The Lie of Being a "Good Soldier" in Corporate America

Jerremy: 00:00:00

The contract doesn't just break for the people it left behind.

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Sometimes it breaks for the ones who won.

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Cruz Gamboa did everything

the old Deal asked.

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GE Capital, GE Verona, NBC, universal,

Unilever Regional CFO across Latin

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America, near billion dollar deals.

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My dog got it done by any

scoreboard you can name.

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He came out ahead.

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He stayed almost a decade past when

he knew something started changing.

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Something was wrong and then he walked.

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Not because it stopped paying,

because it stopped meaning anything.

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My name is Jerremy Alexander Newsom

with my co-host Dave DC Conley, and

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this is solving America's Problems.

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My guy, Cruz now runs his own firm.

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He built an AI powered financial

platform and designed the systems

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that run his life from the ground up.

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He helps founders stop chasing revenue

and start building something that doesn't

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break them, and he believes the reason

most people will never make the move

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it's harder to hear than any market data.

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Cruz, welcome to the show.

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Cruz Gamboa: Thank you Jerremy and

Dave, by the way, I love the intro.

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I, my, I know I felt

it in the, in my body.

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I, it's actually kind of funny when

you hear somebody else talk about

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you in a way that makes you feel,

excited, welcome and powerful.

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So I, I see you brother.

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Jerremy: man.

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Back at you, dude.

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Back at you.

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So homie, take, take me back

to that specific moment.

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Right.

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So it wasn't a decision, it

was a moment when you field.

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When you realized that there was like

hollowness there, you know, what were

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you doing and what actually did you feel?

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Cruz Gamboa: I mean, I mean, it's, it's

actually kind of a cool story of, I

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recorded a, a, a YouTube episode about,

about it, and I talk a, a a lot about it

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when I, some of my, either with my clients

in my YouTube, videos, et cetera, because

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it's, it was like, it's, it's like life.

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It was life altering.

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Okay.

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So here I was trying to do

something that was worth me

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getting promoted to executive.

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Okay?

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And, I moved into a new market, they.

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For many reasons.

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I was, put in, in Argentina and then, sort

of like responsible for Latin America.

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We were doing zero business in

Latin America with ge, which is

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crazy because, historically GE

had done a lot of business there.

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2001 debacle, I mean, it was just like

we were closed for business in Argentina.

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So they put me there sort

of to develop the market.

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They gave me a timeline I needed

to get it developed in two years.

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so I had that clock ticking, right?

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I was like, from the minute that I woke

up every day the minute that I went

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to sleep, that's all I thought about.

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was really, obsessed with

solving this problem.

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And I think eventually, there was

a path, there was an opportunity

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to close an $800 million deal.

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I started sort of like exp, I got

a lot of information, did all my

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homework, the due diligence, et cetera.

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I took it, the leadership team

and initially they were like,

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eh, would we do this, et cetera.

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And then I started like really like

working the, sort of the rooms and.

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Phone and just explaining

it one by one to everybody.

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So they would, I would basically,

I would, because everybody had

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different objections, right?

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Like, the guy had an objection.

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The, the sales guy had an objection,

the marketing, like everybody.

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And I just went by one by one

until everybody understood the

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deal better than I did, right.

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And they all gave me also

their own perspective, which

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actually was very helpful.

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And eventually I got into the

next committee and everybody,

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was a revving fan of the deal.

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So that's sort of like how I got

it positioned to where we could

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actually have a conversation.

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So I got it, I got it staffed.

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So I had a team, to go

ahead and, and bid the job.

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And here I was bidding the job,

trying to beat, Siemens, which we did.

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up, up to this point,

everything is perfect, right?

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It was normal.

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Then we got, we got the award.

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And then what happened is

the deal was so hairy, hairy.

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It, it took literally an army of 50 people

from, like, we would go into this office,

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our, our client's office, and we would go

in there like at say 8:39 AM work all the

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way till 9:00 PM day for like six months.

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Jerremy: smokes.

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Cruz Gamboa: Okay.

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Towards the, and I'm talking

like Saturdays, sometimes, most

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of the, and towards the end

I was just, I was burnt out.

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I was so burnt out, Jerremy when

I, like towards the end, right

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towards the end, I, when, when I

was in the middle of a conversation

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with, sort of my counterparties,

I would have to say like, can, can

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we, can we stop here for a second?

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Dave: Wow.

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Cruz Gamboa: I, I, I think

I know what you're saying.

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I just, just can't understand you.

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Like I, I, like, I lost sort of like

my, my cognitive ability to, to process

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what was being said to me because of

the, the tremendous pressures that

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I was, that I was under there and

eventually the deal actually closed.

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And like throughout this whole time,

my, my wife was, just super upset

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the fact that, I was never home.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Cruz Gamboa: actually, like, I,

I miss, my daughter's, most of my

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daughter's birthday, I ended up

coming in, but it was like I was late.

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So, so a lot of that, right?

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A lot of that, it created a, a lot

of animosity in my family, my kids.

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And like, even till this day, my daughter

still remembers that I was gone for a,

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a big portion of her childhood, and I,

I, when I think about it, I, it, it,

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it makes me feel like, like an asshole.

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Like, I, like, what the

hell was I thinking?

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You.

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I don't recommend it to anybody,

to, just get the, get the, the eyes

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of the price, because I thought

the price was getting promoted.

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I thought I was doing it for them, right?

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Because I wanna, I, but in as much as

I would like to convince myself that

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that was the case, I was doing it for

me, I was doing it for me because I,

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I thought that that's what I needed to

do to, to just, just to be worth it,

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to be worth their love, to be worth,

like, the, to become this professional.

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it, it was all about ego and,

as well my, my, my back then

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bruised and small ego, right?

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I've grown since, I've grown since,

but, yeah, but that also, I did it.

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Jerremy: so, I mean,

you're working tirelessly.

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You and the team, you're,

you're burning out, right?

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So you, sounds like you stayed a long

time past when you knew you were done.

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When you, when you think about what

actually kept you there, 'cause

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there's so many people, right, who

are in this position, there's so

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many people who are doing exactly

what you just mentioned, right?

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They're working the 12 hour days,

they're missing the parties and

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the graduations and the, and the

birthdays and all the things.

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What do you feel like keeps

someone trapped in a job that

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makes their life miserable?

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What's the, what's the emotion?

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What's the feeling?

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Cruz Gamboa: It, it's really clear to me.

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It's the fear, right?

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It's the fear.

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It is the scarcity mindset.

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Is the thinking that your identity

is tied to, to this big achievement.

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But because I, I mean, I'm not

gonna lie to, to, when after

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that deal, when I closed it,

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Jerremy: Yep.

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Cruz Gamboa: I, I was promoted to

executive and people will, compliment me.

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They're like, oh my God, that's

great that you got promoted.

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Congratulations.

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And I'll be like, yeah,

I, I didn't feel anything.

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I didn't feel like better.

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I actually just had more problems, to be

honest, more responsibilities, et cetera.

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so there, there is this thing where

we, we believe that our identity is

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tied to all of these accomplishments.

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And in the end, once we accomplish

something, we are like, well, maybe I, it

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is not just executive, I should be like.

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executive, or I should be like the

CEO or I should be like, there's

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always something else to conquer.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Cruz Gamboa: And when we, and when

we tied our identity to that level

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of achievement, then we forget

what's important in our lives.

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And then this is no wonder why many,

successful CEOs end up being alone.

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their kids hate them, and,

maybe their employees hate them.

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and then yes, and maybe they may,

they they have a legacy because

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they, they did something great.

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Like, for example, Steve Jobs, right?

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I mean, who doesn't like Steve

Jobs for his achievement?

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But would you be Steve Jobs friend?

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Would you like Steve Jobs as your father?

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Jerremy: Yeah, it's a really,

really, really good point, man.

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And a lot, a lot of people say no, I

mean, from what, at least never met him.

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But from what we've heard and.

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I think that's, that's probably

called misalignment to some degree.

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like where we, we are,

we're told something.

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Right.

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I think that's, that's really the, the

topic of this podcast in a way is like,

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we are told and sold this contract of

this is how it's supposed to be, this

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is how it's supposed to work, right?

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You have to do all these things.

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You get the achievements,

you get the awards.

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So for you, right, you had

a version of the deal that

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definitely worked to an extent.

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You got an MBA, uh, you,

you had the executive title.

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You closed on this $800 million deal

from the What did the old contract

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deliver that matched the promise?

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It's like what did you get that

you were told that you were

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gonna get when you were young?

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And then what part was always a lie?

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Cruz Gamboa: That's a

great question, brother.

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so I, I gotta tell you.

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Yeah.

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you, you just make me think.

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so the part that I got obviously

was partly a compensation.

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Okay.

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and I'm, I'm still kind of

like benefiting from that.

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I mean, I got a lot of stock options

and at the time, GE stock wasn't

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doing really well, but now, with

GE Verno, et cetera, now it is.

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So, so my, my stocks, my equity

has gone really, up since then.

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And, and also honestly, it deliver

on creating this baseline level of

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leadership I still carry with me.

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Okay?

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So, all the skill, all my,

sort of, my leadership skills.

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come from that time.

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My, sort of my, my, business acumen,

came, there was forged, through

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many, many, scoldings, many, like,

failed deals, many, successful deals.

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so all of that, that whole

experience was very much worth it.

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I got, more than an

executive level education.

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I got, sort of like, the opportunity

to work with leaders, excellent

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clients who, have, big, big, big,

big companies, with big problems.

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And I, I help some of them

solve some of those problems.

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And, that just stays with you, right?

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The confidence that anything,

any type of problem.

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I mean, I'm not afraid to a billion

dollar deal if you said like, cruise,

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help me close these $1 billion deals.

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So I'll be like, yeah, let's do it.

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So some people be like, oh my God,

I've never done something that

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big because they've never done it.

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Right.

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But I, I have, and

therefore I'm not afraid.

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I know that a billion dollar deal,

yes, there's more, much more at stake,

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but you solve it in the same way that

you will solve a, a $10 million deal.

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So, so, so that confidence

is, it's, priceless.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Cruz Gamboa: So that's what it delivered.

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Jerremy: Okay.

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So you got the Yeah, the

confidence, which dude is a big one.

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so what was the lie then?

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Cruz Gamboa: The lie is that if

I continue to be a good soldier,

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if I continue to, um, just play

the game, if I continue to, uh.

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Basically like my desires and maybe

not speak up when I saw things

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that went, that weren't right.

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Okay.

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That I would eventually make

it, and that I would eventually

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be quote unquote successful.

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It was never set like that, but it

was set, there was a version of how

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it was explained to me, the, the,

the gaslighting, but not obviously,

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and now, and I, let me, let me say it

very It's not like I, I want to make

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it clear that it's not like, people

in corporate are actually like trying

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to memorize a script so that they can

indoctrinate you and change your mind.

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This is who they are.

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They are only being what they

have been taught to be from their

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mindset in a way that's, that's

just, that's just the only way.

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You know what I mean?

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So it's not like they're trying to be,

there's, there's no evil behind it.

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There's only this, this trauma.

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Actually for some, for many a people just

comes from, even from their own childhood

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traumas of trying to prove that they can

be ultra successful trying to prove to

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themselves, to their parents, to somebody.

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Right?

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Isn't it crazy?

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Jerremy: yeah,

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Cruz Gamboa: Isn't it crazy?

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We go, a lot of people go

to corporate and stay there

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because it means, you know what?

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Fuckers, I prove you wrong.

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You know, I could be successful,

you know, daddy, have daddy issues,

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but it's okay because now I prove

you that I can make it right.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Which I

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Cruz Gamboa: Yeah.

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Jerremy: that's, that's

kind of, that's kind of all

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accomplishment, good and bad, right?

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Which is, it's the fuel and it's,

it's the alignment that causes it.

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you, you used an

interesting word there, man.

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You said evil.

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so to get political 'cause, right,

this is a political podcast.

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I just love your, I would

love your thoughts on this.

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Like when you look at the workforce

problems that we're tracking, and in this

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series, and really in this, episode there,

there's workers who can't find stability.

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And then you also have a large,

of people who can't afford homes.

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this a system malfunction or is that

the system functioning exactly as it

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was designed to keep people as slaves?

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Cruz Gamboa: Yikes.

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That's a heavy one.

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maybe we should just like, peel

the onion a little bit, right.

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Jerremy: Right.

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Let's do it.

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Cruz Gamboa: Because, it's a,

it, there's just a lot to unpack.

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first of all, when you say that this

system is failing, people in a way that

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I think I'm paraphrasing what you said.

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I mean, it's failing some and not others.

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I mean, I think for a, a, a great amount

and numbers of people, they believe that

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this is, this system is the way they

actually are benefiting from the system.

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sometimes they can't even understand

the reality of those who are not.

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Right.

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And they see it as, as

oh, I'm doing the work.

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I'm, I'm, I'm going to work every day.

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And, and it's those people who are lazy

or whatever it is that they, stories

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that they make up in their mind.

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And maybe they say that

that's what they're like.

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The others who are not.

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Seeing it their way.

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That's the reason, right?

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Like, you're, you're not putting the

effort, you're lazy, you're dumb.

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You, you don't, you didn't pursue an

education, I mean, you could say whatever

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it is, everybody's gonna have their

own, their own, their own, perspective.

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I mean, we just have to be careful

because, I mean, not everybody

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believes that this system is failed.

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Do you, do you agree with that?

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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There's, I mean, but that's,

that's the, the matrix, I

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guess kind of the thing, right?

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Like fish.

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Fish, don't know they're in water.

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Cruz Gamboa: A thousand percent.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Cruz Gamboa: And then eventually for

others, they, they, they also believe

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that the problem is the system.

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Jerremy: Uhhuh.

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Cruz Gamboa: So,

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Jerremy: Uhhuh.

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Cruz Gamboa: instead of like saying

like, well, what I mean the problem

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is me, I'm get to make my own choices.

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They, they think that the problem

is the system is the man is whatever

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it is, is, is the president, is.

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make up all the stories and then all of a

sudden they accept that that's a reality,

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and they, and then just get stuck because

they, that's a reality that, that's

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just the world the way it is, right?

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: 00:16:03

So, so I did a little bit of

a reframe of your question

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Jerremy: Yep.

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: 00:16:07

Cruz Gamboa: because what I've come

to, realize, at least for myself, most

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of our problems are our own beliefs.

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: 00:16:17

Okay?

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: 00:16:18

Jerremy: Yeah.

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: 00:16:18

Cruz Gamboa: whatever, like, whatever

somebody, whenever somebody tells

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you that something is wrong and the

system is wrong, or whatever it is,

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I mean, I, yes, maybe there is some,

some of that, but there's also your

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ability to make powerful choices.

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: 00:16:31

if you, and if you believe eventually

that, I mean, has different

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beliefs when it comes to their,

their own spirituality, right?

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: 00:16:40

But if you believe that the kingdom

of heaven is within you, and that

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you have the ability to create.

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because the kingdom of

heaven is within you.

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: 00:16:49

Right?

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: 00:16:49

Jerremy: Yep.

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: 00:16:50

Come

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: 00:16:50

Cruz Gamboa: that power.

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: 00:16:51

You can do miracles bigger

than than the man, than Jesus.

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: 00:16:56

Then, yeah.

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: 00:16:56

Then so what are what?

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What is it that you're

allowing yourself to become?

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: 00:17:02

Jerremy: And I love that perspective.

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: 00:17:04

I love that reframe.

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: 00:17:05

And really, I love the, the, the

transparency and the truth to that

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: 00:17:08

because the reason that I ask that

question also is heavy as it is.

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: 00:17:14

we really find is that's

generally what people do, right?

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: 00:17:17

They blame the outside.

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: 00:17:20

one of my sayings is, the enemy is in me.

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: 00:17:24

it, it's all of our perspective.

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: 00:17:26

It's all of our perception.

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: 00:17:27

And I'd love to know what gave you

your personal perspective shift.

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: 00:17:33

Like, 'cause what it sounds like

to me when I hear you, least I feel

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: 00:17:37

like it sounds like, and seems like

you have a, you've had a paradigm

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: 00:17:41

shift that's really, really powerful.

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: 00:17:44

And it's also an internal one, right?

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: 00:17:46

Meaning you, you begin to see yourself

differently and you begin to see

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: 00:17:51

the world differently because your

beliefs got changed at some point.

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: 00:17:54

'cause you're, you're speaking at such a

high vibration of consciousness that it's,

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: 00:17:58

it's very Uh, and it's, it's incredible.

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: 00:18:01

And that's why I invited you 'cause

you're such an awesome person.

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: 00:18:03

But tell our listeners, man, like

where did that paradigm shift come from

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: 00:18:08

Cruz Gamboa: I chose life.

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: 00:18:10

Jerremy: when.

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: 00:18:11

Cruz Gamboa: Yeah.

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: 00:18:11

I mean, I, it was right around, when

I started my own company and I was

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: 00:18:18

finishing, I had just finished, a

book that I wrote, and I was, getting

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: 00:18:25

my few client, my first few clients

I was living with my, at point, my

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partner, which was used to be my wife.

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: 00:18:35

But then when I got divorced and then I

got together with her again, and, things

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: 00:18:39

were kind of like working out and then

of a sudden we, we separated again.

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: 00:18:45

Like, she just went, like, I

was going to on a, on this trip.

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: 00:18:49

And I was supposed to, to go and

close a, a, an m and a deal and I

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: 00:18:54

was gonna make a, a ton of money

on that, $300,000 to be exact.

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: 00:18:58

And, and like two days before that

happened, she threw the, the bomb at me.

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: 00:19:02

that, she didn't wanna be together.

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: 00:19:05

And that just set me up on this

spiral, negative spiral, right.

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: 00:19:10

And I just like, I was just

like, holy shit, here I am.

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: 00:19:14

I'm trying to follow my own path.

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: 00:19:19

I came back to my ex-wife because I

thought she was going to, like, that

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: 00:19:23

was like the thing that I needed

to do to be closer to my family

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: 00:19:26

and to, make up for some of the

mistakes that I felt guilty about.

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: 00:19:30

Like, for example, like not being present

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: 00:19:32

Jerremy: Yep.

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: 00:19:32

Cruz Gamboa: like spending so much

time, at work and all of that.

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: 00:19:36

And, and I just felt like that set

me up in the, in the wrong way.

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: 00:19:41

before I went to close the deal, the

deal that was supposed to take a month

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: 00:19:45

took three months, and then like two

days before, the deal actually closing,

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: 00:19:51

the buyer just said, we we're out.

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: 00:19:54

And, I had spent all this time away

in a, in a different country, trying

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: 00:19:59

to close the deal, leading with all

of my, my pain, dealing with all

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: 00:20:05

my insecurities about the future.

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: 00:20:08

I broke brother,

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: 00:20:10

Jerremy: Yeah.

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: 00:20:10

Cruz Gamboa: I broke down,

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: 00:20:12

Jerremy: Yeah.

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: 00:20:12

Cruz Gamboa: I broke down.

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: 00:20:14

And and

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: 00:20:15

Dave: Yeah.

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: 00:20:15

Cruz Gamboa: bad thoughts.

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: 00:20:17

felt like, just like, it was

just like, what is this shit?

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: 00:20:21

Like, why does it have to be so painful?

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: 00:20:23

And, and I was, I was

wondering at some point, I.

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: 00:20:28

Can we, can we say that I was doing a,

you know, my own ceremony on my own?

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: 00:20:32

And, and remember, something came up.

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: 00:20:36

I was like, have the television and

something came up on YouTube where

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: 00:20:40

this, there was this native woman

with, she had like, like a cup,

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: 00:20:44

like, and she was like this, right?

403

: 00:20:46

Kind of like, I guess off like

an offering, like, here it is.

404

: 00:20:50

And I was just like, what

is he trying to tell me?

405

: 00:20:54

And I was just like, what

is he trying to tell me?

406

: 00:20:57

And then I just basically in my mind, the

way that I interpret all of that is that

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: 00:21:01

always had an opportunity to choose life.

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: 00:21:03

And then I just said it out loud, I

choose life and I just like snapped.

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: 00:21:08

And I said, I'm in control.

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: 00:21:10

getting my shit together.

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: 00:21:11

And I did.

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: 00:21:12

I, I went back.

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: 00:21:14

I said, well, screw this deal.

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: 00:21:15

I'm done.

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: 00:21:16

I left, came back to the States.

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: 00:21:18

I started to, work on my Rolodex,

got clients and started my journey

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: 00:21:24

to restructure my company and to,

make it to what it is right now.

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: 00:21:29

But it was, it was a big energetic shift.

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: 00:21:32

It was, it was me making a

decision I wanted to be in

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: 00:21:36

control, and it was up to me.

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: 00:21:38

And, there was nobody to blame.

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: 00:21:40

My, my ex-wife was not to blame.

423

: 00:21:42

My, my choices were my own.

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: 00:21:45

Okay.

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: 00:21:47

And that's it.

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: 00:21:48

I choose life.

427

: 00:21:50

Jerremy: Come on man, dude.

428

: 00:21:51

And thank you.

429

: 00:21:53

Thanks for making that choice, man.

430

: 00:21:55

World's a much better place because of it.

431

: 00:21:58

Yeah, man.

432

: 00:21:59

Thank you.

433

: 00:21:59

Thank you for making that choice.

434

: 00:22:01

Thanks for making that decision.

435

: 00:22:02

That's really what it is like in life.

436

: 00:22:04

Like when we decide to do

something, we, the, the word decide

437

: 00:22:07

means like to cut off, right?

438

: 00:22:08

Like to cut off every other

choice, every other avenue.

439

: 00:22:11

Like, this is what we're doing,

this is what we're focusing on, this

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: 00:22:14

is what we're gonna specialize in.

441

: 00:22:15

And you saying, Hey, not only am I

gonna choose life, I'm gonna choose

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: 00:22:17

to build this incredible company

that does these incredible things

443

: 00:22:20

and help these awesome people.

444

: 00:22:22

Is, is very, very powerful.

445

: 00:22:24

Cruz, can we, can we shift gears

and talk about like, artificial

446

: 00:22:29

intelligence for a quick second?

447

: 00:22:30

'cause I think the loudest story

right now that everyone hears is that

448

: 00:22:35

AI is coming for everyone's jobs.

449

: 00:22:37

And you fired your va, I believe,

and built a personal AI system

450

: 00:22:43

to run yourself and your business

like so from that experiment, is AI

451

: 00:22:48

the threat or is it a mirror that

shows something more uncomfortable?

452

: 00:22:52

Cruz Gamboa: Wow.

453

: 00:22:52

That's a great question too.

454

: 00:22:53

You're on fire.

455

: 00:22:54

so yeah, I mean, I, I, for the

last, I'd say three years, had

456

: 00:23:02

been on the AI rabbit hole and I.

457

: 00:23:05

I I don't wanna say that

I'm an AI guru, okay?

458

: 00:23:08

I mean, who is?

459

: 00:23:10

But, I, I embrace AI because

I understand AI is simply,

460

: 00:23:15

something that, makes bigger.

461

: 00:23:17

What, what is so, the best example

that the way that I, somebody said

462

: 00:23:22

something to me that just like clicked.

463

: 00:23:25

they said they, the way to think about

AI is that, is, if you wanna put it in a

464

: 00:23:29

formula, is basically knowledge square.

465

: 00:23:34

So if you, it, it could be knowledge,

it could be like you, right?

466

: 00:23:37

Maybe that's even a better

formula U Square, right?

467

: 00:23:40

So

468

: 00:23:40

Jerremy: Oh,

469

: 00:23:41

Cruz Gamboa: if you have, if you have

knowledge, you have good intentions, if

470

: 00:23:45

you have a big mission, you have, just

put everything on that bracket, right?

471

: 00:23:51

It's just going to make it exponential.

472

: 00:23:53

I mean, it could be, it has the

potential to make it exponentially,

473

: 00:23:57

quote unquote evil, right?

474

: 00:23:59

For, use it for bad reasons

or bad intentions, or it could

475

: 00:24:04

make good things into life.

476

: 00:24:06

It could make, it could accelerate

the speed as to which you

477

: 00:24:11

create impact in the world.

478

: 00:24:12

And that's what I'm choosing.

479

: 00:24:14

I'm choosing to see AI as a way to

expand what I'm trying to bring into

480

: 00:24:19

the world, and to do it faster, to do

it more efficiently, and to do it in

481

: 00:24:23

a way that I deliver the most impact

to the highest amount of people.

482

: 00:24:28

my choice.

483

: 00:24:29

Alex: Two men who climbed the

ladder and WALKED AWAY—Cruz

484

: 00:24:32

chose life, Dave chose meaning.

485

: 00:24:35

But what makes their shift possible

may not be about courage or clarity.

486

: 00:24:39

The next test reveals what's

REALLY stopping most people cold.