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Developing a Game Plan for Life with Tyrone Smith

Do you have a game plan for life? So many young adults today face hurdles because they don’t have someone in their corner who can help them unlock their potential and develop a plan to succeed. My podcast guest, Tyrone Smith, surmounted major challenges in his youth with the help of teachers and coaches to become a player in the National Football League, as well as a motivational speaker and author. He now pays it forward through the implementation of successful youth development programs in Texas and California.


On this episode of the Live. Love. Engage. podcast:

    • Tyrone talks about why he wrote his book, “Outside the Huddle: Steps to Developing a Game Plan for Life”
    • Learn about the teachers and coaches who made a positive impact on Tyrone’s life
    • Why Tyrone is so passionate about his youth mentoring programs
    • Tyrone shares why it’s important to talk about Black Lives Matter

Connect with Tyrone:
Website: www.tyronesmith24.com
First and Goal, Inc. www.teamfirstandgoal.org
Twitter: @tyrone24
Instagram: tyrone24_7
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tyronesmith24

TRANSCRIPT

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TRANSCRIPT

Gloria Grace Rand
Namaste and welcome to live love engage. I am Gloria Grace Rand and today I have a extra special guest on the program today. This is an amazing gentleman. His name is Tyrone Smith, and he’s a nationally recognized lecture and motivational speaker. But you might also know him from football because he used to play in the National Football League, the NFL here in the United States. And now he has dedicated his life to empowering youth and young adults. He’s got a nonprofit organization called First and Goal which provides programs and services to enhance academic social and moral development. Because he believes every life has purpose and everyone has the opportunity to do a greater good in the lives of others, which is awesome. I definitely share that I share that belief. He’s has implemented successful youth development programs throughout the states of Texas and California, and also created the Journey Beyond Dreams college experience program that’s helped thousands of youth gain confidence needed in themselves and their abilities to succeed and graduate from college. So, that is impressive. So first off, I just want to welcome you to live love engage. Thank you so much for being here.

Tyrone Smith
Gloria, thanks for having me. I’m definitely looking forward to just connecting with you talking about the life the story and the journey.

Gloria Grace Rand
Yeah, well, that’s a good place to start because I know that part of your journey has included also writing a book and which is called Outside the Huddle – Steps to Developing a Game Plan for Life. I understand that ttells a little bit about your personal journey. So what what brought you from you know, where where did you begin? How did you become you know, a professional football player, which is vast minority of people get to ever do that. And then now to where you are today and being a speaker and a leader, really in your community,

Tyrone Smith
man, so number one Gloria, you know, there’s like a super loaded question right? Right ?

Gloria Grace Rand
I know… so we’ll just take it one step at a time.

Tyrone Smith
Okay. I mean so so really, when I when I think are really about you know, the book, and my life, my journey I want to create a product by by way of writing a book that pretty much would be like life lasting in regards to beyond today. I’ve done like a ton of public speaking that people were asking all the time, like, have you written a book? Because we want to know a little bit more about you beyond the presentation like after you speak. And after you go on what more is it to Tyrone Smith and so what I did I created on creating and wrote Outside the huddle steps to developing a game plan for life where I talk about a specific practical principles I’ve applied, applied in my life going back from a childhood kid that was picked on, antagonized and bullied to where I actually am today. So I talk about these eight practical principles in a relevant way based on experiences that I actually went through and how I apply those particular principles to my life and how others can actually do the same. Because being the kid that wasn’t actually expected to do anything, or be anything in regards to my life and my goal, and my journey with everything I’ve dealt with and overcame, I thought it would be a good thing to actually write a book to actually tell the story.

Gloria Grace Rand
You know, I think that is a really good thing. So So tell us a little bit about actually then how did you? What was your life like growing up and and what prompted you to be able to be a success because like I said, there I know, I don’t know what the statistics are. But I know that the chances of someone being able to make it into the NFL are really extremely small so you must have been able to do something amazing with probably your I have a feeling not only God given talents, but probably some mindset work as well.

Tyrone Smith
Yeah, I mean, definitely, I mean definitely mindset because when you think about everything that individuals deal with, and go through I mean, you have to have the intestinal fortitude. I mean, you got to be mentally strong, to overcome based on whatever you experienced in life. And when I think about like my life, my story Gloria, I was like, the youngest three boys, my mom had finished middle school, my dad finished high school. My oldest brother has been in and out of prison, my middle brother, he was a kid at school that always gave in to peer pressure, whatever his friends encouraged him to do that was negative my middle brother would do and so here it is. I’m the youngest of three boys. I’m alone in the corner trying to do what’s right. But yeah, my brothers getting all the attention based on their negative behavior. So and then I grew up in the inner city of Houston. I wasn’t expected to succeed. And so to overcome everything I’ve had to deal with as a person to accomplish a lot. I’m truly grateful and thankful for. But at the same time, I had to embrace the process. And I had to realize and know that there were things that I wanted to do with my life. But yet I had to realize no those things could only become possible. If I change my mindset and my perspective based based on what others thought about me as a person, because I was picked on, antagonized bullied, all these different things. I had low self esteem, I had no confidence. I was an introvert. And so when people see you on social media, and all all the different things I’m actually doing right now, and they’re like, dude, you’re not the same person that you were like middle school and in high school.

Gloria Grace Rand
I can definitely relate to that. Because I was the same way. I was bullied in school and middle school, especially if it’s the worst time I think for just about anybody, but it was, it was really bad. But I wanted to ask you, did you have anybody in particular in your life who helped you along the way you know, like a mentor or somebody who really, who encouraged you besides I’m sure, I’m sure hopefully your parents did. But, but to be able to maybe provide that extra incentive to be to be on a path that didn’t lead you into jail, for instance,

Tyrone Smith
I mean, when I think about like, you know, influence. You know a sociologist said that the average person will actually impact 10,000 people in their lifetime. That’s a lot, right. But if you actually are intentional in regards to your leadership, your role, your position in regards to making a difference, I truly feel and believe you impact more than 10,000 people in the lifetime. And so when I think about influences, influencers and people of impact, I think about you know, of course, my mom and my dad, they were instrumental in my life. But I think about my fifth grade teacher, my fifth grade teacher, Miss Williams, she was an individual that really challenged and encouraged me as a young person. When I, when I grew up. I grew up in the inner city of Houston ward, I grew up in Third Ward, you know, drugs, prostitution, prostitution, so many different things going on violence. And so my family moved on me take us to the suburbs of Houston to Missouri City. And so this is our first time getting a home. We’re in our first home, front, yard, backyard, we got grass. I’m rolling around the grass all the time. But I moved to this new environment, this new school, this new place, but yet I still missed the community that I left with all my family and friends. And I remember in the fourth grade, fourth grade? My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Shaver at the time was doing warm-ups with the students she was doing multiplication and division. And to me, it’s like she was speaking a foreign language. students in the fourth grade, I didn’t know multiplication, division. And so it’s like she was speaking a foreign language, and other kids start laughing at me. And I was like, Man, this new kid he’s from he’s from the hood. He’s a ghetto kid, he doesn’t know multiplication division, sort of picking on me, they’re antagonizing me. And so here it is. I moved to a lower level class, and in the lower level class, the teacher she just let the kids just continue to just really just beat me down and so I’m already feeling less than a person already trying to figure life out as a fourth grader. And so how did I deal with it? I dealt with it in an unhealthy way. So I started fighting all the time. If you say anything about me, I will fight. Not that I won all the fights. I will fight all the time. And in the fourth grade, I went to the office over 50 times,50 times, get to the fifth grade. Miss Williams, she sat me down Tyrone Smith. I know your story. I’ve heard about your journey. I read the reports. She said, number one, I need you to respect yourself. I need you to respect me. And she said, I want you to realize you know I’m here to help you anytime you need help or assistance, know that I am here to help you. And she looked me in my eyes. And that was the first time that a teacher actually connected with me. She let me know that she was genuine in regards to her purpose and her position and her role in my life. And I needed that. So in the fifth grade, I didn’t go to the office not one time. So she was instrumental and really supporting me in regards to like making that change and that transition to becoming the to becoming a better version of myself as an individual,

Gloria Grace Rand
that’s terrific. Yeah, it’s it’s amazing what one person can do.

Tyrone Smith
Right

Gloria Grace Rand
to be able to shift that perspective, but just by acknowledging who you were, and are as a person that’s that’s awesome that she was able to do that for you.

Tyrone Smith
Yeah, yeah.

Gloria Grace Rand
Maybe let’s let’s shift gears a little bit. So you you then were able to, you know, obviously were able to start doing better in school. I’m sure I’m we’re able to make it to, to, you know, playing sports and yeah, and playing in the NFL. What, what happened? Well did you, let’s see, how do I want to say this? What prompted you when you finally you’ve left, you’ve left that NFL and now what prompted you to start doing you know, things like this speaking on podcasts and being able to, you know, talk with other young people

Tyrone Smith
I mean, really what it was, there was so many people that actually helped me along the way in my journey. And Ms. Williams, she was the first person. Okay, so let me give you a quick a quick snapshot. So you have Ms. Williams in the in the fifth grade, right? And so I moved to the sixth grade in sixth grade, I started playing football for the first time people told me I couldn’t play football. I’m too small. I’m too skinny. I got a big head. I crawl all the time. I’m not good enough. I’m not fast enough. I’m not good enough. I’m like, do you wear you wear a helmet anyway? What does that have to do with it? And I’m trying to figure life out. But I had this fascination with the game of football. And so sixth grade play little league football seventh grade play on the b team, eight great play on the b team. But in eight grade I went through this transition where my mom and my dad got divorced. And so when I think about like my life, Gloria, there was so much I had to overcome in regards to get to where I actually am right now. So you think about that transition from the fourth grade to the fifth grade,all right. Well actually the third grade to the fourth grade move from the inner city to a suburb, right? Then you think about the transition from going on from fourth grade to fifth grade, where I’m less than a person in sixth grade, like you said, middle school, you’re trying to really identify and find yourself. And you’re just, I everything else is still going on, get to the eighth grade. My parents get divorced. I’ve been less than a person. My parents are divorced, family structure is broken. I connect with my next mentor coach Dennis Bradley, who I connected with through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He invited me to a Bible study. I’m like, coach, I’m not coming to a Bible study. I see. I had the Bible study at 630 in the morning. I’m not getting up early, come to Bible study. He’s like Tyrone, you come to the Bible study, dude you will get free doughnuts and orange juice. I’m like, amen. Sign me up. I had no idea that doughnuts and orange juice would change my life. And so here it is. I connect with coach Dennis Bradley. And my parents are going through a divorce. I’ve been less than the person but he was he was on. He was good. He was a good coach. He didn’t yell. He didn’t scream. He didn’t use our same language. He was a good motivator. He worked hard. I saw how he interacted with his family. And so I saw this from a distance I was like, I want that and so I connect them coach Dennis bradley. And to this day we talk at least once a week.

Gloria Grace Rand
That’s fantastic.

Tyrone Smith
Every major decision I made in my life I’ve always conferred with him. And so I have coach Dennis Bradley was instrumental in my life as an eight grader. Then he moved to the high school I eventually started going to, and I had my teacher, Ms. Burnett, who was my biology teacher in the 10th grade. I have Mr. Price, who is my math teacher in 11th grade, and I had other coaches. Coach Tom Henderson, then coach Bradley comes over to the high school. Then I play so well my senior year at at Willa Ridge High School as a one year starter. I played so well my senior year I have 50 division one offers Baylor, Ohio State, Temple, TCU, Rice, UNLV. And all along Coach Bradley was really instrumental in encouraging me and motivating me and inspiring me because he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. He saw that I was committed to work hard, right? You can’t control how hard somebody’s work, the individual has to do that themselves. So because Bradleys really instrumental, and everything that I did for the most part, and I forgot to say as well I’m sorry that even in the 10th grade when I was homeless mom and dad got divorced. I’m staying with dad. dad’s a truck driver dad loses his job. Right? In the 10th grade. I’m in my friend’s Cleveland landlord house as we call it a smoker. His mom cooked the best food so that’s why I hung out in her house. And my dad lost his job and we were homeless and I told Miss Lamhart or miss Patricia Lanhart what was going on. And when my dad came to pick me up one day Miss Patricia Lanhart in the 10th grade she went to my father and told my father Tyrone told me that you you lost a house you got to stay in place, place place, right? She said why don’t you let Tyrone come and stay with me? Well, let Tyrone come and stay with me now just think about this. She was single had two jobs. And three kids.

Gloria Grace Rand
Wow.

Tyrone Smith
And she took me in for I’m right at two years. She kept me on her insurance until I finished college at Baylor. Wow. So in regards to my work, and even when I was at Baylor, I had a mentor Walter Abercrombie, who was a former NFL player, former first round draft pick. And he could relate to me being in college, I was a first generation student to go to college. nobody in my family ever went to college, he was first generation, I could connect with him. He was an African American male, there was an athlete and I met him once a week for one hour, and I cried out to him in regards to everything I did when was going through, but he supported me in that moment, like everybody else. And so when I developed this program first and goal inc and the passion to support other people, it came from the fact that so many people helped me.

Gloria Grace Rand
Right.

Tyrone Smith
So so many people helped me so I feel this my due diligence to do the same. Yeah, I think it’s my duty to to do likewise to be an encouragement and guidance to all those individuals who need help and support so that’s why I’m, I’m excited. I’m thankful and I’m geeked to do the work.

Gloria Grace Rand
That’s fantastic. Yeah, I’m it. It’s a blessing to know that so many people blessed your life in that way and being able to help them You out that you can now pay it forward. So that’s right. Yeah. So important. What? Tell me about your program. What do you do? And, and I know we’ll probably talk deal with as we’re recording this, we’re still in the middle of our lovely pandemic. So I know you probably can’t be as outgoing, possibly as you were in the, maybe in the past, but

Tyrone Smith
right,

Gloria Grace Rand
just but tell me a little bit about the program in particular, and what do you do for kids?

Tyrone Smith
So basically, we’re first and goal inc, we basically do group mentor, so base how those other individuals really supported me. That’s what we do in turn, we actually, um, do group mentoring programs, we talk to students about choices, decisions, purpose, if it were in the setting goals, conflict resolution, and our goal is really to help them to become a better version of themselves. Think about that. I mean, because when you think about life, all behaviors are learned behaviors. And so how can we help support these students based on all the learnings behaviors that they actually have. That may not necessarily be right. But at the same time, they may hold them back from succeeding in life. So we give them a another narrative in regards to how I approach life. So based on whatever specific topic or topic of focus that we cover, right, and we talk to them about how can this apply to your life and based on your thinking, how have you typically thought or processed these situations and based on what based on their response we’ll help them redirect their thinking in regards to knowing that there is a better way. So when I think about, you know, giving, you know, giving this receiving turn inside out, because so many people gave to me in regards to me being where I am. So I think as I do to get back in our primary program, we’re first and goal inc. as our Care and Share mentoring program. We’ve been in existence for almost 20 years in October, but we have multiple programs Gloria, but our primary program is our group mentor program. And what we’re doing now we’re doing virtual mentoring, where we’re doing Virtual group mentor programs and connecting with students not only in local school districts here in Houston, but my work with students across the nation right now. So we’re trying to figure out how to even like level set it to even just bring more depth and support because there are so many young people that need support and assistance.

Gloria Grace Rand
Yeah, that’s what that’s exactly what I was going to ask you is how are how are you doing it now. So if you were doing it virtually, Do you work directly with schools, in putting in getting this program, where

Tyrone Smith
we work, we work we work directly with schools. So say a school, we’ll partner with a school or a school actually, like maybe like they may have discretionary funds they can actually use to bring us in to provide our service, or we actually partner with schools and school districts to actually write grants. And we’ve had people that have actually like donated money to our organization to actually adopt school to adopt schools to provide a service for schools that may not actually have the funding. And as you can imagine, there are more schools that don’t have the funding than do have the funding and most of those schools that don’t have the funding, they have the greatest need. And so that’s why, you know, we have a, we’ve created a donor based platform for people to actually give towards the work on our website to really support the number of students out there that really need this great work that we offer.

Gloria Grace Rand
That’s awesome. What is the website?

Tyrone Smith
On the web? The website is team first and goal dot org is TeamFirstandgoal.org

Gloria Grace Rand
Okay, awesome. Awesome. Okay, well, I’ll definitely have that in the show notes as well. But that way, if anyone out there listening wants to be able to contribute and help you out. I want to make it easy for them. I wanted to also talk to you about, you know, this year, like I say, it’s been crazy with the pandemic but it’s also Well, I feel that this is this is a really good opportunity for people to start really focusing in on what’s important in our lives, which is You know, helping young people in particular, but I know that in particular, there’s also been the black lives matter has really gotten to be much more of the forefront ever since the horrible murder of George Floyd earlier this year. So, how does well first of all, how does your organization deal with that? are you dealing with that because I do think that this is something that really has been ignored in a lot of senses and a lot of different ways. And by, you know, people, my skin color, in particular, and I know that if we’re ever going to be able to come together as a country, as as a planet, is that we have to realize that we are all the same. We’re all human beings underneath

Tyrone Smith
Right,

Gloria Grace Rand
looks like So how has how has this movement affected you and your organization?

Tyrone Smith
Man, I think everything that actually happened in the career with George Floyd, I think about, you know, how much work and healing and support that our country needs, like as a whole. And so to think about, you know, here it is, I’m an African American, you know, I’m a black male, you know, you’re a white woman, we’re actually sitting here, we’re actually talking to having this conversation in regards to how can we make make the world better? I think, you know, what you do you provide a platform for voices to be heard. So I commend you for that Gloria. And when I think about the impact that is actually it is actually had on the work that I do first and goal inc, and the community I think about how much more I need to do and we need to do in regards to the work that we do, with first & goal inc, and one of the things that we’re actually going to be launching over the next month is a program called on that and to remind students of color to remind students that are underrepresented, to remind students that are in impoverished situations that you know, it can and will be better, right? But I need you to understand and know that you matter, but they don’t take you know, people like yourself people like me that are intentional about making a difference to support underrepresented students and minorities and that’s pretty much what really has been about when you think about like the black community they’ve been under represented for like a long time.

Gloria Grace Rand
Yeah,

Tyrone Smith
I can so relate based on everything I dealt with and went through as a man and even even today and so anything that that I can do to help support any student of or minority or individual to really see and know that they matter. That’s the goal for the I Matter program because my mom thinking about this, my mom that finished middle school, but she told me that I matter. She said Tyrone, although you know things didn’t work out well for me. I truly believe that God has a purpose and plan In the plan for you and your life, you matter son, but it took her saying that, but it took other people supporting me in my journey, like Ms. Williams, like coach Brantley, right like Miss Burnett, like Mr. Price, like Miss Patricia Lanheart or like Walter Abercrombie, as at Rice, pastor Ralph Douglas Wish I could go on and on and on about people who’ve actually supported me in my journey to get to where I am today to do the work that I do. So I think it’s really about letting individuals know that feel less than that you matter, that you matter. And I think the thing the thing that has to continue to happen is that they have the has, has to be those conversations, like you and I actually having so people can actually have a deeper understanding about what needs to happen and what needs to take place in regards to healing our communities, healing our cities and healing our lands and then have a conver.. like, more so like even you have a conversation with People that you know are white, that may not understand, you know, um, systematic racism. Right? You know, they may not understand I mean, because not every not every person that’s white it’s pretty much been in the point or place where you get pulled over you wonder what’s going to happen. You wonder is, is everything gonna go okay? Right I remember I remember when I had a, when I was in the NFL, there was a dream car that I wanted to get. And so I got the car and I was driving the car not where I stay now, but we’re on the other side of town like right across the tracks. Visiting family members, right. Police Officer pulled me over at night. I’m nervous.

Gloria Grace Rand
Yeah.

Tyrone Smith
I’m nervous. because number one, why are you pulling me over? I wasn’t speeding.

Gloria Grace Rand
right.

Tyrone Smith
I just pay for my tags. My tags are up to date. But I’m like, I’m like a little antsy.

Gloria Grace Rand
Sure.

Tyrone Smith
I know how to relate to a situation like that. So when you when you think about that, it’s about you know, how do you actually have conversations with people so they can have a deeper understanding to know about, you know, what, you know, blacks have dealt with for like a long time. And I think that’s coming out right now. But I think there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done. Yeah.

Gloria Grace Rand
And I think that it is important for us to have conversations like this and to keep doing it. Because I know that it seems like here in the United States, especially, something will happen and we’ll be focused on that, but then something else will happen. And then so it’s like, when you’re watching television, you get distracted and you know, or have like the old cartoon, you know, my dog – squirrel, you know, it’s like, you start to focus on something else, but this is so important. We need to keep the focus on it because, yeah, I mean, I was having a conversation with someone that I know and, and sharing with them what I had read on social media that that you know, like black man like yourself as he was. He had to walk in his neighborhood with his daughter and the dog, because if he was just walking alone in in his neighborhood where he lives,

Tyrone Smith
right

Gloria Grace Rand
he would be, you know, un come under suspicion, but so he made sure that he was doing that. And I said, Can you imagine living like that? And and, you know, my friend was like, no, that seems crazy. I’m like, well, that’s what people are going through all the time

Tyrone Smith
reality.

Gloria Grace Rand
They don’t understand that.

Tyrone Smith
Right.

Gloria Grace Rand
seems crazy. So, anyway,

Tyrone Smith
Can I ask you something like when you say it then like, Where did the conversation go after that? They’re like, Yeah, well, like, what do you got? Where did the conversation go after that? When you said that to them..

Gloria Grace Rand
Well, I, I tried to say, you know, can you just, you know, try to imagine and put yourself in that person’s shoes and try to think about what that might be like. Because that is I think how we can start doing even if you even if it’s hard to imagine you’ve got to be able to try so then we can try to understand and talk to more people like yourself to get that get information. So what what advice would you have for like for, you know, so say I was having conversation like that What What should I say? So I’m going to ask you, I’m turning on you that much. what should i say?

Tyrone Smith
No, I think you know, you actually tell her to actually put ourself up in somebody else’s shoes is like, you know, one of the best things that you can do, but the reality is if you never like felt you know, the emotions or the intensity of anxiety or the stress of a situation like that. It’s hard for you to relate. But I think the key is like, you know, having conversations in this sense, like one of my former teammates, his name is Marty Dunbar. He’s a local pastor. And once everything went went down to happen with George Floyd, he called he called on me it’s time to have a conversation with and he’s a local pastor here in Houston. And so we had the conversation on the phone, and we had the conversation on the phone, he invited me to a live taping of his podcast, so we could so we could actually continue the conversation and we were Talking who I was, I say what you got to understand, here’s what I told him. I said, Marty, I have a group of guys that I that I meet with on a regular basis. Right? And when everything happened the week after, what happened with George Floyd, right? It was there’s four white guys and one black guy. It almost sound like a joke. You know, I’m saying four what guys and a black guy. All right, the one black guy. He’s a former professional athlete. One white guy. He’s an attorney. One white guy is, Doctor, right. Other white, guy, he’s retired. Right? And I think I’m the other white guy. He’s like, he’s a therapist, this is a true story. So we’re sitting down and we’re talking so once we’re about to kind of close out out meeting, I say guys, quick question. So What do y’all think about the George Floyd situation? Quiet. right? One guy said, You know what, Tyrone man? Thank you dude for just bringing it up. Because it would be honest with you, man. I cannot relate. I have nothing to say. He said if I do say something that I truly believe I’m going to put my foot in my mouth. Yeah, the first guy. Yeah, the second guy said, Tyrone, I can’t relate either man, I have nothing to say.

All right. The third guy is the third against the third. The third guy said he was like, Man, you know what, man? It was so it was five guys actually. Yeah, the third guy he was like Tyrone you know that the thing about it is man we’ve (unintelligible) tired, isn’t it? Say I understand the rioting of the blank people. For so long. They’ve actually endured so much. Yeah. The other guy said so it’s a total of five. The other guy said, Tyrone, You know what, man? I feel I feel for your community I feel for your people because he said, my, my wife knows somebody that actually tutors George Floyd’s niece. So my heart goes out. Yeah. The last guy. He was like this what he says Tyrone, man my heart is so heavy because I live in a house divided. He said as a as a doctor, he’s not my doctor, he said, and my wife we don’t we don’t feel the same way. He said I had a birthday, we’re out of town trying to enjoy my birthday. We’re out of town in the mountains, and I’m trying to enjoy my birthday. And she wanted to get back home because they stay in the middle of Houston, and the prominent community. And my wife was like, I want to get back home so the rioters don’t kick our door in and take our stuff so I can put my gun by my side. My wife, he said, my wife like she wants to just shoot whoever comes to the door. He’s on the other side. Me I understand. As an older white man, he say, in my 20s I volunteered in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement. He’s an older white guy. He said I remember when I got pulled over in my 20s in Mississippi, but I got pulled over in my 20s the cop treated me so bad, because the cop knew I was helping blacks in regards to understanding the voting rights.

Gloria Grace Rand
Yeah.

Tyrone Smith
And the cop treated me so bad. He said, I wondered how would that have turned out? If I’ve been black? He’s says Tyrone man, I understand. And so here it is. different perspective, different thoughts, but yet, they could relate. But yet at the same time, they couldn’t truly, totally relate. only one of them, for the most part could relate because in his, in his younger years, he was intentional about trying to just really just, um, break the wall down in regards to there being a difference. But in reality, you know, there is a difference. And so I think the thing is, is about like how even in that moment, I had this heart conversation, and they appreciated me asking that. later on that evening, one that had nothing to say he like, man, thank you for doing that. And I think so much more of that is actually needed to help control the narrative and conversation. And so that’s what I would tell anybody. I mean, you know, you got to have those hard conversations, and that’s the thing Marty and I actually talked about as well. it’s about having a hard conversation. I thanked him for calling me, I said, but as long as you gotta understand People want to go on to receive what’s being said so they can grow and move on. Are they gonna stay stuck and ignorant? Are they gonna stay where they are in regards to not knowing that there’s a system, there’s essentially a thing called white privilege where if you if you can react to a situation relate to a situation, and they don’t pretty much bothers you, you know, you are where you are. And so I think that’s the thing that there has to continue to be these hard conversations.

Gloria Grace Rand
Well, thank you so much for that. Thoughtful response. Because it is. I mean, you can tell I was tongue tied a little bit just trying to bring this up, because I don’t totally understand I can sympathize, but I can’t empathize because I haven’t walked in your shoes. And yet I know that it’s so important to talk about so. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Tyrone Smith
Thank you for asking.

Gloria Grace Rand
Yeah. oh, what? What other advice would you have for anyone listening just about anything. I’m just gonna throw it open to you with all of your experiences that you’ve had and, you know, working with kids or just, you know, accomplishing everything that you have accomplished and what what advice would you have for someone listening right now? Who’s maybe struggling in some way. And

Tyrone Smith
the advice that I would have for somebody that may be struggling right now is just just think about this. With everything that’s actually going on. Due to this global pandemic. We’ve all had to like shift, we’ve all had to pivot. We’ve all had to be still. And so if you’re struggling, I want you to think about something I want you to think about. Okay, why are you struggling? And you think about life, we all struggle, I think life is a process it’s not so much about what you start. It’s all about where you finish. So if you’re at a point and a place and space in your life that you’re struggling this way I need you to do I need you to find somebody that you can confide in Somebody that you can actually connect with and let them know why you’re struggling. Be humble, be open, be transparent about the struggles and the battles. Because if you had if you haven’t, it’s hard for you to move from being stuck to unstuck if you don’t get support. So if you’re the individual that they’re struggling with something, find somebody that you can confide in that will help guide you and support you and get you the support that you need. So you can move from being unstuck because at the end of the day life

in regards to a unaddressed issue that you have to deal with, because I think that when you think about life, we walk around and we can actually function but yet, internally we can have so much dysfunction, right? Bobby Lawrence always like your dysfunctional based on whatever learned behaviors that that you’ve picked up in life, and you still kept those things close to your heart and internally, they define who you are. But on the outside, you’re functioning. But yet you have all these unaddressed issues. So if you’re battling with something, if you’re struggling with something, I would encourage you to find somebody who can just really just be open with and share with them what you’re doing and going through because your mental health is just that just that important, you know, I mean, mental health is big. I mean, even even when I think about like myself and my life, my journey, I always wonder, like, like, Why did my dad and my mom got divorced, that like, really affected me and for the longest, I had to, I had to go find and speak and talk to somebody about what I was feeling. And I asked my dad and my dad said, you know, son you never know. As a grown man. I’m like, Dad, why does your mom divorced? He’s like, you’re never know. So I struggle with that. But I didn’t release that until I actually got help and support and talk to somebody. They gave me sound guidance and gave me sound therapeutic support in regards to move from that, that anxious man that wants to know why my parents went what they went through, but yet I had to be open and share that with somebody. So if you’re struggling with something man and you’re battling with something, I encourage you and challenge and charge you to reach out and get some help and support. But first and foremost, talk to somebody that you can confide in, because, um, to open yourself up, open yourself up like that you have to find somebody that you trust and somebody that actually has your back.

Gloria Grace Rand
Yeah, absolutely. That’s, that’s so important because you can’t try to manage things on your own is is not gonna. It’s not gonna help you. You’ve got to be able to get support so so I appreciate that. So thank you so much for being here today and just sharing some really great information and I know that I can tell you are an inspiring speaker

Tyrone Smith
Thank you.

Gloria Grace Rand
and I know you’re gonna continue to help so many young people out there who do need support and they need to know that they matter. So I’m glad you’re out there. Yes. On the front lines, helping people Again, it’s first first and goal home team team purchasing.

Tyrone Smith
Yes so the website, is team, yes team first and goal dot org it’s t-e-a-m-f-i-r-s-t-a-n-d-g-o-a-l-dot.org. So yeah, that’s the website team first and goal. org.

Gloria Grace Rand
awesome. So make sure you go check it out and support Tyrone’s work in the world with kids. And go to, if you also go to live, love, engage podcast dot com, you’ll be able to get the show notes and be able to get all the information there as well. So, thank you again for being here with us today. I so appreciate you

Tyrone Smith
No, thanks for having me. Gloria man was truly an honor and a blessing to connect and engage with you as well.

Gloria Grace Rand
Thank you. And for all the rest of you listening and watching. Thank you as always for being here. And until next time, I encourage you to go out and live fully, love deeply and engage authentically.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

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About the Author
An online marketer, SEO copywriter, and speaker for 15+ years, Gloria Grace Rand has helped over 150 companies including AAA and Scholastic Book Fairs attract and convert leads into sales.

Losing her older sister to cancer propelled Gloria on a journey of spiritual awakening that resulted in the publication of her international best-selling book, "Live. Love. Engage. – How to Stop Doubting Yourself and Start Being Yourself."

Known as “The Light Messenger” for her ability to intuitively transmit healing messages of love and light, Gloria combines a unique blend of energy healing techniques, intuition, and marketing expertise to create transformational results for her clients.

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