Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta. It’s time for Charitable Georgia. Brought to you by Bee’s Charitable Pursuits and resources. We put the fun in fund raising. For more information, go to Bee’s Charitable Pursuits dot com. That’s Bee’s Charitable Pursuits dot com. Now here’s your host, Brian Pruett.

Brian Pruett: [00:00:45] Good Fabulous Friday. It’s another fabulous Friday and it’s it’s November, but it’s been 80 degrees the last several days, so I don’t know what to think. And I wonder why people get sick in Georgia because the weather can’t make its mind up. So we’ve got three fabulous guests this morning. So if this is your first time listening to Charitable Georgia, it’s all about positivity happening, positive happenings in your community. And we’re going to get started this morning with Carla Maton from American Red Cross. So Carla, welcome this morning.

Carla Maton: [00:01:11] Hey. Good morning. Thanks for having me.

Brian Pruett: [00:01:13] I always joke, I like to have people when they tell me where they’re coming, coming from. And I’m going to joke one day and see them get somebody from Macon, which I think I am getting somebody from Macon to come up to do the show. But you came from Dalton, so thanks for driving down here. So I’m sure a lot of people know about the American Red cross, and we’ll get into that just a second. But if you don’t mind, share a little bit about about your background and then how you got involved.

Carla Maton: [00:01:32] Sure. So I come from a family of public safety. And of course, this is where I sort of grew up in the world of my career. So started with the 911 center in Whitfield County and worked as a dispatcher for about ten years, and then moved on to an ambulance and worked for a couple of years there. Learned very quickly that that is a tough, tough job. But through my years in public safety, you know, we respond to emergencies and we bring patients to hospitals and drop them off. And I found myself like, man, I wonder what happened with that family or with that patient. And one one particular call. We took a family, actually a mother and her son to the hospital who had been involved in a house fire. And they excuse me, they were her husband actually had passed away in that fire, and they did not have any working smoke alarms in that home. This happened in Chatsworth and we delivered the family to the hospital. They were they were okay. They had some injuries, but they were able to be released and they were just weighing on my heart. And when I went back to the hospital, you know, on a different shift a couple of days later, the Red cross was there, and they were meeting with her because she had nowhere to go. The hospital couldn’t release her because she didn’t have a home. And the son had just got there to pick her up. And they were, of course, devastated because of the loss of her husband. And the Red cross was just hugging and consoling this lady as she was trying to figure out what her next steps would be.

Carla Maton: [00:03:11] But that’s exactly why they were there. It was. Here are your next steps. Here’s some funds. You can go get a hotel. You can get some clothes. She had nothing and it just touched my heart. And so we I just continued to monitor what does the Red cross do in this area. I never knew they responded to disasters. I was always correlating Red cross with blood donations. And when I started learning more and then they had a position open in in the disaster team, I jumped on it. And so I was hired by eight years ago and became manager of those disaster volunteers who would go out and meet with families. And that gave me that, that next step of working with families that I was missing when I was working in public safety. So now I still work. Our teams do hand in hand with with those fire departments and emergency managers and just delivering that next step of care to families when they’re going through crisis. So that’s what brought me to the Red cross every day. I learned to love it more. I just can’t I can’t hardly explain what it is like to work in an organization where 90% of the people around you are volunteers. I mean, they they choose to be there and they do it for the mission. And when you’re working in a room full of mission driven people, it’s just a different kind of atmosphere. So it’s very fulfilling to be here now.

Brian Pruett: [00:04:30] Yeah, well, it does take a special person. I was actually used to be a 911 dispatcher for the city of Kennesaw, and I wasn’t there very long. But you’re right, it takes a special person. You got to have passion for the people. Have a heart. The worst call I ever took was listening to a lady call and try to get help. And having a stroke, and died on the phone. It was. Yeah, and that can take a toll on people. So. So you had mentioned that you there’s different chapters of the Red cross and you are in Northwest Georgia. Share what that means when you talk about Northwest Georgia in the chapters.

Carla Maton: [00:05:01] Okay. Sure. We so I’m the executive director for Northwest Georgia, which means I get to advocate in our communities about what our services are, what those are. And no matter where you’re at in the country, the Red cross is services are aligned. You’ll find that we we do blood collection. So we are the nation’s largest blood collector. We deliver about 40% of the blood supply to hospitals across the US. So that’s one of our biggest programs. Obviously, we have our disaster cycle services team. So it’s not just responding to the large scale disasters. House fires are the number one disaster we respond to. So this time of year especially, we’re encouraging folks to take fire safety measures. Listen to those tips your fire department’s giving you. We have preparedness programs through that as well, that will deliver free smoke alarms to families who need them. That is what will save a life. If you have a house fire to get you out early. And there’s some really incredible YouTube videos on our on our Facebook page, we shared recently of a demonstration we did with the DeKalb County Fire that showed just how quickly a bedroom catches on fire and then is just completely engulfed. We did that as a demonstration to show when the smoke alarm went off and the smoke was just starting, and then in less than a minute, you couldn’t see the room anymore. It was just fire. So, so important to have working smoke alarms. So test those. If you don’t have them, call any Red cross office and we’ll come put them in for free. And then we have our training services, which is our CPR first aid courses. You can take those online now. Covid brought that to us. We had to adapt. And so we don’t necessarily have to be in person to teach you those skills. You can go online to teach, to learn that. And then finally our service to armed forces. Of course, it’s Veterans Day this weekend and or today and.

Brian Pruett: [00:06:50] Tomorrow, but.

Carla Maton: [00:06:51] Tomorrow.

Brian Pruett: [00:06:52] On this it is Marine’s birthday today. So yes.

Carla Maton: [00:06:54] Okay. It is Friday, right. So Service Armed Forces is where the Red cross was born. We were we were assisting military members in in Civil War times. So that’s how we came about. And we just want to take this time to recognize those military families and the work we do with them every day.

Brian Pruett: [00:07:13] Yes, yes, all the veterans out there, we thank you for your service and those that are serving now. So Amen. It’s funny you were talking about the the fire in the bedroom. And I just recently read where why they tell you to keep your bedroom door closed when you sleep. And it’s because of the fire, which I didn’t realize that. Can you share about that? Do you know about that? Yeah.

Carla Maton: [00:07:32] When we do the smoke alarm installations, we do some fire safety education with the families as well. And that’s one of the tips that that we will advise is as well. And it’s it’s just that barrier, if the door is closed, it takes the fire longer to break that barrier to reach inside your bedroom. It’s crazy. Again, YouTube will show you some some fires where a bedroom door has been closed and that bedroom looks untouched, where the rest of the house can just be completely crisp. So yeah. Incorrect. We put smoke alarms inside your bedroom and then outside in like a common hallway is what we would recommend because we want you to shut that bedroom door. So. Right which side of it catches on fire? You’ve got an alarm that’ll signal you.

Brian Pruett: [00:08:14] Right. So you talked about the different areas of and you say the northwest chapter. Can you share what what is the northwest chapter? Sure.

Carla Maton: [00:08:25] Our headquarters office is in Rome, Georgia. So if you want to visit an actual office, we’re there on Mondays and Thursdays. And then the rest of the the time we’re serving in community. So our chapter services as far south as Bartow County, and we go as far east as Union County. And then kind of that triangle from Union down to to Polk County and all of the northwest corner of Georgia. Okay.

Brian Pruett: [00:08:53] And what is the biggest thing, I guess, for international, you guys still travel and do international disasters too?

Carla Maton: [00:09:01] We do. So the Red cross, we are the American Red cross. And just about any country you can think of, you can place, you can replace American with it. So each each there’s over 192 countries across the the world that have a Red cross crescent movement or installation within it. So each of our Red cross operate under the same mission is to alleviate human suffering. So in some countries you may see their services look a little bit different. In Mexico they run the ambulance service same same and a few other countries. But yeah, the Red cross is worldwide. And when something catastrophic happens, war happens. The American Red cross is part of that entire world movement will will of course, support it in the way we we can best do so.

Brian Pruett: [00:09:47] Well, you mentioned Kimmy being in the community and serving the community. And one of the things I love talking about on here is why is it important for people to be in part of the community? So why is it important for you to be part of the community?

Carla Maton: [00:09:58] For the Red cross.

Brian Pruett: [00:09:59] For you and you personally.

Carla Maton: [00:10:01] Oh gosh. Yes. So you know I’m in Dalton, Georgia and and so that’s where I call home. But I feel like all of our northwest Georgia communities I’ve, I’ve became a part of just through my Red cross work. So each community has its own challenges, has its own gaps to fill, if you will. And I love being part of the solution. So just attending those community meetings, learning what the what the. Organizations that are in your area are coming together to focus on and strengthen people. It’s just humanitarian work at its best. And so I think it’s it’s so important for anyone just to get to know your community and see where you can fit, bring your unique skills to help strengthen your neighbor.

Brian Pruett: [00:10:49] And that’s so important because not everybody, everybody’s different. God made everybody individual, and we’re all here together. So let’s be part of the community together. So we also talk on here a lot about the power of networking. Are you able to go out and do a networking for the American Cross in your area?

Carla Maton: [00:11:02] Oh yeah. That’s that’s my favorite part of my job.

Brian Pruett: [00:11:05] So do you have a positive story you can share about networking that you that you’ve encountered yourself?

Carla Maton: [00:11:10] So we are one of our big partners are the United Ways that are across Georgia in general. But in northwest Georgia, United Way supports multiple nonprofit agencies within within their specific communities. So very often we will go out with our our fellow agencies supported by United Way along with them to present to corporations or others, just to let them know what our services are and how United Way supports us. And we went to shawl and there was a neighboring partner with me, and we were talking to the shawl group, and they were part of a men’s homeless shelter in Bartow County, and they brought one of their shelter residents with them just to share his story. And before we left, the gentleman was talking about volunteering with the Red cross, how he had a passion for the disaster work. But then the HR manager was in the room with us and literally took him out of the room and gave him a job. So that was that was pretty incredible to watch. All those puzzle pieces come together, but it’s just how networking works. Just getting out there and again, knowing your neighbor and what your what your challenge is. And I’ve got something to help you with that.

Brian Pruett: [00:12:26] So. Well we talked well it was on air, but mentioning how small the world is because you walked in the front door of the the building here, and you knew the young lady at the front. Right, which is kind of wild. So it’s just kind of cool how small the world really is. All right. So you talked about the different opportunities that you guys have to go out and serve. Are there ways for the community to come and help you guys serve and businesses helping you? And if so, how can what are those opportunities? Okay.

Carla Maton: [00:12:52] We have obviously, as I mentioned, nine out of ten of our folks with Red cross are volunteers. So Redcross.org is where you’re going to find all of the opportunities to get involved, not just in volunteering, which is what you can do, but also in where local blood drives are. If you would like to work at a blood drive as an ambassador, welcoming folks to the to the drive or as a blood donor yourself, you can find where all of our blood drives are and sign up for an appointment at redcross.org. And then you can also go online, of course, Redcross.org to make a donation of any size to support our programs. We are fully funded by donations, so any any dollar amount counts when it comes to that.

Brian Pruett: [00:13:38] All right. Awesome. Well you shared the website, but if somebody is listening, maybe that’s end up in your ear and wants to get a hold of you and talk to you about any opportunities, how can they do that?

Carla Maton: [00:13:46] And again, our headquarters office is in Rome, Georgia. So just contacting our Rome office is fine. Again, 800 Red cross is our general phone number. So if you call that, you can get in touch with your local Red cross. Excuse me. And and you’ll be able to reach us there in Rome.

Brian Pruett: [00:14:06] Awesome. All right, one more question for you, because I talked to a lot of different nonprofits on here, and obviously you’re one of the larger nonprofits around. But if somebody is thinking about getting involved and wanting to make their life work a nonprofit and maybe not starting a nonprofit, but going to work for one, what kind of advice can you share for somebody who wants to do that?

Carla Maton: [00:14:28] I would share to find that that nonprofit that’s mission really touches your heart. It’s really working for a nonprofit agency is a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It’s not a 40 hour day. I’m 40 hour week ever. You do your work because you’re passionate about it. And that’s what makes the volunteers so special, because they are so passionate about our mission. And as you explore different nonprofits, missions and values, you’ll you’ll start to be gravitated toward that one that matches or aligns with your personal values. So I would just say to really focus time on your what your mission is. If you’re going to start a nonprofit, what is it you’re most passionate about? Develop that mission and vision and then and then stand behind that or let it lead your way.

Brian Pruett: [00:15:15] Awesome. Yeah, we’ve had two other folks talk about here, too, about if there’s somebody already doing something that you want to do, go partner with them. You know, that way, because sometimes it can feel like it might be diluted and, you know, and competiting competing, but that’s really not the case. So Carla, thanks for coming. On and sharing a little bit of your story and about American Red cross and what you guys do. Don’t go. Don’t go anywhere. We’re not done with you yet, but we’re going to move over to Scottlin Smith. I just like the name because it feels like it is like the country, but not spelled the same way. But you’re with Love Travels Beyond Inc, which is a nonprofit out of Bartow County. Cartersville, correct.

Scottlin Smith: [00:15:47] Good morning. Yes, correct.

Brian Pruett: [00:15:48] So you and I actually knew each other in over the years, the first time we met in person, but we knew each other for years ago because we actually had a magazine. And we did a story on your organization. But we’ll get into your organization in just a minute. But tell us about your background and why you do what you do.

Scottlin Smith: [00:16:03] So I am from a service background. I would say my dad, Donald Strickland, he has a homeless shelter in Cartersville, Georgia. So I’ve always known serving the homeless. I’ve always known like helping other people. So that was kind of instilled in me at a young age. I’m the youngest of six first generation college graduate. So there were minor things that, you know, I struggled with growing up, and I always wanted to fill that gap for other people and for younger girls in our community and beyond. So I would just say starting out again as a young girl, I didn’t have a choice then, but it was just instilled in me and I ran with it. And I love serving my community. I love being a servant leader. I started my own free prom dress giveaway my junior year in high school, so I would just swap out dresses amongst friends if their families were struggling. I gave away all of my like, prom dresses. And my parents. You know, of course, being from a service background, they didn’t have an issue with it and they encouraged it. So I hosted the first one at the Goodwill in Cartersville and we had about 20 girls come out.

Scottlin Smith: [00:17:13] But now we host one of the largest free prom dress giveaways in Georgia. And then with my nonprofit, I actually made it a nonprofit when I was in college at the University of West Georgia. I just felt like there was gaps that needed to be met. I saw some students struggling, and I really wanted to create an organization that was simply love filled, and we were just helping each other, and we just wanted to give back. If one student was hungry, if one student needed gas, money, or whatever the case may be, we would have a basket of love at the front of our meetings and just pouring into each other and just sitting in a room, making vision boards and seeing where we want it to be in life. And everybody didn’t always have that support system, so we were that for each other. But now that’s a successful 500 and 1C3 nonprofit. So we have the West Georgia chapter and then we have the Bartow County chapter.

Brian Pruett: [00:18:05] Awesome. So tell me about the name. How did you come up with the name?

Scottlin Smith: [00:18:08] So originally it was Love Travels. And then we added beyond when I made it a 500 and 1C3 nonprofit. But I just feel like love travels beyond our differences. I feel like love travels beyond our political differences, our race, our backgrounds. Love will always win, and love is so much more important than hate. And all of the negative things that so easily take over the world.

Brian Pruett: [00:18:34] Well, and that’s important because again, I’ve talked about this before on the show, but why can’t you be a Democrat and Republican and be friends? Why can’t you be black and be white and be friends? Why can’t you be whatever and be friends? Just because you have differences doesn’t mean you can’t be friends. So that’s awesome. So, um, you talked a little bit about serving in the community and stuff, so why is it important for you personally to be part of the community?

Scottlin Smith: [00:18:55] It’s important for me to be a part of the community, because I feel like there was so many people that helped me along the way and that filled that gap, those gaps for my parents. There were people like Coach Hill and monumental people in our community that simply rode around giving out food, that rode around, giving out hugs, that took us to, you know, our different practices. Summer Hill in Cartersville, Georgia is a community like no other. Like the gaps are filled. Whatever a child is in need of or whatever the case may be, even as adults, they still fill the gap. And I just always wanted to pay it forward. Because if it wasn’t for those people, you know, lifting me up and helping me get to the next level, then I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Brian Pruett: [00:19:41] That’s awesome. I haven’t shared my story on the show since I’ve been doing this show. One day I might, but that’s exactly why I do what I do, because the community was there for me on some instances that that happened. So, um, all right, so let’s go and talk about you mentioned some things that you do. You got the prom dress giveaway. You talked about the food, but what all other things do you guys do as an organization.

Scottlin Smith: [00:20:01] So we have our program, our service summer camp. We bring the youth together during the summer one to keep them out of trouble, but also to teach them the importance of giving back. We take them to the police station because there is a gap. Sometimes we want the police to know who they are and we want them to know who the police are. There were some kids that were like terrified to go in because of their own experiences, but we were able to bridge that gap. We took them to the nursing home. To show them you treat everybody the same. We play bingo. The elderly loved it. They loved it. We did road cleanups to tell them the importance of keeping our community clean and positively impacting our community. And we also just do fun things like take them swimming, have cookouts and everything like that. We do our blankets of love drive during the winter to where we collect blankets, and then we go into the homeless communities, the tent communities in the woods and hand out blankets and self-care kits and things of that nature. But we also collaborate and simply serve other nonprofits. You know, we believe in community. We believe in giving back, and we don’t believe in just supporting our own programs, but also being there for other nonprofits.

Brian Pruett: [00:21:17] And there’s that word I like collaborate because you don’t collaborate over competition is a buddy of mine. Bob Brooks talks about all the time. So that’s a that’s a great word. So I know when we did an article on you several years ago, you guys were doing a three on three basketball tournament, right? Do you guys still do that?

Scottlin Smith: [00:21:31] Yes, we have our charity basketball tournament and we bring the community out. We bring them together for a great time. We pack out the gym on Summer Hill and we of course bring them there for a positive experience. And who’s the best basketball player or whatever the case may be. But in that we are collecting funds to be able to help their neighbor, you know, be able to afford Christmas and toys and Thanksgiving, whatever the case may be and whatever they are in need of. But we really pride ourselves in bringing the community together and being able to support each other and not just us. So even if it’s $5 or even if it’s a gift at the door, we love bringing our community together to support one another.

Brian Pruett: [00:22:17] And I like how you just mentioned it, because I know people. It’s like, well, I can only give a dollar. Well, a dollar goes a long way, so that’s awesome. Well, you talked a little bit about what you guys do. How can people in the community get involved and help you guys?

Scottlin Smith: [00:22:30] They can visit Love Travels inc.org, and they can also reach us at (678) 719-2212. But we love having people help us out, whether it’s a big or small way we have. Last year we had 500 girls sign up for our free prom dress giveaway, so we need as many hands as possible and our events are love filled and they’re great and anybody can come help. I know sometimes people feel like I’m not in a position to help. I’m not this, I’m not that. But we we need everybody’s help.

Brian Pruett: [00:23:04] Well, even if you’re not a financially positioned to help, you can go volunteer.

Scottlin Smith: [00:23:07] Absolutely.

Brian Pruett: [00:23:08] You know, how about businesses are there are ways for businesses to get behind you and do sponsorships and stuff like that.

Scottlin Smith: [00:23:13] We definitely need businesses to sponsor us. But even if they can’t financially sponsor us, we need drop off locations for our toys, we need drop off locations for our prom dresses and everything like that. So that’s where that’s where the businesses come in. Because sometimes I was driving from Tennessee to Woodstock to Rome to pick up dresses. So if we have those central locations where people can just come and drop off those donations and we do, you know, a once a month pickup or something like that, then that’s super helpful for our board to be able to, you know, put our efforts in other places.

Brian Pruett: [00:23:52] So how about the networking aspect? Are you able to get out and do any networking?

Scottlin Smith: [00:23:55] Absolutely. We love going to networking event. We host pop up shops for different nonprofits and community events. We help out with the Black History Parade in town. We host a June. We help with the Juneteenth celebration, bring in business owners, owners together. And you know, we we thrive off of the networking because we all need each other. Everybody knows somebody that can help with one program that can help in a bigger, small way. Even with this radio show now, like just meeting through the chamber, you know, we’re able to get our word and our mission out even more. So we love networking. Invite us out. We would love to come spread love at your event, and we would love to help out in any way that we can as well.

Brian Pruett: [00:24:42] Do you have a specific story of networking you can share that might have been a positive thing for you?

Scottlin Smith: [00:24:46] I would say our Belles of the ball event. Some girls say it’s better than prom for them, honestly, and we have vendors that come out to that event and they just leave. So blessed. They cry the whole time. We because the girls have to walk the red carpet. And some of these girls have never had that moment. Some of these girls have attempted suicide, have been raped, have just they’ve been through so much in life. So for them to have that moment for all eyes and ears to be on them and for the whole entire room to celebrate them, and these vendors pour back into them, even if it’s just giving hygiene kits, even if it’s giving nail kits or earrings or shoes or whatever. To make their prom day even better. So me being able to see the vendors just be able to contribute to this mission and be so happy about it and want to start their own prom dress giveaway in a different area and stuff like that really is heartwarming.

Brian Pruett: [00:25:47] What I liked about when you when you answered my question about the networking events, you talked about all different kinds of events and not just a business club, because people don’t think about networking at an event. And it is true networking at other events. So I’m going to share with you, you may not know about this, but if you do, you need to come. And Carl and Glenn, you guys are welcome to come too. But every Wednesday morning from 8 to 930 is the Carnival Business Club. We meet at Unity Worship Center, 60 to 50 to 60 people there every Wednesday morning. I guarantee you, you come, you’re going to get some support for you. So you should come check that out. We’re there every Wednesday morning. So awesome. Um. All right, so you started your nonprofit, you said back in college. Give some give somebody advice on who might be listening. Carla mentioned some stuff, but if somebody is thinking about a nonprofit, what would advice would you give them?

Scottlin Smith: [00:26:35] I would say just go for it. I feel like sometimes people feel like they have to be in certain positions again to help people. But I unofficially started my nonprofit by giving away dresses in high school. Before I knew what a 500 and 1C3 nonprofit was, I started my nonprofit by starting the student organization. Before I knew what a 500 and 1C3 nonprofit was. So I would just say start. Start with a small give back event, see what needs that need to be met in the community, and kind of do that research to see again if other organizations are already fulfilling that mission, but, you know, follow your heart and your purpose. We all have a purpose here on Earth and find something that’s connected to your purpose, because you will never get tired of doing it.

Brian Pruett: [00:27:20] Um, so you mentioned some of the events that you do you have anything coming up that you want to share?

Scottlin Smith: [00:27:25] We have our charity basketball tournament December 10th at Summerhill, and you can find out more again at Love Travels inc.org.

Brian Pruett: [00:27:33] Awesome. Carla, I didn’t ask you, but do you guys have any events coming up you wanted to share?

Carla Maton: [00:27:37] And we have one of our. We pick a day where we will go into a particular community and just do a blitz of smoke alarms. And so we’re going to be in Dawsonville on December the 10th, and we’ll bring community volunteers together. If you want to come take a beautiful drive over to Dawsonville or you live in that area, come join us, because we will we will show you what to do. We will get into teams, and we will literally go knock on doors and put up smoke alarms for the community that day. So you can find more information about that particular event on our website again, and on our Facebook and social media pages. Georgia Red cross.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:14] All right, Scottlin, you got a Facebook page as well. Yes.

Scottlin Smith: [00:28:17] Our Facebook is Love Travels one on one.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:19] Okay. So if you guys want something to do on December 10th, you got two opportunities there to go do something and either have fun, have fun, volunteer whatever you want to do. So Scotland, thanks for coming and sharing a little bit about you and your organization. Don’t go anywhere because we’re not done either with you, but we’re going to move over to Mister Glenn Carver. Author speaker. Uh, I know you’re no stranger to the area here. You just had a big event where you talked about adversity. You have your own podcast, and I just heard a little bit of your story, so I’m going to try to talk about it. I want you to share your story because you’re still dealing with adversity, but you’re talking about how you’re dealing with it. Sure.

Glenn Carver: [00:28:54] Yeah. And, you know, I’m a huge fan of the late, great Jim Roan. And Jim Roan was Tony Robbins original mentor. And Jim Roan said in one of his, he gave one of his great public seminars back in the 80s. And after the seminar, somebody walked up to him, one of his fans and students, and said, Mister Roan, in your opinion, what is the business climate going to look like for the next 3 to 5 years? Which is a wonderful question. And he said in his classic tonality, said, well, he said it’s going to be the same. It’s been for the past 10,000 years. Adversity with a chance of opportunity. So I love that that that paradigm. We’re all going to deal with adversity. I don’t care who you are, you’re going to have adversity either in your personal life, your professional life, maybe both. We only have one life, so let’s just throw it all in together. There is adversity on the way and how you frame the adversity that that descends upon you will literally dictate the quality of your life. So I’m all about for the rest of my life, you know, praise God, I’m still here for the rest of my life. I’m all about helping people move through adversity and finding the opportunity and maybe even the advantage in the adversity, because that’s where all opportunity lies is hidden within the adversity. You know, all of our growth happens outside of our comfort zone, not with in our comfort zone.

Brian Pruett: [00:30:23] Right. Do you mind sharing your story of what the you know. I mean, I was told about what was going on, but do you mind sharing? Yeah.

Glenn Carver: [00:30:31] Of course. So early Sunday morning, August 15th, 2021, my life changed forever. My wife had recovered from Covid the week before. She was sleeping upstairs in our bedroom. I was sleeping downstairs on the couch. I wasn’t in the doghouse. We were just trying to be responsible. And early Sunday morning, she heard some strange noises coming from me downstairs. So she walked out of the bedroom and she looked over the railing at me on the couch, and she thought I was having a bad dream. I had my arms out in front of me, kind of playing this virtual piano, if you will, and I was making these really loud exhaling noises woof woof, woof like that. And she thought I was just having a nightmare. And she started yelling, Glenn! Glenn, are you okay? Glenn? Wake up. And I didn’t respond, so she came downstairs and started shaking me, and I didn’t respond. And that’s when she became kind of concerned. Eventually she got me out of my state of mind and got my dead weight literally off of the couch and got me to the car, and she took me up to North Side Cherokee Hospital, which was 12 minutes from where we live, and dropped me off at the emergency room and went to park the car.

Glenn Carver: [00:31:49] When she came back, I was already back being seen and evaluated and was quickly diagnosed with Covid double pneumonia. Just ones not good enough. Single pneumonia is easy. Got to go for double. That means in both lungs, right. And a blood oxygen level of 45. Now, if you don’t know what I didn’t know what 45 meant. You know, I’ve since learned that 90 is low, 45 is is death. 45 is organ failure. It’s potential cognitive damage. And one of the technicians shortly told my wife that that was the lowest blood oxygen level they had ever seen. And she said, you mean during Covid? And he said, no in the history of this hospital. So, wow. You know, miracle number one is that my wife didn’t sleep in and I could have died in my sleep that day. So fast forward ended up spending 96 days in the ICU. I survived the full Covid protocol from remdesivir, which I will not get on my soapbox about that drug right now. I was fully ventilated and if you got ventilated during Covid, that was a death sentence. I went code blue. October 16th of 21. My ventilator came off of my tracheostomy, stopped breathing, heart stopped beating.

Glenn Carver: [00:33:13] I was effectively dead. Thank God. My favorite ICU nurse, Lucas Uriah, who will be on my podcast this month, former Army medic. He was right down the hall. Knock on wood, he was right down the hall. He came in and hit the code blue alarm. Code blue means all hands on deck. Somebody is about to die. And he came in and started three rounds of compression on me. And literally some of us know the great song by Motley Crue, Kickstart My Heart. Well, Lukas kick started my heart and. Brought me back to life. And, you know, by the grace of God survived. I mean, everybody. Brian in that ICU died. Wow, everybody. As a matter of fact, Lucas said in the two and a half years that he spent as an ICU nurse in the hospital, he saw three people. Three go through the entire Covid protocol protocol from remdesivir through the ventilator, and three left the ICU outside of a body bag. Wow. So that story to me is kind of like you hear the story of the commercial airliner that crashes, and 2 or 300 people die and 2 or 3 people walk away. Think? I think I feel obligated to share something powerful the rest of my life.

Brian Pruett: [00:34:32] Right?

Glenn Carver: [00:34:32] Yeah. And so that’s that’s half the story.

Brian Pruett: [00:34:36] Well, keep going because there’s more to it. I would love for you to keep going. Yeah.

Glenn Carver: [00:34:40] So I started writing a book called The Advantage of Adversity. That’s the name of my podcast. It’s a video podcast you can see on YouTube. Started writing the book in December of 21 when I got home, and then February of 22 went in for a routine colonoscopy. Oh, by the way, I had emergency colon surgery two weeks into the ICU. Upper colon burst. Internal bleeding was very close to sepsis. And sepsis can lead to a condition called death. So I had emergency colon surgery removed, 18in of my colon left me bagged. It’s supposed to be for 90 days. Temporary. Then they do a reversal surgery. Went into the hospital February 2nd, 2022 for a routine colonoscopy. They found a mass in my rectum two days later, diagnosed with rectal cancer. So the ICU was the uppercut, the cancer diagnosis. Right hook. But I’m still here. Clearly, I’m here and I’m alive, right? I’m still. I’m sitting right in front of you. Yeah, I do have the label of stage four, and that means it has spread. So it started in my rectum. It’s I’ve got these nodules in my liver. And here’s what I’m all about, Brian. That does not that does not scare me at all. I have zero fear, zero anxiety around that label of stage four. Part of my message is cancer is not a death sentence. It’s a big warning light on the dashboard to say you need to make some changes. One of my coaches has taught me that actually, cancer shows up to save your life, not to kill you, to make the changes necessary to get on a different track. And I’ve done that. But yeah, it’s been so I’m healing.

Glenn Carver: [00:36:31] I’m not out of the woods, but I’m healing naturally. I’ve still got a port in my chest because I was supposed to start chemo in March of 22, and I. God bless my wife. She she got the nudge and she dug in, and she found the truth. The truth about cancer. And she really dug in and started learning really, really fast. And the saying is, you know, one day you know nothing about cancer, the next day you know everything. We have learned a lot. So we decided, given the physical state I was in after 96 days in the ICU, if I had in fact started chemo in March of last year, it would have killed me. There’s no question in my mind I would be dead, because a lot of times chemo kills people before cancer. Chemo is poison. It is a derivative derivative of mustard gas from World War two. Now it does kill cancer cells, but it can kill everything else too. It can crush and destroy your immune system. So this is not medical advice. I’m just saying there are other ways to heal from a chronic disease other than standard of care from our medical industrial complex. So I’m going the alternative route. My my trifecta of healing is faith. Mindset and nutrition. Not chemo, radiation and surgery that works for some people. When you get the diagnosis, it’s a very personal decision and you’ve got to make a very personal plan and decision as to what you feel is best in your heart and in your mind and in your soul. And what I believe, Brian, is that, you know, I know that God spared my life in that ICU.

Glenn Carver: [00:38:12] I know it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I’m getting goosebumps right now. So if God did spare my life, not ICU, why would he have me die of cancer a year or two later? That makes no spiritual sense to me. I’ve got a message. I mean, as a speaker at my core, I’m a speaker. You always want a big story. I didn’t want one this big, but I got it. So be careful what you ask for. So now I’ve got this. I think I’ve got this incredible platform, this message. My testimony is huge, but I can I can speak about the power of moving through adversity because we’re all going to face it. Not a matter of if, but when. And seeing that adversity is an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to find the advantage in the adversity. And that’s what I love about that’s what I love about entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs find advantage in adversity. They solve problems. And I love what you’re doing and bringing our community together. It’s you know, one of the main reasons I’m sitting here alive today is prayer from a massive community. And I’ll tell you, the community that we have here in Cherokee County is awesome. I mean, the community that has supported my family emotionally and financially over the past two years has been awe inspiring, totally humbling. And I just I can’t say enough about there’s so much going on in the world that’s beyond our control. All we can focus on is our thoughts, what we think, our attitude about the world and our community, our circle of influence. And it’s pretty tight. So.

Brian Pruett: [00:39:51] Well, I like that because personally, I needed to hear your story this morning because in my business, I’m currently going through an adversity and trying to figure out if the doors are going to stay open. You know, you’re.

Glenn Carver: [00:40:00] Not alone, brother.

Brian Pruett: [00:40:01] Right? But I just I love the fact that you’re out there spreading that word. First of all, there’s no coincidences, right? And like you said, God had a purpose for you. And so you were were you an author and a speaker before all this started?

Glenn Carver: [00:40:19] Yes. I got into speaking business in 2004 and 2012. I wrote my first book called stand in the Heat Lessons from Legendary Entrepreneurs, on Staying Cool Under Pressure that I could sum up that book in three words don’t freak out. Because we all have a chance to freak out pretty much every day, and freaking out does no good. No. With our kids or spouses or colleagues, our clients are picky or picky prospects. Vendors freaking out never does any good. But we tend our lizard brain. We tend to freak out very quickly. I’m still guilty.

Brian Pruett: [00:40:59] Right. So I like for you to share maybe a different answer because obviously the community was there for you through your, your, your incident, your, your procedures and all that. So is there a different answer you can give of why you’re a part of the community, or is that pretty much the reason?

Glenn Carver: [00:41:15] Well, I mean, I love community, I’ve always been I mean, I’m a I’m a I’m a, I’m a rainmaker and a maniacal hunter. You know, in the professional world, I’ve been in sales and business development my whole life. So I always loved to network. And I’ve got a philosophy, you know, our parents taught us when we were kids. Don’t talk to strangers for the right reasons, okay? As adults in the business community, just the opposite. Talk to strangers. Talk to everybody. And if you followed me around for a day, you would see how I live it. I talk to everybody, and I believe that when you when you meet somebody new. That’s why I love being here. I’ve met three new friends today because you never know. It’s like pulling a lever on a slot machine in Vegas. When you meet somebody new, you never know what you’re going to get. You never know who they know. You may know somebody. Scotland. That could change my life. Or I could change their life. Or, you know, you just told me about Michelle Cleveland. Mind boggling story. Yeah. So talk to strangers, get into your community, be real, be authentic. And you know, you know, my book, Stand the Heat, is all about helping entrepreneurs move through it. And because we’re all just life and business can be mean, tough and nasty, right?

Brian Pruett: [00:42:29] So it’s kind of cool. I when I was in high school and growing up, I was the shy introvert. And then I decided to go into communications as a major. And everybody’s like, you got to get them talk to people. Yeah, but my dream was to be a sports announcer, right? But then I got into sales and I’ve been doing sales and marketing for about 30 plus, a little about 30 years. And that led into the fundraising part. But everybody’s like, I can’t believe you’re doing sales. And how do you take the no. And this is true, but it’s funny, I got used to the no. Because in college, every single girl I asked out said no. So you just got to go with it. You’re prepared. Yeah, exactly. So, um, I like for you to maybe give some advice on a couple of things. One, anybody who’s thinking about starting a business, what would you give them advice on? And then to anybody who wants to maybe write a book, what would you advice would you give?

Glenn Carver: [00:43:22] Okay. Starting a business. Read a couple of books. First, the E-myth by Michael Gerber. The E-myth stands for the Entrepreneurial Myth, and it’s the myth that just because you’re the best plumber in town means you can run a business. And those are two opposite worlds. Read the E-myth and maybe read traction EOS Entrepreneurial Operating Systems. Make sure you know what you’re getting into, because we tend to go into things with our with our heart on her sleeve. You’ve got I believe you’ve got to be passionate about what you do, Scotland, or else you’re not going to last. Right? Make sure you know, we jump into things. I’m guilty. I’m I’m a very emotional creature. I’ll jump in. I have never suffered paralysis of analysis. I’ll just jump in and get beaten up. But do some homework, know what you’re getting into, have a plan, have some money lined up because everything is going to take 2 or 3 times as long as you’re planning on, and at least twice the money. Be realistic. You know people with the entrepreneurial spirit. See pie in the sky? Guilty. Everything’s possible. That’s me. My wife is the opposite of me. She grounds me. So sometimes people who are thinking about starting a business need to have somebody come in and offset them, offset all their aspirations with some reality, get some counsel, get some coaching, get a good coach up front. And then writing a book. Incredible experience, one of the best of my life. I’ve read hundreds of books I didn’t think I could ever write one.

Glenn Carver: [00:44:58] And in spite of that, I just. I willed it to happen. But I use a great company in Alpharetta called Book Logix. Ahmad and Angela, and they really held my hand and walked me through the process because it was daunting, but I used. Here’s an answer for both of your questions, Brian. Use emotional leverage on yourself. When I first started writing stand in the heat, I had a mock copy mock copy made up of the book had the cover. It was 150 pages. Every page was empty. It was a mock up book. And I would put that book on, you know, on my mirror, or I’d walk around with it. I’d envision it being complete. I even one day took it into Barnes and Noble and put it up on the bestseller shelf. Oh, nice. And backed away. I can feel it right now. Backed away. It was crowded and it was not an empty store. And I backed away and I just stood there and kind of looked at it, and I felt awkward and weird. My armpit started sweating and then I took a picture of it. I took a picture of my own book on the bestseller shelf, and then I put that on Facebook. So I put it so far out there that I couldn’t retreat. So if I if I put it that far out there and then a retreat, I’m a liar. I’m an empty suit. So emotional leverage can be really powerful when you’re trying to accomplish any kind of goal.

Brian Pruett: [00:46:23] That’s awesome advice. Thank you. So you talked about the networking aspect aspect too. So but I first ask you talked about the iOS system. Do you know Joshua Kaminsky I do not. So Joshua is an iOS implementer. Oh great. And he actually networks with the Carnival Business Club. So I can make that connection for you. He’s a great guy. Great. Yes. Um, you talked about networking. What positive story can you share about your networking experience?

Glenn Carver: [00:46:44] Oh my God there’s. There’s many. I mean, I haven’t done as much networking. Certainly the past two years. I mean, the first year of the hospital, I was just I was at home surviving, you know, before Covid, I was a maniacal networker. I mean, end of the year, I would I would look at all the business cards I had each December. I’d assess all the business cards I’d collected over the year. And it was, you know, it was 4 or 5in high. Now it’s dwindled down to to that size. But I believe that every time you go to an event, you’re going to if you meet one person, you could go to an event with 3000 people, or you could go to an event with four people. And if you meet one person and make one connection and follow through and start to develop a relationship and add value to their life or their business, it’s worthwhile. So I’m just I’m a massive advocate of networking, meeting new people, telling your story. We’ve all got one. And just being there out in the world. Somebody once said to me, if you’re going to be a they said to this in the context of real estate, but it applies anything. If you want to be a great agent at anything in life, you can’t be a silent agent. Got to get out there and generate exposure for yourself, right?

Brian Pruett: [00:48:01] I know you just had an event last week where you were speaking. I know Woodstock Business Club and Business Club came together and you get you did some. But do you have anything else coming up you want to share that you’ve got going on.

Glenn Carver: [00:48:11] As we wrap up the year? I do not at the moment. So nothing to plug or promote, but there will be plenty of things coming up in 2024.

Brian Pruett: [00:48:22] Awesome. Well plug how they can find your book and also your podcast.

Glenn Carver: [00:48:25] Yeah, my podcast is called Advantage of Adversity. It’s on YouTube and video format. We launched with video. It’s on all the other platforms in audio form like Spotify and Apple whatnot. But if you go to YouTube and plug in advantage of adversity, I think I’ve got 13 or 14 episodes out there. We just launched a few months ago. My book is called stand in the heat. My first book, my second book is not finished yet. That’ll be a 2024 initiative. And yeah, you can reach me at Glen at Glen carver.com Glen with two ends. The second end is silent.

Brian Pruett: [00:48:59] So if somebody wants to have you come speak, that’s the best way to get a hold of you. And I’m sure you’re open for come speaking for some folks.

Glenn Carver: [00:49:05] Absolutely. Cell numbers 404 2910291I do free speaking engagements. I love paid speaking engagements. Paid pays the bills better than free. Yes, but that’s another. You know, even when I do free speaking engagements, something great always happens. It’s just once again, it’s exposure. You got to get out there and expose yourself and tell your story.

Brian Pruett: [00:49:30] Right. So just a little bit I’ve got something coming up next week that I want to share. So monthly I do a trivia show at Saint Angelo’s over in Emerson, and I’m rotating the charities currently in Bartow County. It’s how Carlin Scotland reached out to me because I put an email blast on looking for sponsors for next year that I do that. And while it’s interesting that trivia for the non profits is already signed up, filled up, we’ll get you guys and we’ll do something with you guys too. But this coming Wednesday is actually a nonprofit based in canton called the Experiences Foundation, and they are a mini Make-A-Wish meets Big Brother Big sister type organization. They’ve got an incredible story. So if you want to come, it’s 6:00 is when the buffet opens. So for $25 you come in 6:00, have a buffet of all you can eat pizza, wings, pasta salad, garlic knots and nonalcoholic drinks. And then we do trivia. And just. Put your thinking caps on because people say, my trivia is hard, but it’s fun. Um, and then we obviously have the money portion of the proceeds go to them. But we’re also this month doing a dessert raffle, and I’ve got several desserts come. So if you need dessert for Thanksgiving, it’s just a week away. After that, come get your dessert at the raffle and come have a good time. So all right, as we wrap this up, this is what I like to do. I like to have each of you share a positive quote, word or nugget for somebody listening to take the rest of 2023 and beyond with. So Carla will start with you. What have you got?

Carla Maton: [00:50:56] Um. All right, so what’s on my mind is get to. Yes. So I just finished a leadership course through an internal course through the Red cross, and it was a year long program. It was phenomenal. We we were able to work and hear from our national leaders with the Red cross, you can imagine leading a national organization such as this. It’s the the skills and the experience of the folks that are leading this organization is just unreal. And to get to learn from them. The last year has been incredible, but they challenged us to find our own personal leadership motto. And that one landed with me and it was on. I saw it plastered on the walls of a disaster headquarters I went to in Louisiana probably eight years ago, and the volunteers had started this motto of, we’re in this community. Folks are devastated by flooding. We’ve got to find the yes, even if we don’t do that. That’s why networking is important. And you think Red cross is huge? We cannot do what we do alone. We depend on community and organizations and people to do our work. And so I’ve adopted that and it’s my new leadership motto is just find the will, find the way and get to yes, awesome Scotland.

Scottlin Smith: [00:52:12] I would just encourage people to spread love. The holiday seasons are great for some, but there are people that are out here struggling. I shared that my neighbor committed suicide this time last year, so you just never know what people are going through. People may look nice on the outside. Hair, shoes, outfits, everything may seem great, but everybody is going through something. Everybody’s struggling in some way. So if you can be that difference, if you can be that change maker in somebody’s day, in somebody’s life, I encourage you to do so.

Brian Pruett: [00:52:44] Well, that’s important to talk about. Mention too, because you do not know what everybody’s going through and you not talking about. They may smile or whatever. When Michelle was on last week, I talked a little bit about, I mean, the two people I can think of, I never would have thought committed suicide. Robin Williams and Twitch from the Ellen Show. Right? You just never know. So all right, Glenn, I know you spread a lot already, but what you got?

Glenn Carver: [00:53:05] Well, you never know. You, one of my dearest friends of 20 years, took his life last September. And to two of the sharpest guys I’ve known in my life taken their lives, you know, and it’s just you never know what’s going on in somebody’s heart, their mind and their soul. But what’s resonating with me right now is one of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther King. In the spirit of this conversation today. And what you do, Brian, is everybody can be great or anybody can be great because anyone can serve awesome.

Brian Pruett: [00:53:33] Well, the other thing that’s lost art these days is the thank you. So, Carla, thank you for what you’re doing with the American Red cross and the community Scotland. Thank you for what you’re doing for Love Travels Beyond in the community in Bartow and the West Georgia area. And Glenn, just thank you for sharing your story and being the hope that people have through adversity. If you’re a veteran too and you’re out there, thank you for your service. Thank you for your if you’re currently serving and everybody listening, let’s remember, let’s be positive. Let’s be charitable.