As The Leader Grows with Ken Joslin
Join Pastor-turned-entrepreneur Ken Joslin on "As The Leader Grows" - where faith meets entrepreneurial excellence. As the CEO of GROW STACK DRIVE and founder of CREATE, America's #1 Faith-based Entrepreneur Conference, Ken brings powerful insights from closing over $250 million in real estate deals and sharing stages with industry titans like John C. Maxwell, Ed Mylett, and Grant Cardone.
Through his transformative Core 5 approach - Faith, Health, Relationships, Business, and Finance - Ken shows entrepreneurs how to build a life of purpose and prosperity. Leading the exclusive GSD Elite Mastermind, he equips faith-driven leaders with the tools to build confidence, gain clarity, and create community while excelling in every crucial area of life.
Ready to start growing? Join our FREE GSD Community at growstackdrive.com/free and subscribe to the podcast to become the best version of yourself. Your journey to extraordinary growth starts here.
#FaithInBusiness #LeadershipGrowth #Core5 #GSDElite
As The Leader Grows with Ken Joslin
Kirk Driskell | Breaking Chains, Building Hope
What does 30 years of sobriety look like when it's not just about avoiding substances, but about living an extraordinary life? Kirk Driskell answers this question with a radical commitment – hiking 300 miles in 30 days to raise awareness and $150,000 for addiction recovery.
Kirk's journey began at rock bottom as a 20-year-old college fraternity president who reluctantly entered treatment, primarily to appease his worried family. The turning point came when he encountered someone whose genuine happiness in recovery made him think, "I don't have to believe it myself yet – I just have to believe that he believes it." That spark of hope changed everything.
Vision Warriors, the nonprofit organization Kirk founded, emerged organically during the 2008 financial crisis as a response to overwhelming need. What sets it apart isn't fancy programming or corporate structure – it's the authentic brotherhood that forms when men who've walked through darkness help others find their way back. Their philosophy is refreshingly direct: "Change your heart or change your address."
The most powerful aspect of Kirk's story is how recovery principles have shaped his approach to entrepreneurship, leadership, and life itself. By focusing on identity (who am I beyond my addiction?), accountability (am I willing to hear hard truths?), and purpose (what am I here to contribute?), Vision Warriors has helped thousands of men rebuild their lives.
Kirk's wisdom for those struggling with addiction or who have lost loved ones cuts through the noise: "The obsession takes over. Yes, it's affecting them, but it affects the entire community. There are too many empty chairs at dining room tables, and someone's got to do something about it."
Want to support this life-changing work? Follow Kirk's 300-mile journey, donate to the cause, or even join him for a portion of the trail. Because as Kurt says, "No one should walk alone."
Welcome to the ATLG podcast I am your host Ken Joslin, former pastor turned coach & host of CREATE, the #1 Faith-based Entrepreneur conference in America. My mission is to help faith-based entrepreneurs become the best version of themselves by growing in our Core 5: Faith, Health, Relationships, Business & Finances. You can get more information as well as join our FREE Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/676347099851525
Hey guys, welcome to another episode of as the Leader Grows. I am your host, ken Jocelyn. I've got my good friend, kirk Driscoll, who I believe has lost his mind. He's about to go out on the trail for 30 days in the wilderness to just bring awareness to something I know that's super passionate, that you're super passionate about. It's a calling for you, dude, welcome, appreciate you having me here, man, you're welcome dude.
Speaker 2:No, I'm enjoying the AC. Last couple days of AC running water. You know I actually drove here rather than walking.
Speaker 1:Now maybe I should have walked in preparation for what I'm doing. Dude, walk our audience through. Number one you, you've been in Alpharetta.
Speaker 2:I mean your name is well-known in Alpharetta it's known.
Speaker 1:I don't know well, but it's known for certain.
Speaker 2:Well-known doesn't mean it's respected or people know you have a title, you know. What's interesting, though, is with that completely different subject is that it's actually running for city council here in Alpharetta, and it's been probably one of the most humbling things I've ever done. It's very vulnerable to put yourself in that position. I have a completely different level and respect for any politician, whether I agree with their policy or not, because it's a vulnerability and a posture that you have to position yourself in, so to say. That is like I'm. I wasn't born in Alpharetta, but from first grade know on here, so you know alpharetta is home. Been here in this town has been incredible incredible to us, to our family and to me personally, and it's a town that I caused all the destruction in yeah as well, but also received all the restoration that I've had.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we're going to talk about that. Because we're going to talk about your. You're this insane deal you're doing to go out in the middle of the woods for 30 days. You, uh, you were a very successful entrepreneur, business owner, real estate guy. Walk us through your what you're about to do, and then I want us to back up on why you're doing what you're about to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so what we're about to do is the benton mckay trail, so it's roughly 300 miles. It's like 287 miles by the time you put the the front end on it, to get to the start of the trail and then you know to start in the terminus. But we're going to start on the northern terminus and hike southbound back towards springer Mountain over a 30-day window. So April 24th would be my 30th year of sobriety. So you know, and to me it's like and we talked a little bit before the show on this I didn't get sober. I didn't quit doing dope and drinking so that I could just be sober. Yeah, I quit doing those things because they were destructive to me in my life. So I wanted to live and I wanted to live an epic life, not just not do dope. And so how do you showcase that? Over 30 years and I don't want it to be about me or a date, but that journey, what does that look like?
Speaker 1:So you started Vision Warriors, which is your nonprofit. You're doing this hike to raise money and raise awareness for your nonprofit that goes back in and helps men that are in the same situation you were in 30 years ago and I think for us to kind of really unpack this. Well, walk me through your journey 30 years ago. So you've celebrated your 30 years.
Speaker 2:About to If I don't do something stupid.
Speaker 1:Listen, dave, I look and I'll tell you 30 years ago, so you've celebrated your 30 years About to. If I don't do something stupid About to, I look and I'll tell you 30 years later, man, I've never future tripped. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was taught that's where we're about to go.
Speaker 2:One day at a time. Yeah, and so much projection out. I mean, I'm 30 years in.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, and I think.
Speaker 2:And it's jacking with my head because six months, you know, we've been working on this like six months and I'm focusing on a date yeah, Not just future planning, but a, you know, my sobriety in the future rather than just embracing the day. And it's had to keep some of my stuff in check and I'm just being honest, right Like it's there.
Speaker 1:But and I want to go back to rock. I want to know what rock bottom was for you. What caused you to do that? But I mentioned earlier, you've been a very successful entrepreneur. How much has your sobriety journey kept your ego in check as a man?
Speaker 2:Look it's. I don't know whoever. There may be one person watching this or a million, right, but I will tell you. For me and it pulls back to that conversation we were having before is like if you're at the top of your food chain, it doesn't matter how tall your ladder is. It could be a step ladder or it could be an extension ladder. But if you're at the top of that ladder and everybody's reporting to you whether it's one person or 1,000 people and you don't have a board that you're reporting to, it's your mate. You're the final decision man.
Speaker 2:I constantly kept men around me that I was either chasing, or they were chasing me, or we were chasing after the same thing, so that we had a small group. I've always had a small group of men around me that could pull my bullshit card, because the easiest way for me to get self-absorbed look at what I just did, no man. Look at what god just blessed you with because of your obedience or because your willingness to push through, excuse me it, I know without a doubt I would be a fit. What? What my recovery journey taught me early on is that, man, I'm powers to drugs and alcohol, but alcohol, but I'm powers to a whole lot of stuff and my biggest strength right is my weakness, which is God. I can't do this without you and to have brothers that I trust walking through this with me and holding me accountable.
Speaker 1:Man it's you don't want to hear it sometimes, right? So let's walk back to rock bottom, yeah. What made Kurt go? Holy cow, I've got a problem. I have an addiction problem, yeah.
Speaker 2:So you know, I thought what I was doing is what everybody else was doing. The problem was they were, but that was the only people that I was hanging around. You may start 8 o'clock, the party scene looks one way 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock, but when you're sitting there at 2 am and still running wide open, it's a different crowd. The sum of those that I was with everything was good, those that were observing it from a distance, that was not the case. So it was actually my sister, and parents actually had an intervention. Fast forward though I had. You know it's like, okay, hey, I'm not going to do this today, I'll only do that. I won't do this before this time I'm going to do it.
Speaker 2:You know, I had self-regulated, but I was 20, president of a college fraternity, like this is like what I'm supposed to be doing, right, and my mom and it lies that I was telling myself. And so I remember, when my parents confronted me I was parents confronted me I was like, okay, I might have a slight drug problem, but I never in a million years thought that I was an alcoholic. I'm 20, I'm not even legal to drink yet how do I have a drinking problem? Drugs. Yes. So I went in to treatment, um, as mainly out of embarrassment, like did I really want it? No, I was 20, was 20. And I thought, you know, like every other half other 20 year olds in the world, I got this. But I don't want my parents to be upset, right? And so I go into the treatment center and I looked around. I'm like holy crap, there are some sick people in this world.
Speaker 1:Right, not me.
Speaker 2:That is like this person, this person, this person, and it was. It was like eye-opening, like man I knew I didn't have a problem Like these people got a problem.
Speaker 1:How long was your rehab?
Speaker 2:It was less than 30 days, so you know 20-something 30 days.
Speaker 1:So how many days into the 20-something days did you go? I'm these people.
Speaker 2:I didn't there. And here's what happened. There was one dude and I went. Man, I would give anything to know. I can't even tell. I couldn't tell you if he was black guy 300 pounds, white little, you know, mountain hillbilly, 85 pounds. I couldn't tell you what he looked like. I just remember being in this hospital, kind of institutional environment, and them just telling you oh hey, look to your left, look to your right, one of y'all is going to be okay, the rest of you are going to be back, don't worry, it's part of your journey.
Speaker 2:It's like no Relapse is not a part of recovery, it's failure to maintain the line. You're an active addiction. At that point in time Does it happen? Yes, but it's not a part of recovery, it's a part of active addiction. And so you're in that setting.
Speaker 2:Well, this dude would come in, you know, once or twice a week to run an AA meeting and in that setting and the sucker was smiling like everybody else is there's, you know, doped up, sick, whatever's going on, this dude's smiling, coming to hang out with all these people I think are jacked up, right, yeah, and the last, the last time I saw him, he was asking me he's like come on, what's your plan when you leave here? Like, dude, I don't have a plan, but, like, I didn't know what, I didn't know, but I, I believed whatever he said. Yeah, and he believed it. Yeah, right, but I didn't. I didn't know what, I didn't know, but I believed whatever he said and he believed it. But I didn't believe it for myself, but I believed he believed it. And so, needless to say, he's like you need to go to an AA meeting.
Speaker 2:When you get out of here, I'm like, okay, and back in the day it was just like a paper booklet and so that's where it started and that those first meetings, man, it's just I heard, I heard from individuals I wanted what they had, because I saw more people that believed what he believed and if it worked for them, I don't have to believe it, I just have to believe that they believe it and just come back tomorrow and take the suggestions and do it. And at that point in time, man, I heard something. It was really interesting. After they told me to sit down and shut up, I didn't have anything. You say that today in the rooms and people get all upset you can't talk that way to people, but that's old school.
Speaker 2:That was the truth, man, I need to be there to listen, not to share. If I wanted to share, I needed to get a sponsor. And at the end of that he came up to me and said look, man, I'm not trying to be hard on you, but everything that you want and or need, we'll give to you freely, with one condition. And I'm like okay, dude, I ain't got anything. This world would be better with me not in it. So what's the condition? Oh, give away whatever you have daily, like I don't have anything. That's the only way you keep what you got. I'm like, man, I ain't got nothing, he goes. You got today, you got the hope of the day that someone else doesn't have. So that's what you got. To find someone to give that away to. And so I've just. You know, some days my wife probably thinks I take that too literally, but at the end of the day, the you know, here's what it here. This is what I've been doing for 30 years. This is working.
Speaker 1:When in that process, kurt, did you get the dream for vision warriors? Like, when in that process did you go? I want to help men go through the same process that I went through. I want to be the guy that when I speak to them, they believe that I believe what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so A I still don't have that dream and of all the companies that I've ever started and opportunities I've ever created, it still doesn't have a business plan or strategy Right, like because it was an answer to a call to a burden. I think we can help you with that. Yeah, and so we've got structure right in place, but it's like it wasn't started to say, hey, this is what we're going to do, hey, this is what we're going to do. It was literally started because of a long story, which we don't have time for here, but just a situational opportunity that arose that said, okay, yes, hey, I'll take care of that. And a team member that she worked with me 20 years said, oh, that's the perfect place to do exactly what you said you always would love to do and this is where it would need to be man, but it was in a time when the real estate market was in the toilet. Yeah, 2008, 2009, right, oh, yeah, I remember that Toilet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was a mortgage broker. Oh yeah, 100%.
Speaker 2:Remember that, bro, I was down and it's like, no, we're just going to through the door right. And, man, I agreed to put it up. I believe it was like Craigslist, whatever we were using back then for leasing, I don't remember what it was just to get the phone to ring right and the first call that came through was a guy saying he wanted to do a sober living facility in it. And I was like, okay, god, you got my attention Because I couldn't write checks and I couldn't do the things that I had been doing previous to that time period with the recovery ministries that I was so involved with. So I had time on my hands. Everybody's getting closed down, banks are closing down. There was no development opportunity right then and that moment in time it was just a big shift in the North F north fulton market and so I met with him. I mean, you got to in that case, like, okay, god, I'm listening, you meet with him, we work it out. And I'm like, okay, hey, I can be far more involved rather than just writing checks. This is in my hometown, we can come in.
Speaker 2:It was like about two weeks, in a week and a half, two weeks in nri was this guy, everything he said and everybody that endorsed him. If he's watching, hey man, I'm sorry, but it just. He was like not everybody else. A lot of people in this industry. They'll take someone's pain and the situation they're in and figure out how to generate revenue off of it. Stop it. With good intentions to start with, but it just it deviates away and it was like a week and a half, two weeks in. I'm like this guy's. There's guys in this house that are counting on him to be something that he's not and I wanted a clean break from him. I wrote him a check for what he felt, his time and energy and everything that was worth it in there. I said dude, I never want to see you again like this weird. I wish you the best, but this is not who I am. A guy that was on staff with me that was not in recovery, said you know what? I'll move into the house as the house manager. Wow. And so chris lived in that house 18 months and and that's where it birthed out of and what.
Speaker 2:What people were amazed when they come around, vision warriors is they're like man. This is incredible program. I'll say it's not a program by the outside world looking at it as it is because it's very structured, it's got all the disciplines in place, but it was. What was given to me is the truth, this biblical truth rooted directly in the 12 steps, of how you can take this truth from our Heavenly Father and apply it to your day-to-day struggles. That you have, and so we don't have any curriculum. Britain is a living, breathing organization that is owned and ran by the men that are living there, and I leave. Every time I leave there, I'm a better disciple.
Speaker 1:So is that what makes it different than other? I'm not going to say program, because it's not a program. Is that what makes it different than other places, kurt?
Speaker 2:I know I want to never knock on anybody else. We just simply do what we say we're going to do. We don't chase grants that make us fill out a whole bunch of lists to go start this program or something else. We, we answer to one authority and one authority only, right? We don't want to be a slave to a checklist and do it so that we can't. We're just serving, open and honest.
Speaker 2:You don't have to be. We file and operate as a Christian church, right, and we're just the hands and feet of Christ. That's it. You don't have to believe what we believe to be voted in as a member, right? You don't have to. You just have to convince all of staff and all the guys you're living with that there's a God and you're not it. If you can do that, you can believe that God can be anything you want it to be. But what we know simply is, if they're in that posture, then they're moving towards a relationship, because you're either moving towards God or away, right? So if we just keep them nudging, that way, it works.
Speaker 1:Walk me through the brotherhood. I know that's one of the huge things for you and it's one of the things that helped you get sober, stay sober, and it's really the core of what you do at Vision Warriors.
Speaker 2:So here's something that was one of those things. If we would have written it and said this is what was going to happen, it never would have happened. Have you ever seen or heard or been around another recovery ministry or any kind of organization? When someone goes through it gets adopted in it, outside of the Marines, that when they leave that place they still identify as that is you'll. You'll. You'll meet a guy and he'll say you start talking about his recovery journey, he'll go well, I'm a vision warrior and it's like the first time I heard it I'll. I'll be honest with you again. The first time I heard somebody refer to them as a vision warrior, I was like dude, what the heck just happened? Like like someone drug test.
Speaker 1:So that drug test. I mean that wasn't in the business plan.
Speaker 2:No and so, but when you're there that brotherhood is so tight. Yeah, I mean, you gotta think a lot of guys that come to us they've come there and they you'll you. What I hear often is like man, when I had nothing straight out of jail or prison or from the whatever, the worst scenario, some of them the bottom is like where they can't look in the mirror and find any value.
Speaker 2:Someone found value in them to give them a gift of an opportunity that this is where you can come live, because you can't if you're court-ordered, you can't live with us, you can't pass a drug test, you can't live with us, you can't have any sexual related charges and you can't be a violent criminal. Felonies are participation awards. That's not. You know. It can be violent by nature, but that's not the excluder, that's just the participation award. So they get there and then, 30 days to 45 days depending where they hit, they're sitting in front and standing in the center of a circle of all their brothers and anyone that's ever lived with us is maintaining our disciplines and they're hearing people speak truth and affirmation into them, building them up that's good Right and accepting them. And at that point in time, when they're voted in, they have the same authority as I have in responsibility of governing that organization as a member, and so their membership can be revoked, just as mine can be.
Speaker 1:And how long are they there with you guys?
Speaker 2:As long as they're growing or pulling. Yeah, you start nesting. We're going to either an opportunity of leadership or an opportunity. They have a saying that I don't know which guy came up with it, but he said change your heart or change your address. Ooh and dude, that's like it's your heart.
Speaker 2:So the thing is everybody's like man why can we only have 24 coat hangers right? 24 coat hangers, three metal drawers, two plastic toes and six pairs of shoes. And I was like, cause, all that'll load up in those two plastic totes you got so we can move you in about three and a half minutes, you know, bedroom out the front door, heart, or change your address and so it's, it's. It's a pretty awesome place talk to me about you.
Speaker 1:Just, you mentioned a little bit, but identity, accountability and purpose yeah, I know those are three pillars that you guys really, really stand on and try to instill in the guys that are part of this yeah.
Speaker 2:So if you look at a like their personal identity, if you come someone that's not a believer, okay we're gonna, you need we're. You know it's your identity in christ or in your job or in your chat, it's like it's. It's not funny but it is in a sense. If you do it as much, many guys would come through the doors. We call it like that 45 to 60 day get back, they got a job, they got a car and they got a woman like they're good that life is good.
Speaker 2:And there they go, right and they're gone it's like, man, we're gonna see him again real soon, right? Um, so many people come in with just a broken view, like a either that the world has just taken everything from them or they have zero value whatsoever. They're never going to have any opportunity. And trying to get someone to look at themselves differently first and forgive themselves and love themselves is, I mean, how can you believe there's a Heavenly Father that loves you when you look in the mirror and you just can't get it? And what's amazing to see is you can see that shift happen without walking them through step-by-step how to do it, but just in an interaction.
Speaker 2:Because the guys that are in the house or part of the ministry, that have been there and have been around for several years, right, they like, man, hey, I started off, that's the bed I was in. Man, I worked, yeah, I worked there too, I worked at that job. I got yeah, it's a great place, you know. And then they can see them coming in and they're married, they've got their kids. It gives them hope. It gives them hope and it lets them see steps. Now, okay, this guy's a year in, this guy's three or four years in, this guy's five or six years in. It's been the most rewarding I've had this year. We've had a lot of guys picking up 10-year chips and I'm like man.
Speaker 1:We've been around a minute.
Speaker 2:I mean to have a recovery ministry stay situated in the same market for as long as it has. It's not because of me, it's because of everybody's buy-in to it is pretty awesome. So on the identity side, that was there. Your other part was the accountability, Accountability and purpose. Yeah, so I don't know of any recovery ministry but offhand that doesn't have it in writing, Like the reason you'd want to come live there, the reason you want to come stay there or go through the pros, because they're going to hold you accountable to what you, the end of the day, very few truly have true utter accountability True, utter accountability has changed your heart or change your address?
Speaker 1:That's a nice way to say it right here that's his accountability.
Speaker 2:When we say this is what it is. We don't want you to pop on a drug test so we can get another application fee and then you get to stay. Man, if you hit hot on a test and you were being deceptive, then because you just made us waste almost $5 on the test. Why did you just make us waste? You know you're going to pee dirty, dude, just go ahead and own it Like, hey, man, I made a mistake and I need to leave. Like that's almost a no-go.
Speaker 2:At that point, most of our guys that are asked to leave are not asked to leave for any drug use or alcohol use. It's like they can't maintain the simple disciplines. It's like they can't maintain the simple disciplines. It's like, man, you know your bed, you ran out. If you started your day and your bed looks like that man, I can tell you the rest of your day did so. That true, utter accountability where when you hear truth it may not feel good, but it's what you need to hear is there. And then your other was the brotherhood, accountability, identity. What was your idea? Purpose, purpose.
Speaker 1:My purpose or his purpose, just the purpose in general, which helps when you help the guys that are there at the home identify their purpose and how that connects and helps them stay safe.
Speaker 2:So when you look at them. At the end of the day, we want to build better disciples, fathers, brothers, husbands, neighbors, friends, so not perfect ones. Better, I love that Better. So if you come there and when you leave whether you leave on a good term or a bad term, I'm like look, man, just, I always say give me 90 days, I can screw up your drinking and drugging forever. You may not stay sober, but you have seen the truth, you have felt the love of Christ and you know that there's a way to live without that. That's not the solution, and so we mess it up for certain right. And at the end of the day is if you feel you have zero value For me personally, I know where I was man.
Speaker 2:I was worthless. The only reason that there was any value that you might think I had is because you had something I wanted and so whatever I said or however it did, it made you think that I was going to do something for you. It was no, I just was saying and doing what I needed to do to get what I wanted. So I've been where every single guy that comes through that door. I've been in that spot of just hopelessness and like man, I'm world, I'm like, and I'm glad they're happy and they get all that stuff, man, but not me. I've done too much there. And when you see that, when you see that transition man, that's what nothing like it is no it's not so.
Speaker 1:So walk me through, walk me through the warrior's path. 300 mile hike, you're gonna do 30 like. Where did that idea come from?
Speaker 2:um, um, that's a great question I want to take it because I'm like who thinks about hey, you know what I'm gonna do.
Speaker 1:I've been sober 30 years. I'm gonna go to saint john's or I'm gonna go to, I'm gonna go to the bahamas, or I'm gonna go to some island and chill out, not oh, hey. By the way, babe, I'll see you and the rest of the kids two times in the next 30 days. I'm going to hike 300 miles, so here's a.
Speaker 2:A short version of how it came to be is I've got one of our guys that's on staff with us unbelievable cat. His name's jason uh, pie spelled jason, or you can call him jabutson, right so whatever name he wants to apply to that day.
Speaker 2:It amazing you have how many Jasons you have around and Johns and Davids everybody ends up with a nickname. So Jason or Jason Great guys, live with us for a while. He's actually come on staff, is kind of helping out on operations, and he had said to me hey, like what are a couple of things you've been wanting to do that you just haven't been able to get to because you're, you're in the trenches rather than standing on the side of the bank watching someone dig it. Hey, where we need to go with this right. And uh, I said, man, we haven't been on a hike in a while. We need to get a hike going. We need to get back up to the hike in when you get at least out.
Speaker 2:Well, man, like a month later we're on the appalachian trail for a four day, three nights, four days on the trail, and during this hike we were talking about coming up on my 30 years. You know it's like we're just everybody's kind of talking about what's happening this next year. What are we doing? This was like six months ago and I'm like, yeah, man, 30 years. But I don't want it to be about me Like how do we? How do we articulate, how do we tell a story around a sobriety day that's not just all about me and so we're talking through it. And then we come across a marker for the Bitten-McCay Trail and we start talking about it.
Speaker 2:What I didn't know is a guy that I used to live, with his name Brennan, is apparently like a scholar of hiking Right off. He's like, oh well, let me tell you about that. I'm thinking it's like a six or eight mile, like one of the little side. You see them all up and down AT. And so when we come past, I'm thinking it's like a six or eight mile, like one of the little side. You see them all up and down AT, and excuse me. And so when we come past it and we're walking past it there and we're starting to talk, he's like, yeah, it's like 300 miles. I'm like, oh, 300 miles, 30 days, 30 years, it's like 10 miles a day. That's doable, you know. And so I just my problem was my problem was I talked out loud.
Speaker 1:Now you're stuck, bro, now you're stuck, so I've let people in.
Speaker 2:So here's the beauty about having good people around you, though, man, that are listening and care for you, Because what Jason Pye heard and what Brennan heard was hey, here Kirk's got an idea.
Speaker 1:That's the greatest Right.
Speaker 2:Kirk's got an idea, yeah. And so the next thing was like well, when would you do it? Would you start on your sobriety date or end on your sobriety date? And I looked at the calendar. So now, like I've spoke something out loud, I got a brother that's holding me accountable to spoken word, right, that's holding me accountable to spoken word Right.
Speaker 2:And so by the time I get home, I've already got approval from my wife that, hey, you know, march to April 24th is a little crowded, but April 24th to May 24th, there was only one thing on the calendar that she had that I was going to miss. Got permission from that that, hey, this isn't going to, you know, issues with anybody if I'm not there. And then I cleared up my calendar and I said, well, I guess I'm going hiking for 30 days. And the next thing, I know, the next day, jason buys like well, hey, I just want to know I'm going with you. Like what do you mean you're going with me? He's like well, I wasn't going to ask you, I was just going to tell you. I mean, how could I miss it if you're going to do it for 30 days? I got to be there, so that, that's where it was.
Speaker 1:That's where it was burst, so how many guys do you have taken this trip with you?
Speaker 2:uh, two as of yesterday. And then it looks like we've got a gentleman who's a father, um of his son, struggles with addiction, that has ran around in with us and he committed up, um, as of last night, this morning, that he's he's hiking with us for 30 days. He's like you think I'm crazy? I'm like, oh yeah, dude, you're definitely crazy.
Speaker 1:Listen if you're listening to this podcast or watching this video right now and you qualify as crazy. Maybe you need to connect. So two things number one you're doing this to raise awareness for Vision Warriors, no For Addiction. You're doing this to raise finances. Your goal is $150,000. Without a doubt To raise for this. How can people be involved? How do they get connected with you?
Speaker 2:So the biggest thing is one just to one give out that it's not so much just for Vision Warriors. Obviously, yes, vision Warriors, but at the end of the vision wars like, hey, obviously yes, vision wars, but in a day, if our impact out of this reaches beyond our walls to where no one you know, our our tagline on this is no one walks alone, whether it's addiction, whether it's depression, whether it's just, uh, family relation, whatever it could be, is just make yourself available, because I know, for me, when I'm focusing on someone else, you know surrender god, clean house and serve others. When I'm serving someone else, I'm, I look at my problems a little different. I look at man, look at the opportunities that I've got, and so I'd say that to start with, but yes, we're doing it to raise revenue and raise awareness, but man people can, they can walk it with us, they can pray with us, they can share it or they can help us fund it Where's?
Speaker 1:the best place to go. You got a landing page or a website. We got a landing page.
Speaker 2:They can go to our main website and we got a tab up at the top, but I can shoot you over a link.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll put it in the show notes, is it?
Speaker 2:visionwarriorsorg Visionwarrimorg. But on the top of the tab up there there's the Warriors Path tab. They can follow us on Facebook, Instagram. We have all the links on it there. But, you know, you don't even have to be a hiker to come out. We're going to be able to post on the landing page there. We've got a GPS tracker so you can see where we are.
Speaker 2:We're going to publish what campgrounds we're walking through, and so there's a lot of easy access points for folks to jump in and do a day, just jump in and do a day or not even hike at all and just say, hey, y'all are coming to this campground and we're going to roll up there in our rv, or we're just going to roll up there and rent a cabin, but I'm gonna roll it through my traeger and my green egg, yeah, but hey, that's where, and we're counting on that if If you're watching there, look freeze-dried food's good, but it's not as good as a fresh steak when you're walking into camp and someone's there.
Speaker 2:So from just spending a night with conversation around a campfire and going back home to walking a half a day, to walking some days with us is one thing. Or just walking a mile wherever you live, or sitting in silence and just praying for someone, a man that feels hopeless and alone, that someone would intersect with their life?
Speaker 1:So let me ask you this question. We have thousands of people that listen to this podcast.
Speaker 2:Before this, before this, I apologize. Look, we're going to grow. We're going to grow after this.
Speaker 1:I don't know about that, but if there's business leaders, a lot of faith-based entrepreneurs listening to this podcast. What would you say to them? If they're like I've got a family member, I've got somebody on my team that's got an addiction problem, what do they do?
Speaker 2:Kurt, what would they do? So here's the thing I'm going to talk at the camera there. If you hear nothing else, say, hey, this dude's crazy, he's going to do this, doing it, he's going to do this, doing it. At the end of the day, myself and hundreds of men that I have walked with over the last 30 years know for a fact that, for those that are completely hopeless and broken and do not see a way out, that there is a way out and all you have to do is call me.
Speaker 2:If I don't answer, if I can't talk, I can get somebody to you wherever you are, because the beautiful thing is, what we have doesn't cost anything. Hope doesn't cost anything. It just takes someone that's truly been where they are and can show them that there is a way out. And there's all different levels of need, all different levels of treatment and all that. But our desire is to help anyone find what it is that they're looking for, and most of them will never live with us or come to any of our meetings, or I may never meet them in person, but we want to help them find what it is, because no one should feel absolutely hopeless.
Speaker 1:And I think that's one of the main things that keeps people from getting out of addiction. People ask me all the time on entrepreneurship. They say why do you think entrepreneurs fail or they don't achieve? You said earlier downstairs when we were talking God wants me to live an extraordinary life, not an average life. He wants me to be extraordinary. I love Genesis 1, 27 and 28. We are created in his image. That literally means we're a reflector of the character and nature of God. That's the calling. So I literally think in entrepreneurship. I think number one. People internally don't think they can really pull it off or they don't have the right information. They're not around people like you that go listen, I've been where you're at and I can help you on this journey.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's the thing, man, when you think about it, is that if my dreams, if I'm dreaming small, then my belief is that if I just work harder, get up earlier, get lucky, whatever I can make it happen. Dude, I want to live a life that's got such goals and such aspiration that the only way that it happens is God shows up and shows off and I get to sit there and I'm like man. How in the world, dude, when you think about it, think about Vision Warriors. It's thousands of men, thousands of men. We spend no money marketing. Maybe we should.
Speaker 2:Our donor denotation dollars would come through differently right, yeah, but at the end of the day over 4,000 phone calls last year, spending an average of five minutes and 32 seconds on a call our team did talking with you guys, but we're only serving in the 40 plus 40 plus 40 to 45, 46 guys with housing and all the rest of us just turned into a referral source and you sit there and say got a guy from new zealand. Like how does a guy from new zealand wind up there, wind up in woodstock, georgia? Yeah, most of it's local, but what it's just transferred from one person to next because they have an encounter with someone. And that's what I'd say to someone who's watching this.
Speaker 2:Like what happens is that people take someone that they thought was absolutely hopeless, like there's no hope for them, and when, when they see complete, utter restoration not perfection but restoration and renewed they're like what the heck happened to this guy? What happened? Yeah, you know, and and that's what spreads, and you know it's, it's pretty, it's pretty awesome, but it's not on a, a, a goal or a dream that I think that I can occur. I think most people are afraid of failing man, failure. Failure is not failing in my like. If I try something that didn't work, I didn't fail, unless I do it again exactly the same way. If I do it again exactly, the same way.
Speaker 2:I've learned okay hey that didn't work.
Speaker 2:What did I learn from it? What do I need to do differently this next time? And get back up and go. And so there's freedom for me in the fact I think I'm a better entrepreneur, I think I'm a better father, a better friend, a better it's like everything because of utter complete brokenness that I came from, whereas I, dude, I can't even manage my own day without getting high. Like this is. This is crazy. What's wrong with me? You know, yeah, and it was me, it wasn't him, it wasn't chasing God, I was chasing myself.
Speaker 1:What um in this journey of sobriety. And then we're going to wrap up in just a minute and give people another opportunity to be able to connect with you guys In this journey of sobriety. How has that changed or helped you grow in your perception and who you are as a leader?
Speaker 2:Oh, man, in the recovery world, I let guys know when we're speaking to them because they'll look at someone that's got a bunch of time and I still put it together. It's 30 years, man. It still blows me away. Right, they tricked me. They're like just today, just today, and it changed my mind the way that I thought about it. And when I apply that to if it's a situation I got going on with one of my kids, or if it's a business deal that's not working the way I want to, if it's COVID or if it's, you know, bank closures, whatever it might be, it's like well, this is just what's happening today, rather than projecting what's going to happen tomorrow, because tomorrow I'm going to get woke up with a whole new set, a worldview and perception and I'm not carrying all that like I what? What am I grateful for and what do I need to make amends before I close my eyes at night. Clean up my side of street, start today over again the next day and that's carried over into my business world.
Speaker 2:But when you see somebody coming in, they're like oh, you got so many years, I can't get there. I'm like no, dude, what time did you get up today? And they'll tell me. I said, okay, well, hey, I'm an hour and a half more sober than you, or you're an hour and a half more sober depending on what time you woke up, because today's really all that counts, right. And so how are we using it? Yeah, and it's like, whether it's business or recovery, how many people do you know, man, that are that are reacting today out of what happened yesterday or what they're afraid of that's going to happen tomorrow? Right, and if we're trying to fix something that happened yesterday, man, it's already gone, it's happened. Or your future tripping over here, it's like you've just squandered today.
Speaker 1:Do you think it's because people look too far out in the future? I know you said that Projecting like they look too far out in the future, Kirk and it. You said that projecting like they look too far out in the future, kirk in this like that's massive, when if they just look like I've got 12 hours left today.
Speaker 2:I mean it's. The thing is like there's plant don't get me wrong like there's. I mean there's planning that needs to be done, but there's planning for preparation and there's there's planning that I think that creates a lot of procrastination and a lot of well, I, I got to keep doing this. It's like kind of getting ready to get ready, like they can put together a great 12-month strategy and launch campaign and it's going to take them six months to do it. And then they get there and then it's going to oh, we get a Twitter, but just launch, just go.
Speaker 2:I don't know, and some people are a whole lot better than others at it, but I see more people that I deal with and I like Ron, amanda, you've been in the pits of hell and on the side just in the like dude, let me just pull you. I just like that raw, authentic. This is who I am and let's go do something. When you get down to the core of it, it's it's fear or insecurity that keeps most men that I talk with from acting on something they they've quit dreaming completely, or, if they haven't quit dreaming, they're just. They don't believe that, that what they're thinking and what they're dreaming is even possible for them. It's like no man. It's like, if it's there, god put that dream in. If you're living a life that's honoring God, god put that dream in you. And so if he doesn't want it in you until he removes it, then you're ignoring what the Holy Spirit's nudging you towards and encouraging you to Maybe.
Speaker 2:Now maybe someone thinks I'm crazy when I say that, but I do believe you've got to be living a life that's honoring God at that moment. I love that.
Speaker 1:What would you say? Two more questions. What would you say to somebody who's listening today that's lost someone to addiction. That's lost them. That's lost someone.
Speaker 2:Hmm, I would say I know and the pain that you're feeling or the anger that you're feeling. I have sat with many people that have went through that. I have lost a lot of friends and a lot of people that I care for deeply and the thing that I most often hear is like I can't believe that he chose that over me or I can't believe he kept doing that with me. But there, but there's a thing in. It is like if, if you drink, it's and you're like, okay, I have had my drink or have my two drinks, and you sit it down and it's go through, it's the obsession, it's like someone that's, that's addicted.
Speaker 2:We make the most irrational decision completely sober. We pick up the first drink or the first pill completely sober, right. But once it hits our lips and our body like I can still feel the first time I drank I can still feel that alcohol going down my throat and hitting my belly. In a way it made me feel Dude. I chased that for years. I wanted that same feeling of the world, just stopped.
Speaker 2:My body reacts completely different to alcohol than my wife or some of my other friends do, and for the people that have experienced loss, whether it's a close loved one or a family member, or a husband or a brother or sister. It's like close loved one or a family member, or a husband or a brother or sister. It's like that feeling of they chose me, they chose that over me and while their actions may look like that, their control is. No, they loved you, they wanted that, but it just the obsession takes over man and it's painful and that's people don't realize it. It's like the person that's stuck in the pit of hell and the lies of addiction. Yes, it's affecting them, but it affects the entire community it will destroy. I mean there's empty dining room table chairs at Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas dinners and Sunday brunches and just breakfast in general when you're getting your kids ready to go to middle school and high school. There's too many empty chairs in this world that someone wished their story would have ended differently and someone's got to do something about it.
Speaker 1:What about surviving family members or friends that struggle with guilt? With guilt Because somebody took their life?
Speaker 2:And it's the. I never use or drink because of my parents or my loved ones. Right, and it's the. It's easy and you see it on it. There's all kinds of support groups. All kinds of support groups If they're, if they're, affiliated with a faith partner in town and lean in to those faith partners because they're going to have resources If they have no resources. On either side from your family members to the grief, whatever it is there again, call us, reach out, We'll do it. That's. There is a tremendous amount of recovery support through, from state funded to private, to secular, to faith based all across the US. So we'll do our part to help them get connected.
Speaker 1:Well, guys, we'll put in the show notes, we'll put all the contact information for Kirk Vision Warriors phone number for you to call. If you do have someone that you know is struggling with addiction, or if you've lost someone and literally you feel guilty for that, we'll get you guys connected with Kirk and them as well. Final question, bro 30 years of sobriety, yep.
Speaker 2:Almost 30 years, almost 30 years of sobriety. Yep, almost 30 years. Almost almost 30 years.
Speaker 1:yes, some days yeah, almost almost 30 years of sobriety, almost a 300 mile walk yeah, what would you say is a sentence that sums up kurt driscoll's life right now there's two pains in this world pain of discipline or pain of regret.
Speaker 2:And I got plenty of regret and I don't, I don't need any more of it. So the the pain that I find in discipline will it's for a moment. It will, it will leave.
Speaker 1:It can be tolerated if you know why. But regret, pain and regret, regret. The pain of the pain of discipline can turn into fulfillment. Oh, all day but the pain of regret will never turn into fulfillment or anything that makes you feel better or makes you feel like, okay, god, you've given me a purpose to be here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, without, without a doubt and it's the first time I heard that said it was it's like man, that's it. And so I I switched up a little bit just to find the joy. I want to find the joy in the pain, of discipline and man, some days that just sucks I mean it sucks, yes, but at the end of the day, yeah, I've never grown when I was comfortable, yeah, and I've never really been proud of something that's happened because I was comfortable. So what better way to sum?
Speaker 1:it all up and say this 30 days of suck.
Speaker 2:Yeah Right, I just hope and pray that it just doesn't rain for 30 days. I mean. It's late April, first of May, in Georgia. It's going to be hot, it's going to be raining.
Speaker 1:It's going to be muggy, it's going to be hot, it's going to be rainy, it's going to be muggy.
Speaker 2:I don't know. So I just want to go ahead and apologize for my lack of enthusiasm. If there's like 20 days in, I'm like man Coach.
Speaker 1:Conn's saying it. You're the one that said it. Somebody else didn't make this up. Hey, Kurt, by the way, you have to go through this.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying you've got to be careful.
Speaker 2:Another takeaway, and if they're listening to you, they're going to hold you accountable for stuff you're saying that's coming out of your mouth, and so I'm glad I got them, because without that nudge man we wouldn't do it, and I'm praying for the person that we never meet, that we never see, that sees. So Bradley Pack's putting together a little documentary series on this for us, and so then you've got a legacy piece that sits there and it may be. Someone a year from now, 10 years from now, watches something and sees it and their life has changed. And that's. It's good man. That's what it's about. It's just no one should walk alone. Bro, thanks for popping in today.
Speaker 1:No, I'm grateful Coming to sit in the studio.
Speaker 2:I'm grateful man. Have a good time this weekend. I'm going to and enjoy the game.
Speaker 1:And go watch Michigan, but as we're filming this, it's the afternoon of the Michigan-Auburn Sweet 16 game, so I'm going to be down. My baby girl is coming to join me. We're going to have a great time. Guys, thank you for joining us on another episode of as the Leader Grows. Super excited and honored Kirk to have you here. Guys, listen, check the show, reach out, be the person that helps them. Like you said, your parents, they pulled you aside, your family pulled you aside and said you got a problem. And now here we are, almost 30 years later, and Kirk not only has made a difference in his own life and walk with sobriety, but, guys, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of men have walked through life with Kirk that he's been able to help. Thanks, we'll see you next week.