Greeting optimists and a very happy new year to you all. Here’s to a fabulous 2022 and I couldn’t think of any other person to kick off the podcast in 2022 than my guest Richard Kaufman.
Rich is a guy who has been through a lot in life. The loss of his father when he was very young, drink dependency from the age of 12, drug use, he was thrown out of the military and he would be the first to admit that his destructive behaviour was leading him down a path to oblivion.
But the kindness and forgiving nature of a business owner in the winter of 1988 was a huge turning point for him. As you will hear in the conversation, Rich had an angel looking down on him that night and he’s not looked back. There have been a couple of blips along the way, but we all have those right?
More importantly though, since that fateful night in 1988 Rich has been sober, that’s 33 years. That alone is a monumental achievement and he is rightly proud of it.
Rich returned to the military for another stint, this time after a harsh comment from one of his peers, who didn’t think he could make it in the military. This set the wheels in motion for becoming soldier of the year and rising among the ranks to become the leader that was always inside of him.
This conversation is littered with insight and wonderful stories, from spending time with Lennox Lewis to having the chutzpah to ask for advice from Gary Vaynerchuck.
But behind this success is a man who would do anything for anyone, a man who is infinitely humble and so grateful for the people he has in his life.
His is the human embodiment of a phoenix, he’s had his fair share of his back against a wall moments and been seemingly lost and not knowing which way to turn. But everytime Rich rises from those flames to re-invent himself and truly be the Comeback king!.
This is a conversation about willpower, tenacity, it’s about learning from your mistakes and importantly not being afraid to ask for help. It’s a conversation about how a man’s start in life has not determined his future.
But ultimately this is the story of a guy, who gets back up every time he’s knocked down, learns from his experience and marches on with happiness in his heart and a spring in his step towards his goals and dreams.
Oh and don’t ever join the military with orange hair!
Please connect with Rich on all the socials
His Vertical Momentum Podcast
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You can buy RIch's book, A Hero's Journey here on Amazon