How to Lead in Relation to the Others in the Room with David Wood

Hey hey, Kathryn here! I’m so glad you’re tuning in. If you’re new to the show, welcome. I’m so glad you’re here. If you’ve been around for a bit, you know I’m all about keeping it real with you. Showing you all the sides of entrepreneurship (& life). I mean it’s all connected, right? 

David Wood is an internationally known name in the field of Life Coaching. David specializes as a personal and business coach. Mr. Wood is also the founder of the International Coach Academy and the author of The Mouse in the Room. Because the Elephant isn’t Alone.

So without further ado let’s welcome David to the show!

Kathryn Thompson  00:00

Hey, hey, Kathryn here, I'm so glad you're tuning in. If you're new to the show, welcome, welcome. I'm super stoked that you're here. If you've been around for a bit, you know, I'm all about keeping it real with you, showing you all sides of entrepreneurship and life. I mean, it's all connected, right. And if you've been around for a bit, you equally know that I'm on a mission to help as many entrepreneurs as a possible step into the fullest expression of who they are, by going against the grain and challenging status quo. And ditching the cookie-cutter one size fits all approach to marketing, sales, business, and life for that matter. And I'm bringing back an amazing guests, a returning guest by the name of David Wood, who recently published a book called The most in the room, because the elephant isn't alone. And I'm bringing him back on the show, because the principles that he shares in this book in his book are absolutely revolutionary, they're game-changing, and they're going to change the way in which you lead in your business. But also in your life. Like I said, Life and businesses connected, right. And the principles that he shares, literally changed the game and leadership, but they also really help you take radical responsibility for your life, and to really start living, speaking and really owning your truth, and, and how to really lead in relation to other people, right how to do it in a way that is emotionally intelligent, and gets the best out of those that are around you. And as you know, business is relational life is relational. You're always in relation to other people, whether that's your spouse, your kids, your family, your mom, your dad, whether that's your team, whether that's your clients, and the principles that David shares, like I said, are game changing when it comes to how to do that in the most transparent, ethical integral and just emotionally intelligent and for a lot of us? We were never trained on how to do this, right? We were never trained on how to lead in relation with others in the room. We were never trained on how to speak our truth in a way that isn't disrespectful to others in the room, right how to show up and ask for the things that we want and we need in life and business. And I'm just super stoked to have them on the show again, so without further ado, please welcome David to the show.

Kathryn Thompson  00:02

Hey, hey, I am super stoked to have David back on the show. We had him last year, late last year on the show. And I'm just really excited to have him on to share about his newly published book or his book that's coming out. So without further ado, I'm just going to turn it back over to you, David, so that you can give our listeners a little intro of who you are what you do. And, yeah,

00:23

thank you. All right, yeah, I'm gonna give a shot at the short version. So I grew up in a country town in Australia and did not get trained on how to share what was actually happening inside me. With other people didn't didn't learn that. Firstly, I'm a guy. Secondly, I'm Australian. My parents are wonderful people. They weren't trained. So no one ever said, Hey, David, what are you feeling right now? That's what's going on in your body? Hey, you seem angry? Tell. Tell me more about that. No, we didn't have that. So I grew up, like a lot of people just not really, with or not, not, didn't have high emotional intelligence. Now, the upside is I had all the left brain stuff. So I came top of my school, I got paid to go to college. How privileged is that? I got a job transfer to New York, I'm on Park Avenue at the age of 24, consulting to Sony Music and Ford and Exxon, you think this guy's got a made? Well, I'm really good with business and numbers, and money and systems. What I didn't know about is that while I was successful, there is a whole other world of what can happen when you be you with the world. And so I'm, I'm writing this book, because there's one super powerful principle out of all of the authentic relating, and relational and leadership principles that you could take on. There's one thing and we explain that one thing in the book, and the book is called mouse in the room, because the elephant is not alone. Yeah,

Kathryn Thompson  02:14

where did you come up with the title? Because I think the title is so brilliant.

02:17

Thank you. Thank you, it happened. Because I was in a course I was helping to teach a course in authentic relating, which is like, how to be you. And it was actually all about relational leadership, how to lead, but lead in relation to the people that you're with. And someone said, in the course, one of the participants was like, you've got to name the thing. And we're like, What do you mean, you've just got to name the thing, the thing that's there, you know, maybe you're feeling disappointed by something the person said, that's a thing. Maybe you're upset with something with, with the direction that the meetings taking. That's a thing. You have to name the thing. Hey, I noticed, you know, I'm feeling a contraction to where we're going here. And I think it's because you know, whatever. And so I was like, name that thing. It'd be a good book. Yeah, that didn't change the world. If you name the thing that's happening. And then I thought, what do we have in society that's closest to that? It's the elephant. We all know about the elephant in the room. You see it? I see it. No one's saying anything. Well, we could have written a book called address the elephant in the room, like, screw up your courage, stop tiptoeing around it, and name the elephant. But I want to go way past that, because so many creatures in the room are much more subtle. Maybe I see it and you don't see it. Maybe it's a niggling little thing that I have. So I call them mice. And we were gonna call the book name that mouse, because we want to start a mouse naming revolution. Yeah. Discover your mouse, your mice, what's going on in you? Oh, I feel inspired Hearing you say that. That's a mouse. Oh, you know what? I noticed that. We started acting class late, the last three classes in a row and I'd been here early. I, I'd like us to start on time. Do you think we could do that even if people are late? That's a mouse. And we've identified eight different kinds of mice in the book. One example that I just gave that we might call that it could be a toleration mouse, that that I'm putting up with and resenting that I'm getting here early, and yet we start late. Yeah, it's a toleration mouse. If we look deeper, there might be a desire mouse there. I'd like us to start on time, even if there are two people let's start and people will say Get on board. Yeah, I get pretty excited talking about this topic.

Kathryn Thompson  05:05

Yeah. So so back to your story a bit you talked about growing up in Australia and you talk about, you know, being, I call it more like heady right like in your head and not really knowing or how to talk about what's going on in your body. And you relate that to leadership. And that can be leaders in business, leadership in your relationships, leadership with your children, if you want, but why this movement to this relational leadership, so to speak, like, what is it about relational leadership that you feel is really needed right now in the world?

05:41

I think what we need in the world, and each each individual needs more connection. Yeah, I think was stuffed for it. And there aren't, there are some people in the world who get lots of touch, and they've got lots of cuddle buddies, and maybe they've got pets. And, and, and maybe, when they've got some shame about something, they share it, when they've got their desires, they express all of it to all of the time. If they're upset with something, and they feel disappointed and hurt, they know how to share that. And it's well-received. There are some people in the world who live at that level for the rest of us. Here's the book. Yeah. So I think we want to be seen, we want to be accepted the parts or even the parts of us that we don't want to bring to the world. There's transformation in bringing that out and artfully naming those mice. No, we don't have a shame my mouse in the book. But those things can come out. Now. In a way it applies to leadership. If you want people to follow you, and they don't know who you are, they don't know what's actually going on with you. Then there's dissonance. There's a lack of trust. They're not going to want to follow you. But I'll give you an example. I sometimes go into Colorado prisons and we teach this concept of the mouse in the room and being more of you being relational.

Kathryn Thompson  07:22

Yeah. And

07:24

the director of all Colorado prisons, drove an hour on his Sunday to come and sit in with us. I was doing this with the realness project, and amazing nonprofit. Yeah, he came in and sat in with us. And he walked in while I was while I was leading. And so I had a couple of mice come up, having having him walk into the room, and I named it. I said, I'd really like to say something profound right now. So I can look really good in front of this guy. That's an example of transparency. Now when I say everyone laughed, yeah, right. So it, you know, broke any tension in the room, but also generates more trust people. I actually spoke the truth. Yeah. And so So that's one example. And then he had a chance to speak. And the guy was just so vulnerable and revealed. He said, he named his Mayas. He said, I've got this huge ship that I'm trying to turn around. I'm trying to change how we do things here. And a lot of the old guard don't want that to happen. Yeah. And I need your help. Is a desire mouse. I spoke the truth, I need your help. It starts with you. You guys have to be relational leaders. You guys have to speak up in an artful way with the gods. I need your help. And he got those people on board. He sold me I was enrolled in him. And then he gave a personal example of how he hugged one of his staff members. And he was like, like, is that I was like, Is this okay? Yeah, hug them. They're going to misconstrue it and I'm not going to get in trouble. He named all of these mice. And it was so personal unrevealed. I'm like, I trust this guy. I want to help this guy. I reached out to him and said, I want to coach you. Yeah, that was relational leadership. Now, I'm not saying and we don't say in the book, you have to share everything. Hmm. But don't take that as permission to just go back to the way you've been doing things. You might be at about 20% of what's possible in being revealed and naming your mice and I don't want you to go to 100% but I do want you to get up to say 80 Yeah, yeah. And, and also, you know, here's an example. You're not going to go to the boardroom and say I 'm freaking out, we're heading off a cliff and I got no plan. We're going under hell, you're not gonna do that. You'll do that to your coach. Yeah, do that to your closest friends, maybe your mentor, and then you or your therapist, and then you might go to the board and say, some of you may be scared. I don't blame you. Sometimes I am, too. This is a real challenge. But we've got some good plans already. And we're going to find our way together through this. And we're going to work it out.

Kathryn Thompson  10:37

Yeah. So why is it that you don't want to go from 20 to 100? I love that you share that perspective, because I think sometimes when we're wanting to speak our truth, or we feel like okay, I'm going to speak my truth. Now, like you said, it's like it's not divulging everything, right, there's certain social situations that you might share that with your therapist, and that was your coach, and that was your closest partner or, and that with the boardroom? But like, why is that? That we we want to, I don't even want to say the word filter, but like, why don't we want to go from 20? To 100? Yeah,

11:13

you know, I used to when I got into mouse naming, I used to think everything's got to be shared. Yeah, everything. And one, someone pointed out to me once the the you have a right to privacy? Yeah. So that's one thing. There might be some things we call the mirror mice in the book that's just for you. Yeah, just you acknowledge it, you work out, Oh, I feel really hurt by that. Okay, that's a mirror mouse, I name it journaling, good for that. Or a therapist or a coach. But also, they might be there might not be enough upside. In sharing it. Let's say you go into someone's house. And it's super messy. And you're like, God, I could never live here. Do they need to know that? Is maybe no upside. Conversely, I have a friend recently was sharing about how upset she was by her ex boyfriend and something he did. And I thought, I don't want to hear this. I've heard it so many times. And she just keeps going back in. I just, I just don't want to hear it. Yeah. And I decided to share that because I thought it might be a loving contribution. Yeah. And I you know, and you can check it. There are ways to do it. So one, one thing we share in the book is you check, you get consent, Hey, would you like to know the impact of that message? You know, and it may not be easy to hear. And if she says yes, then I'm like, I just noticed, I don't want to hear it. You keep doing it, keep doing you. You're doing it for reason. But I've heard it so many times. I'm like, I don't want to hear it. And I'm open for to push back. If you're like, hey, there's something I really do want you to hear, you know, do it. But sometimes, you know, in the book, we say, work out what good thing could happen. So why why might you share it? This is so important, because the mind will want to hide these mice from you. And you'll go, oh, it's gonna be awkward, the mind will go, No way that's gonna go well, the mind will go. You could be shamed, or they might get angry, or you know, all these bad things. So you have to, we've got a little worksheet for you. You have to write down what could happen, oh, I could feel closer to this person. I could let go of this tension and feel lighter. We could work together better as a team. I could be modeling for my kid. How to name mice. Like you just you really get up close and personal with what could happen. And then what could go wrong? Yeah, what am I scared of? Okay, they might get angry with me. I could lose my job. I might get passed over for promotion, my partner might leave me Oh, my partner might give me the cold shoulder for a couple of days. Let's work out these are what this is why you haven't named those mice. These are this is why you're hiding yourself from the world. It's a basically a book on how to have radical personal transformation. But we don't say that and I haven't said it before even on all the interviews. growth will occur. So you go through the process and you weigh it up. Alright, here's the upside. Here's the downside. Am I willing to accept the consequences? If you're not? Let's suppose you. I'm gonna take an extreme example. Let's suppose you had an affair. Yeah. And you might be like, if I share this, my partner might leave me. If I share this I can actually be in integrity. and clean it up and make it right. And actually have some peace. And I can give my partner the choice as to whether or not this is a relationship they want to be in, right? I'm getting, I'm inspiring myself. And you work that out and you say, and maybe work with a coach on this. You don't have to do this alone. Yeah, coaching. And then you go and you decide, okay, I'm going to share it, I'm going to risk it. This is how I got into coaching Katherine, this exact example. I was doing a course and someone revealed to me that she'd had an affair and she'd never come clean. And I coached her on what would be possible. Yeah, of coming clean. After 10 years of manipulating her husband and hiding this. She went and revealed it, and came back and said, we felt we were walking on air all weekend in love. Ah,

Kathryn Thompson  15:53

interesting. That interest is interesting.

15:56

But you got to take the risk.

Kathryn Thompson  15:59

Yeah. Yeah. And I think that, you know, a lot of people, I think there's, there's the the type of people that you know, can blurt the thing out, or don't take the time, even to process like, how you're how you're describing that as like, you know, wait, weigh the pros and cons or just ask yourself some very point potent questions like, you know, what's going to happen? What am I afraid of whatever. But I think it's, it's, we've got to take that time to actually do that. And if there's something within you, it doesn't mean that you have to blurt it out right now, or get it done right now that you can actually sit with it, and go through the process of what do you want to do with this? How do you want to communicate this? How do you want to share it? I think you've touched on something. Two really, really important things is that consent, right is that, you know, you can have those friends or those colleagues or somebody in your business that's saying the same story over and over and over and over again. And the first time you hear it, it's like, okay, I'm hearing it. But we off, we don't often take time to ask people, are you even open to receiving what I'm about to say, right? You know, are you we don't take that time to get the consent of the other person engaging because which then impacts the way that the message is received. Because if, say, Joe walks into a boardroom, and he's stressed because he's late, and he spilled his coffee all over himself, and he gets in there and someone starts nattering in his ear, he's not even there to even prepare to, like, hear the message that's coming in, it could be the best message in the world. That's being said or stated, but he's not prepared to receive it. Or like your friend, you know, who's telling you the same story kind of over and over and you're like, hey, you know, the like, I'm not, I'm not available for this anymore. Like I was available maybe the first time or the second time, but I'm not available anymore. And it's it's that consent piece that I think, really does play into that emotional intelligence, being able to like read the room, get the consent.

18:03

Yeah, I think you're speaking to another reason why people hide why we had things and why we're not the real. Me or the real us. We is we haven't been given a roadmap. We haven't been given a roadmap to truth. Yeah. And so this book is that roadmap, we have a process in the book we call the 3d. Yeah, 3d process. Discover, decide disarm. Firstly, you discover what's going on. All you may know is you don't like what's happening. Or you might know you want something but you're not clear. Right? So how are you going to name your mice? You can't do it yet. does. So we'll help you discover this is what's going on for me. And that's gold. That's your mirror mouse right there. Even if you never share it? Oh, I feel offended. Because they said this. And that taps into a belief I have about myself, okay. I feel frustrated because I think we can do so much better. And, and this person just slowing us down. Whatever it is. Discover. That's the first section. What could go well, right? What could go wrong? Now we're getting into decide, should I actually name this mouse? Too often, we're tempted to just not do it. Don't play small. Yeah, Don't chicken out. That's going to take you back to staying in prison and staying and just sharing, say 20% of the real you don't do that. So this will help you decide but you're also not going to share everything. If it's going to result in prison. You might decide not to do it if it's going to result and your partner leaving you. You get to choose Am I willing to risk this and then if you do decide to go ahead and name it. Disarm is the third piece of it and we'll show you how to disarm the person and this Arm yourself and lower the defenses so that you've got a much greater chance of true connection. Yeah, intimacy. And my god, the keys to the kingdom lie on the other side of that. When you look, I've had some conversations that have not gone well. And I've gone, I wish I hadn't done that. But so many times, I've taken the risk with good coaching and with having this process, the 3d process, and it will blow your mind. What can happen, I called a bully from school, who, like 20 years after high school, I called him and said, I have been resenting you, and hating you for 20 years, and I am letting it go. And you don't have to do anything. I just wanted to let you know. Yeah. And that guy said to me, you know, if you do it, well, the guy said to me, Wow, well, what could I say? Or do now to help us move forward? Wow. I'm like, Who? Are you? Yeah, I now consider that that man a friend. Wow. What goes on in the psyche? When when that? You know, when that's transformed from this asshole who I hate to a man who wants my life to be good? And is just trying to help? That you can't? How do you put a price on that kind of transformation? You don't know, the keys of the kingdom are possible. I could call it that. But yeah, no one's gonna buy a book called the keys to the kingdom.

Kathryn Thompson  21:39

I absolutely love the title of it. So what what sparked you to write this book?

21:44

Well, the fact that it's so powerful, yeah, that one concept, even name that thing I said to the person who said it, you should write a book called name, that thing. Name that thing. People can understand that. They can transmit that you've got to name what's happening. And and then when I got this concept of the elephant in the room and the mouse, you've got to name the mouse. I was like, Okay, I want the world to have this concept. This one thing can change your life. You change your relationship, I'm going to promise it right now, you do this, it will change your relationship with your kids, with your partner with the people you go on dates with. They'll be like, who are you? Who is this person? I haven't had a conversation like this. It'll change your relationship with your staff, with your boss, with your co workers. I will tell you, I don't think Jack Canfield from chicken soup would have would have invited me to stay overnight at his house. And I'm giving again, this example. This was a huge thing in my life. This is like one of the pinnacle experiences in my life to have a man who I idolize and adore. Invite me to stay. I don't think that would have happened if I hadn't practiced radical mouse naming. Yeah, I told him things that are just like, look, I'm gonna go out on a limb here, Jack and share this. And this is what's coming up for me. And hey, you know, I wonder if you'd be willing to write the foreword to my book. I know, it's a bold request. And to be honest, I've already asked Richard Branson, and if he says, Yes, I'm gonna go with him. Would you be my backup? Like, what a radical thing to say. And the man said, while you're going alphabetically, and I understand that, you know, made a joke, and then did agree to write the foreword. I honestly believe I wouldn't have been elected to the transformational leadership council. Alongside Jack Canfield and John Gray and Marianne Williamson and Don Miguel Ruiz, I wouldn't have had a chance. Yeah, if I wasn't practicing radical mouse naming. Yeah, I thank you for the chance to talk about it. Because it's, it's not for the faint of heart, it's going to take courage, you're going to have to be willing to risk you're gonna be well yet need to risk discomfort. But that's where all the good stuff lies. If you just stay comfortable, if that's what you're committed to. Just staying comfortable. Don't get this book. Yeah. Don't go to mouse in the room and get this book. It's not for you. But if you want to roadmap to truth, you want to be the badass leader that people want to follow. You want radical transformation. This is a roadmap to that.

Kathryn Thompson  24:43

Yeah. And so brilliant. And I feel like it's so needed right now, specifically in this day and age. Because I feel like and I don't want to say that people put on facades but it's just almost like this armor that we're all walking around with. Right we have this armor on ourselves. Like, I don't really want to say the thing that like how freaking amazing like who would say that to the author of the chicken soup series say like, Hey, you're my backup. I've really wanted Richard. I want yeah, I want him but I don't I know like, but if he doesn't say yes, that I that I would love to have you like, we don't we don't speak that radical truth.

25:25

Look, if you read and practice this book, it's like you can be in a movie. Yeah. You know, and when I say by that is we watch movies where people are rat practicing radical mouse naming. Yeah, we watch it when people reveal. And then they get the keys to the kingdom. That is possible for us. i i After 20 years of guilt, because when I was when I was a kid, I did something that was illegal. Yeah. And that could have hurt somebody. And I carried that guilt for 2030 years, I went to therapy, I talked to coaches, I got 15 different responses. Hey, look, you're just a kid, let it go. No big deal. I finally was willing, decided I was willing to track down the person and confess and apologize and see how he could make it right. And I was clear that I was risking prison to do that. Yeah. I was risking prison, and having the change in status in society of being a criminal and losing so much in my mind. Yeah. And I decided that I was willing to risk that to apologize, because that's what felt right. Now, I'm not saying everybody should do that. And it took me 20 years to get there. But when I did it, I tracked down this person, and they said, Well, you know, it's fine. Yeah, don't worry about it. And, and my life is great. And I was like, Oh, my God, I can't tell you what that was worth. So if you if you practice by the book and practice this, and have this be your new religion, yeah. Then, yeah, you're going to lose some stuff. You're going to lose some friends. You're going to lose some opportunities. But I suggest those are the opportunities you're supposed to lose. Yeah. And then you're creating space for what's truly meant to come to you.

Kathryn Thompson  27:47

Yeah, yeah. It's, you know, it's, it's interesting. It's like the it's almost like a, like you said, the roadmap to that radical transformation, but also, like, almost like weights like dead weight being like, released and to let go, but also being, you know, inviting people that are prepared for this journey, right? Because it's, it's not going to be for everybody. There aren't going to be people that are there ready for this or even want to do this at this point. Right. So right,

28:13

right. And I've deliberately written co written with my co author, Shana list, I've deliberately written this to be accessible to mainstream. So you don't have to have done a whole bunch of personal growth, or whatever. It's, it's absolutely accessible. If you are interested in personal growth and transformation, this would be a really good way to do it. And if you decide to go for the ninja stuff, and the advanced stuff, get a coach. Yeah, coach to guide you through it. Because sometimes it's like, I couldn't say that. I couldn't do that. I'm too scared to do that. Could I really do that with my team? How do I name this with my boss at that's often what comes up with my clients. I'm like, well, let's roleplay it. Let's do it. Okay, you got it now. Yes, totally got it now. And then I think I got, I got one client just got off at a quarter of a million dollar signing bonus to move to another company. And he's like, how do I? How do I bring this up with my current boss? And what do I do? And we worked out? Well, you could use this to leverage a better position in the in the company. So what do you want to ask for? What's your dream? Don't auto show it? You know, what do you desire mice? Yeah, what's the ideal? And then we looked at how do you bring this up and even even texted me the text that he wanted to send to his boss and said, How does this sound and together we worked out? Something that was really nice. It was something like, Hey, can we have a chat? I want to talk about how I can best contribute to the company going forward. Yeah, Ah, and you know how that could look and write? Ninja that way he came up with that. Yeah, it was really nice but yeah, you know, get get some support for the tricky stuff but the book will give you the 3d process. You can be mouse naming. Someone I wrote to someone said, Can you give us an endorsement any erode back, you're going to want to name mice before you even put the book down. Yeah, that is my wish for the world.

Kathryn Thompson  30:25

Brilliant, amazing. So when does this book hit the book stands

30:30

June 13 2022 as well it comes out. I'm hoping you can delay release of this podcast until then that'll be my my wish. salutely. So if that happens then today? Yes, it'll be a it's ready. Go to mouse in the room.com. And here's what I'd love you to do. If you if you resonate with this, and you're like, hey, this could be good for my life could be good for my family could be good for my company could be good for the world. Don't just get the book, get the book. And we plan to have you can either get the physical one, or we're gonna have a special on the Kindle for 99 cents, right? How ridiculous is that? Because we want to do a best seller campaign. But here's how you can help us make this a best seller and get the word out by the book. If you think it deserves a five star review, then please go and leave that review. And then post on social media that you just got the book so that your friends can be have an opportunity to mouse name as well. It's way harder to do this in isolation. Yeah, it's way easier to start mouse naming if your family and your friends and your staff and everyone else, you know, know what's going on. So posted on social media. We want I want there's two reasons I want that. Yeah, I want it to be a best seller, just so we can say that. Yeah. And then secondly, I want to start a mouse naming revolution. I love it. Love it. Let's make some noise mouse in the room.com. There'll be a link to I mean, yeah, you go straight to Amazon too. But mouse in the room.com. All it'd be more fun. I'm planning to add a couple of bonuses to the book so that you don't just get an amazing book, but you get something else. That's really awesome, too.

Kathryn Thompson  32:20

So brilliant. So brilliant. It's always a pleasure connecting with you. I know what we had so much fun. On the last episode. I absolutely love the concept of this book. I think like you said, it's not just for entrepreneurs or business owners or whatever. It's going to radically change people's lives, relationships, you name it the way that they just show up in the world. So I know on the last call, you were just starting to dabble in acting, you were getting back into acting. I want to just touch on that a little bit. Because I know it was something that you were just getting to it was something you've always wanted to do. And so now it's something that you're pursuing even more. And so that's part of you living your truth.

32:58

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, let's do that. And then I have to go. Yeah, but I love that, that we talked about it. And ya know how far I'd gotten into it at that stage was as

Kathryn Thompson  33:11

you were just taking clot you were just starting to take classes. Oh, okay. Yeah,

33:15

I, yeah, no, this was a mirror mouse. This was like, for 10 years. I said to myself one day, I'd like to really see what happens because I'd done maybe short for short films over 25 years. And I try and get an agent and I give up and whatever. And I thought, What if I just dived in, and got trained as an actor, and really got an agent and went to like, 1000 auditions and just live that life. I don't even know if I need to get anything big. I just want to live that life and see what happens. And then that was a mirror mouse. And then finally I started speaking it and someone said, Oh, I did that. I did that. And then a week later, she called me and said, I'm gonna audition for Dracula. Do you want to come with me? And I said, Oh, God, gulp you know, part of me said I haven't even taken a class yet. That's kind of crazy. But another part of me he said, That's the universe knocking. So I went and then here if you see the video here a couple of pictures. Oh, wow. From from Dracula. Wow, I got I got cast as the lead in a paid professional production of Dracula, which blew my mind. Now, you know, there's more to the story. I went and got coaching on on how to do the audition. And so since you and I have spoken, I've done a play. I've done six short films. I got two commercials. And I got paid for a bunch of those. So I've actually received $2,000 As, as an actor, which I think is just mind blowing. For beginning actor, I'm really proud of that. And in 10 days, I drive myself and my dog to Los Angeles. And I've already found my school that I'll be training with, and I'm going to be an actor, I'll still coach, I'll still somehow I'm still launching the book and doing interviews and, and mouse naming, and I'll be doing corporate training to and coaching executives on leadership around mouse naming and corporate training. So that'll still happen. But I'll also be going to a lot of auditions, and, and training and just really enjoying the whole thought of acting.

Kathryn Thompson  35:44

Love it. And I wanted you to share that story. Because I just I love, you know, I want our listeners to see that you're like living and breathing, this most naming and just really, actually, really speaking and living your truth and following the  desires that you want or that are on your heart. And so it's just so amazing. So it's Yes, always a pleasure connecting with you. And so excited. Yeah, I think you just got the Dracula part or had just learned that you had got that part. And I remember you being really excited about it. Like, I can't even believe this. I don't even really have any, like, real training. But this is it's so awesome. So yes, it's been been a pleasure. And again, the book is out and you can get it and just go to the mouse and the room.com. And

36:27

there's no, there's no the in front of it.. And also, I want to say too, if you've been thinking of getting a coach, I love coaching business owners who are already doing well, yeah. And they want to double what they're doing. And they want their life to be better. I don't just if you just want more money, go work with somebody else. But if you want your life to be better, and your business, go to focus.ce o brilliant, that's my other website focused on CEO and apply for a session. And we'll get on the phone and see if we're a fit.

Kathryn Thompson  37:01

Yeah, brilliant. Love that as well that life and business balance having a life that you love, as well as a business that you love. So we will link those links up in the show notes so that you can easily connect with David and again, yeah, it's been a pleasure to have you on the show.

37:16

Thank you, Katherine. You're welcome.