Michael B. Jordan EXCLUSIVE: “You’re Ignoring Your Intuition! — That’s Why You Feel So Lost”

Being honest with where you stand and how you feel, it's really giving another person an option and opportunity to be as honest with you.

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The number one health and wellness podcast.

Jay Shetty.

Jay Shetty.

He won.

Hey everyone, welcome back to On Purpose, the place you come to to become happier, healthier, and more healed.

I appreciate your ears.

I appreciate your eyes.

I'm so grateful that you're here right now.

And I thank you for investing in yourself.

You know that this platform is all about allowing the humans to be human, to give them a space to share their heart, share their mind, and share what's really happening behind the scenes.

I think it's so easy in the climate we live in to get lost in clickbait and articles and views.

And often that stops us from actually getting to understand someone and see someone for who they are.

And today's guest is someone that I've been wanting on the show for years.

So I'm extremely happy and extremely present even more than ever, because this has been an opportunity I've been looking forward to.

Today I'm talking to the one and only Michael B. Jordan, a director, actor, producer, who's recognized as an industry leader invested in bringing social change to Hollywood through his art and philanthropy.

Making his feature film directorial debut, Michael B. Jordan recently reprised the role of Adonis Creed in Creed 3.

I'm a big Rocky fan, so when Creed dropped, you knew I had to see it.

Which had the biggest opening weekend for a Creed film and biggest domestic opening for a sports movie ever, ever, of all time.

I just need to clarify that.

Up next, Michael B. Jordan is set to star in Ryan Coogler's next feature film for Warner Brothers.

And Michael B. Jordan also was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2023.

He's been recognized as People's 2020 Sexiest Man Alive.

My team went on about this.

And one of the New York Times 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.

And now he's got a new health drink out.

And you know I'm a big fan of health and wellness.

It's called Moss, the first of its kind sea moss beverage available nationwide as you're listening and watching today.

Welcome to the show, Michael B. Jordan.

Mike, it's great to have you here.

Oh, man, Jay, appreciate it, man.

That introduction is great.

I just carry you around with me everywhere I go and just introduce me places.

But no, I appreciate it.

Thanks for having me, man.

Well, I wanted to add also like in the few moments we've spent together, even just walking in, you know, if I can add to that intro, you know, extremely humble, gracious, kind, like thoughtful, like it's also nice meeting that.

And I love that this platform is a space that can come out.

And we were just talking about that.

You were saying that, you know, you've almost been looking for a space where you can share that because you don't do a lot of press.

I don't.

I don't.

You know, it's seasons for it.

You know, obviously, you know, when you have a project coming out or something you need to promote, you know, there's it's a part of that that new cycle.

But for me personally, I try to, you know, kind of say to myself a little bit and I'm very cautious of how you want people to get to know you.

You know, when you have opportunities to speak and share things about yourself and not kind of, you know, be a part of sometimes other people's agenda, you know, so so that's but but been a big big fan of yours for for a long time and the work that you've done and you are currently doing and and felt like this was a good good time to, you know, to get out and talk and and, you know, share some things about me, I guess.

You know, it's been it's been a journey, you know, it's been it's been a journey.

So, you know, it's a nice little check in point, I think.

Yeah, I love that. Well, I appreciate the trust.

And I love that check in point because it must be fascinating to look back at something and then think about where you were in life, what was going on in your mind.

So I wanted to start with there was this one thing you said in an interview.

And we were talking about this earlier, this idea of written versus being able to explain.

Correct.

And there was this great point you made that I think people wouldn't recognize with the amount of success you've had, the hits you've had, you know, I think people want to know about you and learn about you.

But you said when you come from where I come from and everybody doesn't get those breaks, that luck, you start to question, why am I successful in life?

Why did I go this way and everybody went that way?

And I just thought that that was, you know, again, extremely humble and also representative of where you grew up, how you came up, like which way did everyone go and where did that luck begin for you?

You know, I think coming up in Newark, New Jersey, coming up in that environment and, you know, having, you know, when you're younger, you know, you're living life, you know, you're taking it a day at a time.

You know, you're going to basketball practice, you're going to school, you know, you're going to church.

You know, for me, it was, you know, taking a lot of trips to New York City, going on auditions at a really, really young age and just figuring out what that is.

Having parents pretty aware, you know, and very present in my life, you know, growing up, you know, that was rare amongst my family, amongst my friend group, you know, having both parents that was there and very present and aware of my environment as well.

You know, what, you know, being told to look out for these things and make good choices, to be disciplined, to be focused on things, you know, get your school, you know, all the, you know, the positives in growing up in an environment like that.

And, you know, hats off to my parents and to sacrifice so much to make sure their kids, you know, were safe and grew up in, you know, in a, you know, grew up in an environment, it ain't easy, making ends meet, you know.

Grew up very poor, but didn't feel like it, you know what I'm saying?

It was very, you know, I think they did a good job at hiding those things, you know.

I think as we get older, we look back, it was like, oh man, we went through that.

Or that's why we slept in the kitchen at one time with the oven open.

Or that's when we stayed at grandma's house for like, you know, a couple of weeks.

You know, so you get that reflection of how we kind of grew up.

And I think for me, you know, always having a, you know, a bigger purpose, I think, or just, you know, just that optimism, you know, that I was a big dreamer as a kid.

And I think, you know, you start to, not just to focus on just the work of it all, but since I was working at such a young age, that's the thing that I can kind of point to of, you know, booking auditions and getting this job and traveling to this place and experiencing these things and coming back home with these experiences and not having a lot of people who could relate or could, you know, I could soundboard off of.

And I think in feeling like that, you don't want to alienate those people, you know.

And I think, and this is all, I guess, in hindsight, you don't share these stories as much, you know, maybe you should, because you don't want somebody to feel, like, inadequate or, you know, not being able to have that experience that you might have had.

And I think, you know, that snowballs as you get older.

And from stepping stone to stepping stone, as I continue to be successful at a young age, you start to question, why am I being so successful?

And the people that look just like me, that are right next to me in these everyday things, aren't necessarily doing that or not choosing to, you know, just didn't have those options that were laid out to them.

And I think you start to doubt yourself for whatever reason or feel guilty for the things that you may or may not have, even though, you know, our parents were people of service, you know,

block parties or, you know, cooking church dinners or, you know, whenever, you know, my house was the house that everybody came to at some point, whether we were going to get pizza that night or dad was going to take everybody camping or going to these things, like, it was, that was kind of my house within my neighborhood and community.

And so I think for me, being a person of service kind of, because, you know, this kind of comes from how I was raised and those are the examples that I knew growing up.

I always felt lucky too.

As you become more successful and you see less people look like you that are being successful in this realm and you end up being the one guy, that looks like me, that's successful, or the couple guys that, or the usual suspects that you see in the audition room or in things of that nature, you know, you start to sometimes question why, why, why are you?

Now I can, I feel as though it was my, it was my path, you know, it was my purpose and spirituality and growing up in a, in a household that was very focused on, you know, you know, church and spiritual and meditation and, and, and just being aware of the world that we live in.

You know, I felt I was destined for, for something, not knowing what that was, but just something.

Wow. Yeah.

And I mean, when I'm, when I'm hearing that, it sounds like, I love what you said.

You were like, you know, they, they hid, we were poor and we didn't even see that, but this idea of like, you sound so, when I, when I see you talk about your family and for those of you watching, you can see it on Mike's face, but there's so much joy and there's bliss and there's like a, there's like a happiness when you're looking back on that time.

Like I can see it's a positive experience because of how you feel you've been loved and cared for and supported, even though the resources may not have been there or the access or opportunities.

And I was wondering when I was listening to you, like, is there a memory or an experience from your childhood that you think defines who you are today?

Like, was there a, a memory or a story that you have in your mind of an experience you went through that you think brings out maybe that service element or brings out that purposeful element?

And I think this, this bliss and this, this, this appreciation for how I grew up comes in hindsight, you know, like, you know, the first time you have a moment where you're like, pick up the phone, you know, one morning, and you just call your mom and be like, thank you.

I get it.

And I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for, for being that kid at some point.

And I'm so sorry for not understanding.

I totally get what you guys are going through.

Sheesh.

I love you guys.

You know, like you, you have those moments when you get older, you know, that you just can't really have that perspective when you, when you were a kid.

And I think, you know, I was very mischievous, you know, as well.

And, and, and I think there were moments when my dad disciplined me, you know, for, for, for, for whatever the, you know, whatever I did at that time.

And then my mom would have a conversation with me around the why.

And, and then being also forced or pushed and nudged into a space where you had to acknowledge your siblings also, you know, in that situation and, and, and the importance of family and what that means, you know, my parents have different upbringings, you know what I'm saying from, you know, and different family structures growing up.

But one thing they've always provided us with is just a sense of like family over everything, you know, and how important that is.

And that just kind of kept the groundedness to me throughout.

So I think just the experiences of, of just family.

I like your point about hindsight.

I've definitely made that call to my mom for sure.

Like, yeah, I've made that call to my mom, but we were around the same age.

So for me, it's like, I've made that call.

And I think I made it probably like 25, maybe 26.

It was probably around then when I finally made that call.

And not that I didn't love my mom before that, of course I did.

But it was like that honest understanding of just how hard it was to do what she did.

Cause she was raising two kids.

She was dropping us to school, picking us up.

She was the breadwinner of the family.

She made us breakfast, lunch, and dinner fresh every day.

Like, and you don't recognize that as a kid, you don't realize the sacrifice, the hustle, the, and, and always making you feel loved on top of doing all of that.

It's hard work.

You've talked to, you said that now you feel like you've got to a place that it's your path.

What was that switch for you that went from like, I don't deserve this.

God, like I feel out of place.

I'm lucky to being like, no, actually now I see it as this was meant to be my path.

Because I think a lot of people and a lot of our listeners will be there.

Like a lot of people are like, they're making moves.

And maybe they're the first person in their family to go to college.

Or maybe they're the first person who started up a business and is an entrepreneur.

Or maybe one of our listeners is trying to break generational trauma.

And they're the first person to spot it.

But then they all live in that space.

I'm like, can I do this?

Like, am I the one to do this?

And so what was it that made that switch from like, I'm not sure I'm the guy, but oh, it is my path.

It's the sum of all things leading up into that point.

I think it's all the doubt.

It's the imposter syndrome.

It's the blessings that you can't really accept fully.

And you listen to other people speak who are successful.

Or you see examples that you kind of feel connected to.

Like, man, that kind of feels like me.

Or what he just said or what she just said.

I kind of resonate with that.

You know, I feel like that sometimes.

You know, other people who are looking at you saying, no, Mike, this is what you have.

This is what you can be.

This is what you are.

Nah, nah, that can't.

No, that's too good.

No, that ain't me.

You know, your own presence in a situation where you have to step back and look at yourself and be like, am I this guy right now?

Like, oh, man, there's a room full of people who showed up because of something I'm doing.

And they're in service or in support of my idea, my thing.

Okay.

That looks and feels like I'm the guy.

Okay.

You're in, I'm in the industry where, you know, you're the success of your work and your art has been, you know, dictated and validated by other people's opinions.

Mm-hmm.

And whether those opinions are factual or projected on you from their own individual perspective.

I think it was a combination of all those things.

And I've always been curious and walked towards the how do I make myself better?

What are the things that I need, the tools that I need in order to improve myself, the way I think, the way, how do I maximize myself?

You know, so from, I think, getting a, you know, an executive coach, you know, who talks to executives all day and, you know, how to create healthy conversations, the right type of conversations to have as you're building a team around you.

Because, you know, as you know, it's not just us, you know, we have an entire team of people that surround us that help us achieve our dreams and get the big idea done.

You know, a spiritual advisor, a spiritual coach that I have who, you know, helps me do my energy work, my spiritual work and help sift through the noise and find those things.

And I think it wasn't until I had, you know, roles that challenged my spirit and myself in a real way that, that, that, that, in the, in the weight and, in where the attention was so loud that it was, you know, it was deafening and it was, and, and I couldn't, you know, um, see clearly and, you know, these champagne problems, you know what I'm saying?

And I, you know, you know, you know, that like, you know, we're blessed.

So, but the weight is so heavy, you know, and people sometimes think, and they see what we have or what, you know, are, what we're, you know, what we're doing.

And it's like, oh, just be grateful, you know, or just, you know, what are you complaining about, you know?

And, and, you know, most people wouldn't be able to walk, you know, a block in our shoes, you know, with, with this stuff.

And I think it was, and you have moments where you, you resent things and you're angry at, you know, the feelings that you accumulate for not being clear or, or not understanding, you know, why this, there's a lot of whys and you're not going to get all the answers, but you want to, you know, be able to get to a place where you're, you're clear.

So to answer the question, when did I decide, when did I, like, you know, when did I feel like that?

Maybe two years ago, maybe a year ago, you look at where your family has come from and shit, look at your bloodline, you know, you look, you look at, you know, your community.

You're like, man, there's a cycle there from generation to generation that happens when you get to yourself and you're like, man, can I stop this?

Can I change this?

I can do this.

Once you, it's like, once you, once you know better, you got to almost do better.

Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

And I, I refuse to ignore it.

I refuse to see it an opportunity that I had to change things and act like it didn't exist.

And I think that was the thing for me that was like, nah, I gotta, I gotta, if that's my purpose, if that's my path is to just see it and I can see the pieces.

And if I can just continue to do this or if I stay down the pathway on that and I, I might be able to make a big difference in my nephew's life or my, my, my future children's, my future grandchildren's life.

I gotta do that because there's still been so many people that might, that didn't, that, that it wasn't the perfect storm for them to have that opportunity.

It wasn't the right time in the world.

Technology wasn't there.

The resources, the right social conversations are being had for, for us to have these platforms and speak and be successful the way we are.

Or, you know, you, you gotta, you gotta do it.

And I think that was a big part of it, you know, um, you know, understanding my own mortality, you know, and, and understanding, you know, you know, life isn't, you know, isn't a forever thing.

And I think that happens when you get older too, you know what I'm saying?

Like, you know, just turned 37 and it's like, wow, I vividly remember, you know, 15.

I vividly remember 21.

I remember, vividly remember 25, 30, you know, and they used to look at 35, 37.

Like, like ancient, you know what I'm saying?

And I'm like, oh man, we're here.

And it's like, you gotta do what you gotta do while you're here and make an impact.

You gotta fulfill your, you gotta fulfill yourself, whatever that may be, you know?

Um, and, uh, and I think, so yeah, so that, that moment for me where it was like, okay, I can do this.

I can, maybe a couple of years ago, I think it was like, right as I was stepping into directing Creed 3.

And the weight of that and being the captain of the ship the first time, being captain of the ship in a, you know, I've made movies before, you know, I've done that.

I know what that's like, but I've never, ever been the director, you know, the captain of the ship.

And I think that responsibility, that pressure that, you know, I'm not a dad, you know, but being able, everybody's looking to you for the answer, for the solve, for the leadership.

And I think that really thrust me into, uh, um, a mindset of, uh, of, uh, of leadership that I'd never quite had the opportunity to do before.

I mean, there's so much in that.

Sorry, I said a lot.

It's a great, I like it. I prefer it that way.

Because I'm, I'm connecting all the dots as you're speaking.

And there's, uh, I mean, there's so many things I want to unpack with that.

But one of the things that really resonated is this idea that you had to challenge yourself.

You had to do something out of your comfort zone in order to even recognize that you could become, that you could be, and that you could develop.

And often we're waiting to become before we take on the challenge, but it's the challenge that makes us become that person.

And I think we resist even what you said earlier about the opportunities, this idea that if you have opportunity, and there's an Eastern spiritual teaching, which talks about if you have opportunities and you don't take them, that's a disservice to humanity because they're opening up to you without your, even without your will sometimes, right?

Like there's some of us and we'll sabotage ourselves because we'll say, oh, well, I didn't ask for that.

I didn't, I didn't know that was for me.

And so I love the idea of anyone who's listening or watching what Mike's saying.

I love the idea of leaning into that opportunity that is opening up for you.

And even if you don't have the skills and you don't have the talent yet, or you don't have all of the tools and the abilities, it's going to force you to develop them.

For sure.

And you talk about the coaching.

I want to go back to that and ask you about that because you want to be better mentally, physically, spiritually.

It's a big part of who you are.

And even the projects you take on, which I want to dive into that, you said roles that challenge your spirit.

Even the idea that you're looking at a role, not as, oh, what's the next movie to get me the thing.

It's like, oh, that's going to challenge my spirit.

I wanted to ask what has been your best habit or tool uniquely that you've developed for your body, your mind and your spirit individually.

What have been things that you've done with your coaches in different areas that you think has brought about new epiphanies, opportunities and ideas?

What have been those tools and hacks that maybe people could lock into as well?

I think there's this woman, Ramona Oliver, that's known me my entire life.

You know, she's my spiritual advisor and coach.

And, you know, I think starting the day, you know, in meditation, you know, you're taking a moment to clear yourself and prepare yourself for the day.

It's so important to step out of your home with intent and intention.

A lot of times it's what are you projecting on a situation to help it manifest instead of negatively thinking about things that can help block your blessings?

I mean, that's a big thing, you know, so I so I think I think and we all have moments of negativity.

That's part of it. You know, it's yin and yang.

You're never going to fully get rid of that.

But to practice those things in the morning, I think, was a big help for me.

Yeah, huge.

You know, you shoot movies and you're doing things, you're walking out, you know, there's there's there's stories of people that just can't get a break sometimes.

And for whatever reason, it could be from stepping off the curve, twisting the ankle to, you know, the parking ticket to the thing to the I just can't get a break.

And there's certain people that that carry this cloud, you know, and I think some of that can be contributed to the thought process and the thinking and the energy that you're putting into these things.

And and it's sometimes easier said than done.

But but to to stop and to reframe and to clear yourself into, you know, no, I'm walking in in this light today and see how much of a difference that can make.

And more on the structural side, this guy, Drew Coogler, who no relation to Ryan Coogler, who was, you know, executive coach.

And, you know, as my ambitions grew from production company to brand marketing consulting companies to, you know, just the products and the businesses, you know, the conversations I need to have with the team, you know, and leadership and the everybody's coming from different backgrounds.

And how do you speak everybody's love language because everybody you have to speak differently a little bit to everybody so they can receive it the way you meant it, you know, and I think having the quality of conversations is something that was really helpful for me, meaningful conversations and giving people the space to hear me and also hold them accountable to the things that I need to hold them accountable for.

I think the combination of the two allowed me to look at situations and opportunities differently for people to look at me differently, because it's also a troubling thing when you're walking around as talent for a long time.

That's how they see you, you know, and you have an identity, have an identity.

That's how that's what they're. So there's this there's these kid gloves that come along with that.

You know what I'm saying? That is it's not everybody's fault.

That's everybody's in a role. You have to sometimes just step back and look at the thing that we're in, you know, like we're in an industry, you know, that has generations and generations of taught behavior and practices that any positive disruptor has to understand those things in order to disrupt them in a way.

Absolutely. And evolve them, you know, and things are evolving, you see it, you know, that things are evolving in a way.

And if you can look at it in a, you know, in a higher way, I think you can find your way through that.

Yeah. Yeah. That resonates. There's a, you remind me of this beautiful statement from Mark Twain, where he said that history never repeats itself, but it always rhymes.

And I find like when you were talking about the industry, I was thinking about how, if you don't study history, you have the rhyme happening in your life, but then you can't interrupt the pattern.

So if you were a young star, which you were, I love the wire as well. I've been a fan of the show. It's like, so you start in this industry early and then you could spend years trying to figure out why you still have the kid gloves on.

Yeah.

Because you haven't studied that. Wait a minute. That's what happens. That unless you disrupt the pattern, present yourself differently, show more of yourself, people are always going to say he's talent. He's an actor. That's, that's what he does.

As opposed to, oh, he's a director. Oh, he's an entrepreneur. Oh, he's, he's an investor. Right. I know you have lots of investments all again in the health and wellness space, like sports teams. And we're talking about Moss as well.

So it's, it's, it's interesting how much if you don't study the history of our industry, we get locked in the identity of the role we've played in that space. Correct. Forever. Correct.

And, and it's so easy for us to get used to feeling. And often we do it to ourself because it's comfortable playing the same role. And there's a familiar feeling of when I play this role. And I felt that in my own small way, like when I went from having to create content to get my message out there, even though I wanted to do TV or film or whatever and couldn't get a break.

And so I went to content and then I launched a podcast and I told you about why we launched this podcast earlier. And then I wrote books and it was like, every time it was like, oh, like, oh, we thought Jay was this, but oh, he's actually, oh, and, and I've had to go through that. And I've realized the hardest part is you letting go of that identity.

And reinventing yourself.

And allowing yourself. Right.

Yeah. No, no, definitely. Like, I mean, have you ever like, you know, has the podcast been something you've always wanted to do? And this is me, I'm just curious, or is it something that you had to read, you forced yourself to read, to reinvent yourself in a way? Because this isn't it for you.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? I know it's not, you know, that this is, this is a stop for you. This is, this is a chapter in your book. Did you ever think I have to reinvent myself? Or was that a product of the things that were telling, you know, or the things that was challenging?

Yeah, it's a great question. I think it's a mix of them all. But the thing that kind of like, supersedes all of them, which I try and tap into, which I think you resonate with, because I think that's the conversation we're having, is having a connection with your intuition.

Like, for me, it's, I'm not looking at like, oh, what's the next trend? Or like, how do I disrupt myself? Because to me, those things are still following other patterns.

Gotcha.

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

Gotcha.

Because if I'm always looking around, there will always be a million things. Like I always say to people, if you go to a real estate conference, you'll realize you don't invest enough in real estate.

If you go, if you go, if you go to a cryptocurrency conference, you'll feel like, oh crap, I didn't do this. And if you, like, if I sit with a group of actors, I'll be like, oh man, I should have started. You're always going to feel the deficiency of the trend that you study.

Correct.

And so if you live that way around, it gets really complicated. Cause then you're like, well, do I do this or do I do that? Like, whereas when you, when you go inward, it's like, oh, I feel alignment with this right now because it lets me express myself.

It lets me connect with people in a certain way. I feel I'm at the right evolution in my journey where it can manifest as opposed to like, oh yeah, let me just figure out what the next big thing is.

Correct.

That makes so much sense, bro. And I think that's what it is. It's like your alignment with where you feel truthful, you know, and sometimes that always doesn't mean you're going to be financially okay as well.

You know, you know, like you can feel a sparsely aligned and everything and mortgage is due, you know, rent is due. You feel me? So, so there's that element of it as well that you have to find your, your way through.

Yeah. That, that, that, that intuition that, that North star is what is something that has led me all types of places that I wouldn't trade in for the world. You know, just that feeling of this feels right.

And I know, does it make sense? Probably, there's probably some other things on paper that, that seems like the better option or choice, but this feels right. And, and, you know, more often than not, you know, it's, it's been the right move.

Yeah. I love what you were saying earlier about how the thought process is such a powerful way of breaking out over the cloud of your head. And I think we all have moments where the cloud feels like it's never moving.

And it's constantly raining on you. And I think a lot of people who are listening may feel that way. Like, have you ever been in that place? And how have you, what has helped with your thought process as you've been tuning that? What's worked for you at least?

That's your moment. That's your moment. That's your moment. It's not the all is lost. When you're feeling the most trapped and down and nothing can't go right. I feel like those are the moments that define you. Those are those character canon moments that are like, what am I going to do now? You know, how do you respond to that? And thinking your way, feeling your way, working your way through those things on the other side.

It's like, you know, I don't know who said the saying, but like, usually, you know, you're the closest to getting what you want is always the hardest. It's always the feeling when you're getting ready to, you know, people give up right before they get what they've always wanted to get. People quit and they give up. And I will not be the person who quit before I got what I wanted or what I needed or what I felt I was supposed to have, you know, like, and if that wasn't for me, it wasn't for me. I'm going to keep grinding.

And I'm going to keep knocking on the door until I get what I feel. That's been something I've always felt since having the name Michael Jordan and understanding that there's another guy out there named Michael Jordan that was the best ever to do something and being teased and picked on about that and made me for a moment not wanting to play sports.

But then it was like, nah, I'm actually going to make sure I'm competitive. I'm going to compete. At least I'm going to compete. You're going to at least see me. I'm going to be somebody that it's not going to be, oh, his name is this. It's going to be, oh, no, but he can play.

Or, oh, no, he can, oh, he has something about him, something that is formidable, that is above average, that is unique to him. And it gave me a healthy chip, you know?

So, and for the people who are listening who do have, you know, that doesn't feel like they can change their circumstances with the way they think or they feel, just hold on.

Just endure. Endure, you know? Look at things differently. Challenge yourself to look at things as the glass half full. Challenge yourself to think four steps ahead. Think your way through it. Like now we have so many tools. We have so much information.

There's a lot of misinformation out there, but there's so much information to be curious. Find something that does resonate with you, even if it's not in the world that you ever thought you would be in.

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

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

Man, I've been obsessed with getting my team right. I've been obsessed with getting the right personnel on the right brain frequency and getting everybody on the same page.

To accomplish these things that we need to accomplish. Because I truly believe it's going to be better for everyone. I think it's really going to make an impact, you know?

And so there's an obsessiveness that you've got to have to over-communicate, to follow up, to be redundant, to be consistent, you know, that you need. And I'm obsessed about it, you know?

Strengthening my family. I'm obsessed over it, you know? To lead by example, you know? And break generational trauma and curses. I'm obsessed over it.

And I'm obsessed over every project that I lend myself to. So this next movie that me and Ryan's doing, I'm literally, you know, I'm growing all my stuff out, you know what I mean? My hair and stuff is out now.

And I'm becoming obsessed with it, you know? And that character. And it's an addictive feeling to have a thought and see it come to fruition. To create something out of, you know, from an idea.

Yeah.

And to be persistent and to see it and to manifest it, you know? Manifestation. I just love it, you know what I mean? It's cool. So that's something that I've been really, really locked in with.

And I think it's also something that is going to help people, you know? There's always a... I don't want anything that's not multi-hyphenated. I want anything that I'm involved in, it has to have layers to it.

You know, how do you help? How do you educate? What's the leave behind? What blueprint am I leaving for the next generation? You know, I got a nephew now, you know, that is looking up at me constantly.

Yes, because of height, but also because of the example, you know? And he's mimicking everything I do. He's mimicking anything. I can say something, do something, like a sit a certain type of way.

Oh, snap, he's doing it too. It's crazy. So it clarifies your intention when you do things because you want it to have, you know, purpose and intention, you know?

So those are the things, and I'm obsessed with being the best version of myself. And that's a daily thing, you know? And some days are better than others.

Finding myself in a world where there's so many seen opinions about yourself when everybody's telling you who and what you are, you know, learning how to live, you know, growing up in it.

Like, and it's so wild. I've been doing this for 25 years straight, you know? And that's a wild thing to think about.

But man, more than half of my life has been my identity, has been through the work that I've been doing.

And growing up and with, you know, social media, what didn't exist, now it does.

At a point where I'm old enough to understand what that can do. So I'm obsessed with finding myself now after and not having to prove anything to anybody other than myself and my family, you know?

But really myself. And realizing that that is enough.

You know what I'm saying? Like that, like, giving your best is enough. And sometimes we lose track of that, you know? And, yeah. So for anybody out there, you know, you're enough, man.

Absolutely. Let's toast to that.

Let's toast to that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Shake it up.

Shake it up.

Yeah, man. And this is the pure. So we have three flavors right now. The mango ginger, the pomegranate. But this is the...

Cheers, man.

Ah, cheers, my God. Appreciate you, bro.

I'm excited to try this.

Oh, that's good. That's easy.

Easy.

It's easy.

And anybody that's had, like, Seamoss in the past, they might not have a good experience because they either, like, they kind of, you know, tried to clean it and process it themselves.

It's so smooth.

Smooth.

Yeah.

Don't taste like the ocean.

But it tastes a little, you know, it's a little heightened.

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

I love it.

Yeah, I'm like, this is like...

And it's a great mixer, you know?

You know, I don't know if you know if you want to do a...

We call them moss tails.

But, like, if you want to do, like, mock tails, moss tails, you know what I'm saying?

Or if you want to mix them, like, with drinks, like, with the spirits and stuff like that, it's a really good...

Yeah, man, I just...

This is five years of obsession.

You know, obviously, when, you know, health scares all over the place, people, you know, not a lot of information on what's really going on, what can help, what cannot help.

I was, you know, finishing up a movie in Berlin and, you know, doing my own stunts, not sleeping a lot in a foreign place, you know, food wasn't really my thing as much.

And I was looking for something to kind of just help me get through my shoot days.

And I was just chugged sea moss, like, I mean, by the jar, just to...

Because, I mean, I was just like, it's got to be doing good.

I know it's doing good, you know, just by the jar.

And then, you know, on the flight home, I was like, it's got to be a better way.

Yeah.

So I started making smoothies, started, you know, blending them in.

And my sister was pregnant with my nephew Lennox at the time.

So, you know, at that point, everybody was in their own bubble, you know, and, you know, wasn't able to kind of visit many people.

So we would just blend up smoothies, drop them off at the front door.

You know, that was my little care package that I would do.

I would do sea moss and I would do like a, you know, a homemade little pasta.

And that was my act of service for my family, you know.

So that labor of love, that kind of, it started from a place of just trying to help my family just like, you know, stay healthy during a pandemic.

And it slowly evolved in something that I wanted to get, you know, make it accessible to everyone.

Yeah, for people who don't know the benefits of sea moss, what are some of the things and the properties?

It's that cognitive brain, you know, it's that clarity, you know, your immune system.

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

Yeah.

The aftertaste is great too.

There's no idea.

It's there.

It makes you want to drink more of it.

Yeah, 100%.

Yeah.

And yeah.

It's good, man.

It's good, man.

It's good.

And it's, it's, yeah, I'm proud of it.

Yeah.

I'm proud of it.

Congratulations.

Thanks, man.

Thanks, man.

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

What's up?

No, we'll have to do a, we'll have to do a moss tail now with Julian, Julian Moss.

Yeah, yeah.

No, but I love it because Ashwanda, we got Ashwanda in ours as well and Gensink.

So, I mean, you, you, you got all the adaptogens in it.

So that's great.

Yeah, yeah.

No, it's been, it's been a labor of love for us too.

It's like me and my wife always talked about it as our COVID baby.

It's like, this is what we were working on because we were the same.

We've been addicted to tea our whole lives and we did a hot tea as well.

But we were like, you know, for a lot of people, their hot drink is coffee.

And we're like, well, wait a minute.

What if your soda could be healthy for you and good for you?

And, you know, how could we do it where it has, you know, zero grams of sugar?

Like how do you still get it to taste great with no sugar?

Because me and my wife are both off of refined sugars and trying to be healthy and all the rest of it.

And then you realize that all the sodas you're drinking are full of it.

So how do we make it easy for people to understand these herbs and these adaptogens?

And, you know, because a lot of people, we grew up with it.

We were lucky in our culture, in Indian culture, you grow up with a lot of these herbs and spices in your daily food.

And, but a lot of people don't have access to that.

So it's like, how do you make it easy when people may not have it in their kitchen?

So, yeah, man, I'll send you some to try later as well.

No, please do, man.

I see you got the agave in there and everything.

And I love this, man.

I was loving what you were saying about the building of teams because, and something you said was like, how do you keep everyone on like the same frequency and like attract those people?

And I went through a big thing for that in a certain part of my work around two years ago.

A lot of people that are in my sphere today, some of them have been around since the beginning and some of them came on in the last two years.

And it has been life-changing.

Yes.

Like absolutely life-changing from an energy standpoint, from a spirit standpoint, and from a productivity effectiveness standpoint.

How have you been trained or what do you, how do you sense beyond like someone being able to do the job, obviously, how have you been able to learn how to sense or understand whether someone's on that same brain wave.

And as you said, or brain energy as you are and, and has that same value set that you have.

I think it's a lot of conversations and, and, and sometimes trial and error.

Uh, I think my, my intuition and my gut is, is the first, you know, litmus test is the first kind of line of defense, you know, that I, that I have of like energies vibe, you know what I'm saying?

Like, okay, that, that, that, that you feel on par, how, you know, how you answer a question.

What are the things that you're saying?

You know, um, are you speaking from ego?

Are you speaking about, you know, what, what is the, what is the thing?

You know, you, you, you know, we're used to, we meet so many people.

We have to use quick judgments and who gets our time, you know, um, who do you open up to?

Who do you not?

And I think when it comes to building into a team, uh, especially nowadays, you're coming into something that's, that's well-oiled.

Yeah.

You're coming into a machine already.

So you have to fit, not just with me, but you have to kind of fit with everybody.

You know, you, you, you have to know how to communicate the things you need to know how to communicate to.

You have to, the, the ego is something that can get in a lot of people's way when joining a team and joining something that's already really established.

And I think, I think, um, coming to a place of learning and listening is really important and not taking things personally.

Um, I think, I think, uh, and then it's something to the people that's already been in the team to understand that there's going to be additions and there is a process of, there's an onboarding, there's a welcome, there's a thing that you have to, to bring people into the fold in a way to get the best out of them.

So I think there's been, there's been those learning things along the way.

That's really, that really helped me identify people who, um, that fit and work well within the circle, you know?

Um, and, and, uh, yeah, I think that's been my, my kind of process thus far.

Um, and then, yeah, I always want to create an environment where people want to be.

Yeah.

You know, you're not here for a check.

Yeah.

You're here because you believe in what we're doing and what we want to do.

Um, and I'm pretty transparent about those things, you know?

So, so I think, I think just being extremely transparent and, and, and forward with those things and, and, and know that there's nothing personal if this isn't it, you know?

Like, um, I'm the best, I'm the, I'm the guy that's always going to give you a great recommendation.

You know what I mean?

Like I'm, I want, I want people to win.

Yeah.

You know, at the end of the day, I want people to win and, and seeing somebody in their strengths, you know, and being like, okay, I can use that, that this, this, this would be helpful in this way.

Um, and if that works out, it works out.

And if not, then man, I, man, I want to see you do well.

Yeah.

I love that.

Yeah.

We, I remember years ago, I was listening to Eric Schmidt, who is the CEO of Google for a bit.

Yeah.

And he was talking about how they were looking for smart creatives.

And I love that, that they had two words that kind of summed up what they looked for.

They, they looked for people who were smart creatives.

And for me, it became humble champions.

I was like, I want humble winners.

I want, I want the people who can, who want to win and have that ambition, but are able to put their ego aside because then we're going to speed up getting there because the thing that slows you down from winning is ego.

Like the thing that stops you from passing the ball is ego or, you know, bowing out and saying it's your turn is ego.

And so, but, but you still have to have that champion mindset because it isn't just about, oh yeah, no, no, no.

You do your thing.

Like, and that was a big thing.

And then the other thing that worked for me was I was like, I need to work with people that I could go to breakfast, lunch, or dinner with if we didn't work together.

Yes, man.

Do I actually want to go to breakfast, lunch, and dinner with this person?

Because I probably will be when I'm traveling or on the road.

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

Exactly.

Whereas if I don't want to, and initially I was like that, I used to just hire people who were great at what they did, but we didn't really have chemistry.

Like we didn't, we didn't, we couldn't hang out and that wasn't because they were wrong.

It was also because I wasn't aware.

Gotcha.

And, and then of course, yeah, the mission, the purpose is, I mean, that's core and central.

Because even for you, I mean, you're spending time from your family with, you know, your team becomes your extended family.

They, they, they are your family.

You're eating, like I said, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you know, like there's, there's a part of you that, you know, it has to feel like I'm getting a little bit of my family here.

And if it's not that, you know, it's really hard for me, you know?

And obviously like, you know, you have a bigger company and there's employees and you're not going to be as personal with everybody within the company.

You know, you're not having breakfast, lunch or dinner with everybody, but, but there's a, there's a, there's a feeling of, you know, I don't mind on a Sunday, everybody at my house watching a game, spending time.

Cause that's when not the nine to five time to be creative or the nine to five time to do the job.

That's the, that's the extra mile.

That's the, oh, I had this idea and I was just thinking, oh, oh, we're looking at something together and this would be great.

The best ideas sometimes come from those just hangout moments and those moments where you're just spending time with, with, uh, with people that you work with.

So yeah, I think that, yeah, you're right.

That's, that's really important.

Yeah, for sure.

When I, before the obsession point that came up, which, which was fascinating, I'm glad I asked you that and you went, you went into it.

You're talking about like, you know, you, you live in an industry and you talked about social media where people have an opinion of you.

People, people, even an opinion is that people have a lens because they've seen you in a particular light and I was wondering like, what do you think something that people get right about you?

And what's something that people sometimes get wrong about you?

Like, what, what do you feel like when it comes to that?

Like, I'll tell you mine.

Like, I feel like for me, a lot of people think that I get like often because of what I teach and what I'm sharing and what I'm guiding, it's like, oh, well, Jay must get everything perfect all the time.

And like, you know, he's like super deep and like always just saying profound things.

And, and that's not true, obviously, because as much as that is who I am and that is my heart, I'm not always like that.

Like I have, I have bad days.

I have bad moods.

I have off days.

I have days when I'm not feeling that way.

Right.

And so that's, that's something that people get wrong about me sometimes in the, in that perception because, but I'm dedicated to this work.

I'm obsessed with it.

I'm obsessed with being better, but that doesn't remove me from having flaws and weaknesses.

And, and so, yeah.

You should do a blooper reel.

You should do a blooper outtake reel of those moments.

You ask your team, catch you in these little moments and you should put one out.

That'll be fun.

That'll be fun.

That'll be fun.

I like that.

I like that.

That'd be a good one.

I like that.

I think for me, it's like, I think I've intentionally stayed out the way so much where I'm not giving anybody any, anything to go off of other than what I want you to know.

You know, I think, I think that's been it for a long time.

Um, I've always had the approach of like not speaking on things and not giving them life.

You know, there's, there's, there's going to be perspectives and there's things about you that just aren't true.

Uh, do you, do you care to correct somebody or not?

You know, cause most of the time people's minds are made up no matter what you say.

It is what it's going to be, you know, stay out the comment section.

You know what I mean?

You get some great entertainment in there, but then you can get a lot of stuff that is just people who want to project the thing that's going to get the most attention.

And the issue that I have with a lot of that is they can be completely false.

And we have a, a industry of, we were talking earlier, the lack of journalism, the skill of that, that will run with those things, knowing that there is no basis to them.

But now that's a narrative that's attached to you, that you have to be strong enough and strong minded enough to ignore knowing it's not true or this human nature feeling of wanting to know that's not true.

I want people to know this about me.

And I've always walked on that line of, you know, not caring, trying not to care and knowing that I'm enough and knowing my truth and the people who know me know me.

You know, I am about my community and my people, you know, wholeheartedly.

And a lot of the choices that I make and the things that I want to do and be a part of is in service of that bigger picture, you know, of helping that, you know, my community in a big way.

So I think the biggest thing sometimes if they ever feel like that they're not my top priority is maybe one of the biggest misconceptions.

You know, the love I have for my community, regardless of people's approach, I think everybody has a different strategy and approach to how they affect and make change.

Everybody, it doesn't all look the same.

And because it may not be typical or the average voice, because the package is different and the craft and my field is different.

So I have a different set of boundaries that exist in my lane that I maneuver without, in and out of.

Like I love playing chess.

I love strategy.

I love reverse engineering and building things.

So I think that's one of the biggest things.

And, you know, sometimes ignorance and a laugh or a joke or a like or a thing, we've encouraged the behavior of negativity and things and loudness is the thing.

And that's just not what I'm into.

Yeah.

I'm into the love of things.

I'm into the humanity and bringing people together the best way and, but also I'm human.

Yeah.

No, I appreciate that.

I mean, I also think we've put a false pressure on the definition of authenticity, meaning you share everything with everyone.

And I'm not sure I vibe with that definition because I think authenticity by nature is you sharing what you feel comfortable with each person.

Like that's what it means to be authentic.

And you could argue that authentic just means being however you want to be in any given situation.

And so I think there has become a false pressure of, oh, you got to show you're authentic by showing every part of yourself.

And I don't know if that triggers anything for you.

It's like, what's the definition of authenticity for you?

Or for me, that's what it is.

But what is it for you?

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

Is this noise somehow?

Yeah.

It triggers us for a reason.

You know what I'm saying?

There's some stuff that you just go, oh yeah.

Yeah, whatever.

But it's like, but it's just like, man, like, why does that, why does that bother me so much?

Yeah.

Like there's something, there's something about that, that because I know what that does in the bigger, like I'm always thinking bigger picture.

It's very rarely that I really focus on the thing.

And it's always about what's the cause of that in a bigger conversation, you know, the authenticity to me is being able to sleep at night, being able to go talk to my mom and knowing that the people that know me, every fiber of my being, every, my intention knows my heart through and through that they see the same person.

They're able to connect with the same energy and the same vibe and the same spirit.

My energy has never changed.

You know, I think being authentic to that frequency is super important to me.

No matter where I go, no matter how I evolve and have to mature and grow up, I want my energy to always feel the same.

That's why when you meet certain people and it's been years that go by and you pick right back up where you left off, it feels like no time is lost.

That energy is never, it's always the same.

And I, I love when people I haven't seen in a long time or come at me like, man, whoa, it feels, you know, it's the same.

And that, and that, that just lets me know that I'm not losing myself and I'm not losing track of, you know, who I am and where I come from.

And I, I am always going to be an agent of change, Trojan horse or not, you know what I'm saying?

And, and, and yeah, you know, just continue to lead by example.

You know, I, I know, I know, um, the path that I'm on isn't easy.

You know, sometimes it may look easy, you know, uh, for the successes or whatever, but, but it's, uh, behind closed doors.

I'm doing, I'm doing the, the, the work so the future generations have it a little bit easier or have a little bit more tools to use.

Um, and they can ask for certain things that won't be like, what?

It'd be almost standard for them, you know?

And, you know, from my vantage point, I'm able to see a lot of the roadblocks that exist within systems, you know, and, and paperwork and precedents.

I've been chipping away at those where I can in places.

And there's so many, look, I say I a lot in this interview.

There's so many people out there that are doing that type of work, you know, that exist, men and women in these places that are breaking down door ears, that are chipping away.

It's like Shawshank Redemption, you know, grab rock at a time, gravel at a time, you know, eventually that hole is going to be open.

You know what I'm saying?

Eventually it's going to be open, but just chipping away.

And unfortunately, everybody can't be the loudest one in the room, you know, gotta be.

Sometimes you gotta be the quiet guy in the room, gotta listen and look and pay attention and, and, and move how you need to move.

The chess pieces, they have different rules and different movements for a reason, you know, and they're on the board in different places for a reason.

And, and I know my place on the board.

And I think that's, that's what it comes down to, right?

It's like, I appreciate you bringing out that point around how things that trigger us, give us somewhere to focus on in our, within ourselves.

For sure.

Like, I feel like that too.

Like, I'm like, there's certain things that just don't phase me at all.

And I can look like the most detached guy and like, I'm, I'm, you know, I'm bulletproof.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And there's something that gets through that vest and, and you know, it's because there's a part of it that feels true and, and there's a part of you that you've allowed for it to feel true because it could be that you are, there's, there's a part of your self-esteem you haven't worked on.

There's, there's something you took from your childhood and made true for you.

And now when someone else says it and you didn't even know where it came from, but, you know, I was talking to a friend the other day and we were talking about how one of his mentors was letting him down.

And we discovered in that, I've been friends with this guy for like 20 years with best mates.

And it was like 20 years later, we figured out that he'd made his mentor, his father figure.

Okay.

And he didn't really put two and two together until just now.

And neither did I for him.

And he was like, wait a minute, no wonder I'm feeling so much pain with this mentor of mine because I'd made him a father figure and gone through that feeling of he's Superman and now realizing he's not, even though I'm a 40 year old man for him.

And so it's just so interesting how the stuff that gets under our skin, it can just be hidden there and it gets stale and stuck.

And then you don't look at it because you're like, oh, no, no, it's nothing.

It's nothing.

But at one point when you feel safe enough, you have to kind of like look under the hood and go, you know, why is that there?

But coming on to the point you were just making around paving the way for others and setting an example and the responsibility that comes with.

And like you said, there's so many people doing that.

I feel like how would you define your current purpose?

Like how do you define with everything you're doing?

Because you talked about purpose being a big thing for you and you talk about the mission of your company.

Like what is the purpose of that work?

Which doors are you trying to open?

Which paperwork are you trying to shift?

What systems are you trying to affect?

I think I have my purpose right now.

Yeah, that's what I mean.

Yeah.

You know, I think I have a chapter, 25 years acting, you know, producing, you know, being in front of the camera, being talent, learning so much about the world, about myself, about the industry.

You know, I think being a representative from my community in a way that places that a black actor hasn't gone, you know, obviously you have the greats, you have the Wills and the Denzels, you know what I'm saying, that I look up to in a big way that, you know, that through their talent, the business and the craft has extended to a new height.

So they've opened up doors for me that I didn't even know it was possible.

Now it's like, oh, wow, now we have this and that.

Now I could do that and do that.

So they've kicked the door down in a way that's like, you know, internally grateful.

So like leading by example is a big purpose, you know, for people to be able to see it because it was big for me to see it and think that I can do it too.

So there's that part of it.

There's the business side of things that I've got an opportunity to learn from investing your money.

You know, what do you do with the savings and the things that you do have?

I'm a big sports guy.

You know, I've always wanted to, you know, own a team.

I'm competitive.

I wanted to be involved in that environment, that energy, you know, of sports.

And I found a football team, you know, in Bournemouth.

Soccer, as in football in my world.

Yeah, football in my world.

Soccer, I've literally had to like, you know, bite my, I cannot say soccer anymore.

No, say football.

Hey guys, say football.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And, and great, great partner and, you know, Bill Foley and he owns the Las Vegas Golden Knights and, and really trying to turn that program around and, and just, just amplify it in a big way.

But learning, you know, how to invest in those things, you know, oh, there's going to be a new stadium.

Oh, there's opportunity to invest in real estate.

Oh, wow.

Now you invest in real estate and something that's going to be around for, you know, however many year lease and this and that.

Okay, cool.

I could take that.

And, oh, wow.

Investing in, you know, started a JV for, you know, underneath an umbrella company to have your own product.

And then from there you can create another JV.

Oh, you can invest capital.

Oh, you can have a venture fund.

Oh, oh, snap.

Okay, wow.

This is a whole other game.

This is a whole other nuance of acquisitions and investment and capital that I never even knew exists.

I'm used to, you know, W-9 forms and taxes, you know, like, you know what I'm saying?

And on the talent side, there's a whole other game to be played and taking that information, just the information that that exists and what that would do to, you know, to the next generation.

You know, knowing what's available to him, knowing that there's other ways to maximize my brand, you know, your brand, creating things, ownership of things as streamers and studios.

And there's so many other platforms that, you know, people are content crazy, you know, podcasts, you know, it's become a business as well.

You know, a new venture that people will be able to monetize their own following, their own likeness in a real way.

Like, retirement, what does that look like, really?

You know, do, you know, really, a will, leaving a will behind.

Like, what?

Like, I mean, no, I mean, there's things that you just don't get taught, you know, there's nobody, you know.

So I've stumbled on it, upon it, these things within my success and my intuition and my partnerships and my relationships that, but again, it goes back to like the why me, this one guy, you know, that has gotten access to all these things.

And my man over here or my guy over there, nope, you guys would never know about none of these things because of whatever your life path has taken you has not been in these areas or nobody's had the opportunity to say those things to you.

So I put that on me as a purpose to be able to give that information, you know, in a real way.

That's real.

And identify the, you know, people that are hungry enough and, you know, that want it, you know, that want it.

They got to want it and they got to be able to, then come on, let's go figure it out.

All right, let me, let me, let me figure out how to help set you up with the right people.

So you got the right conversations, you know, and then you also got to be careful who you help to, you know, you can't, you know, you want to help everybody, but you can't help everybody.

But you can't leave a blueprint for everyone, you know, sometimes that's all a person should need sometimes is seeing it and being in the thought.

Then you got to leave it on the person to do their part of the work, to lift that part of the weight, to put on that burden, to go do that for themselves, their family, their people within their circle and stuff.

Yeah, for sure. I like that, man. That's, I mean, it's super powerful because I think, yeah, so many people don't have access, don't understand, don't have the language, don't have the vocabulary.

It's a huge purpose. What do you do when it all just gets too much when you're like, it's a lot, it's a lot, you know, because you're on shoot days, you're busy, you've got this going, like, what do you do when it all gets too much?

I try to go to Japan. I try to get on the first thing smoking to Japan. I'm out of here.

It's one of the few places that I've been that I, I feel like I just exist.

Yeah.

You know what I'm about?

Why Japan?

I've been, growing up, I've been obsessed with anime. I'm a big anime guy, you know, so since I was like, you know, 11, 12 years old, it's been anime, you know, and that's been my cartoons, comic books, anime.

I mean, that's just like my, you know, escapism. I'm in that.

And, you know, growing up watching those shows, you, they, there's so much of their identity in their culture, in the dialogue and messaging and all that stuff.

So I just had this idea, this place in my head that was full of respect and it was hospitable and hard work and tradition and, you know, I mean, thousands of years of, you know, a couple thousand years of tradition, you know what I'm saying?

That, you know, that, that exists.

And, and I was like, man, I wonder what at this place going to live up to the expectation, obviously the food and the culture, all that good stuff.

And yeah, when I went, it was, it was everything that I thought it would be a more, you know?

And obviously I went, went the right type of way.

I, you know, I created anime as well.

You know, I wanted to like, you know, cause they're, they're, they're so loving and, and, and welcoming in a really big way.

And yeah, for me going there, there's not a, you know, a million phones being out, everybody, they're very respectful of your space there.

And people are going to obviously come up and say, what's up?

You know, that's, that's what's going to happen.

But it's, it's in a way where you don't feel like I have to hide as much.

I feel like I could walk down the streets there a little bit more loosely.

And that's something that, you know, I don't really have as much here in LA or, you know, New York, you get a little bit more of it.

You know what I'm saying?

And you can kind of like, you know, cause people on East coast sometimes we be like, eh, whatever, keep pushing.

But it's, it's, it's a, it's a different thing.

But something about Japan that was awesome.

And, you know, and another place that I can't wait to really go is Ghana as well.

Dad's been spending a lot of time there.

Wow.

I haven't like, for whatever reason, every time I'm trying to go something that I cannot change pops up.

But, but, but that's a place that people tell me stories of the similar feeling of going there and the love and affinity of being in that place and really want to go there as well.

So, so that, that, that, so if I can't get to Japan, I'm usually at the house, I'm either cooking or playing like Call of Duty.

I'm playing, I'm playing Call of Duty online, you know what I'm saying?

With my boys back, back, you know, from, from all over.

And, and, and, and, you know, it's a place where you can just, you know, it's fair game, you know, even playing field, you know what I'm saying?

You know, some mindless, you know, kind of, you know, you know, camaraderie with your boys and stuff, you know, it's, I love cooking.

Food is a love language for me, you know?

So, so being able to, you know, find a recipe or try something new and combine flavors is probably, you never thought would go together and just creating those, those moments is another form of art too.

And, and, and I like people, enjoying people eating my food, you know, like, like serving people and be like, you know, I normally don't like lamb, but have you had it like this?

And then, and it's having people just, you know, react to that is, is a, is a, is something that I enjoy doing too.

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

Yeah, I got to get on FIFA. That's the best one.

That's what I do. Yeah. Okay.

That's my, that's my guilty pleasure.

You'll get some easy wins at first. So we'll, we'll start off.

I'll be Bournemouth.

You'll be Bournemouth. Okay. All right, cool. Got it.

Yeah, you pick, you pick. Yeah, we good.

Dude, you've been amazing today. I've got a few more questions I want to ask you before I let you go.

This question is like, what has been a lesson you wish you learned earlier in life?

Like, is there a lesson that you learned recently that you're like, I wish I learned this one earlier?

I think being unapologetically honest with what you want.

And that, and that goes across the board. I was trying to think of something that kind of crossed the board.

If you can communicate your truth and, and, and not worry so much about how somebody is going to react to what you say.

Cause a lot of times the fear of how somebody is going to react to what you're, you really want to say is what stops you from saying it sometimes.

And you find another way or you put it off or you don't say it.

And then maybe the situation doesn't change and you get frustrated and upset with why this thing doesn't change.

Because you kind of may, you might not have said it the way you wanted to say, you know, and I think there's a, you know, a way to be unapologetically and still be respectful and speak your truth.

If I think I would have done that earlier, I would have been further along in,

relationships that I have with people I care about and, and, and not intimately.

I mean, I mean, I mean, across the board, work relationships, business, family, female friends, you know, whatever it may have been.

I think being honest with, with, with where you stand and how you feel, it's really giving another person an option and opportunity to be as honest with you.

And whatever your fear of that is, of that outcome is never really as big as what you make it up to be, you know, it's really not that.

So I would say, I would say maybe just being, being, being honest and, and living with the results, you know, and tomorrow is not promised to anyone, but time will move on.

You know, you will move past it, you know, um, and if tomorrow never come, at least you can know that you said what you needed to say.

Yeah.

You know, I, I, so I think that's one thing that I feel like, like earlier on, if I could, if I, if I had that, it might've been better.

Yeah. That's a thoughtful answer. I was thinking when you were saying that, it's like we, we're so scared of our honesty hurting someone.

Not reason, realizing that us holding back our honesty is, and them even more and longer term.

It is.

It's a hard, it's a hard one because when you have to be honest, it makes you look worse.

It makes you feel bad. It makes that person feel bad. It gets, it gets messy on so many levels.

But what if that person needed to hear it?

Yeah.

You know, what if that person never heard that, that note or that, that thought or perspective, and then they go on in life, you know, continuing to, you know, move and act and speak in a way without that, you're doing almost a disservice.

You know, it goes back to like knowing if you know better, you got to do better. Right.

Like, so, so I think that kind of maybe speaks to like a bigger thing with me of like wanting to just be better and wanting people around me to be better and grow, you know, because I guess going back to, you know, just the other misconceptions, like, you know, thing of people look at me and think I got everything.

I got it all, you know, it's not true, man. Like I'm flawed, you know, and I'm, and I'm actively trying to get better daily, you know, and I fail all the time.

And I come up short all the time on even how to communicate, no matter how much coaching I go through and, you know, and practice and, and, and, and, and running conversations through my head, you know, in the shower and like, all right, I'm gonna say this, I'm gonna say that.

I'm gonna hit that point. Okay. You know what I'm saying? And, you know, I'm just in the, I'm, I'm trying to do my best, you know, and I think the weight to try to live up to everybody's perfect expectation of me has been really, really heavy.

heavy for a long time, you know, and I think the last couple of years I've been trying to maneuver out of that.

Mike, we end every episode of On Purpose with a final five.

Okay.

These five questions have to be answered in one word to one sentence maximum.

Okay.

So it can be one sentence. I will ask you to explore it further if there's something that hits me.

All right. So Mike, these are your final five. The first question is, the first question, your ones have two parts. I've never done this before, but with you, I'm about to do it because I think there's some things I really want to know.

So the first question is, what is the best advice you've ever heard and the worst advice you've ever heard?

Best advice is, uh, if you're unsure about something, take a moment.

You know, if you're unsure, uh, don't, don't, don't answer right away. Take a moment. Think about it. It's okay. You know, don't answer just because you feel like you got to be out and be quick and be fast about it.

You know, uh, cause you'll end up stumbling over your words and, and, and, and, or not stumbling over your words, saying something that you don't really, really mean.

So I would say that's probably some of the best advice I got.

Worst advice, uh, buy it now. You'll get it back.

Just do whatever. Just spend it now. You'll, you'll get, you'll make it back. You know what I'm saying?

I think, I think, I think that's probably, I think that's probably some of the worst advice I've gotten.

That's bad, man.

Yeah. Yeah. It's good.

I think at the time it was close.

Yeah.

At the time it was close. It was close. It was, it was, it was, uh, and I wasn't even really a big closed guy at the time.

I was like, eh, whatever. But it was like, yeah, you're right. You're mine. I'll make it back. Don't worry about it.

Yeah, it's cool. Yeah, of course I will. You know, like, yeah. And then, and then, you know, we're on a 7-Eleven diet for the next, you know, two months.

I love it. Good answers. Good answers.

All right. I'm going to give you a choice.

Yeah.

Pick one of these. You got to choose.

You got to choose.

On that spot.

Yeah, whichever one.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right.

Oh, man.

I want to know what the other one is.

I'll let you talk about this one first.

This is, uh...

How old?

Dog. It's my dad's dog tags from the Marines.

That linen jacket says, all my children, I'm saying maybe 16, 17, maybe, like, Disney, like, Super Soap Weekend or something like that.

I think it was, like, one of those things where, like, the soap operas had this weekend at, uh, I think it was in California.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Disney. And, um, I want to say this is from that. Is that...

No, no, no, no, no.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I want to say that, man.

What advice would you, what advice would you give to him?

Uh, savor those moments of being a teenager.

I think, you know, looking back at the teenage years, you know, we have a worry, you know, we, we, we, we, what problems we have, you know?

It was high school, you know, complaining about homework, you know what I'm saying?

Like, it, you know, I was, I was working at that time, you know what I'm saying?

So, but, but I would just say, like, enjoy those years, man, you know, of just, of just, uh, of the purity of it.

You know, I look back and I was like, man, this is like, this is a, this is a pretty pure, this is a kid.

Yeah.

What would he say back to you now, looking at you now?

Maybe I knew you could do it.

You know, I, I think I would tell myself that you could do it too.

Yeah.

I, I think, I think, you know, nobody thought I, I mean, I didn't at that time, you know, I think, you know, what, what, what, what, what could have been, what, what is he had a, uh, you know, I thought, I had an idea of what could be, you know, I had a, I always had the optimism of what could be, you know, it was just like, it's followed that more maybe.

I love that, man.

This is the other one.

Oh, this is dope.

We got plenty.

We just picked these two.

These are the two that the team loves.

I don't know if this is my birthday or my sister's birthday, but this is my grandmother's kitchen.

And, uh, my sister was right there.

And I think she was either helping me cut a cake or something, but yeah, that's my, that's my, my, my, I was, that was my, my, my guardian.

That was my, my, my bodyguard.

That was my sister.

It's a good one.

I love it.

Yeah.

I love it, man.

Um, all right.

Question number, I don't know which question we want now because I've totally ignored my own format, but it's all right.

That's the best.

That's the best.

That's when it's the best.

Uh, what's, what's the best part of being Michael B. Jordan and the worst part of being Michael B. Jordan?

Being Uncle Mike.

Mm.

Man, it's a feeling of like with my nephew and my niece that I've never had, I've never loved something so much.

It's like, wow, like, whoa.

Like, I think, I think being Uncle Mike right now is, is, is the best part of that right now.

Um, worst part, I love multitasking.

I love, I love, I love, uh, the juggling, the, the, the balancing act of the things that I do.

I love that.

And the worst part is the, the loneliness that comes with that.

You know, I think there's a, there's a, there's a, you know, a loneliness that I have, you know, the, the responsibility that you have and is, is, is isolating and the weight is isolating.

So I think, I think the worst part of that is, is, is the, the feeling like nobody really understands and sometimes falling into the spaces of like, just, you know, being alone, feeling alone.

Thanks for sharing everything today.

I mean, okay.

Question number four, we're nearly there, four and five.

Question number four, uh, you talked about knowing your team's love language.

This question is my team's love language.

Okay.

Okay.

How does being the sexiest man alive find love from the girls on my team dedicated to, uh, dedicated to you?

So.

I revert back to the last question.

It's very, it's very lonely.

No, it's, uh, I go back and forth between wanting.

Partnership and then not knowing what's the best partner for me, like bringing them into my world, but what I got going on isn't easy and it's, it's not just, I love you.

You love me.

That should be enough.

Right.

It's not, it's not quite that simple.

You know, I think, I think finding the right person to understand a, all of me, but then all that comes with me as well and understanding, you know, that balance between wanting to be available and there for that person while I'm juggling everything else and feeling okay to put the other part of my businesses down and, you know, the sacrifice and compromise that comes with a partnership and a relationship and what is, and, and, and understanding how, how to make

that all work is sometimes gives me anxiety and pause, you know, and, and, and, and then also there's a part of me that has not really lived life yet.

I haven't really traveled as much for fun or just like Japan has been a few times that I've went where I didn't have a schedule, where I didn't have to be somewhere for press.

I didn't have to be these, I had to put the other hats on, you know, uh, there's so many different places and people I've never had an opportunity to happily meet that I might connect and vibe with that might be a person that my soul connects to, you know? Um, and, and I think, you know, those things I'm looking forward to that part of my life. You know, I think the last couple of years I'm starting to get to a place where it's like, you know what? I got to start living. Yeah. You know, I've been, I've been, I've, I've sacrificed and

I've been in locked, zoned in for so long. It, you know, I owe it to myself a little bit to do that, you know? Um, and I think that's a, a byproduct of being a little bit of a, you know, I'm a delayed satisfaction, delayed gratification person. Like I can, I've always wanted to lock in for the first half, do what I got to do, get to, I need to get to, make sure everything's straight and set up and then be a little bit more to have the freedom to move how I want to move and, or whatever. So that's the long-winded answer of, uh, of, of, uh, I'm not, I'm not looking,

but it would take a very special person to understand and grow with me, you know, just, you know, you want to create memories, you know, I want, I want, I want a family, you know what I'm saying? Eventually. So we'll see what's up. We'll see what happens. You are lucky because I asked you

that question. The other question was, what's his type? I like that. I like that. I like, I like

that question. I like that. You like that better? No, no, no. That's the wrong question. I was reading

you. I was like, yeah. No, I mean, I'm joking. I don't know. I wasn't asking you for real.

Yeah. I wasn't. You can move on for now. Yeah. I was messing with you. Uh, fifth and final

question. Uh, if you could, we asked this to every guest who's ever been on the show. If you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be? A law that

you couldn't intentionally kill or cause bodily harm to anyone? I think that covers a lot of stuff. I mean you still have you gotta leave room people for humans to be humans and everybody's not gonna be good you know everybody's not gonna have all that in there but if we can eliminate the senseless killing and you know the bodily harms you know of other people's bodies in a real way I think there's but then there's like the systemic thing I'm trying to get out of because like

you know I'm trying to eat I'm trying to level the playing field yeah you know um so just the economic opportunities that disparity those those systematic oppression the systematic oppression that does exist is the thing that I most I most want to change so I'm trying to think

of it's a good question man you keep thinking about it you can tell me later yeah yeah yeah

because I I like your one because it also applies to like you couldn't develop products like your your question I mean your answer applies to food drugs medicine which is kind of what keeps a lot of people stuck in the system uh-huh because if they can own like bodily harm to me isn't just physical violence it's also the kind of things we ingest and consume and that is what keeps a lot of people stuck because they're eating unhealthy food because that's all they have access to and that's all they can afford and that that plays with the economy I mean that's what I was hearing too

yeah on a sub level okay yeah all right I'm with that I love it uh Michael B. Jordan Mike it has been such a joy and honor we got to do a part two I've got yeah yes I could talk to you for hours I've got so many questions man like that we could get into but I want to thank you for your honesty your openness uh the fun we've had yes bringing moss along everyone if you're not drinking already make sure you drink a moss while you listen to On Purpose and thank you so much for coming by I want our audience please tag me and Mike with your favorite moments I know you guys cut the best

clips on TikTok and Instagram do that for this episode there was so many moments where he was just downloading and uh I think it's gonna have a big impact so Mike thank you again very grateful

man thank you so much for having me bro it's been it's been an honor it's the it was worth the wait

man so appreciate you having me and anytime appreciate you anytime if you love this episode you'll love my interview with Kobe Bryant on how to be strategic and obsessive to find your purpose

our children have become less imaginative about how to problem solve and parents and coaches have become more directive and trying to tell them how to behave versus teaching them how to behave like yeah absolutely you you