What's going on Ian Roberts? Thanks, keto Savage.com.
And today I've got special, repeat guests.
Logan Devon from the me and McGee Market on the line.
Logan is a good friend of mine. He has a basically like this
super awesome Farmers Market here in Arkansas, more south
from us now, but we've been there a few times.
He's got an awesome operation, all kinds of goodies there, and
he's just really pouring into the local Community Helping from
an agricultural standpoint from a ranching standpoint.
His son Lander was diagnosed with cancer at a very, very
early age. Age.
And he kind of had to just throw himself in and learn how you can
mitigate against cancer and he did that's completely in
remission and he's healthier than ever.
And he did a lot of that while following a ketogenic diet.
So thoroughly enjoyed all the topic around that, he's just
recently written a book and had it published that goes into that
entire Journey. So, anytime I can bring him on
to the store on the show here, haven't talked about a story,
have them, throw some positivity out there, some some good
mindset tips out there. It's worth my while to have them
on here. It's If y'all want to listen, so
that for their do is sit back. Relax.
Enjoy the podcast with Logan Duvall.
We are live. Logan.
How are you, man? I'm doing great.
Robert. Are, ye I'm doing wonderfully.
Well, brother. It's been a while since I had
you back on the show, man. It's a very about hadn't
listened to the first episode. I want to say it was like a year
or two ago now, but we talked about, you know, the me and
McGee Market. Kind of what you got going on
there, your son, and all of, that's, that's transpired in
that regard, but you've recently come out with a book that that
relates specifically to the journey that you've had with
your In his battle to cancer. So I definitely want to have it
all that man. Before we pull the curtain back
there. Just kind of bring me up to
speed, man. What's been going on in your
world? Well, since since we last
talked, we've ended up having that full Embrace of Arkansas
agriculture. So really, really big into that
and ended up having a TV show on PBS and then Channel 7, so, you
know, being able to highlight food and farms and the community
in Arkansas and that's that's been amazing.
Just an extension of what we do at the market.
Well, your media guy Patrick That was your meeting last time.
I talked to him kind of small world.
So my media got chip. I got introduced to chip through
Patrick, when I was filming something at your market and
every time I've talked to Patrick since then he just keeps
telling about what you got going on there and just the content
you're putting outs, you know, the message is Sharon and and
just a local impact you're making in the state.
Honestly, not just locally like in the town but locally in the
state and Beyond and it's just super cool man.
It's super cool to see you. You know, taking an opportunity
and running with it and just adding so much positive vibe and
value at in the world. I mean, I appreciate that.
I think well, there's so many of our little communities and
different focuses. Everybody has that, you know,
enough people just trying to put out positive, but that light
makes a huge impact across the board.
Totally totally agree, man. So, if anybody has not listened
to the first episode, they need a little bit of context here.
So I keep referring to your Market.
Can you kind of shed, a little bit of light on what that is
exactly? Me and the game Market was a, it
is a farmers market style grocery store than my
grandparents started in in North Little Rock.
And we work with man, a bunch of farmers and producers.
So people that make homemade pickles and Breads and carry all
kinds of meat grass-fed, meats and local produce.
So everything that you kind of find in a grocery store, we we
have and then the other side of that with, with my little boy,
As being diagnosed with cancer, there is a health store
component that has nothing to do with local.
No, it's all focused on the things we used for Lander and
still used to give his body every chance to get through what
cancer and Cancer Treatments. Do I love it, man?
So you basically kind of took over the operation of the
market, correct? I'm a partner.
It's my grandparents started at my mom's.
A partner, and then I'm a partner.
So, yep. Got you.
And that was all the thing.
That was all formed long before Lander came to the picture.
I'm not sure what time it was actually originated in
everything. But so, you kind of had your
hands deep into the market before you had your son, right?
Absolutely. Yeah, so agriculture, the market
food, Local, Food Systems, all, that's huge, huge part of what
we did even prior to Lander. What was, what was your
grandparents motivation for? Starting this in the first place
man. There was no no plan whatsoever.
My grandma. There's a seven pecan trees on
the property. And she said, well, we're just
gonna we're retired. We're going to go pick up the
cons shall them, and then you can go sell them on the side of
the roads, what she told, my grandpa, and he's like, well,
you've lost your mind, but I'll do it, you know, just not as
having agree and went out and sold like $200 in a day and you
know, that was big big money for them.
And it just kind of snowballed from there.
They put in a little garden beside the house.
People started pulling in asking if they could buy stuff and my
moms, like, y'all need to just put a little market and sell
your pecans and the produce and man.
It's just it's just grown a lot from there.
But there was never a plan motivation.
It was just they were going to do something in retirement.
And that's that market is in the same place.
That's always been. Like, that's your grandparents
folks. That's your It's laying right,
there. It is.
Yep. So when I first went to the
market, which was probably I don't know about three years ago
now like you pull in and there's all these different, there's a
house, but the market isn't the house.
There's all these like little little, like boutique-style
shops that are built up. You get some of the flowers in
them. You got some with, you know,
cold meat storage. You got some with vegetation,
you get like a little bar with like coffee and all kinds of
stuff in and I mean, it's super cool.
What y'all have done there. It's like really I'm kind of
blending the world of the, The Farmer Market vibrant.
Also, kind of like a all, the good things that you get it,
like Whole Foods, the whole vibe there.
I mean, it's just like a really locally owned and operated just
good positive vine place to get any of your produce, any of your
meet, any of your anything, bunch of eggs, all kinds of good
stuff. Yeah, you know, and a lot of
that was, was just the restrictions of not having the
money to do anything, but these little small projects.
And so you just could do You could do and ended up being
pretty cool. And now, when you came into it
like you, I mean, it seems like you're kind of the face of the
voice of it, as least, as far as the media aspect is concerned.
I guess you just rolled up your sleeves and you were the
youngest of the generations. That was, you know, part owner.
So you figured you'd, you know, run with the media aspect.
Yeah, what, what happened there was my grandpa was had cancer
and it was a long really, really hard.
Battle esophageal and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma where his
diagnosis. And so, what that did was it
pulled my grandma into a full-time caregiver role.
And so my mom ended up moving out to the property to give her
hand, and then got more involved in the market.
And when she got involved, she took the social media to another
level and did really good with the pictures.
And that was Facebook really in its infancy.
And that that took off. My grandpa ended up passing away
and at that point the market had outgrown what what they were
could handle at that point. And so I moved down here to
become a partner and that's that's when you know, that added
layer came in there with me. Just try to learn business.
I mean, I didn't know anything from anything, just business and
marketing and dove in and just wanted to give my grandma and
mom, you know, retirement. It and something that they could
be supplemented for and earn a living.
No, it's super cool. Man, with a super cool.
What you doing? Because it's like you've been
doing that exclusively now for how long or years, four years
and the amount of impact you make on just the local
community. I mean, you probably could not
even touch that with any other type of job you could be working
in. No, and I left real estate in
working on an ambulance do this. So, very wide range of
experiences. And this is very, very
rewarding. You're when you're building that
local economy, and you give the farmer is an outlet and they get
to do what they love and they grow that and you're able to
connect with these people. That have a desire for the
high-quality good old timing, just good food.
It just is really, really rewarding and it's like people
on a local level need to band together and kind of, you know,
build off of each other. Because the way, the way things
are set up. I love to get your opinion on
this. But like, the way things are set
up from like a business standpoint.
It doesn't really do the local business, the small business,
the family-owned business. Any favors like, it doesn't
really make it easy for those scales size businesses to just
Excel and grow, because everything's kind of You know,
built around just this larger Corporation style mentality.
I agree. And Lord, I could go off on a
rabbit trail with that. But the the system is definitely
not set up for small businesses to succeed in most cases.
And I actually, I have a business coach and I would
highly recommend everybody have a mentor at at a minimum because
there's so much that we can just apply from what somebody else's
experience. Instead of trying to reinvent
the will and Through. So, the small business is a
pillar, absolute pillar of a community and where I'm from
Adkins is known for pickles. So the pickle City and it was a
relatively small business, but in employed the majority of the
people outside of the the school systems and when it left it
killed the community and being in agriculture now and traveling
the state and filming and doing that.
I see that story. We replicated across the state.
There was a steel mill there. There was a processing facility
or there was whatever industry. It was it left and it just
destroyed the local economy. So the only way that I know to
do that is to get refocused on that grass roots and have more
entrepreneurs on that look that that bottom level strengthening
it. And I think that's what we have
to do. And we have to do that by We
vote with our dollars. You know, where are you going to
spend your money? 100% agree, man.
I feel like you know, I'm not in agriculture per se but like
we've kept all of our operation under our own roof from the very
beginning and in doing that and kind of communicating with other
business owners that produce a food product.
Like, that's an oddity man, like most people Outsource wherever
possible, they go through a co-packer they go through
manufacturer, even outside the food industry, like with the
apparel and textile industry. Everything's overseas.
It's very Find people and entrepreneurs that are building
and Manufacturing something with their own hands and not just
simply shipping it off to some third party.
And I feel like in doing that over the years.
I've just gained so much appreciation, respect for those
that decide to keep things in their own, you know, under their
own roof. Because it's, there's a lot of
stresses and anxiety. And just, you know, heartache
that come with that. But at the end of the day, I
mean, it's it's awesome to be able to look at something that
you've created with your own, two hands and feel proud for
Man, I agree. The passion and love for the
craft, whatever that might be is is very evident in in
entrepreneurs and small business.
I think the, the flip side of that is that it is difficult,
extremely difficult in that burnout can be there, too.
And that's what you got to really be careful of of that
that I hate the word balance, but that balance, maybe maybe
it's the mental, maybe it's the focus balance that one has to
have on on life. Where you put your energy but
you got to put a lot of work to be successful. 100%, You gotta,
you gotta take care of yourself in the meantime.
So I'd like to kind of, I mean, no one had done lots of
different things here. But I love to kind of go down a
little bit of a business Rabbit Hole here.
So what are some things that you've done from like a
marketing and promotional standpoint?
They just have totally not worked.
And what are some things that that you've dug your teeth into,
or, you know, that has been really successful at that.
You've has given you a big Roi for what you've done with it.
Just kind of the biggest thing that we've done is.
Fully embraced social media and not gone over every platform.
So I know, like if you follow Gary Vee who, I'm a huge fan of
it. He recommends going, you know,
basically, all platforms every platform.
Make sure, you know where you're at least familiar with every new
one that comes out. Then I just focused and doubled
down on Facebook. Facebook was where I knew my
demographic was going to be. I think that's what you gotta
understand. Is who is your demographic and
where do they hang out? That's vital to pick the right
platform, but not trying to do too much across all platforms
and working it in a way that you're not always selling give
value, just do, what is the value for me and the market?
It's all about the experience. I want people to come out to the
market and just be able to take a deep breath.
Get away from the stresses of Life.
Get what they're looking for, what they're after, what they
just made. Want and they just feel good
when they leave. I know when I go.
It's like a big box store. Everybody's frantic or mad and
you just don't feel good when you leave and I want it to be
the exact opposite of what you experience when you go there.
So having that positive field, and that's the same.
Thing I try to do with social media is it's just, hey, let's
look at stuff. That's, it's either pretty or
it's fun or its educational in an entertaining way.
Just give value this give value, not just hey, by my jam.
Hey, buy My Salsa. Hey, by this a by that, I think
that is where you turn people off and you don't build a true
Community. Yeah, total agreement affect the
whole gay. The jab, jab jab, right hook,
you know, mentality with the adding value more so than you
asking for a cell. Is super, super important.
I'm right there with you. The one just being stretched
too, thin, with all the different platforms, man.
Like I don't have a tick tock. I don't really do a Snapchat.
Like there's just so many things out there that I don't really
dive into because I'm just one person.
Maybe I should Outsource some of that and bring on more
employees. I'm not sure.
But like you run yourself ragged if you try and cover all things
at once, and you don't want to go deep enough into anyone.
Exactly. I mean exactly it was you know,
I'm a huge John Lee Dumas fan, you know, and he's like, you
know, go a go a mile deep instead of an inch deep in my
wide going inch inch wide and a mile deep.
You just go into what you're doing focusing.
And I, I'm a firm believer in that 100%.
So with regard to the type of media you're doing right now
with the market and I don't know.
I don't need know what, all the full picture is here.
I was talking to Patrick with it briefly.
But so you're traveling. All over the state and talking
to other local agriculture people and you know, kind of
getting their story. And then documenting that
through the markets media presence, or how is that, like,
what are you doing? Exactly there?
And what we did is me just being.
So in into the agriculture world.
I've got a lot of friends with the university in the division
of Ag and the state. And so what we did was formed a
public-private partnership and to where we're going out and
highlighting. In Arkansas things.
So for example, we go up to the the University of Arkansas visit
with Bean Fields about what what the program is and how they were
utilizing food grown in a shipping container actually like
a Hydroponics system and it was going into their cafeteria and
how they were Preparing People and then went over to Crystal
Bridges and visited with the chef and how he prepares a
locally raised lamb and do that, right?
Happy there. We've gone.
Basically every corner gone down south to Grady outside of Pine
Bluff and visited with a minority farming family.
That has phenomenal. They raise watermelons and all
kinds of specialty crops. And so it's just about
highlighting the local. People that are just kind of
making a difference or doing something really cool and just
learning about, where does your food come from?
And another one? We went to a pumpkin farmer and
saw how they're raising and picking the pumpkins and then
went over to a restaurant where the chef used one of the squash
Cushaw squash to make up some fries amazing dish.
So it's just showing that whole food system and its it was never
about you know me. He Market, it was all about just
agriculture, which you know, food food is a major part of
Agriculture. Totally man.
I feel like most of my audience is pretty, you know ingrained in
this belief that you need to know where your food comes from.
The quality of your food is Paramount where that is sourced
is super important, you know, I'm guilty as anybody that you
know, sometimes buying some kind of convenience, but I really try
and focus on the quality and the sourcing of that more so than
anything. So the fact that you're really
going I'm out in the highlighting these agricultural
entities, and ranchers, and Farmers that are doing just that
and really kind of showing the full picture from start to
finish as to how it gets to your plate.
At the end of day is pretty freaking awesome and it is and
there's so we have gotten as a society.
So, disconnected from our food and where it comes from that.
I think it's something that's very important for at least
somebody to do. Yeah, and the fact that the fact
that you're doing it all in Arkansas is pretty cool, too.
I mean, that definitely hits home for me.
Because, you know, I've grown up here.
This is where I call home for sure.
And Arkansas is a funny state, man, like, I travel all over and
whenever I ask people, I tell people that I'm from Arkansas.
Like they they either say, oh, Bill Clinton, that's like, the
only thing they associate with Arkansas or do they?
That's pretty much it, you know, sometimes I may mention the
Razorbacks, but Arkansas is like, not really known on a
national level. It seems like there's there's
not really like this quote unquote thing that Arkansas is
known for Arkansas is such a cool State.
There's so many great things going forward, so many awesome.
You know, there's something awesome.
Businesses are so many awesome Farmers.
Ranchers are so many local communities that are just
killing it with whatever they're into, especially when you have
places, you know, like, I'm up in Northwest Arkansas, and now,
so, like, they're just so much Vibe and culture and just the
atmosphere you get around the university.
A like, there's so much that Arkansas has to offer.
But so few people We'll get to see that.
So the fact that you're going around the entire State
highlight, then is just pretty cool, man.
Appreciate that. Yeah, it's been fun.
Arkansas is an amazing State. I mean in, I think a lot of
people probably have this kind of tation that were redneck
uneducated. Just country country folk.
And, you know, there's a lot that's come out of Arkansas.
Oh, we got Walmart and JB Hunt Tyson the Murphy Oil.
I mean, there, it's a list, goes on, and on, and on, about what
what arkansans have accomplished.
So, I'm proud of our state and its Or just State and we got a
lot going for us. Yes, we can.
We don't have to let everybody know.
Know, know the secret. Yeah, it's kind of nice that I
mean. It's kind of like a hidden
lesson that not enough people know about it because it just,
it doesn't overcrowded like right now, everybody's leaving
California and going to Texas and I'm kind of glad to Arkansas
staying pretty pure and pristine.
Yeah. Let's keep our head down for a
little bit. Well, talk to me about about
your book, man. You had a book that came out in
October, right? Yeah, at the end of October.
So during my son he was five at the time was diagnosed stage 4
cancer. So it was kidney cancer, that
had metastasized to his lymph nodes in his chest wall.
I had no idea anything was even wrong till he came to me one
night. So Daddy - my piece orange.
So when, when your worlds just rocks, you know, whether that's
a divorced or illness of just a major Financial.
Kasturi, whatever it is, that just that adversity, in life, is
going to be something we all face in one form or another.
And so, I had documented. I wrote a lot of Facebook posts
during the middle of it. Just try to be honest and, and
figure out what I could do to save my son's life because you
hear it stage four cancer. That's, that's terrifying.
So from the very beginning, I said that, you know, the doctors
are going to do their part, God's going to do his part and
dad. He's going to do his.
I'm going to figure out the nutrition and supplements and
Lifestyle and anything that I possibly can, it's going to give
him the edge without obviously hurting him to overcome cancer.
And and that that's the majority of what the book is.
It's just our story. It's what we the ups and downs,
the kind of a blueprint for how you can focus on the positive
and that mentality that you've got to have to face adversity
and then the the ways you can fight cancer, because, brother,
there's a whole lot of stuff you can do.
It is Just chemo radiation surgery and be cancer.
There's a lot but that can be applied.
Yeah, feel like so much that holds true, especially and, you
know, a young kid like that because their bodies just so
adaptable. So, like you start putting in
the right interventions at such a young age and their body
responds, increasingly well to it. yeah, and and so, you know,
podcast were major way for me to just decompress and learn and
so, I dove into who I believed were very reputable podcasters
or or you know, resource creators and their Everybody's
field, you know, you had a vast remark humming or 22 that I gave
me a very solid base. I felt like and so when you
start looking into cancer specifically in especially with
the immunotherapies are coming in the microbiome, Robert play
such a critical role. So like if if it immunotherapy
is effective or not, can be dependent on whether a certain
species of bacteria is in your gut.
Crazy, is that so that in the end, you know, just so happened
to get a little Golden Nugget from Dave, asprey one time where
he's talking about insulin potentiate of chemotherapy and
and that led me down a path of trying to understand blood sugar
and Insulin in conjunction with chemo and cancer and just on and
on and on. And and I go into all that in
the book. I don't want to bore anybody if
that's not there, you know there.
What they want to hear about but what you eat the polyphenols the
microbiome, the stuff you don't eat, all of it is so
unbelievably important. I mean, I try to simplify it in
the best way. In my old country boy, Arkansas
way. I believe disease can be the
cause of disease can be simplified over.
Simplified by most standard in either toxicity or a deficiency.
I think it's Or toxicity or deficiency that causes some
problem in the system and that manifest in a name, it disease.
You have to take care of those two things.
And I really think that that's the base put in the good
nutrients that you need. Give your body, the supplements
that can help a be optimized, don't put in the crap that's
going to hurt you. Pesticides, heavy metals it on,
and on totally 100% man. How did we connect initially?
Because I'm pretty sure you were digging into all this research
that kind of LED towards your approach towards ketogenic
nutrition. And then that's what our paths
crossed. I don't remember how Yep, so we
actually first first came in contact with you because of
Nathan. Brown, o t, Berry kombucha is a
good buddy and I sell and sell his kombucha at the market, but
he just, he spoke. So highly of you and Crystal and
he just he's like, man, you need it.
You need to meet these people. And that was how we first got
together and then definitely you start learning about cancer.
Otto Warburg has been a pop-up. And and sugar feeds cancer.
The opposite of that is going to be key do.
And so you were, you're the local Quito expert.
And so we got to visit on that and and just just dive down and
learn just you don't know what's going to be the next step of the
staircase that leads you to success, man.
It's a small world and because we met him making kombucha when
we were in that first commercial kitchen, space making the bricks
and that's kind of how we Linked UP.
And then, first time I met you in person at the, at the market,
man, it was like, this is freaking awesome.
I want to get involved. I want to help someone learn
more any way possible and you just got an awesome story man.
Like what you've done with the market, what you're doing with
Landrum. I mean, it's super
inspirational. So it's cool to see that
happening on such a local level. Like, said that hits me close to
home and with regard to land or so.
So this all came to fruition, when he was five, you said, Yes,
and now it is, you know piece almost eight next month.
Nice. And so yeah, how's he do?
He went from speech, stay away from stage 4 to cancer-free and
eight months. I mean, so I felt like that's
why it was you know, my duty to get a book out there and I deal
with, you know, help guide people in the cancer Journey all
the time or health, but just I met I'm pretty pretty strong in
my faith guys. In perfect of a Christian is I
am and I feel like God gives us these adversities in life to be
able to help other people get through.
There's and so there's so much cancer.
There's so much adversity and I just wanted to use our story to
help other people. You got an awesome story man.
I'd love to kind of dive deeper into some of the interventions
that y'all did that work. So well with them, I mean, this
is definitely Right up my audiences, you know, cup of tea.
That's right. It up the stuff they're
interested in. So I'm assuming y'all changed
his diet pretty well right off the bat.
Absolutely. And and so again what we did and
what I learned, I know now not my is a little different but one
of the first things that I did was I just wanted to clean up
his diet and I actually, I removed meat completely for
about the first week and dove into what's clean.
And what do we do? How do we just get this reset
and get it? Get everything figured out
because right there in the beginning.
He had a cantaloupe size tumor that had engulfed, his kidney
removed had and then we started radiation and started chemo.
And so he's a little body just went through everything right
there. And what are you familiar with
James Clement? Yeah.
I've heard my name. I don't know where I've heard
the name. He is author of the book called
switch and it's where you really break down into Emptor and so
understanding. The keto in the cycling.
And how do you get that? Tough?
Itchy really amped up, all that. That's what I was trying to do
for a five-year-old. And so that was that was a
really a struggle, but understanding understanding that
the mtor and the the ketogenic diet, especially cycling.
It very, very valuable to the cancer, cancer battle, and was
landed at what was his like, when he's going through this, a
five years old. I mean, what's he thinking?
About it. I like the kids at school are
eating foods that he's not eatin vice versa.
And like is he totally on board with it?
All? It was that a little bit of a
push. Well, yeah, that because I he
did not have I'm ashamed of the diet that we had prior to
diagnosis, but it was before he started kindergarten.
So he wasn't at school, thankfully and he just, you
know, if we just Never never let him think he was sick.
So every every way that I tried to frame, it was just hey, this
is so we're gonna get stronger. And hey, this is how we're going
to feed our good bugs this in our gut.
That's how I explain the microbiome to him.
Is that there's bugs that help us be strong.
So we had to feed the good ones. He was.
He was a trooper honestly, but I didn't ever see see?
Let him see me break down, which happened a lot.
But always We were focused on getting better getting stronger.
So he never ever, ever was told or made to believe that he was
sick and I think that's extremely important.
I mean all that happened in a five years old man.
I can't even imagine like you you have this cantaloupe size
tumor at five years old. You even know what cancer is it?
Five years old? You don't know what's going on.
You just, you know, know that something's not right and you're
just on board trying to fix it. I mean that has to be I like
said we got a baby on the way. I can't imagine being in your
Shoes and having the experience and go through all that.
So I was like in February, I was listening to I believe is like a
Louis house podcast. And Devon Stills is on there.
It was in FL football player. And he's, he had a four-year-old
daughter. That's diagnosed stage 4 cancer.
And he goes into his store. It's, you know, it's beautiful
and I just broke down, man. I'm driving.
I'm crying. Like I couldn't do it.
I couldn't imagine I could never deal with it and, you know, a
few months later. I'm in the Next time shoes and
you'll have a choice, you have a choice other than to do the best
you can every single day and nobody asks you if you want to
go through that situation. So I think I think one thing I'd
like to just let everybody know is you are stronger than you
have any idea you really are. It's hard amount of Hearts,
right word. But like, I've always said that
we all have this inherent greatness inside ourselves that
we all have that capability, you know, finding a way to manifest
it and make it come forth is the hard part and oftentimes, the
Catalyst for bringing that fourth is not something of our
choosing sometimes. It is, but oftentimes, it's not
like, when something like this happens, it totally rocks, your
world turns, everything upside down, your level of perspective.
Shifts on such a drastic level that anything that you
previously thought was challenging or hard or tough is
just so incredibly insignificant and when you have that
perspective shift like you, you become freaking invincible.
You're exactly right. I often say that the things that
I was upset. I was just freaking mad about on
Thursday didn't even matter on Friday after we found out.
What I mean, I'd love to kind of pull the curtain back, a little
bit on what the evolution of this was like for you
specifically like when this when you get the news versus like how
do you muster up the strength to just you know, take it and run
with it? And then when things started
getting better, how do you go about, you know, not tap on the
brakes and not you know, relax and when you need to keep
doubling down. Yeah, man, Robert has that
feeling? I think everybody can relate
there. Is this suffocating you're being
collapsed on, can't breathe feeling and it's just the worst
feeling in the entire world. It's when you find out a loved
one has passed away or you get this torque terrible news.
This is feeling. I don't even know how to explain
it but It was horrible and I think a lot of people have
experienced it. That right.
There is when I believe people either look towards God or look
away. They run towards him or they run
away and they blame things I ran towards him.
I had no faith in anything, but we're going to we're going to
get through this and we're going to use this situation for good
somehow. So that was all the motivation
world was my baby that died. Did to figure out what we need
to do. As we got good reports as we're
headed in the right way to other babies with the same diagnosis
passed away. So we're in clinic.
It's not something when you're in an oncology clinic or
especially in children's. Where your you're isolated.
You see all the worst things ever happen right there.
These poor babies with no hair, Their Skin and Bones.
There are yellow from jaundice. There's all the different things
going on and you know how blessed you are.
In those moments. So for me, I was there and every
single appointment ever overnight.
I was never away from Lander when he was in children's.
So I saw it over and over and over that that that to me, I
don't it's easy for me to stick with it after having those
experiences. Yeah, and I can I can only
imagine man. I feel like you know, I'm
thinking I'm listen to everything.
You're saying right now in the context of the world that we're
living in in the landscape, you know of everything that's going
on right now. And I feel like so many people
this last two years, especially Have just kind of thrown up
their hands and despair about something that is seemingly
outside of their control. And I don't know man.
Like I maybe I'm maybe I just have this weird mentality, but
I've always viewed life as it always being your fault like the
world owes you nothing, you know, you can't take anything
for granted time is your most precious asset, you know, your
family, your friends are everything and like really
trying to to fight this victim, mentality.
First, and foremost, and you see so many people, when they're
placed into any degree of adversity at all, which we've
seen a lot of these past two years with the pandemic, the
politics, the economy, all that stuff.
They just crumble, man. They just totally crumble.
And, you know, sometimes it makes sense why they would
crumble. Like, they haven't really had
this adversity. So, when something like this
happens, it's seemingly outside their control.
They have no, no, you know, perspective to lean on.
But with all this happening to you and your family, Andrew, you
know few years back like the landscape of the land right now.
Must seem just like so trivial. My perspective has definitely
changed and I don't know how I would handle today's time.
Had. I not experienced that but I I
believe that it is a big deal for everybody.
And what what you're going through in life is important,
perception, perception is reality.
And so it's on us to frame those things in a way that is
constructive. Because it there there's there's
so much that's out of our control but there's so much
that's in our control and when we focus on the things that are
in our control, we can better our lives and better those
around us, you know, my favorite Bible verse Galatians 6:7, do
not be deceived for God is Not mocked, whatever.
Manso's this, he shall also reap.
And I think we're sewing with every thought.
We we have. We're sewing with every action.
Every habit. We create two.
And there's so much we can do and the lay on it that right now
is harder on most people, because we're unhealthy, as a
society, it were we're not able to deal and cope with a lot of
adversity because we're not in the right place mentally and
physically and that makes life harder.
I one thing that I'm very proud of myself on was the It meant to
exercising and eating healthy myself during the hardest season
of my life. And it had, I not already been
committed to that before, Landers diagnosis.
It would have been even harder. So, you know, I hope I'm making
sense to you, but it goes back to what I was saying about the
business. This is hard and you can't let
your own health. Suffer because you're worried
about something else or you're working on something else or in
the self-neglect can't happen or everything's harder.
Yeah, totally man. I feel like with regard to, you
know, Fitness and activity and nutrition, like my whole world
can be upside down and it has been on multiple occasions, but
I've always said, like, as long as I get a workout in, and I'm
on top of my nutrition. I've at least got a foothold
from which to crawl out of the hell that I've created for
myself. And I feel like that's so true
and Anyways, because if you get, if you get that one positive in
your day, then you've got something to lean on.
And then from there. It's much easier to gain some
momentum. Whereas, if you just throw that
out the window as well, then then it's like you're, you have
no momentum. You have nothing to pull from
there. And there's not, like, it's
like, there's this disconnect between body and mind and
emotions. Like, it's all entertain gold
and intertwined. I mean, if you got a healthier
body, your ability to maintain healthy emotions and a healthier
mindset, is going to be significantly, Amplified.
Exactly, exactly, and we're not. We're not taught how to deal
with that. We're not taught how to, to eat
healthy and to make good decisions.
And so like, I don't even know where the blame goes with that.
You know, it's like nobody made me get healthy.
So everybody is accountable for their own actions.
It's just what you gotta break through the system.
Yeah, that's why I think it's healthier to have this.
It's always my fault mentality. Because if you remove the blame
from others and you put it on yourself and you truly believe
that, you know, you're the you're the, you know, Reason
something worked out or didn't work out like that, scary, if
you have this victim mentality, but if you, if you have this,
you know, all in, go for it mentality than that's
empowering. Because then you have, you have
ideally, some confidence to do something with your, with your
environment and the actions. I mean, like, you said earlier,
there's a lot of things that are outside of control, but there's
so many things that we have control over.
So I haven't like a stoic approach and just doubling down
the things that you can't control.
And not let those things that you can't weigh.
So heavily on you to the One of just debilitating you.
I mean, what good can that possibly do?
It doesn't it, you know, you brought up the stoic approach.
I think that's that's a big part 2 of what I did it.
So I read non-stop, but it was about the mind to and so like
Ryan holidays, when my favorite authors and I think that, that
is something we've gotten so far away from and most people
probably don't even know what stoicism is, you know, and you
know, another thing something that hit home, one of my dearest
friends was a army, right? You're so he was no special
forces combat veteran and he told me dude how you got to read
this book? And it's a Wild at Heart and it
is about the best book. I think I've ever read in my
entire life. John Eldridge Wild at Heart man.
It's just talks about how we as a society.
We as a race of whatever we are, have gotten away from fully
embracing like the masculine or the warrior spirit and and the
faith in the end of God. And man.
It's really opened my eyes and talking about that System
earlier about how things are set up.
We don't have this father figure for most people.
That is needed in order to be a man, too.
And I'm trying to this not to be sexist in any man any way at
all. It's just there, we have gotten
disconnected from having a father that shows love and
discipline and helps us deal with what it is that you have to
deal with in life. And I grew up without a dad.
I had to it was harder to do that.
But I think it made me a better dad.
And and this book really has opened my eyes to man that role
mothers are extremely important. It too but they have different
roles mothers and fathers have different roles that the that
Dad role is make-or-break and there's a lot of grown men
walking around that have issues that they have not resolved from
the lack of Father, Our Father, not being there in certain ways
or father, maybe being terrible. That you can't work through and
man. I think, I think that's a
fundamental component that in order to turn this thing around.
We all got to look at ourselves on.
Hey, are we good Dads? How can we be better?
Are we doing? What's right?
And how do we forgive? What our fathers may have done
or not done and move on. It's a big, big, big deal.
And it's a big eye-opener lately.
Yeah, man. I mean, I can't even, you know,
I've come from a pretty stable family.
Like I've got a really good relationship with both my mom
and damn and, you know, my dad was in the continues to be just
incredibly impactful on the person that I am today, and I
certainly don't agree with him on everything.
There's some things that were butting heads on right now, as a
matter of fact, but at the end They would not be the person I
am, if it weren't for him and I feel like, you know, he taught
me, he taught me work ethic. He taught me discipline.
He taught me consistency. He taught me the value of your
word and integrity and having a moral code and character to
stand upon having, you know, self-sufficiency and and and
being, you know, reliable being being independent and the way he
taught me all those things, when I when I I try and you know look
back to how he taught me. Those things.
It probably wasn't an easy lesson to teach.
It probably wasn't a fun. Oftentimes lesson to teach like
you have to be cold as certainly not the word, but you have to
be, you know, I'm bold. Are you have to be Stern?
Yeah, and you know, that that is something that so many people
shy away from because they don't want to, you know, cause any
hurt or pain or anything like that.
It's not like he was obviously And causing her pain, but he
wanted me to grow into a man and not just some, you know, not
some person that was a menace to society.
And when you inject, try to teach that those values, you
have to be Stern. And I feel like, I don't know
what it is, man. I feel like there's there's like
the generational cycle in which people that have had, it really
hard. They raise their kids in a way
that's designed to make things very easy because of they were
so miserable when they were kids, but then it just becomes
this stuff Perpetual negative. Back Loop it, so kind of
Breaking Free of that and maintaining that Stern, but
necessary, you know, teaching lessons, but doing so, in a way
that just perfectly illustrates that your love and care for him,
shines through. I mean, that's that's a, there's
a dichotomy there, you know, that's not an easy task.
No, and, you know, you could have to your dad man, that
that's that is phenomenal. There are unfortunately, you are
in the minority and that that's what's really kind of sad about
about Society. Being a parent is without a
doubt. The hardest thing that I do
there's there's no policy manual.
There's no handbook about what how to do the day. it's always
just trying to do the best you can and it is not it's not easy
trying to teach your kids a lesson, but and And and not, you
know, overdo it and not under, do it to where it's too easy and
they don't get to learn. It is it's so hard, but brother,
you're going to be an awesome dad.
I can, I already know that you apply what?
You just said about your dad. You don't have to agree with you
kids all the time or they don't have to like you, but always
always knowing that they, they are loved and it's an
unconditional love that. I think that's the thing
discipline with unconditional. You know, love is is what it's
all about. Yeah, totally, man.
And I think when that love shines through the, the ability
to have this inherent respect for one.
Another is just so much more apparent.
And even if you don't agree with the other party, as long as you
know, that they're doing what they're doing, they're saying
what they're saying because they truly believe that that is the
right thing. And it's coming from love and
respect. Then, I mean, it's not like you
can Alton for it, like that's just who they are as a person.
But you would not ever know that if there was no love shown
there. So like if you have that as the
foundation, then you should be pretty solid, right?
I agree, man. Oh man.
I'm at that. Have you want to speed down?
Once this baby's born? You know, me, like picking your
brain kinds of questions, man, and I'm always here for you,
buddy. What do you got coming up, man?
What's what's exciting in the Pine?
Sol the book that that published in October?
What's the Of it. Father's Heart, Father's Heart,
and that's specifically the journey that you had with Lander
the diagnosis. What all y'all did and just like
everything about it, the the technical aspects that mindset
the emotions. Yep, and what we can do to kind
of head off all these, chronic diseases through Agriculture and
diet and and the choices that we make that's a super excited man.
I mean, it's it's cool for a minute assume.
It must be cool for you to have gone through something like
this, but then be given the opportunity to present it in a
way that helps potentially so many more people than you ever
could have had you not had this happen to you.
It's just I mean it kind of all goes to show that.
You know, things that that happen certainly may not be
great news that time but you have the choice to take it and
run with it and make something positive out of it or just
wallowing grief and self-pity because of it.
Absolutely. I mean that, that's, that's it.
And that's where our choice and how we respond is the real.
Test of life is just how do you respond when good things happen?
How do you respond when bad things happen?
It's it's a you know, it's a fluid thing.
And you had always just improve to try to deal with the good and
deal with the bad in the best way you can get in bed every
day, man. That's the name of the game.
When you gonna be back up here in Northwest Arkansas, man.
I actually have a herd of cattle that me and my buddy got into
That are in Westport that I need to actually run up there and see
what shoot man. Well, maybe it's in like, 30
minutes away from me. Yeah, I need to get back up
there. You need to man.
We got a, this is kind of a funny story, little bit of a
tangent but kind of funny story, nonetheless.
So, I'm actually flying out to Washington State this Sunday to
go butcher our cow. So we have a cow to B in
Washington state. Love it.
So not quite local, but crystals, brother.
He got cacao and the farmer wanted the cow to have a
companion cow. So he's like, do you want to
cow? So he said of yes, of course.
And then now I've got to go to Washington to help them butcher
this cow. So it would be an experience
nonetheless, but it's kind of comical.
No, that's that's a, you know, that's, that's part of what I'm
talking about that we've gotten away from and then we don't have
those experiences, most people with their dad, you know, going
out to have some event that in turn feed your family, you know,
you're going to process an animal which is experience.
It's a learning to give sustenance to your loved ones.
I mean, that's what we're most of us have missed a lot of abou
doing that is beautiful in Europe.
Go tell your your, the kiddos about that and potentially do
that with them kind of percent, man.
I just got back from a week-long hunting trip.
And we, you know, had a whole bunch of deer that we harvested
and we did all of the butchering and processing ourselves, got a
freezer full of meat right now. So to me, that's just my, you
know, normal day-to-day. Like I love it, man, like
knowing that the food that I'm eating is coming from my own
hands. Is, is a good sensation to have.
Absolutely. And then being outside and just
being in the sun and fresh air, just does wonders for your soul,
just a win-win, 100%. Well Logan, it's always a
pleasure to talk with you brother.
I will definitely have to get down there and swing by the
market stock up on some goodies. Definitely.
Let me know when you're in the area with West Fork.
And we'll definitely try and link up here.
I got to give you a tour of the new facility here, man.
Oh, yeah. I got we got to do that.
I will probably be up there pretty soon.
Good. Probably.
Basketball game. Well, you got my number man.
Just let me know. All right, buddy.
I'll talk to you soon. For sure, man.
Until we talk again, what can people go to find out more about
you. What's the Facebook page name?
So, we got me and McGee market Facebook, Instagram website.
All that fun stuff. Father's Heart is the name of
the book. Logan Duvall Father's Heart Is
on Amazon Barnes & Noble and you know, that's the that's the
primary. Primary ways.
Awesome and I will certainly linked out to those.
Make it easy for people to find you and keep doing what you
doing, man. Keep changing lives.
Tell the family. I said honey.
Tell Logan I said, I don't love them.
But Lander I said honey. I can't get him stocked up on
some more bricks too. By the way.
Yeah, we do. That was part.
That was part of the way. I could get him.
Some what he thought were deserts.
So it worked out yet. We'll get him fixed up for sure,
brother. Let's say a man, always a
pleasure Logan keep in touch, man and what Talk soon.
See, buddy. Take care.