And I refuse to ignore it. I refuse to see it. An opportunity that I had to change things and act like it didn't exist. And I think that was the thing for me. That was like, nah, if that's my purpose, if that's my path, is to just see it, and I can see the pieces, and if I can just continue to do this or if I stay down the pathway on that, and I might be able to make a big difference in my nephew's life or my future children's, my future grandchildren's life, I got to do that because there's been so many people that might.

That didn't. That it wasn't the perfect storm for them to have that opportunity. It wasn't the right time in the world. Technology wasn't there, the resources, the right social conversations are being had. For us to have these platforms and speak and be successful the way we are, you got to do it. And I think that was a big part of it. Understanding my own mortality and understanding life isn't a forever thing. And I think that happens when you get older, too. You know what I'm saying? Just turned 37, and it's like, wow. I vividly remember 15. I vividly remember 21. I vividly remember 25, 30, and I used to look at 35, 37, like ancient, you know what I'm saying? And I'm like, oh, man, we're here. And it's like, you got to do what you got to do while you're here and make an impact. You got to fulfill yourself, whatever that may be. That moment for me, where it was like, okay, I can do this, maybe a couple of years ago. I think it was like, right as I was stepping into directing creed three, and the weight of that and being the captain of the ship the first time, being captain of the ship.

I've made movies before. I've done that. I know what that's like, but I've never, ever been the director, the captain of the ship, and I think that responsibility, that pressure that I'm not a dad, but everybody's looking to you for the answer, for the solve, for the leadership. And I think that really thrust me into a mindset of leadership that I'd never quite had the opportunity to do before.

There's so much in that I like it. I prefer it that way because I'm connecting all the dots as you're speaking, and there's so many things I want to unpack with that. One of the things that really resonated is this idea that you had to challenge yourself. You had to do something out of your comfort zone in order to even recognize that you could become, that you could be and that you could develop. And often we're waiting to become before we take on the challenge, but it's the challenge that makes us become that person, and I think we resist even what you just said earlier about the opportunities, this idea that if you have opportunity and there's an eastern spiritual teaching which talks about if you have opportunities and you don't take them, that's a disservice to humanity, 1000%. They're opening up to you even without your will sometimes, right, some of us, and we'll sabotage ourselves because we'll say, oh, well, I didn't ask for that. I didn't know that was for me. And so I love the idea of anyone who's listening or watching what Mike's saying. I love the idea of leaning into that opportunity that is opening up for you.

And even if you don't have the skills and you don't have the talent yet or you don't have all of the tools and the abilities, it's going to force you to develop them for sure. And you talk about the coaching, I want to go back to that and ask you about that because you want to be better mentally, physically, spiritually. It's a big part of who you are and even the projects you take on, which I want to dive into that. You said roles that challenge your spirit, even that idea that you're looking at a role not as, oh, what's the next movie to get me the thing, it's like, oh, that's going to challenge my spirit. I wanted to ask what has been your best habit or tool, uniquely, that you've developed for your body, your mind and your spirit individually? What have been things that you've done with your coaches in different areas that you think has brought about new epiphanies, opportunities and ideas? What have been those tools and hacks that maybe people could lock into as well?

I think there's this woman, Ramona Oliver, that have known me my entire life. She's my spiritual advisor and coach. And I think starting the day in meditation, you're taking a moment to clear yourself and prepare yourself for the day. It's so important to step out of your home with intent and intention a lot of times. What are you projecting on a situation to help it manifest instead of negatively thinking about things that can help block your blessings? That's a big thing. And we all have moments of negativity. That's part of it. It's Ying and yang. You're never going to fully get rid of that. But to practice those things in the morning, I think, was a big help for me.

Yeah, huge.

You're shooting movies and you're doing things, you're walking out. You hear stories of people, but they just can't get a break. Sometimes, for whatever reason, it could be from stepping off the curb, twisting the ankle, to the parking ticket, to the thing, to the, oh, I just can't get a break. And there are certain people that carry this cloud, and I think some of that can be contributed to the thought process and the thinking and the energy that you're putting into these things. And it's sometimes easier said than done, but to stop and to reframe and to clear yourself and to know, I'm walking in this light today and see how much of a difference that can make and more. On the structurally side, this guy, Drew Coogler, who no relation to Ryan Coogler, who was an executive coach. As my ambitions grew from a production company, to brand marketing consulting companies, to just the products and the businesses, the conversations I need to have with the team and leadership, and everybody's coming from different backgrounds and how do you speak everybody's love language? Because everybody, you have to speak differently a little bit to everybody so they can receive it the way you meant it.

And I think having the quality of conversations is something that was really helpful for me. Meaningful conversations and giving people the space to hear me and also hold them accountable to the things that I need to hold them accountable for. I think the combination of the two allowed me to look at situations and opportunities differently, for people to look at me differently, because it's also a troubling thing when you're walking around as talent for a long time. That's how they see you.

You have an identity, I have an identity.

So there's these kid gloves that come along with that. You know what I'm saying? It's not everybody's fault. Everybody's in a role. You have to sometimes just step back and look at the thing that we're in. We're in an industry that has generations and generations of taught behavior and practices that any positive disruptor has to understand those things in order to disrupt them in a way.

Absolutely.

And evolve them. And things are evolving. You see it. Things are evolving in a way, and if you can look at it in a higher way, I think you can find your way through that.

Yeah.

The therapy for Black Girls podcast is the destination for all things mental health, personal development, and all of the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. Here we have the conversations that help black women dig a little deeper into the most impactful relationships in our lives, those with our parents, our partners, our children, our friends, and most importantly, ourselves. We chat about things like what to do when a friendship ends, how to know when it's time to break up with your therapist, and how to end the cycle of perfectionism. I'm your host, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. And I can't wait for you to join the conversation. Every Wednesday, listen to the therapy for black Girls podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Take good care.

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Yeah, that resonates. You reminded me of this beautiful statement from Mark Twain where he said that history never repeats itself, but it always rhymes. And I find, like when you were talking about the industry, I was thinking about how if you don't study history, you have the rhyme happening in your life, but then you can't interrupt the pattern. So if you were a young star, which you were, I love the wire as well. I've been a fan of the show. So you start in this industry early, and then you could spend years trying to figure out why you still have the kid gloves on, because you haven't studied that. Wait a minute. That's what happens. That unless you disrupt the pattern, present yourself differently, show more of yourself. People are always going to say, he's talent, he's an actor. That's what he does. As opposed to, oh, he's a director. Oh, he's an entrepreneur, he's an investor. Right? I know you have lots of investments, all again, in the health and wellness space, like sports teams. And we're talking about Moss as well. So it's interesting how much, if you don't study the history of our industry, we get locked in the identity of the role we've played in that space.

Correct. Forever. Correct.

And it's so easy for us to get used to feeling, and often we do it to ourself because it's comfortable playing the same role. And there's a familiar feeling of when I play this role. And I felt that in my own small way, like when I went from having to create content to get my message out there, even though I wanted to do TV or film or whatever and couldn't get a break. And so I went to content, and then I launched a podcast, and I told you about why we launched this podcast earlier, and then I wrote books, and it was like, every time it was like, oh, we thought Jay was this, but, oh, he's actually. And I've had to go through that. And I've realized the hardest part is you letting go of that identity and reinventing yourself and allowing yourself. Right.

Has the podcast been something you've always wanted to do, and this is me just curious, or is it something that you forced yourself to reinvent yourself in a way, because this isn't it for you?

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? I know it's not. This is a stop for you. This is a chapter in your book. Did you ever think, I have to reinvent myself? Or was that a product of the things that were telling you? No. Or the things that was challenging?

Yeah, it's a great question. I think it's a mix of them all, but the thing that kind of supersedes all of them, which I try and tap into, which I think you'll resonate with, because I think that's the conversation we're having, is having a connection with your intuition. For me, I'm not looking at, like, what's the next trend? Or how do I disrupt myself? Because to me, those things are still following other patterns.

Got you.

Whereas it's intuitively going like, what is the thing that I bring? Or what do I want to do? Or what is the missing piece of the puzzle that I believe I have a unique qualification to fill.

Got you.

Because if I'm always looking around, there will always be a million things. Like I always say to people, if you go to a real estate conference, you'll realize you don't invest enough in real estate. If you go to a cryptocurrency conference, you'll feel like, oh, crap, I didn't do this. And if I sit with a group of actors, I'll be like, oh, man, I should have started. You're always going to feel the deficiency of the trend that you study.

Correct.

And so if you live that way around, it gets really complicated because then you're like, well, do I do this or do I do that? Whereas when you go inward, it's like, oh, I feel alignment with this right now because it lets me express myself. It lets me connect with people in a certain way. I feel I'm at the right evolution in my journey where it can manifest as opposed to like, oh, let me just figure out what the next big thing is.

Correct. If that makes so much sense, bro. And I think that's what it is like your alignment with where you feel truthful. And sometimes that always doesn't mean you're going to be financially okay. Totally as well. You could feel spiritually aligned and everything. And mortgage is due, rent is due. You feel me? So there's that element of it as well that you have to find your way through. Yeah. That intuition, that North Star is something that has led me all types of places that I wouldn't trade in for the world. Just that feeling of this feels right and I know. Does it make sense? Probably. There's probably some other things on paper that seems like the better option or choice, but this feels right. More often than not, it's been the right move. Yeah.

I love what you were saying earlier about how the thought process is such a powerful way of breaking out over the cloud, over your head. And I think we all have moments where the cloud feels like it's never moving, it's constantly raining on you. And I think a lot of people who are listening may feel that way. Have you ever been in that place? And what has helped with your thought process as you've been tuning that?

What's worked for you, at least that's your moment. That's your moment. It's not that all is lost when you're feeling the most trapped and down and nothing can't go right. I feel like those are the moments that define you. Those are those character cannon moments that are like, what am I going to do now? How do you respond to that? And thinking your way, feeling your way, working your way through those things on the other side? It's like, I don't know who said the saying, but usually you're the closest to getting what you want is always the hardest. It's always the feeling when you're getting ready. People give up right before they get what they've always wanted to get. People quit and they give up. And I will not be the person who quit before I got what I wanted or what I needed or what I felt I was supposed to like. And if that wasn't for me, it wasn't for me. I'm going to keep grinding. I'm going to keep knocking on the door until I get what I feel. That's been something I've always felt since having the name Michael Jordan and understanding that there's another guy out there named Michael Jordan that was the best ever to do something.

And being teased and picked on about that and made me for a moment not wanting to play sports, but then it was like, nah, I'm actually going to make sure I'm going to compete. At least I'm going to compete. You're going to at least see me. I'm going to be somebody that it's not going to be, oh, his name is this, it's going to be, oh, no, but he can play or oh, no, he has something about him, something that is formidable, that is above average, that is unique to him. And it gave me a healthy chip. And for the people who are listening, that doesn't feel like they can change their circumstances with the way they think or they feel, just hold on. Just endure. Endure. Look at things differently. Challenge yourself to look at things as the glass half full. Challenge yourself to think four steps ahead. Think your way through it, like now. We have so many tools. We have so much information. It's a lot of misinformation out there, but there's so much information to be curious. Find something that does resonate with you, even if it's not in the world that you ever thought you would be in.

Find something that you align with, because everybody aligns with something. That's not an excuse I'm willing to take from anybody. Align with something and find your positivity, find your intuition within that thing and be obsessed about it.

What have you been obsessed with lately? What would you say is the thing you're most obsessed with right now or that you have been in the past couple of years that has kind of just.

I've been obsessed with getting my team right. I've been obsessed with getting the right personnel on the right brain frequency and getting everybody on the same page to accomplish these things that we need to go accomplish. Because I truly believe it's going to be better for everyone. I think it's really going to make an impact. There's an obsessiveness that you got to have to over communicate, to follow up, to be redundant, to be consistent that you need. And I'm obsessed about it. Strengthening my family. I'm obsessed over it to lead by example and break generational trauma and curses, obsessed over it, and I'm obsessed over every project that I lend myself to. So this next movie that me and Ryan's doing, literally, I'm growing all my stuff out. You know what I mean? My hair and stuff out. Now I'm becoming obsessed with it and that character. And it's an addictive feeling to have a thought and see it come to fruition, to create something from an idea and to be persistent and to see it and to manifest it. Manifestation. I just love it. You know what I mean? It's cool. That's something that I've been really locked in with, and I think it's also something that is going to help people.

I don't want anything that's not multi hyphen. I want anything that I'm involved in. It has to have layers to it. How do you help? How do you educate? What's the leave behind? What blueprint am I leaving for the next generation? I got a nephew now that is looking up at me constantly. Yes, because of height, but also because of the example. And he's mimicking everything I do. He's mimicking anything. I can say something, do something. I can sit a certain type of way. Snap is doing it, too. It's crazy. So it clarifies your intention when you do things because you want it to have purpose and intention. So those are the things. And I'm obsessed with being the best version of myself, and that's a daily thing. And some days are better than others. Finding myself in a world where there's so many seen opinions about yourself when everybody's telling you who and what you are, learning, how to live, growing up in it, and it's so wild. I've been doing this for 25 years straight, and that's a wild thing to think about. But, man, more than half of my life has been my identity has been through the work that I've been doing, and growing up with social media what didn't exist, now it does at a point where I'm old enough to understand what that can do.

So I'm obsessed with finding myself now after and not having to prove anything to anybody other than myself and my family, but really myself, and realizing that is enough. You know what I'm saying? Giving your best is enough. And sometimes we lose track of that. So for anybody out there, you're enough, man.

Absolutely. Let's toast it out.

Just toast it out. Shake it out, shake it out. Yeah, man. And this is the pure. So we have three flavors right now. The mango, ginger, the pomegranate, but this is the.

Cheers.

Cheers, my guy. Appreciate you, bro.

I'm excited to try this. Oh, that's good. That's easy. Easy. It's easy.

And anybody that's had, like, fresh sea moss in the past, they might not had a good experience, because either they tried to clean it and process it themselves.

Smooth.

Smooth.

Yeah.

Don't taste like the ocean, but it tastes a little heightened.

It's refreshing, it's smooth, and it's easy. That's how I feel.

About it.

Yeah, I'm like, this is like.

And it's a great mixer. I don't know if, you know, if you want to do. We call them moss tails, but if you want to do, like, mocktails moss tails, you know what I'm saying? Or if you want to mix them with drinks, with the spirits and stuff like that, it's a really good. Yeah, man, this is five years of obsession. Obviously, when health scares all over the place, people, not a lot of information on what's really going on, what can help, what cannot help. I was finishing up a movie in Berlin and doing my own stunts, not sleeping a lot in a foreign place. Food wasn't really my thing as much, and I was looking for something to kind of just help me get through my shoot days, and I would just chug sea moss by the jar. It's got to be doing good. I know it's doing good. Just by the jar. And then on the flight home, it was like, it's got to be a better way. So I started making smoothies, started blending them in, and my sister was pregnant with my nephew Lennox at the time, so at that point, everybody was in their own bubble, wasn't able to kind of visit many people, so we would just blend up smoothies, drop them off at the front door.

That was my little care package that I would do. I would do sea moss, and I would do, like, a homemade little pasta. And that was my act of service to my family. So that labor of love, it started from a place of just trying to help my family just, like, stay healthy during a pandemic, and it slowly evolved into something that I wanted to make it accessible to everyone.

Yeah. For people who don't know the benefits of CMOs, what are some of the things and the properties?

It's that cognitive brain. It's that clarity, your immune system. So being able to harvest them in a way that gets those nutrients inside of this drink and your daily dose of moss is something that I was really exciting me about, just, like, making a beverage about it.

Yeah, the aftertaste is great too.

There's no idea it's there. It makes you want to drink more of it. It's good, man. It's good. I'm proud of it.

Congratulations.

Now we know we got to go to yours, man.

No, we'll have to do a mocktail now with junior Moss.

But I love it because Ashwanda. We got Ashwanda in ours as well, and Ginsenc. So, I mean, you got all the adaptogens in it. So that's.

It's been. It's been a labor of love for us, too. It's like me and my wife always talked about it as our COVID baby. This is what we were working on because we were the same. We've been addicted to tea our whole lives, and we did a hot tea as well, but we were like, for a lot of people, their hot drink is coffee, and we're like, well, wait a minute. What if your soda could be healthy for you and good for you? And how could we do it where it has 0 gram of sugar? How do you still get it to taste great with no sugar? Because me and my wife are both off of refined sugars and trying to be healthy and all the rest of it, and then you realize that all the sodas you're drinking are full of it. So how do we make it easy for people to understand these herbs and these adaptogens? Because a lot of people, we grew up with it. We were lucky in our culture, in indian culture, you grow up with a lot of these herbs and spices in your daily food.

Exactly.

But a lot of people don't have access to that. So it's like, how do you make it easy when people may not have in their kitchen? So, yeah, man, I'll send you some to try later.

Please do, man. I see you got the agave in there and everything, and I love this, man.

I was loving what you were saying about the building of teams, and something you said was like, how do you keep everyone on the same frequency and attract those people? And I went through a big thing for that in a certain part of my work around two years ago. A lot of people that are in my sphere today, some of them have been around since the beginning, and some of them came on in the last two years, and it has been life changing. Yes, like, absolutely life changing from an energy standpoint, from a spirit standpoint, and from a productivity effectiveness standpoint, how have you been trained or how do you sense beyond, like, someone being able to do the job, obviously, how have you been able to learn how to sense or understand whether someone's on that same brainwave and as you said, or brain energy as you are and has that same value set that you have?

I think it's a lot of conversations and sometimes trial and error. I think my intuition and my gut is the first litmus test. It's the first kind of line of defense that I have of energies, vibe, you know what I'm saying? Okay. You feel on par how you answer a question. What are the things that you're saying? Are you speaking from ego? Are you speaking about what is the thing? We meet so many people, we have to use quick judgments and who gets our time? Who do you open up to? Who do you not? And I think when it comes to building into a team, especially nowadays, you're coming into something that's well oiled. You're coming into a machine already. So you have to fit, not just with me, but you have to kind of fit with everybody. You have to know how to communicate. The things you need to know how to communicate to the ego is something that can get in a lot of people's way when joining a team and joining something that's already really established. And I think coming to a place of learning and listening is really important and not taking things personally.

And then it's something to the people that's already been in the team to understand that there's going to be additions and there is a process of. There's an onboarding. There's a thing that you have to bring people into the fold in a way to get the best out of them. So I think there's been those learning things along the way that really helped me identify people that fit and work well within the circle. I think that's been my kind of process thus far. And then, yeah, I always want to create an environment where people want to be. You're not here for a check. You're here because you believe in what we're doing and what we want to do. And I'm pretty transparent about those things. I think just being extremely transparent and forward with those things and know that there's nothing personal. If this isn't it, I'm the guy that's always going to give you a great recommendation. You know what I mean? I want people to win. At the end of the day, I want people to win. And seeing somebody in their know and being like, okay, I can use that. This would be helpful in this way.

And if that works out, it works out. And if not, then, man, I want to see you do well.

Yeah, I love. Yeah, we. I remember years ago, I was listening to Eric Schmidt, who was the CEO of Google for a bit, and he was talking about how they were looking for smart creatives. And I love that, that they had two words that kind of summed up what they looked for. They looked for people who are smart creatives. And for me, it became humble champions. I was like, I want humble winners. I want the people who want to win and have that ambition, but are able to put their ego aside because then we're going to speed up getting there. Because the thing that slows you down from winning is ego. The thing that stops you from passing the ball is ego. Or bowing out and saying, it's your turn is ego. But you still have to have that champion mindship because it isn't just about, oh, yeah, no, you do your thing. And that was a big thing. And then the other thing that worked for me was I was like, I need to work with people that I could go to breakfast, lunch or dinner with if we didn't work together. Yes. Man, do I actually want to go to breakfast, lunch and dinner with this person because I probably will be when I'm traveling or on the road.

That means I like spending time with them, which means I'm happy to coach them and I'm happy to learn from them.

Exactly.

Whereas if I don't want to. Initially, I was like that. I used to just hire people who were great at what they did. We didn't really have chemistry. We couldn't hang out. And that wasn't because they were wrong. It was also because I wasn't aware.

Got you.

And then, of course, yeah. The mission, the purpose is that's core and central because even for you, you're.

Spending time from your family. Your team becomes your extended family.

Absolutely.

They are your family. You're eating, like I said, breakfast, lunch and dinner. There's a part of you that it has to feel like I'm getting a little bit of my family here. And if it's not that, it's really hard for me. And obviously you have a bigger company and there's employees, and you're not going to be as personal with everybody within the company. You're not having breakfast, lunch or dinner with everybody. But there's a feeling of, I don't mind on a Sunday, everybody at my house watching a game, spending time, because that's when not the nine to five time to be creative or the nine to five time to do the job. That's the extra mile. I had this idea and I was just thinking, oh, we're looking at something together and this would be great. The best ideas sometimes come from those just hangout moments and those moments where you're just spending time with people that you work with. So, yeah, I think that you're right. That's really important.

Yeah, for sure. Before the obsession point that came up, which was fascinating. I'm glad I asked you that. And you went into it. You're talking about like, you live in an industry and you talked about social media, where people have an opinion of you, even an opinion. It's like people have a lens because they've seen you in a particular light. And I was wondering, what do you think? Something that people get right about you? And what's something that people sometimes get wrong about you? What do you feel like when it comes to that? I'll tell you mine. I feel like for me, a lot of people think that I get often because of what I teach and what I'm sharing and what I'm guiding. It's like, oh, well, Jay must get everything perfect all the time, and he's super deep and always just saying profound things. And that's not true, obviously, because as much as that is who I am and that is my heart, I'm not always like that. I have bad days, I have bad moods, I have off days. I have days when I'm not feeling that way. Right. That's something that people get wrong about me sometimes in that perception.

But I'm dedicated to this work. I'm obsessed with it. I'm obsessed with being better. But that doesn't remove me from having flaws and weaknesses.

You should do a blooper reel you should do a blooper outtake reel of those moments. You ask your team, catch you in these little moments and you should put one out. That'll be fun.

That'll be fun.

That'll be fun. That'd be a good one. I think for me, I think I've intentionally stayed out the way so much where I'm not giving anybody anything to go off of other than what I want you to know. I think that's been it for a long time. I've always had the approach of not speaking on things and not giving them life. There's going to be perspectives and there's things about you that just aren't true. Do you care to correct somebody or not? Because most of the time people's minds are made up. No matter what you say, it is what it's going to be. Stay out the comment section. You know what I mean? You get some great entertainment in there, but then you can get a lot of stuff that is just people who want to project. The thing that's going to get the most attention and the issue that I have with a lot of that is they can be completely false. And we have an industry of, we were talking earlier, the lack of journalism, the skill of that that will run with those things, knowing that there is no basis to them.

But now that's a narrative that's attached to you, that you have to be strong enough and strong minded enough to ignore knowing it's not true or this human nature feeling of wanting to know that's not true. I want people to know this about me. And I've always walked on that line of not caring, trying not to care, and knowing that I'm enough and knowing my truth. And the people who know me know me. I am about my community and my people wholeheartedly. And a lot of the choices that I make and the things that I want to do and be a part of is in service of that bigger picture of helping my community in a big way. So I think the biggest thing sometimes, if they ever feel like that they're not my top priority is maybe one of the biggest misconceptions, the love I have for my community. Regardless of people's approach, I think everybody has a different strategy and approach to how they affect and make change. It doesn't all look the same, and because it may not be typical or the average voice, because the package is different and the craft and my field is different, so I have a different set of boundaries that exist in my lane that I maneuver without, in and out of.

Like, I love playing chess, I love strategy. I love reverse engineering and building things. So I think that's one of the biggest things. And sometimes ignorance and a laugh or a joke or a like or a thing. We've encouraged the behavior of negativity and things, and loudest is the thing, and that's not what I'm into. Yeah, I'm into the love of things. I'm into the humanity and bringing people together the best way. But also, I'm human.

No, I appreciate that. I also think we've put a false pressure on the definition of authenticity, meaning you share everything with everyone. And I'm not sure I vibe with that definition, because I think authenticity by nature, is you sharing what you feel comfortable with each person. That's what it means to be authentic. And you could argue that authentic just means being however you want to be in any given situation. And so I think there has become a false pressure of, oh, you got to show your authentic by showing every part of yourself. And I don't know if that triggers anything for you. It's like, what's the definition of authenticity for you or for me? That's what it is, but what is it for you?

But then, in hindsight, there's a piece of it that not even just to go back but there's also, like, maybe that's my insecurity framing what? The loudness of the things that I'm most sensitive of is this noise somehow.

Yeah, it triggers us for a reason.

You know what I'm saying?

Some stuff that you just go, oh, yeah, whatever.

But it's like, but it's just like, man, why does that bother me so much? Yeah, like, there's something, there's something about that.

That.

Because I know what that does in the bigger, like, I'm always thinking bigger picture. It's very rarely that I really focus on the thing. It's always about what's the cause of that in a bigger conversation. The authenticity to me is being able to sleep at night, being able to go talk to my mom, and knowing that the people that know me, every fiber of my being, my intention, knows my heart through and through, that they see the same person, they're able to connect with the same energy and the same vibe and the same spirit. My energy has never changed. I think being authentic to that frequency is super important to me. No matter where I go, no matter how I evolve and have to mature and grow up, I want my energy to always feel the same. That's why when you meet certain people, and it's been years that go by and you pick right back up where you left off, it feels like no time is lost. That energy is never, always the same. And I love when people I haven't seen in a long time or come at me like, man, whoa, it's the same.

And that just lets me know that I'm not losing myself and I'm not losing track of who I am and where I come from. And I am always going to be an agent of change, Trojan horse or not, you know what I'm saying? And continue to lead by example. I know the path that I'm on isn't easy. Sometimes it may look easy for the successes or whatever, but behind closed doors, I'm doing the work so the future generations have it a little bit easier or have a little bit more tools to use, and they can ask for certain things that won't be like, what it'd be almost standard for them. And from my vantage point, I'm able to see a lot of the roadblocks that exist within systems and paperwork and precedents. I've been chipping away at those where I can in places, and there's so many, look, I say I a lot in this interview. There's so many people out there that are doing that type of work. That exist, men and women in these places that are breaking down, Doriers that are chipping away, say, shawshank redemption. Rock at a time, gravel at a time.

Eventually that hole is going to be open. You know what I'm saying? Eventually it's going to be open, but just chipping away. And unfortunately, everybody can't be the loudest one in the room. Sometimes you got to be the quiet guy in the room. You got to listen and look and pay attention and move how you need to move. There's chess pieces. They have different rules and different movements for a know, and they're on the board in different places for a reason. And I know my place on the board.

My name's Laverne Cox. I'm an actress, producer, fashionista, and host of the Laverne Cox show. You may remember my award winning first season. I've been pretty busy, but there's always time to talk to incredible guests about important things.

People like me have been screaming for years, we gotta watch the Supreme Court. What they're doing is wrong. What they're doing is evil. They will take things away. And I can only hope that Dobbs is that, like, Pearl harbor moment. Girl, you and I both know what it took to just get through the.

Day in New York City and get home in one piece.

And so the fact that we're here and what you've achieved and what you know, that's momentous.

It's not just us sitting around complaining about some bills. The only reason that you might think, as Chase said, that we're always miserable is because people are constantly attacking us and we're constantly noticing it. Listen to the Laverne Cox show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to subscribe and share.

Tune in to the new podcast, stories from the village of nothing much like easy listening, but for fiction. If you've overdosed on bad news, we invite you into a world where the glimmers of goodness in everyday life are all around you. I'm Catherine Nikolai, and you might know me from the bedtime Story podcast. Nothing much happens. I'm an architect of cozy, and I invite you to come spend some time where everyone is welcome, and kindness is the default. When you tune in, you'll hear stories about bakeries and walks in the woods, a favorite booth at the diner on a blustery autumn day, cats and dogs and rescued goats and donkeys, old houses, bookshops, beaches where kites lie and pretty stones are found. I have so many stories to tell you, and they are all designed to help you feel good and feel connected to what is good in the world. Listen, relax, enjoy. Listen to stories from the village of nothing much on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And I think that's what it comes down to. Right. I appreciate you bringing out that point around how things that trigger us give us somewhere to focus on within ourselves. Sure. I feel like that, too. There's certain things that just don't faze me at all. And I can look like the most detached guy, and I'm bulletproof. And there's something that gets through that vest, and, you know, it's because there's a part of it that feels true, and there's a part of you that you've allowed for it to feel true, because it could be that there's a part of your self esteem you haven't worked on. There's something you took from your childhood and made true for you. And now when someone else says it and you didn't even know where it came from. But I was talking to a friend the other day, and we were talking about how one of his mentors was letting him down. And we discovered in that I've been friends with this guy for, like, 20 years. We're best mates. And it was like, 20 years later, we figured out that he'd made his mentor his father figure, okay? And he didn't really put two and two together until just now, and neither did I for him.

And he was like, wait a minute. No wonder I'm feeling so much pain with this mentor of mine, because I'd made him a father figure and gone through that feeling of he's superman, and now realizing he's not, even though I'm a four year old man for him. And so it's just so interesting how the stuff that gets under our skin, it can just be hidden there, and it gets stale and stuck, and then you don't look at it because you're like, oh, no, it's nothing. It's nothing. But at one point, when you feel safe enough, you have to kind of look under the hood and go, why is that there? But coming on to the point you were just making around, paving the way for others and setting an example and the responsibility that comes with. And like you said, there's so many people doing that. I feel like. How would you define your current purpose? How do you define with everything you're doing? Because you talked about purpose being a big thing for you and you talk about the mission of your company. What is the purpose of that work? Which doors are you trying to open?

Which paperwork are you trying to shift? What systems are you trying to affect?

I think I have my purpose right now.

Yeah, that's what I mean.

Yeah. I think I have a chapter. 25 years acting, producing, being in front of the camera, being talent, learning so much about the world, about myself, about the industry. I think being a representative from my community in a way that places that a black actor hasn't gone, obviously you have the greats, you have the wills and the Denzel's. You know what I'm saying? That I look up to in a big way that through their talent, the business and the craft has extended to a new height. So they've opened up doors for me that I didn't even know was possible. Now it's like, oh, wow, now we had this and that. Now I could do that and do that. So they've kicked the door down in a way that's like internally grateful. So leading by example is a big purpose for people to be able to see it because it was big for me to see it and think that I can do it too. So there's that part of it.

Yeah.

There's the business side of things that I've got an opportunity to learn from. Investing your money. What do you do with the savings and the things that you do have? I'm big sports guy. I've always wanted to own a team. I'm competitive. I wanted to be involved in that environment, that energy of sports. And found a football team in Bournemouth. Great. I've literally had to bite my, I cannot say soccer anymore. And great partner and Bill Foley, and he owns the Las Vegas Golden Knights. And really trying to turn that program around and just amplify it in a big way, but learning how to invest in those things. Oh, there's going to be a new stadium. Oh, there's opportunity to invest in real estate. Oh, wow. Now invest in real estate in something that's going to be around for however many year lease and this and that. Okay, cool. I could take that. And, oh, wow. Investing in. Started a JV underneath an umbrella company to have your own product. And then from there you can create another JV. Oh, you can invest capital. Oh, you can have a venture fund. Oh, snap. Okay, wow.

This is a whole other game. This is a whole other nuance of acquisitions and investment and capital that I never even knew exist. I'm used to w nine forms and taxes. You know what I'm saying on the talent side, there's a whole other game to be played and taking that information, just the information that that exists and what that would do to the next generation, knowing what's available to him, knowing that there's other ways to maximize my brand, your brand, creating things, ownership of things as streamers and studios. And there's. There's so many other platforms that, you know, people are content, crazy, you know, podcasts, you know, it's become a business as well. You know, new, you know, a new venture that people are be able to monetize their own, following their own likeness in a real way. Retirement, what does that look like, really? A will leaving a will behind? There's things that you just don't get taught. There's nobody, you know. So, so I've stumbled on it, upon it, these things within my success and my intuition and my partnerships and my relationships. But again, it goes back to the, why me? This one guy that has gotten access to all these things and my man over here or my guy over there.

No, you guys would never know about none of these things because of whatever your life path has taken you has not been in these areas, or nobody's had the opportunity to say those things to you. So I put that on me as a purpose, to be able to give that information in a real way that's real and identify the people that are hungry enough, that want it, that want it. They got to want it and they got to be. Come on, let's go figure it out. All right, let me figure out how to help set you up with the right people so you got the right conversations, and then you also got to be careful who you help, too. You want to help everybody, but you can't help everybody, but you can leave a blueprint for everyone. Sometimes that's all a person should need sometimes is seeing it in the thought. Then you got to leave it on the person to do their part of the work, to lift that part of the weight, to put on that burden, to go do that for themselves, their family, their people, within their circle.

Yeah, for sure. I like that, man. It's super powerful because I think, yeah, so many people don't have access, don't understand, don't have the language, don't have the vocabulary. It's a huge purpose. What do you do when it all just gets too much? When you're like. It's a lot because you're on shoot days, you're busy, you got this gun. What do you do when it all gets too much? What's the first.

I try to go to Japan.

I try to get on the first.

Thing smoking to Japan, I'm out of here. It's one of the few places that I've been that I feel like I just exist. You know what? I'm a part.

Why Japan?

Growing up, I've been obsessed with anime. I'm a big anime guy. So since I was like 1112 years old, it's been anime. And that's been my cartoons, comic books, anime. That's just like my escapism. I'm in that. And growing up, watching those shows, there's so much of their identity in their culture, in the dialog and the messaging and all that stuff. So I just had this idea, this place in my head that was full of respect and it was hospitable and hard work and tradition and thousands of years of. A couple of thousand years of tradition, you know what I'm saying? That exists. And I was like, man, I wonder what at this place going to live up to. The expectation, obviously the food and the culture and all that good stuff. And yeah, when I went, it was everything that I thought it would be and more. And obviously I went the right type of way. I created anime as well because they're so loving and welcoming in a really big way. And yeah, for me, going there, there's not a million phones being out. Everybody, they're very respectful of your space. And people are going to obviously come up and say, what's up?

That's what's going to happen. But it's in a way where you don't feel like I have to hide as much. I feel like I can walk down the streets there a little bit more loosely. And that's something that I don't really have as much here in LA or New York. You get a little bit more of it, you know what I'm saying? You can kind of like. Because people on the east coast sometimes we be like, whatever, keep it pushing. But it's a different thing. But something about Japan that was awesome. And another place that I can't wait to really go is Ghana as well. Dad's been spending a lot of time. For whatever reason, every time I'm trying to go, something that I cannot change pops up. But that's a place that people tell me stories of the similar feeling of going there and the love and affinity of being in that place and really want to go there as well. So if I can't get to Japan, I'm usually at the house. I'm either cooking or playing like Call of Duty. I'm playing Call of Duty online, you know what I'm saying? With my boys back from all over, it's a place where you could fair game.

He's even playing field, you know what I'm saying? Some mindless kind of camaraderie with your boys and stuff. I love cooking. Food is a love language for me. So being able to find a recipe or try something new and combine flavors that probably you never thought would go together, and just creating those moments is another form of art, too. I like enjoying people eating my food, like serving people and being, yo, I normally don't like lamb, but have you had it like this? And it's having people just react to that is something that I enjoy doing.

Now with Bournemouth, we're going to have to get you into FIFA as well.

Yeah, I got to get on FIFA.

That's my guilty pleasure.

Easy wins at first. So we'll start off.

I'll be Bournemouth.

You'll be Bournemouth.

Okay.

All right, cool.

Got it. Dude, you've been amazing today. I've got a few more questions. What I'll ask you before I let you go. This question is like, what has been a lesson you wish you learned earlier in life? Is there a lesson that you learned recently that you're like, I wish I learned this one earlier.

I think being unapologetically honest with what you want and that goes across the board. I was trying to think of something that kind of crossed the board. If you can communicate your truth and not worry so much about how somebody's going to react to what you say, because a lot of times the fear of how somebody's going to react to what you really want to say is what stops you from saying it sometimes and you find another way, or you put it off or you don't say it, and maybe the situation doesn't change and you get frustrated and upset with why this thing doesn't change, because you kind of maybe might not have said it the way you wanted to say, and I think there's a way to be unapologetically and still be respectful and speak your truth. I think if I would have done that earlier, well said, I would have been further along in relationships that I have with people I care about and not intimately across the board, work relationships, business, family, female friends, whatever it may have been. I think being honest with where you stand and how you feel, it's really given another person an option and opportunity to be as honest with you.

And whatever your fear of that is of that outcome is never really as big as what you make it up to be. It's really not that. So I would say maybe just being honest and living with the results. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. But time will move on. You will move past it. And if tomorrow never come, at least you can know that you said what you needed to say. Yeah. So I think that's one thing that I feel like earlier on, if I had, that might have been better.

Yeah, that's a thoughtful answer. I was thinking when you were saying that it's like we're so scared of our honesty hurting someone, not realizing that us holding back our honesty is hurting them even more. Longer term. It is. It's a hard one because when you have to be honest, it makes you look worse. It makes you feel bad. It makes that person feel bad. It gets messy on so many levels.

But what if that person needed to hear it? What if that person never heard that note or that thought or perspective? And then they go on in life, continuing to move and act and speak in a way. Without that, you're doing almost a disservice. It goes back to knowing if you know better, you got to do better, right? So I think that kind of maybe speaks to a bigger thing with me of wanting to just be better and wanting people around me to be better and grow. Because I guess going back to just the other misconceptions, like a thing of people look at me and think, I got everything. I got it all. It's not true, man. I'm flawed, and I'm actively trying to get better daily, and I fail all the time, and I come up short all the time on even how to communicate, no matter how much coaching I go through and practice and running conversations through my head in the shower and like, all right, I'm going to say this. I'm going to say that I want to hit that point. Okay. You know what I'm saying? And I'm trying to do my best.

And I think the weight to try to live up to everybody's perfect expectation of me has been really heavy for a long know, and I think the last couple years, I've been trying to maneuver out of that.

Mike, we end every episode of on Purpose with a final five. These five questions have to be answered in one word to one sentence maximum. It can be one sentence. I will ask you to explore it further. All right, so, Mike, these are your final five. The first question is, your ones have two parts. I've never done this before, but with you, I'm about to do it because I think there's some things I really want to know. So the first question is, what is the best advice you've ever heard and the worst advice you've ever heard?

Best advice is if you're unsure about something, take a moment. If you're unsure, don't answer right away. Take a moment, think about it. It's okay. Don't answer just because you feel like you got to be out and be quick and be fast about it because you'll end up stumbling over your words or not stumbling over words, saying something that you don't really, really mean. So I would say that's probably some of the best advice I got. Worst advice, buy it now, you'll get it back. Just spend it now, you'll make it back. I think that's probably some of the worst advice I've got. I think at the time it was closed. Yeah, at the time it was closed, it was close. And I wasn't even really a big clothes guy at the time. I was like, whatever. But it was like, yeah, you're right. I'll make it back. Don't worry about it.

Yeah, it's cool.

Yeah, of course I will. And then we're on 711 diet for the next two months.

I love it.

I'm going to give you a choice.

Pick one of these. You get to choose whichever one. Yeah. All right.

Oh, man. I want to know what the other one is.

I'll let you talk about this one. How old?

It's my dad's dog tags from the marines. That linen jacket says all my children. I'm saying maybe 1617, maybe like Disney, like super soap weekend or something like that. I think it was like one of those things where the soap operas had this weekend in California, Disney. And I want to say this is from that.

What advice would you give to him?

Savor those moments of being a think. You know, looking back at the teenage years, we have a worry what problems we have. It was high school, complaining about homework, you know what I'm saying? I was working at that time, you know what I'm saying? But I would just say, enjoy those years, man, of the purity of it. I look back and I was like, man, this is a pretty pure, innocent kid.

What would he say back to you now? Looking at you now?

Maybe I know you could do it. I think I would tell myself that you could do it, too. Nobody thought I didn't at that time. I think what could have been, what is he had. I had an idea of what could be. I always had the optimism of what could be. It was just like, just follow that more, maybe.

I love that, man.

This is the other one.

We got plenty. We just picked these two. These were the two that the team loved.

I don't know if this is my birthday or my sister's birthday, but this is my grandmother's kitchen, and my sister was right there. And I think she was either helping me cut a cake or something. But, yeah, that was my guardian. That was my bodyguard, my sister. It's a good one.

I love it. Yeah, I love it, man. All right, question number. I don't know which question we want because I've totally ignored my own format. That's the best. That's when it's the best. What's the best part of being Michael B. Jordan and the worst part of being Michael b. Jordan?

Being Uncle Mike, man. It's a feeling of, like, with my nephew and my niece that I've never loved something so much. Wow. I think being Uncle Mike right now is the best part of that. Right now. Worst part, I love multitasking. I love the juggling, the balancing act of the things that I do. I love that. And the worst part is the loneliness that comes with that. I think there's a. A loneliness that I have. The responsibility that you have is isolating, and the weight is isolating. So I think the worst part of that is the feeling like nobody really understands and sometimes falling into the spaces of just being alone. Feeling alone.

Thanks for sharing everything today. Okay, question number four. We're nearly there. Four and five. Question number four. You talked about knowing your team's love language. This question is my team's love language.

Okay.

How does being the sexiest man alive find love from the gals of my team dedicated to you?

I revert back to the last question. It's very lonely. No. I go back and forth between wanting partnership and then not knowing what's the best partner for me, like, bringing them into my world. What I got going on isn't easy. And it's not just, I love you, you love me. That should be enough, right? It's not quite that simple. I think finding the right person to understand a all of me, but then all that comes with me as well. And understanding that balance between wanting to be available and there for that person while I'm juggling everything else and feeling okay. To put the other part of my businesses down. And there's sacrifice and compromise that comes with a partnership and a relationship and understanding how to make that all work sometimes gives me anxiety and pause. And then also there's a part of me that has not really lived life yet. I haven't really traveled as much for fun or just like Japan has been a few times that I've went where I didn't have a schedule, where I didn't have to be somewhere for press, I didn't have to be these. I had to put the other hats on.

There's so many different places and people I've never had an opportunity to happenly meet that I might connect and vibe with that might be a person that my soul connects to. I think those things. I'm looking forward to that part of my life. I think the last couple of years, I'm starting to get to a place where it's like, you know what? I got to start living. I've sacrificed and I've been zoned in for so long, I owe it to myself a little bit to do that. And I think that's a byproduct of being a little bit of. I'm a delayed satisfaction, delayed gratification person. I've always wanted to lock in for the first half, do what I got to do, get to where I need to get to make sure everything is straight and set up, and then be a little bit more, have the freedom to move how I want to move or whatever. So that's the long winded answer. I'm not looking, but it would take a very special person to understand and grow with me. You want to create memories. I want a family. You know what I'm saying? Eventually. So we'll see.

You are lucky because I asked you that question. The other question was, what's his type?

I like that question. You like that better? No.

That'S the wrong question. I was reading you.

I don't know.

I wasn't asking you.

For.

Now, yeah. Fifth and final question. We asked this to every guest has ever been on the show. If you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?

A law that you couldn't intentionally kill or cause bodily harm to anyone. I think that covers a lot of stuff. I mean, you got to leave room, people, for humans to be humans, and everybody's not going to be good. Everybody's not going to have all that in there. But if we can eliminate the senseless killing and the bodily harms of other people's bodies in a real way. But then there's like the systemic thing I'm trying to get out of because I'm trying to level the playing field. So just the economic opportunities, that disparity, the systematic oppression that does exist is the thing that I most want to change. So I'm trying to think of. It's a good question, man.

You keep thinking about it. Tell me later. Because I like your one. Because it also applies to, like you couldn't develop products. Your answer applies to food, drugs, medicine, which is kind of what keeps a lot of people stuck in their system, because if they can own bodily harm to me isn't just physical violence. It's also the kind of things we ingest and consume, and that is what keeps a lot of people stuck, because they're eating unhealthy food, because that's all they have access to and that's all they can afford. And that plays with the economy. I mean, that's what I was hearing, too. On a sub. Yeah.

All right. I'm with that.

I love it. Michael B. Jordan. Mike, it has been such a joy and honor. We got to do a part two. I could talk to you for hours. I've got so many questions, man, that we could get into. But I want to thank you for your honesty, your openness, the fun we've had bringing moss along, everyone, if you're not drinking already, make sure you drink a moss while you listen to on purpose. And thank you so much for coming by. I want you for the audience, please tag me and Mike with your favorite moments. I know you guys cut the best clips on TikTok and Instagram. Do that for this episode. There were so many moments where he was just downloading, and I think it's going to have a big impact. Mike, thank you again, man. Very grateful.

Thank you so much for having me, bro. It's been an honor. It was worth the wait, man. So I appreciate you having me anytime.

Appreciate you anytime. If you love this episode, you'll love my interview with Kobe Bryant on how to be strategic and obsessive to find your purpose.

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